.Everyone always thinks of Coni as being so cute! So bubble headed and nice!

They are so wrong. For what is Conium's specialty? A wonderful brew of tea - hemlock. With seeds that smell different but looks just like anice, with parsley leaves that kill just as easily as the pretty white flowers.

Though Coni is coy and seems shy at times, her vixen's smile should give her attitude away. She likes to be around people - lots of people - because there is so much of her to go around. Especially in the water gardens, or near the sewer pipes - she doesn't care. She likes it where it's watery.

"Did you know there's an old folks home down the road a bit?" She asked one day of her mother. Ihrinnah shook her head.

"Would you like to go there?"

"Of course I would. I would love to see the end of lives well-lived."

Ihrinnah gazed at her second-born daughter, her second-deadliest. "You're despicable," she said. But Uteneth still took her to the sprawling building where the scent of age and death was already pervasive. The smell of it almost turned her away - Coni and her siblings, like their elder family, would probably live forever as long as they could keep their head on their shoulders. Death in so strong a cup was something that Coni thought might ease the way for these people.

And it surely did... If they took enough of her tea, they'd tremble, shake, or stop moving entirely. Not quite enough and they would merely drool uncontrollably or void without pause. Too much, and they would slip quietly into a long dark coma.

Coni's work was easy. Her tea could replace any given spice in the cupboards in the building.

Shortly after Coni's visit, the management turned to teabags, instead of brewing their own...

***

Coni is going to bond at Dragonwillow Weyr!

***

It was so warm at Dragonwillow, but it was a beautiful day anyway. There was a storm on the air, one of those wonderful moisture-ridden tropical storms and Coni actually wanted to be standing outside in it, instead of the sweltering sands.

There were a batch of candidates, but there were far more eggs than people to stand for them. Coni wanted to get to somewhere that had some running water, but ... she had to stand too. There was a brown dragon who looked as though he too would have rather been outside. Or anywhere, for that matter.

But it was typical - the brown had to chase off after his little bond, and a lovely ruby white she was too.

Another egg broke open, one before the next. From the first came a forest colored ruby-toned male, who was clearly not going to head toward the male candidates. He made his way between the female dragons, and stood before Coni.

Let us go, there is much we must do, starting with feeding me! He announced.

"Sure, Apiaceaeth, let's get you fed." Conium grinned from ear to ear. This beautiful boy was hers!?

I am all yours. I will never let you go, either. Unless you forget to feed me.

"I would never forget that..." Coni laughed as they found the cut up meats in the kitchens.

***

Coni and Apiaceaeth learned to fly with grace. Mistakes were made, of course. Like that accidental nosedive into the sand pit, and the near miss with the weyrling trainer in the rain... But they were graceful enough in the air. Landing was a bit iffy, but then any landing you could walk away from was a good one. Besides, Coni could heal herself and her dragon both - if they were injured.

Then they were to head home. Their brothers and sisters would arrive with them, or alone - they didn't know they were the first to come back.

The big forest ruby swept over head, and even Coni's parents' dragons were impressed with him. Of course, they were both female dragons too - Coni laughed when Apia asked, could I fly them?

"You can't even be serious, my one, they're my mother and father's dragons!"

But they are lovely!

"I can't argue with you there, my friend, but you're going to have to find another female to fly when the time comes."

Disappointed but still proud as ever to be coming home for the first time, Apiaceaeth landed with the best four-foot landing he'd ever given.