A change of scenery [Open]

[Nick]

Draym sank to a chair in the little commons area of the Candidate Barracks, having just finished moving his stuff from the cooking staff's quarters to the Barracks.

"Ugh, that was a pain. I can't take too much more moving around." He sighed, seeming to talk to himself. The back of the chair concealed the gentle creature in his lap, chirping softly up at him.

His Fire-bird Labella snuggled with her Master, content just to lay there in his lap. As his hand slid through her fiery feathers, she lowered her heat just a bit to keep from injuring him. He smiled as he felt her cool a little and continued to stroke her plumage.


"Sometimes I wish you could talk Labella, but without you, it would be so much harder to settle into these new surroundings." He looked around the small sitting room and sighed, noticing that the fire in the fire place was a bit low. He carefully picked up Labella and cradled her in his arms as he walked to the fire and slid a couple more logs onto it, focused completely on his meager work.

Labella watched the flames dance and tilted her head, eying the fire almost hungrily.

Draym laughed as he noticed her intense gaze. "Pig, you've had your three hours today. Let it be for now and I'll make you a nice fire later." He straightened up at the fire and let Labella go as she spread her wings and flew the short distance to the back of the chair he had been occupying moments before.

[Fyre]

Veriem had to keep his head down, out of sight for at least some time. His foster mother had been looking for him around the weyr, as much as he had tried to tell her that he was a candidate now, and didn't need to run back to her at the days end. He didn't understand why she felt the need to be so protective. A sevenday ago, he had made her cry, screaming that she was not his mother, only to get her to leave him alone. Of course, he had regretted it, but it seemed that she was not letting that fact stop her from trying to find him.

One place Veriem had noticed she would not go though was the candidate barracks. He was safe there, at least until she sent in someone to bring him out. For now, him and Blaze were just going to have to stay there. Of course, it seemed killing time in the commons area wasn't his idea alone.

"I haven't seen you around before, who are you?" he asked, holding up his arm to allow Blaze to reach forward and investigate. The blue firelizard chirped and chattered pleasantly, very curious over the stranger. More specifically, if the stranger had treats.

[Nick]

A shrill, surprised hiss escaped Labella at the intruders. Not only was this boy new, but he had one of those lizard things that she wasn't allowed to eat. A reassuring hand patted her head and she calmed, a soft musical trill escaped her throat as she nuzzled her master's hand.

"Well hello there." Draym forced a soft smile to greet the boy, chuckling at the firelizard's curiosity. "Might want to tell your lizard to watch out, Labella shows interest in eating them for some reason even though I've told her they aren't for eating."

He continued to stroke Labella's soft, hot feathers. "I'm Draym, before I moved in here I was in the kitchens mostly. Cooking and cleaning up, not many people come around the work area of the kitchens, so I'm not surprised you haven't seen me before."

He extended a somewhat hesitant hand out to the little boy who he guessed to be somewhere around twelve turns. So young...I hope he doesn't get killed trying to Impress. Draym's mouth tweaked down into a frown at his own thoughts.

[Canaille]

The bronze firelizard just sort of appeared out of no where to settle himself in an empty chair. He peeked over the arm at the others, multi-faceted eyes swirling in a mix of blue and green. He gave a playfull chirrup and ducked back down, as if hiding.

Delysia came in only moments later, looking exasperated and tired. "Oh! I'm sorry. I'm just looking for someone," she said to the pair in the chair, as she began to lift up pillows and blankets matching the color of the chair in which the little bronze hid. "Zar, where are you. You little beast," she grumbled to herself. "Aha!" she cried as she found him curled in the chair.

He looked up at her and gave a happy creen as he arched his head out to her, and climbed onto the arm of the chair. Zar pushed his head against his mistress's hand, cooing as he did.

She slid her hand over his smooth head, before scooping him up in her arms and turning to look at the others. "I'm so sorry if we interrupted anything. It's a new game he's learned from the children."

[Fyre]

He responded with a toothy grin, shaking the older persons hand. He did take Drayms advice, shifting to cause Blaze to sit back on his shoulder, farther away from the so named lizard killer. "Thanks for the warning. Blaze here is too chubby to escape unless he went Between. I'm Veriem." he replied, glancing at the fire bird.

"She is very beautiful. You said her name is Labella? It is a pretty name. Aren't they hot though?" He was very curious about the creatures, having only seen them from a distance. They were interesting, though he was very happy with his little blue Blaze.

Releasing Drayms hand, he stepped back and found a place to sit. Unable to stay on his pets shoulder, Blaze moved down to curl up in Veriems lap, watching the fire bird intently. When the bronze entered the room, he chirped shrilly. He didn't mind his own kind, but bronzes tended to be bullies toward him.

[Nick]

Draym's eyes widened slightly as he listened to the kid, smiling as he dropped his hand to his side again. He was about to sit down when suddenly a little bronze fire-lizard flew into the room and darted for the chair near Draym, nestling into it. He couldn't help but laugh, cut short by the woman who came in after the little flitt.

Draym grinned as the girl fretted over finding her lizard, then looked up to notice she wasn't alone.

"You aren't interrupting anything cutey. May I ask your name?" Draym settled back down into his chair and suddenly had his lap full of his fire-bird, Labella. "Ugh, Labella! Warn me before you plop down on me like that."

He slid his fingers over her warmth and smiled, addressing himself to Veriem. "She adjusts her temperature for me Veriem, but the egg scarred me a bit, so did she when she came out." He pointed to the scars on his arm from Labella's talons and then showed the boy his diamond-shaped scar on his palm.

"Still wouldn't trade her for the world though." He smiled as he toyed with the bird's left wing, tracing the red markings on her prominently green plumage. As he payed attention to his pet, he directed his attention back to the girl in the room, a small smile on his face, his ice blue eyes inviting her to get closer to him.

[Canaille]

She settled on the arm of the chair, Zar practically purring in her arms as she stroked him. She raised a thin brow as she answerd, "Delysia, Journeywoman Beastmaster, and Wher candidate. And you are?" she was rather curt, though not rude. She stretched out her long legs and crossed them at the ankles.

Hums as he is stroked, almost singing. He sent images that to him meant love to his mistress. She always knew just how and where to pet and scratch. One wing drooped down lazily, his tail swishing side to side like a contented cat.

Her brown eyes drifted to the firebird, as though only just know seeing it for the first time. "Oh, she's pretty!"

[Fyre]

Veriem wrinkled his nose. He could never talk long to anyone it seemed before they lost interest. It was his luck his new found friend would eye up some girl. He understood why, but it was annoying either way. Looking down to a now fixated Blaze, who was not to thrilled to have a bronze about, he decided it was best to slink out now, before things got weird.

"Thanks for telling me." he said, getting up from his seat, letting Blaze climb back to his shoulder, and began heading off. He would go find somewhere else to hide.

[Nick]

Seeing that Veriem was about to head off, Draym gave the little guy a wave. "Don't be a stranger Veriem! You know where to find me!"

He smiled at the fleeting back of the boy and then returned his attention to the girl, Delysia. "Hmm...that's a pretty name you have. I'm Draym, cook and new dragon candidate." Draym shrugged and smiled at her.

Carefully, he took Labella into his hands and held her out a little. "She's nice if you wanna pet her, but be careful or she'll nip your lizard. She's curious about how they taste for some reason." He chuckled softly, shaking his head.

Labella cocked her head curiously at the girl and her tasty looking lizard, though this one was bigger than the other. Her sharp eyes traveled quickly over the girl and she chirped happily. Hers was a good one to pick out the pretty ladies, and Labella didn't mind at all.

Whether she liked to admit it or not, Labella herself preferred the female fire-birds to their male counterparts. She still enjoyed mating with either, but didn't too much enjoy the trouble of eggs to lay when she mated with a male.

She turned her head back to look at Draym and bobbed her head as though giving him the go ahead. She was protective of her master, and if she didn't approve..well she would claw the person trying to mate with hers.

[Canaille]

She looked over the firebird from where she sat. She was sure Zar could take care of himself, but she didn't want to chance him getting hurt, or herself getting burned. She was most definitely a pretty representative of her species to be sure. Delysia wondered if one day she'd be lucky enough to Impress one. She'd love to study a firebird closely, without risk of injury to herself.

Zar, who hadn't really been paying attention, heard the firebirds chirp, and careened his neck and answered. He then buried his head beneath a wing, nipping an an irritating itch.

"Hm. Perhaps sometime then when Zar isnt' here. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. He's a pretty friendly guy, but if irritated or angered, he can be quite mean and aggressive. So where did you come from? Or did you grow up here?"

[Nick]

Draym Laughed and winked at Delysia. "No need to worry about yourself, she'll keep her temp low because she loves being petted and having people pay attention to her."

Labella chirped and bobbed her head as if to confirm what her master was saying. She spread her wings, more to show off for the girl than anything else. Labella really did love attention....from anyone or anything.

Putting Labella back on his lap so he could stroke her plumage easier, Draym smiled over at Delysia. "I take it you like animals then? I don't think your fire-lizard would have any problem getting away from Labella though. She doesn't like to chase her food, not that she needs to eat anyway."

As he stroked his lovely fire-bird, she trilled and gave a soft purr. He felt her temperature rise softly, warming his lap and hands.

"Even though I joke about her eating fire-lizards, she really doesn't nip at the often. She's more likely to nip at you if you stop petting her without warning." He gave a soft chuckle.