Auralia settles herself down at a table, holding an empty glass in front of her--the glass is given a long, calculating glance.

Riva walks in and waves to everyone in the room, patting cheeks and shoulders, and even dropping a kiss on the head of a certain bluerider. She gets a drink and chugs it down before says, "Hello, Auralia! Can I ask you a question?"

Auralia turns her attention from the glass, blinking a moment, before, with a gracious nod of her head, she responds, "Hello, Riva. Sure you can ask me a question--although I can't promise answers are always what are wanted."

Riva blinks several times, trying to figure out this answer. Finally she just gives up and asks, "Why were you staring at an empty glass when I walked in?"

Auralia's eyes flick back towards her glass--again, as if enraptured by it. "I don't know," she finally responds, "Is that a decent answer? I think it's the only one I've got."

Riva shrugs and spreads her hands. "Sounds good enough to me! Want some juice for the glass or would you rather look at it empty?"

"Juice!" Now *there* is a good idea. Aura beams turning her head, "Juice would be perfect for it. As long as it's yellow juice, and not red."

Riva scans the table and sticks her nose down to a pitcher. "This one looks purple...would that be okay?"

Auralia wrinkles her nose, as if debating. "Well, it isn't red, if it's purple, even if it isn't yellow. And yellow and purple can look okay together." Long pause. "Yes, purple would be okay, please."

Riva brings the pitcher of purple juice and her glass over to Aura, and pours them each a drink. She holds up her glass and toasts, "To cute guys!" before drinking half of it quickly.

Auralia murmurs something in thanks, pausing, as Riva raises her glass, then echoing the movement with her own. "To cute guys--ands girls, I suppose." She drains half of it, giving the glass of queried glance. "Hmm."

S'tev strides over from the entrance hall.

Riva nods obligingly and raises her glass to toast again. "To cute girls!"

S'tev seems to have immpecable timing, as always. "Two cute girls? Where!"

Auralia positively beams, and drains the rest of her glass. She pauses, eyes turning towards S'tev. "To cute girls everywhere, I'm sure."

S'tev smiles at Auralia and Riva as he walks over. "Well there's two right here, so why go any farther?"

Riva beams happily! "Exactly, why leave home when you have the best here already? Want some purple juice with us?" Okaaaaaaay, somebody's acting a little weird.

S'tev smiles and sits down at the table. "I'd love some juice Riva!" He smiles at Auralia too, "You must be the new Weyrsecond, I'm S'tev, brown Hamunth's rider."

Auralia's glass, now empty, is given another long look--stare into the glass, and you will be healed? Abruptly, her head lifts, and she beams. "Well, there's that. I'm Aura. I think I met you--once. Iesath's flight, although I don't remember much more than being muddy."

S'tev cocks his head to one side, thinking. "I don't remember Ham ever catching any Iesaths."

Auralia shakes her head. "Chased, I think, not caught."

Riva looks around blindly for a glass, smiling happily when a brownrider passes one to her. She pours a brimming glass of purple juice for S'tev and carefully hands it over.

S'tev waves his hand dismissively. "Oh, he does that to all the greens, I don't keep track of chases anymore." He accepts the glass from Riva with a quick thanks. "So what've you two been up to? Discussing important stuff, no doubt?"

Riva nods seriously. For the moment at least. "We were toasting cute guys and girls. I /like/ cute guys. They're so nice to me."

Auralia just nods. "One wouldn't," she agrees, before the raptures of a juice glass gain standing in her mind once more. "And cute girls have advantages, too."

S'tev laughs, "So Beltran - or whoever - isn't enough to keep your interest anymore, Riva? You're looking for more cute guys?"

Riva smiles dreamily at the mention of Beltran. "He's very nice, but he's not here! I want a cute guy here. Now!" A slightly petulant note enters her voice but fades away when a truly gorgeous greenriding male slides into the seat next to her.

S'tev laughs, "I know no one would consider me cute, so I'm out."

The message drum booms out across the land. Come one! Come all! Southern Hold is finally hosting the handfasting of its heir!! Come watch as Mantiras, Lady Samira's and Lord Garant's eldest son joins hands with the much admired Recordskeeper Caline. @tel #400 - Southern Hold Beach The signature shows this was sent by Selene.

Auralia's lips twitch, and she murmurs, "I don't think there's any need to limit ones self to a single cute guy--there are plenty to go around." She peers towards S'tev, noting, "There's cute, and there's cute. If you're not one type, you're the other."

S'tev laughs, "The only people who ever consider me cute are Catt and Kiara, and the latter only when she was..." He trails off, then glances carefully at Auralia, then Riva. "Pregnant. You can't both be coming down with the same thing the rest of the greenriders are, could you?"

Riva puts her chin in one hand and stares at S'tev. "Catt's right, you are cute. But you're taken, so that means hands off." The rider on her other side murmurs something in her earm making her laugh.

Auralia peers at S'tev. "Pregnant? You better not be telling me that I've got that look about me--I swear, it's the cold. Too much pregnancy." And too many booties. "Taken. As Riva said. There's plenty of untaken men to work with."

S'tev groans, "Ah well, I'm not complaining about my availability, and nothing either of you could do will ever change that. But if you're not pregnant, hum, I won't comment then. Good juice Riva!"

Riva shakes her head and says, "Don't think I'm pregnant. I haven't been sick or feeling funny. I'm just really really happy for some reason, cutie pie."

"Well, that's good! If you were complaining, I'd be worried." Aura doesn't move her eyes from her empty juice glass--fascinating matter incarnate.

S'tev drains the juice from his glass. "So how long are you with us at Southern, Aura?"

Auralia draws her eyes, somewhat disappointedly, from her glass to allow them to review her fingers, upon which she counts. "One--two--Oh, about a week longer, I suppose."

S'tev nods, "ah, well, it's nice to have met you before you headed out again. Enjoying the weather?" He grins at the last.

Auralia embarks upon an eye-roll, noting, "Nice to have met, you--*enjoy* the weather? Faranth, it's freezing. No wonder there're so many pregnant women; you need to have something to do to keep warm."

Riva asks, "Will you come back to visit us again, Aura? I'll line up plenty of cute girls for you if that will help. Anja will know who I can talk to."

S'tev laughs, "Ah yes, Anja would definately be the one to go for if you wanted cute girls!"

"A bit of both makes a healthy balance," murmurs Aura, whose eyes open further as she adds. "Anja's not bad herself, I must admit. I'll visit, as much as my poor old bones can handle the cold."

S'tev loooks Auralia over, appaisingly. "You don't look that old to me. No more than... thirty turns?"

A grizzled bronzerider in the back corner yells out, "Never ask a woman her age, boy! Surest way to get yourself killed if you guess wrong!"

Auralia's brow furrows, and she mutters, "Faranth, if I look that old--I'm not quite 24." The bronzerider is given a withering glance, for all that he's quite correct.

S'tev blushes a bit. "Oh, just the talk of old bones, I just assumed... Anyways..." He picks up his empty glass. "Anyone want more juice?"

Auralia murmurs something cooly--she's not offended, it would seem, and shakes her head. "I like my glass empty."

M'ton strides over from the council room.

Riva nods happily and says, "I'd like some more, please. And thank you for being so nice."

M'ton walks out from the council room with a hide tucked under one arm. He stops at the klah pot for a mug.

S'tev takes Riva's glass and his own over to the serving tables, filling both with juice. He returns, gracefully setting out Riva's glass first with a mild flourish before retaing his chair. "And you're enjoying the weater, Riva?"

Auralia stares blankly into her empty glass, poking at it with one finger.

Riva nods and says, "I like warm weather, so I can swim. But I also like cold weather, so I can go ice skating. What about you, S'tev?"

S'tev shrugs, "I like all weather, really, except for bland rainy days or cold dry days. I like ice for skating, snow for playing in, warm weather for swimming... I just don't like getting rained on."

"I can't skate," notes Aura, rejoining the conversationwith a twist of a smile for M'ton as she notices him. "Swim, yes. Iesath enjoys playing in the snow."

S'tev glances at Aura, "Must be something of a novelty for her, you can't get much snow up at Southern."

M'ton sits down with his klah mug and his hide and begins reading.

Auralia admits, fiddling her fingers around the edge of her glass, "No--no snow around Southern. She enjoys it when we come this way."

S'tev grins, "Well you should have let me know, Hamunth just adores playing in the snow, they could have had a fun time together!"

Sioneva strides over from the entrance hall.

Sioneva walks in, pulling a brush through her hair. "Good evening."

"I'll bet," mutters Aura darkly, staring towards the table without conviction.

S'tev turns around and waves to the pregnant greenrider. "Hi there Neva! How're you doing?"

Freyia strides over from the entrance hall.

Riva waves to Sioneva and salutes her with her juice glass. She says, "Snow is nice, but washing our lifemates in ice is not nice! I wish I could go to Cove to wash Uileath, but Jelisa won't let me!"

Sioneva sighs. "I feel increasingly heavy. And - well, are there any grapes around? I could use some grapes right about now..."

Auralia twists her lips into a brief smile towards Sioneva, and then Freyia, regarding her empty glass once more. Increasingly detached, the greenrider wonders, "Why not, Riva?"

S'tev blinks, "Grapes? Um, well..." He looks around. "Some wine? Not the same I suppose." He glances back to Riva. "Why can't you go?"

Sioneva says "I can't go either, Riva, you're in good company."

Sioneva mutters, "And I can't drink wine. But I need grapes!"

Freyia looks around for a few moments. She notices Auralia and heads in her dirrection. As she comes closer she pulls out a well-wrapped package, "Auralia, I was ask to bring this to you?"

Riva finishes off the rest of her juice and says, "Jelisa says I have to stay here for the next several days, and if I just think about it I'll understand why."

Auralia's face brightens, and she nods towards Freyia, "Oh! My glass!" She grasps for the package, accepting it with a grin--opening it to reveal an almost punch-bowl shaped piece of glass work. All the better to stare at. "Thank you--er, Freyia. Just what I needed." She gives another glance to Riva, "That's peculiar."

Sioneva moves to scrutinize the food tables, still muttering about grapes.

S'tev waves to Freyia. "Oh, another Southern rider? Neato! Is your dragon coming to play in the snow too?"

Dragon> Honshu Weyr sense that Tarilyth pictures a pile of little purple balls. << Has anyone seen these? >>

Dragon> Honshu Weyr sense that Elerslith asks curiously, as he nuzzles with Sylaith, <<What are they? Toys for hatchling humans?>>

Freyia nods, job done. She looks towards S'tev, "Kelsyth loves the snow. I'm Freyia, blue Kelsyth's rider, by the way."

S'tev grins, and holds out a hand. "S'tev, brown Hamunth's."

Dragon> Sylaith bespoke Honshu Weyr with << Toys? Those are often many colors. >>

Dragon> Tarilyth bespoke Honshu Weyr with << No, *Sioneva* wants some, and she doesn't eat toys. >>

Sioneva stops her relentless hunt for grapes, turning to introduce herself as well. "Sioneva, green Tarilyth's."

Riva smiles at the newcomer and says, "I'm Riva, Uileath's lifemate."

Auralia peers her head towards this new glass thing, examining it with scrupulous care. "No breakages. Oh, how wonderful!" Yes, how very peculiar.

Dragon> Honshu Weyr sense that Hamunth projects an image of a fat, round wherry, peculiarly colored the same shade of purple from Tarilyth's immage. << Maybe your image wasn't clear enough? >>

S'tev looks over and looks at Auralia's... thing. "What is it?"

Freyia shakes S'tev's hand and nods towards Sioneva and Riva, "Well met."

Sioneva sounds desparate, "Riva, you make wine, you have to have some!"

Dragon> Honshu Weyr sense that Uileath sends an image of the little round purple things rolling everywhere, being blown by a big dragon. <<This looks like fun! I want some purple balls too!>>

Steila strides over from the entrance hall.

The light slowly dawns over Riva's head, with a little help from Uileath. "Oh, grapes! Yeah, we have some. Unlike Southern." She smiles meltingly at a bluerider near the door and asks, "You'll go get us some grapes from the kitchen, won't you?" He gulps and nods jerkily before racing out the door and returning with a large bunch of purple grapes.

<Southern Weyr> L'mir waves. :)

Sioneva dives on the bowl like a dragon on a wherry. "Oh, thank you!"

S'tev looks at the grapes. "Grapes! Oh, I want some!" He stands up from his chair and dives after the bowl too.

Auralia gives her bowl a long glance, "It's a *glass*," she states, calmly.

Dragon> Honshu Weyr sense that Tarilyth herds all the little balls together and gives them to Sioneva's image.

Sioneva positively glares at S'tev, guarding her grapes with her life. "These are mine! Go away!"

Steila roams in, heading for the serving table, "Evening." she comments, ignoring any grape fights.

Freyia heads over to the klah pot and pours herself a mug, "Is it always cold here?"

S'tev dives in, trying to move in past Sioneva's defences and grab some grapes out of the bowl. "Don't hog the grapes Neva! Share them!"

Sioneva yells, "No! Stop it, you'll make me drop the bowl!"

Steila loads up her plate with various greens, "Only cold half the year." she notes absently before frowning at S'tev and Sioneva.

Iesath> In the skies high above, Girinth emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!

Auralia, so distracted is she, doesn't even notice the grape war--the mesmorising power of glass wins over.

Freyia looks over her shoulder at the fighting pair, "What's up with them?"

Riva sends her bluerider back to the kitchens, and he returns with green grapes this time. She whistles sharply, and calls out, "I have green grapes for the first person who stops fighting!"

Steila sighs to Freyia, "I've no idea."

S'tev whirls aroung. "Green ones! I love green ones, they so much better than purple ones!" Sioneva is therefore ignored and S'tev dashes over to the new bowl.

Iesath> Girinth soars over from the skies far above.

Iesath> V'ian jumps down off of Girinth, landing smoothly as his lifemate croons.

Iesath> V'ian carefully removes Girinth's riding straps, quickly checking them over for signs of wear before folding them neatly for future use.

Steila walks toward the entrance hall.

Sioneva retreats to a corner to eat her grapes in peace, relief in her eyes.

Freyia takes her mug of klah and slides into a seat.

Riva passes over the bowl and grins. "See? No more fighting. Everyone is nice again."

Iesath> Hamunth soars to the skies far above.

Iesath> Kelsyth flies toward the skies far above.

Iesath> Girinth soars to the skies far above.

Iesath> In the skies high above, Kelsyth has left.

Sioneva grins at Riva, savoring another grape. "Well - more or less!"

Auralia shifts within her seat, rubbing one hand towards her head with a muffled grunt. So far, oblivious entirely, biting upon her lip with a vacant stare towards her glass thing.

Iesath> You fly toward the skies far above.

Iesath> You soar to the feeding pens.

Iesath> Channeling emotion, the Southern green drops into the feeding grounds--seething in anger at the audacity of these males around her, who dare to feed from *her* grounds. Blooding follows: deep rivulets of crimson blood falling from a decapitated carcass into her open maw, fueling the desire within her. Drained carcass is thrown aside without hesitance, the green rising up to surge towards another hapless beast.

Iesath> Hamunth dives downwards from this sky, his lazy gliding over the wintery terrain coming to an abrupt halt as he spots a plump, round wherry. His talons spear into the avian, causing it to squak in terrified alarm as it's brought sharply to the ground. The small brown ends the creature's complaints with a quick swipe of his claws, then closes his maw over the gaping wound, neck pulsating as he sucks out the ichor.

Riva decides that Auralia has a good idea, and stares into her own empty juice glass, looking at the lines the slowly draining juice makes along the sides.

Sioneva finishes off the grapes, walks over to look at Riva. "Are you all right?"

Auralia stiffens, face going pale; "Iesath---?" She winces, eyes raising. "Well, that is a nice turn of events." shoving her arm forward, she almost breaks her glass bowl, but somehow, she hardly seems to notice. "Faranth."

S'tev decides grapes are so much more interesting to stare at, and suddenly loses any interest in eating them. Especially when... "Oh eww! There's worms and bugs and crawlie things in here!" He jumps back, dropping the bowl, which clatters to the ground, grapes flying in all directions.

Iesath> Girinth sweeps low over the feeding pens, plucking a poor buck from it's feet, and wrenching it's neck with an audible crack as his teeth settle into's throat and gorges, a fast whirling eye kept on the green.

Iesath> Kelsyth swoops down landing on a largish wherry. He removes the head lifting the body allowing gravity to help as he drinks deeply of the blood. The blue licks to get the final drops as they spill from the carcass. He takes off again heading towards the herdbeasts.

Iesath> Iesath glows far more brilliantly than before, her colour brightening even as she bloods--sanguine making pretty patterns down her rainforest-hued hide. With a loud bellow, she snarls towards males of brown, blue and bronze hues, turning away to attack with talons blazing her next kill, feeding rage with stoney blood. Out, out, damn males!

Auralia bites upon her lip, murmuring something beneath her breath, and eventually just shoves herself out of her seat, making a move for the doorway. Now's as good a time as ever.

You walk over to the entrance hall.

S'tev strides over from the main hall of Honshu Weyr.

Freyia walks over from the main hall of Honshu Weyr.

You walk toward the stairs and up them.

Iesath> Hamunth snarls and shakes his head to one side, bits of his wherry flying out to both sides, the brown clearly angry that the flow of ichor tapered off. Not enough! The dragon leaps skyward again, circling, watching the heardbeasts with rapidly whirling red eyes, a tinge of purple swirling into the facets as he spots Iesath. He drops quickly to the ground again at the green's bellow, landing akwardly on an older buck, crushing it's hind legs as his paw misses mark. Ignoring the beast's cries of protest, Hamunth locks his jaws around its neck like a vice, gnashing at the flesh to help the blood run free.

Iesath> Girinth hops from his now empty kill to pluck a defenceless wherry from it's aborted flight, the brown's talons spearing the beast even as his maw closes around the wounds to get every last drop.

Auralia's things--carry bags, clothes, and the like--are settled about the weyr; this is the one where she's been staying, these last few sevendays, evidently. She settles herself down on the bed, oddly calm, although she maintains a contact with the room by glancing from rider to rider, watching for any sudden movements. There'll be none of those, thank you very much.

S'tev looks around the weyr, so changed from all the other times he's visited it. He finds his usual corner, still empty, and plants his back against the merger of cavern walls, arms crossed tightly over his chest, eyes darting nervously from Auralia to the other riders and back.

V'ian removes his riding jacket as he walks in the door, taking in the surroundings and the other riders as he does so. With a deft flick of his wrist, he throws his jacket on the floor by the door and walks slowly around the weyr, roving eyes constantly flicking from one person to the next.

Iesath> Kelsyth drops on top of a herdbeast, snapping its neck and breaking it half off. The neck flops as he slurps greedily. His claws tighten as he licks the open area. Raising a gore covered head, he bugles at the other males.

Iesath> Iesath pounces upon a random wherry, the beast having only another moment of life before it does beneath her ministrations; talons with impecable precision and aim drowning out it's life to feed Iesath's. With eyes whirling red in anger, she snarls again towards the male dragons, twining her tail about her meal as she suckles it dry, finally releasing it--empty.

Iesath> Hamunth closes his eyes for a brief moment as he savours the heard beast's blood, quite unawares of all he's missing and ends up spattering across the snowcovered ground, turning the pristine white a sickly pink. His eyes open again, facets clearly tained with the lustful purple as his hunger sates, craggy hide rippling in anticipation. A paw of talons claw through the snow, dredging up dirt and leaving deep trenches, the young brown flexing his wing muscles again.

Auralia narrows her eyes upon a bronzerider that seems to desire getting far too close--and he backs away at a snarl of her own, as she rests her head down upon pillow, and backs away from their presence.

Freyia leads against the wall of the weyr watching the other riders. Her tongue slowly sliding across her lips. She glances from one rider to the next before closing her eyes, a look of concentration on her face.

Iesath> Girinth deposes of the empty carcass with a blithe opening of his maw, letting it drop even as the brown launches himself to another herdbeast, his teeth sinking into it's back midflight. The beast's piteous cries die aborning as it's lifeflow quickly flows into the brown's own growing ardour

V'ian's eyes fade in and out, as his own awareness flicks between here and there. The hunger of his dragon, augmenting his, his gaze flicks between the object of their desire, to his opponents, and back.

Iesath> Kelsyth tosses away the empty carcass and looks around eyes focused on the glowing green for a moment. He springs to another wherry draining it in a blink and tossing that one away as well.

S'tev keeps his spot in the corner, breath drawn quick and restlessly, arms tight across his chest, hands grasping his upper arms.

Iesath> Iesath tenses, her whole body caught for a moment without movement, muscles tensed about her. Wings furl, then widen: grasping upon the air with a great swoop as she reaches for the sky--away from the carcasses of animals, from the traps of life, and the males that seem to desire persuing her, against their better judgement.

Iesath> You soar to the sky over the center of Honshu Weyr.

Iesath> Hamunth flies over from the feeding pens.

Iesath> Girinth soars over from the feeding pens.

Iesath> Kelsyth flies over from the feeding pens.

Auralia winces as Iesath rises into the air, backing against the wall with as much energy as she can muster. Breathing becomes heavier as she does so, eyes widening as she murmurs to the green, words incomprehensible in their ardour. "Go!"

Iesath> Girinth notes the green's quick departure and follows, his great haunches punching him high into the air, following the green with long, powerful wingstrokes.

Iesath> Hamunth lunges skyward after Iesath, a bit of the heardbeast's neck still caught in his teath due to his hasty departure. He shakes his head quickly, letting the wint tear the flesh free. His wings glisten in night sky, drawing him upwards into the sky, pursuing his goal. Forelegs tuck tightly against his chest, hind spread out behidn him to better aid his tail in directing his flight. Spotted lighting illuminates his hide erratically, sandy tones flightering like a raging storm.

Iesath> Rising through Honshu's thermals, Iesath battles as she attempts to get accustomed to a different sky--her blazing distaste for those who persue her clear through frantic efforts to rise far and beyond their feeble attempts. She, however, is far beyond such petty things: she rises through the night like a grape perfectly ripe, wanted, needed, but saved for some far more beautiful union later. You can't have her, and you can't win. So there!

Freyia's eyes snap open staring at the greenrider not bothering to even look at the other riders around her. She half reaches out towards her before letting her hands drop to her side.

Auralia can't really move any further back, but she would if she could. A nasty snarl sets upon her face, perhaps tempered by a touch of fear, as she huddles, with her knees together, arms wrapped about them, to stay Safe.

Iesath> Hamunth swings easily upwards through the thermals of his home weyr. He knows where all the good ones are, aftearll. Despite the advatange of home skies, his strained flight shows no sign of tapering into an easy glide. Thoughts of fruit are far from his simple mind, devoid of complexities such as metaphor, and instead he concentrates on the here and now. His whirling violet eyes continue to trach Iesath through the sky, a bright green beacon leading up higher and farther from the ground below.

S'tev closes his eyes slowly, leaving the room behind and soaring skyward with his lifemate.

Iesath> Kelsyth's wings snap up and down pouring him farther into the night sky. He creels his desire as he follows through the thermals passing a bronze and brown.

Iesath> Girinth strokes his large wingspan easily, gaining height above his opponents but slightly behind the lead. Unfamiliar skies lead to caution, but the brown's whirling eyes follow the object of his desire even as he watches those opponents for whom this is home. The dark umber hide ripples almost unseen in the faint starry light, evidencing the muscles work as the thin film of wing pushes air down and back.

Iesath> Iesath beats her wings against the thermals, rising upwards with a powerful rush of air, towering over the Weyr below with insatiable delight--she's free! Free to dance in the wind, free to be--Iesath, beating harder, higher, further. Every wingbeat carries her further away from those who pursue her, or so she must hope. Their's is not to make reply, their's is not to chase or fly--their's is but to leave her alone.