Searching the Sands [Invite]

It had been a long time since he'd stood on the Sands and Impressed Olemuth. And here he was again, back on sands hoping to Impress. Of course, these were vastly different stands and this situation was much more... Relaxing than when he'd Impressed the bronze. Here, at the lake's edge he wasn't feeling like he was going to wet himself with nerves. No one was watching him, there was no crowd in the stands making his heart race. There weren't other equally nervous candidates around him. There were no large, quivering eggs waiting to burst.

There was only the quiet lapping of the water on the shore. The sand beneath his boots and Olemuth's quiet presence in his mind. There were times when he wondered if the bronze understood just how much B'run relied on him. Olemuth insisted that he understood and that he needed B'run just as much. The equality comforted the rider and he gave a small smile and continued on his mission.

He wanted a fire lizard. Company that wouldn't hate him. Or leave. Another quiet, reassuring presence in his mind. And a friend for Olemuth. The dragon had encouraged him to go hunting once he'd met Ellaira's Warbler and taken a liking to the blue that had scolded him like a child. Really, B'run would take a liking to anyone or anything that stood up to him. Maybe he just liked the challenge.

Not to mention the fact that the little flits had proven extremely useful and he was keen on having some extra (tiny) hands around to lend a paw. He glanced up at the high sun and drug a rag over his face. A hand went to his hip, checking the satchel of meat that hung across his chest. He'd brought more than enough, he hoped, to befriend a fire lizard. Maybe he'd get a brown or a bronze. He'd be happy with a blue, even. It didn't even occur to the man to consider a green or a gold. He didn't have the kind of luck it took to get a gold, nor did he expect a green to want anything to do with him. Shells, greenriders barely wanted anything to do with him, why would a green flit?

There were others on the beach. He had seen their footprints and mentally asked Olemuth if he saw them from his bowl in the sand. The dragon replied in the negative without even lifting his head. He could hear the humor in the dragon's voice, however, and a frown settled itself on B'run's features. He moved along, keeping his eyes on the ground.

It was rare to find a day in the summer that was tolerable enough to be out during full sun that didn't involve clouds that threatened to unleash torrents of rain. So when days like that came to pass, most of the Weyr tried to enjoy them. Jisralna was no different. She'd long since given up any hope of retaining a pale complexion though had taken to wearing a broad-brimmed hat to at least keep from turning pink when she so much as even thought about sunlight. Besides what did it matter what she looked like anymore; her belly was beginning to get round and she doubted any man would want her now.

Begging a ride from a dragonrider who had planned to head to the lake that afternoon to take a swim, Jisralna had packed herself a lunch and a couple snacks and brought along a sack, fully intending to add to her aegate collection while she was at the lake. The rider had been gone for nearly an hour now and though she was alone and far beyond screaming distance of help, she felt content rather than alarmed. She'd even gathered up the hem of her gown and tucked it into her belt, wading out into the water to search for the beautiful, smooth stones.

Each time a minnow would swim up to nip at her toes, the woman would squeal and with a hand to hold her straw hat to her head, she'd scramble out of the water only to venture back in warily. If anyone had been watching her, she'd probably be mortified, but sometimes it was nice to act freely and not worry about looking silly. It was after being chased out of the water by tiny fish for the umpteenth time that Jissy decided to settle on the shore and nibble on her snack. It had been a few months since the camping trip. Several clutches of firelizards had been found and many a weyrfolk had come away from the excursion with a new friend or two. Jissy hadn't been that lucky though she had found a rather large stone to add to her collection.

Taking a rather large bite of a meatroll, she scanned the sand near her, wondering if the wild firelizards still laid their eggs here after the camping ordeal. She'd not seen any yet that morning but then again, she hadn't exactly been looking for a clutch of eggs. Shrugging she reached up to scratch beneath her hat and continued to nibble on the meat roll, the her other hand idly resting on her stomach.

Ali had done a fair bit of beach-combing himself in the past few months, searching in vain for a little companion of his own. He always come home empty handed, though he was probably partially to blame; he was prone to getting distracted by flying, talking, attractive men, food...pretty much anything. A'liran wasn't a very patient man, and hunting fire lizards was a patient man's sport. It involved being quiet and stealthy and meticulous, all things that the volatile greenrider lost his patience trying to be. Half the hunts ended in a tantrum and the other half turned into something else partway through, leaving fire lizards forgotten.

His luck changed around the first of the turn, however, when he managed to steal an egg from his longtime nemesis Z'ia. His patience and bravery was rewarded in the form of the magnificent Lump, sitting regally on his shoulder that very moment. Lump was a pretty little thing and felt good on the greenrider's shoulder, even if he was a little pain in the ass sometimes. Ali loved showing him off and adored the reactions he got for wearing him around. He was a good little friend, too...Ali just would have liked it if the damn thing would stop flirting with Astoreth. That was not cool.

Currently, Ali was just enjoying the quiet. He'd come to the lake a couple hours before to get some sun and relax. Astoreth was off hunting and Lump had spent the first little while scolding crawlers in the grass before curling up on every inconvenient part of Ali possible in search of a good napping spot. A'liran removed him from him chest, his leg, his groin and his face, each time placing him in the sand only to watch as the grumpy bronze crawled right back on top of him.

"Fuckin' Lump," A'liran said at length, placing the creature on the ground one more time before rising to his feet and slipping his shirt back on. "Fine, we'll do it your way. C'mon." He patted his shoulder. Lump's head shot up and he winked between, reappearing on the man's shoulder and crooning in self-satisfaction. Ali poked him with one finger.

"Fat fuck," Ali said with affection masked as disdain. Lump chirped snootily and rustled his wings, angling his head away as if to punish A'liran. When he did so, he caught sight of movement a ways down the beach. A person! Lump cheeped and beat his wings, alerting his bonded to the intrusion.

Ali's head snapped in that direction, where he soon caught sight of B'run. Surprised but not upset, the greenrider walked in that direction.

"Hey. It's been a while," he said in passive greeting as he approached. He liked the bronzerider well enough, and he hoped the cordial and mutually respectful tone of their previous encounters would hold true. Ali was naturally suspicious of bronzeriders, but this one was okay so far! Lump chirped, always eager to have the last word, before fluttering off.  Ali watched him go and snorted. "What brings you out here?"

The little bronze had caught sight of yet another figure, this one a female. Lump landed in the sand beside her and uttered a demanding squeak. Why was she eating, but not feeding him? He squeaked a second time without waiting for reply before attempting to crawl into her lap and cling to the front of her shirt, intending to slowly make his way up the front. Ali had yet to notice.

Jisralna let out a startled squawk when a firelizard landed with a thud beside her in the sand, his approach having obviously been blocked by the brim of her hat. Before she could do much more than make that small noise the little thing--a bronze she thought--began to climb into her lap. The weaver stared at the creature as he latched his little claws into the material of her loosely fitted tunic and began to pull himself awkwardly upward. If this was a wild firelizard he certainly was a bold little thing.

Slightly alarmed and mostly amused by the bronze's antics and thinking him to be hungry, she broke off a piece of her snack and held it out between thumb and forefinger, leaning back slightly as though it would put any distance between herself and the creature currently scaling her front. As the bronze's talons began to prick her skin through the light weight material of her tunic, she squeaked and nervously began to try and pull the firelizard from her, suddenly paranoid that it might nip at her fingers. "You certainly are friendly, but you're going to scratch me, little one. Let go and I'll share my food with you."

Though there seemed to be an ever growing number of firelizards at the weyr, Jissy didn't get much of a chance to get hands-on play time with them. Echlerov had a little green and Seijin had managed to take home a couple of the darling critters but since she'd discovered she was pregnant she'd not spent as much time as she should have with either of them. Then Seijin had Impressed and she'd begun to show so even if her close friend did have time to spend with her, she was too busy hiding away, riding the emotional waves that crashed against her much of the time.

B'run lifted his hand in greeting, breaking into a small, crooked smile at the sight of the greenrider. The pair's limited interactions had proven to be pleasant and B'run enjoyed A'liran's company. He shot Lump a glare, which was about his normal response to the raunchy bronze that normally hated him. B'run could handle hate. But being hated by a fire lizard was just weird. Weren't the little things supposed to be friendly?

"Huntin' fer one of those li'l bastards. Figgered I should get my hands on one." He followed Lump's antics and rose over a small incline to spot the woman he was harassing. "You've got your hands full, don' you?" He chuckled at A'liran, heading over to see if he couldn't help the woman escape the endless harassment of the bronze flit.

A'liran sighed and shrugged innocently back at B'run. "Man, I have no idea what that little terror's deal is," he said apologetically, though most dominant in his tone was sheer frustration. Lump didn't seem to care for other males aside from Ali himself, and well...Ali wasn't sure if he actually counted as a male in the little monster's eyes. It was weirdly demeaning.

The next comment brought a smile to Ali's face. "You want one? Sweet! Lump is a mean little fuck, but he's a good friend," he said with crisp approval. H'ed already told the bronzerider his much-prized story about how exactly he got Lump. Swiping a fire lizard egg wasn't exactly a nice way to get what you wanted, but Z'ia sharding deserved it! After all the broken ribs and bruises A'liran had suffered, he figured a damn bronze fire lizard was due tribute!

When B'run called attention to Lump's antics, Ali became more concerned. He turned around and watched with exasperation as Lump continued to make his way up the front of Jisralna's shirt, determined to reach the neckline. A'liran groaned. He knew exactly what was coming.

"Lump!" he screamed. He took off after B'run and waved his arm viciously, motioning for the fire lizard to come to him. Lump ignored Jisralna's soft pleading and even her food, instead turning to watch Ali with scrutiny for a couple moments as he made his decision. He squeaked defiantly before plunging down the front of the woman's shirt, seeking comfort in the warmth he found within.

A'liran was aghast. "Fucking shit, Lump!" he exclaimed, scandalized. Lump just purred and made himself comfortable in the young woman's cleavage, perfectly at home in spite of all the commotion.

The little bronze was relentless, no amount of trying to force feed him or gently pry him or waving her hands at him seemed to deter him in the least. For all that she loved the little critters she was getting a bit alarmed,making various squeaks, squeals and whimpers which went a long way to covering the sound of not so distant conversation. Squirming, her meat roll long forgotten and lost to the sandy beach, Jissy tried to haul herself up but only ended up rolling about a bit as she tried simultaneously to pluck the bronze from her tunic and get her feet under her. Multi-tasking under pressure definitely wasn't Jissy's strong suit.

Of course it was kind of hard not to hear the scream of another person though Jisralna couldn't have said what the person was screaming and the second she realized that not one but two men were hurrying in her direction she couldn't say anything at all. Of course, distracted as she was by the approach of the two men, she forgot to keep shoving at the little firelizard and he took advantage of her mistake and with a squeak he lurched upward only to slip down the emroidered neckline of her tunic  and making himself right at home.

No sunburn could've compared to the brillant color that blossomed on Jissy's cheeks and she froze, eyes wide. Then the man who'd been running and waving his arm about let out a vile curse and the weaver physically flinched, eyes tingling with tears that always seemed a bit to eager to spill of late. Then, of all things, the little beast in her blouse began to purr. Mortification was not a strong enough word for what she was feeling. Snatching her hat, which had fallen in the struggle, Jisralna quickly covered her face.

B'run stepped in to rescue her, though his methods were fairly unorthodox. "Lump!" He called, swiping up the meatroll and waving it about before tossing it at A'liran. Hoping the flit was properly distracted by the chance of food - Though knowing him, the chance at a woman, no matter how impossible, was much more inticing. For further encouragement he grabbed the little thing around the middle, which, of course, involved him practically sticking his hand down Jisraina's shirt and hurled him in the air. There was a great chance he'd wind up bitten, but he'd suffered worse wounds and if he succeeded in getting a flit of his own it likely wouldn't be the first time.

As soon as he was confident the little shit was out of the woman's shirt, he grabbed her and swung her into his arms, not bothering to ask permission or warn her - The man was more polite to dragons than he was people! "Sorry, ma'am," he managed before firmly wrapping an arm under her legs, pinning her skirts, and another around her torso, hiding her bosom from intruding fire lizards.

And he didn't even blush. If he'd realized what he was doing, he might have been proud at his control. No embarrassing erection, no blushing, no reaction beyond the duty to save her! And given the amount of time that had passed since he'd held... Well, anyone, it was impressive... For him, anyway. Maybe afterwards he'd dwell on how soft women were, how unlike men and how enjoyable in their own way... Bah! No! Important matters needed to be tended to!

"You got him wrangled yet?"

Wishing that she could just sink into the ground and disappear, Jisralna kept her face covered by her hat as the men shouted and tried to route the overly friendly firelizard from her bossom. When that didn't work and the larger of the two men--though hardly by much as both were decidedly tall--stepped forward Jissy peeked out from behind her hat as a shadow fell over her then squeaked as a rough hand came towards her and... O.O

As the dark-haired man extracted the little bronze from her tunic, Jisralna's hand went slack and the hat toppled to the ground as the firelizards was thrown into the air. As she stared up at the man in slack-jawed shock, not sure if she should scream or...well she was already sitting there like a dolt. Before she could make up her mind, however, the man hauled her up then in the same motion swung her up--belly and all--into his arms. Yet another squeak but she knew better than to flop around and get dumped on her rump; besides, though she was clearly shocked and more than a little embarrassed, he was just trying to help.

Of course it didn't help matters that the second he had a good hold on her, she realized that the hem of her skirt was still tucked into her belt and were now pinned to her legs making it impossible for her to cover her indecently exposed calves. Scandalous! So while the big ol' dragonrider might not be blushing or awkward, Jisralna certainly was. The blush that had taken over her visage was creeping lower until what little could be seen of her previously violated bossom was just as red, hiding any and all scrapes from the little critter's claws. Unable to flee she did the next best thing and covered her face and just for good measure, closed her eyes tight. Maybe if she couldn't see, she wouldn't be seen.

A'liran came to a stop, watching with bewilderment and general helplessness as B'run ran to Jisralna's rescue. It wasn't a pretty sight. The girl wriggled and whimpered as B'run's hand shot down her shirt, only to eject a hissing fire lizard moments later. Lump went flying, at first tossed bu then under his own power, and took off. A'liran ignored him, instead focusing on the girl. She looked awfully..front-heavy. Pregnant perhaps? Gross.

He approached, still frowning. "I'm sorry," he said to  Jisralna. He wasn't as horrifically embarrassed as he'd been the first time Lump tried that wretched stunt. By now, it was not exactly routine, but at least familiar. He couldn't do much aside from roll his eyes and accept it. What a pain!

"That's, erm...not one of his better habits," A'liran said with a twitch. He sighed and looked at B'run. "It's all right, man. Lump took off. Dunno where, but I'm sure he'll be back or whatever." What a pain. He looked to Jisralna. "Are you okay? He didn't scratch you or anything?" Then, a much more realistic concern occurred to him. He frowned. "Did he bite ya?" This question was, of course, addressed to B'run.

Their peace was soon interrupted. Lump returned, trilling in what may have been distressed. He whirled around the three humans before settling on A'liran's shoulder, carrying on about something he'd just seen. The little creature didn't seem to be angry, though. His eyes flashed blue and A'liran felt the stirrings of excitement. Then came the imagined, flashing vividly in his mind. There was a little gold female crooning as the rest of the fair flocked around her, carrying...food?

Ali beamed. "Hey! I think Lump found some other fire lizards or something," he said, glancing across the water for signs of movement.

Gently, B'run lowered her legs until they touched the ground and released her from his grasp, taking a small step back with another muttered apology. His eyes lingered on her belly before raising to her face, pausing there as he tried to remember her name or anything about her. He failed, but A'liran quickly distracted him with the news that Lump had found fire lizards! He perked up, brows raising up. He kept a hand on Jisralna's elbow, making sure she's settled in the sand.

"You alrigh', ma'am? Didn't mean t'be rough with you." He knew his hands were less than soft and between him and Lump she was, likely, not in the best of shape.

Once he was assured of the fact he gave her a polite nod, then looked towards A'liran. "Well? Where at? I didn't bring meat scraps to chew on." Flashing a grin to the greenrider, he cuffed him on the shoulder and stepped out of the way to avoid retaliation. "That bastard of yours took a chunk of my hand. Figure you owe me an egg at this point. Had he been wild I would'a Impressed him with my own damn flesh!" Sure enough, the man's hand was bleeding, a nice bite mark between his thumb and forefinger. He frowned at the wound, then glanced back towards Jisralna, worried he'd gotten blood on her.

Two men...TWO! And one was holding her. And he'd fished a firelizard out of her tunic. And her legs were exposed. And they could see her swollen ankles. And she was faaaaat. It truly was a miracle that Jisralna hadn't burst into a torrent of hormone induced tears though when she peek between her fingers at A'liran her eyes were decidedly watery. Had the little Bronze--Lump?--scratched her? If he had, it wasn't any place she was willing to check with current company. So instead she squawked out a couple words that vaguely resembled the words "I am fine" though only just.

Then the man holding her--a peek told her that he was one of the bronze riders that populated the weyr--carefully set her down, apologizing even as he moved slightly away though he made sure to steady her with a hand on her elbow as she wobbled precariously. Dropping her hands from her face she quickly freed the hem of her skirt and it fluttered to the ground, hiding all but her bare toes from sight and displaying some of her more subtle embroidery work that had been stitched in the same brown as the cloth of her skirt.

Though her face was still red and she still felt like fleeing, Jisralna was nothing if not well-mannered and manners dictated that she thank the man for his help though the jostling coupled with the firelizard's overzealous greeting had left her a bit frazzled and on the verge of tears. Offering a slightly dim smile--when compared to her usual smile--Jisralna clasped her hands in front of her, fingers twisting. "I am fine, thank you for your help."

When Lump returned, green-gray eyes darted towards the the bronze and her hands shot up to cover her neckline as he landed on the greenrider's shoulder; she couldn't remember the man's name but she could vaugely picture his dragon....maybe. Wariness crept into her eyes and she shifted slightly, taking a small step towards the bronzerider. When Lump seemed to show no interest in her, however, she settled somewhat, startled by the news of wild firelizards; startled and delighted. Lump's antics and the mortification they caused aside, she adored the critters and had since she was a child.

"I...I have food." Jisralna offered when the bronze rider mentioned having no meat scraps. "Since you..." Her face colored again and she gestured awkwardly to Lump, eyes averted. Though when the man let out a gruff curse she blinked and flinched ever so slightly. However the actual content of the curse was not lost on her for the foul words and her eyes quickly came up, finding the rider's hand. A crease appeared between her brows and she frowned. Turning, she went to retrieve her satchel and pulled out a clean cloth scrap that she had been intending to turn into a doll for the creche. Without a word she slipped down to the edge of the water, waded out until the water lapped at her shin and soaked her skirt then got the cloth wet.

She returned, walking awkwardly as the skirt clung to her legs and held out the cloth. She was no Healer and while she didn't particularly like the sight of blood, neither was she the sort to faint at the sight of a it in small amounts. "You should probably clean it. I'm sorry you were injured." Shifting uncomfortably, Jisralna glanced over at A'liran. Now she was certain she'd seen him around but all the same she'd not had much of a cause to interact with him so did not know his name. Her gaze slid once more to Lump and a smile curled the corners of her lips; she really did like firelizards and couldn't exactly fault the little bronze for what he'd done, it wasn't as though he knew any better, right?

"You mentioned an egg?" She glanced at her rough around the edges rescuerer, still donning a slightly befuddled and frazzled expression. "The...what did you call him? Lump? He found firelizard eggs? Might I come see? I never really got to see any before...at the camp." Seijin and Echlerov had both found eggs and though she'd tried her best, Jissy hadn't found much more than a few pretty stones to add to her collection. Sure, she'd seen a bit of the hatching; well really it was just the tail end of it. She wanted to actually see wild firelizards! She was curious to see if it was anything like a dragon hatching. She'd been to a handful of dragon hatchings but firelizards...it was enough to brush aside the embarrassment momentarily. "Please?"

A'liran sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, eyeing B'run's wounded hand with stark disapproval. "Bad Lump!" he snapped irritably, thumping the fire lizard's nose while concentrating on an image of the wound. The little bronze hissed and recoiled, looking positively indignant at the scolding, but A'liran had no doubt that it had sunk in. The little monsters were smart. Sometimes Ali felt like Lump was almost as smart as a person. He certainly had a lot of personality, and a lot of the things he did seemed awfully conscious. He really was like a little miniature dragon.

"I'm sorry, dude," A'liran said, wrinkling his nose and shaking his head. He half expected to be scolded, for Lump's antics got him in trouble with higher ranking riders fairly often. It's like the little beast lived to antagonize other males. A'liran frowned and ran his hand down Lump's back, earning a purr of forgiveness, before the last part registered.

Oh! They'd both asked him about eggs. He paused for a moment and looked to Lump, who was fidgeting with obvious interest. "Um, sure. Let's see if I can figure this out.." Ali muttered. He thought about the images Lump had shared and tried to get the little creature's help in locating the source, but the little creature seemed more confused than anything. He was still young, after all.

Allow me a female voice said, projecting itself into the minds of all three humans. Astoreth showed them a more vivid version of the same images and silently passed A'liran a heading.  He grinned. "I got it, guys! Let's go," he said as he motioned down the beach. With Astoreth's help, Lump seemed to get it, too. He thrilled and took off, bronze hide flashing in the sun as he went.

One of you feel free to describe the nest site :o

B'run smiled at Astoreth's voice, pleased that the green had not only lended her assistance but had opted to speak to them as well. Hearing another dragon's voice in your head wasn't uncommon, but it certainly wasn't something that happened every day. Well, at least for the bronzerider. He politely thanked Jisralna, holding the wet cloth to his hand and watching as it slowly turned red from his blood. The bleeding would stop soon enough. He might go see one of the healers about it, in case it needed stitched up. But that was a concern for Future B'run. Now B'run was concerned with eggs. "Wasn' entirely his fault. I grabbed him without his knowin'."

The mound of sand had collapsed on one side, only a couple half broken eggs were scattered about and the fair of grown fire lizards was nearby, watching and waiting for the remainder to hatch. They gave off shrieks of concern as the trio of humans approached, leaping into the air and moving a small distance away, though they kept in sight of the hatching mound. Now and then one of the braver ones would dive at the human's heads, screeching their displeasure.

Other eggs were already shaking and twitching, eager to break free and into the world.

Olemuth's quiet growl warned off the fire lizards from getting too daring. He'd settled down a good distance away, but was close enough to keep his eyes on the small gathering, mostly curious to watch his aloof rider be not only social but go out of his way to make friends -  Even if they were the winged variety.

B'run hauled his small satchel up, pulling out a handful of meet scraps and, one hand still on Jisralna's elbow, ushered her towards the mound, pressing a couple bits of meat into her hand before doing the same for A'liran. He wanted one. Maybe two. There was no way he needed any more than that.

The eggs shook and cracked and B'run moved forward, excited and nervous all at once. What was he nervous for? Honestly, you fed them, they loved you. That's how it worked, right? One of the eggs burst open and B'run shoved food at it before he fully focused on the colour. The drab green flit gobbled up the meat and squawked for more. B'run obliged, smiling at the sticky creature and, with the same rag he'd cleaned his face with, did his best to wipe her clean. "A green, huh? Namin' it after you, A'liran." He grinned, well aware that he was probably going to get punched. The little Ali crooned and pressed her face against B'run's stubbly cheek, using the bristles to scratch her neck.

She watched interactions between the greenrider and his firelizard and Jissy couldn't help but smile dispite the perdicament the little bronze had landed her in. Besides, he couldn't be that old if he was from the camping clutches, right? Just like human children tended to act up...for a fraction of a second she managed to distract herself with thoughts of children. It wasn't uncommon for her to loose herself in her thoughts lately. Would she have a boy or a girl? Who would the child take after? Would her child be healthy? Would they be mocked for being a bastard child? Her thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when the greenrider spoke again and she shook her head slightly before smoothing her tunic over her stomach in a selfconscious gesture.

But what ho? Acceptance! She might get to see a firelizard hatching after all! Her eyes lit up, becoming more green than gray in the sunlight and out of habit she rose up onto the balls of her feet only to stumble forward with a squeak and some blushing when she became unbalanced, startled by another voice in her head. Wide-eyed, she looked around; she knew the voice belonged to a dragon but it was still a bit disconcerting. Not nearly as disconcerting as the image that suddenly appeared of a bronken mound of sand though the effect was instantaneous. A delighted squeal broke free and Jisralna lurched awkwardly after A'liran, excitement shoving aside the last vestiges of embarrassment and awkwardness as she hurried to keep up with the two men.

When they reached the site, JIssy hesitated at the sight of so many wild firelizards, many of them hissing and not very approving of their presence. They didn't seem at all friendly and suddenly she wasn't so certain about...well anything. When they broke off in pairs and trios and began to dive at herself and the dragonriders, she flinched away and instinctively skittered closer to the larger of the two men. Men more often than not meant protection; yes they could also be dangerous but the bronzerider had saved her once, it stood to reason that he would do so again. But it would be his dragon that provided a solution to the problem this time as he settled not far away and let out a low growl that seemed more than enough to deter the bolder firelizards from trying to drive them away.

As she finally turned her gaze to the clutch, watching as a few of the exposed eggs began to shake, eyes wide in wonder. She was so captivated, in fact that she was quite easily led forward by B'run though she did jump slightly when he pressed a few scraps of slimey, gooey meat into her hand. She nearly dropped it as she looked over at the bronzerider, but he was already moving forward. She watched him for a moment with a crese between her brows before the sound of an egg hatching rose above the din of the gathered firelizards. She was just in time to see B'run shove his bit of meat into the newly hatched creature's face. A little green, small and adorable squawked for more and JIssy laughed. "She's adorable!"

Stepping closer to get a better look at the B'run's new friend she was quickly sidetracked when another egg hatched and the occupant let out a plaintive cry that tugged at her heartstrings. Remembering the bits of meat in her hand she squatted awkwardly then held out the disgusting goop only to drop it at the last second as the little brown lunged forward. Snatching her hand back, she unbalanced again and sat abruptly and before she knew it the newly hatched firelizard was in her lap, forpaw braced on her belly, screeching for more to eat. "Oh dear, um...oh!" Still he screeched as Jissy scrambled with her satchel and pulled out a slighlty squished meatroll that was intended as her second snack. Before she could so much as offer it to the little brown, he'd pounced on it and began to shake the treat as though to kill it which ilicited a giggle from the weaver. "Aren't you just the silliest little thing, trying to kill a meatroll."

A'liran trotted along the beach, keeping a sharp eye out for the scene go generously projected to him by his partner. It didn't take long to catch sight of the nest, which was swarming with multicolored hides just a short ways away. How had they missed it? Lump trilled excitedly, wheeling about in the air and diving eagerly to meet his wild brothers and sisters, but his demeanor shifted when the wild fair began hissing and diving at the humans.

Lump settled on the top of A'liran's head as the greenrider knelt between the others. The little bronze beat his wings irritably and snapped at the other flitters, driving them away from the humans in a blaze of righteous indignation. How dare these wild brats be mean to his human! The annoyed bronze's protection extended to the others as well, if only because Lump felt like gracing them with his protection as a show of power to the others. Of course, he was still half the size of some of the wild ones, so his display wasn't as dramatic as he might have liked, but the show of spirit was cute, or at least Ali thought it was.

A'liran took the food and looked down at it. He wasn't sure how he felt about getting another one, but he didn't decline outright. Lump was a handful and still needed a lot of attention. Ali set the food down beside his foot and reached up to his head, plucking the little bronze and pulling him into his lap. "Dude, chill! They're just protecting their babies, little guy," he said, trying to soothe the little beast.

Lump settled down reluctantly, a rare reminder that in spite of his snootiness, he was loyal to A'liran. The greenrider smiled and then looked up, noticing late that both B'run and the girl (Jis-something? Jisralla?) had Impressed new friends. "Awesome," Ali said, peeking at B'run's green. "Naming it after me? That better not be a joke," he teased lightly.

Before he could decide what else to say about it, Lump let out an angry hiss. Ali turned his head to see another tiny fire lizard as his feet, nibbling at the food he'd dropped. "Oh, fuck!" the greenrider snapped, reaching down to bat the beast away. The little fire lizard latched on to his hand and crooned, lifting its pretty blue eyes and stopping him dead in his tracks. Aw.

"What..what the hell, little guy?" A'liran blurted. It was too late, though. Impression was made, and it was precious! Once again Ali thought he had a brown, but when he lifted it in his free hand, he realized it was a second bronze. "Well, look at you...you're right cute," he said. Lump hissed in jealousy and craned his neck over to snap at the new addition, but the tiny bronzeling wouldn't have it. The baby snapped back, sinking his tiny teeth into Lump's nose and causing the older fire lizard to recoil in horror. Lump squeaked and buried himself in the crook of Ali's arm while the new one, clearly confident in his position, politely squeaked for more food.

A'liran laughed. "Oh Faranth, you're a little bastard!" he crowed.

B'run chuckled as A'liran accidentally Impressed another flit. "'Course it ain't a joke, Greenrider. I look like the jokin' type t'you?" B'run fixed A'liran with a scowl before chuckling and glancing towards his satchel. A pair of greens had began gorging themselves on the meat there and when B'run yanked it away, they fixed him with their rainbow-gaze and he groaned as they swarmed up him, crooning and smothering him with affection. One, in particular, was obnoxiously loud, screeching and chirping and making endless amounts of noise.

"Shut up, will you?" B'run grumbled, glaring at the tiny thing. She continued to croon and chirp and chatter on, upholding a conversation with herself. "Hush already!" B'run snapped and the little thing went silent... For all of five seconds before chattering on again. The bronzerider sighed and glanced to the other one, whom was edging her way up his arm towards the satchel. "Yer a li'l brat, ain't you?" And thus Hush and Brat were named alongside Ali.

An unfamiliar weight settled on B'run's arm and he glanced up at the satchel, blinking in surprise and slowly lowering it down. A golden fire lizard had shoved her head into the meat filled bag, gobbling up what she could. B'run took her into his arms and lovingly pulled eggshell of her wings. Hush chattered away until he gave her attention, too, which lead to Ali wedging her head into his armpit. Brat wasn't one to be left out and burrowed under his crossed legs, shoving herself into his lap. The gold, however, when satisfied and contented with her meal, draped herself across his shoulders, lovely as can be.

"Yer a lovely thing, ain't you?" B'run smiled, buried in flits as he was.

When the greenrider swore Jissy looked up, startled, and couldn't contain the outburst of laughter that exploded from her. There was a little bronze firelizard hanging from his hand. Immediately worried that he would take offense, she clamped a hand over her mouth but couldn't contain the snort. Of course while she was distracted by the antics of A'liran's new friend, an ambush was being orchestrated on the meatroll in her lap.

Another brown had hatched and seeing his brother furiously shaking the meatroll had drawn his attention. He wiggled and crawled across the sand and tumbled over shell fragments until he was by Jissy's knee, then with a mighty screech he pounced, launching himself into the weaver's lap and latching onto the other end of the abused meatroll. Before she knew what was happening, Jissy had an all out match of tug o' war in her lap that resulted in both firelizards toppling from the lap.

Blinking, she reached down and tried to pull the two browns apart but both were firmly attached to their end of the meatroll. Blinking, she set them down and then cautiously reached between them and using quick, almost skittish fingers, she ripped the meatroll apart. The first brown which had unfortunately been named Silly in her mind continued to shake his meatroll, gnawing on it. The second brown which was gnawing on the meatroll finished it in what was probably record time then let out an indecorous belch before climbing into Jissy's lap and curling up.

Two browns! And one did look so very much like her childhood favorite firelizard Gambi! Before long little Gambi the Second was joined by Silly. Her face was nearly split in two by her grin as she looked up at B'run only to burst out laughing again at the sight of three greens and a gold vied to use him as a bed. Her outburst dissolved into a giggle which she did her best to muffle. He'd certainly gotten himself more than a handful! Of course when she looked back down a blue tail was sticking out of her satchel and she realized she wasn't much better off.

Lifting the satchel she heard a startled screech then when she peered inside she found the little blue tangled in thread and trying to gnaw through the cloth in which her lunch was wrapped. "Trying to be a weaver, are you dear boy? You've a long way to go." She carefully extracted the squirming hatchling and disentangled him before fishing out the bit of cold meat from the cloth and fed it to the small blue, stroking the top of his head as he gnawed on the offering with great gusto.

A'liran scooted away from the nest, quick to avoid any more accidental Impressions. He'd come with no notion of adding to his first new companion, but now that he found a second clinging to his hand, how could he say no? Two qas quite enough, however, and judging by what he saw to his left and his right, things could get out of hand pretty quickly! He inched away from the others and seated himself awkwardly in the sand, feeding the new bronze a few more scraps of food while Lump watched morosely. Every time he extended his nose to try and swipe a bit from the new hatchling, the baby would issue a momentary hiss. Lump recoiled sadly and creeled to A'liran to fix it, but the greenrider only cackled.

"You're gettin what you deserve, Lump!" he scolded. "This little guy here needs food more than you do, so shut your big fat mouth"  He tapped the flitter's nose in admonishment before offering another scrap to the baby, who appeared mostly satisfied. Lump creeled again and nosed at A'liran's arm. A'liran didn't bother to coddle the flit, and instead focused his attention on situating the new addition in the breastpocket of his shirt, complete with his adorable bronze head sticking out.

Once that was done, Ali collected Lump into both hands and picked the sullen beast up so he was level with his face. "You gotta stop being a cunt, okay? Shush," he said, shaking the bronze once before setting him on his shoulder and patting him. Reassured, Lump cheeped and poked at A'liran's neck with his snout, as if forgiving for him the indignity..this time! The new addition just watched. If fire lizards could make amused faces, that was it!

A'liran grinned. "I'm callin' you Bastard," he declared before looking to the others. "How'd it go-...oh, dude. You are covered in bitches," he said to B'run, trying not to giggle.

"Help me!" B'run was laughing uproariously as he tried desperately to stand up. His greens scrambled to remained perched on his shoulders while Lovely was content to be cradled, fat and happy, in his arms. "I wanted one not..." He paused to survey how many he'd actually wound up with. "Four!" Hush was still going, chattering away and wailing when B'run raised his voice to be heard above him. "Hush, damnit!" She did, temporarily, but returned to her contented, quiet, chatter.

The poor man finally made it to his feet, balancing carefully in the sand with his fair of flits perched all over him. Ali, of course, was proving to be the daring one of the greens, claiming B'run's head as a perch for her tiny body. Brat was scooting down his arms to try to get to the satchel and eat more. "You are a bottomless pit, aren't you?" He scolded, but stuffed another morsel into her mouth.

"Do they ever stop eating?" He asked, worry creasing his brow. He was going to run out of scraps shortly if Brat didn't stop gorging herself. He tapped her nose and set her on his shoulder opposite Hush, shutting the satchel and tucking it under his arm, safe from their gaping maws. Lovely crooned, nuzzling B'runs chin. That set the other three to crooning and rubbing her heads against his face and neck. "Well, can' say I ain't loved."

Such language from the dragonriders, though by now she should've been used to it. Indeed, it wasn't a suprised that at least half the male riders had never been properly scolded by their mothers for use of such language. With a look of shocked indignation on her face Jissy narrowed her eyes at the greenrider. "Honestly!" She huffed, shaking her head. She wasn't exactly bold enough to scold a dragonrider, even a green, but it might do to remind the man that he was in mixed company.

The reminder was pointless as the man proceeded to name his poor little bronze Bastard and then continued with his offensive language. Puffing up with indignation, Jissy carefully slid the trio of newly hatched firelizards from her lap then attempted to get to her feet, a process that involved a few false starts and one aborted attempt before she finally managed. By then it seemed a little silly for her to admonish the greenrider so she settled with giving him a look that smacked of disapproving female.

Once she'd stopped swaying, however, Weaver began to climb her skirt until he reached her belly and using it like a miniature ledge, draped himself over the top of it much to Jissy's dismay. Gambi and Silly weren't far behind and each claimed a shoulder, the later distracting her from her indignation when he began to pick at the embroidery at the neck of her tunic. "NO! You stop that right now; I'll not having you destroy my work!" The lighter of the two browns let out a baleful croon when he was tapped on the nose then proceeded to yawn.

Turning her attention back to the men, Jissy smiled as she watched the pretty little Gold snuggling up to the bronzerider. "That's for certain." She was going to ask him a question when it dawned on her that she hadn't been introduced to either of the men. The bronzerider was...well she knew his name as she knew the names of all the bronzeriders like the good little weyr denizen that she was, she just didn't know which name belonged to him. The greenrider, well she'd seen him around but didn't know his name or that of his dragon. Stepping closer to the man with the foul mouth, Jissy scooped Weaver up from her belly and tucked him in the crook of her left arm before offering her right hand. "I have just realized we never got properly introduced. I am Jisralna; thank you for letting me come along."

"Until they're fat," A'liran replied, reaching out with one hand to awkwardly help B'run to his feet. It really was hilarious how the man had started off aiming for a single fire lizard, but in the end was covered in a small fair. A'liran was quite happy with his two, but it was nice to see the bronzerider looking so pleased with himself. A'liran suspected B'run was a lonely sort of person, and if anything, fire lizards were great for companionship.

"They know when to stop," he said, answering more seriously this time. Lump let off a small chirp and extended his neck to sniff at the other babies while Bastard yawned and curled more tightly in A'liran's breast pocket. They were adorable little beasts. A'liran was more interested in B'run's, however, watching with mirth as the little monsters snuggled all over him.

"I didn't know you had such a soft and fluffy side, dude," the greenrider scoffed.

He turned towards Jisralna, eyes wide with amusement. He felt like he'd offended the girl in some way, but he wasn't sure exactly now. "A'liran," he said, reaching out to shake her hand, nevermind the fact that he as supposed to greet women with a kiss on the hand or something like that. He never paid attention to all those rules. He smiled at her. "Not a problem. Looks like you made out pretty well," he said, eyeing the three fire lizards.

"Soft an' fluffy. Bah! Only fluffy thing 'bout me's m'hair in the summer. Mus' be hangin' 'round you too much. Impressin' li'l Astoreths everywhere." He teased, grinning at the greenrider and staying carefully out of punching range. Hush chattered scoldingly at A'liran, though she had no idea why. Lovely, meanwhile, crawled sleepily to B'runs neck and wrapped around it.

Oh. Right. Introductions would probably make sense. He DID just haul the poor woman around and nearly fondled her in the process. Least he could do is tell her his name. He nodded politely, not bowing and not moving to kiss her hand. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but mostly that he was afraid of dislodging the various fire lizards perched on his shoulders and arms.

"Name's B'run. Olemuth's the bronze o'er there." He motioned with his chin as he moved towards the other two, carefully balancing his small fair.

When the greenrider began to shake her hand, Jisralna blinked, startled and quickly pulled it away as she took a step back. Who did he think she was; some rough and tumble girl playing at being a man? Worried that she might appear a bit rough and tumble she began to smooth her tunic again before stopping herself short and covering the self-conscious gesture by fussing with little Weaver who was very nearly passed out in her arms. "Yes, well I might have been better off following your example. I think Gambi and Silly might be more than I can handle."

THe two browns in question stirred on the woman's shoulders, causing her to wince as little needle-like talons pricked at her skin. Yes, it probably would've been best to have thought a bit more before she'd jumped into the fray. Curiosity had just landed her with three hungry mouths to feed with a fourth on the way. On top of her usual tasks and chores she'd be lucky if she didn't drop dead by winter of pure exhaustion. And what if the firelizards didn't react well to the baby? She was already rather fond of Weaver and had a feeling that Gambi and Silly would grow on her soon enough. She'd just have to worry about that when it happened. At the moment she needed to concentrate on introductions. A'lrian in all his baffling glory had already made himself known and now the galant bronzerider took his turn.

B'run and Olemuth, of course! He often kept to himself which was probably why she couldn't match a name with his face. Her rote response was to dip in a curtsey, however, with a firelizard curled up in her arms and with her current state of pregnancy it wasn't something that would be easily pulled off so she quickly curbed the impulse and instead offered a friendly smile. "I is nice to meet you both. I just wanted to thank you again for your help earlier and perhaps ask a favor of you." In her arms, Weaver let out a sleepy chirp.

Little Astoreths? Ali couldn't help but crack a soft smile at the term, but he quickly fended it away with a dismissive snort. "As if hanging out with me would have a pussifying effect on someone!" he crowed. He'd have swung a playful punch at the man, were he not covered in tiny bronzes. In place of a swing, Ali stuck his tongue out. Bastard let out a small cheep of curiosity, but the supremely confident hatchling's calmness and stern sideglance kept Lump's inevitable screeching in check.

Next thing the greenrider knew, Jisralna was pulling away from him. He had no idea why. What had he done? He was trying to shaker her hand! Oh well.  He shrugged at her and lifted his free hand to pat his new addition on the head, though Lump's soft creeling for attention was impossible to ignore. "I didn't forget about you," Ali assured Lump, scratching his neck for a moment before focusing more carefully on  Jisralna. "A favor? Whatcha need?"

I apologize for the snortness; I'm getting back in the swing of things