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 Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:38 pm
It was getting towards evening, so Jadamirei had slipped away from her kitchen duties when released with some of the not-so-fresh bubbly pies (her favorite treat) and her flute, and gone down to relax in the hot springs with her firelizards. There were surprisingly few people there, and it looked like none of them were dragonriders, if she had her faces right. Slipping off enough of her clothing to be comfortable, and setting the flute carefully down in her clothing, she slipped into the heated waters with an appreciative sigh, the two lizards kicking and fussing nearby. Green Dolcissimo would be trying to relax, floating on her back, when Gold Allegretto would dive from nowhere, or squirt her playfully in the face.
After a few minutes, it stirred the girl to action, chastising the younger firelizard for her antics. The gold would curl up on her head apologetically, then a few minutes later would sneak back off. After the third cycle of this (and plenty of giggles from the weyrbrats), Jada was quite prepared to send the energetic gold off to do something. Anything.
But she got a better idea. Moving out of the water, scooping Dolcissimo and Allegretto with her, she moved over to her flute and brought it to her lips. Most of the people in the springs right now seemed young enough to enjoy, and with a few simple directions, the firelizards knew what she wanted.
As Jadamirei began playing, a bright little tune of her own invention that would be easily caught on to, the two firelizards began to twirl in the air, chirping along with her playing. A little dance, and firelizard song. And the two were happy enough to do it, especially the lively gold.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:18 am
"What is that noise?" Kannaroth had been quite happily dozing, only her nose above water level, soaking up the heat of the spring. Now though, there was a distraction, an unfamiliar sound... Or had she heard it before? No, but Hers had. He needed to snap out of his doze. "Hey," the green flicked her tail, sending a small wave of water over her lifemate's face, "I asked you a question."
Y'kar, who had been happily dozing on his back in the shallows, only his face above water, startled as the wave splashed over him. Coughing indignantly, he sat up and snorted out water. "What's what?... Oh, that's a flute," Y'kar turned to regard the musician, and scowled internally as he spotted the firelizard flitting above her. Two? What a b***h.
"I don't like it," Kannaroth raised her head to follow Y'kar's gaze. "It's so..." she sneered, "Cheery. Bet that one's got a head like a rock, and why does she have so much hair? It must take far too long to look after, but I suppose she doesn't care so long as she gets attention from males."
She certainly was one that would get attention; he recognized her, a candidate, but he didn't know her name. However, he did know that close to, she was really very attractive. "I could go and tell her to stop, that she's disturbing you?"
"No." Kannaroth got to her feet and shook herself free of water. "We shall go over, because I want to speak to her firelizards. She may puff and squeak at her silly flute as much as she likes, she is inconsequential to me." So saying, the sleek green set off towards the flautist and her pair of pets, sending out friendly thoughts to the little gold and green. Weren't they good at that? She looked forward to being able to fly like that.
Well, he supposed that meant he had to go over as well. Hoping that the girl wasn't too stupid, the skinny youth got to his feet and hurried after his dragon. "Umm, hi," he called as he drew near. "She just wants to talk to your flitts, she doesn't mean any harm." Not any specific harm anyway, just the background level of malevolence that his lifemate felt for everyone save him, her sisters, and their riders.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 9:04 am
The dragonet came as a bit of a surprise to Jadamirei, and when the small green approached the firelizards, she dropped the flute to give the green and Hers both a friendly smile. "Oh, I don't mind!" she said cheerfully, and gave a half-bow to the green dragonet from her sitting position. This must be one of the recent clutch that had hatched, if she was right, because there hadn't been any other recent clutches.
Setting the flute down, she watched the gold and green scoot towards the small female. "I call the green Dolcissimo and the gold Allegretto, miss." she spoke to the dragon. "Dolcissimo mostly likes to sleep, and Allegretto to play." she pinked a little. "So I guess they're not very imaginative names."
The gold spun around, chirping at the green and sending images of the Girl's bubbly pies, and the three of them sharing them while the Girl passed them pieces. Her eyes were glowing green and blue with pleasure. Dolcissimo chirped, showing images of the gold gorging herself on the pies behind the Girl's back, and Dolcissimo and green Kannaroth giving her angry eyes. It seemed like the gold was offering one thing, and the green was doubtful.
Jada turned deep blue eyes on the young rider, reaching into her bag- which grabbed the two flits attention. Images flew everywhere, mostly of two flits and a dragonet with plump bellies lazing in the sun while the Girl and the Small Big One talked. "I have some Klah and some bubbly pies. I should have enough for everyone, if you and Yours like bubbly pies?" she glanced over at Kannaroth, giving a shy smile.
She'd never been this close to a dragonet. And the green was a lovely thing, regardless of all the stories and snide comments she'd heard. Each to be judged on their own merits, not the ill-advised flights of their mothers. And such a pretty dragon couldn't be mean! heart
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 9:25 am
Well, she was grateful for the offer, but she didn't eat bubbly pies; only meat. She would like to be with them for a while though. More privately, Kannaroth wished the girl would stop talking to her; what a fluff-headed little idiot. Such dappyness was quite sweet in firelizards, but not in humans. If Hers wittered away like that... well, she wouldn't have chosen him. Why should she care about the reasoning behind her pets' pretentious names? Egh.
Y'kar smiled and sat back down in the the water, close enough to be able to talk but far enough in to be able to keep warm. "Thanks," he said with a nod, "but Kannaroth only eats meat; anything else makes dragons pretty ill, especially when they're as young as she is. I'd love some klah and pie though, it's been a long day; another one that is. She's hard work," he nodded at Kannaroth, grinning as the green gave him a disgusted look. "Hard work but worth it," he amended. "Can't expect everything to be easy straight off, can you? Oh! My name's Y'kar by the way, and this is Kannaroth... though I guess you might already know that," he gave a nervous half laugh, "she's pretty infamous already."
Egh. What kind of a stupid little airhead was she? Who offered pies to dragons, or flitts for that matter? They might like the taste, but it wouldn't be doing them any good. Did she not listen at all in candidate lessons? Did she even know the meaning of the work carnivore? Probably too busy fixing her hair. If she ever Impressed, Y'kar felt very sorry for the dragon who chose her indeed.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 9:38 am
Huh. Tethis had said she fed Feylith her leftover bubbly pies all the time. "I knew the digestion was a bit different between younglings and the older dragons." she gave a weak smile. "I guess I hadn't realized how much. I have a friend who shares her pies with her dragon whenever she's had her fill." she shrugged. "Sorry about that then."
She passed over one of the pies and filled the lid of the cannister with some klah before pushing it towards Y'kar. "I've heard about Kannaroth. Don't much care for what I'd heard or pay it much mind, frankly. I'd never met you before now, and I like to make my own judgements when I can."
Allegretto chirped at the Girl demandingly, and Dolcissimo gave her big blue eyes. Her lips twitched, and she divided one of the pies in half, passing it to the two. The gold snatched her half and immediately flittered back over to the dragonet, crooning and then taking a big bite, eyes whirling amusement. Green One's loss, only eating meat.
Jadamirei watched the dragonet and rider quietly for a few moments while the flits ate their pie. She wasn't ready for anything yet, herself. She pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them. If she was a dragon, her eyes would probably be whirling as contentedly as the puffed up lime-green lizard, who looked about to pop as she tried to finish her half of the pie before the gold got to it.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 10:06 am
Well great, poor dragon, whoever it was. Still, he supposed that a piece of pie that was large to a human or young dragon was tiny to an adult, so wouldn't do much harm. Still not something he'd ever feel happy doing to Kannaroth though, they just weren't designed for it. "Don't worry," Y'kar grinned as he accepted the pie and klah, "it's not your responsibility to know what's good or bad for my dragon." Maybe one day it would be, maybe she'd make her lifemate ill and get a tongue lashing from the weyrling master. Now that would be funny.
"It's nice to be able to start with a blank slate," the scrawny youth went on with a grin, taking a bite of the pie and making an appreciative noise. "I mean, Kannaroth is pretty hostile, but if more people were like you I don't think she would be." Less hostile, but no less frustrated with how stupid everyone around her was. That was the curse of brains though, you spent half your life wanting to knock them out against a wall because everyone else was just so very very dumb.
"You can say that again," Kannaroth said privately. "Pie. And klah. Sharding shells she's an idiot, and her friend is too, and so is her dragon. Pies. Egh. I ask you." Still, the flitts looked healthy enough so she wasn't going to make an issue of it. If they'd looked ill... well the long-haired brat would have been in for it. Firelizards were too daft to know better, so whoever was looking after them needed to know for them.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 10:19 am
Her eyes lit a bit with pleasure at the noise the youth made, since she'd helped on those pies. "Sorry if they aren't very fresh." she felt the need to apologize. "They are leftovers. And I'll definitely talk to some of the other riders. If they say it's completely bad, I'll let my friend know." And that was a fact, Tethis would never hear the end of it.
The young woman eyed her lizards critically, tugging the gold over and brushing a crumb off the tip of her nose before letting her go. "I've been told I'm a little silly about things like that." she looked down, wriggling her bare toes. "People have told me I'm gullible, but I just don't think it's fair, that they're talking bad about Kannaroth and her sisters. It's not their fault, and I don't think they hurt anyone else after they Impressed. Everyone says baby dragons don't know any better until they have Impressed, so why should they hold these three any different?" The girl seemed to puff up, indignant, then deflated. "But I'm just a Candidate, and can't do anything. Yet."
There was a gleam of determination in her eyes though. "So, where did you come from before coming to the Weyr? Or were you Weyrborn?" She was curious, liking to know about people- what motivated them? Where did they come from? "I'm a Harper Apprentice." she gestured at the flute at her side. "But I was in Healer Hall with my mother before that."
She tugged up her hair, deciding it was getting in the way, into a tight, serviceable work knot. It was a careless gesture, but the knot was tidy and obviously practiced. Objectively, the style did nothing for her looks except give her a severity that was more befitting an old woman than a girl her age. But who cared? If it was in the way, it was in the way. She just didn't want to chop it short just yet.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 10:30 am
"No, it's great," Y'kar grinned again, "if they're too fresh I always burn my tongue, never seem to learn... No though, they didn't hurt anyone once they Impressed," he nodded for emphasis. "I don't know why people are so against them, why are they seen as useless? Just because their clutch was tiny? Doesn't seem too fair, they're all brilliant dragons but most people just don't want to see it." Stupid short-sighted bastards. One day, they would rue their mistake, one day when the three of them finally managed to force the world to accept their worth.
"Anyway, where did I come from," Y'kar sipped his klah. "Just a small hold, not far from Telgar Hold. I lived with my mother and her parents, no idea who my father was; it was tough back there, but here it's a non-issue... I learned to bake a little bit from my grandmother, sweet things mostly, and was generally pretty socially awkward. My mother was my best friend until I came here pretty much, so I didn't learn how to make other friends until I arrived three turns ago, when I was thirteen. After I arrived I was just a candidate like anyone else, if a bit fixated by bronzes for the first couple of turns. Came to my senses eventually, stood for a couple more hatchings, and then there was Kannaroth." Grinning, Y'kar shrugged. "So that's my potted history; I've been pretty lucky on the whole... though after I Impressed Kanna my mother did decide she didn't want anything to do with me anymore, she wanted me to get a bronze, but it didn't seem to matter too much. Even if she doesn't want me anymore, Kannaroth does."
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 10:57 am
"Your mother is a stupid old woman." it was muttered, the girl not wanting the young Rider to hear her two cents. Some people didn't like hearing other people think poorly about their families after all. Still, the next moment she was trying to imagine the different reasons Y'kar's mother may have had for being so determined he Impressed bronze. But so important that she would tell her son... She bit her lip, trying to school her face.
Unfortunately though, most of her thoughts went through crystal clear onto her face as she thought. She never could keep control over her expressions and genuine feelings. Her round face was an open book, something she'd lamented for years.
"They say the dragons know best." her lips quirked. "And frankly, for your sakes I do hope that the others are willing to give Kannaroth and her sisters a chance." she looked troubled. "I... If you ever need anyone to talk to, you can come to me. I like to think I listen pretty well, even if my advice does tend to be a bit... useless most the time." At least she knew she wasn't the brightest glow in the basket, but it obviously didn't bother her. "I have a tendency to tell people to turn the other cheek for punching and hope for the best, so..." she bit her lip sheepishly. "And if you need any help- you can tell Kannaroth's sisters and their riders this too- I'll do my best? I imagine it can get pretty rough for you six." her eyes were full of sympathy- not pity, but an attempt at understanding and commiseration.
Then she glanced away. "I don't mean to seem like I'm trying to be interfering, or anything. I don't have your experiences, so I won't really understand all that I'm told, but if I can try and make it better... well, that's all."
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:36 am
She was right there, only a complete idiot would miss Kannaroth's worth. He didn't respond though, he probably hadn't been meant to hear it as he'd only managed to pick up the words with Kannaroth's hearing. As for the rest, the words she did mean for them, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh more, or hurl more. What did she think she could do for them, a stupid little candidate like her? Maybe she'd sell her body to high up riders in trade for them giving the green trio a chance! Maybe she would strangle anyone who was unkind to them with her terrifying hair!
What a pathetic, pretentious little b***h, who he couldn't insult by name because she had yet to introduce herself. As if she could do anything worthwhile, and as if they'd let her. Come and talk to her, as if she was a mindhealer and he a pathetic, weak-willed fool unable to handle the pressure that life was piling on him. He'd dance outside in the Thread before he confided in this one... Though he might fake it some day if it suited him, let her think he was sharing problems while he was actually just gaining her sympathy so he could use her more easily in future. She sickened him, she was like one of those sweet and innocent girls from a story. Perhaps it was worth sticking with her, because those little idiots always seemed to triumph over the people with actual brains.
"Thanks..." Y'kar said with a slightly shy smile after a few moments of silence, trailing off abruptly as if he had been about to add a name, but then realized he didn't know what the girl's was and was too embarrassed to say so. "I'll keep that in mind. I don't know how open the others will be to it... I mean we're all sort of getting as defensive as our dragons. It's not easy to trust anyone but them, you know? I mean... you seem really nice, I'm not trying to insult you but... but my mother was always really nice to me, until I did something she didn't want me to, and then I found out she'd only been nice to me because she wanted something from me. She wanted me to Impress a bronze, because she never Impressed a queen." Oh what fun, saying that he was afraid that the world was full of people just like him. Probably the girl was genuine, probably trusting her would be fine, she might even forgive him if he let her know what he was really like... but he didn't plan to do that. The only people he was prepared to trust were the two people who shared the weyrling dorm with him. Everybody else was an enemy, a tool, or both.
"You really are good at this, it would be quite entertaining if that female was less pathetically stupid." Kannaroth commented, still studiously ignoring the stupid nameless girl in favour of her flitts. Maybe they'd like to come and play with her sometime? She didn't have many people to play with.
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:47 am
The way he hesitated over her name was caught, and her eyes darkened as she caught her faux pas. "I'm Jadamirei. I apologize, digging around in your past and trying to get to know you, and I didn't even tell you my name. That's not very sociable of me."
Something niggled at her, about this boy and his dragon. But she ignored it, deliberately shafting the invasive little bad feeling off to the side of her mind. If something showed on her face, it was too quick for her to catch and stop it; she'd worry about it later.
"You don't have to come to me, it was an offer though. Keep it in mind, but don't feel like I'll be expecting you to." She leaned her head back, looking up at the darkening sky. How long until curfew? Well, she better get her exercise in. Standing, she moved back towards the water. "I'm going to swim for a bit." she gave Y'kar a smile. "I'll be back in a few minutes?"
The gold looked up as the Girl stood, chirping a query. When the Girl just moved towards the water, she returned to her picture-filled commentary to the dragonet. As for the little green, she was curled up possessively on the remaining crust of her pie, belly extended to its max, drifting off towards sleep.
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:37 am
"Okay, thanks Jadamirei," Y'kar nodded, "it's nice to be offered even if I decide I can cope by myself. Nice to know that some people care even if they don't know you that well." As the long-haired girl moved off for her swim, Y'kar sank deeper into the water, right up to his chin, and tilted his head back to study the sky. Time for bed soon, it was pretty early yet, nearly time to head inside but not time for most to go t bed. He was tired though, an early night would be welcome. Kannaroth agreed with him there, and added the thought that they had an early class the next day which they'd want to be alert for.
Once that was done with, and Kannaroth was fed and oiled, maybe he'd see if he could find miss-stupid-long-name again. She might not have a lot between her ears, but she was a pretty piece, quite pretty enough to be picked up as a bedmate by a powerful rider before too long. Being on her good side could be useful, and if not at least she was something to look at.
"That's human beauty then is it?" Kannaroth tilted her head thoughtfully. "Well she does look healthy, but all that nasty hair!... Oh? Hair is attractive to you lot?" the green snorted, "Now that is funny."
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:51 pm
It would be almost half an hour later that she returned, the sun close to setting. She had interspersed her laps around the spring with generally busybody tasks- mostly playing with the little ones, urging the sleepy children to run home, if their caretakers hadn't come to fetch them yet.
It was her own yawn that drove her to move back to the edge of the spring. She was surprised by how tired she was, considering she'd done little stressful work today. Of course, tomorrow she had... dung-tossing in the morning- her first day to try those gloves of hers- and the afternoon was kitchen duty, after her lessons. And in the evening she planned to bother the weyrharper.
Who also fed his dragon bubbly pies, incidentally. She looked thoughtful as she moved back towards the dragonet and her rider, giving them a small smile. "I do think it is about time that I head inside." she sounded genuinely apologetic. "I need to be up early." she didn't include the flits. "If you'd like to keep talking to Dolci and Alle, they can stay out here with you, Kannaroth."
The green made a negative chirp, moving over to curl heavily atop the girl's outer shirt and the flute. The gold looked mildly interested, but also decided to chirp a sad farewell to the green dragonet. Jada looked at the pies she had remaining, deciding she wouldn't eat them, and shyly held them out to Y'kar. "Maybe you'd like to share what's left with your roommates?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:47 am
Y'kar woke from a doze for the second time that evening, and sat up with a smile. "Yea, we should head in too, and thanks!" he accepted the pies with a smile, "I'm sure the others will really appreciate this... It was really nice to meet you, I hope we can talk again sometime. Haha, even if Kanna doesn't trust you an inch, she likes your flitts." At least the bit about Kannaroth was true, she really was disappointed to have to part from them. One day they'd have one or two, or maybe even more all of their own. She'd like that, wouldn't she?
"Of course I would," Kannaroth gave a soft croon as she said her goodbyes to the firelizards. "Not only are they adorable, but with the proper training they're very useful. You can guarantee that ours will be very well trained, I'll train any my sisters' riders get as well. Between us we'll have quite a little force... eventually." She was sure she could attract a wild flitt or two in the end, it might just take a bit of trial and error to get them to want to stick around with Y'kar.
"Oh, shoot," Y'kar got to his feet and smacked his forehead, "my clothes are back over there, so I guess I'll say goodbye here Jadamirei... Umm... Thanks for giving us a chance!" With these words and the slightly embarrassed grin of a young man not too used to attractive females being nice to him, he turned around and scurried back to where he'd left his outer clothes. With one last coo to the firelizards, Kannaroth turned to follow him. Once their backs were turned and they were a good distance away from Jadamirei, the lifemates shared a sly grin. What an idiot.
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