Because I'm free! {Open}

Pash had only arrived recently. Figuring out the layout of the weyr well enough to get around was still on her to-do list. Luckily for her, she was generally okay with retracing her steps, so at least she could get back out no matter how far she went in. Generally, all the big important places had entrances from the weyrbowl, but the maze of tunnels in behind were what puzzled her the most. She guessed they were efficient... if she could figure them out.

She passed the kitchens and was headed nowhere in particular. Eventually, the tunnel would lead somewhere, and then she would know where it went. It was easy logic. All she had to do was explore, unless she wanted a guided tour which was considerably less exciting. And all of a sudden, her little expedition turned out to be a lot more exciting than she'd planned for.

"Doyouknowthewaytothekitchens?" came the voice out from around the corner. Pash actually jumped out of surprise. As her heart composed itself, her eyes took in what they could and she realized that it was a child looking at her - the child who had spoken. Pash cracked a huge grin, devolving into her younger self. Luckily, she remembered passing the kitchens and felt like a hero to be able to provide help. Any other question, and she'd be out of luck.

"Shells, you scared me half to death!" she had panted. Then, after a moment, "Kitchens? I do, actually!" Something sparked in Pash's eyes, and her grin slid into a sly smirk. She had a devilish plan! She felt incredibly juvenile about it, but who cared? Kids were the best. "What are you gonna give me in return, huh? I need some sorta payment for my services." She planted her hands on her hips, still smiling, still looking down at Fel. There was, of course, nothing intimidating about her posture. Mostly, she just looked like she was playing a great game of pretend, and just happened to be the evil villain or tricky gatekeeper or sly tunnelsnake. Pash hoped the girl would play along - she felt like being ten Turns old instead of twenty today.

Brilliant! The girl wasn't freaking out, or anything. She wasn't upset, claiming unfairness, or anything of the un-fun sort. In fact, Pash wasn't even sure if she was telling the truth. She doubted the girl actually had anything in the kitchens. Of course, Pash didn't care. She was just messing around, she didn't really need anything in return. She bent down, near-eye level with Fel, and smiled.

"It better be good! Something magic or awesome." Then, the young woman spun about on her heel and started walking off back the way she had came. "C'mon, kiddo! This way!" She remembered which way she had turned to get here, but the intersection of this tunnel was still a ways off. No rush.

The girl introduced herself, and Pash, in a similar happy tone, replied, "I'm Pash. I'm a dragon candidate!" She realized, then, that there was definitely a huge range within the candidate population. Here she was at the maximum age, just barely being able to squeak into candidacy for a Turn, and Fel was probably at the extremely young end of the spectrum. There were probably more in the middle range, around fifteen to seventeen... That would be less stressful. They weren't wondering if they'd manage to Impress before they got too old, like Pash was. She reminded herself that it was just a chance, though, and a lucky chance at that. If it didn't work out, she'd just go back to stay with her brother and help out the holdwomen. No biggie.

"So, Fel," Pash said, striking up conversation, "Excited for that hatching? The guy who Searched me said she should be clutching real soon."

"Good! I sure hope you wouldn't!" Magic was good. In fact, Pash was finding herself becoming exceedingly excited about just how magic it would be. What sort of magic? What was it in the first place? It could be any number of things. She had a strong feeling it would be entirely invisible, but the only way to tell was to get into Fel's little head and dissect her imagination. As neat as that would be, it would also ruin all the fun of a surprise, and that most definitely wouldn't do.

She grinned at Fel gushed about the hatching. It was exciting - Pash would give her that. The upcoming hatching was common knowledge, and she could definitely feel the buzz of excitement in the air whenever it got brought up. Hatchings were always a good topic for conversation, especially for eager candidates like herself. There was so much that she wanted to know. Would she Impress? What colour? Name? Gender? Weird habits? There was no good way to guess, no way to know ahead of time. The delicious temptation of the surprise was kept intact, like a carrot in front of a runner. Instead, the runner was Pash. She briefly imagined herself with runner ears and chuckled.

"Yep, there's a hatching, all right," she said to Fel, watching the girl skip along beside her. "I bet there will be a whole lot of eggs. I mean, with all of the candidates there are, there had better be! It was really hard for me to find a room in the barracks. Most of them are taken!" She wondered if she would end up having a roommate, or if she already had one she hadn't seen yet. If they were still Searching candidates this late in the game, there was a high chance of it.

"Oh, hey, I remember this corner," she said, turning it. She held a hand out and ran her fingers along the smooth stone wall. They were just about there. It only took another few seconds of walking before Pash turned again, into a wider doorway. She came out in the dining hall and grinned as if the rows of empty tables were just waiting to see her. "And there you go, Fel! Kitchens!" Navigational skills proven functional, Pash planted her hands on her hips.

The idea of a dragon laying over a hundred eggs was absolutely ridiculous, but Pash loved it. Sometimes, she found her mind to be a little too realistic. By 'a lot,' she was thinking about forty - a possibly number for a large golden Queen. Fel, however, had a child's mind that immediately jumped to the most outrageous things. It made Pash smile. Well, if a dragon laid a hundred eggs, they would have to all be tiny eggs filled all with grays. Then they could have entire Thread-fighting wings comprised of grays, and they wouldn't be all that rare anymore.

"Well, if it was far away, I wouldn't have remembered how to get here so well," Pash said, still smiling. Admittedly, she might have been walking a little fast, but she still hadn't been too far from passing the kitchens when she had been ambushed by Fel. The girl was probably glad their trip was short, though, especially if she was hungry.

Then, Pash watched her run off and run back... with a towel? Pash quirked a brow.

"Oh? Is this my magic reward?" She wondered what Fel was going to come up with. What sort of magic thing could a towel possibly be?