A Village And Then Some (Alec)

[Kila]

Spring, 6th Turn, 11th Pass

Jasra made her way to the crèche, her pace fast with excitement. The weyrbrats' stronghold was not a place that she had thought she would ever frequent, but over the past two or three turns she had become a regular. The children still bewildered her, though much less so than before, but not even a trace of her former awkwardness remained in regards to her best friend's son.

"Hello, hi," she greeted the crèche workers and a few of the 'brats as she entered the room. She smiled at them, kind but distant, until she spotted Taevon. The boy was toddling around after a few of the older children, happy just to be in their midst. Her polite smile turned into a full-blown grin when she saw him. Striding forward she scooped him up under the arms and twirled him around. "Hey there, sweet boy," she said, gathering him up and plopping him on her hip so she could carry him around with one arm. The beamed at each other, ecstatic to be reunited even though it had only been a day or so since she had last come. T'von and his weyrmate had duties to attend to like all Riders, so Jasra made it a point to take Taevon out and about with her as often as possible. She would go to any length to help her friend, but more than that she loved the little boy with all her heart and delighted in the time they spent together. Had had made her kinder, less distant and mechanical without even trying- a feat that many had failed at while giving their best.

"Want to go outside, Taevon? The weather is warm and Aunty Iz is waiting," she crooned, leaving the crèche behind her. She could feel the Red bristle even from outside. Must you really persist in this? she said icily, hot rage thinly veiled beneath cold words. She did not tolerate having her name shortened by anyone but Hers, but even Jasra distorting it into something cutesy and strange was unacceptable. Lighten up, Iz, she laughed, explaining for about the thousandth time. It's not demeaning, it's just a nickname. It means that he's close to you. The Red snorted, not about to be swayed by words. She liked the change that Taevon had wrought upon her bonded, but even after turns of being with the boy she was still not excessively fond of children. You can be the "aunty".

"Uh-oh Tay, looks like we've upset her." Izkeeyerdeth was out in the Bowl waiting for them, but the withering look she gave Jasra made it clear that she would rather be elsewhere. Rider and baby went straight to her despite it. Don't be such a grump, Jasra said, leaning against her and radiating love. Her dragoness had been feeling lethargic lately as a result of the medicine the Weyr was administering to the herdbeasts, and when they went flying she had to push herself to attain close to her normal speed. She fought the fatigue instead of succumbing to it, which made her all the more tired and even more prickly by consequence.

[Alec]

Taevon wandered around following behind the older kids. He wasn't sure what they were doing, or why they were doing it, but it looked fun, and he liked fun. He was so focused on what they were doing, he never noticed the redrider until she scooped him up and twirled him, which made him squeal in delight. "Aunt Jasra!" He giggled, and hugged her neck before she put him on her hip.

Both T'von and Laelia had been busy with rider-related duties, and when they weren't, they had been figuring out ways to help their dragons be at their best while combating the effects of the medicine. So the boy was usually found in the company of his Aunt when his parents couldn't stop by until later.

He nodded at her question, and beamed at the mention of the red dragon. He loved her just as much as he did Moruluth and Anibrith. Whether she felt the same would likely ever be something only she and Jasra would ever really know, but in Tae's childish innocence, he thought she loved him just as much.

When Jasra mentioned upsetting her, he only giggled. "Is okay. She grumpy cause she tired." The boy was well aware of the affects the smokeweed medicine was having on the dragons, he just didn't know why all the dragons were so sleepy. All his father had told him was they were sleepy, so Moru and Ani wouldn't be as active as they usually were, nor would the other dragons he often was in the company of.

When they arrived at the red dragoness, Taevon reached out and stroked her leg, unafraid to do what many dragons wouldn't even think to do. He craned his neck as far as he could to look at her head and smiled. "Yous can take nap Aunt Iz! Make yous feel better!" He suggested. Calling her by the name only solidified what Jasra had stated to her mentally moments ago. It mattered not whether she was person or dragon. She was still his aunt, and she was still family in the child's mind and eyes.

[Kila]

Taevon's giggles and squeals made Jasra feel like she was on top
of the world. It knocked turns off of her when she was around little
Tay, and though she was at all times responsible, she sometimes acted
downright childish. Izkeeyerdeth both hated and loved it, depending on
the day. At the present she was so frustrated that she was the one
acting like a child out of the three.

The Red grumbled when Moroluth's' hatchling patted her leg and called
her by the very name she had just made quite clear she despised. She
scanned the sky, hoping to see that familiar purple hide on the horizon.
Moroluth was infinitely better with children than she was and made a
much better dragon playmate. Taking a nap will not make me
better, she snapped, the words directed at her Rider so that
Taevon would not be hurt by the harsh edge of her words.
No amount of sleep will fix being slow. Jasra
rolled her eyes. "Iz has a bad habit of taking herself too
seriously," she explained to Taevon as if he knew what that meant.
Jasra's good mood was doing nothing to improve Izkeeyerdeth's bad one.
The angry dragoness hissed, turning tail and storming over to the lake,
leaving her bonded and all her nonsense behind her.

"Uh-oh Tay, we've done it again," Jasra whispered, looking to the
little boy as her lifemate seethed. "Poor Iz, she doesn't like
feeling sleepy." It was a simplification, but still pretty dead on.
"We shouldn't make her angry like we do. What bad kids we are!"
Jasra tried to look contrite but ended up with a wicked grin on her face
and laughed at herself. "Why don't we do something to cheer her
up?"

Leaving the Red alone would have been the best option, but she would
have no solitude today. Flying was what normally lifted her spirits, but
the feeling of sluggishness made her rage all the worse and drew
attention back to the original problem. "Hmmmmm," Jasra pondered,
tapping Taevon's nose with the tip of her finger as she thought. "I
know! How about a bath? Want to help me give Aunty Iz a bath, Tay?"

[Alec]

As Jasra told him that the red was taking herself too seriously, he gave a nod, as if he did try understand even though he didn't. He knew that the red had Ben very moody ever since she had started feeling tired, so even as she hissed and stomped off, he knew that it was just the tiredness affecting her. Mostly anyways.

"Sleepy's no good for her." He said in agreement. However when his Aunt brought up cheering her up a wide grin came across his face. "Oh yes yes!" He said excitedly. Helping out the tired and grumpy red was something he was more than happy to do. He gave a giggle at the tap on his nose then nodded vigorously. "Oooooh, a bath a good idea! It gonna make her feel lots better!" He said cheerfully before he wriggled himself out of Jasra's hold. He then took off as fast as his tiny little legs would carry him after Iz. "Don't worry, we gonna help you much we can! You won't be so sleepy then!" He called out to her, his young voice portraying just how determined he was at accomplishing this.

By the time he made it to the lake he waded in up to his chest then waited for Jasra to take him further. He did know how to keep his head above water in deeper water but he had been taught to wait until someone came to bring him in further and watch him. He was patient enough to actually listen when h was told something. Well, most of the time that is. And this was definitely no exception, especially with the redrider and her dragon that he held so dearly.

[Kila]

As she had suspected, Taevon was down with the plan. She smiled and let him loose when he wriggled to get free. "Hey sweet girl," Jasra said, unearthing Amelia from where she was curled up inside her riding jacket. The Green peeped sleepily and looked up questioningly at her human. "Will you go find those crazy sisters of yours and get them to bring Iz's bath stuff down to the lake?" She conjured an image of her bucket filled with sandstone and other supplies which Amelia recognized. Bobbing her head the small flit vanished, off to fetch what her owner needed.

With long legs and wide strides Jasra caught up to Taevon quickly. The boy was already in the water when she reached the shore, shouting encouragements at Izkeeyerdeth. The Red did not enjoy being shouted at; she turned and gave her Rider the evil eye. You would inflict this tiny menace on me? she demanded without humor. Jasra only grinned, wading into the lake to scoop Taevon back up. Not at all, love. In fact to apologize we've come to give you a bath. I know your hide must itch with the weather getting warmer. What do you say? Izkeeyerdeth tried to feign disinterest, but Jasra felt her interest at the suggestion. Come on, she wheedled, What do you have better to do? Nothing, the Red conceded grumpily. She was sitting at the edge of the lake because she couldn't do what she wanted. So Why not?

Jasra's fair arrived right on cue, making a ruckus and supporting the bucket between them. "She says she'd love a bath," Jasra sad to Taevon. She put him down and walked to the shore to relieve Dioa and Anthe of the bucket. Geree dropped the chunk of sandstone in once she had hold of it and Amelia landed lightly on her shoulder. "Thank you, ladies!" she said, washing them with love. Izkeeyerdeth waded out into the lake without prompt, immersing herself in the water and sending small waves to the shore that rocked Taevon in the water. Geree swooped over to him and fussed about, making sure they didn’t knock him over. ”Alright, enough of that. Come on back here!” Jasra called as Iz wallowed. Her bonded made a dignified return to the shallows and lay down expectantly. Jasra rolled her eyes and sloshed out to her little buddy. ”Okay Tay, let’s do it.” She fished a smaller piece of sandstone from the bucket and plopped it into his hands. ”Aunty Iz will feel much better after she is squeaky clean!”

[Alec]

"Yay!" Taevon cried as Jasra told him Iz agreed to the bath. He grinned at the sight of Jasra's fair, as entranced by them as he was any dragon. When the waves washed over him, he stumbled from the force, yet managed to stay on his feet instead of toppling into the water. As Geree flew just above his head, he reached up to stroke the lizard. Alas, though, he wasn't near tall enough.

This made him frown, but the frown was immediately wiped off as he was handed the sandstone. "Okay! We gonna make her feel aaaallllllll better!" His face cracked into a grin so large, it threatened to split his face in two, as he ran, splashing his way up to her and giving her a pat. The young Weyrbrat was a mere mote next to the massive dragon that was the red.

With determination on his face, he chose a spot of her hide that he could clean easily, then wetted the sandstone and began scrubbing. The entire time he was working on cleaning Iz, he remained silent, too focused on his task to even think of anything to say. Tae put all of his effort into cleaning her, and if either rider or dragon looked, there would be a point that a light sweat broke onto his brow. Excitable and adventurous the child might be, but when it came to things he was given to do, he planned to do the best job he could even at his young age.

He was forced to stop, though, as his arms were already tired from the effort and it had hardly been but five minutes. Letting his arms droop to his side, he waded in the water until he could sit down in it safely, before doing just that. The water was still cool, and Taevon grinned as he sat in it. "No worry, Iz. Just taking break." He cheerfully said, intending to get back to work on her when he was through.

[Kila]

Izkeeyerdeth did not appreciate being patted like a common
canine, but she knew she had to choose her battles with Taevon. There
was little he did that she found amusing, but there was no use in
complaining about all of it. She found that she did like when he ceased
talking and scrubbed her, however. Her eyes whirred a pleased green as
he and Jasra began to work at her hide. She had been itchy from
all the summer heat, and the bath was a blissful relief.

Jasra let "I told you so" go unsaid, not seeing the need to aggravate
her lifemate further. I was not prudent to push a Red past a certain
point- even if you were bonded to them. She peeked over at Taevon
instead as she worked. His intense concentration made her want to laugh
but she refrained, not wanting him to feel at all mocked for his hard
work. He'll make a great Rider one day, she thought fondly. He
already showed dedicated at this young age and she was sure he would
only grow to be better and better.

"Tired, Tay?" she asked when he sat down in the shallows. Dioia
and Anthe swarmed him, one Green landing on each shoulder and then
crawling around on his body. Izkeeyerdeth eyed him when he splashed
away, but said nothing in response to his reassurance, allowing it to be
so. Jasra grinned over her shoulder at him as she continued to scrub.
"Iz is looking squeaky clean already. You're such a good helper!"
Dioia and Anthe cheeped in agreement. Jasra had washed her bonded a
million times, so though she had a lot of space to cover, the chore went
by quickly. The irritable tinges of orange and red slowly bled slowly
from her eyes, leaving her relaxed and contented.

[Alec]

Tae gave a light giggle as the two greens latched themselves onto him, and he ran his hands along their hides as they crawled over him. He loved the flitters just as much as he did dragons. In fact, he loved everything! Dragons, whers, firelizards, pillies, nothing escaped him.

When Jasra complimented his work, he gave a wide, childish grin at the praise. "That good! She nice when clean!" Another minute or so of resting, then he got back up and grabbed his sandstone again. He looked over to Iz's eyes, seeing the green shade and grinned wider, if it were possible. Green eyes were good! Green eyes meant a happy dragon!

With or without his two little green companions still clinging to him, he walked back over to the red and once more went to work. Scrubbing definitey wasn't the hardest thing to do for him, often finding himself helping wash his parents' dragons. Yet, it was something that he enjoyed doing. It wasn't so much work for him as it was an activity. He got to be close to a dragon, and make them happy at the same time.

Taevon would likely not know for some time that Iz didn't enjoy everything he did, such as his pats. All he knew was that his efforts were helping make her eyes turn green instead of orange or red. And that meant a lot to the boy. He continued to silently work away, until her hide glistened where he had passed. Of course he needed several breaks, each time sitting down nearby for a few minutes, before getting up again and picking up where he had left off.

By the time he had finished the small portion of her belly where he could reach, he was getting tuckered out. He gave a light yawn, but made sure his spot was as done as it would get. Placing a hand on the red's hide, he gently ran it across while he splashed alongside her, feeling he had done a good job. He then took a few steps back to examine her as a whole. "You look really good and clean now Iz!" Even if Jasra had done most of the work, naturally, he thought what he did made a difference in the dragon's appearance as well, as he gave a second yawn.

[Kila]

Jasra stepped back and looked at her bonded with satisfaction. Izkeeyerdeth looked striking in the water. She had not been dirty before, but her hide now showed its color truest: a dark, beautiful blood red that contrasted the bright reflection on the water. The difference in her mood was palpable as well. Anyone could see that the angry orange and yellow had left her eyes, but Jasra could feel that the very air around her was lighter. There was no escaping Izkeeyerdeth's foul moods; the Red practically radiated her displeasure. But for now at least she was appeased.

"She does look good and clean!" Jasra agreed, charmed by Tay's declarations as always. "The most beautiful Red in all of Pern I'd say." She waded over to the yawning child and swept him up into her arms. "You did such a good job, Tay! You are a great helper." She tossed the two chunks of sandstone to her flitters, who caught them midair and lorded them around before depositing them back into her bucket.

Jasra waded back to shore. She was going to put Taevon down, but the boy looked like he was about to fall asleep against her chest. Her heart melted all over again. "Ready to go back?" she asked him gently. She didn't really need an answer. Leaving all her things on the grass by the lake, she carried him back to the crèche. Geree, Anthe, and Dioia assumed the position of guards, landing on her various belongings and functioning in truth as paperweights with evil eyes. As if anyone would bother them with Iz right there, she snorted to herself, but left them to their play."Bye little Tay," she said when a drudge appeared to take him at the entrance. She kissed him on the forehead and handed him to the other woman reluctantly. "I'll come back soon," she promised. She was always sad to take him back, but she was not his mother and could not keep him with her always. Sad as she always was at that moment though, he brightened her day as a whole and she left happy.