[EVENT] Clearing

[Arcane]

The small fire from last fall has cleared out a bit of the forest. Flowers nobody has seen before are blooming from the ashes. What do we do with the space? Should we build something here or let the wilderness retake it?

[EW-NA]

Lemuel was making his way rounds to the rivers to check on his bait lines. He sometimes took alternate routes when it suited him, perhaps to find something of interest. A nest of insects that would be good for bait or perhaps a random offshoot of water that might hide some catchable creatures.

What his eyes did catch certainly would be of no use in his work, but he found himself intrigued none the less.

Cautiously, the young man went over to the sudden dabs of color that had appeared in what had once been a charred brush. Lemuel carefully set his gear down, as he crouched on his knees for a better look.

He normally wasn't one for flowers, but in truth, it was because he had rarely seen them. Salt water was very corrosive to most things, with only the hardiest things able to survive near it. Any plants that had been around his home were generally rough greens and browns.

If such little flowers sprouted near his fishing hold, they'd be gone after one fierce wind storm. What the gusts didn't shred, the sprayed salt from the sea would ruin the rest. All that effort for life gone until next blooming season, only to suffer the cycle again.

As it was, he saw no harm in taking a moment to appreciate them as they were. The flowers took the effort to show themselves in their own way. Hesitantly, Lemuel reached a finger, hesitantly running the rough tip of finger over the silken petals of a small red and yellow blossom. So soft and delicate, compared to the scratchy rough feel of his ropes and wooden gear.

[Jabberwoky]

Land! Land quick!

Persephone urged her green to do so, only to quickly direct her away from the middle of the clearing. She could see the clearing, and wanted to see the new vegetation and flowers for herself. Technically she could say it was for her work, but... flowers.

Amauroth landed as close to the edge of the clearing as she could, trying to pick her feet up in dainty steps to not crush the flowers more than necessary. Is this new? It's exciting! Oops, stepped on a flower. Oh, no stepped on a lot of flowers. The green chattered away, trying to move into the treeline while Persephone dropped from the saddle.

Persephone removed her gloves, tucking them in the pockets of her jacket, as she knelt down to touch the beautiful, undiscovered flowers around her feet. There were so many more wondrous things that Semaca had yet to show them, and she could not have been more excited to learn. She would have to pick several of them, and if they had any medicinal use, all the better. If not... well, they were pretty.

Amauroth's head swung around, finally spotting Lemuel. Her tail wagged, and she tried to keep herself from bouncing around too much. Hey! There's another human here! She was all-but bursting with excitement. Hello human! What's your name? Are you from Semaca too or are you a forest person? Oh! Do forest people exist?

[EW-NA]

The shadow overhead only vaguely caught his interest. He did live in a Weyr now, and flying dragons were quite a common sight. Even back home at the hold, it was not uncommon to catch the far off cries of the dragons as the rode the ocean breeze like the sea fowl.

Lemuel remained quiet in his flower watching. He tended to stay quiet and unassuming in most matters of the weyr. He was just there to be a useful set of hands, a quiet worker, as was his way. Most passed him by without a glance, and he was relatively content with that.

So, when the green dragon suddenly addressed him, it took a few quiet moments for him to respond. Not out of rudeness but more put out of his element at the sudden attention.

He slowly craned his head to glance behind him, noticing the dragon and an older woman than himself beside her. In a gracefully motion, he turned and stood at full height to address the newcomers.

"Lemuel," came the quiet reply. An answer to the first question. "I work in the Semaca Weyr." An answer to the second. "I am not a forest person, no. I come from Ista."

[Jabberwoky]

"Amauroth, you don't have to be so... overbearing."

Persephone scolded her dragon, who was trying to not bounce around and shove her face into this fisherperson's chest. Amauroth loved everyone and everything, especially her rider. There was never a cloud in this green's sky.

The woman waved briefly as she moved over, within a respectable distance. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lemuel. I am Persephone, of Green Amauroth. I'm sorry she disturbed you."

Disturbed? I didn't disturb anyone! I was saying hi to our new friend!

[EW-NA]

Lemuel was hardly phased by the larger dragon frolicking in excitement. It reminded him on days when the large fishing rigs returned to shore back home, with everyone going out to see the catches. The smaller children scurrying around, hunting for treasured prizes of shells and bones to keep for themselves or trade for something better.

He supposed the same could be done with the flowers that now bloomed, though they would not stand up to time very well. Not like the shiny rocks or shells he found on his own fishing excursions.

At Persephone's introduction, he politely bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"She did not disturb me," he assured calmly. "I paused to look at the flowers before I went to fish. I haven't seen many flowers before coming to Semaca."

There were lots of things he'd never seen before coming to Semaca, but that was probably the case for almost everyone in the Weyr.

[Grayson]

The only problem with life on land is that you can't see very far.

Raymesin was following the trails, getting to know the land around Semaca, and cursing all the trees and dirt that kept getting in the way of the view. With a long knife at his hip he was confident in his ability to handle the dangers of the wilds, one-armed or not, and he was enjoying the chance to stretch his legs.

Aha, there's some light up ahead.

He made his way towards the clearing, stopping dead just inside the treeline at the sight of a dragon. He hadn't seen one up this close before, not to stop and look at, and it - she? Raymesin cast his mind back, running over the Harper's teaching songs from all those years ago. She, yes, she was magnificent.

Clearing his throat he moved into the clearing, his wide eyes on the dragon. There could have been five dancers in various states of undress and he wouldn't have cared, not with something so magnificent right in front of him. Even the flowers went unnoticed, one of them trodden on as he moved. Who knew if flowers were meant to be here, and who cared? Not Raymesin, on either count.

He never stopped to think about just how odd a figure he cut, with the brand new knots of Semaca's Weyrfolk on his shoulder, with the Seacrafter's apprentice knot he was still entitled to on a man of more than twenty, one arm in a sling, the old salt's tar-marks on his hands and the long knife at his hip. At least his boots were new, just as new as the knots? His clothes, though, were old and worn into comfort, with the salt-stains that just weren't going to come out until they were consigned to the fire as useless beyond rags - and even then, they'd likely burn green.

A strange arrival, to be sure.

[EW-NA]

The sudden rustling in the foliage put him on alert. Despite the establishment of the Weyr, Semaca as a whole was a rather unknown and dangerous landscape. It was a constant reminder that one had to keep on alert, even in seemingly harmless areas.

Now was no exception. Atleast, Lemuel had the current fortune of being in the company of a dragonrider and her bonded. The odds were certainly improved than if he were by himself, but he still slowly moved his hand back near his belt, resting on the hilt of one of his knives.

Thankfully, it was not some predatory beast come to get them, but instead, a man with his arm in a sling. He didn't speak, but Lemuel could just make out some sort of knotwork on his shoulder. Someone else from Semaca, so a fair enough reason to ease... slightly.

The stranger seemed far more interested in the green, Amauroth, than much of anything else. Lemuel didn't blame him, as the other man had the look of a first timer as he took in the sight of the lovely dragon. Dragons were much more impressive once you saw them on the ground than far off in the sky, atleast that had been his prior experience.

Assuming that's where the newcomer's interests would be, Lemuel silently turned and took note of his discarded fishing and gathering equipment. He'd dallied enough on his own personal time and needed to get things for the kitchens. Kneeling back down, he started to gather up his poles and lines to set on his shoulders again.

He generally didn't like to butt into other's conversations.

[Jabberwoky]

Amauroth perked up at the rustling of foliage and movement in the undergrowth. Spotties? Wild whers? No! A human! Another friend!

The green bounced over, having no sense of her being light on her feet. Hello! Hello new person! Have you met my human? Have you met our new friend Lemuel? Are you a new friend? New friend! She was happily chattering away, folding her wings with her eyes whirling in excited blues and greens.

Persephone shook her head.

"My apologies, Lemuel. She is... well, you can see she's very excitable."

[Grayson]

By the shards of Faranth's own egg, she's huge.

Raymesin's wonder spelled doom for the unfortunate and unseen flower beneath his boot - and then as Amauroth approached, his eyes widened in sudden panic.

SHE'S COMING STRAIGHT AT ME!!!

Raymesin let out a sound somewhere between a squeak and a strangled yell, one of those noises that starts off in raw terror and ends in relief, because she wasn't coming straight at him after all, she was coming over to say hello. His legs gave way in that moment, and he landed heavily.

On the poor abused vegetation.

"Um. Hello. Wow. Sorry, you startled me," the former Seahold man said to the dragon, looking up at her. "I've never seen a dragon this close before. Er - has anyone told you that the Harpers' songs don't do you justice, that you're just beautiful?"

At the mention of Lemuel, his eyes went to Persephone, then to where Lemuel was retrieving tools that Raymesin recognised all too well, then back to Amauroth. "I can be a new friend if you want a new friend? I'm Raymesin of the - er, Raymesin, and I don't know anyone here. I only just arrived."

[EW-NA]

In an instant, the green's attention was diverted elsewhere. Lemuel watched her practically frolic over to the other young man now on the scene, seeming almost joyed that he had arrived in unexpected fashion.

His sudden departure was halted, upon hearing Persephone speak up again. "Your dragon is very friendly," he said. "She is much more approachable than a more stern dragon would be."

Not that he had experience with other dragons, but he'd met enough humans that equated to such. However, he could argue that dealing with such a seemingly happy-natured creature was proving a bit difficult for him, personally. Lemuel found himself at a bit of a loss on how to respond.

It was much simpler to deal with others when they either ridiculed or commanded. He generally could ignore the spoken words and simply do his current task, but in either instance, he didn't have to find words to speak up in response. It didn't seem appropriate to do similar when someone addressed nicely.

Yet, Amauroth's friendliness was currently not his 'hardship' to face.

"You are the one that stayed behind from the last visiting ship," Lemuel spoke up, once Raymesin seemed to regain himself.

Lemuel had heard a lot of rumors circulating the Weyr, about the ship's sudden docking on the coast. However, he usually tended to not put too much merit into rumors. Namely when said rumors concerned talk of pirates.

[Jabberwoky]

More friends? Yes! More friends! Hello new friend Raymesin! Lemuel look we have a new friend! Two new friends! Mine human, we have TWO new friends today! They think I'm pretty! Amauroth was so happy, it whirled in her eyes. She had to shove her nose in their faces, nudging and poking at people. After all, they were friends!

Persephone shook her head a bit, smiling.

"She's a very friendly green. My weyrmate's dragon is much more stern, but Amauroth has always found friends everywhere. It doesn't matter who or what, everything is her friend." She said with a smile, hands on her hips while her dragon made friends. She had briefly forgotten the flowers around her, despite that being what she had come here for.

[Grayson]

Raymesin grinned up at the dragon. After all, what else was there to do when someone who turned out to be so utterly adorable bounced up to say hello?

"More friends!" Because if something the size of a dragon wants to call you a friend, let it. He lifted his hand to hesitantly touch the nose being shoved in his face. "Definitely more friends. Hello, new friend! Um - can I get up now?"

He looked beyond the dragon, offering both Lemuel and Persephone another smile. "Um. Hello. Yes, I'm the one who stayed behind off the last ship. A man's not much good in the rigging when he's only got one arm."

Levering himself back to his feet, Raymesin brushed down his trews before looking up at the others again, still smiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." He, too, seemed to have forgotten the flowers - but then he hadn't really noticed them to start with. Such is the life of a man for whom the deck sprouting things means someone's about to get well and truly shouted at.

[EW-NA]

Lemuel could attest to Raymesin's statement. Almost every task on a ship required both hands and a good amount of strength to handle it. Other than his arm in a sling, the other man seemed in relatively good health. Lemuel had seen a number of sailors left off in various ports in worse conditions, so good fortunes to him, in some regard.

Lemuel only nodded his head to the other seafarer in reply, face neutral, as always.

"Are you trying to go somewhere?" he asked calmly. "The Weyr is not in the direction you were going."

Lemuel had no intention of butting into the man's business. However, he wasn't inconsiderate enough to let someone from Semaca get themselves unknowingly into trouble. Whether he could normally handle himself, the fact was that Raymesin was a bit handicapped with an arm in a sling.