Splish-Splash, Time For a Bath

Writers: Jelena, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 10th February 2015

Characters: Genna, A'kua
Description: Bigger is not better when it comes to bathtime.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 1 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Ninaine

Genna

This was not going to be pleasant. Not even with help. Not in the least.
Especially not if Ninaine found out about it. But it wasn't as if Aluka
could choose which dragon to help bathe, so he just sighed to himself and
walked up to the Weyr's youngest gold and her rider. "Candidate Aluka
reportin' for duty," he said.

"Hello, Aluka," Genna smiled kindly at the candidate, remembering him from
when they were candidates together. "Thank you so much for agreeing to give
me a hand. There's just so much of her!" Wasn't he friends with Ninaine?
She hoped that didn't colour his opinion of her too much.

"You're welcome," the tall redhead said to be polite, and picked up his
scrubbing brush and pot of sweetsand. "Where'd ya like me to start?"

"You can start on her back and shoulders, if you wouldn't mind," Genna
said, knowing that was the spot Lissath least objected having strangers
touch her. The young gold looked at Aluka sceptically.

}: Are you sure he knows what he's doing? :{

Genna partially ignored her, but she did ask "You have washed dragons
before, have you?"

The question made Aluka stop and stare at her. For a moment, he wondered if
Genna was joking. On seeing she was serious, he wondered how on Pern such a
ditz had ended up with a gold. Candidates washed dragons. That was a given.
Then he remembered he had pretty much avoided Genna and the other
Candidates for at least two Turns because he hadn't trusted them, and thus
hadn't really worked with them when it came to bathing dragons. So for all
Genna knew, he could have ditched the chore at every possible opportunity.
Of course, that didn't meant he didn't dearly wish to give her a severely
sarcastic answer. But that would probably get him eaten by an angry gold,
so instead, he snorted and said "You're funny," as he opened the sweetsand
jar.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask. I've had all sorts of candidates help me and
trust me, you wouldn't want to touch Lissath in inappropriate places."

}: Hmf, he didn't even introduce himself. :{ Lissath rumbled in annoyance,
eyeing the candidate with distrust. }: I don't like him. :{

"Also, it helps when you introduce yourself to the dragon and talk to them,
it makes things a bit more pleasant for the both of you." She wasn't going
to mention that sometimes Lissath talked back, because she only did that
with people she really liked. And she had a vague idea Aluka wasn't quite
on that list yet.

**I don' do pleasant when it comes to dragon-bathin',** Aluka thought
sourly. **I do the job expected.** But at least Genna had apologized, and
again, he didn't want to get eaten, so he summoned a nod for Lissath,
briefly dropping his accent for a formal Dragonsfall sound. "Good day, lady
Lissath. I'm Candidate Aluka, and I'll be helping bathe you today. Might I
ask where you do not wish to be scrubbed?"

}: He should know. :{ Lissath gruffed, turning her head away from the
candidate without direct response. Genna shook her head in mild amusement.

"Leave her head and genitals to me," she told Aluka in a friendly tone as
she got to work herself. "Are you excited to see Onnyth's clutch yet?" she
then asked conversationally.

Unlike any other Candidate who would've reacted with excited chatter, Aluka
just shrugged as he started scrubbing the left side of Lissath's neck with
both hands. "I'm sure it'll be nice," he said noncommittally in his usual
drawl.

"Hmm, not that excited, I guess," Genna said, more to herself than to Aluka
as she set to scrubbing Lissath's tail. "What are your hopes for
impression, then?"

"My hopes're I straighten myself out before I even ponder Impressin'," the
redhead said without thinking. "Dragonets don' want people with issues."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you had issues." Genna said, suddenly
thinking to herself what a likely friend he was for Ninaine. If she had
learned anything from her dealings with her fellow weyrling, it was you
were better off not prying. "Do you like washing dragons, or is it just
because it's asked of you as a candidate?"

Aluka paused, realizing what he'd admitted, and mentally cursed before
rolling with it. "_Everyone_ has problems; doesn' matter who ya are," he
commented. "Some just hide 'em better." He kept scrubbing. "This's just a
chore, same as any other. But it's good practice if a dragonet impulsively
decides it wants me."

"That's very true," Genna nodded, wanting to add that maybe not everyone
thought there problems would fend off hatchling dragons. But she figured
that wouldn't make the bathing any easier on either of them. "It is, it
helped me a lot when I impressed Lissath, to have the experience
beforehand."

Aluka looked Lissath from snout to tail-tips, looked at Genna, and
remarked, utterly deadpan, "Bet it didn' prepare ya for a dragon this big."
It came across as teasing rather than critical.

That got a laugh from Genna. "Nothing ever could have!" she admitted. "But
I got used to it. Not that I had much of a choice, but I did."

The Candidate briefly wondered if she had any idea how unbelievably lucky
she was. Then he dismissed the thought and kept working. It was possible
her family's love would've been conditional as well, had she Impressed
green. It was all chance. "Was it worth gettin' used to?"

"What do you think?" Genna grinned. "Trust me, when your dragon finds you,
everything is worth it."

There was that "when" again. Candidates were always told "when", not "if".
Or at least, it always seemed to be "when" if he was part of the
conversation. Or was it a general "you"? Aluka frowned, turning that
thought over.

Genna returned to her scrubbing silently, with some thoughts of her own to
mull over. This Aluka was an odd fellow, but she didn't really feel that he
was as gruff as he came off in the first place. Maybe if she didn't push
too much, he'd open up a little more.

Aluka finally concluded Genna had been referring to herself in a roundabout
way. He didn't start talking again, but he did hum, which turned into
singing mostly under his breath by the time he was working on Lissath's
wing. Sometimes that helped the chores go faster. "I won't see you 'til New
Turn; the coal dust makes my lungs burn. But the foreman, he don't worry;
he say, 'Work, boy, there's no hurry.' Don't that big Red Star look a lot
like fire when you come out of the ground after forty-eight hours?"

Did dragons like music? He knew some dragonriders came from harper
backgrounds, but did the dragons enjoy it when their riders sang or played,
or did they merely tolerate it as something they didn't understand, but
made their riders happy?

Lissath, for one, was intruiged. She'd heard music before from when Genna
attended events, but never before had someone sung so close to her. }:
What's that? :{ she asked of Genna, turning her head to look at Aluka.

"She likes your singing, I think," Genna smiled as she looked up from her
work. "She wants to know what you mean with the words."

Taken aback by suddenly being scrutinized, and by Genna's interjection, the
Candidate had to collect his wits before he replied. So maybe dragons did
like music? Or at least Lissath might be interested. "It's about a coal
miner who keeps doin' the best he can in a job he hates, 'cause there's no
other way to support his family."

Genna relayed the information to her gold and Lissath craned her head
around to give the candidate a closer look. }: So he just does as he
supposed. He is a good man. :{ she spoke to Aluka with her usual
know-it-all air. Genna's eyebrows raised slightly in wonder. She hadn't
expected Lissath to come around so quickly, if at all. Apparently the
subject interested her.

Aluka actually staggered at the gold's voice in his mind. It- It was- it
was indescribably _beautiful_! He hadn't heard such a lovely female voice
since his mother died. For a few moments, all he could do was gape at
Lissath. "Y- You honor me," he finally said, stunned into enunciating
properly by his wonderment.

Lissath was obviously pleased with his reaction and a low croon escaped
her. }: You will honor me if you... :{ she paused, searching for the word
}: sing some more. :{

Genna just smiled in amusement as she continued her scrubbing.

After being spoken to twice, Lissath could have told Aluka to jump, and he
would have cleared orbit and touched Pern's moons just to please her. Not
even the fact his compositions weren't standard issue and thus not likely
to be enjoyed stopped him. He finished the song about the miner and moved
on to a piece on rainbow connections, then a really wistful composition
about a girl so distant she might not even be real. The redhead was a
little breathless by the time he had finished Lissath's left side.

Lissath was obviously very content to listen to Aluka's singing and her
eyes followed him wherever he went, whirling in content greens and blues.
}: He turns out better then expected. :{ she commented to her rider. }: Can
he come wash me again? :{

Genna smiled as she leaned over her gold to talk to the candidate. "Lissath
wants to know if you'd be available for washing her again some time."

Aluka caught his breath and nodded, not bothering to mention he had little
to no choice in the matter. If he did well enough, maybe Lissath would gift
him with that gorgeous voice again.

}: Wonderful :{ Lissath spoke to Aluka directly, echoing her rider as she
said the same. Genna smiled to herself, marvelling at the effect her dragon
speaking to him had had on Aluka.

"Well, we are done here now. Thank you so much for helping, Aluka. And
thank you for singing to Lissath. She enjoyed it a lot."

"It was my pleasure," the thoroughly dazzled Candidate said truthfully
(about the singing part, anyway).

Last updated on the February 11th 2015

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Splish-Splash, Time For a Bath