"Your hide is going to be the death of me." Salah muttered as her hands moved in rhythmic motions across the golden hide before her.
'Hide doesn't cause death Salah.' Kraykth's chiming voice sounded in the Goldrider's mind. The enormous dragon shifted, raising her foreleg to expose a dry patch of hide. 'I itch here.' She stated matter of factly.
Dipping her cloth into the pail of oil beside her, Salah liberally applied the thick substance onto the dry hide before her. Salah shook her head to try and rid her forehead from the sweat building up there, blinking furiously as it dripped into her eyes. The Pernese sun was high in the sky, beating down relentlessly upon the pair while there wasn't even a whisper of wind around. The air in the weyrbowl was thick, hot and heavy, weighing down on the few souls that were out during the summer midday.
"Why are we out here Kraykth?" She grumbled, working away at keeping her life partner's hide covered in oil.
'Because I itch, and you were asleep this morning.' The Gold pointed out innocently. Salah rolled her eyes, flicking the dragon's foot with the oily cloth before stopping for a moment, stretching her back. Inhaling deeply she shaded her eyes as she gazed over to the star stone, the Red Star twinkling at her, reminding her of the ever looming threat of Thread. Shaking her head lightly, Salah bent down to the pail again, coating her cloth in oil again, returning to her task with more determination than before. Kraykth turned one of her eyes onto her rider, whirling a calm blue, picking up touches of yellow anxiety. No words were spoken between the two for a while, rider working furiously to protect her beloved, dragon watching with understandable concern for the woman.
'We are safe now. Do not worry.' Kraykth murmured, her voice like a gentle chorus of small bells. At her words Salah stopped, resting her weight on her hand against the queen.
"I know. But it's so close Kray, you know that."
"Of course she does, she's a dragon." Salah jumped, whirling around to face the owner of the voice that had snuck up on her. Before her stood V'hau, a warm smile on his face. Salah's eyes narrowed and lips pursed, lashing out with her oil cloth at the fellow dragonrider. He laughed, grabbing the cloth before it could flick him. Pulling it sharply towards him V'hau chuckled quietly as Salah came stumbling forward to thud against his body, her face glowing red.
"Yes, V'hau?" Her voice was somewhat icy in an attempt to mask her embarrassment at being overpowered by the Bronzerider.
"Can I not hold my weyrmate?" V'hau grinned down at the small woman, wrapping his arms around her and holding her so that she could not escape.
"I am not your weyrmate, V'hau." A deep rumble in Kraykth's chest backed up Salah's cold words, the dragon's eyes filtering in more yellow and touches of red by the second. A roar sounded from up on the rim of the weyrbowl, a massive Bronze dragon glinting in the sun as he watched the interaction below. V'hau released the woman from his embrace, stepping back with a flourishing bow.
"As you wish, milady." He stayed down in his bow, hazel eyes peering through his russet fringe devilishly. Salah's lip curled up in disgust, whipping around and plunging the oilcloth deeper than she needed to into the pail. Yet again, she bent to the task of oiling the golden hide before her; the only sound her somewhat laboured breathing. Not even a minute passed before she scoffed with revulsion and snapped aggravatingly.
"Get up you fool." V'hau grinned childishly, standing up as he was instructed.
"Lighten up Salah, you know I'm just messing about." His voice was light and almost whimsical, but the Goldrider heard the sincerity in it. Despite this, she flinched away as he reached forward to touch her shoulder.
"Go be a nuisance somewhere else V'hau, I don't have the patience to deal with your petty amusements now." V'hau sighed, but did as she commanded and strode away, seemingly unaffected by her sharp words.
Salah stared at her hand, rubbing the cloth in circles without moving around Kraykth's hide. So unfocused on the task before her, it took her Gold's distressed bugle to bring her back to her senses.
'Salah stop! Salah you're hurting me, stop rubbing!' Kraykth's typically sweet voice was shrill with pain and worry, piercing into the rider's mind.
"Shards! I'm sorry Kray… I didn't mean to tune out like that. I didn't hurt you too badly did I?" Salah dropped to her knees, the cloth falling to the ground as her dark eyes stared at the hide she had been rubbing almost raw.
'No, Salah. I will be fine.' The Gold reached her head around to her rider, nuzzling her gently. For a while they just stayed still, seeking comfort from one another beneath the beating sun.
'Why do you speak to him so, Salah?' Kraykth asked after some time, her eyes whirling with concern for her rider.
"Because he's full of shards that's why." Salah glared at the dirt before her, her hands clenching into fists as she fought to keep her emotions in check.
'I do not think he is full of shards. Uloth says he is having fun, he doesn't mean to anger you.' The Gold pushed her rider with a bit of force, attempting to get her to relax.
"And what would Uloth know? If anyone asked you what I was like you'd sing the highest praises of me, just like Uloth does of V'hau. As any dragon does of their rider." The rage began to seep out of her as she spoke. Even though dragons would always speak of their riders in the highest regard, if they did wrong, or intended to hurt, they would not hide the fact. Salah knew that, and as she thought it, she knew Kraykth knew it too.
'You should talk to him.' There was no if's or but's in the Gold's voice, it was an order to be followed.
"Sharding nosy dragon, that's what you are." Salah smiled as she spoke though, running her hands affectionately over the dragon's eyeridges.
'I am no such thing.' Kraykth responded indignantly. Salah laughed, getting to her feet and giving the Gold a hearty slap to the side, resulting in a pleased croon. 'It is good to hear you laugh. But will you finish oiling me first?' The request was meek in nature, the Gold gazing up at her rider.
"Of course, of course. Just stay still and tell me sooner if I tune out again alright?"
'I am always still.' She retorted as she shifted to get settled. Salah laughed at the comment, dipping the oilcloth into the pail yet again.