|
|
Post by Sheari on Jun 14, 2009 18:46:21 GMT -5
C'ryl walked into the stables. The smell that greeted him was comforting and made him slightly homesick. Oh how the smell of leather, runners and manure would often repel people unless they needed to be there. However there were those who just loved being around runners or, like him, had been raised around runners. Then the smell would do nothing to them in the way of making them avoid such a place. In fact, the stables he grew-up in was the only thing he missed about the north.
Shoveling snow in the winter, bedding the stalls with fallen leaves in the autumn and forking manure year-round. Nothing alluring about it but it had been life and at the time C'ryl had hated it, wanting nothing more than to be rid of it like any child would. Now he missed it.
He looked around from where he stood and saw no beastmaster around. Possibly out in the field with the herd? C'ryl mused that he could be anywhere, even right behind him. He turned around to check before he began walking down the aisle in the stables.
True, he did not own a runner and had no real reason to be here, but Pagoth was asleep and Child was out...doing whatever she did and the man was utterly bored out of his mind. With nothing to do and no runner to ride, the brownrider sat down and began towing with a stray rope laying on the ground. he tied an untied it into knots until he put it back down with a sigh.
Oh so bored.
|
|
|
|
Post by subtlemystery on Jul 3, 2009 4:33:21 GMT -5
Kalia wasn't naturally one for Runners. She'd been raised in Fort Weyr, the smallest thing there was still a fire lizard and while the weyr still had stables, she hadn't spent a great deal of her time there. Actually, she only knew where they were because Kalia made it her business to know where she was going, there was no use in not knowing your own home... While she might have fooled herself into thinking that one day they would go home to Fort, the whole business with the dining hall had only made her mother more determined never to go back.
Thus, exploring.
It was boring to do alone though, and not for the first time, Kalia wished she'd made a bit more of an effort upon first coming here to get to know people... Or even attending a flitter hatching, she'd love even one of those less-than-intelligent pets too. Or even one of those little odd ones, with the frills and the little wings. Mandyr's weren't they called? Something like that. Unfortunately for Kalia, growing up in Fort hadn't been the easiest thing in the world, though she'd certainly had it better than alot of people. Her intelligence, and ease with handling people kept made her useful, and there fore she'd never been abused... Thankfully. Other's in the North weren't nearly as lucky she was though...
Still... One thing about Fort was the friendships. People were so... Careless, about their friends here. It was odd, they didn't care where they'd come from, opened their arms and hearts to complete strangers... And all of Kalia's upbringing rebelled against such tender-hearted lack of caution. Sure it made her transfer easy, but good things never came easily. You were an outsider until you proved you were a part of the weyr, and yet, Kalia had no problems with that, she was pretty much a part of the group.
So it was at the stables she found herself, perhaps they would have more caution about friends than the people she'd met.. Or perhaps simply they wouldn't have judgements or thoughts... Motives, to consider when talking to them. Then again, perhaps she was just looking for something that was even vaguely familliar to her... For all her tough exterior, Kalia was very home sick, she wanted her home, no matter what trouble was there. Selenitas would never be her home.
She hadn't really expected to see anyone in the stables though, and Kalia stopped dead. She wasn't sure what to do, turn and walk away? Say hello? A quick glance at his knots marked him as a rider, a brown rider. That gave him rank, and made Kalia even more cautious of talking to him. Something had to give, and for the first time in her life, it was the stubbornness, though she wasn't exactly tactful when she spoke - another change.
"If I may, why are you down with the runners when you have a dragon to ride?" Another pause before she forced a small smile, still not completely sure how to talk to him,
"Where do you call home?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Sheari on Jul 5, 2009 13:22:13 GMT -5
A voice disturbed the brownrider's thoughts and he looked up from the dusty floor of the stable. Her question was rather a personal one and he felt it was sort of out of line. "Did you know that the Weyrwoman has a runner?" He'd learned this at the gather recently. He'd been nearby and recognized her from conversation of other at the Gather in Selenitas Hold. Perhaps it wasn't his place to say what Kaegan had aside from Millieth. He felt his words safe, however. The...Candidate...he saw before him could have asked why he had Child when he had Pagoth as well. Either way, C'ryl took her words to mean that she felt being bonded to a dragon should be enough for anyone.
As for her other question, where did he call home. Why was she asking? Did she suspect something of him? Not everyday did one find a dragonrider sitting on the floor of the weyr stables playing with a rope. He ignored it. Selenitas Weyr was his home, where was hers. Yes, he'd been born and raised around runners near Fort Weyr in the north and had bonded his Pagoth there prior to living in the warm and snow-less south.
"I am with the runners because my Pagoth is sleeping," he said. He could have just as easily said that he had been bored and wandered here without thought and arrived out of his own volition to sit and toy with a rope. However, either would have been the truth.
Rising from his place C'ryl dusted himself off. "I apologize if my words were harsh." To be honest he expected little of this girl. He knew, though, that she could rise to a rank higher than himself very quickly.
There wasn't really a place to sit unless you were going to ride. He couldn't see any visible chairs or stools so he chose to lean against the wall. A hoof scraped against ground in one of the stalls and C'ryl's attention was averted to the source of the sound. He'd lived so long in stables prior to his current life that the scrap sound more like an animal walking in a stall from a paddock. The slurp of water affirmed his guess and he return his gaze to the girl.
It wasn't obvious that he was familiar with the animals but if she was to guess now she had clues to go by.
|
|
|
|
Post by subtlemystery on Jul 11, 2009 11:34:22 GMT -5
Kalia looked mildly startled at the sharpness in his tone, though shrugged when he apologised. To someone who had grown up around dragons and yet never Impressed, yes, having a dragon should be enough for anyone. The unconditional adoration and knowing they would love you, no matter what you did, no matter what you said at least one person would think you were the world. Lifting a hand up and offering it to the nearest runer, Kalia then smoothed her hand down the creature's neck, while listening to the rider talk. And it was obvious she was still listening, for she kept one eye on him at all times.
"You don't have to apologise. I guess I didn't think of that, then again, I guess I always thought rider's had nothing to do outside their dragons." A sheepish grin was offered up her, Kalia instantly moving to soothe the insult she hadn't intended to give in the first place. It made her learn a lesson though and that was that she very obviously needed to watch what she said because people seemed to be uncomfortable with her... Or at least this rider didn't like strangers maybe. Well she could fix that status.
Smiling brightly, Kalia stepped away from the runner and offering her hand to the rider,
"I'm Kalia. I'm a candidate." That was rather obvious that last bit, but she couldn't really think of what else she could offer up about herself other than,
"I'm new to the weyr though, so I don't know too many people. It's a pleasure to meet you." Well, she hoped it was a pleasure anyway, he wasn't going to go all grumpy, mean on her was he?
Watching him for a moment, it became very obvious that if nothing else, he was comfortable around the stables, he knew what he was doing, which confused her more. He spent alot of time down here?
"You spend alot of your free time here?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Sheari on Jul 12, 2009 12:49:53 GMT -5
To be honest he found her mildly annoying. But tolerance was a virtue as much as patience was and you learned both around runners so he applied those skills again. Her name was Kalia and she was a candidate. He'd noticed her status by the knots on her shoulder but hadn't mentioned it until she had. Her saying she was new helped him though. he didn't expect much from her and now he had reason to expect mistakes and slip-ups should she have any like. He didn't know where she hailed from, however, so he had little idea on how much to expect.
"I am C'ryl of brown Pagoth," he offered. A green flit flew in and suddenly started scolding the rider. She had been looking all over for him, she had and the big one Pagoth had blown her off. He told her to get lost he did. When she was through with her agitated chattering she perched on his shoulder as his punishment. He had not behaved well enough for her to perch on his head. She was totally oblivious to the fact that C'ryl found this to be a relief. "And this is Child," and at the sound of her name she peeped.
"Do you always riddle your strangers with questions before you give them your name?" It was an honest question, neither harsh nor in jest. He turned and grabbed a brush for one of the animals and headed down the aisle to the stall that he had heard become occupied. "When did you get here?" he called back. Not quite yelling but more speaking loudly so as not to startle the creature and spook it out of the building.
Talking softly to it he began brushing out the mane as he awaited a reply. With the animal having been kept from the field it didn't have many snarls or knots but once it was smooth he switch out brushes and began working on it's coat. Apparently it had rolled and now a layer of dried mud made parts of the fur stick out at odd angles. he attacked them with the curry, getting the clumps and dust out before he did anything else.
|
|
|
|
Post by subtlemystery on Jul 21, 2009 4:16:33 GMT -5
His name was a start, Kalia supposed, though she was visably startled by the sudden appearance of the flitt. A green, did he call her Child? To Kalia, that seemed like an odd name, but she supposed, she wasn't exactly bonded to her, so she couldn't rightly say what suited the green and what didn't. She would have thought it odd, naming a flitter after a human baby, but if that was his decision, she wasn't about to make a comment.
"My pleasure, greetings Child." Nodding her head slightly in an acknowledgement of the green, her attention very quickly turned back to the rider. Sweet as flitts were, she was better off talking to the rider.
"No, I never used to. Why would I? I knew most people at home. I suppose I was curious, that's how I am." Her responding manner was the same, light and easy, and comepletely undefensive, though inside she bristled slightly at the question. She'd thought it fair, when one had a dragon, or even a wher to spend time with, why play the part of stable-hand and talk with the runners. They were nice enough creatures, but nothing compared to a draconic creature of any kind.
"Not long. I don't remember dates. Before that thing happened in the hall." She hadn't been there when they'd been held in, but it was a fair enough marker.
Following him cautiously, she watched him just as carefully, but curiousity ruled over caution into making her lean forward slightly. He knew what he was doing, Kalia might have a soft hand, or tone for the runners, but she didn't know how to care for them, not brushing them or knowing what to feed them.
"They seem comfortable in your presence. You must be with them alot..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Sheari on Jul 22, 2009 9:16:17 GMT -5
"Not these ones, no." He would not say he came from Fort. "I was raised around different runners. I know a lot about them, in general, I mean." He curried the last of the big clumps of mud from the beasts coat and grabbed a stiff-bristled brush for the smaller bits. The work was therapeutic actually and it helped him tolerate Kalia more. She became less irritating to him with her apparent curiosity about the animals. It was a subject he was comfortable with and he felt that any questions she asked about them he would answer freely. Unless, of course, she asked him where he was from, again. Right now she seemed distracted.
"They're a lot like people actually, only they don't use words to communicate," he said.
Yes, they were so much like people, and they were more honest than some. If they didn't like you they would tell you and if you knew what to look for you would know as well. If they accepted you they would allow you to approach. If they liked you they might react to you or rub their head on you.
Child perched on the runner's whithers and preened at the end of it's mane. Meanwhile, the creature had caught the scent of the treats C'ryl had slipped into his pocket earlier and had turned it's head to investigate. It's nose chuffed at his pants and it lipped at the top of the pocket, nudging the man forward. He slapped it's shoulder good-naturedly and oblige with the cookie. It munched happily as he switched out brushes for the soft one to shine it's coat.
|
|
