Play It Again, Sam... (Rhia)

[Kiran]

What with the recent commotions about the flight and new Weyrleader, Kira had found her lessons with Lili an escape from the gossip and talk that was flying about. If she were going to be frank about the matter, she didn't care. As long as the Weyr was taken care of (and so far there hadn't been any signs of it not being so), then the brown had won the flight. It might have been in a cheat, it might have not, but things were what they were.

And right now, Kira cared far more about the fingering she w struggling with for a particular chord. Her face scrunched up as she tried it slowly, then a bit faster, but when she tried to play the measure out...

"Ugh! S-stupid Han-nds-s-s! Can do ev-ver-ry thing but this!" She set down the guitar and glared at her hands, upset that they weren't able to do what she wanted them to. But what could she do about it? If Kira were honest with herself, the reason they were shaking so badly was because of the flight. A Gold flight. A flight that meant a clutch, and a clutch meant a hatching.

Her stomach was already twisting itself into knots thinking about it. Two hatchings attended, and nothing. What would the third one bring? If she were honest about herself, she felt scared about what could happen. Would she leave with a dragon? Or would she leave with nothing? Another failure? Her father had come to the last one, which had been a loss. Perhaps she should ask him to stay away from this one.

Kira slumped over the gitar. Her emotions were too much of a mess for anything right now. Anything except music, of course. Perhaps that would cheer her up. Kira glanced up, looking for her teacher. "Lili!" Her call went down the hallway, towards the girl approaching. "I'm having too much trouble with that one chord. Could we try modifying it a bit? Something that wouldn't need me to stretch my fingers that far?" It seemed like a distraction, a good one, a needed one.

[RhiaBlack]

Lili had a hide in hand, unrolled. A letter, obviously, given the smile she wore on her face. Good news. All good news, and everything about her plans were falling into place. At least, everything -outside- the Weyr. She had a gitar her mother had sent her in hand, as well; there was a better method to teaching if she could show Kira without having to constantly swap back and forth, after all. It was taking a lot to be able to store all these sharding instruments in her bunkroom, without being a pain in the neck to her roommate. Not that Lili had met up with her, after all.

Lili was nervous on the inside, however. Callistath. Gold Callistath had flown recently, and she was a Gold, so that meant there would be a HUGE clutch on the Sands soon. Which meant she might not age out like she had started to suspect. The prospect of finally having a Dragon made her nervous. The prospect of the fact that rumor had it a Wher hatching would be at the same time made her near-frantic. Whers were uncouth. Whers were dangerous. Whers almost guaranteed that there would be blood.

Lili didn't like blood, not at all. Not after watching a newly-Impressed Weyrling get mauled to death, along with his bonded.

The hide was rolled up, stuck in her back pocket as she carted herself towards Kira.

"Of course we can! It might take a bit of re-writing, but there's always a way. That's the beautiful thing about music. Doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, it can be mastered to some extent by just about everyone, and you've got way more capacity for it than most I've seen mother teach. I'm surprised you're not apprenticing Harper, all truth be told."

Lili slid down into the seat beside her, and leaned her own gitar against her thigh.

"By the First Egg, have you -heard- all that garbage people are starting about Gold Callistath and Brown Perbiath? Ooooi. Makes me glad we're over here, if I have to eat one more meal in the Dining Hall and listen to wherrybrains chatter about that, I sorely think I'll go mad. So many people who have such strong opinions. I guess this place has to have some like that, but shard it, not when I'm trying to eat..."

She giggled, eyeballing the gitar's frets with a nod, before leaning in to eyeball Kira's fingers. Her own was fretted at the same points, and she tested out a few chords, before shifting her fingers.

"How far can you reach without stretching?"

[Kiran]

Kira snorted at Lili's reply. "Yep, you and my father both. If you don't Impress at this hatching, I'll sign on immediately." She eyed Lili sideways, aware that the candidate was older than herself. "For the record, that means that I don't think that it will happen. Bet yours is going to be out there. Im thinking I won't ask father to come, since he would wonder why I was so eager for him to see my friend Impress." Kira already had her sights on the next hatching, figuring that her odds would be better once the ranks of candidates were thinned. Though if the candidate master had heard that, the apprentice Healer would probably have gotten an earful of how that simply wasn't how it worked and her chances were the same no matter how many were on the Sands.

But that also meant that the conversation was ducted towards the flight. Kira grimaced. "Ugh! I know! Unless the Weyr falls to pieces because the man actually does do a terrible job, or everyone decides on revolting to replace him with a different weyrleader against tradition, then there isn't anything they can do about it!" Kira was withholding judgement on the man. Time would tell if he wasn't a worthy winner. "It's not worth yammering on over." It was possible that she didn't actually know what consequences having D'lios in charge meant, but for now it seemed rather simple.

Kira showed her how far she could reach, aware that her hands were smaller than the Harper's. Up until these recent songs she had gotten away with alternate fingerings her father had shown her, but she was out of them for this lot! Kira watched as Lili tested out a few different chords. Kira mimicked the hand motions, though she didn't have anything in her hands at that moment. "... I don't want to go into Harpering because I still stutter when I'm angry or scared. I'm better about it now, don't do it nearly like I did before, but I'm scared that it will come back someday, and I won't be able to stop it. If I went into Harpering, then I'd be stuck. Though... Guess a Harper with a stutter isn't much better than a Healer with one. But still." It was an admission Kira didn't make to many. She supposed that her father had guessed, but it didn't stop him from wanting her to go into it.

"But I like Healing a lot, so it works out well."

She swung her feet a bit, then brought up the hatching again. "You know, I've got a few marks on you Impressing a nice, calm, not-Mifth blue." Kira glanced up at Lili. "But.... Just in case.... What happens if you don't Impress at this hatching?" Kira wasn't sure exactly how old Lili was, so it might be a bit nosy or presumptive, but Kira wanted to know how her friend was going to handle it. Would she go back to being simply a Harper, or would she move onto Wher candidacy? Kira knew the were a bunch of other, older candidates that were going to he on the sands this time around. How were they going to deal with it?

[RhiaBlack]

Lili giggled, shaking her head as she thumbed the strings to get the jist of the chord she'd chosen. Teaching Kira had been a kick in the pants to work on her own skills, and it had encouraged her to practice a lot more than she normally would have; something her mother was rather thrilled about.

She shook her head with a blow of a few strands out of her eyes, before she thought better of leaving them alone - pausing, she adjusted her scarf to re-tie the pale tan length, catching the annoying pieces back against her head. Out of her eyes. Victory!

"Stutters aren't so bad. I haven't met many people with them," truth be told, she hadn't met anyone with one yet, Kira was the first, "But I'm almost certain it's something that gets better with practice and time. I figure it won't ever entirely go away, but I'd think it's kind of like my hair. Something to get the conversations started, something to learn and adapt to. It might come in handy for a lot of things - songs tend to repeat, so if there's words you find hard to pronounce because of that, it could be worked in. And then you'd be better at that than anyone else, for sure!"

She grinned, good-natured as she normally was. A shrug followed shortly thereafter.

"I think my parents are coming to this one. My sisters are old enough to watch themselves by now, so Papa said they might be able to get away from the Hold and come see. This is my last Standing on the Sands, so who knows. I'll be twenty-one turns in a few months, and I'll be too old at that point. I could still technically Impress in the Stands, but most Dragons don't want anyone as old as I'll be, I suppose. I don't understand why not, I guess it has to do with being set in someone's ways or something. If I end up aging out, I might go into Whers, but I'm...not really keen on being stuck permanently living life at night. We've already got a Master Harper here, so I'd probably end up doing that. Then again, from what I understand Whers pick up on that sort of stuff, like Dragons do, so I'd probably just stand for Whers for a few turns, and then leave, go back home and get my higher-ranked knots. Would be a lot of work, I've tried to keep up my practice when I have time, but only so much you can do with chores and what not. I suppose late is better than never."

She put on her best face, as far as courage went.

"I'm trying to stay positive about it. Worst comes to worst, I go back home for a few months, wait for the next Run. Come back, see about Impression. Maybe talk to the Weyrwoman, see if they need any Harpers or anything. I figure with Threadfall, there's always a role to fill somewhere."

Another few strums, before she nodded slightly.

"I think you should ask your Dad to come. Worst comes to worst, it's time he gets to see you. Once you Impress, there won't be much of that, so it's a good chance to get some time in for a few turns. Is this one easier on your fingers?"

She showed Kira the new chord, watching the other girl's fingers for signs of stress.

[Kiran]

Kira hummed when Lili talked about the benefits of her stutter. Those were points she hadn't considered, but she still wasn't sure about it. "No. And yes. It took practice to go away, but... But it's always there. If I lose control... " A deep frown crossed her face, and she shook her head. "If something happens, an accident or something, then it could come back permanently, not just when I am angry or scared. I just don't want to risk it. Never did. I like Harpering enough, but if I can't say my 's' and 'r' without issues, then I'll ruin a whole song. It's certain vowels, not words, that get me. So...." She gave a shrug and a brief smile. "But its okay. Like I said, I like healing. Can't imagine myself doing anything else."

Her attention was drawn to Lili when she said it was her last hatching. She was right. That seemed really sad. Kira didn't want her to age out and disappear, for any amount of time! She put a bright smile on her face. "Then I'm sure that your dragon will be out there, it knows that you don't have much time left and its gotta get out there! So I'm not even hearing any other options for you." Kira gave a firm nod to emphasize her statement. "I've got lotsa time yet, I'm only eighteen, so I have a few more Turns. So I'll have my family come for the feast, but I'm not going to tell them I might Impress, not with all the Candidates here. Especially not with you for sure Impressing! And I'm betting its a Viridian, to boot." A playful wink at the girl, but Kira was semi serious.

With that, Kira tried the new chord. It fit her hands much better, and she gave Lili a smile. "This works great! I think I'll manage it now. Lemme see...." She tried the line again, this time successfully navigating the part that had been giving her trouble. A glance over at Lili. "I think I have it. And it sounds great! Want to do a run through of the song?"

With that she struck up the beginning of the song, wanting to distract them both for a moment. Kira still had questions and worries, and didn't want to think too hard about the situation at hand. The hatching. Her stomach was still in knots. Wild either of them actually Impress? And what would it be if they did?

[RhiaBlack]

Lili had to admire her tenacity. Kira reminded her of her sisters in more than one way, and it was refreshing sometimes to be around someone who seemed positive more often than not. It was a refreshing change from the constant gossip and bickering and complaining she overheard in the Dining Hall all the time. Some people were just miserable no matter what way you spun it.

She nodded curtly, picking up the harmony to the music and giving Kira the lead. Her fingers were deft, agile against the strings, but it was clear any superior playing was on the heels of more practice. Kira could more than hold her own, and even if she didn't say so at first, Lili was impressed. She learned ridiculously fast, as well. Something she envied, in some respects.

"If you're half as good a healer as you are at playing a gitar, this Weyr isn't going to have anything to worry about by way of capable menders. My mother would absolutely love you to pieces." She grinned, and it turned into a smile at the thought of a Veridian.

"I should think there would be a lot of brows raised if that happens. From what I've been told, they only Impress guys, but who knows. Stranger things have happened, we had a Wher hatch from a Dragon clutch last Hatching, after all. Wouldn't surprise me if there were a few brow-raise worthy Impressions this go-round."

The thought of ...other things, shifted the bright smile into more of a forced grin.

"I just hope nobody dies. Whers don't like a lot of noise, from what I heard, and you can't have that many people in a cavern without there being -some- noise. It worries me a lot. Mostly because of Seidon, if he's strong enough to Stand this Hatching, he'll be pretty vulnerable, and I don't know what Seph will do if he gets mauled again. He won't be able to come get him this time. I think I'll stand close to him, if they just kind of toss us all together this time. That way if something comes at him, at least it might hit me and not him. I can deal with getting scratched up a bit."

[Kiran]

Kira took the lead of the music and enjoyed the way the melody rose and fell agains the harmony. Lili was an excellent player, and Kira deeply enjoyed this time with her. She practiced on her own a decent amount simply to keep up with the apprentice Harper, not wanting to ruin their music with her own incompetence. It seemed to pay off, though if Kira was ever going to reach Lili's heights she would need to quit Healing. But she simply liked Healing too much, though she couldn't deny her heart was fond of the music and stories that the two played, reminding her of home.

She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of meeting and being adored by Lili's mother. "I'll trade you your mother for my father! He desperately wanted one of his daughters to be a Harper, but my sister went into Beastcraft and I went into Healing. I was his last hope, and he let me know it, leaving music and guitars and pipes in my bed! He will think you are the best thing to happen to me, getting me to play again." She smiled fondly at the memories, her fingers not missing a beat of the strings.

"A Viridian might raise eyebrows, but can't be any worse than the male tanrider, and we have a few women on subkings. There's at least one on a brown, and another on a purple. It's about time there was one on a Viridian. Heck, maybe we will both end up on subkings!" Kira grinned even more fully at that one. No, she was fairly sure that for herself it would be a pink, but that was up to the dragon that chose her.

The upcoming Hatching was enough to cause more than a little trepidation. Kira grew more sober at Lili's words. "I'll stand close, too, if you would like. I know that I'm not allowed to Do anything more than put pressure on, first aid, but if something happens then I can at least do that and let you know if its a truly serious wound. I don't want you worrying about a scratch, you know!" The last bit was an attempt to be perky, but Kira didnt think it was a very good one. "There is a chance that we won't get hurt. So, lets hope. I'm sure that with that many people, there will be some noise to scare the whers, but I think most everyone will be aware that it will be dangerous and won't laugh and cheer and gossip like at the regular hatchings."

But whers were dangerous, and she had heard about the violence at the last wher hatching from the other healers that had been there. It wasn't a pleasant thing to look forward to. "I'm thinking of becoming a dual candidate after this. I mean, I might get a dragon, sure, but I was thinking of hedging my bets. Just in case."

[RhiaBlack]

Lili nodded softly at the offer, idly strumming across the strings. Her thoughts had shifted, and Kira's positive outlook had effectively adjusted her concerns. Not just a good healer when it came to physical things, it seemed. Talking to the younger woman was a definite lift of her spirits.

"It's worth thinking about, I suppose. I hope all of us Impress this time around, if only to have people I know to talk to in Weyrling classes. I mean, making new friends is fun and all, but it's nice having people in there that I already know. If I talk so much to K'var, people will start calling me teacher's pet, I bet. Whether he's the one that Searched me or not. I was talking to Sora the other day in the Dining Hall, and he showed up. He said Argotath's Searches had never lead to a non-Impression thus far, and he said he doesn't want that to start with me. So hopefully having a good record as far as that's concerned means that maybe this will be the one."

She shrugged slightly, managing a smile.

"I think that would help a lot. I don't...know a lot about injuries and such, so having you there would help tons. Blood tends to make me panic a little bit, not the goes-crazy-and-runs-away thing, just makes me really nervous. Scares me. Then again, seeing so much of it around lately, and seeing the Dragons feed on herdbeasts, it's not as bad as it used to be. Something I'll have to get used to if I expect to Impress."

So Kira was looking at Whers, too. That was good news, if Lili didn't Impress, there was a chance that at least she'd have a friend with her at the Wher Hatchings. She didn't think they were so bad, but she had never heard a Wher before. As far as Lili knew, they didn't make any sounds. She wasn't sure if they spoke, but there had to be some sort of connection there if they Impressed like Dragons did. Something to learn, she guessed. Something she was sure they would be learning, what with the potential of a double-hatching.

"I wonder...if we Stand for Dragons, and there are Whers there, too, does that mean we have a chance of Impressing either? I wouldn't think they'd Impress the same person, both kinds, K'var says that they Hatch for only one person, but the thought's kind of hilarious all the same. Can you imagine? Being bound to a Dragon -and- a Wher? By the First Egg, I'd go stir crazy."

She plucked out a haphazard melody on her gitar, the harmonic notes resonating in the core of the instrument's body. Some light, high-pitched and happy, others low and baritone, and still further others that were dark and deep.

"I just hope nobody dies. Even if it means I get left standing and age out, as long as nobody dies like the last Hatching, I think I'd be ok with waiting another turn or two. We lost so many Riders already, what with this whole catastrophe with the Lord Holder, and then from everyone being sick and what not. We need more Riders, not less. With any luck, those babies will understand that, you know?" She shrugged.

[Kiran]

Kira nodded vigorously. "Yeah! I'd love it if we were all together! It would be so much fun to watch our dragons grow up together. And if Seph managed to Impress this time around as well? Then you two would graduate together as well..." Kira's eyes flamed with a bit of mischief, aware of how sweet her friend was on their fellow Candidate. Kira thought it was adorable! And was hoping so hard that her friend would be able to be with him. And that meant she also straightened her spine and nodded enthusiastically in agreement to what her Searcher had said. "If he hasn't failed yet, then he hasn't failed yet! Just wait and see."

She paused for a moment to reach over and touch Lili's arm. "You're not the only one who has trouble with blood. Did you know, the first time I s a really serious injury, I fainted? Someone had been mauled by a wild wher. And when I woke up I was sick." She went back to the music. "Since I'm a Healer, I had to get used to it, so I walked back into that room and forced myself to stare at the body until I wasn't scared anymore. But it's scary, and I only saw the aftermath. Watching it happen in front of me..." Kira shook her head, remembering the last hatching. "I don't expect anyone to have a strong stomach or spine for that sort of thing. So don't worry about it. I'll be there."

Her fingers moved over the strings into the next refrain of the song, the music light and joyful, unlike the pretext of their talk. Kira had to concentrate a bit for a section, mulling over Lili's words before responding. "Since whers can Impress to anyone, I don't see why some of the dragon candidates couldn't Impress them. We'll be on the Sands, after all. I expect that some of the wher candidates never even bother to ask being Searched, so I bet that a few of them will end up with dragons too, simply by having the ability but no one telling them about it. Like the Candidatemaster said, having a hatching at the same time is unheard of, so it makes sense that no one would bother cross-checking to see who could do what, and in the end for something like this it doesn't matter. There will be candidates there no matter what." Then she snorted. "But it would be something else to Impress one of both! I hope that it never happens - the poor soul would be driven stir-crazy! As it is I can't imagine the bond with a dragon, what with my flits already!" Starfire, who had been hiding along the ceiling, chirped at that, then trilled.

The music ended, and Kira's fingers stilled while Lili's nerves showed in the music she drew from her instrument. The healer had to agree, but considered her response carefully, the pretext of adjusting her strings minutely helping her gather her thoughts. "I hope they do, too. But coming into the world is so confusing, so strange... Babies cry when they are born, partly because its such a big change. I think that for dragons and whers it is just as terrible, but they have claws and fangs to take out their sadness and anger with. So when they kill someone, it's not out of spite. It's just simply lack of understanding."

It was probably something that could have come straight out of Jasmine's mouth, but there it was. "But I'm sure that most of them want to Impress, and will try very hard to do it. It's just the confused and scared ones that we need to worry about. As terrible as the last one was with the death, the first dragon out of the shell Impressed immediately, no fussing about." She smiled at the memory. It was a good thing... Though far from an auspicious omen.

[RhiaBlack]

Lili could only offer a mild shrug, plucking casually away at the strings against her fingers. The thought had long occurred to her that there was a potential that Seph and Seidon might not Impress, but that she might. Or vice versa.

"I really hope so. I hope it all goes swimmingly, and all of them, wher and dragon alike, Impress without an incident. I don't think I could watch another person get mauled to death, not like what happened to that Ironweyrling." She shivered with a sigh.

"Truth be told, the entire idea of potentially Impressing a Wher turns my stomach. I hear they have to blood bond, and I just...ugh. But, I see what you mean, I guess I never really thought of them that way. Like babies, I mean. Probably terrible not to, they're little, too. So it's only right to give them the benefit of the doubt in that regard."

She couldn't shake the feeling there was going to be blood. Not just for the sake of Wher bonding, either, but actual, maliciously shed blood. Part of her was grateful in some respects that this was the last Dragon Hatching she'd be attending. Unless something happened, by all regards, she wouldn't be Standing for a dual-clutching again, at least not a Dragon/Wher one. This had been the first, after all, Jasmine had said so. If it was rare, she would probably never see another.

"I've never had a Firelizard, what's it like?"

Lili was genuinely curious. She had tried to keep an eye out for wild eggs, maybe find two and give Sora one of them. Maybe find one for Seph and Seidon, too. Who knew. It might have helped if she could get out of the weyr without anyone being angry at her, but Candidates were watched like hawks anyway. She'd have to wait until after she Impressed....or aged out, anyway.

[Kiran]

Kira strummed the strings in turn, not playing any particular melody, listening as Lili expressed her distaste of whers and their needing blood. She couldn't really say anything to that. It wasn't the nicest of things, but since dragon hatchings here had a distinction of being just as gorey as the wher ones, Kira couldn't honestly see much if a difference. Wouldn't it basically be the same if Lili was mauled by her dragon before she Impressed it?

Better not to bring that up, since the Hatching was already so full of anxiety for them both.

The conversation thankfully went to her flits. Kira grinned. "It's a headache." Her first response, but while it was occasionally true, not usually. "To be honest, it's more like... You ever see something out of the corner of your eye that wasn't really there, that brief flash of whatever that you would swear up and down hadn't been there a moment ago? It's rather like that, except a lot more of it and you aren't looking out if the corner of your eye. You also tend to have little niggles of feeling towards those flashes that seem odd, like you might feel fondly of spiderclaws for a moment when normally you couldn't care about them or maybe don't even like them."

Kira thought for a moment. "The more you have, the odder it is. And if they all ever feel something then the effect is multiplied. With four of them, I have to say that they make life interesting!" She grinned and glanced up at Starfire, who was edging her way down the wall, looking at the Candidates. They had been so darned upset over the hatching...! "Come on, girl, it's okay." The pink fluttered over to land on Lili's shoulder, crooning and hoping to make her feel better. "She isn't all that smart, but she knows when someone is feeling upset, and it drives her up a wall. The best of my fair to work in the infirmary with me, really, since she's so friendly." Kira introduced her friend to her flit.

"My other three are around somewhere. So far it's Nightwing, my black, Flirt, my green, and Spindrift, my blue. And of course, this pretty little girl. There are so many hatchings about that somehow I managed to land at four of them already! I have to sincerely try not to hang out at any more, I have my hands full with this bunch plus everything else I'm doing." Kira didnt regret her four for a moment, though! She smiled fondly at the pink.

[RhiaBlack]

Lili seemed momentarily startled by the summoning from Kira, her attention snapping up once Starfire settled on her shoulder. She scratched the Pink's eye-ridges and neck like she had seen Sora do to Bip, and admittedly the little one garnered a smile from the pale-maned Candidate.

"They seem really lovely. I've been keeping an eye out for eggs, I thought maybe Seph and Seidon would want one, but it's so hard to get away from the Weyr to look for the wild ones. They're so strict here, I heard it's because someone got caught with a Rider or something a few turns before I came here. Which they say is a really big no-no, so I guess I can understand that. I could ask a Rider, maybe see if K'var would go out with me to find some or something, but shard it, they're so busy all the time I'm scared to ask. I don't know why, it's like what's the worst they can say? No?"

She cracked a grin, and shook her head with a sigh.

"I guess I'm more afraid of not having the same routine anymore. At least now I know what I'm doing every day, from what I've heard it's different with a Dragonet. I certainly have no idea what I'll be doing if I age out. Probably just spend the rest of my life here, maybe walk the tables once I get enough studying done, see if I can get to Master someday. At least then I could go home and not disappoint the family. My sisters are so jealous, but I know if I come home without a Dragon or without Knots, they'll be disappointed."

Lili rubbed the back of her neck with a small shrug, tiny as to not unseat Starfire.

"Are Pinks as empathetic as they say? I mean, I figure all of them - Firelizards, that is - are like that, but I keep hearing that Pinks are some of the most sensitive. I imagine it makes her a real help to you when you're working. Always nice to have another set of eyes." A realization made her smirk. "Someone told me once that you can tell what kind of person someone is, either by the Flits they Impress, or what Dragon or Wher they do. Seems like solid advice."

[Kiran]

Starfire crooned and leaned into Lili's touch, deeply enjoying the attention she was getting. And the girl seemed happier now, so the flit was also happy. Kira also had to smile in turn. "Why don't you just invite them to one of the hatchings around here? The riders are always trying to get rid of their extra flits. Though going exploring and finding a clutch does seem pretty exciting. You should at least ask... They have a good reputation, and could be trusted to not let you drown or get eaten by a wild feline. If you need moral support, I can tag along while you ask!"

The idea of having a different routine was a bit daunting, but one that Kira felt she was a bit better equipped to deal with. It had been just over a turn, but she still recalled quite clearly the upset that had happened in her life when she had been snatched from the Healer Hall. She sidled next to Lili and nudged her gently with her shoulder. "They're your family. They won't be disappointed if you come back as you are tomorrow. If they are, that's their problem." Kira stuck out her tongue briefly. "But if you have to stick and somewhere for the rest of your life, I suppose Dalibor isn't a bad place to be, all said and done. Nice people, and.... It's an interesting place. But like I keep saying, you are absolutely not going to age out no matter what." She gave a firm strum of the strings to emphasize her words.

Lili's next questions and comment made her grin and laugh. Kira nodded at Starfire. "I think she is a touch more than normal, bit yes they are rather more sensitive than any of the others. She is a brilliant help when I'm working. The children calm down almost immediately when they realize they can pet and play with her, and she seems to worm her way into the good graces of the adults as well." Her flit was a brilliant little spot of happiness when someone wasn't feeling well. The pink gave a soft trill at the warm emotions from her Bonded, as well as enjoying how the Harper girl had seemed to cheer up.

"And if the types of flits I'm bonded to says something about me, then I've got some explaining to do! Flirt is named Flirt for a reason!" She gave a wink towards Lili, but with an expression that clearly said she was joking. "Since I've soooooo obviously been here trying to win over your heart, right? And dear goodness, Nightwing is the deep, dark, blackness that fills my soul in the middle of the night, never wanting to be near a person ever!" Kira giggled at her own thought of it... Though she had Bonded to the gloomy little thing when she was at her most miserable. "But if Starfire is the one that keeps around me the most, I'm most definitely going to be impressing the pinkest most pink ever, because I'm such a pink myself!"

[RhiaBlack]

Lili giggled gleefully at the flirt commentary, and batted her eyelashes.

"Why Lady Kira, I do -declare-!" Commence further gigglefits, before she finally slumped back against the wall with a snickering sigh. "I've been trying to sort of hang around the Dining Hall before and after meals for a bit, to see if any of them bring eggs in. I really kind of want one, but I'm worried that with as close as it is to the Hatching, that maybe it's not a real smart plan right now. I mean, going from having nothing, to maybe potentially having both a Flitter AND a Dragon? My goodness. Or worse yet, a Wher. There's going to be both on the Sands, so I guess I have to prepare for ending up with one or the other. Who knows."

She shrugged, but the aspect of Impressing -anything-, no matter what it was, didn't really weight her down anymore. It was a happy thought. Kira just kind of had that effect on her. She couldn't be sad for long around him, and it was like a sisterly sort of relationship; she felt comfortable around the younger girl, and it showed.

"I suppose the only thing I'm worried about now is that Seph and I will Impress dragons that either won't fly one another, or end up hating one another or something. Or that are both female, or both male. So help me if they're both male and they decide to chase the same female, or they're both female....I'll never get out of..."

She trailed off. That was probably a bit more than she wanted to say. Her face flushed a deep shade of red, and she covered it with her hands.

"By the First Egg, what is -wrong- with me..." She giggled, sighing. "You'd think by now I'd have come to terms with that. Bah. What am I so worried about, I'm sure it'll be fine. I just hope both of us Impress to begin with. You and Seidon and Sora, too. I'm as excited about the chance to be in a class with -everyone- as I am to even -have- a Dragon, by the stars..."

So you arrive again, tiny piece of hair! She squinched her face up, eyeballing the piece of bangs with a grrr, before she untied her headscarf again. Pulling it over her face, she did the half-knot in the back, slid it up to catch the offending trespasser, and full-knotted the sash across her hair.

"I don't think I've ever been so excited to take a step that much closer to flying Thread. I know it's dangerous, but flying on Argotath's back to get here....there's something about being that high up that's so much fun. I can't even begin to guess how much fun days without Threadfall are, with a Dragon."

She strummed her guitar with a grin.

"Wide we've come wanderin', from Weyr Bowl to Shore!
And cleanin' tunnelsnakes from their burrows' a booore!
But now we've got Eggs, and they're hardenin' so fast!
When the Dragons start hummin', we'll have such a Blast, and it's
No! Nay! Never!"

Lili stomped on the floor four times with her boot, before continuing with the chorus-

"No, nay never, no more!
Will we beeeee ground-bound Candi's,
Better lessons, no choores!"

[Kiran]

Kira was more than a little amused when Lili responded to her play flirting, then settled to listen in as she talked and got out a few more of her worries. An eyebrow raised at the revelation of what Lili was the most bothered (upset? Nervous? Shy?) about, but before she could make any response the Harper dove right into the Candidate Theme Song. Kira laughed and joined in, her fingers working to keep up with Lili's pace but managing it.

"Oh the eggs they will be hatching into blues and browns and greens,
And maybe even colors that nobody's ever seen,
And each will find a Candidate to whom they best will match,
But first we are a-waiting for those lovely eggs to hatch, and it's
No! Nay! Never!

No! Nay! Never, no more!
Will we beeee ground-bound candi's,
Better lessons, no chores!"

Kira joined in wholeheartedly with the second verse, thoroughly enjoying the silliness of the song but also how it simply lifted the spirits. When all was said and done, the eggs would hatch, some of the candidates would become riders, and they had a darn good chance of it! Especially Lili. Kira had full confidence in her friend. Her dragon had to be there this time around! Hope filled her heart as well. So hers hadn't been there the last time, so what? It just had known she wasn't really all that ready for it. Now? Totally and absolutely!

When the song was finished, she was left breathless from the sheer exuberance of their singing. It was brilliant! A wonderful remedy for their spirits. She leaned lightly against her friend... Her almost-sister, Lili was so kind and reminded Kira of her sister.... And grinned. "We're both gonna do great this hatching. And you and Seph are gonna end up with a pair that adore each other, and that can fly each other. I get that bit a lot, don't really care thinking about that part of it all since I haven't snuck around with a boy yet, but...." Her thoughts drifted to R'nar, and Kira's cheeks turned a faint pink. If she got a dragon this time around and they graduated about the same time, and he wasn't involved with anybody else.... Maybe? She did think the blackrider was pretty cute, and liked his black a lot...

"But since you two adore each other, your dragons are gonna too, and all of our class is going to have the best time what with all of us being together! You just wait and see!" Kira grinned widely. "I'm thinking that as practice for being up so high, I'm gonna go sneak a ride from a certain king rider I know. Last time I was on dragon back getting here, I was more scared than anything, cause I..." She stopped abruptly and looked at Lili a little guiltily, not sure she was comfortable with sharing that part of her experience. "Well, it wasn't such a good time, so I should do it now because I'm finally excited about being here and being in a hatching... And getting a dragon of my own!"

With that she eyed Lili appraisingly, Starfire keeping her perch on the girl's shoulder and having trilled along with the song. "Ya know, might be a good thing you don't have a flit, because your dragon is going to want all of your love and care I imagine. Just think about what might happen if I get a dragon, and it's jealous of my flits! It will be a disaster! So nope, I think that it's just fine that you haven't gotten a flit yet. Try for it after you've Impressed and you and your dragon have worked things out." Then she tilt her head the other way. "Or if you don't mind waiting a while, when Starfire finally clutches you can have some of her eggs. I don't want them, not when I have four of my own! Doubly so when I'll also have a green to worry about as well. They might not cutch all the time, but if I have two of them I'm sure I'll have enough to worry about."

[RhiaBlack]

Lili's grin was almost cheshire cat-like when she spotted the pink rise to Kira's face. She wriggled and crooked a finger at her with a tee-hee.

"Youuuuuu're sweet on someone, aren't you! I knew it! Whooooooo is it?"

She giggled, and leaned back against the wall again, careful not to unseat the Pink on her shoulder. A small yawn, masked with one hand - she wasn't sleepy, if anything she'd just gotten up from a nap. Blargh. A stern head shake to clear the cobwebs, and she grinned as she shrugged.

"Yeah, probably for the best. From what I've seen and heard, being a Weyrling is a ton of work, and I'm not so sure that it's a good idea to take on a firelizard on top of that. K'var has his hands full from the looks of it with Bit and Bip, so there's that. We'll see, I guess. How do you know you're getting a green!?"

Lili eyeballed her.

"Are you psychic or something and not telling me? What else do you knoooooow!?"

Another dissolve into giggles, before she shrugged.

"I figure I'll end up with one of those, too. If I Impress at all. Most people around here seem to have the Fighter classes the most, I don't think I'm of the right mindset for any of those far-fetched colors we were talking about before. I mean, it'd be neat and pretty jaw-dropping if I got one, but who knows. Like I said, as long as nobody dies I don't think I mind what I end up with."

Lili rubbed the back of her neck, pulling her braid out from behind her shoulders before she plucked across the strings. The smile faded from her features, if only to take on one of almost neutral expression. She shook her head slightly.

"I just....can't shake the feeling. I keep wanting to think it's not going to happen, that nobody will get hurt, I just...Kira there's Whers out there. It's like shadows and light in the same place, and they -hate- the daytime from what everyone's saying. It scares me a bit, and I'm a little bit unnerved that maybe the babies will feel that, too. I'm going to try and be calm, I usually am anyways, but it's like watching Threadfall. You know not everyone is coming back from it the same, especially the people that it's their first time, and I'm so tempted to just deal with the whole thing by closing my eyes and pretending I'm somewhere else. But I can't, I don't want anything to hurt Seidon. He's Standing this time, and Seph and the healers have worked so hard to get him there, I just can't let anything happen to him. The pair of them, they've been through so much already. They need some good news, you know?"

Lili caught herself being worrisome, and frowned with an inward swear at herself.

"Bah. It's probably just pre-Hatching jitters. Probably just pressure and stress from this being the last one, too, so I probably shouldn't have such a panic over the whole thing. At least I hope that's what it is."

[Kiran]

She was caught! Kira turned even pinker with embarassment when Lili called her on liking someone. She shifted slightly, a small smile creeping up her face. "You remember the last Hatching? The boy who Impressed the black that looked like he wasn't going to make it? R'nar. He and I got a chance to really meet and talk when I was helping out at the dragon healers, and... Well... It's no great shakes like you and Seph, but he is really nice." And that was the most she would say on the matter unless asked, since there wasn't much more to tell. He was cute and sweet, and Kira had no clue if he liked her back but she was certainly rather fond of him.

"So like you said, we're most likely to get fighters and I'm okay with that. I mean, it's okay to get something else and I wouldn't mind, but if I want a chance with R'nar with Flightlust and all that I can't get anything else. I considered that. But I haven't said anything to him about liking him or anything like that since he's a weyrling and he probably already has someone he likes and, and... So yeah!" Kira finished on a weak note, but that was okay with her. It got across what she wanted. "But mostly it's because we're more likely to get fighters than anything."

Lili's worries brought up again made Kira sigh. She couldn't take them away, no matter how much she wanted to. She reached over to grasp Lili's hand. "To be honest, I think people are going to get hurt at this hatching as well. I don't think it's going to be just the whers, Faranth help us if there's a red or a wild dragon like the one that killed that weyrling. I can't lie to you and say that I think everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows. But I do think that we will come out of it okay." Then she grinned. "Might have a few dashing scars to go with our dragons, but overall fairly okay."

With that she looked at the gitar in her hands, then back at Lili. "You know what cheers up spirits better than anything? Sweetbread filched from the kitchens. Come on, let's go reward ourselves for being Candidates about to be at the most memorable hatching on Dalibor and getting the best dragons in the clutch!" She slipped off the rock, eyes gleaming with mischief. Best to distract her friend from her sorrows, though Kira was sure that they both would be staying up at night thinking about it...

[RhiaBlack]

Lili offered a slightly sheepish smile.

"Hey, you never know! Have you asked him yet? I never thought Seph would be into me either, but he's so used to getting stared at. He's a good-looking guy, as far as I'm concerned, but there's so much more to people than appearances. I think it surprised him that I said that. I think you should ask him, he might surprise youuuuu...." She giggled, and sighed.

"I hope so. I really do. I can handle getting scratched up, it's the whole death thing that unnerves me the most just about the Hatching. I suppose what worries me overall is that Seph will get something else, I'll get a fighter and he'll get something like a Sub-King or a King, and I won't be good enough for him anymore. I know it's silly to think that way, but I can't help it. I think I'm just going to try and be positive. It would be awful if I don't get anything at all, so I can't be picky. I don't -want- to be picky."

She ran a hand over her headscarf with a small half-grin.

"I'm kind of hungry for a snack anyways. That sounds like a pretty good idea. We can have some Klah, too, and you can tell me more about this handsome Blackrider of yours..."

In truth, she was happy that Kira had found someone to be sweet on. It always felt a little awkward, having to keep Seph a secret from everyone else. Nobody knowing what she'd snuck away and done with him, worse yet that she was actually hoping they Impressed marginally close in dragon rank so that she could spend time with him - after they were full-fledged Riders, that was. Honestly, she was looking forward to flying. Being something other than a chore-wherry for the Drudges in the Weyr. Something that meant more than what she was doing now.

With any luck, she'd have all her friends in the same class.