|
|
Weyrling Barracks
The large covered entryways open into two immense U-shaped caverns
that stretch back deep into the rock of the cliffside. Glow baskets lining
the cavern walls cast a soft light dispelling the shadows and illuminating
the home of all High Reaches weyrlings. Stone couches, some smaller for
the greens and blues and some, for bronzes and the occasional gold, so
large they have to be climbed into, rise up to loom over the walkways of
well-packed dirt. Along the walls nearest the entrances, shelves and pegs
sport several sets of leathers and various books and tools needed when
teaching and practicing; crates and supplies also take up residence in
various nooks and crannies. Toward the back, a large, man-dug pool for
use by the dragonets and their lifemates and several large containers kept
full of fresh meat serve as conveniences for the busy residents
of these barracks.
To the southwest, you see Zaqith and Sriath.
Snuggled in with the leather supplies and tools are Dana, Pyk, Primavera,
Kernow, Gavin, Vedra, Larson, Stanzi, Pix, Shoobie, Pyre, Whirlwind, and
Hayama.
Bronze Sendakth, brown Hanselth, blue Babarth, green Miravith, and
blue Lainnoth are here.
You see Weyrling Progress Record, Dragon Wing, and It here.
Cadgwith comes out of Cadgwith's couch.
Cadgwith
Intrepid she is, this leviathan queen, with no siren's grace to refine
the monstrous length of her serpentine form. Rising like a kraken from
the depths of her inky, night-black paws to the coral-strewn twilight of
wings' erratic spars, a distant song of gold froths the tangled sargassum
of that ill-fitting hide, and ebbs undaunted up untidy curves of neck and
head. The salt-encrusted canvas of her capsizing 'sails, windthrown and
weathered to palest sea-glass, brines a flotsam of shadows across the expanse
of her imposing withers, and brindles the fragmented abalone that pearls
her full flanks and awkward, silver-shiny tail.
Cadgwith is 1 month and 19 days old.
She is 6 feet (1m) long, with a wingspan of 10 feet (3m).
Zai comes out of Puizuth's couch.
Puizuth comes out of Puizuth's couch.
Auri comes out of Miravith's couch.
Pyrene hovers anxiously around Cadgwith who looks terribly uncomfortable. "Zai..." Pyrene hisses across in an embarrassed whisper. "Can you... come over here a minute?" And preferably don't bring Auri. She's too loud.
Too bad. Auri's got ears like a...a... well she's got good hearing, anyways. "Watcha doing Pyrene?" she shouts across the barracks, high-pitched voice full volume as her words resonate through the cavern. "And why is Cadgwithie uncomfortable?"
Muttering softly to her dragon as Zai enters, she looks up after a moment. "Oh, Pyrene. Hello." Smile is offered, and the Weyrling walks toward her, brown trailing behind like a puppy. "What do you need?" Her own voice is low, mimicing goldrider. "Hey Auri," She grins at the other weyrling. "How's Miravith?"
Pyrene winces and gestures frantically at Auri to hush. "Nothing... Say, is Miravith soiling her rushes again?" Please Faranth that'll keep Auri busy. "We've.. er.. we've got a problem," she mutters to Zai, motioning to Cadgwith's tail... Upon closer inspection, it's slightly thicker than usual.
Zai's eyes widen, as she glances toward the tail. "Ooh..." A quick glance is shot to her own dragon, who is curiously eyeing the gold. "Well, aren't you supposed to get that...stuff? From the dragonhealers, or something." Hand reaches up to tug on a sennia curl. "I dunno. It hasn't happened to Puizuth." The unspoken 'yet' hovers in the air. Just wait.
Pyrene flushes. "There's some on those shelves," she tells the brownrider.
"But... I don't know how to use it, and I don't want
/every/body to know..." Her reputation is at stake here, not to mention
Cadge's feelings. The gold looks more worried about the pain in her rear
end than appearances of course.
Auri is very confused. And seeing that Mira's fine, and slumbering nicely, she asks questions. Lots of them. "What's wrong with Cadgwithie's tail? Why's she uncomfortable? What stuff? Are you talking about purging? Are you Py? Are you? Why's this happening Pyrene? What're you going to do? Is it going to be messy? I don't wanna be messy...." All at tiptop volume, at a very high octave as well. Cover your ears. It'll continue.
Zai glances about the room. "Uh, right. Well I don't know how to use it either. Go get some." Maybe it'll have directions? "Maybe you shouldn't do it here though. I mean...you know...it might be...err, messy." Gaze shifts to Auri, and her eyes widen agian. "I dunno. Maybe you shouldn't worry about everyone knowing anymore." Either that, or find some way to shut the greenrider up.
Pyrene winces at Auri's outbursts and fairly /leaps/ for the girl, one
arm keeping the other girls' to her sides and her free hand
clapping over that loud mouth. "Auri, shut up /now/ or I'll have you
hold Cadge's tail while we do it!" she hisses. She darts a glance about
the room but apparently most of the other lings are out bathing their dragons.
Only a few peer at them with curiosity and they elect not to come closer.
"OK... Well, we'll have a look at it then. We can probably figure it out
between us," she mutters frogmarching Auri over to the shelves. No need
to bring weyrlingmasters into it, right?
Lylia walks in from the Training Grounds.
Fye scrabbles out of Lainnoth's couch.
"Mrrphschmmrmrrphmrrphmrrph." That's hello Lylia, in case you couldn't
tell. She waggles her fingers at the brownrider, and points at the gold,
making a sort of 'bloated' gesture, curving her arms around her, then nodding
authoriatively, before waving a hand in front of her face mock-distastefully.
Still narrating.
Auri *ahems. Mine.
"Goooood morning!" Chipper as ever, Lylia strolls into the barracks, inclining her head to those gathered. Auri just gets a slight stare, puzzled look on the rider's face. "Auri? Did you try any of Miravith's food or something? You look odd." Um.... Greenriders are scary? The others also receive that ever-confused stare. "What's up?"
Pyrene is caught in mid-peer-at-purging-medicine-for-obvious-instructions. "Auri!" she hisses, holding onto the poor girl even more firmly, although hopefully not to the point of stressing Miravith. "Nothing's up, Ly... really..." She winces again at Cadgwith's tail and finally asks the qualified type: "Will you promise not to tell D'renn?"
Zai waves an inquisitive brown Puizuth back from The Scene and shoots a glance to Pyrene as Lylia enters. Too late to keep the weyrlingmasters from getting involved apparently. "Uh, morning." Waggle of fingers is offered, as gaze goes too poor Cadge. Oh, Faranth. "Do they say anything?" Brownrider asks, leaning toward Pyrene and trying to peer at the medicine.
"I don't know, suffocating a fellow weyrling is a serious offense..." Lylia narrows her eyes slightly, sharp gaze on the goldling. "Is it something that I /should/ tell D'renn? He's very particular about the care of his weyrlings, you know. You haven't been feeding Cadgwith dye for the straps, have you?" Oye. She already dealt with Peia this morning.... As bad a Ditzee, really.
Cadgwith senses Miravith hisses, snooty accent lined with a razor bladed edge. <<Tell your rider that if she hurts my rider I'll tear out her heart and fead it to the weyrbrats. And that's a promise. Then I'll suck her blood, or something to that effect.>> Blades and blood and threats disappear, as the sweetener and pink lace take their place. <<Kay?>> to her.
"Nothing that will help..." Pyrene mutters to Zai, and then she looks indignant at Lylia's suggestion. "Of course I haven't!" she declares hotly, dropping Auri in her vehemence. "I just think I over fed her or something... She can't... she can't /pass/ it. And she says it hurts." Blood suffuses the nanny's face now, and she anxiously scratches Cadge's headknobs an absent worried look going to Fye. "Please don't tell D'renn.. he'll never let me forget it."
Fye hops out of Lainnoth's couch with a brief yawn, blinking a few times before she decidedly makes a beeline for the room with food awaiting to be chopped - but she does quirk a brow as she passes Cadgwith and those near the gold. She's not saying much, anyway. Weyrling continues on, shiny blue waltzing gracefully after her. "Yes, Lai, I'm getting food."
Cadgwith thinks to you, << I bespoke Miravith with: Cadgwith froths and bubbles impotently too distracted with what's going on at her tail end to fully take in what Miravith's threatening. << She dropped her... >> she points out half-apologetically. << And I don't think the weyrbrats would eat it. Pyrene says they are fussy... >> to her. >>
"And you think /I/ will?" Lylia can't help but giggle, letting a slight smirk cross her face as she crouches down beside the young gold, peering at her tail. "Yep.... Hm. Haven't the dragonhealers told you about what to do?" She knows, but will annoy the weyrlings a little more. "And I suppose I won't tell D'renn...." Maybe.
Zai sighs a bit and wrinkles her nose, stepping back. "Its not /your/ fault Pyrene. It happens a lot to young dragons, right?" Turning to Lylia for confirmation, her tone implies she rather hopes she's wrong, one hand going to Puizuth's ridges. "If they've told, I wasn't here," she responds to weyrlingmaster's question.
Pyrene points to the medicine. "I know we're supposed to give a dose of this... but I'm not sure how long it takes to take effect? Should we do this outside?" She casts Fye a warning look. Be careful how much you feed her. "I don't think D'renn will see it like that Zai... but it's a simple mistake right... I mean, she's a lot bigger than a lizard or a weyrbrat... I've not got experience with her size." Cadgwith nudges her wretchedly.
"Oh, it /does/ happen to a lot of dragons." Lylia waves it off, grinning cheerfully. "You might have your turn. Now you /do/ give a dose of that. Doesn't take a lot of time to take effect with this size.... And inside or outside, you're going to have a /lot/ of cleaning to do." Smirk. With a little snort, she just picks up the medicine, offering it to Pyrene. "I'll go get the pitchforks." Mwahahaha. "You've got a nice job. And I think D'renn'll understand... His fault for not explaining better how much you /should/ feed them." Proud Lylia, who could sorta feed correctly.
Daeyn comes out of Anwyllth's couch.
Zai sighs. Wonderful. At least when -- if! -- it happens to Puizuth, she'll know what to do. "Alright, need me to do anything Pyrene?" Like, stand out of the way and watch perhaps? "Pitchforks. Oh, what fun," she mutter softly, gaze flickering briefly to Lylia.
Pyrene swallows holding the medicine gingerly. "Well, if you /have/ to tell him, tell him that it's his fault, Ok?" she pleads hopelessly. "Should she stand anywhere? Or have her tail in a certain position?" She remembers her threat to Auri... "And does it taste alright?" She peers dubiously at the medicine even as Cadgwith opens her toothsome maw pitifully. Pyrene's still not happy about having to do this in front of an audience, but this gold is /not/ walking a step further until she feels better.
Auri blinks at Pyrene blankly on the floor, her own problems consuming that of the gold dragon's. "Pyy," she whines. "You dropped me. My bottom hurts. And it's dirty. I'm going to have to clean my pants now." She sits , staring at her green for a bit. "And Mira said something about Cadgwithie saying something about you trying to feed us 'brats (well former brats at least) people-hearts? Ew! That's /gross/."
Fye returns to Lainnoth - who was waiting so patiently for her - with a pail, and a slab of meat, and all those wonderful things needed to make a baby dragon a meal. 'Ling scuffles off to the table, and settles down bucket and meat, peering curiously over her shoulder that doesn't have a blue's head peeking over it. "Um, Lylia? A pailful is just about right to feed them, right? Not too much?" She can't risk Lainnoth ending up like Cadgwith, can she?
"I wouldn't stand near her tail, might want to have her lift it slightly." Lylia chuckles, treading over to grab a trio of pitchforks from the corner. "Here, Pyrene... Auri and Zai, you want to help, don't you?" Beam. Bright, evil smile. "And it's not the best tasting concoction, but it works, and she'll feel better for it, won't she?" The last statement is directed at the gold, soothing voice as she steps back. /She's/ not cleaning this mess.
Pyrene blinks at Auri. "I never... Cadge said something and I told her you were too fussy... What??" Cadgwith just filled her in on Miravith's actual words. "Auri... go hold Cadgwith's tail up for her..." she says flatly, taking a pitchfork and propping it up against a nearby table. Cadgwith utters an ear-piercing screel from deep in her throat and the former child-care 'specialist' hushes soothingly as she measures out the correct dose. The gold's eyes flicker slightly as she swallows, but it's just a matter of waiting now.
Help? Zai? Well, not really, but if you say so. "Uh, sure. I'll help. What should I do?" Zai eyes the pitchforks worriedly, then looks to pitifuly gold. "Poor dear." Weyrling takes a pitchfork and stands to the side. "How long does it take to work?"
"A pail is /perfect/, Fye, don't worry." Lylia peers over her shoulder at the bluerider, offering a thumbs-up. "Good job... Auri?" The brownrider's head snaps around, brow furrowing. "Um... I wouldn't recommend that.... I'd recommend staying far out here. And it varies on the dragon, but she's still a small size." Oh dear, why isn't /D'renn/ ever around when these things happen? Or Mhari? Or anyone else?
Auri stands, dusting herself off. "Don't worry Mira, I'm sure Pyrene knows what she's doing. Py's a nice person. She'd /never/ do anything to hurt me, right Py?" So says the little beam of sunshine grinning at said goldrider. The girl trots over and holds up Cadgwith's tail, giving it a reassuring pat. "There there. You'll be all better soon." The little greenrider flashes dimples at Pyrene, giving the older woman a thumbs up. "Whatever you say, Py!"
Zai's question is answered by a decidedly repulsive sound of the sort that can only accompany bodily functions. Cadgwith lets out a relieved groan that rumbles through the body as pervasively as the stench that now fills the air and relaxes into a large snaggled pile of golden dragon... her tail manages to keep out of the mess thanks to Auri's assistance. One can only hope that Auri herself is as lucky.
Daeyn goes home.
At that, Fye beams and doesn't hesitate to curl fingers 'round closest knife, beginning to cut slab into smaller pieces. "See, Lainnoth?" Hazel optics flick, a moment, to the blue over her shoulder before returning to meat-chopping. "I told you, you can't have more than a pail ... otherwise you'll end up like," chopping halts a moment so Fye can jab a thumb gold-wards, "Cadgwith."
Pyrene winces and starts breathing through her mouth. "There Cadge,
there..." she soothes, gathering her pitchfork and looking
reluctantly at the pile of dragon-droppings. Both liquid and solid...
a variety. "You'll be fine now..." she assures the gold. It's the humans
who have the problem now. An apologetic but grateful (she's not turning
down assistance!) look goes to Zai and Auri as she starts to shovel the
mess into one of the larger pails.
Zai winces slightly, a look of distaste on her face. "Erm. Right. Feel better Cadgwith?" After a deep breath, Zai takes a step forward, pitchfork in hand. "Well, we'd better clean this up, before the smell seeps into out couches and stays there forever." Another worried glance is shot toward her brown, who is looking nearly disgusted as his rider.
Shall we describe Auri's reaction as something along the lines of "Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"? That may be an understatement. Make that /very/ high pitched, /very/ loud, and /very/ dismayed, and you got Auri's post-purge squeal. "Ew. Ew. Ew. /Ew/. That is /so/ gross Pyrene! Ew!"
"I /told/ you, Auri..." Slapping her forehead, Lylia just bows her head with a slight shake. "Pyrene, that was rather not nice, and unbecoming of a future weyrwoman. Perhaps I /should/ tell D'renn, so I can tell him how you treated poor Auri." So churns out the pre-packaged lectures. But there's a twisted grin on her face as she thrusts the pitchfork at the goldrider. "Therefore, I really think you should clean this up yourself. After all, I'm sure Zai's got things to do with Puizuth, correct?" She glances sharply at her fellow brownrider.
Shovel, shovel shovel. Zai, nose wrinkled, begins transfering some of the mess into the pails. Gaze shifts to Lylia, then to Puizuth. "Yes, I'm sure I do. In fact, I haven't oiled him yet. He itches." Haven't oiled him yet this hour yet anyway. Turning to Pyrene, she smiles sympethetically. "Sorry, but you know how they are. Itches can't wait."
Pyrene breaks off from her mental deliberation of whether the smell of faeces or the sound of Auri is worse to stare in horror at Lylia. "Oh, /Ly/... C'mon... she knew what was going to happen--and if she didn't then she deserves to find out like that! And and... I never said I wanted to be a weyrwoman anyway! Not since I was twelve... besides, Zai doesn't mind, do you Zai?" she looks pleadingly at the other weyrling, only to be rejected. Cadgwith's craggy head regards the whole tableau apologetically. She feels much better now.
Lainnoth creeps closer to his rider after a quick glance Cadgwith-wards. How unpleasant. "It'll be just like cleaning up Miravith's rushes, Auri?" Fye offers with a shrug to said greenling, nonchalantly shoving meat into a foodpail. But no one sees her offering to help clean up. That's because she's too busy, now, scritching her blue's eyeridges as he scarfs up chopped meat. "Not too fast, Lai. Oh, yes, that's good. Uh huh. Slow down a little. Good."
Shawn comes out of Orsoth's couch.
"You /know/ young dragons are a lot of work, so Zai and Fye /must/ have their own problems to deal with." Lylia just crosses her arms. And /she's/ not helping. "And secondly, Auri's just an innocent kid, that's not very nice. And thirdly, you agreed to stand, therefore, you agreed to this." Grinning slightly, she jerks her head towards Cadgwith, the grin darkening. "And it is your problem. Be glad to deal with it now rather then when she's bigger. Then you'd /have/ to find help." Ewwww.
Miravith is now very awake, and tromps over to Pyrene, Cadgwith, and her beloved, /crying/ rider. Does she looks threatening? Does she look like she'll carry out that threat? Oh, faranth, no. The little green plops down next to Auri, swirling eyes and pinch-me cheeks giving the goldrider a "How -could- you?" look, matching Auri's cerulean gaze quite nicely, as both cute little rider and cute little dragon look forlonly at Pyrene ad Cadgwith. Cadgwith /must/ be lying. How could that little green with the halo and chubby cheeks ever say anything bad about /anyone/.
Shawn comes out of her couch... a haggard expression on her face and heading straight to the food... she /finally/ got Ors to sleep... She doesn't realize what's going on until she's actually made her way to the sideboard, "Shards what is that /smell/..." turning to look at the mess she just wrinkles her nose... "Oh gross... did ya have to do that by the food??" she just points to the back of the barracks with a hand already holding a biscuit... "S'why this cavern is big...so you can go somewhere /else/..."
Zai gives Lylia a greatful look, leaning pitchfork agianst a table and settling into a chair, a ways away from the mess. "Here Puizuth, I'll oil you know." Brown, settled happily at her feet doesn't object as weyrling begins rubbing the oil into his hide. "Sorry Pyrene, but he /insisted/."
Pyrene looks sulkily at Lylia. "Well, I ddin't think I was going to /Impress/..." she whines, but sets to grimly. "Shawn... when Orsoth's constipated, you try telling /him/ to move away from the food!" She can snap if she wants. The world is against her. Save Cadgwith. "It's /not/ your fault, love..." she urges the gold, who hunches up a bit as if by making herself smaller the pile of faeces will follow suit. She also gives Auri and Miravith an apologetic snork, which Pyrene reluctantly follows with: "Cadgwith says we're sorry...."
Shawn takes a bite out of her biscuit... so undaunted by the sight due to the cravings of the bottomless stomach... "Ors isn't ever gonna get constipated..." she states as a blunt fact... she doesn't overfeed him, nope and he 'chews'.../real/ good... She shakes her head, turns and gets a platefull of food... then goes to a table closer to the cavern opening to get fresher air but still be near the hubub... she's not helping, nope.
Lylia gives Shawn a quick stare, before going back to her wall-lounging, offering Pyrene a shrug. "Still, gotta be nice." Heehee. Pyrene being nice. Scary thought, isn't it? "And at least you won't overfeed her again, correct?" That annoying grin once more on her face, she just peers over at Auri, copper-dusted eyebrow raising. Odd pair.
Cadgwith senses Miravith's mindvoice sinks into the night, deepened and threatening. <<Your rider /better/ be sorry too, or else she might just wake up with a set of teeth above her neck and a pair of claws about to dig into her chest. I /will/ find some way to avenge my rider, just you seee....>> to her.
Zai has disconnected.
Zai falls asleep.
<Local> Cadgwith senses that she ripples--tidal wave sized ripples, but sincere nonetheless. They spread over Miravith and the others in apology. << We /are/ sorry... And I feel much better now. >>
Pyrene sighs abashedly. Two turns ago she wasn't expecting Lylia to be lecturing her on dragonfeeding some day. "I won't... not again," she murmurs with relative meekness as she slops the last of the excrement into the bucket. Taking it outside, she returns presently (without it) and sets to scrubbing the floor. She /does/ know what she's doing when it comes to cleaning.
Miravith walks off, big green feet flopping like puppy-canine paws, returning with a wet cloth held gingerly in her teeth. A dragon that fetches. Everybody go 'Awwwww....'. Upon receiving this, Auri vigorously scrubs at her shoe, and disposes of the cloth disgustedly, then throws her arms around Mira's neck. "You're the best draggie ever." Everybody go 'Oh, how cuuuuuute...'
Shawn just eats... eyes watching Py carry the mess out and start scrubbing... almost as difficult lesson to learn for the weyrling as it is for the dragon... finishing a meatroll she moves on to another one
Lylia likes being able to lecture. Her dream of going from shy to evil dragonriding warlord is complete. "'Course not." The rider grins faintly, trundling over to plop on a bench and watch. Mwahaha. Auri gets eyed with a giggle escaping. Melt. "Auri, you and Miravith are the most /lovely/ pair..." Melt, melt, melt.
Pyrene finally finishes and stands up, looking defiantly around. "There... it's clean now. We'll be fine." And before another word can be said, she stalks back to their couch, Cadgwith stalking more tentatively behind her.