Games at Breakfast

[M'kel]

((Kaci-kins! Play nice...))

A cool breeze tickled the hairs on the back of his neck. R'tivor looked up at the rim of the Bowl, watching the golden glow spreading outward as Rukbat neared the rim. It had yet to pass over the Bowl's rim and cast its rays down into the Weyr proper, but R'tivor could already feel the warmth of its touch upon his face. His amber hair tossed in that playful breeze, a strand brushing caressingly across his cheek, as his blue eyes gazed up at the sky they mirrored in colour. It was a beautiful day.

Made all the more beautiful by Aramunith. The little green dragonet had just finished chewing down the last of her breakfast, a carefully diced and succulent wherry. Now she gazed contentedly up at her rider, flecks of blood still spread about her snout. Her eyes whirled the same sky blue as her rider's, and she gave a great draconic yawn with an adorable squeak at the end.

Now that I am fed mine, you should go eat something, too!

R'tivor smiled, delicate features creasing as he looked fondly down at his darling Aramunith, and he reached down to scritch her eyeridge affectionately. "Yes, I suppose I should. Are you going to nap for a little bit, and then I'll give you a bath?"

That sounds lovely, Ara replied, giving another yawn. While I sleep, you can play with the little cousin?

The lad's eyes grew soft for a moment. Aramunith was the sweetest dragon on Pern. She knew that she needed her rider, but the green still felt anxious about Sprite needing his attention, too. "Yes, that's a good idea," he replied.

After seeing Aramunith to her little dragon couch, the Weyrling strode towards the Lower Caverns, calling out to Sprite with his thoughts and a tempting image of a meatroll. The petite fire lizard was there in an instant, chittering excitedly about his head before settling onto his shoulder. She rubbed her little head against his cheek, showing her pleasure, as he entered the Dining Cavern.

His chest heaved slightly beneath the loose fabric of his pale blue tunic with an intake of breath, as the lad's eyes drifted over the crowd. He couldn't help but feel self-conscious, moreso now than ever. Impressing a green dragonet was like wearing a badge, and though the Weyr was obviously accepting of such things, R'tivor still felt very…exposed. Naked, even, to the judgment of the Weyr. Thus, it was with trepidation that the lad picked up a tray and joined the line gathering food for breakfast. R'tivor couldn't help but glance over the cavern from time to time, as if he felt eyes upon him. Sprite, meanwhile, gazed greedily at the food and dug her claws into his shoulder if he failed to move forward as soon as the rest of the line did.

[.K.aci]

Scherazoth was awake, and therefore, Her's would be too. The lengthy dragoness stretched, and rose, padding over to calmly flip Her's out of bed. He landed with a thunk on the floor, tangled in blankets and spluttering, flailing about in that weird way of his. "SCHERIE! What was that for?!" The Green blinked at him, than licked her chops, amused. It was time to rise. Ezelth's and Raouth's will be here shortly to collect you for breakfast. D'rel, a Senior Weyrling, snorted and grumbled and complained, but by the time that K'mar had roused his sister and they were outside his weyr, D'rel was ready to go. Crown was still yawning, having stayed up for another lesson from the Goldriders, and K'mar was not a morning person. It was only D'rel that babbled, while the three dragons slipped to the ledges to sun themselves.

The twins often enjoyed having their younger sister be a Goldrider - when people let her cut ahead, she made sure that they went first, and the kitchen workers tended to feed her the better parts. She just shared it out - and they didn't talk about that often. Therefore, they had settled down at a good table and were eating for a few moments before the other two began to wake up. D'rel - already on his third cup of klah - was bouncing around and couldn't seem to sit still. "Let's rate!" Crown unburied her face from her klah to snicker. "Maybe we can find someone who can fit K'mar's taste!" The referenced male pulled a wry face and swallowed his redfruit. "Shut up. I like my standards!"

But D'rel had taken this as a challenge, and he was off and running. "Alright! What about her?" She was a rider, a Greenrider, stocky, but pretty enough. Crown shrugged, murmuring, "She's a six, maybe. If she cleaned up." K'mar stuck his tongue out and growled, "She's a four." D'rel, snickering, "She can have a four." It was Crown's turn, and she pointed randomly. A male - wide shouldered, brown haired, shaggy. D'rel eyed him up and down and licked his lips. "Mmmmmm... He's an eight, most sharding definitely." Crown laughed, almost coughing on the sip of klah she had just taken. "I say eight too. Mmhmm, he's delicious." K'mar, ever the critical, shrugged. "He's alright... I just prefer mine skinnier. Five."

D'rel shook his head, but scanned the room again, and found the young man in an instant. "Wait! I have one! The one with the Green on his shoulder." The other two swiveled to look at R'tivor, and K'mar lifted an eyebrow. "He's actually cute. Wow, he's REALLY cute!" Crown, now snickering, pointed out in a strangled voice, "And look! He's a Greenrider!" D'rel, laughing as well, pointed out, "Awww, poor baby, he's a Weyrling." K'mar ignored his siblings, still looking over R'tivor. "Rate him then, morons." Crown went first, eyeing him again. "Eh... I'll give him a six and a half. He's too timid and tiny for my tastes." D'rel rose an eyebrow and suddenly stared at him, chin on his fist and ignoring everything but the Weyring. "...He's cute. I'll give him an eight."

K'mar snorted, but took a bite from his fruit and waited to move on - however, Crown and D'rel were still stuck on the boy. D'rel hadn't stopped staring at him, and Crown poked K'mar. "Well? Rate him." Raouth's rider yawned, batted away her hand, and cast another glance at him as Crown began to laugh. "Eh... A nine." D'rel's head whipped around to stare at K'mar, and Crown looked at him with shock as well. The Bluerider only looked disgruntled and took another bite of pie. "Don't look at me like that. I think he's cute." Now D'rel was snickering, looking back at the boy. "He's so scrawny! Cute, but he's so tiny!" Crown was laughing too, trying to keep it down but they knew they were being stared at. "That's so funny! K'mar actually found a nine! That's so shocking!" The oldest twin didn't deign them with a response, pursing his lip and fixing a calculating look on the Green Weyrling. "Shut up."

[M'kel]

As he neared the meatrolls, Sprite's excitement grew into a near-urgency, and she chirruped eagerly, reaching up to tug on his amber hair as if to urge him on. "Just a moment, Sprite," R'tivor murmured, casting apologetic smiles to the others in line when they turned to glance at the noisy flitter. Upon reaching the meatroll dish, he quickly stuffed a small roll into the open maw of his green fire lizard, listening bemusedly to the sounds of her contented chewing beside his ear. Now that his greatest priority had been taken care of, the lad turned to filling his tray with food for himself, though he was quick to lift up another meatroll if he sensed Sprite was finishing up her current one.

With Sprite no longer tugging at him and the line now trailing away towards the klah, R'tivor had a moment to return to his thoughts. That feeling of being watched hadn't left him since he'd entered the Lower Caverns, and the lad found himself glancing around the room once more as if expecting to find the assembled crowd watching his every move. It was foolish paranoia, he knew, but it did help to reassure himself even if just a little...

And then his eyes settled upon a group of three seated at a nearby table, and his heart gave a shuddering thud. They were staring at him. There was no denying it, no chalking it up to his scared insecurities; the girl gave him what could only be described as an appraising look, then turned to confer with the two lads, who were also studying him. One of them laughed, and R'tivor was finally shaken out of his stupor. Quickly, he jerked his eyes back to the man in front of him in the line, taking a belated step forward to fill the gap that had formed between them. His heart was thudding madly now, and his stomach was giving an uneasy twinge.

It was his worst nightmare. Just as he'd feared, though he'd chided himself for being so self-conscious, the dragonriders were whispering about him! He was a scrawny little wide-eyed boy from the mountains who'd Impressed a green, a powerful fighting dragon, and they thought it a riot. R'tivor felt his cheeks begin to flush, and he had to force himself to take a deep breath, trying to stay calm. Once again, reason tried to take hold, and he began arguing with himself; they were probably just laughing at his fire lizard, if they'd even been looking at him in the first place. He was probably imaging the whole thing!

And although it would have been easier to trust in that belief and not seek confirmation, R'tivor couldn't help but turn his head slightly to see if they were still looking his way. He felt a rush at the daring of such a move, and the terror that followed made him give a noticeable twitch as he yanked himself back round to face the line again. They were still looking! Not only that, but now two of them were laughing, while the third was staring fixedly. R'tivor could feel a trickle of sweat form on the back of his neck and slip down his collar, as he fought to remain calm. What were they saying? Were they doubting him as a dragonrider, or...worse...were they amused that he was a green dragonrider?

An image of jeering faces came unbidden into his mind, and the lad closed his bright blue eyes against it, however futile the gesture. You are in the Weyr now he tried to reassure himself. That kind of thing doesn't happen in a Weyr. Sprite was beginning to become agitated, as well. She knew what that image meant, and she didn't like it one bit. Forgetting the half-eaten meatroll clutched in her tiny claws, the green let the morsel fall to the floor and rubbed her little head against his cheek. "It's okay, Sprite," he murmured under his breath, trying to still his racing heart.

"You okay there?"

"Yeah!" R'tivor burst out, startled from his reverie by the fellow behind him who'd given him a gentle nudge. There was a gap in the line again, and the lad moved forward quickly to fill it. He just needed to get his klah, then he'd get out of here. Maybe he'd sit in the farthest darkest corner of the Caverns, or go to the Lake, or crawl into a hole in the ground and never come out...