Bothering the Flitters

[etoile]

Emanor chirped cheerfully, diving into the water with a screech of triumph. Padma squealed in agitation, scolding the pudgy green with loud chatter. She had been flying above the water, trying to search for any shiny things in the water, when that stupid green got her wet! Giving an indignant squawk, the little queen soared back to shore to her sleeping mind-toy, determined to nap and sun the wet away. The little gold was certainly not pleased. Curling up next to Robika, she nuzzled her tenderly, a contrast from her loud anger at Emanor just the moment before. Robika, however didn't seem to notice. As Robika unconsciously shifted her arm to curl around Padma, the gold was pleased nonetheless. Chirping smugly, she cast a glance over at Emanor, who had lifted her green head out of the water. Looking dejected, she chirped pitifully. Padma was quite mean to her sometimes. Though she was cheerful and merry most of the time, she had lately gotten quite nasty. Warbling out a sad sound, Emanor paddled herself over to Kmarath, who was splashing herself lazily in the lake.

The seafoam green dragon looked down at her smaller counterpart, and let out a snort. Now, don't look so glum,[/color] she told her firmly. Even though the flitter wouldn't understand her words, she would at least understand the feeling. Emanor flapped her wings frantically for a brief second, unused to the sound of Kmarath actually bespeaking her. Casting a brief glance over to her bonded, grunted. How Hers could just fall asleep out in the open was beyond her.

"I heard that, Kmarath," Robika replied sleepily, rolling onto her side. Unfortunately, this action caused her to roll onto Padma's tail. Screeching in displeasure, Padma jerked herself out, scolding Robika with angry red eyes. Robika stared at the irate gold, trying to wake up her mind. Realizing that Padma had been trying to sleep next to her, Robika smiled apologetically. "Sorry, love," she replied, her brown eyes dancing playfully. "You know I didn't mean it."

Padma let out a low growl in her throat, making it clear that, despite what Robika said, she did mean it. And, as she was a queen, that automatically meant she was right. Irritably, she stalked away from Robika, curling up on the edge of the water to catch some sun. Shaking her blonde head, Robika looked up at Kmarath. "Everyone's so grumpy today," she announced, amused.

The green cousin had splashed her,[/color] Kmarath explained lightly, wading out deeper. Stretching out, Robika rolled her eyes.

"And she took offense," Robika concluded. Shrugging, she slowly sat up, squinting as she averted her eyes from the sun. So bright today.

Come swim, mine![/color] Kmarath, playfully, sent a spray of water at Robika with her tail. But, as all things must do, this spray of water also hit Emanor-- and Padma. Both flitters were up in the air in a flash, teaming up to dive at Kmarath, screeching in protest. However, the green was too amused and too big to worry about what they would do. Even Robika laughed as the little creatures dive-bombed Kmarath.

"Maybe once they cool off," Robika replied cheerily, but she was already taking off her overshirt.

I can help,[/color] the green replied mischievously. Before Robika could stop her, she had already splashed the flitters once again. Laughing, Robika ran into the water in an attempt to "save" Kmarath, which she would undoubtedly need. One of them bit me![/color] Kmarath whined, confirming Robika's suspicion.

"Good job there, love," Robika replied, already opening her belt pouch when she got up to her knees in the chilly lake water. Taking out some meat, she whistled, holding it up. Emanor, already intrigued, shot over grabbing the strip greedily. However, Padma chomped on Kmarath's hide one last time before reluctantly joining the green. "Is it your job to antagonize them?" Robika asked playfully.

Indeed it is![/color] came the unabashed reply. Robika snorted. Well, at least she was honest.[/size]

[Shikai]

What a great day to go to the lake! Dinaedth declared cheerfully to his rider, looking up at her with twinkling eyes in nearly the same cheerful blue as the water they were getting closer to.

“I have yet to hear you say it’s a bad day to go to the lake, you know.” Shikai replied good-naturedly. It was impossible for her to be anything but good-natured to her Dinaedth, after all. She delighted in even the most mundane chores to care for him, as many of the other weyrlings seemed to. The girl had never seen anything like it; so many youths applying oil to their dragons’ hides with such zeal! Truly there was nothing in the world like being a dragonrider.

No, some days are better lake days than others! Today just happens to be a /perfect/ lake day.

Dinaedth was right. It was warm enough that the cool, calm water of the lake looked very inviting, yet not too hot and unpleasant as to make one want to stay inside, and not venture outdoors at all. Sirius, enjoying the weather himself, flew in large, happy loops in the air.

Finally reaching the lake, Dinaedth looked longingly at the water as he waited for Shikai to remove her over clothes. “Oh, go ahead!” She told him with a laugh, and with a grateful glance, the brown leaped through the air and landed heavily in the water, doing the draconic equivalent of a cannon ball, which caused drops of water to fly in all directions. Sirius followed him in, his little blue form disappearing beneath the water temporarily before both dragon and flit reemerged.

Shikai laughed, but stopped upon realizing that her dragon had very likely splashed the other occupant at the lake, a greenrider who was there with her dragon.

“Hello.” She greeted, waving, and she walked through the shallows of the water toward the rider. “I’m sorry if Dinaedth splashed you! …I’m Shikai.” She added her name at the end apologetically, having forgotten to introduce herself.

Dinaedth, realizing Shikai had moved away from him, swam to the shallows and bounded through the shallow water toward her, sending yet more water flying.

Hello, Kmarath! He greeted, trumpeting. While he loved spending time with his rider, he enjoyed draconic company as well.

[etoile]

Hearing a voice, Robika turned curiously. A weyrling, by the looks of the dragon. Waving cheerfully in greeting, she turned back to Kmarath, folding her arms in front of her. I think you should come in![/color] Kmarath said playfully, using her tail to send a spray of water at Robika this time. Laughing good-naturedly, she stripped off her belt, throwing it toward shore. Immediately, Padma swooped on it, seizing it between her claws, and flew off with it up the shore a ways. There, the little queen made a circle with it, fashioning a makeshift throne for her to curl in. Nestling inside the circle, she curled her wings beside her petite body. Giving Sirius a curious look (only to become disinterested as he noted he was a mere blue), she lidded her eyes completely, determined to get her sun and sleep. Robika, however, didn't give Padma even the barest glance. She was busy wading deeper into the water, little by little.

"It's a little nippy," she pointed out to Kmarath. The green snorted.

Don't make me submerge you this time,[/color] she warned, raising her tail threateningly. Giggling, Robika, came up halfway to her thighs. But, just as Kmarath raised her tail to splash her slow-moving rider, something else did the job for her. Both dragon and rider screeched loudly as water splashed up from where the brown dragon had apparently decided to dive. Bursting into laughter when she had recovered from her shock, she looked around wildly for the rider to the playful brown dragon. Waggling her finger at the girl, she knew she couldn't pull of the role of a scolding, older woman with a smiling mouth and twinkling eyes.

"It's all right," she told her, waving her hand in dismissal. "If he didn't, I'm sure Kmarath would have. "Nice to meet you, Shikai!" she added, almost as an afterthought, running a hand through her now-wet blonde buns. "I'm Robika. You swimming, too?" Chuckling a bit at how flustered the girl seemed, she sank into the water, pushing herself out a bit deeper.

Hello, Dinaedth![/color] Kmarath replied to the brown merrily, her desire to bother Robika fading with the arrival of another dragon. You splashed me, you know. For that, I get to sit on you.[/color] Somehow, Kmarath managed to keep her tone serious. Oh, how she loved to toy with the weyrlings! Emanor gave a curious peep, looking up at Sirius. It looked like everyone had a friend to play with! Whistling up at him, she flopped around in the lake water. Now the only one without a buddy was Padma, but Emanor didn't really care to much for that one at the moment. So all was well.[/size]

[Shikai]

Shikai tensed as the older rider waggled her finger at her, but quickly realized by Robika’s grin and the gleam in her eyes that she was not in trouble. She relaxed, sighing with visible relief. While she loved the fun and adventure Dinaedth brought to her life, his antics had brought her close to getting in trouble many a time. Fortunately, the greenrider looked like a friendly young woman.

She smiled as Robika introduced herself, and matched the name to the face in her mind for future reference. Robika, Robika and Kmarath. As she moved into slightly deeper water, Shikai took advantage of the moment to dunk her head under. Her face had been getting progressively warmer due to a combination of the heat and her own embarrassment, and it felt good to cool off.

“Yes, we came here to swim too. It’s a pretty nice day. There hasn’t really been much to do since the hatching.” She commented.

Dinaedth, meanwhile, was splashing around happily in the water when Kmarath’s mind touched his. He looked up cheerfully as she greeted him, happy to be spoken to by an older dragon. Hello Kmarath! It’s a great day for swimming![/color] He replied. However, he cocked his head to the side as she announced her intention to sit on him.

But your behind is much too big to sit on me! I’ll be squished![/color] He replied, with curiosity rather than fear. It was fortunate that Shikai had not heard, or she surely would have chided her ever troublesome dragon!

Sirius dive-bombed in and out of the lake, like a dark splash of water himself, rising out of the lake only to plunge back in. He looked up in mid jump as Emanor peeped at him, and chirped happily in response. He dove for the water beside where she was splashing about, showering droplets of water about him.

[etoile]

Robika raised a blonde eyebrow. Did the girl think she was in real trouble? She chuckled. It was rather cute, actually. She waved one of her hands in dismissal. She remembered her weyrling days. They were so carefree... Robika never minded stirring up trouble. This was probably a better behaved girl. Stretching, she watched merrily as Shikai dunked herself under. "Yeah, it's been kinda lazy around here," she agreed, shrugging. "I have to restrain Kmarath from eating too much-- she has nothing better to do, so she eats everything!" She chuckled, glancing quickly over to the green, she snorted in indignation. I do not![/color] she protested. Robika rolled her eyes, playfulness obvious in them. She couldn't resist teasing her bonded a little more. "You're going to get fat if you eat so much!" she pointed out, giggling. Kmarath snorted again. Even though she knew Robika was only making fun of her, she still felt the need to protest. Mine, you know that's not true![/color]

So, naturally, Dinaedth's comment came at the wrong time. My behind is not /that/ big![/color] she whined. Miiiiine, he just said my behind is too big![/color] Of course, this sent Robika into peals of laughter. "She doesn't like my teasing her size," she explained to Shikai when she had recovered from the laughing spasm. Kmarath huffed, stomping around in the water irritably. Easy for you to say, fatty![/color] she taunted. Giving Kmarath a pointed look, the woman put her hands on her hips. She wasn't fat necessarily, but she certainly had her fair share of curves. Yes, you have a bigger butt than I do, and that is saying something![/color]

"My butt isn't that big!" Robika complained. Then, hearing them talking about their sizes, Emanor looked up from her diving, peeping in irritation. She believed that it was she who was being made fun of. This one would've been the first true statement of all the teasing; Emanor was quite large around the middle for a flitter. Grumbling, she flopped back into the water, not even wanting to hear if her rider would say anything about her. She wasn't fat- it was just more to love!

Robika sighed, turning back to Shikai. Determinedly steering her conversation away from the size of her butt, she chuckled. "So, how are you enjoying being a weyrling so far?" she inquired merrily. "Hard work? I thought it was pretty challenging, but I got used to it in the end." Yeah, when you discovered that the Weyrlingmaster didn't notice when you slept through his classes.[/color] Kmarath added devilishly. Robika pointedly ignored that statement. There was no need to put bad ideas into the minds of weyrlingriders.[/size]

[Shikai]

Shikai couldn’t help but grin as Robika burst into laughter, knowing it was likely to do with something Kmarath had said. Dinaedth often caused her to do the same, as he enjoyed making jokes and doing silly stunts, which resulted in her bursting into laughter and earning odd glances from whoever happened to be passing. Feeling slightly awkward, she ducked under water again, enjoying the sensation as her body was encompassed by the cool lake water, and her brown hair sent flowing around her in suspended animation.

She surfaced, and, wondering suddenly what her dragon had been up to while she had been talking to Robika, turned to Dinaedth.

Dinaedth?

Yeeees?[/color]

What have you been doing?

……Swiiiiimiiiing…and talking to Kmaraaaath….[/color]

Shikai sighed. That’s nice. What did you say?

She said she was going to sit on me! I only pointed out that her behind is so large that I would surely be squished![/color]

He replied, looking up at his rider with his best attempt at mournful innocence. Yet Shikai could see the mischievous glimmer lurking within his wide eyes. She was torn between laughter and horror. However, the second reaction ebbed as she realized that Robika was, after all, laughing. Her grin widened, despite her attempts to put on a serious face and apologize, and she couldn’t suppress a few giggles of her own. She looked sheepishly at Robika as she replied.

“I’m sorry! I’m sure Dinaedth didn’t mean it…I don’t know what to do with him!”

She broke into a burst of laughter as Robika turned and complained back to her dragon. It was not difficult to guess what Kmarath had said. As her laughter subsided, she turned back to Robika to answer her question.

“Oh, being a weyrling is great! Well, when this one isn’t getting me into trouble, at least!” She said, sending a mock scolding look at the brown dragon next to her. “We haven’t been very busy yet though, so I guess I can’t really say. I suppose we’ll start more lessons soon.”