The Story in the Sky [Open]

[kyrillion]

Teslana

It was early in the morning; earlier than most people were up and about in the Weyr. Early by her standards, even, but Tesla hadn't been able to sleep last night. Sometimes, when she hadn't had enough time to draw or daydream or express her creativity or eccentricities, her mind rebelled and simply refused to turn off at night – the insomnia could go on for days. And while it wasn't exactly a common occurrence, this wasn't the first time it had happened, and she knew lounging around in the barracks wasn't going to help matters.

And so, when the first light of dawn began to filter through the hallways, the still-awake Candidate reluctantly hauled herself off her cot and padded out into the Bowl. Each step rang as a number in her head - one, two, three, four… – but it was an old habit, now. Always at the back of her mind, and she could pretty much ignore it. For the most part, her attention lingered on her surroundings, and what she saw almost made her happy to be up so early. It was truly beautiful – the sun was just a sliver of iridescent gold on the horizon, and everything was lit by a soft, tangerine glow. The air was crisp and fresh – chilly, but in a pleasant sort of way. Spring had finally chased off any remnant of winter's chill.

Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three… She was nearing the Lake, now, which was as calm and still as a pane of glass. The wind had died down yesterday after sunset, and wouldn't kick up again until well after the sun had risen – there was nothing to trouble the waters. No disturbances at all, in fact. It was too early in the day for birds to be chirping, too late for nighttime creatures to still be stirring. It was a almost eerie, but nevertheless peaceful – everything was utterly still. There wasn't a sound to be heard except for the soft pad of Tesla's sandaled feet against the ground and that quiet voice in the back of her mind chanting forty-nine, fifty…

When she reached the shore, she knelt down and trailed a hand through the water, watching the ripples with keen interest. Her expression was neutral, lips pressed together in a thin line and eyes heavily-lidded, betraying her weariness. Normally, she would have worn a grin, or at the very least a smile. Tesla was a morning person – but then, you have to go to sleep at night to be one of those, don't you? She was in a good mood regardless, but was too tired to be her normal, jovial self.

When her restless imagination had had enough of tracing patterns in the water, the girl stood and moved back, going only as far is it took to reach the grass before she flopped to the ground and stretched out on her back. The green blades tickled her arms and her neck, but she rather enjoyed the sensation, and she gradually felt herself relax. She watched, mesmerized, as wispy clouds raced each other across the violet sky, and she let herself see figures and images in each of them. Watching the scenes unfold high above her, she whispered the story it told to the sun as it rose ever higher.

[arratra]

Arratra was another early riser, mainly because of his previous life as a trader, but also because of the mischief Margras tended to get into.
"Margras, come back here!" he was yelling, as he ran after the errant fire-lizard as the blue zoomed towards the lake.

There was a splash as Margras plunged into the water, and Arratra slowed down, then came to an abrupt halt, wobbling, and in danger of falling on top of another Candidate.
Leaning backward, he lost his balance, and fell hard onto his behind.
"Ow," he muttered, rubbing his sore backside, then turned to look at the other Candidate.
"Candidate Teslana," he murmured, "What brings you out here so early?"

[kyrillion]

Her view of the clouds was obstructed by a bright blue firelizard, and she avidly watched his antics. She loved firelizards - they were such fun, delightful little creatures. Well, most of them were. She didn't even notice the boy he belonged to until a 'thud' sounded behind her, and a murmured complaint reached her ears. Even then, she didn't react except to sit up - the better to see Margras playing in the lake.

"Candidate Teslana, what brings you out here so early?"
It was another long moment before she turned and settled her gaze on the boy that had spoken. She observed him pensively for a moment - her memory immediately associated his face with a name, Arratra, but she didn't think she knew much more about him besides that. Eventually, an amiable smile slowly spread across her face, and a twinkle lit in her eye. Being able to focus on something specific - a conversation, for instance - was chasing the weariness away. For a little while.

"Good morning, Candidate Arratra." Another moment passed before she realized he'd asked her a question. Insomnia put everything in slow-motion, and she hated it. "Oh, I couldn't sleep." She said it as though it weren't the least bit strange. "What about you? It's terribly early out."

[arratra]

"Well, I used to be a Trader, so I've always been an early riser," Arratra said, then pointed at Margras, who was splashing around in the water, getting a good soaking, "And that little guy is the biggest mischief I've ever seen."

Margras, chirping, clambered out of the water, shook himself off, and flew over to Arratra, landing neatly on his shoulder. Arratra absently reached up and stroked his eye ridge with one finger, and he closed his eyes and hummed.
"So what brought you to Dalibor?" he asked.

[Kila]

SolMine? MineOwn? Wake up. Can we not start the day early? I smell dew- there may be dew outside on the grass, Mine, and it looks so pretty. Like there are diamonds on the grass. Oh, and especially when it is on the webs that the spinners make! Wake up, Mine....

This dialog floated dreamily through Sol's cloudy, sleepy mind as she lay snuggled in her bed in the early morning. The little Cyan who was perched dizzily on the side of her bed reached down and nuzzled her gently, her head filled with thoughts of diamonds and sunrises. Sol gave a little groan and pulled the covers farther over her head. Sleep= good. She and Pratyba rarely retired early, and sleeping was one of her favorite (essential) activities. She could rouse herself- but she didn't want to. Eccolath's mind, which meshed with hers and was creating the most fantastic ideas and pictures, made every day seem like a dream.

SolMine.... Eccolath was not going to take no for an answer; she wanted to go outside. Today was not a sleeping in day. Tottering forward and climbing over the covers and over Hers, she dropped herself on top of HerOwn, subsequentially squeezing the air out of the sleeping Weyrling, which indeed got her attention.

Eccolath! Jeez! Sol mentally exclaimed with exasperation as she struggled to throw off her covers, her dragon, and get a great gasp of air. Fine, I'm awake! What is it? What's going on?

We're going outside; today is not a sleeping in day, Eccolath said happily, hopping nimble off the bed. At her hatching she had appeared as a dreamy, curious ballerina on the Sands, and Sol was happy to know that nothing had changed. Her enthusiasm at the moment, though, was not at it's full caliber. The girl sighed and complied, getting out of bed and heading towards the door in her sleeping clothes. Who cared? It wasn't likely more than a few people would be up anyway. Besides, that was what the bonded pair did for one another: lovingly indulged.

Heading outside, Sol awoke slowly and relaxed, soothed by the calm of the morning. She didn't mind being woken up so early after all. Oh, who are they? I wonder if they came to see the dew too? Eccolath wondered, spotting the two candidates before hers. Though there really was little dew on the grass that morning (fortunately for the two laying on the ground), she was still enchanted by the idea. Maybe if she poked her nose around enough she would find some sparkling spinners webs... Huh, I dunno. I think they're candidates, either that or those riders kids who run around all the time. What are they called? Weyrbrats, she wandered and answered herself.

Let's go talk to them, Eccolath said with interest dancing in her voice, already moving towards them. She had sense some of Teslana's thoughts and was instantly attracted to them. Their poetic and dreamy quality were similar to her own. Sol, of course, had no choice to follow, and did so agreeably. "Hallo," she hailed them, coming up beside the girl. "Good morning." Getting a closer look, she recognized the boy as a candidate she had met in the kitchens one day. "Oh, Arratra, hello," she greeted him, smiling.

Eccolath had little interest for the boy, though, and went around her rider to plant herself comfortably at the feet of the female so they could look eye to eye. Hello, good morning; she said, studying her with curiously whirring eyes. It is a magical morning, is it not? I am Eccolath, and Mine is Sol. What is your name?

[arratra]

Arratra jumped, looking around. The movement upset Margras, who leapt off his shoulder and chattered a reprimand to the Candidate and the Weyrling; Arratra for disturbing him, and Sol for causing the disturbance.
"I hope that when I finally Impress, it won't be to another mischief like Margras," Arratra said wearily as Margras landed on his shoulder. "Hello, Sol," he continued, leaning slowly back onto his hands.

[kyrillion]

Again, it was a moment before she responded to Arratra's inquiry:

"Oh, I've been here since it was settled. Wanted to see what it was like, founding a new Weyr an' all. And it was so exciting, and now there's been a Hatching and more people arrive every day! There's so much involved, you know, in keeping up a place like this..."

She looked out around the bowl as she spoke, her interest captured by the features she knew so well. She loved this place; knew it inside and out. Was proud to say she'd been one of the first to live here, even though she felt rather like a third wheel. Young as she was, there wasn't much to do besides the standard chores, and she longed for something more complicated to occupy her over-active mind.

Someone else was greeting her, then, distracting her from her wistful and disjointed musings. Starting, she glanced up at the new arrivals. Her sharp memory did not let her down here, either; though she hardly knew Sol and Eccolath, she recalled their names almost instantly. She smiled pleasantly, nodding a belated greeting.

"Good morning, Sol."

She thought, at first, that it was the Weyrling that addressed her then, but she soon realized that it was in fact the little cyan whose thoughts were painting themselves like words across her mind. A thrill traveled down her spine as she shifted her attention and gazed into the hatchling's multi-faceted eyes. She felt as though she could see the words in her mind's eye, each letter the same teal color as the little dragon that sat before her. Her grin broadened - she'd been bespoken only a few times in the past, and it was always a wonderfully novel experience. Eccolath's mindvoice had a certain quality to it that endeared her to the Candidate immediately.

"It is, indeed. It's a morning for stories! You can see them in the clouds and the water, if you watch and listen carefully." She said it quietly; she rarely discussed these sorts of things with humans, but she thought Eccolath might appreciate her somewhat unorthodox perceptions. "I am Tesla. Teslana, actually, but I don't like my full name as much. It is very nice to meet you."

[Kila]

Eccolath crooned with pleasure at Teslana's response. Yes- she had known this girl was some sort of kindred spirit. How beautifully she spoke! It was grand that other humans understood and saw the stories everywhere around them like she did. Eccolath was always looking and listening to them carefully. Tesla; the Cyan mused, tasting the name as she said it in her delicate mind's voice. Hello hello. It is so very nice to meet you too. I am glad you see the beauty of the morning. I was looking for diamonds on the grass, you see, but SolMine slept in a little too late for the dew, though. But I don't mind- there is still so much going on. Isn't it just wonderful how the morning sparkles? Eccolath wandered happily, thrilled in the presence of another dreamer.

Sol smiled as she listened in. How she loved Eccolath. Her lifemate mad friends so easily with whomever she chose to talk to. Even Shoth, the ill-tempered little Bronze of her rider friend, had tolerated the younger Cyan.