[PRP] Longing for the Sun (Akaris/R'lyr+Dragons)

[Meepfur]

Though Akaris would never have traded her perfect, precious dragon for anything, and had had nearly two Turns now to adjust to High Reaches, she was often homesick for Western, and never moreso than when winter rolled in and the snow fell. Not that she was unused to winter weather - she was originally from Bitra, after all - but she disliked it almost on principle. She remained, stubbornly, a Westerner at heart; at first, Samodith had been sure the young woman would embrace life at the mountain Weyr, as time had gone on, she'd joined Hers in the conviction that this wasn't the ideal place for them after all. They couldn't just up and go, however, and even oncr they could, they knew full well it wouldn't necessarily be easy. They did have friends and loved ones here, and they'd be separated from them just as they now were from their Western family. But for Samodith especially, Akaris knew in her heart that it would be for the best, unless something drastic changed in the meantime.

It was early afternoon and the sky was a cold gray when the scarred green alighted on the ledge she shared with Andelath - for whom she had a sweet croon - returning Hers from a rest-day visit with her mother. While the two weren't especially close, they were on good terms, so every once in awhile Akaris would make a dutiful visit. Samodith did enjoy it, as she was much admired and fussed-over by the denizens of the entertainment house, who had missed having a dragon in residence since Ivanhoth and his rider had left for warmer climates.

Akaris dismounted carefully before removing Samodith's gear - a nice set they had saved for, and never subjected to Thread - and carried it inside. "We're back!" she called out, in case R'lyr was about, and set down a pack stuffed with gifts and shopping before she got to arranging and storing their gear properly. The lovely, fur-trimmed leather had cost a pretty mark, and she took care of it accordingly.

Shaddaling

 

[Shaddaling]

Andelath shifted from his sprawl, catching the remnants of the sun on his wing membranes and gave a warm welcoming trill back to Samodith, shifting his bulk over for his dear green and her's to return. He inquired, stretching out, tail lazily lashing behind him before stilling.


R'lyr walked out to greet her, smelling faintly of oil as he worked the last of into his scalp. He pulled a scrap of cloth from his belt, wiping his hands clean. "Welcome back, beloved. How did your visit go?" He questioned, finished with some hair care.

"Samodith," he added, nodding to the green as he did a quick clean of his nail beds and grinned. "I hope you had a good flight and your mother is doing well."

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

They were honored to have our company, as always. As was only fitting! Samodith drew close to Andelath to offer the brown a fond nuzzle. Though she'd initially had some objections to Hers being so attached to His, she had to admit it had worked out splendidly; Andelath was a most excellent, accomodating ledgemate, and possibly one of the few who could weather her moods with such grace - and without holding them against her. They fussed, of course, over my new scars. She'd been appropriately gracious and humble about it, all while secretly revelling in the attention. She had very nearly died, after all, and it only stood to reason that she deserved to be fussed over a bit. They even gave me some new scents for my oil. Perhaps I'll even share, if you're good.

"It was a little less cold than here, but only a little," Akaris answered with a little laugh, standing on tiptoes to peck him on the cheek before she got about the business of stowing her gear and unpacking what she'd returned with: a few carefully-wrapped jars of scent for the dragons' oil, an equally well-wrapped bottle of wine, and a warm new coat. "Everyone was happy to see Samodith looking well. Anything exciting happen here in the meantime?"

Shaddaling

 

[Shaddaling]

Andelath rumbled happily at the nuzzle, returning the affectionate touch. Samodith did so much for them, they should give her proper attention. He crooned.

"Nothing too eventful. My sisters are talking about maybe getting into wher handling," Which.. could be better for everyone involved. Less... arguments at least. "Did some cleaning, some hair maintenance," he shrugged. "About the usual."

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

The bright green was pleased that he agreed; though Bitra was under another Weyr's protection, and as such Samodith couldn't claim to be directly involved in keeping them safe, all dragons fought to keep Pern safe, so it was close enough. And the entertainment house, to some degree, thought of her and Hers as theirs, since it was where Akaris had been born and raised. Now they could take pride in having raised a dragonrider.

Still, pleased as she was that Andelath agreed, she was also a bit disappointed that he hadn't taken the bait she'd laid out for flirting, or at least teasing. She swept about in a little half-turn, flicking her tail gently against the brown as she did so, before sitting primly. Did you get up to anything much while we were gone, or have you been lazing up here all day?

"Hair maintenance is very important," Akaris said with a chuckle, "And I do appreciate the result." As for the rest, well... "Wherhandling, hmm? I never thought about it much myself, they're...rather unfortunate-looking, some of them. Poor things. Felines are gorgeous, though - not that they could hold a candle to Samodith."

Shaddaling

 

[Shaddaling]

"Mmhm, not sure how much Char met it," R'lyr shrugged, his sister was... a bit of a dramatic diva and he loved her, but she liked to stir up things. "Felines are lovely, which does seem more of their styles but," he trailed of and shrugged. "Nothing holds a candle to Andi or Samodith." And it was true.

He paused and nodded to the wine. "Good wine?" He questioned, playful.

Andelath shifted, He admitted, amusement coloring his tone. He paused, head tipped and sighed as he noticed a smudge of jam on his skin and licked it off. he added, cleaning, how had he missed that bit? Out spot.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"Eastern Swiftpaws are very elegant," Akaris mused, "And rather sweet, from what I've heard." She'd done no little daydreaming in her time over what she might do with her life, drifting away on many a romantic notion, and some of those what-ifs had indeed involved being bonded to a feline. "But I'd never dream of trading my girl for anything." No, she was head-over-heels for Samodith, and while she might still admire how lovely felines were, nothing was as lovely as her perfect green. "Besides, if I'd gone off to become a felinehandler, I'd never have ended up at Western."

Never have been a Candidate, or met R'lyr, or found herself adopted. Of course, she also might not have been so cold for half the year, but it was what it was. As for the wine... "Of course good wine. It's the only kind worth drinking, after all."

Typical, Samodith remarked with a sniff, a jab not meant sincerely but to try to provoke a rise out of the brown. She was in a mood for playing games, and if she didn't get what she wanted, well...perhaps she'd have to find her satisfaction elsewhere. I do hope having to answer questions wasn't too much of a strain for you on your day off. Poke, poke.

Shaddaling

 

[Shaddaling]

"Doesn't mean we would have never met," R'lyr replied, watching Akaris fondly. "I'm not sure I would have kept trying after the island clutch..." things had been tense after that and he felt for his sisters and younger brother. Expectation and rejection was hard to live with after turns of it.

Rhylune had mostly just wanted to bother him. The jam was rather delicious though, even if she ended up leaving sticky smudges on him.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"Oh? And if you'd given up Candidacy, what would you have done instead?" She asked, genuinely intrigued. R'lyr would have been well-suited to a number of Crafts or roles, she imagined, and been every bit as dashing. It was quite entertaining to consider, actually, on a number of levels.

And was she impressed? I hope your teeth were properly clean for such an inspection. Not that Samodith really expected anything less - Andelath was far from untidy, and His would never neglect any aspect of his care. Perhaps not the most stimulating conversation, but you seem to have enjoyed the jam. Lucky for you it would take quite a lot to affect your figure.

Shaddaling

 

[Shaddaling]

"Try to find Naolin, maybe go in entertainment. Maybe fashion design." He considered it, bits of half made plans. "Maybe get a fair of flits and do all sort of tricks for coins. Certainly something dashing and charming." He grinned at her. "Perhaps travel somewhere warm."

He answered finishing cleaning and moved to consider Samodith more closely. < But perhaps we should talk about other things, such as any good gossip you might have heard or came across. > He grinned slightly.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"Fashion design, hmm?" Akaris perched herself on the edge of the bed and regarded her weyrmate, sharing his grin. "That sounds like the most stable option, for certain. And what would you have designed?" She was actually intrigued - and it was a fun sort of game, speculating about futures they might have had if their lives had taken different turns. Not that she wasn't happy with this one - apart from the long wait to go home to Western.

As Andelath moved closer, Samodith sniffed and shifted away just a touch. You're not still sticky, are you? Mostly teasing, again, as she wasn't that fastidious. No, nothing particularly gripping, though that's hardly my circle. Sitting about and tittering on about such things simply didn't appeal to her. So only bits and pieces of the usual fare, who caught whom and who did not, and so on.

Perhaps you are, the green allowed vaguely. He'd not yet been entertaining, that was for sure.

Shaddaling

I...may have forgotten it was my turn. orz

 

[Shaddaling]

"Mmh, Jerkins, Doublets, maybe some full length gowns, finery for sure," R'lyr replied, thinking back to earlier days when his siblings were not at each other throats and one wasn't missing. "My mother had many men in her life, in and out and sometimes they would stay for a bit, take a shine to her and well us." More of them probably got scared off at the growing brood of kid but some were try to appeal to her though her children.

"She got a lot of gifts, mostly jewelry but there was this gown, amber shade of velvet with small citrines and golden quartz sew in it, like sun mosaic patterns radiating out. It was gorgeous." And it had been one of the first things his elder siblings had sold in order to get enough to care for them.

"I would have loved to make something like that."

Andelath replied and gave her his full attention. hmm, there was something but he wasn't sure what would be best.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"She must have been quite something, your mother." Ah, gifts from men who wanted to impress - Akaris was no stranger to those, and had in fact been more than happy to take advantage of such inclinations in her first profession. After all, why not? But she'd not been quite so showered in them...maybe if she'd ever become a true courtesan, she might have, but she was quite happy with the turn her life had taken.

"That sounds beautiful," she said, truly impressed by the dress even from its description. It was no secret that she had quite the appreciation for finery, though though it wasn't just greed or vanity - she really did appreciate it, clothing especially. "Maybe next time I need a new dress, I should ask you what would be best."

Not that she lacked for dresses, but she did enjoy having a new one for particularly special occasions...though if enough time had passed, she didn't mind rewearing something she was especially fond of. Besides, it was impractical to have something new for every Feast and celebration - fine things were expensive, after all, and she was but a young greenrider. Many of her things were from before she'd been Searched; luckily, her mother had kept ahold of them, and she'd eventually been able to have them back.

Samodith continued to side-eye her ledgemate a little longer for emphasis, before stretching out and relaxing some of the tension in her muscles. The bright green had always tended towards moodiness, and it was a trait that hadn't faded at all as she'd grown. Her rather tumultuous history in certain areas hadn't helped in the least, either.

She had been feeling affectionate and even playful when she'd first returned, but that had faded when she'd not gotten exactly the response she desired. I don't know, she eventually admitted, I'm just bored.

Restless, discontent - that was how she felt more often than not. But bored was a gentler word for it, though it lacked the barbs and frustration that needled at her from day to day. But it was the nice answer.

Shaddaling

 

[Shaddaling]

"She was,"R'lyr replied, "She was a graceful manipulator. There was a reason she got nearly everything she wanted." He sighed, recalling her, the slight tip of her head, the amused arch of a shapely brow, looking down at him as he done something unexpected, and the way her plush mouth had open and laughed before ruffling his hair. He had gotten to big for her to lift.

"Mmhm, I would have some ideas." He admitted. "My elder brothers mostly kept her jewelry, but I know Aly'on kept some of her clothing...I know some of them been altered for my sisters and niece but might have something up there we can redesign."

Andelath replied, shifting to gently nuzzle her.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

Watching him remember his mother so fondly, Akaris watched R'lyr with a soft smile, and rose from the edge of the bed to reach up and brush a hand over his cheek. "I wish I could have met her."

There might have been a time, a few Turns past, when she absolutely would have been angling for gifts, and even mentioned the sorts of things she had once received from other men, but those weren't important to her self-worth anymore. Oh, she still delighted when she received presents, but she didn't need them - she loved R'lyr, and just having him was enough. "You don't have to do that," she said softly, "I'd be honored, but that belongs to your family."

Samodith bared her teeth briefly when nuzzled, but no snap accompanied the silent snarl. She was, this time at least, mollified by the gesture and the offer to revisit her attempts to flirt and tease. It wasn't the same as it would have been if he'd taken the bait in the first place, of course, but today she would accept the apology offered to her soured mood. Well, I can tell you about them, but just know that I'm definitely not sharing, even if you like them, she replied loftily - and she very well might not, unless she was in a more charitable mood when bath day arrived. One of them is a blend of tea and citrus, another is like flowers on a summer night, and one is quite warm and spiced.

She had, in fact, thought that last would suit him rather well, but time would tell if she would be generous or not. Mine thought that she and I could match, and maybe you and Yours, but...

Yes, that did make her feel a bit better, to lord over him what she might or might not allow him to have - as though her rider might not make the decision for her regardless. Her posture became less sulky, and she set to grooming her claws. They were terribly distressed that I had been so wounded, but they lauded us for our heroism. They gave me all sorts of little morsels as a reward.

Little morsels indeed, for a grown dragon, but well-deserved delicacies nonetheless.

x Shaddaling