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Post by Spiffy .th ! on Apr 1, 2009 13:33:36 GMT -5
An odd situation, one that could go either of two ways: well, or very badly.
He could see it going for the latter.
He started as the child plummeted to the floor, and for a brief second he almost jumped up, not that it would have done any good. He soon sank back down to the bunk as the toddler came hurtling toward them, heading straight for poor Retivor and the highly distressed Sprite.
Oh dear, this was going to end in tears.
Whoa! he cried as Rannell knocked into his legs, bouncing him backward slightly on the mattress arms and legs scrabbling for a grip. But whatever trouble he himself was having, he could see that Retivor was getting it two-fold, being torn between the toddler and the flitter, who was now screeching for all she was worth. Why doesn't she just bugger off between, he found himself thinking frustratedly.
New problems arose when the girl caught up with the little boy, began her own struggle with it. Argh! This was getting them nowhere, he could see that.
Right! he said decisively, leaning forward as the young child fell back against his legs, simultaneously standing, but not before catching the boy under the armpits on his way up, sweeping him into the air, swimmers arms easily taking his bulk. He realised that he had bumped into the girl on his way, but right then he didn't care about her. She could sort herself out. Gently but firmly holding the boy against his chest, as he had done with his friends brother once when he had first met the dolphins (and nearly drowned, he thought ironically), bouncing him up and down a little. That always worked with children, right?
Now, Ranny. He tried his best to erase the frustration from his voice and sound as exciting as possible. See the firelizard, yes? Well, she needs everyone to be nice and quiet, or we'll all scare her away! And we wouldn't want that would we? Because that would mean that you can't pet her, right?
(ooc: I hope that doesn't count as power playing, seeing as he's not actually been accepted as a character :s Anyway, I'm guessing it probably wouldn't do much good, one way or the other ;] )
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Post by **Auria (etc)** on Apr 1, 2009 14:36:43 GMT -5
Aury's face was growing redder by the breath, as she dove once again for her nephew. The child had always been agile for his age, but till today, she had seen it as an asset.
Now it was most decidedly a detriment.
The poor little firelizard was now clinging to her human's hair and flapping her wings so hard, she expected to see his feet lift off the floor.
Rannell began to intersperse a gleeful, screechy, "HAT!" in between his "Geen Pretties" and "Kiss Kisses".
And then, Auria found herself on her stomach, on the floor, the wind completely knocked out of her.
The child had stopped laughing and squealing, and the sound of little stampeding feet had ceased.
She tried to run the events through her mind: Ranny had darted for the owner of the flitter, who'd reached for him--
Only to have the child duck away again, and Aury dove, certain she was in the right position to grab him.
But suddenly, he was gone! Through her wheezing gasps for breath, she could hear his voice, soft and shy, now, saying "Dit id you's eyes, an' dit id you's mouf, an'...."
Holding her ribs tightly, for the impact with the stone floor hadn't been kind, she rolled over and sat, pulling her knees against her.
The other boy had managed to capture Rannell. For the first time since he'd noticed her, the tot appeared to have forgotten (though she was sure it wouldn't be for long) about the firelizard. He was currently holding on to Larikev's nose as tightly as his little fist could clench, playing what Aury's family had always called "the face game". The boy's blue eyes were wide and innocent, sweet as a redberry pie, not a sign of the demon-spawn who'd been trying to climb Retivor a moment before in an effort to assault his firelizard.
At least, and Auria cast a worried glance toward the young man with the green flitter on his head, that must be how it had seemed.
She swallowed hard, and said, her voice a mere whispered croak, for she hadn't quite regained her breath, "I am sooooooo sorry. The drudge, you see, was trying to take him away from me and, well, since our family was -- " Casting a cautious glance at her nephew, she trailed off for a moment, not wanting to get him upset all over again. "He just got a little ... excited."
[No prob, Ranny's more a "prop" than a character. LOL]
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Post by M'kel on Apr 2, 2009 22:31:49 GMT -5
And suddenly the fingers tugging at his pant legs were torn away, as Larikev swooped in to the rescue. Retivor slumped in relief, sighing aloud, for Sprite had just as quickly stopped tugging on his short locks. She remained frozen in a perched position at the top of his head, carefully watching the toddler and emitting a small hiss from time to time. Retivor, in turn, gazed thankfully upwards, but at Larikev instad of the suddenly-still child. His efforts had obviously been ineffective, so it was a good thing the other lad had stepped in!
However, the lad's relief was short-lived, for even as Larikev snatched the toddler away and ended his mad rampage, the girl came crashing to the ground. Retivor's gaze flashed downward, and he gasped as Sprite jolted in surprise. Luckily, the other candidate didn't seem too adversely affected by the fall, for she quickly hauled herself into a sitting position and sat for a moment, gathering her breath.
The lad was momentarily torn between helping her and helping himself, for Sprite may have stopped flapping, but she hadn't loosened her grip. Finally, he gave in and reached up for her. Keeping an eye on the toddler to make sure he didn't notice her again, Retivor sent soothing emotions to the agitated green, along with images of meat. Maybe she should go find herself something to eat and take some time to calm down? Perhaps the boy would be calm when she came back?
With a chirp, Sprite grudgingly agreed, untangling her claws and leaping, gently this time, into the air to disappear between.
"There we go," Retivor murmured, closing his eyes for a moment. Opening them again, he stared bewildered at the scene in front of him, for the toddler had snatched onto Larikev's nose and was staring into the other candidate's eyes. Retivor blinked in surprise and stifled a grin at the other lad's predicament, before giving a short, "Oh!" and jumping up. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, reaching a hand out for the girl to help her up.
"You're Auria, right?" he queried, still a little out of breath. "Is this, um...your son?" Once again, Retivor cast Larikev a sympathetic look. He didn't know how he'd get out of that predicament.
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Post by Spiffy .th ! on Apr 3, 2009 11:40:35 GMT -5
Larikev was cut off mid-sentance, only to find the toddler had started to explore his face. Ok, if this is what it takes... he grudgingly thought. At least the child wasn't terrorising Retivor any more. Kev could clearly see that he wasn't good with children, feeling sympathy for the lad. He didn't mind the terrorisation as much, willing to put up with it in someone else's stead.
But when the girl all but launched herself onto the floor at his feet, there was little he could do for her. He could hardly even see her over the mop of hair examining his own face. Glancing past the hair he tried to motion to Retivor as well as he could to calm Sprite, but by that point he appeared to have her already calming down.
Then the small hand grabbed his nose, making him start, staring back at the child's face, even as he was gazing at his own. Then as the kid began to squeeze tighter, his face spread into a grimace, trying as he might not to cry out in pain. Thinking rapidly, he decided to play along, maybe it would distract the kid from the death-grip on his nose.
Yeb! And what thib? He mumbled, wiggling one of the kids ears with his free hand. Gingerly he looked again over the child's shoulder at Retivor, and was relieved to see that Sprite had gone, sometime while he as been grappling with the little boy. He attempted to sigh in relief, but it ended up coming out as more of a snort.
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Post by meah on Apr 5, 2009 21:55:11 GMT -5
Xian knew Xiarl would pitch a major fit when he found out that Xian wasn't already grabbing his clean tunic to replace the one he'd accidentally coated in klah. If Xian wasn't back in a few moments, Xiarl was always angry with him. Xian took it as an opportunity to take a while. After all, they were planning on spending some time with Xiana after that, and the more time Xiarl spent angry with Xian, the less time he spent hurting Xiana (so what if it hurt Xian a bit in the process).
And so, he was taking his sweet time heading into the male candidates quarters, and that was how he noticed the firelizard wandering the corridor. He whistled at it, thinking perhaps it belonged to someone in the men's quarters. It didn't seem quite lost, but there was obviously no one around. It, of course, ignored him completely.
He thought he might ask, though, once he got into the room. Perhaps the creature was lost after all, or avoiding its master. It was possible. Maybe there was a young guy sitting on his bed and wondering where his pet could possibly be.
Lo and behold, there were several people in the room, one of whom couldn't have been older than five or six turns and one who was...a girl. A girl in the men's quarters. She was on the wrong side. That was dangerous. Especially with Xiarl apt to come raging in at any moment trying to find out what had happened to Xian and why hadn't he grabbed a new tunic yet.
Remembering the flitter outside, he spoke, softly, unsure of their reaction. "Did any of you happen to leave a fire lizard outside?" He moved towards his twin's bed, intending to rummage underneath it for something resembling cleanliness.
{ooc;;yeah sorry it stinks}
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Post by **Auria (etc)** on Apr 6, 2009 16:18:18 GMT -5
Aury was relieved when Retivor spoke to her, certain that he'd be furious over her nephew's terrorizing of his firelizard. Although he still looked somewhat flustered and confused, his question didn't sound angry, at least.
She nodded and surprised herself by being able to speak a relatively calm response. She accepted his hand, and stood, brushing off her tunic as she gathered her balance. "Yes, Auria, and my nephew," she smiled slightly at Retivor, then glanced at Ranny to be sure he wasn't doing too much damage to the other young man's face, "Is Rannell. Most people call him Ranny, though, and, well, he calls me Aury." Something inside wanted to tell the whole story, to explain why she had a toddler on her hip even though she was supposed to be a candidate, but all she managed was a whispered, "Our family--" before her voice faltered. She lowered her eyes to the floor, and the corner of her mouth twitched as she said, instead, "I hope he didn't frighten your firelizard too much. He's not a bad boy, really, everything here is just so strange to him."
Ranny giggled at the funny voice coming out of Larikev's mouth, and finally let go of the abused nose. He patted it gently, and then reached for Larikev's own ear. "Eee-yah" he said softly, and trailed off in a wide yawn before nuzzling his face into the candidate's shoulder. "Sleepy!"
Just then, however, another person entered the room. At the question about the firelizard, Rannell turned and waved to the boy. "Geen pretty, Mines!" he called out, but pointed to Retivor and waved at him as well. "Mines geen pretty!"
Auria rolled her eyes and attempted a friendly smile. "Sorry, he gets his pronouns mixed up," she said, hoping the boy wouldn't take offense.
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Post by M'kel on Apr 7, 2009 0:05:08 GMT -5
((Nonsense, Meah-poo!))
As Retivor helped Auria to her feet, he was silently, and somewhat guiltily, thankful that he was assisting the girl rather than contending with that toddler. The quiet candidate had been quite overwhelmed by the little boy's sheer volume and energy, and he was quite impressed with how well Larikev was handling things. Especially with his nose held in a vice-like grip. Retivor would have to remember to thank the other lad, when all of this was over!
He turned back to Auria, however, upon hearing her tone soften. Retivor barely caught, "Our family..." before the girl fell silent once again, averting her eyes. Retivor raised a brow slightly but said nothing as she continued to explain Rannell's reaction to the fire lizard.
"It's all right, really," he murmured in reply, trying to catch her gaze again. Something was really upsetting the other candidate, and he doubted that it was solely her nephew's behaviour. "I probably reacted much the same way when I saw my first flitt, let alone when I Impressed Sprite!"
At the sound of another entering the room, Retivor turned quickly, suddenly fearful that the Candidatemaster might wander in on their mayhem. He sighed in relief, recognizing yet another candidate, and raised a hand slightly in greeting.
The other's query, however, caused Retivor to blink in surprise. "Is she just waiting out there?" he asked of no one in particular. He started to move forward but was drawn up short by yet another exclamation from the toddler. For a moment, he felt a touch of anxiety over the boy's apparent claim that the flitter was his. It was silly to feel threatened by a child, he knew, but Sprite was the only constant in his life, and he was nearly as protective of her as she was of him... Oh, but the toddler was just confusing his words, now pointing at Retivor. The candidate flushed slightly in response and moved to stick his head out into the corridor.
"Sprite!" he called. Instantly, the green appeared, chittering unhappily. Was the screechy beast gone, now? Could she come back? "I think he'll be quiet now," Retivor assured her, glancing over his shoulder at Auria for agreement. Sprite fluttered anxiously into the room and landed on an upper bunk, still chittering in uncertainty.
"Ah, you're free now," he commented, noting that Larikev's nose was no longer held prisoner. Glancing over at Xian, Retivor hoped the other candidate wouldn't be upset by Auria and Rannell being in the boys' barracks. He hadn't gotten to know that other lad very much, yet.
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Post by Spiffy .th ! on Apr 9, 2009 8:46:00 GMT -5
Yes, ear, well done! He was relieved when the tot let go of his nose instead going for his ear, gently this time. By the Egg that toddler had a strong grip! He shifted slightly so that the toddler was both more secure and a bit more comfortable in his arms, even as he laid his head on Kev's shoulder.
He turned, startled, as the door again opened, but thankfully it was only another lad, looked like a candidate, though Kev had no way of knowing. He could be the candidate master for all he knew, but he doubted that of one so young, around his own age. He stiffened as the other mentioned a green fire lizard, unconsciously tightening his grip on Ranny. But the kid merely reached out and pointed to Retivor, ironically saying "mine." He giggled instead, he was getting mixed up.
Ranny, that's Retivor. I'm Kev. He grinned, bouncing the toddler a little again.
At least Auria looked a little more in control now, even though she was technically in foreign territory, the boys barracks. Deciding it was time he was polite to the girl, he introduced himself to her.
I'm Larikev, or Kev, doesn't matter. He glanced at Ranny, then back to Auria. Sorry about grabbing your kid like that. It looked like you could use some help. She'd probably rebuke him for saying that, saying that she didn't need help, the situation was perfectly under control, but he could take it.
He turned back to Retivor as he returned. Ha! Free indeed, he laughed in response to the statement. I see Sprite has braved a return. May they not start shrieking again! he said, bumping the guilty but otherwise disinterested toddler, who's attention was again firmly on the flitter on Retivor. See Ranny, this is Retivor, and this... he indicated the green flitt, trying not to point in case it scared her again, is Sprite. Now, we're not going to scare her again this time, are we? he asked pointedly of the tot.
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Post by **Auria (etc)** on Apr 9, 2009 13:35:46 GMT -5
Auria was growing more and more uncomfortable, and trying harder and harder not to show it. Her nephew was in the arms of a stranger, and seemed perfectly happy there. While she told herself that this was a good sign, for the child had clung with what was almost paranoia to his auntie for weeks, it bothered her all the same. When she saw Retivor flinch ever so slightly at Rannell's calling the flitter "Mines", she could understand the feeling.
The little green returned, and she tensed, worrying that Ranny would act up again. Instead, tired and apparently content for the moment, he continued to wave at her, at Retivor, and at the newcomer.
Larikev was still engaging him in playful conversation, and it surprised her to see the child responding to him so openly. Still, this was the boy's barracks, and she knew for a fact that she was not supposed to be in there. Her eyes darted nervously about, almost as if looking for a way to escape, and then, uncomfortably conscious of how her actions might appear, she closed them and took a deep breath.
She brought her eyes back to Retivor, and found that he was looking at her. Smiling, trying not to make it seem forced, she said, "We only saw firelizards occasionally. Our troop leaders considered them luxuries and discouraged us from attempting to attain one. But I've always loved them. I guess Ranny does, too."
Then, Larikev spoke to her, and she turned, hoping the surprise that showed in her eyes was relatively pleasant. "Oh, no, I don't mind. He's been a bit hyperactive and cranky since coming here, especially since this morning when they told us we had to move to the barracks ... or told me I had to, anyway. Thank you for being so nice to him." She didn't voice the thought that she doubted he'd win too many comrades in this area of the weyr.
Ranny listened intently as his new best friend recited names for him to try. Being a bright little boy, he was always game to test new words. He waved at Retivor, "Re-Vor", he said. He patted Larikev's nose again, "Kev-Kev!" And then he grinned broadly, tilted his head, hunched his shoulders, and gave the green flitter a wave. "Pretty. Geen. Prite. Prite geen pretty!"
Aury started to giggle, and covered her mouth with her hand, as if laughter coming from within herself had felt foreign.
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Post by M'kel on Apr 28, 2009 14:00:22 GMT -5
((Sorry it's short! Lunch break is over!))
Larikev seemed to be doing a pretty good job of distracting the toddler for now, and Retivor could feel Sprite relaxing her tense grip on his tunic shoulder, so the lad was able to edge closer to the bunks again. He returned Auria's smile and gave an enthusiastic nod, turning his head slightly to regard Sprite once more. "Yes, they're wonderful creatures. And I hardly consider her a luxury...fire lizards can be very useful, delivering messages and stuff. Not to mention the fact that you're never alone..." He dropped his gaze for a moment, before adding, "I rather don't think I could be without her, now that we've been through so much."
Hastily, the lad turned his attention back to Larikev, rather embarrassed by how soft such a confession may have sounded. He grinned weakly at Rannell's attempts to pronounce everyone's names, nodding in encouragement. "Sure, Re-vor, you can call me that."
In response to Larikev's professed hope, the lad grinned. "Her Majesty, Green Sprite, will not start shrieking again, will she?" Sprite flicked her tail and snorted, turning her arrow-shaped nose away. "I think we'll be fine. She's just not used to meeting so many new people at once."
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