Dinner & Dancing: Hatching Feast [Attn: Open, especially newly Impressed Poetry of the Air Weyrlings!]

Z'ren


Canting his head in slight, the newly Impressed boy regarded Lesera with a bit of curiosity as she admitted to having been a serving girl. She was young so it was understandable that she'd been put to menial tasks during an apprenticeship if she'd had one, but being a serving girl was generally associated more with the kitchens and drudgery.

Still, Z'ren had known the daughter of the Captain at his camp growing up and she often helped her mother with chores around the compound, which included serving the boys their meals -for which he was always grateful for, so he had never looked down on the girl. And in his mind he tended to see most people as equals. Because all people were equal in death -and essentially, dealing death was what he'd spent his life up to that point training in. Though, any Guard could say the same, he supposed.


Watching as she started to remove the jacket but hesitated, as soon as her eyes averted, going on about what they were supposed to be doing, Z'ren put his hands on her shoulders, drawing the jacket back about her to indicate that she needn't take it off if she was still chilly. Whether he became nervous or not upon doing so was not apparent; perhaps he was just more skilled than some at hiding such expression. Anyway, that was his answer to her first question.

Taking a step back, he glanced across the room to where the girl's mother and the Weyrwoman stood together. He had no idea whether or not the two had already known one another, or if the Weyrwoman's speaking to Anuleesa happened to be a rare thing. However, Z'ren still knew as well as anyone, that a Weyrwoman was someone of great influence and power. Now that they were at the Weyr though, would their relationship with that person change? Either way, looking back at Lesera, the boy didn't miss the stunned expression that crossed over his friend's face, so he had to wonder if there was something amiss. Perhaps she was nervous about going to her mother when the Weyrwoman was there with her. He supposed he should be, too.


Again noting the girl's increasing anxiety about the situation, the weyrling Brownrider hesitated, "We can meet with your family later, if you want." Then out of consideration for her, he tried to make up an excuse for her, "Your mom seems busy right now, so maybe it would be better to wait."


@Suri, #Lesera

D'nier


Not surprised to see a new face considering all of the family of newly impressed weyrlings presently enjoying the Weyr's hospitality, D'nier was surprised however, to realize that this was someone Karene had known previously. That is, when it came to his Weyrwoman's momentarily belated introductions.

The Weyrleader, as glad as ever to make a new acquaintance, was smiling and inclined his head toward Anuleesa then.

"It is wonderful to make your acquaintance, Anuleesa. I take it you have graced us with your presence due to there being someone you know having stood on the sands today?"




S'jiro


Indylari was right. They needed to at least pay their respects; and yes, Z'rim, L'mar and Sh'nar would surely be waiting for them. S'jiro however, didn't have the same interest in implicitly impressing Goldriders like his best friend Sh'nar did. He was less interested in Weyrleadership, or the role of Weyrsecond still at this point, and had enough to think about with their recent betrothal.

S'jiro hadn't time to reply before his fiance stood close enough to kiss his cheek. The Bronzerider's cheeks grew warm when she did so, shooting her a look that held some measure of surprise, though not off-put by the sudden -if not minor- show in affection. Though, he figured he shouldn't push his luck asking for more than that again. All previous attempts to be close to her had led to her pushing him further away. At least this was progress. Sort of.

A kiss on the cheek still didn't fix their feelings toward one another -or lack thereof.

Oddly enough, seeing as how their feelings for one another never seemed to align just right, the Bronzerider found himself agreeing with her once again as she declared the importance of making their appearance for the sake of indulging said vanities. It wasn't just hers, but his own. She should know as well as anyone the extent of his own need to be noticed by others.




@Caoimhe, #Indylari, #Karene, #Anuleesa, @Suri, @svet, #Lmar

The woman grinned broadly at her friend as she was introduced to the handsome man at her side. Clearly he was the Weyrleader, at least for now, and Anuleesa was once again reminded that the Weyr bred men to be gorgeous.  "Yes, Karene. I'm glad you remember me. We arrived today for the Hatching, my son Torianu was standing and Impressed brown today. My daughter, Lesera, is the young woman who Impressed from the stands to the lovely little green. Keritorv is with his guardsmen at the Hold still Something came up that needed his attention."

Turning her attention to the man again once Karene had remembered to introduce her, Anuleesa dipped a curtsy and greeted him, "It is good to know you, Weyrleader D'nier. And don't let her fool you. I showed her how to be a Candidate before she Impressed... though it wasn't for long." The woman winked at the goldrider, remembering that the woman had come to the Weyr just shortly before the Hatching. It had been amusing to watch the woman blunder about the chores that her delicate hands had obviously never had to do. The fact that she had ended up doing a lot of the work for the poor girl who once or twice ended up with chapped hands was not something Anuleesa felt the need to bring up in front of the man. Instead, she smiled at him and returned her attention to the Weyrwoman and her friend.

"Actually, my children being here is something I needed to speak with you about. My husband seems to have directed my son to take care of me in the wake of something happening at the Hold and I would be eternally grateful if you would allow me a place to live here at your Weyr. Keri intends to migrate here as well." Subconsciously the woman shifted her back against the scars that marred her from the mauling at the Hatching where Karene had impressed. "I admit, I don't want to part from my children, and from what I saw of the Kitchen earlier you could probably stand to replace that senile old Headwoman of yours."



The newly Impressed greenrider's skin tingled under the jacket where Z'ren pulled it back onto her. Her eyes shot up to meet his even as a blush colored her features. Blessedly the darkness outside hid the most of it, but she didn't argue with his choice to leave it on her. Her shock stilled her response though, as Z'ren made the excuse for her not to see her mother at that moment.

Instead, Lesera's eyes came to rest again on Tori and the small group of friends he had around him. They were fellow Candidates, so it wouldn't really be out of place for herself and the new brownrider to go join him. "Right, ahh... Mother can wait. But you can always meet Tori, he's the best brother ever." With a grin, she nods to Z'ren and takes his hand to dive into the fray of the feast. Side-stepping people and avoiding being run into was second nature for the young woman and she easily guided them to Tori without being stopped by too many people.

When they finally reached the man, Lesera flopped at his side in the nearest seat, leaving a spot next to her for Z'ren to sit in. "Heya Tori. Congrats on Impressing that brown. This is Z'ren." she grinned at her brother "He's like the only friend I've made here."



Being one of the first people to the Feast had its benefits as Tori strolled in, got food and settled himself in the back of the Dining Hall to watch everyone file in. A few of the Candidates he had made friends with soon joined him The foursome sat talking for awhile as the huge room filled with people.

Eventually he saw his mother come in and address the Weyrwoman at the head of the room. It was surprising to see her talking to the woman he had no idea she knew. When she dipped a curtsy to the Weyrleader, Torianu decided that she was simply doing her duty by the woman and her weyrmate and returned his attention to his group of friends. They were discussing a strip dragon poker game for after the Feast back at the Weyrling Barracks and luckily finished the conversation just as his sister Lesera perched at his side with a hug.

"Heya Tori. Congrats on Impressing that brown. This is Z'ren." she grinned, and the young man put his arm around her in a hug.

"Thanks, Lesera. I couldn't believe that you Impressed too! Zelenyth is a cutie. Hello, Z'ren. Nice to see you again and meet you." Reaching around his sister, Tori offered a hand to the young man to shake, "You Impressed the bloody looking brown, right? He was very nice looking." The other three men said their hellos, looking appreciably at Lesera to which Tori glared at them in turn.

The Weyrlingmaster had no doubt that her troubled feelings were apparent before she walked into the Dining Hall. All around her people were celebrating, eating and drinking. It wasn't until J'ace came up to her and offered her his arm that she remembered to look up and try to smile. This was, after all, a night to celebrate the Hatching and the new riders with their dragons. "Good evening Syra. Want some company?" the man asked her, a twinkle in his eye belying the formality of his offered arm.

Syra grinned at him, the smile not quite reaching her eyes as the memory of the young woman suiciding still clouded her mind. Not known to be a woman who settled for one person, the bluerider resolved to be more cheery for the evening, and at the mention of wine, the woman perked up immensely. She, after all, was not restricted in her drinking that evening. "J'ace, always nice to see you. I'd love some company -- and a drink, or two. Do you know if there is any Benden white?" Syra was known for her fondness for the white, and it came from her original home anyway.

She took his arm, curling her delicate hand around his arm and let him escort her into the Dining Hall. "We must toast to the young woman who was crushed during the hatching.... Rasenth's keening is for her. We just... gave her a rider's honor." Her tone dropped for a moment remembering, but she knew that J'ace would make sure she had fun that night, and celebrated the girl's memory as was appropriate. Then they could move on with life, and Syra could teach the new Weyrlings their place with their mates.

Life was never boring with J'ace around.

Z'ren


Z'ren thought he could see a soft blush rise to Lesera's face even under the glows, but couldn't be sure. If that was the case, he thought it was precious, and wondered if she maybe took a little bit of a liking to him, but he didn't take time to give it much more thought than that. Leseara was soon leading them in the direction of her brother, having taken his cue to leave meeting the parents for later.


Torianu looked bigger and more mature than several of the other candidates who'd stood and impressed that day, so Z'ren felt as though he should respect the other young man -if not because Torianu was also Lesera's brother, not to mention a fellow Brownrider. So, nodding his head in greeting, Z'ren continued to prove himself a somewhat shy boy of relatively few words until one got to know him.

Watching the two siblings greet one another, Z'ren stood beside the table where Lesera had sat. The two of them reminded him of being back with his friends at the Blood Moon camp, but there was no telling when he'd see them again. Though... as soon as he could, he planned on writing to alert the captain of his whereabouts. Soon enough, he would miss the company of the other boys. Maybe he could fly to meet them somewhere in the near future -once Draugarth was old enough. But he wasn't sure how long it would be until then.

Reaching past Lesera, Z'ren sook Tori's hand.

"Yeah. His name is Draugarth." Nodding his greeting to the other boys at the table, it was when he noticed their too-eager eyes on Lesera that Z'ren finally decided to take a seat beside her; as though that might have an affect on just how long they stared after the girl. Before doing so, Z'ren let his left hand fall idly to the hilt of the short sword on his hip, where he took time to smooth his thumb over the pommel of it to make sure they all had a chance to notice. Though he supposed he shouldn't care if they liked to look at her or not, all the same, he didn't like to think that any of them would think to be inappropriate with her.

Anyway, Z'ren realized now that he was probably the only weyrling or candidate present who'd chosen to carry a weapon openly, but that hardly mattered to him. It wasn't as though he'd likely be pressed to use it.

Turning his attention briefly back to Tori, Z'ren figured it would only be polite to ask, "I seen you with a sandy-looking Brown, I think, right? What is his name?"

@Suri

[ooc: not hard for another dragon to take advantage of Passerith's sweetness.. *cough*Draugarth*cough*]




M'ket


His attention on her intent as she spoke, it must have seemed as though she were the only creature in the world that existed at that moment. He hung off her words expecting more from her story, but did not reveal any disappointment when she decided that she'd told enough -or that there simply was no more to say. 

The weyrling greenrider had to stop and wonder then, if perhaps his lack of knowledge about the various Halls had allowed his own mind to make them into places of fantastic invention; which perhaps they were not. Had his wonderment over the Halls been misplaced? Surely not? But, he would have to consider that, and put her words to memory. Then perhaps he'd have the chance to ask more of his clutchmates about the craft halls that they came from and could compare their stories. It should be easy to communicate with his class since they would be together a lot of the time.


"What more could I ask for than being here with Prisnyath? I have never really taken an interest in any of the crafts in particular. They must all be equally interesting, in their own way." 

His admission to never having aspired to any particular craft after just having said he envied those who did, must have seemed a bit strange. But, there was nothing more in that regard, for him to say. He'd also gained his freedom, here at the Weyr, and that alone, made it a good place for him to be. 

"I have only ever been a burden to my family, so it is better that I am here. I think I will like it."

M'ket's always-happy smile extant, his dark eyes, brimming with warm amber about the iris, rested like squinted half-moons atop cherubic cheeks. There was no displeasure to be found there, even as his words may have seemed abnormal.

"Having the opportunity to meet a charming young lady such as yourself certainly makes Weyr life seem more appealing. And if you are by any means a measure of the Weyr's standard of beauty, then I suppose there is nothing to complain about there, either." The young man winked at her from where he sat, hoping that he hadn't said too much, and embarrassed her. But he hadn't been dishonest in his flattery, and that was saying something.

Lesera was completely oblivious to the looks from the other men around her as she smiled happily to Z'ren who finally sat beside her. She was too busy looking at his face to notice him reacting to the boys at the table and their looks with his sword. In fact, the girl had barely even acknowledged that there was even anyone else at the table besides her friend and brother, so complete was her disinterest in them.

It was easy for Tori to see his sister's infatuation with the young man, but he didn't even think that Lesera knew she had developed a crush. From Z'ren's reaction to his friend's it was almost clear as day to the brownrider that the two had a little something between them. Nevermind that his sister was wearing what could only be the young man's jacket. After appraising the situation, he was trained in such matters from the Hold Guard after all, T'rian smiled warmly at Z'ren and accepted that he would be around a lot in their near future. Especially since his sister hardly ever took the time to make friends with people.

"His name is Liorth. And I almost didn't see him with how well he blended into the sands! I couldn't be happier for any of us." He released Z'ren's hand with a second gentle squeeze, a silent hint between the two of them that he had noticed and approved. "It took me awhile to convince him that I would be okay at the feast for a bit without him, but I think the stress of Hatching and eating finally got to him and he fell asleep in my bed instead of his couch."

The young woman's head whipped back to her brother as she laughed loudly. She seemed to come alive around her brother who had been there for her through her entire life, providing for her and getting her a place in the Kitchens where she wanted to work, "Zelenyth did that too! She took up my entire pillow and hardly left me any room. I think she did it on purpose. She's not happy about being left at the Barracks while we celebrate." Sleepy tendrils of dragon mind touched her as Lesera sensed that her dragonet wasn't completely asleep any longer.

Little did she know, however, that Zelenyth had no intention of sleeping longer than she had. The warm food in her belly did the opposite it was supposed to do, and after a short nap, woke up the young dragonet. She poked her head out of Lesera's room and looked around. The coast seemed clear enough and there was no one around. Unsteady little feet moved slowly as Zelenyth tried to sneak around and find her friends. She hadn't been paying too much attention to where the others had been placed when she was much more interested in the mind of her rider and figuring out her beloved Lesera. Is anyone else awake? Let's go to the Feast! It took awhile but she made it to the one room that she did remember, Draugarth's. She nudged the brown warily, having seen his temperamental side earlier and prepared herself for a flash of claws if he didn't take kindly to waking up, Do you want to find our rider's with me?


It wasn't long before the smell of the food set out for the guests to the Feast reached Lesera's nose and her mouth started to water. Tori's plate was piled high with his third helping and he hadn't yet touched it. Instead of bothering to ask, the young woman slid it closer to her and stole his fork, digging into the herdbeast roast meat that was a perfect redness for her. The bread was soft, fresh and flavorful and made a great sponge for the blood on the plate around her meat. Before long Lesera had also finished off the cheese and potatoes and little side salad thing that her brother had plated himself and looked weakly at the empty plate, still feeling hunger in the pit of her stomach. "That wasn't nearly enough!" she wailed, looking plaintively at Z'ren, "Do you want to go get more food with me?"

Eating was nothing to be shy about in her household and Lesera had never cared about looking a lady when she was. Having devoured the entire plate without caring and using a combination of hands with the bread and cheese, and eating utensils for the messier things, she had nothing to be ashamed of. The thought of some of her hunger having been left over from Zelenyth didn't occur to her, but she knew she wanted more. Reaching down between them where the others couldn't see, Lesera took Z'ren's hand and gave it a squeeze shyly.

Veyani felt it difficult to focus most of the time so as Teylarrin continued to speak, she had a harder and harder time understanding her, the more distracted she became. The other girl was going to have a tough Weyrlinghood, there was no doubt in her mind about that. However difficult, they were now part of a new group of people. A kind of people that looked out for their own. The camaraderie between them should only grow through their Weyrlinghood. Veyani intended on being friends with everyone in her class. Especially those who might need a little extra support.

Laughing, “They are in a hurry to be adults aren’t they?” She didn’t recall ever wanting to grow up any faster than she had to but dragons did grow up a lot faster. And it wasn’t like all they would be able to do when they grew up would be to farm and have lots of babies. The greens were fighters, they would be part of Wings, they would be every bit as good as those blues and beat the boys where they could. Veyani was certain that Astraiath and Sonadorath were just the type of greens to not back down.

“Heh, no, she wasn’t dizzy. And you’d already left with Astraiath when she started up so I don’t think many people would have seen her. She was one of the last ones on the Sands.” Looking to make sure neither of the new Goldriders were close by, she added with a giggle, “Greens are so much better on their feet.” She was actually quite proud of that.

Broad smile on her face at the thought of Sonadorath flying circles around the Golds later, she looked up in time to see S’jiro entering the room with Indylari. Her smile lost a little of its brightness for a moment and she turned her face back toward her own table and the group of new friends she was going to have now.



Bl'en was paranoid, checking on his newly impressed dragon mentally every few minutes just to be sure the Bronze was still asleep. He didn't want to be gone when the Bronze woke. He might need something! Vaqueroth was soundly sleeping, he double checked to see if there was any touch from the dragon. Smiling, he didn’t even notice if she were less well dressed than other women. Probably because he didn’t notice other women when she was around. There was no help for that though, even if she didn’t want him to be around her, he would look out for her from afar.

 It would take a while for him to get used to being called anything other than Guardsman or Bladen. He wouldn’t lie that it felt odd to think of himself as a Bronzerider. “I could probably do away with the Bronzerider part, Bl’en should suit just fine and even that feels foreign to me.”  It didn’t help that his sister was going to kill him. Lance had told him more than once of the arrogance of Bronzeriders. The more he thought about it though, the less he thought that Vaqueroth was like that. It was difficult to associate the Bronze with anything negative though.


“I’m sure the whole incident has been forgotten on his end. He was only concerned with their safety and of course his growing hunger.” He smirked, a challenge? Ember wasn’t one to encourage his interest in any way but it almost sounded like she did want him to be around, with Vaqueroth to look out for trouble. Not that anyone needed to tell him to look out for her. She was second in his heart only to Vaqueroth and with time, she would see that.

While the Bronze was awake he would need to be careful of that attachment but he would be careful. Confusing his dragon was the last thing he wanted to do. “Vaqueroth already seems to feel it is his duty to look out for the other dragons in the clutch. I wouldn’t be surprised if he earned himself a reputation as a mother hen.” He laughed. Bl’en honestly preferred to have a dragon who cared about the others in his clutch than not.

He only hoped in the future they could agree on Bl’en’s choice of lover. As he thought that he immediately got a sense from the Bronze that something wasn’t right. “What’s going on at the Barracks?” He said abruptly.

Vaqueroth had been wakened by his clutch mates, rather on accident but the Bronze was less than appreciative. Opening one multifaceted, draconic eye slowly, he saw the culprits and rumbled unpleasantly.

And where do you think you are going?

The Bronze was not happy about this. He didn’t like being awake when he was tired. He didn’t like the sneaking. He didn’t think to bother the Weyrlingmaster’s dragon at this point or Bl’en though he could sense that his rider knew he was awake and irritated.

If you were meant to be at the Feast, you would be there. If you need your rider, then tell them so. This sneaking is not appropriate or called for.

Bl’en puzzled over the dragon’s mood for a moment, “I think I’d better go check on him. I don’t know what would have him agitated.” But there was a clear sense of agitation coming from him. “Do you want me to check in on Nymeriath also?”




"I never was meant for manual labor..." She said with a smirk. No doubt when she was first at the Weyr there were many people who would have said she was a haughty, looseskirt but she really never had cared about the opinion of those she deemed less important than herself. Even now, she wasn't the most likeable person in the world. There were more important things to worry about though than whether or not she was liked. Respect she cared about a lot more and with Galadrieth around there were very few who would dare to be anything but respectful of her.

"It seems we were both doubly lucky then today. My eldest daughter and my second son have both Impressed today as well." Skipping over her elder son felt odd especially given that despite his antics, she always thought he was more of the leader of her boys. Still she had no doubt he was meant for good things in the future. Wriggling her nose she thought about Anuleesa's proposition. She did know the Weyr well enough and hte old woman who was acting as Headwoman at the moment was not her previous Headwoman. She had to find a replacement in rather a hurry with everything going on.

Well now that she had deprived the woman of her two children, she couldn't in good conscience keep her from them. "As you have pointed out, there is no Headwoman at Fort Weyr right now." She added slowly, "If you are interested I'll make sure your assistants know you'll be starting in the morning. In fact I think I see one of them entering over there. She was a Gold Candidate but it seems safe to say she won't be Impressing." Indicating the well dressed young woman entering with S'jiro, "That is Indylari and she is quite capable having grown up running a minor hold. Unfortunately she was injured today at the Hatching and she has not been around to set things up like she normally would have. I think the two of you will get along just fine... I'll tell you more about the other assistant tomorrow morning." She didn't press the woman about what was going on at the Hold. Karene had a mind to ask her about it tomorrow. She didn't like secrets being kept from her but this was hardly the places to interrogate someone.

"Galadrieth informs me that Liorth and Zelenyth are the names of your children's dragons. Tell them congratulations for me. Please enjoy some time at the Feast." Karene certainly intended to. "I haven't seen Emerene enter yet, my daughter but K'vik is the youth over there with the bright red hair." It was unmistakable even among the crowd of Weyrfolk. "I do hope they all become friends."

She didn't dismiss her friend but her eyes drifted back to the Weyrleader. Things had been so hectic lately and she had never had to rely on a man so much as she had D'nier. It was almost more than she wanted to admit, even to herself because she had always seen herself as a pillar of strength. Someone who didn't need much help. However, lately she had very much been proven wrong and she wanted to tell him as much at some point. At the very least she felt she should give him credit where it was due.

Anuleesa's mind stopped thinking when Karene immediately appointed her the Headwoman of the Weyr. It hadn't taken long for her to do so, but the woman was pleased. She wouldn't have to leave her children, and the Headwoman's quarters in the Weyr were plenty large enough for herself and her husband since her children would now be living in their own weyrs with their dragons when they were old enough. Already preoccupied with planning for the next day, the woman almost forgot to pay attention when the Weyrwoman started pointing out who the assistant was that she was to speak to. "Indylari. I understand, thank you old friend." she said, dipping her head to the woman before watching the young lady. She made absent-minded appropriate words to congratulate the woman on her children Impressing as well, but her mind had turned to organization.

"Thank you again, Karene. I'll go introduce myself to the young woman you mentioned and pass on your words to my own children when I find them. It was good to meet you, Weyrleader. I hope we have a chance to talk again. For now, I'm going to go peruse the Headwoman's Quarters and see what I can do about a good breakfast for you all."

With another curtsy, Anuleesa wandered off in the direction of the place she would be living, thinking to reacquaint herself the place. Her attention was caught, again, by the woman that Karene had pointed out, and she diverted her path to say hello. With a gentle tap on her shoulder, Anuleesa tried to get her attention over the loud din of the Dining Hall, "You are Indylari, correct? My name is Anuleesa, I am the new Headwoman. Good to meet you. I won't keep you long, but I was hoping that we could meet early and discuss what needs to be done here and plan meals for tomorrow." Her smile was warm and motherly, but the set to her eyes made it clear that she was not a push over or someone to tamper with. She had just as much temper as the Weyrwoman herself, and it wouldn't be long before the people of the Weyr would find out if they got on her bad side.

With a wink, the woman let Indylari and her date go, she would more than likely be found in the Kitchens at all times, but there was the matter of having her home at the Hold packed and brought to her new quarters, and letting her husband know as well that things had panned out with his backhanded planning to get his wife and daughter to safety with his son. She knew Torianu had to be proud; his father rarely asked anything of him or showed any pride - but that had more to do with how he was raised than anything else. Keritorv was exceptionally proud of his son, he just failed in showing it. "I'll hopefully see you in the morning, good night Indylari."

Mingling with the new weyrlings was not exactly at the top of N'kyr's priority list.  But as a wingsecond, he was duty bound to greet as least some of them, to make himself known to them for future reference.  Most notably, he was supposed to introduce himself to the two new bronzeriders, seeing as they might come to shadow him at some point during their training.  That also went for the new brownriders, but he wasn't as worried about them.

For now, he was going to start with those that had Impressed bronze, and go from there.  Though he probably should greet the new goldriders, too, just in case D'nier decided to question whether he had or not.  It was certainly the proper thing to do, if nothing else, and N'kyr was usually one to follow the rules of courtesy, no matter how much doing so irritated him.

Spotting the taller of the two new bronzeriders, the one who wasn't the Weyrwoman's son, and who just happened to be talking with one of the newly Impressed goldriders, the young wingsecond straightened his shoulders and started to thread his way through the crowd, figuring, if nothing else, this meeting would allow him to kill two wherries with one stone.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


K'thane had congratulated several of the new weyrlings already, and was slowly working his way through the people milling about in the Dining Cavern to try to find them all.  Some of them were still speaking to family members, and he rather thought he spotted a few of them over by the food tables.  He would eventually make the rounds, but he wasn't rushing at the moment.  There was plenty of time, and for now, he was instead enjoying a glass of wine with an enthusiastic holder woman whose newly Impressed son had just run off.  

It certainly did well to give the parents a good impression of dragonriders, especially for those who lived outside the main Holds and potentially believed all the crazy stories that circulated about those who lived in the Weyrs.  It was easy to laugh most of the strange questions off, though he had to wonder how some of the rumors got started.  For the more difficult ones, he simply reminded others of the nature of the night, how it was for celebrating the new bonds that had been formed, and not for dwelling on the darker side of Weyr life.  Hopefully, he left the excited-- and scared-- relatives with a good impression of those who would be educating their children for the time being.  If not, no one could say he hadn't tried.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


I'llium had spotted a table close to the food where several of his fellow new weyrlings sat.  He didn't see either of the two other former guardsmen, but it was possible they were close by and would join those at the table soon.  If not, it wasn't going to hurt to get to know the ones who were already sitting there, at least.

Grabbing a mug of whatever was closest from the array of drinks, the weyrling bluerider moved towards the table and eyed the girls closest to the end.  There was empty space next to them, so surely they wouldn't mind if he sat at the table, too?

"Hello, ladies.  Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked of Teylarrin and Veyani, inclining his head to indicate one of the empty seats beside them.  "I'm… I'llium, now, I suppose.  Though I confess to not remembering either of your names, if you'd be so kind as to remind me of them?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


"Like rider, like dragon," Ember had to laugh in agreement with Bl'en, when he spoke of Vaqueroth's wanting to look out for the others in the clutch.  "He'll certainly have his hands full all around, then, and not just with Nymeriath and her sister."

Not that she would have doubted it, but it sounded as if the bronze that had chosen the young man next to her had made a good match-- Bl'en, she thought, would likely be looking out for the human halves of the pairs as his dragon would with his siblings.  The thought was definitely reassuring despite knowing the problems it could cause particularly for her.  But she'd do her part to keep an eye on the younger ones especially, too-- some of them were so innocent and naive, she knew Weyr life could possibly be rough for them.

"Something going on in the barracks?" the newly Impressed goldrider asked, her smile lessening as she checked in with her slumbering dragon.  "Nymeriath's out cold as far as I can tell.  Is Vaqueroth awake?"

Concern growing as she watched Bl'en's expression change, she added, "Is he all right?  Something wrong with one of the others?"  There was nothing but contented sleep coming from her gold, so what could be bothering the bronze, or any of the rest?

Teylarrin had not considered that her Dragonet was in any form of rush to grow up. She had just thought that the little thing had a need to feel special. She was important to Teylarrin regardless of whether or not she could do all of the things that she claimed to be able to. Maybe it was because she felt less worthy than the larger Dragon breeds that she held the urge to show off, to prove that she was not to be underestimated. Veyani’s suggestion made more sense, she supposed. What child was not in a hurry to grow up? No doubt it was close to the number of adults that wanted to be children again. It was an odd cycle of self desire, that. Such psychology warranted a greater depth of thought than she was willing to give at the moment.

Teylarrin withdrew her eyes from the bread. She had been staring at it as it rolled back and forth on table from one hand to the other. She had not realized that she had been doing so until she pulled her mind away from its inner ramblings. She looked to Veyani only to find her averting her gaze. She recognized that expression. It was the same one that she had held during the Hatching and the Egg Touching. It was one that came more often than it should. Something had been troubling her for a while now. “Suh, whozy?” she asked. Better be direct than to beat around the proverbial bush. She had known that look to cross many a face back home. It did not take a lot of wisdom to know that it was caused by a member of the opposite sex. It just took people skills that had been built up over a number Turns.

Unfortunately, they were interrupted by a new arrival. Well, unfortunate may have been a bit of a stretch. It was more the timing that was unwelcome rather than the young man. “Howdeh,” Teylarrin greeted. She nodded to a spot on the bench seating next to her, indicating a place that he could sit. When he asked their names, she answered. “Ah gayus Ah’m T’rin and dis ear idz V’ni.”

Spoiler:

@Caoimhe, @Sylverangel

It was nice to be having a conversation, she found with a bit of surprise. Considering her lack of interest in making long-lasting friends at the Hall, she was coming to the realization that with having Passerith, she was now bound to the Weyr. She would be there for turns. It would probably be nigh impossible to not make friends, let alone good ones. And the young man before her already had something in common. They both had greens. They would be in the same classes, and whether they liked it or not, would probably end up spending a rather decent amount of time together.

As he spoke, she considered. First he was envious, then he didn’t really take any interest. She considered that a moment, and decided that it could make sense, so moved on. But then, he had implied before he took care of his family, but now he was a burden. Furrowing her brow slightly as she eyed the boy curiously, she realized her interest was piqued to know more of him. And then he moved on with flattery. A scowl wanted to spring to her features, but she shrugged it off. Afterall, it was true.

”Yes, I can be rather fetching, but I am by no means a standard of beauty.” A light chuckle sprang from her lips. She took the moment to finish off her plate in neat bites, then sat back a little, letting her body settle. Between the Impression hunger, the emotional roller coaster, and then the excitement of the Hatching Feast, she realized she was a bit sleepy. Granted, she had no intention to wander off yet, but she knew she would not have any issues sleeping that night.

Glancing towards him, she leaned forward on the table, her elbows up on it, resting her chin on laced fingers, ”So you didn’t leave anyone behind, when you came here? No broken hearted maids? I’m sure there was a trail of wailing ladies as you waved farewell.” She was in a rarely good mood, and hoped a bit she wouldn’t offend. But he had started it with the flattery.

((tag: @eloaene ))

Gentle smile persisting, M'ket had been glad his flattery had worked to distract her from wondering too much about cryptic replies from him, but he sensed that his words had not exactly pleased her. He hadn't necessarily taken her for the kind who thrived on flattery, but the decoy had worked and he'd spoken truthfully. He'd been around many beautiful women, some who were well kept, and others who were not in such promising circumstances, but regardless of their backgrounds, he'd been able to lure many into bed at least once. Not that he'd had any particular attraction to any of them, mind you. M'ket rarely thought of things like love when he'd seduced them. Love had never been something that had been a part of his life. It was foreign to him. And seducing women had been both a game, and a matter of survival. And to be honest, he wasn't sure any but one were truly sad at his leaving.

"There is only one woman who probably ever felt as deeply for me as I felt for her; but she and I were not destined to be together. She was engaged to my cousin. My cousin wasn't jealous, which leaves me convinced that his anger was because it made him feel like a lesser man knowing that the girl he was supposed to marry had fallen in love with someone other than himself. He never showed any care for her. I was more a threat to his manhood than his marriage, in his eyes. Thus, if you must know, is the real reason that I am here. I can't say I regret it though -either having loved her, or being here."

Though at the time he spoke he'd been smiling softly down at the table, having been torn from the person they loved against their will should have made anyone sad, yet M'ket had done well to continue to veil any such emotion behind what might now seem more like a mask. Still, he seemed to have distanced himself from that regret in his heart and come to terms with it already, somehow. Because it couldn't have been long ago, if he'd only just come to the Weyr.

Turning his gaze over to look at her again, M'ket asked serenely, "Does it make you uncomfortable if I speak of such things? I should be more considerate and not say upsetting things." Because he knew that to some, it might be. Suddenly he regretted saying more than he should have. Oddly though, he felt comfortable with Keket -as though they'd known one another for longer than just this short time. Curious, he wondered if that had anything to do with their dragons.

She sat idle, letting her body digest the food she just ate. Listening to him speak was surprisingly easy, and while most people she had little interest in sitting and listening to ramble on, there seemed like there was something more going on with M’ket. She lowered one hand to slide her plate a little away from her, it would be a bit awkward to put an elbow in the dish or something. Brown eyes were locked on his, her ears trained as she heard his story. A light frown appeared as he finished though, ”I’m not upset in the slightest. I will be honest, I’m not sure if it’s our new dragons, or what, but I find it a bit easy to talk to you. Perhaps because we were chosen by the same color.”

A light shrug, and a hand raised to brush a few stray strands of reddish hair behind an ear, ”As to your love history, it’s obvious your cousin is most likely rather thick-skulled. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.” Her tone was sincere as she stared at him, a small smile on her lips, ”Though I’ll point out, if it had worked out, you probably would have stayed at your Hold, and you wouldn’t have Prisnyath.” Her smile grew a bit. Thinking of his dragon made her think of her own Passerith, and those feelings of possession and love filled her belly like nothing else ever had.

”Are you looking forward to being a Dragonrider? …Did you ever imagine you would be, for that matter? I certainly didn’t. I was all on track to become a fully fledged Harper.” She chuckled slightly, a hand again raising to push some hair back. It seemed like a normal habit for her, something she just did without thinking. It wasn’t flirty, or nervous, merely a habit.

((tag: @eloaene ))

M'ket found it oddly comforting that Keket seemed to take a genuine interest in their conversation; even though to him, it might have been a little embarrassing that she did actually seem interested in a conversation that now seemed to focus more on him. In the past, he'd been cooped up in an environment where few people would have taken the chance to get to know him -nor would they have had much of an opportunity. But here, he did not have to live under the same restrictions. He could speak more freely. He had to keep reminding himself about that.

After hearing that she felt similarly, the weyrling greenrider was glad to hear that they shared the same supposition, that it might have to do with their dragons, or perhaps some bond their dragons shared. His expression only grew more genuinely pleased at the thought.

"I surmise that you must be correct, Miss Keket. Perhaps it does have something to do with our dragons. To me, they are still mysterious creatures." He laughed light heartedly, "I wonder if they themselves have some connection to one another that we will soon discover, since they were born of the same clutch. I do feel the same way, however."

He had to stop though, as if to correct her train of thought, as she went on about the things that he'd told her moments earlier. Of course, it was all with the same genteel manner. To some, it must have been frustrating to find his demeanor rarely altering, rarely displaying anything but pleasure, even in the most unsavory of circumstances. As though he felt nothing else. As though completely removed from other emotion -which surely couldn't have been the case. Yet, there had been few times ever, that a person had tried to provoke him to the point of allowing that mask to crack. Though, right now, it was perfectly possible that the infusion of heart-warming emotion from their new lifemates was enough to render him incapable of feeling much else, other than the joy of that union.

"Well, I have not told you these things so that you should feel sorry. My grandparents, nor her own family, would have likely ever allowed to be together. If we were to remain together, we would have had to flee to live elsewhere, lest we be forcibly separated. But running away is not something I could have made her do, nor do I think she would have been happy living that way. It would have only dishonored her and both of our families if we'd done so. For that reason, I cannot regret having left her behind, nor believe that a hope ever lived for the two of us. It would be foolish of me."

Regarding Keket with a cant of his head then, he went on, speaking easily, without any pain or regret behind his words, "We crossed paths only to be an influence on one another's lives as long as was necessary, and then it came to an end. What happened in the beginning, the middle, and the end, were all meant to be, just as they happened. It was all important to our lives in some way, and it was all necessary in order to lead us to the path that we are now on. That is all there was to it.

"Certainly, if things had not happened that way, I would not be here with Prisnyath, like you said. Annd I am looking forward to being a dragonrider."

Looking away then, M'ket paused, seeming to swallow any further thoughts before they could escape on his tongue, though he disguised it behind the appreciation of another bite off his plate. Letting a few seconds of silence pass between them, he finally continued, "I think, most of all, I'm looking forward to freedom."

He did not meet her eyes as he made the admittance but felt all the more free just saying the words aloud.

Thinking about the rest of her question though, he placed his fork to rest at the edge of his plate once more, having been able to finish his food with that bite.

Returning her curious look with a smile, M'ket went on, "I can't say I ever imagined being a dragonrider though. Nor anything else." He paused for a breath. "Do you think you would have preferred the life of a harper over this?"

As he spoke the words, he watched her brushing a few stray strands back from her face again, and as they insistently fell forward once more, he had to smother the urge to reach up and stop them. Thouogh he did give a little laugh. She was pretty and quite cute. Thus, before she could reply, his eyes were resting on her comfortably with some whit of affection. He certainly liked her, even if he didn't know how much he liked her just yet.

@Keket

Bl’en

The newly Impressed Bronzerider was nervous to find out the answers to those same questions. “I wish I knew. This mental link thing, it is so new that I don’t think I can tell how bothered he is. What I do know is something woke him up and he is agitated.” He shrugged, “I’m sure if it were life threatening I would know but at the same time I’d like to be there if something is bothering him.”

It was simply in his nature to be that way. Vaqueroth might not think he needed help or might want to be strong for his rider without telling him what was happening. Whatever was happening, he highly doubted there was any reason to be worried about Nymeriath. “Maybe one of the other dragonets is up making noise or something.” He wouldn’t put it past that dark reddish brown to be causing some kind of turmoil.

With an apologetic half smile, “And here I was hoping we’d have more time to talk.” Maybe he could have even been lucky enough to get a dance. “I’ll look in on the Golds since I’ll be down there. I’m sure you would know though if Nymeriath was troubled.” He didn’t want her to leave the party because of him. Certainly not when there would be so many people wanting to congratulate and meet her.

Lancelle

Dressing in fine clothes had never been her favorite thing to do but since her brother had Impressed, she thought she would make an effort. When she arrived, she knew she would probably not be the only one looking to congratulate. And if she knew her brother, he had taken no time in congratulating a certain young woman who would be even more crowded. It was kind of sweet thinking about them though. They both just came to the Weyr, Impressed a Bronze and a Gold and if she were the romantic type, she might say it was destiny.

The tall greenrider made her way through the crowds when she spotted him, where she thought she might. Her green eyes certain of where he was standing made off in that direction. When she arrived to that spot though, he was gone and she was facing a completely different Bronzerider. Taking in a deep breath because she wasn’t sure exactly what to say to N’kyr, she almost turned around. Still all this awkwardness and avoidance was going to get old. They could still speak in public.

“Hmm, I had come looking for my brother but it seems a different Bronzerider showed up instead. Good evening N’kyr.” She tried to be amicable. “Have you had a chance to congratulate the Goldriders yet?” She asked, not because she was in any way jealous but rather because she had to make conversation and didn’t know what else would be appropriate to say.

Veyani

Biting her lip in an effort not to answer Teylarrin’s question. “Someone you would be better off never knowing. Bronzerider S’jiro.” She said, not knowing how much of their relationship Teylarrin was aware of. Veyani felt quite fortunate that a lot of those who Impressed were new Candidates and did not see the way that S’jiro had treated her. She wasn’t simply embarrassed for how it seemed from the outside.

Veyani honestly didn’t want anyone to think she regretted the good times. She didn’t regret them at all. Nor should he, if anyone asked her opinion. The only reason she warned Teylarrin from him was because she doubted he would be as understanding of the other girl’s backwoods accent.

When I’llium sat down with them, she was happy for the interruption of her thoughts. Smiling, “Heh. We don’t have Honorifics like the boys but if we had, those would work. I’m Veyani of Green Sonadorath and this is Teylarrin of Green Astraiath.” She paused trying to recall his Impression, “Oh you Impressed that really pretty colored blue! What’s his name?” Of course unlike everyone else, she had seen the whole class Impress. Sona had been too busy rolling around in her egg to Hatch like everyone else.
.
Karene

Watching the woman head off to find not only Indylari but her children, she hoped Anuleesa would at least take a little while to enjoy herself. If there was something she knew about the other woman though, it was that she was about as work oriented as Karene could be. If her mind was on a task it would be hard to keep her from thinking about it until it had seen completion.

Glancing up at the Weyrleader, “A Headwoman and an entire Hatching, in one day. I think we deserve a break.” She was quite pleased with herself and didn’t really need to ask how things just seemed to work out sometimes. Galadrieth would say not to worry about something where there was nothing to worry about. She wasn’t going to create more problems for her self then she was already having to deal with.

Indylari

Arriving at the Weyrhall, she genuinely smiled. The room’s decor, lighting, the well dressed people, it all gave her a good feeling. The good feeling, continued as a woman she had never seen before approached her. The new Headwoman? Well, that hadn’t taken long at all. Her eyes were wide and she nodded that she was who Anuleesa thought she was, “I will be there bright and early to discuss everything.” She spoke to both Anuleesa and S’jiro. . She was making certain S’jiro would hear.

It was hard to keep coming up with excuses to keep him out of her bed. Since speaking with Z’rim her hopes were higher but she still had to pretend with S’jiro. The more time she had to wait, the harder things were going to become.

Feeling rather relieved about having a perfect excuse for her to retire without company, she watched as the Headwoman headed off as quickly as she had come. Smiling in the woman’s direction, Anuleesa seemed more than capable of taking over. Indylari only wondered how they found someone who knew so much about the Weyr so quickly. Again, she was relieved about this. With her stresses melting away, she looked around the room.

Dark brown eyes found the form of Bronzerider Z’rim within a moment or two. “I see Z’rim, should we go over and see him? He doesn’t appear to have brought anyone with him.” And it would be rude to leave him there by himself, went unspoken.

J’ace

“With Weyrleader D’nier being from Benden, we’ve had more Benden white shipped here. I suppose it is one of the perks of being the son of the Benden Weyrleaders. “ J’ace added congenially. He did not need to know the details of what Syra had done to help the women on the Sands in order to see that it troubled her. She had done the right thing. There was no doubt about that.

Walking into the large room, bluerider on his arm, he walked them toward where the wine was sitting out for people to take for themselves. “We should toast to her life and to you for helping her to a rider’s end.” J’ace did feel badly that they had to deal with such horrific things at times but the bad never entirely overshadowed the good. After all, considering there were two Golds on the Sands, the casualties had not been many. There had been some much worse with only one Gold to Impress.

“Then we will toast to a brighter future, where many more lives will be saved than will be lost.” And from there they could move on to happier subjects. He wasn’t entirely against being serious but he tended to want to make things less so. When one made light of tragic events it could rub people the wrong way. He did not however like to dwell on the negative for long, even when greatly affected by something. This might just be a defense mechanism for his own emotions. If he never let himself get too upset over anything then he was always in a pleasant mood and no one needed to worry about him.

She listened intently as he spoke. As she did so, it was obvious that her mind was a little split. Part of her was back in the barracks, sleeping soundly. Even if she felt it when Passerith twitched, or flinched at some hidden fear the green possessed. Each time, Keket sent soothing feelings towards the green. She knew that if she was present in the room, her hands would be on that green hide, petting and comforting. As it was, she did what she could for her Bonded.

The part of her that was listening to M’ket’s story did find it interesting to hear. Growing up in a Weyr and then moving to the Harper Hall, she couldn’t quite fathom the societal niceties that governed the smaller Holds. Certain ways things had always been done, and as such should continue being done. Weyr’s were by nature a bit more liberal about certain things. Especially things like relationships. And the Harper Hall was generally accepted as being the most forward thinking of the crafts.

As he admitted to freedom though, she had to think about what exactly his life must have been like before, and the consideration made her frown on behalf of her new friend. She grew up a Weyrbrat, and as long as they behaved and did their lessons, even the Harper Hall was rather loose at times. She had never felt trapped. As he finished his food, she took the chance to glance around the room. She was a bit surprised to see the amount of people present, and realized they had slipped a bit into their own little world. And she didn’t really mind.

As he turned the question around to her, she thought about it for a moment. ”At first, I would say yes. But now that I’ve Impressed….I didn’t realize there was something missing until that gap was filled. I will have no regrets about not being a Harper. I am looking forward to growing and taking care of Passerith.” She smiled warmly at the very thought, letting those feelings envelop her being until looking at him. Another light warmth leaked in, and she wondered what it was, where it came from. Perhaps some residue of clutchmates, she wasn’t sure. And she found herself matching his pleasant smile.

((@eloaene, #Mket))

I'llium


I'llium blinked for a moment, attempting to interpret Teylarrin's speech patterns.  While he had been exposed to many different people in his time in Crom's guard, he wasn't sure he'd heard the nuances in the greenrider's speaking before coming to the Weyr.

He was certainly grateful for Veyani's clarification and nodded to both girls in turn as he took the indicated space on the bench.  "Borsaioloth is what he told me.  It doesn't… flow as well as the names of your greens."  Not that he would change it, if he could-- clearly his blue knew who he was, and as someone who was still struggling to redefine himself, I'llium would never take that from him.  "It seems like a mouthful to call him that all the time."  

Maybe it would get easier as he grew more used to it?  He had only Impressed a few hours ago, after all.  It certainly hadn't been long enough for him to come up with a suitable nickname, if one used such a thing for a dragon, when he was still coming to terms with how his life had changed.

Picking up a roll and hauling off a politely-sized hunk to put in his mouth, the bluerider attempted to further the conversation. "Did your greens settle in easily?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Emberlynn


Not wanting to wake the gold up by doing so too many times, Ember once again checked on Nymeriath.  "She's definitely still asleep.  But if he's worried about something… I could go with you, just in case."  She had no idea what they might find, but wouldn't it be better if there were two of them, not just one?

Not that she didn't think Bladen-- Bl'en-- could take care of himself.  But there was definitely something to be said about safety in numbers.  Even for former guardsmen.

"Should we see if any of the others have noticed anything?" not that she could see many of them among the crowd right this second.  But maybe they'd run into one or two of their classmates if they kept an eye out along the way.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

N'kyr


N'kyr was frowning faintly as he realized he'd just missed the two new weyrlings he'd been moving towards.  They'd disappeared into the crowd before he arrived at the spot, and he hadn't been able to follow their path.  Not that he wanted to appear as if he was deliberately following them.  It was a bit irritating, though, that they'd disappeared before he could get his duty over with.

Trying to spot them again, or the other new gold- or bronzerider, he almost missed Lance.  She probably would've had enough time to walk away if she'd been so inclined, but since she hadn't, he was now stuck with similar thoughts to her own.

Clearing his throat, he replied, "Good evening."  He couldn't decide how to read her tone when she said 'different' bronzerider, though, and it took him a moment to focus on the rest of her words.  "No, I haven't.  One was just here, but she seems to have disappeared.  Were you looking for the bronzerider she was with?"

Teylarrin did not recongize the name of the Bronzerider. Granted, her experience with them had been limited. The majority of the elder riders had not been overly fond of dealing with the Candidates. In fact it seemed to her that they had not wanted anything to do with them at all. They were probably used to many of the potientials flunking out. It was just not worth their time to introduce themselves to anyone before they had actually Impressed. It was a pretty arrogant mindset. Some role models they were. it sounded like she had had the better end of the deal now though. Veyani clearly was not in the best of spirits over her experience with one. "Ya wun meh tuh tage cer uh em?" she asked. "Ahll kig iz ahrs suh ard ehll buh kizzin duh muhnz."

The new arrival started to talk about his Dragon's name. He did not sound too thrilled with it. That was why parents did not let their child name themselves. It was not the kids that had to speak their names. That did make her wonder though, "Heyo comb dey nuh thur nayms? Heyo cun dey ebben tawg? Hoow tahd em dare wurs?"

Spoiler:

@Caoimhe @sylverangel

[OOC: Marc, how come it looks like TeyTey's speech gets worse with every thread? >D  ;P   tho.. somehow, i think im getting better at deciphering it. lol ... maybe >.>]





M’ket


While his clutchmate addressed the question, the weyrling Greenrider canted his head in slight, regarding her with interest; and upon her admission of being happy that she’d stood to impress, having no regrets, M’ket too, was pleased.


“It makes me glad to hear that you are happy. Surely our lives could have taken many turns in other directions, but to have found that path that is most fulfilling… must be a rare thing. Don’t you think?”

Thoughts turned back to his own newly impressed lifemate, M’ket could sense that faint presence in his mind as the green slept soundly, hardly capable of feeling any separation anxiety in such a state. In fact, Prisnyath seemed rather content at rest, which he found rather endearing. The gentle sleep that Prisnyath enjoyed put him at even greater ease, knowing that Keket’s words were indeed true. Not that he hadn’t known there were many facets in his life left unfulfilled though. It was just hard for him to recognize them because he’d had little experience in that kind of self-exploration up until more recently. It was still a new thing to him.

M’ket wondered then if it was the same for everyone -if everyone had some void in them to be filled, and if each person’s void was the same or different? If that was the case, whether the void was the same or not, at least that offered some hope for him. That meant that he wasn’t the only one who’d felt perhaps frustratingly incomplete prior to his Impression. But, did that mean that all dragonriders had been at some point dysfunctional before Impression? Surely that wasn’t the case. It gave him something to think about, nonetheless.

@Keket

Z'ren

The weyrling Brownrider thought it funny that a dragon could become passive aggressive. It seemed odd to think they'd have such unique personality quirks. Or perhaps he'd just never given dragons enough thought to really wonder how much personality they had -or what kid of personalities those might be.

Z'ren was laughing at Lesera's depiction of her dragon though, leaving him with thoughts about his own. Rather, his thoughts trailed off to meet the Brown's consciousness, realizing that Draugarth was no longer asleep. And though he must have only just awoke, there seemed to be little drowsy about him. Instead, his lifemate seemed oddly inrigued. By what, he had no idea, and if he'd known any better at that point, he should have been leery of it.


Looking across the table at the plates that others had filled, Z'ren decided to agree with Lesera about getting food. The smells were delightful and only invigorated his hunger once again, now that he was focused on them.

"Sure. Let's get some food."

Getting up from his seat, Z'ren didn't hesitate to lead the way.



Draugarth's eyes flew open, whirling orange, on the alert, as his sister strolled in, waking him from his slumber. Though he could have been mad at having been awoken, the Brown found it more interesting though, seeing any of his clutchmates approach him so carelessly. After all, he was a frightening sight to behold, and it was only natural (in his mind) that others should fear him -his wrath, his greatness. What was there not to be intimidated by? Not only that, but his Rider... he could feel something inside the boy that would become fuel for beautifully dangerous emotions in the future, and he was certainly anticipating the day that together, they could instill fear in the rest of the clutch. It would be a day worth remembering. An artfully designed victory for the two of them.

Of course, the little brown hadn't planned anything out. He wasn't quite as forward thinking as his human counterpart seeing as how dragons didn't always comprehend very complex ideas. So, how their domination over the weyrling class was going to take place, he had no real idea yet.

Anyway, finding their riders sounded like a good start, and he could already feel Z'ren's consciousness mingled with his own again and he didn't even try to hide from his lifemate that something had peaked his interest. If Z'ren had only known him a little better by now, he'd understand that Draugarth was clearly up to something.

The Brown's body arched and then moved in serpentine undulation as he got up from his warm sleeping spot, his whirling gaze only slightly irritable, while curiosity and anticipation ruled the rest of him.

Yesss. Let us find them. They will want to see us.


About that time, as the two of them started away from the boy's barracks, a new consciousness joined them.

Recognizing his Bronze brother whom he thought was all too eager to follow the rules, Draugarth replied, Surprising them will be more fun. Surprising others will be more fun, too.

The Brown turned his head, gazing in Vaqueroth's direction while his tail writhed tempestuously, showing obvious irritation. He was coming to dislike his brother's too-dogmatic nature. It was obvious that he lacked the kind of independence to act on his own volition as a Bronze ought to be able to do. And considering that, Draugarth basked in a sense of self-appreciation.

Tempting Vaqueroth then, he added, You are more than welcome to come with us. And at that point, the Brown broke his attention from his brother, slinking toward the exit.

@Suri, @Caoimhe

D’nier


“Ah, so the truth comes out.” The Weyrleader teased his Weyrlady, taking full advantage since it was rare one got the occasion. Most people were likely too intimidated by her strong personality to do so, either way.

“Though, I couldn’t imagine Karene ever being less capable a woman than she is now, even if the Weyr only gave her the circumstance to make more of herself." He could only imagine the life she must have had prior to coming, and what must have happened to make her as driven as she was.

As Fort's new headwoman and Karene both wrapped up their conversation, D'nier offered an incline of his head toward Anuleesa before she departed. "The pleasure was all mine. I'll look forward to visiting more with you in the near future." The woman was gone though, before he could suggest that perhaps she spend some time enjoying the celebration before she hurried off to settle in. Hatching feasts came around somewhat infrequently and it was always fun to watch the excitement in the new weyrlings' eyes as the reality of Impression set in. For a while yet, everything about weyrlinghood would be awkward to them, which would grant plenty of teasing opportunity.

For the time being though, he met Karene's gaze as she looked up at him. Yes, it had been a very hectic day and the two of them could use some R&R. Maybe another glass of wine.

"Mmm, well I will follow your lead, my Weyrlady. However you wish it, she shall spend the rest of the evening doing what makes your heart content."





S'dric


In a suit of brown satin finish, S'dric had prepared himself for an exciting evening. He hand't been able to stop cheering for Bl'en when his cousin impressed the most handsome Bronze on the sands. Still, just thinking about it, his heart raced. He knew that Bl'en and Vaqueroth would grow into a Bronze pair that would undoubtedly make the Weyr proud. Bl'en was of such good character anyway, so if Vaqueroth was anything the same, they'd certainly be the pride of Fort one day. And they definitely needed more Bronzeriders like him amoungst their ranks.

The Wingsecond however, seemed to have arrived to late to find Bl'en unoccupied. The new weyrling Bronzerider already seemed to have found his romantic interest who had -to the surprise of many- impressed a Gold. It was a surprise because the girl was a relative unknown. No one really seemed to know much about where she'd come from or her upbringing, except for that she and Bladen had known one another since a short time before her coming to the weyr.

Picking up a wine glass from the bar so that he could walk the floor and be social after he'd met up with Bl'en to congratulate him, the Brownrider headed that direction. By the looks of it, he didn't think that Bl'en nor Emberlynn either one would mind if he interrupted them for just long enough to get a few words in -not that he'd likely get much more chance than that given the fact that there were certainly plenty of others wanting to stop to visit with their future Junior Gold. So,.. though Bl'en was taken in conversation, he stopped the pair momentarily.

"Bronzerider Bl'en and Goldrider Em-berlynn was it?" S'dric wasn't sure whether or not he remembered the girl's name correctly, so he paused mid-way, letting her know he knew he may have botched it a bit, but wasn't afraid to ask forgiveness later. At least he'd made an effort.

"We met once or twice before, but I'm sorry if my memory fails me." The Wingsecond offered a smile of unfailing kindness and warmth, letting it pass between the two of them before adding, "I wanted to be sure to congratulate you before the after-dinner mob hit the floor. I'm sure that both of you just became far more popular than you ever thought possible."

Laughing, the Brownrider wondered just how both his cousin and Emberlynn would handle that. He couldn't see Bl'en being the sort to much care for the extra attention -he just never struck S'dric as being the kind of man who sought being in the lime-light. That didn't mean he didn't anticipate Bl'en doing very well with a Bronze, being put in a position of some authority in the future, of course. The girl on the other hand, he knew little about, but he had never assumed her to have come from a highborn family, so he could only guess how she might adjust to the life of a Goldrider. Just how she managed that, would be up to anyone's guess.  





S'jiro


The two of them had hardly had a chance to make their entrance before Anuleesa had hunted them down, introducing herself. Though he didn't have much a chance to say anything, he probably didn't have much to say to the woman anyway. It was good to know that a new Headwoman had been appointed though, and that Indylari would have a place working with her. So, for Indy's sake, he smiled in the direction of his betrothed.

As soon as the woman had departed, he was following Indylari's eyes to where Z'rim seemed to be waiting for them -that was, the Bronze foursome. Since the group of them were almost always together, especially at events like these, it wouldn't be odd for Indylari to think they should go to join him.

"Yeah, we should go join him."  He hadn't spotted L'mar or Sh'nar yet; though admittedly, he hadn't really had a chance to get a good look around the room yet.

With that, S'jiro led them across the floor to meet up with Z'rim.

((Karene makes a speech in her part of this post so please read even if not directly interacting with Karene at this point.))



The Weyrwoman smiled, D’nier had hit the nail on the head. Well he had not remained Weyrleader by being ignorant of her personality. “My world before Galadrieth was rather small.” She added. That women were not given the same opportunity for advancement outside of the Weyr was actually a sore point for her. Karene didn’t like to think that women were not given the chance to be Lady Holders through inheritance. She could easily have filled her father’s shoes in ways which her brother seemed to be sorely lacking.

“I suppose I’ll need to congratulate the Weyrlings and make a speech before resting.” Being leader had its drawbacks. Like not being able to spend as much time enjoying oneself.  “I’ll get everyone’s attention for a moment and then we can have more wine, mingle and be on our way.” She had no interest in a party right now. She’d like a long, warm, relaxing bath and some quiet.

With her Gold sleeping, Karene had tap a spoon to her glass to get the attention of those in the Dining Hall. As soon as it was quiet enough she spoke. “Good evening.” Her voice carried well across the room, a skill she had actually had to learn when becoming Weyrwoman, projecting her voice. “I’m going to make this short so that you can all go back to Feasting and enjoying yourselves. A Hatching is always a wonderful sight to behold. Even more wonderful if you Impress or know someone who Impresses. My most heartfelt congratulations go out to the newest dragonriders of Pern. Welcome to your new lives. No doubt you will find over the next couple of Turns that your lives have changed dramatically for the better. Before I conclude I would like you all to take a moment of silence to appreciate the sacrifice of those lost to us on the Sands today. “

Karene took a few deep breaths, allowing the feelings she kept bottled in to let out for a moment. The two young women lost, while not worthy of a dragon were obviously someone’s family. Someone would miss them. For those who the women left behind it was only right that the Weyr show its respect for their sacrifice.

“I’ve no wish to delay you all any more from enjoying the festivities. Congratulations again to the new weyrlings.” Karene lifted her wine glass toward the room and then took a sip of wine.

To D’nier she said, “I think another glass of wine would be a good idea. Also let me know if you see my daughter…” She would like to congratulate the girl in person. They were going to be working closely together. It would be nice if before then, the girl knew how proud she was. The pair of them never seemed to see eye to eye lately, though Karene liked to blame teenage hormones.



In response to I’llium’s question, Veyani smiled, “Sonadorath was ready for a nap when we got in so I’d say she settled in just fine. I imagine most of them are ready for rest when they finally get to the Barracks.” She was glad the other girls with greens were in the same area. They had something in common even if they had not in the past. Equally happy that she already knew some of the girls ahead of time, like Teylarrin. Veyani had a feeling they were becoming good friends. Even if at times it could be difficult to understand what Teylarrin was saying.

“Thanks for the offer Teylarrin but it is best just to leave him alone.” Retribution on his end would be a lot worse than anything they tried to do to him. Besides, she felt it was better not to interact with him at all. When they had interacted in both good and bad situations, they couldn’t seem to not be attracted to one another.

Shrugging, , “From what I understand they just know. I’m not really sure if anyone has the answers.” Veyani thought maybe it would be a good idea to ask the Weyrlingmaster those questions. She doubted I’llium would know since he wasn’t from the Weyr either.  The young woman finished off some of the food on her plate, thinking about her new green. Teylarrin had a point, it was odd that they knew their names and how to say things properly. Their vocabulary would get bigger as they communicated with their bonded and other dragons.



He nodded, “If you want to come, of course you are welcome to.” Bl’en could not think of a situation where he would not want her company. He rather relished the idea of Emberlynn wanting to accompany him rather than remain at the party where she would have received the congratulations and admiration of most of the residents of the Weyr. The new Bronzerider would not admit this feeling to her right now though. He had to be careful about how strong he came across to her. For now keeping the focus on the newly hatched dragons seemed best.

“If you see anyone on the way out…” He said, not wanting to take the time to hunt down their classmates. As they were headed toward the door, he was stopped by his cousin. S’dric could not have known they were trying to make their way to the Barracks so Bl’en tried to be as courteous as possible. “Thank you cousin.”

Smiling in amusement, “Hopefully not too popular.” Bl’en could handle being around a lot of people but he wasn’t sure he wanted some of the attention he was likely to get just because of the color of his dragon. “Sorry I cannot remain here to chat, Vaqueroth woke up and seems agitated by something. I thought it best to go and check on him in person.” Bl’en was sure that he could soothe the Bronze and be back at the Feast in no time. Or he might just fall asleep instead. Sleep was going to start sounding more and more desirable over the next few weeks.

Vaqueroth was not amused by his clutchmate’s response. He had no intention of going and bothering people at the feast. It didn’t surprise him that a green and brown dragon would come up with such an idea. They obviously couldn’t think things through properly. Bronzes were leaders for a reason and as a leader he felt it was his responsibility to do the thinking through for them.

Surprising people is not always a good thing. They do not plan on you being there. How do you think they will react? I do not think it will go as nicely as you do. Maybe if you took the time to think about the consequences...

More irritated than before at the invitation to join the madness occuring, he let out a low guttural, growling sound.
No. I'm going to sleep. As should you. When you do get in trouble for your stupidity, please remember that I warned you.
He really couldn’t believe the pair of them were actually not listening to him.



Though it seemed the most normal thing in the world for them to join Z’rim, she wondered if he wanted their company. More importantly, she wondered if he wanted her company. While Indylari had to come with S’jiro, she was a little too glad Z’rim did not seem to have arrived with another woman. In her mind it would have been perfectly understandable for him to have a date.

Walking toward the other Bronzerider at S’jiro’s agreement to join Z’rim, she tried to act her normal self. On the inside though, she was both nervous and excited to see Z’rim. Unlike her relationship with S’jiro. her feelings for Z’rim only seemed to get stronger.

“Good evening Z’rim.” She said casually as they approached. The urge to get close to the other man was pushed aside. Her body language indicating nothing of what she was actually feeling. Acting had become rather easier for her than she expected. It almost made her angry with herself. She didn’t particularly like stringing S’jiro along. However as she looked at Z’rim, she felt instantly better about it. He would not have promised to free them if he didn’t think it was possible.

(Will add Lance tomorrow)[/color]

Syra took a glass of wine from J'ace and smiled weakly at him. "You are right, of course," she said, "She does deserve to be honored tonight. And we have much to celebrate that we can be proud of." it was at that moment that the Weyrwoman made her speech, and it was clear in the Weyrwoman's face that Karene was exhausted. As the goldrider called for a moment of silence, tears dripped from the corners of Syra's eyes. The woman was right to honor the dead. Soon she was ending her speech and the bluerider woman made a point to try and celebrate for the rest of the evening. J'ace would be a good distraction from the pain of her duty.

She lifted her glass to J'ace and smiled, "To a brighter future, and to you J'ace, for deigning to distract me from everything tonight. Now, let us celebrate. I want no more talk of the harshness of life today. It is time to be happy for those who join our ranks today!" tipping the glass back and draining it, Syra sighed with pure pleasure at the Benden white and it's delicious taste on her tongue. Holding the glass out for a refill she made a point to hug his side in thanks but didn't gulp this glass down as she had the last. "Now then, show me a good time, J'ace." she teased, letting the innuendo of her words be plain.


Lesera was pleased that Z'ren wanted food as well, and she gave her brother a quick peck on the cheek before standing and following the young man toward the buffets. Lesera could feel that her dragonet wasn't completely asleep yet, but seemed pleased about something. Instead of going to figure out what it was, she kept her attention on Z'ren as they twisted and dodged their way through the crowds of people. She responded to those congratulating her on her unexpected Impression swiftly, but she didn't want to lose sight of her friend so moved on quickly.

Zelenyth, back in the Weyrling Barracks with Draugarth, was also focused. She wanted to be with Lesera, and didn't care how that was going to happen. But as they moved away from the brown's new weyr (amusingly at the same time as their rider's moved toward the food), another voice joined them. Zelenyth was much more attuned to listening to others than her brown companion, but decided against responding. He wasn't her concern; Lesera was. Surely her rider needed her and would be happy to see her.

With a gaze back over her shoulder, wondering why the bronze was so interested in their actions and considerably chagrined that they had been caught so early, Zelenyth scrambled to follow Draugarth. As if a homing beacon had gone off in her mind, the little green knew right where she wanted to go to get to Lesera. It was lucky for her, then, that when they poked their head into the Dining Hall, that their riders had gone to the back where the food was. Look! There they are! she cried out, spotting the young woman she had bonded emerging from the crowd into a relatively more open space.

Zelenyth bounded forward, bumping into people left and right who watched as she made her way to the woman she had bonded, Lesera! I'm here! There are quite a lot of people in this place. Are they all here for us?

At the sound of her dragonet, Lesera looked around and noticed that there were gasps from people around the buffet. It wasn't long before her little green came skidding to a halt in front of her, rubbing her head against her legs as if she were a cat. "Zelenyth! You are supposed to be at the Barracks!" her tone was of surprise and reprimand, but in her mind she was happy that her dragon had come to see her. Despite it being against the rules, "Didn't I tell you I would come back to you?" Draugarth, she noticed, was not far behind the green. "Ohh… you two are going to get us in trouble!"

Draug! Look, your rider is here too with my Lesera. she commented, ignoring her rider's strident reprimand as she looked out from behind Lesera's legs at all the people who were now standing and watching the spectacle.

Lesera flushed deep red, ducking a low bow, "Truly I am very sorry that we have caused a disturbance to the Feast. I'll take Zelenyth directly back to the Weyrling Barracks." she was still bowed as she spoke, rising from it and looking at the floor. Zelenyth didn't care that she had caused her rider embarrassment, instead choosing to inform everyone that she would simply come back to her rider if she tried that tactic.

Much to her even more immediate embarrassment, the Weyrlingmaster and the man at her side were part of those near the table for wine and the woman did not look pleased to see the pair. "Weyrling Lesera and Z'ren. Your dragonets will not stay where they are told tonight, since they are awake. You may sit at the back of the Feast, out of the way. Be assured that you will be spoken to later." the woman's tone was harsh, but it held true to the words she spoke and Lesera knew that once the pair were seated again at the back of the room this time, the woman would be speaking to them privately.

"Yes, Weyrlingmaster Syra." she intoned, dipping another bow and moving to take her plate as people went back to their celebrating. The young woman desperately wanted to turn her face into Z'ren's chest and cry, but she held herself strong, barely holding back tears as she stayed as closed to the other weyrling as she could. Perhaps he would be able to tell why she did it, she thought, knowing he was likely as embarrassed as she herself was.