Kira sat on the warm sand while the littlies crawled, toddled and paddled all around her in a shallow part of the lake. There had been an awful lot of activity at the Weyr (and no wonder, with a gather to attend) and she was pleased to have a quiet spot in which to think.
It was now several sevendays since she had arrived at the Weyr, and she was no closer to feeling at home there, though everyone had been lovely to her. She looked back over the events that had led to her arrival at Morlevan Weyr, and counted herself lucky that she was able to be in such a prosperous place, both in material things and culture. There was so much more to life than being stuck in a hold, so many options open to her. Until now she'd never left the hold, and while everything was comfortable enough, that's what it was - comfortable - and it never challenged her.
A splash from an overzealous toddler reminded her of her change in environment. Everything was so much more free and permissive at the Weyr. There were rules, but generally everything was more relaxed. This was a major challenge to Kira, used to rules and routine from the minute she was born, and despite stretching these limits at times, she was out of her comfort zone at the Weyr, and no-one laid down any rules for her. She could be in her quarters whenever she liked without a curfew, she didn't have to report to anyone except the childcare master, she could pretty much do what she wanted with her time apart from late morning/early afternoon which were spent with the littlies. There was both positive and negative to her situation.
Kira scooped up a toddler who was crawling purposefully away from the lake. "Oh no you don't," she laughed. The littlie laughed back, and when he was re-deposited at the lake edge, tried the same trick again, shrieking with laughter and crawling as fast as he could, looking back to make sure he was being followed. Kira glanced to make sure the others were all there before indulging the toddler with a quick game of chase.
Everyone looked up as several dragons flew overhead, bound for the gather. Kira could see passengers, and hoped that she might get to know a dragonrider well enough before the next gather to get a ride then also.
"Dwagonth," lisped one of the little girls. "Aren't they beautiful?" asked Kira. The littlies nodded, and several of them pretended to fly like dragons. "I'm going to be a dragonrider when I grow up," declared one of the boys, "a bronze!" Kira smiled to think that even a four turn old would have such ambition. He probably would, she thought. "Of course you are," she said to him, and watched with pleasure as the littlies continued to play as dragons, washing themselves in the lake.
People were fleeing the Weyr. That was the only way the weyrling could define it. Fleeing, it looked like that, at any rate. All heading off to the Gather, And he was staying behind, It couldn't be so terrible- he liked being at the Weyr, and now, it was as if he had it all to himself.
~~And me~~ Saith interjected, almost indignantly.
>>And you.<< K'dan reassured the dragonet. He sat, tucked away in some tiny corner of the Weyr bowl, where the lake met the opening of the underground river that brought in water. At least, he thought it was an underground river, or maybe just a tiny cavern under the Weyr's wall. He really wasn't sure— he really didn't care. Even if anyone was staying- they wouldn't find him, but why would they look for him. anyway?
>>No classes for the next two days, absolutely nothing to do... what am I going to do with so much time on my hands?<< He laughed and sprawled across the sun-warmed stone. No grass encroached this far, with nowhere to set root. No way to get into trouble for the next two days. Shells, he hadn't gotten in trouble *once*!
It was an odd thing to know- frightening. Who were these people, so lenient? That had just taken him up into their little world? >>Their pretty little world, everyone's happy.<< Not that he was particularly miserable himself. It really was quite possibly the best place to be on all Pern. So it only stood to reason he didn't want to be pried away, some obscure feeling that if he left, he wouldn't get back, K'dan laughed again, this time at his own idiocy.
The bronze sounded genuinely puzzled, ~~You didn't go— how can you not come back?~~
"Don’t worry about it." Aloud, even though no one could hear him. Not even Saith. He stared up at the sky, at the trailing dragons that went oft to the Gather. How many of his friends were leaving? Well, maybe not friends, per se, but "people he spent time with". There, that sounded about right.
His mind drifted, following the course of "friends", before settling finally. >>I wonder what Jinna's up to now? Did she go to the Gather? Did she stay home - did she get married off like her father wanted her to? Does she even know I Impressed - does she care? Why do I care if she cares?<<
He watched a small blue dragon vanish between. >>Two days... too late now …<< Suddenly two days all alone with his thoughts didn't sound as pleasant as it did before.
Kira and the littlies wandered along the edge of the lake towards the Weyr. Everyone had enjoyed their "dragon swim", and while they'd had enough of the water for now. It was still early and warn), and lunch wouldn't be near ready yet. She dropped the hand of the toddler on her righthand side to help right another who had tripped. It was so relaxing, she thought- And nothing belter than to look after these cute kids. She got a real buzz out of watching them explore and learn.
Dragons were still leaving the bowl - a blue flew out over the group and blinked between. Of course several of the littlies were pretending to fly. Their liking for mimicry never failed to amaze her. At 16, she was still young enough to remember what it was like to have that childlike innocence, but she wished that she still had the confidence that the toddlers displayed in new and rapidly changing situations. She still felt that she didn’t belong here. and wondered if that would ever change. Still, she'd lived in one place her whole life before coming here, and had known everyone at the hold forever, so perhaps it would lake a bit longer to get to know people than she had thought. Especially since she didn't have much to do with others her age - her work was mostly with Aunties and other older women, and just finding her way around and trying to take in the Weyr protocol surreptitiously without looking like an idiot was a fair timefiller. The weyrlings, for example, were surrounded by others their own age, with what she presumed would be similar backgrounds, after all, didn't a dragonrider need to have certain attributes?
As they came around the bowl she caught sight of a scruffy boy lying with his hands linked behind his head, apparently lost in thought, and unheeding of the horde of littlies intent on stalking him - still playing dragons, this time having lunch. Kira assumed. The smallest girl let out a stifled giggle.
Peaceful, definitely. Peace and quiet. He was already sick of it, the one thing he though worthwhile all his life, and now he had a chance to see just how dull it was. K'dan watched the escaping riders, and wondered what it would be like at the gather - but he'd been able to get to the Nebella gather, hadn't he? It couldn't be too different.
>>Maybe it'll be nice and ... quiet.<< He chuckled to himself. Morlevan was never quiet. he just couldn't imagine it. That was when he noticed several brats attempting (and failing) at sneaking up on him. >>Uh-oh, I think I'm caught.<<
~~I think you're right.~~ Saith supplied helpfully.
>>Gonna come and save me?<<
~~ ... Not really.~~
The bronze sounded so much like his rider that K'dan was hard pressed to keep from laughing out loud. >>Alright, alright. We've got a horde of little guys --<<
~~They're not that small.~~ It was that particular feeling of having someone watching through his eyes, accompanied by the dragonet's curious voice. The oldest of the brats had even surpassed him in height, but Kelia was only a turn his junior - he was only fourteen! Sometimes he just felt so shaffin' short ...
>>Okay, right. But still, I'm being attacked by little guys, don't they have a herder or something?
Kira watched the lad pretending not to notice the toddlers tiptoeing towards him and breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to be irritated. She didn't think she'd seen him before at the Weyr, though there were lots of youngsters she hadn't come across. Up close he looked older than she had initially thougnt, and she wondered what he was still doing here when everyone, it seemed, apart from the oldest and youngest members of the Weyr, had gone to the South Wind gather.
The nearest toddler was a firelizard length from the teen when he suddenly launched himself off the ground and clasped him around the waist, causing a shriek of delight from the little boy.
"Hello," said Kira. "I hope we weren't bothering you? It's just that you made a very good beast for these hungry dragons." She indicated the group of littlies who were already involved in investigating the immediate area. "I'm Kra, by the way. I'm fairly new here and haven't got to meet many people yet. What do they call you?" She looked at him hoping for a bit more conversation than the repeated "why?' of the infants. Much as she loved them and their ways, it would be nice to talk to someone her own age.
"No, I don't think so, especially not if I'm 'dead'." K'dan squinted at the weyrbrat, and clambered to his feet, disengaging the boy. >>Kira, huh? The mane doesn't ring a bell - I thought I at least knew who everyone was. This doesn't mean I have to start all over again, does it?<< "I'm K'dan - most of the time, anyway."" Actually he responded to almost anything, although his nicknames weren't so common in Morlevan, numbered among them 'Get back here!' and 'Hey, you!' and 'Yeah, yeah, YOU!'
>>Well, if she spends all her time with these guys, guess I wouldn't know her.<< And that seemed to satisfy him, even just a bit.
"So you're Kira, and in charge of herding these little ... critters? How do you stay sane?" It was asked in jest, made obvious by the crooked grin. He watched his personal 'attacker' take several moments to watch another dragon, point and holler something about how he wanted to fly. Now. K'dan looked back to Kira, curiously. "They're not always like this, are they?" He couldn't ever remember being so fanciful.
"K'dan?" She coloured. "Then you're a dragonrider?" she asked. >>Oh, no, state the obvious.<< She suddenly wished she'd stayed back at the lake or walked in the opposite direction. She hadn't really had anything to do with any of the riders, apart from the odd one collecting a child from the creche. Certainly she had never been bold enough to start a conversation with one, and now here she was, feeling largely insignificant, having interrupted a rider who probably had better things to do than chat with a mere worker. >>Oh well, surely I can't make it worse now. And he's talking to me, so I might as well keep on talking.<< She looked at K'dan from under the long dark hair that was partially obscuring her face in the breeze.
K'dan observed a variety of emotions flit across Kira's face, ranging from embarrasment to panic to resignation. She really was quite transparent. he looked at her questioningly as she paused before replying.
"I'm reasonably sane - they're no bother really. You just have to use your imagination. And no - they sleep sometimes." He might be a dragonrider, but when she had a good look he still looked like the dishevelled lad she first saw as they came along the lakeside into the bowl. She laughed, feeling more relaxed already. He must be around her age. And he was cute, in an unkempt way. She adjusted her tunic. "So, you're a dragonrider," she repeated. "Where's your dragon? You're so lucky. I'd give *anything* to impress a dragon." >>Not that that's likely, still, at least I'm at the Weyr, and near them.<<
He hadn't met anyone quite like this girl - girl?? She had to be older than him by at least two turns! - in his stay at the Weyr. Or in Talays. He also didn't know just what kind of reaction people had in talking to 'riders. When he was a candidate, despite misgivings, he wasn't *too* nervous around them. But the first dragonrider he ever met was A'sher, and how terrifying was *he*? That could have been it, but Kira didn't strike him as the superficial type. Still, back at Talays he had heard horror stories about dragons and their riders, most of which he could laugh at after impressing.
He raked a hand through brown-blond hair that was just a little too long. "Saith?" K'dan looked around quickly, as if he might find the small bronze sprawled across the rocks nearby. "Oh, he's lurking by the barracks, I think, sulking because he can't sleep. Too much noise, I think." The weyrling tapped the side of his head, grinning. "He's choosy, Saith."
The dragonet was the epitome of hurt dignity. ~~I am not. You're just loud.~~
>>Go to sleep, you useless lump.<< K'dan teased back.
~~You're useless.~~
>>I know.<<
~~Me too. That's why I chose you.~~
Kie smothered a laugh, and shrugged in helpless apology to Kira. "Well, you could stand for Impression next time around, if you want, then if you Impress, B'ren'll get to order you around for the next two turns." For that second part, he dropped his voice, as if imparting an important secret not many were allowed to hear. "Oh, and not to mention the little voice in your head that keeps telling you about being itchy, or making you think about lunch all day."
~~Not all day.~~ And, as an afterthought, Saith added: ~~Just most of it.~~
The young bronzerider rolled his eyes. "And making weird comments whenever they happen to be awake." Already, this was someone he could warm up to. Maybe they'd never actually meet and talk again, but that wasn't usual in the Weyr. But at least she seemed pleasant enough, which was the important part.
Kira noted how K'dan flicked his hair back to get a better look at her, and tilted her head slightly forward, obscuring her face further. It wasn't like her to get so self-conscious, and him being a rider couldn't be the only reason she felt so shy. She was usually so confident, and she'd met others here at the Weyr, it wasn't like he was the only person she'd encountered on a stroll with the littlies.
And then, after telling her about his dragon - are you allowed to say your dragon is sulking? she wondered - he dropped the biggest bombshell of all.
"Well, you could stand for Impression next time around, if you want."
She didn't hear the rest of what he said, she was too busy picturing herself standing on the hatching sands, stroking a dragonet, talking in her mind and soaring through the air on a fully grown dragon, accompanied by a bronze, with a brown haired rider.
Kira returned to Pern with a bump in time to see K'dan roll his eyes. Typical, she thought. Here am I with the cutest guy in the Weyr, and he thinks I'm weird. Ohhhhhhhh, that's why! and she blushed to her boots. She turned away to check on the toddlers in her care.
Just in time, as a gaggle of them were making their way towards the Weyr, away from the lake. As she glanced towards them, they split into two groups, both heading in opposite directions. Kira looked frantically around, and her eyes locked with K'dan's.
"You go that way, and I'll get the others," she gasped. She'd never live it down if anything happened to any of them.
She caught up with the pair that she had selected to chase. "Hungry." said the smaller of the two. Looking up at the sun, Kira realised she had spent more time dallying by the lake and with K'dan than she had thought, and that it was nearly lunchtime. She could drop the toddlers off at the creche for lunch, and then was free for the day. Just as well, considering her tendency to dream today. She glanced around to make sure K'dan had nabbed the other errant trio. She pointed towards the main weyr.
>>Oh boy. I come down here with the plan of accomplishing nothing, and now I'm on a wild wherry hunt. Or three Weyrbrats-- both're as crazy!<< "Alright, we can do this the easy way..." >>Er, how do you handle kids? Is there some sort of magic word? "sit!" or... "stay"?<< "Um. Yeah. Would anyone uh, like to... go back? Yes? No? Maybe? Perhaps?"
The three ignored him and went on their aimless wandering, laughing and flapping their arms as another dragon passed by overhead. "Oh come on already! Let's go!"
Still, aboslutely no reaction. "Please? I'm shaffin' begging you! Come on, get over here!" >>Ugh, kids. I can't understand why people have them!<< K'dan walked over, and finally made an attempt to catch the one that looked like some sort of leader, but the girl squealed and ran off. "Scorch it!"
And, as if on cue or they were trained flits, the three meandered back over to Kira, laughing and waving their arms. K'dan growled softly, and glanced over his shoulder back up at the passing dragons, before sighing softly and striding back. Those brats had led a rather interesting chase across the Bowl...
"I stand by my prior misconception. You'd have to be insane to deal with them every day."
K'dan sounded irritated after chasing the littlies back to Kira.
Kira smothered a smile. "Thank you - I was sure they'd gotten away. I'll take them back to the creche for their midday meal, and then I'll be free for the rest of the day. Like I said before, they're really no bother, USUALLY. It does help if they know you. Little kids always stretch limits with new people, don't you remember doing that?" This time she did smile. He looked the type to have been mischievous. "Weren't you ever troublesome?"
As they walked towards the Weyr, with the toddlers fanned out in front of them, Kira relaxed a little. She wondered where K'dan was brought up, although he was laid back, with that impression of belonging that she noticed the weyrbred children had, he couldn't have been born at the Weyr, it had only been occupied for about 6 turns. Perhaps impressing a dragon - Saith? - gave a person confidence, though he didn't seem arrogant at all, not like she'd heard some riders were. She glanced sideways at K'dan, hoping he would continue talking to her. It would be good to have a new friend, especially a friend who was linked to a dragon. She wondered what colour Saith was - must be blue, brown or bronze as he was a 'he'. She was willing to bet that he would have a sense of humour, especially in light of what K'dan had said about him sulking, and being choosy. She hoped that she would get to meet him sometime, if, of course, K'dan ... She mentally kicked herself, after all he was coming towards the Weyr with her, mind you, he could just be coming back for lunch or just being nice. She squashed down all those conflicting thoughts firmly.
"Weren't you ever troublesome?" She was teasing.
As they headed into the Weyr and out of the sun - why did it always have to be so shaffin' hot outside? K'dan doubted he had spent so much of his childhood skulking in the cool depths of Talays, where the temperature was always constant, and the weather was perfect all day, every day - he chuckled softly. "No trouble at all." In a tone that said, very clearly: because-it-depends-on-how-you-define-trouble. "You're only troublesome if you're caught."
~~You're not troublesome now.~~
K'dan had gotten talented at holding two conversations at once. Talking to Saith was the one way to entertain himself during B'ren's lectures. Those classes were impossibly redundant... >>Let's hope I stay that way. Adults have this awful habit of getting flustered over everything and anything I do, or forget to do. Whichever comes first.<< "And my schedule seems to be all messed up without classes taking up all my time. Do you have the *faintest* idea when lunch is, since the Weyrbrat's are being treated to it?"
"Well, having spent a bit of time in the kitchens lately, it seems that there's always something going. I'm sure Jessany wouldn't mind if we filched something ahead of time." Choice, he *was* planning on spending a bit more time with her. She grinned to herself, considering he obviously *was* trouble, she should have some fun! And she'd been expecting to be bored and lonely with nearly everyone away at the gather.
They herded the littlies into the passageway that led to the creche. "Come on you stragglers," encouraged Kira. "Lunchtime."
The toddlers picked up their pace, and turned into the creche. "Yum-yum, yum-yum!" they chanted.
Kira handed them over to the Auntie on duty. "They should be tired out by now, but little dragons have big appetites." She waved to the toddlers and returned to the passageway where K'dan waited.
"Right then, lets get fed!"
~~That's your stomach.~~
>>Really?<< K'dan blinked, frowning thoughtfully as he looked down at his feet. >>It's only the middle of the morning and I'm starving? That's not right.<< He glanced over as Kira went about depositing her charges.
~~Not my fault you forgot about breakfast.~~ Saith prompted.
He groaned softly. "Not my fault..." He mumbled softly, and straightened. Kira was walking back, no good if she saw him talking to himself.
"Right then, lets get fed!"
"Sounds like a plan to me. You sure Jess isn't gonna run me out?" He was used to being run out of kitchens. The Headwoman however, was probably more apt to insist on he eat, she always was informing him on how skinny he was. Often, he'd reward her with a blank look, shrug, and walk back out. "I mean, we *are* early. And it's not like there's many people here... she wouldn't be cooking as much, right?"
K'dan sounded hesitant about raiding the kitchen.
"You - maybe," she said, seemingly seriously, then laughed as his face fell and he dissembled. "Don't worry - we'll just grab something and run. Like I said, there's always something going, as long as you're not fussy?"
She laughed as he shook his head emphatically. "It's always better to avoid the crowds I think, not that the'll be a crowd today, but you know what I mean." She didn't wait for an answer, instead grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the kitchen before he could waver, carefully not looking at him.
They arrived out of breath, with Kira laughing. There were two women in the kitchen at the far end, neither of them Jessany.
"Can we take a picnic please?" Kira called.
One of the women smiled and nodded, and pointed to a table covered with a light cloth. On inspection there was a pile of meatrolls, some bread smelling newly baked, and a selection of washed salad vegetables. As they helped themselves to ample portions, K'dan looked questioningly at Kira.
"Where were you when the numbweed was being stewed a while back?" she asked cheekily. "If you're around then, you pretty much get kitchen privileges as long as memories last."
"I still don't think it's worth it." He mumbled, looking at the two drudges with something akin to suspicion. >>I'll bet *anything* they're planning something over there.<<
~~Has it ever occured to you that you're paranoid?~~ Saith quipped, it was one of K'dan's favorite expressions, and the small bronze had had ample time to learn it.
>>Many times, but a little bit of paranoia ever hurt anyone, no?<< He shrugged and followed Kira out of the kitchens. It was just so shaffin' hard to believe that everyone in the Weyr was so... harmless. It didn't seem to make any sense whatsoever. Not to him, at any rate.
They also helped themselves to some small fruit pies cooling on a rack, before strolling out again.
"Easy, huh?" asked Kira rhetorically. "Now where?" She finally let herself make eye contact with him.
He hesitated before looking back to her, black eyes blank. "Well, actually, I have no idea. Any thoughts, Kira?" As he reached over to steal a breadroll.
"Surely you know this place better than me?" she enquired, a little tartly. When this drew no response apart from a shrug, she sighed. Typical that the male of the species was so backwards in coming forwards - when it suited them, that was. Never mind, she was sure she'd think of something.
"Shall we just take that direction," she pointed, "and see where we end up?" The dragonrider of few words nodded, and they set off away from the weyr.
Having found a likely spot in the shade, they made short work of their meal. Despite K'dan's intermittent reticence, Kira was unperturbed, and soon had him laughing at her silly jokes.
As the afternoon wore on, the silences became longer, until several hours later Kira awoke to find K'dan sleeping soundly beside her. She contemplated his face, there was no sign of the careful detachment that was his frequent expression, he was relaxed and almost soft looking. She watched him sleep for a while before tickling his nose lightly with the seed head of a grass growing on the hillside, She sniggered as he twitched.
He gingerly opened an eye as she proceeded to tickle his nose. "Aww, c'mon, it's my day off." As he grabbed for her 'instrument of torture.' "I was not sleeping, by the way, I was plotting." Actually, he had fallen asleep-- much to his chagrin. >>Gonna turn lazy now....<<
"Oh yes, plotting? Do you always snore when you plot?" she asked him impishly, covering up her feeling of disappointment. Actually, she wasn't sure what she had expected, but this wasn't it. Mind you, this was her first attempt at flirting. Perhaps she was doing something wrong, or maybe he just wasn't interested. He certainly was a bit of an enigma. "And WHAT are you plotting?"
Black eyes fixed on her for a long moment, almost taken aback. When he said he was plotting, people tended to say 'oh, that's nice. Get back to whatever you were doing.' Or at least, something along those lines.
"Uhm..." he balked, then offered her his most genuine, childish, innocent smile. "Never you mind." He had heard that many times, and had been dying for a chance to use it. "You'll see...." He let his voice trail off.
Kira just KNEW he was up to something. She wondered if he would tell her, or just be his sometime inscrutable self. The male of the species was so hard to work out sometimes. And how he could look her straight in the eye like that. It was SO infuriating. All of a sudden she couldn't be bothered. She'd basically stroked his ego the whole time they'd been together, and all at once she was annoyed at his ability to blow hot and cold.
She got to her feet and fixed him with a steely gaze. "And what will I see?" she asked acidly. "Never mind, don't tell me. She was fed up with his caginess. She flicked her hair back, and without looking back, began to stalk down the hill.
