Logs:Kinda Neat
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| RL Date: 10 June, 2014 |
| Who: Alida, Evanthe |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Alida's firelizard has four eggs about ready to hatch, so Evanthe comes to try her luck. |
| Where: Hatching Sands |
| When: Day 13, Month 13, Turn 34 (Interval 10) |
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| Though it's dinner time, Alida's not in the living cavern with most of the rest of 'Reaches weyrfolk. Instead, she's eating from a tray on the hellish heat of the hatching ground's sands, the woman clad in loose cargo shorts and a thin white cotton top to better bear the heat. Note the chair she's settled on and her thick boots upon feet...and the watchful presence of a tiny, sunflower-gold firelizard settled upon golden sands nearby. A small pack is situated on the back of the borrowed chair, the flap loosely closed. Evanthe has abandoned the caverns as well, though she clearly was recently there - a roll in hand that she's tearing off pieces to pop in her mouth as she walks. However, as she approaches these unfamiliar and hallowed grounds, she slows uncertainly. Peeks down at the sand from the galleries above are enough to reassure her that she's in the right place, and the person she's looking for. Still, once descending the steps to the sands, she just pokes her head around the corner with an awkward, inelegant, "Hullo? You Alida?" Usually the former guard is more alert and attentive to the comings and goings of people around her...but she might be forgiven for her current lapse of attention, given the heat she's bearing up under. A jerk of her braided and bunned-up head up to where someone greets her from the galleries transitions into a quick study of Evanthe, and then a laconic, hard-accented alto, "Almost wish I wasn't, right now." Snert. Green eyes meet greys from across the small distance, and the bluerider can't help but mutter in the quiet place, "Most people had enough sense ta go 'n eat, right now, instead'a waiting fer another one ta pop." Smirk, sweat. Evanthe nods sympathetically, as she shuffles first one foot, then the other onto the sands. First time setting foot on them, first opportunity to appreciate the heat. "Can't say as I blame 'em," she replies, shoving her hands in her pockets. "I was compelled." By forces beyond her control. "My ma, she's a weaver. Thinks having one around would be useful, communicating about comissions and such." She pauses, and very nearly leaves it like that - however, an uncontrollable propensity for frankness wins out. "'Course, she doesn't want to take /care/ of the damn thing herself, so she sends me, saying she's too busy." The little golden firelizard is given thoughtful examination, and she amends a little more charitably. "They are kinda neat though. Do you suppose I might get lucky if I lurk around a bit?" Someone as forthright as herself...? That's a little new to Alida, and so Evanthe's words find the often stoic or stony bluerider nodding a few times as she eats, then smirking at the other female's words. The overly-alert Pyrite knows when she's being watched, and - as the teen steps out on to those burning sands - the dark-sunflower flit gives a warning chip...sharp and rather commanding for such a little being. Alida's keen gaze shifts instantly from human to her pet, while she notes in aside to Evanthe, "Don't get any closer than I am. She's a little twitchy." Smirk. "Shell if I know... Maybe *she* does." Cue a point of her own meatroll to the little gold, who's currently nosing around one of the faint, small mounds beneath her protection. Evanthe will take that as an invitation, then, to go somewhere about /as/ close as Alida. She picks her way over to the chair and stays a step behind, just to be on the safe side, eyes fixed on the gold firelizard with some combination of wariness and fascination. "It's funny... my ma was deadset against dragonriders, dragons, anything resembling 'em, even these little guys. Then my sister gets posted here, all of a sudden we're moving in, and I'm standing on actual hatching sands staring down one o' these little beasties... sharding weird." It's all said in a kind of low mutter, only half for Alida's benefit and half just thinking aloud. "How long have you been sitting here?" she adds to the bluerider. "If I'd realized it was this damn hot, I'd have brought you a drink or something." Alida watches Pyrite's reactions to the new person on the Sands while she listens to Evanthe speak, green eyes flicking to the teen, from time to time, to keep everyone placed. "You'll see dragon eggs soon enough, then..." the palest-blonde comments briefly, then tossing Pyrite a very small chunk of her meatroll, which the little queen snaps out of the air with a trill. Nom. "Fuck if I know. A couple hours, maybe. Can't be with 'em every shardin' moment, that's fer sure." A rider has duties, after all. A slow sort of wicked smile draws itself over Alida's lips at Evanthe's last words, and she locks her cool gaze to the other female's before noting almost casually, "Wouldn't turn down a tall mug uv' juice..." Will the Weaver's daughter go get her such, or will she hem and haw, wanting to wait around more? Wicked bluerider. Evanthe's own pale (if not /as/ pale) face has flushed with the warmth. Sweat can't be far behind, and she's gathered her blond hair in one hand to twist up on top of her head, getting it off her slender neck. Yes, if it was only here will, she'd be only too glad to go off in search of refreshments - but in light of a mother's edict... her gray eyes meet Alida's green. "Gonna make sure you get just that, then," Ev states, the later being implied. She's stubborn, she's been sent, and she'll tolerate the heat some little while longer before making good on a promise of beverage. A thought occurs to her then, and she awkwardly holds out a hand - being sure not to pass the invisible barrier that Alida's chair marks. "I'm Evanthe, by the way." The seated woman bobs her head slightly as Evanthe makes her decision, something of dark humor in her eyes as she continues to eat, takes sips of water...and sweat. Oh well, at least someone else is sweating with her, at the moment. With the other woman's closer step and proffered hand comes an assessing look at such from Alida, and then, slowly, her own offer of a firm, somewhat callused handshake in return. "You might be waitin' a looong time, Evanthe..." the bluie's alto notes with a hint of continued dark humor and a tinge of causticness, even as she shifts her booted feet slowly, then stretches like a cat. "C'n take a couple'a days ta hatch out a clutch, sometimes." And, on the heels of her words, one of those mounds is suddenly stood over by the wee gold, who now peers at it quizzically, then starting up a soft, happy hum...accompanied by fast and blue whirling eyes. "Then again..." the rider comments with a snort. Evanthe shrugs agreeably enough at the rider's words of caution, not seeming terribly perturbed by the prospect. "Gotta at least stay long enough that I can argue I made an effort," she says wryly, which probably says a great deal about her relationship with her mother. Then, so quickly after, that hum starts. Ev stands a bit straighter, head cocked curiously. "What's th-" Oh! "That's her? Huh." She leans forward a bit, peering towards that lump in the sand, interest restored in the whole process despite the stifling heat. "Yep..." Alida comments wryly, setting down her tray upon the sands so that she can slowly rise, and even more slowly step towards her pet. She stops just outside of where the small mounds of those hidden eggs are, and thus avoids any potential wrath of 'momma.' Squatting down, the bluerider peers intently at the gold, and mutters, "Unbury it, twinkle toes." From far behind them, at the huge entrance to the Sands-proper, a large dragon head pops in - the blue's eyes whirling greenly - and he gives off a faint thrum of his own for a few moments while observing. Peeping with excitement, Pyrite apparently listens to Alida and Ilicaeth, for she's nosing sand away from that one egg, finally showing both rider and Evanthe a shell mottled with random splashes of dull color, like faded paint splatters. The splattery egg is already shimmeying, wriggling, and cracking. From Alida, "Ilicaeth said he'd inform others when another one started, so watch out fer other feet." Smirk. Pop! And there it goes... proving the woman wrong again in her supposition of the hatching taking a few minutes. Evanthe hesitates at first, but after a moment takes a hesitant step after Alida - supposing that, if nothign else, the woman creates a human shield between her and the wee clutch mama. Given that she was warned not to approach, she now has all sorts of expectations of what these things are capable of. Imagine the start it gives her to see the great blue dragon's head poking in - makes it difficult to know what to watch. HOwever, once the egg is revealed, and begins its little dance of birthtime, she squats down too to watch with mouth slightly open. And... pop. There she is, the little thing. Ev's comment? A drawn out expletive, in an impressed sort of way. Followed by: "What do I do?" There's no irritation or anger from Pyrite when Evanthe slowly moves in, but the little gold peeps pre-emptively to make certain the big human thing doesn't step on any of her other, buried eggs. Looking aside at the new resident, Alida simply murmurs, "Watch 'er - well, both uv' them - 'n move back if Pyrite's eyes go red. Wait a second..." And up the bluie slowly stands, to step smoothly arond her chair, and dip a hand inside that pack on the back of the seat. A few moments later, she returns with a pair of chilled meatrolls - now tepid from radiant heat - and squats back down to hand them to Evanthe. "Pretty green..." the guard comments when the egg-wet female stumbles out of her shell, looking around with ravenous red eyes. The newborn flit is the color of lush summer grass, overall, with splashes of golden highlights, and earthen shadows. "Just lure 'er to ya with tiny bits uv food." The pretty comments gets a vaguely incredulous look - though after taking a longer look at the coloring beneath the damp and rumpled newborn look, Ev concedes. "Pretty." She accepts the meatrolls, nodded slowly as she absorbs the instructions. "Simple enough," she says, and starts breaking the meat down into firelizard-sized bitable chunks. Consistently shooting suspicious looks Pyrite's way, she sets about the task offering that first meal. As the green draws closer, Ev holds onto a piece of meat a little too long and gets a finger nipped, hard enough to draw a bead of blood - but it actually draws a smile from the girl, rather than dismay. "Fierce little thing," she says, sounding pleased as the flit tears at the bits of meat. "Hey, thanks Alida. D'you want anything in exchange? Don't have much myself, but my ma could probably offer... stuff. If you want payment." The look on Alida's face is almost fatuous for a few moments, as the green nips into her new owner and the offered food, the hatchling's appetite ravenous, of course. "Most uv' 'em are fierce at hatchin'; they're practically starving." She won't elaborate on just how she acquired her own pet, and the pain involved in such. Recalling her former speech to wannabe Impressees, the blonde notes more firmly to Evanthe, "She'll need oiling right after she's done eating. I more than suggest you head ta' the dragonhealers cavern right after you leave here, 'n get all the proper instructions from them. She'll be like an infant fer some months...takin' up lots uv' your attentions." Smirkie. As for payment... "Hmm. Well, if funds 'r tight for yer family right now, you 'n yer mom can owe me some favor, later on." Evanthe is, despite herself, getting a look of affection - that growing softness on a usually sullen face, as the green has tug its talons sharply into her knee in search for more food. So much for detached semi-interest - here she goes, tentatively reaching a finger (one not bleeding) to touch the green's head. What starts as a prod turns into a stroke, and it's all over. "Right... right. Ma's going to rue giving me this errand, I tell you," she says with deep satisfaction. "Terrible idea. I'll take good care o' her." She nods her appreciation at Alida's offer of favor-owing. "That'll work. Ma does textiles, makes clothes, all that. She'd trade services, no question. Thank you." She knows that look, though Alida would never admit it was on her own face after Pyrite had curled up around the back of her neck after her own first feeding. the bluerider chortles softly as green and her new owner bond, and Pyrite goes back to being quiet, and nosing her eggs around some with a cheep of satisfaction. "Sounds good..." Alida comments about seeing some potential new clothes in her future, while beyond them, Ilicaeth gives a soft croon that echos around the huge cavern. "Uh-oh... incoming. You might wanna take one uv the longer tunnels back ta' wherever, if ya can. There's more people comin'..." And *they* didn't get an egg. "Welcome." She too, is rather hard and cold, even ornery, but for once, the balm of new 'animal' life emerging has slightly softened the guard. Evanthe wrinkles her nose immediately at the promise of more people trampling in. The look she shoots at Alida, stuck out here in the heat with the hordes. "Right. We'll go then." She's uncertain, a little clumsy - like someone handling a cat for the first time - but in a moment has the little green tucked securely in the crook of her elbow. "After I get this one settled, I'm coming back with that juice," she promises over her shoulder, as she makes her hasty way off the sand. She will, too, make no mistake. And with that, Evvy and her new bitty friend are off. |
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