Time Well Spent (tag Zen)

[Taxx]

"Show me your angry face!" T'vir directed the blue, and stood back to wait... and watch... until Brauth seemed to decide just how to respond. Extending his head to his rider, the blue offered a halfhearted growl and the briefest flash of fangs before bumping his nose into his rider's chest, asking for rubs.

Like that?

It was hard, so hard, to keep from doubling over with laughter, but experience had taught T'vir that Brauth was often more likely to think that the young rider was laughing at him- Brauth was incredibly sensitive, and while he couldn't hide the amusement within, T'vir did manage to keep from expressing it physically.

"That was great. You'll scare everyone in Mavros with your ferocity."

But I don't want to scare them, Brauth replied, yellow coloring his eyes. If I scare them, they won't want to lie with me in the sun. I would like to do that now. Can we?

"I need to oil you first. You're getting patches everywhere; you're growing so fast, your hide looks like it's having trouble keeping up." So saying, T'vir picked up the oil rag he had momentarily set aside, and as Brauth obligingly settled to his belly, the weyrling bent to the task of working oil into the scaly patches of hide, thoroughly enjoying the continuous hum of pleasure rumbling in the big blue's throat.
Zen

[Zen]

Weyrbrat Azora

Azora had been sent back to the creche, escorted by one of the healer apprentices to make sure that's where she actually ended up. Her mother needed rest, they said. That's all she did was rest. It wasn't like SHE was bothering her. She just wanted to BE with her. Maybe if the healers quit poking at her and making her take all sorts of gross medicines she wouldn't be so tired all the time! She was quiet the entire walk back, however, because if she fought it, it would upset her mother, and it would make the healers mad at her, and maybe they wouldn't let her come back to see her ever again. So she was good for them. The same could not be said for the crecheworkers.

Kicking a rock around, Azora passed a couple boys talking about their futures as dragonriders. Two of them would be bronzeriders, of course, but the third said a blue, or maybe a green wouldn't be so bad. She paused to look over at them, surprised to hear someone else, especially a boy, say anything about wanting a green. The larger of the two 'future bronzeriders' laughed, “A green? Why would anyone want a green? You're dumb.”

Azora's blue-gray gaze narrowed hatefully at the boy, and she strode over to stand beside the boy that was now wilting under the critical eyes of his peers, “Greens are the BEST. YOU'RE dumb!” She glared up at the taller child, unfazed by their height difference. He was probably a turn or two older, but that didn't matter either.

The boy was not impressed, eyeing her as though she was a complete idiot, “What do you know? Go cry about your mom some more.”

And that's when she'd punched him right in his gut as hard as she could. He'd fallen back, right on his butt, gasping for air, and Azora leaped on him. He threw his arm up to protect himself and she promptly sank her teeth into it, hard, to which he screamed. Strong arms pulled her off him and she screamed back, the tears burning her eyes only making her angrier, “CRY ABOUT THAT!”

She'd been thoroughly chastised and separated from the rest of the creche population, crying her anger out, and a moment's distraction at lunch time gave her the opportunity she needed to sneak away. She couldn't go back to the infirmary. That's the first place they would look. She couldn't go to her father's weyr, that would be the second. So she wandered around until she ended up back out on the beach, the sea wind tossing her long blond hair around as she emerged onto the craggy sands. She kicked up sand every now and then as she walked along, wiping the remains of tears from her eyes.

She looked up at the sight of a blue hide. However, it was quite small for a blue. A weyrling then. She tilted her head slightly at the bulky young dragon, and finally noticed his rider working at his hide with a cloth. Hm. She walked around the blue, considering, and finally came to stop behind the young man, watching him for a moment before speaking, “What's his name?” Dragons always made her feel better. Maybe this one was friendly. He wasn't a green, but that was okay, she wouldn't hold it against him.

[Taxx]

T'vir had seen the girl from the moment she'd popped up; Brauth was watching, turning his head to follow her as she circled, extending his head to her and rumbling greetings, shamelessly begging for pats and hoping she'd take the hint. T'vir never paused in his efforts, scrubbing away at the two-toned hide with the oil cloth and only stopping when the girl spoke up, straightening and turning to her as he dropped the cloth into the bucket, flicking his fingers to get rid of any clinging drops.

"Hello to you too," he replied first. "My name's T'vir, and this giant puppy is Brauth. Who're you?" A quick eye of her height before continuing: "Shouldn't you be in the creche? They'll be wondering where you are, won't they?" Since he couldn't see any other brats about, it was logical to assume she'd escaped the clutches of the women and men who looked after the kids.

[Zen]

Azora

Brauth. Azora took more note of the dragon's name than his rider's. She ignored his question about who she was, finally reaching up to give the blue those rubs he wanted, and cast a glare at the weyrling when he suggested she should be in the creche. Trying to pull the connections card was not something Azora had ever done before. She knew for a fact it didn't work with crecheworkers, but some of the other weyrbrats were a bit in awe of her parentage... maybe it would work on a weyrling.

So she finally deigned to answer him, all confidence, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “I'm Azora, and my daddy is the Weyrleader. I can go where I want.” She returned her attention to the blue as if that settled the matter, “Hi Brauth, it's very nice to meet you.” She failed to say the same for his rider. However, a thought occurred to her, one that maybe would be even more likely to make him let her stay, and she looked back to T'vir, “I could help you oil him!” She rather enjoyed the task, it meant she got to spend some quality time with a dragon, after all.

She walked back around to T'vir expectantly, “I'm really good at it! I've helped R'get with his green Pallath and my daddy with Fath.” To be honest she'd sooner shovel dung than be returned to the creche. And having something to do would help her keep her mind off... everything.

[Taxx]

Yes, pets. Brauth immediately began to thrum a happy note, laying his head on the ground so the girl had access to more places, and half-closed his eyes. He didn’t care half so much what was said, just that he was getting what he wanted. T’vir raised an eyebrow at the tone and the words, amused at the brat’s spunk but not buying the statement for a second. Even a Weyrleader’s kid had to do as told, and he wasn’t in the mood to kid-sit.

“Sure you can,” he replied, traces of sarcasm in his voice, and turned back to drape the slick rag over another dry patch of skin.

Very nice to meet you, the blue parroted back, the mental voice not once causing a break in the humming in his throat. Don’t stop please. Except then she did, and his happy hum turned to a keen of disappointment, his eyes opening as she rounded him to stand next to T’vir.

Who was eyeing the girl with equal parts consideration and disbelief. ‘Can you even reach past Fath’s elbows?’ was the question on his tongue, but he didn’t voice it. “I think…” he began, but Brauth broke in, reaching his head toward the oil bucket and more rags lying next to it. Of course you can help! My T’vir can do my back, and you can oil my belly. It’s soooo dry and itchy. Catching one of the rags up with the front row of fangs, he held it out to Azora and waited for her to take it.

T’vir sighed. “Fine, fine. Make a start of it. And do a good job so I don’t have to go behind you, okay?”