Walking on eggshells all day long [C'zan]

[rii]

"I hate–" Ba'sun's hand smacked against the back of his neck. He pulled his arm forward, examining his clean palm with distaste. –Thysself? O'mine, hass it finally come to beating thysself in sself-loathing? "Bugs." Ba'sun corrected with a snort, eyes narrowing on the beetle-like insect flying circles above his head. "Size of rats down here." You forgot? "'ey, it's been a turn." I forget that you are abssent-minded.. "Clever, coming from a dragon that can't remember yesterday." Ino and I played. "I wouldn't say 'play' is what you two do." Sside tracked sso eassily. You are getting old.

. . .

Blasted dragon. Ba'sun muttered to himself while flicking up the short branch to proceed him between a pair of trees. The purpose being to catch any strands of spiderweb as he moved through the jungle growth. Angled across his back was a make-shift quiver he had fashioned out scraps of leather, and old bet and other ropey strips. Inside were.. branches.. that he would later shape into shafts and fletch into proper arrows. He had chosen a few different types of trees to supply him with the base materials so he could test out which he preferred.

He couldn't say how many times he had walked the perimeter of the weyr since he and those of his party had been 'freed' to wander the weyr. Grounded, curfew'd, restricted, watched, and.. tailed. The bluerider glanced behind him at the ball of green-black coiled high on a nearby branch. "Easier if you just ride on me, Venom. 'Lest you want to get stuck in a web like some runner fly." Thus said the Bendenite as he gestured side-long at a webbed hollow of a trunk.

A bright flash of toxic green frill and a hiss answered him. Ba'sun snorted, pivoting to wreck the spider nest when he spotted the eight legged creature responsible for the icky cobwebs. "Shit–" The swearing flew out of his mouth as he leaped back, stomach roiling. Gods those things gave him the heebie jeebies. Amusement fluttered at him from his lounging blue. "Serious. Look at the thing. Size of my hand."

And, like any boy out playing adventure, Ba'sun crept back forward to poke at the large spider with the end of his leading stick.

[Lotty]

Sigh. Ba'sun...of course he'd be out and about playing with sticks and bugs like a cub scout trying to earn his entomology badge, but could C'zan really blame him? No. Not with how utterly boring their time had been. After all, this could just be the warning signs of cabin fever sneaking up on the fellow bluerider, and he could very well be next. You'd think that a Turn in isolation would do them bad, but at least in the darkness of their confines there was always the suspense of what was waiting for them around the corner or how much longer they had to play the game.

The jungle weyr didn't even offer them that much.

So maybe whatever the other bluerider was doing couldn't be so bad, or at least nothing to be scoffing at. After all, C'zan had taken to flouncing around the jungle and finding his own activities like bothering young bronze riders and making bracelets out of grass. Other times he tried outrunning Mi'rah's spying salamandyrs or hovering wingmates and then on the most mundane of days he swam in the river and collected shiny rocks. Earlier the closest moment of excitement he had was almost getting caught in some kind of snare trap he had uncovered in the forest. The big give away was the red rag hanging from the vines above, it was a shame that he just had to see that and miss out on the chance for a brief skip of the heart. A thrill.

But, Ba'sun was a good conversation, and even though he himself was not much of a talker, that didn't mean he didn't like hearing what other people had to say. It would be especially nice to at least hear words in a familiar accent too, so the bluerider was not hesitant in strolling up from the river banks where he had been stomping around, "The size of your hand you say?" C'zan knew there had to be some kind of innuendo there, but really should he indulge the man? "Good to see one of us making the most out of our stay...."

Having fun with Ekarth's? The turquoise dragon was lounging languidly in the water with only his nostrils poking out above the crest of the water. Stealthy maybe, but much more likely trying to find some kind of entertainment like his rider. His mouth was cocked open from time to time like a huge ready trap. Viaqueth wanted to eat an entire school of fish, and if you can dream it you could do it.

[rii]

A C'zan.
Zane?
Zany?
Zen.
Zen?
ZenOne

Ba'sun didn't turn to greet his fellow bluerider. Instead keeping his eyes on the prize, so to speak. The said task at hand was a matter of carefully urging the eight-legged monstrosity onto the end of his short stick. Gentle now. He didn't want to upset the behemoth queen currently staring him down with those tiny souless black eyes. "Bigger even." Ba'sun turned his head, just enough to pinpoint the other man's position and give him an impish grin. "Want to seeeee?"

The mischievous tone alone told the general story where a wise man would say no to the entrapping question. Ba'sun, however, didn't give C'zan much time to make that choice. One foot slid back, pivoting his torso as he flung the branch around to launch the spider directly at the man's chest. "Maybe big as twooo hands." The now arachnid-free stick was shoved into his back pocket as he brought both hands together, hooking his thumbs as 'fangs' while the other eight digits wiggled to represent the legs of a spider.

Right, so, maybe Ekarth wasn't the only one a touch on the crazy side. Like man, like dragon? Ba'sun would vehemently claim the odd quirks were spill over from his peculiar blue. Said dragon being the one to land on the ground a moment later. The blue pressed low to the ground and carefully stalked forward, inching toward C'zan's turned back.

[Lotty]

"Not really n...uh," he should have been a bit more prepared for some kind of shenanigans coming out of Ba'sun, especially considering the fact that he just stumbled on the man playing with bugs, "The sharding shards man!" GUH! He was completely disgusted by the eight legged...thing, and though he stopped any verbal exclamations after that initial moment of shock, the rider was picking the insect off of chest with a downward curled lip.

Of course there was moment of fascination too. Holding it by the tip of one of it's spindly, prickly, legs, C'zan brought it up in front of his face and tore it apart first only with his bluish green eyes, but a moment later is was his own dissection class and the man started with the creature's antennae. Fascinating how it made such a crack sound, and he looked up with a grin. Yeah, the thing was gross, but he sort of understood the fun in poking and prodding now, "Not quite as big now are we?" Was he saying it to Ba'sun or the bug? It was hard to say.

After prying off a couple of legs - and narrowly avoiding those pincher jaws - he dropped the bug to see how it could suffer before crossing his arms and giving a probing look at his fellow rider. What the shards was he doing now? "Itsy bitsy spider? What are you on Ba'sun? I must really know..." seriously, he wanted to be looking like he was having just as much fun. He took a cautious look behind himself and nearly missed the creeping blue, and it took a double take, "What is he doing?"

[rii]

Ba'sun couldn't repress the shiver that shook him as he watched C'zan handle the spider. His hand seized, flicking rapidly to the side - breaking away from his shadow puppetry - in a very unmistakable action. Ew, just ew. When the creep-crawler hit the ground, Ba'sun bounced out of it's staggering path; slipping in behind C'zan to use him as a needless human shield. An arm clapped around the younger man's shoulder as he peered over him. "I'm on the same stuff that you were for a year, and then some. I guess in my ripe old age it's having lingering effects."

One last nose scrunching look was shot at the spider before Ba'sun moved aside, stepping away just as Ekarth snaked forward to complete his 'stealthy' attack. A big blue blob on the ground wasn't hard to miss, but unusual stunts still tended to blindside the people that even took conscious notice. As it was, Ekarth narrow frame squeezed in through the trees and attempted to back C'zan up to one of the trunks – claws making feints at the man's legs to steer until he could wrap his tail around both legs and tree.

"I think he wants to say hi.. ?"

Ba'sun shrugged from where he had paused to pick up a stick and give it a thorough look over. Once it passed the visual test he shoved it into the quiver with all the others. He shifted his attention back to C'zan, gracing him with a smile that was all business. "Still got that embarrassing tail in need of snipping?"

[Lotty]

He chuckled as the "old man" of their little prisoner entourage was able to so spryly bounce around the suffering, crippled, spider and cling on to him. C'zan did not protest and instead easily replied with his own notes of humor, "Oh yes, lingering still in your brain. Filling in gaps..." he replied to Ba'sun on the subject of the drugs. Maybe the stuff took place of missing braincells, it might explain how the half life was so much longer on the fellow bluerider than it had been on him, and to tell the truth he was just a little bit jealous. Oh well.

Ekarth was admittedly forgotten, at least up until the dragon managed to angle his way in to the man's personal little bubble. What the shards? Give. Me. Some. Space. He muttered in his head as he backed into his dead end against the tree and a tail began to snake there first around his ankles and then further up his shins. Well shit. Having problems are we? You could say that. Oh goody! I will be there to watch... With a swish the dragon popped his head out of his watery hiding place and slunk up stream and to the beach for a better viewing spot.

I think he wants to say hi.. ? The words hit the brain but did little in the way of processing not when he was more concerned with figuring out the magic trick out of this situation, "Peculiar manner of saying hello...but I suppose by now you have grown accustomed to it," he replied off handedly as he squirmed a little bit under the blue's grip. His feet were going to fall asleep at this rate thank you very much, "I'm just a tad surprised you noticed..." he frowned goofily and crossed his arms across his chest much like a little punk weyrbrat, "I've been doing quite the job hiding up until now..."

"Gonna help a brother man out?"

[rii]

Ekarth purred, a hard feat for a dragon, the rumbling in his throat couldn't be called anything less. Bright blue eyes slitted in a distinctly pleased fashion of the cat who got the canary. Sharp teeth peeked out from between parting lips, the same ones that had closed off the throat of their comrade not too long to be forgotten in the past. Ekarth's tongue flicked out, wetting C'zan from the shoulder to hair with a single lick. ZenOne, Openly broadcasting to all those present, Want to play damssel and dragon?

Ba'sun hand was there in the next moment, grabbing Ekarth by the inscisor and attempting to push the blue's head away – an action Ekarth humored. "Look at what you've gone and done. I don't like my blueriders smelling like rotting meat. Go." But I wass going to let him to be the dragon. A light tap of boot against the blue's tail loosened it from around trunk and legs.

Ba'sun wiped his spit covered palm across his thigh, the other flattening against the trunk space next to C'zan. The pout was countered with a jovial smile, voice dipping to be near suggestive tone. "Of course I noticed." Leaning in close, so elbow added to the hand touching against the bark, Ba'sun tilted his head at his companion. "It's green, isn't it?"

A casual glance over his shoulder, "I've got one myself - did you know?" Small, green, and with a nasty temper. Ba'sun shot a smile at where he saw her slinking along a branch no too far away. A jab of finger aimed itself at C'zan's collarbone, again that boyish humor coming out in waves. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

[Lotty]

Buh. Dragon spit all over the place, "Smells like firestone and wherry dung Ek..." he sneered. At very least, C'zan was not worried about being eate. Even if Ekarth had such devious designs the rider at least had the confidence that he would make a horrible meal. Too much wirey, curly hair and that could not be appetizing at all. Of course dragons did eat herdbeasts hide and all, but the bluerider was ignoring this particular fact, or at least forgetting it since his own beast Viaqueth made horrible messes of his meals just to avoid any mouthfuls of fur. Yes, blood drenched from head to toe was fine assuming he didn't get one bit of fuzzy bristle between his teeth.

There was a sigh of relief as Ekarth uncoiled his tail and blood rushed back down to his feet. He was actually grateful enough to knock his feet against the stump to kick away the unpleasant tingle associated with being bound and chuckled since after all the man was not without humor. Even a turn as a prisoner didn't destroy him enough not to be charmed by the antics of dragon kind. Another stretch of the old legs before he turned to look at his company saddling up next to him. Ohhhhhh Ba'sun...the one he actually revered as their leader as opposed to K'ryn; the brownrider despite the rank that came with his dragon's hide just wasn't as old and lacked in the familiarity he felt with the other bluerider.

Blues make the best choices C'zanmine. Don't you know that? Hmmm? I said blues make the best choice of mates. I am sure that Ekarth will agree... The repeat was then rightfully made out loud.

C'zan didn't have much time to reply though, as Ba'sun's tail comments finally started to make sense. Admittedly much of his responses before were faked, he was just going along with the guy as not to be caught ignorant, but as soon as the word green was uttered he instantly knew to put things together. It was those devious creatures he was speaking of...those salamandyrs that were stalking them. It was no surprise that he had one watching him as well, but still humorous enough, "I don't know...my little monster is awfully shy..." He reached into his shirt but failed and failed again to grab the thing that was rooting about. Finally a fully frilled head peered out from his collar, "Sometimes it just pops up though."

[rii]

Ekarth backed off, posture recoiling in hurt as he uttered piteous whine. Eyes whirled with the deepest shade of blue he could muster. Poor mistreated dragon, no one wanted to play with him. Ekarth's head sunk low to the ground as he slipped further away. It lasted only until Viaqueth bespoke him. I am not sso ssure. He twisted around, pouncing forward to land in a crouch in front of the bigger blue; flopping down right on the spot to paw playfully at Viaqueth's neck. Mine iss getting quite old, but yourss lookss young yet. Want to trade?

Ba'sun watched with a touch wonder as C'zan groped for the salamandyr. "Mine doesn't trust me enough to ride with me," he muttered, clearly amused. Or maybe it was because of C'zan's wording. He eyed the frilling green with a smile. "Sometimes just pops up when excited?" Sounded like a trip through adolescence. A hand ghosted near the green salamandyr, too slow to actually snatch her up. What an annoyance. It made it difficult to have an actual conversation with a person.. at least when Ba'sun wanted to be serious those rare few times.

Not that his grin said anything about needing to be serious. "You like foreplay, right?" Ba'sun didn't wait for permission, instead plunging a hand up C'zan's shirt in a similar attempt to grab at the salamandyr. It needed to go away. And, after a moment of awkward twisting, Ba'sun figured that C'zan might need some sort of clue-in.

Ekarth tilted his head back to the humans, tail coiling agains the dirt in consideration. He could just tell C'zan what his wanted to talk about – but where would the fun be in that. Aqueth, Proper names were a obstacle that both dragon and rider chose to skirt around. Ssun'O'mine wisshes to sspeak wassteland with yourss. He will not ssay sso in front of the green tailss. How long sshall we leave yourss without thiss knowledge?

[Lotty]

Rumbling Viaqueth considered the possibilities. He didn't think it so bad...why it could even be a good idea, and the turquoise dragon eyed Ba'sun with intent. He was distracted only the the movements of the dragon he affectionately thought of as an overgrown tunnelsnake. The blue snapped into play mode, returning the pawing with a good muzzle nudge until his could slide his catlike form forward; his two forelegs taking up spots on either side of Ekarth. He had plans on pinning his fellow and pressing the fresh river mud right onto his victim, There is value in age Ekarth...but I believe I picked well the first time. I wouldn't want to be played the foolsie...

Not trusted enough? Lucky. It was hell having the little menace always prickling against his skin, and by now he was sure that the she knew well what an annoyance she was. He'd happily trade for whatever spy Ba'sun had hot on his trail. At the flash of a hand he was reminded once again how little he cared for Peccadillo as she ducked Ba'sun's attempts and buried herself in between shirt and skin. She wasn't going down without some struggle and between Ba'sun's very forward motions, "Oh Sunnyboy, that ticklesssss," the bluerider was left squiggling around....convulsing almost as if under the influence of the wild unchecked mushrooms.

Recoiling from his intents to wrestle the dragon sat back on his haunches listening curiously to his comrade. The green tails? Ah yes, something needed to be done about those nasties, and little by little he piped into his rider's mind, Zanny. You must lose the demon spy. Ekarth's wants to have some words with you... The rider tried again to get a grasp on Peccadillo without avail...Couldn't you have Ekarth pass the news along... Almost a snicker entered his mind, Nobody wants to play gossip games. Things get twisted through too many ears and tongues...

Sighing, he grasped at his own collar to close off the shirt like a big bag. There was no escape for the little green that way, and only so many times she could spring around his belly before faltering around Ba'sun's hands, "Got her right where we need her hmmmm?" Where they could stick the thing once they had her he didn't know....a water canteen maybe? He did have an empty one....nice and quiet and she wouldn't hear a thing.