[Date]: 10/9/95

[Intro]:
Alisanda, Weyrlingmaster of Benden Weyr, met the news that F'hlan, bronze
Tzornth's rider, had returned with her best possible reaction: she asked
him to teach a class for her Weyrlings. Thinking this was an excellent idea,
the Weyrleader, Weyrwoman, Weyrhealer, a few other of F'hlan's fellow riders,
his dragon, his weyrmate, and his children all backed Alisanda up on this.

As it happened, though, by the time F'hlan summoned up enough courage to
do as Alisanda requested, the only major topic she hadn't yet covered with
the Weyrlings was mating flights. The entire idea of teaching, much less
teaching such a delicate topic to impressionable young minds, rather
distressed our modest bronze rider.

Until his fire lizards decided to help him out by deciding it was time for
them to all go into their regular synchronized mating cycles. Suddenly
Tzornth's rider was EXTREMELY mellow, too much so to really be coherent.
But not to fear, F'hlan's enterprising young son, Fahloran, charged with
overseeing his father's long slow recovery, charged off to Salless to
obtain klah, and tincture of asparagus - useful for kicking sense into drunk 
riders, or riders with too sharding many proddy fire lizards.

Thus prepared and knocked back into some semblance of ability to voice more
than one intelligible sentence at a time, F'hlan boldly strode off to
face a new challenge for his dragonriding career.... teaching.

----------
R'val sits down on his couch in one swift movement, Vidarth raising his head in 
  semi-sleepy curiousity.

Fahloran> Fahloran nodnodnods very earnestly, takes everything Salless hands 
  him, and scurries out.

You move through the opening to the west, heading into the bowl.
South Bowl
The southern half of the bowl is the largest. Its expanse stretches out, 
  partitioned into sections by the color of the ground. The shore of the lake 
  stretches out to the southwest. The bowl's patch of wildflowers, gardens and 
  a few small small trees stretching out in that direction also, grading into 
  the Runner Pasture. The rest of the southern bowl is pressed earth as hard as 
  rock, raked with dragon talons from turns of launchings and landings. Towards 
  the weyrling barracks, the ground is scarred in regular patterns from the 
  performance of age-old drills. The rest of the ground is scarred more 
  irregularly, and a large pile of firestone is stacked neatly by the wall. The 
  ground also has black stains from the firestone. 
Some puffy clouds skirt across the summer skies.
Obvious exits:
Feeding Grounds  Runner Pasture  Lake Shore  Weyrling Barracks  North Bowl  
  Weyr Entrance  

Fahloran heads here from the north.
Fahloran has arrived.

You walk through the huge entrance into the Weyrling Barracks.
Weyrling Barracks(#258RAHJ)
This immense cavern is the home for weyrling pairs. A huge opening is the 
  entrance, leading to the ground level bowl. The floor is not quite smooth, 
  being gauged with numerous scratches and cracks, from the clumsy undergrown 
  claws on equally clumsy dragonets. The indentations on the floor, made by 
  millenial pressure of the growing dragons, are quite suggestive of their 
  purpose. Most of them have furs in one corner of them, as the new riders 
  sleep as near their lifemates as they can. A particular odour lingers in the 
  air here, not quite pleasant.
A large, dragon-sized opening to the west leads out of the barracks.
Contents:
F'laav
K'nan(#7710PJOace)
R'val
Kieri
Elyandra
Wereth(#6869Vaeps)
Tidranth(#9494QUVaepqs)
Vidarth(#353OVaeps)
Zibrith
Tyrrath
Veyath(#3233OVaeps)
Jareth
Jeshua
Flutterby
Firelizard Perch(#3545Jaes)
Coding Refuge
Chalkboard
Obvious exits:
Bowl  
Type +barracks help for information. +view in effect.

In front of the barracks, a small group of weyrlings practice their skills.

F'laav leans against the recumbent bronze's bulk, and watches F'hlan curiously.

Tidranth swings his head around to peer curiously at Fahloran, warbling...

F'hlan pokes his head out the barracks entrance anxiously, and looks relieved 
  when Fahloran comes scurrying into view. The boy is carrying another mug of 
  klah, and he presents it to his father, muttering, "Here, drink this, Salless 
  made it!"
F'hlan nods thankfully to the boy, takes the wherhide scroll from him, and 
  steps up to where he can see everyone.

Jareth curls himself around his rider, greeting Vidarth with a soft rumble.

Firebrand glides in from the bowl.
Firebrand has arrived.

Fahloran hurries over to plop himself down near his father, and eyes F'hlan 
  with a surprisingly critical gaze for a near-eight-Turns-old.

F'hlan glances at the scroll he's carrying, and looks a little more alert as he 
  counts heads and dragons. "Ah... is everyone here, then, who will be here?"

Kieri nods. "I think so, sir."

F'laav lowers himself to a seated position, using Tidranth's flank as a 
  backrest. "Think so."

Elyandra nods, flopping down next to Zibrith, 'We're all here.'

K'nan sits down on his cot to listen, next to Veyath. She cranes her neck 
  around him to peer at F'hlan and Fahloran curiously.

F'hlan smiles crookedly, slightly distractedly, and nods. "Alright... well. If 
  you're all ready, I suppose I should begin... "

F'laav nodnods. "I'm ready, sir."

R'val nods to F'hlan slowly. He sits very still, watching the rider closely.

F'hlan casts what he hopes is a surreptitious glance at his notes, and then 
  attempts to look brisk and solemn and businesslike, though the distracted air 
  about him makes it clear that something is up with him. He then glances 
  about, finds a stool to sit on, and gulps down another mouthful of klah 
  before saying, "Well... I, ah, am F'hlan, Tzornth's rider. Your 
  Weyrlingmaster's asked me to talk to you all today... I, um, assume she 
  mentioned?"

R'val smiles at F'hlan and nods, "Yessir, she told us it was a scheduled class."

F'laav nods once again, waiting for the elder bronzerider to get to the point.

Elyandra glances around before nodding a little, 'She told us.'

Fahloran fidgets, one hand on another item he's brought in with him, a small 
  bottle.

K'nan nods quietly, and smiles over at Veyath briefly before turning back to 
  F'hlan.

Jeshua nods to F'hlan, scritching Jareth as she listens.

Tidranth nudges F'laav with his snout. The youth looks around, and whispers, 
  "Jus' wait, big guy. He'll get to it."

F'hlan nods in an 'ah yes, very good' sort of manner, and smiles ruefully. "I'm 
  going to have to ask you to bear with me today... I'm not quite myself, due 
  to, well, something similar to what I'm supposed to talk to you about. I've 
  no experience at teaching to begin with, and it's not helping me that my 
  firelizards are proddy." He pauses, and grins. "It's, ah, at least got my 
  mind on our topic. Which is supposed to be mating flights."

Fahloran stifles a giggle. Okay, good. Father has remembered the subject.

R'val's grin is lopsided as he nods at F'hlan's words.

Elyandra nods, and raises her eyebrow.

Kieri nods, smiling.

F'laav's expression stays attentive and neutral, as he listens...

F'hlan, evidently as physically restless as his fidgeting son, tells you all 
  after glancing at his notes again, "Well, so. I guess we should start with 
  the basics of dragon anatomy... how much have you been taught about this, so 
  far?"

R'val shakes his head to F'hlan gingerly in response to his question.

Kieri looks thoughtful. "Not much, sir."

F'laav snorts. "Namuch. Other'n lookin' at 'em."

Elyandra nods in agreement with the other weyrlings.

Jeshua involuntarily glances at Jareth and seems to be thinking of something 
  else.

F'hlan lets out a breath, and nods, considering. Then he says, "Alright... I 
  expect Alisanda has at least instructed you as to how long it takes a dragon 
  to mature?"

Fahloran listens wide-eyedly, keeping tabs on how alert his father looks and 
  sounds.

F'laav ehrms.

R'val nods to F'hlan, "Yessir.

Elyandra nods, 'Yessir.'

K'nan listens quietly, nodding.

Kieri nods.

Jeshua grins at F'hlan shyly and nods.

F'laav's eyes suddenly widen, and he turns his head around to give Tidranth a 
  /look/. "Big guy!" he whisperhisses desperately.

F'hlan grins, inwardly relieved. Good... "Alright... well. As it happens, at 
  least when I was a weyrling, training is timed such that you all should not 
  have to worry about your dragons being ready to mate until after you have 
  graduated to full rider status. As with people, it'll vary, of course... one 
  dragon might notice others early, while others won't even blink until after 
  you've been a full rider for half a Turn."

Wereth warbles softly to Vidarth in agreement.

Jeshua copies Fi's /look/ and blushes deeply red.

R'val looks over at Jeshua and covers his mouth to avoid laughign.

Kieri sighs and looks at Wereth. "Hush, luv."

R'val nods quickly to F'hlan, getting his attention back on track.

K'nan chuckles softly, glancing at all the dragons, then back to F'hlan. He 
  grins and nods for him to continue.

Kieri nods to the rider, listening.

Vidarth warbles at Wereth, then hushes himself.

Dragon> Rodrith bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << I will tell Notreth that you 
  said that about his Rider. I happen to think J'rus has excellent taste. As do 
  I. >>

F'laav sets his jaw and stoically watches F'hlan.

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Tidranth did not mean taste in that sense, 
  Rodrith.
Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Wereth thinks Bronzes are Silly.
Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Rodrith rumble-chuckles.

You say "What... um... I am to talk about is the Traditions surrounding mating 
  flights. How you know your dragon is about to rise, if you have a female... 
  what you should do and why a rider with a proddy female dragon needs to stay 
  weyrbound. I'll also talk about what those of you with male dragons will need 
  to do."
You say "So..."

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Veyath agrees with Wereth.
Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Rodrith snorts.
Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Tidranth wonders, innocently, if Penath's 
  Rider tasted good, then?

Elyandra tucks her legs up under her and listens with interest.

R'val nods, listening intently.

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Wereth adds, << Greens are much more 
  sensible. >>

Kieri nods, interested.

F'laav sighs. He stands up, and hisses to the bronzeling, "Big guy, if ya keep 
  that up, J'rus'll /kill/ me. I'm already in trouble with him. So quiet down!"

Tidranth crooooooooons mournfully.

Kieri stifles a chuckle.

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Rodrith dragon-grins << J'rus says that 
  even your Rider tasted better than Penath's. He was bitter. >>

Jareth warbles with frustration.

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Vidarth rumbles in agreementt with Wereth.
Dragon> Wereth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << Thank you, Vidarth. Blues are 
  very nice, too. >>

F'hlan half-grins, counting the various green dragons here. "So, then... which 
  would you prefer I start with...?" He is then distracted by F'laav and 
  Tidranth's exchange, and he speaks up to the youth, "Um, F'laav, if you could 
  keep your talk to Tidranth confined to mind-speech, I'd appreciate it."

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Vidarth puffs out his chest. << Blues are 
  Wonderful! Right Jareth? >>

F'hlan grins sheepishly. "I'm distracted enough as it is."

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Tzornth snorts at the lot of you, sleepily, 
  and tucks his head back under his wing.

F'laav's olive skin darkens slightly with a blush, and he nods, settling back 
  down with a final admonishing look to Tidranth.

R'val smiles affably at F'hlan, making an easy gesture, "Whichever you prefer, 
  sir, is fine with me."

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Rodrith jokes, << Yes, blues are good at 
  watching my backside in fall. >>

Kieri thinks. "Well, the greens outnumber the rest of the colors..."

F'hlan inclines his head gravely to F'laav. "Thank you... " He shakes his head 
  a little as if to clear it, and returns his attention to the rest of you.

Jareth croooons.

F'hlan nods thankfully to R'val, gives another hasty glance at his notes, and 
  sighs a bit. "Well... I suppose I will talk about what I myself know. As I 
  think you all know, I ride a bronze, so I don't have firsthand experience... 
  at least with green dragons. But I can tell you that my firelizards usually 
  turn color a day or so before they all rise on me."

Fahloran peers into his father's klah mug, which F'hlan has set down and 
  forgotten. Hmm. Half-empty. He takes the small bottle he's hanging onto, 
  pours something into the klah that smells rather like asparagus to anybody 
  within smelling range, and then nudges his father. "Salless says you should 
  drink this," he whispers in as tiny a voice as possible.

F'hlan glances at Fahloran, taken aback, then nods quickly and slugs down a 
  mouthful of the stuff. His features crinkle as he is taken aback by the 
  taste, but, mercifully, he looks somewhat more alert as he continues, "By 
  turning color... I mean that my firelizards will usually get a lot brighter. 
  Often, too, their eyes will whirl violet. The brighter the color of the hide, 
  the closer they are to rising."

Elyandra nods.

F'laav's expression takes on a slightly disdainful cast at the mention of 
  flits, but he listens. Useful stuff by analogy, anyway.

Kieri nods, listening.

K'nan nods, mentally noting everything down somewhere.

F'hlan then blushes, gives another sheepish grin, and adds, "After fourteen 
  Turns I can usually also tell how close they are just by how I'm feeling at 
  the time, or at least how people are telling me I'm acting. It's, ah, 
  fortunate I've got a sweet-tempered fair, for the most part... I'm given to 
  understand that both firelizards and dragons can get quite irritable when 
  they're about to rise. And a dragon's emotions are a lot more... ah... 
  *there*, than a firelizard's."

Fahloran giggles at his father's confession, his eyes turning bright.

R'val nods slowly as he ruminates on F'hlan's words.

F'laav watches F'hlan, with a studiously neutral expression, that could be 
  hiding just about any emotion...

You say "It's... because of this, that if you've got a female dragon who's 
  about to rise, that it's best you stay weyrbound. Your dragon's state *will* 
  affect you... riders have picked knife-fights for no reason at all when their 
  dragons are proddy. And trying to just fly, much less fly Threadfall, is a 
  chancy risk at best..."

Jeshua strokes a blue on her shoulder and raises a hand.

F'hlan pauses, and inclines his head to Jeshua. "Yes?"

Kieri listens with a small smile.

Elyandra nods and looks over at Jeshua.

Jeshua asks in a small voice, "Can a person keep control when their firelizard 
  flies?"

R'val nods, frowning as he listens. He looks to Jeshua curiously.

Fahloran makes a choking noise that sounds very much like a sternly suppressed 
  giggle.

F'laav raises an eyebrow to Jeshua, the corners of his mouth turning up in a 
  slight grin as he turns back to wait for F'hlan's answer...

F'hlan's lean face briefly turns a shade of scarlet, and he grins again, 
  crookedly. "Well... um. That I-I have personal experience with, yes. Do you 
  all want me to talk about that, or just relate it to dragon flights?"

Kieri shoots a glance at her fair and grins, waiting.

F'laav grins. "Let's hear it, sir!"

Fahloran claps both his hands over his mouth. His small shoulders writhe with 
  suppressed laughter. He will NOT interrupt Father. He will NOT... *mfrf 
  giggle*

K'nan chuckles again, and nods slightly to Jeshua.

R'val grins, "Talk about it sir?"

Kieri catches a look at Fahloran and stifles a grin.

Jeshua just holds her eyes on F'hlan, honestly curious. :)

F'laav explains, "Alisanda says we should Impress flits later, t'help us groom 
  our dragons. We should know about this."

F'hlan's face keeps up a hint of that blush, but, unexpectedly, doesn't seem 
  too mortified. He actually laughs a bit himself, a low soft noise. "Well... 
  it's, ah, a problem for me usually because I've got four female fire lizards 
  and they all have the discourtesy to get proddy on me at the same time. They 
  all went glowing today... but, I-I'm functioning right now mostly because 
  Fahloran here has pumped me full of klah, and I _think_ my whole fair went 
  back to Southern to look for clutching spots anyway."

F'laav nods, and asks, innocently, "What's it like, sir?"

R'val winces in sympathy, "I've heard that can be uncomfortable."

Kieri nods, looking interested.

K'nan grins quietly, listening to F'hlan.

From the perch, Keli chirps, flitting over to sit on Ki's shoulder.

F'hlan gives another short laugh. "What's it like right now, or what'll it be 
  like when they all go up?"

F'laav says "Both, sir."

R'val listens with growing interest, watching F'hlan.

F'hlan lets out a long sigh, as Fahloran pipes up, "Daddy gets silly." The 
  boy's eyes, brown like his father's, are alight with mirth.

Kieri chuckles softly.

F'laav emits a quick chuckle at Fahloran's comment before he manages to stifle 
  it, looking at F'hlan seriously. Really.

R'val's lips twitch in amusement at the boys comment, but he hides it.

F'hlan flashes a wide lopsided grin, a rare expression for him. "Ah, 'Daddy 
  gets silly' is as good a description as any... I-I feel like I'm a little 
  drunk right now. It'll get worse when the fire lizards are closer to rising. 
  But it'll help a bit if they're all at Southern anyway. The distance helps."

F'laav pipes up, "But ya can't really send a dragon away, neh?"

Kieri smiles, nodding.

Jeshua asks another soft-voiced question. "Do people mind when you're like 
  this? I mean..." she blushes, "do they flirt back?"

R'val chuckles at F'laav, then looks back at F'hlan.

F'hlan nods sagely to F'laav's earlier point. "Right... _unless_ you've got a 
  female who isn't proddy, in which case you probably should send her away, 
  though that's usually only a worry for golds." He blinkblinks at Jeshua, then 
  blushes again, but also grins.

Elyandra raises a hand, slightly confused.

K'nan nods thoughtfully.

Tidranth peers closely at F'hlan, crooning softly, and cocking his head as if 
  to inspect the bronzerider from different angles...

F'hlan tells Jeshua, "I, ah, don't normally flirt with people anyway... so I 
  usually don't try to when my fair is proddy. I find I don't really notice a 
  need unless the firelizards are actually in flight. I think it might be a 
  stronger pull with a dragon, though... given what I've seen with other 
  riders. Yes, Elyandra?"

Elyandra blinks for a minute, 'Okay, if a green is proddy, she should stay 
  weyrbound, but if another green is proddy, she should leave the weyr? Is that 
  right?'

Fahloran stifles another giggle, and nudges his father to remind him about the 
  klah. F'hlan scowls at the stuff but gulps at it, and answers:

R'val watches Ely as she speaks.

Kieri nods thoughtfully. "I think so, Ely."

You say "Well... as I said, it's mostly a problem for golds. Say Jehrina's 
  Leilanth is proddy and about to rise. It'd be best if Merla and Asfala sent 
  their golds away so as not to anger Leilanth and make her want to fight 
  instead of mate. That's killed golds in the past. But with greens... as far 
  as I've been able to tell, it's less of a problem. A green dragon... will 
  probably not broadcast as loudly as a gold will... and be less likely to 
  fight over potential mates with other greens. If we had to send off all the 
  rest of the greens every time one green was about to rise, we'd quickly 
  de-dragon the Weyr...!"

F'laav nods. "An' what about the males, sir?"

Elyandra nods, 'I see.'

F'hlan's voice alternates between rambling a little too quickly, and crisp and 
  careful enunciation.

K'nan nods thoughtfully.

Kieri nods, looking thoughtfully at her dragon.

R'val's attention never wanders as he watches F'hlan closely.

Jeshua nods, "Does every male chase every green?"

You say "About the males... well, I've had Tzornth keep an unwavering eye on a 
  proddy gold all day long... sometimes, if it's a gold that broadcasts loudly 
  enough, he might even notice if a gold is about to rise in another Weyr. But 
  most of the time he won't. As for greens..."
F'hlan grins, slightly embarrassedly. "Tzornth usually just chases greens he's 
  partial to anyway. Not every male in the Weyr will rise after a female when 
  she goes up... that, too, would de-dragon the Weyr so it's fortunate for us. 
  I, ah, usually have been able to keep Tzornth's mind on other matters, if we 
  have to do, oh, say, a sweep or a drill or fight Thread or something... "
F'hlan pauses briefly on the mentioning of Thread-fighting. For the briefest of 
  instants, he looks distant and wistful, before his current cheerful mood 
  takes over again.

Kieri nods, smiling.

R'val raises a hand tentatively.

Dragon> Tzornth senses that Tidranth wonders idly which greens you're partial 
  to?

F'hlan nods to R'val, at his hand?

R'val smiles tentatively and speaks up, "Erm. I was..err..wondering sir. "He 
  cups his hands, then speaks up, "When will our dragons, those of us with male 
  ones, expect to..erm..start chasing after greens?"

F'hlan grins a little at R'val. "Do you mean, when in general, or when will 
  your males notice that a green is about to mate?"

R'val nods, 'When our males notice a green's gonna mate..and ours will chase.

F'hlan lets out a breath, gulping down some of the cooling klah as he tries to 
  organize his scattered thoughts. "Alright... well, if your dragon knows the 
  one that's going to rise he might flirt with her beforehand, trying to 
  impress her as a potential mate and make her partial to him in the flight... 
  you'll know the flight is going to happen when the female goes down to make 
  kills on the feeding grounds."

F'laav nods, listening...

R'val nods, listening.

Kieri smiles, nodding.

Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Chiloth bugles. << Flirt! Just like Tzornth! 
  I wish I could flirt like Tzornth when I grow up! >>

Elyandra nods.

Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Torinth raises an eyelid and peers at Chiloth.

Jareth makes a whooa! sound and licks Jesh on the side of her face. Jesh screws 
  up her features and tries to get it off.

F'hlan straightens on his stool, turning brisk again as he continues, "That's 
  when a flight will start... and it's important, particularly for the green 
  rider, to make sure that the dragon _only_ bloods her kill and doesn't 
  actually eat the meat. Otherwise she'll be too heavy and gorged to fly well. 
  With a gold it'd mean a reduced length flight... and a lesser sort of 
  clutch... with a green... I expect your dragon might be grumpy afterwards. 
  I'd advise those of you with greens to consult other green riders, if there 
  are any you feel approachable about this... "

Kieri nods.

K'nan listens carefully, nodding occasionally.

Elyandra nods and mutters, 'M'kla.'

Kieri nods to Ely, grinning. "Great minds."

R'val listens carefully.

Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Chiloth will be a Bronze when he grows up.

Elyandra grins over to Kieri.

You say "The males, too, should only blood... or else they'll find they'll get 
  outrun in the flights. And they'll find it harder to maneuver in the air."

Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Rodrith chuckles and thinks greens have all 
  the fun.

F'laav snorts softly, and just listens, watching F'hlan with a gaze that is 
  just a bit too penetrating.

R'val nods very slowly at that, obviously making a careful mental note.

Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Wereth nods. << Of course we do. >>

Jeshua snorts with laughter suddenly. "No, Jareth, blues have fun too. 
  Especially if we take you as an example."

Chirple pops out of -*BETWEEN*-
Chirple has arrived.

The smells of sweet oil and dragonhide waft across the barracks.

F'hlan grins crookedly at the exchange between Jeshua and her dragon.

R'val flashes a grin at Jeshua and Jareth.

Kieri murmurs something to F'laav.

J'rus walks in from the bowl.
J'rus has arrived.

Several weyrlings scurry off to attend their chores, delivering messages.

J'rus walks in, "Chirple, I said to stay.." he freezes as he didn't realize the 
  lecture was currently going on.

Jeshua follows the crowd, remembering something. "Be right back."
Jeshua moves through the opening to the west, heading toward the bowl.
Jeshua has left.

R'val looks up at J'rus and grins as Chirple floats in, "In pursuit of vagrant 
  firelizards, J'rus?"

J'rus blinks. Shards, Alisanda's going to kill me. "Just this little gal, hear 
  F'hlan," he spots him, "has a whole crew who're proddy, don't need her to get 
  all thinking about rising on me.

F'hlan blinkblinks as J'rus walks in, and ohs, and says mildly, "All my fair 
  is in Southern right now... they shouldn't set off any fire lizards here... "

J'rus nods and grabs Chirple, making for the exit, "I'm sorry to interrupt Sir.

F'hlan frowns to himself as the other bronze rider's arrival completely throws 
  off his train of thought. but he nods pleasantly, and says, "It's not a 
  problem... um... " He glances back at the waiting weyrlings, and hastily 
  consults his notes.

K'nan grins slightly, watching F'hlan and waiting for him to resume. * Hope 
  everyone's back soon....

You say "Right. Alright.. any questions about what I've rambled about so far?"

J'rus moves through the opening to the west, heading toward the bowl.
J'rus has left.

Tzornth> Tidranth senses that Tzornth rumbles sleepily back at you. << What's 
  that about greens? >>

Chirple goes home.
Chirple has left.

Fahloran giggles again, peering at the foul-smelling stuff in his father's mug 
  and considering whether he should run off and bug Salless for more of it.

Kieri chuckles, leaning against Wereth.

R'val shakes his head to F'hlan.

R'val raise a hand tentatively.

F'hlan relievedly points out R'val?

R'val erms, "Sir..how do we *deal* with the emotionsriders of both green and 
  blue and so on will feel, when greens rise?"

You say "Well. Blue and brown and bronze riders will have a less difficult time 
  of it... it's only a problem for them, when the green or gold is actually 
  rising... a green or a gold rider... as I said, will probably want to stay 
  weyrbound while the dragon is proddy. During the flight itself... all riders 
  will want to strive to hang on to... well, um, their sense of _self_...."

R'val looks at F'hlan puzzledly, "SEnse of self?"

F'hlan nods, a little heavily, his gaze a little absent again. "For example... 
  right now, I, ah, can _feel_ my firelizards. It's very distant, but it'd be 
  stronger if they were here... it's very easy to just get caught up in 
  whatever's going through their little heads. A lot easier, with a dragon... "

R'val nods slowly, biting his lip and frowning absently now as he listens.

Kieri nods, looking thoughtful.

You say "But in a flight... you need to remember that _you_ aren't the one up 
  there. You need to exert a control on the dragon, because your dragon won't 
  have it. You need that control to make sure the dragon doesn't eat his or her 
  kill instead of blooding it... to make sure the dragon stays focused on the 
  flight instead of, oh, say, fighting with an immediate rival. That'd be bad."

R'val frowns deeply, nodding.

F'hlan grins crookedly. "I think the most confused time I've ever had in my 
  life was when my own bronze fire lizard caught my own gold. Fortunately, a 
  dragonrider doesn't have to suffer that... "

R'val winces, "Sounds..interesting, F'hlan." He chortles.
R'val speaks up, "So..exert control, sir?"

Fahloran giggles again, mischievously, but with a valiant effort manages to sit 
  still.

Blink pops out of -*BETWEEN*-
Blink has arrived.

F'hlan pulls in a breath. Pay attention, bronze rider. This is important... 
  "That's part of it... the rest is... when the female is caught, the riders of 
  the male and female will be... uh, drawn to one another."

K'nan listens carefully. He glances amusedly over at Fahloran, then back to 
  F'hlan.

F'hlan's expression turns a little more serious.

R'val nods slowly, "I know. I've seen that happen."
R'val's expression is distant as he speaks.

Kieri nods, listening.

You say "The attraction will be there, all through the flight... but it's 
  important that the participating riders don't give in until it's time. The 
  rider of the female needs all his or her attention to keep the flight going. 
  Afterwards... the rideres of the mating dragons will typically go to some 
  private place... and mate, themselves. That's typically the best way to make 
  sure the mating is best for the dragons, and that the dragons come home 
  safely."

F'hlan pauses, to let that sink in, and also to gulp down the last of his klah. 
  "Water?" he murmurs hopefully to Fahloran, who bobs his head attentively and 
  scurries off to find some.

K'nan looks thoughtful.

R'val seems thoughtful at that, "So the..erm..the male dragon's lifemate 
  will..mate with the greenrider? Without choice?"

F'laav nods...
F'laav peers at F'hlan. "What wuzzat, R'val?"

F'hlan shakes his head, frowning as his attention wanders immensely with 
  visions of some blue fire lizard's attentively whirling eyes, then blinks as 
  Fahloran kicks him. "Wha... shards, I'm sorry. Where were we?"

Kieri stifles a smile.

R'val's hand is raised, "I..had a question, sir?" He prompts.

Fahloran settles back firmly, looking satisfied with himself. If all else 
  fails, a good swift kick!

F'hlan ahs, and smiles absently to R'val. "You were asking about... dealing 
  with the emotions of a flight, yes?"

R'val erms, "Sir, how do we *deal* with the emotions riders involved in a 
  flight will feel, green and otherwise?"

F'hlan suddenly remembers what he was trying to talk about. "The mating," he 
  mutters, then snaps back to attention. "In the flight... no, I said that 
  already. You wanted to know if there's no choice about the male dragon's 
  rider mating with the female's, right?"

Fahloran nodnods firmly to his father, as F'hlan remembers.

R'val nods slowly, 'AH, yes, sir. That was it."

F'laav smirks, and mutters something to himself. The name "J'rus" can be heard.

Tidranth warbles amusedly.

F'hlan blushes, and admits to you all, "I... I think one of the greens is going 
  up soon. Bear with me... I think I'm almost done... but well, R'val, usually 
  there is very little choice. But if you absolutely can't stand the other 
  rider... or if, say, you're both the same sex yourselves and you're not 
  comfortable with that... you can usually get someone else you'd prefer to 
  take you away, if you've had enough warning."

K'nan nods thoughtfully...

R'val nods slowly, "But what if you were so caught up in the dragon's feelings, 
  that the idea of leaving never even occured to you?"

F'laav nods, failing to completely keep the amused smirk off his face.

Fahloran looks much like F'laav does, still young enough that the talk of 
  Grownup Things, like Sex, is more than enough to make him giggle. But he 
  tries very hard not to.

F'hlan says slowly, "Well... my Weyrlingmaster told me, a very long time ago, 
  that a rider cannot... afford to let dislike of another rider keep him or her 
  from letting their dragon mate properly... it's best for the dragon, you 
  see... and it's best for the Weyr if the riders go through with the 
  encounter. I know... that for those that come from Holds, it's difficult to 
  envision... I-I know I had a hard time learning to accept the possibility of 
  mating with someone I didn't know well, if Tzornth happened to catch that 
  rider's dragon in flight."

R'val sighs softly, his expression thoughtful. He nods and murmurs a thankyou 
  to F'hlan for the answer.

F'hlan adds softly, "It's... almost harder to deal with, if your dragon 
  _doesn't_ win, because your emotions AND the dragon's will have been... 
  whipped up to a high pitch. And then there is no release. I've, ah... found 
  that I usually either go jump in the coldest lake I can find, or go hide in 
  my quarters and get very, very drunk... I-I'm lucky that I have Melora."

F'laav nods gravely. There's no twinkle in his eyes. Nope.

R'val looks somberly at F'hlan, nodding as he recalls many post-flight riders 
  in the Cavern, drinking themselves into stupours.

K'nan nods distractedly, thinking.

F'laav mmmmmms. "Sir?"

F'hlan glances at his notes again, frowns vaguely as his attention wanders, 
  then blinkblinks relievedly as F'laav gets his attention back again. "Yes, 
  F'laav?"

F'laav ponders the best way to put this. "What happens if... ya know, a 
  rider... ya know... /can't/..." His voice trails off, and his face darkens.

F'hlan asks as delicately as he can manage, "Ah, you mean, if the rider is... 
  caught up in the dragon's emotions, but is incapable of responding to them 
  as... one might expect?"

F'laav nods, nearly as embarassed as F'hlan.

R'val goes rather red, his lips tightening as he stays carefully quiet.

K'nan covers his face with his hands to hide his expression.

Kieri is politely tuning this out.

F'hlan turns an interesting shade of red himself, and says huskily, "Well... 
  let's say the rider was... oh, I don't know, injured in Fall. I'd expect in 
  that event that the healer would make sure the rider's downed some fellis or 
  something, to sleep it out... or again, the rider might just get drunk."

Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Torinth oh-boys and curls up to sleep out the 
  storm in her weyr.

F'laav nods, silently.

F'hlan shakes his head again, and for a moment looks dizzy before he blurts 
  out, "Ah... do any of you... have any more questions?"

Jezebel has arrived.

Elyandra shrugs so Jezebel peeks out from under her hair curiously before 
  hopping down to find a different place to hide.

Jezebel moves through the opening to the west, heading toward the bowl.
Jezebel has left.

Fahloran uh-ohs, and nudges his father, trying to help keep him alert.

R'val shakes his head to F'hlan, watching the man. Letting him go would be a 
  mercy right now.

Kieri shakes her head. "No, sir."

F'laav ponders a bit. "Sir?" he asks again...

F'hlan, looking slightly pained, focuses on F'laav with an effort. "Yes?"

F'laav wilts just a little under F'hlan's gaze, but manages to say, "Sir, 
  Tidranth wants t'know what humans do about the babies?"

Tidranth warbles questioningly, his gaze fixated on F'hlan.

Kieri bursts out with a quickly stifled laugh.

Blink goes home.
Blink has left.

F'laav says "I b'lieve his words were, 'Where do Riders put their clutches?'"

R'val winces, and tries very hard not to laugh.

Elyandra grins.

K'nan grins at F'hlan, barely holding back a laugh...

F'hlan blinks rapidly a few times. He's right here in Benden, not in Southern 
  with a brown trying to twine around his tail... speaking very carefully again 
  as if struggling hard to control his diction, he says, "Well, typically, they 
  have them. I-I mean, the women will. A rider'll probably go off duty for a 
  while when she's too heavy with child to fly. The green riders who've flown 
  on my wing all have, at any rate... a-and often the children'll be raised in 
  the Lower Caverns, fostered out... "

Fahloran pipes up knowingly, "We gotta milk mother for my sister Anra and 
  Daddy's gotta daughter at High Reaches Weyr 'cause Tzornth caught Imareth 
  there."

Kieri nods, smiling a little and blushing.

F'laav nods. "An' what about the father?"

R'val listens intently, looking sympathetic at the rider's obvious discomfort.

F'hlan nods heavily, at his son's words. "A rider... will often foster his or 
  her children out... in my case... Melora's master-rank at the Harper Hall. 
  And I... " As he did earlier, he looks momentarily wistful. "Well... at 
  least, before, that is... I didn't have much time to be a father... "

Fahloran smiles brightly. "Daddy does okay," he informs you all. "Even if he 
  DOES get silly when the firelizards're all rising."

F'hlan grins briefly, and in an uncharacteristically visibly sentimental sort 
  of way, at the little boy. Then he manages to continue, "It's.... rough, I 
  know, to think about, but a rider's first duty is to the protection of 
  Pern... which is why the people of the Lower Caverns and often... those of 
  the Holds and Halls... will try to help out by fostering the children of 
  riders."

Kieri nods, hugging her knees to her chest.

You say "Does... that answer the question, F'laav?"

F'hlan stares plaintively at the younger bronze rider, looking rather like a 
  canine who's hoping he'll be allowed to go curl up by the nearest fire.

R'val looks down at his feet, eyes blank as he thinks.

F'laav starts to speak up again, a questioning look on his face... but then he 
  catches F'hlan's expression and takes pity on the elder bronzerider. "Nossir. 
  Thanks."

Kieri nods. "No, sir. No questions."

Elyandra shakes her head, 'No questions here, sir.'

K'nan nods thoughtfully. "Not here, sir...Thank you."

F'hlan smiles crookedly, his gaze more absent as he carefully stands up. 
  "Alright... in that case, I-I think I'd better take my leave of you all... 
  you've been very patient, and I appreciate it immensely... "

R'val smiles at the rider politely, 'Thank you for your time, sir."

Kieri smiles. "Thank you, sir, for being here."

F'laav nods, and beams. "Thanks, sir!" he says, brightly.

Fahloran peers up at his sire. Yep, he bets one of those greens just went up! 
  Expecting that there's no way F'hlan will remember, the boy grabs the 
  wherhide scroll of notes and the empty klah mug.

F'laav remembers. "Sir?"

F'hlan, his dark eyes going foggier by the second, smiles with sudden 
  dreaminess at you all as Fahloran grabs his hand to tug him out. "Hmmm?" he 
  says to F'laav.

F'laav says "Can we come talk to ya again if we have more questions... 'bout 
  this, I mean."

F'hlan, still smiling breezily, tells F'laav wryly, "Certainly... I-I'd 
  recommend a time when my fair isn't going... oooooh... " He trails off, and 
  doesn't manage to say anything else as Fahloran determinedly hauls him out of 
  the barracks.

[End log.]