Who

Neryk, A'ndi, Taliveth

What

Dragonless Neryk visits Southern's beach and shares his story with A'ndi and Taliveth. Tali is comforting and kind; A'ndi is awkwardly horrified.

dragonless, sadness, late posting

When

It is afternoon of the sixth day of the fifth month of the sixteenth turn of the 12th pass.

Where

Beach

OOC Date 25 Feb 2019 08:00

 

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“He was …the best.”


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.


There is something appealing about a flat horizon of water. There is something terrifying about it as well. Neryk’s little stars dart out among the waves, the paint on their wings labeling them as creatures of Igen is starting to wash away as they dive into the warm waters. They break through waves sputtering and chattering to eachother, but always dive down again to catch the next rise. Neryk sits crosslegged on the sand, watching as the waves crash against the sand and retreat. Rise, up, down, and back. A backpack lays open beside him, but it and the parchment across his lap are untouched; full attention on the movement of the water. Though the usual loose clothing that Neryk usually wears are suitable for the heat in both Southern or Igen, but now the outer jacket has been shed for something to sit on, whatever sand it is collecting is not a thought now. The water moves like a living creature, and Neryk is here to watch. Ink dry on the tip of his quill, a few drops on the blank parchment have also dried, likely a while ago.

The water does move like a living creature, doesn’t it? Especially considering all the inhabitants within whose movements contribute to the ebb and flow of the sea. All the fishies, the dolphins, even all the abundant plant life swaying to and fro. Also Taliveth. « HI!!!!!!!!! » His great smushy face bursts forth from the gentle waters, his greeting directed to the firelizards dipping in and out of the waves. « Hi! Hello! HI! How are you?! Are you catching fish?! » If his rider is around, he’s not anywhere obvious. But the brown seems to be doing fine on his own, bobbing now in the water. Tali’s mouth hangs open, a string of warbling greetings running from it nearly nonstop.

It is Seren who approaches first, the coppered gold flies right up to the massive brown, chirping brightly in greeting, but almost instantly a bronze follows, zipping up and around the dragon with an incessant chatter. Both of them are delighted to be here! WATER!!! Great, right?! Look at all this WATER!!!! SO MUCH WATER!!!! Little flashes of the desert are sent to the dragon, an attempt to impress upon him just how impressive this much water was. Two blue lizards hang back, one for total lack of interest in the dragon, but Alzzir seems frightened. The tiny blue is in retreat, darting back to his bond on shore and vanishing into the folds of Neryk’s clothing. This seems to snap Neryk into the present. He looks down at the little thing, then up at the brown that his shinies seem so pleased with. Neryk smiles lifting a hand to wave at Taliveth.

« Ooooooooh I’ve seen that before! » Taliveth has to do a bit of juggling around through the junk in his mental orbit before he can pull up a similar picture, a memory of this hot, sandy place that he has also been to. « It’s really DRY there! I bet it’s fun for you to be so MOIST, right?! » The submerged warship is quite pleased with his new company, but soon one of his slightly protuberant, googly eyes catches the lift and wave of a hand. He sucks in a great rush of air, as if gasping in delight, and comes lumbering through the water. It is quite a sight; like some dark, ancient craft rising from its watery grave. But this image of majesty is short-lived when the brown starts honking excitedly at Neryk. Dripping wet, the brown comes near and wriggles with anticipation. There’s a long silence before little wisps of aurora light flow into Neryk’s mind, « … I’m trying to be polite. But I’d reallyreally like to talk to you. »

The two chitter back, that place is Home. They do not have a name for it other than this, but they are both pleased that he too has seen it. Water IS nice! Very nice! Neryk doesn’t move, he doesn’t so much as flinch as his mind is touched, but the smile will grow. “It is very polite to ask, I don’t mind if you want to talk to me.” Neryk’s mind is like that of any human with one difference. A gap. A huge maw of empty, just to the side. Like where a door should be, or a hall, that was blown open and left with a large nothingness. There was a something there once. A connection. A link. And now there is nothing. There are lines and cracks within this mind, though the young man himself smiles up at the brown, such broken is not seen on the outside. One hand rises again, offering toward the dragon, “What’s your name? I’m Neryk of Igen.”

« I’m TALIVETH! » It’s hard for him to hold back his exuberance, and his name is spoken in a brightly colored, super-nova blast of joy. The colors might even reach so far as to illuminate that empty space, but. Tali is being polite, and knows there are places off limits to him. Unlike his rider, whose brain he can poke and prod at at will. « My rider is A’ndi! We’re in Ocelot Wing! Our weyrmates are D’ex and Zynth of Lynx Wing! We live over the river! I have lots of flowers on my ledge! A’ndi’s bringing me cake, do you want cake?! I can tell him to get you cake! » Taliveth’s squishy nose is lowered to press with perhaps surprising gentleness against the offered hand. « Oh wow, I love you already~ What’s your firelizards names?! I love them too! »

Neryk starts to stroke the nose when it is close enough, nodding brightly, “Is that so? That sounds lovely! I like cake, but I’d hate to impose, I brought lunch with me.” Neryk lights up as Taliveth asks about the firelizards and instantly the three over the waves are with him, blinking in above them, “This is Seren, these two are Pollux and Castor, they are clutchmates, and this-” He pulls the tiny blue out of a pocket, “This is Alzzir, you will have to forgive him, he is a bit shy and sometimes dragons are a bit much for him.” True to form, Alzzir stares up at the brown and vanishes between, likely back into the pocket or into the backpack. Some dragons were okay, but Taliveth was terrifying. “Nice that you have time off to enjoy the day, what sort of flowers do you have?” Conversation with dragons is so much easier than conversation with people.

Taliveth’s great hulk slowly lowers itself into the sand, probably blocking a lot of the lovely view Neryk previously had. A soft rumbling thrums in his throat, almost like the purr of a cat. « Oooh that’s okaaaay, I’m a bit much for lots of people! And firelizards! And wherries! » And then he laughs at himself, sending brightly lit asteroids hurtling through Neryk’s mind. « LOTS of kinds! Gardenias and marigolds and posies and petunias! Do you like flowers? Hey what are you doing? Were you drawing? Do you like to draw? Can you draw me? » It’s a rapid fire assault!

“I do like flowers, I wasn’t drawing, I was writing.” Though the parchment is completely blank apart from the dry spots. Neryk looks down at it and dips the quill into the ink, “But I can try to draw you. I’m not much of an artist, I’m afraid, but I can try.” The veiw doesn’t seem to be a worry, though the moment he is not needed, Castor vanishes back to the waves. Pollux will pertch on Taliveth, chittering quietly to himself and peer down at his bond from the vantage point. Neryk looks at the paper, then up at Taliveth, “Hmmmmm, Perhaps tip your head to the side a bit?”

Taliveth can definitely do a head tip! He tilts his sort of odd, uneven face just so. « This is my good headknob. » he explains. It’s the one that is slightly taller than the other. « Tsiroth is the one with great cheekbones, though! You should draw him some time! » Amidst his posing, Tali tries to make his own little chittery sounds to his perched companion. Meanwhile, a figure gets closer and closer, clearly taking their sweet time. A figure holding a few small, round frosted cakes in bits of parchment. A’ndi comes up behind Neryk, watching neutrally over the young man’s shoulder at the progress of the drawing.

“Tsiroth? Who’s that? Hard to draw someone you don’t know.” Neryk is not a very good artist, the picture is blocky and curvy and child-like with far more lines that is strictly nessicary, but he is trying to do some shading here and there and do some justice to the creature in front of him. He does not notice the approach of A’ndi til the shadow falls across the parchment and Neryk looks up. “Oh, hello.” He looks at A’ndi for a moment, blinks, then turns back to what he was doing, not noticing the cake or offering explanation. Pollux chitters back, pleased by the response sounds, but doesn’t move away. Rather, the little bronze simpely shifts, fluttering up on top of the brown’s head and settling down again.

« Tsiroth is my clutch mate! » Taliveth has always had a particular good memory in regards to who he hatched with and spent his formative years with. « He’s big and bronze and his rider is the Weyrleader! He’s really nice and he teaches me songs and I love him A LOT. » To Tali, this is a perfectly adequate explanation. A’ndi blinks back at Neryk, glancing between him and the dragon posing in the sand. “Hey. He’s not bugging you, is he?” The rider inclines his head towards Taliveth, indicating his brown. « This is my A’ndi! He- OH! I have a HAT! Pollux is a HAT! I’m sooo happy~ »

The Pollux hat spreads his wings as wide as he can, as if he too is posing. “Hello A’ndi, no, he’s not being a bother. He was just, um, wanted to be drawn?” Neryk glances up at A’ndi again, looking over the rider a little closer this time, noting knot and the cake. “Hi, I’m Neryk?” Wait no, that was a question, he tries again, frowning slightly, “Neryk, I am Neryk, definaty. Sorry, did you need him? Taliveth? I can, um, be somewhere else.” Not that he can really leave Southern til his ride comes to pick him up, but he offers the sketch up to the brownrider without actually standing.

There is some serious brow-arching at Neryk, first at him seemingly questioning his own identity, and then again at the definitive confirmation. “It’s fine. As long as he’s not blowing up your brains or anything.” Apparently Taliveth’s conversational tendencies are not uncommon. A’ndi reaches down to accept the sketch, while simultaneously giving Neryk a couple cakes. “You can feed him one of those. Or both. He said to bring cake for his friend.” It seems to possibly be a friendly gesture, but the rider’s voice remains neutral. Then he’s scrutinizing the sketch, turning it a little this way, his head a little that way. « Neryyyyyk, put the cake in my nooooose~ I WANNA SMELL IT. »

“No, he’s not. I have loud friends.” The exchange is made and Neryk immediately offers both cakes up to Taliveth, “What kind of cake is this? Or do you just like smelling cake in general?” The cake will catch Pollux’s attention, wings down and he flits down to take a lick of frosting. He snorts, rubs his nose, and takes another, more careful lick. Neryk’s eyes shift between Dragon and Rider, he knows that he is supposed to now address the Rider. It was polite. But The want to continue talking to the dragon is a hard thing to push away. Or perhaps conversation need not be continued? The neutrality in A’ndi seems to have shifted Neryk onto far more nervous ground, so will lapse into silence for now.

A’ndi glances up only briefly when Neryk asks about the cake, seems to then understand who exactly is being spoken to, and resumes his review of the drawing. « I loooooove smelling EVERYTHING! Cake, pancakes, cupcakes. Flowers. The air. The grass. I tried smelling our cat’s booty, just like he does to other cats, but he got real mad and hit me! I think I did it wrong! » After giving the cake a good whuffling, Taliveth’s mouth drops open, tongue lolling out and awaiting the cake deposit. As for the drawing, the brownrider finally offers it back with his super helpful critique, “… Well. Taliveth likes it.” And Taliveth’s approval is all that matters in the end, right?

The cakes are both placed into the browns mouth carefully, Pollux getting in one last lick before darting off back toward the waves. “Smell is an amazing thing, truely, it’s good of you to appreciate all the little things like that. Though perhaps it is rude for not-cats to smell cats?” Neryk shrugs slightly and takes the drawing back. He looks at it and shrugs, “I’m glad. Did you want to keep this Taliveth? If not, there is a little boy back at Igen who would probably like it.” Agertha’s son gave Neryk drawings all the time, perhaps he would appreciate getting one in return? Neryk didn’t know, but he did know that he didn’t need this in his small living space in the terraces. Though, Neryk really wasn’t as good at the whole drawing-thing as Gyrstan.

Tali’s tongue retreats with the cakes back into the depths of his mouth, and his maw snaps SHUT around them. om nom nom nom. « I would LOVE to keep it! I’ll get it put in a frame and I’ll put it by my bed and I’ll look at it every day! » But he offers most magnanimously, « If the little boy wants to share, that’s okay too because sharing is caring! I LOVE sharing. Do youuuu like to share, Neryk? » Now that his modeling job is complete, and his ‘hat’ won’t get squished by his movements, Taliveth roooollllls onto his side and croons at the young man. A’ndi gazes off past them at the sea, watching Pollux at first. His now-free hands settle into pockets and, seeing that he’s going to be there for a bit, the brownrider makes some actual attempt at conversation. Sort of? “Haven’t seen you around. You from Southern?”

“If you want it, you can have it. I can always make him another one. Sharing would be difficult.” Neryk watches the dragon roll over and nods, “I suppose? I share things. I share a small living space with four small things.” Neryk glances back to A’ndi and shakes his head, “No, Igen, wingmate dropped me off. I’m visiting for the water. Been on a water-kick recently. Water is nice.”

“Yeah, water is… pretty nice,” A’ndi agrees because, well, water is nice! “Especially for fishing. But I kind of like snow better.” Small talk isn’t necessarily the brownrider’s strong suit, but his attempts at making an actual effort shows some of Taliveth’s influence. He nods slightly towards the drawing, “I can hold onto that. He really will want it hung up.” The beached warship brown kneads lightly at the air, once again rather cat-like. « Isn’t it so NICE to share space?! Space shouldn’t be too empty! » Tali’s own version of space inside his mind is indeed filled with an abundance of THINGS and STUFF, though it’s not without its empty vacuums. But all this talk of space reminds him of that initial look he had into Neryk’s mind. « What about your space?! The empty one! Why dontchya fill that up?! » He says it as if Neryk could simply place a decorative potted plant there.

Neryk offers the parchment back up to A'ndi, nodding, “I like snow, but there is a time and place for it. It is not an all the time thing.” And Neryk is lucky that he has so many friends willing to take him to High Reaches when the time and place for snow does come. The movement of the dragon has Pollix zipping back, he flits and flutters above the brown chirping excitedly. Whatever this was, it was fun. Neryk will tense slightly when Taliveth mentions the empty within him, “Awe, um, that is… Not something that can be filled. It was once. But now it is… . .what it is. Some … . things cannot be replaced. And he was one of them. So, no, I'm sorry Taliveth, that is not a space to be filled.” Neryks words are steady at first, but they grow hesitant, Neryks eyes falling to his empty hand. He flexes his hands, open then closed, as if trying to grasp onto something, his words softer, “Do you. . . Want to see what was there? Do you want to . . .see him?”

Taliveth paws gently into the air, reaching out towards Pollux and making his own odd, deep ‘chirping’ sounds right back. But his movements gradually slow, and then stop, leaving his feets sticking up in the air at strange angles. His now semi-upsidedown face focuses on Neryk and the change in the young man’s demeanor. But, innocently enough, the brown replies, « Yyyyeeeaaaaah I wanna see! Let me see him! » It hasn’t entirely clicked for A’ndi yet, but even he can sense that this is something emotional. Which of course means danger! Red alert! “You don’t really have to show him anything. He’s just used to getting what he wants. He’s spoiled, honestly.”

Neryk nods, but he doesn't look up, his words are meant for Taliveth. “He was …the best.” It comes slowly, like muscles that have not been flexed in a while, but some memories never leave. The faintest chemical tang of paint, and the memory grows, colors blooming on canvas, a twisting, swirling dance of thought, each stroke a carefully crafted masterpiece, a genius. For ultimately, this is what the brown had been. A masterpiece. The memory of what that empty had been filled with shows a dynamic creature, gentle and soft, but full of an artistic inspiration. However. This memory will be pulled back and traded for another. A heavyset brown, almost Taliveth s size, covered from head to toe in a creamy chocolate brown. His harness colors that of a decommissioned Igen Wing, “This is Eorannuth.”

Taliveth’s active universe slows as he takes in this shared information, letting it leak through the united frequency he shares with his rider. A’ndi’s brows furrow as what becomes more and more clearly a memory of a dragon’s mindspace is revealed, and then the image of the dragon himself cements the fact that they are in the presence of a dragonless rider. Instinctively, A’ndi’s hand reaches towards Tali who noses into it in kind. The look the brownrider gives Neryk might be one he’s used to; a bit of shock, and a sort of concerned confusion, like looking at someone who seems to be going about life with their head missing. Meanwhile, Taliveth’s mind reaches out with little glowing green stars, curiously illuminating these images, while pulsing in a slow, heavy way. « He is… gone? »

The memory of falling, of Eorannuth falling away; it is a memory that Neryk would not need much effort to share, this is a memory that is with him at night, that still sends him walking halls til dawn when the mind cannot be quieted. But this is not a memory that Neryk will call up now, not a memory that he shares with Taliveth. He doesn’t look up, but A’ndi’s reaction is something he knows well. The firelizards pop up around, him. Soft cooing tones as the four little beings warp themselves and rub against thier lifemate. Still, Neryk doesn’t move at first, just letting the flow of painted thoughts fade away, the lingering smell of pigment and oils almost seeming to linger in his mind before he nods, “Yeah. We flew in Hogback. Upper skies. But… . yeah. Just me now. Just Neryk.” Though Hogback lost so many above Keroon all those years ago, Neryk was the only bonded pair left apart. Neryk’s hands close and this time they do not open, his voice is softer, “Take care of your’s, listen to him, and if he is wrong, someday, if your’s says something that you know is wrong: Don’t do it. Do what you know is right for both of you.”

« I tell A’ndi he’s wrong all the time! He thinks carrots taste good. And that is W! R! O! N! G! I can spell sometimes! Can you- » Taliveth stops and shakes his big head, his mind voice audibly rattling with metallic junk and space rocks colliding. He focuses in on Neryk, lowering his face towards the former rider and gathered ‘lizards, whuffling and whining softly. « We’re sorry you hurt, » Tali says, his voice lowered to a whisper of space-static. He includes his rider, though A’ndi is looking away now, expression not betraying if this is true or not. « And we wish we could make it better. Sometimes hugs make me feel better. You can hug me if you wanna! »

“That’s good I think. I don’t think pairs are always … . balanced. And…it… costs everything. And… “ The words will fail, the cooing of the lizards growing, a slight shaking is visible in Neryk’s shoulders. He nods, “T-thank you Taliveth. It’s-It’s not your fault.” The words are tight, a slightly higher pitch, though there is no attempt to fight off the tears. Neryk doesn’t move at first, just sits there, silent sobs wracking his body, tears running down cheeks and dripping onto his clenched hands. Castor rises to Neryk’s head, perching among the brown curls and rising up, wings open in a defensive position, hissing at Taliveth and A’ndi fiercely. However Neryk will uncurl and rise to his knees to hug Taliveth. It is tight and mute, firelizards pushing back to resume their affection as close to Neryk as possible despire the dragon in the way.

oh faranth there’s tears. A’ndi takes a step back, followed by one more at the hissing firelizard. That may even be a touch of panic reaching his eyes. This sort of thing is not his forte. However, Taliveth seems entirely comfortable, completely at home with displays of emotion. The brown nuzzles deeply, rumbling his dragon-purr, including the young man and his firelizards in waves of brightly multi-colored, warm and loving space radiation. « There there, » Tali coos. « You have friends! Friends like your firelizards and me and A’ndi! We LOVE you! Okay, Neryk? Okay? »

The tears continue, completely oblivious to A’ndi’s discomfort, Neryk doesn’t reply in words, just hugs Taliveth. There doesn’t seem to be any effort to fight the tears, but again, shaky words will come, still with the unease of one who does not talk mentally often, » You shouldn’t. You Shouldn’t. I break things. « The grief has no words. Nothing can quite capilate the feelings that come with these words. Anger. Frustration. And that bottomless sadness that touches everything that Neryk is now.

« But- » It’s a little odd, Taliveth isn’t used to hearing mental words from other humans, but it might be something he can utilize. Mindspace is, after all, where he can best express himself. And so, the rusty brown puts forth a grand picture of that which spins his world, his great swirling vortex of collected junk. « We LOVE broken things! Broken things turn into new things! There’s nothing a little love and twine can’t put back together! You can fix anything if you love it enough! RIGHT A’NDI?! » There’s the briefest flash of a certain redheaded weyrmate but that is a whole other can of worms and personal problems that the brownrider is not getting into. A’ndi stares helplessly at his dragon, then offers lamely, “You… want a… drink? Or something?”

Neryk’s little stars rub against him, chittering and chirping and finally he will sit back, and all four of them will cuddle up to him again. Neryk sniffs and sinks back to a sit and looks up at Taliveth, » Broken things a- « He doesn’t get through the sentence, but will look at the wreck and chaos within Taliveth’s mind. He shakes his head, one hand rising to scoop the blue off of his head, “I-I don’t think i-it always works l-like that.” Finally, eyes shift to A’ndi. Neryk just looks at him for a moment and nods, “I should… I should go home.” He pulls Alzzir off of a shoulder, but the little creature refuses to be moved. Neryk tries another of the lizards, but none seem willing to leave him and go get his ride. Neryk sniffs again looks up at Taliveth, “Can you please ask brown Temyrth of Arroyo in Igen to come get me? M’tej is my ride today and… I… ” He hugs the firelizard in hand to his chest, “-Gotta go home now.”

« WE CAN TAKE YOU » Taliveth immediately blares out, honking excitedly. « I am a really super great flier and I love you so much! I’ll carry you as gently as a mama cat carries her kittens~ » The brown’s eyes seem to somehow get even bigger and googlier than usual, pleading to Neryk, and then to his rider. A’ndi rubs awkwardly at the back of his neck, shrugging a shoulder. “I mean, sure, it’s not a big deal I guess…”

Neryk hesitates. He shakes his head, then nods, then shakes his head again, “I can’t… No, no, no, no, M’tej will come get me, I, I, I, I-I can wait, it’s n-not a big deal. I-I just. I this is …I… No, …. But thanks.” However, Pollux will slowly unwrap from Neryk’s forearm. The Bronze is up in a moment, flicking around Taliveth’s head before landing by his horn nubs and rubs against them. Neryk watches this and sniffs again, looking away, voice small, “I-if i-it’s not too mu-much trouble.”

« But but- » Taliveth starts, but his rider moves to his side and patpats the big brown flank. “Go on, Tali.” A large draconic sigh is heaved, flaring out those sides to show a bit of his verdigris staining. There’s a pause, just a few moments, before Tali reports, « Okay! They’re on their way! » Following this announcement, the dragon’s big ol’ booty plants itself in the sand. « But we’re gonna wait here with you, okay?! » However, sensing Neryk’s increasingly uneasy state, A’ndi throws in an out, “If you want the company. It’s fine if you’d rather be alone.”

Neryk shakes his head, there are no words other than a quiet, “Thank you.” as he starts to collect his few belongings back into the bag. The movements are jerky, hands shaking ever so slightly though the tears have dried. When the sleek form of the oldtimer pair lands down the beach, Neryk rises, already starting toward them, shoulders hunched and eyes on the ground.

The brownriding pair watch Neryk and his flock depart, with Taliveth calling out a last honk in their direction. A’ndi leans a little against the warm body of his very much alive dragon, suddenly even more grateful than he was before for said warmth. This was an encounter not soon to be forgotten. Then he blinks, realizing that there’s still a piece of parchment in his hand. A’ndi looks down at the childish drawing, Taliveth’s gaze soon following. “… I’ll pick up a frame tomorrow.”

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