know any headache remedies? [: shmee]

[glamourie]

I feel a headache coming on.
I did offer to ask Aslath for you.
Then you'd have one too, though.
I don't get headaches.

Clearly Ciceroth didn't get it, and Ka'rys decided not to explain it to the bronze as he rubbed his temples and slipped, soundlessly, through the hallways to the Senior Queen's weyr. It was just past breakfast, and he'd sent Ophelie first - in secret - to find out where Shmee was. As much as he loathed to admit it, he wouldn't subject Ciceroth to talking to Aslath any more than he liked to subject himself to dealing with Shmee. The woman infuriated him, and after Aslath's little stunt during Tanith's flight (an event Ka'rys was pretending never happened), the bronzerider was sure that Ciceroth was not eager to spend any time with her gold. He couldn't blame her. If he'd been able to find Shmee that day, he probably would have shaken her until she vomited, or worse. He'd been absolutely, positively furious. The ironic thing is that prior to that, he was very, very pleased with Shmee. She'd agreed to the Night Watch; that made him happy, if only because he thought it was a necessity. Shame that temporary approval was so blatantly shattered. Not that it was entirely Shmee's fault. Aslath was who he was really angry with, but he couldn't exactly yell at her (without appearing comical and getting no where). Not that he could yell at Shmee, either. Neither of them listened well.

So why was he subjecting himself to the torture of dealing with the Senior Weyrwoman? Because he'd heard numerous complaints about the wing structure and as Weyrleader, Ka'rys saw it as his job to address those complaints. He owed it to the wings to deal with the impending headache and vague temptation to throw himself off the highest ledge in the Weyr in order to make things more functional during a Fall. The better the wings worked together, the less injuries during a Fall, and that was better for the Weyr in general. Yes, the issue was worth the headache and inevitable desire to bash his own skull in that would follow the conversation with Shmee, but no one ever said he had to be thrilled about it...

Look on the bright side. She can't be happy with Salenth's. Maybe the fight is out of her, and she will actually listen to you, Ciceroth offered cheerfully. Unfortunately, both he and Ka'rys knew that if Shmee and S'rei weren't getting along, odds were he was fixing to get blasted for even looking at her. Shmee had the peculiar habit of taking her temper at every one and thing else in the Weyr out on him - like he deserved it, and he didn't. He was nothing but pleasant to her.. to her face... and he didn't advertise his blatant dislike. He even avoided her. What more the woman wanted, Ka'rys didn't know. He also didn't care. He couldn't change that he wasn't S'rei, and frankly, he didn't want to. She could just tough it out like he was until Aslath flew again. He had no intentions of staying anywhere near the Weyr when that happened, and she should've been happy about that. Then again, Shmee should've been a lot of things that she wasn't.

He was soundless as he reached the doorway of Shmee's weyr. Bare feet rarely made much noise. His arms folded over his chest and the green firelizard he'd sent ahead of him (soundless as she was, she'd merely stopped in the doorway herself; she was afraid of Aslath) daintily moved to perch on his shoulder. She wrapped her tail around his neck and went perfectly still, as quiet as her humanthing; Ophelie was rarely anything short of perfectly behaved. For a firelizard, she was almost startling. It was hard to even notice her. She spent most of her time with Ka'rys, though some was spent with the bronze counterpart. Ciceroth chose his rider's distraction to amble back to the river and his cluster of rocks. He fully intended to lay around and sleep on them, at least until Ka'rys called his attention elsewhere.

"Weyrwoman, might I borrow a moment of your time?" he asked, leaning against the wall. He didn't enter her weyr. He stayed quite pointedly in the entrance. He was not about to give her an excuse to complain at him.

[Administrator]

Shmee, for once, was doing work. Namely, she was working on peoples' salaries. Doing work, she had found, was a very good way at keeping her distracted from thinking about the events of the past few days-- or weeks, since it distracted her from thinking about that fight she had had with S'rei. Still, it left a hollowness in her that was unpleasant to imagine. Looking down at her records with a deadened expression, her quill hovered over P'nor's. He didn't show up for his own wing drill, so she wouldn't give him the bonus that Wingleaders got. Sighing, she tallied in the normal dragonrider's salary. It was disappointing to have a Wingleader like that. It was her biggest mistake when it came to the wings, she supposed, but she had been confident in him. A lot of good her instinct did, she thought grimacing. Looking over quickly at Shei, her eyes softened. Her precious Shei. Every frustration she had (with work, anyway), could always be alleviated by looking at her daughter's cherubic face.

The babe was waking up from a nap, and Shmee decided this was her cue to stop work for a while. Getting up slowly, she stretched blandly. Aslath, too, was waking from a nap. Actually, it wasn't a nap-- she was just waking up after a long night's sleep. The queen had been incredibly sour since that Flight. After Shmee's health seemed safe, the queen allowed herself to turn her anger back to Salenth. She refused to speak to the bronze. What angered her most about this was that she had the impression that he had lied to her to get back into her good graces. He had said that he hadn't Chases any greens since leaving Aslath, yet here he had been, Chasing Tanith as if he had forgotten about Aslath completely. Long ago, the two dragons had discussed love, and Aslath let herself become attached to him. She hadn't thought he was so willing to give it up. It hurt.

Feeling Aslath's emotions mounting, Shmee immediately sent a tired comfort through her mind at her. The gold hissed. She didn't need Salenth, Aslath decided. Even though that was the bronze she had been through the most with, she would find someone else. She hated Salenth. Shmee, letting Aslath think what she wished, made her way to Shei's cradle, picking her up gently.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she murmured as Shei yawned and smiled sleepily at her mother. This was Shei's most peaceful time of day, and it reminded Shmee so much of how S'rei often was in the morning. Would Shei continue to be like this as she grew up? The thought made Shmee feel inexplicably sad.

Then she heard a voice. Frowning as she recognized the voice as Ka'rys, she walked slowly into the main room and towards the entrance, keeping Shei balanced on one hip. "Hello, Ka'rys," she said stiffly, looking him over suspiciously. Now why was he here? Normally, they ignored each other as much as they could. "I suppose you may, if it's important. I'm very busy," she told him slowly, keeping her tone cold. The sooner he left, the better-- but if it was important, Shmee would have to comply. Damn.

[glamourie]

If she was hoping to repel him with icy tones, she was wrong. Ka'rys responded very well to emotional ice. He didn't care about Shmee at all, and his feelings were not remotely hurt that she so blatantly disliked him. It was sheer force of self-control that had kept him from telling the Weyrwoman off for her blatant irresponsibility, disregard for other people's feelings and selfish behavior. Self-control. No, he didn't mind that she wasn't trying to be friendly with him. There was no desire in him to suddenly be friendly to her. None whatsoever. He could work with her on a professional level (provided she let him), but other than that, nothing. Ka'rys didn't like people on a normal level. He liked Shmee even less than he did most.

However, when she came into view, his gaze fell to the baby and he tilted his head to the side. The last time he'd seen Shei, she'd been crying and upset. He was tempted to go over to her, kneel down and talk to the baby, but he doubted Shmee would take kindly to that, or any knowledge that he'd been allowed within a dragon's length of the child without her present. It was a ridiculous fear. He'd never harm her. But there was no talking sense to someone like Shmee, and he didn't try. He did make a point to address Shei, though, and ignored the fact that he was sure Shmee would take as kindly to that as a snowball would to dragonfire, "Hello, little Shei; if you get much more beautiful you'll have to beat the boys away with sticks. Tell your mommy to make sure she teaches you, hm?" For the brief moment his gaze was on the child, it softened considerably; he liked children.

At least, when they were really children. When he turned back to Shmee, the blank expression was back, and his tone was back to sounding close to bored; none of the light, playful lilt that it held when he spoke to her daughter. "I was hoping to talk to you about the Wing organization, if you've the time; I've received several complaints from the riders, as well as some of my own notice, issues that I believe should be addressed before the next Fall. If you're too busy to discuss this with me right now, you are welcome to stop by my weyr later." He did not enter her weyr; she hadn't given him permission, and Ka'rys was nothing if not respectful of personal space much of the time. He also didn't want to deal with the impending headache that would be caused by him daring to enter Shmee's quarters without permission. She'd probably try to say he was attempting to molest her or something equally unrealistic, the wherry-brain.

Aslath's movements had quite a magical effect on Ophelie. The little green firelizard, normally so calm and cool, shivered visibly before disappearing between in terror. She reappeared on Ciceroth's backridges, still trembling, as the bronze made himself comfortable on his rocks by the river. The Senior Queen scared Ophelie half-to-death, from images she'd seen of her raging at firelizards in the past. It wasn't an unrealistic fear at all.

Ka'rys glanced at his shoulder where the firelizard was and mentally cursed. He normally would've made a point to greet Aslath, but he was angry with her for upsetting Ciceroth. The bronze had calmed down but Ka'rys hadn't, not completely. He was being passive aggressive, trying to avoid acknowledging her, as if that would show his disapproval. Not that he expected the Senior Queen gave a flip what some bronzerider her rider hated cared, especially since she clearly didn't respect Ciceroth one little bit. He bit the inside of his cheeks to avoid scowling. The fact that Ophelie was so terrified annoyed him, but he didn't think it was fair to blow up on Aslath or Shmee. They hadn't done anything. Ophelie just... remembered something, indriectly, that made her frightened of the queen on such a level that she refused to be near her.

She hadn't even met Shmee. Ka'rys thought her lucky.

[Administrator]

Shmee was taken aback that Ka'rys spoke to Shei. Not only was she amazed that he bothered to speak to her, but he spoke to her in a sweet and gentle manner. She was so surprised that he had a soft spot that she forgot to be suspicious. Hesitantly, she bounced Shei. She was soft-- even if she didn't really like the person-- if they happened to be genuinely kind to her daughter. Shei grinned, showing off the few little teeth that she had. The babe looked back and forth from Shmee to Ka'rys with her bright little smile, and her eyes were lit up from sheer innocent happiness. Shmee ruffled the soft red curls gently. Shei gurgled, pulling on Shmee's tunic with her little fist and rested her head against her, smiling shyly at Ka'rys. Shmee couldn't help but chuckle a little at the babe's antics. Already, Shei was turning into a social butterfly. Shei seemed to like strangers-- even if they were strangers that her mother didn't like at all.

But that moment was over as quickly as it had begun. Shmee's cold expression took over her delicate features once Ka'rys' attention had been turned back on her. "I've heard those complaints, too," she told him stiffly. He wasn't the only one who had ears around this place, after all. She very well knew what was going on in her Weyr, thank you very much. "I agree they should be taken care of. Now is as good a time as any." Gesturing with her free arm to allow him entrance, she moved forward, leading him to the offices. The offices were seldom used, for Shmee liked doing business in homier places. Whenever she met with anyone, it was in the living quarters, and for business she took care of by herself, she used the bedroom. But with Ka'rys, she wanted to keep it formal. He wouldn't catch her being casual around him.

"So, the biggest complaint I've heard is about P'nor," she stated firmly, opening a drawer and pulling out the list of the wings. "Also, for her sake as well as mine, I'd like to transfer Aliscia to a different wing. Not only do I not like her, but I don't trust myself working with her," she told him calmly. But the reason was mostly out of dislike. No-- not dislike. Loathing. Still, it would be bad for both of them if Shmee got caught up in a moment and got Aliscia killed just because she hated her. No, out of her wing would be a better idea. "What else have you heard?" she asked him, her voice remaining stony. The sooner this was over, the sooner they could leave. Wasting time arguing would only make her need to be with him longer. It was better to just bite the bullet, get it over with, and not talk to him for another few months. That would be a perfect experience under these circumstances.

Had Aslath noticed Ophelie, she may have tried to reassure the flitter. But as it was only a little green flitter, Aslath didn't even notice she was around in the first place. Besides, Aslath was deep in thought. She liked Ciceroth. And since Ka'rys was here, perhaps she should go meet with Ciceroth. He wasn't a liar like Salenth. This was a good bronze who wouldn't dare lie to his queen. They had gotten along well in the past, as well. This made her mind up. The gold lifted off the weyrledge, slowly circling up to go find the bronze. The fact that Shmee hated Ciceroth's meant nothing more than a bond with him wouldn't be as strong as she had with Salenth-- or thought she had. But no matter. He was a good beast.

Spying him on some rocks, she grunted in satisfaction, circling down. Hello, Ciceroth,[/color] she greeted politely, landing very gently nearby him, careful not to scrape herself up on any of the rocks. We have not spoken in a long time. How are you doing lately?[/color] She didn't seem to realize that he may have been ignoring her out of anger-- it was something she wouldn't even expect. After all, she couldn't imagine that anything she had done had potentially offended the bronze.

[glamourie]

Ka'rys raised an eyebrow at Shmee's initial reaction, but he did not respond. His gaze flicked back to Shei, then to the Weyrwoman, and he privately thanked his luck that Shei was there; he would've otherwise pointed out that he'd never implied she didn't hear the complaints, just that it was his job to address them to her, not other people's, and that he was trying to do that. Not that Shmee was likely to see any logic. He shook his head and resisted the urge to rub his temples, instead choosing to start forward and follow her across the weyr into the offices. Frankly, he was grateful for the more professional approach. While it might have seemed odd to some people, Ka'rys didn't want anyone getting the idea there was anything more than barest necessity of conversation between him and the Senior Weyrwoman. She wasn't his friend. She wasn't even really an associate. He didn't like her, and frankly, being associated with Shmee wasn't high on his list of things to have attributed to him. Everyone he knew of that was associated with her very much seemed... highly unstable. No, he didn't want that one added up to him.

Slipping around one of the desks, Ka'rys stood on the side of the room furthest from Shmee that he could accomplish without actively looking as though he was running away. Physical space was a big deal to him. He brushed his fingers through his hair, pushing it behind his pierced ears before nodding slightly.

At the river, the sound of wings made Ciceroth raise his head and turn to look. He was truly wound around the rocks like a tunnel snake, doubtlessly in a very unusual position, but nevertheless quite comfortable. Aslath landing made him croon in greeting; a low, soft sound. Her arrival also made Ophelie (who had landed on his backridges) shriek in terror and disappear between again, clearly distressed that the big bad gold had followed her to the river.

"I was going to ask if you wanted Aliscia moved to another wing. I would have her on mine, if you're willing. She seems competent enough. And yes, P'nor of Cyanth is quite a problem. It is... disgraceful that he is forcing his wingsecond to handle all of his affairs. Other complaints I've heard are of R'non - N'tia of Kirayuth ended up handling drills for the Cyclone Wing. I also have a problem with A'noan of Ermieth after he was caught fighting with a greenrider at the most recent Gather. His blatant disrespect of lesser ranking riders - and disregard for the position of dragonhealers, in this instance being Kalierre of Phremath - makes me question whether or not he is qualified to lead a wing," Ka'rys explained quietly, as Ophelie reappeared on his shoulder, still shivering. He brought one hand up to stroke the green firelizard comfortingly, then glanced at where Aslath had been. That explained it. "He and J'fer of Ranth were having quite a few issues. J'fer ended up pulling a knife. Kalierre attempted to break them up and was treated as a child." She then acted like one, but Ka'rys didn't point that out. "Fighting publicly needs to be addressed. I would move to have P'nor, R'non and A'noan all removed from Wingleader positions, given that they have provided evidence to their own inability to handle the responsibility."

Oh, he wasn't unintelligent. Demoting three wingleaders, one of which was the Junior Weyrleader, was a big deal. Ironically, Ka'rys didn't dislike R'non, but the other bronzerider had proven surprisingly incompetent lately. It wasn't personal on Ka'rys's part. He didn't think the Wingleaders should be anyone so blatantly incompetent and irresponsible; Selenitas deserved better than that. The Weyr was owed better. Ka'rys was a lot of things, but he didn't approve of neglect of one's responsibilities. Which reminded him privately of what else he wanted to discuss with Shmee, once matters with the Wings were handled....

Hello, Aslath. The greeting was warm enough; Ciceroth was incapable of being mean except under absolutely dire circumstances. While he was still moderately upset with Aslath, it didn't show in his demeanor aside from the lack of physical affection, which could be equally blamed on his weird position on the rocks. I am as well as can be expected; I have my cluster of rocks. And they were his. He'd claimed them. It was hard, too. He'd had to dig out the crevices properly and everything. You have seemed quite busy lately, and I am not one to intrude. I apologize for the Little Beauty. She has memories of you that are not her own and she is frightened. He fluttered one wing for emphasis before laying his head down again. His eyes whirled slowly but the color was that of concern. It wasn't because of Aslath. He always worried when Ka'rys spoke to Shmee; His held his tongue more than Ciceroth was comfortable with, even if he did understand the necessity. He was a practical dragon at heart.

[Administrator]

Shmee nodded curtly at Ka'rys' idea. That would work well, she figured. The man would treat her with more fairness than Shmee would (and, Shmee thought privately, with more fairness than Aliscia deserved), as well as that Ka'rys wasn't in a wing with S'rei-- and Shmee felt sick at the idea of Aliscia in his wing. "All right, then. That could most definitely work," she told him. Then, she would be happy and since it was Ka'rys who suggested taking her himself, there was no way S'rei could point at her and call her selfish. Relieved, she sank into the chair, carefully setting Shei on her lap. The babe wriggled, but otherwise seemed quite content. Shmee bounced her absently, looking down at the list as she continued to listen to the Weyrleader's words. Nodding as she acknowledged P'nor's problems, she frowned as she listen to R'non and A'noan's problems. She remembered now that R'non hadn't shown up, but she didn't hear about A'noan. Stupid man. Well, it was about time before he got a kick to the ego.

"That's a good idea," she remarked in a low voice. She didn't have any reason to argue, nor the energy to. "We can take those three out... but do we have other bronzes capable of being Wingleaders?" She frowned, thinking for a moment. The few other bronzes Selenitas had simply weren't capable. "We could make some more browns that we have into wingseconds and put the current wingseconds in those wings into Wingleaders, but brown wingseconds aren't the best option if there are a lot of bronzes in a wing," she said slowly. Stupid options. Hopefully, Ka'rys wouldn't scoff at that notion and say something like Of COURSE we have options, wherryhead! or something. With a twitchy nervousness that had been happening to her often after that Flight, she bounced her legs up and down on her toes. This gave Shei quite a fun ride, and the babe let go "Guhhhh," and her little voice vibrated with the bounces. Comical? Perhaps. But it was something Shmee didn't even notice.

"I think A'noan should be the one to tell his wing about fighting, as a sort of public apology for his stupidity. He should describe the dangers of fighting and how it isn't really intelligent to do so. That might be an even better way to make him stop doing so, in addition to demoting him." That way, she figured, he wouldn't take his demotion as a chance to fight whenever he pleased. Humiliation like this would make him want to stop himself from doing it again.

Shei, stopping her loud, happy sounds of being bounced around, noticed Ophelie for the first time. Smiling brightly enough to flaunt her two little teeth, she screeched in sheer pleasure, reaching up to the flitter yearningly. Shmee frowned and stopped jiggling her legs. "Yes, Shei, that is flitter," she said softly in her baby-voice. "Flitter," she repeated. Shards, how she wished Shei would stop harassing Ka'rys, but she couldn't stop her baby from admiring something.

Aslath rumbled, pleased at being spoken to kindly again. After Salenth, she was losing faith that bronzes could be good creatures. But Ciceroth was a good bronze. She had almost forgotten that, what with all the drama. Snorting at his mention of rocks, she replied So long as it is comfortable. Did the sun warm them up?[/color] If sun was in the rocks, it could definitely make up for the awkward position. Warm rocks felt so good on the hide.

She blinked regarding him curiously. I am not so busy anymore. I spent quite a bit of time with Mine earlier, but she hasn't been needing me physically so much lately,[/color] she told him with a soft grunt. Changing it to something (perhaps) more cheerful, she said, The little cousin is scared because of memories that are not hers?[/color] she asked, her eyes taking a distressed tinge. I am not going to harm the little cousin.[/color] She wasn't going to chomp the little thing's head off! She had, conveniently, forgotten what had happened on the Sands that long time ago-- Jabari was forgotten to her, as was the situation. So she couldn't comprehend why the green was so frightened.

[glamourie]

"I would move to replace R'non and P'nor with their wingseconds; both of them have proven competent enough at setting up drills," he said quietly, but made sure to pause to give those words time to sink in. N'tia was but a child in many respects, but child or not, N'tia had managed to arrange the drills. "Though the idea of arranging it so that the Cyclone Wing is lead by someone so young disturbs me, I would think that they are the best opportunity for him to lead. Of all the wings, that one has the least amount of young and inexperienced riders on it, and the most gifted that I would suggest. Lauranna of Reysalth is extraordinarily intelligent, and K'von of Dohulth is by no means a novice in flying. N'tia of Kirayuth is very young - but at the same time, if he is willing to listen to his wing, he has a great deal of potential. I think it speaks volumes that he took the initiative when his Wingleader did not."

What other bronzeriders were there? Ka'rys frowned and brought one hand up to his nose. Eliminating A'noan, R'non and P'nor from the active lineup left him, K'nam, S'rei, W'liam, T'rid, C'lryn, and N'tia. N'tia, him and S'rei as Wingleaders -- "I don't think I need to explain my choice of S'rei for the Blizzard Wing, do I?" He would if she wanted him to, but he was sure that even if he had no reason, Shmee wouldn't complain about her Weyrmate getting a promotion. The woman was exceptionally ridiculous where S'rei was concerned. Some part of him resented Shmee for that, only because it made his life harder. But she was cooperating and how often did that happen? No, Ka'rys wasn't going to look a gift runnerbeast in the mouth. S'rei deserved it anyway. Of all the riders at Selenitas, he would have trusted S'rei the most as a wingleader. The thought made him nauseous. He didn't trust S'rei as far as he could throw him, but... one did what they could. "That leaves W'liam, C'lryn, K'nam and T'rid for Wingseconds. Typically Wingleaders are allowed to choose their seconds - at least, in the north. But the circumstances here are a touch odd. I would propose to make N'tia's wingsecond someone slightly less skilled than he is, so that he is not constantly wondering if his second is more respected than he is; it would also give a lesser rider a chance to learn leadership positions. Learn as one goes. Therefore, W'liam would be my suggestion there - leaving K'nam, C'lryn and T'rid for S'rei and I, depending on which you would prefer for which. I can work with any of them and I am certain S'rei is capable as well."

Her idea about A'noan explaining the purpose of rank and colors was a good one. The problem was, he was pretty sure A'noan wouldn't do it unless he held a knife to the man's throat, and even then it was a 50-50 chance. He knew very well that A'noan of Ermieth did not respect him one little bit. He wasn't the only one. Did Shmee realize that most of the Weyr did not have any faith in him as far as leadership went? She went around acting as though S'rei was still Weyrleader which was all well and good, but Ka'rys was the one who was expected to handle those responsibilities. If he was stuck with the responsibilities, he would've liked the respect that went with the title, and Shmee had most assuredly destroyed that. Not that she'd ever recognize it; no, Shmee didn't bother to think about how her actions affected others. Sometimes, Ka'rys truly wanted to throttle the life out of the woman. It would do the Weyr so much good.

"I am fine with that," he explained with a light shrug, "although you may have to request it, Weyrwoman, as A'noan, like many of the older riders at Selenitas, does not take me remotely seriously." He left that to hang in the air for a moment before finishing with, "and I'd rather not have to gut a fellow rider to make a point. You understand, I trust?"

Anything else he might have had was cut off as Shei squealed and his gaze followed hers to Ophelie. The little firelizard recognized the small child from the last time she'd seen her, and she fluttered her wings prettily. Her hide was a shimmery water-green and the light played off it just right to show off how well cared for she was. Her eyes swirled brightly, and Ka'rys squinted. Evidently her fear was gone. Glancing from Ophelie to Shei again, he turned to Shmee, "Would you mind if Ophelie went to sit with Shei?" He wouldn't let her fly over to the baby unless he knew her mother was fine with it. Ka'rys was a lot of things, but deliberately disrespectful of a parent's wishes was not one of them. He didn't much mind the baby squealing, though. He'd had one of his own; most of his problems with children were numbed right out of him as a result.

They are very warm, Ciceroth agreed, squirming against his rocks. They were also edged just right to nudge all the right places, like an excellent massage. Ciceroth was nothing if not resourceful. He snuggled further against the rocks before lying his head on one of the flat surfaces, so that he could get a better look at Aslath. He was truthfully quite puzzled by the fact that the Senior Queen was addressing him. Usually she spent her time with Salenth and while he was sure that she wasn't pleased with the other bronze, that hadn't ever stopped her from favoring him. Most of his agitation with Aslath had subsided, though, so he was polite enough not to inquire as to her motives.

Instead, he allowed his eyes to fall closed, the perfect picture of relaxation against his rocky perch. I know that you would not harm her but she does not, he explained. Ophelie was a very small creature; it was understandable that one so much larger scared her, although she was not afraid of Ciceroth... but Ciceroth was very hard to be frightened of. He was too easy-going in demeanor. She is very small and very young. She means well enough. Rysmine was most displeased when he Impressed her but he is very happy with her now; he dries some of the white flowers for her when she has been good. He crooned again, then opened his eyes. I hope that Rysmine does not make Yours unhappy. He just.. conveniently forgot to mention that just the mere mention of Aslath's bonded made Ka'rys uncomfortable or unhappy. Sometimes silence was prudent.

[Administrator]

Shmee nodded slowly with what Ka'rys said. Though she was loathe to admit it, she agreed with his reasoning. It made sense to have a younger Wingleader with lots of veteran riders-- it would balance things out properly. She liked the thought of Laurie there, as well. Though she hadn't seen Laurie around as much lately, she had faith that the woman would keep N'tia in line. She didn't know K'von so well, but she trusted Ka'rys' opinion. Despite the fact that she didn't like him, he seemed to think through this sort of thing. "That sounds good," she replied dully. Bouncing Shei lightly on her hip, she pondered it. She was silent as he mentioned S'rei. Yes, the man would be a very good Wingleader, just as he always had been, so it didn't need to be explained. Still, thinking about him made her hurt. She had come to terms with the fact that he simply hated her. If it wasn't for Shei, he'd already be gone, and she knew it. But that had nothing to do with his leadership skills. He would be a capable Wingleader.

"It's always been assigned here," she replied softly, with a shrug. "Besides, I don't want there to be a risk of favoritism or bad choices. There's so few options here that I want to be sure that they're all as best as they can be." But once again, she found he was right about N'tia needing someone less experienced. She nodded blandly. But his suggestion of C'lryn or W'liam? That bothered her slightly. They were so fresh out of weyrlinghood. C'lryn, in fact, had only just graduated recently. "But C'lryn and W'liam are too inexperienced," she told Ka'rys with a frown. "C'lryn in particular just graduated, didn't he?" She didn't like the thought of a pair that inexperienced helping to lead a wing in Threadfall.

She raised an eyebrow. Did Ka'rys actually agree with her for once? Punishing A'noan definitely sounded good to her, but she didn't expect Ka'rys to share that view. But his next words made her frown. "He should take you seriously, considering you're the Weyrleader." That bothered her. Was Ka'rys just trying to get out of his duties. "Whether they-- or I-- like it or not, you're the Weyrleader, and you should step in more to show it." She scowled. "And if anybody tries to tell you not to do your job, they'll deal with me. They have no right to tell anybody what to do while they've got the job." She didn't know who specifically were the older riders who didn't want Ka'rys, but if Shmee had to deal with him, then those older rider would have to, too. She sighed. She understood where he was coming from, she supposed, but oh, how she would change it! But if people didn't respect her enough to allow change... Her resolve rapidly fell.

Shmee gazed at Ophelie. She remembered the sweetness of Cezine's flitters, and she was extremely surprised that Ka'rys seemed to have one that was equally sweet. She was starting to like these little creatures more and more. Some part of her wanted one for her own, but she wouldn't. No flitter would want to be with her, she thought bitterly. But their treatment of Shei was endearing. Shei seemed to think so too, considering how brightly she smiled as she looked at Ophelie with her large blue eyes. Shmee just looked at the green for a moment. "She can come sit with Shei," she replied softly. "Does she like children?" she asked after a moment. "A couple other flitters I met also seemed to be good with her."

She paused, taking the moment to regard Ophelie thoughtfully. "I might like to have one someday," she commented. "But I don't know." She certainly wasn't going to go so far as to tell him that it was because a flitter wouldn't want her, but she felt like telling him this because she wanted to just share that she did like the little creatures. "I love how these ones I've met are so good with Shei." She shrugged.

Aslath rumbled with amusement as she watched Ciceroth snuggled into the rocks. She found it quite funny how he could get so comfortable in such an odd place. But if he could, then more power to him. She looked at him curiously. He would be a good bronze to share her weyrledge with, she thought. She may not be as connected with him and have been through as much with him as she had with Salenth, but she hated sleeping alone. And there was no way that she was going to let a liar like Salenth sleep with her at night. She trusted Ciceroth wouldn't be a liar like Salenth. This bronze came across as more honest, and she liked honesty in a male.

Mine seems to like her, so I would probably like her,[/color] she told him truthfully. Mine wants one, you know, but she thinks that it would hate her like Salenth's does. So she isn't going to try. It is a shame. I think it would be good for her.[/color] She flicked her tail lazily. Are they good all the time, or do they only pretend to be good when they are around others?[/color] she asked curiously. She didn't know much about her little cousins, but Ciceroth would, since he lived with one. But she snorted at the bronze's words. Did he not want her in the first place?[/color] Aslath couldn't understand why Ka'rys had Impressed her if he didn't want her. Aslath was fairly sure that one could put the flitter back where it came from if you didn't want it.

Her newer thoughts were rather sobering. She, too, hoped that Shmee wouldn't be unhappy while talking with Ka'rys. Practically everything makes her unhappy lately,[/color] the gold said unhappily. Ever since the Flight... I think it may have been my fault, looking back. I was angry and panicked, so she panicked, and then all of that happened to her... Nobody respects us anymore and now she thinks Salenth's hates her.[/color] The respect bit should be aimed at herself, Aslath thought. Shmee had panicked from all of the emotions Aslath was broadcasting, and Aslath could admit now that she overreacted. Still, she was angry with Salenth, for lying now more than anything else. He had made it out to sound like he hadn't Chased a green out of devotion to her-- yet now she could only assume that he had lied about that and Chased greens everywhere. Anyway,[/color] she said hastily, I think as long as they're polite and don't make veiled insults, they'll be fine.[/color] Unless Shmee has a mood swing, which very well could happen, she thought dismally.

[glamourie]

Ka'rys tilted his head slightly before nodding. "I know how old C'lryn is. N'tia himself is very young - his Kirayuth is only four turns in age, and N'tia but nineteen, if I recall correctly. Somewhere like that." He shook his head slowly. "I don't particularly like it either, but excluding myself and S'rei, that leaves K'nam, T'rid, C'lryn, P'nor and W'liam for his second. P'nor... no. I'd rather K'nam second to either myself or S'rei if only because we are considerably less likely to complain if he gets promoted - and of the bronzeriders remaining he seems like the one experienced enough to consider as a Wingleader himself. So T'rid, W'liam and C'lryn. Frankly, I think T'rid would be awkward to work with N'tia, given they are the exact same age - or their dragons, at least, are. It would be like S'rei trying to Wingsecond for me." Though truthfully, Ka'rys wouldn't have minded that at all. Given a choice, S'rei would've been one of the first he picked - only because he most definitely did know what he was doing, and while Ka'rys disliked him intensely, he did respect him on some levels. That was possibly why he disliked him so much. Well, part of it. Not that he'd ever tell Shmee any of that; let her assume whatever she wanted from his statement, she probably would anyway. His personal feelings were hardly her business.

The title - and Shmee's response to his statement about A'noan - actually made Ka'rys flinch and he lifted one hand to rub his temples, wondering whether or not it was worth the virtue of trying to explain to her. He decided to try, though he kept his tone as mild as he possibly could, deliberately trying to avoid any actual fight. "I have no problem stepping in and doing what I perceive my responsibilities to be, but that does not mean that most of the Weyr believes I have any right to say anything, Weyrwoman." His eyes flicked away from her face and he scoffed softly. "But unless you back me up, you have made it very clear that you are the over-all authority on everything here... not me... and most people I've met are considerably more inclined to listen to your weyrmate than they are me. Short of violence, I can't make them listen to me, and I certainly can't make them respect me." It wasn't meant to be an insult. It really wasn't, although Savitri telling him that Shmee claimed all of the jobs of the Weyr were hers had bothered him. Wings and things of that nature were not her responsibility, because a queenrider logically could not decide those things, not on their own. He also was fairly sure if he made any decision without consulting Shmee, she'd be annoyed and he was quite determined to avoid fighting too much. "I can talk to A'noan if you're insistent I try, but I am fairly sure he won't listen to me." Ka'rys had to admit it even to himself, though -- in A'noan's position, he wouldn't have listened, either.

He was fortunately distracted by Shei and Ophelie before his mind could venture down those dark thoughts and he nudged the little green with one finger. Ophelie rubbed against his hand and then took to wing, gliding easily over to land daintily on Shmee's arm. Her eyes flicked cautiously up to Shmee, as if a little weary, then she squirmed over close enough that Shei could touch her. She chirped musically at the child and then fluted in recognition. She'd seen that one before. Her tail flicked out to gently curl around Shei's wrist, and then the little green half-trilled, half-hummed, her entire little body vibrating as if she were trying to sing. She wasn't very good, but she did try.

"She likes Miguel, and she seems to like Shei," Ka'rys replied quietly, watching Ophelie. "She doesn't get much exposure to children, but a more fair assessment would be 'Does she like people?' - I've met very few that Ophelie is not fond of. She's very even-tempered." His eyes never left the green, though he spoke to Shmee with the same level of interest as he had when looking at her. He was making sure Ophelie behaved - nothing personal against Shmee. "She's from one of C'lryn's gold's clutches. I'm sure if you asked, C'lryn would be willing to give you one of Darling's eggs. Ophelie's been like this since she hatched -- first thing she did out of the shell was return my earring." He indicated his left earlobe absently. "K'lir of Calistoth's little obnoxious salamandyr had taken it and threw it right into Darling's clutch. I half-expected her to eat him, to be totally honest."

Ciceroth thoughtfully rested his head on one of the rock surfaces, his eyes whirling contemplatively. Aslath's words puzzled him and his tail curled slightly, then flicked, back and forth in a rhythmic pattern that was undeniably Ciceroth at his most thoughtful. Salenth's hates her? What was hate? He reached out to ask Ka'rys, but no response came; his was busy. If dragons could frown, Ciceroth would have been doing exactly that. He wasn't unintelligent, but hate was a level of emotion he never quite understood. He could recognize dislike; he could recognize intense dislike. Just as he recognized intense like. Hate puzzled him. His had explained it once, but Ciceroth thought it made very little sense. Why would a person waste so much energy on negativity? That was not practical, and Ciss preferred the practical. He snorted, then added, softly, She should try. The little ones don't care who likes you and who doesn't; they don't care who thinks you're smart and who thinks you're not. They seem to care only about you. Rysmine didn't want a pet, no - but he is happy with her. He did not go to her hatching to Impress, he went because... I forget, I think something about one of his earrings being stolen. She latched onto him to return it, and seemed to feel he was good enough for her - and he was surprised. Ciceroth turned to glance at Aslath. A great many people do not like him - he did not think a firelizard would be any different. I think he might have wanted one sooner if he thought he had a chance.

If he was to be totally honest, Ciceroth would have told Aslath that she had upset His too; or rather, Hers had. He'd been mad over Ciceroth being upset at first - but that was quickly washed away by anger in defense of Reysalth and Aslath's bonded's hatchlings. RysHis was more fond of younglings than people most of the time. But he wasn't forthright with information, and he didn't feel like causing a stir by pointing that out, nor the fact that he was sure His was highly uncomfortable as it was. Better to keep peace really. He crooned. I will never understand why you were upset by a green at all, he admitted, and truly no amount of explanation would make it so that he could relate. His attitude was that no queen had any reason to feel as though a green challenged them in any way. When she was in the air again every bronze would chase - regardless of whether or not they had some green they liked. Why, then, did it matter? I hope Rysmine minds his tongue. He's in a foul temper today, but he is trying. Will you tell her he is trying not to start a fight? He does not do very well - but he is trying.

[Administrator]

Shmee wrinkled her nose. She still didn't like that plan, but again, unfortunately, it made sense. It would definitely be a bad idea to put two boys of the same age as Wingleader and wingsecond. They'd probably become too competitive and argue too much, which was not the best idea when Threadfall was concerned. This was definitely safer, though it did bother Shmee to have the younglings lead. Then again, she thought wryly, she had started doing Weyrwoman duties when she was only fifteen turns. That made people angry, and she had been self-conscious over the stumbles she had made during her first few years. She had been too young to be a great leader. But she knew a few of the big changes that had to be made, and had done so. Now she knew how the older riders must have felt about it. She would have to put her faith in C'lryn, though, she supposed. She sighed. Too bad this Weyr had such a small amount of bronzers.

"I suppose, since we have no choice," she replied quietly, a distant look crossing her face. She hoped more bronzes would hatch from the next clutches. They needed more people to fill in the leadership roles around here. Not to mention the queens would be happier with more males at their beck and call.

Not even Ka'rys' next words distracted her from her semi-daze too much. Only an odd frown crossed her face to show that she had heard what he had said. "I could be with you as you say it," she told him vaguely. "Maybe then they'll understand that you have some power around here." Maybe then, they'd also take it to mean that Ka'rys could do things without Shmee around, too. At least, she hoped they'd see that. Shmee was debating to have a small break off at Selenitas Hold for a while, and she would like things to not go completely nutty without her around. Ka'rys would be used to help keep things organized while Shmee was away to fight her own demons. Catching herself zoning out again, she blinked sleepily, looking back at Ka'rys with a dull expression. She didn't see that he was deliberately trying not to fight, not that Shmee had any desire to, anyway.

She nodded as Ka'rys spoke of Ophelie as the flitter came over. That was a good way to describe the flitter. Smiling weakly as the little green landed on her arm, she watched the green with just as much caution as Ka'rys did. Though Sky had been a good flitter, she didn't know Ophelie as well, and wanted to make sure she was just as safe. Shei, however, seemed thrilled with the flitter so nearby. The red-head smiled brightly, and flailed her arms up and down. She squealed loudly as the green tail circled her wrist and her green throat began to thrum with something like a song.

Even Shmee's small smile grew a little as she listened to the "song." It was calming, in its own way. Glancing back at Ka'rys, she shrugged. Cl'ryn probably wouldn't want to give someone like her an egg, she thought shamefully. "That's funny," she commented softly. She paused. "Does Ophelie sing a lot?" she asked curiously. It was such a sweet sound. Her desire for a flitter was growing, she thought sullenly. There were so many sweet ones out there, but she shouldn't have one. It would refuse to attach to her, if she had even managed to get a hold of an egg in the first place.

Aslath grunted to confirm Ciceroth's words. Yes, he hates her,[/color] she told him sadly. They fought a lot, and now, they are so uneasy with each other ever since the green's Flight, and he only stays for the hatchling. ShMine says that he does not love her because he hates her for what has happened,[/color] she explained. The only reason Aslath knew so much about hate was because that's what Shmee had told her. Aslath's own memory was poor, and the only emotions that she remembered of Salenth were of not liking him because he was a liar. Still, she didn't hate him. She just wouldn't talk to him because she had no respect. But hate was pure and strong dislike, and that was what Shmee felt from Salenth's.

Ciceroth saved the light-heartedness by telling her of Ophelie. She rumbled with her draconic laughter. I think it would do well for her to try, too,[/color] she replied firmly. I like that they love you for you, though. ShMine thinks they would see that her mind isn't good, but if they don't see that, maybe I can convince her to get one.[/color] And that would be good. It would help Hers feel loved again, and maybe she'd be happier. It reassured her a lot that Ophelie had chosen Ciceroth's despite other people not liking him. Hers would stand a good chance, then.

She shifted uneasily. Why did she have to talk about why she was upset with the green? I don't know,[/color] she replied softly, her eyes starting to tinge sadly a little. It had not even been a sevenday before when he came to my weyrledge with shiny, and had told me that he had never Chased a green when they were... well, wherever they were. So I thought he did it because he liked me as much as His liked Mine. But then he Chased the green, so it just showed he lied to me about it. I thought he meant the shiny and his words to mean that he liked me over even other greens. But he didn't.[/color] Suddenly, Aslath found that this conversation wasn't as nice as she had hoped. She flicked her tail in a sign of obvious discomfort.

She blinked. A fight? About what? Mine didn't notice anything about a fight...[/color] she told him. She paused. She doesn't notice his mood at all, really. She is starting to get distant again. She does that sometimes. But I will talk to her anyway.[/color] Quickly relaying the message to Shmee, she only received a confused response.

"What's going on?" Shmee asked Ka'rys aloud. "Aslath just said something about you being in a bad mood..." She frowned again a little. Had she said something to offend him, too?

[glamourie]

Hmm, she wasn't fighting with him on it -- that was... odd. Not unpleasant, but odd. Truthfully, Ka'rys was not in the mood to get into a fight with another goldrider. Savitri had made it pretty clear in her dismissal of him that he wasn't exactly worth her time. That thought made Ka'rys lift his right hand to trace his fingers down his left arm. Through the fabric of his mottled gray-white shirt, he could feel the crisp bandages that covered the stitches on the knife wound from the fight with Mutasim. His thoughts darkened considerably and he bowed his head slightly. He did not want to think about that, although touching the bandages sent a nice, fresh wave of pain through his left arm. Numbweed made him feel strange, so he didn't bother with it; he could deal with the pain, even though at the worst times, he did feel slightly sick from overusing his arm. It wasn't as bad as that first night, though. No, that had been near-hideous, just from Ciceroth being mad. The bronze wasn't angry with him anymore, they were okay, and he'd mostly-recovered from the blood loss. Over-all he was okay - he just... needed to focus on the conversation at hand and not things upsetting him.

"I'd like it if you did come." He didn't emphasize why. Spending time with Shmee was not Ka'rys's cup of tea. The woman hated him and honestly, the feeling was mutual, but if her coming meant people actually heeded what he said, he'd put up with her presence indefinitely. Anything to keep life more peaceful. He was not an entity that sought conflict, despite what most people may have thought of him. Conflict meant attention and Ka'rys was truly very happy to just... linger, away from sight, out of mind. He rarely actually bickered. It was amazing the sheer amount of people who disliked him, too, considering that he'd done nothing to most of them. He honestly was convinced people just assumed the worst about him due to his lack of warmth. Not that he cared. As long as things at Selenitas were productive, he didn't care about very much else. He was very practical in that sense.

Did Ophelie sing? Ka'rys frowned and looked over at the green thoughtfully before shaking his head. "New one on me. I've never heard her do that before," he admitted with a slight shrug. "She doesn't make much noise, typically." Shmee would probably be both amazed - and annoyed - by how quiet Ophelie could be; he'd put her up to following people around and eavesdropping more than once. She made a wonderfully efficient little spy and was so adoring; she loved it when he rewarded her and he had no problem lavishing immense amounts of affection and attention on the little green for a job well done. She had a collection of several dried blossoms he'd given her along with shells and colorful stones, some gemstones and even a set of his earrings. There was an entire shelf in his weyr dedicated totally to Ophelie's pretties. The really sad thing was that Ophelie and Ciceroth both had more pretty things than Ka'rys did. He owned two pairs of earrings, a few very nice blades, and a fur blanket he was in love with; that was it. Ka'rys wasn't possession oriented. He liked information more - and Ophelie happily provided.

Love. Hate. Complicated. Ciceroth, like Ka'rys, preferred the more simple approach. He wasn't unintelligent, but intense emotions highly confused the bronze. He tried to understand them, but the end result was futile. He could comprehend immense fondness and dislike, but love and hate were very, very human inflictions - and he did not experience them. From the way that Aslath described it, he was not sure that he wanted to, either. It sounded like a very big headache. He crooned, the sound meant to reassure; he didn't understand what Aslath's was feeling, but it obviously upset the queen, and that made it unacceptable. It sounds to me like Salenth's and yours bicker the way that Hepaticath's and Rysmine do; I doubt that he hates her. He is probably just upset. Humans, they do and say silly things when they are upset; they do not think things through very much. The explanation made sense to him. He knew that Ka'rys misunderstood the goldrider on a very primal level, though he did not understand her very much better. It seemed likely that if Ka'rys was upset at Savitri for feeling as though she had dismissed him but did not hate her, that someone who cared as much about Aslath's as Salenth's had (or .. well, he understood humans viewed 'love' as a very intense liking, so he assumed that he'd cared a lot once) most likely did not feel hate, either. Oh, it was very confusing to him.

Hmm. Aslath's wanted one of the little ones. That was interesting. If she was too scared to get one, perhaps his Rysmine would be willing. He decided to ask him when he was less distracted. If he posed the request right, Ka'rys would do it; it was just a matter of appealing to the right emotion. Sometimes he had to play it careful with his rider, or the dark-haired man clamped up and became angry. He'd had a long time to practice how to read him, though.

Aslath was another story. She confused him on so many levels. His eyes whirled rapidly, sensing distress, and he lowered his head slightly, flattening against his rocks as though to make himself small. She didn't sound angry, though - that was good, angry queens spooked Ciceroth. He could deal with a lot of emotions, but no dragon liked to face an angry queen. Especially not him. Her explanation, though, baffled him even more and the confusion showed in his eyes. Of course he likes you over greens. You are a queen. Ciceroth crooned again, then squirmed around on the rocks until he was close enough to nudge Aslath lightly. When you Rise, he will be there to Chase. Why does it matter if he Chases a green between now and then, when they can obviously never compete with you? All bronzes will be in the air when you Rise, and the browns. Salenth is not a fool. If he's taken a temporary interest in a green it is that - temporary. It does not mean he likes them better. He was not here to Chase you; so he Chases those that he can while he waits. It made sense to Ciceroth, at least, but then, what made sense to him rarely made sense to others. Maybe he was just as broken as his bonded?

Tail flicking, Ciceroth snorted, kicking up some of the sand from around his rock pile. Rysmine just has a peculiar affinity for offending others. He and Hepaticath's are not getting along. She is upset with him; I don't remember why, but I think it is because of his arm. If dragons could shrug, he would have. Alas, they could not. Ciceroth settled for flipping his tail again. He does not want to have another female angry with him. He hurts in his head a lot as it is.

Shmee's question made Ka'rys blink a few times, as it seemed quite sudden, and he sent a wave of confusion to Ciceroth before the realization dawned on him of what the bronze had said. He crinkled his nose slightly in distaste, not at Shmee, but that Ciceroth had brought it up at all. Lovely. He shook his head slowly. "I just don't feel like bickering with another goldrider. You and I rarely can manage to go one conversation without fighting - and I am trying my best to keep this one from turning into nothing more than a squabble over every little thing. But apparently even when I try not to fight with people, I manage to insult them." It was the most honest he'd ever been with Shmee - but then, he didn't much feel like censoring himself. "I've been in a bad mood the past few days, to top it off. Ciceroth, evidently, is concerned I will offend you because of that."

[Administrator]

Shmee nodded firmly. She would come. It was time that people started to accept their Weyrleader as their true Weyrleader. "I think we should do it sooner rather than later, so just let me know when you think a good time would be," she told him in a low voice. What would be really helpful was if they could do it somewhere pretty public. Then everyone else could see that she was actually supporting his actions as Weyrleader, and maybe put a little more faith in him. Though, she thought dryly, nobody had faith in her, so she didn't see why her opinion mattered. But she said nothing of this. She would go anyway-- at least make it look official, even if they didn't believe in it. If she was lucky, she thought, they'd at least take Ka'rys more seriously if he stepped into the leadership role now. Then they'd have someone to look up to now that Shmee had dirtied her position.

At first, Shmee made no reply in regards to Ophelie. She just sat there quietly, watching the flitter with her babe. Shei was squealing with joy, tugging her little wrist back and forth to watch Ophelie's tail move around where it was curled around it. This amused the babe to no end. Carefully, Shmee balanced Shei in her one arm and in her lap. Then, with visible tentativeness, she touched Ophelie's soft green hide. It was only with her fingers that she dared touch the flitter, though-- she didn't want to spook her. It was probably easy enough to spook the flitter as it was, if the flitter could see her mind at all, and all the awful things that were in it, Shmee thought sadly. Shards, but how Ophelie was sweet! She really needed to quell her desires, though. No flitter would want her.

"So she's usually quiet?" she asked softly. That would be nice-- she knew those odd salamandyrs could be loud, but a quiet flitter would (or would have) been perfect for her. Shei was loud enough as it is. "I still think it's sweet that she's singing, though," she added, and the corners of her lips twitched even more, threatening a larger smile. And the sound was soothing...

Aslath blinked at Ciceroth's soft croon. Was he trying to comfort her? She was grateful for it, and tried to make herself relax more. Except now that she had started thinking about it, it was hard to stop. But they had fought a lot, even before the Flight. They had Flown and they ended /that/ in an argument and Mine started sleeping with me at night, and then there was the Flight, and he didn't /believe/ her when she said that Tekisith's had Flown her,[/color] Aslath said, the words unable to stop once she had started. They were just tumbling out of her mind at this point. He had told her that he only stays for the hatchling now, and now she thinks everyone doesn't like her, either, and now she wants to go to the Hold and live there for a little while...[/color] She shook her massive gold head, then proceeded to pace. It probably would've been an odd sight to see, the gold dragon pacing up and down the shore, but Aslath didn't seem to realize that--- or to care about it.

Ciceroth's words only continued to confuse her. But he had made it seem like he didn't Chase anyone wherever he had been for /me/, and then he shows how much he lied about then so soon after telling me that! And he had never Chased greens in my Weyr before, that I had seen...[/color] She stopped in her pacing, shaking her head again. She was so confused! Coming to sit right where she had stopped her pacing, she lay down dismally. Salenth had to like her more than anyone else because she was a queen, but he had never shown this temporary interest in a green before now. What had she done? And why couldn't he just have waited to butter her up after it happened? And he didn't even care enough to try apologizing for making her feel special at such a bad time. He hadn't bothered to make things better between them. Sure, he had asked about Hers, but it was for His! Her tail swung back and forth uneasily. This conversation was just making her more and more anxious.

She was so wrapped up in her worries, that she hadn't realized that Ciceroth had spoken again. Looking up at him, she blinked. Are Yours and Hepaticath's friends?[/color] she asked curiously. Were they going to be mates? That came as another disappointment. Was Hepaticath trying to lay claim to Ciceroth? Well, she was too young, so Aslath would get Ciceroth. Salenth made her head hurt. Ciceroth was being nice to her. Trying to refocus back on the conversation, she hastily said, Mine has not been angry with others much lately.[/color] Ever since the Flight, Shmee had taken to becoming angry at herself whenever she was angry at something. All the blame could somehow be manipulated to be against her, and she would do it every time, despite how Aslath hated it. I doubt she will become angry with Yours.[/color] she added. She hoped that Ciceroth's wouldn't start a fight, though-- Shmee would just take whatever we had to say for now, and then just beat herself up about it later. And Ciceroth's probably wouldn't feel much better about it. Was it that hard to just be nice to each other for now?

The smile that Ophelie had given her had dissipated rapidly as Ka'rys began to speak more. "Are we bickering?" she asked, confused. She hadn't felt like she was bickering. "And who are you bickering with, other than me?" she asked, more to satisfy her own curiosity than anything else. As far as she knew, Kaegan had been with K'nam a lot lately, so was it Savitri...? She frowned, hoping that both of them weren't doing anything beyond talk. Hepaticath was still a baby.

She looked down, her fingers now stroking Ophelie mechanically. "You're not offending me," she told him, her voice becoming audibly softer. "I just... didn't know I was making you angry." Then again, was she surprised? She was always making someone angry. "What's been putting you in the bad mood?" she asked, almost expecting the answer to be related to her somehow.

[glamourie]

Aslath was... very confusing. Ciceroth's eyes whirled vibrantly with a myriad of color that left no doubt to the obvious discomfort he felt. Part of that was because of Aslath being clearly upset; the other part was a lack of understanding. Ka'rys hated to not understand people - or things - and Ciceroth had picked that trait up. Emotions were something he understood better than his rider did most of the time but he was still very clearly lacking. Oh, he understood the simple things - happiness, joy, fondness, affection - but hatred and love baffled him, even when his rider explained. Whether that was because Ka'rys was poor at explaining, or because it was simply something Ciceroth could not feel, was unclear to the bronze. He watched Aslath intensely, his full attention on her as he tried to sort through what she said, but honestly the confusion he felt was beginning to distress him. It took a conscious effort not to have those feelings spill over to Ka'rys, too. It wouldn't do for Ka'rys to be allowed to become upset by something that was bothering him. He was sure his rider would not respond half as well to it as he did.

Humans seem to argue a lot at times. And then go a long time without arguing. Maybe they should stop letting Flights determine how they feel, Ciceroth suggested, his tone careful. I don't understand what Tekisith's has to do with this - but a Flight shouldn't determine how Yours and Salenth's feel. They are just Flights. Mine and Yours don't get along, and they don't like each other, and Flights have nothing to do with that. What do Flights matter if they like to be with each other? I like to be with you and with Hepaticath and many others, and Flights do not matter. Mine likes to be with plenty of people where Flights are not an option or important. Making a low noise in his throat, Ciceroth edged around on the rocks. I still think it sounds like Salenth's is just upset. Rysmine and Hepaticath's had a problem like that where they were just upset - and he is still a bit upset with her - but give them time and they will be okay again. Yours should just give him time. I don't think Salenth's meant it. Humans, they say silly things. Rysmine once told me he thought I was an overgrown wherry when he was mad at me. See, they say the silliest things and never really mean what they say. At least, not how it's meant. Sometimes, the things they say are just human ways of saying they aren't happy and want a change, I think.

Spreading his wings, Ciceroth half-climbed out of his rocks and then literally rolled over the sides of them, into the lapping waves of the sandy white shoreline. Half his body was in the water, half on the ground, and he was, for all of Pern, quite comfortable in that position. Rysmine and Hepaticath's are not friends. Rysmine does not know how to make friends. But he is very fond of her. It confuses him; he is fond of her and doesn't understand why. I think he is odd. Ka'rys just did not make sense sometimes. Broken, mine is, as I told Hepaticath; it is very hard to explain him when I do not understand myself. I don't understand how you say Salenth lied. He told you he hadn't Chased any greens while he was away, yes, and if he said it it is true. What he does afterwards doesn't make that one statement untrue; it was true when he said it and that means it was not a lie. Pleased with his reasoning, Ciceroth half-rolled over and crooned again. You let yourself be threatened by him Catching a green. I don't understand it. That is like me being threatened by a blue. As if a blue would ever be worthy of your attention; so too is a green not worth more than a fleeting interest. They are fascinating in the sky but rarely as more. You shouldn't let Salenth Chasing one bother you. Like I said, he will still Chase you, and it isn't as though he could Chase you before anyway. Just a fleeting interest until he can Chase the female he would rather have.

If he were to be totally honest, the conversation was bothering him. Not noticeably, no, but Ciceroth did not like discussing Salenth with Aslath. He did not remember why it offended him, only that it did, and as far as he was concerned, the two of them could work out their differences without any aid; it wasn't as if he had any say. Some part of him bristled at the fact that he was defending another bronze's actions to Aslath, only because he did not think it was exactly fair for him to have to; at the same time, he did not understand what Salenth had done so wrong. The whole thing was maddeningly confusing; he wished he hadn't brought it up, but it obviously upset Aslath and he would not drop the topic until she seemed at least mildly comforted. It wasn't in Ciceroth's nature to leave when there were hurt or unresolved feelings in the air. Aslath may not have been his favorite dragon on Pern, but she was still a queen, and more over, until she flew again, she was still technically his mate -- he owed it to her to listen and try to help where he could; even if she wasn't, he probably would have listened, though. He tried to help where he could. It was one of his few major failings.

As for whether Aslath's would become angry with RysHis... well, that just depended on how the conversation went, really. The very thought made Ciceroth's eyes whirl with more concern. Ka'rys had a peculiar talent for offending people.

"I'll find a good date and let you know," Ka'rys said softly. "Or, rather, I'll get a few suggestions and you can pick whatever's easiest for you. I don't have much in the way of a social life to be disrupted. Yours is more complicated than mine." He shook his head slowly, then smiled, but it was a weak expression. Ka'rys didn't have any friends. Nor did he particularly want any, if he were to be completely honest. People coming around him a lot made him uncomfortable. Being told that people cared made him want to hide. Savitri truly spooked him; he had no idea how to react to her at all. In total honesty, he didn't understand people - not just women. People as a rule just.. puzzled him. Ka'rys had very little in the way of experience there, though. He was trying to get better but it was a gradual process, like easing into the deeper waters of the ocean, and it would be a long time before he'd be anything resembling good at handling human-to-human affairs. Frighteningly enough, Ciceroth was the more pleasant of the pair, and far more interested in figuring out the way people worked -- Ka'rys was good at predicting some things, but when he was actually involved everything went haywire. Especially if feelings got pulled into the equation.

His eyes followed Ophelie as the little green squirmed against Shmee's hand, and wiggled the end of her tail, the movement meant to amuse the girl-child so fixated on her. There was no denying that she was leaning in toward Shmee's touch. The big, scary gold thing wasn't there, so there was no harm in letting the woman touch her, and Ophelie did like affection. She preferred it from Hers, but he seemed to approve of these two females touching her, and if he wanted her to pay attention to them, he might be happy with her later and let her sleep on his head. She liked that.

"She is usually very quiet, yes," Ka'rys replied with a nod. "It's neat that she's singing, albeit badly... I've never heard her do it. She likes Shei though. She liked her the last time she saw her." Realizing that comment was suspicious, he added absently, "I ran into Lauranna during Tanith's flight, and Ophelie saw her then." He just wouldn't mention any details. No need to get Laurie into a pickle, and the last thing he wanted was to deal with an angry Weyrwoman -- especially when her moods seemed to be changing even quicker than normal. First a smile, then a frown and --

Ka'rys paled. Not that it was expressly noticeable given that he had a pale complexion naturally, but he did, visibly, pale. Shmee's question was highly personal; did she not realize that? He wanted to tell her it was none of her business, but Ciceroth had brought it up, and he didn't feel as though it was a good thing to drop it when the bronze had initiated the topic. That would be rude, and Ka'rys was rarely intentionally rude. Accidentally, sure, but not on purpose. "We're not bickering," he explained as quietly as he could before sighing. "Yet, anyway. We just have a gift for it." There was no denying that fact. "There's only three Goldriders in the Weyr, Weyrwoman; I'm not bickering with you and I don't believe I've ever held a conversation with Kaegan that was longer than Hello, Goodbye, or awkward nodding on one of our parts -- that only really leaves one option for who I'm not getting along with, doesn't it?"

Why did she seem to think his anger and bad mood were entirely because of her? He squinted, then lifted one hand to actively rub his temple. "You don't make me angry. At least, not any more than I do you." That was fair - he was sure their dislike was mutual. As for his bad mood? "I'm always in a bad mood, Weyrwoman; it comes with the habit of having an incessantly happy mindmate. One of us has to be grouchy all the time and since Ciceroth makes a point to be friendly, I feel the need to counter him by being grumpy. It works well enough I've found." That wasn't true. He was in a bad mood because he'd been stabbed, got into a fight with Ciceroth, Savitri probably hated him, and he'd been beaten by an obnoxious twit that was even smaller than he was. He was in a positively foul temper, and none of that he could tell Shmee, mainly because none of it was her business. He settled for a half-truth. Hopefully she wouldn't press.

[Administrator]

Aslath snorted in nervous amusement. Hers and Salenth's hadn't had a fight this bad before, but the Flight did make it worse. Not just with Tanith, but with what Tekisith's had done, too. All those things combined just made this fight seem to just... become stale. A Flight would affect how even /I/ would feel if I was Caught without wanting it,[/color] she told him coldly. I would hate the bronze that Caught me if I did not want him. But Tekisith's did that to Mine, so now she is suffering from it-- /that/ is how that part of the Flight affected her. It makes it worse that he hates her and think she lies.[/color] She growled in frustration. She paused. I should I stopped her from going after Salenth's,[/color] she stated regretfully. She stopped me from going after Salenth, but I didn't stop her from doing the same. Things might be better if I had done that. They might have reconciled by now...[/color] She shook her massive golden head sadly.

But she understood where he was coming from. Maybe time off would be good,[/color] she replied vaguely. Hers had been thinking about spending some time at the Hold, so this was even more reason to go through with that plan. I hope what you say is right. I do not like Mine beating herself up over that constantly,[/color] she replied sadly. At least Ciceroth could calmly explain things. She felt an odd surge of gratitude toward the bronze. He was being very kind to her. Thank you... I will definitely encourage her to take a break. After that, I will talk with Salenth, and maybe Mine will talk with His. Anything to make things between them better. There is so much discomfort between all four of us.[/color]

I hope things with Yours and Hepaticath's become better,[/color] she told him honestly. She didn't know Hepaticath so well, except for the fact that her daughter was very sweet. But if Ciceroth was being this kind to her, she didn't want him to have any trouble of his own.

What he said about greens was true. A bronze's true interest lay with the golds. But she paid too close attention to her feelings to let it go so simply. He hadn't even tried to come back to her after. Yes, she had been angry, but when he had spoken to her, it was only about Shmee, for S'rei. Not for her. Not about her. He had never been so callus on this sort of thing, and it hurt. And it had hurt her rider, too! Not just with what happened after the Flight, but the sudden emotions that had plagued them when they both saw Salenth in the air. The bronze didn't care about her beyond Flights, despite everything that Aslath had perceived that they had together...

Shmee shrugged indifferently. She was forcing herself into more work lately, but it was things that she could easily put off to do something like this. Copying records, making sure tithes were smooth, trying to sort out the problem the holds were having with an odd decrease of food lately... But she could easily spare some time to fight A'noan with Ka'rys. It would be just more to do to distract her from what had been happening.

Her gaze softened, however, as Ophelie rubbed her head on Shmee hand. This flitter was far too sweet. It was certainly not making it any easier to resist the urge to get one for herself. It was touching, too, how this little creature didn't seem to realize her awfulness. Ophelie was behaving as though Shmee was, well, anyone. The affection was so sweet. She closed her eyes, simply savoring the warmth of the little green's head against her hand. Shei was perfectly content to try and keep tugging her tail, squealing with pleasure at the sensation on her smooth little arm. Both mother and daughter were fixated on Ophelie completely. It was so soothing to the former, who delicately scratched the flitter's eye ridges.

She would have remained like that for so much longer, but Ka'rys had spoken again. She wearily cracked one of her blue eyes open. He had met Shei... Oh. She closed her eyes again, trying to block that day out. Forcing words out of her mouth to distract herself from those thoughts, she said, "Oh. I didn't know that you had met her before." If she had any desire to fight, she might've gotten mad at Laurie for letting Ka'rys be around Shei without her knowledge. She was incredibly protective of Shei, and she hadn't liked Ka'rys, and quite honestly, part of her still didn't. If only Laurie didn't hate her like S'rei did, she might've asked her what it was about. Shmee's head throbbed with a growing headache.

Shmee caught the implied condescension in his tone that only made her head hurt more. "I just wanted to make sure rather than assuming," she mumbled, not stiffly, but more defeatedly. He was treating her like a weyrbrat, which she deserved, she supposed. Since that's all she could behave like. Then why did it still hurt to think of Ka'rys treating her like that?!

So she stopped asking questions. She merely nodded dully as he continued to speak. No, she didn't think his explanation of being grumpy made sense at all, but she was done with talking about this. She understood the reasoning of how he felt toward him in regards to their mutual dislike, but she didn't want him to continue to draw out harsh responses from him. She shrugged again, and took her hand back from Ophelie to look at Shei. The babe was smiling and giggly, and she looked positively adorable as her little hand continued to pull at Ophelie's tail. She was a perfect way to avoid looking back up at the Weyrleader.

[glamourie]

She sounded angry - that was the first thing Ciceroth noticed and he physically recoiled, edging closer toward the rocks again, back away from Aslath, away from scratching range. Angry queens positively terrified him. It wasn't that he was a coward -- he wasn't. He was simply not a fool. Queens were a force not to be trifled with and if he had accidentally offended Aslath, he needed to make it right as soon as possible. The idea of her being mad at him did not sit well with Ciceroth at all and he paled slightly, though given the lighter coloring of his hide, it was not likely to be visible. His eyes did whirl rapid shades of confusion and something close to white, but only for a split second, before he ducked his head away, no longer looking at her. The more Aslath spoke to him, the more confused and upset he got, and Ciceroth decided to lay curled up next to his rocks as much as he could. He did not want to get himself scratched up if he could help it and if she was angry with him, there was surely a chance of that... wasn't there? He didn't know, but the fact that Aslath was talking about possibly being caught by a bronze she didn't like - and the word 'hate' again - so baffled him that he hid his head slightly behind his wing, disguising it as more shielding his eyes from the sunlight. He was good at hiding things, most of the time. That was a habit he'd picked up from His.

I did not mean to upset you, he offered meekly as his thoughts grew steadily more dark and puzzled. Aslath spoke of being flown against her will - was that even possible? He'd never thought it was, but the way she spoke certainly implied it to be. That confused and upset him, as she stated she'd hate the bronze who caught her. Well, she certainly didn't 'hate' Salenth, as she claimed he was hers, and the only other bronze to ever catch Aslath was him. Had he done something so horribly wrong? Hers certainly did not like RysHis at all; was he at fault in some way? He didn't understand at all, and he wasn't sure he liked the idea of being hated. He couldn't understand the emotion, but from the way Aslath spoke, it could not be remotely good. His eyes whirled frantically as he reached out to Ka'rys for some sort of comfort - explanation - anything.

The bronzerider visibly stiffened, his expression darkening and he looked down to avoid glaring off into the distance; it wasn't Shmee he was upset with but the sudden surge of confusion and hurt from his mindmate bothered him on a level he was not willing to express in front of the Weyrwoman. He missed her shrugging, and the obvious fondness she displayed for Ophelie, as his mind was far off - out near the river, as it were, trying to keep Ciceroth calm. What happened?

Aslath said Hers was flown against her will; she said she'd hate a bronze who caught her against her will. I don't understand. Rysmine, what is hate? I didn't know people could be flown against their will or dragons could. Did I do something wrong? Aslath is upset with me. The very quick response was clear evidence that Ciceroth was more than a little upset - not angry, no, not by a longshot, but hurt, confused and scared, yes, definitely. He was barely registering what Aslath said, as his responses were rapidly offered to Ka'rys, and the affection he received in response calmed him but only slightly. He crooned quietly, the sound meant to comfort Aslath, but he had no other real words to say. He did try, though, offering to her simply, I didn't know that Tekisith's hurt Yours. Neither did mine. I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you. He was not normally a subservient entity, but when frightened and upset, Ciceroth did tend to recoil. He'd grown up at Fort, and contending with Grenostith was almost always a mistake. He'd learned well not to risk a queen's anger if he could help it.

Ka'rys lifted one hand and rubbed his temple before exhaling. Shmee spoke, and his eyes flicked up toward her and he offered her a curt nod. "Well, no, we're not bickering. We're about to, though," he said quietly before glancing off toward the weyrledge. "You went to the Flight rooms after S'rei, didn't you? That's why Miguel and Shei were crying so much." Unintentionally or not, he did just reveal how he came to be around Shei the first time. Ka'rys didn't elaborate, instead turning back toward Shmee. "What does Aslath mean when she says that S'rei doesn't believe you?" Maybe if Shmee talked about it, she'd feel better. Doubtful, but considering the woman couldn't care less about him, at the worst case scenario she might blow up and yell - and get some of whatever was bothering her off her chest. He couldn't say as he had a huge amount of sympathy for her, particularly not when Ciceroth was so clearly bothered.

Aslath has never been 'flown' against her will. She has only been caught by dragons she wanted to catch her. You did nothing wrong, Ka'rys reassured Ciceroth and felt the bronze relax; it was likely visible. I don't think Aslath is explaining well. Dragons are not flown against their will, it is not forced and no one is hurt. Humans can be hurt - humans can be forced. I can't explain it in a way that you'll understand. The best explanation I can offer would be a dragon trying to mate with a female when she is not Flying. Do you understand? -- Not Flying; doesn't want it.

That makes no sense, Ciceroth replied, but he did uncurl slightly and turn to regard Aslath curiously. If they're not Flying, why Chase?

I've never understood it myself, explained the human half of the pair, with a slight shrug that would probably not make much sense to Shmee. He actually forgot that Ciceroth couldn't see him, and finished his explanation with as much bluntness as he could offer his winged counterpart. As for hate -- Aslath doesn't hate you. I promise you that. You did nothing wrong. She's just... temperamental. Like her rider. Don't take it personally. You did nothing wrong. Ask her. She'll tell you. You're not wrong. The wording earned more comfort from Ciceroth, and most of the panic subsided; Ka'rys was usually the more emotional of the two, but he was very good at comforting Ciceroth most of the time. Most of the time. And he knew well enough to know that his bronze had done nothing to merit hate. No one of intelligence could hate Ciceroth. He was the most likable creature on Pern, as far as Ka'rys was concerned, and anyone who disagreed could throw themselves off the waterfall for all he cared. Ciceroth had done nothing wrong. If Aslath was in his presence, Ka'rys likely would have told her to say so, too. He was anything but shy.