It does you good to laugh (open)

[Kisha-Ra]

Z’mir’s eyes idly followed one of the many brightly coloured firelizards that made it’s home around the Weyr. It often seem as if the brightly coloured beasts, both wild and bonded, were into absolutely everything around here. You couldn’t leave a snack unguarded or an earring on the table without having to retrieve it from somewhere unlikely. Still, on the good side it did encourage neatness and keep other pests, like those vile tunnelsnakes, away.

Do not think too harshly of the little ones Z’mir.[/color] This mildly toned advice came from the giant among weyrlings that lay on the ground beside Z’mir. They don’t mean to annoy, they just like bright things.[/color]

‘I’m sure they don’t.’ Z’mir’s voice held a note of irony, Igadoth would think the best of a maddened wild feline, but he still lifted a hand to pat the silver hide as far up his dragon’s leg as he could reach. Z’mir still could not believe how the silver had grown in just a few short months, Igadoth had started out the size of a small runnerbeast and by the end of just one month of constant eating and sleeping had grown to what Z’mir would swear blind was twice his original size, and he hadn’t stopped there either, the large weyrling was still growing at an astonishing rate, slower than he had been but still faster than the other weyrling dragons. It made his sister’s brown look like a dwarf when he stood next to Igadoth.

I don’t know why they like shiny things so much, but they do, especially the little greens. Sometimes they come and look at me but they still like Purth best even though he doesn’t shine as much. Maybe they think enough of them could collect him.[/color] Igadoth supplied an image of the white dragon covered practically nose to tail tip in firelizards to go with his statement.

‘It would take an awful lot of firelizards to collect you Ig,’ Z’mir grinned. ‘You’re so big they might come and nest on you instead.’

Igadoth snorted. Oh I don’t think so, the eggs would roll off my back.[/color] the young dragon replied seriously, sending his chosen into fits of laughter.

[shadowreine]

"Silvers grow so fast," came a female voice from nearby.

Reinth had grown fast, too, but, of course, she had stopped when the average adult green still had head and shoulders on her. Tirlynna, the rider of Pern's first rainbow dragon wandered over to the weyrling. "He's looking good, though."

She had had to deal with the accelerated and compressed weyrlinghood herself. If Z'mir wanted or needed any tips, Tirlynna was there. Reinth was on her ledge, and she could feel the rainbow contemplating whether or not to join them. Not in words, really, just a rather lazy consideration. She sent a quick thought to tell the small dragon she'd be welcome.

Z'mir and Zamora, siblings, both of whom had Impressed well. She wondered if there were any more where those came from.

[Kisha-Ra]

Z’mir jumped at the sound of a woman’s voice, blushed furiously because he’d jumped and cast a glare at Igadoth’s unresponsive side. Why didn’t you warn me there was someone there?

I didn’t think you needed to know. There always people around, even if you can’t see them.[/color] The dragon replied, prodding his bonded with his tail to remind Z’mir that he’d forgotten something. Z’mir pushed away the tail and turned a darker shade of red.

‘Um, thank you. Yes, he has been growing fast, I swear he used to double in size overnight just after he hatched, and I was half afraid to leave him in the barracks in case he ate the furniture.’ Z’mir talked to the ground rather than looking at the woman who was talking to him, at least it was easy to talk about Igadoth, although Z’mir admitted he probably sounded like a mother cooing over her baby’s antics when he talked about his dragon. He was about as proud.

[shadowreine]

Perfectly normal, of course, for a weyrling dragon. "I don't think we've actually met," the woman continued.

"Tirlynna, of Reinth."

The Weyrleader's sister, which might intimidate some. But her dragon, despite being fertile, was not generally considered a queen. Not per se. She was too small, and she chewed firestone...and was fertile. It gave the lie to that old myth. Perhaps queens could not chew for some other reason.

In any case, he should know who she was by name...hopefully that would not send the clearly shy silverrider off to hide behind his dragon. Odd that he'd Impressed silver. Usually people quite that shy ended up with blue or sapphire.

[Kisha-Ra]

Z’mir essayed a glance up now that his blush had faded somewhat, and nodded once in agreement, he’d seen her around the Weyr, in passing, but never spoken more to her than the occasional mumbled greeting or apology that came with passing people in the corridors.

Z’mir’s eyes lit up the second Tirlynna introduced herself, he hadn’t met her but he’d evidently heard of her. ‘Oh, you were the first rainbowrider weren’t you?’ His embarrassment over being startled forgotten Z’mir leaned forward and met the woman’s eyes, obviously preparing a barrage of questions about Reinth and her clutchmates. The only person he would have preferred to meet from that clutch was the first (and thus far only) silverrider, Maylina, the ebonyrider, had a reputation he wasn’t prepared to contend with and the other rainbowriders were, well, they hadn’t been the first

Igadoth shifted slightly so he could gently clip his chosen alongside the head with the edge of one wing. I believe you have forgotten your courtesies Z’mir.[/color] When his bonded simply looked blankly back at him Igadoth hinted gently She gave you her name, I believe the idea is to make it an exchange.[/color]

‘Oh, sorry.’ It wasn’t clear if Z’mir was apologising to Tirlynna or Igadoth but he jumped to his feet and offered the rainbowrider a hand and an introduction. ‘Z’mir, and Igadoth.’

[shadowreine]

Tirlynna laughed a bit. "Why is it our dragons are always reminding us of our manners?"

As she said that, she glanced up, at the various shadows in the sky. One, smaller than most, was spiraling downwards. "And here comes mine."

Of course, in silhouette, Reinth just looked like a small dragon, dark against the sky, until the light caught her and brightened her gold and bronze parts.

"He's looking very well, by the way." She took the silverrider's hand. "A good size, I think he might be very slightly smaller than the other one, but if so, it's very slight."

Not that size was everything. Reinth was already backwinging to a landing nearby...and already not much bigger than the young silver.

"The accelerated growth is hard to deal with, I know."

[Kisha-Ra]

Z’mir coloured up slightly and shrugged. ‘Maybe it’s their size.’ He suggested. ‘When you’re that big and equipped with four sets of claws and teeth that can chew rocks it’s probably a good idea to be polite. Besides, Igadoth is right, I was getting too carried away for a moment there.’ Of course as he’d never actually voiced any of his hundred or so questions so Tirlynna might not have realised just how caught up in his thought’s he’d been getting.

A look up at the sky confirmed the rainbowrider’s words, a dragon of adult proportions, that could only be a rainbow from its size was heading for the weyrbowl. Z’mir felt envious for a moment, her dragon was so small and graceful. Then he felt guilty for thinking badly of Igadoth, he was still growing so fast it was hard to keep track of what size he was, grace would probably come when he’d finished growing, or at least slowed down some more.

‘Thank you, it’s hard work to keep him looking that good but it’s worth it.’ Z’mir smiled fondly at Igadoth. ‘To be honest I’ve never seen the other silver up close so I couldn’t make a judgement, plus I have trouble recalling exactly what size Igadoth is at times. I keep trying to lean down to look at him and he’s not there anymore.’

The recently landed rainbow took Z’mir’s attention away from her rider, even as Igadoth rose ponderously to his feet to greet the older dragon. ‘She’s so beautiful, I haven’t really seen a rainbow up close before, I’ve been so busy with Igadoth. It that pattern totally unique to her?’

Hello Reinth, I am Igadoth, I don’t think we’ve met before.[/color] The silver dragon introduced himself, with a glance over at his excited bonded he added. I think you will have to excuse Z’mir, he is a good deal more curious about you than is mannerly really. He is curious about everything new.[/color]

[shadowreine]

Tirlynna nodded. "All of the rainbows have patches of the five original colors, but none of them have them in quite the same places."

The rainbow backwinged to a landing. Greetings Igadoth the rainbow sent politely.

"And I know all about the growth thing, although obviously Reinth didn't grow quite that quickly. Closer target and all...of course, we had no idea how she was going to turn out." She had not known Reinth would be smaller than a green and at first had thought she was a larger dragon growing at a slower rate. Her proportions, however, gave away her adult status. "We didn't know rainbows came in both sexes, either. Or that the females could clutch...although Reinth rises even less often than a gold from what we can tell." A pause. "That might be because we have three queens, though. She's certainly not needed."