Bird of a Flock (Bow 2)

Chapter 18

"So, gardening?" Nel'os grinned at Eyeri who was covered from head to toe with mud as he and Ryraso walked back into the common rooms. "Looks like you were doing more than that," he chuckled, rolling his shoulders and leaning back elegantly on the cushions and blankets. Nel'os was not one for getting dirty in the fields, in the sparing ring sure but not in the mud.

"He took a tumble or two," Ryraso smirked, a bit of mud swiped across his own face. "Not used to dirt and mud, are you kid?" He teased, ruffling Eyeri's hair fondly.

"It was slippery," Eyeri flushed looking away with the clear air of an embarrassed teenager. "It was fun," he added, stomping over to his room, his limbs looking a little loose somehow. Like they were a fraction too long for him to be able to use properly.

"Zamen to the core," Ryraso smiled proudly. "Told you, they get clumsy," he chuckled. Eyeri made a noise of displeasure and closed his bedroom door. A servant had already put a bowl of water in it so Eyeri could clean himself down. The servants, profession to the core, knew when their charges needed things. Ryraso laughed and moved over to his own door to quickly wash himself down. "Is Aw'endo already at training?" he called as he washed his hands and arms.

"He got dragged away about half an hour again," Dyn'ad called as he got dressed for the day, the servants had also brought the Royals their clothes for the day. "Seems his time off the warship reduced his skills," he added.

"Isst did offer to help him train," Ryraso chuckled, "But Aw'en wasn't having it."

"Yes well, Isst is a scary man," Nel'os said dryly. "How anyone who's young can willingly train with him is beyond me."

"Isst is fine," Eyeri called into the conversation. "He's like a big, giant teddy bear. Plus usually, people don't get a choice to train with him," he added with an amused chuckle. "If he doesn't think you will survive in the field, he just grabs you by the scruff of your neck and drags you to the sparring ring."

"Do you speak from experience there?" Tai'ray said with a big grin on his face.

Eyeri snorted. "Please, he was scared of hurting me too much to train me. My brothers were the ones who trained me so I wasn't completely defenceless. Shame I always freeze when it comes to the moment." He ended with a sigh and a splash of water.

"You should have seen it when Eyeri first came on board," Ryraso smiled, thinking back on the memories. "Isst and half of the warriors would run away from him if he got too close. No one wanted to be the ones to hurt the ship's baby."

"Still look about to break at a strong gust of wind," Dyn'ad commented. There was a yell from Eyeri as Dyn'ad most likely opened the door and swept him up in the air. "All bones and skin you are, my boy. Maybe we should put you in training too. Get some muscles on you." Eyeri laughed loudly and Ryraso smiled at the sound. He could see the image that Nel'os was projecting of Dyn'ad tickling Eyeri. Eyeri curled in a half ball and had a big grin on his face.

"No, thank you. I prefer the gardening," Eyeri managed to say through his giggles.

"Let Eyeri get ready," Ryraso beamed, pulling on some clean clothes. He projected warm feelings towards Dyn'ad, who sent a feeling of love back. Eyeri really was starting to relax with them now and with the day not starting with a nightmare, Eyeri was free to be himself. He watched through Nel'os' eyes as Eyeri hugged Dyn'ad's shoulders before pulling away. Dyn'ad grabbed the cloth and wiped a spot Eyeri had missed, making the boy whine slightly.

"Don't forget to wipe your own face," Nel'os teased, sending an image of Ryraso's face with mud on it through the link.

"Cheers," Ryraso commented cheerfully as he grabbed a cloth and scrubbed his face clean. "What are your plans today?" he asked, idly wondering what he should do. Until the ceremony happened, Po'lar wasn't going to let him work as a healer so he had no job at the moment. Which just left dodging Ton'enth all day.