|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 7:35 pm
A'stor might not have been happy with his secret boyfriend for being here - and he wasn't. There was no might, only genuine definite displeasure - but he was still a Watchrider which meant he still had a job to do and A'stor wasn't going to slack off because that wasn't a "Sod off" to Kr'stof, that was just going to get him in trouble. The time to be sassy would be far, far later and directly to Kr'stof's face. Of course, he'd tried when he ignored the flitter Kr'stof had sent to drag him away - but that hadn't gone exceedingly well for him. Too well trained, he'd slunk in about a half an hour later, tripping over apologies.
Of course, far worse things could've happened in his life and the catharsis he'd been searching for when he'd ignored the message like he never had had been found in other ways and A'stor was fairly happy with his life for the time being, which made working easier.
<I am hungry.> Damith interjected, despite the fact that he was well past the point of caring for himself. A'stor returned the thought with just that information, that Damith was too old to be coddled like a hatchling. <I do not wish to be alone, nor intrude on these thoughts. I had enough of them as they happened. I wish for you to accompany me.>
This was, perhaps, fortuitous, as it meant he came up on a small blue (shards, was he glad it was a blue; he could handle addressing a blue, and that might give him some confidence on this whole odd colour nonsense - but as a gay bronzerider on a gay dragon, maybe A'stor didn't have much room to talk about being a curiosity) and his rider who had clearly had the same train of thought as Damith.
"Hello there!" A'stor called while he was still a bit out, so as not to surprise someone currently butchering.
<You behave> A'stor snapped, mentally, watching warily as the slim and snakelike bronze approached the tiny hatchling. <If you scare him, Damith, Faranth help me-->
<You are overdramatic. I will not.> With the dragon equivalent of an eyeroll. He turned his attention to Pavoth, then, his voice as warm as he could make it (but not considerably or overly friendly, by most standards).
<Hello, little one. I am Damith and this is my rider A'stor. We wish to speak with you, if this is not a problem.>
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 11:43 am
Meera was not used to butchering meat, but did her best to separate the wherry flesh from the bone so Pavoth wouldn't choke on anything. It wasn't the blood that bothered her, or the organs, but the fact that the feathers got fardling everywhere. “Seriously, how does that even happen,” she grumbled, shaking a hand to dislodge one bloody proto-feather. “They're impossible to remove cleanly but then they keep falling out on their own? Bloody stupid poorly-designed animals...”
Yes, if only all animals could come pre-dead and pre-cooked, Pavoth chuckled. Hey, he wasn't the one who had to do the work. He was allowed to lounge in the sunshine. An... any further snarky comments were cut off by the approach of outsiders. More new people! Pavoth loved meeting people! And dragons! “Krawk!” went the little dragon. It wasn't a pretty sound, but the Blue's eyes continued to swirl with friendly colors. Mine, he wants to speak to us.
“I kind of gathered that when he said 'hello' to a knife-wielding woman in bloody clothing,” Meera said, snarking right back at her hatchling. She at least tried to clean up a bit and waved back at the Bronzerider. “Hello. You're with the Watch, aren't you?”
It wasn't exactly a genius deduction. He was an unfamiliar Bronzerider who wanted to speak to them. She'd heard interviews were being conducted and oh Faranth what was Pavoth doing. “Oh for the love of... Pavoth, stop it.”
The little Blue was not in the least intimidated by the large Bronze and trotted up to him bravely. He snuffled around the stranger dragon, even rising on his hind legs (and putting his front legs against Damith so he could support himself) so he could get a better look. He's big and shiny, mine!
Yeah, I can see that. Stop trying to treat him like a climbing structure... “Sorry, Pavoth doesn't mean any harm. He's just playful,” she tried to explain with a shrug. “I'm Meera. He's Pavoth. Also sometimes known as annoying.”
And yet you love me anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 1:10 pm
"I am!" His smile was friendly and warm, ignoring the blood and feathers and dead wherry that was everywhere as he continued his approach now that the bloody woman with a knife knew he was coming and wasn't like to turn on him for being terrifying and huge. "I'm A'stor and this is Damith. It's nice to meet you - Pavoth is quite the handsome little hatchling." It never hurt to turn on the charm, just a little. Never ever. Especially if he was going to be asking a guard to tell him about what happened.
It was a good thing Damith had a soft spot for blues of all ages or he might have been incredibly more offended than he was. His head pulled back a little, confusion whirling in his eyes, as he felt tiny feet pressed against him. He was tempted to take a short step away but reluctantly lowered himself to the ground, placing his head lower so that the small dragon could inspect him without needing to climb him, in hopes that would get him to stop.
<Mine, he is - what is he doing?> The thin veneer of disapproval hid the concern and confusion A'stor knew his poor Damith was suffering and, when he turned his head to see the dragon was actually doing, he laughed.
"No, no, it's more than alright. Curiosity and playfulness is to be encouraged, and Damith doesn't have a problem with it."
<I have a problem with it.> His tone was slightly urgent, which meant he was almost panicking. It made A'stor laugh again.
<Be quiet. Play nice.>
Damith gave a long suffering snort out his nose and turned his attention to the climbing infant. <Ah, hello.> He repeated, his mind voice wary and quiet as though Pavoth might suddenly grow to full size and bite him. Or something (the actual answer was quite the opposite; he feared he might break the little one). He refused to admit he had ever been nearly that tiny and breakable looking. Infant dragons freaked him out, quite obviously. <I hope we aren't interrupting your lunch too severely.>
"I'd just like to talk to you a bit - and if we're bothering you too much, it can wait until you're done with this, of course." All smiles, A'stor was, and at least they were genuine. Considering he towered a good foot over the woman, he chose to sit down in the grass, one knee pulled halfway towards his chest, hands locked around his thigh so that he wasn't nearly so loom-y and big. "Otherwise, I'd just like to hear about what happened at the Hatching."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 2:56 pm
Charm was not something Meera encountered often. And, unfortunately for A'stor, the few times she did encounter it, it usually meant someone wanted something from her and they just didn't feel like approaching her like a ******** human being would get it. Her eyes narrowed. Aaaany moment now, there will be a bolt of sunlight that goes 'ting' off of his teeth, the b*****d, he thought to herself.
The important thing is that you're not jumping to conclusions, Pavoth cut into her thoughts, as he was wont to do. It wasn't that he was prepared to accept these newcomers as old friends or anything. He was, however, willing to wait to make his judgments. Essential to the entire process was treating Damith like a jungle gym. In lowering his head, the only thing the Bronze achieved was making Pavoth's goal easier.
Bright side, the tiny Blue abandoned his attempt to climb up the Bronze's side. Bad news was that he decided to get up close and personal with the other dragon's face. At least he stopped trying to climb him, right? It's fine. I'm not that hungry and you are more interesting, he said calmly
“Yes, he is handsome. Are you here to ask actual questions or here to state facts?”
Ooo, are we setting a new goal to alienate everyone? I think you're winning, Meera! To Damith, he added privately, She was raised by Felines. Sad case. I think she was left in a basket somewhere, because Felines found her too ill-tempered to deal with.
ugh, fine. She'd talk. But she just wouldn't like it at all. At least the Bronzerider wasn't being a dickhole about her dragon being harmlessly playful. That was, reluctantly, a point in the man's favor. “No, it's fine. I can multitask. You're going to have to be more specific. I assume you don't want to know about what flower arrangements were present at the Hatching but, beyond that, I don't know what you want to know.”
Are you being difficult for the sake of being difficult or does it just sort of happen?
Faranth scorch it. Avoiding conversations was so much easier before she had a tiny dragon in her head. She sighed and tried to clean off her hands a bit. “Fine. I assume you're asking about the first Grey, right? It hatched and started to attack people. It could have killed someone if C'ross hadn't shot it.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:43 pm
Oh Faranth he was in his face. Uh. Um. Damith simply stared at the infant, at least one eye constantly tracking him, afraid to let him out of his sight for too long. What, exactly, was he supposed to do? Stare... at him? He relaxed a little at the snark, at least; the noise was soft, and almost mirthless (good work, Damith! If anyone could overthink laughter and drain it of all amusement, it is actually only you.), but it was a laugh anyway.
<I see. Mine is much the same way, sometimes. Perhaps it is a human thing, being ill-tempered and uncivilised. At least I have taught him to put on a good show.> The thought was not that private and A'stor would have something to say about the implication that Damith had actually done anything but eat and be an a**, but later.
<He is not good for much but I suppose I must keep him around anyway. He has become too lazy to even feed me. He says I am too big for it.> At least this time, the words had the vaguest sense of long-suffering love.
A'stor was not particularly accustomed to such bluntness, though, which is why a quiet laugh escaped him (perhaps luckily timed) at the bit about flower arrangements (he could've laughed at a worse time, so it was baby steps in the right direction). When she actually started talking, he cocked his head. "Shot it? Hatchlings.. Do that." He had no better word for it. "Damith headbutted everything that came within striking range. A few of his other siblings went for claws and teeth."
Damith did not like the reminder that he had ... headbutted things. That sounded so odd and unlike him; he hated it. Compounded with the disgust that someone had culled an infant for no reason, Damith was an utterly unhappy beast.
"Why did he shoot it? I mean, it's not like most people bring weapons to Hatchings just in case they get the urge to off an infant."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 11:32 am
Was... was that laughter? Pavoth chittered to himself and cocked his head to one side. Being bonded to Meera meant he was used to emotions in extremes. Damith's awkward little mirth didn't sound like laughter, but his words certainly indicated that he found this funny. Right? Maybe? They have thumbs, Pavoth informed Damith solemnly. And fingers for scritches. That's why I keep Meera around. And it's not really their fault. We've been genetically engineered to be intelligent creatures. Humans are just a fancy sort of mammal.
“Sorry, could you repeat that, A'stor? I couldn't hear you over Pavoth going, 'no, Meera, I'm not hungry and I never need to eat ever again'.” At least A'stor----see, he had a name now!-----was racking up a few more points in his favor by laughing at her snark. Meera only grudgingly awarded him a few points for that, which were quickly taken right the ******** back when he didn't seem to understand what she was saying. “I don't mean the Grey was headbutting people. I mean it was biting and clawing and it nearly killed a Candidate.”
He was just confused and lost...
Yeah, and clearly the best way to be less confused and lost was to murder the ******** out of poor Ralvyn--
I was confused and lost.
You didn't attack anyone over it though.
I could have. I was scared. Pavoth didn't headbutt Damith. He did, however, rub against the much larger Bronze like an affectionate cat (and, much like cats, Pavoth apparently preferred to hone in on people or dragons who were obviously uncomfortable with him). He remembered things vaguely. It was like peering at something through cheesecloth: he could make out the shapes, but not the sharp defined looks. Except for the fear. He remembered that, bone sharp and complete. At the mere memory of it, the little Blue's eyes started to swirl grey again.
Meera wisely decided to drop the topic with Pavoth for now. After all, she'd been standing silent for a few seconds. That was... well, it was bound to be a bit weird for the other dragonrider. Then again, he was probably used to it. Dragonriders chatted to their dragons all the time. “He brought his crossbow with him. I don't know why. I think M'onk gave the order. It was to preserve human life.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
