Getting a Handler on Things (Open/Handler Only)

[Aftershock]

Cainith leaned against the wall outside the entrance to the Wherhandler Barracks and let loose a huge yawn, like a tired bear emerging from it's den after hibernation. He shook his head a bit to try to wake himself more, shaking droplets of water from his dampened hair and beard, soaked as they were from the mist coming from the nearby waterfall. Rollhead, a small curl of blue on Cainith's left shoulder, flared his golden frill slightly at the disturbance, but did not open his eyes... it was EARLY, and even a worshipper as devout as he must have his rest.

The stars were just starting to appear in the darkened sky, winking through the waterfall's mists, and Cainith stifled another yawn. He knew he would have to adjust his schedule if he finally Impressed and got a wher, though right now he would normally be in bed, and he did not look forward to a long day of chores after the lack of sleep he would have tonight. He had to do this, though... growing in the North, he had never even encountered a wher before, and since a wher was all he could possibly get, he needed to learn about them, Candidate lesson or no. He was hoping to catch a wherhandler on the way out to their patrol, so he could accompany them and learn as they performed their duties. "At least this won't involve any useless dragonrider training," thought Cainith as he hunched his shoulders and placed his large hands in his pockets.

[Requiem]

Faolask was all nervous energy. As usual. Her fidgety handler was actually managing to keep himself from twitching all over the place in an external manifestation of her influence over him, which was good considering it would have taken him three times as long to finish dressing if that were the case. Faolan had taken to dressing in leathers not unsimilar to those of a dragonrider, though of course he wore a normal jacket rather than a flight jacket. It was something of a risk, he knew, but not a great one; who was likely to remember a bluerider ten turns past? He'd been practically invisible then, and was even more so now. Besides, with how often Faolask took off in one night, he was like to shred his skin to the bone if he didn't have better protection when the branches whipped past him.

Full-grown though she was - runner-size - when Faolask darted out of the tunnel in her excitement, she visibly startled at sight of the giant man and dug in wickedly long claws to turn on a dime and barrel back into the apartments. This naturally drew a yelp from Faolan as he plastered himself to the wall to avoid his charging green. It was a testament to the growing length of their bond that Faolask didn't continue down the hall and up through the alternative exit that led to the top of the falls, instead stopping midway between the apartments and shifting restlessly, her eyes on Hers.

Faolan took a deep breath and poked his head out of the entrance, his own pale blue eyes going wide at sight of the huge man. Though he was in his late twenties, the androgynous greenhandler looked more to be in his late teens or very early twenties, particularly with the look of wonder that crossed his face. "Faolask!" he called softly back to her. Partly as reassurance and partly to reassure him. Faolan felt decidedly vulnerable so close to a person like that.

The green ventured forward probingly, sticking her head out first as Faolan wrapped an arm about her neck. Handler and wher ventured forth nervously onto the ledge, where Faolask sniffed curiously at Cainith. The man notably had placed the green between the man and himself, though it wasn't just fear in his expression, but definite curiosity. "Did they start drugging people, too?" he questioned, to no one in particular.

[Aftershock]

Cainith started a bit himself when the green wher came barreling out near him, then just as suddenly vanished back into the entrance. Opening his eyes at the commotion, Rollhead sat up a bit and stretched, blue eyes eventually focusing on the wher and handler pair as they emerged slowly out onto the ledge, and he mindthought at the shy green, "Come, come, pretty green. Goddess love all who create life, accept your proper worship. Might even use divine power to let clutch." As this exchange went on, Cainith carefully extended his hand towards the greenhandler, forgoing his normal exuberant slap-on-the-back greeting so as to not scare the handler and his wher away again.

Laughing uproariously at the comment, Cainith responded, "No, cub, my mother was just an amazing woman to create one such as I, though it took all her energy to do it, rest her soul." His hand still offered in greeting, Cainith continued, "I was curious if I could accompany you on your patrol, as I'm a Candidate myself, wher only due to my age, and would like to know more about whers, and also your personal experience with wher Impression compared to my Impression with Rollhead here." With his last words, he indicated the well-formed little blue on his shoulder with a quick thumb in Roll's direction.

[Requiem]

The timid green shifted slightly as Rollhead addressed her, offering the little thing a tentative croon. But...she didn't want babies, she explained in the language of emotions and images that it sometimes took a being some practice to understand. It looked like it would be very painful to lay eggs and if she was a gold that would be far too much pressure. Anyway, what was a goddess?

Cub. Faolan blinked, glancing behind him...but there was no one here but him. He returned his gaze to Cainith. So his mother had died birthing him? No wonder. Such a large man must have come into the world as quite a large baby. "You aged out?" Faolan was not so pale as most of his fellow handlers, from turns of fishing and of course his turns as a dragonrider, which only made it more obvious how pale he'd gotten just a moment ago as the color returned to his face.

The man climbed up onto Faolask, settling onto her familiarly and looking first to Cainith, then Faolask skeptically. "I don't know if you can." He frowned slightly. "You are too heavy for her, I think." His head cocked to one side while he half-listened to the conversation between the salamandyr and his wher. "Rollhead is really his name? That is...strange. I am Faolan and this is Faolask, but she runs a lot. You won't keep up."

[Aftershock]

Rollhead's eyes flashed orange in confusion as the images from the wher flashed through his mind, not having ever met a wher before this moment. Replying to what he (thought) he understood, he mindsaid, "Goddess here. Divine power make big, Rollhead best servant. You be servant, too, divine power help make better," to the confused green.

In response to Faolan's question, Cainith responded, "Yes, I aged out back when I was a Candidate in Benden Weyr. It was for the best, though, I think... dragons are much too smart for their own good. I don't need that kind of thing sharing my brainspace." Dropping his hand as it became obvious the greenhandler would not shake it, he stifled another yawn and replied, "Well, I've been making my own way on foot most of my life, since as you can see, there isn't much that CAN carry my weight, so I could try to keep up. If you'd rather not worry about it, however, and could spare the time before your patrol, perhaps you could answer some quick questions for me and I'll let you on your way?"

[Requiem]

Make better, Faolask echoed in her own manner of speech. It still wasn't clear to her what a goddess was, or what sort of power qualified as divine, but she simply accepted it as a curiosity of this particular 'mandyr. There were many 'mandyrs in the apartments, after all, and they all tended to be rather odd. Then this goddess of yours, she questioned, can he make me run faster? Can he make me less easily startled?

It was hard to say really what it was. Not so much a stiffening as a stillness while Cainith went on about dragons and whatnot. Faolask noticed it, though, and offered Hers a croon. But the greenhandler merely nodded absently, belatedly realizing that the man had been offering his hand to shake. "Most likely for the best," the man agreed quietly. His skepticism regarding Cainith's ability to keep up did not abate. "You can try, but the other whers can't."

Then he smiled a little sheepishly and leaned forward on Faolask's neck. "You may ask. If I can't answer, Eikane is still inside. He knows everything about whers." Faolan was barely out of wherlinghood himself, but it was a bit rude to shunt someone off just because there were other people who knew more. Especially if the questions Cainith intended to ask could be easily answered by him. He was thankful to have Faolask to mount, though, so as not to feel quite so small. Decidedly thankful.

[Aftershock]

Rollhead considered the images and feelings from the green wher, starting to better understand her by this point, and replied, "Goddess always make me feel safe, so Goddess power help you feel secure, Rollhead sure. Also not see why not help run faster. Goddess power great. All takes is worship," the blue concluded, matter-of-factly.

Meanwhile, Cainith listened to the green's handler, and responded, "If you don't mind. Well, let's get the question I was sent her for originally out of the way: What was it like Impressing to your wher? The Candidatemaster sent us to ask that, and compare it to our own experiences Impressing."