All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are copyright © Anne McCaffrey 1967,2000, all rights reserved, and used by permission of the author. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, by Anne McCaffrey, used here with permission. Use or reproduction without a license is strictly prohibited. For more information, visit the Worlds of Anne McCaffrey.

30-10-01: Ding-a-ling
"Stupid people," mutters Relian, walking more purposefully than usual to serve himself klah from the hearth - his mug plunked...

"Stupid people," mutters Relian, walking more purposefully than usual to serve himself klah from the hearth - his mug plunked down with vehement force, and filled with the steaming liquid without even a glance about the great caverns. He finds himself a seat, and sits in it, steaming over the equally steaming mug.

Celira slowly walks into the cavern, slowly because her nose is buried in her scroll again, stylus flicking between the fingers of her free hand. "Between. What in Faranth's name would rhyme with between?" Shaking her head, she manages to weave her way among the chairs and tables while still looking at the scroll, until she reaches the klah pot. Mug is grabbed, klah poured, then she looks up at some muttering. "Relian? Is everything okay?" With concern, she weaves her way to a seat across from him.

Michael glides to the Southern Caverns.

"Seen," responds Relian automatically, lifting his head -- "Oh, hi. Yes, it's fine. Yet *another* person tried to convince me that they were my long-lost relative. I think I'm getting sick of the whole thing; it's just one thing after another with this whole project." Wryly, he adds, "Fated to doom, I'll bet."

"Nahhh. Never say fated to doom....sounds too...forlorn." Celira chuckles softly as she drops her scroll on the table. "Instead, say 'briefly put off track'. Sounds less dreary and such." A flip of her hand at him, a wink, then she grabs her mug and takes a sip. "Have you made any leeway in the past few days?"

Relian snorts, his eyes rolling in amusement. "You're an optomist, aren't you? Eternally so, I'll bet." He sips at his klah, making a face as, apparently, it burns his tongue. Said tongue is waved out of his mouth as he attempts to cool it. Finally, he adds, "None, whatsoever. I haven't really made any progress. -- Have you, with your songs?"

"Well, I've been told such on occasion." Celira smiles a bit sardonically before gesturing with her chin towards her scroll. "Not particularly. I've had a bit of writer's block, it seems." Frowning, she pokes at the scroll, watching it twirl across the table. "By the way, your tongue lollin' out of your mouth does nothin' for your looks." Aye, there's that biting wit again...she does need to temper it.

Relian's tongue sticks out again, for further effect - this time, in a more classic pose. "Who said that any of us needed to care about my looks? You've said yourself that it's the mind that matters more." He winks, as he continues, "Writers block, that's no good. Can I help, maybe? Shards knows I'm not *much* good with it all, but I might be able to do something."

Celira fixes Relian with a funny look, then shrugs, grabbing her scroll. "Well, can't do any worse than me, right?" Unrolling it, she points to a half-finished stanza, and the final word: ::between::. "What in Faranth rhymes with ::between::? If I can't think of anythin', I'll have to reword the whole shardin' thing." Her lips curve into a rather pretty pout.

"Seen," repeats the young man, grinning. "I don't know the gist of it, but that could work, right? Between is a hard word, I agree. Maybe 'leen', or 'keen', or 'bean'. I know they're not *quite* right, but..."

Celira nearly chokes with laughter. "Bean? Oh...that's precious. I can see it now: 'With an errant chunk of firestone, the weyrling gets beaned...oh dear!" Chuckling quite a bit, her head tilts back, hair smelling faintly of sweetsand as it falls out of her clip. "Shardit...heheh.." She wags a finger at him as she shakes her head amusedly. "I'm goin' to make a wannabe-Harper out of you yet, Blush Boy!"

Relian blushes, as per his name, muttering, "Well, it *did* rhyme. Maybe they were having beans for their noon meal or something. How should I know?" He shakes his head, adding, as he fiddles with his fingers, twining them together, "Nah, I don't think I'm harper trainable, in the slightest. You'll have to put up with me as I am." He watches her, his head raising to gain a better glimpse - a smile, just small, spreading out across his lips.

Celira simply shakes her head, a look of mock pity contrasting the rather mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Indeed...who else would put up with such a lout as yourself? Even if you are -cute-." She says this, remembering his expression when Serafa's sister introduced herself to Relian, rather eagerly.

Relian shakes his head, admitting, "I don't rightly know. Who would? -- After all, being 'cute' isn't the most important thing in the world. If you're as dull and personalityless as I am, you really don't have much hope." He winks, his hands pressing down upon the table. "You're so good to me, you know. Making me feel as if I'm likeable, and all."

Celira snorts amusedly. "Dull and personalityless indeed." Gracing him with a sly look, one corner of her lips curve upwards slightly. "Well, I do like you. You're looks are tolerable, you bathe, and have at least half a brain in that skull of yours." Oooo...she's terrible. "All in all, not a bad package." Laughing softly, she reaches out to pat her hand on his arm. "You know I'm teasing only, right?" Grin.

Relian flutters his eyelishes, beaming, "She likes me, she really, really likes me!" As her hand pats his arm, he reaches out with his other hand to place it on top of hers -- "Of course I do. Faranth's nosehair, I wouldn't spend any time around you if you weren't, unless I was really into ego mutilation." Still grinning, he adds, "And you're not so bad yourself, bad poetry asside." Wink.

Celira smiles up at Relian, her own blue eyes meeting his, then squeezes his hand. "Bad poetry indeed, Rel...you wouldn't know good poetry if it was dropped on your head." She squeezes his hand again, grinning wickedly, before turning her head to the toddler that's just arrived. "Well hello there...and who might you be?"

Relian's hand squeezes back in response, as his tongue moves to stick out. "Wouldn't I? Hmph. I suppose I'll have to take your word on it, because I don't have any examples to show - unless you give me a copy of yours." As her gaze turns, so does his; he smiles, tentatively, "Er, hi, yes."

Biron chortles and barges his way up to the table that the two were occuping. "I might be Faranth, but then again I might not be" He answers as any good scamp should. "Who you? And you?" He points on grubby little finger to both Celira and Relian in turn.

Sneaking a wink to Relian, Celira turns her gaze upon the young boy. "Why, I'm Celira." Chuckling, she wags her finger at him. "And I don't know, but I thought Faranth might be a bit bigger if I ever met him." Grin.

Relian laughs, commenting quietly, "If you're Faranth, then I've been using your name in vain more recently than I should have - I should hang my name in shame." He responds to Celira's wink with one of his own, although it's clear that he's not entirely comfortable with children of Biron's age. "Isn't Faranth a she, Celira? -- I'm Relian."

Biron giggles and continues with his questions. "Where you frooom?" He peers up at them through silken bangs, almost idly he clutches a toy bout its neck in his other chubby hand. "Can I have a 'juice?" He asks lisping slightly through a gap in his teeth.

Celira nods her head at Relian. "You're right, I think Faranth is a she." Smirk. Clasping her hands to rest her chin on them, she feigns a look of serious thought. "Ohhh..I'm from Ruatha Hold originally. Though I moved here from Telgar Weyr." She blinks at his request, then nods. "Sure, I'll get you one. Rel, keep him outta trouble-err, entertained, will you?" Yet another wink, and she disappears briefly into the kitchens.

Relian, left alone with a child? He looks faint. "Er, I'm from down South. A little hold down there." He smiles, hesitantly. "So," he comments, as he leans down to get onto a level more appropriate for a child, chuckling nervously, "Where are you from?"

Biron chuckles and slaps his hand on the table just as he has seen he father do. "Here Silly." Well D'uh most 5 turn olds dont travel much, unattended. "Where south?" He asks once more paitently waiting for his juice.

Leave Relian with a child, and you know what he'll do? He'll blush - just as much as he does with anyone else. "Well, I guess that makes sense. Who's your Mother, or your father?" Hesitantly, he adds, "Black Rock River Hold."

Celira reappears from the kitchens, small mug of juice dutifully in her hand. Resuming her seat, she hands the mug to Biron and chuckles. "Full of questions aren't you?" Noticing Relian's faint look, then blush, she nudges Chani from her perch on her shoulder. Chani simply chirps in annoyance at being woken, then peers at the boy. "Have you met Chiani yet?"

Biron beams proudly "My mother is here. She has a baby in her tummy, you wanna feel it kick throught the belly-skin?" He asks innocently before peering at the flizzen. "Nope you met Beshar?" He retorts, prodding his own snobby blue on its perch. Biron earns a dirty look from Beshar, before the blue settles down to sleep once more.

Relian glances about, as if looking, expectantly, for a mother-figure to come and take the child away; uncomfortable is not the word. "She's having *another* baby?" Isn't one enough for anyone? "Wow, lots of firelizards." Parvuli wakes, then curls his tail about Relian's shoulder more tightly, sinking back into sleep.

Chani simply cheeps, then curls back to sleep herself. "Ah, so you're goin' to have a sib soon? Good for you! Are you excited, Biron?" An amused look is flashed at Relian, followed by a grin before she turns her attentions back to the little boy.

Biron nods and takes the juice and slurps it. "Ya-huh cos theres me and Mirry and Lenny....." He prattles off some names. "Mummy has three babies" Well obviously not, but he hasnt learnt how to count yet.

Relian mutters, sotto voce, to Celira, "Whoever she is, she's almost as bad as *my* mother. Pity her." Pity Relian, who is more and more umcomfortable by the second, and less amused. "Oh, really? That's--er, nice."

"Three? Shards.." Celira's eyes widen a bit at this. "Looks like you're a busy little man then, eh?" She stifles another laugh at Relian's short and simple reply. "And where's your da?"

Biron shrugs and slurps some more. " 'Unno, never really see'd him, but Mummy says he's all big and stuff" Of course Biron thinks that that spunky bronze-rider N'ano is his daddy this sevenday. "Where's /your/ Da?"

"Oh." Relian, the disquietened one, smiles. "That's nice, then. I guess that means you can have the *whole* weyr as your daddy." Of course, by Relian's expression, this deems Biron's mother as a--person who sleeps around, not that this is a bad thing. His brow furrows further. "Mine's at home. Down south." He glares at Celira, and her stiffled laugh. Not funny.

Celira chuckles again as Relian glares at her. Her look turns a bit sober though at Biron's question. "Ahh..well, I don't really know, to be honest." She smiles sweetly at him, abruptly changing the subject. "What trouble would you be up to today? Or are you going out to chase dragons, hmm?"

"No not the whole weyr, just the best ones" His grey twinkling eyes should really be enough to him him away, but grown-ups are silly like that in Birons opinion. "Nuffin much" He murmurs, of course he's telling pork-pies to a couple of new residents but he doesnt feel the need to share

Relian ahs, intelligently. "I see. I guess that--makes sense. Who'd want the rejects, when they could have the best ones?" He glances up at Celira again, expression turned more serious, almost pained, although it fades back into a smile rapidly enough. "Oh well, sometimes it's nicer to do nothing much."

Zaphyr cheeps down at Biron, then swoops down at him before heading out to the Bowl as if to play catch. "GAh..behave yourself, Zaph!" Celira turns an apologetic glance to Biron. "Sorry, he's feeling flighty as of late.

Biron slurps once more from his grown up glass as he regards the two gigglers. "Are you gonna have a baby?" He's innocent really *cough* Of course this is the kid who told Hannah that green dragons were better than gold.

Relian, the gullible type, is quick happy accepting the so-called 'pork-pies', except, of course, that young children frighten him to death. Now, he stares. "A *baby*? I hope not."

Celira really does choke on her klah this time. "Baby???" She blinks her blue eyes once, twice, then turns to Relian with a highly amused look in her eyes. "Ahhh...not that I know of." Grinning, she nods to Relian. "And as far as I know, he can't either. Unless there's something he's not telling me." A suggestive wink is given to Rel.

Biron frowns and asks in childish treble "Is he a girl?" Make sense to him "And doesnt have a ding-a-ling?" Ah there is nothing like the innocence of youth

"Oh, yeah," says Relian, laughing, "Cel - I'm really a woman, dressing up as a man in order to gain the love and appreciation I always found lacking." Pause. He stares at Biron, and turns quite suddenly purple.

Celira simply blinks at the young boy, not quite sure she's heard what she just heard. "Oh...Faranth!!" Unable to contain herself, she breaks out into a giggle fit, glances over at Relian, notices his abrupt color change, and giggles even more. "Shells.....teeheehee...that was...too....precious!" Barely able to speak, she continues her laughter, wiping a tear from her eye.

Biron giggles and slapps both hands on the table dropping his toy in the process. Eyeing Celira he asks "Why he go that colour?" She seems to be the more sensible out of the two

Relian could quite happily sink into the floor right about now, but he does not. Instead, he covers his face in his hands, as he attempts to get the color down. "Shut up, Cel, love, else I'll have to beat you black and blue for making me feel like a real idiot." He winks, as the purple turns pink, and then receeds to nothing.

The word 'love' doesn't slip by Celira's ears, though the only reaction she allows to be seen is a slight smile. "Now now, Rel...no need to get all violent and such in front of the kidlet." Leaning a bit closer to Biron, she whispers a bit, though loud enough for Relian to hear: "Don't worry 'bout him. He's all talk." Innocent flutter of eyelashes is directed to Relian.

Biron puff's up his chest. "IF you hit her I will hit you twice no more 'en that" He threatens defiantly standing up on his chair so he can see eye to eye with the historian. "You must not have a ding-a-ling if you hit girls" Dont mess with weyr-bred Aye?

"I'll 'all talk' you, Celira," retorts Relian, crossing his arms, although mirth flickers upon his face. "Oh, you will, will you?" he snorts, towards Biron. "I'll hit you more. -- and I do, too, have a, er, ding-a-ling."

Celira has finally gained control of her laughter, though a smite chuckle escapes her lips occasionally. Leaning back in her chair, she enjoys the little banter between the 17-Turn-man and the 5-Turn-boy. "Hmmm..now who should I wager my marks on...Relian? or Biron? Tough decision, tsk tsk." Her eyebrow arches at the re-mention of the ding-a-ling. "Oh you do? Well now...isn't that interesting." Grin.

"You cant hit me I'm only liddle See!" Biron retorts as he scmpers down the chair, turning back to face Relian he smiles innocently. "You do? Can I see?" He peers, He wants proof, Relian hasnt proved nthing yet.

Relian squeaks, "Proof? Sorry, kiddo, not in front of the lady." Trouble though she is. He stands, pushing Biron away as he moves past -- "You'll have to go on my admission alone -- I gotta go!" And he's gone. In quick time. Eep.

You go to the South Caverns.