Little Mouse - N'ryl, Gryth

[.K.aci]

"Mosawyth..."

//Mine, I do not understand this!

"It's just that... It's like... Can't you understand?"

And Mosawyth had tried. The large Green had thought about, curled around Toni, trying to understand what was really going on in the girl's head, but those two-leggers had never really made sense to her. After all, most were ugly little creatures that had thought she was just a Green. She was not JUST a Green - she was THE Green. And then, when she had arrived here, spent and exhausted from a confusing jump, she had jumped over not-a-weyr, sending the people below her into a frenzy that she perceived as mainly cowardice. Huh.

With a shake of a slim head, the Green snorted hot air into the face of her rider, casting herself from her reverie.

//I will not try to understand, for I already have. What I do understand is that you are being ridiclious as you always blame me of being, for no reason, and I think you are being wher-headed about this.

With a final snort, the soft-green colored dragon stalked to her ledge and dropped from the end of it, winging her way to...

"Probably to Gryth's ledge," Toniandra quipped to herself, even as she extended her mind to follow the Green's. But it was blocked off - Mosawyth was in a sore mood, and not really willing to talk to her. With a cry of annoyance, the girl stormed in from the dragon's corner into her own small room. Gritting her teeth, she tried to figure out something to do, anything to make Mosawyth not mad at her... For she understood where the Green was coming from.

It was true, Toni had always had an inkling that the moment the Green was caught, she would be caught by a male that she wouldn't let go easily. And Toni knew also, that most male dragon's flew in every flight, which would leave the Green hurt in the end. Mosawyth, who had been scorned in her class by most of the dragon's because of Toniandra's position with the Queen at the time, would be one of those Green's to attach herself to the first dragon that paid attention to her...

Clothes fell into a pool around her as Toni stormed to her tiny bath, settling in the water and severely scrubbing herself even as she griped. It wasn't only Mosawyth, of course. Toni wouldn't have minded that Wyth found a playmate... It was the fact that the playmate just /happened/ to be the dragon of the male that Toni had slept with. Her cheeks a ragged red, the girl buried her face in wet rough hands. Toni had woken up with N'yrl - no, she wouldn't think about it.* Swiftly she dropped her head into the water, the copper straight locks that she kept at mid-back floating up around her. Wash it, wash it, dry it carefully as she groomed the rest of herself, she rose from the bath clean and slightly better.

Standing infront of the mirror naked, she eyed herself critically. A small girl, slight, any meat on her was from muscle - two years as a rider that had to show her abilities more often than most. Her hands escaped any marks, alluding to the fact she was a graceful person - small feet showed the same. Small breast's that could barely be called that, breast's the healer's had told her would fill in when she came down with child (she wasn't going to ever). She had been called scrawny often, although she had an appetite... But she wasn't bad looking - at least she didn't think so. The face however...

She stepped closer to the mirror even as she mindlessly combed out her hair. Eyes the color of hazel, they held a dreamer's look that was far from the truth. Long lashes that she had to peer out of, a light dusting of freckles painting over high cheekbones. She had a stubborn chin, she remembered her mother telling her once when the old woman would send for her, though she never learned if that was a good thing or not. It countered her dreamer's eyes off nicely, though the critical child would never see that. With a frown in the mirror, she was suddenly in action, scurrying off into the direction of her trunk that sat at the end of her bed. Diving into that, she scuffled around, throwing things out at random until her hands clasped the scissors that she had brought from home.

With a half-smile, the ghost of self-satisfaction staying on her face, Toni positioned herself back infront of the mirror and began to clip the soft locks. From shoulder-blade length it shortened, slowly piling at her feet. She didn't stop until it was sheared off, (Much like this), the always straight hair drying nicely. Without taking a second guess to hesitate and squirm, the girl carefully turned the mirror around and began to clean up the hair. Back into the bathroom, rinsing off and washing the hair one last time (it felt so light!), she dried and dressed in simple black breeches and a light spring green tunic.

Now what to do? Refusing to dwell on her hair, Toni did what she normally did on a day like today. Cleaned up the weyr, slipped downstairs to eat...

But she always had Mosawyth.

A few hours later, she returned to her Weyr fit to burst. She hadn't been alone for this long since... For a long time, and it nauseated her slightly. Running a hand through her cropped hair, she paced. Maybe she had been to harsh. Mosawyth was allowed to have Gryth for as long as he would tolerate her (she hadn't seen the two together yet), and she would just have to go make-up with Mosawyth. Just leave the fact that she hadn't yet come face to face with her Weyrmate - a shudder as the phrase darted through her mind - alone, and work on apologize... Promise to give the Green an extra oiling and sucking up...

Except the Green wouldn't talk to her.

..Mosawyth? I'm sorry...

Silence.

..Wyth? Please? I'm really sorry...

Silence.

"..Wyth?!"

A picture of a contented Green curled with a Blue, and of a door. Then nothing. With a frustrated growl, Toni sat on the edge of her bed and picked up her jacket, half-way through mending it anyway...

But they both knew that she wouldn't wait long. Finally, with a hesitant glance back at the bed where she had risen from, Toni slipped from her own door and up to where she knew N'ryl's weyr was. A knock on the door, after squirming for several seconds... Nothing. A slightly louder knock... He wasn't in? She loved Mosawyth suddenly, loved the Green for not making her have to see the man. Her hand on the handle, although the Green was not yet talking to her (sulky thing), she turned it, and slipped in the room, feeling very self-conscious.

Making sure the door shut behind her quietly, she paused to find the opening that would lead to the dragon ledge, and took a soft pace forward, feeling uncomfortable.

[[ooc - sorry to leave it so abrubt, but I dunno what you want to do excatly. Feel free to pp her just a little, i.e. her back was turned when he came out, etc....

*perhaps he left before she woke up? Makes her a little more hurt, more fun to play out? I don't care, I left it open to any idea's you may have. ^^]]

[Cilnah]

Flights were supposed to be simple. Females rose, males chased, and in the end they did their thing, bringing their bonded along for the ride, of course. That was it. Everyone went their seperate ways after that. That was the way it was supposed to work. But when did anything in life work the way it was supposed to? N'ryl sighed as he thought about the intricate turn his life had taken, then sunk under the surface of the warm water of his bathing chamber, allowing the heat to soak into his skin and relax his body. A soft groan that no one could hear was soon to follow, as he thought about what had happened.

He'd woken up next to the girl, and decided it would perhaps be best to make his leave while she was still sleeping. It might not have been normal procedure, but he had no wish to make her any more uncomfortable then she already was. So, as quietly as he could, he had slipped from the sleeping furs and fetched his clothes, pulling them on without a sound until it came to his shoes. And then, still hazy from his sleep, one of the things had slipped from his fingers and landed with a resounding 'thump' that seemed to reverberate through the entire weyr. Cringing, N'ryl had looked up to see Toni stirring, and had hastily pulled his shoes on, and stood up just when she had woken up fully. For the brief moment of eye contact they shared, he had received a look so wary that it almost made him detest himself for what he had done, even though they both knew it was through no fault of his own. Shaking his head at himself, he turned and quickly left without a word. He hadn't wished to cause the girl any more distress.

At the time, he had thought that that would be the end of it, and he wouldn't have to face the Greenrider again. But he would soon be proven wrong, as not very much later, he had found the Green curled around his own Blue. A growl escaped N'ryl's chest as he rose for breath, and a soft chuckle filled his mind. Both he and Gryth knew that he wasn't really upset about the fact that the dragon had found a partner. In fact, he was actually very happy for his Blue. Gryth needed the companionship that he knew he could not provide, and he would treat the Green well, as she so obviously deserved. Mosawyth would never lack for attention again. No, what was upsetting him was the fact that this meant he would have to face her again, and deal with those distrusting eyes.

A shiver went though his spine as he pulled himself up out of the water, and began to dry himself. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he did not hear the knock on the door. But Gryth did. The dragon lifted his head from it's resting place against Mosawyth's neck, and turned to look at the girl who entered the weyr. He gave her a snort of greeting, then laid back down, though now one eye was open, watching her curiously.

Mine, we have company.

In the other chamber, the Bluerider looked up, surprised. "Who is it?" he asked, hurrying to finish drying and get dressed, though he didn't take the time to finish his hair, which was still dripping. Outside, the dragon chuckled.

I think perhaps you had better see for yourself.

His curiosity piqued by the dragon's evasiveness, he quickly exited the bathing chamber and stepped into the main weyr...

Where he promptly stopped in his tracks, and felt his jaw drop a fraction of an inch. "What is she doing here?" he demanded fiercely, taking a second to realign his features into a blank look, before stepping forward.

"Hello, Miss Toni," he greeted the Greenrider, careful to keep his tone bland.

[.K.aci]

'Hello, Miss Toni.'

This was a bad idea. Bad, bad, bad, bad idea. Stupid, stupid, idiot, dimglow, how could you? She froze as the cool voice entered her hearing, eyes growing wide and face turning a ragged red. She wanted to grow very small, maybe perhaps disappear, and she was all for turning and sprinting out of the room when Mosawyth snarled. It was impressive, making her sound like she was angry, and Toni bought it.

//FREEZE.

She defiantly hadn't moved.

//If you move one step, I swear to Faranth that you will regret it.

It was a nice move - Toni's active imagination could think of so many more things that Mosawyth could, and the girl would listen to the Green. Thusly, Toni only swallowed, and bobbed her head, her small stature seeming to shrink as she curled inside of herself.

She dared not meet those cool jade eyes – she remembered all to well what they looked like. They were burned into her memory, called up without being asked, burned on her eyelids. Remembering brought another wave of heat to her face, and she shifted uncomfortably, hands at her side in a meek position.

She remembered that all to well. Sleep had been a warm comfort, and the male lying next to her had been comfortable, warm, and above all, safe. She had liked being held as he did in the end, curled in an embrace mimicking the dragons outside, feeling as though she was… Important? Protected? And then… She had woken up the next morning to a THUMP. A dream, perhaps, but it was enough to rouse the exhausted normally light sleeper. She had stirred, arching her back and shifting to the warmth that… Wasn’t there. It had been then she that had woken fully, just as he had risen fully up, to look at her. The shy smile that she had worn faded as she watched that tussled dark head look at her, and she as her own hazel eyes met the brilliant jade, she had turned nervous, masking it with wariness. His own had filled with disgust, and her own tightened as she tensed, ready to flee, holding the fur’s to her… She debated saying something, but what? And then the disgust in them increased, and shaking his head, he walked from her room.

The color bloomed against high cheekbones as she studied the stone floor, wishing she could erase things and go back, change who Mosawyth let Catch her… But this was the best for her, Toniandra knew. With this Blue, who with one glance over she knew treated her Green like the Gold she was, Mosawyth was happy… And she would fight for them, even if N’ryl did not like her or the Green.

“My Lord,” She bobbed her head, not daring to look up at that probably annoyance riddled face, and continued. “My apologies for barging in; I just wanted to see Mosawyth, and I assumed that you were out.”

Assumed? Assumed!? Her mother would have screeched at her, lashing at the girl with a tongue barbed and hooked. She wasn't smart enough to assume anything. And when dismissed, Toni would leave the room to curl next to Mosawyth's warm and comforting body. The dragon always understood, was always there for her, with both scalding remarks and gentle prodding, trying to make the girl understand she was so much better than her Mother-Queen told her. The Gold, who Mosawyth had braved going to just once, had practically ignored the Green, telling her at last that Her's was the final verdict in the matter, and the girl was most likely as slovenly as Her's knew. But Mosawyth knew better, and proceeded to comfort her as best she knew.

He didn’t need to know they were arguing, and she wouldn’t bother him with any details. Better she look stupid than Mosawyth. She was just the useless little girl that they had all said she was, the little girl that in the end relied on a dragon to be what the human’s around her weren’t.

“I do apologize again, My Lord, it shan’t happen again. I wasn’t planning on being a bother, but I’ll just talk to Mosawyth later-“

If the Green would let her.

“By your leave, My Lord?”

She wanted to run from the room, but she was just a useless clod of a girl, and she had learned to respect her betters – which in her mother’s eyes, was everyone.

[Cilnah]

A rumbling chuckle filled the weyr an instant after the words 'my lord' left Toni's lips the first time. It was so intense that it cave the illusion of the walls shaking, even though the were solid stone. A soft sigh escaped from N'ryl, and he looked over at his shaking blue, giving the dragon a glare that only served to make him laugh harder, his eyes almost closed in his mirth. "You find something funny, Gryth?" the man demanded, his eyes narrowed with irritation.

No, of course not, My Lord.

The Blue's sarcasm was nearly tangible. N'ryl took a deep, somewhat calming breath, and pushed his bonded out of his mind for a brief moment, so that he could focus more on the girl, who he was now facing. He ran a hand through his hair, and shifted his weight uncomfortably. He was not used to being in a position where he was not sure what to do. But first thing was first. He had to get her to stop saying that! Gryth was going to tease him enough as it was. "Miss Toni, my name is N'ryl. I am not a Hold Lord, nor am I a lord of anything else. Please stop calling me that." He didn't mean it to be rude, or condescending, though he was aware that might have been how it sounded. It was just that being called 'lord' made him uncomfortable.

And now to adress the second problem.

"Miss Toni..." he began again, not quite sure how to go about saying what he needed to. Again he shifted on his feet and pushed a hand through his hair. Then he sighed, and shook his head, his eyes lowering from her face for a brief moment.

Go on, N'ryl-mine. She is just as uncomfortable as you are.

As if that wasn't obvious! He almost rolled his eyes at that. "Toni, look. Our dragon's have bonded. Gryth needs the companionship, and he will treat your Mosawyth well. So, as long as they are a pair, then this is your weyr as well, and you are welcome here. Please do not feel as if you are a bother." It was true that he wasn't looking forward to having the girl around, but he would put up with it, for his Blue's sake. And perhaps one day she would stop looking at him as if he was something vile that one had to be wary of. Because in truth he had enjoyed a quick smile when he first woke up and glanced at the girl sleeping against him, his arm over her. Before the reality of what was had settled in, a brief moment of contentment had flickered across his heart, and that was something he would forever be grateful for, as it had been something long lost.

[.K.aci]

Eyes wide, she shifted, glancing around as it seemed that an earthquake had hit. For a moment she debated running around in circles yelling, "THE SKY IS FALLING!" But then, as Mosawyth's humor hit, she glanced at the dragons to see Gryth shaking visibly. It was he who was creating the illusion, and Toni's flush was in danger of never receding as she flushed to the end of copper locks.

Mosawyth regarded the male with amusement, but sent waves of reassurance to the girl who was now focusing very hard on the floor, biting her bottom lip with enough force to draw blood. Mosawyth nudged the Blue gently with the crown of her head, chiding him slightly.

//You make Mine uncomfortable, Gryth. She is a silly human, and I am working on her habit of thinking everyone is better than she is...

An inhale, and the chuckles faded slightly, although mirth could still be tasted in the air.

'Miss Toni, my name is N'ryl. I am not a Hold Lord, nor am I a lord of anything else. Please stop calling me that.'

She winced at the floor, fisting her hands together tighter behind her back and murmuring,

"Sorry, My Lord, I mean N-n-n-n..."

Tripping over her own tongue as she stuttered over his name, she gave up finally, waiting for the moment he would tell her she could leave. And then she was gone, gone, gone! She hadn't meant to bother him when she had called him Lord... And now he sounded mad at her, arrogant and as though he looked down on her... Biting her lip to stop the flow of stupid she knew would come out, she waited.

'Miss Toni...'

She waited... And when he didn't speak peered up through her eyelashes, watching him. He was looking steadfastly at the floor, as she was, and that made her fell just a little better. She assumed it was a dismissal, but it didn't sound quite like one... She hung, poised on flight for a few hapless seconds until she saw a glimmer of haunting jade. Then her eyes flew downward as he began to speak.

'Toni, look. Our dragon's have bonded. Gryth needs the companionship, and he will treat your Mosawyth well. So, as long as they are a pair, then this is your weyr as well, and you are welcome here. Please do not feel as if you are a bother.'

Silence wrapped around them again, broken by nothing. She fought to figure out what she wanted to say to the man, shrinking down and ready to shoot herself, until Mosawyth helped.

//Mine, the truth. You just tell him what you want, and if he judges you wrongly, I will eat him.
--Don't do that! Gryth might get mad.
//...Fine. I'll have Gryth eat him.

A brief smile flitted across her features as she drew away from the dragon's comforting words, fixing her eyes on somewhere around his chest.

"I understand, My Lo-.... I offer you the same - what is mine is yours. Please don't feel as though you are not welcome in my weyr at all."

But there was still the fact that a dismissal enough to suffice had not yet been delivered, and she peered up at his face enough to hope he would talk pity on her. Mosawyth it seemed, was going to fix this too.

//Come Mine, you promised me a bath and an extra oiling.

Face suddenly shining with relief, for she had to go to her dragon, she bobbed her head to N'ryl.

"Sir, Mosawyth and I -
//Would like to extend our invitation to you. Mine has promised me a bath, and I would like to share the warm weather with you Gryth, and your rider.

Mosawyth interrupted smoothly, projecting out to the three of them. She never had qualms about talking to other humans and this was just an example of that.

"Wait, wait! It is not an order, My Lord (completly forgetting his request), please, if you have other things to do Mosawyth can do without the company..."

But Mosawyth overrode her, curling around Gryth and coquettishly begging,

//You will want to come, yes?

[Cilnah]

Gryth turned to the Green and studied her quietly for a moment, before slowly nodding. His head turned again, and his neck stretched slightly so that he was but a few feet from Toni, and rested his head on the cool floor in front of the girl.

My apologies, Lady Toni-love. I did not mean to startle you. It is only that it has been a long while since I've seen N'ryl-mine uncomfortable, and it is good for him. You have my thanks.

Across the room, a sharp hiss of breath could be easily heard. "Gryth!" N'ryl snapped, sound a mix of shocked and embarrassed, though not really upset. It was more the fact that he had spoken to someone else, which was very rare for the Blue. He usually kept to himself. The man shook his head and cast a glance at Toni, but his eyes quickly darted away as he felt a blush churning up in his cheeks. When she fumbled with his name, another soft chuckle escaped the Blue's chest, but he was careful to keep te sound from rumbling through the room.

N'ryl, Lady Toni-love.

Gryth promted her gently, and the same time that sigh escaped the Bluerider's chest. She was still nervous. How was he going to stand it with this wary girl around all the time? And what had he done, anyway, to make her so afraid of him? Nothing, that's what! Not a sharding thing! It wasnt his fault that the dragon-rider bond was strong enough that the dragon's flight feelings erupted in the bonded's mind as well. Nor was it his fault that Gryth had caught Mosawyth in the flight.

He was busy cursing himself and his own dumb luck and stupidity, when a voice he had never heard before filled his mind, and his head jerked up from where it had been hanging as he studied his boots. He cast his gaze around the room, where it landed on the Green, and her rider frantically apologizing. It seemed Toni still didn't want his company, and he certainly wasn't going to force it on her. "We'll, as you can see I've just taken a bath, Lady Mosawyth, and I wouldn't want to incrooch on your time with your Toni, so I think I will...." He was cut off as Gryth lifted his head and gave him a rather pointed look. If the Blue could have rolled his eyes, he would.

Of course we will join you, Mosawyth. Won't we, N'ryl-mine?

Even if he hadn't been given that death glare look, N'ryl would not have argued. He loved the Blue too much for that, and besides, it had been a while since he'd been anywhere. "Of course, Gryth. I was just about to say that I was thinking we would join them, if you'd hadn't cut me off." An amused smirk twitched at the edge of his lips as the Blue snorted his laughter.

[.K.aci]

As the Blue stretched himself out to be nearer to the girl, Mosawyth began to hum happily, and Toni found herself eye to eye with a dragon bigger than her own Green.

\\My apologies, Lady Toni-love. I did not mean to startle you. It is only that it has been a long while since I've seen N'ryl-mine uncomfortable, and it is good for him. You have my thanks.

The voice was much different than Mosawyth's proud and bubbly one. This was cool, mellow, very relaxed, and she smilied shyly at the dragon. Unlike humans, she never had any problem with the draconian species, and it showed in the way she spoke to them and treated them.

"Of course I forgive you Gryth. Don't mind Mosawyth bossing you around, perhaps I deserved it. I didn't mean to make him uncomfortable, but then, you are welcome."

Smiling at the Blue, she looked normal and happy, like a regular young lady that wasn't wary of everything and unsure of her own shadow. She heard the noise across the room, and giggled at the embarrassment that drove the word - not to be spiteful mind, but knowing the feeling as Mosawyth oftentimes felt that intervention was needed. But all to soon the humor faded away, and back to the floor she was focused, trying to fumble out the man's name.

\\N'ryl, Lady Toni-love.

"Thank you Gryth."

She murmured, feeling doubly at fault as he sighed. Oh, she hadn't meant to make him mad, or worse, embarrassed! He would hate her even more now, for the dragon didn't seem like the type to talk to others, and it would probably just be better if she went far away and buried herself.

He probably still hated her anyway, for letting Mosawyth let Gryth Catch her. She should have fought harder, let someone like... Like that jerk M'kel catch her. His Bronze wouldn't stay with her Green, sure, he had a Queen to placate, but it would have been a no-tie thing... Oh, this was all her fault. And she couldn't meet him in eye, because what if he was enjoying this? He was probably laughing to all his friends what a good screw she was, probably snickering over the fact that she had thought when she had first woken up, maybe, just maybe, that she could have a friend... She had heard stories of Weyrmates that had never talked before and had found a wonderful relationship together...

The young girl's romantic heart had dared to hope - and then he had walked out in the early morning, disgust filling his startling eyes and she had wanted to hide under the covers for a long time. When she had walked down to the dining hall she had seen the glances and the covert snickers that had been directed at her, and she had just knew that they had seen what was in her head, she knew that they were laughing at her naivety. Of course, they were just startled to see her new hairstyle, and the gossip that Gryth had caught Mosawyth was the only thing on their minds. But her active imagination had caught hold, and now with this mess...

She berated herself and her failure at life as she heard Mosawyth fill her head - and the head of N'ryl. Her own horrified gaze hit the male, meeting those breathtaking eyes as she stammered apologies.

'We'll, as you can see I've just taken a bath, Lady Mosawyth, and I wouldn't want to encroach on your time with your Toni, so I think I will....'

Good, she would hate to force him to do anything else with her, and Mosawyth needed to get used to people telling her no. Besides, the water looked warm and inviting and she would be able to hide the tears she knew she would cry later in them, with Mosawyth's comforting thoughts around her. It would be nice to have Mosawyth to herself-

\\Of course we will join you, Mosawyth. Won't we, N'ryl-mine?

Oh...

'Of course, Gryth. I was just about to say that I was thinking we would join them, if you'd hadn't cut me off.'

Mosawyth, proud of herself, snorted at him as Toni looked at him with her eyes wide. She had never met anyone selfless like that - although she was forgetting that she did the same thing for Mosawyth often enough - and she admired him all the more for it.

//Another bath will be good for you then, N'ryl-of-Toni's-heart.

Toni's blush, which had been fading, came back in full force and she forced herself to move (crawl more like it) over to Mosawyth, laying a hand on the neck of her Green.

--A new name, my love? And I do not wish to be rude to Gryth, but I'm just Toni, not lady or love.

//Why? He is of your heart. Besides, Gryth is true to call you that. You are as pretty as any lady, kinder than all, and N'ryl loves you.

She balked at the word, shaking her head and casting a furtive glance at him.

--He does not! You don't understand what love is then.

She seemed to shrug, looking reproachfully at Her's, but knowing that she wouldn't changer Toni's mind that quickly.

//If that is what you choose to believe... Come, let us go down to the lake.

She turned to N'ryl, bowing and murmuring,

"Then we shall meet you at the lake, My Lord, err, Sir."

The Green rose to totter at the edge of the cliff, and Toni nimbly vaulted astride the dragon, off to their own Weyr to gather up the bathing equipment. The floating basket that she had bought at the last gather held the all the sweetsand that she would need and sweet smelling oil for afterward's. But what to wear... Generally she wore her under clothes, but not infront of N'ryl...

//He saw you in nothing at all Mine.

Toni bit her lip and tried vividly to forget, finally slipping into a ragged pair of pants that were hacked off at the knees and rode low on her hips and a tunic that she had taken to for scraps of cloth. It left her stomach uncovered, and her full arms, but it did what she needed... Although, she noticed now, she had a very nice bruise coming in the shape of fingers on her hips, either side. Mortified, she scanned her trunk for anything else to wear, but Mosawyth intervened.

//NOW. We leave now, my heart.

And dragging the girl out, they headed down to the lake. All Toni could hope is that he didn't notice the marks he had left on her. As the Green splashed into the water, Toni busied herself laying out everything on the beach - a towel for herself, the oils for afterward, the basket... Anything to forget that very soon N'ryl and Gryth would be joining them.