[PRP] Incoming! (Demodeth/Alenciath + Riders)

[demon_pachabel]

A freshly washed and oiled Alenciath was a wiggly one, even with Fahn holding the little green's haunches off the ground and swaying them from side to side. "You. Are. A. Wiggle. Worm!" Fahn declared, smiling as Alenciath hwenked and with a twist of her body slid right out of Fahn's equally oily hands and flopped right onto her side.

And right into the sand.

"Oof! Gritty green!" Fahn laughed as Alenciath twisted and wiggled in the sand, flailing her little feet upwards. It's exfoliation! she argued playfully, even as her rider rolled her over and gently brushed the worst of the sand off of what stick the oil on her hide still had. Certainly the rest would come off when it was a little more dry, but....

Alenciath was impatient, not that Fahn would ever blame her, and the little dragonet was soon off, to see if someone else had finished their bath! Demodeth! De-mo-deth! Are you ready? For what, she didn't say, but clearly if he needed to be braced for anything it was Alenciath, who dove into a roll on her approach and laid, belly up, at (and potentially on) the bronze's feet, reaching up one foot to dare boop at his nose if allowed.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Someone else had finished his bath, or was reasonably close to doing so, at the very least. Instead of jumping and hwenking, however, Demodeth was standing calmly in the largest patch of scrubby grass he could find, carefully keeping his feet out of the sand. R'in slowly circled the bronze, painstakingly checking for unoiled patches and feeling for tense muscles, both with his fingers and his mind. There weren't any, but R'in wasn't about to stop just because of that. Any excuse to stand around and quietly bask in his dragon's presence was a good—

Incoming.

With his wide stance, greater bulk, and growing amount of practice, Demodeth was barely jostled as Alenciath rolled onto his feet and reached for his face. He looked down at the green, his nose meeting her touch as R'in stood straight and looked around for Fahn, smiling warmly but briefly when he saw the other weyrling.

Am I ready? The real question is, are you?

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Thump, thump, thump - Alenciath's tail whacked against the ground like that of a delighted canine as her brother leaned into the little boop of her foot. Even if I wasn't, I think I could go with the flow, she answered with a slight wiggle before rolling back up to her feet and bumping the side of her head against his.

Perhaps in some mimic of what R'in had been doing when she'd barrelled her way over, Alenciath did a quick circle around Demodeth with admittedly much less admiration than his bonded did to check over the young man's handiwork. Ooooh! You're extra shiny now!

Fahn returned R'in's smile, hands on her hips as she watched her dragon circling the self-proclaimed 'best friend' of her clutch. What had struck the little green was still a mystery to her, but it was probably good for both of them she imagined. "He really is handsome," she offered in idle conversation.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Hm. Yes. Go with the flow. He would have said that Alenciath made her own flow rather than adapting to what was thrown at her, but the end result was the same. Demodeth's head turned slowly as the green circled him, watching her in his periphery when she wasn't directly in sight. You are too. It makes it hard to sneak away, being so shiny. What are you going to do now that you're clean? Had he been alone, it would have been time for a nap, but that wasn't going to happen now.

"Thank you." R'in didn't bother denying that Demodeth was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. He was sure Fahn felt similarly about her dragon. "Not that any of that is my doing, but... you know."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Only until I'm dry! Alenciath didn't seem bothered by this, instead delighted at the idea of being a shiny green for a little while. A shiny, sandy, green. Maybe if she could hold still a little longer....

Impossible.

Half leaning her weight against Demodeth's side she made a point of mulling over his question audibly. Hmmmm...my checklist said I was gonna come see you first....and then.... Alenciath's eyes whirled blue and green as she considered the next option. Guess I'm gonna play with you! Since there's time! and there was no room for him to say no!

"Oh, I know. Gotta credit Turoth and Khamaith for their part - but he's all him and he's all yours," Fahn felt the same about Alenciath, even as the little green worked to subject her older and bigger brother to her will. "I don't envy how much work he'll be to clean as he gets bigger, though." Not that she had any room to envy the impression of a bronze. She wasn't even an option.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Demodeth chuckled, subtly leaning back toward Alenciath. You have a checklist? It seemed like a very structured move for one so spontaneous. Does it say what we're going to play? Naps, perhaps? It was worth a shot.

"I've been trying not to think about that." His eyes darted from Fahn to Demodeth and back again, widening in a way that suggested he felt entirely over his head. "Not that... well..." He wasn't ungrateful or anything like that. "I always thought I'd merit a brown like my siblings, if I Impressed at all. They're not much smaller than he'll be, but every dragonfoot counts when you have to clean it." R'in smiled. "I'll have to take special care to hold these times in my memory. Taciturn and small, instead of gigantic. He does tolerate Alenciath better than most, for what it's worth."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Yeah! It says 'Wake up, play with Fahn, play with Demodeth'! And a few other things... It was obvious that she didn't actually have a list and was just listing off things she enjoyed spending her time on because she'd been prompted about the supposed list. Naps! It's too early to play naps! It says we're gonna play.... there was a brief moment of quiet from Alenciath, who was obviously trying to come up with a really good game to suggest they play off the top of her head.

How about-

Oh! Let's see who can get from the Barracks over to the Lake faster!! which was the opposite of naps, but Alenciath leaned her little head against the side of Demodeth's neck and looked up at him entreatingly, And then we can play naps later? Even if it felt too early still.


"Oh, no, I understand. I always was fond of the blues," she'd stared longingly at a few of them, really, "but she's more than I ever expected in what she is." She didn't have much family in the way of riders to have made guesses like R'in had, but she'd been very fond of the blues. "It's a good thing he tolerates her - I think she adores him," which she didn't doubt, really. Baihath would have been the only other dragon the little green b-lined for with such enthusiasm to demand plays.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

A race. It was quite possibly the most polar opposite a thing could be to taking a nap. Demodeth straightened, looking out over the dragons and humans nearby. None of them appeared to be minding his business instead of their own, but he continued to watch them as he spoke.

I do appreciate being so high on your list. The bronze sighed. Very well. Barracks to lake. Who shall count down to the start?

R'in wasn't about to confirm or deny Demodeth's mirrored adoration for fear of sparking his dragon's distrust, but despite his moaning and sighing, Demodeth's eyes were still a swirling blue. "I'm glad. From the outside, I'm sure he seemed unfriendly on the sands. I guess they all spent a lot of time around one another in their eggs. She probably knows what she can get away with."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Alenciath bounded away as Demodeth gave in to her more-or-less demands, a loping, bouncing circle before she was back to lean against his side - along with a running stream of mental, emotional commentary that was entirely joy and elation. Of course, she would have still been content if he'd said no. Content to pester and plead until he had.

Of course you are! Who else would be? she asked genuinely, tail swishing like that of an excited feline. I'll let you count down since I picked the game! Alenciath hopped from foot to foot with something resembling impatience, but no impatient needling came. Demodeth could take as long as he needed to.

"To be fair...I wasn't really paying attention," Fahn admitted with a laugh and a small bump of her knuckles against the top of her head over her confession. "I mean, a bronze wouldn't give me a second glance so I figured he'd come out when he was ready and I didn't need to think about it." And she'd not even been on the sands by the time he had. "She'll probably take as much as he'll let her get away with," like dragon, like rider really. "So he may as well take as much in return if she's offering."

Fahn certainly could keep up with Alenciath - sort of. The green was getting bigger and bigger every day, after all, and she could use a playmate her own size to actually give a game an actual challenge. A push.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Who else would be. Demodeth didn't have to think very hard to come up with a number of siblings that would provide her with a more enjoyable playtime experience. Like... all of them.

Here. Stand next to me. Regardless of whether she did or not, the bronze squared his stance and peered off in the direction of the lake. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it properly. He lowered his head and tail, tucking his wings close to his back before glancing at Alenciath. On 'go'. Three, two, one. Go.

"Ah, yes. True." R'in, on the other hand, had been on the sands until the very end, concentrating so hard on being pleasant that he'd nearly ended up with a tension headache. There had been a time when he'd been at ease during a hatching, but after Yoneth had taken a couple of chunks out of him, he couldn't help his wariness. Never having to feel that way again was one of the smaller reasons why he was glad he had impressed, but it was definitely on the list.

"I'm not sure if he's the type to—"

The warning that the dragons were about to take off and the reality of it were barely an instant apart, and later R'in would wonder if Demodeth had erected some sort of temporary mental wall between them before he came to the conclusion that he just hadn't been paying attention. He watched his dragon speed away with a faintly confused expression before taking a few steps after him. This was new.

demon_pachabel

sorry for wait i've been an overworked depressionface

 

[demon_pachabel]

Alenciath was oh so eager to square up next to Demodeth, mimicking his stance with an eager wiggle of her rump from side to side. It was almost like a feline preparing for the pounce but in this instance, it was preparing for the takeoff.

Three, two, one. Go.

She was perhaps just a step behind the bronze as she bounded off towards the lake with an eager gait. Demodeth could cover more ground in a leap, sure, but Alenciath had the energy for speed and the extra steps she'd need to at least keep up with him, if not maybe gain a little bit of ground. All Fahn would feel from her, however, was sheer delight from being indulged so.

"And there they go - I'd dare suggest we follow after, but I'm not exactly sure I can run faster than both dragons," Fahn mused with a hearty 'thump' of her hand on R'in's shoulder before she rested both hands on her hips.

Smerdle

/kisskiss/ Always worth the wait

 

[Smerdle]

"Yeah." R'in's brief jolt of surprise shifted to amusement soon after. "Maybe we should follow at a less frantic pace?" He would do so even if she had other business, but it wouldn't be polite to hurry off without asking Fahn to come. R'in's inclination to mother-hen had yet to fade even though his dragon had a distinct aversion to being babied. Demodeth would have everyone believe he was an adult in a child's body. An old hermit.

That old hermit was larger than the green beside him, but she was already much faster, and he struggled to match her acceleration at first, no matter how far he tried to leap. It didn't take Demodeth long to find a speed he could maintain rather effortlessly, however, and as he bounded alongside Alenciath, there was a moment when he admitted to himself that this game might not have been so bad. It didn't last, but it was nice.

Demodeth put on a burst of speed as the lake came into view, his desire to get there as soon as possible so that this would all be over growing by the second.

demon_pachabel

eee gotta tag race so there can be more race

 

[demon_pachabel]

"I guess we don't have any promise their race is bringing them back," Fahn laughed, already taking pace to follow after the running pair of dragons before R'in could finish his suggestion they do so. "Are we racing too or just following?"

Alenciath ran in a wide bound, half side-to-side as she did - occasionally bumping a shoulder against Demodeth's side and sending him a wave of adoration. Really, he was giving her the mile and while she'd never recognize it as such, it was one of the things she found so dear. But the extra burst of speed from Demodeth was matched with one of her own.

Smerdle

Rolling a d6 with the assumption whoever rolls higher is the winner, lmao. (I mean, nobody is breaking their leg this time so >>a)

 

[Smerdle]

"We could call it a race, but I feel that would devalue much better races." R'in smiled as he began to jog. "I'm not much of an opponent unless we're carving driftwood as we go. So I guess... just following?"

The bronze kept pace with Alenciath all the way until the very end, then without warning he slowed just before the water, hoping she would outpace him before she could stop herself. Demodeth was also surprisingly raced out, definitely not as suited to short sprints as the green.

You win.

demon_pachabel

:B

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Aw, that's no fun!" Fahn laughed, quickly breaking out into a run that outpaced R'in along the prints their dragons had, in whatever lopsided heaps they resembled in the loose sand, left behind them.

As Demodeth had more or less predicted, Alenciath's attempt to slow down when she realized her brother had only resulted in a long slide in the muddy sand and then she went toppling into the water. Still, she seemed no worse for wear for having done so, perking right back up and shaking herself as dry as she could before romping right back over to him.

Barely! she corrected, though it was less out of something like pity for the loser and more the truth. Still, a promise was a promise. So where did you want to play naps?

Smerdle