Xanadu Weyr - Feeding Grounds
A large portion of the eastern edge of the meadow has been fenced off, the corralling on three sides is located on the rolling meadow, while the fourth is located a short way up on the eastern hills. Within the large corral are a variety of beasts - ovines, bovines, and wherries - milling around, though the appearance of a dragon may send them one way or the other to try and escape. A small pond is set near one corner of the enclosure, and at times it reflects the low, bordering mountains.
Noonday at Xanadu has the fair weather clouds drifting across the sky as the sun glints off of the fresh fallen snow, there's a chill in the air and yet thankfully it has decided to stop snowing for the day. The lack of snow has a certain greenpair out and about the weyr, heading purposely towards their goal of the feeding grounds. Aisuohkoth has already fallen into her predator mode, slinking like a feline as she moves gracefully along the ground. "No, we cannot go hunt in the forest, Aisuohkoth." The green warbles in response. "Because we're not allowed yet. So you'll have to settle with the domestic beasts, sorry." The petite young beastcrafter stands her ground, arms crossing over her chest in defiance of her quickly growing green. Finally Aisuohkoth gives in and as they reach the feeding grounds, the green leaps over the fence with little effort, effectively already stirring up some of the beasts that were nearest the fenceline. Jessi moves to settle upon the fence surrounding the beasts, perching her petite frame easily upon the top rail, feet dangling over as her eyes track her lifemate curiously. Aisuohkoth seems to be enjoying herself, stirring the beasts up and then letting them think they're far enough away to be safe, she even drives a couple of the less smart ones into the pond. The green is indeed a feline, playing with her food.
Soriana leans against the fence near the forest's edge, watching the herdbeasts. It's sort of peaceful. …well, it /was/ peaceful. Now it's anything but, as Aisuohkoth leaps the fence and starts to play…hunt…play. Soriana laughs, watching, and Toral peeks up from her shoulder to trill his approval to the hunting green. Sori grins, looking for… ah, there's Jessi. She hops up from the fence and wanders closer to the greenrider. "Heya."
Yes, it was peaceful, until the overgrown green feline Aisuohkoth crashed the party. Jessi grins as she watches her green, completely enthralled by the predatorial feelings she's recieving from her other half. The young woman even licks her lips, tightening her hands against her legs as her eyes start to grow distant. She was fast becoming her green, it's hard not to when Aisu goes into her hunting mode, and it sends a shiver of pure delight through Jessi. Of course, she's pulled out of her transformation as she hears a voice nearby, pale blue eyes blinking to clear their vision as she turns to Soriana. "Oh, hey, Sori." The petite woman gives a smile to her friend. "Aisuohkoth decided she was hungry again. But I think she mostly just likes what it feels like to hunt." A grin, then, as pale eyes flicker towaards her beast.
Dragon-feelings are strong ones, and Soriana doesn't come too close to Jessi until the greenrider hears her and snaps out of it. At Jessi's words, she laughs, and looks out at the field again. "You'd think, if she was /that/ hungry, she'd have caught one by now." Surely that one wherry was easily within her grasp? Well, maybe she's still practicing her skills. Sori climbs up onto the fence near Jessi, and Toral takes flight from her shoulder to perch on a tree for a different vantage point.
Idrissa can often be found either with Soriana or at least following her at some point in time. Which is the case at the moment as Rissa had caught sight of her friend heading towards the feeding grounds so she followed along. At her sides is a rather large and clearly well growing scruffy steel gray-blue colored dog that is actually still a puppy. Idrissa hangs a good distance back as she catches sight of the dragon within the feeding grounds and watches curiously. She's seen dragons before so it doesn't bother her, though this would be the first time seeing one hunt. A glance is sent up to Toral before she clears her throat and waves to both Soriana and Jessi. "Hey Sori."
Jessi is fully back in her control now, no longer is she seeing through her green's eyes, nor feeling what her dragon is feeling as deeply. "She complains that she doesn't like the domesticated beasts. She keeps bugging me to slip out into the forests with her so she can, and I quote, hunt real prey." Hands rest relaxed upon the purple of Jessi's uniform, now, jacket gathered closed against the chill in the air. She breathes softly. "I bet it will be even more delightful when she starts hunting that real prey. I've never had such..animalistic feelings before her. It's like I'm there with her, like I am her. It makes it difficult to concentrate, you know?" And then there's another voice nearby, and the weyrling turns her head to offer a soft smile and a brief wave of fingers to the arriving Idrissa. But, soon enough, her attention is caught by her dragon once more as Aisuohkoth tires of the chase and hunkers down low to the ground, stalking towards one of the younger ovines that has been seperated from the herd. A sharp intake of breath is held as pale eyes watch the young growing green, Jessi is as silent as Aisuohkoth for the moment.
"A little," answers Soriana to Jessi. "When Toral's hunting, but… that's just a firelizard. Still… the focus, the swooping, the… everything of it." She grins, looking sidewise at Jessi, then out at Aisuohkoth again. "Just remind her that wild beasts are like spiderclaws. They bite! So she'll have to be good and ready." At the sound of Idrissa's voice, she holds onto the top of the fence and leans back from it waving. Yeah, she's used to being followeed… at least, when Idrissa isn't hiding away in the stables! The other girl's been getting better about that, though. Mostly now she's only there when she's got her apprentice duties and /half/ the rest of the time, instead of all of it! "Hey Riss!" she calls. "Hey pup!" A grin. "You figured out his name yet?"
Idrissa offers a smile back to Jessi and nod before her gaze turns back to the gounds where she can see a bit of what's going on. An she likes her work at the stables! Perhaps why she spends a good amount of her time there, an then the rest bothering Soriana or Kale. A grin is offered to Sori as she glances to the dog at her side and scratches at his head. "I was tink Otis or Asher. Dono, his turning into a hard one for me to name of some reason." The dog leans into the attention, tail wagging about as he enjoys the attention.
Jessi remains silent and stalk still until Aisuohkoth finally deems herself close enough to pounce. Of course, just because she looks and acts like an overgrown green feline, doesn't mean she's as good a hunter as one, and when she overshoots the young beast with the thrust from her strong hind legs, she smacks into the fence opposite from where the girls sit. And, of course, this allows the ovine to get away and causes Aisuohkoth to give a surprised warble of indignation, she meant to miss that one, really. Jessi winces as her dragon hits, feeling the impact in her own body, but as soon as Aisu is up and shaking it off, Jessi can move. "You alright, Love?" She calls to her green, who just snorts softly. Turnng to the other two girls she just shrugs a little, "I said she likes to hunt, never said she was the best huntress." She giggles.
Soriana hmmms consideringly to Idrissa, looking over her canine. Could be, could be! Names are hard sometimes. Something about Jessi's silence - or maybe Toral's attentive interest - draws her attention back to Aisu's hunt, just in time to catch… a miss! Ooh, a rather dramatic miss, too. Poor tumbling green. Sori watches it all go wrong with a little sympathetic wince, then Aisuohkoth picking herself up again. Toral chirps, and flutters to a different branch. Sori grins. "She'll get there. Least she kept her wings tucked, right?"
Idrissa gives the dog another ear scratch and murmurs a soft stay to him before she moves over to the fenceh and stands at the other side of Soriana to peer curiously as it seems the green is about to get something.. An then its a miss. She peers curiously once the poor green is back up. A soft smile is seen and she nods to Jessi about the hunting comment. Someone's up and gotten shy again it seems, well there is someone /new/ here and Rissa isn't known for being the most talktive kid around. Her dog does keep put, settling to his haunches, he soon peers up at Toral at the chirping catches his attenion.
Jessi nods, "That she did, after that lecture during that obstacle course, we've made sure she keeps her wings protected." Because it wouldn't do to have anything happen that might lessen her green's chance of becoming what she's destined to become, and that, my friends, is a natural born flying predator. Jessi glances to the unfamiliar girl, she's been so busy with weyrlinghood, she had barely had a chance to emerge from the barracks between Aisu, her firelizard, lessons, and absorbing everything the WLMs are trying to teach her. Noticing Idrissa's shyness, Jessi offers the girl a smile, "My name's Jessi, and that's Aisuohkoth, and these are Azurite and Copper. I must've forgotton my manners while I was lost in my dragon, I don't believe we've met before." The beastcrafter turned weyrling's voice is soft and gentle, and relaxed now that Aisuohkoth is back to her old tricks of stirring up the beasts, they will pay for making her look like a fool, well, not that they made her look that way, but yeah. Large blue and small bronze firelizards chirp greetings from Jessi's shoulder and neck as she mentions their name.
"Good!" says Soriana about protected wings, and nods. So much the WLMs try to teach. Soriana has been a frequent spectator on the more public parts of that, and she barely remembers half of it, let alone once it's added on to the lessons that happen in private! She just grins, and gives a wave to Idrissa like 'come closer! Jessi will not bite!' while the greenrider makes introductions. Names, such pesky things. Speaking of Aisuohkoth… ah, there she goes again. Sori looks out at the chasing green, and laughs. "Lucky there's a pen, or some of those'd be in the next hold by now."
Idrissa glances to Soriana and then over to Jessi, a soft smile seen once more. "I'm Idrissa, nice to meet you Jessi." Her gaze drifts towards the two firelizards and then back towards the green that is stiring up the herd. "She's beautiful." Is offered with a warm tone. She's seen dragons, but actually not so closed. An yes she does move a bit closer to the two on the fench, and actually leans against the fence.
"Pleasure to meet you, Idrissa. Your canine is very well behaved, is he one from our…I mean Iffy's litter?" She had gotten so busy with weyrlinghood, she had lost track of the litter of rescued pups she had so carefully helped If'an raise. At the compliment to her dragon, she beams proudly, "I think she's the prettiest green around, but then I might be biased." She grins a little. Aisuohkoth finally gets bored of chasing the beasts around, apparently she has settled upon another possible victim, and both her and Jessi grow silent again as she stalks, and pounces upon the ovine. This one is a fighter, however, and the green struggles briefly to take it down, but in the end it goes down and Aisuohkoth has herself quite the meal.
Dragons are like babies (only not icky), in that each one is the prettiest to their rider! Soriana grins. "But she's certainly a pretty one, no matter how you count it!" She leans in on the fence and watching as Aisuohkoth tries once more - even Soriana has a few moments of held breath, until… victory! She lifts up one fist in a cheer for the green.
Idrissa glances over to her dog whom has settled down upon the ground, save for slowly creeping forward, up until his caught which he goes still as if he hasn't moved an inch, silly dog. Rissa grins slightly and shakes her head before looking back to Jessi and nods. "Yes he is, last one from what I was told at the kennel. His a very good dog for his age. I've had other dogs but I have to say his the best." Oh yes she loves that fuzzy over grown puppy. "Sori told me you helped find 'em." Her bright gaze turns back towards the dragon, an she grins hearing Jessi. "Well.. you have the best reason to be biased!" There is a pause as the green goes about struggling to get the ovine down, a soft yay escaping her once its done. She leans against the fence while watching, curious more then anything at the moment.
Jessi chuckles as her green finally takes down a victim, and the green starts to eat her meal, her quick whorling eyes slowing as he edge of her hunger is satiated. "He's a very good boy." She says, wiggling a finger at the forward-creeping, but then as the canine's owner calls him to attention, she withdraws those fingers, oops. "Aye, Iffy and I were out by the clock tower, I don't remember what we were doing..I think he was stalking me or something." She chuckles softly at that thought, ah the good old days. "And we heard their tiny little whimpers. Iffy pulled tham out from the bush and we hid them away in the candidate barracks for awhile. We were like a happy little family..until we got caught, and we had to give them over to the kennels." After awhile, Aisuohkoth's eating slows and that's when the large blue Azurite unwraps himself from around Jessi's neck and takes wing, the younger Copper following shortly thereafter to go enjoy what their chosen's green will share with them.
Soriana listens to the story of the canines' discovery from the actual original source, and ahs. She'd only heard the third-hand-gossip, before! "Least they've all found people, now," she says, grinning. "You still gonna train him for carting?" As Toral sees the other firelizards taking flight, he shifts from claw to claw before hopping into the air and slowly veering toward the feeding dragon. He sends her a little burst of thought, 'PrettyShinyDragon (her!) and LittleBrownEating (him! hopeful!)' as he glides closer.
Idrissa smiles as she glances back to Jessi listening to the storry of how the pups was found. "Well.. Thank you for finding and taking care of him. I'm sorry you all got caught with 'em though." She can just imagen what they had to do once they was caught with the puppies. A glance is offered back to the dog and she holds her hand out. "Come 'er." As soon as the words escapes Rissa the dog is up and troting over to lean up against her and then lifts his head to snuffle out at both Jessi and Sori, his tail wagging about as his whole body does the happy puppy wiggles. "Well I thought about it. His big enough to do it. Just have to see about getting a harness to fit him to connect the cart too."
Aisuohkoth doesn't deny Toral, as he glides into view, there is planty of beast to share, she wasn't that hungry afterall, and so she is willing to share with all three of the firelizards. Jessi smiles at the sight. "Well, at least we know she's willing to share with other firelizards, not just mine." The weyrling's attention is back on the canine after she watches to make sure Aisu and her boys are being fair, and she smiles at the command is give the dog and she nods approval. "I bet if you asked the local tanner and leatherworker, they'd be able to come up with something."
Toral trills happily, and lands, sticking his little head in and tugging out bits of tasty meat. Soriana looks over at this, and grins. "And Toral's got another friend to steal his dinners from when he's too lazy to hunt," she says. "He's already got Inkfoot sharing with him…" A fond shake of her head, and then a little laugh as Toral picks up his head for a moment and chirps to her. Sori grins, then looks back to the canine as she gets nosed at, ruffling a hand vigorously along his side. "Yeah. That, or… maybe try adapting some of the small runner stuff? Or at least use it as a model, if you find a tanner who's willing."
Idrissa watches the dragon and firelizards over at the kill, she smiles a moment an dnods glad to see they all get along! She looks back to the dog whom is leaning into Soriana's attention while taking in both ideas. "I think there's a few old harness and the like for the runners I could look through. As much as I clean that stuff I should know by now. I'll have to for sure go and talk to the tanner or leatherworker when I get some free time from the stables an stuff." Well she does tend to spend a lot of time at the stables. "What you think boy? Get you to pull a cart, by this time next year I bet you could pull a few kids around in it through the snow." The dog wruffs out, his getting attention so is clearly happy with what ever there talking about.
Jessi smiles as the dog leans into Soriana, and she offers the big canine a scratch as well, but only briefly as she turns her attention back to her green as she feeds. "Don't overstuff yourself, Love." She calls towards her lifemate, who warbles indignantly. The young woman can't help but laugh. "Means she'll need another oiling when we get back to the barracks, I think she's growing a foot a minute, so it seems like anyway. Indeed, the green is already a good 20 meters in length, all wiry muscle with not an ounce of babyfat on her dark body.
Soriana grins, petting the big friendly canine. "Never mind that," she says to Idrissa, "He can help you carry the bales of hay and barrels of water." Now that's /useful/. She laughs at Jessi's warning to Aisuohkoth… and the green's retort. "At least you don't have to chop it up yourself anymore… just roll her back to the barracks after she's full." Another ruffle for the canine, and a grin. "Don't think /you/ can much help with that, though, can you boy?"
Idrissa grins at Soriana. "I had already thought about that." She offers with an amused tone. The dog shifts to lean up against the scratch from Jessi an even attempt to give her had a warm slobbery lick. Rissa glances back towards the green while listening, a soft chuckle escapes her once she hears Sori. "Ya, I don't see him being much help at all with that."
Jessi can't help but giggle softly at the suggestion of rolling her green back to the barracks. "Might just have to, at that." Of course, Aisuohkoth's eating has slowed significantly and mostly now she's just settling back to watch the firelizards finish off her carcas. Once the young green does move, it's not with her usual feline fluidity, it's with a bit more awkwardness as she lets that bulging stomach adjust. She moves up beside the fence where her rider and the other two girls are, and leans against it a bit, Jessi immediately reaching a hand towards the deep green side to give a gentle scritch. "Ate too much? Or just enough?" The green croons softly in response, leaning to where her rider can have easy access to one of her favourite scritching spots, lowering her head so that her chosen one can scritch along that silver moonshape birthmarks between her eyes. Slowly, she half-lids those whorling eyes, and relaxes.
Soriana grins, unsurprised to find Idrissa ahead of her, and nods. She looks back to the feeding pen, watching as Aisuohkoth finishes. Toral snags a few more bites, shifting in and poking his head right inside to get the tastiest parts. The approach of the well-fed green gets a grin. "Satisfaction, thy name is dragon." Once Toral finishes, he lumbers inelegantly into the air and glides back to Soriana, and she reaches out to catch him and settle the brown on her shoulder.
Idrissa gives her dog another soft scratch across the head before she leans back against the fence. Her bright gaze follows after the approaching green whom she watches curiously once she is so close to Jessi. Another first for Rissa most likely, being so close to the dragon. She lets her chin settle upon her folded arm, a smile seen, Soriana most likely knows that look as she tends to do it when she's watching the runners and just admiring them. "Toral nearly ate to much to fly." Rissa soon offers, seems to /did/ see something else!
Azurite and Copper are soon satiated and rather than fly, they waddle their way over until they can sort of hop-glide climb up the fence until they can settle upon their girl's lap, well, Copper gets the lap, the large blue Azurite makes his way up her coat to curl about her neck like the elegant large blue scarf that he is. Each male gets a scritch in turn, before Jessi's touch is back to Aisuohkoth as she continues to rub over that silvery moon, Aisu is, sure enough, becoming quite sleepy with the touch, so Jesi has to nudge her a little with her foot. "Well, you can't sleep in the pens, silly girl." And, with the ease of many turns of practice, the young woman is settling her bronze in the crook of her arm and hopping down from the fence to open thelarge gate and release her green from the pen. Once Aisu is out, and the gate latched again, the pair move back over to the other girls, where Jess takes up her perch upon the fence again, legs dangling outside the pen this time, and her green curls up in front of her and recieves those scritches to her silver swirling moon once more.
Soriana reaches up and scritches along the top of her firelizard's head, messy as it is from the meal, and laughs. "Azurite and Copper /did/ eat that much. Dragonkin don't graze, they gorge." She reaches out and gives Aisuohkoth's shoulder a light pat before the dragon heads off to the gate, then turns around to face out as Jessi and her green return. Stuffed and sleepy dragons are also a peaceful view.
Idrissa chuckles as she hears Soriana. "Alright alright.. Point taken." Is said while she turns to peer at Aisu not that she is not in the pen. She smiles and shifts sitting next to the fence and leans back against it. Her dog tilts his head while watching the rather large dragon move out of the pen and come closer, a faint wruff escaping him before he half leans forward to snuffle out towards the green dragon.
Aisuohkoth is like a lazy feline, she sleeps, she wakes, she bathes, she relieves herself, she eats, and then the cycle starts all over again. She's actually fairly small for a green, and in fact is likely the smallest in her clutch, the perfect match for her five foot nothing rider, but, yes, she is big, aren't all dragons? She lowers her head, briefly, to wuffle at the canine as he sniffs her, but that's about all she does, she is one sleepy stuff green and she forces her head onto her rider's lap for more rubbing of that special spot that makes her calm so much. "I think the boys were just waiting for her to feed, bet they haven't hunted for themselves in a few days, except maybe the occasional fish from the lake. Such lazy bones." She says softly, adoringly, as her free hand runs over first bronzen head, then blue head. USually she has more hovering about her, one of her clutchmates must've fed earlier and fed them already."
Toral chirrups from Soriana's shoulder, and the girl laughs. "What do firelizards at a hold even /do/ for food? I mean, really." Around here, all the flits seem to know about the draconic gravy train. Soriana smiles, looking at the small and sleepy green with that wistful sort of look all riders come to know sooner or later.
Idrissa pokes at her dogs side a few times and smirks at him. "Don't bother her." She offers softly, which makes the dog inch back and drop down next to his owner, head ploping upon her lap, he may be a big dog but dragons are for sure bigger then he! Rissa scritches the dog's head. "Well they have Inkfoot to hunt tunnelsnakes for them I imagine." A grins is sent towards her friend before she looks back to Jessi and Aisu. "Jessi.. Could I perhaps pet her?" She wouldn't dream of petting a dragon, or even being close to one without an ok from its rider. An she is not just shy but polite as well. That bright gaze of her's flicking from Aisu up to Jessi.
Jessi gives a soft warm smile. "Of course, Idrissa. She loves to be touched and patted." Aisuohkoth, eyes half-lidded, gives a quiet warble of confirmation. Yes, well, she's not proud when it come to attention, and the girl did compliment her beauty afterall. The comment of hold firelizards gains a chuckle. "Oh, at Eastern the hold firelizards would sometimes come to the weyr to bum food off of the dragons, but I think for the most part, the folks they look to probably keep them well stocked with scraps."
Soriana giggles, watching Aisuohkoth. "She's settled down, hasn't she?" Compared to the pouncing-everything wild critter she was at hatching, at least! The answer about hold firelizards makes her nod, then laugh. "Prob'ly. They can be so sweet when angling for that little bit of something tasty…" Toral gives an indignant little chirp that turns to a trill as Sori grins and scritches at him.
Idrissa smiles and nods as she ruffles her dog's fur a moment before standing and slowly moves over to where Jessi and Aisuohkoth is. "Thank you." Is offered to both rider and dragon before she lets her hand softly press and pet against the green's shoulder. She doesn't know a whole lot about firelizards, other then what she manages to get Soriana to tell her, an what she gets a chance to read up on when not busy. "An how could you say no to one of them when there all chittering cutely at you?" She does tend to give Toral snacks often.
"Oh, she still has her moments." Jessi smiles softly. "But I learned the secret to keeping her calm." She grins, fingers continuing to work over that silvery moon upon the green's forehead. "There are certain spots where I can scratch that will calm her instantly usually. She's still all hyper and crazy during lessons, and she can't wait until she can use her wings, but she's learned that she has to be calm if she wants me to mount her this month." Afterall, Jess can't be mounting some wild crazy wild feline that's 20 meters long and Faranth knows how much higher from the ground. "Plus, she's got it toned down because she's always so tired after she eats, so it makes her just want to be calm and curl up for a nap." Which is, apparently, what's going on right now as the greens lids get heavier with the added attention from Idrissa and finally they're fully lidded as she rests her large head partially upon her rider's lap.
Soriana laughs, and nods to Jessi. On her shoulder, Toral is experiencing the similar big-meal-sleepiness effect, curling his tail around Sori and dozing. "I wanna see that… between her prancing, and poor Esiae just trying to get all the way up on Sonyyxaeth… it should be fun!" She grins, then just shakes her head to Idrissa. "According to you, half the critters of the weyr are starving half the time!" she teases playfully.
Idrissa giggles softly as she hears Soriana and gives Aisuohkoth's shoulder another few pettings before moving back over to her dog whom is very interested in sniffing at her now. "Runners are /always/ eating, or grazing. So I suppose I just assume the rest of the critters are hungrey as well." She offers with a grin to Soriana. "Anyway, I don't hear me dog, Toral or Inkfoot complaining." Not that she feeds them /that/ much!
Jessi grins, "Well, I don't think any animals around here are in danger of fading with hunger." She chuckles as a few stragglings firelizards, some banded, some wild, appear to start picking at what's left of the ovine carcass. She grins. "I knew they'd show up eventually." Indeed, it's like a feeding frenzy as the firelizards begin to pick the bones clean. She giggles quietly at the thought of Esi clamboring ontop of her gold. "Aye, that will be…some sort of show I bet. I've climbed atop Aisu before to wash her, but she's always been in the water and standing stark still." She regards her growing green. "It seems like an awefully long way up."
Soriana laughs at the scavenging firelizards, and nods. She grins to Rissa. "Oh, complain, them? Naaaah. Well, Inkfoot is, but only 'cause it's mostly been too wet for me to take him outside lately." A brief frown, and then she looks back to Aisuohkoth and smiles Even with the dragon lying down like this… it's an awful long way up. "Yeah. I mean… I've been on Yumeth before, with my mom, but… only with a hand up, so that's different." Not clambering up yourself, like the dragon was a cliff-face. After a few moments, Sori finds herself drawn in by Aisu's pet-me field, and scoots closer to do so.
Idrissa chuckles softly. "Well just bring him back a present, he'll get over it." She offers with an amused tone. Her gaze lingers on Aisu a few moments and she takes in a breath. "I better get back to the stables to finsh some stuff up." A smile is offered to Jessi. "It was nice meeting you Jessi, an you too Aisuohkoth." She gives her dog a soft pat and turns heading back the way she came. "Later Sori, tell Kale I said hi and stuffs if you see him around." Her dog follows after bounding a few paces ahead but never going too far.
Jessi smiles as Sori gives in to the pet me part of Aisuohkoth. "She's really quite the attenion hound sometimes." Jess explains about her green. "Other times she won't let anyone but me touch her, it's odd." As Idrissa heads to leave, Jessi glances at her with pale eyes. "Pleasure meeting you, Idrissa, and be safe and have a good day." She waves after the girl before turning back to her green and her friend. "I couldn't imagine myself trying to mount a gold. Aisu is the smallest of the group and even she's huge."
"Heh. I suppose she has her reasons… whatever they may be," says Sori to Jessi, then nods to Idrissa and waves. "Sure. Later!" she says, then looks back to Jessi and Aisu. The girl rubs along the curve of the dragon's spine, and reaches up to pet Toral too before the firelizard feels left out. He warbles sleepily. "Yeah… golds're big. But you must've been on a dragon before to come here, right? So it'll be sort of like that, just… different."
Not running for once, Mikal ambles into the area with his gaze going towards the feeding grounds to see if any dragons are feeding this afternoon. Spying Sori and Jessi he heads in their direction. "Heya Sori." he calls out as he gets closer.
Jessi nods, "My brother rides a green, and I came here on Fl'ynn's blue, never been on anything larger than that. So I guess I'm rather glad I have the smallest of the bunch." Jessi and Soriana are perched on the fence of the feeding pens, the young green Aisuohkoth in front of them with her large dark head resting partially upon her rider's lap. The green is getting attention from both ladies, Jessi is rubbing over the silvery moon shaped birthmark between Aisu's eyes, and Sori is running her hands along green's spine. The green, for her part, is pretty much sleeping, eyes fully lidded, and her stomach bulges with her recent meal, as well as the bronze and blue firelizards upon Jessi and Sori's brown Toral. There is what remains of a carcass in the feeding ground, with a fair of firelizards busily picking the bones clean. The girls are talking softly, and just hanging out. Pale silver-blue eyes glance up from her green as she hears another voice enter the area, another unfamiliar voice, boy, did the ppulation of the weyr increase so much while she was busy being a weyrling? It's amazing to the petite young beastcrafter. As she did with idrissa when she arrived, she gives Mikal the same soft smile and wave of greeting.
Soriana continues to pet both Aisuohkoth and Toral, scritching along the firelizard's neck and the green dragon's back. She nods to Jessi, laughing somewhat. "So at least you know she's no bigger than that. If you'd had the gold…" she trails off, shaking her head. As the younger boy enters, she looks up. "Hey, Mikal," she calls back, lifting the hand from Toral to wave.
Mikal approaches the girls, grinning a greeting to the sleepy green. "Hiya!" he greets the unknown weyrling. "I got all my chores done so I'm able to be out exploring." evidently he's not checked out the feeding grounds yet and he feels the need to explain to Sori his chores are done before she says anything to him.
Jessi chuckles. "Hiya, Mikal, is it? Name's Jessi, this is Aisuohkoth." Sheprovides him with the information. "Don't believe we've met before. Pleasure to meet you." Aisuohkoth is too far gone to warble her typical greeting to the newcomer, so she just unlids one eye for the briefest second before it's closing again. "Exploring, huh? I remember doing that when I first got here, I still don't know my way around too well." She chuckles softly.
Mikal offers another grin to the weyrling pair. "I've been here a few months now. From Red Sands hold." he offers that up before it's asked. "She seems quite content." is remarked upon at the sleepy green. "Where'd you come from?"
"Originally? Or before I was searched to stand for the clutch?" Jessi chuckles softly. "I hail from Eastern before Fl'ynn and his blue stole me away to come stand for the last clutch." She answers with a smile, a brief glint sparking in pale eyes. "Red Sands Hold, is that local?" She still hasn't quite learned her way around the area that Xanadu covers. "And, indeed, she's always content and sleepy after a nice full meal." She motions to the full belly of her nearly full-grown green.
Soriana nods to Mikal as he explains his presence here, and continues her dragon and firelizard petting. It's important. "Just so long's you can find the important places, it all works out, right?" she says, and grins. "Or you can take glow-delivery duty a few times. You'll learn all the weyrs, at least!"
Mikal shakes his head. "Naw, it's not local. It's beholden to Ista weyr." he explains.
Jessi ahs, and nods to the boy. "I see." She lets her caressing fingers still upon her green's silvery birthmark, and tries to stretch without disturbing her green too terribly much. "I think we may be stuck here until she decides she's no longer too tired to move." The woman chuckles softly. "Don't think I could force her if I wanted to."
Soriana giggles. "Not unless you go and get a very large cart. And… another dragon to pull it." Yeah, they may be stuck here for a while. Not that Sori seems to mind much, leaning back against the fence. "So how've you been?" she asks Jessi. "Other than busy, that is."
Busy is a prominent part of a weyrling's life, and Jessi… well, she seems to be dozing a little along with her dragon. Aisuohkoth is asleep just outside the feeding pen, the green's belly stuffed full of meat from the ovine whose bones are currently being picked over by an assortment of firelizards. Soriana sits nearby, scritching at Aisuohkoth's back and at her own full-bellied firelizard. She tilts her head to the older girl, and chuckles at the closed eyes, just relaxing back against the fence.
ka-el has no real reason to be here other than to satisfy his own curiosity. He has no dragon or firelizard, but this is the place dragons are fed, is it not? So he makes his way through the cold, wearing a large cloak to keep what warmth he can. Boots crunch against the layer of snow that has settled, leaving behind gentle imprints behind him. Rubbing his slightly reddened nose wth the back of his sleeve, he arrives with little fanfare, though his eyes seek any telltale signs of bone crunching. Because watching a dragon eat is fascinating!
While Aisuohkoth is definitely a dragon that has just eaten, to judge from her distended belly, Kale's out of luck for dragons currently eating. There is, however, Soriana, who looks up at the crunching of boots on snow. She grins, and slides Toral down to rest on the green dragon's back so she can stand up a bit and wave. "Hey, Kale!"
Hmmm…fat dragon! Kale is quick to notice Aisuohkoth. Dragons always seem to command attention, even when they're not doing much, but the signs that she has already done the dismembering and such part of eating is disappointing. Dang! He snaps his fingers in disappointment, and just after does he hear his name called. "Oh, hey 'n hello!" he calls upon spying Soriana, lifting a hand to return the wave, looking from her to the dozing Jessi, then back to her. He makes a "I'll be quieter!" gesture by putting his hand oer his mouth before heading carefully nearer. "What're you doin' here?"
Soriana grins, and shrugs a bit toward Jessi. This wasn't a planned nap, she doesn't figure… nor can it be too comfy, with Aisu's head on the weyrling's lap. Even young green dragons are big and heavy. But, if you're that tired, you're that tired, and Jessi is dozing away. At Kale's question, she shrugs again. "Just came out here for a bit to watch, and Aisuohkoth came hunting, so…" here she is. "Oh, Idrissa says hi."
"Huh. I'd tell ya to tell her I said hello," says Kale who now comes to a paw, tapping his chin in thought, "buuut…that'd make ya seem like a messenger, wouldn't it? You runnin' back and forth, carrying words of hello and goodwill 'tween friends who've paths haven't crossed in a time? Wouldn't be too fair to you, would it?" He shakes his head, as if answering his own question. "No, it wouldn't. So don't tell her that I say hello, even though I do and would. I'll take the message myself." He grins then, nodding, happy with his conclusion. "Sound good and fair?"
Soriana laughs! "I'll tell her that you'll tell her hello when you see her, but that she'll just have to wait until then and act surprised." Because then it's not message-running, it's /gossip/, which is totally different. "So, pretend I didn't tell you that I'm going to tell her that. Or maybe I won't tell her. Y'never know." She grins. "Gotta keep you on your toes."
Kale laughs and shakes his head. "Oh, I know you'll tell her. That's what you girls do. You tell each other things. Even if y'don't want to, you still do. An' so even though I know you'll tell'er, I'll act like I don't know that she knows." He grins and rubs at his temples, as if confusing himself in the process, which he likely has. "Aaah, and…speakin' of keepin' me on my toes.." he says, lightly rocking back and forth on his feet. "Have you decided what it is my lost wager is gonna cost me? See? I'm an honest fellow an' reminded you. /That/ should warrent some leniency, eh?"
Yes. Exactly! …maybe. Soriana isn't even sure herself anymore. She laughs, though, petting down at firelizard and dragon, then tilts her head at the question. "I've decided half of it," she answers, "-but that isn't for a couple months yet. So you'll just have to keep waiting for a while. I'm still thinking on the other one."
Woah woah, wait a second… "/Months?/" Kale echoes, eyes growing faintly wider. "..I'll truly have to wait /months/ to know what it is? Was there not a… deadline of some sort?" He thinks back, trying to pinpoint the moment when he's /sure/ he must've left a deadline date. He must have… Right? Nooo, he didn't! He presses a hand to his face, eyes squinting. "You wouldn't…really have me wait so long, huh?" he says as his hand slides down, revealing a too innocent looking face. "The anticipation…it may kill me."
"Well, I can't make it come sooner, now can I?" says Soriana in a practical tone. So apparently there's something she's waiting for, related to this demand of hers? An actual external event… because she's not that evil… right? She does look a bit put-upon and impatient herself at the prospect, so that probably does mean she's not just doing this to be mean. "Besides, I bet Idrissa hasn't even figured out either of them, yet."
Kale fixes her with a smug sort of look. "Well how am I to know if you can't hurry it along?" he counters, but it does provide him with a clue. It's not something could have him do at any ol' time. Farming, perhaps? That wouldn't be much of a punishment, and Soriana seems far more clever. "Well look, whenever whatever it is comes, you tell me. I can't very well make another wager with you while still in debuted to this ons!" He snickers, though her last comment raises a brow. "You didn't come up with this first one yourself? What gave you the idea, then?" Perhaps he'll get some clues!
Soriana leans back against the fence. "I came up with it. Sorta. Well, nobody told me, anyhow," she says. "I overheard some of the cavern-workers talking. Planning for it." So, probably not so much farming. She pauses a moment, tilting her head to the side. "I could tell you now, I guess. But then maybe you'd go and try and wiggle out of it." She gives Kale a long, considering look.
Cavern workers talk. That's a clue. Sort of. It'd be a better clue of Kale could formulate an idea of what that could possibly entail. … Nope! Nothing. Her comment has him quirking a brow, and he lifts his chin in a look of defiance. "I'm no coward. Be it shoveling dragon droppin's, I wouldn't duck out of it. I'm a man've honor." Man indeed! He looks at her in earnest, then breaks out into a sunny grin. "So you've no need /not/ to tell me. Because if y'don't, now I may get sick worryin' over it."
Soriana hmmms consideringly. Shoveling dragon droppings indeed! But there are fates worse than that, oh yes. There are fates far worse than that. When he grins, she matches it after a moment. "Well, okay. If you're sure you'll stick to it… I'll tell you." She settles back against the fence, hesitating for a moment like she's… nervous. Her, nervous, just about telling him what it is she's (cruelly!) demanding of him. "So. There's going to be a dance. And… you're going with me."
Nervous? Pssh, if she's nervous then he should have every right to be! Kale is patient as he waits for her to spill the beans, slightly tightening his cloak around himself in the meantime. And then…and then…! A dance? Blinkblink. "What sort've…" Blink! What was that second part she said? He's going with her? .. What does that even mean! He ehsakes his head briskly, clearing the cobwebs. "Like…,ah, like I'm to escort you to the dance?" he asks, head canting to the side ever so slightly. Walk her there and leave! Sure, he can do that! That's what she means … right?
That would be part of it, yes. "Yeah. And dance with me. And… all that." She's not so sure what all it entails herself, but it is a thing, and people do it. There's going, and dancing, and talking, and vague undefined romantic stuff… which she's not entirely sure about, but… well, she also thinks it sounds nice. She's blushing, just a little. Or maybe it's the cold making her ears turn red? Maybe. "So. Yeah." She bites her lip a moment, then adds, generously, "I'll decide the other before then, too. Or it'll just expire." The one is certainly big enough, after all!
Dancing. Huh. .. Yeeeah, can Kale even dance? Has he been to a dance at all? He thinks about it. He definitely hasn't been to any dances with any girl, so he should probably get some intel on this. Perhaps a letter to one of his brothers? … Ha! No chance he'd ever do such a thing. He can already hear the remarks from them. Nope. He'll find answers from another source. Someone who can tell him what "and all that" may consist of. People dance and eat and talk and…stuff. Kale is rubbing his neck now, gazing slightly down. This is going to take some work. Good thing he got advanced notice! "That doesn't sound…eh, bad," he ventures as his hand slides off his neck. "I've never been to a dance here before. It'll be fun. The food'll be good, you think? And free.." All that is important to know! He shivers once, glancing momentarily in the direction in which he came. "Thanks for telln' me!" is said in his usual chipper tone. "I need to head back. No dragons are eatin' right now anyhow."
Yeah, neither has Soriana been to a dance, but… she's heard rumors. Gathers and parties and stuff! There are /stories/ and /songs/ and /everything/. All that, indeed. She grins with relief as he dubs it 'not bad', and nods. "Oh, yeah, there's sure to be good food. They were already planning supplies and stuff. Lots of good food, and harpers playing, and-" She cuts off her babbling, and grins again. "So, uhm, yeah. It'll be fun." Yes. Fun, which is a much safer concept than 'romantic' to try and wrap her head around. As he says he needs to get back, she nods. "Yeah, you missed it this time. Too bad, Aisuohkoth's a fun one to watch. Another time!"