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

[Invisible]

“It’s not a matter of being nice or not nice,” Genet explained loudly. “It’s a matter of being right where she is wrong. Why shouldn’t I prove I was right? She thinks she’s better. Ha!” The thought that they might not find a star rarely entered Genet’s mind. Hadn’t she said she would? Well, that was good enough for her to know that there was one out there waiting for her. Wouldn’t G’tet be so mad he was gone and didn’t get to be with her when she found it? He had better be!

There was a second or three when they began their descent that Genet closed her eyes, but she realized she was missing something so even though it made her stomach feel a little funny she opened them once more. The landing, bumpy as it was, was a welcome relief from going down and even though she was jarred she could still laugh. “Kalpeth almost always has bumpy landings,” she explained with a shrug of her shoulders. “I am quite used to them. You did fine, Pharoth.” The brown got patted for his troubles and then she allowed D’ray to help her down.

[Slim]

Emeni responded to the infusion of flirty tones into her name the way she always did with men who couldn't take a hint: she pretended not to notice the advance, but gave D'ray a bit of a cold shoulder. "Yeah, sure," she answered distantly, switching her attention to the ground looming before them.

Her distraction didn't last for long, as she soon snapped back into the present to chatter at Genet. "Yeah, she's really dug in deep for somebody who just came for Search, huh? It's actually kinda weird, 'cause normally, we only get guys here for that. When girls come, it's usually with their families or 'cause they're like, pregnant." She snickered, but had to cut it off, since Pharoth was going in for a landing.

The jounce she got when the brown hit the ground made her teeth snap together, and she grimaced at the deceptively loud sound it made. It sounded more painful than it was, and just to prove she was still fine, she slipped off Pharoth's shoulder while his rider was still helping Genet get down. Emeni, after all, had grown up around an even larger dragon, and the dismount was no problem for her. "Yeah, no worries," she agreed, rubbing Pharoth's hide before she stepped back from him and looked around. Snow, some flimsy trees, a lot of rocks. But which one was a star?

[dragon]

D'ray smirked at Genet's words. How amusing he found them. "I see then", he said simply with a tilt of his head forward in acknowledgement. He leaned forward to help her as best he could, being as gentle as possible as he eased her down. "Well Pharoth. You're gettin' more praise than you're use to, I bet", the brownrider looked at his dragon with a grin plastered on his face. He would have added more, but left it at that. The brown knew what his rider was getting at but chose not to indulge him and ignored it.

D'ray patted his dragon and rubbed his hide gently, as if the gentle touch of a lover. If D'ray held any affection, any true love, it was to his dragon. D'ray took a moment to glance at Emeni, she didn't seem so receptive to his usual charm but it only amused D'ray more than anything. The glance was held only for a moment, long enough just within comfort range for anyone. He then switched it over to Genet, but rather than glance he looked directly at her.

"So where should we start, exactly, to look for this star?", D'ray asked with a casual look followed through with an amused tone. Oh what fun this could be. Wild goose chase or no, it made a lovely evening. "I imagine the thing would be glowin' or somethin'. Maybe it'd be smokin'?", D'ray offered playfully, all too willing to give in to this game of search and find. He wasn't going to say anything in relation to not finding one. As far as D'ray was concerned, he was out here so he would find one. Besides, it was yet another story to add to his arsenal. Perhaps, he mused to himself, it would be a lovely one to swoon a lady. Shooting stars, searching for a mysterious item. Oh it would make for quite the adventure. At that moment, D'ray took the time to glance up to notice the occassional shooting star. Ah, it was quite a sight to behold. D'ray let out a satisfied sigh as he looked at yet another shooting star.

[Invisible]

“Hey!” Genet said with a laugh as Emeni commented about Anayeli’s arrival method. “I came here for search too. Well, kinda. I mean, I came to get away from marrying a grandfather-“ Stopping she grinned brightly before saying, “Not mine but still. No picking on us searchees!” But none of that mattered once her feet were on the ground and she took a deep breath before looking all around.

Hopping up and down and never mind the snow and cold and darkness of the night Genet skipped forward a few steps with a gleeful laugh. “This is so exciting! I’d never get to do this back home. I so love it here.” D’ray’s question caused her to pause and take another look around. “I don’t think it’d glow really. I mean, unless it were still hot. Stars are super hot, right? But the snow would cool it off.”

Genet was a master of science, you see. “We could split up?” she offered. It may not be a good idea, but she secretly thought it would be much more exciting to be out hunting on her own. Maybe she’d be the one to find something! Of course if someone else did she wouldn’t be there. A hard decision for her to make. “Or not. I don’t know. I bet there will be smoke. Maybe downed trees? I’ve never hunted for a star before.”

[Slim]

"I'm not pickin' on ya, I just said it's weird!" Emeni answered Genet, laughing along with her. She shoved her hands into her pockets and surveyed the hill. "I say we stick together," she suggested, giving D'ray enough of a second chance to glance at him despite the cold shoulder. She wasn't quite rude enough to block him out of the conversation. Voicing Genet's dilemma, she explained, "That way, if somebody finds something, we were all there for it. So." She looked over the hill again.

Then grinned. "If we don't know where to start, why not let fate decide? Somebody close their eyes and -" she gave a short example, pointing in front of her and then spinning on her heel - "turn around."

[dragon]

"Ah. I wouldn't know anyway. Not like a star's ever been caught before", D'ray answered Genet. Which was true, really. Not like he'd know what a star really looked like or what it'd do. "Ah, but if it's smokes and downed trees your lookin' for, then Pharoth's your dragon. A few sweeping circles close to ground might do it. If he's close enough to the ground, then downed trees shouldn't be hard to spot", D'ray suggested. Well, it was certainly an option anyway. And it's not like there wouldn't be anything lost from venturing the idea, only something to gain. Well, so D'ray thought anyway.

To Emeni, he simply listened to her before answering, giving her a contemplative stare as if he hung on to every word. "Ah. Choosing at random then. Sounds fun", he finally spoke up. "Who's our spinner?", he added, asking curiously.

[Invisible]

Genet gave it some thought and shook her head. “I bet someone else has caught one. Just not in a long time since no one remembers it! We’ll be the first in forever and we’ll be famous!” Being famous had some appeal to her considering her upbringing. That would teach her family! When Pharoth’s help was offered she paused and then shook her head.

“I appreciate his help, but I think if he found it then he would be the one who found it. No, we should search on foot. Like explorers!” A bright smile was given to Pharoth to take any ill meaning out of her words. She meant no offense of course, but she didn’t need a dragon’s help! Other than for a ride.

Emeni’s suggestion was clapped over and Genet hopped up and down as she said, “Me, me, me! I’ll do it!” She ran forward a few steps and then spun herself around and around before throwing her arm out. Opening eyes she’d held closed while spinning she spied where her arm pointed. “That way! Come on!” Without waiting for the others she took off at a run.

[Slim]

That Genet volunteered for it simply spared Emeni the trouble of volunteering her, since that was clearly what she'd been about to do. She'd opened her mouth and everything, but the hand that she'd stretched out to pat Genet's back and push her forward wound up with nothing to pat as the other girl ran up to do the spinning thing. Emeni shot D'ray a bemused smile at the holder's enthusiasm, then turned to wait for fate's decision.

And this time, when Genet took off without much advance warning, Emeni quickly determined not to be left in the dust as she had when the other two had gone bolting towards Pharoth back at the Weyr. "Good choice!" she called out, though any direction was probably the same, and launched into a run.

She didn't exactly pick her steps with care, and quickly went skidding over a bunch of loose rocks, but she was a good runner with good balance and a sense of her own invulnerability, so she recovered quickly and went on undeterred. She soon pulled even with Genet, and then tried to run ahead. Unless some smoking trees popped up to make it obvious, she didn't have a clue where she would stop, but it was just more fun if they made it into a race. Even a race to nowhere.

[dragon]

"Alrighty then", D'ray spoke in an oh so chipper tone. Pharoth was actually relieved that they didn't want him to help anymore than he already had. He was just fine with laying about while the three ran themselves crazy in search for a star.

D'ray glanced back at Emeni and flashed her a grin of his own as he turned back to Genet who was spinning in circles. Oh sure, D'ray would have been more than happy to spin around in circles like some crazed fool if no one else wanted. But why not let one of the girls have that fun? He could easily play the part of gentleman. But when Genet found her place and began taking off, D'ray was quickly reminded of how he'd done when finding Pharoth. When Emeni took off running as well and D'ray was left behind, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, I see how it is", he said to himself with a laugh as he too took off at top speed. It didn't take him long to fall right behind the two girls. Even if he could pass either of them, he wouldn't.

Pharoth simply shook his head slightly and curled up to rest. Ah humans, always finding some way to entertain theirselves and stay active. Or so Pharoth thought. However, the thought was fleeing as he closed his eyes and shifted for more comfort.

[Invisible]

If it was a race she wanted Genet was more than happy to give it to Emeni. Nevermind it was dark and cold and she was likely to break an ankle if not her neck doing this. The excitement of the quest for a star would be worth a broken bone or two. So long as it was not her neck she thought and slowed down just a bit. So long as she did not let Emeni get ahead of her then it would all be fine. D’ray she didn’t think was a concern. Riders! They flew everywhere! Looking over her shoulder she grinned and laughed. “We’re going to be famous,” she sang out loudly into the night.

Since they were not on any sort of race course Genet saw no reason to stay on a straight course. With no warning she cut across Emeni’s path and headed in a slightly different direction. “Come on!” she yelled to the other two. “Over here! I see something!” Which may have been a lie, but who cared? With her head down she almost missed the first signs of something. It was only when she was sure of the path and she looked up again that she saw what just might be what they were looking for and she sped up as she shouted, “I think I see it!”

[Slim]

Emeni grinned into the wind whipping her face. She hadn't expected Genet to put up much of a fight, but if she had it in her, Emeni would gladly take her on. She didn't expect a sudden turn, however, and had to pull up short when Genet went dashing in front of her. "Hey!" she exclaimed, not very angrily. Jumping to follow Genet, she spied another patch of loose rocks, and this time - remembering the thrill of excitement she'd had sliding on them last time - deliberately aimed for them. Her feet slid wildly, but Emeni only let out a whoop and, when the footing became too unstable, jumped free to chase down Genet again. Her little detour meant D'ray had come dangerously close to passing her, and at the very least, she could let that happen.

"Where?" she shouted at Genet, since she didn't see anything at all. If they were going somewhere in particular, Emeni wanted to know about it - maybe then she could take a shortcut in front of everybody else.

[dragon]

D'ray allowed his pace to be just behind Emeni. Enough to give the feel he was partaking in their game without giving away the intention that he'd be last. Intention or not, when Genet crossed Emeni and likewise Emeni stopping short, D'ray had to slow down considerably so as not to cause an even greater disaster. With Emeni resetting her pace and turning where Genet had, D'ray did likewise.

D'ray heard Genet shout something but Emeni's response was clearer to him. "Where" must have meant something was found. Would they really find a star? D'ray was a person who lived in the moment. He assumed they would find a star but he didn't think on it. Until now, that is.

[Invisible]

There was no way someone was going to beat her in this race. Genet didn’t believe in straight lines so zigged to the left or zagged to the right as the mood struck her. Still they headed on a course leading them to what looked like either a deep shadow or a disturbance in the ground.

“Here, here!” she called as she skidded to a stop. The depression was not so deep only a couple feet. And inside the burned grass and kicked up stones was a rock about the size of a baby’s head. “Is that it?” she asked in a hushed whisper once the others were standing near her. “Do you think it’s hot? Why doesn’t it glow? Oh! We found a star! We did it! We’re amazing!”

[Slim]

Genet's warning was not enough for Emeni to slow down in time, so she wound up jumping right over the little hole the star had made. As she trotted to a stop on the other side, she cast a glance over her shoulder. "Seriously? There's something there?" She came back to the hole in the ground, planting her hands on her knees as she bent low to peer at it.

"Whoa!" she said, finally noticing the burned grass around the thing. She didn't know if it was a star, but it sure wasn't an ordinary stone, or else something weird had been going on here. "I thought you were just trying to trick me, but look at that."

Meawhile, there was only way to find out whether it was hot, and what a 'star' felt like. She reached out and touched it.

[dragon]

D'ray, seeing the others were hovering over something, slowed to a casual stride towards them and looked between the two before kneeling with one knee to the ground and pressing a hand down to the ground for balance.

He looked over the hole and the object it held for a moment before Emeni reached out touch. Probably not a good idea seeing as how it came crashing from the sky, but honestly D'ray would have done the same thing.

"Hm. Well, it's not glowing", he finally spoke up. He stood up again and dusted off the pantsleg covering the knee he had knelt on. "Well, I'll call Pharoth over. Better to have him meet us than walk all the way back to him", D'ray added. Why didn't he think of that when they were at the lake? Probably to let the lazy brown get a few more moments of rest before taking off on an adventure that turned out not to be pointless at all. Though, not that D'ray would have cared either way. It was the journey and not the goal that always got D'ray. He always intended to make any journey, any adventure, exciting.

Pharoth, get your lazy hide over here. The brownrider was quick to call his dragon. Unfortunantly Pharoth didn't appreciate such speed from his rider. He was laying about lazily where he had landed. He grumbled in aggitation as he opened his eyes. Coming. That was the short, one word, answer given but the defeated tone was enough to give D'ray the glimpse into the dragon's apprehension of movement.

It only took longer than anticipated for Pharoth to come over. He was lazy about getting up, and did so slowly. Then there was the stretching he just had to do, as if a cat getting up from a long nap. He stretched out his wings, which made him look bigger than he already looked. Pharoth was quick to rise to the air, however, but he was slow about his travel. But he finally landed with a thud, the big, bulky brown always had trouble with graceful landings.

D'ray only shook his head with an amused grin. "Took you long enough, you lazy brown", D'ray said with a chuckle as he walked over to his dragon, who was folding his wings, and gave him a pat on his leg. Look who's talking. The brown was quick to respond. A playful arguement for another time, D'ray only laughed and caressed his dragon's hide with his hands. D'ray's one true love, Pharoth. Chase as many skirts as he like, Pharoth always held a special place in his heart that no human being could take away from the brown.