Only a Firelizard Would [open]

[PhazonDragon]

In the middle of the night, Rafael stumbled into the kitchens, still dressed in his pajamas, and a chirping fire lizard cling to the thing fabric of his shirt. "Totenkopf," the historian managed to get out before a yawn, "Shhh, quiet. There are people sleeping, sensible people sleeping..." Of course a firelizard would wake him up at this hour. He stifled another yawn as he sat down at one of the tables.

The brown flitter crawled off of his shoulder, onto the table, and chittered, looking up at his owner expectantly. He opened his mouth, green tongue flopping out as he begged for food.

"Can't ever eat at a sensible time..." Rafael muttered in his thick German accent, then stood up, motioning for the flitter to stay put, which he did.

The historian was making his way to one of the refrigerators, to grab some cold cuts for meat for Totenkopf to snack on, when there was a loud crash to his side. Metal pots and pans hit the ground, and one came rolling to smack into Rafael's leg. "Ach!" he hissed, jumping back.

The source of the noise was a young and obviously inexperienced kitchen hand that had tripped and dropped clean kitchenware all over the floor.

Rafael winced in sympathy and pain, then reached down to pick up the pot that hit his shin. "A little bit of trouble there?" he asked, a warm smile on his face as he approached, contrasting the child's horrified look. "Let me help with that." Crouching, Rafael moved to help gather up the fallen items.

[FaizahPandora]

Virika blushed wildly, embarassed about having dropped the pots and pans. She had simply been trying to get a pan. To make dinner. But it had backfired, and now she had bothered the other person in the kitchen. She fumbled, trying to pick up the pots and pans before he had a chance to.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you." She hurriedly said.

She didn't know why she felt so awkward. It had never bothered her before, to use the kitchen at night. She was a wherling, she couldn't exactly go to the normal dinner times for the Weyr. But ever since being released from the Infirmary, she had been awkward. Which was ridiculous...

"I'm so sorry..." She apologized once more.

[Stormy]

Nuriko had also been hunting in the kitchen for some food, and jumped with a small shriek at the clatter of the pots and pans on the hard floor. A delicate hand on his chest, he turned toward the source. He knew the woman, her green was Nurisk's mother, but he wasn't familiar with who the man was. He looked vaguely familiar, like he had seen him around before, but he knew for sure that he hadn't formally met him.

"That's enough noise to give someone a heart attack, Virika," he called out, coming closer so he wouldn't be obscured by the lingering darkness. But, taking another look at the stranger, it wasn't Virika that had his attention much longer.

The gay chimerawherling, helping pick up the assorted pots and pans, kept glancing at the other man out of the corner of his eye, more and more interested. Maybe he could have some fun with this man...? Heavens knew there were enough bisexuals and homosexuals at Rocky. Maybe he was one of them?

Nurisk wasn't far from His, his blue and green markings prominent in the halo of light around the three people gathered in the kitchens. He looked at the firelizard man, then simply stated, Mine like you.

Nuriko blushed, then muttered, "Thank you ever so much, Nurisk, for your frank observations..."

[PhazonDragon]

"No, no, don't apologize, it's no trouble. The noise was startling, yes, but it's not your fault," Rafael assured, a smile still on his face. He gave the other man the same smile, scooting over to make room, then once all of the items were in his hands, or the hands of the gathered people, he chuckled. "Here, do you need help with anything?"

Then—a wher in his mind, and Rafael's eyebrows raised. He glanced towards the other man, a wherhandler, he corrected himself. "Oh, I'm flattered," he said, "I wouldn't want to make anyone angry or upset. Likable is so much better."

Totenkopf nearly screeched. He flew up off of the table he was waiting on, and turned, aiming for Rafael, only to notice the wher, and excitedly flitter around the blue-green wher's head.

"Ach, off, stop that," Rafael scolded, to which the brown flit pointedly ignored.

[FaizahPandora]

Virika shook her head. "No, I don't need help. Just making a grilled cheese." She explained.

She smiled at the two of them. "I wouldn't mind the company though. Garrik would probably flip if he knew that I was alone. Especially in the kitchen, with all the sharp items and hot stove..." She explained awkwardly.

Virika grimaced as Nuriko's comment sunk in. She gave him an apologetic smile before turning to start putting the fallen equipment away. But then she noticed Rafael's brown flitting around the only chimera wher ever. She smiled slightly, glad that her brown Rannoch wasn't around. He had been almost unbearable since winning a flight.

[Stormy]

Nurisk watched the brown firelizard fly around his head, contemplating for a moment about snapping at the little dragoncousin, but decided not to. The firelizard's person likely wouldn't appreciate it.

Nuriko shot the chimera wher a sharp look as he contemplated snapping, but relaxed once he changed his mind. He was also glad that the German-sounding man didn't seem to grasp what Nurisk meant, and that he hadn't noticed the blush, which was already fading.

"I'm sure Garrik is just worried about you after what happened with your labor. I believe I've come to realize that he's like that," Nuriko said to Virika, then smiled. "But don't worry about it much. You're lucky to have someone who cares that much."

Then he returned his attention to the other man, and gave him a warm smile. "I'm sure it'd be very hard for you to make anyone angry or upset. You already seem so likable."

[PhazonDragon]

Rafael laughed lightly at her comment. "The clumsy type, are you? I'll keep an eye out, make sure you don't trip again." Taking one of the pots back from the young woman, Rafael motioned with his head, towards the stoves. "Come along, then. Let's get these put away." He tossed a smile over his shoulder, and nodded towards the male handler. "I try, but my accent, and my English, it's not the best, and my heritage, people can be hostile."

Totenkopf reached out and sniffed at the wher's head, nearly daring to land on him and ride around, but a sharp whistle from the historian, and the flitter darted back over to land on his owner's shoulders.

"I apologize if Totenkopf bothered your wher. He tends to be friendly, and get himself in trouble. Oh, and I'm Herr Rafael," he introduced with a slight bow. "I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting either of you… wherhandlers, right?" He held out his hand, to the lady first.

[FaizahPandora]

Virika smiled for the help. "I'm not usually clumsy. But I guess trying to keep the noise down does make someone a bit more clumsy." She said apologetically.

Her head was down as she was taking care of the pots and pans. But that didn't mean she wasn't listening. The flit was well trained; it came at its owner's whistle. She wished her brown was that well trained. As it was, she hadn't gotten to keep his attention long enough to train him that well.

She looked up as Rafael asked if they were handlers. She shook her head. "No. Both of us are still wherlings. My green is the mother to his chimera." She said, gesturing towards Nuriko and Nurisk.

[Stormy]

Nuriko laughed, reaching over and rubbing his wher's head. "I'm not sure anything can bother this little monster. For as long as we've been bonded, I've never really seen him mad. He's an odd wher, but he's not like his white clutchsister, who is actually a docile wher. Only time that little creature got aggressive, I heard, was when her handler was in labor. He's at least had thoughts of snapping at things," he said, rather cheerily.

Then he remembered the pots and pans in his hands and helped put them back where they belonged, suddenly feeling kind of awkward just standing around. "I think it might be easier to be of Germanic descent than Japanese, to be truthful," he added in response to Rafael.

"And my name is Nuriko, and this chimera monster here is Nurisk."

[PhazonDragon]

"Just little wherlings, little children, really." Rafael smiled, looking towards Nurisk first, then Nuriko. "I suppose each culture is not without its problems. I shouldn't complain, Rocky has been nice to me so far, much more than some Americans when they heard my accent for the first time." He laughed. "But don't mind that. We are one community, we shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves, right?"

The brown flit on Rafael's shoulder launched himself at the refridgerator, clawing at the metal surface, suddenly bored with the conversation, and wanting food yet again. "Little pest," the historian frowned. "Don't let us keep you from your grilled cheese, young lady. Totenkopf is hungry, and I'm sure you are too."

Grabbing the fire lizard from the fridge, the German put Totenkopf on his shoulder again, and opened the refridgerator, pulling out a package of turkey slices. "Here you go, little bugger." He opened the package, and lifted out a slice for the brown flitter to quickly snap up.

"I don't suppose Nurisk would want something to eat, would he? These aren't enough, I'm sure, but there must be left over meat in one of these refridgerators… Could get some for him."

[FaizahPandora]

Virika smiled. "I don't think grilled cheese is a good idea. I don't want to make any more noise. I'll settle with a PB&J." She answered, reaching for the loaf of bread on the counter.

She watched the flit, who was scarfing down some meat now. She laughed slightly. The brown was interesting, nearly perfectly trained yet acting like he was starved. Virika thought him funny. And he was certainly brightening her day.

((Sorry for my cruddy post. Virika-muse is failing.))