Preparing for Gather

[neeuqtar]

Rocest was in the Gather Square, carefully examining the stonework before the Gather for the Winter Solstice began to be set up. He was looking forward to the event, as always, fo he was surrounded by family and friends, and would be able to see the dragon-games, as well as all the games common folk held. Perhaps he would enter one of his runners in a race; he'd been breeding them enough.

The grounds were large, of course, and he could already see where things would go. Plucking the pencil from behind his ear, Rocest began to sketch on his pad a layout. Food here... the stables were here, so the best route to the races would be... ah, yes. Standing in the middle of the Gather Square, Rocest let his vision flow onto paper, straight lines and blocky handwriting delineating a magnificent Gather to celebrate the return of longer days and warmer evenings, and a new Turn.

[Tashe]

Pausing for a moment to catch her breath, the raven headed female placed her hands upon her knees as took a few large breaths. She had run from the apartments to the Runner stables, which coincidentally lay adjacent to the Gather grounds. Her Father was working at the stables and Gina had a limited amount of time she could spend down at the Hold. Being a Candidate was harder than she expected it would be, this opportunity was the only one for a long while in which she could go visit her large, immediate family.

It was only when the blue eyed girl looked up from her crouch that she realized she wasn't alone on the open Plateau. Lord Rocest. Straightening up and decreasing her tunic, Candidate Gina tried her best to not disturb the Lord of the Hold as she made her way around to the stables, dragging her newest friend along with her, not caring if she was ready to go or not. Hopefully she wasn't late in catching her father...

---

This was torture for Saraina.

She hadn't been in a Hold for many years and, if this sharding girl hadn't forced her along, she wouldn't have chosen to come back to one. Growling as they stopped to rest, the female tried to break free of Gina's grip, but it was surprisingly strong for a girl that knit. Sara was in far better shape than her companion, so she did not need to take a break, but the unsuspecting yank on her arm made her stumble slightly. "Shard it Gina...."

[neeuqtar]

Rocest glanced up from his work and smiled. He didn't know these two girls, but they looked like they were having fun. The Lord Holder waved to them and returned to his work, perfectly willing to let children be children, so long as they didn't pester his one mare. The creature had magnificent bloodlines but hadn't been able to carry a foal to term yet, and Rocest wanted to keep her from anything worrying. In short, her environment had to be... perfect. Hopefully those girls understood that... A frown creased his brow, and he tucked his half-covered workbook under his arm and his pencil behind his ear.

"Girls--" He strode towards them, intending only to warn them about his mare, when Krist came out of between, swirling around his head before arrowing towards Gina. Rocest paused, then hurried over as Krist landed in the girl's hair and began to yank at strands, quickly getting his talons entangled. "Oh dear--I'm sorry! He can be such a nuisance--" Rocest made it over relatively quickly, considering he had a Gather Square to cross, and placed his workbook in Saraina's arms without thinking about it, immediately reaching for Krist, who keened, and starting to sort him from the girl's hair. "He didn't scratch you, did he?"

[Tashe]

Giving an uncharacteristic squeek as the bronze flitter flew at her head and started to tug on her straight black locks, Gina let go of Saraina's arm to try and dislodge the little male. Although when another pair of hands entered her feild of vision, the young woman was startled to find the Lord of the Hold trying to untangle his Bronze. "Oh I'm fine M'lord Rocest, he didn't get me."

If one flitter wasn't enough to add some drama, then two would be total theatrics. Emerging angerly from her knitted scarf, Gina's large green trilled every unhappily at the male who had woken her up, giving the candidate another thing to pay attention to.
"Argyle! You aren't helping you silly female!"

----

Laughing slightly as the flitter attacked her so-assumed-friend, Saraina was slightly surprised as the man Gina had pointed out before placed a work book in her hands as he helped the other teen free of the bronze. Jumping slightly as a small pop announced the arrival of a third flit, the lucid girl snatched the blue out of the sky before he could join in on the 'fun' the other two were having. "Zor you will stay. I know you absolutely love Argyle, but no playing until later."

Silently restraining the chirping male, the senoir of the two candidates balanced the booklet in her left hand while holding her flit in the other. It wasn't until her grey-green eyes wondered down from the other two humans and onto the papers did Saraina notice what Lord Rocest had been working on. 'Great we disturbed his Gather plannings'.

[missa]

Asmorn was honestly kept busy keeping an eye on her two mischief makers, one her fire-lizard Myra, the other being her nine-turn-old daughter Rin. How those two got into so much trouble when Asmorn had only turned her back for a moment was beyond the Lady-Holder. One woman was swatting Myra away from what ever she was making, while another was chasing Rin away from her with flapping hands.
“Myra, here now!” She snapped softly, the authority in her tone making the odd green flitter look up and chirp sweetly, as though she didn’t understand what it was that she was upset with her about. Slowly, the green spread her wings, flapping them a few times before lifting off the table and flying over to gently latch her claws into the fabric of Asmorn’s simple dress.

Hers was upset? Why, what had Myra done to upset her? She didn’t understand, she had just been playing with the woman, the game had been fun until the other woman had swatted at her with true anger and annoyance, but Myra didn’t really understand why that woman had been angry. Another happy coo came from the green as Asmorn reached up a hand to lightly stroke the little wedged head.
“You, little lass, can go find your father and see if he needs something done, perhaps he can keep you out of trouble Rin.” Even as Asmorn said the words, she doubted it, Rin was impossible to control on a good day, now the child was excited, and thus, even more impossible. Though her daughter had proved she was rather intelligent, there were times where Asmorn doubted this.

A rebellious look crossed Rin’s features, the girl scrunching up her nose in distaste at the idea of following her father around for the day. The kitchens were boring, but there were people to annoy, however, her father wouldn’t let her get away with that sort of thing. He never did, her mother was easier to fool than he was. Rin opened her mouth to protest at the unfairness of the idea, then as her eyes met her mother’s stern gaze, she shut it and coaxed an innocent and deceptive smile onto her features.
“Yes, Mama.” She mumbled sweetly, knowing full well she would go to her father, then slip away at the first opportunity not everyone had chores surely, there had to be someone to play with!

Rin was aware that her mother watched her head towards the Gather Square, and though she was doing as she was told (for once) that didn’t stop her showing displeasure. The ground was kicked and scuffed at with her boots, Rin showing little care for the leather, it wasn’t well cared for, in places they were scuffed and Rin was sure there was a hole in the bottom of them. She’d much rather be in the kitchens still, not out here, it was no fun. The few children she did see were far too young to be of any fun for Rin and the boys the girl usually played with had disappeared. Slowly, dragging her feet the whole way with her arms crossed over her chest, Rin finally allowed a scowl to settle on her face as she drew close to Rocest. She glared at the ground instead of her father, not even acknowledging the other two girls. They were girls, what fun would they be? They wouldn’t climb over walls and scrape their knees, or have a competition to see who could get dirtier. She did examine them at that thought, her eyes looking them over before she snorted and returned it to the ground, grumbling under her breath. Before speaking clearly,
“Mama sent me to see if you need help. She said you might keep me outta trouble. I don’ wanna though.” The girl then raised her eyes to the other girls, inching closer to her father as though claiming him as her father while glaring at them.
“Who’re you two?”