In truth, Rune hadn't expected her though process to be interrupted so quickly. She has what, just finished reviewing and about to clean off her waterfall of a nosebleed when a voice broke the frail glass that was her current attentionspan. Blue eyes looked in the direction the voice sounded, the blue orbs holding as much life as a dead fish's as they spotted a white haired woman approaching. The woman was probably a year or two older from the sharpness of her facial structure but what really interested the girl was the woman's white hair. There was a feeling of nostgalia that tickled at the girl's senses though she did not know why. She remembered everything, how could she forget this uniquely colored person? "What happened?" The woman had offered her own handkerchief, one that was no doubt much cleaner than the apprentice's as her own was covered in multiple different stains along with a few droplets of blood despite her not yet using it. Rune looked between the offered and her own, measuring them.

She accepted the cleaner looking one, placing her own back into her satchel. "I'm small and easily unnoticed. I just got in the way of someone much larger than me." The citizen answered simply; "Though I didn't expect to see you here. Hadn't you gone missing a while back, Sky?" After the few seconds it took her to match the description of the white haired woman's appearance to that of her data bank of people, Rune managed to find a match if not a much more matured version. She remembered the sailor's daughter perfectly, though her surprise to find the girl had been pronounced missing by her parents didn't even echo in her voice - though that was usual. Dull eyes scanned the woman she knew had to be Sky, taking in her strengthened form as well as other features. Guardsman? No, she seemed to lean for that. The woman held obvious signs of having lived a long time at sea. Her hands in particular told her so though the wear on them was shifting into a different sort of wear.

Rune looked to the sword on Sky's belt. That's probably what the new calluses were from. "I hope your trip at sea was a fair one." Rune stated suddenly, "It prepared you well for handling a sword." The small girl tapped at her bloodied nose, bringing the cloth away to check if it still flowed. The pain was nothing but a dull throb and her life energy had stopped escaping from her. That was good. Rune did her best to clean off the remnants with her sleeves, not wishing to wash the cloth in her hands more than necessary. "I'll wash this and give it back later." With that, the girl tucked the cloth into one of her deep pockets. "So what have you been doing since I last saw you Sky? You don't look the part of a guardsman and yet here you are. Did you bond while I wasn't looking?" There was an almost sly if not undoubtedly interested hint to her monotone voice.

Bonding with dragons, humans linking their minds to giant scaley beasts. How could that not be exhilierating? It would be an overachievement if Rune could figure out how that went. Was there perhaps some mental link through some unknown network or perhaps it was more like that superstitious 'red thread of fate'? Either way, it was a magical thing now that no one really knew what happened. She was sure that even the infamous dragonriders didn't think too deeply about such things, only glad that they had found their 'other half' as some may put it.

SKY BLUE

Just by the slight hints the white haired woman showed, Rune could tell her old friend was growing nervous. In all honesty, Rune expected the sea-woman to forget her if only thanks to the events in her life. Rune could recall one of the kids who live in Sky's area told her that her father had been lost at sea the last time she went down to visit the girl, returning home only to hear word of her friend having gone missing. She had little clue of the egg that was to be Sky's dragon back then, only hearing whispered rumors here and there of a failed hatching. It was probably the only time the girl felt some hint of sadness, a tint of emotion to fill her empty soul. She half expected to feel at least relieved or happy to see her now returned friend. Alas, the pits of her emptiness remained empty minus that morbid color of curiosity that followed her everywhere like a sort of demon.

Though Sky seemed to hold herself desperately against an emotion, anxiety perhaps; the girl's pose relaxed suddenly. Her tense form just seemed to release as if the woman had just let out a heavy sigh. Relief? It sounded like it from the red eyed woman's tone. If Rune could smile she would have at that comment, "At least I get free things thanks to my small stature." The mention of her dead parent seemed to flow easily from the once-formerly devastated girl. That was good, it was a sign that she had accepted the passing even after all this time. She listened to the sea-fared woman's tale, taking note that she had indeed bonded with a dragon. So she was a dragon knight now was she? Well that was an almost completely natural selection. Though curious about this mysterious bonded dragon, Rune did manage to hold her questions to herself while she answered the other.

"I'm still Doc's apprentice," Rune confirmed, "Though I still have yet to remember anything." Now it was her turn to ask questions and oh, how the questions would onslaught the poor woman.

"You are a dragonrider now which means you must have that mental link with your 'other half'. What's it like? Does it feel like there's a buzz?" Rune only paused long enough to catch her breath before beginning again, not even waiting for the other answer yet. "Is it male or female? What color? Did you prefer that color? What's it like? Can it hear me now? Is it scaled? What color was it's egg? How many siblings did it have?" The knowledge-eating girl just zoomed through the questions with pausing to let the other cut in. She was asking far too many questions but her hungry brain couldn't help it. Then an idea that had been lingering in her mind came to light. "Could I see it?" There was an almost lively glint in the girl eye, the blue orbs with their icy hold seemed to warm if only for a second before deluding back to nothing.

She wished to see a bonded dragon and if she met it two years ago that meant it was still a dragonling. A hatchling. It could not yet fly with the larger girl on its back but Rune didn't care about flying at the moment. Well, actually; she did but it wasn't like she could ride it so that desire was placed further down the list of things to examine. For now, Rune merely wished to see what this bonded dragon looked like. To see its form and maybe discover a secret of how the matching process went. Was it all mental or perhaps they chose by the senses? Oh how she wished to know.

SKY BLUE

Thankfully for the other girl, Rune had managed to keep herself from piping up as the other listed off answers. She didn't need the replies to be one-two to understand, absorbing all the whitenette's information the moment it left her mouth. The word eating monster girl reviewed each answer given in time to review the next. Her mind clocking in an orderly sense, almost mechanical-like when lining answers together and turning them into a sort of mental web. So there was a link, one of awareness. Perhaps the linking process was somehow involved with the Parietal Lobe? Or perhaps it was a mixture of both the Frontal and Parietal Lobe seeing as how he could sense his rider's emotions. So far it seemed that the bond affected two main things: empathy and telepathy. Things Rune had once read about in one of Doc's older and more exotic books. Apparently some people thought they could communicate with each other by mind alone like the dragons and their riders could as well as tell what each other are feeling. Empathy could easily be knocked down to a heightened ability of discernment but she had no evidence for the human telepathy.

But here was a human and a beast able to speak to each other despite one not able to physically speak the language. Perhaps at birth a baby dragon, once connected to its said partner; would absorb the current memories of the rider? And thus that would allow them to speak the language or at least mimic the pattern within the mind. For all she knew it could actually be color or some sort of pattern that they read instead of actually hearing a voice. On mention that the dragon was a he gave the black haired apprentice something to note. Female rider, male dragon - purple. There were twelve known dragons ranging from the rare Gold to the elusive White. Purple was eight on that list and were known to imprint only on female. How his personality was and if it echoed his rider's or if it followed the information about Purples, Rune could only guess. After all, she could not exactly converse with him. Still she had to wonder if the color of the dragon held certain capacities that drove them to choose specific people while others could pick anyone.

The girl almost looked around for the figure of a Purple dragon, her interest peaking. That was until she was shut down by the current events. Rune let out an inaudible 'tsk', an extremely scary sound to those who knew it for it meant that she was going to do something extremely dangerous if she hadn't been stopped. Her wandering eyes returned to her old friend. "I see... Perhaps female dragons are territorial about their clutches because of a inherit knowledge that their numbers will drop drastically if their eggs are harmed. They cannot leave the island so perhaps they are stuck in some sort of bottleneck..." The words that left the blackette's mouth were more or less for herself but they were very audible for the other to hear. She knew, she was probably the only one who thought of such things.

Rune could not smile, her face frozen stiff like her ability to feel; so instead the girl thought of a different way to thank the helpful and rather informative dragonrider. "You have been very helpful. Thank you Sky." With that, Rune stepped forward with her arms outreached to give the much taller girl a hug. Doc had told her hugs were good, warming and welcoming among friends. And so Rune gave her one. She didn't think too much about it, stepping away with that doll-like face still as straight as an arrow.

"You are here on duty but have you seen the clutch? What do you think as one already with a dragon?" This was a much simpler question unlike her earlier onslaught.

SKY BLUE

Rune felt the girl tense up on contact though she didn't bother to ask why. People often always tensed up when they disliked something. Back when they were kids, little Sky hadn't seemed to mind so much but now - Rune had to be careful. It was apparent that this Sky was nothing like the one she had once known though the girl let no hint escape that allowed the other to notice. Not that it was very hard mind you. Still the girl noted she did earn a pat on the back which seemed like an effort of goodwill which meant her thanks had gotten across. At least she was understood for some part, that much the younger girl could feel relieved about.

The dark haired girl tilted her head slightly at the maiden's response. It sounded almost... defensive to her ears though she had no clue why. It was like it was obvious that Sky would be there, that she would rather be no where else. That or Rune was reading too much into things again, perhaps the dragonriders did not change shifts unless it was day to night? The girl could not say for sure. No words left her as the whitenette continued on. Her answer was rather poetic though not one Rune was looking for. "Is that so? Well dragons are dangerous creatures to all but their partners." Rune admitted, one hand reached up to massage her forehead in thought, one of very few actions the girl did outside of work-related things. It was more or less a habit she'd acquired when Sky was gone. "All the eggs hold a color for a particular dragon. If they are true to their colors then there will be at least two of four white dragons born. As well as an orange, black, and two greens." It was merely a guess, but then she had to start somewhere.

"It looks like there will be no cool colors other than the hybrid green." Rune looked between the crowd and Sky, "Do you have a favorite? I personally like the smallest one. Though I guess the white and red one would better suit my current condition." It Rune's attempt at a joke, pointing at her nose to emphasize its earlier state. She tried to smile, but only ended up with the faintest of faintest curves before it dropped back down into a line. Even after all this time, Rune still couldn't even manage a smile. It would have been saddening if she weren't already use to it.

Rune paused, looking at Sky silently for a few moments. She looked like a doll, one that could stand up on its own; just staring at the much taller girl. Her head cocked again in a sort of questioning way, "I've asked you lots of questions. You can ask me too. I will make the answers very simple for you." She didn't mean it in a bad way, the way she said that but the girl just could not soften her words or phrase it differently than it was. Something that Doc often scolded her for throughout the past eight years she'd lived with him.

SKY BLUE

Sky's would have brought another smile to the doll's face but instead the girl merely nodded, approving of the rider's obvious defense for the unhatched dragons. "You pay more attention than you may believe. This is good Sky." The girl praised, raising one hand to her chin while the other held her elbow in a sort of quizzical way. "Many don't seem to notice that, going by rumor and statement; dragons hold an intelligence that equals if not surpasses mankind." Rune had to applaud the woman for both her own mind and her ability to somewhat keep up with her questions this time. Though the answer to her own little joke came out as something of a surprise. For someone who held the eggs in such a high regard, an almost personal one; Sky kept a professional outlook on them. Some would be duds if they weren't lucky but even Rune knew that everyone always got attached to a baby something. To some it may have been puppies or kittens, others it was human babes; she half expected dragonriders to be hatchling maniacs.

Though that was stereotypical wasn't it? Sky's view on young was more of an abstract thing from the sound of it. A future she called them, invisible possibilities that people garnered hope for. She knew Doc held a similar viewpoint, often asking Rune how she didn't have a dragon companion yet despite her already well within the required age years. Rune had wondered the same thing and only came out to the conclusion that it was probably because she was 'empty'. But Sky here, she held powerful feelings for the scaled species despite her unwillingness to take a bet. Though Rune was certain that was because of the whitenette's first egg, the dud. As of what those feeling entailed, the darkette would need to listen and observe more as to what that conclusion was. Though that was a rude thing to do as Doc had told more than a many time. Not like that ever stopped her though.

But those questions would be answered in their own time, perhaps tomorrow or the day after depending on her schedule. Yes, that would work nicely. And then she'd be able to meet the infamous Purple dragon whose name has yet to be given to her. Perhaps she would bring a gift of sorts, for good will or something. The townspeople often gifted her things which made the Doc happy, so maybe the effect would be the same? But there was just one problem, Rune hadn't a clue as to what a dragon liked. They probably differed like people, one liking shiny objects while another took to comfy beds - things like that. Though they all had something in common: dragons were all carnivores. And any living creature liked to eat so perhaps a good hunk of meat. As of where she might get the money for that, well; Rune would figure out later.

Her attention was brought back by the rider's laughter. It was a light sound, not something forced. That brought a twinkle to the doll's eye, a hint of relief. Something as rare as a White to be seen. Despite it being her most felt emotion it still hardly showed, this was one of those unique moments. Sky might have missed it thanks to her long time spent away but that was fine as well. "This we are. It's gotten messier since the last time you visited though." Rune warned, "And my curiosities are not that bad. No usually anyway." She sounded almost indignant on those last words of hers. Her arms going to neatly fold over themselves while her body shifted to one side. It was a gesture she copied from one of the urchins when they threw their weight around as they played some knightly game. She remembered Doc had been laughing hysterically when he caught sight of the act, saying 'now that's real authority'.

It lasted a moment before the apprentice took her original posture, keeping her arms still crossed over each other. "When you visit I'll make you some Lemon Balm tea." It was a stress relieving tea she offered, one to lift the spirits and relax the mind into a sort of happiness. Something that she would have offered long ago if she could have but now was as good a time as ever. "I'm sure Doc will be happy to see you too. He was supposed to be here by now but it seems something must have come up. Not too surprising with that earlier stampede." The Doc probably had some patients come in with all the chaos that ensued with people trying to be the first to the Sand Pit. No doubt she herself was a casualty with her bloodied face but the girl had already managed herself. Such were the perks of being a doctor's apprentice. "I'll even grab some hunk of meat for your dragon if he feels like coming along."

SKY BLUE

The little doll managed to bring out some more true laughter from her little action. An air of relief seemed to curtain itself over the white-haired maiden as the result. See it? It was good to mimic people after all. "I try." The girl shrugged, mimicking yet another gesture; trying to fit the her words and actions into the one second provided before the woman continued on. When she agreed to tea Rune almost seemed to snap, "Of course. You've been drinking to much alcohol. It's showing in your hair and skin." Hopefully the rider was taking in more nutrients through her food than her choice of drink, else Rune or Doc may get another daily patient within some number of years.

Somehow the girl managed to pick up on when the other was speaking to her dragon. At times she would get this inattentive look in her eye, a far away view despite her still being there. That and the way the woman suddenly laughed was an obvious. At the very least, Rune didn't think she said something funny... Or maybe she did? Perhaps she was getting better at the whole 'humor' ordeal? That was really something to think about if the bubble hadn't been bursted by the woman's explanation.

So it was her dragon that drew that extra round of laughter. That would explain much. "Then I suppose I may have to think of something else." Rune forfeited, one hand to her brow. Her thin fingers massaged the smooth skin as she thought, what could possibly satisfy a dragon. Guess the best way to find out would be to ask rather than waste money or travel to the other side of the island for no reason. "I don't know what else to give a dragon. Perhaps a mere greeting shall be fine." It was less of her asking as Rune's way of compromising and tossing aside a much less important need-to-do in her mind. Besides if he ate the meat at the riders' home, then she was fairly sure only Sky would be visiting. That was all fine in itself. It would allow the dragonrider to venture around town as Rune was positive that the woman had done little outside training and duty. Perhaps go to the tavern for too much drink as the apprentice's eye could catch.

"In any case, when would you like to come over? I'm sure you'll be overtaken by your current duties to visit our little hovel." Rune asked, her arms returning to their crossed position; "It'll also give me time to clean and not poison you with mishaps." That was another attempt at a joke as Rune always remembered what was what. It was, quite frankly; impossible for the girl to poison someone on accident. Hopefully Sky would remember this, if not the dark haired girl could get one interesting reaction from her.

SKY BLUE