A Little Crevice in the Rock (OPEN!)

[inkith]

76.01.28 (I think)
Early Morning - Brisk morning, with a slight flurry of snow - Edge of the Weyr Bowl

Transiit wandered around the Weyr Bowl, trying to find a spot which was tolerably chilly. She liked the cold, there was no doubt about that, but if it was too windy, then that became frustrating. Luckily the Weyrbowl was quite sheltered, but she wanted to find a little hidey hole so that she could keep out of the way, but also observe the comings and goings. That was her main pastime at the Weyr, observing.


She hadn’t made many friends in the turn she had stayed at the Weyr, but really, she couldn’t blame that on anyone else. She knew she wasn’t a very pleasant being to hang around with. Still it could get a little lonely at times, which is why she observed. It made her feel like she was at home, like she knew something about the Weyr in which she lived. It was all so exciting being in the Weyr and definitely not anything like the household she had lived in with her parents, but without companionship it wasn’t yet a home.


There was a bit a movement in the Weyrbowl this early in the morning, but she slipped easily through the crowd, not drawing attention to herself, there was a little crevice in the rocks on one side of the Weyrbowl, that she jumped up to, it was about chest height for a tall man, and width-wise it was just big enough for two people to sit next to one another tightly, if they so desired. Just so, Transiit tucked her knees up, and rested her chin on top of them and was comfortably warm in her little hole. And she watched.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

((tag: inkith))

T’ruk, accompanied by Guyaky, Atanek, and Tungull, was meandering around the Bowl. He still didn’t do the best with crowds or assertive strangers, but had anyone from his prior life encountered him, they would never have recognized the timid, shy little drudge boy in the young dragonrider weaving surely between two clumps of people to emerge at the side of the WeyrBowl.

Turning, he walked along the side. He was looking for his hiding spot, a little crevice from which, over two Turns ago, he had used to watch the dragonriders come and go. Atanek swooped ahead, peeked into the crevice, then returned to T’ruk, chirping.

Curious, T’ruk strode forward, so that he could see the crevice for himself. Sure enough, there was another person in it. A young woman, more specifically, in age anywhere from just below his age to a few years older, her brown hair falling forward as she rested her chin on her knees.

T’ruk gave a passable bow. He was still working on making his bows come smoothly. “Hello ma’am. Are you ok?” He hesitated slightly before the last part. Certainly it was his opinion that someone who wanted to be left alone should be so, but there was also the fact that, from his own experience, sometimes being alone wasn’t the best thing, even when one wanted it.

Hovering over T’ruk’s shoulder, Tungull chirped at the unknown woman, blue-green eyes whirling an invitation to friendship.

[inkith]

Transiit looked around at the sound of a voice and narrowed her eyes slightly at what she found. A boy, maybe around her age stood there, dark eyes with brilliantly dark hair, a colour that many women would be envious of.

She sat for a moment, wondering how to respond. At least he was polite. He bowed, to me. It was sort of weird, back home, no-one had ever shown her any respect, and never had anyone bowed to her.

Plus, he hadn’t forced his way into her company, all he had done was ask if she was okay.
In any case, she was a bit bored.

At the chirp from the Firelizard she cocked her head to one side looking at it curiously, it really was quite beautiful. A flash of colour had her spotting an Aurora and a Crimson as well. Lucky kid.

She turned her eyes back to him. “Yes, I’m fine, kid.” She paused. “Thank you for asking, I guess. What’s the firelizard’s name?”

Transiit almost regretted the way her words sounded to her ears as soon as she spoke them. Harsh and unforgiving. Cold. But if he didn’t like it, he could get lost. But she did wish he would hang around a bit longer, if only so she could get a closer look at the little Firelizard. Her father had secluded her away, and made sure she had no chance of getting one when she was living in his home.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

She didn’t sound as if she wanted company, really, but she had asked a question, and politeness dictated that he answer. Besides, none of the firelizards were nervous or antsy to leave, and they were usually a reliable weathervane. In light of that, T’ruk was affected by an almost overwhelming desire to ask which one, teasingly, the way some of the other kids (and young riders) talked. Almost overwhelming. Instead, well, too much information was probably better than not enough.

“The Midnight’s Tungull. The other two are Atanek, the Crimson, and Guyaky.”

Hearing his name, Tungull chirped again, then flew forward slightly, crooning. This human liked him. He could tell. It would be good to become friends with this human. Atanek hovered nearby. Only Guyaky hung back, but then, Guyaky always hung back.

“He likes you,” T’ruk observed, smiling.

[inkith]

Transiit couldn't help but feel her mouth curve into a lopsided grin at the names of the firelizards and the kid’s following statement.

"Tungull...” She grinned at the firelizards croon. “He likes me aye? That'd be a first."

She shuffled over a little bit on her little ledge. “So, I guess I probably stole your spot, right, unless you go around looking in holes for people often?” She hesitated, thinking she should probably provide her name. “My name’s Transiit, by the way. Do you mind if I…?”

She gestured towards Tungull hoping that the boy would give her permission to give him a little scratch on the eye ridges, something she saw many of the riders doing.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

T’ruk smiled a little broader, responding to her grin. When she mentioned stealing his spot, he actually laughed. Not long, or very loudly, but it was still unmistakably a laugh. Then she gave her name.

I should have done that already! His eyes widened as a wave of panic swept through him, but he managed to ride it out. Surely the situation was still salvageable.

“T’ruk, of Silverlight Azeriuth, and of course I don’t mind.”

Tungull flew even closer, then settled on Transiit’s closest leg. He wanted an eye ridge rubbing, which he figured this human was more than willing to provide.

T’ruk hesitated. Then hesitated a little more. It wasn’t that bad, standing here, but he’d really rather be in the crevice. There was room for two, would she mind? Should he ask, or just pretend that wasn’t a reason for coming here? How might she respond if he did ask? What if he didn’t?

“Would it be ok if I joined you?” T’ruk heard his voice ask, almost as if it belonged to someone else.

The WeyrBowl was showing a bit more population density, though it was still a long cry from full. It would be full later, T’ruk knew, but for right now it was still on the near side of empty. In the back of his mind, he felt Azeriuth’s sleeping contentment.

[inkith]

Transiit looked at the boy thoughtfully for a moment as she reached out with one hand to give the firelizard a scratch on his eye ridges, he felt surprisingly soft, and yet not, at the same time. As she scratched, she considered T'ruk's question. It's not as if it would be incredibly cramped, neither she nor T'ruk were giants.

"Sure, you can join me." She cocked her head. "So what's your story, if you don't mind me asking? You look young. Younger than me at least. How did you come across these amazing firelizards? I've got a feeling there's a great story behind that." She grinned down at Tungull who was a comfortable weight on her leg.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

T’ruk smiled, placing both hands on the edge of the crevice and jumping up, scrambling into place. There was more than enough room, all things considered. He was able to settle comfortably without forcing Transiit to even shift.

“You’re right about that,” he said, not sure, quite, if he was eager for the telling or simply buying time. Maybe it was both.

“I got Guyaky first. I was checking the fires in the main hall, and turned around a little too quick. Caught my foot on something oval and tripped, fortunately I fell to the side. There was this whole mound, musta been an entire clutch or more, of eggs. One of them cracked open, and there he was, chirping at me and licking my fingers.

“Fed him to keep him quiet, otherwise the eggs might well have been trampled in the stampede of eager kids. The other two… well, Atanek’s egg was a Turnday present, not long after I came here, although he hatched in the middle of the night. Guyaky kept having to bite my earlobe to keep me awake, I was so tired the next day.

“Tungull, well, he was part of a Hatching that Atanek dragged me into. I didn’t even know it was going on, but off Atanek flies, swooping around like he wants me to follow. Before I even know it, I’m surrounded by all these people, making the most ridiculous racket some of them. Tungull just hops over and lands on my arm, staring at the meat scraps on the counter. I fed him, and that was the end of it as far as he was concerned.”

“Did you not have many clutches where you’re from?” T’ruk asked. It seemed as if that must be the case; what with how nice she was to the firelizards and how much they seemed to like her, he couldn’t imagine any other way that she would be completely unattached by them.

[inkith]

Transiit considered the question, “It’s not like we don’t have many clutches. I’m sure that in a hold as big as High Reaches, there would have been many, I just never saw any. My father made sure of that.”

She wasn’t sure that she wanted to continue explaining, not usually wanting to reveal much about her home life.

“My father was a bit of a… well, he wasn’t a very nice guy. He didn’t think that anyone of my gender should have a mind of their own, and unfortunately, for him, and me I suppose, I did.” She shrugged.

“Well now that I’ve blurted out my whole life story, I’m going to have to swear you to secrecy.”

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

T’ruk almost laughed. It wasn’t that the story was funny, just, well, perhaps it was nothing but the ever new realization that having family didn’t mean having any kind of comfort.

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty good at keeping secrets,” he said, after taking a second to swallow the smile. He leaned back slightly, luxuriating in the warmth provided by two bodies in the crevice. Warmth was an uncommon thing, here in the Bowl.

“What was it like in High Reaches?” he asked suddenly, curious almost despite himself, for unlike many of the riders here, he’d never traveled, never known another place, even for a brief time.