Full Blown Conspiracy
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Devin, Vix
Date Posted: 21st April 2007
Characters: N'vanik, K'sper
Description: Loseth and Bentith hatch a plot to get their riders talking, and end up starting a water fight.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 5 of Turn 4
}:Is yours going to give you a bath, too?:{ Loseth asked the brown. }:We could land close together and get our riders to talk to each other. Mine is being too quiet.:{ He knew why N'vanik was being more withdrawn than usual, and he didn't like it.
}:Mine is almost always too quiet,:{ admitted Bentith. }:If we land close enough, they would have no choice.:{ }:How about there?:{ Loseth sent an image of an open area of the Weyrlake. }:N'vanik can't complain that there are too many people around.:{ }:I will meet you there,:{ replied the brown and swooped toward that area.
**Where are we going?** K'sper shook himself from the tired daze that was a result of a long day of flying and trying to stay alert.
}:Bath time,:{ was Bentith's only response to his rider.
Loseth landed in the water and was followed a moment later by Bentith. He let N'vanik slide off and get the supplies organized before saying anything. }:Oh, look. Bentith and his have joined us.:{
**That's nice.** N'vanik replied absently.
**You didn't have to land so close to someone else.** K'sper slid from the back of his brown with a sigh.
}:There is plenty of room here.:{ The brown's comment addressed the rider confidently.
}:You should say hello,:{ Loseth prompted.
**I don't want to.** N'vanik started scrubbing the bronze's hide.
}:I want you to say hello. Don't make me be sad.:{ Loseth's shoulders sagged and his head started to droop.
N'vanik rolled his eyes. **Fine. You win.** "Hi."
"Uh, hi," responded K'sper. "We. . . we're not crowding you, are we? Bentith insisted on landing _right_ _here_."
"Loseth insisted that I say hello." He gave the bronze a suspicious look.
The brownrider frowned at his lifemate. "Meddler."
}:Recluse.:{ "It looks like we're victims of their devious plot." **If you try this again with someone that isn't an attractive, willing female greenrider, then I'm taking you far away from the Weyr for your baths,** N'vanik told his dragon.
**I'm here to give you a bath, not chat with people.**
}:You aren't feeling good. Talking can make you feel better.:{ "It's probably Bentith's fault." K'sper sighed, though he patted the brown's hide. "Every now and again he decides that I'm keeping too much to myself and that I should talk to someone. He doesn't care if we have nothing to discuss, but just insists that it's something I should do. Apparently dragons are never at a loss for words and expect their riders to be the same."
"Yeah, Loseth does that too. He thinks I should be friendly, even though he knows better." N'vanik scooped up more sweetsand.
}:You _should_ be more friendly,:{ his bronze said.
"He knows better?" K'sper leaned against his own dragon's side as he watched the bronzerider. "He knows that you're friendly enough or he knows that there are problems when you're friendly?"
"He knows that I'm _not_ friendly," N'vanik said with a hint of amusement.
"Oh." The brownrider's answer was barely audible. **Why did you bring me here?**
}:Yours will not hurt mine, will he?:{ Bentith addressed the bronze dragon with the same anxiety that his rider was feeling.
}:No, No! He's just being annoying,:{ Loseth assured. }:Be nice!:{ he added to his rider.
N'vanik kept scrubbing. **_You're_ the one that wanted me to talk to him.**
Silently, K'sper started to scrub Bentith's side, keeping his mind blank of any emotion.
}:This is not helping mine at all!:{ The brown told the bronze.
Loseth thought for a moment. If he couldn't get N'vanik to talk, he could give him something to complain about. Sweeping his tail, the bronze created a wave that not only swamped N'vanik but soaked K'sper as well. "Hey!" N'vanik said as he stepped back, blinking water out of his eyes.
K'sper shook his head and swiped at his wet hair with his forearm. "What was that all about?"
"I don't know! It's not like I'm not wet enough as it is." N'vanik pushed his hair back from his face. "Do you think that's funny?" he asked Loseth.
}:It got your attention.:{ The brownrider glanced down - he _was_ standing in the water. "Well, no harm done."
}:Splash me,:{ Loseth told Bentith. }:We'll have a water fight and make our riders play. Your rider plays, doesn't he?:{ }:Not enough,:{ admitted Bentith. He dipped one of his wings into the water and sent a large amount of wetness hurling toward both Loseth and the two riders.
Eyes whirling with mischief, Loseth returned the splash. "This is a full-blown conspiracy!" N'vanik complained before Loseth lifted a forearm to knock him into the water.
"I had nothing to do with it!" avowed K'sper - just as Bentith swooshed even more water toward him.
Glaring, N'vanik took the sweetsand bucket and dumped it. Then he scooped up as much water as he could and hurled it at Loseth. "Overgrown hatchling!"
The brownrider spluttered even more as much of that water missed the bronze and hit him instead. "I said it wasn't my fault!"
N'vanik laughed. "Get out of the line of fire, or start defending yourself!" Loseth used a wing to send a spray of water at everyone.
"Fine!" K'sper growled. He raised his long-handled scrub brush and brought the brush portion down onto the water at an angle, sending a spray of water toward the bronze pair.
}:Very good,:{ commented his dragon. }:You do know how to play.:{ The brown belly-flopped onto the water, sending his own splash toward all of them.
**How about teamwork?** N'vanik suggested, filling the bucket again.
}:Ok.:{ Loseth reared up and brought his forearms down. The resulting wave hit everyone, but most of the water landed on the brown pair. N'vanik followed up with the bucket, dousing K'sper.
The brownrider shook his head, laughing, as he continued to shove water at the other rider and dragon. "I think they might be too good at this!"
}:Not good enough!:{ Bentith rose into the air, wings beating slowly, as he flew away from the others. About thirty dragon-lengths away, he turned and flew more quickly, low over the water, landing near them with a forward movement of his wings - and a large wave of water aimed at the other dragon pair and his own rider.
Now that was a little extreme! N'vanik had time to close his eyes before the wave knocked him down. He came up, shaking water everywhere and cursing. Then he turned to Loseth. **You're bigger.**
The bronze didn't fly as high and his angle was sharper. When he skidded into the water, the sheer size of him created a larger wave with less momentum. N'vanik had moved up the beach, and he _still_ got soaked.
K'sper was not so lucky. The force of the wave knocked him from his feet. He re-surfaced coughing, to be caught by another ripple of the bronze's plunge.
}:Are you alright?:{ Bentith peered at his rider curiously.
The brownrider glared at him and spoke aloud. "Almost - no thanks to you." He raised his hands in the air. "I give up."
**We win!** both rider and dragon thought at the same time. "Well, I think we've had plenty of bath for one day," N'vanik told K'sper. "It was nice beating you," he added with a chuckle.
"Perhaps some day we'll have our chance to win," noted K'sper. "And I think that we're as clean as we're going to get."
Last updated on the April 22nd 2007