nothing can hold you now. [savitri]

[glamourie]

You know, it wouldn't kill you to make an effort to socialize. The 'I'm contagious' excuse doesn't work when you don't even have the sniffles anymore.

Ciceroth snorted as he settled himself, half-draped over one of the large rocks at the edge of the river. Sprawled out as he was, he looked more serpentine than any dragon ought to have, though much of that was because of the rocks. He'd most effectively managed to curl himself around and on top of them so that the rough edges brushed lavishly against his hide, granting a nice, 'back rubbing' sensation whenever he moved. He didn't itch but it felt wonderful. He'd taken quite awhile to get comfortable, curling around restless over and over, but he finally was situated, and had no intentions of moving. The position also left his tail dangling into the water, and he used it to splash at his rider as he addressed him, no small amount of annoyance in his 'voice.' Oh, it was true enough that Ka'rys had been very ill for several weeks, effectively missing the Hatching, and the feast that followed. Ciceroth, though annoyed, hadn't pressured him because Ka'rys had been near delusional from fever. But he was well and there was no reason for them not to be doing something constructive.

Except, of course, that Ka'rys didn't want to do anything. The bronzerider grunted at Ciceroth before swinging one hand up to cover his eyes. Unlike Ciceroth, he was not comfortable sitting perched on the rocks. He hadn't come out of his weyr since he got sick simply because he was contagious and spreading it would have been detrimental to others. He'd ended up sending Ophelie to pester a healer (who turned out to have an unnaturally large mob of fire lizards and very little patience) to come and help him, but he'd otherwise been secluded. Did he feel bad at dumping things on Shmee? He probably should have, but he was too sick to really think about it. True, he'd gotten better, but... well, just but. He wasn't eager to try and talk to the Weyrwoman, any more than he was sure she was eager for him to come address her. Ciceroth might have gotten along with everyone but Ka'rys's best tactic for dealing with people was staying by himself.

"I'm outside. One step at a time, Ciss," Ka'rys replied as he looked down at his reflection in the water. Though he'd been sick, it did not show much in his appearance. A little thinner, a little pale, but he hadn't really been terribly effected. With his luck, he'd be accused of faking it by someone. Oh well; he didn't care. He dipped one bare foot down to brush the top of the water before squinting slightly. Ka'rys never wore shoes if he could help it. He rather hated them. Only when going between or out onto Hatching sands did he ever get up the oomph to pull on his shoes. He didn't need them otherwise. "Have you heard from Uu'n and Adith, by chance?"

I have not contacted them. You did not ask me to. Ciceroth's eyes whirled a bizarre blue-violet, the usual color they took on when he was curious. He swiveled his head around to nudge his rider with his snout. I believe they are asleep now. When night falls, I will ask Adith to meet with you. You were planning to talk to him about a night watch?

"Have to check with the Weyrwoman and whether or not she'd be for it, but yes." Ka'rys nodded slightly, one hand coming up to run over Ciceroth's snout. Even when he was unhappy with Ciceroth, he couldn't be anything but affectionate. Though, he'd finally gotten over his refusal to speak to the bronze except in angry tones. It had taken awhile but Ka'rys did, eventually, let it go, as Ciceroth knew he would. He'd gotten sick and that helped, but the entire time he was ill, his mind kept going back to Uu'n's question. It was a fair one. After the Weyrlings from virtually all the clutches thus far had been attacked, he was surprised they weren't all rioting to learn to defend themselves better. Or were they? He didn't know. Uu'n had been the first to ask, and he'd been trying to think of a way to encorporate a night watch with Adith and the whers. It was an idea Shmee would have to agree to, though. "Maybe I'll bring it up to her later. Don't bother Uu'n and Adith; I don't want to get the idea in their head if she says no." He'd have to think of a way to do it without her approval if she did, but... surely the Weyrwoman would understand the need for a more effective night watch. Hmm...

[kysseh]

Savitri was unsure how Hepaticath always managed to squeeze them both into such uncomfortable social situations, but as both dragon and woman got within sight of one of their favored river spots, it soon became clear that the little--or, not so little--gold had done it yet again. With her stitches removed, she had decided a good swim was in order, so she had dressed lightly for the occasion, barefoot with only knee-length pants and a sleeveless tunic that she wore for swimming about. Unlike the weyrbred folk, she was not comfortable with swimming in the nude, so she was always at least decently covered. She was not worried about covering herself so much as she disliked the looks people sent her. That, plus an added dose of caution for her still-healing wounds made her opt to just stay lightly clothed, though she couldn't help but think bitterly that she had dressed a little too lightly considering that they would soon have company.

The bright gold weyrling, however, was pleased at her ability to nose out company for herself and Hers, though manners would not allow her to butt in on the relaxing pair without at least asking permission. She let out a soft warble of greeting, noting that dragon and rider seemed to be having a personal and private moment. She hated to interrupt so, but Aslath's memory of this dragon made it imperative that she meet him soon. She could not let her sire go unacknowledged or unmet, after all, and Hepaticath let out an added croon just for the bronze's sake, even as she included the weyrleader in her gaze.

I am very sorry for interrupting you, but we have not met yet. You hide too well. she said without a hint of reproach, her eyes whirling a bit faster as Savitri finally managed to catch up with her. The gold weyrling ignored the fact that Hers was giving her a look of extreme exasperation. She would come around, in time. Hepaticath had no doubts about that. I am Hepaticath, and this is SavitriMine. May we join you? Actually, if the bronzepair was paying attention, they would notice that the young dragon had eyes for the river as much as for them. Hers wanted to swim, after all, but Hepaticath wanted to meet this elusive pair.

Savitri was less than pleased with the fact that her dragon insisted upon making acquaintance with every dragon and rider in the weyr. The fact that this pair was a bronzepair only annoyed her more, and she only belatedly caught the thread of Hepaticath's thoughts enough to realize whom she was faced with. She was immediately startled by the fact that such an important person as the weyrleader was lounging barefoot on the rivershore whilst the weyrwoman and her new--or was it ex? Savitri could never be sure, and Shmee seemed quite unstable enough to Savitri's sensible mind to change it several times a day--weyrmate. The politics of it were daunting, and she decided it best to make an effort to smooth over their rather rough intrusion into the weyrleader and his dragon's privacy.

"I'm sorry for intruding. She's impossible to keep at bay once she has her mind on something." The fact that Hepaticath only rumbled softly in amusement further raised Savitri's ire, and the young woman folded her arms over her chest to glare at the dignified little weyrling. Little brat... "We can find another stretch of river to swim in." We could, but we don't want to. Hepaticath amended unabashedly, loud enough for both the weyrleader and his bronze to hear. Come, Mine. They can not be as bad as you think. she said more privately to Savitri, which only instigated a silent battle of the wills which Hepaticath won only by capitulation on Savitri's part. It was a moot point to leave now, after all.

[glamourie]

Movement nearby made Ka'rys blink and jerk upward, nearly jumping in surprise. He scrambled slightly, but the sudden movement was too much and down he went, falling from his perch on the rock right into the river near him with an abrupt and undeniable splush! Anything he might have had to say in response was cut off by the presence of water, and his show of clumsiness earned loud rumbling from the so-comfortable bronze sprawled out on the rocks near him. Normally Ka'rys was a rather graceful entity, but being ill for so long had come back to haunt him, and he was very easily spooked. Call it paranoia or another unpleasant word; whatever it was, Ka'rys hadn't expected that when he turned to look at the source of the sound he'd see a young gold right in his face. The dragonet was a rather startling presence to the bronze rider, plain and simple. It didn't matter that he'd only been startled because she was the last thing he expected to see.

Ciceroth watched his rider resurface for a moment before turning to look at Hepaticath, and his eyes whirled affectionately. He leaned his head down to nudge her lightly before crooning. Of course you and yours are welcome, do you see? Rysmine is even putting on a show for you, he explained, though he chose not to respond to them 'hiding.' It was true that his Ka'rys had indeed been hiding, though he hadn't. He'd simply been worried about his rider's health. Explaining it would mean trying to explain how Ka'rys became ill and he truthfully did not know. Ka'rys, in his paranoia, was convinced someone had poisoned him. Ciceroth was a lot more open-minded and suspected it related to the fact that Ka'rys was so fond of wandering around barefoot regardless of the weather and the season. He'd seen others become ill from similar behavior, and though no one could deny that Ka'rys had a strong immune system, it was bound to catch up to him eventually. Not that the illness seemed to teach the stubborn bronzerider, no, he was still going to wander around barefoot and by the egg, he'd do it whenever he wanted regardless of what people thought.

Ka'rys spluttered for a moment before grabbing onto the side of the rock. Then he pulled himself up onto it and ran his hands over his face. Oh, he heard Ciceroth teasing him well enough, but he let it go; he wasn't sure what the young queen's response was, if anything, and he didn't really want to know. His hands moved up to wring the water from his sleeves, and from the bottoms of his trousers, and he blinked twice as though to clear his eyes. Only when he was sure he was at least as dry as he was going to be short of lounging around for the rest of the day, did he turn back to the goldpair, and he squinted slightly. Savitri was familiar, but her gold was not.

Hepaticath, Ciceroth supplied upon sensing his lifemate's confusion, and her rider, Savitri.

He was not left with silence long, as Savitri spoke, and he smiled as reassuringly as he could considering he'd just made a total fool of himself. He'd have cared more if it weren't for the fact that he knew everyone, at some point in their life, did something ridiculous in front of someone they'd rather not look the part of a fool around. Savitri was still young enough that she would probably realize that herself. She wasn't old enough to have developed the I am perfect complex most goldriders seemed to possess.. or so he hoped. He really did not want to put up with having it rubbed in his face, in any case. Besides, wouldn't anyone be surprised if they turned and suddenly there was a gold dragon near them that hadn't been there before? Young or not, it was still surprising.

"You're far from intruding," Ka'rys said with a shrug. "The river is as much yours as it is anyone else's, goldrider. You needn't try to explain, and you should never apologize for Hepaticath. She hasn't done anything to merit it. Ciceroth, on the other hand..." He shot Ciceroth a nasty look that earned rumbling, and then sighed, "... seems to enjoy mocking me. I hope you're enjoying the show half as much as he is. We haven't been properly introduced yet, though. My apologies." He held out one hand toward the goldrider, a weak smile on his face. "I was too ill to attend the Hatching, and I feel as though I owe all of the new Weyrlings an apology. I hope you and the young queen can forgive the indiscretion. No insult was meant."

[kysseh]

Savitri barely had time to gasp before the man took an ungraceful tumble into the water, and she immediately took a step forward to make sure he was all right. She had truly not meant to startle him so, though she was not sure if it was it was her or Hepaticath that had caused his rather clumsy entry into the river. Shards, but if the weyrleader was injured on her watch, she would never forgive-

Fear not, Mine. He is perfectly well. Hepaticath said cheerfully, noting the rumble that Ciceroth emitted. She arched her neck and moved a little closer to the bronze, the affectionate whirl of her eyes telling her that she was most welcome in his presence. The little weyrling crooned back up at the larger dragon, nuzzling lightly at his neck and completely ignoring her rider's obvious concern over the weyrleader. Thank you for sharing your river with us. I think Mine would be very amused, but she is worried for Yours. She heals, after all. But I very much like the show. Yours is very funny. The weyrling's eyes whirled with ever-increasing amusement, secure in the knowledge that the bronze would not be so happy if His was in danger.

Savitri was very relieved to see Ka'arys emerge spluttering from the water, and she breathed out a sigh as the bronzerider pulled himself from the river and back onto his rock, moving in closer to just satisfy herself that he was alive and uninjured. He seemed to be unharmed, considering he was wringing the water from his soaked clothes, and she gave him a smile of wry apology, seating herself on a nearby dry rock. He did not seem to know who she was, at first, but he realized quickly enough. She almost wished he had not, for a brief moment. It would be nice to meet someone who did not feel the need to fawn.

How could she possibly take his absence as an insult? She tilted her head to one side, a bit bemused until she realized he was just trying to be courteous. Somehow, his quiet politeness meant more than all the fawnings, and she was willing to go an extra inch to inform him that no harm had been done. She offered up a rare genuine smile and gently clasped his hand between both of hers as he seemed to need that reassurance. "No apology is necessary, weyrleader, so long as you don't call me 'goldrider'," she said, making a face at the term. "Savitri will do fine, if you don't mind. Every time someone says 'goldrider', they seem to want something from me." If her tone was a tad bitter, it was understandable. She had been fussed over, fussed at, fawned over and fawned at, envied and hated, and adored, and she was sick of the less than genuine attitudes.

The look he sent toward his dragon made her offer up a faint smirk. "They do seem to enjoy laughing at us, don't they?" A warble from Hepaticath, accompanied by a gleaming green whirl of her eyes, implied just how amused the gold was at her rider's expense. Oh, yes, Hepaticath did love to be amused, and she already trusted the weyrleader in Hers' presence. She did not trust many so quickly, but Ciceroth was a kind dragon, and any rider who would not yell at being dunked in the river was trustworthy enough.

Snorting in her dragon's direction, Savitri returned her attention to the man before her, flicking her gaze all over his soaked form as if to reassure herself that he had suffered no damage from his tumble. He did look a tad on the weak side, or perhaps the smile was just a bit forced. It was difficult to tell. "I'd be more amused if I knew you weren't injured by us surprising you." She had intended to swim, but she was not about to just yet, despite Hepaticath's statement that the males did not mind sharing their peace with the weyrling gold and her rider.

[glamourie]

You should see him when he's completely well, Ciceroth replied amiably enough. He took a devious delight in picking on Ka'rys, at times to the level that any other dragonpair was likely to be scratching their head in wonder. Ciceroth was known for throwing His into water whenever he 'misbehaved' or needed something to distract him. He was also known for periodically stealing his clothes when he was swimming just to merit outrageously indignant reactions. It was all in good fun. Without Ciceroth's sense of humor, it was likely Ka'rys would have exploded from tension Turns previous, but they balanced one another out. Ka'rys was the stern one, the cold and detached, logical half of the equation; a warrior at heart. Ciceroth on the flipside was friendly, easy going and very warm, eager to make friends. They were near perfect opposites, but one thing they shared in common was the fact that neither of them liked losing. The difference was it was much harder to bring out Ciceroth's competitive nature than it was to attract Ka'rys's. He viewed the entire world as a war, him on one side, everyone else completely on the other. Paranoia extreme.

Coming off being sick, Ka'rys was a lot less 'energetic' than he usually was. Any other time he might have floundered about, sputtered and grumbled at Ciceroth for taking such devious amusement in his embarrassment. Should he have been angry at the goldrider and her dragonet? Well, if he should have, he wasn't. Ka'rys was a practical creature, after all, and he didn't gain anything by grumping at a young woman for him not paying attention, even if it would have soothed his ego more to blame her and her gold for 'sneaking up' on him. It was his own fault for being caught unaware. He wouldn't again.

His title made Ka'rys pull a face, squinting and crinkling his nose slightly, as if it had a bitter taste or smell. He wasn't used to being addressed by the title and though it honestly did 'fit', he didn't like it much. Maybe that was cold or cruel of him but the honest truth was that the only time anyone ever gave him his title is if they were mad at him or wanted something, just as Savitri said. Ka'rys wasn't in the mood to give anything, and he hadn't done anything to merit anger that he knew of. Unless he'd splashed, but well, if he did, not his fault. He brushed his hand over his face, then slicked his hair back with his fingers. The dark strands stayed in place, due to still being partially wet. And his feet were cold. He frowned and looked down at them before wiggling his toes slightly. Bother.

"If I have to call you by your name, I insist you call me by mine," said Ka'rys with a lofty shrug that made it clear he didn't care much either way. "But I do want something from you, Savitri: I want you to promise me you won't tell anyone that I'm prone to clumsiness. Can you do that for me?" He squinted slightly before poking the water with his toe. "The last thing I want is for anyone to hear about this." He didn't add his reasons, as they were private. The fact that he and Shmee didn't get along was probably not a secret, but Ka'rys was professional enough to keep most of it to himself. That was why he'd also been careful not to specify who he meant when he said 'anyone' though if Savitri was observant she may have guessed he didn't get along with the Weyrwoman at all. He avoided her most of the time. It saved time, energy and an unusual amount of stress. Better for everyone all around.

Was he hurt? The bronzerider looked himself over for a moment before turning back to Savitri. He feigned a genuinely puzzled expression. Privately he thought it was cute that she seemed so worried; outwardly, he shook his head. "The only injury is to my pride, but I'm used to that by now. Ciss is only happy when he's mocking me. Hepaticath is absolutely stunning." His gaze turned back to the young gold. It was truly the first time he'd laid eyes on her, after all. He'd been too busy being sick to go and look at the hatchlings from the clutch. "You must be taking good care of her." He paused, then glanced at Savitri before leaning over to whisper, "Get used to being made fun of, if they start early, they never grow out of it. Take it from me." He nodded sagely before wiggling his toes in the water again. His eyes were back on the glassy surface, but he was listening to the sounds of the air around him. Ophelie would be coming back soon... "So what brings the two of you to the river? Just a swim?"

[kysseh]

Hepaticath gave a dignified snort, arching her neck and regarding Ciceroth with more than a hint of youthful amusement. I can not wait. I hope he would not mind if Mine laughed a little, though. She does not laugh nearly enough. the young weyrling said with just a touch of reproach in her voice for Hers. She and Hers shared a common calmness and sensible outlook toward the world, but where Hepaticath was a diplomat, Savitri just said it as she saw it. The healer-turned-weyrling was often far too serious, and her dragon had made a vow to find some way to instigate laughter out of the young woman at every opportunity. If her injuries were healed, Hepaticath would have nosed Savitri into the river already, but as it stood, subtlety was required.

The face that Ka'arys made told Savitri very clearly that she was not the only one who hated being referred to by rank. It surprised her. Most bronzeriders seemed to want that important distinction, and here was one who was obviously disinterested in it. She made a face of her own as he took stock of his wet body, the healer in her tempted to point out that he should dry off as soon as possible. Being soaking wet for a prolonged time was not helpful in recovering from illness, but she reasoned he likely knew this. If he was a bronzerider, he couldn't be a complete idiot.

Just... partial one, perhaps.

The diffident shrug he gave at his request was mildly irritating, mostly because Savitri was beginning to think he was saying one thing and meaning entirely another. His request was honest enough, and she reasoned he probably did not want to be publicly humiliated by the fact that a mere weyrling and her dragon had frightened him right into the river. Well... perhaps not 'frightened'. Just 'startled' would be more accurate. "Very well... Ka'arys..." She was not sure she liked calling him by first name, but he had asked. "I won't say a word, though I have to say it was just a bit funny," she added, unable to keep the hint of a smile off her face.

He seemed confused by her inquiry, though he should not have. Wouldn't any polite person inquire as to his wellbeing after he got himself unceremoniously dunked into the river? They should. "Your pride will recover, I'm sure," she said, chuckling lightly. Ah, yes, there was the male ego she had been waiting to see displayed. No male was bereft of it, in one way or another. Maybe he was worried about the weyrwoman hearing about his little fall from dignity, though she doubted it. By all accounts and Shmee's own admission, the weyrleader and weyrwoman were not close.

The sudden turn of conversation had her glancing toward her dragon, and Hepaticath, sensing admiration and wishing to look over this man talking to Hers, padded over to the seated pair, her shining neck arched a bit with quiet pride. Savitri permitted herself a smile as she lifted a hand to scratch the gold eyeridges that were presented for attention. "Thank you. I've been trying my best," she said, chuckling when the gold gave the other rider a shameless croon. Hepaticath was not a vain creature, but she had her prideful moments. "Silly beast. You have enough admirers already," she chided her, for which she received a rather indelicate snort from the little gold.

Ka'ary's whispered warning made her sigh quietly. Oh, so Hepaticath would never grow out of making her laugh at herself and others, hmm? That was good to keep in mind, since she would be the primary target of the gold's gently affectionate teasing. Not that she minded too terribly much, of course. She leaned in to kiss the soft gold nose, inciting another croon from the weyrling. She turned her head slightly to watch the bronzerider, still lavishing her little mindmate with attention. "Just a swim, for me. With my stitches out, I wanted to get in the water for a bit." The fresh scars across her torso were not visible through her tunic, but the ones across her left arm were. "Hepaticath seems skilled at seeking out any available company to foist me on, though," she added, earning herself a 'gentle' nudge that nearly had her toppling off the rock and into the water.

[glamourie]

Ciceroth rumbled, his eyes whirling rapidly with amusement. They were interesting, this goldpair, though he did not give voice to that observation. He had the distinct feeling neither the young queen nor her rider would like hearing compliments, even if they were far from laden with flattery. That conclusion was drawn from the fact that her rider had specifically asked not to be called by her title, a fact which actually puzzled Ciceroth almost as much as his own rider's rejection of his. Humans as a rule seemed to not think with any sense of logic, or at least, any logic that Ciceroth comprehended. For all the rest of her life, Savitri would be a goldrider, plain and simple. There was no escaping that. While it wasn't all she was, it was a big part of what people would associate her with. Why reject the title? She said because people wanted things of her. But no one ever said she had to give them those things. He didn't understand it, just as he didn't understand why Ka'rys hated being recognized as the Weyrleader and did everything in his power to try to dump the title back on S'rei, who was much more suited to being out in the spotlight. Ka'rys and his hidey-hole.

Rysmine is not easy to offend, he explained, and really, it was a true statement. There were only two things Ka'rys found truly offensive, everything else he could disqualify. References to his sister upset him, but no one knew about her being his sister, and Ciceroth knew Ka'rys would not talk about her to anyone else... and then weakness. Being weak and helpless offended Ka'rys on a purely primal level. Since Savitri and her gold did not appear to be helpless (yet; but Ciceroth knew His was rather prone to judging goldriders more harshly than any other dragonrider, in part because of the Weyrwoman), it was unlikely that he would become offended. Being laughed at didn't bother him. Why would it? He knew his own worth. Ciceroth saw to that every time Ka'rys started to doubt.

Motioning distractedly, Ka'rys shrugged. He didn't want to discuss himself and he was being highly careful to keep the conversation about Savitri. If she was anything like most goldriders, it wouldn't take long to get her gushing about herself. Was that a snap judgment and probably unfair? Likely, but Ka'rys was a secretive individual. He didn't enjoy people trying to pick him apart and analyze him, even though most people who attempted such a feat were ill-suited to understand his motives. Just because he doubted most people could understand him didn't mean he welcomed the risk, though. It was like taunting an angry dragon. Eventually the flames would come, and Ka'rys did not intend to dance in that fire. Secrets, secrets, so many secrets. He smiled and blocked those thoughts from his mind, instead glancing over to look at the young gold dragon as if she was the most interesting thing in the world.

"I don't think there is such a thing as a queen with enough admirers," Ka'rys hummed before glancing over his shoulder. Ciceroth leaned his head down to nudge him, as though to remind him that he was there, and that single action made Ka'rys choke and cover his mouth to avoid breaking out laughing. Are you jealous, Ciss?

No more than you are when I pay attention to others, but you might make the young goldrider feel awkward with continual commentary. If she doesn't like her title, she is unlikely to appreciate reminders of her dragon's status, either. The 'explanation' was for Ka'rys alone, as Ciceroth squirmed more against the rocks to make himself comfortable. His tail snaked up to awkwardly drape along the rocks and into the water, before jerking abruptly. The result was an admirable splash that hit Ka'rys's legs, but nothing more, though Ciceroth's eyes whirled an undeniably teasing color. Should I be jealous, Rysmine, that you compliment her more than me?

No response came to Ciceroth's 'words' as Ka'rys was busy jerking away up the rocks. A scolding look was shot to the very-amused bronze, but he otherwise did not reply. Instead, he huffed and made a show of ignoring Ciceroth (the dramatic nature of which was emphasized by him pointedly turning his nose up in a haughty manner; it should have been clear he meant nothing by it), his arms folded over his chest. The posture lasted only a moment before he turned back toward Savitri, a curious look coming over his face. "Well, it's good to learn young who is and is not a fool," he replied dryly before shaking his head. "The water is surprisingly --" he paused to watch Savitri as she was nudged, only to make sure she wasn't going to fall into the water in a graceless show similar to his own, though he did not ask if she was okay. It wasn't his right. "-- warm today, too..."

[kysseh]

Hepaticath's eyes whirled, and the little gold tucked in her wings, nestling her head against Sav's shoulder. I am glad to hear that. He will not mind, then, that Mine and I are amused by his fall, since he is not injured. Her gaze travelled, alighting first on the lovely bronze and then on His and then back on Hers again. Hers seemed to not be bothered by this bronzerider, so Hepaticath included the bronzepair amongst the short list of those whom she would trust with Hers without Hepaticath herself present.

Savitri was not stupid enough to miss the bronzerider's shrugging off of their present conversation topics, and her eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. He was deliberately avoiding anything other than idle chatter, it seemed, but Savitri opted to let it slide for the moment. "Oh, she has plenty. Nearly every creature to come into her presence has some sort of compliment to make," she said with a light roll of her eyes, still giving the gold an affectionate scritch to the eyeridges despite the light scathing overtones to her voice. She blamed Hepaticath little for the attraction that she held to others. She simply blamed the others for being unable to resist fawning over the little creature. "She might not be vain, but her ego still needs no feeding."

She arched an eyebrow at Ciceroth's nudge of his bonded, slightly concerned. The bronze was not jealous of the attention that Ka'arys was paying to her and Hepaticath, was he? Ka'arys' laugh made her suspect that the bronze was expressing his dislike. She extended her free hand toward the poor beast, offering the weyrleader a look of mild reproach. "I hope you're not neglecting him on our behalf. Neither of us needs to be catered to." Hepaticath gave the bronze an echoing croon, though Savitri's expression faded to one of amusement as Ciceroth gently splashed his rider. Well, it appeared the bronze could take care of himself, then.

Hepaticath took that moment to nudge her again, and Savitri had to grab the little gold around the neck to keep from overbalancing, only releasing after giving the weyrling a gentle warning to not do so again. She did not need to imitate Ka'arys anytime soon. The weyrleader's movement and resulting pose made her let slip a rare laugh, unable to contain herself at the overemphasized posture he presented. It appeared that he was not as serious as he seemed, and she shook her head at his antics. What an overgrown child... if a bit of a close-mouthed one. She ignored his comment about fools, mostly because she had nothing to say on the topic that could be considered polite.

"Glad to hear it. Cold tends to-" Whatever Savitri had intended to express was lost in an uncharacteristic squeal as Hepaticath's nudging finally overbalanced her rider and knocked the young woman into the water. As the gold rumbled happily in her success, Savitri surfaced with an indignant cough, her normally-light hair plastered flat and dark against her head. She glared at Hepaticath, watching the gold drape her forequarters lazily over the rock that Savitri had been sitting on just seconds ago. I win. the gold said calmly with as much dignity as a gawky weyrling could relay, making sure that Ciceroth could hear her pronouncement of victory, as if the set of her body did not imply already her delight with having soaked Hers. It was the simple things that brought such joy.

[glamourie]

No, he would not mind if he knew, Ciceroth replied, but he did not relay Hepaticath's amusement to Ka'rys. If she and her rider wanted him to know they would tell him. Ciceroth had no intentions of telling his rider much of anything that the young gold said to him. It was really not of any consequence since they were not discussing highly important matters. If she wanted Ka'rys to know, she would ask him to say it specifically, or ask Hers to speak of it. From the attitude that Hepaticath had displayed thus far, he did not believe she was too shy to say - or have hers do so - exactly what she wanted known. Boldness was a good thing in a queen, so long as it didn't get out of hand. Young as she was, it was hard for Ciceroth to guess whether it would or not, but he was just arrogant enough to believe that Hepaticath would stay grounded and not become convinced all of Pern revolved around her.

Ka'rys smiled slightly before turning to look at the young gold. So it was obvious to everyone she was lovely? Well, there was a certain level of conceit on his part, too. He kept it to himself, but how could Ka'rys be anything but proud of Hepaticath? Ciceroth was her sire, and the most important thing in his life. If she was beautiful, it reflected well on Ciceroth, too. There was a double edge to his compliments, although there was also an underlying fact not to be ignored: that she was of a clutch Ciceroth sired meant that Ka'rys was also highly biased. He could see no flaws in any hatchling his wonderful bronze played a part into bringing into the world. Maybe that was, in part, unfair to the young gold, but it was at least honest... in thought. He'd never give voice to that. After all, Aslath deserved most of the credit... didn't she? .. Right.

One hand rose to run along Ciceroth's neck, an undeniable show of blatant affection, and Ka'rys cast an amused look at the young goldrider's expression of concern. Ciceroth crooned, his eyes whirling with affection, though whether it was at Savitri or Ka'rys was unclear. He doubtlessly enjoyed the attention, though.

"Does he look neglected?" Ka'rys inquired, giving the bronze a good once over. Even for his color, Ciceroth was on the large side, and colored strangely, though not that out of the ordinary considering that he was a northern bronze. He'd seen several bronzes from Fort with similar - not quite the same - coloration. Maybe it was a regional thing? He didn't know nor care to think about it. Ciceroth stood out, at least to Ka'rys, and he'd never complained about it. For someone who loved being able to fade into the background as much as Ka'rys did, that was a strange trait... but he had a hard time imagining Ciceroth as having any flaws. He most definitely saw the dragon as his better half -- the nicer one by far. "You needn't worry; he knows who the most important person in my life is by far, and that he has no competition. Even my firelizard Ophelie is not as close to me as he --"

Whatever else he was going to say, it was cut off quite abruptly by Savitri taking a plunge into the water and Ka'rys's eyes went wide. Instinct took over and he scrambled onto his knees on the rock, holding both of his arms out as though to help Savitri up. Ciceroth behind him rumbled his amusement, eyes whirling rapidly, but Ka'rys seemed oblivious. "Are you okay? Here, come here, I'll pull you up." He was used to being shoved into the water by Ciceroth, but he'd never seen another dragon with the same mischievous streak as his beloved bronze. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but as long as Savitri was unharmed, he supposed it was worth letting go. At least he wasn't the only one dripping wet and being laughed at anymore.

Point for you. Should I push him in too? Then she won't be the only one...

[kysseh]

Hepaticath was aware of Ka'rys' scrutiny but was strangely unconcerned about it. He had offered forth compliments, which the little gold could appreciate, but the dragons' opinion of her mattered far more. She was theirs, after all, and while the humans were intelligent and wonderful beings, she knew they often complimented anything that sparkled. She was still flattered, though, she blew a soft snort out her nose before nudging the weyrleader's knee in thanks. His Ciceroth was her sire, so his opinion was one of those few that did matter a little, alongside the weyrwoman's. Other than those, Hepaticath valued only Her's flattery, which was rarer but more genuine. Those were the compliments that the little gold sought most of all.

Now that she was in the water and had a better view of the scene--albeit, once her wet hair was pushed out of her face--Savitri took a brief moment to look over the bronze. No, he had not been neglected by his rider, except just now in favor of talking to the newest queen and her rider. The mere thought of being a queenrider tempted the young woman to roll her eyes. Everyone seemed to expect her to be Shmee's shadow, which was far, far more unlikely to happen than Hepaticath's becoming Aslath's. Savitri bowed to authority above her, but she walked her own road. Still, the affection between the weyrleader and his beast was obvious, and she felt justified in thinking that he had not seriously ignored his poor mindmate for their sake. She was privately of the opinion that the bronze was stunning too but kept that matter to herself, despite Hepaticath's obvious and biased agreement in the back of her head.

The concern on Ka'rys' face was obvious, though Savitri could not help but be amused at the reversal in their positions. He had seemed puzzled by her concern, but he seemed allowed to be as worried as he liked. She very nearly rolled her eyes, though the rumbling of both dragons up on the shore spurred her to something a little more childish. With both his arms held out, the weyrleader was a tempting target, and though he was still ill, the water was very, very warm. How she managed to keep a straight face was debatable, but she reached up as if to take his hands and instead grasped at his wrists and pulled, releasing him as soon as she felt she had sufficiently overbalanced him.

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I grew up at Southern. I swam before I walked," she finally said, her green eyes dancing with just a bit of amusement. Hepaticath's rumbling finally made her send a splash up at the beast. "Oh, hush, you. You're next."

Hepaticath, her forward half now sprinkled with water, merely let out a quiet croon of delight, her eyes whirling a little faster. Mine refuses to be the only one soaked. She will not be happy until she has me in the water too. the little gold replied before arching her neck and getting to her feet, moving a few steps downshore and then sliding gracefully into the water herself, somehow managing to not swamp Savitri with the resulting wave. Her head broke the surface, and she peered over at Ciceroth up on the bank. Too warm to play? Hers had been startled by Hepaticath's capacity for play, but she, regardless of color, was only a child, after all. All young things played, and Hepaticath was no different. She simply played on a larger scale.

[glamourie]

Ka'rys had only a minute to react, or even less; a fraction of a second passed as his eyes widened with realization, but it was too late to stop it and he plummeted straight into the water in a full-blown show of gracelessness rivaled only by his earlier tumble. His mind reeled with surprise, followed by somewhat cold amusement; he should've known better, but that would teach him to let his guard down for even a second. As he resurfaced, he spluttered and slicked his hair back out of his face with one hand, the water still dribbling down his face. Then he folded his arms over his chest in a mock show of annoyance, but it was far from sincere. Water was hardly the worst thing to ever happen to him. Ka'rys was very fond of swimming, and he'd dry off eventually. Water dried after enough time; he wasn't particularly worried. Besides, the river was warm and Ciceroth was very, very amused. He found it hard to be anything unpleasant when all he felt from the bronze curled up on the rocks he'd been perching on moments before was a raw, unabridged entertainment rekindled by affection. Apparently, Ciss decided he liked the goldpair. Big surprise there. Ciceroth liked everyone.

"You must be fine, if you're pulling me in to drown with you," Ka'rys replied dryly before swatting water at Savitri with the back of his hand. He wasn't surprised that she was from Southern, though; ignoring the obvious fact that most of the people at Selenitas were from the Weyr and its surrounding Holds, there were certain traits that people from every area displayed, from the blond-haired, fair-eyed Blossomers on. It was the same in the north, really. Ka'rys was Fort-born and it showed at least to people familiar with the residents of Fort, from the dark hair and eyes, to the slightly lighter skin. Everyone had certain traits of where they were from. Still, it was interesting to hear her describe Southern even in only such short words. He'd never spent much time at that particular hold. When he needed to leave Selenitas for one reason or another, he'd always gone to Blossom, but that was because Blossom was familiar to him. The layout was ingrained into his mind very, very intensely, for reasons he wasn't particularly proud of, but were necessary at the time. Funny how necessity was rarely pretty.

Paddling over to the rocks again, Ka'rys pulled himself up and then slapped as much water as he could at Ciceroth. The movement was quite futile as the bronze was too far back to be efficiently splashed, and he rumbled his amusement at Ka'rys's efforts. Still, the bronzerider felt better for trying, even as he lowered himself back down into the water from his propped position. No point in climbing out if, between the three of them, he was bound to end up sopping wet again. Save himself the time and energy... and rob Ciceroth of his devious delight, heh!

Ka'rys turned to watch as Hepaticath slipped into the water and he squinted slightly at her before flicking a water droplet toward the little queen. She seemed mischievous enough, so he did not think she would take it personally; if she did, her rider was capable of informing him of that. He had the distinct impression that Savitri did not have any problem telling people where and when they could get off. Rather refreshing, considering the kind of people he was used to dealing with. The Weyrwoman made him want to bash his head against things until he bled. Or bash her head against things. Somehow he suspected the latter would be more therapeutic, even if it was unkind.

Flicking his tail, Ciceroth swiveled his head to look at the river before rumbling. If I move, I may not be able to get my spot back, he complained. He was very fond of that particular crevice of rocks, as it was more than comfortable. But despite his complaints and the awkward flap of his wings that followed, Ciceroth did climb off of his rocks and up onto the higher ones surrounding the deeper water - a little ways away from the other three... however, he was close enough that when he slipped into the water, the waves that rippled completely doused Ka'rys, from head to toe, as though he wasn't soaked and wet already. Teach him to whine.

[kysseh]

Savitri did not bother containing a laugh at the indignant spluttering the weyrleader put forth, her green eyes fairly dancing as she watched the show he put on. As if that would deter her, this time or the next. She had been raised with and had raised plenty of brothers, and making oneself into an available target was just asking for a dunking. True, making an enemy of the weyrleader and a prominent bronzerider was not wise, but he seemed less than furious with her. On top of that, she was not intimidated in the least. He had made no attempt at a threat so far, so why would he start now?

She gave him a mildly scathing look at his choice of words. "If I wanted to drown you, Ka'rys, I'd be trying a little harder," she said, jerking a bit in surprise at the water he slapped in her direction. He called that a splash?! She set both hands in the water and flicked them sharply toward him to return the soaking favor. "Don't worry. You haven't harmed the weyrwoman's newest and most reluctant apprentice." Her face set in a mild grimace at the thought. Oh, she respected Shmee for her greater experience and knowledge base and all that, but the woman was so sharding... well, ridiculous! What woman, in their right mind, would leave the safety of the weyr whilst pregnant? She had gotten herself kidnapped and nearly killed, and Savitri's heart still chilled at the thought of that pyre. Shards, but between that and Shmee's complete invisibility to the rest of the weyr, it was hard to learn from her.

She watched him move to the edge to splash Ciceroth, smirking at the fact that it was futile. Even Hepaticath let out a rumble of amusement and nosed against her rider's side to share in that entertainment, the gold suddenly emitting a snort of mild protest about being splashed herself. Savitri was tempted to warn Ka'rys to duck but decided that a good soaking would not harm him, so she just swiftly took a few swimming strokes away while Hepaticath heaved her forequarters out of the water and then dropped them back in, sending a wave in all directions that soaked even Hers and set the young woman to coughing.

"Nicely done, Cath," she grumbled quietly, watching the gold fairly preen in her amusement. The amusement ended for both females as Ciceroth joined the three smaller creatures in the water, and Savitri had the sense to hold her breath and slip under the surface to avoid being swamped. She popped up a few seconds later and stroked closer, still bobbing on the residual waves. "Thank you. As if we weren't completely soaked to the skin already," she said mildly to the bronze, though she was far from angry. Ka'rys seemed to have gotten the worst of the three of them, after all. That distracted her thoughts, and she remembered a question she had had previously that she had neglected to answer. "Forgive the sudden change in topic, but what exactly are a weyrwoman and weyrleader supposed to do with leading? The weyrwoman's answer was rather... vague." 'Vague' was rather too nice a word, she thought. It had been an overarching and complete, but uninformative, answer that had left Savitri completely overwhelmed with facts but no answers, really. She had listed all sorts of chores but no real centrality to the whole mess.

Hepaticath floundered a bit as Ciceroth entered the water before regaining her clumsy attempt at staying above water. She moved into a spot where she could stand, her head still peeking up above the surface. Do not worry. I will tell anyone who comes that they may not have your spot. she reassured him before leaving Hers to swim. The gold wanted to play, and Savitri was just too fragile for anything other than nuzzles and nudges. She could not fault hers for being human, certainly, but dragons were just simply too big to play that gently. Instead, she sought out a much larger playmate and moved clumsily over towards Ciceroth, annoyed at how difficult it was to coordinate herself yet. Hers reassured her often that it was only because she still grew, but it was irritating nonetheless. She wanted to be graceful.

[glamourie]

Squirming backwards, Ka'rys turned to move both of his hands in the water in order to splash at Savitri again. His expression remained impassive, although anyone who knew him well would know that he was rather amused. It wasn't common for Ka'rys to goof off with people. Oh, he wasn't usually unpleasant, he just didn't spend time around people. Ciceroth was similar -- the pair tended to spend most of their time completely alone if they could help it; people were not to be trusted. In Ciceroth's case, it was mostly because he preferred to lounge places the other dragons didn't frequent, though. Like the rock formations of which he was so fond. To actually get comfortable he'd had to bend and squirm in very awkward positions, but the end result was worth it. Other dragons were likely more inclined to go lay somewhere casual, in the sand where they could rest. Ciceroth would settle for nothing but perfect comfort. As for Ka'rys, he just didn't socialize very much. He was usually polite enough, but he wasn't used to people being friendly to him. His entire life he'd spent primarily in the background, despite the fact that he was a bronzerider and probably could have excelled anywhere he tried, if he wanted to. He liked being ignored. By goofing around with Savitri, he was acting a touch unusual, but she was a breath of fresh air. He'd begun to wonder if everyone at Selenitas was either inclined to suck up, or completely psychotic. It was hard to trust anyone when the Weyrwoman had made it clear she hated him. He still didn't understand her reasons for that, though.

The words 'reluctant apprentice' made him turn to look at Savitri and the tension he hadn't realized he felt mostly eased. While he didn't know Savitri, anyone who recognized that Shmee was not exactly the most ... fascinating individual to be around couldn't be too bad. She seemed intelligent enough, at the least. A breath of fresh air, indeed. He was tempted to ask what Shmee had done to offend her, but was it really his place? Considering the fact that Savitri hadn't elaborated immediately, he suspected that she didn't want to share. He wouldn't ask. They were near strangers and it would be wrong to assume she'd confide something like that in him just because he inquired.

So, instead of asking, Ka'rys chose to wring his hair out as he shot a baleful look toward Ciceroth. The bronze rumbled and made himself comfortable in the 'shallows' of the river, which would have easily been deep enough that no human could touch bottom. The bronze flopped down with another ripple of splashing and flicked his tail in amusement before crooning toward Hepaticath. Her splash too splashed Ka'rys and the bronzerider turned to shove his hands in the water, splashing at the young gold playfully. But her rider's question then completely distracted him and he turned to look at her for one long, silent moment.

"The Weyrwoman and Weyrleader's roles depend entirely on who you ask," he said quietly as he brought one hand up to slick his hair back - again. Ciceroth had most effectively doused him several times so far. Wicked bronze. "In a traditionally efficient Weyr, the role of the Weyrleader is specifically catered to the offensive and defensive aspects. In other words, the Weyrleader is the leader of the Wingleaders, and is in charge of organizing the fighting wings, training the fighting force for Threadfall and - in the north - dragon to dragon combat. Their job is to see to it that the wings work effectively as a team, with minimal injuries, while covering all the ground they are in charge of. Typically they do that by working with the Wingleaders, who are usually chosen by the Weyrleaders based on their skills and aptitude for Threadfighting and/or dragon-to-dragon combat, depending on the wing itself. The Wingleaders run their own wings as they see fit, within the guidelines set by the Weyrleader. That is the traditional job of the Weyrleader in an effective Weyr. In the north there are usually different style wings. While all fight Thread, some focus more heavily on combat. At Selenitas, the wings are trained all primarily for Threadfighting --" They needed self-defense training. Badly. "-- and the job of the Weyrleader is to see to it that the Wingleaders are keeping their wings trained, know where they're supposed to fly, and can work in conjunction with the rest of the wings efficiently. Over-all strategical authority in that respect. Like I said: in a traditional Weyr."

Unfortunately, Selenitas wasn't traditional. Shmee was very fond of controlling everything. Ka'rys didn't like that at all. He kept his opinion to himself, and continued with his answer, his gaze following Ciceroth as the bronze leaned down to nudge Hepaticath affectionately. Her clumsy display did not deter him. He'd been young once, and though he didn't remember it, Ka'rys continually teased him about how awkward on his legs he'd been -- and still, on some level, was.

"The Weyrwoman is in charge of the domestic aspect of the Weyr, typically. Her role is to organize the Headwoman and Junior Weyrwomen and see to it that the Weyr itself remains running smoothly. Essentially, she's in charge of making sure that everyone gets paid, that the tithes from the nearby Holds are keeping us stocked, keeping track of what supplies are running low. She is also in charge of making sure that the ground crews during Falls - both the Healers who handle injuries and those dealing with Thread that has slipped past the wings - are in place and working smoothly. Gathers at the Weyr are primarily the Weyrwoman's responsibility in the sense that she would have to make sure all the food is properly prepared and in place, and in working order. Weyrwomen are also usually record keepers, from my experience. Like I said, the Junior Weyrwomen, the Headwoman, kitchen staffs and drudges are at her disposal. As far as Threadfighting goes, the Weyrwoman usually has no say -- or as much say as a single Wingleader would have, but her wing is always the lowest flying one due to using Flamethrowers." Ka'rys shrugged and shook his head. "Anything that doesn't expressly fall under either jurisdiction is usually decided by both as equals. In a traditional Weyr. Does that help?"

While Ka'rys spoke, Ciceroth watched Hepaticath. He rumbled slightly before turning to flick water at her with his tail, playful. You will defend my spot for me? he teased. The ridges do rub my hide just right. His wings flared, rippling the water again. How big of a splash can you make?

[kysseh]

Savitri was surprised but gratified by the fact that Ka'rys was willing to fight back, even if he did not seem incredibly entertained by the interaction. His splash caught her in the face, and she spluttered a bit, tossing her head and then retaliated with all the energy she could muster until his expression seemed to change. He was looking at her, and she briefly wondered what was floating through his mind. Was he insulted or upset by the scathing way she spoke? Not that she would care much, but it did bother her to not know what he was thinking about. The man certainly was not forthcoming about what was on his mind.

Hepaticath blundered her way over to Ciceroth and returned his croon with a rumble of delight as he flopped down. She was struggling to keep her head above water still, but she managed well enough until a splash from behind had her stumbling a bit from the surprise of it. She turned her wet head to see where the splash had come from and immediately located the weyrleader as the source. Her neck arched, and even Hers could see that the gold was up to no good. She reared up on her haunches and flapped her wings, spraying her laughing rider, Ka'rys, and whatever else was in the trajectory of her awkward wing-splashes.

Of course, every action having an equal and opposite reaction meant that flapping her wings forward to splash the humans resulted in Cath forgetting the crucial element of compensating for that forward action. Thus, she wobbled once with an undignified squawk and then tipped over backwards into the water, limbs flailing wildly. She disappeared beneath the surface for a moment and then popped back up, slinking closer to Ciceroth just for safety's sake. Of course I will! Why would I not? she crooned, lightly nosing water toward him in revenge for his splash. She tilted her head to one side, considering his question. Not much bigger. Mine would be incredibly upset if I drowned by accident. That did not seem to faze the little gold, though, for she moved into slightly shallower water and then jumped as well as she could back into the deeper. Her size and clumsiness resulted in a less than impressive wave. She sighed lightly. I envy you.

Savitri listened intently to Ka'rys' explanation, her expression betraying the rapidity with which she processed it. So, for all that the weyr was supposed to be progressive, it seemed that the weyr stuck with the traditional gender roles. The men did the fighting, the planning. The women did the cooking, the healing, the making sure that people stayed healthy. Really, Savitri minded that very little, but she just found it interesting. Her job was more... organization, then, and that suited her very well. She was not very keen on dealing damage and preferred to put said damage back together. That was just what she was good at.

"Yes, it does, thank you. Shmee listed all of that as her responsibility, but it just... wouldn't make sense. Quite honestly, I've got no experience with wing formations, and I likely won't ever have it. Cath and I won't ever be in the real thread-fighting wings. I'm far better at healing than at making the damage," she admitted readily, shrugging her shoulders and immediately regretting the resulting pull on her stitches. "But this isn't a traditional weyr." Savitri's grimace was apparent, though whether it was due to physical pain or frustration was evident. She liked things to be clear-cut and practical, efficient.

She tipped her head up a bit to watch him, a wry smile on her face. Did he realize how much he toyed with his hair, she wondered? She opted to not bring it up, though. The weyrleader likely wouldn't appreciate it. "Well, regardless, I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of y- Shadow!" she yelped aloud, shivering as the cold air of between slammed into the top of her wet head when the white 'mandyr appeared just above her head. Thoroughly distracted, the young woman glared upward as the creature made a daintly glide down to her shoulder and then crawled his way up to her ear, nibbling affectionately. Savitri scolded herself for not paying more attention to that constant stream of images in the back of her head that she usually ignored. Not anymore. "I'm sorry. He likes to intrude at the worst possible moments," she said with genuine apology, flicking water at the 'mandyr clinging to her ear.

Shadow, however, was distracted by the sight of Ka'rys and stared with his overlarge eyes. He tilted his tiny head to one side, obviously very curious about this strange man. Then Savitri's mind was inundated with a stream of horrifyingly detailed images of Ka'rys and Shmee in a position of extreme awkwardness, a replay of the updates that the young woman had received during Aslath's Flight. Shadow loved scandals, and procreation of any sort fell under that heading. Savitri was not shy about nudity, but when one was facing a person with such knowledge and images being paraded through their brain, it made even the young healer blush faintly. That was a picture she had not wanted!

Before she could warn Cath that this was not among those entertaining things to be shared, the gold plucked the images out of Hers' brain and generously shared a few of them with Ciceroth. Mine's pet-thing likes to spy on people, and he knows Yours. I do not understand why Mine is so embarrassed, though.... the gold said by way of explaining the white 'mandyr's appearance and Savitri's resulting humiliation. Do not humans Fly each other too? she inquired further, genuinely puzzled.

[glamourie]

Ka'rys glanced toward Hepaticath just in time to see her floundering in the water in an attempt to splash at him. His eyes widened slightly and he ducked down, underneath the surface of the water, out of sight. He remained submerged for a moment, waiting for the waves to pass, as though simple patience would prevent him from being splashed -- again. Not that submerging did anything to help him dry off but still! When he resurfaced, he brushed his hands over his face, a few long, sopping strands of his hair sticking to his skin. He squinted before sticking his tongue out childishly at Hepaticath, but he meant nothing by it; if nothing else he was encouraging the mischief. He probably shouldn't have as he doubted that Shmee or Aslath would thank him for spending any time with the other goldriders (or any living, breathing entity, as Shmee seemed to feel he'd be better off rolling over and dying) but to be honest he didn't care. It was nice to see a gold, for once, that was willing to goof off and play but still remained a sense of her status -- within reason. A breath of fresh air. Shame she was about four turns late. If she stayed much the same in adulthood as she was as a weyrling, Ka'rys would be hard pressed to believe Aslath a better Senior Queen. Not that they had a choice in the matter. Short of Shmee falling over dead, they were stuck with her.

That thought was quickly pushed out of his mind. No sense dwelling on the idea. They - all of Selenitas - were stuck with Shmee, and Ka'rys was fairly sure there was no fixing her. He couldn't make her see that she was irrational, of that he was sure. It would take a force greater than him to convince her to do the right thing, and Ka'rys didn't have the patience. He'd settle for -- she fell? Bringing one hand up to his mouth, Ka'rys narrowly avoided laughing at the poor little queen, but he was unable to suppress the grin. He could remember when Ciceroth was young and awkward on his feet, even more awkward with his wings, narrowly avoiding tearing them apart by stepping on them as a hatchling. It was.. endearing in its own way. He didn't say it. Savitri made it clear she didn't want to hear fawning and he'd respect her decision.

Ciceroth's eyes swirled a pleasant shade of blue-green as he watched the splash that Hepaticath caused. He nudged the water briefly with the end of his nose before turning to address the young queen again, I would never let you drown, and you have nothing to envy. You will grow into your big wings and legs. When you are full grown you will come to appreciate them more. Just be patient. If she continued to grow the way she seemed to, Ciceroth had little doubt that she would be one of the biggest dragons on Pern. Grace came with experience. Being young and awkward was one of the steps. By the time that Hepaticath was full grown, she would doubtlessly be able to make bigger splashes than him, and probably make it look graceful. Of that, Ciceroth was quite sure. The idea of being envied was laughable.

Shmee what? For a split second, the irritation he felt showed on his face, but Ka'rys quickly banished those agitated thoughts away. It wasn't Savitri's fault that Shmee was unreasonable. He shook his head slowly before replying, "I have no doubt that our Senior Weyrwoman does indeed believe that all of it is her job." His words were careful, and he did not let his personal feelings interfere in what he said. While he wanted to rant and rave that it wouldn't be all Shmee's job if she'd let him do his without meddling constantly, that would do no good, and venting his frustrations to someone who had to work with Shmee more often than he did wasn't fair. He owed the Weyr better than to speak ill of their Weyrwoman, even if she was completely, utterly unreasonable. "As I said, Selenitas is not a traditional Weyr by any means, and the way things are run here are rather... different." Everything had to go through Shmee, who decided if it was right or wrong usually by personal biases. The woman would never have lived at Fort. Someone would have killed her. He was surprised no one had succeeded at Selenitas.

The fact that Savitri recognized that the Queen's Wing was not the same thing as the other wings did not go unnoticed, though. Ka'rys smiled slightly, perhaps the first real smile he'd offered in weeks, and shook his head. "What your responsibilities are will be decided more effectively when you are out of Weyrling training. For now that and your Craft -- you are a Healer? -- will likely take up all of your free time. I wouldn't stress about it too much, though it is good that you're thinking ahead." He was sure that, given the amount of incentive Savitri had demonstrated, Shmee would do something ridiculous like have her on kitchen duty where she would be of no use. Logic was lost on the Senior Weyrwoman.

He kept that thought to himself, though, for before he could say anything, a little white blur seemed to appear. Ka'rys tilted his head, but didn't say anything at first, instead examining the salamandyr thoughtfully with his eyes. Showoff was the only one he'd seen up close and personal and that bronze monster was obnoxious. "You don't have to apologize for him..."

Unfortunately for Ka'rys, he had no idea what was so funny as he turned to glance back toward Ciceroth -- who had promptly taken to rumbling, his eyes whirling rapidly in his delight. Apparently, the idea of a creature spying on people in scandalous positions - regardless of who they were - struck the bronze as very entertaining. Hepaticath's confusion only seemed to amuse him further and he lifted one wing, folding it over his head almost as though to hide behind it. They do, but it is not something they like others to see? I do not understand it either. I approve of yours' pet-spy; Yours looks quite amusing in shades of red. I don't think I'll explain it to Rysmine. He will probably try to hide in the water. Much more amusing this way.