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+---- Thread: [G] [C] 734.01.07 | A Case of Mistaken Identity [A'liran] (/showthread.php?tid=1775)
734.01.07 | A Case of Mistaken Identity [A'liran] - S'cer - 21.Jul.13
The days since the Hatching had passed in a blur, underscored most frequently by the frequent feedings and vigils spent by Quelseth's side as she was continuously poked and prodded by dragonhealers. They had yet to discern why she was so tiny, or why she was still so weak, but at least she could walk about unassisted--that at least assuaged some of S'cer's fears.
S'cer stirred, sprawled face-down on his bed, rousing up from a half-sleep to grumble, "I can't help but want answers. It's natural." He felt as exhausted as Quelseth did, truthfully, worn out by the mental strain of worrying for her and the physical exhaustion that came with constant feedings of a young dragonet. He had been warned to try to sleep whenever possible; S'cer was just lucky that Quelseth appeared to be less rambunctious than some of the other hatchlings.
The tiny green lay curled in a ball, one wing flicked over herself, pressed solidly to S'cer's side. Reassurance flowed off her tiny body in waves, comforting S'cer, and he yawned. Some of this lethargy had to be due to the heat--Katilan summers were unbearable, and S'cer had no desire to be outside or for Quelseth to try to walk around in the sun for long. He had just settled back into a doze when the nudge in his head woke him; cracking open an eye, S'cer glanced at the green.
"It can't be a dragonhealer; I thought we were done with them for today." S'cer wearily sat up, rubbing at his red eyes and stifling a groan. Quelseth snorted, seeming dubious that it would be anyone but a dragonhealer--they did not have many visitors, not like some of the other, more popular weyrlings. "It'll be fine, I promise," S'cer soothed, running the flat of his palm over Quelseth's soft nose, a fond smile on his face. "You don't have to talk to them if you don't want to--I don't mind."
Re: A Case of Mistaken Identity [A'liran] - A'liran - 22.Jul.13
It took a few days for A'liran to gather up the stones to visit Isscer...or, S'cer as he was now called. Ali knew well that the poor kid didn't want to Impress, and now he'd been saddled with not only a green, but a sickly one at that. Ali's first instinct had been to comfort the kid, but something told him that in the midst of all this drama and stress, the best thing he could do was step back and give the new pair a little bit of breathing room.
Besides, Ali wasn't sure that he really wanted to face this ugly little reality. He wasn't exceptionally close to S'cer, not like B'jin was with T'lian or anything like that, but he did consider the younger man a friend, and he did have a lot of sympathy for his situation. He'd wondered if it would be weird to visit too early, or would the kid feel abandoned? Would he do more hurt than good, or by staying away was he denying them some sort of comfort?
What a sharding mess.
Now, after hearing that the dragonhealers were fairly sure that the delicate green would at least survive, Ali finally made his appearance. As he neared the door, he realized he was more anxious than he'd expected to be. No, he didn't dote on the kid in particular, but he thought of him as some sort of kindred spirit. They were on the same side, they were of like mind, and in a way Ali wanted to protect him.
When he was called, he carefully stepped inside. Bastard was perched politely on one shoulder, and Lump was parked irreverently on the other. He squawked and flew his fat ass over to Quelseth, settling in front of her and craning his neck forward to sniff at her. Bastard barked at him, but held still after being shushed by A'liran.
The greenrider offered S'cer a weary, uncertain smile. "How you doing, kid?"
Re: A Case of Mistaken Identity [A'liran] - S'cer - 14.Aug.13
S'cer couldn't help the wry, albeit tired, smile that slipped across his face any more than he could prevent the amused chuckle from creeping out. "I could fall down asleep right now and sleep forever," he admitted, sitting up and moving his legs so A'liran could have a place to sit. Weyrling barracks were just that--barracks--and S'cer didn't want to be rude; the fact that A'liran came to visit at all given their last run-in at the Execution was astounding.
Quelseth peered at Bastard with eyes that whirled with excitement, intrigued by the small bronze. She hadn't really been around many firelizards beyond Edik, who had taken a shine to her, and she nosed closer, sniffing delicately at the bronze. Edik popped from between, settling proprietorially on Quelseth's side, eyeing the bronze in a wary manner. The green was his shiny collectible, and he wasn't above proving it if Bastard got too nosy; the long tail flicked in an agitated manner, but Edik remained where he was, observing.
"I didn't think you'd be the first to come, really," S'cer managed, not quite sure what to say. He admired A'liran for his tenacity and guts, but he didn't really know him--prior to Impression, S'cer had been content to avoid any and all dragonfolk. Perhaps now was the time to try to cultivate a friendship, as the shared experience of Impressing green gave them something in common, but truthfully S'cer had given up on friendships so many Turns ago that he was afraid he had forgotten how to be a good friend. "But I'm glad you did." He shot A'liran a grin, running a hand through his hair in a rare bout of nervousness.
"Do you have any advice besides always have your meat-cutting knife at the ready?" Though Quelseth was small, S'cer had no clue how she could consume so much meat, and he was glad that she was only a green; if he had Impressed a blue or a brown, he would be cutting up even more. "I dreamed of dancing meat chunks last night--it was rather horrible."
Re: A Case of Mistaken Identity [A'liran] - A'liran - 14.Aug.13
A'liran let out a light, playful snort. "I'm surprised I'm the first," he said, not sure if the thought filled him with pride of guilt. He reached over to lay one hand on Bastard, petting the little bronze sweetly while Lump gave Edik a most accusing glare. He wanted to check out the little green, and like hell some brown was going to stop him! Of course, a brown and another bronze (that meddling Bastard) along with A'liran...that was a bit much to successfully argue with. Lump squawked unhappily and fluttered away, returning to A'liran to sulk.
The greenrider smiled. "I'm glad you're okay, though," he said, drifting as near to true sentiment as he dared. Looking at Quelseth filled him with bitter nostalgia. He loved Astoreth, but it was also a sharp reminder of the last peaceful time in his life, and how quickly things had changed once his own little green disaster stumbled into his life. He couldn't escape the sense that this poor kid had just gotten the shaft. He was going to need someone to protect him.
"Advice?" Ali asked, looking thoughtfully at the younger man. "Kid, my personal advice is to not be like me. But I don't imagine you're much interested in that, are ya?" S'cer didn't strike him as the quiet, obedient greenrider type. Ali knew that it would be in the kid's best interest to become one, but how could be give that sort of advice? How could he look someone in the face and tell them to lay down and accept that sort of life?
"But seriously...being a greenrider isn't easy," he said as length, sighing wearily as he spoke. "But we've got numbers on our side, yeah? You've got a lot of people who will look after you. You're gonna be just fine."
He eyes Quelseth and eventually smiled. "..What's her name?" He finally took the offered seat and waited.
Re: A Case of Mistaken Identity [A'liran] - S'cer - 21.Aug.13
S'cer wasn't sure what to say, and he stared up at A'liran with an incredulous expression. Surprised he was the first? S'cer hadn't had any friends at Katila as a candidate, and he had been happy with that; perhaps he still was, with Quelseth to fill in the missing gaps now, but the strange constricting of his throat couldn't be helped. He coughed, trying to clear it away, a flush creeping up his neck at A'liran's sentimentality, embarrassed at how good it was to know that someone cared.
Isscer shot his green a look; as a hatchling, she didn't have a handle on her projection. The blush deepened, and S'cer couldn't meet A'liran's eyes; he didn't want the greenrider to think him weak, and sentimentality was just one form of weakness. It was easier with A'liran's typical no-nonsense advice, and S'cer managed a half-smile, a tremulous laugh.
"When have I ever let someone walk all over me?" S'cer quipped, one eyebrow quirking in amusement though he was quite serious. He had been a quiet Candidate, but had made no bones about his blatant dislike of Katila on the whole if asked--it was just that no one asked, and that was irritating in itself. "I don't intend to now, I assure you." It was part bluster, for underneath it all S'cer was afraid of all the sudden changes, of Quelseth's fragile state, but the former Farmcrafter had never given anything but his whole self when he made up his mind.
"Ah, this is Quelseth." The little green paused in her snuffling of Edik to get to her feet, wings flicking out before settling at her sides. Head canted to one side, she observed the new arrival with curious eyes.
She was afraid of them, of the endless poking and prodding, and S'cer could empathize with that. He just hoped that A'liran wouldn't take her wary question the wrong way, for he could surely have heard it, and S'cer shot the greenrider a look. "No, this is A'liran of green Astoreth. He's... the only friend I've got, and a good one besides." Quelseth sniffed the air delicately, but made no moves to move closer--she was not the sort of dragonet to let herself be petted, especially not by strange dragonriders. "He came to see us, to wish us well."
She still wasn't sure of A'liran, and S'cer wouldn't push her to like anyone, but he trusted that she might grow to accept his friend. "I imagine the post-Hatching celebrations were something since double Hatchings don't typically happen, but we didn't get to go. You didn't get too wild, did you?" S'cer fully expected A'liran to have enjoyed himself--the greenrider did have quite the reputation, after all--and he grinned, clearly teasing.
Re: A Case of Mistaken Identity [A'liran] - A'liran - 27.Aug.13
A'liran took a moment to consider the question. Had he known S'cer to let anyone walk all over him? After a few moments of careful thought, the older greenrider smiled and shook his head. "Nope. And that makes you even more like me," he replied. He quirked a brow playfully. "That means you're even more screwed."
Playful though his words were, they also held an ounce of bitterness. The kid may very well be screwed, but if Ali got his way, he wouldn't be any more screwed than the rest of them. Besides, it wasn't all bad...the companionship of a dragon would make up for much of the pain, at least in theory. Being a greenrider also meant that S'cer would have something in common with 50% of the riders he met. The poor kid already housed an 'us and them' mentality...In a lot of ways, he was oddly suited to this fate.
Ali's thoughts were mercifully interrupted by the introduction of the baby green herself. "Quelseth, huh? That's cute...kinda pleasant sounding," A'liran said. Her voice was precious, but Ali didn't comment on that. The kid was already blushing over his new baby's lack of control, so no need to rub it in. "Nope..No dragonhealer here. Just another greenrider,' he reaffirmed, paying the little green exactly enough attention to answer her question and smile. Astoreth suggested he do as much; Quelseth seemed skittish.
To the next question, A'liran snorted. "After hatchose insufferable bitches of goldriders," he said. "If I intend to party, I stay well away from that crap." His scowl was half-serious, as it often was, but it was followed with a wide grin. "I guess that makes two of us who are better than that sorry lot. So don't worry...you didn't miss much."
He stretched a bit. He was glad to see the kid was doing okay...this could have gone much, much worse. "...I'm happy for you, kid. I hope it makes it all at least partially worth it."
Re: A Case of Mistaken Identity [A'liran] - S'cer - 18.Oct.13
A small, but undeniably fond, smile crept across S'cer's face when A'liran proclaimed them to be similar. The former Farmcrafter was rarely ever fond of anyone, but he felt some kind of rapport with A'liran, and it was enough that he was pleased by the comparison. There was no doubt in his mind that A'liran was right--he was screwed in all senses of the word--but at least he had a friend (S'cer suspected mentor was too formal for A'liran) to guide him through the worst of it.
Quelseth continued to eye A'liran, confused by her own wary unease and S'cer's own easy camaraderie with this greenrider that seemed to roll off of him in waves. He felt happy, and if he was happy then shouldn't she be happy as well? But it wasn't that easy... Perhaps this A'liran wasn't one of them, but that didn't mean that her trust would come all at once. Her nose twitched, and she sneezed--a high-pitched, mew of a thing--and returned to pestering Edik.
S'cer laughed, but it was slightly forced; he was grateful to have found Quelseth, but that could never justify what the Katilans had done to him. It was something he was still struggling to come to terms with, and wondered if he ever would. "It was good to see you, you too. You're annoying, but I reckon you're alright." It was an obvious deflection away from the issue at hand, S'cer's grin obviously put-on. "So don't be a stranger--I might need a manly shoulder to cry on in the future, and you're the only one I've got." He waggled his eyebrows and licked his lips, teasing, before smirking. "Now if you'll excuse me, if I don't get some sleep now I might not have another chance before the next feeding time."
Re: A Case of Mistaken Identity [A'liran] - Record Keeper - 04.Jul.14
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