Logs:Name Game
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| RL Date: 17 April, 2013 |
| Who: Azaylia, E'sren |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: E'sren invades Azaylia's camp and tries to kill her with laughter. Meanwhile, Ahruth is adorable. |
| Where: Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 16, Month 7, Turn 31 (Interval 10) |
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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. Hraedhyth can't help but take up a lot of space, lounging in the afternoon sun only a few feet from the water's edge. Dark wings are half-cocked and angled at the ground in a comfortable slant, jaw resting on the ground, aimed vaguely at the wagon. A coincidence, of course. Never mind any of the Renai folk might have felt watched during their stay, and may have caught the darker queen glancing their way in passing. One of her slowly whorling eyes is aimed at the water, keeping an eye on the splashing weyrlings and their lifemates. Hraedhyth's own bond doesn't seem to be nearby, even if one or two folk swear she was just right there. A shadow of movement from beneath those dusky sails may be a clue in the case of the disappearing weyrwoman. As has been the case since they got here, the Renai family has kept out of the way and to themselves. They're very friendly when approached, earning a bit of a following by word of mouth when the mouth has said they're nice, you can go say hi, they won't bite. E'sren helps, because what family could produce someone like him and be mean? He's hanging out with them now, E'sren is, while they go about their day. Once or twice he's glanced Hraedhyth's way with an amused smile for her, for her protectiveness. Ahruth has been playing in the water this whole time but suddenly comes ashore to be near the much larger gold, to trot and prance around her with his long, whipcord tail snaking around behind him and his wings up. Look what he can do! This sparks his rider's interest, and E'sren approaches also, ducking his head to try to catch a glimpse of what might be lurking in the shadows of those wings. Hraedhyth's flames dance with her laughing drums, attention all too easily stolen by the bright blue's approach. Ashen head tilts towards him, focus aimed at the blue's wings as ebon smoke twists with curiosity: what can he do? The sunlight that filters through the queen's sails coats Azaylia's camp in a warm tan, sheltering the weyrwoman and her work with bronze-tinted shade. Bright sundress seems orange rather than pale yellow, the woman settled on a quilt with her work off to one side and a picnic of sorts on the other. She's stifling a laugh behind a bite of redfruit at Ahruth's antics, and when his weyrling peeks in she aims a puckered, polite smile his way. She'll chew before giving him a proper greeting, "E'sren, right?" "That's me," E'sren replies, grinning at what he finds. A dragon wing sun shelter, who knew. It's very clever, and he admires her arrangement with a small amount of envy. "Someday maybe he'll be big enough to make forts out of. Azaylia?" Since they're guessing names, he doesn't outright ask for hers in case it's a fun game they're trying out. Meanwhile Ahruth is still prancing about, maybe even moreso now that he's gained the confidence of a queen's attention and amusement, and E'sren is there so nothing bad could ever happen. He'll hop over here, skip over there, and then suddenly he whips his wings out in a wide fan to show them to her, look at those bad boys. His pride leaks through, his wings being something he's become more and more aware of as he's learned gliding, and their routines have started to include more and more wing-specific exercises to prepare them for flying. His wings are as bright as he is, naturally, and the light they filter through is blueblueblue. Azaylia hides the rest of her rapid chewing behind the back of her hand, "Of course he will. He's still a baby, now." A baby that stands taller than she, but never mind that. His grin is contagious, her own shrinking only slightly as she considers, "I could make a joke about real names." Alas, the novelty, if it ever existed, has long since worn off by now. She untucks her legs and scoots further onto the quilt, making room should E'sren decide to enter the goldrider's camp. Dark eyes are drawn past the man, joining Hraedhyth in watching Ahruth's prancing. The queen's awe may be inflated, but her interest in him is genuine, fire crackling with what might sound like applause. With a glance for E'sren, "When he does get big enough, it'll be so pretty... the sun through his wings, I mean." Giddy, but not so full of himself as to keep up a show that's really all about him and Hraedhyth's impressed flames, Ahruth brings it down a little bit, tucking in those neon sails and approaching the queen at first on one side, to stick his head into Azaylia's camp and whuffle around in there at her. Just as quick he's gone, zip! and maneuvering around to Hraedhyth's other side to flop down and sit with her there on the lake's shore, and watch his fellow weyrlings play. E'sren doesn't seem the least bit surprised by his lifemate's shift from immature and rambunctious to calm and level, and gives the dragon's flank a pat as he moves in to take the spot in the camp, to sit with care so his long legs don't knock anything over or kick her. "Yeah, my mom says it's like blue glass. What was your fake name gonna be?" he wants to know, grinning at the goldrider with his face a little more orange for the light seeping through Hraedhyth's wings. Between Ahruth's peek and his lightning fast movements, Azaylia's soft laugh spills into a series of giggles. Leaning back on one hand, the other is still holding that redfruit, doing her best not to have it drip on quilt or sundress. She presses her smile into the flesh, taking a bite despite herself, "He's so funny. Think he'll sneak off with the rest of your family when they leave?" As all aspiring entertainers should. Hraedhyth is careful when she lifts her head, muzzle hovering close so that she can huff a friendly breath over Ahruth's damp hide. In the time it takes her to consider her fake name, she's tugging the basket full of foodstuff's closer and then pushing it towards him. Cheese, breads, easy to carry and easier to eat without fork and knife. Finally, "...Zamira." Delivered with the whispered, smokey mystique befitting such a name. "You?" Zamira? For that, E'sren approves, his appreciation shown in his pouted mouth and narrowed eyes, his nod. His name? He has to think about it, while he's reaching over for some cheese to nibble on. After swallowing he tries out, "Sapsquish." A little long in the 'a', probably because he's literally just saying whatever sounds come into his head, but he owns it after it's on the table, even repeating it. "Sapsquish." Yeah. As for Ahruth, "I think he would if he could. He's already fallen in love with them, not that I can blame him. And my sister wants to keep him forever. She's insanely jealous, and Ma's worried she's going to run off to be a dragonrider too. I kinda doubt it." Another nibble. Ahruth's response to that lowered muzzle is to reach up after her whuffing to bump her chin with his snout. Boop! Just as Azaylia regains her quiet calm, E'sren has her giving an audible choke, struggling not to laugh with her mouthful. Or, have the 'fruit go up her nose. It's a painful process, chewing between giggles, "Shapskish." Another swallow, and she has to ask, "Sapsquish? Why?" Hraedhyth growls after the blue's 'boop'. It's a savage but pleased sound though it may take a touch of her amused mindscape to make it obvious. Overly careful, she'll just ever so gently touch his brow: BOOP. "I'm glad your family enjoys him." A cloth napkin is plucked up and laid out, fruit set aside for when there isn't a choking hazard sitting next to her. "They understand? Some weyrlings aren't so lucky." Not that he should feel bad for being blessed, "Hraedhyth finds them really, really interesting. Like a little tribe on the move." Nomads. Why, the very concept! With his legs stretched out like they are, there are few options for arm placement. He opts for leaning back on them while he enjoys her laughter. "Why not? I'm disappointed in you, Zamira." The last is added with an adopted deeper voice, authoritative, as if he speaks from some high council on the subject of laughing and silly things. Her question brings some pause from him as he considers, but he doesn't take long, doesn't need the time. "They do. Ma wanted me to do this. When the Search dragon came she told me to go with her. So I did. I didn't know what was gonna happen. But no matter what happens to any of us, we're still family. It's a fire deep down that never burns out. Ma's words. I wish she could learn more about them." Meaning the queen. "Somehow." How to communicate to someone else's dragon is an alien concept, especially since he's so new to dragonriding himself. Ahruth responds well to the growl, holds perfectly still, sensing something is going to happen, and when Hraedhyth touches him back he gives her a low croon, totally pleased. "Because with a name like that, it sounds like your mother hates you." Azaylia answers, comfortable with her tease if only because it's so far from reality. She makes room for his legs by tucking her own under the lightly layered skirts of her dress, hands smoothing over them in her lap. "I had asked to Stand." As if comparing notes, "I don't think my family was happy about it. I didn't talk to them until after Hraedhyth was grown." With a smile for his Ma's words, "It's true. When I went back... it didn't matter what I'd done. We were still family." Hraedhyth answers Ahruth's croon with her own guttural sound, and behind them the queen's tail gives one, solid thump of happiness. It causes the weyrwoman to glance over and then back to E'sren, "If I learn more about them, so does she? Though I don't know if she'll ever really understand 'human business'." A phrase adopted from a certain brown. His turn to laugh, ha! at her joke, of course it's only teasing, he knows this, and to play along he shrugs agreement. Yeah, she does hate him. E'sren sobers some to listen to her while she shares, his expression thoughtful, attentive, curious. "That's such a strange idea to me. I mean my life before I came here was... I dunno. We know the world, the trees and the dirt, and the animals who pull our wagons, and I didn't know anything else but my family and the road. I never would have thought to ask for something like this." He lifts a glance to include the shore, but also to suggest the Weyr itself. And Ahruth. "Your family and mine sound a lot alike. And if you want, you can ask me questions, I can answer them?" Maybe? Ahruth glances back at his queen's tail, no offense, and lifts his own to mimic her. His thump is not nearly so powerful. And just like that he stands, gives her one last headbutt of affection to the shoulder area, and slinks off. This leaves E'sren to excuse himself, which he does politely while untangling his legs to leave without any bumps or accidents. There's a near-miss when his ankle hits the basket but it's fine. "I have to go, I should have gone earlier, but he needs to, um... go." She knows. He smiles at her though, crouched awkwardly, and leaves her with, "Next time we see each other, I'll tell you more about my family." If she wants. And then he's gone! "I didn't think I'd Impress when I asked." Azaylia attempts to explain, Hraedhyth's wing hovering above them as a steady, if ironic shelter from the sun's rays. Before she can give her reasons for candidacy, or ask after the rest of the Renai, Ahruth and E'sren are gathering themselves up. The weyrwoman's disappointment falls away at the weyrling's explanation, "Oh!" Hands shoo Sapsquish, fluttering after him even as he turns, "We'll talk more later." Hraedhyth gives her own farewell, low growl aimed at the retreating blue pair before she goes back to watching the wagon and those in the lake. At least now Azaylia is able to finish her lunch, and actually focus on some of the work in the pile next to her. |
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