As Luck Would Have It (Kyril, Knight)

[4horseshowgirl4]

"This is needlethorn," B'nyur said to the three Candidates in front of him, holding out the sharp, spiky plant. He handed it to Dekistee, who made a tiny face before taking it grudgingly, holding it with two fingers as far away from herself as she could. "Pick it at the base, far from the tip-- you can give yourself a nice puncture wound if you accidentally jab yourself with that tip there!" B'nyur continued, smiling cheekily when Dekistee immediately dropped the sample of needlethorn, face shocked and repulsed. B'nyur picked it up and slapped it back into her hand. "You'll find the best of it about two miles east of here," he said, pointing. "Sir? Wouldn't that be easier with a dragon? Couldn't the Weyrlings do it far faster?" Dekistee asked sweetly, and while her words rang true, she was only trying to get out of the chores. B'nyur just laughed. "Of course! But who would I be to deny the Candidates some fresh air and a bit of exercise?"

Dekistee frowned, looking a bit put out, but said nothing more. B'nyur handed them each a sack and waved them away, before calling them back, "Oh, do any of you have a dependable firelizard?" None of them did. "Alright, I'm sending Shanza with you. She'll send for help if you all run into trouble, not that you'll run into anything!" he corrected hastily before shooing them off again, lazily followed by the Copper firelizard. "And don't any of you try to slack off! Shanza'll tell me if you do!" he said to their retreating backs, having caught Dekistee paying off another one of the Candidates to do her chores once before.

The second Dekistee was out of his sight, she dropped the bit of needlethorn into her sack, away from her hands. How awful would it be if she cut herself with it! Her hands might scar! She was still fuming that B'nyur was making them, Candidates, dragon-less Candidates, walk all this way just to pick some plant. A pair of Weyrlings could have done it in half a candlemark, maybe less if it were the Seniors who knew how to between! She didn't even know the two other Candidates she'd been sent with! Well, they'd better be good company. The girl was as short and slim as herself, pretty enough but with a completely unflattering hairstyle. Well, Dekistee had accepted by now that very, very few people at the Weyr cared about their appearances on a day-to-day basis, since they had so much work to do, but it still irked her in her bad mood. The other girl could possibly be a friend-- she had potential. Dekistee could fix her up.

But the other Candidate was who interested her. Tall, good-looking, and well-groomed, he was possibly the handsomest she'd met since she'd arrived, if not quite as well-dressed as Belor. Hmm, how to win him over? Most Candidates were overly judicial and righteous, so it was a safe bet that he wouldn't be impressed if she ignored the other girl to flirt with him. She could, however, be her outgoing, entertaining self, and try to make this fun for all of them. Then he'd like her!

"Hey! I'm Dekistee," she said amiably, beaming at them. "So, two clutches! Looks like most of us will Impress! I can't wait, can you?" she said excitably, dancing a step or two before settling back into stride. In the presence of a cute boy, it was hard to stay grumpy about the work for long. It was going to be quite the lengthy walk to the needlethorn, anyway, and why spend it in silence?

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[kyrillion]

Remiel could hardly keep the amusement off his face as he watched B'nyur pester an unmistakeably disgusted Dekistee. He couldn't fathom what the problem was; it was just a plant. And not even a sticky or bad-smelling one, or one that would numb your hands or make you do other physiologically weird things. He knew, from extensive personal experience, that their assignment could be much, much worse. And he did rather enjoy getting out of the Weyr whenever possible - it was a big place, but it seemed to get smaller with each year he spent there. He needed a vacation, or something; this, he supposed, was the next best thing.

He liked B'nyur, from what he knew of him; if he was going out of his way to torment a Candidate (he could have been wrong, but to Remiel it looked like that was precisely what he was doing to Dekistee), Remiel was quite interested to find out why. There'd be plenty of time for that, though. He suspected this herb-gathering foray would turn into an all-day project. Both of his fellow Candidates appeared to be Holders - not that he was prejudiced, or anything (he definitely was, if only a little), but nice, even pleasant chores like this always seemed to take longer if you had to drag hold kids around. They weren't used to a weyr lifestyle, and Remiel was often quick to lose patience with them.

And so, deciding it would be best to get right to work, he gave a final wave to B'nyur and Oveth, before turning and beginning to follow the trail that would lead them to the needlethorn patch - he knew right where it was, had harvested there a time or two himself. Still, if he ended up having to herd the other two, it might take them a while to get there. Casting about, he quickly spied Shanza sailing leisurely after them, and held out an arm in case she cared for a perch. He liked firelizards; this one, especially. As Dalibor's only queen 'lizard, he'd of course seen her around plenty of times, and was more than than happy to lend her a shoulder.

That first Candidate, though, seemed suddenly a lot more cheerful than she had a moment ago, and beat him to an introduction as she danced by. Quirking an eyebrow, wondering just who he was dealing with, here, he listened politely to her attempt at conversation. It was a moment before he responded, though; turning, he first regarded the second girl with just as much curiosity, only thinly disguised. He was eager to determine what sort of people he'd be stranded on the western continent with for the next couple of hours. You never knew what you'd end up with, every time search riders brought in a fresh batch of Candidates. It was like opening a box of chocolates - you knew some of them would be sweet, some would be sour, some would be too sweet and others you wouldn't like very much. The problem was, you never could tell which one was which until you took a bite...

Privately amused by his own, probably terribly insulting metaphor, he grinned and decided it was about time he introduced himself. "Remiel." He offered each girl a friendly enough nod and a smile, though he ignored his initial impulse to start with the flirting right off the bat. He'd had quite enough of that lately, frankly. Glancing at Dekistee, he figured he might as well give her a hand up with that conversation. "'s tough to say, really - there's always a lot more Candidates Standing than there are eggs, even with two clutches out. It's best if the hatchlings have plenty of choices to pick from. And it's always the dragon's choice, of course - not much you can do if they don't want you." He shrugged nonchalantly, before realizing that his last comment had been... well, a downer. And the last thing the girls probably needed was him being a cynic when their first Hatching was on the horizon.

Rolling his yes, he added a belated: "Course, it's more likely you'll both Impress than not." That was simple enough math, right? Percentage-wise, there was a higher probability of... oh, nevermind. Hopefully that would get their hopes back up.

[theknightwhosaysni]

She'd been paying attention, honest!

Well, no, not really. Amara had been sidetracked by the pretty blue sky with only one or two clouds in it. Hard to decide what that cloud would be, it didn't look very draconic in nature, she decided, wrinkling her nose and frowning, a wherry, perhaps? No, it had to be a gigantic insect! Huh, it looked more like a wherry from this angle, Amara thought, tilting her head vaguely.

So it was that she missed whatever B'nyur was saying, and she completely missed Remiel starting up the path.

Amara blinked, upon realizing that she was the only Candidate left with B'nyur, and hastily jogged after them, catching up in time to hear Dekistee begin, though she hadn't quite caught her breath before Remiel went on.

"Name's Amara." she panted out, a bit belatedly. Well, more than a bit. Remiel had finished talking about the likelihood of Impressions when she'd introduced herself, and Amara glanced at the ground awkwardly. Now would not be a good time to set those two off to hating her because she made them take longer to get to the needlethorn patch, so she added with a small smile, though it was directed at the ground, as was her voice, "Sorry 'bout that. Couldn't decide if that cloud was a wherry or not."

A few awkward moments later, she went on cheerfully, lifting her head to grin at the two, "I hope I Impress something. Hatchings are fun and all, but it's kinda disappointing not to Impress any dragon..." her tone had gotten a little less cheerful by the end, though that was remedied as she went on, eyes practically gleaming with excitement, "Do you really think we'll Impress? That's nice of you!"

[4horseshowgirl4]

Yuck. This outdoorsy terrain was difficult! Dekistee had never had to work hard at, well, anything, and transportation was no different. She never had to walk anywhere, unless it was a pleasant stroll in someone's garden with friends or a flirt. The only reason she ever had to venture far outside of Fort Hold was to attend Gathers, and if they couldn't get dragon transportation, they went in a posh carriage. Walking took all of the fun out of traveling! It was too much work and made her legs sore. Plus, the rough ground scratched up her soft leather boots and put tears in her skirts! She lifted her skirt with all the ladylike charm she could manage to avoid snagging the hem on any of the weeds or tough grasses. She rather liked this one, and its fine, shimmery fabric just wouldn't be the same if she had to send it off to be patched up, no matter how skilled the tailor was.

Remiel seemed friendly and normal enough. Plus, he was good-looking. Dekistee decided she liked him, a fact that had more to do with the last trait than the first two. Who knew? If he Impressed a King he might be her husband or whatever the heck the Weyrfolk called spouses. That was obviously a very long time off, but first impressions were very important! Dekistee felt quite smart for planning so far ahead and making sure she was in the good graces of all the boys who stood a chance to Impress the biggest, shiniest, handsomest male dragons. None of them would be as big, shiny, or beautiful as the Queen she was going to Impress, naturally, but they would be the best of the males. Her Queen would have the best of the male dragons, and Dekistee would have the best of the 'Riders of those dragons. They would rule the Weyr and live the pampered life they deserved. It was such a wonderfully bright and happy future that Dekistee couldn't help but smile a little every time she thought about it!

Now, this Amara chick, on the other hand... Dekistee almost wanted to wrinkle her nose. Eww. Why were none of the girls here pretty and nice? Dekistee wanted to surround herself by a loyal posse, but she was having trouble finding posse... people. Engrye was a snobbish brat. Jasra was a temperamental brat. And Amara was just weird. A weird brat. Secretly, she hoped that none of them would Impress, so that she and her Queen and her gorgeous Kingrider wouldn't have to deal with them when they were in charge of the Weyr. Her only consolation was that, by the off chance that they did Impress, they would get nothing higher than a Black. Okay, maybe they stood a chance at, say, a Pink. However, there was no way any of them would Impress anything that stood a chance of having any power! That thought, too, made Dekistee happy. Why hadn't she come to the Weyr earlier? Everything had an amazing way of working out here!

"It is, like, so awesome to meet you, Remiel and Amara!" Dekistee said enthusiastically, but her full attention was on Remiel. Amara was a weird brat and therefore Dekistee did not have to pay any real attention to her! However, it seemed rude not to include her, and if there was one thing Dekistee wasn't, it was rude! She was perfectly capable of being perfectly pleasant to people even if she wanted to perfectly behead them in her mind! "And that's... good," she said, barely keeping the condescending disdain out of her voice, after Amara made her comment about clouds and wherries or something. Poor girl. She really wasn't Impressing, was she? Dekistee felt kind of bad for her. Not bad enough to make the girl her friend or anything, but was she a little touched in the head or something? She was probably a holdless or something before she came to Dalibor. Only the holdless and children under six thought that watching clouds pass by was a good way to spend time!

Remiel was talking about the Hatching! And he sounded so smart! Smart was one of the top traits to have in a man, behind than looks and the size of his dragon, of course! Dekistee sashayed over to him and placed both of her hands, and her chin, on his shoulder. She was so short that it was a stretch to make it. She turned her face to his, batting her eyelids flirtatiously. "Oh, you're so right, Remi!" she said, smiling. "Where did you get to, like, know so much about dragons? I bet you know, like, what color everyone is getting and everything, huh?" She gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze before dancing off again, having too much energy at the moment for her own good. She just didn't want to spend it walking aimlessly like they were. "Oh, have you, like, Stood before?" she asked Amara kindly (or, at least, as kindly as Dekistee knew how to be), remembering to rope her into the conversation even though she was wishing only she and Remiel had been sent.

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[kyrillion]

Remiel sent a side-long glance Amara's way in response to the wherry comment, and for a moment a genuinely amused smile lingered on his features. She seemed a bit odd - but then, he was used to slightly off-center people. Weyrs, for some reason, seemed to attract them. Or maybe it was just him.

"Well, it's nice to meet both o' you." It was, he supposed, even if they wouldn't be Candidates together for long. No matter what happened at the upcoming Hatchings, the chance that the three of them would end up in the same place - Impressed, left standing, even still at Dalibor after all was said and done - was slim. Candidates came and went all the time, and Remy rarely got attached to any of them. Which was just another reason to finish gathering the needlethorn, and get back as quickly as possible.

Amara's comment, that it must be disappointing not to Impress, elicited a brief chuckle. Disappointing was one way to put it, yeah. But he was soon distracted by her question, and even though it was meant to be rhetorical, he nevertheless gave it some thought. Turning his attention back to her, he took a moment to look her up and down, consider what he knew about her, and what he remembered from past Hatchings. After a long moment, he nodded sedately. "Yeah, I think you might." He sounded rather neutral about the whole thing, not particularly excited, but not cynical, either. He said it as if it was just a statistic; which was precisely how he'd been rationalizing Hatchings for years. It was all about probability. Some kids were just unlucky.

And then Dekistee, whose clear concern about her expensive-looking skirt had privately amused Remiel since they'd started down the path, was clinging to him. A bit surprised, he glanced down to where her chin was resting on his shoulder, and he was rendered speechless throughout most of her interrogation-like questioning. Well, it seemed like an interrogation to him, at least. She was a bit touchy-feely, this one. A bit over-the-top, he thought, but she seemed nice enough; at least she was making an effort to include everyone in the conversation.

He stammered, for a moment, before resolving to tackle her questions one at a time. He considered starting up one of his nonsense stories, maybe telling her that weyrbrats got taught special classes, or something. She'd probably believe him, too. Still, he figured that was easy enough to double-check back at the Weyr, and he didn't make a habit of lying unless he was pretty sure he wouldn't be caught. Or, at the very least, probably wouldn't see the person again. "Well, I grew up at Ista, actually; I guess knowing a lot about dragons comes with the territory." Just keep cool, Remiel. Suave. He tried to shrug, which felt a bit clumsy with the girl still clinging to his shoulders, but soon enough she was dancing off again. Still not sure what to make of her, or really of Amara, for that matter, he quirked an eyebrow and let his characteristic, not-quite-genuine smile fall into his expression. "Well, there isn't any way to tell what color someone'll get. Ever Hatching'll surprise you - sometimes, people get the very last thing you pegged them for. And Candidates never really get what they're expecting." He knew, on some level, that the last bit would probably hit a nerve with Dekistee. Which was precisely what he was aiming for; he wasn't above pushing people's buttons, especially when he was pretty sure he'd get a response.

[theknightwhosaysni]

Curiously, she tilted her head slightly as Dekistee spoke, "It's nice to meet you too!" she blinked cheerfully, waiting as the other Candidate went on, frowning slightly. "It wasn't good. It was bothering me. If I tilted my head one way," to add some affects to her story, Amara tilted her head to the left, "It looked like a wherry. But if I tilted it the other way," here she tilted her head to the right, "It looked like a dragon." Amara shrugged, bringing her head into its proper position as she finished, "But if I just looked at it like this, it looked like an insect."

The conversation shifted away from her, and idly, Amara considered interjecting herself into the conversation once more, but she decided against it upon noticing the cloud of ants milling about near a piece of rotten fruit. They were past the rotten fruit before long, continuing up the path, but that captured her attention and imagination as Amara silently wondered what it was like to be an insect so small... "Oh, where you talking to me?" she glanced up a few moments after Dekistee had finished speaking. She paused for a moment, mulling the answer over, "Yeah, I've stood before." she commented at last, with a small shrug.

She grinned cheerfully up at Remiel, her not quite bad mood forgotten in an instant, "That's quite..." she spent a few seconds flailing about mentally searching for the right word, before she settled on what she'd told him not all that long ago, "nice of you!" she smiled again, proud of herself for settling on the proper words.

The talk danced off again about Impressions and colors, and this time, Amara resolutely followed the train of the conversation, refusing to allow herself to get distracted, "Why do people care what color they get? Shouldn't they just be happy if they Impress, instead of being disappointed that they didn't get the color they wanted?" having given them that question to mull over, though Amara doubted they'd be spending long thinking about it, she answered it herself, "I know I'll just be happy if I Impress, whether it's a Green, or a Queen, though the last one's kinda unlikely. I'm not really Queenrider material, ya know?" she knew that she probably wouldn't Impress a Queen, and that didn't bother her. A dragon was a dragon, no matter what color he or she was. Amara would be happy just with an Impression.