Let's Just Call It Cute [Fox]

[Bre]

And I'll be here by the ocean . . .

"Suppertime, suppertime! It's that time for dinner!" Emi sang as she skipped into the kitchens. She wasn't horribly out of key. It was just rather difficult to identify what key her little ditty was supposed to be in to begin with. Having changed out of her work attire, she had chosen to don a neat, yellow dress in order to be properly presentable for the much more eclectic but extremely social gathering that was dinner at the eyrie. There were people everywhere, but she politely wiggled her way through the crowd. With a little bit of nudging and some very fine sidestepping, she navigated her way quite well amongst the hordes of cavern folk in the kitchen and dining room. It all smelled delicious and she was more than ready for food. Work was grand and all, but it did leave her with a grumbling belly, though that didn't remove the cheerful grin from her face.

However, there were just some people who didn't want to move. Nearly to the hearths, she found herself stuck behind a tall, chubby man who was turned away from her. She tried to tap him on the shoulder, but he didn't seem to notice. Someone behind her bumped into her back, setting her off balance. She was not small for her age, but she was young. After all, puberty had yet to grant her a final growth spurt. Straightening up, trying to make herself as small as possible, she tapped the man in front of her on the shoulder blade to move. There were people everywhere. She really did need to get through. In response, the man just shrugged her off like nothing, yanking his arm away from her without even sparing her a glance. How rude! She gaped. She didn't mind having to go around or help out or anything, but she didn't understand how anyone could be so cold!

"Excuse me!" Emi tried to speak loudly, but her voice was lost in the loudness of the kitchens. She felt very, very small, a feeling that she did not enjoy. However, she was not about to give up or give in. She was on her own, but that didn't mean that she was helpless! She was not going to just be ignored by some rude man who needed to move! She had a job, unlike some lazy people who doubtlessly just sat around all day. She glowered at the man in front of her. Yes, it wasn't the nicest thing to think and she would have doubtlessly apologized for it had she said it aloud, but she was hungry and frustrated. "Excuse me!" She didn't really manage to make her little voice any louder, but there was a new firmness to it. Still, the chubby man ignored her, seeming dead set on remaining where he was. Emi, quite stubborn, did not approve of his location.

. . . just waiting for proof that there's sunsets.

[Fox]

It had been an uneventful day. K'ean had worked on his lesson plans for a time while Seronaph grumbled in the background. They had gone flying; stretching muscles and generally enjoying the feel of wind rushing through hair and feathers. The summer sun had been hot on their backs, and by the time the redpair returned in the late afternoon, sweat had glued K'ean's shirt to his back. And he hadn't even bothered to wear his jacket; that would have made the heat absolutely intolerable. K'ean had left Seronaph dozing comfortably on the ledge of their eyling, his belly full with the remnants of what had been a large bull. While the red had sated his appetite, his rider had slipped off to the baths before heading to the kitchens to grab his own dinner, with his brown hair still in damp spikes around his head.

It was crowded in the kitchens; an unusual sight for the man since K'ean didn't often come down here before most of the people had finished up. He didn't like crowds, and he didn't like to have to fight for his food, but he was here now and hunger gnawed at his empty stomach. This would be his first meal all day anyway. Slowly, K'ean made his way towards the roaring hearths where the food was, his progress sufficiently hindered by the crowd. He managed to make it most of the way, though, before he found himself unable to move further. The girl in front of him, a child whose age he could not determine (he wasn't very good with children's ages. He wasn't very good with children full stop.) seemed to be having the same problem. Her voice was not, apparently, doing much good though. Not for lack of trying.

Amusement tugged at the corner of his mouth. Poor kid. If asked, K'ean would have said honestly that moving the man was in the best interest of all present. Especially for himself; his stomach was complaining loud enough to put his grandmother to shame. Leaning over the girl-- easy since he was a good foot taller than her-- K'ean administered a hearty clap to the chubby man's shoulder. Then, as the man jumped and turned to see who had hailed him, the redrider fixed him with the chilliest look he could muster. His voice was frigid, but carried loudly. "Excuse me. You're in the way. People are hungry." And K'ean lifted an eyebrow to hint at the none-too-subtle point. He hoped that the man would realise he was being an ass and get out of the way. Either that or that K'ean was recognisable enough as a Rider that the man would hop to. He didn't like using the rider status usually, but in the interests of food... Anything went in his book.

Sure enough, the man flushed red and, having gotten his food, scurried off with nary an apology. K'ean watched him go with a mental shrug; he was out of the way, at least. He didn't care so much about manners when the enticing smell of food was wafting into his nose. Turning back to the hearths, his blue eyes landed again on the young girl who had been trying so hard to get the man to move, and in an instant his face was lightened by a smile. "Hello." He offered her. "It was a good try." The man did not explain that he was referring to her repeated 'Excuse me!'s. Social niceties were not his forte for the most part.

[Bre]

And I was nearly scared to death . . .

With a clap and a bang, a redrider appeared and moved the man out of the way! Emi's disgruntled face smoothed and she smiled, immediately brightening. The problem was gone and her frustration melted like an ice cube thrown into the center of the sun. She beamed away. She didn't really like to see the roadblock look so frightened and shocked, but she was definitely glad that he was out of the way. So long as he wasn't standing rudely in front of her, she couldn't really bring herself to care too much. If he wasn't there, she couldn't like him or dislike him. It was probably for the best that he wasn't there, because she had been moving towards the latter. Any ill will evaporated into sunshine and wonder directed at the rider who had come to her rescue. She wasn't quite a damsel-in-distress, but a few of the ideas behind it were there, along with childish adoration.

When K'ean looked at her, Emi smiled extra wide, showing her gratitude. "Hello;" she said, responding to his greeting in kind. She blinked at his comment about her trying, then figured out what he meant and gave a shrug. She didn't think it had been working very well, but she supposed that she had been trying and that counted for something, didn't it? "Thank you;" she replied, completely sincere. She was glad that he had helped her, because now she could get food! The smells wafting from the kitchen tantalized her nose and she wiggled a few steps forward. Despite that, she stuck by K'ean's side. He was bigger and taller than her, holding a big advantage over her in the loud, adult world of an eyrie meal. She usually fared pretty well for herself, but sometimes it didn't work out so well; she wasn't a grownup yet. She was getting there though.

. . . Why you left in paragraphs

[Fox]

If Emi had not continued to follow him blithely as he went about the serious business of obtaining sustenance, K’ean might well have forgotten about her after his bland, acknowledging nod. She was a little creature and hardly someone that he would have noticed, in fact, had he not come upon that little debacle in the line. But whatever one might say about K’ean’s usually absent attention, he did see that she stuck close in the crush. Well. For a moment after he noticed her again, the redrider was still, his arm caught between two people as he stopped in the middle of trying to insert his way between them. Blue eyes turned to shoot Emi a look of vaguely puzzled curiousity, before the man decided that it wasn’t as if she was doing any harm. Perhaps this way she might actually get some food before nightfall.

With a mental shrug and not another word said, K’ean continued to hold his own in the jostling of the crowd as they pushed towards the hearth, forming into some semblance of order as they neared the food. With his voice, and sometimes his elbows, the man finally got close enough to grab two trays and two pairs of eating utensils, one set of which he offered the girl silently. If she was going to follow him, he might as well see to it that she got fed in this crush. Despite his lack of proficiency at picking up childrens’ ages, he knew well enough that growing things needed to be fed, whether they were people or animals or plants. So feed her he would.

With a jerk of his head, K’ean indicated that she should follow, regardless of whether she had been planning to or not in the first place. Then, he went about the process of getting food, his weaving through the crowd producing a wake large enough for little Emi to follow in. It was slow going, what with all the people present, and K’ean couldn’t quite conceal his distaste for crowds, apparent in his tight-lipped mouth and narrowed eyes. Still, he made it out with a plate of food and mostly intact, though he would probably have a bruise where someone had elbowed him accidentally in the ribs. When otherwise he would have headed off to find a table in one of the many small mess halls available for seating, the man now turned to search out his small shadow of the past few minutes. He didn’t precisely know how to treat her; he had never been much exposed to children, hence his lack of experience with them, but if she was anything like Rilla had been… ”What’s your name?” K’ean asked Emi, his brisk tone softening slightly as he bent his head. If she was anything like Rilla had been, perhaps he could not go far wrong.