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 Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:56 am
Acclimatising. It was an important thing to do. It was an unpleasant thing to do. L'thor shuddered and snuggled deeper into his coat, resolving to get himself a warmer one, and some warmer gloves too. Muttering vague obscenities under his breath, the lithe rider kicked a pebble into the lake. He couldn't believe people actually went swimming in it, it was freezing! He had given Raith her first bath in it yesterday and come out with blue hands. He missed Ista, Ista's weather at any rate. He missed his old friends too, and his flitts. He wondered if he'd ever see them again or if they'd abandoned him in disgust over coming to this foul-weathered Weyr.
"I'm sure they'll be back Mine," Raith assured him placidly. "It was just a shock to them. They'll come, and they'll get used to this place just like we are... the bath was at least refreshing, wouldn't you say?"
No, he wouldn't, because he wasn't such a sharding unstoppable optimist as his lifemate.
"Well forgive me for making the best of it," Raith said with a mental roll of her eyes. "The food is good, we have a nice weyr, a few familiar faces around, and a good wing to fly with. Besides, you always liked leather, now you can actually wear it without overheating."
That was a point L'thor considered, coming to a halt and looking down at his reflection. Black leather. He tilted his head slightly to inspect himself from a different angle and smirked; he'd look good in black leather, and he could make Raith's straps to match.
"Just so long as you go easy on the studs," the green rumbled in amusement, "I expect they'd chafe something awful. Oh, and I draw the line at you carrying a riding crop when you ride too, I don't are how kinky you think it is I won't suffer it!"
Yes, well, he could make those concessions he supposed. Black leather, and some really serious boots; he needed them in this weather, the fact that they'd make him look awesome was beside the point!
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:05 am
Daeluin had experienced the numbing cold of High Reaches a few times in her life, but never for extended periods of time. Needless to say, she was /not/ enjoying it. The young woman was bundled up tightly; a thick sweater underneath a fur-lined, leather coat, with a woven scarf wrapped around the lower portion of her face. She wore woven mittens to match the scarf, thick pants, and heavy boots- and she was still cold!
But being cold was the least of her worries. Only a short time ago, the pot sitting on the hearth in Daeluin's room began to shiver. Yes. Shiver. Gentle shakes at first, barely noticeable. But the it had JUMPED. /That/ had gotten Daeluin's attention! The pot was filled with sand, warmed by the hearth it sat on. Within the sand was a firelizard egg, a gift from her parents for being searched.
If she was not mistaken, the shakes, shivers, and jumps meant the egg inside was hatching.
Daeluin had NO idea what to do.
Currently, she stood outside, in the Weyrbowl. With the imminent hatching occupying her thoughts, Daeluin had forgotten where the kitchens were! She knew that she had to get there quick; the one thing she remembered was that Raysan instructed her to stuff the bugger's face as soon as it split shell. She had to get some food, and fast! The only person she spotted in the Weyrbowl braving the cold was a greenrider. She dashed to him, both quickly and carefully.
"Sir, the kitchens!Where are they?" She asked, not forgetting the respect due a dragonrider. But her hair was a mess; Daeluin had literally rolled out of bed and thrown on a mismatched set of clothing to run outside. She very likely looked crazy, standing there with a pot of sand, asking directions to the kitchens.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:32 am
"Wah?" L'thor startled; he had been so caught up in pondering whether or not thigh high boots would be over the top he hadn't noticed the girl's approach. "Kitchens? Err..." He knew where they were, sort of, he could get there anyway but he wasn't sure he was up to giving directions. "I'm not sure... well I am, I could get there but I couldn't tell you where they are." She certainly seemed to be in a tearing hurry, odd certainly but an odd emergency was still an emergency. "I can show you the way if it's important though," he went on, peering back towards the Weyr and trying to see the way through the corridors in his mind's eye. A little run to warm up was just what he needed anyway.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:38 am
She was in a hurry. Just as she was about to accept the green rider's offer to show her the way, the pot gave a little wiggle and a lurch and almost fell out of Daeluin's hands! She leaned forwards to catch it and balance it, and ended up falling right into the green rider's chest! Oh, how embarrassing! Spots of color bloomed atop her dark-skin, and Lulu couldn't bring herself to meet L'thor's eyes. "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry! Its this damn egg, its hatching- I think, and I don't know what to do," Daeluin hurriedly explained, urgency lacing her voice and making it sound rushed and whining.
"I'd really, really appreciate it if you could show me the way, sir," Daeluin spoke quickly, gesturing in front of her to say 'lead the way!" She hazarded a glance to Raith, as if seeing the green for the first time. Her dark eyes widened slowly, looking the dragon from nose to tail-tip with something akin to awe.
"I've got to be honest," Daeluin confessed in a breathy voice, finally managing to make eye contact with the man. "I have no idea what I'm sharding doing!"
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:50 am
Oh! Flitt egg! He should have wondered about the pot. Idiot. "Right! This way then!" So saying, he set off for the Weyr at a respectable speed, but one he hoped the girl could match without jostling her egg. "Don't worry about knowing what to do," he went on, discovering not for the first time that it isn't all that east to hold a conversation whilst running, "I've raised four of the little blighters, I can give you any pointers you need. Name's L'thor by the way, and my dragon is Raith; nice to meet you!"
He was feeling unaccountably silly, and found himself grinning as he unceremoniously shoved people out of the egg-girl's way. Something about running he supposed, it just made you feel good inside, like flying did. "Not far now," he called to the egg girl, "just at the end of the hall here!" He did hope the staff were cooperative, he hadn't yet had cause to ask them for food other than at mealtimes.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:59 am
Daeluin was put at ease by L'thor's lack of indignation at being fallen onto. She could have exploded with relief! The last thing she wanted to do was upset or offend this rider who was, by all accounts, her only real help right now. She was infinitely appreciative when L'thor set off at a brisk pace towards the kitchens; RIGHT. THAT'S where they were! Daeluin could have fainted in embarrassment. They were right where they had always been. Now, why hadn't she remembered that?!
"Oh, thank you! Thank you, sir, you have no idea how much I appreciate your help," she gushed, grinning excitedly. Her egg was hatching. HATCHING! In just a few moments, she was going to have her very own firelizard! She followed L'thor faithfully, trusting him to guide her successfully; the young woman found herself looking more often at the potted egg than where she was going. She almost ran straight into the green rider's back a couple times, but always managed to save herself from further embarrassment at the last moment.
"Oh, I do hope they have something to feed it! Raysan said that it was going to be absolutely ravenous after it hatched," Daeluin began to worry at what the kitchen staff would have on hand for a hatchling firelizard. Luckily, logic chose that moment to intervene. "But, people in the weyr have firelizards, and they all have to be fed. So... they /have/ to have something to feed it, right?" Daeluin vocalized her question, but immediately forgot about it and probably wouldn't notice a lack of answer. She could see the entryway to the kitchens! Ducking through the doorway after L'thor, she grabbed the nearest person who looked like they knew what they were doing.
"I need meat! My firelizard egg is hatching, and I'm going to need to feed it- is there anything you could get me for it? Please?" Turning away from the random staff as soon as she was done speaking, she set the pot down on the closest table and turned it on its side. Sand spilled out onto the table, and the egg rolled out. Hair-thin cracks made spiderwebs across the entirety of the shell. "Oh! Look at it!"
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:19 am
Some kind person shoved a chunk of meat and a sharp knife in his general direction, and L'thor quickly set himself to chopping it into tiny chunks. "Absolutely ravenous," he confirmed with a nod, grey eyes fixed on the flashing knife, "just make sure the first bit of food it gets is from your hand," he shoved a small pile of finished pieces in her direction, "and think happy excited thoughts. After that it's just a case of stuffing the little beast until it falls asleep."
He missed his boys. Before, back at Ista, he had been annoyed by their bed-sharing habits, their constant presence on his shoulders, his back, his head... Now he missed their presence, missed having to reclaim his pillow from them, missed not being able to roll over for fear of retribution in the form of small sharp claws and teeth, missed being batted in the ear with wings. Still invigorated from his run and excited for egg-girl however, he found himself sharing Raith's opinion. They were his pests, they'd be back to bother him once they got tired of fending for themselves. In Dusk's case in particular he would be surprised if that took very long to come about.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:31 am
"It's hatching!" Daeluin nearly shrieked with both delight and uncertainty. Even with L'thor's direction, she still felt unsure of herself. But Daeluin did not have much time to settle herself down; pieces of shell began to fall off, making a small ring around where the egg lay. Bits of green body were visible. "Look! Its a little green!" She exclaimed happily, eyes widening with surprise. Well, the green was not so little. Daeluin didn't have much to go on, but she had guessed that her egg had been a bronze. The green was, even as a hatchling, rather large.
Daeluin looked around frantically; had that serving person ever come back with meat? "Oh! You have it!" She observed with relief, snatching up a small handful of the pieces L'thor had chopped for her. The green was certainly taking her sweet time! She remained mostly covered by the shattered egg, a bit of thigh showing, as well as neck, and one patch of wing.
"Think happy, excited thoughts. Happy, excited thoughts," Daeluin repeated to herself. Well, that wasn't too difficult! She was happy to be here at the Weyr, ecstatic to have so many new chances and opportunities laid at her feet, and excited to have a firelizard hatching right in front of her! She gathered all those feelings and bundled them together (rather messily, like a ball of crumpled scraps of paper) and mentally shoved them towards the firelizard. The egg /exploded/! Bits of shell flew towards Daeluin and L'thor, still sticky with egg goo. A wailing shriek came from the green, who was upset at having been disturbed. She lay on her back, limbs now stretched out to the fullest, with one wing hanging off the edge of the table.
But oh, what was that? Her nostrils worked frantically, widening and shrinking as she deeply inhaled the barrage of scents around her. One stuck out. Foooooooood.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:50 am
He finished cutting up the meat and pushed it towards the egg-girl, whose name he really needed to find out, before delicately flicking away a sticky piece of shell that had become affixed to his cheek. Well that had certainly been dramatic, he seemed to remember River's hatching had been much the same. A green. He had to admit to being a tad jealous, he'd always wanted a green to add to his collection, greens were the best of the best after all. Still, maybe it was for the best that he'd never got one, Raith probably wouldn't have appreciated him having another lady in his life.
"She's lovely," he said after some moments with a smile to the dark-haired young woman, "do you have a name for her yet?... Speaking of names, what's yours?" He quite understood her forgetting to tell him in the rush, but at this rate he was going to get 'egg-girl' stuck in his head and not be able to recall her actual name when he finally did find it out.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:14 am
KREEEEEEEE! Kreeeeeee, kreeeeee goes the hungry little green! Flopping right-side up, quite ungracefully with still-wet wings flapping around, the hatchling lurches forward to snap at the piece of meat Daeluin holds out towards her. "Whoa! Don't take my fingers off, please!" She requests of the green, gingerly holding the piece of meat with just the very tips of her fingers. *SNAP!* Aaaaand, the first bit is gone. MOARPLZ. The green opens her jaws wide and cries out hungrily, throwing her wings back while her eyes whirl a hungry, eager mix of orange and yellow.
"She looks awfully angry," Daeluin remarks hesitantly, clearly not feeding the green quite fast enough. The distance between the young woman and the hatchling green is closed quickly, and before long, the green is perched on the edge of table, eating right out of Daeluin's palm. "Look! Look! I can.. I can feel her!" Daeluin observes quickly, realizing she can feel a growing sense of contentment from the hatchling green.
Embarrassment slowly takes precedence after L'thor asks after her name. Oh, no! In all the excitement, Daeluin has completely forgotten her manners! Blushing furiously, Lulu lets out a little nervous giggle. "Oh, I'm sorry! With all this rush and excitement, I forgot my manners! I'm Daeluin, but please, call me Lulu!"
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:57 am
L'thor chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I know how easy it is to get caught up in the moment with flitts." The little beast looked much happier now, for the first few days all most flitts cared about was a full belly. Of course, he considered, for some of them the situation never really changed. "So Lulu," he went on, wiping his hands clean on a convenient cloth and making a note to wash them thoroughly later; he hated the smell of blood, "what do you do around here? Apprentice? Candidate? I only arrived here a couple of sevendays ago, transfer from Ista." He had the other three greenriders who'd come from the island and he liked them all very well, but one needed more than three friends! By the looks of it he had a good chance to make one here; Lulu seemed to need somebody to teach her firelizard care after all!
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 6:54 am
Daeluin could feel the green's hunger subsiding. Well, that hadn't been so bad! She had worried for weeks, working herself up over something that had, literally, taken less than ninety seconds. Between the egg hatching and the green taking that first bite, thus making Impression, had been such a quick succession of events! Daeluin wasn't entirely positive that she would remember how it had all gone down.
With a huge grin up at L'thor, Daeluin began to get the little green settled. The hatchling was scooped up off the edge of the table amid sleepy, half-hearted squeals of protest. "Now, now, you're so full you look like your sides are about to split open! You've had quite enough," Lulu chided the green gently, with a rap to the end of her nose. But Tiki settled in slowly, unable to fight off the overwhelming desire to sleep.
As soon as she was passed out, Daeluin could turn her full attention to the green rider and their conversation. "Oh, I can't thank you enough for helping me," she began, offering L'thor a sheepish and slow smile. But she quickly launched herself into answering his question. "Well, I was a candidate. I didn't Impress, as you can see... But since there is no longer a clutch on the sands, am I still considered a candidate? I don't really do much here, by way of a profession. I was a trader before I was searched," she explained.
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:25 am
L'thor waved her off airily, turning to move out of the bustling kitchen as he did so. "Think nothing of it, I'm always glad to help out when firelizards are involved, and I suppose I'd still call you a candidate. You might be stuck working like a drudge at the minute, but next time there's a clutch you'll be on the sands again, right?" Should he tell her he came from trader stock too? He wasn't usually the sort to freely offer personal information to near strangers, but it wasn't as if it was uncommon knowledge, or anything that could be used against him. Besides, if it came up in later conversation she'd wonder why he hadn't mentioned it before.
"My family are traders too," he said eventually, having reached his decision. "We went all around Ista island, and the south coast of this continent too sometimes. It's been... oh, I suppose about fourteen turns since I left the caravan though. Still miss life on the road sometimes, I must admit; wouldn't trade Raith in to go back of course but I still feel nostalgic about that life." It had been a totally different life to the one he led now... Lunthor, that had been his name. He liked L'thor better, but vaguely recalled how odd it had been to get used to a new name. That had been a long time ago now, he hadn't realised just how long until he'd told Lulu.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 3:31 pm
Despite his airy wave, Daeluin was still grateful. He had gone out of his way to help her; feasibly, the green rider could have offered the hatchling green a morsel from his own hand. He could have tried to entice her away from Daeluin. But he had not, and for that, she was grateful. Almost shyly, Lulu watched her little green sleep. Nestled in the crook of her arm, Tiki's chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. Daeluin laughed quietly, still in a semi-state of shock. But she was pulled out of her reverie by L'thor's question; Daeluin glanced around, confused for the merest of moments, then directed her gaze and smile up to the green rider.
"Oh, yes, I suppose I'll stand for the next clutch. I don't think I'll be young enough for a third try, though," she admitted with a nigh-imperceptible shrug. It didn't bother her much, the thought of not impressing. She always had a place in the caravan with her family. It had been a good life, and she would not at all be remiss to return. Lulu did not bother to suppress her slight shock at hearing the green rider had once been a trader, although in an entirely different area of the planet. "Well! Isn't it a small world," she said with a coy smile for the man. "We mostly traveled here, on the northern continent. We ventured south once or twice, but found it too be too much work, hauling the wagons and people down by ship then back up, with not enough profit," Lulu pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I do miss life on the road, very much. Its been hard to trade my life there to the one here and now," she admitted readily. "Like you, though, I have no dragon to hold me here. I could still go back," and it was a consideration that weighed heavily on the girl's mind.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:25 am
"Huum..." L'thor smiled slightly, hardly conscious that his feet were leading him back out to find Raith. "I would have done had I not Impressed," he went on, imagining how his life might have turned out. "The freedom, new horizons every day, new friends in every town... The trading itself too, I always enjoyed that, still love to barter whenever I get a chance. Nothing quite like getting a really great deal, but leaving the person you traded with feeling like they got a good deal too."
Over by the lake, Raith raised her head to regard the distant figure of her rider, just emerging from the Weyr. "Don't sound too wistful," she teased, "I might start to think you don't love me! Maybe I'll decide to have another rider instead of you, there are plenty of handsome candidates around you know."
L'thor snorted and shook his head. "My lifemate is a beast," he informed his companion with a grin, "she's threatening to abandon me just because I said I could have been happy without her! I hope that if you do Impress you find yourself a slightly kinder dragon than I did."
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