Happy frickin' birthday [Open]

It was her birthday. Big whoop. Another year older and another hatching come and gone. So many she'd gone through, most just before or just after her birthday, and not a single impression was made on her part. As each birthday crept by without a dragon to call her own, she was beginning to have some serious doubts about her ability to attract a hatchling. There must be something wrong with her. Had to be her for them to find her less than appealing. Her father told her not to worry about it. Told her that she'd impress one day. Of all the things he had said to her through out her life, this was the only one she'd ever believed in. But after this last clutch she was certain that he was wrong, like so many other things.

Ameris leaned back in the chair she had dragged with her. Her father had forgotten her birthday and Rislan was much to young to really remember that it was a big day today, so she sat. Alone. Her father was off doing what ever and Rislan was at the creche. Alone was fine. She needed some air and a chance to shirk some of her duties. Birthday's were no excuse for laziness, so she had snuck out of the kitchens - always with the kitchens - and brought herself to the square. It was fine being alone, she didn't mind really. Gave her a chance to think about things. Think about how she truly felt in the south and if standing for any new clutch was worth it to her.

Her father wouldn't hear of her idea to cease standing. He was convinced that she would ride gold and he refused to allow her to stop. She wasn't so convinced. She'd much rather ride green. The headache of being a goldrider would be too much for her. Hell. She wasn't entirely convinced she'd even ride green. But it would be something if she finally heard a tiny voice calling to her come hatching day.

Closing her eyes, Ameris pictured herself going through weyrling lessons, flying thread, dealing with the aftermath of a flight. It was a grand daydream. One she'd had for most of her life growing up. Her father was a dragon rider and by damned she'd be one to! That had been her mantra as she'd gotten older, the words never changing. If her moronic father could do it, then she could to. But thus far that had not been the case. She didn't know why it was so important for her to impress. She had Rislan after all. A beautiful son to call her own. But no matter how much she loved him or how close they became it would never be the same. She sighed as she picked a bit of flour from her skirts and tossed it to the ground, unaware she was no longer alone.

Was going to be solo but threw it open instead. Ameris is a bit morose and could use the company

Peorray was not having a good day. Though, to be fair to the world, it had started out well enough. Get up, get food, go to work- the usual sort of day. Then she'd gone back to her room to change a dirty shirt and taken off the bracelet she'd been wearing. It was a simple thing, but it was pretty and she liked it. Or she had, until she'd looked up to see it in the greedy little claws of someone's ill-mannered firelizard and the little pest took off with it.

Of course, she chased it. The bracelet might not be much, but it was hers. And, small mercies, the thing seemed to find the chase entertaining enough not to just pop Between with its prize. Peorray stalked the thing around Katila for a good ten minutes before it headed for the Gather square with a bright chitter of sound back at her. The thing was just laughing at her now.

Peorray quickened her steps, hoping to catch the thief when he tired, but came to a reluctant halt when the flash of blue disappeared. "Oh, you son of a bitch..." She hissed feelingly, glancing around in hopes she'd just missed him. The only thing that did was show her the woman sitting alone nearby.

She sighed and took herself over. "Excuse me, I don't suppose you've seen a little blue thief around here? Or know who he might have belonged to?" She could always go ask the most likely suspects if it had shown up and hope she got lucky.

Ameris started with surprise when the small blue firelizard darted past her. The little beast had something clutched between his talons and she had a feeling the owner of the something was not going to be all too pleased. The actions of some of the ill manners firelizards about the weyr reaffirmed her belief that they all needed training and discipline. Mud was a rather well mannered little thing, always coming when called and never stealing. He did however seem to have a ridiculous fascination with all the golds running about and one she hadn't managed to curtail. Silly creature. Its not as if he would catch any who rose. He was much to small to out fly any of the bronzes and other browns. She blamed Indivara for his fascination. If he hadn't met her little gold that fateful day with the pie, then none of this would have started, but he had and it did.

She sighed again as she picked another bit of flour from her skirts. Tossing it to the ground she grumbled quietly under her breath. Baking pies seem to be the only thing the kitchen matron would allow her to do now a days. And she always went away with clothing full of flour and bits of fruit smashed willy nilly on her skirts. She still couldn't figure out why the woman wouldn't let her cook anything else. Its not like pie was the main course of the night or as important as anything else. She hated pie.

She jerked when a voice came out of the quiet of the square. Turning quickly she saw the source. Peorray. She had never really gotten to know Peorray. They were both in the same candidate class but seemed worlds apart. Ameris was not the most social of butterflies and she often avoided the other women. "Actually.. I did see your little thief," she answered, "I take it that bit he was holding belongs to you?"

"Yes." Peorray admitted. "My bracelet. It's not much, but it's apparently enough to catch the eye of little pests." If people insisted on keeping the rats with wings, they really needed to train them right. "I'd like it back on principle, but I don't know if it's worth it to keep chasing after the thing- it's not valuable or sentimental."

Any of the things that fell in that category had been left North. Hopefully it had been returned to her family, because she still nourished dreams of making it back to claim them someday. Or at least her marriage token, she really wanted that.

She watched Ameris idly as she talked. She thought that was the woman's name, anyway. There did seem to be a confusing number of 'A' names among the gold candidates. "You look like you've been having your share of trouble too." She observed unthinkingly, tapping a spot on her own skirt where she spotted a patch of (flour?) on the other woman's.

She inclined her head as Peorray stated it'd probably not be a good idea to insist on chasing the firelizard. She was right in her assumption, it would be a pointless chase. The flits hid and hid well when they wanted and trying to find them often proved fruitless. "It probably wouldn't be worth the chase. Unless you can find his owner there's a large possibility that you'll never find your bracelet," she agreed.

Mud chose that moment to pop out from between and light on her lap. He crooned his greeting and promptly curled into a ball and fell asleep. Little bugger was probably off chasing golds when he shouldn't have been. At least he was somewhat quiet with his buzzing snores. She gazed at him fondly as she stroked his back. "They're not all bad. Just takes proper motivation and training and they mind pretty well," she said.

Ameris glanced over as Peorray asked about her trouble. The woman looked to have had her fair attention from that overly large woman who ran the kitchens. That woman was a stern task master and unpleasant when she found you doing what she told you not to or not doing it correctly anyway. "Damn woman insists I make pie every time I draw kitchen chores. Every damn time. I hate pie."

Peorray couldn't help a skeptical look when Ameris argued for the creatures' virtues. Fortunately, the woman was looking down at her own long enough for her to get her expression under control again. To each their own, she supposed, but she'd never be sold on the idea of keeping one.

"Pie's not so bad." She automatically argued, before her mind caught up with her mouth and parsed the rest of Ameris' commentary. "But why pie? Did you do something to offend her? Or did she somehow get the idea that you're just that talented at it?" Because that was a bit curious. Generally, when Peorray was on kitchen rotation, she got handed whatever needed doing and it was rarely the same time two days running.

Ameris cranked her head around to stare at Peorray. "Pie's not so bad?" she asked, "Pie is the devil." Her hand moved idly across Mud's back as she though back to the reason why she made pies always now. That woman had found out she had attempted to make Indivara vomit in the kitchen and knowing how much Ameris hated making the stupid things, decided the perfect punishment would be to supply the kitchens with the bubbly concoctions. She had gotten rather good at making them and only burned them once in a while.

She thought about how to go about explaining the situation to the woman standing by her. She couldn't very well tell her she was forced to bake pies as a punishment. She probably wouldn't understand. She was probably one of those proper misses that didn't question a thing they were told and did so with a smile upon her face. With a grimace she opened her mouth and spouted, "I'm horrible at them. Just horrible. Every one I make burns to a crisp. The matron wants me to make as many as it takes until I can actually make one without burning it." It was a slight lie and nothing else.

If Ameris was that bad at making pies, Peorray had to think that she'd be under stricter supervision that would make sure she got it right. The Weyr did alright, but they couldn't afford to waste that much food to charring. This time Ameris probably didn't miss the doubt in her expression, but it was hardly worth arguing about. Peorray didn't really give a wherry's ass about what Ameris did with pie.

"Eh, she might get over it and give up eventually." And pigs would fly over the moons. People generally didn't to run things down here if they were quitters. "If not, though- have you tried begging or bribery? There's always blackmail, I guess, but that's a lot touchier. If you can even find anything on her, or someone to keep it from."

Lying was never Ameris's strong suit. She couldn't tell them very well and they were generally unconvincing. She disliked lies and usually had a policy of not creating them. It usually wasn't long before you were caught out in one, so there really wasn't much of a point in the telling of one. But she couldn't very well tell Peorray the truth, now could she? Trying to trick Indivara with the pie had not been a high light of her life and she was rather ashamed of the attempt. She also didn't think Indivara would want Ameris to go about blurting their little confrontation about the weyr. Ameris might dislike the girl at times but she wasn't cruel.

"Doubtful," she snorted as she took in the rather disbelieving look on the other woman's face, "That harridan wouldn't let a fly get away with anything, much less me." Now she'd attempted bribery, another low point and even tried begging, but the damn woman was dead set on her punishment. Although.. Ameris wasn't quite sure now if it was punishment or the fact she'd gotten so adept at baking pies that they were quite tasty. "Blackmail is distasteful and besides.. The woman is clean as a whistle.."

So she had tried. Good. Peorray had been a bit worried even voicing the idea, knowing that many of the other female candidates would've been horrified at the notion. She hadn't taken Ameris for being one of them, though, and it was gratifying to be proven right. "I guess you can always hope that someone will make her shit list soon and she'll dump it off on them."

Unfortunately, that was about all the optimism Peorray had left to offer, try as she might to dredge up something else. "And I still say there's worse jobs around here. They ever try you on fishing?" Peorray hated that chore with a passion. Animals were meant to be on land where they could be easily grabbed. It seemed like every attempt she made with it was a disaster- she tangled the line, jerked the bait out too fast, and it was amazing how her immediate area cleared out when she went to cast.

Mud squawked and fidgeted beneath her hand and Ameris sighed with exasperation. Looking at the little brown firelizard she thought long and hard of Rislan's face and said softly and firmly, "Go find Rislan." With a chitter and a chirp, Mud lifted off and blinked between. Turning to look at Peorray once more, Ameris regarded her. "One could only hope. But I'm beginning to think the woman has it out for me to be honest," she said ruefully.

She shuddered when the other woman asked about fishing. She hated fishing almost as much as she hated baking pies. She disliked fish, hooking bait and the chill of the water spray. Maybe if she was a boy she'd enjoy it but frankly she wasn't and she didn't. "They haven't so far. They could try and I'd say no. Fish are disgusting little creatures," she said with a grimace.