Eastern Weyr - Main Clearing
The main clearing of Eastern Weyr is immense, a sprawling space carved out from the verdant jungle that is constantly threatening to encroach from the north and east. There are a few pathways paved with dark stone; otherwise, the ground is full of dust — or worse, mud, during the rainy season — due to the constant churn from dragons taking off and landing. The trees tend to be enormous affairs, sweeping the skies far above the heads of any dragons, with trunks bigger than a dragonlength around. Shaded by the surrounding foliage is the single feature that makes this area suitable for habitation: a series of large bubble caverns provide permanence and shelter for the inhabitants of this tropical Weyr.
By day, this lovely jungle seems to display all of its glory in abundance to those who wander it. There tends to be quite a bit of activity, with dragons coming and going from the preferred launchng point. Summer has struck this coast paradise hard, the heat of the day neary unbareable without the shade and breezes, but the evenings made sweet with the smell of the coast.
It's fair and very warm, with a few clouds in the sky.
Cyrilth grumbles a greeting. It's just his deep voice. Scritches? He slowly swings his head around to Fiona.
Fiona looks up from the manual her nose was buried in and offers the big brown a gentle smile, "Sure, big guy. I haven't spoiled you in a while, have I?" She slips one finger into the book, marking her page, then moves over to the brown to rub his head ridges, "How have you been? It seems like I've been so busy lately I can't keep track of my dragon friends."
Cyrilth just turns his head to get the attention, his innermost eyelid closing in contentment and his eyes whirling in a peaceful blue. His tail wags a bit as he begins a low, soft croon.
Fiona keeps up rubbing the browns eyeridges, "You like that? Good, then I'm not getting rusty." She hazards a quick glance around the clearing, then whispers conspiratorially to the brown, "Can I confide something in you?"
Cyrilth turns his head a little, the crooning stops and he listens.
Fiona keeps the attention coming. You have to give a dragon attention or it will wander, right? "I like Ur'con. A lot. But I just don't know how to handle it with him being a rider and all."
Cyrilth makes a deep rumble in his chest. He places the thought of Ur'con in his mind and shares it with Fiona. Yes, that one is a good rider. There are feelings of positive appraisal.
Standing in the main clearly, Lacus is quietly climbing a treet-attempting to perhaps get a particularly attractive leaf, or something. She clings to a branch trying to keep her balance as one hand reaches out grab it.
Fiona jumps back from Cyrilth with a start at the sudden touch of the brown's mind. One hand moves to rub her head gently while giving him a searching look, "Was that…?"
Cyrilth just raises his head and looks around. What was what? He sees someone suspicious up in a tree and sniffs. He makes a little growl…not familiar. He looks down to Fiona then over to the creature with a different scent.
Fiona follows the brown's glance, but the form is gone, "What do you see? I don't see anyone…"
Cyrilth turns his head. It's gone. He turns back to Fiona and croons to her.
Fiona reaches up to stroke the brown again if he'll let her, "Probably just a sneaky 'brat. You know how they can be." She lets out a slight sigh and leans against him, "How's your rider doing, anyway? Haven't seen him in a while, either. Two apprentices has me hopping like a busy wherry."
Cyrilth carefully images a contented rider, often tired, hard working, proud of his son, happy with his weyrmate. It is a type of image that has lots of feeling in it even though the picture is a bit vague. But the face of his rider is clearm as are the faces of Kesti and Ur'yu.
Fiona peers at Cyrilth again, still rubbing his eyeridges gently, "That's… quite the image. That is you, right? I'm not going slowly insane?"
Cyrilth makes a supportive little growl of a croon. He lowers his head for more scritching. He just shares his feelings eith her because he likes her because she's nice to nim…and his rider.
Fiona leans and works more on those eyeridges, "Alright, then. Good to know I'm not mad and better to know your rider and his family are doing well. I know Ur's a good man," she just sort of guides the 'conversation' back to where it started, "What do you think I should do, though?"
Cyrilth gives her a little nudge, gently.
Fiona takes a halfstep back in the direction of the nudge, "What's that mean?"
Cyrilth again gives her a gentle nudge. Then he tries to image Darlth's rider to her. He mostly sends the image of the big Bronze dragon. He isn't really friends with this dragon, and that seems to be clear with the image a bit blurred and distorted, but he hopes she gets the massage.
Fiona sort of falls on the brown at the second nudge, "I know what he looks like. I can't just go to him. We're different people. He's a rider, I'm not. I can't ask him to be just with me. It's impossible. And I can't handle that."
Cyrilth makes an audible sigh. Then he touches her again, sroking her arm ever so lightly with his upper lip, gently. Gently. Gently nudge.
Fiona strokes the brown's nose gently despite the nudging, "I don't understand. I'm sorry." And she really wasn't expecting answers.
Cyrilth bespeaks Fiona with < Gently! >
Fiona stares wide-eyed at the brown, pausing in her attention for a moment before picking it up again, "You're saying I should approach him gently?"
Cyrilth drops his lower jaw in a draconic smile. His eyes sparkle.
Cyrilth bespeaks Fiona with < You got it, toots! >
Fiona's brows furrow in confusion, "But… /how/? How do /I/ do anything 'gently'? That's like telling a tunnel snake not to eat flizzard eggs."
Cyrilth raises his head and looks around. Then he lowers his head. He makes a sound in his voice, melodic, up and down in pitch sort of quick, like he wihes he could just talk to her. How to get it across?
Fiona cocks her head slightly to one side. Her mouth opens, then closes, her brows maintaining that confused furrow, "I should… sing?" There's a definite communication barrier here. Oops.
Cyrilth scratches in the sand. What is that thing that humans do with paper? S'dan makes pictures…so does Kadan…the tall older son of S'dan. Darn!
Fiona strokes the distressed brown's hide, "Maybe I should guess. Now, Teq thinks I should just, how did she put it? Jump him?"
Cyrilth gasps! He quickly draws in breath and raises his head, giving it a good,quick shake back and forth on his strong neck.
Fiona chuckles softly and tries to give the brown a soothing stroke, "I didn't think so, either. I like Teq, but she's very impetuous."
Cyrilth hops over to Kojakuth and nuzzles her neck behind her skull and warbles to her.
Kojakuth moves in from the southern clearing where she was napping, the little green stretching slightly. She warbles happily as her brown mate approaches her with a nuzzle, thus eaning him a soft flick of tongue over his strong neck.
Fiona follows the brown when he bounds over to Kojakuth, "That's your girl, right? What does she think?"
Cyrilth moves his head over to Fiona, gives her a gentle nudge and then rumbles something to Kojakuth.
Kojakuth croons softly, yep, she's Cyrilth's girl. And the green rubs her head against her brown mate even as he rumbles to her. Dainty, for a dragon, head is lowered towards Fiona, her eyes whirling a soft pink and blue with her obvious love for Cyrilth.
Fiona reaches out to stroke Kojakuth's nose if she'll allow it, "I bet he takes good care of you, doesn't he?" She glances between the two dragons, then back at Kojakuth, "What do you think about my problem? Cyrlith and I seem to be having difficulty communicating."
Cyrilth raises a wing to place over Kojakuth.
Kojakuth croons softly, yep, she's Cyrilth's girl. And the green rubs her head against her brown mate even as he rumbles to her. Dainty, for a dragon, head is lowered towards Fiona, her eyes whirling a soft pink and blue with her obvious love for Cyrilth. <re>
Fiona reaches out to stroke Kojakuth's nose if she'll allow it, "I bet he takes good care of you, doesn't he?" She glances between the two dragons, then back at Kojakuth, "What do you think about my problem? Cyrlith and I seem to be having difficulty communicating." <re>
Cyrilth raises a wing to place over Kojakuth. <re>
S'dan comes walking up with Ury, a big grin on his face. "Is my dragon, ah…puting thoughts in your head, Fiona?"
Ur'yu comes in with S'dan, of course, when the dragons are together usually that means the riders are together. Kojakuth is eyed by her boy, "What;re you two doing to poor Fiona, hmm?" He asks of the dragonpair.
Cyrilth raises his head and looks over his shoulder to see the rider pair approaching. He drops his jaw in a draconic smile again and innocently looks amazingly non innocent!
Fiona glances up at he pair and instantly blushes, "I was just… I mean… I didn't intend to bother you guys. I was just asking them for some relationship advice…"
S'dan says "yeah, yeah, Cyrilth is trying to get me to explain. He wants to tellyou to give him gentle nudges. You don't need to pounce, just be yourself."
Ur'yu chuckles, "Oh, don't ask Kojakuth for love advice, she'll likely have you all over someone in hopes there'd be a connection there somewhere. She just wants everyone to love eachother and be happy." Such a sweet, if naive, dragon.
Fiona chuckles softly herself, "Well, I started out asking Cyrilth but we were having… well, you know. I think Kojakuth just wanted the attention. I think I just don't know how to give him gentle nudges."
S'dan gives a hefty nudge to his dragon. Cyrilth settles and stretches out a foreleg for S'dan to sit on. "Well, if I got this right, the person in question is Darlth's rider, right?" He's smiling, but he also looks serious, or at least well meaning.
Jannen comes loping along from the Beach Path, soaking wet and squeezing his clothes as he goes along. "Wonder where he went?" he says to nobody but himself probably. He thusly stops in the clearing to look around for whoever it is he's looking for. The nervous look on his face is enough to say that he's not happy about finding whoever 'he' is.
Ur'yu leans against Kojakuth's neck as the green licks her brown mate lovingly. "Hmm, little nudges, you know, a nice walk on the beach…a candlelit dinner." Lesigh, he's got this romance thing down pat? But that's probably not the kind of advive poor Fi was after.
S'dan smiles over at Ur'yu. "And even just smiling and talking. Now. I'm a lousy flirter! But just talk to him and let him know you are interested. Man appreciate a woman who's straightforward and honest."
"He knows." Fiona's gaze flicks over to Jannen as he appears and a pensive frown makes itself known. This isn't necessarily something she wants becoming big and public. "We've talked about it. I just can't… well, S'dan, you know. And he's a rider and I can't expect him to stop Darlth from flying and I can't handle knowing he's…" she makes a uselessly vague motion with her hands and gives up. If only people were as straight forward as computers.
S'dan says "Well, how is he when he talks to you?"
Fiona gives S'dan a searching look and sighs, "I don't even know what that question means, S'dan."
S'dan says "Well, like when you talk to him, does he talk back? Does he smile at you? Are you smiling at him?" He looks up at his dragon who probably doesn't remember Colth, the Ice Queen. "Right? Isn't that what you were trying to tell her? Gentle nudges, right?"
Jannen wrinkles his nose at the mushy talk going on nearby, and actually moves away so as to avoid listening in. He's not seeming to be in a mood to leave anywhere, just squeezing out his wet clothes and looking around. "Someone promises to wait fer yah and then they haul off…" he grumbles to himself.
Fiona boggles at S'dan for a moment, "Of course he talks back. Of course we smile, I don't even see what this has to do with it." She gives first rider, then brown a curious look, then frowns at her apprentice, "Jannen… what's bothering you?"
Cyrilth swivels his head around and looks at the wet boy. No, not Kesti…but…He sniffs at him…salty! Just a little though. Ocean.
Kayla ambles on towards the commons cavern, whistling to herself. Her pace isn't hurried, no, not with the day as hot as it is. Her bangs are, in fact, plastered to her forehead, and she looks quite uncomfortable even in the thin, brown tunic and pants she is wearing. But she's learned her lesson about trying to wear less, or at least it seems so. The sight of the gathering stops her in her tracks, and she arches her brow but remains silent, sidling a few steps away so as to not intrude. Oh my my.
S'dan looks over at Ur'yu with that sort of "Help!" look on his face.
Jannen is still standing around looking towards the Caverns entrance, and he frowns. Fiona's comment catches his attention, and he jerks his head towards her, and scowls a little then remembers himself sheepishly. "Sorry ma'am. One of mah friends said he'd meet me here b'fore classes to give back the book I leant 'im. I could've been changin' inta dry clothes by now," he looks around just in time to see Cyrilth. And a faint look of recognition fills his eyes. "Ain't that the brown who shaded me b'fore?" he says more to himself again. "Yeah, think it is. Hello!" he waves. Well, he's a lot better around dragons now at least.
Ur'yu chuckles softly at S'dan's look of 'help'. "Well, Fiona, how does he talk to you? I mean, tone of voice and body language are all important signs that men send out." not that he's had all that much experience, but yeah.
Fiona just looks between the two riders, absolutely flummoxed, "I don't even… I know he likes me. He carried me home once when I needed it. The problem is me. I'm afraid of trying for more. Of what might happen. Of… everything."
Cyrilth stretches out a wing to give shade to people. It is such a warm day!
Fiona just looks between the two riders, absolutely flummoxed, "I don't even… I know he likes me. He carried me home once when I needed it. The problem is me. I'm afraid of trying for more. Of what might happen. Of… everything." She looks over at Jannen and sighs, "Why don't you worry about drying out. Either he'll show or he won't and I'm not in a teaching mood just now, anyway."
S'dan says "Did you ever think that maybe the problem is…" He falls silent and shakes his head. He drums his fingers on his knee. "Darn," he mutters, mostly to himself. "I hate it when I want to help out but can't find the right words."
Kayla wonders if retreat might be the better part of valor. But it's too far to the commons cavern in this heat. A potential solution is spotted in the two dragons nearby—she ducks behind them, taking refuge in what shade there might be, offering a sheepish smile to both.
Cyrilth turns his head over his shoulder to give a happy warble to Kayla!
Jannen gives Fiona a grateful look, "Thanks ma'am," he says. He only has to decide for a moment between staying out in the sun near the conversing riders or go to the dragon offering shade and he quickly runs under Cyrilth's wing. "You know, I'm startin' to like you dragons more than the chattin' folks around here," he says to the dragon, though he's still looking back and forth rather nervously in case his friend shows up. He wants his book!
Cyrilth nuzzles Kojakuth and then looks over behind him.
Kojakuth warbles softly at her brown mate, then peers behind her as well. Hey, there's a hiding Kayla back there. And green lowers her head to nuzzle her humanfriend.
Cyrilth turns around to warble at Kayla. Yes! The good scritcher. Well, another one of them.
S'dan calls over to Jannen. "Who has your book, Jannen? Maybe we can help you find him?"
Fiona tips her head curiously at S'dan, rapidly becoming oblivious to the goings on around her, "What would help?"
Ur'yu is distracted, again, surprise surprise, as Kojakuth shifts under him.
Jannen blushes as the rider mentions his book again, and looks over at him bashfully. "My friend, uh, well, not really my friend, Mika, I was helpin' him with math and left mah book at his hut," he blushes, looking a little grim. "Promised he'd bring it today before classes…wonder where he is now…"
At that point S'dan loses his balance and gets dumps as Cyrilth suddenly finds there are more interesting things to do than to be furniture. Kayla, for instance! He turns his full attention on her to get scritches!
S'dan says "Owe! Dangit, dragon!"
Kayla covers her mouth, trying not to laugh too hard at Cyrilth's antics and S'dan's predicament. "Well if you wanted scritches, why didn't you ask instead of dumping your rider on the ground?" She reaches up towards the big brown, not venturing too far from the shade offered by him and his lovely green mate. What a welcome distraction—perhaps Fiona didn't need to feel so awkward now! "Are you okay there, S'dan?"
Ur'yu chuckles as Kojakuth willingly shares her scritcher with her mate, crooning happily as she enjoys Kayla's magic fingers. Of course, Ur'yu just blinks as S'dan murmurs to him and slips off, and greenrider just frowns after his weyrmate, slight concern touching his face.
Jannen watches the rider take a tumble, and the brown's antics and frowns, turning to slip over to Fiona again pointedly. "Uh, then again, my mum always said its the silent ones you gotta watch out fer," he shakes his head.
Fiona sighs as S'dan moves off, then moves to flop beside Jannen on the turf, "Which book did you lend him?"
Kojakuth croons to her rider, eyes whirling suddenly with worry. "What? J'yn? Shards!" And the greenrider is grabbing something off of Kojakuth's straps before moving, quickly, towards the beach path.
Jannen looks at Fiona squarely. "Not one of the Tech craftin' books. Actually, its not even mine," he blushes. "It one of the Harper teacher's books, I borrowed it to help Mika, thats what I meant when I said he weren't really a friend, cause the Harper asked me to help teach him the maths. But I don' know when the Harper wants it back," he looks suddenly up as Ur'yu leaves in a panic. "Mihoyan was with that J'yn fella!" he says suddenly getting up. "Somethin's wrong I gotta go help her!"
Fiona's eyes go wide and she looks to Kojakuth for any signs of distress on the green's part, "Ur'yu can handle J'yn. I hope. Don't worry about the harper's book." She's climbing to her feet as well, though, "Why're you worried about Miho talking to J'yn?"
Kojakuth is actually headed towards the bech as well, her yes still swirling with anxious yellows and oranges. Even Kayla the scritcher is abandoned for now.
Jannen blinks. "Not worried about her being -with- J'yn," he says. "I left her with him and if he's in danger, so's she," Seeing the green running to the beach, he turns to follow her. "M'coming!"
Fiona takes off after apprentice and green. What the heck. It might be fun.