Graceful {February Weyrling Chores}

[Avu]

The Greenweyrling collapsed, positively panting, against Oquith's shoulder, pushing sweat-tangled curls out of his eyes, wrinkling his nose in disgust as the material of his tunic clung to his chest. He plucked at it glumly, running his tongue over his lips vaguely as Oquith turned her neck around to blink at him, jewel-faceted eyes affectionate. She started to nudge him, and then squirmed away with a chuff of draconic laughter. You are /very/ sweaty, she commented lightly. Squeezing one eye shut, the other swiveling to eye the green indignantly, Tr'esn shrugged feebly. "I fail at boats," he stated matter-of-factly. "Stupid chores," he added contemplatively, drawing his sleeve across his brow and glaring defiance at the innocently rocking boat he'd just tied to the dock. After ferrying some Drudge who had been tottering under a stack of bowls from one side of the river to the other, and then back again, he'd decided that, a) he was still far from acquiring the musculature that most dragonriders boasted, and b) he was terrible at boating.

It gives you time to think, Oquith responded mildly, her tailtip twitching lightly.
"There's not much that's pleasant to think about," Tr'esn answered thoughtlessly. "I mean - oh. Sorry, Qui, I didn't mean to..."
The green wriggled away from him, sorrow lacing her gaze again at the mention of Aslath's passing. It's not your fault. It's all the Weyr's thinking about. It was an exaggeration, but it seemed quite realistic.

Sitting upright, and then tucking his legs against his chest and rocking absently, chin pressed against his knees, Tr'esn sighed, casting his gaze over the boats. "What do I do now? ...clean them? Ugh." He wrinkled his nose at the thought, and then cast about vaguely, as if for a sign as to what he was supposed to do. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing, but Oquith, valiantly recovering from her distress, nosed Hers lightly. Why do you need to clean them? They spend all the time in the water, and water is clean. "Not very," Tr'esn corrected, gesturing with one hand at the water. "It's low - the water level, and it's all muddy." But, Oquith insisted, Why do people care if the bottoms are disgusting - ? You sit /in/ it, not /below/ it, and nobody goes down there, and - and it just doesn't make sense, the green finished, nodding decisively and crossing her forelegs.

"Nevertheless," Tr'esn countered gently, patting the soft muzzle and rolling to his feet with a small sigh. "It's chores. Nobody said they had to be pleasant, or really worth anything...right?" Then they're ridiculous and pointless, Oquith stated. Must you do them? Weyrling Lessons are fun, at least. Will we be going /between/, soon? The Greenweyrling cocked his head at the dragon, and shrugged. "I don't know," he answered simply, plopping himself down next to the boat and tugging lightly at it. It crunched against the shore, and with a slight sigh, Tr'esn scrambled to his feet, bare toes squirming against the muddy bank where what little water was left lapped against it. Grabbing the rope in his hands, the Greenweyrling gave a tug, and the boat shuddered, drifting towards him and scraping against the shore. On a particularly overenthusiastic pull, however, Tr'esn lost his footing and before he had time to do more than splutter, he'd ended up flat on his back, submerged up to his waist in the water, the boat drifting over his legs, elbows and rump firmly seated upon the muddy bank.

Graceful.

[Rowana]

Farryl clung tightly to the sides of the boat, her eyes screwed shut. She was sure she would never get used to having to travel this way. At least she wouldn't have to do it forever. Soon Peppeth would be large enough to fly and carry her anywhere she needed to go. Then she wouldn't have to get into a boat ever again. Of course, Peppeth showed no signs of getting big anytime soon. She was still smaller than any of her siblings. Small enough, in fact, to ride comfortable on Jaymith's back, which she was doing down. The pair cut a comical figure, the strong bronze weyrling with his tiny green passenger.

"Thanks for helping me all the time," Farryl managed to get out the words to Ke'rin, who had graciously consented to help her across yet again. "I'm sorry I'm so much trouble." Her voice was shaky, but genuinely apologetic. She hated this weakness more than anything and hated even more having it exposed to others. At least Ke'rin had never teased or pressured her about it.

Jaymith is so strong! Peppeth's high cheerful voice praised her brother proudly. She loved her perch. It was even more fun than simply swimming across. The little green's tail flicked playfully in the water as they went and she crooned musically for the sheer joy of it. Her Farryl may not like water, but Peppeth did not mind it in the least!

[nightingale]

Ke’rin couldn’t quite peel the small, guilty smile off of his face as he rowed toward the dock. He realized, of course that Farryl was absolutely terrified, despite the river being just a little over six feet deep. What he couldn’t stop smiling at was how perfectly adorable she looked in the midst of that terror.
He was sure that had to make him a terrible person.
“Farryl, you don’t have to apologize.” He offered gently, trying to fight back a chuckle by staring at the sandy bottom of the little river boat. “I am on boat duty after all...but I really think you should open your eyes and take a look at this.”

You see mine now Ke’rin-mine? We do not need boats. Jaymith crooned, his voice a deep counter-melody to Peppeth’s as he addressed both of their bondeds. I can simply carry everyone across on my back. The little bronze may as well have been radiating pride and self-satisfaction as she sloshed across the river with his tiny green clutchsibling nestled between his wings, glowing hide staining the ripples and bubbles he created with gilded elegance. It would make a lovely painting, Kei thought with an absent minded smile.

“Well, I certainly won’t complain if that’s what you decide to devote your life to Jaymith.” The boy said, grinning up at his dragon as he grabbed onto the edge of the dock. “After all, who wants to fight Thread when you can spend your days ferrying people across the river?” Do not be silly mine. The bronzeweyrling snorted disdainfully as his rider climbed ashore, wading into the shallows and kneeling so Peppeth could climb off of his back. Nobody wants a Weyrleader who spends all of his time swimming. I was only saying that while we are not practicing, I am glad to help our weyrfolk to cross the river...Oquith? Does Yours know that humans are supposed to go -inside- the boats?

Ke’rin glance up as he suddenly realized that Jaymith’s attention had shifted. “Tr’esn?” He called, his expression half concern and half amusement as he caught sight of the greenweyrling looking unfortunately like a piece of river weed stuck to the bottom of his boat. “Would you like some help? I don’t think that anyone else will be crossing for a bit.”He offered his hand to Farryl as he finished tying off their vessel, not wanting her to trip and fall in, even if the water was only a few inches deep.

[Avu]

Oquith craned her neck, eyeing Hers in mild surprise and amusement. Oh, Mine. Are you all right? she sighed, not bothering getting up to check. There had been no pain in that fall, only that brief surprised moment, and of course, a guilty embarrassment and, naturally -- relief, that nobody had been around to see it. As Oquith uttered a slightly amused huff, the Greenweyrling twisted his neck, one hand pressed against the bottom of the boat to keep it from plowing over him -- now it chose to move? -- to eye her suspiciously. With a croon that was definitely mischevious, the green dragon flapped her wings lightly to express the level of entertainment she was getting from Hers being so terribly clumsy when it came to boats. "There...isn't anybody...is there?" Tr'esn demanded nervously with a squirm as he tried to pull himself up and failed.

It wasn't that he wasn't agile enough -- it was simply that he didn't want to let the boat drift off into the river. A Runaway-Boat-Chase was not high on his list of Things to Do. So, he didn't let go of the boat, which kept sliding backwards -- the motion didn't help him get up at all. Also, the muddy river bottom made it terribly hard to get his footing and after a moment, he merely rolled his head back and eyed Oquith, who was watching him impassively. "There isn't, is there? And -- can't you help me?" However, Oquith had suddenly cocked her head to one side, her eyes bright and focused on something else. Hissing in slight annoyance, Tr'esn borrowed her eyes and managed to make himself blanch.

There were people. Oh, there were people. Two Weyrlings, to be precise. One of them was Kei, the bronzeweyrling from the Christmas clutch, and Tr'esn didn't recognize the other one -- but she was a greenweyrling, and judging by her dragon's size (though Oquith was no giant), she was from the same clutch as Kei's dragon was. As Oquith's gaze swung abruptly back towards him, Tr'esn pulled out to avoid the nauseating sensation of his gaze changing when he had not, himself, moved. "Oh, bloody Faranth..." The words were a hiss as he wriggled again, trying to preserve what little dignity he had left. Boats were baaaad. He had to remember that. Maybe if he displayed an unusual amount of skill in the Archives, or on General Weyr Duty, or -- best out of the three -- Kitchen Duty, they'd let him skip Boat Duty to do that.

Oquith, however, was no longer paying attention to Hers, warbling a greeting to Jaymith. She was quite reserved, usually, about speaking to random dragons, but Jaymith she'd already spoken to, and Jaymith she liked. The other green she appraised neutrally. A small creature, this one was, much like herself -- obviously, Oquith was larger now, outstripping the still-growing Jaymith, but she was positively tiny for her age, so she well understood the troubles and benefits of being small -- but still, size did not dictate temperaments and Oquith was too shy to bound right up and start chattering. Hello, Jaymith, she responded to the bronze, And hello to your friend, too, please, she added more cautiously, as she had not been speaking to Peppeth, but only to Jaymith; Mine is very much aware of that, but -- he slipped, you see. He's not very strong and the boat is very stubborn and doesn't like to come out of the water. And it's slippery, there.

Oh, no. Tr'esn cringed at the sound of his name, managing a relatively composed look as he raised his gaze reluctantly to Kei's. "Um..." he answered quietly, blinking owlishly at the bronzeweyrling and then managing to shift himself out from under the boat, one hand grasping the side of the vessel and the other planted in the bank as he tried to scramble out again -- unsuccessfully. "Um...yeah...that'd be...that'd be helpful," he finished lamely, at the boy's offer of help. The girl he was helping from his boat wasn't really registered to Tr'esn -- it was a habit more than impoliteness, to ignore those who didn't speak to him. People didn't generally approve of Drudges that noticed everything.

[Rowana]

After a deep breath, Farryl managed to crack an eye open as they approached shore. She smiled at the adorable picture Jaymith and Peppeth made, even if they were surrounded by water. "So do you plan on riding Jaymith all the time, darling?" she asked Peppeth sweetly. Of course not! the tiny green declared brightly. I will grow just as big and strong and help carry everyone! Farryl could not help but laugh at the comment, forgetting her fear for a moment. It was hard to be afraid with Peppeth around.

Farryl took Ke'rin's hand grateful and jump quickly to shore. "Thanks." She sighed with relief. Now that she was on solid ground, she noticed the other boy Ke'rin was now talking to. She recognized him as one of the older weyrlings, Ke'rin had called him Tr'esn, but had never had the chance to meet him before. She hid her amusement at his predicament and step forward to offer her help as well. "Are you alright?" she asked curiously.

Peppeth leaped happily off Jaymith's back and splash through the shallows to shore. Delighted to find a new friend waiting for her, she addressed the other green cheerfully. Hello! My name is Peppeth! She looked her new friend up and down appraisingly. You are big! You must be very strong! she announced joyfully. The young green tended to stick with one train of thought until something new caught her attention, which was often.

[nightingale]

((Sorry guys, I’m a little too stressed out to write anything better..))

Ke’rin grinned crookedly, brushing away the dark hair clinging to the back of his neck. He really did empathize with the greenweyrling, remembering as acutely as he did that his performance during kitchen duty had also been less than stunning. It was satisfying to finally have an area where he could be the one to help out.

Leaving Farryl on the dock with a small nod of his head, the boy made his way across the beach to where Tr’esn had himself pinned. Grabbing onto the prow of the boat, he braced himself on the riverbank and offered the river weed in question his free hand.

“He’s fine. Just a little muddy.”

He called to Farryl, guessing that in his current state of embarrassment the boy would appreciate having someone else answer the question for him.

Yours can be quite silly Oquith. The bronze rumbled pleasantly, his large green eyes drifting from the boys to regard first the older green, then Peppeth with good-natured curiosity. Jaymith was fond of all his clutchsiblings, but the tiny greens -Ebolath, Peppeth and Heith- were defiantly among his favourites. It wasn’t odd then, that Kei was also on generally good terms with their riders. Rioth’s T’rea was an exception to that rule -the boy had never much cared for his poor attitude.

[Avu]

Tr'esn rolled his eyes back and resisted the urge to flop against the bank of the river. It couldn't hurt; he was already quite muddy enough...as Ke'rin approached, offering his hand, Tr'esn awkwardly rolled over, grabbing the bronzeweyrling's hand and, the other hand pressing at the boat, managed to scramble onto the shore, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he examined the state of his clothes. Horribly muddy, sopping, and overall terrible. He sheepishly grinned at Ke'rin, awkwardly recalling to thank the boy. "Thanks...um..." He sighed, shrugging as he gestured at the boat, turning slightly to include Farryl. She had spoken -- questioning after his well-being -- so Tr'esn couldn't just ignore her, even if Ke'rin had answered for him.

"I don't -- don't really do great with boats."

Captain Obvious to the rescue! Tr'esn flushed, shaking his head as if the motion could shake away the humiliation. It wasn't humiliating, Oquith stated, sounding sincerely surprised. It was an accident. They happen to everybody. Everybody makes mistakes. Tr'esn cocked his head sideways at the green, and shrugged again, wringing out the bottom of his shirt and giving an awkward motion to make his pants stop sticking to him. "You think the Weyrlingmaster'd change my rotation? This is torture..." He wrinkled his nose again, clicking his tongue in slight exasperation as Oquith rumbled softly from her perch, her eyes appraising him gently; he could feel her slight concern. Hers wasn't hurt, though, so...all was good; she could focus her attention on the two dragonets that demanded it.

Hello, Peppeth; I'm Oquith. There was a hint of shy amusement in her tone as Oquith draped her wings absently across her back, crossing her forelegs and curling her tail around her haunches, the tip slipping inobtrusively under her foreleg to prevent the spade-less tip from being seen. Big? No. She wasn't big. Not in the least; her beloved clutchsiblings, Wymeth and Qualuth, both dwarfed her, and so did the rest of the Weyrlings from the Tidal clutch. Actually, in terms of measurements, she was positively tiny, even for a green, for her age; she ought to have grown much bigger. But at least she was in proportion to Hers, and Hers didn't mind, so neither did Oquith fret over it. Why, thank you, Peppeth. I'm sure you'll grow to be big too, she offered shyly, uncertain how to respond to the compliment that had never before come her way.

Jaymith, however, the green was more relaxed around, and she crooned to the bronze as she focused upon him. Oh, yes, he is. To be fair, he did not /mean/ to... She huffed quietly, her eyes lingering affectionately on the boy's slender figure. He makes such a fuss when I carry him in my mouth. I don't see the difference between him riding me and my carrying him...he still gets to any place at the same time...and we aren't going /between/ yet, so I won't loose him...or drop him. Oquith's gaze had become thoughtful, but she merely snorted. And I wouldn't carry him...but he's so slow and it's so much quicker to grab him and go.

[Rowana]

"You're still better than me," Farryl told the boy emphatically, though she didn't explain why. She trotted over to see what she could do to help, though she kept her feet firmly planted on the shore. Tr'esn didn't look hurt, just very muddy, so there was no harm done. She almost wanted to ask how he had gotten in such a position in the first place, but decided not to embarrass him further.

"I don't think we've met," she admitted brightly. "I'm Farryl and that's Peppeth." She pointed to the tiny green, who was currently enamored with Oquith.

Peppeth purred with pleasure at Oquith's answer. You think so? she asked hopefully. She glanced back along her body, as if she expected to see it grow at any moment. When nothing happened instantly, she grew bored and returned her attention to her fellow green. I like you! Would you like to be friends? Her voice was sweet and friendly and she looked at Oquith with respect and anticipation.

[topaz]

C'vin supposed he would have to begin his chores rather late in the day, as he had had some trouble with his breakfast. Apparently, Mallowth did not approve of His eating from the kitchens any longer, with all of the poisonings of late.

"Mallowth! Stop it! I'm starving!" NO! It's bad food, and it'll make you leave me, like Aslath and Hers and the brown and His...and Ebolath's almost left! But she was lucky.. The blue was frantically jumping up at his, forepaws reaching up to the Weyrlings chest. C'vin held the plate high above his head, out of reach of the screaming dragon. "Not all the food is poisoned." But you don't know what is! "Mal I have to eat. I'll die anyway if I don't." Don't say that!! The blue head butted His in the gut, making him fling the plate to the floor, shattering it and spraying food and klah everywhere.

A drudge came out of the kitchen with a broom, swinging it about her head frantically. She yelled at Mallowth directly, which frightened the blue to death, making him dart out of the dining hall and out onto the riverbank. C'vin apologized repeatedly and helped pick up the shards of the broken plate, but the drudge would not hear it. At one point she threatened to let C'vin's mother know about the event and how unruly his dragon was. C'vin glared death at the woman, who started. The Weyrling then dropped what he was doing and walked out to find his dragon. It wasn't Mallowth's fault that he was afraid for his bonded's life. If he died, so did Mal.

Moaning in frustration, C'vin followed his dragon's trajectory towards the river, combing his fingers through his hair in an attempt to clam himself down. C'vin was rarely angry before his Impression, but when Mallowth was involved, it was a whole different story. The little blue's feelings sometimes overwhelmed him, and caused him to lash out when he usually wouldn't. He couldn't blame the little beast, but what could he do? He had to eat. Period.

A sad croon came from a few dragonlengths away. Mallowth had apparently calmed down some. I could share my food with you. You can just go into the feeding grounds and get your own food. Mallowth, love. I cannot take down a heardbeast myself, and neither can you just yet. A mottled patch of teal stuck out from behind some small shrubs by the rivers edge, and C'vin headed towards it. Plus, they might have poisoned the heardbeasts grazing grasses or water supply. There's nothing we can do to make sure the food we have is safe. Well...just... The blue's thoughts faltered and he fell silent. It'll be alright Mal. They'll figure it out eventually. C'vin footsteps nearing the bushes, and Mallowth darted out to greet him, very well trying to bury his head and neck into the Weyrling's thigh. C'vin quickly reassured his dragon with mental croons and soft scratches above his eye ridges until he was placated.

After a few minutes the pair began walking down the river side by side until they saw figures in the distance. A particular green blotch excited the blue immensely. Mine! It is Oquith! Without a second of hesitation, the newly energized blue sprinted towards the familiar green figure. C'vin grinned, and jogged after him.

Pretty Oquith! Mallowth bounded up to the green and nuzzled his head vigorously against her shoulder, purring his affection for her. Settling down slightly after a few moments, the happy blue curled up next to the older Weyrling and finally took a look around at the other figures present. Jaymith, Peppeth. It is nice to see you two well. He crooned affectionately to each of his clutchsiblings, his eyes now whirling pleasant greens and blues. For the past few days Mallowth had been especially happy whenever he saw his clutchsiblings, as if they had just newly hatched. Seeing them meant that Theirs had not eaten the bad food and gone away, and that, the blue was obviously very nervous about.

Look Mine. Jaymith and Peppeth are here too, with Theirs. Mallowth beamed to His as the boy approached. C'vin smiled at the congregation. "Hey guys." He grinned, scratching the back of his head. Taking an especially long glance at Tr'esn, C'vin noticed the Weyrling's backside was covered in mud, and quite wet. "Did I miss anything exciting...during boat duty?" His question sounded slightly skeptical, as if anything remotely entertaining could happen while doing chores.