PG-13 warning: This log contains swearing and proddy weyrwomen with no sense of respect for danger.
Xanadu Weyr - The Hollow
This part of the woods has opened up into what would normally be called a clearing. Rather than an open piece of land and a view of the sky, however, the center of this area appears to have been wholly occupied by one of the largest trees in the forest. It stands before you, ancient and massive, it's branches reaching up nearly one hundred and fifty feet into the air and its base measuring nearly as far around. The ground leading up to it is mounded and misshapen from the tree's massive root system. At one point, the tree appears to have merged with another, and a hole large enough for two grown men to stand inside of now resides on one side of this giant, arboreal creation. The inside of the hollow is smooth and free of disease or fungus, giving testament to the tree's ancient health and vitality.
It is not the biggest tree on Pern by any stretch; any number of Skybrooms come far closer to touching the heavens with their staggering height. It may not be the oldest deciduous mass on the continent, either. It is simply a tree. But in that respect, it seems to be the very item the universe had in mind when it first conceived of the thing. Its bark is rough in some places and smooth in others, colors radiating from deeper brown at the base to a smoky dust color as the trunk continues upwards. Branches both small and large reach outwards and upwards, too numerous to count, the lowest of them hanging a mere six or seven feet from the ground. Around the tree is a halo of light, shimmering in dozens of shades of green and yellow to reflect the thousands of leaves above. Lean up against it. Sit beneath its branches, within its hollow. Perhaps the tree would welcome the company, after such a long time on this earth. If one was careful, they could probably climb up into the tree a great distance.
One would think, with a hide like hers, flecked and mottled o'er with so many layers of grime, that Sonyxaeth would not shine too terribly brightly to reveal her proddy nature. One would be wrong. Perhaps it's because there's so much of her, that she can't help but glimmer as bright and fliratiously as her shifting moods. This is likely why the gold can be found in the middle of the Xanadu wilds, drug out of the weyr proper by her lifemate, who is… swinging? Indeed, a sturdy rope swing with a firm driftwood seat hangs from the great tree in the center of the clearing. Instead of sitting properly, the woman currently swaying back and forth with nauseating rapidness is standing upon the seat, body heaving and pulling to keep up the pace as she tries to reach perpendicularity with the ground whist simultaneously trying to keep herself on the damn swing. Curled on her side, wings spread to catch the mottled sunlight drifting through the canopy above, Sonyxaeth watches Esiae with amusement, content to let her act out for now.
Hiding Sonyxaeth away is likely a good idea — for Esi's sanity, anyhow — but honestly. Zan'ri has a tracker on her, or maybe some sort of homing bacon. Beacon. One of those. It's without Rymrth that he's clambering through the old growth of the forest, this time, only a twittering and whip-fast Pest to keep him company. The man's got a stick over one shoulder with a cloth-wrapped bundle on the end, hobo style, and doesn't seem particularly surprised when he arrives near Sony's head. "Hey." He greets the dragon, patting her cheek and smiling a slightly-twitchy kind of smile. "You look lovely, Sony." The stick-bundle setup gets set up against a smaller version of the hollow tree; and then he's up, swinging up and over a low limb with less stealth than he probably thinks. Sneaking up on the swinging rider from above? Suuuure he'll manage it. Tempest is the prettiest boy, though, isn't he? Isn't he, Sonyxaeth? Strong and fast and PRETTY. So pretty.
Sonyxaeth is likewise unsurprised by Zan'ri's arrival; after all, who needs a tracker when one has Rymrth? You could hear his mind from a weyr away. « Thank you, Zan'ri! You are always a sight for sore eyes, » the dragon croons, happily accepting that cheek-pat before turning so he can whuffle ticklish little whuffles against his side before letting him move on. It isn't often the dragon bespeaks other humans, but, well. She's in a good mood, as evidenced by an unusually sunny shoreline, dark clouds and thunder only a distant threat on the horizon. Someday soon, but not now, not while she's trying to outshine the sun. Rumbling amusement as the bronzer heads up into the tree, the gold turns her head to impress how very pretty Tempest is indeed, if only to keep the wee thing from ruining the… surprise. Or whatever it is Zan's attempting. If Esiae has seen him (unlikely, given her back was towards his entrance), she doesn't show it, brow furrowed in concentration as she reaches the height of her backwards swing, focusing perhaps a little too hard on how she shifts gravity through her person on the upwards motion.
Probably more than a weyr away, if he were in a mood; but today Rymrth is distant rain and sleepy drifts, a dreamworld of shifting color. Maybe Zan knocked him over his head. The man grins over his shoulder at Sonyxaeth, winking overly-saucily before he continues on his careful climb. Moss, leaves? So not a problem. He's got a destination in mind. Tempest…maybe not so much. The little blue lands and flicks his wings a few times, arching his neck and generally looking handsome. Devastatingly handsome, even; moreso than *any* of those other dragons. Firelizards. Whatever. His human is doing a pretty good job of ignoring the dragon, hopping branches until he finds the one Esi's swing hangs from. The twitchiness is gone — he's too busy concentrating on not falling, hooking his knees over the branch and leaning upside-down to beam at the poor rider on her next up-swing. "FOUND YOU."
Sony chuckles a draconic little chuckle for that wink, but has learned enough over the turns spent knowing Jaesriuth to know not to try to shoot it back. It's just weird-lookin'. Instead, her shifting gaze lowers back to Pest, crooning girlishly and feigning what might be a swoon. Drama queen. As for Esiae, well, of all the things she expected, that was not one of them. Eyes widen comedically, muscles tensing in some places but releasing in others in a fight-or-flight manner that results, unfortunately, in her hands releasing themselves from around the rope swing along with a squeaky scream she'll never admit to making again. Too little too late, arms windmill and scrabble to reclaim the rope, but alas, as it is wont to do, gravity wins. Momentum throwing her a bit, the goldrider flops to a landing that even the American judge would give a 0.5, crashing into a pile of leafy debris with a muffled 'oof.' A beat, and then… cackling. "WOO!" Yep. Definitely cackling, along with two arms fistthrusting into the air. "I'm okay!" Just… a little winded, and going to stay on the ground for a second, giggling madly and not even drawing Sonyxaeth's attention. Hoo.
Sony chuckles a draconic little chuckle for that wink, but has learned enough over the turns spent knowing Jaesriuth to know not to try to shoot it back. It's just weird-lookin'. Instead, her shifting gaze lowers back to Pest, crooning girlishly and feigning what might be a swoon. Drama queen. As for Esiae, well, of all the things she expected, that was not one of them. Eyes widen comedically, muscles tensing in some places but releasing in others in a fight-or-flight manner that results, unfortunately, in her hands releasing themselves from around the rope swing along with a squeaky scream she'll never admit to making again. Too little too late, arms windmill and scrabble to reclaim the rope, but alas, as it is wont to do, gravity wins. Momentum throwing her a bit, the goldrider flops to a landing that even the American judge would give a 0.5, crashing into a pile of leafy debris with a muffled 'oof.' A beat, and then… cackling. "WOO!" Yep. Definitely cackling, along with two arms fistthrusting into the air. "I'm okay!" Just… a little winded, and going to stay on the ground for a second, giggling madly and not even drawing Sonyxaeth's attention. Hoo.
Tempest is PRETTIER than that HUMAN. The little fella makes a noise that would be a roar if…he were any bigger, in age or size or probably both. He flares his wings proudly for the swoon, too, chattering in Zan's direction in a told-you-so kind of way. Zan'ri is a little busy. "AAH. ESI." The man yelps, letting both knees loosen in his haste to crack his head, or make sure Esiae's not cracked hers, one. With all of the grace of a bag full of rocks, Zan falls, catching the free-wheeling swing on the way down. He actually manages to land with some grace, but still groans, pushing up with his elbows to squint at the other rider. Who's cackling, arms thrust up in victory. "Faranth." Zan giggles weakly, pushes to a sitting position and grimaces a grin. "Wasn't what I meant to do." It's an apology, probably. "Were you surprised?" The question's ridiculously out of place, give the fact that she just took a flying leap out of the swing, but maybe his marbles got knocked loose. Tempest preens, completely ignoring the dumb humans and pulling a twig from his branch to offer Sony. It's an ugly twig, really, but he presents it like it's solid gold. PRESENTS.
Well, of that there's no argument, Sonyxaeth implies from her mind to Tempest's. Zan is, after all, a two-legger. The horror! Still, the gold peeks one eye open when the little blue flares his wings proudly, snapping the lids shut again before he glances back in a proper swoon. Ah yes. Much majesty. Such impressiveness. Esiae, meanwhile, dizzily pushes herself up on her arms, trying and failing several times to answer through the fit of giggles. Okay, maybe Sonyxaeth's sun-bright hide isn't the only reason basecamp has been moved into the woods… "What'd you think would happen?," she finally manages, scooting closer to knock a leaf from the bronzer's leg, nevermind the dozen or so snarling her hair, turning her into an older image of her younger self. "'Course I was surprised! Here I was, mindin' my own, and then 'bah!'" She jumpstarts her upperbody in a scare-jump kind of motion, hands raising into claws. "Terrifying!" Cue more giggling, which eventually fades into a small frown. "Wait. What're you doin' here scaring me anyways? Didn't I send you home?" Dark eyes flick to her dragon and back, sanity waging war with proddiness. Sonyxaeth, meanwhile, is utterly charmed, or perhaps just as much of a ham. She accepts that twig like the gift it was intended to be, laying it to rest carefully between her paws with a murmured, « Thank you, Tempest! Such a lovely gift. You are so thoughtful. » Yep. Definitely a ham.
If Zan notices his darn firelizard flirting like a little champ with Sony, it's not obvious, since while the little blue is preening about his prowess, the bronzerider is giggling dumbly. Maybe he did knock those marbles clean out of his brainpan. It's Esi's fault, obviously, a victim of the gigglefits claiming another in a contagious fit. It's been a long few sevendays; the giggles aren't exactly unwelcome. "Stop," Zan'ri tries, breathing through his nose and then snorting loudly. "I," He's going to defend himself, really. Except. Well. There's really no defense. The leaf-knocking gets a snicker — and he tugs a frill of dry moss out of her hair, waving it in front of the giggling rider's face. "You're th'one ridin' on it like a wherry!" He manages, maturely, wobbling his head back and forth sassily. Two can be ten-turn-olds. The jump-scare sends him back into snorting laughter, which fades into an innocent expression that's just a *little* shifty. Darn the sharp devil, even with proddybrain. "Had some things t'do. Yanno. Here." A beat. "I bet I can climb higher than you." Distract! Distract! Tempest is very grave, at this point, gravely skittering around the forest floor until — hah! A tiny acorn held in his forepaws, he climbs wingily back up, setting the acorn next to the twigs and crooning suavely. Yes, thoughtful. Thoughtful AND pretty. That's him!
And giggling begets more giggling begets more giggling. Round and round it goes. "You stop!," Esi snickers right back, laughter only increasing with a comedic wince when he extracts a bit of moss from her hair. "Oh, gross," she says, but, well, she doesn't move to fix it anyways. Instead, she peaks both brows up at Zan'ri, giving him a sly look before waggling them ridiculously. Wonder where she learned that from. "That's what he said!" Wink. What, they're being ten-turn-olds, right? Right. Her entire face reacts to his shifty answer, brows coming in and lips pursing dubiously, but it's an amusing characture of an angry face rather than the real deal. "Zan'riiiii. I know when you're lying." Fingers waggle to her head, then to his, as though implying their mental connection. Luckily, the distraction tactic works. Granted, keeping up with her right now is like keeping up with a whirlwind, but at least Zan has a general clue about what to do to completely derail her. "NowayIalwayswin." Cue a flurry of leafmatter and a mad dash to the tree whilst Sonyxaeth observes Tempest with equal gravity. The acorn is snuffled and perused - no sense giving in too easily - before the gold whuffles and nods approval. « It is perfect. I shall have mine plant it closer to home, and it will remind us of your strength. »
"You first!" Zan'ri might be thirty-two turns old, but who could tell? If not for the grey in his beard, he could absolutely be a solid ten turns. Maybe eight, when he sticks out his tongue and blows a raspberry. "So gross." Zan agrees solemnly, mirroring the wily expression down to the wiggling eyebows — and then bellowing a laugh. If it were Pernese custom, he'd totally high-five Esi, but alas. All he can really do is giggle maniacally while his friend eyes him suspiciously. Nothin' to see here. He's just highly amused by the scintillating wit, is all. He blinks a few times, even, still snickering as he shakes his head, hand flapping the moss around in what might be a negating gesture. Or maybe just mocking. "M'not lying. I was at home, too!" Well, okay, he was at *a* home. Still suspect as a soft shell, but Zan seems pretty content to follow the whirlwind, trying his damnedest to keep up and not lose too much pride. "You're a liar! A dirty liar! Take that back!" Sure, he's limping a little, but the rider takes off and takes a flying leap at the trunk with a competitive roar. Tempest, vaguely disturbed by the obnoxious humans, spares them a long and disdainful look. Obviously, they don't know What's Up here, since What's Up is the fact that Tempest is a badass and Sonyxaeth is obviously smart enough to see it. The little blue chirps, flicking his wings at the gold and trilling. Of course she will. Too bad the humans aren't useful for anything.
"I can't!," Esiae rejoinders, and perhaps that's true. She's certainly caught up in another fit, even after she turns to blow an equally mature raspberry right back at him. "Gross like your face!," she shouts back with a twinkle before leaping to catch hold of a low branch, feet scrabbling against the giant tree's trunk until she can tug herself up and stand victoriously, hands on hips, grin wide for his bellowing laugh. Yeah, she's great and she knows it. Too bad it only lasts a second. "Yeah, suuure you were. Home," she says, pointing an arch look down at him. "Ain't my fault if you get caught up in all that," she warns, serious for a moment as she darts a wary look towards Sony, though the gold doesn't look like she'll be taking off any time soon… And then she's distracted again, shrieking a laugh for Zan'ri's roar and leaping with no regard for safety for the next branch up, "I ain't a liar, and I ain't takin' nothing back! Neener!" Okay, who's the soft shell now? Indeed, as her human screeches and yells and generally makes a ruckus, the gold joins Tempest in giving them a tut-tut kind of look, but she can only rumble and shrug her wings in answer to the blue's trill, as though to say 'humans, what can you do, right?'
Zan'ri's leap has landed him swinging up on a sturdy branch, feet gripping it as he lets go with one arm to point at the other rider. "You're one to talk!" Brandishing the accusatory finger dramatically, he apparently abruptly remembers he's supposed to be climbing, and returns to that task with a fury. It's a shame that a fury just means that his form is less than great, and the climbing takes way more time than it ought to, with the grand stamping attempts at gaining foot-holds and huffy flailing. The warning gets a longsuffering sigh, too, and a disgruntled noise. "I'm *doin'* stuff! Important stuff! Sony gettin' all glowy weren't in the plan." The rider pouts, and then grins, shimmying sideways to grab another branch to climb up. "Plus, who else's gonna know where you are, and make sure you're eatin' like a normal person?" It's a silly challenge, since well, he's already managed to get the poor girl's head knocked damn near open. Blessedly, he at least has the presence of mind not to say anything involving heads being knocked open. The damn-sharding sneaky goldrider's abrupt climbing catches him off guard — Zan makes another angry sea monster noise and very nearly brains himself skidding for an almost out-of-reach branch above. "YOU! Lyin' about the lie!" Because that makes sense. At least neither of them have fallen out of the tree yet. Tempest has nothing but a disgruntled trill for Zan'ri's attempts to summon cthulhu with the song of his people, and instead daintily picks his way up to the branch above Sony. Might as well keep a lookout. SIGH.
"Pff! I might be gross, but you're not even on my level! I'm gross like a dropped bubbly - I'm probably still good - but your face is the face only a mama wher could love!" Which… probably doesn't say anything nice about O'rly but shhh. Laughing for his sighs and grumbles and scrabbling, the goldrider only just gets her footing on her current branch before she turns and jumps for the next, likely to brain herself all over again at this rate. "Stuff?" Looping her legs over the branch, Esi lets her upper half drop down so she can peer awkwardly upside-down at him, hands hastily tucking her shirt into her pants to keep it from drifting. "What stuff? What plan? Why am I not part of the plan?," she asks, one part petulant, one part incredulous. "How'm I supposed to return the favor of keepin' track of you if you don't listen, wherryhead?" She gives him her best 'eh, Pacha?!' look before swinging herself up to sitting on her branch, laughing just as maniacally for that sea-monster summoning song of his. "Maybe it you didn't waste your breath callin' me a liar, you could catch up!," she taunts through a huff and puff, gathering her feet beneath her before jumping straight up for the branch over her head. Sonyxaeth watches Tempest take his place in the branch above her before lowering her head to the ground, wings once again stretching out to catch what little sun is making it into the clearing. She's accepted that whatever Esiae is going to do, she's going to do at this point - the chances of stopping her are in the negatives.
"Yeah, a bubbly dropped in runner poop!" He doesn't even use 'dung'. Or 'scat'. Or anything else a moderately mature adult might. No, it's right to the 'poop'. And he's interrupting like some sort of uncivilized brat, leaning up to make a face. The level of Sheer Offense at her malignment of his face — his face! — is probably comical, coming with a dramatic gasp and everything. "I'll tell Lory you said so!" Zan threatens, offended or not, grinning maniacally and pausing for breath. Hoo. Somebody's been lounging around fishing for too long, and while we're not pointing fingers…it might be the red-faced hobo leaning against a sharp angled branch and making wherfaces at Esiae, who's still ahead of him. "You never heard of a surprise? S'not a *sharin'* thing until it's done for. What kinda wherry do you take me for?" The rider puffs both cheeks out and snorts, kneeing the branch to scramble up another step closer. He'll catch up, you'll see! And maybe it takes Zan a moment to come up with a solid excuse, maybe not; maybe he's climbing too hard to answer! It could happen. Anyhow, she's laughing maniacally and moving again, so he can only try and keep up with exasperated sighs at this point. "You just focus on yer climbing! Else I'll catch you while you're worryin' about me!" Right! Hah. He wins at comebacks, entirely belated or not; at least the next comes quickly, with a brandished dead branch that had been resting on another. "You just wait! Slow and steady wins the race, glowbrain." He grins, sidling along a branch sideways to climb just in case. Not the best idea to taunt the proddy about the proddy.
"Yeah, but peel off the top layer and I'm still delicious!," Esiae says as though that was her point all along, finally stopping to catch her breath (or, more likely, let him think he's catching up, but shh). "There's no saving wherface." Head tipping back with a laugh for that dramatic gasp, the goldrider shakes her head at him, crooking one eyebrow expressively. "And I'll feign innocent and tell her I did no such thing. Bets on who she'll believe first?," she giggles with a knowing look. She snickers for that red-faced glaring, but brown eyes still narrow down at him, playful and analytical and accusational all at once. Don't ask us how. "You look like a wherry tryin' to accomplish something in my weyr as if I couldn't find out if I wanted!," she sasses after a moment and, well, she does have a point. She might have more to add to that, but then it's her turn to gasp, hand pressing to her chest in a very 'moi???' fashion. "Glowbrain?! Oh, that's it, Alzanbri." And she's scrabbling… back down the tree, gleeful murder written all over her features. Uh oh. Ruuun!
Zan'ri makes a horrified face, craning his head 'round to pbbblth at Esi. "Gross! Poop tart." His mouth fully turns down, a comically exaggerated grimace as she pauses. Zan's, well, maybe not the brightest — still taunting the proddy rider, even while fleeing like a wherry from a wher. "Neither of us! We'll both end up cleanin' the whole shardin' house like we're kids. Not grown-up shardin' riders." He calls back, in an inspired moment of reasonable thought. Zan does pause, then, to flail both arms dramatically. "Y'could miss a bonfire in front'a your face right now!" He grins, like a fucking dumbass, and cackles off around the branches. Going horizontal is way easier, anyways, since he does at least have the arm strength to swing from branch to branch while giggling maniacally. Further and further out, too, down the heavier parts of the limbs to the parts that bounce and sway as he scrabbles along in fear for his mortal life. FLEE. "You coming to get me or stoppin' to take a sunbath?" Dig the hole, Zan. Dig it deeper, you dumbass.
Esiae makes a face right at him, skinning her elbow real good as she all but flings herself down from her branch to the next one down, but she doesn't seem to notice as she lets loose a cackle and flings insult right back at him, because that's the level they've sunken to now. "Wherface!" She does pause when sound logic concerning the punishment for them manages to sing in, the woman's face screwing up impressively with a nod. "Sounds about right, really. Best not bring it up, then, I got enough to do without—" And then he says she could miss a bonfire right in front of her face and oh, it's on. She drops onto a branch at his level with a thud that sends a few colorful leaves spiralling to the ground, but she doesn't seem to notice, instead chasing him 'round and 'round the tree and really he probably should be afraid because she's only just paying attention to where she's putting her feet. Even then, it's only so she has enough purchase that, when she finally gets close enough, the goldrider bodily tackles him. Thankfully it's autumn and there's a thick layer of leaves on the ground because unless he's got a good hold on a branch somehow, they're going down, I'm yellin' timberrr~.
They're children, but hey, at least they're not crying or potentially lopping off limbs with axes or knives or anything? "Wherbutt!" Zan rejoins, colorfully, and he might have paraded around his victory as far as parental guidance (thirty-plus year old…) if not for the sudden rabid Esiae. Giggling wildly, the rider puts extra sprints in his running, screeching at the top of his lungs and flinging himself from branch to branch. Whether actually afraid of the wrath of the goldrider or just not wanting to have to explain why he's got a couple of shiners, the guy can sure work it when he puts his mind to it. "You're too slow!" He hollers, but maybe that's his downfall, since in the next moment he's bodily tackled out of their tree limb-y perch. Zan screams like a tiny kid, whooping a loud noise that turns into a groan as soon as he hits the leaves. The good news is that the tackle's landed him on the bottom of the procession. The bad news is, well, he's landed on the bottom of the procession. "oof. You win." Wheezing a giggle, Zan drops his face into the leaves and sprawls starfish-ly. Yep. He's just gonna…be…here. Totally good.
There are those beautiful moments in life when you realize you've Gone Too Far. Sometimes life gives you a chance to pull back and try again. Other times, life tosses you out by your britches and tells you to deal with it. Judging by the look of surprise and mild horror on Esiae's face as she connects with Zan'ri and they go down, this is one of the latter. Thankfully, Zan does take the brunt of the fall, but so does the goldrider's wrist, one arm thrown out to catch some of her weight off the bronzerider, the other wrapped around him, and neither of them undamaged. "OW, sharding fucking twatnoodles in a sandbag, gah, fucking Faranth and her shiny bitty bits OW—" and so the expletives go, Esiae rolling off Zan'ri's back to cradle what is at the very least a sprained wrist, giggling and whining hysterically in turns between swear words. "Damn right I win," is muttered more as a defiant afterthought than anything, right hand raising to swat at a large golden nostril that suddenly appears in her visage. "M'FINE, Sony, jeez, just ow shells," giggle, "I think I might've hurt something." No, you think? "Daaamnation." Snorting at her human - if she can swear, she's fine - the gold turns to sniff at Zan'ri. Y'okay there buddy?
"Ugh." Zan's winded and words aren't really working too much; even once Esi realizes her wrist is injured. He does turn a little to squint at the rider, making an impressed kind of grunting noise at the range of curses and mutters. Then again, though, she did lean from literal sailors, they both did, so maybe it's not really all that surprising. "Feels good." The bronzer wheezes stoutly, looking for all the world like he'd like her to think that nothing's wrong at all. She didn't get him good, nooo. He just ceded the fight because she got /herself/ hurt, y'see. Obviously. There's no real reason he hasn't managed to pull himself up. Shush. "'ja break it?" Zan leans up on an elbow, makes a face, then lowers himself back into the leaves. Either he's managed to hurt something, or is a drama queen; really, it could be either, with Zan'ri. "S'not fine. Crazy like a wherry." The other rider corrects, making a grimace-y face at Sony. Does she see this? What he puts up with? Reaching with one hand, Zan tucks it around a giant gold nostril and sort-of manages to sit up, more or less…not. Supported by Sony, at least, he turns to eye Esi. "Alright. C'mon, let's go wrap it, dummy. 'fore it swells up. Might make…" What does that gesture mean? "Y'know. Difficult." And now he's giggling, too. Great.
Esiae is breathing a little hysterically from pain and proddiness both, but she still has the ability to glare over at Zan'ri, and oh but she does. "Should'a just flattened you then," she huffs without meaning it. "Next time I won't be so nice." Because of course there will be a next time she tackles him out of a tree. Sigh. She cackles devilishly when it becomes clear he can't manage to sit up under his own power, but the noise is short-lived when he points out her wrist. Wince. "Shells, dunno. I don't think so but by she shards of the sand-blasted first egg, it still hurts," she says, no less a drama queen, and a Harper to boot. Still, she's not so injured that she can't turn to aim a swift kick at him for calling her crazy. Words might have accompanied that, but then he's making a crude gesture and her eyes go wide, jaw opening unflatteringly before: "I'll make your-" gesture gesture "-difficult!" Still, some part of her must understand that care of the wrist is needed, and soon, for she's already rolling to her feet, if not a little unsteadily. Luckily there's room enough on Sony's face for two riders to lean, and the gold is tolerant, if not vastly amused. Riders. Seriously.
"You did flatten me." Zan'ri pouts, trying his best to stand up and failing somewhat ridiculously. "Nice." He mumbles, rolling his eyes like he's twelve and stopping for breath. Poor Sony, indeed, because Zan doesn't so much look like he's planning on leaving the poor dragon's face any time real soon. This is his home now. "Helpful. Shells. I hope you didn't break it, shells shardit whershit. They're gonna kill us." The kick lands, because Zan is busy contemplating their respective demises, but the abrupt silence is slightly more distracting. Zan's mouth presses together in a thin line of definitely-not-laughing, and he huffs through his nose, eyes wide and amused. "M'just sayin'." He tries, innocently, and finally manages to stand by way of a nice sharp-defined part of the gold's face. Bless her. "Thank ya, Sony." A beat, and he's taking a step, and totally manages! He doesn't even fall over, though he's still making ridiculous faces of over-dramatic pain. "…which way'd we come from? Shells." A poet, Zan'ri is not.
"Semantics! 'Sides, I tried clearly, or we wouldn't be having this problem," Esiae says with a giggle and a wince as she shakes the wrist in question just a little too hard. There's a raspberry offered to his eyerolling, not much room for maturity in her head either as she takes up her own residence against Sonyxaeth's cheek. "Kill us? Naw. They'll just point and laugh and circulate rumors like they always do," she says with false cheer, brandishing her damaged wrist again. "Wonder what I'll get this time." Something with quite a lot to do with that gesture of his, no doubt. Still, she aims a little slap over at Zan's shoulder with her good hand for that innocent look, teeth baring in a fierce grin. "Not with the face. And yeah yeah, just "sayin'". Well I'm just sayin' bite me." Esi watches his progress with an amused squint, definitely about to call him out if he falls, but his question eventually distracts her, brow furrowing slightly as she glances around too. "Uh…" A beat. "This way!" And off she goes. Probably in the wrong direction, but hopefully Sony will correct her before long…
Zan'ri's squint back at Esi is all bite; or maybe bark, since he doesn't actually bite, just kind of bares his teeth like a two turn old. "Sure ya did." He huffs mournfully, pbbbbfting his own raspberry and managing a few more steps. "No, my /mom/." Zan clarifies, although in hindsight, it really could work with either one. Faranth only knows what the older assholes get up to when Zan's being an ass. Could the rumors circulate back to them? "Just," Miming an explosion of guts puts him a little off balance, but look! There's a tree branch, convenient to lean over for a minute. "That one's given, anyhow." And he's snickering, flinging out a hand to slappy-fit the hand away with a high-pitched noise. Just for revenge, the sad eyes come out again, accompanied by a distinctly less-than-adorable grunt as he gets his sea legs back and goes back to walking. AGONY. "Bite yourself, glowbasket." Really, he's about as dim as a moonless night, this one. Still he does follow Esi, if she manages to not shove him facefirst into the nearest tree before the end of the walk. HELP, Sony.
"Yeah well… When I squish ya like a pancake next time, you'll know the diff'rence," Esiae ripostes, equally as barkily. "But ah… right." The color drains a little from her cheeks as she considers the rumors in conjunction with O'rly, eyes squinting as she tries and fails to come up with a plausible cover story. "I mean. We can always say I fell out of the tree and you caught me?" And, well, that's the beauty of their friendship: she might give him shit, but Esiae definitely has Zan's back. "You can be my hero. I'll be sure to swoon a lot," she says with a nose-wrinkled grin and a wink. "That way she'll know we did shit, but it'll be one of those… roll her eyeballs and tell us to act like adults seriously this time though and it'll blow right on over." Beam! The plan amuses her enough that she doesn't even react to him calling her a glowbasket, but if her foot just happens to stick out and send him tumbling on the way back to the weyr ("Watch out for roots, clumsy!"), wellllll…