A Day of Freedom(Open!)

[neopanther]

Hmmm so she sought games? Ez’ki hummed amusedly to himself. For a moment, he was tempted to spark up a heated conversation with Dsura, try to flush Irina out of Z’dayi’s company and back to him. But that would not work with Irina. He would try a different path. She was too casual to go finding jealousy, she was more the type to be attracted to a flame, so the brighter he glowed, the more she realised she was missing out on, the more she would be attracted to him. Sure, Z’dayi was a handsome man, in a rugged manly sort of way, but he had a feeling Irina wasn’t too sure on that mindset. After all she had initially picked him from the bunch; that said a lot.

He sought casual conversation now, with Dsura, for he felt perhaps it was her who would be the more intellectual of the bunch. Jala was sweet, but there wasn’t much more to her – for Ez at very least.

::Dsura::

She smirked as Irina moved away from her prey, she was so readable when you knew her even slightly. But as she turned her attentions to Z’dayi, Dsura frowned a little, but let her facade resume quickly. It seemed their ‘arrangement’ wasn’t as certain as she perceived it to be.
“Ah, then perhaps, the best thing for us would be to switch, when we tire of him.” She smirked, eyed the bronzer cautiously. “well, a bronze rider can only entertain a girl for so long.” A wryly put challenge given to the bronze rider.
She turned her attentions swiftly to T’rad.
“Torad? It’s not a name I’m too familiar with, I am ashamed to say it, but I rarely pay attention to those around me that aren’t involved with Irina or Jala.” She was the mother hen of the group, there was no getting away from that, she kept them in line, and kept them away from certain trouble. “But I did head about a Torad , regarding something with trouble before a few hatchings? Or something. I’ve heard a lot of ‘Torad’s missing whatever shift because he’s in trouble again’ But that’s about it, nothing spectacular, what were you doing that often got you in trouble?’

::Jala::

Feeling ignored, Jala returned to the main body of the group, “huh? Torad?” She mused over the name to for a second. “Oh! It’s you” she said with realisation. “You did get into trouble before one off the hatchings right? I’d like to know the truth... I heard, differences in the tale” She giggled, a little too excited now. “I still think Dsura should teach Z’dayi to swim.” She pouted in a cute fashion.

::Ez’ki::
I think yours will learn soon enough, he seems to be taking it well. The thought was shared between dragon and Ez’ki.
Warn him that he might need to tell them this story, but try to act as though he’s a little embarrassed about it, they’ll find it a bit ‘cuter’. Ez’ki explained, as he ear-wigged over their conversation – despite only having a lopsided eves-drop.
Xyruth relayed it, faithfully this time.
Ez’ki smiled over at Irina, trying to pay as little attention to her as possible as she turned her attentions elsewhere. “I heard that too, T’rad, and shards but I thought I wasn’t too respectful to rules.” He smirked, side glance towards Irina, as though given in warning. “I can’t imagine any of you girls breaking rules though, surely not.” He looked over Jala and Dsura, the smaller one giggled again, she was sweet, in an innocent way, Dsura smirked, replying candidly, “not a fantastic judge of character then are you?”
“Nuh-uh! We’re supposed to be doing washing or something now...”
“Ah, but you are! Swimming in the lake, washing yourselves, no?”
“Very wise Ez’ki. Though I think our headwoman might not take it as well as we do. But I’m sure we can arrange for you to give us a hand down there.”
“What helping you girls wash? I’m sure we could oblige.” Ez’ki quipped, playing on the ambiguity she left. Dsura opened her mouth to reply, then laughed and shook her head, ah so she recognised the competition was futile? Shame, such a shame.

[dragon]

T'rad was actually a bit surprised that these girls had heard of some of his past deeds. And he may have showed it with a slight reaction. However, before answering, Paleoth relayed what Xyruth told him. Mine. Act shy, embarrassed about this as you explain the story. They will think it's cute. T'rad had to admit dragon communication could be useful at times. Paleoth would relate something to Xyruth, in turn relating it to Ez who would relate back to Xyruth who would tell Paleoth and on back to T'rad. All the while no one else would be the wiser.

T'rad blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh. That was me. I guess you could say I hung with the wrong crowd or some such. We were always in some form of trouble", T'rad explained as he chuckled awkwardly. "Eheh. Might have been too curious for my own good as well. That couldn't have helped things either", he added with an awkward smile. Oh it wasn't much of an act, it was pretty real. T'rad was embarrassed but perhaps not as embarrassed as he put on. Another hand was placed behind his head and knitted fingers behind his neck with the other hand that was already there, holding his hands behind his head as he tried to walk casually.

[blueaid]

In all fairness, there were a fair few young men who'd found dragons a sight younger than Z'dayi, bronze or otherwise, and he'd probably personally object to being termed "young" at this juncture; in the barracks, he he had a number of Turns on most of his fellows. But this wasn't the barracks, and Irina surefire wasn't one of his contemporaries. "Is this where I make the joke about you just put your lips together'n blow?" he asked around a chuckle, apparently not quite as susceptible as Ez'ki to blatant coquetry.

Or he was just that good a guy that he wasn't about to leap on a girl that the bluerider obviously had an eye on.

Deferentially, he noted, "Couldn't carry a tune in a basket, so dunno that it'll be the finest lesson for you, pretty. Considering your assets--" He lowered a pointed look to all her heaving and sighing and dramatics. Assets, ahem. "Might get more outta this whole adventure if you went swimming with my mates."

Hearing his name from down-front, Z'dayi chimed in after Jala's proclamation, "Swimming lessons'll wait, little miss. Trust me, I won't suffer for watching from the shore." Behold the power of voyeurism.

[Xinnai]

Irina was disappointed, as well as excited, to find that Ez'ki was matching her every move in this new bit of fun they were having. She met his every look with a glance from slanted eyes, the movement of her pretty mouth into a smile that would be considered too coy on other women, but suited her perfectly. Such a fun little game indeed.

She chimed in with a laugh that sounded just the slightest bit shamed, as if embarrassed that Jala had said what she had. "Oh, but I'm sure they don't mind us ducking out for the teensiest little bit. But some help from you lads would certainly be appreciated." Head tossed in a wave of silky brown hair as her smile was directed towards Z'dayi. "Oh, I can't argue with that. But you must swim, bronzer! Please won't you? It will be all the more fun."

[neopanther]

“Hmmmm.” Dsura gave Z’dayi a cryptic look. “Now now bronzer, what you say is almost sounding like you’d prefer to just watch us all strip off infront of you before we hit the water.” She paused letting the comment sink in. “That wouldn’t be the case now would it?” She smirked, wise smile on her face. She’d like to see him squirm a little. He was a challenge. Challenge to her at least, he was very odd, and perhaps a little alien to her. That alone made him appeal.

“T’rad! C’mon you have to tell us, you can’t just say that, like Dsura said we’ve been only told certain parts.”
“I never said that Jala...” Dsura added with a mild confusion.
Jala gave an impish grin as she skittered off again, now standing beside Ez’ki. “Why are you ignoring Irina?” She said softly, making sure Irina did not hear her conflicting the signals she was trying to convey.

Smiling gently down at the petite girl, “I’m not, think of it as a game. It’s like chase, but we’re deciding who’s going to chase.”
Confusion struck across her features, she looked mildly baffled at that moment, then as though pretending she understood. “ahhh.” She said softly, before she dawdled, falling behind Dsura and himself, and back towards Irina.
“Irina...Why aren’t you chasing him yet?” She said – again softly, her gaze towards Ez’ki. She liked to form the invisible bonds between the group, like a fly on the wall, a spy for no one, and an informative of everyone. She did not wait for an answer, opposing to this she went to Z’dayi’s side, she stood quite a bit shorter than him, but she wasn’t intimidated.
“See, you not swimming means we can’t all be together, and I like it like this.” She explained with a childish naivety. “So, I guess that means you want to keep us apart? Shame too, I was rather looking forward to us all swimming together. Dsura and Irina are good swimmers, I’m not great, but I’m getting better.”
“Jala.” Dsura chimed, “Leave him, if he doesn’t want to swim, he doesn’t have to. Far be it for us to tell a bronze rider what to do.” She gave him a lofty look, she found him amusing.

Ez’ki cleared his throat, he and Dsura simultaneously dropped their pace to fall in with the others, forming one large group of six once again. The lake was fairly in sight now. A few hundred yards if that, they’d be there very soon. “Girls, I think you should all go ahead.” Ez was fed up for games. He slowed, casually brushed behind Irina, then to the Other side of Z’dayi, near enough cutting the group back to boys and girls. He gave a quick glance over to Irina, smiled and looked away as sthough he had some vague interest. He’d get her to come to him even if he had to drag her.

[dragon]

T'rad gave Jala a confused look. "Tell of what? My exploits? All the trouble I'd get into?", T'rad shot three questions in rapid fire succession, in a tone that seemed to say they wouldn't want to hear of such trivial things. Well, tone aside, he'd vocalize it. "Surely such a thing would just be a bore", T'rad said, seeming to slip around the subject. Now just what was he getting at? T'rad didn't say anything about not telling. Hm. Maybe he was learning? Shoddy start then.

T'rad was quick to fall behind with Ez and Z'dayi, walking with the other two in unison. T'rad seemed the shortest and youngest of the bunch, or so T'rad would think. Despite such thoughts, he was feeling like one of the guys, like he'd found a group he knit in with. T'rad hadn't found such a thing since his days of troublemaking, which mysteriously vanished shortly before he stood as a candidate for hatchings. Perhaps such a thing would stay vanished. One could only hope.

[blueaid]

Resolutely, Z'dayi answered the collective gushing and prying of girls with a helpless shrug and the certainty of refusal; "Can't swim. Won't be much fun for y'all if I drown, will it?" Yes, Irina or Dsura would have been the likelier target for his affections, but his smile cast down at little Jala-- without anything untoward in it.

At that, he slowed his steps notably, setting a pace designed to shake off the straggling girls, designed to put distance between him and them, between them and the other weyrlings to boot. His words for male ears alone; "Ain't one of these girls that'd be worth getting tanned for breaking rules, boys, not for me, but you two have at. I'll keep a weather eye out for weyrlingmasters'n you two splash around a while." True friend.

[Xinnai]

Irina listened to the conversations fluttering around with half an ear. There were so many of them swirling around, how could one really listen to all of them with their full attention. But the girl was watching, and she saw Jala speak with Ez'ki before skittering off-to her.

Confusion was dominant on her pretty face at her friend's words. Chasing him? A frown lined at her brow and then Jala was off again, the butterfly who was entirely too social. Navy eyes turned to the redheaded bluerider, frown deepening. Chase him? Was that what he and Jala had been talking about? She snorted softly, fingers feathering through her hair. She wouldn't chase, not right now. Let him see her wares...and wait.

The brush of their bodies when he dropped back was a tantalizing promise. Irina met him, smile for smile, before looking away, turning towards her girls. She dipped closer to them, inviting them in on her words. "We'll walk ahead of them," she whispered, face glimmering with her mischief. "And we'll definitely get-ah...ready for our swim ahead of them." She glanced over her shoulder, bending closer with a muffled laugh. "Okay? And Jala," she added with a stern glance at the girl, "it's going to be fine. Dsura and I know exactly what we're doing." She slanted an amused glance towards her other companion.

[neopanther]

Dsura smiled at T’rad, “yes, we’d like to hear, after all, we only ever hear half of the story, and it’s usually not right anyway” She told him, “But you can tell us when we’re in the lake okay?” She winked as she fell back a little.
Jala huffed a little at Z’dayi refusing her, she wasn’t used to that, when she asked, most people did. She just had that sort of charm presumably. She edged forwards with the other girls, she was far too eager to get going.
Dsura stood a little more aloof from them, feeling a little old for such girlish games. But she listened anyway.
Jala piped up with a small whine, “But I want to know what you are doing.” She said, scowling slightly at Irina, briefly at Dsura, before returning her disapproval to Irina, she knew Dsura wouldn’t break, but Irina? She was more malleable. Dsura smirked as Irina looked up at her, it wasns’t obvious what this girl was doing at all now was it? She thought to herself, mind seeping with sarcasm.

Ez’ki gave an almost horrified look to Z’dayi. “But... Okay.”He shrugged, “Don’t come crawling to me though. I’m going to be busy.” Ez’ki smirked, then a frown followed short after, “Do you want to swap or something?” He said casually, making sure the girl weren’t in ear shot before he said it. Looking over at Irina again, he looked at the other two, he hadn’t before, they held their charms but Irina was a challenge to him, a sport he was quite content in partaking in. Slow and steady won the race, and he wasn’t going to let her win all that fast. Actually he was fairly intent on not letting her win at all.
“T’rad,” He noted, “You’re doing well kid, you might just get there, bit more confidence, that’s all you need.” He said with a bolstering sort off smile. “now, are we ready to swim?” He said looking at T’rad, still slightly disappointed with Z’dayi. He was tempted to call him a boring old fart, but figured it might be a little too much, instead he smirked with his own bemusement at the idea and slowly began to edge their walk back at their original pace.

[dragon]

T'rad smiled back at Dsura. Something about that smile and wink seemed to give him this warm, swelling feeling. "We'll have to see", T'rad answered her, giving a nonspecific answer. He seemed to find a comfortable groove. So why not stick with it?

Being inline with Ez and Z'dayi, T'rad was a bit distracted and barely caught Ez's words. He gave a glance to Dsura that lingered perhaps a moment longer than necessary then turned to Ez. "Sure. Swimming. I'm ready", T'rad answered him, giving him maybe half his attention. Answer given, he faced forward again, mind and eyes wandering.

[blueaid]

"No." Z'dayi to Ez'ki, resolutely desireless to swap, to swim, the whole shebang. He even fell behind the group a little more to make his point, hands languidly shoved into his pockets, attention. For all intents and purposes, Z'dayi would be window-dressing, lounging on the shore.

((Going to take a back-seat in the thread here. If it looks likely for Z'dayi to jump in again, I will, otherwise he's just a shoreline wet-blanket. ))

[Xinnai]

Irina just snorted, eyes rolling. She didn't care if she came off as shallow or desperate. She was neither and if her friends didn't believe her, that was fine. Just fine. She knew the truth and that was what mattered. The weyrgirl slanted a look at the other two, smile pulling at her lips.

"Well? Are you with me or not? You know it will be fun," she cajoled. "But if you don't want to, that's fine too. I can do it by myself. I just thought you all knew what a bunch of cooped up male weyrlings were going to be like." She kept the mischevious fun from her eyes, her tone invoking a shrug and complete nonchalance.

[neopanther]

Dsura let her brows furrow, a little angered that Irina planned on leaving them behind, if they did not wish to join her. She looked at Jala, the little one gave a quick nod to the taller, “We’ll go, Faranth forbid we’d leave you be all upon yourself. Not that you’d find that intimidating in any which way Irina.” She grinned, it was a friendly statement, not derogatory or laced with malice in the slightest. Honest, but fun.
Dsura walked off joining her friend quickly, Jala danced onwards simply euphoric at being able to swim in the day! She hadn’t had a free day for far too many sevendays. Maybe bunking from work would have to be done more regularly.

Ez’ki smirked, shook his head and relented to Z’dayi, “Fine ,but you’re missing out, prime one’s over there.” A vague smug-ness came over him. He could see that little T’rad was perhaps a little too head over heels for that girl. “T’rad – kid, C’mon, snap out of it! She’ll only play hard to get if you drool over her, make it the other way round – you’re the man, you make her want you.” Ez’ki informed, trying to coach the kid. Dragon’s weren’t necessary at such distances.
( (C R A P - dont mind me *whistles) )

[dragon]

T'rad turned to Ez'ki and blinked. "I-I wasn't drooling!", T'rad exclaimed perhaps a little too loudly, and a bit surprised. Though, he did wipe his mouth to make sure. Nope! No drool here! T'rad shot a mock glare but listened to Ez'ki's words. Poor T'rad was still hopeless when it came to this, not at all like Ez.

He turned his attention away from everyone around him and looked up to ponder just how to play "hard to get". He'd certainly remained aloof, and nonspecific when talking of his past exploits. That could be applied less specifically and more in a general sense. Oh, but could he do it? That was the question.

He'd find out soon enough. They approached the lake. After what seemed like forever, they were here. T'rad got ahead of the other two guys and stopped to remove everything but the pair of shorts he'd worn on this day. He could already feel the sun against his body, giving a warm feeling to his skin. Casually he waited for the others to catch up and get ready to jump in with him. He couldn't wait to dip into the cool lake water.