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Baklava Bonding


Date:  October 19, 2008
Places:  Benden Hold's Skyspace, Fireheights, and Great Hall
Game:  PernMUSH
Copyright Info:  The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey 
l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

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Kassi's Note:  The Weyrlings fly out to Benden Hold for another change
of scenery.  There's a bit of lecturing, and the threat of a pop quiz, 
but there's also baklava so how bad can it be?

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The Log:

<*> It's a far, far longer trip to the lush Benden lands than to most
places within Igen's range, excluding Greystones but few other areas...
perhaps because Benden and Greystones weren't originally in Igen's range at
all. The eastern journey takes them over two rivers, past fertile fields
and farmers working in them who seem the size of insects, and finally to
this place of orchards and vineyards. The Hold and accompanying Winecraft
Hall both lie in an immense cliff. Even from the sky it's an impressive
sight. The air chills what skin is left bare, but their flight jackets
should be enough to keep the spring breezes at bay. "There!" Kassi calls to
the Weyrlings, pointing towards the fireheights--Lysseth immediately aims
there in her descent.

A gentle wind current caresses your wings as you glide down to a landing on
the fireheights.

<*> Lekath glides down from the sky, landing near the watchdragon.

<*> Mobeth glides down from the sky, landing near the watchdragon.

<*> Dustenyth flies up from the courtyard, dropping down to a graceful
landing.

You slide off of Lysseth's neck to land beside her easily. She rumbles,
cocking her head down at you, and you rub her eyeridges gratefully.

T'nnusen slides down Dustenyth's side to the ground.

H'sen unbuckles from Lekath's riding straps and swings down to the ground.

Ch'ton slides down Mobeth's side to the ground.

Kassima swings down from Lysseth's neck and the first thing she does after
hitting the ground is stretch. Experienced rider she may be, but that was a
*long* flight. "Benden Hold," she says, unfastening the chip strap of her
helmet and pulling it free. "Jeracynn is its Lady, Keveris its Steward, and
Eleria was Headwoman until recently... I haven't heard yet who's replacing
her. This is the best sharding source of wine on the planet. And Igen has
it in its sweep area!"

Lekath follows in formation, backwinging to land elegantly on the
fireheights. His landings have improved a great deal over the past few
sevendays. H'sen unbuckles himself from the bronze's straps only slips
twice while trying to dismount. He has improved as well, but not quite as
much. The weyrling goes around to check Lekath's legs, talons, and wings,
though it seems a bit perfunctory now. "I thought we weren't allowed to
drink wine yet?" he asks.

Ch'ton slides carefully down Mobeth's side and hits the dirt, and streches
out his sore muscles. "Oooh, everything's stiff." he mumbles, faux pas not
ment. He pats down Mobeth, who rumbles quietly at the newly refound freedom
of flying together, and takes in where he is. Ch'ton grins. "I've heard
people talk about Benden. Doesn't it have really good wine or something?"

T'nnusen is plenty glad, by the time Dustenyth swoops in for a remarkably
graceful landing -- back feet touching down delicately with his backwinging
before he drops to all four paws in a now well-practiced move -- to be back
on the ground. Dustenyth did far better than one would expect from a blue
of his age, undoubtedly put through exercises on days off as well by his
Dragonhealer lifemate. Swimming, swooping around the bowl... T'nnusen's
been making sure that of the two of them, Dusty will be the less
traumatized by these long flights. He climbs down after unclipping, moving
about as stiffly as one would expect, and also goes through his checks on
the black-blue. A little green firelizard head pokes out from the collar of
his riding jacket, and gives a huge yawn. What? This wasn't /that/ tiring,
at least to /her/.

"You aren't," Kassima cheerfully confirms. "Doesn't mean you can't look
forward to the future. There's also nuts and baklava, which aren't
forbidden, and a fine gaming room. 'Tisn't a patch on the Even Odds at
Bitra, mayhaps. You take your games where you can find 'em." Lysseth furls
her wings in close after her own brief check-over and sidles to leave the
more room for others. So many growing dragons, plus Lyss, plus the
watchdragon make it more crowded than it would be on a normal day--there's
still plenty of room. Plenty of clawmarks on the stone besides, testifying
that this is the cliff's usual purpose. "As I'm sure you remember from your
geography studies, the Winecraft Hall is also here and Aladrea's the new
Craftmaster. Benden wine is unparalleled in all the world. Don't let those
heathens attached t'their Harper Reds or Southerns or, Faranth forfend,
*Tillek swill* ever convince you differently. Let me know when you're all
ready t'head down."

H'sen finishes checking Lekath over and finds nothing wrong. The bronze
stretches and then settles in for a little nap, and the weyrling gives him
a fond pat. "All right, I think I'm ready."

Ch'ton nods, ready. "I'm good. What kind of games do they have here?" he
asks, obviously not exposed to too much gambling. "OOOh! Baklava! I /love/
baklava!" he's all excited now, and Mobeth whuffles briskly at his rider's
excitement over a simple pastery.

"I..." T'nnusen frowns, and spends a good several moments of delaying time
obviously conversing with Dustenyth, who is eyeing the proceedings with
what very possibly might be /paranoia/. "I guess I'm ready." And Dusty
rumbles, lowering his head a little and eyeing Kassima for whatever reason,
before apparently letting his lifemate off the hook. Tannu gives the blue a
scritch to the eyeridges, and then steps towards the rest of the humans.

Kassima flashes the young bronze a grin. "Good idea, Lekath. We've got the
trip back t'make." Some of the fire-lizards flitting around Lysseth, at
least, make a similar decision; quite as though they'd done *any* of the
work rather than arriving from *between* once it was all over. "Darts,
cards," Kassi ticks off on her fingers. "People dice--c'mon, the
hospitality here's good enough I probably won't have t'drop Kris's name
t'get us a sweet or two." She hesitates two steps down the stairs, slanting
Dustenyth a curious look in turn. All *seems* well... she waits until
T'nnusen's near enough and then murmurs, "Tell me if'n something's
bothering him--" Down to the Hold they go.

You climb down the stairs to the courtyard.

The metal doors slide open at your touch, and you step into the Great Hall.

H'sen steps in from the courtyard, the metal doors sliding shut behind him.

Ch'ton steps in from the courtyard, the metal doors sliding shut behind him.

T'nnusen steps in from the courtyard, the metal doors sliding shut behind him.

Ch'ton steps down, looknig around. "Wow...it's nice." he says, looking
around. "Sweeeet. It's a bit chilly, though, not at all like Igen..." he
pauses, his eyes glossy for half a second, far away, then he nods. "Mobeth
says he likes the view..."

H'sen follows the others, entering the hall a moment or two later, having
been distracted by a large tapestry near the entrance. "It feels strange to
be able to travel so freely, considering it wasn't so long ago that we were
in Igen. Most of Pern doesn't get to travel this much." Every time they
leave the Weyr, they go to a place H'sen never imagined he would travel.

"He's worried that I'm going to spontaneously get injured," Tannu replies
just as quietly to Kassima, even /if/ walking close enough for long enough
to do so isn't so comfortable anymore, "now that one of the weyrlings has
gotten himself lacerated with his own knife, it's occurred to Dustenyth
that humans are rather fragile." Then, back at normal volume after drifting
away again, the blond nods at H'sen. "The only reason I'd been to the
Starcraft Hall before was it was between Igen Hold and Igen Weyr, on the
trade caravan's route that I came to the weyr with."

A smile flickers on a corner of Kassi's mouth, but she clears her throat a
touch pointedly. "Igen Weyr's duties t'Benden and her Lady," she greets the
Hall first and foremost. At just this moment it isn't full of people. Those
nearby nevertheless greet the riders with nods, most respectful, and
murmurs or hails of Benden's duties in return. "Always observe the
formalities when you enter a Hall. 'Tis polite. Self-defense drills might
worry him, then," she drops her voice to answer T'nnusen. "He'll mayhaps
have t'see for himself, injury isn't lasting harm... and that's an idea.
Has he seen Ch'ton's hand now that 'tis healing?" She addresses the group
again: "Go on and find a seat, I see Meigazal over there." By appearances
Meigazal is one of the young serving women, since Kassi crosses the Hall to
speak with her. Whatever the Weyrlingmaster says brings a wide grin to the
girl's face. Meigazal waves to the Weyrlings, and heads off to the
kitchens; Kassi rejoins the rest, pulling a chair out from a nearby table
to settle into.

Ch'ton nods twice at H'sen. "Yeah. It's cool to be able to have Pern at
your wingtips." he says, a big grin on his face as he takes it in. "I bet
mum would love to come here. Oh! I could bring her sometime, perhaps after
I graduate..." he hmmms and nods, seemingly to himself. He grins at the
niceness of the people, quite pleased with the whole place. "OOh! So, we're
gonna eat here? Heh! I want baklava..." he grins and licks his lips.

H'sen takes a seat with the others, slumping down in his chair and
stretching out his legs. Good posture was never one of his strong points.
"Yeah, you've got all of Pern, but there's so much work that needs doing,
you don't actually have any time to enjoy it," he jokes. "What's baklava?
Is that like, um, klah bark or something?" Hey, they sort of sound alike.

T'nnusen stares Ch'ton's way as though in disbelief, then shakes his head
and offers a bow to whoever might still be looking their way, and murmurs
whatever is appropriate. Someone has to counter the lip-licking, after all.
He trails after the others then, undoing part of his riding jacket so that
Laralyn can climb out and perch on his shoulder, and then taking a seat.

IGEN-> Ch'ton says, "Klah bark, H'sen?"

IGEN-> R'din says, "Klah is a tree."

IGEN-> Ch'ton says, "I get that, but how do you get klah bark out of baklava?"

"Keep in mind we're representing Igen when we're here, aye? Show some
dignity," Kassi suggests to Ch'ton, not without a thread of amusement. "In
seriousness: *do* greet people when you visit a place you don't live. *Do*
show respect. Unless 'tis a bar and you're paying for food, you're
impinging on their hospitality, so show appreciation too and don't take it
for granted." H'sen's posture doesn't seem to bother her, though, and when
Meigazal arrives with a tray she gives the young woman a bright grin too.

"Baklava, milk, klah, and juice, as Kassima asked," Meigazal says, setting
down the tray; it's heavy with a plate of flaky pastry and several small
pitchers and sizeable cups.

Kassima says, "Thankee, Meigazal. Take a bite and see, H'sen--if'n you
aren't allergic t'walnuts or aught? Peppers aren't a Benden speciality,"
she asides to T'nnusen. "The kitchens might supply meat for everyone's
greedyguts if'n we ask 'em fair."

IGEN-> H'sen is a silly Holder boy :)

Ch'ton nods at Kassi's words, his excitement over now that the novelty's
worn off a bit. He belatedly bows and follows up with approprate noises.
His eyes are on those pasteries, though! Yummy pasteries! Ch'ton pauses at
the mention of greedyguts. "Say, has anyone seen Destin around?"

H'sen does sit up when the serving woman arrives, and he sends a grin her
way. "There's walnuts in it? It doesn't look like a regular pastry." Of
course, the boy is mostly used to bubblies.

"Why would we have seen him around? This isn't the Weyr." T'nnusen comments
in response to Ch'ton, "Unless he came with you or pops out of /between/,
there's no reason to expect him here." And to Kassima, "Ah -- Laralyn
doesn't like them as much as Erynion does anyway," and he reaches up to
scritch the little green lizard, before smiling at Meigazal. "Are there any
scraps of raw meat we could perhaps beg off of you? They're not very picky
on what it comes from, I don't believe." So whatever is laying around from
the cook's choppings would do, right? "At least Lara here certainly isn't."

Ch'ton rolls his eyes at the blonde rider. "No, I ment lately. I haven't
seen him today, or for the latter half of yesterday, come to think of it. I
suspect he's found himself something to guard. Most likely someone's
buttons. He seems to like buttons for some reason." Ch'ton muses. He slides
into a chair and reaches out for a slice of baklava. Yummy.

Meigazal smiles back to H'sen and T'nnusen, answering the latter with, "Oh,
I think so. Don't get blood on the tapestries and you're welcome to it."
She goes again--to fetch meat, ostensibly. Kassima shakes her head in
answer to Ch'ton. "I haven't. Could be sunning himself, could be back at
Igen? 'Tis a Benden speciality, H'sen. You flatten the dough into thin,
thin layers. Fill it in between each layer with a chopped walnut paste,
with syrup and a bit of citrus in it, bake it all and it comes out so flaky
'twill probably make a mess but I can't much care when 'tis so good. You
remember what Benden specializes in, agriculturally?"

H'sen takes a chance on a slice of baklava, though he is having trouble
imagining what it will taste like. "Agricultural specialties? I remember
you said wine and not peppers." He takes a bite of the sweet pastry, and
half of it falls apart in his hand. "Mmph. Good though," he says with his
mouth full. It surprises him that it's so sweet. "It's like you can taste
all the layers."

Ch'ton cups his hand under the pastery and brings it up to his mouth,
taking a greedy bite and savouring it, the crumbs falling into his hand.
"Hmmm goobhd noh?" he asks, mouth full.

The blond smiles after Meigazal, and shrugs at Ch'ton. "Firelizards are
firelizards, Erynion vanishes for days at a time as well, and I've had him
for turns. Laralyn vanishes for longer sometimes, probably hunting after
someone," and Tannu reaches to try a pastry as well, and drags a mug of
klah over to himself, of course. Mm, klah. If he inherited only one thing
from his sister's teachings, the art of drinking straight, unsweetened klah
might be it.

"Test tomorrow for everyone on Benden Hold's imports and exports," Kassima
informs them all, while picking up a pastry. "If'n you've forgotten so
soon, we can spend the time you *won't* spend mucking once you can go
*between* on a complete review of scholarship, a'course. Benden Hold grows
tubers; nuts, including walnuts, and that's why baklava's a speciality; and
the finest grapes for wine, a'course. Klah trees, also. This area's much
lusher than, say, Igen Hold... that's both good and bad for us as riders.
Tell me why?" she invites all of them, not H'sen alone. Meanwhile Meigazal
returns with a mid-sized bowl of butchers' scraps, chilly from being kept
in cold stores for just this sort of purpose.

H'sen pours a glass of milk to wash down the sweetness and nuts. He doesn't
often drink milk, and he wouldn't especially not in a place famous for
wine, but the choices are limited. He groans as Kassima gives them a new
assignment, then takes a big bite of the baklava to keep from saying
something to get himself in trouble, as well as pass on the responsibility
for an answer to someone else.

Ch'ton hmms. "Because... if threads fall out of turn, we'll have to be
extra careful in this region, because the greenery is their main source of
trade and economy. If a single thread makes it in here, it'll eat
everything all up, and they'll be ruined. Ergo, we have to be more alert
and careful when we do sweeps here..."

"Not to mention, don't thread clusters get bigger the more they eat?"
T'nnusen asks, "And people would have to be careful with how they used
their flamethrowers on the ground, or risk setting everything the thread
hadn't already eaten on fire."

Kassima salutes Ch'ton with her piece of baklava. "Aye and nay. If'n a
single Thread makes it here, probably the groundcrew would take care of it,
or we'd be left with a burrow t'destroy... and the crew would probably take
care of *that*, but we'd sure as shells be called in t'see it. Thread eats
what it immediately touches. T'be destroying an entire field takes time.
What you're right about is, when Thread falls here, out of turn or
otherwise, the region is susceptible because there's so much Thread *can*
eat, all of which we have t'protect. Where there's desert you have less
arable land. Ocean, too." She nods to T'nnusen as well; her answer's only
briefly forestalled by a bite of baklava. "Thread reproduces when it has
food; it keeps going until 'tis killed, until it drowns, until it freezes,
or until it starves. For burrows, you don't use fire. That's agenothree."

H'sen takes a napkin and begins wiping the stickiness from his fingers. "Is
Thread very likely to fall now, in an Interval? I know we shouldn't relax
and get all complacient, but I get the feeling that our lessons would be a
lot tougher if we were in a Pass."

Ch'ton nods, learning from Kassi as he shoves the rest of the pastery into
his face. He swallows and looks at T'nnusen. "How can you drink it without
milk?" he asks, indicating the klah, then he's turned back to H'sen,
nodding in agreement to the question.

"There was Fall just ending when I came to the weyr," T'nnusen comments,
"which was also technically part of the Interval. It obviously can happen,
since it has." As for Ch'ton's question, Tannu just raises an eyebrow, and
takes a drink. Just like that?

Kassima admits, picking up a cup of milk, "'Tisn't likely. Doesn't change
how and what we teach you, mind, and every rider trained a'fore the comet
came found out why that's a good thing. If'n Thread still fell I'd be lucky
t'get all of you graduated alive." She swirls the milk around in its cup.
"As 'tis, there's still *between*. But entire classes making it through
*between* is far more common than entire classes making it through their
first Falls." On the subject of klah, she wrinkles her nose: "'Twould be
pouring sweetener in it if'n 'twere me."

H'sen gives the others a wry smile. "Klah without sweetener isn't so bad.
Especially if you've got a mouthful of this baklava. If you added sweetener
on top of that, you'd probably die of sweet-overload." The discussion on
Thread is a little more troubling. "Well, I guess we should all be grateful
we didn't Impress a few Turns ago. I don't want to lose any of my
wingmates." It's a sobering thought.

Ch'ton nods slowly. "Yeah. Hope it doesn't happen..." he mumbles, and lets
the thought trail off. "I dunno. I like milk in my klah. It tastes funny
just plain. I don't like so much sweetener in it, though." he nods, and
reaches for a glass of milk. Milk and Baklava. He's in a good place right now.

"/You/ weren't raised by Alley," T'nnusen points out to Kassima with a
shrug. He won't small-talk with her much, but it's a fair comment to make.
And to H'sen, a nod. "It's an acquired taste, with or without pastry. With,
it's sweetened, without, it's just klah. And you might anyway, H'sen.
/Between/ entirely aside, riders are still involved in dangerous things
even without thread." A Dragonhealer would know that much, at least.

"I don't like klah much, unless I'm proddy. I make pots of M'kla's then and
try t'pour them down people's pants," Kassima reminisces, not sounding very
repentant about it. "Sooner or later you'll probably lose a Wingmate
t'*something*. Illness, age, something, but the good news," she says, "is
that rider's lives are long, if'n they survive. During Interval? You've got
a reasonably fair chance of living past your hundred and twentieth Turn,
each of you."

H'sen gives a little shudder at T'nnusen's comment, his gaze darting away.
"Don't say that. It's bad luck." Even though everyone keeps talking about
the danger, H'sen doesn't like thinking about it. He's just certain that as
long as he does his best, everyone will come through it fine. He doesn't
even like thinking about his friends dying, even if it 100 Turns from now.
Another comment of Kassima's draws his attention, though. "Proddy? Do
people really act that irrational then?"

Ch'ton hmmms. "One hundred and twenty turns? That's a long time." he says,
humming. Does he even consider dying as an option? Most likely not. Young
boys oftend don't comprehend such things. "You've poured things down
people's pants?" he asks Kassi, wide-eyed. He never expected such things
from Kassima!

T'nnusen says nothing on any of it, he just plays with his firelizard by
taking hold of the meat she's currently gnawing on and lifting it -- and
she stays right on it, gnawing away! -- and sips his klah. Dangle, dangle,
goes the tiny green. Wiggle wiggle, goes T'nnusen's fingers. Gnaw gnaw gnaw...

Kassima lifts one shoulder, "Behavior depends on the person and the dragon,
but I've seen some doozies--'twas a lady who tried strapping herself to a
bunch of fire-lizards so she could fly without her dragon, though I don't
know if'n that was her being *proddy* so much as her being *insane*. Most
get either flirty or hostile. Aladis once tried t'seduce me. Kena accused
me of being in love with her weyrmate. Ryialla... nay, Ryialla was
perfectly normal when she got up on the table with the dress and Mr.
Flibble. I eat raw meat and hunt a lot, or fish a lot, and mostly confined
the chasing around the Caverns with a dead fish screaming, 'Die! Die!' back
in the day t'M'rgan, because he's just that special. The klah--methinks I
only actually *did* that t'K'nan, usually 'twas a threat. I wonder what he
did...." Kassi ransacks her memory. "It must've been something. He's a
greenrider so I'd nay attack his pants only because 'twere there. ...Does
she ever get dizzy when you do that, T'nnusen?"

IGEN-> Ch'ton says, "Congrats, Kassi, you made me snot cola onto my
keyboard in the first sentence."

IGEN-> Kassima says, "You know I live to serve!"

IGEN-> R'din says, "Cola's best served snotted, not spat."

IGEN-> Ch'ton lols and R'din, and goes to find a towel to mop off his
keyboard.

IGEN-> A'deth XD

H'sen can't really make sense of Kassima's answer, not sure if she was
actually answering him or just telling a story, and between her accent and
the things that really didn't make sense, he decides that it might be best
just to be quiet.

Ch'ton shrugs and doesn't really understand about the /proddy/ aspects. Sex
is just above him. He does laugh rather loud and squeakily at the story of
the woman trying to fly with firelizards. Weird.

"Apparently not," Tannu chuckles into his klah mug, spinning Laralyn around
one way and then the other with his free hand. Gnaw gnaw NGAAAWRRR CHEW
CHEW dangle gnaw. "She did this when she picked me, if you didn't see.
Seems to think it's fun." And he sets the lizard down as she almost reaches
his fingers on the strip of meat, and gives her back a stroke. Indeed, the
little lizard's eyes whirl quickly with green and blue as she chomps away
on her prize. "I'm rather glad Dustenyth wasn't green, then. I can only
imagine the chaos that would ensue."

"Odds are one of her sibs was doing that t'one of m'fingers at the time."
Not really--Kassi only got chewed on a *little* at that Hatching. She props
her head up with a hand while watching the game in action. "Greenriders and
goldriders have a rough time in our way, maleriders a rough in another...
depending on their natural inclinations. That's naught any of you have
t'worry about quite yet, fortunately."

"Firelizards all chew on people," H'sen says, as the conversation finally
returns to something he knows about. "And you better be careful, Tannu, or
you'll lose a finger. It's a short chomp from that meat to your hand."

Ch'ton blinks. "I'm confused. What're we talking about now?" he asks,
scratching his head as he tries desprately to follow the conversation. "Are
we talking about firelizards gnawing people's fingers off, or are we
talking about dragons or what? I'm lost."

"Erynion doesn't," T'nnusen chuckles, "I think he thinks it's beneath him."
Not particularly worried about having a finger nipped, Tannu dangles the
piece left at Laralyn's latest ripping pull at it, and then tosses it up
underhandedly for her to leap up and catch straight out of the air. Hey,
greens are agile little things. Ch'ton is just given a long-suffering look.
"We're talking about rocks, and why they're so heavy," deadpans the
Dragonhealer.

Ch'ton ohs. "Yeah. Rocks are heavy, aren't they. I've always thought it's
cause they're solid."

Kassima casts her eyes skyward. "Fire-lizards do nay all chew on people.
Haven't we talked about this a'fore? Fire-lizards are kin t'Lekath, y'know,
and she," a gesture of the cup to Laralyn, "would nay sooner bite off
T'nnusen's finger when she's Impressed t'him than Lekath would gnaw your
hand. Nibble on it lovingly, mayhaps." Muttered, "If'n she takes after her
mother. Fire-lizards, aye, and... rocks are heavy. Aye. They aren't all
solid, though."

Ch'ton stands up suddenly. "I've got to go... Mobeth's itching, and he
needs some oil slathered on it." he says, pushing in his chair. "I'll be
back when I'm finished." he says, and makes for the stairs.

H'sen scratches his head. "We started talking about rocks, now? Which would
you rather have, a firelizard bite you or a big rock dropped on your foot?"

IGEN-> Ch'ton says, "Goodnight, Igen, and remember: rocks are heavy, though
not all of them are solid!"

IGEN-> R'din tests that theory and tosses a rock at Ch'ton. "Was that
solid?" ;)

IGEN-> H'sen says, "G'nite all :) No rock throwing!"

IGEN-> R'din didn't throw! I tossed.

"Assuming the fire-lizard didn't bite me anywhere vital, or horribly
embarrassing," Kassima decides, "that. A bite's faster t'heal than bones
all splintered and the meat turned into goo."

IGEN-> Ch'ton flips R'din the v. :P Love you guys! See you to-morrow!

IGEN-> R'din says, "Later!"

T'nnusen just sighs, though he nods at what Kassima says about Laralyn
being about as prone to bite him for keeps as Dustenyth is. He watches
Ch'ton leave and frowns lightly. "And of course, Dustenyth is getting edgy
again," he comments, and gets up, cleaning up Laralyn's mess as best as he
can without a washrag with quick, efficient little movements, and then
gathering up the green 'lizard herself, intending to go check up on the
dragonet physically.

Kassima shakes her head slightly, whether for edgy young dragons, itchy
young dragons, or the rocks everybody wants to tie a piece of string
around, who knows? "We'll head back when the dragons feel ready," she says.
"Dustenyth can tell Lyss when he is. Go show him you're all right, but if'n
'tis continuing on, mayhaps he and Lyss should discuss it."

Tannu gives a polite nod, and then is out, back-tracing the way to the
dragons.