|
|
Post by Lyrikitty on Sept 15, 2011 9:33:48 GMT -5
"Hey Nebula, what's up man?"
Grunt.
"So... Is that good or bad?" The Ghostrider looked at the candidate curiously. He frequently requested Nebula's help with minor tasks, the lad was a good worker even if he wasn't talkative, and this was another of those times. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could go get me some leath. I need to re-do the straps for Gujioneyth, they're starting to look a little frayed."
Grunt.
"Thanks. Just drop the leather in my room whenever you get the time." Off he went, and Nebula resumed munching calmly on the sweetroll he'd grabbed for breakfast. It was still fairly early, he doubted if Rukbat had managed to fully rise yet, but he'd bee up for awhile. There was a lot of commotion in the Weyr lately, some of it due to the outsider who had been brought in to stand for the Wraithking, a lot of it due to something else he'd caught a faint whisper of. That didn't matter though, what he was more concerned with was that there was a particular group of youths who were planning something stupid, and he was planning on an intervention. Simple enough. He shoved the rest of his sweetroll in his mouth, chewed it just enough to force it down his throat, and then swallowed the last large gulp of his klah. He'd get the leather for O'pun later, just as soon as this was taken care of.
The candidate rose and left the kitchen, seeming to wander aimlessly through the Weyr until he came to the section he knew Riki and Nwalme were living in. He stopped, able to see the doors of their rooms, and casually leaned against the wall, his arms folding across his chest. If something was going down, he was expecting it to involve one of these two. Why? Logic dictated that it would. Riki seemed to have a knack for trouble finding her, and Nwalme... Well the other girl really never posed a threat to anyone. She was quiet and unassuming, though intelligent and personable once you looked past the first impression of her. He'd been doing his best to keep an eye on the two since he heard of the attack on Riki. Sure, she'd handled herself then, but that was because she'd been linked to one of the eggs and it had taken action, not her. She'd have been in serious trouble if not for that.
When finally Riki emerged from her roo about twenty minutes later, he followed at a discrete distance from her as the lass made her way to the library, then the kitchens, then... Then to a place which made him want to bash his head against a wall repeatedly. With her arms loaded by books, sweetrolls, and a cup of klah the female marched into an abandoned part of the Weyr once more. Did she have a death wish? It would appear so, for she settled to the ground, pulled a small basket of glows from her bag, and started to read while nibling on her breakfast. Resigned to his current situation, Nebula settled himself against a wall silently and kept watch, trying for the life of him to figure out why a person who had already been attacked once in a similar place would go out of her way to end up in the situation all over again.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bacchante on Oct 13, 2011 19:56:52 GMT -5
"Ready, dearest?"
The Wraith nodded. She was almost completely bare of armour, now, save for a few flakes that still clung to uncomfortable areas. They would break off soon enough. For now, she was preparing for a great endeavor. By looking closely at the personalities of the children who had already been 'selected' by the mysterious things he had identified certain traits he thought might be a factor. From that, he had assembled a shortlist of candidates he thought could be next.
The first on the list would have to be handled delicately, assuming he was chosen. For now they skipped him. Testing the third, the fourth and all the way up to the eighth got them successes in the normal fashion, but no strange happenings. The ninth, however. "Nebula. I'm not so sure, mine." Zenith rolled her eyes at the apparent foolishness of her partner. <He is perfect, MineB'ach. To my mind, his personality is not dissimilar to Nwalme, in many respects. He is a possibility.> The Weyrleader simply shrugged. "If you're sure."
Gently, the behemoth's thought sought out the young boy. Selfless as always, she noted, detecting Riki not far from him. What an amazing child. Her mind anchored to his, she bent the rest of her will down toward the eggs. Cautiously. Carefully. Waiting. She could feel something stirring, just beyond the range of her mental vision. There! She lashed out at the rushing presence but missed, felt it coil and curl around her mind. Blackness welled up as both dragon and rider fell to the ground, unconscious.
Do not be alarmed.
Came the voice from the dark. It was soft and calm, soothing even.
I have no intention of harming you. My siblings apologize for their... Brutality. The ages of sleep made us inhospitable and clumsy.
B'ach and Zenith found themselves floating, disembodied, in an endless plane of darkness. Seven points of pulsing white light hung in the air before them, each flashing to different colour at random intervals. One pulsed grey as ts words reached them.
We mean no harm. It is our time of awakening. Our Weyr needs us. You need us, Lord. And so we come. Please, do not interfere any longer. We will not hurt you again, so long as you do not look into our conversations with Ours. It is a place of privacy.
The grey light flickered and vanished into the dark as dd the others, one by one, leaving only one that burned the colour of fired clay.
You needn't fear us. We exist to serve and protect our home. That is all.
---
In the corridor below, where lurked Nebula, a flickering thought twisted into his mind and took control. What he saw would be up to him, a manifestation of the experience on his psyche. The words, however, belonged to the though.
Nebula. I am thou, and thou art I. Defend this world and gain my blessing.
Then, just like that, it retreated from the mind it had found and returned to the eggs. Silently, the siblings conversed. Was it right to do what they had done? Only time would tell.
---
B'ach stood, groggy, stumbling out and leaving Zen to wake up in her own time. He was angry. Very angry. But it would be contained, for now. Who would dare give him orders, in his Weyr? Who would dare? No-one. Not a soul. Save these seven fiends. Perhaps, when a clearer head prevailed, he would see his obstinacy. For now, he was upset. Walking to a certain room he shouted into a hole in the wall a message that echoed in the matching rooms along the shaft.
"Find Nebula! Bring him to me!"
|
|
|
|
Post by Lyrikitty on Oct 14, 2011 17:59:43 GMT -5
His watch was growing dull. Tiresome. Nothing interesting was happening, and no one had made a move yet to try and harm the girl he'd taken to watching over. She hadn't noticed him, and he was starting to feel the effects of the overwhelming boredom kicking in. Or he was until everything went suddenly black. A black as Between, it felt like, with a single point of pulsing, silvery-white light. He felt like he should panic, but he couldn't. All he could feel was a sense of belonging.
A voice drifted through the darkness, a voice which was perfect in every way. Nebula yearned to be closer to it, to know the source of it.
Nebula. I am thou, and thou art I. Defend this world and gain my blessing.
Such simple words, such a simple request. Did he not already defend the world? Did he not already do his best to protect those around him, be they friend or foe? Just as quickly as it had come it left, and he ached to hear it again. He tried to find it, but to no avail. It was then he started to panic, for the light which had been a comfort and anchor in the darkness faded, leaving him to float through nothingness alone.
A sharp, stinging pain exploded suddenly across his cheek, the ringing sound which followed on it's heels went unheard as his mind tried to pull itself out of the dark hole it had been sucked into. Blurred and foggy images swam before him for several moments before they started to clear, and the face which hung above took shape into one which made his heart jump. What was she doing here?
"Who the shards are you, and why are you down here?" Riki, with her hand still raised though now forming a fist instead of a flat palm with which to strike, demanded of the boy who was waking. He grunted in response, trying to claw his way back to the darkness and that perfect voice. "Hey! I'm talking to you. I don't know who you think you are but I'm sick of everyone trying to walk all over me in this Weyr." A little of her frustration with life, and having been attacked and now spending a great deal of her time concerned with her safety, as well as Nwalme's, spilled over.
Nebula grunted again and started to sit up, being caught off guard when the wisp of a girl shoved him back to the ground and moved to pin him to the ground beneath her, straddling his stomach and glaring down at him. "Answer me." She scowled down at him darkly. It was actually most amusing, the way she seemed to think she was in control. He could see why she'd been in danger before. She was a fearless thing when she chose to be, despite how small she was she had placed herself on top of him and was making demands, as if she could do anything. She was a feather, really, and he was well-muscled. Easily capable of moving her if he so chose.
He let her have her moment though, until she sighed in frustration, which was cut so short he thought she was choking. Until he caught sight of the rider who had come across them. The rider turned his back and cleared his throat. "Ahem... B'ach has summoned you, Nebula, to his Weyr. I can only assume for what cause..." His dripping tone made Nebula bristle. It was clear what the man had jumped to in way of a conclusion. Of course... Looking at the scene as one who had just stumbled across them and not known the full play of it all... Riki was straddling Nebula, her skirts hiked to the knee because of it, the more powerful boy letting it happen without protest... What else was there to think?
Riki squeaked and scurried off of him, making a break for her things but being caught short. Nebula snatched her arm and hauled her close for a moment to whisper in her ear where no one else could hear. "Get your things and go back to your room. Neither your egg nor I will be around to protect you for the moment." He released her and gave her a nudge in the direction she'd been headed, which she mutely stumbled off in and disappeared. He rose and brushed himself off, taking his time in doing so to the aggravation of the rider.
"Are you done yet? It's bad enough you'd try and bed her, but to make the Weyrleader wait like this? I hope he has you removed from the Weyr for what you've done." The man's tone was pure acid, and Nebula couldn't help the vague smile that crept onto his lips at it. If anything, he should be praised for what he did, instead of punished, but this fool didn't know that, nor would he as Nebula remained eerie silent on the trip to the Weyrleader's rooms. The rider was anything but quiet, only ceasing in his scolding chatter when they were outside the Weyrleader's door. He shoved Nebula and followed. "I've brought Nebula for you, Weyrleader. I found him in a most peculiar location, in the, ah... Company of another candidate by name of Riki, if you follow." His smug tone said he thought he was about to start a world of trouble for Nebula, which caused the boy to simply shake his head and sigh.
OOC: I hate this post. So much. I had a longer one typed up this morning, but we lost power as I was about to hit the post button. Then, I had another post typed half-way and the internet crapped out entirely, and ate that post as well. So this is try three for the post and I'm not at all pleased with it, when compared to the original. >.>
|
|
|
|
Post by Bacchante on Oct 14, 2011 21:13:34 GMT -5
B'ach could only guess what V'eth had stumbled across, given his tone, but given what he knew of both Nebula and Riki he could easily guess what was really going on. The presumptuousness of the older rider had always rankled him a bit so he smiled graciously and stood, striding over to Nebula and grasping his hand as if they were old friends. The look of pure horror in the eyes of the uppity Ghostrider was worth suppressing his rage.
"Why of course he was! I would be extremely upset if he were anywhere else. After all, he is under express orders to follow and guard her at all times. You may go now, V'eth. These matters do not concern you." At first it looked like the rider might protest but something about his Weyrleader's smile chilled him. Bravado drained, he backed out of the room hastily. As soon as he was gone, B'ach released Nebula's hand and turned away, his expression icy once more. Far more calmly than he actually was, the rider managed to get behind his desk and sit down.
For a few moments he glared at the candidate before him, collecting his wits. It wasn't the boy's fault. It wasn't his fault. Keep telling yourself that. It wasn't his fault. Oh, shard it. Standing again, B'ach tore off his tunic in one movement and then did similar with his pants, tearing them off at the knees so he was left in shorts. "Follow suit, or stay like that. I don't really care, it's your sweat." Taking up a position about ten feet from the boy, hardly a boy really given they were nearly the same height and not in B'ach's favor either, but still younger. In any case, the green-eyed fighter took his fighting stance.
"Well hurry up, I haven't got all day. Hold me off for three minutes and you can keep guarding Riki." For a while the rider waited for his younger opponent to get ready. As soon as he took a stance, however, the Weyrleader rushed in far faster than his frame would suggest. His forward dash was unmatched. Since he was shorter, B'ach's reach was smaller than most and so he had to get in close very quickly. He fired off a few shots, jabs mostly, but half-heartedly for now. He was saving the haymaker for about...
---
Zenith was getting impatient. While B'ach was playing his silly little games, she was working. There were still some twenty candidates she had to get through before the festival began. She could at least do the ones they had deemed 'safe' from the.. Whatever those dragons were. Reaching out as before, undaunted by her repeat assaults, she found them one by one and tested each in turn. One, however, caused difficulty. Rycage. A transferred boy. She was finding it hard to get a firm hold on his thought. From the darkness of the mind, something welled up. It didn't attack, not like last time, but rather just sort of sat in her field of mental vision. She could feel its willpower stretching in all directions like an immovable wall of thought.
Pray, Wraithqueen, leave this one be. He is Mine now.
While Zenith wasn't happy with that she recognized the restraint and courtesy this one of the dragonlets was showing. If that was what they truly were. In any case, she simply nodded, or the mental equivalent, and moved on. It wasn't worth fighting an unwinnable battle over. She did, however, send a mental note to Ghresath to take B'rac to go and fetch the boy. From what she knew of him, seeing B'ach fighting Nebula might give that one a bit more of the respect he so justly needed to possess.
--
Now. "And maybe I'll explain what the light was."
The little bombshell of information would probably hit almost as hard as the full-body right hook that followed it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lyrikitty on Oct 15, 2011 23:25:56 GMT -5
He could have laughed as B'ach stepped forward and battered the man's ego right down to the dust. He had it comming. Nebula had utterly no interest in the girl. As far as he was concerned he was just doing his duty to the Weyr and protecting it's best interests. However he could sense the underlying tension in the Weyrleader's actions, and sure enough as soon as the Ghostrider had scurried off with his tail between his legs and his ego thoroughly deflated B'ach's expression turned to one of ice and he walked away to his desk. Nebula's first thought was the Weyrleader actually believed the fool of a rider, but had chosen to pretend otherwise to deal with the matter and not have nasty rumors start up, however this conclusion seemed... Faulty, at best. There had to be a better explanation. He pondered this while B'ach glared away, seemingly uphased by the man who matched him in height.
He continued to appear unphased as B'ach tore off his clothing and took a fighting stance, proclaiming that if Nebula could hold him off for three minutes he could continue guarding the girl. This, finally drew an amused reaction in the form of a raised brow. It wasn't as if he enjoyed the task. It needed to be done, he saw firsthand how careless she was when her own life was involved, and if he didn't do it, who would? B'ach was much too busy with Weyrleader duties, and a large chunk of the Weyr was not particularly thrilled with the possibility of an outsider being the next Weyrwoman.
He shrugged though and quickly fell into a defensive stance as the older male charged in, just in time too, for a series of light jabs came in, each met by the flat, hard bone and muscle of his forearm. He was curious as to why this was happening. Through the first onslaught he kept up fine, until B'ach made a snide comment which Nebula knew was aimed to throw him off. It sort of worked. Nebula, being the exceedingly calm personality he was, took it in relative stride. He hesitated for a heartbeat before leaning hard to the left, the hook B'ach threw catching him in the shoulder rather than anywhere critical. He grunted and stepped back, shaking himself back into the moment. He didn't feel like ending up on the ground right now. He wanted an answer. If B'ach knew about the light, he needed to find out. In a bad way.
He had a feeling the best way to do it would be to keep his head where it belonged and focus, earn the respect or at the very least the acknowledgement, of the Weyrleader who was fighting him, and see what came next. Through the entire thing he didn't say a word though, in the unnerving manner so typical of him. The effects of a silent opponent could wear on the mind, and though it was not an active strategy, it was one he did naturally, speaking only when he deemed it genuinely best, or important.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bacchante on Oct 17, 2011 22:24:09 GMT -5
The strike hadn't been nearly as effective as B'ach might have liked, but the break in his opponent's concentration had been nice. Anything he could do to shatter the perfect composure that the young man threw up. It was an effective defense mechanism, assuredly, but it wasn't so easy to confound the Weyrleader of Skrull. He followed up the hook with a left straight then twisted his body sideways so his shoulder pointed toward Nebula.
This little trick had been taught to him by his father. It was a little devious, but without being underhanded. Charging in as before, shoulder first, the green-eyed fighter made his best attempt to push the other man backwards as far as he could. In her chamber, Zen rolled her eyes at what she thought of as simple 'male ego'. Unbeknownst to all of them, a little presence watched the fight with growing enthusiasm.
What next? Let's see... He'd mentioned the light. Perhaps a teaser. Yes. "At the Hatching Festival. You're getting a dragon." That ought to do it. With his shoulder facing the other man and his left arm held crooked in front of him it was almost impossible for him to throw a decent punch. Unless, that is, he used a short right hook between arm and body, straight to the young boy's face. And, to add insult to injury, quite literally, "You met it today."
|
|
|
|
Post by Lyrikitty on Oct 18, 2011 13:32:10 GMT -5
Were he not focusing solely on defending himself, Nebula might have been in a tricky situation. That was the beauty of taking the time to ocus though. Rather than having his mind divided between defense and offense, he was able to ignore half of that entirely and devote everything to protecting himself. He was able to defend himself much better than he would otherwise. Each attempt to push him back from B'ach was met by a careful counter that neither gained nor lost ground. He wasn't trying to make a point, just do what he'd been challenged to do.
His curiosity was again tempted, though he'd learned from the last verbal trick B'ach had used not to let his mind grab hold of the words and lose focus on the physical. He grunted softly at the teasing words, all the response people normally got from him, and instead kept his eyes on B'ach's movements. A good thing too, for if he hadn't, and if he'd let his mind wander as he did the first time he'd likely have been on the floor. Instead, he was able to shift low and duck the swing aimed at his face. This was getting old. B'ach knew something about earlier, and Nebula wanted him to stop trying to play around and just get to the point.
He saw only one way this was going to end, and end well. B'ach had issued a challenge, and was giving him no choice but to act on it. Now, he could spend the entire time dancing out of B'ach's reach and dodging the blows that were close enough. Or, he could end it now.
Still low to the ground, he swept a low kick at B'ach's legs, seeking to trip the man up, followed with a rising punch aimed at the Weyrleader's gut. Nothing critical, but should it connect as he was hoping it would (with B'ach falling because of the kick right onto the punch and adding that much more power to it) the Skrull Weyrleader would most deffinately have the wind knocked out of him. Hopefully that would be enough to end it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bacchante on Jan 25, 2012 7:05:00 GMT -5
B'ach's slightly volatile mental state meant he wasn't as devoted to defense as he really should have been. As a result, he was able to intuit the coming strike but quite unable, or perhaps unwilling, to stop it. Still, one leg managed to position itself outside of the range of the kick. The Weyrleader stumbled forward but managed to plant his foot quickly. If he had pushed off then he could have fallen backwards and performed a quick recovery. Instead he held his ground and momentum, tanking Nebula's punch.
Winded, he grabbed the boy's upper arm with his left hand and held him fast. If he hadn't been out of breath he might've said something like, "Got you." As it was he sucked in air, gritted his teeth, and struck. The warrior didn't have the advantage of size. No, he was rather short. That limited his options in terms of destructive power. But he persevered. He found a way. And that was why, although the muscles in his chest were certainly built nicely, they were of average impressiveness. The back, however, was a different story. As he swung his arm in a tight arc, the muscles rippled and bulged beneath the skin in a fashion that was nearly obscene.
Since his arm was released mere moments before the attack struck the apparently surprised boy in the jaw there was little to no chance to dodge, and now nothing holding him up. He spun as he fell and... Didn't hit the ground. Nebula's eyes were a few feet from the stone as he was held nearly horizontal, suspended, with only his feet touching the ground. Nodding to himself, B'ach grabbed his arm and heaved him to his feet. "I don't know what they are. But they can do that, even sitting in the Sands. And, one way or the other, they are dragons. One of them has chosen you as its partner. Congratulations, Nebula."
Pulling the boy along, pushing him into a seat in front of the desk, B'ach then chose to sit and gingerly massage his stomach. "You are fortunate that part of my training regimen involves being hit there very hard. Even so, you've got a powerful arm. So you're being drafted, boy. I don't know what kind of dragon you've Impressed, but you have. That means you'll be a rider. Which means you'll be part of a Wing. I'm forming a new one. I've yet to decide on the name, or a Wingleader, but you'll be in it. It will have the specific duty of protecting Skrull from incursion."
Leaning forwards in the chair, B'ach poked Nebula in the head. This was a strange gesture but it meant that, at that moment, he desired the boy's full and absolute attention. "One last thing. I am not a vengeful man, at least not in terms of my own person. And I am not an unfair man. If, for some strange reason, Riki shows a personal interest in you then don't fear to indulge her if you feel the same. But I swear by the bones of my ancestors that if you hurt her in any fashion I shall do such things to you as would make a grown man break down and cry. Are we clear?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Lyrikitty on Jan 26, 2012 18:31:29 GMT -5
The blow to his jaw caused his mind to reel as he spun and fell, expecting to connect to the cold floor any second. His eyes closed and he waited for an impact... That never came. Very cautiously he parted his lids to see what broke his fall, to find that in fact nothing seemed to have. He was merely floating there natural as could be. Before he could react, B'acch grabbed him and hauled him to his feet.
Silently he followed the older man to a chair and silently listened as he was offered a sort of explanation. So, it was one of the dragons on the sands, one which was special that he had been contacted by earlier. That made sense. Being drafted came as no surprise though. In all honesty, he always expected that should he impress, he would be placed in a position where he'd be charged with protecting the Weyr. It seemed only natural, after all.
Nodding in consent to what wasn't exactly a request, he was about to turn to leave when he was poked in the head. An... Odd gesture. However its meaning became clear swiftly as he listened to the next bit and had to fight the urge to laugh. It seemed B'acch thought there might be something between Riki and Nebula. That. Was. Funny. He managed to stifle most of it, but a small cough did escape. With a grunt, he nodded. He had no interest in the girl. Sure, she was pretty enough, but not his type. He was merely protecting the Weyr's possible future weyrwoman. His nature and habit of silence left nothing said on the matter, just a nod and a grunt. He waited with a raised brow to be dismissed, hoping it wouldn't take too long. He wasn't in the mood for another 'measuring contest' with his weyrleader in a competition he had no stake in.
Ooc:: Sorry is short. Typing on phone is torture.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bacchante on Feb 20, 2012 21:24:24 GMT -5
B'ach resisted the urge to glare at what he seemed to interpret as Nebula's smug demeanor. It probably wasn't. Intellectually, the Weyrleader absolutely knew that the candidate was incapable of most emotions. But still he felt upset for reasons quite beyond him. "That will be all, Nebula. Don't let me detain you any further." Looking away from the young man and to the various documents on his desk, B'ach seemed to give no further thought to the matter. Outwardly at least. Inside he was churning.
As soon as the younger man was out of sight, the green-eyed Weyrleader stood and stormed out. B'rac watched him go from a doorway, shaking his head slowly, then strolled off in the direction of Nebula. The candidate had the advantage of a Ghost ready and waiting, and was well out of range by the time the Captain had called Ghresath around. Nevertheless, he caught up with him exactly where he expected to find him, in the corridor leading to where Riki was undoubtedly still waiting. "Wait up, boy. Let's take a walk."
The elderly rider put his arm over Nebula's shoulders in a way that might have been kind, or perhaps personable, if it weren't for the fact that neither one of them was a very tactile person. "Now, see here Nebula. I know you're not the kind of person to take B'ach's little moments very seriously at all, but I just wanted to make sure he isn't angry with you at all. He's just feeling a bit humiliated as all, and is trying to save face. You're a good candidate, and I was seriously considering inducting you into the guards if you got the right dragon."
Releasing the boy and stepping away, B'rac stroked his chin. "But I'm in a difficult position here. My boy, he's upset. I'd be mighty appreciative if, after the hatching, you could see your way clear to apologizing to him for putting the moves on Riki. And I am aware that you have not one iota of feeling in that direction, but B'ach doesn't and it's burning at him worse than a Thread. He'll respect you for the sentiment, realize he acted like a burdenbeast and it'll be happy families all around." With one last genial smile, the Ghost Rider turned to leave.
He paused only once, to say one last little thing. "Oh, and by the by, you might wanna tell little miss Riki about what happened. Especially the bit about B'ach being so upset when he thought that you and here were getting romantic. Food for thought. Have a nice day, kid." And then the old man was out of earshot and chuckling to himself. Sure, what he did was a tad malicious, but in the end B'ach needed a good kick in the britches one way or the other so that he realized what a general tool he was being.
|
|
