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 Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 1:58 pm
The spot Veyes pointed out looked good enough to her, so Raith angled towards it and swooped down causing L'thor to give a whoop of exhilaration; they did both love to go fast. As she drew near to the sand the green slowed, but was still moving fast enough to need to lope a few paces when she touched down. L'thor patted her lifemate's neck affectionately as she stretched out a leg for him to step down onto before freeing himself of the straps and hopping down onto the sand.
"I hope we have good luck as well," he grinned as he adjusted the hang of the food pack on his shoulder. "One for you, and the rest we can sell to make a few marks for ourselves! It'd be nice to have some extra to spend at the next gather, eh?"
A very small part of L'thor's bright mind was practical, and currently it was being very vocal; it didn't often get listened to but right now it felt that the rest of L'thor ought to know it would be a good idea to buy himself some provisions that would keep. If he was tired of Weyr food, he'd have to do something about it; things were probably going to get worse before they got better so a nice stock of jerked meats, dried fruits, and cakes preserved in honey or brandy or something would be a very good thing to have. Most of L'thor, for once, acknowledged and agreed with the sensible part; getting nice food was definitely a good idea. Good wine, too. The sensible part of L'thor rolled its eyes and gave up making any further impression on the rider's behavior for quite some time.
"Which way do you want to go to start with then?" L'thor asked as all the flitts save Dusk took wing; the lazy blue stayed where he was, perched on L'thor's shoulder. If he was asked to do something he would do it because he liked the man who gave him fuss and food and nice places to sleep but until then he saw no reason to waste energy.
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:59 pm
As soon as Raith was stopped and L'thor moving off, he unstrapped himself and slide down to the ground. "WHEE!" he exclaimed finally able to get that bit of joy out of his system. "Even if we don't find anything this will still be a great outing!" Although he really hoped to find something at least. "Hey, maybe we can find crab on the beach too? If we do, we can take it back and cook it up for a great feast for tonight!" Yes, he'd make sure that they came back with at least that much if not a pile of shells for trading at the Gather. Veyes knew that one shouldn't miss out on opportunities so even while they were having fun; he had to think ahead just a little.
"That sounds good. I don't think I want more than one flit anyway. But, you know if I get a girl maybe you and I can work out a matching with one of your boys and get more eggs to sell later? I'm sure you could haggle some great business opportunities for us if we did!" He also had a small practical streak that came from his farmer upbringing. This streak seemed to show up more as the Weyr's food problems increased. Veyes was sure that someone was messing with the food...supplies and other things in the Weyr - He just didn't have prove; only intuition at the moment. He'd have to keep his eyes open.
"Umm..." he looked up and down the beach. "Ok...how about we start here and start wandering South. I see a bunch of rock outcroppings down there that might have sand filled niches for the eggs." He pointed off into the direction towards the rocks that scooted along the beach. "Maybe Raith can scout out a few optional areas just north of us to make sure we're not missing a good opportunity before we get too far South?" He knew the flits probably would be rather random in their searching but at least they probably had a better nose for their own kind even if in eggs than he did. So hopefully someone would luck out.
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Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 6:06 am
L'thor grinned and nodded. "That sounds good to me! Your chances of getting a green if we do find some eggs are high, and I'm sure one of my lads could catch her once she starts to rise. Only issue is getting the dizzy little things to lay somewhere convenient. Apparently it's easier with golds as they're brighter, but Raith might be able to talk some sense into any flitt, eh Raith?"
Raith rumbled. "If you ever need me to, I'll certainly try. I'll head off now and have a look around for you, see what I can see." Giving another friendly rumble, Raith moved down to where the sand was wet and therefore wouldn't be tossed up when she took flight, and sprang into the air. Strong wingbeats soon carried her high into the sky, and L'thor spent a few moments looking through her eyes down on the beach. It was always a little disconcerting being able to see yourself in your dragon's field of view - he thought so anyway - so he swiftly pulled away and shook himself briefly.
"Right, south sounds good to me," he nodded, "by the look of it that's as good a choice as any. If we don't have any luck today, we can always try again another time." Maybe even if they didn't find the clutch they were seeking they'd find something; with all the flitts living in the Weyr at least some must choose these beaches as a nest site.
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Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 9:25 am
Veyes nodded as he listened, "Yeah, if there is a gold flit around she should be easier to see. I guess we won't really be able to tell by the eggs unless one's a gold if it has a boy or a girl in it so I probably have to take my chances." Then, he smiled as he watched Raith wander further down then take off into the sky, "We got our best eyes up there."
He waved to her as he turned and started to wander along the rock and sand line peeking around areas he thought a flit might choose for a nest. Since they were eggs and had to be kept warm he headed towards areas further back on the beach where the tide probably wouldn't reach then started to look for soft sandy areas that would get plenty of sun but still were protected enough for a small flit to keep a clutch. He wondered if the gold would actually be there tending the clutch if he found her or them.
As he walked along, he started picking up any interesting shells and things he found along the sand and shoving them into a bag he had brought. His imagination envisioned finding a secret buried chest just like in stories he heard as a child...fill with treasures beyond compare. What treasures those might be he had to guess but it would have made his day surely exciting.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:08 am
L'thor grinned and shook his head. "Flitts aren't even that helpful I'm afraid; any coloured shell might have any coloured flitt inside. Really your best bet is size, but even that isn't too sure a thing. It's all pot luck really..." Blinking, L'thor paused to ask Raith if she'd spotted anything of interest. No, just him, Veyes, and the flitts. She'd keep looking though, queen flitts didn't go far from their eggs for long so spotting a little shimmering shape was her best bet.
"So," L'thor set off again, peering into all the crevices they passed, "how are you feeling about the next hatching?" He himself was a little on edge. No touching. Who knew what that could lead to? Nothing good, he was fairly sure of that much, nothing good at all.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:24 am
Veyes shook his head and laughed, "So really you just brought all the flits to keep them out of trouble at the Weyr?" He turned his head and grinned over at L'thor guessing that was more the case than trying to get them to help find eggs. His feet shuffled slowly through the sand as he leaned over to pick up another shell. "Well if we don't find anything else, I'm going to have quite a collection of shells for the next gather.
He paused and thought about the next question for a moment before answering, "I guess as good as I can. I mean, they didn't have a Touching so people will probably get hurt. But last time, people were falling over sick like me... The last two hatchings weren't very good for me, so maybe 3rd times a charm. Although, you said it might take many hatchings for a dragon to show up so I'm not getting my hopes up too high anymore. I'm 17 so I have several turns left but my friend, Firyal...well she's going to be too old by the end of the turn. So think she's only got a couple hatchings left. I'm not sure she's thought as much on her future if she doesn't impress as I have." He could hope she had thought of the future, but one never could be too sure. Every time he spoke with her, it was always hit and miss as to what she might reveal. So at times, he wasn't too sure what she was thinking.
Turning back to the sands, he moved a few rocks thinking he caught a glimpse of something but it turned out to be only small crystals upon a stone which he tucked into the bag. "I suppose though...if people get mauled on the sands, that girl, Kyllae will have a lot to answer for. Although, I think the Weyr Justice system sucks." he confessed as he continued walking along the beach.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:38 am
L'thor showed his teeth in a half snarl. "Tell me about it. After what they did to you lot after the lake business I was expecting her to be just tossed out of the Weyr. Missing a hatching is a big deal, yes, but not big enough after what she did. Just trying to give herself an edge over everyone else, little b***h. Still," he sighed and shook his head, banishing his feelings of viciousness for now, "at least you've a few turns yet, and the sense to plan ahead." He did hope Veyes Impressed, a green for preference because greens were the best, but if not... he supposed he just hoped the young man was happy. Would he stay at the Weyr? L'thor couldn't see it somehow; he knew he wouldn't have cared to stay if he hadn't Impressed.
As River buzzed past cheeping happily at having something to do, L'thor laughed and shook his head; silly little things. "I brought them because I thought they might be able to spot a clutch or this wild queen, because I enjoy being around them, and yes to keep them out of trouble... To keep River out of trouble, I don't think the others would get into anything too terrible but River left to his own devices for too long is bound to cause havoc. I hope," L'thor grinned to Veyes, "that when we do find you a flitt, it will be somewhat less mad than this little beast."
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:39 am
Veyes sighed as he listened only able to agree for the most part. The difference between two wineskins and possibly killing all the hatchlings of a clutch was distanced by a gap so wide he couldn't fathom it. He didn't understand why Z'nal punished them...and everyone else so harshly but...this girl...she got off with only a reprimand and unable to be on the sands for one hatching? Where was the fairness in that? Veyes had to wonder if his own moral compass was in the right place in the Weyr. Even at his level, he was getting uncomfortable with the way people ran the Weyr but there was nothing he could say or do as a candidate. All he could do was keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble. "Yes, I do have a few turns left, so I've plenty of time to find my dragon."
He pushed the Weyr crap aside and returned to the 'fun' that wasn't going to be sabotaged by his emerging discontent with the Weyr. So he laughed as the topic turned back to the little balls of energy called FLITS. "Ha! You are a serious flit man, L'thor! I bet you when we find these eggs they'll all hatch at once and Impress to you no less!" He grinned and poked the man in the ribs. "They probably won't even notice me because you have Flit Glamor about you!" This amused Veyes as he returned to the search because some how he could actually see it happening.
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:42 am
L'thor laughed merrily, extending an arm as Dusk fluttered up in search of a perch. "Yes, the crazy flitt man I am! If we find a clutch that looks almost ready to hatch keep me away from it! These four are more than enough to handle, though I'm sure if I did somehow impress another one by mistake I'd love it too. Such cute little things, even if they are demanding, often frustrating, try to take up all the space on my bed..." Make it harder to get anyone else into his bed. Having a troop of flitts following you around might make small children adore you, but it had an unfortunate tendency to kill the mood. It was hard to be seductive when a firelizard was climbing up your back trilling for food and or fuss.
Grinning to himself, L'thor launched Dusk back into the air, nudging the dark blue pointedly back to searching for eggs or sight of a golden female. "The weyrling quarters will be quite crowded after this next lot," he mused, pausing momentarily to remove his sandals. "Not as crowded as the candidate dorms though, we seem to have had yet another big influx of hopefuls. You're not going to have to share your alcove with even more, are you?" Ew. He hoped the lice problem didn't come back, not that it had fully gone away, but it wasn't as awful now as it had been. He didn't want to have to look at person after person with all those ugly little bugs crawling through their hair.
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:19 am
It amused Veyes to see the man so happy with his flits. L'thor seemed to be too busy with them lately to get into any trouble himself and that probably was a better place for L'thor to be in. "With my luck versus yours, I'm going to lose, Mr. Flit Man. Although, at least I can sleep at night. I cant' imagine a bed covered with flits right now. I barely have room for myself in my cot."
He watched as the sleepy blue finally took off to go search for eggs and guessed that particular flit would have been happier napping than searching. "Yeah...here have been quite a few new ones show up. I'm not sure if a new roommate will show up, I mean I have no control over who gets shoved into the alcove. It isn't that big of space. Right now I only share with Mal and his flit but if he impresses then I'll probably end up with a new roommate. It really is getting tight in the barracks though. We've been lucky that not many wanted to room with us after the Lake." Leaning over he picked up a couple more shells and carefully looked them over then glanced around for any new signs of the golden flit!
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 4:01 am
L'thor grinned and nodded. "Well, every cloud has a golden lining I suppose! Nearly every cloud, anyway," he amended thoughtfully. "I bet the candidate bathing pools are really disgusting," the rider went on with a grin. "So many smelly boys all washing in the same space, probably soap and hair and toenail clippings all over!" Not nice! If he was a candidate, he'd either be going mad, or spending every spare second cleaning. L'thor was not obsessive per se, it was just that his personal vanity extended to the world around him as well. He wouldn't let his weyr get scruffy any more than he'd go out without brushing his hair!
"Even if we don't find anything, I'm glad you thought of this," he said after a few moments of listening to the sound of waves washing gently against the sand. "Lovely day to be out of the Weyr. I've got drills later on, but not for a good few candlemarks yet thankfully. It's good to get away from the crowds, eh?" Raith was enjoying herself too; she fancied going for a really fast fly later, but right now this gentle pace was perfect. Cool air rushing over her, Hers close by, and lovely views all around. Lovely.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:36 pm
Veyes groaned, "That ain't the half of it. The bathroom always is getting cleaned by some unfortunate soul. I'm glad they're are letting me cut meat again so I can avoid that job. It was better to be butchering than cleaning up after other boys. He got more disgusted in the bathrooms than in the meat locker At least, meat was still 'clean' in his interpretation of things from a farm perspective. And...he felt that cutting meat was a far more productive chore than cleaning up after candidates.
"I'm glad to be out here to, L'thor. Yeah...we don't have to find anything at all; I'm just glad to be spending time with a good friend. I'm really happy to be away from the crowds too. Thanks for bringing me here." He smiled a bit but then saw something move by a rock. Scrambling around he reached down and grabbed pulling up a medium sized crab! "Look!! It's a Crab!" The crab wiggled trying to break free while Veyes smiled and held on tight, "We could have cooked crab for dinner!" The thought of a Weyr-free meal that wasn't burnt or over seasoned had a great appeal right now. "If we find a few more we can get a pot and cook them up on the beach!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:13 am
L'thor crinkled his nose fastidiously. "Think I'd rather cut meat too, though I never worked in the meat locker while I was a candidate. Would have made a right mess of it, I imagine." He didn't object to doing a bit of cleaning up after V'kain, but V'kain was his best friend and that was very different to cleaning up after about fifty dirty teens. Not his idea of a good time at all.
"I've got a pot we could use actually," he went on thoughtfully as he studied the unfortunate crab hungrily. "Kain and I use it to do big batches of klah in, should do fine for a few crabs!... Humm, where to put the little pincher? He'll spoil the other food if we put in in the bag... Ah-ha!" L'thor shrugged free of the bag and set it down in the sand before removing his shirt and knotting the bottom. Relieving Veyes of the crab, he placed the shelled creature inside, tied off the neck, and then tied the arms together to make a strap. After a moment of thought, he opened the neck again and dumped his sandals in; saved carrying them.
"Right," he grinned at Veyes, "do you want the bag that tries to pinch you, or the one that doesn't?" Quite ingenious if he did say so himself, thinking on your feet and using the resources available to you, that was the thing to do!
"Oh, don't stop there," Raith teased with a mental grin, "why not declare yourself the master of all Pern while you're at it!"
L'thor snorted. "Oh shush, you beast, or I'll not oil you for a sevenday." He never ceased to be glad that he'd got a dragon he could banter with. He couldn't imagine being bonded to one that just agreed with him the whole time, it would probably be terribly dull though.
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:10 pm
Veyes smirked a little as L'thor's nose wrinkled. It made Veyes think that the man was sometimes just a boy at heart. "Ah, its not so bad really. Guts and meat straight from the beast are pretty clean compare to other things. Now if the meat sit to long that's another story." He didn't think telling L'thor about spoiled meat smells would be a good idea after gathering one crab to a prospective banquet. He had to wonder if it were possible to live a life by the beaches...gathering crabs...fishing. Mmm...another imaginative idea that was a temptation right now as the Weyr was so crowded and this beach utterly serene.
Seeing that L'thor had a good idea, he gladly handed the crab over to L'thor for him to put it into the makeshift sack. "I should have brought an extra bag. Mm.. but I've got my shirt too if we find enough!" He grinned broadly and looked at the sacks, "I'll take the one with the crab." It wouldn't be to hard to handle the crab in the sack as long as he was mindful of the pincers. He slung the strap over his shoulder and pulled the sack around enough so he could see the crab shape in the makeshift bag then looked up and down the beach. His eyes widened then he stared to scamper down the beach. "L'thor! There's another crab over there! Come on! We've got to catch it!"
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 3:35 am
L'thor chuckled and shook his head. "I don't mind cutting meat, though it makes your hands stink something horrid, the expression of disgust was for my mental image of the candidate bathing rooms. You could probably catch something unsavory just by looking at them!" At a guess, there had been about half the number of boys when he'd been a candidate, and that had been quite bad enough for his tastes. The weyrling dorms had been a slight improvement, but he hadn't really been happy with the whole washing situation until he and D'los had graduated to full riders and acquired their own weyr with its lovely private bathing room...
Crab!
L'thor spotted the scuttling thing and took off after it like a runner in the last race of the season. He would have that sharding crab, or he would make a bloody idiot of himself trying. Suddenly, four little minds nudged against his. Crab? Crab? Where? What? Want? Crab! Get crab!
The flitts appeared in the air next to him and soon overtook. River took the lead swiftly, but when he reached the crab he zoomed around it in confusion, unsure of what to do. Rust on the other hand knew exactly what he was about. The usually silent brown gave a high-pitched squeak and swooped down on the crustation, grabbing it from behind and sweeping it into the air. Crab! Eyes whirling a happy blue, he fluttered over to L'thor and dropped it into the rider's outstretched hands.
Inevitably, it pinched his thumb. L'thor cursed softly and sucked the accosted digit with a frown. "Ouch. Evil little bugger. Still," he grinned at Veyes and waved the crab, "crab number two captured, thank you Rust." The brown sent him a happy thought - he was welcome! - before vanishing again; he had other things to find; eggs!
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