The bulk of the staff of the Kaster-sulat-Radesketkyl left a little to be desired in the way of politeness and consideration, Zabeth thought, but since it wasn't their job to be polite or considerate, she didn't hold it against them. She was a stranger here, and they were providing her a service for which she was not actually paying except, she expected, through her own genes and the popular attention her flight and subsequent hatching would provide. Still, notices that basically amounted to "this is your flight date; show up sometime beforehand but don't be late, and don't complain to us if you get bored by showing up too early" could probably have been improved upon.

Still, the past week since she'd arrived--followed in short order by her five suitors--had been interesting and productive. She was tempted to put aside her previously determined new research project--insanity in its various forms and expressions--in favor of staying on board and learning about the various species, technologies, and magics of the massive ship. If she didn't think it a poor environment for raising her chicks--and didn't expect the ship's matron to disapprove of the idea, for that matter--she probably would have. As it was, she merely tucked the idea away for later consideration.

The curiosities of the ship aside, most of her time had been spent either with her small collection of wards who had come along--Ielta and July, the latter of whom had decided to chase the other female rising at the Kaster, and Zamah-aisi and Haliand, the latter of whom was loving their "vacation" and seemed quite at home--or with her suitors. Zabeth might have signed up for a flight, in the way dragons usually conducted them, and she fully intended to let herself be chased and eventually caught, in the traditional manner for various species, even firebirds--sometimes, anyway; Zabeth was flexible. But that didn't mean she wished to mate with strangers, or without any thought to her own preferences.

There were five suitors, and five only, when Zabeth arrived on the Kaster. No more, no less, for that was what the ship's roster had allowed for. Zabeth had set about meeting each one in the order they'd signed up, in person and alone, so she could get to know them.

The first to sign up, a canine creature named Muhal who was quite as flaming as she was, was a good creature, but not one she really thought she could mate with. His molten patterning was attractive, perhaps, but nothing else about him really attracted her. After her second meeting with him, and after she'd met the other four suitors as well, Zabeth gently apologized and thanked him for his time and quite flattering attention--she expected he would make a good friend, and probably a kind father to someone, someday--but told him she didn't think they were quite compatible enough for children. He'd thankfully not been too downcast about it. She invited him to stay and enjoy the Kaster until the flight, however, since he was expected to be there that long.

Her second suitor didn't even get as far as a second meeting. Zabeth found herself staring at up at a quadruped--a quadruped! Even on four feet, Sair'Sahis seemed to tower over her, and she was on two feet. Not only would it be difficult to carry more than one, possibly two eggs from him to term, the mating would probably even be painful. She managed to have a decent lunch with him, keep up the conversation and ask the questions she'd planned to ask, but then she thanked him politely and told him she didn't think they were compatible enough for him to actually chase her. Given the way he'd looked down at her, a little sheepishly, she had a feeling he understood.

The other three, though...Zabeth was quite pleased. She tried to stay objective, but the anticipation of taking a mate, even for a short time, was making it difficult. Kikira was a sweet, quiet soul who reminded her of a mate she'd had long ago, in her distant youth, and she was impressed with his support of his bonded. She loved his combination of wings and his silky fur, and thought his pattern enchanting. Siho reminded her of herself, in some ways, and she found his slender body and fur tufts quite beautiful. Tyr'haff Setlai, though probably too energetic and competitive for an old bird like herself, still amused and entertained her, and she accepted to her actual flight in large part because of his beautiful patterning and unique, if vestigial, wings. She'd been assured that a mage would provide him with an enchanted object that temporarily granted him the ability to fly, thankfully, so she didn't worry about his lack.

Even better, Kanna had met and approved of each one. She thought Kikira was adorable, had wound up in a playful wrestling match with Tyr'haff, and gave her own opinions in the philosophical conversations Zabeth wound up drawing out of the taciturn and introverted Siho. Though she cheerfully said she'd be blocking like mad once the flight was engaged, she just as cheerfully said she hoped the best one won--and whoever that would be, she'd be happy for him.

Because she couldn't decide between them, and because she had signed up for a flight with multiple suitors and not a single mating dance on the wing, all three met her at the appointed time, mid-morning, on the largest recreational deck that the Kaster-sulat-Radesketkyl had to offer. The deck was far from empty, though it wasn't nearly as crowded as it could have been. There was a quartet of Guardians dispatched from the ship's security to oversee the flight itself, deal with any trouble-makers, and make sure no one was hassled or hurt beyond what they might actually desire. Zabeth, arriving early, exchanged words with each one in passing.

There was a friendly and cheerful whorling by the name of Geryon, and a nebulously dark Infernal named Naircazg who confided in her that he thought her getting to know her suitors was sweet, but wouldn't it be better if they involved a little blood-letting? Zabeth, of course, told him she preferred to keep things clean, and he had shrugged at her. The large, fire-striped hydra, Hekalilith, the very matriarch of the ship's security, arrived, stating only that since it was her home's first flight, she felt honor-bound to make sure things went smoothly. The last made Zabeth's flames flare up a little: Ouros, another whorling with more heads--and more eyes--than he ought to, all of them disturbingly eager as her suitors arrived. She wished she could have sent him away, but it didn't seem prudent to start ordering around the Kaster's crew, especially in the presence of the matriarch herself.

So, because she could do nothing about it, Zabeth put the four Guardians, including the intent eyes of Ouros, from her mind. Her suitors were here, and soon she would be chased, and caught, by one of them. It really had been too long.

"I must say a few words before we commence," she began as the three settled on a grassy hill before her, waiting with various levels of impatience. "I have enjoyed getting to know all of you, and I thank you for your interest. I know some of you might be competitive--" Tyr'haff smiled sheepishly, "--but I don't want any of you actually trying to get in each other's way. You must impress me, and I will not be impressed by you fighting amongst yourselves."

"Yes, ma'am," Tyr'haff chuckled. Kikira just looked relieved, and Zabeth thought she caught a disappointed expression on the nearby Guardian Infernal's muzzle. She chuckled softly.

"Very well, then." Zabeth smiled, then, her feathers crackling suddenly from occasional sparks and curls of flame to a true fire, burning along her feathers. "Let the chase begin."

With the heat from her flames and millennia of experience under her wings, Zabeth leapt immediately into the air. Her three suitors followed just a split second later, braving the fire in her wake. She wasn't about to let it hurt them--but they didn't have to know that. Bravery was just as impressive as fancy flying and determination.

The firebird led her three suitors on a merry chase around the deck, using a few of the other fliers--often to their great surprise--and even the Guardians themselves as obstacles, in the absence of anything else in her airspace. The three flew well, though it was obvious that Kikira and Tyr'haff had the aerial advantage, the former having his extra wings for balance and swift changes of direction, the latter with no wings at all and so hindered only by the strength of the spell that held him aloft and the limits of his own little body's flexibility. Siho had only his two wings, and the feathers on them, while lovely and soft, weren't made for great speeds.

So, Siho made a gamble in an attempt to gain the lead and possibly Zabeth herself. He swooped to trap her against Naircazg's side as she looped around the infernal, who goaded her on with a grin as she whipped past him, immune to her fiery plumage even if she hadn't been mostly harmless, anyway. It would probably have worked, too, but the little kijana shied away from her heat at the last minute when he realized she was flaming even brighter than before, and quickly fell behind. He finally gave up a moment later, knowing he couldn't possibly gain the lead now.

That left Kikira and Tyr'haff. Zabeth veered, swooped, and dove, unable to shake either one of them, but neither could the two of them seem to take the lead past the other. It was down to simple stamina, then, so Zabeth, still unable to decide between sweet nature with lovely wings and humorous energy with striking stripes, turned it into a race around the perimeter of the massive room to see which flagged first.

It was Kikira who first started to fall behind, panting with the effort of keeping up with her with a faceful of her trailing flames. Tyr'haff's flight took much less effort on his part, and he let out a whoop of triumph as he realized he had the lead. Kikira fell further back, not quite giving up yet, but Tyr'haff took the time to do a backflip in mid-air in anticipation of his certain victory--and in the process his rune-etched pendant slipped right off over his head. He'd been warned to be careful, as his charm's precariousness was part of the counter to its power and advantage in flight, but in his anticipation he had forgotten. With a startled yelp, he lunged for it, but he had no more control in the air and started to fall.

Zabeth backwinged sharply, flames flaring up at the surge of air. She couldn't catch him, she was far too small, and none of her magics could stop his fall in time. She started weaving a quick net out of fiery strands of power, but knew she would be too late--but then her eyes fell on the sentry on the other side of the deck, and she remembered: there were the Guardians.

::Ouros!:: she sent to the nearest, the one with far too many heads and wandering eyes. ::You're closest, catch him! Please!::

The whorling hovered for a long moment, watching Tyr'haff beating his little wings desperately, and Kikira watch in stunned fear for his rival, before heaving a sigh. "I don't normally get involved in the things that I watch...but since you said 'please'," he smirked, and dove down and plucked the falling dragon out of the sky just before he hit the ground far below.

"I don't like that fellow," Zabeth commented, irritation warring with relief that her fallen suitor had survived unscathed.

"I don't think I do, either," Kikira agreed shakily, circling in the air to keep his tired wings from faltering.

"However, he is now no longer watching so closely," she said with a little smile, her long bird's toes finishing the magical job she had begun, only now for a different purpose. "And my decision has just been made easier."

"Your decision?" Kikira repeated, momentarily confused.

Zabeth cast her half-finished net out from her feathered feet and it coiled obediently around her final suitor. "Is it not said that the proud shall fall and the humble be raised up?" she crooned at him. "Come, humble one, I believe I have had my choice made for me, and it is a good one."

"Oh," Kikira said in surprise, then he smiled as her flames brushed his skin and didn't burn, and said it again: "Oh!"

"'Oh', indeed," Zabeth chuckled, taking her first mate in over nine hundred years.

Yes, she thought, it was a good choice.