Green vs. Blue [Siatask and Ask]

[nozomi]

Siatask had a blue of her very own, a little minion to do as she said and when she said it. Siata enjoyed the new bit of company and, for her own part, Siatask hardly cared that the presence was that of a male. To Siatask, the firelizard was hardly anything more than the presence of a feline, nothing more or less. Little didn't feel male - just stupid.

Weren't they all?

Ah, well.

Siata and her wher came back into the barracks after a long night in the forge, both of them slow and weary from the days work. At least Siatask failed to complain, even not bothering to growl at the blue fluttering over their head. Siata thumped onto their couch with a low groan, her tall frame stretching out, followed by several pops of her spine.

Siatask's lazy. The wher never the less clawed herself up to her handler's level, and flopped just as gracefully. Siata groaned, her arms wrapped tight around her green girl. She nosed against that heavy head, a smile curling at her lips. Alone?

"Mmmhmmm, pretty girl. You tired?"

No. Siatask yawned, loudly, though, and thumped her tail on Siata's thigh. Lazy. Lazy good. Full.

"Mmhm."

[lithle]

Without the ability to walk patrols as she was accustomed to, Annette was at loose ends when not actively engaged in lessons. And she hated it. Oh, how she hated it. She'd spent the night familiarizing Ask with Warden's as best as possible, walking a patrol in all but name and company. Eventually, Ask would be doing rounds with her and the sooner he learned, the better.

After, they'd stopped at the feeding pens. Annesk had fed and Annette had grabbed a wherry for Ask's meal. After bleeding it, she'd chopped the thing up, knowing she'd have to feed her other new friend soon enough. She still didn't know what to make of the creature. She'd named him Tailor, for the stitch like marks that decorated his hide, though he didn't seem to be aware that it was his name. Right now, he was mostly aware that he was hungry.

Ask's feed little. Ask demanded, nudging Annette's leg and generally making a bother of himself. He'd taken an instant liking to the creature, treating the firelizard a bit like Annesk treated him, like his own personal charge. Annesk had yet to make much note of the creature. He was sleeping.

"Patience." Annette scolded, but she took out the meat she'd brought just for this and began shoving it in the little brown's mouth. Turning, she turned to see the other wherling handler who'd impressed a firelizard had arrived. Siata? "Hey. I have meat. If you need it for your flit."

No! No call Siatask's here. Siatask bad!

Hush. No judging. We don't know her.

[nozomi]

Both Siata and her bondmate tensed when the newest arrivals showed up at the barracks, but neither of them opened their eyes. Siatask pulled in a deep breath with that sharp scent of still remaining blood and the wherrie meat. Her toes flexed, and yet both human and wher lay there, pretending to be asleep. On her own end, Siatask didn't want to get up from her comfortable position on her handlers frame, even if it'd annoy Ask to no end for her to start a conversation (or so she hoped).

On Siata's other shoulder, Little chirped and scrambled to his feet once he sensed the two females were awake and look - food! Another chirp was all the warning anyone received before the little blue launched himself towards the meat - only to begin squealing as Siata grabbed the small creature. The smith grunted, her entire body squirming and twisting in order to wedge herself out from under her darling girl. Siatask thumped down, lips pulled back into a hiss.

"Little says that is a very good idea, apparently." Siata smiled to Annette and the little purpleish wher; no matter how tired she was, being rude to a fellow wherling would not be acceptable. She cuddled the wailing blue to her chest, hissing when it dug it's little claws into her skin and wriggled free enough to climb into her short-cropped hair. "... Wonderful. You have enough to spare?"

Little keened. Siatask growled from her position, and forced herself up to glare red at the shrieking blue. The wher clambered down to press close to her handler, the human ignored for the itty bitty Ask.

Siatask has new blue. Siatask slid away from Siata, wandering closer to her purple clutch-sib. Unlike the lazy drawl she had spoken to her handler with, Siatask's tone returned to the cold, sarcastic twist it had with all others - even with the little Virtue. He liked to insult her, after all! Little listen, not insult. Little better then mean Ask. Did she mean it? Siatask didn't even know if she meant it or not; Ask didn't like her, and she thought him to be a stick in the mud, a silly creature.

[lithle]

Now that the woman was actually responding to her invitation, Annette was wondering if she'd made the right choice to call her over. She looked a nice enough sort, but there was something about her wher that set Ask on edge, she could feel the anxiety building in Ask's mind as the green and her handler approached. But Ask needed to learn tolerance and if Annette had no real hopes of making a friend, she at least wanted to build decent relationships with her fellows. She'd need to rely on them soon enough.

"Most of a wherry," she replied setting the container of meat on the floor in front of her so that Siata could take some as she wished. "Ask's dinner. Happy to share."

She kept her words brief. Not clipped, but each statement was stripped down to its necessary elements as if she'd spent too much time bonding to whers and not enough communicating with humans. And maybe that was the case. She never really thought about it anymore. And anyway, it was easier, keeping to oneself. Reaching out generally lead to heartbreak. Case and point, the experience that'd led her to Wardens.

Ask, meanwhile, was watching Siatask's approach with clear distrust in his stance and the anxious yellow in his whirling eyes. He was rather tired though, and Annette's mind was pressing against his, demanding his best behavior.

That made him feel bad. He shouldn't have to be told to be good. He should just be good.

Ask sorry. If Siatask be good, Ask not call bad.

[nozomi]

He apologized? Ask wasn't allowed to apologize! It wasn't playing by the rules. There were RULES, shardit. The green wher stopped in her little taunting steps, the corners of her mouth pulling up to reveal the barest amount of gum. A haughty tilt of her head later, Siatask huffed, her voice chilly. Siatask not care what Ask say. Good mean boring, snobby snooty. Siatask think all stupid, but Siatask say it. A sour note lit her mental tone, and had she been human, her lips would have pursed. Her eyes flickered orange, in suspicion more than uncertainty. Siatask not pretend nice.

A bit snotty, yes, and cruel, but she meant it, and if nothing else, Siatask said what she meant. Ask liked to think he was better, but Siatask - she did not like ultimatums. Behave like him, and be rewarded with not being called bad! How very wonderful. She snorted, shifting to sniff at the raw meat in her Handlers hands for the brief second before Siata shoved it down Little's gullet. Siatask want.

"Thanks. He's a cranky little thing when hungry." Siata crouched down to take another piece, and she grinned up at the other woman. She stood when Siatask sniffed again, opened her naked mouth, and avoided her girl's oncoming demands by feeding the flitter instead. Annette, with her food, and the short words, caught and kept the Smith's attention.

You'll choke, beautiful. Soon. You need teeth.

So, she smiled again, wider than before. "You talk mostly to your big guy, don't you?" Her hand waved idly, reaching up to rub at Little's head once the flit burped and relaxed against her. "I mean, not a bad thing, you just don't use 'me' or 'I' a lot, you know? It's actually pretty cool.

"Is it weird going through Wherling training again? I guess it might be a little easier for you, since you were up all night to begin with. Do you still do rounds?"

Chatter chatter chatter. Good luck ignoring Siata as long as you were nice to her, Annette.

[lithle]

"Bonded at fourteen," Annette's reply was made in that same short way. She smiled though, not unaware that she was displaying exactly the linguistic quirk that she'd been accused of. "Long time. Talk more to Annesk than anyone."

She gave a dry little laugh, barely worthy of the description. "Guess I don't get out much."

The brown, who'd been slumbering happy, seemed to rouse at his name, lifting his head and focusing one complacently whirling gaze on them. He said nothing and after a moment he settled his head on his legs again. Ask trotted over to rest against him, still keeping his gaze on Siatask, but clearly wanting to keep a distance between them. She made him so angry! But it was bad to be angry. He had to stay calm.

He had to be good.

It was so hard.

"Ask needs the lessons. Annesk gets bored. Doesn't like them. No time to patrol. But we walk the rounds. Teaching them to him." She studied the other woman, still feeding bits of meat to Tailor. The firelizard seemed to be settling a bit, not demanding quite so frantically. In part, she wasn't sure why she'd impressed the creature. Ask had wanted him, of course. But it was such a pain to have two infants to feed. "You're a smith?"

Siatask not act nice. Be nice! Be good. If Siatask be bad Ask say Sitask bad. Not mean. True. For all his attempt to not be angry, to not hate, a touch of red colored his eyes and his mindvoice was far from sweet. Of course, he was trying. He was doing his best. But he was just a little wher, and Siatask's very existence got under his skin.

[nozomi]

"Getting out is overrated, anyway. People like to pretend it's wicked awesome, or something, but it's just an interesting way of continuous harassing." Siata waved idly at Annesk in greeting. She liked whers! They were more interesting than dragons by far and with a dragon, she couldn't keep working in her forge. It'd be a horrid life; the Smith would prefer to be grounded for life, her hands on metals, with a companion that could actually be violent if the need called for it. "Although, it isn't as if the kids in our little wherling clutch are exactly the most talkative, mostly."

"Yeah, started when I was a little kid, with the metal shaping and stuff. My friend decided to be a guard, though, here, and Warden's seemed to need a good Smith to keep repairing stuff those shardin' Rider's break. You'd be surprised how rough those guys are with their stuff." She shook her head before twitching her chin towards Annette, smiling, almost. "Since you were fourteen, you were always guards at random places? Or did you and Annesk have a craft before hitting up this wonderful place?"

Little started to gnaw at the curve of Siata's ear, earning himself another bit of wherrie meat. The firelizard chirped his appreciation, settling down further. His little tail curled around Siata's neck, his eyes swirling with contentment. Little's pleasure with life did little to hide Siatask's cat-like superior smugness when Ask withdrew, when those eyes began to taint themselves with red. Siata glanced quickly to Siatask, lips twisting downwards, however briefly. Baby, are you pissing Ask off?

Ask ask for it. He want this, and that, and he pretend to be kind Siatask's private murmur came as the green slunk towards her clutchmate, eyes trained on his small, purple body. And to Ask, she crooned, no matter how taunting her mind-voice. Let him be unnerved!

He deserved it.

Who give Ask right to say what good? Ask not shiny, Ask not first wher. Ask baby, tiny baby. Ask just like Siatask. Ask just not say. Siatask all but asked to be mauled when she got closer to little Ask, another taunting croon leaving her. She didn't put it past him to lash out in his goodness. Poor Ask. Say what is good, not be good at same time. Siatask not need Ask's 'good'. Siatask best, Siatask knows.

[lithle]

It was then, with Ask pressed against his side and Siatask approaching him, that Annesk finally decided to enter the conversation. His eyes opened, focusing on Siatask and whirling their usual complacent, friendly green. He didn't even really sit up, just straightened slightly in his reclining position.

Siatask come play with Ask? Be Ask's friend? he asked in his cheerful, rumbling mindvoice. Friends good. Annesk like Ask friends. Annesk not like sad Ask. Make Annesk angry. Little Siatask not want make Annesk angry.

Silly Annesk. Ask fine. Ask reassured the large brown. He was gratified by the protection though. Annette had taught him protecting the family was good. To Siatask he said, Ask learn good from Ask's. Ask's teach good. Ask learn. Ask does be good! Ask's say, 'Good Ask'."

And that was all he needed, really.

"Not around. Guarded atSouthern. Never had a craft. Not so many crafts to be done all at night." Annette, who knew whers well enough to see trouble brewing was distracted, half his attention on the three whers. She'd not reign them in until it was necissary, but she'd do it if she had too. Whers could get quite violent, even whers as young as Ask and Siatask. Of course, she expected better of her own, but she could hardly expect Siata's to be well in hand. She hardly knew the woman.

The firelizard in her lap was half forgotten now, her attention so taken by the whers. He seemed content enough with this, though, having eaten his fill.

"Came here not long ago. Needed--" she paused, considering, trying to find something meaningless to say. "Needed a change of pace. Got Ask out of the deal. Not a bad bargain."

[nozomi]

Faced with this brand new adversary of protective older, larger Wher, Siatask paused her approach towards the duo. Disgust towards the brown drenched the connection to her handler, earned her a sharp Look from Siata; even Annette and Siata's distraction with flits could not keep her attention when her girl felt something so intense. Gross, that's what he was, him and all of those that were his color. Ew. Had Annesk been disrespectful, perhaps Siatask would've reacted with violence, outright anger, but no, he acted the part of a perfect gentleman, even with a subtle hint of threat.

Ask not like Siatask. The wher did not move closer, nor did she back away from Ask and his hulking bodyguard. She paced, back and forth, slowly, red only brushing the edges of her eyes; disgust and hatred for males did not mean she had to act out in violence - not if it would mean being hurt, or facing Siata's disapproval. No, never that recoiling Siata had done at the Touching; the green wher still hurt for it, no matter how little she'd say of it. Siatask's think Siatask good. Siatask's smart, strong, not lie.

Oh, that flicker of red returned, the mere thought of them calling her handler a liar instilling the color. Only then did Siata try to take her attention, her voice light. "Just, uh, one second, Annette. I'm not good with the talking while mindspeaking thing yet - Siatask. Siatask, pretty girl." Siata whistled a single, sharp note, just enough for Siatask to back up a step. You were doing well there, beautiful. Make nice, don't piss them off.

Not like big brown. You don't like a lot of things, love. He isn't being rude, is he? ... Ask says Siatask bad. You aren't, darling girl. You have your priorities. Ask is a boy, they're a little bit silly. Play nice. I mean it. The Handler stared at the back of her whers skull until Siatask shifted, the malice in the back of her skull giving way to grudging acceptance of her Siata's demands. Quietly, between them, the wher complained, and Siata turned back to Annette. "... So. Change of pace. Brand new wher. Can't get more changed pace than a prison, gotta give you that.

"... Erm. Your boy seems fond of Ask?" So much for light conversation, and being nice. "How'd he handle the whole thing?"

Siatask heaved a heavy sigh, and plopped her butt on the ground. Her mind-voice rang as grudgingly not-spiteful. Siatask not make Ask sad, she informed Annesk, huffing once more. Siatask make Ask grumpy. Ask say, not good. Siatask say, not bad.

[lithle]

Ask grumpy means Annesk grumpy. Siatask not talk to Ask. Leave Ask alone. Not make grumpy. For all his good nature, Annesk was of the protective variety and Ask was his favorite new thing. Anger was starting to touch the wher and he shifted in place, his tail lashing.

It was unlikely that he'd attack the little green. He was, after all, a fully grown brown. And he'd grown up under the iron discipline of Annette's expectations. Attacking would mean upsetting her and Annesk had built his life around making her happy, hearing her laugh. The very idea of upsetting her was enough to make him unhappy.

And that, of course, only fed into his anxiety, bringing red into the whirl of his eyes.

Ask, already tuned to the larger wher's moods was not unaware of this change. And he, too, knew the sort of expectations involved in being a wher of Annette's. That's why he'd chosen her, after all. He wanted that sort of control, that wisdom. He butted the larger wher with his small head. No more. Ask fine. Annesk stop now.

Annette was barely aware of Siata now, focused on keeping the two restless whers under control. Absently, she answered. "Annesk adores Ask. His idea really. Bonding again."

She gave her head a little shake and favored the other woman with a weak smile. It wasn't unfriendly, just distracted and clearly the product of a lot of effort. When she spoke, she did so carefully. "They'll fight. Soon. Sorry. We better separate."

[nozomi]

Life lesson 12 learned: in attempting to not piss someone off, Siatask managed to do so. It'd be more fun just to try to irritate, rather than attempt to be cordial and still get the short end of the stick. Annesk's reaction when, shardit, she'd done her very best to be (sort of) polite just drew that red tinge back into her eyes. Siatask bristled, and she stood once again, hunched and tense, but she did not make noise.

Rude boys, gross, disrespectful - Siatask swung her heavy skull towards the offending blue. Siatask try explain, polite Siatask. Still make brown angry. Ask's good, gets nothing. All go grumpy, no matter. She spoke with as much coldness as a young Wher could be, gums again exposed, claws tight in the ground. Then she yipped, a high bark of a noise. Ask's Annesk act like Siatask. Even with Ask.

Even Siata had started to glance at their respective babies when Annette spoke, Siatask yip following shortly afterwards. The Smithcrafter jerked her head in what could be conceivably been considered a nod, but as their Whers became more - feisty - Siata found herself less inclined to the more demonstrative parts of conversation. "Yeah, she's getting irritated. She won't bite but- yeah, 'scuse me, I'm sorry, Annette." She moved past the Brown-and-Blue handler, and as she did, patted the top of Annette's shoulder. To Siata, it'd be a reassuring thing, but not everyone was Siata; Annette made that very clear with the tightened muscles with even the brief contact. Shards. Another mumbled 'sorry', and concentration went to Siatask, touching her head again to make the green girl press closer. Contact helped.

"Siatask." The wher keened, but she took a step back. Time to leave. Siata shooed her girl towards the exit. "C'mon. Let's go make us both less grimy. Uhm - yeah, sorry Annette, Annesk. Ask. We'll bring food next time as a peace offering? Or something? I could always try bribing the lot of you with baubles but--"

Siatask's blathering.

"Erm. Yeah! So. See you at class? Yeah?"