Meandering. {Gray}

[Lan]

Oooh! C'linMine! Where are we going? Nonath asked as she padded along behind her beloved mindmate. He had suggested that day that they go for a stroll through the lower caverns, while she was still small enough to fit in, and she had most ecstatically agreed that it was a lovely and splendiferous idea! However, now she was getting all excited they were going someplace uber-special, even though she didn't know where she was going! Finding it silly, she nudged her Mine next to her and stared up with big loving eyes. C'lin looked down at her and laughed in good humor.

"It doesn't matter, m'dear. It's the going that counts!" He nodded emphatically, picking up the pace and half debating the possibility of skipping down the corridor. Nonath hummed in understanding. HerC'lin was so wise! She had certainly picked the best candidate of all! So certain of this fact she padded along with even more of a lilt in her step, her thin and long tail flicking about behind her in excitement. What a fun day for her and her lifepartner! They would go everywhere without actually have to reach their destination... and all because they were simply going.

Do you think we'll see Decimath or Mortath? They're my very best friends... other than you, of course! Trouncing on ahead of C'lin, she flicked the boy with her tail playfully and took her turn leading the way on her expedition. And then we can all explore together! We'll be... we'll be... Exploring friends! Yes! Satisfied with her name for their hypothetical group, she purred happily and turned a corner, this time C'lin having to keep up with quicker steps. And then... and then... we can see Tellumoth! Because he's my friend too. But not Noth... she's mean. She paused, both her words and her gait, thinking for a moment to try to remember why it was Noth was mean. However, she was not thinking for long before Klah and Spinner popped out from between, Spinner chittering instantly away at the brown to say that he should have let her appear first.

Hello friends! Nonath watched the two flits with curious eyes, waiting as if they would say something back in return. When they didn't she hung her head and sighed a dragon sigh, and C'lin kneeled down to snuggle her affectionately.

"Aww, don't be put off by them, Nonath. They're just flits. And I think you're great!" Cheered up by his speech, the emerald green purred again and leaned into his embrace.

[graymalkin]

Katya had chore to do, and she took them seriously. Potatoes had to be peeled. Same with carrots. Vegetables were chopped and sliced and minced, and of course there was trash. That's what she was doing at the moment. Taking the reminiscent of dinner's preparation to the refuse pile. Of course, there were two. One for times like vegetable, things that broke down and would be used to fertilize the earth again, to grow new crops. And one for things that didn't fit into that plan. It was the former she was visiting.

She had been leaded up with large baskets, filled to the brim with peels and tops, with reassurance that most people would be out, or working at this time. She wouldn't meet anyone in the halls. That's what she had expected, at least. What she didn't expect was a weyrling and his dragonet to be exploring. She also didn't expect to not see them, you would think a dragon would be hard to miss. But she did, and she ran into Nonath, one of the baskets having obscured her view. Peels flew everywhere! They clung to walls, the floor, and even Katya herself. Wiping potato peels from her eyes, she blinked, a bit of onion slipping from her head to land in her lap.

All in a rush, she noticed what happened. Eyes grew wide, and jaw dropped in a look of pure mortification.
“Oh shards and shells! I am so sorry! So so sorry!” Picking up the baskets, she set them upright, and hurried to start picking the peels up, peeling them from the dragon's hide. Her fingers fumbled as she did, and she slipped on one of the peels, once again landing on the hard ground. Wincing, Katya sat up, one hand rubbing her back.
“Oh dear... I am so sorry. I didn't expect any one to be here. Give me a moment, and I'll clean you off in a jiff.”

Behind her, Ikabod crept, the tailless cat following her, in hopes of finding something delicious in the trash. Due to her colorization, only her face and paws showed up in the dark shadows. When her owner fell for the second time, she snuck over, picking one carrot peel from Katya's leg and eating it happily.

[Lan]

Nonath gave a sharp squeak as someone tripped over her, ducking her head as the girl fell over and potato peels flew everywhere. Spinner and Klah, too, were disturbed, and Klah ducked behind Nonath's larger form as Spinner flew higher and chittered her disapproval of this unexpected, unwelcomed newcomer. As C'lin checked to see if Nonath was all right, the unruly green flit was dive-bombing Katya's head while screeching her defiance. How dare she trip over Spinner's family! Who did she think she was?!

"Spinner!" C'lin growled, causing her immediate stop from attacking the poor girl. She slipped over his shoulders, grumbling angrily about how her act of protection for her family had been cut short. He gave the green a sharp glare, then smiled over at the girl that was now apologizing profusely over something that was clearly an accident. Nonath, while surprised, would too have smiled when Katya started cleaning her off. She purred forehead bumping against the girl kindly as if to say it was all right. C'lin started to laugh.

He continued to laugh as he helped Katya pick up the peels. Klah started to help, too, only he got as far as one peel before her curled up inside the basket and decided it was a perfect place for a nap. As weyrling continued to help the girl pick up the peels, he swatted at the brown flit and tossed him out of the basket. Klah, unhappy but unphased, simply curled up near the basket instead of on top of it and tried once again to doze. Spinner never stopped glaring.

"No worries! We clean off easy." C'lin assured her as he removed one last peel from his face and placed it in the basket. Nonath hummed in agreement, surveying herself to see that every peel had been removed. Looking down, she noticed one on her foot and shook it profusely to try to remove the offender. When it didn't come off, she simply stared, one foot in the air awkwardly. C'lin snatched it from her and the emerald green hummed happily again. Oh, thank you, C'linMine! I thought it would eat my foot off! Poor girl, I didn't mean to trip her! Tell her I'm sorry, C'linMine, so so sorry! He laughed and gave her head an affectionate scratch as looked back at Katya.

"See? No harm done." C'lin stood and held out a hand to help Katya do the same. "Nonath says she's very sorry, by the way."

[graymalkin]

Katya was extremely confused. One moment she was frantically grabbing handfuls of Potato peels and rubbish, and the next she was shielding herself from a vicious Flit attack. Arms crossed over her head, peels clenched in one fist still. She awaited the sting of claws tearing flesh or biting teeth, but it never happened. Warily, she dropped her arms and peeked at those she had covered with peels. It seemed the Green had been called off. Respectfully, she bowed her head.
“I apologize little Green, I did not mean to cause any one trouble.” She smiled a bit, tossing the peels she had in one of the rubbish baskets. She stooped over and scooped a few more up, tossing them in a basket and repeated this several times. Katya chuckled a bit when the Green dragon bumped her head against her.
“Why hello there.”

Stepping away, she pulled one basket closer and continued picking the peels from the dragon and the ground. Looking over one shoulder, she chuckled a bit at the Brown flit.
“You have quite the menagerie!” A dragon and two flitters? That was more than Katya had ever seen. She brightened a bit at his reassurance.
“Perhaps next time I'll carry them one at a time, I didn't know there would be dragons down here.”

Survaying the area, Katya picked up a few of the last stray potatos, hiding her laugh when Nonath had the offending peel stuck on her foot.
“Oh dear, tell her not to worry! I was trying to finish up my chores a bit faster, so I got Reckless. I apologize to both of you.” She bowed her head.
“So her name is Nonath? It's very very pretty.”

[Lan]

C'lin continued laughing as Katya spoke. It was a sort of giggle that bubbled up every so often, not mocking but instead just enjoying the encounter. He continued helping her picking up potato peels until they were all picked up, flashing her a smile every chance she looked up from what she was doing. When they were finally all done he picked up one of the baskets. She had so much to carry! It would be rude not to help her out a bit. At her mention of him having a menagerie he bubbled up again in laughter. He shooed off Klah from the basket he carried and the brown flew a lazy circle in the air before landing on C'lin's shoulder and curling up into another catnap. Spinner continued to glower from her spot on his other shoulder, her tail overlapping Klah's.

"It was Nonath's idea, actually..." he responded to her concern with the dragons being in the lower caverns, "She likes people and being close to them. I figure it'd be best to let her be close to people while she can before she gets too big to fit down here." Nonath purred in agreement, trotting over so that she could wrap herself around Katya much like a cat curls up in someone's lap. She blinked up innocently at the girl, her eyes might as well have been sparkling with curiosity. Then she cooed at her, looking from Katya to HerC'lin. C'linMine! What is her name? Ask her her name! I want to know her name so that I can ask to see her later!

"She's all right, miss. She's more worried about you, I'm sure." C'lin grinned gleefully. "And yep, this is Nonath. The brown is Klah, and the unruly green is Spinner. Don't bother apologizing to her, I swear on Faranth's first egg she's just evil at the core." He shot a glare at Spinner, who snubbed her nose at him. She didn't need to stay here and take this! She took off promptly and vanished in the blink of an eye. C'lin ignored her, too busy focusing on this new girl who was certain to be his new friend. "And I'm C'lin! What's your name? Nonath has been bothering me to ask..." Nonath hummed again in agreement, unwrapping herself from Katya so that she could hop around happily in anticipation. Then, her happy dance done, she stopped in front of Katya and stared up at her with those big, bright eyes.

[graymalkin]

Ikabod crept a bit closer and sniffed another peel, craftily picking it up and dragging it back to her more shadowed area. She would store them, and then visit them later. She did not know why, but she was a cat and she obviously had a plan.

Katya simply smiled, chuckling a few times. She felt better, knowing they were not mad at her. Thankfully she hadn't ran into one of the more irritable pairs of Weyrlings, for they had to be Weyrlings. She liked the Firelizards, even the grumpy green one, she always thought they were magestic.
“Really? Well she has a good idea. There are plenty of people down here that would love to see a Dragon I bet. The kids in the creche will just love her.” Katya was sure that kids liked dragons, especially if they lived in a Weyr. Nonath's purring made Katya giggle a bit. She was like an oversized cat! Even friendlier than her own Ikabod.
“She really is a sweetheart.”

Katya had to resist giving the dragon a hug, she felt it would be improper or something. They were so small at the start, it was amazing that they would grow to be as big as they got.
“It is lovely to meet you Nonath, Klah and Spinner. I'm sure she's not evil. I covered her family members in peels, I'm sure I'd be upset too if I were her.” Hand lifted to cover her mouth as she giggled at the firelizard's exit. She couldn't help but chuckle at the green's dance. She was just so excited.
“I'm Katya, it is a pleasure to meet you C'lin. I'm guessing you Impressed at the last hatching?” She had missed it by a week or so, sad really. Watching a Hatching would have bolstered her spirits some.

[Lan]

You hear that, C'linMine? She says I have a good idea! Nonath purred at Hers, snuggling up to him before turning around on tail and looking up at the girl expectantly. Expecting what... well, that was uncertain. But she was expecting something! A hug, a snuggle, a scratch... maybe some kind words? She wasn't disappointed. With Katya's words she cooed again happily. D'aww... C'linMine she thinks I'm a sweet... heart? Wait, what does that mean? Does she want to eat me?! She paused her dancing for a moment to stare up at her rider with a confused look.

No, Nonath... it means she likes you.

Oh... Oh! She likes me! Nonath purred again, flowing into a trill of happiness as she snuggled up next to Katya. C'linMine! Tell her it is lo-... lo-... nice to meet her too! Okay? Tell her I love her and think she's great and that I would like to see her again! Can we spend the day with her C'lin, can we? I would be so happy if we could! She rubbed her cheek against Katya's leg, all the while purring affectionately. C'lin laughed.

"Nonath says she's glad to meet you too. She's rather fond of you," he grinned toothily at her, "And it's my pleasure to meet you, Katya." Holding one of the baskets in his other hand, he wrapped his arm in hers and gestured for them to begin walking again. He would not take no for an answer if she complained about how he was helping her with her chores! He had been shirking his at every opportunity anyway, and chores were always better when one had someone to chat with while they did them. "Yep, I impressed Nonath at the last hatching. Isn't she a sweetie? And I assure you, Spinner is evil deep down inside. You just haven't seen it yet. Truly, I think she finds other people's pain enjoyable. The only time she seems happy is when either Klah or myself are hurting ourselves in some scandal or another."

[graymalkin]

The green dragon mesmerized her. She couldn't even explain why. Her happiness and childishness. It reminded her of someone. The memory sent a shiver down her back. Ikabod tended to know when Katya had those moments, and crept from the shadows once more, her large green eyes fixed on Katya. She was a bit apprehensive of the new boy and his dragon, but she rubbed up againt's Katya's leg, twining herself between them.

Katya smiled at both Nonath and Ikabod.
“She's pretty vocal.” she laughed a bit, she had never met a dragon that made so much sound! Every one had been pretty somber when she arrived, though there was always that little spark. The hatching had gone well and given people hope. When Nonath rubbed up against her again, she reached down to scratch her eye ridges.

“I like her a lot as well, she's just so cheerful.” Katya was happy she met them, even if it had been in a shower of peels. She was about to protest when he picked up one of the baskets but he stopped. Giving him a smile, she started walking. No sense in denying help if he was so intent on helping, plus chores were better when you at least had someone to talk to.
“I've heard there are many new dragons! Something about the Bronze's virus affecting her. It's amazing. As for Spinner, I guess not all firelizards are innocent.” She laughed a bit.
“I've only got Ikabod, and she's pretty self sufficient. She only comes out for some affection every now and then, and to get a treat at lunch time.”