For the Benefit of Mr. Kite (Gather!)

[Kila]

Spring, 6th Turn, 11th Pass

Perbiath was elated. For days now people had been streaming into
Western Hold, bringing their carts and wares and excitement with them.
There was to be a Gather- the first to be held on the Western Continent
for turns. Plagues and poisonings had ravaged the population, leaving no
room for frivolity or merriment. What affected the Weyr had affected the
Holds, and what affected the Holds had affected the Weyr. They had all
suffered. A little bit of fun would do everyone a world of good, and it
was in that spirit that the Gather had been organized. Lord D'lios had
suggested the idea and graciously volunteered his own Hold to host the
festivities, fronting costs and making the necessary accommodations for
the steady influx of people.

Today was the culmination of all the work that had gone into the
gathering; the day where everyone would come. The traders would
cry and sell, the harpers play, the young people dance, the new friends
mingle, and the children elate until they were all exhausted and could
do no more. And then everyone would go. But the inevitable return to
normalcy on the morrow was not something to dwell on, and it was not at
all on the mind of the Brown dragon that crowned Western Hold.

Perbiath trumpeted in welcome to the Dalibor dragons as they arrived,
bearing their Riders and their friends, pets and brats, candidates and
all other kinds of grounded people. He was so happy to be among his
brethren again, and this time they were even coming to him! If Western
was his sad, empty Weyr, then he was suddenly a king with subjects
beyond count. It was a charming notion that tickled his ego, but more
than any sort of power he craved simple companionship. There were many
dragons here, many young dragons would not recognize him as Renegade
spawn and treat him with contempt. It was a stigma that had haunted him
across many turns, earning him mistrust and dislike that he did not
deserve. But he would not tolerate it today, he decided. Not today. He
would make merry with the rest.

Perbaith spread his wings and took off over the labyrinth of stalls,
casting a shadow over his lifemate as he soared overhead. Enjoy
yourself, Perbaith, D'lios said, knowing how excited he had been
for this day. Like a child, he thought to himself, though not
unkindly. The Lord Holder was dressed in his normal elegant fashion,
well-groomed and handsome as he strode through the crowd. He stopped
often, greeting people, answering questions, and making polite
inquiries. Soon the throngs of people swallowed him up, making him just
another drop in the sea. Shouts and music mingled with dragon roars as
the streets and square filled. A space was cleared for dancing in the
very center of the square, flanked by a wooden stage, a scattered
semi-circle of chairs, and a whole host of harpers. Vendors lined the
walls of every street, pressed thick against storefront and homes alike.
Several traders pushed carts on wheels and wove through the mass of
bodies with varying levels of dexterity. On this day at least, one could
find anything they could ever dream in Western Hold.

~

Daidoroth dropped O'sho off in the field nearest to the Hold where all
the other dragons were landing to let their passengers disembark. The
Weyrleader dismounted and reached up to lift Tiroshel off of the
Bronze's back. His young daughter had begged not to be left behind and
was practically frenzied with excitement. "Look at all the
people!" she marveled as her father set her down. She had had a
better view from the air atop the King's massive back, but now that she
was on solid ground she was ready and raring to go. O'sho set Fiera on
her shoulder. He knew that Tiroshel would vanish into the crowd and
likely be gone the entire day, so rather than fight it he just made sure
he could find her again later. Fiera was sure to take care of her, and
Fajra's own flit was like to pop in to check on the girl as well.
"Don't cause too much trouble," O'sho said with a wary smile,
giving her his permission to go. Tiroshel grinned and hugged him
tightly. "I won't," she said and was gone.

"She's getting big," Sol commented, coming up beside him as
Tiroshel disappeared. Eccolath had just dropped her off and was taking
in the sights and sounds of the Gather with a dreamy look on her face.
"She is," O'sho agreed, well aware of the fact. "Perhaps you
should follow her lead and dive in headlong. What are you doing here
with an old man like me? You should be in the company of some handsome
young fellow." Sol laughed and shook her head. "Handsome young
men are dangerous, at least in my experience. I think I may go find one
today, though," she said playfully. D'lios appeared at the edge of
the crowd at that point. He spotted them and began to walk over,
compelled by duty to greet the Weyrleader. "Here comes one now,"
Sol observed, not blind to the Lord Holder's physical charms. "But I
think he's more interested in you than me. I'll leave you two
alone." She gave him a wink and slipped away, disappearing into the
crowd as Tiroshel had.

"Lord Holder D'lios," O'sho said in formal greeting when the
other man arrived. "Weyrleader," D'lios replied, inclining his
head. "I must thank you for putting this all together. The whole Weyr
has been excited about it for some time," the Bronzerider said.
D'lios nodded knowingly, donning a somber air. "I am glad to hear it.
I think it will do everyone good to have some fun after all that they
have gone through these past several turns." O'sho could not help
but agree, though he misliked feeding the young man's well-manicured
ego. "You are right. I think the same and am glad for it." And it
was all thanks to D'lios. Once again the Weyrleader felt in his debt.

Callistath's arrival provided him with a welcome escape. "Please
excuse me," O'sho said with a shallow bow. "I must speak with the
Weyrwoman. I do not doubt that we will see you again later in the
day." He turned and walked off purposefully in Avalle's direction,
leaving the Lord Holder no choice but to return to his Gather

"Hello Avalle," he said warmly when Callistath touched down. The
Gold was glowing, her hide even more rich and alluring than usual. The
cause was unmistakable and it was just that which O'sho wished to speak
to her about. He offered her a hand to help her off, though like any
good Rider she was perfectly capable of dismounting on her own. It felt
strange not have Fajra by his side, so having another of the
Weyrleadership in his company was a small comfort to him.

Ooc: Go crazy! Feel free to post Gather stuff here or make separate
threads in Western.

[Nia]

Gathers were always a bit of a pain. Avalle simply didn't have the time to go "enjoy" herself in a mob of people. Of course, she was almost always required to make an appearance at least, or else it would seem rude to the Lord Holders. This particular Gather was at Western Hold, home of D'lios and his Brown dragon. Really, this was not something she wanted to bother with at all. Particularly since Callistath's hide was quite bright at the moment, and she was definitely due to Rise any day now. The Gold herself was being rather moodier than usual, which had been Avalle's first tip off.

Well, we have to show up, she commented to the Gold, who simply shifted in response, chosing not to answer. It wouldn't be polite to snap back, though she certainly felt like doing it. The Senior Weyrwoman gave a small sigh and mounted her dragon, already feeling a headache starting to form. D'lios was a pain to deal with on a regular basis, especially now since he had the entire Weyr in his debt. That was yet another reason why she and Callistath had to make an appearance. They couldn't insult D'lios after all he'd done for them. Avalle just hoped that she could find an excuse to not talk to him beyond the usual greetings. If she had to thank that man for his help one more time....

Callistath took off into the air, quickly flicking between to appear again above Western Hold. The Gather was already in full swing by the time they arrived, with dragons and people all over the place. A good turn-out,

[/i] Callistath commented idly, though Avalle could tell that she was quite unhappy with the amount of people around who would see her bright hide and know just what was going on. The Gold landed a bit further away from everything, though close enough for Avalle to spot D'lios and O'sho in the distance. Rather than D'lios approaching, as she'd expected, O'sho was the one to make his way towards Callistath.

She took his hand politely as she dismounted, her mood brightening a bit with O'sho's approach rather than D'lios. "Hello, O'sho," she greeted politely, shifting her glance to D'lios off in the distance, though it appeared as though the Lord Holder had disappeared back into his Gather. Good. She turned her attention back to O'sho, feeling a pang of sorrow at seeing him here without Fajra. "What did our lovely Lord Holder have to say?" she asked, barely concealing her sarcasm and wondering if that was what O'sho had approached her about. She really hoped it wasn't anything too dire, or that D'lios was up to something, because she really did not need any more weight on her shoulders at the moment.

As Callistath and Avalle arrived, as did a little Black dragon. Eachuth popped out of between in a bit of an unsteady manner, as the pair of them were still somewhat awkward in the air. He managed to keep his balance, which Vyna was grateful for, and the pair touched down just outside the Gather. Vyna was excited, feeling energized and cheerful. Eachuth was a bit nervous, however, shying somewhat away from the Gather and all the people around. Vyna pat his neck in comfort as she dismounted. We won't stay long, okay? I promise. I just want to try some of the sweets and pastries they're selling, Vyna said to her dragon, letting Eachuth move his head down so they could touch their foreheads together. It had become sort of a habit between the two of them, something that Eachuth had started with his need for constant physical contact with his rider.

Okay, he replied a bit awkwardly trying to hide his sadness, causing Vyna to laugh and pat his neck again, keeping their foreheads together. Oh calm down! It's just a gather. You'll be fine. Maybe you can go talk to some other dragons while we're here, Vyna suggested, though she felt Eachuth's panic rise up at the thought. She pat his neck again to calm him down. Okay, okay. I'll be back soon. With a final comforting thought Vyna moved her head back from Eachuth's and started walking towards the crowd, waving to Eachuth even though of course they were going to be connected via their link. She disappeared into the crowd, hunting for sweet foods and maybe her brother, if he was here.[/blockquote][/size]

[Azhdarchid]

Halventh spied a thermal packed against the cliff face and winged over to it, then shot straight up over Western with nary a flip of his powder blue pinions. He pushed his breath out in a whistle that echoed off the stone galleries, pitch rising as he rose. Despite the warmth below, the moment he shot above the cliff's edge he was embraced by cool, misty air. It flowed off the grass of the hold's high pastures, emptied today of the ovines so that their minders might get to invest in the Gather spirit themselves. The blue cocked his head as his downbeats rippled the grass, and hovered closer, clucking to himself.

L'xon tucked his goggles back on his forehead. He had been here many times over the past few turns, but never on Gather-day. The spit of rock the holdfolk called a dwelling had become unusually colorful and animated, but from a-dragonback remained as small as ever. Halventh put one foot down on the edge, still mostly adrift, suspended L'xon thought more by airy will than any of the token washes of his wings.

"Here we are," he called, probably unnecessarily, to the passengers piled in behind him. In a show of strength, Halventh had offered to ferry no less than three. It had taken some crude strap modification, but none of them had plummeted to their deaths so it had to be taken as a success. "We'll take you down to the main faire now, then we'll go and settle somewhere more comfortable for Halventh." The bluerider snugged his goggles back on, and let Halventh go.

The dragon's other hind foot came down on the precipice, then he hopped free and cut his wings in against his body. Callistath had just come wafting into the airspace, and Halventh howled on his way down past her, snapping upright a few feet from the ground and touching his feet down one at a time with dainty grace, and a chirr-up!

The show was over. Time for all undesirables to disembark. The ferry-dragon started churning up his shoulderblades and shaking out his neck, growling softly as he stamped the entrance to the Gather's avenue. Unphased, L'xon climbed to his feet. While Halventh fluttered and hopped about, he unbuckled the passengers one-by-one and helped them up. He got Halventh to hold still and even lay out flat his long blue arm. He even got the dragon to remain long enough for some instructions. "I will be picking up everyone with a curfew at sunset. Obviously I will have to report any delays to the applicable Master. I-"

But that had been all the necessary information, and Halventh elected to take off with a parting bark at the offending passengers rather than letting his rider finish. He started gliding over towards Callistath, arching his neck and puffing up. L'xon was about to pull him up from his intended course- which appeared to have a landing zone somewhere on Callistath -when Halventh noticed Perbiath sharing the skies, and broke off by himself with a honk. He landed a ways away from Callistath, albeit still closer than anyone else, and sat back to watch the brown patrol the hold.

Great goose, L'xon thought, mostly to himself. What was that about? he shared more pointedly with his mate. Halventh rocked his weight from paw to paw.

CALLISTATH IS GLOWI- he started, in a mental volume L'xon expected was perfectly audible to every other dragon in the area, including the queen herself. But the rider had clamped down on the rogue broadcast quick as he could; it was little more than a shout in the already active din. His boots hit the ground by Halventh's foot, and he took a few steps back to admire the blue's decorative straps.

Avalle would not have brought her if she was that close, he decided, for his dragon's sake. Why don't you try trolling through the pinks and greens? They're apt to be inappropriate that way.

Oh, yes, Halventh chittered, sincerely appreciative of the idea. L'xon headed into the Gather. His blue crawled off toward a few flocks of female fighters, tail high and wings fluttering, so they would be sure to see him coming.

L'xon passed the Weyrleader and Lord Holder on his way in. He did not have to pause for formalities with either, as they were stuck in their own ritual, and he was just one passing dragonrider. At a Gather, there was no exceptional party. Even the sanctioned holdless- Traders -were not scoffed at publicly. He almost ignored the entirety of their exchange, but caught the Weyrleader's excuse for an early departure and glanced over his shoulder. O'sho was approaching Avalle, who unlike Fajra did not possess a bearing to match the old 'Leader's. Even if O'sho was Fajra's mate, he had to keep up pretenses for the holders. Or, said a newer sort of instinct L'xon had only garnered post-Impression, the bronzerider was acting to his own benefit.

His lips twitched and he unzipped his riding jacket as he brushed along the outskirts of the bustling avenue. Eywren would not have missed him, not with Halventh as his guide into the hold. All he could hope to do was find an appropriate stall and fetch some props for his own ritual before she located him. Especially for Lexen: he could not stand the thought of facing his son without a present. He had his rituals, just like the Weyrleader and Lord Holder. He had to keep the faith too.

[ OOC: 1 out of L'xon's 3 ferry spots is taken, but feel free to claim your character rode in with him in one of the other 2 spots if they needed a ride (Candidates, wherhandlers, etc). :) ]

[Dragonwher]

Randiel, being a Candidate; had to hitch a ride to get to the Gather. Though he felt quite out of sorts on the great blue beast, that he'd been allowed to hitch a ride on; had nearly landed on the gold then got pulled honking away. Not being a Dragon rider or a Weyrling he didn't really 'hear' the blue's 'yell'. Then again even if he had; he was far too focused on getting out of the straps and off the blue back. All without mussing his 'good clothes'.

As his boot soles hit the dirt he'd only taken two steps before his pink and his younger blue flit winked out of between to land upon him. Though they seemed to have been nice about not getting dusty; since Randiel was already uncomfortable about being in such dressy clothes as he basically skulked through the crowds. Surprisingly his Father Andel managed to sneak up on him. As shown by Aela and Farkas only chirping at the older male once he'd tapped Randiel and caused the boy to spin in his tracks. After a few moments panic and wondering what the shells he'd done wrong; Randiel finally recognized his father. Which incurred a sort of half joking glare "shells an shards father! you could have said someting instead of just grabbing at me like that!". Which got a chuckle and a low "but where would the fun be in that?, I need to keep my Wher Candidate son on his toes do I not?". Then his eyes flicked to both flits "hello Aela...and a new blue? who might this handsome boy be Randi?".

Randiel finally ceased his muttering about annoying parents and smiled "this new one is Farkas; he's from a clutch that I happened to be at Mira with". At mention of his sister Andel focused more on his son "and is your newly Weyrling-ranked sister going to show up at the Gather?". Randiel nodded "she might already be here...but if she's not she should be soon enough". Andel chuckled "fair enough; I'll let Mir know you both will be here so she can see you in your pretty clothes". With that the Guardsman Andel was back off into the crowd with a friendly pat to both flits as his son fumed; wanting to thump his old man...but not being brave enough to try it in public. Would not do to have his sister or the other candidates find him winded on his back from his father flipping him off his feet.

[Cathaline]

Newt did not stop talking, not the entire time he rode Halventh, not even between, though his words were lost there. It was really no surprise that he was completely out of breath by the time they landed, void-cold scarring his conversation. Wheezing a bit, he slipped to the ground and caught L'xon's sleeve to steady himself. "Whoops! Bit of a rough ride there, huh? Is it always like that?"

He wavered, caught between sticking with his fellow candidate and with L'xon, but Randiel was approached by a guardsman and L'xon appeared happily unattached. And so Newt dogged his steps, entirely unaware he was most likely unwanted, his voice picking up steam as the warmth of spring came back to his tongue and his fingertips. "Do you come here often? It's not too bad, is it? Oh, there they are." He noted the Lord Holder and the Weyrleader as they passed. "Did you notice Callistath glowing? I noticed right away. I keep track of these things. Kalesk is glowing too, back at the Weyr, so there are bound to be hatchlings! Your Halventh chases a lot, doesn't he? I've seen his name in the records, fathering clutches. You must be really proud. Has it occurred to you that you could be Weyrleader? I don't know, would that be weird for you? Do they give you any training on that, in weyrlinghood, or are you just supposed to wake up the morning after and surprise, here's your unlimited power, it comes with klah!"

To be honest, sometimes Newt just did not know what he was saying. It didn't remotely occur to him that this might be inappropriate chatter, especially since it was unsolicited.

[Kila]

O'sho helped Avalle off of Callistath, also acknowledging the
Queen. Again he marveled at how brilliantly she shone, close to rising
as she had been for days now. A nagging voice in the back of his head
wondered if it had been wise for the Weyrwoman to bring her bonded, but
he would not insult Avalle by voicing his doubts. She knew her lifemate
better than anyone else and O'sho trusted that she would not have
brought her if there was any danger of the flight being that close.
Besides, both Rider and dragoness had been understandably touchy over
the past few days and the Weyrleader was old and wise enough to know not
put himself in their line of fire.

O'sho's smile in response to Avalle's question was more grimace than
grin. "Our good Lord Holder is gracious and perfect as always. He was
welcoming me and expressing his hope that the Gather lifts everyone's
spirits. We are at least on the same page." He hated to agree with
the man, but D'lios was always on the right side of things. It seemed
unjust for him to mistrust the Lord Holder as he did, but there was
something about him that O'sho disliked on a personal level. "We must
be good to him though, Avalle. It is a great thing he has done for us
and we must of course maintain a good relationship with Western. He may
now plague you as he did Fajra at these public affairs, so you should
prepare yourself in case you have inherited that blessing."

"But there is something else I have been meaning to speak to you about,
and from the look of Callistath's hide the time in nigh." He
approached it in a friendly way, not wanting to alarm her or heap on any
undue stress. Nothing made a body nervous like saying that you needed to
talk. "Daidoroth will not chase," he told her softly. "He
doesn't have the heart. I don't honestly know if he will choose to chase
again at all. It seems that our age is catching up with us." He gave
her a sad, apologetic smile. She deserved someone young in her bed and
by her side anyway. "So it would seem that my time as Weyrleader is
almost at an end. I will be more than happy to advise you and help in
any way that you need, so please do not hesitate to use me however you
see can, but the real leadership will pass to another."

He was sure that they had all known it was coming for a long time, but
it was very definite when put to words. "But let's walk," he
said, offering her his arm. There was no reason for them to stay there
and stew in whatever emotions they felt over it. "If we must be here
then we might as well have some fun." He winked at her- a small sign
that everything was as it should be- and lead her away.

[Azhdarchid]

"I come here sometimes to visit with my wife," L'xon answered. It was the truth, but twisted: he was mostly in the business of visitation to speak with his son. Eywren had not permitted him since several months ago, when he outright stole Lexen so the boy could witness a nice, safe version of a Hatching.

But it would be hard for any of them to miss each other today.

He had navigated down one of the sidepaths and entered a thicket of toy stalls when he realized Newtollen was still following him, and still talking. He turned to look at the Candidate: plain as any holder, with that brown hair and tan skin. Some nice definition around the eyes. Not everyone could be an exotic broken-nosed blond, he supposed. At least Newtollen did not look like a stranger to his spectacles. He looked old for a Candidate-

"You keep track? Are you hoping to ride a king someday?" There was a touch of amusement in the question. Luckily he had lived under the threat of Halventh's wherry-like tendencies long enough for it to no longer draw a blush. "He has chased all the queens he can, but blues don't fly long enough. He's just in it for a good time." Being witty was not his strong point, but the attendant was not in the stall he was currently perusing so he took the opportunity to fold the inquiry over. "Has it occurred to you that you could be Weyrleader?"

Nice one my lord L'xon.

Thank you, churl.

L'xon smiled at the blue firelizard doll in his hand, his interest seemingly more on its stitching- and on distant dragon laughter -than any response of Newt's.

[Cathaline]

"Oh, you have a wife? She doesn't live at the Weyr with you? That's weird. Were you married before you Impressed? Must have been, I can't imagine how you'd come to court a Hold girl afterward, not with a dragon. Then again, some people are wild about dragonriders." The same way Newt was wild about whers.

"Man, no," Newt said at once, and lit up like a happy puppy when L'xon asked him a question, indicating that he was interested in having a real conversation. "I mean, if you want to know the truth, I only agreed to be searched because I felt like it would give me a wider variety of experiences and opportunities for scientific exploration. I'm a wher candidate primarily. Handling a king...I mean, I wouldn't say no! It's just that's a lot of responsibility and it would really cut into my time, and I have a lot of stuff that I need to look into. I have a partiality for blues, I guess. I lived with a couple of wilds one summer. All the colors have their good points, though - even reds, maybe especially reds, and you wouldn't believe how some people feel about them."

He took a breath and went haring off down another conversational pathway without giving L'xon quite enough time to respond to all of that. "But blues have been known to catch queens once or twice in history, right? It's not a completely unheard-of event. I mean, if blue whers can catch gold ones - which they can, by the way - then all you have to do is scale it up. And I guess I could be Weyrleader, that would be weird, huh? I wouldn't know what to do either, if it was me. But I suppose if I Impressed a male dragon it would be simple enough to just...ask. Do you think that would be considered forward? Nah, they must get questions like that all the time, right?"

[Azhdarchid]

"No. When I was taken- recruited -I was just a Candidate, it would not have been appropriate. And later she decided the Weyr was an unsavory place to raise our son. I think, from what I have done with Halventh, I can respect that." He handed the firelizard doll to Newt, lifting his chin at the Candidate, seeking a clinical analysis. "Hold women are obsessively infatuated with riders. I suppose handlers might snatch a few too. But I cannot, obviously, while I am married." L'xon smiled faintly.

He squinted at the Candidate's Man, no, but soon abandoned that scrutiny in favor of attending the compliments to blue dragons. Or whers. Blue things. "I have never heard of a blue being characterized as 'wild,'" he mused. "But reds make for redriders. They must be the strongest people on Pern. Strong at the end of a chain, though." He shrugged. "There's good and bad. Do you think a seven-turner would still appreciate a doll?" The longer he looked at that plush little firelizard, with its too-long, undraconic neck and spindly three-fingered arms, the less he liked it.

It seemed the opposite was true of Newt. Maybe L'xon just had a better tolerance for out-of-rank conversation now that he had found his place among men and dragons, but the Candidate also appeared to have a brain. Newt was probably smarter than him. "I have never heard of a blue doing so," he replied honestly. L'xon actually took a breath, and a moment, to peruse the possibility. He shook his head. "Never. Whers are not dragons." There was a rumble of Halventh in that sentiment, the deepening of authority, and confidence. "I did not say I would not know what to do. I said it would never happen." He folded his arms behind his back, returning his dark eyes to the stall. "I am sure the Weyrleader would love to have anyone at all talk to him right now."

[Cathaline]

"I dunno if I'd call it unsavory," Newt hedged. Being a Hold child himself, of course he understood what L'xon was getting at; being a wher groupie, he had long since reconciled himself to the ways that riders and handlers had to behave, to be telepathically bonded to beasts driven by instinct. And frankly, being Newt, he'd also admitted, privately and on a deep level, that he was highly unlikely to get laid without those instincts.

Newt's comment about wild whers went right over L'xon's head. This was okay, because L'xon's response also went right over Newt's head, to the point where it was impossible to know what they were even talking about anymore. "Well, one of the really interesting things I've found about blues is that they have incredibly variable personalities," he said eagerly, shoving his glasses higher up on his nose. "You wouldn't think so because over time they've gotten to be stereotypical. They're one of the original colors and it used to be, long before we were even born, that blues were the searchdragons, they were seen as the empaths and the kind ones, and the more vicious ones were considered outliers. But since mutations began to appear, we're gaining a whole different understanding of what color means with regard to personality! Blues don't have to be stuck in the 'nice guy' box anymore."

He barely even glanced at the doll before he thrust it back at L'xon. "No. No, don't be absurd. A seven-turn-old? That age, you'd do better to hand him a cracking egg, by seven they're much too old for pretend flitters. If you have your heart set on a toy, what about a wher doll? I'm a lot closer to seven than you are, and that was around the age I took an interest in whers. Kids want brutality, they're starting to realise that the world is a dangerous place and it's incredibly fascinating." He craned his neck, trying to see if the stall had lumpier, more beautiful wher dolls.

"It's true," he babbled. "It's happened. I don't think recently, but - it's like browns and other subkings Impressing women, right? Super rare but it happens and every time it does it's considered soooo weird and unnatural. But obviously if it was all that unnatural, it wouldn't happen at all, or just once. And whers definitely aren't dragons, but they do share some similarities."

If that was meant as a dismissal, Newt didn't understand. "Yeah, the poor guy. He must be having a hard time of it. Do you think his dragon will chase when Callistath rises?"

[Azhdarchid]

"Halventh is the way blues are supposed to be," L'xon replied, grinning for the first time since they landed. He opened his hands and turned up his palms as Newt disdained the firelizard doll all the way back to his possession, looking down at it while the lad ranted. He obligingly returned it to the stall. He swallowed, not at Newtollen's words, but at the enthusiasm with which the Candidate asserted himself.

But the rider shook his head, mess of yellow hair waving against his face. "Not Lexen, I think. When he was born, we saw Western's wher one night and he started crying." He pressed his lips together, turning the sweet memory over in his head. "Though I suppose that is something babies do." And there it was: he was staring at the ground. "I only ever see him...the way an image is when you hand it off to your dragon." A bad example to proffer to a Candidate. He could not think of anything better. "Just an instant, not the real thing."

He looked at Newtollen a moment, expression steeling to stillness, then gazed off over the stalltops, like he could see Daidoroth hunching in the dragon pit. "It would surely be a good thing if he did. The Weyrleader has never lost his competence. It would be a good thing, even if he did not win. I want that man to have some happiness in what remains of his turns. It isn't fair otherwise."

L'xon took a few steps toward the next stall, then stopped to wave at Newtollen. "Come on. Maybe something he can build, or paint. Never too early to start learning Apprentice skills, right?"

[RhiaBlack]

Baihujinth was gargantuan in his presentations, but the big Iron knew well when to leave well enough alone. Word of the Gather had spread, and Z'dyn had intended on venturing to find something fine for Nara. Perhaps a glittering necklace or a pretty woven ring. Something she would enjoy - and it had to be green.

Nothing but Emerald for my Emerald, Bai's mind pressed His'. Z'dyn frowned, but offered nothing in turn as he straightened his tunic and combed several stray braids back behind his ears. One more successfully than the other, but even with his scars he didn't seem to mind. He was a Kingrider. One must move beyond the mere discrepancies of one's own hide when mounted astride something as blatantly obvious as Baihujinth.

Bai stooped to let Z'dyn off, and wordlessly the large behemoth went to investigate the surroundings with a measure of self-absorbed inquiry. Not-so-new places, but many new faces; if Bai enjoyed nothing more, it was eavesdropping at the benefit of being soulbound to someone that heard things as readily as His.

Z'dyn, meanwhile, was quickly accosted as soon as he reached the gathered throng of people.

"Z'dyn!"
"Pops!"

Jyderin met his only remaining offspring with a firm handshake, drawing the Kingrider into a hug as Bai rumbled in greeting within the Tanner's thoughts.

::Good day, MineOwn's Sire.::

The mirror - though with tinges of gray in his goatee and mane, all the same - of his son nodded in Bai's direction, before he herded Z'dyn off towards the stalls.

"I have heard so many things, come, come, we must talk!"

***********************

N'tharon wasn't about to forego any sort of opportunity to sell the well-crafted pieces he had been stockpiling over the last several months. Gathers were his forte, at least when it came to turning forged ores and gems into Marks. Arriving earlier in the morning, he had set up his stall and laid his trinkets and jewelry out on soft, black silks to display their impeccable craftsmanship and pretty, glinting precious stones. Sintharith was settled in among the others, enjoying the feel of pride that radiated from N'tharon as passers-by stopped to admire the work he had put so much effort into.

It was the first time Sintharith had seen him smile in what felt like ages, and the Marks that Nel had already accrued would be put forth both new clothing, new gear, and upgrades to their weyr.

::They find your craftsmanship appealing, MineDearestOwn.::

Nel could only flash a million-Mark smile in response, Acetone curled across his shoulders lazily.

((ooc: Feel free to have Candidates/Whomever ride in with Z'dyn. Due to N'tharon selling things at the Gather, Sintharith would not be able to carry anyone else, given the extra weight.))

[Rii]

Sora slid carefully off of the iron's back, offering a bit of a bow to rider and dragon both. The Gather had offered her an opportunity she hadn't been so certain she'd have. It was spring, her brother was espoused, and that meant that in the coming days, her parents would be going home. Faranth knew when she'd see them again. The only reason she got to now, was because so many riders were attending the Gather and could take passengers. She'd packed up her pride and made herself ask one if she could fly with him.

Of course, she hadn't realized Z'dyn was an ironrider at the time, or she might have reconsidered. Kingriders were usually a bit above ferrying candidates around.

"Thank you, Z'dyn, and you as well, Baihujinth." She'd made herself practice the iron's name until she was sure she could get it right, and it was with an internal sense of victory that the syllables rolled off of her tongue. She might not talk much, but she wasn't entirely devoid of social graces.

Then she headed out to find her family. Touchy-feely she wasn't, but they were family, and while she rarely openly admitted it, she loved them in her own guarded fashion. And she would miss them, knowing that her parents were a full continent and an ocean away, instead of the span of one. Kind of silly, when I hardly saw them here except for the espousal. Chin up, Sora, you don't really need them, you can take care of yourself.

Somehow, that didn't make her miss them any less.


***


Elly meandered around the Gather, hands in her pockets and a cheery whistle on her lips. This was more like it, after the scares of poisoned herdbeasts and strange hatchings. Some cheer. Some mingling. Maybe she'd get a few hands of dragon poker in with someone, or find a really good deal among the stalls. Ain't that right, Maery?

If you wish. The subdued words made the brownrider frown. Only last night he'd had a good meal of herdbeast, today being a Thread-free day. She didn't like how sluggish it made him. What if it built up in him somehow and made him really sick? Or unfit to fly Thread?

I am always fit to fly Thread, he replied indignantly. I am the best here. Soon they'll all see.

Whatever you say, Maery, she soothed him silently. Take a bit of a nap, hey? Sun's nice for it. Elly felt him acquiesce as she turned down a row of stalls, a weaver's display catching her eyes. Maybe she could find something in a nice, cheery color to brighten her weyr.

[Kiran]

Fyris fingered the copper ball that she had snitched out of her siblings' fingers earlier that day. some of the other weyrbrats had taken it temporarily for a joke and hadn't deigned to put it back. Fyska had recognized the name and brought it to her sister, thinking that Fyris was going to be going to the gather and that she could return it.

The thought made her sigh. Fyska was perfectly capable of returning it, but she had a crush on the blackrider and was too embarrassed to return it herself. That didn't mean that Fyris didn't see the girl peeping out from the corner of a stall at him. Slipping the ball into her pocket, the greenrider made her own approach to the stall.

"You seem to have lost your balls," she said as her way of announcing herself, catching sight of the smile on his face. Probably doing good business, she supposed, and that was no surprise. He did fine work - Fyris had noticed when taking a closer examination of even her sister's small bracelet. A wry smile tugged at the corners of her lips just a moment after as she pulled the copper toy from her pocket. "If either you or Sintharith have been looking for this, some of the brats snitched it as a joke. Figured you would want it back." She gently tossed it to N'tharon and glanced over the table, glancing at the pieces on it. They almost all were familiar to her since she had seen a good many of them the last time she had seen the blackrider.

"My sister says hello," she said offhandedly, glancing behind her to watch Fyska's face turn red and disappear when she realized that her sibling knew where she was and what she was doing and trying desperately to avoid attention from N'tharon himself. A moment later, Fyris glanced up at the black dragon that was sticking close to His. "And hello to you, Sintharith, as well." He was a striking dragon, quite handsome. She could see why N'tharon hadn't wanted anyone else to wash him.

And I am not handsome?!
Beautiful, darling, not handsome but beautiful.

That appeased her green, and Dreaneth took a peek through her eyes to see that the black was, indeed, rather nice. She appreciated the sleekness of his hide a lot. Fyris was amused, and Dreaneth caught on quickly, snorting and withdrawing quickly through their link.

Which left Fyris turning her attention back to the table and the Rider, and the debate on whether she should head off now or further embarrass her sister with the man.

[RhiaBlack]

N'tharon's grin grew broader at the sight of the Weyrling, before his lips pursed - still in a grin, but not showing his teeth. With a perfectly straight face otherwise, he leaned on the table as Acetone chirped at her.

The Black firelizard scaled his way down His' arm, and made grab-hands - ok, ok, Mine...he sat prettily with his tail curled around him, and shot up into the air as the copper orb was tossed towards His. Catching it in all four paws, he fluttered back down to the table, and occupied himself by curling around it to preen at himself in the reflection. N'tharon regarded his smaller bonded with an eyeroll and a sigh.

"Be careful how you toss that around. One of these days when you're not still involved with a Weyrling dragon, I'll salt those words and make you eat them..."

There was no hint of joking in the statement, but it was dismissed just as quickly in favor of a lean across the table to peer out towards the direction Fyris was looking. Spotting the Weyrling's over-shy little sister, he flashed a grin and a wink her way before sitting back in his stool.

"Sometimes I debate whether or not continuing to hide that thing is worth the effort, but copper is affordable enough. Easiest way to weed out the honest children from the foolish ones. Thank you, at any rate," Sintharith interrupted with a soft croon in Fyris' direction, but the Black wasn't particularly keen on actually addressing anyone else.

N'tharon didn't pay his beloved Black any further mind, and Sintharith remained somewhat marginally in the vicinity; it wasn't like he couldn't hear what was going on. He took the que from a couple of other males, and simply laid out to bask in the sun behind N'tharon's stall.

"I didn't take you as the Gather sort. Though, I did see a few Candidates out and about, so I suppose no reason for the Weyrlings not to be as well. Found anything you fancy of yet?"

Acetone yawned widely, and N'tharon's attention diverted as several other patrons visited. A quick browse, several purchases, exchanged Marks, and they were gone to leave the Smith to his own ends and further commerce. Acetone trilled at Sintharith, before the small black flit carted himself and their shared treasure up and over the stall's rear panel. Sintharith's long tail rose to wrap around the offered orb, and Acetone curled himself up on his larger mirror's streamlined shoulders.

[Kiran]

"You're welcome to try and fail in six months," Fyris replied sweetly to his comment about being a weyrling. He didn't seem to be joking, but neither was she. She had no fear of him. Especially since he was the type to entertain her sister's crush; She heard a joyful squeal from behind the other stall where her sister ducked behind, flushing a bright red. If he was that sweet to Fyska, Fyris didn't think for a second that he would be able to make her regret saying anything. Too soft-hearted.

In her mind, she heard Dreaneth snorting with amusement. Yes, Hers was too good for the darkling male. He wouldn't be able to do anything to Hers!

She moved to the side of the stall and leaned a hip against it to rest a bit, so that she was out of the way of potential customers. "You're welcome. But it seems a touch odd, you hiding something to tell which children are the honest ones or not. Is that the only purpose to the ball?" Fyris was genuinely curious about it. His words gave no insight to the object's purpose.

Her next reply was cut off abruptly. They were interrupted by a small rush of customers. Fyris stayed out of the way, watching the man work his charm on the buyers. A number of his pieces sold, leaving noticeable bare patches in his display. She hummed softly to herself as she took in what he was saying and how to induce a sale. Practical stuff. She appreciated that. When it was over, Fyris watched as the money was taken for safe keeping, turning his question over in her head. He didn't seriously still think that she was going to take one of his works, did he?

"I'm not the Gather sort," she said, motioning to herself. Though it was an event most turned out in their finest for, she had decided - against her siblings' wishes - to dress herself in a tunic and pants just a cut above work clothes and in colors that were equally somber. Fyris wasn't here to enjoy herself. "My siblings are, however. I'm merely here to make sure they don't cause too much destruction." Thankfully they hadn't. Yet. "As for anything I fancy, I most certainly have found something. I rather am fond of the iron dragon that flew us in. I'm hoping that he will have room for me when we go back." Fyris put on her blandest smile, deliberately obtuse to what he meant.

A small chirp from the pouch on her belt made it disappear in a flash as Fyris glanced down, startled. She still wasn't used to the flit that she was carrying around. Swift movement inside meant the flit had discovered the dried meat she had packed in there with it. Fyris relaxed. "Sorry. Still not used to Glimmer. Still startles me on occasion." The little green popped a head out, munching on a bit of her treat, looking out at what was going on. Fyris reached down to scratch her gently. The flit crooned but wasn't distracted by it much, still intrigued by the goings-on around her.

[RhiaBlack]

N'tharon's eyes held a spark of mischief that was not easily denied, but he let the matter rest. There were more appropriate places to discuss matters like that - a Gather wasn't one of them. Not to mention she was playing with fire, and he had a habit of breathing it on those who found the wrong side of his sense of humor. Not that she had, of course; he was used to far more abrasive and vitriol-laden words than those. Like him, she was particularly sarcastic.

"It's a plaything, for lack of a better word. Something carried over from my time at Ista. Acetone does not like to Between, so I make the effort to try and convince him to do so. Sintharith and I take turns hiding it, he is to go and find it. Sometimes I end up having to retrieve it. Things to kill time on rainy days, I would suppose. Honest children return it, if they know how to read, or leave it where it lingers in such cases. Mischievous ones hide it elsewheres, which only further adds to the game, and dishonest ones steal it. The Creche deals with them, once I've found out."

The pieces that remained were adjusted so that there was less space between them, and several others moved from one panel to another.

"Either way, it would appear that you have handled that for me. Siblings tend to be marginally alike as far as honesty, and from past experiences I hardly suspect you'll be cleaning me out for all I'm worth."

Happy with how the various precious metals lay against the silks, he sat back in his stool and rummaged through a sectioned leather pack.

"Still indignant over them not allowing you to venture out with Sintharith?"

N'tharon had been mulling the idea over, once word had reached him. With the recent herdbeast poisonings and general Candidate miscreantry, there was no disappointment in him to be had that the request to take a Weyrling out - especially by a Rider who hadn't been long at the Weyr - had been denied. All the while, he had been contemplating how best the manner would be to appease the younger woman's sense of debt. The only other option he could come up with was cleaning his weyr, perhaps oiling Sintharith - much as he was loathe to do - and cleaning the Black's riding straps. All things that would probably help with her training for when she had one of her own, outside of the oiling. Six months meant she had been doing that for her own Weyrling at least that long. And it wasn't as if he had any uncouth intentions. Rules were rules, after all, and he wasn't precisely inclined to break them. He enjoyed Dalibor, and getting kicked out wasn't something he wanted to encounter.

It was worth humoring, at any rate.

Propping himself comfortably with one boot-heel against one of the lower rungs, another against the higher of the three, he continued to rummage, before two things were held sightlessly in both fists. The strap to the satchel was lifted, and the entirety set down on the ground beside his table, before he leaned against it and peered at her.

[Kiran]

Intrigued by the idea of the ball and using it to make a flit comfortable with going Between, Fyris thoughtfully scratched Glimmer between the wing knobs. The flit crooned even louder, not afraid to let her enjoyment be heard. It would be a good training tool. Perhaps when she was allowed to go out onto the beaches, she would pick up a stone for that purpose herself... Fyris was drawn out of those thoughts by his saying that she wasn't likely to steal from him. A true smile flitted on her face for a moment.

His next question brought a look of frustration. "Of course. I understand the reasoning why, but I still don't like it much." Fyris shrugged. "I'll graduate soon enough, though. And then I can go where I wish in my free time." Her expression melted into vague interest as she watched him take something out of his packs, keeping it hidden from view. Probably more pieces for sale. That thought immediately meant her interest went down to nothing.

Glimmer took a more vested interest, though, and winged over to the smith to alight on his shoulder and crawl down his arm. Then she nuzzled at his fists, chirping and wondering what was in them. "Glimmer, come back here," Fyris said, calmly but in a tone that brooked no argument. "That's not for you." The green flit chirped again and fluttered back reluctantly. First her sister, now her flit! It seemed that anyone and anything that was attached to her seemed to find the things that N'tharon made fascinating. Not that she could blame them entirely, but it would be nice if they were a little bit more subtle about their interest!

"Anycase, seems that Fyska will be hanging about your forges more often than not. Thought I would give you fair warning. The girl is rather taken you, Rukbat knows why, but there it is. If she gets underfoot, don't hesitate to let me know." Fyris gave him a small nod and took a step away from her place at his stall, intending to head off and see what her siblings were up to.

[Gray]

I DON'T WANT TO.

The few firelizard that had clustered around their ledge suddenly left in a hury, the ground beneath them shaking ever so slightly. Inside the weyr, the red thrashed. Already she had knocked over a vase that held little spring flowers and soil. Knelt near the mess, Doggarel frowned deeply.
“Alitapth, no...” She punctuated her words with a sigh as she started to scoop the soil and shattered pieces of clay up. She had been trying her hand at cultivating some flowers to brighten their weyr, though with Alitapth around, it seemed like a waste. She wouldn't let the red's anger flow into her again though. No, she had something to do.

Leaving the mess, she stood and dusted her hands off.
“Frankly, I don't care much. We'll be going, you will behave, and you will carry others. Do you understand? I have something to purchase at this Gather. Now why don't you calm yourself and help me pick out something to wear?” The red glared, though her rider's stare didn't waver. After a moment, she snorted and curled up on her couch, her glittering gaze kept on Doggarel.
Wear what ever you want. See if I care. You'll look horrible anyways. You'll just manage to get some smelly farmer to pine for you and he'll ruin your whole day... But wear red.

“Ok guys, we're coming in for a landing, might be a bit bumpy though.” Doggarel called over her shoulder to their passengers. Alitapth had consented to bringing along two, no more, no less, and even then her flight had been especially jarring. Doggarel did try and warn them of that though. Catching the wind in her sails, Alitapth tilted to the left and started down in a lazy spiral, something rather graceful compared to the rest of the flight. In fact, as if to spite her Rider, she landed carefully and immediacy crouched down to let Dog and the others off. Grinning, the young woman patted the Red's side.
“Thank you, I promise I won't make a habit of you ferrying people about, ok?” She pressed her forehead to her Dragon's brow, breathing in the spicy scent of her hide.
“Now let me get everyone unhooked and you can go off somewhere else. Maybe you can make some friends!” Beneath her sickening cheer was a joke, the day that Alitapth made friends, would be the day the Red Star turned black.

Rage curled in her gut as the almost permanent red tinge to Alitapth's eyes darkened, but the dragon said nothing. Instead she let Dog help unbuckle those who had come with them. Offering her hand, she helped one down, then the other and shooed them away with a grin.
“G'wan. Have fun. You know the rules, back by sunset, don't get hurt, and if you need me, come get me.”

Alitapth rumbled once everyone was off her back.
They best not come to me. I won't help them! I'll just laugh and laugh. I'm not leaving until sunset. You all just have to wait for me. Ha. Since her flight, Doggarel could tell Alitapth's mood had lightened. She would never say so though, in case that meant the red would try to be mean.
“I know love, I know.” She happily patted the Burgundy hide with one hand. Opening her flight jacket, she ran her hands over the gather dress to smooth it out. Riding like that had been annoying and difficult, but Dog felt it wouldn't be a gather if she didn't have something nice to wear.
“Go, find a place. I'll call you if I need you.”
Like I’d answer! With that, and a roar, Alitapth took to the air, kicking up dust and dirt as she did.

Dog just smiled and waved before turning to the mass of merchants and folk. Cracking her knuckles, she waded her way into the crowd.
“Time to go present shopping.”

–

With out fuss, she had readily agreed to bear him to the Gather. Unlike the prior dragon, she had been more than glad to accompany him, especially with the promise of new treasures. Tilting her angular head, Sugeth kept one spiraling blue eye on her bonded.
I get to choose, yes? The question hung in the air for a moment as her rider donned his jacket, R'ev smoothing out his lapels and making sure it was properly fastened.
“Of course, I've got marks, and a few interesting things that might be traded and bartered for.” Perched on the edge of the table, Dainty held a satchel filled with things they had gathered and saved.
“Plus, sometimes you can trade a entertaining story. It must be terribly dull for them sometimes.” Holding his arm out for Dainty, R'ev turned his attention to Sugeth, or more importantly, her straps.

Once everything was sufficiently checked and prepared, the trio set off to the gather. R'ev relished the split second of between, before they popped back into existence over the gather. The bright colors and people milling about were dazzling. Pulling her wings close to her, Sugeth trumpeted and dived, though came up far before she neared the stalls and crowds. Like her rider, she enjoyed the attention. Sugeth had requested her hide be oiled before going out, just enough to make it really glitter.

How is this for an entrance, R'evmine? Is it satisfactory? She teased him, but he knew she was just as interested in keeping the Holder's gaze as he was.
Better than satisfactory. Far better. With the wind tousling his hair, and a smile on his lips, R'ev directed her to land. She did so with practiced control and grace. Holding her head high, she regarded those around the landing area as she lowered herself so R'ev could slip from her back.

Dainty, also wanting to make her entrance, dropped her satchel into R'ev's hands and preformed a few loops before landing neatly on R'ev's shoulder.
It was wobbly. Dainty's eyes whirled orange, but R'ev just laughed softly.
Don't antagonize her, why don't you make a few low sweeps and see if you see anything you like. Or maybe go get something to eat. You must be hungry with the way you've been rationing yourself.
I will stay near. Remember, you are mine, no matter how many girls bat their lashes at you, no matter how many glances you get. You belong to me. Her posessivness would be highly unsettling if he were not used to it. There was a reason R'ev had not taken a Weyrmate when others had.

Waving her off dismissivly, R'ev melded into the crowd. He went with the flow, letting the nudge him along as he looked at things offered. A few neclaces caught his eyes, and he knew Sugeth would like them. But really, she could not wear them, and just hoarding them seems silly to him, so he didn't mention them.

Taking a place among the other dragons, Sugeth stretched out, letting the warming sun dance over her form and chase away the prior chill of winter. She watched over the pens, where other dragons made their kills, and though she felt the first claws of hunger, she waited. She would wait until it's teeth were fully bared, when they dug into her gut and twisted it, until she could no longer ignore it. For now, she would rather sit pretty and take in the sights and sounds of the gather.

[Free spaces on Ali! Tell your friends you rode on a *red* delight your crushes with tales of daring do! But do so at your won risk. Feel free to post at R'ev or Dog! Or even Sugeth or Ali if you wished. We can easily split it into another thread if you'd rather not clutter this one.]

[RhiaBlack]

N'tharon summoned Acetone back with nothing more than a thought, and the Black appeared at the crest of the stall's back panel before sailing down to His' shoulder, just as Glimmer was summoned back.

The low whistle held several tones. Perhaps a mournful sort of ballad in some other time, the story kept like much with N'tharon. Behind closely-guarded and firmly-locked walls. Acetone crooned, before N'tharon handed the Black flit what was in his hands. Hovering in mid-air, the little foot-long black dragonling dropped a jade bracelet - the same shade as Dreaneth - against Fyris' hand. It was wide, about an inch, and was carefully carved with a simple floral pattern. Made as one piece, she could get it adequately over her hand, without worrying of it slipping off accidentally.

He scooted through the air quickly to seek out Fyska, and N'tharon set about working on one of his favorite type of bracelets; two different colors of woven, ornamented wire were set to a clamp on one end, and he used a pair of small grips to begin interlacing them.

When Acetone found Fyska, another charm for the younger girl's bracelet was dropped into her hands. A small jade cat, probably carved from the same piece of stone N'tharon had crafted Fyris' bracelet from.

He knew she would protest. She had when he had gifted Fyska with the bracelet, her older sister had made a fuss of it.

"The way I see it," he remarked, as Acetone returned to him, "If you are coming to help me, I might as well make certain that the work I intend on having you see to is worth the cost of what was given. Now, we will be even."

[Zephyr]

This….was…all…so…exciting!

Mouse had slipped away from Abyrath to explore the gather. Because really, it was impossible to keep the girl one place at the weyr, what made anyone think that they’d be able to keep her in one place anywhere else. Riding on a dragon had been fun. Betweening had been decidedly less so. Fishie was still frozen beneath her shirt, and Selene and Bray were hanging onto her neck for dear life, the babies cheeping in frightened tones back at one another. Mouse didn’t exactly pay them much mind. They’d have to get used to betweening eventually.

Once she was out of the pink’s sight, she stuffed a baby firelizard into each pocket. The pair finally got the hint that this betweening thing was pretty necessary when yours was treating you like a pair of infants, and they popped away. Mouse giggled at their antics, patted Fishie reassuringly and decided that she was going to scout ahead. If Abyrath was going to be her partner in crime, she had to know exactly what they were working with.

She needed a partner for that too.

Slipping between people, like the expert urchin that she was – no one noticed her, definitely not – Mouse studied the crowd for a moment before her firelizards returned. Selene seemed interested in a certain person and chirruped lightly to her brother. Bray noticed the same person too and chirped for his sister to go first. The pair of them then went to go greet their brother Farkas quite exuberantly, even if Bray seemed to be paying more attention to the pink.

Mouse blinked and then shrugged lightly. This person was as good as the next, and she trusted her firelizards’ judgment, even if it had little to do with the merits of the person and everything to do with the face that he owned their sibling. Slipping from hiding, the whergirl walked right up to Randiel and tugged on his sleeve, gazing up at him in a mute plea for…something.

No one ever quite knew what she wanted and Selene was too busy with Farkas to relay her message.

[Kiran]

Glimmer scampered over Fyris' shoulder when Acetone whistled. Why was he so sad? She didn't understand, trilling at him in question. Propping herself up on two paws, the little green watched as something fell into Fyris' palm.

The greenrider stopped dead in her tracks, staring down at the bracelet. For long moments she just looked at it, her grip on it tightening until it was leaving an impression of the design in her palm. Even, huh? With this? Fyris shook her head silently. "It's beautiful," she got out. Fyris was grateful that her voice didn't shake or betray how she felt about the bracelet. "But this is worth far more than my time is. If I went ore-hunting for three or four weeks, it might cover this, but not one week... And still not factoring in my sister's bracelet and the charms."

Turning around after she had composed herself, not wanting N'tharon to see the expression of longing that had crossed her face, Fyris placed the piece on the table next to his others. "Sell it, gift it, use it to charm a pretty girl, I don't care. It's too nice a piece for calling us even. I can't accept this." For an instant Fyris was able to pull a small smile. "But I'm sure that you knew I would say that, so I don't think I have to worry about hurting your feelings. I am fine with the week of collecting. It's perfect payment for Fyska's treasure."

A happy squeal emanated from behind the stall her sister had hidden behind, and Fyris' attention was drawn to that. With a last glance backward to the blackrider she made her way to where Fyska was loudly showing off her new treasure to her older brothers who had come to meet up with their sisters. Inwardly she was cursing the man's stubbornness in attempting to make sure they were even on his own terms... Even as she snorted slightly as she realized she was doing the same thing. A matched pair, they were.

A few moments of whispers to Fyska and a small barter with the stall owner later, Fyska shyly approached N'tharon with a bubbly pie in her small hands and offered it to him. "Thank you for the charm. It's really pretty!" She pushed the pie into his Hans and darted off to rejoin her family.

[Dragonwher]

Randiel, for his part, had tried to turn about to head off to do some stall searching. But Farkas chirping a happy greeting to Bray and Selene redirected his attention to the flits. He smiled a bit at the lil flits; then chuckled at Aela's headtilted curiosity at Bray as she chirped back to him. Which caused a comical chittering scolding from Farkas; clearly even young as he was he thought he had priorty over courting Aela.

Then as Randiel tried to raise his arms to still Farkas one sleeve was snagged. Which confused the male when he noticed he couldn't have caught on anything being in a bit of a round open space a few steps from the food stalls. Then he finally got his brain in gear and looked down as Aela chirruped and was looking down. After spotting Mouse Randiel smiled kindly "hello little one; did you wander away from the Rider who brought you here too?". Then he was in the process of crouching so he wouldn't muss his clothes; right as a huge winged shadow swept over and around the pair.

Which caused Randiel to hope that Mouse' little friends wouldn't take his nose off, but he thought Mouse would be safer in a hug. with her mouth likely near enough to his shirt to filter the dust as he held his breath till the dry dirt settled down from its dust devils. Apparently he hadn't gone far enough from where the dragons were landing to be free of stirred up dust. Two familiar flits however caught his eye and paired with the greeenyblack hide of the young dragon beneath the rider could only mean one person as Randi stood and turned about "shells Mira!, be careful coming in like that!; what if you and Malinoth had kicked up a rock and hit this lil girl?!". He wasn't angry; not really, just more vexed at his sister's apparent lapse in concern for others. Then he looked himself over and truly glowered at his sister "and you mussed up my good clothes too...".

~~~

(OOC Note to Lan/A'bar: besides the whole 'scaring the pants off the holdfolks' thing feel free to assume Mira and Mali tried to fly the whole way from camp instead of likely taking it in stages like they probably should have when factoring in how much of a reaming A'bar is gonna give Mira)

Truthfully, Mali had been careful as he flew down; he just hadn't been able to resist skimming just low enough to startle Randiel. Though he did try to hang his head contritely, even as he shivered a bit from the exercise of flying to the Gather from where A'bar and his dragon had been camping with the Rainracers. Mira on the other hand good naturedly giggled "oh please; its not like I tore them, and clothes are made to be washed after being dirty so you shouldn't act like its such a big deal". Though she winced at Randi mentioning Mouse and leaned so she could see Mouse "I'm really sorry if me and Malinoth scared you lil one".

Then as she was leaning Asher and Nymeria popped into view over both shoulders, peeping at Mouse and her flits. Then Nymeria winged toward the lil girl and tried to nuzzle her cheek in further apology for the scaring thing. Mira probably would have continued laughing the whole thing off. Except she could hear a few other holderfolk who had been right under Malinoth in his shallow dive. which incurred a wince, and the thought to Malinoth you don't think A'bar saw us; do you Malinoth?. The dragon looked toward his rider, eyes a calm swirl that belied his impsih tone if he didn't I'm sure between the other people bleating and your sibling ripping into you he'll find out soon enough.

Mira still didn't speak vocally but she did think but startling a few people was your idea!. Then Malinoth would sit up on his haunches, holding his chest with one forepaw and doing his best to look surprised and affronted by the accusation. Then he 'spoke' I'm hurt that you would think they'd accuse me first Mine!, you could have said it was a bad idea and I would have listened. But instead you were excited at startling your old friends here so wouldn't that make you more at fault?.


The flat stare that his sister now levelled upon Malinoth would cause a quirked brow in her brother before he whispered to Mouse "are you as confused as me at this silent argument?".

Then he straightened as Mira looked at him "sorry Randi I'm still getting used to talking to people at the same time as Malinoth so I kinda forget you can't hear him unless he contacts your mind...". Then she glared at Malinoth again as he put in you confuse me Mira; you say fibbing is bad but the first half of your comment is a fib; you've conversed with me and others easy enough before; you just didn't want to this time. Then he looked as smug as a dragon could be at Mira's "oh shut it Malinoth...". Then facepalmed at his response shut what?, yet again I have nothing open to shut....

[mopsy93]

Carissa was content to merely wander around the stalls examining the odd thing that caught her interest but never buying anything. This was her first Gather at a major Hold and admittedly she was a little overwhelmed with all that was going on in the maze of stalls and people. Then again if she Impressed a wher or Dragon this would most likely not be her last but right now that did not matter. Now it was just her among a crowd of strangers, something that she did not mind and allowed her mind to wander listening to the chatter of the crowd and the music in the background.

There was a pretty sizable turn-out from all walks of life, including many other Candidates though she did not know any of them personally since she had transferred over to Dalibor Weyr from Igen Weyr less than a sevenday prior to the start of the Gather. That meant that she did not know any of the other Weyrfolk all too well either. She also did not know much besides basic facts about the Hold itself so she stayed close to where the rider that brought her there dropped her off wandering the stalls and taking in the atmosphere. For now it is time to enjoy the sights and sounds of a gather and maybe talk to some of the other Candidates or anybody else for that matter.

[Digitalis]

Tamren had caught a ride from one of the many resident riders who were ferrying people to the gather, mercifully gaining a few hours of freedom from the pillies who still insisted on following him around. He turned his attention to the gather that was going on around him. The air was filled with the sounds of people shouting and laughing and haggling with the sellers who'd set up stalls to unload their goods, as well as the delectable smells of fresh pies and breads and tarts.

Being the outgoing person that he was, the candidate blended readily into the crowds of people, wondering which direction to head in first. It was his first time visiting Western Hold; in fact, it was the first time he'd been anywhere on the Western Continent aside from Dalibor itself, and he took care not to get lost. Not that it would have been too big a deal if he had, since there were bound to be tons of locals who could point him back in the direction of the fields, but all the same, he couldn't help thinking how embarrassing it would be to be left behind.

He wasn't moving very quickly, nor very far; Tamren kept being distracted by the goods being shown off for the gather. More than one shiny trinket had caught his eye, but he didn't have a lot of marks on him, and anyway, he didn't have any real use for most of it, so he reluctantly just browsed and occasionally greeted the other attendees, whether he knew them or not. He passed Carissa and though he didn't recognize her, he gave her his best charming smile. "Hello there. Are you a local, or is this your first Western gather, like it is mine? I haven't been to a gather since I was searched, myself."