seen, then unseen [savi~]

[Avu]

“You know Sylph’s spying on someone, right?”
Of course.
“You sent her, didn’t you?”
Your skills at observation astound me.
“Do you know who you’re spying on?”
I will.
“Do you expect me to yell at you for spying?”
I know you won’t.
“Just wondering.”
I’m glad your curiosity’s been settled.

Ahth stretched. His gaze never left the bush that the green Salamandyr had so shortly scooted under; her disappearance marked the beginning of the spying. For all appearances, the dark blue dragon was just sunning. In reality, he was waiting. Very, very patiently, and completely silent; he didn’t twitch so much as a muscle as R’ahre flopped idly down onto the ground next to him; the sand from the beach settled against his side as the young man scooted to lean against his dragon, reaching up to pull one of Ahth’s wings forward to provide shade; just because his dragon liked to sun didn’t mean R’ahre did. He usually had no problem with it, but he kind of wanted to sleep (it was warm enough to make him drowsy) and sunburns weren’t fun. He’d just let Sylph do her spying routine and come back to Ahth and then they could go back to the Weyrling Barracks or something; he’d guessed that Ahth didn’t want to come to the coast just to sun and he was actually okay with Sylph spying, but it didn’t leave him much to do. Except lie, if she got caught.

You don’t need me, do you?
No.
Good.

Conversation over; R’ahre’s attention returned to getting comfortable against Ahth and said blue’s went back to Sylph. After a moment, movement ceased entirely behind the few bushes and trees, the bulk and shadows of which concealed them from view and still allowed ample sunlight from the other direction. The blue’s head had come to rest on his forelegs, eyes half-lidded. So routine, it was, sending Sylph to spy while he curled up and sunned – the Salamandyr seemed to like it because it was usually accompanied by some sort of destruction, even if it wasn’t immediate destruction. Still fun, according to the green, though honestly R’ahre couldn’t see what amusement she got out of shredding important papers and ripping furs – because she did get an unholy joy out of it, and made such very obvious too by her preening once she’d safely escaped the zone of destruction. Usually while being praised by Ahth. Her ego had gone up considerably since Ahth had started calling her ‘spy’.

Said Salamandyr was currently slinking along the coast, busily eyeing a certain goldrider and her brownrider companion. Hepaticath was avoided carefully; dragons were big and Sylph had no desire to be squashed into the sand. Just because she was fast didn’t mean she could outrun a dragon, after all. Hum. Small wings fluttered as Sylph coiled around a slim tree, head tilted as she stared at Savitri and K'von. Two babies, they had with them, but they were ignored. Babies did not interest Sylph in the least. People did; other Salamandyrs did; firelizards did. Not babies. And no, they apparently did not count as people. Her tail twitched, curling around the tree, the Salamandyr absently running both claws down the bark, before she leapt down and darted forward to actually dive straight into a pile of sand, getting just a little closer to the pair; her entire body flailed until Sylph had managed to half-bury herself and then a pale head popped up. Oh, she had far too much fun doing what Ahth asked, but it always worked, so what did it matter if it was a little extravagant?

Gold fatty, I see, she ‘whispered’ to Ahth. She actually liked the blue – and her affection for him had heightened since he could fly. Flying meant that the area she covered widened exponentially; she could go sooo many new places~ Mother fatty’s, little hatchlings has. One two hatchlings. Other fatty too, see. Another scurry, closer; if the goldrider turned, she’d be seen, but humans were so notoriously unobservant – to the point that Sylph was a little less careful than she’d usually be. Another dart forwards. Not fun, bluemine. Destroy pleaaase?

[kysseh]

"She likes you."

There was nothing insinuated in the statement but an expression of mild surprise, something which was probably extremely gratifying to its recipient. Seated on the sand with his legs stretched out before him and his back pressed against Dohulth's warm side, K'von would rather have not heard anything insulting at that moment as he supported a remarkably calm infant in his lap. The brownrider was still a shrunken version of his former self, his body still recovering from the ravages of the illness that had so diminished him. It slowed him down little, but it did make him slightly less impressive. Not that the infant in his lap cared very much about that.

"I'm glad you could come today. Rys would be really upset if I wanted to come alone," the goldrider added softly, cradling her more active child in her own lap. Savitri was crosslegged on the sand, playing with Keravi's little hands in a clapping motion as the girl squirmed and giggled softly. They were growing up quickly... too quickly for Savitri's liking sometimes. The goldrider bent to kiss the dark hair, chuckling at the laughter that first Keravi and then her sister echoed. "Thank you," she added, upon seeing the curious look on the brownrider's face.

K'von shrugged and grinned in silent response, his big hands carefully stabilizing Samera as the girl chortled and wriggled a bit. Both of the little girl's hands were clutching tightly at his thumb in obvious affection, her little body cuddling against his larger frame. The brownrider found himself enjoying the strange, childish affection, and he lightly patted the top of her head in reply. "I guess she does. Cute kids, for being yours, you know." His gaze flicked downward at Samera in his lap to ignore the look that Savitri gave him in response. He was about to make a comment as to the state of the current weather as a matter of distraction when a sudden protest was raised.

Both of the dragons had been lying quietly, but Shadow had been watching the area with his typical alertness, staring intently from his perch on Savitri's head at any small movement that caught his watchful eyes. The white salamandyr had caught sight of the small green of his kind, and he had immediately passed on the mental image to every human and dragon present, his teensy little frill flaring out in a display of aggression that was unmistakeable. On K'von's shoulder, GreenQueen assumed a protective and somewhat regal stance, unsure what to make of their new guest.

"Hello. Let me guess... you belong to one of the weyrlings, right?" Savitri asked dryly, eyeing the little green salamandyr with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. Salamandyrs rarely strayed far from their humanpets, and that meant they had company. Thankfully enough, that company was probably southern and safe. "So, what's your name?" Hepaticath, who does that creature belong to? It was not that Savitri viewed the little beast as any threat but that she hated to know someone was watching her. Some of Ka'rys's own paranoia was rubbing off on her, and she wished to know where the creature belonged.

I do not know, but would you like to me to find out? the gold inquired, lifting her head and turning it this way and that to get a better glimpse of where the salamandyr might have come from. She crooned, a sound that Dohulth echoed more out of habit than any real curiosity. The queen tried to make a point of knowing the dragons and riders of the weyr, since they were hers and must be familiar to her, but salamandyrs were largely beyond her realm of memorization. Greetings. We have located your salamandyr, whom I hope is not lost to you. May I inquire whom she belongs to? the gold broadcasted to any dragon within a short distance of herself.

((Sucks, sorry. x.x Took me like ages to focus.))

[Avu]

Both of them…had Salamandyrs? Sylph’s head tilted curiously to one side; the green’s tail flipped from side to side, sending sprays of sand first one way, then the other. Yes, she’d seen Shadow; the small green was used to finding Skink, who was just as small as she was, and it was quite simple to find another Salamandyr at that point. The desire to spy was replaced by blatant curiosity; Sylph could be cruel, yes, but her insults, hissing, and spitting were all reserved for firelizards. Especially the one who’d the audacity to touch her sister (yes, she was ignoring the fact that Skink seemed quite fond of Charming; he was evil). Salamandyrs were, generally, received warmly by the green; she liked them. Some more than others, but a white Salamandyr happened to be one of the few she did like – Akos was her pet white, he was. This wasn’t Akos, but he was still a Salamandyr. And still white. The brown, meanwhile, went primarily ignored; the only brown Sylph actually interacted with was Mimic and the intents there were purely malicious because Ahth didn’t like the brown Salamandyr’s goldthing.

The goldrider’s question, though, made Sylph flatten her frill before she skittered forward (of course she’d meant to be spotted. Of course) before, a few yards away, she reared onto her hind legs, using her tail to balance herself as she tilted her head at Savitri, eyeing her beadily. It belonged to a goldthing, did the person, and it had asked her a question. Pretty, weyrling b’long /me/, the green corrected – there was no mistaking ‘pretty’ as an insult. Am Sylph. So pretty not know. Because of course Savitri ought to know. And K’von. Of course. She was definitely Weyr-famous, Sylph was. She vaguely recognized that the goldthing was Ciceroth’s, likely from catching a passing thought from Hers; that meant Savitri belonged to Merce’s fatty, didn’t it? Her frill flicked up, though not quite aggressively, before the green bounced backwards.You. Who? she inquired, this time glancing at the brownthing’s person.

Female voice.

Ahth almost twitched before the blue flipped his tail, slightly annoyed; he’d have to speak to Sylph about being more careful around people with pets. They weren’t blind, after all…apparently. Hepaticath, was it? Well then…he supposed the best thing to do would be to reclaim Sylph and talk to the gold and the brown that, according to Sylph, was keeping her company. If His wasn’t dozing, he could have helped. That could be fixed. Ahth turned his head to glance back at His before he stood up, so abruptly that R’ahre fell over backwards; with a flick of his tail and a mental brush, the blue wound around the trees onto the beach. He did, subconsciously, recognize Hepaticath as being his mother, but there was no affection for the gold, clutchmother or otherwise. As soon as he was within sight, the blue responded smoothly, It belongs to me. There was no response to the suggestion that the Salamandyr was lost. Has she been bothering you? The blue curled a dragonlength away, eyeing Sylph curiously as the green glanced back at him.

Bluething!
Hello, spy.

“What are you doing? Spying doesn’t work like that, Ahth.” The words were hissed, inaudible, but R’ahre was sure the thought would get across to the blue as he followed the dragon out of the nice shade, swatting his hair out of his eyes and blinking. Spying…on the Junior Weyrwoman and her pet brownrider. Well. If you have to be caught, better be caught by those who can actually punish you, right? Wrong. One hand passed over his face wearily before the bluerider stalked over to lean against Ahth’s shoulder as the blue settled down on the sand neatly; his head tilted before he commented quietly, “Sorry about her. If you flick her she’ll leave you alone.”

Will not. Fatty, Sylph replied defiantly; she bounced backwards out of reach before flipping her tail in a blatant catch-me-if-you-can dare. The role of defiant Salamandyr was one she’d played quite a few times; it was fun.

[kysseh]

The little salamandyr did not seem particularly afraid of any of them. In fact, Savitri was sure that the green was acting in absolute defiance of most of the larger creatures, and the goldrider watched in interest as the creature moved forward and assumed a pose on her hind legs. Brave little thing. The look she gave the goldrider was one that Savitri could hardly decipher. The words, on the other hand, spoke of messages far beyond their simplicity.

“Hello, Sylph,” the goldrider said mildly, and Shadow, atop her head, relaxed his posture and crawled down for a better look. He mimicked Sylph’s pose, standing silently on Savitri’s thigh on a spot just out of reach of Keravi’s little fist. He knew what that little thing could do with her hands. Bad hands. Bad hands. “Sorry. Weyrling belongs to you,” she corrected herself, wondering which particular weyrling this little salamandyr had laid claim to.

Her male companion was amused, staring at the green even as his two brown mindmates did the same. GQ, of course, was preening a bit and taking a bit more interest in eyeing Sylph while Dohulth and K’von were just bemused as to the little beast’s pluck. “K’von of brown Dohulth. And this is GQ. He’s cute. You should chase him sometime,” the brownrider said with a quiet snicker, earning himself a hideous look from the brown salamandyr that skittered down to the sand with the air of one mortally insulted. How dare K’von suggest that something chase him! Did he look like a green?!

Hepaticath crooned in obvious affection at the sight of one of her hatchlings emerging from the cover of the trees. Dragons did not have the powerful maternal instincts that some humans seemed to posess, but this did not mean that Hepaticath lacked any feelings for the creatures she had carried. Good day, Ahth. She was not being a bother, but we were wondering whom she belonged to. She is quite the brave little thing. the gold observed, tilting her massive head to get a better look at the blue. He was growing up quite well. The beauty and grace that he possessed made her proud, since his success, of course, reflected well on her.

The fact that he seemed to be one of the more intelligent dragons in his clutch did not at all hurt her opinion of him.

“I don’t think we need to flick her away,” Savitri commented to the emerging weyrling, flicking a neutral expression of greeting. Ahth’s was… oh, Faranth. What was his name? “R’ahre, isn’t it? She’s hardly any worse than the ones already bothering us.” Hepaticath’s rumble of amusement echoed that sentiment, and the young woman glanced up at the gold’s whirling green-blue eye to affirm she had heard correctly before returning her attention to the weyrling. Both of her hands were occupied with holding onto the squirming infant in her lap, but inevitably, Keravi’s wriggles became too much to handle. The goldrider raised the infant to her shoulder, and the little girl gave Ahth and R’ahre a curious over her mother’s shoulder.

“What’re you doing out this far?” she inquired, wondering if she should have been bothered by the salamandyr’s nosiness. She hardly thought it worth the effort, and the fact that K’von looked to be totally disinterested reaffirmed that belief. One of Keravi’s little hands fisted into her hair, and the girl made a noise of inquiry at the bluepair. They were going to entertain her, right?

[Avu]

Good pretty were the only two words spared for Savitri before Sylph tilted her head to look at K’von for a second; the introduction and the comment that followed it earned a quiet, bemused chirp from the green. For a second, Sylph contemplated actually tackling the brown that had been introduced as GQ just to see his reaction, but she settled more snugly in the sand instead, still reared up, though she was seated instead of just standing. So much more stable this way. Chase him, why want? MyLove better, she stated bluntly – of course, everyone would be perfectly aware that ‘MyLove’ meant Merce and not actually Hers. So obvious. She glanced back at Ahth and Hers again curiously; weren’t they going to get closer now that they were spotted? Whatever; their prerogative. Shadow, at the moment, was the one who had caught her attention, and the green slunk closer curiously, her tail arched over her head almost playfully as she reared to put both forepaws against Savitri’s leg, looking up at the white. Hello hello, whitething.

She is. The blue’s agreement was neutral; his gaze flicked from Hepaticath to Sylph and lingered on the white Salamandyr. The only one he knew – Akos – wasn’t useful, but maybe this one would be? I don’t expect yours is quite as troublesome? The slightly resigned note in the blue’s tone was one that was carefully faked; he liked Sylph. So helpful, she could be; the things that the green found out were invaluable, even if Ahth had yet to find a purpose to suit most of them – he knew, just in case. He’d also discovered that Jingth could be most agitated by picking on her Salamandyr. Revenge on the gold: In progress. The blue was half-curled in the hot sands by now; Dohulth was spared no more than a passing glance. Gold was much more interesting – not to mention more willing to talk, apparently. His tail gave a slight flick; good Sylph, poking at the white. He’d have to get her a room to destroy later to ‘pay’ her.

Contrary to Ahth’s dismissal of Dohulth, it was K’von that R’ahre glanced at curiously, though he managed to keep his expression fairly emotionless. He pushed himself off of Ahth, whom he’d been leaning against – there were no straps adorning the blue; he’d ridden without them – to take a few steps forward, trying to see Sylph more than anything, though his gaze did flick from his green to Shadow and then to GQ as well. Salamandyrs. Fun. He resisted the urge to twitch; it wasn’t exactly unknown to the Weyr at large that the Junior Weyrleaders were weyrmates; awkward. Of all the Salamandyrs that had Chased her…genius, Sylph was. Absolute genius. Pushing away the sarcastic thoughts, R’ahre nodded slightly in response to his name, vaguely surprised that it was known to the goldrider. Weyrlingriders weren’t important enough to be known, surely…? He still stayed a distance away, though – more because of the baby than anything else, though; he was tempted to scoop up Sylph and leave, but that would mean getting near the baby and R’ahre wasn’t quite fond of babies. Kahrelir was okay, but that was only because Ahth liked him (and he was silent, and a toddler, really).

Her question made the blueweyrling’s head tilt slightly before R’ahre smiled flatly; there wasn’t really a point in lying, was there…? “I came to duck chores,” was the mock-cheerful response. “Ahth came to sun; Sylph came, apparently, to spy.” A slight crinkle of his nose at the last, before he shrugged one shoulder idly. “She’s a brat, though.” Ignoring the green’s vehement protest (Not!), he raised one eyebrow inquiringly at the goldrider before he added, a flick of his eyes towards K’von including the brownrider deliberately, “Am I allowed to ask the same of you, or would that be considered impertinent?” The words were soft, without emphasis. Technically, he supposed he’d already been ‘impertinent’ – he hadn’t bowed or, as of yet, called her ‘Junior Weyrwoman’ or ‘goldrider’. He hadn’t called her anything yet, actually, but still.

[kysseh]

The plucky little creature was obviously angling for an advantage. Savitri could only chuckle at the little creature’s boldness, for she was adequately distracted by R’ahre’s continued presence. Something in her brain clicked into place when K’von muttered something about “MyLove,” in repetition of Sylph’s apparent comment and the goldrider’s gaze immediately began to go between the salamandyr and the blueweyrling. Was that-

Oh, it was.

Shadow, perched on Savitri’s leg, was eyeing Sylph with a great deal of misgivings. She was near those he considered his, and he was unsure if he liked it. When she spoke, he fluttered his wide wings, oversized eyes fixed on the green. He immediately passed on a flurry of images related to Sylph’s encounter with Merce. He knew who she was, he did, and he wasn’t sure if he liked her. But regardless, he settled back on his haunches, tucked his teensy forepaws into his body, and assumed a very still pose on his humanpet’s thigh. The tiny white head tilted to one side and then the other, obviously analyzing first Sylph and then the creatures she called hers. What did she want?

The white thing is, unfortunately, quite troublesome at times. He likes to disappear for days at a time. Hepaticath commented mildly, her tailtip upright and twitching lightly. Her better judgment told her to judiciously edit the fact that Shadow had a supremely good memory for all things scandalous and naughty. Shadow’s spying tended to be common knowledge, but that he remembered was not very well known. These things tended to be useful when kept secret. He also sends incessant amounts of images. It makes it difficult to sleep. What trouble does yours cause? Because, yes, Sylph belonged to Ahth and not R’ahre. Perfect logic.

Chuckles were the only response that K’von gave for a moment. “Ducking chores… sounds familiar. Awww, don’t give me that look, baby goldrider. Like you never skipped your chores when you were a weyrling,” the brownrider snickered unhelpfully, his expression a smug smirk that only got broader at the withering look Savitri gave him. “Got a spy, huh? She’s pretty good. I didn’t see her.” Of course, the fact that both K’von and his salamandyr were eyeing Sylph with some misgivings said a great deal about how little they wanted the creature to spy on them.

“Hardly impertinent. It’s only fair. I’m Savitri, by the way. That’s K’von. Hepaticath, Dohulth, Keravi, Samera, and… I won’t even bother introducing the salamandyrs,” the goldrider put in helpfully, gesturing to each one as they were named. Keravi was staring intently at R’ahre, one of her little fists still tugging at Savitri’s hair without the slightest bit of remorse. Fun, it was. “I just wanted a bit of sunshine with the girls. K’von is the extra pair of arms.” Now K’von was giving her a look, but turnabout was fair play. The goldrider smirked at the weyrlingrider. This was one rider to keep an eye on. She made a mental note to mention it to her weyrmate, though she acknowledged that he would probably grumble at the thought. The issue of Merce’s mate and her human made Ka’rys understandably… a bit grumpy.

“I’m not about to tell the weyrlingmasters. They’d just give you more chores, which you’d probably skip anyway. How’re flying lessons going?” Savitri had witnessed the first flights. They hadn’t been terrible, but she hazarded the weyrling pairs were much better now.

[Avu]

Images. All whites spoke like that, did they? Sylph tilted her head curiously to one side to stare at Shadow, but the green’s smugness regarding said images was undeniable. MyLove, is, she agreed; if she noticed that Shadow was disgruntled, she gave no sign of it – and was utterly unabashed as she tilted her head. It was very tempting to jump onto Savitri’s leg just to put herself at an equal level with Shadow, but her claws were very sharp (perfect for shredding things!) and they would undoubtedly draw blood if she wasn’t careful – and Sylph generally wasn’t, unless she was on Hers or on Merce’s fatty. Say hi, I want, she informed the white, slightly impatiently. ‘Hi’ not good ‘nough? Hum. Sylph had little problem with most Salamandyrs, but Akos was one of her favorites and he was white; the green was actually startled, though she didn’t show it, that another white (so few of them were there that she linked them all mentally) was so…not interested. Strange; she wanted to poke it…

Ahth had been about to comment that disappearing wasn’t so bad when the images were brought up; the blue’s gaze dropped curiously to Shadow for a moment, lingering, but he didn’t bespeak the white. Not so openly, not with Hepaticath there. Sylph could bug the white for now. The question drew faint amusement to his eyes before he explained, It’s difficult to say. She does…not get caught often. But she likes to destroy things; Mine has had to lock up anything fragile so she does not break them – or shred them. Not that R’ahre had many fragile things; as a general rule the blueweyrling had very little use for them – but small glass bottles of oil, cups that he might have brought to his room, clothing that was not on him at the time, and the like had an odd habit of being overturned, cracked down the center, or shredded to a magnificent degree for a creature so small committing the crime. Never was there real evidence that it had been Sylph, but it could not have been any other; she was possessive and would have fits if another Salamandyr or firelizard tried to destroy Hers’ things. The blue’s eyes half-closed pleasantly before he added, It’s quite amusing to see Mine when he finds what she does…

Which was nothing; R’ahre was already resigned to Sylph’s habits and just (ever so helpfully) tried to direct them at other peoples’ offices and rooms. Their places; their misfortune. But if he could make it out to seem that Sylph only wrecked R’ahre’s things, he would. And why not? A lot of her crimes had been pinned on hapless firelizards; there were no ‘unexplained’ crimes – just wrongly blamed ones. So amusing, the spy was.

A slightly smirking smile crossed the blueweyrling’s face at K’von’s comment, though nothing more. He’d actually done some chores – but he hadn’t stayed his due. Better than before; one month he’d just skipped chores entirely. So pointless; wasn’t taking care of Ahth chores enough? It took up most of his time anyway, but perhaps he was just obsessive about the blue’s care. As it was, the glow to Ahth’s hide testified that he was extremely well cared for. A slight shrug at the brownrider’s comment on Sylph, though; his mouth twitched sideways in the start of an amused smirk. “She’s ridiculously small; the only reason she hasn’t been squashed is that she’s annoyingly fast too,” he commented dryly. And obscenely intelligent when it came down to it, but that wasn’t mentioned; the green’s fondness for twisting her words made it obvious enough, he thought – one of the surest ways to pick her and her twin apart if you weren’t Bonded to one of them was their style of speaking; Sylph’s was, in the end, much more confusing. Deliberately so.

The goldrider’s introductions and explanations were noted (only half-consciously, though; R’ahre was generally better at remembering faces than names). After she’d finished, he nodded once and then commented idly, “You can’t have honestly thought I didn’t know your name and Hepaticath’s…?” The question edged on amusement; not only was the goldrider just that – a goldrider, the Junior Weyrwoman, but her Hepaticath also happened to be Ahth’s dam, and that made her worth remembering. He didn’t wait for a response, though; one hand rose to brush his hair out of brown eyes before R’ahre added, “Flying lessons’re fine. Fun, I guess. Ahth isn’t having any trouble, anyway. Some of the others…” Well, no names were to be mentioned, but some of them just hadn’t been born with the serpentine grace that his blue possessed. A slight crinkle of his nose finished the sentence that had trailed off, before he shrugged. Ahth’s edge of condescension towards almost all of his clutchsiblings generally inspired a little derision for R’ahre, too, but now was not the time to be amused at some of their fails.

That would be mean. Because yes – he definitely cared. Of course.

“If you don’t mind my asking – when’re we going to learn to go between?” Yes, he wanted to go between; yes, he was impatient; and no, he wasn’t afraid – the sooner the better.

[kysseh]

The green was being friendly, then?

Shadow was a solitary enough creature that such overtures of friendship were rare. Rare but… not unwelcome. Sylph was a bit on the annoying and smug side, but she would do. She would not usurp his rightful place in the hierarchy that was the weyr, and she might actually prove useful. Hmm. The white salamandyr dropped to all fours and did a graceful bellyslide off Savitri’s leg and onto the sand below, mindful to not land on Sylph since that was bad, and he had no intention of being bitten. Again was a deluge of images sent, this time of various scenes of various people in all sorts of compromising positions. Did she want to see scandalous things, hmm? He would share. Shadow was just generous that way.

How very… destructive. There should be a special place for little creatures that like to wreck things. Hepaticath commented, the note of resignation in her tone all too genuine. It reminded her strongly of the annoying green thing that SavitriHers had named for her mother. And aptly-named, the creature was too, if Savitri’s grumblings were to be believed. Ah well. These were somewhat scathing thoughts, and Hepaticath preferred to be content when lounging so comfortably. Mine is very amused by the new weyrlingmaster, by the way. How do you like Inocenth’s so far? An easy new subject to change to, considering Hepaticath often had to resist the urge to lick the man for one reason or another.

Keravi burbled at Ahth over Savitri’s shoulder, watching the blue with such rapt attention that Savitri wondered if the infant didn’t feel tempted to just up and walk over. But… no, not yet. Keravi seemed content to stare and… squirm. “I’m glad lessons are going well. That was my favorite part of lessons, learning how to fly,” Savitri replied, managing to keep from snickering at the mention that some of his classmates were lagging a bit in their flying skills. A dark chuckle from K’von’s direction told her the brownrider had heard and was downright amused by it.

She ignored him.

“Between? I think… that was the eleventh or twelfth month. Probably twelfth,” the young woman answered, inclining her head to one side as she reached deep into the depths of a tired mind for the answer. Yes, twelfth month sounded about right. “I’m not sure if F’ur is going to change the lesson protocols a bit, though, so it may be sooner. It’ll probably have to be after everyone in the class can get airborne without a major disaster.” Now she was unable to keep the smile off her face, mostly out of memory of weyrling classes past. Hepaticath had been the most ungainly of creatures when she had first taken to the air, and Savitri had despaired that they would never b able to fly.

While K’von busied himself cuddling a contented Samera, Savitri shifted her legs to get comfortable, finally carefully avoiding Sylph and Shadow to cross them in front of her. They were a smidge sore. “I figured you’d know who we were, but… I always feel it’s rude to not introduce myself anyway.” Savitri was not always the image of gracious manners, but she saw no reason to not try with R’ahre. With any amount of bad luck, he and Ka’rys would be seeing a lot of each other. Better to keep things on a good footing, no? “How long have you been at the weyr?” she inquired suddenly on a very different tack, wondering why she had not run across him more often.

[Avu]

Down came the white, and Sylph’s wings fluttered slightly, pleased; she’d gotten him to come down to her, hadn’t she? Not that it had been exceptionally difficult…the green pushed off of Savitri’s leg (and she was careful not to claw the goldrider) to hop backwards slightly, away from the human, before the green sat down on the warm sand, tail winding around her body neatly. For once there was no need to sprawl out to make herself seem bigger; it was so nice that Shadow was smaller than she. The images that the white sent to her made Sylph’s eyes brighten noticeably, though, and the green’s purr had a silky note to it. She couldn’t (more’s the pity) show images to Ahth; she didn’t have that ability – but she had a fantastic memory; if she saw those people again she’d be able to pick them out, surely. How fascinating. Spy, do you? she inquired politely, though it was more of a rhetorical question than anything else. Like, I do; have more? A pause, and Sylph deigned to add, Please?

How terribly amusing.

The look that Ahth sent at the pair of Salamandyrs was vaguely curious, though the blue didn’t comment, either to Sylph or to Hepaticath; he’d picked up little more than a blur of faces and a smear of colors from the green’s mind, and he knew well enough that asking for anything with more clarity from Sylph would be useless – more was the pity: So much he could have learned from the Salamandyr had she just been capable of sending images. Hepaticath’s words drew his gaze back to her, and Ahth flicked his tail slightly, amused at the thought of trying to confine Sylph anywhere. There was no response – at least, not to that; the mention of Inocenth’s made the dark blue dragon tilt his head slightly, curiously. His didn’t like the Weyrlingmaster, though he didn’t show it, so by default Ahth was less than fond of him, but as a Weyrlingmaster, and not as an actual human…? Because, yes, that was how Ahth tended to regard F’ur – He’s…different. Effective methods, though he does not appear to realize that males are not supposed to wear skirts…

A slightly curious glance was offered in K’von’s direction; that the brownrider did not seem at all inclined to talk didn’t escape R’ahre, though the man’s chuckle drew a slight smirk across his own face. The amusement he was feeling was definitely at his fellow weyrlings’ expense – it was nice to know someone else thought it amusing as well. Ahth wasn’t the best – that was undeniably Baoth – but he was (in R’ahre’s opinion) very close to it. Certainly, he was good enough that R’ahre could snicker at some of the clumsier beings – Minth, for example, or Kunth.

Eleventh or twelfth month, and Ahth was – in his eighth month. Not too much longer, he supposed, though three months wasn’t an appealing wait whichever way he looked at it. Hopefully sooner, but…the getting-into-the-air-without-disasters idea made him crinkle his nose, displaying more blatantly than anything he would ever have said his opinion on how soon that would happen. “Hum. Well. Should be a nice wait…” A nice, long wait…Ahth twitched one wing idly in response to his thoughts, the blue offering a slightly condescending amusement; of course he knew he was better, but His was so impatient, was he not? Silly. One hand rose to pat Ahth on the shoulder absently, the weyrlingrider titling his head upwards to look at the blue, one eyebrow quirking slightly, but he received no reply – emotional or verbal.

“And here I was thinking goldriders were exempt from manners.” The words were almost devoid of emotion, though it was edged with something between mockery and amusement; his head tilted before he glanced at the sky, as if the clouds spelled out how long he’d been at the Weyr, before he shrugged one shoulder absently. “I’m not sure exactly; less than a Turn, I’d think...” And more than eight months, but that was a given; how old was Sylph…? He couldn’t remember – only that she was mature, had been mature for quite a long time, and had Run extremely late. Hello, Merce. “Before that, northern Weyr for five Turns…” The words were casual; he tilted his head to glance up at the goldrider and her companion idly through the hair that had fallen down across his face again. Benden Weyr – hadn’t been the perfect place; his first day there had resulted in a broken arm – but it had been better than Nerat Hold, and at the time, he’d never considered leaving.

[kysseh]

It made Shadow happy to see that the green was moving herself away from his humanpet. One white forepaw batted lightly at his own nose to rid it of a few sticky grains of sand, his overlarge eyes staring intently at Sylph. That noise she made was… unfamiliar to him, but the gender-neutral creature found it quite nice that someone was paying attention to him for once. He never was interested in those running chases that the other salamandyrs did, but he did like having friends, oh yes. He dropped to all fours, inched closer, and then returned to a sitting position, his tail curled around his little feet. Her queries made him perk up, his wings fluttering in delight before he complied with the pretty green’s wishes, sending out a variety of images that included a naughty trio of weyrlings in the stables, Ka’rys and the former black-haired ugly weyrwoman in a bed, and some random duo of boys out in the jungle. All scandalous of course. Shadow liked naughty things.

Hepaticath managed to contain her amusement at the thought of the weyrlingmaster in a skirt, but her control did not go so far as to keep the rapid whirls of blue and green from her eyes. It was a funny thought, it was, and she passed it along to Hers just so that the goldrider could join in the merriment. Perhaps they forgot to tell him that skirts are for females. I am glad you are learning from him, though. the gold said sagely, her tailtip twitching in obvious amusement. It was often strange to others what the gold found truly funny. SavitriHers often told her that she had a very odd sense of humor, and Hepaticath had taken that as something akin to a compliment. Nothing wrong with being different, after all.

Neither rider was able to keep their smiles under control, though K’von’s came across as slightly more condescending than the gentle upward quirk of Savitri’s lips. The goldrider shrugged her shoulders, obviously sympathetic to R’ahre’s plight. Her weyrling lessons were a recent enough memory that she could distinctly remember the feelings of frustration associated with them. “They’re still growing pretty quickly, but that should level off soon. Once they start filling out, coordination comes easier,” she said simply, eyeing Hepaticath when the gold rumbled in amusement. Shard that creature. Despite a mental press for an explanation, the gold was resistant to explaining the source of such glee, which made Hers feel slightly disgruntled. Stubborn beast.

While it escaped neither K’von nor Savitri’s notice that R’ahre’s tone was not in the realm of exceedingly polite, neither seemed inclined to call attention to it. Savitri was sure it would only encourage him; K’von thought it unworthy his time. Instead, the brownrider lightly bounced the infant on his lap, rewarded for his efforts by a quiet giggle and a waving of arms that spoke louder than any high-pitched squeals. Cute babies, these. His dark eyes flicked to the boy at the casual reference to a northern weyr, eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly at the reference. Benden or Fort, K’von wondered? Not that it mattered much, really, but the thought of the north generally put his hackles up in a distinctly hostile fashion.

Thankfully, a mental nudge from Dohulth kept him from saying something unnecessarily snide. “New to the south then. Lucky you. Least it gets warm in this place,” K’von murmured quietly, his dark eyes appraising as he looked the boy up and down. Sensible, if not really respectful. Hmm. He would pester his wingleader to snag the boy upon his weyrling graduation if possible. They needed people with brains. “Don’t think anyone is exempt from manners. Except, you know, maybe that fat gold thing that Savitri is leaning on.” His face remained purposely impassive except for the wicked glee practically dancing through his eyes that were purposefully not looking at Hepaticath. He was aware of the fact that he was going to get the queen’s version of a scolding later. Dragon slobber bath… joy.

((Apologies for the epic fail. Vicodin not my friend. x.x))

[Avu]

((Isn't fail, was lovely~ x3))

The images that were provided at her hopeful query by Shadow made Sylph’s eyes whirl in what were undeniably pleased colors. It amused her very much, and the green’s tail swished around in the sand, creating a little ditch where she was sitting. The images held only a few people she recognized – and only one of them interested her. Merce’s fatty, hmm…Merce’s fatty and who? she inquired curiously; who’d been that female two-legged thing with him…? It was obviously not Shadow’s person, but then…who? Sylph had Hatched after Shmee’s death, and Hers never thought of the deceased Senior Weyrwoman, so it was not surprising that she hadn’t recognized her. Pretty, she added after a moment of thought; the note in her voice made it clear that she in no way meant ‘pretty’ as a compliment to the woman who had been shown with Merce’s fatty. There was no denying that the green thought that Hers ought to be with Merce’s fatty (it made sense, did it not?) but R’ahre was, alas, less than interested in the man. At least Savitri had a nice Salamandyr.

Oh, had he amused his clutchmother? Ahth stretched slightly before he coiled up again; the blue dragon’s eyes swirled in shades that matched the darkness of his hide – blues and greens, but not quite as sincere as his mother’s. Very rare it was that Ahth’s eyes took on the brightness that meant he was truly enjoying himself – so rare that most had never seen it at all. If it’s not impertinent of me, may I ask as to how Weyrlingmasters are appointed? Inocenth’s is very different from Morendoth’s. Different. Yes. Not better, not worse – both men had, after all, gotten their points across and Ahth and R’ahre had both learned what needed to be learned, but there was no denying that the difference between the pair of Weyrlingmasters that they had gone through was remarkable – and even though Morendoth’s had never actually interested Ahth, he still remembered that. He is not very… A delicate pause before Ahth decided on a word: Conventional.

“Hopefully” was the only response forthcoming before R’ahre glanced over at the babies idly. He had very little fondness for babies – understandable, given that his patience was less than extraordinary, too – but he didn’t actually dislike them on sight, either. At least the two currently within hearing distance weren’t being obscenely loud (and yes – that was what he associated with babies: Wailing and flailing. Attractive). One hand rose to brush impatiently at the hair across his brown eyes, gaze still focused absently on Samera, mostly because she was currently moving and therefore caught his attention more than anyone who was not moving. The brownrider’s comment drew R’ahre’s eyes to flick up to his face, and an expression that was half a smirk and half an actual smile passed over his face. “Very warm,” he agreed softly, shrugging one shoulder. “Don’t know what to do with half of my clothes…but yes, it’s nice.” The comment was wry; he’d actually cut most of his pants at the knee and the sleeves off of his shirts to accommodate for the warmth already.

“Oh,” he added, glancing at Hepaticath; his head tilted and the loose hair fell across his eyes again (and if hair could be defiant, it would have been) before R’ahre commented smoothly, “But such a lovely queen surely ought to be exempt from manners…” Both eyes widened innocently to counter the slightly mocking edge to his voice before he added, more playfully, “She’s got to be amazing if she spawned Ahth, doesn’t she, and Baoth…?” And that…was basically the full list of Ahth’s clutchsiblings he was actively fond of. Most of them he neither liked nor disliked, but Baoth he actually liked, mostly because of Ahth’s fondness for her and only her of all of his siblings. K’lir was not regarded nearly as kindly, but that didn’t stop him at all from liking the green.