By the water's edge (Attn: Any)

Casriel lift her arm into the arm with one smooth stroke to launch Victory into air as she and Maraxith reached the bathing pools. The sun was out and sparkled across the queen firelizard's wings as she opened them. The same sunlight caught in Casriel's hair, making the length of her pony tail glisten warmly. It was a warm day and the beauty of it eased the near constant tension in the Wingleader's shoulders. She had much upon mind since the clutch had hatched, more still when what little riders left at Eastern had come to White Lightning. She avoided Jah'vi when she could, ignored T'kal and lay in wait for the moment she could knock Sh'lor down a peg or three. She also stayed clear of the young bronze rider in their company; she felt there was enough tension between herself and the Weyrling Master that embroiling her only child in anything related to Casriel would only serve to stir the pot.

Brielody and Anjelie...the conclave was out on them both. Casriel smiled at the thought of the greenrider, a lascivious grin that in turn made her mouth water. Aurayath would rise eventually and Maraxith would be ready.

Anjelie, to Casriel's thinking, would be about the best individual to add to her Wing and wanted her Spalkoth to be among the dragons under her command. There was no sexual attraction in that thought, just a clear appraisal of the skills at hand.

Victory thrilled, drawing Casriel's thought back to the pleasures at hand. The queen winged down to the water and settled herself with delight. Maraxith rumbled, his massive body causing the water to swell dramatically as he settled down. Casriel kicked off her boots and stripped herself of the socks beneath. She slipped off her jacket and then, undid her pants. She piled the clothing atop each other and then stood, naked, before the pool. Reaching her muscular warm behind her, Casriel pulled the tie from her hair and let the rippling, gold mass fall around her shoulders. Without another moment, Casriel waded into the water. She swam out to the deepest part of the pool and allowed herself to float in the center while Maraxith watched her. Victory came to chittered happily alongside her mistress and Casriel, eyes closed, reached out to stroke her with slow, gentle fingers.

Sh'lor's latest outburst followed her as she made her way to the bathing pools.

"I don't see how it can be avoided, brother dear." Her tone was meant to placate him while also pointing out that he was acting out. Brielody knew better how to handle his moods of late, though he was not typically prone to being loud about anything. Their father's death, while certainly in some ways was a relief, was also a burden. Neither she nor Sh'lor were all that great at dealing with their emotions, at least not in healthy ways. She simply shut it all out. And he was becoming a little out of control of his usually well controlled temper. "We will have to see her one way or the other. There is no harm in mother extending an invitation for her to join us tomorrow."

Sh'lor was frowning but he knew sense when he heard it. "She probably won't come." He said, matter of factly.

"Exactly." There was nothing to be concerned about. Kyabree wouldn't come to a family meeting until they apologized or made good on past differences. Brielody had no intention of begging anyone to forgive her, ever. Sh'lor was equally as stubborn. And they all knew Kyabree was worst of them.

"Well, I'll leave you to enjoy your day. See you at dinner." He left much more calmly than when he had come to speak to her. They were friends as much as family, even if at times he did get on her nerves and try to boss her around. Family was like that. She was sure she bossed all of them around at some point or other, especially the younger girls.

She took her clothes off and neatly laid them far enough away so as not to get wet by any splashing. She immediately brought a towel around herself and got some sweet sand to scrub herself with. Setting the bowl of sweet sand by the pool, she immersed herself in the water, a little bit at a time. She didn't notice Casriel until it was too late, she was in the water.

Should she go? She wondered but thought that might be even more rude than saying nothing. Maybe she would be better off saying hello, however, Casriel seemed rather peaceful with firelizard. Dunking her head under the water, she decided to go with pretending she hadn't seen the other woman at all.

Her hand reached for the sweet sand which she used to scrub her scalp with first. Then she was under water again to rinse the sweet sand out.

You should know we are not alone. One of the Eastern Old Guard has joined us.

Oh? Please tell me it's Sh'lor. I'd love to see the look on his face. Casriel purred in return, reaching up to allow her hands to trail through her white-gold hair. She lazily rolled in the water to catch a glimpse. What she saw was no male dragonrider but a mane of wet red hair. A pleasant thrill ran through Casriel and she grinned.

'Brielody.' she thought. Victory trilled softly and vaulted up from the water. She landed on Maraxith's flank, fanning her gold wings. Casriel swam slowly in Brielody's direction. Sound carried well across the water, so the cobalt rider stopped about twelve feet away.

"Good afternoon." she sallied.

She almost jumped out of her own skin at the sound of the other woman's voice. Brielody knew she was there but after the silence, her ears were not expecting sound. The greenrider turned slowly, trying not to look too surprised after being caught off guard. Casriel was far enough away that she wasn't uncomfortable but she wasn't sure that the blonde would stay at a distance. She knew the rumors as well as any and may or may not have spread some of them herself. Some women could be just as randy as men. Cobalt riders probably were just as bad as Bronze.

"Good afternoon to you as well, Wingleader." She didn't know how formal she needed to be since they were in the bathing pools...but she also didn't want to come across as someone who didn't put value on ranks within the weyr. She may not agree with them but she knew her place. Bri was in no position to say who and who should not be Wingleader. And given the state of things, Cobalts would have to step in for Bronzes, at least for the time being. Women in fighting leadership roles both scared her (because change was scary) and excited her (because women should be given more opportunities).

So she met Casriel with mostly good-natured, if completely idle chatter. "Nice weather for a swim." She said, treading where she was.

Casriel was perversely pleased to see the other woman start a little at the sound in her voice but she adopted a pleasant smile. She floated lazily at her distance.

"Oh yes, it is that." Casriel drawled. "Lovely water and clear skies. How are you and Aurayath settle in? Have you found...a pleasurable place to weyr in?"

Casriel raised a slim eyebrow and cocked her head a little as she spoke. Victory trilled, sensing her mistress's attention elsewhere. She turned, flaring her gold wings and with a graceful leap was airborne. She glided down gently to the water four feet in front of Brielody and cocked her head questioningly.

"Seems Victory is curious about you." Casriel offered.

"Indeed. Aurayath has settled in just fine." She had other issues to deal with than simply getting used to a new place with a new structure and people in leadership whom she formerly supported casting out. I just need more time to feel settled. The greenrider convinced herself.

"Yes, we have found a good place to weyr in." Though she wouldn't use the word pleasurable. As it indicated a certain behavior which she had not been allowing. Not because she was a complete prude but because she was in the process of grieving and hadn't ever allowed a lover since her first, to get close enough that they would have any idea what grieving for her was like.

Brielody watched the gold firelizard come closer. As the owner of said firelizard remarked on her curiosity, Bri responded, "I haven't been around many firelizards myself." Her father thought they were a nuisance. "She can come closer if she wants."

Go on, darling....Casriel bade. Victory needed no encouragement; she would satisfy her own curiosity without pause. The twenty-four carat gold firelizard trilled softly as she paddled over to where Brielody was, cocking her shapely head at the greenrider.

"She'll be rising to mate soon." Casriel remarked, a smile lightening her face.

"I hope she is caught by a bronze, for the best turn out. I mean to see that every loyal dragonrider here gets a firelizard as a reward for their service and dedication. Should they desire one. As for other distinctions.. I mean to use rank as a reward for merit and ethic." Casriel said. It was her right as Wingleader to promote within her wing and while she greatly desired D'kan as her Wingsecond it would prove of greater strategical value if her right hand man was a Wingleader in his own right.

"Rumor has it you've not done poorly for yourself. No small job in planting the seed of the future in our young people." Casriel said.

Brielody was watching the firelizard approach, almost as curious about the gold as she seemed to be about Bri. Nodding at Casriel's determination that the little one would rise soon, she didn't quite get the importance of the conversation until she was halfway through telling her about rewarding people. Looking up from where she had been admiring the flit, she wondered why exactly Casriel would be telling her this.

Not that she didn't sound like she had a good grasp on things, trying to integrate those loyal to her and giving them rewards, seemed like the right thing to do. Her brother would do the same to those loyal to him. Brielody wasn't for loyalty to one person or another really. She preferred to put her family before individuals and though she sometimes warred with herself about what was more important, she thought it best to say she put the Weyr before them.

"I suppose so, Wingleader. I really didn't go into it thinking they would even consider us. But I'm not saying I'm not glad they did. As a female rider of a fighting dragon you would know better than anyone, when an opportunity like that arises it's best to seize the opportunity before someone else beats you to it."