Rumilth watched disgustedly as his clutchmate devoured his meal. It's no wonder you itch so much, stuffing your face like that! You know the more you eat, the more you itch.
Talath paused for a moment to look up at Rumilth. Yeah, well at least I'm not a skinny little runt like you. I may itch now, but later I'll be bigger than you because I ate!
Rumilth snorted. Not likely. Not if you freeze Between because your skin cracks and falls off!
Dimglow! Talath exclaimed, gobbling down the rest of his meal. Skin can't just fall off! It's stuck on!
Can too!
Can not!
Can too!
Prove it!
C'san!
L'tir!
From where they had been sitting, with the other new weyrlings, listening to the entire conversation through the ears of their respective dragons, C'san and L'tir exchanged grins. "Somehow," C'san remarked, "I knew that was coming."
L'tir got up to go comfort his dragon. "They say dragons are the most demanding at this stage."
"Can they get any more demanding?" C'san wondered.
Rumilth dodged past L'tir's legs to get to his rider. Would you tell that dimglow Talath that skin really can fall off if it's too itchy? the brown-cream complained, gazing up adoringly at his rider.
A few moments later, Talath reached his rider. Skin can't fall off if it's too itchy, can it? he asked, grinning up at his rider, sure he knew the answer.
The two riders exchanged grins, knowing that their dragons would forget they'd even had this entire conversation within the space of a few days, if not less.
No, of course it can't, don't be so silly, Talath, L'tir assured his dragon, giving him a scratch on the eye ridges for good measure.
If he won't listen, it's his own hide that's going to fall off, not yours, C'san told Rumilth with a grin. Think of how a hideless dragon would look?
The cream-brown and the bronze-copper turned back to eachother, each positive the other had been set straight on the entire issue.
I bet you won't eat fast any more, now that you know your skin'll fall off! Rumilth said smugly.
Talath snorted. Skin can't fall off. Any dimglow knows that! My rider told me so!
You're lying! Rumilth hissed.
Am not!
Are too!
Am not!
Are too!
Why would I lie?
Cause I'm right and you're stupid!
"Kinda makes you wonder what we would have been like, if we had grown up together like those to will," C'san mused.
"Yeah," L'tir agreed. "Hey, we've got eighteen turns worth of fighting to catch up on, you ugly dimglow!"
"Wher-face!"
"Dung-eater!"
"Wher-faced dung-eater!"
Rumilth and Talath paused for a moment to watch their riders. They're even worse than us!
Are not!
Are not!
Are too!
Hah! Gotcha!