==== January 3, 3014
==== Jithan, Kalea, Nathanael, Nevach (NPC)
==== Jithan and Nevach's fishing trip is interrupted by the arrival of Kalea and Ryadranth. Nevach's best friend Nathanael joins in the fun.

Who Jithan, Kalea, Nathanael, Nevach (NPC)
What Jithan and Nevach's fishing trip is interrupted by the arrival of Kalea and Ryadranth. Nevach's best friend Nathanael joins in the fun.
When There are 0 turns, 3 months and 21 days until the 12th pass.
Where Beach, Southern Weyr

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beach.jpg

Beach
An eerie mirror, the glass-quiet Sea of Azov: the clear waters stretch along the dark-pebbled shores, and along this narrow beach. Here the faintest lap of waves belies the calm beyond; here the rocks have been ground down into finest, softest sand - those observant would mark upon the similarity between it and the sands of the hatching grounds. The soft sand soaks up summer sunlight as a sponge; painfully hot during the warmer months, it is only truly pleasant at wintertime. Rocks rise to east and west, lichen-limned and green against the abyssal darkness of stone.


Jithan has taken a part of his day to walk out to the beach, wearing a light jacket against the wind and the lingering coolness of winter. Nevach walks along beside him, holding Jithan's hand and also dressed in a light jacket. Each of the pair carries a fishing pole, though Jithan also has a tacklebox in one hand. Murmured conversation between the two floats on the wind, though there's nothing that anyone more then a few feet away could understand.

Ryadranth doesn’t mind the cooler weather in the least and circles in to land on a clear plot of sand. Kalea barely has time to remove the straps and drop to the ground before the green is sliding into the water for a swim. This weather, while nice, keeps Lea on dry land for today. She yells something at the quickly departing green before turning to wind the straps up into a heavy bundle of leather and clanging buckles. Effectively getting it out of the way of anyone who might decide to meander down this stretch of the beach.

Nevach, of course, squeals with delight as the dragon drops down out of the sky. Frantic tugging on Jithan's arm leads the Harper to let go, and the little kid goes running across the beach towards the dragon, just in time to watch her slip into the waves. Jithan, for his part, approaches at a slightly more sedate pace. "Hello, rider," he says with a smile, gesturing towards Nevach. "Sorry about that, he's fascinated with dragons. Wants to touch every one of them that he can." Eventually, Nevach makes his way back to the adults, a huge grin on his face. "Dad, dad! Did you see that? That dragon is swimming!!"

Kalea hears a squeal and watches a familiar shape dash across the beach. Neve’s kid, if she remembers right. As the mother to two young children she’s seen him around. Jithan’s approach is noted with a slight smile on her lips. “It’s perfectly alright,” she assures the man. “When she decides to come ashore again he can greet her if he’d like.” She looks down at Nevach and grins, “Perhaps over the summer you can swim with her. She’s out there every chance she gets.” When they aren’t doing sweeps or drills that is. She looks at Jithan with a shrug, “Ryadranth loves the water and swimming keeps her good and strong.”

Jithan returns that smile, chuckling a little. "I'd deeply appreciate that, rider," he says, reaching down and wrapping a gentle hug around Nevach's shoulders for a moment. "Why don’t you put your fishing pole in the sand for now, Nevach, and you can go watch…" he pauses, attention back to the rider. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't recognize you. I'm Jithan, one of the Harper's here." Nevach, for his part, grounds the handle of his pole in to the sand, leaving the pole sticking up in the air and out of the sand. "Okay dad!" he says, not waiting for an answer from Kalea, going back to the edge of the tide and watching Rya play in the water.

“No problem at all,” Kalea assures Jithan with a wave of her hand. She drops the straps into the sand beside her. Careful to keep them out of the way of Jithan and Nevach. “I’m Ryadranth’s Kalea of Lynx Wing,” she introduces herself with a chuckle. “Well met Jithan.” She wonders briefly if Nevelyn has fostered the kid out. But it’s not really any of her business, so she watches the kid head for the water with a slight smile. “Mine will be his age one of these days,” is said in reference to her own children. Ryadranth spies Nevach on the edge of the beach and warbles a greeting.

Nevach jumps up and waves when Rya warbles just for him, a wild grin on his face. Could the day get any better? Jithan chuckles, shaking his head a little. "His mother's terrified of heights, and he's obsessed with dragons. Go figure, right?" he asks. "Well met, Kalea. I had heard the name, just didn't know the face." At mention of her own kids, he grins. "That's right, Nevelyn was telling me you had twins not that long ago. Congratulations! I just found out that I'm going to be a father too, though we haven't told Nevach quite yet."

Kalea has met several folks in her lifetime that were not only afraid of heights but dragons period. So it isn’t a new concept. “Most boys his size are taken with them.” She chuckles and nods at Jithan’s comment. “Perhaps she just hasn’t met a sweet enough dragon to make her comfortable with the idea. They use Ryadranth and I for that purpose quite a bit. Going to get Holder or Crafter folk who are intimidated by the bigger lot.” Ryadranth isn’t a small green but still she’s a heck of a lot smaller than a lot of the locals. Her smile turns beaming when he congratulates her. “They’re a little over four moons now. A boy and a girl.” She flicks her gaze toward Nevach then back to Jithan. “Well congratulations to you. You must be Neve’s ‘mate then.” She hadn’t seen that one coming but things start making sense now.

Jithan nods, keeping an eye on Nevach, who's still fascinated with the swimming dragon. "I certainly was… Grew up in the Harper Hall at Fort, so we had dragons coming and going all the time." He looks over at her again, grinning. "Oh? Well, I might have to come find you sometime and introduce Nevelyn to Rya." His smile broadens as she puts two and two together, nodding. "I am. Sorry, I figured if you knew Nevach, you'd know that." No way Neve would ever put her kid up for fostering while she was still drawing breath.

“I’ve been up that way a time or two,” Kalea says of Fort in general. She laughs and nods her agreement when he mentions introducing Nevelyn to Ryadranth. “You’re welcome to do so. Send me a flit sometimes and we’ll figure something out. Sweeps are growing into a beast of their own design.” She had actually wondered about it. Considering how hands on Neve seems to be with all the children and Nevach especially. Time spent in the Nursery gives her ample opportunity to observe. “I wasn’t positive of it,” she admits. “I didn’t figure on the Nanny ever fostering that one. But you can never be sure. I didn’t see Neve as the type to get ‘fasted either. Which is why you surprised me a little.”

Jithan nods, filing this information away for later before he shrugs. "We haven't actually had a ceremony yet. Honestly, though, I don't think that either of us were expecting things to turn out like they have for the two of us. I'm not complaining, though. She's a wonderful woman, a great mother, and an amazing artist. What more could I ask for?" He looks over at the rider again, his eyes constantly straying over to his adopted son. "You're weyrmated to that hunter, right? Kultir?"

“Ahh,” Kalea says and nods her head with Jithan tells he didn’t hitch up with Neve. “So long as ya’ll are happy is what matters.” She smiles at him and shrugs her shoulders, “I’ve been impressed with her skills as a Nanny for sure. She helped me out a lot when I first had to part with Rikus and Kalira.” That had been a hard transition. She flicks a glance toward Nevach and then smiles at Jithan. “Rya is keeping an eye on him. See how her head is angled toward the shore?” The boy is perfectly safe and Lea turns her mind to answering his question. “I am, yes. He’s an excellent hunter.” Which means he’s gone. A lot.

Not 'didn't'. Just 'hasn't yet', jeeze. Give a man some time here! Jithan nods, grinning. "She is pretty good with the kids, isn't she? Always get's them to me on time when she's in charge for the day, and her groups are always well behaved." He grins, nodding at Rya's assistance. "I do see, indeed. I just like watching him. He's just so… fascinated by stuff that I'm jaded over." A faint laugh and a shake of the head accompanies this statement. "Well, that must leave you with a lot of time on your own, eh? You'll have to join us for dinner some night, if you're not required to sit with your wingmates. We can at least keep you company for an hour or two."

Kalea didn’t say a word she just nodded. And she does so again now. “She is at that. I’ve had to get on a couple of the other Nannies for letting the bigger kids play in the nursery.” It makes her nervous to have unsupervised children around her infant babies. “Never had that concern when Neve has hold of the kids.” She looks over at Nevach as Ryadranth surfs in on a wave and lays her head in the sand near the boy. “I have some time on my own,” she agrees with a smile. “Sweeps and drills keep us plenty busy,” she nods toward Rya. “I’m not required to sit with anyone actually. A lot of nights I just take something home and eat alone. So company on occasion would be nice.”

Nevach is delighted when Rya comes back to land so close to him, closing the distance and stretching up to love on the dragon's eyeridges. "Nevach!" Jithan calls, raising his voice along with an eyebrow. "You ask first, son. You know better then that!" He turns to Kalea, chuckling. "Can't let him forget his manners just because I asked you, right?" He starts walking, clearly heading for Rya and a very contrite, not-touching-the-dragon Nevach.

Kalea hadn’t thought twice about the kid loving on Rya. It’s what the green had settled down for after all. So she trails after Jithan because the green head lifts from the sand at the man’s yell. “It’s alright..” Which she is talking to is a good guess as Ryadranth has swept her big head between the approaching man and the boy on the other side of her. Eyes whirling a warning faded orange shade. “She was happy that he wasn’t afraid of her and enjoyed the attention.” Her eyes glaze a moment and Rya backs right off. “She didn’t know you were his father. Sorry.” Rya shifts and drops her head back into the sand where it was. Crooning her sorries and tilting an eye on the little group.

For his part, Nevach at least manages to look contrite. "I'm sorry I didn't ask, ma'am," he says, eyes cast down to the sand. Once the apology is over, though, his excitement breaks through again. "Can I pet her, ma'am, please? Does she like her eyeridges scratched too?" Because who in the world could tell the kid no? Jithan, nods his approval at the both the apology and the request, trying to hide a faint grin. "It's not that, Kalea… We just don't want him making assumptions. Some of the other riders get touchy about who gets near their dragons, even if the dragons don't mind." Ahhhhh, the voice of painful experience? "Don't worry, Ryadranth, it's not your fault. I'm sure you're a sweetheart."

“That’s alright buddy. Everyone makes mistakes,” Kalea tells Nevach with a forgiving smile. “She’d love for you to scratch her eye ridges,” she tells him with a nod. “She adores kids almost more’n she likes me. So if you get a hankering you can climb up on her too. Just be careful not to fall.” Once again Ryadranth is in the world of happy. She really does love her some kids. Kalea turns and smiles at Jithan. “She saved my own babes before they were born. And ever since I had them Rya seems to think all Weyr children are /hers/. She gets touchy when folks try to tell her different.”

Jithan chuckles, a grin spreading across his face as he watches the expression of wonder that Nevach gets when he's actually encouraged to climb on the dragon. "Can I, dad? Please? I'll be careful!" When Jithan nods, the boy squeals in delight, swinging a leg over Rya's neck and then laying himself down flat, stretching out so that he can reach both eyeridges, scratching and rubbing each one. "She saved your babes?" Jithan asks, surprised. "Before they were born? What happened?"

Ryadranth holds herself incredibly still. The only movement the vibration when she rumbles with delight. No doubt telling Kalea how she can’t wait until her own munchkins can do that. Kalea stands there and laughs aloud for a moment. Once she is done shaking her head at Rya and Nevach she turns her smile on Jithan. “Being a ‘rider it’s rather hard for us to carry to term. All the going ::between:: we do. But Ryadranth knew long before Kultir and I did and refused to do so.” She grins at the memory. “Had one of my superiors try to tell her to and she refused until I dismounted. And THEN she would follow orders. Had us all curious for a short while there.”

Jithan arches an eyebrow at the story, but grins. "Well, that's quite a tale. I can see why she'd be protective of the kids, then." He outright laughs at Nevach's position, and Rya's reaction, the whole tableau putting him in a good mood. "I've never heard of a dragon telling a higher ranking dragon no, that's fairly rare, isn't it?" Because obedience during a fall is paramount, no? Nevach looks up at the two adults, a big grin on his face. "Dad, do you think T'ral would let me lay like this on Esanth while we're flying?"

Kalea chuckles and nods her agreement. Looking up at the kid and her lifemate enjoying each other. “She has never in all her years disobeyed an order,” Kalea admits with a shrug. “In her opinion she never has. Because she did go ::between:: she just wouldn’t do it with me in the straps.” Thankfully Ryadranth is back to being her well-mannered self these days. Nevach’s question draws her eyes over again and she shakes her head in a firm ‘no’ motion.

Jithan just gives Nevach a Look. It's a Look that has long been practiced on untold thousands of students and apprentices, honed to perfection over the decades. "You're going to give your mother enough of a conniption going up buckled into the straps, young man. You will sit in front of T'ral, and you will enjoy the ride, and you won't even /think/ of moving from those straps, or I will have your hide." After which Nevelyn will probably skin Jithan, but hey. He darts a look at Kalea, glad that she's backing him up on this. "Thanks," he mutters from the side of his mouth.

Kalea takes it a step further and crosses her arms while Ryadranth gives an uneasy snort beneath the boy. “You’d get T’ral in a whole heap of trouble with a stunt like that. It’s our job as dragonriders to keep our charges safe in our care when we take folks up.” And that little boy is that with another dragon snort to end it.” She turns her back on Nevach and smiles at Jithan where the boy can’t see her. “If your woman is as afraid of dragons as you claim I’d pay good marks that you wouldn’t survive to see the birth of the next one if he tried that,” she tells him quietly. “Ryadranth says she’ll keep in touch with Esanth. But she doesn’t think there’s a dragon stupid enough to put up with sometime like that from a kid.”

Jithan coughs to hide the chuckle that he gets when Rya snorts her agreement, covering his face to hide the grin. Nevach, looking suitably chastised, sighs a little and goes back to rubbing Rya's eyeridges. "Don't you start in on me too!" he mock complains at the second snort. “I'm sorry dad, Miss Kalea. I just thought it'd be cool to see the world how the dragons do." Jithan pulls his face under control, and walks closer, squatting down to get himself on level with Nevach. "It's okay son," he says, reaching out to pat his son's arm comfortingly. "It's just very, very important to everyone that you're safe, okay? Your ma's already going to be worried enough without worrying about you pulling a stunt like that, alright?" Jithan, for his part, has /total/ confidence in T'ral and Esanth.

Ryadranth shifts slightly and snakes her tail up to tickle Nevach’s side with the tip. Kalea turns back around and smiles at the pair. “It’s alright Nevach. Questions are perfectly normal and alright. Just always ask before doing something like that.” Because she’d hate to see the kid hurt. Kalea has total confidence in every ‘rider here in the Weyr. She may not be popular with any of them, but she trusts them with her life.

Jithan is standing on the beach with Kalea, while Ryadranth lays in the surf, and, atop her head and neck, lays Nevach, scritching away at the green's eyeridges. A pair of fishing rods are sticking in the sand behind the adults, with a tackle box set down nearby the poles. Neither pole has a lure in the surf, as if they were interrupted by something. Nevach nods up at Kalea, as if taking orders from her. "Yes ma'am! I'll ask Mr. T'ral before I do anything besides sit there and look around." He looks back down at the dragon that he's laying on, and then back up at Kalea. "I'm not hurting her, am I?"

Kalea chokes to hide a laugh at the ‘Mr. T’ral’ from Nevach, but she doesn’t correct the boy. Oh please let him say that /to/ the ‘rider. Talk about priceless! Kids are so cute and Kalea just has to smile while she shakes her head. “Not at all. She’s really enjoying your company.” Ryadranth looks to be nearly asleep with her half lidded eyes whirling slowly as she sprawls in the surf with her neck and head pillowed on the sand. It’s a dragon life right there boy!

Have one cute kid, and now a teenager. Nathanael runs full tilt down the beach, his bronze firelizard chasing him through the surf. His laughter reaches the pair long before Nathanael himself reaches the light of the fire. Noticing the quartet, Nathanael slows to just a trot, a smile still on his face. Tribute settles upon his shoulder as he trots the last few steps. "A'lo Journeyman! Ma'am! Nevech!" pause, "uh, Ma'am dragon!"

Nevach looks up at the sound of his name, and when he sees his friend, that same grin from earlier breaks out on his face, and he ever so carefully climbs off of Rya and runs to Nathanael, taking his hand and pulling him over. "This is Ryadranth, Thanael! She's really nice, but you gotta ask to pet her first!" Because OF COURSE Nathanel would want to pet the dragon, right? Jithan smiles at the young Seacrafter, remembering him from before. "Hello, Nathanael. This is Kalea," he says, introducing the woman at his side. "Have you met her before?"

Kalea is happy to have all the company she can get today. Her weyr is rather lonely with Kultir out on a hunt. So all of this is a lovely distraction. She chuckles at Nathanael’s greeting and tilts her head in welcome. “Hello lad.” She falls quiet while Jithan introduces her but pipes up to wave at Ryadranth. “That’s my lifemate Ryadranth. You can love on her too if you’d like.” Rya chitters a soft invite as she doesn’t want to move too much and dislodge the kid on her neck.

Hand gripped tightly by the younger boy Nathanael allows himself to be drug towards the green curled up on the sand. When Kalea gives her permission, Nathanael rubs an eyeridge gently. "What brings ye down t' 'e beach t'night ma'am? Jus' 'e fire?"

Jithan chuckles a little at Nevach's enthusiasm, shaking his head just a bit. "Be gentle, Nevach," is all he says, letting Kalea handle the question, since it was directed at her. Nevach looks up at Jithan and nods, going back to loving on the surf-dragon. "We were gonna go fishing, but Miss Kalea n' Rya were down here!" Nevach pipes up, as if that's the most important thing in the world.

Kalea feels she owes the boy a bit of honesty and shakes her head in answer to Nathanael’s question. “Not exactly. Ryadranth has an affinity for the beach and water. After sweeps last night and this morning she insisted on spending some time down here. It’s relaxing for her.” And she looks completely relaxed at the moment. If dragons could grin she certainly would be right now, all puffs and chirrs of contentment.

Nathanael's eyes finally travel far enough around the scene to view the poles and other fishing gear. This causes a slight smirk to cross his face as he looks at Nevech. "Ye gettin' good at fishin'? Ye 'n Journeyman Jithan?" Not once as he talks though do Nathanael's hands cease to rub upon the green dragon.

Nevach looks over at Nathanael, his own hands busy loving on the green. "I sure am! Dad taught me how to tie lures for the pole you gave me, so we were going to come down here and try them out!" Not that Nathanael hadn't given him lures, too, but /he/ made these! "I've been supplanted by a kid," Jithan says, turning and quietly murmuring to Kalea, though he's grinning.

Kalea chuckles softly and hooks her thumbs in her belt. Just watching the two boys chatter together. “Must be real good friends,” she murmurs back to Jithan with a grin of her own. “It’s good for ‘em.” She can feel a yawn coming on and lifts one hand to catch it. “I have a feeling I’m going to be spending the night down here as well as the day,” she admits watching the pair loving on a near slumbering Ryadranth. “I should probably head up to the Weyr for some grub. Haven’t eaten since before sweeps this morning.”

"'s real cool've 'im! Ye're ma 's proly real happy too." When he hears Kalea mention going up to the weyr, Nathanael's attention turns back. "'e cook jus' put out some new stew on 'e nighthearth ma'am, if'n ye was lookin' f'r somethin' what was hot."

Jithan nods when Kalea announces her departure. "There's still enough light, Nevach, if you want to try your lures once Kalea and Ryadranth are gone. Nathanael, would you like to join us? I've got an extra pole." Nevach grins up at his friend when Jithan invites him to come fishing with them. "Will you, Thanael? Dad says he'll cook whatever we catch for dinner!" Reluctantly the boy backs out of the way to let Rya go back to the Weyr. "Thank you, Miss Kalea, for letting me touch your dragon!"

Kalea grins happily at Nathanael for the tip. “Thanks for letting me know that. I love a good bowl of stew.” And that’s exactly what she’ll be heading up to nab for herself. A little sustenance is needed after such a long day. “You’re very welcome Nevach.” She grins at the kid for a second before turning the smile on Jithan. “It’s been fun thanks. See ya’ll around eh?” She flicks a glance at Ryadranth and chuckles softly before turning and heading up toward the Weyr.

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