Starry Night [Show, Nia]

[kyrillion]

It was rather late in the evening when Teslana found herself meandering aimlessly about the Weyrbowl. Chores were done, meals were finished, there was nothing left to do but sleep... and yet, the Candidate wasn't in the least bit tired. Insomnia had set in a few days ago, and much to her annoyance she hadn't yet been able to shake it. Still, the exhaustian had gradually been replaced with a sort of numbnesss, and then a persistent restlessness that had her doing such things as... well, wandering around the weyrbowl late at night. And try as she might, she couldn't think of anything to do to relieve the boredom.

There wasn't enough light to paint by, or read by. She didn't think she'd be welcome in the records room, where she would occasionally pour over any documents she could find, her photographic memory absorbing the knowledge like a sponge. There didn't seem to be anyone around to talk with - and even if there were, who wanted a conversation at this hour? Sighing, frustrated, she continued her aimless wandering, studying the stars in the sky while, somewhere in the back of her mind, each step rang as a number. Three hundred and fifty four. Three hundred and fifty five. Three hundred and fifty six...

Busy calculating due north by the stars, she almost didn't notice that she'd come upon the river. She nearly fell in, in fact, and had to fight for a moment to keep her balance on the shore, gangly limbs flailing. When she did manage to stay on firm ground, she found that she'd lost track of her calculations - and of which step she'd been on. Huffing sadly, she cast about and spotted a boulder hanging over the water nearby. She didn't really feel like starting over, and counting her steps was growing tedious, anyway.

And so, one, two, three steps later, she was vaulting up onto the boulder, the top of which was flat and conveniant for sitting upon. Curling up at the edge, she slipped her sandals off and let the tips of her feet dangle in the water, her attention immediately consumed by the patterns and ripples in the water that such a simple action generated.

[Nia]

When Caelin had wandered out of his room in the Candidate Barracks to explore the Weyr it had been around the middle of the day, maybe a little after 1. He had followed the river for a while, the blond had never been out here and he wanted to see all of the Weyr before he messed up stupidly and got kicked out. Not that it was possible for him to get kicked out since he was pretty sure Crescent Hold didn't want him back, but... whatever, he just wanted to explore.

As he was walking, he'd found an interesting, flat boulder with a comfortable-looking little crevice behind it, perfect for sitting down in. He'd walked all around the Weyr and was now rather tired, so to him it looked comfortable, at least. He slipped behind the boulder and sat down, leaning against the warm rock. It didn't take long for Caelin to drift off into an easy sleep, he was used to sleeping outside after spending a while with the Renegades....

But now it was dark out and Caelin snappeda wake at the sound of footsteps coming closer. His heart began to beat rapidly in the rhythm of a paranoid spaz, and his blue eyes widdened as he tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness. Shakily, Caelin turned to peak around the boulder and see what was coming towards him, but the only thing he could make out in the dark was a figure of... someone. It didn't look like a man, though, so his fears ebbed away a little, but they weren't gone by a long shot. He watched from his hidden place in the dark as the... girl? climbed up on the boulder and put her feet in the water.

Getting a closer look now, he was able to recognize the girl as a fellow Candidate, though he'd never actually talked to her before. Not wanting to scare her, he stood up slowly and made like he'd been walking towards her rather than there the whole time. "Hi," he said with a friendly smile, "Um... you're a Candidate, right? Well, um, you see, I fell asleep outside here and... um... could you tell me what time it is?" he asked, his voice a little shakey as he tried to recover from the scare she'd given him, and just because he was gradually beginning to develop a fear of the dark. Man, what wasn't wrong with him?

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[4horseshowgirl4]

Psst... Mine.

PratybaMine!

WAKE UP!

[/color]

Pratyba started at her unwanted alarm clock, one sleepy eye opening to give the Pink dragon a look-of-death.

{Oorth, it is the middle of the night. What in FARANTH'S name do you possibly want at this hour?} she said grumpily, pulling her pillow over her head as if that could block out Oorth's voice. She quite felt like shouting, but the sight of Eccolath and Sol (that lucky child!) sleeping peacefully reminded her not to. She had already caused Sol to have plenty of late nights.

I'm bored![/color] Oorth quipped.

{Well, maybe you wouldn't be bored if you had been enjoying your dreams like the rest of us!} Pratyba turned over so her back was facing Oorth, trying to recover the shreds of her own enjoyable dream. Something about a very attractive Bronzerider...

For a minute, there was quiet, then their door squeaked slightly. Pratyba sat up, just in time to see Oorth slip out of their room. {OORTH! GET BACK HERE!} she screamed in her head, with rather the same intensity than a Queenrider when Hers was trying to gorge herself on meat before a Flight.

Nah, I think I'm going to go find something fun to do![/color] Oorth said happily, and Pratyba heard the tell-tale pitter patter of quick footsteps that meant Oorth was running somewhere. Hey, Mine, I'm gonna go see if Altith's is feeling better![/color]

With that, Pratyba instantly leapt out of bed, scrambling after Oorth. {NO! NONONONONO!!! BAD idea!} Pratyba shouted angrily at Oorth, careful to keep her mouth shut. Oorth was trotting merrily towards the infirmary, Pratyba dashing like a mad woman after her. Suddenly, Oorth remembered that she was now allowed to fly around the Weyr, a thought that hit Pratyba at the same time. Right as the Pink stretched her wings to take off, Pratyba grabbed one of her back legs. Oorth was now far too big for Pratyba to be able to overcome her physically anymore, but the touch made her pause for a moment.

Pratyba knew that unless she thought of something else fast (her brain was still gummy at this hour), Oorth was going to go wake up Altith and F'del, which could not end well. Suddenly, Pratyba heard footsteps and quiet words by the lake. {Hey, Oorth, let's go see them, instead!} Oorth's head swung around, and her sharp vision recognized them as either Candidates or young drudges (but what was the difference, really? Pratyba interjected, smirking), and her eyes lit up. She didn't say anything, but instead knelt down, gesturing with her head for Pratyba to get on. How could the Weyrling resist? They'd already learned how to fly after all... screw riding straps, or, you know, practice! She bounced on, wriggling into place, and wrapping her arms around Oorth's neck as the dragon jumped into the air.

It wasn't until they were rushing closer to the lake, Oorth flying low and keeping silent, that Pratyba realized there were only two figures by the lake, a boy and a girl. Oh, she hoped they weren't a couple, sneaking out for a bit of late night romance! She was probably about to make a total third wheel of herself, but it was far preferable than to waking up a sick and cranky F'del. It wasn't until they were mere dragonlengths away that Pratyba also came to the unhappy conclusion that Oorth fully intended on knocking the girl into the lake. Pratyba would have normally encouraged this, but as she had no idea who this girl was (she could be a visiting young Queenrider for all she knew!), she'd rather avoid that. Unfortunately, Oorth did not share the same thoughts.

As Oorth was about to clip the girl, Pratyba wrenched on Oorth's right wing base, managing to pull up her wing a few inches, just enough that Oorth turned left against her will. However, Pratyba, sitting on a slick dragon with no riding straps, started sliding out of place, and before she could let go of Oorth's wing to right herself, Oorth flapped her wings, pulling Pratyba off and flinging her into the water with a dramatic splash.

"Hi there!" Pratyba greeted enthusiastically as she broke the surface of the water, completely soaked. Her unexpected dip had certainly woken her up. "Do I know how to make an entrance or what?! I'm Pratyba, who are you all? That's Oorth, and I'm afraid to tell you that she was doing her very best to knock you in the water, but I saved you... getting a bit wet in the process." Pratyba continued to Teslana, beginning to laugh as was her usual reaction. "So, what's your excuse for being out so late? My little demon over there decided it would be a grand idea to go check on our sick Weyrlingmaster in the middle of the night, so I had to go stop her, but then she decided to come pounce on you instead, so... here I am!" she finished, laughing jovially and flinging her arms into the air.
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[kyrillion]

Tesla was quite busy staring at the stars, drawing giant connect-the-dot shapes in her mind's eye, plotting constellations and idly running random calculations through her disquieted brain. In truth, she would scarcely have noticed if Caelin had appeared out of thin air right in front of her. Even after he spoke, it was a moment before she managed to drag her eyes away from the sky, and they settled on the boy with a quiet curiosity. His face instantly registered with a name in her mind, courtesy of her sharp memory. Caelin. Goodness, he was out late. Could he not sleep either, then?

He greeted her with what she thought was a rather timid hi, but she returned it with an amiable smile and a "hello" of her own. As he struggled through a question, she idly wondered what had him so... frightened. Surely it couldn't be her? But there didn't seem to be anyone else around. Maybe she was a bit frightening, then? It would certainly be quite the deviation from the norm. Intrigued, she smiled pleasantly again,

"I am a Candidate, yes." She seemed to ponder his question then, for a moment. "I suppose for most people it's sleeping time. For me it happens to be free time, courtesy of insomnia time, which has been a constant for a few days now. But as for the precise hour of the day, I'm afraid I don't know. Very late, I suppose. But if you'll wait just one moment..."

She was already working out an equation that could calculate time from the position of the stars, her mind conjuring up star maps and measurements from scrolls she'd once seen in the records room. Turning her attention back to the stars, she was delighted to have something challenging with which to occupy her intellect... but, alas, it was not meant to be. For at that very moment, a pink dragon came careening overhead, one wing passing so close to where Tesla sat that it took her breath away. Bemused, she was unable to do anything but blink for a long moment, watching as the young rider went tumbling into the water.

"Oh!" Worried that the girl might be hurt, she waited anxiously for her to surface, although a part of her mind reasoned that if the dragon wasn't freaking out or betweening in despair, there likely wasn't any harm done. A moment later, Pratyba had reappeared and begun her long introduction, and Tesla sent a surprised and slightly amused glance in Caelin's direction. Well, this was certainly proving to be an eventful night.

"Well, I'm glad you managed to stop her. Normally I wouldn't be opposed to the idea, but I think a swim might be dreadfully cold at this time of night." Especially for someone as twiggish as Tesla... She shivered the thought. "I couldn't sleep. It can be dreadfully boring in the barracks at night, you know. Although, I must admit, it isn't usually this... eventful out here, at this hour, either. I'm Tesla, by the way, and it's quite nice to meet you." She tilted her head so that the 'you' clearly encompassed Pratyba, Oorth, and Caelin, and she offered them each slightly weary smile.

[Nia]

In reality, Caelin didn't know many of his fellow Candidates. He taked to Vraellin mostly, and the two had clicked so well that the blond hadn't bothered to go branch out and find other friends. Sure, he knew many of the Candidates by name and face, but he'd never actually talked to any of them. Which was probably why he was a little taken aback by how this girl seemed completely lost in the clouds. She had a sort of dreamy way about her, and he could tell this just from how she began to seriously ponder and think about his question.

"Ah, um, n-no, that's alright, I can tell it's, uh...." he stammered uselessly with a slightly embarrassed smile. She seemed to really be thinking hard about what he thought would be a simple question and now he regretted asking. He didn't want to burden her with his stupid problems! Not that it looked like she cared, but still, he felt guilty.

He didn't have a lot of time to be guilty about a stupid question though, as halfway through what looked like calculations their quiet "conversation" was interupted by a loud noise and a woooooosh of air as the gust from Oorth's wings nearly knocked him off his feet. He stared, his blue eyes wide in shock as the small Pink dragon whirled into the water, barely missing Teslana. For a moment he wasn't able to move, frozen with complete shock and surprise. Really, the dragon hadn't be too close to hitting him, but... Faranth! Shards! That... that was like a near death experience! ... aaaand now he was probably going to have more nightmares and mental issues.

But he managed to recover quickly, as he didn't have a problem with dragons, just people really. So he managed a somewhat forced smile at Pratyba, Oorth and Teslana, listening as the latter introduced herself and explained why she was there. Well, he understood that now at least... but the Pink Weyrling made him feel a little nervous. She was just so peppy, it was almost unnerving.

After both of them were done, he decided to add his own part to their conversation as well. "Um... I'm Caelin. And. Uh, I kind of, well, haha...." he trailed off awkwardly, rubbing a hand behind his head embarrassedly, turning a bit red, "I kind of fell asleep out here around midday and just woke up now...." he finally managed to say, laughing again. "It's a little embarrassing," he added, as if it wasn't painfully obvious from his stuttering and red face. Well, he reasoned, it could be worse.

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[4horseshowgirl4]

Pratyba returned Teslana's and Caelin's small smiles with a brilliant one of her own. Oh, where was their spirit? New people were fun! Pratyba had hardly had a chance to befriend anyone new since the Hatching, confined as she was with her Weyrling group. Chores, lessons, more chores, more lessons... now, she loved her fellow Weyrlings, but she tired of the same faces after a while. Meeting new people was fun and exciting!

Even if it was the middle of the night.

And she'd literally dropped out of thin air.

But they should be happier to see her!

"Oh, so you two are Candidates, then?" Pratyba said, clambering out of the water and wringing her thick, curly hair. "Haha, no need to be embarrassed, Caelin! Ugh, they work you like drudges! I think I would have perished if I hadn't had a healthy nap every now and then! I even slept through the first part of the Hatching! Oh, by the way... don't do that. Bad idea! I thought Kalith was going to eat me! Thankfully, B'nyur, you know him, right, the Dragonhealer? gave me a ride to the Sands. He and that Blue of his, Oveth, are somehow on the Queenpair's good side, so I just got yelled at with the others that were late." Pratyba exhibited no sign of sleepiness now as she happily chatted away to almost-perfect strangers.

Oorth circled around the group before landing lightly behind Caelin. New person!

[/color] she squealed excitedly, shoving her nose into Caelin's hair and snuffling happily, before bounding backwards to face Tesla. Mischief sparkled in her eyes, and her intent was painfully obvious even in the darkness. "Oorth! No pouncing on the people!" Pratyba said with mock sternness. Oorth whimpered softly before retreating. She was satisfied with at least making Pratyba fall in the water.

"Yeah, sorry, we're eventful with a capital 'E.'" Pratyba continued, now wringing out her soaked clothing. "Sorry if you were expecting a peaceful night out by the water," she said, grinning wryly again, though the gesture was all but lost in the darkness. She was miraculously quiet for a moment, before laughing heartily again. "I just can't wait for someone to walk out here on us. We make quite an odd group, don't we? A couple of Candidates and a troublesome Weyrlingpair? Oh, goodness, F'del would think I was recruiting you for the Dark Side or something."[/right][/font]

[kyrillion]

She offered Caelin what she hoped was a reassuring smile as he explained his reason for being out so late. He was clearly embarrassed, though she didn't think he had any reason to be. Pratyba was quite right; a Candidate wasn't a Candidate if they didn't sneak a nap now and then. But all of this talk of napping was reminding her of how she couldn't sleep, and it was no easy feat to fight down her annoyance at the fact. No reason to act sour - after all, it wasn't anyone else's fault, and she owed it to her new-found companions to at least be civil. Or cheery, if she could manage it. And she'd managed it thus far, hadn't she?

She was appropriately shocked by Pratyba's confession. She'd nearly slept through the Hatching? Goodness, it really was a wonder Kalith hadn't eaten her. Chuckling sympathetically, she offered a quiet: "Thank Faranth for B'nyur, then. If you'd been eaten, what would poor Oorth have done?" She turned to look at the petit pink at that, and offered the dragon a smile. She had just finished snuffling Caelin's hair, and she idly wondered if the boy was as frightened of the dragon as he'd seemed of Tesla, earlier. He certainly was a jumpy thing, wasn't he?

Tesla thought for a moment that Oorth was going to finish what she started earlier, and knock her into the water. A stern word from Pratyba, though, had the pink looking decidedly less impish, and Tesla chortled again. What an odd weyrlingpair; but then, it had been a rather odd Hatching. An enjoyable one, to be sure - those cyans were absolutely lovely, and it had been good to welcome a second queen to Dalibor. The weyrlings she'd met so far had proven good for conversation, too, which was always welcome.

Eventful with a capitol E, huh? That was one way to put it. "Don't worry about it. Peaceful is quite nice, but it can get boring." She glanced at Caelin, wondering how to bring the nervous boy into the conversation. Tesla was no master socialite, but she certainly didn't want to leave the other Candidate out. She laughed at Pratyba's 'dark side' comment; the girl was probably right. She could only imagine how much trouble those two were causing for poor F'del!