Jeepers Creepers - A'mry

[stolenhart]

I'm bored. No answer. I'm bored.Still no answer. I'm bored. When there was no answer from his rider, Nistelath walked over to I'stel's bed and promptly climbed onto it and his rider. "Nistelath! Shards really?", the rider asked, trying to push the dragonet off. Yes really. I am bored. I am not hungry, I am not sleepy, the blue snorted, However I am itchy. Let's go to the beach, the question was phrased as a statement, and an order.

"Get off me then", I'stel replied, pushing the blue away. though as large as a medium-ish canine, the dragonet was all angles and those angles hurt. He waited patiently while I'stel shucked his boots off and left his shirt on his bed. Clad in knee length, faded and worn pants the pair made for the beach. I'm going to look for treasure, the blue bugled as he minced into the shallow water. "I am here to scrub you!", I'stel shouted after him. Hiatus chirped a question, "Yeah go help him", I'stel waved his brown flitt off. Hiatus went to Nistel, landing on his head, so he could direct the blue in his quest for treasure.

[fauxfox]

A'mry's hands were meant for finer things than this. Precise and nimble, they'd been crafted over the years for the likes of percussion and string; the calluses earned from rigorous practice, not manual labour. Shaffit, the boy hadn't done an honest day of manual labour in his life. A Harper had once told him that his hands, like his voice, were instruments in their own right, precious as a surgeon's. The same Harper would probably have cried to see the purpose they were serving now, slathering globs of rancid oil over flaky hatchling skin.

I think you have done that spot already,

[/i] Genilth piped up mildly, beginning to fidget from the amount of time her beloved rider was spending on the chore. Slightly frazzled, A'mry scowled. "Be quiet and stop distracting me." Though she was probably right. The hapless weyrling really wasn't sure how much oil he was supposed to be slathering on her, or how to spot the signs of impending flaky hide in the first place. Moreover, the somewhat obsessive perfectionist in him wasn't going to allow him to consider the job finished until it was done right. It was really just as well fate (the bitch she was) had at least had the mercy to bestow the smallest of dragons on him; if it took him over a candlemark to oil a green only Faranth knew how long it might have taken to oil a bronze.

Nistelath, said the green, perking up and looking over her rider's shoulder. A'mry swore under his breath. I'stel. Wonderful.
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[stolenhart]

The blue was just getting into the sand and muck when he saw a tinge of green on the horizon. He shook his head violently, sending the brown flitt off into the air before he took off at an awkward gallop across the beach. Genilth!, he said in welcome, coming to a stop just inches away from her and perilously close to A'mry. His skidding stop sprayed sand in a small wave that, unfortunately, washed over the green's tiny front half, sticking to her oily hide.

"Nistelath come back here!", I'stel called out after the galloping blue, chasing after him across the hot sands of the beach. "Sharding blue, I'll skin you for boots", he added as he slowed down a few paces away from A'mry and Genilth. "I apologize for him. He just took off", I'stel explained as Hiatus came to land on his shoulder. The brown chirped an inquiry but I'stel ignored him for a moment. "Nistelath let's leave them to it", I'stel urged. No! Genilth can help me look for treasure. She is my friend and I want to play, the blue answered, baring teeth to his rider. He'd never use them as a weapon but as a deterrent they were effective, at leastuntil I'stel figured out the blue would not hurt him.

[fauxfox]

I don't think... warned the little dragon, but whatever advise she was about to give her approaching friend trailed off as he interjected with his boisterous arrival. Genilth took a hasty step backwards, but not quick enough to elude the wave of sand that lapped up against her neck, chest, and front legs and stuck. Started by the blue, A'mry toppled back onto his butt, letting out a small cry of something like weary dismay as his eyes found the proverbial damage. Not to mention the fact that his oil jar seemed to have been buried.

"I... you... she..." The Harper struggled to find the words that aptly conveyed how scorching, Faranth-fucked typical the situation was when his capacity to give a damn gave out, and he let himself flop flat against the warm sands, defeated. A moment later, Genilth's head popped quizzically into view. Nistelath wants for me to help him look for treasure. She explained, waiting for some indication of permission or irate refusal. A'mry closed his eyes. "If that lizard is still within reaching distance when I open my eyes, I'll nail his hide to the barracks wall. The place needs some colour."

Come, Nistelath, I will race you to the water! The green dragon nudged her brothers hip and set off at an awkward lope. Shading his eyes with his forearm, A'mry squinted a caramel eye in I'stel's direction. "You owe me a new jar of oil."

[stolenhart]

I will win!, he promised turning on heel and following after her. She made it to the water a finger length in front of him but by then he had already forgotten his challenge. Try not to bring any with, what was that?, he asked her, having caught sight of something moving in the water. Hiatus winged over to see what had gotten Nistelath so excited but the flitt could not see anything other than cloud of moving fish dashing back and forth across the shallow beach sands. He chirped his disappointment.

"A new jar? I can do that", I'stel shrugged. They could have all the oil their dragons wanted, it wasn't like the stuff was rare or even that precious. He held his hand out to help A'mry up. "Sorry about that, sometimes he gets away from me and I can't do much about it but try to catch him", he apologized looking down at the young man. "But he does seem to like your dragon, well he also likes slime covered rocks so what can I say?"

[fauxfox]

Even if she did make it to the sea-front first Genilths joy at the fact was short lived, as her attention turned to the matter of counteracting her own forward momentum. She was chest deep by the time her skidding paws managed to stop her, but mercifully upright; water up the nose was one of the most horrid experiences she'd yet discovered. Maybe it is a new kind of treasure? Suggested the green, wading over to Nistelath's side and squinting almost comically in the direction he'd been looking. I do not see anything. She admitted slightly sadly, and indeed, her inelegant amble had probably scared the nervous little minnows into hiding.

It had been a sardonic demand more than anything but I'stel didn't protest, and A'mry guessed oil was a plentiful thing in the Weyrling Barracks. He only glanced at the hand presented to him before ignoring it, sitting up under his own power and crossing his legs. It wasn't like he could go anywhere while his dragon was preoccupied with playing, he'd might as well sit and wait it out. Whether I'stel joined him was entirely his own choice. "If I didn't know better I'd say you've been feeding him klah, but I seem to remember him being the excitable type straight out the shell," he remarked offhandedly, brushing sand from his dark hair and snorting lightly at the blue hatchlings penchant. "I daresay a slime covered rock would take less looking after."

[stolenhart]

Wait for it, he cautioned her, inching his nose forward until it was just touching the water. Look! There! And another one!, he exclaimed, blue hide quivering with excitement over what he had found. He wanted Genilth to see his new treasure. I shall name them swimming-foodsies!, he added, looking to her for confirmation of his naming of the fish. I'stel I found Swimming Foodsies!, he sent to his rder, excitement making his eyes whirl quickly.

"That's nice", I'stel yelled back, still unsure about the silent speech he could barely use. "He was just excited about, well yeah you are right. He is the excitable type", I'stel agreed plopping down on the sand near A'mry. "I am not sure he can help it and I am not sure I want it to change. So far he just bounces alot, which onces he learns to fly and can do more energy burning stuff will probably change", I'stel added then chuckled, "Too right, unless of ocurse the slime began to cover most of your things. But that isn't much different from the oil".

[fauxfox]

Obediently Genilth waited, mimicking her brother so that her snout was just a fraction above the water. When a silver blur abruptly sped past them, conbined with Nilstelath's enthused exclaimation, the little dragon jumped with shock and then awe. It was difficult to keep up with the fast moving things, futile even, but she tried her best anyhow. But... how do you know they are foodsies? She queried, tilting her wedge-shaped head. And how will we eats them if we can not catch them? They are very fast. Fast like your baby dragon. Genilth peered at the brown firelizard perched on the blues head, her infant mind whirring its way towards a connection. Perhaps.. perhaps he can catch your foodsies for us?

The other boy didn't seem put off by A'mry's lack of invitation, taking a seat nearby regardless. He and D'von were thus-so-far the only individuals capable of overlooking his lack of tact when it came to socializing, and the ex-Northerner was still trying to decide whether this was some new, uncanny extent of patience that they both possessed or whether they noticed his sardonic jabs at all. Moreover, A'mry had yet to figure out how he felt about it; if he was glad for their tolerance or annoyed by it. It was all slightly bemusing. "I always thought dragons were supposed to take after their rider. You don't seem the.. excessively energetic type." Then again, the green weyrling knew very little about the blue beyond what he'd managed to perceive. "Nor do rocks deficate, vomit, or require ridiculous amounts of feeding."

[stolenhart]

Nistelath stared at Genilth as if she had grown a second head, unsure of, and possibly unable to answer to answer her questions. But then she mentioned Hiatus, and his eyes rolled upward to meet the brown's inquiring look. Hmmm. I think maybe he can, while the flitt could not talk to Nistelath clearly, images were easy and they did share a common vocal language. It was not difficult for Nistelath to give Hiatus the request for the Swimming-Foodsies and the brown flitt, curious as to why the larger dragonets would want such small fish, agreed to catch them one. With a chirp, the brown jumped off of Nistelath's head and began to race over the slow moving waves. He has gone to catch us one. We shall see if they are foodsies or now, his voice was very scientific as he watched.

I'stel gave A'mry a lop-sided grin, "Well from what I have observed among the various riders is a differing of personalities. Sometimes dragons are exactly like their riders and those people have friends who are just like them. Other dragons are very different from their riders, those riders tend to have lots of different friends. There are even one or two dragons in the Weyr who make it a point to argue with their riders. Those riders don't have a lot of friends", I'stel explained with a shrug, "I think the dragons were made to fit into our lives in ways we need them too, whether we know what we need or not. I don't know it's just, Nistelath is outgoing and friendly and me", he shook his head, "not so much. Despite common misconception. He's good for me though", I'stel added in an after-thought, shading his eyes against the sun so he could watch the dragonets. "You ever been flying?", I'stel chose to disregard the comment about the rocks. There had to be something about dragons that would get to the Harper's soul.

[fauxfox]

For several long moments the Green worried that she had said something wrong by the way her friend stared at her, and she shifted uncertainly under his bemused scrutiny. Finally Nistelath's eyes rolled upwards, meeting the steady gaze of the firelizard. Buoyed by the Blue's confidence she watched the exchange with a kind of fascination. The little dragons intrigued her; as much dragon as she or any of her weyr friends, but small as a trundle bug compared to the grown-ups they would one day be. Had they shrunk instead of grown? Genilth watched the little flitter zoom off, wings shivering in anticipation for meeting her first 'swimming foodsie'. What if they do not want to be caught? I do not think I would want to be caught if I was a food. She reflected, thoughtfully.

A'mry listened without scepticism - this was, after all, a subject that I'stel likely knew scores about, compared to his relatively meagre education in dragonkind and those they associated. Cataloguing the information away for later contemplation, the Harper boys doubts started creeping back in from the first hint of 'I think'. His dragon was not fitting in to his life so much as completely rewriting it, and frankly he was quite certain that no part of him (known or unknown) needed the complete obliteration of his independance and individuality. I'stel went on to mention something of himself, or rather, a misconception, and the Green weyrling was mildly surprised at the frankness. He didn't comment, but it was clear that he'd listened. "Twice." He addressed the question and abrupt change of topic. "Once when I was younger, second on the way to the weyr. Never been between, though." Doodling in the sand, he frowned lightly. "I don't remember being all that impressed."

[stolenhart]

Why would they not want to be caught? They are foodsies. It is their purpose in life to be eaten. I would think they'd volunteer for it except maybe they do not know we want to eat them?, he asked her, tilting his head as he thought the question through. Food volunteering to jump down his throat seemed like a perfectly logical explanation to him, he had to eat didn't he? Just then Hiatus reached into the water and in the mist of sprays of water and screeches the brown managed to wrangle one of the small 'foodsies'. He caught one!, the blue bugled, dancing in the shallows as the brown brought the fish back. Hiatus settled his catch on the beach so it would no escape and moved away so the dragonets could look at it. You try it first, Nistelath urged Genilth, poking the still living creature with a foot.

"Twice? And just quick trips?", I'stel rolled his eyes. "You need to go flying just to fly. Next free day, when they are asleep, we will find a rider to take us flying. We won't be able to between but really flying around the Weyr", I'stel smiled remembering the times he had been up. "Loops and barrel-rolls and being so high the ocean looks like a lake. Nothing but you and a dragon, it's freedom", he added, then glanced away, face reddening in embarrassment.

[fauxfox]

The Green paused speculatively as she thought his reasoning through, and seemed to find that it made sense. Then I am glad that our purpose is to eat foods, and not be foods. She nodded, forgetting the entire matter as her attention was caught by the nearby plume of water, and added a lilting creel of excitement and congratulations to the Blue's. Splashing from the shallows and on to the beach, she approached the strange creature that Hiatus laid out for them with caution. It looked so strange! Me? Genilth, who had been peering closer, blanched as the fish flopped about wildly after Nistelath's prodding. Gathering her courage, she crouched, nudging it with her snout. It is slimey! Like your treasure is slimey! Are you sure it is not treasure? She frowned in puzzlement. Treasure and food were two very different things.

To be fair, A'mry hadn't exactly had many opportunities to go flying just for the sake of it. He frowned lightly, somewhat apprehensive about the idea. It was not the flying, per se, that didn't appeal, but rather the entire matter of putting ones trust in another person or creature not to crash, or drop them, or otherwise shard it up. Other people, in A'mry's experience, were very good at sharding things up, and could not be relied upon to do anything else. His frown turned to a look of mild amusement as the other boy flushed with the realisation that he'd said just that little too much. "I guess I don't need to ask what you're most looking forward to." Candidates seemed to take to the Hatching Sands for a number of different reasons, though he'd got the impression that many of the weyrbrats did so simply because it was expected of them. I'stel didn't seem quite so blindly invested.