Nothing Lasts Forever (Tashekins)

[Requiem]

Fury she'd left with a sleeping Kahrelir, though she didn't venture far from child or 'mandyr. For one, the green hated being out of sight of Hers, and only suffered the indignity to protect something very important to the greenrider - and then only if she could reach Kalierre within a minute. All of the woman's mindmates were devoted, but Fury was something else entirely. It was as much for the boy as the 'mandyr that she didn't go any further than the nearest fishing dock above the falls during these quiet moments in the early evenings, though. K'lir's son was the only family she had left; it was difficult to have him far from her for long.

I miss Dohulth, Phremath stated sadly, the green coiled on their lonely ledge. He was warm and had such pretty wings. He's not coming back, is he? No, Phre. I'm sure he would if he could, but he's gone. The dragon exhaled, a sound that was suspiciously like a sigh. They all leave. Phre? My brothers and sisters. I've forgotten the howling one's name. I've forgotten all their names. Oh, lovely...it will be okay. You'll find new friends. Will they leave like Dohulth and Ylonth did? Like Ciceroth? Checkoth and Feyrianth haven't left us. That cheered the green, if only a little. But as she settled, she let out a howl like the wild canines' howls, reverberating through the gorge. It was such a dreadfully lonely sound. Kalierre remembered Uu'n and shivered. Yes, they all did leave, didn't they? Eventually.

Kalierre carefully worked the scented oil into Lust's hide in silence, the bronze barely stirring to raise a wing or a limb to help her. He hadn't spoken a single word since Vanity had disappeared, either curling up in Kalierre's breastband or perching somewhere on Kahrelir, a silent sentinel for a silent child. It was worse than the first time, perhaps because he didn't have an injured Kalierre to take his mind off his mate's absence. The Infirmary King was officially dethroned, and even the oil couldn't draw out the metallic lustre of his hide. She cleaned the oil from her hands, fastening the jar and stroking him gently. "Kaaoloth and Sel'n left," she murmured to him, not for the first time. "They'll take care of her. And they'll bring her back for you." If she was alive, Kalierre truly believed that. If only because Vanity couldn't be doing much better than Lust.

It was...odd. How terribly salamandyrs took losing their mates, or even being separated from them.

The bronze nudged against her hand, flicking out his forked tongue to lick lightly at a finger. He would wait. For awhile. Kalierre's eyes dropped to the water where her feet stirred in the currents. Fury wasn't Lust. No, but between Phremath and Fury, she'd be okay without him, came the wordless response. He'd wait, though. And hope. For a time. Kalierre felt the tears gathering, but she didn't shed them. It wouldn't be fair to the closest of her mindmates.

[Tashe]

"One little, two little, three little Dragons. Four little, five little, six little Dragons. Seven little, eight little, nine little Dragons. Ten little Dragon friends." Ten little, nine little, eight little Weyrlin's. Seven little, six little, five little Weyrlin's. Four little, three little, two little Weyrlin's. One little Weyrlin' Mine. Ithanna hummed along as Iwyrth sang her part of the children's song and swinging her basket in time as they walked. The Green was about four months old now and boy was she starting to get big, plus the Green always wanted to learn new things. Insatiable. It was a word the Weyrling had learned from one of those folks who ran the archives, big fancy words like that she didn't know, but Iwyrth knew enough about those for the both of them. And when it came down to learning Dragonhealing stuff, her Green just sat there and listened. As if she was the one getting trained. But by far, Iwyrth cared most about information on the Weyr and how to help keep it running smoothly. Coming up with idea after idea about new things to make it easier for the Weyr. Silly chit, what did she think she was... some sort of inventor or something?

Glancing at her young dragon- she had to look up now, since Iwyrth surpassed her in height- Ithanna prodded the Green's neck with the end of her fishing poll. What song do you wanna sing next? The one about Faranth's Egg. Huh? Oh that one. Lets see if I remember it. Clearing her throat, Ithanna thumped her chest before starting the first line of the song. "By the Golden Egg of Faranth." By the Weyrwoman, wise and true. "Breed a flight of bronze and brown." Breed a flight of green and blue. "Breed riders, strong and daring." Dragon-loving, born as hatched. "Flight of hundreds soaring skyward." Man and dragon fully matched.

"Little kit, I think you know all o' the songs I know now. You're gonna have to..." ...go to the Harpers for more. I only know what my parents... "...taught me. Maybe the archivists will help you?" Ithanna had a tendency to switch back and forth between speaking vocally and speaking directly to her dragon's mind, sometimes she even did it in the middle of a sentence. It confused everyone else but made perfect sense to the Greenpair. Its okay Ithmine. I do like singin' the ones you know. She smiled and turned her attention forward, only now noticing that part of the fishing dock was already occupied. Look. Isn't that your pretty teacher? Yeah. Are you goin' to still go fishing? "Well... I guess. I did promise to catch you some fish..." Well then. Lets be going then. Ah! Wait! She had to jog to catch up with the bustling dragonette.

When they got to the end of the dock, Ithanna hesitated for a moment before walking onto it. "Um, hello Kalierre. Do you mind if I do some fishin' here? Told Iwyrth I'd let her try some..."

[Requiem]

The dragonhealer looked up at the girl - one of her apprentices - eyes sliding past her to Iwyrth for a long moment. Kalierre smiled in that way that people had when they were trying to be polite but really not in the mood for company. Did she mind? When it came right down to it, yes, she did. It was why she was out of her weyr, away from the son she fostered and her other mindmates in the first place, to be alone with her bronze. Easy to concentrate on work and patients at the infirmary, to hide behind discussions of treatments and diagnoses, even the familiar joking and light-heartedness that she and R'wign had established for turns. Kalierre wasn't used to sharing her personal life with anyone. Shards, she didn't really have much of a personal life before the Wastelanders came, and now the people she might have chosen to share it with were...gone.

But what would a child understand about any of that?

It was very tempting to just get up and leave the dock to Ithanna. Tempting, but Lust showed no inclination of moving, had little reaction to the imposition whatsoever apart from a pulse of irritation for interrupting them. Couldn't the greenpair see they were spending their last days together? Why would they want the younglings there? Kalierre's eyes dipped to her hands and she stroked the male to soothe him. Maybe younglings would cheer him up a little? The bronze didn't think they would at all, but he submitted to the idea with something resembling grace, pressing lightly up against her fingers. She couldn't really just tell them they couldn't use the dock, after all, it being public and not wanting to bother with questions and queer looks. Lust was being stubborn and refusing to leave. There was really nothing for it.

"Come, then," the woman told the girl, not uttering the lie that she 'didn't mind' the weyrling's company. A very irritable part of herself wondered if the hatchling would have to come out here to bug them, too. Without really thinking about it, she shifted her body to further shield Lust from the little apprentice. He'd uncurled just enough to squirm his way a little further down against her thigh, almost as if it could make him invisible. Given her pants were dark and his sheen was all but gone, it was actually possible. It crossed Kalierre's mind that she probably should say something else. For the life of her, though, she couldn't figure out what.

If Ithanna was going to come here instead of going to a dock a little further on, though, she could damn well carry the conversation, Kalierre decided.

[Tashe]

"Thanks!" Ithanna might not be the most intuitive person when it came to scoping out hidden feelings, but she could feel something behind that smile of Kalierre's. She didn't know what it was but decided to tread carefully either way. Stopping Iwyrth as she too tried to get on the dock, the Greenweyrling laughed and shooed the female back to the more supported section. I don't want the dock breakin' in twain because you want to get at those fishes. Finefine, I'll stay here. But obviously if that dock cannot be holdin' my weight then it ain't built right. You and your critical eyes little kit. Walking back toward the end of the dock where the deeper waters were, Ithanna sat where she could give the older Rider her space. Basket arranged, Ithanna pulled out a jar of worms and skewered one on her fishing hook. Flicking it behind her and then sending it soaring, the Weyrling watched until her bobber hit the surface of the water. Good throw! We will be havin' fish in no time. Haha. Little kit, fishing can take a lot of time. Patience is key.

Twirling the handle of the spool, she brought the line in slightly before glancing over at her Dragonhealing mentor. They worked the mornings together, even had part of a shift alone together. But for some reason, Ithanna had never really engaged her in conversation that didn't have anything to do with their work. Which in turn meant the Weyrling knew little to nothing about her. Leaning back, she balanced the butt of her fishing pole on her knee and supported her weight with an arm behind her body. Ithanna was the type of person who could carry a conversation all by her lonesome but only with people who didn't mind her chatting at them. The question was, did Kalierre? Shoulders, hands, head. Her posturing didn't look very inviting, of company or idle banter. If anything the Weyrling could relate it to a cat who felt a bit off, emotionally or physically. Perhaps she could try a for a bit and then back off if it wasn't received well.

Reeling in her line more, Ithanna swung her legs like an in-idle child, wishing that she had one of those wooden supports right beneath her that she could tap her heels against it. "Fishing is fun and relaxing... barely have time for it anymore. Never thought I'd be so busy." She chuckled. "I always throw back the little fish, so they can grow more and breed and stuff. Don't want to disrupt the cycle you know." Ithanna bobbed the end of her pole and looked down at her basket. "I've got some food n' drinks, if you're hungry. The cooks, they like to pack me extra 'cause they think I'm too skinny. Say that I need s'more meat on my bones. Well I say no thank you..." She paused. " ... er, at least in my head. The ladies are just too nice to say it all outright and such."

[Requiem]

Lust refused to speak or so much as acknowledge that there was another presence on the dock, though he did make a soft hissing noise when the stupid green baby giant decided it would be a good idea to see just how long the dock would hold with a fatty plodding around on it. Kalierre couldn't help but smile slightly at the bronze's ire. It was something of a relief that he could still get irritated at something that trivial. It was hardly trivial, the salamandyr returned, just a touch loftily. Swimming here so close to the waterfall was dangerous. Fine, fine, she'd give him that. Her fingers stroked lightly over him. But look, Ithanna was keeping him check. Well, at least someone in that pair had some brains the 'mandyr commented grumpily.

The pair maintained their silence as Ithanna cast and got herself situated, Kalierre just turned enough toward her to not be entirely rude. She still didn't really want Ithanna noticing Lust, who was not enthusiastic about her invasion. Then the girl began to speak and Kalierre slowly tucked one leg beneath her, listening in silence. A small smile of gratitude flicked across her lips. "That's very kind of you. Though it probably wouldn't hurt for you to put a little extra weight on," she added, the barest hinting of laughter behind her words. Nevertheless, she took advantage of the girl's hospitality enough to query, "What sort of things do you have in there by way of drinks? Something about listening to water makes a person thirsty."

After another moment of almost peaceful silence - some of the strain was beginning to melt away, now, at least on Kalierre's part - the woman ventured another few words. "When I was a weyrling...oh, over seven turns ago now...we had an assistant weyrlingmaster. A woman. I was going to all the classes, taking care of Phre, and working a full infirmary shift on the side as one of the only journeymen here all at once. So one day I fell asleep in her class. Or, I should say, fell asleep waiting for her to get to class. She decided upon entering to wake me up and scold me for my loose morals as a greenrider, sleeping around all night." The woman snorted softly. "Phre was hardly old enough for that, anyway. I don't remember what even happened to that woman, to be honest. She stopped teaching one day."