A nice day for a swim (Tags Sym)

[raii]

Upasanath tromped through the forest, tail held firmly in Sari’s hands. The energetic green had insisted on a trip to the beach. She was excited to see what this “swimming” was like. Her wings were spread for balance as her tail was unable to move. The green moved to fast for her surroundings, stumbling blindly over roots and rocks. The three fire lizards perched on her back. Dusk’s pale pink coloring did little against Upasanath’s pale coloring, but Mika’s vibrant green and Lazuli’s dark blue contrasted. The brilliant emerald crooned softly, excited for the adventure they were about to have.

They reached the river. Upasanath let out a rush of air. Why, it was beautiful! How did Sari find such a lovely spot? Rumbling excitedly, the green flapped her wings. Her first swim! Prideful of their past experiences with swimming, Lazuli and Mika took off. The two dove into the water, their tiny heads poking out as they chirped with encouragement. Dusk, refusing to take part in such childish games, curled up lazily in the sun. Upasanath waded into the water, her eyes whirling excitedly with the new experience.

Laughing at her dragon’s eagerness, Sari ran into the water. She hugged Upasanath’s neck, struck by a sudden wave of love. She cupped water in her hands, dripping it on the green wedge-shaped head. Upasanath crooned. That feels nice. This is very good for hot days like today. Thank you, Saripersonlove, for bringing me here! Let us play![/color] She spread her wings, bringing them down into the water. Liquid surged up, drenching Sari. Shrieking with laughter, Sari splashed her dragon back, before diving underwater evasively. Upasanath patiently waited for Sari to resurface.

As she came up for air, she was greeted with another wave of water. She coughed out the water, gasping for breath. I am sorry, love! Are you okay?[/color] Sari smiled. “Fine, Upasanath, just be more careful. Don’t worry.” She massaged the eyeridges generously, causing the green dragon to purr happily. Underwater, the long tail flicked side to side like a dog’s. The tail hit the back of Sari’s legs, making her fall backwards into the water. She emerged to see Upasanath’s anxious face crooning at her.

Oh no! I hurt you again, didn’t I?[/color] Sari laughed. “No, no dear. Don’t you worry about me!” She patted the large head, which nudged her stomach gently. If something happened to you, Sarilove, I would never be happy! Ever![/color] Upasanath crooned sadly. “You too, love. Nothing will happen to either of us though.” She hugged the dragon, her voice surging with emotion. The two swimming fire lizards crooned, leaping onto Upasanath’s head.

[glamourie]

And you’ll live happily ever after in a Lord Holder’s estate with handsome men to fan you and cater to your every whim and your own weavers to make you the finest of clothes, while your green dragon will have a harem of males that chase none other than her, Marsayis thought to himself from his perch in one of the trees surrounding the river. It was rapidly becoming one of his favorite places to be, although the timing was entirely wrong. Given a choice, Marsayis was never awake during the day. People were around in daylight hours and that meant socializing. Worse still was the heat, which was significantly decreasing but was still close to unbearable. He was definitely a creature who preferred the cold to the heat, and as a result, he’d taken to sleeping daylight hours away. Therefore, it was quite odd for him to be awake and outside at that time of day – and the only reason he was there at all was because a certain salamandyr that he was condemned to being linked to had decided to wake up ridiculously early and gnaw on him until he fed the little snot. And then Calamari had promptly passed out...

... leaving Marsayis to deal with people in the light of day and the inferno of heat that made up the south. Indoors meant that he got jumped for chores, or lessons, or... just general socializing. The heat dampened his mood considerably, so he tried to avoid people – less likely to growl and make enemies that way. He’d decided to go perch by the river to amuse himself. Observing people was fun as it usually told him a lot about a person – what their motives were, what their hopes and dreams amounted to – and in Marsayis’s case, the best way to manipulate them. He formed snap judgments of people that were very hard to shake. Most of his emotions were superficial, but his disdain for the general population was not one of those things. He didn’t like people. Never had. It was so easy to see all of their flaws.

Hers, for instance. That one sentence told him so much. It told him that she was naive; that she didn’t think about all possibilities before speaking; that she didn’t pay attention to history, and most importantly, that she was an optimist. He kept those thoughts under his hat (metaphorically speaking). No need to give away his hand.

“A pretty sentiment,” he said out loud. She would have to actually look to locate where he was. Marsayis liked to perch up in the trees, particularly in the high canopy where the branches twisted around. The shadows hid his dark-clad form from view. He usually wore black clothes, with particular emphasis on things that covered his skin, and it was rare for him to go anywhere without a hat. At that particular moment, the hat was enough to cast a shadow over his face, thus making it impossible for anyone (save, perhaps, for Kostya who knew him better than any other living entity on Pern – a startling thought, that) to recognize him. Well, physically. Some people might know his voice but the girl was unfamiliar (and he was good with faces), so she wasn’t one of them. “Though with the weather as hot as it is,” it had in fact gotten more temperate of late, but Marsayis was still miserable; too hot was too hot, thanks, “I’m surprised anyone feels safe. It’s positively miserable out here. There’s been a startling lack of heat stroke, considering how unpleasant it is. Not that you two are in any danger. How’s the water?”

[raii]

"A pretty sentiment..."

Who was there? Sari glanced around, her hair whipping around before she located him in the trees, a shadowy figure. She smiled. A fellow nature lover? Did he enjoy spending his time outside too? She couldn't remember seeing him before, but that was only judging from his voice and his figure. She couldn't see his face. He went on about the heat being unpleasant, and asked about the water. "Oh, I feel very safe outside, especially with Upasanath with me." She grinned fondly at the little green. Three months after the Hatching and she still couldn't get used to the wonderful joys of Impression. She rubbed the pale green's eyeridges.

"Besides, I don't mind the heat. It's nearly impossible to go barefoot if its too cold." She glanced about the water around her. "The water is lovely. Why don't you join us?" Sari seemed to have warmed up to human contact after Impression. Perhaps it was the bond, or perhaps the interactions during lessons. Either way, she enjoyed the company of one or two people; any more was unwelcome. Perhaps some of Upasanath had rubbed off on Sari. Upasanath crooned to the boy in the tree, broadcasting her mindvoice to him. Hello little Tree-Dweller. I am Upasanath and this is my Sari. Who are you? Would you like to come swim with us? The cheerful green's tail thrashed from side to side like a canines, successfully drenching Sari. Oops! Sari just laughed.

Lazuli chirped, leaping out of the water. Come here, come play with them! His deep hide contrasted the brilliant blue of the water. Mika followed him, rumbling with laughter. Dusk, safe from such nonsense on the ground, decided to inspect this candidate. Rising into the air from his sleeping position, he flew up to the tree to inspect the boy. The pink-hued brown landed on Marsayis's head, tossing his hair around as if looking for some hidden secret. He decided he did not like this boy. He glided down to the boys hand and nipped it lightly, as if warning him not to harm Sari. Paranoid? Perhaps. He flew off, strangely obedient, as Sari cried, "Leave him be, you pest!" She flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, Dusk's a bit of a problem..."