Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Aug 14, 2011 21:14:59 GMT -5
Samael smiled a bit at L'nu's question, responding, "Yes, sir, though generally only in my own room, which I've never had anyone else in. Any time after I wake up in the morning, Heimdall is there to keep me out of trouble," he concluded, giving the canine a rub along the back after cleaning his hands in the basin, both as attention and to help dry his hands. Heimdall responded with a wag of his tail and a slobbery tongued lick across Samael's face.
Walking slowly back across to L'nu, Heimdall guiding him among the other potting wheels, tables, and stools cluttering the small room, Samael asked, "Is she back? Do you know if it's all right if I oil her?"
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Post by dragon on Aug 14, 2011 21:53:45 GMT -5
In his own room? Where no one else went? Well, he could understand that. But it made L'nu wonder. What was a room of a blind person like? Drab of color for lack of sight? Oriented differently? Was it immaculately picked up, or was it littered with random items lost to the depths of space beyond the fingertips? It was an interesting thing to ponder, to be sure.
"She is back. Actually." L'nu answered, eyeing the Gold as she loudly demanded another piece of meat. "She's kind of hard to mistake, I think." He stuffed another bit of meat into her mouth to shut her up. "I don't know, but we can try. She's over here on this table, where there's a bit of room without scattering tools." L'nu clarified, trying to extract the pot of oil. "Goodnight, lady. Let me have it already!"
Swallowing the jerky, Rose hissed. It was herrrrrs, and he couldn't just take it! She was holding it ransom after all ... mostly because she had figured out that he wanted it. Except that she was liable to spill it once she started wiggling, L'nu was tempted to let her keep it. But contrary to what good training would dictate, he gave in to her contrary behavior by giving her what she wanted in response to such unwanted behavior. It wasn't any wonder that she only ever got worse.
But he had the oil now. "I don't suppose you'd know where we could find a rag around here, would you?" L'nu asked as Rose tugged on her new bit of jerky with both front feet as she bit and chewed on it.
L'nu was just grateful that it was not him she was biting for once.
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Aug 14, 2011 22:12:48 GMT -5
Samael heard the gold flit working at the jerky with her sharp teeth, and cringed a bit. He hoped if she let him start, she wouldn't suddenly decide to change her mind while he was in the middle of oiling her, since any warning signs beyond a hiss he would be oblivious to. To L'nu's question, Samael replied, "Er, I'm not sure, sir. I haven't felt any. Though maybe there could be one near the basin over there," he speculated, pointing in the general direction he had just walked from.
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Post by dragon on Aug 16, 2011 21:45:39 GMT -5
"I'll go look." L'nu moved to the basin to search for a rag. There were a few, but it took him a moment to find one that was actually clean enough to use for oiling. Bringing that one back, he unscrewed the lid from the oil jar. Carefully, he applied oil to the rag before placing the rag in Samael's hand. "Here. I oiled it, all you have to do now is rub her down with it."
Rose eyed the exchange of hands, but didn't make any comment about it as she continued to gnaw on her meat. This was too different and interesting to interrupt. What was Hers up to now? Was he taking to oiling other males? What a strange practice.
"Just go slowly. Direction doesn't matter, she's not like a bird or a feline with feathers or fur." L'nu advised.
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Aug 17, 2011 1:01:10 GMT -5
Taking a deep breath, Samael took the oiled rag in his left hand, and slowly reached out with his right, inching along the top of the table until he touched Rose's foot. Freezing up, he quickly said, "Okay, Rose, I'm going to oil you now, if you don't mind. I... I can't see you, so please hiss if you'd like me to stop. Please don't bite or scratch me." Reaching out with the oily rag, he found Rose's back and slowly began to rub the rag in small circles along her hide, following the rag with the tips of his other fingers, running them lightly along her freshly-oiled hide to catch all the small details he couldn't with the thick rag between his fingers and her body.
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Post by dragon on Aug 17, 2011 13:01:48 GMT -5
Rose's attention was snatched when Samael's hand started ... walking? ... across the table toward her. And he touched her foot. She lifted that foot, eying him warily. But she held still as he spoke.
Well, this was interesting!
Rose swallowed her jerky as she tilted her head at him, watching his every motion. Finally, she uttered a soft peep - a very foreign sound for her throat. It was almost as if she understood that touch was the only way this strange individual could see ... and for him to see and admire her, she had to let him touch her. Shifting and standing up, she unfurled her wings outward at a very slightly lifted angle, crooning and warbling as the rag caressed circles on her hide.
L'nu, for his part, was greatly impressed. She hadn't busted into rages over being touched by a stranger! He held his silence, afraid to bust the spell.
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Aug 17, 2011 18:21:05 GMT -5
Samael moved his hand, and the rag, slowly over Rose's body, creating a picture in his mind of her appearance. He obviously had no idea what gold meant, since he'd never seen any colors clear enough to ever bother identifying which was which, but as his fingers moved over her haunches, back, carefully along her wings, and her head, he smiled, realizing he was "seeing" a firelizard for the first time. "You are an amazing firelizard, Rose," he beamed, honest in his words, as he was working his way towards her tail, almost done with her oiling (and his inspection of her).
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Post by dragon on Aug 18, 2011 21:20:27 GMT -5
Rose chirped, and then abruptly turned about in a circle, turned a bit more to face the blind potter, and sat up on her haunches. Leaning forward, she stretched her neck out until she could reach his face, sniffing his nose with her own snout. Quickly, flashing like a tunnelsnake's strike, she licked the end of his nose.
L'nu tilted his own head, watching this. He had never seen Rose act so ... ever. Apparently she had something of a forgiving streak in her after all. Though ... if being handicapped was what it took to get it out of her ... that was a tall order! "I think she likes you. Why, I can't say."
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Aug 18, 2011 23:28:39 GMT -5
Samael tensed a bit in worry and confusion as he felt Rose begin to shift under his hands, wondering what she was up to. The chirrup she released didn't SOUND aggressive, but from L'nu's talking of her, he was a bit scared of her having a sudden mood swing and taking her claws and teeth to him. When she shot her muzzle out to lick his nose, he yelped in surprise and jumped, not having been able to even see it coming in the slightest. He was careful not to pinch or squeeze Rose even in his surprise, however, since his fingers and hands were still on her.
Breathing slowly to calm his racing heartbeat, Samael caught his breath and replied to L'nu, "Well, sir, I've been kind to her this entire time, so it seems she's responding in kind. She seems like she'd be a most wonderful firelizard to be bonded to, if you thought kind things about her." Having spoken to the dragonrider for so long now, Samael was losing some of his awe of the man, and was more confident in speaking bluntly of his thoughts on the matter.
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Post by dragon on Aug 20, 2011 20:09:48 GMT -5
L'nu only laughed a little. "I don't think you quite understand. People have been nice to her in the past, and she was still her hateful self. Surely you don't think I formed my observations of her the instant she was hatched, do you?" He asked. "She's never been this ... kind ... ever. Before in her whole life. Regardless of stimulus."
If you could call it kind. Maybe it was just tolerance?
Rose looked over at L'nu, and then over at Samael again, silent for a moment. But then she suddenly let out one of her more traditionally classic raucaous cries at the top of her lungs, scolding ... what exactly?
It made L'nu jump, not having been expecting that. Though in retrospect he supposed he should have seen it coming. A quick glance around the room didn't reveal what had set her off though.
He ducked as Rose took off and started flying crazy circles around the room, screaming the whole way. "Watch your head!"
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Aug 21, 2011 22:43:03 GMT -5
Samael wondered at L'nu's words... had she really never been this nice to anyone before him? "I... I didn't mean to imply anything, sir," he stammered, "So... so she's really never acted like this for anyone else, ever? I-I'm honored..." As he trailed off, Rose suddenly let lose her screech and took off, taking Samael completely by surprise.
Stepping back in shock and no little bit of fear that he'd offended the firelizard and he was soon going to have a face full of claws and teeth, Samael's foot caught on a work stool, and before Heimdall could help prevent it, Samael went toppling backwards, striking his elbow and shoulder on an unused potter's wheel on his way down and falling into a dirty heap on the clay-dust-covered floor. As Samael gripped his injured arm and hissed in pain, Heimdall quickly stood protectively over his master, and his loud, stentorian barking filled the room as he seemed to berate the excitable flitter as she buzzed around the room erratically.
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Post by dragon on Aug 22, 2011 8:43:22 GMT -5
When L'nu had said for him to watch his head, it had entirely been in reference to Rose. Not toward everything else in the room. L'nu swore under his breath, leaping to try and catch the falling blind fellow, but in the end only managed to break his fall from being quite as bad as it could have been. "Are you okay?" He asked. "Your arm isn't busted, is it?"
Sharding flitter ... this was far more in character for her. Loud, noisy, unfriendly, and causing mass chaos everywhere around her either directly or indirectly. Either way, L'nu wasn't prepared to deal with the canine. "Easy, fella." He tried, trying to figure out how to get the dog to move so that he could either help Samael up, or get him to the infirmary if he needed it.
Meanwhile, Rose continued to circle and scream, freshly oiled hide glinting in the speckled light coming in through the windows out of the canopy overhead.
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Aug 25, 2011 23:33:25 GMT -5
Samael unclutched his arm long enough to pat Heimdall gently, saying, "It's okay, boy, he's not trying to hurt me." At the touch and the words, Heimdall backed down and stood aside as L'nu bent to help Samael up off the floor.
Samael tested his shoulder and elbow with his free hand, wincing as he touched each part, and said, "I don't think it's... *wince*... broken, just very painful and bruised." Cocking an ear in the direction of the screeching, flapping Rose, Samael followed the sound with his head and asked, "What happened? Did I touch something wrong? Did something show up she didn't like? I don't understand, everything seemed to be going really well..."
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Post by dragon on Aug 26, 2011 20:57:02 GMT -5
L'nu was quite happy when the canine backed off and stopped growling. At least, at him. Right now he really didn't care if the critter growled at Rose. Rose could fend for herself well enough ... helped a lot that they could -poof- away from danger, no matter its form. "I'm glad to hear you're not busted, but you sure look pretty banged up. I think we should get you to the Infirmary ... if nothing else they can get you some salve to at least lessen the ache. Terribly sorry about that ... I should have seen it coming."
He blew a slow sigh and shook his head. "No, you didn't do anything ... that is just classic Rose for you. This is how she normally is. I know I told you she was being unusually ... docile. Didn't I?" He asked, guiding Samael to a seat for the moment. At least until he decided whether or not he wanted to go see a healer for his bruises. "Terribly sorry..."
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Aug 27, 2011 0:15:46 GMT -5
Wincing slightly again as he was helped down by L'nu, Samael said, "Well, sir, I just let myself get too complacent. I thought I was different, and didn't believe you... I should apologize to you for doubting you, more than you should apologize to me. You did try to warn me, after all," he added, grimacing again as pain shot through his injured arm.
Again cocking an ear in Rose's direction, he asked, "So how long do you think she's going to do that? And why?"
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