24.Apr.13, 12:55 PM
The fact that Peorray seemed rather uncertain about whether she would Impress at all, much less a gold, saddened M'din. He remembered how discouraging it was come away from the Sands empty-handed, downcast eyes of friends and family not knowing what to say or simply not bothering to reassure him, as if it was his fault that a dragon didn't choose him. A needle of sympathy stung his heart for the Stolen woman.
"That's true," M'din said. "I liked to daydream about it, but that never made it more likely to happen." When she mentioned children, his ears perked up. Peorray was fairly young still, obviously younger than M'din- although his true age was difficult to determine as a rider- and he wondered if she had as many children as he did. It was hard to be a woman at Katila, a truth M'din found inherently deplorable, especially a Candidate now required to give birth before Impressing. He suppressed the urge to give his condolences on her gender, and opted to follow a happier discussion avenue.
"I have five children, three boys and two girls, and I can honestly say that bringing Armath into my life was more jarring than all of their births combined," M'din smiled widely, teeth peeking between his scruffy beard. "Granted, I didn't actually birth any of them."
He tried to find the words to describe the drastic change in his daily existence post-Impression, "With children, there's a clear line between your life as an individual and theirs. They reflect certain aspects of you, but are wholly independent beings, which is completely amazing when you think about it. Watching them grow is one of the most interesting experiences I've ever had." M'din mentally pushed himself back on track, rearranging himself in the bath water, fearing he might accidentally drown Peorray in off-topic conversations. "But with Armath, it was more like a missing piece of myself had suddenly appeared: my mind, my emotions, opened up. He was nothing like I had imagined, mind you, but I don't think I could dream up a dragon as clever as him. His memory may not be great, but he's far smarter than I am."
Glancing down at his wrinkled fingertips, M'din asked, "So, Peorray, what about you? Do you have children or are you just very insightful?" He didn't think he was overstepping any boundaries with the questions, certainly no more than jumping naked into a bath already occupied by a stranger, but he clasped his pruning hands nervously above his stomach as he awaited her response.
"That's true," M'din said. "I liked to daydream about it, but that never made it more likely to happen." When she mentioned children, his ears perked up. Peorray was fairly young still, obviously younger than M'din- although his true age was difficult to determine as a rider- and he wondered if she had as many children as he did. It was hard to be a woman at Katila, a truth M'din found inherently deplorable, especially a Candidate now required to give birth before Impressing. He suppressed the urge to give his condolences on her gender, and opted to follow a happier discussion avenue.
"I have five children, three boys and two girls, and I can honestly say that bringing Armath into my life was more jarring than all of their births combined," M'din smiled widely, teeth peeking between his scruffy beard. "Granted, I didn't actually birth any of them."
He tried to find the words to describe the drastic change in his daily existence post-Impression, "With children, there's a clear line between your life as an individual and theirs. They reflect certain aspects of you, but are wholly independent beings, which is completely amazing when you think about it. Watching them grow is one of the most interesting experiences I've ever had." M'din mentally pushed himself back on track, rearranging himself in the bath water, fearing he might accidentally drown Peorray in off-topic conversations. "But with Armath, it was more like a missing piece of myself had suddenly appeared: my mind, my emotions, opened up. He was nothing like I had imagined, mind you, but I don't think I could dream up a dragon as clever as him. His memory may not be great, but he's far smarter than I am."
Glancing down at his wrinkled fingertips, M'din asked, "So, Peorray, what about you? Do you have children or are you just very insightful?" He didn't think he was overstepping any boundaries with the questions, certainly no more than jumping naked into a bath already occupied by a stranger, but he clasped his pruning hands nervously above his stomach as he awaited her response.