Serious and Seriouser (Tags: Tyvaniel)

In her haste to come to White Lightning Weyr, she had never thought to consider the worst. Her father was dead and he died thinking she was ungrateful and even possibly cruel. Leaving as she had made her feel like the lowest person in the world. Especially considering she couldn’t be there for her father’s dragon when he was ill. She was supposed to heal dragons. She was supposed to be there for them when they were feeling their worst.

The heavy burden of internalizing her feelings was growing on her. She did not want to talk about her troubles with others because she knew many people had suffered worse than she had. All three of her rider siblings survived. Her mother and youngest sister were here with the rest of them now. She was actually going to be able to study the mutations in a new light. Maybe their biology had changed due to a virus. The same one that infected the other dragons and killed them?

There was a distinct possibility that their genome changed as a way to protect them. But did that mean they had already started being exposed when the first mutation happened. Were the dragons already being subjected to some organism that could not be seen by the human or even dragon eye?

She wandered down by the hunting grounds, thinking more than watching where she was going and subsequently tripping over her own feet a couple of times. The young teen was soon sitting beneath a shaded tree, looking out at the feeding dragons. One in particular caught her eye, so she pulled out her well-used journal and began to write. Most people probably couldn’t tell the difference between the two Shadow dragonets from a distance but being that she studied them, she quickly spotted that it was Aliseth. Of the two, she seemed a little more terrifying. Neither dragon seemed particularly nice. However, she wasn’t put off by their nature.

Now she could really see a marked difference in the growth between the shadows and smokes versus the other colors. Making notations in her hide-bound journal, she didn’t hear or see if anyone approach and wouldn’t have cared until said person stepped into her light. “Excuse me, you mind?” She said, indicating her writing but not standing up, nor even turning around to see who would be there.

Normally, Tyvaniel would have avoided an already-occupied space, especially when his intention had been to enjoy the fresh air and quiet (relatively speaking, given the proximity of the feeding grounds) and take a nap.  But he didn't see Kalabria in his favorite spot until it was too late.

"You're in my spot," he grumbled lowly, hoping it would be enough to get her to move.

Of course, he could have just walked away, could have gone to find another tree to rest under, but… this was his tree, and he really wanted to use it.

Being rather focused on what she was working on it took an extra moment for the words to sink in. She lifted her pencil from her journal and turned her head. Rather surprised to see someone who looked old enough to be adult about things. And his statement was the very opposite and possibly something she would have said...when she was five.

"Since it has your name on it." She said sarcastically. A girl of fourteen, sarcasm came easily, probably more so than she was willing to admit to. Kalabria had no wish to fight the man though.

"The lighting is, or was, better in this spot. You can always sit next to me." She patted the ground beside her. After all, she barely took up any space.

"Why would I do that?" he scowled, irritated that she wouldn't move.  Glancing around, he tried to figure out why she'd think the lighting was better right here when it was partially blocked by the tree-- the whole reason he wanted to use it for a place to nap.  "Wouldn't the lighting be better out there--," he threw his arm wide to gesture into the open space nearby, "you know, in the light?"

Of course, he was mostly used to the glow of the forges, or other fires.  They could be dim at times, they flickered, dancing over metal in a way that made him feel powerful and strong as he shaped it.  There were times he emerged back out into daylight only to find it too bright and almost painful.

Which is why he preferred the shade, especially when it came from this tree.  She didn't necessarily need it, when there was plenty of light elsewhere.  So she could move.

She raised an eyebrow at him then. Why wouldn't he do it? Why were men so stubborn all the time? Her father was like that too and her brother. The last thing she needed was to deal with another man who thought women had a place lower than them. Well she wasn't going to be bullied out of her spot by him.

"No. Actually, it would not be. Else I'd be there, not here. It is too bright out there, the sun reflects off the page making it impossible to see what I'm writing, which is actually important. Besides, I burn in the sun." She added with a huff, then looked back out. The dragon she had been watching was gone. She'd lost crucial moments of time.

"Come on." She complained, then jotted something down quickly in her note book. "Well if you aren't going to sit there, can you go away?" She said it without looking at him, engrossed as she was in what she was doing.

Important, huh?  Tyvaniel was skeptical that was the case.  What could a girl her age-- she was what, twelve?-- possibly be writing that would be in any way important?  It was probably just a recording of her day, or something else equally as silly.  A list of the boys she thought were cute, or of the names of her future children.  All that stupid stuff girls wrote about.

"There are other trees, for shade," he gestured towards another a ways down the fence that bordered the hunting area.  They weren't as wide, didn't provide the same area of shade as this one, but they'd be fine for her purposes.  "Why should I be the one to leave?"

"Indeed there are." Kalabria said, trying to indicate that he should go sit under one of them and stop bothering her. She was used to people leaving her alone when she was working on something. When he asked why he should be the one to move, her mouth twitched. Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn!

She wrote till she finished her sentence, then set her pencil down on the page where she had apparently made an expected growth chart. Tugging on his pant leg strong enough that if he didn't comply his pants mightbe forced down without him, "Sit down and stop whining."

Since he didn't ask about what she had been working on, she showed him. "The Shadow and Smoke dragons are growing at a different rate than other dragons. I am working on a chart that estimates when they will reach full growth."

Tyvaniel felt a momentary sense of triumph when she put the stylus down.  It meant she was going to get up and move, right?

But no.  Instead of watching her leave, he was left instinctively clutching at his trousers to make sure she didn't yank them out of place, stumbling a bit as he almost lost his balance.  "Hey!"  Who did that?  Pulled someone down by their pants?

And he wasn't whining, he thought with a huff as he plopped down on the ground.  Irritated, he lifted up and grabbed the rock that dug into his behind when he hit the dirt and threw it far off to the side.  (He'd half a mind to throw it at the girl nearby, but he wasn't quite that mean.)

Deciding he would just ignore her, he wasn't prepared for her to pick up the hidebound journal she'd been working in and hold it out so he could see.  His brow furrowed as he glanced at the lines and numbers, his brain a bit slower to put the patterns together.  He dealt with metal and fire, not numbers.  

But despite his frustration with her, he had to admit he was surprised to see she wasn't writing the girly stuff he'd believed it would be earlier.  "What, you think you're a dragonhealer or something?" he questioned, his tone a little mocking, though curiosity was getting the better of him.  "How do you know how big they are?"

She shook her head and sighed. Why were men such babies? Really? Kalabria fought the urge to roll her eyes at him when he finally spoke. "Actually. I am." She said, "I have been for the past couple of Turns. I may only be an apprentice but I'm one of the few dragonhealers this Weyr has." Not to mention she was actually quite dedicated and talented, despite being so young. Then again, the Weyrleaders here weren't all that much older than she, five or six Turns really didn't seem like much to her.

"I estimated, based on the average size of the other dragons... granted some of the newer colors seem a bit longer. Still, the growth rate of the shadows and smokes is far beyond that of their clutchmates." She paused. She didn't know much about them yet but she wanted to learn more.

"It's pretty amazing. I mean if dragons can start growing at a faster rate, then there will be more mature sooner. It will be revolutionary, having them be ready to fly Thread faster than before. More Queens and Queens that reach maturity in like half the time of a Gold, would mean more dragonets, sooner and who knows how many clutches they can produce in one Turn during a Pass."

It wasn't the answer he'd been expecting, that she actually was a dragon healer of sorts.  Especially when she said she'd been one for a couple of Turns-- he wasn't entirely sure how that could be possible, unless she was some sort of genius and started early.  If they even did that?

Shoving those thoughts aside, Tyvaniel tried to follow the rest of what she was saying.  She spoke so quickly, her leaps of logic almost made his head spin.  Not that he really cared where she was going with all of this.  Shrugging, he said, "So?" and leaned back on his hands.

"So, faster rising, means more eggs, means more dragons, means more protection for everyone. And for Candidates, more opportunities to Impress." Whether or not that did anything for him was up in the air. He seemed a rather miserable sort.

"This is a great spot for me to observe the dragons from afar. The view is perfect." She added. "As much as you might not want to share it, I'm not moving till I am done."

Though he gave little outward sign of it, Ty's brain did catch on the thought of more opportunities to Impress.  Mostly because of the time he'd spent not able to Stand-- those in charge had taken precious Turns from him for his behavior, and now, if there were more clutches…

Then again, his older brother surely deserved to Impress first, for as long as he'd been waiting.  Selfish as it was for Tyvaniel to want to find a lifemate no matter if Kezariel was left Standing alone as a result, there were times he greatly envied R'fariel.  And others when he was entirely content with his lot here with the smugglers, helping the pseudo-smith with whatever repair or creation he needed finished.  If a dragon found him… well, it would just mean that all those who said he was too much trouble were wrong, wouldn't it?

Disrupted from his musings, though, Tyvaniel frowned at the girl again, annoyed that she was still insisting on her right to his spot.  "Just this once," he told her, hoping she'd take the hint and not use it again in the future.

I won. She didn't say but a small smile might have played across her face then. Kalabria considered herself to be fairly rational. She was at least using this spot for something useful, rather than simply a nice place to relax.

"What brings out here anyway?"

"The shade, obviously," Ty replied sarcastically, though with little real heat behind the words.  A moment passed in silence before he finally elaborated, "It's quieter and cooler out here."

He shifted, leaning back against the trunk of the tree and making himself a little more comfortable.  Maybe if he closed his eyes, she'd stop asking him questions?

Rolling her eyes she did her best to ignore his sarcasm. When he finally came to it being quieter and cooler, she simply nodded. It was quiet here and she was more than happy to sit there and write things about dragon healing she had questions about in her journal. There was a lot to learn though she wanted to progress quickly, she knew a person could only absorb so much information in one day. Mental breaks were a necessary part of life.

After all their arguing though, she had to leave and almost felt bad about giving up her spot to such a grump. "I have to go. Have a good nap in the shade and quiet Ty." She said shortening his name without actually being on any sort of friend or nickname basis. It really wasn't her fault that Weyrfolk seemed to give their children impossibly long names that must be shortened.

While she had spoke to him she had closed her journal and tucked her quill in it's case before standing up and brushing the dirt and grass off of her behind. Kalabria wasn't going to walk around with grass on her butt if she could help it. She didn't wait to listen for a reply as she figured he was happy to have his spot all to himself again. Still she rather thought they could be friends, maybe.

Frowning at the shortening of his name, Tyvaniel opened his eyes.  He then blinked in surprise a couple of times as he realized she was actually leaving.  "Oh.  Uh…"  Not that she was paying attention to his grumbling.  "Bye?"

After she'd put up such a fuss about sharing the spot, she was going, anyway?  It made no sense to him.

Girls.  Did they ever make sense?