Muddy Water ((Open))

[Lady Smara]

It began with the simple command to get more wood for the hearth that took him outside and out from under the watchful eyes of the adults. But then again, that’s the way it always began. The world was always different for Weyrbrats depending on who was within sight. With the mid-morning hour upon them, there was little surprise that many of the adults were busy with one task or another. The Weyrbowl where wood was brought in for the kitchens was void of any adults – those few who would have been staking wood there were probably out cutting more.

So it was, when Tschermak made his way back into the kitchens, his arms wrapped around a few good sized pieces, he also walked with a smear of mud across his face and clinging to his hair. Fresh blood was already drying from the small scrapes on his left knuckles, but no tears were too be found as he silently set the wood down near the hearth and turned to get more. Each return brought him back with a new smear of mud, sometimes being scrapped off before his return, sometimes being left as it had landed – his hands had already been too full to maneuver to wipe off the dirt.

By the time his third load came in, a kitchen woman saw him and stopped him, taking what wood he had brought. “Tschermak, you should know better than to come into the kitchens that dirty.” She said in disapproval. It was only half felt, though. It was hard to believe that such a quiet boy would cause so much trouble, yet trouble seemed to follow him wherever he went. Trouble was not something they needed here. “Go wash up, Tschermak, and make yourself useful elsewhere.”

Tschermak took leave of the kitchens with no objections and no attempt to explain himself. After all, it didn’t matter anyways. Leaving the kitchens, Tschermak considered his options. He could go to the public baths, but despite using them all his life, he never did get comfortable with the way people stared at him. Sure, none of the rest of the kids seemed to come with so many dents and bruises, but you would think they’d never seen a child after a fight. Even so, they never did more than stare either.

No, he would rinse off in the lake today. With that in mind, he took a different tunnel to exit the Lowercaverns, knowing full well the other weyrbrats who had managed to dodge work were waiting at the wood pile again with hands full of mud. Let them sit there for a short time, they would find him again soon enough. If not today, then tomorrow.

It was a short time before Tschermak was at the edge of the lake. Careful to choose a side where any bathing dragons would not knock him over with tail or waves, he stepped into the water with his already bare feet. Pulling his shirt over his head, he did not bother with the pants that were tied up with a short length of rope. They were dirty too and rinsing them off wouldn’t hurt anything. Tossing the shirt to shore, Tschermak ducked under the water quickly to get over the shock before he started scratching and pulling at his hair to knock the mud loose there.

He knew his pale skin would have a few bruises, though most were from a few days ago. No the newest addition to himself was the fresh scrape on his hand from a log being tossed at him that he had not managed to dodge. It stung in the water of the lake and he knew the water here was probably not the best for it, but as long as he was not covered in dirt then the ladies in the Lower Cavern would not complain too loudly.

[Yuu Kanduet]

D'isk floated on his back lazily watching the clouds above him as his beloved Green Kalith swooped and whirled about in the gradually warming air. The sky was so blue and the alarming shade of his dragon reflected the light of the sun and almost blinded her content rider as he watched her from the ground. Kalith had always had a flare for the more dangerous stunts and was consistently trying her best to out-do herself with even more daring and acrobatic stunts. Quite frackly, some of the maneuvers she was pulling off made D'isk feel relieved he wasn't on her back. Sure he had never fallen off, but he wasn't sure his stomach would be able to handle some of those hairsbreadth turns and loops.

With surprise, D'isk noticed that he had gradually floated towards the more calm waters of the bank and was currently at risk for a collision course with a downed tree. If D'isk didn't start moving soon, he would find himself tangled up limb with limb of a small but formidable looking foe.

However, thinking about moving and actually managing to will yourself to are two very different things, and D'isk found himself exactly where he thought he would be because he couldn't be bothered to swish his arms a little. To make things worse, D'isk had seen the tree and had ample time to move out of its way, or rather move so it wasn't in his way, but hadn't. He had seen the tree, thought about avoiding the tree, and stared at it as he crashed into said tree. Truly there was nothing to be said for his lack of action except maybe that it was stupid.

Ah well, detangling yourself from trees because your too sharding lazy to move happens to everyone right? Not really, but D'isk was apt to believe so in order to make himself seem less silly while doing it. Only after the Greenrider had managed to recover some semblance of dignity did he notice that he wasn't alone. Giving a sheepish wave and a small chuckle, D'isk greeted the boy who appeared to be cleaning a good deal of filth from his young body.

"Good afternoon. I hope I didn't crash your party!"

Grinning as if he had said the most amusing of jokes, D'isk waited for the younger man to reply while flopping back into the water and navigating around the tree in his way so that he could better converse with the dirty scrap.

[Lady Smara]

It was the splashing that caught Tschermak’s attention, having him lift his dripping head from the water and looking over at the tree. Was that man stuck in that tree? Blinking for a moment, the boy was not sure if he should offer the man some help or simply stand there and watch. Deciding that if the man needed help he would ask for it, Tschermak looked back down at the water. He had moved in to where the water was up to his hips. Dipping his hands in the water, he pulled some up to wet his arms to get most of the mud off there.

A wave and a chuckle caught his attention next and Tschermak actually stopped and looked behind him this time to figure out who the man was waving at. Nope – he was defiantly the only one in this part of the lake besides the strange man. As the man spoke out a greeting, Tschermak rubbed his forehead and watched the man flop back into the water and head his way. Maybe he wanted something?

“’Ello.” He said quietly, not sure what the man meant by a party. It was clear that they were the only two here and last Tschermak checked, parties tended to involve more than two people. Watching the man more closely as he came closer, the young boy noticed the thick cords of muscle under the caramel tan. It was a sharp contrast to Tschermak’s own bony body where he could have counted his own ribs beneath the pale skin.

[Yuu Kanduet]

Undaunted by the other boys lack of a reply, D'isk cheerfully finished his backstroking as he stood up closer to the weyrbrat. D'isk remembered seeing the boy run around the lower caverns of the weyr during his less than proper explorations as a candidate and later as a weyrling. Of course it had been awhile, and D'isk was never good with names.

"My name's D'isk, kinda like the things you throw. What's yours?"

Without really waiting for a reply, D'isk ducks back down into the water so that e can amuse himself by splashing and making localized waves for him to try and catch.

"I've seen ya around before kid. You trying to get a dragon, or are you just interested in living at the Weyr?"

Finding one wave particularly deserving of his attention, D'isk pounced and ended up diving under the water only to resurface and snatch at the wave that was quickly separating into many small but equally worthy foes. As he thrashed about the water, D'isk continued his one-sided conversation.

"How'd you get so dirty anyhow? What color would you be interested in? Come on, say something. I won't bite, promise! You're too young for me anyway."

Slapping the water in frustration, D'isk watched his now large waves roll away from him as he shook his fist in anger and defeat. He would conquer those waves another day, but today he had a conversation to get back to. So, cocking his head, D'isk waited as patiently as he could for a reply.

[Lady Smara]

Tschermak was unsure how he should react as the man continued to assult him with so much conversation. He had opened his mouth several times only to close it again as the man continued, perfectly happy it seemed, to lead the entire thing. It worked well for the boy, as he was so rarely involved in conversations anyways, but he could not help but find his ears warming a bit as the man told him to say something. He hadn’t had time to!

“Uh…” he finally answered, a little unsure where he was suppose to start. “My name is Tschermak…” he finally offered, remembering at least one of the many questions that had been pelted at him.

Watching the caramel colored man carefully as if he was something that would soon be pouncing him rather than the waves he played with, Tschermak fought to remember the rest of the questions. “Just the Weyrbrats… And blue would be nice I guess…” It was clear that the boy had no idea what to do with the man who seemed to have the entirety of Pern in pent up energy trapped inside him. Watching the man nearly bouncing out of his own skin, Tschermak finally shook his head, a slight grin tugging at his lips. The man was… well… he was silly.

[Yuu Kanduet]

D'isk's head shot up from his position as wave stalker extraordinaire at the mention of a dragon color. If there was one thing D'isk loved to talk about, it was dragons. D'isk could hardly believe that he had once hated them and wished their existence to be purged from the fertile lands of South Pern for good.

"Hey, what do you think of Greens? I have a Green. She's a real beaut, and I love her with all my heart. She's the real bright one whipping through the clouds like she's got something to prove."

Standing up completely for the first time with no hint of a slouch, D'isk pointed up to where Kalith could be seen darting playfully in the sky. She seemed so happy up there untouched by the earth and woes of reality. Kalith was truly a magnificent creature who remained pure even when bonded to someone as filthy as him. Davisk had done a lot of bad things in his life, but he was dead. D'isk existed now, and D'isk wanted a second chance to make up for all the things he had done physically and in his heart.

Your mind wanders bleakly mine. Think about more joyful things like the time we raided the kitchens and almost got caught because I was getting to big to follow you around. I don't remember the details, but you tell me enough with a smile on your face. Do you wish me to come down? I could use a good scrubbing.

Grinnning once more, D'isk turned eagerly towards Tschermak. He wondered if the weyrbrat would be interested in helping him scrub his Green. Asking couldn't hurt, right?

"Hey, Kalith wants a scrub. Wanna help? We can talk and get to know each other and just have a good old time! What do you say? Yes? Yes! That's great!"

Waving his arms exuberantly, D'isk shouted at Kalith with both his voice and his mind.

"Come on Kalith! Let's make your hide shine!"

[Lady Smara]

At the mention of a green, Tschermak obediently took a moment to think about it before shrugging his shoulders. “Any dragon is a dragon, no matter the color of his or her hide.” He finally answered, though it was clear that the boy didn’t really expect he would have a choice either way. He would be lucky to get a dragon, but he seemed to have forgotten that the day might ever come. It seemed more like talk than an actual dream anymore. Polite conversation.

Lifting his eyes skyward, Tschermak watched the clouds for a moment, finally spotting the pretty green. She did seem to look like she had something to prove, or perhaps she was simply showing off. It was hard to tell, but when the man finally stood to his full height, Tschermak found himself taking a step back as his own eyes widened. He had not realized the man was so large and in return Tschermak found himself feeling very small indeed. Here before him was a man filled out with good, solid muscle and so amazingly tall; Tschermak in comparison looked like a twig with his pants tied up having not even a waist to hold them.

Hearing the man ask if he wished to help wash his dragon, Tschermak took another step back as his eyes turned skyward once again. He had been told to make himself useful elsewhere, but he could not be sure if this was where the woman had meant. Even so, he didn’t have a chance to answer for himself as the man seemed to decide for him.

Unsure of what to do now as the man hollered at his dragon, Tschermak kicked at the dirt beneath the water. Well, at least he could argue that he was helping someone. He couldn’t get in trouble if that someone was a rider could he? It wasn’t like it was his idea to bother the man.

Lifting his eyes to D’isk again, he wondered at his size. Perhaps one day he would grow that large and folk would stop picking on him. He doubted it though, it was hard to imagine his small frame holding that much weight. “D’isk? This is okay, right? That I help you?” he finally asked, obviously still unsure if it was proper or allowed. He had watched other children help wash dragons, but it was often with family members or the candidates helping as a lesson. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was just going to end up in trouble again.

[Yuu Kanduet]

Kalith gave a happy bugle as she turned and dove sharply. Speeding towards the lake and her rider, Kalith waited until the very last moment to spread her wings and slow her descent. Her wingbeats caused ripples int the water until she finally folded them and dropped into the churning lake below her smoothly. Resurfacing, her hide gleaming, Kalith shook and looked over at the two boys expectantly with eyes a deep blue. D'isk looked down at Tschermak and reached out to ruffle his hair affectionately.

"If it wasn't okay for you to help, I wouldn't have asked. Kalith doesn't mind, and I want you to. No one else has any say in the matter but you."

Walking out to where Kalith was standing, D'isk received a wave to the face as Kalith playfully splashed him with her fore-claws. Crooning, Kalith nuzzled D'isk in an affectionate apology as he spluttered and splashed her back.

"Kalith, darling, this is Tscermak. He's the one who's going to help me wash you."

Kalith looked over D'isk shoulder to cock her head playfully as she studied the weyrbrat. The Green moved closer until she was crouched like a playful feline in front of the weyrbrat as she reached her head out.

"She likes it if you scratch her eye-ridges."

[Lady Smara]

Tschermak felt the waves ripple against his legs as the dragon slowed above the water before dropping in. Watching the apple-green dragon as she splashed the tall D’isk, Tschermak had leaned to his left to look around the man just as the dragon had moved to look over her rider’s shoulder at him. Thankfully, Kalith was not as hesitant as the boy or they would have been caught staring at each other for a good time.

Watching the dragon move forward and crouch in front of him, Mak found himself lost in those big blue eyes. It was D’isk’s final statement that had Tschermak remembering that he was suppose to be helping and not staring. Hesitating a moment, he reached forward a hand and lightly brushed his fingertips over the mentioned eye ridges.

“Hello Kalith.” Tschermak replied, a smile threatening to creep on his lips. “You’re soft.” Barely able to tear his eyes away from the dragon, he looked back to D’isk. “What do I do?”

[Yuu Kanduet]

Closing one eye in contentment, Kalith leaned into the touch. D'isk laughed at her antics and jogged over to the beach where he had left his shirt and came back with a bag slung over his shoulder. After returning, D'isk dug around inside for a bit before pulling out two very rough bristle brushes and handed one to Tschermak.

"Let me just get the, ah here it is!"

D'isk flourished the scraping tool that would help him remove flakes in the skin and any caked dirt in Kalith's more fleshy regions like the areas of the neck and legs where they met the body. Holding the sack in his teeth, D'isk continued to dig a bit for the wash he would be using. Handing the oil out to Tschermak, D'isk tossed the sack over the tree trunk that had previously been his nemesis.

"Just put some of that on the brush and rub it over the dry patches of skin that flake and peel."

[Lady Smara]

Finding a brush handed to him, Tschermak stopped caressing the eyeridges to look at the brush with a frown. He had heard of oiling dragons – after all that was the purpose of dragon oil! But to use the brush to put it on the flakey and peeling hide… well that just sounded painful. Curious, he rubbed the brush lightly on his own skin. While his own pain tolerance was high, he was not blind to the way it irritated his skin.

Lifting his eyes to the taller man, Tschermak frowned and took a step forward, holding out the brush for the man to see too. “Isn’t this painful if the skin is dry and peeling?” Of course, the boy forgot that this was a dragon they were dealing with and not a human being. Even so, the question made perfect sense in his own mind.

Looking at the oil he had also been handed, he found himself with no free hands to feel the dragon’s hide again. It was a pity. Being soft and warm compared to the water, Tschermak had found he liked the feel of it.

[Yuu Kanduet]

D'isk chuckled at the question, and rubbed his hand across the rough bristles of the brush. They felt a little harsh, but he had long since lost most feeling in his hands after years of training with a sword and building callouses.

"Kalith has a thick hide. This will feel kind of like you're scratching an itch that has been bothering you all day. I would know. She often shares the pleasant feeling with me. Don't worry about hurting her. Nothing short of a sharp blade is going to pierce this hide."

In agreement, Kalith offered her neck to Tschermak so that the boy could get an itchy spot below her chin. There was a small patch of dry skin there and Kalith was more than happy to let the weyrbrat take care of it for her.

I like this one. He is sweet and knows how to scratch an eye-ridge.

Snorting with amusement, D'isk swatted Kalith playfully and she rumbled beneath his hands as he climbed up on her back and started working on her neck ridges. With a quick glance, D'isk made sure Tschermak wasn't in danger of going under the churning water if Kalith shifted too much. Once he was sure the boy was safe, he stopped checking so frequently, and just chatted as he worked.

"Kalith says she likes you. Says you know how to scratch properly. Too many people try to be soft and gentle, but dragons like firm hands."

[Lady Smara]

Taking the tall man’s words to heart, Tschermak was surprised to find the dragon twisting her neck to show a rough patch on the hide. Reaching out a hand first, he felt the hide to confirm that the difference in it was in fact due to dry skin. Having confirmed it, he opened the oil bottle and squirted a good amount onto the brush. Closing the lid, he tucked it between the rope and his own waist-line, leaving the tension of the rope to hold it there just as it held up his pants.

Taking the brush in both hands, he went to work, gently at first before slowly growing more vigerous in the scrubbing. Some of the dry hide was flaking, but more than anything Tschermak noticed how the oil was in fact making that part of the hide look more natural and soft again. Pausing to run a hand over the area, he smiled. It did feel better to his hand too, he could only imagine that it felt better to the pretty green.

Upon hearing D’isk’s comment, Tschermak looked up at the man as he worked on top of the dragon. Well more correctly he watched a foot, the rest of the man hidden by the dragon’s shoulder. He was not sure how to take a dragon’s compliment or how to respond to it, but it did make him feel a little happier on the inside. A small little fuzzy feeling.

“Will you please tell Kalith I like her too? She’s very pretty.” Running his hand along her neck, he found another rough patch, though much small, near a should and scrubbed at that one as well. “How long have you been a rider?” he finally asked, hoping he was allowed to ask questions while he worked. Some adults were funny and didn’t like conversation, but with how much talking D’isk was already doing, he couldn’t imagine the man upset over the question.

[Yuu Kanduet]

Peering down at a particularly dry patch, D'isk gave a mock growl as he attacked his flaky foe. Kalith was preening beneath him at all the care and attention being lavished upon her, and D'isk could feel her pride at being called pretty. She was such a narcissistic thing, always fishing for compliments on her flying or her incredibly bright hide. The only time Kalith wasn't looking to be noticed was when she was feeling particularly playful and started stalking someone, something she wasn't nearly as good at as she had been when she was a hatchling.

D'isk mine, will you tell our friend to get the spot just above my claw, the one he is closest to. Also thank him for his nice words.

Patting the now smooth area that had been giving him trouble, D'isk turned around to better inspect his Green's back.

"Kalith says thanks and was wondering if you could get her claw there."

In response to her rider's words, Kalith lifted the large claw out of the water and held it up I'for inspection by Tschermak.

"I've been a rider for two turns now. Just got my knot a couple of days ago. The candidacy was the worst. All the lessons and warning and rules. Weyrlinghood has just as many limitations, but the seem more bearable with your dragon at your side."

[Lady Smara]

Upon hearing the request, Tschermak looked down in time to see the clawed foot lift out of the water. Pointing at the itchy spot in question, the small stick-of-a-boy went to work with his scrub brush, trying to oil up as much of it as possible. It seemed strange to Tschermak that a dragon, while a small green, that was still huge to himself could have a foot that still looked so dainty.

Two turns. Tschermak couldn’t really guess how old the tall man was… maybe 20? 22? Of course he was judging off the man’s height and bulk. Either way, if that man was something to judge off of, Tschermak couldn’t figure out how he might impress before he was 18 or 19. That was the age of most candidates wasn’t it? No, he would have several turns still to go… Several more turns of being a Weyrbrat.

“Limitations?” he asked, a little confused even as he worked obediently upon the dainty green’s hide.