Xanadu Weyr - Dragons' Pool
Light filters in through a jagged crack in the wall, but while it's dark in here, it's certainly not cold. Water seeps through the walls, forming trickles and rivulets that run down to an enormous pool only to rise again as steam. There's enough room for a full-grown gold dragon - though she'd be curled nose over tail and likely displace half the water. Smaller dragons will find ample chance to bathe and play - which may splash just as much, all things considered. Glowbaskets hang from hooks drilled into the rock, casting their dim phosphorescence over stone shattered and blackened by smoke.
Who would have thought that weyrlings learning to hunt would be nearly as exhausting as chopping up what had basically become an endless supply of meat for the ever-growing appetites - Definitely not Ricki. However, this evening, given the sagging of the weyrling's shoulders as she stands knee deep at the edge of the pool, watching as Iczobyth splashes around in the deeper water, it is probably close. The green, well - even a quick glance would show that she has recently fed - and not neatly - as various red streaks and splotches remain over her muzzle, cheeks, even somehow on her headknobs - though none of it seems to bother her as she gives hopping lunges back and forth in the water. "You are never going to get clean like that, Iczy.." Ricki murmurs, even as the green hops in her direction with a big splash. « Who said I needed to get clean. I blend in, now! »
"For someone who's so damn graceful when he dances, you were sure a whole lot of clumsy out there." N'kon's cheerful taunt preceeds he and his lifemate into the cave, the young man walking beside his limping, bedraggled blue. "I mean, I get that you're still learning this whole hunting thing, but how many times did you nose-plant?" « Look, it wasn't my fault, » Tsarziath sighs, with the patient air of someone who's already explained something at least once already. « Every time I picked out a target, Iczy immediately went after it. What was I supposed to do? » he demands, loud enough to be overheard as he shoots a glare towards his sister, « run over a lady? Even if she's not much of a lady, » he adds, aggrieved, as he slither-slides face-first into the warm pool. N'kon hides a smirk as he pulls off his shirt, clearly preparing to scrub down his mud- and blood-splattered lifemate. Spying Ricki, he pauses, then tosses his overshirt aside and pads over to the greenling, reaching out with one long-fingered hand to rub the back of her neck. "Soak'll help," he suggests lightly.
Now, those are fighting words. « Maybe -I- had already picked out those targets, and you should learn to pick out your own. » The green replies sharply, even as she is bunching herself up to pounce at the blue as he is slipping into the pool. « I am -too- a lady. A -real- lady can play all the roles she wants. » And then.. a pounce and a splash - though who knows how close she actually comes. Ricki, for her part, sighs softly as the pair argues, before she is glancing over her shoulder at Niko and giving him a tired smile, leaning over so gently into his hand. "I know, I'm just not sure if she will keep from drowning me, the way she is going.." Biting her lip, she offers after a moment. "I'm sorry she kept, uhm… interfering."
"She didn't, not really. Half the time, it was Tsarziath trying to show off." Niko's tone is as soothing as his fingers, and he raises his other hand to begin working at the knots in her neck and shoulders. "He knows Iczy's a lady, and he knows it's not her fault, and he knows it's not polite to argue with a lady regardless of who is in the wrong," he adds, raising his voice just as the green tackles the blue and shoves him beneath the water. « Do not, » comes the sullen response as Tsari allows his sister to shove him beneath the surface, continuing the downward thrust and sliding along her belly until he pops up behind her, tweaking her nose with his tail before whipping it out of range of her teeth.
« I win! » Comes the declaration from Iczy, even as the green seems unwilling to pursue Tsarziath, as tempting as that tail is as it whips out of range, at least for this moment. Instead, it seems the green has finally gotten wet enough to start getting rid of some of her dinner remnants - and decides on her own to continue the process, dipping under the surface of the water, which unfortunately does nothing to silence her. « You're it, Tsari. » The sigh that escapes Ricki is a much more content one, this time, eyes closing as she leans into him for a moment. "She is going to start to ask questions, if you keep that up.." But that isn't a request to stop.
Long fingers kneed and soothe, attacking knots of tension with single-minded intensity. "When did she stop asking questions?" Niko inquires lightly, his gaze fixed steadfastly on the two dragons even as he continues to massage Ricki's shoulders. "It's just a bit of friendly help against stiffness and exhaustion, is all." Of course it is. Tsarziath seethes - it colors the static of his overmind even if he simply grates out, « Yes, Iczy, you won. » He is, after all, a gentleman, and it's hardly polite to thrash a girl, even when she's your annoying sister. Instead, he pummels the water, rolling and splashing until the bubbles and currents begin to work free the heavily caked mud and gore from his dapper hide.
"Specific questions, which might be more interesting to answer than all the rest of them." Ricki clarifies softly, rolling her head a bit, stretching her neck even as his fingers find a knot. Thankfully, though, it seems Iczy is preoccupied, for it seems that the since blue has not risen to her challenge, it is time to annoy him into action… and what better way to do that than to mimic his every move. And so, after a curious moment of watching him, Iczobyth is finding a clear spot of her own, awkwardly wiggling around in the water, not being nearly as successful as her brother. "Just when we finished chopping, and now there are new things to put knots in all sorts of new places." Ricki comments after a moment turning her head to peek at Niko briefly. "I know you have to be just as sore.." She offers, sounding almost guilty.
"I might be a little more accustomed to strenuous activity than you, my dear," Niko reminds her gently as he gives her shoulders a final squeeze, then drops his hands away to slide them into his pockets, his gaze still fixed on the dragons. "Scrambling all over Pern for that perfect shot. Yes, I ache, but a nice soak will handle that fine." His blue-grey eyes slide sideways, giving her a sidelong glance as his lips quirk in a wry smile. "Well. Most of it," he amends, smile deepening briefly before his gaze flickers back to the dragons. Mr. Stoic here. Tsarziath, predictably, finds his sister's graceless mimicking irritating and thrashes his way over to her, easing himself along her to help steady and regulate her movements. « Thrash, thrash, squirm, slide… »
"Shhh, Niko. Don't begrudge me all those years of laziness.. even if they are coming back to bite me now." Ricki murmurs, a soft little whimper as his hands drop and she gives him an almost pathetic look, even as she resigns herself to simply wading deeper into the warm water, particularly now that Iczy has ceased her pouncing. "At least at this rate, I'll be able to keep up with you, when we tag along." She slips the comment in, sparing a brief look for his reaction before she ducks under the water. Iczobyth, meanwhile, seems to give in to Tsari's guidance - at least until Ricki's comment registers and she is flailing around to get back upright. « Yes, yes, we will go with you, when we are older! »
Eeling around Iczy, Tsarziath eases her upright in the water before gliding up to Niko as the bluerider finishes stripping down and slides into the water after Ricki. The techcrafter digs his fingers into the hide along the blue's jawbone, flaking away dead skin and blood and bits of herdbeast, accompanied by a soft, whistling sigh of pleasure. "Which will be quite excellent, because there are a lot of places I plan to drag you guys once we're free to go. One thing I learned from my Master - there's pleasure in the solo hunt of the perfect shot, but there's joy in sharing it with someone you care about." Storm-blue eyes flash briefly to the greenrider, twinkling slyly, before he sets himself to scrubbing grime from his lifemate's hide.
While Tsarziath makes it easy for Niko, it seems that Iczobyth is going to do no such thing for her own lifemate, the now upright and stable green floating further out and making Ricki come to her. A roll of her eyes, and a muttering breath, Ricki is soon using her life mate as a floating device, fingers rubbing at the spots on her headknobs first. "I still don't know how you got it all over you.." She murmurs softly, Iczy crooning in amusement. « I was just doing what Isometh did, before she flew so pretty. » A glance at Niko at those words, and Ricki sighs, going back to scrubbing for a moment before she is giving Niko another long look, shaking her head a little. "You know, you don't make this easy.." A pause and she sticks her tongue at at him, resuming her scrubbing. "Just as long as one of them is back up there…" She adds, tossing her chin towards the invisible sky.
"We promised," N'kon replies firmly as he coaxes Tsari to roll over, baring his belly to the ceiling so that his rider can attack the streaks marring the cut of his sui- er, colors of his hide. "You and me both. We'll go back. But there's other places, too. Waterfalls and glaciers and mountains and deserts - you know, I've actually found, being grounded, that I appreciate nature photography a lot more than I used to." He works his way along midnight-hued stomach, nudging Tsari closer to the hanging glows as he struggles to make out the stains against the blue's midnight hide. "Although, still love portraits. And one of these days, I'll get you to sit for me."
"If nothing else, this has made me appreciate everything else I used to have a lot more." Ricki comments almost absently, which prompts a snort from Iczy, the weyrling quickly shaking her head. "I wouldn't trade you for all the world, Iczy, I promise." She quickly tries to reassure the green, even as Niko mentions sitting for a portrait - a subject that the green seems far too interested in, given that she is pushing through her lifemate to close the distance towards the photographer-weyrling, finding a ledge to perch on, attempting to look regal. « I will.. sit for you? » She seems slightly unsure of the words though, betraying her troubles with playing that particular role.
Tilting his head back, Niko regards the green appreciatively. "I sincerely hope you will, my lady," he replies to the green, earning a snort from Tsari as the blue thrashes slightly beneath his scrubbing hands, briefly soaking his lifemate. "I don't know if Ricki ever told you, but when I first hatched, the first thing I said was that I simply had to get a picture of you. « If you can get her to sit still long enough, » the jaded blue replies, right before he drops down below the surface of the water, disappearing into the dark blue. Moments later, he rockets up beneath the green's ledge, bringing with him enough water to qualify as a deluge. "In fact," the weyrling continues doggedly, "I really hope to get pictures of both of you together - and a class photo, as well."
Iczobyth shifts a little awkwardly on her ledge, clearly not super great at this whole 'sit calmly and demurely like a Proper Lady' thing, for even as Niko is talking about his first thoughts, she is starting to look antsy. « I can sit still! » She protests loudly, though in doing so she whips around to stare at the spot where Tsarziath just was, leaving her unprepared for his appearance and the wave of water. « Rude! » She protests, before throwing herself back off the ledge after him. Ricki stares at her life mate before she is shrugging with a sigh, paddling back over to the edge, apparently resigned to waiting until she tires herself out. "I think Tsari may be right on that one.." She whispers - though it does carry in the cave. "But.. that would be really nice."
"All it takes is one, calm moment," Niko murmurs, easing through the water to join Ricki by the edge of the pool. Tsarziath uses the advantage of his coloration to hide from Iczobyth as she darts after him, gliding along the bottom of the pool before taking her tail in his teeth and tweaking it gently. With a mental chortle, he darts off again, letting his own tail streak behind invitingly. Don't worry, he'll help exhaust her - or, at least, he'll give it the ol' college try. "I'll probably go through rolls of film, but I will get a good shot of her. And of them. And of the class." Cloud-laced eyes flicker over to her, and he lowers his voice as he adds, "And of you." And if his tone is a bit suggestive - well, he's male. And that backrub wasn't so long ago. And it's Ricki.
"Maybe we can drug her.." Ricki jokes as Niko joins him, rolling her eyes at the mental shriek that reverberates through her mind as Tsari -dares- to nip at her tail, redoubling her attempts to catch him as he darts through the water, though it isn't long before she is surfacing, paddling around with her head stuck under the water to try and spot him. « You are so rude! » She repeats as she spirals around, searching. As Ricki catches his words, she glances at him, arching an eyebrow, as she spares a glance at her life mate before she slips a little closer, not TOO close, but probably close enough. "I think I am more ok with this than I thought I would be.." She murmurs, before she is blushing and taking half a step back, shooting a guilty look at Iczy.
"I don't think there's a drug strong enough," Niko replies blandly as he watches the green search the water, eyes half-lidded against the double-vision from sharing Tsarziath's amusement at the chase. The blue circles around behind her, planting his nose against the base of her spine and shoving lightly before he flips on his back, gliding beneath her with a mental chortle and coming to the surface right in her face. « Rude? I? Perish the thought, Iczy, » the blue replies primly. « Simply enjoying the chase. » In this, he's much like his rider - although, at least, the weyrling has left off his teasing of his prey, chuckling ruefully as he allows the current to carry him a bit further from Ricki. "Well - it'll be months yet," he murmurs, shifting in the water. "More's the pity."
"You're telling me.." Ricki mutters, rolling her eyes and flipping to float lazily on her back, bobbing a bit as the dragons move, causing ripples and waves. "I mean, I don't -regret- anything but.. I am not sure it didn't make it worse." Though, really, did it? Unfortunately, it seems that Ricki's wandering thoughts have caught a little too much of Iczobyth's attention, for the green's pursuit of the blue is halted abruptly, as she turns to stare at the two humans floating in the pool. « WHAT IS THAT?? » She projects loudly, paddling quickly over to the pair, feet finding purchase to keep her steady as she shoves a muzzle at Niko - her faceted eyes a mixture of purple curiosity and orange jealousy. « Ricki is mine, N'kon. Tsarziath, he is yours. » She declares matter-of-factly.
Startled, Niko drops below the surface, coming up a moment later spluttering. At Iczy's outburst, Tsarziath glides over to his rider, curling protectively about him as he blocks the green's muzzle with his own. « Of course she's yours. Why would he want her when he has me? » the blue asked with impeccable logic, completely oblivious to the insult he just delivered to the greenrider. « She is human. I am a dragon. » Long fingers, so recently soothing Ricki, now work against the blue's jaw, easing his tension raised by the confusing confrontation. "Steady, Lady Iczy," the weyrling replies, fixing her with a gentle stare. "Ricki will always be yours, first and foremost, as I am Tsari's. I would never dream of trying to change that, I promise you."
Blushing darkly, Ricki is swimming as quickly as she can to Iczy's side, trying to get on her forelimb to climb up and wrap her arms around her lifemate's neck. "Iczy, its nothing, its…" She starts to explain, before she is shaking her head, and fingers gently rub her life mate's headknobs, trying to calm her down "You don't need to worry.." She finishes, even as the green remains staring rather pointedly at the human-half of the weyrling pair currently hidden within the blue's curled up form, before she finally snorts at him, and lets herself be coaxed the rest of the way to the ledge. « Ricki, what were you thinking of doing to him. » It seems, though, that while the green's immediate fury has been redirected, she is still curious, turning her head to peer at Ricki, who is now looking anywhere but at N'kon. "Nothing, Iczy, don't worry about it." At least the green didn't -share-.
« Oh, that. You learn to ignore it, » Tsarziath says wisely to his sister as he boosts N'kon up on the ledge, keeping one wary, orange-tinged eye on the green as the young man moves to select a pair of towels from those kept in here by the weyrling crop. « Humans have strange thoughts sometimes. N'kon's come a lot while he is sleeping, or at least lying in his cot. I mean, they kind of tingle - but they don't seem bad. At least, they make him happy and that's okay, right? That they're happy? » Steadfastly ignoring the conversation - although his skin is decidedly more dusky than usual - the blueling tosses one bathing sheet in Ricki's direction as he uses the second to mop water from his own lean frame.
And with those words, Tsarziath has drawn Iczobyth's attention once more, the green slinking closer to the blue, curious, leaving Ricki alone on the ledge to snag the towel, wrapping it around herself as she wades out of the water, still avoiding meeting N'kon's eyes, a lovely shade of red as she busies herself drying off, the towel obscuring her face for longer than necessary as she dries her hair. Iczy, though, seems to consider the blue's words carefully. « This was -different- » She declares after a moment, though the green may just be trying to counter the blue. « Happy is good.. » She does relent after a moment, turning one facetted eye to the pair of humans. « Why do they only think about being happy then. » And with that, Ricki is emerging from her towel, and clearing her throat. "Iczy!"
« I don't know. » Thoughtfully, Tsarziath turns his attention to his rider, giving the mental equivalent of a throat-clearing as N'kon continues to ignore his lifemate in favor of making certain every milimeter of his skin is desert-dry - giving particular attention to any part that keeps his gaze off of the dragons - or Ricki. « Maybe they're shy, » the blue adds after a long, humming moment of silence, his voice pitched like a very loud whisper. « Humans are very strange, I have noticed. » His eyes gleam as he stares at his rider. « I think it's funny how their hide changes color and not their eyes, » he giggles after a moment. « Oh, look! They're very red. Think they're angry? They don't feel angry. Hey, N'kon, are you angry? » The strangled nature of the muffled "No!" might just give the impression the weyrling is lying. Or choking. « Maybe red means something else for humans. »
Completely undeterred by Ricki's warning, Iczobyth is shifting to settle next to Tsarziath, dropping her nose to inch closer to Ricki, as if examining her from all angles. « I don't know if mine has ever been this red before. And she keeps thinking of yours, and then there is even more red. » Iczobyth huffs at her human half, before straightening back up, curling her tail around her, though she still shifts almost constantly - not quite able to sit still. « I think yours might be angry now. » The green offers in a very flat voice, as the 'no' escapes from Niko. « If you are angry, why do you not just wrestle? We wrestle when we are angry! » Or playing or anything else. And with a groan, Ricki's face is disappearing back under her towel, silent, and unable to apparently even start to recover a shred of dignity.
"I'm not angry," Niko finally replies after a protracted moment of scrubbing at his short, curly hair. Dropping the towel, he finds his clothes and begins pulling them on. "I'm… disconcerted. But I'm not angry. I would like it, however," he adds with a pointed look at Tsarziath, "if you would stop discussing us as if we were not here." The blue writhes in the water in his own form of embarassment. « Sorry. But it's impolite not to answer a question, » he adds plantively. « And she needed to know that it wasn't a bad thing before she hurt you. » "She's not going to hurt me, Tsari, but you are hurting Ricki's feelings by talking about her like a thing." The very implication that the blue had done something Socially Unacceptable like upset a lady sends him writhing in the water again, and he thrusts his muzzle anxiously towards the greenrider. « Sorry Ricki. Sorry! We should not discuss this any more, Iczy. » Firm.
Iczobyth seemed to fight it for just a moment, before she is rumbling softly and settling down, stretching her nose out apologetically to N'kon and then Ricki. « We will not discuss this anymore. » She agrees, almost reluctantly. Ricki slowly slips the towel off her head as Niko steps in and puts an end to the conversation, rolling her eyes before she is offering an scritch to the blue's offered muzzle. "Its.. Its fine, Tsari. I promise." And then she is moving to offer similar attention to Iczy, the green's eyes slowly lidding, « But wha- » She risks, before a firm mental reprimand from Ricki has the green curling up sheepishly, leaning into her lifemate's attention. After a long moment of quiet, Ricki's cheeks finally start to return to a somewhat normal shade before she dares speak again. "I'm sorry, Niko.."
"You did nothing to be sorry for, Ricki," Niko murmurs, his gaze quite deliberate on the dragons. "They're young. Do you think this is the first such conversation I've had with him?" His teeth flash briefly in the gloom as he grins. "You heard him. Honestly, I'll bet we're lucky. Can you imagine what it's like for some of these youngsters? Haven't I heard of boys Impressing as young as twelve or thirteen - before they learn any kind of self-control?" Good thing some bronzes are so even-tempered. *cough* Pulling on his undershirt, he leaves his overshirt crumpled on the floor and approaches first Iczy, offering her a few gentle muzzle-strokes before moving to soothe Tsarziath. "Come on, ladies, my lad. I think everyone's clean enough for tonight."
"That isn't the -only- reason I'm sorry.." She counters, giving him a long look, careful to shield her thoughts from Iczy this time, even as the green is happy to accept the attention from Niko, having apparently decided he isn't a threat - for now. "At least I think it was just.. the two of them. Shards, at least it was here, and not in the barracks." Iczy croons for a moment, before she is turning to pick her way towards the barracks with more grace than one might expect, giving in to Niko's suggestion without protest, Ricki giving her classmate a thankful smile as she heads that direction as well.
Reaching out to skim his fingers lovingly along Tsarziath's side, the two males follow in the footsteps of the green and her rider. "Well, that goes without saying, my dear," he murmurs blandly. "They're - what, about six months old, give or take? It's not much longer. I can wait. And I know you can too," he adds, lips twitching slightly. "And I wouldn't worry. I know we're not the only ones having similar conversations with our lifemates. I have a feeling this is all part and parcel of the package. It's a small enough complication for the reward." He turns to glance up at Tsari, his expression suffused with the love and awe that a rider never seems to lose for his lifemate.
Iczobyth pauses to nudge at her rider gently, crooning as her eyes whirl a soft blue-green, and Ricki briefly rests her forehead against her muzzle. And then, a gentle slap on Iczy's cheek, and once they are clear of the caverns, the green is taking off at the draconic equivalent of a sprint towards the barracks, and her couch, without a backwards glance. "I can. And we have to, and it definitely is." She murmurs, even as she turns back to catch that moment between the blue pair, a smile on her face even as she glances away from the moment. "I just can't wait til the tables are turned on her gossipy self." She adds, after a long enough moment has passed to not ruin it.
Storm-cloud eyes skip back to Ricki, lit with amusement and some lingering affection - for dragon or woman or both - and he grins. "It will come, I'm certain." As Iczobyth breaks away and dashes off, Tsarziath follows, calling out, « Hey! Wait for me! I'm bigger now - I should get in first! » Hands in his pockets, Niko slows, then stops just outside of the barracks, eyes tracking away from the open mouth of the cavern towards the sky, where the sinking sun has caused an explosion of color among the scuttling clouds. "Rain before morning," he remarks thoughtfully, tracking the vibrant colors with a longing expression. "I wonder if it's safe enough to take my camera out of storage yet."
« If you want to get in first, don't be so slow! » Iczobyth's counter carries though it is likely the whole thing will work out without too much fuss. As N'kon pauses, Ricki lingers, glancing up at the sky. "I think it is safe from unexpected… baby dragon antics." She admits after a moment, sneaking a glance at him. "I mean, I wouldn't leave it out, or take it some places but.. I'm sure it should be safe at this point in your chest. Hopefully -that- won't have any reason to float away anymore." Since at this point the dragons should at least be past the point of tipping random vats over. "I'm excited for you to get it back… For you, and for the after effects."
"I hope you're right," N'kon replies after a long moment spent contemplating her words. "I'd hate to lose it, but I admit - I've been feeling rather naked ever since the Hatching without it. We'll see what happens, I suppose," he finally decides. "If something does happen, well - I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." Briefly, anxiety flashes across his face - just a flicker before he swallows it, once more adopting his usual, placid mask. "Does it bother you?" he asks suddenly, dropping his gaze to her face. "That they spend as many nights sleeping together as apart? Tsari isn't comfortable alone. I understand that," he adds, almost too softly to hear.
"It'll work out.. and if something -does- happen.." And then he is saying much the same, and Ricki nods her head supportively. As he glances towards her, she drops her eyes, meeting his with a honest smile, tilting her head and listening to him, closing the distance as much as she dares, to not spark another incident. "Niko.. Why would that bother me?" She asks softly, eyes darting briefly to the barracks. "Aside from everything else.. it keeps Iczy calmer I think." She admits with a wrinkle of her nose. "Though he doesn't complain about her wiggling even in her sleep." And then, she spares him a glance, curious but also maybe slightly worried. "Does it bother you?"
"Bother me? No. I'm glad that they're so comfortable together. Even if they simply remain friends for the rest of their lives, they're going to be in each other's pockets for a very long time. After all, you're going to be my photographer's assistant, aren't you?" Although the words are said lightly, the expression in Niko's eyes is anything but light. How he manages to keep Tsarziath from reacting is a mystery - or a miracle. "It's better than him prefer Rosalyth, for instance. I like Lani well enough, but I doubt we'll be spending too much time together outside of Weyrlinghood. No. It doesn't bother me. I'm simply envious."
For a moment, it looks like Ricki may comment on the likelihood that the pair will be relegated to just friends - particularly given Iczy's very green color - but instead, she stares at him, maybe a bit surprised by his assistant question. Mouth opens and closes, before she is grinning up at him. "As if you two could get rid of us." She replies, going with the 'safe' answer for now. As he comments on some of the other greens of the clutch, there may be the slightest look of worry in Ricki's eyes, before she is shaking it off, and giving him a decidedly sadder smile. "Me too, Niko, me too. While I think, given their habits, they might not notice, I think some other people -definitely would-." Sadly.
"Why are we always so damn melancholy. C'mon," Niko says suddenly, reaching down to grab her hand and squeeze it in his. "Let's go see if the Headwoman'll give me my camera, and we'll see if we can get some good candids of the babies before they get too curious. And Ricki." His fingers tighten on hers as he looks down at her, "Don't fret so much. Everything'll work out - and whatever they choose to do with themselves - or others - it doesn't have to affect what's between us. I can promise you - I won't care. Whatever happens with her, it won't change what I told you before they ever found us. Got it?"
Hand caught, Ricki hesitates for barely a moment, before she is nodding, and smiling up at him. "I know. And I know it is all out of our control. But part of me wonders what will happen when suddenly he -notices-." And then her other hand waves a bit. "And not in a bad way." A pause, and Ricki blushes, waving a hand a bit more. "Lets.. Lets go get your camera." And she will stop putting her foot in her mouth, and just enjoy a bit of time without nosy dragons.
"Leave your worries for another day, Ricki. Tonight is for fun. Tonight," Niko adds, eyes shining, "is for camera." FOR CAMERA!
Good thing Niko is cute and his enthusiasm is so contagious - because with a roll of her eyes that has nothing to do with anything else, she makes a face at him, and then its off to the headwoman. It is Camera time!