Hannah dusts her hands off and turns, not expecting to find a crowd in the bowl.  Blinking owlishly, she blushes, expecting to see an entirely different person waiting for her.  Shly, she offers to weyrlings, riders, and residents alike, "Hello."

D'baji has a bit of a problem with simply riding dragons around on the ground. He knows some of the other Weyrlings are doing that now, but really, a dragon's not a runner, is it? And certainly Nverath isn't. So for now, he's prancing alongside the beast, aye prancing, delirious in the joy of not making knots for the moment, as he's 'exercising the dragon'. Nverath's in a fairly good mood too, good colour, with a bit of a bounce even in his ungainly step. It's been a long time since the pair of 'em have gone for a walk. So this would be when he notes Hannah, pulling up to a smarter stance than his prancing would have allowed, to give her a slow but precise salute, along with a "Weyrwoman Hannah," as greeting. And Nverath, lovely Nverath, gives a rumble.

Serafa bobs politely  "Hello WeyrWoman Hannah, and BrownRider Kita"  She intones formally, seems she learnt her manners well from that little incident with the green dye.  The boys just get a look, especially D'baji,  That looks like fun.  "Oh and hello Werlings D'baji and J'den, Nverath, Heliuth"  So many people to say hello to, so much time or something.

Djarreth announces his presence to the bowl through a brassy bugle. Kita admonishes him with a thunk on the head. "Not so loud! You'll wake the Weyr!" she lightly scolds, unable to stop a grin as her dragon's mood becomes infectious. She looks up to see they have company...lots of company. Other dragons aren't that hard to miss. "Let's see..." she muses to herself. "Dhia means Hannah, Nver means D'baji...oh dear, D'baji..." J'den hasn't been spotted yet. Kita's grin grows as she spies D'baji's polite salute and correct title use as she dismounts from her brown. "Evening all", she calls out, and with pleased surprise, hears Serafa. "Seffy! You here too? And J'den? Ah yes, J'den..hey J'den, Heliuth."

Heliuth is currently fast asleep in the bowl - and why he chose this location to sleep is a mystery to his rider. Something about wanting to sleep outside for the time being... Shrug. J'den himself was on the way towards the Living Caverns, you see, but was distracted by D'baji's radiant beauty. Well, actually, he was mainly destracted by the group of familiar faces, and at this moment he walks towards them, immediately going into salute-mode. "Weyrwoman Hannah." Salute. "Assistant Weyrlingmaster Kita." Salute. "Weyrling D'baji and Healer Sr. Apprentice Serafa." Wait - he has to salute /them/?? Not fair. But he does it anyway - just more subtle ones that the others. "How are all of you this evening?"

Hannah nods at the weyrlings, turning to Kita, murmuring, "They are looking well," before turning back to the 'lings, "Good evening, weyrlings."  Serafa's name escapes the weyrwoman's memory, but doesn't escape her notice, "Good evening to you as well."  Patting her lifemate's hide, she notes the salutes and nods in return.

D'baji can't help but give a minute roll of his eyes as he hears his name, though a bit of a grin upon the realization that it's Serafa, and not, say, any Senior Weyrwoman who may want to make him learn knots, or something of the sort. A bit of a playful salute is given the Healer, completed with a waggle of fingers, and a wink. "Serafa!" To which Nverath adds a tail-thump. And, D'baji figures, if Nverath likes her, well, he can leave out the title. Kita gets a sour smile, an emphasized salute, and an exhasperated "Evenin', Assistant Weyrlingmaster Kita," in a greeting nearly cut off by a half-hearted salute J'denwards. "Good, thankee. Nverath is thrilled to be out, we've been sitting around rather all day... How're you an' Heliuth? Weyrling J'den?"

Serafa smiles at the boys, a little on the feral side but she has heard the gossip after all.  "And I thought you would never learn manners D'baji"  She teases, a little finger-waggle of her own going back to Nverath.  They have an understanding they do.  Eyes glaze as she listens to the talk of dragons and wellness, but she offers a polite "Oh thats good to hear"  Just so she feels like she's part of the conversation.

"Growing quickly, too," Kita responds to Hannah, murmuring out of the side of her mouth.  The brownrider then grants a bow to the huge gold dragon dwarfing them all (gotta set a good standard for these flippant weyrlings after all) and actually even salutes the weyrlings in return.  "I'm not so sure that you're entirely pleased to see me, D'baji," she states, raising an eyebrow in his direction.  "That smile seemed a little...disrespectful."  Kita leaves it at that, and turns to Serafa.  "Have you heard what these boys have to do now?"

<Local> Nverath senses that Djarreth shifts a little restlessly, attempting to look each dragonet over without being too obvious about it.  <<You are all growing strong.  Your morning exercises are developing your leg muscles well. This will help you to launch yourselves when you are ready to fly.>>  A slightly more respectful tone echoes in his next words.  <<They are beautiful, Dhiammarath.>>

Hannah purses her lips and says softly to Kita, "Disrespectful?  To a weyrlingmaster?"  Incredulous wide green eyes turn to D'baji, "Surely no weyrling would be disrespectful."  Her gaze slants to Kita before turning to give the weyrlings lifted eyebrows.  Weyrwoman may be shy, but she's no idiot on protocol.  Adding to Kita, "I've heard rumors but nothing else.."

<Local> Nverath senses that Dhiammarath curls the light scent of sweet grass with the hardness of royal jade, her words strung along like the paper lanterns of the far east.  << Remind you're lifemates, my children, that they must know their place. >> Pausing, she twines liquid amber through her voice responding to Djarreth.  << Yes, they are beautiful.  They will fly in no time. >>  She adds.  << However, if they do not show proper respect, they will not fly. >>

J'den grins at D'baji, crossing his arms over his chest now that he's done with the saluting. "Oh, I'm good, /Weyrling/ D'baji," he retorts with a twinkle in his eye. "And Heliuth is currently sleeping. Which means that he couldn't be better." With a slight chuckle, he nods to the AWLM and weyrwoman. They /are/ growing quickly. Jay simply keeps his mouth shut as D'baji's, erm, step out of line is discussed, a small smirk upon his face. 

"Seeing you, /Assistant Weyrlingmaster/ Kita," D'baji starts, throwing himself into a low bow and peeking up at her from it, "is /always/ a pleasure." The touch of sarcasm he deems necessary for any situation used, he's quick to turn to Seffy with a grin. "Y'know, when I was compared to Feln and them, they claimed I had manners. I just wasn't prepared, is all. And how goes the numbweed?" That topic (hopefully) avoided well enough, he turns a blink Hannahwards. "Surely," is agreed with a perfect lack of his earlier sarcasm. He's somewhat afraid of all goldriders except Yuli by now. "Good to hear," is given to J'den with a saucy little quirk of the mouth.

Serafa rolls her eyes "Yeah but what were 'Feln and them'?  I shudder to think."  Turning klah-brown eyes Kita-wards she feigns ignorance.  "No I havent Kita, /what/ did they do now?"  She asks moving closer to the older riders.  Poking her tongue out slightly as she moves.  She's no longer a slave like them, well comparatively anyways.

Aemergin quietly wanders in from the Southeastern Bowl.

A small boy wanders across the bowl floor slowle headed away from the living caverns entrance. As he walks towards the lake, he spots a group of people and wanders over to see what the gathering is about.

Kita grins and moves a little closer to Serafa.  Together she, Serafa and Hannah must make a rather intimidating trio.  "Well, D'baji was somewhat...uh...impolite to the Senior Weyrwoman Saria.  I guess he hadn't really encountered her before.  Anyway, Weyrwoman Saria ordered him to make knots of every rank and title within eight sevendays.  N'ano heard about this, and has now ordered every weyrling to run laps around the bowl before dawn, chanting the various titles within the Weyr. I think that's it.  Or have I missed something?" A twinkle in Kita's eye speak of her amusement about this. If D'baji hadn't have been so cheeky with that bow, she wouldn't be teasing so mercilessly.

J'den groans at Kita's explanation, wrapping his arms more tightly around himself at the reminder of the way his mornings have been spent recently. Jay now has all of the ranks memorized, of course - it'd be impossible not to with the number of times they'd been required to recite them recently. "Oh, yes," he nods towards the AWLM, "we're all now quite familiar with the titles of the Weyr. Not as familiar as Deba here most likely is, of course." J'den could have it worse. Much worse. He'll cling to the optimism. 
Hannah chuckles softly, her green eyes flicking from weyrling to weyrling. "Hmm.  Adequate."  Far be it for her to contradict what the Weyrwoman says. "I'm glad its in hand.  I'm sure they'll remain respectful.." slanting a look at Kita, ".. if Dhiammarath means to keep her word."

Serafa raises one ebon brow to regard her candi-mates archly.  "Oh they did, did they?"  She questions, keeping her expression delightfully straight.  "And to think D'baji was there when I recited the WeyrWomens names for Annie"  She tsk's slightly, enjoying her new found-skeery powers.  "Naughty weyrlings" She waggles her finger sternly.  Yeah.

D'baji sends a wicked grin towards Serafa. "Oh, Feln and them are the ones who talk loud and get drunk and grab the barmaid's bum." That must /really/ make him look good, eh, comparing himself to those guys? "Other Fisherman at SeaCliffs," is added. And D'baji has no comment for his encounter with the Senior Weyrwoman nor N'ano's idea of running, contenting himself to send a smile towards Nverath. "Oh, the ranks and titles are rather engraved into my skull, I'd think," he agrees to fellow bronzerider. "Of course, some of the discussions we can have about ranks, Nverath and I, are almost worth the knot making." And for Serafa's next comment, he sends a hiss. Yup, like a feline.

**And nearly everyone leaves**

The boy watches from a distance, not quite within hearing range.  As he decides that the people were just talking, he turns to start walking towards the pool again. As a gust of wind and dust pelts him from behind, he turns with his arm shielding his face, and watches the dragons fly to their weyrs.  As now only a few of the large group remain, he re directs and walks over to the remaining people. "Watcha doin?" he asks in his cute, but sometimes annoying way.

D'baji watches rather blankly as everyone else suddenly starts to leave, though the blankness turns to a slow smile as he realizes that, finally, he's left alone with his lifemate again. As they'd intended on doing when they'd first headed out. Convinced that no one else is around, and unobservant as he is, D'baji goes right into a conversation that had, for so long, been silent. "But no... You don't find that at all degrading? No, I don't have you on some sort of pedestal, it's just- and what if I do?" The bronze's eyes whirl magnificently as he offers his own arguments, finally forcing the rider into a goofy grin. The boy's voice startles him well enough, bringing the bronzer to wheel around and glare directly at this newcomer. "I was discussing with my friend here. Who're you?" To get right to the point.

The boy nearly drops in terror from enrageing a rider, but his body only petrifies.  After manageing to work his mouth once, he sputters out " I..  I'm Aemergin...." then stands there and regains his composure as his boldness returns. "What was he saying?"Merg asks, his voice matching the inquisitive expression on his face as he glances over at the large dragon not all that far away.

D'baji furrows his brow somewhat quizzically for the boy's reaction. Scared, was he? "Sorry," is given a bit gruffly as he straightens himself, peering from side to side, upwards, downwards, and deciding it might be best to salute, just in case one of those Weyrlingmasters is watching. So a quick, and not too sloppy salute is given. "Aemergin, is it then? How d'you shorten it? And you're a Weyrbrat, are you, or what?" Bronzer leans forward for closer inspection. "Can't be in a craft, you look too young," is said rather bluntly, while Nverath curls his tail with a bit of a rumble. "What was he saying?" A frown notes that D'baji's not too pleased for that question. "He and I were merely having a discussion. When no one's around, I'll talk to him out loud. Because then no one knows what we're talking about."

Aemergin  glances over at the dragon. "oh... I see... " he says, seeming to be pretty satisfyed with the answer, even though it wasn't much of one. But other thoughts weighed on his mind so he goes ahead. "I wasn't born here...  I ran away from home and my brother brought me here, he lives at Gar hold." Aemergin rather proudly states, as if it were quite an achievement and nothing could persuade him differently. "I don't know /how/ I'd shorten my name... " and with a roll of the eyes and a slight sigh he adds " /If/ I ever get searched,  But the dragons will know, won't they?"

Nverath cranes his neck forward somewhat to peer at the boy, finally giving a decided whuffle, and nudging at his rider with a nose. D'baji turns to the beast, quite nearly forgetting of Aemergin's presence to hiss "I /am/ being nice," to the beast. Oh, but back to reality, he turns a bit sheepishly. "Do tell... So what, you're a resident then? How old are you anyway? You can't be more than twelve Turns..." For the next comment he just blinks, finally giving a little laugh and shaking his head. "Not like /that/! What right have I to ask that of you? I mean, like ,is there a way to say your name other than Aemergin? It's a big name. I used to go by Debajirin, they called me Jir, Baji, Deba, Aji, Rin, all those... You have anything like that, is what I meant?" See, he's being nicer now. Darn bronze and his sympathies...

Aemergin turns an amused grin to the dragon. "He's funny!" the boy giggles. then, at the explanation, he brightens emensily. "Oh! You can call me Merg, hey! I know, I could make my name M'gin!" he proclaims as he solves one of his longtime puzzles.

"Is he now?" is the rider's bemused response, an eye going to his beloved Nverath, who turns his gaze back to this Aemergin for just a moment. "Merg, then? Good, it's easier on the tongue. And I suppose... Though that's quite the advance planning you'd be doing, thinking of name slurs. And I'd watch yourself with that too, some other riders take offense." A dubious look is given for that. "Some people consider the honourific rather... Well, important. Though it's hardly my place to discuss social aspects about other riders," is added with something of a snort. He'd be surprised if the whole Weyr hadn't heard of his encounter with the Senior Weyrwoman, and he's rather amused by it, in the end.

Merg drops his eyes at the rebuf. "Oh, I'm sorry...    I just really want to ride a dragon someday, but no one thinks they'll like me.."   from his tone of voice, it seems he really admires the dragonriders, and his imagination of a name is only part of the childhood fantasies should they come true.

D'baji will, apparrently, not 'get' this boy for today. The eye-dropping is noted, and an eyebrow raised for it. "Don't bother apologising, you've not done anything," is said rather pointedly, a hand brought up to run through feathery hair. "It's not that no one thinks they'll like you, I'm sure. Dragons can like anyone for any reason, in my experience." Which is very limited, but not getting into that. "It's just probably that no one wants you to get your whole life built up around a possibility. A slim possibility, mind you. No matter who you are." Best add that in, right? Oh, Deb and his attempts at child psychology... "It's just too easy to get distracted by, in the end, I think."

the small boy just looks up at the rider and blinks. /Not/ plan his future around a dragon? What in the world was the guy thinking?  who cares about the /future/! Aemergin shrugs the answer off and looks at the dragon again. "Can I scratch him?" he asks, deciding that the current topic was getting too boreing..  Almost without waiting for a reply, Aemergin turns towards the dragon and takes a couple steps towards him.

D'baji blinks, first to the boy, then over his shoulder where Nverath has taken up observation of the conversation, and back again. "Scratch? Him?" is repeated slowly enough, turning to the Frothy Ridged One, the bronze in turn eyeing the boy, not for the first time. "I..." is trailed off by the uncertain rider, watching as Nverath pulls his behind well away from the boy and gives a little whuffle in his direction. "Well, I suppose you could... Though you know he's no pet, right? But he'd be willing." Apparently Nverath has a soft spot for little people. The dragon extends a leg. Yes, that is what ought to be fondled. 

Aemergin smiles broadly as he walks over to the bronze and begins finding a place that would be hard for the dragon to scratch at by himself. After finding a patch that, though not dry by any means, was a bit tougher, Aemergin sets to giving it a good rubing and scratching like he has been instructed by various other nice riders. "Yea, he replies. I know hes not a pet...   but they can't get to some places like I cant reach my back!"  he demonstrates as he leans against the big paw by trying to reach an arm behind his head and shulders, not quite getting to the middle of his back. "See?  I'ts kinda hard."  Who needs a ten turn old to teach a dragonrider? oh well, thats they way kids are, they know everything.  As he resumes rubbing, he looks up at the dragon to ask "Is that good? or are there more itchy spots?" Can this kid really talk to dragons? or is it just another one of those kid things that ya just grin and bear?

Nverath watches the boy as his leg is rubbed, tilting wedge-shaped head this way and that. Yes, he's not the biggest dragon, by any means, but really, the awe he seems to inspire is absolutely intriguing to him. "Alright, that much is true," D'baji allows, chewing at a lower lip while watching his beast inspect the boy. Nverath gives a humph in reply to the question, which D'baji is happy to translate. "He says he doesn't itch in the least, though it's kind of you to ask," is said in a lighter tone, that used when this rider quotes his dragon. In his normal voice, the bronzer adds, "He was just oiled, so he ought to be good for another few candlemarks."

"Oh, ok...  " is all he says when he is informed about the good maintenance of the lifemates. Merg looks up at the dragons head which sends his yellow hair to his shulders, "You're nice. "  he states, as he leans aginst the paw. As he looks up at the bronzes head, he examines the dragons glowing eye, appearently noticeing its complexity for the first time. "Your eyes are cooool!" he draws out as he watches the colors fade from one hexagon to the next.

Esmeyath shuffles awkwardly in from the Northeastern Bowl.
Zeja slides from Esmeyath's neck and lands gently on the ground.

Djarreth spirals down for a landing.

Esmeyath saunters into the bowl, glistening prettily as all greens should. Dragon head hoists high as she looks toward her clutchsiblings and the older dragons, nodding a hello, and the weyrling poised beside her bows her head as well, eyes twinkling. "D'baji, m'dear," Zeja murmurs with a grin and wave to her friend before offering a salute to the brownrider. "Kita. Greetings and all." The green has stopped in her movement, and Zeja leans back against the young green, arms crossed over her chest, as she eyes Aemergin. "I don't know you." She pauses. "Should I know you?"

Kita slides from Djarreth's neck and lands gently on the ground.

Nverath gives another whuffle towards the boy, twitching a toe to check for the response that might draw. For the commenting on his eye, the bronze closes it, leaving the whirling optic lidded for a moment, and only opening it as D'baji translates, "He says that he's attached to his eye, and it doesn't feel cold to him in the slightest. And why would you find it cold, really? He notes that you've not touched his eye, and aren't really too near it that you should feel any draft coming off it, and that there ought not even be a draft at all." D'baji blinks at his lifemate a moment, and then offers something of a grin. "In fact, his eyes are warm if anything. He'll admit that at times, the colours are cold, like the blue and green they were leaning to then, but really, as it is part of him, and he is a living, breathing, dragon, it can be assumed that the eye is warm." After a moment and an exhasperated sigh, the bronzer continues: "/And/ you are leaning up against his leg, are you not? And his leg is very warm, so then you ought to have enough knowledge in that he is warm and his leg is warm and his leg is part o fhim and his eye is part of him, that you should know his eye would most likely be warm. Though he asks you not to touch it." Shards, talkative dragon tonight. "Zeja!" is beamed, an excuse to stop Nverath-talking as he offers her a salute. "Weyrling Zeja. And Kita, of course. Assistant Weyrlingmaster." This is said with a swagger of his hips, and a little salute her way as well.

"Zeja," Kita returns the greeting, letting the slip of title slide.  With a helpful foreleg she dismounts from her brown, who immediately greets the younglings with a warm rumble.  Kita opens her mouth to address D'baji, but his tirade from his dragon stops her and causes her to look on in astonishment.  The brownrider and brown dragon look to each other for a moment, and Kita then glances back to the bronze, covering a smile with her hand.  After the bronzer salutes, Kita once more tries to greet the rider. "Hey D-..." she stops as she notices the hip swagger. "Er...D'baji...Nverath," she finally states.  Guess that little movement threw her.  The boy nearby gets a smile.

Aemergin frowns and looks at the rider as he gives the long logic though the warmness of the dragons eye. Then, turning critical look to the dragon, he replies "I /ment/ that I think his eye is....." he pauses as he searches for a suitable synonym "Neat!  I know its warm, and I think you are really nice and warm." he says to the dragon again.  At the ladys inquirey, Aemergin turns to her and looks at her for a moment, then shrugs and looks at the rider. "I du'nno.."

Zeja just stands there grinning broadly at Nverath's words. "He's too logical, that beast," she tells D'baji, shaking her head. "Yet interesting, that's for sure." She seems even more amused by his little salute to her. "Ooh, if I leave, and then I come back, will you do that again? I did enjoy it. Do it again, for me?" Mainly, she just has fun tormenting people. Esmeyath returns the warbeled greeting to the brown as she settles down in the bowl. "How are you today, assistant weyrlingmaster?" she questions. Emerald eyes return with amusement back to the stranger. "Well, you're here, aren't you? Therefore, I should probably know you, as it is hard to have conversations with those one doesn't know." Don't question Ze's logic. She has none. "I am Zeja," she murmurs to him, extending her hand as if expecting him to kiss it. "And this georgeous beast is Esmeyath. She would say hi, but she has better things to do." Aka: You're not the green's type.

D'baji shrugs to Zeja, offering quite the fond little smile for Nverath, and reaching out to offer the tail, which has found its way rather near him, a pat, despite the awkwardness of doing so. "Yes, of course I will, Zeja darling. Anything for you and your Esmeyath. And if I don't, I'm liable to be making not only all the knots of the Weyr, but all the knots total." A sweet little smile is directed her way, as well as a great big bow to the green, his favourite green of the Weyr, truth be known. "Oh, Merg, is it? He says that thank you, and yes, hetries to keep his eye very clean. Or else it's difficult to see, and most bothersome. And has an explanation for that too, which roughly boils down to the fact that he doesn't like to be dirty, and that he's very clean at the moment all around. So I won't make you listen to that, unless you want to." Or the bronze prods him to give the full lecture. The Frothy Ridged One, instead of pursuing th ematter, offers a rumble to Kita.

Kita leans back against her dragon's enormous chest, arms folded as she listens with great amusement (but badly concealed) to D'baji's reiteration of his dragon's thoughts.  The sound of Nverath rumbling to her causes a remarkable change in Kita.  Her eyes soften, her stance relaxes a little and she moves away from Djarreth to stand in front of the bronze's nose.  "Hey, Nverath," she greets quietly, gently reaching out a hand to the tip of his muzzle.  And for a moment, it seems as if Kita is completely shut out from the rest of the world. 

Aemergin eyebrows drop in consternation (right word?) at /another/ lecture on a missed intention, then begin raiseing as the bronzerider keeps talking..... "Uh....   " is all he says as most of it begins to fly past him faster than a proddy gold flitter. As the bronze rumbles to the brownrider, Aemergin turns to look at her and his eyebrows continue raiseing as she starts acting really weird. "Is she ok?" he asks D'baji, his voice more concerned than critisizing.

Nverath thinks to you, << I bespoke Kita with << You sense that Nverath streams forth liquid golden, interlaced with the occasional drops of red, and swirls of brown. <<Greetings>> is offered in a quiet tone to match that used for him, bits of amused green surfacing to float about along with the base colours. >> >>

Zeja sighs at Aemergin as she leans back against Esmeyath. "I dunno, Es. I guess some people just aren't used to me. At least that's what I'm told." She shrugs, grinning. "No, I don't think he's ignoring us because you're not a male dragon. I think he's just never been in the presence of a dragon so lovely, that he doesn't know what to say to us." She grins at her lifemate as she stands, pushing herself away. Kita is given another salute. "G'day to you, assistant weyrlingmaster, Baji." With that, she wiggles her fingers at them all--her own personal salute--and the pair swaggers back toward the barracks.

D'baji gives a bit of a smile as Nverath turns his head so as to be more accessible to the brownrider, half-closing his eyes at her. "I think she's alright," is replied to Aemergin, a thumb jerked in the way of the bronze and the Assistant Weyrlingmaster. "He just... likes her, I guess. There are those he'll go to like that, more than others." Is that just a little hint of jealousy in the rider's tone? Or maybe just resentment that he's not the only one to find the bronze's affections. "Bye Zeja," is given with a bit of a dreamy tone, most likely inherited from Nverath, as he gives her another salute and a bit of a wink. "Don't mind her," is added quickly to Aemergin, so as the boy doesn't take too much offense, hopefully.

Kita blinks a little, a moment's shock evident on her face.  Then once more she relaxes, and her expression of calm control once more claims it's position. She reaches her hand forward again, as if to make contact with the darling bronze.  An amused grunt from Djarreth brings Kita out of her besotted trance, and suddenly aware of the attention she is receiving, assumes an air of inspection and authority.  "Hmm..yes...been stretching your wing muscles I see Nverath? Well done, well done...you'll be one of the best fliers out of this group I think..." Kita rambles on, commenting on various merits of the bronze in an attempt to cover her rather obvious besotted expression earlier.  "You take good care of him, D'baji.  Oh..er...bye Zeja! Ahem..."

Aemergin remains standing, now a little removed from the bronze dragon, and watches the green rider. the look on his face tell that he is still not real sure about this lady...   but all green riders are like that, arn't they? well, maybe not /all/ but a lot. 

Nverath pushes his nose forward to attempt a nudge at the brownrider's hand, giving a little croon as well, and stretching out a wing (the one that's least likely to bap any boys in the head). "Well, I'm not sure. Some are. More at the 'Reaches, I'm told. And Zeja's sorta always been like that, as long as I've known her," D'baji answers Aemergin. "I do," is replied rather confidently to Kita, even a bit fondly, though that's more than likely for his dragon, as opposed to the AWLM that he seems rather enamoured with, for the moment. "And he does the same for me, y'know."

If anything were to cause Kita to fall back into her softer, besotted trance, the contact between a dragonet that is not her own and herself would be the thing to do it.  Of course, Nverath manages to find Kita's weakness quite expertly, and that little croon makes the brownrider positively melt.  "I do so love weyrlings," she mutters to herself, not really noticing if anyone else can hear.  This time however, the brownrider manages to shake herself out of her reverie to turn to D'baji, and look him up and down.  "He does indeed," she finally admits with a smile, Nverath's behaviour causing her to be a little more gentle than usual.  "Your legs are developing quite a bit of muscle from all of that running."  Suddenly Kita flushes bright red as though her words were too personal, and she turns back to the baby bronze.  Djarreth just watches, rumbling his amusement.

Aemergin frowns slightly, looking from one rider to the other as Aemergin decides that things around here are getting a little /tooo/ mushy and weird. hesitantly Aemergin excuses himself. "Um....  i think I need to go to bed now... " he saysm turning awy, "Thank you for lettimg me scratch your dragon!" he calls, then turns and runs back to the living caverns

Nverath is an observer at heart, a bit of a philosopher... But in the end, it's his job to know the way to make someone melt, if he's managed to know them and remember them long enough. So he simply opens his eyes a bit wider, turning a gaze to the brownrider and giving a slight ruffle of his wings. D'baji nods to Aemergin as the boy leaves, quirking a brow for that one final time for the boy, and shrugging for the thanks, before returning full attentions to Kita. "My legs?" He blinks down at the mentioned things, and back up at her, slowly blushing every so slightly, and giving a bit of a shrug. "Thanks, I guess... The running's nice enough, it's not knot making. Heh, not knot, look at that." Amazing, so few people can get him seriously flustered. But Nverath is more than thrilled to take over for his bumbling rider, giving a soft little noise deep in his throat, a bit amused along with Djarreth, it would seem.

"Look, Deba..." Kita begins, giving Nverath an affectionate pat on the muzzle before fully returning to the now and turning to D'baji, "...do you need any...uh..assistance with the knots? Not, knot..." she finally grins, as if just now only getting the joke.  "Don't let anyone know I offered, because I will be on the night patrols for sevendays if word of this gets out.  But if you need help...I'm willing."  A slight grunt of disapproval echoes from deep within Djarreth's throat, but Kita ignores him.  "In my opinon, Saria was a little...harsh."

D'baji tilts his head to the side, giving a hmmm on Nverath's behalf as the foamy muzzle is patted. "Assist-" he pauses, lowering his voice quite audibly and taking a few steps to stand come nearer the brownrider. "Assistance?" is repeated, an eyebrow quirking, a dubious look falling onto his face. A little laugh is given, a tension reliever, as if this little knot joke is a lot funnier when voiced by her. Finally, after the brown's disapproval, he shakes his head. "She may have been. I mean, she caught me at something of a bad time... Y'know, certain things do happen apart from just oiling your dragon and if you're in a mood and it's over something even remotely important, things just go... But I've got most of it done by now. I'm good at it by now, I can make knots and they don't all fall apart... And y'know, chances are, someone'll find out otherwise, and really, I don't think I could do with having to do it again, and where would that land you? Like you said, night patrol, eh?" He offers a little teasing grin, and then a nod. "Though the offer is really rather outstanding. Thank you for that. But y'know, I need to be kept busy."

Kita stands and observes D'bajji, as if just making sure he's certain of his decision.  A small gleam of something new flickers in her eyes, and then is gone.  "Okay then.  Who knows, maybe you'll have riders begging you to do knots after this.  Faranth knows I need a new one," she adds, lightly fingering the one around her arm which has begun to fray around the edges.  "I remember a little incident we had in the barracks a while ago with one of the other groups.  The rider was Zi'n, I believe."  Kita smiles at the memory.  "I walked in, to find he had spilled an entire vat of oil.  Naturally I slipped, and he rushed over, all contrite, desperate to see if I was okay.  As soon as his feet hit the oil, he slipped too.  The notice board went down as he tried to cling to it, and he landed on top of me.  His free hand reached out to catch his fall, and instead caught-" Kita's voice suddenly stops, and she looks down a little- is that the vicinity of her chest? "...well, he caught what he really didn't mean to."

D'baji raises an eyebrow, feeling the most recent moment to have rather slipped away, but more than happy to pursue the conversation further. "Do you? I dunno... I don't think I'm gonna like too many knots after this. It's like those shardin' tubers, as I've said, or more, written, to some other people... You want nothing more to do with them for a /very/ long time. Only at the start I liked tubers alright. Never liked the shoulder knot thing. Ranks and that, it'd be easier to do without." D'baji, leaning towards communism and equality, and a social system that works like that. But the story comes now, to which he listens rather intently, idly reaching an arm up to rub at Nverath's jaw, and finally bursting into what could be described as no more, no less, than giggles, D'baji following her glance, and then proceeding to look rather appropriately at the ground. "Really he did? Good to know I'm not the only one who's done such things, I suppose... And I think I prefer my encounter with Sa- Senior Weyrwoman Saria- to, say, me... grabbing at her, accidentally. I can't see that going over well." Even if he has developed some heroine-worship for her since, he can't see that as having been helpful. "Who knows what she would have had me making then, eh?"

"She'd probably involve you in making more numbweed for the weyr, along with cleaning out the latrines, or the blocked drains in the baths...all the nasty, smelly jobs.  Thank Faranth dragons...erm...stop themselves from...uh...getting to...ah...bloated by doing...ahem...things between."  And this girl is training to be a dragonhealer one day?! Djarreth suddenly sits up on his haunches, and rumbles.  "Now? Again? Reth, you ate only the day before last."  Kita pauses as she listens, and makes a great sigh.  "I have to go to the corral.  Djarreth is hungry.  Want to come?"

D'baji shudders, Nverath echoing with a thrash of his tail for the obvious unpleasantness felt by his rider. "Y'know, not all of 'em do it between. What about those that aren't allowed to /go/ between, hmm? Shards, had to clean up after a whole clutch of that for that one day!" Nose is crinkled in memory of that, though he does add, "But everyone was rather pleased with the cleanliness of their couches." Nverath gives an excited warble at the aspect of /going/ somewhere, and D'baji shrugs and nods. "Sure, if you don't mind... Hopefully Nverath won't get too jealous, eh?" A snort of the bronze, a reminder that it's not /him/ who gets jealous, and D'baji makes a flourish of his hand towards Kita. "So, lead the way, if you will?"

Corral
  This part of the plateau has been fenced-off to provide an enclosed pasture and grazing area for the Weyr's herds.  Grass covers the fields, rippling like waves in the wind.  Herds of herdbeasts wander about, grazing lazily.  To the north is the exit to the plateau, and from here you can also see the forests and beaches below the plateau to the west, as well as the ocean, stretching off to the horizon.

Djarreth takes to the skies almost as soon as he has the chance. Not encumbered by the passion flared from flights, Djarreth is actually quite smooth in his movements, clean and not nearly as agressive. He gazes below as he circles the corral, the beasts below bawling out their terror. Djarreth doesn't give them long to fear: he quickly swoops down, clutches one in his talons and snaps it's neck deftly whilst still airborne. He then perches on a rock, and tears the head from the body. The entire skull is consumed. "How in the world could I have forgotten that?" Kita admonishes herself in regards to D'baji's comments about dragon hygiene. "Well, it won't be too long now." Djarreth has now ripped open the belly of the beast with a sharp talon, eating the soft offal first before crunching the bones in needle sharp teeth. Kita is completely unaffected by the spectacle. "I bet Nverath can't wait to hunt?"

Nverath has forgotten all about watching where he's going, neck craned towards the sky to watch the brown in flight, frank observation mingled with something of a wistful admiration, which is rather an interesting aura of emotion around a young dragon such as he. "I don't know. Maybe it's one of those things that gets blocked out, because it was an unwelcome experience?" is offered thoughtfully. A glance is cast towards the bronze, who is still oogling the herdbeast crunching with something of a fascination. "I can't wait for Nverath to hunt, at least. It's getting hard, all this hand-feeding. And when he hunts, he gets to fly, and he's looking forward to that. He likes to walk, in general, with his wings outstretched in protest of not being airborne..." He offers a shake of his head, passing a hand over Nverath's nearest foreleg. "Soon, though, they say..."

Kita smiles over to D'baji and his beautiful bronze.  "Very soon.  He's doing so well.  Be happy with that.  He'll be such a strong flier."  Djarreth finishes his meal, not one scrap of animal left.  He takes flight again, as if preparing to take down another herdbeast.  "No Djarreth! You need no more tonight."  Djarreth warbles his statement about the unfairness of it all, and changes course to approach the small gaggle of observers below.  As if aware he is being watched, he changes his trajectory slightly to show impressive muscles along his back bone and back haunches.  The sight of the moon gleams agross his hide and echoes through his wingsails.  "Show off," Kita mutters affectionately, then stands as he backwings to land.  "I'm sorry D'baji, Nverath...I think I must retire.  And you both too! Another round of laps in the morning.  Maybe I'll be good and do them with you this time."