Hello loves! While I haven't been writing, I have been working on updating some issues that have been hanging around on the layout! The Character change box is now at the bottom of the page, beside the up/down arrows! Green and Gold dragon flight dates have been shifted to the bottom of the page, where the (useless!) discord widget was located. Where the dragon flights were in the header, is now replaced by a Monthly Event box! This will be updated at the start of each month, with a fun mini-event you can take part in, if you want to! Thistle!
28.Feb.14, 02:02 AM
T’bia fretted, internally, anxiously, as he scrubbed Jycenth’s hide down, working with almost laughable dedication on each small portion of his bonded’s body. He had ever been terrified of leaving even one spot uncared for, lest his beautiful suited blue come out with a scar or mar upon his hide like those which Larrkith was home to. T’bia had never forgotten the day B’jin had forced each of them to examine the green’s mangled hide, and told with such a serious expression the lack of care that had brought it about. He couldn’t ever bare that Jycenth have any such marking upon his pretty hide. Ever.
Which was why his eyebrows were furrowed and his lips pursed as he circled around and around his dragon to make sure he got every last bit of him. Why he made Jycenth sit on his haunches and hold his arms out so that T’bia could get right up under his belly and under his arms and giggle softly when Jycenth complained of it tickling. But mostly, T’bia’s worry was because he wanted to do something nice for R’nd, to thank him for all the help he’d given, and he just couldn’t think of anything!
It had been one of his classmates (T’bia couldn’t even remember who, now) that had pointed out, rather snidely, that the only reason T’bia even knew which end of his dragon was the front was because R’nd had babied him through their entire Weyrlinghood. T’bia hadn’t been sure if he was outraged at the implied insult to Jycenth or not, but the hurt over the remark had won out in the end and the boy had cried most of the trip to the far end of the lake. He wasn’t that bad, was he?
Jycenth had stopped him before he’d fallen completely into the mess of emotions that comment had very nearly brought about, pointing out that – true or not – R’nd had indeed been very helpful throughout their Weyrlinghood, and maybe the bully was trying to say, in his less than eloquent way, that they ought to thank the man a little more. After all, he hadn’t had to help them, now had he? That had brightened T’bia up visibly, but only for a moment… The question then had been, what do you give a bluerider as a thank you gift? Especially one who already had everything!
R’nd already had a mate, and while the idea of putting a bow on B’jin’s head and presenting him to R’nd made T’bia giggle and Jycenth puff out an amused laugh, it was not very practical and he had a feeling his Weyrlingmaster would not particularly approve. B’jin was very proud.
T’bia and Jycenth walked up out of the water, the dragon pausing to shake himself free of excess moisture while T’bia unstopped the large bucket of oil and waited for his dragon to finish rolling in the hot sand, effectively drying himself. When he stood up, he shook like one of T’ken’s dogs, spraying sand all around him. T’bia smiled vaguely and snuggled the offered nose, placing a kiss on it as he pet Jycenth’s eye ridges with gentleness. Love for one another rolled off the pair of them, but T’bia’s mind was still unsettled with the disquiet of being unable to think of an appropriate gift.
He didn’t know how to cook, and besides, R’nd’s friend I’shan was like, the best cook ever so that was out. He couldn’t draw or write songs (or really write, to be honest) and he couldn’t play instruments like B’jin could (No one can, love ) so those things were out, too. He wasn’t very good at making oil for a dragon’s hide, and with how regularly he washed Jycenth, he didn’t have time to make some for anyone else. T’bia knew he didn’t have to wash and oil his dragon as often as he did (Quite a few are jealous of my regular pampering, you know. ) but he couldn’t stand the idea of mars, and besides, Jycenth really enjoyed it!
He didn’t trust his skills with working the leather to make R’nd and Ayyonth new riding straps, and his artistic skills in making them look pretty were extremely limited. He also couldn’t sew or embellish and –Enough of what you can’t do, love. You need to find something you can. R’nd likes you, you’re his friend. Why are you so anxious? You could give him half wilted mushrooms and he’d think you were brilliant and treasure the gift.
“Eww!” T’bia couldn’t help it; he burst into giggles at the idea of giving anyone dirty old mushrooms, and shook his head. “Because he’s been so nice,” T’bia pouted. “And he didn’t have to be. He’s still being nice to me, even though we’re not Weyrlings anymore and he doesn’t have to be around us.”
He’s your friend T’bia; that’s what friends do. They spend time together, and they enjoy each other’s company.
“But I want to give him a present.” T’bia was still pouting fantastically, his voice sulky, and Jycenth sighed as the boy began working oil into his nice clean, dry hide.
Pick him some pretty flowers, and some nice redfruit on the way home and you can give him that. And a hug, he likes hugs.
“Maybe.”
~ ~ ~
Jycenth’s suggestion won out, but really, T’bia was not very surprised in hindsight. Jycenth was infinitely smarter than he was, and he was always right. It was reassuring though, and T’bia took refuge in his dragon knowing what was best. He didn’t think dragon bonds were supposed to be like that – that the human defer to the dragon – but he supposed that was why he had a nice, sensible blue instead of a bronze or something. Those dragons were too lazy to think for themselves and green dragons were too hot headed. Blue was a good colour, and T’bia lazily petted the side of Jycenth’s neck as the dragon strode calmly towards the new Weyrfolk Hall.
Even though they could fly, T’bia was uncomfortable spending too much time in the sky, and the pair had reverted back to ‘pony rides’ more often than not once that was figured out. T’bia liked riding on Jycenth; he liked the connection and the quiet companionship and the lack of falling over his own feet. But flying made his stomach squeeze up and his eyes water and while he trusted Jycenth unquestionably to keep him safe… why make himself unnecessarily uncomfortable? That had been another one of Jycenth’s suggestions. Always right, his blue. Always knowing what is best.
In front of him, T’bia had a little satchel that was filled with a dozen or so redfruit, a few of them slightly over ripe and perfect for eating, but most of them just shy of being ripe, so the bluerider and his mate could take their time enjoying them without them spoiling too fast. In his spare hand, T’bia held an assortment of flowers, mostly shades of blue that, with a few pink and yellow thrown in for visual effect. He had tried to stick to the type of flower that was most closely coloured like Ayyonth’s hide, but it had not been easy.
Jycenth crooned a quiet greeting to Ayyonth as he stopped, glancing at the sleeping Larrikith but he could tell by the steady rise and fall of her side that she was truly asleep. They’d need to be quiet, but Jycenth was a quiet dragon by nature, so it was nothing to deter him. T’bia, on the other hand, froze atop him when he saw the sleeping green. Did that mean B’jin was home? Was he interrupting them? Blue eyes widened slightly and a flush coloured his cheeks as his mind nipped down one path that T’bia had to struggle not to end up thinking on too heavily. He did not want those kinds of images!
Still wide eyed and slightly flushed, T’bia turned his attention on Ayyonth, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he struggled for a moment with himself before speaking to the dragon. On the one hand, Jycenth said R’nd was a friend so it wasn’t that out there to talk to his dragon. On the other hand, T’bia wasn’t comfortable talking to other people, and dragons were even worse because proper manners dictated one should not really talk to someone else’s dragon, especially when they weren’t present and what if he upset R’nd? T’bia barely kept a pout under control as he took a deep breath and puffed it out slowly.
“H-hello Ayyonth; is R’nd busy?” His voice was quiet, and despite Jycenth curling up contentedly against Ayyonth’s other side and looking quite at home, T’bia didn’t dismount; instead he fiddled anxiously with the tie on the little bag, and wriggled uncomfortably where he sat.
Which was why his eyebrows were furrowed and his lips pursed as he circled around and around his dragon to make sure he got every last bit of him. Why he made Jycenth sit on his haunches and hold his arms out so that T’bia could get right up under his belly and under his arms and giggle softly when Jycenth complained of it tickling. But mostly, T’bia’s worry was because he wanted to do something nice for R’nd, to thank him for all the help he’d given, and he just couldn’t think of anything!
It had been one of his classmates (T’bia couldn’t even remember who, now) that had pointed out, rather snidely, that the only reason T’bia even knew which end of his dragon was the front was because R’nd had babied him through their entire Weyrlinghood. T’bia hadn’t been sure if he was outraged at the implied insult to Jycenth or not, but the hurt over the remark had won out in the end and the boy had cried most of the trip to the far end of the lake. He wasn’t that bad, was he?
Jycenth had stopped him before he’d fallen completely into the mess of emotions that comment had very nearly brought about, pointing out that – true or not – R’nd had indeed been very helpful throughout their Weyrlinghood, and maybe the bully was trying to say, in his less than eloquent way, that they ought to thank the man a little more. After all, he hadn’t had to help them, now had he? That had brightened T’bia up visibly, but only for a moment… The question then had been, what do you give a bluerider as a thank you gift? Especially one who already had everything!
R’nd already had a mate, and while the idea of putting a bow on B’jin’s head and presenting him to R’nd made T’bia giggle and Jycenth puff out an amused laugh, it was not very practical and he had a feeling his Weyrlingmaster would not particularly approve. B’jin was very proud.
T’bia and Jycenth walked up out of the water, the dragon pausing to shake himself free of excess moisture while T’bia unstopped the large bucket of oil and waited for his dragon to finish rolling in the hot sand, effectively drying himself. When he stood up, he shook like one of T’ken’s dogs, spraying sand all around him. T’bia smiled vaguely and snuggled the offered nose, placing a kiss on it as he pet Jycenth’s eye ridges with gentleness. Love for one another rolled off the pair of them, but T’bia’s mind was still unsettled with the disquiet of being unable to think of an appropriate gift.
He didn’t know how to cook, and besides, R’nd’s friend I’shan was like, the best cook ever so that was out. He couldn’t draw or write songs (or really write, to be honest) and he couldn’t play instruments like B’jin could (
He didn’t trust his skills with working the leather to make R’nd and Ayyonth new riding straps, and his artistic skills in making them look pretty were extremely limited. He also couldn’t sew or embellish and –
“Eww!” T’bia couldn’t help it; he burst into giggles at the idea of giving anyone dirty old mushrooms, and shook his head. “Because he’s been so nice,” T’bia pouted. “And he didn’t have to be. He’s still being nice to me, even though we’re not Weyrlings anymore and he doesn’t have to be around us.”
“But I want to give him a present.” T’bia was still pouting fantastically, his voice sulky, and Jycenth sighed as the boy began working oil into his nice clean, dry hide.
“Maybe.”
~ ~ ~
Jycenth’s suggestion won out, but really, T’bia was not very surprised in hindsight. Jycenth was infinitely smarter than he was, and he was always right. It was reassuring though, and T’bia took refuge in his dragon knowing what was best. He didn’t think dragon bonds were supposed to be like that – that the human defer to the dragon – but he supposed that was why he had a nice, sensible blue instead of a bronze or something. Those dragons were too lazy to think for themselves and green dragons were too hot headed. Blue was a good colour, and T’bia lazily petted the side of Jycenth’s neck as the dragon strode calmly towards the new Weyrfolk Hall.
Even though they could fly, T’bia was uncomfortable spending too much time in the sky, and the pair had reverted back to ‘pony rides’ more often than not once that was figured out. T’bia liked riding on Jycenth; he liked the connection and the quiet companionship and the lack of falling over his own feet. But flying made his stomach squeeze up and his eyes water and while he trusted Jycenth unquestionably to keep him safe… why make himself unnecessarily uncomfortable? That had been another one of Jycenth’s suggestions. Always right, his blue. Always knowing what is best.
In front of him, T’bia had a little satchel that was filled with a dozen or so redfruit, a few of them slightly over ripe and perfect for eating, but most of them just shy of being ripe, so the bluerider and his mate could take their time enjoying them without them spoiling too fast. In his spare hand, T’bia held an assortment of flowers, mostly shades of blue that, with a few pink and yellow thrown in for visual effect. He had tried to stick to the type of flower that was most closely coloured like Ayyonth’s hide, but it had not been easy.
Jycenth crooned a quiet greeting to Ayyonth as he stopped, glancing at the sleeping Larrikith but he could tell by the steady rise and fall of her side that she was truly asleep. They’d need to be quiet, but Jycenth was a quiet dragon by nature, so it was nothing to deter him. T’bia, on the other hand, froze atop him when he saw the sleeping green. Did that mean B’jin was home? Was he interrupting them? Blue eyes widened slightly and a flush coloured his cheeks as his mind nipped down one path that T’bia had to struggle not to end up thinking on too heavily. He did not want those kinds of images!
Still wide eyed and slightly flushed, T’bia turned his attention on Ayyonth, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he struggled for a moment with himself before speaking to the dragon. On the one hand, Jycenth said R’nd was a friend so it wasn’t that out there to talk to his dragon. On the other hand, T’bia wasn’t comfortable talking to other people, and dragons were even worse because proper manners dictated one should not really talk to someone else’s dragon, especially when they weren’t present and what if he upset R’nd? T’bia barely kept a pout under control as he took a deep breath and puffed it out slowly.
“H-hello Ayyonth; is R’nd busy?” His voice was quiet, and despite Jycenth curling up contentedly against Ayyonth’s other side and looking quite at home, T’bia didn’t dismount; instead he fiddled anxiously with the tie on the little bag, and wriggled uncomfortably where he sat.
