[PRP] Is it always like this? (Nicara & Roana)

[Hattaki]

Thoroughly alone and pacing the halls of the Lower Caverns as if she could find some sort of solace in their cool stone surfaces, Nicara was trying to convince herself that she was not as upset as she was about the most recent Touching. She had drawn those two girls into it, a week before the two redheads, one of which actually showed some hesitation when in the presence of dragons.

What was she to explain to them now that they had witnessed a gold, one of the older Queens of Western Weyr nearly eat another candidate? Of course she had heard the story from A'iel, all of it, and now wished that she had been there, wished that Diesteth had been there to calm them.

"How can I explain it? How could anyone explain it to them?" Nicara said to the empty hallway, turning to press her pale forehead against the stone as she wondered aloud.

A feeling of concern passed through her from her beloved dragon and the woman took a deep breath and allowed herself to find her center. First thing she had to do was figure out where she had stalked or paced herself off to and then get back to her weyr to grab her violin. Lifting her head from where she was leaned on the wall she figured out that she was near the Candidate barracks... somehow.

"Must have wandered down here when I was thinking about them." muttering to herself she began her trek back to the outside where she could ride Diesteth back up to her room if he was available. Provided he wasn't somewhere with Jibasth.

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[Sinders Path]

Roana was both enjoying and cursing the brief candlemark of time the candidates had been granted to see to their own affairs. Without the mental pressure of chores or lessons Roana's mind only had the recent events to focus on. And focus on them they did, turning the chaos of the touching over and over in her mind. She had fought with an egg of all things! And the gold had almost eaten someone, she was surprise she hadn't also been under those jaws given her performance. With her mind in such turmoil she had only wanted to do one thing. Talk to her uncle. As bad as their parting had been he was her guardian. Closer to her than her parents and always good with advice. So she had written a letter and bid the candidate master get it to him with any dragon making a trip to Rivercrest. With some grumbling the man had complied.

But it was still a surprise to the girl when a young brown rider rushed into the brackets baring a letter for her and a tightly wrapped package secured with string and oil cloth. She took the items with due thanks.
Happy to have a new distraction she Roana took the items to her cot and settled cross legged on the sleeping area with the package in her lap. She turned the letter over a few times in her hands before giving in to curiosity and breaking the seal. I
Her uncle was all apology and reassurances in writing and she relaxed as she read it. A smile on her lips she felt some of the tension leave her body, soothed by the words on the page. Right up until the last line.

'I have sent you something to remind you of just how much I think of you. Just how much I believe in you. I believe it should travel safely with this dragon man but don't waste any time once you have it.
It's meant to hatch soon.

Your Uncle Remmy.

Hatch soon? HATCH SOON?!

With mounting panic Roana turned her shaky attentions to the package, pulling back the oil cloth she had to work through several layers of fabric till she found what she was looking for. A gleaming pale golden egg packed with warmed sand. She yelped and cursed her uncle as she gathered up the bundle. She had no idea what to do with it. And the candidate master was taking a break at the same time as his students. Calm down Ro, deep breaths. Gathering her thoughts she tried to settle on a plan. The only thing she could think to do was look for a rider, any rider to help her. Surley they would know how to do this. Holding the package like a bomb about to go off she raced out of the brackets.

Luck was on her side and even as she reached the door she had spotted the slender dark form of Nicara. "Nicara!" she called the riders name hurrying over to her. All resentment she felt for the rider dragging her into the entire mess had been pushed aside. "Help me" she demanded tipping the bundle in her arms towards the rider, just enough to let her see what was inside.

"It's meant to hatch soon and I don't know what to do. And the candidate brackets don't even have their own fireplace there is no room. Plus you don't need it with the heat of all those bodies." She was rambling.  

[Hattaki]

Coming from further down the hall, was that her name? It was shouted with something that sounded very close to panic in a voice that was all too familiar given the recent weeks and the thoughts that had just been plauging her mind so. Nicara spun on her heels when she heard the word help and Roana's form running towards her made her blue eyes widen just slightly.

What had happened, after the Touching she hadn't wanted to go back home at all so Nicara had honestly believed that for a second she'd been forgiven for plucking her from Rivercrest so abruptly, not that she had put up much of an argument after her initial dismissal. A dismissal that the rider had still let rankle her despite knowing that their lives had been much different growing up. Such feelings were wiped from her memory though, or at least stored down deep where only she could reach them and her loyal blue wouldn't even be able to tell.

Though maybe he could, she wasn't sure just how far into her heart Diesteth could see and the lovely dragon wasn't telling her just yet, something she believed was not just incidental.

"What... where did you?" Nicara's eyes reflected the glow of the golden egg when Roana tilted it towards her. "A fire lizard egg? Where did you ever get a fire lizard egg that's about to hatch?"

Though she had no fire lizard herself the thin woman knew that eggs needed heat and needed fresh air, not the sweat and closeness of the Candidate barracks. That wouldn't get it to hatch and if it did the little thing would be so overwhelmed that Roana might not even be the one to bond with it if it didn't just pop Between!

"Follow me!" Nicara grabbed her shoulder with a light hand and once she was certain the girl would follow she released her and ran down the hallway swiftly despite her heavy riding boots. Of course she knew the way out to the Bowl, she had stood long as a Candidate as well!

Diesteth, we have a situation we could use you for!

As if you needed to ask. Roana, what mischief have you brought to us now?

Rushing of wind made Nicara's hair flutter a bit even though it was tied back in a ponytail and she looked back to Roana as the big blue landed behind her. "We're going for a ride, get on his back and I'll be right back."

How had it escaped her? Diesteth's hunger when he first hatched had made her ravenous herself, surely the little fire lizard would be hungry when it hatched from that golden egg! Nicara raced towards the kitchens with a plan in mind.

To his credit, Diesteth was interested in the little egg but laid his bulk down on the ground before the redheaded girl without much complaint. Would this be the second time that she had flown then? It was a fun thought even if he barely entertained it for more than a second, he was fond of the girl after all, so he had no issue giving her a ride whenever she wished.

SindersPath

 

[Sinders Path]

Roana looked at Nicara with a strange mix of excitement, panic and exasperation as she launched into the explanation of the egg's origins as quickly as she could, though her mind was such a jumble half of her words managed to run over themselves as well and the blue rider would have to focus to make sense of it all.

"My uncle. I think its some how a misguided attempt to make me forgive him. He managed to wrangle (most likely bribe) one of the riders at River crest t bring it with them back to western." Knowing her uncle he had likely tracked them down in a bar and thought it was a fantastic idea to bring them back without clear instruction and contrived sentiment.

To her credit, despite her bewilderment at the whole situation the redhead didn't need telling twice, she quickly picked up her feet to follow Nicara while she held the bundle close to her and tried to run while not shaking her precious burden. In fairness to her uncle the egg had been packed by someone that clearly knew what they were doing as the warmed sand packed in around the egg kept it secure and the flitt inside comfortable while the layers of fabric and oil cloth around it kept the warmth in and the cold or wet out.

Roana was quick to fold the cloth back over the egg when Diesteth landed beside them in wave of dust and wind but she was relieved to see him. She had expected them both to mount the dragon straight away but then Nicara was turning around and going back into the building. "What? Where are you going?"

She sighed as the small dark form of te blue rider was already retreating and hurried up the the placid blue. "Thankyou for coming Diesteth." she told the dragon. She bent briefly to kiss his great head and let him glimpse the golden egg inside the package that seemed to be throbbing with the life it held.

Once she had greeted the blue she walked around to his side to climb onto his back. It was a more trying task than she had expected with both her arms occupied by the wrapped egg, however she managed it, seating herself as comfortably as she was able on the base curve of his elegant blue neck.  

[Hattaki]

Cooks bribed, she'd have to earn back those marks later by doing some extra side work, Nicara had stuffed the pockets of her riding jacket full of both strips of meat and chunks of bread to help the bonding process go smoothly. Though she had wasted a bit of time attempting to convince them that it was worth it to hand the bits of food over for a few quarter marks when it was quite some time before the next meal they had finally acquiesced and she was on her way. Ponytail swinging behind her as she ran back towards the bowl, she slid around a corner and saw the opening to the outside glowing before her.

Of course, there seemed to be some distress and Nicara was already experiencing some as it was. The events of the Touching have her quite concerned for your safety.

Crooning calmly at the kiss she placed on his wedged head, the blue dragon tilted it to cast one purple eye towards the egg. Not a queen or even much experienced in the way of eggs Diesteth only knew that a glowing egg was very close to hatching and he readied himself to take off once she was astride his neck. Shifting from lying down to standing as gently as he could the blue dragon rocked his weight further onto his back legs and began to move the second he saw Nicara break from the shadows of the Lower Caverns. With two graceful bounds he was in the air and Nicara, jumping at the last second yet somehow miraculously managing to land straddling his great neck, the dragon soared into the air above the bowl smoothly.

"Hold on tight to me, we can't risk going Between with the egg or it might get too cold and never hatch but I have an idea." Nicara yelled back with the wind and directed her dragon towards the warmest spot of sand she knew about.

Trumpeting his response rather than waste time acknowledging the location, the big blue pumped his wings and took them swiftly towards the beach. He and Nicara had visited the quiet shores of this particular strip of beach more than once when they needed some quiet after a long day and though it was usually only a quick trip Between the ride was short all the same. Without much time passing at all, mostly due to the speed the Diesteth was flying at, the shoreline came into view as a foamy stretch of sun warmed sand. Spiraling downward until his claws touched the ground he quickly laid himself on the sand and leaned to one side so Roana could dismount easier, knowing full well that Nicara had already dismounted herself to help.

"I'm sorry I don't know more about these things, but I do know that eggs need warmth and this sand should be warmer than the sand in that package. Plus it's secluded, so this should be better than it hatching in the Candidate Barracks?" Nicara raised a hand up to help the taller girl down, not out of disrespect but because she knew that the egg would make it cumbersome. Hopefully this went well, she'd seen some fire lizard eggs hatch on this particular beach before and so....

SindersPath

 

[Sinders Path]

"Me as well." Roana admitted to the blue. "I'm still not sure you made a good choice big guy."

Honestly she had every intention of unloading her frustrations at her failing on the hatching sands atop the poor women, she still felt sore at the rejection of some of the eggs to her touch making her more solid belief that she was not cut out for this. 'Dragon men are men apart' as the old saying went. She was pirate. Though admittedly she had struggled seeing any singular unique and uplifting trait in the dragon riders she had observed since entering the weyr.

When she saw Nicara running out and felt Diesteth start to move she gripped tighter with her knees and balanced herself. luckily years on rocking ships and rough waters had given her a good balance and she was able to stay steady till Nicara was suddenly there, infront of her. She took hold of the smaller women's waist with one hand and held the egg between them where it would be warmed by their bodies and best protected from the harsh wind chill that accompanied the flight.

She didn't have a chance to admire the rush of scenery and the beauty that the distance of flight granted the weyr, her eyes were fixed on the egg. It was only when they slowed and landed that she was able to wrench her attentions away briefly. Taking Nicara's hand she slid over the blue's withers towards the ground. The sand was soft and shifting and she sunk a few inches into the soft material as it caved to take the impact of her weight.

"Well, it managed the journey in tact and whoever packed it...well it wasn't my uncle they look to have known what they were doing, hopefully its far enough along we can't mess it up too badly now." Roana pointed out hopefully. But she did look around, quickly accessing when she had to hand.

Kneeling down Roana set the package down with the greatest of care then she pushed her fingers into the sands and frowned. It was warmish, she moved further down the beach and tested the sand again. Better. However from what she remembered,fire was involved so heat was clearly needed, and she had so recently felt the heat of the touching sands. So she moved about and began gathering some of the large flat dark rocks along the edge of the shoreline which had broken off from the cliffs above.

once by one she pushed them into the sand, forming a rock basket, then she covered the whole thing with more sand and at last set the egg in the middle, hopefully the rocks would release the suns stolen heat into the sand around the egg and make it warmer, at least that was the theory, now all they could do was wait.  

[Hattaki]

That is why humans are not as adept at searching out possibilities as dragons are. You might doubt yourself, but a dragon knows.

Diesteth offered the words up as Roana slid from him, his eyes a gentle blue as he settled himself to the ground to watch. Certainly he was warm enough but an egg required actual heat that would heat it through to hatch, it was lucky that the afternoon sun beat down as hard as it did for even the sand against his skin was warmer than he liked. Maybe the water would fix this issue.

Though she could offer nothing other than help in collecting rocks and arranging them, Nicara did her best to aid the redhead in her endeavors to heat up the egg. When all the rocks and sand had been placed around it, when the egg was settled so that its glowing shell caught the sunlight, the woman pulled the food she'd bought from her pockets and laid it before them both.

"I wish I knew more about fire lizards, but those that have bonded to them mention the sheer amount of food they eat. This should help, I know how much Diesteth ate after he cracked from his shell but fire lizards are much smaller so that belly should fill up quite quickly." Nicara felt as though she were useless right now, but it was all she could do to help.

Useless might be a strong word beloved. You did bring her here after all and you thought enough to feed the little beast when it arrives, don't sell yourself so short with your own anxieties, that Touching was not your doing.

Pausing where he had just met the surf, the big blue spoke the words for his rider only and as gently as he could. She would get past her worry or she would never again Search, something that neither of them wanted. So it would have to be for now and he was right, so Nicara dropped to the sand and watched the golden egg before her for any signs that it might hatch, all the while wondering if she could bring herself to talk to Roana about what had happened out there, about everything. If that had happened at her own Touching there was a good chance that she would have balled up on herself simply because of the implications and Nicara had grown up around dragons her entire life.

Even in the Harper Hall there was no shortage of dragons, though not near as many as in the Weyr. She expressed internally that she might have run away though, after facing the teeth of a giant gold dragon and the impending threat that they implied so heavily.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Once the egg was settled in it's place it gave an encouraging little shudder but it would not do them the favor of hatching instantly. After the initial movement it went still again. Only the sound of the breaking waves and the occasional sea wherry broke up the silence.

Roana sat down to wait, her legs drawn up and her arms around her knees. At last she looked at Nicara "You lied to me, you said a dragon would never hurt a person, not an adult anyway, and I know that queen meant to kill that girl before her rider collapsed. I know you can't really predict things like that, but still, I feel like I was deceived." She looked square at Nicara then, sitting up strighter to make it clear she would not be cowed by the events, despite what she said.

"I am still going to stand for the hatching, because, well I am here now and I can't go back before I have finished what I said I would, but I am afraid, the other candidates told me hatchings can get bad." She grimaced "bloody." She turned her head to look out at the sea. "So I'm going to write a letter and if something happens I want you to take it to my uncle for me. Cause he can tell my family then." It was a morbid subject but Roana clearly wanted Nicara's promise on the matter. It would make her feel better going in.

"And if I don't impress, then I can go back to rivercrest knowing I tried."  

[Hattaki]

It was exactly what she expected and honestly exactly what she deserved from the younger woman. Nicara was still worried for her safety, still concerned about her leaving before she'd gotten the opportunity to even try and Impress, however her heart stopped pounding in her chest with Roana's words. So she was going to stay, but the implications of her leaving were still there, as were those of her possible death.

A sigh pulled from Nicara's mouth and her head drooped just slightly, long strands of black hair that had been pulled from the tail at the back of her head brushed against her cheeks as she did. What would she have done if that had happened during her Touching, would she have run back to Onasta and Jibasth without ever standing? She'd have never met Diesteth... the thought alone chilled her down to her bones.

Without a word she unbuttoned the top two buttons of her vest and pulled both it and her shirt back to bare the large raised scar on her left shoulder. It stood out against her skin like no scar she'd earned since and the ragged lines of it sometimes hurt even now.

"When he was a newborn... Diesteth was confused and didn't know who he was looking for. When his sister slashed at my hip it caught me off guard, but he pinned me down and ripped me wide open and wormed his way right into that hole he'd made.", she pulled her shirt back over her shoulder but left both it and the vest unbuttoned. Lifting her head she turned her bloodshot and sleep deprived eyes on Roana, "It's worth it, no matter how many times you stand, to see that rainbow. To feel that love and know that two hearts beat with your own, three at the same time. But you're right, I never knew anything like that would happen and I've never once seen anything like it before."

What a clutch this was and deep down inside herself she blamed that girl, the one that had aggravated the egg that brought down such danger. It was selfish but it was only the thoughts she held in her heart and certainly she would never speak ill of the child lest it make it's way back to A'ral. They were all his children and Nicara knew that, but she could still call that girl a fool inwardly, she had risked them all and Talela's health along with it and for what? An argument with an egg?

"When you write that letter I would be honored to hold onto it for you, at least until after the Hatching. Then you can burn it and know that if the worst had indeed happened your family would not be the only ones with broken hearts." Nicara looked at her hands where they rested on her legs. It would be her fault if something happened to Roana, she had pulled her from Rivercrest that night, if she hadn't then maybe she would be making plans to find a boat with her uncle and working on getting out on the sea once more. She was putting this girl at risk.

A tail wrapped it's way around her waist tightly and Diesteth, damp from the ocean water but much cooler and smelling of salt, laid his body on the sand so that he was coiled about both women in an almost protective way. His rider was sad, if he allowed her to continue in such a way then she might begin to cry, something he knew she detested doing in front of others no matter who they were. With his large body he wrapped them both in the safety that Roana hadn't had during the Touching and the big blue released a rumbling croon for them as he dropped his head to the sand beside the redhead. To him both of them were important and neither deserved to be stressed or feeling sad.

The tightness in her chest released ever so slightly and Nicara placed both hands on Diesteth's tail instead, feeling the softness of his skin as it dried in the warm sunlight. At the end of the day she had him and she always would.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Roana's eyes flicked to the scar without flinching. Even though it was alarming to see what those claws and teeth could do, even fresh out of the egg. She would be standing to witness that, experience that within a seven day. Never the less she held her tongue and let Nicara continue her story. She had a hard time imagining the gentle Diesteth being so violently but that was the problem. Despite the bond, dragons were not people. They operated differently on their own codes and laws that were hard to understand and accept for people outside the weyr.

"Thankyou, I've already started on the letter, so I should be able to get it to you soon." She told her, before falling silent to greet the blue dragon with a smile then a groan and a little shove at his head. "Don't sit right up close like that when you're still damp you great wherry." she scolded him affectionately. But his renewed presence seemed to break some of the tension.

Roana stood up and walked over to Nicara dropped down beside her with a tremble of sands. "Oh for perns sake women, stop looking like a kicked canine. It's no fun digging at you and scolding you if it actually makes you cry. " To make her point she put an arm around Nicara's shoulders and gave her a brief squeeze.

"But you waxing lyrical about the glories of impression isn't going to help. I know that by now, you don't see true long lasting love in the hold's in a long lasting marriage the best you get is a sort of contented acceptance between people, but I see it. Every time a rider looks as their dragon. But that doesn't change the fact I've also seen aged out candidates in the lower caverns, a lot of them at completely loose ends, no idea what to do with themselves. I'm not like that. I have a craft and a life(Poor as it is) , back at river crest and for me it's a matter of how long I put my life on hold for something that might not even happen. When their kids, everyone, at some points dreams of being a dragon rider, like in the ballads. But before you came along my dream had shifted to captaining my own ship before I hit 25."

Though, admitedly that had suffered a blow thanks to thread. Before Roana could press Nicara for a response there was a little chirp and a small crack appeared in the shell of the flitt egg.  

[Hattaki]

Between the sudden proximity and the squeeze about her shoulders Nicara had more human touch than she was used to, no one went out of their way to be physical towards her in the least. Not usually, Onasta sometimes drank too much and hugged her in a sloppy state of emotion, but the raven haired woman was otherwise unused to it. It felt warmer than she was expecting, however it did nothing to distract from Roana's words and Nicara once again found that she didn't have the right words for the young woman. Her whole life had been dragons and music and then yet more dragons as turns passed, how was she to know what it was like jot to have a dragon? Certainly she could remember the years before Diesteth, they seemed ages ago now, but they hadn't been as meaningful.

How could she explain being bonded to a dragon in a way that didn't sound poetic or dreamy? Or should she even? Roana's was right, those that hadn't found a match filled the lower caverns and worked doing things that even Candidates wouldn't wish to do if forced. Just to be near a dragon! Had she been so different? Nicara had left the Harper Hall as a Journeyman to come back to her home Weyr, a place that was filled with the dragons and riders that had once inspired her to play. If she hadn't Impressed to Diesteth she would be traveling and playing the Violin at gathers and feasts with the other Harper's. At least she would have had a back up plan.

Vowinsg to check her Marks when she got back to the Weyr later, a plan forming in her head already to save more, a chirping drew her from the depths of her own formulations and her blue eyes stared at the golden egg. It was coming and there was very little time! Grabbing a few strips of the meat she'd laid out before them, she pressed them into Roana's hands and looked her square in the eye, any hint of her previous sadness gone as she settled into work mode. "Keep feeding her, even if she tries to fly away, keep holding them out. These little ones aren't like dragons, they'll leave if you don't keep offering food to them!"

Raising one of his great, if damp, wings Diesteth covered his rider's form by settling it into a bent wall before the golden egg as she stood and stepped backwards. Too many people could make a fire lizard run, if it didn't try to run from his large presence, they were a flighty bunch of things. The only hope the trio had was if it came out ravenous as many did, then it would be distracted long enough to eat itself into a mush brained stupor and fall asleep for the ride back. That was all he needed, an angry fire lizard trying to savage the skin of his shoulders or neck if it didn't fall asleep from a full stomach. Many dragons had shared stories with him of the lizards bonding to their riders and the absolute tearing scratches that they could deliver, but it would be worth it. A bond with a fire lizard was nothing like an Impression, but certainly it might help Roana's to understand even a little bit.

Let us see what this little one has to offer.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Roana couldn't help but give Nicara that extra squeeze when she felt her stiffen, it gave her a twisted little thrill to make the uptight blue rider squirm. Andbeing so close wasn't a bad thing, she was defiantly cute in her own way. And Roana was perfectly aware that once again her arguments had hit home and left Nicara struggling to find words, which also pleased her. Roana's mind was ticking over more playful and potentially fun ways to push some of Nicara's buttons when the interruption came.

Instantly all the red heads focus was on the shiver of the egg. For a minute she froze and her brain preformed a few misfire starts before Niacara's words brought her back to the world again. "Oh right." She reached up and took the offered meat. She nodded meeting the blue riders gaze with a steady gaze and stright set to her lips to show her that she understood. As Nicara stepped back against Diesteth Roana shuffled forward. She also took her knife from the belt she wore and sliced a few small chunks from the meat strips. She placed them by the egg leading towards her lap in a trail. where she held the majority of the food.

However the excitement seemed to prompt the egg to fall still again. For five long minutes nothing happened and Roana eventually had to take a breath but then there was a pip pip pip and the crack on the shell widened as the flitt within started to chip her way into the wide open world. Roana had to grip her knees to stop herself from helping the little one, just pulling away the egg shell, but she resisted.She was hyper aware of preforming any action that might scare the miniature creature between.

Chip chip chip. Occasionally the shell would part a fraction to show the flash of gold inside before closing up again. However slowly but surely the crack was encircling the eggs circumference, then with one last desperate push from the fire lizard inside the egg toppled over and split apart. The perfect delicate queen that had been hiding inside sprawled out in a tangle of egg goo limps and damp wings. Roana let out an involuntary gasp at the beauty of the queen but the firelizard didn't seem to notice as she took some time to regain some strength after her escape from the egg. Then it was a matter of gathering her legs under her, gaining some control of her wings and shaking off some of the wet goo.

Only then did she look up at Roana sitting stock still at the edge of the hatching pit she had prepared. The queen started, but at the same moment she had noted the food. That was enough to stifle her fears and she pounced on the first chunk of meat, horking it down like it was about to do a runner. She was a beautiful creature, slim and delicate with large wings and just a fine swirl of pattern around her head. As Roana had planned she jumped on the next piece and the next following the trail of food right into Roana's lap, when Roana jolted and pulled away the larger strips before she could choke on them the new baby gave a piteous cry. Taking her knife again and cut a smaller slice which the gold gobbled straight from her fingers. Once Ro had offered her a second and then a third she got the idea. The new baby flitt sat in Roana's lap, head up and mouth open like an expectant baby bird. When the meat didn't arrive fast enough she also let out shrill chirps of demand.

At last the meat was gone and the flitt had become slow and her demand calls had ceased. However she did reach out with her little claws, tugging Roana's had down to thoroughly inspect it for lingering food. She gave it a lick to gain some of the juices but this soon didn't seem worth the effort and she curled up in the fold of Roana's legs. Up until that point she had ignored Diesteth but now she surveyed him with a smug sleepy satisfaction. She had gotten all the meat, none for him! Nyeh nyeh nyeh.

"I think you can come out now Nicara' I don't think she's going anywhere."  

[Hattaki]

Wrinkling back his nose a bit at the little golden lizard's attitude the big blue dragon lifted his head up from the sands, eyes whirling to a sparking green as he laughed at her antics. She was just a small newborn but he had to admit that she was at least pretty, even if she were only a fire lizard and had only a photographic hive mind. They served their purpose just as dragons did, but Diesteth hoped that the connection she would form with Roana would go some way toward healing the happenings of Touching and the betrayal that she felt in her heart. Tilting his head down to press his nose against his rider's torso, he rumbled comfortingly down deep in his chest so she could feel it in her thin back and asked her quietly to come out at Roana's beckoning. His eyes alone caught sight of her wiping the last proof of her concern from her cheeks.

Using her right hand to push Diesteth's wing back as if pushing a curtain back, Nicara took a few steps towards Roana and stood looking at the little golden queen with her arms crossed. Eyes tracing across the dark filigree of designs on her pale golden skin, following flowers and twisting swirls up to the darker color of her wings, she let a smile slide over her normally reserved features. Roana had managed to bond to a beautiful little fire lizard and a queen no less, though the golden egg had implied that before she had seen proof that not every egg held the color the shell would have one believe.

"What a beautiful little creature your uncle sent you. I was hoping it was going to be a queen, I've seen some in the past hatch blue or brown from golden eggs." though she was a pace or so back from the redhead she sat where she was, not wanting to press the little one overmuch even if she looked tired and full. "You'll be up to your ears in her children soon enough. Let's hope we find you a male though, otherwise it would be some random male."

I'm not so sure that their brains work in that way, even green and gold dragons simply go for the strongest or fastest male that catches their eye, though I suppose there have been rare occasions that they chose some other deciding factor. But fire lizards are more wild than that.

"Well... but who knows what she'll decide on. We'll just have to wait and see. How do you feel Roana?" Nicara waved her hand at the big blue dragon behind her.

Any creature that speaks the word 'Nyeh' might take a bit to grow up. But she is a newborn...

Oh stop you, let her enjoy it.

Rolling her eyes at Diesteth she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her crossed arms on them as she looked at the newly bonded pair. She had never watched a fire lizard be bonded, though she'd been told what they were like, until this day there had been no context for the stories.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Roana stared down adoringly at the little gold. Looking at the sleek form brought back previously forgotten memories of chasing flitts along the coast by her house before she went to sea. Of course she had known then, it was impossible to catch them but it hasn't stopped her or her siblings from trying. Gingerly she reached down and ran her fingers gently along the little queens back. The fire lizard turned her head to fix Roana with one swirling eye. Then she curled back into a golden ball and fell asleep.

After Roana was sure that her new companion was content and comfortable she turned to Nicara with a frown. "Crackdust women! Slow your rolls a bit, she is only just out of the egg, she won't be ready to rise for at least a little while, besides..." she rolled her eyes. "I really don't care what male she chooses, I heard firelizard flights don't really effect their bonded that strongly, so its fine. And I have already gone through a few green flights now."

She cut herself off with a sudden and extended yawn. "Huh, guess I'm picking up on her feelings a little, and I can sort of feel something at the edge of my mind, but its not clear unless I focus on it. Then I know its her." After all a firelizard was quite different from a dragon, the connection was not as deep or complex which is why a fire lizard would simply go wild again after its bonded died .

She laughed at Diesteth's little dig. "like I just said you great wherry, she's only just out of the egg, but. I think that's what I'm going to call her. Nyeh." Roana announced the name with an impish grin the blue's direction. "She just wants to be spoiled and have attention and treats to herself, but all babies are like that."  

[Hattaki]

Amusement flooded through her tinged with a fair amount of annoyance that she was always taken so seriously. Of course she never really changed her expressions much for people to know when she was joking or when she was being serious, she'd been told that it was incredibly hard to tell with her. All the same, at least her dragon should have known that she wasn't altogether serious. One of these days.

"I wasn't... I didn't mean it that way. Fire lizards grow faster than dragons but..." Nicara lapsed into silence at the misunderstanding of her words, deciding that maybe she should choose her words a little more carefully.

There will certainly be more for you to pick up on. This is a new bond and they deepen a bit with time, certainly you'll be feeling a slew of different things in the future. Golds of any species are strong willed.

Tilting his head down to nuzzle gently at Roana's shoulder, Diesteth sniffed at her and the gold. The little thing had conked out quite quickly and between the closeness of her bonded and the warmth of the sand and sun he wasn't overly surprised that she had passed out so quickly. The food probably didn't hurt either. Curious to see how the little gold's personality would develop as the months and years passed, the blue passed a feeling to his rider quietly.

Nyeh should be a fine name for her, it's rather fitting. I'm curious to see how she'll grow up.

Peering at the trio Nicara let a soft smile slide over her face and laid her head down on her arms to watch for a while. It made her happy to see her dragon being so cozy with Roana, he felt comfortable around her, something he hadn't done with anyone but her in all his years. If he liked her then certainly there would be a dragon out there for the redhead, maybe not this time, maybe not right away. But she was certain that the bold girl would Impress no matter what she thought of dragons or the process herself. It was Nicara's silent belief that there was a dragon out there for anyone and Western Weyr let candidates stand much longer than any of the others, so certainly... certainly she would find her partner on the sands.

Though between Diesteth's feelings and her already developing plans she was certain that Roana would be fine no matter what happened.

Sinders Path