Lazing the Day Away ((open & pre-jump))

[jennalyn]

An eleven-year-old Tesarel was sprawled out on the sands of the beach, face covered partly with a broad leaf pulled from a nearby plant. The rest of him was exposed to the sun's baking rays, already past the stage of burning and working on a nice, dark brown tan. He stretched out his legs and dug his toes into the scorching sand, finding the cooler stuff underneath and grinning beneath the leaf. This was so much better than work.

If he hadn't left, he'd be stuck wiping off tables and sweeping the floors after the noonday meal rush. As it was, he could laze the afternoon away here on the beach and come back once everyone was done. He'd have rather been surrounded by friends, but the rest of them had work to do too and it was easier to catch two people playing slacker than one. Their loss and his gain. With any luck, his shift's overseer wouldn't notice he was gone for another hour or two yet and he'd be left in peace to enjoy the day like kids were meant to.

As his bare chest warmed, tunic thrown off to the side, he was tempted to flip himself over and cushion his head on his arms. He'd have to abandon the leaf, though, since it didn't sit as well atop his sweaty hair, and he wasn't quite ready to do that.

After a while, his eyes started to droop from the heat.The sound of small waves crashing against the shore was soothing and he found himself drifting off, a light breeze caressing his chest on its way to the Weyr. Yeah, this was the life...

[Dizzy]

Waves washed gently up the shore, caressing the redhead's ankles as she walked. Kyparla laughed, digging her toes into the water dampened sand. It felt good to be out of the record room, to have the sun on her bare shoulders. "Oh..." The Weyrwoman's free hand went to her round stomach and splayed across the soft skin. "I s'pose you like the sun and waves too?" The woman caressed softly where the babe had kicked.

A strong kick.... is a healthy child.

I hope so.

Realizing the passage of time, Kyparla went to the shade. She was looking for a comfortable spot to set and read over the records she had brought with her while Savath bathed and played in the warm tropical waters.

[jennalyn]

The instincts of a child who knows he's where he shouldn't be woke him from his light doze at the sound of feet crunching on the wet sand and he sat bolt upright, eyes scanning the area for the intruder. If this was his brother come to find him, he was gonna whack him upside the head and make a run for it...

The second his eyes settled on a pregnant redhaired woman approaching and, more importantly, the golden dragon behind her in the water, he turned an odd shade of gray under his strong tan and made a quick, choking noise somewhere in his throat.

With the typical self-centered view of a child, his thoughts began tumbling over themselves. 'Oh Faranth, what have I gotten myself into now?! That's a queenrider an' here I am skipping work. She'll know. Of course she'll know, and she'll tell Eirid, and then it'll be all over for me. Maybe he even sent her out looking for me. I'll be given garbage duty for a sevenday and the overseer there doesn't let you slack. Shards!'

Scrambling to his feet in a small shower of sand and leaf, Tes offered the queenrider a half-hearted smile and a cheerful greeting, its sincerity belied by his wide eyes and pale face. Here was a boy caught in the middle of something and he knew it.

[E]

E’mion growled his impatience with the bronze beast before him as he dropped his riding gear heavily onto the bed and took off his top shirt to leave him in a plan tank. After all it had been a simple thread-scored question; Where the fall was R’lan? Char it, even L’nuo woke up before the afternoon drills to relieve S’hon, why couldn’t R’lan even show up halfway thru? Not only that, but Malekith was claiming that Nylath was refusing to answer him. E’mion knew full well the bronze could get an answer from the brown if he really wanted to. What the fall was wrong with Malekith!?!

You can bath your own cracked hide today, I’m going to find R’lan. he sent, not at all happy as he stormed out of his weyr in the direction of his wingriders. The bronze merely answered his rider with a low growl before repositioning himself in his shady wallow…

The brownriders weyr was found empty, however, and E’mion cursed his frustrations. Brushing the bronze’s mind once again, he was not pleased to find the rotten beast fast asleep. Growling to himself, he paused to think of where else the man might have gone. Thinking of his wings reputation with women, he turned his heel to the beach knowing that L’nuo often talked about the many women he found there.

A quick, angry stride brought him quickly to the sand and to the few bodies that were lying around in the sun and shade alike. Thanks to the evening meal, most of the beach was empty. A quick glance told him R’lan was not around.

“Char it all.” He muttered under his breath as he turned to go. Hearing someone stand hastily to the side of him, he turned and found an idea coming to his mind. “Boy. Have you seen a medium aged brown rider anywhere? Black hair and tall, probably with some damn woman.” The wingleader completely missed the fact that there was a queen rider just on the other side of the boy he spoke to.

[jennalyn]

Tes's head snapped to the right and if possible, he grew even paler. More riders, and this one with the knots of a wingleader. His mind wailed something about the world being unjust and unkind to boys who just wanted an afternoon of fun and sun while he remained frozen, not sure whether to keep his eyes on the man or turn back to the queenrider to his left.

Getting the impression of impatience from the wingleader, his mind quickly snapped back into focus. "N-no, sir, I haven't seen any man or woman besides me an' her." He motioned furtively to the left, indicating the redheaded woman who was fast approaching and her gold in the distance. "I've been here for a while, too. Nobody but me's been here."

It was only after he said it that he realized those words could be considered a confession of his crime. If they were both out here to find him, despite what the rider had said about somebody else, then that was all they'd need to drag him back and punish him accordingly. "Er, that is, I've only been here for a short while an' I haven't seen anybody else."

[Dizzy]

Kyparla heard the cursing of a famlier voice and turned quickly. Seeing a young boy scramble to his feet the gold rider thought the worst. "Damn woman?" She scowled, screwing her freatures into an almost angry look. "What do you mean bronze rider?

[E]

E’mion did not fail to notice the stutter in the boy’s voice, nor the correction in his statement. Frowning at him, he found himself without time to question the boy further before the red-haired woman he motioned to spoke up. Rather heatedly.

Bringing a hand to his face, the wingleader let out a low growl before dropping it again and snapping at the woman behind the boy. Goldrider or not, it was charin’ rude to jump to conclusions.

“Bloody Fall Kyparla. I didn’t mean you.”

[jennalyn]

"Or me," Tes told her helpfully, if a bit nervously. "I don't ride a brown or anything, and I don't think you're a damn woman...so he's gotta be talking about somebody else, right?"

Hoping his logic was phrased alright and that he wasn't getting himself into deeper trouble by saying anything. So far they hadn't accused him of slacking off or leaving his overseer hanging, but they might be biding their time and talking about something else to get him thinking on different lines. That way when they sprung their trap and threw an accusation at him, he'd confess without even realizing it. Adults were tricky like that. He was impressed. Maybe he could throw them off guard by taking the initiative himself?

"Um...so ma'am, what are you doing out here? Enjoying the sun or doing work?" He eyed the bundle of sheets in her hand as he said this, wondering what was on the papers. Probably some kind of official Weyr business or something. He wouldn't be able to read much of it anyway. With a small roll of his shoulders to a more relaxed position, he waited for either one of them to say something.