((I had originally intended to have one of my own riders Search, but i guess anyone can jump on this if they want. If no one grabs it I will go ahead and take it myself!!! ^_^))

Thirty feet from shore one of the ocean's many heartbeats, a minute pulse, began to stumble in its sprint forward as its intangible feet caught the silty bottom. Its headlong rushing went unchecked, and it tumbled in on itself; crowning, then cresting, and finally dashing itself suicidally against the coal-black rocks that flirted with the edge of the swimming beach. Two seconds later the massive entity pulsed again, sending another kamikaze wave to join its brother. It was just cooler than comfortable for swimming, but Edward was content to lay on the slightly warmer stone, nose wrinkling when the occasional spray made it the distance to the child's resting place. Eyes closed, Edward heaved a sigh and stretched. The runner tied nearby made for easy conveyance, but wasn't much for companionship. It was lonely, but today was not a day for working. If it meant a few hours of alone time, that was fine with Edward.

((I named my dog Eddie, by the way. She's so spunky and smart that it just fit her. XD lol. I can throw someone in but then again if someone else wants to take this up for post count.... Or maybe I'll start it off and they were sweepriding but taking a break so they got seperated so the other rider can either eventually come around or not.. or something. Leaving an opening XD I'll post soon))

((Gah! I love it! :wub:
*gives phantom petting to Eddie*))

As the morning shift ended, many a dragonrider could find a few precious hours to themselves. Ratina herself had just gotten off of Sweepriding duty and now could find some time to relax. But where to go?

I'd love to go lie on the black rocks of the Western Shore. It's getting cooler and I wish to warm my hide. Forgoth murmured a thrum, excited at the prospect of sunning himself. Ratina too couldn't find a reason not to, and she slapped the side of the blue neck affectionately.

Let the others know where we are going. They might want to join us.

Their riders wish to stop by the Weyr, but they might come.

Hah! She's probably make every dragonrider hoping to have a peaceful time in their weyr a little annoyed at putting the thought of sunning in their dragon's minds. Oh well, they'd probably return the favor sooner or later. She searched her mind, finding the image of their favorite spot on the shore and directing Forgoth between.


Someone has taken our spot... no matter. I will land farther down the shore. The image of a girl on the rocks resting was projected, her tethered runnerbeast not far from her.

"Sorry dear, but she's probably sucked up all the warm anyways. I think the sun is breaking through the clouds better over there anyways."

Forgoth glided down, careful not to spook the runnerbeast too badly, though it was surely antsy by his presence. Though the air was cool, the flight gear was far too hot to wear casually just yet, and she undid her vest and shed it quickly, giving an involuntary shiver as sweat met cool air. She'd dry in time though, and the sun would warm her up as it would her dragon. At that moment, they weren't too concerned with the lone person up the shore; they were here to bask in the sun, after all.. not harass everyone nearby.

"Hmm?" Edward murmurred, opening her tawny eyes. The runnerbeast was pawing the flinty soil, obviously anxious, blowing through wide nostrils. The girls cocked head head, then started as a large, wedge-shaped shadow slid over them. "Ah!" she gasped, traking the dragon-- was it blue? It was hard to tell with the light behind it-- to its landing. She flipped, lizard-like, peering over her rock at the nobbed head, the tucked legs, the muscular tail. Staring with a child's fascination, she watched it delicately backwing, then land, its rider springing lithely from its back.

"Ooooh," she crooned, entranced. Her backside wriggled impatiently: She could hold on no longer. Flicking her amber orbs at the runnereast, who had calmed sufficently for her taste, she scurried towards the dragon, darting from rock to rock, unsure of the large creature. She had only heard dragons and their riders briefly mentioned at Tregad, but it was never negatively. Still... it wouldn't due to get squished, now would it?

Ratina was content to lay down on the rocks and think nothing more of the girl, but the blue would watch her silently dart from rock to rock, updating her rider every now and then. Every so often the blue would only watch from the corner of his eye, so as to trick the girl into thinking he wasn't watching her at all.

Maybe we should have moved further down the shore... Ratina mind-murmured irritably, lifting her arms to drape them across her eyes. The sun was good for keeping the body warm, but did nothing for her trying to doze off.

The blue ignored his rider, looking out towards the ocean. She thinks we cannot see her... she's getting closer.. Then, he swung his head around to peer behind the rock she hid behind, eyes whirling quickly as he chuffed playfully.

"Wherry brains..." Ratina got up and rubbed her eyes, deciding now she'd probably have to greet the nosy girl.

((ROFLOL, Nako, have I told you lately that i love you?!!))


"Whaah!" Edward fell flat on her rump, her topaz eyes fascinated by the whirling eyes of the blue. He blew out a gust of air, and her frizzy carrot-coloured mop of hair was plastered back before immediately springing back into place. She laughed loudly, and blew air back.

Wow, he was so big!!! Well, it seemed like he wouldn't squish her, so... The girl leaned forward, peering at one side of the large face, then the other. She put out her hand as she would a strange runner, and when the dragon did not threaten she patted the pebbled nose affectionately. "You are really big," she crooned. "Do you have a name? Huh? You're very pretty, too. If I could give you a name, it would be Big. But I bet you already have one, because I saw you with a person, and usually people have names for things." She peered around the dragon and saw the rider looking in her direction. She clapped her mouth shut and gulped. She wondered if maybe she wasn't supposed to touch him...

She drew close to the massive skull. "I think I have to talk to her. She has that look adults get when they are going to talk. I'll be back, maybe, if I'm allowed. Here!" She pulled a scrap of seasoned and dried heardbeast from her pouch and offered it to the blue, wishing she had more. It was a good portion for a girl her size, but a mere splinter to the massive blue!

Forgoth accepted the tiny portion of food gracefully, but was quick to chuck it out into the sea when her back was turned. Whaaat? She didn't see anything... and he wanted to seem courteous even though he had no need for the heavily salted piece of jerky. The blue snorted with amusement, splaying out amongst the rocks again. She called me pretty. A chuckle laced his mindvoice, finding this funny... probably because he indeed was in touch with his masculinity, but he took no offense.

The sheer wonder in the girl's eyes was not uncommon in those who saw dragons, and Ratina watched the young child with a quirked brow as she fraternized with the creature. Soon though, she looked up to see the rider, leaning in as if to whisper something to the blue. There was a strange sense of possessiveness that rose up at the sight of such a thing. There was nothing the girl could tell Forgoth and could keep secret from his rider! She smiled inwardly at this though, for it was these insecurities that were quelled and dealt with during Weyrling stages, and would usually not rise up often after that.

You look like you wanted to talk to her. She sees you as authority, being older.

Oy, older... she didn't want to think of herself as old! Creeping into her late 30's would make that transition one she couldn't avoid though. She eyed the girl warily as she scooted forward, very much like a young child... which brought it to her attention that the girl acted younger than she looked. Ratina didn't look into this much though, and held her hand out in greeting. "I see you found Forgoth.. or rather he found you. I'm Ratina, rider of this big blue guy here."

"Oh!" The girl said, looking at the blue, and nodding thoughtfully to herself. She called out "I told you she would have already named you!" The girl spun back to the rider, offering her an ear to ear grin. "Hi! I'm Edward." She was absolutely fascinated by the rider's gear, but did not touch it out of respect. Sometimes grownups got upset about that, especiall yif they didn't know you. "I really like your dragon," she said beeming. "Forgoth? Huhah! Sounds like "forgot", but I think he wont ever forget anything. His head is too big. Too many brains." She tapped her own forehead meaningfully. "Not like my runner over there. He's smart, but not too smart, and I think its because he has a small head. The Herdmaster says its because he's gelded to, but I dont see what that has to do with anything. He wasn't using it anyway. I wonder if gelding would make a person dumb, or if you'd have to make their head tiny..." She wandered off into the depths of her own labyrinthine mind, staring at the clouds absently.

For the love of Forgoth's shell, she was babbling on! Ratina decided to merely stay quiet as the girl went on in her ramblings. They were things that people would ponder but never speak of, but this girl didn't seem to have an on switch. She looked at the rider's gear with unmasked curiosity, and Ratina couldn't help but stare at her with a like expression. The girl had finally found a place in her ramblings to stop and breathe, and Ratina took this time to talk. "Well, he named himself actually, when he hatched... and he remembers things when they are important." She wasn't going to go into the short term memory of dragons... especially with her own dragon since he 'conveniently' seems to forget things all the time.

She scoffed a bit at the gelding comment. She'd known plenty of gelded runnerbeasts that were smart. "I think it's just they have less on their mind to worry about. Being gelded doesn't make an animal dumb. You geld an animal when you want useful, reliable work and not with all the work of having an animal interested in females and being a pain." Now, Ratina wasn't an expert of the herdcraft by any means, but when runnerbeasts were a prime transport on Pern, it happens that many a person would end up on the back of one getting to and fro...even if they didn't own the beast themselves.

Forgoth regarded them both curiously, stretching out and grooming his right foreleg absently. I like her. She's very open.

Oh, make a good candidate, would she? She said mentally, amused.

The blue looked up, as if only now considering such an option. He looked at the girl with intense scrutiny before relaxing, going back to what he was doing. Maybe. Hard to tell with this one, but it couldn't hurt.

Edward processed this information slowly, nodding to herself. "Yes, maybe that is true... I want still to see if i could shirnk someones head to see if they get stupider." The girl shivered a bit as a grey, patchy cloud scudded across the sun, and she quickly guaged the time from its low seat near the horizon. She sighed, looking wistfully at the blue. "I've got to go now, or else the runner will miss dinner. It was nice to meet you lady. Ratina? Yeah, by then!" She darted down the beach for her runner, waving to Forgoth as she passed. "Bye, Forgoth! You chose a really nice name!"

Both dragon and rider gave each other a look as the girl retreated, wondering what to do next. "Should we go after her?"

The blue snorted, shaking his head. I wish to sun more, and like she said, the beast needs to be stabled. We will find her again easily enough.

"True..." Ratina gave a sigh, laying down her jacket to lay upon it next to her dragon, watching the girl idly as she bounced away. "Edward... sounds a bit masculine eh? Odd girl, very odd... So, I say we put in a Search request with the wingleader? That'll certainly get us out of Watch duty." Pleased with her idea, she contended herself to lean back and relax till time to report for the evening meal.

((We'll carry this on in another setting eventually. I think I'd rather have her be search-ready before she actually officially searches Edward.))