Stake Your Claim (Nautic)

[Ember]

Eikane yawned expansively as he explored the Gather. He'd deliberately reset his schedule so he could enjoy the Gather and even ply his craft later on. Eikask hadn't been too pleased with him because he wasn't with her all hours of the night but he'd make it up to her somehow. He deserved a chance to have some fun too (not that she couldn't be fun to be around but he hadn't had a chance to be a true Harper in a while). He ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair as he looked about. There was quite some time before any performances would start and he wasn't sure what to do in the mean time.

Or rather, he had so many things he wanted to buy that he didn't know where to start. He was glad he had so many marks that he could spend. He didn't intend on spending all of it but he certainly would end up with a far lighter pouch at the end of the Gather. He would have likely continued to wander aimlessly if he hadn't caught sight of the back of a blonde head. The size the hair, the build...everything fit (and how worrisome was it that he knew those details right away?) so he decided to go up to the person.

The tall Harper would never have done the thing he did if he wasn't at least 99% sure he'd gotten the right person. He crouched down slightly and wrapped his arms around the other person's shoulder's, resting his chin on the person's shoulder. He expected some flailing and some pain but it would be well worth it. "Hallo there Nautic. Joinin' the other daylighters for a time? And to think you didn't even tell me," he whined.

[Tashe]

At first he hadn't wanted to go to the Gather, which was highly unusual because Nautic was a social creature who thrived on occasions like these. But in the end the Wherhandler's Mindmates convinced him that going to Southern Hold would make him feel better, it was farther north on the Southern continent so it would be slightly cooler temperature wise. Nautic had stopped waking up in the day almost entirely, only rousing himself when it was time to work his shifts at the Creche. Normally he was all for the warmer weather, but this spring was going from uncomfortable to horrible. If a true blooded Southerner had troubles standing the heat, he doubted that the North would launch an attack while the weather was so troubling, lest their dragons and riders literally pass out from Rukbat exposure. Both Absinthe and Tizzy had been suffering and although he had been loathe to leave them behind, they would have been much more comfortable in cool confines of their apartments with the small pans of water he had left out for their soaking pleasures. Nautsk was dealing surprisingly well and even enjoyed it, she liked going to the river every night and taking baths.

Knuckling his back as he arched backward, the Wherhandler yawned. He would be asleep right now if it weren't for his dragonic friends, and he really would have rather been sleeping. Like a cat, he liked to sleep in the heat rather than run around and play in it. Plus, he was angry that Rukbat was wilting all of the flowers he had planted out side of the apartments. His meadowsweet looked as if it was being tortured, and his cosmos? He could swear they were being color bleached. It wasn't very fair. How was he going to harvest flowers for Hepaticath's hatching Feast if they were all dead by the time the Candidates impressed!? There was of course wild flowers out in the jungle, of which he had partaken of on occasion. His patch of flowers were special though! It was the first year he was going to donate something to the hatching feast as a gift, and if he ended up giving horrible looking flowers none of the Weyrwomen would want him to grow them flowers ever again. Sighing the small blond kicked at a small shell, wondering if Blossom hold was suffering worse that Selenitas. That is until he nearly had a heart attack.

Jumping out of his skin, Nautic made a mouse-like noise in surprise. He twisted his head around to look at who was perching on his shoulder, but when his attacker spoke it was all too clear who it was. "Shells bells Eikane!" Since the Goldhandler's arms took up most of his chest, the younger man put a hand on his stomach instead of his heart. "Don't sneak up on me like that! Guh. Now my blood is pumping..." Flicking his friend's arm, or at least he tried to since his arms were practically pinned, Nautic tried not to think about how close they were to each other at that moment. "I didn't know if I was going to come at all, didn't know until early this morning..."

[Ember]

Eikane grinned as he heard Nautic's squeak. It just wasn't fair that his fellow wherhandler was so adorable. He'd spent a while thinking about it and decided that he might as well take the risk. If it didn't work out then it didn't work out. Better to know before he got in too deep, right? He'd informed his salamandyr of the plan earlier in the day and the blue's response had been a tired "finally." He hadn't thought it was that noticeable but apparently he'd underestimated the observational skills of his mandyr. It was harder to hide his feelings from Eikask. She most certainly knew and given she hadn't expressed dislike he assumed she was alright with it.

The goldhandler was brought out of his thoughts by what his captive said. He chuckled as the words registered. Nautic always did have rather interesting curses. "Aww but you're so..." there was a pause as he searched for the right word, "cute when you're startled." He gave the greenhandler a quick squeeze before releasing him. It was rather unpractical to talk to someone when they couldn't see you. Not to mention it was hot enough without prolonged cuddling, right?

He stretched upwards after letting Nautic go. Crouching like that wasn't really comfortable. "Oh? So what brings you here? I'm here to act like a Harper. Perhaps you came just to see meee?" Eikane joked briefly, though his expression turned serious a moment later. Guh. Roadblock. How was he supposed to actually say what he intended to? Eikane was never very good at talking about himself. Not about feelings or anything. Why couldn't others just know?

[Tashe]

Why did he have to say things like that? It made it very so hard for Nautic who was desperately trying not to blush. Flirting with Eikane was very different than flirting with a random girl or guy, mainly because he actually liked the taller man. It didn't help that he didn't know whether or not the Goldhandler liked him back, and often felt like he was playing with him. Like Nautic did with weyrfolk who turned out to be one-night flings. He hadn't expected to develop such a crush on Eikane, but over the months they had known each other that small little seed had grown. Why did he always compare everything to flowers!? He caught himself before he sighed, choosing to make a show of wiggling when the other Wherhandler gave him a quick hug. Turning to face Eikane Nautic brushed a few wrinkles out of his sleeveless tunic, the teal fabric was made of a light cotton and picked expressly for hot days. Not to mention it was currently his favorite color.

"Nautsk, Absinthe and Tizzy said I needed to go out and be social. Said I was stagnating, in so many words." A pause, "I mean yes, of course! I came out here to see you preform your Harper skills." He offered the man a smile and planted a hand on his hip. Nautic hadn't known Eikane was going to preform later, but now that he did he was certainly going to go show his support. Maybe he could get a few more Wherhandlers to join him, though most were loathe to leave their beds in the middle of the day. Nautic faltered slightly when Eikane adopted a serious expression. Had he said something wrong? Cradling his chin between his thumb and forefinger, the Greenhandler tilted his head to the side and tried to rectify the situation. "Well, Mr. Seriouspants. Want to go stall hopping with me? After a while we can go get something to drink or something." Nodding as if what he had said was indisputable advice, the younger man grinned after a moment. Maybe coming to the Gather hadn't been a bad idea after all. "Of coourse~ you don't mind. What was I thinking! Come on then! Where do you want to go first, huh?"

[Ember]

Eikane was dressed in harper blue for the day and likely for other days of the Gather too. It seemed especially important to seem like a Harper while there were others around. He felt like he had to prove that he was still one of them. He still had a strong affinity for his craft, despite (or maybe even because) of his bonding to Eikask. She liked to listen to him play so in a sense she encouraged that side of him...yet simply by being Hers he couldn't play for wide audiences as much as he used to be able to. In the end he supposed it was less to have fun and more to prove something to himself.

Eikane was interested to hear that Nautic's mindmates had told him to go to the Gather. He could see why any of the wherhandlers might stagnate. So little to do in the night hours. He grinned as Nautic followed along with his earlier jest before his expression returned to that of seriousness. How to bring it up...? It was clear the goldhandler didn't expect his mood to be telling so well on his face. He grinned with a bit of self mockery at what he was called. Seriouspants?

Nautic presented him with an option...and then quickly robbed it of him, much to his amusement. Eikane expressed it in a small snort before suggesting, "Why don't we head towards the...er, well, I'm not sure what its called but its that way." He pointed off to his left. "I heard they had some Journeyman quality instruments and I was curious. There's a couple I wish I had that I don't." He'd heard there were several other things at the stall he wanted to go to. Perhaps there'd be something of interest to his companion there too.

[Tashe]

He spun around, stopping in the direction of where Eikane had pointed. "Oh! I think thats the Trinket stall my friend told me about. I heard they have a whole bunch of different items and stuff there." Nautic glanced back at the Goldhander. "What instruments do you want that they have?" Tucking his hands into his pockets, Nautic began walking backward to the stall and remained walking that way until Eikane moved to follow. There wasn't a stall that he was particularly interesting in visiting, not since he heard the Weaver Stall had nothing of interest. Sure he could get custom clothing made, but that would demolish his scant amount of marks to nothing. Plus, he probably couldn't get exactly what he designed with a mere seven marks, not when his sketches were so imaginative. Though, maybe when he had enough marks he'd smoke out the Weyr's Masterweaver and see what he could do to convince them to try making a few of his ideas.

He hopped over a pretty shell to avoid smashing it beneath one of his sandals, an action he was destined to do over and over at different points in their stall hopping journey. "I wonder what all they have." Read: I wonder if there's anything I can buy there. Stooping to pick up a shell while he continued to move, Nautic adjusted his pace to fall in beside Eikane. "Look its an oyster shell." He held it up. "I love oyster shells. They are like the symbol for the saying, don't judge a book by its cover." The Greenhandler spun the shell so they could look at both the front and the back. "See how the outside is kinda bland and unattractive, but the inside is all metallic and shimmery?" He paused. "Well I'm sure you've seen these before." Nautic felt silly about describing it now. "But anyways. Thats why I like them. Plus, the little oysters inside are really tasty with a garlic seasoning."

[Ember]

"Hmm," was Eikane's response. 'Trinket' didn't really inspire confidence in whatever they might have at the stall. It was worth a look anyways. At the question he smiled and fell into step with the other wherhandler as he started walking. "I heard they had a flute. Its been quite a while since I had one of my own. I've probably gotten quite rusty," he said, with no small amount of regret in his voice. "Truthfully, its one of my favourite instruments so I'm not sure why I've ever gotten one of my own." One of his favourite but definitely not the favourite. That spot was reserved for the harp.

The taller man was secretly amused by Nautic's avoidance of stepping on shells. Without fully realizing he was avoiding them too since his attention had been brought to them. "Be interesting to see what else they have," Eikane agreed lightly. Perhaps something to repay Nautic for the cookies and scarf? It was always nice to give a gift in return for having received one. He glanced quizically at his companion as he picked up a shell off the ground. As Nautic came up beside him again he looked at what the greenhandler had.

Eikane made a small sound of surprise when he saw what it was. He eyed it with a small amount of interest when Nautic described his opinion about the shell. "They're a bit like whers then," he said with a wink. "Certainly an interesting shell." He grimaced at mention of eating the creatures inside though. They didn't exactly taste bad but he couldn't stand the texture. Bleck.

[Tashe]

"Flutes are nice. They remind me of spring time, when the wild avians all begin to sing." But his favorite instrument by far was the Violin. His grandfather had been able to play the Violin, and when Nautic was young the old man used to play him these somber lullabies. He had fallen asleep in his father's lap to those melodies, so whenever he heard a Harper playing one, it brought of warm memories of a firelit hearth. Which reminded him that he not only needed to visit his grandfather's grave with a new bundle of flowers, Nautic also needed to visit his father and mother. With his nocturnal schedule, he had very little time to spend visiting his parents. He missed his father's Dragon. Tarneth was getting old, the Blue was twenty-two if he remembered correctly. Well in all reality a dragon in their early twenties wasn't old at all, but in comparison to the brunt of the dragons who called Selenitas their home, it was much older. He remembered curling up with the Blue in the sun when he was no taller than his knees. Noticing that his mind had been wondering, he returned his gaze unto Eikane. "Well now you'll get a chance to buy one if they have them... and you approve of their make!" The Wherhandler laughed slightly and tossed the oyster shell off to the side where it wouldn't get stepped on.

"Like Whers to most people. I've always happened to see Whers as handsome creatures. Have you ever just stopped to watch a Wher run? Its amazing." Hopping slightly as he adjusted his pace again, Nautic moved his hands as he spoke. "The way they are so precise in their movements despite being so heavy set? Its really something. I think the motion of a Wher is smoother than a Runner, just by eying it that is. Not to certain on the actual riding. I haven't ridden a Runner in like, forever." Breaking away from his fellow Wherhandler, Nautic reached the stall first. There were so many things! All said it was quite a diverse grouping of items. Peering around, he pointed. "Look Eikane there they are. Over on that table."

[Ember]

Eikane smiled at Nautic. The Harper wasn’t all that surprised that the other had some great comparison. It reminded him of much the same thing. He thought of seasons in general, depending on what was being played. There were some calm pieces that he attributed to winter, for example. A comfortable silence fell between them as they both no doubt let their thoughts wander. The tall blonde grinned at his friend’s next words. “Hah! Yes, no settling for a badly crafted instrument. What is a Harper without his tools, after all?” That’s how the man viewed voices too. They were an instrument in their own way.

Eikane burst out laughing at mention of watching a wher run. Considering his own wher was not exactly graceful he usually didn’t think much of their running. “Pardon me for laughing, but as you may remember, Eikask isn’t the most steady on her feet. She has enough trouble trying to walk, never mind running the way you describe it,” he explained his rather sudden outburst once the laughter died down. As Nautic moved away he quickened his stride to join him. He looked where the other wherhandler pointed and nodded, but he was caught by something else.

Scarves. Hmm, he did owe Nautic a present in return. He glanced at the other blonde before moving towards the scarves. Three scarves for one personally made one? The Harper didn’t think it was a fair exchange (personalized ones were quite a bit better) but perhaps Nautic would like them all the same. He fingered the material and found it to be good quality. Hey, scarves would probably be welcome in the colder months during the night watch (he still intended to get that started somehow, he was still just trying to figure out some things). “Hey Nautic, which colours would you like?” he asked, gesturing at the scarves.

[Tashe]

"Oh right. I forgot how um, unsteady she was?" He tried to word it in a way that wouldn't offend. And since Eikane had used a variant of that in his own description, Nautic deemed it fine to use in his own comment. "Well, next time we bump into Roisk or even Dmisk, cause we're more likely to chance upon him if Nautsky is around, we'll get them to run. I'd use Nautsky but she's just so small that her run is more leapy and boundy." Quieting suddenly he put a hand to his chin and frowned, but by this time Eikane had turned away from him to look at stuff on a table. All this talk about running, made the Greenhandler think about his female's maiden Run. It had actually been quite a while since Nautsk had reached maturity, and the fact had been bothering him. Then again he was a worry wort and the little part called his good sense told him that Running or Rising Late was not an anomaly. Speaking of anomalies, he felt like his chin was too smooth. Note to self, let stubble grow. Now that he thought of it... his hair was getting to long. He needed a trim.

"Huh~? Colors?" Slinking over to where Eikane was, Nautic perched himself on the corner of the table before looking at what occupied it. "Scarves!" He picked up the closest one and ran his fingers along it, it was soft but not very thick. It was a scarf for an early fall. "Oh, don't spend your money on me!" Folding the scarf, he pivoted his body so he could face the other wherhandler. "You'll probably need it for instruments and stuff. Aren't instruments pricey?" He'd hate to think that Eikane would find a few items he liked and then wouldn't have enough marks by one. But, Nautic couldn't help but think about which colors he would like. There was a bright indigo that looked nice, oh and there was a creme that tickled his fancy. But what caught his attention the most was a soft green one in the middle of the table. His last one had torn and was unfixable if only because it had been too fine in stitching for him to fix, at the time he didn't have enough marks to get the masterweaver involved in the matter either.

[Ember]

Eikane chuckled at Nautic's response. "She's gotten more graceful," he said off-handedly. The goldhandler then did what he was better at and listened rather than talked. It was mostly inconsequential what his companion said but he listened anyways. He filed the information away for another time and continued his perusal of the goods at the stand. When Nautic caught sight of the scarves he smiled. At the complaint, however, he tsked and picked up a random scarf from the table. Without caring what the stallkeeper thought he held both ends and threw it over Nautic's head and pulled until it was taut.

"I want to get you something to repay you for the wonderful scarf you made me," he said earnestly. "Also, since there's no Harper stall I'm assuming the instruments are Journeyman level at best and I should have enough marks for the average flute even after buying scarves." That part came easily enough. The next thing he wanted to say was considerably harder. Courage, Eikane, courage... "Don't you dare try and stop me from buying you something. Its only natural to want to get someone you like something." That wasn't too painful, but mostly because 'like' had many different meanings. He had nowhere to go but up though...

Eikane tilted Nautic's head up gently and searched his eyes briefly before leaning down and kissing him. See if that left any doubt in the other wherhandler's mind about which 'like' he meant. The tall man pulled back after a moment and let go of the scarf so it hung around Nautic's neck. He was ready for the worst, of course, but he rather hoped for a positive reaction.

[Tashe]

Tapping the heel of his boot against the leg of the table as Eikane tossed the scarf around his neck, Nautic couldn't help but thinking charcoal brown was not his color. "But you don't need to." He smiled up at the Goldhandler. Nautic really didn't want the other man to spend marks on him, being bought gifts outside of his Turnday always made him feel funny. "I didn't make it with the intent of getting anything in return. I-" He shut up as Eikane told him not to try and prevent him from getting someone he liked a gift. Now, as everyone who had at least half a brain knows that the word 'like' had more meanings behind it than there were words to describe them. There was friendship 'like', the romantic 'like', the I've-only-just-met-you-but-you-seem-nice 'like', etc. But Nautic didn't think that Eikane could have meant the romantic 'like', even when the Wherhandler searched his eyes. That was, of course, until he kissed him.

It would be lying if Nautic said that the kiss hadn't surprised him, if only because he hadn't believed that Eikane returned any of the fluttery feelings he had for him. Sure, they had teased each other and flirted sometimes, but the Greenhandler never guessed that the other really wanted to be anything other than good friends. Rocking forward slightly as the Goldhandler pulled away he blinked, feeling as if the moment had passed just as quickly. The scarf now lay placid against his chest all but forgotten in lou of the sneak attack. Tossing his bangs to the side, Nautic's lips twitched up into the devious smile he was known for. He lifted a hand from the table and grabbed the collar of the older man's shirt pulling him in closer, his lips quickly finding Eikane's again. Another moment passed before Nautic released his grip.

If any or all his partners where here, they would have all reacted in similar but different ways. Although the most noticeable and memorable would most likely would have been his Wher's. Nautsk would have probably peed herself in glee.

[Ember]

Eikane was beginning to feel like the time was stretching on forever when he saw Nautic's smile. Smiling after a kiss was a good sign so the goldhandler was finally able to feel relief that he hadn't just done something really idiotic. He might have said something to break the silence but Nautic grabbed his shirt and pulled him down for another kiss. Well, hey, whatever worked for him! He was nothing if not enthusiastic. It took him a moment or to actually realize that he'd been released and he pulled back sheepishly. He loved to play music and show off in public but this was a bit different. "I think we agree on our definition of 'like' so now let me buy you some scarves."

The tone and the delivery might have let someone believe he wasn't giddy or embarassed but the blush on his cheeks gave him away. He pulled the scarf draped over Nautic's shoulders off with a slight chuckle. "Doesn't have to be this one." Although it would be an interesting momento of their first kiss...He waited for Nautic to pick three scarves (Eikane fully intended to have his way in the end) and thought of Eikask's reaction in the mean time. She might very well be the first obstacle they'd have to overcome. Her jealous tendencies could well keep her from seeing the fact that she was first and foremost in his life. He didn't want to be forced to pick one over the other because he knew which one he would pick. Silly gold could be way too possesive of him.

[Tashe]

"Taahh. Fine." Taking the free end of the scarf in Eikane's hands and threading it around his shoulders, Nautic tied it loosely in a fashionable way before letting it hang against the Goldhandler's chest. He swung around on the table's edge so that he could more easily reach the scarves that he had already noted. First he reached for the Green one, happy to feel that it was as soft as it looked on first glance. Laying it across his leg, he reached for the next one. Considerably thicker than the first scarf, the Creme colored wool was meant for colder weather. "There, I've compromised. Two for me and one for you." Hopping off of the edge, the Wherhandler folded the scarfs into a tighter roll and tucked them under his arm. He could be stubborn too. If Eikane wanted to get him a third scarf, he could pick it out himself and leave it on his Apartment's doorstep. Otherwise, he was lucky for to even get a compromise.

Tossing a grin over his shoulder, Nautic wondered over to the table with the instruments. A violin! He ran a hand gently over the handle of the bow. It wasn't much different than the one his grandfather had had, but it was certainly not well loved. The varnish was solid and uniform, making the wood look a little reflective in the filtering light. It was new and hadn't been broken in, it hadn't yet found the right home. Hopefully it would. Moving his sights onto the flutes Nautic shifted over to look at them better. He picked one up and carefully rotated it so he could get a better look. How one could play such an instrument was beyond him, there were to many leavers and buttons for him. Compared to the other flutes on the table, the one he had picked up was the smallest of them all. He had chosen that one to inspect because it was the one he was least likely to drop. "Eikane, what is this one called? Or are they all 'flutes' despite their size?"

[Ember]

Eikane chuckled when Nautic caved in. He should have just kissed him sooner. He tilted his head curiously when the other man wrapped the scarf around his neck. At the eventual explanation he smiled and fished out the necessary marks and handed them to the stallkeeper. He left the scarf where it hung around his neck, though he was quite conscious of its presence. He was quite happy as he wandered over to the other table with Nautic. He watched his reaction to the violin with interest. It was a shame he didn't own one. He also didn't plan on buying one at this Gather. Perhaps there was someone he could borrow one from someone (though who he could ask was a mystery to him).

As Eikane reached the other handler he was asked a question. he looked at the flute in question and grinned. "That is indeed a flute. That one has a different name though. Most flutes have the word somewhere in their name but for some reason someone named those kinds piccolos. We are Harpers are a weird lot," he added with a wink. "The other ones here are flutes too. Basically, the difference between sizes changes the range of notes that can be played. The most common flute is pitched in C. The alto flute is pitched in G." He indicated both of them when he spoke about them. He reached for the common flute and smiled. "The hardest thing about learning to play the flute is breathing. I remember one poor kid hyperventilated the first few lessons he had on the flute."