[PRP] A firestone chat (Shahera & Dezerac)

[faesinger]

Shahera, hands on hips, looked out over the pile of firestone waiting to be bagged and then over to the bronze rider that she was paired with. Dezerac and Vedmath were quite the picture.. She wondered if he was going to shorten his name. Maybe Vedmath was waiting to find the right version. “Well, this is going to take a while!” Her voice was cheerful and energetic which was not at all in keeping with the long and tedious task ahead of them. “We could try to make a game of it I guess?” She didn’t think the stoic man would like that. “Or we could sit here in silence…no that is not acceptable. You have a choice now. Game or chatter?”

Therianth was not really interested in sitting around for that long but it was their first month together and she couldn’t stray too far. She head-butted Vedmath lightly. Should we help? They could push things into bags too!

“meepfur”

 

[Meepfur]

In many respects, weyrlinghood was not dissimilar from candidacy; in fact, no few of the chores were much the same. He just had a sizable bulk of hatchling dragon following him about like a new shadow, radiating adoration, sharing his thoughts, and watching his every move. Movements that were yet stiff on account of still-healing wounds...but healed enough that he had been deemed ready for a return to some chores, at least. If he was careful. It was fine by Dezerac, who was not used to being physically idle for any extended period of time, and welcomed the chance to do something productive.

His partner for the task, however, was one of his more overtly cheerful classmates, an element he was not looking forward to. He would have much preferred if the focus remained on the job at hand, and not how to make it fun, which he suspected would do the opposite of speeding up its completion. "If you want to talk," he answered with a slow shrug, eyes on what he was doing rather than on the greenrider, "By all means, feel free."

The permission was given dryly, since she obviously did feel quite free to chatter regardless. That didn't mean he would chatter back, though.

Vedmath was a touch concerned for his rider's welfare, but if His said that he would be fine, then he would be fine. He knew well how resilient the man was. He took his eyes from him when headbutted by his sister, returning the gesture with a fond rumble. I do not think it would hurt to help. The young bronze considered the options for how to do that carefully. Perhaps they could pick bits of it up?

faesinger

 

[faesinger]

She picked up a bag and, after a moment of consideration, sat down next to the mound. No sense in hurting her back. “Thank you kindly for the permission. But that wasn’t what I was asking.” There was a hint of sarcasm behind the cheer but not a strong one. This wasn’t the first taciturn male she had interacted with. Little things could not detour her. If he wanted her to stop he would have to say so…and then she would maybe consider it. Shahera began picking up stones and putting them in the bag. “If you had a choice of anywhere in the world to live, where would you pick?”

Therianth watched her rider before picking up one of the bags in her mouth. Maybe if one of us holds the bag, the other can put the stones in?

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

Sitting down while they worked was not an unsound decision, and yet Dezerac did not. If someone came by to check on their progress, it would hint at a certain...lack of industriousness, even if it was just simple conservation of movement, and even if he would likely get a 'pass' based on the fact that he was still recovering from his injuries.

Vedmath hummed with thought of His' decision and reasoning, and made careful note of how he picked up and bagged the stone, though by necessity he would have to do so differently. Since Therianth took up bag-holding duty, the bronze set to picking up stone and setting it in the bag with great care. He would make sure tobdo it just right!

Meanwhile, Dezerac's answer was a simple "Here."

It was true enough, though the truth in this case was given in the knowledge that such a basic answer, both in its brevity and lack of imagination, might annoy her. He was well familiar with attempts to get under his skin, for all sorts of motivations, and just as accustomed to thwarting them.

faesinger

 

[faesinger]

If his brief response was supposed to irritate her in anyway, it failed miserably. He could have not answered and that wouldn’t even really have phased Shahera. A one word answer was gold. “Then it is fortuitous that you impressed here and not at High Reaches. I would probably settle here if given the choice for reasons beyond the obvious it is less likely to be eaten by thread and has support for a dragon business.” She paused to examine a stone. “This isn’t firestone,” she pronounced and put is aside.

“How are you adjusting to having a shadow that knows your every thought going?” She smiled at the pair of dragons that were so carefully trying to help them. “Therianth is a sweetheart with endless energy most of the time and a hellion the rest. Makes for interesting times.”

Therianth rested the bottom of the bag on the ground as the stones started to pull down on the cloth. She clamped her mouth more firmly on the edge of the bag. Did you see the moons last night? Mine helped me get on the roof and we watched them rise.

meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

Had he felt like it - which he stubbornly did not - he would have explained that his answer was here because he had Impressed here. Had he Impressed a High Reaches dragon he would be content to be there, or at Fort Weyr with a Fort dragon and so on and so forth. But because Vedmath was a Western dragon, it was Western that had his loyalty. Perhaps that was mercenary of him, but he was a mercenary.

But Dezerac would persist in witholding more information than he gave. He continued to work as she shared her own answer to the question and narrated her task, and shrugged when she asked and answered another. The first had been inane, whereas the second was, to him, deeply personal, since it concerned his bond with his dragon. So the answer was a short "Just fine."

Vedmath paused in his task, a hunk of stone held in his jaws, to turn his gaze to his rider - not because he needed to hear the answer, but because he just loved him - and sighed happily before setting that piece in the bag and stooping to retrieve another. No, he answered, But it sounds lovely. We were studying, and resting to be ready for today. These are our first real chores!

Which the bronze found quite exciting, since it meant that they were healing up well. It was good to be rested and ready for such an occasion!

faesinger

 

[faesinger]

There was actually reasons behind Shahera’s mindless chatter. It was more calculated than it appeared. She smiled with pleasure at the fact that his answer style didn’t change between talking about himself and talking about his dragon. She would have thought less of him had he been willing to share more about his bond than about his home choice. “Good. I wonder if anyone really has trouble? Though I doubt they would share it with anyone but maybe Liat?”

I am glad yours is healing well! You should take time away from studying…to much and you miss the world around you! Plus games are fun! Therianth loved games and could not understand yet that others did not love them as much as she did. Why wouldn't others want to play all the time?

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

Shahera's musings were met with a shrug, and a pause just long enough that it might seem he wasn't going to say anything at all. He certainly considered it. He was, after all, no more qualified than his fellow weyrling to say whether or not others sometimes had trouble with their bond. It was, as she said herself, the province of the Weyrlingmaster. However, he did eventually muse, "Maybe some of the stands Impressions."

Candidates were trained and taught what to expect, and at least semi-prepared, but the random bystanders? They were untrained, and having their lives turned upside-down and forced onto a new course.

Perhaps now that Mine is well, Vedmath hmmed. Being anywhere other than right beside him while he recovered had, of course, been out of the question. He had no desire to be anywhere that His was not, and even here in the same room, often looked his way like a lovesick bronze puppy. There is much to learn, though, and to be done.

faesinger

 

[faesinger]

Shahera was patient and waited for him to respond without any indication that she wanted him to hurry up. Pausing a moment in her methodical bagging, Shahera said, “That’s true. They weren’t trained for it.” She wasn’t aware she was echoing his thoughts. She went back to bagging the stones, humming as she did so. She didn’t make more conversation, just bagged and hummed. She wanted to see how long before he ventured his own thoughts. Could be they would finish before he did. Could be he started talking in a minute. She had put the idea of talking in his head. Now to see what he did with it. She was learning a lot more about the man than he probably realized.

There will always be work to do. If you use that as your reason not to play…you would never play! Therianth told Vedmath sagely. It was a very important thing to know and she was making sure everyone didn’t forget to play.

Meepfur