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There But For the Grace of Faranth Go Eye


Date:  March 13, 2000
Places:  Telgar Weyr's Living Cavern and Southern Bowl
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:  I can't summarize this log.  I couldn't even hope to
summarize this log.  Let me put it this way.  See the weird title 
I've put on it?  The title will probably make perfect sense once 
you've finished reading it.  You probably begin to see the problem.  I 
posted the log mostly because it contains the very first bestowing of 
BLPs upon hapless individuals, and is thus arguably historically 
significant; I waited as long as I did to post the log because the 
gifting of BLPs is the sanest thing that takes place in it.  And if
that doesn't explain my summarizing difficulty, I don't know what 
will.

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The Log:

TGW-LC>> J'lyn walks in with two identical boxes, one under each arm. He
sets them down on the head table and heads to get himself some juice.

You place one hand on Lysseth's neck and she warbles down at you fondly.
You grin and scratch her eyeridges once before climbing up onto her lower
neckridges, using the riding straps and Lysseth's thoughtfully offered
foreleg.

TGW-LC>> Syina nods and giggles.. "yeah they are.." She's sitting in
Lorie's lap

<*> Lysseth springs from the ground, the air from her wings churning up
dust as she takes to the skies.

You spring from Lysseth's ledge with one downsweep of your wings, soaring
into the sky above the Northern Bowl.

You fly downwards towards the bowl.

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.

TGW-LC>> Lorelei tilts her head thoughtfully. "But I guess I wouldn't know,
right? Foreshame."

TGW-LC>> Syina laughs softly.. "You should....you're going to have a brood
soon!"

You walk past the lintel and into the wide living cavern.

Pierron humphs thoughtfully as the Wingleader of Thunderbolt arrives.

J'lyn settles into a chair with his juice, his back against the table.

Lorelei chuckles. "Don't remind me!"

Syina winces as J'lyn enters and she snuggles more defensively against Lore.

"So then this runnerbeast walks into a bar...." That phrase can surely bode
no good, and indeed, tonight it bodes the entrance of Kassi and her
favorite lackey into the Living Cavern. V'dan is the one speaking, until
Kassi calmly halts mid-stride to reach over and clap a hand over his mouth.
"V'dan, either that's going t'be a joke I've heard sixty-seven times and
counting, or 'twill be something indecent involving bronzeriders and
bestiality. Either way, nay something t'hear right a'fore I eat, hmm?"
Releasing the poor man, she waves cheerily to the room at large and calls,
"G'deve, all!"

Lorelei looks down at Syina. "What's wrong?"

Lysseth> I'sai emerges from the passage leading to Southern Bowl.

Lysseth> I'sai wanders out, rubbing at his forehead with a thumb; the rest
of his hand blocking the rest of his view but - there's a glimpse of
Lysseth's wing; and there, a half-smile for it.

I'sai walks in from the bowl.

Aurian walks in from the bowl.

Pierron looks over the Dawnslight Wingleader with an appraising eye and an
approving nod.

Syina nods over towards J'lyn.

Telgar Weyr> Maylia giggles, aurian. You're gonna get 'Elle jealous, with
Pierron lookin' at you like that.

I'sai's still rubbing his forehead as he enters, only he's knuckling at it
by now; and if Pern had autopilot, that'd be what's taking him toward
Skyfire's table.

Lorelei hugs Syina tighter, not knowing how to solve that problem.

Aurian flicks her hair out of her eyes as she enters. The wingleader
wanders towards the serving table with a hum.

Syina oofs and leans over and whispers to Lore

Maylia walks in from the bowl.

Pierron twirls his moustache at the Weyrlingmaster.

Kassima considers the food table a moment or two, but turns, with a shake
of her head, to the Wing table instead and plunks unceremoniously into her
chair there. "This has been a day," she decides. "Very much a day. A
very... day-like day. Heya, Is, Auri, May."

J'lyn smiles at both Kassima and I'sai. "Good, you're both here. I have
something for the two of you. Consider them an early Turnover gift." With
that, he sets the identical boxes on the tables in front of each of the
riders.

Syina snorts slightly at J'lyn and shakes her head.

Aurian peers at the food and sighs, "Is it jus' me or does this look not
guid." She stares at the piles of food and drinks. She sighs and takes up a
citron.

Telgar Weyr> J'lyn uhs.... I have never ICly met this girl.

I'sai peers at the man. And can say with complete honesty, and does, "Why,
ah, I didn't expect anything of the sort."

Syina ohs and giggles softly at Lorelei.> "Come on.." She turns and moves
out..

Syina walks towards the inner cavern.

Maylia offers Kassima a vacant wave, as the Weyrlingmaster makes a v-tol
line for the serving tables. Pierron gives her a speculative look, then
turns away, muttering something about the greenrider's opinions of his food
of late. Maylia merely smiles wanely towards him, and peers over the food
assortment... from a distance of an arm span or two.

Lorelei walks towards the inner cavern.

Aisling enters from the Bowl.

Pierron tells a lower caverns girl to hurry up with the dishes.

Kassima blinks, blinks several times, upon being presented with a box.
"Why, Jal, you shouldn't have!" she exclaims, sounding pleased. "Shells,
'twasn't expecting aught... err, what I'sai said."

J'lyn says "Go ahead and open them."

As the bronzerider and greenrider slowly open the twin boxes with which
J'lyn has gifted them, they both pull forth matching, albeit different
sized, pieces of black leather that are oddly hinged. Evidently, perversely
affected by the jokingly disparaging remarks of the pair, J'lyn has
commissioned each of them a set of back-less leather pants like the ones he
owns. The large Weyrsecond stands back and grins at the pair.

Telgar Weyr> Whinde sniggers at the LC. "Back-less leather pants? Oh my oh
my." :P

Telgar Weyr> J'lyn waits for yon double explosion. :)

Telgar Weyr> Aurian says, "If you just wear them over other pants it makes
sense"

Telgar Weyr> J'raen says, "Yes, but then they're called chaps."

I'sai doesn't even get a chance to ask what he wants in return. No. Not at
all. He may pull out leather - but then he drops it again, as if it weren't
just kettle-black but fresh from boiling on the hearth.

Aisling saunters through the cavern door, her gaze moving across the
caverns as if looking for someone. A quick grin comes to her face as she
spots Kassi then she pads towards the tables of food.

Telgar Weyr> I'sai says, "So the question is whether they're loose enough
to be worn over other pants."

Telgar Weyr> I'sai says, "Or otherwise adjustable."

Telgar Weyr> J'lyn says, "Nope. Nice try, bronzeboy. :)"

Maylia misses the fact that the pants are back-less, from the angle she's
at, they look like nice, leather, pants. Poor Pierron - the Weyrlingmaster
looks over his food, but any time the young woman gets anywhere near
anything,she recoils, as if disgusted by the smell.

Telgar Weyr> I'sai says, "Thank you, thank you. ;)"

Telgar Weyr> Ro pouts "And I don't even get to see it. Then again, I got to
see him go through the LC wearing only a towel, so I can't complain.

Okay. Kassi was blinking in shock before; now she's not blinking at all,
too busy staring in utmost and total traumatized aghastness at the black
cheek chillers. "Oh... oh, my." That seems to be all she can really say at
the moment. Then she manages a further thought: "Well, Is... you did say
one needed buttless pants t'be evil, didn't you?"

Aurian pulls apart the citron as she settles on her table. She tilts her
head, "Sooo tired of being sick."

I'sai blinks once. Blinks twice. Those aren't witnesses over there, .. are
there? Maylia, Pierron, that girl with the dimple... and puts his hands
behind his back, sort of like drill stance, only - not. "I don't think so,
Kassima." Only he did, or very like. Plaintively, "There are pieces
_missing_."

J'lyn grins at the pair. "And if you dig deeper, there's the undergarments
to go with them, so you don't get totally.... chapped." Held-back mirth is
almost bursting forth from the greenrider. "And I expect to see them at
least once before they're thrown in a corner and never seen again."

A glance towards the others confirms Aisling' thoughts that she is not
being observed...and with as much non-chalence as she can muster, she
reaches for a skin of the benden and a glass.

Maylia's attention is dragged from the food she's hovering just out of
smelling reach from, by the words, 'buttless' and 'peices missing' from her
mentor and I'sai. "Did you say...?" She asks, not daring to specify just
what she thinks she heard. Then, taking a look at J'lyn, she seems to just
*know* that they did, indeed.

'Undergarments.' Had I'sai blushed? Now he just whitens, the more so when
Maylia speaks. Clears his throat, even. The girl could be not just stealing
wine but dancing on the table and blowing it out of her mouth like a
shipfish, for all he's attending to it. "Why don't you, ah, look. Now. At
them. In the box. For old times' sake."

"Very, uh, *important* pieces missing," Kassi observes faintly, poking a
finger through where the seat should be and quite clearly is not. But then
her gaze jerks up to regard J'lyn in absolute horror. "But *Jal*!" she
wails--well, more like squeaks, really--"these pants have nay *rump* to
'em!" Were she less busy being appalled, she'd probably be pleased to know
that she's presenting a lovely tableau of the colors of a Benden greenrider
with her black hair, green eyes, and red, red face.

Aurian tugs on her pants, "Aye... n' rump at all.. perfect fer th'
rumpless.." She grins playfully.

Sayuri walks here from the Inner Cavern.

J'lyn chuckles. "Kassi, you won't fit in them untill well after your
pregnancy, so I don't expect to see them for a while."

Wine-sneaking forgotten mid-grab, Aisling just stares open-mouthed for a
moment as the gift finally sinks in. Before a Vtol can fly in however, she
does snap her jaw closed. "Wouldn't there be danger of frostbite in
winter?" She observes to noone in particular.

That does it. The large Weyrsecond is on the floor, gales of laughter
bellowing forth from him and tears streaming down his face. No sooner does
he stop, but he looks at them and that sets him off again.

Kassima does not seem terribly reassured. Replacing the pants very
carefully in their box, she drops her head to the table with a ker-thunk
and covers it with her hands. "And I thought 'Lex trying t'get me t'dance
on that bar without pants was bad," she mourns. "At least that didn't
involve *leather*. I'sai, d'you think we could flee? To the Red Star, say?"

Aurian merely smiles as she munches on her fruit.

Maylia takes another step closer to the food, reaching for a redfruit. But
her nose gets pushed just a *wee* bit too close to a pot of fish stew, and
the woman instantly turns pale. Hand over her mouth, she whirls, and
muttering excuses flees for the inner caverns. The Living caverns are not
the place to do what she's about to do.

The Firelizards hisss and vanish.

Maylia walks towards the inner cavern.

Aurian watches Maylia go, "I didn't mean to give her my cold!"

I'sai just so doesn't look at Aurian at that comment, either - and
_certainly_ not J'lyn - and unknots his hands, if only to lid his own box
again. "Is there frostbite on the Red Star?" is all he can ask.

Telgar Weyr> Ro just doesn't say a thing, nope nope.

Sayuri smirks at the rather -interesting- articles of clothing, but looks
puzzled as to just why they're here.

Aisling just shakes her head as she resumes pouring herself a glass of
wine. The wine skin is set carefully back before she ambles to a table,
glass in hand.

"Methinks we'd be dead too soon t'be caring," Kassi reassures. Sort of.
Lifting her head, she attempts to glare at J'lyn, though as embarrassment
and righteous ire don't go well together it's a somewhat futile endeavor.
"You, sirrah, are an evil, wicked, sadistic man. Just in case you doubted.
Uh... why did May just run out of here looking nauseous? 'Tisn't as though
we're going t'try on the things."

I'sai says weakly, "Very true. Very, very true. All of it. Maybe she needs
a mint-stick."

J'lyn recovers from his laughing fit and drags himself into a chair. "And
when the two of you are ready, we can go to the Lava Lounge, or better yet,
the Rusted Hulk, and show them what Telgar riders are made of!" He lifts
his glass of juice to the pair of them, laughter sparkling in his eyes and
tries not to giggle juice through his nose.

Tamera walks here from the Inner Cavern.

Sayuri looks disappointed. "Shards," she mutters under her breath, glancing
at I'sai.

Aurian leans her head back against her seat as she finishes her fruit. She
takes a slow sigh.

I'sai informs the greenrider currently rating highest in the evil rankings,
"I don't think I count as a, well, um, representative sample. And, you
know, um. You two had such fun last time. At the Lounge. Anything else
would be just, well, incomparable."

J'lyn grins. "The Rusted Hulk it is, then!"

Aisling takes a slow drink of the wine, watching the others over the rim of
her glass. Delight and amusement seem to dance through her eyes...see, its
not /her/ that was given those lovely leather trousers.

Kassima observes, dragging her eyes away from the direction of May's
departure, "Don't know about her, but *I* need a mint stick." One is
produced from some hidden pocket; as an afterthought, she pulls out another
and offers it to I'sai. Or starts to. Until that last bit, which prompts
her to throw it at him instead. "Shouldn't A'lex wear buttless pants
instead of me, Jal, if'n you're wanting t'show the world what Telgar riders
are made of? He has a much cuter rump. Really."

Aurian suddenly calls, "But Kassi, yours is an Honorable Rump."

I'sai slinks a look sideways - the mutterer - back again - the dimple-girl,
and the headwoman's assistant beyond her - so the mint-stick just catches
him on the forehead. "Ow," he claims. "Ow."

Tamera strolls into the Living Cavern looking more rested then usual. She
gives a slight waves "hello."

Telgar Weyr> Kassima *laughs*! Auri, you're wicked.

Telgar Weyr> Aurian says, "Its traditional dearie"

J'lyn smirks. "But he has yet to comment on mine like the two of you have.
Share the wealth, I figure." He looks meaningfully at Aurian and frowns
slightly. "Weren't you one of the first to see my outfit? At the Lava
Lounge that night?"

Aurian suddenly pushes bakc in her chair. She just bounces behind Pierron.

"Oh, nay, nay this again. I still don't understand this butt honor thing,"
Kassima groans around her mint stick, looking somewhat less sickly now that
she has her precious mint to reassure her. "But if'n it means I don't have
t'wear pants t'be showing it off, then all right, m'rump is honorable. So
d'you know what the deal is with May?" Slanting a look Is-wards, she
snorts. "Didn't hit you that hard. Besides, you deserved it."

Aurian whispers, "Yeah I saw it Weyrsecond."

J'lyn nods at the Wingleader. "That's what I thought." He goes back to his
juice. Sparkle sparkle.

I'sai leans his elbows on the box. Something creaks: maybe its joints,
maybe his. "Did not," he argues. "And there you go. I could donate my ...
set .. to Aurian there. So she wouldn't feel left out."

Sayuri follows the mint stick on its journey to the groung with her eyes
and looks as if she is considering eating it.

Aurian shakes her head at I'sai, "Thank you for the kind offer, but uh..
nope no thanks. I prefer my leather and hide sedate."

Kassima argues right back, "Did so. And your set wouldn't fit her, but
*mine* would. I could donate them to the cause of Auri In Buttless Pants
readily enough."

Aurian shakes her head, "Sorry Kassima yer legs are much longer than mine."

I'sai certainly isn't apt to stop the dark-haired girl from the mint-stick;
no, he just cracks his knuckles disconsolately. "How sedate is sedate? And
does T' - Did-not-did-not-did-not!"

Aisling bites back giggles with much difficulty. Wine glass is set done as
her hands wrap around her midsection to aid in holding back laughter.

I'sai's quick to tell Aisling, "And it's _not_funny_." Really!

"Did-so-did-so-did-so-did-so! Times three! Plus infinity!" Kassi yells,
pulling her mint stick from her mouth to shake it at I'sai for good
measure. "We could fix that, Auri, we really could. I have a cousin who's a
Tanner. She could manage!" Aisling is shot a *look*, but its effectiveness
is probably degraded by this whole mint-shaking deal.

J'lyn says "And there will be no donating them to ANYONE. There are exactly
3 pair of there on Pern, and I know exactly who has them."

Aurian peeps around from behind Pierron, "No thank you Kassima."

"Nope..not funny...Not in the /least/ bit funny." Ais' words would havemore
meaning if they weren't uttered from between giggles.

Sayuri snatches the fallen mint stick from the ground. Still on her hands
and knees, she looks up, having just thought of something. "What wrong with
buttless pants?" she asks innocently. "I mean, they're just like regular
ones, except, they well..." she trails off, looking at I'sai, smiling
dreamily, and wonder how he'd look in them.

I'sai eyes giggle-girl for a long moment, and then pleads, "Tamera, -you-
don't think it's fun - uh. Sayuri. You're not helping. Us. At all."

"Except they invite frostbite t'boldly go where nay frost has gone a'fore?"
Kassi volunteers, ever-helpful, albeit not without another Evil Eye towards
J'lyn.

Sayuri suggests brightly, "You could wear them inside. Then you wouldn't
have to worry about frostbite."

"Or you could wear a long tunic.." Ais finally calms her giggles long
enough to offer "...one that say goes to your knees?"

J'lyn grins and finishes his juice. "Well, my work and gift-giving is done
for the evening. I'm off to bed. G'night, all."

Sayuri shakes her head. "No, no, you couldn't do that. Because, see, that
would defeat the whole purpose of removing... that part... from the pants.
I mean, no one would be able to, ah, appreciate the, um, beauty of, er,
your...ahem," she stammers.

"Our frostbite," I'sai completes, and waves forlornly after that Weyrsecond
over there.

Aurian peeps up quietly, "G'night J'lyn."

J'lyn eyes Aurian on his way out, and is gone.

J'lyn walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.

Sayuri looks confused. "Frostbite? But your not wearing them outside,
remember? You're going to show them off inside where we can all gawk at them."

Kassima waves after J'lyn in an echo of that forlornity, edging a bit
*away* from the box and its contents once he's safely departed. "But
mayhaps I'sai doesn't *want* t'show off his butt," she comments, with a
blink towards Sayuri.

Sayuri looks very confused. "Huh?" she asks Kassi. "Why not? I mean...
-look- at him!"

Aisling eyes J'lyn as he leaves before she addresses Sayuri,'Have you ever
/seen/ a rump?..I mean tastes may vary...But there are other parts I would
much rather look at..like faces, faces are much better than rumps.'

I'sai nearly thanks Kassima for that one: it's a close call. "Or be gawked
at," he reminds. "A certain 'fashion show' was bad enough." And then just
covers his face with his palm; muffled, "No-o. Please don't look."

"Or be gawked at," Kassi agrees. "He may have a nice rump, but that doesn't
mean he wants t'be showing it to everyone. Would you want t'parade around
in buttless pants for people? *I* certes wouldn't."

Sayuri considers I'sai. "But you see his face all the time," she complains.
"Nothing special. Well, actually, I'sai's is special because it's all..."
the dreamy look returns.

Sayuri studies I'sai thoughtfully. "Well, not everyone," she says. "Just me."

I'sai's gaze does lift at that, and he clutches the box, of all things, but
as if it were a shield. "Who-what-just?"

"And why," Kassi wonders in a perplexed-sounding voice, "would he want t'be
showing off his rear end t'you?"

Sayuri smirks. "Of course, I'd return the favor."

Kassima still appears confused. "But why would he want t'see your rump
either?"

Aisling's expression echos Kassi' perplexedness...a sudden light comes into
her eyes as if she has just figured it all out. "Does this mean there will
be a wager later?" She calls over to Kassi.

Sayuri gives Kassima a look. "He's a man. M-A-N. Think about it."

I'sai's pale eyes, on Kassima, are distinctly grateful - all those
questions he doesn't have to stammer - until that mention of the wager, at
least.

Aurian waves her hands as she emerges from behind the cook, "Faranth.. Can
we have enough the rump display. No one has to show their rump. And no one
will be paying anyone to see anyone's rump. Its just not suitable right
now.... clutch on the way. Candidates on the way.. faranth..."

I'sai adds plaintively, "You don't want to make her throw up, or whatever,
like Maylia did. It'd smell."

"So what?" Kassi inquires. A hint of disgust is starting to mingle in with
the confusion. "Just because he's male doesn't mean he wants t'be ogling
any female rump that might present itself. Faranth's fibulae afire!
Oh--nay, Aisling, I don't *think* Jal's proddy." She considers the box with
its dreaded contents. "Though that *would* explain a lot."

"What about her?" Aisling indicates Sayuri with a toss of her head.

Kassima agrees fervently with Aurian then, "I'm all for nay further mention
of rump displays. Really. That'd be just fine by me."

Aurian arches an eyebrow, "What about her? If she wants to see a rump she
can go and hang out by the hot springs. Toasty rumps there.." She drops
back into her usual seat at the dawnslight table.

Sayuri shrugs. "It might... But of course, if he's not willing, I'll just
have to take this mint stick," she brandishes the object in her hand, "and
turn this thing, which has graced the forehead of I'sai, into my personal
shrine to him." She sits down in a huff.

"Then it's agreed." I'sai stands. Slowly. Still with his shield of sorts,
and one hand keeps it from falling open. Aurian gets a skittish glance and
an, "...Excuse me. I think I'll just go put these out of, ah, harm's - "
and as Sayuri continues, -he- starts heading for the inner caverns. Rather
less slowly.

For the second time that evening..Aisling's jaw simply drops open, 'You're
what?'

"Insane," Kassi whispers helpfully to Aisling. "Oh, Is--wait! Wait! Take
these with you, too? I'm sure you can find an appropriate place to...."
Lose them for all eternity? "...Keep them. Right?"

Aurian tisks, "Just wait till you are proddy next time Kassima and you
actually want those pants.. though I understand Between is a good place to
lose things.."

Sayuri stares at everyone who's giving her strange looks. "What?" she asks.
"I didn't even mention the part about how I wanted to keep one of his eyes
in a jar so I could stare at it forever because it's soooo....
beauty...ful..."

Kassima protests, horrified, "I never wear pants without rumps when I'm
proddy, Auri! Black things, aye; leather, aye, but nay leather that's
*missing* bits...."

Aurian doesn't even get a chance to respond to KAssima as she gazes at
Sayuri in abject horror

I'sai eyes Kassima. Somewhere, the great balance pan of Fate is swinging.
"...Give it - " but then there's the jar-mention. "Ah, never mind." And he
backs the rest of the way out.

I'sai walks towards the inner cavern.

"Keep one of his eyes...before he is quite finished with it?" Aisling asks
slowly and carefully...mustn't upset the insane.

Kassima starts to edge her chair a bit further from Sayuri, now. "You want
t'keep his eye in a jar," she repeats. "Oh. Oh, well, isn't that nice? Ask
A'lex how you could be doing it. I hear he has a greenrider's heart in a
jar up on his shelf."

Dragon> Kvasith bespoke Lysseth with << My rider says she knows some
awfully nice mind healers. >>

Sayuri considers. "Well, I guess his face just wouldn't look the same with
only one eye..."

Lysseth> I bespoke Kvasith with << My rider isn't certain that she wants to
get near enough this one to try dragging her to a Mindhealer. >>

Dragon> Kvasith bespoke Lysseth with << Then we should bring the mindhealer
here. >>

Lysseth> I bespoke Kvasith with << Maybe. Or maybe our riders should just
flee? I don't think I want Kassima's eyes to be put in jars. >>

"Have you ever once considered how /he/ may feel on this whole matter?"
Aisling asks "Or is he some pretty to be gathered?"

Dragon> Kvasith bespoke Lysseth with << You rider does have nice eyes. Mine
does too. >>

"Well...." Scootch, scootch. "Nay, it probably wouldn't," Kassima allows as
she moves her chair yet further away. "And Aisling does have an excellent
point."

Aurian reaches into her jacket idly, "Na' where did I put that flask.." She
keeps Sayuri within sight.

Sayuri looks surprised. "Of course. That's why I'm not actually going to
-do- it. I mean, people usually like their eyes."

Dragon> Kvasith bespoke Lysseth with << She says that she's not going to do
it but the thought occured to her. >>

Aisling takes a long sip of her wine...she /needs/ this. "No...the scary
part is that you /want/ to do this."

Lysseth> I bespoke Kvasith with << It had occured to mine that this girl
needs a Mindhealer, too. But perhaps she is only having some sort of
colossal jest. >>

Aurian nods in agreement with Aisling, "I'm afraid the lass is right. That
you even said this out loud..."

Sayuri scrunches up her face in deep thought. "Don't -you- have things you
want to do but never will?"

Kassima remarks, with a brief, wistful glance towards Aisling's flask,
"Obsession is nay a healthy thing, y'know. And besides, M'kon probably
wouldn't like it if'n you plucked out his weyrmate's eyes either."

Aurian tilts her head, "Yes but mine are usually things like spending a
Turn in the southern continent."

Sayuri frowns. "Oh."

"You never answered my earlier question." Aisling points out. "Did you ever
consider how he may feel about this?"

Kassima adds, "Mine involves buying a Southern island t'retire on, and
hiring a score of scantily-clad bronzeriders t'be fanning me with giant
tree fronds and feeding me kiwi slices all day." Pausing to consider, she
amends, "Though I may do the island thing if'n I'm wealthy enough when I
retire. Ev did send me a lovely map of a few of the islands down there."

Sayuri does something very close to whining. "Yeeeeessssss.... Which is why
I'm not going to actually do it."

Aurian shakes her head as she listens to Sayuri, "Aye. B' don't you feel
any remorse for thinking that you would like to remove his eye?"

Aisling glances at Aurian before she nods in agreement.

Sayuri wrinkles her nose. "Remorse?" she asks, as if the word is unfamiliar
to her tongue.

"Regret, sorriness, apologeticness, shame, rue," Kassi lists, ticking off
fingers as she goes. "In essence, feeling sorry for something you've
thought or done. Like wishing you could pluck out somebody's eye."

Aurian leans back and face palms, "Y' know guilt, regret, feeling bad..
sorrow.."

Aisling just stares at the girl...at least this time she does keep her jaw
from dropping.

Sayuri begins to chew on her sacred mint stick. "Why would I feel sorry? I
haven't actually -done- anything." She looks confused about the whole affair.

Aurian sighs, "But you thought about physically harming someone you claim
to be attracted to.."

Kassima offers around the much-reduced remnants of her own mint stick,
"Mayhaps she was just kidding and didn't really want t'pull out his eye? I
mean, if'n she's that attracted to him, why would she want t'see his eye
replaced by a blood-spurting empty socket?"

Aurian tilts her head to glance at Kassima, "Or possibly die of an infection."

"And you haven't show the least sign that you even care how he feels." Ais
points out. "eeeeuw" That would be Ais reaction to Kassi's words. "That is
a nice image to sleep on."

Sayuri notices what she's been doing and shoves the mint stick in a pocket.
"See, I considered all those complications, I really did. I just... sort
of... ignored them."

Aurian nods, "And you don't regret ignoring them?"

Kassima agrees with blissful obliviousness to the gruesomeness of the
subject, "Oh, aye, and an infection would be *really* messy... I wonder
whether it could turn gangrenous? And then all his skin would turn black
and fall off, and he'd die, all because you wanted his eye. Taralyth and
M'kon would probably both be annoyed then."

Aurian sighs, "Well Taralyth would ha' killed her long before I'sai passed
on.."

Aislingquite obviously is not quite so oblivious as the full colour scene
of this flashes to her mind's eye....turning her a quite appealing shade of
green, almost matching her tunic.

Sayuri cringes at Kassi's speech. "I do now," she says, edging away from
the tales of her dear I'sai turning all ugly and dead.

"And there'd probably be yellow streaks, and purple bits, and a'course,
there'd be dried blood everywhere, and...." Kassi breaks off, catching
sight of Aisling's face. "Shells, but you look as though you'd just smelled
some of Ryi's turnip juice."

Aisling shakes her head as if to clear an image. "When you go to paint a
picture...you most certainly paint a rather vivid one....euuuw."

Aurian smirks, "When you've seen the dragons do the things they do to
wherry.. you tend to develop an imagination

Sayuri looks at Kassi with wide, terrified eyes. "Stop!" she wails.

"I think I will pass on that one" Aisling hurriedly assures Aurian.

Kassima sweeps a bow, or as much of a bow as she can considering that she's
sitting down and nearly seven months pregnant to boot. "You should see what
m'daughter Khari does with *her* paints," she replies serenely. "Auri has a
point, though. If'n you sicken easily, never ever ever go down to the
Feeding Grounds when dragons are present."

"I didn't /think/ I sickened easily." Aisling murmers thoughtfully,'Maybe I
do...I just hadn't really considered it overly much...but even now I can
close my eyes and recreate that poor man's face in my mind's eye.' She
shoots a glare over at Sayuri...as if she were to blame for her over active
imagination.

Sayuri ignores the glare. "Yes," she agrees. "Just horrible, what things
people come up with. Why, they're simply morbid!"

Kassima gets to her feet with a modicum of difficulty, and brandishes a
sweet smile towards the room. "Morbidity has its place," she murmurs,
picking up--gingerly--the box with her 'present' in it. "'Tis like
bloodthirstiness that way. And now, if'n 'twill excuse... I should be
getting t'bed so I can hope for at least *some* sleep. If'n the spawn let
me. G'night, everyone."

You walk down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.