His Good Deed for the Day [Open!]

"Yes, Kuminari," she murmured as she formed a first. Saying te name gave her mouth this metallic taste. She hated it. The girl was everything Lymselia wasn't. Gorgeous beautiful, and a crowd pleasure. Filled with such confidence, though she realised that Kuminari had to be lonely, she had a wall.  Lymsleia in contrast, was outgoing and personable.  Her time here -at least she believed- had made her stronger, and she had to be more outgoing.

The thought of  Kuminari made the young woman frown. "You are right though, I'shan, there are people who will want to think they are better. But it worries me. I mean she doesn't have to like riders, but she shouldn't assume they're evil. From what I've seen the loosened.. restrictions at the Weyr are necessary. Both in how you live and the way you live." she gestures to Katila. "And of course where you live." She  stretched out a little bit. Stretching out the kinks in her bank, now more aware of them as she moved around in a small circle. The tingling in her toes reminding her to keep moving.


She smiled. "I swam in the river, nude. I enjoyed it. A way to relax and way to unwind. I really wanted to just see what would happen. I originally wanted it to be a lake-side bath. But then realized, that's perhaps not the best place, to bath. A lay of the land and perhaps a personal space , elsewhere that isn't my hut would be nice to be able to retreat to." She drew a breath in and yawned, trying to cover it. "I'shan..." she spoke carefully. "What would you say is the thing that endured you to come here? I know the Riders were sent- away. I was only Four, but its when mom left."

I'shan snorted. "Necessary is putting it too lightly," he said, shifting his weight to one leg and placing his hands on his hips. "'Natural' is more like it. If she wants to look down on you for enjoying your own skin, well...that's her problem, and she's going to miss out on a lot," he said. People like that tended to either adapt over time or make themselves miserable by their own stubbornness, and that suited him just fine. He imagined the girl would eventually lighten up, though, especially if she Impressed a dragon. His favorite example of a weyrspoiled prude was the Weyrleader himself, after all. The life of a dragonman promised hilarious complications for those sort of people!

"So if she's going to be a wherry to you over that," I'shan continued in a smooth, catty voice, "then that's her problem. You can find better people to spend your time on." Of course, he didn't know both sides of the story, but that had never stopped him from being a total brat before.

His face fell abruptly at Lym's next question. Unlike many who may have been alarmed at the sudden shift of topic, I'shan followed it just fine. It was the topic itself that disturbed him. He inhaled sharply, his brows furrowing with what may have even been anger, and his placid expression twisted into a bitter frown.

I'shan was not well suited to exile. He'd suffered terribly during those three turns, surviving both physically and emotionally by a mixture of Ilveriath's patient love and well...luck. He'd spent his first couple turns at Katila desperately throwing himself at the weyrbuilding project, pursuing the new project with dramatic zeal, trying with all his heart and soul to forget about those years in the wilderness. He'd spent the turns since then trying to forget it ever happened and wash the details from his mind, and shardit, it almost worked. Almost.

I'shan's resilient mind had recovered from the ordeal, leaving few true scars, but that didn't change the fact that the topic put him in a foul mood.

"I don't talk about that," he snapped with unintentional abruptness. It was something akin to shoving his fingers in his ears and screaming 'lalalalala!' to avoid having to hear unpleasant truths. Ilveriath, suddenly roused form his comfort, bumped I'shan with his snout to try and diffuse the rider's anger.

I apologize Ilveriath whispered to Lymsleia. It is painful for him to remember. He prefers not to think about it the blue explained.

Lym chuckled. "I think she was offended that I would go out and away from the WEyr to swim naked. She said that  it was horrible and that I'd attract the wrong kind of attention." she breathed slowly. " I do think she will miss out on alot. She seems cold, defensive. Or maybe just hesistant. Though I suppose if she's from  strict hold, one that values women as heir-producers and sees  that a young girl like her keeps herself.. ahh.. chaste..." she picked the word carefully.

As I'shan's look twisted, she winced. Lymsleia hadn't realized that perhaps riders didn't talk about it. She knew nothing of the ordeals they faced after they left. She had assumed that they simply left and founded Katila. The young woman swalloed, hard,  trying to both acknowledge and absorb the fact that she'd hit a raw nerve. "Understood." was all she could managed, though with Ilveraith's gentle mental nudge, she stilled, focusing on the dragon's words for a moment.  The gentle voice filled her mind and for a moment she allowed it to simple fill her up.

Lymsleia started to reach for him to comfort him. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to... stirr up sometihng unpleasant. So uhh.. what do you and yours like to do?" she asked  politely. She felt like she was walking on a bed of white-hot embers with a bed of broken glass ontop of it now.

I'shan winced himself, cutting his eyes away and crossing his arms indignantly as he considered her words. "No," he said after a considerable pause, "It's fine."

She had no way of knowing that she was rubbing your sore spot, dear Ilveriath commented lazily, his interest in the situation swiftly diffused when it refused to escalate. An argument would have been amusing, but on the same note, Ilveriath hated to see hurt feelings, at least among those who didn't deserve them. I'shan shot the blue a mental jab of frustration and presently turned back to Lym, the most forced smile in Pernese history hastily crossing his face.

"No, I actually am sorry," he added, realizing how acidic his last attempt had come off. "It's just not something I want to think about, really," he explained. He shook his head slowly, already feeling a bit of a fool for his outburst. Oh well. Like water, he flowed past it.

"What do we like to do?" he repeated. "Hmmmm..."

Drink Ilveriath supplied 'helpfully'.

Lymsleia raised an eyebrow. "It is not ok, I upset you, I spoke about a topic that clearly shouldn't have been breached." she began firmly. "I do appologise." She huffed at his  pauses and saying that it was ok. Clearly Lymsleia had hit a sore spot and to brush it off as she hadn't hurt him it was more upsetting.

As I'shan spoke up again she bite her lip realising she might have been out of line and out of place. "Well-- I didn't mean for it to be so sharp." she looked away for a moment as the dragon spoke to her she nodded solemnly, and then did a double take. "Drink?" she raised both her eyebrows at I'shan. "That's it, I thought... I don't know flying through the clouds or passing through them, might be more your style, but just plain old drinking...." she stiffled a laugh.

"I didn't tak you for a drinking-man, maybe sitting out under the stars... or.. I don't know.."

"No," I'shan said with haste, but not unkindness. "It really is fine..." He knew well that he was prone to popping off, but he didn't want to actively admit it. A touch embarrassed, he just shook his head and waved a dismissive hand in her direction. "It's just not something I personally care to talk about it," he added, his ruffled feathers finally smoothing out a bit as he settled back into his usual flowing manner of speech. "It was...pretty rough." What could he say? He was soft...but evidently not so soft that he couldn't make it. Still, why linger on the bad from the past?

He smiled a bit at the shift of topics. "Well, not just drinking," he said slyly, shooting a playful grimace at Ilveriath. The blue seemed wholly disinterested. Realizing Ilveriath had only included himself as a conversation starter and now intended to watch the ensuring fireworks, I'shan snorted at him. "I have several hobbies, in fact...and I believe Ilveriath here is simply trying to emphasize that I enjoy...physical pleasures," he said unashamedly.

"That doesn't mean that's all I do, though," he said cooly. He amused himself with a caricature-style image of himself as an uncouth, sex-crazed dragonrider. "My mother was a harper, so I've always loved music. I like to cook, too. Mom raised me herself, so I spent a lot of time healing her prepare meals and whatnot," he elaborated. He quirked a brow at her. "How about you?" he asked. A devilish smirk came to him. "...Aside from skinny dipping?" he said, chuckling shortly afterwards to indicate that his jab was good-natured.

"Then we won't talk about it." she said quickly. She was aware of how apparently that period in riders lives- the move to the south must have been something horrific. "We won't talk about it then, you're uncomfortable about the subject, and I am uncomfortable, about making you uncomfortable.  Empathy-its a healers greatest gift." she intones as if the last statement had been drilled into her with her lessons.

The young woman, smiled. The unusually shaded eyes sparkled with an almost knowing light. "Figures, about the pleasures I mean. It seems something that weyr seems to enjoy. I mean, as a group as a whole.. not all at once though.." she curled her lips inward and pressed them together. That had come out -wrong- completely and utterly. " Kuminari made a point to say that rider's were crazed. But I think she's wrong. She just doesn't want to know you as people. " She smiled as the blue rider spoke about his mother. A few deep breaths to keep, the tears at bay. She'd both remembered her own mother vividly and yet had a noticable gap of the woman. The woman who'd gone south with her father -a rider-. "Mom, I wish I remembered more than few scattered patches." she said quietly, her voice was a bit gloomy.

"My profession as a midwife, brings me all kinds of joy. But I enjoy cooking, and singing. I was always being told I should have become a harper.." the gayiety returned to her voice as she spoke. "Then again, I really enjoy reading and writing. It was an essential skill as a healer. Though the bag knots are a good way to get around not being able to do it-if someone can't read or write."

Kuminari had come up again. I'shan smiled, recalling his own youth and how easily he'd been affected by the opinions of others. Of course, he was distantly aware of the fact that he remained a man-child to this very day, but he didn't even admit that to himself. The fact that he continued to be so affected by the attitudes of others meant he related to her all the more. Of course, I'shan didn't necessarily need the approval of others. He just liked to leave an impression. Being hated could be amusing, but that was delicate territory, since I'shan's fragile pride was at stake in such situations.

"I used to get that as well," he said in mild agreement, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to one foot again. "I did take one year of harper training, but I was searched before anything came of it." I'shan still enjoyed singing, but he rarely did it publicly. He referred to sing to himself, while cooking or washing Ilveriath. That was for his own private enjoyment, not for the public.  "My mother was unmarried and I had no brothers or sisters, though, so I spent a lot of time with her. She was an amazing cook." By extension, I'shan was pretty good as well, though he was starting to forget what her actual food tasted like. It seemed like it had been so long...

He smiled and turned back to Ilveriath. "Well, I think I need to get going. I had a meeting with the Weyrleader earlier, and have yet to get around to my chores," he said. "It was nice meeting you, Lymsleia," he added. He called silently for Ilveriath, who slithered over and promptly lowered his head for I'shan to mount.

As I'shan talked, Lymsleia listened with wrapted attention. She barely remembered her mother. Arshat, daughter of Ohalzeta, daughter of Falram.... She mentally and silent intone the genological litanty she'd been taught as a child. Engrained in her brain.  "I wish I could remember my mom, well better than hazy images." she murmurs. "I have.. had.. have...." she pondered the tense aloud before speaking. "I have five elder brothers." She grinned. Her male siblings had somewhat doted on her before she left for the Hall, what would they think of her now?

"You're leaving?" she seemed dismayed at the action. "Just like that? Poof?" she asked. She got ot her feet. As the blue rider mentioned chores she brushed her pants off. "Right Chores, I should finish my day's work. I will see you around."

He frowned softly. "That's a shame," he said. He'd loved his mother. He wasn't sure who he'd be, if anyone, without her. She was long gone now, though, dead since he was a weyrling in 215. What a terrible turn that had been. He promptly forced the memory from his mind.

"I didn't have a father," he said, trying to find a more positive topic. "And no siblings, either. You're lucky to have had such a large family." He said that, but wasn't sure if he meant it. Plenty of people from large families seemed to enjoy that kind of life, but I'shan was spoiled. He'd loved being an only child, though knowing at least who his father was would have been nice.

Oh well. Water under the bridge.

He frowned a bit as Lymsleia protested his departure. "We've been out here longer than you realize, my dear," he said, motioning to the sun. "You're quite pleasant to talk to. We'll have to do it again sometime," he said. He'd have winked, but he hated feeling like he was flirting with girls. He didn't want anyone to feel lead-on. "Have a good day, all right?"

With that, Ilveriath took off.