The Stray Snowball
Serendipity is the art of making an unsought finding. ~Pek van Andel
OOC Date: October 29, 2009
IC Date: ???
Who: Ebeny, Gabrion
Where: High Reaches Weyr Bowl
Gabrion runs afoul of a snowball fight, meets a girl greenrider, and is offered a ride on a stunt flying dragon.
Playing in the snow, in the dark probably isn't the best idea anyone has ever had. What makes the situation even less of a good idea might be the fact that there's not much actual snow to throw around, it's more like slush, though that doesn't appear to be stopping Ebeny from engaging in a snowball fight with two girls that look at least a decade younger than her. With the quality of the snow, the task requires quite close range and it's more than likely that people not involved in the game have been pelted by accident and still stand to be.
Bundled up in jacket and scarf and hat, Gabrion emerges from the lower caverns and starts across the bowl, heading in the general direction of the dragon infirmary. If indeed that's where he's headed, he could have just gone through the lower caverns, it's true - but for whatever reason, he decided to take the outside route instead. It looks like he'll pay for it in wet clothes: he's not paying any attention at all to the snowball fight going on a short distance away, until a slushy snowball hits him in the face and another square in the chest. He stops, splutters, and wipes at his face with the end of his scarf. "What the hey!" he demands of the girl who threw the snow.
Of the three, it's Ebeny who has the grace to look apologetic, whilst the younger girls struggle to suppress laughter, nudge each other and stage whisper about good aim. "Eva, Brynna, that's not funny," the greenrider says, glancing between them and their accidentally-struck target. "Go on in and dinner before Mama wonders where you are." She's trying to be stern, but it's not a fantastic effort, and with the girls herded away, she heads over to Gabrion and finally starts to apologize. "I'm so sorry. My fault, really, I started the game. First time they'd hit someone twice, though."
Gabrion scrubs at his face again. "Too bad they couldn't hit who they were aiming for," he says, surly like the teenager he is. But the humor of the situation doesn't escape him, and he lets out a snort of amusement despite himself. "Ah well... it'll dry off. I guess I shouldn't have got in the way."
"If it'll make you feel any better, I'll just stand here and you can throw snow at me?" Ebeny offers, quite a genuine offer from how earnest she sounds. "Since I was the one they should've got." She holds out one hand, not really awkward, only continuing to be apologetic. "I'm Ebeny, green Laurienth's. And I promise I don't stand around in the bowl all day throwing snow at people. Only sometimes."
"Well, it's no fun if the person doesn't duck," Gabrion points out with a smirk. "Where's the challenge in that? I mean, my brother would probably take you up on it, but." /He's/ not like that - isn't he such a peach of a fellow? "I'm Gabe," he says, taking her hand in greeting.
"Well met," Ebeny says quietly, with a belated glance down at her hand to make sure she hasn't just offered over a handful of snow, too. Nope, she hasn't, and she smiles, relieved. "What if I promise to duck?" she asks, more joking now and her smile stretches to a grin. "I'd throw some back too, but I think my sisters already did that enough. Where were you headed before we caught you in crossfire?"
"Uh, just to the infirmary," Gabrion answers. "I'm not on duty or anything, my shift ended earlier, but, I forgot my bag, and I wanted something out of it. So." He grins. "Were those your - sisters?" he asks, gesturing back in the direction the girls went.
"Oh, so you work in the Infirmary?" the greenrider asks, peering unnecessarily in its general direction. "Yes, two of them. I'd assure you that they're usually not quite so giggly and giddy, but then I'd be lying." Ebeny shrugs, a little helplessly. "I can say that /I'm/ generally not that giddy, but make no promises about the giggling," she jokes.
Gabrion snorts again, amused. "Well, you're a girl," he says. "So you can get away with it probably. Now if /I/ giggled, that would be something else again." He glances at the infirmary and grimaces a little. "Yeah... I work there." He seems unenthusiastic about it.
"I don't know. What does it matter what people might think? Go on and giggle if you've ever the impulse, I say," Ebeny answers, laughing quietly. She looks towards the Infirmary again and her head tilts a little to the right when she glances back at Gabrion. "...Don't you like it there?" she asks, hesitant.
"Eh." Gabe shrugs. "I'd rather a different job, but that's the one I got, so. Whatever." The idea of not worrying about what people think seems to puzzle him - he peers at Ebeny as though she'd grown a second head. "I'm not going to go around giggling," he says firmly. "That would just be - yeah. No. ...you're a rider, aren't you?" Let's change the subject.
Even if she pauses before speaking again, Ebeny doesn't seem very concerned by that look, just a bit blank for a moment. "What would you rather do?" she enquires, though she adopts the new topic readily enough. "I'm in Avalanche. My green likes trying to pull off stunts, though she's not exactly got the small frame for it. She gets a kick out of it, so I don't hold her back in that at least."
Gabrion shrugs. "Oh, I dunno, work in the kitchen maybe. Or maybe be a rider, if I can get permission to stand. Only," he adds with a smirk, like it's supposed to be a joke, "don't tell my mom." Or maybe it's not a joke. Hard to tell. "Stunts, that sounds fun. My dad's blue used to be able to do stunts, but he's too old now."
"If you get Searched, you don't need permission beyond that, right?" It might really be a question, or Ben might be trying to remember from the look on her face. "Promise I won't tell your mom, anyway. Not that I'd know her to tell her, but..." She smiles, yet the expression fades quite quickly. "Why shouldn't she be told what you'd like to do?"
"She'd throw a fit," Gabrion says, and makes a face. "Long story, but I had a brother who died when he was a weyrling, so..." he shrugs. "I don't think you need special permission. But when it's your /mom/, you know." A pause. "What kind of stunts do you do? Like, loops? Those are pretty cool."
"Oh," the greenrider utters softly. "I'm sorry. Yes, I can see how having another child Searched might be worrying for her." Ebeny's fingers find the sleeves of her jacket and she hides her hands away from the cold. "Laurienth likes loops, yes, but sometimes she doesn't get the momentum quite right. She's more into really sharp manoeuvres. And then sometimes she just plain makes things up as she goes along..."
"That sounds pretty awesome, too," Gabrion says with enthusiasm. "Like you wouldn't know what was coming next! One when I was little my dad took me up on his dragon and we did some loops... I puked, though, so he didn't do it again, which kind of sucked. Stunts are fun."
"Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's... not. She's quite unpredictable." Despite what she says, Ebeny manages a burble of laughter about her green. "If you can bear unpredictable and tell me something along the lines of you won't throw up, you could always fly with Laurienth and I sometime. She's not the... friendliest of dragons, but she's good in the air."
Gabrion laughs. "Well, I haven't thrown up on back of a dragon since then?" he says. "Though I don't usually get to ride them when they're doing stunts. That would be pretty neat, though, to go for a ride some time. If she doesn't mind, I mean. And if you don't."
"That'll do," Ebeny says, with a grin for such assurances. "I don't mind at all. And I doubt she will - she'll probably be glad to show off. Just let me know when would be good? A message or something." It's become noticeably darker since the conclusion of the snowball fight and she looks towards the Infirmary again, concerned. "I shouldn't keep you out here in the cold. Not with wet clothes. But as I say, just let me know? And we'll go."
"Yeah. It's better when it's not dark, I think. And I should go get my stuff and - well it was nice to meet you!" Gabe says brightly. "And uh, yeah, thanks. That would be great. Definitely. I'll let you know." With a bright grin, he waves, and then hustles off toward the infirmary.
OOC Date: October 29, 2009
IC Date: ???
Who: Ebeny, Gabrion
Where: High Reaches Weyr Bowl
Gabrion runs afoul of a snowball fight, meets a girl greenrider, and is offered a ride on a stunt flying dragon.
Playing in the snow, in the dark probably isn't the best idea anyone has ever had. What makes the situation even less of a good idea might be the fact that there's not much actual snow to throw around, it's more like slush, though that doesn't appear to be stopping Ebeny from engaging in a snowball fight with two girls that look at least a decade younger than her. With the quality of the snow, the task requires quite close range and it's more than likely that people not involved in the game have been pelted by accident and still stand to be.
Bundled up in jacket and scarf and hat, Gabrion emerges from the lower caverns and starts across the bowl, heading in the general direction of the dragon infirmary. If indeed that's where he's headed, he could have just gone through the lower caverns, it's true - but for whatever reason, he decided to take the outside route instead. It looks like he'll pay for it in wet clothes: he's not paying any attention at all to the snowball fight going on a short distance away, until a slushy snowball hits him in the face and another square in the chest. He stops, splutters, and wipes at his face with the end of his scarf. "What the hey!" he demands of the girl who threw the snow.
Of the three, it's Ebeny who has the grace to look apologetic, whilst the younger girls struggle to suppress laughter, nudge each other and stage whisper about good aim. "Eva, Brynna, that's not funny," the greenrider says, glancing between them and their accidentally-struck target. "Go on in and dinner before Mama wonders where you are." She's trying to be stern, but it's not a fantastic effort, and with the girls herded away, she heads over to Gabrion and finally starts to apologize. "I'm so sorry. My fault, really, I started the game. First time they'd hit someone twice, though."
Gabrion scrubs at his face again. "Too bad they couldn't hit who they were aiming for," he says, surly like the teenager he is. But the humor of the situation doesn't escape him, and he lets out a snort of amusement despite himself. "Ah well... it'll dry off. I guess I shouldn't have got in the way."
"If it'll make you feel any better, I'll just stand here and you can throw snow at me?" Ebeny offers, quite a genuine offer from how earnest she sounds. "Since I was the one they should've got." She holds out one hand, not really awkward, only continuing to be apologetic. "I'm Ebeny, green Laurienth's. And I promise I don't stand around in the bowl all day throwing snow at people. Only sometimes."
"Well, it's no fun if the person doesn't duck," Gabrion points out with a smirk. "Where's the challenge in that? I mean, my brother would probably take you up on it, but." /He's/ not like that - isn't he such a peach of a fellow? "I'm Gabe," he says, taking her hand in greeting.
"Well met," Ebeny says quietly, with a belated glance down at her hand to make sure she hasn't just offered over a handful of snow, too. Nope, she hasn't, and she smiles, relieved. "What if I promise to duck?" she asks, more joking now and her smile stretches to a grin. "I'd throw some back too, but I think my sisters already did that enough. Where were you headed before we caught you in crossfire?"
"Uh, just to the infirmary," Gabrion answers. "I'm not on duty or anything, my shift ended earlier, but, I forgot my bag, and I wanted something out of it. So." He grins. "Were those your - sisters?" he asks, gesturing back in the direction the girls went.
"Oh, so you work in the Infirmary?" the greenrider asks, peering unnecessarily in its general direction. "Yes, two of them. I'd assure you that they're usually not quite so giggly and giddy, but then I'd be lying." Ebeny shrugs, a little helplessly. "I can say that /I'm/ generally not that giddy, but make no promises about the giggling," she jokes.
Gabrion snorts again, amused. "Well, you're a girl," he says. "So you can get away with it probably. Now if /I/ giggled, that would be something else again." He glances at the infirmary and grimaces a little. "Yeah... I work there." He seems unenthusiastic about it.
"I don't know. What does it matter what people might think? Go on and giggle if you've ever the impulse, I say," Ebeny answers, laughing quietly. She looks towards the Infirmary again and her head tilts a little to the right when she glances back at Gabrion. "...Don't you like it there?" she asks, hesitant.
"Eh." Gabe shrugs. "I'd rather a different job, but that's the one I got, so. Whatever." The idea of not worrying about what people think seems to puzzle him - he peers at Ebeny as though she'd grown a second head. "I'm not going to go around giggling," he says firmly. "That would just be - yeah. No. ...you're a rider, aren't you?" Let's change the subject.
Even if she pauses before speaking again, Ebeny doesn't seem very concerned by that look, just a bit blank for a moment. "What would you rather do?" she enquires, though she adopts the new topic readily enough. "I'm in Avalanche. My green likes trying to pull off stunts, though she's not exactly got the small frame for it. She gets a kick out of it, so I don't hold her back in that at least."
Gabrion shrugs. "Oh, I dunno, work in the kitchen maybe. Or maybe be a rider, if I can get permission to stand. Only," he adds with a smirk, like it's supposed to be a joke, "don't tell my mom." Or maybe it's not a joke. Hard to tell. "Stunts, that sounds fun. My dad's blue used to be able to do stunts, but he's too old now."
"If you get Searched, you don't need permission beyond that, right?" It might really be a question, or Ben might be trying to remember from the look on her face. "Promise I won't tell your mom, anyway. Not that I'd know her to tell her, but..." She smiles, yet the expression fades quite quickly. "Why shouldn't she be told what you'd like to do?"
"She'd throw a fit," Gabrion says, and makes a face. "Long story, but I had a brother who died when he was a weyrling, so..." he shrugs. "I don't think you need special permission. But when it's your /mom/, you know." A pause. "What kind of stunts do you do? Like, loops? Those are pretty cool."
"Oh," the greenrider utters softly. "I'm sorry. Yes, I can see how having another child Searched might be worrying for her." Ebeny's fingers find the sleeves of her jacket and she hides her hands away from the cold. "Laurienth likes loops, yes, but sometimes she doesn't get the momentum quite right. She's more into really sharp manoeuvres. And then sometimes she just plain makes things up as she goes along..."
"That sounds pretty awesome, too," Gabrion says with enthusiasm. "Like you wouldn't know what was coming next! One when I was little my dad took me up on his dragon and we did some loops... I puked, though, so he didn't do it again, which kind of sucked. Stunts are fun."
"Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's... not. She's quite unpredictable." Despite what she says, Ebeny manages a burble of laughter about her green. "If you can bear unpredictable and tell me something along the lines of you won't throw up, you could always fly with Laurienth and I sometime. She's not the... friendliest of dragons, but she's good in the air."
Gabrion laughs. "Well, I haven't thrown up on back of a dragon since then?" he says. "Though I don't usually get to ride them when they're doing stunts. That would be pretty neat, though, to go for a ride some time. If she doesn't mind, I mean. And if you don't."
"That'll do," Ebeny says, with a grin for such assurances. "I don't mind at all. And I doubt she will - she'll probably be glad to show off. Just let me know when would be good? A message or something." It's become noticeably darker since the conclusion of the snowball fight and she looks towards the Infirmary again, concerned. "I shouldn't keep you out here in the cold. Not with wet clothes. But as I say, just let me know? And we'll go."
"Yeah. It's better when it's not dark, I think. And I should go get my stuff and - well it was nice to meet you!" Gabe says brightly. "And uh, yeah, thanks. That would be great. Definitely. I'll let you know." With a bright grin, he waves, and then hustles off toward the infirmary.