Waiting for Midnight (Turn-over Eve)

[Shoki]

[Kaya edit: I declare thee Turnover party, an Event!]

A new turn was rapidly approaching. Another turn gone, but Kyuuki was more wistful then sad this time. Most of the treatments had been going well and she had some new folk to spend time with. So she was hosting a little gathering for some of her new acquaintances, and some of the old ones. She had finished the cleaning and setting out of food a while ago, mostly just snacks and such. Vallesh has been sitting in her spot, preening around Lantern. The flame flitter loved sitting on the large white lifewing, and unless he made lots of trouble, she never minded him.

Kyuuki couldn't help but look down on her clasped hands as she sat. Oh she was excited and all but she did so hate the waiting. Vallesh had already told her to not 'hum' tonight but it wouldn't be any use. Still, the old woman would have fun, even if she would never break away from long held habits. It was just a privilege to have friends want to come over and celebrate a successful turn gone by. Still, she could only offer a room, some food and a decent place to watch the stars fall. She got up to look outside and looked at the sky. Nothing yet, but perhaps more then one light display would be seen in this cold night. It could happen, an Aurora on Turn-over Eve. She had loved the first time she had saw one, staying up late into the night in the hopes of it for weeks. And there it had been. Vallesh had said it first, what the 'Wings had said of it. Even though they had been so long they had called the aurora's lights The Great Thief. Apparently in between the time that the Deathwings forgot the heritage, they still remembered that once upon a time they had been of all sorts of colors. So they imaged the aurora was the deathwing that stole their colors, coming out during the night to gloat to the rest. Occasionally they called the different colors Theif's children, but it was still an interesting tale.

Kyuuki rather liked the Dragon version better. Instead of being a Deathwing the colors were a scroll, written in color, displayed in the sky for ISW and her Ice Leaders. A message from other dragons far away. She had asked some of the riderless Dragons and they had all given different answers on what the message was. Some had said that it was a thank you to them, keeping Pern safe all those turns. Others claimed that it was a message from the founders of the Weyr, telling secrets long forgotten. There had been one dragon though, a Midnight who had looked at her knowingly and spoken to her words she would not forget.

Well, I never thought any of the given answers were right, and now I know they weren't. After all, its obvious now isn't it? It wasn't telling of the present or the past. It was a foretelling. Always has been. It was just impossible to see it until you look back. Those lights in the sky told us that rainbow colors would come and it would break the darkness we guard against. You see? That we and Rainbow Mists would banish the Deathwings to stories. Now you can see it worked, the bird at your side is a white and snowy creature and we no longer fear letting the black spread across Pern.

It had been her favorite interpretation of the Dragons. Still as Kyuuki looked outside, she saw no lights yet. No dragon spirits, no long lost messages, no color thief. It was just a sky, one she had looked at a thousand times before, one she would not get tired of any time soon.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

“Rroooo”

Rallin paused in his dressing to glance over at Rallisk. The massive Black wher was nosing the door, her nostrils widened to catch a hidden scent. Rallin grinned, pulled on his black shirt, and opened the door. Sure enough, Gillian, Aurelav, and Neemora were there, along with Ayasha and T’ruk. Rallin shook his head. It was still hard to imagine the change that had occurred in T’ruk since he’d come to the Weyr, and trying to wrap his mind around the idea that the little boy had Impressed, and to a Silverlight, a male Silverlight, at that!

“What kept you?” Gillian asked, grinning broadly at the older man.

Rallin smiled back. “Your ridiculous suggestion of what to wear, primarily,” he retorted. Sure enough, Rallin was decked out in finery that, ordinarily, he might have touched… with a stick as long as Rallisk. He was wearing solid black trousers, solid black shirt, and a jacket that was primarily black, but had swirls of light-blue and light-green across the chest, arms, and back.

Gillian had obviously attended to all of the fashions of those present, for Aurelav, Neemora, and Ayasha were all dressed in like attire to Rallin. Gillian was wearing an outfit that was inverse to the others, primarily pastels with swirls of black. He’d probably worn the outfit to make T’ruk feel more relaxed, for the boy’s clothes were made up principally of more vibrant shades of green and blue, with black swirls and geometric patterns.

“We’re ready to go, then?” Aurelav asked, pretending to ignore the banter between his two friends. Heads nodded all around, and the little group set off, Rallisk trailing behind them.

By some unspoken consent, when they reached Kyuuki’s room, it somehow ended up that T’ruk was the only one close enough to knock. The boy gave everyone else a look approaching exaspiration, which only served to make them happier, since a few months ago he wouldn’t have dared to look at anyone like that, and knocked.

“Kyuuki,” he called tentatively, stepping back from the door.

[Shoki]

Kyuuki's gray eyes flickered to the door when she heard a knock and T'ruk's voice. A smile spread over her face and she went to the door and opened it. She looked around for a moment, seeing that he wasn't alone, it looked like she had quite a group at her door. It just made her more pleased. She smiled at everyone and stepped to the side as she opened the door even more.

"Good evening everyone. Come on in." Behind her Lantern trilled a greeting and Vallesh gave one of her quieter trumpet calls. Kyuuki was looking at the clothes of everyone present, which differed from her own greatly. She had always liked clothes without much color, and when she was younger, clothes that covered her up so they didn't notice her strange hair and skin color. So a white and gray outfit was right up her alley. The most color was on her gray skirt, which featured some navy detailing. So her brightly colored friends were something that amused her.

"You all certainly look dapper."

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

T’ruk bounced through the door, looking around at everything with equal curiosity. The party earlier, with all the Weyrlings (and quite a few additional people as well) had served an excellent purpose as a spirit booster, so he was probably going to act almost like a normal 13 Turn old for the duration. He also liked hanging out Kyuuki and Rallin and Gillian and Ayasha and Ayasha’s parents; he knew they weren’t going to get mad if he nosed around and said hello to Vallesh, which he was proceeding to do at that very moment.

Meanwhile, T’ruk’s two flitts were over chirping a hello to Lantern. They were appologizing as well, for Azeriuth had been exhausted and fallen asleep with Sinok, so they could not introduce their brightly colored friend to the large-cousin-Silverlight, nor could they all use the canine as a blanket. Rallisk was there though, perhaps Rallisk would work.

Chirping, Atanek led the way to Rallisk, upon whose nose he promptly landed, still chirping.

With what sounded very much like a human sigh, Rallisk settled down, laying in a half circle that made her the perfect couch. The Guyaky and Atanek immediately settled down, basking in their Rallisk-bed.

“Nice set-up you’ve got going,” Rallin commented to Kyuuki, looking around the room. It truly was a nice set-up, they could even see the sky, although it wasn’t pulling any of its color-shows yet.

[Shoki]

Kyuuki watched as T'ruk bounced through her door, something she was glad he did. He certainly had improved over when she first met him. Vallesh was delighted to see T'ruk and quite promptly set about her usual brand of mothering. That is, attempting to give the Weyrling a hug. She could actually manage it better then some Lifewings, as her long neck could sort of manage a half hug. So she moved her head around the boy and leaned up against him to mimic a squeeze.

How are you this lovely evening T'ruk? The Lifewing released him from the sort-of-hug after a moment so she could properly see and speak with the boy.

Lantern chittered back his disappointment but was quite interested in attempting to use Rallisk as a resting place. The Flame flitter followed the Crimson and Aurora to the Black Wher, who had flopped down and was making a perfect place to sit on. Lantern hopped over to rest and was very pleased to have found such a nice place to relax. He chirped once to the Wher as a thank you and then settled in.

"Ah, thanks Rallin. I did try to make it nice." She smiled a little and looked around a bit before clasping her hands together suddenly. "Oh, everyone do have some snacks. I, uh, don't need leftovers." She smiled a little bit at her facetious remark, but got a look from Vallesh. Yep, she couldn't stop the 'uh' and 'um's.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

T’ruk wrapped his arms, gently, around Vallesh’s neck, hugging the LifeWing in return. “I’m doing well,” he responded. “What of yourself?” His wording was a bit on the formal side, which was likely due to Gillian, who spoke that way all the time unless he absolutely could not for some reason.

Speaking of Gillian, the Harper was setting up, co-opting a rather squishy comfortable cushion for the purpose. He had brought several instruments along — what Harper wouldn’t have? — and was quietly tuning his guitar, having already double-checked the tuning of the little flute. He glanced over at Vallesh, grinning in a open, childish fashion. He was hoping that Vallesh would join him in one of the songs he’d written; he’d left space for the LifeWing’s honking calls in several places.

Rallisk watched as the Lantern joined the other two, then made another sigh-like sound and laid her head down. She rumbled slightly on exhalation, but Guyaky and Atanek informed Lantern, with another series of chirps, that such rumbling was quite usual, and led to nothing.

“Don’t say that too loudly,” Neemora commented with a broad smile, in response to Kyuuki’s statement that she didn’t need leftovers. “T’ruk’s still trying to catch up on food, and his growth spurt isn’t helping. He will single-handedly demolish anything that isn’t eaten by someone else.”

“Or rather, he’ll wait until someone else takes some of it, so he knows it’s ok to eat it, and then he’ll demolish it,” Ayasha added in response to her mother. The comment had no sting, more an elder sister’s startled observation of a younger brother’s suddenly appearing ability to inhale food without question, then emerge taller with each passing day.

“And what T’ruk doesn’t eat, Gillian will,” Rallin and Aurelav added simultaneously.

Gillian, bowing his head over the guitar to hide his smile, pretended to ignore the others.

[Shoki]

I am just lovely. It seems as though it will be a perfect night for a party. Vallesh ruffled her feathers a bit, keeping one eye on the night sky outside. Oh it shouldn't be too much longer, she hoped. So tell me how have you been getting along with Azeriuth? The Lifewing looked up briefly, spying the eager harper tuning his instruments. Gillian was always up for some music, not that it was surprising.

Planning a performance Gillian? Obviously he was, but Vallesh was being cheeky.

Lantern was a little startled by the Wher's rumbling, but as the other two had pointed out, it wasn't bad. The-big-black-scaled-one wasn't as furry as the smaller one, but she was nice to rest on, and certainly had her share of warmth.

Kyuuki laughed quietly at the tag team observation at her guests, a lovely quiet laugh. She so did love having people with whom she could joke and have fun. In her younger days she likely would have left the amusing conversation to others, but now she wasn't about to let a fair joke escape her.

"Oh well in that case I will just have to encourage them both. After all, if I'm not spoiling someone I'm just not doing my job." The white haired woman may not have ever got the chance to be a grandmother, but she certainly wasn't going to be missing out on her chance to act like one. A smile was firmly cemented on her face, as she certainly was pleased.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

“Really well,” T’ruk replied, his face split by a massive grin. “He’s asleep right now, he asked me to wake him up when the sky-show starts.” He wasn’t really paying attention to what the adults were saying, just focusing enough to distinguish the tone, bantering, and any hint of his name, of which there had been none so far. Glancing at the adults out of the corner of his eye, he surreptitiously edged towards some of the food. He’d eaten at the earlier party, but, rather like his dragonet, he was at a stage of near constant hunger.

“But of course I am,” Gillian commented to Vallesh. “After all, I am a Harper, performances are a requirement. I was hoping you’d join me in a couple of the songs.” He bowed over his guitar to the LifeWing, grinning.

“So, do you think that there will be both an aurora and a meteor shower?” Rallin asked Kyuuki quietly, carefully not looking at T’ruk as the boy edged closer to the food.

Ayasha slipped over and picked up some stuff to chew on, then glided around the room, inspecting various seating areas for their view of the sky. It wasn’t that she wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, rather that she felt little need to join it of yet.

Someone else having obtained food, T’ruk divined that it was ok to do so, and immediately snagged a couple handfuls and returned to Vallesh, his Rallisk-couch having been usurped by the flitts.

Having finished tuning, Gillian immediately started playing, a humorous song he’d dubbed March of the LifeWing. It had plenty of room for Vallesh to join in, especially on the chorus. “Come on Vallesh, you’re the announcer, honk!” Gillian called, grinning as he dived into the second verse.

T'ruk was bobbing his head side to side with the beat. He really liked the song, which showed in his still-present smile.

[Shoki]

Ah, yes. Wouldn't want him to miss the show at his first turnover eve. Vallesh had seen this plenty, but it was a great show, she could hardly forget the first time she and Kyuuki had seen it. She didn't have time to think about that much, she was distracted with the harper.

I suppose that I might willing to help. Vallesh got a touch closer, not noticing T'ruk running off to look at the snacks. She settled herself into the spot, her feet no longer showing.

The edges of Kyuuki's lips turned up into a smile as Rallin spoke, taking the time to look at the night sky outside. "I think we will be that lucky. It's hard to tell of course, but I guess it just feels like it." The woman's gray eyes peered at the sky again, before turning to smile back at Rallin. "Still, you can, uh, never tell." Her gaze shifted to Gillian, who had started his performance.

Vallesh listened to the song with no small amount of joy, as Lifewings loved music. She waited until she was bid to join in and then she made her call. Kyuuki looked a little sheepish when she was younger and this happened. Vallesh had a loud brassy honk, something that could be heard quite easily, unlike Kyuuki's voice. It was very musical in its own way, so it fit perfectly for what the harper wanted. So the announcer Vallesh was quite clearly heard.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

T’ruk wasn’t the only one to bob his head in time to the music; over perched on Rallisk, Guyaky and Atanek had started up their own unique form of head, or rather body , bobbing. Specifically, the firelizards had sat up and, wings spread for balance, were rocking their entire frames from side to side. To a casual observer, it seemed to be synchronized by some unknown factor, but if one looked closely, one could see that Guyaky was in fact conducting the motion by means of tapping the younger Atanek on the back with his tail right before it was time for them to change direction.

Vallesh’s brassy honking announcement rang out, perfectly placed, and the two firelizards shot up into the air. They circled out, looping around Vallesh’s neck like a firelizard necklace before returning to rest on Rallisk.

T’ruk caught Gillian’s eye and grinned. They’d spent most of the past sevenday planning that move and teaching it to the firelizards. They had another surprise, one that was the direct result of a long-ago bet between Rallin and Gillian, regarding Rallisk, but that would have to wait until later in the song.

“On the da capo,” Gillian mouthed during the next instrumental bridge, grinning back. He hoped this was going to work, because it was going to be amazing if it did. In the meantime… he modulated the song slightly, and cued Vallesh to enter again.

“If I had to take a guess, I’d agree with you,” Rallin replied. He flicked his gaze between Gillian and T’ruk. They had planned something, he knew that, but he hadn’t been able to discover the plan.

“You should dance to it for the repetition,” T’ruk whispered to Vallesh. He’d heard that LifeWings danced, but he’d never seen them doing it. From the way the adults kept looking at the sky, he knew they expected something, but he couldn’t think of what. By this time at night, he’d always been either asleep, if he was lucky, or working at tasks inside the Hold, if he wasn’t lucky.

The song slowed. Gillian started tapping his feet on the floor, setting up a beat. “I’ll be repeating this one,” he said “in honor of a bet I once made with a friend.” He smiled at Rallin, who responded with a puzzled expression. He’s made several joking bets with the younger Harper, so he didn’t know to which one the other man was referring.

“Lead us in Vallesh!” he called to the LifeWing, increasing the speed with which his feet struck the ground, so that he was essentially producing the same effect as a drum roll.

T’ruk waited for the firelizards to take to the air once more, than looked at Rallisk and raised both arms into the air, clasping his hands together over his head.

Rallisk looked at him for a long second, then stood and started moving her feet, making the motion quicker and quicker until she was matching the beat that Gillian had set out.

Rallin’s jaw dropped. “You taught her to dance!” he exclaimed, startled. He’d never have thought that Gillian would win over the normally solemn Rallisk to dancing.