The Joys of Firelizard Ownership [S'kef]

Owning a firelizard was at once more and less work than Ravana had thought it would be.  Stubborn had proved sweet, gentle and easy to train, and rather friendly.  Ravana wished she wasn't so intimidated by the other gold fire lizards of the weyr but she could hardly blame her after her first meeting with Lovely.  Apparently, the gold had considered Ravana hers and thus considered Stubborn as having stolen one of her 'fair'. 

It was why Ravana didn't object to the fire lizard bringing home the odd friend.  And she had to admit the little green flit that had been hanging around the gold of late was very well behaved and pretty.  She did wish she knew who she belonged to but it wasn't like she had anything to hide from anyone but S'kef and J'ver. 

She was in the kitchens now, Stubborn and the green flit hovering over her, at least one of the flits hoping for a bit of the sandwich Ravana was assembling.  Bacon, and a creamy spreadable cheese on a heavy, chewy bread was one of her favourite meals though one that she abstained on most times.  It wasn't healthy for her and thus a rare pleasure. 

She finished assembling her sandwich, and wrapped it in a cloth.  Picking up the strip of bacon she'd reserved for the lizards, she fed Stubborn half of it, and left the other half in plain sight on the counter.  The little green wouldn't take food straight from her hand, but seemed to have no objection to eating food set aside for her.  Once both the lizards were treated, Ravana made herself a mug of tea, adding in the herbs she was taking nowadays for her anxiety and padded to the dining hall.  Settling to eat her sandwich in the relative peace of the dining hall, she relaxed as she watched the two playing a game of aerial tag. 

She was half way through her sandwich and debating whether to torture herself with more solo drilling that would do little good to her, or set up her chess board and see if she could find an opponent in the gather square when she saw someone else come into the dining hall.  It was late, and Ravana frowned, wondering why the green lizard instantly zipped to the man along with Stubborn, the green plainly showing off her friend.  The man turned then and all of a sudden, Ravana couldn't breathe. 

S'kef.  S'kef owned the green firelizard.  And she'd seen...a lot.  Ravana playing with Berani and B'run.  Her helping Terken with his canines and his brown.  Her running solo around the lake so noone could see her inevitable tripping over her own two feet.  Her making things.  Ravana curled up outside with B'run and reading.  Her attempts to teach Berani to sign and to make music.  Ravana attempting to bathe her dragon and failing.  Little everyday things that she seldom shared with friends, let alone...enemies?  She knew she was on S'kef's troublemaker list though she sincerely hoped that she would only make trouble once. 

She quickly ran over the times that she had seen the little green, wondering exactly how much trouble she was in.  Shards, she had fed the creature!  What if S'kef didn't want her fed by anyone but him?  What if she hadn't been supposed to be kind to her?

Bacon!

Flit pounced, chewing excitedly on the present that had been laid out for her. She chittered a thanks to Ravana and gnawed away, quickly downing the piece of meat that was easily large enough to be a full meal for her. She hopped up and down before taking off with Stubborn to begin one of their games. Of course, Flit would let the gold win...She'd learned quickly form Vixen to always let golds win.

Minutes passed. The tiny green darted back and forth, squeaking in joy as she traded tags with Stubborn. Flit liked comany and could easily make friends with anyone, though other humans merited caution and certain dragons and fire lizards took priority. No one mattered more than Tyrrisath, and Vixen and Rilaleeyth were close seconds! Stubborn was fun, however...she was a nice big sister who wasn't nearly as pushy as other golds!

When S'kef showered up, Flit's attention quickly shifted. She flew over to him, landing on his shoulder with a joyful squeak. "There you are," the brownrider said, lifting a finger for her to lick. His casual, almost bored demeanor was shattered when the green shared a little worrisome image with him. He could feel his little girl stressing over...Ravana making a face? A look of shock?

S'kef turned around slowly, and then smiled slowly and smoothly. "...What's wrong, Ravana..?" He didn't know what it was yet, but he could tell his little Flit had something to do with it. How interesting.

Ravana was too terrified to answer.  Oh she would swaer to anyone that listened that she wasn't afraid of S'kef...and she wasn't truly.  She wouldn't do anything to get herself thrown between, and for anything less the most he could do was ground Shanith and lash her.  Right?  She hoped so. 

"You own that green flit."  She spoke raggedly, dazed with shock and feeling betrayed when there was no reason to be.  "Stubborn's friend for the past weeks and...she's your flit." 

Ravana was babbling now.  "I'm in so much trouble..."  She wasn't though, not really unless it was really true that all you had to do to get in trouble around here was exist.  Stubborn nuzzled Flit, trying to soothe her, nuzzled her rider with a creel and nuzzled flit then hovered, the gold confused.

Her distress forced Ravana to pull herself together, and she gently reached for the firelizard.  She was bombarded with images of Stubborn and flit playing and sadness.  The flit didn't want to but she would give up her friend if she had to.

Panic beating under Ravana's chest, she spoke to her flit.  "You can keep your firend."  Ravana took a breath.  "What's her name?"  She didn't like this, she really didn't like this, but she was already hiding her distress from Stubborn, not wanting to cost her gold one of the few friends she had. 

Ravana's unhappiness with the whole situation showed though.  "And how much trouble am I in for feeding her?"

S'kef took a few moments to soak up the implications. Ravana was horrified because her fire lizard had been playing with Flit, huh? That was spectacular. Not only was it entertaining, but it might even prove useful, at least if he ever got around to nailing down Flit's training. She wasn't as smart as Vixen or even some of the other smaller fire lizards around the Weyr, so training her up to be a little spy was a slow process. She was coming along and was very eager to learn, but it would be a while before she would be the threat that Ravana already seemed to think she was.

The brownrider laughed cruelly. He had a nice smile when he laughed.

"Her name is Flit, and you're not in trouble," he said with amusement. Any passer-by would have thought he was having a friendly laugh with the woman. Flit let out a happy chirp, sensing her bonded's unexpected approval and darting off, nudging Stubborn and chirping, eager to play. S'kef watched her for a moment, his smirk lingering, before he turned his eyes back on the greenrider.

"Just don't overfeed her," he warned. "Of teach her bad manners." He didn't have to add in 'don't hurt her'. It would take a fool to try and hurt his little girl. He hadn't been sure about Flit at first, but now she was safely situated just beneath Tyrrisath and J'ver on S'kef's list of people (and critters) not to fuck with. Ravana seemed vulnerable to sentimentality anyhow, and just look how much the little gold liked Flit! How could anyone not like Flit? Even S'kef liked her.

Well...At least she wasn't in trouble.  There was that, right?  Right?  And who owned the firelizard explained why she occasionally got an image of S'kef and J'ver together.  Which reminded her...

Ravana petted her gold, sensing her indecision and nudge her off her shoulder to play with Flit.  How like S'kef to name the flitter Flit.  "Define overfeed, please?"  She spoke softly, thinking of that piece of bacon earlier.  She gave the green exactly what she gave Stubborn.  Realizing he would want to know why she was asking, "If I give Stubborn a nibble, I give her one of equal size.  I didn't want either to think me playing favourites.  And I won't teach her bad manners."  Her own firelizard was one of the better mannered in the weyr but she wouldn't point that out.  Ravana was not that stupid.

She folded her arms and watched her gold hover a moment, then take off chasing the smaller green, touching her flank with her muzzle only to be chased in turn, darting around S'kef and Ravana, then up to the rafters, chirping happily.  Playplayplay. 

"I should warn you if you mean to use her to spy on me, I'm a very boring person."  Well she believed it, anyways.  She was unaware, blissfully unaware, that some would find her life entertaining.

S'kef narrowed his eyes only slightly. "She's a green...she doesn't need near as much food as a gold," he protested sternly, though there was a hint of concern in his voice. He didn't want his poor Flit to get fat. She'd be unsightly and useless, now wouldn't she? And maybe he was feeling just a little bit protective as well.

Flit's troubles were forgotten. She darted about the rafters with Stubborn, chattering joyfully. She was going to get to keep her friend! And she'd already had some bacon! Goodness, what a lovely day! S'kef watched her silently for a few moments, pondering the implications and possible benefits of the little fire lizards' friendship. He'd have to work on training his little girl a bit more, both to make sure she was useful and to make sure she didn't cause him any problems.

He turned his attention back to Ravana. "No more than a bite here and there. If she wants to beg, let her...she'd fed enough already and I won't have her getting fat," he instructed shamelessly. He took a step back, smiling with approval as Ravana made her little joke about spying.

"Spy on you? Now why would I do that?" he asked with a contemplative smirk. He missed these games...for a few moments, it almost felt like the old days under D'ren, when he hid his vicious temperament behind smiles and winks. He was coming to remember just how effective playing nice could be, in spite of the fact that some would see through it. Maybe sometimes that was even better.

Ravana watched the pair play with faintly worried eyes.    This could be trouble on so very many levels.  She would never deliberately harm a creature, even S'kef's flitter, but she wasn't fond of watching eyes that could and would report to him her every move.

Yeah, she knew she was probably on J'ver's watch list, and she silently wished the other greenrider lots of headaches to come of his watching her but truthfully she hoped she was fairly low on the list of troublemakers and headaches for the weyrleader.  She had enough trouble with wing practices!

Ravana nodded softly.  "She's never begged and she won't accept food from my hand.  Usually I just leave a bit on the counter near her if it's for her.  I won't overfeed her." 

She was almost relaxing until humor glinted in S'kef's eyes.  Ravana had been the target of enough bullies to recognize the look of a dragon toying with wherry before she killed it when she saw it.  She tensed up again.  "Why indeed.  I'm told I've made your list of trouble makers lately, though one would think there are others you should be watching." 

She watched Stubborn a moment, snorting as the gold banked her flight and lightly tapped Flit's wing with a forepaw then darted away, weaving under empty tables and chairs, trying, though not too hard, to evade the green.  Tag was so much funfunfunfun!  The bursts of joy coming through her link with the lizard was making it hard for Ravana to remember she was supposed to treat S'kef with all the respect she would a tunnelsnake.  Possibly deadly, unpredictable and best to be avoided. 

"My list of troublemakers?" S'kef replied. He smiled, again pleasantly. "I would like to think that the troubles before were an isolated incident...Beyond that, you appear to be a model rider." His words weren't exactly true. Ravana appeared emotional and soft in his eyes, and he'd never cared to see good fighting dragons wasted on woman riders. At least Ravana was well-mannered and durable. She wasn't a troublemaker before B'run came along, anyhow. Filthy dog...causing divisions and stirring up trouble, and corrupting good people while he was at it.

S'kef's words were less a vote of confidence and more a silent request: prove me right, and this can be over. He would love to neutralize his enemies, either by destroying them or winning them over. He had little respect for women as riders, but he wasn't going to underestimate any potential rival for any reason, especially one so petty. He'd watch her as long as he felt he needed to. How long was entirely up to her.

He smiled, then turned his attention to  Flit as she continued to wheel around after Stubborn. The little beast had no hope of keeping up for long. S'kef imagined she'd be tired and come fluttering home soon. He snorted. "Very well, though. Tell me if she becomes a pest," he said before turning to walk away. He was done here, though he hoped his words had hit home.