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 Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:55 pm
By now, Astateth was in full dream mode. Her tail was twitching and her claws grasping out now and again. Luckily, Kallista had learned fast from her past experiences and kept a small jar of numbweed with her just in case. Little dragonet snarls and rumbles punctured any conversation that was going on.
"Well, I can tell you this. Once we are able to fly, I will not lose my appreciation for my own two feet. There were along before dragon wings were and I shall keep them with me wherever I go." This was most amusing to Kallista, though it might be hard to explain why. When E'rik mentioned that no one would want to lie in front of a dragon, she nodded. "Considering even the smallest green could take a passenger and leave them somewhere...unpleasant...I wouldn't lie either."
With E'rik reiterating Daramulath's love for him, Kallista rolled her eyes. "See what I mean? I've seen Ceylith bully C'ren around like she has been doing it from the moment she hatched. Of course, some of the dragons that hatched this Impression seemed to have that air right away."
"So you didn't...walk the tables?" Kallista shrugged at this. "Some trades have no apprentice or rites of passage. And does everyone in Harper Hall make it to Master level? I am still considered, or was, a junior Runner. Even though I have been making runs since I was twelve. That's four turns. How long were you an apprentice?"
Though the remarks might have seemed callous to some, it was Kallista's way of trying to cheer up the other person. There was no need to feel self-pity or sorrow when they had received the greatest gift of all. "I doubt you will be able to just start running. Maybe warm-ups for a little while. Then slowly build up into laps. And we can start with humming and maybe build my voice up so I won't break glass."
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:32 pm
E'rik made sure to stay partially aware of the dragons as they twitched. He got enough scratches from sharing a cot with Daramulath to know they were neither lethal nor particularly pleasant. He, too, had taken to knowing where to get ahold of numbweed quickly, though he did not carry it with him. He didn't really like to carry anything with him unless it was an instrument. Anything else felt unnatural in his hands.
"That seems like a sensible attitude to take toward it. I don't think we'll be allowed to forget our feet though. I've not noticed many fat dragonriders about the Weyr." By which he meant that he had not noticed any fat dragonriders about the Weyr. He didn't quite see the same humor that Kallista seemed to, but then, he wasn't a Runner.
"I can't say I've had much interaction with the pair that Searched me. But I did notice that some dragonets seemed more...imperious than others."
"As to your question, the answer is no. I suffer from...actually rather debilitating stage-fright, and I hoped to overcome it before walking the tables. After two years of unsuccessful attempts I took what I meant to be a sabbatical and got Searched after two sevendays in my father's house." He couldn't properly call the place home. He avoided actually answering the question about how long he'd been an apprentice, because his apprenticeship had been drawn out because of his determination to conquer his stage-fright before advancing.
"And not everyone makes it to Master level. But Masters are the only ones who are allowed to train others to become Harpers. Journeymen can teach non-Harpers, but it really require's a Master's skill and knowledge to train one of their own." He didn't know enough about the Runner culture to know what ranks there were, but junior Runner sounded rather like being an apprentice, which was not an unrespectable thing at sixteen.
E'rik wasn't put out by the slow beginnings Kallista proposed. He had been trained in a craft. He knew that you had to learn the basics before going on to more complicated things. Not that it stopped slow paces from chafing, because he didn't like to feel like he was being stagnant, but it helped. A little. His mood brightened and he chuckled.
"If you can break glass with just your voice, you've got a rare talent. I knew one girl at the Hall who could do that, and did it whenever she could, to attract attention. Even ending up with shards in her hand more than once didn't stop her." She'd actually been very pretty, and a pleasant companion for a few sevendays, until she started getting too clingy.
"Humming and matching pitches are much the same thing in the beginning." Thinking about it, he should probably see what could be done about finding her a set of simple pipes, or a recorder so that she could have pitches to match. Or he could make something like that, but that seemed like a great deal of commitment. Maybe he could just show her how to do it herself, and lend her his pipes in the meantime.
Daramulath, sprawled across E'rik's lap, was nodding off and becoming dead weight, which was less than comfortable, but E'rik was reluctant to displace his bondmate. After all, he wouldn't be able to sleep so for too much longer. Eventually he would grow too big for laps.
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:37 pm
Nodding at E'rik's statement about not seeing any fat dragon riders, she was relieved to know that she would not lose what she considered her greatest strength. Running her hands along Astarteth's soft skin, the green weyrling let her thoughts wander for a moment.
If she was right, Astarteth would be waking up soon, demanding to be fed. Kallista was getting her dragon's moods and habits done rather quickly which pleased her. Kallista was a person who liked routine and a set path. Again, runner's terms but well... What could one expect? Looking over to E'rik when he spoke briefly when he spoke about his past, Kallista could sympathize. She has one of her own after all. "I would say I am sorry for your stage fright but if I did that, then you might not have Daramulath now. Everything happens for a reason. I try to keep that thought in my head when things get really bad."
Astarteth was starting to stir in her sleep. Right on cue, Kallista thought to herself. She wondered how long they had been sitting, talking about dragons and other topics. Long enough that she could barely feel her legs underneath her. This would not be pleasant once it came time to move. "The only master in a runner's world is the Station Master. He is the one who takes contracts, handles payments, sends out runners and communicates with the Holds, Halls and Weyrs. A runner pairs up with someone who is older and who is hopefully accurate. Eventually, they are allowed to go short distances by themselves. Once they have a turn or so of being accurate and honest, we get longer and longer runs."
Trying to move her legs carefully, Kallista groaned as sharp needles of pain shot up and down her legs. Nope. Not easy at all. "I suppose to be properly trained, a Master should handle the task. But people teach people all the time. That is how skills and tricks are learned. Even youngsters teach each other. Why don't we meet tomorrow at the kitchens when the watch dragon changes shifts? We can get some klah, I can teach you how to stretch and then I can run. That way Daramulath can keep Astarteth company and you can play or sing. Sound like a plan?"
Huuuuungry. A sleepy voice broke into her thoughts.
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:58 am
"Everything happens," E'rik agreed, deliberately not adding the last three words of the phrase. He hated that expression. In his experience, not everything had a reason, or if it did, it only became clear so far in the future that no one could appreciate it anyway. "And I am glad of Daramulath. There's nothing like an extra person in your head to take your mind off of itself." This last was added with a smirk as he tweaked one of Daramulath's wingtips.
"Does a Station Master ever make runs? Or rather, did a Station Master ever make runs? Is that what happens when Runners retire?" He could easily think of a dozen situations in which such a promotion from Runner to manager could go awry, but he was willing to credit the Runners with knowing their business better than to let someone unfit have a position of authority.
He watched with some amusement as Kallista tried to move her legs, which had obviously fallen asleep with her dragon. Which reminded him that he should probably shift positions, himself, if he didn't want to meet a similar fate. He flexed his leg muscles without actually moving his legs to test how severely his blood flow had been cut off, and found it wasn't too bad. Certainly, it could be worse. Like that first morning after the Hatching, when he'd woken with his entire lower half numb and useless from Daramulath's weight, which had been significantly less then than it was now.
E'rik had to think about what the candlemark was for the shift changes for the watchdragon. He only tended to wake up as early as he was able, with concern for how long he could practice before he had to go to Weyrling lessons. At last his brain arrived at the answer he sought. It wasn't too much earlier than he tended to wake up anway, actually. He could manage that. And she'd been considerate enough to think that he might like to use the time to practice his music. He appreciated that.
"As long as there's klah, I think I can manage that." He shifted again, carefully moving more of Daramulath's body off of his lap. He had finished rubbing him down with oil.
Which reminded him: "Your oil! I almost forgot." He held out the jar and the rag to pass them back to their rightful owner.
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 3:11 pm
"I know what you mean," Kallista laughed. Now that Astarteth was starting to stir and complain about hunger, she was able to slowly stretch her legs from underneath the green. She hoped that she would not get any muscle spasms. Those were the worse. "I thought it bad when I would argue with myself out loud. At least now I have an excuse."
Astarteth's eyes suddenly came open and they were tinged a reddish-orange. Yupt. The empty belly had returned. Huuuungry now! I want food! Now!
The young green managed to get herself down and out of Kallista's lap without catching a wing or claw. That didn't mean she didn't catch Kallista. But the teen was so used to it now, she was barely phased by it. Carefully, the girl put a foot down and was rewards with a million prickling feelings. "Ow! Ow! Be patient, Astar! Let me get feeling back in my legs."
Reaching for the outstretched jar, Kallista stumbled slightly but managed to right herself before colliding with E'rik. That would not have gone over very well. She was sure of that. "At that hour, I demand klah and plenty of sweetner. And maybe some fruit too. When you stretch, you don't want heavy foods in your belly."
At last, a feeling of normalcy had returned. Taking a couple of test steps and then giving a little hop, Kallista grinned happily. "Much better! I guess I better head to the kitchens before Astar gets there without me. See you in the morning?"
Astarteth flicked her tail at the brown in his rider's lap. She could still manage to look pretty even if she was STARVING! See you later. Hungry now.
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:30 am
E'rik nodded with a smile. He wasn't in the habit of talking to himself, not even chastising himself aloud. He knew a number of people who would mutter things under their breath to the effect of "Not that way." He wasn't one of them. But he could understand what Kallista meant. The dragons did make a fine excuse for odd behavior.
He noticed the wide, orange eyes of Astarteth as they snapped open, and though he could not hear her mental communication, he knew full well what that color meant in a dragon. He'd seen it often enough with Daramulath. The elegant green was hungry. From the look of things, though, she would have to wait until Kallista got her feet back. Kallista confirmed his suspicions when she asked Astarteth to wait for just that thing.
"I rarely want heavy foods in my belly at any time," he said softly, which was the truth. He was quick both in body and mind, and eating heavy foods always made him feel slower, and weighted down in both. He was certain it was only a trick of the mind, but nevertheless, he didn't care for heavier foods. When he ate. He wasn't so good about that, though Daramulath's feeding schedule forced him to make enough trips to the kitchens that he'd had more opportunities to filch food than not.
"In the morning," E'rik agreed, relieved that Kallista had managed to right herself before it had fallen to him to help her gain her footing. That sort of maneuver was one he'd only managed successfully a few times. Often it had suited him better to allow himself to overbalance, but that was when he was trying to make a conquest.
Daramulath blinked sleepily when Astarteth addressed him and craned his neck to look at his clutchmate. In thoughts made unclear by the vestiges of sleep, he said to her, Are you going? Farewell, then.
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