Your whole stock, please. [Food Stall; Lennae]

[glamourie]

"So, um. How much would it cost for ... them all?"

Rawign lifted one hand to indicate what he referred to. He was standing outside the food stall, and his finger pointed very clearly at a large rack of cooling bubbly pies with no less than fifty of them scattered over the shelves. His eyebrows quirked curiously, weight resting primarily on one foot while the other was pushed slightly back, propped up on the toe. His arm opposite the one that was pointing was folded over his chest, and he looked for all the world as if he couldn't have been more relaxed. He'd managed to straighten his hair and push it back and out of his face, the short, sheared strands hanging on either side of his cheeks instead of in his eyes as usual. Wearing a pair of black pants and a dark green tunic with silver edging, Rawign looked for all the world like a grown-up --- if one ignored his request. Most adults would not have ordered fifty pies, but he felt confident he could easily eat them all.

The stall owner stared at him and the healer cocked his head to the side. The man cast a glance at the rack and Rawign looked himself over. His blue firelizard, Stumpy, was missing - for once. That was largely a result of the fact that curled around Rawign's wrist was a bronze salamandyr. Stumpy was frightened of salamandyrs as a rule, bronzes in particular, but Showoff - the little red-bronze mandyr in question - was not the source of that fear. Kalierre's bronze mandyr was. Showoff generally was just a nuisance, and he'd attached himself to Rawign to hitch a ride to the Gather after finding out that K'lir would not be in attendance. He'd stated his reasons as "Ugly Green Thing Fly!" and left it at that, which Rawign concluded could only mean he'd fled in terror from Calistoth. He did not blame Showoff. Roxie was gone, too, though she'd be back. It felt odd that his only companion was one that did not even look to him.

"Are you sure you'd want the entire rack, lad? It's a bit expensive," stated the stall owner, though his voice made it clear: he was simply reluctant to sell them all to one customer, especially one who was not wearing any knots.

Scoffing, Rawign folded his other arm over his chest, accidentally dislodging Showoff. The salamandyr hissed up at him and scurried up the outside of the boy's sleeve before turning an accusing look on him. The irritation the little bronze felt was clear without words - but evidently, without K'lir nearby, he had to be prompted in some way to speak more. He was consistently more vocal, at least, whenever his pet was present. Then again, most of what Showoff said qualified as insults rather than anything else, and aside from accidentally making him uncomfortable, no insults were merited. Rawign glanced at the little bronze, quizzically, before explaining, "He doesn't think we can afford the pies. What do you think?"

No yucky give yum-yums, countered Showoff, before he turned his attention onto the stall keeper. Yum-yum give Showoff.

"Fine. How much for one?" Rawign asked, then dug out the marks to hand over. The little pie was snagged and he shuffled away from the stall itself, over to a table nearby. Then he plopped down and ran one finger over the whipped cream before holding it up to Showoff. The little bronze leaned forward to lick the cream curiously, and Rawign snorted, a decidedly inappropriate smirk coming across his face. "Just like your pet in some respects..."

[weaving]

This was the first time she’d been to a gather since the one she had attended as a candidate. Everything she passed brought back a memory of the life that she had thrown away. She hadn’t even wanted to come, having been perfectly content to curl up in her weyr for the entire day. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Amith had insisted that they leave, both because Lennae needed to get out and because Amith was absolutely terrified of Calistoth, that was where Lennae would probably be at this moment.

Enjoy yourself. Eat something delicious. A pie maybe? Amith’s words received a mental rolling of the eyes, though the greenrider did attempt a half-smile as opposed to the frown that she had been wearing earlier. And while she would have loved to have ignored Amith’s suggestions, the fact was that she hadn’t eaten at all and the mere mention of the word pie set her stomach rumbling.

The food stall wasn’t difficult to find; she needed only to follow her nose. When she arrived however, it was just in time to hear the man in front of her ask to buy all of the pies. The smile that she had worn at the thought of having a lovely, freshly baked bubbly pie quickly faded into an expression of annoyance bordering on anger. Surely the man was only joking.

Evidently he was, for in the end he bought only one. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, a weyr resident perhaps, but it wasn’t until he turned and she caught a good look at his face that recognition hit. Rawign, K’lir’s friend, who had stood at the hatching with them. She hadn’t ever really talked to him, but of course she recognized him. He was, after all, K’lir’s friend.

“Ahem.”

The vendor was staring at her impatiently and she flushed, realizing that she had been standing there for a few moments now, lost in thought.

“One pie please,” she said hurriedly, fishing the necessary marks from her pouch while she spoke. Exchanging them for the pie, she stepped away from the stall, pausing as she eyed the table where Rawign sat. Dare she join them?

He won’t bite. Go talk. Amith’s gentle proddings combined with her own want to do so quickly broke down whatever reluctance she had. Right, this would be easy. Just go over, ask to join him, make some small talk…Rawign probably wouldn’t even remember her. As she mentally prepped herself, Lennae made her way toward the table, noticing Showoff as she drew closer. A salamandyr, how interesting. While she had seen them about the weyr, she hadn’t had a chance to meet one personally yet. That was something to look forward to.

She stopped as she reached the table, waiting until Rawign noticed her before speaking. “Mind if I sit here?”

[glamourie]

Rawign glanced up as he was spoken to and quirked an eyebrow, recognizing Lennae immediately. She was that... girl that K'lir danced with at the first Gather he'd ever been to in the south. Yes, Rawign remembered her, though only vaguely. Most of that Gather was spent trying to irritate Marra and/or make her jealous, which meant he hadn't spoken to the girl at all. He remembered her, though. She Impressed at the same clutch as K'lir, where he'd been left standing - heh. Not that that was all that surprising, since Rawign was left standing quite a few times. He was, simply put, a failure of a candidate... although it hadn't bothered him until not one, not two, but three of his firelizards died. He used to have five; down to two. Those thoughts were quickly pushed out of his mind, as the last thing he wanted was to face the fact that he was a complete freak that no dragon would ever want. He could mope on his own time. Gathers were meant to be fun, and by Faranth, he intended to have fun, or as much fun as carting around his best friend's irritating little pet could garner him, at any rate.

"Feel free. Showoff, say hi to Lennae. She's your Dunghead's friend," explained the healer happily, as he held out his hand with the whipped cream toward Lennae. Showoff hissed and slithered up his arm, then curled around his hand to get right back at the tasty delight. Rawign smirked, then glanced back at Lennae. "You are Lennae, right? K'lir's friend? I swear I saw you two together at one poi-- OW!"

Scoffing, Rawign looked at the end of his finger, which had a tiny, needle-point hole in it. Showoff chittered smugly and dropped off his hand to land on the table top as Rawign pulled back to examine his injury. Deeper than it was wide, it was painfully obvious he'd just been bitten. The little incisors quite effectively tore up his finger, oozing blood droplets like miniature pearls. Against his better judgment, Rawign jerked his finger back and sucked on the end of it, his gaze lingering on the salamandyr in accusation. It wasn't a severe injury, but certainly had made the point that he didn't like Rawign's comments. Whether that was the fact that he'd called K'lir a dunghead, or his statement before Lennae spoke about being just like him was unclear. Where was that greenrider when he needed a translation?

Showoff scampered to the side of the table and stood up on his back legs, his frill extending in silent challenge. His gaze remained on the female curiously and he flicked his tail before hissing. No'mine nono you give? he inquired, flapping his tiny wings in curiosity. The way that he ignored Rawign could only be described as pointed; evidently WingedDunghead-mine was on his doodoo list. Down give me now PetMine down give. His gaze snagged on the pie, looking from it, back to Lennae, then back to the pie pointedly. No one could ever say Showoff was not intelligent. Rawign would share his whipped cream but not the pie itself, and Showoff wanted to try the pie. DungheadHis never bothered to give him any of those, because he didn't like them. Pfft. Well, Showoff would make this one give it because she was DungheadHis's friend, as the Winged one had said. Sounded fair to him.

Rawign removed his finger from his mouth and eyed the salamandyr curiously before taking a bite of his pie. Then he glanced back at Lennae and offered her the most dazzling close-mouthed smile he could, before swallowing and speaking, "I have a feeling he wants your pie. The little monster's pretty persistent, too. Might be a good idea to share. He's called Showoff, by the way. When did you get back? I thought you were one of the -- you know. The --" He stopped speaking, realizing he was broaching into uncomfortable territory, and instead offered her another smile, slightly weaker. "You know...?"

[weaving]

At Rawign’s acceptance, Lennae took a seat gratefully. Her attention was quickly caught by Showoff as Rawign extended his arm with the small ‘mandyr. She eyed him curiously, smiling slightly at the bronze’s behavior. She nodded in assent to verify that yes, she was indeed Lennae though paused before answering the healer’s question in regards to K’lir, quite unsure how to answer. Was she K’lir’s friend? They had been once, but she hadn’t seen him for so long. Things had changed since she left. She had changed.

Thankfully, Showoff provided the distraction she needed to avoid answering, though she eyed the salamandyr warily. The idea of receiving a bite from the creature was certainly not appealing and while not severe, the bite in Rawign’s finger certainly looked painful.

“I take it that he doesn’t appreaciate K’lir being referred to as a dunghead, hmm?” It was hard to keep the amusement out of her voice as she spoke. The way Rawign glared gave her a feeling that this wasn’t unusual behavior for the ‘mandyr at all, and she guessed that Showoff often tortured K’lir’s friends in this way.

She watched him carefully as he moved closer, chuckling at the obvious way he ignored Rawign. “I believe you’re getting the silent treatment,” she commented wryly, though Showoff quickly claimed her full attention as he spoke. As his gaze drifted to her pie, she raised an eyebrow. Should salamandyr’s be eating pies? While she didn’t think that it was the healthiest thing for him, she got the feeling that if he didn’t get any that she would quickly end up like Rawign.

“Alright, a small piece,” she consented, breaking off a bit of the pie and holding it out to Showoff. Before he could demand the rest of it, she took a large bite and nearly spat it all back out as she realized how hot the filling was. Grimacing, she quickly swallowed down, her mouth now throbbing. Way to go.

The pain was mostly forgotten as Rawign spoke once again. The salamandyr’s name was Showoff. She had figured as much, but now she knew for sure. What had started as light enough conversation quickly took a turn down a darker path as the healer inquired as to when she had returned. Evidently he realized it too, for he quickly trailed off, flashing her a weak smile.

“Yeah, I know. It’s okay.” Her voice was soft as she spoke and while she attempted to reassure Rawign that it didn’t bother her too much –though it did- her smile was even weaker than his. “We got back two sevendays ago or so. It’s hard to tell. Time passes differently here than it did…there.” She shifted where she sat, her discomfort starting to show. Well, this was awkward.

[glamourie]

"I don't see why he would mind, seeing as he coined the term in description of him," Rawign replied drolly, his gaze lingering on the salamandyr. Of course, it was Showoff, and Showoff looked to K'lir, which meant that logic, reason and fairness was to be tossed at first opportunity in favor of whatever emotion he happened to be feeling at the time - Showoff, not Rawign. In his experience with the little bronze, Rawign recognized that - whether he came that way or not - Showoff had a lot of his pet's worst traits; impatience, brattiness, a stubborn streak a dragonlength wise, and a devious sort of intelligence often underestimated. Not by him, though. Rawign knew K'lir very well, and if his pet was anything remotely like him, there was to be no trusting. Shame, though, that he'd picked up the do as I say, not as I do attitude that the greenrider possessed. It really was very annoying. Then again, Rawign considered himself fair. He made very few demands of other people... though, that was because other people were completely incompetent more often than not and he simply didn't trust them. Hm.

Both elbows propped up on the table and Rawign rested his chin in his palm to regard the salamandyr curiously. Indeed, it appeared he was getting the silent treatment, but Lennae was not, and he almost pitied her. Being the center of Showoff's full attention rarely amounted to anything good. If he didn't know any better he would have assumed K'lir trained the little monster to be so hideous, but no - that evil streak was more likely picked up by exposure to his master. Sigh. His gaze followed the red-colored salamandyr curiously. Poor greenrider, she had no idea what she was getting into...

Happily, Showoff took the offered pie in his mouth and scurried over to the middle of the table, out of reach. Then he dropped it, to bite a smaller piece, more of a mouth size, off and chew it up. The process was repeated several times, very quickly, and he looked up as the FoodGiver-NotMine decided to spit pie all over her plate. Did she not like it? He did. He decided to take what he deemed to be an offering, and bounced back over to her plate before snatching a berry right into his mouth without consent. Not waiting for a reply or reprimand, he ran back to his spot at the middle of the table and curled possessively around his fruit, protecting his prize. She'd spit it out, that meant she didn't want it, and he would fight her if she tried to take it back. It was red like he was and he fully intended to lay claim to it. Contenting himself with his stolen snack, Showoff nipped a piece off and swallowed it, not remotely abashed by the warm temperature. Yummy.

Eyeing the salamandyr curiously, Rawign chewed his bottom lip. He did not scold him. Showoff had an attitude problem enough as it was and he really did not want to be bitten. "Welcome back. You weren't in the infirmary like M'vorn," he said; it was not a question. He had more of a knowledge of what had happened at High Reaches than some, thanks to M'vorn half-fainting and ending up in the infirmary for so long. Rawign was an expert on herbs, it was only natural he'd been called on. "Are you having withdrawals yet?" Pessimist much? It was probably a deeply personal question, so he softened it by adding, "I specialize in herbs. I might be able to help if you are. Technically, I'm the one who treated M'vorn when he returned. You don't have to answer just -- keep that in mind in case it comes up." Somehow he doubted Lennae would appreciate the offer, but it was there, out on the table, nonetheless.

To keep the topic from getting too dark, he indicated Showoff with a smile, adding quietly, "I think he's determined to steal all of your pie at this rate. Aren't you, Showoff?"

Winged Dunghead-mine bad no give yummies like FoodGiver-NotMine, Showoff either... confirmed or denied; whatever it was, his response was quite sincere. Curling around his berry, he munched some more and flared his frill at Rawign threatening. No take I bite is mine. Because there was so much left to doubt about the ownership of the berry, clearly.

[weaving]

Watching Showoff, Lennae couldn’t help but be reminded of K’lir. It made sense of course. The salamandyr was, after all, bonded to the man so of course he would pick up some of his traits. It was too bad that the creature had managed to only pick up K’lir’s bad traits. He must hate it, she mused, being bonded to someone so much like him. She also betting that Calistoth didn’t make matters any better. Why, the green probably egged Showoff on. Though she had been considering attending one of the salamandyr hatchings, Lennae decided then and there that she could quite happily live without one if they were all like Showoff.

“Are the salamandyrs in general this rude? Or is it just Showoff’s over-exposure to K’lir?” Surely Rawign would know. In fact, most of the weyr residents would probably be able to tell her everything about the ‘mandyrs that she wanted to know, and some things that she didn’t. Just as she finished asking, Showoff chose to take one of the berries from her plate, one of the ones that she had spit out when she realized just how hot her treat was.

“Why yes, you can have that. You’re very welcome,” she drawled, eyes rolling at the creature’s lack of manners. Why anyone wanted one of them, she couldn’t understand. She watched Showoff for a few minutes more, avoiding looking at Rawign while he spoke. Showoff provided the perfect distraction for her thoughts, keeping them from wandering too far back into those memories. The less that she thought about the drugs or was reminded of High Reaches, the easier it was. She had begun ridding her system of the drugs before they had returned which had given her a head start, but she had the haunting feeling that her addiction would always be there, lurking, waiting for the right time to resurface. She nodded at Rawign’s offer, though said nothing about it. The healer’s lack of disgust at her foolish actions was unsettling enouh, but his offers were unnerving her completely.

“Eat all of my pie and you’ll owe me 1/32 of a mark and you don’t look like you’ve got any change to spare.” Lennae welcomed the subject change whole-heartedly, grateful that Showoff was there to provide such a distraction. She wouldn’t ever tell the ‘mandyr that though. The last thing he needed was to have his ego stoked.

Satisfied that the pie had cooled enough now, she took another bite, this time able to enjoy it without hurting herself. Of course, Showoff’s possession over the berry was nearly enough to send her into a fit of laughter and spray pie all over everything. She was just barely able to swallow her bite without losing any of it, though her eyes were crinkled with silent laughter.

“Don’t worry Showoff, I don’t think anyone wants your berry,” she said, not quite able to keep her voice free of the amusement she clearly felt.

[glamourie]

Hmm. Rawign eyed Showoff seriously before offering Lennae a curt nod. In his experience, all salamandyrs were particularly obnoxious. Showoff was actually one of the better ones in the sense that he could be placated with compliments most of the time, but he was not about to reveal the little bronze's secret. K'lir had trusted him with that only because he was to be salamandyr-sitting from time to time and he would not violate that trust. If the greenrider wanted Lennae to know, he'd tell her. Otherwise she could and would be subject to the bronze salamandyr's attitude problem as much as anyone else. Besides, compliments only seemed to work when they were lavished on constantly, or when Showoff was not in a particularly foul mood. Rawign wasn't stupid: he knew very well that the little creature did not want to be stuck with him. He'd come only because the person he wanted to be with wasn't there. Bad mood indeed.

"Kalierre's little bronze, Lust --" UGLY! "-- ate my blue firelizard, Stumpy's tail, when they both hatched. To my knowledge he also mutilated a brownrider's hand. I'm fairly certain the creature's a positive little monster. There's a green one that likes to shout insults and I'm near-certain that she picks them up from this one, too. So, to my experience, salamandyrs are positively obnoxious by nature. Something in their make-up, I'd expect. Daeluunya --" Pretty, pretty Daelmine! "-- isn't that bad. Showoff, interrupting is rude."

Turning an accusing look onto the salamandyr, Rawign folded his arms and scowled. Showoff looked at him for a moment, then ignored him in favor of focusing his attention on Lennae. The greenrider's attitude amused him and he nipped a piece of his berry before making a low chirruping noise. Clearly he had no problem stealing from her, and Rawign sighed in exasperation before explaining. "He steals from everyone. Considering the collection that little monster and his mate have amassed, he probably does have enough in terms of trade to pay for the pie, but good luck getting him to hand it over. At Daeluunya's last hatching, they had a souffle pan filled with their trinkets along with the eggs. It looked like someone's treasure trove. I wouldn't take it personally though. You're getting off easy. Stealing a pie is one thing. Got any shiny jewelry? He's liable to make off in the night with it, particularly if you scold him."

Ignoring Rawign still, Showoff took another large chunk of his berry into his mouth before flaring his frill at the girl. He was undecided as to how he felt about her. Quite wisely, she spoke to him directly, and he could appreciate that she possessed some manner of intelligence, but the fact that she was not willingly handing over what he wanted was curious. Chew chew, swallow; the berry was entirely gone. Burping (audibly), the little bronze scampered back over to look up at Lennae and stood up on his hind legs, his little belly slightly sticking out from having snarfed down so much food so quickly. Salamandyrs were, after all, absolutely tiny creatures. Showoff was one of the larger ones, on the large side for a bronze, but even then his body was barely the length of Rawign's palm. It didn't take much to fill him up, and that size granted him an evil streak wide enough to be frightening. He stared at her.

This one was interesting, he decided as he moved a step or two closer. His little wings flared and he chirruped again before addressing her directly with an unmistakable question, his interest doubtless, Lennae ugly you? When he wanted to, Showoff could be very articulate for a salamandyr. He just didn't bother most of the time. Showoff me, Lennae you...? No wings? No flying stupids?

[weaving]

Well, that settled it. She would avoid all salamandyr hatchings lest one of the creatures took a liking to her. She didn’t see the need for pets anyway. Amith was all she would ever need. And the idea of a a pet –no, an entire species!- that was hard-wired to be annoying, rude and even vicious was not something that she would willingly bond to. Still, Showoff’s interruptions brought a smile to her face. As long as they weren’t hers, she could enjoy the antics of the critters all she wanted.

They can’t be that bad. Surely they have redeeming qualities… Trust Amith to look for the bright side in everything. The green had been observing the conversation, measuring Lennae’s reactions, ready to provide an emotional wall of support if it came down to it. The salamandyrs had piqued her interest, actually drawing her into the conversation. Why don’t you try meeting one then, hmmm? Lennae replied wryly.

“No, no shiny jewelry or anything like that. Pies are all that he can steal from me, thankfully.” She took another bite of her pie. There was only a small bit left and she broke it in two, putting one half down and eating the other bit. The piece she had set aside was for Showoff, though as the salamandyr stood on his hind legs,she noted that his belly was quite distended. “Hmm. Looks like you’ve had plenty to eat for now. Perhaps you can save this bit for later? Or you could give it to your Dael.”

She pushed the last bit of pie toward him, allowing the ‘mandyr to do as he would with it. Surely he would be smart enough not to make himself sick from all of the food. She certainly didn’t want to cause Showoff to be sick.

“Yes, I’m Lennae.” She ignored the ugly, having already gotten used to Showoffs constant insults. Besides, what would a salamandyr know about human attractiveness? “Wings? Flying stupids?” Her initial reaction to his question was blank as she tried to decipher the meaning of his question. “I have a dragon if that’s what you mean. Her name is Amith and she’d very much like to meet you. I don’t have any firelizards or salamandys though.”

[glamourie]

"It doesn't even have to be jewelry, technically," Rawign commented with an undeniable smirk. "He's been known to steal practical things that just so happen to shine. I heard he snatched one of S'rei's belt buckles and made off with it, caused a whole ruckus. Knowing Showoff, he probably took an excessive amount of delight in that too. Right?" Turning to look at the salamandyr, he reached out to run the very tip of his index finger down the creature's spine, making the little bronze shudder in enjoyment. For all his complaining, Rawign was secretly fond of the little brute. He made K'lir happy most of the time (although other times he also made K'lir shriek and scream but really who was counting?) and it was rare for Showoff to bother him. Much of that stemmed from Rawign's refusal to get overly angry. The few times Showoff stole anything of his, he'd let the salamandyr keep it. Completely robbed him of his fun, it seemed, since the bronze begrudgingly returned most of the shinies with the occasional biting insult. It was ironic how much Showoff reminded him of K'lir in that respect. If he didn't get a response he liked, he let it go completely. Silly creature.

While he was thinking about it, though, Rawign turned a glance toward Lennae, sparing her an interested look. "Salamandyrs - when they run - K'lir said it's as strong as dragonflights. Not that I know anything about that, but it's an interesting thought since firelizards have no where near that level of intensity. Even when my blues would chase after Roxie, it never got that bad." He pondered, then eyed Showoff. "Andddd.... that's about all I know about them, other than the fact that my girlfriend and I found the nest where the first salamandyr at the Weyr was hatched. His mate, Dael, to be more specific." He jutted his chin toward Showoff to explain what he meant. "The clutch he hatched from had firelizards, too."

Clearly ignoring Rawign, Showoff edged around the offered plate before skirting away from it. He was full. However, this one was interesting, and he couldn't help but scamper further across the table before jumping onto the side of her arm. His little claws clasped as carefully as he could into the shirt she wore and he climbed up until he was on her shoulder, his head resting right next to the greenrider's ear. Then, without any hints of modesty, he proceeded to climb right up onto her ear and curl around it, his entire body bending and twisting, with his head resting at the very top curve of her ear. His tail lightly fell against her shoulder, too long to be of any use. Satisfied with his position, he vibrated and made a sound, low in his throat, almost like a purr; clearly of pleasure.

Flying stupids bad, the bronze explained, nipping her ear (surprisingly gently) before flaring his frill lightly. Noisy, ugly stupids...

"I've yet to meet a salamandyr that likes dragons, whers or firelizards," Rawign explained, his attention going back to his pie. It was almost completely gone. "Showoff and Calistoth apparently bicker constantly. Hear K'lir tell it, they hate each other. I think Lust and Phremath get along okay but I've never asked. All of them seem to hate my firelizards, although Showoff and Roxie get along okay... most of the time. That in itself is odd, since Roxie is the most obnoxious of the two." Another bite of his pie. Mm. "Do you have any plans to buy anything here?"

[weaving]

“Anything that shines? A shame that most of my things have rusted over then. Poor S’rei, though I can’t imagine that one belt buckle is worth the disruption of the weyr.” A belt buckle wasn’t difficult to replace, especially for someone of S’rei’s status. Though he wasn’t the Weyrleader any longer, it was no secret that many within the weyr still thought of him that way. Then again, the man was prone to fits of anger, if she remembered correctly. Something about him throwing a chair at someone or something. Ah well. She watched Rawign stroke Showoff with interest. Much as he spoke of the annoyance of Showoff, he certainly seemed to enjoy the ‘mandyr’s presence.

“Like dragonflights? Faranth…going through it with Amith is enough. Greens fly often enough as it is without having another creature that affects you much the same way. Poor K’lir.” She shook her head at the idea. She couldn’t remember Amith’s flights too clearly, the drugs from High Reaches made certain of that. Just the thought of that made her skin crawl, though some part of her still craved for them. Maybe she would talk to Rawign about some herbs later. For now she needed to get her mind off of it as much as she could.

Showoff shocked her out of her thoughts. She watched with amusement as he scampered up her arm, her look turning to surprise as he continued across her shoulder and then up her ear, wrapping himself around it completely. As odd as all that was, it was the purring that caused her to laugh, both from the odd feeling of the vibrations and the actions of the bronze. It was awfully cute and she wavered for a moment, on the brink of actually considering attending the next salamandyr hatching. That was, until Rawign mentioned that the species as a whole didn’t get along with dragons, whers, or firelizards.

“Remind me to avoid any salamandyr hatchings at all costs,” she told Rawign. “Amith gets along with just about everyone, but I wouldn’t want to see the day that she’d finally snap. Though for now she insists that she’d love one.” Lennae rolled her eyes at that. She had no intention of trying the green’s patience, though so far it seemed infinite. In fact, Amith was more likely to be afraid of the salamandyr, or at least its words.

“My flying stupid wants to meet you Showoff, crazy creature that she is. She’s convinced that you’re utterly sweet and charming. Are you?” Lennae lifted her hand, reaching up to gentle rub the ‘mandyr’s spine. He was so tiny compared to firelizards and yet his personality was bigger than any living thing she’d met. She glanced toward Rawign as he spoke, her attentions toward Showoff momentarily forgotten.

“I can’t say that I’m looking for anything in particular. I’m sure there’s plenty I ought to buy, but my pouch is far from full. Marks weren’t really important there…” she let the last bit trail off. That was getting back into dangerous territory. “What about you?” She asked with sudden cheerfulness. She wouldn’t let that place get to her, not here. “Looking for anything in particular?”

[glamourie]

"You can hide with me. Last time I went to one, I walked away with two firelizards. That," he indicated Showoff to show what he meant, "hatched at the same hatching. I still think I got the better deal." Of course, he'd take Showoff over C'lryn's monster any day. He did not say that outloud. His opinion was, though, that the little bronze was a lot easier to control. C'lryn, at least, seemed to have a constant array of issues when it came to his green salamandyr - amidst her biting and shrieking insults at people. As far as he saw, the creature did not possess even the smallest affectionate streak, and that was... just appalling in his opinion. Showoff at least could be affectionate, usually when he wanted something, but he did know how to be sweet. If anyone asked what Rawign thought of Showoff he'd have simply explained that the salamandyr was wickedly clever - sometimes to the point of near-human level intelligence. Most salamandyrs weren't that smart, from his experience... but Showoff did not qualify as the norm; in fact, Showoff qualified as the exception. Sometimes he could be cute, too.

Amith. Amith. Rawign remembered her, but thinking about her made his heart sink. Lennae was one of many who had Impressed while he got left standing. He didn't expect to ever be successful in Impressing. He was just... not extraordinary, not special, not worthy. Firelizards liked him but they were the only ones. Even salamandyrs didn't, although he would not have wanted one. Sigh. He brought one hand up to rest on his chin as he took another bite of his pie. It sounded like Lennae was lucky in that she had a rather nice dragon - fortunate for her, since he'd met at least one nasty one. Calistoth was very memorably... nasty

"Not really," Rawign answered as he watched Showoff make himself comfortable on Lennae's ear. "I don't particularly need anything. I've been hoping to buy a new bag to carry around some of my herbs - mine got destroyed - but other than that my plans are to spend my marks on pies. If you need anything and it's not that expensive, I wouldn't mind buying some for you. It's not as though I've much to spend them on, and anyway, it gives me a chance to pretend I'm hitting on you and make Marra explode. If you're game, that is." He grinned widely, unable to help himself. He half-expected a slap as no woman liked to be 'used' but at least he was forthright about his intentions and offering her fair compensation for her time. Besides that, Lennae struck him as highly interesting. He could see why K'lir was so fond of her. They really hadn't spoken before though - K'lir had tried to introduce them but... hatching chaos and all.

Chirruping, Showoff made himself comfortable and looked at the side of Lennae's face. Patiently (surprisingly enough!) he waited for Rawign to finish speaking before piping up, Me charming, very charming, very sweet, me charming sweet. Charming. Pleased with himself, he rubbed his body against the hinge of the greenrider's jawline, then relaxed. Winged stupid charming like me? Releasing his hold on Lennae's ear, he dropped down to her shoulder and scrambled down the length of her arm before climbing right onto the back of her hand. Then he stood on his hindlegs again and cocked his head to the side curiously. What winged stupid?

"I think he wants to know what color Amith is," Rawign explained as he finished off his pie, then slouched back in his chair. "Or what kind of 'winged stupid' she is - flit or dragon. Not sure though..."

[weaving]

He was offering to buy her things. She immediately grew wary, mentally shrinking away though she kept the same pleasant face, letting nothing of her thoughts show. She wanted to trust Rawign, he was a healer after all and he wasn’t looking at her the way others did. Though her instincts screamed that there was nothing wrong with him, she simply couldn’t trust herself anymore. After all, her instincts had also told her that High Reaches would be a place where she could make a difference and look how that had ended up.

His further explanation concerning making Marra jealous relaxed her a tad. He would be using her then. Though most women wouldn’t appreciate that sort of thought, it comforted her. It gave her an explanation for his generosity that didn’t involve him simply being kind because he actually cared. Really, he should hate her. She had impressed and he hadn’t and yet she had gone and thrown that gift away, turning her back on Selenitas to become a useless drug addict. If he wanted to use her to upset his girlfriend, then shards, she deserved it. It was better than genuine caring.

“Just don’t blame me when she does explode. This was entirely your idea,” she replied, shaking off any grim thoughts and smiling as brightly as she could manage. “I’ll be able to pay you back the next time they dole out salaries.” She wondered what he would think if she asked for a knife. Hers was old and dull and rather poorly made. It was about time she got a new one and it would motivate her to get back into shape.

She smiled at Showoff’s caresses and the way he affirmed just how charming and sweet he was. “Indeed, you are the most charming salamandyr I’ve ever met.” She conveniently left out that he was also the only one that she had ever met. She doubted that she would meet many others, preferring not to mingle with the other inhabitants of the weyr unless she had to.

“What color? Oh, why Amith is a green. A green dragon.” She answered both of Showoff’s possible questions, looking squarely at the bronze as he stood on her hand. “She’s quite shy. I think that you might scare her.” It would probably make him feel proud of himself that he could scare a creature that could easily crush him and it was rather close to the truth. Though Amith thought the best of everyone, loud creatures, especially one like Showoff, made her nervous.

“You wouldn’t be mean to her on purpose though, would you? You’re such a nice ‘mandyr after all. Such a gentleman.” Showoff seemed to love compliments and if they kept him well behaved, she would flatter him all day long.

Glancing up at Rawign, she raised her eyebrow in question. “Ready to have a look around?”

[glamourie]

Rawign raised an eyebrow and then motioned distractedly. "Of course I won't blame you. I won't let her, either. It would do her well to get riled up over something worthwhile for once.. instead of panicking over the fact that I chose to, gasp, sleep in the candidate barracks after having an entire night shift in the infirmary. Honestly, the way she acts, you'd think she believes I'd honestly cheat on her." He'd never once considered it. Despite numerous questions of why, Rawign was startlingly loyal to Marra. She may have been impossible, but he loved her, as much as he was able to love anyone. They fought constantly, yes, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't live to see middle age at the rate they were going (she certainly stressed him out enough), but he did love her. It was hard for him not to yell at her from time to time, but going in he'd known just how impossible she was, and was willing to put up with it most of the time. Sometimes she wasn't quite so impossible and he firmly believed he got to see a nicer side of Marra that the public never saw. Still, that didn't mean he didn't take a ridiculous amount of joy in making her squall, especially when it was over something she had no reason to fret about. Lennae was attractive enough in an odd sort of way but she wasn't his type, and Rawign didn't think of her as anything more than a casual associate and half-patient. One did not hit on one's patients. Not in seriousness, at any rate.

Her explanation of paying him back earned a mute nod. Rawign was tempted to tell her that she didn't need to - it wasn't as though he had trouble acquiring marks, considering the amount of time he spent in the infirmary - but he decided against it. That she offered meant she wasn't the type of person to take handouts and it would probably be a shot to her ego to take anything from him, let alone not have to pay it back. That aside, from what he'd heard about High Reaches, life for the riders there was on the chaotic side. It wouldn't hurt to get back into the swing of acting responsible and having something to work toward, he supposed. Either way he wouldn't risk insult by implying he didn't want her marks. He didn't, but sometimes there was more to an offer than that, and Rawign, despite all appearances, was not dim by any means. He took hints decently enough.

Standing up, Rawign carefully collected the dishes from his pie and set them on one of the carts to be washed by gather tenants. His gaze flicked over to Lennae as she addressed Showoff and he smirked, unable to help himself. If he didn't know any better he would have believed she liked the little guy. Fancy that.

Showoff preened slightly at the compliment and flared his wings and frill, not in an aggressive display but simply out of vanity. His frill was beautiful in his own opinion, with the vivid almost red lines that marked him as unique, and he very much loved to show it off. His little wings flapped happily and he stood up higher on his hind legs before losing his balance and falling over onto his back with a cry. Hissing, the salamandyr righted himself and stretched out again before giving the greenrider's hand a look that surely could be classified as murderous. How dare it cause him to fall over and look the part of a fool. No, it wasn't his fault, it was the hand - all the hand. It should have propped him up.

Greenling greenling. Like greenlings winged stupids, Showoff explained cheerfully. There were a couple green winged things he liked. Roxie was one of them and he had the barest tolerance for Calistoth due to lack of options. That and she was gradually becoming highly entertaining. So many pretty words did the evil big ugly know. He didn't like her much but she had her uses, and Showoff had grown to tolerate her. My winged stupid go fly go booooom. It amused him to think of a dragon as scared of him, and he curled up in Lennae's hand, contentedly thrumming his pleasure. No mean winged stupid no fly go boom.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Lead on, m'lady," Rawign replied with a raised eyebrow, before holding out one hand to her. "I can take him if you'd prefer. He'll probably bite me, but it won't be the first or last time. He likes chewing on me for some reason."

[weaving]

Marra, Marra, Marra…the name was familiar to her, though she didn’t think that she had ever met this woman. At the last gather she had been to Marra had been one of the harpers, hadn’t she? Vaguely Lennae remembered the woman snapping at Rawign on the dance floor and then storming off. She hadn’t been paying too much attention to them, her focus having been on K’lir. Based on what she had seen then, Marra did seem the type prone to jealousy.

“They say that love has an odd way of showing itself,” she commented, though left it at that. Having never been in a real relationship, Lennae wouldn’t pretend to know about such matters. The fact that Marra would be jealous of her at all was rather amusing. From what she remembered of the harper, she was far more attractive than Lennae. The greenrider also hardly knew the healer and while she found him to be pleasant company, she couldn’t honestly say that she was attracted to him. She found K’lir much more to her tastes, though she would never admit that out loud, especially to someone like Rawign, who was one of his best friends. Besides, maybe it would change when she saw him again.

As Showoff lost his balance, falling backward onto her hand, she tried hard to stifle a smile. Clearly the bronze had pride, giving her the feeling that he most definitely wouldn’t appreciate being laughed at. “My hand is terribly sorry for making you fall over,” she told him in as serious a tone as she could manage. By the way Showoff glared at her hand, she guessed that he blamed it entirely for his tumble. “It will make sure that it never happens again.” The more she talked to him, the more the ‘mandyr grew on her. Would she change her mind and attended one of the hatchings, Faranth no, but it didn’t mean that she couldn’t enjoy Showoff.

“Your winged stupid went booom?” The words confused her for a moment. “Calistoth?” She guessed, though she was still unsure. It fit well enough. Perhaps he was talking about the green rising. Amith had told her that the green would be rising today, which had played a large roll in deciding to come to the gather. Though riders were fairly good at ignoring the lust of greenflights, Lennae was particularly vulnerable at the moment, every emotion heightened after being dulled by the drugs for so long. She didn’t trust herself to be back at the weyr when Calistoth rose.

Lennae couldn’t help but smile as she took Rawign’s proffered hand. “I don’t mind holding him for now, unless you’re particularly feeling like being turned into a chew toy.” She was enjoying Showoff’s company quite a bit, for despite Rawign’s warnings about him being a nuisance, he was, in her eyes, quite charming. The thought that it could all be an act in a ploy to get her to do as he wanted never occurred to her. A creature that small simply couldn’t be so manipulative.

[glamourie]

Odd ways indeed. Marra was... particularly strange. Rawign was very fond of her, but... he knew almost no one else who liked her. His girlfriend had a special skill for angering people that surpassed even K'lir's ability to get under other people's skin. She blew up over everything, was quick to slap and screech, very fast to throw objects and she rarely listened to reason. It begged the question of why he bothered with someone like her and even Rawign wasn't sure of the answer; he felt certain plenty of women at the Weyr would have been happy to have him, he was quite convinced he was good looking and far more personable than his harper counterpart. He was startlingly loyal to her, though, and though he'd never really been with anyone before Marra, he did think the word 'love' applied to how he felt about her. That was not to say that he could not see her flaws, but he cared about her despite them and there was little he wouldn't have done to keep her from harm... though irritating her was one of his favorite pastimes. Marra was not the only one with a weird way for showing her affection.

Rawign's gaze followed Lennae as she spoke to Showoff and he could not surpress a minor amount of amusement at her clear indulgence of the little creature. It took all of his effort to bottle up laughter at her verbal response and he snorted sharply, one hand coming up to cover his mouth as a result. It was no wonder Showoff was spoiled beyond recognition or redemption - everyone seemed to cater to his more irritating quirks, as if he was funny. Make something tiny and everything it did was forgivable, apparently.

However, to explain what Showoff meant, Rawign nodded toward Lennae. "Calistoth's supposed to be Rising today, I think. K'lir was most irate at not getting to come here," he admitted with a lofty shrug. "I think his exact response was that Calistoth timed it perfectly to keep his attention all to herself or some such. He's been in a foul temper for the past couple tendays though. Beka of Thoth - Calistoth's last mate - she was pregnant. Had a baby, actually; little baby boy. Amber-eyed and black-haired, named him Kahrelir. I'm pretty sure some part of 'Lir exploded at the idea of being a father. I know I did." He snorted, but did not make an effort to take Showoff from her; if she wanted to hold him that was just fine with Rawign. It wasn't as if the monster was his pet, after all. Instead, Rawign had no problem gossiping (gasp, shock) and led Lennae off toward the other stalls without hesitation. "Beka didn't tell him 'til the last minute. Like, as far as I know, right before she gave birth. Pregnant from the flight. Not sure how she managed that, since betweening usually prevents that but - I'm rambling, should I stop?"

She might have found it rude for him to ramble so, but there was very little they had in common. Rawign didn't like long gaping silences, at least not with strangers he intended to spend any time with. In his experience it was uncomfortable for everyone involved. With friends he had no problem, but he liked to feel people out, try to get to know them. High Reaches was a bad topic so he'd observed, at least for Lennae, and dragons themselves were a bad topic for him; some part of him was quite bitter when it came to that. Which meant that he had to find neutral ground to discuss lest they fall into a pattern of awkward glances and nothing more. K'lir seemed an easy enough conversational topic since they both knew him and Rawign was almost positive she had no idea about Kahrelir. He pitied the greenrider a touch, mainly because the idea of a baby made Rawign want to run away and hide. He was just glad that the contraceptives were just working.

Showoff curled his entire body around Lennae's hand and chirruped pleasantly, pleased by her scolding of her so-rude hand. It should not have dared to insult him that way! He displayed for a moment, then relaxed, happy to be held. Is mine, green is mine go boom zoom. Pretty-notmine... shinies! As they passed the jewelry stall, Showoff's eyes lit up, and Rawign glanced over at him, but unlike what he would have done with K'lir, he did not make a jump for anything in particular. He'd claimed Lennae as his.