BeShelled Straps
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Xanadu Weyr - Beach
The unerring range of subdued white rises and falls in a multitude of sandy dunes, creating an endless amount of tiny valleys constantly demolished and rebuilt by the frequent arrival or departure of a dragon. Smoothing out as it slopes gently to the edge of the deep blue water, the sand darkens and a shell here and there stands out for children to collect. The beach itself is set along a low cliff - the height lessoning as one heads eastwards, blocking a portion of the beach from direct access.
The wide wide stretch of water opens up to the east, the far distant shore way beyond the horizon and the beach curves ever so slowly round to east and west, distant arms of land embracing the wind-ruffled Caspian Lake. East leads up to the mouth of the Rubicon River, where the protecting cliff is merely an arms length higher then the sand, and beyond that, a winding road leading out of Xanadu's territory. Westwards, the beach narrows as the cliff swings out, leaving a path wide enough for dragons in single file before cutting in to the sheltered cove designated the Weyrling Beach. However, cut in the cliff face to the north are a variety of rough, wide staircases, providing access to the clearing and to the meadow.


Taking advantage of the bright summer morning, Kera is currently wading in about two feet of water. Her towel and little bag of things she brought with her are spread out on the sand well away from the water. By the look of her, hair dripping and sending down little droplets, she's been enjoying her time in the water so far. Every so often she stops her forward movementt and seems to be working her foot in the sand in front of her.

Mur'dah and Kalsuoth make their way down to the beach, the dark brown strapless and his young rider shirtless and in his swim trunks. Towel and bucket of cleaning supplies suggest that this is more than just a time to lounge about in the sun, but if they can do that while still getting the dragon clean, well…more power to them. "Hey, Kera," Mur'dah calls after a moment's hesitation when he sees her, sending Kalsuoth splashing into the water a short distance from her. Hopefully far enough away that he won't upset or splash the girl.

Kera reaches down in the water and grabs what she was looking for. Pulling up a small coiled shell, she swishes it back and forth in the water trying to clear the sand away. Hearing her name, she swings her head around, and spots Mur'dah and his dragonmate. Briefly wondering how he'll insult her craft this time, she sighs quietly and offers a smile and small headnod "Hello Mur'dah, Kalsuoth."

She didn't run screaming or insult him either, so they're off to a good start? Mur'dah offers her a little smile in return, wading into the water after his lifemate. "How are you today?" he asks. Kalsuoth is much less awkward than his lifemate, extending his muzzle towards Kera with a curious wuffle. "He wants to know what you found…" the brownrider translates.

Kera stand fully again when the dragon comes closer. Peering from rider to dragon when one translates for the other. Extending her hand to show the coiled looking irridescent shell to Kalsuoth. "It's a little shell I dug out of the sand." As the dragon has time to look at her little treasure, Kera looks to the brownrider. "I'm well, just getting a bit of sun while grubbing around in the sand. Yourself?"

Kalsuoth rumbles happily, peering at the shell before he carefully withdraws his head so he doesn't accidentally bump it and send it back to the water. Mur'dah waits patiently for his dragon to lumber back the few steps, and begins to scrub. "I'll find you shells later," he mutters to his dragon with a soft laugh, before he's looking over at Kera and shrugging. "I'm doing okay. It's nice to enjoy the sun while it lasts. How's, uh…healing?" Is that a safe topic?

Kera nods agreeably at the mention of taking advantage of the sun. She peers towards it briefly, silly apprentice, and blinks away quickly as she tries to find Mur'dah again. Looking at where she last saw him, the blinded glare recedes and the brownrider comes back into focus. Ah, there he is. Trying to avoid another misunderstanding, she simply doesn't speak of her craft with him, merely shrugging and glancing between the brownpair. "Does he like shells too?"

Alright, no craft talk. So noted. "Yeah," Mur'dah says, scrubbing sweetsand on to the dark hide. "Well, he likes anything shiny. And he likes to collect things. Already his wallow's got a bunch of stuff just…laying there. I can't get rid of it until he forgets." To which the brown snorts, swinging his muzzle around to jaw-bump his rider. Splashing back, Mur'dah snorts in return and thumps the hide, going back to scrubbing. "Are you making something with them? Or just collecting?"

Kera can't help but chuckle as she listens to Mur'dah and looks over the large brown. "Aww. Ya shouldn' toss his stuff out. You wouldn't like it if it was your stuff." She's not saying it in an argumentative way, merely stating a point "I keep some of them, but only have so much room in my trunk." She turns the shell over in her fingers and smiles as she holds it out to the brown's inspection again. "You can add this to your collection if you like it Kalsuoth. Drill a tiny little hole, right about here, would make a nice necklace." Eyeing the sheel again "And if ya add a second hole there, and it could be added to a hide wristband."

Mur'dah shrugs, "Why not? He's a dragon, it gets to the point where he doesn't remember what anything is, and he's got new things that he's focused on." Giving his lifemate a poke, he frowns. "No, we're not going to Western." Huff. Kalsuoth rumbles, and then is distracted by the shell again with a happy warble. "Thanks," Mur'dah says, reaching out for her to give it to him. "He'll keep it." Then Mur'dah will toss it back onto the beach. Have to be harsh like that, otherwise their newly finished weyrbarn will be packed full of stuff within the turn. "A necklace? He's not one for necklaces…"

Kera passes over the shell with an easy going smile, "I know that, but that's what I would make with it if all the supplies were handy." Stepping back out of Mur'dah's way as he works around the large brown, she goes back to dragging her feet slowly through the sand. Pondering over the rider's comments, she cast a few glances towards the pair while bending to reach under the water from time to time. Most of what she finds is hurled into the deeper water as being unworthy. "So, then, Kalsuoth probably doesn't remember me from the last time I met him? And most likely won't remember me next time either?"

Mur'dah nods with a little smile, thumping his dragon's shoulder again. "No, I'm not hanging them on your straps." Glancing at Kera, he shakes his head. "Not exactly. He will remember you. He knows he knows you, and part of that is because he can pick into my own brain to remind himself. He might not remember that we were here, on the beach, and you gave him that shell," he says, patting his pocket, "but he will know that he knows you, the next time he sees you."

Kera cants her head up to the brown and grins as she hears what the brown wants to do. "Aww, why not. It'll be real pretty. I can find you all the shells you want for straps Kalsuoth." Still taking small shuffling steps, the apprentice moves around in a haphazard path, but stays within easy speaking range. Pausing as something comes to mind, she turns back to Mur'dah. "So, he is likely to forget about this harness conversation the next time? Or if he had done something silly like splash me with alot of water, he would forget that?"

Mur'dah grimaces a bit, "Because his straps aren't supposed to be pretty," he mutters. "And I don't want to have to sew on all those little bits of things that he finds…" He's not that crafty. "Yes," he answers her with some relief. "He'll forget about this idea of putting junk on his straps, and if he splashed you he wouldn't remember that either. He'd just remember that you are someone he knows and has met before."

Well, /someone/ will just have to keep reminding Kalsuoth how pretty shells would be on his straps. Pondering a moment she shrugs and she seems to muse to herself "I suppose the big bronze is off the hook then." A mischevious smirk later has her chuckling. "But still gonna think of something to get Ka'el back though." Turning her attention back to Mur'dah, she's quiet for a few minutes as she starts watching the interaction between the brown pair. "So, what have you been up to lately?… Finish your wallwork?"

Mur'dah tilts his head, peering at the girl. "What about Ka'el?" Yeah, he heard that. Or maybe Kalsuoth did and relayed it to the rider. "Me? Mostly duties, doing wing stuff. The new riders always get the worst routes, but it's okay. I don't mind it, really. Nice to be useful. And, uh, yeah. My weyr is done. Mostly. But I'm living there now. It looks really good." He's proud.

Kera snorts in amusement "Oh, he was having a bit of fun at my expense." Looking between the pair she loses bit of her humor "He gave me alot to think about though." Having decided she's not gonna find any more shells in this area, she wanders within a few feet of the brown. Nodding with something he says "Yea, the newer apprentices always get the worst chores more frequently." Canting her head to the rider "Mostly?"

Mur'dah arches a brow, "What, and you don't despise him forever?" Ka'el gets all the luck. "What are you thinking about? You want to help?" he adds, gesturing to the dusty and dark hide of his lifemate. "Well, yeah. It's done, but I still have some things to unpack and put away. Taking out all the packing materials, the trash…those sorts of stupid little things."

"No, he doesn't constantly stick his own foot in his mouth when I'm around him either." Kera sighs and gives her head a shake "I don't hate you Mur'dah. But sometimes you can be so frustrating. Or downright rude." She pauses, letting her words sink in a bit as she trails her fingers just on the waterline back and forth. "I'm not trying to start a fight. I'm just saying you're not the easiest person to get along with at times." Another shrug and she sighs a bit, thought one of Mur'dah's questions makes her smile "Are you asking me to help wash your dragon? Do I have to bow just right as I walk slowly to him? Avoid looking him in the eye?" Her brow arches and she is clearly amused as she lets out a giggle, determined to not arguing during at least one chat with the brownrider. "Ka'el already pulled that trick on me. He was very amused by it. Him and that puffed up bronze. They were both rather pleased with themselves."

Mur'dah laughs, his grin amused and eyes bright. And he doesn't argue with her either. He knows he's all of those things. And more. "Fair enough. But neither are you," he points out frankly. Looking at Kalsuoth, the brownrider laughs. "Is that what Ka'el told you? He's such an ass sometimes." But he looks /pleased/ just the same. Good joke, bronzerider, nicely done. "Ah, no, you don't. Kalsuoth and I are a bit more low rent than that. Just scrub him and he's happy."

Kera nods good naturedly "I'll concede ya that point. But I'll make more of an effort to be agreeable, if you make an effort to not be an ass for no reason. Deal?" She holds her hand out, still smiling easy enough, but whether she's expecting a handshake or a scrubbing rag, who knows. An amused roll of her eyes and she chuckles "Yea, he was evening telling me not to breath, hold my hands ou just so.."

Mur'dah laughs again. "So I can be an ass if I have a reason?" he fires back with a crooked grin, reaching out to take her hand in a firm shake. Then he gives her a scrubbing brush. "Jeez. What a di- er. That was mean of him. Though, who knows, maybe Kalsuoth /is/ that particular. I've never helped bathe him so…maybe it was true."

Kera snorts and nods "Well of coarse, if there is a good enough reason…" She gives a friendly if not quite mocking bow with a flourish of the scrub brush before laughing and turning towards the closest dragonpart to her. Wetting the brush, she start working in lazy circles, smiling with a shake of her head "Oh no, he was just having fun with someone who didn't know better. Or know much about dragons."

Mur'dah snorts, rolling his eyes at her mocking bow, going back to his own scrubbing. "Well, I think the first lesson to learn about dragons is, ironically, to listen to their riders. Kalsuoth is pretty friendly but I know some dragons that do not like other people touching them at /all/." He shrugs. "They're as different as people. Maybe even more so, I think sometimes…"

Kera thinks that bit over as she works the brush vigorously over the dragon's hide, splashing up water every so often. "My da haa a canine that just didn't like being bothered by my mom or myself." She grins "If my dad wasn't around, and we tried getting him to do something, he would simply turn his back to us and stare at the gate no matter how much we tried." Splashing up more water on the brown hide, she peers to Mur'dah with a bit of curiousity. "That sorta what you mean?"

Mur'dah grimaces slightly. "Uh, second lesson about dragons. Lots of folks will get insulted if you compare them to anything else. But, I know what you mean. And kind of. It's more like a person that just doesn't like to be touched by strangers. They like their space. Other dragons are very affectionate and want to be touched."

Kera glances to Mur'dah and nods with another shrug "I can only use my own experiances to draw from. And I don't pretend to know the inner workings of dragons. Or there riders." She does tuck the bit of info away though. Working her way along the brown's hide, she stretches up, even giving a few little hops trying to reach a bit higher as she scrubs. "So you're basically just a big person with wings huh big guy?"

Mur'dah nods, "Well, sure. I'm just saying that comparing them to canines isn't the best way to go." Fair warning! Rumbling, Kalsuoth swings his head around to regard Kera with his swirling gaze, and wuffles. Mur'dah laughs. "He said he's a dragon. So…yeah, basically. He's pretty great." Not that he's bias or anything.

Kera chuckles at the translation and shakes her head in amusement. "Alright. So what other 'rules' should I know then." Rather than him getting irked at her mistakes, better he should help keep them from happening to begin with. Dipping the scrub brush in the water briefly, she sidesteps a bit and starts scrubbing a new area. Every so ofter, she looks towards the brownrider curiously.

Mur'dah shrugs a little bit, nimbly climbing up his lifemate to sit on his neckridges, reaching up to scrub at his neck and the top of his head. "I'm not sure, what do you want to know? I mean they're all so different…usually listening to the rider is the way to go. Some dragons don't like if you talk to them directly. Others don't like it if you /don't/…"

Kera watches the brownrider as he scrambles up easily, blinking suddenly, she turns her attention back down to the dragon's freshly scrubbed hide. "It seems to me it would be rude to /not/ acknowledge one's dragon. Or to talk about him like he wasn't here." Seeming thoughtful for a few seconds she splashes more water along the hide. Switching the brush to her other hand, she resumes her scrubbing. "It all seems very confusing."

Mur'dah nods, "You'd think that, but…I guess in the past dragons were like…so honored that people didn't think it was proper to speak directly /to/ them. Like they were so above everyone else. And they kind of were, saving the planet and all. So some folks still hold to that, when others don't care. Me, I don't care if you talk to Kalsuoth. Just don't expect him to answer," he says, grinning down at her from his lofty perch above his dragon's neck.

Kera pauses and cants her head back to peer up to Mur'dah, sorta using the brush to shield her eyes from the sun. Listening to the past tidbits, she blinks before smirking after a few seconds. "That little brat, that's probably where Ka'el got the idea from with his /how to approach a dragon/ speel." Snorting in amusement and turning her attention back to Kalsuoth. When Mur'dah mentions the dragon answering back, she starts snickering "Well, if he does talking to me, then I'm gonna look around to see if you were burning more shroomys."

Mur'dah laughs. "Like I said, he can be an ass sometimes. But really he's a good guy." Beneath all the ass-y-ness. And then Mur'dah laughs. "That was an /accident/," he says, but it's clear he's just laughing at himself, poking fun - now - at the accident that the whole weyr knows about and that will no doubt follow him for the rest of his life.

Kera grins up to Mur'dah with "If ya also ignore the fact he cheats at games." Adding another smirk "For now, it's an accident. Next time, starts a pattern." Her scrubbing continues "Just do me a favor? Next time, please check and make sure I'm off duty. Kay?" She flashes a cheeky wink to the brownrider and splashes water onto Kalsuoth's hide where she's scrubbed.

Mur'dah smirks. "Ka'el cheats? No way." Sarcasm. He has it. "There won't be a next time, I promise. It was too weird." Rolling his eyes, he slides down Kalsuoth's side to splash her back with both hands cupped into the water. "I'm not accident prone!" Yeah right, tell that to his file.

Kera snorts in amusement "Like you don't already know he cheats. At something as silly as kickball at that." Another roll of her eyes at the bronzerider's antics as she finishes risning off where she's scrubbed "Well, that's bout all I can reach." Stepping back she looks between the rider and dragon "I'll just go back to my hunt for pretty shells." Wiggling her fingers "You both have a good day." With that, she wanders away from the pair, giving thought to everything she's learned in the conversation.

Mur'dah waves a hand at her with a grin, "Take care, Kera." And once she's gone he turns to Kalsuoth, poking his dragon in the shoulder. "That is /not/ the first time we've parted on good terms…okay maybe it is but shut up."



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