Everything in it's Place (Chores)

[Thorney]

Who: K’ron/Open
What: Chores, Library Duties
When: Late Morning
Where: Library

As per usual, K’ron had awoken with the sun, the rays of light meeting the earth just as he was beginning to stir. Yawning, the boy stretched stiff muscles, reaching as high as he could to push them to their limits. Shaking his head to banish the last remnants of sleep away, the weyrling ran a hand absently through his hair while he bent over to retrieve his boots. Feeling his mindmate stir, a grin stretched across the boy’s face as he turned, watching his beloved brown slowly stretching. Curled upon his back, Yumi, too, began to awake, pulled from her slumber by the dragon’s movements. From the moment Calzanth had Impressed to Hers, the little flit had, very staunchly, set her dominant status clear among the group, having felt that K’ron was hers before he was the brown’s. However, being a rather easy-going fellow, Cal had allowed her whatever she wished, and now the green adored her bigwing almost as much as Hers. Not quite, though. K’ron was still first in her mind.

Watching fondly as the two loves of his life slowly came fully awake, the boy couldn’t help but still be in awe of how his life had changed. It had already been three months since he Impressed to Calzanth, but somehow, everything still felt so new. Also, it was ironic to see the two of them together, and made K’ron wonder what was within him to attract such creatures. The brown was a massive dragon for his color, and would easily grow to rival smaller bronzes in size. Yumi, too, was a hefty green, built stronger than her sisters and larger than they as well. Loyal, protective, fiercely strong and laid-back…both dragon and flit shared these qualities, and K’ron had to admit those qualities lived within him as well. What a fitting group they made.

Good morning, K’ronmine. Good morning, littlegreen. Calzanth said, standing easily with the flit still stretching upon his back.

Morning, Cal. Lets get you fed and washed up. Grinning at the enthusiastic whirling of his brown’s eyes, the weyrling lead Calzanth outside, watching in amusement as his flit decided to ride on his back, not bothering to fly on her own. After his dragon had been properly bathed and oiled, then fed, Calzanth settled back down to doze while His had his own breakfast and then spent several candlemarks in lessons. When it was time for the boy to work, Yumi darted up and betweened to him, hoping today she could stay with him instead of being left behind.

Grinning, the weyrling paused to scratch her soothingly for a moment before continuing on. “Yes, you can come today. It’s just library duty.” Not quite catching everything, the green still understood she got to stay with Hers, and crooned happily. Entering the library, K’ron set about his tasks for the day, grabbing an armload of books to set back in their proper places. The work was monotonous and methodic, and he easily settled into a systematic pattern. Of course, he was curious who he would meet today; it seemed as if he always met the most interesting people during chores.

Tell me, K’ronmine, what are those…objects in your hands?

Quirking a brow, the weyrling was pleased their bond was so strong, Calzanth could see the books in his mind. They were growing well as dragon and rider. These are books, Cal. They hold information inside them we can use.

Pausing, tilting his head to the size, the rather large brown considered that for a moment. How do those things have information inside?

Sliding another book back into it’s proper spot, K’ron grinned. There are words inside, and we read them.

Another moment of silence stretched between them, and the boy could feel Calzanth’s confusion. How do things that are not alive have words inside. How can they speak?

Frowning for a moment, the weyrling felt like smacking himself. Duh. His brown wouldn’t know what reading was. He should have known that. And with that, K’ron launched into an explanation of letters and reading, so his dear dragon would have his curiosity satiated.

[Maykat]

Batavia swung open the door of the library, late and still chewing a meat roll. Her shift in the infirmary had been crazy and her replacement had been nearly a half hour late. Her stomach had been growling too bad to ignore, so Batavia had swung by the kitchens before heading to the library. It was out of her way, but Batavia knew she couldn’t last until supper without having something in her stomach. She leaned against a table and waggled her eyebrows at K’ron until she managed to swallow. “Hey there. That was a pretty good explanation you had going. Planning to teach Calzanth to read?” She dusted her hands off on her tunic and moved to take an armful of books.

“How is your brown?” she asked, hoisting the books to her hip. It was a courtesy question; Batavia knew very well how the brown was as she helped with the weyrling physicals. Still, it was polite to ask and she knew weyrlings loved talking about their dragons. While Batavia knew some candidates resented new weyrlings, she had quickly gotten over her jealousy and disappointment at being left standing. After her first few Hatchings she had been one of those people, but the sting had greatly lessened. Any bad feelings she had disappeared along with her terrible post-feast hangover.

[Thorney]

Catching movement from the corner of his eye, the weyrling turned as the girl leaned against a table, her eyebrows waggling and causing one corner of his lips to twitch. He vaguely recognized her as one of the candidates that had stood at the same clutch his Calzanth was from, and also an infirmary worker. If his memory was correct, and it usually was, her name was Batavia, a girl who specialized in dragonhealing and also helped with the physicals for the dragonets. K’ron grinned at her, feeling a little sheepish that he had been speaking aloud. He had meant to keep that lesson in their mental connection only, but apparently he still had a long way to go when it came to that particular skill.

Turning back to his chore as she moved to join him, the weyrling quirked a brow. “He was more interested in how books worked, rather than learning how to use them himself. He just couldn’t get how something ‘talked’ if it wasn’t alive.” Shrugging, sure she understood the mind of a young dragonet, the boy smiled to himself, affection for his brown coursing through him. K’ron had been told, on numerous occasions, how strong and powerful their connection would be, but it never prepared him for the real thing. Nothing could really describe how it was between him and Calzanth.

You twolegs have the most fascinating toys, K’ronmine. The brown remarked, mentally grinning. He was enjoying spying on the conversation from his bonded’s mind a bit too much. I recognize this twoleg female. How good of her to ask after me.

Sliding another book into it’s place, the weyrling cocked his head so he could look at Batavia while he spoke. “Oh, Cal is doing a lot better than us right now, I can tell you.” K’ron said, grinning at the candidate. “Curled up with a full belly. Overall, though, he’s doing excellent, and growing like an overfed runner. Just how much he’s grown in the past three months seems impossible.” Shaking his head, the boy slid a few more books into their place while his green firelizard stirred on his shoulder. Shifting, Yumi swiveled her head around his neck and peered at the girl, cheeping softly. Generally, she liked to stay unobtrusive, but the flit still wanted to say hi. “What about you, Batavia? How is your infirmary work going?” K’ron asked amiably, having become a bit more social since Impressing his brown. Before, the weyrling had been more the type to listen rather than speak, but Calzanth had a big hand in pulling him out of that.

[Maykat]

Batavia shook her head. She wasn't surprised by Calzanth's interest in books. Baby dragons got on the oddest thought trains and generally could not be derailed for love or money. She started reshelving books, glancing at the titles as she did. She liked being a little nosy and getting to see what the Weyrfolk had been reading.

“He’s going to get a lot bigger before it’s all over. I hope you like scrubbing and oiling,” she said with a grin. That was one place where green and blue weyrlings definitely had an advantage. With how fast dragonets grew, and how often they needed to be bathed and oiled, the bronze and gold weyrlings ended up putting in far more work. She waggled her fingers at Yumi and smiled at the green, even more determined to get a firelizard of her own. If she could train one to carry messages it would be even better.

Batavia’s face lit up when she started talking about her work. “It’s great. I’m getting a lot more experience here than I was at Southern. There were tons more apprentices and journeymen there, so we were always fighting for the good cases.” Of course for the junior journeymen ‘good’ usually meant ‘horrifically mangled.’ Many journeymen spent some Turns at a Northern Weyr. Threadfalls were heavier, which meant worse injuries and more experience at a wider range of procedures. “But there’s so few of us here that I get to do everything. S’lain’s good.” For the first few sevendays at Cerulean, Batavia always unconsciously added a for only having one eye and one arm in her head when talking about S’lain’s skills. Somewhere along the line she’d stopped thinking that. “I’m learning a lot.”

“How are weyrling lessons?” she asked, walking back to get more books. “M’ma working you into the ground?” She quirked an eyebrow at K’ron, teasing him but also interested in what she, possibly, had to look forward to.

[Thorney]

Nodding, almost as if to himself, the weyrling couldn’t help but grin slightly at the girl’s words. K’ron was already scrubbing more in one day than he used in a full turn. A brown would have been enough of a handful, but his Calzanth happened to be massive for his color, and would rival a small bronze in size. That was plenty of scrubbing and oiling, alright. “I know.” The boy agreed, smiling at the candidate. “I thought runners grew fast, but Faranth, compared to Cal, it’s not even close.” Glancing down at his little green, the weyrling smiled at her, watching as Yumi chirped a greeting softly. Well, that was nice! Of course, his flit was generally an extremely well-behaved girl, and was quite the opposite of the stereotype for her color. Which, naturally, was quite alright with him.

Well, it seemed he had certainly struck a chord in the candidate, for he saw quite a bit of passion in her for healing. Grinning, K’ron nodded, slightly amused at her assessment of the ‘good cases.’ He doubted the victims of such cases would consider that to be true, but he was certain the healers would like a chance to test their skills, just as any other crafter would. At her mention of S’lain, the weyrling stiffened slightly. Upon first meeting the healer, K’ron had been, to be perfectly honest, shocked. To see a rider in such a state that was still a very skilled and capable healer, well…he was impressed, to say the least. “He’s really amazing.” The weyrling agreed, nodding as he slid another book back into it’s place. Ah, almost done.

“So, were you an apprentice or a journeyman before you became a candidate?” The boy asked, curious as to how far she had gotten before being Searched. Granted, most people their age were certainly almost always apprentices, but there were a few, rare cases of younger journeymen. He wondered what prompted her to become a candidate instead of a healer. Of course, K’ron had no room to talk. He had been well on his way to a good future in beastcrafting when he had left that all behind to come to the weyr on a chance of Impressing.

Do you regret doing so, K’ronMine? His brown suddenly asked, mindvoice calm but raging with underlying tones of emotion. The boy could have smacked himself.

Of course not, Cal! He said quickly, very careful to keep this conversation in his mind and not aloud. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and ever will happen. I love you more than anything, and would trade you for nothing. K’ron’s own mindvoice was passionate in his affirmation, and he could feel waves of satisfaction from his dragon. Good. Shards, he hadn’t meant to imply he regretted leaving his former life, for that was the last thing he felt. The weyrling was happier now than he had ever been, and he couldn’t imagine his life without his Calzanth. The brown was…his everything.

Shaking his head, K’ron blinked as he returned his attention to Batavia, aware that she was speaking. He really needed practice at the whole ‘listen to everyone and your dragon at the same time’ thing. “Actually, M’ma isn’t that bad.” The weyrling said, grinning in reply to her teasing. Thankfully, Calzanth had been good for the boy’s slightly withdrawn personality. He had certainly begun to grow a bit more sociable. “He’s really nice, and genuinely likes us. Lessons aren’t too bad. It’s the scrubbing and meat butchering that’s the hardest. Not that I mind.” He shrugged. “How about candidate lessons? Still as fun as I remember?” K’ron grinned, now teasing her slightly.

[Maykat]

Batavia stuck her tongue out and made a rude noise when he asked about candidacy. “I could probably teach the lessons as well as V’mio by now.” Candidacy faded into the background between clutches, replaced by dragonhealing and Batavia often found herself in the back of the classroom, zoning out. She passed many a lesson mentally repeating parts of dragon anatomy while V’mio talked about Weyr politics and fighting wing structures. If the Candidatemaster noticed, which Batavia was sure he did, he never said anything. “I’ve been at this for four Turns; I’d gladly take scrubbing and butchering instead.”

“I was an apprentice beastcrafter, ” she answered, leaning against a table as she eyed up the shelves. “I was on the docks, getting ready to go North when I got Searched. Once I got to the Weyr, well,” she stepped forward and shelved the last book in her arms, “if your choices are herdbeasts or sharding dragons, it’s really not much of a choice.” It really had been that easy for her to switch, despite the extra training and responsibility that came with dragonhealing. It meant she got to be around the great beasts every day, even if she never Impressed one.

“So what’s your story?” she asked, sitting on the table and letting her feet dangle. They still had the clean the room; no matter how much the library was used the flat surfaces were always coated in dust. But she figured they had time for a break. “You were holdbred, right?” Batavia asked, trying to remember if she knew anything about the boy. She knew plenty about Calzanth but not much about his rider.