None Manners, Left Beef [Phlox]

[nineofswords]

Barca was not a dainty eater. She didn't much care about stains on her clothes, or a mess on the table, or even on anyone sitting near her. She belched long and loudly. She picked at her teeth with her fingers. Sitting at the corner most seat of the tables, she even had her feet propped up on the edge of the table. Zero table manners. Negative table manners, even, so it was hardly surprising that there was plenty of space around her at the tables.

When it looked like someone might be planning to sit down next to her, she let out a ridiculously large, open-mouthed belch, then smirked, apparently rather pleased with her own lack of decorum.

Let me guess: Horrifying people in the dining hall again? Brynth asked, picking up on her mean-spirited good mood. You're better than that, Barca. You know if you tried every now and then, people might actually like you?

'If my enjoyment of food is enough to put them off, I wouldn't want them as a friend anyway,' Barca shot back. 'Besides, have you seen how you eat? You're not one to lecture me on manners, boyo.'

I'm a dragon. It's different.

Barca let out a scoff and took a hearty bite from a wherry leg, the juice dribbling down her chin. "Yeah, whatever," she mumbled to herself.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Shr'k paced the dining hall, looking for a place to sit. He preferred to eat without company, but the hall was full of the various denizens of the weyr. Donketh was not helping, giving Shr'k a running stream of advice.

Shr'k! Shr'k! just take a seat somewhere, man! You food's gonna be cold by the time your stubborn self finds a lonely corner to sit in. Just join a table and make some new friends already!

I'll sit where I want, Donketh. Butt out, the rider told his bonded. Shouldn't you be taking your own advice and be forcing some poor dragon to be friends with you so I can get some quiet?

I'm just looking out for you! You've been here a few turns already and you're still a grumpy loner. Would it kill you to sit with someone today?

He spotted a table with only one occupant at the far corner, and made his way towards it. Her body language clearly exuded "don't come near me," as she had her feet on the table and a mess of food and dishes in front of her. Fine, we'll have it your way, I'll eat with her, Shr'k smirked to himself. He'd just sit at the same table as someone who clearly didn't want someone else around, eat in silence, and be on his merry way.

No I meant someone friendly! Someone chatty! Donketh pleaded. She looks like she crawled out of something rotten, that's not gonna make you popular with other people, Shr'k!

Perfect.

The other rider let out a large belch as he approached, looking quite pleased with herself. Aw, that's cute, Shr'k thought to himself. Lass thinks she can burp with the best of them. He gave her a smirk of his own as he sat opposite her and began tucking into his own meal.

"Better out than in, I always say," he commented through a mouthful of meat roll.

[nineofswords]

"See, you get it," Barca said, pointing at the bronzerider with her half eaten wherry leg. "A gas buildup ain't fun for anyone, but you do one thing to release that gas before it gets too bad and suddenly everyone's got an issue with it. Brynth's always on my ass about it. On my ass about being a messy eater too, like he doesn't get blood everywhere when he eats a herdbeast."

She dug a finger into her ear canal, clearing it out, then stuck out that same hand to the bronzerider. "Barca," she said, her grin mischievous, because she knew exactly what she was doing. Talking about dragons messy eating habits, offering a hand that was gross to shake...this guy had been fine with the blech, but if he couldn't handle the rest he should know now what he was signing up for from an eating companion.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Shr’k nodded as the brown rider across from him acknowledged the benefits of a good belch. Honestly, that was all fine and good by him, but he also just enjoyed letting out a hearty burp when he could.

She picked her ear and held out her hand to him. That’s disgusting, Donketh commented. You’re really gonna sit with this? Shr’k just grinned, ignoring Donketh’s running commentary. The wee lass thought she could gross him out? Not a chance. He carefully sucked the butter and meat juice off each his fingers, then grasped her hand in his. "Shr’k" he returned, shaking her hand with a firm grip.

"Hope you don’t mind me joining you to eat," he said, fully hoping she did and would sulk off. He picked at his teeth with a finger before returning to his meat roll. "The damn dining hall is packed today."

[nineofswords]

Barca's grin widened when Shr'k didn't even bat a lash at shaking her hand, and even licked his fingers beforehand. Brynth sighed at her in her head. 'Hey, at least he's not wasting food. Wiping fingers on a napkin...never understood why annyone would let the best part of a meal go to waste like that.'

Barca gave Shr'k's hand a return squeeze. She wasn't trying to show him up - she was no dummy, she knew she couldn't compete with a fully grown man and seasoned rider in terms of grip strength - but she wasn't about to let this guy think he could just push her around or intimidate her.

Barca shrugged like his presence didn't bother her. "Long as you don't expect me to have 'table manners' like some prissy holdbred bastard," she said, spitting onto the floor. She flashed Shr'k a grin. "Funny, that. Even when the dining hall is packed, I don't seem to have any problems finding a seat. Can't imagine why that might be."

She could feel Brynth rolling his eyes at that.

[FirebrandPhlox]

"Do I look like someone who gives a flit's ass about table manners?" He asked with a hearty laugh. He took a massive bite from a piece of fruit, letting the juices dribble down his chin. He continued through a mouthful of food. "I should be taking notes from you. Maybe then I’d actually get to eat some meals alone and not have to deal with the stares from the prim and proper types."

Shr’k took another bite of fruit chewing loudly with his mouth open. "Are you new around here or something? I feel like I would have noticed someone with your class a bit sooner." His words dripped with playful sarcasm, and he grinned at Barca. He could tell from the knots she was in a different wing, so that could easily explain why they hadn’t met before now, but he was curious about the brownrider.