Faith and Trust (Tags: Falyn)

He didn’t want to see either of his siblings for a long long long long time. It was frustrating knowing they Impressed and he was left behind. Wasn’t he worthy? He was strong, young, intelligent, looked up to, charming...he could go on. So to balm his crushed dreams, he had begun to make friends of some of the others who had not Impressed. Only word got to him that Falyn was backing out of Candidacy.

What kind of friend lets another give up? Not him! So he charmed his way into the kitchens and smuggled out some wine, some warm bread and fresh cheese. “To cheer a friend.” He said with a smirk. The kitchen staff were used to him and he truly wasn’t doing much harm. Although he had a feeling the head cook would tell the new Headwoman and then his mother would know. Ugh that would be so much worse than dealing with his insufferable sister right now.

Like most Weyr residents his parents didn't raise him but they did check in with him. He didn't have any kind of anger toward them as his sister did. Things were what they were. He felt free to ignore or listen to their advice because of it. Though his father had been more attentive to him growing up, it was mostly because his mother was probably the worst workaholic (or best if one considered it a good thing) in existence.

Thane thought for a moment, he was so lucky he took after his father. Knocking on Falyn’s door, “Hey! Falyn! Open up. I come baring gifts!”



It was not every day that she had to deal with Candidacy issues. Normally, she trusted her Candidate Master with the day to day sort of things. Including people leaving Candidacy. She did not like being the one to tell people what to do with their own lives. Their own choices should shape their futures. However, as the conversation with the Candidate Master progressed, Karene felt herself acquiesce with a heavy sigh. “I will talk to her.” She promised. That was three days ago. Karene was of course, very busy. Karene was also very apprehensive about interfering. If a person didn’t want to Stand, she was pretty sure she didn’t want them on a dragon at all.  

Still her Searchers had reassured her that the girl should Stand. Should being the operative word. She wasn’t a counselor and from what she understood, D’nier had to talk the girl into Standing for the last Hatching. Maybe judging the girl based on her actions here to for was being a bit harsh but Karene didn’t like wishy washy people. She wanted to know that the girl could actually handle the job. If she was going to give up every time she failed then Karene definitely didn’t want her on a dragon.

Failure was part of life. Everyone failed and grew from those experiences where they had. Her son was mauled and he had no intention of giving up. Even if she deeply wished her children would choose a path less dangerous, less time consuming and less like hers.

Emerene and Emberlynn, the two newest Queenriders of Fort Weyr were enough extra work for her. She wasn’t at all interested in being a mentor to a Candidate who wasn’t sure what she wanted. Well Karene was going to find out. If the girl truly wanted to be a dragon healer and not a rider as well, then she would have no problem with her staying here as a dragon healer. If however she was able to glean from her that she truly wanted to be a rider, then they would have a discussion.

Karene had some idea of what to expect. She’d been around a long time. So as she made her way to the young woman’s rooms, she didn’t expect to see anything out of the ordinary. Galadrieth had informed her of the girl’s whereabouts so she wouldn’t be wandering around wasting time.Your boy is there too. Which one? She only had five sons now and two daughters. The oldest boy. Thanekar.

She knew that he had taken this last fail rather hard. Maybe he was looking into dragonhealing now? He was a bit old to start but then she didn’t mind if he wanted to learn more about it since he wanted to ride a dragon. Knowing the basics couldn’t hurt. It didn’t cross her mind that he might be at the girl’s rooms for any other reason. Like that they might be friends.

"Thane! You know how to use a door, open it!" called a frustrated Falyn as she carefully crushed herbs in her mortar with one hand and stirred a huge pot full of ingredients with the other. It was the latest concoction of oil for the green dragonet Zelenyth that she was working on, and her frustration was growing with each failed attempt. There were only so many things one could make dragon oil from, and she was running out. Every surface of her kitchen was covered in materials she was testing, and the huge vat of things boiling down and rendering made the whole set of rooms smell medicinal.

When she heard the door open and close she waited for her friend to come in with a glare on her face. "I'm in the work room." she called, but her gaze softened when she saw that he was carrying food. Falyn couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. Had it been that morning? The night before? The smell of fresh bread was almost lost in the other smells in her kitchen, but she could still smell it and it made her mouth water. "Ooh, you brought food? Wine, bread, cheese? If I didn't know better I'd think you are trying to flirt with me." she teased.

Falyn gave him a smile as she gestured with her spoon to a seat at the table, "You'll have to move stuff around to sit, I'm working on another oil for Zelenyth." The concoction in her pot was beginning to boil so she pulled it a bit away from the heat and put a lid on. It would need to simmer for awhile now. Going to the table she attempted to clear space for the plethora of food, realizing now that he didn't really have an open hand to do it with. Sitting, since her father had taught her that she was a Lady and shouldn't wait for a man to sit, Falyn heaved a sigh, "How have you been, Thane?"

Chuckling a little, he entered. Someone was not in a good mood. He knew enough not to mention that either. There were plenty of moody women in his life. Not the least of which his mother. He was well aware that it was better to let things go than to say a word about their attitude. Besides Falyn seemed much happier when she saw what he had brought for her.

"I should hope you'd know better." Thanekar was not one to flirt. Nor was he interested in pursuing anyone at this time in his life. He had other things vastly more important to concern himself with. Like Impressing his dragon. Which was why he was there!

"I've never heard of a dragon reacting like that to oil." He commented. "How is the new oil coming along?" Zelenyth had a lovely dark hide too. He really admired the darker greens especially in the sun light after oiling. Not that he was interested in Impressing a green but he did like the color. Thane watched as she cleared a mess of things from the table.

He set the wine skin down first and then followed with the bread and cheese. "Oh, you know, just going through the usual daily things. Like lessons." After a very short pause because he wasn't going to give her the opportunity to change subjects before he brought up what needed to be, "Speaking of lessons... I hear you've dropped out of Candidacy..."

----

Karene arrived at Falyn's door but didn't knock right away. She could hear her son's voice but couldn't make out what was being said. Hopefully he was there to help her out or maybe even to convince her to Stand again. It wouldn't be unlike him to push someone he knew into doing something they weren't sure they wanted because he thought it was right. Even if he thought it was wrong.

She knew him to be quite persuasive among his peers but Falyn was older and a woman. Karene knew it would be a different friendship for him but it wasn't a bad idea for him to befriend well educated women who might become Goldriders.

After a couple more moments she did knock. "Journeywoman Falyn, may I come in?" The Weyrwoman did not feel the need to identify herself which was probably one way of identifying her. At Fort Weyr there would be few who didn't know her voice and as such she didn't see there was any reason to announce her presence.

Falyn heard the Weyrwoman's voice loud and clear. 'Hide the wine!" she hissed at Thane, "And get out of that chair. I only have two and you can stand." she kept her voice low and she frantically looked around her kitchen realizing the mess that it was. After clearing the table more for the woman, Falyn rushed to the door and opened it, "Good morning, Weyrwoman. Please, come in." she held it open for her and dipped a low bow to the woman before gesturing her toward the Kitchen where she still had work to do.

Guiding the woman, though she had a feeling Karene knew exactly where she was going, the dragonhealer glared at Thane and hissed again, "She's your mother, pull out the chair. Be a gentleman." In the Kitchen she hunted around for something that could make tea, or klah without tasting medicinal. Most of her visitors didn't mind it, much... but this was the Weyrwoman herself, and she was not about to serve her laced... well, anything. In a louder voice she spoke to the woman again, "You caught me unaware Weyrwoman Karene, can I get you some klah, tea? Would you like some bread and cheese?" Falyn was aware that she looked like a mess with her hair in disarray and her work clothes on and stained with various plants and oils from her hard work on the oils and other medicines.

The top of the concoction pot clattered against itself with boiling liquid and the younger woman went to it quickly and stirred it. This particular oil was being made of crushed numbweed oils with boiled down flower petals and the oil that came from them. The main oil had come from the grapes that Benden used for wine. After they were juiced, the skins and pulp from the grapes made a very neutral, light oil. She had included some topical analgesics for the itching and hoped the crushed numbweed would assist her with the pain that the dragonet felt. This one smelled surprisingly good, very citrusy from the flowers she had used. Falyn dipped a ladle into the vat and pulled out a bit of it to cool as it hung on the outside of the pot while she talked to her guests.

"Thane was just asking me about this batch, Weyrwoman. Do you remember the young woman who had Impressed to a green in the Stands?" she wasn't sure, but it didn't hurt to remind the woman, "Zelenyth has been discovered to be allergic to the usual oil used on dragons. We've been working on making a new one from her with... well, none of the usual ingredients. This one is grapeseed oil, crushed numbweed, some analgesic plants for the itching, and crushed citrus flowers to help make up the oil base." Replacing the lid she wiped her hands on her apron and turned back to Karene, "How may I help you, Weyrwoman?"

He had never seen anyone react that quickly to his mother's voice and he fought the urge to laugh at her. After all, she just went from perfectly normal to perfectly insane. Women were so moody. Even if she was being a bossy pants, he decided he would do what she was 'telling' him to do out of friendship.

Putting the wine skin where it wouldn't be seen inside a cabinet, he walked back over to the chair and dutifully waited for his mother. There was some amusement to be had from all this. Mostly concerning how the young woman acted in anticipation of his mother's arrival. He wasn't born yesterday, he knew how to behave in front of those of rank but he also knew that having wine on the table didn't mean he was partaking.

Thanekar wouldn't do anything that would risk his being barred from Standing. As his mother entered he bowed, standing behind the chair. But as Falyn couldn't see him if she was looking at his mother, as the Weyrwoman entered he had one of his mischievous smirks on his face and gave the woman a wink.

---

"Good morning." Karene  said, entering the room with a special present tucked under her arm. It had not been her idea to give the egg to Falyn, but she had been out-voted by her Weyrleader. If it helped the dragon healer to have one then she could agree to it. For now though, she kept it tucked under her arm, in its warm encasement of fabric.

She took a moment to take in the disorder in the room. Indeed, it was apparent that Falyn was expecting no one. Which meant Thane had simply stopped by. At least she hoped the girl wasn't always this disorganized. Seeing her son, she tried not to make a face. Cheeky bastard. He is your son. She did not make a further comment to the Gold. Instead she responded to Falyn's question, "If you have it, water would be fine." If not then she would require nothing. As her son indicated her to sit, he pushed the chair in for her as she did so.

"I hope you make progress soon. It sounds like a very difficult process." Trying to find the right combination took a lot of time and effort. "I just hope we find a solution before her hide cracks and she can't fly Between." The seriousness of the condition of the green was not lost on her. She was also concerned she might become anti-social. Galadrieth had informed her of the green's pain when the oil was applied.

"I was approached by the Candidate Master. I hear you've decided not to Stand for future clutches. Normally I'm inclined to respect a person's decision not to Stand. However, the Search dragons are adamant. I trust their judgement. I'm not here to force you to Stand. I would like to hear your reasons for quitting."

Shooting an apologetic look at Thane as she filled a glass with cool water for Karene, Falyn tried to collect her thoughts on the matter of her dropping out of the Candidacy. At least the cups for drinking didn't have any medicinal taste. "I am hopeful with this batch of oil, Weyrwoman. Right now she is being oiled with the last one and then dosed over with numbweed to stop the itching. That's why I'm in such a state right now. I was working more quickly than usual on her next oil. This batch has none of the usual ingredients. If she still has a reaction, I'm not sure what I'm going to combine next."

Having filled a nicer glass, she set it before Karene and looked down at the table for a moment. Meeting the woman's eyes steadily, Falyn thought she had the words in order. "Weyrwoman, I have been standing for your lovely dragon's clutches since I came here and the Searchriders told me I was a match for a dragon - they hoped. My body overflows with the hope that one day I will be a dragonrider each time I step on those sands. Every time a hatching passes and I fail to Impress... well, anything, I feel as though I am letting you down, and the Weyr down. This past clutch I watched the smallest green dragonet pass me up for a young woman in the Stands. Each time I fail, I throw myself into my work, determined to make sure that no dragon hurts on my watch. Is there something so wrong with me that no dragon will consider me? Am I a failure for the Weyr? Not destined to ride any color? I am not foolish enough to think that Gold is the only color for me, Weyrwoman. But I am beginning to think I am foolish to keep standing, when previous experience has told me that I could be destined to do good for all of the dragons as their Healer instead of one."

Falyn paused taking a deep breath. Her words were more true than anything she had ever felt, though she felt as though she were baring her soul to the woman, she didn't think that it was a good idea to leave anything out. "Weyrwoman, even now I desperately want my own dragon out on that ledge. But I feel as if maybe sacrificing my Candidacy to care for all of the dragons is something I'm supposed to do at this point. I would give up any number of things to be worthy of a dragon in your Weyr. Even if it means extra work raising the dragonet and doing my lifework as a dragonhealer, I still wish it upon myself. I have very little life for myself as it is, I would give up what remains for my dragon." Falyn said with conviction. The work of caring for a dragon and being a Dragonhealer had never seemed daunting to her.

The young woman looked down at her hands clasped on the table, "The fact that you came here personally to talk to me about this brings great pride to me. I know you are a busy woman." Noticing that the oil she had set aside to cool had a tallow on the top in the ladle she nodded to it, "Excuse me just a moment, Weyrwoman." going to the ladle she dipped a few fingers in and returned to the table. Pulling up her sleeve she revealed a rash she had given herself with itchy ivy plants and applied the tallowed oil to it and waited for the affects. As she watched, forgetting for just a moment that she had company, the redness in the rash lightened considerably, and the itching was numbed with the oil of the numbweed in the salve. Her natural heat in her body melted the tallow into her skin and released a light citrus scent as well. "Promising..." she murmured to herself before pulling the sleeve back down and facing the Weyrwoman again.

"I don't know what else to say Weyrwoman. I struggle with my choice to leave the Candidacy, but I am determined to serve the Weyr in any capacity that I can."

(short blurb for Thane)

He watched the two women interact and thought now might be a good time to get out of there. Sure he knew they weren't going to talk about anything he couldn't hear because he would probably find out somehow anyway. He simply didn't want to talk to his mother right now. Not after he failed at the last Hatching. He should say, epically failed. Not only did he not Impress but his own brother's Bronze injured him. Two siblings Impressed and he wasn't one of them!

Maybe I can get out of here without mother saying anything...
Son of my rider, you will remain where you are. She wishes to speak with you when she is done speaking with the dragon healer.

He lingered then in the background. No use interjecting his opinions. Weyrwoman Karene would give Falyn an earful no doubt. In fact it might be enjoyable to hear her giving advice to someone other than himself. Oh yes, hearing Falyn's excuse for not Standing, he hid a smirk behind his hand and coughed to keep from laughing. Oh his mother was not going to be gracious.

----

That was all they could really do. Try and try again. Karene was hopeful though that the green would eventually have an oil that worked for her. Then the dragon healers could show Lesera, her rider, how to make it herself. She wouldn't have to rely on the healers to make it if they were busy. And come Threadfall, she suspected they would be very busy.

Sipping from the glass of water, she listened. Falyn's words were words she had heard before from other Candidates. This was not the first time, someone felt their time as a Candidate was over and now at a point where they should do something else. Karene was not going to force anyone to do something they didn't want to do. But as Falyn said, she wanted a dragon more than anything, Karene's nose twitched.

"And you feel being a Candidate is taking away from your Dragon Healing duties? You would be expected to continue in your craft regardless." Flame it, they needed Dragon Healers. They were going to need them even more soon. She wasn't going to allow this girl to sell herself short. If she truly wanted a dragon, she wouldn't be giving up Candidacy. Not for anything.

"I'm sorry that you feel you cannot continue to be a Candidate and help the Weyr." Being a Candidate was helping. "Unfortunately a lot of people get discouraged when they do not Impress. Especially when strange things happen, like Lesera Impressing from the Stands. Or two Golds Hatching in one Clutch and Impressing people who haven't been Standing as long. These events do not negate the fact that you should be a Candidate or that you want to be a rider. You need to understand how a dragon chooses to know the answer to why you have yet to Impress. From what I understand, Galadrieth chose me because I was who I was. So it didn't matter if there were fifty other Weyrbred, perfect Gold Candidates. She did not want them. And that is what will happen if you choose to remain a Candidate. There may be a dragon who is looking for someone specific. It might be your personality or even your craft knowledge that makes you perfect for them. No one knows how or why dragonets choose as they do and sometimes it seems to make no sense at all. But they all end up happily bonded if the person they want is on the Sands. Or even someone who might be close enough for them to get by with. Very rarely does a dragonet Between for not finding someone suitable but personally I would hate to see that happen because a Candidate chose to give up."

Karene paused, "Failure is not measured by the failure itself but by what you do afterward. I think if you truly, in your most secret heart, wish to be a dragonrider then nothing and I mean nothing should stop you from Standing."

The Weyrwoman pulled the carefully padded and covered present from under her arm. "I want you to think about this some more. It is not my place to tell you what to do. After receiving the Candidate Master's concern and the Search dragons, I was implored to come to speak to you. I do not like sticking my nose in other people's lives and decisions. This is up to you, I would simply ask that you give it some more thought. Continue lessons, attend the next Touching and then decide. If at that time you still don't think Standing is a good idea. I will of course respect your decision."

Clearing her throat, "Now before I forget. The Weyrleader and I thought this might be incentive for you to reconsider." She unwrapped the cloths from around the egg. "This is for you. Keep it warm. Have food with you when it Hatches and it will bond to you."

Falyn listened with an open heart as the Weyrwoman spoke, nodding along at the parts that made sense. When she finished talking the young woman stayed quiet for a moment before speaking, "Perhaps, Weyrwoman, I have acted rashly in the light of this last Hatching. Your words make sense. I will speak to the Candidate Master. I made a hasty choice not to stand any longer when it makes much more sense to age out of the Candidacy. I will do my best to make both you, and I, and any dragon who might choose me, proud. Thank you for bringing your wisdom on the matter to me. It is more than I could have ever expected."

The younger woman smiled at Karene gratefully, already making plans to speak with the Candidate Master as soon as this oil was finished for Zelenyth. She was about to say more when the Weyrwoman cleared her throat and untucked a hidden package from under her arm that Falyn hadn't noticed before. As the clothes came away while Karene spoke, the dragonhealer's face slackened with surprise, "Oh Weyrwoman! A firelizard?! For me?" she took the egg gingerly, afraid of damaging it. The shell felt similar to that of the eggs when Candidates were allowed to Touch them. Her tone was reverent as she held the small egg, "Thank you Werywoman Karene..." Already she was thinking of how to warm the egg while it finished hardening. Assuming it hatched like a dragon egg, it would need to be constantly hot.

Resisting the urge to fling herself at the woman and hug her, though she desperately wanted to, Falyn clutched the egg to her chest and bow so low her hair brushed the ground, "I cannot tell you how much this means to me, both your visit (implored by the Candidate Master or not), and this gift. Thank you." She had a shallow pan somewhere, she thought as she looked around, and the collective of sand in the couch of her converted weyr for her future dragon - Falyn smiled at that thought - would be enough that she could cover the shell properly and keep it warm. Not wanting to let the egg cool, she quickly tucked it against her skin. There were some cloths sitting around that she gathered and tucked beside it while she retrieved the pan, filled it with sand (and noting that she should probably sweep out that couch), and returned it beside the vat that was heating the oil. Falyn quickly lay the egg in the pan with the cloths around it, waiting for the residual heat to warm both.

Falyn inwardly felt bad for Thane. His mother was in her Kitchen giving her a peptalk in a way, and had yet to say anything to him, and he had failed to Impress as well. Though, she thought, he hadn't decided to leave the Candidacy. No doubt she was more proud of him for being mauled and staying with it than she was with Falyn for being selfish when she failed. The young woman made a point not to do it again. Moreso than before, she was excited for the next Hatching. She would do as the Weyrwoman suggested. She would participate in the Touching, but she wouldn't decide after that - she already had. Falyn would be a Candidate until her age required her to step away from it. She would not give up on her dream of Impressing. Her mind went back to the little egg by her fire, wondering what color would be contained within it. Between now and Galadrieth's next clutch, Falyn would serve the Weyr and care for her little firelizard. Then, she would Stand again, Impress and care for her Craft, dragon and her firelizard. A little family all her own. The thought cheered her immensely.

The Weyrwoman was only glad she had been able to sway the young woman. What would be the harm in her trying to Impress if it was what she truly wanted? Watching the young woman's expression as she went from thoughtful to determined to excited, she smiled. There were so many things to look forward to in life. She hoped the young woman didn't ever take failure like this again. Falyn would be missing out if she did.

Karene stood up then. "If you need anything, let me know." She meant that. The last thing they needed were Candidates leaving for no good reason. Looking then to her son. "Thanekar may I have a word?"

---

The youth watched as the firelizard egg was given to Falyn. He couldn't be more jealous at that moment. Where was his firelizard? Oh right, his mother wasn't great at the whole birthingday gift to begin with. A random present was unlikely to happen. But she could give gifts to quitters! Life was so unfair! He'd just have to earn one for himself.

"Yes, Weyrwoman." He said dutifully. No one could fault his manners.

She spoke quietly, concern in her usually cold eyes, "How are you?"

"Fine. Everything is fine." He said with a shrug. Thanekar could see she was struggling with how to respond so he went on. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm recovering fine and I fully intend to Impress next time around."

She nodded, "Try and stay out of trouble. Hmm? I've had enough complaints from the staff as it is. And they are convinced you stole someone's underwear from the laundry. You wouldn't happen to know about that?"

"Oh but it looks so much better purple." He said seriously.

Hand rubbing her temple, "I don't want you kept from Standing again. Promise you will try to tone down the mischief until after the next Hatching?"

"Alright. I promise I will try." Not that it meant much because he couldn't guarantee trying would be enough for him.

"Good day, Journeywoman." She said with a slight nod toward Falyn. Then to her soon, "I mean it. Stay out of trouble." Her tone was a warning enough. The red haired woman was out of the door without another word. Thane wasn't surprised that the woman wasn't lovey dovey with him. He was used to it.

Thanekar turned his attention to his fellow Candidate, "Soooo, a pep talk AND a firelizard. Why didn't I try to quit again?" He grinned roguishly. His next move, pulling the wine out from where he had hidden it.

"I think we both need a drink." After a meeting with his mother, most people would.

"Shards yes." Falyn groaned, letting her posture slump and dropping in the chair. "Just don't get me in trouble for letting you drink too much." she sighed, gesturing toward the wineglasses she kept on the table with the flatware she kept for eating. Tearing off a chunk of bread, she lay a piece of cheese on it and popped it in her mouth. It wouldn't do to not eat anything before drinking.

Falyn's eyes drifted toward the little egg warming by the fire. Standing, and feeling something like a broody gold, the woman went to test the heat of the sand in the shallow pan. Noting that it was plenty warm, she unwrapped the egg and carefully packed it around in the sand to harden more. "Hey Thane..." she started, her tone thoughtful, "I know it's not the same as having your own firelizard... but maybe you'd like to help me take care of this one when it hatches? You could help me name it if you like, too." He may be seven turns her younger, but he was still a good friend and had always been nice to her when they both failed to Impress. Falyn had no idea if he was even interested in the art of Dragonhealing, but she considered taking him on as an apprentice to get him out of trouble as well.

"I... couldn't help but overhear your mother's comments. Maybe... Would you be interested in an apprenticeship with me? You enjoy coming on rounds with me, we could make it more official and I'm sure your mother would approve at least. It could do us both good to do more around the Weyr between Hatchings." she didn't comment that she was the Weyr's dragonhealer, but she knew that when Threadfall came, it would be nice to have all hands on deck. Thane was a strong young man and he was helpful when he joined her. It could be fun having him around.

Finished tending the egg, Falyn stirred her mixture again and pulled up her stained workshirt sleeve. The reddened angry rash she had given herself was still itch free, and the redness was almost gone. She took another few fingerfulls and rubbed them in noting the cooling sensation from the mint leaves. "Speaking of that, would you be willing to try this on some of your skin that is clear of any thing? I want to know what you feel when it's applied to clear skin." Going to the table she opened the wineskin and poured two full glasses for them, setting one before the vacated seat she had made her friend give up to his mother. "I'm sorry for being so er... bossy earlier. Your mother caught me off guard and I was completely unprepared to give her a good visit." She took her glass and tipped it back until she drained it, wiping her mouth as she lowered the glass. Immediately she poured another. Seeing the Weyrwoman was stressful.

"You can only be in trouble if someone catches you. I'm never caught." His mother couldn't even prove he had stolen underwear and dyed it. Once he sat down, he broke off some bread and took some cheese. Unlike her, he ate the cheese and then the bread, not eating the two together.

Like most teenage boys, he never seemed to get full. Almost constantly he felt the need to eat. He washed down seconds, with some of the wine she had poured. He didn't drink much slower than he ate. Thane really couldn't help it if he was growing quickly and needed more nourishment because of it.

If he were five, he might find her offer to help with the firelizard endearing. As it was, he was fifteen and being handled like a child made him a little miffed. He didn't want to help care for someone else's flit. He wanted one for himself. Seeing as she meant well, he didn't react abrasively. "Eh, that is alright, I'll get my own eventually." He might even steal an egg...someday.

At her next words, he quirked an eyebrow. He had thought about apprenticing when he was younger, when his mother had brought it up for the first time. She was trying to discourage her children from keeping all their hopes for a future in dragonriding. Since then though, he had more experience. The latest failure at Standing made him think more seriously about her suggestion. They could work together. He might do well having a craft involving dragons. Obviously she thought he had the intelligence to pick up on it.

After considering it, he looked up at her, "You know, I think I would like to try. I never saw myself in a craft before but it might be good to know more about dragon healing. Even if we become riders, you better promise that we continue these lessons." He didn't like things going unfinished. He was stubbornly determined sometimes.

"Is it dangerous?" He asked, a twinkle in his eyes. If it were, he would probably be even more likely to do it. "Of course I'll be your test subject. But only because I trust you not to kill me before I Impress my Bronze."

He laughed, "Yes. Well... she seems to have that affect on people. You'd think small children would cry at the sight of her." Grinning, "Don't worry. I think she likes you. Or why would she come and see you personally. She can say she was talked into it but if anyone knows my mother, they know she cannot be swayed if her mind is made up. So she must see something in you. If that is the case then she really couldn't care less what your rooms look like. Or why I'm here. She would assume I was assisting in making your concoction for Zelenyth. And even if she didn't think that was the reason. It wouldn't be her business." He explained. Probably one of the few people who was unfazed by the Senior Weyrwoman of Fort.

Falyn was sipping from her second glass of wine as Thane responded to her request to take him on as an apprentice. When he agreed, she smiled warmly at him and nodded, "Good. When Thread comes your help will be immensely useful. There aren't enough Dragonhealers as it is and we will need all hands available. And you better believe that we will keep up with the lessons until you reach your Senior Journeyman rank. I didn't ask you to be my apprentice lightly. I expect you to work hard, with or without your bronze." she paused for a moment, sipping the wine he had brought with him, "Your bronze, and my gold. We will get them, I am sure of it." Noticing that he had went to the tallowed oil in the ladle, she shook her head, assuring him that it wasn't dangerous. "I wouldn't ask you to test it if it would harm you. I would do it to myself first if I was unsure. Testing medicines on your own skin, which is very much like dragonhide, is a good way to determine the effectiveness of some concoctions like these that are applied topically."

Rising from her chair she went to her bedroom and retrieved a sketchpad she had created during her own lessons. A second one, in which she had made hand-drawn lines on parchment and bound them together, she took out. They were her written notes on Dragonhealing. "First lesson," she said, as she returned to Thane, sliding the journals toward him, "is dragon anatomy. We know from our Candidacy that dragons come in five colors, and they do not deviate from them. Green, blue, brown, bronze and of course, gold. I don't think I need to go over that with you again. I wont go over who can breed and produce offspring either, as you should know that as well. You should know dragon sizes as well, I won't cover that..." she was flipping through neatly written pages as she spoke. Her tidy handwriting was easy to read and covered each page, complete with diagrams for general size comparisons.

"Dragons hides are, as you know, thick and resilient when taken care of properly. This is why Zelenyth is a big deal for me and her rider. Her hide needs to be taken care of so that it doesn't dry and crack between. An imperfect hide means death. Oiling, you know, prevents these cracks and dryness. Their outer layer of skin, the epidermis, which is like our own skin-" she paused to lift up a tent of her own skin, "is resistant to abrasions, but it can be scraped off and become tender if they rub too hard against something. Even though it's thick, it still absorbs topical medication and numbweed easily penetrates it, but for the numbweed to reach the deeper layers of tissue, we apply more and wait longer for it to react." Falyn looked up at her apprentice and smiled. He was a smart young man and much of this she was sure she had told him when he helped her on rounds. Falyn was sure that he would absorb everything she taught him and ask questions if he needed clarification. When he put his mind to something, especially something related to dragons. He would make a fantastic apprentice.

"Something you may not have known is that dragons actually have three eyelids that protect their eyes. The inner membrane, closest to the eye, is translucent and thin, and the next two increase in thickness. Often, in the water, a dragon covers their eyes with the inner membrane which allows them to see while protecting it. The outer most layer is the thickest, and you probably know this too, the same color as their hide." she stopped their, skipping over the information about eye colors and their correlation to the mood of the dragon. That was common sense to someone who had lived in a Weyr most of their life.

The next section in her journal was touch, which she had also illustrated in her sketchbook. "Dragons have the same five senses as we do; sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing - though their hearing is done through the auditory knobs on their head instead of ears like ours. They augment their hearing with telepathy, of course. Their eyes are far superior to our own, and have much better long-distance focusing than humans. Their sense of smell is developed, but it's sensitivity is questionable. No one is really certain just how well it works." her gaze turned thoughtful at that, trying to think of a way to describe it to Thane that would make sense. "For some reason, the heavy scent of firestone and cooking numbweed doesn't seem to bother them, but they can smell things that humans cannot. Touch, though, is not as developed as our own as they don't rely on it as much as we do. But, their bellies are softer and more sensitive (and prone to tickling)." she grinned, reaching for the wineskin and refilling for her third glass, "It's a trick I use when working with the dragonets, tickling them seems to distract them for the less desirable aspects of being worked on."

"Mmm..." she murmured as she flipped pages from upside down, filtering some of the information as things she figured he knew already, "Dragons excrete their feces and urine at the same time, through the sphincter at the fork of their tails, their blood isn't really blood - it's ichor, which green..." she passed over much of this, mentioning it in passing, "Their genitalia is located at the base of the tail where it meets the body, protected by pouch-like flaps of skin..." she had illustrated this as well. "Their muscles are silvery-gray in color; I'll show you that some time when we go over the internal anatomy more in depth. Their bones are based on light, flexible plates rather than bones like ours. More similar to birds than humans. You'll see that later too. I'll show you a secret of the Weyr when we discuss bones..." the secret being the preserved skeleton of an ancient green dragon that had been articulated and strung up in the older section of the Weyr for teaching purposes. Closing the books, she set them aside. The wine was beginning to make her mind feel fuzzy and she refused to teach him while drunk. "Any questions, so far?" she asked, smiling at him. She had begun the lesson with the assumption that most of the things she was going to tell him he already knew, but that didn't mean she hadn't covered some other information he might have questions about.

Holding out her hand she quirked her fingers at him, "Can I see where you put the tallow? What do you feel? Any tingling? Coolness? Numbness? Did it make you itch or cause any pain?" she asked him. Noting a few things she had felt on herself. Falyn did, however, let Thane's words about his mother liking her sink in as she waited to hear how he felt about the concoction on his skin. Karene liking someone? Well, she had to. After all, she had appointed an old friend of hers as the new Headwoman. Or so that was the rumor. Headwoman Anuleesa was also, apparently, the brownrider T'rian and Zelenyth's rider's mother. It was interesting to think that the woman had known the Weyrwoman before her Impression. Her curiosity was peaked, though, about their relationship and how well they knew each other. Anuleesa must be as hard-working as the Weyrwoman herself was, if Karene thought she could help run the Weyr as her right hand woman. Falyn made a note to meet Anuleesa as soon as she could.

"You're right, of course, Thane." she conceded finally. "I still can't believe she came to see me personally. I don't think I've heard of her doing that before." Standing, and just a tiny bit wobbly, she gestured toward the sitting area which had much more comfortable seats, "Come on, let's let that oil cool and compound while we go drink and eat ourselves silly." Grabbing her glass and the plate, Falyn wandered toward the sitting room and flopped across half of the two-seater couch. When he sat, Falyn turned on the seat and leaned companionably against him. Her drinks were beginning to show, but she didn't care. They were friends and she had no intention of seducing the young man. He made a comfortable place to lean anyway. "So, Thane, tell me what you want to learn in your dragonhealing career." she said, tilting her head back to look up at him upside-down. She was feeling silly, and smiled happily. Much calmer now that she had been in her element with the lesson and had some alcohol in her veins. "Is there an area you'd like to focus on in particular?"

The wine wasn’t as bad as he thought it might be. While he had been expecting there to be a bitter after-taste he found it wasn’t enough to detract from the original taste. Especially not as he continued to drink. His ability to eat large quantities of food also seemed to extend to drinking liquids. He was already almost done with his second glass when Falyn approved of his apprenticing. He had not given it much thought, it was more of a spur of the moment decision but the more he thought about it now, the more he figured it was a good idea for him. He had talents after all, why limit himself? Agreeing with her, “We will.” He was not prone to self-doubt to begin with so he was not at all concerned that he would find his dragon or rather that his dragon would find him. Thane was just a tad jealous that his younger brother had managed it first.

Using the concoction on his forearm, he wondered what he should be feeling. “I’m sure I’ve done worse to myself.” He added, pretty certain he could trust her but also certain he was less likely to be trusted. He would totally abuse his gifts and talents to prank other people, especially if he had more knowledge. Although now he thought about it, healers had to be nice to those they worked on. He would probably be expected to keep to some code of behavior. Ergh, so not his strong point.

As Falyn hurried back with her journals, he hid his amusement. First lessons were probably not always so last minute. But since he had been following her on her rounds, he already knew some of what she was telling him. Repetition of the information was only going to help him. Memorizing everything would take time, even for someone as sharp as he was. Falyn had Turns of experience so he had no doubt he could learn a lot from her. He didn’t interrupt her as she began teaching him about dragons. Even growing up at the Weyr with dragonriding parents, had not taught him everything a person needed to know about them. He found his previous knowledge lacking and deficient in many areas, not the least of which concerning dragons.

“Ticklish? Really?” The wheels in his mind were turning. Oh the things he could do with that knowledge! Tormenting siblings had never been so easy! He would most certainly be able to embarrass Emerene with that. He was paying attention despite his amusement. The drawings and notes in the journals were most helpful in getting him to visualize what he should be seeing on a dragon. “No questions but I think I’ll need some time to have it all memorized as you do.” He would study. After all, he was supposed to be staying out of trouble since his mother had threatened to bar him from Standing if he didn’t adhere to the rules.

He held out his arm and indicated the patch of forearm where he had put the concoction. “Here.” Thanekar was quick to respond, “Feels numb and a bit cool but not painful in the least. No itching.” The immediate answer would be the right one because given the chance to think too much people tended to come up with more than the truth. Now he didn’t have time to think about what she wanted to hear.

Thane thought about his mother’s interference and said, “The only time she has had similar conversations with my siblings and I, she was trying to dissuade us from riding.” She happily talked other people into it though! He knew she knew they were all good enough to be riders. She simply wanted them to have a freedom that she never had and never would have. Bound by her duty to do what must be done rather than what she might want to do. Like raising her own children. Being with someone she truly loved and spending time with that person. He understood what she sacrificed for her position better than most and so understood why she might want something different for her children.

He stifled a laugh at Falyn’s amazement. “She may or may not have done so with other people but I doubt she’d tell anyone if she had.” Karene for all her faults was not a gossip, nor did she have time to sit around and talk about other people or encounters she had with them. He certainly would never be privy to such knowledge. If it made her happy to feel special, he wouldn’t have told her if he knew of his mother having a conversation like this anyway. Thane knew how to keep things to himself to keep other people happy. It was possibly part of his charm.

Grabbing his own glass, recently refilled with wine and his plate, he sat on the couch, allowing Falyn to lean on him companionably. There was an easiness between them which came from being friends and sharing in experiences like not impressing. He hadn’t noticed how much wine he had had nor had he noticed that Falyn was a bit unsteady on her feet. Thane’s free arm stretched along the top of the couch. He almost slurred his response to her, as it was, his words came out slower than usual, “Mmm, well, I would have to say surgery might be kinda awesome. We’ll need people who can do surgeries when Threadfall comes.” Unlike some people on Pern, he was convinced Thread was coming and soon.

He laughed for a moment, “I don’t mean to be quite so cynical but better to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.” With that he finished off another glass of wine and set the glass down. He was entirely too comfortable right now and made absolutely no objection to her using him as a pillow.

Falyn listened while Thane spoke, her finger idley tracing shapes on his thigh. Surgery. "We don't get a lot of surgery..." she commented lightly, "Dragon bones are hard to break. We do a lot of wing splinting though. I'll make sure you get to help for whatever surgeries we get though." she said, turning her head back up to smile at Thane. Her mind was entirely too fuzzy, and from where she was sitting, he was increasingly attractive. To break the tension in her own mind, she sat forward and poured another glass to sip from. However, she slopped a little outside the glass on the table and decided that it would be best to finish the drink instead of trying to sip it with unsteady hands. Downing the wine, Falyn was now entirely certain she had drunk enough to last her a long time.

Settling back she didn't just lean against him, she threw her legs over his lap and curled into his side. The wine had broken through her bridges. "I'm really glad you are here, even though the reason for it sucks. I wish we had both Impressed this time around." she murmured, laying her head on his shoulder. "It's always nice to have someone who understands."

Inwardly Falyn was proud to have Thane as a friend. She could always count on him to be there for her when she needed someone to talk to, and she was always there for him when he was getting into scrapes he didn't want others finding out about. Falyn smiled, shaking her head and remembering. Her knowledge of human healing was very limited, enough to maybe stabilize a rider until the human Healers actually got to them.

Despite the wine, the fact that she was more or less sitting in Thane's lap didn't bother her. He was her friend. And now he was her Apprentice. Falyn chuckled, "Who would have thought that after all this, I would be teaching you Dragonhealing?"

“I’ll be certain to learn as much as I can when we do get them in.” Being someone who was needed never bothered him. Truth be told, he would rather be needed than seen as disposable. Maybe growing up with parents who didn’t expect much from you made a person crave it for themselves. Although he doubted his mother had grown up without expectations. She seemed to be very needed by many people. “It must be difficult keeping the riders calm when their dragons are severely injured.” Dragons only needed a Gold to be there. Gold dragons held a lot of sway over the other colors. None could disobey a direct order from a Queen. Humans though were not wired that way.

He didn’t remark on the spillage of wine. Unsteady hands meant nothing to him and besides, he wasn’t her keeper. She knew when enough was enough. He expected to be treated similarly. Let him be the judge of when enough was enough where wine was concerned. Though admittedly, he had only had a glass now and then. Mostly he just stole it for the sake of thieving it right under the cooks noses.

With the dragonhealer now snuggled against him, he felt suddenly the awkward teenager he should be. Thane for all his bravado had never actually been in such close proximity to any young woman. Not even his sister. Falyn probably was just being sisterly, he thought to himself. Besides, she was now his “master” for dragonhealing purposes. She surely was just being friendly and the wine was making things a bit more cozy. Yeah, he was going to go with that. “Maybe it happened for a reason? I mean maybe we failed so that we would become better, stronger or something like that?” He wondered too why he had left the Sands without a dragon.

Clearly he didn’t know what to do in his current position. His arm slid down from where it had been resting on the top of the couch to rest instead across her shoulder, hand dipping just slightly where there was no body part to support it. He felt out of his depth for sure. There were plenty of people younger than him who had girlfriends and boyfriends but he hadn’t felt the need to participate in that particular part of life. It went without saying that Falyn was beautiful. He had just never really thought about her the way he was thinking about her right that moment. It was the wine, obviously.

To answer her, he had to finish his wine which cleared his throat and gave him a moment to get his hormones under control. “Yeah. Funny how things happen in ways we don’t expect.”

The dragonhealer nodded against Thane's chest as he talked. His voice vibrated through his body and while it sounded distorted, it sounded nice. Falyn's comfort level rose as the wine she had already drunk affected her more and more. "It is difficult, most of the time I have to keep them out and away from their dragon. There have been a few cases of me needing a couple people to restrain a dragonrider. The idea that I'm hurting the dragon more when it needs help won't always go away from their mind. I've been attacked, you know." she commented, pulling the hem of her apron off her calves and exposing a shallow, short scar. "That was a man's fingernails." she told him.

Before long she felt Thane's arm slip down around her shoulders and suppressed a giggle. He was not versed in the ways of cuddling, her drunken mind decided. Falyn reached up and took his hand in hers, guiding his arm down around her waist and keeping a companionable hold on his hand. "When in doubt, hold her hand, Thane." she commented giving him a smile. "Keeps it from flopping around idly. Or his, if you prefer men." she mused, not sounding as if she were insulting his tastes if that was what he was interested in. She would certainly never judge.

She mused for a moment, "Don't we get stronger each time we fail? Are we not strong enough? Maybe there's something we haven't done that we don't deserve a dragon yet." Once again her mind wandered to what those who Impressed had as their qualities. They were all at the Weyr. That was one thing, she was too. But beyond that she had no idea. Many were from the Holds, some were older than her, some younger. Virgins and non-virgins. Had she not given everything to be a dragonhealer? Was she not supposed to ride a dragon? With a violent shake of her head, she dismissed the thought. She was meant to be a rider. That was all there was to it. Her thoughts were interrupted when Thane lifted his glass and finished his wine, clearing his throat. Things they didn't expect...

It was between that thought and the wine that Falyn reached up and gently tugged his face to hers, kissing him soundly. He tasted like the wine he had just gulped down and she lost herself in the moment as her body pressed closer to his. Her free hand clutched at his shirt and pulled him closer to her. Nothing was stopping her from kissing her friend right now. The wine was warm in her stomach and her veins coursed with the alcohol as well. There was nothing better than Thane at that moment and Falyn let herself go and enjoy it.

Her own low groan caught her after a few minutes of kissing him and her eyes flew open as she sat back away from him and looked at his face. The dragonhealer gasped, her hands flying to her mouth and eyes widening in the shock of what she had done. "Thane... Thane, that shouldn't have... we shouldn't have done that. Shards!" she swore. The shock of finding herself wantonly kissing Thane hadn't yet driven her from his lap, but she couldn't believe she had gone through with it. "That is..." she started, shaking her head, "More than enough wine for me. I think." Falyn was blushing through all of her skin that was showing, shocked. "Oh shards, Thane. I am not sorry I kissed you, but we really shouldn't do that again. It cannot happen again."

He could imagine some of them would be quite out of their minds with worry for their dragons. So it did not surprise him that she had been attacked while treating dragons. Most riders were touchy when it came to their dragons to begin with. Add in panic, fear and worry and you had an emotionally unstable rider on your hands. He saw the marks left by the one rider’s fingernails and his eyes widened. People were crazed morons when their dragons were injured. It was a fact.

Thane certainly wasn’t expecting her to want to hold his hand. He was not adept at reading girls at all and had thus far not had any real physical contact with them. Falyn had a point though. If he was going to do anything, he should do it the right way. Holding hands was cozy enough but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t feeling a little more interested in touching her now. At the moment it wasn’t a question of if he preferred women to men, more that he was feeling inclined toward her. He’d been very careful up till now, not to get too close to girls. They were only going to distract him from his Bronze.

Having failed to Impress though meant he probably needed a distraction, if only for a moment. He didn’t answer, nor did he have much opportunity too. Before he realized it, his sage advice had given way to her kissing him. At first he was too shocked to react. Granted he wasn’t opposed to being kissed, he simply didn’t think someone as beautiful and talented as Falyn would want to kiss him. He was much younger and not experienced in any way. Thane decided not to read into it. He allowed himself just to enjoy the moment.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had moved to accommodate their mouths. Losing himself in feeling rather than thinking, no doubt partially due to the wine, he managed to reciprocate her kissing rather well. He was almost too lost in the pleasure. His skin had become more sensitive and he could tell he was not in control of his body much at all. His free hand slid up, inside her shirt, touching the soft skin where he came to her breast. And the wine, having rid him of any inhibition certainly made him do something he never would have tried. His hand began to slowly massage her breast.

When she moaned and then abruptly broke away, his eyes shot open. She was a little freaked out now and he was mostly just confused. Obviously he was aroused but it wasn’t something he never had to deal with before. He had plenty of dreams that made him become hard. So he thought about something that would make him calm down below. One of them being not looking at Falyn. She was far too attractive to help him at the moment.

A smirk on his face, which only served to make him look more mischievous than he intended, “Don’t be sorry. We’re just friends who had a little too much wine.” He paused not wanting her to be too concerned with what would happen now. Even if he was younger, he was mature enough to know to say no if he didn't want something.

“I can keep a secret.” As she seemed really worried about repercussions from this make out whatever it was, “Never happened.” He said with a nod. He was determined not to make a big deal out of this. Though he was still mentally reeling from the shock of it all. It hadn’t happened, he had not had time to process it happening. It was best for them both if no one ever knew about this. He didn’t intend to be one of those guys who would kiss and tell anyway.

He decided it might be best if he got up, now that he had himself under control. Changing topics so that they could move on from awkward, “We were going to bring the newest concoction to Zelenyth right?"

Even as her mind thought about repercussions of kissing Thane, her friend and now student, Falyn was remembering the way his hand had felt on her breast when he had been kissing her and massaging at the same time. Her face flushed with heat in the memory and her argument over the situation grew quieter. Her hands had moved away from her face as she thought about their moment of passion and even though she had her misgivings about the situation, Falyn needed a distraction from not failing once, but twice in the same Hatching. Shaking her head and giving in, Falyn moved to sit in his lap again, this time straddling him comfortably, "I can't go see Zelenyth yet..." she whispered, taking his hand and placing it back on her chest with a grin.

Feeling much more at ease with the choice, she leaned in and kissed him gently, "We've already broke a barrier, let's use today as a distraction from our failure." she said, speaking against his lips as she pulled away to take a breath. Beneath her she could feel his arousal and it made her smile. Young as he was, he might not have let himself get involved with women. And while she had no intention of bedding him, a harmless make out session while they sobered up wouldn't hurt anything. At least, that's what her mind was thinking for her. Her breath rose in her chest as she felt his hand where she had put it.

Capturing his mouth with her's again, Falyn let her hands trail down his chest before she reached up and untied her apron strings to toss aside. If he was going to put his hand back up her shirt, she wasn't going to let an apron get in the way. "This," she smiled, "Can 'never happened' tomorrow." she told him mischievously. Going back to the moment, she leaned against him and let her hand trail between them, letting her hand run along the length of his erection in his pants. If he was going to have her breath catch in her throat, she would do the same for him.