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 Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 3:55 pm
Mal tapped the side of his cheek thoughtfully as he considered the Weyrbowl for several long moments. Sometimes, he had to wonder what people were thinking when they made these places… “So, what do you think, Aeron? I still think they were considering something along the lines of, ‘wow, what I really need in a home is something rocky, unpleasant to look at, and devoid of any life at all’. Or maybe they were thinking, ‘Huh! An extinct volcano! What a novel place for a home!’. I don’t know, Aer. At this point, I think Weyrs are the last refuge of insane people.” Currently, the Candidate was seated at the edge of the Weyrbowl, simply watching people----dragonriders, mostly----go about their daily business. It wasn’t exactly fascinating, but Mal found that everything was more fascinating if you imagined the people had just had crazy sex the night before.
The Bronze firelizard hissed in response. Now he didn’t have the slightest clue of what Mal was talking about, but that didn’t matter. What mattered to him was the small cloth bag clutched in Mal’s hands. That, he knew, contained delicious dried meats and rolls. Who cared about architecture at a time like this? Aeron waited as patiently as he could stand----which wasn’t very long at all----before sneaking up and starting to nibble at the cloth bag.
His owner didn’t notice and continued to idly chatter. “Just think of it. You know, I can totally imagine a Weyrwoman looking maniacal and shrieking, ‘Why, yes! Let us create a monument, one immortalized by madness, to be cherished by nuts Pernwide! All shall live here and despair! Mwahahahaha!” It wasn’t that Mal was insane himself or anything. Course not! He simply tended to chatter to himself. Or, in this case, to Aeron. He didn’t expect the firelizard to understand. It was enough to listen. There were some things that he couldn’t even talk to E’rik about, especially not since the Weyrling had Daramulath to look after.
Ah well… time to eat! Mal opened up the bag only, expecting to find delicious foods of various sorts. Unfortunately, he just found an angry Aeron who had finally chewed his way into the bag. The Bronze hissed at him, his eyes whirling red quickly. Mal just stared down at the firelizard. “Now, now. Don’t look at me that way, Aer. You know I didn’t steal this food. It’s just that I’m an eager eater. I’m so very eager to get at tonight’s meal in the afternoon. And there’s plenty for the both of us…”
More hissing followed and Mal abruptly pulled his hand back, only barely avoiding a nasty bite.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:03 pm
Shards, it was hot out today.
The sound of his sandals against the stone almost sounded like laughter as the sun beat against his tanned brow, irritating enough that he stopped to squint up at the blazing heat. He was used to spending his days out in the fields with the herdbeasts, but this was something different entirely. He could hardly imagine standing out here in robes and with bare feet--his skin would fry itself off! And that was if he was lucky, and a raging dragonet didn't choose to maul him for his trouble. Still, the sight of simply standing there and watching the dragons winging overhead... Magnificent was a good word to describe it, particularly if he was feeling poetic. So it was strange that, of all the things his flickering eyes decided to wrest on, it was the small, dark-haired lad sitting by himself. And peering rather suspiciously into a bag he had.
Curiosity, of course, compelled him to wander over, a brow quirking thoughtfully at the throaty hiss that escaped from the mouth of the small sack and the way the other yanked his hand quickly as though avoiding teeth. "Friend of yours?" He implored thoughtfully, almost tempted to investigate as well. You know, if he could do it without coming off as completely odd. Probably too late for that.
"Shards, you aren't hot?" He had to ask after a moment, wiping at his brow with the back of his wrist. But he was still studying that bag, wondering if perhaps the boy'd managed to catch a tunnelsnake or summat. Why the hell would one even want to keep it, he had to wonder. "I'll bite," Jiriar finally mused after a time, thrusting his chin towards the bag with a lazy grin tugging at his lips. "What is it?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:14 pm
Shards. Now how was Mal supposed to get Aeron out of the sack? He wasn’t about to put his hand in that sack; that was Bitran odds for it getting bitten. And he, quite frankly, had been bitten enough by now, thank you very much. More importantly, how was he supposed to eat now? Maybe if he figured out how Aeron had gotten into the sack, he could sort of herd the firelizard back out… that plan came to a close quickly when Mal realized he was being watched and did his absolute best to pretend he was doing absolutely nothing, nothing at all. The only thing this accomplished was making him seem amazingly guilty.
“Why, yes. Yes, I am hot.” Mal couldn’t stop himself for a thousand Marks. He even attempted to strike a pose, which was remarkably difficult while sitting down. Well, at least he could try to do that swishy hair thing, although his dark hair wasn’t nearly long enough to do that yet. Not that he planned on letting it get that long anyway. The vision was completed with a crooked eyebrow. He dropped the act shortly, mostly because it was impossible for him to actually flirt seriously, especially while holding a sack containing an angry firelizard and food.
He scratched his cheek again at the question and eyed the sack uncomfortably. “More likely, he’ll bite you first. His name is Aeron and he thinks fingers are delicious treats. Also thinks just about everything else is a delicious treat too, unfortunately. I’m guessing he managed to wriggle in there somehow… but where are my manners, eh? Not like they’re in a sack, right? The name’s Mal.”
Why, yes! He did deliberately avoid explaining exactly what ‘Aeron’ was, if only to hold the other boy’s curiosity for a while. Anything to have actual human conversation for a bit. Firelizards were awesome and all, but they were not good for conversation, Mal had learned. At least Aeron wasn’t.
The sack hissed again, apparently now enraged at being ignored.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:13 am
A brow would soundlessly quirk itself skyward at the bold statement and even the little pose that with went it, a twitch of his lips signaling that Mal had managed to hit his mark. "Well," Jiriar finally said once he was sure his voice wasn't going to contain a snicker, "I could have told you that. Was tryin' to go for something a little more obvious..." Chuckling under his breath despite himself, the man shook his head and glanced back to the bag with a slow tilt of his head. So it had a name now? And whatever it was ate fingers?
"Pleasure. Name's Jiriar--can you shake hands, or did you find out this finger-eating thing from experience?" He'd extend one anyway, amused with how quirky this fellow seemed to be. And yes, he'd noticed that he still didn't exactly know what Aeron was, but it encouraged him to stick around and find out. Maybe that'd been the plan all along...?
"Mind if I sit?" He asked even as his long legs folded, settling himself down with a musing sound, palms pressing into the gritty stone. "Haven't seen you 'round before--not that I could find my way around here if my life depended on it, mind you. "What do you do here at the Weyr?" Didn't want to be too quick to assume everyone was here for the same reasons he was, of course.
His eyes flicked appraisingly across the other, as though trying to pin down how old he was. Young enough to be a Candidate? Most likely. But was everyone who was young and at the Weyr a Candidate? That, he didn't know. Better safe than sorry.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 5:29 pm
Well, that was new. Mal obviously hadn’t expected the other male to answer in the affirmative, and that much showed on his face. But he got rid of it quickly. Harpers could hardly go around showing their real emotions all the time, now could they? Well, he wasn’t going to comment on that right now. Plenty of time for that later, once the polite pleasantries were over with. “Can’t say he hasn’t nibbled on ‘em a bit, but I can still shake hands,” he said, grinning brightly once more as he offered his hand to shake. A few fingers----and part of his wrist----were neatly bandaged up, no doubt a courtesy of Aeron. Or the scratches and bites were; the bandages were from the nice Healers who took pity on Mal.
“You mean official-like? Officially, I’m a Candidate. Unofficially, I’m just here to stay out of trouble. You can probably figure out how well that’s been going so far. Now, the story of how I got here is far more entertaining. You see, like all things worth telling, it starts out with a rampant Harper infestation…” The other boy hadn’t asked for an explanation, but Mal always had one and launched into one now.
“You see, most unfortunately, my Hold has come into an infestation of Harpers. Absolutely horrible. You can’t go five feet without hearing someone start to trill something about a milkmaid or perhaps some song starting with ‘twas’. And that sort of thing never ends well. We tried everything. We even got a man with a ferret in. We figure that we must’ve missed the queen Harper so, until we find her, we were all sent out, spreading the news of the invasion. Course it seems like I got here too late for this place…”
He shook his head sadly, as if mourning the loss of the Weyr to an influx of Harpers.
By now, Aeron had apparently tired of hissing. Perhaps he thought he could put his anger to a more constructive use by tearing the sack open. The sound of ripping fabric accompanied another hiss until a bronze firelizard head finally poked its way through. The jaws opened wide with yet another hiss. One had to wonder if Aeron could make any other noises. “Oh, no you don’t. You got yourself into that, Aer, you can get yourself back out!”
Hiss. Like a dragon hatching from an egg----you know, if eggs were made of fabric and dragons were a lot smaller---Aeron struggled free of the fabric, finally able to stretch his wings once more. Settling back with as much dignity as he could muster, he simply glared at Mal and Jiriar.
“Don’t mind him. He’s nasty to everyone.”
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 10:27 pm
He snatched the look as quickly as a dragon might swoop down on a stray herdbeast, but only allowed himself to be inwardly satisfied. A little reward of sorts, mm? "Well, so long as you're whole and intact." Came the idle comment as a strong, calloused hand gripped the bandaged one. Looked like he hadn't been lying about finger snacks. "Looks painful." He had to cluck under his breath before perking an ear to listen, a smile flickering briefly across his face. So, another Candidate? Just his luck. He was almost surprised by the sheer numbers he'd discovered so far--there were going to be many a disappointed face on the sands, come hatching-time.
Out of trouble, hm? "Sounds awfully entertaining so far." He mused, propping bony elbows up on his knees. How couldn't he crack a grin at the bit about Harpers? Snickering to himself, Jiriar shifted his position so a hand was supporting his chin instead. Had to get comfortable for a story, now didn't he? He honestly knew very little of the ways of Harpers, able to appreciate the songs of dragons and the like while knowing he himself could only decently carry a tune. Creating songs, playing instruments--far too complicated.
"Tch, poor lad! No wonder you were sent here. Though when you say 'too late', I'll admit it sends a shiver down my spine. What can I expect, symptom wise? A lose of hearing, an insatiable urge to bash someone over the head with a bench? Or something wor--why, hello there." A brow quirked with amusement at the sack, or more importantly, the tiny bronze head that had poked its way through. "Shard, a firelizard, mm? Never met anyone who owns one..."
He was wise enough to keep his fingers away while normally he might have extended them for the beast to sniff. He liked his fingers, thanks! Besides, he was content enough with letting a curious eye roam over the draconian form. "He's a pretty thing, but I'll take your word for it." A pointed look at the bandages. "What was he hoping to accomplish by shoving himself in there, eh?"
Surely it hadn't been to let his owner of sorts meet a new--and handsome if he might add--acquaintance.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 10:59 pm
Strong hands. Calluses, Mal vaguely noted. Not so unusual in a place like this, honestly, where nearly everyone had to perform some sort of physical labor. His first thought upon meeting Jiriar had been ‘Scribe’, but that obviously wasn’t right, not with that strength. Something more physical then. Well, he’d be happy to keep gathering information and then make a guess later. It was all just a game for him. He was attractive anyway, and apparently not amiss to commenting on another man’s attractiveness. That, in and of itself, was interesting. Probably not from a Hold, since he was so cavalier about it. Mal’s own hands weren’t without calluses, but they were in the pattern that generally came from handling instruments and not much else. But they were fading, a hint that someone hadn’t been keeping up with his practice schedule.
Mal signed dramatically and pressed a hand to his forehead, as if ready to faint. “Alas, but my life is such a sad story. Symptoms… well, obviously, a lot of Harpers is a pretty good sign. Oh, I know. People randomly bursting out into a complicated song and dance routine. People handing each other apples in the streets. Firelizards following particular people around all the time… the signs are unmistakable.” Ah! Now Aeron was coming out. Mal preened visibly under Jiriar’s fascination, even if it was geared towards his firelizard instead of himself. “Yep. A little Bronze one. Well… big Bronze, I guess, since I’m told he’s larger than average already. He’s a couple of sevendays old; he hatched not long after---or before, I don’t really remember---the Hatching.”
“Well, there was some food in there. I doubt there’s anything left now, not after this bottomless pit has gotten to it. Don’t worry; he chewed his way into it, I expect. He can get out.” Despite his words, Mal kept a close eye on the firelizard, not looking away from him until the Bronze form was finally freed from the sacking. Once he was finished glowering at the two young men, Aeron merely snorted imperiously before sauntering off, apparently seeing something more interesting than them.
“He’s not so bad all the time though. I keep waking up with strange things next to my stuff. Dead trundlebugs. Once, a tiny tunnelsnake. Either I’ve got a very strange admirer, or Aeron there cares at least a little for me. He may be a pain, but its worth it. Originally, I’d planned to sell his egg---I figured I’d need the Marks since I didn’t plan on staying here----but plans change. Besides, my mother always said: once you take an animal into your life, it’s there to stay. I figure that counts even if they’re an egg.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:01 am
Full of mysteries, this one. Jiriar couldn't seem to peg anything down for certain, save the fact the lad seemed one for theatrics and certainly enjoyed company. A grin snaked at the corners of his mouth as the other sighed and touched at his forehead, at least solidifying one of the few, basic facts he'd already confirmed about the man. "Sounds pretty bad. There's no cure? ...No chance we might not be infected?" Of course he could play along, even managing to pull off a concerned and almost distressed look. Well, if he could stop grinning long enough to pull it off. Aeron, however, had the unspoken whole of his attention. He'd never seen such a creature before--not this close!
Fascinating how much they resembled the big beasts that were currently winging overhead... Long fingers twitched slightly, itching to reach out and touch the gleaming scales. "And already so big?" He murmured, more to himself. "So young. Will he grow anymore than that, do you reckon? What's he eat?" So, clever enough to get the things he wanted. Much more interesting than herdbeasts.
He had to chuckle a little as the beast practically strutted away from them, eyes fixed on the waving tail and folded wings. "Can't say I wouldn't want one... but Shards, I'm too lazy to feed myself sometimes." He snorted, scratching at his cheek absently with a finger before he fixed his gaze on the other man. What was this about corpse presents?
"Trying to keep you fed, maybe." Jiriar shook his head with amusement. He listened idly as the other went on about what he'd originally planned to do with the egg, nodding slowly. Made sense to him. "S'true--only if you treat them well, however. Guess we'll just slap 'abusive relationship' on it and not question it, eh?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:35 pm
“Nope. I fear that this place doesn’t have much longer. Any day now and you won’t be able to throw a stone without hitting a couple of ex-Harpers.” It was a bit odd, actually. In the brief time Mal had been here, he’d already recognized many people from his own class from Harper Hall. It felt like an entire class had been abducted and brought here. For the most part, he had attempted to avoid them, simply because he didn’t want to be asked about his mysterious disappearing act a Turn ago. Thankfully, it seemed that no one actually cared. Anyway! More importantly, it seemed like Jiriar was a fun guy; at least he wasn’t shy about playing along with this whole Harper Infection thing. This amused Mal, who found himself unable to keep his serious look for very long.
Unfortunately, it seemed like Aeron was more effective at holding Jiriar’s attention than Mal was. Aww… being shown-up by a firelizard. Now that had to be a new low. Still, it was Mal’s flitt, so he didn’t mind too much. “To be honest, I’m not sure how big he’ll get. I’ve seen a few firelizards before, but never a Bronze one. I think he’s finished growing, but he may yet surprise me. Mostly, he eats whatever he wants. That’s what he was doing in the sack in the first place.” Oh! That reminded him… he peeked into the sack curiously now and nodded at the sight of a hole near the bottom of it. “Guess he chewed his way into it. Aaaaand he ate all the dried meat. Wonderful, Aer. Love you too.”
“He’s not flying much yet. He can manage a fine glide, but he hasn’t really managed true flight. But he’s getting better. I think me and Aeron have got a more… antagonistic relationship. We antagonize each other. He antagonizes me with his bites and I antagonize him by trying to keep him from biting other folks.”
Aha! A clue! Jiriar had never seen a firelizard this close, eh? That meant he probably hadn’t been at one of the bigger Halls then. Or a big Hold, but Mal had already figured that out. So a Minor Hold. Possibly a cothold, but that didn’t seem too likely, since he was so cavalier about calling another man attractive.
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Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 3:11 pm
"Sounds serious." He nodded gravely, eyes flickering over the smaller's form for a minute. So, did he have something against Harpers? Or maybe he was one, hm? That'd be something. He'd only met a few Harpers before, and found himself eying Mal as though he'd be able to figure it out through looks alone. "Might I call you the lone survivor of the great Harper outbreak, then? It's a pretty fancy title, if I say so myself." Impressive, too! Few would understand it, but that was besides the point.
Unconsciously, he found himself looking after the retreating back of the firelizard as the conversation turned again, tongue clicking thoughtfully against his teeth. "Certainly doesn't seem shy." That was an understatement, and sarcastic besides. "Heh! Suppose it was that or someone's fingers." Oh, so he couldn't fly? "Maybe he is young, then. Thought they sort of knew how to do that by instinct. And oy, whatever keeps the pair of you together..." Or he was a talking, dancing wherry, but it sounded reasonable! "
"So Mal," He'd drawl after a moment, eyes dancing slightly even as he grinned at the other. "Were you responsible for this Harper infection? You know... Picked it up from somewhere, maybe spread it around?" He was doing what he could to act stern, even serious as he slowly folded lanky arms across his chest. Slippery, this one was. It was probably why he was so curious now; it'd be amusing to see what he could glean from the guy, after all.
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Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 3:55 pm
“Oh, almost certainly. And I think I’ll require a badge too. Something fitting for surviving the worst outbreak of Harpers ever seen. Perhaps it’ll feature a harp with broken strings. Something nicely symbolic like that. Or maybe…” oh, wait a second there! Was it just his imagination or was Jiriar eyeing him? Well, that was always a nice ego-boost. Mal switched tracks quickly and went on to say, “Or I could just take off my shirt, since you’re apparently oh-so-curious now.” Mal’s grin alone could’ve been considered sexual harassment.
The grin was dropped at the insinuation that there might be something wrong with Aeron. At least, that was how Mal took it. “Is it instinct? I didn’t know that. I suppose he just doesn’t like flying much then. Maybe he feels like it’s unsporting to swoop down on someone’s face instead of attacking their fingers. Isn’t that right, Aer?”
At the mention of his name---or maybe it was Jiriar’s clicking noises----the firelizard suddenly gained more interest in the boys. Apparently, he had an attention span that was smaller than himself. Perching on his hind legs, he clacked his jaws for a moment, glancing from one boy to the other, as if trying to figure out if they would do as a meal or a toy. A fly made the mistake of going past at that moment, distracting Aeron once more who happily snapped at it.
“What’s that?” Mal put on a shocked expression, one hand at his chest. “Di… Did you just insinuate that I might be the Harper Queen? Well, I never!” Judging by the gleam in his eyes, the ex-Harper wasn’t at all upset. Why would he be? It gave him an excuse to be over-dramatic about something. “To think that you would accuse me of something, after all I’ve been through! Wasn’t I just given the proud title of Survivor?”
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Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 1:52 pm
"And a cape?" He offered, idly swiping his mouth with the back of a hand to try and suppress a grin. "Maybe an old, gangly runner beast for your noble steed... Shards, could make you a bow out of a broken harp, I'm sure I could--" Wait, what had he just offered? His brows arched slowly at that before his shoulders trembled with a silent snicker, hands moving to prop themselves on his hips. "Well, I suppose. Check for any signs that you're one of them and all..."
Ah, Shards, he hadn't meant to make the other worry. "Well, that's what I thought. I've never had flits, so I can't tell you much. I bet if you just picked him up and threw him he'd fly." And Mal would likely lose some fingers, but hey, at least he'd know his bronze really could fly!
As the firelizard in question clacked his jaws in turn, Jiriar had to laugh. Curious beast--or was he sizing them up for a potential mauling? Well, he had no shame in ducking behind the smaller boy if that was the case! Looked like that bug would be the one to take the heat for them though, and the brunette mused as he got a good look at those sharp teeth. Shards.
"No reason to take offense if you aren't, mm?" He replied smoothly, eyes lidded even as he looked Mal up and down from the corners of his eyes. "You were, yes, of course..." Don't laugh, don't laugh! "...Unless that was your goal all along, and you thought you'd pull the wool over my eyes by acting like some brave hero."
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 10:44 am
Alright, so Mal hadn’t quite expected Jiriar to agree to the idea oh-so-easily. He probably should have, but he didn’t. But, he was never a guy to bet anything unless he was willing to give it up! Besides, he was always willing to go the extra mile for a bit of attention. “Oh, yes, definitely a cloak. Preferably one of the ones with a hood. I won’t feel sufficiently distraught and mysterious unless I’ve got a nice hood. And a corner to lurk around in.” He started to casually undo his shirt, but quickly became distracted.
Apparently, Aeron had either gotten Mal’s attention span, or vice versa.
“Wh-what? How can you say something like that! If I was truly an evil genius bent on the spread of Harpers, I wouldn’t have disguised myself as the survivor, because I would have known you were going to think that!” Woo! This was becoming recursive, wasn’t it? “So you see? I must be a real survivor since I claimed to be one. The Harper Queen would surely be smarter than to use such a transparent ploy. Here, I’ll prove it to you!”
Now the shirt came off. Because, you know, being shirtless totally proved everything. It didn’t, actually, but it felt like enough of a non-sequitor that it would work. In all honesty, prior to coming to the Weyr, Mal hadn’t done actual labor in his life. Thankfully, he had enough time here to put on some muscle so at least he didn’t look like he could hide behind a broom.
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:47 pm
"Well, you'll have to make up for your lack of height somehow--the hood might just do the trick!" More pondering. Could he get a cloak? Surely he could, especially if he simpered at someone long enough about how cold he was and a holder boy like him simply wasn't... Well, Shards, Ista was too hot to pull that off nicely. Maybe if he could pretend he was sick with the chills... Well, no, they'd just swaddle him with blankets then!
Mal's indignant sputters were enough to neatly catch his attention again, thankfully.
"...And yet, you're convincing me more and more that you're an impostor!" Jiriar proclaimed with dramatic flourish, folding his arms across his chest as though he could not and would not be budged from his current viewpoint. "Yes, you'd better start explaining and proving and doing whatever you can to...hm." Well, this was a surprise--Mal wasn't at all bad to look at!
So, with that thought in mind, he took his sweet time looking the other up and down, making amused sounds and stroking at his chin. If only he had a beard! "I suppose," He announced after a moment, "That you haven't caught the disease yet. But I've got my eye on you, boy... Just one slip, one trill of a note, and I'll know! Mark my words!"
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