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 Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:15 pm
It had been a rather dreadful hatching, he had to admit, so far as hatchings went. Certainly he was no stranger to the pain of a lost dragonet to between, and it was only logical to expect that some egg here or there might be stillborn... but none the less, there was silver lining to every cloud, and he'd been thrilled to see most of the feast attendees smiling at least once during their meal. Not all, but most.
It was one fair step in the right direction down a very rough road.
Digressing from that, however, now he had other concerns.
As could only be expected by himself, of himself, Chavel's guesswork had been damn near flawless with the great Cheoth's clutch, and he'd earned himself quite the prize indeed. What a beautiful little egg it was: so serene in its orange-casted splendor! For some days thereafter, he'd marveled at it by the simmering hearth, cheerfully assuring Pavo that soon he would have a new sibling to keep him company.
... And then, it finally hatched.
Yes, the creeling, shrieking little bronze had spilled right out of its shell and then proceeded to nearly take his HAND off before that little mouth was crammed FULL of scraps, one after the other, seemingly without end, until the newly dubbed 'Tolo' had finally been appeased.
Chavel learned quickly that this was no simple fresh-hatched anxiety, as he continued to deal with the SCREAMING and biting bundle of joy for what felt like a very long time thereafter. Every day, he was growing in tooth and claw, and thankfully getting a little tamer with each patient chiding or positive reinforcement, but...
Oh, never mind. It was nothing a good linen wrap and some numbweed couldn't fix!
Thankfully said bundle of joy was particularly stuffed that evening and content enough to perch on one shoulder after a long oil massage, thin tail twined about his neck like a glistening bronze circlet as he went-- but where was he going? And why?
There were scraps littering his office and he was finally curious enough (or maybe just tired of cleaning it up) to see just where on earth his dearest little blue was scavenging the excess.
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:22 pm
Shalaera had been enjoying the company of the little stray blue that would come down to the kitchen and croon at her -- certainly she knew that the little boy had a home somewhere in the Weyr, but it was good (sneaky) company, and she'd found herself offering the little scraps that weren't quite meal-worthy to it..
...
...
When Mirelle wasn't watching. Certainly she did take her craft and duty seriously, but it didn't prevent her from having to keep an eye out for the older crafter -- if only so the Flitt couldn't come and visit her again. Whatever happened, happened, but she liked the company.
It wasn't but a few weeks after the flitt's first visit that it seemed the two were destined to be caught -- though not by Mirelle in the least. Ohhhh no, it was more destined that the very owner of the little blue would have come to see who was feeding their flitt.
Not that she knew it yet.
No, Shalaera was more than happy to just sit and work with the little blue in her company, every now and then sneaking off a little extra and nudging it into the firelizard's grasp -- nom nom nom!
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 6:54 pm
The kitchens were certainly lacking for staff so late in the evening, but it ultimately made Chavel's search all the easier (assuming his 'culprit' was present), able to cast aside any worry of brushing shoulders or disturbing soup pots or, Faranth forbid, wake the adorable glimmering terror on his shoulder too abruptly and start a shrieking bitey tantrum.
Calling Pavo's name would do him no good either, he knew, and thus he smartly opted to feel for the little flit instead. He knew he was close; there were feelings of gleeful satisfaction bubbling up in his mind and growing gradually louder, but... where exactly was it coming from?
... It took a full ten minutes for him to finally round the proper corner, as it were, his footsteps silent as a sneaking tunnelsnake and chancing upon the most peculiar of scenes.
Sure enough, his little blue was loitering right there, perched on the corner of an unlit stove burner and munching sedately on some odd scrap of meat he'd found... or been given, more specifically, by the young woman standing next to him, tending ingredients.
"... Well, this is certainly surprising!" Actually it wasn't at all and he'd fully expected it, but he grinned none the less in his rather abrupt greeting, hanging in the doorway. "Pavo, you... you've moved on to another! How could you?... I'm absolutely heartbroken!"
Pavo, clearly unperturbed and sensing nothing but amusement, just trilled happily at the mindhealer's arrival... which, for now at least, thankfully didn't reach the ears of a certain tiny bronze.
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:28 pm
fasjd;fkljas;dkflj!!!!!
Shalaera had stiffened up immediately, turning her head to peer over her shoulder to see who her new visitor (and apparently the owner of the little blue in her company) was. Well, she had certainly seen his face around a bit, but still -- "Ah, so this little guy is yours then?" she inquired, cooing at the trilling blue before she quickly finished up her task (which had actually been cleaning dishes, but it hadn't stopped her from having a store of scraps for the firelizard).
But it was only once this task was done that she actually turned to properly converse with her not-so-blue visitor -- theatrics or not. The 'complaint' was actually rather amusing to her.
"So his name is Pavo, mm? He's been visiting me for a while -- and his company is quite welcome." she crooned, reaching up to scratch the little blue's eyeridge with a content smile.
Mmmm, such a nice Flitt.
"Sort of makes me wish I had one of my own, he does." she pointed out with an amused smile.
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:00 pm
The woman's reaction was terribly amusing to Chavel, who couldn't help but smile more widely than ever at her earnest jumpiness. So diligent at her work, clearly, she didn't want to appear as if she'd been slacking!
... Either that, or he just had a bad habit of chirping greetings too loudly.
"That would be correct, my fair lady," he affirmed, giving his spectacles, which he'd opted to wear that day, a most studious adjustment. "Darling, isn't he? Just adores anyone who'll grant him the time of day... and naturally, has a soft spot in that soft blue gut of his as well."
Pavo, still sensing little more than affectionate amusement from the mind of his bonded, made quick work to gobble up his last morsel right then, flexing his deep cobalt wings, streeeetching in much the same way as a lazy cat, and craning his delicate wedge-shaped head for Shala to better access. Talk about a sight.
"... They're wonderful company," he went on as casually as ever, stepping in a few strides closer to more properly see the scene... and no doubt make himself more visible, too. Tolo finally seemed to stir that moment, too, stretching his tiny wings out just so those thing membranes would glimmer, polished and metallic, in the faint light. Chavel was just thankful the flit hadn't woken up screaming; in fact, reaching up to lightly stroke his chin, he still seemed sleepy enough to be in a (partially) amicable mood. "I adore them dearly, these little ones, and... oh, where are my manners? My name is Chavel." He would have bowed if it weren't for fear of pitching Tolo off right then, and simply extended a hand instead. "My I ask yours as well?..."
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:09 pm
And the movement, which allowed her better access of the ridge she was scratching at, just earned Pavo that much more affection to his name -- truly, she was almost surprised by how much love one little flitt could want. Then again, their larger counterparts had a tendency to want just as much.
If not more. Sigh, the woe was still there -- she'd wanted one too.. just so badly. But she had done well to keep herself busy since then. She would recover, be jealous yes; but recover.
"Shalaera." she answered, offering him her own hand (for a shake, she assumed) while cooing at the delighted blue in her company. "Though I will say that a green with Pavo's personality would be something utterly delightful, by all means." Then again, if she had two flits vying for her attention at all times, who knew what would happen.
...
.....
Besides overly affectionate eggs. Oh, that would have been lovely. Then again, her luck with obtaining the eggs hadn't been that great either.
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:08 pm
Pavo's trilling was so sugary and unending that it had earned a whining hiss from Tolo in turn, probably jealous for attention in secret (or just frustrated that some other firelizard was making too much happy noise) and thus, in an instant, turned sour of mood. He straightened his tiny body up on Chavel's shoulder and promptly sunk his teeth into the closest ear, earning a wince and a soft mental reprimand...
But thankfully the mindhealer had learned enough now to settle him before things got TOO bad, managing some amount of placation with a good rubbing on the headknobs to assuage any more creeling.
He barely missed a beat through the whole ordeal, too, which was quite impressive.
"Lovely name, I dare say," he complimented brightly, then chuckled at the mention of his dearest old blue. "Oh, that would be a sight!... Pavo is quite the unique little flit, I've found... but it would thrill my heart to see more like him. Come here now, Pavo. Perch. That's enough dirtying of the stove."
With their hearty handshake out of the way, he kept his arm extended, and Pavo, almost miraculously, responded just like a well-trained falcon to a handler, fluttering over to land light on his palm, crawl up his bicep, and perch on the shoulder Tolo HADN'T taken (despite the bronze's repeated hisscreel).
"... So." Now that both of his flits were settled into their 'usual' spots (... sort of), he turned all attentions back to Shala, curious. "So, I'll assume by that wonderfully eloquent statement that you're lacking of any firelizards, yourself?..."
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:40 pm
And off was her friend, to do their own chirpy happy things on it's real 'owner's' shoulder. Not the most fascinating of all activities, but she was by all means fond of the little beast... in it's own way. Not to say she wouldn't have been charmed otherwise..
...
She was just particularly fond of her kitchen friend, that was all.
"Mm? No. I never thought into getting a flitt because for seven years- "ouch " I was convinced I was going to follow in the family tradition and impress. It... didn't quite happen, however." this caused Shala to frown a bit before she sighed and quickly swept away the last of her scraps to be disposed of, sighing lightly and wiping her hands off on the apron she sported (though obviously one that had only been put on for working purposes) before she sighed.
"But enough of that. I'm sure eventually they'll find one of the clutches that is said to be laid by a wild gold down at the shore -- maybe then I can get an egg out of one of the lucky finders."
Yeah, maybe.
"Though that would require some saving." Indeed it would. Ahh!
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:40 pm
... This Shalaera woman was surprisingly open with her heartfelt opinions and wishes, he'd noted: a feature that just had to get Chavel smiling even more amicably than before. He didn't even have to dig deep or secretly pry (much) to figure out what she longed for, and it just meant he could get down to business much, much faster.
But what business? Sure he'd started out with the simple objective of finding Pavo's scrap source, but no proper man of his condition would ever turn away from the opportunity to do good!
"... Oh, come now, we're not all destined for kinship with a dragon," he informed her, and kindly, "I myself didn't walk the path of impression either-- and I couldn't be happier for it!"
Now he had something else to mull over for a moment or two, lapsing into some odd studious thought that left him wistfully gazing off at nothing in particular, and Pavo tilting his head curious, and Tolo... well Tolo had decided to start gnawing on him again, but thankfully just his earlobe, and not enough to remove flesh (yet).
"I know!" he finally blurted, conveniently startling the bronze OUT of another n** and grinning brightly. "Let's go out tonight, Shalaera-- to the beach! Nothing like some salt air and sand-covered feet to set the mood for a good time, wouldn't you agree?"
.....................
Had he just asked her on a date or something? Seriously?
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 2:35 pm
Well, there was little secret when it came to her - a simple ask-around of older riders or those she worked with would have gotten him the same information just as easily. There were no secrets when it came to her disappointment at impression. "It was something I wanted for more than 17 years of my life -- I can't just say I'm not upset with my failure."
...
..... That was a big chunk of her life thus far to have been preoccupied with impressing a dragon someday. But as Chavel had said himself - some just aren't meant to impress. Bah! DIDN'T MEAN SHE WASN'T BITTER!!
However, his sudden outburst again caused her to jump a bit. "!?"
Oh my, looked like she now had a NIGHTTIME ROMANTIC MOONLIT WALK DATE OF SOME SORT TO GO ON.... however, the mere suggestion seemed to brighten her up a bit. "Well, my work has been settled for the night, so I think that it would be fine for me to do just that." she answered with a light smile.
though...
"Even if you do have some ulterior motive."
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 3:40 pm
He decided it best not to comment on her admission of a letdown, simply made a quiet note of it for later, and reached up to give both firelizards a scratch: one to please and delight, the other to placate and, hopefully, save his dear ear by giving. It worked on both accounts to settle them, thank Faranth, with quiet trills and whirling eyes.
"Ulterior motives? Me?" That smile was so sugary and innocent it probably could've rotted a dragon's tooth out, and he freed a hand (the one doting on Pavo, as it were) to make some sweet dismissive gesture. "Surely, you can't think I would ever do such a dreadful thing!"
Now that she had given in to his suggestion, though, that smile split into a bright, broad grin.
"But I digress-- I'll go fetch us some proper supplies!" he chirped, bordering on giddy. "Expect me back within a quarter candlemark-- and do grab any food you fancy for the picnic while I'm out, hmm? Anything will do, so long as it's not prone to spilling horribly!"
And with that, quick as a flit, he was off again to get... supplies, was it? But for what, exactly?
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:08 pm
Well, it seemed he was going off to get.. stuff? No matter, it wasn't too hard for Shalaera to sneak some of the leftover rolls and some slices of other things for a sort of 'makeshift picnic' . Well, something like it.
She couldn't take much without impeding on the next day's meals (as that was what most leftovers went for), but she did sneak a few pieces of fruit on top of it. A date? Her? Well, she wasn't like a giddy schoolgirl to be out on one, but there was nothing she could do about it -- well, besides say 'DO NOT WANT'. Which was actually a mean thing considering she'd been spoiling the man's flitt for weeks on end.
Such a sweet thing.
But once her little 'basket' of goodies had been put together, she went out to wait by the door that led into the kitchens, just to cut a bit out of her new 'associate's' trip.
How joyous, a 'romantic' moonlit date to the beach.. though she suspected it was more towards the nature of that golden flitt she'd mentioned was rumored to be out on it.
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:51 pm
"Hmm... what to take, what to take..."
The selection of blankets was quite an ordeal for Chavel, and thus it was naturally the firelizards he turned to, holding up a blanket in each for their observation. "Which one do you think?-- and no, Pavo, wherry feather stuffing would waterlog in a heartbeat near the tide. This is a must."
The little blue, his feelings rather crushed, trilled sadly and eventually settled for voting on a thinner plant-fiber number instead. Tolo, on the other hand, appeared more baffled about the concept of "picking" than anything, and eventually just resolved for chewing on one of his foreclaws instead. Oh well, thought the therapist; he'd learn these skills in good time!
From there, it was only a matter of choosing the proper weyrhide rucksack (he only had one, after all) and throwing a fur into it for good measure-- just in case they needed the padding.
"Ah! There you are!" Sure enough, he'd made it back in just a quarter candlemark's time, still sporting both flits on his shoulders and still grinning from ear to ear. "Grand preparations you've made as well!" he beamed at the sight of her basket, not knowing what was inside but seeming to trust her judgement there wholeheartedly. "Let's not waste any time, shall we? The weather should be nice and cool for our jaunt, I believe..."
This... would be quite the adventure-- but what exactly did he mean to accomplish by it?
There were a lot of things, actually.
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:32 pm
Well, it was late enough in the evening that they wouldn't be out all night enjoying the beach, that was for sure. No no, it would be a good evening to walk, peer around a bit, and let her enjoy a little break from her normal routine -- in quite the company at that! Who knew, maybe the little flits would enjoy the OUTSIDE WORLD as it was as well.
She certainly would. Hum hum.
"As grand as I can without knowing what you're up to." she chimed back, laughing a bit, before giving the kitchen a last glance as a sort of.. 'relief' from her. There, everything was PERFECTLY FINE without her, she could go out on her walk/jaunt/exploration alll on her own now.
However, it would be quite a walk on it's own, now wouldn't it?
Oh well, going on adventures WITH ALMOST-STRANGERS was perfectly fine in her book anyways.
"Well, we'd better get going unless we want to be out all night." she said, adjusting her basket to sit neatly in the crook of one of her elbows and looking to Chavel expectantly.
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:30 pm
"Oh, but guessing motives is half the fun of it!" Chavel just informed his partner with a smile-- still terribly innocent, though it he didn't deny that there was something up in his mind, either. Not a harmful something in the slightest, mind you, but a something none the less.
Perhaps she'd find it out in time; it all depended on how things panned out.
"But of course." With that, it was time for them to depart from the Weyr interior, off and away, into the night! Not that they could get there quite so quickly, but he knew his way around and figured that conversation would pass the time quickly.
Tolo was starting to grow agitated again on his shoulder-- but it wasn't a maliciuos feeling the mindhealer picked up. No, it seemed more... anxious, like a child pushing eagerly at the back door, yearning to go out. Sure, he could just zap between to get ahead of them... but where was the fun of that if he had no Bonded to pester and bite?
"... Pavo." On the way out, Chavel had made a note to call the blue to his hand, where the little creature gazed at him expectantly for a command. "Why don't you keep Miss Shalaera company for now, hmm?"
Of course the little blue was more than happy to flutter over to Shala's shoulder at that point, trilling with utmost cheer before proceeding to lightly preen the back of her neck.
Tolo, on the other hand, was kept smartly on Chav's own shoulder-- having enough decency to make sure no one suffered the little bronze's nipping but himself. Surely, he'd calm down once they were outside... and now, look, almost there already!
How delightful!
... Even if it was just the beginning of a long, long night.
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