From the Fields (Search Thread)

Veyani and her siblings were used to working on a farm. It meant rising early and going to bed early. There was more work involved than fun for most of them. Although Veyani was one to shirk her chores, often by accident. She appreciated hard work but she was often distracted and led off to explore things on a whim.

"VEYA! Look!" Her sister pointed to the sky as they followed their brothers who were cutting the long grains down with their scythes. The girls were picking up the grains from the ground behind them. "Dragons!" She said wistfully. An all too familiar smirk, lit up Veyani's features. Her sister, Jayna started to shake her head. "No. Don't even think it."
"They could be Searching!"
Her brothers turned around laughing. "Since when have they started searching small cotholds..."
Jayna shrugged, "Well they are opening Igen Weyr back up, aren't they. Mayhap they need some extra people. I for one wouldn't mind it..."

Jayna was the prettier of the two sisters but she was more serious than Veyani. She wasn't nearly as easy to distract. Now that Veyani was thinking about dragons she had stopped working. "Do they seem to be getting closer to you?" Her voice reflected the wispy nature of her.

Her brother, Mikrean was only a Turn older than her. His gray eyes surveyed them quickly. "They are."

"They are?" Jeyna said, unable to be sure from this distance.

"THEY ARE!" Veyani said, smiling broadly. By now none of them were working. Those that were on this field anyway. Her parents had worked hard for their piece of the earth, and now they had plenty of child laborers to bring in a good harvest. They were working on several fields at the same time. The ones in the field with her today were Jayna, who was two turns older than her, Mikrean who was one turn older and her younger brother who was only fourteen but strong as an ox, Devrie.

The youngest was also the most serious, "I want to finish this parcel before turning in. Can't you three focus?"

"Not so long as Veya is distracted."

Veyani beamed, "Oh come on, whats a few minutes of dreaming. If we're going to be stuck here for the rest of our long lives, we may as well dream a little."

And she had a point, as her younger brother put down his scythe to watch he dragon's descent with the others.

While N'kai and Kaisoth had proven to be fairly perceptive when it came to being able to Search candidates, none they had Searched yet, had actually Impressed. Of course, the pair were new still, to the whole Searching thing; today would be their fourth Search to go on. N'kai had to let it be of some consolation to him that there had only been one clutch to hatch since they began their new calling. But still.. it was an embarrassment to have picked up so many candidates to have so many left standing. Well...it seemed like a lot of candidates they'd picked up anyway. And there would be another clutch before they knew it. Maybe he just had too high of expectations for himself?

Appearing from Between over the cothold fields with a second searchrider in formation beside him, N'kai looked down to see what lay below them. He didn't have to do much searching on his own though.

Kai. Look for a place to land that might be more central in vicinity to all of the surrounding structures. Everything's so spread out, here. Almost instantly, the blue dragon shared his mind's eye with his rider. N'kai's eyes became unfocused then, as images from Kaisoth's own sight took over his veritable field of vision.

"What do you think about landing here?"

N'kai saw just where he meant, and agreed, "Looks good. Relay that to Gemorath and we'll go."

As soon as it was done, both dragons banked simultaneously to the left, descending like great birds of prey on the location of their focus. His sight returning to him as both dragons swooped down, out of the sky, Kai (the rider) was watching as people began to spot them. Many ran to nearby buildings, disappearing inside, but there were several from surrounding fields that he could see, swarming in from where they'd been hard at work. That would make the Searching easier. He hadn't really learned to like snooping door to door yet, to find candidates for Search. Nor did he really want to go wandering through fields to find candidates.

Thus far, all of the locations he'd been to to conduct Searches, had been larger holds. His first visit on Search to Fort Hold had been quite intriguing. It was very different figuring out just how to approach people when conducting a Search, and it was interesting to see how people reacted to him as a Searcher. It was a whole different experience that he'd never known how to appreciate before. He even found himself looking at people differently than when he wasn't on Search. And certainly, people saw him with alternate perceptions as well. Some were welcoming, and others were not.

Well...seeing as the Weyrs were now broadening their Search radius, N'kai just hoped that this proved to go as smoothly as planned, because there was likely to be a repeat of cothold visitings.


As both blues backwinged to land, Kai began unharnesshing himself. By the time all four paws were on the ground and Kaisoth had situated his lovely sapphire wings against his back, Kai was ready to dismount, promptly removing himself from the dragon's back. Addressing the locals from ground level wouldn't make him seem as imposing if any of the locals hadn't seen a dragon before -which was very likely. At least, that's what he'd been informed of.


From two of the nearby buildings, a number of men appeared, approaching the riders as a group with a middle-aged man at their lead.

"They don't seem unhappy to me." Kaisoth's great head turned to view his rider as the young man walked together with his partner to greet the cotholders.

At the same time, N'kai was taking off his goggles and riding helmet, holding them under the crook of an arm, between his body, while the other hand searched for his only-slightly-necessary glasses, retrieving them from a jacket pocket. Putting them on, he took more time than he really needed in order to adjust them. We'll see. Then he cleared his throat, appearing a little insecure.

"Afternoon, Gentlemen. I'm N'kai, and this is T'lan. Sorry to take you away from your work, but we've been instructed to conduct a Search in this cothold, if you'd be so kind as to accommodate us. I apologize if there was no word sent ahead of time, but it shouldn't take long."

“They’re landing right near the barn!” Veya exclaimed. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than everyone had taken off running towards the barn. Although she had taken off last, Veyani’s long legs had her catching up in no time. They were able to make out the dragons. Their Da, had been trying to buy a pair of draft runners, from a neighbor and there was another of the neighbors over to help with some fencing that ran between the two properties and his four eldest sons.

When her ma and siblings came out from the house and walked in the direction of the dragonriders it must have seemed like an ambush. Da was the one who addressed the dragonriders first since they were on his land. “I’m Mairke. This is my home. My neighbors, Grenthe, Rojor, Hennek, Elemor, Aelen, Oriver. You are welcome sirs. We have little to offer but we can get you a drink or two and some food and respite in the barn if needed.”

When his wife arrived with the younger children, he continued introductions, “My wife, Rynja. Our younger children, Amirast, Meledi and Keloria.” As soon as he had finished, the eldest children had come in from the fields they had been working. “My eldest son, Eaden.” Followed by an equally sturdy backed looking crew, “ Darbry, Regeo, Hesperia, Anantra and Sheerahn.”

By the time the last group got in, Veyani didn’t wait for her father to introduce them, she skipped right up to the dragonriders. “Welcome! I’m Veyani!” She spoke sweetly. “And you are? Are your dragons well? We have no food for them here as we mainly grow vegetables and wheat. I think the neighbors do though…Are they hungry at all? If they are I’m sure we can find something for them. Oh! You must be tired. Da, I hope you offered them respite in the barn. Shall we bring them something to drink…” She trailed off and just before someone could get a word in edgewise, “Could I, umm…meet the dragons?” Her eyes were wide with curiosity. Her father was red cheeked and unable to stop her. “Come I think Ma brewed some klah earlier. Its probably not what you are used to.” Her other two brothers and sister who had not been introduced were smiling. “Then I would really like to meet the dragons. They are blues aren’t they? So lovely.”

"I'm sorry I keep going on. I'm just so excited that you are here."

Ambush indeed. N'kai was a little taken aback to see so many people appear from what seemed like nowhere; but then again, they did have large farms to upkeep, so that had to take a lot of people. At least in the cotton fields of Southern Boll it did. But maybe cotton was different than vegetables?

In any case, he was glad to have received a very warm welcome. It was good to encounter a people so hospitable. Hospitable and hulking in comparison to himself. N'kai had been a weaver, and these boys all looked as though in their first ten turns they'd probably seen more physical labour than he had in his entire life.

N'kai found himself nodding to each curtly in greeting as the farmer went around the lot of them with introductions. The Bluerider couldn't help but smile, feeding off their warm energy and finding the group rather comfortable. With so many people in such close proximity though, as they all seemed to gravitate kind of together, it was difficult to get a good feel for each persons' individual energy. He would have to approach them more closely or get them to spread themselves out a bit more. He could get a better reading on them that way. As they were, the energy from them was a bit mixed.

He'd been about to acknowledge all of the introductions when a girl, who seemed about his age, added herself to the list. Taking a step back when Veyani bounded up to him, N'kai reached to adjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose again, as if they'd slipped -an apparent nervous habit. The girl had certainly taken him a bit off guard; she was much more enthusiastic than the rest of them.

I see. Clearing his throat again, N'kai realized that he'd spoken into Kaisoth's head instead of out loud. Quickly remedying that, he addressed the girl directly, starting with a stutter. "M-my name is N'kai. N-nice to meet you." But the girl didn't stop there. As she prattled on, N'kai couldn't help but smirk when she offered to find something big enough to eat for Kaisoth.

Was she offering her neighbors herdbeasts? The bluerider stiffled a good-hearted laugh at her generosity. It was appreciated more than she knew. The smirk drew from both corners of his lips then, into a full fledged smile, however soft it might have been. "I really appreciate your generosity." Glancing back briefly toward the other rider present, N'kai made sure the other man didn't seem to object to the offer for Klah.

Attention returning to Veyani and then back to her mother and father, he acquiesced. After all, it could be understood as rude to decline the courteous offer. "My partner and I would be grateful to have a drink with you. We could conduct the search inside perhaps. At least with some of you."


As they started as a group toward the house to be served drinks, Kaisoth allowed his voice to resonate within Veyani's own mind, always taking pleasure in the opportunity to surprise a non-rider with the rare chance to hear one. The youthful tenor, though enthusiastic, exuded the debonair confidence that his bonded right at that moment, seemed to be lacking. If he'd been human, he would surely have been a lady-killer. (ahahah) You are a most gracious host. I've eaten recently though, so there's no need to go to the inconvenience...I am Kaisoth.

The tip of the dragon's tail twitched a little anxiously as he awaited the girl's response, the Blue's head now turning a brilliant blue-green eye upon her that, if not for the greenish luster, would have nearly matched his hide in deep persian blue hide in hue.

No one in the family, nor any of the neighbors was really surprised that Veyani was excited. She was such a dreamy girl, it wouldn't have surprised any of them if she was taken to the Weyr. In fact some of them might be prefectly fine with it as she had a hard time of pulling her weight. However her parents could not spare her during harvest time.

"Alright you lot, back to work." He indicated the young men and women who were too old to be Searched. "He nodded to the neighbors who went back into the barn and he with them. His wife and the children under 21 began to lead the way back towards the farm house. Veyani, who looked to be taking the lead, stopped walking suddenly as the dragon's voice filled her mind. Her eyes were wide with the realization of what was happening. He was speaking to her?

As she came to terms with what was going on, the youngest siblings ran off to hide from mother, now that the house chores were done and she would be distracted. So it was only the Candidate aged children that remained with them.

She spoke out loud, not knowing how to bespeak a dragon. "Wow. I've never met a dragon before. Kaisoth, its wonderful to meet you. I'm Veyani. How often do you eat?" She was curious. Unlike most of Pern there had not been a Harper through here in quite a while and she had no idea how much or how often dragons ate. Only she did know they ate herdbeasts. She ended up running to catch up to the others.

In the meantime, their mother had taken over, "N'kai, T'lan, please make yourselves comfortable. These are our Candidate aged children. Jayna is eighteen, Mikrean is seventeen, Veyani is sixteen and Devrie is fourteen."

They all sat at the large wooden table in the room to the right of the entrance as their Ma went to warm the klah.

"Have you had much success Searching around here?" Mikrean asked. Veyani was completely distracted now having spoken with a dragon.

Kaisoth was crooning in delight as the lady walked away, his human and those eligible as candidates all migrating toward the house. The brilliant blue's eyes followed after them, answering her. Not nearly as often as humans. I can see how it would be troublesome to have to find food so often.


As Veyani turned a circle to look back toward the dragon, he paused in his gait, too, adjusting his glasses again on the bridge of his nose and clearing his throat. It was a good thing that N'kai was not the jealous type, because Kaisoth could be obnoxiously talkative with others. That being the case, he was glad they'd be going in doors to assess those of age, because then he wouldn't be able to cause needless interruptions; They'd had a talk about that before.

In a way though, it was good to have a talkative Search dragon, because they could easily find out who the fearful prospective candidates were. Overly fearful candidates always made him anxious. Fear could produce a lot of unwanted overreactions, including accidents and just general trouble for those around them. N'kai appreciated how excited Veyani was over her visit with Kaisoth though. Certainly a good sign.

It seems like you've made another friend today.

Veyani is happy to meet me. I like her. She seemed happy to meet you, too. Do you like her?

It was simple logic. But it worked. We've only just met. But...I do like her energy. She's quite lively. It might be fun to have her around the creativity club. I don't think she's the muse I'm looking for though. But still...I wonder if she has any talent with weaving? For that matter, he wondered if any of the other older kids in the bunch had experience with the weaver or tanner crafts? But that curiosity was geared toward his own personal interests, which could wait for later.

He did find himself glancing about the group more closely at the girls, though, to see if any of them appearing to be closer to his age happened to suit his fancy.

Hmmm...not this time, anyway. None of them seemed to hold the muse he was ever in search of.


When they all entered the home, N'kai glanced about momentarily before going to be seated. Nodding again at the secondary round of introductions, he smiled in an appreciable way, expressing his gratitude for the hospitality as he sat and their mother made her way off to the kitchen area. Pulling his seat closer to the table, he saw T'lan find a place across the table somewhere, amidst one half of the children.

Waiting for their drinks, N'kai was folding his hands together infront of him, elbows resting on the table. His eyes settled on Mikrean; though.. briefly he did wonder why Veyani had suddenly fallen silent. Was Kaisoth still speaking with her? Maybe the girl was trying to find a way to reply mentally?

"This is our first venture into the area. Most of the searches are in larger holdings where it's easier to find many candidates at once. It's also easier to pull candidates away from other crafts versus farming. Those in the business of agriculture are in greater need of the additional hands, I think." N'kai smiled sheepishly at that, looking between all of those at the table, gauging how the others interacted with the rest of the group dynamic once they'd come together like this. Eventually he did turn his attention back to Mikrean to add, "How'd you like to go by the name M'krean some day? What do you think of becoming a dragonrider?"

It wasn't so long ago that N'kai was in this boy's shoes. That thought started bringing back some interesting memories.

“It isn’t very troublesome here, Kaisoth. Living on a farm makes finding food very easy. Though I suspect large Holds and Weyrs would have to ration their food stuffs all Turn long so as not to run out. We do that in the winter ourselves. It gets too cold for things to grow. Unlike dragons we have a much more complex diet. Some of us don’t eat meat at all…” Her family ate meat very rarely, more in the winter when it would keep for more than a day and other food sources were scarce. Kaisoth was a wonderful dragon, she found herself completely caught up in their conversation. Dragons were wondrous creatures.

Her conversation with the dragon seemed out of place and as usual Veyani did nothing to hide her strangeness. It was out in the open for anyone to see. Her mother tried not to notice. Thankfully her brother was busy responding to the question presented to him. “You sound like my father. He thinks farm children should never be Searched. Their families have a need for them. Though honestly, we’d do fine here without a couple of people.” He didn’t need to indicate his head in the clouds sister for people to understand what he might mean. Some of them didn’t quite pull their weight around here.

“I would be honored to be considered, sir. M’krean does sound nice, doesn’t it?” He asked, and Veyani, only catching the tail end of the conversation beamed. “Oh you’d be a wonderful rider brother. Do you think he really has a chance N’kai? ” She sighed dreamily, “A dragonrider in the family. Will he be going to the new Weyr? Igen would be so much closer…” She said that because she would miss him. They were closest in age. M'krean was smiling back at his younger sister. It was an intimate, sibling smile. She understood he would be happy to be a rider. He would be happy to get out of the middle of nowhere and see the world. However their mother didn't seem to like the conversation's turn and was about to open her mouth but was cut off by Veyani's enthusiasm.

Finally! At least she might be able to go and visit. Although that was considered inappropriate. Hold girls could be taken advantage of at places like the Weyr. She wasn’t quite sure what they meant by that but her parents seemed to believe it was a bad idea for any of their daughters to go, ever. "Can we come visit then? Oh it would be wonderful to see a Hatching. You don't suppose Kaisoth would take me do you? He seems a very pleasant dragon. I bet he is considered very talkative and charming at the Weyr." Maybe she would be appreciated too, even if she was much more awkward than the dragon and much less level headed.

Making sure that Kaisoth caught everything the girl was saying, N'kai lent the dragon his ear for as long as he could while he didn't have to be completely distracted by the boy across from him. He suspected that Kaisoth was too far from earshot to catch what Veyani was saying anyway.

A corny smile curled across his lips as he considered the two, appreciating their enthusiasm for the whole situation. Jayna also seemed bright-eyed and attentive throughout her conversation with T'lan next to them. All three of them seemed to have the right 'impressible' energy that might attract a hatchling, but Devrie on the other hand... N'kai's eyes flicked in Devrie's direction, and it was hard for him to sense anything. Devrie, to him, seemed like an emotional wall. Privately he'd wondered if the 14 year old was not at all empathetic. He'd heard about there being rare cases that people might not be born with the natural affinity to understand body language and other types of subconscious communication that humans used to interact on a regular basis, thus making them feel a little.. cut off. N'kai himself had never been around such a person, but he wondered just then if that might be the case with this child.

Either way, he had a hard time picking the right kind of signals up from Devrie that would make him a good candidate. Anyway, T'lan was the one sitting on Devrie's side of the table, so he'd be gauging that.


The more that N'kai sat with the kids, visiting with them, the more he was certain that his hunch about their being good candidates wasn't just a stray thought. He was sure that both Veyani and Mikrean would make great candidates. Of course, getting used to Weyr life might be another story. But if they were that enthusiastic, then they would find a way to adjust.

Soon Kaisoth was making happy sounds in Kai's head, pleased with his conversation with the girl. Before the Blue could chat any more with her though, Kai addressed both of the siblings together, "I would like to see both of you come to Fort Weyr. Pretty soon there will be another clutch and we'll have a need to send riders to the new Igen Weyr. That would bring you a little closer to home, and be an exciting opportunity to help Igen in its final stages of being rebuilt."

Beaming brightly at N'kai, she said, "Really and truly?" Before he could say it was true, she had turned to her brother and given him a hug, one that was reciprocated. They both got up and jumped up and down, hands clasped. they were so excited they didn't really pay attention to their mother's reaction. Once everyone had had something to drink she spoke calmly, into the chaotic loud that was now in her house. "Thank you most kindly, dragonriders but or children are not going to the Weyr." Any Weyr, ever. "Now that you have had something to drink, I must ask that you leave our property."

And nothing anyone wanted to say was going to change that. Devrie was like their parents. He was happy to have a life of hard labor, farming. Veyani, Jayna nad Mikrean though, were not pleased at all. Before anyone could say anything. Veyani piped in, she was much quicker than the rest of them sometimes, as if she thought five steps ahead.

"Mother, I'll escort them back to their dragons." After all, they would hardly miss her if she was gone. She shot her brother a look. She was going to help them all get out of here, they had to be patient. She needed to talk N'kai without their mother.

Mikrean spoke next, "Let me take care of the glasses mother." He indicated for Jayna to join in. Devrie declared loudly, "Well I'm going back to work. See you all shortly." He as good harrumphed his way out of the house. He was a stick in the mud, according to Veyani. She figured she was a pretty good judge of her family though.

Her mother consented to let her walk the dragonriders back but she was going to watch from a good distance. Veyani skipped along as they got farther and farther from the house.

Once Veyani was certain her mother was out of ear shot, "My parents don't agree with the Weyrs Searching farms. They try to be polite and they tithe generously to both Hold and Weyr but they don't want us to leave. So you see they decided none of us would ever go to the Weyr. But its not really their decision. If we want to go, we will go. At the same time, my father would forcibly pull us off your dragons if he saw any of us leaving with you. So I had an idea."

She smiled, "I'm not really sure how to give you geographical markers from the air..." Having not thought of it before that moment. The land was so flat it would be hard for them to meet up somewhere. She wriggled her nose in thought. Veya never could be still for more than a moment, mentally or physically. "I know!" She said as she figured out a landmark they would be able to find. "There is a small stream, probably a good candlemark's walk west of here. We can sneak away tonight while everyone is sleeping and meet you there at dawn."

"Can you do that? Meet us there? I know its asking a lot but we really don't want to be farmers. I'm no good at it anyway. Mikrean has always wanted to go somewhere else, to a new adventure really. And I know Jayna couldn't stand to go through one more harvest season with her hands torn up."

She was hopeful they would understand her request. They had no option but to sneak away. Once they were gone there was nothing their parents could do about it. Even if they petitioned the Lord Holder, all he could do was petition the Weyr to be more careful about their Searches. No one would get into trouble.

Kai and T'lan were both taken back by the sudden refusal to allow any of their children to attend the weyr as candidates. Why go to the trouble of allowing them to sit down with the kids and speak with them and get them all excited about the prospects if they weren't going to allow them to leave? Granted they hadn't really even begun to talk yet about everything that candidacy entailed, so after conversation at a bit more length, perhaps the children might not even be so interested once they were given the details. But their parents seemed to want to stop things right there.

Realizing that his jaw had dropped open, Kai snapped it shut, not wanting to be disrespectful...though the cotholders could have been more respectful in simply being forward about their intentions all along. In all truth, after that, Kai wasn't really sure what to say.

Getting up from the table, he was nodding, trying not to appear quite as astonished. He'd known there would be those who preferred not sending their children to the Weyrs or even dislike weyrs, but he'd heard of those people simply hiding their children while riders visited. He'd yet to experience this kind of thing himself. In any case, there was nothing he could do about their decision and they were making it clear that it was time for the riders to leave. If they wanted to make any kind of good impression then they'd at least respect the cotholders in that. N'kai could always argue that they should allow it if they expected to be protected from Thread when it fell; every holding, large or small, had candidates drafted for the inevitable future of Threadfall. Nevertheless, he felt as though it would serve no purpose trying to talk sense into the farmers. If they'd been holders of a major or minor hold, that would be something different.

Nodding his understanding, N'kai allowed his disappointment to show across his features as he glanced back to where the children now got up from the table. Brow furrowed, the bluerider sighed, offering for the sake of the children. "Alright. I just wish you'd have told us that earlier. Now we've gotten their hopes up. It'll be more a disappointment to them." Being a dragonrider is what many children dreamed of. Now that hope had been shattered.


At least momentarily.


Bidding their farewells, N'kai and T'lan walked side by side with Veyani. As they approached their dragons, Kaisoth's eyes could be seen whirling with as much agitation as his rider was feeling.

After hearing Veyani out, the two riders looked to one another before looking back at the girl once more. It wouldn't be exactly kosher if they were to steal the children away under broad daylight; the farmers would denounce it as a kidnapping and it would mean nothing but trouble for T'lan and N'kai.. but, the plan of meeting later on might work.

Seeing that spark of determination in Veyani's eyes, N'kai found it difficult to disagree. He was somewhat an adventurous sort anyway, so the idea seemed like it should pan out, as long as the riders weren't caught sneaking the children away. For all the parent's knew, the children had simply run away.

With nervous habit again, N'kai was adjusting his glasses once more on the bridge of his nose. In an afterthought, he took them off to pocket them and begin replacing his goggles and riding helmet. "Calm down. You don't have to convince me." Then again, he couldn't believe he was about to agree to it. Taking a child without a parent's consent? Still...he could only imagine how this would go over with his superiors.

Well, whatever...they'd have three new, very willing candidates; and candidates were in greater need with every clutch, seeing as though clutches in recent turns were coming with greater frequency. Not to mention they had a new Weyr to supply with threadfall being right around the corner.

"Alright. We'll search out the site before we leave the area and meet you there tonight." The Bluerider canted his head with a smirk then, "Just don't get caught."

Whatever happened, this was certainly panning out to be the most interesting Search he'd ever participated in.

Veyani had never been one to worry needlessly, so as she waited for a response to her suggestion, she didn't think she would be denied. She was not at all surprised when they agreed. Smiling, she added " We will not get caught. There have been plenty of times we snuck out and back in again and our parents were none the wiser." And her smile would suggest that were true. Waving goodbye as she walked away, she kept her eyes on the blue dragon as she did so. He must be wonderful to watch taking off. So when she was a good distance from the dragons she stopped to watch them go by.

When they were gone she went back to the fields where she had been working, aware that her mother was keeping her gaze on her until she was out of sight. She had to be careful how she communicated with her siblings. Devrie was with them and he would be more likely to tattle on them than to help. She waited till they were walking back, later in the evening Devrie had gone ahead to put up and clean their tools.

Veya spoke quietly to her brother and sister, explaining the plan. They would have to travel light and carrry very little with them. Veyani suggested they could wear clothes provided by the Weyr instead of worrying about such things. they contained any excitement they might be feeling till after dinner and dishes were put away. They went upstairs to wash up and get ready for bed, once they were all in bed, it was a matter of waiting. They knew it would take a couple of candlemarks for their parents to fall into a deep sleep. None of them were able to sleep themselves while the rest of their siblings were out like a light.

All the hard work they did made it easy to be a heavy sleeper. They ended up being able to walk out the front door without anyone being the wiser. Veyani knew the way even by dark although the night sky was lit up by the moons and stars. Although in her mind it hadn't seemed that far it took them over a candlemark to reach the stream. They were already tired from a long day of work in the fields and it took all the strength and energy they had to keep going. Determination could be motivating.

When they finally arrived, Veyani looked around to N'kai and Kaisoth.

It hadn't taken long for the dragons to spy out what must have been the location Veyani was talking about. Of course, there was no telling for certain until evening came, and it was time for the girl to appear with her siblings.

Where the two riders'd come to land in a clearing large enough for the two of them alongside the river bank, both Blues curled up at rest while they waited. Kaisoth's dark sapphire-like hide blended almost perfectly into the midnight blue of the night's sky, turning almost black. The dragon next to him however, was a fairer shade however, and seemed to reflect the light of the moons, becoming brighter under their light. Though they were restful, they were on the alert to the sound of footsteps in the foliage.


They're here.

N'kai looked up from where he sat on the ground between the two dragons, next to his friend, where they'd been chatting and joking about wing practices earlier in the sevenday. Glancing back to T'lan then,  he nodded and both men rose to their feet. Just as they dusted dirt from their trousers, Veyani and her siblings appeared.

N'kai grinned, "No one followed? I guess we should hurry either way, just in case." A momentary pause in his breath came, before he offered, "I guess you can each decide who you want to ride with. It won't matter to the dragon's or T'lan and I either way. We both brought additional riding harnesses."

As the kids neared and the riders too, had close some of the distance between them, Kai thought that they all looked weary, but nonetheless excited. Thinking to forewarn them then, give them one last chance to turn back if they had any second thoughts, he added, "Life at the Weyr is going to be a lot different from this" referring to the farmland around them. "You're used to the hard work perhaps, but it's nothing the same. And one day soon, when Thread returns, if you've Impressed, you'll all be asked to put your own lives on the line in order to protect the people of Pern. As a Rider, some people will hate you. Some people will envy you. You will have to be able to work perfectly as a team and follow orders without fail in order to fulfill your role. There is also the possibility that you may never Impress at all.

"The Weyr does not offer the same kinds of freedoms as the outside world. It is a demanding existence, but it is a worthy one. You will never be alone, and yet there, it is possible that you will never have a proper family as you have here in the cothold." Kai didn't want to scare them, but he did. He wanted them to understand what they were running away to -it might not be a place as filled with as much fantasy as that which filled their young heads. They hadn't had a chance before, to talk about what life at the Weyr was really like.

"If you do Impress however," the Bluerider couldn't help but smile, casting a glance back to Kaisoth as he did, "it will be the best day of your life when it happens." Enthusiastically, Kai's grin broadened ear to ear, and he turned on a heel to return to his dragon's side, giving the sweep of an arm in upward motion toward the deep dark Blue who was now eyeing the group of siblings with two great orbs alive with curiosity. "All aboard?"

Kaisoth was already getting back on his feet, and with a little shake of his wings, began to stretch them before relaxing them again, but letting them remain slightly extended, wondering which of the young ones would choose to ride with him.

"No one. They all sleep soundly and we've snuck out before. No one will notice till morning and by then there will be nothing they can do about it." They listened carefully to what N'kai said. Perhaps more than most would, they knew there was a cost to living in a place so different from their own. It was more of a trade off to go somewhere where there were new people to meet, adventures to be had and things to be done. And while the three of them would prefer to impress, they did understand that a person who was searched did not always Impress. They would be happy to go regardless. It was their intention to move to Igen Weyr and be closer to their family when the weyr was ready.

Although she could not see the dragon in the darkness too well, she knew he was there. "Kaisoth will put in a good word for me with the little ones I hope..." she winked, knowing that the dragon could o no such thing. Jayna immediately walked over to T'lan, to ride with him which did not surprise anyone since she had been talking to him mostly and not with N'kai. Veyani and Mikrean however, being better acquainted with N'kai, opted to ride with him.

To Veyani it seemed it might be a bit of a struggle actually getting onto the dragon's back. Maybe riders had some trick to get up there. They made it look so easy earlier. Harness seemed tricky to put on as well but she supposed they practiced that a lot in weyrlinghood. Oh she couldn't wait to be at the Weyr and see and do things she had never seen or done before. Her best friend and older brother, Mikrean, was just as excited. She could see it in his eyes, he was finally being given the chance at an adventurous life. The explanation of possible death by Thread was not enough to deter any of them.

Assured by Kaisoth also that there was no one else he could sense having come except for those they'd Searched, Kai smiled back down at Veyani, giving his glasses a little habitual adjustment as he cleared his throat, eyes following after each youngster in turn to see who they preferred to ride with. The kids' choices on who rode with who seemed natural, and either way, woudln't have mattered. Both riders helped the new Candidates by leaping up into the saddle first themselves, and then with the beasts still bent low, let the kids climb up onto a forelimb and be offered a hand from above to help pull them up. To N'kai, it seemed easier that way. Helping them get their harnesses tightened correctly, N'kai then adjusted his own for the flight.

It was almost a little nervously that N'kai turned to look back at Veyani from over his shoulder, removing his glasses so that he could put them in his pocket and get his riding goggles and helmet back on. "Hang onto me if you want. Kai's takeoffs and landings are pretty smooth though...but if you do get scared..." Leaving it at that, because he was sure that she wouldn't, he still felt the need to offer out of necessity for courtesy. "When we go Between, it will be cold for no more than a couple of seconds. The distance between here and Fort Weyr for a dragon is not significant."

Kai, let's go. Share these coordinates, will ya? The Bluerider was already passing images through telepathy with Kaisoth, and only a split second after, they were being passed on to the other Search Pair. Then they were taking off, and in one graceful lunge, were in the air. Kaisoth's giant wings caught the night air, making quick ascent without breaking their two-dragon formation, taking time to hover briefly before both dragons were Between.


The cold of Between was but momentary icy prickles on the skin. Counting to one, two,... and before one could quite count to three, they had reappeared over the great bowl of Fort Weyr. The time difference wasn't much, so it was still in the middle of the night. Under the glow of Pern's twin moons however, some ledges were lit enough that the sleeping hulks of dragons could be seen, and as they descended, outer entrances and passageways more apparently became outlined by
lanterns; periodically, a drudge moving with one would break the sequence in them.

Kaisoth alerted one of them to come to assist in getting the new candidates all settled in in their new beds, so it was just as soon as they landed that they were visited by a middle-aged woman, and to Kai's surprise, another face he recognized -Emerene.

Making sure that the newly Searched were able to get their harnesses off without any real assistance, the Bluerider slid down the dragon's side while Kaisoth offered another leg up for them to make the step down a little less of a chore. N'kai offered a hand up to Veyani first, reaching the other up in case he should need to catch her by the waist if she tipped off balance on the way down. He offered to do the same for Mikrean.

After that, his helmet and goggles were removed, hugging it against his side as he turned to face the drudge and the Weyrwoman's daughter. Admittedly, he was a little curious as to what brought Emerene out at this hour. Though he wasn't sure yet why she was accompanying a drudge at this hour, he still addressed her first, being that she far out ranked the other woman. "Emerene, These are the newly Searched from Telgar. Since you're here with Dimetra, would you mind showing these three to the Candidate Barracks? They've had a difficult time today and I'm sure are very tired."

Kai tried to ignore the somewhat curious, if not grim expression cast upon him by Emerene, wondering if she'd get around to asking questions about the late hour of their arrival, playing it off as though nothing were amiss.

Emerene however, didn't miss a beat. "I'll take them. I'm about to go back there anyway." The girl had been looking between Jayna and Mikrean and then finally Veyani, curious about them. She'd apparently caught the brief glimpse of curiosity in N'kai's eyes, because after that, she addressed it directly; and she did so with a proper tone of authority in her voice, though it wasn't overbearing, and not with haughtiness. That was not her way. "The Weyrwoman has me assisting the Headwoman for a while. For now, I'm to start assisting more with leadership tasks concerning the Candidates since I am one." Starting off small, she supposed.

Clearing her throat purposefully, to pin the spotlight back on N'kai, her lips pursed into a thin, tight line while she shot the Searchrider a sidelong, accusing stare. "Remind me again what Searchrider goes on Search this late at night? There was no trouble, was there?"

Kai's expression softened into a cool smile that was almost boyishly charming with his glasses now replaced. Beyond them, though, he was still dashing,...and Emerene was still a flirt. He was a young, handsome male rider after all. Her expression softened as well, when he gave her that smile, unable to remain too stern.

The Bluerider assured her, "Don't worry. They just needed some time to prepare for leaving." Though it may not have looked like it given how little they carried with them.

"It looks like I'll have to help get them outfitted with a few more sets of clothes and other necessities tomorrow, after morning exercises. I'll have time just before afternoon class." Ofering a bit of a curtsy to the three candidates, she figured introductions were in need, "Welcome to Fort Weyr." Emerene's smile was genuine and beautiful. "My name is Emerene. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am a candidate also, but since I'm serving as the Headwoman's assistant, if there's anything you need, you may also come to me. That would be easiest, seeing as we'll be seeing a lot of eachother."


When introductions had their chance, Emerene added, "If you'd follow me, we'll head straight to the barracks so that we can get a good night's sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow I'm sure." Casting furtive glances back in N'kai's direction, she was curtsying again, more out of a desire to keep N'kai's attention than anything. She knew she didn't have to bow to him. Winking at the Bluerider then, she laughed, and spun about to lead them away with Dimetria in tow with a lantern. "Thank you N'kai. It's past your curfew though, so you and T'lan should head back to your own weyrs before I turn you in for being out so late. It is a little suspicious, don't you think?"

Emerene left it at that though, and left them, N'kai grinning after her, amused at her silly flirtations and idle threats.