Food?|

[Desert]

Alteus' stomach rumbled urgently. He splayed a hand over his abdomen, frowning in amused confusion. He'd eaten not long ago. Then a plaintive tendril of thought drifted into his mind along with another pang of hunger, and he grimaced.

Eos, who had been curled in a small pale green knot in his lap, squalled irritably when he stood and nearly dumped her on the floor. Charon whistled scornfully at the jade and launched himself from the mantle where he'd been dozing, followed closely by Pan. The ruby flit gave her sister a playful nip, and the two female fire lizards tumbled together in a mock-tussle. Charon settled onto Alteus' shoulder with a sleepy chirp and coiled his tail firmly around the human's neck.

Alteus scratched the blue's head absently as he walked over to the lump of gray-brown wher. Altesk lifted his head and gazed at his handler with lamp-like eyes, which whirled with a tinge of hungry red. Alteus scratched the brown wher's ears, and pursed his lips to whistle an apology at his friend. "Sorry bud, you must be hungry! C'mon, let's go feed you."

Altesk padded alongside his handler as they headed toward the butchery, grumbling quiertly when Eos and Pan appeared from between to perch on his head. Alteus laughed at the wher's disgruntlement and marveled that he tolerated the flitters at all. Little flickers of annoyance found their way into Alteus' mind, and he grinned.

But when the scents of freshly-carved meat drifted toward them, Altesk brightened up considerably, and he forgot about the jade and ruby nuisances clinging to his head in anticipation of a meal. Those wide, sensitive eyes whirled redder in hunger.

Once Altesk was fed to satiation, he sighed happily and sank onto his belly. Alteus sat next to the lanky brown, smiling fondly when the gray-brown head found its way onto his lap, and stroked the leathery-skinned skull. A sigh of utter contentment escaped Altesk's two-toned maw as his eyes slid closed one lid at a time, until the outer layer was shut. Alteus continued to caress the wher's ugly head with a fond smile.

[Lyrikitty]

A pair of sea-green eyes, pale, crystal clear with no fog clouding them, no sign of a storm lingering over the shimmering waters, watched the Brown and His settle down. They had full bullies, no doubt, for Ask gave her that idea. The Gold stood beside her, curious, staring at the male with her eyes wheeling a slow, steady blue-green, almost as if trying to match Ayabelle's own shade. Both females were highly attractive, Ayabelle had met few men who could deny their attraction for her, though she'd ratehr they all drop dead, and Ask, considering the fact that she was a wher, was lovely in her own way.

The Gold wave her tail a twitch, almost as if in contempt of the Brown for a moment before snorting and padding foward, leading Ayabelle with determined thoughts. With a sigh the woman followed, her hips swaying with each step, her fittened clothes not hiding an inch of her figure. Her hair was worn loose, not bothering, as it was dark out, to tie it out of the way. She'd not intended to stumble across anyone else anyway, though it really didn't matter. Her hair down wasn't a bad thing, the thick tresses bouncing about her figure delicately. She was cultivated in her appearance, in everything about her, having taken care to make herself what she was. Affectionately she gave a low whistle to the Gold, calling her back to hre side as she strolled leisurely toward the man and the Brown. She was only just back from a contract with Tondrick Hold, thankful to be out of there, and had no expectations of recognizing any faces. She'd never been fond of most of the people, so why make a point of remembering them?

Ask grumbled, but returned to her handler, rubbnig ehr head on Ayabelle's hand in a blatent request for attention, the woman obliged with a subtle pat of the wher's head, her fingers sliding off the leathery hide and caressing the ridge of the Gold's eye as it fell back to her side. The action in and of itself would not look like a loving caress, nor a great display of affection, but for Ayabelle there were few times when she offered more, and Ask was pleased enough by what she got to croon softly.




Word Count: 411
Character: Ayabelle and Ask
Notes: Short, sorry. ><

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[Onyxaeon]

Oh, but if you want to have a go, I just want to let you know...
Get off of my back, and into my game.
Get out of my way, and out of my brain.
Get out of my face, or give it your best shot.
I think it's time you better face the fact, get off of my back.

(*//*)Icyri(~)Icysk(*//*)[/center][/color][/size][/i][/b]


Icyri had been observing from a far, her post that of a fence, with her eyes fixed not so much on the Handler of the male wher, but on the brown wher himself. She really couldn't help that, though. Her passion tended to spill into the mix when she found a magnificent specimen, a credit to wher breeding such as this sturdy brown was. An absent smile touched her lips as she felt the formerly sleeping Icysk's mind poke its way through her thoughts and into the forefront of her Handler's mind. Her pastel blue skull lifted, a huge yawn spilling forth from the wher's maw as she heaved her lithe mass up, stretching in a perfectly feline manner that brought a silly chuckle from Icyri.

Icysk glanced about, having to blink thrice to have her eyes adjust to the lighting, before she caught her Handler's line of vision and where it was directed at. The opal snorted, eyes seeming to pivot into a roll in their sockets, a distinct indicator of amusement. "Oh hush, you overgrown flit," Icyri muttered as she hopped from the fence railing, lightly and affectionately hitting the wher's shoulder. The queen nipped at her sleeve, catching the material and bringing her Handler onto her knees before the wher, a smug series of thoughts entering Icyri's mind from her bonded as if she were saying, 'Ha! I'm still bigger than you!' "Oh you....Grr!" Icyri muttered, snatching her sleeve from the wher's mouth and taking the light blue snout in hand, placing a kiss there before getting up and trying to get the dirt off of her body, failing, for the most part. Throwing up her hands a few minutes later, much to Icysk's utter amusement, the woman muttered a low oath before looking to her companion. "Well, come on. Wouldn't do to sit over here and look like hermits, now would it? That brown does look handsome, don't you think, love? Maybe a future chaser for you, eh?" The Handler winked, her bonded shaking her wedged head as she padded after her, her attention moving from the brown male to the other queen, the gold beauty, coming up as well. A low simmer of pride itched at the wher, for she felt the smug satisfaction of knowing her hide was different here, her coloring making her special, allowing her to stick out where she normally would have blended in. Even this other queen, for all her blatant looks, could not compare.

"Evening there," Icyri greeted first to Alteus and Altesk, then second to the oncoming Ayabelle and Ask. "You both have truly beautiful whers. If you don't mind my asking, what lineage are they of? Such a pair should chase again, because the results are quite stunning." Icysk nosed her Handler's arm, eliciting a silly chuckle from the woman as introductions had slipped her mind as she was observing the beasts. "My apologies. My name is Icyri and this is Icysk here."

Word Count: 511
Notes: Aw, I luff these two already! -Snuggles-[/size][/color][/font]

[Desert]

Altesk's head snapped up as first a gold then an opal wher approached, his ears flicked forward. Alteus' hand stroked the brown's head, and after a moment, the soothing thoughts his handler was projecting into his head, and the soft muttering sounds Alteus was making, calmed the wher. His ears swiveled back to their relaxed position and he dropped his head back onto Alteus' lap, but kept both eyes open and trained on the others.

Alteus lifted one hand to sketch an impudent two-fingered salute at the queen handlers. "Hey there. Name's Alteus, and this lazy lump is Altesk." He patted the brown's head fondly, eliciting a scornful snort from Altesk.

"I don't think I've seen either of you around, but that's not surprising." He smiled amiably, his eyes traveling over the two women. The gold's handler was a stunning beauty, to be sure, but Alteus had never been one to put much stock in a pretty face. The opal's human seemed nice enough, and her comment about the other whers' bloodlines brought a wry grin to his lips.

Eos and Pan, from their perches curled up on Altesk's shoulder, lifted their heads to chirp at the strangers. Charon opened one eye lazily, blinked once, and closed it again with a sigh. Not much flustered the little blue.

[Lyrikitty]

Ayabelle gave the second woman a slow look, evaluating her, judging if this woman was a threat or not. Little did it matter, as Ayabelle had an obvious hate for many, many men, a fact she was not slow to show. However, the comment on the breeding of her wher mollified any imagined insult, and Ayabelle let her ruby lips part in a glowing smile. "I'm only just getting back from a contract, so I wouldn't be suprised not to recognize you either." Her voice was dusky, rich and low, the sort that sent shivers up the spine and made thoughts of her linger long after she was gone. "I'm Ayabelle, and this is beauty here is Ask."

She was obvously proud of the wher, and as she spoke the Gold turned ehr head to nudge almost tenetively at Ayabelle's hand, asking for attention almost. Glancing at the wher, the woman frowned slightly and sighed, stroking Ask's head a few times before leting her hand fall away again.

With a flick of her wing-tips, Ask stepped foward, peering at Altesk curiously with an almost flirtatious croon. He wasvery attractive, mro than she'd thought at first. Perhaps f he was around for her next Flight she'd choose him, undoubtably his proportions were exact, nothing out of place, nothing too large or too small. The Gold didn't even spare the Opal a look, her own dislike of female getting the betetr of her.

Word Count: 273
Character: Ayabelle and Ask
Notes: *muse is failing again* <<

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[Onyxaeon]

Oh, but if you want to have a go, I just want to let you know...
Get off of my back, and into my game.
Get out of my way, and out of my brain.
Get out of my face, or give it your best shot.
I think it's time you better face the fact, get off of my back.

(*//*)Icyri(~)Icysk(*//*)[/center][/color][/size][/i][/b]


Icyri watched, patiently forming an opinion of the four present-excluding herself, Icysk, and the flits, of course-as she remained attentive. Indeed, the whers seemed quite enough. The brown was certainly alert, quite sharp, it seemed, but possessed a relaxed attitude that blended well into his personality. He was mellow, almost to the point of perpetual contentedness, but not quite, which made him perfectly patience in the woman's eyes. The gold wher, however, did not manage to make such a fine first impression. She was certainly lovely, her hide a healthy glow, body proportioned evenly, and her size fairly well off, but her aura, not that was another story entirely. Beauty was all fine and dandy, and did get one far in this day and age, but it didn't help with people's views on you. If you acted like a snotty, stuck up, self absorbed mess, you generally were given a wide berth from society, fantastic looks aside. The rider, too, seemed to share much in common with her wher and already Icyri could gather this was probably the only civil conversation she would have with this woman. Ah well, at least there was the brown's handler to associate with. He seemed a good chap, just as calm as his wher, and she couldn't help but wonder what all it would take to ruffle his feathers, a mischievous thought or two crowding her head until she forced a few words from her lips to the other queen handler.

"A contract, you say? Which Hold have you decided to take on guarding over? I'm not positive I'd enjoy such a life. Too...tied down, for my taste. I think I'll stick to my caravan watching for a bit longer; more freedom, if you know what I mean." The woman winked at this, eyes sparkling a sinful spectrum of colors in the light that would only be possible for such an odd pair as that of Icyri and Icysk.

Speaking of Icysk, the wher herself had taken the time to observe the others of her kind, though with far less critical an eye than her handler, and a low croon purred from her throat in greeting to the two, the brown more in mind because, honestly, she wasn't going to be bothered with an arrogant gold at the moment. With a small huff, the opal seated herself down, her mass easing so gently onto the soft grass that not a sound could be heard from the sudden shift in weight upon the soil that occurred when dragons landed. For all her quite intentions, though, one flit did manage to notice this, and that was the moment Icysk's tail tip prodded her bonded, the opal's skull tilting to one side in the direction of the flit as if to ask 'Can we?'

A chuckle moved from Icyri's lips as she watched her wher, shaking her head in vague amusement. "I'm sorry, but she's got her heart set on a flit, and hasn't let up about it since she saw a group at Solse the other week. Do tell, are they much of a hassle? I'm seriously considering purchasing a flit egg or two from a dealer."

Word Count: 550
Notes: -Huggles Mittens- S'okay. ^^

[Desert]

At Ask's playful croon, Altesk lifted his head from his handler's lap. Ears flicked forward, the brown regarded Ask steadily for a moment, then his lower jaw gaped open slightly in a reptilian half-smile. A low whistle, a friendly sound, leaked from Altesk's two-toned muzzle in response to the gold's cry.

Alteus chuckled slightly and scratched Charon's head softly. "Well, it depends on what color you get. Little airheads like my jade Eos are impossible to get much use of, though they're sweet. Charon here and Pan are clever enough that I can train them enough to not be nuisances, but it'd take a bigger, smarter flit to be very useful." He shrugged.

The ever-mischievous ruby lifted from Altesk's shoulder and clambered up to the brown's head, balancing with one paw on his ear to steady herself as she extended her head toward Icysk. Altesk grumbled a bit, but tolerated Pan on his head admirably. Eos uncoiled her neck to scold her sister, but otherwise stayed put.

Pan squeaked indignantly when Altesk swung his head around to regard the opal. He let one eyelid slide closed in an imitation of a gesture he'd seen his handler use. When he noticed the wher's lazy wink at Icysk, Alteus chortled for a moment and slapped the brown's foreleg affectionately. Altesk mostly ignored his handler, except for a faint widening of his grin at the fond caress. The brown cocked his head to one side, nearly spilling Pan off an eliciting an annoyed squawk from the ruby, and crooned back at Icysk. He obviously favored the opal more than he did the gold; perhaps because of the emotions he tasted coming from his handler in regards to the bondeds of the other two whers.

[Lyrikitty]

Flippiant, Ayabelle shrugged, letting the name of the Hold fall from her lips in a silky purr that was very much similar to a dragon's croon. "Tondrick, though there are plenty of more prosperous Holds about. I don't mind staying in one place, for a bit. I like having money, and a place for Ask to sleep durring the day." Whiel this was true, it was rare she would be stationed at any one place too often, for few wanted ehr around for too long. Shem ay be a pretty ornament to have around, and the service of a wher may be needed, but in the end, both wher and handler were far from pleasent to be around for long.

Of the two, Ask was more social, and she smirked to herself, settling to the ground with poise and elegance, her tail wrapping along the curve of her body, her wings settling in smooth folds, and her ears twitching slightly, barely noticably, as she listened intently to the surroundings. She was pleased by the response she got from Altesk, though his gesture to that Opal was almost insulting, enough to make her jealous. She considered rising, and padding regally over to that pompous little wher, and clawing her face off, but thought better. Where Icysk not a queen, undoubtably Ask would have stalked over and shredded her thick hide, but as it were, such an action would be both unbecomming, and highly problematic. Instead, he gave a little warble, edging herself slightly closer to Altesk, subtly trying to shift his attention to her, and away from that dratted Opal.

Watching her Gold all but made Ayabelle sick, how could she pleade so for male attention? Ask was better than that, just as Ayabelle was, and to grovel for any creature of the male sex was disgusting, enough that she sharply reprimanded the Gold with a mental insult, a rush of dangerous energy that could easily shift to physical violence, though the target would be unknown, as her sea-green eyes smoldered furiously. Not a word did she utter on the matter, but at that moment, her Brown flit Noche appeared, landing gently on her shoulder and tugging at her heair with meek concern, rubbing his soft cheek against her own. For a moment, Ayabelle was soothed, though quickly she brushed away the calming, sweet-natured creature, apologizing to him, but unable to let such an act be shown in public. No, she had to put on her hard front for the world, later, when they were alone and drifting to sleep, she would curl up with Noche maybe, or he would perch above her bed and croon softly as if singing a lullaby. What a life it was, the woman thought sadly, though it was another thing to be brushed away and tucked into a corner, a cover thrown over to keep it at bay.

Ask gave a starled pause, her attention shifting away from Altesk and to Ayabelle, the wher looking thoroughly confused for several moments, trying to decipher what had brought the swift and violent shift in her human. Muzzle wrinkling, and brown furrowing, the Gold shifted restlessly, until she realized it was the male. Of course her human would be upseted so, for she did despise the opposite gender with a firey hate that baffled most. Apologetic, she slunk away from Altesk, back to her original place, and lay there, shifting restlessly for several moments and shooting apologetic looks to Ayabelle constantly, pleading forgiveness for her lack of thought.

Word Count: 618
Character: Ayabelle and Ask
Notes: *shudders at the awfulness of post* Sorry guys.

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[Onyxaeon]

Oh, but if you want to have a go, I just want to let you know...
Get off of my back, and into my game.
Get out of my way, and out of my brain.
Get out of my face, or give it your best shot.
I think it's time you better face the fact, get off of my back.

(*//*)Icyri(~)Icysk(*//*)[/center][/color][/size][/i][/b]

Icysk rumbled lightly, each faceted eyelid closing in her amusement toward the brown's actions, her head bobbing very, very faintly in her laughing. Perfectly humorous he was, and it certainly was not wasted on her. If anything, it was the attention seeking gold whom his considerate manners fell empty upon. Did she even care? Did she even bother to see all that he was rather than the fact he was simply another male who could be interested in flying her when she rose? Probably not. She was too concerned with her appearance and, even though Icysk herself did take care to look decent at times, she never did overdo it to that extent that Ask had. Poor dear, though. Her handler was the exact same way-wasn't that the reason for a wher choosing his or her handler, though, to find someone alike to themselves?-and it did not appear to be helping the poor fellow queen's self esteem or attitude. Even Icysk could see that by the manner with which the queen gold wandered back to her previous spot after her attempt to get closer to Altesk. She had seen the venomous look that Ayabelle had shot her bonded, had watched as the Ask shied away as fast as she possibly could, and how that had stung her. It made the wher grateful for her own relationship with her bonded. So much so, she couldn't help tilting her wedged skull upward, blinking slowly, thankfully. The tip of her tail reached, stretching up to curl around her handler's legs and pull her, gently yet forcibly, closer to her, almost in a need for contact, for comfort. Hers wouldn't ever be like that, would she? When the woman gave a startled, quite yelp, Icysk only hugged her closer, her eyes flickering over to Ask and then Ayabelle so quickly that it would not have been noticed had not Icyri been paying attention, and the woman gave a soft sigh, kneeling down to stroke the opal's head, scratching Icysk's eye ridges.

Reassuring thoughts poured into her mind to comfort her wher as Icyri looked back up to Ayabelle, petting Icysk all the while slowly and lovingly. "Tondrick, you say? I'd imagine it is lovely to have that kind of luxury. Icysk and I jump from place to place a little too often for her liking; I'd imagine your Ask is similar in that regard, wanting a place that you can call home for a little longer than three months." At this, she paused, eyes wandering over to her bonded, watching her calm, her head settling into her lap with her own eyes still fixed on their company. Maybe staying for awhile and calling some place home wasn't such a bad thing. If it allowed for Icysk to be happy, to be content with her duties and tending to her clutches, she'd just about do anything. Settling down...What a horribly scary thought. "I was thinking of a snow flit, and maybe a spring. The spring would be good company; the dragons are so cheerful and delightful, I can only imagine the flits are just them in mini form."

Word Count: 538
Notes: Bah! Nonsense. That was lovely, Mittens. ^^

[Desert]

Pan retreated, scolding the brown wher who moved too much, to Alteus, who would at least stay still enough for her to be comfortable. She walked briskly along her human's arm from where it still rested against Altesk's head, around his shoulder where Charon was still coiled sleepily, and finally perched on his free shoulder. She creeled plaintively at Alteus and rubbed her head under his jaw, begging for pets.

Her blue brother Charon lifted his head and chirped irritably at Pan, then slid down Alteus' chest into his lap where he could doze unmolested. He formed a dusky knot tucked under one of the folds of Alteus' loose shirt, mostly hidden by the fabric.

Altesk ignored the goings on of the fire lizards in favor of the more interesting whers whom he had just met. He swiveled his head in the gold's direction, bemused by her jealousy and the furtive way she shuffled closer to him. He whistled again at her and tilted his head to one side, lidding his eyes slightly in the closest impersonation he could manage of the way his handler would quirk an eyebrow in slightly scathing amusement. This was Altesk's favorite game -- trying to mimic his handler's human habits.

When Ask retreated again to her handler's side, obviously slightly distressed by something, Altesk blinked in puzzlement. What was her deal? She had just come forward, obviously soliciting his attention, then she suddenly acted like she'd done a bad thing. He looked from Ask to Ayabelle, seeing the apologetic look the gold was giving her handler and the glare the human wore, then he got it.

The brown crooned softly and swung his head back around, half burying it in Alteus' arm. His handler would scold him when he did bad, true, but he'd never be that sharp. He felt sympathy for Ask, and gratitude that his human was so nice. Alteus stroked the gray-brown head, wondering what was the matter with his usually content wher, then the images Altesk sent him registered. Alteus bit back a sigh and sent back to the brown a flood of reassurance and love. Altesk was soon placated into his former good humor, and lifted his head out of Alteus' shirt to rasp his tongue fondly over his handler's hand.

Alteus kept up with the conversation, even though he was now even less impressed with the cold woman. He just couldn't understand how some people could treat whers -- creatures almost as intelligent as dragons and humans -- like errant canines. Even so, he remembered his manners, and spoke again.

A chuckle slipped past his lips. "Oh ay. My Altesk is a homebody at heart, he always hates it when we leave the Hall for too long. Perhaps a permanent assignment would be better for us, eh?" He glanced down at the brown, who blinked complacently back at him, before continuing. "So, is there any interesting news from that area?" he asked politely. There was little interest behind his tone, though he hadn't been in that area of the continent in a while. Most of his time was spent at the Wher Hall, so he wasn't as savvy with the latest news as he had before becoming a handler.

Alteus had expected being tied to Altesk -- consequently the Hall, since the brown was loath to leave very often -- to be a bit of a hardship for him, given how accustomed he'd become as a boy to constant travel, but as Ayabelle had pointed out, it was surprisingly nice to stay in one place for extended periods. He didn't miss traveling as much as he'd originally anticipated.

[Lyrikitty]

Ayabelle took a firm set to her jaw, but allowed a trickle of forgiveness to reach out to Ask. How she hated men... how she hated to watch others try to pitifully to get their attention, to please them. Were she a dragon or even a rider, she'd go through and kill as many as she could with her beast before they were killed themselves. However, she was to play cool for now, to act calm and indifferent, even if she disliked having a conversation with this man. "Crystal Cavern Weyr no longer has a Weyrleader, apparently that Bronze , Nuath I think his name was, snapped an was killed out near Talune Weyr, though I haven't a clue what he was doing there. Solse had a Gather not long ago, Rileson threw his arms open to anyone on Pern who wished to attend, generous of him if you ask me." For a moment she shifted through her thoughts, hunting down any other interesting bits of news. Oh! "Rileson's daughter, Riki her name is, was Searchd, not as expected by Crystal Cavern, but by New Cove, the Gold Daisyth wasn't happy at all about it though." Smugly she smiled at that, taking some perverse pleasure in the fact.

Ask looked miserably on as both Icysk and Altesk were soothed so kindly by their handlers. Why wasn't she able to have that? Ohj, she was more than happy most of the time with her life, only when she made Ayabelle unhappy did the wher suffer. Perhaps if she would learn her lessons, if she would just ingore males until it was time for her to Rise, maybe then Ayabelle would be happy with her? But she didn't want to have to be around only females, in truth she was often jealous of them, paranoid they were going to take away potential mates. Maybe... She tilted he head ever so slightly, watching Ayabelle for a moment. Oh she had such a pretty handler, just look at her compared to all the rest! The woman was incredible, at least to look at. However, anyone who knew her knew that Ayabelle was not so pleasent of a friend, or companion. Slowly, she edged back farther, away from the group, until she could creep closer to Ayabelle again, though from behind, carefully nudging ehr head under the woman's hand in a subtle plea for attention, for the handler to thaw out her frozen attitude tot he wher again. Ask had watched how easy it was for the others, watched them simply turn to their humans and that was all they really needed to do for the message to be clear.

Ayabelle looked down, caught by suprise. she'd not noticed Ask creeping around to get so close to her, and when the wher's leathery head was placed under her hand, she frowned. "Oh fine you beast. I'll pet you." It was said softly, more a feirce whisper than anything, and she stroked the wher's head while glaring at Ask, before looking back up at the other handlers. "There hasn't been much happening, overall, really." To sum her previous statements up quickly, she sdaid that, and to hopefully distract from the attention she was giving -lacvishing in her mind- on Ask.


Word Count: 582
Character: Ayabelle and Ask
Notes: Sorry about this one, my muse died after the Gather post.

[Onyxaeon]

Oh, but if you want to have a go, I just want to let you know...
Get off of my back, and into my game.
Get out of my way, and out of my brain.
Get out of my face, or give it your best shot.
I think it's time you better face the fact, get off of my back.

(*//*)Icyri(~)Icysk(*//*)[/center][/color][/size][/i][/b]


Icyri kept her mouth tightly closed, refusing to let the asp sting to her tongue slide out and chastise Ayabelle for treating her wher so. No wher deserved that kind of treatment, even if they had done wrong and, as far as Icyri saw it, Ask had done nothing to deserve the cold, cruel attention she was receiving but, alas, there was nothing the fellow queenhandler could do. So, for once, she bit back her harshly intended reprimand, merely turning her skull, whirling it away from the sickening sight of watching the poorly attention starved wher's begging. Instead, she focused this new found disdain for a fellow handler and channeled it, switching the anger and disgust and molding it into a dozen reassuring thoughts that focused solely on comforting Icysk as the opal queen shifted about uneasily, her wedged head tilting up with soft orbs watching her handler lovingly. Icyri smiled faintly, stroking the soft blue hide before scratching the eye ridges thoughtfully as she rose, soon dusting herself off to be 'proper' in company. Had she been alone or with dear friends, she wouldn't have bothered. They knew her well enough to know that getting dirty wasn't beyond her, but not these two. No, they didn't know her at all, and one never would.

"There's nothing wrong with staying home. The dawn always breaks the best when you see it rising from familiar skies." Icyri faintly smiled as she clicked her tongue, Icysk getting the hint and uncurling her tail from around her handler's waist to allow her to move. With slight effort, Icysk heaved her weight up to rest faithfully on all four clawed paws. She glanced sympathetically toward Ask, inclining her head respectfully in a departing gesture before curving her neck back around and inclining it slightly toward Altesk. A gentle, soothing croon purred from her throat as she bid him a more thoughtful farewell before looking up and back to her handler who could only shake her head a smile as the wher seemed to say 'I'm ready to go now'. "It was a pleasure meeting the both of you, Ayabelle, Alteus but, I'm afraid I've let the time get away from me. Icysk is due for a feeding, and I need to check into getting a firelizard or two now that I've heard and seen personally how adorable and useful they are. I'll catch you guys around sometime later." Her hand lifted in goodbye, the handler taking off with her hands tucked in her jacket pockets as Icysk followed right alongside her loyally.

Word Count: 439
Notes: I couldn't have em stay. Poor Ask's condition was hurtin my feelings. =([/color][/font][/font]