Participants:
| Date: | 6/26/2011 |
|---|---|
| Location: | Igen Weyr Marketplace |
| Synopsis: | Maura heads to Igen to collect Rii and Zekoith - plans are made. Bwahaha. |
| Rating: | If above PG-13, please note here. |
| Logger: | Maura |
It's Igen. Lots of dust.
Another hot, dry, sandy Igen day. But it's a rest day for Maura at least, so when she arrives at the Weyr it's not in a set of formal leathers that will have her wilting after a few minutes. She's casual and in light fabrics and sooooo ready to spend a day outside of Eastern. It's also not too early in the morning. But just early enough that when Rikath sends out the first tendril of query « Zekoith, I know you're there somewhere. Stop with the hide and seek! », he shoudn't be waking anyone up. The rider half of the pair is already headed for the market with a pack slung over her shoulder.
Yes, Zekoith is here. Zekoith is not in the market, though, Zekoith is on a /rock/ somewhere. Getting /sun/. « I am somewhere, » the brown confirms. His rider, on the other hand? Ch'rii is making his way through market stalls, dressed in the /pants/ of his leathers and a white buttondown top, hair flat against his head due to an abundance of sweat. Having not been expecting Maura, he's not aware that he keeps moving in such a way that she can't actually find him. « Welcome home, Rikath, » Zekoith adds sleepily.
« Be a pal and share some space. If I have to go looking for you, I'm going to get crabby. » And does anybody really want /him/ to be cranky? The blue launchs into the air after dropping off Maura, to go find that rock to sun on. She keeps an eye out for Ch'rii of course, head turning abruptly a number of times as she spots someone who may be him. But, there's always someone else entirely standing there. So at least for now, she stops at a stall here and there, exchanging marks for fabric or other items. « Home. You two ready to head back to Eastern with us? »
Zekoith, obliging, provides the mental directions for Rikath to find his way to the very nice rock. It is large enough for a blue and a brown to fit on comfortably, if maybe a /little/ bit squished against each other. A cuddler by nature, Zekoith also shows no problem with the blue leaning against him, and holds up an inviting wing. « I believe we are. Ch'rii wants a new hat. » Which provides absolutely no hint as to where Ch'rii /is/ — there are tons of places with hats.
Rikath just gives Zekoith the proverbial hairy eyeball. « I do not snuggle. » he points out, in a grumpy tone, before settling in beside the brown and winding up half cuddld up -anyway- due to the size of the rock. But he doesn't mention that. « Maura says there enough hat places to choke a runnerbeast. That's not helpful. » And for her part, the girl stands for a moment in the middle of the busy marketplace with her hands on her hips looking around at the variety of hats. Then she shakes her head and starts wandering again; peering around corners and stopping to stare at fleting glimpses of… well, she can't figure out who. Finally, she finds the stall that she was going to make her way to eventually regardless.
It is not the stall Ch'rii is at. Ch'rii is, however, actually being loud at this point — she miiiiight be able to make out the sound of him haggling over prices. Zekoith flicks his tail. « I know. You are a big meanie who is smaller than I am. » Which doesn't stop him from being /friends/ with Rikath anyway. « And that is funny phrasing. Runnerbeasts do not eat hats. He is at the one with the prices that are too high. » So, so helpful.
« And that, my friend, is why you are needed at Eastern. So many idiots, so little time. » Rikath laments. « Kaseth does not let me torment them nearly enough. » Woe. A sardonic bit of a sigh escapes at the OH SO HELPFUL information provided, that he dutifully relays along his link. « Gee. Thanks. » Given that she has half an ear open despite her own haggling, Maura perks up when she hears a familiar voice. "Look, you get half now, half when it's done. And it better be done by tomorrow. Remember how I wantit done. And you're not getting more then 8 marks. You remember Rikath." The last words are said sweetly before the young rider darts her way through the crowd and finally lands herself nearby Ch'rii. "I hear if you bat your eyelashes and give a come hither look, prices lower exponentially." she supplies helpfully, in a low tone.
« But otherwise, she's perfect. » Zekoith may have a crush. And by 'may' we mean 'does.' « We will make beautiful children together, Kaseth and I. » Overconfident? /Never/. Ch'rii, on the other hand, starts and nearly drops the hat in his hand. "But, my dear," he tells Maura with a sly grin, leaning closer to whisper to her, "this does not work if the seller is a straight male. Any other variety and they would be putty in my hands in seconds, but — in this case, how about you do the honors."
« Snort. » That's about as far as Rikath will go. Yeah, sorry Zekoith. He's not buying it. Maura's smile just grows when she manages to give Rii a start. "Putty. Right." she rolls her eyes at that and then nudges him aside. He did tell her to do the honors, right? "How much?" She grabs the hat from the brownrider and takes a good look at it, before looking up at the seller with an all too innocent expression.
The hat seller quotes the original price. And then takes in Maura's face. And then lowers it by half. "Sold!" Ch'rii butts in, grabbing the hat and handing over the marks before the hat seller can try actually giving the item to /Maura./ That's his hat, lady. Zekoith merely flicks his tail again.
"Thanks, darlin." Maura will even cast a wink at the seller, before she lets loose a laugh and turns around to give Ch'rii the arm-flinging hug of greeting she would have to begin with… if he hadn't been haggling on prices to start with. "Nice hat." she adds, tugging on the brownrider's arm to pull him away from the stall before the seller can start any trouble.
And it is a really good thing that Ch'rii is much larger than Maura, because he has never been known for having very good balance when not out on a grift. And therefore would've fallen over sideways. As it is, all he does is mutter, "Ack," and then "What," as he's tugged away, and then remembers to add, "Thanks," once the hat is settled upon his head and getting some of the sun out of his eyes. And off his baking black hair.
Story of her life - nearly bowling over every new renegade arrival. All she does is smile in return. She needs an excuse? As if! "Got all your stuff together? Not that Rikath is anxious to get back, but…" Shrug. "How're you feeling? No lingering effects or illness?" Yep, she gives him an appraising glance up and down to be sure he looks healthy. "So far it's just Randi, P'sec, D'lan… and us two."
"I'm okay." Ch'rii is gruff and dismissive of the question, though; this means he might be lying. "Zek's sometimes sniffly, but I think it's just allergies — can you believe he has allergies? But according to the dragonhealers he has allergies. To, believe it or not, /sand/. As a result of the infection. So I think he'll be glad to move — he always loves humidity best, anyway."
"Don't lie to me." Maura retorts, glancing sideways to pin him with a stare. "I had headaches for awhile; still do, but it's only when I've been having ah, I don't know what to call them. Weird delirium dreams. But if there's something wrong you need to see the healer." The uncompromising tone would probably be why she's been called the 'mother hen' of the group recently. Ahem. "Zekoith has allergies? To /sand/? Really? He'll love Eastern then. No sand, but plenty of fucking humidity." That, would be a whine.
Ch'rii laughs. "I take it you're not as fond of the jungle as Zekoith." But she's giving him this nosy /look/, and so he gives in, "Sometimes have trouble breathing on exertion, and I occasionally sweat buckets — did you see my hair? But it's just residual crap that's supposed to wear off."
"No, I certainly am not fond of the jungle. I prefer the dry desert sand." Maura admits, since it's painfully obvious. "Trouble breathing?" Frown. "Mmph. Hope that wears off soon. And, that the humidity doesn't make it worse." she reasons. "So, you still big on practial jokes?" Now, she smiles again. One of those mischeif laden grins that bodes no good for the renegades already at Eastern.
That is a crazy question. Maura gets a totally lost look from Ch'rii. And then it turns into a perfectly put-upon innocent face. "/Me/? Practical jokes? Why, that is nonsense. I would never do a thing to tease, mock or provide temporary but amusing discomfort to /anyone/, /especially/ not those I consider friends." Zekoith, overhearing, snorts at Rikath. « He needs to be choked with a hat, sometimes. »
"Well, I *must* have the wrong Ch'rii, then." Maura replies, letting go of his arm and then shielding her eyes as if to search the crowd. "Ch'riiiiiii where are you!? SOMEONE is claiming to be you, but obviously isn't!" she calls out, looking skeptically at the brownrider. "Guess I'll just have to find someone else to help me create a bit of fun over at Eastern." SIGH. « How do you choke someone with a hat? Maura should learn this trick. She needs to learn to defend herself. »
« You shove it in the person's mouth. » Zekoith really has no idea, but he thinks this is at least sensible — and Rikath is the most sensible dragon he knows, so he must come up with the sensible answer. Despite being much older than the blue, Zekoith is not exactly sage or wise. "Weeeeeell," Ch'rii says slowly, "I /guess/ I could /try/. My bag's over by Zeko."
Rikath chooses that moment to share his conversation with Maura. And, thusly, the image of shoving someone's hat down their throat. Someone in particular of course. "NO, we will not do tha. Don't.. no.. oh, -Rikath-." Exasperation is evident, but she offers no details about what image it is that her beloved blue is sharing with her. "I do wonder what prompts some of the conversations they have." she does offer, looking blank for a moment and trying to place where the two dragons are lounging. "Alright then, if you're ready. I'll show you around when we get there. The place is *huge*. And, the Headwoman Indira… she knows what we've all been doing. But, nobody else. And, ah… right, practical jokes. P'sec is the first target." Grin.
"What's my cover story? I am some poor schmuck whose dragon ended up allergic to sand? Because it /is/ a really good reason to leave. His lungs just never got used to it again." Maybe that's why Ch'rii is having breathing difficulties — because Zekoith is. He's not even trying to validate the draconic conversation. "My old buddy P'sec? You can't prank a bro." Pause. "Depending on what your plan is." Pause. "Because then maybe I might be persuaded." Pause. "Has he gotten laid?"
"I didn't even bother with a cover story. I was transferred, and that's that. So the allergic to sand story? Perfect." Maura decides. "Old buddy. Please!" she retorts, then. "I don't generally ask if he's gotten laid. I don't think he would tell me, either." is pointed out dryly, but notably without any of the embarassment that she would normally have displayed at such a question. "I don't really -have- a plan just yet. But, hmm. Maybe just a funny picture put up at his place to start with." she muses. "He'll totally suspect me though, so I gotta be careful. I've been a huge pain in the ass, of course." Which is why she will be suspect number one.
Ch'rii rolls his eyes. "You've /been/ a pain in the ass? This is, like, new? Girl, seriously." He reaches out and fluffs her hair, unable to resist. It's /there/. And she's like a kid sister. "I don't think I'd be the first suspect, especially since why would I be hanging out with /you/ anyway?" Zekoith is sure to inform Rikath, « He is being sarcastic. » Just in case Maura is that fragile.
Maura gasps in mock dismay, and once her hair has been ruffled turns her attention to trying to pinch Ch'rii's arm. "And you'll be hanging out with /me/, because I'll just nag you until you do anyway." she retorts. « Yeah. I'd be careful with that. » Rikath decides to impart. « D'lan has already made her cry, you know. And I promised I would shove anyone else who does it off a ledge. » He meant it too, as he continuously reminds her. "There's not enough of us there for you to be that picky, pal. And it's not like we can trust anyone who's not… one of us. There's some friendly folks there though." She admits, rambling on only because she has no idea what Rikath is saying.
"Okay." Ch'rii throws an arm around Maura's shoulder, once he's gotten it away from her /abuse/. "All yours, then." Zekoith stirrs mentally, displeased. « No one should make her cry. She is too fragile. She is our innocent one. » Even if, y'know, Zekoith likes Wyncrath just fine. Ch'rii, too, is oblivious: that seemed too personal for his dragon to pass on. "And you know how good I am at making friends, right?" Read: not. He collects sexual partners, but friends?
Maura is totally abusive. Yet, she leans up against Ch'rii anyway while they walk towards whatever rocky outcropping their gossipy dragons are resting on. "Seems to be a theme amongst most of us. Don't make friends easily." Well, except perhaps for her. « Hnph. Not so innocent anymore, but close enough. » Rikath is displeased. "Some people are suspicious of all us new people showing up. But I doubt that's going to bother you."
« Compared to the others, » is Zekoith's point. He also seems to be considering chewing on Ch'rii's bag, for its proximity to his paws. "Most criminals don't make good friends," he points out.
« Compared to the rest of you she is as innocent as freshly fallen snow. » Rikath agrees, with cynical snort. "Well, no. I guess they don't. But I don't really think of us that way. We're just doing what has to be done." Ah yes, the idealist! "They've got a decent bar there. How about we head there first. You can drink to celebrate your arrival at a not-sandy place. I'm sure Zekoith will appreciate that." If he doesn't eat that bag of Rii's first.
"Right, so /you/ are not a criminal," Ch'rii is willing to admit. "I? Am a criminal. I am not denying it, either, because it's common knowledge I Impressed to avoid prison." He doesn't seem to have any issue with it, though; he likes where it got him. Except for the Iceblood thing. "Booze sounds like a delight."
"Well, I don't care if you're a criminal." Maura replies, sounding adamant. "So there. And -we're- friends." she points out, as ever being overly protective of her friends and their checkered pasts. "Did I tell you that I've been learning how to cheat at cards? I might actually be able to beat you at a game now." she jokes, only… ah, partly joking. If she intended to cheat while playing, it would be stupid to advertise it. "Great. There's plenty of it at Eastern, I can promise you that." she drawls. "So you drink, and I'll make sure you can still walk back to Zek."
Ch'rii is grinning, now. Not because of anyone caring about his criminal tendencies; that's a given. It's the cards thing. "Do you know how to /count/ cards, though? In blackjack? Because that's not actually cheating — dubiously, maybe, but it requires enough skill that it's /not/ — and therefore it's fair to do that even with people who know that you are a dirty rotten cheat." Does he intend to teach her? Probably. "That's how I do it, generally. If you can count cards in a pair it makes fleecing a group of high rollers even easier — one counts and one plays."
"Counting cards? No, I hadn't got that far yet. It was mostly deck stacking and doubling up on cards and hiding cards beneath cups… sleight of hand stuff." Maura, of course, sounds fascinated by this cheating that isn't really cheating thing. "Fleecing a group of high rollers. Huh." Not an activity one would normally ascribe to /her/, surely. But somehow the thought makes her grin. "And, do you do this often?" she wonders, amusement evident at this point. "I bet nobody would even suspect me of such a thing either. I can pull off playing stupid pretty well. Most people seem to think it anyway." « Really? » Rikath doesn't know whether to be amused or irked that she actually wants to -try- fleecing people. « Why can't anyone just work with me here instead of springing these things on her like that. »
"Exactly. You would be entirely non-suspect, so if I did the discreet counting and passing you answers via code words and you did the /playing/ …" Ch'rii's grin has turned slyer. "Not often. But I can." Zekoith has a mental chortle for Rikath. « We're glad to work with you. What did you want him to suggest next? »
"You… have a deal." Maura decides, in no small part due to a bit of a nudge from her blue. "That'll sure help pass the time." she decides, pleased with this sudden development. And Rikath? He takes a long and silent moment to think. « Picking pockets. » he suggests, his tone just as sly as Rii's was a moment ago, but far more sibilant and with darker undertones to it. He has plans.
« We can do that. » Zekoith is not beyond making deals for his rider. « Will you tell me why? » There's a bounce to his mindvoice, almost. He's a curious fellow. That's all. Ch'rii is walking with a bit of a bounce as they finally get to the dragons. "Is there anything to do /but/ pass time? Zeko probably can't wait for Kaseth to rise again, but we try not to talk about that." Ch'rii may respect Randi? But he doesn't want to go there.
« She should know a bit of everything. It will make her more… useful. Pick-pocketing, lock picking, self-defense, card cheating, disguising. Combine that with the skills she already has, and she'll be able to back up just about anyone. » Rikath relays, knowing that he's more likely to get enthusiastic agreement from Zekoith then from any of the other dragons in hte group. "Not much yet. Occasionally we get sent on a special errand for Randi. But, for now… it's just plain drills and typical riding duties." Maura admits, unable to conceal a bit of a smirk for Rii's predicament about Kaseth. "I'll try not to tease you about it, then."
"Bor. Ing," Ch'rii concludes with a wave of the hand. Zekoith is all there with Rikath's plan, though. « Mine can do all of those things except for the last. He is better at disappearing than disguising. »
"Then we'll just have to make it /not/ boring, won't we." Maura replies, giving Rikath's riding straps a brief tug to make sure for the bajillionth time that all is well on that front. She seems to have a /thing/ for constantly checking on them. As if she figures one day she'll just fall right out and splat. « Well then, it looks like they'll be spending plenty of time together. I don't know that Maura would be real good at disappearing though. » he concedes, while his rider takes a long look around her old home. She seems reluctant to go, but starts pulling on her riding jacket anyway, then shedding her sandals for riding boots.
Zekoith is wearing straps? Oh. Zekoith is wearing straps. He had forgotten they were there until Ch'rii is tightening them; he twitches his tail once more, perhaps this as a greeting for Maura. « It is hard. It is very hard when you are tall like mine, but he has worked on it for always. » Ch'rii is going through his stuff to try to find his jacket, but at least he was already wearing the right shoes.
"Hey there, handsome." That's for Zekoith of course. She gives him a visual once over as well, a pleased smile on her face when he seems to pass her own non-dragonhealer inspection. « That is a long time to work on a skill. But he does it well. » Rikath rarely proffers a compliment. So it's a momentous event that he will now pretend did not happen. "I thought you said you were ready and had all your stuff?" Maura. Amused.
Always is a long time. Zekoith won't deny it. He also snorts hot air into Maura's head. Hi there lady. Ch'rii makes a face at her. "I packed a little /too/ well — oh." There it is. Jacket is put on, pile of stuff is shoved back in bag.
Maura giggles, reaching up to give Zekoith a brief scritch at the breeze of hot air sent her way. "Yeah, you appreciate me don't you big guy. Rikath just totaly ignores all my compliments." she laments, only to get a talonfull of sand flicked at her by her very own lifemate. Which, of course, just makes her laugh. As does the face that's made at her. "Uh-huh. Alright, come on." The short climb up is followed by buckling herself in.
"He loves everybody," Ch'rii says; this is not entirely true, but he does love everybody who loves him. "Right-o," he adds, and hops up the much /longer/ trip to Zekoith's neckridges.
"I'm far more loveable then most though." Maura is feeling cheeky today, apparently. But once they're both ready Rikath sends a clear and clarion image of their destination to Zekoith. And once they arrive, he greets the brown with a dry « Welcome to Eastern, buddy. »
Zekoith takes his first breath of the (properly, to him) humid Eastern air and almost trills — almost. He doesn't actually make a sound, but his contentment is present enough mentally to be very clear to Rikath. « Thanks heaps, » he says, no sarcasm at all, as he finds a nice place to land.