Believe It Or Not, {OPEN}

[Fia]

A pair of dragons -a soft-blue Chicory and a silver-marked Bark- splashed happily around in the deep bowl. The Bark ducked under a less-powerful waterfall and let the water crash over him in a liquid massage.

Try it, Chrys!

If I must, the Chicory laughed, obligingly paddling over and joining his friend. He gave a small, pleased rumble, stretching out in the water and closing his eyes. The Bark, happy that his slightly older friend liked his idea, did the same.

Sitting on the edge of a rocky outcropping, about fifty feet above the dragons, a girl smiled and closed her eyes contentedly, mirroring her dragon's feelings. A dark blue firelizard, curled in her lap, trilled lightly. She opened her eyes and petted him, smiling. She'd known the tiny Chicory Turns longer than the immense one below. An oddly colored flit, clearly a mutation, perched watchfully on a nearby branch, keeping an eye on a small Leaf and stormy-hued young Chicory. The little male, however, wasn't hers.

"Storm, behave," the boy beside her called as the Chicory's playful game got a little rough. He sighed, but smiled. "They look like they're having fun," he remarked, peering down at the dragons in the water.

"Sure do," Fia chuckled, smiling down at the creatures. "Y'alright, Chrys?"

The water is nice. The scenery is beautiful. I am with my friend. You are here. Of course I'm alright.

The girl laughed and repeated the words. K'rion laughed too, and they eventually just started laughing so hard that the whole basin echoed with the sound of their amusement.

It was odd. Not long ago, the boy had been a wistful kid who couldn't do anything right in the girl's eyes. The girl had been an impatient and rather cocky teenager who refused to see anything good in the boy. But, in some small, odd way, the boy had suddenly won her respect. He had been surprised, at first, at her suddenly friendly attitude, but soon got over his timidness.

So now, believe it or not, they were friends.

[Hockey]

Honeymonth and Oath were as excited as could be. Sanni was better now, and they could all go out together! They were going to go swimming, and the Bark and Rose loved to swim. I'm gonna beat you there! Honey taunted Oath. She did a little dip and turn, and would have tossed Sanni from the harness if she had not been so securely strapped in.

Sanni laughed and slapped her dragon's neck when she recovered from the slight shock. "You!" The Bark followed close behind, happily bugling at his friend. The pair lighted on the cliff near another pair of riders. "Hello!" Sanni called brightly to the boy and girl as she slid off of Honey's back and removed her harness.

C'ran nodded as he dismounted, smiling but not saying anything. Honeymonth nuzzled Hers before diving into the pool below, sending up a large splash, much to her amusement. Wait for me! Oath followed quickly, ready to play.

Sanni walked up to Fia, in a very good mood. She was very glad to be out of her weyr. "Hey, do you guys mind if we join you?" She didn't think the other girl would mind very much, but it seemed best to ask anyway. C'ran simply nodded again. Yeah, he didn't like to talk very much.

[Fia]

Hello! Chrysanth called with a happy bugle, rearing out of the water and spreading his wings.

Heya, Rabbith greeted shyly, peering out from behind 'his' waterfall.

The Chicory tilted his head. That's Honeymonth and Oath, he told Rabbith, who was watching the two new dragons with timid curiosity. The Bark blinked.

They were in the same clutch as me, Chrysanth explained, vaguely remembering the first time they had met. Oath hadn't been there... but Honeymonth had. His Rider had gotten into a fight with... the Daisyrider? Yes.

"He-llo!" Fia replied cheerfully, looking up and smiling. "Nah, you're welcome to hang out here." Saffire woke up quite suddenly, hopping swiftly to Fia's shoulder and chittering a greeting to the 'strangers'.

Not that they WERE strangers... they'd been in Weyrling Lessons together. Fia clearly remembered the Rose as a hatchling and grinned. "Honeymonth and Oath doing well?"

"You're C'ran and Sanni, right?" K'rion asked, leaning back to peer past Fia. The girl had talked about Impressing Chrysanth, though she seemed to have deliberately left out a bit. Ah well, K'rion knew better than to pry into it. Perhaps she'd tell him later. In any case, she'd told him who else had been chosen by dragonets. Cara ignored them all, but her twin, Chakra, darted down to land on his human's head.

[Hockey]

Honey surfaced, shaking water off her head. Hello, Chrysanth, she said brightly. Ooh! And who's he? Her tone was bright; she was very interested in this new male.

Give it a rest, Honey. Oath followed his friend across the pool to the other two dragons. He is Rabbith. Bark? He had managed to memorize most of the other dragons' ranks with C'ran's help.

Yes, Bark. I don't believe we've met.

"Thanks!" Sanni plopped down next to Fia. Faigel followed, settling lazily in her lap. The Resin-Coal did chitter just a bit at the Chicory but clearly prefered a nap to anything else at the moment. "They're doing well. Honey's just as chatty and male-crazed as usual." She smiled at the other girl, recalling her Rose's initial fascination with Fia's Chrysanth. Not that she never gabbed about him, she simply talked about all the other males now as well.

C'ran's Sparkle, so named by the two dragons he was constantly plagued by, skittered up to the boy that C'ran did not know. "Yes." His answers were rarely long, especially when Sanni was there to speak for him. She was busy now, which left C'ran to talk to the boy, not that he was going to volunteer to talk. Though, if he was asked a question he would reply...Probably...Well, wouldn't ignore the question, at least. He'd grunt maybe.

[Fia]

No, we haven't, Rabbith replied, friendly, but also shy. He weaved his head from side to side in a rather cute gesture of what appeared to be indecision. Then he gave an odd little bark-chirp and paddled out from behind the waterfall. He cocked his head, peering curiously at Rose and older Bark. Are you two mates? he asked innocently, having forgotten that Honeymonth hadn't Risen yet.

Chrysanth stifled a 'laugh', but left it to the other two to answer. He did hope, though, that neither would take offense. That would be just terrible. They would probably hate him from then on...

Easy, Chrys. No one could hate you, his Rider laughed, grinning down at the Chicory, who looked directly up at her. Reassured, he looked back at the other dragons.

Chrysanth's minor issue taken care of, Fia blinked her eyes back into focus and grinned at the older girl. "Nice to hear it," she replied with a laugh, brown eyes sparkling with amusement.


Yes... Chrysath had mentioned the Rose a few times, always in puzzlement. He never understood female dragons very well. Though he got along reasonably well with that very unfeminine Coal, if only because of his never-ending patience... In any case, she was glad that the Chicory hadn't mentioned Honeymonth recently, no offense to Rose or -Rider. The thought of him getting even mildly interested was very unnerving, since he'd never even considered any such things.

Besides that, the protective -and possessive- girl did not want her sensitive dragon to be upset if he grew fond of a female and was -to use the human term- dumped. He would be so upset... she was not going to let that happen to her big blue buddy. And anyway, most female dragons had female Riders. A lot of dragons had Riders their own gender, like K'rion, T'fural/Crazy-Searchrider. these two, her little brother D'an/Fluffball/Floofy... she and Chrys were exceptions. So were Altirionth and M'har, that Dewrider and her Egreth, Mirth and his Rider... and some more... Huh. She wasn't so unusual after all. Shards. Ah well, she was the only girl with a Chicory. That was something to be proud of-

"Hey." A poke in the shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked around to see K'rion trying not to laugh at her. "Wake up time!"

"Sorry!" she yelped, shaking her head hard; hard enough to unbalance her. She nearly tumbled off the ledge, but K'rion grabbed the back of her shirt and tugged her back up. Saffire shrieked and darted up to Ria and the two young firelizards, chittering and squeaking angrily.

"Thanks..." the girl muttered with an embarrassed grin. K'rion clapped his hand over his mouth to suppress a fit of very amused giggles. Yes, he was still young enough a boy to do that...

[Hockey]

Well, that's a shame. There was sincerity in her voice. After all, if she did not aquaint herself with all the males in the Weyr, how would she ever find the best one? But now we have met, so there's no problem there. Honey spread her wings out across the surface of the pool, letting the water rush over them.

What!?!? Oath fell over backwards in the water, Rabbith's blunt question completely taking him by surprise. Honeymonth looked from Oath to Rabbith and back again, not sure what to say. To be honest, the two had never even thought of such a thing, even the obsessed Rose.

Are you alright, Hon? Sanni asked. She knew something had shocked her dragon, and not much shocked Honeymonth.

That young Bark has just asked if Oath and I are mates!

Sanni snorted loudly in surprise, quickly covering her mouth to stiffle her laughter. Not that it had never occured to her, in truth. They were the closest pair of dragons she had ever seen who weren't eggtwins or weyrmates. She often wondered what would happen to them when Honey Rose. Which should be happening sometime in the next few sevendays, she thought.

The look on C'ran's face when Oath told him was one of pure shock. He, like the two dragons, had never even considered such a thing. He glanced at Sanni. Faranth, the girl was practically his sister. Apparently, the Roserider was the only one amused by the idea.

{{Done!}}

[Fia]

I'M SORRY! The poor Bark, terrified that he'd seriously offended them, dove back under water with a little cry of misery. He swam, under the surface, behind another waterfall and surfaced, simply floating there and looking thoroughly ashamed, head hung sadly and eyes whirling gray. The air around him formed something of a whirlwind, which made a very effective barrier around the humiliated dragon.

Oh dear. Chrysanth, who had perched on a rock, slid back into the water and paddled over.

I'm very sorry, he said apologetically, his own eyes a distressed violet. I never explained... no one from our Hatching has Flown yet... I should have told him before... It's not his fault, the Chicory insisted pleadingly. It's really my fault.

MEANWHILE.

"Rabbith?!" The absolute dejection from his dragon made K'rion yelp and tumble right off the ledge. Fia yelled and tried to grab him, but missed and the boy landed with a splash in the water below.

"Meh. He'll live. Chrysanth, please do something," the girl sighed, rubbing her forehead with one hand.

The Chicory 'jumped' and stuck his head in the water, lifting the boy by his shirt and placing him on his back with a 'Sit tight'. K'rion was too dazed to argue.

"Thanks, Chrys," Fia called, waving. She turned with a rather embarrassed grin towards the older two. Though she HAD been laughing before K'rion fell off the rock...

"Eh... sorry about that. Rabbith is... relatively young. Just a kid, really. And K'rion wouldn't say something like that," she added defensively. Yes, defending the Rider she'd done nothing but yell at for months. Automatic reaction, she supposed. Eccentric girl, she was.