Musing (Avu)

[Zephyr]

Romeoth was laying on the bank of the river, curled in on himself a little. His neck was curled in, head resting on the ground in sleep. K'ian was seated in the crook of Rom's massive body, resting his head back against the bronze's stomach. His eyes were on the river as he contemplated the hatching that had only just occurred. Those babies looked like they could be trouble when they grew up. The bronze looked nice enough, but there was something about him...K'ian tended not to trust other bronze's. We can always teach him not to mess with the older, more experienced dragons? Rom interjected, proving that he wasn't sleeping after all and that he was aware of K'ian's inner musing. The man chuckled as the dragon's massive head lifted from the ground to gaze at him curiously. He patted the green salamadyr baby that was curled up on his stomach. He knew Mouse really was sleeping. She did that a lot. The little thing thought she was a queen.

That's all well and good, Rom, but I have a feeling that they aren't going to listen to us easily. They did seem like a bunch of troublemakers. It was hard merging the two weyrs, and he didn't know how Burimyu would react to them disciplining the weyrlings. After all, they were Selentitan weyrlings. So? We just make them listen. Romeoth rumbled and stretched his neck back out along the ground, careful not to shift his great bulk. Honestly. Sometimes you humans just make simple matters far too complicated and worry over things too much. There's nothing a little force can't cure...even with troublemaking weyrlings. We learned that the hard way, didn't we?

This was true. K'ian chuckled as he remembered their weyrlinghood. It had been much too fast. He had had to grow up much faster than any child had. Still, there was something about these babies...I don't know, Rom...

[Avu]

Titania did not believe in playing coy. Or, she did, but it was mostly unnecessary now, so the dark green Salamandyr had no qualms whatsoever about dropping in unannounced; Mouse was her sister and she was, therefore, entitled to see her on occasion, wasn’t she? If that happened to coincide with meeting her Bonded and the fat bronze lump that was by extension also Mouse’s, then that was only to be taken advantage of; Titania couldn’t imagine what her sister saw in K’ian, after all. (Nobody ever claimed A’emi was above manipulating his mindmates, because he absolutely wasn’t, and bronzeriders were never a good thing in his book.)

Pardon me, she said smoothly, I came in search of my sister, but there will be time when she wakes and I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced, have we? She blinked bright green eyes at K’ian and Romeoth, fearlessly flaring her wings and gliding neatly to the bronzerider’s knee. I am Titania; you are—?

“Titania,” A’emi bit out in mild distress, interrupting unintentionally as he followed her up the rise, Darkling twined around his shoulders and chirruping pleasantly, although his ignoring Romeoth was entirely deliberate. “You are the worst ever at solitude.” He tilted his head to blink at K’ian—he hadn’t recognized Romeoth as his dragon, but he had been acquainted with the fact that K’ian had a bronze and he was, somehow, entirely unsurprised that he would have the exact bronze that was lying in his way—and said, blandly, “Oh, it’s you.”

My love, Titania greeted him comfortably, her tail winding as far as it could go around K’ian’s leg, defiantly adding to the bronzerider, I am confident you recall A’emi, and that is Darkling; she is quite memorable as well, I think.

[Zephyr]

K'ian was thinking over Romeoth's words. He was hardly in the frame of mind to notice a green salamandyr besides the one curled up on his stomach. Not until there was one right in his face, voice interjected into his mind. To his credit, he didn't jump from the surprise, only watched as she landed on his knee. He tried to remember who's salamandyr this was and what business it would have with him. Until, of course, it identified itself as Mouse's sister. This most likely meant that she was from Mouse's clutch, and there were only three greens from that clutch...that meant...

...oh great.

He didn't have much of a chance to answer the little salamandyr because that 'oh great' was now coming up over the rise. K'ian didn't even move. He had been here first. He saw no point in shifting his seat for the greenrider. I have no problem moving, K'ianmine. He should have known that Romeoth was still awake. You'll do no such thing. His words quieted the big bronze's thoughts, but his head lifted, opalescent eyes moving to regard A'emi, Titania and Darkling curiously before he gave a rumble of a greeting. He wasn't stupid. He knew they were pointedly ignoring him. That didn't mean he couldn't extend courtesy to them, be the bigger man (pun intended).

" So nice to see you." He wasn't sure he knew the blonde man's name, but he certainly knew of him. Probably a little too much. Eyes shifted once more as the salamandyr spoke to him again. " Yes." He said, eyes darting to A'emi once more before looking back at the mandyr. He ignored the bit about the firelizard. After all, what did he care for flits? He probably wouldn't have cared much about 'mandyrs, had one not permanently glued itself to his mind. Speaking of, he was surprised the minty salamandyr slept through this exchange. He plucked at his shirt beneath her, nudging at her subconscious with his mind at the same time. " Wake up Mouse. You have a visitor."

The baby lifted its head, splitting her jowls wide in a yawn before catching sight of Titania. She perked up immediately. Sisterrrrrr! She trilled, leaping up K'ian's leg to nuzzle her green sister affectionately.

Now that the little monster was awake, he could address the green's previous words. " I remember A'emi. How are you?" He asked, eyes moving to the man...who clearly wasn't pleased to see him. K'ian didn't care. It wasn't like he told Titania to come seek him out.

[Avu]

“It’s nice to see that poor attempts at pleasantry are universal among bronzeriders,” A’emi replied dryly, not even bothering with anything remotely resembling a greeting, sarcastic or not. It paid to be sweetly polite sometimes, but as far as he was concerned, K’ian didn’t play much of a role in the grand scheme of things, not with a Council already established. And if he did end up on the Council, it was just a pity—A’emi didn’t have anything to do with them either. The greenrider reached up to bop Darkling gently on the nose with his forefinger at the firelizard’s inquisitive chirrup, nodding at Romeoth with a friendliness that lacked both deference and defiance; he had nothing against the dragons themselves, just the Riders, generally speaking: dragons tended to be very sensible creatures most of the time. Pity their existence gave Riders inflated heads.

You did not give me your name, Titania commented, slightly reproachfully, to K’ian, calmly ignoring A’emi in favor of the bronzerider; she didn’t love him like she loved Hers, or at all, but Hers was being decidedly unpleasant and could wait. Hello, sister, she added when Mouse began to stir, and flared open her wings, prepared to go to Mouse, except her sister had already jumped to K’ian’s knee. Titania made a low, pleased sound in her throat at the warmth of her greeting, coiling her body around her sister’s and nipping in light affection at her shoulder. How have you been faring?

Darkling trilled, her voice a musical lilt, in response to K’ian’s question, the skeletal firelizard tipping her head coyly to one side and blinking at K’ian curiously; she might have gone over to make friends if Titania had not already been there, and another worm at that. A’emi tilted his head to one side too, an unconscious mimicry, quirking one eyebrow at K’ian; he couldn’t tell if the bronzerider’s question was intended for him or for Titania, and, at length, decided that he didn’t actually really care either. “Fabulous,” he answered, “It’s my favorite when my Salamandyr doesn’t understand the concept of being alone, Titania, hurry up, let’s go.”

Unsurprisingly, he was awarded a decidedly unimpressed glance from Titania, who wound her tail around Mouse’s and flicked her head away from him pointedly. You will not leave me, she said, smoothly confident. I will not be long.

[Zephyr]

Romeoth noticed A'emi's message to Darkling. He may have been a bronze, but he was far from an idiot. Brushing the flit's mind with acknowledgement, the great beast stretched his neck out in the grass. He may not be a fan of this rider whatsoever, but this was K'ian's battle, not his. If the greenrider got physical, he may intervene...he doubted it would be necessary, however. The bronze didn't doubt his bonded's ability to take care of himself. He was fully capable of it, especially when it came to some scrawny greenrider without a sensible thought in his head.

With that, the bronze's eyes closed and K'ian realized he wouldn't have any help for the moment. Not that he wanted or needed it, but sometimes things went smoother when dragons were involved. Not many people wanted to mess with a dragon who could eat them with one bite. " And universal among stuck up greenriders, I see." Eyes then shifted to the salamandyr, who had spoke to him. K'ian grinned lightly. At least this one seemed to be sensible. " My apologies, my lady." He would never call Mouse a 'lady'...it just didn't feel right, whereas Titania was much more intelligent. Oh, why couldn't Mr-Better-Than-Everyone get stuck with the simpleton? " My name is K'ian. Well met, Titania." He gave the salamandyr a respectful tip of his head, even as she and Mouse reunited.

Mouse, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the tenseness between the two riders. She was completely joyous at being near her sibling. She loved her family! The minty mandyr trilled happily as Titania wrapped her body around her and nuzzled her sister lovingly. Mouse gooooood! Giant dragon couch get! Nice to sleep, only best! She was instantly calmed down at being around her sister and crooned lightly to the other green. How sister? Man nice, no grabbies? She asked, eyeing A'emi. Clearly she was remembering her hatching when A'emi had tried grabbing Atlas before he had impressed. She wasn't much of a fan at all, but she wasn't going to let her sister know that. He was her's after all.

K'ian glanced to the firelizard when it trilled. He grinned at the flit and tilted his head in polite acknowledgement. At least most of the man's mindmates didn't seem to have the irrational hatred of him that A'emi had. The man didn't understand. The hatching was the first time he had ever spoken to the blonde man, and he had already been throwing jabs his way. Best not to dwell on it. Well, now's a GREAT time for you pipe in, you great oaf. K'ian shrugged at A'emi, giving the man a good natured grin before glancing to the two salamandyrs on his leg. " This one seems to do what she wants. I don't know how you could keep her from visiting with her sister." He chuckled at the reunion, watching as Mouse suddenly got distressed, looking back and forth from A'emi to Titania. Sister leaveee? Noooooo.

[Avu]

Darkling twittered quiet amusement at Romeoth’s mental touch, the green’s eyes flicking a shade faster of calm blues; the firelizard had no qualms whatsoever making friends with people that A’emi was not extraordinarily fond of, especially given that if she did, she’d essentially be limited to maybe four people total and their respective mindmates. She ignored the mental eyeroll that A’emi was practically radiating, fluting pleasantly at K’ian instead before she settled more securely around A’emi’s shoulders, content, for once, where she was. A’emi gently tugged her tail, a lightly affectionate, absentminded touch, and quirked an eyebrow at K’ian—clearly the guy had bigger social problems than what he’d anticipated if he figured that was anything remotely close to a greeting.

Quiet, my love, Titania murmured to him privately; the green had never seemed to have the broadcasting problems that her kin tended to, which led A’emi to suspect that she was just politer and the rest of her kin was straight-up bratty and obnoxious. He is quite polite and I expect you to act accordingly, love. She tilted her head to rub her cheek against Mouse’s back affectionately, tongue darting out to flick against her sister’s shoulder. Quite, she added to K’ian, agreeable despite her distraction, and finally to Mouse, Quite so. I am sure he is very comfortable.

(If it occurred to her to be condescending to her sister, she did not show it—much the same way she didn’t feel it was necessary to be rude to K’ian. She was perfectly capable of being civilized and polite and it would, she was sure, pay more to make friends rather than enemies. It was a pity that Hers was so stubbornly resistant.)

Her sister’s question after A’emi earned a low, amused croon from Titania, the Salamandyr’s eyes briefly shading green. Having done what I have done, having done good or ill well or poorly…now then what I am doing here after all, she answered, shooting a sly glance back at A’emi, whose eyes had flickered back towards genuine interest at the start of the quote. My love is quite satisfactory, she added mischievously, The dragon is of dubious sanity but otherwise I have no reason to complain. Her tail coiled companionably about Mouse’s.

A’emi’s gaze settled, eventually, on K’ian, one eyebrow quirking skeptically. “I don’t intend at all,” he answered honestly, and if he was a little too blunt to be polite he wasn’t impolite either. “She can do whatever she wants to. I don’t dictate what my pets do in their spare time once they grow up.” It was just when it started infringing on his time that he got irate—especially since Titania was too young yet to simply leave one way or another. Darkling could take care of herself perfectly—Titania he didn’t trust to just leave yet, even with K’ian and Mouse. He blinked at the lighter Salamandyr, and his brow furrowed slightly. “She one for tantrums or something?”

It didn’t, honestly, occur to him that this, Mouse, might be more typical to Salamandyrs than Titania was—just, she was his and he appreciated her intelligence as unique and all, but she was still also his basis for the species. And Mouse was not…the same. At all.