There are 3 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. [DL-C] Bully For You!
From: trissana@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
2. USS OBERON - Pieces to the Puzzle
From: Captain LuCypher <LuCypher@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
3. [DL-J] Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
From: "Katrina Gischer" <kgischer@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 15:10:08 EDT
From: trissana@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[DL-C] Bully For You!
Day 6, Afternoon
Grashnor landed downwind of the place where the prey animals were
kept
in pens for the lazy, human-serving dragons who lived in the place
they
referred to as a "warren." He had watched this place for some time,
and had decided
that now was the time to make his move.
Having come to full maturity within the last year or so, Grashnor
was
already as big and powerful as any of the older dragons who belonged
to the
loosely-associated group that occupied the area of the Nomadlands just
to the
south of the warren. In that time, had established himself as a
dragon not to be
challenged lightly! Soon, in fact, he would be in position to make
himself
the lead-dragon, the one that all others respected and even feared.
But first, he needed to do something to truly prove his mettle,
something
that would establish him as being sufficiently bold and daring to make
other
dragons respect his strength and courage without question.
He had given it much thought, and decided that coming here, where
none of
the others dared to show their faces, would be just the way. He
would, under
any other cir***stances, have disdained hunting in the enclosures the
puny
humans had built - no *real* dragon needed to have its prey penned up
like that!
But by hunting here - not once, but on a regular basis, beginning
with today
- he would establish himself in the minds of his peers as one who
could
casually defy the slave-dragons and their human masters. Having
achieved such
status, no one would ever be brave enough to challenge his leader****p!
He had concealed himself behind a small grove of trees, to hide
himself
from the animals' view. He would dart in quickly, snatch a large buck
out of
the herd, and then head quickly away from the warren. He might even
share
part of his kill with some of the other dragons - just to show he
could be
generous as well as powerful! He knew that he was being watched, of
course...just
on the horizon, as many as a dozen of the other wild dragons of his
group kept
a silent watch to see if he really had the courage and audacity to do
this.
Well, they would see soon enough!
But just as Grashnor started to move stealthily forward, he came
to an
abrupt stop at the sound of beating wings - not from behind, where his
people
were, but from the direction of the warren. He growled softly as the
other
dragon came into view.
* * * * * * * *
Trissana landed on a small hill overlooking the feeding grounds
and
surveyed her choices. It took her longer than usual, because at the
moment her
mind was elsewhere.
To be honest, she was feeling a bit lonely. Bohoc had been
spending
more and more of his time cuddling with Moondancer, and it had gotten
to the
point where he and Triss were together only rarely. For most of her
life, Bohoc
had always been around for her when she needed a warm dragon to cuddle
with,
and this change left her feeling empty and confused.
Syren had spoken to her about it, reminding her that in very few
cases
did dragons form any sort of permanent bondings among themselves -
unless, of
course, their riders shared such bonds themselves. And while her
rider and
Bohoc's were good friends, she knew that Trevor was not likely to ever
have
*that* sort of relation****p with Andahar...or anyone else other than
the Warrenlady.
The pearlescent dragon sighed sadly to herself. Syren was right,
of
course, and this meant that if Bohoc was likely to form a permanent
liaison with
any other dragon, it would be with Moondancer, not with her. Which
left
Trissana...where?
She had never cuddled with any other male besides Bohoc, and
could not
see herself ever doing so. He was, after all, the one who had saved
her from
the monster Rashevon when she'd been scarcely more than a
hatchling...and then
later, he'd been the one who'd kept the other warren dragons from
getting her
when she rose to mate - something which, if she had her way, would
never
happen again. She still remembered how they'd hounded and chased her
through the
sky like a pack of winged jackals, and the thought of getting close to
any of
*them* absolutely repulsed her. Oh, she was polite and friendly
enough to the
males of the warren, but that was as far as it went. Given the highly
communal nature of dragon society, there were numerous ways in which a
dragon let it
be known that he or she was available or not. In Triss' case, the
warren's
males had pretty much learned that unless a dragon's name happened to
be
'Bohoc,' any approach would be met with a polite but firm refusal.
Well, such thoughts weren't getting her hunting done, she decided,
and
launched herself back into the air. Making her choice, she arrowed in
and
brought down the large buck she'd decided on.
* * * * *
Grashnor smirked. He'd seen this one around, and knew she was no
threat
to him - basically an overgrown hatchling who fawned over her human
rider in
an absolutely sickening manner. He could wait for her to depart,
but...to go
in and drive her away and then take her kill for himself...now THAT
would
impress the other dragons even more than what he'd had in mind!
Perhaps this was
just the op****tunity he needed!
He knew he shouldn't waste time - if he was to move, it had to be
now,
before any of the other slave-dragons arrived. He spread his wings
and took
off, diving in on the unsuspecting female from behind.
* * * * * *
Trissana was just munching her first bite when she was startled
by a
deafening roar that seemed to be right in her ear. She jumped up and
spun
around, panting from both the sudden exertion and her own nervousness.
She saw that
another dragon had come up behind her, a fair-sized male with
cobalt-blue
scales and piercing golden eyes. He growled menacingly at her.
[Leave...now!] he hissed, and for emphasis he let out a snort
that sent
sparks flying from his nostrils.
[Who are you?] she asked uncertainly. [I don't remember you from
the
warren.]
Grashnor just laughed. [I am not one of you puny slave dragons, I
am a
REAL dragon!] he told her, and once again let out a thunderous roar -
this time
almost in her face.
[That is very rude!] she said. [If you did have a rider, I'm
sure he
would have taught you better...eep!] She danced backward as Grashnor
lunged at
her, his jaws snapping shut just short of her throat.
[LEAVE! NOW!!] he roared.
Under any normal cir***stances, she would have considered doing
just
that...Trissana was not an avid fighter, and didn't feel that a single
buck was
worth two dragons fighting over, particularly when one or the other
might get
seriously injured. But today, she realized, she was not in any mood
to be
talked to that way. [If you want, you can take one of the animals,
and then
leave,] she offered. [But this one is mine!]
[Not anymore!] Grashnor laughed, lunging again. The pearly
dragon
backed up again, which gave Grashnor another surge of confidence.
Just a little
more pu****ng and the overgrown hatchling would fly back to the warren
with her
tail between her legs. The two were now circling each other, and
Grashnor
noticed that she maintained the distance between them. He chuckled at
this,
figuring that she was afraid to close the distance and fight it out
dragon to
dragon. It did not occur to the young wilder that by doing so she
would force him
to lunge at her in order to strike, which could leave him off balance
should
he miss. She, on the other hand, with her larger size and longer
reach, was
giving up nothing by not getting too close.
He did think of it a moment later, when he abruptly sprang at her -
and
his jaws again closed only on empty air as she deftly sidestepped him.
As he
landed heavily just next to her, her tail came around and whipcracked
him right
across the right flank. With a roar of pain and surprise, he backed
off a few
paces.
[You'll die for that!] he snarled.
Again they circled one another, while Grashnor snarled and hurled
insult
after insult at her. Trissana circled in silence, keeping a careful
eye on t
he wilder and again forcing him to take the initiative. But she found
herself
getting more and more annoyed with each passing moment. With all her
other
problems, being called names was the last thing she was prepared to
put up with.
She moved in just a bit closer to Grashnor, and the wilder
quickly saw
his opening. He leaped at her again, this time hitting her in the
side. They
both went down, sending the terrified herdbeasts galloping to the
farthest
corners of the pens.
[Now you're mine!] Grashnor laughed.
[I don't think so,] Trissana said. Grashnor had discounted her
larger
size as being of no im****tance, a fact which he now found out might
have been a
mistake on his part. When he tried to roll her over to get at her
throat
again, he instead found himself taking a hard hit to the side of his
head from
one of the pearl dragon's forepaws. Had she been using her claws he
might have
lost an eye...as it was, the blow left him momentarily senseless.
Before he could recover, the pearl dragon had clamped her jaws
around the
scruff of his neck and was shaking him like a terrier would a rat.
[Let
go...right now...if you value...your life...!] he roared.
Trissana's only response was to shake him harder. [What is this
world
coming to?] she demanded, shaking him even harder. [Nowadays a poor,
defenseless female can't go out to her own warren's feeding grounds
without being
insulted - and then attacked - by some perfect stranger. I'll bet you
wouldn't act
this way if your dam was here to see you!] For emphasis, she shoved
downward
a couple of times, banging Grashnor's chin down onto the ground each
time.
[Aaargh! Quit that!] Grashnor yelled, and surged to his feet.
When he
got loose, what he'd do to this overgrown hatchling...!
However, the overgrown hatchling had other ideas. She came up
with him,
keeping her hold on the back of his neck, and brought up a back leg to
drive
her knee into his underside. Grashnor howled, and struggled to get
himself
loose.
[Now you quit that!] Trissana told him sternly, again jabbing her
knee
into his underside. Grashnor struggled harder to free himself, and
succeeded -
somewhat. He succeeded in slipping forward just a bit in her
grasp...just
enough that the third time she brought her knee up, it didn't hit his
stomach
but somewhere down closer to his tail. The last place, in fact, that
any male
dragon would want to be kneed by an irritated female.
Grashnor's howl was a good octave higher than the last one had
been, and
so loud that it must have been heard all the way back to the warren -
and to
where the other wild dragons watched.
[YOU BIG BULLY!!!] Grashnor wailed. [Pick on someone your own
size!!]
[Okay,] Trissana agreed. [As soon as you're gone, I will go and
find
someone my size to pick on.] For good measure, she gave him an extra
hard shake
that must have made his eyes rattle inside his head. She did want him
gone,
in fact...the last thing she wanted was to get in trouble for
squabbling with
some wild dragon. Her rider would be very cross with her if he'd been
watching this.
[You pearly *****, I'll...] Grashnor began, trying to get his
mindvoice
to come across with its earlier bravado.
[Oooh, what did you call me??] she demanded.
[You...say...you're....sorry!!] With each word, she swatted him across
the backside with her tail.
[OW!! OW!! OW!!!] Grashnor screeched.
[Okay...I...didn't...mean...it...!]
[You don't sound very sorry,] she rumbled, and was prepared to
give him
some more when she suddenly heard the sound of wings from the
direction of the
warren. She gulped, realizing how thoroughly embarrassing it would be
if one
of her friends saw her associating with this ride wilder. She
abruptly
released her grip on the back of Grashnor's neck, sending the smaller
dragon
tumbling across the ground. She then backed up and crouched down on
the ground,
taking an obviously defensive posture just behind the freshly killed
buck.
[And don't you come near me, you....you...!] she said with an
indignant
splutter, glaring at Grashnor while peeking out of the corner of her
eye at
whoever was approaching.
Submitted by:
John
Trevor & Trissana
Cleft Warren
Summary: Day 6, Afternoon: The wild dragon Grashnor tries to impress
his
friends by staking a claim to Cleft Warren's feeding grounds, and then
by
picking a fight with Trissana.
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 06 Sep 2004 22:19:06 -0400
From: Captain LuCypher <LuCypher@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: USS OBERON - Pieces to the Puzzle
[This message is not in displayable format]
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 21:11:52 -0700
From: "Katrina Gischer" <kgischer@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-J] Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Day 8
Early morning
K'mal stared at his face in the bathroom mirror and hesitantly combed
his hair yet again. He noted absently that his hand was shaking
almost as badly as his stomach. He blew his breath out and forced
himself to put down the comb. His nerves weren't going to steady and
neither Gus nor Dylan would care WHAT he looked like.
Well, ok, the thought intruded that what they'd LIKE to seem him look
was a man in chains and suffering.
He brushed the thought away. It might be true - it likely WAS true -
and it was certainly deserved, but it wasn't going to help him right
now. He had a duty, a clear one and it was past time he stopped his
****rking and dealt with it.
He stepped out of the bathroom to find Tyler waiting for him. The boy
was bright eyed and smiling, as he was most mornings and K'mal stifled
a sigh. Tyler simply didn't understand what a destructive force
jealousy really was - even after the display he'd been given. K'mal
fought down another wave of shame as he recalled his own horrific
behavior. But Tyler was young and innocent and full of romantic ideas
- and thought that jealousy just meant you CARED. Since that
innocence was what had attracted K'mal - at least in part - he didn't
really want the boy to lose it - he just wished that Tyler wasn't
about to be rudely surprised by the fact that Gus and Dylan were NOT
simply going to forgive and forget as easily as he had.
Managing a smile, he kissed the boy good morning. "You said they'd be
waiting for you in the dining hall. Let's get this over with."
"It'll be fine," Tyler assured his lover, confident in his trust.
"Once you explain what happened, they'll understand, just as I did. "
K'mal smiled tolerantly, but forbore to correct his partner's
misapprehension. They mounted their dragons and swooped down to the
green, descending through the early morning mist. K'mal slid off
Auli'i and gave the large purple a pat, as much to reassure himself as
the dragon and began a purposeful march toward the dining hall. He
paused only briefly at the doors before forcing himself over the
threshold.
Tyler took his hand and led him easily through the tables to a small
round one in a corner where Gus and Dylan were already seated. They
looked up at the arrivals and both faces darkened to scowls. Tyler
opened his mouth, but got no further than an earnest, "You have to
listen, he's.." before K'mal squeezed the boy's hand to stop him.
"Ty, can you go grab us some breakfast real quick?"
Both women's faces darkened further as this undeniable "evidence" of
K'mal's mistreatment of their friend, but Tyler smiled happily and
trotted off, with a murmured "I'll be right back" as reassurance.
K'mal turned back to face his opposition and smiled weakly. His legs
suddenly felt like rubber and his belly like lead, but he forced
himself to speak. "Please, I know neither one of you want to see me
right now, but I wanted, no needed, to apologize for my behavior."
Dylan watched as the pair approached them. She was not happy to see
the one called K'mal. Tyler seemed happy, almost glowing. Dylan
reserved any comments and continued to watch him order Tyler to fetch
something to eat.
Dylan heard the admission that he knew he had been in the wrong, and
knew they did not wish to speak with him.
His behavior? His behavior was abominable, and cruel, but he did not
owe her the apology, it was owed to Tyler, and Gus.
"'Tis not me ya owe the apology to. 'Tis Ty and Gus." Dylan answered
simply with no emotion.
"Yes, ma'am, I know," K'mal replied, fighting off an immediate urge to
run. "And I've already apologized to Tyler and I'm here now because I
owe an apology to Gus, but I owe you one too, really. I haven't
thought any more kindly of you than I did of Gus and for the same
reasons, which makes it just as wrong."
Swallowing hard, he turned his eyes to Gus. Even more than Dylan, she
was the one who could break him at this point - and not only because
he was sure she could take him in a fight, or because she was his
Wingleader, but because after what Tyler had told him the previous
night, she was family.
Gus had limited experience with apologies and receiving them was even
more rare in her experience and she wasn't quite sure how to react.
And Dylan was right in one thing - he owed the apology far more to
Junior than to anyone else. But from his nervous-and-fighting-it
stance and the acid-washed look of shame on his face, K'mal was
certain he needed to make this apology AND determined to do the right
thing. She sighed. "Yeah, so ya think ya gotta say somethin', say
it." A thought occurred to her and she added in a clear voice of
warning, "But I aint thinkin' too kindly o' you and I aint 'pologizin'
fer it none."
K'mal nodded agreement. "No more you should, you got good reason. I
thought I did, but I didn't. I..." He paused, hesitant to actually
voice his true shame, but the thought of his reluctance denying them
their due increased the shame and he suddenly rushed on. "I was
jealous and I know I had no reason, but he was spending all his time
with you and wouldn't tell me why and I knew he was hiding something
and then I saw the three of you in the office and your heads all
together and it looked....well, you can imagine and it was stupid and
irrational but I couldn't seem to stop myself and then I saw you on
the Green and I just lost it and I'm really sorry I know I was being
and asshole and I had no right to think what I thought or say what I
said about you both to Tyler and I'm really sorry, really I am."
Dylan sat there stunned and not sure what to say. What did he mean he
thought things about her? What things? She glanced at Gus and watched
the expressions on her face.
Gus was just as uncomfortable with this as K'mal, but for different
reasons.
Dylan listened to his explanation of why he had acted in such a
boorish manner. She knew there was more to the story, and yet she
missed it somehow.
She could see in some ways this was a square off between Gus and Him.
Dylan bet her money on Gus.
Then Dylan heard the confession about seeing them in the office, with
the book of sea tales.
"Ya mean you watched us?" Dylan spoke out in shock. "You were spyin'
on us? err Tyler? becoz' you were jealous?" she asked in disbelief.
K'mal flushed a brilliant red and ****fted uncomfortably. His jaw
worked, but he seemed unable to speak and finally his just nodded.
Dylan could not contain her mirth at such a suggestion and before she
managed to clamp her hand over her mouth she laughed. She sat with
her hand over her mouth and laughed, she felt the tears well up in her
eyes.
She felt so bad because to laugh at someone who was trying to do the
right thing was wrong.
But she was not laughing at him, but at the situation. She just could
not believe someone would be jealous over her.
"Ya be jealous? Over me?" she blurted out amidst giggles and covered
her mouth again and looked to Gus for help.
Gus rolled her eyes at Dylan and shook her head. She wasn't sure what
the girl found so funny, but then that was frequently the way.
Turning back to K'mal, she noticed that he flinched visibly at Dylan's
laughter and looked nearly in pain, but held his spot and seemed to be
waiting. After a beat wherein she considered his bravery highly and
had begun to consider how that could be used in the Wing, she realized
he was waiting on her. With a sense of horror, the realization
deepened to waiting for her PERMISSION.
"So ya was jealous and so ya was spyin' and ya made an ass outta
yerself and now yer sayin' yer sorry for it. Was that it?"
K'mal swallowed past a dry throat and managed a hoarse whisper.
"Well, mostly. But I wanted to make clear that I know you aren't
really like that - neither of you - and that it's just my own
madness." Suddenly emboldened by the fact that there was no yelling
or name-calling, he added, "I understand now that Ty loves you and
it's ok, since he's supposed to."
Gus's lipped thinned as she realized what K'mal meant. He knew she
and Tyler were cousins - and there was only one way THAT happened.
She spotted the blabbermouth himself weaving carefully through the
dining hall with a tray filled with food. She was about to greet his
return to the table with a blistering reprimand, when she realized
that she hadn't actually TOLD him to keep it a secret. She still
glowered at Tyler, but there was no point in saying anything - he
wouldn't get it and he could rightly point out he had as much right to
tell as she did to keep it secret. "Fine. Ya messed up big, ya said
it's all yer own damn fault, yer sayin' sorry and that ya know aint
none o' what ya thought is true." She paused a moment, glancing
sideways to see Dylan still fighting off a fit of the giggles and
decided to at least put an end to THAT. Her eyes ****fted back to
K'mal, who didn't have the experience to recognize the glint in them.
"So, I reckon them bad thin's you was thinkin' was that I was a whore
and I knew all sorts o' ways t' service," she couldn't help put a
bitter twist on the word, "Junior here and ... I'm guessin' ya know
about what Duggan sells?" K'mal nodded weakly and Gus ran on. "So, ya
figgered I maybe even liked what I'd learned there? And Dyl
was....now I aint sure, was she supposed t' like it to or did I ruin
the both o' them?"
Dylan slowly stopped giggling and laughing when she understood what he
had been implying. She did not know what to say or think. Part of
her was mad and the desire to once again stand up and box his ears for
his impertinence was overwhelming, but then she did not wish to say
anything, and bring up more hurt to Gus.
Her hand dropped from her mouth and she gaped at him. She tried to
say something, anything, but nothing came.
"GUS," Tyler protested, but got no further when K'mal simply laid a
hand on the boy's shoulder and shook his head.
"No, she's the right," K'mal said softly. "And yes, ma'am, that is
pretty much what I accused. I expect it was you ruining them both,
though I didn't think it through." He emitted a harsh sound that
might have been a laugh. "Well, and thought wasn't really involved at
any point now, was it?" He took a deep breath and found himself
suddenly and utterly calm. "Yes, I do know the Scarlet Pleasure and
believed too much in the rumors about it. But I imagine if you'd a
different background, I would have come up with something else,
because the problem was me and my own fear and I was just la****ng out
in that. I understand you don't have the reason to be forgiving as
Tyler does, but I do want to make things right."
Gus glanced sideways and noticed that Dylan was looking confused and
wasn't about to say anything. Turning back she saw that Junior was
wearing his eager look - the same one, Ythfaru save her, he'd been
wearing when he'd introduced her to their grandmother - and was held
back from speech only by K'mal's presence. K'mal's STEADINESS? The
thought flickered through her brain and she remembered that she had
thought that way about the pairing back at the beginning....
Well, and she knew well enough about doing things you regretted, even
if K'mal's behavior hadn't been a mistake she'd made. But then, she'd
hurt people sure enough and even deliberately.
With Dylan still looking so confused and a bit hurt, though, it was
too early to say "yeah, its ok, ya screwed up, don't do it again".
She sighed and rubbed absently at her temples. "Fine," she said after
a long uncomfortable silence. "Ya said what ya had t' say and we've
heard ya." She saw Tyler's face fall at this harsh reception and
relented slightly. "I aint sure what t' do with ya yet, so....come t'
my office around dinner time and I'll figger somethin' fer ya t' make
thin's right."
Recognizing the rustle next to her as Dylan all but snapping to her
feet and realizing that if she didn't do something there'd be a fight
Gus rose to her feet, unobtrusively grabbing and squeezing Dylan's arm
to keep her from speaking, moving, or worse, swinging. She sighed
again and briefly cursed Tara for putting her "in charge", Gus added,
"Why don't ya two go eat. Dylan and I can start on the work, it won't
hurt fer waitin' fer ya." She managed an almost-smile at Tyler and
increased the pressure on Dylan's arm as though it were a leash.
Without waiting for their reaction - and hoping to move Dylan before
HERS - Gus headed out the door.
_________________________________
Submitted by:
KK as Gus and K'mal
with special guest appearance by Carys as Dylan
NRPG: No tags required, just a quick one slipped in before the time
jump.
Summary: Nervous as hell, K'mal goes to make his apologies to Gus and
Dylan at breakfast. He explains his reasoning, but is left hanging as
to whether his apology is accepted as Gus hustles an angry Dylan out
of the dining hall.
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