Closed Passengers (Azira and possibly Khara)

[Sira]

Timestamp: Fall 25, 514 AV
Location: Sira's Aerie

Sira was irritated. That wasn't a particularly unusual mood for her, but this day she had a good reason. Or at least some sort of reason. She was going hunting today, normally a good thing, but this time she had been assigned a passenger.

A petching passenger!

Sira had not allowed anyone on her back since.. well, in a long time. And they had the nerve to assign her a passenger!? What the petch did she need someone to go hunting with her for? She did just fine solo, or at least she thought she did. A second hunter.. It was.. It was insulting is why it was.

Truth be told, if she was honest with herself, and she had no intention of being that, she was a bit excited. She missed the companionship of having a rider, and did actually enjoy hunting in pairs or groups. But there was no way she was going to admit that, especially to the chief, or yasi, or whatever it was that was attending her.

"What.. The petch.. Is that!?"

Her psychic voice exploded into the minds of the two Inarta carrying a large, old, two person saddle.

"It's.. it's your saddle, endal.. Wind eagle Sira."

"That, she responded, the irritation resounding plain in their minds, Is not my saddle."

"But endal, er, wind eagle Sira, you might-"

Sira cut him off with a piercing screech, ruffling up her feathers angrily and turning her head to stare at him with one large golden eye. The yasi froze for a moment, before trying again. Sira stopped him with an even louder shriek. For a long moment they just stood their staring at each other until the chiet gulped and tore one more time. This time Sira let him talk.

"Sira.. Endal, um.. Wind eagle. You might be having two riders today."

"Might?"

"Um.. Yes."

"They can petching squeeze together on my saddle, or I'll carry one of them in my beak! Get that petching pile of pigeon shyke out of my sight, and bring me MY saddle!"

"But endal-"

Sira snapped her beak at the attendant, silencing him, and both of them hurried away. Not long after they returned with her saddle, a glorious white leather beauty designed to fit her body perfectly. It had been a gift, and it was the only saddle Sira had any intention of wearing any time soon. Unfortunately it only sat one, at least comfortably, but Sira didn't care. The saddle felt good on her back, and after the attendants left, Sira occupied herself by preening while she waited for her passengers. She refused to call them riders.

[Azira]

There was a sort of nervous excitement around the huntress today. She had asked about taking a possible trip into the Unforgiving with the intention of bringing Khara with her for a good day's hunting. She'd been told that she could go with Endal Sira and today was the day. She was going to get to fly on a Wind Eagle and she was going to get in a good day's hunt but it also meant that she'd have to put up with an Endal. She really didn't like them and she had such a horrible tendency of giving them cheek.

Just watch your tongue and it'll be fine. Bite Khara's head off if all else fails, Azira told herself as she made her way up to the Eagle Aeries. A Dek had been sent running to fetch Khara, the Avora not wanting to keep the Endal waiting. If anyone was going to be blamed for being late then she was more than happy to have all of it put on the game scout. It wouldn't be fair on the girl of course but she was a Chiet and was used to being put down all the time. She knew how to be subordinate whereas Azira... well, she could manage to be civil to her superiors most of the time. She had no intention of giving this Endal any reason to hate her if she could help it. Turrin was a different matter altogether but it wasn't wise to test the patience of this stranger.

Approaching the Aeries that she'd been directed to she spotted two attendants as they exited the place. They were talking together rapidly and quietly although she caught the odd word of the conversation they were having.

"Thought she was going to bite..."

"...cranky about her saddle..."

"...Endal Sira..."

The bits she heard were enough to make her stop them with a hand on the pretense of confirming that she was in the right place.

"That's Endal Sira's Aerie, isn't it?" she asked, pointing towards the doorway. The pair of Dek nodded, staring at their feet. "Is this a bad time? To see her, I mean." The word "cranky" had made her wary. Dealing with a cranky Endal was never a happy prospect and she was worried that it might be because of the trip. If she'd already pissed off the person bringing her out into the Unforgiving before they'd even seen each other then it didn't bode well for the future.

The Dek exchanged worried glances, clearly unsure how they should answer. It was a choice between possibly saying something negative about an eagle rider or disobeying a superior. "Answer me!" she snapped, not letting the hesitancy to continue. The pair cowered, one clearly braver than the other because he blurted out, "Not happy. Didn't want to change saddles to take two riders." A wave of dismissal and the two hurried on past her.

Expecting a cool reception the door was approached and she knocked. There was no answer and after a few chimes wait she knocked again. When she received no answer still she tested the door and found it open. It was pushed forward cautiously and it swung open silently to reveal a truly luxurious interior. White fur hangings on the walls, dyed green fur rug on the floor, gorgeous furnishings. She didn't have much call to visit the homes of many eagle riders and so couldn't really compare but it was certainly amazing by her standards. Her gaze ran over the room in awe and envy, no Endal in sight.

"Endal Sira?" she called, taking her first few tentative steps into the room. The door was closed behind her. Padding forward on the green rug she found herself examining the entrances to the other rooms, five in all. One had a window cut in it and was ajar. She assumed that it wasn't a bedroom or a bathing chamber but she wasn't going to be caught peeping in. There was no knowing what was on the other side of that door. "Endal Sira? I was told that you'd be bringing me out into the Unforgiving." The teen waited, hoping to hear the Endal - she knew that Sira was here - so she knew what to do next. When was Khara going to arrive? If she was here then Azira could have shoved her through the slightly open door and let her get in trouble if she stumbled in somewhere that she shouldn't. The girl should certainly be here by now so where was she?

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Khara]

When a Dek had come asking for Khara and told her that she was to meet Azira in the Eagle Aeries, she was certain a mistake had been made. At first she thought that he must have meant the Aviary, and then the drudge managed to stutter out something about Endal Sira and the Chiet was forced to actually listen to what the Dek was saying. As improbable as it was, there was a familiar nervousness that left little doubt that the runner was telling the truth as best as he knew.

She had hurried to gather her pack that was always ready and supplied with the items the Avora huntress had made part of their agreement and had sprinted towards the Aeries, only to realize she didn't actually know much aside from where they were located. At the top of the stairs she had lingered, unsure of which direction Endal Sira's Aerie was, panic seeped in as she realized she couldn't exactly go scurrying about until she found it. It had left her frozen in place until a disgusted sounding scoff had come from the right.

Khara turned towards the noise and instantly regretted it for the split second of contact that her eyes had met with the woman in the hall. The way she carried herself, the finer clothing that was instantly spotted, and the obvious displeasure at the Chiet's presence was more than enough to let the girl know she was standing before one of the other Endal.

"What are you doing here?" The woman had hissed at her, not bothering to even remotely disguise all the loathing she had for the lower caste member simply existing.

"I... I..." Khara had tried to reply, her voice failing her.

The Endal repeated the Chiet's single sound in a mocking tone before taking a step closer that only made the girl flinch in reply. A taunting laugh left the older upper caste member as she took notice before she rounded on the scout, her voice little more than a cruel whisper. "You had better explain yourself, Chiet, before I haul you to my Aerie and throw you out to the cliffs below."

"E-Endal Sira a-and Av-vora A-Azira," Khara began, barely managing above a small squeak, the stutter that wormed its way between the names seemed to take hold of the rest of her as she trembled on the spot.

Her apparent fear of the other brought an amused smirk to the woman's face who let out a scoff before nodding down one of the corridors. "Move, then. If I catch you lurking by yourself again..." The threat went unfinished but a quick glance at the Endal's countenance was more than enough to fill in any gaps or doubts as to her intentions.

A tick went by before Khara could will herself to move and when she did she took several timid steps before rushing once more in the direction that had been indicated. What am I doing here? What am I doing??, the thought refused to leave even as she stumbled into two passing Dek attendants. They took one look at the paler than normal girl, the lingering anxiety in her eyes and pointed down the hall once more. A quick, and far more helpful than Khara wanted to admit, last bit of directions were obtained from the two and the Chiet hurried along her way.

Another moment of hesitation came as Khara paused at the door, reluctance gripping her as she pressed a hand to push it open. It was only as she heard Azira inside, asking for the Endal that lived within, that any sense of relief came. Still, she was uncertain as to how to conduct herself. Did you just enter an Endal's home, even if you were expected?

A quick knock, far too quietly to really do any good came before Khara forced herself to enter. The Avora's voice was easily enough followed, though Khara did find herself entirely overwhelmed by the luxury of the surroundings she found herself in. She approached the huntress' side quietly, yet dutifully. If Azira wanted an explanation for her possible tardiness and agitated state she would give one, but not until asked; another quirk of their agreement. For a change though, Khara was more than happy to remain silent. Given the situation she wasn't sure she could actually speak if she wanted to.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Sira]

The eagle was well aware of the inarta wandering about in her home. Did she really expect Sira to answer? What was she going to do, shift so she could speak, and then have to start the whole saddling process over? She certainly wasn't going to speak to whoever it was telepathically. She didn't even know her! Seriously, the gall of some avora.

Sira assumed that she would just come into the main aerie eventually. The door was open. Obviously she was expected to come through the door. Didn't this avora know anything?

Sira spent a few ticks working at a loose feather beneath her left wing until she heard a light knock at the door and the footsteps of another person entering the aerie.

Great, she thought. There are two of them.. well, this should be interesting.

Sira shuffled her shoulders, shifting the saddle on her back a bit. The saddle designed for a single rider. She wondered how they would handle that. At the very least, it would be amusing.

"Well?"

Sira sent her voice out in a general projection to the room beyond, touching the minds of both Inarta inside. The irritation in her mind's voice was clear, and she hoped they picked up on that. This was an inconvenience to her and they needed to be aware of that, even if she was secretly excited to have some company.

"Are you going to come in? Or are you just going to stand their appreciating the decor? I'm sure all the animals will wait, if you want to look around some more. It's not like winter is coming or anything."

Sira went back to picking at the feather. It was really bothering her. Feather's should just fall out. They shouldn't just sit there all loose and itchy. Maybe she could get one of the two in the other room to get it for her.. But no, they would probably want to keep it. People were always keeping Wind Eagle feathers. Sira didn't understand why. She had lots of them, there wasn't anything special about them. It's not like if you collected enough of them they would let you fly. But.. Well, she had to admit, her feathers were very pretty.

[Azira]

As she was wondering where the girl was she seemed to materialise magically at her side. One tick she was peering at the door that might just lead to the Wind Eagle's Aerie and the next her eyes had fallen on the Chiet who was now standing at her side. She nearly jumped out of her skin! Could she not have made more noise or announced herself?

You told her she wasn't to speak unless spoken to, remember? her mind offered helpfully. The huntress regarded the scout darkly as if the conditions she'd set were Khara's fault. Before she could reproach the other for sneaking up on her the voice appeared in her head. It wasn't an inner voice but the mental voice of a Wind Eagle. She froze, eyes darting from side to side. The Endal would be where the Wind Eagle was and so if the eagle told her anything then it might be a good idea to listen to it. The irritation in it made her wince.

I thought Endal Sira was supposed to be the cranky one, not the eagle too, she thought.

The voice came again, scornful words filling her mind that made her wince. Apparently she wasn't to keep the Endal waiting but then why hadn't the Endal herself made some sort of reply to her? It was strange but she wasn't going to delay any longer. The door that she'd been eyeing for the last chime or two was finally approached, the huntress stepping through to take in the sight beyond. It was the eagle's Aerie all right and a large one that she thought could comfortably house two of the giant raptors. The contents of the room itself wasn't of much concern to her except the location of the eagle rider and the very prominent Wind Eagle. There was no eagle rider in sight though. Again the lack of the woman that was supposed to be bringing her into the Unforgiving was regarded as strange. With the woman absent, she was left studying the eagle.

Dark brown feathers over her body and lighter plumage over her - she assumed the bird was female - beautiful head. She was busy grooming herself although she was saddled and ready for them. The saddle would be a tight squeeze for two people, let alone three and so she wondered how this was going to work out. A short half bow was given towards the bird in a gesture of respect, one that would never be directed towards an Endal.

"Greetings, Wind Eagle. I wasn't sure if I should enter, especially without some sort of answer. I thought it'd be rude to just poke around in an Endal's rooms. Sorry to have kept you waiting on that account," the Avora explained politely. A gesture was made to Khara behind her to make her come forward. "I'm Avora Azira and this is a Chiet game scout, Khara. Are you able to accommodate that many riders? If not, I'm sure she'll allow herself to be excused." A meaningful look was shot the girl's way and she made a gesture for her to speak if she chose, provided that the Wind Eagle didn't say anything first of course. It'd be bad form to be rude to one of the raptors, especially when they could destroy you with their beak or fling you onto the rocks below.

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Khara]

Azira didn't seem too happy to see her, but then again when did she ever? A rebuke for something was expected, she'd seen it coming in the way the huntress had looked at her and then-!

Was that what it was like to have a Wind Eagle speak to you?? Even as a Yasi, the few times that Khara had been assigned a task among the esteemed birds they had never seemed it fit to actually talk to her. Others had left those Bendi beaming, as if they had just known they were destined to become Endals. Khara, on the other hand, often left feeling as though she was doomed from the start and was more likely to end up being eaten than chosen as a rider. Unsurprisingly, that exact same feeling came upon her now.

The Chiet followed in Azira's wake, trailing while trying to keep the feeling of fear or excitement or whatever combination of the two she was experiencing from overtaking her senses. If having the voice of the Wind Eagle in your mind was breathtaking, so much more so was actually seeing her in person. Beautiful was the word that sprung to Khara's mind, but it didn't even remotely seem to accurately describe what she was seeing. Try as hard as she might, the girl couldn't help but gawk for a tick before she caught herself and quickly looked down at the floor.

Thankfully, the lesser Inarta girl didn't have to actually say anything, at least not at first. Azira did the talking as was only right, Khara figured. Though as the Avora addressed the Wind Eagle the other teen couldn't help but cast her eyes around in search of the rider. It felt wrong for two of them to be alone with the Eagle. Surely the Endal must be around somewhere. Though as Azira spoke the continued absence of a rider began to gnaw at the Chiet and memories of rumors she had heard about the others of her caste began to float to memory. Of the fact some of the Wind Eagles were Endals themselves, that they could change shape; Kelvics, her mind clarified. But those were only just stories weren't they? There was no way they were actually standing in front of-

It was the sound of her name that snapped Khara's attention away from her own thoughts and brought her head up quickly. Oh shyke... Shyke!... what do I say? A quick glance was cast towards Azira out of the corner of her mind, an upwelling of words prepared to tumble out that probably would sound nothing short of cliche platitudes that such an illustrious creature would have heard far too often. Don't speak unless you are spoken to or given permission, the instruction echoed in her mind. She wasn't exactly being told to speak, was she? In truth it was sounding doubtful that she would be joining them at all at that point and given the fact she was hearing her heart pounding above pretty much everything else Khara wasn't entirely disappointed by that notion.

All in all she managed a small bow, acknowledgement that her presence was even being noted, respectful enough to hopefully not cause her any issues. Gods, if only she knew how to actually act with the appropriate difference without seeming like she was terrified. Suddenly, the girl was oh so very aware of the constant fidgeting her hands had been doing again. It was a normal enough thing when it came to the Chiet but at that moment it seemed a bit out of control and Khara had to forcefully make herself still. Apparently keeping her words bottled up meant that the nervousness that usually came out in seemingly mindless chatter was vented in other ways.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Sira]

If Sira had eyebrows at that moment she would have raised them curiously. This Avora actually did not know who she was? That was rare for Sira these days, especially since the djed storm. It felt nice not to have her reputation precede her, though at the moment it was actually an inconvenience. Now she had to waste time explaining to the two women that she was a wind eagle and endal all in one. Of course.. she didn't have to explain immediately.

Instead, Sira eyed the two for a moment, then hopped over to a sack and stuck her head in, nudging about with her beak for a moment. Gingerly, taking care not to cut it in two, she pulled out a coiled rope and then looked up at Azira. She hopped one step forward, and then dropped the rope on the ground in front of her.

Yes.. she could have explained everything, but it was going to be far more entertaining to make them figure it out by themselves. There was not going to be an endal to help them figure out what they were supposed to do. Could the lower castes think for themselves? She knew a few who could, perhaps these two would be added to that list.

Sira hopped back, considering what else they might need. Her saddle had straps for one rider, and plenty of loops that the rope could be tied on to secure another. Certainly they could figure it out.. but, well, she could help them with one more thing.

Sira settled down onto the ground, laying down as if to nest, then shot the women a look, turned her head back as if to point at the saddle, then shot them both another look. And, because she felt it was necessary, she added a short, high pitched screech to get them moving. No sense wasting time, was there?

[Azira]

The Chiet was useless, worse than useless. Azira couldn't even find a word to describe how useless Khara was at that moment in time. She'd turned mute! The girl who chattered madly, whose tongue the huntress had actually tried to stifle, had now forgotten how to speak or chose not to. Now she shut up!

See this is why you should be careful what you wish for, her inner voice sang, mocking her and rubbing salt into the wounds. Shut up! she responded to herself petulantly.

The scout was leaving her to fill the silence and do all the communicating. At least if the other had said something idiotic, the huntress would have had reason to chastise her rather than having to set her own tongue flapping in her nervousness. It hadn't happened yet but she sensed that it was close. Even the gods damned petching eagle had fallen silent. The huntress wanted to scream. What were they to do? Stand here like a bunch of chicks that couldn't yet fly until the eagle's rider appeared? Her mind was telling her that there was something off, something that she was missing but without a ready explanation she simply ignored it.

The raptor had fallen silent it was true but she was still communicating. Sort of. It was more of a miming act. Here is a rope, the bird seemed to say silently as one was pulled out of a sack and dropped it at the Avora's feet. Why did so many of her encounters with Khara seem to have rope come into them in one way or another? It was an odd thought to flit into her mind just then but it was strangely enough quite true.

The rope was regarded dumbly, the huntress finding herself looking back up at the eagle after a little while as she hopped back to where she'd been and settled down. A bright eye fixed on the pair then the saddle before going back to them again. So they were supposed to do something about the saddle, something that involved the rope. All right then, she could do what the eagle wanted.

Her gear was set down, pack, bow, quiver and all. The rope was collected, a look and a jerk of the head towards Khara to tell her to follow before she approached the dire bird. Showing fear was not something she was planning on doing although she certainly felt it. The eagle would no doubt be perceptive enough to pick up on it even if Azira tried to hide it so the huntress did her best to focus on the task that needed to be done. If the signs of fear slipped through then she couldn't be blamed for it bu she made no active effort to keep it to herself.

Carefully so as not to hurt the raptor, she boosted herself onto the bird's back and onto the saddle. She scooted to the very front of the fine leather and turned herself around carefully. She assessed the thing, noting the loops. There were straps for one rider and there were enough loops to arrange the ropes to make it secure for another one. It would only take two riders at most and that was a bit of a stretch. Something in her head was making itself more insistent to be listened to and as she began threading the ropes in a way that would secure a rider, she began actively seeking the information.

The Dek had said that Sira was unhappy about switching to a saddle to take two riders. There had been no sign of an eagle rider. The eagle had been impatient with them as if they had been holding her up rather than her rider. She would have told them to wait if she was waiting for anyone else. Endals didn't normally leave their doors ajar even though nobody was going to come and invade their homes. They were cocky but they weren't that cocky. They would leave it open if they couldn't answer it for some reason, say... because they were sitting in eagle form wearing a saddle.

The rope was fumbled in her hands, dropping and whacking lightly off the eagle's side. "Oh shyke!" she exclaimed, only partly swearing at her own clumsiness. She knew it was possible and at the moment it seemed the only thing that could possibly fit with everything right now. "Sorry about that. Bit clumsy today. No offence... Endal Sira..." she added cautiously. The rope was thread through with shaking fingers now before she gave up. "Khara will you finish that threading so it'll keep you secure. I'm going to sort out my gear." Her voice was higher than normal, strained now. She knew that she'd been stupid in her assumptions.

She slid off Sira's back slowly and tottered over to where her stuff had been deposited on shaky legs.

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Khara]

The screech the Eagle had let out had finally unfrozen the girl and Azira's prompting to follow was nothing short of a blessing as far as Khara was concerned. Though she couldn't help but wonder, Why always rope? As the situation was pieced together, it seemed the Avora came to the same decision that Khara was beginning to form in her own mind. They needed to use the rope to... make sure the saddle could hold three people? There was no way. No amount of clever looping and knots could ever-

And then Azira had said it. Said the one thing that Khara had considered but secretly dreaded. The Eagle was the Endal. Oh gods... The rope was taken up as the Avora dropped it and with the new knowledge that it really was her own life she was taking into her hands, Khara set about trying to find a way to secure the rope to the saddle. "Y-yes, huntress," she acknowledged the order meekly.

Using rope to trip up a moose or make a net or anything else was one thing, none of that had really involved the desperate need for near perfection. If something went wrong this time, if one of the knots didn't hold... Well, Azira would have the straps from the actual saddle to keep her safely in place but the Chiet? Khara couldn't help but shudder as she tightened one of the knots as best as she was able. Of all the ways she thought she might die one day, never had Khara considered it would be from falling off of a Wind Eagle. A Kelvic Wind Eagle at that.

The girl couldn't help but frown at the attempt. The huntress would have to get into the saddle first, that was for certain, and then Khara would have to try and fit behind her and... it was going to be tight, that was for certain. Then she could finish wrapping the last bit of the rope around herself and if the Chiet was lucky and hadn't managed to offend any of the gods recently then maybe just maybe they'd all make it out to The Unforgiving.

Khara couldn't help but think of another one of the conditions that Azira had laid out for her. Do as your told, no matter if it puts you in danger or not. The last knot was tightened rather aggressively, the saddle shifting from the sudden tug. The Chiet girl suddenly let go of the length of rope that was left to try and secure herself with.

"S-sorry Endal Sira," she stammered and quickly stepped back to give Azira the room she would need to make sure she was in the saddle comfortably.

For a tick she almost had stated that she was ready when the Avora was, but really they both were on the Endal's time now and Khara wasn't entirely sure how to defer to the huntress she was becoming well acquainted with and still make it plain that Sira obviously had final say in everything. Best to keep quiet again, chick.

In the meanwhile the Chiet set about making sure her belongings were secure as well. There was no point in making sure you got there safely if you dropped your equipment along the way. Not that Khara was exactly expecting to make use of her bow, or the few arrows left in her quiver, but losing them was not an option.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Sira]

Sira turned her head when Azira said her name, giving her an approving look. At least she wasn't a complete idiot. She was still surprised that they had not already known she was a kelvic, but there were a lot of people in Wind Reach, she supposed. They didn't have to all know who she was. Now these two did, but that was alright. They would have found out when they touched the ground anyway. Sira wasn't planning on sitting the hunt out, she would be joining them on the ground once they reached their destination.

For once Sira did not put up a fuss in the saddling process. She could be merciful when she wanted, and she'd already put the two through enough. Besides... what would really test their mettle was the flight. If they were both first timers then they were in for a scare. Sira really hoped that neither of them wretched on her when they started flying.

Once both passengers were secure, along with their gear, Sira stood up and walked over to a sack that was sitting nearby. The walk was likely not very comfortable, as birds were not the most graceful creature on the ground. Once she had the sack with her belongings clutched in her talon, Sira walked over to the edge of the aerie. She glanced back at her passengers, eyeing them for a moment, then turned her head forward and dove off the cliff.

They fell, or that's what it would feel like to the two on her back, straight down, hugging the edge of the mountain all the way. Sira's wings were folded back and they continued to pick up speed. She could have given them a gentler flight, possibly, but this was her preferred method of exit. She wasn't just falling without a purpose, she was aiming for something.

The ground rushed up at them, and at what seemed like the last moment Sira leveled out and shot across the valley floor. She passed right over a geyser, the hot air filling her now spread wings and they rose more gradually. Sira glided from geyser to geyser until there were no more to be had, at least not in the direction they were going, and by then they were a very long way up from the ground. Sira angled north toward their destination, and from then on the flight was actually rather smooth, if a bit cold. They weren't hunting in the valley, they were going out into the unforgiving. There were camps out there known to the endal and eagles where one could safely land and hunt the surrounding countryside, and Sira was headed for one of those.

Their flight was not long, she was going to one of the closer camps, but it did give the pair on her back plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, if they dared to lean out over her wings and look. From time to time Sira would bank left or right, more out of boredom than anything else, but it would give them an opportunity to see without risking their lives.

After a while Sira began to circle in the sky, slowly descending. They landed in a small clearing in the trees where several huts had been built and maintained by Endal who hunted the area. As soon as her talons touched the ground Sira shifted and rolled forward. The saddle, along with it's riders, fell with a thud on the ground, but all and all it wouldn't have been a bad ride. Sira thought it might have even been fun, but that was just her opinion. She'd done it to Addy a few times, and while the healer had complained, she didn't seem to mind all that much. It was much easier than waiting for all the straps to be undone. Sira's human form was so small she just fell right out of them.

She watched as the dust settled, an amused grin on her face, and then asked in as friendly and innocent a tone as she could muster, "Did you enjoy the ride?"