Hypocrisy (Ka'rys)

[kysseh]

((This is post-Millieth's Flight, for anyone who is wondering. <3))

The sound of moving water was soothing to a pair of troubled souls--one sleeping, one awake--and the moving water made a lovely backdrop to the scene on the rivershore. It was mid-afternoon, and the light glinted off the riverwater, lending an air of sparkle to the scene. It also made the hide of a well-cared-for goldweyrling gleam beautifully where she was curled on a flat, warm rock on the shore. She was well back from the water, the rock she was curled upon being up a little higher. It was a large and very warm sort of bed, and though it was not as satisfactory as her couch back at the barracks, it was still quite warm and cozy. Between that, the water, and the close proximity of Hers, Hepaticath was mostly content with the world.

The only source of her discontent was the young woman curled between her fore and hindlegs. Even young as she was, Hepaticath was rapidly growing, so there was ample space for Hers to sleep in the safety of the circle that Hepaticath's body, neck, and tail made. The weyrling gold's head rested in front of the healer pressed against her side, tail wrapped around the outside of her head and neck to make a perfect cocoon around the exhausted and slumbering form of Hers. Poor Hers. So distraught over Millieth Rising for a reason that puzzled Hepaticath.

Savitri had been beyond distraught. Aslath's Flight had thrown her for a loop, as the unfamiliar sensations flooding her had had her terrified. Thus, she had been quietly panicking for the last sevenday over the prospect of going through that all again. Plus, Hepaticath would be asking questions, which added a whole new dimension of unwelcome to it. It was not that Savitri minded feeling... lustful towards another human being. But to feel it so powerfully without any control over it had her terrified. She would not have minded if Hepaticath were older and she could have spent the flight with a man that she enjoyed the company of. But, Cath was still quite, quite young, and the only man she would have trusted had been... absent, understandably so. It made for a very tight spot to be in, and Savitri had wracked her brains for a sevenday ahead of time to figure out a decent solution.

The one she had alighted upon had not been... ideal. Doable, yes, but not ideal. She had done it before. The result had been her worrying and stressing over it for a full sevenday before the junior queen actually took to the air. That increased stress resulted in insomnia and a loss of appetite, both of which made the weyrling tired and... well, just tired really. She probably looked considerably less robust than her normal self, if just that she was a few shades paler, with dark circles beneath her eyes and a certain tremor to her limbs. She had been a busy little weyrling all week, certainly, but Savitri's many accomplishments really counted for little at the moment. She had gotten ahead in her studies, cleaned her room to within an inch of the walls' lives, oiled Cath multiple times a day, done all of her chores, taken on an extra Infirmary shift or two... and just generally been quite the workaholic all sevenday long.

And as soon as Cath had sensed something was up, Savitri had dragged her exhausted carcass--three candlemarks of sleep a night was wholly insufficient for her activity level--to her bed and slept through the entirety of the flight, to her great relief. Cath had napped as well, but even that nap and last night's restless sleep had not appeased her appetite for rest. She was just too sleep-deprived, hungry, and run-down for it to last. After suffering through most of the day with some success, she had finally snagged some free time for the larger part of the afternoon. The exhausted young woman had herded her subdued and concerned mindmate toward the river where Hepticath had promptly found the warmest and most comfortable rock to curl up upon. Savitri had curled up against her gold's side, swaddled in an old blanket with her head resting on her folded arms. She was safe... and warm. And within half a minute, she had fallen asleep there, her hair lying in disarray and draped across her face, neck, and shoulders. She probably looked about as exhausted and lousy as she felt, but deeply asleep as she was, she could hardly care. No.... she was just too in need of the rest, even if her mindmate was wide awake, alert, and getting very, very bored.... if still worried.

[glamourie]

This is what you get for not keeping your promise, Ciceroth informed Ka'rys quite calmly. Eventually you will learn that I always get what I want in the end.

Indeed, the bronzerider was quite forced to keep the promise he'd made to hunt down Savitri and Hepaticath so that Ciceroth could play with the young gold. (Play, in this instance, being some kind of dragon-version of tag.) While he initially refused, it was blatantly obvious Ciceroth was having none of it: he'd simply grabbed Ka'rys's pants in his mouth (catching him around the backside where they were at their loosest, so that he could avoid harming his rider) and then hauled off on foot, carrying his rider like some kind of deformed chewtoy. To make the sight more comical, Ka'rys went completely limp and hung in one of the most awkward positions humanly possible, arms and legs dangling several feet above the ground as the bronze moved. It wasn't the first time that Ciceroth had decided to spontaneously carry him around like a plaything, and while it was anything but comfortable, he couldn't complain too much - at least he didn't have to walk.

All in all, he had to admit, despite being carried against his will (it could've been worse - Ciss could have decided to haul him by the ankle or something; he'd done that before too), he was in an excellent mood. He'd gone to Blossom during Millieth's flight, more out of not wanting to deal with another queen flight than anything else. (Also, he strongly suspected Aslath would take it personally if Ciceroth Chased another before she flew again, and he didn't want to deal with Shmee's temper.) The trip was actually rather nice; Ciceroth loved the lake and Ka'rys generally loved the people. (If he had to have a 'type' physically, fair-haired and spring-colored eyes would be it and Blossom was flourishing with them.) What made it a particularly pleasant experience was the fact that Shmee was not there. He'd been alone for the most part and had spent the night there, with Ciceroth sleeping under the stars. Relaxing? Most definitely. He'd returned with the morning, bathed, caught up on most of his work and... was then dragged off by Ciceroth. All in all a good day so far. Improved by the fact that he hadn't seen Shmee yet. Yippie!

Down the riverside Ciceroth moved, awkwardly bunny-hopping along and looking for all the world as if he was pleased with himself. The spot of gold that could only be Hepaticath caught his attention and he crooned loudly to her before moving faster across the ground - oddly enough surprisingly efficient. Halfway there, he actually turned and threw Ka'rys straight into the river, sending the bronzerider plunging into the water with an audible shriek that was drowned out by the splash. The bronze did not appear to notice, though, instead bounding right up to Hepaticath and flopping down on his side before nudging her affectionately. It was plainly obvious he was happy to see her.

Hello, Hepaticath! he offered happily, fluttering his wings. Why in the world is Yours sleeping out by the river? Doesn't she know how silly that is?

Back in the water, Ka'rys resurfaced, spluttering, and shot a hideous look toward Ciceroth, his good mood dampened.... literally. One hand moved up to slick his hair back out of his face and he swam toward the shore until he could stand, then stalked to the shoreline. Grumbling, he gripped the ends of his long gray shirt and twisted them in his hands, the water dribbling down to the sand to pool around his bare feet. The sleeves followed suit and he scoffed, looking highly disgruntled. Cursed dragon and his sense of humor.

What was that for?
Not wanting to keep your promise.
Your idea of justice is warped.
What's wrong, Rysmine? Afraid of getting a little wet? I'm sure that Savitri wouldn't mind the show.

The fact that Savitri was present had completely slipped his mind until Ciceroth reminded him (And what was with the name usage? -- He would have to ask later.) and he quite visibly paled. The last thing he needed was to be humiliated in front of one of the few people whose opinion actually mattered to him. Sharding dragon.

[kysseh]

Savitri was shivering and stirring a bit in her sleep, and Hepaticath crooned anxiously, picking up her head to lightly nuzzle Hers. It took a moment of calming, but Savitri's restlessness ceased soon enough. The young woman stopped her motions and calmed again against her dragon's side. Cath was large and warm, and between that and the dragon's soothing mental presence, her unconscious took comfort. Her sleep continued in relative peace, though it was patently obvious that that rest was.... not as rejuvenating as it could have been. She was sleeping, at least, and Hepaticath was only calm because Hers was getting some sort of rest. She hated it when Hers was distressed and worked up like the young woman had been. She needed some good playtime and a few meals and some sleep, and then she would be back to normal... right?

A glint of metallic hide caught her attention, and her head turned sharply to look in that direction. Who was- oh! Ciceroth! She crooned very, very quietly in his direction. She was unsure if he could here, but she was loathe to be loud, mostly because the poor young woman curled against her needed the rest something awful. Savitri was stirring again, but Hepaticath hoped that ignoring that meant that the woman would go back to sleeping. A tired Savitri was either cranky or frighteningly unresponsive. She wanted a not-tired one very, very soon. The fact that Ciceroth was moving more quickly toward her had her delighted, and she crooned a little more loudly, briefly forgetting the sleeping Hers. Oh... oops.

Suddenly, Ciceroth was flinging His into the river, and the loud shriek startled Hepaticath and, apparently, Savitri. The young woman shuddered and came awake with a start, huddled against Hepaticath's warm gold side. Her light green eyes were bleary with weariness, and she glanced hurriedly around, trying to locate the source of the noise. She saw Ciceroth flop down right near them, obviously delighted to see his friend. Hepaticath was crooning softly and nuzzling her friend right back, and though she pressed tentatively at the mind of Hers, the gold seemed content that Savitri was... not in as bad a shape as she was. The young woman heartily disagreed on that count.

Hello, PlaymateMine. the gold crooned at her bronze playmate, eyes whirling a quick blue-green with delight. She so loved his company, and it was a welcome change from Savitri's fretting and worrying and... tiredness. She nuzzled happily at whatever of him she could reach, obviously enthusiastic in her affection. His question, though, had her crooning with obvious concern, the whirl of her eyes slowing rapidly. Mine is very tired. She had been very upset as of late, and it is most distressing. I woke her up. The gold's mental 'voice' was tinged with regret, and she angled her head to look at the young woman huddled against her. Poor SavitriHers. She needed more sleep.

Savitri gazed blearily at the pair of metallic dragons, just watching them interact. She heard her Cath's half of the conversation but not Ciceroth's. Her gaze turned toward the river as Ka'rys emerged, eyes widening a bit as she caught sight of him. A sigh escaped her, and she huddled back down again, peeking over Cath's tail to see what the bronzerider was up to. Her eyes were already closing again, but she kept them open long enough to notice his attire. His... wet attire. It clung just enough to his slim frame that her eyes widened again. She could scarcely resist the opportunity to look him over in silence, and she squirmed into a half-seated position, propped up against Hepaticath's very soothing warmth. Ahhh, but he was a good looking male! She would have considered it more, but... well, her mind was just too tired. She was bewildered as to what was going on, but Cath gave her a very quick series of images that brought her up to speed. Her mouth quirked into a very faint, very tired smile. Oh, yes. That was funny. But... she was so tired, and she curled closer to Hepaticath, her gaze flicking between the bronzerider and his bonded. "Hello, Ciceroth... very nicely done" she murmured very quietly, about all she could manage to get out for the moment

[glamourie]

Upset...? Why? It is not the fault of Rysmine, is it? The concern in the bronze's 'voice' was evident as he leaned over to nuzzle the little gold's side. He liked Savitri well enough, and the fact that Hepaticath was so obviously upset bothered him. All bronzes were distressed by queens being unhappy but Hepaticath effected Ciceroth more than most simply because she was his friend. He swiveled his tail around to nudge Savitri's side in what was clearly a show of affection. Ciceroth was always very touchy-feely with people and dragons he liked, although he usually tried to heed the dragon's space; in other words, dragons who clearly did not like to be bothered were not, and he was usually careful about nudging other dragons' lifemates. Some were testy and possessive. As a rule, he did try very hard not to cramp others, but Hepaticath never seemed to mind. On the contrary, she seemed to like it when he paid attention to Hers. If it was, I am certain he did not mean to offend.

No, Ka'rys did not intend to offend anyone. He was in quite a good mood, and figured the least he could do was share it, although most of it was lessened by the sheer amount of water dripping off of him. Despite the fact that he left puddles in his wake, the bronzerider plodded along the river side and came to a stop next to Ciceroth. Then, he quite pointedly shook his entire body, sending droplets of water flying against the bronze's flank. He chose the side furthest from Savitri and Hepaticath to avoid splashing them as well. The movement made his hair flare and stick up in several places, frizzing and looking nothing short of awkward. His clothing plastered itself over his skin and folded around his arms where the long sleeves were too loose for him. He did not appear to notice, as he was most effectively distracted trying to drench Ciceroth. Not that it was working, mind, but he was trying.

Savitri wasn't laughing, though. That fact surprised him for he was quite sure the goldrider would take perverse delight in his blatant humiliation. Not that he minded not having it pointed out. Quite the opposite, he was glad that for once, he wasn't being made fun of, but he'd expected it, even braced mentally, and he had to wonder if Savitri was actually okay; it wasn't like her not to mock him, in the few times they'd run across one another. She did not even seem to have any respect for propriety where that was concerned.

Ka'rys tilted his head to the side and then glanced around Ciceroth before freezing visibly. What he saw looked like the goldrider, and for all appearances was her, but it seemed as though she was run over by a caravan, she was in such bad shape. At least, compared to usual. Concerned, and slightly disquieted, the bronzerider circled around the dragon and stepped up toward where Savitri was before casting a half-glance in the general direction of Hepaticath. He stopped a few paces away, so as to not appear to be intruding on their space, and then turned his attention entirely on the girl. He hadn't spoken to her in a sevenday or so, not while he was making plans to run off when Millieth Rose (and for good reason; the flightlust would have been awkward considering how tempted he was on a normal occasion to run his hands over her body in places he was fairly sure he could get slapped for even considering touching). What had happened in that time to result in her looking so - so - disheveled?

Savitri's greeting earned a croon from Ciceroth, and informed Ka'rys that she was awake, and that was all the confirmation he needed. He was fairly sure he was invading space, but Ka'rys moved forward to kneel next to Savitri anyway, one hand moving to rest against her forehead gently as though to check for fever. "'Vi, you look like death has paid you a visit. Dare I ask what you've been doing to put yourself in such a dreadful state?" he asked, voice deliberately soft and carrying the same intimate quality as the last time they'd spoke -- in his weyr, alone. "Why are you outside when you're so obviously exhausted? You should be in the Weyrling Barracks..."

[kysseh]

No, it is not the fault of Yours. Mine was very distressed over Millieth yesterday, though I can not.... quite understand why. She will not tell me. But I know it is not the fault of Yours. Fear not. Hepaticath told her bronze friend, crooning as he nuzzled at her side. She did so enjoy his company, and the quick whirling of her eyes was indicative of that. She had missed him greatly, and she rubbed her head lightly against his neck, rumbling softly and with a large degree of contentment. Ciceroth's affection toward Savitri did not go unnoticed, but she minded very little. She trusted Ciceroth was Hers, and since Hers seemed comforted by the touch, Hepaticath was most at ease. But Mine is grateful for your concern and tells me to tell you that.

Savitri did, indeed, appreciate Ciceroth's concern, and she wearily patted the tail that came over to nudge her. It was a pitiful attempt at returning the affection, but she was just a little too tired to offer much more. Maybe later, and she flicked a smile in the direction of the bronze, her eyes still largely closed. She sensed Cath's amusement at something and inquired silently. The gold returned with an image of a dripping wet Ka'rys trying to spray Ciceroth and... largely failing. What an idiot the bronzerider could be at times, though she supposed Ciss had probably earned it with his antics. Shame on Cath--and herself--for encouraging it. She would have cared more, but she was too exhausted to really process it much. That was for later.

She wondered why Ka'rys was not approaching her, but her barely-open eyes gave her a bit of a view of his body posture, at least. He seemed to be unwilling to come closer, and she made a soft noise of confusion and squirmed a bit, huddling down into her blanket for warmth and comfort. Hepaticath's warmth against her was most soothing, so she only vaguely watched as he finally decided to close the distance... a little. Then Ciceroth crooned, and Ka'rys came forward. She tilted her head up slightly to try to get a better look, her eyes remaining largely closed. She was too tired to open her eyes further, and her tousled hair was falling across the side of her face. Shardit. She had forgotten to tie it back before sleeping.

She recoiled almost instinctively at the hand on her forehead, but the tension quickly turned to relaxation as she realized it was, indeed, just Ka'rys. His hand was warm against her forehead. Either her body temperature was a little low today, or he was just... very warm. Based on what she remembered from before, she guessed it was the latter. She knew she did not have a fever, at least, but her nose wrinkled a bit at the realization that his hand was... wet. He was asking lots of questions, but she didn't feel like answering at the moment. She just squirmed a little and muttered. "You're getting me wet." Didn't that come out rather plaintive? Oh, yes... it did.

He was not going to leave her alone until she answered, but it was the soft tone of his voice that had her motivated to answer. Did she really have to? No. But she would anyways. "Been busy. Lots of stuff to do. Too nice to stay inside anyways, so... came out here so Cath could sun while I sleep," she mumbled in response to his question, snuggling her cheek against Cath's warm and shining hide. Oooh, that oil smelled very good. She wondered if the sweet oil would be good on dry human skin as well. She needed to take care of her knees and elbows with it, if it did. They sort of hurt. "Really really tired." She immediately winced. Shards. Had she admitted to that?

[glamourie]

As she recoiled, Ka'rys jerked his fingers back, almost as though burnt. She looked dreadful and that fact alone was what kept him from forming hurt feelings; he hadn't spoken to Savitri much since that day in his weyr and the last thing he wanted was to believe that she found his touch so unpleasant as to cringe away. He mentally blamed her reluctance on how obviously exhausted, possibly even sick, she was. What had possessed her to let herself get in such a state? And she scolded him! Wasn't she only too recently found giving him an earful for not taking care of himself? Yet there she was looking as if she'd gone a sevenday without sleeping. He rather wanted to shake her, but refrained. Instead, he brushed his fingers through her hair, using the fact that his shirt was still noticeably wet to dampen the strands closest to her face, then slick them back away. Out of her face, so he could see her more clearly... and... hear her.

Ooh, that trip to Blossom probably was a bad idea. His first thoughts were not fit for the ears of children and Ka'rys couldn't help but grin wryly. "Ever-so-sorry about that," he said softly, but his voice implied he most definitely did not mean it. The statement that followed emphasized the fact that he was being insincere, for it held nothing shy of an excessively playful tone, "I will do my absolute best to not make you wet at all." The corners of his lips twitched, and he shook his head. "I'm not doing it intentionally." That part was sincere. "Short of throwing off my shirt though, there's very little I can do to prevent that. Blame it on Ciceroth. He's the one who felt I needed to take a dip in the river - for, as he put it, not keeping my promise. He got his way anyway, I don't know what he's complaining about."

Really tired. Well, he got that point. Snorting quietly, Ka'rys dropped his hands away from Savitri before taking a seat close to her, but not actually touching; he was dripping wet and the seated position instantly covered him in sticky sand. He did not seem to notice, though, instead rolling his sleeves back up past his elbows as far as they would go. Then he actually reached over and rubbed her shoulders. "You know, I guessed that you were tired," he teased, his touch gentle. "Judging from the fact that you look exhausted. There's always a lot to do - you don't normally look worse than I do. What possessed you to be so foolish?" His eyebrows raised and he tilted his head, but any other comments he had were cut off as Ophelie appeared on his shoulder. He nudged the firelizard with the side of his face and she gave an affirmative chirrup before disappearing between agin - clearly up to something.

Why was she distressed about Millieth? She is Yours; what does Millieth have to do with anything? Ciceroth wondered as he curled around Hepaticath in an attempt to comfort. One wing stretched out over both the gold and her bonded, as though to shade from light, and the shadow covered Ka'rys as well. He did not appear to notice, and neither did his lifemate. She is important to you; she is important to Rysmine; that makes her important to me. It was the best explanation for why he cared, and really, the truest. He got along okay with everyone, but Savitri was special because she was special to Ka'rys. Hepaticath he liked a lot -- but his Rysmine's feelings were the matter of most importance to him. Since Ka'rys obviously liked the girl, she had to be something extraordinary. RysHis did not like very many people, and none as much as he did Savitri, even if she did confuse him.

A moment passed and then Ophelie reappeared from between, with a brown, a blue, and another green firelizard helping her; the four of them were carrying a pillow. The blue and green were clearly Stumpy and Roxie respectively, and the larger female gave a slight squawk of disapproval as she disappeared once more. The side she was holding immediately slanted and Stumpy chittered nervously, his wings flapping rapidly to hold the pillow up. Finally his wings gave out and he disappeared, followed quickly by Shine, and Ophelie dropped the pillow right on top of Savitri. It landed on the girl's chest, and the green firelizard twittered for a moment before swooping up to land on Ciceroth's back and preen herself; clearly she was content with a job well-done.

[kysseh]

His fingers jerked back away from her, and Savitri wanted to quite literally whine at him. She supposed it was a reasonable reaction on his part, but it still displeased her. Luckily, his fingers came back--dripping wet, of course--within a few moments, and she felt her hair being dampened and slicked back from her face. She twitched her nose, making a note to take a very good bath and carefully brush out her hair when she had properly rested. It was not that she disliked his touch on her at all. She just... really wanted to take another bath, even after her one from the morning. Yes... yes, a bath would be good and relaxing, though she would have to be careful to not fall asleep while bathing.

Sorry? He did not sound sorry, and she frowned up at him, bemused by the wry grin pasted on his face. What was he up to? It was not his intention to make her wet, but he still purposely slicked back her hair. Oh, that playful look was so familiar, and she glared a bit weakly up at him as it all became very clear. He had to be joking, didn't he? "You're awful," she grumbled quietly, tucking the blanket more firmly around herself. "I'm glad Ciceroth tossed you in. You deserve it." That was eloquent for as tired as she was, but it was not as thorough as she normally was. She was too tired to care all that much. Why was he in such a good mood anyway?! It hardly seemed fair, given how awful she felt. What had he been up to in the time since she had last seen him?

"Throw your shirt off, then. S'ugly anyway," she muttered quietly, rebelliously, green eyes watching him tiredly as he settled near her. He was wet, and it made her wrinkle up her nose and lean more against Hepaticath's warm side. Blech. She was in no mood to get soaking wet. Her ire disappeared, though, as she felt hands on her shoulders through the blanket. She wanted to pull away... and she wanted to just drop the blanket and let him have better access to her tense muscles. His questions had her stiffening a bit, and she waited until Ophelie appeared and vanished again before she wearily gave voice to her thoughts. "I... Millieth's Flight. Goldflights make me very nervous. I had a lot to do to keep busy about it, and that just... very much concerns me." It was not the entire truth, but it was fairly close to the general idea of it.

I am... not sure. I just know that it distresses her somehow, and she has been very upset about it for... days now. It worries me. Hepaticath told her favored playmate, pressing against the bronze as he curled around her. She liked his closeness and his comfort. Savitri was a good cuddler... but nothing compared to a warm adult male... particularly a bronze. She was recognizing this very quickly. When a wing extended over her and Hers, she let out a quiet rumbling noise, lightly nuzzling at the big bronze's neck. Her playmate. Dear, dear playmate. Dear playmate who cared. Mine appreciates that you care. I think that we all care makes her less distressed. This is very good. If the quicker blue-green whirl to her eyes was not indicative of her joy at that thought, the unusual excitement to her tone was clear enough evidence.

A blast of cold air had Savitri crying out in protest and surprise. Ciceroth's wing covering was most appreciated, and she mumbled to tell him so. But the four flitters above her head were more... curious to watch, and she gazed blearily upward until she saw something falling right at her. It smacked her in the chest, and she wriggled a hand out of her blanket cocoon to snatch the pillow. Pillow... pillow! She wasted not a moment in tucking it under her head and relaxing down onto her side beside Hepaticath, eyes turning tiredly up towards her friend.... interest... whatever he was."Thank you," she uttered softly, huddling further beneath her blanket. "Why're you in such... a good mood anyway?" He was never in such a good mood.... ever. This was an aberration.

[glamourie]

"Awful, yes," Ka'rys murmured in response, but he was unable to keep a hint of amusement out of his voice. It wasn't often that Savitri left him such a blatant opportunity, despite what she may have believed. Was he supposed to let it pass? He snorted at the idea. No, just as Savitri hadn't let it pass when he was obviously... excited... after a dream not suited for all audiences. She'd called him on it and, in his opinion, turn-about was fair play. He did let the matter drop, though, and settled for snorting at the idea of him deserving to be thrown into the river. "I never said I didn't," he coolly said, his fingers still smoothing into her shoulders lightly. He'd learned that from Leradi - how to give a decent massage. She'd picked it up from Juliya at some point as the two of them were from the same hold. Maybe it was an Istan thing. "You're the one who is complaining about my dripping. I don't have a problem with it. The weather's nice enough that it isn't uncomfortable. Stop stiffening. The massage is meant to make you relax, not have you turning into a board on me, you know. I'm not that bad at this." No, according to Leradi he was actually quite good at massages. Who knew?

Remove his shirt -- that was meant to be a joke. He raised an eyebrow slightly, then pulled back and laced his fingers underneath the bottom of the dripping white garment before pulling it up and off. If she was protesting that much to the wet, it was the least he could do; it felt sticky and heavy anyway. He tossed the shirt over to Ciceroth, who moved as though the fabric could burn him, and then went back to rubbing Savitri's shoulders; she was obviously exhausted. Ridiculous female. Sleeping out by the river of all places. She and Shmee could start a club for being goldriders without much in the way of logic. Next thing he knew, she'd be taking Hepaticath off to Southern for a week because she needed a 'break.' He'd throttle her.

Ka'rys pushed that thought out of his mind as he offered Savitri a slight nod. "I'll want that back eventually, it's from my weyr." He didn't elaborate, instead shaking his head slowly. "I'm in a good mood because, unlike someone, I am well-rested. You, on the other hand, look as though you've been awake a Turn and roughed around a bit. I've seen goldflights have a lot of effects on people, but 'Vi --" A worried thought flashed through his mind and he glanced up at Hepaticath before back down to her rider. "Someone didn't hurt you, did they?" It would explain why she was hiding out in public; less likely to be cornered that way. She was acting off, she looked off --- but Hepaticath was not that noticeably distressed. He was still worried and it showed, for once an emotion totally dominating his features, and he stopped moving his hands to rest them on both of her shoulders squarely, in case he was right and she decided to panic.. or... something. Though, what he intended to do if she did was beyond him. Comfort was not exactly one of Ka'rys's strong points. He was much better at making people cry than helping them to stop.

That does not make sense. Rysmine asks if she got Flown without permission; Aslath said that happens sometimes. It happened to Aslath's. Did she? Is Yours hurt? Rysmine is very worried and very upset, Ciceroth explained as he nosed Hepaticath again. But -- she did not seem to be as distressed as Aslath was at the idea, so maybe not ...? The bronze crooned, his eyes taking on a quick, anxious whirl of yellows. When Aslath had explained it, she was most certainly upset, and from the way RysHis spoke, Hers was acting off - like Savitri was acting off. He flicked his tail slightly, the worry coloring his tone as he asked, concerned for Hepaticath as much as her rider, Are you okay?

[kysseh]

Awful at being polite... good at massaging. Even through the blanket, Savitri could feel her body relaxing a bit beneath his touch. She did not want to, initially, mostly on principle. Then she acknowledged that she was just too tired, and his hands felt good. She wriggled around in the blanket until it fell from her shoulders and just remained draped across her from her stomach downward. Her head did not leave the cushy pillow, though, as it was comfortable, and she liked it. She nuzzled the side of her face against it, exhaling quietly. It felt very comfortable. And... oddly... it sort of smelled like him. She pressed her nose closer. It did indeed smell rather like him, and she liked it. It was hers for the time, and that possession helped her to ignore the fact that her hair was still tousled.

His words had her grumbling softly, though her complaints were more mumbles than anything of real substance at first. She fell silent after a moment, trying to determine how most efficiently to say her piece without using up a great deal of energy. She settled for bluntness. "You deserved to be dripping wet... and... s'weird getting touched like this. I'm not trying to be stiff. Just.... really tired. Feels good, though," she admitted candidly. With the blanket removed, her lightweight sleeveless tunic left less layers between his fingers and her skin, and it felt very good to be touched this way. Unusual... but good. She did smile faintly upon seeing him remove and toss aside the shirt. Where it landed, she did not note, but it was gone. His skin was obviously still wet, but this was better than his former clothed state.

Ahh, so it was his! She hugged it a little tighter, watching him through half-closed eyes. He was blathering on about how awful she looked, and she tried to ignore it. She knew how lousy she looked, and she needed no reminding. She did not pay much attention at all until the use of her nickname, and then her eyes tipped upward toward his face, watching him a bit cautiously. What was he so worried... ohhh, he thought that- "No... no one hurt me. I just... the feelings... the Flightlust really bothers me. I was really... scared last time," she admitted, touched by the worry on his face. Or, she was touched until she sensed the wave of concern coming off Hepaticath.

The little gold was wholly bewildered by Ciceroth's explanation. Flying without permission? What did that mean?! She crooned anxiously, concerned by the obvious worry that Ciceroth was displaying. Was something wrong that Hers was not telling her?! No one has... Flown Mine, I do not think. She could not keep such a thing from me. I am fine... but I am worried. Mine is very tired and hungry, but she does not hurt! Hepaticath keened softly in her distress, gold head moving between Ciceroth and Savitri as she tried to determine what was up. Then she felt Savitri's mind pressing against hers and soothing her... reassuring her that all was well. The calmness in Hers' mind made Hepaticath relax, the whirl of her eyes fading back to blue-green as she relaxed noticeably. Safe, safe... Hers was safe.

Savitri let out a sigh of relief as the momentary panic was averted, and she looked quickly up toward Ka'rys, lifting a pale hand to encircle one of his wrists. "I'm fine. No one touched me. I wouldn't let them.... s'why I'm sleeping right next to her. She won't let anyone but the trustworthy near. I'm fine, just... don't talk about things that way in front of her. It upsets her. Please... please don't," she said, her voice very quiet. Hepaticath was relaxing quite noticeably, and that made Savitri relax as well. All was fine... it was fine. She was just.... very, very tired.

With that small crisis now past, Hepaticath was distracted from Hers. She nuzzled lightly at her playmate to reassure him that she was fine... except when he talked about scary things like that. She did not enjoy that in the least, and the fact that she could not wrap her mind around it only disturbed her more. But, she did see something worth her attention, and it was a shapeless lump of grayish white fabric lying very near her playmate. It was wet... and it reminded her of the rag that she had played with as a hatchling. Ah... a game! Hers was in good hands with Ciceroth's and was less nervous already. Thus, the gold carefully, slowly, extended her head and neck toward the desired plaything. Then she made a snap for it and grabbed it up in her golden jaws. She would leave no teeth holes... hopefully, but she did shake the wet fabric around, rumbling in quiet delight. Game! Why was Hers staring at her in horror like that? Weren't discarded bits of fabric good for playing and little else?

[glamourie]

"I never said I didn't," Ka'rys repeated, though his voice took on a resigned note; he was not going to sit and bicker with her about whether or not he deserved a plunge in the river. In his opinion, it didn't matter all that much. He got one anyway, deserving or not. His hands smoothed against her shoulders and he nodded his understanding, though she couldn't see it; just as well, since the faint amusement on his face would likely have gotten him a stern talking to. Or at least a dirty look. Savitri always seemed to feel he was laughing at her in some kind of malicious amusement at her misfortune; that was his guess from how annoyed she seemed to get with him. He wasn't, at least, not about the malicious part. He found her entertaining at times, particularly when she was being grumpy with him but not outright angry. He couldn't help it. She reminded him a great deal of a fussing mother with a bunch of children. The problem was, she was much too young to be his mother; that was what made the entire behavior so very amusing to him. He didn't explain it because trying to tell someone why he found them funny was liable to irritate and offend even more than the amusement did. He wisely kept his mouth shut on that subject.

But he could not fathom why a gold flight upset her so much. Perhaps it was the fact that he was Weyrbred and had been around dragonflights since he was small, but even flights he was not involved in did not phase him too badly. Yes, there were... effects.. feelings and enhanced attractions to just about everyone, but Ka'rys was rather good at turning that off most of the time, or ignoring it. Discomforting? Certainly. He'd accepted, though, at a very young age that certain aspects of Weyrlife were to be expected. There was no sense fighting them. He was at an advantage, though - he was male and a bronzerider, which meant that he rarely was put into that many awkward situations. A few - like waking up with a male greenrider who had screamed profanities at him and slashed at his thigh with a ridiculously sharp dagger - but not even half as many as the female riders did. In the south, that seemed to be emphasized, too; he'd heard that the candidate and weyrlingmasters seemed to focus more on the effects of a flight on the female party than the male. More than once he was tempted to pull them aside and ask about that. It wasn't as though all men put little regard in the physical... though, from the way Savitri looked and was acting, he was definitely a lot more easy going about it than she was.

The slight scolding made him squint, then shoot Ciceroth a glare. The bronze noticeably flinched, but Ka'rys did not add words, instead speaking for Savitri, "What was I supposed to think? You're sick - you're exhausted - and you're sleeping out in public rather than in your bed. You're acting off, and you were frightened by Millieth's flight... clearly to a level that is distressing. Fear I understand. This," He paused to indicate her appearance with one hand, "This makes no sense to me. None. If you were this bothered, you could have gone to a remote part of the Weyr. Possibly hidden away in my weyr, it was empty and I certainly would not have minded. You could have found something better than - than this."

And nothing she could say would convince him that she had done the right thing. Nothing. Yes, he understood her discomfort to some degree. She'd admitted herself inexperienced and flightlust for a weyrling who had to continue to go unsatisfied was not the most pleasant of experiences; he knew that from his own memory. But nothing, nothing merited her taking so poor care of herself. Hadn't she thrown quite a fit over him when he was not sleeping? Yet there she sat, in just as poor shape as he was! And she didn't even seem to care. She accused him of distressing Hepaticath, of worrying her? If anyone was worrying the poor little gold, it was her rider, who was clearly acting like - like - oh, there were no words. He settled for squeezing her shoulders tighter, saying only, "You're a fine one to ever scold me about my sleeping and eating habits again, you realize."

Recoiling slightly, the bronze's eyes whirled more rapidly, and he added softly, I didn't mean to upset you. Another gold he'd managed to offend; he was doing remarkably where that was concerned. He was half-tempted to hide behind his wing, but Hepaticath seemed sufficiently distracted by RysHis's shirt, and Ciceroth cocked his head to the side curiously. His eyes still whirled as he apologized frantically to his rider, despite the reassurance that he had done nothing wrong. But... What was she doing? His tail curled slightly and the bronze gave a soft croon. Are you destroying Rysmine's shirt...?

Like Ciceroth, Ka'rys watched the gold, but his gaze was quickly torn away as water flung around, a few droplets splattering him in the face. He scowled slightly, then looked at the goldrider, bemused. "Did you put her up to destroying the so 'ugly' shirt?"

[kysseh]

His lecturing did not fall on deaf ears, and Savitri wilted noticeably beneath it. She... she did deserve it, to a point. She had certainly not intended for this to happen. She had been stressed to this point before, but this was an extreme reaction on her part. The frightened response to the mere thought was... highly unwelcome and very strange. She mulled over it as he continued to lecture her. Her eyes drifted over his face, the slump of her shoulders noticeably more meek. His scolding should have made her irritable and angry, but the fact that she was subdued and just a little too tired to argue made her a lot more docile than usual. Besides... he was right. At least, he was partially right. She had not meant to almost completely burn herself out.

The young woman felt his grip tighten on her shoulders, and she edged into an upright position, sitting cross-legged and hugging the pillow--his pillow--to her chest. Her chin dropped to rest on the soft edge of the pillow, and her eyes flicked up toward Hepaticath, her expression suitably apologetic. "I didn't encourage her, Ka'rys. I promise... she just... she would get bored when she first hatched and I was too hurt to really play much. So I found her a big old rag to toss around, and she hasn't had one in ages. I... did you want me to tell her to give it back? She will..." she said quietly, her tired green eyes focusing on his face now. She knew that Hepaticath would fight her on that matter, and the gold whipped her head around faster as if sensing that possible protest. Oh, what a headache.... all of it.

Hepaticath was quite happily thrashing the shirt around. The way it was held, there would not be any toothholes left in it. It was just... getting very quickly dried via shaking. Of course, dragon drool would probably be all over it, but Hepaticath was hardly concerned with that small detail. She threw the shirt up into the air, watched it come back down, and then snapped it back up again in her jaws, the two ends of it hanging out of either side of her mouth. She looked quite happy about it, though she paused at Ciceroth's quiet apology. She nuzzled his neck, crooning softly around the shirt in her mouth. You are forgiven... though you need not apologize. I did not understand, and you and Yours and Mine did not. I should make Mine eat, though. Her hide is off-color. But... she is calmer now than she was, so that can wait. the gold commented, distracted by the sight of Hers. Hers did look rather sickly, all pale like that. But Ciceroth's was taking good care of her, and that made Hepaticath happy.

Then Ciceroth asked a very odd sort of question, and she angled her head to look at him, eyes whirling rapidly in confusion. The wet shirt still dangled from her jaws, and she looked almost comical, frozen stiff as she was with the dripping shirt in her mouth. Should I be destroying it? she asked in confusion, not sure why she would want to destroy such a wonderful toy. It seems a terrible waste to wreck a good plaything. It is a great deal of fun. Would you like to play with it? Her tone was calmly courteous, and she extended her neck towards Ciceroth, plainly offering the little plaything to him.

Shaking her head at her bonded, Savitri flicked Ka'rys another apologetic smile that looked rather like a grimace. Her mind wandered back to his lecturing, and she was... unsure how to respond to it. She shifted, one hand reaching out to blindly seek her bag. She desperately wanted to comb her hair and tie it back. It was bothering her. "I didn't mean to get like this, Ka'rys. I... it's not the feelings that make me nervous. I just don't trust myself when I can't control my feelings... I hate being out of control that way. I've stressed myself into not eating and not sleeping well before. It just happens. But... not this bad. I couldn't get much rest with Cath and chores, and... I forgot to think of that. It wasn't my greatest idea," she admitted, looking blearily up towards his face. Then she caved, shoulders slumping as her hand still tried to find the bag that she was sure she had laid near her feet. "Okay... it was really stupid. I'm a hypocrite; I know. But I've never gotten this bad before... ever. Tired... but not like this." She kept babbling, so she just shut her mouth. There was no point to continuing to speak right now, was there?

[glamourie]

"And deny her the obvious delight she's taking in playing with it? No," Ka'rys replied softly, his grip loosening some before he went back to gently massaging her shoulders. "Who am I to tell a queen what she can and can't play with? Besides, you seem to hate the shirt so much... at least someone likes it. Shmee gave me a green one to replace it anyway." He really didn't mind that Hepaticath seemed to want to play with and probably destroy his shirt; he was more bemused by the idea that, of all the things she could pick, it would be that ratty old thing. First Savitri had commented that his shirt was hideous, then Shmee insisted his entire wardrobe was - then Hepaticath took it upon herself to play with the shirt. What was it with goldriders and fixating on what he wore? He decided that the lot of them were touched in the head. Savitri included - although, that obviously didn't stop him from talking to her. He wanted to blame that one on Ciceroth, but... he would've hunted down Savitri anyway; he'd bought her a present while at Blossom. (It struck him as ridiculous that when he was wandering around the Hold, he was thinking about her -- and he was most effectively annoyed with himself, though he'd never give voice to that fact.)

Shaking his head, Ka'rys sighed. "That's the problem - right there. You can't be overworking yourself, pushing yourself to the point of being sick. You might've gotten away with that at the Hold before you came here, and it may well have worked out just fine here, too, but you owe it to Hepaticath to take better care of yourself. She's young, she looks to you for example. You have this habit of mothering others - try turning it on yourself, too, because to Hepaticath you're everything. Just like Ciceroth gets mad at me when I don't take care of myself, you're bound to worry her. Besides, haven't you ever heard of doing things in moderation?" The bronzerider scoffed, then shook his head slowly. His expression was nothing short of amused. "You really should take better care of yourself. If you're this exhausted, I'm sure that someone wouldn't mind helping take care of Hepaticath while you rest. It would do you some good to sleep in." Which caused it to occur to him that he was keeping her up. Drat. He dropped his hands to his sides and slouched back some. "You should go back to sleep. Ciceroth and I will stay and keep Hepaticath company while you're napping. I doubt he'll let me leave any time soon anyway."

He didn't exactly have anywhere else to be, either. He did technically have some things to be doing, but a meeting between the wingleaders could wait a day. He had to think of what all he wanted to cover, anyway - and he needed to talk to F'rah about the weyrlingriders; there seemed to be an excess of pregnancies coming off of weyrlinghood, and as cold as it was, that needed to stop. How it was happening was beyond him. The only thing he could deduce as that certain weyrlingriders were slacking horribly. Ka'rys liked children as much as the next person, but the idea of weyrlingriders transferring to wings and being incapable of flying at length bothered him - and crippled the wing strength. Unpleasant. Shaking those thoughts from his mind, Ka'rys turned to glance back at the dragons, a slender eyebrow raising slightly at Ciceroth's obvious fascination with the shirt - as if he'd never seen it before.

Oh, not you too--

It IS an interesting plaything! Ciceroth replied, ignoring his rider, though the comment was meant as much for Ka'rys as it was Hepaticath. He decided to drop the subject of Hepaticath's rider; His would make sure she took better care of herself, and they could play with the toy. Sounded fair to him. I think Rysmine believes that Yours wants it destroyed. He says she once said she would like to burn it, explained the bronze, though he took the offered shirt-turned-chewtoy into his mouth. Thoughtfully, he cocked his head to the side, then leaned over to drape the shirt over Hepaticath's face, as though to cover her eyes; a make-shift blindfold, though it did not fit anywhere near right. His eyes whirled playfully. I bet I can throw it farther than you can - out to the side. The bronze leaned over to nudge Hepaticath neatly, then crooned. Definitely higher up.

To his rider - privately - Ciceroth added, Hepaticath's needs to eat. He didn't elaborate, though; he'd merely picked that up from what the little gold said and passed it along. RysHis would know what to do.

"When was the last time you ate?" Ka'rys asked softly, his eyes tearing away from the two mischievous dragons. "Do I need to carry you into the main hall? I will. I'm not above throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you off. Hepaticath and Ciss are busy - I doubt they'd miss us for the time it takes to shove food down your throat."

[kysseh]

Hepaticath's delight at playing with her new toy was obvious, and Savitri sighed as she realized the amount of effort it would take to get that shirt back from the gold. Impossible and Ka'rys was likely to-

Give in? She gazed in bemusement as he graciously allowed Hepaticath to keep her possession of the shirt, and though she was sure she looked quite tiredly confused for a moment, her face eventually split into a meekly grateful smile. That would keep Hepaticath busy for a good chunk of time, and if Ciceroth joined in the playtime efforts, it would be near dinner time before the gold would want to relinquish her little prize. "You don't have to let her. I can get it back." She did not deny that she appreciated it, though, and she suspected that her smile gave her away. She also did not deny that his shirt was.... hideous. "It is rather hideous. When did Shmee give you a shirt? And... why? Did you leave together for Millieth's Flight?"

The massaging was making her want to sleep again, but he was lecturing her still about... mothering herself? That had her eyeing him as though he had gone off in the head, but she said nothing, simply fumbling about until she located her bag. She dragged the bag in closer and dug around for a comb and a bit of cloth. Her hair was a tousled mess, and she raised both hands to start untangling it, grimacing in discomfort. As much as she loved her hair sometimes, there were days when she wanted to chop it all off. Today was one of the latter. "I know... I need to not push myself so much sometimes. But really... mothering myself? That defeats the purpose of being the one taking care of everyone else. They rely on me, and I... manage. That's how it's always been," she replied quietly, focusing on the mildly tangled lock of hair that she was working on fixing. She hated her hair at times.

His query of food had her looking sharply up toward her face and then glaring sideways at her mindmate. Hepaticath had ratted her out, hadn't she? She suspected so. Still, she was a little too tired to get up and just strut over to the dining hall, and she was reluctant to leave Hepaticath unguarded. Not that she was much of a defense, but an unsupervised weyrling was an easy target. "I'm hungry, but it can wait," she began, grimacing when her stomach betrayed her on that fact and growled. She pointedly watched the two dragons interact, not the least bit phased when Hepaticath got to her feet and edged away, the shirt comically laid across her head. She had expected the gold to take her leave anytime soon. The poor thing had quite a bit of energy to burn. "The... carrying won't be necessary. I ate yesterday." Yesterday morning, her stomach reminded her with an additional grumble. But that was pure semantics.

Hepaticath was delighted that Ciceroth decided to join in her play. She hopped down off the rock she had been perched on and hop-pranced around to tease Ciceroth, the shirt still draped across her honey-gold head. Of course it is! They're fun to throw around. she affirmed, happily wriggling her head and its covering around. She could still see quite well around the 'blindfold', but she did not want to dislodge it... just yet. Mine thinks his shirts do not do him justice, as he has a very nice form. I do not see why the humans need wear clothes at all. Mine has a lovely hide and should not hide it beneath so many layers.

At his challenge, she huffed in mock-indignation and flung her head up to send the wet rag into the air, snapping it up into her jaws. She started to thrash it back and forth again, growling playfully. If you want to prove it, you will have to get it first. she teased him playfully, waggling the rag at him and then hopping a few paces off, wings half-opened to keep her balance properly.

[glamourie]

"She's fine," Ka'rys replied with an absent shrug. If Hepaticath was grown, he might have been more offended, but the fact was that she was a baby - and he could make allowances for baby creatures that adults would not normally receive. Besides, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted a shirt back after it had been in both Hepaticath and Ciceroth's mouths. He knew what Ciceroth ate. Bloody, guts and torn flesh... no thank you, he did not want that against his body. He also did not want to have to face to Ciceroth if he was insistent on having it back. Hepaticath might have been graceful enough to return it without complaints -- he didn't know her -- but Ciceroth was not. He would throw quite a tantrum if his friend was denied something she clearly wanted. Then again, Ciceroth was prone to siding with Savitri on most things; he probably thought that the shirt was hideous, too. Ka'rys honestly did not understand what the problem with it was. He didn't dress to look pretty or neat. He dressed in what was comfortable and loose enough to hide whatever weapons he felt paranoid enough to carry around.

Her question made him blink, then glance at Savitri out of the corner of his eye. "She said something about my wardrobe being hideous and remedying it," he admitted, one hand coming up to rub his nose. "I don't understand why anyone cares so much. It's comfortable enough to me..." His words trailed off as an almost scandalized expression went over his face. "I have no idea where Shmee went exactly and little desire to find out, but spending a day with her is about as appealing to me as bludgeoning my own eyes out. I'm just as happy - no, happier - to go several sevendays without speaking to the woman. She's gotten better of late, I'll grant her that, but the feeling of dislike is mutual between us." The first time he met Savitri, he did try very hard to hide his blatant dislike of the Weyrwoman. He saw no reason to bother anymore, not when he felt everyone could deduce how Shmee felt about him. "I went to Blossom Hold to relax. Ciceroth likes it there; he enjoys swimming in the lake." Ka'rys did not elaborate on what he did there - it wasn't as though he had any fantastic stories to tell, really. "It smells sickeningly of flowers everywhere at that Hold. I'm still not sure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing."

Ka'rys ran one hand down the side of his pants leg and shivered slightly. While Selenitas was anything but 'cold', being dripping wet left something to be desired. "By mothering yourself I meant, take your own advice. Practice what it is you're telling others to do. Eloquence is not my specialty," he added with a slight scoff. He'd thought she would know what he meant, but evidently not. Since she looked like someone had taken her outside and beaten her, he decided to make allowances for her inability to pick up on what he was trying to say. She'd admitted she was exhausted beyond words, and when he was tired, he was rarely at his best. He decided not to tease her; it was only fair to give her a little lee-way.

However, her lack of eating earned a sideways glare that left little to the imagination as far as how much he disapproved. "You need to eat," he restated, adding as an after thought, "Normal people eat three times a day, not once every two or three days. This is your last chance to come. Ciceroth can watch Hepaticath for the time it takes us to get you food - but you're getting food, whether I have to carry you, or you come willingly. I won't have you starve yourself." The idea of her not eating right made him worry and Ka'rys deliberately kept that to himself. It still made him highly uncomfortable how quickly he'd fallen into a pattern of treating Savitri very similarly to how he treated Ciceroth and he honestly did not like it much. Not that it was her fault. He just wasn't used to caring about people, and Savitri had managed what few in his life could in such a short time - it sent a raw feeling of terror through him that he didn't know how to deal with and wouldn't explain if anyone dared to ask.

Tuning out the buzzing thoughts coming from Ka'rys (he had a ridiculous amount of experience with that), Ciceroth wriggled his tail and pounced across the ground jumping ridiculously high before landing right next to Hepaticath. He kept his wings clamped tight to his sides to avoid beaning her with one of them, though; careful as always. He never forgot just how young his little accomplice was. I think that they would get cold, he explained with a quiet croon. Rysmine - he collects blankets and things. Claims he is often cold, even here where it is very warm. I don't understand him very much. Maybe Savitri would also be cold. Sounded like proper reasoning to him - although, Ka'rys had insisted other humans just felt it necessary for him to wear clothes. Ciceroth thought that was ridiculous. He'd seen plenty of naked people running around. But - Ka'rys was very insistant, and he'd finally caved and stopped pressing the matter. Whatever made him happy. Little weirdo.

Oh, but a challenge? Ciceroth fluttered his wings slightly before half-hopping after the little gold, crooning. If I get it back from you, do I get to keep it? he teased, amused. Rysmine has so many of those things...

[kysseh]

It did not surprise Savitri that Ka'rys had such a low opinion of Shmee. He rarely was seen in her presence, and Shmee seemed to dislike him. Besides that, Ka'rys had little tolerance for ridiculousness, as she was quickly noticing, so it was hardly a shock that the weyrwoman was not on his list of favorites. Shmee was not Savitri's favorite person either, but she did not dislike the woman. Nor did she like her. She had not interacted with her enough to form a concrete opinion, but seeing hers and Aslath's behavior during Tanith's flight... it made Savitri angry. But, that was in the past, and she just opted to not comment on it. She was not surprised either that Shmee had commented on Ka'rys' wardrobe. That shirt was hideous. His pants weren't so bad, though, and she looked over his half-clothed self with a biased eye, appreciating what she saw.

At Blossom, hmm? Swimming with Ciceroth must have put him in the good mood. It certainly was not the presence of flowers. He did not seem the type to like flowers... and probably not dolphins. His shivering did not go unnoticed, and she paused her combing to lightly run a hand along the length of his arm, lingering a bit over the fresh scar on his forearm. "We should get you a towel so you don't freeze. It's not cold out, but being wet isn't good for you," she told him quietly, letting his comments pass. She knew she needed to take care of herself better, but under normal circumstances, she was far better about it. Her hand lingered to caress his arm, liking the wet warmth of his skin. It felt comforting. Were he not soaking wet, she would have requested he be her pillow and mattress like the last time. But now that she was up, food took precedence.

She cringed a bit at his look and his lecturing, though she did have enough backbone to make a small face at him. "I know how to take care of myself, Ka'rys. I just... panicked. No... I got distressed. And when that happens, I don't have the will to eat. Food won't go down. I'm not deliberately starving myself of food or sleep." She sounded childish and sullen, and she felt guilty about that. It wasn't his fault that she was like this, and she flicked him a bit of an apologetic look, carefully finishing detangling her mop of hair and tying it back in a low tail. There. Now it was... mostly out of the way. Her comb was tucked back into the bag, and the blanket was folded and shoved into the bag as well, revealing the long pants and shell-decorated sandals that she wore beneath it. "Sorry... I'm ready now."

She draped the strap of her bag over her shoulder and held the pillow against her chest. Getting up proved to be a problem, though, as she wobbled unsteadily as she tried to rise. Hmmm... that was a problem. The lack of sleep and food was making her weak, and she could not get to her feet on her own. Once she was up, she would be fine. She turned embarrassed and beseeching green eyes up toward Ka'rys. "Could you....?" She was too embarrassed to finish. There was just... no describing her humiliation at being this helpless.

Hepaticath crooned happily as Ciceroth playfully hopped off the rock to come join her. Silly bronze! She was grateful that he did not accidentally hit her with a wing, for he had been close enough that that had been a danger. So coordinated was he. She was envious. She was still coordinating her limbs, and as fast and as large as she was growing, it was an unhappy challenge at times. However, Ciceroth seemed willing to play still, despite her clumsiness, so she was most happy to ignore her disobedient appendages in favor of fun. Mine does not get cold often. But she does have blankets and pillows and furs. She likes to make a nest when she gets upset. She is very silly that way.

She failed to add that Savitri often nested when returning from talking to Ciceroth's. She liked Ciceroth's... but he made her upset? Hepaticath did not understand that. At Ciceroth's return to the challenge, she waggled the rag teasingly at him, crooning loudly upon hearing that more playthings were available. More?! You should tell him to bring one for each of us next time. But... if you get it back and keep it, how will we play? she inquired. Then she moved away a bit and thrashed it around some more and then flipped it up into the air and in Ciceroth's direction. Catch!