What's Wrong with Your Hair?

[boober]

Cezine tromped up to the boys’ barracks, since she hadn’t found Rawign in the infirmary or in the dining hall, or any of the other common places she’d happened to be in earlier. She was carrying something with both hands, her eyes averted to the floor lest something trip her up and she drop the item she was carrying. Without even a hint of hesitation, she made her way into the boys’ barracks, disregarding anyone who might be inside except for one in particular.

“Rawign!” Lifting her eyes, she smiled when she saw the Healer, thrusting her burden at him. “I heard you like pies.” The young woman’s expression was almost sly as she spoke, but the truth was, she was still a bit angry. Not with Rawign, no. She’d been at the Touching, and had noticed right away that he wasn’t there. When she’d found out /why/, it had been quite an effort on her part to stay and not just walk off the Hatching Grounds. But the likelihood of her ever speaking of this aloud to Rawign (or anyone, really) was nil. Aslath’s treatment of him had been beyond unfair, and it stung her as if she’d been the one to experience it instead of her friend.

But he wouldn’t even be able to pick anything of that sort out by looking at her face. Even if he tried, he might be more distracted by her hair, which was in two messy braids on either side of her head, loose strands sticking out every which way. It wasn’t exactly a manner in which Cezine would normally wear her hair, and even if it was, she would certainly do a better job at it than this. Strangely, she didn’t seem at all self-conscious, but then again, when did she ever? It seemed almost strange how comfortable she was with herself… one of the few people who could walk through the Weyr looking utterly ridiculous and not even bat an eyelash.

For now, though, she was more interested in Rawign and his pie. “Go on, try it. Tell me if it’s good. Might want to be careful, it’s kind of hot still.”

[glamourie]

Rawign was most thoroughly disgusted with himself, even as he was half-sprawled in his furs. It wouldn't be long before he'd need to head down to the infirmary to change his bandages and try to help the apprentices, though for the moment, the Healer was content to privately fume at himself. He'd spent the entire previous evening sleeping or pretending to, in order to avoid conversation, and he woke before the dawn. The moment he woke up, Rawign scurried off to bathe, and then he'd wrapped his bandages himself before feeding his firelizards. Down to breakfast, then back to the barracks to oil his flitters, and his day was off to a running start. He was moving around decently enough, so what was the problem? Answer: He felt hollow inside, as though someone took his confidence and ripped it from him before tossing it away to the wind. So far, nothing had managed to change that, either. No amount of reassurances mentally nor the snuggling and cuddly behavior his flitters had dissuaded him from feeling like a complete and utterly miserable failure. Aslath hated him. He'd be lucky if she let him attend her clutch hatching. And he didn't really want to anymore. He'd still be young enough when Millieth rose to mate that he could stand for her clutch. Millieth didn't seem to hate him quite as much.

Those thoughts weighed heavily on his mind as he lavished attention on Roxie, his green firelizard. She was rolling about in his hands, sucking up the affection for all it was worth, clearly enraptured with her treatment. Beggar was perched on Rawign's leg, watching her as though she were the most interesting thing in the world, or perhaps the most entertaining. Li, who had already exceeded Beggar in size, was perched on Rawign's shoulder, tail wound around his throat, otherwise ignoring the other firelizards to rub his head affectionately on his person's chin. Li flat out refused to leave Rawign alone for even a minute. His person was upset, and had been since the previous day. Nothing short of prying would chase the bronze away from his pet. No one was allowed to upset him anymore! None!

So it was that when Cezine entered, Li puffed up and eyed her skeptically, eyes whirling hints of red, as if he thought she might do something to harm his. Rawign nudged him with one finger to calm the bronze down, while Beggar fluted in delight at the sight of a pie. Roxie scolded him and then rolled over in Rawign's hands to get a good look at it as well. Someone had brought them food?

Rawign's eyes, however, were on Cezine's hair. His internal problems were buried well beneath the surface and the only expression to breach his face was confusion, as if he thought she was half-mad. Why in the world did she have her hair in... in ... two messy braids? She looked positively ridiculous. Gaping like a fish, Rawign actually gawked at her before finally turning his eyes down to the pie. Roxie chittered and flew up to land on one of Cezine's arms, while Beggar hopped onto the other, neither firelizard caring much for the fact that she had flits of her own. Since his hands were no longer occupied, he gingerly took the pie from her before giving her a quizzical look.

"They're my favourite foods, but why...? I mean, thank you, but... Cezine.. um... your hair.. I mean... uh... what did ... Thanks." He decided not to finish any of his questions or comments, though he couldn't help but continue to stare at her hair. Li gave a quiet chirp, obviously not impressed, before huffing out his chest. See how big he was? He'd bite anyone who dared hurt his, he would!

[boober]

There was very little that Cezine missed, especially when it came to someone staring at her. Rather than immediately acknowledge Rawign’s gaping, however, she smiled brightly at his flitters, holding out her arms so they had more stability. Blue Sky was huddled around her neck, peering at the strangers as if he expected them to chase him off his own humanthing. Topaz, on the other hand, puffed up and started to growl, eyes whirling fast. His behavior earned a frown from Cezine, who poked him. “Stop that.” The brown screeched before leaving, vanishing between. If he couldn’t keep his humanpet all to himself, then he didn’t want to be there when other flits were crawling all over her!

Sighing, she rolled her eyes before looking at Rawign and raising an eyebrow as he stuttered and stammered. Resisting the urge to smile at him, she tilted her head a bit. “What? Is something the matter?” She knew very well what was earning such a reaction from him, but that didn’t mean she would acknowledge it right away. Truthfully, she’d had nursery duty earlier in the day, and there was a handful of weyrbrats who, for one reason or another, seemed fascinated by the Candidate’s hair. They played with it more than they did the blocks or molding clay, braiding it clumsily and tangling it up. It was something most people wouldn’t stand, but Cezine enjoyed being around children. The weyrbrats had made her look pretty, by their definition, so she wasn’t going to dishonor them by taking down their hard work.

Giving in to the urge to smile, just a little, Cezine sat down on the floor, folding her legs. “See something strange, do you?” She sniffed. “I hand you a pie, Rawign, and all you can do is stare at my hair? Should I take that as a compliment to my beauty?” A grin broke out across her face. She couldn’t help it; it was just so much fun to needle him so!

[glamourie]

Topaz's growling reached Roxie first and she turned, giving the brown a look that was easily described as vehement. She was not exactly easy to intimidate. The little green's eyes whirled back, as if daring him to attack her. Beggar otherwise ignored him, sniffing at the air around Cezine to try and detect what the yummy she had was. However, the smell of pie was familiar to him and the little blue actually turned to Rawign and spat before winging off to perch on the other side of the barracks in his temper. Roxie watched him, then bounced around on Cezine's arm until she was comfortable, clearly of the opinion that her blue companion was being ridiculous. But Beggar had a good reason for his reaction - he knew they would be offered none of that tasty treat because theirs was a meanie when it came to pies. He wouldn't share with very many people because they were his favourites. Beggar had been told enough times that the lessen finally sunk in. He knew better than to beg for pie.

Rawign's gaze followed the brown between before he turned, almost casually, back toward Cezine. His expression was confused and it showed. However, he didn't ask. Having three flitters of his own made him near immune to their eccentricities, and while that one was definitely noisy, he was not about to ask what his problem was. Rawign had enough problems without trying to comprehend firelizards. Just seeing others that weren't his made him feel awful once more, though it was a private feeling that he wallowed in, something secretive and not quite breaching the surface. He should have been happy with his fair of three, and he thought he was, until he got his hopes up of actually wanting to Impress. After seeing Z'hin deal with the felines, he really did want to, if only because the other boy and his brown had proven that not all dragons were like the ones he knew. Unfortunately, Aslath made him doubt that all over again.

"You could," he said slowly as he watched Cezine sit, but his eyes were eventually drawn back to the pie. "The double braids doesn't strike me as something you'd wear often." Had she baked it herself? It looked fresh. How... odd. Rawign blinked twice, and then clucked his tongue before digging into the pie; he couldn't resist for very long when it truly was his favourite food and closer inspection revealed that moreover, the contents were his favourite kind: berries! However, the fact that she made it at all begged the question of why. He didn't know Cezine all that.. er... well, in the general sense of things, but she never struck him as the type to randomly give out pies for no reason. Maybe he was mistaken in his assessment of her? It was possible. "Thank you - but what did I do to deserve a pie?"

Li chattered, then climbed down his pet's arm to get a look at the pie. Rawign glanced at him as the little bronze sniffed it and then recoiled, as if losing interest. It wasn't meat and therefore wasn't his type of food. Rawign snorted and gave the firelizard a light poke, "I wasn't going to share it with you anyway, finicky-wings. My pie. Shoo, back up some." His fingers led the firelizard back to his shoulder and Li peered inquisitively at him before scolding quietly, and Rawign laughed. "Oh, you protest that name? Well, then you shouldn't be so finicky in how you eat, hm?" Turning back to Cezine, he quirked an eyebrow, then scooted back (carefully, for it hurt to move) in the furs, gesturing vaguely toward his feet. "Don't sit on the floor, wherryhead. You can sit here."

[boober]

Cezine's initial reaction was simply to laugh at the flitters' antics. So what if they weren't hers, they still managed to be quite adorable. She met Rawign's questioning gaze, however, and simply shrugged the shoulder devoid of flits. She suspected that Topaz was developing some possessive behaviors. While it irked her, there wasn't really anything that the young woman could do to break the little brown of becoming particularly possessive of her. Sadly. If there was, she certainly would have tried it by then. While it was nice to always have her little companions about, Topaz's behavior could be bothersome, not just for her, but for others as well. She knew that some people looked down upon flitters who displayed even the slightest bit of aggression, no matter the reason. Well, it couldn't be helped. The Candidate was simply trying to do her best by them. Unlike many people, she was trying hard not to spoil her flitters, but instead teach them the manners they would do well to learn. Some of it was very hard, while others they seemed to pick up right away. She didn't really have much of a problem with Sky, for he seemed soft-spoken and shy as it was. It was the vain, sometimes overly-friendly (as long as no one was infringing on his bonded) brown she had concerns with.

But these were things for later contemplation. She settled herself comfortably on the floor, apparently not minding it in the least. Nor did she seem to mind the little green that was clearly making herself comfortable on Cezine's arm. This brought a smile to the young woman's face as she reached up to caress the green's head lightly, apparently not considering that the flitter might not take kindly to the idea. By Cezine's way of thinking, if the creature didn't mind perching on her arm, then why would she mind getting a scratch from her? Sky seemed as if he couldn't decide whether to be distressed by Roxie's presence or intrigued, as every so often he lifted his head and twittered almost inaudibly while peering down at the green before pressing himself back against his bonded's neck. He just wasn't quite feeling social. To comfort him, his humanpet raised her free hand to give him some soothing scratches as well. Clearly delighted with the attention, the little blue trilled his appreciation even as his bonded lifted her head and grinned up at Rawign.

"You don't like my braids? Well, I hope you don't let the weyrbrats know of this; they worked very hard to put them there! I couldn't ruin all their hard work by taking them down, could I?" The was the slightest hint of laughter in her tone, as if she was just barely refraining from bursting out laughing. "And what's wrong with the floor, I'd like to know?" In spite of her words, she did in fact get up, careful not to disturb the flits resting on her person, to settle on the end of the cot by Rawign's feet. "Are you enjoying your pie?" She watched him eat it for a moment before shrugging her flitter-less shoulder in response to his question. "Well, I just had second thoughts. I made one for Z'hin, and I knew that you liked them. Doesn't seem fair, does it? So I decided I'd make you one too." Cezine paused, her gaze resting on him for a moment as her mouth quirked up a bit in the smallest of smiles. The reason she'd given for making him a pie was not really why she'd made it for him at all. But she wasn't about to tell him she made it because he'd gotten thrown out of the Touching. Besides, he wouldn't know the real reason she made it anyway. Even if Rawign guessed that she wasn't being truthful, it was doubtful he'd guess why she was /really/ baking for him.

[glamourie]

Roxie chirped, looking up at the blue as if he was fascinating. She collected blues! Although, the only one that really listened to her was Beggar and only because she could get much louder than him when she was angry, but! She collected them! Chittering her interest, Roxie took to wing and flew in a circle around Cezine, only to be scolded by Beggar... who was, actually, jealous over the attention. Her reaction was instantaneous as the little green sped up and took to scolding herself, while Beggar chattered back at her. Back and forth they went, the adult blue flying around and being chased by the angry green, until he zoomed over and ducked behind Rawign. Roxie flew after him, but when she tried to stop, her large wings carried her forward further and she plastered right into the furs in a chaotic display of complete and utter clumsiness. Wings spread at her side, face down, Roxie spat again before looking up... and Beggar and Li both chittered their amusement at her predicament, though Beggar soon bounced over to nudge her lightly, as if to help her up. Silly, clumsy little green.

"Poor Roxie," Rawign said softly as he scooped the little green up with one hand. She trilled her appreciation and then climbed up his arm, while Beggar followed her. The blue was pleased at having distracted her from the other blue. They really were quite the goofy pair. However, his attention was drawn back to Cezine with a raised eyebrow, and he decided not to point out that it was blatantly obvious the Weyrbrats had gotten hold of her. He was still in a bad mood and she didn't deserve him taking that out on her. At least he managed to speak at all, though he was still very upset. The Weyrleader pretty much told him he had to go to the Hatching, and he'd go, but he didn't really want to anymore. Most of him just wanted to curl up and spend the entire Hatching standing out by the river hoping that the felines would finish what they started and haul him off. He was being stupid and he knew it but he was so upset that he didn't care, inside, anymore. Not that he'd tell anyone that. No, his insecurities would remain bottled up inside until he exploded. Such was his way. He always kept everything inside...

After taking another bite of his pie, Rawign quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, I am. You went to see Z'hin? How's he doing? I haven't gone to see him since the day before yesterday." The reason he hadn't gone to see him the previous day was because he didn't want to answer questions about the Touching and he was dreading visiting the brownrider again. He'd probably just sneak in plenty of food in hopes of distracting him from asking. If he hadn't been convinced he wasn't good enough to be a candidate before, he most efficiently was then. The problem was, that knowledge came after he felt as though he really did want to Impress. Well, he supposed he could at least visit Jessereth. He deserved that much.

"Is he still throwing things? If he is, I'll throttle him. He promised me he'd try to lessen it some. He scared poor Orelin half-to-death and he's my favourite of the apprentices. I'm thinking of adopting him as my pet. Four's a nice, even number, don't you think?" Four being including Orelin and his three firelizards. Trust Rawign to want an even number instead of considering that the apprentice was a human being with feelings who probably did not want to be his pet at all.

[boober]

Sky twittered quietly when Roxie looked up at him, his wide eyes whirling almost frantically. What was she doing? Why was she looking at him? What did it mean?! Cezine blinked and glanced over at the little blue before poking him. So intent had he been on the green that he was startled. Releasing a raucous squawk, he suddenly vanished, much to his bonded's amusement. Silly creature. He was quite possibly the most worried little thing that she had ever laid eyes on. But it was probably a good thing that he left, for the chase that ensued between Beggar and Roxie would have doubtlessly upset him. Still, Cezine couldn't help but laugh at the antics of the pair, especially little Roxie's 'landing'. Just after they had settled, Sky reappeared, determined to face whatever monster had snuck up and poked him. Perching on his bonded's shoulder again, he snuggled close and wrapped his tail around her neck, hunkering down to keep a close eye out. There were many dangers lurking nearby, after all.

Giving a slight shake of her head at the flitters, the Candidate turned her focus back to Rawign. Raising an eyebrow somewhat, she leaned back, propping herself up on her elbows and causing Sky to fuss quietly at her as he had to rearrange himself. But she ignored him as he curled up beneath her chin, resting at her throat like a particularly large blue necklace. "Yes, he's all right. As well as can be expected, anyway." She grinned at Rawign's question. "Well, you forgot to take him food like you promised." She reached out to give him a light poke, making sure that it wasn't directed anyplace he was injured. "At least that was what he said when I took him his pie." She supposed it was possible that Rawign had taken the weyrling food after she'd left. Cezine couldn't help but laugh. "Well... he almost clobbered me with a bowl when I came in." She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Why gruel? It's so disgusting, how can anyone get better on it?" It was a question she'd been asking rather frequently of late.

But she was distracted as Rawign continued, blinking up at him curiously before snickering. "Of course it is." She nodded, agreeable. "Why would anyone object to being fed by you, Rawign? And groomed, and petted..." Was that a suggestive tone she was using as she looked up at him through her eyelashes..? Well, pets were responsibilities, after all! If Rawign wanted to adopt one of the apprentices, he'd have to feed him and bathe him and clean up after him. Naturally.

[glamourie]

Rawign blinked when the little blue went between, so obviously startled. How.. cute. None of his firelizards spooked so easily. Actually, Roxie took everything personally, Beggar didn't notice and Li seemed almost curious whenever anything out of the ordinary - such as being poked - happened. He was sure that none of his flitters would go between. Why, Li hadn't even fled from a raging queen, though Beggar and Roxie had been among the first to disappear in raw terror. Ever since the Touching, though, Li was a permanent attachment to Rawign. He wouldn't leave his for even a moment. He'd have to be fed by hand and touching Rawign at all times. His was so upset that Li was angry with everyone he saw, and did not trust anyone. Rawign had tried to reassure the little bronze but had little in the way of success, likely due to the fact that Li could feel his distress growing worse with each thought of the Hatching. Rawign still hadn't figured out how he was going to summon up the courage to go at all. Aslath hated him. She'd probably rage at the idea of him showing up on the Sands again and then.. he'd be more humiliated, publicly. He'd probably do something rash like... throw himself to the mercy of the river current, really. He didn't want to go. Couldn't he wait until Millieth or even Aezanth clutched? They didn't hate him.

"I did forget, yesterday... but... I had a busy day," Rawign admitted with a quiet shrug. Busy did not begin to describe what kind of day he'd had, actually. He'd spent most of it asleep, though that was to avoid spending most of it wallowing in the baths trying to will himself into drowning. He felt horrible, even a day later, and he was not looking forward to getting up and greeting the day by dealing with people. Maybe he could work himself into a coma. He didn't think the Weyrleader would even remember him enough to notice if he wasn't at the Hatching, so there was that option, too. But what if he did? So many things to consider. And he did too take Z'hin food. "I try to bring him food whenever I'm not busy, because I do feel bad for him being stuck in there, but sometimes I go visit Jessereth instead since he doesn't get very many visitors either and Z'hin can't go out to see him. He must be terribly worried."

He shook his head and took another bite of the pie, though his eyes were on the firelizard again as it was back. Poor little blue, why was he so easily spooked? "He's not supposed to clobber." He sighed. "Gruel is because it has surprising amount of nutrients, and it doesn't happen to contain any seasonings that can be hard on the stomach or bad or you. It's better for you than most foods, even if it tastes atrocious. You will find most Healers don't care if you like how it tastes, just that you eat it so that you get the nutrients you need to help you heal. That is the purpose of the gruel. We're not dim, we know it's rather like eating sand." Rawign pulled a face. "Scratch that, I think I'd prefer the sand. Did I mention this pie is excellent yet?"

If he hadn't, he did then. Rawign took another bite, then smiled, playfully. "I don't think Marra would thank me for 'grooming' anyone. Maybe that's not quite a good idea then..." Had he told her about him and Marra? Probably not; it wasn't something likely to come up. But she knew then, didn't she? ... Did she know who Marra was, at all?

[boober]

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that." The comment was in regards to the statement that Healers didn't care whether their patients liked the taste of gruel. Oh, she'd definitely noticed. But she laughed at the face he'd made. "I would prefer not eating either, thank you very much!" Her smile brightened as he brought up the pie. "Why no you didn't. Thank you." Cezine couldn't help but snicker at his comment about Marra not liking him 'grooming' anyone... although she had to inquire. "Marra?" She regarded him questioningly, though there was a hint of amusement still in her eyes. Was Rawign seeing someone? The thought made her somewhat uncomfortable, though she was almost positive he'd been single that day at the river... he didn't strike her as someone who would be 'unfaithful'. Well, if this was the case, Marra should be glad that Cezine had broken him in for her! The thought almost made her laugh out loud.

"Well, as for Z'hin, I'm taking him some food too." She grinned. "Even if gruel is nutritious, you're more likely to die from the taste of it than you are from eating normal, decent food!" The young woman shook her head, her tortured hair flopping about comically. If she noticed, she gave no indication. "Poor Z'hin. It's no fun being stuck in the infirmary for that long." Now it was her turn to make a face. This was part of the reason why she was so sympathetic toward the brownweyrling; she knew only too well what it was like to be stuck there with the gruel day after boring, endless day. Well, at least he wasn't stuck on his belly, as she had been. Alas, she wouldn't be able to go to him every single day... it just wasn't possible. But she would go as often as she could and stay for as long as she could... and bring all the food she could, too. Hopefully, her visits--and anyone else's--would make his stay go by a bit faster.

But now her mind was turning to a different issue as she looked at Rawign quietly. She wanted to ask him about the Touching, wanted to hear about what had happened from him. But she didn't know if it was a good idea. Then again, she had the feeling that if she didn't ask, he wouldn't tell. Anyone. As if sensing his bonded's uncharacteristic indecisiveness, Sky crooned quietly and slid down her arm into her lap. Automatically, the Candidate began to stroke and scratch the little blue, who thrummed happily at the attention. Even brown Topaz suddenly reappeared and perched on her shoulder, wrapping his tail around her neck. Their presence encouraged their bonded, who looked down at the content blue thrumming happily in her lap. "Rawign... what happened at the Touching?" It wasn't the best way to bring it up, she supposed, but now it was done and over with.

[glamourie]

Rawign took another bite of the pie, savoring the taste of the fruit before turning to look back at Cezine. Her reaction to the sand statement made him smile but her next question made his gaze falter just slightly. He hadn't mentioned Marra to her? How had he avoided that? Especially seeing as part of his behavior at the river had been inspired by Marra's at the Gather? ... Yeah, definitely not something he was ever going to admit to either woman, mostly because Cezine might kill him and Marra was the type to dig him up, bring him back to life, beat him to little more than a bloody, festering pulp, then put him right back in the ground. (Needless to say, it was fairly obvious which of the two women he was more concerned about offending.) Eventually, it was likely to come up with Marra, but his goal was to be as vague as humanly possible and hope she didn't ask for details. Riiight. And bronzes would start looking to females. Any other miracles he was requesting?

"Umm... yes. Marra. Journeywoman Harper. Short, dark hair, always back in a bun, sarcastic drawl that could crack dragon eggs, sings better than any bird Pern's ever seen." He blinked, twice, then bit his tongue to avoid launching into a tirade about everything Marra did well. That would be... bad. "She was at the f'lizard hatching. She and I found the eggs together..." He shrugged, slowly, and then smiled. It was a rather weak expression. "We're sort of.. involved. But please don't tell anyone." Relationships between candidates were discouraged, and he did not want to get into trouble. Marra wasn't a candidate, but he was, and he could get into some very deep trouble.. or so he believed. Either way he didn't want things spread around. "I'm not sure telling the world is a good idea with me being a candidate. I don't want to get in trouble and I want Marra to get into trouble even less than that."

His voice trailed off and he smiled at her tirade about Z'hin. He was glad to know that others would be visiting the Weyrling Brownrider. "You should stop in and see Jessereth too. He probably doesn't get many visitors, and with Z'hin in the Infirmary, he won't be able to see him for awhile. I'm sure he would like someone stopping by if only to tell him they hope he heals up soon. I don't think he's the talkative sort, but still, more visitors might boost his morale as much as Z'hin's." He shrugged. "It's up to you, of course and --" And then she had to ask, and his hand over the pie froze, his mind instantly connecting. His hunger dissipated, just slightly, and he bowed his head, trying to block out the swell of shame. "Aslath... did not want me on her Sands. I don't know why. She didn't say, but she made it painfully clear she didn't want me there. The Weyrleader told me so himself." He didn't add that he was also threatened to go to the Hatching; that was none of her business. "So... I left. I don't want to risk offending her by going to her Sands if she doesn't want me there. As the clutchmother she has every right to decide who does and doesn't come, after all..."