Phremath's Paradise

[Requiem]

If anything, Phremath had just grown more frisky over the past months. And thirteen feet of exuberant juvenile dragon - a little over half of which was whipping through the air at the moment as she swiftly turned - did not tend to mix all that well with the more skittish northern candidates. Or even some of the less stolid southern ones. She was actually rather small for her age, this Phremath. A glorious jade green, her hue even and brilliant in the light, with a wiry musculature that maintained the impression of daintiness while still being subtly strong, she would have been a perfect example of a healthy hatchling. Had her wings been longer, with a thicker membrane, that was. She'd broken up the stubby muscles she'd carried with her hatching, and now the short wings moved fairly well. They just couldn't get enough lift.

Not that any of this seemed to bother the green. She maintained a rather energetic vigil while her bonded visited one of the candidates in the barracks. Phremath knew him as the one she got to go flying with, when Wrenth took her into the skies. No more of that; she was far too large now. Poor meatbag. (Phremath had taken to calling people meatbags on a whim, finding it funny when one of the adult greens had mentioned it in passing.) Mine said he'd punched a bone clear through the top of his foot! Not a very good idea, she thought to herself. Why would he want to go and do a thing like that? He didn't do it on purpose, silly one. We'll get to go home in a minute. How does that sound? We can't stay here?

Her wedge-shaped head swung about, catching sight of one of the candidates as she made her way toward the barracks. The girl froze. By now, people had to know that there was a crazy green hatchling hanging about. Kalierre's Phremath. Tail swishing, the juvenile hunkered down, almost like a feline, before bursting into a sprint that was far faster than a normal hatchling - or dragon - could have managed. If nothing else, constantly having to accompany the roving dragonhealer everywhere and her own boundless energy had left Phremath with an astounding command of earthbound travel. That was now put to good use as she quite literally pounced the hapless girl, pinning her beneath a claw as she nuzzled at the struggling form. Hi!

"Phremath." Glancing over at her bonded, who looked anything but amused at the moment, Phremath's previously fluttering wings wilted. Kali stood in shirtsleeves and trousers, her supple form strangely accented by the unobtrusive clothing as she placed a hand on a hip, one brow raising at the green. The juvenile snorted unhappily. She raised her claw, watching as the girl wormed out from under it. The dragonhealer moved forward to help her up. "I'm sorry, miss. She gets overexcited, though she'd never hurt anyone. At least on purpose." The blonde shot another glare Phremath's direction. Chastized, the green intoned, I'm sorry, miss. It wouln't ever happen again. A slight smile of approval turned up Kali's lips, before the stern expression fell back into place.

Kalierre watched the girl hurry off the the barracks, obviously flustered, even as she reached up to rub her bonded's snout. "Honestly, Phremath, what am I going to do with you? You've become the resident candidate menace! Couldn't you at least pounce a dragonrider?" The green leaned in, Kalierre having to dig in her heels to support some of that weight. Phremath simply hadn't gotten used to the fact that she was rather big now at all. But these are the ones who want to see and touch a dragon. I hear it in their minds all the time!

Swinging about in front of the green, Kalierre gripped the sides of her head in both hands, looking deeply into the mutlifaceted orbs. She'd always suspected Phremath was more receptive than the average dragon - or at least cared more about what lay behind the minds of humans other than just her Mine. It probably didn't help that Kali herself could and would talk to any dragon in the weyr that way. It was part of what made her successful as a dragonhealer. Then Kalierre smiled into Phremath's eyes. "How about next time you try to walk toward them, eh? And maybe not knock them over? It's scary, you know."

[glamourie]

"Personally, I feel she should be allowed to pounce everyone and anyone she likes. I can't think of anything more adorable I've seen in months!" Kaliran proclaimed as he walked right up to the pair. If it occurred to him that eavesdropping wasn't polite, Kaliran certainly gave no indication. He was on his way back to the barracks after chores, and he'd just so 'happened' to see the little green pounce on that girl. While he was sure some people would have found it odd, Weyrbred as he was, Kaliran took no offense to the dragonet's antics and honestly, he'd been there when she hatched -- it was good to see any of that group moving around so animatedly, and with such a healthy amount of energy. He had a great deal of respect for her speed, too. Watching the young dragons grow was exciting; he was anticipating the next Hatching, where he would stand as a candidate.

Lifting one hand to brush his hair away from his face, Kaliran bowed his head lightly to both the Journeywoman and to her green before smiling. He was friendly to everyone, if he could help it, and thought of everyone as an equal. That mindset was slightly detrimental to him, though, because clearly he had no problem 'eavesdropping' on a young green and her rider, and he probably wouldn't have had any problem if it were a bronze and queenrider walking by. Not that Kaliran ever admitted that much aloud, and he didn't seek people out to listen... or anything... That was his brother Keliris's job. Speaking of which, was it him or that boy -- Mu... something, that had drawn the Healer to the barracks? Probably the latter, since Rawign was handling Keliris's foot. Honestly, that one had a habit of getting himself hurt ridiculously in the strangest ways. A normal person would be over a foot injury but Keliris and his refusal to listen kept him limping. He probably deserved it, though.

With a smile, he added lazily, "I'm sorry, I'm interrupting. But that was absolutely precious." Those candidates needed to shape up. Hatchings could be brutal things, with people leaving the sands bleeding and limping, and the dragonets weren't to blame for a lack of understanding. The ones to blame were the fools who didn't learn enough to move. Learning from a growing dragon would help the candidates to respect the virtues of getting out of the way when the ones fresh from the egg were stumbling to find their lifemates. That in mind, he didn't think the green had anything to apologize for. She was 'training' them! Or so he'd have claimed, though he could understand why the Healer had scolded her. (He just felt inclined to agree with the dragon. That was sort of his philosophy -- anything cute was always right.) Besides... he didn't understand how anyone could think such a small dragon would intentionally hurt them. Hmph.

"Phremath, you are growing spectacularly since I last saw you," Kaliran added absently as he looked down at her. It was true; every time he saw any of the dragonets they had grown considerably. That was the perk to being so young, he supposed. "And so well cared-for." His eyes flicked to Kalierre. "You're obviously very dedicated. Is there anything I can help you with, Journeywoman?" And of course he knew who she was; she was a Healer, a dragonrider at the Weyr, and he'd been there his whole life. The farthest he'd gone was to the surrounding holds for Gathers and that was rare. He tended to know most people's names and if he didn't, he just numbered them to make up for it. Greenrider number one... greenrider number two... It worked for him.

A much smaller green burst from between with a sweet trill right after Kaliran spoke. Chipper flew around the group for a moment before flying over to land daintily on the ground several paces in front of Phremath, clearly so that she could catch a glimpse of the dragon at full size. And then she chirped, clearly asking who the big one was, her eyes whirling her confusion. Chipper was Kaliran's green firelizard, and she confused herself a lot; often times, she was of the opinion that the dragons were just much bigger firelizards, but this one had such strange wings, why, why? Back and forth she bounced, offering scattered chattering to try and emphasize her question. How could this big one fly with such small wings? Chirp, chirp. Wouldn't someone explain...?

[Requiem]

Kalierre turned toward the origin of the words that broke in upon her quiet moment with Phremath. Her eyes traveled up to the oval face, meeting his gaze for a moment before they swept over his form. She hadn't seen him in the infirmary. Young, she thought to herself. A candidate. Most likely weyrborn, given how at ease he seemed with the prospect of Phremath pouncing people. This weyr? Possibly. The majority of the boys who stood on the sands were weyrbrats, after all. He certainly had some pluck, breaking in on the conversation she was having with her bonded, though, truthfully, if she'd cared about being overheard she wouldn't have spoken aloud to begin with. It did tell her a bit about him, though. He didn't seem disrespectful, exactly...It was almost like Phremath's manner. This boy just didn't seem aware that, socially, jumping in on a conversation uninvited wasn't the politest way to go about things.

Returning the nod with a slight dip of her head, Kali found that she wasn't put off by his manner. Then again, it took a lot to annoy her, given that she tended to see patients at their worst day in and day out. A small smile played on her lips. Phremath's head hovered just above her shoulder, the woman's arm coming up to hug the green's neck lightly. They looked natural there, together, the dragonpair. Though it was doubtful that Phremath would be able to devote much more attention to this unless things became a bit more interesting.

Her dark eyes flashed briefly with amusement at his words. Yes, he was interrupting. "Don't encourage her, hun. She'll be running all over the place, terrorizing the poor younglings half to death, at just a word of approval." Phremath nudged the woman with a foreleg, causing Kali to stagger slightly and release the green's neck. Did you hear? He said I am precious! Can we keep him? He's not ours to keep, sweetheart. Kalierre couldn't keep the ripple of amusement from her mind-voice, however. Why not? the green responded petulantly. Meatbags keep little dragons. Why can't dragons keep little meatbags?

She glanced at Phremath askance. He's not so little. And besides - the little dragons you're talking about don't ever get big, and he will. I still think we should keep him, the dragonet finished sullenly. Kalierre merely patted her head with a mild chuckle. The hatchling wasn't downcast for long. As soon as he spoke again, she perked up. He knows my name, KaliMine, she trilled in wonder, drawing herself up taller with a little flash of pride. Then, before Kalierre could respond one way or another, You know my name. If you promise not to get big, can we keep you? Mine says we can't because you won't stay little. Please don't get big! Kalierre rolled her eyes. Physically, the candidate was already 'big', though she understood that Phremath was picking up on her feeling for the lad, which had more to do with his age than his height.

Shaking her head, Kalierre simply smiled a small smile. "Other than helping me explain to Phremath that people aren't meant to be kept? Not really. We're on our way back to the weyrling barracks to catch up on some sleep." The blonde did have a somewhat tired look about her, though her fellow weyrlings would say she was looking better than she had in weeks. This crazy schedule was finally beginning to iron itself out. "You should call me Kali, by the way. This journeywoman thing makes me feel ancient. And what should we be calling you?"

Before he could answer, however, the dragonhealer found herself being jostled by Phremath as the green moved to watch the flitter curiously. It's one of the little dragons! Phremath generally broadcasted. Oh, please, Mine. If we can keep the little meatbag, we can keep the little dragon, too! Kalierre swatted her bonded lightly on the side of the neck. "I don't know if he appreciates you calling him a meatbag, sweetheart, but we'll talk about this keeping thing later." Phremath turned her large, sorrowful gaze on Kali, but the healer remained unfazed. "Later."

[glamourie]

"They have to learn that no dragon would intentionally hurt them," Kaliran countered with a slight smile. It was nice to see how healthy the dragon and her woman in front of him obviously were. Small wings or not, it was clear she and her girl seemed to be very fond of each other. That fondness pretty much wiped away any musings he might have had in regards to the dragon's condition. If she wasn't put out by her smaller, obviously weaker wings, then no one else had a right to be, either, in his opinion. Besides, he was still thinking about how funny it was to watch her spring forward onto an unsuspecting candidate. That silly girl looked so scared. No dragon would intentionally hurt a human unless it was their rider ordering them or simple ignorance that came from being a hatchling. Either case, the dragons could not be held at fault. He doubted anyone who obviously was put out by simple antics, that of the draconic equivalent of a child, would manage to Impress anything. "Even the hatchlings, fresh from the egg. They can't be held accountable, they don't know. Most people who would be bothered by being pounced don't understand that. I don't think she's doing anything wrong."

Kaliran watched the little dragon and her rider; he was oblivious to the conversations back and forth, and assumed they were debating over whether or not she could likely pounce someone again. Or maybe they were discussing food? He heard dragonets were often hungry. Actually, thinking about food made him rather hungry and --

"What?"

Blinking, Kaliran turned back to the little dragon (Little? Well, for a dragon, she was!) in confusion. She'd called him small, or at least alluded to it, and Kaliran did not think of himself as small. While he would never be a big man, or anyone imposing, he certainly wasn't tiny! She should have seen his brother. He was positively tiny for a man and often compensated for it with a big attitude. What did she mean, never get big? He raised his eyebrows in confusion (and also slight puzzlement at a dragon addressing him since he'd never before had one do so, not even his mother's!) before shaking his head. How... bizarre. He turned back to Kalierre as she spoke, giving her his full, undivided attention as she sort-of-not-really explained what her dragon meant. He still didn't fully comprehend it (how was he small?) but he decided to let the matter drop, when his eyes were drawn down to Chipper, away from Kali.

The firelizard gave a sweet chirp and then took to wing and flew around the dragon again before giving a musical flute... and dropping down right onto Kaliran's head. She seemed oblivious to the fact that her position on her humanthingy's head was probably not very comfortable for him.

Kaliran went cross-eyed to look up at Chipper as he spoke, but his words were for the other pair, "I don't know what about me is 'small' aside from the fact that I'm on the shorter side of things," he commented, crinkling his nose. Chipper was still curious, he could tell, but he had no way of explaining to her in words she could understand and he had tact enough not to try in front of the pair in question. That might insult Phremath and he didn't want to. "As for calling me, 'meatbag' suffices just fine, but my mother named me Kaliran. Her name is Chipper." Flute, chirp. Clearly, Chipper understood she was being spoken about. "I'm pretty sure her demeanor makes it obvious as to why. I'm not sure how she intends to keep me, but she's welcome to pounce on me if no one else is willing. I don't mind. Chippeeeeer, you're pulling my hair, you know." The firelizard ignored him, staring wide-eyed at the much-larger version of herself before he sighed. "She's infatuated. If she shows up around you sometime, please feel free to send her back to me. She has a tendency to become fixated on dragons, and Phremath is much smaller than the adults - she's clearly fascinated by this fact. Thinks she's a really big firelizard, I expect."

[Requiem]

A brow rose at the candidate's response to her comment. She might have been less surprised at how willing he was to give his opinion had she not just come from seeing to Mutasim. That little buddy of Z'hin's was an odd one. Most healers would have had a hard time forcing their own bone back in line, but he'd obviously done so - the cuts all over his hands proved it. Still, they hadn't exchanged a single word throughout the whole process. Mutasim seemed content with the silence and Kali allowed him to keep it. That boy was the sort to prefer quiet and solitude, and she'd seen enough of these too-old children not to have a pretty good idea what lay behind the haunted, intelligent gaze. This candidate was nothing like little Muta.

Good. It was nice to have a smiling face around, even if he was likely to inspire Phremath to new heights. No, it wasn't her fault, but along the same vein it was Kalierre's duty to teach her bonded what was and wasn't appropriate behavior. The green still acted like a hatchling. Not necessarily a bad thing, save that she had quite a bit more bulk to throw around now, and that could easily hurt someone. Nor would it be good for the young one to hurt anyone. Maybe it was her close proximity to the sick and injured day after day, but Phremath was highly sensitive to it, and she'd beat herself up if anyone was harmed because of her. Kalierre didn't want her to have to go through that.

Her second brow rose to join the first as Chipper circled Phremath, then landed on the candidate's head. The green hatchling watched her younger sister with open fascination. Oh dear. They really did look rather precious, staring at each other curiously like that, though Kali shook her head wordlessly as Phremath's mind drifted toward playing with the flit. The dragonet just wasn't aware enough of how dangerous she could be to the firelizard for Kalierre to allow such a thing.

The healer couldn't help but smile at his pensive expression, made quite odd by his cross-eyed vigil over Chipper. "She's picking that up from me, I'm afraid. Young might be a better word than small." Is that comfortable, his head? Phremath inquired of the flitter. One clawed foot lifted slightly off the ground, before Kalierre's hand tightened about the green's foreleg. Don't even think about it. For once, the young one didn't protest. It really would be rather hard for her to find enough room on Kali's head. Being small definitely had its perks!

Can I call the meatbag Kal, KaliMine? Kal and Chipper. Kalierre smiled. If that's what you would like to do. The green bobbled up and down for a moment, tail swishing about in what could be quite the hazard, had anyone been around to take the brunt of it. There is a little room on my couch, Kal the Meatbag. You and Chipper can sleep there!

"We're not keeping them, Phremath." The green's head came down in quite the obvious pout. Then, with a spurt of energy, Phremath caught sight of Wrenth and immediately went barreling off in that direction, calling up to the flying blue, Wrenth! Wrenth! I'm going to get a pet meatbag! The blue was obviously startled, but he recovered nicely, banking into a neat turn high above. You are, are you? Does Yours know about this? Oh, she'll come around, Phremath stated confidently.

Kalierre shook her head, amused. "It looks like we've both got our hands full, Kaliran," she commented dryly. "I doubt Phremath would protest to a 'little dragon' companion now and then. So don't worry about it."

[glamourie]

Oh, young. Unlike some people (who would have argued vehemently that they were grown up, thank you -- no doubt Keliris, his older brother, was one such person), Kaliran was content with his age and with the passage of time as it was. He didn't see any reason to try and proclaim he was more grown up than he actually was; either people would or wouldn't realize it on their own steam and that wasn't his problem. Besides, Kalierre was obviously older than him; her exact age, he couldn't guess, but she held herself with a more aloof manner than most of the Weyr girls, not so much out of lack of friendliness, but from - well, she reminded him of his mother in a way, though much younger. His mother was a greenrider, too, so that may have been where he was drawing comparisons, though no doubt Salira would have appreciated being compared to a much younger woman.

The firelizard gave a startled chirp and bounced twice on Kaliran's head, little claws winding in his hair more firmly. Then she leaned forward, wings spreading wide at her sides as she gazed at the dragonet and chittered her approval; clearly, she did think he was quite comfortable, and that everyone should have a Kaliran to perch on. Given a choice, though, Chipper would probably have preferred to perch on someone with longer hair to play in, but she had no real complaints to her humanthingy; he made for an excellent spot and he rarely swatted at her when she was sitting on his head. A low, thrumming purr escaped the little firelizard, obviously pleased with herself, and with the dragonet's explanation. She sent Kaliran vivid images of a small stone slab she always slept on in his barracks, apparently recognizing the word 'couch' for what it was, and then she chirped amiably.

Kaliran smiled and shook his head lightly. Kal was not one of the names he was called often, surprisingly. Keliris, his brother, was nicknamed Lir much of the time, and most people called him Ran if not his full name, but he had no complaints. A unique nickname from a unique little dragon. She was charming.

"There's space now, but when you get big, there won't be, and I wouldn't want to cramp your personal space," Kaliran replied with a light shrug. His words earned a disapproving squawk from Chipper, who clearly thought it would be grand to share a couch with the big firelizard. He ignored her, instead watching Phremath's tail go back and forth, and he vaguely imagined a bunch of weyrbrats jumping over it as a game. No doubt it would have been something they'd greatly enjoy, though not the most respectful way of treating the young dragon.... though, he suspected she'd probably enjoy that considerably, too. He had a feeling that the green greatly enjoyed people, just from how social she seemed to be.

That idea was emphasized when Phremath suddenly took off after the adult blue dragon, and Kaliran glanced up, though he had only a moment before Chipper gave a startled cry and flew after Phremath... tearing several strands of Kaliran's hair out in the process. She sailed through the air after the larger green and scolded animatedly, clearly of the opinion that Phremath should wait up for her. Kaliran watched her go before laughing under his breath, then he turned back to Kalierre. "I think you're right. Chipper's obviously very fond of her, I don't recall her ever chasing any other dragon that way. She plays with some of the other firelizards but most dragons spook her. It's the size difference, I think. Phremath is still young enough that Chipper thinks she's just a very big firelizard," he explained with a light shrug. "She really is sweet. I've never had a dragon speak to me before. Does she do that often?"

[Requiem]

Well, she certainly couldn't fault Kaliran for his way with Phremath. The green was far more likely to accept the explanation of her growing to be too big for him to share her couch - oh, how she longed to be big! - than Kali's simple 'you can't keep him.' Then again...Don't worry, Kal. My sisters are almost all bigger than me, so you'll still have plenty of room! No one had ever said Phremath was stupid. She may not have quite picked up on the concept that humans weren't kept as pets, but she certainly had her head enough about her to notice things. To notice most everything, actually.

"Nice try," Kalierre murmured beneath her breath, dark eyes flashing with amusement. The green, though tempted to circle in a pattern that mimicked Wrenth's flight, paused long enough for the little dragon to catch up to her. She rumbled lightly in her throat, though it was more a playful sound than an actual growl. All right. All right. Don't get so worked up! Her attention shifted back to the young blue. Where is Yours today? Maybe he'd like to see my pet. Maybe some other day, Phremath. LanMine isn't feeling well. There was something odd in Wrenth's tone, though the hatchling merely tilted her head to one side, curious but still a little bit afraid to ask.

That had looked somewhat painful. The dragonhealer suppressed the urge to baby Kaliran over a few pulled hairs, though, instead chuckling at how Chipper seemed to match Phremath in spontaneous energy. They'd probably get along quite famously. "As she seems to think Chipper's a small dragon, that's not surprising," the woman responded with a mild shrug.

Kalierre blinked at his question. Yes, Phremath was unusual in several ways, but no one had quite gotten around to asking her this. Her smile was wry. "I'd like to say you're special, Kaliran, but she really just likes speaking to people." What do you mean Kal isn't special? Of course he's special! He's going to be my pet. The dragonhealer waved the comment aside. Phremath's mind-voice then turned mischievous. KaliMine talks to the dragons. She says dragonpairs are only supposed to talk to each other most of the time, but Mine talks to them all the time! "Snitch." Rubbing her wrist lightly, she smiled up at Kaliran. It wasn't a fact she wanted widely known, this ability to communicate with any dragon. It made some people very nervous.

Kalierre moved to overtake Phremath, looking up to Wrenth as he circled high above. She'd never actually seen the blue up close before. Yours...he is okay? Would you like me to come see him? There was a long pause, before the blue's mind flooded both Kali's and Phremath's. It is a...heartsickness. Best that he be left alone for awhile. The woman nodded slowly at that. Her gaze flicked back over to Kaliran, wondering if the candidate would wish to remain near Phremath or to retire to the barracks. She could go either way at the moment, though Kali was keen on getting her rest in the near future. It had been a wearisome day.

[glamourie]

"Is your couch comfortable, then? I'm rather used to the candidate barracks," Kaliran replied to the green with a bemused smile. He wasn't sure the idea of sleeping on stone was all that appealing to him. Dragons might enjoy it well enough but he honestly did not think it was appealing. He liked his softer areas to sleep, and given a choice, probably would have preferred to pile furs upon furs to rest on on top of that. While he would not deny being fond of Phremath already (she was such a friendly dragonet!), there was a limit to that fondness. Besides, to his knowledge, candidates could get into major trouble for staying places other than the candidate barracks and he was not about to do anything to the detriment of his chances to stand for Aslath's clutch. "I've got to be there when Aslath's clutch hatches, you know. It might be better if I stay put until then, hmm?" His words trailed off and he shook his head again, amused.

Chipper circled around Phremath before giving her a squeaky chirp, then she promptly deposited herself right on the dragon's back, as if it were the most natural place in the world for her to be. Manners and not perching on dragons that were not hers never really sat well with little Chipper. And she was of the opinion that Phremath was hers, since her pet was Phremath's pet. It all made perfect sense to the little firelizard, who chittered a greeting up to the blue without a hint of intimidation. Were he a brown or a bronze she probably would have been spooked, but Chipper liked blues, they were nice. And he was high enough up that she could see all of him, which made him less intimidating to her.

Disregarding the way his firelizard was perching on the dragonet (if she had a complaint she would likely tell her, right?), Kaliran clucked his tongue and mulled it over. "They are rather like small dragons, though. Much closer to small dragons than Phremath being a much larger firelizard, though I suppose it works both ways. I remember when I Impressed her, I was so happy that I couldn't express myself properly. 'Look, I have one of the little dragons.' It took me awhile to remember she is a firelizard, so I can't blame Phremath for that. Chipper on the other hand knows full and well what the dragons are, or at least, that they are different from her to some degree. She just... I don't think she's ever approached any of the Weyrlings before..." He shook his head slightly. To his knowledge, Chipper rarely strayed too far from him, except when she was flying. She'd clutched, once that he knew of, Turns ago, but it was eaten by tunnelsnakes because he hadn't known about where it was at. Some part of him still regretted that.

Turning back to Phremath as she spoke, Kaliran laughed quietly. But Kalierre had effectively answered his question. Really, Phremath was charming. It was fascinating to hear of a dragonet who would address others, but what she said made him turn back to the DragonHealer with interest. "You can talk to all dragons? I didn't know that. Do the Weyrleaders? That could be useful." He didn't know anything about that. Honestly, Phremath was the first dragon to ever speak to him and he still felt flattered. He followed after her as she moved back up to Phremath, not remotely abashed at following because he felt they were having a conversation. If she wanted him to leave, she'd have to tell him, but he didn't mind the idea of being shooed off too much. He could always annoy Keliris. Imagine what his brother's face would be when he heard that the green dragonet spoke to him? Hah! But Kaliran looked up at the blue and gave him a curt nod, before stating plainly, "I feel out of the loop, but Chipper seems a little worried...?"

"Chipper worries if anyone even remotely looks at her wrong," came a voice from the entrance to the candidate barracks. Said voice belonged to a boy shorter than Kaliran, with red-brown hair and amber eyes. Keliris, the older of the two, actually looked younger due to his heigth and the chin-length long strands that fell over his face lazily. He'd always looked younger, but from the way he bossed Kaliran around much of the time, no one could doubt which sibling was older. Both boys were Weyrbred, too, so that helped to emphasize their age difference among those who knew them. Keliris was still coming off having been sick with firehead, so much so that he'd nearly died, and it showed in how pale he still was. He also limped, much to his own agitation. Stepping on jagged rocks was a pain in the backside. "Or haven't you noticed that?"

The sight of Keliris made Chipper look up and hiss before disappearing between. He'd never been mean to her, but it was obvious Keliris and Chipper did not get along. She was always friendly, outgoing, and Keliris couldn't stand someone so happy; he was fundamentally grouchy most of the time. Their relationship was not helped that the clutch Chipper hatched from had yielded no firelizards for Keliris; he'd been jealous ever since, and Chipper disliked that Keliris tended to talk down to her pet.

Not that Kaliran took it personally. Keliris and Kaliran had something of a bond in that both of them knew the other well enough to know no insults were meant. That did not stop Keliris from being snide for no apparent reason, though, and his arrival made Kaliran laugh nervously. "You'll hurt my feelings talking like that, Lir," he said softly before turning back to Kali. "I guess I should get going." He was outright avoiding dealing with Keliris, who limped over to his side and gave him an appraising look. The older of the two was able to detect what the problem was, but he didn't give any indication to caring, not even as Kaliran scurried off inside. His eyes followed his brother's departure before he nodded and started limping off on his own. His foot still hurt, but he was tired of staying inside.

[Requiem]

Much to her trepidation, Kaliran had naturally lighted on the bit of information she'd least wanted him to notice. Kalierre shot an annoyed glance at Phremath, who affected not to see it. The woman sighed slightly. "It started with Salenth, so S'rei knows. I'd rather keep it quiet, though. Many people seem to be bothered by it." The green dragonet ignored that part of the conversation. It had made Hers annoyed. Instead, she replied sadly to Kaliran, I suppose you can't stay with me, then. The little dragon was so downcast for a moment that it was almost comical. It certainly was comical when she bounced back in the next second, with a hearty But you can still visit, right? And bring the little dragon? Oh please say you will!

At Kaliran's next question, the healer eyed him contemplatively. She hardly knew Wrenth's herself. The bluepair had flown her to the bottom of the falls when Millieth and Kaegan arrived, but otherwise she'd had no contact with them. It would certainly be an invasion of the bluerider's privacy to speak anything of the issues F'lan might be going through. In fact, she was fairly certain that this 'heartsickness' Wrenth spoke of was merely scratching the surface, as the dour man didn't seem the sort to get himself in a funk over something so trivial. And if there was one thing she knew about men who didn't typically give their emotions the time of day: when they did, they crashed, and hard. It worried her a bit. She shielded the worry from Phremath, only pressing her bonded not to answer the question, as the green was wont to do.

"It's no big deal, Kaliran," Kalierre said, quietly. It was her way of warning him off the topic. Keep a close watch on him, Wrenth. And call me if you need me. Sometimes people handle things far worse than expected. There was a long pause. You'll be the first one I call if I need help.

Another voice invaded the conversation. Kali's eyes narrowed as she glanced at the origin of those words. A boy. Smaller than Kaliran, though they seemed...related. And she'd guess he was actually older than the first candidate, just by the way he spoke and acted. This new one looked vaguely familiar...Oh. Yes. He'd been gravely ill when she first arrived, but had recovered soon afterward. In fact, the joke around the infirmary was that she had 'charmed' the patients into recovering, as many had miraculously taken a turn for the better at about the same time that she arrived. Of course, it had also been late spring. When things began to dry up and less allergens were in the air - a time where people generally tended to do better in regard to health.

Regardless, considering how long it had been, the boy didn't look all that healthy. The child probably wasn't taking care of himself. Phremath, too, wasn't too happy when Chipper startled her by suddenly flying up and vanishing Between. Her gaze immediately went to the offending newcomer. How dare he drive away her little dragon?! Not very nice of him. The tail twitched with irritation. Kalierre shot a quelling look at Phremath. If it would work or not...was anyone's guess. The green accepted the silent command with little grace.

Then, in the next instant, Kaliran had retreated into the barracks. Phremath stood faintly awestruck. How had this new meatbag managed to spoil all of her fun without hardly doing anything. And now he was walking away from her? Oh no. It doesn't work that way. He'd frightened away her pets, and the least he could do was keep her company in their place, even if she had to sit on him. "Phremath." Kali's voice hissed warningly, but she knew the green was not going to be controllable in this instance. Not at all.

Hey! Meatbag! You scared my pet away! Mean Meatbags should be punished! Which of course she took it upon herself to do. Phremath was on top of the candidate in an instant, swiping a leg to knock him down so that she really could sit on him. Kalierre strode over, at a near-jog. "Phremath, this is not how a dragon should behave. Kaliran is not your pet. Nor do you have any right to attack anyone." But he even scared the little dragon! Kali glared at her. The green shifted, but, in a rare show of rebelliousness, she refused to move so that the meanie was no longer pinned.

Sighing, the healer squatted down. "I'm sorry, boy." Her eyes flashed up to Phremath's again. "If you don't move now, I think I shall be angry." This made the green upset. Hers was never angry! She couldn't abide that. Phremath reluctantly pulled back. Kali's gaze went to the beleaguered candidate. "Are you all right?"

I hope not.

[glamourie]

What in the --

Before he could so much as react, Keliris was pinned to the ground with a very heavy weight sitting on him. He landed flat on his back, with his arms up above his head. His mind reeled in his surprise, taking a few moments for him to register what had just happened to him. He'd never been tackled by a dragon before... nor had one sat on him. How dare she. And what in the world was she calling him? Amber eyes widened, and the presence of the dragonhealer was forgotten as he flailed his arms at his sides, oblivious to how ridiculous he must have looked in his fury. Mean MEATBAG?

"Who are you calling a meatbag?!" He didn't mind being called mean; the word fit well enough and the dragon was not the first to refer to him as such. More than once he'd been called that by other people around the Weyr. Okay, no dragons had before, but her opinion was no more valid than theirs as far as he was concerned. He was Keliris, he was untouchable and she - she was small. For a dragon, anyway. So let her think of him as mean, he'd think of her as small and they could just be at war as far as he was concerned, but MEATBAG he was not letting slide. That implied he was fat! That he was heavy! That he was... meat in some way! Food! He could think of more ways it was offensive and he did not appreciate it one little bit! "I'm not a meatbag any more than you're an egg!" Because that was terribly mature - call the dragon an egg in place of an insult. Right.

Wait, what? Kaliran? Pet? That phrasing made Keliris blink. And then he burst into hysterical laughter. If there was ever any doubt that he was not remotely frightened of the dragon, that sound likely would wash it away. Kaliran was her pet. That was rich. A dragonet had adopted his brother to be a pet. Did she intend to feed him too? He could just picture the silly green dragging a carcass up to Kaliran and telling him to "help himself" and the thought made Keliris laugh very hard. It was probably mean, but then, he'd already made himself look mean, hadn't he?

The visual that flashed through his mind made him laugh even more, despite the fact that he was most efficiently pinned under her. His hands moved over his face, and only when Kalierre moved over to his side did he trail off. The laughter dissipated nearly instantly, a hint of anger rushing into his eyes to replace the amusement. Boy? Like he was just some child? Agitated, Keliris watched the green dragon move and sat up, rubbing his chest. That had hurt. He'd felt worse, but it still hurt, and he wasn't used to having a dragon-sized weight placed on his chest and - and she'd called him boy, like he was something completely insignificant, unworthy of notice or a name.

"My name is Keliris, and I didn't scare anything. Chipper doesn't like me and she never has," he grumbled, brushing his hair from his face before shoving his hands onto the ground to try and pull himself shakily to his good foot. The bad one hurt like something out of a nightmare thanks to the pressure being applied to it as he stood, but he ignored the pain except to wince. No doubt, though, and no complaints; any complaints might have made it sound like he wanted help and he didn't. He was fine. "I'm fine, but I'm not a meatbag, and I don't appreciate being called one. I also didn't scare my brother. If I wanted to scare him, I would have done a lot more than speak to him!" His gaze turned to Phremath, and it never occurred to him not to address the dragon directly. "Your pet? I think I declared him that when he was born. Among my first words, if you ask my fostermother." He was deliberately baiting her and he knew it but -- Keliris was never a bundle of self-control and besides, it wasn't a lie, even though he was old enough to tell the difference at last. "And the little dragon is a firelizard, you know."

[Requiem]

Kalierre really couldn't help but laugh at the boy's flailing. It probably wasn't very polite, but, honestly, she doubted he wouldn't be laughing himself if he could have seen it! And the chuckling only increased as he began to scream at Phremath. The dragonhealer might have been upset, but her green certainly wasn't, the hatchling batting at the boy with a clawed foot. You're all meatbags. Stop complaining. Of course I'm not an egg. Wonderful dragon logic in miniature form, that.

Her brow rose as he began to laugh, though. It was not a pleasant sound, as one might expect, and she glanced at Phremath, who liked the laughter even less than Kalierre. It was as if he were laughing at Kaliran's expense. That really wasn't very polite. It didn't stop her from moving Phremath, though, as she worried that the hatchling might hurt the boy, not knowing her own strength. Nor did the sudden shift in moods as she uttered the word 'boy' escape her. What, now he was going to complain about being called what he obviously was? It had to be better than meatbag.

Kalierre remained squatting on the ground as the ornery candidate struggled to his feet. Keliris. Phremath pressed close to Hers and fixed the offending boy with a draconic glare, her mouth half-parted and showing the sharp baby teeth that she had no qualms in using on annoying little meatbags. Of course, Kali certainly had enough qualms for the both of them, and held the green back from her more violent intentions. "Keliris, then," the dragonhealer replied with a simplicity that seemed to suggest he was acting childish - just like he was. She was particularly good at conveying volumes with just a tone.

It did not escape her that he was favoring a foot, and the wince was more than obvious to her trained eye, Kalierre frowning slightly. Phremath noticed through their link. Oh, did I hurt you?! I'm sorry! Suddenly her annoyance was gone, and in its place an overwhelming desire to 'fix' it like Hers did. Kali put a restraining hand on the hatchling before she could bombard the boy again. He didn't need a green dragon all over him, struggling to get a good look at the foot so that she could make it all better. Although it would probably be somewhat amusing to watch...

Fortunately, Phremath's concern faded in record time. He's mine, and you can't have him. He'll sleep on my couch once he Impresses. Then i'll have three pets! Kalierre glanced over at the green. "Now, you know that's not what he said." Phremath ignored Hers. If Kaliran's only reason for not coming to live with them now was because he was a candidate, then of course he'd live with them once he became a weyrling! It was logical, wasn't it. She's not a...whatever you called her, meatbag. She's a little dragon. Like a little clutchmate just for me. And you can't have her either, the green continued stubbornly.

Kalierre shook her head, moving closer to Keliris. "What did you do to your foot, b-? Keliris? And, truly, there's not much point in arguing with Phremath."

[glamourie]

Keliris gave Kalierre a scalding look before turning back to Phremath. He was not a meatbag! "You're every bit as much an egg as I am a meatbag," he retaliated, firm in that statement. Any time she called him a meatbag, he was going to retaliate by calling her an egg, simple as that. He did move slightly, though, to avoid being clawed. He did not want her claws touching him. Oh, he wasn't afraid of the dragonet (evidenced by the fact that he was clearly trying to irritate her!) but he didn't want to risk her accidentally scratching him up, either. She was still young enough that he was fairly sure if she clawed into him she wouldn't know just how dangerous her own claws were. Despite being agitated with the dragonet (and deliberately trying to annoy her), Keliris did not actually think she wanted to hurt him in any way. Annoy him, maybe, but not hurt him. Dragons didn't hurt people unless their riders ordered it or they were too young to understand. They just didn't.

Phremath's glare received one of his own in kind, as if to say 'I can do that too!' with his eyes. But he didn't speak to her, for her rider was addressing him and Keliris was smart enough to pick up on the tone. And he didn't like it one little bit. His face twisted into an unpleasant scowl that his brother often teased him would become stuck as his permanent expression. (Not that Lir would have minded - he liked scowling, it was a comfortable expression and made the more skittish people leave him alone.)

"I'm fine," he snapped at the question, not appreciating having his pain drawn out into the open. He was too proud to accept help from anyone without a fight, let alone a little... egg! Egg! Hmph. Fortunately enough, she seemed to lose interest in that idea and instead argued with him about who Kaliran belonged to. Oh, Keliris knew well enough that Kaliran was his own person and would do his own thing. Despite his behavior, he was very fond of his brother. That did not stop him from feeling compelled to argue with the green dragon for no better reason than the fact that he liked arguing. (And he was good at it.) "Oh, really? And you're very sure he'll Impress?" He laughed, soft and amused; for once not angry, but more intrigued. The hostility was fading from his voice just slightly. "Have you told him that? He'll probably appreciate the vote of confidence. Nevertheless, little Egg, she's a firelizard, not a little dragon, and Kaliran can't be your pet, because you've already got a pet." He pointed at Kalierre. "Her. See? It isn't fair for you to hog them all, you know. Aslath's babies need pets, too."

Kalierre's voice drew his attention back to her and he quirked an eyebrow slowly. "I stepped on a jagged rock by the lake and, as Rawign put it, 'Keep stepping on it over and over again.' I'm fine. And I like arguing." He sounded surprisingly more calm, as if that one phrase of Phremath's had robbed him of most of his anger. No doubt he would blow up again in a few moments, but for the moment, his composure had returned. As Kaliran's older brother, it pleased him to hear that anyone was sure he would Impress -- because Keliris was, too. Even if that anyone happened to be an egg dragonet.