A Pirate, A Man and a Wher [Ewna]

[ShelbCake]

"Mario, break time?" The strangely colored wher spoke to her handler. They had been working together for nearly two turns at this point, three if they included Damario's wherling years. She was carrying what appeared to be a small dummy on her back. Damario had hidden one in the nearby woods for her to sniff out as part of their training. He looked at her and gave a gentle smile. He gently placed his hand on her snout, giving a soft nod.

"Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea, Dask. You've been working hard today and you deserve a break." He smiled, before looking out at the dark forest that they were in. Even though Damario preferred the dark, something that helped him when it came to his jobs he did in his squad, it wasn't exactly the safest idea to take a break in a dark forest like this, especially at night.

For all they knew, a spottie could be watching them at any moment and Damario had no desire to be in a fight right now.

He slowly began to head out of the forest, Dask looking a bit confused before beginning to follow him. It was not a far walk for them to get to a rock to sit on, Damario patting on the grass beside him so Dask could sit down. The wher sat down beside him, watching as he opened his pack and pulled out some snacks. As soon as Dask saw the dried meat, she put her head on his lap.

"Dask try? Please?" Damario blinked, before chuckling. He pulled out his knife, slicing a small piece of meat off and letting Dask lick it off of his hand.

"Just don't tell Ercilia or anyone else, okay? I don't want anyone to find out I've been giving you some of my snacks, okay?" He smiled, enjoying the peace of the night.

[EW-NA]

Cua strolled through the paths in the trees with an unwarranted confidence. Quite the bravado for someone like himself, skinny and unremarkably statured, only armed with what was in his (many) pockets, a duffel bag, and a small green firelizard currently reclining in said slung sack. He was close enough to the Weyr, and he knew there were patrols around.

Though, he was doing his best to keep out of direct sight -from- said patrols.

As he went about his business, which was for himself to mind, and no one else; Cua barely registered when Coco, his once dozing Green, suddenly popped her head out of the thick canvas bag. Something drew her attention, particular noises and smells that warranted investigating. As Cua took a moment to carefully hop himself down a selection of stones, Coco darted from the bag without his notice and went off for an investigation.

Scurrying over some branches and through the brush, Coco darted into a particularly lush big of greenery when she noticed the source of her drawn attention. A people and a wher--- things to very much be leery of! Alas, her sharp, sneaky eyes didn't catch anything 'sparkly'... other than some clasps on the straps. Not worthwhile sparklies! But ho--- there was something that warranted her attention in the person's bag.

Ducking to the dirt, Coco slithered closer with the stealth and silence to be the envy of the wormiest tunnelsnake. Being mindful of the person and wher, Coco played her waiting game. The two also seemed particularly partaken with the contents in the tiny bag. The person wasn't the problem, it was the wher that was, and the flit knew that. However, patience always paid off, and soon Coco spied her opportunity.

With the goodie bag left unattended, sneaky little beanie claws slowly crept in. Coco was out to get herself a treasure-- a meaty, tasty one! What luck!!

[ShelbCake]

Dask had happily lapped up the slice of dried meat, chewing it contently. She loved when she got a little snack, though they were admittedly few and far between. Damario did not exactly want her to get sick from the amount of treats. However.. he really could not resist the adorable look that was on Dask's face when she looked up at him.

Truly, he had gotten a wher who knew his one weakness.

"Tasty. Dask like treat." Dask spoke with a fond look reflecting in her eyes. Damario couldn't help, but to smile as he patted her head. She was still precious, even after growing up a long time ago. He had long since gotten used to keeping her under control, mostly so she did not work herself too hard in her goals. The two did not even seem to notice the firelizard approaching Damario's satchel, or at least they gave no indication that they knew.

Dask gave aloud yawn, moving to lay down by Damario's feet. The handler looked down and snickered a bit, "Hey, just because I gave you a snack does not mean you get to take a nap. We still have a lot of training to do and that means you'll need to be awake." He patted her side gently, but Dask just gave an annoyed snort towards him.

"Dask not tired. Dask lay down to listen." She slowly lifted her head, watching as Damario sliced off a piece of the dried meat to eat for himself. He moved to place down the meat next to his satchel, stretching a bit and giving a soft yawn. "Mario rest if tired." He snorted a bit before grinning down at her.

"Oh, please, as much as I'd love to do that, we still have training to do. Besides, better keep our skills sharp in case we need to track any spotties, right?" Dask gave a nod, though she swore she got a piece of grass moving in her peripheral vision.

[EW-NA]

Coco snatched her little mitt back to herself, when motion from the person and wher caught her eye. The flit ducked out of sight behind the rock she was leaning over, waiting to see what happened.

Nothing.

Peaking her little green head back over the rock, she saw the other occupants of the little grass patch seemed uninterested in her. From how they spoke and interacts, it seemed they were completely unaware of her presence.

Perfect~

Donning back to her slithery tunnelsnake ways, Coco eyed her prize in the now unattended snack-bag. With more speed and daring, Coco darted her little stick limb and snacked the first thing she got her flitty pads on. Snatching it back, she ducked it behind the rock for a peak. A meaty piece! Dry and not fresh, but food! Glorious food!! Without even a second thought, Coco horked the section of dried meat right into her mouth. Despite the lack of chewing, and practically swallowing it like a water-wherry, the little Green tasted it all the same! More!! There had to be more in the bag; she felt it!

Once again, she went in to grab something from the bag. When it came to food, the firelizard knew that if 'you snooze, you lose!' So, any bit and morsel she managed to sneak out, she gobbled down gluttonously.... but with a surprising silence. Like the items were taken from one sack and casually plopped without fuss into another, that being her little bottomless stomach. Coco was out to get everything she could, atleast until the unsuspecting pair in front of her took notice.

Elsewhere, Cua hopped one final leap to the dirt floor. The pirate took a moment to adjust himself, as he felt all his pockets and baubles bounce and shift from the slightly rough landing. Weirdly, his bag hit up against the small of his back.... and felt off. He pulled it around and took a peek inside, hoping he's maybe be able to feel what was off compared to see in the pitch blackness.

Something was off, all right...

“Coco?”

Cua looked around at his feet. The Green was no where to be found, atleast in immediate vicinity. “Hey, Coco!! --Where'd she wander off to....”

Now, Cua wasn't initially alarmed. His little sneaky cohort was well versed in wandering off. Afterall, that's how he trained her~ Off to find interesting goodies to bring back, and to keep an eye out for him. Still, as he little companion, Cua did like to know where she was. Looks like he'd have to wander a bit back to contact her.

“Coco!!” he called out, not really minding so much on keeping himself 'hidden' for the time being.

[ShelbCake]

"Huh?"

Damario frowned a bit as he heard someone calling out for something called.. Coco? That was strange, especially due to how late at night it was. There weren't a lot of people awake except for those who were wherhandlers or just preferred to be awake at night. Still.. he hadn't heard anyone else since he and Dask had begun their training that night- not even another wherhandler.

Of course, the reason for this was that Damario preferred to train alone and rarely even spoke to the rest of the Pavane Squad outside of working together. That was just the type of person Damario was- quiet and not very talkative.

However, he knew he had a job and.. well.. Pavane Squad was known for searching. He slowly stood up, grabbing his satchel and putting it over his shoulder, "Come on, Dask, we should see what's going on." He began to head off, not even paying attention to the green firelizard that he walked past.

However, Dask stopped, looking at Coco in surprise and confusion. She lifted her head, moving to look at Damario as he continued to walk away, "Mario, lizard on ground." Damario didn't even seem to have heard her, Dask giving a soft frown before looking down at the firelizard. It almost looked like it was the same color of grass, reminding her of the movement she had seen earlier.

What was a firelizard doing around here so late at night? 'Mario come back soon?' Dask thought quietly to herself, continuing to stare down at the flit before trying to move her snout down to attempt to poke at the firelizard. She didn't really see the firelizard as a threat, at least not yet.

Meanwhile, Damario was taking his sweet time approaching the person who was calling for this 'Coco'. It wasn't a voice he knew off the top of his head, but he continued to walk towards the sound. As he got closer, he noticed it was a young man who was calling out. Though it was hard to see what the other looked like in the dark, he did look a bit younger than Damario, perhaps in his early twenties. Damario sighed a bit, scratching the back of his head as he walked over.

"Hey, are you missing something or someone? Not a lot of people come out to the plateau at night, especially near the forest." He had his arms crossed, looking at the other, 'I don't recognize him. Could he be new to the weyr?' After all, Semaca had become quite a busy place since he transferred, even accepting pirates now as candidates. It wasn't honestly his place to judge. This was a place of new beginnings, after all.

[EW-NA]

Coco was experiencing a euphoria that only happened when firelizards attained food. Only heightened in intensity due to said food having not been her own. Attained through her own sheer cunning and cleverness and talent! So the Green gorged and indulged. The dried meat was breaking apart from its rigidity; perfectly bite sized for a small lizardy-like mouth.

One, two, three---another and another. Like a collector counting marks, Coco popped the dried meat into her greedy little face like she was saving for the winter. So much so, the normally rather attentive thief barely realized her surroundings. That the person and wher had finished their conversation and were moving on.... and that the wher had not moved away with their person.

Coco was about to jam another bit into her bulging cheeks, when a blast of warm air suddenly rolled over her back. The grass swayed around and the flit went rigid when she realized. Something much bigger and with a far bigger mouth was right behind her.

Now... Coco was a clever little firelizard, sneaky and cunning in all the right areas. However, the Green also knew when she was outmatched and outsmarted. And when the jig was clearly up. Like a startled wherry, bam--- Coco darted off like a streak of lightening right through the dark! Still clutching what bits of meat she had.

As it were, who should be coming round a line of trees, but Cua. He, too, found himself caught up in the distraction of looking for his little Green, that he suddenly froze when a voice spoke out to him. Caught off guard and unexpectedly. Forsk... spotted. Keeping his composure though, Cua steadily adjusted himself to face where the voice came from. From the little glow he had attached at his side, the young pirate quickly made out the shape of a man... and a wher.

Wonderful.... The Weyr Nightwatch probably...

Cua parted his lips to offer a reply, still undecided on how he would handle this situation. He couldn't be too inconspicuous though. He had to say something in a reasonable time, as to not hint that perhaps he was up to something. The words were literally knocked from him, though, as something slammed against his chest, pulling and clawing until it found its way into his loose shirt. He was almost tumbled off his feet, grabbing the hem of his clothing and pulling it wide to see what attacked him.

“Coco---!!” He exclaimed in surprise to see her taking refuge there. And then everything clicked into place...Cua's expression soured into a frown, assuming the pitch blackness would hide it from the handler and wher across them. “...Coco.” Cua hissed in annoyance. Leaving her be, it seemed it was time to smooth this over.

Or, atleast get this over with as painlessly as possible. Hopefully this wherhandler and their partner weren't sticklers for curfews and all that.

“Uh... yeah. That would have been my firelizard. She must have gotten lost, but she's back now,” Cua replied, shifting his stance to a more casual one. Despite his words, the boy's tone held an indifference to it. As if it were something he were merely expected to reply.

[ShelbCake]

Now, Dask was a fairly clever wher and she could smell the hints of meat that came from the dried meat that the firelizard had pilfered, but she did not seem angry. In fact, she looked more along the lines of confused mixed with curiosity. She had never seen this flit before- though she really only knew two firelizards, both of which were owned by Damario's twin sister, Ercilia. She continued to look at Coco with the same look of confused curiosity. The wher flicked her tail gently, kneeling down a bit closer in an attempt to try and poke at the flit again.

However, as soon as the flit took off in a dart, she looked very confused. She tilted her head a bit before beginning to follow. She seemed to think it was a bit of a game, or perhaps she viewed the flit as a bit of a toy- it was hard to tell. In all honesty, Dask was just curious as to where the flit had come from- especially as she knew Damario did not have one and she wanted to know if it was a wild one.

Plus, it smelled strangely of the same dried meats Damario liked for them to enjoy.

Damario arched an eyebrow as he looked at the other. He could barely make out the appearance of the other, so he just assumed they were a normal weyrfolk. However, he personally felt like it was a bad idea to be out so late, even with the weyr nightwatch.

There was always a chance that spotties could attack and injure someone, after all. In fact, Damario could even recall an incident when a bunch of spotties had attacked the weyr in his memory. A lot of people had gotten injured, including some wherhandlers he knew.

If he could help it, he'd like to prevent anything else happening like that again.

However, as he heard what sounded a bit like a thud, he immediately began to rush to the other, "Are you alright!? Did anything hurt you!?" He barely even noticed Dask running along side him, before stopping as she looked at Cua. Dask had been following Coco the entire time, looking around as if trying to spot the strange firelizard. She soon looked up at her handler and gave a soft whine, headbutting against his leg. He was surprised a bit before looking at her, "What's wrong, Dask? Did you get hurt running over here?"

Dask shook her head, beginning to speak to the group, "Mario, strange lizard. Smell like meat. Run this way. Spot?" Damario blinked a bit before shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see a flit run by, Dask." However, he blinked quietly as he heard the other utter a single word..
Coco..

He thought quietly, nodding as Cua mentioned that Coco was his flit and, based on the evidence that he could see, it was possible THAT was the firelizard that Dask had been following. He looked at Cua before nodding, "Ah, well, it's good to hear that your flit has returned to you. Is there anything else you need help with?"

[EW-NA]

As Damario rushed over to check on the alarming sound, Cua's figure could finally be made out with more distinction. The young man certainly didn't have the appearance of one being injured or in need of assistance. In fact, the aura he gave off was one of cocky indifference, with his weight casually set to one leg while the other pivoted a toe on the dirt, complete with arms casually swung up and folded to rest behind his head. Like he'd been relaxing without a care in the world, and now something had come to disrupt it.

Or, someones in the form of an adult and a wher...

Despite the polite inquires from both Damario and Dask, Cua only shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing bothering me,” was his nonchalant reply. “Just minding my way, making sure I got my flit where she belongs.” Coco gave the mildest grumble from her hiding place, peeking her head out, only to defiantly jam what stolen food she'd horded into her mouth. Noting Dask in close proximity, the little Green took a strategic scurry over Cua's shoulder and back into his bag. Much to the pirate's displeasure of teeny sharp claws scratching all over the skin under his shirt.

Cua was mindful to keep a calm composure. The young pirate didn't always like getting too upfront 'chatty' with non-pirate wherhandlers. In his mind, Weyr-stayers were a bit too uppity, and liked to be in business that wasn't 'theirs'. So, he tended to keep such interactions strictly to the playing field where -he- was in full control of the bouncing-ball-of-information. Or, he tried to keep it that way, atleast.

Cua swayed himself slightly as he stood, a habit of his when he was 'wasting time'. Peeking a half lidded glance to the wher-pair, he took a moment to glance them over in the dark. While his eyesight wasn't as specialized for the evening hours, he could just make out the body-shaped lump on the wher's back. Like a sack person.... a dummy.

“So, are you out on a patrol or something?” he crooned, fishing for some information. “-or just practicing for a date?” Cua jerked his head to the lumpy sack upon Dask's back.

[ShelbCake]

Damario let out a sigh, though whether it was of annoyance or relief was yet to be determined. He just looked at Cua, crossing his arms a bit as the other spoke. However, Dask seemed to just stare at the firelizard, her snout turned towards Coco, just seeming to keep on staring at the firelizard. Unlike Cua, her eyes were well adjusted to seeing in the dark, along with Damario's. This meant, when Cocoa quickly fled into his bag, her gaze moved towards the bag that she had fled into.

"Well, that's good to here. There are a lot of predatory animals around this part of the land. Wouldn't want something like a spottie to make an attempt at grabbing her." He spoke in a quiet voice, devoid of tone for the most part. However, he didn't really have a sarcastic tone when he spoke, something that this particular wherhandler was known for when he was working with others.

He turned to look towards Dask, noticing her looking at the bag, 'What exactly are you looking at? You've been distracted since I left you.' Dask responded quietly, so only Damario could hear her mentally.

Flit smell like meat, Mario. Dask just curious. Flit run from Dask. Dask chase! Flit safe now! Damario held back a snicker, putting his hand on her back and patting it gently. However, soon, another question popped into the air and he turned to look towards the sack that Cua had pointed out. Miraculously, it had not fallen off of Dask's back this entire time.

"It was for training. I'm part of the Pavane Squad and part of out job is search-and-rescue. In case anyone fell into the water, we're responsible for going inside to ensure their safety. THAT'S why the sack is on her back. We were practicing in case of an emergency." He soon smirked and crossed his arms as he looked at Cua.

"Why do you ask? Are you interested in becoming a wherhandler?"

[EW-NA]

Cua's brow arched skeptically as he continued to glance over the vague shape of the dummy. He supposed the explanation made sense. Except...

“So... if you're supposed to be practicing saving people from the ocean, shouldn't you two--- be by the ocean?” Cua asked rather condescendingly. Maybe the pair were lost and were just bad at their jobs-- that thought alone got the pirate to snicker slightly to himself. Though such thoughts would not be made obvious to Damario and Dask.

Cua had low opinion of anyone who worked specifically for the Weyr, so he really didn't care if their opinions shifted on him. So long as they didn't decide to haul him off for whatever reason, Cua had no interest to keep on their good side anymore.

His snicker cut short when Damario asked on Cua's interest in wherhandling. Whether the bonded pair could see his expression in the dark or not, the young pirate didn't try to hide the exaggerated roll of his eyes. A sharp sniff passed his nostrils as his head jerked off to the side, breaking the vague eye contact he'd offered in their direction.

“Not especially,” he replied without hesitation. “I prefer to keep nimble and quick,” Cua explained casually. “I like to get around on my own... and let's be honest, those traits aren't the first thing someone associates with---” Cua cut himself off as his eyes turned and trailed over the large shape of Dask. Even in the limited light of what came off the glows offered him enough visual representation of the space she claimed.

Whers were fine and all, dragons less so, in his opinion, but regardless, both of them took up a lot of space. That was a pretty big deal when it came to tight hideouts and cramped ship quarters. Not that he'd explain that so blatantly to Damario.