Braaaains. [Tarian/Open]

[Ruby]

Caden smelled like brains again. She'd managed to get the resident Tanner Journeyman to write to the MasterTanner, asking to take her on as an 'official' apprentice, which meant tanning became a legitimate replacement for chores. Not to mention that it kept her out of sight of most of the Wastelanders, some of whom were still not 100% pleased with her performance on the morning of the invasion. Once the letter came from the Tanner Hall, it was almost certain that she would be sent back to the Barracks and good old toilet scrubbing duty (17 turn old apprentices were rarely accepted, especially when they wouldn't be visiting the hall for another 4 years or so), but for now she was allowed to bumble her way through whatever tasks she could do one-handed. Her left arm was still wrapped in a bandage from elbow to shoulder, and all the muscles and tendons didn't seem to have healed yet, leaving her grip weak and her mobility limited.

Unfortunately, braining did not require a strong grip or extreme mobility.

She'd spent the whole morning squishing brains into animal skin, getting the whole thing nice and gushy. Now it was time to wait - she'd come back tonight to submerge the thing, then the Journeyman would probably take over, leaving her with yet another, larger hide to brain. Now, though, she had to run back and bathe before Lessons. Scratching at the angry red line across her throat - also healing - she stopped into her room only long enough to fetch the special bag of extra-sweet sweetsand and a brain-free change of her standard extra large men's clothes. Sel fluted a greeting, then returned to her nap on Caden's pillow as her owner hurried off to the bathing rooms.

The common bathing room was usually empty around now - most people were eating lunch. That was literally the only reason Caden didn't simply show up to class reeking of brains and covered in gore. She could always get a pool to herself, and if she moved quickly enough, no one saw her get out of the water, either. Luckily they were truly 'communal', meaning there weren't different ones for men and women. Most Candidates would recognize her as someone in the female barracks, by now (despite her best efforts to leave before anyone else was up and go to bed after everyone was asleep), but to anyone else she looked like your average teenage boy.

Of course, until she stripped off the too-big men's shirt, revealing breastband and, well, breasts underneath. Shaking out her short cropped hair, she stripped the rest of the way and sunk into the warm water, careful to keep her bandaged arm out of the water. Setting to with the extra-strong soap, she ignored the room at large, hurrying. Must not be late~

[larren]

Pale eyes widened in astonishment as she stared down at her spoiled tunic. Some dimglow of a candidate had bumped into her as she left the dining hall, causing the younger girl to drop the pitcher of fruit juice she had been carrying, and the resultant fallout had managed to splatter Tarian with most of the contents. The jug continued to roll down the hallway, miraculously unharmed, but the unfortunate candidate made no movement to pick it up – she was staring at Tarian in fright, arms coming up to form a defensive barrier over her chest, squeaking apologies as Rian's expression darkened. A half step forward had the girl cowering, apologies ignored. Rian didn't hesitate as she reached her arm out to backhand the girl smartly across the face, and the tears that welled in the girl's eyes only served to make her lips twitch in amusement.

“Thank me,” she demanded, eyeing the marks that she'd left on the other's face. “Go on. Thank me for being so forgiving.” The girl looked like she might protest for a moment, lowering the hand that had come up to cradle her cheek, though she dropped her head once more as her eyes met Tarian's, mumbling thanks as she fled back towards the kitchens, pitcher abandoned. Served her right. Tarian had planned to spend her free time sleeping, not bathing; she'd been in just that morning.

Still, she couldn't stay as she was. At least the bathing rooms should be quiet at this time of day. Fresh clothing, and a bag of sweetsand, was grabbed from her room as she made her way towards the baths, fingering her sticky tunic as her irritation grew. She'd let the girl off too easily with just a slap. Maybe she'd find the Headwoman later and inform her that the girl had intentionally thrown the pitcher at her, the imagined punishment already serving to lift her mood slightly as she entered the room.

Unfortunately for Caden, Tarian took a personal interest in all the female candidates. She didn't bother to disguise the sneer that crossed her face as she recognised the girl, eyes sliding across to the bandaged arm (Tarian herself was unharmed, having kept herself out of the fighting) as she stripped off, uncaring whether the other candidate watched or not. Modesty was not something she had ever possessed. She slipped into the same pool as the other girl, aware that it would make her uncomfortable, though she offered nothing in the way of greeting save for a mocking smile. Wasn't even worth wasting her words on.

She took a handful of the sweetsand, hands moving to scrub herself, though her attention kept wandering back to the other girl. Such a freak.

[Ruby]

Tarian was fully ignored - probably not the reaction she expected, or wanted. Caden was facing away from the door as much as she could already, and besides a faint shrinking that would greet anyone's entrance, she didn't respond. Sharing the barracks with the girl certainly didn't mean Caden knew her, or ever cared to from what little she'd seen. The Candidate had little respect for someone who would enslave their equals and treat them as dirt, not to mention that anything resembling slavery was a touchy subject for Caden. Superiors could treat their underlings however they wanted, of course, but Caden had always equated leadership with at least some degree of competence, and Tarian was not her superior, or superior to other Candidates. No, she'd seen enough of Tarain smacking little ones and shirking chores to know that the best thing to do was stay away. Best for both of them.

It was not to be. Ignoring her fellow candidate was also an attempt to be ignored, which Caden usually was on principle. Not today, though. There were plenty of other pools, but nooo, Tarian had to break their (unspoken, Caden-created) truce and get into her pool. It didn't make Caden mad - the girl had just as much right to choose this pool as she did - but it was vaguely annoying. At least she still smelled dreadful, Caden thought with a tiny, out of character mental smirk. Maybe some of it would rub off on little miss priss over there.

The negativity of that thought surprised Caden a little. She wasn't one to judge before she truly knew a person, but on the flip side, Tarian reminded her a little too much of the spies and floozies C'leon had sent her way at Benden. Not so surprising, then. Scrubbing slightly faster was the only way Caden let her annoyance show, though, keeping her face neutral but distinctly closed off. No idle chatter for Caden (assuming Tarian could get her to speak at all). Just a few more minutes and she'd be out of the older candidate's hair, and on time to lessons, thanks.

[larren]

She wondered why the other hadn't said anything. She could read people well enough to realise that Tarian was making her uncomfortable – that, at least, was a small victory, even if she hadn't prompted the aural reaction she had wanted – and so settled instead for visibly glancing at the hint of chest visible above the water's surface, at least slightly aware of Caden's views on her gender. She shifted deliberately so that her own breasts were visible, though she had little more than Caden in that department, drawing attention to their shared sexuality. She found Caden's repression of her femininity silly, and weak. Surely it was better to face up to what you were, and make the most out of it, rather than creating some silly fantasy to retreat to. Tarian had no idea, or any interest in learning, the reasons behind the deception, but it was unlikely she would have cared even if she had.

“You stink,” she informed the girl, as little expression in the words as would be expected in a comment about the weather. She didn't really care, the smell of her own sweetsand masking most of the odour, but it was something that the other should be made aware of. Considering Caden's normal appearance, she wasn't even sure if the girl had noticed. At least she was bathing now, and would not stink up the classroom during the lesson, much to Rian's immense relief.

“You are attending the lesson later, right?” Tarian's irregular attendance was not something she hid, and she knew that Caden would assume that she was not going, though circumstances today were slightly abnormal. A smile tugged at her lips as she considered Caden's reaction to the news. “As one of the most experienced candidates, I've been asked to give the lesson today, since everyone else is busy. First person perspective on what a hatching's really like, and how to deal with not Impressing.” She'd been tempted to turn down the offer, the idea of reliving her past failures stinging at her pride, but she couldn't overlook the opportunity to curry favour with those in charge. Besides, she liked being the one in control.

[Requiem]

X'rxMine, must you? It is only a little dirt, and you will only be getting dirty again after lunch. The greenrider - he felt rather conspicuous for the first time, despite the fact that he'd already known there weren't that many male greenriders about - tugged at the rat tail he'd hastily thrown his curls back into in an excess of nervous energy. He was well-aware how little sense some of his mannerisms made. Eveyth, of course, was never illogical, so she found it difficult to understand that there were some things he simply had to do. I know, but the thought of eating with all that grime still on me- What grime? -makes me feel- But I eat herdbeasts with dirt on them, and I'm fine. -queasy to my stomach. Eveyth gave up with a mental sigh. Hers was very reasonable most of the time, but he had his quirks, and she was coming to learn that arguing with his quirks was like trying to push the canyon wall back all by herself.

With Eveyth's protests subsiding, X'rx's mind returned to the knots. He'd been part of Selenitas all his life. It was strange, seeing a different weyr's colors pinned to every shoulder. Maybe that was why he was suddenly more aware of how much in the minority he was; next to no men wore the same knots as him. Selenitas used to be pretty lax on knots. If it wasn't a formal affair or strict duty, you could wear them as you pleased. Now they were everywhere all the time. And always the wrong color. He never thought he would care about something as silly as what color his knots were, but it was just one more reminder that this was not the Selenitas he'd grown up in anymore. Eveyth was excited to be learning all these new things, though, and X'rx could at least be grateful that he was on Mi'rah's wing (even though Mi'rah was every bit as foreign and no more a southerner than the invaders). In truth X'rx didn't know what to think of the changes. He mostly just felt uneasy.

Perhaps it was that unease that led him to not really notice the girls at first. His mind was certainly elsewhere as he began shedding clothing. He'd only brought thin cotton shorts and an undershirt with him, as wearing anything more under riding leathers in this heat was asking to be carted to the infirmary and scolded for getting heat stroke when you should know better. Only after he'd stripped and gathered the sweetsand did he notice the two occupying the pool nearby, catching Tarian's last comment. Pulling his hair loose as he walked, he slid into the pool between the two candidates, his slender, lithely muscled frame disappearing beneath the water. Poor boy looked like he needed an intervention.

"They'd probably do better to ask a rider to give that lecture," X'rx commented quietly, resting his head back on his arms and stretching out further. Shards, but it felt good on tight muscles. "There are several who were left Standing wandering about. Coming from them it would be more...hopeful, I guess." Less bitter, was what he'd been thinking, but X'rx didn't often say mean things to people. "Hey, Tarian. Haven't seen you in awhile." Not that he'd had too much exposure to her, but, being only a turn older he knew her well enough. He was fortunate to have parents who were monogamous and kept their children with them. Even if they were only drudges. He was also fortunate enough to only have to go through candidacy once. No one was more surprised than X'rx when he Impressed to Eveyth at his first Standing...and no one more pleased.

The man leveled Tarian with a teasing look. "You're not giving the boy too much trouble, I hope." Which only went to say how little nudity effected X'rx; he didn't avoid it, but it didn't actually draw enough interest to actively look over the two. Water concealed enough at a cursory glance. Brief snatches of memory regarding glimpses of the boy around the weyr did the rest. X'rx had no clue he wasn't male. No, not even when he turned his head toward him and smiled pleasantly, offering a hand. "X'rx. Eveyth's mine...impossible to miss with the fangs down past her chin. Who're you?"

[Ruby]

She stunk did she? "I know," Caden stated, her voice neutral, consciously pushed into the lower registers especially because she knew Rian thought she knew what was up. "It's brains. 's why I'm taking a bath." Maybe she should make certain to sit next to Terian in lessons from now on... again, the vindictiveness surprised Caden. This was neither important nor worth her time to bother this girl, there were much more important things to do these days (like stay away from Wastelanders). On the other hand, Tarian spent so much of her time making things hard for other people... maybe she deserved a taste of her own medicine. It was just so distinctly against Caden's usual nature to be anything but accommodating.

Caden's nonjudgemental answer to Tarian's question ("Of course") was cut short as another person slid into her tub. Well wasn't she just Mr. Popularity these days? First Alex, Ashlyn and Nabrik ambushing her in the Barracks, now this. Why anyone would want to get to know her when she 'stunk' was beyond her, but people were people, and in Caden's narrow world view, people rarely made sense. Scooting over so she wasn't sitting too close to X'rx or Tarain (and sinking a little further into the water as she did), she dumped the remaining handful of sweetsand and started unraveling the bandage on her arm. It was scabbed over well enough to submerge, now, and the Healers had told her to pay extra attention to keeping it clean.

The Candidate was paying attention, even if it didn't look like she was. Again, her response was probably distinctly less passionate than Tarian had hoped. "I've stood before, here and elsewhere. The Candidatemaster would have told me if it was something I didn't need to attend." Was she suggesting that the other Candidate was lying? Perhaps. Luckily, the Greenrider who had just joined them chimed in, covering what otherwise would certainly have been an awkward silence. And anyway, the Greenrider had a point - Caden nodded at X'rx's assessment that they should have picked a rider. It made more sense, from a Rider or from someone who had aged out and adjusted successfully. Maybe Emoyan was just trying to prepare Tarian to do exactly that?

Busy contemplating Emoyan's master plan, Caden almost missed the rest of what X'rx had to say. The word 'boy' turned up one corner of her mouth, a tiny half smirk in Tarian's direction that could just as easily be taken as rueful agreement. She was giving Caden trouble after all. By now, the bandage was off, so Caden could sink even farther under the murky, sweetsand-filled water, lifting only her right hand out to clasp X'rx's, her grip firm. "Caden, Candidate. Stood for Jingth's last, but no luck." And not that she cared, but now she felt obligated to say something: "How do you know Tarian?"

[larren]

Brains. While part of her mind registered disgust, none of it showed on the outside; she was no squeamish Holder girl, and she'd seen the tanners at work before, though she'd never felt any inclination to join them. She simply nodded, sighing as she scrubbed at a particularly hard to reach spot. “You'd have probably made some of the newer girls faint if you'd turned up like that. Some of them haven't even seen raw meat before.” It was probably an exaggeration, but she doubted it was far off for some of the more highly born girls.

She smiled at X'rx as he came in, shifting over to give the greenrider more room. While she'd never been that close with the boy, she'd hardly seen him since he'd Impressed; it was hard to believe that he was already a graduated rider. Bitterness swelled up, envious that X'rx had Impressed his first time – at a hatching that Tarian had also attended – though she soon managed to clamp it down. Her dragon simply hadn't hatched yet. She would not allow herself to consider the chance that she simply wasn't meant to be a rider.

While she caught the doubt in the other's response, and the sting of the comment, she refused to let it affect her. X'rx's comment had her nodding, though she didn't really agree, as it provided her with an easier way out. “It was a last minute thing, I was only asked this morning. Everything's still...” A mess, with so many riders missing, and a single candidate lesson did not rank highly on anyone's priority list. “Readjusting,” she finally decided on, though it was clear she'd meant something else. While she hadn't actively fought against the invasion, valuing her hide too much, Selenitas was still her home.

It seemed Caden was going to attempt to use X'rx as a reason not to interact with Tarian, though the female wouldn't let herself be pushed aside that easily. “Grew up together.” In a way; X'rx's rank of drudge had meant that he hadn't quite been considered on the same level as the weyrbrats, though they'd played together a few times. “And we were candidates together, for a short while. Managed to Impress his first time, lucky kid.” It took effort to keep her tone light, but she managed, attempting to seem pleased that the other had found his lifemate.

[Requiem]

He only had a thoughtful nod for Tarian's explanation. No doubt. Granted, he hadn't had much time to get used to the drill schedules before everything was turned upside down again, but it seemed that the pace had quickened. Possibly because the wings were completely new mixes. He wouldn't begin to presume he understood what went through the heads of Wingleaders. That nice little buffer wing for newly graduated dragonriders was gone, though, unfortunately. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd ended up on a fighting wing, though. Surely there were better prospects. Oh well. Eveyth was excited and it was always hard for him to be too negative when she was practically bouncing with energy to do something and to win at it. At any rate, if all the other dragonriders were similarly busy...

"Fair skies, Caden," he responded, his smile reaching his eyes as he clasped her hand, then returned to lounging. The rider was about to answer when Tarian did it for him, mouth closing and eyes sliding sideways toward her. "She makes it sound like we were breast siblings. No. But all children around her age know her, if they were reared at Selenitas." His eldest sister, Jaiya, had nothing at all nice to say about Tarian. Then again, she rarely had anything nice to say about anyone. He let a small smile touch his lips. 'Kid,' huh? He didn't mind it from older people, but it was a bit condscending from the younger girl. Not that he was likely to call her on it or rub her face in how many turns she'd failed.

"Eveyth was one of the last to Impress, and there weren't that many of us left by then," he commented, before it occurred to him that this was likely to be offensive considering Tarian was one of those others. But she'd always been more interested in golden hide. Probably was relieved no 'lowly' greens had wandered her direction. No, maybe that thought was unfair, but X'rx was protective of Eveyth; he didn't see how any gold could be better. All they did was lounge around all day and pop out more eggs, anyway. It was a rather empty comment he'd made, anyway. Considering he'd seen dragons Between rather than Impress to someone not Theirs, X'rx didn't tend to believe that they just picked whatever was left.

"Well, you've both still time. It's probably...good...that you didn't Impress these last couple of clutches. Dragonriders don't have a long life expectancy around here, especially weyrlings. Not since Shmee and Aslath. I don't know...maybe these northern riders will help that a bit." He fidgeted. "Don't like it that much, but considering how many times just in the last five turns Selenitas has been attacked, it might be time to stop just waiting for it to happen." X'rx sounded a bit like that rationalization was meant to convince himself as well.

[Ruby]

Caden couldn't keep herself from smiling wolfishly when Tarian suggested she might make the younger ones faint. It was true, especially with Wastelanders - Bendeners - around, the younger candidates would have to get used to death, and pretty quickly if they hoped to live. Maybe tomorrow she wouldn't bathe before lessons. And, just to sweeten the deal, she'd sit near Tarian. The mental image of the supposedly tough-as-nails candidate's face when she had to smell gore all lesson earned a cryptic snort from Caden, although really, she could have been laughing at anything.

X'rx's true smile brought a hint of one to even Caden's normally cold face. As much as she disliked Tarian on sight, X'rx's warmth won her over almost immediately. Of course, either one of them could change that opinion at any time, but for now, Caden was much more inclined to speak to X'rx than Tarian. Since she couldn't leave, now, until X'rx did. Good thing there was plenty of time before lessons.

When Tarian mentioned that X'rx impressed first try, Caden replied automatically. "Me too... er... I mean, uh, my friend did, back at Benden," she corrected, mentally cringing. She hadn't meant to mention Benden or Smath, and she'd nearly done both. As if that weren't obvious enough, X'rx's comment about life expectancy of dragonriders made her jaw tighten. "Doubt it. They might make you better fighters, but that doesn't do much for life expectancy when politics are involved." That... could have been the longest sentence Caden had spoken in over a year, but there it was.

Sinking deeper into the water, she leaned her head back against the tub's edge, itching vaguely at the slash to her throat. Then, struck by sudden curiousity, she opened her eyes, glancing Tarian's direction for a second before staring off into space again. "How many Candidates impress their first time? Approximately?" It wasn't something she'd ever thought about before - never had to. What if your chances went down every time you stood? Caden was prepared for aging out, but life after that... was just bleak. Then, she truly had nothing left to live for.