[LOG] Sleeping Sun (Drina, Vicortath, B'gian, Molihuth)

[Princess_Feylin]

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A golden dragon grown a bit podgy with age lay on the sands with her neck extended and her chin along the ground, enabling her rider to rub oil into the tricky bits of hide on her face. Farther down her body several firelizards of various colors held oil-soaked sea sponges in their clever talons and patted them along her body. Drina, the human being, would have to go over where they had been and actually rub the oil into the dragon's hide, but this saved her some time. It was no small task, oiling an adult gold, even one who was on the small side.

I shall always be glad that you were able to train the firelizards to help with oiling, Vicortath informed her rider.

"Likewise," Drina replied. She knew that Vicortath preferred that they speak only mind-to-mind, but the days could be mighty long and quiet when they did that, and Drina sometimes missed the sound of human speech, even if it was her own voice she was hearing.

I worry for your joints, though, with this weather, the gold continued. Perhaps it would behoove us to find a promising young woman and secure her assistance in the future.

"Perhaps," Drina agreed. Her joints did, indeed, ache with the cold. They had done so for a long time, though, and not even the healers could say why, since she hadn't any other signs of arthritis, and the pain had started in her early twenties. The cold always made it worse, and every witner she thought about removing to the Southern Continent, but something always came up that kept her at High Reaches for the season. "But I don't think you'd find them as pleasing as you think. Weren't you telling me that you met an inexcusably rude green dragon the other day?"

Surely they are not all so uncouth. And I should think any candidate would be thoroughly eager for the opportunity, and properly grateful. Perhaps we should look among their ranks first.

Flyn, the bronze firelizard who led Drina's fair, creeled a sharp warning that someone was coming and Vicortath raised herself to a more dignified loaf position. She hated to be seen looking anything less than regal.

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B'gian had decided that with Molihuth's ...roundess, it would be best to get her down into the sun to oil her down. Though she was only a green, he knew it would take him time. She was extremely fussy with her oiling, always wanting it to be done in a specific order.

So that's how he found himself down on the sands where he saw the elder gold and rider pair. They hadn't come across the pair in any undignified position, in fact, the gold looked absolutely stunning to little B'gian. Both dragon and human bowed their head in greeting, even as the human hefted the oil pots and supplies higher. He had long sense gotten over just how heavy everything was when it came to dragon care. If anything, it helped the skinny boy get some form of muscle, however lithe they were.

"Good day," he called out, smile on his face like it always was. "I hope you do not mind some company. I have this green here," he jerked his head at Molihut, who huffed at how she was being introduced.

B'gian that's not how you make a proper introduction.

He ducked his head at her annoyed huff of breath that ruffled his red hair. "Oops. Sorry, Molihuth..."

Then he spotted all the firelizards and his eyes grew wide. He owned not a one himself, but they were always so fascinating to him. They were so cute!

 

[Princess_Feylin]

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Drina ducked under Vicortath's head to get a look at the young man who had just arrived. The dragon had been easy enough to see, large as the creatures were. The green was a bit round, rather like Vicortath but in a less soft-looking way.

Look at those wonderfully delicate markings, Vicortath observed privately to her rider. She is a bit large, but those are lovely.

"I would be pleased for the company, greenrider," Drina answered. "I'm afraid I don't remember your green's name. Did you say it was Mawlith? Vicortath was just saying to me how lovely her markings are."

He did not, and you know it, the gold chided Drina. I wish you wouldn't pretend to be less alert than you are.

I like how nobody asks me to do things if they 're afraid I'll forget what I'm doing halfway through, Drina replied with a smile that could well have been directed at the greenrider pair, but was really for herself and the game she liked to play at the Weyr.

Mentally she told Flyn and the rest to get back to work, and the bronze obeyed. Her youngest blue flit, Setthi, clung uncertainly to her shoulder though, peeping piercingly into her ear and bombarding her with mental queries about the newcomers, none more complex than a feeling of curiosity.

"Go say hello," she told him, and he was off at once, fluttering to examine Molihuth and B'gian from Very Close Up. She wondered if perhaps the flit might be nearsighted.

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He smiled at the older pair as he was talked to and then let the dragon settle into the sands and lay down on her round stomach.

"Molihuth," B'gian corrected gently. "I'm B'gian."

Vicortath said she thinks your markings are lovely.

She said she liked my markings! Molihuth was preening at the praise, sitting a bit higher, trying to make herself seem more proper. Of course she always thought she was proper, but this was a queen paying her a compliment! She wasn't about to let that go to waste. She might let it go to her head, though.

The green's wings started when the flit flew over so fast and then just stared it down a little. She had no real experience with them, so it was a bit like a cat who had been spooked but deciding it wasn't enough to move.

Laughter rang out at the flit's actions and he crouched down a bit to hold his hand out to the blue. "Hello there, cutie."

After you're done with the flit, please, B'gian. I have an itch between my wings... It was a dry spot that she really needed rubbed down.

"I'm also afraid I haven't been introduced to you yet, goldrider." Gods above, he hoped he wasn't insulting either of them.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

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"I am glad to meet you both," Drina said.

I am likewise pleased to meet you and your rider, Green Molihuth. Since my rider is remiss in making introductions, I am Vicortath and my rider is Drina Vicortath said formally to Molihuth alone. She was usually formal when speaking to other dragons, though she had a soft spot for hatchlings and young weyrlings. On the whole, Vicortath did not speak to humans except through Drina. She didn't think it appropriate.

Drina mentally told Setthi it was all right to land on B'gian's hand - No claws! - and moved to one of the spots where a firelizard had dabbed with its tiny sea sponge and left a few oily spots. With her own sea sponge she began to rub the oil into Vicortath's hide. She did this for nearly a full minute before Vicortath sent Flyn over to her as a reminder that she had not actually completed their introductions. The gold was a real stickler for that sort of thing, at least when she was physically present, and always chastised Drina for not making more of her rank.

"What's that?" Drina asked Flyn, as though the bronze firelizard had said something to her. "You're right, I suppose they wouldn't know that. Silly young things."

She turned away from Vicortath and called Setthi back to her shoulder. "I'm Drina of Gold Vicortath. Retired."

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B'gian held out his hand to the flit and grinned at them. "You're so cute and small. Hello." Claws or no claws, it seemed the rider didn't care. He was nearly beside himself at this cute little flit.

Molihuth turned her whole attention to the gold, eyes swirling with happiness, curiosity, and just general friendliness. It's a pleasure to meet you, Vicorath. B'gian is my rider. Young, like me, but he's a good lad. She let herself shift to get into better position for when her rider actually started the task at hand. She was itchy and the sun was warm enough. It would make her pleasant later today.

B'gian did search his memory for any mention of Drina, but honestly since Molihuth came into his life, life had been chaotic. He had to learn to care for her, learn to communicate, then there was the Threads. "It's an honor to meet all of you."

 

[Princess_Feylin]

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Vicortath lifted her head, then tilted it so that she was looking down her nose at B'gian. She studied him for some time and privately concluded that they were not making dragonriders like they used to.

He will fill out as he gets older, Drina guessed. Young men often do. Particularly with all the activity and food the Weyr presses on them.

That was true, Vicortath had to admit. Young men did tend to fill out as they aged. She had certainly seen enough of them do so to know that was the way of things, for humans and dragons. It was just so much faster for dragons.

Addressing herself to Molihuth, Vicortath agreed, I am sure that he is a good lad. The dragons of High Reaches do tend to be rather more discerning in selecting their chosen riders. I expect that the two of you will go on to do great things.

"Listen to that, Flyn!" Drina said, addressing herself to the bronze firelizard who hovered protectively nearby. "He says its an honor to meet all of us. That means you, too. Why don't you go say hello to him?"

The bronze, never especially friendly to humans who weren't Drina, hissed softly but did as he had been bidden. He disappeared between and then deliberately reappeared inches away from B'gian's face with a shriek which made Drina coo and assure the greenrider, "That means he likes you! Come back here, Flyn, and help me."

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Molihuth watched the gold study her rider and then couldn't help but huff in amusement. He was even smaller when I hatched. So tiny. He's gotten some muscle, but he hasn't... grown, actually. It didn't worry her. She might be a round green, but she wasn't an overly large one. I do hope he gets more muscle though. I think sometimes a strong wind is going to topple him.

She turned her own head to look at B'gian and just crooned to him when Flyn seemed to pop out of nowhere and startle the human.

No, B'gian wasn't used to flits at all. So when Flyn disappeared and reappeared right in front of him with a screech, it startled the boy enough to fall on his rear in the sand with a sharp cry.

He was lucky the sponge wasn't in his hand, otherwise it'd be full of sand right now. Scrambling a bit, he got back to his feet, with his face nearly as red as his hair out of embarrassment. That wasn't dignified at all. "O-oh! Uhm!" Oh no, what happened to the blue one?

"I'm... glad...? They're so different from dragons..."

 

[Princess_Feylin]

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Vicortath was enjoying the feeling of Drina rubbing oil into the area beneath her right foreleg. It meant that she'd had to stand up, of course, and that Drina was now standing beneath her, reaching over her head to get to the spot, but it was somewhere her hide tended to rub, and so the gold tended to get patchy faster. If they hadn't had company, she might have made happy crooning noises, but to do so in company would be beneath her, and so it was only the vibrant blue of her eyes that gave away her pleasure. They stayed brilliantly blue as she turned her head to regard B'gian again.

Is that so? she inquired. It is well that he Impressed you, then, for it is clear you have his best interests in mind. Do encourage him to eat a great deal of meat. What is good for a dragon, after all, must be similarly good for their rider. Also, I believe some humans grow faster if they drink water before any strenuous activity. You must ensure that he does this. Humans never think of these things for themselves. They would all be utterly lost without us.

Vicortath really did mean well with her advice, even though it had not actually been asked for and probably wouldn't be all that helpful. She liked to give advice, and would make a point of asking if it had been followed any time she saw someone she had thus "helped." She also liked to be thanked for her advice and told how successful it was, whether or not it was actually successful. If it was demonstrably unsuccessful, she would undoubtedly have variations to try, or thoughts on what the advisee might have done wrong to cause her advice not to work as planned.

"Do you think so?" Drina asked as she let her arms drop. Holding them over her head for more than a minute or two would leave her fingertips unpleasantly cold, and eventually numb. "I find they're every bit as personable and easy to talk to. Take Flyn: he doesn't like many people, so if he likes you, you must be pretty special."

Flyn doesn't like him, and you shouldn't inflate his ego like that, Vicortath said privately to Drina.

It won't hurt the boy to have a bit of an inflated ego. Look at him.

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Molihuth shifted her wings a bit and gave the older dragon something of a nod. I do get him to eat a bit more. Even as he feeds me, I try to share with him. But they have their aversion to raw meat, I suppose. Her eyes locked onto her rider and happiness and content swirled in them, She'd be cooing if she was alone. He's young yet, he'll fill out. They all seem to.

"W-well, I'll try to stay the same if he does like me." It seemed B'gain was none the wiser to the fact the flit didn't like him. He was no flit expert, so who was he to say otherwise?

With a bit of a laugh, the boy set about oiling down his own dragon, finally. He could sense Molihuth getting irritated at being in the sands and yet nothing happening to her itchy scales that were only getting itchier. He set to work on her shoulders first, glad she was a green and he didn't have to stretch that much when she basically splooted in the sand as much as that round stomach would let her.

"Say. How does one get their own flit, anyway? I see a lot of riders with them around. Is it like being chosen?"

 

[Princess_Feylin]

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This is true, Vicortath agreed, pleased that the green understood the way of things, and particularly pleased to have the green in agreement with her. She much preferred when everyone agreed with her and things went her way. After all, she did know best in just about every instance, and when people did as she thought they ought to do, things ran more smoothly.

How long has he been in your care, dear? Vicortath asked. She was being oiled and people were going along with her, which made her more inclined toward friendliness than she might otherwise have been, particularly with a green dragon who was no longer a hatchling or weyrling. The gold very much liked young dragons, but found that many tended to be less charming as they reached adulthood.

"Flyn, we have work to do," Drina reminded the bronze, who flew quickly back to her, alighting briefly on her shoulder to rub her cheek with his triangular head before returning to his task, scolding Setthi for something Drina hadn't noticed. "Thank you."

Addressing herself to B'gian once more without ceasing her work, Drina answered him, "Good fortune, for the most part. Be there when they hatch. Feed them and offer them emotional comfort. They're a good deal less choosy than dragons and don't have a single, perfect bond that they're seeking, but once bonded they are fiercely loyal."

It was easiest for Drina to talk to people when she was working on something that demanded her eyes and hands be busy. That way, she needn't look at whomever she was speaking to, nor worry about what to do with her hands. All her life she had been shy and retiring, and although she rode a gold dragon and had lived close to a century, her discomfort around other people remained.