like the sunlight. [open]

[glamourie]

He was definitely proud of himself, Anzalorin decided. The outfit was nearly impeccable… and, hey, no one could make comments about him wearing girl’s clothes for once. It was just brightly colored, but pants usually constituted male clothing, right? Right.

The eighteen-turn-old cocked his head, ran his fingers through long blond waves, and smiled to himself. He didn’t ‘smirk’ as some people did because the expression looked odd to him; his real smiles were just as playful and all-knowing anyway. Blue eyes roughly the same color as the sea swept over his outfit and he scratched his neck; he was grateful candidates didn’t have some kind of dress code. That was something he’d worried about a lot upon arrival. What if he had to wear the same colored robes all the time? But no -- the only time that candidates had to dress a certain way was for hatchings, and that much he could do. White was bearable for a few candle marks, if that. But Anzalorin was a creature who very much liked brightly colored clothes. In particular, he liked yellow and orange. His outfit was absolute testament to that -- blindingly bright for all to see.

The pants had started out a very rich, dark red, and relatively form fitting. Up the sides, Anz had sewn extra layers of orange that wrapped from the waist down each leg, adding prominence. Then around the ankles, flaring over his brown leather boots, were sheer yellow pieces of fabric. The shirt he wore was similar, except that only the sleeves had orange and yellow, the actual shirt itself was pure red. All in all he was enough to brighten up a room and he thought he looked quite grand, thank you, particularly when he moved around and the layers of fabric on his legs and shirt flared out neatly. Being from Blossom Hold, he was used to the intense heat of the South and was not even slightly uncomfortable. The fabric was light enough that it didn’t make him sweat. Handy.

The majority of the Weyr was gone to the Gather, which meant that his outfit was not to be admired by most people. He had no ride to Selenitas Hold and anyway he had no marks to spend; therefore, logic deduced, the candidate decided to stay at home and explore. There were plenty of areas he had yet to venture and memorize, and considering he’d finished his chores for the day, he was in very good spirits. Then again, it took a lot to get Anz down… and since he’d gotten to Selenitas, well, he was in cloud nine, a nearly permanent euphoria that not even the lack of other people could dent. He was going to maybe Impress a dragon! What holder didn’t look forward to that idea? Some, true, but Blossom Hold was one of the most adamant supporters of the Weyr, and Anz was raised on legends of Dragonriders. He very much fancied the idea of a dragon to ferry him to-and-fro, talk to and be friends with. Yes, yes.

He also fancied the idea of a new pair of boots, but one thing at a time.

Hopping onto one of the large boulders that acted as a barrier to create a more even swimming area, Anz sprawled out on his stomach. His hands dropped down over the side of the rock, his legs hanging on the opposite side, and for all appearances he looked like he was asleep… except that the tips of his fingers were brushing the water. His ocean-colored gaze was fixated on the little fish darting to-and-fro, obviously interested in this strange object in their home, and one of them even dared to come up and nip at him. The blond-haired boy cocked his head to the side slightly, leaned forward further, and snickered to himself. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize how far over he was leaning, and the sound of splashing nearby sent him tumbling headfirst into the water with a very loud and unceremonious sploosh.

So much for showing off his outfit.

[topaz]

That terribly distracting splash had come from an immense green weyrling, who had happily frolicked down the river bank.

Mine hurry, it is nice and cool down here and . . The mind voice of her freshly Impressed dragon so abruptly cut off, Thora was quickly worried. And what? What is it? Hypriceth . . The weyrling hurried out of the corridor from the weyrling barracks and walked through the small bit of jungle that separated them and the Hatching Sands from the river.

Mine . . come and look at him. He's so . . /colorful/. Thora was relieved to hear her beloved green dragon was not in any danger, and nearly laughed aloud at her strange request and distinctly amused tone. But what on Pern was she talking about?

Coming out onto the bank, Thora finally saw what Hypriceth had meant. There was a distinctly red, orange, and yellow blob floating nearby one of the larger rocks in the river. Tendrils of fabric were suspended around the vibrant figure, which made Thora assume that the gender of said figure was female, however Hypriceth had distinctly said he.

It is a he Mine. The green affirmed from her new position, hovering just to the side of the colorful boything, cocking her head curiously. Thora stood behind her dragon on the shore, palms sitting comfortably on her tilted hips, her light eyebrows wrinkled slightly, even with the distinct beginnings of a smirk on her lips. "Usually one takes most of their clothes off before they go swimming, you know. Especially with such a pretty, uh . . thing, you've got on there."

[glamourie]

Anz surfaced and scrambled, floundering about awkwardly. He thrashed, flailing his hands and making quite a scene as his fingers curled on the edge of the rock and the blond-haired boy actively panted, clinging to it. Never mind that the water was shallow enough that his feet could touch bottom. Never mind that there were rocks near enough to grab. His expression was one of full blown panic as he latched onto the boulder, half-hysterical. He didn’t know how to swim. More than that, he hated water. His heartbeat raced as he kept his arms wound around the boulder. His hair hung over his face so effectively that to a casual viewer he probably resembled a drowned rat, except for the brightly colored clothing, and he was trembling just like one. Hard to believe he’d fallen into water barely up to his shoulders, from the level of panic he displayed, but Anz was shaking just the same. He’d never learned to swim, he had no intentions of learning and - and it was cold. So cold.

Curse that splash that interrupted him.

Blinking in surprise as someone spoke, Anz turned and pushed his hair out of his face. His free hand moved along the boulders and he pulled himself to the shore line until the water was no more than waist deep, and then splashed his way up onto the beach. His clothes stuck to his skin in awkward layers and the sounds of his boots and pants ruffling together made an audible slop-slop as he went. Once he reached the beach, he looked over the suddenly much more vibrant shades of his outfit and gave an audible sigh before wringing the water out. Once on dry land, most of his trembling stopped, though being soaked made him a lot more reserved than usual.

His gaze lifted. He blinked, then cocked his head to the side to regard the very-small dragon before him and her… rider? Did they call them riders when the dragons were too small to ride? His nose crinkled and he licked his lips curiously before leaning forward. A wispy, damp strand of blond fell casually over his face from where he’d tried to push it back, and his clothing dripped continuously on the sand, forming little spots of mud. Oblivious, Anz looked the dragon over first (not really aware that this could be perceived as rude; she really was a pretty creature, wasn’t she?) before finally turning back to her rider - the one who spoke to him and made a comment on his outfit. She’d called it pretty… but he was betting it was mocking. Just the same, Anz offered the girl a flourishing bow that was nothing short of sincere. He wasn’t the type to mock anyone, least of all a dragon rider.

“Splashing surprised me; I fell in by accident. It really wasn’t on purpose. Just the same, I think the colors look better all wet,” he said with a slight nod, obviously very convinced of this notion. “I don’t think I could swim in the nude here, anyway. You never know what sort of fish live in that river… or other bitey, clawy things. That would be very unpleasant, and I haven’t any swimming clothes.” Sticking one hand out, still dripping from his sleeves, Anz quirked an eyebrow and smiled. “My name is Anz, and that is a very pretty dragon you’ve got there. Or am I supposed to be talking to her?” Turning to the green, he cocked his head to the other side. “Hello, my name is Anz, you’re a pretty dragon -- is that the more polite way of going about it? No one teaches us etiquette with dragon riders, pity…”

[topaz]

Thora watched, somewhat confusedly, as the person in front of her floundered around in the water. What exactly was he doing . . ? The water wasn't deep, so he couldn't possibly be drowning, could he? And with that enormous rock he just fell off of so close to him, he could just grab onto it to right himself. Ah, there he goes . . he's got it. But he looked so terrified. Maybe, he didn't know how to swim? The thought was nearly foreign to the blonde, as she was practically raised in the ocean. Furthermore, the salty tide was a much rougher than the sectioned off swimming area of a river.

Finally though, the frightened and soaking wet lad pulled himself up onto shore, apparently after hearing Thora speaking to him. He was first met with the quickly swirling eyes of Hyrpiceth, the jeweled facets bathed in a medium blue shade, and every so often curious flickers of yellow. The green looked straight back at him for a moment, but was much more interested in his outfit then the young man himself. She looked him up and down, and even went so far as to give him a sniff; of course, all she could smell was river water. As the colorful boything turned his attention to Thora, Hypriceth was content to sit and watch the two, curling her tail around her thick body and tapping the tips of it against her forefoot.

Thora was surprised by the bow this wet stranger had given her, and watched him curiously. He certainly was strange. Nothing like the boys she had known back at the Hold. Of course everything in the Weyr was quite different then the Hold. Thora smiled as the young man began to speak. Well she hadn't really thought he'd jumped in with all his clothes on. No one would actually want to do that, she assumed. It would be very uncomfortable. And speaking of uncomfortable . . . Naked? Well she hadn't meant completely naked. Slightly confused, but highly entertained by the fellow blonde, Thora flashed a wide smile as the lad held out his hand, introducing himself as Anz and complimenting Hypriceth soon after.

"I'm Thora." She said in a light, cheery voice as she clasped his hand in hers. "Thank you." She added with a soft chuckle as Anz turned to face Hypriceth once more. "Well, either way is fine I guess. She doesn't really mind." Said green was delighted by the lovely compliment, and sat straighter on her haunches, eyeing Anz affectionately. You are very pretty too, Anz. Very, very colorful. Mine does not have too many nice things like that. Tell me, where do you get them? Hypriceth asked earnestly. Hers was always in whites or dark things, never any color!

In fact, the blonde weyrling was wearing a perfect example of her entire wardrobe; a loose, white dress that fell down to her knees, made of a light and airy fabric. It was embroidered simply around the hem, in sea-blue thread, with what looked like waves, seabirds and a few tiny fish. The whole thing was topped off with a wide, dark brown belt, cinched at her slender waist, and some similarly colored sandals.

Thora, of course overhearing her dragon's question to Anz, pursed her lips slightly and rolled her eyes. She wore colors! Maybe not so . . flamboyantly, but they were there.

[glamourie]

Was the dragging sniffing him? How odd! Anz blinked, tempted to lean over and touch the green curiously. He knew only the basics about dragons - the same thing that all holders were taught: what gender each color was, their size, and typical ranks. That really told him nothing about personalities, and what was considered right and wrong behavior. He didn’t know what would be offensive and what wouldn’t, and that left him curious about how to proceed. Acting on the urge to pet the green’s neck might offend her or her rider, and he didn’t want to do that, but asking could be construed as equally offensive. Why couldn’t they teach proper etiquette with dragons immediately upon becoming a candidate? Then again, candidate lessons hadn’t officially started yet since gold Hepaticath had yet to Rise. At least, he thought she was next; that was what he was told anyway. Hmm. He weighed his options mentally. She sniffed him, so in his opinion, that made it fair game for him to pet her… right?

When she spoke to him, Anz concluded that yes, touching must have been okay. As Thora released his hand, he turned to gently rub the green’s snout before smiling. His head cocked to the side at her words, and the girl’s, and once both were through speaking, he turned to look back at his two-legged companion.

“Do all dragons refer to their riders as ‘mine’ that way?” he asked, unsure. “I’m from Blossom Hold, and I’m new here -- I don’t know very much about dragons.” He bowed his head apologetically, in case he offended the green, and then spun back around on Thora. “I’m glad she - you - don’t mind. I don’t want to offend anyone with ignorance.” Typically, he wasn’t one to care what others thought of him. Anz was very fond of marching to his own drum, as it was… but he was new, and if he offended too many people too quickly, they might send him back to Blossom Hold, resolved that he wasn’t a very good candidate. He didn’t want that at all. Though, from what he’d seen, he couldn’t really do much to offend dragon riders… where their dragons were concerned, that was probably different.

He was over thinking it, Anz was sure.

The green’s words (at least, he assumed it was the green dragon because if it wasn’t, he was going insane and that definitely wasn’t a good sign) made him turn to look Thora over absently. It was not a measuring look, merely one that was taking in what she was wearing. He didn’t think the white was that bad… but Anzalorin always, always wore bright colors. Anything else struck him as terribly depressing. That was his taste, though, not everyone’s… and from the way the girl rolled her eyes, he was betting she wasn’t one of those people who liked a lot of color. Probably thought he looked silly. Not that he cared. He liked color, not everyone shared his tastes, and if she thought he looked off? That was her problem.

Making a box with his index fingers and thumbs, Anz backed up, and his boots splashed in the very edge of the water. Still dripping, the candidate peered through the shape he made, glanced from the green to her rider, and then back again before smiling. “I made them,” he answered with a half shrug. “I like to sew. I knew a weaver once, and she taught me about how to stitch things together. I bought the material at Blossom Hold before moving here, I think at the last Gather that we hosted. If your rider’s okay with it, I’d be more than happy to make her some, too. I’ve got loads of extra fabric and time considering that candidate lessons haven’t begun.” His hands dropped away from his face and he arched an eyebrow. “But you don’t strike me as someone who would like my creations very much, Miss Thora. Does your pretty greenling have a name?”

[topaz]

Hypriceth was a bit surprised at Anz's touch, but he was gentle, and she quickly leaned her nose into his hand. No one but Hers had ever touched her, much less pet her. It wasn't really all that different though. Except this one was wet. Very wet. As the candidate removed his hand from her muzzle, a sneaky drop of water slid into the green's nostril, making her snort at the ground to remove it. After a few silly looking wrinkles of her nose, Hypriceth looked back up at Anz and fidgeted happily in her seat. He did not want him to think her snort was because he hand done something wrong in petting her. No no. At the boy's question Hypriceth quickly answered with a light rumble. Well I don't know about other dragons, but I like to. She is Mine after all. No one else's. At that, Thora looked to her dragon with an affectionate smile and sent her a wave of kind thoughts across their mindlink.

Looking back to Anz, Thora watched curiously as he stepped away from her and Pri, making a rectangle with his fingers, and eyeing them both through it. What was he doing now? Definitely . . odd. But at least he was pleasant to talk to, and Pri seemed to approve. It was a different kind of experience meeting someone when you had another mind connected to yours. Two different opinions that seemed to mesh together in some way, no matter how she attempted to change that. More often than not, Thora was wary of strangers, but the fact that Anz claimed he hailed from Blossom Hold - and that Hypriceth was already so willing to trust him - put the blonde at ease. Plus . . . he was a rather innocuous figure; slender, fair and angel-faced as he was. Added to that was how he was so quickly panicked by under five feet of slow moving water . .

"If your rider’s okay with it, I’d be more than happy to make her some, too. I’ve got loads of extra fabric and time considering that candidate lessons haven’t begun.”

Thora smiled sweetly at Anz's offer, her eyes widening slightly with her curiosity. Would he really make her something? He didn't even know her. It would be very generous. Hypriceth rumbled excitedly at the prospect of Hers getting such a nice gift from colorful Anz, and she mentally nudged the girl to accept.

“But you don’t strike me as someone who would like my creations very much, Miss Thora. Does your pretty greenling have a name?”

"Oh!" How could she forget to introduce her dragon?! Resisting the urge to hide her blushing cheeks with her hand, Thora chuckled softly and diverted her gaze to her green. "Sorry. Her name is Hypriceth." She replied as she raised her hand to ruffle it absently through her wavy blonde hair. Grinning back at Anz, she looked him over once again, reverting her thoughts to his previous comment. "And . . I do like it. I just don't usually wear so much color. If you don't mind, I would really like you to make something. Weaving is definitely not a skill I posses, unless it involves fishing line or rope." With a slight smirk and a shrug of a shoulder, Thora placed her hands low on her hips once more, glancing over to her dragon.

Hypriceth eyed Hers approvingly for a moment, but then more or less abandoned the conversation in favor of the river. After all, she had come for the river. The colorful boy would not distract her from that for long. Strutting into the shallows, the large green splashed happily through the water, eyeing the tiny fish that immediately swam for their lives from her enormous clawed feet. Surveying the river, Hypriceth suddenly leapt out of the water, landing less than gracefully on the boulder Anz had just fallen off of. The sun filtered serenely through the tree overhead, and Pri happily took advantage of such an ideal condition, laying herself out and spreading her wings wide across the rock, the tips hanging a few inches into the water. Ahh. This river might just be her new most favorite place.

[glamourie]

Anzalorin cocked his head to the side and grinned at the green, unable to help himself. His gaze darted from the ground to his still-dripping sleeves and he lifted one hand to attempt to wring the long pieces of fabric out as best he could. The result was a steady string of water dribbling onto the sand around his feet, first the right, and then the left. He repeated the motion at the hemline of his shirt, and then carefully smoothed the wrinkles out, though it was for naught; the wet texture of his clothes made him look positively ridiculous and also highlighted that he was definitely more delicately built than the average male of eighteen turns. Oh well. He didn’t care, though the wind was starting to make him feel a little cold… mostly because he was wearing wet clothes. He’d feel better once he got somewhere dry, though he was in no hurry to interrupt the conversation to acquire properly warm clothes. It wasn’t like the climate at Selenitas was dramatically colder than Blossom anyway.

“Hypriceth is an astoundingly pretty name and very befitting,” he said seriously as he leaned over to wring some of the water from his pants as well. Drip, drip, drip. “I can’t think of anything more suitable for her…” Then again, when it came to naming things, Anzalorin was notoriously bad. He was the type to name a fire lizard ‘Fluffy’ for lack of creativity. Typically he just… numbered them. Hypriceth was pretty, though, and he wasn’t prone to lying: everything he said was genuine, or he didn’t bother to say it at all. Ever the optimist was Anz, and ever friendly. “Do you call her Hyp for short? ‘Cause long names really ought to be shortened. Mine’s Anzalorin, for example, but everyone pretty much calls me Anz. My brother is Zanalorin, and I call him Zan. Long names.”

Wait, she liked his clothes? He’d been convinced she didn’t. Well then! Preening visibly, Anz brought his hands up to wring some of the water from his blond locks, which were already beginning to dry back to their normal yellow hue. Then he dried his hands on his wet pants - an ineffective method to be sure, but he was acting more on instinct than anything else. He always wiped his hands on his pants. Bad habit, that. His mother had scolded him more than once for it.

“I’d be absolutely honored. Are weyrlingriders still allowed to come to the candidate barracks? You can pick out the fabric yourself. Or I could bring it out somewhere, you know -- when I’m not sopping and making spots everywhere I step.” A silly grin played over his face before he gestured to Thora. “I usually do alteration on existing clothing, mainly because I’m not that good at measuring my own sizes. If you know yours, I think I could work from scratch though… or if you wouldn’t be offended at me taking your measurements, but the last girl I asked that slapped me.” He’d been trying to get her to go out on a date with him, that last one, but Anz didn’t voice that to Thora; it would have been tactless, rude, and besides, he came off bad in the anecdote. “I had a bruise for a sev--”

Another splash. Spinning around, Anz blinked at Hypriceth, and watched in silence as she leapt from the water onto his boulder. He was tempted to childishly throw some of the wet dirt at her, but that might provoke the green into splashing him and… he did not want to go near the water, any further than the shoreline. The very idea made his stomach flip over. “She looks comfortable. I forgot what I was saying now…”

[topaz]

Thora smirked slightly as she watched Anz attempt to wring out the wet from his clothing. He really was drenched, and with so much extra fabric, it would take him quite a while to dry it all. As he commented about Hypriceth's name, Thora nodded in agreement, looking fondly over to her lounging dragon. The green looked very relaxed, but Thora could feel the distinct prickle of pleasure as Anz complimented her once again. Was he trying to get on her good side, or was he simply being as sweet and kind as he appeared? Thora would have to wait to make a call on that, but she was happy to do so.

"Anzalorin. Wow. That's quite a lovely name as well!" She replied honestly with a slight nod. "I really like it. But I suppose it is a mouthful . ." She said, the pitch of her voice trailing off as she shrugged. "I call her Pri, most of the time. One of her blue clutchbrothers has a similar name; Hypirioth. It may have gotten confusing if I used Hyp." She mused pleasantly.

Hm? Did he just say he'd be honored to make her something? Well, that was . . incredibly flattering. No one was ever 'honored' to do something for her before. Of course, no one had ever really offered to do something as nice and thoughtful as make her clothing. For a few moments Thora's eyes were widened, and the edges of her mouth curled ever so slightly in a tentative smile. Then she quickly blinked the stunned look off of her face to listen as Anz continued.

Thora gave a hint of a smirk as he spoke about taking her measurements. Even before he explained himself she knew the process would be a bit more personal then some girls would be comfortable with, but the vague thought of it only perked her interest. It wasn't everyday that one came across a male weaver - at least that was what Thora had assumed through her own life experience - and it did seem to bring up a mix of feelings. A weavers clients often being women - another Thora assumption - there could be some subtle taboo about a male working in that sort of craft. Even so, Thora was not put off. Anz did not seem like a creep in any sense of the word. She didn't fully trust him yet, but he'd earned enough of it to be able to take her measurements without getting a slap across the face.

"Oh don't worry about the measuring. I don't mind at all. Uhm . . I think I'm still allowed to be in there, as long as it's before bedtime. I mean it's not like . ." Thora quickly stopped herself. No need to go into that. Definitely not. "Yeah, I don't see why I wouldn't be." She finished with a grin and a soft shrug. "So, do you really have a lot of fabric choices? You could probably open up your own stall at the next Gather, if you wanted." She added with a nod, glancing over his outfit once again.

[glamourie]

Preening slightly at the comment (like most boys his age, Anz definitely appreciated anything that flattered him), the blond boy shifted. His gaze went back to Hypriceth curiously and he watched the green. The look on his face was interested. Until he came to Selenitas, he had almost no experience with dragons. They were foreign creatures to him. True, the hold had a Watch dragon that came by sometimes, and yes, he definitely had seen dragons on deliveries or messengers, but there was a difference between observing them working and seeing one relaxing. That Hypriceth was young was another bonus; it was bizarre to imagine the elegant beasts ever being anything less than flawless, but she was a baby, just like people were, even if she grew much faster. So interesting. If he didn’t get kicked out for insubordination or crazy dressing styles, maybe he’d even get to see Hypriceth to adulthood and be able to compare. Selenitas was different, too, in the respect that he’d never gotten the pleasure of seeing dragons up close before. Not as close as Hypriceth was - he’d touched her. Definitely an experience worth remembering, and he was grateful to the green for giving it to him.

Thora’s words finally drew his attention, reluctantly, away from Hypriceth, and he turned back to the green weyrlingrider with a slight smile. His hands folded behind his back and he grinned. ‘Pri’ was possibly the most adorable nickname ever - far better than ‘Hyp.’ Similar names with one of her clutch brothers, though? That was kind of cute; had they hatched close together? He was tempted to ask, but thought it invasive; no need to bombard his new friend with questions so soon. Eventually he’d get to ask her everything he wanted to know, he was sure. Patience was a virtue he’d do well to practice more and he was getting better every day. Even if he was excited, bouncing around expressing it was inappropriate. Not yet.

“Pri is cute. I like it,” he said with a firm, sincere nod. “Much nicer than ‘Hyp.’ That’s more masculine, and such a pretty dragon deserves a nice, feminine name. Her clutch brother is probably better suited to the male dragon anyway.”

Rocking on the balls of his feet, Anz wrung his fingers together in front of him and clicked his tongue. “I have a huge amount of fabric. I was seeing a Weaver back at the hall, before we broke up, and she taught me most everything she knew. We used to buy fabric together,” he explained. “My father’s vineyard is relatively successful so I had a lot of marks to spend back at the hold, and I don’t really have many hobbies other than stitching. Since I like to make my own clothes and I try to go out of my way to make them unique - as you can see -” He gestured to his outfit and plastered a silly look on his face, “- I ended up collecting tons and tons of fabric. Different materials, different colors, some patterned. I don’t have a bunk mate, so everything I own is piled on the bottom bunk beneath where I sleep. It’s folded, though.”

The idea of opening his own stall at a gather was exciting, and Anz actually rocked back and forth thinking about it. “I’m not actually a weaver, I don’t think I can compete with those who are formally trained, but if people at Selenitas wanted, I wouldn’t mind helping make everyone some things. Though, to be honest, I think you’re the only one who likes my clothes…” His head cocked to the side and he stilled himself before grinning. “So you really don’t mind? That’s unique - most females do. They take it so personally if a male implies interest in their sizes. Like measurements actually matter to me.” He scrunched his nose up. He wasn’t superficial in the least. “Anyway, yes, I have lots of fabric. My favorite though is a shimmery blue-green, it’s on the expensive side. I don’t usually wear watery colors because they seem cold though. I like warmer shades…”

[topaz]

Hypriceth raised her head curiously from it's resting spot on the boulder as Anz spoke so appraisingly of her, and turned a swift spinning blue eye in his direction. She rumbled and fluttered her wings slightly, absolutely delighted with this new friend of Hers. He was utterly her most favorite person they had met so far, and she quickly passed that thought to her rider. Thora grinned as she received the message and waited for Anz to finish. "She's quite flattered by you, Anz." She said with a light chuckle and a glance over to the river. "Says you're her favorite person in the Weyr!" With that Pri crooned to the candidate and rose from her sunning spot. Their conversation did interest her, after all. Besides, neither the sunlight nor the scared little swimmers would pet and compliment her, as colorful Anz would. Only after Mine, of course. The green added, sauntering over to the two humans once again. Not opposed to touching another besides her own, - and apparently not discouraged by the boy's still wet clothing - Pri sat down beside Anz and pointedly nuzzled at his wrist.

Thora eyed her dragon with a look of amused skepticism, smirking as the green nuzzled Anz's hand in a blatantly obvious cry to be caressed. Well aren't you affectionate today. Thora commented innocently to her dragon. I am always affectionate Mine. I am a very nice dragon, you know. Besides, /this/ one deserves it. He is so very kind. You should let him make up all of your clothing. Thora resisted the urge to snort, which would have made her look both crazy and fairly unattractive, in her opinion. Instead, she simply grinned, turning back up to Anz as he continued to speak about his fabric collection.

An entire cot full, he had? That certainly would have cost a lot of marks, unless the material was of very poor quality. That, Thora doubted as Anz indicated his outfit again. Thora suddenly thought it odd that the lad would mention the yards of fabric were folded, as if it might make a difference in her decision to have him make something for her. She could at least assume now that he was a neat person, but it was of little consequence. Things could always be washed and hung to remove any wrinkles in the fabric. She shrugged mentally, noting the comment as an endearing quirk, and forgoing the rest of her thought to listen to Anz as he continued. She smiled pleasantly at him as he spoke, nodding ever once and a while so as not to look disinterested. He was indeed a quite interesting person, she thought, as he divulged some of his history to her.

A strange pang of, what was that . . . jealousy?, arose as the candidate mentioned a past romance. Thora mentally scolded herself for her own feelings, but retained an even look to her features on the outside. She would not let him see such a foolish reaction to an obviously innocent comment. Who was she to be jealous at all anyway? She'd only just met the kid for crying out loud. Pri rumbled loudly at her bonded's inner frustration, the feelings spilling clearly over their mindlink. Apparently Thora had not yet mastered the skill of keeping her own feelings at all separate from her beasts. Mine why are you so flustered by him? He is only talking. Pri inquired playfully. I'm not flustered. Hush! He's talking. Don't be rude. She hurriedly snapped back, with more force than she intended, but it only elicited some more rumbling from the green weyrling.

"Though, to be honest, I think you’re the only one who likes my clothes…”

Thora looked like a cornered wherry for a split second before she grinned sheepishly. "Well they are very unique, obviously. Not everyone can appreciate others tastes. Like Pri said, I don't really wear too much color.." She admitted with a shrug, looking down critically at her own outfit. "But I'm certainly not opposed to trying new things." She added merrily, her dark eyes smiling just as much as her mouth was as she looked into Anz's lighter blues earnestly. "And besides, I don't think you'll be getting rid of this one for quite some time they way you compliment her." She said with mock pity as she gestured to Hypriceth. "She's quite smitten." I think /you/ are smitten Mine. And he doesn't even compliment you. The green retaliated, with a distinctly smug tone. Pri shut up! The weyrling pursed her lips as she glared at her dragon for just a moment, before returning her face to normalcy as she turned back to Anz.

[glamourie]

Flattered? By him? He hadn’t even done anything! Well, aside from state the obvious. Anz flashed Hypriceth a pleasant smile and then scratched his head. Favorite person in the Weyr, huh? Well, that was encouraging. If one dragon liked him, maybe another would, too. He was a candidate, after all. Noise from behind him made him turn around and he watched as the green moved off her rock and back to their spot. When she nuzzled his hand, he actually dropped down to his knees to be more at her level (since she was sitting) and gently stroked the side of the young dragon’s neck. He didn’t really know where dragons liked to be touched or how they liked it, having never touched any (at all) before Hypriceth, but she didn’t seem to mind and he was sure that if he did something positively wrong, that Thora would tell him and set him straight. After all, he wasn’t a difficult person to talk to, at least not from his experience. Most people didn’t seem to mind him, and he made friends easily… Even the dragon seemed to like him, which was good because he definitely liked her. Green was such a pretty color. Much nicer than blue, and she was a pretty shade of green at that.

“Well she’s my favorite dragon in all the Weyr, so how’s that?” he teased, rubbing her hide gently. So soft. He’d have expected -- well, for it not to be that soft. How could they fly with such… smooth… skin? It reminded him of leather but not the same by any stretch of the imagination. It was better than any leather. Hypriceth was better than anything he’d ever touched before. “Your hide is so soft.” Though that might not have been the right word for it, he’d expected rough. Looking at dragons, they looked so powerful, graceful and strong. Not like anything that would be so - so pleasant to touch. “It doesn’t look soft. I mean, not rough or anything, but it looks so strong and tough, but touching it, you’d never realize. That’s so neat…” He was talking directly to Hypriceth; since Thora didn’t seem to mind it before, he wasn’t reluctant to do so again, though he did not really expect any kind of answer. It wasn’t as if his words merited one.

Turning back to look over his shoulder (so as not to ever ignore Thora), Anz crinkled his nose slightly. “Why would I want to get rid of her? Or you for that matter? As long as neither of you find me annoying, I’m good.” He leaned over to whisper conspiratorially to Hypriceth, but it was intentionally loud enough for her rider to hear, “And you’ll let me know if I start to touch on Thora’s nerves, won’t you? So I don’t run her off? I trust you to keep me in line.” He did, too, though the comment was meant more as a joke than anything else. He didn’t want to risk running Thora off though. She was the first friend (other than Zan) that he had at Selenitas Weyr. At least, he thought she was his friend, and he didn’t want to offend her by being… over enthusiastic. That was one of his biggest flaws, or so he was told. He couldn’t see it, but he was under the impression most people couldn’t see their own flaws.

“I think I’ve got a bunch of blues you’d like,” the blond said with a slight nod. “And I know I’ve got some golds and browns that would compliment her.” He glanced at Hypriceth and then grinned playfully. “I’m good at matching colors up that work together, even if they’re um… bright. I prefer bright. My brother wears dark shades, he’s a dolphineer but I think he does it just to irritate me.” There was no denying the affection in his voice as he spoke; just because Zan was his brother didn’t mean he was unaware of the other teenager’s flaws. Far from. He knew exactly how ornery Zan could be. “If you’re not adverse to trying new things, I’d love to play dress up with you. I’ve got tons of fabric I’d never wear, I don’t touch blues, so it ought to be fun -- why’re you glaring at her? Did she say something off? Pri, are you making fun of my clothes behind my back?” His head turned to look at Hypriceth and he quirked an eyebrow mischievously at the green - clear indication that no matter what she said, he wouldn’t take offense. He’d decided he liked her, after all.

[topaz]

Hypriceth rumbled softly at the candidates caresses. He was very gentle, and he even knelt down to her! Such a nice boy, Anz was. As the green leaned softly into Anzalorin, wet as he still was, Thora smiled warmly. If Pri was so utterly comfortable with the guy, Thora almost couldn't help but feel as if she could trust him as well. Just almost, though. Even so, it was blissful seeing her beauty so happy.

Thora grinned at Anz's statement. His favorite, hm? Thora wondered how many dragons the candidate had actually met so far. It couldn't be all that many. Of course, Pri had not been introduced to that many people either, aside from some of her fellow weyrlings. Hypriceth was not worried about these sorts of things however and took her new title proudly. The green straightened against Anz's leg and side, carefully fluttering her wings in pleasure, which made Thora chuckle.

Pri wouldn't be able to hold her head up soon with the way Anz was inflating her ego, Thora thought amusedly, as he began speaking of how soft her hide was. The blonde absently adjusted the oddly pleated sections of dress just beneath her belt, pulling and pinching them to all fold in the same direction. She was happy to let Anzalorin fawn over her dragon, but she couldn't help feeling a bit jealous. Whether it was of Anz or of Pri, Thora was tragically unsure.

Redirecting her attention quickly as Anz spoke to her, a smile slowly crept back over Thora's lips. The girl didn't think she'd ever find Anz annoying enough to refuse his company. He was a rather happy person and seemed interesting, to Thora at least. Even if the weyrling did get fed up, Pri would undoubtably still ask to see her favorite, colorful candidate. Thora raised an eyebrow, honestly curious and highly amused, when Anz leaned over to whisper to Hypriceth. Her quizzical expression quickly turned into a full on grin, and a rich, yet distinctly feminine laugh, until . .

Oh yes. I can do that. It will be hard for you to rile her though. She is usually very nice. Plus she likes you very much, I think. The green eyed Hers with a distinctly expectant look, waiting for her confirmation. Thora's eyebrows raised for a moment of initial surprise, but as she composed herself she could unfortunately feel her cheeks flushing. Her tan could hide some of the reddish color, but not all. Hypriceth . . . Yes Minelove? The green replied innocently. Thora did not continue the silent conversation, only bothering to send the green a feeling of clear disapproval before she smiled coyly at Anzalorin. She didn't trust herself to say anything at all, so her only response was a subtle shrug of the shoulders and an equally quiet 'eh heh' as opposed to actual laughter. Allowing herself to speak, she would have surely offended the boy in some way. She just hoped he would not take her near silence similarly bad.

Thora nodded interestedly as Anz continued talking about his numerous fabrics. Blues and browns she certainly liked. Gold was also a color that Thora enjoyed, although she always thought of it as too overly lavish looking to wear around, but she would see how she really felt in it soon enough. Thora really did enjoy the little tidbits of his history that Anz was throwing into his casual talk. She felt as if she was learning just the same about the boy as she would if she were actually asking him these questions. Which she would have begun doing sooner or later. It was always important to Thora to know as much as she could about a person before she considered them to be her friend. It now seemed that Anz was quickly flying by those preliminary screening tests, and moving right into the comfort zone.

Hmm? Dress up? He'd love it. Thora grinned as if she was about to laugh, but she kept quiet as Anz continued to speak, only nodding. "Oh, uh . ." Thora stumbled on her words slightly, as Anz questioned her odd look to Pri. "No, nothing like that. She likes your clothes very much, I assure you." She said earnestly with a smile and a nod. She decided not to actually answer his question, but hoped he would be placated with knowing it was certainly not about his creations.

[glamourie]

Anz gently stroked his hands down Hypriceth’s neck, taking great efforts to rub her hide gently enough to avoid hurting, and firm enough to be pleasant. She didn’t seem to mind that he was wet, and he didn’t mind it half as much with a warm dragon so close to him; the chill in the air seemed less, somehow, by her proximity. It was as though her very body gave off warmth - which, he supposed, was entirely possible given her size. Even as hatchlings, dragons were by no means small creatures, after all… and fully grown they were massive. From his reading, he was told they reached full-size in under two turns… with larger colors taking slightly longer. How old was Hypriceth then? She couldn’t be very, because she was still so small. Definitely not a senior weyrling, which meant she was from the last clutch to hatch. Pity. If he’d gotten there only a few months sooner, he might have Impressed at the same time as Thora and they could have been classmates. That would’ve been amazing, to be in her class, get to know her, maybe be friends… but he was going to be a group behind her. But what if he didn’t Impress -- there was that, too… boo…

The green’s reassurance brought a wide smile to his face and he leaned forward to press his still-wet forehead against the end of her muzzle. It was a genuine look. Anz wasn’t capable of faking. Everything he did, he threw his whole heart into, for better or worse, and he was completely sincere in his claim of Hypriceth being his favorite green on Pern. He didn’t know any other dragons at all, but she was still his favorite - and probably would always be in the top five, if only because she was the first dragon that he’d ever spoken to. If he never Impressed, she’d always be number one… but he was hoping he’d Impress; she liked him, didn’t she, so why wouldn’t any other dragon? Surely there was one out there for him? Or would be when the next queen Rose?

“Well, I like her very much too,” he said to Hypriceth directly (though Thora would doubtlessly be able to overhear him). “And I like you, too. I was worried that the dragon riders here wouldn’t be all that nice because I’m hold bred, but you, miss Pri, have totally convinced me otherwise. I’d ask you to dance but I’m not sure dragons are capable. Are you? How nimble on those four feet are you, hmm hmm?” He could just imagine a dragon trying to dance and the visual in his mind was hysterical. Not that he would have minded trying to dance with her. He was sure they’d make a sight worthy of burning into the memory of anyone who viewed them but -- but nothing; it was worth it. Dancing was fun, and he was pretty sure he could improvise enough to teach a four-legged partner. Especially one as patient and pleasant as Hypriceth was.

Totally oblivious to the green’s private conversation with Thora, Anz pushed himself back up to stand and rubbed the sand off of his pants carefully. Then he spun around, slinging water around in the process, and raised an eyebrow at the smile she wore. Had he said something off, made her uncomfortable? It wasn’t intentional. If it wasn’t mockery of his clothes that had Thora glaring at Hypriceth, he couldn’t guess what it was. Oh well; it wasn’t as if the relationship between dragon and rider was really any of his business and he needed to learn (he knew) to mind his own rather than try to butt into other people’s. That in mind, he offered a half-curtsy to Hypriceth, no doubt a silly posture, and then saluted her. “Beggin’ your pardon, Miss,” he said playfully before sauntering over until he was toe-to-toe with Thora. Spoiling the dragon was fun, but he really would have preferred to talk to the pretty blond girl with her - was that selfish? Maybe a little.

“I’m glad for that, then.” Offering one still damp hand to Thora, Anz cocked his head to the side. “Are you willing to dance with the wet candidate? I promise I’ll try not to drip all over you. I’m not sure a dragon can dance, but your dress looks like it was made for it and well - now that I mentioned it, I kind of want to do it. I’m a little on the impulsive side that way.” He grinned sheepishly, but he wasn’t entirely embarrassed. Half of why he wanted to dance was for the excuse to keep Thora there talking with him, and he felt rude asking her too many questions when they’d just met. Dancing was a good way of finding out information without actually asking. For example, if she knew how to dance, she probably had some formal training, and some dance styles were unique to each hold. Plus it said a lot about a person, seeing how graceful they really were. He was betting Thora was very graceful. She certainly looked it.

[topaz]

Hypriceth nuzzled Anz's head fondly as he rested it on her muzzle. He was wet, but he was still quite warm inside, she could feel it. Sniffing his hair softly then blowing out her hot dragon breath onto him, Pri rumbled in amusement. Maybe if she breathed onto him enough he would be dry, and not be so cold on the outside. Sure the weather was nice as it always was in Southern, but being wet with such thin hides as the humans had, the colorful boy must be chilly. Instinctively and without any indication, the green half opened her wing and wrapped it gingerly around Anz, laying in on his shoulder and some of his back. She did not want her pretty new friend to be cold. No certainly not.

Thora smiled as she listened to Anz speak to Hypriceth, as if he was whispering to the green alone. He was so childish, but it was much more enduring than one would expect, especially Thora. Children were one of Thora's most favorite things, but even she knew how bothersome they could be. Anzalorin was very much like a child at heart in some ways, but then in others . . certainly not. It seemed he had his own special brand of happiness that a person would not usually associate with his age, and it pulled at the blonde girls heartstrings as she watched him with her dragon. She wanted bottle that moment up and save it forever, it was so adorably sweet.

It was also nice to hear that she was, indeed, liked by the candidate. Not that she had ever thought he hadn't liked her, he had given far from any reason for that assumption. But the open admittance of it put a coy little smile on Thora's lips. She was always very fond of compliments, as she assumed everyone was, and delighted in the luxury of them whenever she was given the chance. Her cheeks blushed a rosy color, and it was only just noticeable, but the heat from it made Thora feel the need to hide anyway, and she played absently with the shorter strands of hair around her face.

Oh, dancing? I do not know how to dance, no. I don't think so. Maybe Mine would know how, though I have never seen her. With the turn of a whirling blue eye up at Hers, Hypriceth posed the question to her hiding weyring, who quickly dropped her hair and tried to formulate an answer as she looked from Pri to Anz.

She didn't answer right away though, as Anz had risen from his spot with Pri - with a curtsy and a salute no less - and was coming . . . very, very close to her. In the background, Hypriceth was gently sprayed with little droplets of water from the boy's movements, and shook them free from her hide with a playful rumble. Thora payed no attention to her dragon at that moment though, as she looked straight into Anzalorin's ocean blue eyes, barely a foot or so away. He . . he wanted to dance with her? But . . . she didn't know how to dance, really. Well, she used to dance whenever there was a Gather at the Hold, but she had still been young the last time one of those had occurred, and no doubt her technique of 'going with the melody of the music' wouldn't help her much here, since there was no music.

"Uhm . . I'm not really sure that I can. We don't even have any music . ." She said with a nervous tone and similar facial expression. Thora's eyes were less anxious though, and more excited as the blonde reached out to place her hand in his. She wanted to dance with him, so . . maybe he would teach her?

[glamourie]

Okay, he really wanted to Impress a dragon now. Not just the fleeting desire many holders possessed, but a full on need to do so. He just… had to figure out how to; dragons made their choices based on personality traits, right? Maybe one of them would want him. He didn’t know, but Pri was making him intensely jealous of Thora; she was such a sweet-demeanored creature, as if she was incapable of any wrong-doing. Whether it was an act or not, Anzalorin bought it hook, line and sinker -- she looked so sweet, and she was so kind that he found it impossible to imagine the green as anything short of remarkably considerate. Every time she touched him, he grew more fascinated by her hide. It was so soft, so - so different from any texture he’d ever encountered before, and the fact that she was so nice complimented it; he wanted to keep stroking her, keep petting. He refrained. Fawning over the dragon might have insulted Thora, and that was the absolute last thing that he wanted to do. He was actually hoping to impress the green rider some… for more personal reasonings; she was pretty, she was nice, what did he have to lose from befriending her, really?

“You don’t know how to dance?” He inquired of Thora, then glanced at Pri. “You either? Well, that’s just not right. Something has to be done to fix that.”

Dancing was, after all, one of the most fun ways to spend one’s time at holds. At least, Anz found it ridiculously fun. Then again, he was someone who was constantly in motion, filled with energy. Staying still was stifling. More over, he found it exhausting to not do anything. Maybe he was overly energetic. He just could not handle being forced into stillness. His mother once described him as ‘twitchy.’ Dancing was a good way to expend the energy without being… well, odd.

As she took his hand, Anz gently pulled Thora closer, careful not to drip on her. No music, she was right, but -- there was always a very quick fix for that. They had mouths, didn’t they, and voices? Music was reflection of self, from inside; it didn’t take instruments to make beautiful sounds. He knew that better than most because Anzalorin appreciated beautiful things (perhaps an explanation for his fondness for Thora, which was rapidly growing). She looked nervous though - did she think he would think less of her for not being able to dance? Shards, no. He was excited at the prospect of teaching. That meant they could dance to pretty much anything. He was decent at it, too. He’d never have judged her for lack of knowledge, unless she was unwilling to give something a try -- but then, Anz was an open-minded individual.

“We don’t need music, but I can sing if you want. I’m told I sing pretty well. But first we need to decide what kind of dance we’re going to do. Something fast?”

Over his shoulder, he looked toward Hypriceth and quirked an eyebrow. Then he turned back to Thora and considered the different songs he knew. He could sing out the lyrics, or just hum the beat. Most dancing songs didn’t have lyrics, but there were some catchy tunes that did. His personal favorites were the ones without, though. He liked music, after all, and lyrics… in his opinion… weren’t music at all. They were just talking. Voices could do a lot of things, but he preferred the sound of instruments and humming. Personal preference.