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Telgarian Graffiti


Date:  October 9, 1998
Place:  Falsanath and G'har's Weyr
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:  Those familiar with the Kassi-G'har knife saga may recall
that part of G'har's half of the bargain was that he'd baby-sit Kassi's
children for two nights.  Somewhere along the line, he also agreed to
let Kay and Khari paint his weyr-walls, being rather tired of baby blue.
Of course, he probably didn't expect them to paint just what they 
did... nor for them to ask so many questions while they did it.

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The Log:

You backwing to a neat landing on Falsanath's ledge.

<*> Falsanath rumbles a greeting, obviously quite pleased to have a 
-green- sharing his ledge. G'har, stepping out from the main weyr, calls, 
"Ista's duty, hello."

<*> Lysseth backwings to a neat landing on the ledge, warbling a bright 
sort of greeting. "Duties to Ista and her queens in turn," Kassi calls 
down from on high, echoed by piped, "Duties!" and "Hihi, Uncle Gar!" from 
Kaylira and Kharisma. Guess who said which. "You're sure tonight's nay a 
bother?"

<*> G'har shakes his head. "Not at all," he replies, with a grin. "As long 
as you didn't give the kids too many cookies this afternoon."

Kassima waggles her eyebrows at the bronzerider and asks, in utmost 
innocence, "Would *I* do that? Believe me, them as they normally are will 
be bad enough." She unstraps the spawnlings and hefts Khari in her arms 
before sliding down herself; Kay manages on her own, and looks rather 
proud of her ability to do so.

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.

G'har murmurs a quiet "Yes!" to Kassi's first question, even as he offers 
Kay a quick grin. "And it's nice to meet you, kiddo. I would assume that 
you're Kaylira? I'm G'har, and that fellow over there is Falsanath." The 
bronze actually takes his gaze from Lysseth to rumble pleasantly.

Kassima straightens from her crouch with an oof, muttering something about 
trying to dismount with a three-Turn-old *not* being good for the back. 
"Now, bronzer, even I'm nay *that* evil," she says with amusement, setting 
Khari down. Kaylira, who'd been gaping at that *blue* curtain, blinks and 
cranes her curl-festooned head to peer up at the rider. "I'm Kay," she 
agrees, and holds out one grubby hand while proclaiming with all 
solemnity, "Well met. Your bronze looks sorta like Da's Nicoth. Does he 
chase many greens?" Gee, where do these kids *get* these ideas about 
bronzes?

Lysseth settles herself comfortably with a sigh. Warmth, a sunlit ledge, 
and a bronze to share it with... yes, life is good. Especially since *she* 
won't have to keep watch on the kids tonight. Muwahahaha.

G'har nods seriously, even as he covers the older child's hand with his 
own. "Far too many greens, yes." Falsanath, at that, snorts very quietly.

Kharisma, who doesn't know quite so much about manners as her elder 
sister, pipes up inquisitively, "Uncle Gar, are we gonna paint here?" In a 
none-too-subtle voice, she adds to Kaylira, "*Told* you. He's letch'rous." 
It's amazing how similar Kassi and Lysseth's respective snickers sound, 
though the latter does have more of a rumbling undertone to it.

G'har's eyebrows arch. "Lecherous, am I?" he inquires, really trying to be 
amused. But then he shakes his head. "Yes, you're going to paint here, if 
you like. You can even paint on the walls. But," he adds, lifting a 
finger, "this is the only place where you may paint on the walls, unless 
your mother tells you otherwise. Got it?" He looks between the two 
girls.

Khari shakes her head, black hair whipping around with the vehemence of 
the motion. "Nay, nay, Uncle Gar. *He* is." She points one finger towards 
Falsanath. "Bronzes're letch'rous, remember?" Beaming at the very thought 
of painting on *walls*, she actually bounces in place; Kay is nearly as 
enthused. Oh, dear. Hyper children. "Got it!" they chorus together. Khari 
thinks to mention proudly, "Aunt Lirra and I painted *shorts* yesterday, 
Uncle Gar."

Kassima is relieved by that one. "*Thankee*," she says fervently. "Last 
thing I need is another incident with Pierron. Their painting his head was 
bad enough, but if'n they painted his *Cavern*...."

G'har eyes Kassi. "His head?" he inquires. "I don't think I want to know." 
And then he peers at Khari. "Auntie Lirra? Shorts? I do think this is a 
story that someone needs to tell me." He heads into his sleeping alcove, 
and returns with some paints that he prudently thought to obtain.

Kaylira, thinking to look up, gives Khari a discreet elbow-nudge. "The 
ceiling really *is* blue," she whispers. Khari looks appropriately awed. 
However, the arrival of the paints distracts her. "Can I paint flowers and 
dots and hearts and smiley-faces, Uncle Gar, can I, can I? Aunt Lirra's 
nice. Men gave her shorts, and she let me paint 'em." Kassima seems to 
think this needs elucidation: "She was proddy, y'see, and had this 
underwear fetish, and... well, 'tis a long story." At the mention of said 
fetish, Kaylira sets down her stuffed brown dragon to put both hands on 
her hips and announce, "Nobody's *ever* going to make me wear pink lace. 
Even when I'm a brownrider." Just in case anyone was curious.

G'har offers Kaylira a quick grin. "Well, kiddo, that's something we have 
in common. I'm never wearing pink lace, either." With a murmur of thanks 
to Kassi, he then nods to Khari. "You may paint whatever you like."

Kaylira asks avidly, with wide storm-grey eyes, "Are you gonna be a 
Weyrleader? I am. But I'm nay gonna let anybody burn my pants, like Uncle 
Kiat burned the 'Leader's, or replace 'em with frilly ones either. Hey, 
Mum, can I paint...." She runs over to Kassi to whisper something in her 
ear. Whatever it is doesn't carry, but that Kassi snorts with laughter 
can't be a good sign. "Go right ahead, minxlet." Kay looks far too happy 
to be legal as she kneels beside her sister with the paints. Khari is 
also illegally hyper. "You *should* spawn," she tells him happily. "You'd 
have happy kids. I told Aunt Lirra she and you should spawn, but she 
didn't say aught 'bout it." Aren't kids just wonderfully informative at 
times?

G'har absolutely blanches at Kaylira's question, though Falsanath's 
rumble, from the ledge, suggests that -he's- interested in being 
Weyrleader, at least. Or, at least, in flying a gold. "You'll have to 
clear that with Tamina, Khari," he says, with a short chuckle. "Sorry."

Kassima is trying not to look as amused as she really is, but if she's 
succeeding, then that only means that her *real* amusement level must be 
around that of a hyena being tickled. Kharisma, however, only pouts for a 
moment before raising her red-covered hands and trots purposefully 
towards a section of wall to begin work. "Khari's right. You do turn 
colors," Kaylira observes. She's already started to sketch out some sort 
of crude shape in black... hard to tell what it'll be, yet. "It's prolly 
'cause of the lace. Everybody's scared of it. Did Khari already tell you 
the story 'bout how the evil brownrider was defeated with the Pink Lace of 
Doom?"

G'har shakes his head very slowly. "I don't believe she has," he says, 
settling down to watch the artistic little kids. "Will one of you tell it 
to me?"

Kaylira slides a glance at Khari, but the younger girl is far too 
preoccupied with drawing smiley-faces all over a section of wall to be 
paying attention. "Sure," she decides, her sketching slowing for a bit as 
she thinks. "It starts at... Boll?" She looks to Kassi for affirmation; 
the greenrider nods. "Boll," Kay repeats. "Mum and Aunt Aurian were in 
this room place drinking green drinks, and suddenly, this brownrider fell 
in. His name's... um... V-something. Vrin, maybe. He fell unconscious, so 
Mum and Aunt Auri dragged him to the beach...." Her drawing now resembles 
a pair of pliers, sort of, and she's not done yet. How curious.

Gaudiorth backwings to a neat landing.

Falsanath rumbles a greeting to Gaudiorth. And, gee, darn, he just has to 
shift closer to Lysseth to make room.

From high atop Gaudiorth's neck, Tamina slides off Gaudiorth with a 
cheerful greeting to the other two dragons on the ledge then peeks around 
the little twist in the weyr calling in, "Hello?" Gaudiorth rumbles a 
greeting to Falsanath then offers a croon to the green.

Tamina climbs down from Gaudiorth's neck after the blue dragon extends a 
foreleg.

G'har eyes the pliers-like drawing just a bit warily. "The beach," he says 
slowly. "That's a good place, especially at Boll." His eyes flick out of 
focus, and he calls, "C'mon in, Tamina." With a wicked grin, he adds, "I 
think one of the girls has a question for you."

"Aaaaaanyway," Kaylira continues after studying her work for a moment, 
"they took him to the beach, right? 'Cause he was evil or something. 
Dunno. I think brownriders *can't* be evil. But Mum says he was, so he 
must be. They took him back to Aunt Auri's weyr to make him pay for his 
evilness, and he had to wear this pink lace dress thingy to repent, see. 
Mum won't tell me much about *that*. Says she will when I'm older." That 
must've been some dress. Khari pipes up, leaning over to make a correction 
in red alongside one line of Kay's drawing, "And he screamed and fainted 
lots and lots, and now he's afraid of women forever!" Kassi, having sat 
down herself to watch the kids at work, calls over, "Duties t'Ista and her 
queens, Tamina, and g'deve!"

G'har blinks several times at Kay's conclusion. "To pay for his evilness," 
he murmurs, before asking of Kassi, "Which brownrider -was- this? Do I 
know him?"

Tamina makes a face as she walks into the weyr, "It's good to be back here 
for awhile." She looks around in surprise at the children then grins at 
the wall drawings before arching a brow at G'har, "Oh, is it babysitting 
night finally?"

Kassima is *trying* not to laugh, but not succeeding very well. "V'hryn, 
brown Tebrelth's rider of the 'Reaches. I don't know whether you know him. 
But you know how those 'Reachian brownriders are: the epitome of 
tormentable."

Lysseth looks oh-golly-gee-whiz *so* disappointed that the ledge is more 
cozy now. Really, she does. And porcines fly.

G'har shakes his head, apparently not recognizing the name, then offers a 
rueful grin to Tamina. "Couldn't avoid it any longer, no." He reaches out 
to ruffle Kharisma's hair, apparently not minding the 'ordeal' too much.

Khari abandons her smiley-painting for a moment at the mention of that 
name. Frighteningly bright child that she is, she asks Tamina cheerily 
after grinning up at G'har, "Uncle Gar says I've gotta ask you whether he 
can spawn with Auntie Lirra. Can he? She needs spawn that can help her 
paint the men's shorts."

Tamina watches G'har and the young girl for a moment, smiling 
affectionately before moving toward Kassima with a grin, "Do I get an 
introduction to these two?" At Khari's question, Tamina turns toward her 
with a surprised expression. Looking at a loss for a moment, "Uh well, I 
don't know if that'd be a good idea."

G'har does a doubletake, apparently not expecting that Khari would 
actually -ask- the question. "Auntie Lirra lives a long way away," he says 
quickly.

"Mum makes *lots* of people pay for evilness," Kaylira states proudly. 
"But she's promised she won't make me, when I'm a brownrider. Aunt Lirra's 
lots of fun. She paints really good bovine's-eyes." Stepping back from her 
drawing, which appears to be a very large and very crude Emasculator that 
happens to have red streaks here and there due to Khari's helpful hand, 
she asks hopefully, "Does it look like the E-bad-thingy?"

Kassima is about to choke on laughter at this point, but does manage to 
splutter, "The one who paints Emasculators is Kaylira, and the one who 
asks awkward questions is Kharisma. I don't know where they get these 
traits from. Personally, I blame their fathers."

G'har squints towards Kay's drawing for a moment. "Oh, dear," he murmurs. 
"Oh... dear. Tria would find this very apt." He doesn't seem to find it 
all that amusing.

Kharisma is blissfully unaware of her own Evil. "See, I *told* Uncle Gar 
that he needs to have spawn, and Aunt Lirra needs to spawn too. Ooh!" Yes, 
she's just spotted her sister's drawing. Jealously, she mutters, "I can't 
paint E-thingies."

Tamina turns toward the two girls with a friendly smile after a dubious 
glance at the pictures on the wall, "Uh, that's very artistic. Nice to 
meet you Kaylira and Kharisma." She looks at G'har with amusement, "Have 
fun." Deciding to take a seat on an available pillow she asks G'har with a 
laugh, "Do you need spawn G'har? I didn't know that."

Kaylira brightens at the familiar name. "You know Aunt Moo? She's really 
nice. I'm gonna tell her this story Foster-Mum taught me 'bout the moos 
with crossbows someday. Think she'd like that?" She's moved away from her 
Emasculator to start a second painting, this time in green, which seems 
happily draconic rather than lethal this time.

G'har, true to form, goes rather red at Tamina's question. "I don't," he 
says firmly, before smiling towards Kaylira. "I'm sure she'd love that... 
and I know her quite well, as she's my sister." He notes the dragon with 
obvious relief.

Tamina smiles as she watches the children draw some more then turns to 
Kassima with a smile, "So how are things up at Telgar lately?"

"Do *too*," Khari protests, now making a variety of rainbow-colored 
handprints along one portion of the wall. "*Ev'rybody* needs spawn. Spawn 
are good. Mum says so." Not that Kassi would really say anything else 
around her own offspring. Kaylira, who has her priorities more straight, 
announces, "'Lizards are better'n spawn. I've got a 'lizard, but I don't 
want any spawn yet. They're just trouble." A *look* is shot towards Khari. 
Ah, sibling rivalry.

G'har offers, with a small smile, "I've got two firelizards. That add up 
to one, er, spawn?"

Kassima grins at the question, drawing her attention away from the 
squabbling twosome. "Rather interesting, actually. We're going t'be 
swapping a number of riders with High Reaches Weyr, so all of the 
Wingleaders are trying t'decide whom t'offer up. M'hryn will pick out the 
ones to go from those we offer, a'course. That's the biggest news; we 
aren't having the weather-trouble that I've heard's plaguing a couple of 
the other Weyrs."

G'har, shifting his attention from the kidlets, notes, "Rain is a good 
thing, especially when it comes in the middle of a forest fire."

Tamina brushes back a stray hair and nods, "We're doing the rider exchange 
as well. In fact, I'm down from my time at Fort." Glancing up at G'har and 
the kids, "How is Red Sands recovering from it?"

Kaylira considers this quite seriously, tapping her chin with a green 
finger. Of course, this does result in a green chin. "Nay," she says 
reluctantly. "'Cause Mum had *tons* of 'lizards 'fore she had any spawn. 
You should stick with 'lizards. And a dragon." Khari helpfully chimes in, 
"Even if'n he isn't green. Green's the *good* color. You ride green, 
lady?"

"Aye, but rain and these monsoons that I hear may be threatening Boll are 
differing matters," Kassima points out. "I'd heard rumors of this forest-
fire business. 'Twas serious?"

G'har tips his head back and forth from side to side. "Tithe this Turn 
will be interesting," he says, with a nod to Kassi. "No major injuries, 
but a fair amount of destruction."

Tamina moves off her pillow toward Kaylira with a friendly smile, folding 
her legs in front of her as she sits on the floor, "No, I don't ride 
green. Gaudiorth happens to be blue. What are you drawing there on the 
wall?"

Kaylira informs Tamina proudly, "I'm drawing a *dragon*. And next I'll 
draw a *brown* dragon." She says 'brown dragon' with all the awe that 
lechers-in-training might put into L'cher's name. "*She* is just doing 
handprints." Raspberries are exchanged between the sisters before Kay then 
nods again to Tamina, blue-black curls bouncing. "Blue's nay a bad color. 
Lucki's blue. See?" She gives the 'lizard on her shoulder a nudge, leaving 
green streaks on his hide. How lovely. No wonder the poor creature looks 
so long-suffering.

Kassima asks with concern, "'Twas really that bad? The Woodcraft must nay 
be pleased, if'n many trees were destroyed. You know how they can be about 
trees."

G'har nods slowly, with a brief glance for the bluegreen lizard. "Bad 
enough. Would've been a lot worse if we'd not gotten that rain."

Kharisma does seem bored with handprints, and wanders back over to the 
riders. "Uncle Gar," she asks plaintively, "what should I paint?"

Tamina grins as the sisters exchange pleasantries then shakes her head, 
leaning forward to look at the painting, "It's a very nice painting, and 
Gaudiorth seems to enjoy being blue." She smiles at Lucki, "How old is 
Lucki?"

G'har ponders for a moment. "Why don't you paint..." He glances about the 
weyr, sans inspiration, until he sees a hide. "Why not a bovine? Then 
when, uh, Auntie Moo comes to see me, she'll be happy."

"Ooooold. I've had him *forever*," Kaylira exaggerates, despite the fact 
that the 'lizard couldn't be much over a Turn. Still, a Turn is a long 
time when you're five. "If'n you can't be brown, and can't be green, and 
can't be bronze, then blue's the next-best color to be. *She* likes green 
best, but she's weird." Kay must be referring to Khari again. The three-
Turn-old doesn't seem to notice, though. "Bovine," she repeats, 
thoughtfully. "I dunno if I can, but I'll try. Auntie Moo's your sister? 
She make fun of you?"

G'har nods to Khari. "All the time," he says, adding, with a flickered 
glance towards Tamina, "She's my big sister, after all."

"Sisters are evil," says Khari, with real feeling. Glancing towards Tamina 
herself, she squats down to whisper as quietly as she can, "Is *she* 
letch'rous, Uncle Gar?"

Tamina leans forward to rest her elbow on her knee then her chin on her 
palm, saying over her shoulder, "A big sister's job of course." She grins 
to Kaylira again and shrugs, "I haven't any complaints about being a 
bluerider myself, but didn't you forget golds?"

G'har chokes on a bad patch of air at Khari's question. "Mina?" he asks. 
"No. She's not a bronze dragon, though."

Kaylira's wrinkled nose shows what she thinks of golds. "Too big," she 
dismisses. "Aunt Kin's Herath's nay too bad, but I like browns and greens 
and bronzes and blues better. Bronzes may be le-cher-ous," she adds, with 
careful enunciation and a smug look thrown Khari's way, "but Da rides one. 
Can't be all bad."

Kharisma blinks, and giggles. "I know *that*!" she chides. "Uncle L'cher's 
letch'rous, though. And so's R'val. I heard Foster-Mum say so. And 
Leerth's letch'rous. But maybe only men are letch'rous?"

G'har shakes his head slowly from side to side. "Women can be lecherous, 
too," he says calmly, the tips of his ears going red.

Tamina can't help but laugh as she shakes her head at the little girl. 
Glancing G'har's way, she struggles to hold in her expression turning back 
to the girls again, "No, bronzes aren't that bad at all."

Kassima calls over, "G'har, what nonsense are you telling that girl? 
Everyone knows that only men and Miryenne--well, and Alicienne... and a 
few select women who must've been dropped on their heads too many times as 
children... are lechers."

G'har says succinctly, "Anise."

Kaylira falls silent for a moment, pondering. "You two gonna spawn?" she 
abruptly asks, out of the blue, gesturing with green hands towards both 
Tamina and the hapless bronzerider.

G'har blinks several times, and shoots a quick look at Tamina. "Uh. We 
haven't really talked about it yet."

Kassima blinks at the name. "Anise?" She has to mull that one over. "Don't 
think I've met her. Mayhaps she's one of those dropped-on-the-head too 
many times sorts. Shards if'n I'll ever understand lechery, m'self."

Tamina's laughter abruptely turns to coughing as it's her turn to choke. 
Her face is bright red before she finally can breathe normally. Avoiding 
looking at G'har she shrugs her shoulders and echoes, "We don't really 
know."

Kaylira continues, canted grey eyes widening with the brilliance of her 
own revelation, "'Cause if you *did*, maybe *she* could have a brown, and 
maybe you could have another who'd have a green, and then you'd have *all* 
the good colors!" She seems quite pleased with this idea, though Khari 
yells, "Green first! Brown *later*!"

G'har inquires, with an amused little grin, "So Mina and I have to have 
daughters?"

"Well, a'*course*," Kaylira reasons. "Boys are yucky. Especially Tam."

G'har hunkers down to Kaylira-height. "Am I yucky?"

Kharisma hums tunelessly to herself as she streaks a big black splotch on 
a white shape that might, just might, be a cow. If you use your 
imagination. And if you're also on drugs.

Kaylira shakes her head emphatically. "You're nay a *boy*!" she points 
out, looking surprised that he doesn't realize this. "You're too tall, and 
you've got a dragon. Boys are about *this* big." She waves a hand vaguely 
in the air, indicating somewhere around her own height. "Or this big." 
This time, she lowers her hand. "Tam's short, but he's still a boy. Worse. 
He's a *brother*." Oh, horrors!

G'har can't help but grin as the child recognizes his manhood. "Brothers 
are that horrible, huh? I'll have to remember that."

Tamina grins and shakes her head, pushing herself to her feet to move 
toward Kassima again, "Of course they are G'har. And it's a sister's duty 
to make his like horrible as repayment." She smiles at the greenrider, 
"They're certainly very smart."

Kaylira bobs her head quite vehemently. "They're *bad*. 'Least I've only 
got one, but I have to see him lots. Khari's got a whole bunch, but she 
doesn't see 'em, so I think she's better off." She gives a snort. "'Tis 
nay *fair*."

G'har informs Kaylira, with a quick grin, "I've three brothers--well, and 
three sisters, too--but I don't see them often, so I guess I'm more like 
Khari."

Kharisma tires of painting her abstract cow, and sprints over to where the 
other two are. "It's done, Uncle Gar. Will Auntie Moo like it?" Keep in 
mind that Pablo Picasso could've done a more realistic cow than this. 
"I've only got *one* sister. Her. But she's got *two*." Apparently, Khari 
doesn't find this quite fair, either.

G'har squints over to the abstract cow, and peers for a moment. Kharisma 
Dali? "I'm sure she'll love it," he assures the younger child. After all, 
Tria has kids.

Kassima grins at Tamina's compliment. "I think so," she agrees, sounding 
proud, "but I'm nay the most objective of persons. 'Tis like as nay 
another thing they picked up from their fathers. Kay's learning t'read and 
write with the Harper now. A'course, she's a bit reluctant t'learn ever 
since Simaeva gave her a paddling for writing 'Kaylira Was Here' on one of 
the walls in her good ink."

Khari beams. You'd think someone had told her that the whole Bowl was full 
of sweetcakes that were just for her. "Good! Want me to paint another 
green? For your letch'rous bronze?"

Tamina chuckles and shakes her head, smiling in an indulgent way at the 
children, "Well, she shouldn't have used the good ink." She calls over, 
agreeing with G'har, "That is a nice dragon."

G'har grins at the approving rumble from the ledge. "Falsanath says that 
he'd like that very much. Maybe you could put it near his couch?"

Kharisma needs no further encouragement, of course; she heads for the 
green paint at once. Any excuse to paint a green dragon will do for her. 
"I can do better," she insists; Kaylira simply hrmphs and picks up the 
brown paint herself to start on her masterpiece. "Can nay," she taunts. 
"But even if'n you could, *this* one'll be better, 'cause it's *brown*." 
Realizing that she hasn't explained her Grand Destiny to Tamina yet, she 
hastens to do so. "I'm gonna ride brown someday, you know. And be 
Weyrleader. But not 'til I'm older." A five-Turn-old Weyrleader wouldn't 
exactly sit real well with the Weyrfolk.

Tamina's eyes widen and she grins at Kaylira, "Oh you are? I'm sure you'd 
be a very fine brownrider Kaylira. Browns are fine dragons." Shaking her 
head at G'har, she shrugs her shoulders, "It's hard job to be weyrleader 
though."

"Yeah," Kay agrees happily as she starts work. "People are always burning 
your underwear. But my brown will keep 'em from doing that to *me*."

[Editor's Note:  At this point, both G'har and Tamina needed to bamf, so
we called it a night. :) ]