Of dragon washing plots and oil scents: Marsath to get a bath
Ista Bowl
Cynara, Jazra, Rilayen, Nolee
Ista Bowl> Jazra is busy trying to teach one of the residents how to shoot. "Aim along the arrow." She advises. "And don't close one eye." As the resident opens the eye he'd squeezed shut. "Feel the angle of the shot. Make sure the tip of the arrow lines up with where you want to go and let her FLY!" Is exclaimed as the resident lets go of the arrow, the shot is about two handspans away from a bull's eye. "Not bad for a beginner." She says, totally without a smile, but not without warmth.
Ista Bowl> Cynara comes out of the living cavern. "Well, none in there," she pronounces, grumbling faintly. She's moving a little awkwardly at this point, her balance a little off, and heading towards her dragon. Who looks a little...if one can read dragon expressions, he's concerned.
Ista Bowl> Rilayen walks out from the lower caverns with a sandwich, taking small bites. It's got to last, after all, so that he can have a nice long, leisurely lunch. Jazra immediately catches his attention and se starts to move in her and the resident's direction, eyes flicking to the target where the arrow now rests - when he notices Cynara. It's the rider he calls over to. "Are you alright, there?"
Ista Bowl> Jazra bids her teachee goodbye once she spots Cynara. She's not quite able to read dragon expressions just yet, she works her way towards Cynara and Marsath, hand raised in greeting, until she gets close enough to speak with Cynara. "Cy... um... are you okay?" She asks worriedly. "Ma'am." Is tacked on the end somewhere.
"I'm fine. Just..." Very pregnant, as will become more obvious to Rilayen as she turns towards the other candidate. "Jazra and..." Her eyes flick to the other candidate knot, brow furrowing as she tries to place him. "Are you busy?"
Nolee, having overheard? Overseen? Some of what's going on in the bowl beyond, steps down from the wide patio of her ledge, her brows furrowed as she takes a few quiet steps closer, concerned for her clutchmate.
Rilayen's eyes widen at Cynara. "Um, ah." The boy's silent, expression growing wary at Cynara's question. "On lunch, ma'am, but not busy." He gives Jazra a smile and a wave of his sandwich, but doesnt' seem to have noticed Nolee as of yet.
Jazra also hasn't noticed Nolee. She shakes her head vigorously for her. "Nothing that can't be dropped to help a friend. What do you need?" She asks curiously as she leans the bow and quiver together so that they're leaning against each other for support and steps away from both, ready to help however she can.
"Help bathing my dragon, actually." She smiles at Nolee. "Hey there...I'm fine, don't worry. Just getting harder to do the heavy work right now...I'll be glad when this is over." The pregnant bluerider offers another smile, to the candidates.
Nolee's unusually quiet for the loquacious girl, though that can be attributed to her interest in what's going on. The reassurance from Cynara that all is mostly well relieves the brow-crunching, and she nods, that worry slowly turning into a smile as she rather openly stares at the growing roundness of Cynara's belly. "Hey there, yourself," is returned to the bluerider and extended toward the candidates.
The smile on Rilayen's lips stretches. "Bathing your dragon?" He looks at the blue, gaze moving up and down several times as he sizes the dragon up. He eyes Cynara's belly and nods slowly. "I can see why you'd need some help with stuff." His neck turns so suddenly at the sound of Nolee's voice you'd think it'd snap. "Afternoon, Weyrwoman."
Jazra smiles and nods. "Whew, yeah, I'll help with that. I was getting worried for a moment that something might be wrong." She says with a chuckle. "But if help is what you need, help is what I can do. That is, if Marsath isn't upset about somebody else helping to bathe him." She says with a small though amiable smile. Then she spies Nolee. "Good afternoon ma'am." She says, turning to face the goldrider with a polite nod.
Cynara shakes her head. "He doesn't mind at all. Some dragons do, but the majority like attention." She glances at Nolee. "Two more months or so," she informs her clutchsister. "Hard to tell exactly with a first, of course.
Nolee stops staring at Cynara's belly long enough to look back up at the candidates, giving them a nice smile. "I'm glad to hear it isn't anything broken, too. Ohh, dragonbath time? I got this great-smelling stuff to go in the dragonwash, and in the oil too, that makes them smell really good. I have citron scent, or a floral scent--do you think he'd like either of those?" Flower-scented Marsath, surely he'd love it. "Two months? Oh! Until you clutch. I mean, go into labor."
Rilayen looks pleased. "Well, attention from two candidates," he looks at Jazra, grinning broadly. His face is already illuminated at the thought of the job of washing a dragon, but that beam only serves to brighten it further. At the mention of a rough date for the baby's birth his eyes are drawn to Cynara's belly again, then quickly averted as he looks at Nolee. A small chuckle. "Never heard of stuff for putting on them to make them smell. Citron." He clicks his tongue, recalling that particular scent and looking at Marsath.
Jazra shrugs. "I've heard of some dragons using scents. Back when E'zil was a weyrling he sent home a letter telling about a green who insisted on her rider adding flower oils to her dragon oil. I couldn't help laughing but I guess it's okay. Although, I wouldn't have thought of a male dragon using a floral scent, maybe something minty, or woody and earthy. There was a special tree back home out in the forested hills that I recall a healer apprentice coming up to get the bark from. She said that it made a good scent for men and while it didn't have medicinal qualities, the scent was soothing. I think she called it Sandal's Wood." She shrugs a bit. "Maybe it would go better with a male dragon?" She suggests, arching a brow at Marsath.
Cynara laughs. "I think Marsath wouldn't talk to me...he just very firmly informed me flowers are for *greens*." She grins up at her blue. "So...whoever wants to help, we'll go to the lake." She moves next to her dragon, using him for a little bit of support. "And clutch...you've been talking to a broody gold too much, Nolee." A grin.
Nolee nods her head intently at Jazra, "Exactly. Nalaieth likes the floral sometimes, and the citron sometimes, though neither now." She gives Rilayen a brief funny face to try to make him more at ease, then resumes her normal expression. "Mmm, I like that scent on men," Nolee agrees. "Makes them smell like earth and hard work--" That breaks into a laugh. "I have at that! Nala's very chattery. No scent, then, and off to the lake. I'll bring some cookies, maybe, for after, and meet you there." So saying, she heads back toward her weyr with a wave.
Rilayen chuckles at Marsath, half-closing one eye as he looks up at the blue's face. "I don't think any man would want to smell like flowers." eyes dropping to those in the bowl, he shakes his head at Nolee's face, laughing again. "I guess ya can't wash your dragon if she's on the sands. Sandal's wood?" He frowns. "I think I've ehard of that one." A curt nod at Jazra.
----
At the pool
As promised, Nolee arrives after some of the others, a basket over one arm as well as a thin picnic blanket and a scarf to ward off the light dust that always seems to be lingering in the air. She swings the basket gleefully, following it round in circles when her swings get a little too enthusiastic. "Mmm, what a wonderful day to put one's feet in the pool."
Cynara watches Marsath approach.
Rilayen is not long to arrive after Nolee, trailing behind and looking ahead at the pool. He's still grinning, moreso at the goldrider than the job that awaits him. "Taking a dip's nice in this weather. It's so dry." He comments as he approaches the pool, kicking his sandals off.
Jazra kicks off her own sandals, carrying them as she goes barefoot in the grass, though she is silent and her face clear, there's a spring in her step as she drops the sandals out by the edge of the water, rolls up her pants legs, and wades out into the pool.
Bendel comes in rather quietly behind the others, being one of the last to file onto the pools, his arms swinging in time with his steps. He quickly picks up his pace when they arrive at the dragon, leaning over to take his boots off and places them carefully to the side so no one will trip over them.
Nolee's quick to spread her blanket and shed her own shoes, leaving them akimbo in the path in her eagerness to feel the cool water between her toes. "How's the water today?" She sighs contentedly as she sits and dangles her toes into the pool, resting her elbow on the basket and casting about for Marsath as others begin to splash about. "Is he sure he doesn't want any citron scent? It's good for scrubbing off any dry patches before oiling, and it isn't as girly as a floral scent."
Marsath wades into the pool, then looks expectantly at the candidates. "Okay. Who knows how to scrub a dragon, and who *doesn't*?" his rider inquires as she struggles her own boots off. "It's a good skill to have around a Weyr, even if you don't Impress...riders will often trade favors for help."
Jazra looks helplessly at the other candidates. "Absolutely no clue." She says at last as she stands up stiffly, ever the serious one as she eyes Marsath and Cynara closely, looking for some clue about how before they start working on the blue. Her slightly clueless expression rests first on Nolee, then Cynara and Marsath, and then finally the other candidates.
Nolee waves her hand wildly, delighted to have an answer, though as some of the others look more confused, she slowly lowers it, all casual-like, and locates a cookie to snack on instead, so her mouth is full and she can't be called on.
Rilayen pops the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and chews it, brushing his hands off on his shorts before wading into the water. He stays clear of Marsath for now, keeping his distance until given further instruction by Cynara. Bendel gets an enthusiastic wave. "I've helepd my brother wash his dragon before, miss," he tells Cynara. "But my brother always said dragons like different things when it comes to being washed. How hard you scrub and stuff."
Cynara nods a little bit. "Well...I'm going to demonstrate." She moves into the lake. "You should scrub harder than you'll probably think you should...dragon hide is pretty thick...but be careful around the bases of the talons. The wings are a little different."
Bendel waves at Rilayen, quickly padding over to the other candidate's side. "Hey." He murmers quietly to the other s, his head slowly turning to look at Marsath, shifting in his spot. "I've never actually washed one, but I've seen plenty of riders do it." He offers up, shifting in his position.
Minmar steps over the hillside, hurried-like, and whispers something to Nolee which causes the girl to hop to her feet rather quickly and locate her sandals in a hurry, giving the others a smile and a wave as she takes off with her assistant, fortuitously leaving the basket of cookies behind.
(Nolee leaves scene, which likely continues).