Lan
Weyrlingmaster 
lanct[M:-1025]
Nomming ALL the kidpets!
Posts: 1,266 
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Post by Lan on May 19, 2011 3:06:26 GMT -5
We're going to be late. Waroth's tail twitched anxiously as she peered over the ridge of her ledge. It was early morning, the ocean fog still clinging to the lower ground like a lost cloud that fell from the sky. Her dragon's eyes, multifaceted and perpetually orange in color, saw all that was going on... or, rather, what was not going on. She shifted, standing and stretching legs and wings like a cat before she turned to look back into the cave-like weyr she shared with her lifemate. An abrupt snort puffed up a tiny white cloud in front of her. Even though spring was warming Dalibor Weyr a bit, the mornings were still chilly... not that Waroth particularly mind. She had never known weather that was very warm. The sunny days of Ista and the South were not days she had known. Always was her surroundings chilled, full of fog and rain and snow. And, soon enough, she would know skies full of fire. The instinct of the approaching Red Star and what it would bring tingled her spine. No red had seen thread before... she would lead her color as being one of the firsts to meet it. But, first she had to get her rider out of this sharding weyr.
"Coming, dear!" Nimara called, slinging her jacket over one arm and then the other as she clasped folded parchment in her hand. Enyo squawked as her perch on the redhead's shoulder was compromised, then flew after her human like a bat out of hell to catch up. Nimara stopped right before she got to Waroth, allowing the green flit to catch up to her as she adjusted her gear, letting a hand trail over the candidatemaster chords as she smoothed her jacket. That mark of her rank was more than just a symbol of where she stood in the hierarchy; it was a symbol of forward motion. Fajra and O'sho still trusted her... the drama of turns past was left behind them. Callistath's flight had ended and R'len was now taking up a Weyrleader postion. They were both moving forward. It gave her a new sense of purpose. Now 30 turns old, she seemed to finally be doing something useful with her life.
Enyo slipped onto her shoulder again, a gargoyle staring out into the morning as the red dragon near them gave another grumpy snort. Even if Enyo was useful, Waroth was still not exactly pleased with her presence. The green had done well attacking that horrid pinkrider, but Waroth was not going to just accept her under her wing. Nim reached up and stroked the tiny green under her chin, cooing softly to her. While she loved having Enyo near, it probably wouldn't be the best idea to bring her along to Candidate Lessons. She irritated Waroth, for one thing... and for another it just seemed unprofessional. So she dismissed the green of her escort, telling her firmly to stay behind in the weyr, and mounted Waroth so that the two of them could glide down together to the Candidate's Barrack.
Waroth-dear, can you bespeak Argotath? And wake the dragon candidates up, if you might. Waroth grunted, locking her wings into position to spiral down into the Weyr Bowl.
Argotath... Mine is holding a Candidate Lesson. Yours may come now or later, if he wishes to speak; Her mental voice was still irritable from the fact she was up so early, but at the very least she didn't insult him. Of course, she may have only been saving her energy for what she did as soon as she landed. Standing square in front of the Candidate's Barrack, the red held her wings out wide and gave a loud, deafening roar toward the front door. That should wake up any dragon candidates still in dream land. Nimara shook her head as she dismounted. It wasn't what she meant, but it was too late now to take it back.
Wake UP! Lesson time. Move. Quickly, Waroth projected into the minds of wher and dragon candidates alike. Some bitterness colored her tone. She disliked talking to anyone but her own rider, but being in the position of Candidatemasters meant the, for Nimara's sake, she had to bend some of her usually hard-set rules. The redrider stood in front of her dragon, waiting as candidates filed out to the front of the barracks to convene for lessons. When most of them seemed to be there, she smiled brightly at them and began speaking.
"Hello! You may have heard you'll be getting new candidatemasters. Well, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nimara and this here behind me is Waroth. We'll be assisting S'rial, mainly working with female dragon candidates and wher candidates. So, if you fall into these categories and have any problems or questions at all and at any time, I encourage you to come and talk to me about it;" She paused, allowing for the information to sink in, then she continued, "K'var and blue Argotath will also be assisting S'rial, working with male dragon candidates and those that are newly searched. They're not here at the moment, but they may pop in later to say hello.
"We have quite a bit to get through today, so I'm going to be doing a lot of talking. First on our to-do list is going over rules again. As candidates you should be aware that there is a strict no-intimacy policy, whether it is with each other or senior members of the Weyr. If any higher ranking member of the Weyr engages you in any sort of intimate relations, please contact one of the Candidatemasters as soon as possible and we'll take care of it. Furthermore, there is no ingesting alcohol or fellis of any sort, unless under the direct instruction of a healer, and there is no snooping allowed on the sands. Particularly now that there will be eggs on the sands, you should never approach them without the permission of the mother dragon or wher. The rest of the rules should be fairly straight-forward and etiquette based: no quarreling, no stealing, no bullying," at that she glanced at a couple of the candidates she had been told about and whom she had observed as being less-than-friendly, "and, of course, always treating your peers and superiors alike with respect.
"Now, onto more pressing business... with Gold Callistath's recent flight, there shall be eggs on the sands soon. Those of you that are dragon candidates will stand on the sands when the eggs are hard and ready to hatch. Until, then, though, it's going to be the job of the Candidatemasters to prepare you for that day. Some of you wher candidates, too, will stand for the gold wher egg hardening on the sands... those of you have been interviewed by Alphahandler Audren and Senior Weyrwoman Fajra and you know who you are. I will be working with those candidates personally to prepare them for that, along with Alphahandler Audren." She took a couple steps back and placed a hand on Waroth's foreleg. The red dragon, now in a lying-down position, looked away from where she had been staring off in the distance down to her rider and gave a soft grunt. She didn't much like being around these candidates. They were boring. But now she knew what was coming next. She looked over at the candidates with orange eyes, trying to stare each one of them in the eye in turn. It was an intimidation tactic. Only those strong enough, in her opinion, would stare back... or those stupid enough.
"Today's lesson, though, is about questions and familiarity. First, you're each going to take turns introducing yourself to Waroth and we're all going to familiarize ourselves with her anatomy and muscle structure. Wher candidates are included! While whers are smaller and more muscular than dragons, out of most dragons Waroth's short-and-stocky build is probably the closest to a wher... and so is her temperament. I'm sure some of you witnessed the hatching of the red wher last season, and you know what reds can be like. But, approach her and any and all bonded whers and dragons with caution and respect... and I'm sure you'll be all right. This is also the way you will treat Callistath and other mother dragons of future clutches when you stand on their sands. Clutching dragons like to be appreciated by the people they're letting their children impress to, and it's only right to bow to them to show your respect."
Nimara smiled into the audience, her eyes singling out one girl toward the front of the group. "How about you go first, dear? Don't worry, I promise she won't bite while I'm around! Just approach her, bow, and state your name. Then, if she allows you to pass, feel free to walk around her and return to where you were. Please, no more than three to five candidates at a time, though." She nodded encouragingly, taking a few steps closer to the candidates and away from Waroth. Then, as that process began, she continued speaking. "After this we'll have a brief anatomy lesson and a questions and answers time."
Waroth, meanwhile, had taken to staring down each candidate that tried to approach her. It was starting to turn out fun, after all. Now, if only she could be allowed to perform more physical acts of intimidation... but Nimara's mental grasp on her was firm. Begrudgingly, she allowed the first candidates to pass with a nod of her head. There were so many of these nose-wipers... this was going to be a longer lesson than she had anticipated. Her tail flicked back and forth agitatedly, almost like a cat's. Other than that and the occasional dip of her head to allow those candidates that were being polite and respectful to pass, she didn't move much. |
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Cathaline
Lady Holder 
cathct[M:50]
Posts: 3,279
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Post by Cathaline on May 19, 2011 3:30:08 GMT -5
Although Niton was no stranger to early mornings, especially at the Weyr, wake-up calls usually didn't come straight into his mind; to someone who was generally woken by one of the room's fair of flitters, it was a shock, and he fell straight out of bed. Drummer gave a worried squawk and fluttered down to fuss until Niton pushed himself upright.
"No, no, shard it, I'm fine. I didn't hit my head again," he said, reaching up to touch the bandage he still wore. The concussion had faded with time and the black eye was getting there, but he still couldn't expose the healing wound to the air. "Jerrith, did you hear that?"
It didn't take long for him to dress and rush outside, but once he saw the enormous red, he froze and stayed at the back of the pack. The very back. As the new Candidatemaster acknowledged, reds were terrifying; he was desperately hoping Callistath's clutch didn't contain another, and Waroth was big. Lots bigger than Damask.
Being as tall as he was, there was no hope of hiding, however, and he deliberately stayed at the back. He would do the lesson properly, of course, but...he'd psych himself up first.
----
Delilah had never had a problem with mornings, and she was already up and dressed when Waroth's call sounded. Neither was she a stranger to gruff masters, and she wasn't at all shaken as she headed outside, naturally obtaining a spot in the front.
It was her first lesson, so "new" had nothing to do with it; she sized up the Candidatemaster and decided she very much liked the woman. Friendly, intelligent; no, Delilah would have no problem going to Nimara if she needed to. She was too polite to stare at Waroth, though when she caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye, she did take her attention off of Nimara briefly to meet Waroth's gaze. The red was beautiful...no doubt volatile in some way, but beautiful.
As a Healer apprentice, she was really no stranger to taking in lots of information at once, and she nodded to Nimara's instructions and stepped forward. She gave a deep, respectful bow, then straightened up and said, "I am Delilah. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Once the dragon allowed her to pass, she took a careful walk around, making especially sure not to get too close to that lashing tail. This wasn't so bad at all.
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Kalenna, on the other hand, had done this before, what felt like a thousand times - first for dragons, then for whers. But she would never shirk a duty. Though she was tired from the nightly chores and ought to be bedding down at any minute, she shrugged it off and headed outside.
She listened carefully, just in case there was any information specific to Dalibor Weyr, taking in Nimara and Waroth. She was both a woman and a wher candidate, and standing for the gold besides, but personal interaction would come later. For now, she simply made mental notes and waited her turn to bow, state her name, and have a look at Waroth. She certainly didn't rise to the red's intimidation tactics, either; bullies of any species had little hold on her.
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Boo
Jr. Weyrwoman
booct[M:-425]
Shirath: THOSE aren't spirit fingers... THESE ARE SPIRIT FINGERS!!!
Posts: 1,917
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Post by Boo on May 19, 2011 3:52:47 GMT -5
Corian practically jumped from his bed with excitement when he heard the voice of the red. At first he thought it was a Hatching but, upon registering the words he became even more excited if possible. It was time for another candidate lesson which, naturally, meant that the hatching was just that closer! He shivered a little in extreme excitement and ran into the door with a loud bang. Falling backwards he jumped to his feet once more and this time opened the door he turned and shouted at his roommate whom he wasn’t even certain was in his bed.
“Candidate lesson! Let’s go Ezekiel!! The hatching’s going to happen soon!”
He jumped up and down on the spot as Cirrus, recognising the excitement started zooming around the small room searching for the cause of His’ enthusiasm. Corian wasn’t sure whether Ez was awake just yet but he was too excited about the lesson to manage it.
“I’m going I’ll meet you there!”
Again, Corian was too excited to even register whether or not Ezekiel was in his bed but, he had done what he could to wake the other. He ran out into the corridor still in his nightclothes and rushed into the place where the lessons were to be held. He arrived in time, aware that his clothes were not the best ones and that he was not wearing shoes. He was breathless as he stood before their new Candidatemaster and the majestic Red. His mouth was wide open as he looked at the Redrider and her dragon. He realised then that he should register what was being said. He shook his head and paid close attention. Respect. Exactly. He shivered again as they were asked to approach the Red. He walked forwards when it was his turn and bowed low to the Red, maintaining eye contact despite the fierce look he was receiving.
“Corian,” He greeted somewhat meekly.
He shuffled off, a little more sedate now that he’d been stared down by the Red.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Yalenia had been up all night finally back into her normal sleeping patterns. She wasn’t all that tired just yet, returning from the Lower Caverns, but she was tired enough that she would rather like sleeping for the rest of the day. She was just walking into the candidate barracks when she spotted a Red descending to land just outside. She moved inside the door so as to give the Red space as she landed. She was aware that she had some dirt on her face but didn’t worry too much about it for a few moments later she heard a voice in her head. The Red.
She stepped back outside the door and bowed respectfully to both Red and the Rider while they waited for others to arrive. She had a smile on her face though, knowing that this lesson was very important to a great number of the candidates. Not only was it important for the Dragon candidates whom would all be standing soon but she too would be standing. For a Gold. She was pleased to have another lesson before the hatching.
She listened attentively to what was being said and nodded a little, understanding and remembering some of these lessons from other times she had stood. It was interesting to listen to the lessons about the Dragons too… Yalenia had not really attended all that many lessons with regards to the Dragons.
When it came up to greeting the Dragon and approaching her Yalenia had no qualms or worries. She walked over with another couple of candidates, bowed to the Red Dragoness and her Rider.
“Greetings, I’m Yalenia. It's an honour.” She spoke respectfully and then moved off without any fear.
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Fel was not entirely all that happy to be awoken so early. Once she was awake, though, she had no problems. She rolled gracefully off the bed and grabbed some of her better clothes to change into. She walked out the door and skipped down the corridors towards the entrance of the barracks. She spotted the Red and froze for a moment. She was bigger than Fel had been expecting. There were already a few people there and by the time that Fel had taken her place at the edges of the group Nimara, the candidatemaster, had begun speaking.
They were to approach her!? But she was a little scary. No. If Fel was going to show how much better she was than her brother she had to show no fear. The Red was not scary! She maintained a determined expression, listening closely to what was being said and then, when it was her turn, she walked forwards and approached the gigantic Red. She did what was asked of her, bowing low.
“Fel, Dragon Candidate.” She murmured quietly.
When her turn was over she skipped away, head held high and rather pleased with herself. If she could bow to a Red then what else could she do? Anything. She was amazing. Any Dragon that she impressed would be amazing and she was capable of anything. She didn’t pay attention to the rest of the candidates too pleased with her own efforts to pay attention to the other people.
She cared about the others but she was simply too amazed by the whole situation to truly focus on what the others were doing. She was more concerned with making sure she was not attacked by the Red herself. She’d heard that their temper was somewhat legendary…
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Post by claire on May 19, 2011 8:44:17 GMT -5
Never given to keeping a normal schedule, Varan had been on his way out of the kitchens when the beat of vast red wings sent fog swirling in mad eddies through the air. Mild curiosity turned to intent interest as the red landed squarely in front of the candidate barracks and gave a shattering roar; he was already in a half jog toward whatever was going on when the mental command to assemble rang silently out through the weyr. On of the first on the scene, he inclined his head respectfully to both dragon and rider. He was slightly surprised to recognise the rider as the one he and Izzy had breakfasted with seasons ago, not long after he'd first arrived at the weyr. She had seemed perfectly friendly at the time. But he wasn't about to underestimate someone who could keep a temperamental red under control; somewhere under that smile, there was steel. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the candidates were quick to arrive - that roar must have been quite the alarm call - and he smiled or waved at those he knew as they filed out of the barracks. Soon most of them were assembled, and his attention turned back to Nimara as she began to speak. Most of it was old news. The restrictions on the personal lives still rankled a little, but he had the wit to keep his face neutral. Silence fell over the assembled candidates as, at Nimara's invitation, a blonde girl he hadn't met yet stepped forward to greet Waroth. Some tension drained from the crowd when she was allowed to pass without incident. Curiosity and the desire for a closer look at the dragon overrode any apprehension he might have felt, and he was among the first to follow her lead to step forward and approach. "Dragon Candidate Varan," he introduced himself, bowing deeply to the red; "It's an honour to meet you." He took longer about the circuit that most, being overtaken by more than one other candidate as he inspected the dragon's anatomy closely. Shards but she was beautiful. His hands itched to touch, but he suspected that would not be well received. Resigned to being sensible, with a sigh he rejoined the others. ~*~ Cal sat bolt upright in bed with a yelp at the earth-shaking roar that rang thunderously through the barracks. "What the sharding-?" she gasped, looking around in sleepily bewildered panic for the source of the commotion. What a way to be woken! But then she heard the dragon's order in her mind and her confusion was overruled by excitement. She scrambled down from the top bunk and dove for her chest, hastily grabbing and pulling on the first clothes she could lay her hands on. "Did you hear that?" she said excitedly, and then had to grin at the stupidity of the question. Of course Tana had heard it. How could anyone possibly sleep through that? Though all but vibrating with excitement, she waited for her roommate, and they left the barracks together. She listened closely to what the candidatemaster - a redheaded woman with an easy smile - had to say, even if she had heard most of it already. Nimara seemed pleasant and approachable. Speaking to her would probably not be a hardship. The red dragon, however, she eyed warily. After what had happened at the wher hatching she had no intention of taking any chances; she would wait to see how things went for the first few candidates to approach, and then she would step forward herself. |
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Post by larkwing on May 19, 2011 9:28:26 GMT -5
Inali sat upright as the sound of the dragon's voice echoed in her head. Relishing the feeling for a few moments, the dragon candidate moved a bit stiffly out of her warm cocoon. "Stay here Wyred okay? If it looks like flits are aloud, I'll call for you." The green flit chirped unhappily, moving closer to Hers and protesting. She should be good enough for that rider and dragon! She should be allowed to come too! Shaking her head though, Inali forced the green away from her. "I said no Wyred!"
Trilling, the green sulked off in a corner while Inali got up and stretched. Leaving her room, she went next door to where Larka was. The girl, who was about her age, was already up and heading out thankfully. "First lesson. Excited?" The auburn headed candidate asked Inali with a wide smile. She noticed that Larka had also left her green and black firelizards in her room. "Of course I'm excited. Come on, we can't be late."
By the time they got out there, a red dragon had arrived and her rider was leaning against the foreleg. She was so beautiful, no doubt a bit scary, but still very beautiful and proud. Inali smiled to herself slightly, keeping a prim and proper look to her. Across the way she spotted Abetzi, her older sister, the older wher candidate stifled a yawn. She looked back at Larka in time to see the girl go up to the red.
A bit scared, but also filled with a sense of easy confidence, Larka looked up at the red and her rider before bowing as well. She'd waited her turn, timing her coming up here to be exactly next in line. Now, she glanced up again as she gave her greeting. "Hello, I am dragon candidate Larka. It's wonderful to meet you and your rider." Once the dragon let her go around her, the candidate observed the well kept hide and the strong muscles. A little thrill went through her.
Inali held her breath a bit as she watched her friend go around the red. She wanted to next, but something kept her back. She didn't want to crowd the dragon, so, she'd wait for a few more candidates to go around before saying hello and taking her turn. When that time finally did come, she moved closer, her hands held in front of her, her back straight. Glad she had put her hair back so it wouldn't get in her way, she bowed to the dragon and rider. "I am Inali, a dragon candidate. It is an absolute honor to meet you and your dragon." Looking up at the red, Inali kept herself from smiling too much. Though it was hard, she was excited and happy, still there was a time and place to show the full extent of ones emotions. This didn't seem to be it.
Abetzi watched her younger sister carefully. She hadn't noticed too many wher candidates coming, but it was an excuse to get out of her room, and also to see Inali. Pushing white blond hair behind her ear, yet again, the 19 turn old girl cast her gray eyes around the group. The red looked wonderful and proud, above the rest of them even. Abby wondered if that's how the gold wheret would be once hatched, if she got to be there when it hatched. She hoped so, one part of her saying to stop being ridiculous and that she'd be there for sure. The other part had one of those rare time though where Abby doubted herself. The feeling wasn't welcome in the least.
Feeling a brief tug in her mind, the candidate shushed Dusk from his place in her room underneath her blankets. She'd had to fight with the black for a few minutes to get him to stay, she at least was getting better at that though. Following some candidates, Abby went over to the red dragon and bowed. She didn't fear the dragoness really, instead she respected her. "Abetzi, wher candidate. I am honored as well to meet you and your rider."
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Post by kayleetonkslupin on May 19, 2011 12:09:55 GMT -5
Aidan tumbled out of bed as he heard the roar. "Xiro! Hey, Xiro!" He looked around for his roommate. "Xiro, Candidate lessons!" He dressed in a hurry, following the other dragon candidates and wondering just what was going to happen.
Before long, he saw the huge red, and with a squeak of fear, backed up a few steps. He listened to the Candidatemaster's speech, and when his turn came, he steeled himself and bowed to the Red. "Aidan, Dragon Candidate," he said as respectfully as he could, not wanting his voice to waver.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jimmita tore out of bed, threw on her clothes and ran from the room, three steps behind Abetzi. "Abby, lessons? At this hour?" She hadn't been able to keep Pickle in her room, so the little flit was possessively caught in her headscarf as the older girl caught up to the sisters. Getting up early was not Jimmita's forte, especially after being up late the previous night listening to Pickle making flirting noises at Dusk. Flits...couldn't live with them, couldn't live without them.
She listened respectfully to the Candidatemaster's speech, and bowed to the great Red. "Jimmita, Wher Candidate," she introduced herself. She was trying for the gold, so it was important to know about the clutching mothers. She would not let herself be cowed by the Red; she did see Aidan, though, sticking close to the boys across from them, and sighed to herself. Poor kid, he looked petrified of the Red and no wonder.
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
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Post by Azhdarchid on May 19, 2011 12:13:13 GMT -5
Wake up.
Mind stinging from the telepathic contact, Qosis certainly opened his eyes wide. Only he had not been asleep, not in the truest sense. The morning soak after his exercise rounds in the Bowl was relaxation, not unconsciousness. Only now all that accumulated patience and ease of thought hardened into a headache that beat against his right temple. The command was dragon-born. He could tell from how tight and wordy it was. Dragons sounded nothing like whers.
In about ten seconds the door to the baths was going to fly open and a couple dozen of his smelly male kin were going to dive for the pristine waters. Qosis extricated himself from the broad tub and found a towel to go around his waist, grabbing a comb from his supply basket and brushing out his hair as he strode for the exit. Figures flashed past, unrecognizable in his Waroth-compounded morning haziness.
"Hurry up!" he barked after them anyway, slamming the door to the baths as he left. His room was almost directly across from the entrance. He banged open that door too and went to his storage chest to start getting dressed. "Cysrel, up," he yelled in the general direction of the top bunk as he pulled on a clean black tunic, just in case a dragon was not sufficient. He did not actually see the harper among the furs, but on his way out he ran his hand over the upper bunk to confirm it.
A similar bellow of "up" or "hurry" accompanied the strike of his hand on every door to the exit. The commands came out flat, without any sense of glee in the pestering of fellow Candidates. He was sure they were all awake, but how quick they would be without encouragement was an unknown he sought to rectify. He did not bother with the girls this time though.
The tall Candidate came striding out of the barracks on an even step despite the pain in his head. That was something he assumed would resolve itself in line with his Impression, so for now he could tolerate the occasional draconic summons. He came up to the back of the even-earlier-arrivals, green eyes flashing toward the spaces left in their milling formation, but he did not press forward. He could have stood at the very back of all the other Candidates and still had a perfect view of the proceedings.
It might have been a better idea to filter himself out to the back after everyone arrived. As it was, Qosis had to twist noticeably to keep tabs on who had arrived and who had not after the dragonrider began speaking. Oh, he listened, but he surveyed the local absences at the same time. The only thing that drew him completely back to Nimara was the comment about alcohol. Not even dinner wine? He was sure he had enjoyed regularly, and in plain sight too. Maybe that was why the kitchen staff had it in for him.
He looked a little closer at the rider for the remainder of her chat. Older than him, but... At least S'rial did not have to deal with the girls anymore. And then there was the mother dragon. Not quite a queen, but capable of making good on her Flights. Why did it have to be a Red? Qosis watched her for significantly longer than her rider, then headed forward past other indecisives. The group in front of him dawdled about and had to started to open his mouth around a snarl when they abruptly got out of his way.
Now it was him and Waroth. Him and whoever else was flanking him from behind- and Waroth. But he had a clear vision of the Red's immense head and met her eye-for-eye. At first his shoulders squared back and he remained still. But this was not Damask, and it was not the Red that killed the last clutch's queen. She really did look a little like a wher, all muscle and temper. Whers did not care what you thought of them. You bowed or you died. And they always thought very little of anyone besides their bonded. He knew. The only impression he could possibly make was negative.
He spotted the Gold Wher Candidate Kalenna in the wings of the waiting masses, and the words political ramifications popped into his head. After that full second of pensive hesitation, Qosis tipped his chin toward his chest, eyes still on Waroth's. Then he succeeded the meager tip of his head with a stiff bow after another half-second. His gaze remained fixed on the dragon's, even then. The hand tucked behind his back clenched into a fist and he lifted himself back up as soon as it was appropriate. "Qosis."
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princesal
Wingrider 
salct[M:-100]
Poliwogging it up!
Posts: 429
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Post by princesal on May 19, 2011 14:34:13 GMT -5
He... he wasn't used to it yet.
The first time it had happened, well, his mind had been shaken a little bit from a tumble anyway, but it was just as surprising as right now. He was sure that if he ever impressed, he'd get used to it very quickly, if not instantly. For now it remained almost an odd tickle, like when someone tried to find a ticklish spot, and all they ended up doing was rubbing the tips of their fingers against you as you tried to squirm away. Not having anyone to talk to about it, he'd never ask if anyone else felt the same. Hey, for all he knew, some of his fellow candidates could hear all the dragons normally, and never were surprised by it.
The message sent was what surprised him, a lesson.
Nothing for nothing, Weslin had never been the best... learner, or student. His mother said it was his stubbornness that did him in. If he didn't want to do something, or learn how to do something, he'd dig his heels in and fight tooth and nail all along the way. It was not an attractive trait. Then again, if he did want to learn and was interested in the subject, he'd... well he wouldn't be exhuberant, but he'd be tolerable. Examples of it included learning about how things grow, and plants, and of course dragons. Knowing that this was a candidate lesson, he hoped that meant that they'd be learning about dragons. The Gold dragon's flight had him, as well as probably most candidates brimming with excitement, he heard they had large clutches, but he didn't know how large.
Wes had already been up, and trying to figure out if he wanted to try and escape from chores to day, claiming dizziness (which still came and went, mostly when he just woke up or after a long day), or just go there and try have a more relaxing day. His hours weren't strange, but after countless days of waking up at the same time, it was pretty much habit now. Rolling out of bed, he hadn't won in the toss up, and was on the bottom bunk... and in the case of having to chase a very awake flitter, that had ended up being a very good thing.
Speaking of said flitter, the little green had probably been awake for hours and was zooming around the room like she hadn't knocked over everything at least once, and that there was something new to try and nibble on, or use as a good launch pad. "Nality... Nality, shard it all you green little blur of destruction!" He had learned not to throw his pillow at her, she'd ripped it open last time, and he was left picking up all the insides from it for hours. For a moment she stopped, landing on his shoulder, and then proceeded to run around his neck, not caring if he was buffeted by her wings. He was probably lucky she didn't between yet, not knowing if she was able to, or if she just decided that flying everywhere was more fun.
Up on his feet as she returned to her daily ceiling laps, a blue glare followed her for an instant, as he looked at the top bunk, already seeing his roommate had left. He barely talked to the other boy, and couldn't remember his name if someone had asked him, but he was actually going to make a comment about the lesson, wondering what it was. Shrugging, he took a moment to make his own bed, knowing that it would be a mess by the time he got back, with Nality making secret tunnels in and out of the blanket. He also quickly changed into a simple pair of pants and long sleeved shirt. Tugging on shoes, he told Nality he'd be back... not knowing if she heard or acknowledged him, and with a quick stop at the bathrooms to take care of basic needs, he was off to the lesson.
Ugh.
Maybe everyone had run like wild whers were chasing them, and gotten here as fast as they could, but the room seemed pretty full by the time he got there. How many candidates were there? A lot... and he was, well, he was pretty much stuck at the back, wasn't he. Oh... wonderful. At least he was in time for the lesson. Which didn't seem to mean much, since it consisted of him straining to hear the woman speak over the mummurs of the other candidates with their own comments to certain statements. "shard this" And thus he was back to normal Weslin, pushing and squeezing through past the people that were taller than him, and ended up making better walls than windows. It didn't mean he ended up at the front of the pack, since he stopped by the time he could the big red dragon. W-weren't red dragons the ones that had the tempers? The really vicious tempers? He didn't feel like having his torso clawed open on the first day of lessons.
He tried to concentrated on Nimara's words, but his eyes were pretty much fixated to Waroth, was that the dragon who had spoken to them all? No wonder it had felt strange, the red probably would be more than happy to scare the lives out of several candidates. Looking back at Nimara, he tried to focus. Right, no intimacy. Wes didn't even know that his face had had a reaction to her words about that, the slightest hint of color showing up. It was difficult not to let the mind wander to things like that when he was suffering from having a crush on a very annoying dragon rider (Wes had not only declared him annoying, but also stupid, and ugly (which even he couldn't believe for a second)). It wasn't like he was going to do anything, but it was... well... sure nice to think about in the middle of the night. It wasn't like he had done anything though, and he had avoided the other, gone out of his way to avoid him in fact, not wanting to trip and this time crack his head open.
He could more than deal with the rule about no alcohol or fellis, he didn't bother with the two anyway. He hadn't found a drink which had a taste he enjoyed enough to consume on a regular basis, and be alright with whatever consequences may come from it. Fellis... he had met a man addicted to the herb, and that had been more than enough for Weslin to want to stay as far away from it as possible, even passing on using it for legit medical reasons. So those were two more rules he could easy adhere to, since they more or less went with his own code of conduct. Unfortunately, when she got on talk about bullying, and quarreling... and treat others with respect, Wes had suddenly wished that he hadn't pushed and prodded to a better viewing locale, he could have sworn he was feeling the hot glares from other candidates as this was pointed out. Well... maybe no one would mention it.
Trying his best to look smaller than he actually was, he half heard the rest of the idea of the lesson, and looked up when people next to him began to step forward, towards Waroth. Eyes going as big as dinner plates, he watched for a moment as the procession continued and realized that this was part of the lesson. So he was suppose to bow to dragons and introduce himself, no wonder Lanith got mad at him at first... the blue dragon had been very susceptible to flattery though (though was it flattery if it was true?), which had probably kept Weslin from being a dragon snack. All the same though, Waroth was not Lanith, and she looked a lot more ready to nip at a candidate, or at least suddenly move forward to scare the turns off of them.
Well... might as well get this over with, and hope that she didn't decide to pluck off a limb, he moved forward slowly, not really caring if others saw him looking nervous. He had a right to be nervous, and anyone that wasn't... well... they were stupid! He was so close now, and that's when his foot decided that it would be a good time to have a mind of it's own. Really foot! Really! Not only did he trip, looking like a newborn colt that didn't know how it's legs worked, he also managed to barely catch himself before taking a nosedive, and possibly breaking his nose. Scrambling back to his feet, and backtracking, holding his breath as he did so, he managed to finally bow. "W-Weslin, Dragon Candidate."
Shard shard shard shard it all! If anyone dared laugh he was going to remember them, and the no quarreling rule be damned.
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Post by alix on May 19, 2011 16:45:03 GMT -5
Malissa, trying desperately to get a few last snatches of sleep despite the best efforts of her firelizard, saw that idea shattered with the loud roar ringing through the barracks. For a moment, she feared it was another disaster, something like the assassinations (which still made no sense to her) shortly after her arrival. Then, there was a dragon's voice in her head, and she scrambled out of bed, pulling on clothes with a speed that belied the fact she'd been under her furs just moments ago.
Mustn't let the dragon wait! She held the thong she intended to tie her hair off with in her teeth as she ran her fingers through it, and started her braid standing still, though it was only a few twists of it until she decided she might as well braid as she walked. She finished it around the time she exited the barracks, and found a spot near the back of the group before sparing a hand to take the thong from her mouth and tie it off.
When Nimara spoke, she listened attentively, and when she mentioned going up and introducing herself to the dragon, she almost regretted taking the time to get her hair out of the way. It would have been comforting to at least have that barrier to hide behind.
Obediently, quietly, she waited her turn, then stepped up to the red dragon. "Hello, Waroth," she squeaked, bowing deeply and respectfully. "I'm Malissa." Waiting to make sure she had the dragon's permission, she was as mousy moving around her as she had been speaking, though her eyes showed open admiration. She didn't think it was possible for anyone not to love dragons.
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Ryenev woke with a start, and it took him a moment to realize why, as well as why Dainty was angrily chirping at the wall in the general direction of the front entrance to the barracks. Even Waroth's message took a few moments to parse, for someone so recently coming out of deep sleep. Once he realized what was going on, however, he stepped to it, getting himself ready quickly without rushing. He'd been through Candidate lessons so many times before, he wasn't going to half kill himself over making it out to them quickly. At least sharing a room with a Healer, there was no cause for his usual concern about frightening less experienced Candidates.
When he was invited up to greet the sub-queen, he moved with great respect, though little hesitation, and his bow came easy from long not-exactly-welcome practise. It wasn't as deep as some others' - bending too far was still uncomfortable - but it was courteous and correct. "Ryenev."
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Post by coelacanth on May 19, 2011 20:25:54 GMT -5
Though it was the first time a dragon had spoken to Rhys, he immediately knew it for what it was. He wasn't asleep, his restless sort of insomnia saw to that, but was rather prowling about the candidate barracks, up to nothing in particular. After heading back to his bunk, he grabbed a fur from the bed, and threw it over his shoulders, to keep from the outside cold -- something a kid from to the Southern continent and the forges was hardly used to, and hardly fond of.
The sight of the red matched her roar, and gave him a brief pause to take her in. He'd never seen one up close, having moved to a Weyr only recently, and a quiet grunt escaped the kid's throat, as her rider spoke. He interpreted Nimara's first words as "Don't do anything enjoyable, whatsoever," and had he known what a convent was, he would probably at some point suggest they all move into one. Luckily for him, he doesn't.
When it was judged it time for his introduction, the former apprentice smith approached the sub-queen with a couple of others, eyes remaining on hers, and gave a nod of his head, and stiff little bend of his back. The effect not entirely unlike a burdenbeast trying to go down on one knee. "Warroth, Nimara," he greeted, "'m Rhys." Dragons were hardly his favourite, in fact he didn't really like them in general, but the reds were the epitome of fiery, and he supposed that was admirable.
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Post by glee on May 20, 2011 2:29:47 GMT -5
"What the shells?", mumbled Jaghatai, his face buried in his sleeping furs, as an annoyed voice resonanted in his head. Lessons? No way... couldn't be two candle-marks since he fell asleep!
Sighing he sat upright, followed by the ever watchful eyes of Boss. They were not getting along much better since he'd been in the infirmary, but at least he knew now that his fire lizard wasn't struck by some awful illness - he was just narcisstic.
Still grumbling and hardly enthusiastic he grabbed his clothes and began dressing himself while still lying on his bed, a task made even more difficult by the drowsiness he still felt from having been woken up so roughly. He'd completly forgotten that they had gotten a new candidatemaster, a red rider too if the rumours were to believed. Hearing the dragon though he was pretty convinced that was true.
Boss chirruped quietly, only enough to gain his attention and then lifted himself up in the air. Jaghatai was genuinely surprised he wanted to join him, but then again... dragons were dangerous when they had clutched, he hadn't heard of any of them attacking flitters outside of those situations. Smiling sleepily he offered his shoulder and immediately Boss took over his favourite place again. It amazed him how much the little thing had grown from when he had hatched, luckily he had retained his slender body and was not too heavy to carry like that. Prepared like that he made his way outside, meeting the other candidates that had already gathered. Quickly he settled for a place and listened to the new candidatemaster. Nimara of Red Waroth, the others had been right!
Listening to her speech there weren't really any big news besides the new names, so he dozed off a little, watching the tired faces of the other candidates and their reactions. Only when Nimara mentioned something about a lesson he snapped back into attention, looking at the Red with wide eyes. Freakin' sweet idea!
He waited until it was his turn and bowed slightly before the dragon. "My name's Jaghatai.", he introduced, Boss watching everything carefully, but quietly. Although there was no fear emanating from his flitter he noticed the grip around his neck tightening.
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Frankie was surprised, to say the least, to be woken like that. Slowly she raised herself, looking around her room to find it empty, but there were voices outside in the barracks. Carefully she dressed herself, while she did not own anything fancy her parents had been careful to send her into the Weyr with neat clothing, taking just enough time to prepare herself mentally to go outside and receive her lesson. This was important, every bit of hint that could help her Impress she had to soak up and memorise, because if there was one thing was determined of it was to not. be. left. standing.
Straightening her back she stepped outside, into the crowd of the already gathered candidates. It was not hard to make out the huge red dragon in front of them and it took her breath away. Such a wonderful combination of deadly force and beauty... She had to force herself to look away and pay attention to the woman speaking in the front. More names. Those she'd have to remember though.
The rule of no intimacy genuinely surprised her, but it was not like she cared a terrible lot about that. Still, a curious thing... looking around some of the candidates, including herself, looked like they were already of age. What was the reasoning? She'd have to ask around.
Eager she stepped forward when it was her turn to introduce herself, staring at Waroth with wide eyes, even as she bowed. "I am Frankie.", she said carefully and quietly.
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Chek
Weyrlingmaster
chekct[M:-15]
I'm so magical I vomit rainbows
Posts: 1,091
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Post by Chek on May 20, 2011 12:26:36 GMT -5
Lokien almost ignored the call to the Candidate lesson, fully intent on getting back to the Candidate barracks and getting some sleep after another long night shift in the infirmary. He paused, watching the Red dragon landing, then put his head down to continue on. Something twigged in his fuzzy brain, though - he lived in the Candidate barracks. Therefore, wouldn't that make him, by default, a Candidate?
He'd forgotten. Somehow. Now that he was thinking about it, the memories of his Search swam to the forefront of his mind, reminding him that, yes, he wasn't just a Journeyman assigned to the Weyr, he was in fact supposed to be Standing and things like that in the near future. And now he needed to detour to a lesson. He paused to admire the Red when she let loose at the door of the barracks - THAT was one way to get some adrenaline going, for sure!
Wishing desperately for a cup of klah, he joined the growing crowd of Candidates, amazed at how many of them there were. Apparently you missed a lot when you were in the infirmary most of the time! He picked out a few that he knew in the crowd, especially the easier-to-spot ones (i.e. the tall ones), like Qosis. Though tired, he listened intently during the Redrider's lecture, then joined the loose queue to pass her dragon. Lokien wasn't too sure how to go about it, and he'd have really preferred to do this when he wasn't exhausted, but he made due. He thought of what Damask would have liked to hear…
"Thank you for your tolerance, Madame Red," he dropped easily into a bow, "I am Lokien, it is a pleasure to behold you." Though seemingly a little heavy on the flattery, the journeyman really did mean it. It didn't help that he was now used to a Red who liked to be reminded how wonderful she was at every opportunity… He politely stepped around Waroth after he rose from his bow.
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If the roar hadn't woken Valha, the shrieking, biting, clawing mass of flitts in her bed would have. Her fair had not reacted well at all to the terrible roar and loud voice of Red Waroth, and it wasn't much of a challenge at all to convince the entire fair that they'd be better off staying in her bed for the time being.
After bouncing on Nara a time or two to make sure her roommate was up as well, she tossed on the first clean and reasonably intact clothing she came across, getting halfway down the hall before he'd pulled her boots on all the way.
She joined the crowd outside, listening in fascination to Nimara, and trying to memorize everything the Redrider told them. Bow, introduce, politeness. She could do this! Muttering these three key points of the exercise to herself, she missed the baleful gaze of Waroth.
When her turn came, she stepped forward and bowed, “I'm Valha, Dragon candidate.” She waited for acknowledgment from the Red before moving on and around her.
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Reky
Alphahandler
rekyct[M:-999]
SO PRO
Posts: 1,554
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Post by Reky on May 20, 2011 17:10:37 GMT -5
Pash had not slept well. Her entire night had been full of inconsistent bursts of dreaming and waking. One thing, however, that remained consistent was that every time she fell asleep, she would fall back into the same nightmare. In it, she was running through the winding tunnels of some ancient Weyr. It wasn't Dalibor; roots had broken into many of the caverns and spilled down the stone. She was all by herself, running from something she couldn't see. She didn't know if it was invisible, or if her head just wouldn't turn to look behind her. She heard its roars shake dust from the ceiling, but it sounded like it was underwater. It made no sense. Something told her it was Thread, but Thread couldn't chase you. She tried, multiple times, to force herself to wake up, only to fall back asleep again. Then, with her waking thoughts intruding the part of her mind still having the nightmare, she tried to tell herself to turn around and look at her pursuer. If she knew what it was, maybe she would wake up. She could see the light of a glowbasket through her eyelids, and then a deafening roar shook her eardrums.
Wake UP! Lesson time. Move. Quickly, said the red dragon, jolting Pash from her sleep. She was grateful for the interruption. She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. She groaned. This happened sometimes. She was always running from something or other in her nightmares, but luckily, they were far from frequent and didn't really signal anything wrong with her. She was upset, though. The dream hadn't meant anything at all! She cursed at her own mind. Should have just let me sleep! she thought.
But she got out of bed anyways and pulled on proper clothing. She was quick to rub the sleep out of her eyes and tug her hair into some semblance of obedience, and then jogged out to gather with the other candidates. The candidatemaster was there - at least, one of them - along with her dragon. Nimara and Waroth, they said. Pash couldn't say she was entirely awake yet, but she forced all of her energy into focusing on listening. That way, she would have no energy left to be distracted.
Most of the stuff Nimara said was obvious - to Pash at least. Don't sleep with your bosses: a no-brainer. Why would you even sleep with anyone? The desire was beyond Pash. She didn't get it. It just seemed so... awkward and useless unless you wanted kids. It was just two people smashing together. How on Pern was that romantic? She snorted, but kept on paying attention. Don't drink and don't take fellis. Also a no-brainer. Do your chores, follow the rules, don't get in trouble. It all made sense. The only thing that mildly worried her was the 'no stealing' point. Well... she was fine with that. "Don't get caught stealing" was more what it meant. She'd save the fun for big events, anyways, and useless items. She didn't need to piss anyone off. Not as a candidate.
She was incredibly excited when Nimara announced they would be able to get up close to Waroth. The only dragon she had ever seen in close proximity was Amisceth, the blue who had Searched her. The opportunity, needless to say, definitely woke her up a little, similar to a good dose of klah. Eager, Pash shuffled into the rough guess at a line that had began to form, once Nimara gave them the go-ahead. She was waiting a while before there was a good opportunity for her to jump in, and moved in front of the read.
She bowed, hair flopping over the face. "My name's Pash, Waroth," she said, and then straightened up and offered a smile. The smile made her look like a bit of a dorky loser, but she didn't notice or care. When she figured it was alright, she made her way around the great red, studying the contours of her body. One day, she thought, she would have her own dragon. It would probably be smaller than Waroth... which would be good. Waroth was rather imposingly big. Pretty, but big. The striking colour of her hide was nice. She actually memorized the appearance of the dragon's hide more than she noticed the shapes of the muscles underneath. Dragons were strong. That's all she really needed to know.
She regrouped with the candidates, having had her look at Waroth, and wondered what she would look like with Waroth-coloured hair. It would probably be awesome, but she still liked her own brownish-blonde hair a lot. It was good, even if it did stick up like a wherry's tail if she slept on it funny. She had mostly forgotten about her uncomfortable nightmare, because it wasn't worth dwelling on. Dragons, on the other hand - those were worth dwelling on. They were so... big! Pash grinned. [/blockquote] |
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Post by veritas on May 20, 2011 17:17:40 GMT -5
Jerrith most certainly had heard that; he'd have needed to be drugged into a coma not to, most likely. Still, he replied with a terse "I heard," as he pushed back the furs. He rolled out of bed, carefully not landing on his roommate, and scrambled to get dressed as well.
Figured that Qosis was up to his apparently-usual unnecessary reinforcement of their orders. Shards. Did he imagine himself the only responsible person in the whole barracks? A little rich, coming from someone who'd looted a corpse right on the Hatching Sands... well, there was no time to worry about that now. More important things were afoot.
Dressed, on his way, and... shards. No wonder Niton had chosen to hang back; that was a sentiment Jerrith himself could well understand.
He forced himself to pay attention to the rider's words, though. Much of it he'd already heard before... and much of it still made sharding little sense to him, but what else was new? No sex. No wine or fellis... shard it. Did they all need to be punished because some people couldn't be responsible?
When it came down to manners, though, he paid more careful attention; this was something they'd had precious little opportunity to learn. And when they were ushered forward, he was quick to join the line, despite having situated himself beside Niton at the back originally.
"Greetings, Waroth," he said formally, bowing deeply, when his little group got to the front. "I am Jerrith."
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Sakoru
Drudge
THE FEARSOME FIERY BEAST
Posts: 11
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Post by Sakoru on May 20, 2011 17:53:31 GMT -5
If he'd risen early to go run before, it was nothing to his schedule now. Ever since his race with Qosis, Xirofel had dragged himself out of bed at ungodly 'marks of the morning, long before Rukbat even rose. It wasn't because he'd lost the race, no -- it was because of the particular episode that had happened after that. Or at the same time, really, depending on the definition of what the initial incident had been. Either way, he'd been up and around the Bowl before anyone else was awake -- including his fellow trader -- and then bathed. Quickly, of course, so he could avoid running into the gigantic candidate if possible. More than that, he wanted to keep far away from his sister, and the best way to do that was to make sure she wouldn't even be up.
So it was that when the dragon's mental voice boomed into his head and her physical one practically shook the barracks, Xiro had only just re-entered his and Aidan's room. He paused, then tossed on an unremarkable dark green shirt -- the better to hide among his fellow candidates. Still, the trader couldn't resist winding a brighter sash around his waist as he headed out after the others, belatedly ordering Lakeeti to stay in the room. For once he was quiet, saying nothing to anyone, and when he joined the crowd outside, he quite deliberately lost himself in the mayhem.
The speech almost, almost made him grin. The no-intimacy rule didn't bother him much -- after all, he hadn't exactly met anyone he was interested in seducing. But the one about alcohol... well, seeing as he'd stolen a bottle of wine from the kitchens on his second day here, he was forced to bite down on a laugh. He'd paid for it with many an extra chore, but it had been worth it. Mostly, anyway -- Qosis' self-righteous lecture hadn't been much fun, but the booze sure was.
Everything else was pretty basic, and Xiro pretty much tuned out most of the candidatemaster's words, only half-listening in case they were given any explicit instructions. He did catch the red's gaze, though, and he held her stare, wary and respectful but unafraid. And then Waroth's gaze passed on, and he paid slightly more attention to Nimara. The orders interested him, though, and he watched keenly as several candidates went before him, bowing to the dragon and introducing themselves before being motioned on. He certainly wasn't unenthusiastic, and, wanting to get closer, the trader flitted up and bowed deeply to the dragon. "Xirofel, dragon candidate. 'Tis an honour and a pleasure," he introduced, meeting her gaze and smiling, just for a moment.
As soon as he was allowed to pass, the trader started off around the dragon, staring intently at her massive frame. Oh, she was even lovelier than he'd thought: such a deep, rich shade of red! And the texture of her hide...! Practically beside himself with delight at the sheer beauty of the creature, Xiro smiled to himself, forcibly shoving his scraped hands in his pockets so he wouldn't reach out and touch her. And, when he returned to the crowd, he slipped back into it only reluctantly before turning back to the candidatemaster and whatever she had to say. He didn't see Fel anywhere nearby -- that was good. Qosis was pretty hard to miss, but the trader was nowhere near him, and therefore capable of ignoring the man's unmistakable presence. No need to think about either of them or what had happened last time they'd all encountered each other at one time. If he could help it, anyway. |
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Post by blue on May 20, 2011 18:23:55 GMT -5
"Of course I heard!" Tana said, grinning at her roommate and dressing just as hurriedly. She grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair into a loose braind while they walked out to where Waroth was waiting with Nimara, one of the new candidatemasters. Tana hung back a bit, a little nervous of the gigantic red. She was so much bigger than any of the other dragons Tana had been this close to, and hadn't it been a red wher that had killed the boy at the wher hatching just last season?
She listened attentively to the redrider, having no intention of ending up like the boy at the wher hatching, and she nodded at each opoint, pressing them into her memory. At Nimara's instruction, Tana stepped forward with a couple of the other candidates and bowed deeply to Waroth. "Tana, dragon candidate," she said clearly. When Waroth didn't seem inclined to stop her, she started circling the red. Stocky, like Nimara said, was easy enough to see, though the idea that Waroth was short boggled the mind. Tana shook her head as she returned to her place amongst the gathered candidates. And reds were only sub-queens, and the smallest of the sub-queens at that! How big would Callistath look close-up on the sands?
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Zane
Drudge
zanect[M:0]
They see me rollin', they hatin'.~
Posts: 40
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Post by Zane on May 20, 2011 19:07:29 GMT -5
The duties of a Candidate were games to her. Not that they weren’t sometimes more difficult tasks, but they were enjoyable compared to the work she was accustomed to. She hadn’t been here long. She’d been newly searched and had spent not even a seven day at Dalibor Weyr. The fact that she had a bed of her own, and a chest of her own, was like having all the marks in the world to her. She didn’t know any of the names of the girls that she’d seen in passing. She had not yet had any Candidate lessons, or been formally introduced to anyone. She’d heard some names in passing, but she didn’t know whose names were whose, or whether they belonged to anyone she roomed with or no. She didn’t make an effort to find out either. She was pleasantly... well, not so much pleasantly but... In any case, she was fine being on her own. She had been for all these turns, so it really made no difference. She was indifferent to other people, unless they were giving her orders, or casting glances her way.
The girl looked to be in her early teens. She didn’t even come close to flinching when Waroth’s voice snapped at them to get on up and prepare themselves for a lesson. She got up, as she was told, face otherwise expressionless. She smoothed her sheets, worried that the mess of her bed would be commented on at a later time. Too she fluffed up her pillow, tucking her long bangs behind her ears afterwards while she considered her work. After a quick once over she made haste, gathering her day clothes in her arms. She had neat looking clothes, it was a true gift. She knew that she couldn’t very well step out of the barracks dressed improperly. She would leave herself open to scolding, or discipline, otherwise. She thought the Weyr to be very strict, liking their things in order-liking their people in order. Vilandra, a name she didn’t expect to have to give out (seeing as no one would care) was dressed in a matter of moments. Changing in front of the others was of no concern to her. She knew she had nothing to show off. In her eyes she was plain; perhaps even plain was too complimentary a word... Her child-like body was unimpressive. She rubbed her fist against the side of her face, not used to feeling clean skin. She inspected the side of her hand for dirt, satisfied at not seeing any. How peculiar she would look to any watching her actions. No one would be watching though, why would they?
Vilandra, nicknamed Lani, stepped out of the barracks with the same expressionless face she’d rose on up with. She wasn’t one for striking a smile, or even a disapproving frown. She preferred to remain stone-faced so no one could blame her for taking on opinions or feelings they knew not of. It wasn’t in her place to have opinions, what good would it do? What she thought of things mattered not. What she thought period mattered not.
Standing amongst the group of Candidate’s, she kept to the back. She would not step up to be first, there was no need; many here were more worthy than her. They had procured themselves actual ranks, or had been born Weyrbrat’s even. She had no rank, unless drudge could be considered a rank to speak-of. No... She wouldn’t speak of it. She wouldn’t speak at all, unless spoken to. Quite a position she’d gotten herself used to being in. The instructions were plainly spoken, and she had a dead focus on the one speaking. Nimara, her name was Nimara, and she rode red Waroth. If she had any questions she would go to her. That was what they were being told, and as such that is what she would always do unless told any different. Hopefully she wouldn’t have any questions; she figured it was bad to not get things the first time around. The rules she engrained in her brain, not daring to forget them. Not as if she could break any of these rules, especially the one on intimacy. Intimacy.... It was a foreign thing to her, like friendship, or caring to know one’s name. Names were unimportant unless she needed to deliver a message to someone specific, or report to someone specific.
While the others went up and circled about Waroth she waited, feeling that it wasn’t her turn just yet. She would go last, unless she was called forward like the first girl had been by Nimara. Yes, last...
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Gray
Wingrider
grayct[M:-350]
Posts: 870
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Post by Gray on May 20, 2011 19:16:12 GMT -5
A grouchy voice woke her up from her dreams, the bitter note in the voice seeping into her as well. Muzzily, Tasia sat up, red hair sticking up every which way. Arms were stretched over her head and she yawned before rolling out of bed. Prince looked up, but stayed down. Tasia was known to be particularly venomous in the mornings. She dressed fairly quickly, slipping into the bath area to wet her hair some before brushing it out and twisting it into a tight bun.
Peeking from the room, she joined those who were heading to the lesson. She stood at the back, so those shorter than she could see. Arms crossed over her chest, she looked to Nimara and the Red. A red? Really? She hadn't expected them to let candidates near one of the more volatile colors. But it showed they had some respect for Nimara. She faded in an out as Nimara went over the rules. She had heard them before, last time she was at a lesson, but it didn't hurt to have a refresher. When it was her turn, Tasia strode up to the red and looked her in the eyes.
“Tasia.” She stated.
–
There was a dragon talking to him! Yes yes! This one was grumpy, but it was talking to him. Well, it was talking to all of them. But still! Ezekiel had been awake, fidgeting in his bed. The boy didn't sleep too much most nights. He lived off limited amounts of sleep, but he stayed in bed until others started to stir. The moment he heard her voice he lept out of bed and grabbed a towel. He didn't want to smell, not today. Digging in his truck, he pulled out an outfit and bolted to the baths with the others.
Eagerly and quickly, he cleaned himself. Thankfully Rhapsody still slept. He didn't want to have to deal with her and her moodiness today. She would bother every one and he didn't want to look bad in the eyes of the riders! Fingers ran through his hair as he dressed, trying to contain his giddiness. He was a man now. Men were not supposed to erupt into giggles like a little girl. But Ezekiel wanted to. He wanted to so bad.
He was quick to join the others, tagging behind the older candidates as he eagerly tried to sneak a peek of who would be teaching the lesson. At the moment, he only saw the red. Red? Wow! He had never ever ever seen a red this close up before. He sat a bit closer, his bright eyes watching the dragon and er rider, flicking between the two. When Nimara spoke of the rules, he put on a far to serious face. He had to remember these! When they were called to introduce themselves to the Red, Ezekiel sat up straight. Really? They got to talk to her? There was a bit of fear that nibbled at his mind. He had seen that Red Wher last hatching. But then again, one of the mothers was a Red and she didn't seem to back.
For the most part, Ezekiel pussyfooted around, letting people go before him. It took him a bit to get up his courage, and when he did he slipped next to some of the others. Seeing the red that close was a bit scary. A deep breath was taken when he neared her.
“Hello Waroth, my name is Ezekiel.”
–
Luckily for her, Lyr had been up feeding Sequin. The small pink was now nestled next to the copper, her stomach bulging with her breakfast. Lyr watched with a soft smile on her face as the two situated themselves in their sleep when the red's voice filled her mind. Standing, Lyr cleaned up the mess for a moment and left the room quickly. She was already dressed, and had done her morning routine a bit earlier. She did pause to make sure her Firelizards were asleep though.
With that, she left the room to join the others in their march.
She stood leaning against a wall a bit to allow the younger and shorter candidates a better view. Lyr nodded when Nimara spoke. The rule of no intimacy made her feel a bit better. Romance still made her feel a bit odd. She didn't trust people enough any more. Thinking deeper on it, she remembered it had something to do with young dragons and their emotions.
Her turn to introduce herself to the red came quickly. Stepping forward, she gave the red a small bow, looking her in the eyes as she did.
“Hello, I am Lyr.” |
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RavenSong
Jr. Weyrleader
songct[M:-364]
Posts: 710
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Post by RavenSong on May 20, 2011 20:21:09 GMT -5
Argotath had awoken long before K'var in the cold Spring morning, and had opted to sit in the early sunlight on his weyr ledge. He lifted his head curiously as he saw the red form of Waroth descend into the Bowl, landing before the Candidates' barracks. He heard her speak to him as she flew, and the Blue got excited. This was what His was talking about the night before! They got to teach! K'var! Wake up, Waroth bespeaks me and tells me we are wanted for a Candidate lesson![/color] Argotath said to K'var, now fully awake. The Blue got up and stuck his head into K'var's bed, startling his rider awake with his cold nose. Bip screamed in fright as K'var woke and smacked her. The little green flitter flew to a high perch and scolded K'var, then started doing aerial donuts around the room.
We will be there, Waroth! the Blue replied. I just have to get lazybones Mine up. K'var leapt out of bed, yelling various curses as he moved. Bip raced around the weyr, screeching at the top of her little lungs.
"What the shell, Lizard?!" the redhead roared. "Where were you sitting, between? Yeesh."
Mine, we are late for a Candidate lesson! I want to see Waroth, I've never seen her up close. She's red! Argotath trotted to the Weyr ledge then, swishing his long tail back and forth.
"Wasn't it a Red that bit your toe off?" K'var asked idly, scratching himself before putting his pants on.
What? Argotath asked, turning his big blue self around to eye K'var. I'm not missing any part of me!
K'var chuckled. "Right foot, Lizard. Front one. Look closely, then look at your left one." Argotath held up his foreclaws and looked.
So? Argotath asked. I am missing a toe. I don't remember how I lost it. I don't remember losing it! How did I lose my toe?
"Pretty sure a Red bit it off when you Hatched."
Then it was so long ago I don't care, Argotath responded. Why would I care? K'var laughed. He sometimes reminded Argotath of things he'd forgotten, just to see how the Blue reacted. The rider got dressed, grinning with pride at the Candidatemaster cords on his shoulder.
"Wait until F'reki sees this," he says.
Should I tell Girieth?
"No, they'll see in time, Argolove. Don't worry about it." K'var got his riding straps ready, then strapped them onto the great blue beast. Bip, still angered at having been hit, attacked K'var, drawing panicked shouts from the redheaded rider as he ducked her vicious talons. "Argo, go! Go! Get away, Bip! Stay here!!" Argotath dove off the ledge, gliding smoothly into the bowl. Bip chased after them, flapping as fast as her bitty little wings would go, but she was soon outflown by the dragon's massive wings. Argotath landed next to Waroth as Nimara invited the Candidates to greet Waroth. He crooned a greeting to the Red as the Candidates circled her and greeted her.
Hello, pretty one! he said to Waroth. Hello, Candidates!
"Argo, relax, silly guy. Hi everyone, sorry I'm late. Had to deal with an irate flitter!" K'var said, grinning as he unbuckled his straps. Argotath settled down on the ground so that K'var could slide off easily. As K'var slid off the dragon, Bip betweened in and attacked him again. K'var flailed madly and tried to recover, but he'd been startled enough to fall off Argotath instead of slide gracefully. The rider landed flat on his backside and rolled backwards, his feet ending up somewhere in the vicinity of his head.
"SHARD IT BIP!" he yelled. Argotath growled at Bip, who disappeared. She could tell when Hers was Not Playing, and he definitely wasn't now. K'var picked himself up and dusted himself off, flushing as red as Waroth herself. He heard laughter coming from the Candidates and knew he'd just been made a fool of by that sharding green flitter. He cleared his throat, straightened his tunic, and stood there stoically, his ears still bright red with embarrassment.
"Well. That was Bip. You won't be seeing more of her for the rest of the class. I'm sorry about that. I'm K'var, rider of Blue Argotath. Argotath is happy to see you all. I'm sure Nimara's been on the ball here and has informed you all who I am, but it bears repeating. Argotath and I are assisting S'rial with the male dragon Candidates and newly-searched Candidates. Argotath himself is a Searchdragon." At his rider's words, Argotath picked himself up some and tried to look as regal as a King. K'var turned to Waroth and bowed."My sincerest apologies, lady Red," he said, sounding contrite. He then turned to her Rider. "Nimara. Once they're done greeting Waroth, do you think they should do the same with Argotath? Up to you, of course, this is your lesson."
---
Naraevhyn had been dreaming, curled up in her bed with her pair of flitters, when Waroth roared. Nara woke up with a frightened cry and looked around in confusion. Kraka looked up and cheeped curiously, then flicked a wing and stuck his head under it. He decided to go back to sleep, something roaring wasn't worth messing with. He was safe. Ranulf, on the other hand, wriggled under Nara's sleeping furs and hid. He peered out from under them. Neither flitter needed to be told to stay. Ranulf was too afraid to go out there, and Kraka just didn't care enough.
Valha's bouncing was more than enough to get the black-haired candidate out of her bed. She hastily dressed, grabbing the clothing she'd set out the night before, and quickly pulled a comb through her hair before chasing Valha out the door. She stayed near the back for Nimara's entire speech. Most of it was common sense, and rules she'd followed since birth. None of it was anything Nara would disobey. She could see the reasoning behind it, or so she thought, and decided it was worth knowing.
As the Candidates all circled Waroth, K'var flew in. Nara hadn't met him before, and her eyes were drawn to the Blue that landed. She smiled as the male dragon greeted them all, thinking that Argotath was most definitely a friendly dragon. K'var himself looked relatively nice, in her estimation. She gasped as he fell from his dragon's back thanks to a blur of green, presumably a flitter, that attacked him. His yell only confirmed her suspicions and she giggled. She couldn't help it. He was uninjured and decidedly embarrassed. She noted who he was, then focused her attention on the line.
Nara picked up a position close to the end of the line as the Candidates finished forming up. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking with nerves. Quickly, it came to be her turn. She looked straight up at the red before her, gulped slightly, and sank into the same sort of curtsey she'd give a Lady Holder or Senior Weyrwoman.
"My respects to you, Waroth," she said gently, putting just enough volume into her voice to be heard. She'd heard about the Red wher that had hatched and killed a Wher candidate, and feared that Red dragons were similar. She waited for Waroth's reaction before moving onwards.
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RhiaBlack
Wingrider
rhiact[M:45]
Resident Warcraft Addict
Posts: 328
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Post by RhiaBlack on May 22, 2011 0:14:51 GMT -5
Zeke had long since been up, long before Rukbat had risen. It was customary, as was his ways. Schedules being as they were, with Kee being better at sleeping at night, he'd been afforded some measure of regular rest. It had resulted in a more set sleep pattern that left him somewhat easier-going than he had been, and as he'd been repairing some of the fencing for the Herdbeast pens, he shifted his shirt against his shoulders when the Red called for Candidates. Setting the loaned tools into the small satchel they'd been borrowed in, he made his way with a certain degree of haste back to the Barracks. Though it was chilly, he'd stripped down to his shirt and tunic, sleeves rolled up as they always tended to be. His hair, long as it was, had been bound back behind his neck and at his shoulderblades, to keep it out of the way.
Rubbing the back of his weaker hand against the scarred side of his face, he filtered through the small group of fellow Candidates to stand somewhat to the side of them, arms crossed over his chest as he normally did - mainly to keep his idle hands from being an issue. The small, smooth stone was removed from a pocket, and rolled across his knuckles as he listened in respect to what Rider Nimara had to say. He hoped he wasn't too late to hear most of it.
As she went over the rules, his sharp blue eyes drifted over the faces present. Some familiar, some not. Some he'd only briefly seen in passing, some he'd spoken with at length. His ear twitched slightly at the mention of rules, and he nodded slightly in approval. Rules were important. Most Holds and Weyrs he knew of, he assumed held lots of them. There'd been a fair share at Western, as well as Cove; not that he remembered much of the latter. A sense of excitement settled itself in his mind, though outwardly he appeared the picture of cool, calm, and collected. The stone rolled across the backs of his knuckles, as his eyes traveled face to face, to face...to dragon. Waroth stared hard at him.
But he didn't look away.
The twenty-turn-old former Drudge held the Red's hardened glare for a moment, long enough to express that he was no weak-willed minion. But there was respect in his gaze - deep seated, genuine respect. After a moment or two, the stone paused vertically between two fingers, he uncrossed his arms. The stone was placed between his palms, compressed between them as he clasped them before his chest, elbows out to either side. And he bowed at the waist, eyes closing as his head dipped downwards towards his chest. You will have no trouble from me, Lady Red. None at all. But I am not so easily intimidated, Ma'am.
His attention abruptly shifted, and he looked back to Rider Nimara, just in time to hear Blue Argotath come sweeping in. And K'var, under the assault of Bip's angry chirping, trilling little green self, fall flat on his ass. Though the others may have laughed, he didn't. There was a silent nod to the Rider who had Searched him, and he waved with a small bow towards Argotath. His arms were re-crossed, the stone resuming it's silent movements across the back of his flattened, somewhat scarred knuckles. He waited patiently as the Candidatemaster addressed them, then listened to K'var, as well. There was a lot of work to do, but he had to admit - the fact that things were starting to actually be taught to them, was somewhat overwhelming, in a sense. It was surreal, thinking that in a few short sevendays, perhaps, they'd be standing here with dragonets of their own.
Zeke wasn't in a hurry. He let the others address the Red and Hers, making their circles as they would. When those who were more eager to investigate - ones who looked a bit younger than himself, he suspected - had done as they were instructed, the dark-maned former Drudge stepped forwards, once he'd set his tools aside. He didn't wish to offend, and carrying anything close to her was probably not such a good idea. Just as he had prior, he offered Red Waroth the same style of bow, only this one a bit deeper than the former. He also bowed to Nimara, Argotath, and K'var in turn.
"It's'a pleasure t'meet you, Lady Red, and Yours, Candidatemaster Nimara. I'm Zykeidyn, from Western. It's an honor, meetin' the two've you. Thank you for teachin' us today. Right chilly out, very nice've you t'come out this early."
That same respect was present for them both, and though he didn't hopefully come across as arrogant, there was a somewhat homely, grounded essence to the Candidate. He respected them,because they'd respected him, as well as the others present, in turn. Taking his turn to walk a circle around Waroth and get an idea about the anatomy of a Dragon, he returned to his place at the edge of the group. Drawing a slow breath, he seemed at ease...so long as no Whers decided to show up, that was.
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Admin
Administrator
brect[M:-2154]
Posts: 3,754
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Post by Admin on May 29, 2011 20:15:32 GMT -5
I don't know what I've done,
Or if I like what I've begun,
But something told me to run,
And honey, you know me it's all or none.
Traepsie awoke at Waroth's call. It was unsettling, and certainly abrupt, but once she was awake, she was awake and sleep was behind her. She got dressed in a matter of moments, motions effective and quick, and trundled out to join the others, adjusting her knitted sock as she went. Waroth was even more impressive in person than in voice, but Traepsie focused on her much smaller rider, listening attentively to the redrider's instructions. She already knew the rules, but the reminder was helpful. The last thing she wanted to do was screw up being a candidate. Even if being a dragonrider was not an idyllic fantasy for her, the idea of earning the ire of the Weyr's now three candidatemasters or any mother dragon was enough to make Traepsie increasingly mindful of the rules they were to follow. Besides that, dragons most certainly deserved her respect.
While not necessarily afraid of Waroth, as Traepsie was not a fearful individual most of the time, she was leery of the red and she hung back rather than approach the enormous beast. She'd let the others go first, let them be eager and enthusiastic or compliant or whatever mood they were. She'd wait until the end, then go up and bow to the lesser Queen. The candidate carefully constructed her simple plan in her head and was just about to initiate it when K'var came swooping down aboard his blue. She looked to him, allowing her to hear him speak and then watch him get dumped off Argotath's high back by a flitter. She did not laugh like some of the others in their large group, more than four dozen, but she did smile. It was, after all, amusing. It lightened the mood, counteracting the stern glare that Waroth provided with a little bit of random silliness.
Traepsie followed Zykeidyn forward. Once he had circled Waroth, she bowed, once to Waroth, once to Argotath, smiling calmly and happily at Nimara and K'var. Then she circled the bulky red, taking that singular opportunity to appreciate the form of a dragon at rest up close and personal. It was very, very impressive. She didn't know what else to say or think. Waroth was impressive. Awe-inspiring. Certainly a creature to admire. Not to fear, no, because one could avoid risk with sense, but definitely to respect. Once she was done familiarizing herself with the red, though she hardly thought she could call herself familiar with any such dragon, she hurriedly returned to the others, joining Zykeidyn to meld back into the edge of the crowd. She offered the boy a smile, noticing him as she would notice any other, but kept her attention on Nimara and K'var. They were the teachers and she was merely a humble student, content in her place.
There were sounds in my head,
Little voices whispering,
That I should go and this should end,
Oh, and I found myself listening |
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