[FEAST] Turf Wars

[Jabberwoky]

After food for the hatchlings and some time to rest from the heat, the night has come with a feast! Injuries bandaged up, it's time to meet Semaca's new Weyrlings!

[Ezra]

Weyrling A'del of Garnet Olturath - Open

A'del normally wore dresses of simple browns and the occasional pale blue. But tonight, she was pulling out her prettiest dress, a pale rose hued gown that D'vir had helped her pick out several years ago. Thankfully when she put it on, it still fit, even after all this time. Her hair was tied up into a bun and she found a strip of ribbon that was nearly a match for her dragon's pale violet hide and used that to secure her updo. Smiling as she felt the prettiest she ever had, she turned back towards her dragon, who since hatching, refused to let her out of her sight, even when A'del was bathing herself after they finished the first lesson and bathing of her hatchling. She was careful to wash her hands after bathing her dragon, assuring her it was just because of the egg goop and not anything the dragon had done wrong.

She noticed that Olturath also did not like anyone else coming near them until A'del could assure her that it was safe, hissing and puffing out her wings, even at the weyrling masters while they were observing the first lesson. She understood why her dragon was so apprehensive though and if anyone dared say anything untoward about it, A'del would have some very choice words in return.

Finishing getting ready, she turned to her dragon. " Olturath, we have a feast to go to, to celebrate you and your clutch mates hatching and impressing. I know you probably would rather not be around others right now, but we just have to make an appearance, speak with a few people then if you are not feeling comfortable, we can come back to our room and relax the rest of the evening. I won't ask any more than just a little bit of socializing of you." She said softly, reaching out to run her hand soothingly over her dragon's back.

Something akin to a warbled sigh was the response then her dragon spoke to her. " I don't like this but.. you are going.. then I want to be where you are. I don't like not being able to see you." She replied and the response was A'del sitting down on the bed and beckoning the dragon to her lap to just sit in a comfortable silence for a few moments. " I promise, I will not venture away from you. Where I am, you will be." She responded and that seemed to be enough for the garnet for now and she hopped off her rider's lap and padded towards the door.

" Let us get to this.. feast." Olturath replied and A'del smiled and picked her up, the dragon resting her head over her rider's shoulder, the proximity of her rider soothing her worries.. for now at least. Arriving inside, she found a nice place to sit down and let her dragon rest beside her, placing her down on the floor and smiled affectionately when the pale violet head filled her lap. She then started looking around to see if she could see her friends.

[nineofswords]

H'tep of Croppa Zyadreth - Open, Settalyth

The first few candlemarks of their time together were...difficult. To say the least. Feeding his new bond went relatively smoothly, and H'tep had no issues with her bossing the other weyrlings around and even threatening them. Demanding that he pick and choose only the best cuts that were left had been irksome and time-consuming, but if it was how she'd be willing to eat, he would put up with it. While she was content to let him wait on her hand and foot when it came to feeding, he could tell she would've been far more content hunting and killing her prey herself. These would be some long months before she was ready for that, though.

Similarly, she was more than happy to be doted on for her first bathing and oiling. She was exacting, and did not allow for any arguments when she demanded he go over a spot again. It took quite a while until she was satisfied with his work, especially since she was the second largest hatchling of the clutch, so there was just physically more of her he had to scrub and polish to perfection. And while that had been time-consuming and a touch tedious, that had not been the problem either.

The problem had come when it came time for H'tep to get patched up. Even with numbweed, she had roared and tried to lash out at anyone who'd come close, feeling his pain as her own and finding it intolerable, understanding that this was to help him but wanting to lash out regardless, to rip and tear and rend anything and everything that caused him the slightest pain. And not just because she could feel it, either, H'tep had realized with some surprise. Some of the healers' adult dragons had had to corral her until H'tep was tended to, and she was still snarling and spitting insults as he all but dragged her back to their new quarters to get ready for the feast.

Settalyth will pay for what he has done to MY rider, she snarled, pacing in their new space angrily. He would never have dared had I been out of my egg first, but my presence should not have been required to deter such a dire mistake.

H'tep slowly changed into his better looking clothes - the kind that was loose-fitting and semi-sheer and thus utterly useless for hard work, but somehow were still more expensive than every other item of clothing he had combined - careful of the bandages wrapped around his torso. "It'll heal," he said. "I would've risked worse to bond to you. I don't need my honor defended."

That is not the point! she snapped, whirling on him, eyes a fierce red. By attacking you, he all but implied that I cannot protect what is mine and such an insinuation cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged.

H'tep wasn't sure what to do with that. There was a possessiveness in Zyadreth's statement, but also a sense of...affection? Was that what that feelings was? He wasn't sure, all he knew was that it was a feeling unlike any he'd ever felt for anyone before. He allowed himself a small, fleeting smile. "As long as you don't kill him, nor allow him to kill you, I have no qualms about you taking the brown to task, if that's truly what you wish," he said, finishing the buttons on his shirt.

I do not remember telling you that your permission was needed! she all but roared in his mind. I do as I will, and your place is to facilitate me, not utter commentary!


H'tep narrowed his eyes, the warm glow he'd felt at her affection for him instantly forgotten. "Zyadreth," he said, voice low and warning. "While it is true that I could not leave the mark on this world that I want to without you, I have absolutely no desire to be a mere footnote in whatever name it is that you wish to make for yourself. I will work towards whatever ends you wish, but I am not your lacky, your footman, your manservant, nor your stooge. And while I truly do not give a single forsk what you do to that brown who scratched me, if you kill him, we will be sent to Lamentoso squad before you are even a day old, and clawing our way back to relevance from that black pit of a squad will be next to impossible. Now. Do we have an understanding?"

Zyadreth took a long moment to reply, sizing him up carefully. For now, I find your...proposal...to be satisfactory, she finally allowed. For now. She turned towards the door abruptly. You are presentable. Come, I do not wish to wait any longer.

"My queen," H'tep said with a slight incline of his head, following her and holding the door open for her. She shot him an annoyed look, but marched out into the world towards the feast area.

Before H'tep had even had a chance to take everything in, Zyadreth lept up onto the nearest table, sending food flying in all directions. SETTALYTH! she roared for everyone to hear. SHOW YOURSELF! FACE ME, AND ANSWER FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DARED TO DO TO MY BOND!

---

M'ten of Garnet Noggoth - A'del & Olturath

Noggoth could be infuriating sometimes. She had somehow gotten it into her head that she needed to 'pass on her wisdoms' to someone in this clutch. Natually, M'ten had seen right through that, as an excuse to dote and coo over the handsome lads, and perhaps the young lasses - for some reason, she didn't feel as threatened by young females the way she did about the adult ones - but she refused to be detered from this idea. Which was a problem, because while M'ten approved of how fiesty the dragons in the clutch had been, he knew Noggoth would not be able to handle that, whatever she said.

There had been a few blues who hadn't been violent, but M'ten refused to offer to mentor anyone with a traditionally male colored dragon. He just knew Noggoth would flirt with them when they were fully grown, and that'd weird him out too much if he'd been a part of their life as a youngling, however fleetingly. Which left the green or the undersized garnet. And honestly? He knew a thing or two about working with a garnet who needed a bit more hand-holding. If Noggoth was adament about mentoring a young one, M'ten supposed that he could do some good and help out their rider while they were at it.

So he put on his riding leathers and made his way to the dining area, giving Noggoth firm instructions to keep out of the way and not butt in until he'd done the talking. Luckily (or unluckily), she immediately started flirting at the nearest bronze, so M'ten knew he had a small window of time where she'd be too distracted to butt in.

He entered the party, wincing at the hubbub. Ugh. He needed to just find the girl and get this over with. He scanned the crowd and eventually found her. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he trudged over, a scowl on his face.

"Hi," he said, stopping in front of A'del. "I'm...name's M'ten. Of Noggoth." He cleared his throat a little awkwardly, then scratched the back of his neck. This was a stupid idea. "My, uh...dragon's decided she wants a mentee. Don't think she could handle any of the nastier hatchlings, but..." he gestured at Olturath. "She'd be about her speed." He fidgeted a little more, before adding, "I...know a bit about garnets who aren't...you know..." he gestured vaguely. Even he knew that conveyed nothing. "Who, uh...don't keep up?" he tried, then winced. "You know what I mean," he barked suddenly, annoyed with himself but letting it out on the girl in front of him.

[Dragon]

Weyrling Renkestuous of Green Lumuth - Open

Since the moment Lumuth had looked him in the eyes, Renkestuous had felt like he was floating. The hatching itself had been chaos, but he'd not really been paying attention. Everything had been about Lumuth. He'd wiped her down as he fed her, getting her as clean as he could while filling her belly to happy baby roundness. They'd had their first lesson, and Lumuth had been pleased as punch at her first bath, reveling in being clean.

She hadn't needed any encouragement to nap, finding a sunny spot and curling up while Ren cleaned himself up and fretted over his clothing. He needed his absolute best, but also he wanted to wear something to acknowledge that Lumuth was green. He wound up picking a soft sage green shirt with large orange flowers embroidered down the front. Deciding Lumuth needed to be dressed up for the occasion, too, he took his favorite orange and yellow scarf and tied it around her neck with a big bow at the back.

Lumuth sniffed at the bow curiously. What is this?

"Someone as pretty as you are deserves pretty things," Renkestuous murmured, scratching lightly between her headknobs. She was so small, especially compared to her siblings. Just shy of a foot and a quarter at the shoulder, she was about half the size of her bronze brother. "I don't have anything just for you yet, but this will do for now."

Preening slightly, Lumuth gave Renkestuous a soft little head bump. What do we do next?

"There's a feast," Ren answered with a big grin. "It's to celebrate you and your siblings hatching! Do you want me to carry you?" He kind of wanted to; he knew that he wouldn't be able to for long.

Giving him another affectionate head bump, Lumuth's eyes swirled a contented green and she crooned softly. Yes, please.

Her voice was so nice and floaty; it was something Renkestuous could definitely get used to. He scooped her up and let her drape her head over his shoulder again. He was going to miss this when she inevitably - and quickly - outgrew it.

"You ready to see your brothers and sisters?" he asked as he walked into the feast. Not that they'd been separated very long at this point, but most of the clutch was ... well, pretty wild. Seeing as Lumuth was all sweet and floaty and the smallest in the clutch, Renkestuous was feeling more than a little protective of his dagonet.

I'll be fine, Renkestuous. Lumuth turned her head slightly so that she could see as they walked into the feast. Find somewhere nice to sit. It's sad that the sun went down.

"It does that every day, love," Renkestuous said absently, picking a spot. He was hesitant to put Lumuth down out in public like this, but it'd probably be hard to eat while holding her. "If you get tired, you can go to sleep, all right?"

Maybe. Lumuth stretched in his arms and slipped nimbly down onto the floor beside him, curling up like a cat. If my siblings aren't too loud. She peeked up as Zyadreth jumped on the table and started yelling. A nap would be nice, but they are quite unruly.

[Ezra]

A'del of Garnet Olturath - M'ten, Olturath reacting negatively to Zyadreth

A'del looked up with smile, and gently rose up, greeting the other rider with a curtsy, even if she was never actually a holder, she knew her manners at the very least. Looking at his knots, her face lit up. Another garnet rider, like them! " Nice to meet you, M'ten. I am A'del and this is Olturath." She replied and gestured to her dragon, whom suddenly hissed and puffed out her wings, snarling at something across the.. ah.. one of the larger dragons, the one that actually took off a finger from poor Joffrey... Zyadreth. She did not like that dragon at all, and could feel the absolutely loathing her dragon felt for the clutch sibling.

" Apologies, she is.. not overly fond of some of her siblings and is a bit slow to trust I am starting to learn." A'del quickly apologized and ran her hand over her dragon's head. " Its okay Olturath, we are safe. She is just very loud and obnoxious, I will not allow her to hurt either of us." She whispered through their bond and while the teeth gnashing stopped, her body was still tensed and her wings partially still puffed out.

The sudden shift in his tone took her by surprise and she thought maybe Olturath had somehow offended the other rider. " Ah, yes. Olturath has been though an ordeal and I would welcome any help you are willing to provide, given that you and your bond give her time to get comfortable with your presence." She explained, though she was fairly certain that most knew what happened to the egg her bond had hatched from, especially since he seemed to guess she was a bit different than her siblings.

[Windra]

P’axen of Brown Settalyth - @ H’tep, Zyadreth

The brown was insufferable until he wasn’t, which was … fairly soon after his first true meal, actually. But the spite P’axen felt for him rolled off in waves equal in size to the largest storm surge. Other candidates could be mauled, sure. And yes – he felt bad. Worse, even, when he considered how he could have protected them. But it was his sister who shed blood. His sister. Gouged by his bond. Now that was a new kind of guilt. (Or maybe it was a re-opening of an old wound as memories of Petravyn came flooding back).

Xena was off to have her wounds tended before P’axen left the Sands. He was eternally grateful to the Semacan healers … and Erina, and Adella, both of whom were now part of his class! … Yet during the first few hours of their fresh Impression, P’axen could not utter a word in the brown’s direction that wasn’t laced with some kind of venom. The fire bounced back and forth between them. Settalyth would not be coaxed into apologizing. P’axen would not surrender the attempt. Red eyes, hot breath, but at least no more biting.

Settalyth would have led the way to the candidate barracks if he’d known the way – such was the demeanor of a king to burn a trail for his successors. And poor Honeysuckle became the target of Settalyth’s quiet ire not a moment after they’d walked through the door. Growling, claiming this as his turf and ‘how dare she be here’. The poor gold actually pissed herself. P’axen rounded on Settalyth again then, scooping the babylike fire-lizard into his arms and holding her close to his chest, no matter the amount of urine now coating his forearms and attire.

”YOU. WILL. NOT!” P’axen started, anger nearly strangling the words in his trachea. ”She is your little sister, and you will NOT – “

SISTER?! Pah! Such an inferior welp would not dare hold a candle to a KING!

”Well you’re gonna cut that candle down if you plan on sleeping in the weyr tonight!”

This continued. Back and forth. The move was painstaking. Everything was tortuous. Honeysuckle vanished the moment they arrived at their new quarters – not between but crammed in some unsuspecting alcove where her golden hide was hardly visible. Settalyth was small enough to fit into the bathing bowl. P’axen was not about to neglect the dragon hatchling even though his stubborn gut demanded he kick the wretch off a cliff outside. Naxen would flay him. So into the warm waters they went. P’axen poured every grief into the brush, bearing down on it hard enough so that human skin might cut and bleed. But Settalyth only hummed and readjusted. It was relieving to the brown who commanded which spot to pay attention to next.

And with the lathering of oil, Settalyth’s fire seemed to wilt. Just a little. Gone was the discomfort of egg goop. Now was the relief of moisture upon his already-drying hide. With a belly full of meat, the brown set upon the weyr ledge to gaze upon his kingdom. P’axen used this moment of solace to cleanse himself and cuddle Honeysuckle, who was in poor form and desperate for reassurance. The poor gold all but cried into his shoulder. The darling!

”He’ll come around,” P’axen whispered to her, casting a hard glare at the dragon’s back. ”I’ll make him.”

He could feel Settalyth’s burning gaze even though the brown’s body hadn’t moved.

--

P’axen truly considered skipping the feast. It was customary to attend even if one wasn’t feeling well since it was a celebration in honor of those who’d Impressed. He didn’t feel very honorable. Or hungry. But Settalyth would not besmirch an opportunity to drink in the wealth of his domain. So they went – with Honeysuckle tucked into Petraxen’s shirt. And of course their entrance could not be unremarkable.

BEHOLD SEMACA, for your KING has arrived! HEAR ME! roared the brown. FOR I, SETTALYTH, WILL TRIUMPH ABOVE YOU ALL!

P’axen ducked his head, hoping not to be seen.

He gathered cold k’lah only and sat in a corner somewhere only to be dragged to a bench dead-center by his boisterous brown. They will witness me in my full glory, and I will NOT hide from view simply because you cannot fathom being seen!

P’axen bit his lip. ”Just … SHUT UP.”

He’d just started reaching for the mug when it clattered off due to the violent shaking of that awful monstrosity staking a claim on the tabletop, calling for blood. Settalyth’s blood, to be exact! P’axen sucked in a breath. He knew it was coming. He knew what was gonna happen –

Settalyth made it very clear from the moment he was born that he did not – would not – back down from a challenge. And he would fight. Boy would he fight. The big brown jumped onto the table as well. The wood creaked under their joined weight. Tail thrashing, claws flexing – whatever glassware had been spared by Zyadreth found no quarter with Settalyth. The remaining plates clattered to the ground.

You stand before a KING, snarled the brown, raising his head high. A KING who has no room for the weak. Your human stood before raw power and could not behold its strength, thus he fell! And now, you stand on MY TABLE, before MY HUMAN, in MY WEYR, demanding I EXPLAIN MYSELF?! I WILL LET MY FANGS TEACH WHAT YOU HAVE NOT LEARNED!

”FOR FARANTH’S SAKE!” P’axen screamed. Honeysuckle was outta there. The gold soared into the rafter, screaming in terror. As well she had, for the new weyrling was trying to scramble onto the table between the dragons. ”KNOCK THIS THE FORSK OFF! HAMUNTEP, GET YOUR DRAGON!”
It took a brief flicker to understand that might not actually happen. Hamun had been one of the fools who tried facing down a tunnelsnake despite clear orders. Would he reel Zyadreth back if he felt his own honor was at stake.

[toby-du-coeur]

K'rin of Blue Lantrath - Renkestuous, Settalyth, Open

K'rin strolled out of his quarters with his sky-blue dragonet trotting neatly at his heels, whipping his head back and forth and taking everything in with whirling eyes.

K'rin was happy to be back in his tunic and trousers, worn though they were. He'd spruced them up with his entire collection of necklaces and bracelets, as well as the shell earrings he'd made whilst at sea. Lantrath was patiently enduring wreaths of flowers and ribbons around his neck, limbs and tail - for the moment.

K'rin held his head up as he passed the other Semacans in the almost-cool evening, trying to feel untouchable. But he was nearly withered away with horrible intolerable embarrassment after his confrontation on the sands with H'tep and his terrifying green. Zyadreth had spread her wings in intimidation - and K'rin had gone absolutely pale. He was pretty sure the retort he tried to stammer out, about seeing who was 'big' when Threadfall began, hadn't even passed his lips. What had he gotten himself into?

It's alright, K'rin. Some of 'em may be gits, but they're ours, what? same clutch, same.. place we all live on.. We'll all be matey by - he didn't quite understand the workings of time yet - well, soon enough.

Who says I'm not alright? K'rin snapped. And c'mon. You and me? we don't need 'em.

Lantrath made a snorting noise and tripped over his feet - reacting to that whilst managing all his appendages was too much. That's utter poppycock. I'M the one who tumbled out of the old shell just today.

K'rin rolled his eyes and lifted his chin a little higher as he stepped into the bustling dining hall. Exactly. You're just a baby, baby. What we're gonna do is figure out everybody else's game, and get ourselves into a spot where they'll let us do our thing. And if anyone's cool - that would be Renkestuous and L'ysc over there - we can stick around them. But in the end, Lannie? all we've got is each other. He declared this with great satisfaction. The line had been 'all I've got is me' for so long.

...Lannie? That's about all Lantrath had heard of his rider's speech, having been distracted by all the delicious smells - and people - and other dragons - and smells.. It took all his focus and a lot of nudges from K'rin to stick to K'rin's side, as he knew he ought to.

K'rin had made their way, with free use of his elbows, over to Renkestuous and his pretty green.

"Hi, Renkestuous - is it still Renkestuous? How's it feel to finally be a dragonrider? Also, shells and shards, where do you get all your outfits?" He added, "Hey Lumuth, how do you like being alive?"

Lantrath chirred happily at one of his only siblings that wasn't likely to bite his head off. Grand world outside the shell, what? D'you care for one or two of these to go with the scarf? He shook a flower-adorned paw. He was rather eager to be rid of them. Wasn't his own freshly bathed hide enough?

Across the dining hall, Zyadreth screeched, and K'rin tried to hide his flinch. But she wasn't coming for K'rin this time, but rather P'axen's brown. "Oh, this should be interesting," he said to Ren and whoever was around. "His bond basically pushes him around - no control at all. My money's on P'axen and Sett." If he'd had any money.

"Get her, Settalyth!" K'rin shouted, just as Lantrath cried, Do let's not fight -

[GalaxyMir]

E'nel Of Bronze Xalemeth - Max

"Here we are, Faranth, what a hatching" E'nel sighed, his mouth watering at the idea of a cool drink "The weyrling master is certainly going to have his hands full with these lot"
He and Maxine had taken some time to get to the feast, E'nel did not mind it in the slightest. If anything, he was content with the extra conversation on the way.

"I'll fetch us something to drink, anything in particular?"

After finding a spot for them both and ensuring Max was settled , E'nel slipped through the crowd to get them refreshments. His attention torn to the new weyrlings, causing quite the impression on Semaca as the new class.

Your children are causing a racket in the Feast E'nel commented to Xalemeth, weaving through the crowds, balancing two drinks in his hands.

They'll learn, the youth will always be rebellious. Xalemeth replied , a calm detachment already growing on the bronze. It shall be a problem if they grow and do not solve their rage.

E'nel groaned, flopping into his seat next to Max "Don't they teach candidates how to handle their hatchlings anymore?" He grumbled, watching the brown and unique coloured siblings asserting dominance over eachother.

[Dragon]

Renkestuous of Green Lumuth - K'rin, Settalyth, Zyadreth, Open

When he saw Kirin - probably not Kirin anymore - with his new blue bedecked in flowers and ribbons, Renkestuous grinned and waved. He should have thought of flowers! They would have looked so pretty, woven into crowns or garlands and ornamenting Lumuth.

Kirin, though - his clothes were rather ratty. Ren frowned slightly at that; he knew that his friend hadn't been at Semaca long, but shouldn't someone have made sure he had better clothes than that by now?

"Still Renkestuous," Ren answered with a smile. "Lumuth seems to like it, and it feels right. I mean, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the perfect elide when I was younger but I guess in the end I'm just me." He gave the younger boy a curious look. "Still Kirin, or is it something else now?"

As for the rest - "My mom's a Weaver," he explained, "so I know a bit more than the average person, and she made me a lot of stuff." He shrugged. He felt a little bad about that if this was the best Kirin had to wear to the feast.

It is a wonderful thing to be alive, Lumuth added to her brother and his rider as she stood and gave a slow stretch. The day is warm and the sun shines so beautifully, or at least it did until it went away. She hung her head slightly at that. Renkestuous says that happens every day. Why can it not be sunny all the time?

She did perk up when her brother offered her some of his flowers. Oh, yes, Lantrath, they are so pretty! Lumuth twisted in a cheerful circle, trilling softly and nosing at one of the flower wreaths around Lantrath's paw. They are all so colorful!

At Settalyth's snarl and the continued commotion between him and Zyadreth, Renkestuous glanced warily toward that table, wishing that the fight that was brewing was a little further from Lumuth. "There are certainly some, ah, dynamic dragonets in this clutch."

Except Kirin wanted to make bets. Which was the sort of thing that Renkestuous usually would have been down for, but he really didn't want a fight to break out and someone to attack Lumuth just because she was there. Worry circled in his mind.

We are here to celebrate, Lumuth commented right after Lantrath. Although I suppose some of you might think that fighting is a celebration ...

[nineofswords]

H'tep of Croppa Zyadreth - P'axen/Settalyth, Lantrath, Lumuth

There was a particular kind of exhileration that came from issuing a challenge, and of having that challenge answered in kind. That Settalyth had the nerve to meet her head on was good, a sign of strength, a sign that he was worthy of being called her clutchmate. But nevertheless, he needed to be taught his place.

No Weyr on Pern recognizes a king, she told him. No hold. Neither man nor beast would recognize that title, nor would they your authority. But queens they do understand. Her own tail was thrashing, and she paced back and forth on the tabletop in front of him. Anyone who hadn't scrambled away from the table was getting food and drink flicked on them with every clack of her claws. Queens are the largest of the dragons, and I'm not sure if you've noticed, Settalyth, being the egocentric buffoon that you are, but I am larger than you. Which makes me your queen, particularly if the golds of this Weyr are too cowardly and weak to claim that right for themselves.

My human did not fall, she snapped at him, her rage rising. But you will if you persist in this insolence!

H'tep had been watching this little scene with an outwardly fairly neutral - if serious - expression, but inside he was thrilled. Dragons fighting during their own hatching feast? When was the last time that had happened? This hatching could not be going better for him if he'd planned it out himself. But his expression turned thunderous when P'axen called him by the wrong name. "It's H'tep," he snapped. "I am a dragonrider now, show some damn respect." He crossed his arms and glared at P'axen. "Besides. I've spoken to her. She understands that there would be extremely dire consequences to her killing any of her siblings. And she's only doing a threat display at the moment. If yours is uncontrollable, though, I'm not getting in between that."

Zyadreth eyed the human physically inserting themselves between the two of them. Well well, Settalyth. Since you have no room for weakness and found mine wanting, I suppose it is only fair that we put YOURS to the same test. What do you say, brother? She said this to Settalyth and Settalyth alone, not wanting anyone else to hear that. She raised a claw very deliberately as she said this, but did not make a move towards P'axen. Yet.

Relax, she said, before H'tep could say anything, either aloud or silently. I know as well as you that an injury sustained during a hatching is written off, but that an injury sustained after the bond is made is a sign of the weakness of the human's will, their inability to control their bond. I will not have anyone mistaking you for weak, This last she snarled with vitriol.

Of course the peanut gallery had to chime in. Silence, she roared at Lantrath and Lumuth. Unless you would face my wrath next. She was the queen of this clutch, and the sooner everyone learned to respect that, the better.

---

M'ten of Garnet Noggoth - A'del/Olturath

M'ten's scowl just deepened when the little garnet started hissing and puffing up, but following her gaze made it pretty clear what had made her unhappy. Well, at least she wasn't a pushover despite what she'd been through. That was good. M'ten approved. He gave a nod when A'del explained as well. "S'alright," he grunted out with a shrug.

M'ten gave a curt nod when A'del said that she would welcome their help. "Sure. I ain't gonna worry about your dragon particularly, so - " Whatever the rest of that thought was going to have been got cut off, though, by a strange cooing sound being projected to them both. M'ten winced. "Forsk," he muttered. His dragon had grown bored of the bronze, then, or else he had grown bored of her.

Well hello there, dearies! I see my Mittens has been doing as I asked and checking in on you both. I do hope he wasn't too gruff with you. He seems like a big old grouch, but he's really just a softie, aren't you, my darling little Mittens?

M'ten pinched the bridge of his nose. "That is Noggoth," he said irritably. "You can ignore her." Please ignore the dragon, Faranth, she was embarrassing him worse than usual...

[Dragon]

Renkestuous of Green Lumuth - Zyadreth, Settalyth, K'rin/Lantrath, mentioned Olturath and Velfryth, Open

Lumuth grumbled at the posturing and roaring. These were her siblings, yes, but most of them had little in common with their smallest sister. Lantrath was lovely, of course, and Velfryth was calm enough, and she respected Olturath as the survivor she was, but the bulk of the clutch was loud and volatile.

Turning her back deliberately on Zyadreth and Settalyth, Lumuth turned her attention back to Lantrath and his flowers. I can have some? she asked, seeking confirmation of her brother's offer. Renkestuous, K'rin, I want some of the pretty flowers.

Renkestuous still eyed the angry hatchlings warily, his attention split between them and his own bonded. Flowers. Right. He wasn't going to just grab them off of K'rin's dragon, though. "Uh, which ones did you want her to have, Lantrath?"

---

Giana of Bronze Goranask - Open

The new hatchlings were wild. Goranask and Zuu weren't with her, which was probably a good thing since a couple of the new babies were screaming at each other and posturing on the table. Goranask would find that funny - Much funny. Little snappers. - but Zuu might have attempted to join in. He wasn't always aware that as a firelizard he was well ... small.

Shaking her head, Gi found herself a seat. She wanted to congratulate some of the new Weyrlings ... but later, maybe. After the dragonets had calmed down.

[emil]

//trying not to perish of sad brain rot and just enjoy these new weyrlings to the fullest//

L'ysc of Blue Saturnath - open

CW: he likes to bite and it's violent!

L'ysc wasted over an hour wrestling her rowdy Saturnath, struggling to scrub him clean after his big, messy dinner. Primrose, wisely, seemed to be instinctually avoiding the two temporarily. Until they'd worked it out, perhaps. Would they ever? He was more unruly than a runner colt, with all the horrible attitude of an adult. She never did get along with runnerbeasts, the creatures often opting to bite and kick at her. And Saturnath was so wherlike in countenance that his biting and kicking hurt about the same amount. She found it difficult, to say in the least. Eventually, his desire to escape the blasted itching won out, and he allowed her to cleanse then oil his hide. Positive associations were something he made very, very slowly. He was intrinsically mistrustful of others. He hated being picked at, fidgeted, fussed over! His skin was as angry as his ears, L'ysc decided. But she was determined to keep them both out of trouble for now. Not that it would be easy, by any measure... .

Faranth! The scene that greeted the latecomers was shocking, to say in the least. The Blue hated the hustle and bustle, hissing like a tunnelsnake and whipping his tail. It kept smacking her in the thigh and was honestly sooo annoying. L'ysc wondered if having dinner with the others tonight was a terrible idea. Her stomach rumbled as the scent of fresh meat-rolls wafted past, compelling her to wade through the crowd despite her better judgement. Perhaps she could take something back outside with her, to scoff in the crook of some tree and toss the fatty bits to Saturnath. This concept placated him, and he promised she could have exactly one moment; sitting quite beautifully for once, gaze greedy. However, to her dismay, the feasting table was stuffed full of angry dragonets! No... .

"Hey, that's not food!" L'ysc squealed. She could only stare and salivate, a mere few meters from satisfaction. Her dragon's reaction was much more violent. The closer they got to Zyadreth and Settalyth, the noisier and more stressful it got. He hated this very much! Too close! And now he may not get any treats because of it!

"SHUT UP!" Saturnath boomed, charging vaguely toward the source of the obnoxious sound. His eyesight was incredibly poor, especially with his head down like that. The Blue veered entirely off-course and made collision with a large jam-jar, smashing against the wall with it wedged over his silly head. Pottery shards and sweet-smelling fruit splattered everywhere, staining the poor creature purple. Other than wounded pride, he was unharmed. He would not be suffocated by tonight's dessert. He sampled a large mouthful and whistled, finding it oddly interesting and flavorful.

L'ysc, at first so shocked that she could barely blink, soon lost her mind with laughter despite the sympathetic ache in her face. Well, it was honestly a better outcome than if he'd managed to get those two ruinous ninnies for her after all. She couldn't afford more serious trouble so soon after the attack on the Sands, as funny as it would've been for the Blue to successfully ambush them both.

Saturnath, however, was very displeased to be made fun of. His head hurt. Why was his rider laughing at him?? He shook free of the fragments and was on her in a flash, teeth sinking into her ankle. Shaking her. She wouldn't dare hurt him, but could he hurt her? Would he? She managed to keep her balance despite ceding ownership of one leg to her silly, hateful dragon.

"NOOOOO, SATURNAAAATH!!!" She screamed in terror, inciting his rage further. "NO, QUIET!" He commanded, no longer worrying her flesh but certainly not releasing his grip, either! "APOLOGIZE!!!" He roared, somehow so forsking loud despite having a mouthful of L'ysc's leg. How was it her fault?! Oh, she couldn't stand it!!!

[Windra]

P'axen of Brown Settalyth - @ H'tep, Zyadreth, brief mentions of the others

You are NO queen. You're an entitled MUTATION, Settayth hissed. His chest was hot. He held no need for firestone at this moment to breath fire - in a metaphorical sense, at least. Your SIZE matters not. All your WIDE GIRTH serves it to make you a MUCH BIGGER TARGET! For all the STEAM you blow OUT OF YOUR MAW, COME AT ME THEN!

The whirling orbs flickered, briefly, to his Bonded posturing upon the table. Zyadreth's thread resounded for Settalyth's ears alone apparently, for the human gave no inkling of being threatened. P'axen was cautiously balanced between two raging weyrlings all while the golden fire-lizard shrieked terror above - for her own bond instead of her safety.

He held hands out to his sides as if that would somehow keep the oversized lizards from lunging at each other. But H'tep's outburst had him spinning on his heels. A hot gaze levelled to meet his and the dining hall found itself a bird flying in the midst. P'axen's face was beat red. His fist shook mightily in the air. "Go forsk yourself, like you deserve any respect for all the asshattery you pulled off! Tel this forskin' psycho to get off the DAMN TABLE! AND YOU!" He thrust a finger into Settalyth's nose with force, crumpling the digit against warm hide. "BAD BROWN. OFF THE TABLE, you incredible nim - "

Settalyth snapped his jaws as a warning, raising his head taller. HUMAN. DOWN. NOW.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO GET DOWN! You've been so full of yourself the moment you hatched!"

The brown paid no heed. He leered over P'axen's shoulder despite the former's intent to block the view. Crimson oculars settled upon Zyadreth's hide as she addressed Lumuth and Lantrath with terror. THIS IS MY KINGDOM, welp! IF ANYBODY WILL THREATEN OUR UNDERLINGS, IT WILL BE ME!

Settalyth did not know the same restraint that his sister did, and it showed in the crouching of his legs; the lowering of his skull. In an instant, the hulking mass lurched. P'axen took a shoulder to the gut and was thrown off the table in a heap - a move that had actually been intended for his own safety although that would not have been realized. And then the brown was off: launching with all his weight; twisting his neck around to gain momentum so that it might smash against the unique with all its heft -

- ccrrAAAACK!

Wood shrapnel splintered into the atmosphere. In one decisive moment, the table collapsed under the combined weight and motion of two oversized beasts that had no reason to be upon it. Plates shattered, food flung. Dragons would lose their footing. Settalyth crashed headlong into the ground, his muzzle burrowing into some kind of pie that exploded fruits bits in all directions.