Firelizard Hatching and Is His Bum Black?

Lagoon Shore - Western Weyr
A sandy beach running along the edge of the lagoon, between the sparkling waters and the bowl. Sometimes riders and dragons are seen playing in the water nearby or a dolphin can be seen cavorting. At other times seacraft can be seen coming in under the arch to dock. The lagoon is large enough to fill a quarter of the length of the bowl. A path winds out along a ledge out to the docks to the southwest, the lagoon to the west and the bowl to the east.

--

Scared of Shadows Egg wiggles a little but doesn't do much else.

Of course, the fact that a book has been flung instantly means a headon collision with literature. X'an, caught by gold in the ticklezone of his neck, and book being flung by accident, gets beaned. They say the pen is mightier than the sword and indeed, in some cases they are correct. Whilst the small bronze chirps and continues humming (see, one of this bunch has a clue how it's done) the gold squarks and takes off, darting around and impacting gracelessly into a sandbank by Anonmyth's foot, and X'an staggers out from around the brown's flank, flopping to his knee as if being 'knighted' not far from the eggs. Food scatters at his feet from where he bumped into the foodbag, and he blinks blearily.

Jandria watches the blue's impression, chuckling at Nathan's reaction, then holds out a strip of meat to the brown hatchling. A thoughtful expression comes to her face. Glancing at Jass on her shoulder, she quickly withdraws her hand. "Maybe not another brown. One like you is enough!" As he creels in a protest far more raucous than any hatchling so far has managed, she shifts all the meat to one hand so that she can scratch his head again. "I know, you're unique." She peers back over her shoulder, trying to work out what's going on around that dragon.

K'nan wanders out onto the beach having left Phaili playing with some kid and the two exchanging treasure hunting secrets. She stretches her neck a bit as she works out some kinks in it. "Bloody sharding paperwork. Who thinks up this stuff anyways?" she mutters and then stops in her tracks as she glances around at the number of people. She hadn't heard there was a party. How did miss word on a party?

"X'an!" Auberaan jumps up and runs as the man goes down. "What's wrong? Are you alr…" That's when the healer's projectile weapon is spotted. Oh the guilt! "Let me help you up," is whispered mostly out of embarrassment and he reaches out a hand to the Brownrider.

Dark Mountain Brown Hatchling cries out happily as food pours out in front of him. All, for me! Your too kind. The hungry little gut quickly gobbles down a few chunks and looks up the thank the kind soul who has provided this meal.
Dark Mountain Brown Hatchling looks into X'an's eyes. Impression!

Nathan's head swivels, almost like an owl's, when he hears Auberaan speak the name of his prey… errr quarry. "Zantos ap'Bitra! I have found you, at last!" SQEEEEEEAL, goes his hatchling blue, right in his ear, making him turn his attention back to feeding it. Shards! How can he make his speech while being so thoroughly distracted by Screech the blue?

Without much warning at all this little egg breaks apart and the little hatchling stands up proudly in the shards of it's sell.


Dunes of Brown Hatchling
The Igen deserts seem to have spreads themselves out on this little hatchling. His entire body looks like it has been covered from head to toe in a light tan color, speckled with a darker brown and even a little red. As you look over him you notice that his tail does look a little short for his body, almost cute even as he stands there before you. As the little darling spreads his wings you see that they are a much darker color then the rest of his body and almost red in color. As he stretches you see that his little claws are gray, like polished granite, fitting for this perfect little firelizard.


Jolie was heading toward the source of noise she heard all the way from the west bowl, calling her to the lagoon and she stops suddenly in her tracks at the sheer number of folks standing there. A quick glance around to get her bearings before she heads off to one side, coming to a stop somewhat near Lyrriva and giving the crowded mass of folks another look before she spots the cause. Firelizards.

K'nan winces a little and recognizes that voice from earlier. Her head turns and her eyes narrow in on Nathan and then she blinks oh, not a party, firelizards. "Well that explains the gathering." she murmurs and shrugs a little to herself. "A party would have been nice, make for a pleasant way to relax for once." She watches Nathan and wanders over towards him and smiles "It's X'an now. Remember." she remarks sweetly. Such a funny fella.

Lyrriva smiles and waves to Jolie, "Come to see yet another hatching or wanting one of the little mouths yourself?" She certainly doesn't want anymore.

Jandria chuckles at Nathan's plight. "Oh, they do that. Always want first call on your attention." She's not unsympathetic, and she's clearly speaking from experience, as brown Jass takes her momentary distraction as a chance to make another grab for the meat in her hand. "Not. For. You." Her glance round the crowd spots a new arrival, and she hisses at the lizard, "That's the Senior Weyrwoman! Behave!" Yes, she'll try anything… It doesn't work, of course.

Auberaan blinks a /whole/ lot, his eyes going from the arriving Jolie, to an accidentally book-beaned X'an, to a little Brown firelizard that seems to be gorging himself at his feet, to some person who knows X'an's pre-draconicly imposed name. "I /really/ need to get some sleep." Is all he he utters.

Dunes of Brown Hatchling slowly picks himself out of the sand and looks around. What strange surroundings. Sniffing one of his fellow eggs he sneezes softly and shakes her head. Thats not food. Well when there is no food where you are you go exploring!

Greed for Gold Egg rocks in small circles, bumping into the remaining eggs and running over the shards from it's brothers.

X'an expressively, or.. not so expressively.. glurps. A bronze, a gold and a brown? Eyeball to eyeball with the tiny brown rock that's looking up at him and inflicting hunger pangs on him, he flicks the bits of meat closer to the critter's maw, and thanks faranth internally for small mercies. "I suppose there's no escaping it now.. don't worry Auberaan. You hit something soft with it.. my head. I could use a bit more sense being knocked into my brainpan.." he offers this to the healer as he flops back onto his heels, staring at the latest addition to the Izelth crew of miniature cronies, and gathers the little fella into his palm, glancing at the rest, and then Nathan. "You look.. very familiar." he informs the man. Keep him talking X'an… make him try and speak around the Screech .oO(difinitive article—ED)

He stares at the new brownling, and cooo's just because. "Fond spot for you lot you know."

Jolie remains standing close to Lyrriva before she shakes her head frantically. "No, no. I'm not trying to collect another of the little things. I have three already, I'd go nuts with another." She smiles though to watch them. "But I like looking at them, when they're so small and all."

Lyrriva laughs and nods, "I know how you feel. One reason I'm staying so far back, just in case one of the little things thinks I might have some food for it."

This little egg bounces! It bounces only twice before finally falling apart but still not all eggs can say that they bounced before breaking.


Glittering Gemstone Blue Hatchling
Sapphire! That is the only thing you can think of looking over this beautiful looking Blue. From head to tail this little guy looks like he was forged directly from the precious stone and then brought to like by an expert's hand. Rivers of sparking blue wash over this little creature, leaving many different tones of the beautiful color. The little hatchling looks to be perfect, with nothing larger or smaller then it should be on this little guy. His white teeth and claws are a startling addition to this Blue, making a sharp contrast from a deep sea blue to a pearly white. Without knowing much about the Blue you know one thing, he is going to be a charmer.


Nathan manages to plug Screech's mouth for long enough to look over at X'an, not even bothering to apologize to anyone for forgetting to use his honorific. He's a trifle distracted, you see. "Look 'familiar', do I? Well, I should certainly hope so!" SCREE -*glomp* - more meat stuffed into the blue's mouth. "My family has served yours since the first egg, and possibly even sooner." If he's exaggerating at all, he doesn't seem to think so. "I am Nathan Steward, and I have been sent by our father's to perform the duties my family has ever performed for…" stuff mouth of firelizard with meat "… as long as history has been recorded. I am here to be your personal steward."

Auberaan chases after X'an, disregarding the Brownrider's attempt to recall the identity of the owner of the little, screeching, blue imp that woke him, "Oh shards…wait, X'an! Let me take a look at you. Did I hit you very hard? Oh, X'an, I'm so sor…your /personal/ steward?" X'an gets smirked at.

Dunes of Brown Hatchling searches for food. In this wilderness there must be something for a poor little firelizard to eat. Finally! Prey! His prey being an odd piece of meat that seems to have wandered away from whomever had had it.

K'nan eyes Nathan a little and just shakes her head "Watch out for him X'an, he's got plans for making you move out of your weyr, for fear you're going to fall." she remarks with an oh so sweet smile, she's not enjoying this is she? Nah. She glances around and then spots the blue. "Oh, would you look at him?" she says "He looks sharper looking then your nanny, err assitant." she replies. "You wouldn't mind me swiping a little of your meat would you now?" She asks with a sweet smile.

Jolie blinks, then blinks again as she stares at X'an for a long moment and then back to Lyrriva. "Did you hear that?" She doesn't say anything more, just turning to watch the ongoing tableau in front of her and shaking her head.

A stinging bug flits around X'an's arm, to be slapped by the brownrider, and it tumbles to the sands near his feet in a twitchy little bundle of limbs and buzzing. It'll die. Or get eaten. MOre food is held out to the brown he just accidentally impressed, and then theres /those/ words. As Auberaan comes up to inspect where he got beaned by that flung book, X'an's gaze lifts and frigid eyes fix on Nathan with a total falling of face that screams 'Oh bugger' on loudspeakers. K'nan is /looked/ at. You know, Look with a capitol 'L' and the poor f'lizard he just impressed has to tug tug tug on the meat in his grip as if it's a game to get it to release. Deadpan, and toneless: "My own personal steward." Oh yes. K'nan is going to have far too much fun with this. To mention only /one/… so lets pay attention to the lizards. Yes. Lets. INtensely. Lets ignore /everyone else/ - ahem - How long will /that/ last? What's the betting? 2:1 odds? Or worse?

Jandria is close enough to Nathan to hear his speech. In fact, by the time he's said a couple of sentences, she's unashamedly earwigging. The eggs may hatch unheeded: she turns to watch the scene play out. Jass takes the opportunity to leap to her wrist and nuzzle at her closed fist, and she absentmindedly opens her hand. After that, of course, her meat is rapidly devoured, so she has to go and get some more from one of the people who's offering before she can return to her chosen spot.

Lyrriva stands a little closer to Jolie, watching X'an, "Yeah I heard that. Interesting…" Anonmyth is ignoring everything else except the little Firelizards to which he is crooning at.

Nathan grabs a few more globs of meat in his hand, ignoring the bloodiness of them, as he moves toward X'an. "I should think, X'an dragonrider, that you would be a /trifle/ more enthused at finally having a qualified servant to assist you in the day to day runnings of your hole in the hill." Someone really ought to tell him they're called 'weyrs'. "Just look at you! FLAMES on your clothing? Are you some demented harper trying to amuse everyone with your complete and /utter/ lack of taste? What kind of attire is that for a child of Bitra?"

Glittering Gemstone Blue Hatchling looks up and blinks, where am I? The cute little blue gets himself up off of the sand and looks at himself. Yuck! Sand! Sand all over his beautiful hide. He creels up at the humans around him… so who is going to wash him… better yet who is going to feed him?

One crack splits the egg in two, letting the little hatchling pour out and show itself to all.


Raw Copper-Bronze Hatchling
Pretty! I'm sure that isn't what the little Bronze would like you to think of him but that is the only thing you can think of as he stands there before all to see. Starting at his feet, with a pinkish-bronze color, the color flows up the little Firelizard in waves. His body is the color of raw, unforged dark copper, set at odd angles around the little firelizard, making him look a little rough around the edges. His little head smooths out to a cool bronze color, while his tail looks like it has a bit of a golden tint to it. Last but not least are his wings, stretching out to a liquid coppery-bronze color, delicate but strong enough to carry his weight and a little more.


A glance goes to K'nan, then to Jolie and Lyrriva before goes off in search of his book-weapon, finds it and walks back toward X'an dusting the sand off of the pages. "Well, since no one else is doing it, I might as well," He looks from X'an to Nathan, "Auberaan here, he nods pleasantly, then points to himself, "Healer," some of the others get pointed at as well. "Weyrwoman Jolie, WeyrSecond K'nan and WingSecond Lyrriva…and /you/ are, exactly?" Big, nosy smile. Sleep or no sleep this is too juicy, "Oh, X'an! You dented my book!" *grump*

K'nan is trying her hardest to not die in a fit of giggles and gets herself under control "Honestly, demented harper, really." she remarks as she manages to snag some meat. "He's better looking then that. Better looking then that creepy dead looking guy." she glances over at X'an a moment and then smiles ever so sweetly at X'an "Least no one is wanting to know if his butt is black due to the over dying of his clothes." she remarks and then smiles at Auberaan "That's Nathan, come to take X'an in hand and I think completely reform the dress code of Western." she notes as she turns her attention back to the little blue. "At least he doesn't look over-dyed, a bit sandy, but nothing worse then a noce bath will cure."

X'an crumbles meat, staring at the bronze that just cracked shell. "Go over toward her little fella." nodding his nose up toward Jandria. "Or better yet, toward this fellow with the blue." that'll teach him.. mwaha. Muttermumbleslangbitran. "I happen to -like- flames." Toss meat. Crumble it. Toss meat. "Sorry Auberaan." Someone's brewing his own personal humility cloud in attractively vibrant pink.

Jandria really isn't going to get anywhere near a conversation with all those dragonriders and senior crafters - that's far above her. It doesn't stop her from listening, though, and she grins sympathetically at X'an as he tries to persuade the little bronze in her direction. Perhaps that's why her remark to Jass is a little louder than it might have been. "If the man wants to be his steward, then he ought to take his orders. 'Go away," maybe." She grins. "Not that it ever worked on you. Anyway, hatchlings. How about that one?" Jass doesn't seem to object, so she holds out her meat towards the bronze.

Raw Copper-Bronze Hatchling gets up but his head is still stuck in the egg! The poor little thing wanders around the sands until her finally trips over himself and breaks the rest of the shell to free him.

Jolie isn't saying anything at all as she continues to watch, although there's a slight frown on her face as she glances from X'an, back to the man claiming to know him.

Glittering Gemstone Blue Hatchling searches for someone to bathe and feed him, crying out with his hunger, hoping some kind heart will throw him a little scrap of meat… Wait! There! Bouncing above his head is a little piece of meat but the person holding onto it isn't paying attention. It jumps a few times before finally grabbing ahold of the meat and hopefully grabbing the persons attention.

Auberaan is suddenly very glad that he is in swimwear, surely no dress-code can object to swimming your breechclout, it's all the rage in weyrs across Pern. "Soft spot indeed! You've got an awfully hard head, X'an." Auberaan fusses over X'an for a moment and checks him for a cut or bump on the head. "I suppose you'll survive…getting hit by the book, at least." Nathan is looked at again.

Glittering Gemstone Blue Hatchling looks into K'nan's eyes. Impression!

Nathan looks about to continue his tirade at X'an, but pauses when introductions are made. He gives each named person a very proper, very precise bow, of exactly the right depth to be accorded their respective ranks. "It is a great pleasure to meet each and every one of you." His blue, Screech, seems to have gorged himself enough to fall asleep, at least for the next five minutes. He ignores K'nan's comment about his butt being dyed, and turns back to X'an.

"You may like flames, but I'm afraid they are com/plete/ly unacceptable. They'll have to go. As will that ridiculous tail of hair. The wind-blown look is so utterly passe, I can't even begin to put words to it." He produces a pair of scissors from somewhere in his belt, and advances on X'an, snipping them at the air with each step.

"And whats wrong with flames?" K'nan asks and then blinks and looks down "Aww, hey there little guy." she murmurs as she scoops up the little blue "Just wait until Phaili gets a look at you, he'll be like a proud Papa I think." she notes as she feeds the little guy and then turns her head quickly at the snipping of scissors. "Hey!" she squeaks "I happen to like him with long hair." she pauses a moment "I think S'in does too. You can't go about threatening to cut of people's hair." She's indignant, but then she gets an indignant shriek as well as the blue wants more food.

X'an has a very small bump, but nothing that won't survive further attentions from fussing healer hands. Stare. Stare at the hatchlings and feed the little brown more. "Remember when I told you once, K'nan, that I used to have trouble coordinating myself, or remembering where I was supposed to put what in the whole wardrobe affair? It seems as if fate has a sense of humour." the brown wingleader sighs, just as Izelth, his dragon, touches down in the shallows with the grace of a goose, and klaaaaaargs a noise from somewhere in the depths of his belly. The brown pads out of the water, shaking each foot in turn, and crooning softly at his wingsecond, Anonmyth. Then he advances, wings outstretched still, to be a big looming rusty sun-canopy. "If you come /anywhere/ closer to me with those implements, master Nathan, I shall have to let Precious attack you with her usual demands of attention. Or I'll simply run. Leave my hair -alone-."

Anonmyth trumpets a greeting to Izelth before turning his attention back to the cute little firelizards, "Yeah you may like them but I only want to have three."

Jandria manages to maintain an air of studied indifference until the would-be steward gets to 'utterly passe.' She splutters, and raises a meat-stained hand to her mouth in an attempt to cover it. The result, inevitably, is faint smears around the mouth, which she tries to rub off with the back of the other hand. This really isn't helping. OK. Hatchlings. She forces her gaze to follow the latest-hatched and waggles the meat in the approved fashion.

The dying bug at X'an's feet twitches in circles.

Raw Copper-Bronze Hatchling finally looks around after getting out of the shell and almost everyone is gone! No! Well he isn't going to be out done by his clutch brothers! Awkwardly he makes his way from person to person but most of them are ignoring him, even when he chirps at there feet! Almost ready to give up he finds someone and someone with food! Creeling happily the little bronze makes his way over and inhales the meat in the persons hand before looking up at them.

Nathan twitches the scissors a trifle more slowly, when X'an gets all assertive at him. There is a moment of uncertainty, and then the scissors are reluctantly put away. "Very well. The hair stays. But you simply /must/ tend it more properly than that…. that…. bird's nest on top of your head is currently being seen as." He gives a quick, wary look about for 'Precious' … whatever that might be. Anything that might attack him in any way doesn't sound good.

Raw Copper-Bronze Hatchling looks into Jandria's eyes. Impression!

The evil scissors are eyed with great concern. Deciding that his own long hair might tempt Nathan to pull them back out, Auberaan sneaks away from the group, grabs his basket and blanket and quietly escapes toward the west beach where, maybe, he can get a few winks…and read his X'an-dented book.

Cracks spread across the sell slowly, almost painfully before the hatchling inside finally decides to break out.


Forest Brown Hatchling
Ever found yourself wandering hopelessly in the forest, staring at nothing but trees? Well that is what this little Firelizard looks like. Row upon row of different colors and patterns that look too much like tree trunks for anyones taste. This little guy seems to be sectioned by the different colors brown, tan, chocolate, and a mossy brown even. Thankfully there is enough of a pattern on him so that he doesn't look too uniformed, and with plan tan wings that look way to big for his body. Poor guy, he just might get picked on growing up.


Forest Brown Hatchling looks into Argawne's eyes. Impression!

Jandria scoops up the little bronze and feeds it with the rest of the pieces of meat, then gets up to find more, until the small creature is satisfied. The brown gets his share, too - anything to keep him quiet. She's too busy to follow the human conversation that's going on, but she does murmur possible names. "Brin? Taz? Something like that… No, he's sort of coppery…"

Dunes of Brown Hatchling is still hunting around for meat. Catching a few stay pieces of meat that lay forgotten by their previous owners. More meat! Of course he is speaking about the meat that is still under X'an's feet and he starts to eat away. Chirping happily the little Brown looks up.
Dunes of Brown Hatchling looks into X'an's eyes. Impression!

X'an smiles as Richelieu flies over and lands on his shoulder.

K'nan eyes Nathan as she continues feeding the blue "You know X'an. I can see why you're a little messed in the head. I think I would be too." she murmurs "I'd go crazy with someone chasing me with scissors. Though I dunno, if he washes it nicely for you and massages your head, I wouldn't argue." she stands up as she cradles the blue "I have got to go show him to Phaili." she pauses to look at Nathan "Don't ever think about chopping off that hair. After all he is one my babies daddies." she notes and heads off.

X'an suffers a moment of complete horror, courtesy of replaying the conversation in his mind. K'nan said something. Yes. Babies. Father. INfront of one of X'an's /father's/ men. Now his of course. *GULP*. Having aquired a second little mouth to feed, he goes from pink humiliation to grey worry as he feeds both little browns their supper. "I hope Phailinugoth likes him." he says in a bland tone as K'nan wanders off, and looks around for solidarity. Jolie remains. We'll look there, as Auberaan has fled from the scissors. "I didn't think my family would send one of the household staff after me.. truly I didn't." … Is he actually subordinating Nathan? perhaps just a -tad-. Some habits, when revived, are hard to break out of.

Nathan starts trying to dry Screech off with his hanky, carefully, while the little noise-maker sleeps. "Ew… gooey." He looks at X'an. "I was as surprised, I think, to be sent, as you are to have me here. Nevertheless, here I am, and here I must stay to perform my duties."

Izelth peers down at the ruins of the hatching, and at the two carbon copies of himself sat at his X'an's feet. Rumbling like the vent of a volcano, he eyes all nearby humans before dipping his large nose down to nudge affectionately at X'an's shoulder, receiving an absent scritch for the motion.

Meat is flung from one maw to the other at X'an's knee, although mostly to the hungry second. "You two need names." a quiet comment, he looks up again with pale eyes narrowed a little. "You realise it's hardly common place to have a dragonrider with a personal valet in attendance upon his person, Nathan of the Stewards. Not that.. well, I can fault your credentials.. you're.. very like your .. mother?" DAMN.. the note of query slipped in there by accident. "But, .. really. This is .. most irregular. And might I add, embarassing. I'm a dragonrider now." he holds up a hand, sporting the paler flit perched on his thumb. "Not that that excludes my blood, /however/…" Someone say something! please!

Nathan gives a slight nod at the querying tone about his resemblance to his mother, but doesn't comment on it. Shards, he was only learning his duties at the time, and was only seen by X'an two or three times over the space of three years, so being remembered at all is a fine thing. "I have already ascertained the tunnel route to your hole in the hill, so I shant be needing rides from dragons to get to and from it. Further, many of the duties I perform need not be publicly known. I can only apologize for any embarrassment I have brought upon you. Until this day, I was not aware that I would be the only /steward/ attending to any dragon's rider." Valet, indeed! Hmph. "I will take over many of the duties that the Weyr's drudges attend to, and beyond that, given that ours is an … unusual arrangement, I suppose some compromises shall need to be made. It is not my purpose to cause you any discomforts, so I shall need to, on occasion, be corrected if I overstep myself by the standards of this locale."

X'an deflates noticeably. Damn, if the man didn't use /etiquette/ on him. Such things should be outlawed in polite society where he's being put on the spot. Ahem! "Well, now.. I don't.. erm.. I don't think you have to .." where's he going with that? IZelth /eyes/ him for a long moment then gives a noise akin to a sigh, and snorts. "What.. exactly.. were you.. intending to /do/ with me? Or.. erm.. to me? Here? If I might ask?

Nathan gives X'an a look, as if he just turned into a watch-wher or something. "Why … I'm to attend to your personal needs, of course. Keeping your quarters clean, seeing to it that your clothing is clean and in good repair, attending to the serving of your meals, and of course, ensuring that your training in etiquettes and protocols is completed. Your departure was, as you know, rather premature." Sniff. "Really, now. Did you actually think you would be able to leave, and not upset people? Your mother was positively prostrate with grief, and your father was so livid that we thought he had come down with the shaking illness."

X'an winces at this bit of news. "Their letters were a little terse, I'll admit that. But .. er..um.. " Damnation! Just when you thought the indecision had fled, it's back, brought back by nostalgic reconnaisance. "Oh… erm.. drudge work. Right. I don't suppose I could persuade you to .. well.. turn your splendid skills to the good of the entire weyr could I? Not that I'm ungrateful." liar! "but, really, it's a little out of place to be attended upon."

Nathan says "I will fulfill my duties, as I was sent to do. Should there be time left over, I should be more than happy to assist about the Weyr, if my humble" yeah, right "skills can be of use." He finishes drying Screech off as well as he's able, given that the blue lizard is sleeping on his sleeve. Best not to think about what's happened to the sleeve underneath. "That is, perhaps, the best I can offer. I am duty-bound to perform my job as I was trained and instructed to do, by both of our fathers.""

X'an sags some more. Deflated to the point he didn't think he could deflate any more, he was infact wrong, and so does just that. Fizzle! He eyes the little browns, gorged and sated by his feet, and shifts back onto his backside, to gather them up into his lap, and scritch them off into sleep. A bronze decends on one shoulder, a gold on the other, to snuggle up to his neck then. "You're going to insist on this arn't you?" the wingleader sighs a little, heartfelt sigh. "It's not a hole in the wall. It's a weyr. And by the by, this is Izelth, looming like a chestnut tree behind me."

Nathan looks at the dragon. Really looks. For the first time, it actually registers just how big it is. Looming like a chestnut tree? He's big enough to eat chestnut trees! "Errrmmm… ahahhhhhmmm…" X'an deflates. Nathan pales. Lighter even than his own shirt, which is about as white as white can be… except for the sleeve where Screech dozes. Don't think about that. "Hello…?"

Jolie glances up after a bit to wander over to where X'an is talking with Nathan and offer a vaguely curious smile. "Hello there. I'm Jolie, Sevaruth's rider. I don't believe that we've met?"

Izelth, his head turning at an oblique angle to the man offering a greeting, eyes. A rumble issues forth, and he settles down protectively beside Anonmyth and X'an, offering a sweet sounding croon toward Jolie.

"He's not all that large for a brown really. A little below the middling average, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in force of personality." X'an informs Nathan with a sunshine smile, brought on by the love of a dragon, and he gestures with a delicate curl of hand and fingers, to the steward. "Jolie, may I present Nathan, Steward of the house of Bitra, and its sons and daughters. He may just possibly require some.. settling adjustment."

Nathan gives Jolie a very proper bow of greeting. "A pleasure, Jolie, rider of Sevaruth. Nathan Steward." He can only nod a little at the latter part of X'an's statement. "This is my first time in a Weyr, at all… and I must be honest, all these…. creatures … no offence intended… are somewhat daunting." He looks at the blue sleep-clinging to his sleeve. "And this… I haven't any idea how to deal with this."

X'an leans in closer, and in a manner polite to social functions with enormous feast tables, He mutters to Nathan, "… is a gold… senior… am her wing/leader/."

Jolie smiles back a bit more, glancing now to the man. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nathan. Welcome here to Western Weyr. Do you have an idea of how long you might be staying?" A faintly curious look to X'an then, puzzlement on her features.

Nathan nods slowly to X'an's quiet explanation, then turns to Jolie when she asks a question. He gestures toward X'an. "Where he is, so shall I be. Such is my assigned task and my sworn duty." He looks around a little. "But I think I shall forego joining him a-dragonback." What? A joke from Nathan?

Izelth warbles loudly at the approach of the green he knows so well.

X'an was about to try replying, considering Jolie's eyes are on him like they are, but Nathan replies. Click go his teeth together as he shuts his jaws, and he drops his gaze to the matching set of brown flits in his lap. Scritchy scritchy. "I .. think I told you I was related to Bitra. Zantos ap'Bitra, Jolie."

Jolie tilts her head, staring at the new man before she nods back to X'an. "And this explains everything, I suppose?" She's not quite the brightest of women, so she waits for a better explanation.

Nathan lets X'an handle the full explanation, this time, since so many laughed at the brown rider, earlier. Instead, he turns his attention to the sleeping Screech, trying to dab any last bits of wetness from the lizard's skin and wings.

X'an leans back a little, against Izelth's chest. Grand. /Now/ the steward hushes up. "Zantos Ap'Bitra. Zantos, son of Bitra, Jolie. I'm the son of the lord holder of Bitra." he gestures toward Nathan in a rather dejected manner. "Apparantly, Nathan here is my father and mother's answer to my leaving home in a hurry. They don't seem to want their son to be self sufficient, no matter how hard he tries to achieve that end."

Jolie nods once more. "So, they sent someone to check up on you? That seems a bit extreme." She frowns. "We did send word when you impressed. And if I remember aright, your parents were not too thrilled with the notion."

S'in is quite hidden behind Aeleojaith as the green makes her way over to where Izelth is. Crooning firmly, the green headbutts the brown's shoulder before settling down to sun against him, and that is when S'in comes into view…party crasher? Perhaps. Obviously he's followed Aeleojaith, because every last one of his actions are emotionlessly, yet gracefully, executed.

Nathan says "It would seem, from what I have been able to determine, that I was sent before he was even Searched." He sits down carefully, looking from rider to weyrwoman alternately. "I would have been here much sooner, but I do not travel well by ship, you see…" He looks to his feet for a few moments. "And they did not deem the matter important enough, it seems, to send me on a dragon's back. Thus, by the time they had heard he Impressed, I was already, most likely, halfway here, at least.""

X'an glances up at the appearance of S'in, face lighting a smile for a flash of a moment, before he notes the expression worn by the greenrider. Namely the lack of one. His face falls into impassiveness once more, and he nods, looking away and over to Nathan, then to Jolie, and finally to his hands and the baby browns. "You'd think, considering how much income Bitra has, that they'd send.. a'dragonback. That, in itself, is a slight .. note to just how vital I was to retrieve." sarcasm much? A little aye.

Izelth reaches his neck around, down, butting against Aeleojaith as the green settles languidly beside him, and he nudges her cheek, looking toward this facinating little person with a blue mini-Phailinugoth on his arm.

Jolie was just about to say something. "You've been traveling all this time." She blinks at Izelth. "But Izelth is almost two turns old." She's dumbfounded. "Well, definately you can stay here. I'm just not sure." She shrugs. "So long as X'an has use of you, you can stay."

S'in smiles slightly, a bit of emotion slipping from behind his facade. "Hi everyone….hi X'an." he comments, that emotionless mask slipping slightly as the man offers a genuinely warm smile to the brownrider. And then that glimmer of emotion is gone again, hidden behind a polite mask of grace. "Aeleojaith greets you, Weyrlady." he comments to Jolie and then he smiles almost wickedly at Nathan. "Aeleojaith still wants to know…" a pause, S'in turn and just falls silent.

Nathan nods slightly. "It has been suggested that I might offer my skills, also, to the Weyr as a whole. I am a capable organizer of a household's staff, and could, perhaps, become some sort of assistant to your Headwoman? Then… I would not be so underfoot to X'an as to stifle him… and could still maintain that I am performing my duties in my correspondances home?"

X'an brightens. "That sounds like an extraordinarily good idea!" he says, a little bit too eagerly for the sake of politeness.

Jolie ohs faintly and nods back to Nathan. "I err. Well, that would work, I suppose. It's not like we don't need the extra help. And I'm sure or something that X'an could use you as a wingleader for organizing help." She offers a brighter smile back to her clutchsib. "S'in. There you are."

Nathan says "I also fancy myself to be a rather good tailor…?" Weyr fashion-consultant. A whole new title to be created, /just/ for Nathan. It may even start a trend in the other Weyrs! What a great idea! "I'm certain I can find many ways to make myself useful…" Something in his tone says 'I can't go home again'."

S'in smiles faintly at Jolie, though the expression is, as the rest of his have been, very dull. The smile doesn't touch his eyes or anything. "Hello Jolie, and how're you old mum?" he comments, meant as a tease, and said as one. He sides over towards his dragon, and just sticks to her side like grass on a hill. "Apparently Nathan is an expert in fashon, Aeleojaith says fashon is really fashon when it turns your rear end black. She's convinced his rear end is black…"

Nathan turns his head away from S'in and Aeleojaith, turning his nose in the air. "My rear end is /not/ black. My pants are /not/ over-dyed. The very thought of such a thing is ludicrous. LUDICROUS! Putting on pants while they're still wet is a feat only to be attempted by lack-wits and children, and then, never successfully. I am neither."

X'an for a moment is totally discombabulated. "nyy, whhhu.. mmmn.." half formed, he then bursts out laughing, in a damn of released tension that has tears trickling from pale eyes rather swiftly. "Oh! Oh! Oh!"

Jolie just stares, first at S'in, then at Aeleojaith and then back at Nathan. "How would Leo know anything about Nathan's backside?"

Nathan reacts to X'an's laughter more in tune with his age than he's displayed since his arrival. He grabs a gobbet of meat that hadn't been cleaned up from the hatching, and throws it at the brown rider. "Oh, hush. It isn't that funny." Even his ever-so-precise diction slips for those moments.

The gobbet of meat is pounced on by a zippedydodah bronze f'lizard, who launches off X'an's shoulder and zooms twice around the young man's head before resettling in a smug manner. HAH! Did you all see that? Don't let ANY of you here think he's a /girly/ gold.. nope. Just ignore the hidecolour.

Fighting the laughter, X'an whipes a tear from beneath one eye and grins, full of dimples. "It's just nostalgia! I remember going riding in jodphurs that were a little too recently dyed, and ending up with black-stained bottom and legs!" he explains. "I just got this vision of Leo here." a nod back at the green dragon. "Inspecting your bottom for colour-bleed." SNORT! More laughter.

Jolie shakes her head a bit more. "Well, I for one have no interest in whatever color your bottom may be Nathan." She offers a smile as if that should be a reassurance before she looks around. "Who all got a firelizard in this latest hatching?"

Nathan holds up his left arm, and the sleep-clutching blue fire lizard there. "Somehow, this one attached itself to me. I have no idea why. I don't know what to do with it. This is the closest I've ever been to one."

X'an carefully deposits the pair of browns into one palm, and suffers a moment of cuteness. It's only a short time when they both will fit like that, curled atop and around one another like the brothers they are. "Two browns. I've decided on names. Rochefort and Richelieu, the one cos he looks like a rock" arrrrgh, he used 'cos'… how COMMON! " and the other because of a little hold in Igen I knew of in a nursery rhyme. He reminds me of the desert."

Nathan grits his teeth and doesn't say anything about the 'cos'. But it's a costly effort, that makes his little blue stir in his sleep.

S'in laughs softly at Nathan's outburst and shakes his head. "She still thinks you have black on ya. No matter, we're all sortsa happy that you've admitted it now." he comments. Grinning broadly at X'an, he nods. "Leo only wants to know if he's got color bleed cos she says he smells like fresh dye."

Jolie glances back to X'an for a moment. "I am so glad it's you and not me with those little beasties." She takes a step back or so, moving to wander over near S'in and biting on her lower lip. "S'in. what's up? And don't tell me nothing, either."

K'nan dismounts down off of Phaili, laughing brightly as she cradles the little blue. "It's a good name." she remarks "Which dragon did you sneak that one off of?" she asks with a grins and eyes the gathers people still. "Still have your hair X'an?" she asks as she gives Phaili a loving caress "Nathan!" she calls out "I'd love for you to meet Phailinugoth."

X'an gets his giggles under control, noting the warmth in S'in's smile that rains down on him, and coughing the last of his laughter into a grin. "I thought it was redfruit wax he smelled of. Something like that anyway." Precious chirrups at the shuffling blue on Nathan's arm, and Schatz hisses, because the gold's paying attention to a /blue/ and not him (can anyone else see problems with the twin browns later on?) Rochefort and Richelieu notably do sod all. "Well…. alright, where are you staying currently Nathan? And how ..er.." go on.. ask.. "How much luggage do you actually /have/?"

X'an nods as he catches the end of K'nan's words. "Still have my hair, my clothing, and my wits. Mostly."

Nathan says "I haven't seen to lodgings, as yet. My first priority was to locate you." He hesitantly prods at his little blue, making it stir again. "Is it alive, still? I can't even tell if it's breathing." He shrugs slightly. "I have five trunks, altogether, but one of them is only half full. The rest are clothes and bolts of various cloths.""

S'in grins a bit at Jolie, and shrugs that fluid shrug of him. "Nada?" he attempts and then glances over at X'an with a soft smile. "It may very well be the redfruit wax." he comments, running a hand through his wavy hair and then smiles at K'nana before his emotionless eyes are directed back to Jolie, "I promise…I'll…make it through, It'll be all good."

Jolie shakes her head very slowly, although there is something of a dawning understanding in her look as she glances from X'an to S'in. "We need to talk later S'in. Although I don't think, I'll pull you away just now."

K'nan stares a little "Five? Five trunks?" she shakes her head "Whats wrong with a pack on your pack and a change of clothing or two?" she asks as her mind just boggles at the amount. "Wait, don't answer that." She has visions of being there for a seenday with the response. "Shards, you'll fill a weyr with that." she remarks and just shakes her head "No lodgings? That just won't do at all. No matter how much crude you have, no one needs to be sleeping out in the elements at this time." she remarks. She frowns a little "Well we can probably stash some of it into storage. Do you want him in your wyer X'an?" she asks, though she's expecting a no on that account. "Oh he's alive, they gorge themselves to unconciousness. Just don't overfeed him." she notes and then eyes S'in "You darn well better make it through. Don't you dear leave your kid without one of his or her fathers." she notes as she eyes S'in with narrowed eyes. "That and Phaili likes Leo, he says" she stops and then eyes Phaili, her cheeks red "I am not going to repeat that and I don't want to know who's giving you thoughts like that." hmmph.

Nathan looks at Screech again. "How can I tell if I'm overfeeding him?" Just about all of the rest of K'nan's talking went right over his head. Yes, it's a boy with his first 'pet', claimed by accident, on his first day in a strange place that's forever away from home.

X'an winces lightly at the 'one of his fathers' comment. This .. gets worse. Is his 'father's spy' actually listening to these snippets of scandal? He dare not contemplate! "I.. suppose until a space in the residents cavern or a cothold is cleared out, I could.. shack him in my weyr. It's not exactly.. clean though." he winces.

"It will be…." an almost ominous murmur from Nathan.

S'in smiles slightly and leans over to Jolie and nods, "Just call me Weyrlady, I'm at your service whenever you want me." he comments, and then lean back against Leo's side, clinging to the green's shoulder tightly. He shakes his head a little, "I won't leave them, K'nana." he comments and sighs softly. "You can toss him in my lair, there's tons of room." he grumbles softly to X'an and stuff, "Or at least Leo says that he can sleep with her." the rider teases, then grins. "No, if you like, I got tons of room."

Jolie blinks slightly, staring back from K'nan to S'in now and she just shakes her head once more, not going to ask. She offers S'in another smile before she sighs very quietly. 'I think. Actually, I know that I need to be heading back to my weyr. K'nan, can you get Nathan all settled, tonight?"

K'nan snickers at S'in "Leo just wants an up close an personal look at his butt doesn't she?" she asks with a grin "Find out whether it's black or not." she just can't help but continue to snicker over that. She blinks a little and looks at Phaili "Oh, didn't I tell you? Just look at his clothes, Leo thinks it bled through and colored him." she's quite a moment "Quite true." she glances over at Leo "Phaili thinks it's likely be grey considering that his experiances with colors fading as been to something of that extent." she shakes her head "You and that kid." she murmurs. She smiles at Jolie "Oh course." she murmurs and eyes Nathan "I think a cothold would likely be better, he'll scare the residents or else give them uneeded fashion ideas." she ponders "Though he does make frilly lacy things look good.. tell me Nathan, have a boyfriend?"

X'an finds himself staring at K'nan's belly, watching the shape of her midriff silently. As such, everything said in the last five minutes sails completely over his head. "Y'whu?" he mutters uselessly, and blinks at them all.

S'in nods and stands up straight, saluting Jolie and grinning. "Just call me, you got me." he comments and then molds himself against Aeleojaith again. "Leo does want a close and personal look at his butt." he returns, grinning broadly and shrugs, "True Phaili, you're all too correct in your assumptions." he comments and then snickers. "

Nathan scrunches his face up more and more as K'nan speaks, apparently growing offended. Her final question, it seems, though, is just the last straw. He gets to his feet quickly, startling Screech awake, turning the little blue into a clinging, hissing, mantling little beast as he stalks away from the group. He doesn't even dignify any of it with a verbal response.

X'an says one word, and one word alone, with a little sigh. "holdbred." in the /extreme/ we'll note.

K'nan blinks a little as Nathan stalks off "Looks like I hit a nerve." she murmurs and just blinks a little. She frowns a little and sighs and slips her new little blue into a nook in Phaili's arm. "Nathan!" she calls out as she runs after him. "Please, I'm sorry." she calls after him. "Please, I don't ask for forgives, Faranth knows I don't deserve it, but please. I am sorry."

S'in smiles faintly and wanders over towards X'an. "Hey there…Haven't seen you in a while." he comments, and then arches a brow at K'nana and Nathan. "How's things?" he adds quietly.

Nathan stops at the edge of the water, not even dodging a gentle lap of water that sloshes over his magnificent boots. Testimony to his upset, that. As K'nan approaches, Screech mantles, then drops into a ready-to-attack crouch and hisses.

Nathan stiffens somewhat at the claws digging into him, but otherwise, remains still.

K'nan eyes the protective firelizard and keeps her distance. "Umm." she frowns a little and scratches the back of her head a bit. Okay, now what. "Shoot." she gestures a bit with her hand "Oh shards, you can stay in my weyr and I'll grab a cot somewhere or sleep out here. A little bit of weather won't hurt me." she notes "And you won't have to worry about any wisecracks." Eyes rest on the blue "Ahh hell, at least step out of the water, you don't wanna wreck your fine clothes." she sighs a little and turns around and starts to head back, looking as if she could just kick herself, talk about making an ass out herself when she's supposed to be a Weyr represenitive.

Izelth lifts his head, rumbling a low ear-trembling warning toward Nathan and K'nan. It's probably to Nathan, but you never know. Izelth's sometimes a bit peculiar like that.

Frowning at the display of miniature blue prowess and holdbred indignation, X'an leans toward S'in. "Dazed, confused and overworked, but what's new there?" he replies, and chances a look at S'in's face then back out again. Ahehehehehem. "NATHAN!" called loudly and with voice training. Gotta love those lordling educations.

Nathan doesn't even respond to X'an's projected voice. He stands stock still, feet getting wetter with each slosh of water over them, his new-hatched blue crouching and hissing at everyone and everything. Until it gets interrupted by a huge yawn, and then just curls up on his shoulder to sleep again.

X'an simply eyes the steward of bitra. "You know, you're getting your spiffy boots all wet." he notes this casually, and tickles the headknobs of the sleeping browns in his palm. "Relax Nathan. I discovered very early on that becoming offended every five minutes in weyrs tends to get you nothing but a headache or a hangover. Perhaps both."

Nathan continues to not move in the slightest for several more waves, before he turns from the water, and starts walking back toward the bowl, head down and shoulders hunched.

K'nan eyes Izelth "What?" she says and just shakes her head as she heads over to Phaili and tucks herself in under the wing and then she blinks and a squeaks as her hand goes to her stomach. Her eyes going wide.

S'in just grins a little at X'an, "Yeah, all of us are dazed, confused, and overworked. Nothing new."

X'an looks to Precious and Schatz (formerly treasure) for a moment. And both of the metallic firelizards take off, winging their way to harass and hound poor Nathan back toward the beach, cheeping, darting, haranguing without landing. (want an /excuse/ to carry a switch around??) And he grins toward S'in, only to blink at K'nan. Blinkblink.

Nathan squawks as the lizards start flitting about him, and retreats from their assault, predictably, in the direction they want him to go. Swinging his arms to try to defend himself, he wakes his wee blue yet again, this time earning himself a scratched face for disturbing Screech's sleep, and then tripping over a rock to end up on his side.

K'nan blinks again herself, a bemused look on her face. Phaili himself is looking right at K'nans stomach and he sticks his nose right up against it. Soon the blue pulls his head back with a start and stares at the stomach. Nathan is forgotten for the moment as she looks up at first X'an and then S'in and then to Phaili. "Ummm…." she blinks and then she blinks, but this time at Nathan "Are you all right?!"

X'an has duties. As far as he knows, K'nan is simply having a moment of oddness associated with imminent motherhood. And so he hustles over, trotting over the sand toward Nathan's side, to offer his hand in silence to the steward.

Izelth on the other hand, immitates Phai', bringing his nose down to eye K'nan's belly, snuffling at it.

[DTU/Project] Aeleojaith and Phailinugoth sense that Izelth rumbles, a rockslide of flickering crackles. «What happened? Why do you look at her belly?»

[DTU/Project] Izelth and Aeleojaith sense that Phailinugoth rumbles with excitment, dancing rainbows and bright spring flowers « I felt it, it moves. »

[DTU/Project] Izelth projects to Aeleojaith and Phailinugoth . o O ( Oooooooooooh.» settling the brown nudges the tip of his nose up closer, mentally going 'cross-eyed' «Eggs do not do that. Sometimes they churn around, but that is the dam, not the eggs. I will be the sire of dragons.» reverence to that. «Daeslynth is heavy with egg now. She will clutch our eggs soon.» and with that, he settles back next to Leo, and snoodles. Lots. HIS green. «Golds are -so- full of themselves though. )

Nathan bites his lower lip, almost hard enough to draw blood, but accepts X'an's hand in getting up. He says nothing, still, and shifts to curl up against the nearest rock or log handy.

[DTU/Project] Izelth and Aeleojaith sense that Phailinugoth gives a rumbling laugh "It is weird, it almost felt like it rolled.» comes his bemused response « A sire, I look forward to seeing them, they shall be the prode of the Weyr.» he says proudly. Sure, he's not the clutch sire, but well it's his brother. He'll be an Uncle.

Nathan bites his lower lip, almost hard enough to draw blood, but accepts X'an's hand in getting up. He says nothing, still, and shifts to curl up against the nearest rock or log handy. (rp)

S'in wanders back to Aeleojaith's side and just stands there curled aginst her shoulder. "I'm sorry Nathan and Leo wants to extend her apoligies as well." he murmurs quietly but loud enough for X'an and the steward to hear.

Auberaan returns after a very looong while, a towel wrapped around his waist, and dragging his basket, blanket and dented book along with him. From the position of the bookmark and the look on his face, it is apparent that no sleep was achieved at the west beach either. "Well I can't seem to doze off despite my best efforts, so I thought I'd come back and see if you all could use some company." the usually well groomed and good natured healer, looks a bit of a mess and more than out of sorts. He lets his belongings drop to the ground and folds his arms around his chest. "Hello, S'in. Hello Leo," he says flatly.

S'in sighs softly and nods "Hello little brother." he murmurs quietly hearing that flat note in his sibling's voice. Aeleojaith whimpers quietly butting her head against Auberaan questioningly.

X'an moves his hand to Nathan's .. er.. other shoulder. Where there's not a small flit that might attack his hand, and offers a reassuring squeeze. His gaze just says a whole lot about culture shock, and he offers a small smile.

K'nan eyes Phaili "Gossip." she remarks and then pushes off of him and wanders over to Nathan "Welcome to Western?" she says almost meekly, not quite meekly, but well after royally shoving her foot into her mouth and practically out the other emd, well. "The offer of a weyr for the night, all to yourself still stands." she murmurs "Don't be mad?"

Nathan is too busy biting his lip to reply. He tries to look away from one person, only to find himself faced by another, so buries his face in his knees to avoid looking at either of them.

Auberaan leans against Aeleojaith and sighs. "I'm alright Leo, my sweet, just haven't been sleeping well is all…is something the matter with X'an's friend?" K'nan gets a curious look as the offer a weyr comes up.

X'an looks perplexed at this, looking over toward Auberaan and S'in in baffled puzzlement, and back to K'nan, and down. "I'm not sure Auberaan. Although I have a feeling I have a sympathy bone. I remember stumbling into western off a dock without a mark to my name, a hangover, half a bottle of grog, and collapsing in the shade, only to be found by /you/. Weyrs are rather markedly different from holds, and I think Nathan here is rather sensative about being teased about his sexuality. Or somesuch thing. Either that or it was the comment about the greying of his skin through pant dying, which is also possible. Honestly, I'm lost."

S'in shrugs "I offended him I think. Or Leo and I did." she comments and sighs softly as his hands ball into fists. "I suppose I dunno…nevermind." he comments hands splaying out against Leo's shoulders.

K'nan looks a little sheepish "I think it was my asking if he had a boyfriend. I didn't mean to offend him, just well. S'in there likes guys, You like guys. X'an, well" she pauses a moment and then amends what she was gonna say "X'an was hit on by a guy. I'm surrounded by them, so well." she looks at Nathan "It's nothing wrong, I think highly of all them, but well." she frowns as she pauses a moment and then a light of dumb brillance lights up her face "Hey, what if I wanted to hit on ya? Gotta know if I'm barking up the wrong tree and all. Course, not that it'd make a difference and all. You wouldn't go for a fashion clod such as myself anyways, but well. I wouldn't wanna stick you in a cothold near a bunch of girls iffen you well didn't go for that kinda thing." OKay, can we say blithering idiot? I knew we could.

"I think I'll join you in being lost, X'an" Auberaan steps toward Nathan after listening to all teh explanations, "And I won't apologize for finding and getting to stay a few days, "I've grown rather fond of you since then." He squats down by Nathan a looks at him with a sympathetic smile. "Leo, you overgrown firelizard," he winks at the dragon what did you say to him? Nathan was it? Do you think maybe some nice kalh would make you fell better? I have some in my basket."

Nathan lifts his head slowly, managing to stop biting at his lip, though there are distinct marks of his teeth there. His gaze turns slowly toward K'nan, and then, he starts to get up again. Slowly. With a look in his eyes that any idiot can recognize as a hunter staring at prey.. just before the final attack. Lucky thing for K'nan, his aim has already been established as awful with thrown food, and the only weapon he has handy is a sleeping blue fire lizard that only measures seven centimeters in length.

Lacking anything lethal, the slightly damp (but still well dressed) young man (or should we say boy?) waggles his fists at her threateningly. He tries to speak, but nothing comes out very well, as he's struggling between being /really/ mad, and crying, both at once.

S'in is just silent, his head resting up against the dragon's side. Aeleojaith rumbles softly, announcing to all. »Auberaan! S'in's mind is mussy again! He's muttering to himself!« and we all know how much Leo hates that. "Hush you!"

Auberaan stands along with Nathan, even more lost now as to what he's missed. Aeleojaith is regarded oddly then, "His mind is what?" Each semi-rational person in view is looked at for an explanation. "Why do I get the feeling I should have stayed at the other beach?"

K'nan blinks at Nathan and just sighs as her head droops. "Mind? Who's mind? Oh S'in." she murmurs and turns to head back to Phaili who rumbles softly and moves over to his rider. "I guess I really screwed things up this time, eh X'an?" she asks and shakes her head. "I certainly put the Weyr in a good light didn't I?" A little bit of a snort. "Come on Phaili, maybe it would be best if we made our exits. Before I offend someone else."

X'an frankly looks shocked as Nathan throws a miniature hissy fit. "What the /heck/?" because K'nan is still the weyrsecond. And this man still represents .. Zantos ap'bitra's life before. "NATHAN! Where are your /manners/? Just because it's not politic to share a room or accept hospitality above your station, does /not/ mean you can let down the household" household? "by throwing a /tantrum/ like that!" hands on hips. Watch the indignant X'anman.

S'in grunts faintly, "Ignore her Auberaan, K'nana, X'an, Nathan. Just…ignore her. She always gets me into trouble." he comments, clambering up her side to perch on her back to idly watch those around him. He perches there silent and rather stonylike. Grunt.

Some of X'an's words must get through, because Nathan slowly lowers his fists, and starts going to great and exaggerated lengths to straighten his clothing out again. Still, something in him seems to be … just off. He still doesn't speak. Doesn't apologize. Just keeps straightening his clothing. A lot.

"So let me see if I understand this," Auberaan somewhat mutters to himself, "K'nan offended Nathan by offering him a place to stay, X'an…" He looks at X'an, "Well, you're just not making any sense at the moment," A comment on Nathan is considered but he thinks better of it, "And S'in isn't sleeping again. Is that about it? … Anyone?"

K'nan stops in her walking away and runs her hand along Phaili as the blue croons. "No, I think I offended by asking him if he had a boyfriend, as well as mentioning that if his clothes dyed his butt, Phaili siad it'd likely be grey, not black as Leo was thinking, and as for S'in, something wrong with him. I think he's still moping about X'an." she sighs a little "Least Leo will talk even if S'in won't which is something."

X'an shrugs helplessly. He's clueless. He spent the last two turns getting a clue, and now, it's gone and abandoned him for the nearest vaguely competent trundlebug.

"Oh!" That certainly clarifies things. Auberaan looks at Nathan with a perplexed expression, "So you're upset because you don't have a boyfriend? I must say, I'm not clear as to why your butt is black…or grey, for that matter, but I imagine that /could/ be at least a little off-putting in the romance department," he observes helpfully and smiles. "You sure you don't want some Klah?"

S'in sighs softly, "Sorry guys, I messed up your guyses lovely evening. IT was all good before I showed up." he sighs and groans, "Yeah, I'm desperately moving for dear life. And I like it! And no, I don't sleep. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it, little bro."

Nathan finally just sits back down. It's more of a flop, really, though he ends up sitting. He then, starts to speak. "They sent me before anyone knew Zantos had been Searched… more than two turns ago. Barely trained, and hardly thirteen turns old… to do my father's job… We didn't even know exactly where he'd gone… I went from hold to hold, asking… asking after him by description alone… and I get sick on boats! Horribly horribly sick! Sometimes it took me a whole moon to get myself ready to go to the next place to keep looking, and after that long, people don't remember one more boy in a hold… and finally… FINALLY, I find him, and he doesn't want me to do the job I got sent to do!"

X'an ooooohs and looks horrifically mortified. "Bugger." he swears with some vehemance. "And I suppose all the hold etiquette kicked in, and .. being offered rooms with some total strangers is a bit overhwhelming? Although I'm rather unclear as to why you tried to do a flapping fisticuffs with K'nan here."

Nathan looks heavenward. "I don't KNOW! I just…. I just snapped. I don't know anything but how to do what I was taught. Always be neat in appearance, polite and proper… I learned all that stuff from my sisters, because father was always busy doing his own work." He looks toward K'nan. "I don't know if I even like boys or girls, because I've never had a chance to find OUT! Just when I got old enough to even start thinking about anything like that, they loaded me onto a cart and sent me looking for X'an, telling me that I had to attend him as father attended his father." He lifts both his hands up in fists again, and shakes them at the air. "It isn't FAIR! IT ISN'T FAIR AT ALL!"

X'an falls over. Metaphorically. Look folks. Stunned Bitran.

"Weeell," Auberaan jumps in after some careful thought, "I don't undertsand…can't you just find another job, then?" He is trying to be helpful, really. "I'll tell you what, Nathan, we can talk to the head woman tomorrow and see what you can do aournd the weyr, then, if you come to the infirmary, I can see if there's anything we can do about the odd coloring of your…netherparts…and," he throws his arms up in the air having solved /aaall/ of the man's problems. Ah, the joys of not sleeping! The clarity of mind! "…I 'm sure you can find a boyfriend here, why…just quicker than a green goes proddy."

Nathan says "MY NETHERS ARE NOT ODDLY COLOURED! BY THE FIRST EGG, YOU PEOPLE ARE THICK!"

K'nan is silent and curls up in Phaili forelegs. She shakes her head a little. She might have said something, but she got nudged by Phaili. At Nathan's outburst she blinks, her eyes widening "Then why don't you.." she gets a harder nudge in the back and looks sheepish. "Sorry Phaili, didn't think there." she goes quiet again. Best bet there. After all she'd likely make it worse.

S'in grunts and actually shows more emotion than he has in a month. "So don't do it. Break the chain. He can take care of himself now." the man comments, and then slides down from Leo's back to go stand by the stewardling.. For once, in a very long time, S'in just grins…and it reaches his eyes too. Amazing! "Alright, so your butt isn't black, but brush it off and be happy. Crap happens and we all have to grow up and deal with it, Nathan…" he comments quietly, crouching down beside the Bitran. "Take it from someone who has been through so much…since he was four."

Auberaan blinks at K'nan in confusion and scolds her, "WeyrSecond, really! It's not like you at all to start rumours. Why are you picking on this poor man? … I'm not thick, really, Nathan, I just haven't slept much in the last few days, so I'm a little confused…and anyhow the rest of it is still possible. Why, I know /several /very nice and /single/ riders who prefer men that you might take up with." S'in gets a glance and a smile despite his words.

X'an holds his hand up in protest, looking very meek actually. "We're not even sure if he's gay?" he pipes up with, and licks the corner of his lip. "I wasn't. Now I'm all over the place."

Poor Nathan! — Audience sympathy.

Announcer holds up Card with "AWWW" written on it toward the audience

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Another with "You can Oooooh Now!" is held up as well.

K'nan ducks her head a little "I…" she sighs and just shakes her head and hides her face in her hands, looking mortified. "I was only trying to come up with the best situation for him, and really botched it all." she murmurs "I even tried making ammends by giving him my Weyr to sleep in. I mean I can sleep on the beach and all."

Nathan looks up at Auberaan, then slowly covers his face with both hands. "Look… no… better yet… Listen. Listen very… very… carefully. I just … not even ten heartbeats of a dragon ago… said that I do not /know/ if I prefer men or women, yet. So.. please… I will beg, if I must… stop assuming that I prefer men because I am a well dressed male that speaks well, generally. I do not know what my preference is. I have never entertained opportunity to find out, and at this moment, I have not met anyone that sparks the slightest amount of interest in my mind OR my loins, so can we PLEASE just let that subject alone?"

Auberaan looks from Nathan to X'an to Nathan to X'an, "Take the 'we' out fo that last sentence you spoke, will you, X'an? … I think I'd like some klah." He goes to thermos only to find it empty, then walks over S'in and begins to rummage through the Greenrider's personal belongings without asking. "Well if you indeed discover that you like women instead I know several single /female/ riders as well. S'in do you have any redfruits in here?"

Nathan makes a good effort at pulling his hair from his head. A very sincere one. One that's capable of making that stuff in his hair … whatever it is … making little cracking sounds as it's forced to move. So it isn't a simple gel. It's more like a shellaque.
(Hit it hard enough and it'll shatter…..)

S'in smiles and shrugs his shoulders, letting his emotionless mask slip up over his face and his movements before he stands again, and slips over to settle into the shelter of Aeleojaioth's shoulder and neck. He said his part. He'll go silent now.

X'an holds up a hand, and heads to Izelth, peering over the brown's straps. Aha! There it is.. tucked up near the saddle. He returns with a small flask of Bitran Moonshine, and holds it out to NAthan. "Sometimes Klah just really doesn't cut it."

K'nan whimpers a little.. klah.. hard drink. Oh the unfairness of it all. Hmmph.

Aeleojaith headbutts Izelth firmly and rumbles, probaly commenting on something to her macho brown as she croons softly to him. Her rider, S'in, just stands where he stationed himself and attempts to not fidget.

Nathan looks at the flask, a bit curiously. "No, thank you. I'm all right, now. I just… it's been a long, long trip, and I'm homesick, and I don't know where I'm staying, and I have… I have this little blue noise-maker that won't let go of me, even asleep, and I don't know what I'm going to do with it, or with myself, and …. I'm scared."

Altogether again!… AWwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

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"Well, apparently I drank it all anyhow," Auberaan finally manages to procure a redfruit from S'in's pack with an "Aha! I knew you'd have one in here! … T'ai and I have an empty guest cavern in our weyr, Nathan, you're welcome to stay with us. The children are with their mothers this evening, so they won't disturb you." K'nan is smiled at for absolutely no reason.

K'nan glances over at Nathan and then up at Phaili and then back at Nathan "Where do you think you would be most comfortable." she asks quietly, no suggestions, just asking. "And as for your little blue. When he wakes up feed him, always check his hide for dry spots." she climbs down out of Phaili's arms. Dragons are so nice for when you want to be held. She heads for her packs and rummages in them and brings out a small container. "Here, put this oil on him if oyu find cracks. He'll grow quickly at first, but he'll settle down."

S'in smiles softly and nods, "I always have one in there, just for you little brother." he comments softly, yet silently keeps to his hidey hole under Leo's neck.

X'an sighs a moment, and holds up his hands. "Wait, wait, wait. WAIT! Wait! /Wait/" you know, in that manner you do when you're trying to trail a conversation to a stop and get attention on yourself. He holds up a single finger, and points it at Nathan. "Steward of mine.. where do you actually feel most comfortable being? If you say 'your couch, lord' that's fine, but I will have to poke you about the lord thing."

Nathan accepts the container with a soft 'Thank you', and looks around. "Servant's quarters… I can't impose upon anyone. I won't. Just… all I need, right now, is a bed, and a place to put my luggage." Which is still, so far as he knows, down on the docks in an imposing stack.
"We don't /have/ servants quarters in weyrs, Nathan." X'an notes to that. "That's the problem. Servants and drudges at weyrs are /paid/… even if it is pittance." rather than you know.. room and board.

K'nan gives a little nods "You're welcome, and umm it's not an imposition. And X'an is right we don't have servants here, at this point in time, until you settle your affairs with X'an you're an honered guest here. And I won't be having no one say that we can't treat our guests right."

Auberaan giggles, "I know S'innie," and with that, S'in's cheek gets plastered with what can only be called smoochie kissies from his brother. "Nathan, I hope you will pardon my saying so, but you really must try to think more highly of yourself, or you're not going to attract riders of /any/ sex…and that applies to non-riders as well." Auberaan looks up *revelation* "That's probably why you're still single, you know." The redfruit is bitten into and Aeleojaith is leaned on again. Can we say punch-drunk?

Nathan says "Any bed… a hammock… a watch-wher's nest… right now, I'd be happy with anything. It's been a long day, and not the most pleasant one I've endured… though it beats a lot of the ones on the boats…." He gives Auberaan a look. "Actually, get him a bed, first. He needs it more.""

X'an rises and walks back toward izelth, gesturing to Nathan to follow. "Come on then. As the wingleader of the transport wing, I can at least do that job, right? And maybe get your boxes of clothes settled, if you'll forgive the mess, and not mind the spare cave." glances are spared around the others. "I won't hear anything else.. after two turns of hunting for me, the least I could do is that."

S'in smiles softly and then moves, leaning against Leo next to his brother and then leaning his ehad against his, taller, brother's shoulder and sighs. "Well, then whats wrong with me? I'm still single too, Aubbers…" he pouts.

K'nan just nods, least the poor fella has a place to berth down. "Okay X'an. Do you need any extra bedding sent up?" she asks staying out of the singles conversation, no sense in putting her foot back into her mouth. "Have you eaten at all?" she asks and turns back towards Nathan "I mean more then just a few quick, I mean an honest to goodness meal."

Nathan drags himself to his feet. "I had a meatroll… well.. half a meatroll… before Screech attached himself to me." He threw the rest of it at the fire-lizard, trying to shut it up. Great way to Impress the little bugger, neh?

"Some fresh linen, /and/ a nice hot plate of stew or Gnocci's then." X'an nods to K'nan. "I'll just get him gone and settled for now."

"Well that's certainly true, X'an. Good point. This is actually all /your/ fault and not K'nan's at all, when you come to think of it…you're a recluse, S'in…and don't think I'm too far gone on lack of sleep to notice that you need to get some medication again. Hey! I know!" *bounce* "Let's us two insomniacs spend the night at your weyr…I'll get us some Aconite pellets form the infirmary to knock us out and leave T'ai a note to come and cart my dozing carcass away when he gets home," Auberaan elbow nudges, "What do you say?… Nathan I'm quite sure I will regret most everything I said to you in the morning, so do accept my apologies now."

S'in laughs soflty and nods, "I agree, brother darling. Let's insomniacs go have a party at my place, eh Aubber;ling?" he asks his brother with a smile, "Yeah, shoulda stopped by for those meds a sevenday ago too…"

Nathan follows X'an. Bedward ho!

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