Ausith is on this side of the Sphere, dropping off some medical supplies, and some victuals for the Windhaveners here.
Dove is seated next to her mate, Aubri. She's idly preening his crest feathers, not paying much else attention around her yet.
A new one gryphon, Jeice is at rest beside another slumbering gryphon, but it is at a noticeable distance. After a moment, he is astir, looking around.
Dove looks up as she sees Ausith arriving with more supplies. She wingwaves to him, calling out as soon as he's close enough, "Ausith! Come visit when you're done over there!" She smiles and nuzzles Aubri once more before sitting up to wait for Ausith.
Ausith leaves most of the supplies he brings with Surukk. The sacks contain much-needed medicines for Grylra's injured gryphons, pilfered from Windhaven's stores. The same goes for the sweets and snacks among them, brought for Surukk. Ausith beaktaps Dove, smiling in greeting to her. "Good day to you. It has been too long, I think. Fare you well?"
Dove nods to Ausith, returning his beaktap with a nuzzle of her own. "Better now that I've had some food in me." She chuckles ironically, "Word of advice, never take a vacation buried in stone...unless you want to lose weight drastically." She looks down at her still thin form and snorts at it.
Ausith hrrrs? curiously. "Buried in stone? I have not yet heard news of this latest misadventure. What happened?"
Aubri nuzzles Dove and nods at Ausith. "It's how she protected herself when she was fighting the bugs..
Dove chuckles softly, shaking her head, "It's been the talk of the camp...it's how I hid from the Krzzn'tai during the attack once there were too many for me. But I was on, so I couldn't get out until Aubri here came for me." She smiles at her mate, ruffling his feathers.
"On?" Ausith thinks to himself. "On what?" Aloud, he says, "You were lucky to escape, then. I am glad of it. I...we, have already lost too many people we care for in this."
Dove nods slowly, adding, "We still lost many during the evacuation..." She looks over towards where Surukk is, "But thanks to brave souls like you and Surukk, we will survive." She turns to face Ausith, "I thank you for it."
Aubri strokes her neck and chirrups. "I'll be flying soon, too.."
Ausith shrugs. "Skies, but I do very little, really. Just ferry a few things here and back, is all. You are quite welcome, though."
Dove nuzzles Aubri's neck as she tells Ausith, "That you do this for an aerie not your own shows how much heart you have." She looks around at the camp, seeing who all is still around. She sees the white and red gryphon and frowns, not recognizing him.
Sensing someone noticing him, Jeice ducks his head and pretends to go back to drowse.
Aubri chuckles and follows his mate's gaze, crossing his neck over hers.
Dove looks over at her mate, pointing at the red and white gryphon, "I don't recognize that one. Is he new?"
Ausith shrugs. "I do not know. Perhaps you should ask him? Likely, you just never saw him while you lived at Grylra."
Dove shrugs, "It's possible considering how much I missed while practicing and learning more about myself..." She stands up and starts padding towards Jeice saying, "I think I'll go say hello." And she does just that. She pads over to him, keeping a respectful distance, sitting down where he can see her if he looks up again, waiting for him to do so.
Jeice becomes self-conscious again. It looks like that is something he will have to live with, already experiencing it with Altair and Brina. His ear tufts strive to catch what is being said, but he keeps his eyelids closed, until he senses that someone has approached him where he is recumbent. Timidly, he raises his head.
Aubri blinks and jerks his head up as Dove moves away, pushing himself gradually up to join Dove.
Ausith remains where he is, being somewhat tired from his flight over. He's fallen out of condition, doing too much paperwork and the like.
Dove smiles at the shy gryphon and says softly, "Hello there." She does not move or make any signs of moving other than that. No need to scare the poor thing...
Jeice cocks his head at the smile, and he returns it transiently. He responds humbly, "Hello. Who are you?"
Dove smiles again, settling herself a little more comfortably as she answers, "I'm Dove. Pleased to meet you." She seems calm and friendly enough...
Jeice relaxes slightly. "I'm Jeice," Jeice says, politely. "Altair brought me here from the gate," he volunteers. "It's nice to meet you, too." His voice seems a flimsy and slightly high-pitched.
Ausith remains where he is, seeing the other's shyness. No sense crowding him.
Aubri bobs his head, "I'm Aubri. Welcome to.." He looks aroudn a bit. "Grylra, such as it is.."
Dove smiles, nodding to Jeice, "Nice name, Jeice. Altair is the mate of our leader here, Stormdancer." She tilts her head to the side casually, asking, "So how are you adjusting, Jeice?"
"Thank you," Jeice says as he turns his head timidly to Aubri, before returning his attention to the white gryphon. "And splendid, I'm glad you like my name." Jeice shakes his head slowly. "It is only my first day after my first night, "Jeice explains. " I am not sure how I'm adjusting quite yet." He looks around. "It's different here - much contrasted from what I am used to."
Dove looks around with a humorless chuckle, "Well, it's a little different from what we are used too currently as well. Our home was overrun and ransacked by a race of vicious bugs....So we are forced to camp here for now until it is safe to return." She sounds sad at this.
Jeice bows his head. "Yes," Jeice voices. "Altair and Brina barely touched on to me about the insect problem, and why this - your -clan had to move from its natural home."
Dove nods, waving an arm out to encompass the entire camp, "But as you can see, we still survive. Grylra aerie was and still is...our home."
Jeice's head slowly and slyly moves to look around again, his gold flecked yellow eyes traversing the population and the landscape. "Yes. There is a lot of your kind here," Jeice comments.
Dove chuckles, nodding, "Yes. Yes, there are a lot of my people here. And more throughout the sphere." She looks over to Ausith, waving him over, introducing him, "This is Ausith, of Windhaven Aerie. Ausith, I'd like you to meet the New One Jeice."
Ausith rises slowly, and headbobs to the New gryphon in greeting. "Hello. It is good to meet you, even if the Sphere is not as welcoming as it should be."
Jeice looks at Dove, and he smiles. "I guess I am what your kind is now, so I should say my kind." Shyly, his narrow head moves to look at Ausith, the Windhaven. Almost contemplative, Jeice looks at Ausith, remembering what Altair had told him about Windhaven. "I have heard a little about Windhaven from Altair," Jeice says to him. "Is it true that Windhaven are hedonists?"
Aubri laughs and preempts Ausith, "YES."
Ausith chuckles, and swats Aubri's flank with his tufted tail. "As if all gryphons were not hedonists! I recall that I learned almost all I needed to know about it at Grylra."
Jeice looks between Ausith and Aubri, a look of amusement on him. "I can't understand a society like that," Jeice says, politely. "Where I was from didn't adhere to that philosophy - Altair says there is much I have to learn about here, about that philosophy." Jeice sighs and looks uncomfortable. "But, nevertheless, it is nice to meet you."
Ausith shrugs. "Do not worry overly much about such things. You are what you are, and need not change that to suit the rest of us. Gryphons are a diverse lot, quite a bit due to the influx of New gryphons from the gate."
"I am surprised at that. Brina told me that new gryphons quickly disremember their past," Jeice says to Ausith.
Dove looks over as she hears her name called. She stands back up as a young gryphoness comes bounding towards her, calling Dove's name. "MoonFrost says it's your turn to babysit so she can go get some food and sleep...you coming? Gonna show us tricks?" The child keeps up innocent questions as Dove chuckles, nodding her head, "I'm on my way, Fae. You go tell Moon I'm on my way..." She turns back to Jeice, sighing, "Well, duty calls. It's a pleasure to have met you, Jeice and I hope everything goes well for you." She nuzzles Aubri, "You know where to find me should you need too, love."
Dove pads off after the bounding gryphlet.
Ausith headbobs. "Aye, we do...but shades of what we were stay with us, even so."
Jeice gives Ausith an ill-defined smile. Ethereally, he sighs and flicks his tail. "Altair and Brina told me that I could be a feather painter here, since I painted where I am from. I presume that is one way to keep some of my shade."
Aubri nods a bit, "That would be a good choice, although.. at the moment I don't think the office has much call..." He shrugs. "You won't be so worried about the past, later on."
Ausith fans a wing, displaying the nealry-faded paint on them. "Windhaven has a few really good painters, too. As Aubri says, though...we have little use for such, right now."
Jeice cocks his head. "Altair said even though that some feather painting is sought to help re-build broken spirit. However, Brina said there was no need for them at all."
Jeice breathes, "I feel misled, sometimes. One of you says one thing and another says another - I don't know who to trust."
Aubri nods and shrugs. "It's a matter of perspective. RIght now, everyone's just working on survival."
Aubri says, "Most dislike being idle, and it gives them something to do, but some see it as wasting time and resources."
Ausith says, "There is a place for feather painters, as you have said. Many of us would love to have our feathers painted."
Jeice nods his head. "I understand," Jeice says, delicately. "I comprehend the damage and realize the danger. There were some planets where I am from that had problems with large, vicious races, but the kind I was once - believed that art conquered all."