Blackrock Weyr

[Seraph]

T'balt was grateful that there was at least enough fuel to last out the winter, crouched by the fire roaring in the grate to one side of the kitchens. He cradled a piping hot mug of sweet klah in his hands, and relaxed, bone tired. He was young, but the last few months had taken their toll on everyone, no matter their age: T'balt still had recollections of being delirious with fever, fortunate enough to be one of the few that shook it off. Only a few weyrlings had escaped that particular fate, and he was always thankful that he had been one of them. Even the thought of that time was enough to set Aurykoth crooning outside, her mind brushing his reassuringly.

"It's alright, Aury, ah?" The young man smiled slightly, and hunkered down into his fur jacket, revelling in the warmth. It was stupidly cold, and would be for another month. Then a week of rains and storms, and then, hopefully, the thaw and the sunshine that came with it. His smile widened a bit at the thought of spring flowers, and he took a sip of klah. It was woodier in the wintertime from age, not nearly as fresh as he was used to. The warm summers of the coast seemed very far away...he had grown up barefoot, but now, he had to wear heavy boots all the time. Aury and K'thal, and his friends, made it worth it. It was tempting to get on his dragon, fly between, and go and see if the weather up the coast was any better. He quirked his lip at the thought of trying to convince K'thal, or any of the other older dragonriders he was friends with, to go to the beach to build a fire, sing and dance for a while to regain their spirits, then come back before the hatching was due.

[JadeFallon]

K'thal stepped into the kitchen, bundled up like most others were this winter. He had come from a warmer southern hold and was used to a smithy's heat so he tended to be a bit more bundled up than most. He pulled his hood back and ran a hand back over his head, the smell of food was too potent of a lure for the man to resist and he entered further into the kitchens. Seeing an all to recognizable head by the hearth he made his way over a smirk tugging at his otherwise serious face. He rested a gloved hand down on the young man's shoulder, his fingers squeezing. "Room enough by the hearth for more than one?" He asked as he poured himself a mug of the klah.

[Seraph]

T'balt looked up, and his face shifted from quietly thoughtful to immediately pleased, lighting up. He nodded, and shifted over so that the larger man would have enough room in front of the hearth. "Good morning." There was a soft note to his voice, fond, and he leant his head back briefly against the hand on his shoulder before sipping at his own steaming cup. "That should still be hot, and good, ah? Did you sleep well?"

[JadeFallon]

He relished the warmth of the hearth and had to smirk, "As well as one can in this frozen place." He looked down at him and his hand lifted a bit to run a thumb along his cheek, his hand still in the riding leathers gloves. He sighed and looked back at the fire sipping his drink. "And you?"

[Seraph]

"I am alright." T'balt made a graceful motion from the neck up, his equivilant to a shrug, and smiled at the small gesture from him, bumping his hand affectionately. "I have been feeling odd, though...I cannot concentrate on anything. And we have been eating a lot again. Aury has been a little blurry, for some reason." He pulled a knee up to his chest, the other folded underneath him. "Are you feeling well? I have wondered how your threadscore has been...I am still angry that we could not fly the last fall at all."

"Nimmath is here." Aurykoth sounded pleased, outside, and went over to the much larger bronze, leaning up to touch her snout to his before arching against his side, the usually introspective, aloof green being somewhat more affectionate than usual.

[JadeFallon]

"I am better than most" K'thal replied rubbing his arm in thought. "The healer here is good and knows his craft well, I do not have any complaints." Save the fact I cannot enjoy you. He shook his head and frowned at his moment of selfishness. "Aury is maturing. With the blurry feeling it could be anything, keep an eye on her." Privately he added up the months, she'd be flying to mate soon. He looked uncomfortable for a moment before shrugging, "Let me know if anything else is odd."

Nimmath slid his larger head along her more delicate one, rumbling a greeting at her. He wasn't completely sure why he felt more inclined to be with her verses other dragons, but something just felt right about it to the large bronze. As she arched against his side his nostrels flaired briefly and an idea entered the stoic yet crafty beast. With a soft humm he slid his head allong her neck, there was no other females to fly soon, and K'thal liked her T'balt. Nimmath decided he would catch this green when she rose.

K'thal coughed suddenly and found his klah interesting, Nimmath had taken a very interesting turn of thought about the little green and K'thal had to wonder exactly what the bronze was planning, "Aparently she is due to fly soon" He kept his tone dry as he sipped at his drink again, his hand squeesing a bit more posessivly on T'balt's shoulder, "Nimmath has aparently decided she is worth catching...."

[Seraph]

"He is so confident then?" T'balt grinned widely, a crafty expression passing over his face. "I know she likes him a lot." He spoke the last part more softly, remembering that K'thal didn't generally like to be overheard talking about such things at all, and reached up to fiddle with the ring in his lip: he had taken that after his impression, for Aurykoth. "If she is old enough now, though...?"

[JadeFallon]

He leaned over to T'balt's height his eyes filled with worry. "She will be when she flys, I can promise you that." He seemed a little distracted though even as he talked about the dragon. In a rare moment for him he took off his glove and slid a hand along T'balt's cheek again, "It has not been that long since you were ill." His heart clenched briefly at the idea that the unnatural red head could have had the fate of so many others. "You are alright, yes?" He had seen other riders get better only to fall to it again, and though there wasn't a case of it in the Weyr for some time, the speed at which people caught it had left a very painful memory in the bronze rider.

Nimmath, reacting to his rider's emotions extended a wing in an odd gesture, as if shielding the green from something.

[Seraph]

"Ah." T'balt flushed slightly, pleased at the feel of his fingers on his cheek, and his eyes softened a little. "I have not been ill since...not even sniffles, since I left the festhall hospital that time." He reached up, and rested his hand over K'thal's, keeping it in place there. "I have been seeing the healer every week, like he asked me to. He is happy that I am over it, like the Harper is."

Outside, Aurykoth was quite content to crouch under Nimmath's wing, her eyes half-closing. T'balt was pleased at her contentment, and let K'thal's hand go, standing up and dusting himself off. He shifted his jacket on his shoulders. "Maybe we can take some food to your weyr, ah? You are staying in the low one, still?" He looked up at him, a plan beginning to form in his mind. If Aury was beginning to think of such things, then surely it would be alright, finally...it had been a long turn, and he didn't want to leave K'thal with that look in his eyes. "We can walk together...I think that I want to keep your company, today."

[JadeFallon]

K'thal nodded, "I would enjoy having you there. You know you and Aurykoth are always welcome. He said, seeming either to not be thinking along the same lines, or just not caring who hears at this point, more than likely the latter. "I will retrieve a couple of bowls of stew. Could you grab the klah then?" He asked, pulling his hand away from his cheek with a reluctance that bordered on even more strange for the normally stoic rider.

[Seraph]

The younger man nodded, and tucked his long braid back into his hood, curling the thin hair so that it would fit before pulling his hood up. He went and had the pitcher refilled, and warmed his hands on it, going ahead to the entrance outside to look over at the dragons. The sight of them warming each other in the winter cold made him smile. "Aury, we are going to K'thal's weyr for the day. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes." Aurykoth sounded entirely smug, and looked over at him with purple-tinged eyes, flicking her tail back and forth. "I think it will be very good for you. I am sorry you have had to wait for me."

"You are worth it, love, ah?" T'balt grinned, and looked over his shoulder for K'thal, some of the old light coming back to his eyes. "But I am glad you are grown.

[JadeFallon]

K'thal joined him shortly a large bowl that had been covered and smelled divinely of hot, rich, thick stew. He paused and had to chuckle as Nimmath unfolded his wing from around the green and nuzzled her head again before moving back. "Come on you great bronze flirter" He chuckled and made his way back to the junior queens weyr that he had taken over.

Nimmath rumbled at Aurykoth again The weyr is warm, little one. he said before he turned to follow K'thal towards the weyr.

"Not a bloody word" He growled up at Nimmath, half joking, "Not a word about it while you're off trying to get a head start on the others."

Can you blame me, mine? the bronze replied, humor, for once, in his tone.

[Seraph]

"He likes me." Aurykoth continued to radiate satisfied smugness, and walked gracefully behind her rider as he bit his lip to stop from laughing out loud. "Nimmath's chosen likes you very much."

"I know." T'balt's thoughts sounded a little smug to himself, and he bumped Aury's flank affectionately as they walked: her hide was warm, and he found himself feeling more and more content as they made their way over to the junior queen weyrs.

"I approve of him." The green rumbled, and nudged T'balt towards the door with her snout before fluttering up to the dragon's sleeping place, following Nimmath.

"Thank you, m'lady." The youth's mental tone was wry, and he shook his head, grinning at her imperious tone. "Dragons, ah? They are silly things."

[morriganscrow]

As the two dragonriders left the kitchen, a tall, pale girl slipped in. She smiled as she checked the stew. They had taken a goodly serving, and that pleased her, T'balt and K'thal being two on her very short list of tolerable riders.
Most were, in her opinion, either rude, intolerant, or, like the Weyrleader M'ler, downright creepy. He reminded her all too much of her father.
With the speed born of much practice, Sylph gathered up her baking supplies, and began to make bread for that night's dinner. With any luck, Goren would be in the mood to sing....