Impossible! {Tags: Vi / open..ish? }

[glamourie]

"You are infuriating," Ka'rys stated simply as he stared up at his bronze. The dragon was curled up behind him, with his wings half-arched. His demeanor positively oozed smug, and understandably so. Standing in front of the large bronze was his rider, sopping wet, dripping all over the sand of the beach. Ka'rys resembled a drowned rat, complete with hair plastered over his face. His clothing was completely doused and hanging way too long on his body, emphasizing how short he really was. The dark brown shirt was one that was gifted to him by Savitri long ago, and he'd taken to wearing it rather often because, despite his whining (and he did indeed whine), it was comfortable. Not quite so much when he was completely drenched, though. Even his black pants stuck to his legs, which made it entirely uncomfortable to walk around. He was just lucky that for once he wasn't toting around blades, or the entire situation would've been unbearable. Rust was something that sent him into rages. Sadly, Ciceroth knew that. Sharding evil dragon. "Completely, utterly infuriating. What did I do to deserve this, anyway? I didn't do anything wrong this time!"

I know. I am bored, and you are an easy target.

Ka'rys blinked, then threw up his hands in defeat. "Easy target -- the one time I do nothing wrong, you pick on me. You're sending mixed messages, you great bronze oaf." Despite his words, though, he wasn't mad. It was a cool morning, and he was enjoying the weather entirely too much. Most of Ka'rys's free time was spent alone (except when Savitri hunted him down - he didn't mind her, though; she was allowed, no one else) and that morning was no exception. Instead of lurking in his weyr where no one could bother him, though, he settled for sprawling out on his stomach and 'napping.' The smell of the sea air was invigorating and helped to relax him. He'd been having a good dream, too, and presumably was making plenty of happy noises when the bronze decided that enough was enough and tossed him into the waves head first. Hence the drip drip drippity that was his body.

Rumbling, Ciceroth flopped over onto his side and sprawled out. The sunlight beat down on his hide and he stretched as much as he could, enjoying the warmth. Even though Ka'rys was fussing at him (or perhaps because), he was extremely comfortable. The beach was one of his favorite lounge spots anymore. He'd vacated his rocks in favor of some place more private, where only those he knew well would come and hunt him down. Half of that was at Ka'rys's insistence (since they no longer needed to be seen publicly, he was quite convinced it was beneficial to them not to be) but most of it was Ciceroth. He wasn't unfriendly, but he wasn't social, either, and aside from Hepaticath, he didn't believe he had any equals worthy of spending all that much time with at Selenitas. He wasn't unhappy, though. He has Ryshis, and the beach, and that made him comfortable. He needed nothing else. The sound of the ocean was pretty, though.

Giving one last kick of sand toward Ciceroth, Ka'rys flopped down. "Impossible. Ridiculous, impossible brute. You're just lucky I can't push you in the water," Ka'rys said, but the sting in his voice was gone in favor of amiable amusement. "You've taken up with this spot."

When it is dawn, the sky turns many lovely colors. I like to watch it. It would be nice if we could stay here, always. With Hepaticath and Savitri. The blatant fondness he felt for Savitri was obvious from the way that he named her. Ciceroth rumbled and nosed in the sand, his entire posture relaxed. Don't you like it as well? So quiet, so peaceful. So few people to bother us. You don't like people and you hated my rocks. You don't protest as much to coming here, so I do it often. Pausing, he turned to look at Ka'rys, his head swiveling around slightly. I would go swimming with you, if you didn't complain about the waves that I make.

"Pfft. Wherryhead, of course I complain. You always make bigger ones and I go sploooosh." For emphasis, he spread out his hands, completely unaware of how comical he must have looked had anyone viewed him. "Are you expecting me to thank you?"

[kysseh]

"No! No, no, no, nonono no!"

Somehow, the last syllable turned into a thoroughly undignified screech as a massive golden body levelled out of dive just above the water's surface, gliding into a somewhat-graceful landing on the sandy shore, feet splaying out to take the impact of her weight. Hello, CissMine! And... hello to Yours. He looks very silly when wet. Did you try to drown him? I drowned Mine. It was /fun/ too! the gold said pleasantly, launching right into conversation without the need for formal pleasantries. Why bother with that, anyway? Ciceroth knew it was her, and if he wanted her gone, he would shoo her away. She doubted it, though. They did have such fun snuggling and laughing at silly Theirs.

She gave herself a good all-over shake and then moved to hop toward her playmate, giving Ka'rys a curious look. The young gold had heard and witnessed his comment and gesture as she approached and dutifully passed it on to Hers, and she briefly wondered if she should splash him again as punishment for looking very silly. That was best left to Hers, perhaps, who seemed to be paddling her way to shore. After a brief glimpse at the infuriated young woman in the surf, the gold quickly hopped over to Ciceroth, mindful to not spray the males with sand as she flopped inelegantly down beside her bronze friend. He would not tell anyone how silly she was. She trusted her Ciceroth, she did. Did you hear her screech? It was delightful.

The obscenities--muffled by a few mouthfuls of water--that issued forth from Savitri's mouth were hilarious, at best. Apparently, the worst insult she could come up with was, "overgrown ball of honey-colored SNOT", and even that came out garbled as the young woman found her footing and stormed out of the water. She had fallen off when the dive went from nearly-vertical to perfectly horizontal, an intentional move on Hepaticath's part, of course. Dressed lightly in casual and light-colored clothes--she had intended to swim in the nude and without company--the young woman was completely drenched and walking a bit oddly, given how closely the clothes clung to her. The fact that her hair, which she had let grow out just a bit to humor her current audience, was loose and plastered to her head would have been funny, were it not for the fact that it completely covered her face. Pawing ineffectually at her hair, the female tripped twice in her blindness before falling flat on her rump in the shallows and was promptly covered by another wave.

Look! They match. Hepaticath commented cheerfully to both Hers and Ciceroth, nudging the bronze and then gesturing with a wing at Hers, who was now finally un-blinded and stomping out of the surf. Her hair is dark now too. Not as dark as Ka'rys', of course, but it was still dark enough, and the gold crooned as Savitri finally flopped herself down on her back on the sand, obviously not caring how much sand she'd have stuck to herself. That was what baths were for, after all.

After a few seconds of catching her breath, the young woman turned her head to regard Ka'rys, opening one eye just enough to peer blearily at him through salt-encrusted lashes. "So...... sploosh?" One eyebrow rose, and then her other eye opened to sweep over his form, lingering on a few areas just a tad too long for polite company. She caught herself, though, and a faint blush colored her cheeks before her gaze flicked back to his face. Manners. Proper behavior. Decorum. Dignity. All these concepts floated through her mind and then fled. So much for acting her age. "You didn't.... see that, did you?" Actually, she was more interested in knowing whether he'd heard her undignified noise as she had been unceremoniously dumped into the sea, but.... well, that question was coming.

[glamourie]

SCREECH.

The sound made Ka'rys and Ciceroth both jump and abruptly turn to look at the water, just in time to see a massive golden form spiraling out of an elegant dive. Ka'rys quirked an eyebrow and watched Hepaticath as she swept up next to them, and then he lifted one hand to shield his eyes from the sand spraying over his body from her landing. Indignant, he brushed a lock of hair out of his face, slicking the dark brown strands back and away from his eyes. Then he brushed his hands down his wet clothing, trying to rid himself of the sand but to little avail. Grains of sand had a habit of sticking to wet clothes, whether the wearer wanted them to or not, and short of going and playing in the waves again, Ka'rys highly doubted he'd be able to remove them. It would take real water. Phoo. And what was with that look Hepaticath was giving him? He quirked an eyebrow at her, inquisitive, but didn't ask. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.

The large bronze turned to look at Hepaticath before casually draping his neck over hers, in what could only be described as affection. He crooned down to her, ignoring His's confusion, and he lifted one wing to shield both of them from the beating rays of the sun. How much he liked the beach, and the quiet save for the sounds of the waves and bizarre human interaction which he deduced was their way of cuddling. (Ciceroth was quite convinced that RysHis and SavitriHers were the human equivalent of two very young hatchlings who were meant for another from the moment they broke shell.) The only thing that made the beach better was Hepaticath's warmth to lean against and cuddle with. She was his favored companion and had been for the longest time, but ever since Aslath's last flight, he really had no desire to spend any time with any other dragon than Hepaticath. She liked him just for him.

All of Pern heard her screech, Ciceroth replied as he nudged the golden female next to him. I decided to drop him in the water. He needed to go for a swim, and it is very fun to see how big a splash someone so small can make. He is quite small for a human but he makes very large splashes, particularly when he fusses. Should I toss him back in for you to see?

Ka'rys was neatly oblivious to his bronze's plots against him - perhaps to his good fortune. He quirked an eyebrow at Savitri as she made her way through the waves and he leaned back against Ciceroth, using him to balance himself out. The dragon crooned to Savitri in obvious affection, though the rapid spinning of his eyes dictated his amusement, a sentiment shared by his land-bound half. The closer Savitri came, the more adorable she looked, and as she came within range, he reached over to push her hair back out of her face with his fingers, slicking the wet strands backward with care. Her first question was ignored as he carefully brushed any remnants of sand and salt out of her eyes.

They do match, the bronze agreed, leaning against Hepaticath as she flopped down. She was nearly fully grown, and he didn't feel quite so large next to her anymore. The humans still were dwarfed by him but at least he wasn't alone in that regard. They are both tiny with dark hair.

Savitri's second question drew a smile from Ka'rys and he leaned his head back to look up at the sky before letting loose with a mock screech that sounded surprisingly accurate in comparison to the one Savitri made only moments before. He wasn't as high pitched, though; his voice just wouldn't reach those notes. He also didn't drag it out as long as she did, and the second he was done, he closed one eye and looked at her with the open one, a decided smirk resting on his face. "See what now? ... I didn't see a thing."

[kysseh]

Hepaticath's croon was undeniably rife with affection, and she pressed herself closer to her bronze playmate, enjoying the weight of his neck across hers. Her Ciceroth knew how to be properly affectionate, he did. She liked to cuddle with him. He did not cling in an undignified or irritating fashion. He was just... close and snuggly without being restraining. These were good qualities in a cuddlemate, and she huffed out a contented sigh, squirming her gold body around until she was fully flopped-out and comfortable. Sure, it was not a proper or normal-looking position, but it did feel nice all stretched-out as she was, letting so much of her hide be exposed to the warming sun overhead. She refused to move away from her Ciceroth, though. His body, though not as warm as the sun, was much more comfortable than just lying on her own. She liked this very much, she did.

I am glad it was audible. She needs to let loose more often. Mine is too tense about things. the gold commented mildly, returning his nudge with a twitch of her shoulder against his body. She was far too comfortable to be very physically active at the moment. Already, one of her lids had drooped, and another was threatening to close over her eyes. She didn't want to sleep, per se. Just lazing was fine by her. No... no, I think he will be fine matching her without you needing to throw him in again. If they start to fight and misbehave, we can throw them in for a swim. Until then, I like listening to their silliness. Mine is ever so silly when she is near Yours. He is a good influence.

Actually, Savitri was thinking the bronzerider was a rather poor influence. Ever since the dratted flight, he had been on her mind far more than she had thought reasonable, and she felt like an adolescent with a crush whenever that particular memory strayed across her mind. It was ridiculous, embarrassing, and a pointless waste of energy to dwell on it. Or... she had tried to convince herself of that, anyway. Savitri heard a croon but paid little attention to it, so focused was she on the bronzerider, until Hepaticath privately informed her that Ciceroth was greeting her. She snorted softly and shook her head in bemusement, effectively distracted by Rys' efforts to smooth her hair from her face. It was a wasted effort. Only another dunking or a comb--or possibly both!--could fix the mop that she called a hairstyle. "Your fault for wanting me to leave it down," she grumbled, though her protests were only halfhearted as he turned his attention to removing the encrusted salt and sand from her lashes. She could have helped but instead remained still under his attentions, still coughing occasionally from the amount of seawater that had poured down her throat. Ugh, her mouth tasted horrible.

Ka'rys did not seem in a horribly talkative mood, she noted, and one of her eyebrows raised as her hopefully-rhetorical question drew a smile from the bronzerider. Oh no. He had heard that ridiculously feminine-

Her green eyes widened in horror and then anger at his accurate--Hepaticath smugly informed her of that fact--imitation of her screech. She hoped no one else in the vicinity had heard. Death by humiliation seemed a viable option, given how girly such a screech was. His smirk was just too much to take, and Savitri let out an audible growl, eyes narrowing at the bronzerider in an obvious display of bad temper. Before Hepaticath could start rumbling in amusement, the young woman threw her weight at the bronzerider in an attempt to knock him flat. Her efforts were hampered by her own clumsiness in wet clothes, the wet clothes themselves, and the fact that sand made for poor traction, but it was a worthwhile effort nonetheless, given her fury. "You had... better... not tell anyone... or...... or..."

It was painfully obvious that an enraged Savitri throwing a mature version of a temper tantrum did not make for good negotiation skills. Hepaticath fairly shook with rumbles of unending amusement, tail twitching happily as she watched her rider struggle in an attempt to pin Ciceroth's out flat on his back. Silly little Hers. I thought only hatchlings wrestled. Is this normal for humans? the young queen inquired of the bronze beside her, her lids fully retracted now so she could watch Hers make a fool of herself. They should do it more often; it is very funny. Mine is pitiful. 'Pitiful' was, perhaps, too nice a word for Hers' inferior strength, size, and weight, Hepaticath noted to herself. Not that she would pass that on to Ciceroth, of course.

[glamourie]

Crooning, Ciceroth let two of his eyelids fall closed, a sure sign of his relaxation. The multifaceted orbs swirled pleasant blues and greens, obviously brought on by Hepaticath's words. He liked that RysHis made Savitri happy. Most people seemed to dislike His intensely, something that His never complained about and indeed, preferred given a choice, but Ciceroth did not really like it; he was of the opinion that they deserved to be liked and appreciated. RysHis just... would never be the kind of person who got along with groups for very long. Truthfully, Ciceroth wasn't sure he was that kind of dragon, either. He was happiest laying next to Hepaticath and basking in the sun, absorbing the heat into his hide. Warmth and comfort all wrapped into one. She was really the only companion he sought very much, though young Checkoth was becoming a near constant source of amusement, too, seeing as His claimed the odd healer as a pet. He did not understand that, but he let it drop since it was minor and the healer was not an unpleasant individual most of the time. He amused RysHis. That was good enough for him.

Most individuals would not say Rysmine is a good influence, Ciceroth remarked, though he was sure Hepaticath knew that. Surely she and Hers were both aware of just how unpopular he and RysHis were. In fact, I would say most find him to be the total opposite. A low rumble escaped him, but he was not disagreeing; he was very fond of His, after all, and he would have never settled for anyone else. What did it matter, really, that RysHis was not the most popular or friendly, the most outgoing or optimistic individual? He wouldn't be His if he was any different and he adored RysHis beyond all words and fathomable explanation. Forever satisfied.

His gaze turned toward Savitri and Ka'rys. The bronzerider was smiling - until he was launched at, at least, and Ciceroth lifted his head in alarm. He did not immediately answer Hepaticath, but his eyes whirled vivid shades of his confusion.

Ka'rys, on the other hand, hit the ground hard on his back... and burst into hysterical laughter. His self-control was just done. While it was almost certainly mean to laugh, the level of anger she displayed was so disproportionate that he couldn't stop himself. Like anyone was nearby to hear either of them and if they did, they probably would have thought them completely bizarre anyway. The best part of the coast was its total isolation, and the fact that he did not have to put up with people he didn't like. The amount of individuals he did like came to two and both of them were there with him. The rest were just bearable acquaintances that he could have done without. Ka'rys wasn't social by any stretch of the imagination, after all, and he had no desire to make a large group of friends. People poked around and got into things, and he was much too secretive for any of that.

Settling himself on the ground beneath Savitri, he wound his arms around her lower waist, his laughter trailing down to little more than a mostly-genuine smile. "Wherryhead, who would I tell? 'Hi, Shmee, just thought I'd come out of my weyr long enough to tell you Savitri made a GIRL noise.' Yes, that's quite attractive, isn't it?" Tightening his arms around her waist, he rolled over until Savitri was pinned beneath him and raised an eyebrow, his amusement clearly showing on his face. "Still, it begs the question of what you'll do to me if I decided to tell..." His voice was suggestive, but the question was a trick: he did not believe in warning someone pre-emptively, so threats to him were worthless. He was baiting her into answering him solely for that purpose. Not that he intended to tell anyone anything. It wasn't any of their business what noises Savitri made and besides, compared to some of the others he remembered her making, the shriek wasn't exactly the most girly thing she'd done....

Since RysHis did not seem upset, Ciceroth settled down. His head cocked to the side in an almost perfect dragon imitation of Ka'rys and he crooned. I don't think this is normal for humans, he admitted as he twitched his tail thoughtfully. Pitiful or not, she knocked Rysmine down. I think he let her, though.

[kysseh]

It did not take more than a quick glance at her playmate for Hepaticath to know that her words had registered. He seemed quite happy, the bronze did, and for that, Hepaticath was grateful. Some creatures did not like their solitary lazing with Theirs to be disturbed, and she would have been most unhappy if she had bothered her Ciceroth in that fashion. Perhaps he is not a good influence in some things, but he is a good influence on Mine. She is very tense much of the time, and she feels less tense near him... usually. Right now, it is hard to tell. the gold confessed, another rumble of amusement escaping her as Hers continued to flail at the bronzerider.

Alarm coursed over her, though, and it was not for Savitri's sake either. Her rumble turned to an anxious croon at the recognition that Ciceroth was disturbed by the scene that Hers was making. Oh dear. Mine, could you please not do any damage to Ciceroth's. You are upsetting my playmate. she scolded the irritable young woman, uttering a loud snort when the young woman offered a scathing mental reply. No, I am /not/ repeating that for Ciceroth's sake. Say it for yourself when you have calmed down.

Calming down was not something Savitri intended to do, especially when she got Ka'rys flat on his back and elicited nothing more than laughter from him. No fear, no wariness, no caution... just laughter. She stopped her attempts to smack some sense into him and merely fumed in silence now, sprawled across his body with casual inelegance. It was probably funny, she grudgingly admitted. Little Savitri... truly not a fighter and really unable to do any damage to anyone... tackling someone far stronger and more capable and expecting them to be really intimidated. It had been a childishly impulsive move, and she grumbled now at how ridiculous the concept was.

His response had her scowling as she plotted a witty retort, unable to keep from squirming as he used the term 'girl' to describe her noises. Yes... it had been girly and ridiculous, but did he have to call attention to it?! Before she could say anything, though, the arms she had not realized were around her waist suddenly tightened, and she gasped in surprise as he rolled them and pinned her down. She didn't struggle; it would have been a waste of energy, and she truly didn't mind his weight resting on her like this. It was Ka'rys. Even if he made her angry, she implicitly trusted him to not do anything... truly uncalled-for. Her mouth opened to reply and then snapped shut, eyes narrowed in suspicion at his tone. What was he playing at, baiting her like that? Did he think she'd do something like... well, she didn't know. She hadn't thought that far ahead, and she had a sneaking suspicion they had had this conversation before. It sounded familiar.

"I'm not allowed to tell you. Some ridiculous paranoid bronzerider told me not to," she grumbled up at him, huffing out a sigh as she realized that answer would probably displease him. "But... really, I hadn't that far ahead. I'm sure I could think something up just for you, though." Now that her surge of female angst over her humiliation was passing, she felt rather stupid... and a bit guilty, given that Hepaticath was still giving her that huffy look. RysYours most certainly let her knock him over. Mine could not even push the baby tree over if she tried. she heard the gold comment to Ciceroth, and she cringed. "... Sorry, Ciceroth. I don't think I hurt him any..."

If she did harm him at all, you are free to toss her into the sea. A dunking would do her good. Hepaticath said graciously, settling down a bit and flopping her tail against the sand. I do not think she did, though. Mine is not big or strong enough. Tanith's teases her constantly about it. the gold added, watching Hers eye Ka'rys with no small amount of suspicion. Strange. Was Ciceroth's going to get his revenge? She hoped so. This was endlessly amusing... except when her Ciss was distressed.