Fort Weyr - North Bowl
The northern end of the bowl can be an intimidating area, being that Fort is the largest weyr. The far north wall contains the gigantic opening to the hatching caverns, and to the west of that can be seen the sprawling ledges and carved stair cases that mark the way to the weyrleader's complex and junior queens ledges. The west cliff wall towers up, dotted here and there by darker openings that mark individual weyrs before it tapers to a point at Tooth Crag. At ground level on the western wall is the opening to the weyrling barracks, occasional glimpses can be caught of newly paired mates. On the eastern wall of the bowl is the entrance into the living cavern, the heart of the weyr.
The evening meal is in full swing inside the cavern, and there's a steady stream of bodies flowing in and out. Z'ran, accordingly, has found himself a spot right up against the wall of the cliff-face, shielded from sight for the time being by Omisimth's bulk. The green is watching the movement of the crowd, tail twitching slowly. There's a note of anguish in the bellow that sounds from behind the bulk of the green. "Omi, if you twitch your tail into the straps just /one/ more time…"
Talmar is walking very slowly across the bowl, one hand held up to something small and green on his shoulder, keeping it in place. He doesn't even dare to so much as nod at people as he passes them, lest he disturb the tiny green thing on his shoulder. Of course, this perfect stillness cannot possibly last. And, there it is. Omisimth's bellow. The little green thing on Tal's shoulder turns out to be a firelizard, and one rather upset to have been woken.
Another irate shout sounds, although this doesn't seem to ruffle the green overly much. Rather, she exhales a long, gusty breath, and then settles her head on the ground, tilting it to watch Talmar. A few moments, the sound of metal clinking on metal, and a further shout. "Clay boy, are you there?" Somebody just told on him. "Get back here, and bring another pair of hands!"
Talmar winces as the firelizard digs her claws into his skin, but rushes over to Z'ran's side. When he's told to jump, his only question is 'How high'. "Sir?" he says, frowning slightly. "Do you need a hand, sir?" he says, moving over to the other side of Omisimth.
Cairas emerges from the flow of people headed in and out of the Caverns, just finished with an early meal. His trademark grin rests comfortably on his face, and he's watching the other people as they pass. The green by the entrance does catch his attention, however, and he strolls on over, catching a glimpse of the two figures on the other side. "What's going on here?" he ventures fearlessly, grinning around the green. He's not touching her, but is surely near enough for it to be dangerous, should Omisimth be in a less than pleasant mood.
"Shut up, we've talked about using my name," Z'ran instructs Talmar. Gone is the good-natured cheer that perpetually inhabits the greenrider's voice — just now there's an edge that's a new and unusual development. "I do need a hand, she's doing this just to irritate me. Stick your head back around her, find someone else who doesn't look…" A pause, as Cairas appears, and a nod. "Never mind, this one'll do. Sit on her tail, clay boy, stop her from waving it about. You," and here a wave of his finger indicates Cairas, "grab the other end of these, and help me stretch them out." The green's straps lie in a heap on the ground, swept there by her tail..
Talmar carefully removes the firelizard's sharp talons from his tender skin. "Behave, Jasmine." he warns, with a frown. Not that he thinks she'll understand quite yet, she did only hatch yesterday after all. "Right, Z'ran." he says, moving to the green dragon's tail, sitting down on it with a little more force than he intended. "Oh, sorry." he mumbles, flushing slightly. Cairas gets a nod, but the boy is too busy keeping that tail from moving.
Cairas's eyebrows raise somewhat at the somewhat curt command, but apart from an amused smile, he's in no mood to disagree. "Sure, whatever," he drawls lightly, making his way around the green, and crouching down at the far end of the straps, and holding the ends lightly. He's not making any remarks just yet, though he does grin at the boy now sitting on the green's tail.
There's a noise from Omisimth that suggests she's less than pleased with developments, and Z'ran himself winces slightly as Talmar impacts — as he has his back to the boy at that moment, it must be assumed that the sensation has been relayed. "Easy, don't squash her," he murmurs, giving his head a shake as though to clear it. Crouching in a fluid movement, he gathers up the other end of the straps, beginning to move backwards. "She's got them tangled again, see if you can…" A twitch instructs Cairas to do the best he can with the situation.
Talmar blushes, and tries to use less of his weight in keeping Omisimth's tail steady. He frowns slightly as the infant firelizard begins to cry, then sighs. "Jasmine, no. I'll feed you soon." he mutters under his breath.
"These are a mess," Cairas grins as he glances over the straps. "Bad day today, huh?" he says as he glances up at the greenrider, and gives a feeble effort at untangling. He's not much good at it, though, and as he rearranges the way they lay on the ground, they seem just about as tangled as before. And so he shrugs a little.
"Jasmine?" A blank look for a moment, then Z'ran's gaze falls on the tiny green Talmar's sporting. "She's small. Didn't you dodge quickly enough? You want to watch the green ones." Pausing to dig in a pocket, he produces a small scrap of something — dried meat — and tosses it in Talmar's direction. Possibly placing more faith in the boy's coordination than is wise. And then it's back to work. "Not my best day," he confirms to Cairas with a wry smile, wading into the mess of the straps to give a tug at one end. "These aren't her normal straps, they're experimental. Just finished them, and it turns out one of their best features is that there are lots of extra bits to tangle up."
Talmar does indeed manage to fail to catch the bit of dried meat, but that's okay because the firelizard catches it. In her mouth. "She jumped right into my lap." he explains, with a shrug. "No-one else seemed to want her." he frowns slightly at Omisimth's new experimental straps. "Those look … interesting."
Cairas chuckles. "Yeah, I was thinking straps didn't normally get quite so tangled. Why all the extra bits?" He lifts one part of it curiously, and somehow that seems to relieve at least one of the tangles in the area. But not that bit over there's tangled worse. The little green lizard is smirked at as she catches the food. "That was pretty talented. You could teach her tricks like that. People'd love to watch." And he's grinning broadly the whole time.
"Nobody needs to want her, you just leave them and they go wild," Z'ran offers, not entirely sympathetic. "Then you don't have a mouth distracting you all the time." A philosophical pause then, and his lips quirk. "Then again, you're waiting to see if you can score a bigger mouth, aren't you? Forget I said it." A yank at the straps yields nothing, and he drops to his haunches to try and follow the progress one one particular line of leather. "All the extra bits are for the fun stuff," he tells Cairas, matching the other man's grin. "Hanging underneath her, standing up on top of her. Backflips, in time. Doing it all on the ground's ancient history."
Talmar grins at Cairas. "Really? Tricks? You think? Hmm." He looks at the firelizard thoughtfully. "I dunno. She doesn't seem like the obedient type. She thinks she's the boss of me, already." he shrugs slightly. "I'm sure I'll be able to teach her to behave, but probably not to do tricks." he says, finally. And really, he's not much sure about the first, either.
"Are you now?" Cairas turns to look over at Talmar. "I thought I saw you with the group of Candidates the other day. Have fun with that," he laughs. "I admit I much prefer to be safely high above the sands on the day, rather than right down there in the mess of things." But then, "Oh yeah," he assures the boy earnestly, but there's a twinkle in his eyes. "You could get her to do flips and all sorts of things. But it's easy to make her behave. They're driven by food in the first while, so just let her know that you're the one with the food. She'll follow you around like a pup afterwards," he grins, tossing his hand. Easy. Such wise words from one who's never had to raise a little stomach himself. And then an admiring glance is sent to the 'rider. "You serious? Now /that/ should be a show." And a broad grin.
"Not far from the truth," Z'ran agrees, giving a too-violent tug on one end of the straps. "Food motivates most young creatures, one way or the other. Keep plenty of bits of jerky and you'll have her in line soon enough. They sleep after they've eaten, too. Gives you a bit of peace. Ah, here we go." He's struck gold, unravelling one of the larger knots and returning his attention to the issue at hand. "It will be a show, once I'm quite sure I'm not going to break a rib," Z'ran agrees, ill-temper swept away in favour of enthusiasm. "Journey of many steps, and all that. I can do it all on the ground, now we're just working on wind resistance."
Talmar nods at Cairas. "I'm Talmar, apprentice potter turned candidate." he introduces, then smiles. "I should teach her to do tricks. That would be fun." he says, thoughtfully. Uh-oh. Z'ran's enthusiasm is contagious, and Tal grins. "That sounds really exciting!" he says, of Z'ran's plans for these new straps.
Cairas grins at that, though he's shaking his head disbelievingly. "Wind resistance. Well, from what I've seen, you'll have no problem. Risks are bigger, but," and a shrug to illustrate his point. "Aint no fun without the risk, you know what they say. Ought to try it myself sometime," he grins, though he's one of the least-coordinated members of the weyr, what with his too-long limbs. Talmar is nodded at. "Still surprises me how there's all these people I know but have never actually met. But nice to meet ya, Talmar," he smiles at the boy. "I'm Cairas."
"There's safeties built in," Z'ran allows, waving a clear plastic strap by way of illumination. "Can't see 'em when I'm up." Omisimth is restless, the tip of her tail twitching — in a series of slow shudders, the movement is moving up her tail until it will begin to shake Talmar.
Talmar's eyes go wide, and he frowns, putting a little bit more weight on Omisimth's tail. "Careful!" he cries, then he spots a potter across the bowl. "Oh, right. Chores." he says, nodding. "Today, I get to help Master Jopier." Good old fashioned craft work today, hooray. "Um, Z'ran, may I go?" he asks then, still putting his weight on the green's tail. "It was nice to meet you, Cairas. I'll see you around?"
"Ah, is that so?" Cairas squints at the strap. "Careful not to give away too many of your secrets, though. Otherwise it wouldn't be quite as hair-raising, seeing you do that up there," he grins, teasing. He grins sympathetically at the boy as the tail starts to jiggle him. "I'd be happy to take over for you, if Z'ran allows. I don't seem to be much good at this untangling stuff," he laughs.
"What?" The greenrider looks up in mild surprise, as though not expecting to find the boy still at his post. "Oh, yes, off you go. You sit down, Cairas." For all he's brief enough, apparently he's paying enough attention to gauge names. "Not quite so hard, she can feel it. She's just in a bratty mood, she's too close now to want to behave." Talmar's offered an absent-minded salute in acknowledgment of his efforts, and then it's back to work, with more for Cairas. "I'd like to keep it all under my hat, but our 'leader insists I don't incite the youth of the weyr to follow my brash example, and so on."
Talmar grins, and runs off, eager to learn more about his craft. "Thanks, Z'ran. I'll come by in a bit, if you still need a hand." Although hopefully not by then.
Cairas grins. "I'll be careful," he assures Z'ran, getting to his feet for the two steps over to the green's tail, opting instead to sit beside and lean on it. "Wouldn't want to hurt her," he grins, by way of explanation. And a grin and a wave are sent to the boy as he scrambles off.
"Indeed not, I'd say she'll need it to steer in the next day or so," Z'ran volunteers, turning his head for a moment to inspect Cairas' position. "That'll do. Just to remind her she needs to keep it planted where it is." With these words he falls silent for a moment, working methodically now to untangle the complicated mess. After a minute or so, one strap in particular is waved about. "This is one of my favourite attachments. You can hang underneath her as she glides."
Cairas eyes the attatchment with an amused dubiousness. "You hang from that? And just that? It seems a little narrow to be carrying you. Although I suppose you're not flying while you're hanging, huh? Now that would be something. Acrobatics while she's flying through the air." A grin at that, and a reposition of himself against the green's tail. She doesn't appear to be struggling too much, so he lets it a little looser.
"Not just this bit, there's a whole series of straps that go around your body to distribute the weight. Had them tested, spent all my pocket money on it." The stocky greenrider is still at work, but order is definitely emerging from the chaos, now. "These hang under her. Then there's tracks that run down her sides, above her wings. From those, straps come up to fasten to my harness at my waist. Then as I walk along her back, the straps can travel down the tracks with me. Which mean that slowly I'm working out how I'm going to be able to do acrobatics just as you say, while she's flying through the air."
Talmar returns amazingly quickly. "I, uh, got my days mixed up." he admits, sheepishly. "/Tomorrow/ is craft chores." he blushes. He managed to get something else for his firelizard to eat apparantly though, as she's not pestering him for food anymore. "So, what should I do now, Z'ran?" he asks, eager to be of assistance.
"Ah, now that makes sense," Cairas says, eyeing the straps a little. "Won't fall out of them." And then he sits back with an admiring nod as the man further explains his device. "That's impressive. How do you even manage to think that up? It looks far too complicated to me. But if you could pull it off, well, that'll be a feat." A grin as Talmar reappears, and he nods at the boy. "A mistake we all make. Here, you can have your job back, I ought to be going myself. Got a few people to meet, you know," he grins vaguely, waiting for Talmar to take place at that tail before getting up himself. "Pleasant to meet you both. I'm sure I'll see you around. Good luck with that," he nods to the straps, before heading out across the bowl.
"Twisted mind, our 'leader says," Z'ran offers absently, failing to sound quite as distressed by X'an's censure in this area as he probably ought. He doesn't look up to watch the change-over, evidently trusting in Talmar to get it right the second time around. A hand comes up to salute Cairas' disappearance, and then he's back to work. "You wait until you see this, clay boy. It's going to be something to watch. It took me months just to get confident doing it on her back when she's on the ground. Not so long, gliding low over water. Once we try to factor wingstrokes in, I reckon progress'll slow."
Talmar is more careful this second time. He crouches down beside Omisimth's tail, and holds it down carefully, but firmly, with his arms. "Later, Cairas!" the boy calls out, then turns to Z'ran. Twisted mind? Well, that just means fun, to him. "You sure about these straps?" he asks, with a slight frown, and concern for safety. But he soon gets caught up in the enthusiasm again, and grins. "I can't even imagine how amazing it would be to see."
There's a little twitch, as though to test him, but the green falls quiet with a low rumble. Misbehaviour over for the time being, it would seem. "Quite sure about them," her rider assures the boy cheerfully. "Spent a lot of marks getting them tested by smiths, and some genius over at Plastic as well. They won't snap, and the worst I can do is fetch up a nasty bang, I should think." Straightening up, he dusts his hands against his thighs, shooting Talmar a grin. As quick as it arrived, his ill-temper is gone. "It's not too bad on the ground, or so those who pay to see it claim. It's not to earn, though. It's for fun."
Talmar nods. "Sounds expensive." he says, nodding at the straps. "But having people who'll pay to see it must help with costs?" he grins. "That's the reason I do commissions - the work is fun, and the marks can go right back into more of the same." a pause, "Plus, my parents are sick of trying to find places for all the clay stuff I keep making. Commissions I can make, and then not have to worry about storage." rather mature there, really.
"Was expensive, but they pay me a wage for all the running about I do, and I've got to spend it on something. I've got everything I need in my weyr, and after I'm done helping my family out, there's not much left." This from the man who dresses every day in simple black, shunning the elaborate designs and clothing some ranking riders opt for. A matter of priorities, perhaps.
Talmar nods, eyeing the straps once more. "Looks complicated." he says then. "Lots of dangly straps and buckles and things." ooh, 'technicological' terms! He glances over at his well fed firelizard, who is sunning herself on a nearby rock. Or just sleeping. Probably the latter. "How does Omisimth feel about it all?" he asks, curiously. He means the straps, and their planned usage.
"Is complicated," Z'ran agrees, fiddling with a bit of plastic. "Omi loves it. You keep your eyes peeled in the next day or two, you'll see her rising. There aren't many greens put on a better acrobatic display than my Omi." There's pride in the man's tone, and not a hint of embarassment at the subject under discussion. "We practice enough stunts the rest of the time, and she remembers them when she needs them."
Talmar nods slowly when he hears of Omisimth's impending flight. He was raised in a Weyr, after all. Although he probably thinks that mating flights are just about flying extra hard or something. Boy does he have a lot to learn! "Sounds like you two are a good match for each other." he says, nodding. "Do all dragons like the same things as their riders?" he's curious now, wondering what he might expect after the hatching. That is, if he even impresses.
"No, certainly not," Z'ran replies, stepping back from the straps and inspecting his handywork. Voila! Omisimth shelters the greenrider and the candidate from the rest of the bowl — the former is looking over a rather unusual set of straps, stretched out on the ground. The latter seems to be hugging Omisimth's tail. "Omi likes a lot of the same things as me, but she's not just the same, if you follow. Some are quite different, but there's always a reason you're suited to each other."
Talmar nods up at Z'ran. "It'd be funny if I found a dragon that wanted to do the same stuff as me. Imagine how much clay I'd need!" he giggles. Nearby on a rock is an infant green firelizard, Talmar's new Jasmine, either sunning herself or asleep. "It's good that you have stuff the same, though." he says.
"I shudder to think of it," Z'ran replies dryly, doubling over absently to wrap large hands around his ankles in a slow stretch. "And ditto, should the creature share your interest in mud. We…" A pause, as he shifts his stance slightly, and searches for the correct phrase. "We compliment each other. We have a great deal in common, and in just the right places, we're very different. It's different for each of us, though."
Talmar grins at Z'ran. "It'd be funny, though. Seeing a dragon try and make stuff out of clay." Very unlikely. "Cause they're so big, and all." he giggles again. "Dragons could probably make a /house/ out of clay, if they wanted." he muses, then shrugs. He considers Z'ran's response for a long moment, then nods. "Yeah. I guess, it's like… Like being friends, maybe? Two different people who have some stuff in common?" but it's got to be more than just friendship.
"You are not improving the image I hold in my mind," Z'ran informs the boy with a laugh, straightening up. "It's a little like being friends. If it happens, you'll see." A shrug indicates an inability to be specific. With a crouch, he drops to his haunches to begin coiling up the harness. "It's like you love your family. It's too deep to imagine losing it, no matter what."
Talmar nods slowly, and thoughtfully. "So dragons can be annoying like big brothers, or tell you what to do like parents?" he asks then, with a frown. He does get it though, a little. He loves his little sister, after all. He even helped her make his older brother cry that one time.
"Not quite," Z'ran corrects. "They might not tell you what to do, but they'll have an opinion." Gathering up the bundle of straps, he straightens up. "And for now, time to pack these away somewhere safe before I eat. Thanks for the help, Talmar." Finally, his name! With a wink — no salute with his arms full — the greenrider is gone.
