The Birth of the Terrible Trio {Show}

[hatori3070]

It was hard for Jasra not to skip back the room she shared with Dekistee in the barracks. Her hard-earned marks had been pretty much blown on what lay on her cot at the moment, but it would be well worth it soon enough. She carried a bowl of meat, deftly swiped from the kitchens without being dragged into more chores, in one hand and the other she used to open her door. The reason for the meat and her near-skipping lay in a close triangle on her bed. They were three flitter eggs from one of the many flitts in Dalibor. The bonded of the clutchmother had said she had abandoned them, and offered her all three. After a few moments of bartering, they were hers.

They were nearly ready to hatch as well, and Jasra could barely contain her excitement. Of course, they wouldn't be miniature dragons in all respects, but the flitts she'd met had such bright personalities, she'd jumped at the chance to have some of her own. A Green had clutched them, so she knew there probably wouldn't be any high-ranking colors among the three, but it wouldn't really matter. Besides, high-ranking flitters clutched more often and took care of the eggs more-so than the lower ranks.

She set the bowl down on her trunk and sat on the cot next to the eggs, and just as she did so, she noticed one of them move. That movement was swiftly followed by stirrings in the other eggs. They were hatching! Jasra swiftly grabbed the bowl of meat from her trunk and sat with her legs folded under her on the cot, eyes glued to the eggs. They were now moving in a rather rhythmic motion, and suddenly, a pink burst forth from one of the eggs, scattering shell fragments all over the blanket. She gave a little roar as she stumbled about, blinking rapidly in the sudden light of day. Her sisters quickly followed suit, one a dark green and the other lighter in hue but also green. Their heads knocked into each other in their violent entrance to life. Each one blaming the other for the collision, they immediately began to fight, tumbling around on the bed and cracking their shells to bits. When they bumped into the pink, she snapped at them and buffeted them with her wings, bringing them swiftly into line before stalking toward Jasra and the food. She jumped up into her lap, screeching to be fed, followed immediately by the greens who were eager to please their more charismatic sister. They all flashed the image of the meat in the bowl, followed by a feeling of contented fullness.

Jasra couldn't help but laugh at their antics, before grabbing a few pieces of meat and holding them out to them. "You are all so adorable." The pink fluttered her wings, enjoying the attention, while the greens tried to eat the same piece of meat, failed miserably, and began fighting again. "You three are going to be a handful, aren't you?" Jasra wouldn't really mind the extra work. Flitters were a lot easier to take care of than dragons simply because of their size. "Oh, you need names don't you? Well, who's first?" Just as Jasra suspected, the pink immediately crawled its way up to her shoulder, rubbing its head into her cheek. "How does Geree sound to you?" She chirped, flashed a happy feeling, and twined herself around Jasra's neck, settling in across her shoulders.

The greens had finally stopped fighting long enough to trot up for their names. The darker one had won, so Jasra decided to give her her name first, as a reward. "I'll call you Anthe." Another happy feeling, and Anthe settled into her lap, glaring at her sister as if challenging her to try and take her spot. The lighter green creened, demanding a name. "Alright, don't worry, I didn't forget you. How's Dioia?" Jasra thought she could get used to that happy feeling flashing from her flitts as Dioia crawled into the crook of her arm and stretched out with a contented little sigh. The feeling of the flitts all gathered around her was nice, their bodies a comforting weight and warmth. This would be a lot of fun.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Well, Dekistee had had a very productive morning. She'd gotten out of chores of cleaning up after people's breakfasts and had spent the time flirting with a young Purplerider. Not that she'd ever consider actually marrying a Purplerider (or what was the equivalent in Weyr life? Ah, well, she didn't listen very closely in Candidate lessons. If she called it marrying, people would know what she meant), but they still had a chance of being someone of esteem one day, and, besides, they were so much fun! So many of the Kingriders were stuffy of insociable. Obviously, Dekistee would manage to crack the shell of one of them someday, but it would be far easier once she had her Queen dragon at her side, so, for now, the mere sub-King riders would have to do!

She flounced, quite literally flounced, towards her room, rather hoping that Jasra was there, as she really did hate being alone. And, besides, she wanted to tell her about the Purplerider she'd gotten her hands on! Well... almost. She knew how that muscular chest had to feel, even if she hadn't gotten to actually run her hands over it. Technicalities. Besides, what was a good story without a wee bit of exaggeration?

Dekistee's lackadaisical pace hastily quickened, though, when she heard screeching coming from the Candidate barracks. She was more curious to see who'd gotten hurt or was fighting than concerned for the people involved, to be honest, but as she got closer and it became more apparent that the awful sound was coming from her room, her concern grew. Okay, so it was concern for her belongings, mostly, but there was some concern for Jasra! Just... not as much.

She burst in the room, looking attractively overwrought (and, yes, that was practiced). However, Jasra was the only one in there, and she seemed fine. "Jasra? What is going on in here?" Dekistee asked worriedly, stepping over to her roommate's side quickly. The first thing she saw were the shards of three eggshells. The next thing she saw were three firelizards. Three baby firelizards, and none of them were even a good color. "What are those?!" Dekistee said shrilly. Firelizards were not a good thing. Baby firelizards were worse. Three baby firelizards were even worse. Three stereotypically-trouble-causing-colored baby firelizards was just about the worst thing Dekistee could imagine, other than not Impressing a Queen. But, this was real.

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[hatori3070]

They were all snoring lightly, with Jasra just watching them sleep, when Dekistee burst into the room. "Shh, Dekistee, it's fine!" From the look on her face, she figured that Dekistee had heard the sounds of her three hatching and hadn't known what to make of it. "You'll wake them." She whispered hurriedly as Dekistee continued to speak, quite loudly, but it was too late. They were waking up, squawking at being so rudely awakened. Relax. She lives here too, and she hasn't seen you before. They perked at being able to meet someone new and crawled over to the edge of the cot to look up at Dekistee.

"What do you think they are? They're firelizards, of course!" Jasra said with a laugh. She couldn't really blame Dekistee for her reaction. What would she herself have done if her roommate suddenly had three baby firelizards twined around her? "I met one the other day, and when someone gave me the chance to buy the eggs of these three, I took it." Geree chirped up at Dekistee and clumsily glided over to grab onto her sleeve and climb up to her shoulder. Anthe and Dioia were pushing each other over as they tried to do the same and ended up fighting again, tumbling all over the bed in their rough-housing. "The Pink you've got their is Geree, and these two rascals are Anthe and Dioia."

Upon seeing the mess of eggshells on her bed, Jasra began picking up the pieces. "My goodness, what a mess!" She was far too happy to notice how upsetting this turn of events was to her roommate. After all, they had gotten along so well since she'd arrived, there was no reason to suspect she would be upset. Firelizards were wonderful companions, full of personality and spunk. And they were far easier to obtain than a dragon. She pulled the sparring greens apart. "Come on you two! Cut it out!" They sheepishly tottered over to the still half-full bowl of meat to gorge themselves. Their hunger satisfied, they set out to explore their new world by flapping clumsily to the floor and running about, poking their noses into anything they came across.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Dekistee was trying not to hyperventilate. Maybe Dragonriders with firelizards could keep them under control because they were used to sharing their minds with a dragon, but the ones she had met at Fort were generally uncontrollably, lawless creatures. Her father's Gold was alright, and her brother's Brown was quiet and well-trained, but most of the other firelizards she'd met? Why, they seemed to serve as nothing but headaches for her mother and the Headwoman! Especially the Greens! Sure, they were a laugh, but they were also a pain in the neck most of the time, and Dekistee wouldn't be caught dead with one, much less three! Oh, what a mess they were going to make!

"It is not fine!" Dekistee said half-hysterically, though she did make a marked effort to be quieter. Asleep firelizards were the second-best firelizards they were. (The first were dead ones, naturally.) However, the trio of flitters woke up anyway with much squeaking and squawking. She didn't appreciate Jasra's light-hearted laughter. It only furthered her belief that her roommate had been struck by momentary insanity. How could anyone laugh at this situation? Obviously, Dekistee would have to get rid of them; that, or move to a new room. Unfortunately, with Kalith's quite egg-heavy and Nikianeth showing signs of being the same way, the Weyr had had an influx of Candidates, and the barracks were now as full as they had ever been. Well, that was no matter; Dekistee was pretty sure she could convince someone to trade with her with her bag full of clinking marks.

She felt tiny pinpricks of claws on her arm, through the light, airy sleeves of her dress, and her reaction was quite comical. She jumped at least three feet straight up in the air, screaming in terror and shaking her arm every which way to try and dislodge the Pink. She did not want the tiny Pink terror making her its climbing post! She bolted around the room, flailing, bouncing, and screaming as she went, like a herdbeast trying to dislodge a wild wher from its back. Dekistee could overdo the facial expressions when the occasion called for it, and it sure did now. Her face was priceless, a laughable mix of hysteria, revulsion, and shock. This continued for a good fifteen seconds before she finally managed to shake the young Pink off of her arm.

Even after Geree was dislodged, Dekistee continued to flail about for a moment, brushing off her arms furiously to make sure that the firelizard was well and truly off. When she was sure that Geree was gone, she rounded on Jasra. "You SEE?" she said, shouting to make herself heard above the two squalling Greens but a bit more than was necessary. "You have to get rid of the pests! Look how much trouble they cause!" she whined loudly, smoothing her hair frantically, as the incident with Geree had quite upset it. She was sure Jasra would think rationally and see how troublesome they were. The only sensible course of action was to pawn them off to someone else or make them go wild before they caused any real destruction!

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[hatori3070]

Jasra couldn't understand why Dekistee was making such a big deal out of this. Firelizards were wonderful companions. They had bright personalities, were an easy to manage size, and were content as long as they weren't abused. It seemed perfect to her. "Why are they such a problem for you?" Dekistee seemed nearly hysterical just from the sight of the little 'lizards.

For a split second, Jasra found Dekistee's expression priceless as Geree tried to climb on her, so much so that she had to fight to keep from laughing, seeing as Dekistee probably wouldn't appreciate it too much. But the impulse to laugh disappeared as she started trying to shake Geree off of her. "Stop! She's just a baby! You'll hurt her!" Concern for her new flitter filled her mind, which Anthe and Dioia could feel. They danced around Dekistee's feet, trying to reach their sister, but they were too young yet and Dekistee was moving too fast. They could only zip around with many failed attempts to grab her ankles.

Geree finally gave up and was flung onto the lone table in the room, sliding into the wall with a small thud. Anthe and Dioia scrambled up the table legs, creening for their sister. She was a bit dazed, but seemed unharmed as she wobbled to her feet. Jasra was instantly at the table, sending comforting thoughts to her little Pink. It was difficult, given her sudden anger with Dekistee. "Look what you've done! You could've killed her!" She gathered Geree into her arms, cuddling her close and checking to make absolutely sure nothing was broken. How dare Dekistee do this! She had no right to go harming someone else's firelizards simply because they were trying to be friendly! What if Geree had been injured, or worse?

"Pests! There wouldn't have been any trouble if you hadn't freaked out like that! What is your problem?!" Things had been going so well between them, but if Dekistee couldn't bring herself down off her high horse in a hurry, their relationship would be ruined. Jasra refused to be friends with someone who harmed any creature out of hate, and she could think of no other reason for her roommate to have reacted this way. "They are living creatures! And they've bonded to me! I refuse to 'get rid' of them!" Anthe and Dioia climbed up to her shoulders, hissing at Dekistee. All they knew was that she had tried to hurt their sister and had made Theirs angry. Poor little Geree was still a bit out of it. What had happened? One moment she had been trying to say hi to the girl who had walked in, and the next she was hanging on for dear life as the world shook around her. Now Hers was holding her? How had she gotten here? And why was Hers so angry? She didn't think she was mad at her, she was trying her best to comfort her. Then who was she mad at? Geree turned her head to look over the girl. Her sisters finally filled her in when they realized she didn't know what had happened. They showed her, from their perspectives, what the girl had done. Geree got very angry, very quickly. She scrambled up to wrap around Jasra's neck, hissing at the girl and daring her to try anything else. This was Hers, and she wouldn't let anything happen to her.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Dekistee didn't like conflict. It was too down-and-dirty, required too much thinking. She would always come out on top, of course, because she was Dekistee and she always won (at least in her own mind). Faranth forbid she actually outwit her way out of a conflict. She had three approaches to one: leave, insult, or pull rank. Other than the fact that Jasra was inflicted with temporary insanity, Dekistee rather liked her, so the second option seemed mean. And, well, this was Dekistee's room, so leaving was obviously not a choice here. That left only the third one, slightly modified. Dekistee waited for Jasra to stop yelling and ranting around.

"They make a mess, they get into things, and they're just stupid, ugly little pests that almost never do anything useful!" Dekistee screeched, throwing a light comb in her hand at one of the Greens when they hissed at her, but not aiming and letting it soar harmlessly over Jasra's shoulder. It would be a shame if it hit one of the Greens and broke some of the teeth on the comb! Sharding, useless, pesky firelizards! Why couldn't Jasra have gotten a nice, cute kitten or something instead? Or bought a well-behaved Brown instead of three crazy, unranking females? Why didn't anyone here have any common sense! "And I'm not listening to this anymore!" Dekistee screeched again, turning away from Jasra and towards her trunk. She rummaged around for a moment, very carefully digging through the lovingly folded and stored clothing before withdrawing her money sack.

She strode confidently back over to Jasra, tipping five wooden one-mark coins into her palm. "Here," she said loftily, holding the marks out to Jasra. "I'll give you these to move out and find another roommate, 'cause I'm not staying with those creatures!" Five marks was quite a bit of money, enough to buy a fairly nice dress or a good, sturdy flight jacket, and way more than she should have to pay to get Jasra to drag her very light trunk and blankets to another room. But, whatever got Jasra and, more importantly, her firelizards, out of Dekistee's hair, was necessary. Thankfully, money solved all problems, and Dekistee was lucky enough to have enough of the stuff to solve all of her problems. Or, at least, that's what she would like to think. She was too shallow to realize that what she was doing would offend the morally just among the Weyr. Shells, she might take the offer herself!

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[hatori3070]

Jasra was seething. She glared daggers at Dekistee as she used a multitude of excuses for her ignorance and hate. "Have you ever spent any amount of time with a firelizard? Have you ever even tried to really get to know one? They are intelligent, faithful, and wonderful companions! They can be trained to carry messages in the blink of an eye!" When a comb went flying past Dioia, she nearly lost it. All three flitts eyes were whirling red, feeding off of Jasra's anger. "How dare you!"

Things were only going from bad to worse. She no longer cared how things had turned out this way. They had, and that was that. Nothing would ever be the same between them again. She knew Dekistee had faults, who didn't? But this was too much. "No. You are not just going to walk away from this. I expect, at the very least, an apology for nearly injuring one of my firelizards and throwing a comb at another." Her anger was bringing a bright color to her face, her hands were fisted at her sides, and she was nearly shaking with the force of her feelings. The only thing keeping her from actually striking Dekistee was the punishment she would receive for it. Nothing would bring her to do anything that would give Dekistee the satisfaction of seeing that. By Faranth, she would prove herself to be a better 'Rider than the stuck up Holder brat if it killed her.

Little did she know that the final insult was yet to come. When she saw marks spill out of the bag in Dekistee's hand, that was the final straw. "Marks! You think you can bribe me into leaving? You are nothing but a spoiled, wherry-brained, brat that thinks the most important things in life are looking pretty and being rich and in charge! You've got a rude awakening coming your way and all I can say is that I hope I'm there to see it!" Anthe, wonderful, fierce little Anthe, punctuated the tirade by jumping onto the hand holding the hated bribe and biting into the thumb before quickly fleeing back to Jasra's shoulder. The bite was deep, more like a slice than a bite. Jasra was now breathing heavily, chest heaving as she sucked in angry breaths. It served Dekistee right for trying to bribe her like that. She had never been so deeply insulted in all her life.

[kyrillion]

Mine.[/color]
Little busy at the moment, D.
S'rial nevertheless paused in his efforts, his head tilting slightly, as though doing so would help him to hear his dragon better. His favorite set of straps had been showing signs of wear recently, and between running lessons and flying drills he'd taken the opportunity to patch them up a bit.

Not too busy for this.[/color]
Is that so?
Yes. There is some disturbance in the Candidate barracks. Two of our students are being very noisy.[/color]
And you can hear them all the way from the sands, can you?

Despite his teasing tone, S'rial was already putting up the straps and heading for the bowl, brows creased in a subtle frown; the last thing he needed was a fight to sort out. Duareth wasn't disclosing his informant (probably a firelizard, but a concerned dragon might have tipped Duareth off, as well) , but S'rial knew he wouldn't send his human in to sort something out unless he was sure his presence was necessary. All things considered, though, the Candidatemaster couldn't say he was surprised; there was always drama with Candidates. It was only ever a matter of time before he was called in to run interference.

Sure enough, by the time he reached the barracks he could hear the shouting; two girls, loud enough that it was easy to locate their room. He paused a moment, leaning against the doorway, with an oddly-mixed expression of amusement and annoyance. When the dispute escalated into violence - that firelizard bite looked rather painful - he decided it was past time to intervene.

"Bribery?" He interjected, his voice quiet but authoritative, calm but just shy of angry. "Would either of you care to tell me what's going on here? And one at a time, please - and no more shouting." If his tone of voice hadn't made it clear, his steely expression made it abundantly clear that the two were in trouble - perhaps not serious trouble, but S'rial was certainly not impressed.

[hatori3070]

S'rial's arrival was mortifying. Of course, they had been yelling loud enough for someone to notice, and that someone would have notified him. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down and take a deep breath. It wouldn't do to make things even worse by continuing the argument in front of him, or yelling at him in her frustration. They would both probably receive some kind of punishment for making such a racket, but it would fair.

After she had gotten herself under control and was absolutely sure she could speak calmly to him, she began on her side of the story. "I'm sorry for the disturbance, 'Rider. Today I was given the opportunity to purchase some firelizard eggs, and I took advantage of it. When Dekistee arrived, my Pink, Geree, tried to climb up her arm to say hello. When she did, Dekistee shook her violently off and she slid across the dressing table into the wall. Luckily, she appears uninjured, and I do admit that I lost my temper a bit and raised my voice when she called them pests and insisted that I 'get rid' of them." There she had to stop for a quick, calming breath. She was tensing as she relived the argument, and her flitts were growing agitated. She stroked them before continuing, "I got more angry as she continued to make them out as nuisances, and then threw a comb at one of the Greens, Dioia. I demanded an apology, and I admit that I was still yelling and being rude myself, when she offered me marks," she spat the word out, expressing her disgust, "to move out of our room. Anthe then bit her, I'm sorry to say, and that was when you showed up, sir."

Jasra was breathing heavily again, and Geree rubbed her head into her cheek to comfort her. She looked down, trying to keep at least some sense of composure. Her anger was slowly quieting, becoming a small, almost comforting, ball of heat in her chest. She couldn't help hoping that Dekistee would only make the situation worse for herself by demanding a change of rooms, or something equally petty.