Morning, Malin! {Open}

[Zenniel]

Malin was weird. She knew that, everyone should know that. Well, almost everyone should know that. That is why, on this bright, beautiful, sunny day, Malin was acting just that: weird.

Not just weird, but sitting on a rock cropping and staring into the cloudy atmosphere that called itself day. Malin scowled at herself, and crossed her arms behind her head. She tried to depict cloud animals. Here was a fire-lizard. There a tunnel-snake, the hideous, repulsive, interesting creatures. There was a big bark tree. Oops, over there was a wherrie being devoured by a dragon. Yeah, that was random.

But random was what made Malin. That and weirdness. Malin lived to be... herself, which made other people look upon her like she was a lunatic. But, in all reality, she was the same as them: normal. She just decided that she would be a bit different by showing her personality. Nothing wrong with that, huh?

Now came a large thing, that tramped out the rest of the clouds. Eh, what was that? Oh, she supposed it was the sun. So much for her brilliant imagination. Couldn't she think it something else, maybe like... errr... a large ball of fire that would eat up the planet? No, that was the Red Star. That was what would kill everyone someday. That or starvation, and that wouldn't happen for a while yet.

"Oh, look. A bird." Malin said to herself, and raised a finger to the sky yet again. The clouds had hidden the sun, and she traced the picture of a bird with the pointer finger. "Look at the bird fly."

Weird, eh?

[nick]

Torray and Nilath had landed near by and saw the girl. She was gazing up at the clouds and just staring away...kind of crazy. Torray really didn't care though, she was bored.

When the girl randomly said something about a bird, Torray decided that she liked this girl.

" Pardon me, but I'm Torray and this is Nilath...care for some company girlie?" she smiled.

[Zenniel]

Oh, that cloud looked like a fish! Malin loved fish! But not to eat, just to watch. And suddenly, almost out of nowhere, someone asked for her company. Her company. Wait... HER company!?

"Uhhh, sure?" That was all Malin said, until she remembered her manners. "Oh, I'm Malin. Do you see that fish up there?" Now she wanted to go fishing. How weird.

[nick]

" Hmmm...there? Well I suppose it does look a little like a fish Malin." Torray said giggling. " You are an odd one aren't you?"

But that's good sometimes! Nilath added cheerfully to both her rider and Malin.

Torray smiled, " Yes it is dear heart, it surely is."

Torray sat beside the rock and looked up into the sky too.

[Zenniel]

Eh, what was that? This Torray person had said she was weird, okay, to put it 'logically' she said 'odd'. She heard that all the time. But, maybe... maybe that was a good thing that this Torray person said that? Hmmm... she couldn't figure it out. Instead, she just looked up at the sky some more.

She was vaguely aware of teh other woman climbing up onto the rock, too. It was her rock, but if someone wanted to be her friend, then so be it. She would have a friend. She liked friends, they didn't come by to often for a girl like her. And so, she watched the sky.

"What does that cloud look like?" She asked presently, pointing to a random blotch of a cloud in the sky.

[nick]

" Hmm...I don't think it looks like anything but a cloud dearie!" Torray laughed a little.

Nilath settled down beside the rock and relaxed. This is an odd activity Mine.

Not really silly.

" That one over there looks like a feline!" she said pointing. She looked over at the girl and smiled.

[Zenniel]

Malin looked at her cloud, trying to discern its shape when the woman -- what was her name again? -- alerted her of another cloud. It did sort of look like a feline.

But the one next to it... "That one looks like a tunnel-snake!" She'd already seen clouds that looked like those, but this one was more interesting.

"Does the dragon spy anything?" She asked suddenly, propping herself up on her arms as to look at the dragon better. "What does the dragon spy?"

[nick]

Torray smiled and looked over at Malin. " It does look like a tunnel snake!!!"

When Malin asked what Nilath saw, Torray smiled. What shapes do you see in the clouds Nil?

Cloud. The dragon snorted.

" Sorry Malin, but Nilath can't see anything but clouds...he isn't very imaginative!" she smiled at the other girl.

[Zenniel]

Malin actually had enough sense not to stick her tongue out at the dragon. But she did huff. "He's no fun."

Then... back to clouds. Ever think of something more fun than watching clouds, please tell Malin. She's wanting more things to do. Anyway.

"Oh!" Malin cried, forgetting about the dragon momentarily, "That one looks just like a dragon!" That's because it was a dragon. Poor Malin needed to get out more.

[nick]

Torray giggled at Malin's reaction to Nilath's lack of imagination.

She laughed out-right when the dragon flew over and Malin thought it was a cloud. Torray looked over at the girl and smiled, reaching over to tickle her.

" You know," she said smiling, " Nilath won't bite if you do stick out your tongue at him! In fact, I do it all the time!" She continued to tickle at the girl.

Nilath though settled more comfortably and closed his eyes. I think I'll take a nap, Torray.

[Zenniel]

Well, if the dragon wouldn't bite, Malin would stick out her tongue. But, before she could do just that, another dragon soared over their heads. "I would love to have a dragon one day." Malin said dreamily as she watched it fly past. At least she knew that one wasn't a cloud. Poor Malin.

"I'm a candidate, you know." She said that almost proudly.

[nick]

Torray smiled at the girl. " Yes I know. Having a dragon is like having your life complete. Nilath is the other half of my soul." She looked over at the snoozing dragon lovingly.

" You know, you can pet him if you want." she giggled at the girl's strangeness. Such a break from everyday life.

[Zenniel]

Malin looked at Nilath, and frowned. "No, he looks like he'd wake. I don't like dragons to wake... or anything to wake. It --" Disturbs her? We'll never know. Either way, Malin groaned, and lay back against the rock again. "Dragons are weird."

But what she had meant to say was she was weird. Malin had a *cough* weird way of putting things. But, she decided quickly, she liked this woman. This woman was nice to her when others weren't. That was nice.

[nick]

" True...dragons are odd creatures Malin dear." Torray smiled. " Especially that Black dragon brute over there named Nilath!"

She reached over and patted Malin's shoulder. " When you get your own dragon though...maybe he or she won't be so odd to you."

Torray giggled and leaned back onto the rock again, pointing up into the sky. " Now what do you see?"

[Zenniel]

Malin looked up, and was immediately assaulted by the full view of teh sky. "Oh, wow!" As ever, she was in love with it. "There's a packtail!" She cried, the cloud that was shaped like the pernese fish did, indeed look like a packtail. "Oh, and a clover!" Not sure if Pern has clovers, but if anyone were to say otherwise, then let's just say Malin made that up. "What do you see, rider-woman?"