the harper and the healer, part 1. (Marra!)

[glamourie]

If she didn't show up, Rawign was going to be very upset. He wasn't sure what had prompted him to suggest that Marra meet him by the jungle, except that he'd seen a surprising amount of growth that was actually rather pleasant. Whenever he was upset, he found himself wandering out there, away from people. The wild firelizards sometime would come almost close enough for him to get a look at, though if he made any move to come nearer they always disappeared. He hadn't run into any dangerous felines, either, which made for his 'spot' in the jungle (found accidentally when he stomped outside to calm down when one of his patients took a progressive turn for the worst) all the more appealing. Really, it was a lovely spot, though some people might have thought him being naive for thinking so. The area in question was a bunch of trees, along with rocks that had a mat of grass and moss growing over the sides of them, and a steady line of wild flowers. Sheltered and shadowed, it made for a pleasant haven, and it was far enough in that most people would not come across it; all the better.

Why he was showing his little 'spot' to Marra, he couldn't say, except that he suspected she might be able to appreciate someone's sanctuary. Of course, once she knew about it, he'd have to find a new spot to hide because she was one of the many people he hid from anyway. Really, he wasn't quite bright...

The whole point of spending their time together was for Rawign to try and prove to Marra that not all people were bad. High hopes, for someone who actually agreed that most of humanity was awful, but there was something about that place, awful as it could be at times, that changed things. Watching those who had been at the Weyr for a long time made it clear to him, at least, that not everyone was bad, not everyone was out to get one another. Some people there seemed willing to help people for no reason but because they could. That idea spawned the notion in his head that maybe he could do a small part to help people, too - and he'd start with Marra, in his own way. He'd been hauling her all around the Weyr ever since their half-fight at her apartment, trying to show her examples of people being good instead of just awful all the time. It wasn't just Marra he wanted to prove things to, though. A lot of it was proving things to himself. His beliefs didn't differ so greatly from hers, but he knew he was different. If nothing else, Rawign was determined to prove that he didn't just use people and trample their feelings intentionally. High expectations indeed.

That still didn't explain the jungle, though. It was a spur of the moment decision spawned on the fact that he hadn't anything better to do with his time and he thought Marra might be able to appreciate some place where nature, at least, was at its most beautiful. He was sure she would scorn him, scoff at his feelings and inform him of how ridiculous he was being, but that didn't change his intentions. Maybe with any luck she would turn around, stop and realize that ridiculous or not, he was trying to do something nice for her. He seriously doubted it, though.

Shifting lazily, Rawign leaned against one of the trees and ran his fingers over the dark blue form of Beggar sitting on his shoulder. The firelizard was living up to his name, butting his pet's chin with his head repeatedly while trilling. The sounds were sweet, but, "You've been fed, Beggar..."

[Administrator]

Marra sighed as she entered the jungle, not interested in much of the foliage about her. She could identify plants and trees, but it didn’t matter. They didn’t need to be identified, so why do so? This was all extremely stupid, in her opinion. Why the jungle? If he was trying to show her that humans were good creatures, why was he taking her further from them? Unless, of course, he had found a hermit. She should become a hermit, she thought absently. Nobody to care for, nobody to tell her what to do, not have to worry about appearances…

She stopped, rolling up her long sleeves. They were a rich harper blue, but the shirt was long on her, stretching almost to her knees and keeping her brown shorts hidden beneath them. It was perhaps too hot for long sleeves, but Marra didn’t care. She liked her big shirts. They made her feel more secure. Whenever she wore tight outfits, she felt like a Flightmoth.

Looking around suspiciously, doubtful thoughts entered her mind. What if Rawign was only joking about meeting her in the jungle? Yes, she realized, this is what he must be doing. To see how gullible she was and make fun of her for it. She stopped dead in her tracks, frowning. Of course this was what he was doing! How could she be such a wherryhead? He had always hated her, she knew, so maybe he was finally giving up on trying to help her. She didn’t need help. She considered herself only wiser for seeing these sort of flaws in human society.

Just as she was about to turn around in a huff, a very small sound caught in her harper ears. She paused, and listened. It was a little trilling sound, and Marra knew right then that Rawign must be there. Wild flitters never called attention to themselves like this, but from what she knew of Beggar from their few meetings, he would be the sort to do this.

Meandering along, she kept her eyes peeled. Sure enough, there was Rawign, with little Beggar perched on his shoulder, trilling. She let out a smirk, as if she had never been worried. “So, what have you found for me today?” she asked with an air that she thought already it must be something stupid. Actually, she was curious. She couldn’t see anyone around them, so what he must be showing her was something incredible or something dumb. She cocked her eyebrow, a pert smile forming on her lips. It was probably dumb.

[glamourie]

Marra's arrival earned a delighted chirp from Beggar, who turned straight to her as if she was the most interesting thing in the world... and proceeded to start chattering excitedly. Rawign watched him curiously for a moment before lifting a single finger to poke the blue in the side, which resulted in the firelizard squawking, and then giving him a baleful look, as though he'd just interrupted a very interesting and important story. How dare he?

Ignoring the obviously indignant firelizard, Rawign folded his arms behind the back of his head. "Nothing special, to be honest. I figured you must be tired of having people crammed down your throat and I know I'm a bit tired of hauling you around the Weyr at all times. We'll go back to that soon enough, but I honestly thought you might prefer a break. So instead, I'll just inflict my presence on you? But honestly, I wanted to show you this spot in the jungle that I come to a lot. Maybe sometime when you want to be left alone you could go there as well. That is what I use it for, at least," he explained with a light shrug, fully expecting Marra to insult him for daring. But seeing her standing there, he came to a realization of why he'd invited her. It had less to do with trying to prove anything to Marra about others and more to convince her that staying cooped up all the time wasn't good for her. At least if she came to the jungle she'd have the wild firelizards for company. Some of them were rather bold with people they saw often enough. Besides, he was still proving his point in a way, if only because if she could learn to find his presence bearable, he'd have made his point in the end. Not that it was even about that anymore; actually, Rawign rather enjoyed the challenge of leading Marra around and bickering with her, though he'd have denied it, were anyone bold enough to ask.

Turning on his toe, he started forward a few steps and then stopped, folding his hands behind him. "You're welcome to turn back and refuse to come, if you want, but it really is a very peaceful place. If nothing else, the trip there is worth a few mome--" Beggar chirped and squirmed, turning on Rawign's shoulder to face Marra before trilling quietly. Rawign pulled a face. "Beggar, you've been fed, Marra's not going to give you more food, stop doing that. Honestly. You act like I starve you. What was I saying? Oh, right. The trip there really is worth a few moments of having to deal with me, it's lovely. I'm sorry he's being such a pest, Beggar is convinced the more pathetic he behaves, the more likely you are to pull a meat roll out and give him something. I don't know where he learned that."

Actually, he was fairly sure he did know. When he first encountered Beggar, the little firelizard tried the same trick. It worked beautifully on Rawign, flying right up to him and chittering in as cute a fashion as he could. He did so to many strangers and it was equally effective. Were it not for Rawign sitting and poking holes in his stories all the time, most people would likely think Beggar was starved, or at the very least mistreated. It really was sad, since Rawign fed him regularly and was surprisingly affectionate to the firelizard most of the time. But not when he was begging and trying to look pitiful. That often annoyed Rawign more than words. Fortunately, at his comments, Beggar stopped and Rawign was given a chance to continue forward through the jungle along the path he'd memorized not too long after his arrival. Everyone needed a sanctuary of their own, and the rock formations in the jungle was his.

[Administrator]

Marra smiled a little at Beggar's enthusiasm at her arrival. Well, at least someone was happy to see her, she thought drolly, seeing how absorbed in the actions of his blue Rawign was. When he did acknowledge her presence, one dark eyebrow shot up to give her the infamous picture most people had become used to. She listened silently as he spoke, but she couldn't help the smile that quirked onto her face, twisting upwards into something that one who didn't know her might call evil. "So, you take me into the woods for the sake of being alone?" she asked in dry amusement. "I'm afraid I'm not going to sleep with you. Hate to disappoint," she added, rolling her eyes. Of course, she didn't expect that why he had brought her here, but it was fun to make him uncomfortable. In all honesty, if she had thought he would try to get in her pants, she would have shoved him in the river and screamed rape. His cockiness was too disgusting to even let him think he could have that privilege. She smirked. As for now, she just enjoyed teasing him.

Frowning, she shrugged. "I can stay," she added hastily. She paused. "It's pretty." Her wicked, twisted smile changed into a sheepish one. She started to walk along, but Beggar, once again, proved to be loud. She rolled her eyes. "Peaceful?" she muttered. Not when Beggar was done with it, apparently. She sighed. How nice it must be to be a flitter, and beg for food all the time without the worry of gaining too much weight. Such was the fate of humans, she supposed.

Stopping, she folded her arms, her lips thinned. She was never good at initiating conversation, and it was especially difficult to do so with a man that existed only to irritate her, it seemed. Absently, she stretched, her arms rising and her elbows stuck out to the side, sharp as glass. Marra did like the jungle, so Rawign at least had taste. She had to give him that. It smelled good- the tropical trees, the sweet fruit and the aromatic scent of both living plants and decaying foliage... The mixture was like a perfume to her. Letting the smell fill her nose, she dropped her arms to her side, immediately pulling them onto her hips, silence budding between them like the humidity of the jungle.

[glamourie]

WHAT? Rawign stared at Marra, a flush coming up his cheeks before he looked away. As if he'd so much as touch her? She was ridiculous! Obnoxious! A child! He had about as much interest in her as he did in the dragons around the Weyr - it was a perverse curiosity, but ultimately more centered on something akin to dislike than anything else, or so he would have claimed. But the comparison wasn't so inaccurate; he was wide-eyed in wonder in regards to the winged beasts, even if they terrified him, and though he kept a distinct distance, he found their actions fascinating. With Marra the only difference was that it wasn't fear of her that made him keep his distance, it was a natural withdrawn side that he threw up whenever he dealt with human beings. People like Marra were why he'd developed that habit, the tendency to seclude most of his emotions inside. The critical exterior others provided made it hard for him to see the virtues in trusting. He tried to be polite and nice, but his real opinions were usually kept to himself. It was safer that way.

He decided not to reply to her comment. If he wanted to seduce her, it wouldn't have been the forest he hauled her to anyway. Dirtiness wasn't his idea of a turn-on. He was also fairly sure that Marra would have picked up on that. If she hadn't, well, she wasn't too bright, and he didn't think she was the most brilliant person he'd met anyway.

"It's usually peaceful. When he's not around others, he doesn't do that," Rawign pointed out calmly as he walked along the pathways from memory. The 'pathways' were more like twists and bends between the trees rather than a beaten path, but it was enough that Rawign found it easy to navigate, though some dark part of his mind thought it would be excessively funny to watch Marra move through the jungle. Considering she was clearly not known for her grace, he half-expected her to fall on her face any moment. "He's always begged, though... He probably thinks eventually he'll annoy you into feeding him, if being cute and trying to snuggle up to you isn't working. He hasn't figured out yet that you couldn't care less."

It never occurred to Rawign that that statement might be construed as an insult. He was fairly certain that Marra disliked Beggar as much as she obviously disliked him. He wouldn't say it aloud but he alluded to it, regardless. He drew silent as they navigated their way through, until he came upon the spot he liked the best. The rock formations, with their mossy covering, and the vines of flowers along with the slight streams of light between the leafy foliage covering the jungle was enough to give the place an almost surreal appearance, in his opinion. He stopped near one of the rocks and gestured vaguely around him, for Marra to get a better look at the area. "The flowers are dying now, but when I first got here, they were vibrant and that entire vine was covered in them. Some of the wild firelizards are bold enough to land near by if you're very quiet," he explained with a light nod. "But they won't let you touch them and they won't take food, I've tried. They like playing with Beggar though, and he likes -- what's that?"

One hand lifted to indicate a mossy, grass-and-twig-laden area near one of the rocks, which was unusual. Twisting his face into a curious expression, Rawign started over to kneel and brush some of the twigs out of the way, when it occurred to him some of what he was seeing. Beggar gave an indignant chirp, quietly enough that it was only in Rawign's ear, and then leaned forward to balance himself on his wings in interest. "Marra... come look at this. I need a second opinion."

[Administrator]

Marra laughed lightly. She got him- it was funny, how he blushed so. Like a girl almost. And then how he didn't even acknowledge the joke, when he had so obviously heard her! She had embarassed him, and she was amused. Smirking impishly, she followed along after him, looking around. There were some pretty flowers growing at the bases of trees, she thought with a smile. Pink, large-petaled blossoms with a yellow core. Marra was half-tempted to pluck on from the ground, but she resisted that urge. It would make her look extremely childish. Little did she know that Rawign already thought she was a child! It was probably good that he didn't know- she would have definitely been irritated. But for now, all was peaceful. That particular spot hadn't been touched yet.

Chuckling at how Rawign described flitter, she nodded. She didn't take offense, merely absorbing what he said, even though she was unsure if that little statement of his was intentional or not. Either way, it sounded way too... casual? Discreet? Well, it was a lame one. Ignoring that aspect of the comment, she replied, "Well, if I had food on me, I'm sure I'd spare a bit with him. I like cuddly flitters." She shrugged, but made sure she put emphasis on the word 'flitters.' Any human that would attempt that would be killed.

She sighed, and looked around again. "Not all the flowers are dying," she pointed out, pointing a calloused finger over to the pink and yellow flower she spotted earlier. He clearly was unobservant. Then again, it was the only living flower she could see. However, this little one was stronger. Though the thought was tempting, she wouldn't pick it. Let it be strong. Smiling to herself, she continued walking along, admiring the odd bit of foliage here and there. So enraptured in this was she that she didn't realize she was starting to leave Rawign behind until he called for her.

Raising a curious eyebrow, she backtrailed to where he had stopped in his tracks. Scowling, she looked to where he gestured, kneeling beside him. It took her a moment to recognize what she was seeing. Blinking in surprise, she remained silent for a long moment. "What you're probably thinking is right," she told him softly, instinctively looking around to see if they'd be attacked by an angry mother. "This is a flitter clutch." She leaned in for a closer look, noting the fine clutch as well as the random little one that seemed a little bit further from the rest of its siblings. Boldly, her fingers went out to gently move the little white egg back with the rest. She paused, looking back over to Rawign with a frown. "We can't just leave them here," she told him decisively, her stormy eyes flickering back down to the clutch.

[glamourie]

Tch, she was laughing. How annoying. Resisting the urge to turn around and shake Marra (what good would that do?), the Healer huffed and folded his arms over his chest. She really was unpleasant sometimes. He also overlooked her comment about the flowers, primarily because he hadn't noticed the one that remained alive in the midst of the dead ones. Symbolic, though, in its own way. Every other one was dying and that one survived. Not unlike the rest of the world, was it? Everything dying while only a handful survived, truly the minority? Maybe he was just being utterly pessimistic again - he had a tendency to do that, and his morbidity always became worse around Marra for some reason.

But while R'wign overlooked those comments, the reassurance to what he was seeing, namely a group of eggs hidden by dense foliage (no doubt designed to keep them warm), was not. He moved another bit of the twigs and leaves before looking around as well. There were no signs of another firelizard nearby, how strange. There were too many eggs for it to be a green's clutch, not to mention it was too well-designed; where was the queen that laid it? Raising an eyebrow, he turned back to Marra and nodded his agreement. The eggs were left alone and if they didn't move them they might be found by something like a tunnelsnake. No doubt the mother firelizard would be furious when she came back to her eggs missing, but he didn't think they had much in the way of a choice. The tiny egg that Marra moved made him raise an eyebrow and he peered at her quizzically before shaking his head. Bizarre.

"I think we could carry them all in something, they'll have to be warm though." He hadn't brought a bag and from the looks of things, neither had she. The warm bit, he was quite sure she knew, but -- "Unless you think we can hold them in our arms. Beggar isn't big enough to bring a proper bag for that many eggs. I count --" A glance over them revealed seventeen, including the small one which he suspected wasn't an egg but rather a funny shaped rock, though he was smart enough not to mention that, " -- seventeen, from the looks of things. What do you think?" He could probably hold around five carefully, but more than that and he would be worried about dropping them, which would be terrible for the little firelizards inside, no doubt! She was right, though. They couldn't just leave them... "Do you want to run back to get a bag, or should I? Something to move them more carefully in?"