[PRP] Meeting of Minds (Astriana and Erastan)

[Dea and #Teddy#]

Astriana was finished with her candidate chores for the day, so decided to wait outside where the Sr. Weyrlings were having their class right now. She was hoping that her friends would have time to spend time with her. Now that they were working on higher level things, she knew they didn't have as much time as they did as Jr. Weyrlings. Maybe, she might also meet her friend, Etansi's twin brother finally too. She had been meaning to do so, but she hadn't had a chance in all of this time. It was worth a try, her friend had mentioned more than once about how the two of them seemed similar. It was time to see this for herself and to let him know she was looking out for his sister.

"Hopefully we won't have to wait too long, huh, Abaven? I haven't spent much time with them, but hopefully they have time today. If nothing else, I can meet Erastan finally. I know Etansi has been waiting for me to do so,"she spoke to the bronze firelizard perched on her shoulder. She was whispering, since only certain people (along with her firelizards) saw this softer side of her. Normally she would have both of her lead flits with her, but decided on just Abaven this time.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Erastan was always diligent in his lessons, he didn't want to get called up his lack of academic accomplishment when he had already been scolded for not playing well with others and creating no real bonds of friendship and trust with the rest of is fellow weyrlings. He could not help that. People in general weren't worthy of his trust, he had leaned that long ago.
But given his failure to make friends he knew getting at least passing marks in all his classes became even more vital if he wanted to graduate from wyrlinghood.

His dark eyebrows bunched as he poured over the maps and star charts in front of him which would soon help him navigate Aspalath between and mean they could move around pern in the time it took to clap. It was all memory exercises, copying them, naming them and relating them to other places on pern till he had the perfect world map in his mind. No easy task. Luckily they were doing it in sections, starting close to he weyr and moving out. Since the dragons weren't needed for the lesson itself, most of them were back at the candidate brackets, sleeping or playing with their fellows. All except Aspalath who had managed to squeeze his horse sized frame into the classroom and was curled up behind Erastan as he worked. Good thing he was still quite slim an delicate compared to his siblings. Erastan had also chosen his usual spot at the back of the classroom, closest to the door which offered more room for a snoozing dragon.

For once the class actually finished on time, just in time for lunch. Most of the wyrlings seized the extra time to themselves to converge with friends and establish company for the food break. True to form however Erastan simply gathered his scrolls, papers and ink and hurried out of the room with Aspalath hauling up his growing frame to follow at his heels.

They were the first ones out of the room and into the weybowl but Erastan only gave Astriana a passing glance, hugged his work closer to his chest and turned to go round her. Luckily there was no mistaking him as he was near enough the spitting image of his sister, the male mirror to her feminine features. He also had a permanent fixed glare on his face.

Dea and #Teddy#

 

[Dea and #Teddy#]

Astriana was stroking the top of Abaven's head, who was always glad to be with his bonded. He made a chirp noise, that caused the blonde to look to see what was causing the alert sound. Her ice blue orbs fell on someone coming out of the classroom, before everyone else. She made sure any smile she might have been giving her flit was hidden, in case anyone came out after..that wasn't one of her friends. She could tell that is was Erastan, he looked too much like a male version of Etansi to not be. As he worked on going past her, she tried to think of how to approach him.

"Erastan, correct? Your sister told me about you, my name is Astriana. I have been meaning to meet you since becoming friends with your twin sister,"she called out to the other. She made sure her face did not betray anything, not sure how the other would react. It was still a work on progress for her to speak to others outside of her friends, but this was her friend's twin brother. And from the way the other spoke, they two of them should ideally get along.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Erastan was brought up short by the sound of his own name. If she had said anything else or tried to flag him down there was a 50/50 chance he would have ignored her but he didn't give his name out freely so few people beyond his inner circle and direct teachers even knew it. The mention of his sister had his full and undivided focus. His sister had a friend? When did that happen?
"I'm Erastan." He confirmed wearily. "What do you want?" he added with a snort.

While they spoke Aspalath had caught up and now stood behind his rider. Erastan was under the average height for boys his age but he was skinny and lanky which gave some illusion of length, meanwhile Aspalath was a slim and fine boned dragon which meant standing next to each other they even looked like they matched.
Aspalath was clearly also trying to hide behind his rider but given his body now matched a large runner, he wasn't very good at it.

A friend of sisters? He echoed into his riders mind. "Maybe we can use her to complete Liat's task.'

Erastan paused, Aspalath made a good point. And if Etansi liked her she couldn't be too bad.

Dea and #Teddy#

 

[Dea and #Teddy#]

Astriana waited, knowing the chances the other would walk away were high. After all, if anyone outside of those close to her, she normally would do that herself. Etansi had seen her softer side sooner because the other had needed it after what had happened at the tea clutch. G'ryl had just been someone who was similar to her in ways and Miach was hard to not befriend. Her mind was brought back out of her thoughts when he spoke, confirming she had been right and ask what she wanted.

"Wanted to get to know you and your blue. Your sister seems to be of the mind we are...very similar. I meant to talk with you before, but I know how busy you all have been,"she responded. Her eyes fell on the blue trying to hide behind his rider. It was amazing how slim he still seemed to be, however she knew each dragon was different. Abaven gave a respectful chirp to the pair, but made sure it was soft enough not to startle the blue. His bonded had warned him of how..fragile the blue could be.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Aspalath was still skittish and shy but with age he had become better at hiding it. He had also become more accustomed to the sights, sounds and general chaos of the world round him. He bobbed his head politely back at the flit. Erastan meanwhile had not let the frown fade from his features, he still did not seem very happy to be approached. "I think she might be wrong." He said bluntly, for one he never approached strangers so easily. He only voluntarily engaged with someone if he needed something. And Astriana didn't have anything he wanted.

A sudden creak broke him from his focus and he twisted his neck to see the other weyrlings starting to file out of the classroom.The old door squeaking in protest with each swing of it's hinges. "Well." He huffed. "If you want to talk, come. I'm not staying here." He told her while he turned on his heels to head away from the small crowd of young riders. As always Aspalath was in step with teenager as they headed to the side of the lake. It was in the center of the weyrbowl and quiet, since it was too cold of a day for a dip and their were no real foot paths around it.

Dea and #Teddy#

 

[Dea and #Teddy#]

Astriana had caught the head bob from the blue, which caused a smile to come into her eyes. Her lips were still creased into her own scowl, so only those who could read her would know she approved of the blue's reaction to her flit. She knew it must not be easy for him, remembering well how he was when he had been on the sands. The Jr. Weyrling pair had some work to do in the growth department, knowing eventually the blue would not be able to fit in the classroom. When Erastan spoke about his sister probably being wrong, she let out a snort. To the untrained ear it would seem angry, but to those who knew her they would know there was amusement there. As he headed off, speaking his gruff words, she was starting to see a little more what Etansi meant. After all, he must have some softness to him, if he got such a fearful dragon. She quickly fell into step with him, making sure Abaven was safe on her shoulder.

"I think you would be surprised how we might be alike,"she spoke simply, before silence surrounded them. She normally wouldn't approach either, unless she wanted to tell someone off or she had something to go off of.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Erastan soon found a small out crop of rocks that made for a suitable make shift seat and settled onto the flat top of a stone where he was able to unburden himself. First he dropped the scrolls from his arms, piling them up and securing them from rolling away across the weyr. Then he swung the bag off his shoulder and settled it between his legs. He kept one eye constantly on Astriana watchful and mistrustful but he didn't try and engage in further conversation. Instead he dug around in side his bag and drew out a large bundle well secured with several layers of wax paper and oiled cloth.
He set it on his lap and carefully exposed half a wherry corpse inside. Aspalath leaned in once the feathered critter was in full view and relieved his rider of the grisly trophy leaving only a few feathers and a stray chunk mangled meat on the wax paper.

Aspalath took his meal with delicate care, striding a few feet away, he lay down, held the bloody chunk between his front claws and slowly started peeling off strips of meat and gulping them down. Erastan watched him fondly for half a minute and the hints of a smile even cracked through his frown but they vanished when he turned back to the unwanted pair that had followed him. Silence hung between them like heavy cloth before an idea struck Erastan and he held up the wax paper with the last stray bit of meat on it, out towards the bronze flit on the girls shoulder. "Here, you want this?" he asked the critter. He always had a soft spot for animals, including flitts. After all his sister had two which he had helped name in one way or another.

Dea and #Teddy#

 

[Dea and #Teddy#]

Astriana did not mind the silence as they walked, actually welcoming it in a way. Yes, she wanted to talk to him and she had approached, but she hadn't thought about what to talk about. Why did this socializing thing have to be so sharding hard? Her family and friends it flowed easily, but with anyone else..it was like pulling teeth to think of things to say. Well, usually anyway, sometimes she just couldn't help herself and she connected to someone right off the bat. She knew she needed to work on it, but it was still hard to tell who was worth it. Though, if she planned to be a rider someday, that meant she would be part of a wing that needed to rely on one another.

When they got to the outcropping, she sat down on another rock with a flat surface, watching as Erastan got comfortable. She stroked Abaven's head absentmindedly, since it was second nature to do, while the other worked on feeding his dragon. It was hard to mask the interest as she watched Aspalath make the meat and begin to dig into it. She couldn't help it, no matter how much she watched them eat, it still fascinated her. Without meaning to, a small smile slipped onto her own lips for a flicker of a moment. Then it was gone like the wind, not letting her guard down either. Yes, he was her friend's brother, but he was still not someone she herself knew. When the other spoke to her flit, she was a bit surprised as he offered the little bronze firelizard the rest of the meat. Abaven chirped his approval, before snatching it up to eat it.

"Manners, Abaven. What do you say?"the woman reminded firmly, but a slight tone of affection. The bronze flit let out a chirp of a thanks, before returning to his meal.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Aspalath paused his lunch when he noticed that the girl was watching him. He bobbed his head again and Erastan translated. "Aspalath says if his eating makes you uncomfortable he can save it for later." the boy told her with a tone that suggested if that was the case, she was better off making herself vanish. Erastan had trouble getting his dragon to eat regularly. He didn't like jostling for food with all the other dragons and he was always worried about taking more of his fair share which explained why he was so slim. "He doesn't like people watching. So don't." he added, just encase she hadn't got that. Aspalath was too polite to say it himself. "And you're flitt doesn't need to thank me, it was spare anyway"

When the girl made no move to leave or show or exiting the conversation Erastan seemed to give in on his stony silence. "If you are going to stand there, you can help me. Liat says I should 'get to know' people in the weyr." He put the wax and oil cloth aside and dug in his bag again, producing a note pad, he flicked through it till he found what he wanted.
"ah,so that means you should tell me your likes,dislikes and hobbies." He recited from his notes.
Suddenly it was less conversation and more interrogation. But Erastan still locked her with his cold stare expectantly.

Dea and #Teddy#

 

[Dea and #Teddy#]

Astriana felt bad when Aspalath had stopped eating, wondering if she had done something to make him uncomfortable. That was when his rider voiced part of the issue, he thought he had made her uncomfortable. Then added that he didn't like to be watched, so she turned away from the eating dragon.

"No, he didn't make me uncomfortable at all. I enjoy watching the different ways that all of Pern's creatures do their daily things, if you must know. I did not know it would make him so nervous, so I do apologize to him. As for Abaven, he did need to thank you. I have trained my lizards with manners and if I tell him to thank you, that's what he will do,"the blonde spoke firmly. He didn't see her telling him how to take care of his dragon, did he? Abaven and her very first flit had been with her a long time and they knew how to behave. They were her dearest friends, having always been there for her when she needed them. While he was distracted in his bag for a moment, he quickly gave Abaven a kiss on the head. Then she turned her attention to the other as he began speaking again. Another snort of amusement came from her lips.

"One, I am not standing here, as you can plainly see. Two, I am sure Master Liat did not intend this when she said to get to know people. I am not even good at socializing and I know you should speak more like a conversation and less like a sharding list. As for likes, you already picked up on one of them, if you noticed. I like creatures of all kinds, they are all amazing to me in all their different ways. I train firelizards, some of them to help people who have disabilities..like my brother,"she responded cooly, the last part very quietly.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Aspalath made a half-hearted attempt to finish his meal after the brief back and forth but he had already let his anxiety get to him and now it quickly grew. What if she was only being polite? What if she was interested because he ate in an odd way? Would she be able to tell he wasn't like the other dragons? With a soft huff he pushed the meal to one side an lay his head between his claws instead. Maybe a nap would help. No one would have anything to complain about if he was asleep.

Erastan tried to reach out to his partner. "Oh don't let her get to you Aspalath, you eat fine. And you still have growing to do." But nope, that was it.
"It's okay. I've had enough I'll just sleep it off now." Erastan sighed but let it drop, he would try and get him to eat again later. Once they were alone it was less of an issue and Erastan had no problems pilfering extra's from the store room.

Back to Astriana. He frowned at her. "Sitting then." he corrected with only a small growl of annoyance. He didn't like her superior attitude all that much but maybe he could get something out of the meeting. In the mean time he had somehow produced an inked quill and he set it to the note page to fill in the blanks muttering as he did so. "Likes, animals, dragons, firelizars...."Pause before adding. "....Being bossy." He tapped his quill on the page a few seconds before starting on the next section. "Dislikes...lists." Finally "Hobbies, Training firelizards." Once he was done he looked up. "Thats all I need. you can go now....oh, whats your name?" He should probably have a name to go with his 'research'. Even if it wasn't quite what liat had meant in his eyes he had still completed the assignment.

Dea and #Teddy#

 

[Dea and #Teddy#]

Astriana saw that Aspalath had stopped eating again when she looked at him for a moment and she wondered what was wrong. She had turned away like Erastan had asked, she had figured that would help. Unfortunately, it seemed something was still disturbing him and she didn't like it. She watched as he laid his head down and a frown took the place of her scowl. At least until the blue Weyrling spoke again and her attention back to him. She didn't like his snark, it was very rude, in her opinion. And despite what she had said, he was doing all he could to make this short and sweet. She thought she was bad socializing, but at least she didn't treat it like it was some chore..well, not this badly. She rolled her eyes as he spoke about her disliking lists and liked being bossy. He sure was one to talk wasn't he, already trying to get rid of her. She wanted to stay just to spite him, but a look at his dragon made her mentally sigh. Then she sent images to Abaven, who betweened from her shoulder.

"The name is Astriana. I have things I need to do anyway, so I will go, so your dragon isn't feeling so freaked by my presence. Trust me, those are the only reasons I am going. However, before I leave..."she began, before Abaven came back. He had some meat in his claws, which his bonded gently took from him. Then she handed it over to Erastan, knowing he would figure it was for his dragon. Then she got to her feet and brushed off her pants, before making to leave. She wasn't going to stay where she wasn't wanted, clearly Etansi was wrong about the two of them. That's fine, she was glad to be friends with Etansi anyway.

Sinders Path

 

[Sinders Path]

Erastan had already lost interest honestly, his head was turned to Aspalath and it was obvious a silent conversation was passing between them. "I'll make her go Aspalath, it won't be long then you can eat, should eat. I just want you to be strong and healthy. I can't have you getting sick on me."

Aspalath still had one eye open looking towards his most beloved rider. oh Erastan I would never disappoint you and the weyling master like that. I know I am already the worst in our class at drills. I don't want candidates thinking I am messy and greedy as well. No one will like you because of me then."

Don't be stupid, people don't like me because me and because I don't like them. You are perfect and the most restrained dragon out of your whole clutch and the neatest eater and even if she did think that. I don't care.

But she is sisters friend.

And you are my dragon! And Etansi won't care. She knows what I'm like. I don't know why she told this girl we are anything alike.

I can kind of see it...

Don't you start.

Erastan eventually did turn back to Astriana with a snort and a rise of his brow. "Are you still here? And Aspalath isn't freaked out by you, we just don't like you." he told her bluntly. Shard her. Aspalath was brave, not freaked, he just didn't like people watching him eat, was that so bad? They had been working on his jittery ticks and nervousness and he looked relatively calm now. "I don't want your meat, what I gave you was a gift not a loan, you don't have to pay me back. But I don't know why you'd want to stay here anyway. Bye."

Even if she didn't leave, it wouldn't matter because Erastan stood to go and join Aspalath on the grass. Some closeness would help and maybe if he hand fed him like when he was a hatchling he might better coax him into finishing his meal.

Dea and #Teddy#

 

[Dea and #Teddy#]

Astriana's eyes flashed in anger, wanting to shove the meat into the boy's sharding big mouth. Thankfully, a chirp from Abaven, who had settled back on her shoulder was reminding her to not do anything rash. He reminded her that her candidatemaster would not approve of her getting into a fight with a Weyrling. She sent grumbling images to him, but promised she wouldn't deck him..like she wanted to do. The young woman hated when her lead firelizards were right, why did they have to do that to her? She got the meat she had brought and walked it purposely to the blue dragon that was obviously conversing with his rider. Having firelizards, it gave her a glimpse into bonding with a dragon, but she knew it was only a small fraction. Placing the meat in front of Aspalath, her cold stare lingered on the boy, wishing it could freeze him.

"The meat isn't for you, it is for your dragon. And I am not paying you back, I am doing something for HIM. You are not the only one who can give things without any strings attached. Perhaps I just felt I owed him an apology, unlike his rider,"she spoke coldly, before she headed off to where she might run into her friends.

Sinders Path