NOM NOM NOM|

[Desert]

"Hey, careful where ya let y'r dragon feed, Wingleader," the herder cautioned K'dran sternly, glancing out the corner of his eye at Dharth, who was standing nearby, the model of patience. "Those damned felines've been raidin' my brood herds, so the pickin's are a bit slim, at least hereabouts. I think th' other side o' the Weyr's got better stock, they've got no problems wiff felines."

K'dran nodded slightly, tugging his lips into a faint smile to reassure the man. "Of course. No need to worry, Dharth is always careful when we visit the pens. Your breeding stock is safe from him."

The herder cracked a grin. "Thanks, Wingleader. P'raps ya could send some a' your riders into the woods to fix the problem. Anyway, my regards to your Dharth."

The big black dipped his head graciously at the man and leaped into the air, leaving his rider to follow afoot. The herder watched Dharth's flight enviously for a moment before he turned back to his work. K'dran strolled toward the paddock where the dragon-fodder was kept, eyeing the animals in surprise. The herder had claimed his stock was compromised by the feline problem, but there were plenty of fine-looking beasts in the pen.

These folk are no Holders, K'dran. They do not short us our due, Dharth told his rider. He kept circling a few dragonlengths above the ground, scanning the herd for a prime target, his massive wings blotting out the sunlight that filtered down toward Pern with every pass.

Spooked by the shadows, the herdbeasts panicked. They couldn't stampede properly in the relatively small paddock, so they turned into a milling crowd, kicking up dust and lowing anxiously.

Dharth stooped abruptly. It was too short a distance to the ground to dive properly, but a little too far to fold his wings and drop like a stone. His wings stayed half-open as the big black did a wingover and swooped steeply, then flared open at the last moment to send him skimming just above the ground. Dharth's forepaws shot out to bind a young buck in his wicked talons. He landed heavily and bore his weight down on the struggling herbivore, breaking its back with a loud crunch. He stood over his kill, wings mantled aggressively like a hawk.

"Theatrical," K'dran observed wryly.[/color][/font]

[rizu]

“There y’re lassie, I’ve been lookin’ all over fer ya!”
”Yes, sorry for the tardiness. This one was a rather pain to track. Thankfully he hadn’t gone too far.”

As the female came into view the herder had made a bee-line in her direction. A bundle was carried on her back, wrapped in wher-hide and tied with ropes, and without hesitation she soon let it drop to the ground. One of the younger wildcats had strayed too close in the morning, and she had been sent out to track it before it decided to come again for a free meal. Lucky for her, the feline hadn’t seemed to be more than a youngster, perhaps a turn and a half at most in age. The thing had been in some bushes, finishing the remains of a wherry, when she had found and killed the beast. It wasn’t a job she enjoyed, but it payed well. You couldn’t be picky with jobs.

”Ya s’re it be the same one? He looks rath’r small to ma eyes!”
”Yes, I’m very sure. Though I suggest you to keep a close eye on the forest – there’s probably a few more from where this one came from.”
”Yeah yeah… I s’rposse ya want y’r pay then.”

Without further rodeos the man tossed a few marls in her direction, the female catching them before depositing the new income in her small pouch at her side. Only when she looked up did she noticed the man further ahead… He was similar… Whoosh! A gust of wind, and a shadow passing under her feet. A very large shadow. The lowing in the pen only confirmed her thoughts, and she soon spotted the massive black shape swoop down to catch a young buck, silencing it with a ratherloud crunching sound on its back.

”K’dran, a surprise to see you here.”

She spoke, now turning to gaze at the rider once more – pr rather at his back. Ivaris was glad she remembered his name correctly, or so she hoped. It would be quite an embarrassment to get the Wingleader’s name wrong.



Word Count: 380
Character: Ivaris
Notes: Agh, so small. TT-TT
Previous post sucked my imagination dry. XD

[Desert]

The wiry muscles in Dharth's hindquarters tensed as the big black hunkered down slightly, his wings arching grandly over him in preparation for the downstroke that would propel him into the air. Dharth leaped into the air and surged higher, the backwash from his wings buffetting the two humans on the ground.

When he heard Ivaris' voice, K'dran turned around, his eyebrows lifted in surprise. "I could say the same thing," he remarked, smirking slightly. "Been out feline-hunting, I see."

A sickening crunch drew K'dran's attention back to the paddock of lowing herdbeasts. Dharth's catch had landed hard on the ground, dropped by the big black from several dragonlengths above the ground, the bones splintering under the impact. K'dran rolled his eyes.

Dharth touched down lightly and snatched up the now disfigured carcass, then jumped agilely into the air again, climbing up to his previous heights. The black opened his claws and let the carcass fall, narrowing his eyes gleefully at the sound it made when it hit the ground.

Dharth repeated the process several more times until the carcass was reduced to a shapeless, bloody, unrecognizable hunk of meat. The big dragon had landed once more and taken the carcass in his paw again, when K'dran's bellow interrupted him.

"Dharth! Stop playing with your food and just eat it already! You're making a few people sick watching you." Weyrfolk had notoriously strong stomachs when it came to dragons feeding, since most were rather messy, so it was quite an accomplishment to make the inhabitants of the weyrhold ill.

Spoilsport,[/color] the black muttered. He dipped his head to the kill and tore off a large chunk of flesh. With a toss of his head Dharth swallowed the mouthful whole before lowering his great head to rip off more meat.

K'dran sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Sorry about that. When Dharth gets playful he mutilates his kills," he said, casting an exasperated glance at the feeding black.[/font][/color]

[rizu]

"I could say the same thing. Been out feline-hunting, I see."
”Well, gotta work if I want to eat.”

She barely managed to close the distance to a few feet and speak, before being forced to raise on of her arms to shield herself from the backwash wind of the dragon’s wings. Dharth was definitely a massive beast – though Ivaris was more surprised to see him fly off with his new meal. Perhaps he was going to look for a more quiet area to eat? She could only wildly guess, though Ivaris thought it sounded as a very likely action from a Black.

“Feeding time for Dharth? How many can he normally ea-“

She liked to learn, and she’d never had the chance [or displeasure] to see a dragon feed before. A massive one like Dharth would probably take much more than the young buck to be satisfied. She would have finished her sentence, but she had been interrupted by a rather loud and sickening sound. CRUUUUUUSSSSHHH!!! Soon Dharth was back down, picking the carcass and taking to the skies once more. The behavior was repeated a few more times, each crunching sound making the girl’s face become slightly more pale. Sure, she was used to skinning animals and cutting meat… Ivaris probably had a good and strong stomach for a girl. But this… The Black was playing with his food – this now unrecognizable mush of meat, blood and dirt. And, apparently, he was enjoying it.

"Dharth! Stop playing with your food and just eat it already! You're making a few people sick watching you."
She just remained silent, watching the dragon now tore large chunks off the mess he’d created.
"Sorry about that. When Dharth gets playful he mutilates his kills.”
”That’s him on a playful mood? I would rather hate meeting up with him when he wasn’t so… Cheerful…”

It took a moment to speak, and the female even had to look away from the kill Dharth had made and to the rider instead. His "white" eyes were rather disturbing still, the blue was so faded it was almost impossible to see, but at the moment they were certainly not provoking her stomach to send a return package -- with the breakfast of this morning inside.



Word Count: 403
Character: Ivaris
Notes: Weee, a bit bigger post. XDD

[Desert]

K'dran watched Ivaris' face blanch and smirked slightly. "Oh yes. Dharth in a foul mood is very unpleasant, especially for his rider." He snorted bitterly and propped one hand on his left hip, just under the mass of ugly scars Dharth had given him as a hatchling. "Luckily he isn't as temperamental as most blacks or the Weyr might have a slightly smaller population. Still, he's quite vicious when he's irritated. He usually takes it out on me."

Dharth finished the first buck and looked up at the two humans, his eyes whirling an amused blue-green. It is proven that nothing is more satisfying when one is in a bad mood than spreading that bad mood around. And K'dran is quite entertaining when he is in a bad mood. Dharth projected his "voice" into Ivaris' mind as well, letting the candidate in on the conversation.

K'dran rolled his eyes. "Go eat, Dharth," he said, making shooing motions with one hand.

The big black rumbled a chuckle before straightening up, lifting his head to eye the rest of the herd speculatively. He gave a powerful lunge and brought his forepaw hard against the side of another herdbeast buck, bowling it over. The beast lowed in pain and flailed its hooves, though it had no hope of getting up, as Dharth's blow had shattered its ribcage.

The black withdrew the paw that had been resting lightly on the herbeast's body and extended his head forward, grasping the buck's neck between his fearsome teeth. Dharth's jaws snapped closed, neatly beheading the herdbeast.

Blood gushed from the buck's severed neck. Dharth lapped up the hot red liquid delicately with flicks of his tongue until the carcass finally bled out, at which point he took the buck's head in his jaws, tossed it back and swallowed.

"Quite creative, isn't he?" K'dran asked, his tone heavy with sarcasm.

One of us has to be, K'dran,[/color] Dharth retorted mildly, still including Ivaris in his mental broadcast. The black set to devouring the rest of the carcass with almost dainty neatness that seemed out of place considering the bloody mess he'd made with both kills.[/color][/font]

[rizu]

"Oh yes. Dharth in a foul mood is very unpleasant, especially for his rider."
"Makes me wonder how is it that you are alive then... Hopefully his bad moods aren't common?"

It was easy to see the female was quite surprised -- and why shouldn't she be? Sure, she had seen dragons eat before... But never did they made eating look so... Macabre. She swallowed lightly, perfectly avoiding to look over at the dragon and his kill -- she'd already seen more than enough of his eating manners. It is proven that nothing is more satisfying when one is in a bad mood than spreading that bad mood around. And K'dran is quite entertaining when he is in a bad mood. That's when Dharth intruded into her mind, the voice sounding crystal clear in her head. It was odd, different, having another voice other than her own there. Perhaps it felt weird since the soul-connection was missing. After all, Dharth was not her bonded...

Which perhaps was a good thing.

Still, his words and tones were far more different than what he portrayed at first sight. Not that she would like too near him, but at least it wasn't as cold as she had expected. Perhaps K'dran's words were true -- maybe Dharth was a more friendly Black compared to other kings of his color.

Still, she did felt sorry for the poor herdbeasts. And even more when she watched Dharth hunt the second one.

"Maybe it's just me, but for some reason his eating manners contrast very deeply with his killing skills."

Indeed, they did. For a dragon that made such a bloody mess killing [and playing] with his food, he certainly ate with the utmost care. It was quite a show... Though Ivaris doubted she would ever fully enjoy the spectacle. Ah well, she had to remind herself on more than one occasion that this was the nature of things. The buck was food for the dragon, and humans, nothing more. Still, the sounds it made before dying... Well, you couldn't help but feel a bit of his pain -- and in response feel just a little sad, and bad, about eating the poor thing.

"Quite creative, isn't he?"
"Yes, I suppose he is... Though with the way he kills he might force you to wash him afterwards."

She only realized a second to late what she'd said, now hoping the dragon hadn't heard. Surely she didn't need to give Dharth any more ideas to make his rider "miserable", and perhaps K'dran would not be pleased to have Ivaris help his little Black companion in thinking of more ways to torment him.



Word Count: 471
Character: Ivaris
Notes: My brain is flailing. XDD

[Desert]

K'dran snorted. "Less frequent than most blacks, but when they do come they're quite spectacular," K'dran replied, smirking. "And sometimes I wonder that myself. The Healers were hard-pressed to put me back together after his Hatching, though." He paused to rub his side absently, as if a sudden ache had flared up when he recalled the memory.

Friendlier? No. I am just more patient, Dharth corrected Ivaris wryly when he caught her thoughts. Most blacks have moments of good humor occasionally, but they often do not last.[/color] The black rumbled a chuckle and went back to his meal.

I am always a neat eater. And I usually do not make such a mess dispatching my prey, but today I felt like having a bit of fun.[/color] Dharth's lower gaped open in a wolfish grin at the two humans. I am not half as bad as a cyan. Those runts are positively vicious all the time, and they are the sloppiest eaters. Sometimes one wonders if they eat as much of the meat as they are spraying around.[/color] He snorted scornfully.

K'dran nodded slightly. "I've seen one, and it's gross. Being a blackrider's given me a strong stomach, but I had a hard time watching that cyan eat." He grimaced slightly. "And that's where you got that pick-it-up-and-drop-it trick, I'm sure," he added, raising an eyebrow at Dharth.

Yes. And I have to agree with Vespith's observation: it is a rather entertaining trick.[/color] Dharth polished off the last of the second buck as he spoke, then straightened up to meticulously groom the blood off his muzzle.

K'dran quirked an eyebrow scathingly at his dragon. "If I didn't know better, Dharth, I'd think you were OCD."

The black rolled his eyes. No, it is merely that I am not a slob.[/color]

He proved his point by leaping high into the air, though without flaring his wings to take true flight, and came down on top of his third herbeast. The heifer was killed instantly by the impact, its back breaking with a sharp snap. Dharth tore into the carcass with the same neat, single-minded intensity as he had before and was quickly tossing the last scraps of flesh back.

"Well, he's gotten the sadism out of his system now," K'dran observed. "Now he'll eat normally like any sane dragon."[/color][/font]

[rizu]

Oh, right. He could read what she was thinking. Ivaris had kind of forgotten that small detail. Then again, when youa ren't used to have someone else inside your head... Well, you can't be blamed for continuing to think as you've always had. Right? 'So, Cyans are more messier than this? Remind me not to be present when one decides to feast.' Well, if he could hear her thoughts and was determined to allow her the priviledge of hearing him in her mind... She might as well try to see how it was to speak to a dragon like this. It was odd... She wasn't even one hundred percent sure if it would work. Heck, Dharth might miss that whole thought-out question for all she knows. Ah well, it was worth a try. Besides, she could see no harm comming out of such a simple experiment.

In any case, it might prepare her for the future -- for the lass had been announced not ago that she would be one of Eden's candidates whenever a clutch found its way to the sands once more.

"I've seen one, and it's gross. Being a blackrider's given me a strong stomach, but I had a hard time watching that cyan eat. And that's where you got that pick-it-up-and-drop-it trick, I'm sure."
"Oh, really? Well, at least he learned the "good" habits of a Cyan."

The female gave a smile, her eyes focused on the black as he begun to lick his muzzle clean from blood. Well, at least he had the decensy to wash after a meal. Then again, he was a King. Ivaris would have been surprised if the black would have enjoyed to stay blood-stained instead. Then again, perhaps that wasn't the best of examples... Brown eyes focused on the beast once more as he shifted, apparently there was still room left in Dharth's stomach. The first two bucks had been devoured quickly -- and it only made the female wonder just how much more could the black actually pack into that stomach of his. One thing was certain, he sure ate quickly. Thankfully this kill was much more civilized and clean.

"Well, he's gotten the sadism out of his system. Now he'll eat normally like any sane dragon."
"I shall thank Faranth for that, I don't think my stomach would have been able to hold out long enough to see one more 'show'."



Word Count: 433
Character: Ivaris
Note: I started off well, then had to cut to do an Italian essay... And then my muse abandoned me when I tried to finish this post. So excuse me if any parts seem a bit... off, or incoherent. x.x

[Desert]

Dharth let his lower jaw gape wide as a throaty sound rumbled up from his chest -- it was louder and more forceful than his chuckles, which were hard to tell from growls. He laughed at the trepidation behind Ivaris' mental comment to him. You are in luck, it seems, since there are no cyans in Eden at present. They are very rare, only one or two ever exist at once -- when that happens only one remains, because they will quarrel and fight to the death -- and they only appear every other generation or so. You can see why we never rejoice when a cyan is Hatched, and why we breathe a sigh of relief when they between (for a good half of them do not Impress); I got this big scar on my chest from an altercation with one of the brutes at my Hatching. Dharth turned himself to face the two humans and arched his neck, letting sunlight shine on the white scar. It stood out against his velvety-black hide, shiny against his skin's matte finish, spreading from shoulder to elbow diagonally across his broad forequarters.

"He got marked up admirably," K'dran observed wryly. "And I can tell you, Dharth was not a happy camper once he'd fended that cyan off. I thought he'd maul half the candidates on the Grounds, half of those to death, and kill me before he'd calmed down." He snorted.

I killed only five or six people, K'dran. And I was careful, in my treatment of you, to avoid giving fatal injury. You should be thankful that it was your abdomen I chose to savage and not your face, or you would be treated with as much pity for your disfigurement as for your bonded.[/color] Dharth laughed again, switching his tail back and forth leisurely.

K'dran rolled his eyes. "Yes, that would have been a much bigger wound to my vanity and pride as to my flesh. I'd be properly miserable if you'd ruined my good looks," he retorted sarcastically.[/color][/font]

[rizu]

So, he did hear her. This was interesting. As the Black explained more about Cyans the female could understand better why she'd never heard of them before -- let alone never seeing one. 'I see... Still... Are they really that vicious? All of them?' It was odd, she just couldn't see why a hatchling would be so vicious. Sure, she'd heard mauling stories -- that didn't surprised her much. But towards their own kin? Towards other dragons? As Dharth straightened himself, neatly showing off the easily noticeable scar, the female gave a sharp inhale of air. That was one nasty scar, she didn't want to imagine how much the wound must have hurt -- or how long it must have took to heal.

It was odd, really. She'd heard Blacks were often foul-tempered creatures. And, while it was certain she'd seen Dharth in an irritable mood before, the Black didn't seemed as bad as words painted them to be.

"Hmm... You guys tell me about all this and it makes me more nervous. Faranth knows what might happen when I stand at a Hatching..."

It was a thought to mull about, anything could happen. For all she knew she could get mauled to death for no reason. Except for being in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Diverting her thoughts, she listened as K'dran spoke once more -- and a small chuckle was let loose.

"You know, you two are quite the interesting pair."

It was odd. She would have thought them ill-matched at first but... Even with Dharth's bad moods and K'dran's sarcasm the pair really did seemed to get along fine. Sometimes. The dragons know, right?

The dragons always know.



Word Count: 302
Character: Ivaris
Notes: These two are quite fun, and unpredictable. XDD
And my posts are getting smaller. x.x

[Desert]

Dharth snorted slightly. Oh, they are all just that vicious. The cyan of my clutch managed to smash a few of the smaller eggs around it and shredded one or two other hatchlings -- an ice, I think, and maybe a spring. I did not bother counting how many candidates it mauled, but most of them died or were crippled by the injuries. That cyan did not Impress, and the whole of Eden very nearly broke into applause when it betweened. The adults did not keen for the cyan. If one does Impress, its rider is considered the unluckiest sod on all of Pern. Half the time a cyan and its rider do not live long -- the cyan might kill its rider, and go between itself. It might not suicide for the loss of the rider, for the bond between cyan and rider is not very strong, but cyans seem to possess equal parts of sadism and masochism. Dharth paused to fix his gaze on K'dran, gape-grinning again. So K'dran should feel grateful to me -- the cyan who attacked me had designs on K'dran as its rider. It sensed my intention of Impressing him and tried to rid itself of the competition.[/color]

K'dran smirked slightly. "True. For all the misery you cause me, I'd rather have a black than a cyan. But you were lucky, Dharth, to come away with only a gash on your chest," he observed wryly.

Oh ay. Cyans have been known in the past to have killed blacks. They certainly have the tenacity to do it,[/color] Dharth agreed gravely.

When Ivaris voiced her uncertainty, K'dran chuckled. "I don't think you'll have anything to worry about. Blacks and cyans are rare, remember? The only other mutants I've ever heard about that have similar reputations are New Cove's ambers, but those don't crop up here." He shrugged. "No one in Eden attends a Hatching expecting to see a black or cyan, so don't worry yourself."

Catching Ivaris' thoughts, Dharth laughed again, tossing his head back to roar his mirth to the sky. I do hope you Impress, Ivaris, you are quite amusing,[/color] the black remarked, then shook his head with a wry chuckle. Your judgment is right on one count -- the "sometimes." K'dran and I are of similar personality, and temperaments like ours never get along. Occasions like this, where we are both in uncharacteristic good humor, are quite few and far between. Otherwise we are both waspish and misanthropic, and grate horribly on each other's nerves. My disposition only deviates from the stereotypical black's in that I am better able to curb my temper. Otherwise, I fit all the stories that anyone in Eden can tell you of blacks. I star in a few of them, I assure you,[/color] Dharth explained, a gleeful chuckle all the while rumbling up from his chest and rolling from jaws parted in a draconic grin.

The black's rider raised his eyebrows in wry astonishment. "I stand amazed. He's never taken this much of a shine to anyone, really. Maybe it's just that he's in a remarkably good mood, but he usually doesn't stay that way long when someone else is within speaking distance." A smirk threatened on K'dran's lips.[/color][/font]

[rizu]

"Oh, really? Two dragons can actually want to impress the same person?"

It was an amusing thought, and for a second the female wondered how it would be like -- if both dragons weren't hell-bent on destroying the other before impressing, that is. Then again, a person impressing two dragons had never be heard of before in all of Pern's history... So perhaps the reason it didn't happen was because [in the rare chances that two might want the same one] they did got rid of the competition.

"So Blacks and Cyans are rare to hatch... And yet Dharth and that Cyan hatched in that same clutch..." The female chuckled lightly. "Either you are the luckiest to see two rare dragons, that both wanted you, in the same clutch... Or you must have done something to draw Faranth's wrath upon you."

A smile played on her lips as she spoke, a sign that she really meant no harm with the words. She was simply jesting around a bit. Both ridr and dragon seemed in a good mood and... Well, moods could be contagious. Her head turned to look at Dharth as he spoke, the female gaving a soft nod in his direction.

"Why, thank you Dharth. Hopefully I will impress -- but do tell me when you are in a good mood, so I can introduce you to my soulmate."

Yes, the pair was quite interesting -- and pleasant to be aound with when both were in high spirits. However, Ivaris would take precautions when letting Dharth meet her dragon [if she ever did impress], it was but a natural instinct. Nothing personal, really, just being cautious. It had payed off in the past and the female wasn't about to change her way of thinking. No, taking pre-cautions was always a good thing -- so long as one did not over-do it.

"I stand amazed. He's never taken this much of a shine to anyone, really. Maybe it's just that he's in a remarkably good mood, but he usually doesn't stay that way long when someone else is within speaking distance."
"Well, I guess it must be our lucky day then. It's nice to speak with the both of you when you guys are in good moods. Honestly, you should try to be like this more often. Though then again, I really shouldn't intrude in business that is not my own."

She really did meant the words. In their first meeting she'd gotten a glimpse of Dharth in an irritable mood -- and it wasn't something she wanted to see again. But when they both were like this... Well, it was fun to be in their company. Especially now that Dharth wasn't "playing" with his food.

Word Count: 482
Character: Ivaris
Notes: Whoo, bigger posts again. XD
Hopefully I didn't rambled. X3[/color][/size]

[Desert]

It does not happen frequently, but when it does a fight soon settles it. Sometimes the loser settles for another candidate, sometimes they between. If the quarrel involves one of the nastier mutations the loser might be killed. Dharth shrugged.

"Luck?" K'dran raised a skeptical eyebrow as Dharth roared with laughter again. "The only luck I've had since I left my foster parents has been bad, some of it worse than others. Someone must be mad at me, though I'm not sure what I've done to earn such a lot in life." He snorted slightly.

Some people are just born unlucky, K'dran. You seem to be one of those people. Just be glad than that cyan was not able to get its talons properly into me, or you would be either dead or worse -- a cyanrider,[/color] Dharth told his rider with a chuckle.

And most certainly, Ivaris. Though I am no Searchdragon, I am fairly confident you will Impress. Your caution is very wise, and it is not overdone at all. Any black in a bad or even neutral mood is not a dragon to be taken lightly,[/color] the black added, dipping his head slightly to the candidate. K'dran's eyebrows climbed higher up his brow. Now he was paying the girl compliments? Perhaps his taunting at the lake had worked so well because he'd been closer to the truth than he originally thought. That idea earned K'dran a scornful snort from his dragon.

Thank you, you are one of the few to admit that either of us is anything other than antisocial and bad-tempered. Not that the others are incorrect, but still, the compliment is appreciated.[/color]

K'dran wondered when Dharth would stop surprising him. The big dragon was obviously enjoying leaving his rider so floored, but that wouldn't have kept him in high humor unless he actually did enjoy the girl's company. And if it put Dharth in a better mood, K'dran decided not to make any comment. Smart K'dran,[/color] Dharth remarked wryly to his tider alone.[/color][/font]

[rizu]

So she was correct, in the case two hatchlings might want the same person they fought over it. Apparently it wasn't as nasty as she originally thought -- since most of the times it seemed the loser just went and picked someone else. But in case of some mutations... Well, Ivaris hoped there weren't any other mutations equal to a Cyan in temper.

"Hmm... You as a CyanRider? Not even I want to imagine how that would have been like. Chances are I would have never even met the both of you. So I guest you must be lucky, K'dran. Besides, you and Dharth seem to be such a nice match for one another!"

As the Black addressed her, and complemented her on her cautious thinking, she returned his dip of the head with a nod of her own. It was clear this was not something Dharth did often, the raised eyebrows and look on K'dran's face was enough to affirm her of that fact, and it puzzled her a bit. Ah well, perhaps she was lucky. Ivaris was sure of one thing, she preferred Dharth's happy moods a thousand dragonlenghts more than his foul ones.

Thank you, you are one of the few to admit that either of us is anything other than antisocial and bad-tempered. Not that the others are incorrect, but still, the compliment is appreciated.[/i]
"Well, I won't deny it's hard to see -- at first impression I thought the same as everyone else. But as I get to know more about you and K'dran it's easier to see under that surface. And it's fun to talk to the both of you."

The female smiled, obviously in a good mood, before her mind wondered away a bit. K'dran said he was unlucky, and she wondered if there would be some truth to that statement. Wouldn't it be amusing if he picked a fire lizard egg and it turned out to be an ill-tempered color as well? Nah, of course he wasn't unlucky. If he would have been the Cyan would have triumphed over Dharth to begin with. And that had not been the case, so K'dran couldn't be unlucky.

Or, at least, not that unlucky.[/size][/color][/font]

[Desert]

"Well matched? That's arguable." K'dran snorted. "And I really can't imagine how you think me lucky. Being singled out by a cyan is bad enough. Even though a black is the lesser of the two evils, it's not so by much." The blackrider rubbed the back and knuckles of his left hand absently with his right and switched to rubbing the other as if he were washing his hands -- both hands and forearms were still wrapped in bandages from the burns.

Dharth rumbled a chuckle at K'dran's absentminded tic. The horrified look on his rider's face just before being flamed was still a source of amusement to the black. He out that event out of his mind and went back to the conversation with Ivaris.

I am surprised and gratified that you can overlook our many flaws and focus on our sparse virtues, Ivaris, he told the candidate, his tone becoming serious. And that is one reason why I am convinced you shall Impress. Who knows, perhaps you shall ride a queen, one day.[/color]

K'dran shook his head. "Today seems like my day to be flabbergasted. I should just give up being shocked, I suppose." He shrugged slightly. "But since the surprises are all pleasant, I won't look the gift-runner in the mouth." He was as much surprised by Ivaris' openmindedness, given that she'd witnessed one of Dharth's more vicious fits of temper, as Dharth's behavior.[/color][/font]