Cubs (You know who you are)

[Administrator]

E'ri, for once, was alone-- and utterly exhausted. Rika was now able to walk about, and she did it around the weyr, trying to play with Quaver and her kittens. But ever since Quaver had scratched Rika across the face, E'ri needed to have her watched constantly, as well as finding homes for the cubs. They were about two months old, so they were certainly old enough to be parted with. Four little balls of fluff were tucked securely in the box he had in his arms. He looked around the base of the hall expectantly. He had been questioning the Weyr to see who was interested in the little cubs, and this was the pickup spot-- right beside the water. He stifled a yawn, and stuck his hand in the box for the kitten to nibble to keep them from escaping. But much to his surprise, something else bit it. He let out a soft yelp, and pulled out his hand irritably. Frowning, he looked down at Minuet, who was in the box with the kittens... for reasons he didn't know. Nasty![/color] the 'mandyr complained. E'ri sighed.

Absently stroking the little blue 'mandyr, he pondered a bit. He was becoming a worrywart. He was fretting over everything-- Cezine, the twins, and the cubs... The other night, he had dreamed that Cezine died in childbirth like Mal had, and that her babe... and then Malerik and Rika... had melted in his hands. He kept reassuring himself that Cezine would be fine, but hadn't he thought that Mal would be, too?

"What are you doing in there, Min?" he asked tiredly.

Nasty nono,[/color] Minuet explained. E'ri just nodded blandly.

"Well, fascinating," he replied distantly. Looking back down at the cubs again, his eyes softened as they fought around in their box. Three of them were boys, and one was a girl. The girl looked just like her mother: gray with a cream-colored face. One of the boys looked that way, too. One of the other boys was a very dark gray color with some splotches of brown, and the third boy was an odd orange color with an extra toe on each paw. All of them were very rambunctious, and likely to be trouble for whoever took them home. He smiled. They'd be out of his hands soon!

You'll miss them,[/color] Bazeth chided lightly. E'ri chuckled.

I suppose, he replied in amusement.

[irbre]

Neirin squinted, nearly stumbling into something, one hand rising to cover her eyes from the glaring sun. She had grown far too accustomed to the night, she knew, in a world of diurnal creatures, but she couldn't help it, especially now. With Neisk's eggs so close to hatching, the gold wher very nearly refused to leave their side at every time of the day, coiled protectively around them, hissing at anything that approached, sometimes even Neirin herself. Luckily, that was rare and Neirin made sure to send a wave of placation and mild disgust to the Queen when she did something like that, which usually settled her down, if somewhat reluctantly. Still, she was a handler, just like the others, and had chores to attend to.

Blinking almost constantly, Neirin moved into the shade, taking comfort in the cooling shade. Sighing, she allowed herself a brief stretch, grimacing as her back cracked. So maybe she needed a bit more sleep. She had been nearly unable to, though, with Neisk not sleeping much herself. When the wher did sleep, she was sure to be there, staring bleary-eyed at the multi-colored bundle of eggs, occasionally stroking each in turn. Neisk didn't mind it that much when her bonded touched them, especially when she wasn't even aware of that. Hiding a smirk, Neirin pushed herself out of the shade and continued forward, towards the Main Hall.

She passed a few people, but hardly any paid mind to the Queenhandler, busy with their duties. Neirin allowed her lip to twitch back in momentary disgust, knowing that if she had had a gold dragon instead of a wher, she would receive more attention. She wanted neither a dragon nor attention, though, and contented herself with her place in life. Still, life did get a bit dreary, she noted bitterly, though forced herself to keep walking, following the steady rush of the river. She had business to attend to, after all, and she would get it done as soon as possible so that she could return to Neisk and her Clutch.

Distractions were abound, though, and as Neirin strode past a bluerider, the softest of sounds caught her attention and held it. The noise was quite alien to her, but after a moment of thought, she vaguely remembered something that had been circulating through the Weyr earlier that day. Someone had had feline cubs, hadn't they? Frowning, she hesitated, then dared to step closer, just close enough to see inside the box. There were indeed feline cubs inside, small puffballs, each one adorable, cuddled up next to each other and a...blue salamandyr? Neirin glanced up at E'ri, giving him a brief look up and down. "Are you giving those away?" she asked, gesturing to the kittens. "And the salamandyr?" she added sarcastically, eyebrow arching sharply. And what was he doing standing near the water, for Faranth's sake? She hid another frown and glanced back down at the kittens, intrigued thoroughly by them.

[kysseh]

Too big still. Too big. Too big. Too... formal. Too big.

Aliscia wrinkled up her nose and straightened up again, planting both hands--one normal, one looking a bit pale and atrophied--on her gently expanded hips. Ever since the discovery of her pregnancy, the greenrider had hauled out the boxes stored beneath her cot. One box had been carefully avoided. She knew there were sad things in there, and she would rather not touch it. Besides, nothing immediately necessary was in there. Two of these boxes, however, held carefully-folded clothing that would fit her swelling form, and while they were not necessary quite yet, she certainly wanted to find a tunic and pair of pants that did not restrict her belly. She was not even three months in, and already she could feel a firmness in her lower abdomen that was just not due to overeating. It had made her cry to discover it that morning, and she had retreated to the bathing room in order to not disturb her roommate. Faolan needed no additional stress.

She was now exceedingly glad that she had retrieved these clothes and laundered them upon finding out, for now she needed... at least something a little looser. Thus far, she had had no luck, but a rummaging through the second drawer of clothes located a dark brown pair of leggings that she had forgotten she owned. She pulled out a sleeveless tunic soon afterward. Darker blue... well, it would match, and it was already loose enough to not snug up against her torso. Good. She needed something comfortable right about now. She meandered back to the bathing room to get changed, re-emerging with a bit of a prance to her step. Pregnancy was starting to suit her again, and tired and perpetually hungry as she was, the thought of her child brought a smile to her face. The circumstances were... less than ideal, but she was getting old. She did not have much time or many options left.

Going out for a walk? Tanith asked as her rider donned boots and made out past her. You are lucky the goldling is learning how to control her stomach, or I would be very angry with you for not letting me fly much. The green's tone would have been slightly more scolding, but she was just a tad too comfortable sprawled out on her ledge as she was. Of course, had she known where Aliscia was headed to, she might have offered up protest. But, luckily for Aliscia's sake, Tanith was too contented to press. She had bickered with another dragon and swatted him across the nose for his impudence, and it left her in a very good mood indeed. It was good enough that she offered no further protest as her rider reassured her quiet roommate that she was out for a walk and would be back, to go take some free time of his own. And then Aliscia was working her way through the tunnels and down the stairs to get to the river level.

The rumors of feline cubs had been circulating the weyr for long enough that Aliscia just had to go investigate. Truly, the greenrider had considered the idea of a pet for awhile. Tanith was none too keen on the idea and had tried to veto it before. Now, however, the dragon did not know what her rider was up to, and thus, Aliscia was free to row herself over to the main hall, revelling in the exercise. It felt good to be active, even if her left hand and arm were still in rather pathetic shape. Her exercise would get them back up to snuff... soon. Hopefully before the babe was born, for she would need both hands when the time came to care for a newborn.

It took her longer than she wanted to arrive, and she was unsurprised to find that she was not the first interested person there. She smiled and nodded at E'ri and at the young woman who was peering into the box which Aliscia assumed held the little cubs. The woman was familiar, but... ah yes! The gold wherhandler, whom she had only seen once before from a distance and at night. The greenrider spared her a polite nod but little else, more interested in the little furballs in the box. The sight of a blue salamandyr made her chuckle a bit, but she opted to not mention it, too absorbed in silently 'awwing' over the adorable little brats. She wanted one, honestly... for her and for Faolan. "Still want to get rid of these cute little things, Bluerider E'ri?" she inquired, her tone and use of his rank intended for good manners' sake. Normally, she would not bother with using his given name, just his rank, but the thought of a kitten and her child had her in a better mood than usual.

[glamourie]

Selenitas was such a big place, and so awkwardly laid out. Fort was built almost entirely into a mountain, whereas only the rider weyrs were within caves for Selenitas. Kalerary did not like that. She kept getting lost and for all her efforts, she couldn't seem to memorize where she was going. Oh, she found her way out of the weyrs easily enough... and kept running into strange dragons that she didn't know, usually on the sunning sands. Twice she'd almost fallen in the river because she forgot the rocks surrounded it, once she did fall out of one of the boats, three times she'd ended up back in the rider weyrs (so that was where that entry went!) and once she had ended up in the kitchen and was roped into cooking. She probably should have asked Z'hin for advice, but Kalerary was determined not to bother him too much, and she wasn't about to ask anyone else if she could help it. So that left her to wandering on her own -- or, as that particular day happened to merit, following around greenriders.

She didn't know the woman's name but she did know who she was. She was small and had interesting scars, and that was why Kalerary remembered her. Her gaze snagged and as the greenrider wandered, so too did she, at a half-skip pace, trying to be discreet in following her around. If she noticed, Kalerary would simply comment she thought she was pretty. She did, truthfully. Scars never scared Kalerary, it was people of rank that did, and greenriders weren't scary people. Her mama was a greenrider. If she had her choice, she'd associate only with green and blue riders, and with Z'hin. They were usually much more sensible and nice than the others, but then, bronze and goldriders were scary folks who commanded a lot of respect and needed to be avoided at all cost.

Her target stopped! Kalerary flinched and came to an abrupt stop too, hoping if she held perfectly still no one would notice that she'd been trying to tail Aliscia. That lasted all of about five seconds before she grew bored and immediately brushed her dark brown hair out of her face when -- was that ---

"Are those kittens?" she blurted out, all interest in the scarred greenrider lost upon hearing a soft mewl. Excited, the little girl scrambled forward toward the box and skidded to a halt, her worn out boots squeaking as she did so. Then she peeked over the edge of the box, to get a look at its contents, for the moment not even realizing that she might be perceived as rude. The dark-haired child was not used to seeing baby animals around, although Selenitas seemed to be a plethora of babies in general. She squinted, then looked at the person who was the owner and bounced. "Can I touch them, please, bluerider?" She recognized his knots, and the greenrider had said his name - good; she didn't know it by heart like she did some. "They're so cute! Kitteeeeens...."

[Avu]

You prooooomised!

T’rid was getting a headache. Most of it was Corinth’s fault, but there was also some self-inflicted anger. What on Pern had pushed him to promise to get a kitten? Just his luck, not a sevenday after kittens were being handed out. “I KNOW I promised!” he yelled at the bronze, who rumbled in delight. “I’m going! Shard you, Cor.” The bronze blinked innocently as the young man pushed back his chair, heading towards the pickup area that he’d heard about, half-hoping he’d missed it or perhaps he had been told to go to the wrong place. So long he had a reason to avoid getting a cute little fluffy pile of fur.

Ugh.

Perhaps he could train it, he mused as he headed over to E’ri, to eat all bronze dragons whose names began with ‘C.’ Oh, no wait…that wouldn’t work. Then Ciceroth would be in danger as well—as much danger as a tiny kitten could offer—and that wasn’t a good idea. Okay. Perhaps he could just train it to decapitate Corinth. That would be fine, too. The Bronzerider automatically glanced down at his knots as he caught sight of E’ri, along with several clustered admirers of all things cute and fluffy. Ugh, again. Well, at least his knots were very prominent: Wingsecond and Bronzerider. He could go in, grab a mewling little thing, get back out, and kill Corinth.

All in five minutes.

Simple enough, right? Pfft. Things were never simple. T’rid sighed, aggravated at himself. He was joining a cute-and-fluffy fan club. This was embarrassing. Ignoring the ‘mandyr—T’rid had a special distaste for them—he coughed subtly. “Bluerider?” he stated. “You’re giving those kittens away?” Politeness kept him from just saying ‘thing.’ Corinth all but wriggled in delighted anticipation. Ooh. I like the female. No, the male that looks the same as the female—no. That orange one looks cute, too! Can we get the orange—oh, but look at the little dark gray one. Which do you like?

Is it really so easy to forget that I don’t like kittens? grumbled T’rid. Corinth pouted. Don’t be so rude, T’ridmine. Hey, look! The orange one has an extra toe. Isn’t that funny? Isn’t he adorable? Can we have him? Or the female one, or the other male, or… T’rid firmly pushed Corinth out and got a faint but certain feeling of irritation.

Well, too bad for the kitten lover.

[Administrator]

The first of the people to arrive relieved E'ri, who had begun to think that nobody would want a kitten. Smiling at Neirin, he pondered for a moment, trying to remember who she was. It was only momentary, however. She was the queen wherhandler, and even if she didn't have much to do with E'ri's life, she was still a relatively important figure. "Hello," he told her with quiet amusement. Looking back into the box, he scratched the little female behind her ears. Minuet growled, clearly irritated that he wasn't the one receiving the attention. The 'mandyr had been growing increasingly frustrated lately, because of all the things that were taking the attention off of himself. Sometimes it was the babies who got all the attention, but lately, E'ri's stupid girl was getting quite a lot. And now, these ugly little furry things were! Bolero and Nocturne seemed to not mind it at all, but Minuet knew that those flitters were stupid. All of these things were making E'ri too busy for him!

"Yes, I'm giving away the kittens," he replied, chuckling. "Minuet just felt like coming along for the ride, I think." Minuet hissed. Now His was being mean! Absently stroking the blue's hide, he added, "Are you interested in having a kitten, Neirin?"

Then another person showed up! Looking back up from the box, he smiled at Aliscia. "Yes, I'm still trying to get rid of the cute little things, greenrider Aliscia" he told her with a laugh, obviously teasing her use of his rank. "Would you like one, too?" He glanced back down, then figured it was safe to set the box between his legs. He didn't want to have them fall into the water. "You two can both hold them, if you'd like. Just watch out for the dark-gray one-- he's been known to scratch a lot," he warned. He paused. "If you'd like to hold the girl, just know that she'll try climbing up your arm." He pointed to her as he said so, since it was hard to distinguish her from her twin brother. "The boy-- the one who looks like her-- can probably get away with being held nicely, and the orange one could be held for hours. He's a cuddly one." He chuckled. The orange one did best with the twins, unlike the dark-gray one. He had taken a few swipes at seemingly everyone in the family by now.

Then, a little girl came. E'ri's eyes softened. He loved children, and this little girl was absolutely adorable to look at. "These are kittens," he told her with a nod and a smile. "What's your name?" he asked gently, pausing to dig through the box so he could fulfill her innocent request. "And of course you can touch one!" Pulling out the orange one, he held it out to her so she could pet him. The orange one didn't squirm, and let himself be held limply. That was what E'ri liked about him. "If you're very careful, you could hold him if you wanted to." There were enough adults around that he didn't think she'd fall into the water so easily, and if the kitten jumped down for some reason, he was close enough to be able to grab him before he got away. He chuckled. This little girl was a sweetheart. He didn't know how he became such a fan of weyrbrats, but she looked so sweet.

Looking briefly up at T'rid, an amused smile formed on his face. "Yes, I am, bronzerider," he replied cheerfully. "Are you interested in having one?" Minuet grumbled around, pacing through the box with clear grumpiness at his lack of attention. Reaching back into the box, he pulled out the female, who he handed to Neirin to test out. Sure enough, the little female wriggled, wanting to climb onto Neirin's shoulder.

"Are there any that you know you want yet?" he asked to everyone in general. "Or any that you want to try holding?"

[Avu]

T’rid sighed, nodding, as he glanced around at the others. How could they cheerfully accept squirming little fur-covered things without wanting to drop them and run away? Well, then again they were all girls. Perhaps girls liked things, as long as they were cute. T’rid would even prefer a fire lizard over a kitten. Ugh. He watched silently as the female tried to crawl up Neirin’s arm, casting his glance back into the box.

The orange one looked relatively lifeless. That might be a good thing for his weyr, carpet, bedding, and other soft materials in general, but that would also be boring. And if Corinth was bound and determined to have him stuck with a kitten, he might as well go ahead and get one that was a bit more exciting. The female was instantly out of the equation. The last thing T’rid needed was a squirming batch of kittens.

Poor E’ri.

“Could I see that kitten?” he asked, managing to keep his tone relatively level, although it threatened to waver. He shifted his weight to his other foot, to lessen the urge to turn tail and get out of the hall. To make sure which one he meant was known, T’rid jerked his chin at the gray male with the cream-colored face. It didn’t look liable to biting the hell out of him, which would be nice for a start.

Oh, good choice, Ridmine. I like that one too, I think. Corinth sounded just as excited as before. You’d say that no matter which I picked, T’rid responded glumly, expectantly extending his hands. Oh, Faranth. This was not fun. No, no. At least a fire lizard or ‘mandyr Hatching would be relatively interesting. What was the fun in watching these balls of sickeningly cute fluff roll around the place?

[irbre]

Neirin spared a glance at the blue salamandyr, watching the moody creature tentatively. She wasn't exactly a fan of 'mandyrs in general, and that one seemed...demanding. She glanced up somewhat thankfully when he spoke to her, lips tugging back in a slightly forced smile, not answering him right away. In all truth, would Neisk mind having an addition to their "family?" Or would she perhaps take it as an offense? She allowed her mind to drift slightly, attempting to gauge the gold wher's current mood, immediately picking up on the key feelings of 'protective' and 'anxious.' Maybe it wasn't too good of an idea, then.

She paused though, a denial freezing on her lips. Everyone else had a pet, it seemed, mainly in the form of a firelizard or salamandyr. She didn't want one of those, though, and refused to even attend a Hatching, especially any others than wher. Dragon Hatchings were out of the question, as were their non-wher cousins'. Kittens, though, were another matter entirely. And Neisk would adjust, wouldn't she? Throwing caution to the winds, Neirin smiled at E'ri, nodding shortly. "I think a kitten would be acceptable," she murmured, slightly teasing, watching the box expectantly.

Sure enough, it was only a moment later when E'ri extracted one for her, Neirin reaching forward to take the small furball gently. Her lips shot upward in a quick grin at the feeling, at the soft, warm fur puffing between her fingers, the delicate body soft, yet bony, in her hands. The kitten was absolutely adorable, the majority of her body gray, save for her cream-colored face, which shone out all the more because of it. The tiny fluffball was still for a moment, staring at Neirin with wide, bright eyes before she began to wriggle, attempting to climb up Neirin's arm, aiming towards her shoulder. Laughing softly, more to herself than anything, the goldhandler aided her in her attempt, carefully lifting her up to place her securely on her shoulder. Mewling, the kitten turned awkwardly about a bit, Neirin's hands always close to catch her in case she fell, the kitten finally settling with rifling through her new perch's hair, running her damp nose along Neirin's neck.

"They're adorable," Neirin stated, unable to wipe the wide grin off of her face. She glanced at the others, then back at the kitten, loathe to split her attention. The small female appeared to agree, mewling pitifully when Neirin dared to look away, bumping her small head into the Queenhandler's cheek bone. "Shush, little one," she murmured to the kitten, stroking her back with a single finger, the small kitten arching beneath her touch. "They're quite sweet," she admitted, unable to stop fawning over the little fuzzballs. She glanced up, a bit reluctantly, when E'ri suggested trying different ones out or remaining with one. Although she didn't ask for another, nor did she admit to wanting the female kitten, waiting for what everyone else would say before making her decision. The girl seemed sweet enough, after all, and her apparent love of shoulders made her even better.

[kysseh]

E'ri's use of her rank had Aliscia tempted to scoff, though she recognized by his voice that it was meant to tease. He was... a strange man. That, or she still was not used to the temperament of the southern riders. It was likely a mixture of the two, but the greenrider merely flicked a noncommittal sort of smile. The smile looked a bit contorted from her scarring, but it was not quite as frightening as it could have been had there been any negative emotion behind it. She could be quite intimidating--short as she was--if she wanted to be, but the presence of cute fluffy things, pregnancy hormones, and an adorable small child made it rather impossible to be in a bad mood.

And, oh yes, she had noticed she was being followed. It had made her cautious at first until she realized that her follower was very young and seemed a bit on the shy side. The woman did the courtesy of not calling the child out on it, mostly because she seemed sweet-tempered and had probably only been following her out of loneliness. But, the girl's youthful enthusiasm for kittens seemed to negate any assumptions of shyness, and it made Aliscia chuckle softly at her boldness. Ah, to be young and fearless again. She almost--almost--missed those days. But... those days had been Tanith-free ones, and she could not begin to imagine a life without her snarky lifemate putting in her opinions every few moments. Being a child had been fun, but... she would still take adulthood over the solitude of growing up with an unshared mind.

She was about to answer E'ri's question but patiently waited while the bronzerider and wherhandler seemed to take preferences to two of the kittens. From E'ri's description, those were two of the sweeter-natured ones, and the little girl was holding the other. That left the darker kitten, and Aliscia was unsure if she wanted something... well, aggressive. That thought reminded her of the bronzerider, and if she fidgeted a bit to make sure she was between the child and the teenaged twit--how did that little idiot get to be a wingsecond?!--of a man, then it was understandable. She disliked and was made nervous by bronzeriders as a general rule, and arrogant ones made her want to box their ears or put a blade through their spine. She was only cheered by the thought that if he should be foolish enough to try his act on the goldweyrling, Savitri would take the man up, chew him to pieces, and spat him back out for the entirety of the weyr to view his humiliation. Humph. Bronzeriders.

"I'd most certainly like one, though... with a child on the way, not an aggressive one. Cuddly or playful--or both--would be nice," she admitted readily, though she could scarcely deny the other two their first choice of favorites. Nor could she deny the little girl the obviously-cuddly orange kitten, so... well, maybe she would wait until next time. She did not relish the thought of a scratching cat near an infant; the situation would be just ugly all the way around. That dark gray one... well, it probably would not work out. That decided, she shifted her attention a bit and tilted her head to one side to watch the little girl, wondering who it was she looked like. She looked very familiar for a reason that Aliscia could not place, but... ahhh, pregnancy was already eating her brain! That, or she was just tired. Either way, she was fairly sure the girl had a relative around somewhere. Who it was, though, was beyond her for the moment. "Are you going to take one home?" she asked the girl, flicking a genuine smile down at her. Children deserved real smiles... especially good-natured and even-tempered children.

[Kisha-Ra]

R’fuin had an odd instinct for finding anything interesting that was going on and gravitating to it, so it was only natural that when he wandered out of the main hall and spotted a small crowd gathering around E’ri, that R’fuin drifted over to have a look. The odd thing was that the crowd had been allowed to form without him in the first place.

R’fuin felt Ylonth looking through his eyes as he observed people holding kittens, E’ri must be trying to find homes for them, five felines, two weyrbrats, a couple firelizards and a salamandyr probably made a weyr seem a bit full at the best of times. They seem nice.[/color] Ylonth commented in a meaningful way. R’fuin grinned, Ylonth would probably be able to turn a kitten into a tremendous game somehow. It was a funny thought.

I’ll see if we can get one Ylonth, they might all have homes now though. R’fuin added the warning as Ylonth was apt to take ‘I’ll see’ as ‘I promise’ when it came to things he wanted and after all that fuss over flitters. ‘Excuse me E’ri, are all the kittens spoken for now?’ he inquired, making an effort to be polite but leaving the sentace hanging in a way that hinted that he would cheerfully take an unclaimed kitten off E’ri’s hands.

[glamourie]

Kalerary bounced, thoroughly distracted by the felines to notice the amount of people around her. Kittens! She'd only seen a handful in the north - usually the pets of Lords or Ladies visiting for one reason or another. They just weren't anywhere near as common up there. She'd never been allowed to touch them but they certainly looked as if they'd be fluffy, soft and cuddly. Looks could be deceiving but if the bluerider was giving the babies away they must not have been that bad; she knew felines had claws but she didn't think they'd scratch her too badly and if they did, well, she'd probably deserve it all things considered. That logic kept her eyes suspended on the kittens in the box, and how she wished she could have one. She hadn't asked Z'hin, though, and she was not nearly rude enough to bring a kitten into his weyr without his permission; that kind of behavior was spoiled, and she was none of the sort.

"I'm Kalerary," she said softly, casting a shy glance at the bluerider as she spoke. Her eyes followed his hands and lit up with delight as he removed one of the cubs. She took the offered cub with an amount of consideration almost unusual for a child of her age and held him with both hands and most of her arms, primarily to make sure that none of the feline's limbs were hanging at any odd angles. Her touch was gentle enough that he could easily get away if he wanted - she didn't know anything about felines and was terrified by the idea of hurting him. "He's pretty! Thank you!" she exclaimed in excitement, pulling the little cub close to her chest. "Aren't you cute - aww! You've got extra toesies. That's funny! Toesy-wosies, extra toesies, you will be a super-duper climber, you will. Don't worry, that makes you the best of the group." It didn't occur to her that babbling away at the kitten might be considered odd at all. He was listening to her, wasn't he? Better'n some!

Child on the way? The words made Kalerary look up at the greenrider who... was standing between her and... a bronzerider. Gray-blue eyes widened to an unusually large size and she crept closer to Aliscia on instinct; she didn't really know the woman but she seemed safer than a bronzerider. As a rule, Kalerary always sided with greenriders. She was much more comfortable with them than anyone of rank, and more comfortable with women than she was with men. Z'hin alone was exception to the rules, and only because he was her hero, he'd saved her. She squinted at T'rid but did not speak to him - he wasn't talking to her and that was good because she was scared of him.

Slowly, Kalerary held the little orange kitten out toward the greenrider as she spoke, and her head tilted to the side just slightly. "He's nice, he doesn't scratch or bite, and he let me hold him. Maybe him?" she suggested, since the other kittens seemed to be quite... distracted. As much as she would have loved to keep the kitty, she didn't think Jessereth would thank her for bringing felines into his weyr. She'd been told by some of the weyrlings that Z'hin got attacked by wild felines (given how small the cubs were she was confused as to how they could hurt anyone) and Kalerary was not the kind of child to deliberately inconvenience anyone, nor be inconsiderate. It simply wasn't in her nature. "I can't take one home." She frowned slightly. "I don't think Z'hin would like it if I brought home a feline without permission, and I didn't realize that any were bein' given away to ask, or I would've..."

[Administrator]

E'ri looked at T'rid warily. The man didn't seem overly enthusiastic about the cubs... Still, he nodded, and handed over the cream-faced male. Instantly, the cub began to try climbing up onto T'rid's arm, mewling incessantly. He dug his little claws into T'rid's sleeve, deciding not to let go except to climb higher up the man's arm. E'ri merely chuckled, and let the baby feline do what it wanted. After all, if T'rid wanted him, it would be his problem. Though, each of these kittens were sweet, and he'd hate for them to be mistreated. So he watched the bronzerider very carefully. "Are you interested in taking one home?" he asked politely, watching the reaction very carefully. Maybe he was taking the cub for a friend or something. Or maybe T'rid was just nervous about holding cubs? That thought made him relax a bit. These kittens would be safe wherever they went. He was just being paranoid.

At least Neirin seemed to be doing well with the kitten she was holding. He smiled at her. "She seems to like you," he commented cheerfully. "Are you going to want her, or did you want to hold another?" He was relieved that people were beginning to fall in love with the little fluffballs. It would make it easier on him, he thought with amusement. Plus, they would be loved and be doted on where they went, unlike back in his weyr, where he was busy caring for every other crazy creature that he and Cezine shared. Still, he thought regretfully, they were awfully cute at such a tender age. Shame that he would have to give them up.

Yet E'ri's conversation was drawn to Aliscia. He smiled. "Congratulations," he told her with his quiet cheerfulness. "How far along?" Casually, he looked back at the weyrbrat, who was busy with the orange one. "Nice to meet you, Kalerary," he told her kindly. That one she was holding seemed like it would be a good cub around a babe, but he didn't know if the little girl had permission from whoever took care of her to have a cub. Back to Aliscia, he added, "My weyrmate is pregnant, too. I think you may have met at the wing drills-- it's Cezine. Remember her?" He smiled. The baby boom around Selenitas was... unnerving, but still good. It just meant future peaceful citizens of the South to E'ri, and a lot less of the horrible Northerners. He chuckled. "Maybe you two could be friends or something. Pregnancy-buddies." Or not. Still, the idea was cute.

"I'd try either the orange one or one of the ones with the little masks on their faces. The gray one scratches a bit," he told her, gesturing to the little gray thing rolling around in the box. Seeing a new person come up, he shook his head at R'fuin with a smile.

"Not yet," he replied cheerfully. Ignoring Minuet's squawking protests, he reached into the box and pulled out the gray kitten. "This one scratches a little bit, but I'm sure he'd take to anyone if he knows them enough," E'ri told the other bluerider confidently. He held it out in an offering for the man to test the squirming cub out.

Finished with R'fuin, he let himself watch Kalerary snuggle the little orange cub. He smiled. She was simply adorable. He listened to her curiously. She was living with Z'hin? He didn't particularly like the man, but as long as he was taking care of her... "If you want, I can let you know when my feline has more kittens. Then you can ask Z'hin then to let you have one, when you're more ready," he told her gently. He would hate to deprive such a little cutie of a feline! It would be a nice little companion for a little girl like that. And Quaver certainly knew her male cats, so it probably wouldn't be long till she had more. "What do you think of that idea?" he asked with a smile.

[Avu]

T’rid was looking as far away from the kittens as he could, but he accepted the squirming gray-and-cream cub, staring at it as if he expected it to explode—a strange mix of irritation and the urge to bolt. “Ah…” Interested in taking one home. Interested? No. “…um.” He twitched as the kitten’s claws pierced the soft material of his tunic and pricked his arm. “…kind…of?” He sighed, glancing away from E’ri and at the others.

One, two, three, four other people who looked interested in the kittens. And only four kittens to go around. An escape route. Oh, thank Faranth! T’rid—gently enough—disentangled the kitten from his arm and intercepted Kalerary’s gesture, smiling as nicely as he could manage to. “No, you don’t have to give up your kitten. The Greenrider can have this kitten, see? You can keep that one. He’s a good kitten for you.” Good and lifeless.

“You can have my claim,” he murmured to Aliscia, proffering the gray and cream kitten. Please, please, please, PLEASE take it. He knew his face was probably showing his eagerness to deposit the kitten in her arms and take off, and didn’t mind. He couldn’t deny his…dislike…for kittens. They were just unnaturally cute and it didn’t help when they did cruel things and then looked cute to make up for it. He glanced at E’ri, wondering if he’d hurt the man’s feelings, but he could deal with it. Not everyone liked kittens, and not everyone Impressed bronzes who took likings to cute and fluffy kittens. He could figure it out.

Ridmine! Corinth protested, irritated. Look, Corinth, I know I promised. I’ll get two fire lizards if that’ll make up for it, but I am NOT going to take a kitten. Not now, or ever . All right?[/b] The bronze huffed. Two fire lizards? What about a ‘mandyr? NO. Two fire lizards. Take it or leave it. The bronze considered for a moment. Fine. Two fire lizards. No kitten. T’rid exhaled in relief, and then decided to explain.

No doubt E’ri would think he was slightly off in the brain if he didn’t. “Ah—I’m going to back out of this. Corinth wanted a kitten,” he explained apologetically. “But…he’s agreed to not getting one, I don’t think I have the time”—or will—“to take care of a kitten. Sorry.” He glanced sideways at Kalerary. “Have fun, kid.” Back to E’ri: “If that’s all right?”

[Kisha-Ra]

R’fuin took the proffered grey kitten cautiously, not sure how tightly to hold him. At least this unclaimed kitten was male, much as he thought these balls of fluff were cute R’fuin doubted that he’d be able to find homes for a litter or two of kittens every turn, if he had a female feline he’d soon have a tribe of them. He measured up this squirming grey male carefully, he was certainly active. R’fuin pulled the kitten a bit closer so he wouldn’drop the wriggling creature.

What do you think of him then? R’fuin asked his dragon, it was, after all, Ylonth who had expressed an interest in a kitten, though R’fuin was inclined to keep this kitten whatever his dragon though. I like him, he looks fun. We should keep him.[/color] Ylonth replied instantly then added As long as no one else wants him.[/color] in a sad tone, the blue had noticed that there were more kittens than people.

R’fuin looked around, everyone except Alisca was holding a ball of fur with varying degrees of entusiasum, from the little girl who was fussing over the orange kitten to T’rid, who seemed uncomfortable with the kitten that was attaching itself to him. R’fuin steeled himself to offer the kitten he had to the greenrider, even though she probably wouldn’t want such an active feline with a baby on the way, however he was saved by not just one, but two people offering more sedate cubs to the woman, and T’rid was backing out altogether. It was almost funny the way the bronzerider backed out like there was something horrific about harmless feline cubs.

[kysseh]

Kalerary. Aliscia made a mental note of the little girl's name and smiled down at her, watching the girl cuddle close the little orange kitten. It was an adorable image, and the fact that the little girl was happily babbling and snuggling the little kitten only made it that much cuter. The girl was the only weyrbrat of her age that Aliscia remembered seeing in the weyr thus far. She had seen infants and little toddlers, but the girl had to be at least.... well, five Turns? She was mature in speech, so perhaps she was just a little older and very small for her age. Aliscia could sympathize; she had been tiny all her life.

E'ri speaking brought her back to reality, and she resisted the urge to slap a hand against her forehead in exasperation. Men really were dense at times, weren't they? Honestly... pregnancy-buddies?! Well, she supposed she could not fault him for being male and an idiot; those two things were inherited and not learned. She nodded, though. "Yes, I remember Cezine." And she personally thought the greenweyrling must have been slacking in her betweening exercises if she managed to get pregnant during weyrlinghood. Aliscia was old, cynical, and bitter in her assessments, though, so she just figured she was being too rough on the girl. "I'm sure I can offer some advice to her at least. I'm not due to well after she is, by a few months, probably." She could have done the mental math to figure it out, but she would rather not, for the moment. It made the situation a little too serious, and kittens and serious did not go well together.

She was distracted--again--by Kalerary moving in closer to her, and it made her wonder if she was none-too-keen on the arrogant teen either. Humph. Smart girl. Bronzeriders, in general, were a rather difficult and highly unwelcome lot to deal with, minus some exceptions that were all found at this weyr in the south. She was startled when the little girl offered the cuddly orange kitten and was about to protest when the girl pointed out that she couldn't bring one home. Oh... that was a slight problem, wasn't it? She very carefully stroked the little orange furball, wondering what to do. He seemed like a cuddly little thing, far more sedate than some of his siblings, which she appreciated. But she did not want to deprive Kalerary of a pet. "If you still want to take him home, I wouldn't mind, though I know Z'hin would probably like it if you asked first. It's up to you."

Suddenly, another kitten was being offered in her direction, and she gave the bronzerider a suspicious look. Why was he suddenly not wanting it? Ahh, no time, hmm? "I wouldn't want to deprive you of a pet, bronzerider. If you're not willing to take him, though, I certainly will," she said before rescuing the poor kitten from the man's grasp. She deliberately did not use his wingsecond title, if only because she was spiteful that way. As if a stripling deserved that sort of honor. She doubted he had the temperament to lead, but she had been wrong before. Who knew? She cuddled the little kitten in her hands and stroked him very gently. Poor thing. "Are you certain you don't want him? I'm sure he'd make a... ferocious sort of guard-feline for your weyr," she said mildly, obviously amused at his expense. He really didn't like kittens, did he? That did, however, leave her with the problem of the orange kitten, and she glanced down at Kalerary, biting her lower lip. Shardit. The girl could take the orange one, couldn't she? Aliscia didn't know if she could handle two, though Faolan would probably be ecstatic.