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Eve sagged into the chair behind the desk she had acquired for her make shift 'classroom', her head pounding painfully. People, she decided, were morons. All of them. Every last person she had met thus far was a complete and utter moron. The dark haired woman kicked her feet up on her desk, closing her eyes as she kneaded her forehead with her knuckles, willing the pain that was taking up residence there to pack up its bags and get the hell out. She hadn't even started banging her head against the wall yet. Couldn't the pain just wait a bit longer until she did, and then at least she'd have a reason to have a headache?
A worried chirp echoed in her ear and she sighed, opening her hazel eyes and dropping her hand to see a small blue face filling her range of vision. The little firelizard's eyes whirled with a tinge of yellow and he chittered anxiously as he sidled back and forth on his perch on the back of her chair.

The smallest hint of a smile quirked at the edge of Eve's full lips as she looked at her dear little companion. "I'm fine, Farran. I think this job is going to require quite a lot more time and patience than I initially estimated though." she grumbled, reaching up to reassuringly stroke the little creature's head, mentally sending him feelings of peace and contentment until his eyes were blue-green once more. The blue crawled down from his perch on the chair back and curled himself about her shoulders, a warm, comforting presence about her neck that slowly released the pain lodged stubbornly in her forehead.

Eve had arrived just over a week ago now with a letter from the beastcraft master suggesting that the Weyrleader that she be allowed to set up voluntary classes for people who wanted to better train their firelizards in exchange for her being able to study the local's flits to add to her studies on the creatures. The Weyrleader had agreed, but from her reception she almost wondered if he'd even fully understood what the letter was asking. He had smelled heavily of wine at the time...but the headwoman had helped her get set up in a room and spread word of her classes, so she supposed that was official enough for her. Norra was probably the least moronic person that she had met here so far. She had a good head on her shoulders and could take care of things, even if she was a bit more sentimental than eve normally liked in people. Then again, Eve didn't like people much at all, so that wasn't saying much.

Her Firelizard class today had been the biggest so far as word spread around the Weyr and more and more people came in with their near wild firelizards. It seemed to her that most people had more flits than they could handle. She simply couldn't support so much breeding willy nilly! What was the point of so many firelizards if no one had any control over them?

She started kneading her forehead again just as something landed heavily in her lap. She didn't even wince at the prickle of tiny claws as the little green firelizard landed in her lap. She had long since gotten used to such little pains. Lin chittered at her, almost scolding her and Eve rolled her eyes and stroked the little creature into submission. Lin and Farran were her only two flits, and helped quite a lot in her classes, and in her life in general. They were like an extra pair of hands for her. Wasn't that how all firelizards should be? Helpful? Not just winged little nuisances flying here and there with no purpose...

Eve could feel her foul mood starting to settle on her again when Lin nipped one of her fingers and Farran hissed in her ear "Okay, okay, I'll stop." she muttered, making a face and trying to take a few deep breaths to calm herself before she left the room and bit someone innocent person's head off.

Eve's head jerked up at the knock and Farran let out an inquiring whistle as he sat up and settled himself neatly on the leather shoulder guard Eve had sewn onto most of her shirts for just such occasions, since the blue was a constant passenger on her shoulder. The dark haired woman frowned at the timid looking girl that entered the room, covered in flits. Marvelous, yet another person with more flits than they knew what to do with, and all but using their owner as a lounge chair too.
She didn't reply right away, contemplating on how to deal with the girl. On the one hand, the girl wasn't just late to the lesson, she had missed it all together, and then some. That she had the gall to come and ask for some extra time was rather insulting...on the other hand, she couldn't help if she was working in the kitchen. And at least she was interested enough in getting her firelizards under control to come during her own free time, even if it did cut into Eve's free time as well.
The Journeywoman gave the girl a long, calculating look as she lowered a gloved hand to her lap and at a twitch from her fingers, the little green resting there immediately climbed onto her wrist and sidled up her arm until she perched on Eve's other shoulder, making quiet little chirps to herself as she settled her wings and turned a curious eye on the little gold that landed on Eve's desk.
Eve raised one shapely eyebrow at the gold as it landed on the desk before her. There hadn't been anyone with a gold in her class just a few minutes before, so this was her first chance getting a good look at a queen bred there in Telgar. The woman sighed quietly and got to her feet, her eyes on the little queen now.
"Sit down." She told the girl. There were many chairs scattered around the room, and a few close to the desk where some of her braver students had been sitting earlier. Eve all but ignored the girl after that, her attention completely on the firelizard now.
"Come here." She said to the little gold, holding out a wrist to her and impressing a sense of command on her mentally, along with an image of the gold climbing onto her gloved arm. Links between firelizards and humans that they were not impressed to were considerably weaker than the links between them and their bonded, but Eve had learned that they could be made to understand if given clear commands.

Eve raised her arm slowly so as not to alarm the flit, knowing that it probably wasn't used to having other people handle it. She sent it calming feelings and the sensation of friendliness and warmth. Farran and Lin did their share by leaning forward curiously and chirping in a friendly, calming manner, eyeing the gold with bright little eyes.
The journeywoman worked slowly and methodically as she looked over the flit, checking for rough patches, looking to see if its claws were in good order and not splitting or overgrown. The wings were in good condition and everything seemed in order, Eve decided. She had carried off the whole procedure with a gentle hand that moved in a gentle manner along the flit's hide, making her examination feel more like she was petting than picking at it. over the years she had learned that flits definitely didn't like being man handled, even it it was just to check for rough patches, but if you did it in such a way that it felt like they were simply being petted, they tended not to even notice what was going on.
Nodding absently to herself, Eve made some mental notes on the creatures wingspan and overall size. She was one of the larger golds she had ever seen, and wondered if flits in general were larger here, or if this one was the exception. It could be that with so many well fed firelizards and a great deal of competition in mating flights and therefore on the largest, strongest bronzes would get a chance to breed...
A chirp in her ear brought Eve back to the present to feel Farran pressing his little head against her cheek. She looked around and realized she must have been frowning at nothing in particular for a good minute or so as she thought. She shook herself slightly and then stroked the gold on her wrist and then let it back down onto the desk again before she turned her gaze back to the girl.
"So, what is it you want from me exactly?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, wondering what it was the girl had come here expecting, or wanting. She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed the girl sternly, waiting for the answer.

Eve came around to the front of her desk and leaned against it, arms crossed as she gave the girl her undivided attention, something that could unnerve some people.
She snorted slightly as Jada finished speaking "That's the first problem most people have with their firelizards. Of course you can discipline them, you just have to know how." She said a little sourly.
"Obviously disciplining a firelizard is different from most beasts, you don't strike them." She shifted her position slightly as she continued "When you bond with a firelizard, they become attached to you through a telepathic link, which is how they transmit images to you, and vice versa. You use this link to reassure your flit normally. However, it can also be used for discipline. When they do something that you don't like, let them know you are displeased. Flits inherently love, or have great affection for, their bonded. When you are unhappy, they are unhappy, thanks to your empathic link. Use images and feelings, along with words, when trying to get a message across to your firelizard. Reward them when they do something good. It doesn't even have to be with food. " she said with a gesture to the pouch at Jada's hip that the little blue had been scrabbling through "Your happiness is enough, most of the time. The occasional treat doesn't hurt though."

"For your gold..." Eve seemed to consider her words a moment, absently reaching up to stroke Farran, who thrummed pleasantly at the attention as she did so "Queens are naturally dominant little creatures. In turn, you have to establish your dominance over her. Make sure she knows who is boss. You are her Queen, she should do as you say, just as lesser colors would do her."

Eve pretended not to pay attention to the girl as she tried out what she had explained, turning instead to look at the green flit on her shoulder. Lin crooned and nuzzled the hand that she raised to stroke her idly, even as Eve watched Jada out of the corner of her eye. The young woman wasn't completely useless. She was catching on to what Eve was teaching her faster than most of the students that had just left her class, at the very least. She seemed to be rather quiet, not very...commanding. The journeywoman wasn't surprised the girl was having trouble with her queen. Though she did not have one herself, Eve knew from her studies that having one could be very challenging if you didn't put yourself in the position of power in the relationship. Otherwise the flit had free reign and there was nothing you could do about it.

She nearly didn't catch the girl's quiet question. Tips on being more dominant?
"Dominance is something you are normally born with." Eve remarked, looking the shy girl up and down, and raising an eyebrow archly at what she saw there. Still, she did have the guts to come in here and ask for help even after everyone else had left...perhaps there was hope for her yet.
"But...if you are willing to work at it..." Eve mused, pursing her lips slightly "You have to be more straightforward, at least with your firelizard. If she does something you don't want her to do, you let her know instantly that you are displeased. Don't put it off. You command, be firm. If you can practice that, eventually she will automatically look to you. It doesn't come to everyone naturally so...try envisioning the way a queen dragon acts, and try to apply it to your own attitude." She suggested with a slight shrug.
"You, I can tell, are not a naturally forward person. There might be hope for you though..." she shrugged again.

"Some people seem to think so." Eve said drly, thinking of all the people who hadn't even put as much effort into training their firelizards as Jada had. There were quite a few in her class. At least those people were trying to make some effort to remedy the situation. Eve's attention was pulled from the girl who was now considering her gold, to the green that had flopped lazily onto her desk.
"I don't pet lazy flits." she told it bluntly. "You want petting, you have to come over here." She said as she offered her wrist to it, sending images of her petting the green while it sat on her wrist so it would get the gist of what she was saying.
Lin ruffled her wings slightly, giving a jealous little squeak at the other green as her owner's attention turned from her to it. Eve raised her eyebrow at her flit, and she soon quieted and waited her turn, though not without a slight huff first. Farran, on her other shoulder, seemed to give a little chortle of amusement as he resettled his wings and curled his long blue tail around Eve's neck.
"Hmm, yes, Golds, no matter whether they are dragon or firelizard, are very protective of their eggs. Once you establish yourself as her dominant, and not as her perch, she'll more readily allow you access." Eve explained.

Eve rolled her eyes ever-so-slightly. Well, it was a start at least. She stroked the little green with fingers that encouraged her to sit up properly on her wrist in the same deft manner that they had worked over the gold. Eve, still petting the green, caught Jada's momentary look of panic, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Don't over do it. Your flits aren't going anywhere." She said "Take it a little at a time. You cant change them, or yourself, all at once. That will just confuse them...and give you a headache." she pointed out dryly. "There's no rush. Your firelizards aren't that ill behaved." Eve said, which was something of a huge concession coming from the dour woman.

Farran chortled again and stroked his little head along his lady's cheek. His lady scared people, he knew, though he didn't know why, she was only ever nice to him and the other. He loved his lady. It was good to see her not scaring people. He turned his whirling blue eyes to the foreign green on his lady's wrist now, and chirped. No, his lady didn't want her to be like the gold. She just didn't like people slouching all over her. His lady was a lady, not a sleeping couch. Silly green.

Lin whistled accompaniment to Farran's address of this other green. How rude of this lazy green to laze about so! And on her lady! Rude rude! Didn't that green have any manners?! Well, the lady would teach her manners, yes she would!

"As they should be." Eve said, raising an eyebrow at the green on her wrist as she straightened herself up a bit, making her raise her eyebrow further at Farran as he chittered his amusement from where he sat on her shoulder, while Lin uttered and offended sounding little chirp and flipped her wings, decidedly ignoring the other green now.

"Go on back to your nap, then, lazy thing." Eve said to the green on her wrist, though there was a bemused light in her hazel eyes as she gently touched the little creatures mind with her own, telling the green it could go back to her girl.

"Scherzo, hm?" she said as she held out a hand for the little blue. "Where do you come up with these names?" she asked with some mild curiosity. Most people tended to have fairly average names for their flits, sometimes verging on blatantly un-imaginary. One of her students had had a brown flit named 'Brownie' for Faranth's sake. Where was the creativity these days?

"Gorged himself, has he?" she asked as the girl pulled the blue out of her belt pocket. She lowered her hand and said "This is a good time to implement what I was talking about earlier. Let him know that you are displeased he ate without your feeding him. He shouldn't steal food like that, or gorge himself for that matter. It's better to catch them at it young." she explained.