Not exactly Home

[khalial]

((Set pre-hatching, so everyone's still candidates...I meant to post this before, but I've been away.))

Khaliall sat at a table in the kitchen, with her knees drawn up to her chin, and hands clasped at her feet. The 14 turn old girl gazed pensively out over the bustling cavern, eyes flickering over people whom she thought she recognized, but never did. She wished that she could say she was becoming accustomed to the Weyr...but there was no way that she could be honest in doing so. She had been in the Weyr since the last clutch, where she had failed in Impression. Now she was intending to stand again...but she felt that her chances of success were lower. Why, she did not know.
There were so many candidates, and such an Impressive clutch. Most of the Weyrdwellers worked at one thing or another, while she...did nothing but draw on the Weyr's resources. She was a self-conscious girl: she hated anything that would draw such attention to herself.

Khaliall would never have admitted it, but on occasions like today, she wanted to go home. What was she in the Weyr?
A failed Candidate, so far. There were plenty of Candidates for this next clutch. She was not needed, exactly.
If she should slip away, no one would notice her absence.
Her heart ached as she thought of her father, and the mother whom she had never known. Her eyes grew distant as she recalled the Hold where she had grown up.
She had never liked it there, but when one is in an unfamiliar place, any place which is the opposite seems inviting and all memories take on a dreamy, welcoming tone.
It was this way for Khaliall, on that warm day, as she sat alone at a table, with a mug of cold klah clasped in her hands.

A wistful sigh escaped her as her clasped hands tightened. It was a beautiful day. Shouldn't she be enjoying it? Shouldn't she be making friends? Khaliall supposed so.
But what was the point of such things? She had her imagination. What more did one need?
Her mind told her, nothing. Her heart told her that she needed a friend, but as was her habit, she ignored that cry. Any friends she needed were in her mind.
Those friends would never betray her, or shun her, or forget about her. The corners of her lips drooped downwards, and she struggled to retain the emotionless facade on which she had worked so hard.
Khaliall failed, but the battle was not over, as she realized in horror that her lips was quivering, and a tear was threatening to spill down her cheek.
I must not do that! she scolded herself. I am nearly a woman. I do not need to cry. I cannot be homesick! This Weyr must be home to me. But her protestations were not as vehement as she would have liked.
After all, this was not exactly home.

[Kira]

OoC: Whee! I'm...pink? -shrug- And don't tell Drellith she's fluffy.

BiC: Jaxis strode into the kitchen, his eyes narrowed as Devan once again just had to attack his head. He was probably going to lose all of his hair at this rate. Noticing Khaliall, who looked daydreamy, he slipped into a chair opposite of her and said, "Hi! Whatcha looking at?"

[khalial]

Khaliall, in some consternation, glanced up and to her horror, sniffed miserably. She dredged up a hesitant smile for the young man sitting opposite her, and shrugged.
"Nothing," she mumbled, unable to come up with anything better to say. "I'm looking at the wall."
That sounded slightly more like herself and she mustered a wan smile, slightly crooked, but a smile none the less.
"There isn't much to look at." She was rambling, and Khaliall knew it. When she didn't know what to say--she rambled. More to stop herself talking about nothing to a young man that she didn't know than out of thirst, she raised her mug of cool klah to her lips and took a wary sip. It was lukewarm, but she drank in silence for a moment, taking the opportunity to scrub at her eyes and wipe away any evidence of the tears which had been betraying her will a moment earily.
Setting the mug down, she glanced at his firelizard.
"Oh...you have a firelizard?" she remarked with forced conversation. "I do to, but I think he must be hiding..." Toraus didn't like people much.

(Ooh...pink. Shpiffy ^.^)

[Kira]

Jaxis laughed. "Yeah, this fellow's Devan. And he's completely insane. Apparently, my head is to his liking."
Devan tilted his head at Khaliall in curiosity. He wanted to see this Toraus very much. He crawled onto the table and nuzzled Khaliall's arm gently. "Ha. Imagine that. He likes you. He's behaving for you, which is more than he does for me!" Jaxis smiled, watching the Earth firelizard.

[khalial]

She couldn't help but smile tentatively at the young man's laugh. Gravely, she addressed the firelizard.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Devan," she told him with sparkling eyes, "And you..." Inquisitively, she tilted her head at the firelizard's bonded. Possessively, Toraus appeared from between. The Brown Night firelizard chittered nervously and settled on Khaliall's shoulder to 'protect' her. His tail tightened around her neck, and she loosened it habitually.
"At least it's your head he likes," she remarked thoughtfully. "And he doesn't attempt to strangle you." Toraus chirped defensively at that. Khaliall couldn't help but to smile, this time genuinely, at the youth's firelizard.
"Well," was all she could manage, looking faintly amused. "Have you tried to train him?"

[Kira]

Jaxis looked taken aback. "Train him? You mean you can actually do that with firelizards? I thought they were all like the one-who-likes-to-eat-heads."
The-one-who-likes-to-eat-heads chirped at Toraus, looking up at the Brown Night. Briefly, the Earth wondered why he was trying to protect Khaliall. Shrugging it off with a flick of his tail, he chittered happily to both of them, his eyes whirling with blues and greens, completely calm.

[khalial]

Khaliall smothered a laugh behind a hand raised to her mouth, and raised her eyebrows at him.
"Well...I've heard it can be done," she ventured thoughtfully. "I haven't tried with Toraus -That's this creature- but I know some are well mannered enough to carry messages..."
Her homesickness was temporarily forgotten: she was genuinely content at the moment, and her lips were twitching with a restrained smile. Toraus chittered at the Earth, and tilted his head curiously. His eyes had been whirling protectively, but the colors faded to the typical blue-greens, and his tight hold around her neck loosened of it's own accord. His person was safe enough, while he was around.
"If yours is the one-who-likes-to-eat-heads, perhaps Toraus should be dubbed the one-who-likes-to-strangle-necks," she suggested thoughtfully, after a moment of silence.

[Kira]

Jaxis snorted quietly. "Well, I know tha Devan will never be well-mannered enough to carry messages. Unless it's not for me. And one-who-strangles-necks seems sweet."
Devan looked up at Toraus, and stepped forward a bit, his tail flicking back and forth. He snaked his head towards Toraus in curiousity, his eyes whirling with a peaceful blue. He seemed at ease when Jaxis wasn't around, for some odd reason.

[khalial]

Khaliall's lips twitched.
"You won't know until you try," she pointed out quietly. "Though...He seems sweet enough at the moment. I wonder why he's not, when alone with you?" She tilted her head and regarded the firelizard curiously. Toraus was imitating this pose from her shoulder, tail tightening around her neck.
"Actually," she admitted, "Toraus was afraid of everything when he hatched--but now he seems to have the conviction that I am the one afraid of everything, and I need protection! It can get rather annoying..." She trailed off, looking sheepish.
Toraus chirped, a bit warily, at the other Firelizard, and his tail twitched, indicating that he was ready to take off at a moment's sign from the other 'lizard. Though he looked tense, his eyes were whirling a calm shade proving that he wasn't as nervous as he seemed.

[Kira]

Devan stepped forward a bit more. He wanted to get to know this flitt. He snaked his head closer, trying to get a better look at the protective Night.
Jaxis smiled. "Yeah. I honestly don't know why Devan likes to attack my head. Maybe he likes playing around?" he suggested. "He sure seems curious."

[khalial]

Toraus studied the other firelizard dubiously, and chittered at him, tilting his head to one side to contemplate him.
Had he been able to talk, he would have introduced himself, but as it was all he did was chirp something solemnly, with a slightly inquiring note.
"I've never seen a firelizard do that before," Khaliall remarked thoughtfully. "I know that they enjoy sitting on high perches though. Maybe he thinks that your head would be a good spot for him to sit...Or maybe he thinks hair is funny." Her lips twitched at this suggestion. "Firelizards don't have any, for one thing."
She couldn't help raising an eyebrow, and absently took a sip of her cold klah.

[Kira]

Jaxis raised an eyebrow playfully. "Well, that would be something interesting to see. A firelizard with hair. But," he glanced down at Toraus and Devan, "maybe he wants to nest in my hair? I mean, I know it's unruly, but I never thought of it as nest material!"
Devan fluttered his wings, screeching a proud tone, then chirped several times after, shuffling slightly.

[khalial]

Khaliall was quiet for a moment, gazing musingly into the depths of her mug, but suddenly brightened.
"I think that Toraus would have red hair," she stated randomly, tilting her head to one side. "Bright red." A sheepish grin crossed her features for the first time, and she glanced down at the Night.
"Sorry. You were saying?" She looked thoughtful, and her eyes flickered towards his hair.
The young woman's eyes started to sparkle, but the glitter was quelled as she realized that she was nearly feeling at home.
"I doubt it. Though...what do firelizards usually use as nest material?" she inquired delicately. "I've never heard of hair, but perhaps Devan is a rather different firelizard and..." She trailed off, uncertain of where to continue.
Toraus chittered at Devan with some amusement, tossing his head and fanning his wings. He uttered a low croon at Khaliall, and then a warning one towards the other firelizard, which caused his mistress to roll her eyes.

[Kira]

Devan's eyes whirled faster for a moment, miffed at Toraus's hiss.
Jaxis shrugged. "I have no idea what they would use for nest material... And.... Devan would have light brown hair. Nothing too special, because he's already that," he said, grinning.