[PRP] Sands of a Different Kind (Nicara & Marinel)

[Hattaki]

Light played off of delicate wings that beat into the morning sun, shadows dancing up and over the ripples of color that seemed to dance with each climbing beat. Diesteth soared through the air as fast as his wings would allow, flying faster in response to the turmoil in his beloved rider's mind as if he could whisk it from her with wind. Eyes whirling a turbulant yellow, the blue dragon twirled in the air and stopped upside down, wings folding to somersault down towards the ground.

"Easy now!" Nicara's words drew him from the spinning circles and straightened the pair out, her willpower pressing the anxiety from him as she did her bes tot calm her own frayed nerves.

Two children she had added to those violent sands, was this really what she wanted? To watch one of them nearly be eaten next?

Her dragon responded by spinning about in circles in the air until the circles turned into a fullblown downward spiral. Though he had no intention of hitting the ground, Diesteth opened his wings late and his back legs were forced to cusion the blow of hitting the ground too roughly, sand flying about as he pushed the self-created whirlwind out and away from him with his wings. For a moment he stood on his hind legs, wings spread wide, before falling to his front legs and dropping belly first onto the sands.

Rider stunned almost as much as the dragon himself, Nicara leapt from his back and to his back legs to check him over. Laughter rang through her head in an exhausted manner just as her hands first touched his soft skin and the angry blue eyes turned towards dancing purple ones in frustration. Diesteth had finally managed to pull her attention from her own distress and anxiety for the Candidates on the Sands. Though he'd had to trick her the blue was quite smug.

"Just for that you're only eating the tiny Wherries for the next few weeks!" Nicara laid herself on the big blue dragon's hip, feet digging through the sand as she slid downward a bit to her knees. "Thank you."

Any time my beloved. I know what buttons of yours to push when you are anxious.

Maybe she should change her triggers intentionally so the blue couldn't do this to her anymore.  

[Thaliawen]

Marinel was walking rather forlornly across the beach. He was staying close to the waves, watching them as he went. How small they seemed, after that Touching. An egg had gone hysterical--some candidate--he assumed the one Vimiath had targeted and nearly killed was the one--had hurt it.

But dragons...he hadn't known they could hurt people! Or that a candidate could hurt an egg enough that it screamed. What would happen when it came to the Hatching? What if Dolmar got hurt? What if--no. He bit his lip and shook his head. He couldn't think like that. There was no doubt in his mind that Dolmar would Impress. The best of the Clutch! And he'd be fine. Everything would be fine.

He looked away from the waves, spotting a blue dragon. Huh. "Hello," he waved.  

[Hattaki]

Feelings, turmoil and confusion, lit up Diesteth's eyes and the large blue dragon lifted his head from where he had laid it on the sand. Sensitivity to emotions was a big part of what made him up, even if he was loath to display many himself the blue could feel the gentle pull of a child or teenager's feelings even from quite some distance. This boy, he was much closer and the blue noticed right away the swirl of emotions in him.

Though Nicara laid a hand on his smooth skin, the dragon lifted himself up slowly and let out a welcoming croon to the young teen. Eyes swirling a calm blue color he lowered his wings and angled them so that his beloved rider was hidden behind them, her own emotions quite fragile at the moment. It would be bad if she were to react to this child's in any way other than comfort, her own turmoil would only mix with his.

Hello there yourself. What has a candidate out on the beach when eggs could be hatching at any time?

Twisting his head down to the child's level he sniffed in his direction carefully and made a point of looking into the boy's own green eyes when he spoke. There had been mention that some Candidates had heard dragons speak, but Diesteth himself was not overly fond of communication with those other than his rider. Still, he had decided to do so with this child and so would try not to cause him concern for the voice in his head, lest he not be used to it.

If she had been somewhat calmer, Nicara might have done her best to rise and greet the teen herself, but she had never been one to disobey her dragon when he took control, as it happened infrequently. One hand patted his leg and the woman worked to rein in her upset.

Thaliawen

 

[Thaliawen]

Marinel paused. His eyes went slightly wide. A dragon was speaking to him! He hadn’t expected to meet such a friendly dragon, not after the touching.

“I was just thinking,” he said. He was sure Dolly would Impress, that wasn’t a concern—and Dolly, he’d be fine. He’d succeed at whatever he did. “I’m worried about the Touching stuff,” he said, then. “People hurting eggs and dragons hurting people. I didn’t think I’d ever see that.”  

[Hattaki]

Tilting his head to the side gently, the blue dragon tried to decide what exact feeling he was getting from this child. Was it fear or concern? What would cause that in a Candidate, outside of the events of the Touching?

You have concerns for the touching? What would frighten a Candidate so much that he has such a whirlwind of feelings?

Of course he knew, but this child didn't know that and couldn't know that. Nicara had nearly given herself an ulcer over the past few days worrying about all the Candidates in the wake of such events. His beloved rider was so concerned that he had picked up on it himself and was doing his best to calm himself.

She never showed much emotion, so all the bottling up had taken it's toll.

Thaliawen