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 Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:42 am
Daeluin blindly followed L'thor, her thoughts and actions mostly devoted to the sleeping green in her arms. She readjusted her, stroked her, made sure she was comfortable (and still alive!). Lulu sighed happily, and once she was reassured everything with Tiki was fine, contented herself with stroking the green's gorged belly while talking with the green rider.
"That's what I loved most about life in the caravan," she confided in the rider. "The constant change, the new and exciting things waiting within the next day. Everything was always changing, and I liked the constant surprise, and the different challenges it presented." Life so far in the Weyr was nice, and comfortable, but fairly monotonous and unchallenging. Daeluin found herself with the same chores, day after day, and seeing the same people. She thrived on the unexpected and ever-changing life of a trader.
She burst out laughing at L'thor's remark about his green, but quickly quieted herself and made sure she hadn't disturbed Tiki. Nope! Still sound asleep. The sharding 'lizard might as well be in a coma! "Oh, I'm sure she's only jesting," Daeluin reassured L'thor with a quick glance to Raith. Lulu grinned widely. "If I do Impress, I hope my dragon won't mind my wanderlust!" Daeluin jibed, her grin widening if possible.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:52 am
"She was," L'thor affirmed with a chuckle, "she does it a lot. Wouldn't dream of teasing anyone but me, but teases me enough for the whole Weyr! Not that I really mind," he added with a smirk, "I like a challenge!" He was certainly getting plenty of those recently, mostly related to just trying to fit into this new place. He wasn't used to not recognizing many faces in the dining hall, to not having many people to invite up to his Weyr of an evening. He was adapting slowly, but he hated for things to be slow. He wanted to fit in now, this very moment... and he wanted to be used to the weather as well. It would come in time, but he was not a very patient person.
"You made many friends here yet?" he asked Lulu casually, not immediately volunteering any information about himself. He had the other members of the tropical tetrad, but three friends were not enough. He supposed his next goal ought to be the other members of his wing. Raith of course seemed to be doing just fine. The green was only still aware that they had some from a different place because he thought about it so much; she had friends among the greens and blues, one or two browns even and she certainly knew which males she wanted to chase her next she rose. So many handsome blues, she was quite spoiled for choice.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:58 am
A warm smile erupted for L'thor, reaching up to warm Daeluin's dark brown eyes. "She sounds absolutely delightful," Lulu complimented both the green rider and the dragon equally; her smile was directed at both, in turn. She was so incredibly relieved to find someone so easy to talk with! Since coming to the Weyr, Daeluin had felt at a loss for company; there was no one to share the evening meal with, or talk to around the night's campfire. There were hardly any young children eager to learn, and that was what made Daeluin feel the most empty. She adored teaching, it had been her preferred task back at home. But the Weyr was prosperous and large enough to have several, properly-trained harpers here to teach the children.
Daeluin's smile was slowly replaced with a deepening frown. She shook her head in response to L'thor's question, sighing quietly and softly. "No, not many. Its been hard to adjust to life here," she confessed while casting a sheepish glance at the green rider. She didn't feel entirely comfortable admitting such a thing to a veritable stranger, but it had slipped out before she could censor her answer.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 9:33 am
At least he wasn't alone then. Oh, it was a selfish thing to think but he was a pretty selfish person at times. He didn't want to be the only one lacking companionship... Well, human companionship at any rate. He reached Raith's side, and reached up towards her. The sleek green crooned softly and lowered head head so that he could stroke her eyeridges. He was never really alone, and in realizing this rather obvious fact he felt rather more sorry for Lulu.
"Well," he turned back to her with a smile, "you now have two more friends than you had a few minutes ago! Myself and Raith would be glad to get to know you better, always nice to meet a fellow trader... Ha!" his eyes came to rest on the tiny green flitt snuggled in Lulu's arms and he grinned again. "Make that three new friends, nothing like a flitt for keeping you company, getting in your way, getting you into trouble... Well mostly that was just River," he rolled his eyes, "little beggar liked to steal things... Probably still does, back at Ista." He hoped the blue, and his other flitts, would rejoin him soon; they'd like Lulu, and her little green friend, he was sure.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 9:48 am
Quite the opposite, Daeluin was not so happy to realize that L'thor might be just as lonely as she was. She hated feeling this lack of companionship, and would not wish it upon anyone. The lone fact to console her was that they had now made friends of eachother, and one more friend was so precious! It meant that there would be one more person in their lives to share times with, and with so very few friends at the moment, each one was invaluable.
Daeluin grinned at L'thor, wordlessly thanking him for his friendship. A warmth bloomed within the young woman that she conveyed to the green rider in her smile. "For that, I can't thank you enough," she said softly. "A friend where I have none is priceless," she admitted with a sheepish smile. He was a fellow trader, to boot! He would know how her mind worked, how she thought about things and how she analyzed situations and that would make their friendship all the more easy to develop. Her interest was piqued when he mentioned a name; Daeluin idly wondered where his firelizards were. "You have firelizards, too?" She asked, not asking where they were for fear of bringing up a sore subject.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 10:05 am
L'thor gave a slight sigh and dropped to a seat in the grass; it was chilly, but leaning back against Raith's flank compensated for that. "Sort of have, sort of had," he said, motioning for Lulu to join him. True he didn't know her well yet but... well, she was another trader and he was short on friends. Confiding a few things about himself in her couldn't do any harm. "As I said, I come from Ista; that climate is all any of them had ever known. When Raith and I made our first jump here they appeared with us, but then they vanished again, presumably in disgust at the weather. Still," L'thor gave a lopsided grin, "I hope that they will get over their disgust and come to find me in the end. Had four of the little beasts. The first ones I got were a pair of blues, my sister found their clutch on the beach one day and they hatched before we could trade them. They were my only ones for about ten turns, but then one of them caught a green, and I managed to get an egg; hatched into a brown. The final egg I won betting on runners about a turn ago, another brown."
Did they still remember him? Were they still bonded to him? He wished he knew for sure; he hadn't felt the link break, but he hadn't heard anything from any of them since they'd vanished either. Even Raith didn't seem to know what was going on with her little friends/worshipers. Still, they'd be back in the end, he was sure.
"Lovely little bunch they are, it was always River in trouble, his brother Dusk asleep or eating, Rust wanting attention, and Dancer trying to cheer up anyone who looked sad. I'm sure your little one will be just as much of a character once she's up to more than just eating and sleeping... Not that Dusk ever grew out of that; biggest fattest blue I ever saw!" he had spoiled all of them but hadn't been able to help it; they were just so cute!
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:54 am
Daeluin accepted L'thor's invitation to sit, though she refrained from leaning back against his green's leg. She was becoming fast friends with the green rider but had to place her limit somewhere, and making a chair out of a strange dragon was hers. She smiled at him, though, as she stretched one leg out languorously while tucking her opposite foot up against her inner thigh. Daeluin shifted the sleeping green firelizard to the small hollow made by her lap; Tiki curled up with little more than a quiet rumble. She was out cold!
Daeluin shrank into her coat against the cold; it was chilly, but not freezing, certainly colder than what she was used to though. Her parents and their trading caravan had frequented more mild areas, especially over the coldest parts of the year. No one could possibly be a fan of frostbite and freezing. Her smile turned to a small frown as the green rider beside her explained his acquisition and resulting loss of firelizards due to his transfer. She couldn't restrain herself from reaching over and patting his arm consolingly if a bit awkwardly. "Well, I hope they find their way here. Their love for you should overcome any qualms about the cold, but give them time," she soothed L'thor as best she could. Her eyes widened slightly with surprise when he went on to describe his fair of FOUR. Glancing down at Tiki,she tried to imagine having three more. She couldn't! She wasn't even used to the idea of having one!
Daeluin's smile returned, with gusto, when L'thor went on to describe each of his four individually. They sounded absolutely delightful! They were all different and unique, much like people or dragons. It made Daeluin eager to experience the bond with Tiki as she grew. "Oh, I hope they come back to you," she said quietly as she idly reached down to stroke the green in her lap.
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 5:56 am
"Me too," L'thor gave a sigh that was more contented than melancholy and looked upward, half hoping to see four small shapes zooming towards him. "Still, give them time, like you say," he nodded and turned his attention back to Lulu. "You'll want to get hold of some oil," he went on as his eyes came to rest on the sleeping green. "You should be able to request a jug for yourself from the dragon oil supplies, nobody begrudged flitt owners a small supply back at Ista so I hope it's the same here. I can show you how to do it if you like, though it's pretty hard to get wrong really. Pour a bit of oil into your hands, and rub it into the skin. She'll need it all over at first, but as her growth slows down just the spots that look dry or that she lets you know itch."
Raith of course still regularly got oiled all over, but that was because she was spoiled and he was a soft touch. How could he say no to her? Besides, even though it was hugely time consuming he enjoyed it about as much as she did, and it did keep his hands nice and soft!
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:43 am
Now that Tiki was here, Daeluin couldn't imagine herself not having the little green firelizard. With the contentment and happiness flowing through their new bond, Daeluin wouldn't ever wish that gone. She could sympathize with L'thor, and hoped for his sake that his fair decided to overcome their adversity to the colder climate and return to him. But he moved on and began talking of things other than his fair, so Daeluin left the subject alone.
"They won't hassle me if I just walk up and ask for a jar?" She asked, slightly surprised. In the caravan, supplies weren't handed out willy-nilly. It was pretty easy to obtain anything under the sun, but only if there was real need for it! Out on the road, there was no time or room for wastefulness. "Alright, I'll have to remember to do that soon, then," she agreed with him, slightly hesitant to just demand she be given the oil- but... if he said they should give it to her, then she'd trust him.
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:40 am
"So long as you had a flitt with you and weren't in every other day wanting more they were fine with it," L'thor affirmed with a nod. "I suppose things might be different here, but if you have trouble let me know and you can have some of Raith's allotment, goodness knows the amount you'd need would be a drop in the ocean to what I go through on her." Back at Ista, it had got to the point of him being told he needed to top up his supply out of his own pocket. He supposed that was fair enough though, given Raith 'needed' about as much oil as the average queen.
"Hey!" Raith rumbled and twisted her head to look down at him. "I hear those mental air quotes you know." She prodded him in the back with one wing. "Beast, you know I deserve it, and isn;t my hide lovely and soft?"
L'thor grinned and patted her leg. "Alright, sorry, yes," he said aloud. "She was telling me that she deserves the amount of pampering she gets," he explained with a lopsided grin. "I probably go through twice as much oil on her compared to most green riders. Still, she is beautiful and she does deserve it."
Thus placated Raith gave a happy rumble and licked her lifemate's face, extracting a noise of protest from the rider. No matter how much you loved your dragon, getting a large green tongue in the ear was none too pleasant.
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:45 am
Well, that was reassuring. With L'thor's instruction to just bring Tiki along with her, Daeluin felt much better about asking for oil. It would be easy to just waltz in, a cranky firelizard on her shoulder, and ask for a jar of oil. The green was small, and wouldn't get too much larger. She wouldn't need much oil in the long run; she hoped they could spare just a bit for her.
That reminded Daeluin; she did have some questions for the green rider! "How big do you think she'll get? I mean, she's not that big now.. You said you had blues, how big were they? Blue dragons aren't all that much larger than greens, so, by comparison, a blue firelizard shouldn't be that much larger than her," Daeluin's logic was impeccable. well, maybe. She'd have to see, judging by L'thor's answer.
The green rider then relayed the comments his green was making, and Daeluin couldn't help but smile. She first directed her smile to Raith, then towards L'thor. "Well, of course she deserves all that pampering! She's such a pretty green, why wouldn't she?" Daeluin shot a wink Raith's way; she was definitely on the green's side for this one.
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:50 am
"I like this girl, I like her a lot," Raith said with a rumble of pleased amusement. "You may keep her."
"Well, you've got yourself a friend for life now," L'thor said with a laugh, reaching up to run a hand along the green's jaw. "Now. Size." He frowned thoughtfully, conjuring mental images of his flitts. "Dusk, the big blue, was - presumably still is - about the length of my forearm... Not the fingers though," he held up his arm, hand pulled into a fist, "about that big. He's large for a blue. River on the other hand is fairly small for a blue, about the length of my forearm without the fist. I'd guess your little girl will end up slightly smaller than that, but she could grown to his size without being too abnormal; he's just about on the border between big green and little blue." They would come back, he was sure they would. Maybe thinking about them would even help, you never did know.
"It only takes about two months for them to grow to full size," L'thor added with a knowledgeable nod. "She'll probably start rising fairly soon after that, but it does take some a little longer to get around to it."
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:59 am
Daeluin's eyes widened slightly, but were touched around the edges with amusement as she grinned. Now more comfortable around L'thor and his dragon, the dark-skinned young woman allowed herself to lean back against Raith's flank, mimicking the rider's action. Oh! She was so warm! Daeluin sighed in relief; she hadn't realized how tired she was. But now, with Raith's warm support behind her and L'thor's easy, enjoyable companionship, she could relax.
"I hope I've made a couple of new lifelong friends," she said quietly but with a large smile that spoke volumes, glancing up at L'thor almost sheepishly. But, she latched onto his answer to her question avidly, nodding as he explained the different lengths of his blues. She held out her own arm, for comparison, and rolled her fingers into a fist. Imagining Tiki growing to be that size was not unfathomable, it was just slightly hard to picture. Especially when she was so small now, curled up in Daeluin's lap!
Daeluin's attention snapped back to L'thor at his last sentence. She almost asked him to repeat it. "She'll... rise?" She asked, stupidly. Of course she'll rise! She's not a green dragon, but a green firelizard, fertile and able to reproduce! "Right. Umm. Oh!" Daeluin's mind suddenly ran wild with an idea, eager and excited. Her dark brown eyes widened to the point of breaking her hairline; oh, this was a good idea! "Hey, so, uh.. if your firelizards don't come back by the time she rises, I want you to have a couple eggs," she said strongly, more a demand than a friendly offer. But, it was all meant with the best of intentions!
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:08 am
L'thor gave a laugh of pleased surprise, his expression quickly shifting to one of child-like glee. "Really? That's so sweet of you! If my lads do come back and manage to catch a girl, I'll see to it you get an egg, how's that?" Even if they did return he would be tempted to expand his collection. Four was a lot. An awful lot... but he would love to have a green of his own, and they were by far the most common as with dragons so his chances were good!
"It's not the same as a dragon rising," he went on with a grin, "but you do feel it. If the owner of the flitt that catches or is caught by yours is about things can get slightly awkward... I've experienced it as a sudden mutual crush in the past, hard to ignore but pretty easy not to act on."
Raith meanwhile was enjoying Lulu's presence in addition to her rider's; she had always been a lover of both fuss and physical contact, and would accept either from anyone. It was nice to be worshiped! It was nice just to be close as well, to be companionable. She didn't often speak to humans other than Hers, but she counted a good deal more of them as friends than most dragons. This was probably because she knew how they thought, and thought in similar ways herself. Even if you weren't talking to people, you could quietly enjoy their moments of humor, and of deep generosity.
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:17 am
Daeluin went from waiting with bated breath to relief and happiness. Not that she thought L'thor would refuse or turn down her offer.. but, you never know. Maybe he was dead-set on being with only his firelizards; but Daeluin didn't like seeing her new friend so downtrodden. Having a new firelizard to care for would at least take his mind off losing the old four, though it would never replace them.
"It sounds like a deal!" She said with enthusiasm, a gleam suddenly appearing in her eye. The dark-skinned candidate carefully shifted Tiki so she could remove one of her hands. Holding it palm up, she spit onto her palm then held her hand out for the green rider to shake. She wasn't sure how his caravan had worked, but within her trading family, whenever a deal was struck, this was how it was sealed. It was an old and crude tradition, but people are steadfast in their rituals and traditions. They'd be hard-pressed to give them up!
After sealing the deal, their conversation could continue. Daeluin was relieved to find out a firelizard's flight was vastly less emotionally-consuming than a dragon's flight. "So, I'll just have to barricade myself in my room when she rises," she joked with a giggle. Not that she had anything against sex. There were just no persons of interest!
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