Hatching Feast!

Katila is alive with joy and excitement. New dragons have broken shell and joined their small number, including a number of sturdy fighters and a brand new Queen! The entire Weyr is rife with excited gossip as they speculate about the new pairs, as well as the fate of those left alone on the sands.

The Weyrfolk have spent most of the morning and afternoon preparing the Gather Square for a monument us celebration, the largest in Katilan history. A new Queen has joined them, a new hope for the future! Tables have been set up all around the square, which have slowly been populated with decorations as, as the hour grows late, delicious food.

An area has been set aside for dancing and several deep fire pits have been dug, where the inhabitants can roast meat or simple gather around to listen to harper songs and tell tales. Plenty of wine, ale and liquor is being provided for the excited celebrants as well.

The final preparations are made as the sun begins to sink below the horizon. Torches and blazing bonfires light the gather square as excited Katilans pour in, all eager to fill their bellies and meet the new hatchlings.

Let the hatching feast begin!

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Feel free to post in either this thread or create your own in the gather square, just be sure to include [The World Above Hatching Feast] in the title. All threads should take place sometime on 5th Late Autumn 231, preferably after late afternoon.

Have fun!

It was interesting, Jada decided as she and Krypth wandered through the Gather Square. She’d never been the center of quite so much attention. Admittedly the reason for the attention was wandering at her side, eyes whirling blue-green with pleasure, but eyes were on her as well. Krypth was Nirinath’s only living daughter, a symbol of hope for a group of people that had been living in fear for almost 15 turns. And she’d chosen Jada Of all people. Oh, shards; What had that lunkhead rider gotten her into, bringing her here! Amber eyes glanced down at the long, lanky, graceless limbs and the waving tail next to her, and she tried to remember how she had felt just the morning before. All she could think of was… incomplete. It frightened her, actually, how easily Krypth had sunk into her consciousness, filling those holes and pressing salve against her wounds. The dragonet bounced forward, dancing around the legs of a woman carrying a pile of decorations, rising onto her hind legs and craning her neck to try and look. Obligingly, the woman dropped her decorations from shock.

It’s okay! Krypth told the woman (and everyone, actually) loudly (causing yet another minor accident,) gripping the decorations in her mouth and ‘handing’ them back to the woman one by one. I’ve got this! And indeed she did; in record time, the Gold had caused more people to drop things, stuck her nose into more places that it probably didn’t belong… All in all made a little nuisance of herself. Yet still people were gawking at her instead of shooing her. Jada was thinking she didn’t quite understand the awe factor, which made sense considering last night had been… 

Jada, are you cold? Do you need the blanket drawn up? Jada, your feet are lumpy. Jada, your breath stinks, roll over. Jada, you rolled too far, and your hair is in my face. Jada, you fell off the bed! Are you okay? Jada, your face is awful red. Jada, why are your eyes so puffy? Didn’t you sleep well last night? We’ll need to get nicer pillows… On the bed, off the bed...

“Krypth, let’s go see if we can catch up with everyone else.” Jada suggested firmly, gripping the dragonet by the headknobs lightly. “If we’re late to breakfast, they might not feed me.” She wasn’t quite sure how they disciplined someone with a weyrling, considering Weyrlings weren’t supposed to drink, fight, have intercourse, or shards- probably not even exercise too hard!- for fear of alarming their bondmates. Jada was also not willing to find out just how they planned to discipline her if she screwed up. She’d seen the pleasure S’kef took in tearing B’jin’s back to shreds and didn’t want to have the same done to her. She tramped that thought down as quickly as she could; worried that Krypth would catch wind of her fear.

I’ll catch you breakfast! The little creature was oblivious to her companion’s concern, and was instead focusing on the thought of more carnal needs. You need to scratch my headknobs. I can’t reach, and I have this one spot… The command was light, and Jada’s lips quirked. Well, they could work on the concept of please and thank you later. She obligingly reached down and scratched where the gold instructed, and was suffused in the sharing of the dragonet’s relief.

“You doing the hunting for me can be a last resort.” Jada assured her, and they had left the people to go about their decorating. 

Coming back later that evening was a pleasant surprise, for the decorations looked lovely, and the smells were incredible. There was a table set aside for the Weyrlings, which was quickly pointed out; in truth, it did look just like a Gather, not at all like the stuffy formal affair her mother had described for her when she was a child. Krypth was ecstatic, weaving around Jada’s legs and shoving her with her nose in the direction that she wanted to go. “Wait!” Jada tried to say, but the Gold was adamant. 

We go make our greetings! She insisted. We must say hello to Nirinath and Ronarth, and you must smile and be polite. You must not balk, my Jada, for I am with you all the way. Then we will go and meet all of the others, and you will eat and share with me.

“You seem to have this all planned out already.” Jada was somewhat surprised that the dragonet had already made their plans. 

Krypth’s head tilted and amusement bubbled between them. Of course I do, Jada, for if I did not, we would be ‘winging’ it.

Well. Fine then!

There were already people everywhere, passing out ale. It had been ‘requested’ that the Weyrlings not drink tonight. A sip stolen here or there might not do any harm, but what good was taking chances? Jada glanced around, trying in vain to look through the crowd and see where the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman were; Krypth herded her as though she simply knew, guiding her bonded with a nose to the kidney if Jada paused too long or seemed to be distracted by something else. Finally they were there, however, and when Jada balked, Krypth made a disgruntled noise. Go! She commanded Jada, bumping her hip. 

“Maybe later.” Jada tried to demur, and the Gold wrapped herself around her bonded’s legs.

You are mine. I am yours. We will go, and be polite. Do not fear,, I am with you. Come along. The dragonet chirped, dancing backwards towards the Weyrleaders, straightening her neck and setting her shoulder. Come come.

D'ren wasn't seated at the Weyrleaders' table as he was supposed to be. He'd been convinced to wear his finery, but that was as far as he was willing to go at the moment. The celebration hadn't even properly started yet! He would ascend to his podium in a while when it was time to give his speech, but for now, he was enjoying a nice, relaxed evening among his riders.

He'd noticed young Jada and her precious little Krypth long before they turned in his direction. He noted with some mirth that the little gold seemed to be herding Jada in his direction.He wondered if the little dragonling was aware of his rank or if it just wanted to say hello at random.

D'ren couldn't be prouder of his Ronarth. He'd sired a clutch of seventeen, and while there was one dud, there was also a precious little golden queen. She was a symbol of hope, something to be cherished and admired. That wasn't all, either! Vyaniorth, a handsome and sturdy bronze, was larger at hatching than Ronarth had been at his. Ronarth was a large bronze, too. Vyaniorth would be a valuable. Many of the greens and blues were hearty and healthy as well, though the lack of browns was puzzling. Puzzling, but not too bad of a loss. Krypth was worth everything.

"Hello, Jjada," D'ren said cordially as the pair approached. He'd never met the girl, but he kept a close eye on the files the searchriders delivered to him....not that anyone was missing the name of Pern's new goldrider at this point. The Weyrleader rose to his feet and extended one hand, delicately taking Jada's and kissing the top. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Would you like to have a seat?"

Yes, he was highly interested in meeting the new goldrider. He and Tsuen would be old one day, after all. Shards, they practically already were. Jada was an important girl.

Good girl. Krypth was quite proud of her Jada for not vomiting as D'ren stepped up in front of her. That would, indeed, have been terrible and bad. She bugled, a small sound compared to the noise it would later be, and butted her head towards D'ren's hip. Why should she speak to her clutch sire to transfer greetings when she was right here? Not mind to mind, of course, but proper greetings must be observed! And Krypth was quite sure she knew the proper greeting. Now your turn.

"I'm not headbutting the Weyrleader." Jada hissed at the dragonet, not thinking for a moment. "Don't be silly!" Krypth rolled her eyes, and Jada felt her irritation.

And that right there is why you need me. You thought a proper greeting for a human was a headbutt? Jada had a lot to learn. Luckily, she had the perfect dragon to teach her! And then D'ren opened his mouth, and both girls gave the handsome older man their attention. He reached out and kissed Jada's hand, and Krypth's eyes whirled with pleasure. That was very nice. Not bad for a bronzerider.

Jada opened her mouth, and croaked as her voice snapped; her throat was terribly tight from nerves. She snapped her jaw shut, and stared at the patiently waiting child that leaned in and pressed her nose to Jada's knee. "I- It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Weyrleader." Very good. Good indeed. She was warmed by Krypth's approval, and the happy croon. Now what did she do? Did she take a seat? Was that presumptuous? But he'd asked. But she was only a weyrling. But you didn't say no to the Weyrleader!

You will be delighted. Remember. You're mine now. Though you can say no. He can't make you sit down.

Oh yes he could. (Jada decided to go with Krypth's first bit of advice. "I could probably use a sit. I'm not used to having so many people staring at me. And one thing Krypth knows how to do is hit a nerve." In more ways than one. It was probably a good thing he was being so nice. Jada had been wanting to ask him questions for a long time, but she'd never gotten up the nerve. Now she had an excuse- but this was not the right moment. Too public, she decided. She could at least work up the courage to ask him for a meeting, however!

Maybe.

D'ren smiled. He fully expected the young lady to be nervous. She had every reason to; that was a lot of sudden pressure and responsibility. He would prefer a more modest, agreeable new goldrider to one of the reckless and headstrong young ladies, anyhow. Jada already had a reputation for being capable and competent, but not the sort of charging herdbeast that many self-styled 'independent' women proved to be. Strength of character and the ability to act like a fussy bitch were not the same, contrary to popular belief.

He nodded politely to her and took his seat. He heard a shifting sound behind him as Ronarth ambled forth, craning his neck forward to examine the new queenling. D'ren shared the bronze's massive pride as he looked down at the little dragonet, eyes whirling with joy. Hello the bronze said to both dragonet and bonded. He lowered his head and sniffed gently at Krypth before letting out a warm croon. I am happy he said simply, his simple but earnest mind radiating nothing but pure contentment.

It put D'ren at ease. He smiled at Jada and motioned for her to have a seat. "You don't have to be nervous," he assured her. I don't think she's TOO nervous Ronarth said, lying badly in an effort to be optimistic. D'ren smirked inwardly. Ronarth, she was just talking to herself about headbutting me. Either she's nervous or she's crazy, and I'm betting on the latter he said with dry amusement.

Ronarth was so confused that he decided not to reply. Instead, he swung his head to the side to intrude upon the nearest other person, undoubtedly to ask all manner of unnecessary questions. While normally D'ren would trail after him and apologize endlessly, he decided to let it go for now.

"You'll have to pardon them all," he said to Jada, tone even and casual. "The entire Weyr is overjoyed to see a new Queen. Hope for the future," he said, his own joy bleeding through in a rare moment of actual relaxation and happiness. This side of him didn't show to the public very often anymore. It was always there, but always buried cruelly underneath his responsibility as Weyrleader.

Too soft. That accusation was still bothering him. They didn't like it when he was too soft, but they liked it even less when he was firm. People were fickle creatures, but tonight was different. Tonight was a time to celebrate.

Krypth speak

D'ren took his seat first, and Jada stood awkwardly, not quite sure where to sit. She stepped after the Weyrleader, looking from side to side. She should save a spot for someone else, right? Was this just some random table? She felt incredibly stupid and indecisive as she watched Ronarth approach. "Hello." she replied, and glanced down at Krypth as Ronarth bent his head to sniff at her.

Hackles went up, and Krypth's tail went straight out, head and neck sliding back so as to avoid contact with the bronze nose that was sniffing at her body. Jada! Krypth tried to scoot around behind her chosen, ignoring the warm, pleased noise that the male dragon made. Don't let him sniff me, Jada. Ugh, bronzes. Just coming up and sniffing at her like it was his right to stick his nose in her personal space. It was not until his head turned away that Krypth toddled on Jada's heels.

Jada took the seat that D'ren indicated, and was surprised to find a guest crawling into her lap. Claws scrabbled on wood as Krypth hauled her body up behind her head, resting it in Jada's lap and sighing heavily. "Hope for the future." she echoed, hand going to one of the headknobs and lightly tweaking. "No pressure, right Weyrleader?" he sounded so happy; Jada hated to risk popping his bubble. He was right, and she knew it. She would have been staring just as everyone else was if another of the women had Impressed the gold. The new goldrider had a lot to learn, and as Indivara had pointed out, "There will be a lot of paperwork." her voice was resigned.

Thankfully for everyone involved, Jada had excellent handwriting.

The first night had been wonderful, but over the course of the day she was being hit with a thousand clay bricks that told her just what she had stepped into. The eyes of the people weighed heavily on her; she couldn't imagine how heavily they had weighed on Tsuen over the turns as the dragonriders waited for Nirinath to take to the skies. As they waited for Krypth and the future of the dragon race. "I am glad that you came to speak to me, Weyrleader." she lifted her head, meeting his gaze. For a moment, Jada thought she would be able to not flinch; technically she didn't, but the gaze lasted only briefly before her dead dropped submissively to the sighing baby in her lap. There were important questions to ask. Later.

How on earth was Krypth falling asleep? "She's had so much energy all day, and now that she has the opportunity to use it freely, she wants to sleep." her hand continued to stroke over the silky hide, down the neck. "She kept me awake most of last night, so I'm not surprised. I'd somehow pictured dragonets more like human babies. Sleeping more. Eating less."

Ronarth was getting increasingly used to being snubbed because he was a bronze...but not by golds! Golds usually loved him! Puzzled and with feelings hurt, the bronze let out a soft creel as he peeled away. D'ren swiftly asked what was wrong, though the situation was as familiar to rider as it was to dragon. Ronarth had a bad luck streak with such things, it seemed.

D'ren was a bit more realistic about it, though. Ronarth ran into these problems because he literally greeted everyone. Of course the more negative responses stood out so much, especially when so many were charmed by his sweetness and gentle simplicity. D'ren gave the dragon a mental reassurance before turning his attention back to Jada.

Really, the way the little gold hid behind Jada's legs was too cute. A paternal smile crossed his face.

"No pressure?" he asked the girl with a knowing chuckle. There was pressure indeed. He was all too familiar with it by now. It put a lot more strain on him than he liked to show, and he could only imagine that she would soon share it with him. Perhaps it would express itself in another way, but it would be there nonetheless. He gave her an empathetic smile.

"You're welcome, Jada," he said afterwards. He was glad for an opportunity to talk to her, though he saw no reason to dive right into the ugly side of business. Jada was freshly Impressed. She should be allowed to enjoy her own hatching feast.

"They're that way," he said with amusement as he looked at Krypth. "I remember Ronarth was in to all sorts of messes at our hatching feast...he kept crawling under tables and knocking things over. He was just so excited," he said, his eyes shining with fond remembrance as he thought back on that night. "And then all at once, he got exhausted...he sprawled out right in the middle of the dining caverns walkway and fell asleep. It took me ages to wake him and get him out of the way!"

The bronze’s soft, sad noise tugged at Jada’s heart. Poor thing. She didn’t quite understand the aversion that Krypth had to her bronze clutch mates- and, apparently, bronzes in general- but that poor sweet dragon certainly didn’t deserve that! (Jada was easily charmed. Ronarth had been quite effective at it.) She wriggled Krypth’s headknobs and the gold gave a sleepy croon in her lap, shifting. Her eyes were still open, however, still watching as people walked by chattering, craning their necks to try and get a glimpse of the boisterous little thing. “No pressure.” Jada confirmed, and shared the chuckle. She blew air past her lips and waved to one of her students and her mother walking by. “I’d thought Candidate classes were a lot to keep up with, but they are going to get a lot worse from here, aren’t they?”

You can handle it. The dragonet’s crisp ‘voice’ filtered to both D’ren and Jada, the dragonet not seeming to share the same need for privacy that so many other dragons did. I will be there to help you all the way. You never have any need to worry as long as we are together. And we will be together for a very long time. That much was a promise. Her eyes blinked, slowly, and she yawned. 

“Krypth is a little clumsy herself.” Jada said, and ignored the dragonet’s grumble. “She was ‘helping’ the weyrfolk this morning, knocking things over left and right. I think if she falls asleep, however, I will simply leave her where she falls and pick her up in the morning.” The threat was playful, and Jada knew as well as D’ren and Krypth that she would do no such thing. She’d probably wish she had, though. “Did Ronarth like to share your pillow?” If he did, she was going to ask the man how to solve the problem of raw meat breath. That had been a terrible experience.

Speaking of pillows, Weyrleader, she needs more. And her bed is not big enough for the both of us. That is very inconvenient and should be corrected for the next group of Weyrlings. Jada, I am hungry. Is there anything to eat? Perhaps you see some more wherry, or fish? 

Wherry was possible, but not still raw. Fish? Fish was even less likely. Could dragons eat cooked meat? Her mind went blank, certain she had learned this in lessons. Jada scanned the table, lighting on many things that probably shouldn’t be fed to a baby. “I see some fruits.” Definitely on the no list. “I see a few pieces of herdbeast. Would you like some of that? I can cut it up for you. It’s been cooked though. Can she eat cooked meat?” It was a side question to D’ren, nervous. “ Would you like to go find someone?” 

No. I can wait. I will eat later, when everyone has finished enjoying themselves. You won’t get off that easily. Krypth rose, climbing over Jada until her body rested in the girl’s lap, and dropped her head into D’ren’s lap firmly, so that her head was sticking out into the main walkway. Left and right, she looked side to side, humming in satisfaction. Two people to sit on pleased her very much indeed, and it would force Jada to get to know the people who Krypth deemed Very Important, or at least one of them. It was such a shame a nice man like D’ren was being wasted on a bronze. At least Ronarth had the decency to make the man Weyrleader. One mark in the dragon’s favor. Maybe she would be nice to him if he sniffed her again. Probably not. She’d think about it.

Jada glanced at the Weyrleader, eyes going wide. “I- I’m very sorry sir. “ She tried to shift Krypth’s body, but the dragonet resisted, creeling in protest. “Get off his lap!”

Some poor wherry had looked away from their plate for too long.

That same poor wherry had forgotten that Charath had been hatched in this clutch. Somehow, the green dragonet had detached herself from Erisi's side to begin her life's mission of making everyone else suffer. Even her own bonded was not safe from Charath's antics. The green snuck up behind one of the Weyrfolk, waiting until they were thoroughly engrossed in conversation with another person. Then, ever-so carefully, she craned her neck, tongue lashing out to lick her victim's food. The plate was far from being empty, and Charath did not even bother to consume their meal. No, she just licked it. Immediately after that action, the person turned around, startled to see a dragonet sitting innocently beside them. They probably thought she was cute, and when they finally took a bite out of their meal Charath trumpted with triumph!

I DID IT! Did you see that? THEY ATE IT. The green dragonet crooned, rising back onto her hind legs to search out her bonded. Ah, there he was! Erisi was seated at a table, ducking his head to conceal his embarrassment over his dragonet's actions. He hadn't seen what she had done, but she knew she did something, and that was enough for him to assume that it was terrible. He was going to pretend that she did not belong to him, that she was some dragon from the wilds that wandered around tricking people for her pleasure.

...You didn't even watch! I told you to watch me. Now I have to do it again.

"No, no, no..." Erisi grumbled underneath his breath, hands moving to now hide his face. He couldn't even muster the energy to stop her. If she didn't get out her playful antics now, she would harass him later. In his opinion, it was better that she mess with someone else rather than him.

If you do not watch me this time, I will pull a prank on the Weyrleader. She was confident he would watch her, since she knew her bonded wanted no trouble with D'ren. But, when he didn't respond, it gave her some concern that he really wasn't going to watch her. Fine, I will do it on the Weyrleader then. Charath said stuffily.

"CHARATH!" She could hear Erisi's yell from across the Gather Square, and chuckling madly into his head, she weaved mischievously between chairs and under tables to hide from him.

D'ren smiled, wholly charmed by the little gold.  She clearly already had an idea of how she liked things; remarkable for a beat not yet 24 hours old! "Well,  Krypth," he said dotingly, reaching out to offer his hand for her to sniff. "That's a good idea, but not entirely feasible! You see, you will grow very quickly....and before you know it, you'll already be too large to fit in Jada's bed with her," he said. "The stone bed on the floor is designed to suit your needs as you grow."

This was going to be a good one, he thought proudly.

He turned his attention back to Jada. "He did the first night," he replied. "More often, he would curl up at the foot of my bed or rest his head on the edge as close to me as he could. He outgrew that stage pretty quickly, though," he said. Of course, some of the dragonets would stay small for longer, but Krypth would not be one of them. There was no telling how large she'd be, but she would be larger than most by default.

D'ren smiled as Krypth's head slid into his lap. "Aw, she's fine," he sighed almost protectively, reaching out and stroking the dragonet's hide with a gentle hand. The little queen's assertiveness was already plainly visible. "She's more than welcome, she's not bothering anything."

D'ren didn't notice Charath or Erisi. Ronarth was another story. He didn't see the greenling, but Erisi was the unfortunate recipient of Ronarth's attention...at the worst possible time. Ronarth craned his head over to Erisi and purred a greeting.

Are you happy now? Ronarth asked eagerly, his mind going back to their first meeting where he'd asked Eri 'don't you want to have a dragon?'. He had one now! He ought to be happy, that was for sure. Ronarth had no idea that he was holding Erisi up at a crucial moment.

Without giving personal space a second thought, Ronarth went to nuzzle the green weyrling.

The voice he heard in his mind was not the raspy tone his dragonet possessed. The voice was warm, but compared to Charath any dragon would sound nicer. The few that had ever spoken to him did not have the same quality to their voice as Charath did. Her sound was distinctive, and to others it'd probably make the hairs on their arms stand up straight because it was simply that dark. Erisi was leaning out of his seat, trying to locate his hidden dragonet when Ronarth decided to interrupt him. Perhaps another time he would have been more receptive to the intrusion. Before, he had never been accepting of Ronarth's intrusion into his space - but Charath was forcing him to adjust to having a dragon nearby.

Still, Ronarth had terrible timing.

"I'm happy with her." He said quickly, as if implying that Charath was the only exception to the rule. He bent over, trying to spy Charath underneath one of the tables. He was sure that he had seen the flick of her green tail too close to where the Weyrleader was sitting. He was in the process of dismissing Ronarth's presence entirely as he stood up to chase after his dragonet (he really couldn't let her get him into more trouble) when Ronarth's face was suddenly right up to his own.

Startled, he stumbled a step backwards, hands reaching out to press lightly against Ronarth's snout. "Woah, space. Give me a little breathing room." It was a far more tolerable reaction than Erisi would have given him if he hadn't Impressed. There certainly would have been a curse or two in his reply. Awkwardly, he pat the dragon's snout, as if to reassure the bronze that nothing was wrong.

Until he heard Charath cackling in his mind.

"Can you see my green?" Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Don't you dare tell him where I am! Charath's harsh sounding voice reached out to Ronarth when she realized her bonded was calling in reinforcements. A woman squawked with surprise as Charath bumped into her leg, giving away the green dragonet's position momentarily. But, Charath was on the move, quite thrilled with her little game and... well, looking for her next victim.

If you do not tell him where I am, I will not play tricks on you tonight, she coaxed Ronarth sweetly.

"I CAN HEAR YOU TOO, CHARATH." Erisi yelled, not doubting that his dragonet could hear him.

Unless he was the source of entertainment for a gathering, Valerian was never one to arrive with plenty of time to spare. He was never one to be excessively late, either. He tended to be on time for classes whether he was giving them or taking them and meandered to the beat of his own drum for every other occurrence. A feast in his name -- sort of, since it was for those that had Impressed -- was something he would have taken pride in attending and showing up soon after it started to make a fashionable and noteworthy entrance. There was just one thing stopping him from that.

Veeth.

His fussy dragon refused to be seen at such a special occasion, which he insisted was for him and his siblings safely hatching though he was quick to add that the humans looking after them were still very important, without looking his absolute finest. He had been bathed that morning but it wasn't enough and Valerian found himself having to scrub the little blue hide once more and applying oil that he had to borrow from B'jin which meant Veeth now smelled of lavender but he seemed to like that feminine scent. Once the dragonet was tended to, Veeth insisted that Valerian straighten up his clothing and to stop running his hands through his hair and ruining a perfectly well-styled look. They ended in a compromise when Veeth realized that frustration only made his human run his hands through dark locks all the more.

So there they were, a good hour after the festivities began, approaching the Square. Valerian did his best to smile graciously at the strangers that congratulated him while Veeth pranced and danced around in circles at the praise. He was a fine looking little blue after all and it was so nice of everyone to notice and point it out. While the compliments came in, Valerian gave replies that probably showed his interest was already waning as his gaze moved over the crowd looking for one of his friends. He saw Jada first thanks to the brilliant gold hide of Krypth constantly catching whatever amount of light was surrounding her but since they were with the weyrleader, Valerian figured it wasn't the best time to approach her. She was, after all, the next great hope for Katila and it was understandable that the leadership would want to spend some time with her since she would one day be taking over their position. That thought still didn't sit well with the Harper that remembered -- after some cheek pinching and encouragement -- the bratty little sister from their childhood days.

She will be fine. Krypth is the order to Jada's chaos so they will balance and be a fine team to follow. Veeth's voice was always soft and musical but having so many people fawn over him was making the tone nearly insufferable to his bonded that typically avoided those that were eternally perky. B'jin was an exception because Larrikith was amazing and the rider made for an easy target to harass when he wasn't sharing stories that kept Valerian interested. Your mind wanders quickly, you know. But I would like to meet all of your friends.

"You will and B'jin will be here at least since he doesn't seem the sort to miss a party, especially given Allie Impressed bronze. Larrikith might be around but we'll find her another day if not." Even as he promised to find the sassy green, Valerian wondered if it was really a good idea to have her influence the young and impressionable dragonet so early on. Just another thing to worry about later as he caught sight of Erisi and waved when the man looked in his direction. "There's Eri, c'mon."

When Veeth seemed to hesitate in following, Valerian could feel the resignation at having to deal with Charath again. Why couldn't their dragons get along? They liked the other dragonet's human, probably more than they were supposed to -- he'd have to ask someone about that -- but that just made them uneasy with each other. "Charath will probably be busy pestering everyone else. Stop moping and let's go be social. This is all for us, after all." Well, they were one pair out of seventeen that it was for, but that detail wasn't important. You're right! There are so many lovely people to meet tonight. With his head held high, Veeth took the lead as they headed for Erisi.

Krypth liked D'ren. His lap was quite comfortable, and she pushed her head under his hand as he held it out for her perusal. She didn't need to sniff him to recognize that this paternal fellow was right up her alley. He was friendly. She heard a trumpet and her eyes whirled to catch sight of a clutchmate. Ahh. it was Charath. She snorted in disdain and turned her attention to the sound of D'ren's voice. I think that is silly. The stone beds are not at all as comfortable as a pillow. How am I supposed to stay close to her if I cannot sleep with her? She shifted, attention going to a young child toddling past. Ahh, Jada, little humans! Just like I am a little dragon!Krypth speak

"Maybe we could get her a pillow of her own?" Jada knew she probably sounded like she was whining, but she didn't know how else to phrase it. "And yes, Krypth. That is a child."

They are cute. And I don't want a pillow of my own. I want to stay with you. D'ren,. will you rub behind my headknobs? They itch. I am very itchy, Jada will oil me tonight. It will be nice.

"A pillow of your own is still staying with me. We will put it next to mine, and maybe we'll actually sleep tonight since you won't find my hair tickling your nose. And yes, I will oil you." The dragonet

Krypth hummed as D'ren's hand stroked over her hide, crooning with pleasure. Yes, this was much better than anything else. Jada, you need to get some lessons from D'ren. He has very good petting hands. And he says I am welcome to stay! I like this very much. Green eyes whirled as she stretched out her neck, trying to grab at something that caught her eye. Oops, she missed! Neck out, a blue hide caught her attention, and the gold head rose. I know that one! Veeth! Veeth! Come here and say hello to D'ren! He gives very good pats! Get him to rub behind your headknobs.

Nirinath touched down in the Gathering Square lightly, nearly humming with excitement. Tsuen was excited about the success of the clutch (and, though she'd have admitted it to no one, relieved to sleep in her own hut, instead of near the Circuit), and it made Nirinath nearly giddy. The Weyrwoman was dressed in a medium blue dress, cut to the calves and split to just above the knee, with a short sleeve. The outfit swished around her as she walked in the way she adored as she dismounted from the Queen and turned to take in the preparations for the festivities. Things were flowing smoothly, nearly finished as far as she could see.

Eyes sweeping the Square, she noted the presence of D'ren and Ronarth, as well as three of the new Weyrlings. But only two dragonets. Why would that be? Erisi looked irritated, and yelled to his green - Charath, then, was likely near, just 'hiding'. Nirinath found her fairly quickly, though she did have some size on the rest of the gathered(except Ronarth, of course), even seated. She stared in the green's general direction, then spoke to her. Are you causing problems, Charath?, she asked, in a tone that suggested the dragonet had better not be. Near Erisi was Veeth, followed by Valerian. Tsuen smiled at and congratulated them both, before moving on to where the Weyrleader and her new Junior Weyrwoman were seated next to each other. Krypth's even golden hide was stretched between the two laps, she noted as she approached and slid into the chair on the opposite side of the table. "Good afternoon, Weyrleader, Junior Weyrwoman, and congratulations to you, young lady." A grin lifted her cheeks. "Enjoying yourself so far?"

Nirinath came slowly up next to D'ren, crooning in greeting rather than bespeaking either of the two. She then lay down and didn't quite stick her nose in Krypth's face, but near enough for the dragonet to complete the action, clearly happy to see her.

Breathing room? You are breathing just fine Ronarth reasoned with light amusement, completely unaware of just how badly he was missing the point. He leaned into Erisi's fingers and rumbled loudly.

I know where she is he said agreeably, cocking his head to one side as he exhaled. But she doesn't want me to tell you he explained, the intonation of his voice implying just how unfortunate he found the whole situation.

Back at the table, D'ren contented himself petting Krypth. He complied with her request,  running his calloused fingers over her headknobs and eyeridges with deceptive delicateness. He laughed gently. "It still seems like yesterday, when ROnarth was just a baby like this," he cooed, still wholly unaware of Charath's approach. He did catch sight of the little blue and her new bonded...Wasn't that Valerian, one of I'shan's searchees? D'ren nodded a greeting to the bluepair before returning his attention to Krypth.

"You can give her a pillow if you want," he said. "They're very clingy at this age...As she grows, she'll come to be a bit more independent and realize that you don't have to sleep on top of each other to be close," he explained patiently.  "Ronarth kept crawling into bed with me until he was too large."

His face brightened as Nirinath appeared, dropping into view from between and depositing her rider before craning her neck over to inspect her new golden daughter. "Tsuen," D'ren greeted warmly, reaching out with his free hand to take hers and kiss the top of it. "Good evening to you as well. I take it Nirinath is happy to be free of the sands!"

Nearby, Ronarth let out a happy warble and immediatly pulled away from Erisi. The bronze padded over to Nirinath, trusting people to move out of his way as he made his way over and curled up alongside his mate. D'ren's eyes widened in momentary terror as people hustled out of the clumsy dragon's way.

Ronarth... he thought with dismay.

What?

...Nothing. Sigh.

The arrival of the older Queen did not go unnoticed by the younger; Krypth lifted her head and set it on the table instead of in the aisle, watching the approach of the two females with some curiosity. She looks much more feminine than you, Jada. Krypth's voice was mild, but not disapproving. Her dress would not be practical in all situations. But maybe you should have dressed up and tried to look nice too. Not that Jada would have had time, with all the demands Krypth was already deciding needed to be placed on her companion! But the dragonet had decided that Hers would sink or swim, with their bond as her oar!

"I would appreciate the pillow." Jada tried to ignore the dragonet's light prodding. "And maybe a blanket. She keeps stealing all of mine. I almost ended up sleeping in her bed with her last night, with all the times I fell on the floor because of her. Not that I actually got much sleep at all." The look she gave Krypth wasn't accusing. Not at all. A glance back at Ronarth got Jada to grin, and she leaned in towards D'ren conspiratorially. "How long does it take them to get too big?"

But then Tsuen was there, sliding onto the seating at other side of the table. Jada would have rose, but new-Hatched rump was in her lap. "G-G-Good-"

Don't stutter, Jada. You're mine now.

Easier said than done. "Good afternoon, Weyrwoman." What was the difference between the nerves in her stomach between D'ren's casual friendliness and Tsuen's equally kind greeting? The formality of it? The driving home that Tsuen was a person with whom she would be spending a lot of time over the turns to come? Unless another gold was born, if anything happened to Tsuen or Nirinath...

You will be Weyrwoman. Jada? Jada, why are you so pale?

Live forever, Tsuen! A golden head dropped towards Krypth's own, and the gold lifted her nose to meet the larger dragon's eyes. There was a moment of sniffing, and then Krypth sneezed at her mother, dropping her head onto D'ren's chest. "I can't imagine having to spend almost 4 months attached to the Sands." Jada admitted. "The brief description we got sounds exhausting." How did she tell the Weyrwoman 'thank you' for congratulations? Would she thank Nirinath? Or shards, would she thank Krypth? (Did she want to thank Krypth?)

Politics: Not Jada's forte?

Valerian never made it to Erisi’s side as Veeth came to an abrupt halt in front of him, nearly sending the Harper tripping over the blue obstacle. Can we see them in a bit? Veeth tilted his head up to look at Valerian, an imploring gaze given with eyes swirling pink with his excitement. They could see Erisi every day but the weyrleader was harder to see and he sounded quite nice already with Krypth’s enthusiasm. Krypth wants to see me and says D’ren will lavish me with appropriate attention. That was far more than what Charath would do. She was an annoying little green, which was baffling because Veeth liked the other greens in their clutch, so what was wrong with Charath? She clearly hatched on her head. The only good thing she had going for her was she knew how special Valerian was.

“I don’t have a choice in this, do I?” Valerian was learning quickly that Veeth liked to get his own way and indulge in being pampered but in return he was quick to show how much he cared for Valerian and made sure his own needs were met. It just seemed that right now the compromising came more in the form of giving into Veeth’s whims and tag along to make sure he stayed out of trouble. Still, he was already hoping B’jin’s promise that rider and dragon would eventually be okay to do their own things sometimes would happen sooner rather than later. Not that he could even dream of turning his back on Veeth and ignoring the little blue. That thought seemed to appease the dragonet that started to worry he was being a bother as Veeth then trotted off to their new destination.

As they approached, Ronarth was settling in and even though Valerian had seen both the gold and bronze dragon up close before, he was still blown away by their size and majestic air. It was also still mind boggling to know that Jada and Allendris would be riding atop creatures like that in the near future. One day he might be able to accept the idea of the bratty little sister type leading the Weyr but for now, he didn’t have to do anything more than greet people and enjoy the celebrations. “Hi,” it was a simple and informal greeting but he had done all the flowing formal spiel at the Touching when it mattered. Now was a night of fun and Valerian didn’t feel like standing on ceremony, especially when a dragonet, albeit a gold one, was draped on D’ren.

Veeth, for his part, came to a stop in front of the large dragons that had sired him, startled by their size and hoping he would be as large as them when he started growing. How wonderful it would be to be of such a size, showing off his beautiful blue hide and impressing everyone who saw him! With a sigh of longing for the future, Veeth returned to the present with a soft trumpet of greeting and his voice reaching out to all those near him, Hello! Everyone looks wonderful today! D’ren, Krypth says you give good pats. He moved toward the Weyrleader, sitting himself prettily beside D’ren’s chair and looking at him expectantly.

Valerian sighed and ran his hand through his hair and gave a slight shake of his head, trying to hide the smirk that wanted to appear at the dragon’s antics. It was shaping up to look like he would never be bored with Veeth.

R’nd was lost to the swirl of music, good alcohol, and the kiss he had shared with B’jin minutes earlier that was well-received just as his invite to find him later had been. To top it off, he had I’shan giving him a quick peck to the cheek – though R’nd had glanced around for N’gelt soon after leaving the searchriders to make sure he wasn’t going to get punched again – and I’shan had given him a bottle of wine! He took another swig, not bothering with a glass since he wasn’t going to share the contents anyway, and revelled in the sweetness. He did enjoy the finer and sweeter things in life. But he also enjoyed company. I’shan and B’jin were busy in their cool kids club of searchriders and R’nd didn’t expect Kerrin to show up to a party for those that had Impressed when he hadn’t and Indivara was lying in bed with a horrible injury, so grey eyes were scanning the crowd to find other people he knew and liked enough to mingle with.

His search was interrupted when one of his past lovers grabbed him and pulled him in for a dance, which R’nd merrily went along with. He loved dancing and since this former bedmate didn’t want to hit him, or so he hoped since ending the dance on the ground with a sore jaw or groin didn’t sound too fun, the bluerider had no qualms in spinning around and gyrating with the greenrider. At the end of the song where he was still left on his feet and intact, R’nd gave the woman a light kiss to the cheek before disappearing in the crowd once more. His face lit up when he saw Erisi’s scowl, likely a result of the missing green dragonet.

Even though he knew better, having lived through it himself, R’nd still called out a greeting to one of his current casual lovers to announce his presence before slipping up behind Erisi, arms circling the man’s slender waist. Like he had done with the dance, R’nd was mindful of the wine bottle he held, not wanting either of them to wear it since ruining nice clothes and wasting delicious wine didn’t agree with his current mood. “Hey, gorgeous. Congratulations on Impressing. I’m happy for you but I’m also a bit sad,” his words were softly spoken next to an ear he resisted nibbling on; a pout evident in the last few words.

"No, I am breathing in your breath - I'm going to choke." Erisi answered with waning patience. His dragonet was making sweetened threats at him, and Ronarth didn't seem to get the hint that either he should help Erisi locate her, or at least back a few dragon lengths away from him. Ronarth seemed like the sort of dragon who had little to no awareness of how large he was, and thus was likely to trample over Erisi. He resisted the urge to shove the large dragon's head away, because he was sure the Weyrleader would take poorly to any sort of 'mistreatment' of his dragon. Erisi was sure that he didn't like Ronarth, but he had some tolerance for the Bronze considering that his own dragonet was far worse in wholly different ways. Still, he almost dismissed Ronarth's presence completely when the bronze refused to key him in on where Charath was. That sharding Green was probably plotting with the Bronze, already manipulating him so that Erisi could never locate even the tip of her tail.

While Erisi was panicking over what Charath was getting up to, Charath had stopped getting up to anything. Her mother's voice called out to her in an almost patient scolding. I am not causing trouble. I am creating... challenges. She responded to Nirinath as sweetly as she could manage, eyes whirling an innocent blue. Unfortunately, Charath's voice was anything but sweet. It was the type of voice, rather, that made the hair on a person's arms stand up straight. Even if she tried to sound sweet, it never worked. Still, Nirinath's warning wasn't quite enough to convince Charath to return to her bonded's side. Instead she sat still, tail curling around her legs, becoming the perfect image of a statue - a sweet, non-troublemaking statue.

When Tsuen greeted Erisi, all he could offer to her was strict pleasantries. His mind was still focused on Charath, and well, with Weyrleaders it was probably better not to say more than the bare minimum. D'ren was already well on his way to disliking Erisi, he didn't need to do the same with Tsuen. Even Valerian, whom he caught out of the corner of his eye, didn't receive a greeting. Erisi suspected that Charath was at the other end of the Hatching Feast, avoiding him with a malicious pleasure. She was definitely turning into the type of dragonet that enjoyed seeing her bonded squirm. I am not doing anything. Yet. Charath informed him, apparently waiting Nirinath out. Eventually her mother's attention had to be drawn elsewhere.

Arms came about his waist, and Erisi nearly jumped out of his own skin - the sudden presence when he was so focused on finding Charath sharding surprised him. He turned his head, sending an expert glare over his shoulder before he realized just exactly who it was that came up behind him. The look was quickly rectified and replaced by a stressed smile. He liked R'nd - no, not like that, for Faranth's sake just because he slept with someone did not mean he was suddenly deeply and sickeningly in love with them. Their rendezvous were casual and enjoyable, and as a person, R'nd was easy to get along with. The man never demanded anything from Erisi that he was not willing to give. After a few seconds, Erisi relaxed and leaned back against the Bluerider. The inclination to kiss the man came and went, mostly because somewhere in the back of his mind Erisi remembered that he shouldn't start kissing all the boys after newly Impressing.

If your legs were tired, you could have sat on Veeth.

Erisi sighed. "Thanks - I'm sad for me too, since Charath seems destined to aggravate me. Wait, why are you sad?"

R’nd chuckled softly at Erisi’s sighed comment about his dragonet. He remembered the early days with Ayyonth and how the blue seemed to want to meet Kerrin despite it being one of their sevendays of not talking. When Kerrin finally decided he was done being angry and came to see the newly Impressed pair, Ayyonth decided he liked the weyrbrat immensely and started to pick up his habits and joined in on teasing his rider. Nearly four turns later and he was still dealing with their tag-team efforts against him. “You’ll get used to it and find a way to either ignore her comments and antics or bribe her into behaving, at least while in public gatherings like this. I’ll help you whenever I can until then as well.” It probably wasn’t good to make promises while half in the bag and without meeting the troublemaking green first but R’nd did like to help where he could and Erisi was rather entertaining himself.

But he would have a turn to wait until the real entertainment provided could be touched upon again. Speaking of touching, R’nd let a hand tugged at Erisi’s shirt, pleased to find it wouldn’t be a hindrance with it being tucked in, and dipped beneath the fabric. Fingers softly glided over the warm expanse of skin, not caring that he could end up in trouble for seducing a young weyrling and for doing it in public. “Because if I do anything more than this, Charath will have a fit,” R’nd sighed in mourning, chin dropping to rest on Erisi’s shoulder while his fingers found and toyed with a nipple. “You can’t have sex until she’s matured.”

"You haven't heard her. She's impossible to ignore," Erisi whined softly. He already loved Charath, but there were a few kinks in their relationship that they would have to work out. Eventually, Charath would realize that Erisi was a jealous individual, and that her favoring Valerian so much inflicted mild injuries on his ego. He'd always tolerate it, but it also left him wondering why she didn't pick the other boy. She could reassure him countless times that he was just right for her, but she sure did a mighty fine job of driving him crazy already. Erisi was a dominant personality, but she was even more-so. It was easy to tell already which one of them would be running their relationship. It wasn't the human.

R'nd did do a good job of drawing him out of his worries, and he sighed pleasantly as a hand slipped under his shirt and skimmed over the warm skin of his torso. It was nice, and he always had a fondness for being pampered. He rested his head back against R'nd's shoulder, content to remain just like this. It was rare for him to enjoy this sort of interaction, which meant that Charath had him off his normal game. He could feel her scoffing at his actions, and though she didn't actually talk to him, he could figure out what she would have said anyways. She was clearly distracted by her mother's presence, or Erisi wouldn't be guessing at what she would have said, because she would have said it by now.

He was content.

And then R'nd continued to talk. Erisi stiffened, forgetting to breathe for a moment, and not because R'nd's fingers were expertly playing over a nipple, but because he had heard what the man had said. Shells. Faranth sharding shellface! This wasn't news persay, but it was something he had put towards the back of his mind because it was just that horrific. Nevermind that he couldn't have sex for a sevenday, but for a whole turn? He wouldn't last. He'd be the first person at Katila to die from sex starvation. The revelation completely changed his mood, and now he was even more sad than R'nd had said he was feeling.

Are you having a mood swing already? Charath interjected into his mind, somehow sounding both amused and concerned.

He whined softly, smoothing a hand over his face to try and calm his now anxious thoughts. "I'm going to die. I didn't have sex the day before I Impressed Charath and I'm already dying. I won't make it through this turn. Get my sharding grave ready, R'nd. Oh wait, you don't have to worry about that. Just drop my corpse between."

So dramatic.

R’nd should have known his news would have received such a reaction but even in his drunken state, there was the belief that Erisi had learned all about the terrible times ahead during a class. Then again, no one, including the grumpy Harper, had expected him to Impress so why pay attention to every little detail? All he had to do was look like he was paying attention and remember the bigger information to avoid G’rem smacking him and he’d make it through classes just fine. His hand slipped away from the teasing it had been doing, falling free from under the shirt to rest once more around Erisi’s waist as the bluerider contemplated how best to answer.

“Hey, I survived Weyrlinghood, right?” It had been an interesting time for him and to this day he still believed Ayyonth had played up the jealousy and whined more than he needed to any time poor sexually deprived Orwind had starting flirting with someone. At least when they neared a turn together, Ayyonth started to mellow out and allowed him to give or receive lingering touches and a kiss snuck in here and there. “You’re creative so I know you’ll find a way to make it work out for you but in a little while. So I’m going to hold off on preparing your funeral.”

Carefully moving around Erisi, one arm still looped around the smaller man’s waist as the other continued to guard the bottle of wine he had acquired, R’nd held them tight together. “While Ayyonth and I would like to properly meet Charath later, she might be mad at me for a few days but tell her it was to make you happy.” R’nd hoped it would make Erisi happy anyway. If anything it would likely add to the man’s depression at having to give up sex but still R’nd leaned in, mouth going to an ear to whisper his words that he didn’t want anyone else overhearing since it might get him in trouble for corrupting the weyrlings and upsetting dragonets. “If she takes a shining to any of your friends, you might be able to use it as a loophole for the slightly more innocent acts.”

As R’nd pulled away, he gave a soft kiss to Erisi’s lips and smiled, gesturing to the festivities surrounding them, “but for now, go and dance, have fun! This party is meant for you after all.”

"I can't possibly fathom how you lived to this day," Erisi answered sullenly. He supposed there were ample reasons for Weyrlings to behave themselves in that way, and yes, he remembered a few of them, but that did not mean he had to like it. If hating Katila Weyr wasn't his main reason to avoid Impressing, not having sex for a whole turn was probably a close second. While he enjoyed sex, he didn't necessarily want to go out of his way to upset Charath. Already he could feel her curiously prodding her mind, and while she didn't seem upset, she was very much displeased. Of course, with her attention focused on him, she couldn't keep getting into trouble...

That is not why you are doing that. He does not need to hang all over you. And no, I can make you just as happy in other ways. She answered, as if plucking his rebuttal from the forefront of his mind. Erisi frowned slightly, as he still considered their cuddling to be fairly tame. Sure, R'nd's hand had slipped once, but now it was in a rather safe zone around his waist. If Charath was getting a little moody over this, there was no way that Erisi was going to get anything. He may as well be considered dead, because for all intents and purposes his body would be by the end of the first season.

Erisi arched a playful brow as R'nd leaned close to whisper in his ear. Charath seemed to tolerate R'nd's obvious display of affection for him, but since he figured returning these gestures would be too much for her, he held back. "Encouraging disobedience? Your Weyrleader would be ashamed," he purred, indicating that while he was certainly enjoying the attention, he was in no position to reciprocate. Shells, he wanted to but, yes, Charath, he knows. He's not going to keep letting R'nd pet him, give him a second. "She is terribly fond of one of my classmates already." He answered, sending a not-so subtle glance towards Valerian.

Not that fond. she answered grumpily.

He hummed pleasantly at the kiss, letting R'nd untangle his arms from around him. There was an awful lot of space between them now, but he supposed that it was for the best. "You really expect me to enjoy it when you just about told me that my life is over?"

It's just starting!

R’nd laughed at Erisi’s purred words and knew if there wasn’t a little green dragonet hiding somewhere amongst the crowd, the newly Impressed Harper would be all over him. He really had to stop getting so intimate with the Candidates since there would always be a chance they would go off and Impress and be unavailable for at least a turn. It was a bit sad when he thought about it. But who would have expected Erisi to Impress! “My Weyrleader won’t know how naughty I am… at least in this endeavour.” No, D’ren already knew quite well how much trouble blueriders could be and lately him in general so what was one more mark against him? R’nd wasn’t even certain D’ren saw him draped over one of the weyrlings anyway so he probably got away with it this time. Even in his drunken state, R’nd knew he had been walking a fine line and would have to avoid doing so again when he saw the next weyrling he had slept with before.

“Anyway, making it through weyrlinghood until your dragon matures more than makes up for that lost turn, trust me.” R’nd grinned, ignoring the guilt brought on by ruining Erisi’s night of celebration by being the bearer of bad news, and spun on his heels to meander on to the next target.

Another swig of the sweet wine was taken as he moved through the crowd once more but he nearly choked on the next gulp when he saw N’gelt. While he wasn’t one to cower and hide, R’nd still got a little jumpy when the brownrider suddenly appeared so grey eyes tracked his movement. Instead of a sigh of a relief when N’gelt wasn’t headed his way, R’nd let out a small groan when he saw I’shan and B’jin dancing. That wasn’t going to sit well with that particular jealous lover! He started to push through the crowd, hoping to catch up and intervene before either of his friends met N’gelt’s fist like he had before but stopped not too far from the group. N’gelt was leaving and without any violent acts? I’shan wouldn’t take that well and it seemed he didn’t when a moment later he took off as well. That left B’jin and the greenrider looked far more shaken up than R’nd would have expected and he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something else going on inside that carefully guarded mind.

Should he approach and find out or leave B’jin alone?

B'jin nodded slightly, once, understanding flaring through brown eyes as he met I'shan's sad and drunken gaze. He twisted the empty wine bottle between his own fingers. The greenrider didn't question I'shan's desire to go home, though his sad expression reflected B'jin's lack of desire to let his friend stew on his own. That would do little to fix the situation, but B'jin wasn't going to intervene; partly because he didn't think I'shan would appreciate it, but mostly because he was afraid. B'jin slipped backwards a step, masking his sudden flinch when I'shan went to hug him in the motion, posture stiffening slightly and eyes widening. His distressed friend didn't notice, for which B'jin would have been glad if he weren't also certain I'shan was fairly incapable of noticing much of anything right then.

"Night," B'jin murmured, voice barely above a whisper as the blue dropped out of the night sky to pick him up. The greenrider's gaze traced their exit, expression distinctly unhappy as the higher emotions leveled out, faded slightly, and left him feeling exhausted. B'jin? Yes, Larri? It came out a depressed sigh, B'jin's shoulder's slumping as he shook the empty wine bottle - just to make sure it actually was empty - and glanced toward the roof his dragon was perched on. R'nd is staring at you.

Surprise coursed through the greenrider at his dragon's words and he spun in the direction she indicated, brown eyes wide, to quickly spot R'nd amongst the partying crowd. Numerous emotions flashed across the man's face, before eyes brightened and a small smile tilted his lips up at the corners as he smiled warmly at the bluerider. Unable to determine what to make of the expression on the younger man's face, B'jin took the most sensible course of action he could think of at the point in time. He threw a wink - filled with promise and none of them answers - at the bluerider, and swept across the clearing used for dancing in the opposite direction to R'nd. He deposited his empty wine bottle on a table, and swept up a new one, thrilling in the realisation that it was not a Katilan brew.

Larrikith was less than amused, and her voice was dry and betrayed none of the depth of alcohol B'jin had been consuming, or that she now knew he planned to consume. I will bring him to you later, after he has finished dancing. Even as she spoke, B'jin was cajoling a fellow greenrider out into the dance space, clearly laughing as he teasted the other man with words and insistant fingers, though the wine bottle was making frequent trips to his mouth with a new found dedication that had already done a number on the liquid contents.


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R’nd hated how he only stood there as B’jin worked out what he wanted to do before the smile and wink were sent his way before the greenrider turned the opposite way. He should have smiled or showed concern, went to his friend or reached out for him, called out to him. No, R’nd just stood there, looking utterly pathetic as he silently contemplated why what he just witnessed, and continued to do so as B’jin danced with another, somewhat hurt. Larrikith brought him little joy either, though he did manage a small smile at her attempt to help. Only if he wants to come, Larrikith. I’m not sure I’m the one he wants tonight after all. He clung onto the promise that wink gave and the eagerness of earlier when B’jin agreed to find him later on but R’nd was still struggling with the odd sense of being rejected by someone that wasn’t V’zire who was stuck in his strange relationship.  I will have no one else over tonight, though, just in case.

R’nd smiled at a couple of people he knew walking by him as he mentally called out for Ayyonth to come down and pick him up. With another group properly greeted and his bottle of wine chugged empty and left on a table, R’nd moved to a clearing where Ayyonth had landed. Let’s head home. I think the illusion of happiness is wearing off. He had come to celebrate and get completely smashed in order to forget the injuries from the Hatching and Kerrin not Impressing. He had done what he could with consoling his friend the night before but Kerrin still didn’t seem pleased with the outcome. With that still on his mind, I’shan’s new issue with N’gelt, and the way B’jin didn’t seem quite like himself, R’nd didn’t think he had enough energy in him to continue smiling and having a good time as if everything was fine.

Besides, he tried to distract himself from everything anyway, it was best to cut out before D’ren or S’kef caught up to him about how he had been with Erisi. If either of them saw, he had behaved well enough to dance his way out of punishment but that could be done on the morrow. The remainder of the night saw him having a hot date with a bottle of whatever he grabbed first from his dwindling collection while he waited for a dancing greenrider to appear.

Larrikith was shocked by R'nd's silent communications, before deep irritation set in. He knew B'jin better than that, she knew he did. That he could even imagine B'jin would rather spend the evening with someone else was beyond Larrikith's ability to comprehend. The bluerider's alcohol fuddled brain was the only thing that saved him from several rude comments that the little green thought of. Sleep with another indeed!

B'jin, for his part, was not unaware of his dragon's emotions - she had been so shocked by R'nd's words she hasn't shielded B'jin from her reaction - and the man turned to peer in her direction. In the process, frowning brown eyes caught sight of Ayyonth taking off, his hide bright an dark in the questionable lighting of the Square, the unmistakable form of R'nd atop him. Eyes narrowing further in cofusion, B'jin frowned at where R'nd had been standing. He hadn't expected his friend to leave; flitter back through the crowds, drag someone into the dancing space, or steal B'jin himself from his fellow searchrider; but not leave. He watched Ayyonth over the shoulder of his dance partner until the blue vanished, then he finished the bottle of wine with a soft sigh, the sound muted.

Confusion flowed through the man, over powering Larrikith's irritation for a moment before it flared up anew and she glared down at her rider in aggravation. Idiots! You're both sharing idiots! her voice was unusually high pitched, and contained the mixed emotions of anger, frustration and exasperation. Could they do nothing right?! She supposed, in his own way, R'nd's response was a step in the right direction and probably as close to expressing jealousy as the bluerider was capable. B'jin's was not, however, and as a result he was receiving the brunt of her anger. Running away from problems - or questions - did nothing!

You hurt him! Larrikith snapped brutally, watching as B'jin faulted in his dance step and came to a screeching halt. Her eyes were red and swirling fast as she glared down at the two men.

I... What? How? Completely bewildered, the Harper stared up at his dragon for several moments before her words sunk in, and the guilt came crashing down on him. It didn't matter how he'd done it, just that he had and that Larrikith was telling him so - the same Larrikith that was usually telling him how foolish he was for taking the blame - B'jin felt it more so. Larri would never lie to him about something like that!

H-how? he faltered, untangling himself from the other rider with wide eyes and a horrified look. The other, realizing a conversation was going on that he wasn't a part of, release him and slipped away.

Didn't ask Larrikith said bluntly, not at all apologetic. B'jin needed to put his own puzzle together, if he ever wanted to fully appreciate it. She wasn't going to guide him the entire time!

B'jin pondered on that for a moment, a hand running over his face and back through his hair. Larrikith waited with an odd display of patience, despite the hot colours of her eyes. The passive nature in which R'nd had responded to being upset confused B'jin, who quite obviously had no idea how to respond to such an action. N'gelt's response was far easier to respond to - he knew what was expected of him then! This was good for hom, the green decided, and she knew what she wanted him to do, but she wanted him to come to that conclusion. Her irritation was beginning to peak once more, despite her best efforts, when B'jin finally spoke.

Does he still want me? he asked finally, voice muted against her mind. Larrikith hissed to herself at the combined stupidity of the two humans and the pause lengthened between them as she collected herself, unwilling to snap at B'jin for asking what she had been waiting for him to voice, even if she couldn't believe his thick headed need for confirmation.

Yes, she responded simply, though the word was grated and she saw B'jin flinch. Honestly!

Will you take me to him? He asked softly, and Larrikith's eyes flared a bright blue. As if she would take him anywhere else!

Will you talk to him? she asked, even as her small form landed in a clearing so B'jin could climb atop. Her rider frowned at her, before answering honestly.

No, his voice was gentle, but firm. Unexpectedly, he received Larrikith's approval and an eyebrow arched delicately to vanish under messy hair.

Good. There is too much alcohol and too much emotions tonight. She turned her head to peer at B'jin But you will talk to him, there was no question in there, B'jin realized. It was all order and no suggestion.

When the time is right, he hedged, as Larrikith threw herself aloft and swirled in the direction of R'nd's hut. She hadn't realized settling B'jin in a healthy relationship would be as much effort as she had invested in trying to get him out of the bad had been. She supposed it was worth it, and at least for all their going backwards, the two men were trying to go forward.

Larrikith landed gently outside of R'nd's hut and crooned a mellow greeting to Ayyonth as B'jin slid off. Ignoring him, Larrikith joined the blue and curled up beside him, content as B'jin slipped inside the hut. Finding R'nd easily enough in the dark hut, B'jin gently removed the wine bottle from the other man's fingers and placed it on the floor. Leaning down, he kisse him gently, fingers brushing back through R'nd's hair before he straightened up and used soft hands to encourage the bluerider onto his feet, brown eyes not leaving grey as he lead the way backwards to the bedroom.

---

[sup]I considered a new topic. But like Larri said. Too much alcohol and emotions and they're so not ready for that xD

Sent from my iPhone. Excuse weird words etc.[/sup]