Fight Fire with Hugs [Emmeline/Kaya]

[Shoki]

78.02.10
Afternoon

F’mil ran. A few workers in the kitchen noticed, and gave a concerned glance as he side stepped another rider and bolted into the bowl. It was generally understood that the rider did not run. Well, excepting one thing.

Delgeth was angry.

The man didn’t slow down as he hurried to the side of the Bowl where the red and white dragon was glaring at another, more normal sized Crimson. The other dragon was staring back at him, angry as well. Delgeth’s eyes were a tornado of reds and oranges and his wings flared.

Pipqueak!

[smear:c82009]Dullard! [/smear:ffffff]

Like you know what the word means!

[smear:c82009]Some of us have riders that read a book once in a while![/smear:ffffff]

If you can call that sort of thing literature. Don’t worry, you and that thing are perfect for each other.

Delgeth roared at the Crimson sneering and F’mil was just too late to stop what inevitably happened when his dragon got mad. His armor dropped. And just like that the already angry Crimson was subjected to all the feelings of those around him. Those angry with him, those nervous at the Crimson’s quarrelling, and those startled by a dragon’s roar. All at once Delgeth’s head was in a cloud of anger and distress and his feet started to move forward, his mouth open slightly to show teeth.

F’mil ran, flat out until he hit Delgeth, arms clinging to the dragon. His head was also full of fog, second hand from his dragon. But, he continued his full arm hug of the still moving dragon while giving a weirdly cheery call to the other Crimson.

“If you would be so kind to leave Vioth, I would be much appreciative!” F’mil really didn’t have enough focus to pay attention to whether or not the other dragon left. He had bigger problems.

Delgeth tried to push the irritant off his hide. It did not move. He swiped a claw at the area it was and missed, it being positioned at a spot that casual swiping wouldn’t hit. The dragon started to thrash, the irritant holding on dearly. All the while a bright little point in the fog glowed. Waiting to get through. A feeling of concern. It wanted to soothe. The thrashing slowed until the dragon stopped. After a time Delgeth laid on the ground, turning his head to his rider.

[smear:c82009]You can stop hugging me now.[/smear:ffffff]

Don’t want to. F’mil smiled as Delgeth huffed. The dragon trying to look dignified as the fog dissipated under newly remade defenses. The emotions lingered though, and his eyes still whirled warm colors.

They had been lucky that time. It could have been much worse.

[Kaya]

Emmeline had been headed back to afternoon classes. She was nearly half way through her weyrling training with Rioth. It was tough work, they kept the weyrlings going sun up to sun down. But with two large Crimsons in the Bowl about to come to blows, Emmeline shied back in the entrance to the Bowl from the kitchens. The steps and the rush of one Rider split her attention. A thrashing dragon, another Rider appearing.

"Get Vioth off him," Emmeline said sternly. The other Rider had appeared, one rather attractive B'vere, though he still had sauce on his face from lunch. He exhaled, drawing his features into an unsightly line. His eyes took on a glazy communicating look and his foot stomped on the ground a moment later.

It was just one dragon sprawled on the ground now. No injuries, at least physical ones. Oh, wait. What? The Rider was what the Crimson had been swiping at. Dreadful! As if Delgeth needed more sideways looks. "Excuse me," Emmeline said to B'vere, who in all likelihood was not listening.

"Hey! You alright there?!" Emmeline called, approaching slowly. Rioth, ask him.

That's not really proper, the Pink stalled. She'd been pulled into the event since Emmeline's dead stop in the doorway.

"Hey?!"

[Shoki]

[smear:c82009]Mine.[/smear:ffffff]

Hmm? F’mil didn’t look up from his hug.

[smear:c82009]There is someone calling you.[/smear:ffffff] F’mil paid no mind to the still irate tone of his dragon and turned to look at who called him. Ah, himm. She seemed worried.

What’d I miss?

[smear:c82009]She wants to know if you are okay.[/smear:ffffff] F’mil’s face smoothed over as he suppressed the urge to frown. Delgeth’s mood was still bad, and he didn’t really want to deal with a depressed dragon on top of it. Upbeat it was. He turned around, still leaning on his dragon. Delgeth was nice and warm, plus he could use the physical reassurance.

“Quite all right! Just a touch winded. It will pass.” F’mil gave a smile while he rubbed his dragon’s hide.

[smear:c82009]Stop being embarrassing. [/smear:ffffff]

Shan’t. You know you love it.

Delgeth turned his face to snort on his rider, the hot air making the man’s curly hair flop all over. The Crimson-White could be as prideful as any king, when it came to being treated like a puppy. But his Rider’s love and affection tethered his mood so well. He turned away when he was done, not interested in the looks of either humans or dragons in the Bowl. As long as Vioth stayed away, he could get back to being normal.

Relatively speaking.

[Kaya]

"Are you sure? You had quite the shake?" Emmeline further queried, approaching. Coralee would have a fit over her being this close to a moody dragon. She ventured closer. "Not bleeding, addled in the head?" she added, trying at humor. Her facial expression wouldn't change to match. It held in lines.

She got a good look at him now, Delgeth's imposing head moved a seemingly safer distance away. He seemed no worse for the wear. Probably for the better, being bonded to this particular beast. If he really was fine she ought to be getting to classes then.

[Shoki]

Delgeth might have turned away, but that didn’t mean his ears had stopped working. When the weyrling started talking, he was not trying to take the things she said as a personal jab, but his tail started to twitch dramatically. By the time she finished with the ‘addled head’ question it looked like a snake in death throws.

F’mil couldn’t quite read if the last comments were humor or no. The advantage was, his response to the comment, serious or no, was to return it with a light hearted jab.

“Depending on who you ask, the last one was already true. However, no injuries to report. Please don’t worry, I’m a trained Crimson rider, I know how to hug safely.”

Sore spot. Delgeth’s tail went strangely still.

Delgeth?

[smear:c82009]I am NOT repeating the Dullard.[/smear:ffffff]

F’mil turned back to his dragon and suppressed a sigh. The frown still made it through. He could guess that the argument was about being a real king or something of the like. Or a real Crimson, more likely. Plus if he’d made a jab about himself as well then, yeah this was fairly typical. He turned around, looking for a solution to keeping his mood up while Delgeth’s mood was still wavering precariously. He turned back to Weyrling. Ah!

“Could you, perhaps do me a favor? I can’t move, as such, for the moment. I need a book, from the records. Ask one of the scribes for one of my favorites, they know what I like. I would be most grateful if you did.” F’mil looked hopeful, still keeping his expression bright.

[Kaya]

It occurred quickly, but too late, to Emmeline that her words were irritating the young dragon. She couldn't quite tally up why, but it all had to be a misunderstanding, surely. Her eyes postured themselves into a sidelong glance, head tilting back, to one side, chin up. At least now that she had a decent view of the Rider she could see he was without gashes or lacerations. or scratches. Best be off to class then before the Crimson took further insult. She'd already given a half hearted laugh at the man's reply. She turned a half inch and turned right back when he spoke again.

"Uh, I-" she protested after his question, but he continued right on talking. This wasn't a person she needed favor with in the social rankings. She didn't owe him a single favor, insulted dragon or not. And she had class. "Well, you see, at this point I'm late to class already for my trouble.-" Perhaps better not to call this encounter trouble. Too late. "Fine." She briefly regarded her feet. "I'll be right back." And she turned right then and walked off before he could add more to it.

Once she was headed back into some tunnel, she had more room to think.

Why in Faranth's name'd you do that? protested Rioth. Now you'll be really late. And, she emphasized, you have to go back and be near that wrathsome Crimson again.

That's not a word, Rioth.

Wrathsome is so a word.

No. No, it's not.

Considering your view for a moment, that it may not be a word, it most certainly should be.

That still wouldn't make it a word.

Several lengths of tunnel later Emmeline arrived in the main records room. "Book for that irksome Crimson-White Rider," she requested to one of the men sorting through some texts. She held her hand out, frown on her face, not bothering to make eye contact.

"Oh, F'mil? Delgeth in a rage again?" he asked, glossing over her mood. He swept a pair of books up off of one shelf. "We set these out for F'mil to come pick up a couple days ago but he hasn't been in. Well, here you are. Tell the old man to come get them promptly next request, or at least choose a different weyrling."

Hmph. Emmeline took the books. "This wouldn't need to get back to Coralee, now, would it?"

Emmeline would have slammed the door in his face had there been a door to slam. She made it back to F'mil more quickly, reddened cheeks hurrying her step.

"Here!" She held out a book. The imposing size of Delgeth took the hot air out of her the next moment. "Here are the books you wanted, CrimsonRider, Sir." One day she'd not be a weyrling any longer. It couldn't come soon enough.

[Shoki]

F’mil’s light mood turned naturally to quizzical then his expression smoothed to neutral. Oh dear. He cleared his throat, about to speak when she was suddenly off. He deflated a little. Looks like he had bowled right over someone again. He did that from time to time.

Delgeth snorted, his head swinging back to his rider. [smear:c82009]Only sometimes?[/smear:ffffff]

Okay, almost always when it comes to topics I like. F’mil gave a sheepish smile before it melted back into a broad but calm one. He had to keep examining what he wanted to keep from his teaching as a Felgera and what to put aside.

It was a good distraction from Delgeth thinking of himself as a problem. Of course, he generally did whenever he almost hurt someone (or did) so it came back around eventually. The weyrling was quick in returning though, carrying her own little storm cloud. A book was pushed into his hands, and she sounded…perturbed. Her manner flipped faster than Delgeth’s tail though, and F’mil was having a difficult time thinking how to eloquently respond. He looked at the book for a moment. And the old enthusiasm boiled to the surface.

“My thanks. This is just the thing. Look Delgeth, Uncommon Maladies, your favorite.” F’mil showed the book and Delgeth rumbled. His eyes whirled still with orange and red but a tiny bit of green showed through.

[smear:c82009]I like that book as much as a knife in my hide.[/smear:ffffff] F’mil was a master of taking Delgeth’s verbal abuse in stride, so he just looked all the more pleased.

“Thank you, I really mean it. I beg you throw me in front of the raging dragon so to speak. As I am entirely to blame for being late to class, do tell them that F’mil and Delgeth delayed you. Unfortunately we are well known in that capacity.” He kept a cheery smile. “I’ll have to keep us Searching in the coming sevendays, I’m sure it will do everyone some good.” Out of everyone else’s hair for a bit, plus….

[smear:c82009]Searching? Now you have good ideas.[/smear:ffffff] Delgeth’s tail flicked about again, this time with more cheer. Best be away from Telgar when it was mad. Plus, minds delighted to become riders. Yes, perfect.

[Kaya]

Emmeline hadn't even bothered to see what books they had given her. Uncommon Maladies seemed like an odd choice for light reading. It certainly didn't seem to put Delgeth in any better of a mood. Though she assumed the book was for F'mil to pass the time.

"You've been thrown today already," she began to quip and muffled it into a mumble. Her composure went with her plans for being on time. Search sounded interesting, one of the ways to get out of the prying eyes of the Weyr for a moment, but she wasn't old enough. Or well, Rioth wasn't. Besides she could learn if Rioth had talent for that from some soul saner than this.

"We could all use some good," Emmeline agreed, trying to find the moment to excuse herself to class. "In any case, you are welcome Rider." Her mood lifted, though the possible glares walking in faltered her better expression. "I must be off to class. Enjoy the book." She waved and turned to go, closing the encounter.

You know, I think-

Rioth. I'd prefer a quiet walk. Please.

As you wish, Lady Fairgold.

Emmeline sighed.