
Xanadu Weyr - Weyrling Barracks
A long and roughly oblong cavern, about a third of the space is open, used for classes or chores as required. The rest of the space is filled with couches of varying sizes, all with plenty of space between them. Some couches are obviously intended for the very young weyrlings while the largest ones at the back are for the older weyrlings.
Young dragons grow… well, like young dragons. It's amazing how much larger they seem to get overnight, and there's been a fair number of overnights since that hatching. The weyrlings have been kept busy with caring for their lifemates and various lessons. Today, there's to be another one of those. It's a bit after lunchtime - have the babies settled into a regular feeding schedule yet? Sometimes it takes a while. Anyway, it's early afternoon, the lesson space is ready, the weyrling pairs may or may not be, and Soriana comes strolling in with a book under one arm and a covered bucket in the other.
While it may be lesson time, Innes is otherwise occupied. It's her impetuous gold companion who has her attention, both of them eyeing the doorway as they plot an escape from the barracks. Kairoikyriath is restless, and well, Innes can always deal with the repercussions later, right? She's living for the moment. Or at least she's planning to, right up until the moment that Soriana walks into the barracks. The weyrling swears under her breath. Unfortunately, she has a healthy amount of respect for her fellow goldrider, and unlike the kind of grudging respect that she offers the weyrlingmaster and assistants, this is the kind that doesn't allow for quite as much rule-breaking. Kairoikyriath huffs, and Innes moves to lean her full weight against the gold to keep her from charging for the exit anyway. "What brings you to our humble home, Las Sorianas?"
Kera steps over Moncerath's tail, which is swishing back and forth slowly just above the floor, and gives a few last swipes of the oily rag to the growing dragon's hide. Tossing the rag on the side of the couch, she gives her dragonmate an affectionate pat, gesturing towards the lesson area where other pairs are already gathering. "Come on Mon, better get a good spot while we can." A warble and a lifting up of wings as the green waddles awkwardly at Kera's side, who crouches down to a knee next to her dragonmate as Innes announces Las Sorianas's arrival. Her fellow weyrling's greeting causes a chuckle and she lifts a hand in greeting "G'afternoon Soriana."
Oh, repercussions. They're always later, up until they're now. But time… well, dragons aren't always so good at connecting past and future. That's what they have companions for. At… least in theory. Soriana smiles to Innes. If Kairoikyriath does try a charge for the door, she may run right into Luraoth. The older (She's not the baby anymore!) gold is lounging in the weyrling grounds, chatting to some of the AWLM dragons. Because after this comes playtime, right? But first… "Oh, well, I figured I'd see what you'd done with the place," Soriana replies lightly. "Check out the decor and all." By which she means the same hide-worn and claw-gouged surfaces as ever, once more splattered with oil and scrubbed clean after other things. She waves back to Kera, and makes her way to set that book and bucket on a desk facing out into the open space. Gather round, younglings?
Luckily, Innes' weight is doing enough (for now) to keep Kairoikyriath in place, because she's not too keen on damaging her rider by removing the only thing that's holding her up. With any luck, lessons will prove enoug distraction to allow Innes to move without risk of a gold dragon charging the weyrling grounds and being caught. "I was going to decorate the whole place with really extravagant decorations, but apparently that's frowned upon," she quips, grinning. She didn't really try to do that, but what's a little white lie among friends? At least her living area is… sort of neat. Better than it was in the candidate barracks, although that's not saying much. Given her precarious situation, she stays where she is for the moment. It's close enough to hear Soriana, but she'll wait until Kairoikyriath has fully settled before she comes any nearer.
Kera grins at Soriana's retort and cast a glance around the cavern. Shifting her gaze around, a brow lift at some thought that accurs to her. "Which couch was Luraoth's?" A quick scan over the couches as she chuckles "Has the decor changed very much from your time in here?" A smirk and quick nod to Innes "Yea, the Headwoman tends to frown on redecorating." Ducking her head down quickly in case the headwoman should appear from a shadow. Best not mention her by name, in case that would actually summon her. When Soriana begins settling things at the desk, Kera's gaze falls on the bucket and eyes it warily.
"Luraoth? Oh, I think she slept in at least half of 'em," Soriana says with an airy wave of one hand, then nods about the redecorating. "It is. You set up one indoor skating rink, and you'll never hear the end of it." There's a faint smirk, proooobably because she doesn't have to deal with the consequences of anyone who just got a fun idea from that. At least not directly. She… may yet get a V'dim-stare of her very own. Oh well! She's not actually here to do barracks inspections today. No indeedy. Neither is the headwoman! Though. "Depends on the redecorating." The right sort might have Darsce quite pleased! But that's not really the point. So! Soriana pushes herself up to perch on the edge of that desk, and looks over the weyrlings. Here they all are! "Hi!" She pauses a moment, in case they manage the chorus of greetings. "Whose dragon has tripped and fallen on something?" She grins. "Whacked a wing? Stubbed a toe?"
Innes arches a brow at the mention of an 'indoor skating rink'. Take that idea and run with it? Why, she'd never. Well. Alright, yes she would. "I'm sure if it were a properly designed skating rink…" she trails off with a mischievous grin and a shrug that leaves it difficult to say whether she's joking or not. Kairoikyriath seems somewhat interested in this, at least, and Innes leans in closer to confer with her quietly. Kera gets a grin and a little waggle of her eyebrows as she suggests, "We could always test that theory." Ever helpful, this one. Soriana's question gets a bit of a nod, followed by an annoyed huff by Kairoikyriath. She hasn't tripped and fallen on anything, thank you. She meant to do it every time. It's her brothers and sisters who need the help.
Kera chuckles and nods "Makes sense, expecially as she got bigger." A grin is flashed to Innes and her dragonmate "Bet Kairo's big ole butt will grow right out of the one she's using now soon enough." She's teasing her friend of coarse and slips an arm over Moncerath's neck, absentmindedly sccratching a spot between her dragonmate's wings. Wincing when Soriana mentions an 'ice skating rink', Kera's gaze drift towards the ceiling. She doen't even need to look, she knows that wicked little gleam is dancing across the goldling's eyes. Cutting her eyes to Innes, yep! There is is. Wicked little gleams sparking all through her friend's brain. "Before you make any more plans about Ice Rinks, Innes, please recall we are still on thin ice over our middle of the night baths." The greenling healer gives the other weyrling a pointed look before peering back towards the queenrider baring desk. Each condition Soriana mentions is met with a round of assenting nods and agreeable murmurs among the gathered pairs, Kera among them. "Moncerath has gotten a few bumps and small scrapes….and her butt isn't nearly as big as most of her clutchsiblings." A gaze may or may not have slipped briefly over to Kairo's ever widening self.
Ice? Oh no. Soriana didn't say ice. Just… skating. Any ideas being gotten… well. Don't put it in front of the door to the office, not unless you want V'dim to break his neck. Actually, on second thought, don't put it there even if you want V'dim to break his neck - they'd probably replace him with someone worse. There's a faint smirk teasing about Soriana's lips as she listens to the candidates. Thin ice? Oh, yes, but they can't put hatchlings back into the shell. Never promote them past junior weyrling? Now that, they can do. But! She's not here to review plans for skating rinks. Besides, that's the Steward's job. Soriana's here to ask about stubbed toes, and she nods at the responses. There's been no major injuries thus far - she would have heard - but still. "Hurts, doesn't it?" Her grin turns wry as she gives them another glance around, and her tone's more serious as she goes on. "That's the bond, and it's what makes each and every one of you the person who's best equipped to understand when there's something wrong with your dragon." She smiles. "Which is why we're going to talk about how a dragon's put together, so you know how things are supposed to be."
Kairoikyriath isn't widening, thank you very much. Nor is her butt big. It's perfectly proportional to the rest of her. Or at least it will be, when the rest of her stops growing in fits and starts that make her entire body a bit unwieldy. But unruly body parts aside, the gold doesn't appear pleased to be singled out for anything less than being exceptional - regardless of the fact that no one has actually singled her out. Innes lays a comforting hand against the gold's hide, keeping a careful eye on Kairoikyriath's temper while trying not to let her companion's indignance infuence her own mood. Kera's response gets a grin, wink and a smirk, her expression holding no hints of a promise to behave. Thin ice is exciting, after all. Isn't the fun worth the trouble? "So you're here to tell us whether our dragons have wings where they ought to have tails," she calls out, which causes Kairoikyriath to swiftly turn her head and assess her own situation. Wings, check. Tail, check. Leg all underneath her… check. That's right, isn't it?
Kera nods and eases down to sit next to Moncerath, then thinks better of her position and shuffles forward. Now that she's it of her dragonmate's wingspace a glance around the othre weyrlings, wiggling fingers at Innes and smirking at whatever plots are in the works in the goldling's head. Soriana's question of hurting gets a nod "For a moment it did." Maybe the little healer cheated and used her numb-oil blend. Innes's smart comment draws a smirk and amused headshake. "And other than a few incedent when she tried eting too quickly, there haven't been any problems, so far."
Soriana nods to Kera. Minor injuries tend to not hurt for long sort of by definition! As for Innes, she smirks slightly. "I should hope you figured out that part already, but there we are, thing one." Her gaze leaves the golding, looking over the others again, and she nods to Kera about those few incidents. "If there's ever something that seems - not just wrong, but even just different about your dragon, you should figure out what it is. If you can't, you should talk to a weyrlingmaster or dragonhealer until you do. There's nothing wrong with checking out something innocuous." And eating too fast could mean choking! So… it's good to be aware of things. "Dragons have stronger bones than we do. This means that most of the time, their injuries are to the muscle. There are a lot of those." She smiles crookedly. "I don't expect you to learn them, but I want to point a few things out." Another glance over the group. "Can I have a volunteer?"
"I think I've got it all sorted out," Innes agrees. And thankfully, Kairoikyriath does, too… although the first few days of weyrlinghood were a great mess of which-limbs-go-where-again? that she isn't likely to forget any time soon. The gold still has troubles tripping over herself at times, but at least she knows which limbs belong where. Normally Innes would be the first to volunteer, but given the moody dragon at her side, she's hesitant this time. Instead, she calls out, "I bet Kera would be happy to help." Because when it doubt, volunteer your friends! The mention of anything different doesn't go unnoticed by the weyrling, who makes a mental note to consider the idea of speaking to someone about the uneven way in which Kairo seems to be growing. It seems to be nothing, but you can't put a price on peace of mind.
Kera smiles when Moncerath's wedgey head rest over her shoulder with a crooning nuzzle. Rubbing lightly along her dragonmate's jaw, Kera listens to Soriana, head dipping agreeably at some points. Shifting around to turn more towards the young green, her gaze slips over what she can see of Mon's hide then cuts her gaze to Innes when her friend volunteers her. This isn't the first time her fellow weyrlings volunteered her for a lesson. Previously, everyone shuffled back and leaving her standing well ahead, looking eager even if she really wasn't. Lifting a brow that promises payback towards Innes, the greenling turns a smile to her dragonmate "Come on Moncerath, let's show them rest that there is nothing to be afraid of." Her gaze drifts around towards the pairs on either side of her as she urges the young green forward.
Knowing where the limbs should be is the first step! Actually getting them there? That part can be rather harder to manage. But theory is a good start. So are volunteers! Which… Innes seems to think Kera is. Fortunately, Kera also seems to think Kera is, so that works out. Soriana doesn't jump into that, just waiting out the looks the weyrlings give each other, then hopping down from the table edge as Kera and her green come forward. "Hello, Moncerath," she says to the dragon. "If you'd just stand right here, with your side to the others?" She indicates a spot. "Thank you." Then, while the green moves into position, Soriana looks out to the rest of the class. "Muscles are used for motion. A lot of injuries happen because a muscle gets used too hard, or isn't stretched first. This is why, when they tell you to do warmups, you listen." She smiles crookedly. "So. Starting with the legs -" and she names some of the most important muscles, indicating on Moncerath where they are and working up legs and over the body to "-used for extending the wings. Very common to strain when you first start flights; there's not much else that uses it, and dragons are heavy." As they… may or may not have noticed, says the twitch of her lips.
Innes should probably be more cautious about volunteering her fellow weyrlings for things without their permission, but… caution is for the weak. Or just for the practical, one of the two. Either way, it's for the type of person that Innes is not, which is why Kera has been volunteered (again!) and the youngest goldrider isn't the slightest bit worried about her friend's revenge plans. Hopefully Kera realizes by now that if she strikes back, Innes will be forced to return the favor. The demonstration seems to be settling Kairoikyriath - or at least distracting her - which leaves her rider finally able to settle into a position which doesn't consist of awkwardly leaning against the dragon's side. Instead she settles on the floor, casting glances between Soriana's demonstration and the gold at her side for comparisons. "Is that likely to happen no matter what, or will they be able to avoid the strain if we excercise and stretch every day?"
Kera eases a couple steps back from her dragonmate as Moncerath sidles around as Soriana request. Lifting her head high, wings droop a bit but don't touch the ground as lanky limbs are stretched to show the flex of muscles under the hide. Kera shifts her position as needed to examine where Soriana is currently speaking about. Differant muscles groups mentioned have the young green stretching her wings out marginally and working them in slow flaps to 'warm up'. Kera smirks at her dragonmate "Don't get any bright ideas Mon, not inside. Ever." She steps closer to the green to steady her when an outstretched wing begins to tip the young dragon over. "You need to set your paws further apart before stretching your wings like that Mon." The weyrling grows quiet after that, taking mental notes of what needs to be researched more later. Innes's question gets a thoughtful nod as Soriana gets her attention again.
But firelizards get to fly around indoors, why not dragons? Soriana's careful to duck from those wings, giving Kera a smile as she quiets her dragon. "Try having her do that sometime while you rest your hands on her wing to feel the muscles," she suggests, then looks out to… Innes. "They're likely to be tired no matter how much you prepare, but if you keep up with exercise and stretches, you'll have a better chance that it's just tired. Stretches before, caution during," because toppling over is a bad idea, "and after… heat's one thing that'll help. Unlike you, your dragons can't soak in the hot springs," and she says that with a straight face, even! Of course… could they even fit, at this point? They certainly won't be able to by the time they're full-grown! "-but you can use hot towels draped on the muscles. Oiling's good for that too, if you massage it in firmly. And - if those aren't enough… there's numbweed."
It's probably for the best that Kairoikyriath is becoming so large, as it will keep the gold from doing anything stupid… like attmpting to spread her wings in the weyrling barracks and accidentally smacking her fellows. Or Innes, for that matter. She bobs her head with Soriana's answer, casting a glance back to Kairoikyriath. Hear that? It's exercise all the time. She may not be the most responsible when it comes to staying out of trouble, but she's not willing to risk th gold's health or well-being just for the sake of avoiding daily exercise. The mention of the hot springs gets a smirk. It's a shame they're too big to attempt that again - although likely a good thing for the peace of mind of all authority figures around the weyr. "How'd it go for you and Luraoth, the first time?"
Kera nods a time or two as she slips her hand over Moncerath's hide while wings are stretched gently, lifted and lowered. Running her hand back and forth as the muscles stretch and contract under her hand. Stretching excercises. Hot towels. Oily massage. Next step..? How oil massage of coarse. Chuckling to herself, she gives an affectionate pat to her dragonmate. "Well, not anymore. At least for the larger ones." Odds are Moncerath could still fit through the spring entrance. Leaning back, she turns to peer at Innes and smirks at her friend before turning back to Soriana. "Would warming the oil improve it's soothing qualities?"
…oh, there's always stupid things to be done, no matter how large a dragon gets. They're just… new and different ones. Soriana leans back against the edge of the desk for the question and her experience. "We had a lot of stretching to do." She smiles slightly. "When Luraoth hatched, her wings were uneven because of a problem with a tendon." Not that you can tell it, to look at her now. "It took a lot of work from both of us to get that fixed. We were doing extra exercises with it, every day. But… she did it, and flew with the rest of her clutchmates when the time came." The smile is one of reminiscence, and then she turns her gaze back to Kera. Hot oil? "Don't burn yourself." Because, ow! But… "If your dragon likes it, sure. The point's really the massage, but the extra oil is good for their hides."
Well, yes. Stupid things can always be discovered, and it's very likely that Innes and Kairoikyriath will be the masterminds behind a good number of those things before they finally reach graduation. "Huh." Her head cants, considering her image of Luraoth to this news that the gold had a tendon problem when hatched. She would never have guessed. "So you were pretty prepared, then," she says finally, adding, "Was anyone not ready? Like were there any injuries?" Because that's the part she's curious about. Anything to put a bit of fear into Kairoikyriath, just in case the young gold isn't keen on stretching when she could be doing. She glances over at Kera with an arched brow. "Are you really going to heat up all the oil she'll need when she's bigger than she is now?"
Kera glances around when her question seems to amuse a few of the weyrlings. "What? It wasn't /that/ odd of a question." Rolling her gaze back towards the Jr. Weyrwoman, she mutters "And I doubt I was the only one wondering about it either." Giving a quick headshake to clarify herself "OH no, not hot, Don't want to burn. Was just considering expanding the idea of heat therapy with using warm oil." Innes retort draws Kera's gaze and she shrugs "I might. Why not? It wouldn't take that long to heat up a few cups of oil. That's all she would need. Not whole buckets at a time. So really it wouldn't be 'that' much, and if we worked out a routine.." Kera shrugs and doesn't really see the problem with it, if it's what her dragonamte wants.
And graduation, well, it's not just an end but also a beginning… of a whole new set of stupid? Maybe, but one thing at a time! First they've got to survive that long! Soriana nods to Innes. "A whole lot of prepared." So much! And so many nights spent wondering if it would be enough, but… "There almost were," she says of injuries. "A couple dragons rushed into it and nearly crashed into each other. That could have been very bad, possibly even broken wings - and those almost never heal right. They could have been grounded for life." Her tone is a serious one. "This is why you listen to V'dim. If he says wait - even if it seems stupid - you wait. He knows what he's doing." There's a slight twitch of her lips. Yes, he's a boring old fossil, but he's competent. He's gotten how many generations of Xanadu's riders trained and not dead? Enough, that's how. Soriana pushes herself up from the desk at the stir over Kera's question, and frowns slightly as her eyes flick to certain places in the group, then return to the healer-weyrling. "You're welcome to try it. I doubt it'll make much difference from a medical perspective, but if you and your dragon both think it's worthwhile, that's good enough." She smiles slightly. "Just test the heat before you apply it." Because she doesn't want to see any burnt dragons! "Now, speaking of tests…"
"I guess if you're just doing specific parts of the wings," Innes allows, but there's still skepticism in her tone about the whole thing. She's not a healer, after all, so she's more inclined to think that heating up oil is just a waste of time and effort. Kairoikyriath seems to enjoy the oil just fine as it is. "So, don't be stupid about flying," she concludes lightly, but here's a note of concern to her gaze as she glances to the gold at her side. It's hard enough convincing Kairo to sit still for extended periods of time. It's even harder to imagine being able to keep the willful dragon under control when the promise of flight is actually close to being a reality. She's going to have to work hard on exerting her influence to keep them both safe. Her eyes narrow and her expression turns to a frown when Soriana mentions tests. Yes, she's more than a little bit suspicious of that word. "What about tests?" she asks with some trepidation. She was paying attention, of course, but that doesn't mean he wants to be tested on the material.
Kera nods at the warm oil idea if Moncerath likes it, but puts it on the back burner for now. Canting her head toward Innes and Kairo, she watches the pair briefly before peering back to Soriana's continued warnings. Overlarge wings and stretch with a bit more enthusiasm, causing Kera's attention to go back to the young green. "You got more growing to do before you'll be ready for flying Moncerath." Not as much as some others, but even so. A bit of disappointed sounds in the young green's warble, which causes Kera to slip hr arm around her dragonmate's neck. The idea of test doesn't seem to phase her, why would it, apprentice's are used to being tested.
"Yeah," Soriana says to Innes, and her gaze lingers on the weyrling, seeing that look given to the young gold. "Stupid mistakes mean long stays in the infirmary." And if Kairoikyriath thinks the barracks are boring, just wait until she's staring at a wall and watching the dragonhealers do paperwork! Hopefully… she'll never find out. At least not as a patient being stuck there. Part of that will be Innes, learning to exert her will on that strong young mind. Good luck! (She'll need it.) Soriana looks to Kera then, and smiles at Moncerath's enthusiasm. "She can still jump around… once we're done." But first! That test. Do they remember all the names of the muscles she gave? Or… "I mentioned numbweed. There's two things we can do for dragons who're hurt. One is to ask a queen to help control the pain." She glances to Innes, but only briefly. "The other is to use numbweed. If your dragon's hurt badly, they're likely to be panicky and stressed, which is why you're going to show them what numbweed is like now." She reaches for that bucket and opens it. Inside, there's the thick salve and a paddle for applying it. "You're each going to test the numbweed on a patch of your dragon's hide. That way, if something happens, they - and you - will have one less thing to worry about."
The chances of Kairoikyriath (and everyone else involved) being able to survive an extended stay in the infirmary isn't great. She's likely to drive everyone insane, which won't bode well for her rider, either. So it's probably for the best that Innes keeps Kairo in tip-top shape and out of trouble. It will spare everyone the trouble of attempting to control a very, very impatient gold. "Ask a queen?" A glance goes to the dragon at her side. It's hard for Innes to imagine Kairoikyriath or herself in such a sitution. Not that she doubts the gold's ability to do so once taught, mind. Kairo is a perfectionist, after all. But it's a position she never imagined herself in, and to do so now requires some amount of reflection. After a few moments, her gaze focuses on the pail of numbweek with some suspicion. Put that on Kairoikyriath? Well, it's better than the other kind of test, but she's not entirely sure how well this will go over. "Just a little bit?"
Kera smirks to her dragonmate with a shake of her head "Don't worry Moncerath, our time in the infirmary won't be cause of you." A half step back is taken to brace herself from the nudging muzzle that wuffles against her chest. Hugging the green with a grin, "After we're done she said. Lesson now, play later. I promise." For the next few seconds, it's just her and Moncerath, then with a gentle scritch over eye ridges, Kera turns her attention back to Innes and Soriana. Attention slips between the queen riders, then the bucket of numbweed. A bit of a guilty expression slips over her face before it slips away and she stands a little taller. Not her fault the other weyrlings didn't think of numbweed in a small pot of oil like she did, so she knows Moncerath won't have a bad reaction. Glancing towards the goldling, she smirks "I bet Innes would 'love' to volunteer Kairo to go first this time, doncha Innes?"
"That's right," Soriana says to Innes's question about the queens, such as it is. Her eyes linger as she adds, "That'll be another lesson." To be had later, but… all the queens of Xanadu take turns being on-call for the dragon infirmary. Luraoth does it more often than the others - but that's mostly just because Soriana's there as a dragonhealer. Kairoikyriath will be expected to do the same… eventually. Soriana looks over the others, smiles slightly for Kera and Moncerath - not that she knows anything about the healer's adventures in numbing oils - then arches a brow. "There's no rush," she says. "And yes, just a little bit. Anywhere they'd like… but I'd suggest a spot of side or tail."
When the time comes, chances are Kairoikyriath will be hard at work devising another ('better') strategy for dragon care which doesn't involve her spending time in the infirmary, or even being on-call. But for the moment, the young queen is more concerned with that pail and the foreign numbweed. Not, of course, that she'll allow her fellow weyrlings to know this. "Sure," Innes says with a shrug, smirking over at Kera to suggest that the idea of going first doesn't bother her in the slightest. Why, she was about to volunteer! Gold and rider exchange a look before Innes steps forward, reaching out for the paddle. "Tail, if you please," she instructs Kairoikyriath, who turns to offer it in a wide swipe that may come close to smacking a few fellow weyrlings. Oops. Despite trepidation on both their parts, both rider and dragon are experts when it comes to feigned nonchalance. Innes scoops up a bit of the substance with the paddle and gently administers it to a small spot on the gold's tail. Kairoikyriath promptly whips her head around to stare at the spot, eyes whirling with curiosity.
Kera 's amused smirk to Innes is short lived as she has to get Moncerath moving out of Kairo's way. "Watch where she swings that thing." Not wanting to be smushed by a shiny big ole butt, the young green waddles awkwardly out of the way with Kera. Shifting back around, the pair watch Innes and Kairo. Noticing the young gold's reaction, Kera lowers her head and grins quietly. After a few seconds, she lifts her gaze again, peering around the gathered weyrling pairs before turning her attention back to the youngest queen to see how she handles the odd sensation she is probably having.
Soriana smiles as she waits for the weyrlings to do the test. She's in no rush! Not that she doesn't have plenty of other important things to do, but… she actually doesn't seem impatient in the slightest, just hanging out and watching. And hiding a smile as Kairoikyriath's tail almost thwaps into things and lets her demonstrate other parts of injury treatment. (It'd be less of a smile if it didn't stay an almost, but… it does.) And then… the test! True to its name, the numbweed… makes things numb. It's cool and faintly slick at first, kind of like a bit of squelchy mud, and then the spot… just sort of stops feeling. There's still the vague sense of it being there, and if it's poked hard enough, the flesh deep enough to not be numb will respond, but beyond that? Nope. Nothing to feel here! Soriana gives the dragon a moment to notice that, then addresses the class. "While we're doing this… any questions?" Because, hey, she's gotta be here to supervise. She might as well keep talking!
Kairoikyriath stares at the spot on her tail. And stares. She twists to try to get close enough to smell the offending spot, but her tail moves away, and so she chases it. Around and around a couple of turns until she finally catches up to herself and stumbles, ending up with a snout shoved into the slathered on numbweed that Innes didn't manage to rub in completely, which leaves the confused queen with a faintly numb muzzle, as well. Her rider, meanwhile, is simply staring at the gold in bemusement. After a moment she clears her throat, which seems to remind Kairoikyriath that there are others in the room. She freezes immediately. Right, well, she meant to do that. Carry on!
Kera 's head cants as she watches the young queen, each circuit Kairo makes causes the greenling to lose the battle to contain her amusement. She can't stop the snicker that slips out, even though a hand is lifted to try and cover it. Soon other weyrlings are showing signs of amusement as well when a chorus of giggles and full out laughs begin to fill the room. Kera has to slip an arm around Moncerath to keep herself upright when the singleminded young queen gets a snout full of numbweed. Turning her attention to Soriana, Kera is swiping at her eyes and very pointedly NOT looking at Kairo or Innes at the moment. When it's Moncerath's turn, a dollop of numbweed is spread on the green's shoulder. The green muzzle swivels down to investigate, shoulder shifted a bit and a surprised warble. Evidently full strength feels differant than the numboil mix Kera uses. Moncerath's sniffing and investigating of her shoulder isn't nearly as destructive, or entertaining, as Kairo's.
This is your dragon. This is your dragon on numbweed. Any questions? Soriana watches with mild amusement as Kairoikyriath chases… not her tail. That'd be undignified, and she's clearly not that. Nope. She's chasing the numbweed, which just so happens to be on her tail. Soriana at least doesn't laugh aloud. All those hours spent in formal meetings are good for something in the way of self control. She just… smiles. After Kairoikyriath, there's Moncerath, and then… all the rest. Maybe Kairo's ensured that none of the rest are anxious? She's put them at ease. Intentionally. …maybe.
Yes! That's it. Kairoikyriath was merely demonstrating the humorous properties of numbweed for the rest of the class. She was most certainly not confused and disturbed by a little bit of salve on her tail. Even Innes is smothering an amused smirk, though for the sake of Kairo's dignity she's trying her best to keep a straight face. Kairoikyriath is in the midst of attempting to figure out the sensation which has spread to her snout, while simulataneously trying not to move and do anything else that might be misconstrued as funny. Among the other weyrlings, Praela looks entirely disgruntled by the idea of touching 'goop' even with a paddle for aid, and is stubbornly refusing to do it herself. When she thinks Soriana isn't looking, she nudges the weyrling next to her into applying it to Prylith's blue hide instead.
Kera gives the smeared area a moment to begin working then gives it a smart smack across the numbed shoulder. A surprised warble from Moncerath as Kera pokes at the area a few times "See, don't feel a thing at all. See the differance from when I spot oil your scrapes?" A little conversation with ehr dragonmate then she's peering back to the others, rolling her eyes as she doesn't miss one of the bluelings slacking. But doing it in front of a rider is a first. Shaking her head, Kera turns her back to Praela, not bothering with the girl's laziness. Let the stupid ones fall for her muck. Peering to Innes she gestures a chin towards the blueling and rolls her eyes and chuckles. Soriana gets her attention now "Will the numbweed hurt them if it's ingested?" Her hand reaches out to block the green's muzzle, who's attempting to lick her numb shoulder.
Today's numbweed smearing is for the benefit of dragons, not riders, and Prylith still gets numbed, so… Soriana doesn't comment on Praela's avoidance. Her eyes do rest on the bluerider for a moment, her expression a thoughtful one. "…yes, that'll do nicely," she murmurs to herself. Her lips twitch in a smile, and then she looks to Kera at the question. "Mm?" What was that again? Oh. Moncerath's a licker! Got it. "In small amounts, no. We use a very dilute version for treating some things. But if their tongue goes numb, they can bite it and not realize."
Praela got away with it! (For now.) The bluerider looks incredibly smug about the whole thing, settling back into her seat without bothering to thank the boy who helped her. Bet that makes him want to jump to her aid again later. Innes thankfully missed Praela's avoidance, which is probably for the best, considering their rocky relationship. She'd probably make a point to have a little 'talk' with the bluerider after Soriana leaves. But she's blissfully unaware, because Kairoikyriath is still sucking up her attention. "Don't let them lick, got it," she repeats. And the instruction can't come too soon, since Kairoikyriath is very interested in getting that stuff off of her muzzle, and Innes can tell it's only a matter of time until the tongue comes into play. "You've just got to let it wear off, Kai. Sorry."
Kera manages to work herself between Moncerath's muzzle and the smeared shoulder, swipping the excess off with a sleeve as she nods to Soriana's comment. "So be very careful around exposed numbweed injuries. Licking can cause bit tongues….pay attention to that Mon." When she's done, the green muzzle slips by her shoulder to snuffle and give a few test licks. Kera tilts her head a bit and smirks "It smells worse when we cook it." That's muttered to her dragonmate it seems when the green doesn't like the smell or lingering taste.
Long distance to N'talya: Kera yawns and is tryin to stay awake through this lesson lol
Oh, but V'dim'll hear about Praela's adventures in slacking later. (If he hasn't already.) Just because Soriana didn't comment doesn't mean that notes have not been made. Soriana nods to Innes's opinion of bit tongues, then glances over to see Moncerath… getting her licks in. Welp. So much for that? Add it to the notes for V'dim. Tonight? Mouth inspections! But… it could be worse. Soriana's seen worse. She knows! The last of the weyrlings are finishing up with their dragons, and there have been no disasters, so… Soriana smiles. "If you do come up with any questions, ask your weyrlingmasters or come by the Annex. For now, though…" the moment they've all been waiting for… Soriana grins. "Class dismissed!"
Freedom! No sooner has Soriana uttered the words 'class dismissed' than Kairoikyriath is bounding out of the barracks, nearly knocking her rider over in the process. "Kairoikyriath!" Oh yes, Innes is annoyed. But given the fact that the young gold hasn't gone far, she's not overly concerned with what kind of trouble she can get into with a few minutes of non-supervision. Even with a partially numbed muzzle and tail. "Thanks, Soriana," the weyrling offers with a grin. "I'm hoping to not need any extra help in the uses of numbweed any time soon."
Kera frowns and peers around curiously at the odd tugging on the back of her shirt. Seeing her dragonmate using the back of her shirt to wipe off the little bit of numbweed, which means she was licking the material. Shifting around "No Moncerath, I told you not to but you did anyway. Maybe next time you'll listen." The green makes a noise that sounds like 'blegh' but settles down with her twitching tail showing her annoyance. Leaning against the green, she scratches along the dragon's jaw. Nodding to Soriana's "If I can remember to write them down so I remember to ask." A quick chuckle slips out as she tries to peer at the back of her 'licked' shirt. When class is dismissed, a wave is sent to Soriana "Thanks Soriana, hope you can come visit soon. You know, just to chat. If you've time." Another shrug given and she wiggles her fingers to the Jr.Weyrwoman. "Come on Mon, some fresh meat will get that numbweed taste off." PRetending not to see the young queen making a shiny blur towards the door, Kera moves towards the cutting tables instead.
"You're welcome," Soriana says to the weyrlings, and grins to Innes. "Really, I'm fine if you never have to put that to use. I won't feel slighted in the least." To Kera, she smiles. "Not and distract you from those lessons you're supposed to have, but… I'll be around." Though she frowns a little as she sees them heading toward the meat table. Chewing plus numb mouth? That… does not seem like the best combination. "Make her have a drink first," she calls after the greenling. "Rinse out her mouth." Because Soriana likes this thing where she's only teaching a lesson, not doing any practical dragonhealing. Outside, Kairoikyriath will find her charge hasn't entirely removed her from supervision, because there's Luraoth. Who's been waiting patiently through this whole lesson, and now chirps a greeting that's echoed by a chorus of silver bells as her mind brushes out with a cheerful greeting. « There you are. Hello! »
Innes smirks, casting a glance in the direction of her missing companion. As much as she'd like to avoid the practical applications of numbweed, between the two of them someone is bound to end up hurt sooner or later. Statistical probability, and all of that. She arches a brow as Kera goes right for feeding, because Soriana has a point about numbweed and tongues and food seems like the wrong answer to that. But they're the healers here, not her. Outside, Kairoikyriath's bounding comes to a skidding halt when she spots Luraoth. Escape thwarted! The whirling force that is Kairo's mind reaches out to the other gold, tinged with the sort of muddled orange-blue that's somewhere between resentment and excitemen. « Hello! I'm free! » She rubs her muzzle into the dirt, trying to rid it off the numbed sensation. « I feel funny. »
Luraoth's mind spirals back to Kairoikyriath's, but her touch is rosy pink and gold, sunrise colors that dance and weave their way lightly amidst the vortex. « You are. Free to… » Luraoth trails off into a laugh, the ribbons of her presence rippling in a sort of mental shrug. « We shall see. » What Kairoikyriath does with freedom appears to start with rubbing her numb face against the dirt, and Luraoth shifts to her feet and pads forward to watch. « Does the funny feel you back? » Meanwhile, back in the barracks, Soriana… well, she's really not so sure about what Kera's trying. Y'know, on second thought, she likes it even less, and on third, she's going to go do something about it before statistics say that this chomp is the one that comes down on numbed tongue. But first! "Don't worry that stuff about queens yet." She gives Innes a smile, slightly crooked, and hesitates for a moment. There's that yet, hanging in the air, but… oh, now's not the moment. (Yet?) So she gives a wave and goes to stop problems before they start, or at least before they get too far.
Kairoikyriath's thoughts twist and swirl in a confused maelstrom, accepting Luraoth's warmer hues into the midst of her storm. « It must! I'll make it. » Her muzzle is rubbed into the dirt a few more times with little result. She can barely even feel it, and things that are there-but-not-there are bewildering and exciting a the same time. « Can you see it? » she questions, a flash of light in the swirling vortex. Of course, there's nothing to see but a dirty muzzle. And then, oh! There were things. Things she was going to show Luraoth. « Come on! » Her mind reaches out in a flurry of images, which fly past so quickly that they're not much more than a blur. « I have things to show you! » Without waiting to see whether Luraoth will follow, Kairoikyriath is bounding off. Adventures! People to see! Things to do! And she'll be the first of this clutch to show them to Luraoth, of course, because she's got her eye on these things. Innes meanwhile, just offers a bit of a nod to Soriana. Don't worry, right. She can do that. Plenty of ways to keep herself busy so she doesn't have to consider the looming presence of responsibility not too far in her future. She waves a farewell, before meandering her way toward the exit to the barracks, just to keep an eye on things. Safety first!
Impossibilities? Oh, those are nothing when you've got determination. « Then it will! » Luraoth agrees, though she's experienced enough to add, « Eventually. » Sometimes these things take time. Sometimes they take enough time that the fact that they were being attempted is outright forgotten, but perhaps that's close enough to succeeding. She peers inquisitively at Kairoikyriath's muzzle. « It has dirt. And there is an ant! » Which flails antennae in confusion, then falls off. Luraoth pays it no further heed, for Kairoikyriath has things to show her, and Luraoth is quite willing to come along and see. People! Things! Adventures! She bounces after her daughter, pleased and intrigued by the things she's shown and sharing tidbits of her own knowledge to go with what Kairoikyriath has found - all on her own! It's wonderful, but - while they're here - what's around that corner? Has the younger gold found out yet? No? Well, there's no time like the present!