Bath-time Annoyances

Writers: Yvonne, Jelena
Date Posted: 15th April 2014

Characters: Harki, Derwill
Description: Derwill comes to bother Harki and Cerillith while bathing.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 6, day 19 of Turn 7

"Excuse me, hello?" Derwill was practically dancing up and down to get
Harki's attention as she was washing her dragon after Fall. "Can you spare
me a moment?"

Harki turned, sighed, and stared at the figure at the edge of the water.
"Crazy old man," she muttered to Cerillith. "What's bugging him?"

}:You are not done with me!:{ Cerillith spread her wings and refolded them
on her back. }:There is crackdust on my hide still.:{

**I know, I know.** The greenrider put a hand on her dragon's elbow. She
was tired, her shoulders ached, and there was a hot bath of her own in the
future... and a crazy old man with a long scarf, apparently. "Can I help
you?"

"Yes, yes, you really can," Derwill smiled his most winning smile. "I''m
Derwill, Senior Journeyman Technician here and I would like to ask you and
your dragon some questions, if you don't mind."

Harki exchanged a rather bemused look with Cerillith. "Um. Right now?"

"That would be great, thank you so much!" Derwill was more than happy to
misinterpret when it came to 'important' matters suchs as this one. "How
you describe the communication between you and your dragon?"

"Excuse me?" Harki blinked. That was _not_ what she'd been expecting. Not
that she had really been expecting anything in the first place.

"Well, I'm researching dragon communication, so I'm trying to gather as
much information as I can. I'm hoping to be able to develop a device some
day that will make communication possible for us non-riders."

The greenrider stared at him for a moment, then laughed. Crazy old man.
"Why would you want to do that? You'll always have a rider to translate for
you."

"Just imagine how swiftly your sweeprides would go, if you could just
communicate with the groundcrew as you fly over? And wouldn't it be great
for Weyrmates to be able to talk with their lover's dragon?"

The greenrider shrugged. "One dragon in my head is more than enough for
me." Behind her Cerillith snorted and flopped down into the lake in a fit
of pique, causing a wave to hit the back of Harki's knees and wet the toes
of Derwill's boots. The greenrider staggered, then rolled her eyes. "See?
_More_ than enough."

Derwill chuckled, though inwardly he felt the frustration rise. Why were
these riders all so set in their ways when it came to their dragons? "Even
so, do you mind answering a few brief questions?"

Harki looked at Cerillith, who huffed and stuck her snout in the air in
irritation at the delay of her bath. "Oh, why not," she said.

"Perfect, thanks," Derwill smiled just a little triumphantly. "So, how
_would_ you describe the communication between you and your dragon?"

"I don't know." The greenrider looked over her shoulder at her pouting
dragon, then shrugged. "She's just there, in my head."

"Is it just like your own thoughts or different in some way?" Derwill was
trying very hard to ignore the obviously annoyed green, but a tiny itch of
guilt still slipped through from the back of his mind.

"I don't ever get confused thinking that her thoughts are mine, if that's
what you're asking," Harki said. "She's... draconic. She sounds different.
Feels different."

"Alright, that's interesting," Derwill nodded. "Was there ever a time where
she didn't hear you or blocked you out in some way?"

Harki made a face. "She ignores me all the time."

}:I do not!:{ The dragon huffed indignantly. }:Sometimes you are boring.:{

**Shush! I'm talking to someone,** Harki shot back.

"And how do you get her to listen when she doesn't want to?"

"The same way you get anyone to listen when they don't want to-- you force
them." It was a battle of wills, but dragons were simpler to dominate than
other people.

"You shout until she has to pay attention?" Derwill guessed.

Harki arched an eyebrow. "Is that how _you_ get people's attention?"

"Well, if they're really not listening..?" Derwill trailed of a bit
sheepishly.

The greenrider shook her head, but she was smiling. Crazy old man, she
could just see him doing it too. "You sure must make a lot of friends. You
have to _make_ a dragon listen to you. It's like-- I don't know. Like how
G'nir doesn't have to shout to make you realize that what he has to say is
worth listening to. Or like how you train a canine."

}:I am _not_ a canine!:{ Cerillith huffed again. Her tail began to swish in
the water, like a feline getting ready to pounce. }:You should stop talking
and bathe me!:{

**Hush,** Harki told her. It took a moment for the green to settle again,
grumbling all the way. If only she could share it with Derwill, the way you
just... forced it. But non-riders never understood. They couldn't. Not
really. Not even people with firelizards, and they were the closest you
could come to Impressing... "Hey, do you have a firelizard?" she asked.

"I see," Derwill considered her words carefully. He'd never considered
comparing a dragon to his Odi, but it did make some ense. "And no, I don't,
just got my canine, why?"

"If you really want a taste of what it's like to have someone else in your
head, you should consider it," she told him. "It's not the same, but it's
closer than owning a canine!"

"That's a good idea," Derwill said. But did he have the marks to pay for
one? Most of his pay he spent on supplies for his experiments. "Thank you,
I'll think about it." He watched the fretful green for a moment as if
seeing her for the first time. "I'll leave you to your washing, she looks
annoyed."
The greenrider arched her eyebrows. Cheeky. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

Derwill wondered for a fraction of a second if she really hadn't, but then
he realised she was joking. "Yes, sorry for taking up your time and thank
you so much for your answers."

Last updated on the May 6th 2014

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Bath-time Annoyances