We Come Bearing Gifts! (Nia, Kyril)

[4horseshowgirl4]

Pratyba and Oorth were quite enjoying their new weyr. There seemed to be so much space after being confined in the Weyrling Barracks for so long. Neither had really realized how utterly cramped it was (Oorth was a small example of a small color, and compared to the others, they had some of the least problem with space) until they had arrived at their new weyr. Oorth, for example, had not been able to gambol around their home with one of Pratyba's boots in her mouth, playing keepaway, since she had been a hatchling, and, as goes without saying, was quite enjoying herself.

"You spawn of a wherry!" Pratyba shouted, running after the Pink rather haphazardly, as she only had one boot on. Being in her own weyr, with the luxury and privacy that was only afforded to the 'Riders, 'Handlers, and senior staff of the Weyr, made her feel like an adult. The fact that Oorth was as immature as always gave Pratyba an excuse to act the same way. It would have been easier to simply wait out Oorth's shenanigans or order the dragon to return the boot, but chasing her around was way more fun. Despite her new rank (Sr. Weyrling was nothing to sneeze at!) and responsibilities, some things never changed.

Hahaha! My boot now! Oorth said, flipping her head as she scampered around to wave the boot around, errant tail and clumsy wings knocking over much of the scant furniture as she went. Pratyba lunged at Oorth's hind leg and caught it victoriously, but the time was long past where that would have tripped up Oorth; now, the strong young dragon simply ran on, yanking her leg out of Pratyba's grasp as she went. "No fair!" Pratyba pretended to pout before getting up to chase the Pink again, a wild grin on her face. Oorth skittered around the small space almost uncontrollably, but when she passed the opening that led to the ledge, she paused. "Oh no you don't!" Pratyba said, knowing Oorth too well. She stood to block the opening, but Oorth slipped by her, wings flaring and ready for flight.

When Oorth jumped off of the ledge, Pratyba recklessly jumped after her. Their weyr was close to the entrance of the weyr and fairly low down, even considering the fact that the walls were not very high at this point, as their inexperienced and Oorth's color decreed, but it was still several dragonlengths above the ground... but what was a four-dragonlength fall, anyway? Besides, Oorth would catch her... she trusted the Pink, with her life if not with her belongings. Luckily enough, though, Pratyba managed to snag Oorth's left wingbase. Oorth dived tightly down and to the left, giving Pratyba the momentum she needed to swing onto the Pink's neck, giving a whoop of triumph as she did, thrusting a fist into the air. The pink bugled in her high, joyful voice as well, dropping the momentarily-forgotten boot in the process.

Pratyba expected Oorth to go fetch the boot, but the Pink began to weave absently in the air. She couldn't do any really fun stuff flying with hers not wearing straps. Hey, Mine, Shyboy and Girl-You-Wouldn't-Let-Me-Push-In-The-Wate Impressed, didn't they?

[/color] Oorth said suddenly, hovering in the air. Pratyba was thrown forward at the hasty stop and bopped her nose against one of Oorth's neck ridges. {Yeah,} she said somewhat grumpily, rubbing her aching nose. I don't remember to which dragons, though... let's go see! Oorth rumbled in agreement, diving towards the Weyrling Barracks. Then, again, Oorth suddenly halted in the air again, hurling Pratyba's nose against her neck ridges once again. "Oorth! That HURTS!" Pratyba complained, rubbing he nose again, withdrawing her hand to reveal blood. Great. A nosebleed. Just what she needed.

We need gifts![/color] Oorth said, like that was the most obvious thing in the world. She landed on the ground and shook Pratyba off, who almost landed on her feet. {Yay, now I have a sore arse to go along with my nosebleed,} Pratyba said, picking herself off of the ground. Suck it up! You get some human foods, I'll get some dragonet foods![/color] And with that, Oorth was off. Pratyba laughed and rolled he eyes at her dragon. One in a million! Obediently, Pratyba scurried to the kitchens. Thankfully, it was just after lunch, and the drudges hadn't put away the leftovers yet. Pratyba grabbed two bubbly pies (stealing a third for herself on second thought) before dashing back to the Weyrling Barracks, where Oorth was waiting for her with two fat wherries in her mouth. Oorth was far too small to carry a whole herdbeast by herself that great of a distance, if she could even lift it into the air.

They barged in, not bothering to knock or anything. The Weyrling Barracks still felt like home to them. "Tesla! Whatever-your-new-name-is-Caelin!" Pratyba shouted cheerily. "Get your butts over here! I have congratulations and food to give you!" Pratyba hoped they were in here. New Weyrlings often spent all day oiling, bathing, and feeding their dragons, but they did get a few minutes of rest every now and then. Lessons should be over by now, too. Or maybe Pratyba could help them bathe and oil! She wouldn't mind. But they did need to eat and talk first![/right][/font]

[Nia]

Finally, a break. C'elin collapsed on the cot in his room face first. Rather than going and collapsing on the couch set out for her, Upiditath climbed up on to the cot and laid down next to C'elin. This was how she always slept, C'elin didn't think she'd curled up on her bed once, she much preferred to cuddle with him. It was a good thing that while C'elin had a terrible fear of people being near him, he didn't have a fear of dragons being near him. He actually liked Upiditath sleeping next to him, it made him feel less alone, especially since he was no longer rooming with V'lin.

However, while she was a beautiful and somewhat small Green, she was not going to be small enough to sleep next to him for long. So he might as well enjoy it while he can... though, this was probably a bad habit to keep going... when she got bigger, he was going to have to awkwardly explain to the Weyrling Master why his cot kept breaking. But he didn't have the heart to make his beautiful dragon leave. C'elin began to drift off into a broken sleep, after oiling and feeding Upiditath all day he was exhausted.

The blond's sleep was broken almost as soon as he'd reached it by a yell into the Weyrling Barracks. He would have jumped three feet in the air if it wasn't for Upiditath's tail wrapped tightly around him. The Green lifted her head and blinked a few times. Miiinnne~ Someone is here for youuuu....

[/i] her mind was still clouded with sleep, as was C'elin's, so her words were more drawn out than usual. C'elin sat up and rubbed his eyes, pushing Upiditath off the cot and praying it wasn't going to break soon, it seemed a lot closer to the ground than it was before he fell asleep....

C'elin stood up and poked his head out of his room, blinking to clear the sleep from his eyes. "Praty...ba...?" he yawned, spotting the girl. He opened his mouth to ask her why she was there, but then realized that she'd already said she was here for food and congratulations. Food! Food! She had food, Mine! Fooood![/i] Upiditath was starting to sound like her clutchmate Gulath as she ran out of the room towards Pratyba and Oorth. "Ack... Upiditath... wait up...!" C'elin followed the Green warily, his movements slowed by sleep and fatigue.

Upiditath promptly began to rub against Pratyba like a cat, circling around her lovingly. "Hey, Upiditath... don't do that...." he scolded half-heartedly, knowing she wasn't going to stop, then looked up at Pratyba, feeling rather embarrassed. "Sorry... she's kind of affectionate. Um, but it's nice to see you! And I'm C'elin now," he greeted her with an embarrassed smile. He found it difficult to deal with just how loving and touchy-feely Upiditath was, especially with other humans, since she wasn't big enough to nuzzle the other dragons yet.[/blockquote][/size]

[kyrillion]

Irath went for the door immediately upon hearing the summons, eyes whirling bright crimson. Tesla, though a bit startled by Pratyba and Oorth's characteristically flamboyant entrance, managed to tackle her errant green before she could maneuver out of their room. Wrapping her arms around her, she managed to tangle up the green’s limbs and bring her to a halt. Irath collapsed with a petulant huff, though she made no move to dislodge her skinny rider – she wouldn’t want to accidentally hurt Hers, of course. Tesla, for her part, was learning quickly that her dragon responded best to the more… physical approach to most situations.

Don't even think about it, Irath.
Unhand me, puny humanling.[/color] Though the green appeared as serious and single-minded as ever, Tesla could detect the light, almost playful tone in her mindvoice. Though it brought a small grin to her face, she tried her best to keep serious and sound very, very stern. Though she hadn’t managed to pull off authoritative, yet, she didn’t see any choice but to keep on trying.

They’re friends of mine, Irath. I want you to be well-behaved. Pleasant, even.
Irath snorted indignantly, her eyes very briefly colored an amused green.
I’m serious! …Just don’t bite anyone, ok?

With that, Tesla allowed her dragon to shake her off and precede her into the hallway, intent on figuring out who had the nerve to call upon her rider at this hour (nevermind that it was the middle of the day). She had an aggressive waddle reminiscent of a bulldog; broad shoulders squared off and feet turned slightly inwards. She looked tough, Tesla mused as she trailed after her, which was probably what she was going for.

As always, each step resounded in Tesla's mind as a number. One, two, three, four.. Much to her amusement, Irath seemed to have picked up the habit, as well. She viewed it as a sort of game, Tesla supposed, and the green would keep time with her rider whenever they ventured out of the barracks. It even seemed to calm her down a bit –or perhaps that was just wishful thinking on Tesla's part.

Five, six, seven… And there were Oorth and Pratyba, a bit too big for the weyrling barracks and almost blocking C'elin and Upiditath from sight. Still, upon seeing them all Tesla's expression morphed into a broad grin. She felt like her old self in an instant –the dreamer that they'd all met by the lake that night. Being around Irath… Tesla loved her dearly, of course, but being in the green's company usually required her to reign in her eccentricities and imaginings. She hadn't felt quite like herself since the Hatching.

Irath, sensing these thoughts, slowed her charge towards the visitors and, perhaps for the first time, made an effort to keep her aggressive nature in check. Though it was difficult, she loved Hers so very much and felt that maybe Hers deserved this. Just once. There would be plenty of opportunities to torment her in the future; all in good fun, of course (or in any case, Irath's idea of fun). Hanging back, she let Tesla stride past her and greet her friends with a cheerful: “So good to see you! And congratulations, C'elin.” She smiled at the still-awkward boy, moving to stand beside him. She regarded Upiditath with amusement as she twined herself around Pratyba, and Irath lingered stubbornly next to her rider and ignored everyone else. Still, the green somehow managed to communicate the disdain she felt for her flighty, silly sister.

But then she noticed the food, and gave up all pretenses of ignoring people. Eyeing Pratyba suspiciously, she stretched out her neck to better whiff the tantalizing scents that the older weyrlings had been so generous to bring. She didn't make any move towards them yet, however – she was still trying to let Tesla take the lead. And, seeing as how she was usually running pell-mell after her murderous dragon, Tesla was immensely grateful for the break. She went quickly back to ignoring the group, but was hungry to add, for her rider's ears only:

Mine. They have brought us food.[/color]
Her tone of voice suggested that of course people would bring them food, and that it was no big deal and in fact expected. Still, Tesla caught the urgency in the words, and nudged her pointedly-looking-in-another-direction dragon, grinning down at her. Turning back to Pratyba, she asked:

“Goodness, is all that for us? Oh, I'm absolutely starving, and I've only just realized… Thank you very much!” She grinned at the pink rider, delighted by the gesture. She'd been with Dalibor since its founding, but there weren't many weyrfolk that she considered good friends. Her slightly peculiar nature could make it difficult to really connect with people – but then, Pratyba and C'elin were a bit on the strange side, too, weren't they? She thought that they made a good, if eclectic, team.

[4horseshowgirl4]

It was Caelin-or-whatever-she-was-supposed-to-call-him who answered her summons first. "Yep, that's my name, don't wear it out!" she quipped happily, glad that she had managed to catch him (and hopefully Tesla as well) while they were in their barracks and not out in some lesson. Oh, but he looked drowsy, and he was yawning... she hadn't woken him up, had she? That would be unnecessarily mean of her; she remembered those sleepless days from her junior Weyrling days! Sometimes there was time for a few candlemarks of sleep between the constant feeding, oiling, bathing, lessons, chores, oiling, feeding... even though having a lifemate was a novelty and made the grueling hours bearable, she did not miss that hectic schedule in the slightest!

She was about to make sure that C'elin was not too sleep-deprived because of her arrival when she saw the cutest little Green dart out out C'elin's room, and, naturally, her attention was now focused solely on her. "She yours?" Pratyba squealed in delight as Upiditath began to wind around her affectionately. "Aww, she is adorable!" she cooed, shifting the bubbly pies into one arm and bending down to rub the Green's head while remaining on her feet; a difficult achievement for klutzy Pratyba considering that Upiditath's winding was making it hard to keep her balance. "Upiditath, you said? Nice name. And don't worry, I don't mind in the slightest! It's great to see you, too... how have you been?!"

She had about fifty thousand more questions to ask him, but she was distracted once again by Teslana's arrival, and she, too, had a Green. This one didn't look nearly so friendly as Upiditath, in fact, she was making a point not to look at them, but Pratyba didn't care. She stepped forward, carefully avoiding Upiditath's toes, and pulled C'elin and Tesla into a one-armed bear hug. "Yeah, so, congrats, both of you! And of course all of this is for you. Last I heard, Oorth hadn't acquired a taste for bubbly pie!" she said, releasing them and laughing, before prying the slightly smushed pies from each other and handing one of them to each. Oorth stepped forward, squeezing into the small hallway, towering over everybody. She rumbled in amusement. I do not get to be the biggest often!

[/color] she said happily to everyone.

Pratyba eagerly dug into her own pie before remembering that they'd brought food for the dragonets, too, who were probably ravenous like always! Oorth had this same thought. Catch![/color] she ordered Upiditath, setting down one of the wherries and hurling the other as high into the air as the ceiling would allow. Your turn![/color] she said brightly to Irath, tossing the second one into the air, too.

"Haha, get used to it! You're either going to be hungry or tired for the next few seasons," Pratyba said, smiling at Tesla with teeth that were stained purple. "Oh, let's go outside! It's too stuffy in here!" Without waiting for an affirmative from them, she marched out and sat against the side of the building. Oorth followed her quickly, stretching her wings and hopping into the air. Hey, remember when I killed all those herdbeasts for the Weyrlings?[/color] Oorth said, mostly to Pratyba but allowing the other two to hear as well, gliding around over their heads. Those silly Kings couldn't catch them, but I could! Hey, Upiditath and Irath could, too! Let's teach them to hunt![/color] Pratyba laughed. "Sorry, Oorth, I think W'al would skin our hides if we taught them to hunt two seasons before they were supposed to!"[/right][/font]

[Nia]

C'elin managed a short sigh of relief as Pratyba wasn't entirely put-off by Upiditath's affectionate greeting, and that the Green hadn't managed to knock klutzy Pratyba over. He smiled warily at her, running his fingers through his wavy hair in an attempt to make himself look less like he had just woken up. He did manage a small smile, though. "I've been great. She's a lot of work but it's worth it," he responded, stretching his arms out with another yawn.

Then Teslana approached and C'elin gave her a smile. "Hello, Tesla," he greeted her. He hadn't actually commented on the food, he had been too busy trying to stop Upiditath from winding around Pratyba. The Green didn't bother to greet Irath, if only because she seemed very angry and Upididtath did not want to start some sort of conflict. The dragon stepped off to the side to avoid Pratyba as the girl went in for a hug. C'elin was somewhat caught off guard, being pushed so close to the two of them, but he didn't mind. Hugs were nice... and he didn't have a problem with girls.

The blond greatfully took the bubbly pies and began to eat it right away, as he was very hungry. Upiditath's ravenous hunger was affecting him as well. As C'elin ate his pie, Upiditath scrambled for the wherry that Oorth threw, catching it elegantly before it hit the ground. I caught it, I caught it!

[/i] she cheered to the two other dragons, setting the wherry down and tearing into it. She was starving, though she ate a lot less neat than C'elin did. He'd even managed not to stain his teeth.

... unlike Pratyba, and seeing her made him smile a bit. The three of them certainly were an odd, unlikely group of friends. He glanced at Tesla with an amused smile and then followed Pratyba out of the Barracks, fully aware at how large and uncomfortable Oorth must be in the smaller Barracks. He watched Oorth fly around above them. "I agree, I already messed up one of the lessons... I don't want to get myself in trouble," he said awkawrdly in response to Pratyba and Oorth's conversation, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Of course, his "messing up one of the lessons" was merely not following directions and making a bigger feeding group than there should have been, but it was still made him feel guilty.[/blockquote][/size]

[kyrillion]

"Hello, C'elin!" She enthusiastically returned the shyer boy's greeting, still beaming like a kid at Christmas. It was good to relax and be around friends; with Irath, she felt as though she were perpetually on-guard. Like some sort of soldier - which, for obvious reasons, was not a role the gangly girl had ever been cut out for. Tesla was more than happy to participate in the group hug, while Irath continued to ignore the humans. She flicked her tail irritably when Upiditath was the first to be tossed a carcass - after all, Irath was clearly the bigger and stronger green! - but she otherwise did not protest. She caught the food deftly, when Oorth threw it her way, and trotted easily after the group as they all (somewhat clumsily) made their way outside. She still had that odd, front-feet-turned-in, bulldog-esque waddle, and Tesla was beginning to think she'd never grow out of it. When they had eventually negotiated their way out of the barracks, Tesla dug into the bubbly pie, eyeing Irath briefly, who was feasting and somewhat removed from the group. "I wouldn't worry about it, C'elin - I don't think W'al really minded." She tried to reassure her fellow-green rider, smiling brightly at him before continuing her meal.

She didn't bother to eat neatly; soon enough, her teeth were stained the same color as Pratyba's, and she absently tried to lick the color away while she listened to Oorth, Pratyba, and C'elin. Oorth's suggestion, that she teach the hatchling's how to hunt, had Tesla choking for a moment before Pratyba dismissed it. She had been queasy enough when her dear green had mauled those Candidates at the Hatching! Hunting wouldn't be as bad, but it still wasn't something she was looking forward to; she had a feeling that Irath might enjoy it just a bit too much. Though the green was still distracted, picking apart her carcass, Tesla felt a wave of amusement from her direction.

At Pratyba's comment that W'al would skin them, she chuckled indulgently. She liked the Weyrlingmaster, so far as she'd interacted with him during the first lesson; he was a pleasant sort of person. Glancing at C'elin, she sent another smile his direction before saying: "I think you might be right. And anyway, the longer I can get Irath to keep her talons to herself, the better." She eyed her green, who was no longer paying any attention, and it occurred to her how rude she must seem to Pratyba and Oorth, who'd never met her before. And as for C'elin... well, she wouldn't blame him if he were terrified of Irath. She certainly had been, before she'd Impressed her. After a moment, she decided to give 'authoritative' another try, and attempted to make her mindvoice as stern-sounding as possible.

Irath. Say hello, please.
She could hear the green huff unpleasantly behind her.
Irath...
Another moment, and she grudgingly complied,
Hello, sistermine and quiet boy. Hello, Oorth and Oorth's.
Well, it wasn't the politest of greetings, but Tesla, looking distinctly apologetic, supposed it would have to suffice.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Pratyba shoved the last of the delicious pie into her mouth, licking the juice off of each finger. Having one's appetite satisfied was a most contenting feeling, and Pratyba leaned back against the side of the Weyrling Barracks, quiet for a short moment. She even let the warm sunshine coax her eyelids into drooping for a few seconds. But, this being Pratyba, the moment did not last long. She quickly jolted upright, tapping her foot energetically. She was with a group of friends, and she had a spare moment, this meant that they simply had to get into trouble! She couldn't see them as eager partners as Sol, but she could be convincing when she wanted to.

She sat in uncharacteristic silence while C'elin and Tesla finished off their pies, Irath and Upiditath eating their wherries, and Oorth flying lazy laps above their head. You are plotting, PratybaMine!

[/color] Oorth chirped happily, privately to Pratyba. {Yes, I am, and I'm not going to share my evil plans with you until you go fetch me my boot!} Pratyba said, suddenly remembering the boot that had started this all and was still sitting, forsaken, on the other side of the Weyrbowl under the Pinkpair's weyrledge. Oorth immediately flew off to go grab it, and Pratyba was lost in thought again.

And then, it hit her.

Not what they were going to do, obviously. Oorth had thrown the boot and it hit her on the head.

"Ow, Oorth!" she said, rubbing her head. First her nose, then her butt, and now her head: that one boot was causing her a lot of injury today! If only Oorth hadn't stolen it, she could have avoided all of this trouble...

And then, it really did hit her. Completely oblivious to whatever C'elin and Tesla had said, she jumped up, screaming, "Eureka!" because it was an awesome word and seemed applicable to the current situation. She grabbed Tesla's and C'elin's hand and began bouncing up and down in her excitement and the brilliance of her idea.

"YOU GUYS! WE'RE GOING TO HOST A GIANT, WEYR-WIDE SCAVENGER HUNT!" she exclaimed, loudly enough that the rest of the Jr. Weyrlings had probably heard her. She looked over her shoulder nervously, before grinning diabolically and pulling C'elin and Tesla back down to the ground as she plopped herself back on the stone. She leaned forward and whispered to them, "Okay, this is what we're going to have to do..." as Oorth rumbled her approval, soaring over their heads.

This was going to be interesting.[/right][/font]