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Naita loved to sun herself on the beach – it was one of her favorite past times. The warmth on her scales, the feel of the sand, and the sound of the surf and seabirds: it was paradise to her. She rumbled happily, opening her eyes briefly to check on Cid.

Cid did not like the beach. It was clear that the sand got into his trotters and his wool, and that he disliked it intensely. Tough for him – he would just have to deal with it. If that meant climbing on top of her, so be it – Naita didn't mind.

So it was that a large firani khehora with a fluffy pet leklan on her back came to be on the Eowynian coast, glittering blue and red in the sunlight. Although the beach she had chosen was abandoned, it would not be so for long...

Naita was very warm and even the smell of food failed to rouse her... and then she smelled the picnic basket. Food and food... that was an interesting combination. She raised her head from the sand to squint at the Magescian (the first food, haha) and the basket (more food). What was the magescian doing with a basket of food? And a cloth? Bemused, she watched them, too lazy and comfortable to bother until a khehora walked up to her.

That was enough to get her to rouse properly, Cid protesting the movement with a thump of his feet. “Hello there.” she said, sniffing the khehora.

The khehora was a peisio! Another step out of laziness.

Oh!

A bonded!

Well, that was interesting, and Naita wasn't about to smack a gift hastar in the mouth, especially when it came bearing peisio magic, conversation and food. She got to her feet, Cid protesting further with unhappy bleats as he struggled to keep balanced on his resting spot. “Don't mind if I do, matey.” said the Firani, yawning widely and stretching, “And I won't even eat yer magescian there.” She was serious, though her tone was jovial as she trotted over to meet Esmeralda. She had eaten magescians before.... they weren't half bad. But this one was offering food and had a bonded.

She looked at Esme, grinning. “Hey there. I'm Naita, and this here is my matey, Cid.”

“It ain't absurd at all.” said Naita, shrugging, “But whatever, matey, I won't be doing it.” she sniffed the basket, “'sides, meat be meat, and you've got some great, fresh, already dead n' gone meat, here...” she grinned toothily at the Dovaa, “None in particular, I;ve got no preference. It's all meat to me, so I'll take any of it.”

She'd take all of it.

But the bonded was there and a Peisio besides, and thus doubly interesting to her and worthy of some manners. She shifted, letting Cid roll off her back with a unhappy bleat.

“And some o' them...” she nosed at the fruits and vegetables, “For my matey here.” she looked Esmeralda over, “If'n ye don't mind... you a Peisio too, like yer bonded, Esmer'lda?” she asked, contracting the woman's long name on purpose just to feel it roll over her tongue. "I'm a real fan o' the clan. Water be amazin', ain't it?"

Naita shoved the vegetables and berries in front of Cid, who sniffed them warily before – carefully – lifting a few to his little chomping mouth. “Maaaah.” he said, either protesting or complimenting the food. Either way, he ate.

Naita herself promptly began to tear apart the hastar meat. It was good and tender and meat-y. An excellent way to... well, not start, but continue... her day.

“You don't hunt?!” said the khehora, pausing in surprise, “Or fight?! How do ya, you know, live?” she poked the meat, “Or get this good stuff?”

“You get paid for teaching?!” Naita stared at her for a moment. There had been teachers in her old tribe, long ago, but they'd not been paid. They'd done it for free, out of duty to their tribe. She thought about it for a moment and then chowed down another piece of her meat. “Nice gig.” she commented. What if they had been paid in material goods instead of respect? They'd have been fatter, that was for sure, and they'd not have had to work or hunt or gather. Just talk, endlessly, to bored Orakoi.

That sounded like an excellent idea for a dream job - Naita wondered why it hadn't been done before. “Aye. I can't teach or anything. I ain't smart enough.” her eyes glittered with her jibe – at both the scholar and herself - “So I fight for my food.” she shrugged, “Sometimes, I steal it. Othertimes it gets given to me.” she shrugged, a gesture that involved her whole back and wings, “So, what do you teach that gets you nice grub like this?” she asked, curious.

Again, she didn't pretend to be able to teach, but hey – maybe she'd learn something.

“About dragons?” Naita asked, “Like... how to fight them, or...?” she tilted her head at the dovaa, “But hang on, you don't hunt, not even for food, so how do you find anything out about dragons?”

What a confusing idea.

“Well, wait, aren't khehora interesting too?” she asked, teasingly.

Naita laughed. “I'm betting the dragon's ain't too pleased about that!” she quipped, “They're odd creatures, from what I've seen of 'em. Shy-like, less they want your hide.” she tore into her share, chomping down the meat – only polite to eat what was given to her, after all – before flicking her bright eyes back to the dovaa. “I 'spect it's a hard studying you've got...” she said mildly, “Walkin' into the dragon's jaws, as it were...”

She finished her meat and licked her lips, fast at first, then slower, more thoughtful... “Did ye say... yer mate or whatever 'husband' be... Did ye say he were an Oblivionite?” She gave Esmeralda an incredulous look. “That ain't yer kind, is it? All ye Magescians look th' same to me.”

Naita happily brought the meat closer – it was good stuff. However... “Aww, crud... Yer leaving?” she said, unhappily. Meat was good and all, but she'd really been there for the people. The conversation. The easing of her loneliness. She knew the difference, vaguely, between the magescians, but that wasn't the point here. The point was, this weird Dovaa was leaving.

“Great meeting ya too.” she said, waiting for an invitation. She got none. She didn't really want to shelter from the storm – she wanted to ride it. Storms were fun and dangerous and exactly what Naita wanted in her life, but... she would be all alone. Also she was too full to do any actual riding. Just watching, then. “Good travels to ye both. Don't get yerself eaten by any dragons!” she called to them.

And with that, she – somewhat reluctantly, took her meat and went in search of a perch to watch the storm from...