Baby Fever (Chim, Perbeebz)

[Kila]

Winter, 6th Turn, 11th Pass

Perbaith sat patiently on his ledge, his wings tucked and his tail
curled around his body. His eyes were fixated on the Weyrbowl below,
more specifically on the entrance to the Weyrling Barracks. Though he
was calm and still his eyes swirled with an orange tint of anticipation.
What are you doing? D'lios asked, donning his coat. He was about
to attend a meeting regarding the caving expedition he had arranged.
Waiting, the Brown replied after a pause,
absently. D'lios made an irritated sound. I see that. Should I ask
for what, or are you in the mood for mystery? Perbaith pulled
his gaze up to their common level to address His. For my
children. I would like to meet them. He was a proud papa, and
would be even more so if he actually bonded with his flesh and blood. It
was one of his more solid ideas, so D'lios nodded. Rah fluttered over
and settled on his shoulder, completing his ensemble. Can you wait
for them from below? I could use a ride down. Perbiath let out a
sight that set the furs flapping, but settled down so his Rider could
mount. I suppose.
You can wait with me and meet their new Riders if you'd
like, Perbiath offered, landing near the entrance to the
barracks purposefully. The Lord Weyrleader dismounted gracefully. It
would be a good idea to meet them, he allowed, But I have a
meeting to attend. You are early, Perbaith
pointed out. D'lios was always early. Rah objected loudly; he did not
want to wait outside in the cold. The three commenced to squabble, so
wrapped up in their conversation that Perbiath dropped his vigil of the
barracks.

[Tigersilk]

Kahnasunita had just finished putting her snow shovel up when she noticed the brown dragon landing in front of the Barracks. She wondered what business the rider had for them; K'var and the other Weyrlingmasters were not in the building right then, so he shouldn't be here to meet with them. Her curiosity turned to worry when she recognized the man standing at the Brown's side. What had happened at the Barracks that the Lord Weyrleader had to come in person to deal with it? There was the rumor about one of her classmates and an older Weyrling meeting up in secret.....but their teachers had dealt with that months ago, when it happened. Surely the Lord Weyrleader wasn't here about THAT, was he?

They are not here on business, Ibith, Sunita's young Cyan, told her privately. I don't here that in Perbaith's thoughts. Can you ask....? I wish to play with my sire. The others say he is a nice dragon, and isn't mean like some others are. 'Other's being other dragons, Sunita thought. What she had heard about D'lios among the humans wasn't always nice, though most of those people she'd overheard seemed to respect him well enough. She hadn't heard anything, though, to suggest he liked girls around her age in his weyr, at least. On the other hand, he could just that good at hiding such liasons, too. If so, Sunita hoped he knew the rules about Weyrling celibacy....

Ibith, meanwhile, had left the snowbank she had been hiding in to ambush passer-bys (mostly pillies, though few were out and about right then), and started to sneak up on Perbaith. Part of her route took her over the ground Hers had just cleared - a large space around the Barrack's front doors were to be kept clear during snow days so both young dragons and riders could shake snow off themselves before going inside. Ibith, with some snow still clinging to her body, crept closer to her sire, projecting an image of snowtunnelsnake burrowing through lots of snow towards prey over the snowless ground. When she was close enough, she charged and pounced on Perbaith's front foot, mock-biting his wrist area in fun.

GOTCHA!!!!!!!

[Maggie]

Oh look, look my K'ian, we have very special company today! Kamikith bumped the middle of K'ian's back gently, reminding him again to stand tall, straight and proud like the amazing dragonrider he was. He sent him a burst of love.

"That's lord holder D'lios," K'ian said anxiously, pressing a little closer to the gold. Kamikith crooned.

Yes, and that is my sire. He is very proud and handsome, is he not. He had to be the very best dragon for my dam to choose him. Come, we should go greet them!

K'ian paled. "I... I don't know. He's a Lord Holder, I don't... I..." He shook his head, shrinking back.

Flare, however, had spotted Rah. Trilling a pleased note at the sight of a new friend, he winged over quickly. He shirped the flittish equivalent of a cough to get Rah's attention, then very seriously extended a claw to shake.

**

But I don't want to go to class, we always do the same things! It's so boring and... samey. I want to do something else, IdraMine. I want to go to a party or learn how to dance... Idra hid a grin as Copath rattled off in her mind, complete with dramatic sighing. She had become decidedly listless, in the last day or so, barely wanting to put any effort into the same, boring things. She needed something new, some adventure to peak her interest.

That adventure, as well as Idra's honed sense of self-betterment, came to her all at once as she saw Copath's cyan sister Ibith go scooting through the snow towards Peribath. "We learn new things every day, in lessons," she reminded her dragon as her hands fluttered up to smooth her hair and ensure that she looked her best. "But we are early, we can do something else first. See there? That is Peribath, your sire, with Lord Weyrleader D'lios."

Ooooooh? Has he invited us somewhere? I would love to meet him, he must be so interesting, running a Weyr and a Hold all at once... Fascinating! Yes, yes, we must go speak to them! Copath immediately perked up. Maybe her father had wonderful stories to tell about the wonderous life of a Lord Holder who was also a rider... It was so unusual that it just couldn't be boring!

Idra gave a small bow of respect as they approached and Copath sidled up to her father adoringly. Hello Peribath... Daddy? That is what one should call one's sire, yes? Can I call you that? It would be so... mundane to call you by your name like every other dragon! I don't like always doing the same thing and calling people the same kinds of things.

[Kila]

Perbiath stopped his wheedling quite suddenly. What?
D'lios asked with and exaggerated patience that he did not have.
Snowtunnelsnake burrowing through lots of snow towards
prey. The Lord Weyrleader looked at his lifemate like he had
just dropped off the deep end. A streak of cyan shot past him without
warning and set upon Perbiath's foot. D'lios took a step back to avoid
being trampled, but saw that it was only a young dragonet bent on play.
Since he had had warning Perbiath was only mildly surprised. More than
that, he was ecstatic, overjoyed. One of his hatchlings was here!
You got me! he exclaimed, shaking his foot and
Ibith along with it. How fun and full of life she was! She had clearly
inherited his friendliness and mirth.

Before he knew it there was another darling dragonet at his side, a
sweet Green that sidled up to him and addressed him with adoration.
Perbiath though his heart would burst. Of course you can
call me Daddy. Or whatever you like, Copath. You are so clever to do
things differently. You will be an entrepreneur, just like Mine!
He loved her immediately, just as he had loved Ibith. She was outspoken
and knew exactly what she liked and disliked. His daughters were both
fun and clever. He leaned down to nuzzle her playfully, breathing
hot air on her and Ibith that melted the snowflakes clinging to their
hides.

And there was another! When Perbiath looked up he saw Kamikith and K'ian
standing together not far off. Hello little ones!
he called to them both warmly. Kamikith was his son, but he had the
beautiful coloring of his mother. Perbaith thought fondly of Callistath
when he looked upon him. Come and play? he
offered, motioning down with his snout to show what fun his sisters were
having. He gave Ibith another bounce for good measure.

Flare was the first to approach D'lios and Rah. The White looked at his
human when the other flitter appeared and received a nod. With what was
almost resignation, Rah extended his own claw and shook Flare's. D'lios
flashed him an image of the Rider he was scheduled to meet with as one
of the Weyrlings approached him. Tell him I will be late, D'lios
commanded. He hated to compromise his business, but one of the perks of
being very important was that people had to wait on you when things came
up. And it was a very interesting thing that was developing at the
moment. There had to be a lessons scheduled soon, because the Weyrlings
and their young dragonets were suddenly coming out at once. The little
ones were practically swarming Perbiath which made the Brown so happy
that it made D'lios want to grin like an idiot. He did not. Instead he
put on a small but charming smile and returned Idra's bow when she came
up to him. "Good afternoon," he greeted her politely. "And a
very belated congratulations on your impression." Unlike O'sho he
did not know any of the names of the Candidates or Weyrlings except the
ones he had volunteered personally from Western. "Yours is the Cyan,
correct? Miss...?" he waited for her to fill in the blank. She
already knew who he was.

[Chimera]

My father.

Indeed.

L'nor watched the father descend from the skies and land neatly on the ground as Mattoth announced his arrival. From a distance, Perbiath could pass as a normal brown to those unfamiliar with Dalibor's dragons. The same went for the figure next to him - with the help of the foggy winter clime, he looked like a normal brownrider.

The illusion vanished when he and Mattoth got closer to the pair. A benevolent white imp astride the man's shoulder; a benevolent cyan hatchling astride Perbiath's paw. The last part took the weyrling and his dragon by surprise. Ibith? Copath, Kamikith?

Perbiath. Hello. It is nice to meet you and Yours. Mattoth may have greeted Perbiath "boringly" to some, but he'd rather be polite and neutral. He was excited, though, even if he didn't show it. He looked up at his father with wide green eyes.

"Lor' Holder...D'lios. Weyrleader D'lios?" The young man walked up to D'lios when Idra had finished speaking. He seemed different from the strange image the collective Weyr gossip had of him. A person, if not an average one. L'nor was just plain confused on his title. "Whichev'r yer called, it's..."

C'mon, do th' fancy talk greetin', self. He thought to himself, determined.

"...a pleas're t' meet y'." He turned to regard his classmates, and back to the man whose dragon had sired Mattoth. "M'lord." L'nor hastily added on.

This was so stupid. M'lord was stupid. He didn't like the word, necessary part of etiquette be damned.

Mattoth padded a few steps over to Kamikith. He liked his yellow brother - like Sekaith, he was an optimist with a mission to share his cheer. Mattoth wasn't that, but he could help with any good-natured missions like those.

My family, hello. How are you? Mattoth addressed to the dragons around him. A grand, growing family reunion. Callistath was probably busy at the moment, though he hoped he would get to talk to her some time again too.

[lee]

What was all the fuss? Though Braele was never in a rush, she was not far behind her classmates as they poured out of the entrance of the Weyrling barracks, though her speed was rather more the side effect of having extraordinarily long legs than anything, and they strode with the swift confidence of someone who knew precisely where they were going and no inclination towards detours or delays.

Kundalith exited with her, muzzle pulled into its usual expression of stubborn calm, almost comically matched in precision to that on his chosen rider's face. It had become, in the short sevendays, habit for them to move as they did, with the tall, muscled girl resting a hand on his hide, and the burly burgundy leaned against her in a silent challenge to her strength. She had to lean back or be toppled, and though she knew the day wasn't particularly far away when he wouldn't be able to help but win with ease, it pleased them both to play it now. He could win it as was, and they both knew it, but Braele still maintained that she was smarter than him, and if he tried, if he used his full strength to knock her over, she'd just dart a step away and let him topple.

"Your sire seems to have stopped by to say hello." She murmured, still more comfortable speaking out loud than with her thoughts. They too often lapsed into complete silence if she did, and while she was comfortable with the quiet, she feared disuse of her tongue would wither the mind behind it's ability to craft responses when called upon to do so. Kundalith acknowledged her words and the accuracy of them with nothing more than a cool nod. Braele hid a smile and tried again. "Do you want to join them?"

If he were a human, a single brow would have raised. He turned his head to her as coolly as he could and inclined his neck gently, clearly unamused that she had felt the need to ask when she already knew the answer. No.

That had indeed been the answer Braele had anticipated, so she didn't sigh, merely raised her hand in greeting to the Weyrleader speaking with her classmates and silently prodded Kundalith to at least do the same to his sire. He didn't see the point until Braele silently focused on Perbiath's strength—a brown that caught a queen, fathered the first new fighter color in turns, surely he had earned a mere greeting—but even then felt no inclination to socialize. Braele resisted rolling her eyes, but only just, and had to bite her lip to keep from smiling as Kundalith continued to walk though she had stopped, as intent on his destination as she had been. They had class to get to, he did not have time to lollygag about.

With a broad sweep of his long tail, he nearly knocked over the young woman behind him until she jogged a step or two to catch up, shaking her head in apology to Perbiath as they continued on their way. Sensing the wistful disappointment in her—not something Braele was inclined to—Kundalith relented, craning his head over his shoulder to offer his sire a slightly stiff, BraeleMine wishes for me to thank you for taking time to see us, but we are on our way to class. Good Morning to you.

Deed done, he shot a glance at Braele, who smiled, the hand on his hide lifting to scratch his eyeridges in silent thanks as they strode on their way. Kundalith just snorted, and after a moment, provided her with a mild, Hurry up.

[/blockquote]

[mopsy93]

Carissa wasn’t entirely interested in meeting with Lord D’lios’s Dragon especially if D’lios was there; if only because of the fact that he was a Lord Holder of Western Hold and Dalibor’s Weyrleader. Junonth on the other hand was at least curious enough about her father to walk up to the brown as she, Carissa, and Janvia exited the Weyrling’s barrack one cold Winter’s day. Three of the other Weyrlings in the Nightnamers class were also there, Janvia was happy enough after spotting Flare and Rah giving cheerful chirp. Braele and Kundalith were also nearby but didn’t seem as interested in saying hello and instead were walking away. Carissa decided to at least stop and give hello a formal hello to Lord D’lios and a couple of quick hellos to the others.

Hello Perbiath, said Junonth. Carissa rubbed Junonth’s left front leg, standing up like Junonth was right now she was taller than Carissa so the girl had to make due.

“We just thought that it might be rude if we just walked by without at least saying hello,” said Carissa though it was mostly Junonth’s idea for coming over. Carissa did not want to stay long though she was still getting cold even in warm clothing.

[Tigersilk]

Kahnasunita was glad the the large Brown wasn't angered by Ibith's attack. In fact, Perbaith seemed happy to play with his cyan daughter, bouncing the happy dragonet on his large paw. While she approached the Lord Weyrleader, two other of her classmates arrived. Idra's green party dragon Copath had walked up to her sire's side and looked at him; Sunita got the impression of a little girl holding up some flowers or rocks she'd found for her adoring papa to look at. Yellow Kamikith and his K'ian stood back a bit; Perbaith seemed to want them to come play with him as well.

The 15-turn-old arrived just as D'lios asked Idra if the cyan was hers. "Ibith's mine, Lord Weyrleader. I'm Kahnasunita, Sunita for short. Ibith's not being a bother to Perbaith, is she? I can call her off if you want." Ibith was crooning her delight at being with her big papa. The dark girl looked at D'lios face while bowing slightly towards him. "There's nothing wrong here, is there? Is someone in trouble?" Though she tried to hide the look on her face, she was still worried someone was in serious trouble for something bad enough for the Lord Weyrleader himself to look into it.

[Kila]

It turned out that the little Cyan belonged to the other girl,
who approached him nervously behind Idra. "My apologies," he
said, bowing to her as well. She was at least forthcoming enough to
offer her name. "Sunita. Pleased to meet you. I assure you, Ibith is
doing nothing of the kind."  He looked at his lifemate and chuckled.
"Quite the opposite actually. This is the happiest he has been since
we arrived." That was the truth. Perbaith looked like an oversized,
overexcited puppy and he moved from child to child. "Don't worry
yourself, my dear, no one is in trouble. We only came down to see if we
could meet some of you. It is turning into quite a successful endeavor.
It's a shame that she did not ambush him sooner."

L'nor was the next to greet him, fumbling between his titles awkwardly.
D'lios was used to it, but he did hope that the confusion would
eventually stop. To the boy the Lord Weyrleader offered his hand to
shake. "And you as well." Again he had no name to the face, but
had seen him exit with his Brown. "Perbiath was especially pleased to
see one of his own color on the Sands," D'lios told him
encouragingly. Mattoth had entered a world with more respect for Browns
thanks to his sire. "He will be pleased to meet him."

Another Weyrling girl approached him, this one also timid and nameless.
They were sweet though, to all come up to them as they were doing.
D'lios had run into very few people in the Weyr who had actually been
glad to meet him. "How very kind of you," he said when she
explained herself. He had seen Braele and her Burgundy walk by without
stopping, and though he did not hold it against them he had made note of
it. "Thank you for taking the time to do so." Carissa was clearly
cold, though she was trying hard to hide it. D'lios unwrapped his fine
scarf from about his neck and handed it to her. "Here," he said
in a voice that was benevolent but brooked no argument. "This will
help a little. Please, don't let me keep you." It was an expensive
thing to give away, but he could afford another. Besides, he was rather
enjoying making ties with the children that impressed his bonded's
babies.

Perbiath's pride swelled with each dragonet that he saw. His children
were beautiful, brilliant, perfect! As D'lios had predicted, he was
terribly excited to see Mattoth. The Brown stopped cuddling Copath to
extend his neck so that he was nearly nose to nose with this smaller
version of himself. Hello Mattoth, he crooned,
eyes also whirring a happy green. Mini Me. I have been
wanting to see you. Perbaith was clearly aware of his position
as an underdog and he did not want his son to be stuck in a similar
niche. Browns were not to be underestimated, as he had shown.

Junonth was nearby too, though she was hanging back with her Rider like
Kamikith and had not come up close to him. Perbiath swung his head so
that he was close to Junonth and Carissa. Hello
Junonth. He rumbled happily and bumped noses with her, gently
since she was so much smaller. He bared his teeth into a sort of grin.
He could tell they were only stopping by on their way to somewhere- he
would not keep them. He nuzzled her again to make sure she felt loved
and then lifted his head to acknowledge Kundalith's terse hello and
goodbye. Good morning to you, Kundalith. Do not be
late!  he called after the Burgundy encouragingly since
punctuality seemed to be what he desired.

[mopsy93]

Carissa somewhat reluctantly took the scarf that Lord Weyrleader (this still took some getting used to) D’lios handed to her; at the very least he was trying to be good with them. Carissa would have to live with this until after Callistath’s next flight, well assuming that another Dragon wins the flight. Junonth was happy with meeting her father up close at least rubbing noses with him, making Carissa smile a little at how happy the two Dragons were even if Junonth was a little too shy to say it out loud. We should probably go though, don’t want to be late for Weyrling class, said Carissa gently reminding her Dragon.

It was nice meeting Perbiath though, said Junonth before talking to Perbiath again. It was nice seeing you but me and CarissaMine have classes to attend soon.[/i][/color]

“Me and Junonth probably should get going soon anyways, you know how it is during Weyrling training,” said Carissa. Janvia on the other hand seemed to not be willing to leave just yet launching herself off of Carissa’s shoulder and into the air and still trying to get at least some recognition from the two other flits present. “Thank you for the scarf, my name is Carissa if you wanted to know Lord Weyrleader D'lios.”

[Tigersilk]

Sunita was glad that no-one was in trouble. Still, she wondered how her Weyrlingmaster, K'var, would view this visit by the Lord Weyrleader. Hopefully none of the Weyrlings visiting with D'lios would be yelled at for this.

She was glad that Ibith's playing made Perbaith happy, though. She didn't always get playmates that weren't either her clutchmates or her rider's human sisters. Ibith, for her part, was having fun trying to 'wrestle' her father's front paw, the only part of the large brown that was hatchling-sized.

Except, now, Ibith had stopped wrestling, and was crouching on Perbaith's paw, getting ready to leap on something else. Before Sunita could say a thing, the hyper Cyan had jumped up on the Brown's leg and began climbing him, using Perbaith's harness to pull herself up on his back. The joyful Ibith took a couple hops on Pop to the highest point on the Brown's back - the highest off the ground she'd ever been in her short life - and crooned triumphantly, I'm Queen of the World, Ma!!! I can see EVERYTHING from way up here!! I can even see the sea! (The sea being something Ibith had never seen for herself, only through the eyes of others. Yet.)

"Ibith!!!" Sunita shouted at her partner, before putting a mortified hand over her face. She was going to have a talk with her Cyan about play etiquette first chance she got, if either D'lios or Perbaith didn't kill them both for this stunt first.

[Maggie]

"Idra of green Copath," Idra introduced herself proudly, motioning towards the happy, speckled green. She, unlike many, seemed entirely at ease with D'lios. He was a powerful man, one who would make a good ally, especially since he had few. She would have to être careful not to compromise her position siding with him, but being friendly could not hurt. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last, my lord, and Copath is quite thrilled to meet her sire."

Daddy, you should come to our class! Classes are so samey and boring, now. IdraMine says that we will be learning new things, but it's always the same, boring routine. Having you to help would être interresting and fun and I'm sure argotath wouldn't mind. she gazed up at the big brown adoringly. IdraMine, what is an entrepreneur? Daddy says his D'lios is one and I want to be one too.

Hello, Perbiath! Kamikith greeted his sirre cheerily, happiness just bubbling from his mind. My K'ian is a little nervous, but I will bring him to meet yours. We have time to say hello before our lesson, especially sinceyou are so kind! He gently nudged his rider towards where the girls and L'nor were.

K'ian reluctantly let himself be pushed. He bowed low, shivering a little nervously as he came face-to-face with D'lios, not daring to look the man in the eye. "G... Good morning m'lord," he murmured, trying to make himself as small and inoffensive as possible. His two pinks chirped greetings at the lord weyrleader, nuzzling their human gently. Kamikith trotted happily over to his sire, beaming love and joy up at him. Yes, his sire was a nice, positive dragon, he liked this!

Flare chirrped happily at having met such a polite filizard. He sent Rah an image of his flitt-loving person. Maybe Rah would come over to greet him? K'ian would être less frightened if he met such a polite, interesting flitt and the girls would like him, Flare was sure.

[Chimera]

L'nor shook hands with D'lios as was customary. That removed any stupid rumors that D'lios was a nocturnal, coldblooded creature - besides a wher. It was terrifying what the ignorant Weyrfolk came up with sometimes.

"'m sure he's quite proud, yes. Mattoth's been wantin' t' see his dad fer a while now. Y' must be very busy, though, m'lord. Same with us - all th' chores an' lessons, an' dragon-care." He watched Braele and Kundalith pass by. So far, the Lord Weyrleader was polite, at the very least. L'nor still didn't trust him, because who knew what he really thought - but he certainly didn't seem evil. A dragon had chosen the man, after all, and Perbiath did not seem a dull dragon either.

Mattoth nearly got himself dizzy from all the swiveling around he had to do to see all of his siblings. It was like his hatching all over again! His had spotted Kahnasunita - a nice girl. Finally his gaze rested on Perbiath as he greeted him. And I've wanted to see you. My father. How are you? Soon I won't be a Mini You... He let out a surprised chirp at Ibith when the cyan climbed up her larger brown father. Mattoth was proud that he'd shown kings weren't the only ones who held power - subkings were not to be underestimated, underdogs though they may have been.

"'ello there." The new brownrider waved to the newest arrivals of his class, watching K'ian awkwardly introduce himself. The poor kid needed to stop being so shy - it seemed his yellow was dealing with that. Kamikith was a ray of sunlight. As cliched as that sounded to L'nor, it was accurate.

"M'lord, since there's not t' many times when yer avail'ble t' talk t' and a Nightnam'r is, 've wanted t' ask y' a question." It had to do with age, and Impression. L'nor knew he was turns over the limit when he Impressed, but he was unsure if D'lios Impressing turns over the limit was true or not - it had been brought up in a conversation he'd had with Kahnasunita a while ago, and the question had been something he was curious about ever since.

[Kiran]

Kira and Imber had been assigned the same chore, so had come crawling out from the Lower Caverns at about the same time. Tauth had been observing the scene quietly as he made his way towards the entrance there to meet Kira It was fascinating to see all his brothers and sisters interacting with their Sire. He really didn't know much of his Sire, this was the first time outside of the Hatching that he had seen the brown, and was interested in seeing what he was like. It slowed down his progress a good deal as he took in the scene. Tauth wasn't surprised by many of his sibling's antics. He knew them well from classes and living together in the barracks. But seeing them together with their sire was a new experience as well.

Kira rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited for Tauth to come to her, also keeping an eye on how things were. Her eyes strayed over her gathering Nightnamer classmates, then falling over Lord D'lios. She gave a light hum of interest, but quite frankly had no reason to go over and speak to him. Kira couldn't have cared one way or another about him, only happy that her Tauth had been sired by his brown. She didn't bother approaching. "Tauth, would you like to go over and say hello to your father? I will wait for you while you do."

The blue tilted his head as he came over and sat beside her. The idea had been whirling around his head for a few moments beforehand, but it took another few for him to decide. I think I would, My Kira. I will be back. Tauth didn't add on 'soon', he would have seen that as rushing things. Kira shook her head slightly and smiled, familiar with how Tauth did things by now. Instead, she simply started heading towards where their pair classes would be held, knowing her Bonded would come along in his own sweet time.

He steadily made his way towards his sire as he interacted with his siblings, eyes whirling with interest. Finally he came to a paw and sat down besides it. It is good to meet you as well, Sire. I am Tauth. Copath, our sire may come to classes any time. There is no rush for him to be there today. He simultaneously addressed both the brown and his green sister.

Imber was having a tougher time with Hikkikoth. The black had snaked himself around his Rider the moment he had seen her come out of the caverns. ImberM-mine, l-l-let's-s go! It's too m-m-much her-re! His back had arched like a scared cat's.

She hugged his maw, stroking it gently and giving him a small kiss. "It's okay, Hikkikoth. He's merely your father. It would be good to say hello."

He'll h-h-hate m-me! N-no! I ref-fuse!
"Come on. Everyone else is doing it. I'll go with you."
N-NO!

Imber grasped his wingjoint and started moving gently towards the brown, leading the black along. He followed, eyes whirring with distress at approaching the subking and his classmates. Hikkikoth didn't like this. Not at all. Imber kept a comforting hand on him and spoke to the brown in his stead. "This is Hikkikoth. He's shy, doesn't think you'll like him. But I love him dearly. Thank you for having such a wonderful son." Hikkikoth hid his maw behind her back at that, but gave her a loving nudge in thanks for saying she loved him.

[Maggie]

Hikkikoth! Kamikith beamed as he spotted his anxious brother. Sire this is my very best friend-brother Hikkikoth. He is very anxious, like my K'ian, but he doesn't need to be because he is an amazing, talented dragon. My K'ian is very scared that your D'lios will not find him worthy because he used to be a drudge, which is silly because he is very talented and has a strong work ethic, from his time as a drudge. Hikkikoth is nervous because he thinks you will not like him which is silly because he is wonderful and talented and very loyal, which are all good traits.

Idra watched her cousin with a small frown. "This is my cousin, K'ian of yellow Kamikith," she introduced him. Really, the boy was a dragonrider, now, he should stop cowering like a common drudge. Hopefully his yellow would teach him better. "My sister Davalla is also in our class, we were all quite relieved to Impress together." She hid a smirk as, for once, K'ian sidled discreetly closer to her, deciding that she was less scary than D'lios and might offer him some kind of buffer.

But our classes are so boring and samey and it would be just lovely if Daddy could join us today. It would be a party! Copath beamed up at her sire flirtatiously. Don't you think so, Tauth? It must be so dull to just have to wait while yours is in one of those endless, drab meetings, he could be waiting with us instead, helping Argotath teach us new, interesting things!

[Kiran]

Imber smiled at Kamikith's praise while Hikkikoth shook and pressed himself into the dirt. He couldn't escape. There was never any escape. Not from Imber, not from Kamikith, not from his sire! He let out a small, physical noise of distress, putting his wings over his eyes, humiliated by Kamikith's praise.... but deep in his heart, feeling a bit pleased and touched that his sunny brother thought so well of him.

His Rider moved away slightly so that she could keep an eye on Hikkikoth and quickly give K'ian's shoulder a gentle, friendly pat. "Kamikith is wonderful for Hikkikoth. Please thank him for me, for being such a support. I think Hikkikoth is starting to brighten up with his praise." She glanced over at Lord D'lios, but had nothing to say to him as of yet. Her eyes went back to her cowering black who had peeled his wings back from his eyes ever so slightly to see what was going on around him.

Tauth, on the other hand, was regarding his green sister with amusement. I do not mind the waiting. It gives me time to observe and see what is happening. Do you not enjoy watching everyone? And we all enjoy each other's company, regardless. We play games and sing, and that is pleasant to see. Some dragons excluded, of course, those that were shyer or more dour, but those dragons were also interesting to watch.

[mopsy93]

Two more members of Dalibor’s latest Weyrling class came out of the Lower Caverns. Kira decided to let Tauth come up to Perbiath on his own time, which after watching for a moment eventually did addressing both his sire and Copath. Hikkikoth was more reluctant though, Imber having to practically drag the shy Black over to where Perbiath and a good number of the Nightnamer class were standing.

“Hello,” said Carissa after Imber managed to get Hikkikoth over to where the others were standing. Junonth tried to reassure her smaller, by a good margin even at this age, brother through emotions rather than words. From what Carrisa could see and what Imber’s response was Kamikith tried to do so was well though it didn’t really help that much with the black’s confidence.

Carissa was glad that somebody that she had spent time with outside of Weyrling classes was there anyway. Janvia was fairly curious since she didn’t come along with Carissa when she and Imber explored the Lower Caverns over a half-turn ago when both were Candidates. Just how much time had passed since then surprised Carissa a little. Then again Carissa really didn’t know that much about the other girl after all and only got to speak with her one on once.

[Kiran]

Imber turned towards Carissa with a surprised look. She hadn't expected to see her here, but then again most all of the weyrling class was. The surprise faded to a smile. "Hello, Carissa. I'm glad to see you here. I was up front so I missed seeing a lot of the Impressions in the crowd, but I know I've seen you in class. Congratulations on your lovely green." The darkly-colored dragon seemed a good match for the girl who had been so sure that she wouldn't Impress. Imber was glad she had.

"How is Janvia, by the way? She looks like she's growing well. Hikkikoth will always be a bit on the small side, I think, though he is so scared of others and what they think I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. You can see he's terribly shy." Even though he was mostly cowering down next to the ground, the yellow's reassurances and praise were getting to him. A small urge to run over and hide behind his clutchbrother (friend? No way! Hikkikoth didn't have any friends!) was growing in him. But at the same time Hikkikoth didn't know how Kamikith would take that. Probably as encouragement of their friendship.

Imber was more interested in Carissa, anyway. "And what about you? How are you getting along around the weyr? Have you made any more friends of your own? Do you like Dalibor, think you'll stay here after you graduate?" Imber hoped so. Carissa seemed a little on the shy and quiet side, but in class seemed like she was going to be a solid wingrider. That would be invaluable to the weyr, and Imber rather liked the girl herself, even if they had only spoken for a short time before. And Imber would always be here. She had no family or ties anyplace else. not anymore. Not with everyone dead.

[mopsy93]

“I Impressed fairly early on in the hatching, so I wasn’t there when you Impressed either but Janvia gave me an image of what was happening,” said Carissa. “It was slightly blurry but I could make out what’s going on, slightly blurry images aren’t that unusual. Janvia’s doing all right, I have been able to talk to another member of our class, Aelynn, though I don’t really know if it would be safe to say that I consider her a friend or not.” One conversation outside of classes wasn’t really a good way to tell if a person could be considered a friend, at least Carissa didn’t think so. “Unless something happens that causes me to leave I don’t really see why I wouldn’t stay here. My father wasn’t very happy when he saw that I Impressed a Dragon instead of a wher, hopefully that will pass though. He respects Dragonriders too much to hold a grudge against one for too long even if the Dragonrider in question is his own daughter.”

Carissa certainly hoped that she was right. Even if they didn’t see eye to eye all the time Talcar was still her father and she wanted to still have a relationship with him even if they were far apart in different continents.

[Kila]

A sudden scramble caught D'lios's attention and he turned his
head just in time to see Ibith scale Perbaith's shoulder and leap onto
his back. It seemed a little undignified to the Lord Weyrleader, but his
lifemate loved it. We are playing, Mine,
the Brown explained. She is only a child. MY
child. D'lios could not argue with that. "She's fine," he
said to calm Sunita, who cried out with a look of horror on her face. At
least she had sense enough to fear some shame. "Perbiath loves
it."

The two Green Weyrlings were proving to be quite opposites. Carissa took
his scarf reluctantly and introduced herself before trying to excuse
herself for her lesson. Idra on the other hand chatted with him easily.
She gave her name promptly and bore herself proudly, pointing out her
dragonet who was nestled lovingly against Perbiath. "Copath, I see.
Perbaith is thrilled to meet her too." Indeed, the Brown was staring
down at her lovingly as she spoke to him. "And a pleasure to meet you
as well," he said with a smile and a touch of charm. "All of you
in fact."

Another boy was pushed towards him to greet, this one backed by a cheery
Yellow. Kamikith and His, Perbiath informed him
helpfully. K'ian. D'lios nodded, hearing the same
from Idra.. "Good morning K'ian." He used his friendliest voice
(though it was a little rusty).  Idra spoke more in his stead, revealing
that they were related. "How lucky for you all to have been Searched
and impressed together," he agreed. "And what chance.

Rah hissed as the flitters of various Weyrlings tried to bespeak him,
distressed and a little offended by all the unwanted attention. His
human looked at him sharply, which only made the White glower. You
will be polite. It was a command. D'lios would not have it said that
his firelizard was not under control. He was always in control. Rah
glared but fell silent, steadfastly ignoring the others still. Appeased,
the Lord Weyrleader turned his attention back to L'nor, who shook his
hand mentioned having a question. D'lios really didn't have much free
time, especially for the Weyrlings, so he accepted it with good grace.
"What might that be, L'nor? My time is all of yours right now."
While he spoke with him yet another girl came up to join the others,
accompanied by a cowering Black. She said nothing to him, which was
excusable only because he was currently engaged in another conversation.


Perbiath treated with each of his children as they came, delighted as
more and more appeared to greet him. Ibith's sudden climbing feat pulled
him away from Junonth, who he sent on her way with his blessings.
See how high you have climbed, Ibith! he exclaimed
craning his head around to stare at her with amusement.
Queen of the world. Wait until you fly! He would
have taken her up for a spin if they were alone, but her other
clutchsiblings were there and he was equally eager to meet them.
Copath's "Daddy" brought him back to the ground. Classes
are important, he told her gently, not wanting to disagree with
her be scolding. But I would love to come an watch! I will
have words with Argotath. Even if the dragons of the
Weyrlingmasters tried to turn him away, they could not keep him from
watching from afar elsewhere in the 'Bowl. He would watch his
children at their lessons.

Little Tauth had something to say about lessons as well. The Blue
stopped next to his Green sister and greeted Perbaith politely.
Hello Tauth, said his sire cheerily, bobbing his
head. Right you are- there is plenty of time. Lots of time
and lots of lessons. How clever you are! If I do not come to this one
then I will come to many in the future.But I will come soon," he
said, the last part privately to Copath. He tickled his daughter with
his tail. It would be much more interesting than waiting
around for Mine. He is very busy. Though it is fun to sit and watch at
times.It is good to be observant too, Tauth. This son of his was
wise beyond his turns.

The next two dragonets were night and day, though best friends accroding
to Kamikith. Hello Kamikith! Perbiath sang when
the Yellow finally came close. For a moment they just sat and showered
eachother with enthusiasm. A girl came up behind him with a very shy
Black in tow. Not like him? Perbiath repeated,
confused in earnest. Why would I ever do that? He
sank down so that his big brown face was level with Imber and Hikkikoth.
Silly Hikkikoth, no need to be scared. I am happy to see
you. I love you too. His blue green eyes focused on Imber, who
his son was hiding behind. I am grateful that my children
found good lifemates like you. He parted his jaws and licked her
with gratitude. And glad that they are such good friends
with eachother. Kamikith was molten sunshine. The Yellow bounded
over and announced all of the great things about his brother that
Perbiath already knew. Amazing, wonderful, talented, and
loyal. Yes, this must be our Hikkikoth.

[Kiran]

Imber couldn't help but blush and grin when the friendly brown sire licked her and told her that he thought she was a wonderful Bonded for his son. It was an honor to be told so, and a compliment like that hadn't come her way in.... in a long time. Her heart ached a bit as she recalled the times with her family before things went darker, more silent, more lonely. Hikkikoth gently twined his tail about her legs for a moment before paying more attention to Perbiath and his yellow brother.

Happy to see him! Loved him! If his sire knew about his flaws, he'd hate him. He wouldn't say that. No! He wouldn't! He covered his eyes with his wings again. No.... But Kamikith was insistent and expounded on what he thought were Hikkikoth's virtues and the black wanted to disappear. Imber silently encouraged him as she spoke to another weyrling. That didn't help matters at all. He grumbled quietly in his throat, eyes whirring orange and as yellow as Kamikith's hide. But his father agreed. Oh! It was all so embarrassing! The black finally made a dart to hide behind Kamikith, a multitude of emotions whirling around inside of him.

It's okay. They love you. They truly do. Kamikith has said it a number of times, and your sire doesn't have it in him to lie.
::But if-f-f h-he-::
Try it. You never have to speak to them again if they do hate you for it.

Imber kept her promises. She would always be there for him. Always. Forever. Hikkikoth knew that as surely as he did his name. The black shifted, moved his wings slightly so he could look at Perbiath. It didn't stop him from shaking slightly with anger and fear, but it prepared him for the hate he knew he would get.

::Th-th-than-nk y-you.::

The words were hard to say, more than anything else in his life (so far). His stutter was even stronger than normal, obscuring the words though if listened to carefully than they could be discerned. Imber smiled proudly at him. Hikkikoth was dour towards her for this, no matter what, but since his sire would never speak to him again for this it wouldn't matter. He would never have to speak to any of them again. The black hid himself behind his wings once more, finally defeated.

Imber knew he wasn't and so didn't worry too much about it. "I'm sure the more you're out and about like this, the more friends you'll make. We all are around each other enough during classes. Perhaps if you ask to study with some of the others, or if you're doing chores with them. I'm sure it will happen." Imber couldn't offer her friendship. She was still dreading her Impression, as that meant a second life to lose when she went. And who knew when that would be? Whenever things went well for her, people died or went missing on her. It was probably her turn coming up.

[mopsy93]

Not getting the response she would’ve liked from the male white, Janvia turned her attention to the other fire lizards that were arriving taking off from her position on the ground. Carissa settled on the fact that Imber was busy trying to comfort her shy Black Dragonet; Junonth was fairly shy as well though not to the extent of Hikkikoth. Junonth herself was at least trying to comfort the small Black as well though she decided to stay where she was rather than walk up to him. “I guess it’s just that I’m not that good at starting a conversation with most people that I talk to for the first time start things off,” said Carissa a little embarrassed. “Or back at home or at High Reaches Weyr one of my family members, usually Talena, would start the conversation and I would come in later. I miss Talena but she has her own wherling duties to attend to so it’s not like she can visit anytime soon.”

You will always have me and Janvia, said Junonth now also trying to comfort her rider.

I know it’s just without any of my family besides you two, said Carissa smiling a bit.

[Chimera]

"Good. Well, wanted t'ask 'bout yer Impression. Heard y'Impressed t' brown Perbiath old'r than th' oldest age a' Candidacy, was tha' true? Never can believe th' rumors, after all. Mainly 'cause not only was I standin' fer just whers, 'm a good several Turns over m'self. Might run in th' family, though I doubt it's 'cause a' that." He regarded the man's white firelizard. Such a tiny, delicate creature.

Mattoth refrained from clinging physically onto his father - it seemed too many of his siblings were already doing that. Though Perbiath was strong, he didn't want to overwhelm him.

You will come to many lessons, then. That is good. The hatchling shuffled over to Copath. Lessons are important. he echoed to the fun-lover in an imitation of his father.

Paying attention to all of his arriving classmates was a difficult task. L'nor did not bother with it. When Imber and her shy black came over, however, the youth turned to the two.

"'ello there." said he.

Hikkikoth, we all care for you. The drake's eyes whirred a blue the shade of Tauth, as he nuzzled Hikkikoth. Please try to not think otherwise, okay?

The amount of conversation L'nor inadvertently picked up on delayed his actions a few moments as his mind tried to process everyone's words at once.

"Mm, please 'xcuse me a moment, lord." The fledgling brownrider walked over to K'ian and his two cousins, as non-threateningly as he could. "Greetins, Idra, d'ye say K'ian was yer cousin just now? Shards, decent t' see y' anyhow." Though L'nor tried to be less imposing, he was a tall strong man with a low voice just short of being booming - the talkative mood he was in at the moment didn't make him seem a gentle lamb to anyone, and most likely especially not the shy yellowrider.

[Kila]

Perbiath watched and waited eagerly as Imber coaxed Hikkikoth
out from behind her to speak to his sire. Perbiath could sense his son's
distress. It took a while, but finally Hikkikoth stammered out a thank
you. You are welcome, he rumbled happily, nuzzling
the little Black. Do not be afraid- you are surrounded by
love. Your Imber and your clutchsiblings and I, we all love you very
much. I think you are wonderful. And he meant it. He brushed
Imber again with fond gratitude.

Mattoth was doing his best not to brush against his sire. He was
as happy as the other dragonets and stuck close to his father, but he
maintained a polite distance and demeanor. Yes yes, I will
come to many and more, he agreed. Perbaith lifted a big brown
foreclaw and nudged Mattoth. Fun is important too,
he said playfully. I will come see you all outside of
lessons as well, if you would like it. He hoped they would;
Perbiath could already think of little else of importance in his future.

D'lios answered L'nor's question carefully. The conditions of his
impression had been mysterious at best. Though there was no proof, his
appearance on the sands had suggested an alliance with the Renegades.
That was all a long time ago, but the Lord Weyrleader was not so foolish
as to think that it was forgotten. If all L'nor wanted to know about was
his age at impression however, there was no need for alarm. "Why
yes," he said, his tone remaining casual. "I was over the typical
age when I impressed. Neither was I a Candidate- for obvious
reasons." He flashed the boy a smile full of irony. "I couldn't
tell you why it happens from time to time, but in my opinion the calibur
of a person is more important to a dragon than their age or their
occupation. It seems that we must both be exceptional."

[Kiran]

Hikkikoth wanted to give a keening cry when his siblings and sire all gathered about him to reassure him of his place and that he was loved. It couldn't be true! It wasn't! But at the same time none of them had rejected him for his stutter, none of them had loathed him for being who he was. It was confusing and tiring and... and.... He slumped to the ground, eyes finally slowing and mellowing in color. Maybe they did love him. Maybe. They had broken the little black with their reassurances of care, accepting Mattoth's nuzzle and Perbiath's as well. The black hesitantly returned them as well, tense and ready to flinch away if they didn't accept it and took away their reassurances.

Imber smiled and gently patted Perbiath's maw as he brushed her a second time. "My wonderful dragon couldn't be without an equally wonderful sire. Thank you." She felt warm inside, honored that the brown thought her a worthy Rider. Imber did adore Hikkikoth and wanted to do right by him. Her eyes cast towards the black that had finally relaxed some measure. "I'll make sure that I'm always a good Rider to him." After all, it wasn't long before she hadn't thought that she would Impress. She had Stood because she wished to be a Rider, most certainly, but had thought that she wouldn't, she had been Standing for so long. It warmed her heart.

Her black gave a soft huff as he returned the gentle nuzzles of his clutchmates. ::Of-f-f cour-rs-se I would chose y-you. You w-w-would lov-ve m-me. And it w-would be on-nl-ly us-s-s. It is-s still on-nly y-you and m-m-me, is it n-not, ImberM-mine?:: The only one who could hear his question was his Bonded, his Imber. Imber smiled at him and nodded. Yes, it was only them. She didn't have eyes for anyone else. How could she, when life was so fleeting? It was astounding that anything, let alone her precious Hikkikoth, would Bond to her when she was so aware of that.

The black was more than comforted by that, so lay quiet and silent and allowing any of the dragons to do as they wished to him, unprotesting and even reciprocating. After all, even if they hated him, he had Imber. And that was how things should be.