Free Time (oh noes!) [Kysseh and/or open]

[Ruby]

Finally, after what seemed like weeks of non-stop chores and caring for Stillith, As'lin found himself with spare time.

Yes, real spare time. His chore group was excused today, there was no lesson, Stillith was fed, oiled, and napping, As'lin's room was (miraculously) clean, his roommate was out, and he was caught up on all his extra work. There was, quite literally, nothing left to do until dinner, and As'lin had only finished lunch an hour ago. It seemed like ages since he had had time to fill, and for quite some time he couldn't figure out what to do with himself.

Still perked up for a moment, shooting his lifemate a yawn followed by an annoyed glare. Ridermine, I am trying to have a nap, he chimed in to As'lin's thoughts. Either take one too, or go do something so I can sleep without your thoughts waking me up! Your restlessness is making ME restless.

As'lin's mouth formed a little O without his approval. He hadn't realized that his thoughts bothered Still! Still's rarely bothered him- in fact, he was often aware that his Blue dampened his thoughts unless they were meant directly for his rider. Wondering vaguely if he could do the same, As'lin wandered out of the room, trying to quiet his mindvoice without really knowing what he was doing, or how to do it.

Stop it mine, you're only making it louder, Still grumbled from back in his room. Just find something to do, that will take care of it.

Looking a bit chagrined, As'lin headed away from the Barracks, towards the stables. He was hoping to see some of his old friends from there, the ones he had ignored since his impression. Unfortunately, they were all busy- with new Weyrlings to feed, and a recent glut of Green flights, they had their hands full. He chatted briefly with a few familiar faces, then, feeling defeated, headed back for the Barracks. There was still at least an hour before dinner, Stillith was still asleep, everyone else was at chores or taking care of their lifemates, and As'lin felt profoundly alone. Flopping into a chair in the main area of the bottom floor of the Barracks, he dug out a rough sketch of Stillith he had started in one of his lectures, contemplating whether he should go get a writing implement and finish it or not.

He let his mind wander a little, running back over the conversations he'd had with the stablehands. Some of the men had grinned lewdly at mention of the green flights, and some had looked jealously at his badge that identified him as a Bluerider. As'lin was totally lost as to why. Flights were dragon matings- what did that have to do with him? They couldn't be jealous of Stillith... on Stillith's behalf? That made even less sense. What could As'lin be missing here?

[kysseh]

"Hepaticath, if you move like that, I can't reach!"

The exasperated outburst, however useless it seemed in the face of a slightly petulant weyrling, did momentarily halt the little gold's fidgeting, and she let out a soft croon of apology, trying hard not to squirm as Savitri stood on tiptoe to oil a particularly itchy spot on the space between the dragon's shoulders. There seemed to be more and more of Hepaticath to groom every day, and Savitri often resorted to outright bribery with food to stop the poor hatchling's squirmings when she could not get to the itches fast enough. It was better than when they started, now that Savitri had two usable hands, and they had started working out a system, somehow. Hepaticath normally cooperated to the utmost, but today, the gold was extra-fidgety for a reason that neither female could understand.

Crooning with relief as that last, worst itch was relieved, Hepaticath settled down as Savitri finished oiling down the weyrling's back to make sure the hide was entirely covered. She tucked in her wings and turned her shining head to watch Hers, nosing the girl gently in thanks. Savitri responded with an affectionate scritch to the eyeridges, and the two locked gazes for a moment to just enjoy a moment of peace. Then Hepaticath offered up a generous yawn.

I am tired. I am going to sleep while you go do something fun, and then we will eat. the gold said firmly, and though Savitri knew that the creature had no effect on her actions whatsoever while asleep, she felt obligated to obey, if only because she too needed a rest and Hepaticath could sense that. The dragon was much more sensitive to her needs than Savitri had thought possible, and it made the young woman smile to feel a heart always so close to hers. Never alone, even if far apart. She helped the little weyrling settle down on her couch, making sure that the wings were tucked in nicely so as not to get tangled if she twitched a bit in her sleep. Wings were such delicate appendages, after all.

She stroked the gold head until the the weyrling went to sleep, which took only a short moment considering her contentment, and then Savitri quietly slipped out of the room and headed toward the entrance to the barracks, idly rubbing the shining pink scars across her left arm. She was grateful for the small pause in Hepaticath's needs and planned to go seek out a friend or acquaintance to have a quiet chat. Wondering if Aliscia was available to talk about certain things, she almost did not notice the other weyrling in the common area as she passed through. Manners and memory made her put a screeching halt to her brisk walk, and she arched an eyebrow. Apparently, she was not the only unoccupied one, and she gave a smile as she remembered who the weyrling was. Forget talking to a mature rider for now; this person was good company.

"Keeping busy, As'lin?"

[Ruby]

As'lin was so lost in thought that Savitri's entrance made him jump a little. Whatever embarrassment he might have felt, however, was immediately erased when he identified the Gold Weyrling. He practically bounced to his feet, exclaiming "Savitri!" He was so happy to see another apparently duty-free familiar face that he flung his arms open, offering a hug if she wanted one.

Either way, he smiled. As'lin was fine with being lonely when he was moving, because that way at least he was doing something. Sitting alone was not his strong point, but he realized sometimes he came on a bit intense, so he took a step back after their initial greeting- and ran into the chair he had recently vacated. Shaking his head at his stupidity, he pulled another chair over, gesturing for her to sit if she chose.

"As you can see, I'm not really keeping busy," As'lin responded to her initial question, gesturing at the abandoned drawing with a slightly rueful tone in his voice. "Stillith's banished me from the room so he can sleep, and I can't figure out what to do with myself until dinner". With a little smile, he added, "Hence the over excitement. You're the first person who hasn't looked sideways at me all day."

As'lin settled back in his chair, orienting himself so he faced Savitri. "So what are you up to today? Am I interrupting something, or are you as bored as I am?" He picked up his sketch as he talked, folding it up and tucking it away again. He was no great artist, that was for sure, and although he wouldn't mind showing off a little if Savitri asked, it wasn't something he wanted to just... have available for random viewing.

[kysseh]

Savitri had the good grace to grant As'lin an apologetic half-smile for startling him, taking a few steps closer to make sure she had not frightened him within an inch of his life. She need not have feared, for she was appropriately startled when he nearly leapt to his feet and held out his arms in a clear invitation for an embrace. She hesitated for a brief second. She was far from a normally physically affectionate person, and her stitches still ached. However, his exuberance and friendliness toward her was reassuring, and she was rather glad to see him. She acquiesced and slipped her arms around him for a quick, very light hug, and then backed off, ignoring the complaint of her stitches.

She settled into the comfortable chair across from him, sighing quietly in relaxation at the ease of pressure on the stitches in her chest. Shardit, but she would be happy to be healed soon! His tone made her smile, and she could not help but let out a dry chuckle. "Well, I've been told that we get very little relaxation time, so we should take naps and rest whenever we can." She smiled for his sake and to reassure him that he was not alone in his busy life. "I'm glad for the company too. Hepaticath sleeps too, now that her itches are all taken care of," she added a bit dryly, wishing that Hepaticath did not grow at such a quick rate. It made constantly caring for her all that much more difficult.

At his query, she arched a curious eyebrow. "Oh, just looking for someone to talk to, now that Hepaticath is out of it," she replied honestly. She had initially thought to seek Aliscia out for some important dragonriding questions, but As'lin was very good company too. He did not fawn, like so many did. "What is that? Were you making a list or something?" She leaned over a bit, curious as to what he was so intent on putting away. "List of all the times in a day you feed and oil Stillith? How is he, by the way?" Normally, she would not be so talkative in answering and asking questions, but good, honest company relaxed her. It was marvelous to not have to worry about him begging and fussing for attention like some of the bronzeriders were. She could count him amongst her short list of friends.

[Ruby]

As'lin hadn't really thought about how comfortable he often was with people, but for some reason it struck him this time more than it had before. Maybe it was just that he was settling in a little more at the Weyr, and was starting to get a better idea of the power Savitri would have one day. She would be a Weyrwoman, after all, if not necessarily THE Weyrwoman. Still, he couldn't help but treat her as a friend. She was so caring, but also quite down to earth- As'lin was already convinced that she would make a great Queenrider someday. How could she not? Particularly since, at least with him, she didn't let her station inform her actions (or at least it didn't seem like she did). She was just Savitri, and that was all. It was nice.

A little touch of sadness may have briefly crossed As'lin's gaze as he realized that it might not always be that way, but he doubted she'd seen, as she'd been settling into her chair at the time. Moving his thoughts in a more positive direction, he smiled at her comment about naps- he had heard it too, but wasn't really one for naps. It made lessons quite unbearable when they were early, but As'lin didn't care about that now. There was no way he was going to go in there and bother Stillith's nap- he knew without a doubt he'd pay for it later. That thought lined right up with Savitri's mention of Hepaticath's itches, and it made him give a little snort, half in amusement, half of appreciation, and nod in agreement. Already, Stillith was nowhere as big as Hepaticath, and it still took forever to oil him to his satisfaction, even with Stillith's easygoing attitude towards itchyness. Savitri must have it at least twice as hard!

He almost got the sketch into his pocket without her seeing, but no such luck. Oh well, it wasn't that awful. He did laugh at her comment about the list, though. "Are you kidding? Even for one day, that would be around ten pages. Stillith may look small, but he eats about three times his weight in meat a day, and must be oiled accordingly, the little beast." He withdrew the paper and unfolded it, smoothing it on to the arm of Savitri's chair so she could see better. "This is just boredom during lecture. Still was so cute curled up at my feet that I couldn't resist." It was quite a rough sketch, and fairly talentless, but it got the point across. Maybe it was because As'lin had been drawing animals all his life, but the anatomy was actually more acurate than it appeared at first glance, being sketched lightly under the (not so accurate) pattern of Stillith's swirls.

"He's doing quite well, by the way," As'lin added. "Big as ever. He's a little less scaredy too, although he seems to be able to shut himself off from me sometimes. I don't know how, and I know it bothers him..." He cut himself off there, not meaning to be negative. "But we'll work it out. He's about the most patient creature that ever existed, I think. How's Hepaticath, anyway? I don't think I've seen her recently."

[kysseh]

Savitri could not help but laugh softly at As'lin's tone as he described his bonded in such roughly affectionate tones. She was sure she sounded as exasperatedly in love when speaking about Hepaticath, but that was something that neither young human could help. There was something about that bond between person and dragon that could not be understood except by one who had experienced it. She had seen the connection between riders and their dragons, seen how Aliscia and Tanith would act exactly the same way without ever having seemed to have conferred, but understanding it, that knowing and affection for each other, had not come until that moment of unexpected Impression. She was not sure she would ever be able to describe it.

"I tell Hepaticath that she will break her hide with all that she eats, but she seems to care little. She is always, always hungry, even when she has just eaten her fill," she replied dryly, looking very interested as he smoothed the bit of paper out for her to look at. It was not a completely accurate sketch, but it was good enough that she perused it in interest for a few moments, noting that it did resemble the slightly skittish little blue. She knew Hepaticath liked Stillith and As'lin, and the gold would probably be amused at As'lin's rough likeness of his bonded. "Not too bad. He does look adorable, but when does he not?"

His abrupt end to a sentence made her narrow her eyes slightly, a bit confused as to why he was so hesitant to discuss that subject. She wanted to offer platitudes of reassurance, but since she hated those being used on her, she opted for something more practical. "Well, don't forget he's new to this too, so I'm sure there will be some issues to work through. I'm sure you can manage, though. You wouldn't have bonded if you couldn't," she pointed out very reasonably, offering up a slight smile of reassurance. If Hepaticath were awake, she would have stuck her golden nose in to try to help sort out the problem. The little gold was wont to do that quite often. She thought she could fix and influence all sorts of sticky situations, and while she was patient and calm enough to help, sometimes things were not within her power to fix.

The mention of her bonded made Savitri's face soften slightly, and she settled a bit more in her chair, silently passing the sketch back to As'lin for his safekeeping. "She is eating everything in sight, itching like crazy, and sticking her nose into every situation we come across. She is very protective of me. I had not realized how much until we met a pair of bronzes and their riders at the river, and she very politely and firmly told them that they were not to come near me without her permission. I'm not sure if it's because of what happened at the hatching or if she just is that way. It is good to know that I'll never be without a protector, though," she added, chuckling dryly at the thought of Hepaticath following her everywhere as a sort of bodyguard. Endearing and cheering, that thought was. "She is going to be impressive when she grows. There is more of her to oil every day."

[Ruby]

At Savitri's comment about Stillith's adorableness (adorability?), As'lin groaned a bit and made a face. "Oh, he's always a handsome, stunning beast, but when he needs to be fed RIGHT NOW he's more terrifying than adorable, I have to say. He has about the best evil eye I've ever seen, dragon or otherwise," As'lin explained. "It is perhaps the most terrifying thing I've ever faced, and I've met a Watchwher," he added with a bit of a laugh. Watchwhers really weren't that bad, but when As'lin had run into the one he had met, it was in a dark tunnel at night, and the beast was feeling protective of a new handler. Not the most comforting sight, particularly at a hold where his family had already been made quite unwelcome.

As'lin was actually quite pleased that Savitri hadn't... laughed or something. Maybe the long break from drawing- it wasn't something As'lin did often- had allowed his nonexistant talent to incubate. Or maybe it was just the lack of imminent judgement. As'lin's father was always seeking out his son's sketches, hoping to find some grain of talent that would mark As'lin as a Crafter after all. It had made the boy nervous around producing anything at all, dwarings included. Anyway, whatever his past, Savitri's lack of judgement- or even positive judgement- had made him incredibly happy. He tried not to show it, but instead left the drawing in her posession, waiting for her to give it back instead of taking it like he normally might have.

And hand it back she did, with a bit of reassurance about As'lin and Still's slight issues. The Blueweyrling smiled, about to say something agreeable, but he realized that when he had taken ahold of the paper, his hand had brushed Savitri's, and he hadn't actually taken the paper yet. It must have only been a fraction of a second that he allowed his hand to linger, but some uncontrollable reaction made him blush without meaning to. It wasn't like he LIKED Sav, not that way anyway. Right? Anyway, he couldn't like her. She was a goldrider, and he was a bluerider, and no matter how much Hepaticath liked Stillith or vice versa, there was no way that a Blue could catch a Gold. Browns, yes, occasionally, but never blues. Hiding his face under the pretense of returning the sketch to his pocket, As'lin focused on Savitri's words to combat his own thoughts. Soon the blush had faded, and he looked up again, settling in more comfortably again.

"Really? She was that intense? She was never like that with me or Stillith, was she? Well, I guess Still is just a blue," As'lin mused in response, thinking back to their first meeting. Shards, if Hepaticath had told Stillith firmly to have As'lin go away, no doubt As'lin would be required to stay at least three rooms away from Savitri at all times. He allowed himself a bit of a smug ego-boost when he understood how much it actually meant that Hep liked him- well, them. He was certainly glad, because he probably would have gone against Still's reccomendation- Savitri was worth it, as a friend. And that could only have caused more problems for the Bluepair.

Something caught at the edge of As'lin's thoughts, bringing him back into the conversation. "What did happen at the hatching, anyway? I was too distracted by Impression to really see." He smiled at the memory, even though it had probably been a bit traumatic for Savitri. Shells, it had been traumatic for As'lin, and he had come out of it more whole than most of the Weyrlings.

[kysseh]

It was impossible to be anything but amused at As'lin's horrified description of a demanding Stillith, and Savitri shook her head, unable to keep the smile from her face. Young things were demanding, to be sure, and she knew they only got worse as they aged. The change simply came with what, exactly, they started demanding later on. "They'll be worse as they get older. They'll want more food, more baths, more oilings... and then they'll start demanding exercise," she said, her tone very blunt despite the smile on her face. She was not afraid of hard work, though she knew a few weyrlings were already balking at the demands being made of them by their new lifemates. She felt lucky that Hepaticath was at least polite with her demands, even if the dragon was not hesitant about making it clear what was wanted and needed at that moment.

She felt the light touch of a hand on her own, and Savitri was startled that he hesitated in repossessing his sketch, watching as a blush took his face. Surely he wasn't... attracted to her, was he? It would have been impractical, as well as completely absurd. She was under no illusions that she held a pretty face worthy of adoration, and he was not a bronzerider to be wooing her in the hopes of gaining favor. Perhaps he was just... awkward, in that way that only adolescent boys seemed to be capable of. Granted, he had to be her age or near it, but boys matured more slowly. She let him cover his blush and decide to let it slide without comment, not wishing to make the situation any more painfully awkward than it already was.

His slight disbelief at Hepaticath's behavior was understandable, and Savitri inclined her head, smiling a bit wryly at the memory. One bronzepair had been quite nice and polite. N'tia, however... well, the vote was still out onto whether or not she would enjoy bossing him around in a Turn or two. Stupid, arroant bronzerider... "I don't think it was a matter of blue or bronze or anything like that. Cath just... protects me, from anything she deems dangerous or worthy of caution. Don't worry, though. The day she considers you or Stillith unwelcome is the day she turns into a gold version of the candidatemaster's dragon." Surely, As'lin would remember Tanith. Who could forget something that snarly, really? "She likes you both."

Ohhh, the hatching. She grimaced a bit. This was something rather complicated, and she decided to give the salient details and fill in the rest as it was asked. "One of the boys went down with serious wounds, and I went to tend him. A bronze hatchling got confused and knocked me over, thinking that I was his bonded, I suppose. He scratched at me for awhile until he figured out it was the boy he wanted, and then he went for him to bond. Hepaticath came right over and informed me that he would not do it again, or he would have her to deal with." Hepaticath still had not warned that bronze off yet. She had a feeling that that would be a lecture to listen in on. Hepaticath had been incredibly upset by the injuries that Savitri had sustained, and though she had forgiven the other hatchling, she had most certainly not forgot. "That's about as much as I can remember. My focus was mostly on her, once she chose me..." the young woman added with a gentleness to her eyes and voice at the thought of her bonded, her lovely and usually-placid bonded.

[Ruby]

As'lin was about as relieved as it was possible to be that Savitri either didn't notice the blush, or didn't feel like mentioning it. There were probably Wherries caught out in threadfall who survived unscored who had been less relieved than As'lin was. He was pretty generally mortified, especially since he had never really considered Savitri in that way. It had been quite a shock to his system to find himself blushing at a mere touch. What nonsense. Supressing further feelings of embarassment, As'lin decided that he should make it a point to touch more females of his own age. Not in any sort of inappropriate way, just... brushing shoulders every now and then, that sort of thing. Funny, though, that hugging Savitri hadn't triggered any reaction. As'lin's internal self glared at his stupid teenage hormones, wishing they'd just leave him alone. He was practically out of his teenage years, which only meant they were getting more demanding. How obnoxious. He might have to just give up and kiss some random Weyrfolk girl to keep them at bay for a while.

"Ha," As'lin said under his breath, slightly triumphantly. He liked the idea of Hepaticath being protective of Savitri. The little Gold apparently had her head on straight (especially since she had had no problems with Stillith and himself). "Good girl," he added a little wryly to Savitri's description of her protectiveness. "I'm glad you feel that way about Still and I, though. Although honestly, I think I'd stay away if Cath got that mean- I didn't have much to do with the Candidatemaster, but I definately met that dragon one or two too many times for my liking, or personal comfort." He smiled. "So let's keep it friendly, eh? No one needs more than one Tanith. It's for the good of the Weyr, after all."

Unfortunately, As'lin had turned the conversation to far less pleasant topics. "Ouch. No wonder you had stitches," he chimed in, making a sympathetic grimace to match her own. "I don't know, all the violence at the hatching- I almost left when the first candidate got gored. My father was very anti-Dragon... which makes sense, I guess, since he was raised in the north at a Hold. But he scared me so much I almost ran for the boats before Still even started breaking shell. I thank Faranth every day that I didn't. Where would I be now? Probably still stuck as a Stablehand, and with a betweend hatchling on my conscience. Nowhere good is the answer."

[kysseh]

As'lin's triumph in being well-liked by gold and rider was obvious, and Savitri had to fight hard to keep a smile off her face. She had to wonder if his enthusiasm was for making a friend or making a goldrider friend. Either way, she was happy to count him amongst her short list of trusted individuals. He seemed very honest about everything he said, which meant a great deal in Savitri's book. She was sick to the death of the usual lies and half-truths and insincere flattery. She preferred honesty, even if it was about a person's genuine dislike of her. She could deal with dislike very easily.

His humorous plea to keep things friendly was met with a smile and emphatic nod on Savitri's part. "Yes, let's. I don't think the weyr needs any more of Tanith's kind. She isn't too bad if she likes you, but otherwise, it's a bit dangerous." Actually, Tanith and Aliscia had promised to teach Savitri and Cath some of their aerial tricks, which both pairs of females were looking forward to with great excitement. Savitri could scarcely wait for the day she and her mindmate could fly together, and a slightly wistful expression took her face. She so wanted that sort of freedom, even if it was a long ways off. Rare was the occasion that she got to fly dragonback for more than a short hop.

She raised an eyebrow at As'lin's confession of how terrified he had been, surprised that he had been so afraid. Had it been that terrifying? She had been caught up in trying to save the new bronze weyrlingrider and had not noticed much of the rest of the hatching after Cath had declared her choice. "Well, I'm glad you had a burst of courage, then," she chuckled softly, her smile genuine. She was very glad, indeed. How else would she have met him? "Ohh, something tells me Stillith would have chased after you. The hatchlings know if the person they want is nearby. Cath found me, after all." How the gold had managed that, Savitri was unsure.

His description of his father made her remember her own parents, and she emitted a quiet sigh. Ah, yes... family. That was the thing that made all the difference in the world when it came to certain matters. "Do your parents know that you Impressed?" she inquired out of curiosity, shifting a bit in her chair to ease the pressure on the stitches.

[Ruby]

At Savitri's confession of happiness that As'lin had indeed stayed, he smiled. Not the self-satisfied, triumphant smile of before, but a warm, comfortable smile. He was glad too. There were always people to spend time with, As'lin found, but it was rare that one found a true friend. Maybe it was a little early to count her in there, but Savitri was definately a good friend, that was for sure. As'lin realized he just felt good in her presence, like he felt good in Stillith's. Speaking of Stillith, As'lin tuned back in and realized Savitri had turned the conversation to the Blue. As'lin laughed at the idea of Stil chasing him. "That little blue was so determined to be off the sands and away from all the eyes on him that he probably would have bolted, and THEN found me. He wouldn't have been looking for a mindmate at all," he said, chuckling a little. It still shocked and amazed As'lin what could set the Blue off- Stil did not seem very comfortable in his hide, even though As'lin assured him often enough that he was handsome. Silly blue.

Savitri's reminder of his parents made As'lin smile, despite his father's often overbearing manner and admittedly frightening and misguided stories about dragons. That had been a good time in his life (actually it had been most of his life), traveling with his parents around the North. But, due to his father's status as a renegade Harper, As'lin had no idea where they'd be. "No, I don't believe they do. They're wanderers, and neither of them have firelizards, so I've no way to get word to them. Unless they were looking for news, I suppose, but neither of them even knew I was a candidate. I think my father may have a fit if he finds out. Dragons aren't his favorite," he said, toying with a loose thread in the weave of the chair's arm.

He was quiet for a moment, thinking about his family, focused on the thread. After a moment, though, he seemed to break out of some sort of trance and turn his attention back to Savitri. "How about you?" he asked. "Have you let your parents know?" Thinking for a second, As'lin realized that her parents would probably have heard either way. A Goldrider was a lot more high-profile than a blue-rider.

[kysseh]

The smile that he gave her relaxed whatever tension Savitri had previously held. It had been awhile since she had any good friends, largely due to the fact that she was bossy and rather intimidating while in a mood. Perhaps it was As'lin's easygoing and cheerful nature that brought out the less snappish side of her, but she did enjoy his company. He never flattered, and he had a sense of humor, both of those qualities putting her much more at ease. It was far, far easier to talk to a sincere person.

His laughter distracted her from her thoughts, and she settled a little more comfortably into her chair, head leaned back a bit as he described how he would have expected Stillith to respond. "He does seem a little bit nervous about things. I know he would have found you, though. Cath would've probably ordered you back if she knew it was you he wanted. She does have a bit of a prideful streak,"she admitted, knowing that the gold weyrling would have called every candidate back to the sands just in case the little blue's mindmate had gotten scared and made a run for it. The little queen was too caring to let one of her siblings between for the simple reason that Theirs was afraid.

Despite his smile, the actions of his fingers suggested to Savitri that he the subject of his father was not the happiest one. She could scarcely blame him. Her parents had not been entirely approving upon their discovery of her Impression either. "I sent them a message. My mother was very displeased. It's a woman's place to Join and raise a family," she said bluntly with a shrug of the uninjured shoulder. "My father was surprised but congratulated me. I'll go to see them once Cath can fly and between very well, but I doubt they'll be very happy about the fact that I'm not coming back to stay."

She made a small face at that thought. "Be grateful you aren't female, or you'd be restricted to that too. I'm glad to be here at the weyr," she said a bit grimly, obviously put off by the idea of being Joined to some groping idiot who forced her to bear child after child until she wore out. No, not this woman, thank you! "I'd much rather fuss over children not my own, which is about what I get to do here, once Cath is matured."

[Ruby]

Savitri's characterization of Hepaticath was so spot-on, As'lin couldn't help but laugh. "Well, what Queen isn't a bit pideful?" he asked rhetorically. "Anyway, I would have thanked her. Like I said, life withouth Stillith is a bleak prospect." Stil himself had roused a bit, and at hearing the last, prodded As'lin's mind in a loving way. That little moment of reassurance made the Blueweyrling smile, and Stil immediately turned over and went back to sleep.

Savitri's talk of Joining made As'lin thoughtful. His parents had been so happy together that they defied both a Hall and a Weyr, as well as tradition, to raise their little boy on their own in the way they wanted him raised. And now he had Stillith, a more solid join than any they could have created. But... well, they had done a good job. "I think I'd like to be Joined one day," he said, his eyes far away. "Not any time soon, of course, Stillith's about the only serious relationship I can handle at the moment," one corner of his mouth quirked up wryly, "But someday. Or Weyrmated, I guess. Children would be nice, too, although I might stick with one."

Breaking himself out of his trance a bit, As'lin remembered a question that had been bothering him for a while. "What does being Weyrmated really mean, anyway?" he asked, eying the string again. He felt a touch of warmth rising in his cheeks again, and was doing his very best to smother it. Being bred entierly away from Weyrs, he only had a vague working knowledge of flights, but he knew that both Weyrmating and sex was involved. And the latter topic made him incredibly uncomfortable.

[kysseh]

Savitri made a wry face, reluctantly nodding in agreement of his assessment of the nature of golds. His laughter was well-founded, and she was amused by the image too. Hepaticath would have done it without a second thought. That was just the way her calm, well-mannered, but insistent little mindmate was. "I'm glad she didn't have to resort to that, though. She needs no encouragement to boss others," Savitri added, watching him break into a smile. She wondered if he was speaking to his dragon... though hadn't he said the little blue was napping?

His eyes were looking off into the distance, perhaps toward a future he had in mind. Joining? She grimaced a bit at the idea. After the failure of that one relationship back at the hold, Savitri had decided that her job was to overlook and to mother, not to devote herself to one person and reproduce until her body wore out. Neither idea appealed to her at the moment. "Well, I don't think dragonriders do Join. Weyrmate, yes. Joining would be difficult, considering the nature of Flights and such," she said frankly. Weyrmates were rare enough as it was. Most dragonriders had a frequent partner or two, but for a pair to devote themselves to each other seemed quite rare. She minded little... for the time being, anyway, though she knew she might think differently when Cath's first Rising came about.

His question about weyrmates had her sighing quietly, and she arched an eyebrow at him, noting that he seemed vaguely uncomfortable with the idea. The topic of sex was a slightly sticky one with those who were not weyrbred, but as a healer, she had learned to speak objectively and clearly about it so as not to confuse the poor creatures. As it was, she had to have a few of the details explained to her, some of which she would rather have ignored. She was not keen on the idea of losing her virginity before Cath's Flight to some random... whomever. It just was not appealing to her on multiple levels, and she would prefer to not be someone's prize, which seemed to be how many of the bronzeriders viewed her and Cath. Idiots.

"Being weyrmated is like being Joined. It's a sort of permanent attachment to each other, even if your dragons tend to Fly others' dragons at times. It's complicated." Then again, what part of weyrlife was simple? Savitri had earned herself a headache just trying to understand the complexity of draconic family and emotional relationships, which Aliscia had attempted to explain with only moderate success. It was.... confusing, to say the least. "What do you know about Flights and such? That's a good place to start," she inquired further, drawing her legs up into the chair and squirming around until she was comfortably slouched. Yes... that was better. Undignified, but better.

[Ruby]

Weyrmating didn't sound that different than Joining, As'lin decided. Although he supposed it would be more difficult if your dragon liked someone else's dragon... Weyrmates shared quarters, that much he knew. What if he wanted to Weyrmate with a woman whose dragon Stillith didn't like? Well, good thing As'lin could hardly imagine Stillith pitching a fit about something that trivial. In fact, As'lin could hardly imaging Stil liking a female enough to make any issues at all. As'lin figured the blue would just go with whatever his rider wanted, as long as it made As'lin happy. Still, it bothered As'lin a little that it wouldn't be stil's first choice... well, they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. That was plenty of years away, As'lin figured.

Flights though... that was something he was still pretty lost on. "I know that that's... well, how dragons mate," he said, fighting his hardest to keep more of a blush off his face. Thinking of his old favorite runner seemed to help. There was nothing sexy about the dull roan sway-backed nag, but As'lin had loved her to bits. She had been the runner As'lin had learned to ride on, already old and slow at the time. Yes, that helped tremendously, although he probably looked pretty mystified while thinking. "The female flies, and the males chase until one catches her. That's about all I've gathered, though."

He frowned slightly, remembering something he had heard in passing. "I suppose it must have some effect on the riders, too," he mused. That he wasn't clear on- whether it was just a mental attachment, or a physical encounter of some kind, he didn't really get. And to what degree it affected the rider. "I know there was a Candidate lesson on Flights, but I missed it, and I wasn't ever in a Weyr growing up..." he added, trying to save face a little and explain his ignorance away. Despite Savitri's calm manner, As'lin was feeling a bit stupid.

His feeling of stupidness stemmed mostly from two things: First, As'lin didn't like to be taught things by his peers. He liked being in the know, and although he was a willing pupil, it made him a bit uncomfortable. Second, he lacked experiance in this area. He had been kissed before, of course... if you counted when he was four turns old and an equally little girl had kissed him on the mouth while they were playing Family. Shocked, he had told on her to his parents, but that was beside the point. Oh, he could talk for days about all the alleged sexual experiances he had had, like very boy in a Hold could, but like all of them, few were backed by more fact than a vague crush on a girl. But yeah. Never been kissed. He sat on his fingers, crossing them underneath his leg and wishing that Savitri wouldn't ask about experiance. Anything but that.