Be My Guest (PM to Join)

[Celegwen]

@DragonSong
___________________________________

Celegwen ran her hand along her stomach, feeling her leather armor underneath her sleek, black shirt. It had been much too long since the red cape of the Dragonriders hanged down from her shoulders, and the weight of the cape was nothing compared to what it symbolized.

A heavy steel sword was secured to her left side, a leather quiver on her right, and a short bow on her back. She felt the power of being one of the Dragonriders return to her and fill her with pride.

She had been assigned a new dragon partner. Ever since her former dragon partner had died, Celegwen was hesitant in rejoining the team. Still, there was never a time that she felt more comfortable than as a member of the Riders.

She walked outside with one other Rider to meet her new partner. There was a beautifully slender dragon with a pure white body. She had a long tail and a great wingspan, but she was generally smaller than most other dragons. Celegwen had been taught earlyon to never underestimate a dragon, so her new partner's size was not a problem.

She walked over to the dragon and bowed her head respectfully. "My name is Celegwen Perkhimote," she said. "It's an honor to meet you."

[DragonSong]

Azalea was in no mood for niceties. Letters from home had put her on edge, and she'd had to burn them early that morning before anyone could find them.

"Yes, pleasure," she said briskly as she turned her head to observe the stranger who'd spoken. This would be her commander's fourth attempt to set her up with a rider.

She knew they were all praying this one would stay.

"An honor and all that. What are our orders?" She flicked her tail like an irritated cat, looking over toward the other rider that had approached.

[Celegwen]

"No rider and dragon were good partners without mutual understanding and respect," the short man next to Celegwen said.

Celegwen smirked. "Our orders are to get acquainted," she said. "I was told about the other three riders, and you're thought to be 'difficult' to the units here. They want me to take you, even though they used much kinder wording." Glaring at the man next to her, she continued. "I have no intention of doing so. Instead, I propose we spend some time getting to know each other and taking care of any messy business we have left untended since joining the Dragonriders. What do you say?"

[DragonSong]

The young dragoness snorted and tossed her head. "As you like, then." She shot the older officer a dry look, making it clear that she was not impressed with his presence.

[Celegwen]

Celegwen made no attempt at hiding her grin. Though it was their very first meeting, she knew that she liked the Azalea. The dragoness had a large fire inside which fueled her.

The officer took the hint and nodded to Celegwen before turning on his heel and departing. He had other things to do anyway. Celegwen rested her hand on the pommel of her sword and visibly relaxed her composure. "He was getting on my nerves, too," she said with a short, breathy laugh.

It had been years since she last bonded with a new dragon partner, so she was rusty on any formalities required. Still, there seemed to be something troubling Azalea. She wasn't sure what it was, or even if she should try to find out, but it was more than just a dragon's typical grouchiness.

"The others don't know much about you," Celegwen said, trying to open up some kind of productive conversation. "It's clear that you appreciate your space, but I would appreciate you being open to building some kind of trust."

[DragonSong]

Another snort and she just tossed her head, turning to face the training field. "I wouldn't hold my breath, were I you," she muttered. "Come on. Morning drills started already."

[Celegwen]

The Elf's grin disappeared and was replaced with a slight eye roll. She had dealt with difficult dragons before, so Azalea's cold shoulder was nothing new. Still, she had hoped for some sign that the dragon was accepting of a rider.

Either way, they had been assigned to each other and Celegwen was determined to make some kind of progress with her new partner. Her mind raced with ideas, as she started toward the training field.

[DragonSong]

"Cold shoulder" was rather an understatement with Azalea; in her irritation, her magic roiled over her scales unconsciously and sent out waves of chill from her body, the tips of her claws and edges of some of her scales even starting to frost over.

She didn't seem to notice, just stalked her way toward the training grounds.