Star Search (D'ray, Emeni, anyone!)

[Invisible]

(OOC: This takes place right after Shooting Stars. Feel free to be outside the bowl in the middle of the night and join in on the hunt!)

Leaving behind those who’d rather stay behind was easily done for Genet. This was going to be a grand adventure she just knew it! Let Anayeli and her little friends say otherwise, but Genet just knew they were going to find something on their exploration. She was ready to follow D’ray towards his dragon where she reminded herself to remember to thank him as well. What had his name been? Well, it would come to her.

To Emeni she said, “So, I was thinking we’d have to go up and they were falling to the south so we should look to the south of the bowl.” Genet had never hunted up stars before other than in the night sky. Since Emeni seemed willing to shove through the crowd, and had Genet’s hand, what could she do but travel along? “This is so exciting!” she said for no reason other than it was. They would get to go flying at night and hunt through the area outside the bowl and secretly she vowed to herself that she would find a star and bring it back. That would show them all.

Flying would be exciting, but she wanted to get out and get looking. "We better hurry in case someone else has the same idea. We don't want someone else getting all the glory!" There had to be lots of glory in finding a space rock, right? Right? Right! For Genet there would be anyway. Who knew what it would be like? She would keep it...she didn't know where. If she had her own room...Well, that wasn't going to happen but still. She hurried up some trying to get the others to as well.

[Slim]

Emeni was concentrating on just getting them out of the crowd, now that she'd taken the burden of leading the other two. Having no clue where D'ray's dragon was, she simply went for the quickest way out of the crowd. After about a minute of bulling her way through people and jumping over star-gazing blankets laid out on the bowl floor, she pulled her companions into the open bowl with a crow of victory.

"Finally!" she said, dropping both their hands. Enjoying the freedom, she ran a few steps ahead before whirling to face the others with a laugh. "So, south then?" Her smile fell first on Genet, then on D'ray. As the grin on her face continued to spread, she had to explain: "I'm really excited. I haven't gone flying in ages. And in search of shooting stars, never." She clapped her hands and pranced in place a little bit, eager indeed now that they were that much closer to starting their mission.

[dragon]

Once out of the crowd, D'ray spoke up. "Um. My dragon's in the other direction", D'ray pointed out literally, his finger poking the air in the opposite direction. "I mean. If we keep going in this direction, we'd eventually make it to him. But it's definently the long way", D'ray spoke with that typical grin of his. He had now stopped, looking at the two before deciding to wave them in the right direction and take off towards his dragon. Was it a race? Surely D'ray would win since out of the three, he was the only one who knew exactly where the dragon was.

By now, Pharoth was disturbed from his napping. Perhaps he shouldn't have rested so close to everyone that wished to see the stars. There might have even been a dragon or two nearby him. What are we doing? The dragon asked sleepily, wondering why D'ray seemed in such a hurry to get to him. We are going on a treasure hunt of sorts. D'ray responded huffily as he was running, for no apparent reason. Then again, D'ray did many things for no apparent reason. That is a silly thing to do and I do not wish to do it. The brown seemed a bit grumpy in response, but Pharoth could get that way when being disturbed from a nap. Oh? And miss the chance to be the famous dragon that found a star? You would be the talk of Pern many many turns after we're all gone. The great Pharoth wishes to pass up fame? There was a pause in Pharoth's words as he thought this over. His rider had played the right card, a motivation for Pharoth. Pharoth agrees for the sake of fame for him and his, dear mine. The words sounded so noble that D'ray couldn't help but chuckle.

Finally D'ray had made it to Pharoth, who was now standing. He leaned himself on one of the brown's legs. "Now. Let's have some fun, shall we?", was D'ray's vocal response to his dragon as he patted the leg he was leaning on.

[Invisible]

It seemed an obvious solution to Genet, but she wondered if she was missing something. “Couldn’t Pharoth come meet us here?” she asked D’ray with a sweet smile. “It would be much easier for him to come than for us to go through the crowd again. Unless he’d be put out?” But it didn’t matter because D’ray was already off again. Genet looked at Emeni and grinned, “Riders,” she said before taking off after their transportation.

“I’ve never gotten to fly at night. This is awful exciting! And I’ve only flown on smaller dragons anyway. Mostly Kalpeth, but there was….umm. Whomever it was that searched me. I can’t remember his name. He had a grumpy looking blue though!” Even grumpier later when the green he did a favor for could not remember him, but Genet didn’t know that. Manners recalled she smiled at Pharoth. “Thank you very much for giving us a ride. We appreciate it a lot.” Manners done she hopped up and done. “Are we ready? Can we go?”

[Slim]

Meeting Genet's eye after D'ray took off, Emeni rolled her eyes with a big grin. Riders, indeed. She shouldn't have delayed to answer that comment, though, because in the next second, Genet was off like a flash, and Emeni was left behind. "Hey!" she yelped, sprinting after them. By the time she got to Pharoth, she'd caught up, but the effort had left her panting. She grabbed her pants and faked a curtsy at the brown, laughing breathlessly at herself.

She stepped up close to Pharoth in Genet's wake and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Yep, thanks," she agreed. Then, to his rider, "I'm sure ready for fun. Up, up, and away, right?" Shooting him a toothy grin, she climbed quickly up Pharoth's shoulder and settled herself with another pat of thanks for the brown.

[dragon]

D'ray flashed a charming smile at the girls. "Pharoth says that you are welcome and appreciates the thanks", D'ray spoke for his dragon. Whether or not Pharoth really did say these things would be unknown, but D'ray was using it as a charm factor.

D'ray only met Emeni's toothy grin with a wink. "You said it", he replied to her. "Pharoth. You heard the lady. Up up and away we go!", he exclaimed to his brown beast. Without reply, Pharoth was quick to take flight, the flapping of wings heard in the eerie night. An occassional shooting star would light their position to others below as they took off into the night.

"So we look up here and follow their path, right? Then find these glowey orbs", he wanted to confirm with the two girls.

[Invisible]

Night flying was a new experience and Genet sort of hated that she had to ruin it with conversation. Then again it was Genet who rather liked to talk a lot so maybe it wasn’t entirely a chore. “We need to go south,” she said loudly to be sure she was heard over wind and wings. “South of the bowl is where they went. We should, umm, look for smoke.” Because stars would crash into the ground and leave smoke, yes? Of course they would.

“This is so exciting!” Genet said again to be sure everyone knew that, well, she thought it exciting. “Keep an eye out for ones that land close. I don’t think we want to go too far. Right? Surely with so many one or two will have landed right by us!”

[Slim]

Truth be told, night flying was new for Emeni as well, and she was getting quite a kick out of it. Not being able to see where the ground was made for quite a difference when Pharoth started moving, and the enjoyable bubble of weightlessness at the pit of her stomach seemed even larger than usual. She planted her palms on Pharoth's neck to steady herself as she leaned to the side, looking for telltale signs of smoke.

"I saw one that looked like it went right past the rim of the Bowl!" Emeni shouted. Taking her cue from Genet, she was raising her voice to be audible over the wind. "It's gotta still be in the mountains, right? Unless it rolled down... can you imagine that snowball!" Daring to lift her hands for a second, she rolled them around to mime the snowball and made a heavy "fwhoo" sound to accompany it. But her hands shot back to Pharoth's neck right afterwards.

[dragon]

D'ray only chuckled as the two girls seemed so new to flying. It likely wasn't as exciting to D'ray as it was something he did nearly every day. He quickly quieted down though as the two girls talked. They seemed so full of energy and pumped about this crazy adventure. It was right up D'ray's alley and he was just as enthusiastic.

"South? South it is then. We'll head towards those mountains over that way", D'ray answered the two and pointed to his right. South, that's where they were headed and D'ray would venture where ever they wished. "I am but your humble guide and Pharoth your obediant transport. We are at your direction and whim", D'ray spoke charmingly as his smile matched his words.

Pharoth didn't really complain, though he would have rathered laying by the lake and resting. But if D'ray was right, then this was his chance to be a famous beast, known for turns upon turns. Pharoth couldn't pass up that. Though, he really didn't care if they found any or not. This did beat the usual work they often did. Transporting a couple of giggley, excited girls wasn't all that unfamiliar to him either.

D'ray patted Pharoth and gave him the mental image of which direction to go. "Now take it easy Pharoth. We don't want to be losin' our companions", D'ray spoke kindly to his dragon. Pharoth gave an understanding mental nudge to his rider and headed out to the direction that D'ray wanted, ever so carefully.

[Invisible]

“I wonder if it would burn up the snow on an entire hill?” Genet wondered loudly with a laugh. “Or just tumble down and freeze? Do stars freeze? I don’t know.” Genet did not know much about stars, but there was a lot to think about. Might as well think out loud if you were going to think. One hand lifted up off Pharoth and waggled around like a kid sticking their hand out a car window. It found its way back to the brown hide after a moment and then she had to lift the other hand and try it as well.

Both hands at once wasn’t going to happen this time. Maybe the trip back, but for now she wanted to live long enough to find a star. “I would not like to fall, yes, please,” she hollered with a laugh. Not a giggle, really. Simpering girls giggled and women laughed. “This is going to be fun!” It was hard not to twitch with excitement, but Genet didn’t want to wind up falling. "How much longer?" Which was the Genet equivalent of 'are we there yet?'

[Slim]

"That's a thought!" Emeni exclaimed. She had not considered that a falling star might still be hot enough to melt the snow. Although she didn't believe, as Genet did, that they would actually find a real star, she could still ponder the hypotheticals. Recognizing the unspoken impatience in Genet's question, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Leaning forward to D'ray's shoulder quickly so she'd have his attention, she pointed past him at a soft-sloped, tree-dotted mountain. "I pick that one!" she announced. "Can he land on it?" Used to her father's dragon, she assumed that the best way to get Pharoth's compliance was to imply he couldn't do something. To that end, she spoke the question as loudly as she could, so it would reach the dragon's ears. (So to speak.)

[dragon]

D'ray found it amusing the way the girls talked to one another. Theory after theory popped up on something that before had just been a pretty thing to look at in the dark night. "I don't know about any of that. But once we find one, we'll know", D'ray answered them. There was no if, no doubt, in his statement. As far as the three would be concerned, they would find a star.

D'ray only chuckled lightly at Genet's question. "Not too much farther. It'd be a different story if we were going any farther than the mountain range", D'ray answered her. "But I don't intend on taking us too far. What would others think?", D'ray added as he turned his head slightly towards them and winked.

Pharoth, however, didn't respond so kindly to Emeni's words. Can I land there? As if I'm some experiment. I can easily land there with no problem at all. Pharoth spoke to his rider, with a bit of a grumble. Easy Pharoth. They're just prodding you so you'll show off. And you enjoy showing off how great you are, right? D'ray answered his dragon mentally. The dragon snorted in response and headed towards where Emeni pointed, picking up the pace a bit with a might flapping of his wings. "I think Pharoth is taking you up on the challenge, fair lady", D'ray spoke politely, yet charmingly.

[Invisible]

The brain inside Genet’s head was possessed of many theories on everything. Rarely did she feel in an environment to give voice to them however. Tonight as they flew to find a star it seemed as if anything she thought would not be too crazy. If it were, well, surely she should be allowed considering where they went and what they did. When Emeni chose their landing spot she studied it as best she could in the darkness. “That looks great!” she yelled enthusiastically. It all looked the same, but Genet would never be unsupportive to a friend.

When Pharoth began to head for the picked landing zone Genet whooped excitedly. “Just wait til we get back with a real star! Then Anayeli and her little friends can eat our dust!” The point of the exercise was not about being able to show off. The point was to get out and do something exciting and explore something new, but showing off would be a great end to it! “You’re great, Pharoth,” she told the brown as she patted him with one hand. D’ray just got a grin for his words. Like Genet worried what people would think? If they dared say the wrong thing to her she’d make them eat their words.

[Slim]

Charming D'ray might be, but Emeni grimaced as though he'd called her a dirty name. To her, 'fair lady' might as well be a vulgar epithet. "Man, you gotta knock off that my-lady stuff," she advised the brownrider, leaning forward to soften any potential rebuke with a friendly pat on the shoulder. "That stuff turns my stomach."

As the dragon sped up, she gripped him tightly with her knees - seized by a sudden, irrational panic that she'd fly off him - but when, after a moment, that proved not to be the case, her anxiety flipped back into enthusiasm again. She let out a loud hoot, forgetting that any uncertainty ever existed, and pumped her fist in the air. "Aw yeah! This is what I'm talking about! Go, Pharoth! You're awesome!" she said, emphatically agreeing with Genet just before she let out another hoot of laughter.

[dragon]

"Rub it in her face, will you?", D'ray asked with a grin. "Now that wouldn't be very nice, would it? I say go for it", D'ray encouraged as his tone implied amusement. Not that D'ray often encouraged these things. Well, ok, maybe he did. But there was nothing wrong with that. Right? Well, so thought D'ray.

To Emeni, he felt no ill will towards. "I see. Then your name will suffice, Emeni?", he asked, the tone he used to call her name held some enticing hint. As if her name alone held any sort of desire. Perhaps D'ray was playing around, as usual but there was some coy, some flirty, hint in those words. But maybe that was just D'ray's nature.

Pharoth was making good time as he easily flew to the designated spot with some form of speed. As he hovered above the preferred landing spot, he circled it a few rounds. He was surveying it, in a way. It was as if he was plotting everything, even the exact spot to land. Like a dog that finds it's place to rest and must circle before resting. Finally making up his mind, Pharoth glided downward gracefully for a bulk of brown. The landing wasn't as graceful though, as the dragon was anything but light on his feet. He came down with a thud, a jolt, that would shake up those riding him if only a bit.

"Sorry about that", D'ray apologized to the two girls. "He's really gotta work on his landings", D'ray added as he quickly hopped off his dragon to assist the two ladies in dismount.