To Meet a Worried Flitter [Nightmare]

[phyrstyr]

IC DATE: Week of October 24, 2011
Time: Late Afternoon

Singing. That is what Shasta loved to do. She sang in the shower, in the halls, before she slept; basically any time she thought she was alone. So now she sang. She was in the Dining Hall, eating a snack and working on a song. She would look at her sheet of notes and munch her steak and if something didnt make sense to her she would sing it out loud until it was right and then amend it with a pencil.

Right now she was working on an especially difficult verse and so had shooed away her flitter hoard. Blessed quiet. She worked for an hour or two and then set the sheets down for a break. She got up and stretched, first touching her toes, then reaching backwards as far as she could. Shs flexed her cramped fingers and did jumping jacks to warm up her legs. That done she replenished her stock of meat and sat down, voice adiquitly rested, ready to continue her work.

[PhazonDragon]

Winking in from between, Nightmare flitted about in the air above the tables of the dining hall. He had just been swat at by hisbonded, and squeaked as he went between to escape it. The blue found him himself in the dining hall, with the tantalizing smell of food brushing at his nostrils. He chirped, angling his wings and shooting downwards, to where the smells were coming from. He aimed for a rambunctious group of riders, thinking that at least one of them would feed him, only to have a fairly protective bronze snap at him.

Nightmare’s eyes turned a worried yellow, and he twisted away from the group. He would find something to eat somewhere else. As the sounds of the chatter drifted away, Nightmare picked up on the disjointed melody of someone singing, then stopping, and singing again. Curious, the alert fire lizard flew towards the sound, and found a plate of food sitting at a table, next to a lone person.

The landing was smooth, with the blue flitter snapping his wings shut and dropping onto the table with a thump. Much like a bird, Nightmare cocked his head to the side, and peered up at the person there. She was humming, and working on something with her hands. Tentatively, Nightmare crawled forward, his eyes darting between the meat and the person.

[phyrstyr]

Shasta was startled when a blue firelizard landed lightly on the table directly in front of her. The GreenWeyrlings voice cracked and she stopped working on her melody. Instead, she cocked her head to the side and looked at the little Blue curiously.

She greeted him with an “Oh, hello there little guy! Whats your name? I dont think i know you...” To whom did this flitt belong? And why was he here? After a moment Shasta decided that it didn’t matter.

Suddenly, as if hit by lightning, she exclaimed, “Oh! I know what you want!” The weyrling reached for her plate of meat, realizing that it must be hunger that brought him to her, but stopped. She gave the flit a stern look and said, “This, little one, is steak. It is a god among foods and should be treated as such. I expect you to relish every morsel.” She gave the Blue a look to emphasize her point and then handed him a cube of the beautifully cooked cow.

[PhazonDragon]

Nightmare had froze, eyes wide, and watching the person at the table. She had stopped as well, peering down at him as he waited patiently like a cat. Instead of trying to get him to fly away, or ignoring him like he wanted, the singer had muttered something, talking to the young flitter. He understood parts of the words, but his one-track mind stayed primarily on the meat nearby. So when the female moved her hand towards the plate, Nightmare’s eyes lit up. Was she...?

But no, she stopped, giving the blue fire lizard a serious look and talking in an even tone, probably scolding Nightmare for doing something that he had no idea about. He opened his mouth in a pitiful chirp, backing up from the person. This was a mistake; it always is a mistake. He could never do anything right, now could he? Whining, the blue flit shook his head, as if trying to clear his head of his doubtful thoughts. And yet, there was a hand, reaching out towards him, a cube of meat between its fingers.

Keening quietly, Nightmare paused, watching the food, before inching forward. He sniffed, taking in the scent of the meat, and reached out with his tongue to lick at the tempting cube. It tasted good... And the singer was kind enough to offer it to him.. His eyes once again jumping back and forth between the person and the food, Nightmare slowly opened his mouth, closing his maw over the cube of meat, and attempted to walk away with it still in his mouth. However, it was a bit of a challenge for the small blue, and he was content to prance around the table top, holding it between his teeth.

[phyrstyr]

When the flitter took the meat pensively, shasta gave a little smile. She was confused by the sad and defensive movements he had been making a moment before, but they must have been nothing because he took her offering willingly enough.

Shasta couldnt help but giggle at the small Blues antics. She covered her face with her hands and her eyes watered as she watched him cavorting about on the table. "Oh, dear. How i wish i had a one like you!" she chuckled again and wiped the tears from her eyes. She grinned at him and continued, "Im sure there would be nary a dull moment."

She was suddenly overtaken by the desire to pet the little creature. He seemed quite friendly, and all her flitters loved to be scratched in that certain spot above the eye ridges... But she didnt want to scare him away. So instead she cut her meat into smaller, more manageable, chunks with her pocket knife so he could actually consume what she gave him. While she did this she kept glancing up and chortling at the little firelizard, so amusing she thought lightly.

[PhazonDragon]

The sounds that the singer started to make weren’t the same as before. Nightmare paused. He heard... Laughter? Was he that entertaining? But no, the only time he heard laughter, or rather when he usually heard laughter, it was when hisbonded had done something particularly hurtful. Yet, having no guidance from the man who didn’t want to bond to him in the first place, Nightmare wasn’t well-versed on what was right, and what was wrong. The flitter crooned past the food in his mouth, twisting his body around to watch the singer.

Was he... Doing something hurtful now? Spitting out the food, Nightmare eyed the meat. He pawed at it with an outstretched talon, and looked at the singer, who was now using a sharp edge to further cut the meat. Intrigued, the blue fire lizard inched forward again, stepping over the meat. But he wasn’t about to leave his meal behind. Spinning around, Nightmare pounced on the delicious cube, effectively ripping off a portion of it with his inertia.

Eyes whirling a hungry red, the flitter quickly scarfed down the bits of meat, licking his lips in a satisfied manner, before primly strutting around the table as if he owned the place. And the singer kept laughing, making him slightly worried. The smell of the meat, so close, was overwhelming though, and Nightmare crept forward, wary once again, until he was close enough to nose the plate.

[phyrstyr]

When the flitter came close again eying her plate, Shasta stated, "Oh, hey! I guess you want another piece. here." She handed the Blue another, smaller, bit of steak. "Maybe you can actually eat it this time." She smiled kindly at the flitt. Turning away for a moment, she cleaned off her knife and clipped it back onto her pants. Then the weyrling returned her attention to the firelizard and looked at him quizzically.

But she seemed to startle herself from what she was going to say and instead exclaimed, "Oh! I forgot I was working on my song! Maybe once your done eating you'd like to help me out? I know you cant understand me, but just in case." She gave him a little wink and then reassembled her papers, grabbing a slice of meat for herself and popping it in her mouth. She licked her fingers as she started humming the notes again.

[PhazonDragon]

Nightmare’s eyes went wide when the singer offered him another bit of food. He was quick to snatch it up between his sharp teeth, mindful of the woman’s fingers. Softly crooning, the blue flitter skittered away from the plate, meat in his jaws, and mouth working furiously to break down the food and swallow it still mostly whole. He happily chirped. He was fed! The singer was kind enough to hand him food again. He cocked his head in her direction, even as she turned away from him. His eyes were now a pleased green, with a tinge of yellow still around the edges.

The singer said something; talking to Nightmare, or herself? The blue firelizard skirted around the table, keeping a radius of about a foot between himself and the woman. He would have loved more food, and even watched as another piece of meat found itself between her fingers. However, she started humming as the food entered her mouth, and Nightmare realized that he was paying attention to her and the noises from her mouth. Curious, Nightmare himself started to hum, trying to follow the tone of the singer’s voice.

[phyrstyr]

The Green weyrling's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't actually expected the firelizard to join in. But instead of stopping and staring, which she was tempted to do, she continued her work with a little smile. As he tried to match Shasta's pitch, the girl simplified the notes slightly. But only a little. Just enough so that it would be easier to follow yet just as beautiful as it had been. Once he mastered that she would move on to more complex sections. Maybe, if he was willing, she could teach him to harmonize with her.

Shasta was amazed at how lovely the Blue's little voice was. Her Blue, Jas, would sometimes sing a little ditty with her, but mostly he just flew around. His voice, too, wasn't nearly so sweet as this flitt's. She closed her eyes a moment to savor the melodious harmony of their hymn.