Dinner and a Show - {Knight/Open or something}

[purnip]

"There you are. You should leave notice somehow, because I thought you disappeared between."

He was being sarcastic of course. Suede was only about a sevenday old. Lyam didn't think the Blue was capable of going between until he was a little older. But the firelizard might as well have. He flew off a lot once he got his flight in check. Lyam didn't mind his firelizard disappearing once in a while; it took the weight off his shoulder. And he wasn't finding Suede's company a burden at all. The firelizard simply had his own agenda. Lyam was only concerned as to what that agenda may be.

The images he was shown didn't tell him much, aside from one familiar face. This face he hadn't seen since he was much younger. It was that of a girl from his Hold; one of which he couldn't quite remember the name of. Started with an 'R' but he couldn't quite place it. He made numerous friends and had his own little crew of followers as a lad. Names were a luxury to know on the spot. Whoever she was, Suede was spending time with her, but notably it was whenever she was up to something. He flashed images of the notes from the Scavenger Hunt.

"You're still chasing ghosts?" Lyam smirked, but the memory of being covered head to toe in itching powder shortened the smile's lifespan. "That's fine. Just don't get in anyone's way."

Suede gave a chirp in response, a rather snappy one. He wouldn't dream of it! He wasn't interested in mucking up someone else's fun. He wanted to be a part of it. Plus, the girl he was following was a lonely one and she became someone different when he was around. He rather liked his effect on her.

Lyam rolled his eyes and picked up a bowl. He had met up with his firelizard at the start of the dinner line and was next to get his grub. Once he was out, he chose a table by the window so Suede could perch upon the sill. The firelizard preferred the fresh air of outdoors above all else, plus, he liked to eat with Rukbat itself shining on him. He thought of himself rather highly, for a Blue. It didn't matter to the Candidate either way; Suede was exactly what he wanted. He gave the firelizard a few scraps of meat to chew on before his attention went to his bowlful. His eyes were darting about the hall, making sure he knew every face. Most of them; he was close. Close to being well acquainted with the lot. Soon he'd have to start choosing favorites. They were all the same to him though. None of them really stood out.

One game he was fond of however, in this occasion was the Color game. He would glance about for different Candidates he had come across and guess what color dragon they were most likely to Impress. This was of course, only fueled by his reading of the records he checked out to become better versed in the weyr and its culture. Eyes darting about, he muttered to himself a color after half a minute of thought. Green, Green, perhaps Brown, perhaps Black, Orange, Blue, Green...

[theknightwhosaysni]

Tylar stood at the back of the lunch line, waiting impatiently until his turn. He presented the plate, as was required, and received the food he'd need - though presenting the plate had been a little hard, as his still rather upset Black had rebelled angrily against Tylar moving his arm.

"Can it, Akal." Tylar warned coldly, a hint of annoyance showing in his voice. He was tired of his flit being so angry that Tylar had managed to Impress a Bronze - Akal should've been happy! There were only so many Bronzes at this Weyr, and the Black should've been glad that His' name was a lot more well known! - and these endless attempts to get rid of Meggo were getting annoying. Tylar had been between the Black and the Bronze at one point, and Akal had spilled itching powder on him in an attempt to get that same powder on Meggo - clearly he hadn't remembered that itching powder didn't have much affect on flits, only on humans - and it was quite tiresome.

There was at this moment a flit on each shoulder, Akal resting primly on his right, eyes whirling with a hint of crimson every time Meggo made a sound, and of course, Meggo on his left, the comparatively easy going Bronze sitting silently perched on His' shoulder.

Tylar sniffed cautiously at the food that had splopped unattractively on his plate, wrinkling his nose slightly. He missed his Mother's food right then, because these Weyrfolk really didn't know how to cook...

Meggo was the first to notice one of his clutchsibling's curled in the sun's rays, and the Bronze took to the air, swooping towards Suede, Akal following after.

The Black settled down on the table below them, snapping his fangs occasionally at Meggo's bronze tail - which was drooping tantalizingly in front of his nose - as the Bronze chittered a greeting to the Blue.

Tylar arrived soon after, giving Lyam an apologetic smile that stretched on his face rather uncomfortably. "Sorry about that. They're not bothering you, are they?" Tylar gestured vaguely towards his two firelizards, taking a minute to attempt to remember the boy's name.

Lyam, was it? The two of them had been talking with the Bronze Weyrling last winter, he remembered vaguely, and that was enough.

The two hadn't really gotten along too well then, but the new year was time for new beginnings, wasn't it? Tylar didn't exactly believe that, but making nice with a Candidate wouldn't be too hard, would it?

So he set his plate - and cup - down on the table, sliding into a seat before Lyam had time to complain, and he grinned again, taking a small sip of his klah.

[purnip]

Suede left his meal to greet his clutchbrother with a scrap of meat hanging from his tiny maw. He placed it before Meggo respectfully before chirping in greeting. He didn't bow to anyone, no, but hell if he'd skip on manners. The Blue felt himself better than that. Hanging out around Lyam he liked to pick up on strange human mannerisms. They were eccentric at times; Suede will abandon those. This one however, sharing, seemed to get the best results. It was only after a few seconds greeting with the Bronze flit that the Blue noticed the Black. He gave a shorter chirp of greeting to him. He sort of recognized Akal but he didn't feel compelled to be as excited about his being there.

Lyam was looking up from his meal, abandoning his Color game when two firelizards zipped for the sill Suede was hanging out on. He didn't recognize them right away and it was on the tip of his mental lobe when Tylar's voice got his attention.

He looked rather cheerful, compared to the last time they had met. That was a while ago, wasn't it? Lyam was nearly certain they had become rivals and he didn't doubt it now, even with the other Candidate's friendly greeting. Right, it was last season; Tylar and L'ven and their meeting at the Bowl. Lyam couldn't remember why he had gone there right away. His thoughts seldom hung around in the past however and he was shaking his head with a smile.

"No, not at all. Suede loves the company and if he approves, so do I." Not entirely true, but Lyam had done his best to forget the whole Scavenger Hunt business. That was nearly trauma inducing. He hardly ever burst out in rage, cursing all over the place, but the booby trap and his ill mood that day were the key ingredients for a meltdown. It took him two baths to get it all off of him, and he swore for about two nights to be woken up by itch. It was miserable. As for Suede, the powder practically rolled off his back. After one bath the firelizard didn't even scratch at himself for the rest of the day. Lately he had been disappearing to continue the hunt with someone else. The Blue did make sure Lyam didn't mind every time he flew off. He'd always give the boy one long look before zipping off.

Regardless of their past, Lyam was still willing to make amends. It was more valuable to have friends than enemies after all. Tylar even seemed in a better mood than he was in that day, if memory serves correct. It appeared as if the other Candidate was just as willing, since he sat down across from him. It was time to test the waters.

"Congradulations by the way. I never had the chance. What did you end up naming the little Bronze?" Only Meggo wasn't really little anymore. The firelizard grew considerable -as firelizards go- since the last Lyam had seen of him.

[theknightwhosaysni]

Meggo accepted the scrap of meet with grace, giving a chirp of thanks as he swallowed the tidbit. The Bronze twitched his tail in greeting, unaware that beneath him an angry Black rested, though if he'd been aware, the young Bronze wouldn't have changed a thing. His' other firelizard was tiresome at times...

Akal gave an answering chirp before Meggo's tail twitched in his face, and the Black hurled himself at it, grasping the tail and pulling the Bronze down with a furious screech.

Meggo twisted away, and flapped back up to Suede, giving a reproving glare to Akal before he focused again on his Blue brother.

Tylar frowned, "Akal..." he warned angrily, and the Black subsided furiously, flashing between and reappearing an instant later upon Tylar's shoulder, glaring angrily at Meggo.

Tylar smiled slightly, "Relax." he murmured to the Black, who gave a reproving chirp, flashing an angry image of the Bronze standing in front of him, blocking Rukbat's rays.

That was what this was all about?

Tylar suppressed a chuckle, returning his attention to Lyam in time to catch the tail end of his first sentence.

"Good to know!" he said cheerfully, though he felt uncomfortable faking the wide smile that stretched across his face - he was so unused to it that Tylar was almost sure that Lyam would notice - and as his facial muscles contorted, he continued, "I guess it's a good thing, though. There's nowhere else where I could distract Akal long enough that he wouldn't be all over Meggo. He likes listening in on conversations."

Akal, hearing his name, gave a cheerful chirp, though it twisted into a hiss as that Bronze's name echoed in his ears. Couldn't His ever not talk about that stupid creature?

Tylar smiled slightly as Lyam went on, ignoring Akal's outburst, because the Candidate had stumbled across one of Tylar's favorite subjects, "His name's Meggo. He responds to it far better than he does to 'leggo' you know?" Tylar paused for a small chuckle at his own joke, before continuing, "I'm a little unhappy-" more like a lot, actually, "That Akal hates Meggo so much, but I'm hoping that they'll get along better eventually."

Not that that was ever going to happen, but oh well...

[/blockquote]

[purnip]

After Akal's attack on Meggo, Suede was colder to the Black firelizard than he had been before. He didn't even spare Akal a glance after he went between to land on his' shoulder. The Blue won't hold a grudge, but he didn't approve of the other firelizard's jealous behavior. It was childish even to himself, still developing. He tilted his head slightly and gave a strange combination of a chirp and purr. The image of Akal flashed through his mind as he seemed to query about the Black with disdain, wondering at Meggo's choice of friends.

Lyam watched the unfolding of animosity as well, with absolutely no disdain for any party. He always had this democratic approach to things. Aware that Akal was Tylar's before Meggo, he was also aware of the jealous that may cause between them. He understood the reactions of both parties and was grateful it didn't erupt into a fight amongst the three firelizards. Suede didn't strike him as the type to get involved in a scrap, but he wouldn't put it past him with his brother involved.

But what did he know? Lyam didn't have a sibling. He only picked up all he knew about relatives from the other kids at Fort. Siblings always had this strange sense of comradery that was beyond Lyam. As he had said that season ago, commitment was a concept he had yet to grasp. The closest he had come to being committed was being brought here and staying here, as well as caring for Suede. But staying here is easy when it's where he wants to be and Suede was very good at keeping care of himself. Lyam couldn't ask for a better firelizard. Despite his playing the Color game, color meant little to Lyam and honestly he felt like hierarchy only limited possibility. The new colors appearing over the ages proved it. It had little to do with color anymore, but the creature under the hide.

Lyam was picking at his meal, his smile obviously false as he forced himself to enjoy yet another serving of weyr food. His mother never cooked very well and Fort didn't serve gourmet, but Lyam was always a picky eater. In fact, most of the reason why he had thin spells was his picky eating. He used to barter with other kids in the Hold for the best stuff. You'd be surprised what kind of good eats you could get if you gave up your milk. Lyam preferred water anyways.

Tylar sure liked to talk, Lyam thought to himself, listening nonetheless. It's valuable to sort through a conversation, no matter how much of it is small talk. He was also trying to hold a smile, for what purpose was yet to be determined. He didn't...want anything from him. He didn't think Tylar would have come up with the idea to send his firelizards over to extract conversation, pardon his opinion. Perhaps he was trying the same thing; ah, there we are. Tylar's searching for the same thing Lyam often searches for in people. Weaknesses. Quirks. Anything that could be used against one. Well, he'd be hard-pressed to find any quirks here! Not quite, but Lyam would do his best to hide them, as always. Or he could just be tired of making enemies. No calling of the bluff will be done. Lyam was curious as to where this would lead.

"It's probably not happening overnight, but I see what you mean," Lyam said, raising his brows and painfully gulping down what was some sort of gruel-like substance that was served with rice. Thinking back on it he wasn't sure why he asked for it on the side. It tasted like sand with the consistency of being drenched in oil. He fought to hide the disgust as he pushed the small bowl aside nonchalantly. "Meggo's going to have to earn Akal's respect somehow. I'm not versed in the way of firelizards so there's no way I can tell you how long that's going to take."

He gestured over to firelizards on the sill, letting out a small chuckle. "They've got more personality to them than many of the folks back at Fort Hold. I can't even begin to understand half the things running through Suede's mind.
That also wasn't entirely true in the sense that Lyam hasn't tried to understand any of it until it was time to tend to the Blue firelizard or just a little while ago when he was trying to find out what Suede was up to. Still, he was in thr right. Because of his lack of an overbearing attitude much of what is on Suede's mind goes unnoticed.

[arratra]

Another blue firelizard popped into the space near Meggo, chirping a greeting to both of the others nearby. He was rather bigger than Meggo, despite his colour, being older by a couple of months.

A'tra sat beside the two candidates in silence, eating the stew without fuss. The cloak he wore hid his Weyrling's knots, but he hardly cared.

[theknightwhosaysni]

Meggo tilted his head as the image flashed towards him, his Black friend dancing through his mind, carried by Suede.
The Bronze gave a small shrug, as if saying 'I don't know' though he sent an image of his Impression not long after - the Black perched on Tylar's shoulder, and that was explanation enough.
In essence he was merely saying that Tylar had belonged to Akal first, though now the boy belonged to both.
For His, he could endure a vengeful Black...

Tylar shrugged slightly, feeling Akal's unhappiness about being moved, even if it was only a small amount, though the Black was a lot calmer when he wasn't thinking about Meggo - not that that was very often, as the Black was always trying to get rid of the Bronze, and it was definitely going to get annoying, not that it wasn't starting to already - and the Black adjusted his perch so that he could examine Lyam carefully, eyes curious.
Someone who understood him, it seemed! The Black gave an excited chirp, flopping onto the table, and leaning forward to chirp again.

Tylar absently put a hand on Akal's back, a silent warning, as he wasn't about to let the little Black go off on Lyam, not this time. Maybe later, when they actually had a reason to be angry at each other, Tylar would be perfectly willing to let Akal go after Lyam, and he'd probably set Meggo on him as well.

But not yet. Lyam hadn't done anything yet.

Tylar paused for a moment's thought before he continued, "I don't see that ever happening. Akal seems to take Meggo to be a definite threat to us being us, to our Impression, I guess. He's never been very good at explaining himself, and he's not trying at all, just trying to get rid of Meggo. At least, that's how it seems to me."

That was truthful enough, hopefully, and Tylar gave a small smile, casting his gaze towards his little Bronze with a hint of pride to his eyes. His Meggo, and his Akal as well. The two creatures were the best thing that had ever happened to him - though they might not get along well, they did make him laugh whenever Akal tried to get rid of Meggo, and Tylar had recovered from the shock - "One time Akal had a sack of itching powder - I'm not even sure where he got it - and he tried to throw it at Meggo, but he dropped the sack, and it fell on me in the bed. Let me tell you, that was not fun, but that was only on the first night. Akal tries something new every night. It's not only annoying to me, it's rather wearing on Meggo...."

Tylar lifted his hand from his Black's back, and the creature scurried towards Lyam with an intelligent expression in his eyes as he tilted his head upwards to examine the Candidate.

Tylar gave a quick grin, and a hint of laughter danced through his voice when he continued, "I don't understand what goes through either of their minds. Akal is a little bit easier to guess at - he's jealous, pure and simple, but there has to be more to him - and I don't understand Meggo at all, not that I've really ever tried to. Flits were just not meant to be understood by humans, they're just really different. Too different."

The Blue arrived on the windowsill where Meggo was resting, and though the Bronze scuttled a few steps back he chirped a happy greeting, having rapidly recovered from the shock the Blue's appearance had given him.
Meggo cast a steady glance at the Blue, before sidling towards him, comparing their size and giving a startled chirp upon noticing just how much bigger the other Blue was...

It was then that Tylar noticed that there was another sitting near them, "Hey there!" he called out a cheerful greeting, hoping it would carry down the table towards where the other person was - he couldn't tell who it was, or really anything about him or her - "You should come sit with us!"

It was his attempt to be polite, and it was a little strange to Tylar, but he kind of figured that the person at the other end of the table might want some companionship, Tylar knew he would've if he'd been sitting alone, not that he ever would be.

He'd rather sit with people he didn't get along with too well - Lyam, for example - than to sit alone...

[arratra]

A'tra looked up and picked up his stew, walking over.
"I am A'tra," he said, "Weyrling of black Avartiath. It's a pleasure to meet you... as I see Margras is already making his acquaintance to those two," he added, indicating the sea-blue fire-lizard.
"He has a bit of a glow fetish," A'tra added as he sat down, "Margras, I mean. I don't know where he got it from, but he's fascinated with anything that glows... although he knows to stay away from fire."

[Nia]

Engrye was, well, bored. She'd put aside the record she'd been reading and was now staring up at the ceiling of her room, hands behind her head, thinking about nothing in particular. She'd finished all her chores the day before, and now had a day to do absolutely nothing. And because of that, she'd worn her favorite black jacket, this time with a dark purple skirt, having taken Dekistee's criticisms to heart that one day, though she would never admit this to anyone. Darker colors looked better on her anyway, really. Not that she cared about appearances in the first place, but still....

In any case, there was nothing to do today and Engrye was bored. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, feeling exhausted for some reason and she couldn't focus enough to daydream or even sleep. The worst feeling to her was being so exhaused that she couldn't even nap. The red-haired girl felt restless and it was annoying her. She flopped back down on her bed for a moment, trying to think of something to do. She could explore, but she'd already done that enough. The only other thing she could think of was going to get some food, and at that moment her stomach growled. Engrye sat up and gave a small smile reserved only for herself. Well, looked like she was going to need to pay a visit to the Dining Hall.

The red-haired girl stood up and began to walk to the Dining Hall, walking slowly to try and waste more time. The Weyr wasn't boring, not really, but Engrye was just easily disinterested. She'd amused herself with reading the records in various places, but now that was uninteresting to her. She didn't have that short of an attention span, but there was only so much a person could do at a Weyr without interacting with other people. After Dekistee and Tylar, though, she didn't know if she ever wanted to come out of her room. The whole thing was starting to give her flashbacks to Souther Hold, and she never wanted to repeat anything like that again. But she'd managed to endure that and even became a better person for it, so surely, this "drama" was going to be different. And by different, she meant it was going to end up in her favor. Neither Tylar nor Dekistee seemed very intelligent, so it was easy for her to win verbal battles with them. Interesting, even.

Entering the Dining Hall, Engrye stood in line for only a few minutes, as most people had already cleared out of the line, and grabbed herself some food. Not a lot, as she wasn't all that hungry, but enough to hold her for the night. Now came the difficult part, finding somewhere to sit. It was strangely crowded for the time, and there weren't many empty tables. Engrye didn't want to go sit by herself in the back, though. She felt strangely self-conscious, especially with so many of her fellow Candidates milling about. Her pride randomly kicked in and she didn't feel like looking like a loser in front of so many people. After standing for a few moments, looking awkward and confused, she spotted Lyam and Tylar at the same table. She'd talked to Lyam briefly and hadn't managed to get into a fight with him, and maybe even got along with him, so she wouldn't mind sitting with him. The only issue was Tylar, but she didn't care about him, so she approached anyway.

She managed to catch the tail and of his conversation and her mouth twitched up in a slight smirk, and even allowed a small laugh to escape before she caught herself. The image of Tylar being covered with itching powder because of a firelizard fight was just too funny. "Your firelizards aren't getting along? Can't say I'm surprised. They do belong to you, afterall," she said, mock concern filling her airy voice as she sat down across from them. "Hello Lyam, Tylar," she greeted, almost as an afterthought. She eyed their firelizards with curiosity, but didn't comment. She also eyed the Weyrling sitting near them with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't think firelizards had enough of an attention span or the intelligence to form fetishes," she said, narrowing her eyes.

[/size]

[purnip]

Tylar was probably at the same thing. Testing Lyam for possible danger. Oh, it was obvious...the way he held his posture and his controlling manner over his fiery and jealous flit, amidst several other small mannerisms. Aside from the possibility of resenting loneliness as much as himself, Tylar was measuring how much of a rival he was capable of becoming in the near future. With a Hatching due soon, sooner than you'd think, Candidates were becoming alert as to their preferences after learning what riders get what levels of respect and privilege. This boy before him was obviously betting high. Did he think of Lyam as a possible threat? Amusing, really. It's a dragon's choice after all, and even though each color came with general personality types, the quirks came in wide ranges. Lyam could Impress a Blue with the same analytical perspective as Suede, and Tylar can just as well Impress a Black with more fuel for ambition than jealousy. There were no solid facts and it didn't matter either way. It was just amusing. Something to note; the boy might either ignore him or find him harmless if he impresses a King and Lyam impresses something smaller. It wouldn't hurt his feelings. Tylar will come to need him one day, and he was sure of it.

The thought alone caused his constant sort of smile to widen to an appropriate grin. Back to the conversation. Evidence is all the more crucial. "Indeed they are. I wonder about dragons in relation. Apparently they're a lot easier to understand. They're clearer about their feelings and their knowledge and yet they still retain the mystery their cousins possess." He folded his arms on the table as he watched Akal approach and then looked to his own upon the sill, his mind drifting yet short-chained, as to not drift far from the mechanics of this conversation. "Suede and I are not always thinking the same color, but dragons are supposed to have a deeper connection." And here came the kicker, which would be the one that would help to extract more knowledge about the character before him. Tylar was easy to read, but Lyam needed to be absolutely sure. He needed to know how to handle a person like this should he ever become a problem. "And if the connections are supposed to be mutual, there's a possibility that people who do deserve to impress will not. Not until the right one comes around."

Suede could respect Meggo's patience and just as well did. It didn't mean he had to exercise it. If Akal decided to launch at him like that, he'd distance himself from the Black and it'd be too soon if he ever saw him again. Still, his guard fell. He couldn't sense that Akal's approaching Lyam was of any danger to his, so he didn't hiss as he was prepared to do so.

The appearance of the other Blue startled him just a little, since he was glancing at Tylar with little interest. He gave a squawk, which sounded like a louder chirp than his usual, but it changed to a friendly croon. It was nothing more than a fellow flit. One he didn't know, but hey, he was Blue like himself. He could respect that. But what he was interested in was the size comparison between his brother and the newcomer. It made Suede feel just a little prouder to be a Blue, despite the fact that in a couple of sevenday's time Meggo will be larger than Margras. He stood a little taller though he was still clearly the baby of the bunch.

Tylar was calling out to someone else as Lyam waited for a reply. Plan slashed again, or perhaps not. It depended on how much time it took for the guest to get to the table. No time at all it seemed, since the rider was close by. For the first time in ages he was annoyed at the entrance of a new person in a conversation. The annoyance quickly wafted away; it was only momentary due to his failure to get Tylar's response. He may still get it, but it won't be as articulate. The 'other' will distract his answer and turn it. That didn't stop him from smiling at the guest in the most friendly manner he could muster up on short notice.

"Pleasure to meet you, A'tra," Lyam heartily replied. "It's hard to meet dragonriders around here. They're often aloft, doing this and that. I'm Lyam, by the way." He didn't introduce himself as Candidate however. His knots would do the talking on that part.

And yet another entry, but this one was a face he had recognized. Though their meeting was brief and quite some time ago, it was easy for him to remember this one only because unlike other Candidates he managed to get acquainted to, she was cold. It was not as apparent with his first conversation with her, but certainly more so with her greeting today. Judging by the start of it, she knew Tylar as well, able to call him by name and execute an insult with the greatest of ease. The last comment she uttered only confirmed her type of attitude. Lyam was right to be careful about her.

It gets harder, the more different the people around you are. It's easy in large groups eventually, only because types gravitate to similar types. In this situation however, in a weyr where people that have nothing in common are practically shacked up together, something like this was inevitable. He could only change the tempo so many times before someone called him out on it. Luckily, he had all kinds of experience for this sort of situation. It didn't matter to him if he insulted Tylar or not and he still did not know the type of asset Engrye could become. He'd be better off appealing to her than the other. As for the rider, he could take it or leave it until he learned more about him. So far what he guessed was that he wasn't used to talking to other people too often.

"Hello Engrye," he said with a bright expression, as if she provided light to the conversation. Good save though, remembering the name. He had a feeling from the start it would be beneficial to keep in mind. "It's been a while." He'd shrug aside the insults as if they were jokes. They could have been and he'd have to find out.

[arratra]

A'tra snorted. "He's had it since birth," he said, "I think it's something that was bred into him. And then there's Avartiath's odd tendency to collect things."

He sighed, and took a bite of his stew, before pointing at his fire-lizard, "Don't get me wrong, I treasure them both. It's just that both are a bit frustrating at times... and Margras is always playing pranks on people."

[theknightwhosaysni]

Tylar gave the boy - A'tra, and he though he'd heard that name before... - a friendly smile, "Nice to meet you, A'tra, I'm Tylar, a Candidate at this lovely Weyr."
Oh, right, A'tra had Impressed that Black at the Renegade Hatching!
Tylar's smile shrunk a small amount - a Black Rider? Well, at least he's not a Green Rider, Tylar counseled himself, and stretched his smile back across his face.
"A glow fetish...?" Tylar raised an eyebrow, but other than that, he didn't say a thing, and that was enough time for that red headed girl, Engrye was it - she'd been looking for her room assignment a while back, wonder if she found it? Tylar thought - and he frowned, rolling his eyes as she spoke.

"Like you have any room to say anything." he shot back lazily, "I'm sure that if you were saddled with two creatures with utterly clashing personalities, you'd have problems controlling them. Oh wait, you wouldn't, because you'd manage to kill them both within a week." annoyance flashed in his voice as Tylar narrowed his eyes, "Don't you have anything better to do, like scaring the Weyrbrats or something?"

He turned his attention from the insufferable Engrye to Lyam when the Candidate continued, and he listened silently, not responding to a thing, not even the 'deeper connection' jargon.

"Some of us are willing to wait for the right ones." Tylar pointed out, "I would wait, and I'm sure you would, because, to tell the truth, you're right. The connection would have to be mutual for an Impression to occur. I would wait turns for that - not that I haven't already - and I'm sure that eventually it will pay off."

His was distracted, Akal realized, and the Black rose up on his hind legs to examine Lyam, and after giving a distinctly thankful chirp, he scrambled to back to His, glad that for a time, he wouldn't have to share His.
He'd get rid of that Bronze eventually, but Lyam, that Candidate had at least attempted to understand him. For that, the Black was thankful.

Meggo flicked his tail cheerfully, chittering as he scampered back a few steps, so that he could examine the newcomer in a better light.
This was a Blue, so why was he bigger than Meggo?
Confused, the Bronze flashed an image to the new blue, an image of the two standing next to each other, and he gave a curious creel.
This other flit was interesting!
And this Blue's was talking with His, so everything was solved!
His could talk with the - Meggo paused to count, pointing his tail at each one in turn, and arriving at four as he did so - four, though there was only three of them over here...
It took Meggo a moment to realize that the girl - at least, he thought it was a girl. His' friends were all so confusing - didn't have a flit with her.
That was too bad, but it didn't matter.
Meggo turned his attention back towards the two Blues in front of him, hoping he hadn't missed a thing in his strenuous math work...

[Nia]

Engrye managed not to look as ridiculously cold as she nodded to Lyam, then took note of the firelizards. "It has. What did you name your firelizard?" she asked, curious, as she watched the two blues as well as Tylar's Akal and Meggo. She wasn't all that interested in his firelizards, but she could make polite conversation if only to show off the fact that she was capable of it. An odd thing to want to "show off", but hey, at least she wasn't trying to pick some sort of fight with him. Not that she just randomly picked fights for no reason, though. She had to have at least some sort of reason to viciously attack another person, and so far, Lyam hadn't given her any reason. So far, that is. But she had a feeling he wasn't going to. And besides, he was far better company than Tylar, even if she didn't know him all that well.

However, the Black Weyrling was beginning to get on her nerves. She hadn't even heard him speak three sentences and she already had a sort of inherent dislike for him. Perhaps it was the fact that he seemed to believe that fetishes could be bred, which Engrye was going to, er, politely correct him on that fact.

"I don't believe you can breed personality traits, let alone fetishes," she said, "And if you could there would probably be something illegal or immoral involved in the process," she continued with her airy sort of tone, though she was frowning a bit more than when she was talking to Lyam. Surely this Weyrling had come to the same conclusion? Personality traits were not breed, and Engyre didn't even think you could "breed" firelizards. Besides, what would he want bred into it anyway? There was nothing specific to breed, and a "fetish" was just an odd thing to want to breed into a firelizard, of all things. Wouldn't that make it less useful? She didn't understand, and she faintly thought that she might be taking some sort of joke way too literally, but dismissed that without a second thought.

And then there was Tylar. She tilted her head to the site as though in thought. "Me? Kill a firelizard?" she didn't sound offended, just thoughtful, "Well, at least I know it wouldn't die of starvation," she commented idly. It wasn't really a direct rebuttal, but she sure was holding that food thing over Tylar's head... the thought of that almost made her begin to snicker, because that was just an ironic mental jab at his height. But Engrye wasn't going to sink into pure insults just yet, not in front of other people. She did have to keep her dignity, afterall.

"Some of us are willing to wait?" she jumped into Lyam and Tylar's conversation, as she was sitting there, so she might as well add her own thoughts, "I'd think that everyone would be willing to wait until the right dragon came to them. Well, actually, that isn't true. There are forced Impressions, though those are mostly to Kings and Queens and the like. Would either of you try to force an Impression?" she raised an eyebrow at both Tylar and Lyam, wondering their response. Engrye was sure she wouldn't try to force an Impression. She knew the stories of those that had tried and failed, they were mauled half to death. And, really, they were right. The Impression thing had to be mutual.

ooc: Also, I assume Engrye Impresses something at Show's hatching but uh... I'm not sure what yet, so I'm just kind of going around that topic. It'd probably be best if you kept that in mind... xD;

[/size]

[purnip]

The pressure in the room was a little heavier where they sat. Suede could feel it and he eyed Engrye with a newfound and keen interest. One at a time, he had a habit of just latching on to someone that got his attention. The someone he had attached himself to once before, a girl named Rhysia, came to mind when he looked to the red-head with a spark of blue in his eyes. Without notice he simply took off from the sill and landed before Engrye. He had a feeling flying at her would just offend her. He needed to first introduce himself, in a sense. He gazed up at her and gave a chirp to get her attention.

Lyam was going to listen for now. He put in his share of words and knew exactly when it was time to stop speaking and just take things in. A'tra was convinced that his firelizard was quirky by nature, and Margras might as well be just that. But being attracted to glows, as Engrye pointed out, seemed like an unlikely fetish for a creature as intelligent as a flit. Perhaps if he had a type of mental disorder; if humans weren't immune to them, then he wouldn't put it past other creatures on the face of Pern. After their first encounter, Lyam remembered her carrying records. It was likely this Candidate was well read on Pern's creatures, despite having none herself, which he discovered from Tylar's later replies.

He learned something else about Tylar as well; see, it pays to ask the right questions. The boy had been here for turns and was still without a dragon. Upon asking around, Lyam was well aware that there had been a Hatching within a suitable time frame. It's very likely than that Tylar had made attempts to Impress before. The information wasn't gold but it said something about Tylar that disturbed Lyam just a little. There was more to him than what he had so far distinguished. Of course, everyone had several layers of personality to contend with and some of those layers even they themselves are oblivious to. But there was more, and so he had to remain alert and continue probing.

If there was something he certainly didn't take part in, it was the exchange of insults. Lyam only insulted when necessary. He could be quite devastating with words if he gave it a chance, near as biting as Engrye. Tylar was holding his own, but he stood no chance whatsoever. He would fold. Out of incompetence or personal reserve, he would fold.

Engrye was taking the conversation to a new level and an exciting one at that. Lyam shifted to sit straighter when the question was posed, the amusement departing from his expression and only rampant in his mind. She was testing him as well. He wasn't paranoid. It was natural for humans to run several tests on acquaintances to determine whether or not those acquaintances were worthy enough to be friends, rivals, dangers, lovers, etc. His own approach was nearly the same, only he was attentive and manipulative with his answers and his questions to get the responses he was looking for. You'd think that would provide for a biased report. No! In fact, you can be proven wrong, and you often are. The point is, with everything you say and every answer you receive, you should learn something. Not a moment in these short and fragile lives of ours should be wasted.

"If it suits one and one doesn't mind risking a mauling, let one at it, unless you care enough to stop him. Or her. I however, will not go chasing dragons by the color of their hides. We will find each other, should fate permit it, and it would happen under traditional circumstances, if fate permits it," he replied in a mock-text book manner. Though he shrouded the humor from his face, his tone was obviously dripping with it. Never sure, and that was how he liked it. Plan for your failures and well as successes. Have a little fun while you're at it. Why not? He slouched again in his seat as if the answer took a bit out of him, but he smirked. "In a nutshell, I don't have a death wish and I don't care what color takes a fancy to me."

Truly, with his dream of being a go-to, weyr backbone sort of guy, he didn't think the size of his dragon would have a thing to do with it. It'd only be nicer to have a Bronze because it would take less effort to gain recognition, but Lyam was used to starting at the bottom. He was doing that right now, just now. Impressing nothing at all would hinder him, yes, but even Impressing a Green would be a great improvement. All across Pern, dragonmen were still respected. All dragonmen. He'd be automatically headed in the right direction with a dragon's guidance. His dragon.

[arratra]

Margras presented an image back to Meggo; This showed an egg with Margras coming out, a long pause, and then a second egg with Meggo coming out.

"Not quite what I meant..." A'tra said, sounding rather embarrassed, "He was from a green clutch, and apparently the father had a liking for glowing objects. What I was saying is that it may be a hereditary trait that he got from his father."
He jumped in his seat as Avartiath abruptly interrupted his thoughts with a "THERE IT IS AGAIN!" a faint bugle coming from the direction of the barracks.