Fort Weyr - Center Bowl
The wide center of the bowl is often bustling with activity as riders come and go. Off westward can be seen the entrances for the candidate barracks and the guest weyr, while to the east is a large opening that leads into the dragon infirmary. The bowl stretches off both to the north and to the south, where the sheer stone walls rise steeply to the sky.
It's mid day, chily, but, the sun is peeking through the clouds, just enough to keep it from being truly freezing, but not warm enough to melt the snow nature had been so generous with. Throughout the center bowl area, there are already small mounds of…undistinguishable shapes, obviously the weyrbrats tries at snow sculpting. Moydeo is out in the bowl herself now, in a clear area, working on a snow sculture of her own, this one a bit more discernable then the childrens, even if it was still a work in progress. She's bundled against the cold in a thick jacket, hat, and gloves to protect her hands.
A'di is trudging, grumpilly, into the bowl, "One of these days…" He grumbles under his breath in mid-rant, speaking to no one except really himself. The rider is sprouting some…rather odd fashion, and certainly not his regular clothes. In fact, anyone wearing them would certainly end up dead on the spot. The rider continues to grumble under his breath, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets. "remind me not to go shopping. Ever." Or, at least not to let B'ky pick out his clothing.
B'ky is… following A'di? Well, perhaps not intentionally, although the wingleader does slow as his pale eyes watch the… er, rather clashingly-dressed bluerider over there. B'ky may not have the best fashion sense, but even the Roc wingleader wouldn't be caught dead in those clothes. He is, however, partially to blame, so with a faintly sheepish expression he wanders out into the bowl with a quiet nod for the other rider and a somewhat sheepish, "A'di," in greeting. And a less sheepish, "Hello," for Moydeo, as he spots the snowbuilding going on.
Rolling up with a snowball almost as big as she is, Jayashri makes an appearance in the center of the Weyrbowl, having come roughly in the direction of the north-east part. Rolling it to near where Moydeo is, she stops, her bundled frame finally becoming visible as she straightens. A knit cap of pale green is worn over her cinnamon curls, a matching scarf wrapped several times about her neck, partly covering her face. Her usual long jacket of pale tan is wrapped around her, wool peeking out from the edges, the collar turned up about her scarf. Her legs are shielded from the deep snow by a similar looking pair of trous, thick boots laced up high along her calves. Her cheeks are rosy, but she grins at Moydeo, apparently enjoying herself despite the cold for the first time. "Your day off to?" she asks of the Beastcrafter. From the peripheral of her vision A'di's gaudy ensemble is spied and she turns, nearly blinding herself with the full on view. "What in Faranth's name is THAT?" Ahem.
Moydeo looks up at the sound of foot steps, and greetings, and she waves, but then halts to blink at A'di's appearence for a moment. "Hi, uh, nice clothes." She says, trying to be nice, but it's hard with polkadots and other things, not to mention she's trying hard not to laugh at the appearance. Then the giant snow ball distracts her, and she looks up, grinning at Ashti, before she straighten. "Nah, they just don't need me till this evening. So, I figured I might as well try my hand at it. What's the snow ball for? Gonna toss it at a dragon?" She asks, jokingly, honest.
A'di's eye twitches. Just slightly. His fists ball up slightly at his sides before taking in a deep breath. That's right, breathe. And then he quietly lets out that breath. "Dalasith likes it." A'di says flately, it's quite clear that A'di doesn't agree with the dragon but what can you do with a voice in your head all the time? You can't ignore it after all.
B'ky's own clashing crimson and indigo riding leathers are nowhere near as… well. The wingleader is just going to stand there, looking slightly sheepish. He does give A'di a sympathetic look - poor blueriders - they let their dragons pick their clothes. He clears his throat somewhat, however, the giant snowball over there catching his attention. There's a polite nod to Jayashri, and another, "Hello," in greeting. Looking over the snow a moment, B'ky asks curiously, "Hm, what are you making?" There's another glance at A'di, though, B'ky opening his mouth as ifto say something, and then closing it. What can he say? He does look apologetic, though. Just a bit.
"I'm not going to toss it at a Dragon," Ashri grins impishly at Moydeo. "I'm going to make a Dragon with it." Fancy that, the CompCrafter isn't all seriousness, textbooks, and code. She might actually have a fun loving side to let out. "I used to sculpt sand down on the beaches." She pats the gigantic snow globe and offers what attempts to be a genuine smile at A'di, though the corners of her mouth quiver and twitch in an effort not to break the illusion. "Well, how dandy for Dalasith." Don't laugh. Quiver. Can't laugh. Twitch. "Have you suggested that perhaps he might look better in them?" Oh, Faranth, that would be a sight. "Afternoon, Wingleader," she states in a more respectful tone, though B'ky's own garments are eyed appraisingly. "Did your Dragon dress you too?" Erk. What a brash mouth you have, my dear.
Moydeo so does not want to be a blue rider if she'd wind up looking like that, seriously, she will stick with the clothes she wears, they're..normal looking. Not that she has anything against blue rider, or what they wear, as funny as it might be. Ashri, you're not helping her with her own not laughing. She nods to A'di. "I don't think they'd fit a dragon." She says, and then fully looks at the other crafter. "Oooh, cool, that should be a neat sculpture." Not. Looking. At. The. Hideous. Clothes. Nope nope. "It is good to see you enjoying the snow though." She says to Ashri, remembering how the computer crafter hadn't been the most comfortable when she first arrived at Fort.
It's not easy being a bluerider, really it's not. You end up in closets, your hair gets dyed, and somehow you end up making a absolutely horrible fasion statement. A'di just sighs quietly and rubs at the side of his temple, he'll count to three. One. Two. Three. Right. He lets his hand fall to his side, "Dalasith says it looks stunning, wonderful, dashing." Eyetwitch. "At least the weather is nice." And his clothes fit. Even if they are the most ugliest things to ever grace Pern.
B'ky tilts his head slightly at the talk of making a snowdragon, asking thoughtfully, "For the competition?" And he has to look anywhere but at A'di when Jayashri suggests asking Dalasith if the dragon might look better in those clothes. He's so not contemplating that. Again. Why is he suddenly looking guilty? It's not because Avideth has the sudden urge to share the idea of a certain hat with Dalasith, is it? Eheheh. At the question of whether his dragon dressed him, B'ky glances back at Jayashri, simply giving her a look briefly. No, definitely not easy being a bluerider? Or perhaps these two are just… a bit unique. Or something. If he weren't already feeling so badly about A'di's… fashion disaster, he might have answered that honestly. Instead he just shakes his head, frowning slightly. A'di gets a look for a moment, B'ky hesitating before commenting softly, "The weather is lovely." Yes, he'll agree about the weather.
"Oh, I dunno," Ashri muses thoughtfully as she begins to roll another snowball. "The pants could go on the headknobs, and he could wear the shirt around his neck." A purple polka-dotted cape. "Everyone would know it was Dalasith then." No questions about that. The CompCrafter finishes rolling another sizable snowball, though not as massive as her first, rolling it to one end of the large centerpiece. "Maybe you should have your dragon arrange a fashion show." This is said to A'di, though the Apprentice doesn't know his name, only the Dragon's. She smiles winsomely, for all intents and purposes dead serious. "Maybe Dalasith could be the first Weaver Dragon." Yeah, that'll happen.
Moydeo nods. "Yes, the weather is nice." She agrees, well, atleast A'di won't be hard to find in all the snow? She ooohs at Ashri. "Hey! That could work! Bet he'd love that." She grins, about the clothes around the headknobs, and the neck of a dragon, must. not. laugh. "Ooo, good idea, I bet he'd make a great weaver dragon, maybe commision the weavers to see if they have any extra large needles, so he can weave." She adds, and suddenly the image of a bunch of dragons wandering around in clothes or weaving clothes, is too much for her, and she giggles., covering up her mouth, and she leans over to whisper it in Jayashri's ear, probably not helping the other girl either. She erks as she hears her name called from another end of the bowl, and she sighs. "Well, looks like they changed their minds about not needing me till evening." She says. "Good luck with your snow dragon." She grins at Ashri, and waves to all three. "See you around!" She says, and runs off toward where the voice came from.
Dalasith turns his head to consider the female for a moment, his eyes whirling in a wide fashion and before A'di can lift up a finger in anticipation, the dragon is chatting rather loudly. «Oh, that would be ever so wonderful! And we could get A'di to model for us. He'd look absolutely spectacular, wouldn't you think? We could have reds, and purples, and yellows. Maybe lots and lots of polka dots! Maybe someone could dress as a polka dot, wouldn't that be lovely?» And the dragon is then off talking about this, and that and A'di sighs quietly, "Y'know, Dal. I told you people don't like it when you talk to them." He offers an appologetic look, "He gets like that sometimes, you'll have to forgive him."
It's a good thing that Jayashri has half her face behind that rather wide scarf. Her eyes widen ever so slightly as she nearly looses her composure, however, choking back laughter as Moydeo shares her vivid mental image. She masks her barely contained laughter by turning it into a cough, just so that her shaking shoulders won't give her away. "B- bye Mo!" she calls between fits. Oh, it's just too much. Snow. Concentrate on that building thing. Yeah. Shoulders and front paws are starting to take some shape, though it's too round yet, with minimal details. Her delicate fingers seem perfect for sculpting this strange white Dragon, however, moving with an air of familiarity over the frigid surface. A pause, then, as a voice enters her head. She blinks, doing a slight double take. "Is…" A pause. "That— Dalasith?" She looks back over her shoulder toward A'di, quirking an eyebrow, though that's hidden under her cap. "Er, that sounds lovely, Dal," she offers, taking a bit aback by the rather talkative Dragon. Well, that's certainly a new experience, having a mind putting more thoughts in her already busy brain. Huh. "I don't mind, really," she responds in a faintly bemused tone. "I've never had a Dragon talk to me before."
A'di just shakes his head and steals a quick look at the blue, "If you're not oogling over some ugly jacket with purple polka dots, you're trying to make friends with people who don't have lifemates. At least try to talk to someone who'd understand that some dragons just can't keep their thoughts to their riders." A'di sighs quietly and runs a hand through his hair, "Sorry." He says quickly again to Jayashri, "He's just…talkative. He's that way with everyone, it's really hard to keep him from doing it." «But it's always nice to make new friends!» Dalasith's ready to quirp. A'di just shakes his head, "Yeah, yeah, I know, I know." A hand idly rubs at the back of his head, offering a sympathetic look to Ashri, at least the female doesn't have to live with the over-talkative blue 24/7. «I simply love that idea of the runway, it'd be ever so wonderful. But don't you think my A'di looks simply stunning in his new coat? It looks absolutely dashing, just look at how the colors meld together. Isn't it beautiful? Especially when you combine all the colors.» Yes, the dragon doesn't really have much for taste. Cough. "Well, get used to it, once you've made friends with Dal, you're stuck with him till he forgets."
Jayashri shrugs slightly, not that her jacket makes the movement altogether visible. "I don't mind. I think." She frowns slightly. "It's just… odd, having someone else's thoughts in my head." She chuckles, recovering herself enough to return to her building efforts. "Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Dalasith," the Computer Crafter rejoins. For the moment it is nice, if a little strange. "He looks quite… interesting," she ventures carefully; best not to upset something as large as a dragon. "You certainly can't lose him in the snow." Yes, let's focus on the positive points, here. "Maybe we should make the coat reversible, though, Dal. Say, black on the outside, with a bright surprise inside?" She's trying to be helpful, really. Forepaws begin to take shape, though they are still sans claws. "What if A'di needs to be sneaky? Gotta have an outfit fit for all occasions, right?" Ah, nerd logic.
Dalasith rumbles loudly, curling up against the bowl floor as he digs his oversized hands into the snow, attempting to make something of his own in the snow. «It's not odd, it's just ever so nice to make new friends.» Dalasith will state matter of factly. A'di just shakes his head, a finger idly reaching up to scratch at the blue dragon's eyeridge, totally ignoring the state of his clothing. Yeah, he's not going there just yet with the dragon. Dalasith looks quite proud of himself though, «He's absolutely stunning, the way the yellow makes him so much more sunnier, and the purple really makes him dashing!» The blue croons loudly, his eyes turning towards the crafter with a curious look. «Black is a nice color too, it's fun to jump out of the shadows late at night.» The dragon wiggles his tail in a playful manner. "Don't bother." A'di says in a dismissive tone. Oh, he gave up trying to talk Dal out of things a long time ago. "It's not a big deal." After all, he only has to wear it until he can sneak the coat out of view and say he 'lost' it.
"I like making friends, too, Dalasith." Jayashri grins as she spies the blue attempting to mold something with his forepaws, an idea coming to mind. "Say, Dal, why don't you make a snowman so you can show off the clothes you picked for A'di on it? It's sure to draw a lot of attention." Well, isn't that an understatement. More of the Dragon's body has begun to appear, seeming to be in a half-lounge on the ground, Wings haven't been done yet, so currently this snow dragon is flightless. "It's quite sunny," she agrees amicably. "We should share it with the rest of the Weyr. Y'know, to bring some warmth and cheer to the place." And not to let A'di escape the hideous combination at all. No. "Being able to jump out of shadows is a lot of fun!" She nods enthusiastically. "You should make A'di a sneaky outfit." So he can, you know, hide in the closet or something. "Then he could prowl around." Like a ninja! Ashri tosses a grin in A'di's direction. She's working here. Dazzling misdirection magic. Or… something. It might work. Maybe.
The dragon may be ditzy, and even naive at times. But he's not really easily deterred once he's decided something. Nope. «But I picked them for A'di, they look nice on him, and the snow-human doesn't need the clothes. A'di does, he'd be cold.» Dalasith says simply as he digs a claw into the ground, his muzzle lowering to try and get a better idea of what he's doing with his claws. A'di just shakes his head, "Well, I suppose I'll leave you and your new friend to talk." A'di mumbles quietly, tugging tighter at the horrible clothing enssamble. "Good luck with your dragon sculpture."
Well, no one can say that Jayashri didn't try. Pausing to dust snow off her gloved palms, the Apprentice offers a rueful smile toward A'di. "It's Ashri," she prompts by way of introduction. "Though, maybe Dalasith already told you?" She headtilts, uncertain of how that all works. "Can they read minds? Like, the ones they aren't bonded with?" She looks faintly nervous, her eyes shifting slightly. "No, the snow-human doesn't need clothes, Dal, but the Weyr sure could use some sunshine." She looks up at the partly overcast sky with a frown that creases the corners of her hazel eyes. "Oh, and thanks." This last is directed at the bluerider in belated response to his well wishes for her art project.
Jayashri's Final Sculpture
A scene frozen in time lays spread out across the Weyrbowl. Molded from snow, a number of large eggs lay this way and that in drifts of snow like hatching sands. A number of them bear cracks, several even having shards falling away, pieces of shell littering the snow where they would have fallen if the eggs were really shaking. From one egg, a snout has emerged, the details exquisitely carved from the crystals. Curled protectively around the clutch, a large dam dragon rests on all fours, wings folded along her back. Her head is raised, a proud expression seeming to glimmer in the sculpted eyes, strangely life-like as she watches a special moment. Behind her, the sire watches, sitting on powerful haunches with wings spread outward, mouth parted in what could be the traditional welcoming song of the Dragon. His gaze is also directed toward the front of the scene, satisfaction glinting in his finely etched stare. At the point where dam and sire's gazes rest, a hatchling that has broken free from its shell gazes up into the eyes of their chosen: a young boy candidate with curly hair. A look of wonder is engraved upon his face, on one knee in the snow/sand as he reaches out to caress the prominent eyeridge of his new found lifemate.
Details
Dam:
Resting as though a regal sphinx, this queen dragon is as graceful a frozen figure as ever were formed out of snow. The details of the muscling are wrought with an eye for elegance, her forelegs crossed sublimely with their icicle claws. Wings of tightly packed snow are folded augustly across her back, their folds falling like a cloak across the frozen hide. Her long tail lays partly curled in the snowdrifts, a series of ridges whittled along the top, going up the spine and neck before stopping at noble headknobs. Gaze lifted to watch her young, her neck curves gracefully to meld with the icy features of the head, resplendent as any living queen.
Eggs:
At first glance the eggs appear smooth and oblong, but upon closer inspection tiny details can be observed. Across the shells tiny designs and whorls appear, traced so faintly that they might almost be nothing more than a trick of the light. Some sit upright in their drifts of snow, while others lay on their sides. In total there appear to be around twelve eggs, some smooth and unchipped, others bearing cracks or even outright holes, pieces from several eggs lay strewn about the scene. From one egg a snout has emerged from a hole near the top, a sharp beak poking out with flared nostrils as the hatchling takes their first breath of fresh air.
Sire:
Chiseled from the snow, this figure rests on powerfully muscled haunches, his forepaws resting in the snow drift before him with claws made of ice that glint in even the faintest light. Ridged tail curls about his legs, the spade tilted upward, perhaps in the dragon equivalent of a "thumbs up" as he watches his chilly offspring Impress. Large wings are spread majestically, thick limbs supporting thinner sails, the light filtering through faintly. A deep chest turns into a thick neck that supports a strong jaw, the features deeply etched, the play of light and shadows giving a strange luster to the eye.
Hatchling:
Though compact, this snow-built hatchling is not without grace. Half-folded wings seem to shimmer, as though still damp, held slightly aloft from a compact dragonet body. A tail perhaps slightly too long for the dragon's size trails behind in the snow, tiny ridges dotting the top. An overlarge head is supported by a thicker neck, the features expressing jubilation as they stare into the eyes of their chosen, mouth half-open in a seeming smile. One forepaw is raised above the snow, another back leg poised on its toes, as though the beast were still moving toward his lifemate.
Candidate:
A mop of curly hair rests about youthful features, lips parted in awe as the Impression is made. Garbed in the simple robe of a candidate, it falls about him, creasing about his slender torso and legs, the hem bunching at the knee where he kneels before his lifemate, the other leg out in front of him as he falls to one knee. His right arm hangs limp at his side, whilst the other is outstretched, curled fingers hovering over the proffered eyeridge of his chosen.
