Spray creels again, more insistently this time, talons digging into Linora's neck. "Okay, okay," she groans. "I'll feed you already." She gets up from her comfy chair and is halfway to the door before she notices that Cress has come in. "Hiya," she says, rolling her eyes a bit. "Look who's awake." Awake, hungry, same thing...

Cress smiles, his eyes sparkling, "hi, so you're going for something to eat? Sounds like an idea," he says, motioning to his three lizards, "and I think these guys would agree..."

Linora giggles. "I'll bet," she teases, trying to imagine keeping up with three hungry flits. "Harper?"

Cress nods, trying to keep sharp talons from digging too deep into the flesh of his shoulders.

Linora heads directly for the feeding tray, wincing as Spray digs impatient talons into her bare shoulder. "Cut it out, you monster," she scolds, walking a bit faster.

Cress follows Linora to the feeding tray, letting 'Mute hop onto the bartop to feed himself, while he picks out small bites for Idoru and Dixie, who still haven't figured out how to feed themselves.

Linora plucks Spray from her shoulder with one hand and scoops up a handful of scraps with the other, plopping down in the nearest chair to bring the two together as quickly as possible. Spray attacks the scraps with greedy abandon, finally freeing Linora from his talons. She lets out a big, relieved breath, then sits back to watch.

Leaving 'Mute on the bartop, Cress follows Linora's example and brings two handfulls of meat to a table and sits down. Shaking his head he says, "I can't wait till these guys start feeding themselves, like 'Mute."

Linora nods soberly, holding her right hand very still as Spray more daintily picks at the scraps there, his first wave of hunger evidently sated. "That'd be nice," she says, rubbing her scratched skin with her free hand. "Any luck teaching him howta fish?" Glancing at 'Mute on the bartop.

Cress shakes his head, grinning, "no, I'm afraid not," he says following Linora's glance to 'Mute, who's picking out the best pieces from the tray. "I think he's a picky eater."

Linora snorts lightly, almost a laugh. "Maybe I'll have better luck with this little guy," she muses. Then she peers closely at the little blue and scowls... though she's unable to mask the tender tone of her voice. "I s'pose you'll wanna be oiled next."

Cress winches as Linora says the o-word, "shh, don't say that..." Then he grins, since he really doesn't mind the oiling, liking the time-out it offers, and finding it somewhat relaxing even if there're three lizards to oil.

Linora giggles, then looks thoughtful. "I wonder how much they actually understand? I mean, I know they pick up on mood and stuff, but... " She shrugs as Spray picks the last morsel off her palm, then flicks his out his tongue to lick off the juices left behind. "Oooh, hey, that tickles!" And giggles again, trying to hold still.

Cress chuckles, "well, I certainly hope they don't understand /too/ much," he says, breaking the last piece of meat in two giving one half to Dixie and the other to Idoru. "But they sure do let you know when they're hungry."

Linora rolls her eyes a bit. "Yeah." She pulls her hand back and dries it on her trousers as she gets to her feet. "I know he can eat more," she remarks, heading back for the feeding tray. Now that she doesn't have talons in her arm, she can take her time, and she carefully scoops some scraps onto a platter. On her way back to the table, she snags a bubbly off the wooden tray by the bar.

"I think they'd stuff themselves till they burst, if you'd let 'em," Cress says, staying in his seat, although both lizards seem dissapointed that there's no more food. "Come on, guys, you can't eat /all/ the time!"

Linora pushes the tray into the middle of the table and nudges Spray towards it. "They're growing," she reminds Cress, with a twinkle in her eye. "Go on, there's plenty on there for everyone." With that she sits down to inspect the bubbly, which doesn't smell quite normal... she shrugs and takes a bite, her eyes widening as she chews. With an effort she swallows. "What is /in/ these things?" Taking another look.

Dixie hopples toward the plate o'meat, Idoru following close behind. "Well, now. Look at this. You gonna feed yourselves today?" Cress notes.

Linora pushes the offending bubbly to the far end of the table, her eyes on the platter and the firelizards. Why, even Spray is digging in, and he's the youngest of them all. She grins up at Cress. "Looks like your job just got a little easier, huh?"

Cress grins, "looks like it doesn't it?" He takes a look at 'Mute, checking to see if /he's/ done eating. The brown seems to have fallen asleep on the countertop.

Linora follows Cress's eyes to the bartop and stifles a giggle at the little brown sprawled there. She pushes her chair back and stands up. "Now maybe /we/ can get something to eat... I'd give those bubblies a pass, though. I dunno who made 'em, but they're /not/ good."

Cress peeks at the disgarded bubbly on the table, "hmm, maybe I shouldn't have any. How 'bout some sweetrolls then?" He looks up at Linora, hoping he doesn't abuse her friendlyness /too/ much.

Linora giggles and tugs at his sleeve. "What, are your legs broken? Come see for yourself. Those two are /fine/."

Cress shrugs, "sorry, I just thought..." He breaks off before saying too much, then comes over to the counter. "Anything looking good," he says, while picking up the sleeping 'Mute.

Linora looks closely at Cress. Shells, she was only teasing... She bites her lip and walks around the bar for a closer look at the pastries on the back counter. "Um... how about stickybuns?" She pushes the tray across the bar towards Cress and just looks at him, waiting to see if he'll meet her eyes.

Cress will meet her eyes. His own sparkling with mirth as he fumbles his fingers across the bar, trying to get hold of a bun. Picking it up he sniff at it, "they certainly smell fine," he says and smiles.

Linora grins, relief showing on her open face. "Yeah, they do," she agrees, taking one in each hand and coming back around the bar.

Holding 'Mute in one arm and a bun in the other hand, Cress moves to sit down at the table again. "So, d'you have any plans for today?"

Linora follows Cress back to the table and sits down, shrugging lightly. "I dunno... maybe I'll catch a bit of the sun, if I can stay awake." She chuckles, remembering the lake. "Never thought I'd have trouble staying awake when it's light out." She takes a big bite from the stickybun. Much better.

Cress' eyes sparkle as he grins. "Yeah, I don't even have any advice for you except klah sometimes help," he says scratching 'Mute's eyeridges, and watching the other two lizards compete for meat.

Linora makes a face, actually shuddering a bit. "/Maybe/ I'll get used ta the way it tastes... someday... but I don't think I'll ever /like/ it." She takes another bite, chewing thoughtfully, then swallows. "How 'bout you? Or are you off to sleep?"

"I'm not really tired right now," Cress says, "so maybe I'll just get some sun and study a bit." Phew. Studying! Did he actually say that?!

Linora pops the last of the stickybun into her mouth, chewing as she listens. Hm. Study. Novel concept. She swallows. "I've only had a couple classes yet," she remarks thoughtfully. "What are you studying?" Spray stumbles back over to his humanpet, so stuffed that individual bits of meat can almost be seen through his hide, and flops. With a giggle, Linora gathers him into her arms.

Cress breaks off a bit of the bun, offering the little piece to Idoru, who's wobbled back across the table to him. The lizard sniffs the offered food, then swallows it looking very pleased. "I'm studying the Red Star," he says, shaking his head at the green lizard and her newly discovered eating habits. "Jorina is my mentor."

Linora cradles Spray in the crook of her arm, he's still such a little thing... and nods at Cress's explanation. "I didn't know that was her specialty," she remarks, wondering what else she doesn't know and figuring it's probly a lot. No matter, she's there to learn, right? She grins at Idoru, still eating. "She's gonna bust."

"I'm more worried about her eating habits," Cress says, picking the green off the table, looking her in the eyes. "Where did you get a taste for sweets anyway?"

Linora giggles. "I've never seen her anyplace than with you," she teases Cress. "Come to think of it, I don't think I ever saw you eating anything that wasn't sweet yourself." Not that she's seen him eat much at all, actually... but it seems like she ought to know, with all the time she's spent around him.

Cress' cheeks turn slightly red as he looks up at her. "Guess I'm a bad influence on her then? But the others don't eat sweet stuff. Only Idoru..."

Linora's grin widens as Cress takes the bait of her teasing. "Maybe she's more impressionable," she guesses, her eyes twinkling. "Or maybe she's just lazy enough to take whatever's offered and not complain." She giggles. "Prolly too young yet to have cravings..." She pushes her chair back, careful not to disrupt the sleeping Spray. "Let's go see if it's warmed up any. Got your books with you, or notes or whatever?" Maybe she can even learn something.

Cress shakes his head, "I have a few notes, but no book," he says, having left the books under his cot in the sleeping quarters. "But I think I'm getting a bit tired anyway."

Linora tries not to look disappointed, but realizes she can't really monopolize /all/ of her friend's time. He might think she's bugging him or something. She smiles. "OK, then. See you around."