It's Just Politics, Baby [Winged]

[Bre]

Look at earth from outer space . . .

Laraph, bring your rider here; Eceph called, voice perfectly calm and level. She lay in the stone hollow at the back of her eyling. Tucked into an alcove to the side, Ro'za sat at her desk. Papers and books surrounded her, but she did not look at them even once. She hadn't touched some of the books in months. They just sat there, waiting to be saved by G'len in the future if they were lucky. The Phoenix simply stared at the stone wall in front of her, looking sour. Lessons with I'dou had been put off while Eceph had a clutch on the sands, but it didn't really matter. She wasn't looking forward to the upcoming ones, which would feature things about politics she wished she didn't have to handle. Perhaps she could have pretended that she cared if she tried, but her mood had been overly disgruntle as of late and she couldn't be bothered. She would stick to being blunt.

What is . . . happening? The unnamed blue poked his head out from his mother's feathers, blinking his eyes with evident curiosity and interest. Eceph simply called him son and seemed content with that. Not bothering to respond with words, she poked him back out of sight with her beak, shaking her horns and crooning to him with motherly love. Ro'za refused to acknowledge that the blue existed for the most part. While it might not have been the most mature of options, it was probably for the best. The Phoenix's normal response probably would have been to try to kill the poor blue or something, so Eceph let it be and life went on. Alianph was a very helpful mate and the gray was quite happy, though she could not disagree that the blue with a rider would be much more useful for them. She simply couldn't look down on her son for being unable to bond.

With a sigh, Ro'za rose and turned to face the entrance of their eyling. She would have delayed the lesson if she could, but Eceph had called the younger pair promptly and she couldn't say she didn't like punctuality. The sooner they started, the sooner they would be done. Or at least Ro'za would be done. I'dou would be working plenty, as per usual. She waited with sour patience. When Laraph came into sight, she straightened slightly. Eceph thrummed a greeting to her daughter and the blue poked his head out again to see. However, the Phoenix kept her eyes only on her pupil. As soon as the winglet dismounted, she spoke, giving a jerky nod of her head and turning away. "We're discussing the completely stupid and ridiculous politics of Pohono today. I hope your penmanship is neat;" she grunted with a frown, voice anything but elegant or pretty.

. . . everyone must find their place.

[winged]

Preoccupied with the very finite art of landing without tripping over one's own limbs, Laraph's return greeting was delayed until I'dou had unattached herself from the safety harness that was now drilled as absolute protocol into her mind, and had slid with practiced ease down to the cold stone of the eyling. Then, only then, did Laraph turn her attention to the lounging Eceph, chirping a polite hello and hesitating to enter any further. Uncertain as to where she ought to rest, the junior gray settled for sitting where she stood, gentle brown eyes widening a bit as she spotted the blue peeping out from behind his clutchmother's feathers. The subtle brightening of her gaze indicated her pleasure at now, finally, sharing his company and she settled more comfortably in silence whilst Hers took lessons from the Phoenix, with the faintest of chirps in greeting to him, her eyes never quite escaping his tiny little feathered form.

I'dou had enough on her plate to bother with Laraph's yet again misplaced affections. Having faith that her simourv would not adopt a collection of hatchlings in her immediate absence, the woman focused on what lay ahead. Or rather, what sat rather grouchily before her, assumed, coverbound victims of her neglect tossed sloppily around her. Were she possessed of more confidence than she felt at the moment, I'dou might have pointed out such an interesting detail. As it was, she more wisely spent that time studying the Phoenix's darkened countenance, seating herself with as little reservation as she could muster. It was a curious balancing act, between confidence and care.

The curt nod of the head was returned with a slight inclination of her own, even as I'dou began peering more closely at what rested directly in front of the other female. Papers, their contents not quite discernible from this distance. Then, the other spoke, and the bluntness angled one of I'dou's eyebrows into a marked look of cautious curiosity. "...well, if the fate of this world is dependant on your sensational politicking and my handwriting...we might as well kiss our asses good-bye." The revelation that this meeting was to consist entirely of sitting on her ass and taking cramped notes irked her enough to elicit at least one sardonic remark out of her.

They couldn't have done this while she recovered from that broken leg? No, this had to wait until she was hale and hearty and recovered from her injury, compounded by hours spent trying to hoist her face up from where it'd planted in the ground. THAT was a trifle irritating, not to mention that I'dou was not at all confident her handwriting was passable, or neat, or remotely pretty. Her hands had been seasoned for a great number of different tasks, accustomed to hard work most might set aside. Writing daintily with a pen was NOT her forte.

And now she had an entire lesson worth of this rubbish. She could only imagine the joys to follow.