10.10.2707-Awaiting Freedom((standalone or any))

[Mik]

Z'zak sat on the edge of the high ledge he had been confined to for the past two months, bare feet hanging over the edge precariously. Heights never bothered him in the least and nothing he ever did was taken with caution. Just living life even though all of those who were dearest to him were 270 turns in the past. It was quite lonely high up in this weyr, but he was used to it, keeping in touch with others through his large brown while he awaited his chance at freedom to walk among the other riders again.

Nocheth was down in the lake, enjoying a swim in warm waters as rain sprinkled the surface all around him and the comfort of a certain blue from the days of Old. Dark blue eyes watched the sandy dragon far below with a calm bliss about Z'zak's demeanor. Nocheth was happy. It looked like most of their group was happy here and that made the waiting for freedom all the easier. Sure, the brownrider had put himself in this position like he always did back at Benden. Grounded for a fist fight. Grounded for failing to follow orders and finish his duties. Grounded for back-talking authority. He could not help the rough and tumble old Trader in him. A life of one's own authority was just how he drifted through life.

Though it was raining, Z'zak was enjoying it on his skin, clad only in his darker wherhide pants, scars bright against the tan of his chest, face, and back. He was not out to impress anyone, nor was he expecting any company. The only company he had had for two months was that of the rotating guards and his beloved brown. Why did he have to be so fussy about Nova treating his riders nicely? Had he gone with the flow and bent to their wishes quicker, perhaps he could be down there, enjoying an afternoon swim with his dragon instead of stuck up here with no exit save for straight down or through the guard and he was not going to screw things up if it meant freedom again.

"Faranth, this is worse 'an Between," he mumbled to himself as he diverted his gaze toward the larger weyrs far below him. He had spent a lot of time just gazing at the golden queens and even their bronze counterparts, glad to see the metallics again. It had been far too long since he had seen them and he found happiness in catching a glimpse of one, dark eyes settling on a golden dragon on her ledge after a rainy day bath.

[sorra]

Tyverith lay on the sand of the lake and watched Nocheth play in the water. The blue could usually be found with the brown or else his rider. Today El'dan had told him to stay with Nocheth.

El'dan had been glad that his friend had made it out alright. He had managed to talk to a couple of the others that he knew as well. Although he still couldn't get around real well. He might always have a limp as the wher had torn up his side pretty good.

The blue rider slowly got up from his bed and headed for Z'zak's room. He knew which guard was on duty and that he might just let him see Z'zak for a few minutes. El'dan was hurting pretty badly by time he finally got to the high weyr. "Good day, Guard Sanrev," the blue rider said. He would have bowed but his body wouldn't allow him. "May I speak with Z'zak?"

[Mik]

Sanrev looked up at the sound of someone approaching, Sanresk curled up nearby, napping in a darker place of the corridor, Neek atop his dark hide watching attentively. Z'zak had recently been allowed visitors as his release was soon to be questioned again. The man had not done anything further to make them want to watch him any closer, but he was definitely edgy from being locked up in solitude. He had not been asking about any of his weapons for the past two sevendays, so he was becoming less and less of a threat to others in his opinion.

"Afternoon, El'dan," Sanrev replied, having recognized the bluerider as one of the more frequent visitors to the brownrider. From the conversations that he had supervised, both of them were from Benden Weyr originally and had survived Cloudlung, so the two of them being closer company than others of the rogue riders made sense to him. "I suppose you can," he said simply, stepping toward the bluerider. "Please leave any weapons with me," he added, offering a hand forward for the commonplace beltknife and anything else the rider might be carrying on his person.

Z'zak turned to glance into the weyr at voices. It was not evening meal yet. Who could it be? The brownrider stood up from the ledge and headed within the weyr to investigate for himself, leaving a dripping trail in his wake from the rain that had collected on him.

[sorra]

El'dan kept a wary distance from Sanresk. He had known the wher had only been protecting the ones close to him, but he wasn't about to chance making the same mistake again. He still wasn't totally healed from that whole ordeal even a couple months afterward.

He nodded in answer to Sanrev. "Of course," he said, pulling his belt knife and handing it over without question. The Healer turned rider didn't carry any other weapon. He never saw a use for them. He healed people not injured them. "Thank you," he told the guard as he stepped around him.

El'dan smiled slightly when he saw Z'zak dripping wet. It didn't surprise him that the brown rider had been out in the rain. "Hi, Z'zak," he said, keeping his breathing light.

[Mik]

Sanrev took the beltknife and stepped back, knowing that El'dan only had the common weapon. He was one of the few rogue riders that seemed to drive for peace over war like that brownrider that led them. The door to Z'zak's weyr was left open, as always, to allow whichever guard that stood watch to see within and to overhear the conversations that the brownrider had with anyone unless it was someone of the Leadership that was allotted privacy due to the sensitivity of their discussions. Feline green eyes watched the bluerider step within the weyr and greet the rain-soaked brownrider. That man sure was a strange one.

Seeing one of the few that Z'zak chose to call a friend, a smile touched the man's scarred face. "Yer lookin' better, El'dan," he replied, noting that the bluerider had a bit more straightness to his stance compared to the last time he saw him. The trip up to this high weyr had to be rough on any injury. "Scarrin' over yet or still seepin'?" he asked, waving to one of the few chairs within the weyr.

He then stepped over to the hearth where what remained of a pot of klah still simmered on coals until a fresh one came at mealtime. Pouring the little bit left into two cups, he set the pot aside to cool before carrying the wooden cups over to his blueriding friend and offering one to him. "Evenin' meal ain't here yet, so 'at's all I got," he said by way of apology.

[sorra]

El'dan nodded slightly when Sanrev allowed him by. He had been there enough times that Sanrev knew him pretty well. And the blue rider definitely wasn't looking to get into trouble. He had tried for Turns to avoid trouble even when they had been with K'ain. He hadn't agreed with K'ain, but he also wasn't willing to die.

He returned Z'zak's smile. He knew he probably shouldn't have tried all the stairs with his side and leg, but he wanted to see his friend. And he knew no one would appreciate it if he had flown up on Tyverith. Although it would have saved his side. The blue rider shook his head as he sat down. "Parts are starting to scar," he answered. "Although the deepest spots are still seeping." He had a bad feeling that it would be like that for a while. It had already been couple months after all. But at least he could move around better now.

El'dan watched as Z'zak moved over to the hearth. He hoped that his friend would be turned loose soon. It was hard seeing him like this. "Thank you," he smiled, taking the mug. The blue rider shrugged a bit. "It's fine. I had really just come to see how you were doing."

[Mik]

Z'zak nodded at his friend's answer about his battle wounds. Z'zak had not gotten anything, though he would have preferred to be right in the thick of the fighting, more specifically fighting K'ain to his end. Instead, he had learned that the black wher and his Handler had caused the old Bitran's fate. Thank Faranth the man was finally gone from Pern and his spiteful dragon, too. Z'zak normally was not one to wish a dragon's end, but Joreth had been just like his Rider: cruel and unforgiving.

"'Least yer healin'," the brownrider said as he kicked a chair around and sat on it backwards, facing the bluerider, his forearms soon finding a rest on the wooden back of the chair. He took a sip of the klah, then turned his dark eyes to his friend. "I'm itchin' fer a shardin' flight. Bein' grounded's worse 'an Thread in a storm." He blinked as some rain dripped over his half red eye before continuing. "An' Chrysoberyth needs ta lay 'er clutch soon. Faranth, Nocheth's itchin' ta see what 'e sired. Drivin' me shardin' Between with 'is chatter," he finished with how he was doing.

[sorra]

El'dan reclined back in the chair and rested a hand on his side. He wasn't in the mood to be moving much. And he was learning fast that he definitely didn't like being the patient. He would much rather be the Healer. But he was glad that if he had to be the patient he was at Nova. He probably would have been dead if they had been forced to stay with K'ain.

He listened quietly to his friend talk while he sipped on his klah. The blue rider bit back a chuckle, knowing it would only make his side hurt worse. "And you're not just a bit curious?" he asked teasingly. He knew Z'zak hadn't been real thrilled about ending up under the furs with Kanly. Although El'dan was glad it had been his friend. At least Kanly was safe. "I'm glad Ty's not like that. Although he's constantly telling me to rest." The Healer nodded. "I imagine it must be rough. I hated being confined to the infirmary for so long."

[Mik]

Z'zak did not comment on El'dan's show of weakness by covering the wound. They were safe now. K'ain was not ruling them and using their injuries and weaknesses against them anymore. Nova seemed like a true Weyr so far and all the politics felt right to the brownrider. He was certain that they were safe enough to show their weaknesses now.

A smirk touched the rogue rider's face at his companion's words. "Shells, I's as gentle as I could be with Kanly. Looks like I did alright with 'er. Just shardin' wish it was some younger man for 'er first instead." Glancing out at the rain-soaked ledge, he smiled again. "Yeah, I guess I'm a bit curious. Chrysoberyth's Nocheth's first catch in shardin' ever." Even in their youth before K'ain led them astray, Nocheth had not caught a female and in all the turns they had been stuck in isolation, he had kept to himself and no green had chosen the huge brown as a mate. In some ways, Z'zak was happy about it.

[sorra]

El'dan was glad that Z'zak didn't comment on his actions. If they had still been with K'ain he never would have shown weakness. At least not willingly. Although he had a feeling he wouldn't have been able to hide this weakness. Sanresk had done some major damage when he had bit him.

The blue rider chuckled softly. "Who would you have rather had win her first flight?" he asked. He couldn't think of anyone under K'ain who he would have wanted to see Kanly with. "And I don't think Kanly minded," he pointed out. The girl had seemed happy when he had seen her last. He smiled. "I bet Nocheth is just driving you crazy. I wouldn't think it will be real long now before she clutches."

[Mik]

Z'zak shrugged. None of their lot came to mind right off hand. They were all either too scared of K'ain or too hot-tempered. "Shells, at least their gettin' the trainin' we couldn't shardin' give 'em now." He smiled about the possibility of a clutch. K'ain had forbade Kanly from allowing Chrysoberyth to chew firestone, so he knew the result would more than likely be a clutch, especially from the few times he had spotted them far below. The red sure looked egg-heavy. "Faranth, Nocheth won't never ferget 'e sired a clutch 'is first shellin' catch."

[sorra]

El'dan could see that Z'zak couldn't think of anyone either. So, even though the brown rider hadn't enjoyed it at least they both knew she was alright. The blue rider chuckled, but winced slightly. "It should be interesting to see what a red lays. I had never seen a red until her and now I see that there are two here at Nova. Along with a couple other colors that I've never seen before." He'd like to learn more, but he hadn't had the energy. El'dan nodded. "Yes, the young ones seem to be coming along well now." He smothered a chuckle behind his hand. "He has every right to be proud of himself."

[Mik]

Z’zak nodded and glanced out at the rain-soaked Weyr again. “I counted ten shardin’ colors. The grays and reds we saw in our green clutches. Shells, I think ‘at silvery gray is close to a gold. She’s awful big fer a Weyrlin’ to be anythin’ else. The black’s real big, too. Did ya’ see ‘em Faranth hatched whites, too?” Yes, Z’zak had a lot of time on his hands and it showed in his working knowledge of Nova’s dragons and normal activities. One could see a fair bit from such a high ledge. He actually sort of liked it, but he knew his knee would never stand for the hike up so many stairs every day. He already had a guess at how each wingleader led his wing and how they would react when Thread returned. Nasty stuff that silvery rain was. Z’zak lived for the thrill of fighting it and here there had been none for twenty turns. Perhaps the Interval was nearly over and he would see Thread again?

[sorra]

El'dan listened quietly to his friend go on and on about the new colors in the Weyr. "Honestly, I haven't gotten to see much," the blue rider admitted. Until recently he really hadn't been up and moving much. His side and leg had pained him too much. But a silver and a black? He wondered if they were anything like golds and bronzes. If he got a chance he would have to check. "Is the white small or large?" he asked curiously. He'd like to go down and watch some of the weyrling classes, but he wasn't so sure anyone would be comfortable with him there. Well, besides the ones that he knew from the Rebel Weyr. He would have to check on them and see how they were doing.

[Mik]

Z'zak chuckled. "Sorry. Forgot you been stuck in the shardin' infirm'ry most the time." He studied his friend a long moment before taking the last swallow of the klah from his own mug. "Talked ta any of our riders?" he asked finally, a bit of longing in his voice if one were to listen closely enough. Yes, he cared for the riders he had been with in isolation, though he did not show much of it outwardly.