Firelizards, Forks and Friends

Writers: Dani, Suzee
Date Posted: 12th June 2019

Characters: Ristaliys, Kielya, Naradis
Description: A firelizard collects forks, people meet and talk about what is, what was, and what will be.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 11, day 11 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentor Approved

Kielya

Ristaliys looked down where, just a moment ago, had been a fork.
Instead of the shiny metal he had expected to find, he had laid his
hand down and felt a warm tail. "What the . .?" He followed where the
tail joined up to the little blue firelizard, who had his fork in his
claws. "I believe that's mine, little friend."

Peeps chirped and spun round whipping his tail out of the man's hand.
He clutched the fork closer and scolded the big one before launching
with his prize and flying to another nearby table to drop it in front
of a young girl.

"Thanks Peeps," she smiled and picked up the fork.

He watched the flit's progress to the other table and snickered a
little. So, the little thing was on a mission, was he? He picked up
his plate, moved over to the other table and sat down across from the
little girl. "You know, there are other places for a firelizard to get
a fork other than from on occupied tables."

Kielya's eyes widened when the huge man sat down at her table. Her
sister was due back momentarily but he was really big. "I'm sorry,"
she said and slid the fork across to him. "Peeps is still learning.
He's pretty young."

The blue flit screeched and popped out then came sailing back again
from across the dining hall with another fork.

"Hey! That's mine," someone yelled. "Get that flit out of here if he
can't behave."

Ristaliys grinned at the girl, and leaned in a conspiratorial way.
"It's okay. I would hate for him to get you into trouble, though. Some
of the people here might not like it if their forks get stolen." He
looked thoughtful for a moment. "A friend once told me that having a
firelizard was kind of like having a little dragon inside your head.
One that doesn't speak in words, but mostly in feelings and pictures.
Is that what it's like?"

"Yes," she smiled. "That's just what it's like. He sent me pictures of
my da when he was in the infirmary." she nodded.

At that moment a young woman slid into a seat at the table. "Who's
this Kielya," she asked with a smile. At sixteen turns Naradis was
quite interested in very tall young men.

"I don't know. He hasn't said yet. But Peeps stole his fork."

Naradis rolled her eyes as only teens can do and huffed. "That little
blue is a menace. I'm Naradis by the way," She smiled.

Ristaliys smiled back. "My name is Ristaliys." He turned his attention
back to the younger girl who he had joined at the table. "If he talks
in pictures and feelings, then . .if he were my flit. . .I think I
would find a way to make him understand that when he steals other
people's forks, it would make me sad, and when he gets them from the
place where they're kept, then I would be proud of him. And I would
find a way to make it so he understood that taking the silverware from
that spot any other time than at mealtimes would make me mad. That
way, I wouldn't wake up next to a fork in my bed." He took a bite of
his food, chewed and swallowed. "What do you think?"

"You think that would work," Kielya asked with wide eyes.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "But, if he loves you, he
wants you to be happy. Which means, he can be taught. And since you're
his person. . ." he trailed off and shrugged. "It couldn't hurt. Why
don't you try?"

She grinned, "Maybe that's why he stopped putting fish on my pillow,"
she wrinkled her nose.

Naradis laughed. "We had to keep changing her pillow case."

Ristaliys laughed. "I know that smell. Fishy pillowcases, I mean. My
da was a fisherman," he explained before he took a bite of his food.
"Never left any fish on my pillow, per se, but he did come home
smelling like them often enough that it counts."

She suddenly remembered she'd forgotten to give her own name. "I'm
Kielya," she smiled. "Naradis is my sister." She made a face and stuck
out her tongue at her.

Naradis obligingly rolled her eyes.

Kielya shook her head and visualized the tray on the buffet table for
Peeps to get a fork for her. He trilled agreement and went sailing off
in that direction. Pictures flashed back to her until she finally
said "Yes that one," and smiled as he came sailing back again. "It
worked," she grinned at Ristaliys.

He grinned back. "That's great!" He watched the firelizard's progress
as the blue came into view. "He's a very good firelizard. And you're a
good firelizard parent, Kielya. You just gotta remember, he's always
gonna want to keep you happy, but you have to think of the right way
for him to do it so he doesn't go taking things that aren't for
everyone. Make sense?" He smiled again and turned his attention to
Naradis. "So. . .are you a candidate?"

"I am," she smiled. "You?"

He nodded, as he pulled his fork from his mouth. He finished his bite
of food before responding. "I never thought I could, but I petitioned,
and it was agreed that I could."

"Petitioned huh? Well then mom must have liked what she saw," Naradis
took a bite of her lunch.

Kielya giggled.

"Oh. . .it wasn't here," he explained between bites. "I petitioned at
River Bluff. I moved here from there."

Kielya's eyes grew troubled. "I'm sorry, did you lose anyone?"

He shrugged. "Well, sort of yes, and sort of no. I met a rider there
who was the one who convinced me to petition, but they went /between/
before the. . . Lost a home. Moved here, and made a new one. So it's
all good," he said with a smile, trying to change the subject.

"Still, it had to have been hard," This time it was Naradis who spoke.
"We knew some people from there too. Others were lucky to get out."

He remembered back, the feeling of the ground shaking, the sound like
thunder in the ground. "It was . . .it was chaos, to be honest," he
answered honestly. "It wasn't the controlled chaos of after a 'Fall.
This was. . ." he didn't realize it but his voice cracked a little.
"It was bad."

"Yeah," Naradis eyes were very sympathetic. She'd known enough of her
fellow candidates that had been there and understood what had happened
to so many. "So do you craft?" She tried to help him move on to
another subject.

His relief showed a little on his face as he nodded. "I am a smith. You?"

She smiled into his eyes "Harper."

That made him smile bigger. "I like harpers. They always have good
stories after journeying."

"Yes, we do, and songs to lighten the heart." Naradis turned an looked
at Kielya. "I think that's enough forks now Kielya," she said as Peeps
dropped off another one in the middle of the table.

Kielya looked sheepishly at the other two, "sorry," she said counting
at least five of them in the middle of the table. "He's just doing so
well."

"Yes he is," Naradis nodded. "But you only need one."

Last updated on the June 24th 2019

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Firelizards, Forks and Friends