A Lot of Dragon to Wash
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Aaron, Avery, Devin, Halyonix, Sia
Date Posted: 11th September 2024
Characters: N'vanik, B'lyse, O'rosin, R'vkal, Zelah
Description: A group of Candidates wash Loseth.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 19 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: Ç'pier, C'rand
Loseth wanted a bath and N'vanik had a lot to do. Thankfully, that's what Candidates were for, and several of them were eager to help wash the Weyrleader's bronze. N'vanik picked some of the older ones, including Blue -- the boy C'pier was willing to kill to protect, and Zelah who'd decided to Stand after all.
N'vanik needed to stay nearby to direct them if needed, so he settled in the shade with some hidework. "Tell me if he's messing around too much."
Loseth was in a playful mood, eyes whirling pleasantly as he waded into the lake.
Blue was going to make the best of this. He felt a bit... alone without Corland. But he could not possibly rely on him every minute of every day for the rest of his life. What if one of them Impressed and the other did not? So, while he might be quiet he was going to give this dragon the best, most thorough scrubbing a dragon ever had. He was grateful for the time he had spent with the smiths for strengthening his arms. He chose a spot near his back right leg and got to work.
This was a first for Obrosin; at seeing a bronze dragon this close, at it being the _Weyrleader's Bronze_ (the idea of a Hallmaster or Lord Holder doing anything similar baffled his mind so much that he dared not think too hard on it). He..wasn't entirely sure what N'vanik meant by "messing around" either, though he waited until the bronze was mostly settled in the water before he tried to follow. He was very aware of how small he was compared to how massive Loseth was.
He wasn't entirely sure what to do, now that he'd been handed the sweetsand and a brush, but got the gist well enough. He rolled up his pant legs to the knees and realized too late that it probably wasn't going to be enough, and that his nice new clothes would be soaked. Wasn't much to be done about that now.
He did stare for a moment, blankly, as Blue got to work. He took a spot nearby and mimicked the same action, getting the brush to a later and starting on the great bronze hide.
Loseth slapped his tail against the water, spraying the Candidates. }:That one needs to scrub harder.:{ He sent an image of the young man.
N'vanik barely looked up. "You there, with the brown hair and freckles -- scrub harder."
"They're awfully big up close," Ryvankal remarked as he got to work scrubbing the hide somewhere near Obrosin. "Do the big ones need washing every day?"
"Shards, I hope not for your sake. Though at least with a green I don't need to worry about it being this bad. You get your big bronze, and...." Zelah was feeling glad that she'd picked out only the plainest clothing when it came to chores like this. Having heard an advice to go harder, she started going really hard.
Obrosin looked around, momentarily confused, before realizing that the brown hair and freckles was probably _him_. Oh no. He scrubbed a bit harder, too. "Surely not?" Obrosin hazarded a guess. "Else we'd be doin' this all day every day, right?"
Blue heard muffled speech beside him and turned to look, in case someone was talking to him. There was no clear indication that he _was_, but it could not hurt to say something back. He could hardly guess at what he might have said, but he was new. So it was probably safe to comment about that.
"First time?" he asked.
"Me?" Ryvankal asked. "Yeah. Didn't realize they were so big." Even though they were surrounded by dragons, Candidates weren't always up close and personal with them. Or maybe it was just Ryvankal who wasn't.
Loseth's eyes whirled with humor as he shifted, sending at least one Candidate off-balance.
Distracted from Loseth as he was, Blue tumbled face first into the water. He stood up as quickly as he could and ineffectually pretended not to be sputtering and coughing. Blushing beet red, he turned his attention back to washing and resolved not to make eye contact with anyone.
The huge bronze turned, this time dislodging all the Candidates. He rumbled and gently nudged Blue with his snout.
"Sorry! Sorry, Loseth," Blue gasped. "I didn't mean to splash you."
N'vanik looked up with a frown. After a brief exchange with his dragon he snorted a laugh. "He says you need practice for when your dragon won't stay still."
Blue had no idea N'vanik had spoken to him. He simply bowed to Loseth.
"M-may I continue?" he asked.
Loseth nudged him again and then regarded him for a moment with one huge blue-green eye. Then he turned and settled back down into the water.
"Need some sure footing for sure," Ryvankal remarked. "Didn't realize they'd be so...well...so easy to knock us off balance."
"Look at the size of him." Obrosin said, as if Loseth's size was even up for debate. It took him a minute to climb back to his feet. He pushed his soaked blond hair out of his eyes before even trying to get back to work. "He could sit on you and wouldn't notice the difference. Probably just wonder what that muffled 'oof' was."
Loseth lifted one of his massive front paws as if to demonstrate how big it was and how easily squishable the Candidates were.
Obrosin pointed directly at the lifted paw. "See?!"
Ryvankal swallowed nervously. "Suppose it's a good thing that they...that they don't eat people," he said weakly.
Thinking that Loseth was indicating that he wished for his paw to be washed, Blue rushed in to begin scrubbing it thoroughly.
Loseth rumbled gently in amusement and spread out his claws so Blue could thoroughly scrub each one. Ryvankal looked up to the spot where Obrosin had been working. "Giving it another go? Or you want me to try up there this time?"
"Yeah, it's your turn." Obrosin agreed. "I'll stay down here for a bit, if you don't mind."
Zelah watched the ways that the boys were working on Loseth and alternating between seeming nervous and seeming excited, like they wanted to climb him and be brave, and like they were intimidated, and she snorted internally. "I'll go up there," she said, striding past Obrosin and Ryvankal to make her own way up.
Loseth turned to watch her and lowered himself to give her better access. Humans were so very small and he was very, very big. He liked that she was bolder than the boys and he lifted his foreleg to help her get onto his back.
"Least he's polite," Ryvankal remarked from where he had been hovering close in case Zelah fell while trying to get up on that high shoulder.
"Dragons understand how to be gentlemen," she said, handing Ryvankal
the brush before scrambling up...somewhat awkwardly, but it _was_ her
first time. She reached back out to reclaim it. He tossed it up to her easily enough.
"Careful up there," he cautioned. But he figured Loseth wasn't going to drop a lady into the water like he had Obrosin.
The Candidates did an admirable job of cleaning the huge bronze. Loseth was pleased as he went off to rinse in the deeper water of the lake. "Loseth says thank you," N'vanik told them, wondering which of them, if any, would Impress at the Hatching.
Last updated on the September 23rd 2024