WHAT ARE YOU PACKIN IN YOUR PANTIES? [open]

[Lotty]

His name was "Cap'n" or at least that was what he was insisting it was, as he reeled about in an otherwise clueless fashion in the infirmary, bumping into trays, grunting in displeasure at the healers and other patients who looked on in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. He reeked too; grizzled and in rags, his hair was nothing but long strands of knots and his eyes darted around in frantic worry. He had no clue where he was. He also was heavily sedated.... and drooling. It was the only way that a little thing like Raebeli could manage a hold on the weyr's loony toon of the day. Of course the fact that he had nothing physically wrong with him save maybe some rotting teeth and a case of mange, meant that he was the sole responsibility of the mindhealer. Funny how that worked out. Half the time she was nothing but a waste of space pseudo-healer, but as soon as someone half crazed and smelling of excrement is picked up she is the first name on the tip of everyone's tongue.

Raebeli didn't mind. Outwardly. She was careful, weighing every word on mental scales, easing the man into a bed, despite his insistance that he was, "DYING!!!! YOUR MEDICINES WILL KILL ME! I LIKE ME EYE!" Obviously the man had some kind of obsession with R'wign's empty eye socket, and she knew it was a touch inappropriate for the man to carry on about it. "Shush, shush, shush," she insisted as she sat as his side, preparing another dose of fellis. Hopefully the perfect amount to knock him out, but not before he began rambling something about babies, and that is exactly how she came into possession of a little white speckled egg.

She was a push over really, and she couldn't just leave an egg out in the cold. The man was an incompetent (as well as incontinent). He'd never be able to care for whatever was to hatch from the egg. Call it charity or call it Raebeli's own brand of insanity but she took charge of the mystery egg with not a clue on what it contained. A firelizard she assumed. Something prized from the way he talked about it. It was his baby. Little did Raebeli know that she was going to be mommy.

The healer knew that eggs had to be kept warm, and that was about it. Of course she didn't exactly have a nest for the egg, but she did have a panty drawer. The top drawer of the squat little chest was dedicated to the frilly little undergarments, along with a few trinkets or necklaces that otherwise had no home. So her "baby" was swaddled with both conversative whitey-tidies and uncouth black lacey things in the little compartment. The warmest place in her entire apartment. And it stayed there, still, for quite some time, every few hours the girl would impatiently check on it like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning.

Lets fast forward a few more days. She waited out on the little wooden porch that jutted off the side of the humble little treehouse abode one morning, sipping klah and hardly still awake from another night stint in the infirmary. Between the regular schedule and the swing shift she pulled to deal with "Cap'n" she was ran ragged and greeted the new day with tried yawns and weary eyes. The subtle titters of cracking shells went un-noticed. The little squawks of infant avians were nearly ignored. Raebeli had lost her sprite like spunk as she drifted into her room, heart set on her bed, but not before a detour to the her dark stained dresser. Thats when she pulled the drawer open, and saw a gooey gray head pop up from the leg holes of red satiny intimates. OH MY FARANTH! CARDIAC ARREST! EEEEEK! She jumped back in shock, hand clamped over her chest, but on second glance she knew that it was love. It wasn't the bond of dragonkin, but one look at those scrawny wet limbs and too big beak was enough to gain a permanent hold on her heart strings.

"Ohhhh Cap'n!"

Now if only she knew what to do next.

[Requiem]

Yay for oodles and oodles of goodies. It seemed wonderful at the time to be so well-loved as to receive ten times your weight in parting gifts, but then you found that you had to carry these things, and of course dragonriders hardly had any use for northern harpers here at Selenitas; he'd be receiving no help from that venue. Quite bothersome. Where did these people even come up with half these things, anyway? Glancing about, the tall teenager set down his armload and readjusted the bracelet coiled around his bicep. One more glance verified that all was clear, and he quite casually shoved at the laden box with his foot.

The resulting splash was nothing short of momentous (thanks to all those needless trinkets) and Dmitri quickly composed his face into something resembling dismay, just in case he had an audience. Wringing his hands, he peered over into the water and bit his lip, before apparently shrugging to himself. Oh yes. All of those wonderful gifts that he'd received from people who thought buying presents was a good substitute for actually having a conversation and arranging a meeting sometime in the future, all those gifts were so important and he was absolutely devastated.

Too bad there were three more waiting down below where they'd been left on the docks. No, he may not be able to convince anyone he was so clumsy as to lose all three, but he was sure there was some way that the waves might just...sweep...them away. Yes. That was it. Cheap jewelry and carvings held little appeal to him, anyway, and maybe the weyrbrats would enjoy going on a scavenger hunt that led to the 'treasures.'

Now that he was decided as to how to handle the situation, Dmitri strolled back toward the dock at the base of the apartments in a decidedly better mood, humming a few bars of an old teaching song in his rich baritone. There was a decided bounce to his step that caused the long, curling hair to bounce and swirl around his knees, and with his face turned up toward the southern sun, you might even think he was an androgynous spirit in a state of sheer ecstasy. Until that expression quite humorously blanked to open confusion.

"Oh Cap'n?" he repeated, puzzled. The willowy figure drifted toward the open door. Normally he would have bypassed it, but that sounded suspiciously like someone was having a grand old time of it, and he rather doubted they much cared to put themselves on display. Or maybe they did, but he didn't care to hear or see it, as it were.

Just on the verge of tugging the door closed and continuing on his merry way, Dmitri found that the woman who had uttered that strange phrase was, in fact, very much alone. And staring at her dresser as if it was possessed. Now, Dmitri was a harper after all, and far be it for him to ever pass up the chance to satisfy his curiosity once it was aroused. Clearly she wasn't indisposed. Stepping partially into the room, he commented blandly, "I'd heard that people sometimes talk to inanimate objects, but calling them 'Cap'n' has to be a new one."

Dmitri decided not to press his luck by going further into the room, though he did plaster on his best 'friendly' expression, a small half-smile that managed to look sheepish and mischievous all at once. It was a very young expression, it was. "Not to sound too full of myself or anything, but if you're that starved for companionship I believe I make a better conversationalist than that piece of wood."

[Lotty]

She reached down into the nest of multicolored panties, to pull out the gray darter hatching; drying off the little downy feathers with a pair of underwear, and pulling off pieces of shell still stuck to his...it's body. She hadn't a clue if it was a boy or girl, and it seemed like such a cruel designation, but "it" would have to do. It was a cute thing, if horribly malnourished, sickly looking collection of bones and colorless fuzz with a fiendish looking bite and a set of claws that despite infancy, looked like fish hooks could be considered cute that is. Raebeli was exactly the type of person to overlook the little details, the boring coloring of the creature, the feebleness of it's staccato little movements. All the healer noticed was the high pitched distorted chirps, the little thing was starving and made it known with it's insistent, repetitive, hunger cries. If only she knew what to feed it! She was horribly uneducated in avians, but she had heard that mother darters....regurgitate food for their young...her face twisted into dismay at the thought. She didn't sign up for any of that!

The voice startled her out of worry, she once again felt her stomach leap into her throat and her body flinch wit surprise. The second time in just a few minutes! It was hardly fair to prey on her excitableness she thought. She whirled around on her heel to meet the stranger, Cap'n as she was going to code name it was partially hidden in her hands and little undies, kept close to her body for the warmth that the strange creature seemed to like. But he still chirruped non-stop (though muffled), mouth permanently pried open wide in hopes that his mother - Raebeli - would feed him immediately! Please.

Now how was she going to explain this situation exactly? Raebeli stared at the....boy for a long solid moment. It wasn't often that she had a loss for words, so she sheepishly grinned in embarrassment, "I'm....I'm afraid I'd be quite the basket-case if it was in fact my dresser I was speaking to..." She usually tried to stray away from using terms like crazy, basketcase, or even insane, because everyone has their problems, no need to use such harsh words for it. Though, she supposed it didn't hurt to make an exception when referring to herself, thoughts aside, she gave the boy another look. Talk about mirror opposites. He was pretty. Very pretty and if she had a jealous bone in her body it would be green with envy for his height and long hair. But he was young, she knew that, there was a quality about his face that told her so even if he spoke with such a demeanor as to hide his age. The healer had her head cocked in interest, very nearly forgetting about the birdie in her hands.

Oh! That's right! The avian! "Well you see..." she began. Should she really start from the beginning. Talk about Cap'n Senior and how he was picked up off the coast? How he came into the infirmary and into Raebeli's care before his ultimate demise at the hands of senility? Or should she leave all of that out, and start from the acquisition and placement of the egg into her drawer and how now she had herself a Cap'n Junior? Decisions, decisions, "I got this egg. It is quite the story...but I figured it would be a little firelizard...and I kept it warm in my underwear," she tried another winning smile, "Well underwear drawer that is...and it hatched THIS!" She extended her hands forward, fingers uncurling to show the little chick she had been with-holding, "I really don't know what to with it or he or she. I don't know what is..." She had her suspicions though, and if those claws were any clue this wasn't going to be a little singing avian to keep pretty in it's cage.

[Requiem]

He let loose with an awkward smile that was genuine enough, catching sight of the little ugly creature cradled in her...underthings. Girls could do such odd things. Even older girls like this one. He wasn't sure where she got the idea that her underclothes were the best place to nest a baby bird, but it certainly made for an interesting first meeting. Yes, even if he knew from the heat gathering around his ears and neck that it was probably obvious he was blushing.

Well, at least she wasn't shrieking and throwing things at him, which would have been a definite hint that maybe he should take his curiosity elsewhere. Considering that to be an invitation, Dmitri stepped into the room and glanced around, nodding slightly at her exuberant little presentation of the ugly creature making her panties we- Oh dear. He pulled a face. Slipping the scarf draped through his belt out, he carefully swaddled it around the creature. "I'd say that's definitely not a firelizard. Have any idea what these things eat? I mean, I've got a bunch of boxes that were going to end up at the bottom of the river - " he continued swiftly on before she could question that statement " - filled with trinkets and snacks and the like. Maybe there would be something..."

In the hopes that she would be distracted by the panty-bird (yes, this was Dmitri's name for the creature from here on out, if only in his head) he casually slid the dresser drawer shut with an elbow as he blocked her view of his actions with his body. Much better and far less distracting that way. Getting her panties all wet indeed. Sometimes he wondered if he'd ever be rid of the corruption of spending candlemark upon candlemark listening to the tales of the armsmen at Fort Hold. Other times he wondered if he really even wanted to be rid of it.

Time to start making those connections he'd need, though, and this was a journeyman healer who lived near him. It was as good a place to start as any. "Sorry. I guess the talking to furniture thing distracted me. I'm Dmitri. Harper Hall sent me here, and I'm afraid it's all a bit...different. Like this whole treehouse thing. Quaint and all, but it belongs more in a story, don't you think?" Really, they were living in trees in the middle of a river. Who had come up with that?

[Lotty]

Shameless. Or at least that is what she came off as when she neglected to notice the way the panty drawer was hanging open. A better explanation would be that she was completely oblivious, and probably too naive to think of closing it herself. Besides she was infatuated with her fuzzy little not-firelizard she had hatched, so when the harper nudged her drawer closed she didn't even notice. Raebeli had two blue eyes wide open and focused on the creature as it was swaddled with the scarf. She was doing all she could not to squeal and giggle with delight at the darter, but she had to remind herself that such excited motions would probably scare the shards out of her "baby".

If Dmitri was blushing then Raebeli didn't notice, and if she did she wouldn't know what to do, she was already blushing herself, not out of embarrassment - it never occurred to her that a darter wrapped in underwear was anything to be embarrassed about - but it was merely enthusiasm about her pet and the fact that she had help! Sure, he might not know a lick about taking care of lil' Cap'n but they could be ignorant and lost together, and this was reassuring. She rocked on her heels with the bird twittering just as loudly as ever, trying her best to talk over the racket it was making. Of course this was a bit tough with her dinky diminutive voice, "I don't know what they eat..." she glanced at that hooked beak, "I don't think this little avian is the type to eat seeds though...." Hmmmm. This was quite the issue, "I think we should get it whatever we can for now, but I suppose I'd have to find a beastcrafter to tell me what I should really be feeding this guy....if it is a guy that is."

Then he said his name. Oh! She had been talking to him this whole time and had not a clue what his name was, "Nice to meet you Dmitri. I'm Raebeli," it was nice to have someone else here even newer than herself, "you're from the harper hall? My father is a journeyman....of course he hasn't been at the hall in quite sometime," she didn't mention her mother, she was never as close with her as she was her father, "but I went into healing." As if that wasn't obvious enough by her knots. She kind of had a knack for stating what should have been readily apparent, "but yes. It is all rather odd. I haven't been here long myself, and I still don't know what to make of it all. But I guess if it works for them?"

[Requiem]

"Try me. He could have just stopped by on his way to somewhere else; a lot of them do." Dmitri settled for leaning back against her dresser and watching the mindhealer curiously, trying to get a feel for the woman. She definitely seemed a bit...enthusiastic. Hatching eggs were exciting, he supposed, especially at a Weyr. People went crazy about hatching eggs at weyrs. (Thus the need for Raebali, no doubt.) "That's quite a mouthful," he added dryly, softening the statement with one of his boyish smiles. "You won't mind if I call you Rae or Li, will you? I'll even offer you the pet name that they cooked up for me in Harper Hall, despite the fact that it's absolutely terrible."

Glancing both directions as if to make sure there was no possible way he could be overheard, Dmitri leaned closer to the older woman and whispered, "It's Demi." Drawing back, he pulled a face. "What did I tell you? Could be worse, though." He tugged habitually at his gloves to make sure they were good and tight, straightened to his not insignificant height, and began making his way back out of her apartment. "I'll just be thankful if I don't fall out of this place in the space of a sevenday and snap my neck clear through. Let's see about getting that noisome critter something to swallow before it draws out the entire Weyr with that racket. A healthy set of lungs, sure enough."

There really wasn't anything pushy about the boy's manner. He paused in the doorway and glanced back, giving her a clear choice, and truly he wouldn't have been upset if she elected to scrounge for food here. Dmitri could certainly be described as the sort who made things happen, however. If there was something to be done, you'd better believe he'd be all about doing it, and swiftlike. The harper enjoyed his leisure, after all, and leisure was always better appreciated when there was nothing you had to do. "So how long have you been here, mindhealer?"

Oh, yes, he could read knots. Just about as well as any other trained as a harper for nine turns.

[Lotty]

With the big smile on Raebeli's face it was no secret that she found her new harper friend to be absolutely delightful. Of course, she thought the best of everybody, but the boy had already excelled to a higher echelon of adoration in the girl's eyes. It probably helped that he was young, so young and endearing. Or maybe it was because he was a harper just like her dear father. The biggest factor had to be that charisma, Dmitri seemed full of it as far as the mindhealer was concerned, so of course she was more than happy to offer up her father's name at the challenge, "Broli...that's my father..." before he had met Raebeli's mother he was something of a popular guy, for his skill and his good modest nature, but he was never as renowned as those that aligned themselves into Master Camlin's circle. For that reason she would be unsurprised if the name was lost to Dmitri, but while we were on the subject of names...

"Rae is fine by me, Demi," she said in a playful tone. She had never been called Li, but she did get called Rae and even just Raebel a few times by those too lazy to tack on the last syllable. It never bothered the girl any, there was no use in getting offended by efficiency, and besides, in this case she got to hear Dmitri's little pet name. It was cute, surely he knew that? "Now, now. I don't think Demi is a half bad name, but I will call you by whatever you prefer," unless he ticked her off. Then he would see her wrath! She might actually frown or put her hands on her hips and call him something he didn't like....tell him he was a meanie head. Yeah. That would show them.

She had been getting pretty good at tuning out the bird's noise, and looked down at it in remembrance when he made note of feeding it. Oh yeah! It must have skipped her mind when she got involved in conversation, but she didn't miss his movements towards the door and she followed him out, whispering to Cap'n, "Don't worry, we'll feed you. Now shush," and keeping one ear on the boy's comments. She let out a little chuckle at his insistence that he would somehow fall from the treehouses and snap his neck despite the fact that it was a bit morbid. But she was willing to ignore that fact in favor of answering his last question, "No longer than a month...so don't rely on me as a tour guide. I know the path to the infirmary and to the main hall, and that is it."

[Requiem]

He made a show of wincing at 'Demi,' though his smile clearly betrayed him. If he'd really cared about her using the name, he wouldn't have offered it. "I wouldn't let most people call me that," the harper responded shamelessly. "But for you I'll make an exception. Rae it is. And no, I'm afraid your father's name isn't familiar to me, but if he writes any music I'd probably recognize him through that..." Which was true enough. Dmitri ate up compositions, and he could usually identify the writer's signature in the piece after listening to just a few.

Inexplicably pleased about gaining himself an unwitting helper in the disposal of all those unneeded odds and ends, Dmitri stepped aside to allow her to pass through the doorway first and eased the door closed behind them. He fell to toying with the pipes at his belt as they walked down toward the landing and the crates that remained. "Just the infirmary and the Main Hall? How can you survive like that?" Genuine surprise touched his voice. Dmitri positively hated being cooped up. Further, he was the sort to seek to discover everything about a new place as soon as possible. "Rae, I simply am going to have to insist that you accompany me on my explorations. Especially if we go into the jungles. A harper needs to get himself some protection from all the wild beasts, after all."

Stopping before the boxes, he kicked one solidly with a booted foot and shot her yet another grin. "Plenty of things in here. Honestly, I'm not even sure what I've got; I think the boys were glad to be rid of me and made up for that guilt by showering me with needless things." He crouched near the box and began flinging things into a pile a short distance away, sorting possible 'edibles' from the rest. After the hair fell before his face for the third time, he tsked softly to himself and plucked a leather thong from his belt, binding the hair back carelessly.

"Anything looking good just yet?" he questioned, as he pulled out a rather busy piece of silk. Now what had they thought he'd use that for? "My knowledge of what to feed baby fliers is next to nill."

[Lotty]

Raebeli wouldn't know one man's song from another's, and she didn't even really know what Broli did in the way of writing. Her memories were limited to a few plucky pieces and maybe a lullaby or two. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing that was probably meant for anyone outside of their little family. So she shook her head, unable to come up with even a song name and moved on with the conversation, walking along the path to the docks and eyeing the crates and crates of stuff he had from a distance. He sure must be loved, was her first thought, though material objects didn't always translate into actual affection, it could have just been vanities, but without knowing too much about the boy's past it was unfair to say.

"Oh well, it suits me just fine..." she really felt no need to be prodding around in the jungle. She had already encountered an array of exotic animals on her stay, and she frankly was afraid of meeting one of the more dangerous ones in the dark shadows of the forrest. For this reason, he found it particularly funny when Dmitri joked about needing protection on his explorations. Or at least she hoped he was joking, regardless she played around with him teasing, "I don't think I would be much help. You could be bleeding to death and I'd ask you to tell me 'how you really feel'." Sometimes in her giddier moods she liked to play on other people's misconceptions of her skills.

When he mentioned the source of his numerous gifts as being from the guilt of others she tried to put it into a more positive light, "Oh, I'm sure thats not the case," she smiled and waved off his statement, while the other arm continued to cradle the hatchling, "And even if it is then I supposed it all worked out in your favor. You got something out of it, and yo don't seem too hurt to be away from them?"

She stepped to the side of the box, leaning over to assess the piles coming out of their crates and immediately began testing the waters, one handedly opening the packaging of the treats the harper had been given. She started with some kind of nut, which didn't go over too well, but the smaller pieces of dried fruit were getting gobbled up faster than she could pick them out of their jars. Thankfully it didn't matter too much what she fed the hungry mouth. It was keeping him/she/it quiet and that was something! She felt a tad bit of guilt for essentially taking what should have been Demi's presents, but he had offered and didn't seem particularly thrilled by them in the first place.

[Requiem]

Openly amused by Rae's self-deprecating humor, Dmitri didn't even have to fake the friendly chuckle. This one might be worth having around for more than just a feed on gossip. (In fact, he'd probably get very little gossip from her unless he was interested in the crazies, which he really wasn't.) "Oh, Faranth forbid it ever come to that! I, of course, would hardly care, seeing how dead is dead, but such a gentle, loving soul could hardly bear the experience of watching my gory demise." He winked at her. Overly dramatic a little? Definitely, but it was all just to entertain her. Dmitri had a knack for entertaining people. Sometimes even when he didn't intend to, which could be downright annoying.

The harper rocked back onto his heels, watching the bird for a few moments before digging back through the heap of food and setting aside the dried fruits, meats and flat cakes. They'd thought these gifts particularly ingenious, considering everyone there knew that Dmitri's greatest desire was to travel Pern as any journeyman should. Thus the traveling food. Of course, the boy wouldn't receive that luxury. Not with his parentage. It was a wonder that they'd allowed him outside of the hall at all.

"Most of that should work for 'im, by the looks of it." He dusted off his trousers and squinted narrowly at the boxes. "I was something of a...fixture...at the hall, you see. If the Masterharper had his way, I'd likely never go beyond the walls. Where there's affection, it's to the concept and not the person. Fine by me, though. I'm just glad to be out and seeing things." Even if it wouldn't have been his first choice. Young though he'd been, the memories of traveling the cotholds around Fort Hold with his grandfather, singing the teaching songs, was still quite strong.

"Well then. What do you think? Maybe the creche would have some use for this junk?" Dmitri abhorred clutter as a general rule, and there were still a couple of bags set to one side with the things he actually meant to keep. Mostly sheafs of music, some to study and some that he'd written himself, along with various implements to maintain his pipes, a few necessities and a suit of Gather finery, in the event that he was called on to represent Harper Hall in a more official capacity. All in all, that which he'd chosen to bring could easily be carried on his back, and it spoke much to his personality.

[Lotty]

By now Raebeli had settled herself down onto the ground, sitting cross legged amongst the harper's travelling feast, her skirt swirled around her in the same radial fashion as the flowers embroidered on the hem were. It made things easier this way...the feeding of the critter thing that is, and the faster she could feed it the better, she was starting to get a bit worried that if it didn't get something in it's belly that it would starve and she could never live with that on her conscious. It seemed she exactly was the loving, gentle soul that Dmitri described, and she probably wouldn't do anything to try and deny it either, especially with the way she looked up at him from her spot and listened to what he had to say. Despite Dmitri being a bit of an actor, she didn't sense that he was being disingenuous, and appreciated his efforts to keep the conversation as lively as it was.

It was a shame, she thought, that he had been cooped up at the hall so long, especially when he wanted to travel. She never really understood what good a harper would do stuck at the hall, but she wasn't about to argue their practices. He looked young though, Rae wondered exactly how long he had been kept around there, surely it couldn't have been the ages he suggested? "How old are Demi? I'm sure that you have a whole lifetime of travels ahead of you, it will make up for all that time you've been cramped at the hall right?"

As for the items for the creche, "That's such a nice thought Demi! I'm sure they wouldn't turn it down..." she glanced over the belongings. There was nothing better than shows of charity, and even though he had already shown a deal of it to her, the handing over of material objects to the children was something else indeed. Now what was the word for that? Now that the bird had quieted down and began to recede into his own ball of gray down, she found that she could hear herself think again, and the words finally came out. Oh yes, "You are quite the philanthropist, I'm sure you're going to be the talk of the weyr before either of us know it."

Of course being popular in a weyr targeted by attacks wasn't always a good thing.

[Requiem]

"Fifteen," he responded, the smile somewhat embittered, though actually a good deal more genuine than the previous ones. "Nine turns at the Hall. And no, I don't have leave to travel. Camlin made it quite clear that if he heard I left the Weyr for any reason I'd be fetched back to the Hall. Apparently Selenitas Weyr is the 'only safe place'. I don't know what his issue is. The man doesn't even really like me, as far as I can tell, so if something were to happen, you'd think it would be a relief. Then again, I suppose I make marks and Camlin certainly is attached to his money."

Strange that he was on a first-name basis with the MasterHarper, but such things happened after nearly a decade of living in the same place. And, well, Dmitri was nothing if not bold. He'd been too young to know better when he first arrived, and early indulgences shaped later behavior; Dmitri had always been rather too familiar with the masters at Harper Hall. To say that he was coddled, even spoiled, certainly wouldn't be a stretch of the truth. And, as with most spoiled teenagers, he could switch on the charm and wheedle most anything out of most anyone if he so desired. There was no lack of wit in the lad. Certainly not.

He laughed, then. "Philanthropist? You give me far too much credit. I simply have no need for all this, and it's better to find some use for it as opposed to just throwing it all in the river." Dmitri was in a rare truthful mood, he was, but then, one only had to pretend at being nicer and better than you were if people were inclined to think otherwise. Since Rae seemed to view life through rose-colored glasses, the effort was hardly necessary.

"So how goes it with the little fellow? He slowing down at all yet? You're welcome to take the lot of it, at least until you find out what he really eats." Dmitri crept closer on his knees to peer at the ugly thing. Whoever said things could be so ugly they were cute was clearly out of his mind. The bird definitely was not cute.

[Lotty]

"Ahh I see," was all that she could come up with. It was rare for her...or any mindhealer to be at a loss for what to say.

Raebeli was somehow understanding of Demi's situation. She was kept away from the harper hall, probably out of fear that she would be kept away there to by Master Camlin, and that was the last thing her mother wanted for her, though this was never explicitly stated. In her youth it was never said outright, but she had heard of her father's dislike of the infamous man, and as she grew up she collected enough rumors to come to her own conclusions and deducted that it was all for the best. At the very same time, Rae couldn't relate to the man...erm boy - she had to keep reminding herself that he was only fifteen, a fact that astonished her - since she had been sent out by her hall quickly, promptly, and without a bit of hesitation. She had friends there, and a few favored masters, but for the most party she was considered kooky and Selenitas was not a "safe" place, but a far away place.

Some day Dmitri would figure that out. Soon the entire infirmary would probably figure that out. Just not yet is all, she had a grace period where her quirks were endearing, but soon enough her time would wear out. Especially now that she had...this thing...

She looked down at the creature before looking back up again at her young new friend, "I think it's full for now, I hope the quiet lasts for a while," she had no idea, no clue how demanding of a job raising the ugly chick would be, but she would be a liar if she said she didn't like it. She was going to mother the thing to new extremes. Shards, she would probably take to mothering Demi if she got the chance, "Oh I can't just take all of your stuff....." she trailed off as she looked at it all again, "Not without returning the favor. I owe you one. Now how does it feel being able to hold that over my head?" It was a statement that if said by anyone else but the perky, innocent looking woman, could sound a little....wrong. But then again, she did hatch this egg in her underwear.

[Requiem]

Dmitri eyed the critter uncertainly. Quiet? Ummmm...that was probably wishful thinking, he supposed to himself, but the boy decided to allow her to continue with that. No one had to be as pessimistic as he himself was, right? Besides, maybe gulping down all that food would damage its vocal chords and she'd be in luck. The overwhelming urge to reach out and poke the ugly left the harper undecided. It wouldn't bite him, would it? Actually, it probably would think he was food.

He glanced over at the mindhealer. "All of it? I was just talking about the food. I mean, if you want something else, but most of it is better suited to children." The words were almost humorous in how seriously he rendered them, as if he didn't fit into that category of 'child'. He might speak and even appear at times to be an adult (and a well-educated one, at that) but he definitely lacked in a good deal of maturity. Of course, Rae had the fortune - or misfortune, as the case may be - to not be witness to most of that. Yet.

His eyes were wide as he stared at her. Hold...what? Did his mind go there? Oh yes. Went there and then some. After all, blackmailing women of Rae's age and looks really only entailed one thing when you didn't know them so well, and the boy quite obviously flushed at the thought. Either she was amazing forward, or she had absolutely no idea what her words suggested. (He wasn't sure which option he preferred.)

Shaking his head ruefully, he forced his mind elsewhere. "Oh, no worries, ma'am." That was nice. Put some distance there. "You'll soon find plenty enough to blackmail me on to protect you. I can't seem to keep my nose clean. The world hates me," he lamented dramatically, gaze again returning to the bird. "So. Um. What do you plan on doing with that...thing?"

[Lotty]

Oh silly me! she exclaimed to herself. She didn't mean to say all of it, but it very much came out that way, and she blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Oh Demi," she said in that ever playful tone, "you know what I meant. All of the food stuffs, I wouldn't take any more than I need, and I certainly don't need the things you are giving away to the creche," she shrugged and looked back down at the fuzzball, idly running a hand over the feathers.

She remained oblivious to her own unfortunate wordings, and could only furrow her brow in confusion as he stared at her. Stared! She wondered if he was looking at some flaw she had missed. Although certainly not what you could call vain, she did take enough care to make sure that she didn't have a booger hanging out or a sign pinned to her back, and so she glanced down and around at herself, all the while trying to hide her investigation by sheepishly grinning or running a free hand through her hair. Rae was a master of distractions obviously, luckily answering his question about Cap'n made for a very good one.

"Well. I don't think I can just stick it out in the jungle to fend for itself now," after all she was its mommy, "I guess I need to make a nest for it or something," and not one made out of her panties, "and tote it around with me..." Now that could be a problem. How hard would it be to take it with her to her shifts at the infirmary? Well perhaps it was the type to sleep at night, but then that meant it would be awake all day! Which was her time to sleep. It really wasn't fair now was it? She got up onto her feet and gave herself another look over. Why the boy had been giving her such a peculiar look was still over her head.

((Sorry for taking forever and making such a lame post.))