Swim, don't sink! (Open)

[Frost]

Shirae was getting out. Slowly, but getting out nonetheless. It had been some time since her release from the stasis pod, and her injuries had been cleaned up and tended to as best as possible by the medical help available. She had, though blessed with such company as Shaari, Juuell and even the unfeeling, generally untalkative Wiruun around what had been deemed Lander's Square, the Se Shatai found herself bored. Completely, utterly, unadulteradedly bored in any manner she could so describe the syndrome. The culture shock was forcing her to either sink or swim in many aspects of her new life, and she was finding herself without anything to do. So, she had headed into the Weyrproper today, generally ignoring the sideways glances and other such reactions from the natives that were surprised by her existence.

Honestly, with all the crew out and about, how strange was she really? Sran and Rody looked stranger than she, and Newt even more so. Sometimes she wished herself to be human, like Susan and Alice, in order to rescue herself from the continuous stares with their mixed thoughts. Maybe one of these days she would be lucky enough to find herself a human partner to speak with and not worry about being stared down every five seconds because her hindquarters were hooved, she had horns, or because her tail twitched slightly. She didn't look as different as she could, really, and she even fit in better with the height ranges of the native humans than the others did.

And then, of course, came a similar dilemma. Shirae was one of what, five female Drebai. There were only three non-stasis male Drebai on this blasted backwater mess. One was ostensibly (if unofficially) taken by one of the other female Drebai (something she would be looking into later), one was a completely functioning, unfeeling Kirn, and the other had become nocturnal to befit his wher, or 'bonded', as the natives generally called all the unusual beasts that attached themselves to people. Her options for the opposite sex that didn't involve inter-species relations were, unless she planned on becoming a nocturnal, nonexistent. So then came males not of her species. Shirae might've happily consented to Rody had the man not already been taken by a native himself... though the story surrounding it still warranted some actual questioning instead of just gossip.

So that left the Natives. Humans that they were, most of the men were larger than what she was used to seeing- humans like Susan and Alice were teeny here on Pern. The guys here seemed to settle somewhere between six and seven foot in height as she gauged them walking around the 'Bowl, with a few notable exceptions. At six foot ten herself, she hung around the high end of the average scale. The natives appeared to be moderately inclined to the guy being taller than the girl, both for looks and for... other such things. Shirae supposed it should be similar for her as well, though Rody had managed a child with one of the much, much smaller natives.

But then, he was a virile beastie based on species alone.

So here Shirae was, practically hiding in the Records room, as it was called, poring over every dusty tome she could manage. What for? Well, to understand the Native culture. If she planned on having any chance of anything in any manner of thought including her earlier train, she would need to know more about what she dealing with.

Starting with the Dragons. They seemed to be the main topic around here.

[ShadowReine]

It was not often that Lora came down to the records room herself, but it had been easier to detach herself from the kitchen work than anyone else.

Everyone was stirring, kneading or otherwise occupied. Now. Where was that recipe she vaguely remembered most likely to be. Despite her Antari blood, the cook was small by Pernese standards, not much bigger than the tiny Susan.

As she came in, she blinked to see a Lander poring over the records.

"Hello," she greeted politely, moving over to...argh. Now she remembered where it was.

"I don't suppose you could help me for a second?" She hated to ask, but there was no stool in this corner of the room and no way she could reach the higher shelves without one... Her purple eyes and faint markings gave her away as not quite human.

[Frost]

Dragons.

Big, ginormous beasts that came in so many colors and shades it was a wonder they were all named, let alone that they were named in such primitive manners. She read about the ninth pass, about thread and AIVAS, and then about the Antari. Aha, the off-worlders that had come before they- the 'Landers'- arrived. Apparently they had intermingled with the Pernese society themselves, and that was why Aphelion was so... well. Higher tech than the rest, even if it wasn't really what Shirae would call high tech.

Shirae barely flinched as another native came into the records room, though the greeting did catch her off guard a bit. Not because she didn't understand it, no, but because she hadn't had any natives say hello to her in a polite, or even nice sort of manner. Mostly it was a gruff how do you do. "Hello." The dark-skinned drebai said, cocking her head to one side as she watched the tiny, swirly-skinned woman skirt around her and off to a corner of books.

She blinked white, glowing eyes in genuine surprise, however, as the mixed-blood human asked for her assistance. Well... She supposed she could. Standing, her cloven hooves clipped a bit on the rock floor as the drebai awaited her command. "Alright. What is it you need?" Shirae asked, glancing around the book-filled room for a moment before looking back at Lora. Surely it was to help the woman get something down, judging by her height and lack of things to stand on other than the chair Shirae had just vacated.