Peaceful mornings... or not. {Tags: Kaegan}

[glamourie]

"I know. I'm sorry."

Rawign frowned at his pair of firelizards. First he'd lost Beggar, then Ennayoh, all in one sitting. The firelizard plague had taken two of his blues. He recognized the signs when Li began to get sick and carefully fed and watered him, gave him a few special herbs and wrapped him in warm rags, but... while it had dragged out, Li, too, fell. He'd been more than a little distressed. And then Stumpy got sick. Rawign followed the same treatment with the blue and, to his surprise, Stumpy had gotten well again. Stumpy had survived. The smallest of his blues and most docile of his firelizards survived. Roxie never got sick at all. From five down to two firelizards. It was highly depressing.

The fact that Roxie was mad at him was also depressing. The little green had puffed up most effectively and was flapping her wings at her humanpet. Her anger, however, had nothing to do with Li, Beggar or Ennayoh; she'd forgotten about them completely. No, she was most furious because --

"You cannot have the last of my meatroll. I have to eat too, you know."

-- Rawign would not give her his meatroll. The green shrilly chirped and bounced off of his shoulder before landing on a nearby rock. The healer snorted indignantly at her before reaching up to rub the blue perched on his other shoulder. His other hand brought the meatroll to his lips and he nibbled it thoughtfully. Roxie was spoiled. Very, very spoiled. He'd given her way too much leeway as a hatchling and she expected it in adulthood. Bad results. How to teach her to be more respectful? He didn't know. He just didn't know. Punishing her was worse on him - and everyone within hearing range, considering how loudly she squawked and how horribly tempered she was. At times, Rawign thought he needed some kind of ear protection.

It was a pretty day, though, and he couldn't stay upset long, despite Roxie's mood. He tuned her out and stretched out on his back, lying flat on the ground. All in all he was quite relaxed. It was mid morning and he hadn't slept yet. He'd been up most of the night... delivering babies; specifically, delivering Cezine's babies. The urge to go back to the candidate barracks was nearly exhausting, but he'd settled for slipping out to the riverside to sleep in the sunlight, bask in the warmth and hide from Marra. He did care about her, but after seeing someone give birth, the absolute last thing he wanted to lay eyes on was his girlfriend. He just thanked the fates that he was not a father, yet. He half-expected that to change before the Turn was out, at the way everyone was going. There was totally something in the water. There just had to be.

As he squirmed back against the ground, Roxie snatched the meatroll from his fingers and flew off with it. Scowling, Rawign watched her before looking at Stumpy. The blue was cuddling up to his neck. "She's wicked, that female. What did we do to deserve her?"

[Tashe]

/I'm. Going. To. Eat. Him./ NO! Millieth! Stop being so touchy! Grabbing hold of her Runner's pommel as he shied and reared, the young woman squawked and thanked Farnath for her riding ability. "Condor! Shhhh. Condor she's not going to hurt you!" It took the girl only a few moments to calm her Gelding down, but in that span of time, the angry Dragon had taken off down the trail, heading toward the River. "No! Run Condor, Run fast!" Nudging the Red on with her calves, the Junior Weyrwoman felt the mass of quivering muscle bolt forward, despite his fear of the angry Gold. "MILLIETH. LEAVE DASH ALONE!" Almost falling off of her bareback pad multiple times as her Gelding took the turns in the forest with shuddering speed, Kaegan shrieked as they almost crashed into the Gold herself, causing Condor to rear and throw the Weyrwoman off. "Ow... ow ow..." Opening her eyes to the sight of a giant, velvety muzzle in her face, Kaegan reached up and used the Runner as leverage to get up. "Millieth... were is Dash?" /In my mouth./ "HE'S WHAT?" /Are you deaf? I said he's in my mouth./ "SPIT HIM OUT RIGHT NOW! He's MY Salamandyr! Just because he called you FAT does NOT mean you can EAT him!" /He insulted me!/ Growling as she pointed a slender finger up at the Gold, Kaegan barred her teeth. "So help me if I ever get pregnant! I hope to Farnath I don't act as childish as you!" That seemed to strike a nerve in the Gold, for she let the Brown drop from her closed maw and onto the ground, forcing Kaegan to stumble forward and save him from being splattered.

"Oh no. Millieth, don't you dare.... MILLIETH." /YOU NEVER LOVED ME!/ "MILLIETH!" Groaning as her dragon ripped down the path once more in a fit of a mood swing, Kaegan felt like she could cry in frustration. "Why me! Why did I 'ave to get stuck with a Gold? I don't need anotha' frustration in my life!" It was a rare thing to witness the Weyrwoman slip back into her old way of speaking, the one she had been used to speaking before Impressing, and it only happened when she was on her last nerve. Because you smart! Calm! You pretty, understand Goldyangrypants! Vaulting up onto Condor's back, Kaegan asked him for another Canter, taking the turns at a gallop scared her to much to do it again. "Guh. I wish some days, I was a Greenrider. They at leas' don't 'ave to deal with pregnant dragons!" More Flights. Moremoremoremore Much! "True... Faster Condor." Leaning over her Runner's neck to avoid a tree branch, the Goldrider shielded her eyes from Rukbat's rays as they emerged onto the River's bank.

Immediately picking out the fleeting frame of her pudgy Gold as she drew the Red into a prancing halt, Kaegan watched in horror as Millieth headed straight for a person. Not bothering with any persuasion, the Queenrider went straight for a kick, causing Condor to lunge forward and transition into a canter. The Queen was drawing closer to the man, making Kaegan think she was just going to trample him, but in stead... she took a running leap, sailing directly over the man before skidding to a halt and crossing the river, something Kaegan couldn't do because of it's depth. "Farnath preserve!" Moodypants! Moodypants! "Hoa. Hoooa." Reining the Runner into a trot and then into a gated walk, Kaegan pulled up next to the man Millieth had jumped, an awkward sense of Deja Vu accompanied the scene. "Oh shards. I'mma sorry 'bout that! Millieth is a lil' moody today... almost ate lil Dash 'ere." Motioning to her shoulder where the Salamandyr clung to her dark green cloak, Kaegan ran a hand through her wind tussled curls, calming herself down so she could speak normally. "Er... I hope she didn't scare you half to death... again, Rawign."

Looking down from her vantage point upon Condor's back, the Goldrider cast a glance to the Gold who had her back turned upon them before dismounting gracefully. "I hope she didn't hurt you... though it looked like she got a good amount of air above you." Wringing her gloved hands, Kaegan felt a gush of wind catch her clothing before letting them fall back into their normal place. A dark green cloak adorned her shoulders with a golden clasp to keep it in place, while underneath it a black long sleeve tunic was tucked into gloves of the same color of her cloak. Plain Brown breaches were stuffed into black knee-high boots and supported by a dark green leather belt, creating the sort of look some one would wear if they were out hunting in a forest. Which, incidentally, was exactly what Kaegan was doing... hunting for her Salamandyr and Gold in the forest, although the clothing choice was completely random.

Offering her hand down to the man, her famous nervous smile playing across her lips, the Goldrider felt her back being nuzzled by her Gelding. "Er... need a hand up?"

[glamourie]

What was that sound? Rawign blinked and opened his eyes before half-sitting up. It sounded like a stampede of something was coming his way. He turned to look toward the river, but saw nothing; odd. Then he turned to his other side just in time to see a flash of gold leap high above his head and his heart stopped as the shadow passed over him. His gaze followed the dragon as she tore off across the river and he stared at her with eyes the size of saucers, pupils dilated as small as they could be, and his face blanching to an interesting milky-white shade. He never quite sat up, either, instead propping himself up on his elbows the entire time, even as he heard speaking and hooves approaching. His only thought as he gazed at the queen was that history loved repeating itself. That or Millieth just greatly enjoyed jumping over him. He supposed he should've been grateful she bothered, and didn't simply plow him over as if he wasn't there. Golds were scary.

Note to self: Do not rest outside by the river if there was even the slightest possibility that Millieth was around.

"Is she okay?" Rawign asked without turning around; he recognized Kaegan's voice from the last time that Millieth decided to use him as a hurtle. His gaze lingered on the gold and he clucked his tongue softly before adding, "Are you kidding? After delivering babies all night, Millieth is downright refreshing. At least I know I don't have to deliver hers. She does that all on her own. I'm fine - she did get quite a bit of air over me. I'm... less frightened now that I know it was her, too. Not like it's the first time she's done that." He paused, then finally turned back to look at Kaegan. His heart felt like it was about to explode. He was scared out of his mind, but Kaegan looked distressed enough without him adding to it, and he was trying to be considerate. It was more shock than anything else. Millieth hadn't hurt him; she hadn't even touched him. She managed to be careful, intentional or not. "I'm beginning to think that she likes me."

Actually, he was. Considering that Millieth seemed to like throwing herself over him every time he saw her, he couldn't help but wonder if that meant she liked him. She did, after all, go out of her way to avoid trampling him into mush, a fact which he was immensely grateful for as he liked his insides right where they were.

Stumpy squirmed against his neck, reminding Rawign of his presence, and the healer lifted one hand to stroke the blue firelizard consolingly. The movement made him lose his balance and he flopped back onto the ground on his back. Casually, he played it off as intentional, rolling over onto his side to face Kaegan with Stumpy climging onto the top part of his arm. The blue chirruped a greeting toward Kaegan and Rawign shook his head slowly before climbing to his feet. The movements were clumsy, but he managed it all right, and dusted himself off with care. The sand fell easily away from his knee-length pants; they'd been cut to allow for lounging properly, and the ends were frayed. Coupled with the emerald green top, he looked like he was going for a color theme -- green eyes, black hair; green tunic, black leggings. It was mostly unintentional; Rawign didn't dress up often. He also didn't wear his marks.

"I'm flattered you remember me, Junior Weyrwoman." It was truth. He did not talk to very many riders. Kalierre sometimes, Ka'rys and K'lir. Sometimes Cezine and Z'hin. Otherwise, Rawign for the most part kept to himself, or in the infirmary. "But don't worry; I really am fine." His heartbeat was even slowing to a proper pace. "You don't owe me any apology. I've been dealing with pregnant females all night as I said. Millieth is hardly the most difficult." She was, however, the largest. "Is your salamandyr okay?"

[Tashe]

"Oh, she's fine. I sware... she's the biggest Drama Queen in the universe when her belly's full of eggs. No pun intended of course." It really was the truth, Millieth got so emotional after a flight, that Kaegan almost felt like calling her a fickle female human. "Ugh. Being connected to her WHILE she's giving birth is like enduring Farnath's wrath. Its like she's a human woman screaming at you to get them out... without actually screaming about getting them out. The anger is almost tangible. Not a good place to be..." Shaking her body so that her curls fluttered slightly, the Goldrider tucked her thumbs into the loops that held her belt. "Its a good thing then, I wouldn't want to have one of our dwindling Infirmary staff maimed! I've seen the charts and requisition forms you guys send up to the records office for approval and what not, I'm glad to see there are people signing up for Dragonhealing apprenticeships. What with Benden looming over us to the North..." Most people didn't think that Kaegan actually did much and were surprised to hear her speak about their departments if she joined a conversation, but in actuality, the Queenrider did many lower level administrative things. Basically, the stuff Shmee didn't have time to get to, or decided it was better if Kaegan did it, including approving supply orders and the like. "Well, you're right, you seem to be the only human Millieth actually takes the time to jump over. Everyone else she simply steps over them."

Watching as the Candidate's firelizard peeked out, the woman smiled at it when it cheeped a greeting. "Why hello. You're a handsome Blue aren't you?" Looking at the Flitter, Kaegan couldn't help but notice the man's clothing, noticing something in the process. "We match... er... for the most part I suppose." While her outfit made her red hair stand out like a mane, Rawign's blended in, opposites and yet a like. "Sorry, that was rather... random. But yes of course I remember you. I always remember a friendly face, especially if that face has just been accosted mentally by my Gold." Shaking her head with a tiny shrug of her small shoulders, the Queenrider noticed her Mandyr scurry down her arm and crook his head at the Man, understanding he was being spoken about. "Oh, Dash? He's fine, a little shaken, but not stirred. He's a tough one, I bet he even enjoyed the ride, after getting over the initial shock."

Shuffling her wings unhappily as she sulked across the river, Millieth huffed before pushing a stone around with her nose. She was angry at Her's, but it was no fun being alone, no one to talk to! Twisting her head slightly so that she could listen in on the conversation that the two humans were having, the Gold pretended to be ignoring them, but only just pretending.

[glamourie]

Rawign tilted his head slightly, then smiled. He didn't think Millieth was that bad. He'd certainly seen plenty of dramatic women in his life. While running across the riverline and throwing herself over people surely qualified as embarrassingly dramatic, at least Millieth was justified to some degree. He could list off a few who were terribly dramatic for no reason at all. Not all of them were female, either. No, he most definitely did not hold the incident against Millieth. Nor did he the first time, although... he had a lot more experience with dragons since then. The last time he'd dealt with Millieth, it was shortly followed by Aslath throwing him off the Sands. Needless to say his experiences with queens were far from good and he was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he seemed to bring out the absolute worst in most of them. At least he wasn't petrified anymore. Circumstances had nulled most of that to a dull throb in the back of his mind. Being attacked by felines and saved by dragons made it considerably harder to fear said dragons. He was also busy working as a dragonhealer, which helped some. He'd gotten over it. Mostly. Probably.

The indepth explanation made Rawign blanch. He couldn't help it, and he didn't respond immediately, which was probably for the better, as Stumpy chose that moment to crawl around Rawign's shoulders so that he was closer to Kaegan. Curiously, the blue fluted at her, surprised that she had answered back. Most people didn't seem to bother. He curled his tail tighter around His before looking up at Rawign questioningly. Could this one be trusted...?

"We do match," Rawign replied softly as he looked over his outfit, then hers. "Coincidence, I assure you... and I'm glad Dash is all right." He paused, then looked down at the tops of his feet before laughing in embarrassment. "Talk like that makes me almost glad I'm a failure of a candidate, you know -- I don't think I could ever handle actually feeling the, um, mental effects of giving birth. Things like that make me respect women more... and thank Faranth that the contraceptives work." He wasn't sure he could ever deal with a baby. His gaze lingered on Stumpy as he spoke, and as an after thought, he added, "I'm down to two. I used to have five. Li, Ennayoh and Beggar -- you met two of them. Li and Beggar..." The little bronze had taken a peculiar fondness to Millieth and he was fairly sure that Li had a crush on her. But Li was gone. Li got sick and didn't make it. The thought made his stomach turn over.

To change the topic, he indicated Stumpy with one finger and visibly brightened. "This is Stumpy. Stumpy, have I ever introduced you to Kaegan? I don't think I have. Say hello?" The blue fluted again, then scolded Rawign; didn't he realize he'd done that already? Silly humanthing. Rawign ignored the scolding. "The pretty gold over there is Millieth, she looks to Kaegan. I think she's a bit distracted now, though, so don't bother her, okay?"

The words 'pretty gold' seemed to have a magical effect on Stumpy, who chattered animatedly and took to wing. Rawign blinked and watched him fly over to one of the vines lining the forest. The blue firelizard snagged a vivid red bloom and carried it carefully in his claws over the river, flying casually, before dropping it at Millieth's feet. Then he fluted again, and Rawign blinked again, visibly surprise. "Um. How 'bout that... He usually is terrified of golds and bronzes. Kali's bronze salamandyr ate his tail when he hatched... Odd... You'd think he'd be scared of her, wouldn't you?"

[Tashe]

"You're not a failure. It just takes some time!" Dash had crawled down her arm and onto the back of her hand, whining to her about his vantage point, the Mandyr was able to convince Kaegan to lift her hand to let him be closer to the manhumanthing. "Oh no, little Li and Begger? Oh dear, I'm so sorry... Azaran won't be happy at all, he liked your little Li, Millieth secretly did too. Not many Flitters could stand up against her." Inclining her head in the memory of the two Flitters that had passed on into the Between, the Queenrider interlaced her fingers and touched them to her head, a tradition that her family had done to pass their feelings onto those that had died. Only the protests from her Mandyr drew her from her reverie early, letting her unoccupied hand fall to her side. Glancing up at the Blue flitter as he fluted once again, Kaegan flashed the little one a smile before addressing him again. "Hello, again. Pleasure Stumpy. And is that Roxie over there... eating?"

Hiding a giggle behind her hand, the Weyrwoman watched as the Firelizard winged his way over to her large Gold, swooping to get a blossom on the way. "Sounds kinda like me... in a way." Another small breeze picked up her cloak, making it flutter, the soft fabric noise if made reminded her of a baby's claws on the inside of an egg somehow. I must have eggs on the brain... scrambled eggs brain... haha. Shaking her head slightly as she laughed at her own horribly, unfunny mental connection, Kaegan shifted Dash to her shoulder once more. "She's due soon, she's begun to contemplate moving into the Arena... Ah! You will stand at Millieth's Hatching wont you, Rawign?" He was a veteran Candidate and nearing the end of his eligibility to become a dragonrider, she hoped that if he stood this time, the man would impress. He was definitely kind enough, if she were a Dragonette, his mentality (that she knew of) would call to her. "It would mean a lot to Millieth, since its apparent she likes you so much. And maybe this time you'll get your partner! I mean, if Millieth likes you, then at least one of her babies should."

--

The muscle above her eye twitched as the teeny red flower landed near her nose, causing her multicolored eyes to flick up to it's source. /Little Blue cousin. Did you give me this?/ She was amused, and mainly because it was a young, Blue Firelizard who had brought her a the small gift. Millieth hadn't gotten many presents in a while, even the perishable flower was a refreshing change of luck, maybe others would start to give her many things again. Twisting her head so she could gaze up at the Firelizard, the Queen had to admit she enjoyed the company of her flight enabled relations better than the annoying talking ones.


(*thought about putting at the end...... 'Ah! You will stand at Millieth's Hatching and swearing your loyalty to us and only us, wont you, Rawign?' .....but then I realized I was still in Pern and not in a book I'm reading. xD)

[glamourie]

("Yes, Kaegan - I will swear fealty to you and only you!" -- xD?)

Stumpy chirruped to Millieth, his wings fluttering delicately as he bobbed his head in an affirmative response. Pretty flower for the pretty, pretty gold. His eyes whirled contentedly and he preened, pleased - and flattered. The pretty gold spoke to him - him, a little blue! He bounced around in his spot before chittering happily, in what could only be described as the firelizard equivalent of a slew of compliments. She was radiant! Beautiful! Awe-inspiring! And paying attention to him! If he could have died of joy, he may well have right on the spot. As it was, Stumpy simply sent rapid, excited pictures back to Rawign, hoping that His saw how lucky he was.

The healer brought one hand up to his forehead to rub, gently. He loved Stumpy. He did. But sometimes, he was too easily placated. The fact that he used to be outshined by Beggar and Li was evident in how excited Stumpy was to have anyone - especially a queen! - pay attention to him. He made a mental note to lavish affection and praise on the blue later, though he sent him a feeling of warm approval for the moment and hoped that would mollify him. Combined with the fact that Millieth seemed to like the little flower, it seemed to.

Kaegan's response to the news of his firelizards passing flattered him more than he would admit, and Rawign bowed his head slightly and smiled, though it was a weak expression. His gaze lingered on the salamandyr and he tilted his head to the side, tempted to reach out and touch him - but; he chose not to. Sometimes pets responded badly to that. Roxie certainly did. But at the mention of her name, she snapped up her meatroll and returned to Rawign's shoulder to chirrup a curious greeting. Most of it was gone. She was a very quick eater when she was in a rush to avoid being yelled at. Rawign shot her a look, but the green did not appear to notice, instead going right back to her meal and, in the process, she got several shreddings of meat on the candidate's shoulder. He scoffed at her, but turned his attention back to Kaegan, used to his green's antics over the past Turn.

"Li was sick. The same thing that got most of the other firelizards. Stumpy got sick too - but I managed to give him enough meat and crushed herbs in his food that it seemed to pass. I think his immune system is strong for a blue. Roxie never got sick at all. Ennayoh was sick -- he and K'lir's brown, they... Well, Beggar tried to break them up and... The Gather was not exactly fun." He shook his head, then smiled slightly. "I've got these two still. Roxie's noisy and needy enough to make up for everything, and she's been darling lately. For all her fussing, I think she knows me the best. Earlier when Cezine delivered, she and Stumpy made themselves very useful..." More useful than most people would have credited flitters with being, actually. They were both the best friends he had. Yes, he missed the other three, but... Rawign had to admit, the two that remained were the only thing keeping him sane.

Her laughter made him raise his eyebrows and he cocked his head to the side curiously, though he chose not to ask, mainly because he didn't see it as any of his business. However, on the subject of Millieth -- "Um. Well." Awkward. He hadn't really decided one way or the other, though he supposed if Millieth would have wanted it, he didn't see why he couldn't hide behind Mutasim and chuck the other candidate in front of any particularly angry-looking dragonets. He didn't expect to Impress, though. Despite her reassurance, he did feel like a failure; he just was smart enough not to argue the point. "You make it sound like I'm so appealing. I'm flattered. Last time I went to a Touching, I was thrown off the Sands." The memory still made him somewhat weary of golds, but Millieth wasn't Aslath. "I'll be there, though. Wouldn't want to offend her." He paused for dramatic effect, then finished with, "She might not make the effort to jump next time, if I slight her. That would be most unfortunate, wouldn't it?"

[Tashe]

Condor had grown impatient just standing behind the lead-mare-with-two-legs while she chatted it up with another male, a tall-stallion in fact! He wasn't about to lose his lead-mare, she was his companion, not this mare-stealer's. Nickering as he pawed the loose-sink-ground, Condor eyed the two-legger, informally challenging him to try and take his two-legger-lead-mare away. The black and ginger hairs in his tail swished as he tossed his head, making his long mane flutter, trying to get Kaegan-ruler to notice him instead of the other.

Raising her brows as her gelding began to make a fit behind her, the goldrider turned to pet his velvety nose, all the while giving the Runner a reassuring smile. The Red had always been unhappy with the fact she spent time with the other gender, but he seemed to apply it only to other Runners and Humans, Dragon's and their cousins and everything else he seem to mind. Kaegan thought it was rather adorable how possessive he was of her, though it did get a little annoying when she was trying to have a conversation with her male friends. "Hoof-brother, shh. You know I'd never forget about you." Patting his neck hard with the flat of her hand, the redhead used her finger-tips to scratch under his mane before returning her attention to the Candidate. It always struck her as odd, when a person was older than her and still a candidate, it was a weird feeling to be in a higher rank than an older person... even if if was only a few months or a year.

"I really am sorry. I wish we knew what virus ran amuck..." Itching the Gelding's pelt under his mane once more, Kaegan searched for some more words she could put together in a coherent sentence. "We can't fully appreciate the good things we have until we lose one." She know. Frowning at her Salamandyr to quiet his very unneeded comment, Kaegan continued. "Roxie and Stumpy seem as thought they love you a lot. They say up in the North at least, don't know all of your southern sayings yet, the love of a Flitter is the only loyal one you'll have! Though... er... that sorta does and doesn't apply... gosh. I guess I fail terribly at pep talks. I don't know how I'll ever competently help run this Weyr." Shaking her head slightly with a comical shrug of her shoulders, Kaegan had once again, proved to be a horrible giver of logic and shreds of comfort.

The Weyrwoman was glad that he would stand at the hatching, she had grown to decide that she rather liked this Candidate. Holding up a hand, her fingers out stretched, Kaegan smiled slightly. "Well from what I've seen and reasoned out... you like to help things, ergo, becoming a healer. You are kind and have to have at least a partly soft heart, otherwise your Flitters wouldn't mean so much. You protect people, I've heard about that Wild Feline attack, and you aren't insane. Although that last I admit, I can't prove, but from the staffing reports I get, there's nothing screaming at me to chuck in a red flag. So there for, appealing to young minds." Poking the air in front of her with her only remaining finger, she tried to rectify the horrible speech that had ensued only a few moments before. "I have hope that you'll Impress, you'd be an asset to our Rider ranks. And yes, her trampling you would be a horrible happenstance. I doubt she'll toss you though, long as you address her as 'the most honorable and beautiful on the face of Pern' when you come to her touching."

--

Picking the blossom up, using the perfectly sharpened ends of her talons to grasp it, Millieth studied the petals before replacing it near her other foot. /Thank you Little Cousin. It is a very pretty flower./ Although it would be much easier to just tell the flying miniature of her race to flap off, the Gold felt like a little self annoyance, at least this Firelizard was keeping her mind mostly off of Kaegan. Millieth placed her trust in the Runner that she couldn't eat to put up a huge fuss if the fool of a Girl got herself in trouble, the four-legged beast was at least smart enough to do that... plus, that rat faced, son of soggy headed Mandyr was with her. He could also warn her of anything. Though the Gold preferred the Runner's inferior tactics much more appealing.

('Great! Now... I shall appoint you Sir Rawign, and you shall be my bubbly Pie supplier and... *goes off into a stream of appointments*... and finally, you shall be in my cabinet.')

[glamourie]

Dark green eyes lingered on the runner in interest. If he didn't know any better, he'd have assumed the creature felt threatened by him; from the way Kaegan spoke, he may well have been on the mark. Ridiculous, though. He hardly ever spoke to the Junior Weyrwoman. She was surely busy and he did not like to bother other people; he kept to himself more than most would if only out of concern for being a burden. Paranoid though that idea may have been, it was a lingering remnant from his childhood, the smallest boy on a ship with adults, being yelled at to make himself useful or scarce, and his father insisting that it be the former rather than the latter. That was a long time ago; not since he was fourteen. Strange to think the last time that he'd seen his mother or his father was when he was fourteen, when he decided to go on a suicide mission that would doubtlessly have had bad results if he hadn't been plucked up and taken to Healer Hall. Walking on foot from Nerat to Healer Hall near Fort was likely not the best of decisions. Nerat was on the other side of the continent, after all.

Her attempt at comfort made Rawign grin and he looked down slightly before lifting one hand to rub Roxie's back. The little green preened under the attention, then turned and scolded the salamandyr with one sharp chirp; didn't he know not to interrupt? The healer cast the firelizard a look that went ignored, and he cocked his head to the side.

"I'm from Nerat, you know. Not here," he said quietly, though not without a hint of amusement in his voice. Had he become so immersed in southern culture that it was no longer blatantly obvious how long he'd been at Selenitas? He was born in Nerat, near the coast, a small fishing hold, as the oldest of a pair of children born to a moderately gifted fisherman. His mother and father were nothing extraordinary. He'd spent his life fishing with his father until he ran away... but he did take some pride in being from Nerat. The region was dense in rain forests and vegetation; everyone there had a firm knowledge of herbs and plantlife. It was his specialty in healing. "I got here... after you did. I guess you wouldn't have noticed - but I was Searched just before Aslath flew for the first time. Under a sevenday." He grinned slightly, unable to help himself. "I don't think southern sayings would exactly be known to me."

It was easier to talk about his past than to think about the firelizards he'd lost. People could say what they wanted but it hurt badly to lose even one of them. Three in under a turn was extraordinarily difficult. However, that thought was pushed away at her assessment of his personality, and he blushed slightly before looking down. One hand moved up to his hair to brush the messy strands out of his face. Still freshly cut and falling in his face when he wasn't careful. He probably should have sheared it shorter, but the messiness was appealing. The shorter strands made him look his age, in his opinion. He focused more on his hair... "The feline attack wasn't exactly -- Kali told me to go help. So I did. I just do as I'm told." He definitely did not see himself as heroic in any way. He was far from. The fact that he'd been thrown off the Sands just reinforced that he'd been stupid. He kept that thought to himself, though, instead just fidgeting, "Well, if it makes her feel any better, she's by far my favorite of Selenitas's queens." The fact that he'd never met Hepaticath and was scared half to death of Aslath would just be kept to himself. "You flatter me; you don't have to, though. Is she feeling any better?"

Preening slightly, Stumpy curled up on a small rock next to Millieth and bobbed his head in agreement. He thought it was pretty. Tiny, but pretty. He chirruped again, then went still, though his gaze had fallen on his pet and the girl. Curiously, Stumpy cocked his head to the side, watching them for a moment before chittering to himself. He was determined to stay with the pretty gold so that she wasn't alone; if he was a human one might have even thought he was trying to be chivalrous in 'protecting the lady.' Short of Lust or one of the other bronze salamandyrs appearing out of thin air, it was unlikely that Stumpy would leave before Rawign did. He was usually a very patient firelizard.

[Tashe]

Silly Green, silly. Shush shush shush! Hooking her thumbs through her belt, Kaegan cocked her head to the side as Rawign offered up the city he was from, one located in the Northern Continent of Pern. "Nerat, Hmm?" From her extensive periods of hiding in the Benden Archives, the Goldrider remember a few factual tidbits of the hold, mainly how it's climate is humid and moist, and that the Hold held the Farmcraft Hall. "Well now, I didn't know that. I'm from Lemos... Did you really come 'round about the same time I did? I suppose I was much to distracted by Miss Shmee... and avoiding all the men." Lemos Hold was located near the center of the North, fit cozily in the Lemos Mountains near the largest Northern Lake. It housed the Woodcraft Hall, incidentally enough, the major exports were timber and stone, being surrounded by both natural sources. Her father was a brother-through-marriage to the Hold Lord, he had married the youngest of the daughters, but he hadn't turned his back on the common people for he continued to work the Hall as a young master Woodcrafter. Kaegan had been searched when Benden riders had come to commission the Craft Hall for a large carving. "I suppose not then! But you still helped. You could have refused." Giving Rawign a slightly less tentative smile, the Queenrider glanced over to her Dragon, sending her thoughts out. Hear that? You are our favorite Queen. You know you love me... /HMPH. I don't like you, I like him./

"She snorted at me and I quote her, I don't like you, I like him." Shoulders shaking in silent laughter, Kaegan nodded her head in amusement, before answering his question. "It seems so. At least she isn't yelling at me anymore... she'll be right as rain soon enough."

---

Snorting as her Mine contacted her, Millieth responded in unhappy tones, although she had settled down a little since her outburst in the forest. Mine is so annoying! She probably doesn't care about my eggs! She's so busy all the time, I hardly get the chance to be with her... I wish we could bathe more together... play and fly would be good. Drooping her head toward the ground slightly, Millieth had made herself feel guilty, and when you did it yourself it felt pretty bad. /What do you think Little Cousin. Do you think Kaeganmine wants to spend time with me, but she can't leave her duties to the Weyr?/

[glamourie]

The salamandyr was daring to argue with her? Roxie fluttered her wings in agitation and stared down the little creature before scolding - again - this time loudly. Her tail tightened around Rawign's throat in a manner nothing short of possessive and her eyes took on a red hue, daring the little monster to talk at her again. She would be happy to pitch him straight into the river, she would! The only one of the salamandyrs she liked was the red one, because he complimented her (always calling her 'PrettyWingedPretty') and was amusing when she dropped him on people's heads. This one was not nearly so funny. She flipped her wings (bonking Rawign in the head with one of them) and looked at Kaegan expectantly, waiting for her to agree with the scolding no doubt. Roxie was nothing if not bossy, and she was not used to anything daring to defy her. She was Roxie. Didn't he know what that meant? Hmph.

Twitching, Rawign lifted one hand to rub the back of his head where the green had clipped him with her wing, then he gently untangled her tail from around his throat. She was too busy staring down Dash to notice, or he probably would have been bitten for his efforts. "I arrived about three days before Aslath's flight," he explained, carefully peeling the small tail away to keep from being asphyxiated. "Quite the culture shock to arrive just in time for a queenflight. No one thought to warn me the effects that had on anyone, either. You can guess that I was exceptionally uncomfortable."

Actually, he'd been quite tempted to drag some other candidate into his furs and have his wicked way with her. But at the time, Rawign was extremely shy; he'd never really been with anyone before aside from one or two shy little kisses sneaked in between lessons at Healer Hall. He'd simply resolved himself to hiding in the candidate barracks, in one of the furthest corners, away from everyone else. It was uncomfortable and incredibly embarrassing. On everything, the Weyr was so much more lax than the small Hold he'd grown up in and more than once, he wondered whether or not he'd ever get over it. Then Marra left - to Blossom - and things changed. He felt dead inside, but he kept busy, and slowly, the pain lessened. He missed her, yes, but he functioned okay, and Selenitas wasn't such a bad place to be. Eventually, he even grew to be able to smile without her there - and that was when things changed a little for him. He wasn't afraid anymore. At least, not as much.

Looking over toward Millieth, Rawign smiled slightly. "I like her too." She didn't make him feel bad, at least; that made Millieth better in his eyes than Aslath was. He still felt bad, and thinking of the feline attack didn't help. Glancing at Kaegan, he shifted his weight slightly before replying, "More than once I've wished that I did." One hand moved over toward his side, where the claw marks were beneath his shirt. "I think my injuries are why Aslath threw me off the sands to start with. I wish I could say I don't have any regrets, but I really do." Especially since it was all for nothing - Paryal was still killed, and Z'hin... well, if Paryal hadn't called them, Z'hin wouldn't have been hurt either. Selfish, yes, but Rawign wouldn't help but harbor some resentment for the fact that he and Z'hin both were nearly killed and for what? A goldrider who, in the end, still got herself killed. Hardly worth it in his opinion. "I'm glad she seems to be feeling better."

Millieth's question had Stumpy puzzled, and the little blue chittered to himself before looking over toward Kaegan and Rawign. Chirruping, he took to wing and glided onto a rock nearby where he could be seen better and then chattered animatedly as though to answer her question. The 'words', though, were unclear. What was not unclear was the image he sent - of Rawign in the infirmary working, and Roxie sitting nearby, watching, but unable to help. He hoped his message was clearly -- sometimes people were busy, but it didn't mean they loved them any less. He chirruped again and flapped his wings, before sending an image of the hatching sands to Millieth inquisitively. Eggs soon?