Logs:Dog-Like
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| RL Date: 2 May, 2014 |
| Who: K'del, Yuzuyu |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: K'del meets Yuzuyu, and a friendly canine. |
| Where: Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 8, Month 9, Turn 34 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Azaylia/Mentions |
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| Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr The rest of the bowl may be barren, grass barely surviving at best, but here by the lake, it's brilliantly green in the warmer months: thickening and thriving in the silty, boulder-dotted soil just before it transitions to soft sand and thence to the cool, clear water itself. A large freshwater lake fed by a low waterfall, it not only provides warm-weather bathing space for humans and dragons, but has one end fenced off as a watering hole for the livestock in the feeding grounds. The water there is often muddier than the rest of the clear lake, whose shallows drop off abruptly several yards out into deep water, and whose edge undulates against the coarse-hewn bowl wall: here close enough to just be bramble-covered rocks, there far enough away that a narrow land bridge divides the main lake from a smallish pond. Between are several rocky outcroppings that form excellent makeshift diving points, though only one -- across the bridge -- has a set of narrow, slippery, quite possibly tempting stairs. A lovely, cloudless sky offers warm sunshine during the day, though the weather turns distinctly chilly after dark. Although the last gasp of summer has, most certainly, given way to the chill of early autumn, it's pleasant outside, this afternoon: the sun's relatively warm, despite the chilly breeze. K'del is apparently determined to make the most of it; he sits, cross-legged, upon one of the boulders near the water's edge, his head tipped back, his eyes closed. Without his riding jacket, he's knotless, but still relatively identifiable: his hair - presently caught by the sun, gleaming gold - and height are distinctive features, especially here at the Weyr he's led, on and off, for turns. There's another that's decided to enjoy the weather outside, but she isn't alone. Yuzuyu laughs brightly as she runs up the lake shore, two fistfuls of her floor-length skirt allowing her free movement. Today's company seems to be a large canine that is far far ahead of her. It barks and wags its tail, stopping every few feet as if to encourage her. The sound of both of their voices arrive before the young woman and the canine do, but as soon as Yuzuyu is close enough to spot K'del...she goes completely quiet. In fact, she might even be trying to sneak her way past...which is promptly ruined by more barking. There's nothing in K'del's expression to give away whether his thoughts are deep or shallow-edging-towards-a-nap; having said that, the barking of that canine is quick to break him from his reverie, his posture shifting and straightening as his upper body turns to see. Luckily for Yuzuyu, his expression, now, seems more amused than bothered; canine and harper are both acknowledged with a tip of his head. Yuzuyu flushes, jumping a bit and stepping backwards when she's 'caught'. It takes her a moment longer than most to recognize the Weyrleader, or who she /thinks/ is the Weyrleader. She's still getting used to learning the faces and positions of those in the Weyr. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to disturb you...." She bobs her head in both greeting and apology before raising her hand in a clumsy salute and quite nearly losing her balance in the process. Luckily, the canine returns just in time to prop her up and keep her from being a complete embarrassment. As soon as she's steady, the friendlier of the two (Sir Canine) goes over to look up at K'del and wag his tail happily. Hello human! "It's fine," promises K'del, quickly, his smile warm and apparently earnest. Though he's surely aware of Yuzuyu's awkwardness, it's to the canine that he quickly turns his attention: he leans down, aiming to rub the creature under the chin, if he can reach, and say, "And aren't you a handsome creature. What's his name?" Yuzuyu bites her bottom lip, still unsure about the whole ordeal despite his words of assurance. It isn't until he mentions the dog that she actually relaxes a bit. "Enri..." The young woman is just as soft spoken as the dog is loud, but she can't help the tiny smile that comes to her face when talking about the canine. The canine in question lifts his chin, letting out a pleased bark at the chin rubs. In fact, he even begins to nudge at K'del and insist on more. "I um...I just met him, but...he's really very sweet." Although his attention is focused quite intently upon the canine and not the harper, there's something in K'del's expression, nonetheless, that suggests he's paying Yuzuyu more attention than might otherwise be obvious. The rubs continue, as the bronzerider says, "He really is, isn't he? Aren't you, boy? Enri, you said? And you are?" Yuzuyu continues to fidget just the slightest, fingers twisting and turning at the bottom of her blouse, but K'del looking and talking about the canine (mostly) seems to help. "He is, and yes...Enri!" There's a bit of enthusiasm in her voice upon repeating the name, and the canine in question barks his agreement. He hops about in a circle around K'del before nudging at the Weyrleader again. A bark follows and is almost enough to cover up Yuzuyu's introduction, but not completely. "I um...Yuzuyu, it's very nice to meet you." Awkward yes, but she has manners! This time, K'del uncrosses his legs and begins sliding down his boulder so that he can give Enri more attention without needing to twist and reach. For a few seconds more, the canine gets his full attention, the Acting Weyrleader now crouching in front of him - but then, finally, those pale blue eyes track upwards. "Yuzuyu. I've got that right? It's a pleasure to meet you, too. I'm K'del." His tone suggests he doesn't really think he needs to introduce himself, but that it's polite. "New to High Reaches?" Enri barks excitedly when K'del joins him on the ground and begins to run back and forth between him and the harper. Though most attention seems to be on K'del who's inclined to pet him at the moment while Yuzuyu continues the parade of awkwardness by throwing the Weyrleader yet another salute. "It's...yes sir, that's right and I thought you were the Weyrleader but I wasn't quite sure and...and..." Her babbling trails off when the young woman realizes just how silly she sounds and Yuzuyu settles for a nod and a few quite words. "I only arrived a sevenday or so ago..." K'del casts about, perhaps in search of something to throw for the canine; having failed to come up with anything, he resorts back to scritches about Enri's ears, and at least half of his attention focused back upon Yuzuyu. "You don't need to salute," he tells her, cheerfully. "Honestly. I'm not on duty, or anything. It's fine. Welcome to High Reaches-- I hope you're settling in well? In any case, until Hraedhyth rises, I'm only the Acting Weyrleader, and it's anyone's guess what I'll be after that. Just another Wingsecond, maybe." "I am, it's....the people I've met here are quite nice." Yuzuyu allows for a tentative smile to meet his own, but her fingers continue to twist at the corner of her blouse. "Oh...I...I'd heard, but I thought...I didn't want to offend you or anything...not that it's anything to rally be offended by or about or...." The young woman quite nearly loses her balance for no reason other than, well for no reason really. It's enough to snap her back into a more normal flow of conversation, "Hraedyth...her nice is quite a mouthful. No disrespect meant of course!" Because this apparently needs to be clarified. And for all the awkward happening on the shore, Enri is completely unaffected. The fluffy white canine flops down, rolling over and squirming about with four legs in the air and his tongue hanging out of a parted mouth. K'del's fair brows raise, ever so slightly, as Yuzuyu nearly loses her balance, though his expression otherwise remains unchanged: an even smile. "Oh, I'm not offended," he promises. "And you're right: Hraedhyth is a terrible mouthful. An unusual name for a fairly unusual queen; I think it's entirely fair to say that. She's more like her sire - my Cadejoth - than her dam, that's for certain. In any case, I'm glad people have been nice. That's good. Important, even." "Are they...very unusual?" Yuzuyu's curiosity is spiked and at this point she's finally managing proper sentences of sort, even if they're said hesitantly. "They really have been very nice...I...I think I might try to do a performance now...now that I've settled and all." This is said with the same tone as the others, but there's a glint of happiness in her eyes at even the thought, and features that were once stiff soften just a hint. "Cadejoth... Cadejoth, as a young dragon, acted more like Enri here, than what I thought a bronze ought to be like," explains K'del, the skin around his eyes crinkling with amusement as he grins. "Even now, he's got a puppy-ish streak to him. Hraedhyth's playful in a different way. She can be ferocious." His gaze drops back towards the canine for a moment, fingers still scratching. Then, attention focusing back upon Yuzuyu: "You perform?" "That...must have been fun," Yuzuyu muses softly, a gentle smile coming to her lips as she glances over to Enri who still seems to be content to roll about on the ground. "Though um...Hraedhyth sounds a bit more...intimidating." She really is choosing her words carefully there. The question earns another bob of the head, "I do...singing, dancing, and a few instruments." The young woman ventures one step forward and then another, almost like an animal herself. Yuzuyu crouches down beside Enri, giving his tail a bit of a poke. "I've always enjoyed it." K'del's expression is - briefly - self-mocking. "It might have been, if I were more willing to let go and enjoy myself, back then," he explains. "Expected him to act differently. Fifteen turns old, and I knew everything, you see. Hraedhyth-- is a little more intimidating. No way around that, I think." He can't wholly hide his surprise at her musical abilities, though he's quick to smile anyway. "Look forward to hearing you, then. More music is always welcome, especially as winter approaches." "Sometimes if it's all you've seen...you think it's all true. I haven't met many bronze dragons, but...he sounds unique." Yuzuyu ventures another tiny smile and begins waving Enri's tail back and forth. "It's weird, isn't it?" She catches that bit of surprise out of the corner of her eyes and looks just a bit more self-conscious for a moment. "It's different though...when I'm performing something, everything's different. Even my mentor thinks it's odd, but...I look forward to playing here too. A new audience will be nice." "Mm. Exactly so. I'd not met many myself, at that point. And I had... very definite expectations, in many ways. But he's Cadejoth: he is who he is. Wouldn't change him, not even if it were possible." K'del's expression holds an apology, briefly, for his own surprise; he listens with interest to the harper's explanation, nodding along with it. "You're performing someone else's work," he supposes. "You're the medium, not the source. Maybe that's what makes the difference?" "It's different but also like family...wouldn't change them even if you could." Yuzuyu's own expression softens again as she thinks back to her own parents and siblings. The harper falls silent a moment, pondering K'del's words while shaking one of Enri's feet absently. "I think...that may be part of it...I'd never thought of it that way really." K'del's laugh is quiet but genuine for that reference to family. "Mm," he agrees. "Won't deny that I spent quite a lot of my adolescence wishing I could change them all... and later, too, but differently. But it's unimaginable, too. They shape us. And they always feel like home." He withdraws his hand from the canine, now, glancing at it vaguely before he adds, "Anyway, doesn't really matter why you do better performing than otherwise; only matters that you do. And that it makes you happy." "Oh..I'm sorry, I...I forgot not everyone..." New game! How many times can Yuzuyu apologize in one conversation? She glances towards K'del hesitantly, "You are...nice. Even um, even if you wanted to change your family they helped you be nice so...that is good." She's never actually claimed to be eloquent. Enri rolls up to his feet after the hands leave him, moving over and head butting Yuzuyu to the ground and demanding more scratches. "It does make me happy, very happy. It's the thing I enjoy the most really." K'del's grimace is almost certainly for his own words, and not Yuzuyu's, especially when he's so quick to explain, "No, no. I love my family. All of them. It's just-- families can be complicated, sometimes. I... well. Yes." It's his turn to be awkward, to run his fingers through the short-cropped curls of his hair. "I'm-- glad it makes you happy. Very glad. We all need things that do, right?" His gaze follows Enri, as his mouth twists. "Ought to get back indoors, I guess. Things to do. But... it was nice to meet you, Yuzuyu." Yuzuyu nods to K'del's, and whether for his sake or her own, she lets the subject of family drop. What /does/ on very awkward young woman say to make things less awkward? Yuzuyu only sits there scratching Enri before nodding her head, "Yes, we do all need things to do." And with his departure she finally summons up what might be called a 'real' smile. It's brighter than the rest, not quite as much as when she's just Enri, but the sentiment is sincere. "It was nice to meet you as well...um, have a pleasant day!" |
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