Dancing in the rain (Open)

[Rei]

Erilena stepped gingerly out into the cold rain, enjoying the sensation it created on her bare skin. Wearing only her black breast band and a knee length blue skirt with little belled ankle bracelets, she was a bit exposed. Normal for weyr life actually, if the half naked people she saw daily where any indication. It was a more free spirited life than what she was used to in the hold. Still with no reservations she had happily embraced it. To be herself, to be able to let loose with no reservations, it was a new sensation. The bells jiggled hauntingly as the candidate moved, arching her bare foot and extending her leg Erilena closed her eyes.

The first few steps of the dance came easily to her and she moved with a liquid grace that more than a few hold girls back home would be jealous of. Bare feet sliding and striking with a wet slap on the soaked grass, Erilena kept her eyes closed and listened to the pitter patter of the rain. She let it set the beat for her as she swayed back and forth. It dimly came to her that she had a spectator but she didn’t let that immediately stop her. No for the moment the candidate was content to let them watch. It wasn’t as if Erilena was doing this in private anyway. If they wanted to watch it was their prerogative. It may be the only time they got the chance. Soon the girl was completely absorbed in her own rhythm and even the watcher was forgotten.

With a final kick and whirl she stopped and opened sky blue eyes that contrasted drastically with the dark grey sky above. For once Erilena had opted not to wear eye paint. It tended to make a horrible mess in the rain. To bad there was no way to keep it from running when it got wet. It was aggravating not being able to wear it. She almost felt naked. Odd thought considering what she was currently wearing. Turning and smiling at the tinkle of her bells, the candidate cast her eyes about for her spectator. Where they hiding? How queer. She wouldn’t bite and it was a bit creepy to be watched like that anyway. It made her feel like some small hapless prey animal. “Hello?” Erilena offered quietly. “Is anyone there?”

[Tashe]

"Rishin, Rishin! Come back!" Scampering forward, Eliah tried to catch his Canine before she could get too far. They had been on a walk when it began to rain, and the Candidate had been caught completely off guard. "Rishin! Ack!" Almost tripping over his Canine as she stopped suddenly, Eliah windmilled his arms to regain his balance. He recovered it just in time to see Rishin trot off again. They ended up revisiting the same precarious moment three more times until the young boy grabbed her collar, restraining the Canine from her unusual flight. Tying the leash onto the small metal ring, Eliah put a hand on his hip and caught his breath. He wasn't exactly the best runner this side of Selenitas and he could barely keep his Rishin in sight when they went on their daily walk. Glancing down at the female Canine as she strained against the leash, Eliah chewed on the inside of his lip before turning in an almost 180 degree circle. There was something that was setting Rishin off, but what was it?

He had an idea. Back at Hyphen, he would take Rishin and pretend to hunt, training her to point and chase but not take down. She knew the commands, and hopefully she'd be able to lead him to the source of her interest. She didn't seem anxious, so it wasn't anything dangerous... at least, in terms of meat eating predators. She still didn't understand that Boars where bad things to watch out for. "Rishin, Here." The female came to attention. "Point." Lengthening out, Rishin lifted a leg and tucked it under her chest before pointing with her nose. "Find." Hopping as the female leaped forward, Eliah noticed it wasn't a smell that attracted his dog, but a sound. Otherwise, her nose would have been to the ground as she stepped jauntily out.

It wasn't until a while later that the candidate picked up on a sound that wasn't normally there. "Whoa. Heel." Tilting his head to the side, Eliah tugged on one of his multiple earrings as he listened. Was that... bells? Reducing his commands to noises, he made a kissing sound to let Rishin know to walk on. The sound of bells grew louder, but before he could locate the source, he tripped and landed face first into a pile of damp leaves. At least he hadn't fallen into a puddle. Boy, he didn't like the rain when it came unexpectedly. "Mmmf." Propping himself up as Rishin began to lick his neck, Eliah caught sight of a twirling girl through the gaps between the underbrush. Her dance was entrancing, even if it looked to be improvised. So the bells on her ankles was what Rishin had heard. His canine had always been funny when it came to bells, she liked playing with them and if someone had them on she'd bounce after them happily. Its the one reason he never kept any bells around his room, nor wore any, even though he liked wearing one one a collar around his neck. Unfortunately, rarely ever got to indulge in his unusual choice in fashion, seeing as Rishin was almost always with him.

Leaping to his feet as the older teen spoke up, Eliah did his best to brush all the leaves off of his black tunic and pants as he stumbled out an apology. "S-sorry. I tripped a-and Rishin heard bells, and I-I didn't mean to in-intrude." Stop talking. You're embarrassing yourself. Shutting his mouth, the Candidate remained focused on the ground and then on Rishin as she filled his vision. Shy. It was an affliction he couldn't seem to get over.

[Rei]

Erilena careful examined the boy that emerged from he bushes. To be fair he wasn’t more than that. Much younger than her definitely. Smiling warmly she experimentally flicked her ankle to cause the bells on her anklet to tinkle merrily. “Well your Rishin has good taste. I quite like the sound of bells as well. They’re cheerful. ” The candidate giggled before reaching a hand towards Eliah and placing a finger under his chin, Tipping the lad’s head up she smiled. “There much better. Now I can see you face properly. Did you fall?” Without waiting for an answer she gently wiped the bits of wet clinging leaf from his face. There now he was clean and she could get a proper look at him. Kinda cute really in a little brother sort of way. Might be quite handsome even, once he matured a bit. It didn’t occur to Erilena that Eliah might be embarrassed. After all what was there to be embarrassed about? Hadn’t he just seen her dancing her heart out in the pouring rain? It was almost as if he had been witness to a little part of herself.

Leaning down slowly she offered the back of her hand to Rishin in case she wanted to sniff it. Experience had told her that not all dogs liked to be petted immediately. “Awww she is adorable.” Erilena said softly, keeping her tone gentle and unthreatening. She meant it too. The dog was simply cute. She had always wanted a canine but her parents had been less than tolerant of them. After all animals broke things and such was not allowed in a glasscrafter’s place of work. She hadn’t even been allowed a small one. “How old is she?” Tilting her head up to catch Eliah’s gaze, she patently waited for an answer. He seemed to feel a bit awkward. Undaunted by his shyness the girl continued to smile, her rain soaked locks falling to obscure her vision. She should really have bound it up this morning. Oh well no hope for it now. It probably looked the perfect mess.

[Tashe]

"Yeah... she's a bit funny... when bells are around." The way she cleaned the leaves off of his face reminded him of his older brother Ahzara, she even looked to be about his age. His brother had always looked out for him. Helped him when he injured himself, and had always been there for him. Eliah was extremely close to his brother, but now that he was so far away, the nostalgia almost made him tear up. Giving him an excuse to look away from the girl and back onto his Canine. "Rishin was pulling on her leash... the leaves were wet and I slipped. I didn't mean... to disturb you." He was barely aware of the drops of rain that plopped down onto his head, the foliage above him sheltering the small group from most of the large droplets. There was of course, another reason he couldn't look directly at her. She was a girl, and she was pretty. All the girls he had ever been around had either been friends, or the girlfriends of his two brothers, the latter of which seemed to find enjoyment in calling him 'cute' or 'little brother'. They also had liked to pet his head, much like how he pet Rishin's. Ahzara would always stop them because he knew it embarrassed him, but Zaharan would let the girls do whatever. Plus, Eliah's views were still very much childlike in the way of viewing things in black and white. Pulling gently on one of his earrings, the Candidate watched as the brown and white collie rose to meet the girls hand with her head. Eager for attention.

"She's five. But she's really smart and knows a bunch of tricks." He didn't like to admit it, but Rishin was his security blanket. She made everything easier to deal with, especially speaking to people. When she was around and Eliah couldn't find anything intelligent to say, he would fall back to talking about Rishin. He found it comfortable to talk about her because she was so familiar to him. "We used to go hunting, well, I wouldn't let her kill anything... but she knows those commands. She also knows how to pull carts... and a bunch of other silly tricks." He glanced over at the girl with a small smile. "Would you like to see some?" He paused before remembering he hadn't told the girl his name yet. The voice of his brother echoed in his head, that when you meet someone new (especially a girl) you should tell them your name. It was polite, and not to do so was rude, unless the situation called for silence. "O-oh. Sorry... I'm Eliah. I am a candidate."

[Rei]

Erilena giggled slightly as the canine thrust her head under her hand. Eager wasn’t she. Oh what she wouldn’t give to have a canine of her own to cuddle with. Felines where all well and good as companions but canines where much better in her opinion. The girl stroked the collie’s soft damp coat and kept most of her concentration on her new acquaintance. “Oh it’s alright you haven’t disturbed me.” She soothed, keeping most of her attention on the canine. Shy. The boy seemed very shy and really she couldn’t blame him for it. He had the typical shyness most adolescent boys obtained at his age. It was really cute they way he avoided her gaze. It was hard to resist the urge to just hug him.

Erilena was careful not to stare directly at Eliah for fear of making him too uncomfortable. She had met plenty of young boys and had no wish to make their meeting really awkward. Instead she rubbed Rishin’s ears and face. She was a beautiful canine and if her master’s praise to be believed also very smart. Her liquid brown eyes sure seemed intelligent. The candidate was silent as the boy spoke and at his tentative question she smiled brightly. “Oh I’d absolutely love to see some tricks! She‘s just lovely.” It was hard to contain her exuberance, but she tried to tone it down a bit for Eliah’s sake. Idly she wondered what tricks the canine could perform. So intent was she on the dog that she almost missed the boys introduction.

Almost but not quite. Erilena thrust out her hand at the boy when he had finished. “Nice to meet you Eliah. I’m Erilena also a candidate.” Shaking her head to rid her hair of some of the dampness, she tilted it and fixed the boy with a curious glance. “I’m originally from Selenitas Hold how about you?” She hadn’t seen him around the hold proper but that didn’t mean he didn’t come from her home. After all the hold was huge and there where plenty of cot holds around it as well.

[Tashe]

Eliah was glad that he hadn't disturbed her, but he also thought that she might have been lying for sake of politeness. Either way, he chose to believe her. Though it was Rishin's reaction to the young woman that made him feel a little less tense. Usually if his canine liked someone it meant that it was okay to be a little more lucid around them, she was his early warning system of a sorts. Not that he thought that the young woman was dangerous or mean in the first place. Tugging on one of his earrings, he watched Rishin as she interacted with the other Candidate. That Canine was such a ham.

Wagging her tail, the collie sat back on her haunches as the female twolegger began to pet her head. Rishin loved pets, yes she did! Normally, she was a little bit more protective of her master around other females because she knew that they could weasel their way between her and Eliah, but this one had some shiny noisy balls. If the twolegger liked the shineynoiseyballs then the twolegger was in her good books. Especially if she had one somewhere for Rishin! Thumping her tail on the ground, the Canine barked softly as she heard her name. She liked pets!

She was a candidate? To be honest, Eliah was surprised. He had been sure she was some sort of Journeywoman who lived at the Weyr. It was when she offered him her had that his gears came to a halt. Did he shake it? Did he bow over it or... what? In the end, he improvised by combining the two. Taking her hand, Eliah shook it gently with a small bow. Hopefully, she wouldn't laugh at him. Letting go of Erilena's hand, he replaced his own back into his pocket. "I'm from Hyphen Proper, my Father is one of the Woodcraftmasters there. I am or was a Senior Apprentice." And then he remembered, "Oh. Tricks!" He was happy to hastily switch topics. Patting all of his pockets until he located the strip of dried meat he had taken with him, Eliah removed it and tore it into smaller pieces. He freed one hand of meat to unclasp the leash from his Collie's collar.

"Rishin. Back." The Canine took a few steps back, watching the Candidate intently.
"Up." She rose onto her back legs.
"Wave." She moved her front leg up and down, but fell back onto all four of her legs as she caught the treat that was thrown to her.
"Rishin. Watch." She knew that command! Turning to face her master, the canine eyed him attentively as he retrieved a branch from the forest floor and a whistle from his pocket.

Blowing on the whistle twice in two short bursts, Eliah patted his chest before tossing the branch into the air. As Rishin rushed forward, the Candidate braced for the impact, rocking slightly as the collie lept up and then pushed off of him to grab the stick out of the air. "Drop it." Exchanging the stick for two treats, Eliah gave her the back command twice before turning his back on her. The whistle sounded three times as he bent over, allowing Rishin to leap onto his back. Turning about one hundred and eighty degrees, Eliah stopped before giving Rishin the command to get off. Straightening out, he tossed her a treat before looking at Erilena. "Would you like to help? I need you to toss this stick high in front of me when I tell you too." He offered the other candidate the stick hesitantly.

[Rei]

Erilena smiled at Eliah has he both shook her hand and graced her with a bow. Oh dear he really was to cute. She smiled reassuringly as he spoke nodding at the right intervals to encourage him to continue. Hyphen huh? A ways away from where she was from at Selenitas, but he was from a hold so weyr life probably was surprisingly different for him as well. Before the candidate could comment about such the young boy had already switched topics to his canine. He was obviously in a happy place so Erilena left him be. Instead she just watched as the canine turned her full attention to her master obviously all to willing to please.

The candidate watched as Eliah tore the meat into pieces and shifted to get a better view of the collie. Rishin preformed all her commands flawlessly and Erilena found herself giggling and clapping as each trick was finished. Well trained was an understatement. The creature was highly entertaining, as well as gorgeous. Eliah had obviously done a amazing job with her. It definitely showed. Perhaps Erilena was a bit biased, as Rishin was really the first well behaved canine she had met but that thought didn’t cross her mind for a second. The collie was simply stunning. The final trick drew a gasp and a small cheer from the girl. Even if the day had started out dreary Rishin and her Eliah had certainly brightened it.

It was rewarding to see the shy boy interact with his canine. It was obvious by his face that he enjoyed every minute of it. As Eliah shyly handed her the stick, Erilena took it softly and stepped back to give him a deep bow. “I would love to help you and the lovely Rishin.” The candidate’s voice was soft but completely serious. Really she was honored to be even given even a small part in the partnership. Stepping back she held the stick at chest height and smiled. “Whenever your ready hun. Just give me the word.” She winked happily and jingled her anklet, watching the collie’s ear perk with a small bit of pleasure. Maybe she would have to find a way to give the dog her own bells. Wouldn’t that be cute!

[Tashe]

Smiling slightly as he shook some of the rain out of his hair, Eliah took a few steps back before speaking - not to Rishin- but to Erilena. "I'll blow the whistle once then turn so that my back is facing Rishin, then I'll blow it again." He ran a finger over his whistle as he spoke. "On the second one, toss the branch about ye' high," Eliah reached as far up as he could, which wasn't very because of his short stature, "and a little in front of me." Nodding he flicked his hand at the Collie, calling for her attention with that gesture. "Back Rishin. Back." He gave her the command until he was satisfied she was far enough back to get running room. Placing the whistle between his lips, Eliah blew on it once before turning around and crouching slightly. He knew Rishin was dancing slightly as he held her in attention. His hands went to his knees to stabilize himself before blowing the whistle again, hoping that the other candidate would throw the stick. The soft repetition of the Collie's paws alerted him that she was drawing near. Suddenly there was no more footfalls but a weight on his back, and in turn that weight disappeared as she launched herself off of him. Standing up only to drop down on a knee, Eliah praised his canine heartily and fed her the rest of the meat strips. "Good girl! You remembered your tricks! Very good girl!" Giving Rishin a hug, the Candidate drew back, realizing now he probably smelled like wet dog. Not that that had ever bothered him before, it was just that now he had company.

Clipping the leash back onto her collar, Eliah did his best to remove as much dirt and foliage from his black outfit as he could, although he knew that some of the mud wouldn't show well. Offering Erilena a decidedly larger smile than he had given her before, the boy patted the Canine's head. "She kinda knows how to seek things too. Like a scentdog. But, we're still working on it." He turned to Rishin. "Isn't that right girl?" He received a wuff in response, as if she agreed with him. "She also knows 'protect', but I don't really use it often." The protect command was one of, if not the first command Rishin learned. His father had trained Rishin on the basics like 'back', 'come' and 'follow', but he had also trained her to protect Eliah. His father was always worried that Eliah would get into trouble he couldn't get out of, and a pair of barred fangs was a good deterrent to most people.

"Did you have any animals when you were younger?" He paused. "And what do you think of these Salamandyr things?" His very first day had been plagued with them, not that meeting R'hare's green was bad. She was nice, but apparently the entire race could smell new meat. He had had many of them jump on, land on or yell at him. But at least now he wasn't bothered at all, maybe he smelled like a Selenitasite(?) and not like a Hyphen Holder.

[Rei]

Erilena found herself nodding sharply to Eliah’s directions. She was surprised to find herself nervous. What if she messed up and poor Rishin missed? Thrusting those thoughts out of her mind she concentrated on the young boy and followed his directions to the letter. As Rishin vaulted off the other candidates back and caught the stick Erilena let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Bouncing in excitement she clapped. “Oh she is just to adorable!” The candidate exclaimed kneeling as Eliah fed his companion. Reaching out she ruffled the canines damp ears.

Eliah’s constant praise of Rishin only emphasized the bond they definitely had. That the canine knew so much was surprising to her. In actuality Erilena had no idea that they where so intelligent. It was nice to know. If she ever did get a puppy she would have to hunt Eliah down again just to get advice. He sure seemed like he was full of it. The candidate hid a grin behind her hand as the young boy proceeded to question her. Throwing questions was always safe.

Standing slowly Erilena scrunched her forehead in thought. “We had a feline once when I was younger, but my father was a Master glasscrafter. First time she broke something my dad got rid of her despite our pleas to him. Other than her we never where allowed any pets. Dad said they where too clumsy. Always wanted one though.” Again she leaned down to fondle Rishin’s fur. “As far as salamandyrs go I’m not sure how I feel about them. Haven’t met one yet. Have you?” Erilena was curious about them and she had seen them at a distance but never up close. She knew they had a reputation for being trouble but still she was curious about them.

[Tashe]

By the time Erilena knelt down to pet her, Rishin's tail was thundering back and forth, she was getting so much praise today! Leaning into the pets, the brown collie let her tongue loll in and out of her mouth. Even if her master wasn't entirely relaxed, she was. She wuffed happily.

Adjusting Rishin's collar, Eliah polished off a bit of dirt from her nametag as he listened to the other Candidate. That was sad, that her father made them get rid of their feline just because she broke something. His dog had chewed on many of his father's wood carvings, but they had never thought of giving Rishin away. Even if it was mainly because Eliah would have been completely heartbroken and would have switched trades to spite his father. Which would have been a major loss to his father, seeing as having two sons in his craft was a manner of pride to him. But that wasn't the point. "I'm sorry. I don't think I could function without Rishin." He patted her side hard, making some of the rain drops fly off of her coat. It was true, he would have a hard time socializing without his dog. But when she responded to his question about the salamandyrs, Eliah looked up into her face. Which was closer than he thought it would be, seeing as she had bent over without him noticing.

"Oh well. I met one on my first day, it was a little Green and her name was Sylph. She belonged to a BlueWeyrling named R'ahre." He paused, then continued. "She seemed nice enough, a little demanding maybe. Though, I didn't mind sharing my food with her. She tried to convince me that I should try and impress my own Salamandyr." Eliah began picking leaves from her fur. "And then another Green popped up to give R'ahre a message. I think her name was... Abby? She seemed grouchy, but nice to the Bluepair. I think whoever she belonged to was friends with them." He glanced back up at Erilena. "After that I run into them at random times. I get everything from greetings to insults or silence from them. I guess they have a really big range of personality. Though, I don't think I'm going to get one. If anything, maybe I'll get a Flitter. My mom has a Green one, and she was nice. But for now, Rishin is enough for me." He began patting her again. "Isn't that right girl? Just you and me."

Rishin barked at the mention of her name. She was just so excited. First a long walk, then bells, then tricks, and now petting. It was a gooood day.

[Rei]

Erilena moved back a bit to sit cross-legged on the ground as she caught Eliah’s expression. To close? To be fair she hadn’t meant to suffocate him. Plopping down she still kept her hand on the canine. “Sylph huh? I’m afraid I haven’t met many salamandyrs. I’ve met a few flits and they are positively charming but to be honest the mandyrs fascinate me. I’d like to meet one before I decide what to try for. I heard they don’t get along with one another but then again that may just be gossip. Most creatures can get along if you give each enough time and space. Then again. I’m not sure I have ever seen a person with both.” The candidate trailed off as she pondered that. Both K’sel and Nephele had firelizards and Nephele had made her opinion on mandyrs very clear. Pity really. Erilena always reserved judgment until she had witnessed something for herself. To bad she hadn’t met anyone with a mandyr.

Changing tracks the girl took her hand off the canine to idly twirl her hair. “So are you excited for the upcoming clutch? To think we will get to stand at the Senior queens clutch. It’s a bit of an honor really. I’d be happy regardless but to stand for the Millieth’s clutch? I suppose it is a bit special. My parents certainly thought so anyway.” Dropping the strand of hair she smiled softly at him. “You’re really lucky to have a friend like Rishin. I’ve always wanted a canine. Maybe one day I’ll be able to get one now. I hope they get along with dragons. Or rather dragons get along with them I guess. I don’t have the marks for a canine so I guess the dragon might come first providing I impress.” Yes Erilena decided she wanted a canine. Maybe one slightly smaller than Rishin. But one with plenty of energy. A dance partner maybe. Could dogs dance? The girl bet Rishin could.