Weyrleader Surprise
It is a spring afternoon of day 13, month 3, turn 20 of Interval 10.
Southern Bowl, Fort Weyr
There is a little more grass in this section of the bowl than at the center, though this can be attributed to the lake that's not too far off and not to any improvement to the sandy soil. More weyrs can be seen high along the mountain walls to either side, though there are none in the massive earthworks that spill down the southernmost section of the volcanically created valley.
The sandy lake shore is further to the southwest, creating a vast half-crescent that contains the blue-green waters of the lake proper. More to the west would be the feeding grounds that contain the animals designated for being consumed by both dragons and humans alike. Off toward the distant northeast would be the weyrling barracks, the Weyrleader's complex, the hatching complex, living cavern, and infirmary.
Obvious exits:
Northern Bowl Weyrling Barracks Lakeshore Hot Springs Guest Weyr Infirmary Feeding Grounds
"Clutchmates? Extended family forged through the rigors of weyrlinghood? That might be a bit too long." Now that he's cooling down, stretching drifting into half-unconscious shifts in posture, R'uen rolls his shoulders and shiver a bit. "Mind if I...?" He points to Gedroth's wing: shelter to share? "Wait, what was Jantha not too upset about?" He narrows an eye, trying to remember.
Gedroth
This big brown looks like a living bundle of sticks, his build all odd angles and long planes on a spindly body. His hide boasts mostly even coloring in a light tan hue, but an ochre undercurrent strengthens the intensity of his already large, high-set eyes and the long sweep of his wings. A narrow muzzle stretches into an overlong, sinuous neck that goes on for ages, its length measured out in tiny, toast-tipped ridges. Six talon wounds stripe down his back, new scars that have healed over yellow and thick. His limbs are the gangling sort, awkward and at odds with his body, but when he moves it all comes together: smooth motions, the elegant tip-toe of a dancer, each step alive with energy. A flat-topped tail balances all that movement, and brings one final brush of ochre out like the last rays of sunset.
At 1 turn, 0 months, 19 days old, Gedroth is 34 feet, 2 inches long with a wingspan of 59 feet, 10 inches, standing 22 feet, 11 inches tall at the shoulder.
It's a cold, rainy day, the kind that sane people will do their best to stay inside and avoid. So of course, R'uen and Rhodya have been out here for a while, chatting under Gedroth's wing. "Uh," Rhodya says, looking at her dragon's head. The brown's eyes have started whirling again, that same excitment he showed when Rev reminded him of jogging. His rider shrugs, and beckons R'uen to go ahead and crowd in. "Too late, guess he remembers. He did this thing where he studied other weyrlings in their sleep, sort of seeing what he could do with their dreams and all. They asked us to stop until after we graduated, so..." she lets the sentence trail off, looking at R'uen. Gedroth is staring at him too. It's creepy.
Cold, rainy, and yet people still need to get up and down the walls. Good thing Kai's still on punishment duty so Fort doesn't have to haul out the big ladders. Chielyth lands not far from her brother in a splash of mud, all gleeful despite the rain. On her back Kai looks around for more passengers before sliding down and jogging over to, "Hey, Gedroth, Rho. I was gonna ask..." but here's R'uen, and Kai skids to a stop just under the brown's wing, his face going weyrling-neutral as he tosses out a salute. "Afternoon, sir."
Dragon> To Gedroth, Chielyth's as exuberant as ever, perhaps even more so since the snow's started melting and the signs of spring have appeared. << Hi Gedroth! Isn't this fun? >> Squishing her toes into the mud, she means, with the cool-squelchy noise-feel that's as much seen as heard as felt.
Studying sleeping weyrlings. R'uen might step closer, but he's no nearer to understanding just what Gedroth has up his sleeve. Beside this pair of riders now huddling out of the rain. "He was doing what?" Yes he heard, he just needs more explanation. And then Chielyth is landing and Kai is trotting up. When the stil-weyrling's face goes blank, R'uen steps back a bit, though still under Gedroth's wing. "Go ahead and ask," he invites B'kaiv, even if he's not the person who's being asked anything at all. And he also chances a small smile, a polite one.
Rhodya's brow's go up at Kai's switch over to weyrling neutral, and she glances from him to R'uen once before she adds her own, slightly confused, smile to the mix. "Yeah, ask. I was just tellin' Rev about Gedroth's old dream experiment. Kai wound up being' a sort of accidental victim, because Gedroth was watchin' Chielyth's dreams, and it sort of bled over -" she stops holds up her hands, shakes her head. "Let me start over. See, I was havin' these bad dreams, and Gedroth figured, since he's tied into my head, maybe he could make 'em go away. And then he figured he could do it for other dragons, too, 'cause they're tied in also. So he started watching, to see what we were all dreamin' about, and then he started tryin' to do something about it, which is where it sort of went wrong, and he kind of -" she flicks a look at Kai, color rising in her cheeks - "shared some dreams around, or caused nightmares he didn't mean to, and so on." Gedroth seems to have forgotten all about the subject, his head whipping around to look at Chielyth. He makes a curious cooing sound at her.
Dragon> To Chielyth, Gedroth's mind snaps onto yours, but the river is still full of burbling noises that talk about dreams and running. << It looks fun, >> he agrees. That's when he makes that odd cooing noise, a sort of envy. << But I'm keeping Rho and these others dry. One of them is my wingleader, >> he adds after a moment, proud of himself.
"Yes, sir," Kai repeats, with a nod for his mentor, but he doesn't before Rhodya launches into her explanation. "Yeah, I remember them," he says to her quick look with a queer, stiff smile. "S'prob'ly a good thing he stopped when he did. I weren't mad or nothing, though." Just in case they worried of a long-harbored grudge. He steps a bit farther beneath brown wing when the wind tosses a bit of water down his neck, and steadfastly ignores Chielyth squelching happily in the mud and crooning - to it and to Gedroth. Someone's going to need a bath later. "How come you're out here in th' wet?" The question asked to both of them.
Dragon> To Gedroth, Chielyth splish-splashes along the river's edge, watching the ripples. << That's very good of you, Gedroth. I want to play, but Kai says No and says we are flying instead. >> Only they aren't flying just now. << Oh! What if I came over and sat under your other wing and then we could play in the mud -and- you could keep them dry? >>
"He watches the dreams of dragons while they sleep?" R'uen -- it might be sad for Rhodya to see -- seems to balk a bit at the prospect. "Yeah, I can see why people might get a bit out of sorts about that. I mean, who hasn't had a dirty dream about some random person? That sort of thing gets out and gets all blown out of proportion and before you know it, someone's heartbroken and someone's pissed and some poor unsuspecting person is getting all sorts of attention about a dream someone else randomly had..." He turns to wag a finger at Gedroth, which is of course, in jest. It's an empty threat anyway, since he doesn't bother adding words to it. For B'kaiv, the weyrleader makes a general gesture to his soaked shirt. "Running. It's not all rain, this." Thankfully the rain keeps him from being too stinky.
Rhodya does purse her lips a bit when she notices R'uen's reluctance, and she adds quickly, "Oh, but he wouldn't do it /now/ without askin' first. And... he'd be more careful?" she offers hopefully. She's got no back-up in this. Gedroth's too busy stretching his neck towards Chielyth to offer support arguments, much less notice his wingleader's wagging finger. So Rhodya retreats, for the moment, to a safer subject. "I just got caught in this," she tells Kai, waving her hand. "It stopped for a minute and I thought I'd run up to my weyr, but nope. Started again, and it ain't quit since."
Dragon> To Chielyth, Gedroth stretches his neck out to investigate the splishy-splashy, not minding when some of it gets all the way onto his nose. << That's a good idea, >> he says, stretching his other wing out. << It feels better, too. I didn't think about it, but it's a little strange to sit here with only one wing stretched. >> He pauses to luxuriate in the balance of having both wings stretched, then bobs his nose at Chielyth. Come on!
B'kaiv glances not-as-surreptitiously-as-he-thinks at Rhodya when the Weyrleader mentions naughty dreams, but he's not going to jump into that puddle of mud, not on anyone's side. Chielyth takes this opportunity to abandon her puddle to galumph around Gedroth (stopping to touch noses with him first) and tuck herself under the brown's other wing, happy as a pig in slop. Kai watches her for a second before nodding understanding at both of the others. "Yeah. I ain't really been dry since I come out here after lunch. Which is what I was gonna ask: you wanna get something t' eat, later?" He starts asking of Rho, but includes R'uen with a polite nod. "Unless you're eating with your wing or something, I understand an' all."
"You asking for my permission? If someone wants to let him go rooting around their heads while they sleep, that's between you guys. Just don't go poking where you're not invited." Simple as that. R'uen gives an easy shrug, or it would be easy if the wet shirt didn't stick so. He gives it a tug at his chest trying to loosen the fabric from his skin. "It's a nice hot bath for me after this," R'uen adds to Kai with a quirk of a more natural smile. End even though Rev hasn't seemed too thrilled with the idea, he's curious anyway: "What did Gedroth find?"
Maybe Rhodya notices Kai's look, maybe she doesn't. Maybe she just blushes randomly. Who knows! "Yeah, after standing in this so long I could use some hot food, Kai. You got it." She looks back at her dragon, whose head has now returned to watch them, though his full attention doesn't seem to be here anymore. Probably that's because, on the other side, he's tilting his wing, sending all the water he's collected there splashing first onto Chielyth's nose, then her butt. He keeps her guessing. "He found a way to change what people dream by suggesting things to them while they sleep, but he didn't have time to perfect it. Apparently, if somebody's unhappy and dreamin' of rainstorms, you can't just make it better by suggesting sunshine 'cause they might then have a dream about being stuck in the desert." She looks at him to confirm, and Gedroth spares enough attention from Chielyth to bob his head. Yes, exactly.
Chielyth squeals happily and whaps at Gedroth's wing just in time to get a soggy tush. Her, << Gedroth!! >> of mock-protest is probably loud enough to be heard at the Reaches. "That's kinda, uh. Interesting. Dunno as Chielyth'd think t' do nothing like that. I still got..." He leans out to peer at the sky, though the grey and rain do nothing to let him judge the time. "Couple hours, maybe. We'll let you know." Speaking of letting him know: a portly gentleman limps out from the infirmary and looks around; his glare can nearly dry clothing from here. "Shells, that's us." He's got another hasty salute for both of the riders before he trots around to retrieve a soggy green and return them both to duty.
Whew! Sure didn't expect to see him under there with her. Guess it makes sense, though, him being her wingleader an' all. Dunno what's worse: doing elevator duty in the rain, or the snow. Hope I'm doing chores inside tonight. It ain't the night t' be cleaning the feeding pens, not when it's like this.
Southern Bowl, Fort Weyr
There is a little more grass in this section of the bowl than at the center, though this can be attributed to the lake that's not too far off and not to any improvement to the sandy soil. More weyrs can be seen high along the mountain walls to either side, though there are none in the massive earthworks that spill down the southernmost section of the volcanically created valley.
The sandy lake shore is further to the southwest, creating a vast half-crescent that contains the blue-green waters of the lake proper. More to the west would be the feeding grounds that contain the animals designated for being consumed by both dragons and humans alike. Off toward the distant northeast would be the weyrling barracks, the Weyrleader's complex, the hatching complex, living cavern, and infirmary.
Obvious exits:
Northern Bowl Weyrling Barracks Lakeshore Hot Springs Guest Weyr Infirmary Feeding Grounds
"Clutchmates? Extended family forged through the rigors of weyrlinghood? That might be a bit too long." Now that he's cooling down, stretching drifting into half-unconscious shifts in posture, R'uen rolls his shoulders and shiver a bit. "Mind if I...?" He points to Gedroth's wing: shelter to share? "Wait, what was Jantha not too upset about?" He narrows an eye, trying to remember.
Gedroth
This big brown looks like a living bundle of sticks, his build all odd angles and long planes on a spindly body. His hide boasts mostly even coloring in a light tan hue, but an ochre undercurrent strengthens the intensity of his already large, high-set eyes and the long sweep of his wings. A narrow muzzle stretches into an overlong, sinuous neck that goes on for ages, its length measured out in tiny, toast-tipped ridges. Six talon wounds stripe down his back, new scars that have healed over yellow and thick. His limbs are the gangling sort, awkward and at odds with his body, but when he moves it all comes together: smooth motions, the elegant tip-toe of a dancer, each step alive with energy. A flat-topped tail balances all that movement, and brings one final brush of ochre out like the last rays of sunset.
At 1 turn, 0 months, 19 days old, Gedroth is 34 feet, 2 inches long with a wingspan of 59 feet, 10 inches, standing 22 feet, 11 inches tall at the shoulder.
It's a cold, rainy day, the kind that sane people will do their best to stay inside and avoid. So of course, R'uen and Rhodya have been out here for a while, chatting under Gedroth's wing. "Uh," Rhodya says, looking at her dragon's head. The brown's eyes have started whirling again, that same excitment he showed when Rev reminded him of jogging. His rider shrugs, and beckons R'uen to go ahead and crowd in. "Too late, guess he remembers. He did this thing where he studied other weyrlings in their sleep, sort of seeing what he could do with their dreams and all. They asked us to stop until after we graduated, so..." she lets the sentence trail off, looking at R'uen. Gedroth is staring at him too. It's creepy.
Cold, rainy, and yet people still need to get up and down the walls. Good thing Kai's still on punishment duty so Fort doesn't have to haul out the big ladders. Chielyth lands not far from her brother in a splash of mud, all gleeful despite the rain. On her back Kai looks around for more passengers before sliding down and jogging over to, "Hey, Gedroth, Rho. I was gonna ask..." but here's R'uen, and Kai skids to a stop just under the brown's wing, his face going weyrling-neutral as he tosses out a salute. "Afternoon, sir."
Dragon> To Gedroth, Chielyth's as exuberant as ever, perhaps even more so since the snow's started melting and the signs of spring have appeared. << Hi Gedroth! Isn't this fun? >> Squishing her toes into the mud, she means, with the cool-squelchy noise-feel that's as much seen as heard as felt.
Studying sleeping weyrlings. R'uen might step closer, but he's no nearer to understanding just what Gedroth has up his sleeve. Beside this pair of riders now huddling out of the rain. "He was doing what?" Yes he heard, he just needs more explanation. And then Chielyth is landing and Kai is trotting up. When the stil-weyrling's face goes blank, R'uen steps back a bit, though still under Gedroth's wing. "Go ahead and ask," he invites B'kaiv, even if he's not the person who's being asked anything at all. And he also chances a small smile, a polite one.
Rhodya's brow's go up at Kai's switch over to weyrling neutral, and she glances from him to R'uen once before she adds her own, slightly confused, smile to the mix. "Yeah, ask. I was just tellin' Rev about Gedroth's old dream experiment. Kai wound up being' a sort of accidental victim, because Gedroth was watchin' Chielyth's dreams, and it sort of bled over -" she stops holds up her hands, shakes her head. "Let me start over. See, I was havin' these bad dreams, and Gedroth figured, since he's tied into my head, maybe he could make 'em go away. And then he figured he could do it for other dragons, too, 'cause they're tied in also. So he started watching, to see what we were all dreamin' about, and then he started tryin' to do something about it, which is where it sort of went wrong, and he kind of -" she flicks a look at Kai, color rising in her cheeks - "shared some dreams around, or caused nightmares he didn't mean to, and so on." Gedroth seems to have forgotten all about the subject, his head whipping around to look at Chielyth. He makes a curious cooing sound at her.
Dragon> To Chielyth, Gedroth's mind snaps onto yours, but the river is still full of burbling noises that talk about dreams and running. << It looks fun, >> he agrees. That's when he makes that odd cooing noise, a sort of envy. << But I'm keeping Rho and these others dry. One of them is my wingleader, >> he adds after a moment, proud of himself.
"Yes, sir," Kai repeats, with a nod for his mentor, but he doesn't before Rhodya launches into her explanation. "Yeah, I remember them," he says to her quick look with a queer, stiff smile. "S'prob'ly a good thing he stopped when he did. I weren't mad or nothing, though." Just in case they worried of a long-harbored grudge. He steps a bit farther beneath brown wing when the wind tosses a bit of water down his neck, and steadfastly ignores Chielyth squelching happily in the mud and crooning - to it and to Gedroth. Someone's going to need a bath later. "How come you're out here in th' wet?" The question asked to both of them.
Dragon> To Gedroth, Chielyth splish-splashes along the river's edge, watching the ripples. << That's very good of you, Gedroth. I want to play, but Kai says No and says we are flying instead. >> Only they aren't flying just now. << Oh! What if I came over and sat under your other wing and then we could play in the mud -and- you could keep them dry? >>
"He watches the dreams of dragons while they sleep?" R'uen -- it might be sad for Rhodya to see -- seems to balk a bit at the prospect. "Yeah, I can see why people might get a bit out of sorts about that. I mean, who hasn't had a dirty dream about some random person? That sort of thing gets out and gets all blown out of proportion and before you know it, someone's heartbroken and someone's pissed and some poor unsuspecting person is getting all sorts of attention about a dream someone else randomly had..." He turns to wag a finger at Gedroth, which is of course, in jest. It's an empty threat anyway, since he doesn't bother adding words to it. For B'kaiv, the weyrleader makes a general gesture to his soaked shirt. "Running. It's not all rain, this." Thankfully the rain keeps him from being too stinky.
Rhodya does purse her lips a bit when she notices R'uen's reluctance, and she adds quickly, "Oh, but he wouldn't do it /now/ without askin' first. And... he'd be more careful?" she offers hopefully. She's got no back-up in this. Gedroth's too busy stretching his neck towards Chielyth to offer support arguments, much less notice his wingleader's wagging finger. So Rhodya retreats, for the moment, to a safer subject. "I just got caught in this," she tells Kai, waving her hand. "It stopped for a minute and I thought I'd run up to my weyr, but nope. Started again, and it ain't quit since."
Dragon> To Chielyth, Gedroth stretches his neck out to investigate the splishy-splashy, not minding when some of it gets all the way onto his nose. << That's a good idea, >> he says, stretching his other wing out. << It feels better, too. I didn't think about it, but it's a little strange to sit here with only one wing stretched. >> He pauses to luxuriate in the balance of having both wings stretched, then bobs his nose at Chielyth. Come on!
B'kaiv glances not-as-surreptitiously-as-he-thinks at Rhodya when the Weyrleader mentions naughty dreams, but he's not going to jump into that puddle of mud, not on anyone's side. Chielyth takes this opportunity to abandon her puddle to galumph around Gedroth (stopping to touch noses with him first) and tuck herself under the brown's other wing, happy as a pig in slop. Kai watches her for a second before nodding understanding at both of the others. "Yeah. I ain't really been dry since I come out here after lunch. Which is what I was gonna ask: you wanna get something t' eat, later?" He starts asking of Rho, but includes R'uen with a polite nod. "Unless you're eating with your wing or something, I understand an' all."
"You asking for my permission? If someone wants to let him go rooting around their heads while they sleep, that's between you guys. Just don't go poking where you're not invited." Simple as that. R'uen gives an easy shrug, or it would be easy if the wet shirt didn't stick so. He gives it a tug at his chest trying to loosen the fabric from his skin. "It's a nice hot bath for me after this," R'uen adds to Kai with a quirk of a more natural smile. End even though Rev hasn't seemed too thrilled with the idea, he's curious anyway: "What did Gedroth find?"
Maybe Rhodya notices Kai's look, maybe she doesn't. Maybe she just blushes randomly. Who knows! "Yeah, after standing in this so long I could use some hot food, Kai. You got it." She looks back at her dragon, whose head has now returned to watch them, though his full attention doesn't seem to be here anymore. Probably that's because, on the other side, he's tilting his wing, sending all the water he's collected there splashing first onto Chielyth's nose, then her butt. He keeps her guessing. "He found a way to change what people dream by suggesting things to them while they sleep, but he didn't have time to perfect it. Apparently, if somebody's unhappy and dreamin' of rainstorms, you can't just make it better by suggesting sunshine 'cause they might then have a dream about being stuck in the desert." She looks at him to confirm, and Gedroth spares enough attention from Chielyth to bob his head. Yes, exactly.
Chielyth squeals happily and whaps at Gedroth's wing just in time to get a soggy tush. Her, << Gedroth!! >> of mock-protest is probably loud enough to be heard at the Reaches. "That's kinda, uh. Interesting. Dunno as Chielyth'd think t' do nothing like that. I still got..." He leans out to peer at the sky, though the grey and rain do nothing to let him judge the time. "Couple hours, maybe. We'll let you know." Speaking of letting him know: a portly gentleman limps out from the infirmary and looks around; his glare can nearly dry clothing from here. "Shells, that's us." He's got another hasty salute for both of the riders before he trots around to retrieve a soggy green and return them both to duty.
Whew! Sure didn't expect to see him under there with her. Guess it makes sense, though, him being her wingleader an' all. Dunno what's worse: doing elevator duty in the rain, or the snow. Hope I'm doing chores inside tonight. It ain't the night t' be cleaning the feeding pens, not when it's like this.