Who

E'bert, Shea, Mayte, Kyara, Veresch

What

Everyone is some degree of wet. Except Rhiscorath, of course.

When

It is the eighty-fifth day of Autumn and 87 degrees. The day dawns bright and clear. Everything is coated in sand, but no clouds linger on the horizon.

Where

Lake Shore, Igen Weyr

OOC Date

 

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Lake Shore

Sprawled out beyond the Weyr proper's hustling activity and ambling roads, the cool, blue paradise of the Weyr lake promises escape from the oppressive hammer of Igen summer's cruel climes; the asymmetrical, sandy white shores hook delicately around the deceptively still waters running deep and sure, greedy peninsulas reaching white fingers stretching in crooked lines towards its center. A sturdy shack, weather-beaten and brown as cured leather, resides in isolated splendor upon one such finger, screened shelving offering a variety of brushes and fragrant oils housed in colorful tureens. Out beyond a small and dusty paddock ringed by a white fence, a long rocky pier stabs out into the lake, providing a panoramic view of the Weyr itself, while the southern shores provide varied shrubs and grassed for the massed herds in their pens.


It's early, and with the sweep completed E'bert's taking the time to bathe Karkath, "I know, but you've been complaining of that itch for the last two sweeps," is said in answer to a complaint from the brown, "We will. I mean, I will but we have drills before I can go visit," again with the answering of the dragon aloud. It's become a habit with E'bert, "Okay, go rinse. Then we can look and see if there are any more itchy spots."

How many turns has Shea been at Igen, and she still isn't used to the heat? It's possible that the Fortian born, 'Reaches impressed girl (who is at this point close to thirty, so far less of a girl than she often thinks of herself as) will never get used to heat. And yet at the same time she never seems to even consider the idea of leaving for someplace a little more chilly. Some of that may be because of how well Cervilaevarth has taken to it; he touches down in the lake with his usual giant-winged grace, then unceremoniously dumps his rider. In the lake. She also rode Arroyo's dawn sweep, and her dragon clearly thinks that she needs to cool off … in her leathers. "YOU ASSHOLE."

That, that right there gets E'bert looking up and biting his tongue on a bark of laughter, "Hush," is said to Karkath who is clearly amused, "And don't get any ideas!" because that would so totally be something that Kar would do. As for the heat? E'bert has lived his entire life in Igen, except for that brief period spent in the back of nowhere of Telgar, "Loose clothing is good for keeping cool," though not practical for flying, still E'bert seems to have managed to cobble together a get up that combines leathers with his much preferred loose flowing robes.

"Loose clothing," Shea sputters as she drags herself out of the lake, still glaring at her lifemate, "would also be better for getting wet in, because my leathers are going to shrink now. They were expensive." Stupid. Dragon. She's going to have to treat them with something that is probably also expensive, and time consuming. "Sorry about — interrupting your bathing, there, even though it clearly isn't my fault." That last part is said a little dramatically, with a just-as-dramatic eyeroll and a head-jerk in the blue's direction. Cervilaevarth rolls over a couple times in the water and completely tunes her out.

E'bert chuckles at that, "I use a little bit of the saddle soap when my leathers get soaked," which isn't often, but it's happened, "Works wonders when followed with some of the oil used on these lugs," nod towards Karkath who rumbles, "Yeah, well y'er stupid too," retort to something the brown said most likely, "We were nearly done," though now that Cervilaevarth is present it's quite likely that Kar will stay out in the deeper water for a while. E'bert looks at Shea for a moment, "You notice how quiet the sweeps are?" he finally asks. It's something that's been bothering the younger rider the last few sweeps.

After a moment of thoughtful-looking contemplation — and continuing to glare at her wet leathers as she finds someplace to sit that won't immediately cause sand to stick to her — Shea hazards, "Quiet like … not chatty? Or quiet like haven't spotted anything interesting?" Or perhaps quiet like something she has yet to suggest. His suggestions for her leathers merited a smile and a nod, though no further verbal response — more pressing topics. Cervilaevarth lifts his head out of the water to bugle at Karkath. Are you going to come play or what?

In answer, Karkath sinks below the surface of the water and makes for Cervilaevarth, "Quiet like there doesn't seem to ever be anything moving," E'bert answers as he watches his dragon go for the ambush, "He's not too subtle my Karkath," though it is fun to watch the brown try to be stealthy. The wake of his passing gives him away though.

Cervilaevarth plays along; he holds perfectly still, making for a very nice floating dragon statue impression. Shea is still thinking, now stooping to that annoying habit of twirling bits of her hair around her finger as she considers E'bert's observation. "Guess you're right about that," she muses, having not actually really noticed it herself. "Figured that's just how it is here sometimes, really? I could very well be wrong about that, but, you know. And oh, Cervil prefers the unsubtle."

Karkath gets to nose length distance before he taps his nose against Cervilaevath, or at least attempts to, "Actually, early morning sweeps should have people out and about unless there's Thread," E'bert notes, "Early morning, and then again with evening into the late night is when we should see the most movement," he pauses as he watches Karkath, "But there just hasn't been lately," oops, there goes a wing splashing the surface as Kar has apparently missed his mark.

Right. The heat thing. "Oh — yes," Shea has actually let that percolate through her head, now. "When it's not completely sweltering out or utterly freezing. Deserts." She shakes her head. Nope, never ever going to get used to it. Though she will continue to persevere through it. "People used to think I was crazy for preferring the early shift, so I actually still forget here that a lot of people like it." Cervilaevarth flails a little, and then smashes his wing playfully onto the water, splashing both the brown and himself.

E'bert nods, "Having grown up here, I never really noticed," is admitted, then there's a snort of laughter as Karkath surfaces to splash water back at the blue, "He's really not as sneaky as he thinks he is," the brown accomplishes getting more water splashed over himself, and Cervil? Well not so much the blue, "Or as cordinated," a shake of the head is given, "But at least I've figured out how to stop him from biting the fence posts when he feeds," which is a huge relief to E'bert.

"He's young — wait, biting the fence posts? Like cribbing?" That's something Shea is used to seeing in runners. Seeing it in dragons is new. "That sounds, er. Terribly unfortunate. Bad habit." Cervilaevarth is sort of laughing; it's a lung-originated chuffing sound that's vibrating through his neck. Draconic laughter, yes?

E'bert shakes his head, "No, he would try for a kill and miss," the Karkath blinks in surprise that the splash of water went so terribly wrong, then he's chuffing along with Cervilaevarth, "It's like he's food blind during the day. At night he can make his kill just fine, and he can see things just fine. Just not food. Not during the day," so the answer is to feed the brown at night. E'bert turns to look at his lifemate, "Kar, you.. Try not scooping with the top of your wing?" and Karkath does just that. His wing is slapped down, and the underside bowl as he scoops water towards Cervilaevarth. Water falls equally over both dragons this time, which gives Karkath a happy blue-green tint to his eyes.

Shea is trying not to giggle at Karkath, but at the end of the day — or more properly the end of the minute — she completely fails, and ends up doing so anyway. Cervilaevarth croons encouragement, mimicking the motion and raining water on them both again. Not that they weren't already completely wet. It's all good in the lake. "That's so … that's really strange," Shea muses, watching the dragons, "and sounds totally unfortunate, but he's good on wing duties so who am I to judge. So long as he actually gets enough to eat."

E'bert nods, "I haven't been able to figure it out myself," he's been burning both ends of the candle as it were, "One of the reasons I've been studying dragonhealing so hard," he wants answers, and so far he hasn't found any, "Everywhere else he's just fine," a pause to watch Karkath repeat the scooping motion with his wings, only this time it's towards E'bert and unfortunately this means Shea as well, "Karkath! You idiot!" this said as the water splashes down over E'bert's head, well mostly E'bert. Some may have hit Shea.

Yep. Just a little, though. Shea winces, making a very flat deadpan face for a moment, and then dismisses it. "Figures," she says with another shake of the head. "My leathers and I will never dry off." Cervilaevarth seems just a little bit pleased by this development. Shea's turn to ignore him. "You talked to my stupid cousin yet? The one who's actually ridiculously smart. Dragonhealer trainee type. I'yn. He knows things." That is to say, he studies all the time. "'course, so does our wingleader, she's been a dragonhealer for, um. Really long time. So maybe talk to Trek." Though no doubt Trek already knows about all of this.

E'bert gives a shake of his head, "I haven't actually been able to catch up with any of the dragonhealers," he admits. He's just been studying on his own, "I'yn, I think I've seen him around," now E'bert's thinking, "And yeah, I could talk with Trek."

"Talk to Trek first," Shea recommends, because staying in-house with these sorts of problems is likely the best course of action. "If she recommends you have a word with someone else, there you go, but I mean. She might have some good ideas. He's had his eyes checked, right? Because that's an — interesting dilemma I know nothing about. Barely managed to keep up with the basic anatomy they taught us in weyrlinghood, my head's so jam packed full of formations and knowing about different forms of alcohol. And, you know. Things I care about, instead of things my dragon does."

E'bert nods, "His eyes seem fine, but it's just that one thing," a thoughtful look is given, "I know that some firelizards seem to hunt better at night, while others can hunt whenever. It's not that far of a stretch to think that the same can sometimes happen with dragons," at least from what E'bert's read anyway.

It's early morning, a little bit after dawn sweeps, and Shea and E'bert are sitting by the lakeside as Karkath and Cervilaevarth rough-house in the lake. Shea is fully clothed in her leathers, and they are completely soaked to the bone (her curls are even drooping a little.) "Never actually thought about that," she says thoughtfully to the brownrider, back to twirling hair around her finger. "I guess they do. Firelizards, I mean. So — it could be entirely normal, just not something that happens in dragons very often." Rare optimism, but she's trying.

Karkath has taken the opportunity to scoop water into his wings, and is now trying to make his way closer to shore. Plan? Dump the water on E'bert of course, "Figure so long as he is able to eat we're fine," and then the splashing of dragon is noticed, but alas not in time to stop him. Sploosh, and E'bert is drenched. Now just how did that dragon manage to not spill the water?

"Which is an important —" Shea doesn't manage to get 'skill' out of her mouth because she has at this point completely failed to not burst into laughter. It's more a giggle than anything else, and she's covering her face with her hands, but the fact that Shea thought that was funny is completely unmaskable. Cervilaevarth, having rolled onto his back most of the way, is now watching the exchange upside down and wafting the scent of bourbon encouragingly in Karkath's direction. Art. True art. Do it again.

Karkath is chuffing with his amusement as he wades out just a little bit. More water is wing scooped, and tossed towards the shore, "Hey!" just because E'bert's already soaked doesn't mean he wants to spend his day soaked, "Knock it off," which of course means Karkath wing scoops more water towards his rider.

"— thing," Shea manages eventually, after it's happened a second time and she's started to calm down a little. "Cervil, why don't you help him out a bit, huh?" The blue begrudgingly stops his encouragement, backing further into the water to disconnect himself from this madness. Once is funny, two is overkill, dragon who is both younger and larger than he. "Sorry, he shouldn't be encouraging bratty behavior. Should know better. Jerk. But of course he's the jerk who threw me in the lake, so."

Rhiscorath glides into view and lands well short of the water's edge to allow Mayte to slip down to the sand. The Weyrling's in the middle of telling her dragon, "… don't get why, still. It's not like…" but Mayte trails off as perhaps Rhiscorath replies something that has Mayte huffing. Whatever. So instead of Rhiscorath joining the other dragons for play-swim-time, Mayte moves by Shea and E'bert with a salute and hello, strips at the water's edge, and jumps into the water herself, while Rhiscorath watches on the side, far from where water can touch her.

Kyara is most definitely not in her leathers - that much is apparent as she wanders toward the lake. In fact, even in the coolness of morning, she's looking more fit to go in the lake, a pale blue sarong wrapped around her hips and trailing down to brush the top of sandaled feet while a fitted, sleeveless white top is worn above, a misty green and gold sik scarf held around her shoulders the only concession to the actual temperature she shows. And she might possibly be wearing makeup - not much; just a bit around her eyes, but enough to be a somewhat striking difference for the otherwise understated greenrider. The reason for all this comes padding lithely along behind her rider - Liareth, with a very obvious limning of gold upon ivy and jade. The green slips into the water with little fanfare; her appearance alone is likely enough to distract the boys plenty. Kyara, on the other hand, is here only at Liareth's behest, keeping her eyes fixed mostly on the sand as she draws near her wingmates and Mayte. "Good morning Shea, E'bert, Mayte," she says, her tone lower than normal as she stops and turns from them to keep eyes pointedly on her lifemate for the moment. Not them.

Karkath backs down when he's snapped at, then there's Liareth and whoa he's suddenly no longer interested in dumping water on riders. E'bert can't help but notice Kyara's arrival, "Morning," he calls, then look there's a Mayte watch E'bert look a bit confused.

Cervilaevarth only briefly thinks Rhiscorath is weird; everyone has their own tastes, after all, and she is a desert dragon. Maybe not all desert dragons like swimming? Maybe — never mind, hello Liareth. Shea rolls her eyes as Cervilaevarth is fully distracted by the green, giving her a sweet sing-song croon. "You. Knock it off," she says toward the lake, and then turns around to give smiles to Kyara and — well, to Rhiscorath, as her human has gone in the water to join the dragons. "Morning, folks."

Fortunately the dip was a brief wash-off after morning PT - Mayte emerges, shaking herself as she goes and climbs back into the loose pants and tunic she came in with. There's a wave to Kyara and Liareth and Mayte moves close to Rhiscorath who has crept closer, now that she's sure Mayte won't get any moist on her. Ew. "Hey, wingriders," she says. Plural. "How's the morning going? The weyrling does lay down in the sand and crosses her legs, looking around.

"So far so good," Kyara replies easily, still keeping her eyes on Lia for the most part. She clears her throat a little, giving a small shake to her head to help clear it a bit. "Sorry," she says, gesturing out at the dragons before finally slipping a gaze askance to the others with a slow smirk. "Though maybe it's a good thing she wanted to come down here. You're all wet," is noted of Shea and E'bert. Mayte…just got out of the water, so it goes without saying that she is, as well. Or was a bit ago.

E'bert turns to look at Mayte, "Morning," is offered to her before his eyes go slightly unfocused, "Got to run," apparently he's forgotten something that Karkath has just reminded him of, "I'll talk with Trek about," look around at the others, "what we talked about earlier, Shea," and then he's heading towards the bazaar. Whatever he's forgot, he's not forgot he needs to eat.

With a nod as E'bert leaves, Shea laughs at Kyara's observation. "Yep," she says with a nod, then return-salutes belatedly at Mayte. "Weyrling. Hi. It's — I had the dawn sweeps, along with E'bert and a few others, but Cervilaevarth decided he wanted to cool off and I needed to also. So he landed in the water and then just dumped me in it. Sweetest most darling dragon ever." That last part is muttered through gritted teeth.

There's another person, though late to the party, that circles slowly around the lake, strolling slowly around the edge of the lake. There's a cast of tiredness still to Veresch's face, but summoning up a smile does not seem hard, nor does the hand that lifts in greeting. "Morning, Shea, Kyara, Mayte, and yours," is said in polite greeting; Kyara's odd outfit gets a look, but she scoots around to get unimpeded access to the water to scrub her face with. It may require a minute to adequately form words.

Rhiscorath is nothing of the sort, thank you, but Mayte grins: "Well, I was working on it." One thumb hitches up to the gold head over…well, head, "She's not so keen on it, though." Crazy dragons. E'bert's departure is blinked at but she waves a farewell, and grins at Shea's story: "At least you know he'll go swimming with you!" Rhiscorath remains dignified in front of this while Mayte watches Veresch's approach, and offers a polite, "Morning," to the young woman.

Kyara's gaze follows E'bert and Karkath's departure for a moment before the greenrider tunes back in to the words begin spoken nearby, and she gives a low, husky chuckle for Shea's anecdote. Liareth is disappointed by the brown's leaving, but she's quick to give all her attention back to Cervilaevarth…even if it's flirtatious and judgmental all at once, the glowing green circling the blue coyly while keeping him under steady blue-violet regard. "Why wouldn't she like water?" Kyara questions Mayte, some of Lia's judgment seeping into her own tone. Then she's looking at Veresch, her smirk growing. "She isn't paying attention to your greeting," is said dryly…and then a less snappish Kyara pushes through for a moment, and the greenrider scrubs her face. "Sorry, both of you…sorry. It's just…" She gestures resignedly out at her lifemate in the lake, dropping her hand with a small huff before folding her legs to sit in the sand. Sometimes she wonders if she's ever truly going to get used to this.

"It's okay," Shea chimes in quickly, giving Kyara a look that's aiming for comforting once she's finished a friendly mock-salute in the arriving Veresch's direction. "Don't worry about it at all. We get it." Even if Mayte and Veresch haven't so much experienced it — yet — Shea is pretty confident that they do all, at least, get it. Cervilaevarth is getting it a lot more than anyone else, whirling eyes and happy-crooning at Liareth. Even if he's trapped where he is now and has no way of weaseling out of her appraising eye. He's not complaining.

Face scrubbed, Veresch is quick to stand and turn, appraising those around her. "She's really grown," is muttered of the young gold that she saw last when hip-high to a grasshopper; hands dip into her pockets then, slicked down flyaway hair ignored as they trickle cool moisture down her neck. "I…" There's a momentary, entirely involuntary silence as she stares first at Kyara's smirk, then out at the glowing green in the water; "Er, yes, ma'am," is muttered to Shea, though it's clear her understanding is only dubiously second-rate at best. "It's okay," she says gamely to Kyara afterwards. "Morning after tomorrow for the next lesson?"

Mayte snorts and tells Kyara: "She says it makes her wet." The roll of eyes that follows is both fond and full of 'duh'. Another reason for Rhis to stay on the shore? She watches Liareth from a distance, observes, and if dragons had eyebrows, Rhis' would be up around her headknob. Mayte's eyebrows do raise briefly at Kyara but there's a quick, uncertain look to Shea. We do? Mayte peers out over the water again and slowly things come into focus. "Oh," is the weyrling's contribution to this conversation and a nervous look: "Uh… should impressionable minds be here?" Rhiscorath's too busy being obviously prudish to leave, though. So they stay. "Yeah," she tells Veresch agreeably, "I've had to replace her straps fully… three times now?" She'd count fingers, but three sounds impressive, "We'll say three and call it evens."

At the reassurances, a grin slowly forms on Kyara's lips, and she gives a quiet laugh. "Well, you do most of all," she says with a quick glance up at Shea, and then she looks at Veresch, a slight pinkness starting to color her cheeks. "Yes…I hope. If it has to be later, I'll let you know." Somehow. At Mayte's question, the greenrider raises an eyebrow, smirking. "You're nearly to talking about this sort of thing in weyrling lessons, Mayte. I wouldn't say 'impressionable' is quite the word."

Well, everyone … sort of gets it, anyway. Maybe Shea's the only one who comes super close to actually getting it, but she's never had a proddy dragon of her own. "At the moment I suspect they're not doing anything that would upset a weyrling," she offers, in case something more specific was desired, "though she's right, as a senior weyrling you're probably fine no matter what in that department." The straps comment makes her wince a little. "And, Faranth, I do not envy you the growing. Should get to know a tanner and work yourself up a discount plan, though. Great way to do it, believe me." How many of her weyrling straps did Shea actually make? That would be only the very first set.

Oh look, crafty stuff, so much easier to think of than Kyara doing er-that because Liareth… yes. Best not thought of. Veresch's expression clears, hands slowly relaxing inside her pockets as they grow warm again. Her mind is still busy evolving a comment about straps when a secondary notion is released into the wild: really, this morning she's slow of thought, not up to snuff. "The birds and the bees speech?" she asks quietly, whilst fingers in pockets curl and uncurl to measure the tread of days and months, almost surprised at the pace of days past. "…oh." Someone lost a few months there.

Real reassuring, Kyara. Mayte huffs: "I've seen a proddy dragon before." From a distance, which is totally not the same as hearing the lessons on it. "Besides, I meant Rhiscorath, though," and Mayte turns to look up at the big ol' girl, "She'd probably stop listening halfway through anyways." Rhis is on the abstinence plan and happily so. Shea and then Cervilaevarth in the water gets a long look and a nod, "Trek warned me about that." Veresch gets a perplexed look: "For me? Nah, I got that from Eol… Journeywoman Eollyn. But one of our last lessons is gonna be about dragon…" it's like Mayte has to compose herself to say this with a straight face: "mating flights." Phew, success!

Kyara isn't in the best state to be reassuring about much at the moment. "More than seen, I'm sure," she returns in a mischievous tone, looking up at Mayte. "The golds get in everyone's head, and she," Rhiscorath, "will, too. She'll likely become someone you least expect-" Abruptly, the greenrider claps a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from making any more observations that aren't hers to make to Mayte just now, dropping her head onto a raised bent knee to keep from showing how abashed she is all of a sudden. "Shea…" is voiced a little weakly, and perhaps the reason isn't obvious, but it's in her head - help. Gloss that one over somehow?

Shea picks up where Kyara put it down, only with a little bit more of a neutral view: "Some dragons," she corrects carefully, remembering now why it is that she's not a weyrlingmaster and that's her father instead, it's the gift for words, "change habits when they go proddy and can drive their riders a little bit lovingly nuts, but not all do, of course." Everything's great here! Except for Shea on her rock eyeing those sitting in the sand enviously, because of course she is wearing soaking wet leather. "The lesson's appallingly awkward, or else ours was. The flight lesson. Everyone tends to be really awkward and embarrassed, weird in adults — and people will break off and talk to more experienced riders later, usually. At least one person dies of embarrassment and runs away."

Veresch, on the edge of being weirded out, is reminded of one singular saving grace — no dragon, thus no need to be even thinking about this. "I think this time I'll be the one to run away, I've got early duties… good day, Shea, Kyara, Mayte. I hope we really do have clear skies." Someone's getting more than a trifle sick of sandstorms, it seems. "And to the lifemates as well, whether they're listening or not." There she scoots, making for the living cavern at all possible speed.

Mayte's hand lifts to surprised wave to Veresch and Rhiscorath watches the young girl go. "Huh." Anyways, back to proto-type mating lessons: "It's gonna be bad enough with the triplets there," the weyrling grouses, "All of them on greens, too." A moue of near-apology to Kyara, but Mayte would like to focus on alternatives: "Maybe they'll make it fun. Like a song, or sock puppets, or do…" Wait. Dark hair shakes vigorously, "No. No dolls. Creepy." Mayte rests quietly for a moment and then Rhiscorath turns to look over her shoulder; her rider sighs: "Rhis is saying it's time to get back to lessons." That moue Mayte had earlier turns into a frown: "Two months. Two months and then we graduate…"

By the time Shea finishes, Kyara's shoulders are hitching a bit in silent laughter, and she finally looks up again. "I was almost that last one," she notes. "It gets better afterward, but still…" She's Kyara; there's still plenty about the whole business to make her blush. "We had K'ane and Sienna for ours." That should say a lot - mostly because of the bronzerider half of that arrangement. The expression on Kyara's face as she watches Veresch leave is a bit pained; she did warn the girl, at least. "We're going to move on," the greenrider says with a sigh. "She wants to now. Maybe I can just convince her to take us back home for now…" Though probably not. Rising, Kyara brushes herself off, sending a chagrined smile at Mayte. "I'll talk to you again when I'm back to myself, yeah?" she says, a note of hope in her voice as if she's afraid she may have scared Mayte off somehow with all this. She looks to Shea. "See you tomorrow, probably," is said with a slight sigh and a smirk, "or the next day." And with that, she heads off down the lake shore to see where Liareth wants to prowl next.

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