The turn of the seasons

[paryal]

It was barely possible to notice that summer was making the transition into fall here. Two figures sat side by side, their feet dangling in the water, the shape of two dragons by their sides. Overhead, two green fire lizards darted in and out, playing with each other, hissing with mock ferocity. If you came close enough to hear the conversation, you could be able to hear how stilted and awkward the conversation truly was. "So," it began. "You managed to Impress. As did I. Isn't it funny?" Those words came from the mouth of a young woman. The dragon curled up against her back was a pale gold overall, with startingly bright legs. The same color was echoed in a few places on her face as well. The gold dragon's sides rose and fell with each breath she took. The little Queen was content to bask in the sun, in close proximity to her rider.

"I didn't expect to." Now the second figure spoke, this time with a slightly deeper, more masculine voice. The dragon near him was a bright, almost acidic green. Unlike her sibling, she was awake, peering with evident curiousity at the larger gold, before ducking her head and trying to scramble into the lad's lap. Every sudden movement that came from the pair startled the green, until she finally buried her head in her rider's shirt, creeling slightly in her distress.

"I didn't expect to Impress what I did. When Aezanth first hatched, I thought she was far too beautiful for myself. I tried to maintain my confidence, but she was just so beautiful and perfect, and every girl there wanted her." A name was given to the dozing Queen, and a soft grin lit the Weyrling's face. Paryal and P'tol: cousins, though their personalities could not have been more different. Beneath it all, there was some common thread that held them together, forced them to talk to each other here. They had never been close, but they had to now. One day they would be working together, and things had to be addressed that hadn't been previously.

"I thought Llath made a mistake when she found me. I thought there had to be someone better for her." How could he have doubted his beautiful Llath? P'tol didn't feel worthy of the green, so precious to him in so many ways. Every movement she made was new and exciting. He felt like he was a father for the first time, watching his child totter uneasily around the room, or a lover, watching his succeed in some monumental task, and sharing in it the entire time.
"You know what they say. The dragon knows their rider, and there isn't anything you can do to change that." Paryal grinned at P'tol, her eyes flashing in temporary victory.
"Still. You know what I mean." P'tol was more withdrawn, but the same grin danced across his face.
"Aye. I still can't believe it. Me, a Queenrider?"
"I think you've angered not a few people who lost their marks. And I know one of the boy Candidates, the twin who Impressed green, wanted his sister to get the Queen."
"That's well and good, but did she want it enough?"

The pair was silent for a long moment. There was a weight off both their chests, now that they had confessed to their worries before and after the Hatching.

"P'tol?" The name was unfamiliar to Paryal, and she choked slightly on it.
"Hmm?"
"Think fast." With that same mischevious grin, Paryal shoved her rider into the water, fully clothed. Llath bugled in alarm, but calmed down when she realized P'tol was laughing. Even Aezanth raised her head, looking at the scene regally, then shaking herself slowly.
We are going for a swim now too, yes?

[Requiem]

((No one's replied to this yet? Cool, first one!))

It was strange to see a weyrling and a candidate enjoying each other's company, but ever since the night of the Hatching, the two had become inseparable. Z'hin carried a huge armload of firewood, grinning at the small boy who watched him with brooding, haunted eyes. Three turns separated the two. At first glance, it would seem more like ten. Z'hin was already quite manly for his age, well-built with a clean-shaven face that darkened with stubble throughout the course of the day. Mutasim, on the other hand, hardly looked a day over ten turns, unless you noticed the slightly too broad shoulders that didn't quite fit a boy of that age. He was still very, very small, though, and looked quite underfed.

Jessereth moved at Z'hin's side, aiding his rider by carrying a few branches in his young jaws. His warm chocolate hide glinted in the sun, and his eyes swirled a contented hue. His build already resembled the solidness of his bonded. As usual, it was Z'hin who was doing most of the talking.

"You know how to skin a rabbit, don't you?" The dark-skinned boy nodded, his ebon hairing bouncing with the movement. Already used to Mutasim's reticent ways, the older boy plowed on. "So you skin that rabbit you're holding when we get there, and I'll show you how to season it. The river's pebbles are best to cover it with. We'll build the fire above it. The heat will just waft over the meat for several hours, and then it will be perfect, savory and falling off the bone."

Mutasim regarded the dead creature he carried with something like skepticism. "Must we really wait so long?"

"Of course! There is no better way to eat a rabbit. Besides, I promised Jess a chance to try it." His bonded snuffed at the shortening of his name. Why his refused to call him by his full name was beyond him, but it was somewhat endearing. Cooking good meat. What a waste. The older of the two laughed at that. You'll see. It's definitely not a waste!

One of the things that had drawn the boys together, aside from the circumstances surrounding their meeting, was the knowledge they'd seen in each other's eyes. Neither took such things as food and shelter for granted. Now, Mutasim could easily tell that Z'hin was not a street brat like himself, but just the fact that he appreciated the simple things in life was refreshing, and he even found himself forgetting some of his worries when around the weyrling. They also seemed to instinctively recognize the other as solitary people. That wasn't hard to see with Mutasim, but Z'hin appeared extremely social to most. Until things got beyond an intimate group...

The threesome broke through the trees, only to find a boy in the water, his green dragonet watching with some worry. Jessereth ambled forward as the boys stopped. He set his sticks down near Aezanth and Liath, greatly pleased to find two females around. Flirt. Am not, he replied, unperturbed.

It only took a moment for Z'hin to regain himself, a broad grin splitting his face as he hurried forward, glad to find the gold weyrling here as well. He had not really known P'tol all that well, but Paryal interested him. She was a girl of wit. Yeah, she kind of thought he was gay, but that was all right. Z'hin was confident that, should he choose to do so, he could easily convince her that he was anything but homosexual. His grin turned lopsided at the thought. And you called me a flirt. Z'hin merely shrugged at Jessereth's comment.

"Hi Paryal. P'tol. This is my friend, Mutasim. He was a candidate with us." The dark-skinned boy had stood in the background, but now he was forced to acknowledge these others. He trusted Z'hin. Still, he didn't much appreciate this unplanned meeting. Mutasim nodded solemnly to the others, his gaze wary as ever.

[evendar]

Narna pulled her brother along behind her.

"Come on, the river is so wonderful this time of year." she said as he and his dragon followed. Reenith waddled about slowly, taking frequent breaks as she did so. While with careful feeding and regimented meal times the green had filled out some, she was still weak and her ribs were still clearly visible. N'vis trailed behind, his sister waiting impatiently as he helped the green along.

They finally made it to the shoreline and the twins noticed a group of people, mostly other weyrlings, by the shore as well. Narna felt a stab of jealousy as she noticed the new goldrider Paryal was amongst them. N'vis came up, a scrambling Reenith not far behind him, and noticed not only the girl who'd stolen his sisters queen but also, he gulped, boys. His Impression of Reenith had proved what he and his sister had suspected for a while now, but it didn't make it any less awkward. And the addition of a girl he didn't particularly like was only going to compound the problem.

Narna pushed down her jealousy. The dragon is always right, she reminded herself. She plastered a smile on her face, and grabbed her brothers hand for strength. With sure deliberate steps she walked up to the group of Weyrlings and Candidates, hoping her jealousy at Paryal wasn't showing in her eyes.

"Hi everyone. Its so nice to see you again." she said cheerfully, pulling N'vis to her side. Tiny, skinny Reenith scrambling to keep up. N'vis looked up through his curly bangs and gave a weak smile.

"Hi all," he said quietly, feeling it would be very rude to not at least recognize a queenrider, even if she wasn't his sister. Which she should be.

[paryal]

Llath jumped when she saw the brown dragon, straight into the water. Floundering and screeching for a moment, the green soon discovered she floated. This was nice! P'tol mine, this is nice! Look, look, I am swimming! It was hard not to laugh at Llath, for she looked exceedingly awkward at that moment. Her wings were held somewhat away from her body, and her long legs were paddling frantically, as if that would help her stay afloat. Grinning, P'tol moved over to help support Llath, carefully placing his hands beneath her in case the floating action should stop. The pair were so utterly engrossed in each other that they barely took note of the brownrider and his Candidate companion. Finally, some sort of obligation made P'tol turn to Z'hin and Mutasim, bobbing his head and trying to look composed, even as his clothes billowed out around him. "Greetings Candidate Mutasim. I am sure you will Impress next clutch. After all, I managed to." It was still a surprise to P'tol that he had Impresed. "One of my friends did not Impress as well. Her name is Manna. I encourage you to greet her should you see her around." P'tol almost offered a description, but could find no polite way to describe Manna. Over-bearing? Cheerful to the point where he wanted to punch her in the face? Overweight?

Paryal grinned at seeing a familiar face, waving with enthusiasm. Z'hin had the potential to be a good friend of hers, especially now that they had both Impressed. He had a quick wit, and was rather handsome to boot. A shame he didn't like women- or so Paryal thought. Well, she was a Weyrling anyway, and Aezanth shouldn't be subjected to those sort of emotions. Hello clutchmate. I am Aezanth. Mine is Paryal. Fine. If Paryal wasn't going to introduce her to them, Aezanth would do it herself. The little Queen sounded utterly regal, almost as if she expected Jesserath to pay some sort of compliment to her, and kiss her feet. He could! Even if he was just a brown, and not a bronze. He might turn out to be large enough, one day. Aezanth eyed him with obvious speculation, before growing bored and turning to watch Llath again. At least he was whole. Those poor younglings, those of her siblings who hadn't been born with the good fortune to be in one piece. Llath, you should come out of the water before you get too cold. There was a degree of kindness in Aezanth's voice. Despite her regal behavior, she truly cared for every dragon in the Weyr, though she didn't know them all yet. She couldn't have them getting sick, now could she?

"Hello Z'hin. It is a pleasure to see you again. What is your dragon's name?" Paryal couldn't remember it, hard as she tried. "Mine is Aezanth." There was a possibility he might not know the new Queen's name, though it had been pretty wide spread about the Weyr. "And hello Mutasim. It's a shame everyone could not Impress." The younger boy looked quite sullen, though that could be attributed to sadness over the fact he hadn't Impressed. One never knew. Hopefully it wasn't just his personality. That sort of persona would never see him Impressed. Aezanth looked at all three with curiousity once more, before placing her head in Paryal's lap and closing her eyes once more. The sun felt nice against her hide, and she had said her hello's. There was no need to do much more, was there?

"What are you two doing on this fine day? P'tol and I were just discussing things, and he decided to take a swim." Paryal grinned cockily, daring her cousin to say something.
"I did not! She pushed me. Not very good behavior for a new Queenrider." A grin took away the serious tone of P'tol's words. He moved out of the water, carefully helping Llath out. The pair then collapsed near the water, letting the sun warm them once again.
"Now all our drinking water will taste of you, P'tol."
"It could use some extra spice." It was amazing how much the boy's confidence had increased in the days since he had Impressed Llath, though he still found himself unexpectedly shy around this pair, averting his eyes from their gazes.

As if to make P'tol even more uncomfortable, another pair had joined the group. There were certainly quite a few of them now. Who were they? Another greenrider, and another Candidate. They looked related in some way. Were they twins? Ah, right. Llath turned her head to regard her green sibling warily, though she didn't say anything. There were too many dragons here, too many! P'tol was also feeling more shy, hiding behind Llath as much as possible. Paryal, meanwhile, regarded the two frankly. Neither of them seemed very happy to see her, though they hid it well. Why didn't they like her? She couldn't recall ever having spoken to either of them before. Well, let them be that way. "Hello. It's nice to see you again. This is Aezanth." Aezanth lifted her head a small amount, before snorting and lowering it again. A greenrider, and a girl who had attracted only her momentary attention. They could introduce themselves first. "And P'tol's is Llath, since he's being too much of a wherry to introduce himself."

[evendar]

Narna's smile relaxed into a more natural cant as the other girl spoke. She was a very nice person really, and while the gold wasn't Narna's, the fact that she was with someone so nice was good. As long as the dragon was happy. She sunk down to the ground near the landward people.

"Its nice to meet you both in person, Paryal and Aezanth." she said, pulling on her brothers hand, who sank down beside her. Reenith chirped in gratitude and sank to the ground with a slight plop, to tired to do anything more than lay her head in her riders lap.

"I'm Narna, and this is Nev- N'vis, my brother." she said, loud enough for the boy in the water to hear. N'vis gulped as he saw the greenrider in the water. Greenriders meant that they were, well, they were available to him. And no matter how much he wanted a guy in his head, making those actions a reality were far from possible. Yet his eyes continued to draw to the swimming boy in the river, and the two who had arrived. One rode brown, which scared him more than the greenrider.

"I can't believe we never met before the Hatching," Narna continued on, unaware of her brothers inner turmoil. "It seems so odd that while we were all Candidates we never met." Her voice sounded so fake and slightly forced to her ears. This was more difficult than she had planned. She sighed inwardly and allowed herself to collect her thoughts. She couldn't afford to alienate this girl, or anyone else for that matter.

N'vis' eyes continued to watch the greenrider as he came out of the water, the way his clothing stuck to his damp body sent shivers up N'vis' spine. This was torture, and yet, N'vis didn't want to look away.

[thialyn]

Two riders--Weyrlings really but they didn't care--walked along the river side, practically glowing with the pride they had for their dragons, one seemingly perfect, the other grossly disfigured. They walked together, laughing at some joke or other, as comfortable as brother and sister, yet they were not siblings. Two different parts of Pern they were from, one from the North, the other the South, yet both had adopted each other as the caring sibling neither had.

But their dragons were true siblings, from the same clutch, yet so different from each other, just as ex-Runner and -Beastcrafter were. The green walking proudly but constantly glancing out of the corner of her eye to her bronze brother, walking rather awkwardly on his make-shift "legs." Fashioned from wood and leather, they were poor substitutes for true legs, but they were better than nothing. Maybe someone could figure out a better design for prothetics, but until then, Kasraith would have to get used to the simple design.

Yet another set of addopted siblings tailed along, this pair a set of flitts, riding on the green dragon's neck. The brown and blue twittered to each other happily, no doubt talking of the brown's many exploits along lonely beaches with passing greens. He was proud of the fact but he liked to embellish his tales a little too much. And in this case, as awed as the little blue was, he listened with a hint of disbelief.

It was then, at about the same time, the two riders noticed those ahead of them, one rather soaked. Looking to one another for a moment, they reached some unspoken accord and decided to amble over, both grinning, Alene showing a little teeth, T'ren with his characteristic half grin.

"You look a little soaked lad," T'ren began ((to P'tol)), the use of the diminutive not meant as an insult, it was just habit. Shells, he called Alene lass all the time. "Your dragon get the better of you?"

"Congratulations on the queen," Alene said, ignoring T'ren. "I don't think we've met on the traces before," she said to all present, her use of a Runner remark not phasing her in the least.

[Requiem]

Jessereth regarded Llath soberly, a bit confused at her reaction. Am I that scary? he broadcasted generally to the gathered dragons and his Mine. His tone was somewhat plaintive. Don't worry, Jess. She'll like you. They all will. Z'hin watched as his bonded settled down, letting the branches drop as he continued to watch Llath curiously.

His gaze turned to Aezanth. She was rather pretty, and a gold, and though her tone was formal, there wasn't a lack of warmth in it. The brown, however, was not the sort to notice rank within the realm of normal interaction. He responded with the respect he would give any dragon until they did something to lose it.Hello, Aezanth. I'm Jessereth, and this is Z'hinMine. Were you going to go for a swim, too?

The brownrider was gifting Paryal with his infectious grin, shaking his head from time to time to clear the hair from his eyes. He needed to get it cut again...later. "He's Jess." Jessereth. "We were glad to see you and Aezanth in the hatching. I tried to find you afterward, but I think you went to the Feast." He didn't mention the fact that he wouldn't have been caught dead at such a gathering. "Jess needs to be oiled so much, and he's always hungry...I'm sorry I haven't found the time to see you again." Jessereth. "Anyway, Muta, Jess and I thought it would be nice to get out today." Jessereth!

Z'hin grunted, the brown having launched himself at his Mine with a playful growl. Staggering, the young man laughed, playfully swiping at Jessereth's snout. "All right, all right. Not Jess. Jessereth." That's better. He glanced up at the wet greenrider, eyes still laughing. "So this is your cousin, eh, Paryal? Nice to meet you, P'tol." A brief thought surfaced in his mind. If Jessereth was a brown, and Llath a green - oh, blech. He wrinkled his nose. What? Never you mind. I'm just being silly. He'd have to make Jessereth understand that female greenriders were best when the time came. Right now it wasn't important.

Mutasim, watching the interaction in complete silence, noticed the twins' approach. Another one of the weyrlings with a deformed dragon. Those dragons should have been left to die. Now, they would ruin another's life when they succumbed, which they certainly would. He glanced down at the dead rabbit in his grasp. At Paryal's question, he spoke up. "Z'hin was talking about how to cook a perfect rabbit. He says it will take hours, though."

"Right!" The brownrider snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up. "Come on, Jess!" What do I have to do to get you to call me by my name? The hatchling ambled after his Mine. Mutasim stared after the two in something like trepidation. Oh well. He looked to the strangers all around him. "So..." What did kids their age do with their time? He didn't know. "Maybe we should all spice up the river a bit." His tone was dry as he glanced at P'tol.

Swimming. Yes. That was something you did for fun, right? Mutasim tugged off his tunic, forgetting for a moment that there was good reason for him to be wearing long sleeves and a high collar in the summer. The marks at wrist and neck stood out. Still, he did nothing to try and hide them, knowing that would draw more attention. The boy waded in without preamble, and, though his ribs were quite prominant, there was a predatory leanness to his torso and a broadening cast to his shoulders that made him look more his age.

Two more moved from down the river, one the bronzeweyrling who'd impressed that bronze without forelegs, the other a greenweyrling. This was becoming quite a crowd. Mutasim ducked beneath the water for a moment, revelling in the coolness. That tunic was far too hot for the season.

[ravenmane]

Ciara walked towards the river, her blue eyes glistening happily. The day was great and everything seemed to be perfect. The breeze today was cool and gentle against the weyrling's skin. How Ciara wished every day could be like this. Beside her trotted an unusually colored Green, the dragon Toryth. The cheerful Weyrling dragon bounced along, eyes whirling shades of blue and green. The girl reached down and placed her hand upon the dracling's back.

Looking up from her still growing mount, Ciara noticed splashes sounding from ahead. She could here very faint voices and that excited her. The girl did not talk to many of her fellows yet since the Hatching occured.

/Let's hurry, Toryth. Maybe some of your clutch-mates are there!/

/Clutch-Mates!/

With that idea, Toryth ran towards the water, excited to see some others her age. They could all go swimming and play games. Toryth loved to play. Ciara laughed and followed the happy dracling. They emerged to see many other weyrlings and their dragons including a few Greens and Gold Aezanth. Toryth headed straight for Reenith.

/Hi, Reenith. How are you today?/

Toryth nuzzled her clutch-sister gently, aware that poor Reenith was one of the sickly dragonets. The Green glanced back her rider, who had stayed behind as her companion rushed forward.

((dracling is a baby dragon for those who don't know. I can't remember where I heard it. -scratches head-))

[evendar]

N'vis eyes swiveled to Mutasim as he stripped off his shirt and went for a swim. The scars were a minor part of the full view N'vis couldn't look away from. He bit his lower lip and rearranged his legs, trying to disguise his... interest. His free hand tightened around Narna's and she squeezed back, understanding his predicament.

She in turn smiled at the newcomers, so many weyrlings here. How she wished she were one of them. But looking at the bronze that arrived, as well as her brothers own tired Reenith, made her question what other problems the hatchlings of this clutch had. Perhaps, even the queen.

With that thought in mind, Narna's smile took on a much more natural cant than before, and her eyes and voice lost their jealous look and sound. It was then that her eyes caught Mutasim's scars. With a final hand squeeze she stood and walked to him, intruiged. "How did you get those if I may be so bold?" she asked, rubbing her shoudler blades where she and her brother sported matching scars from their stepfathers beatings.

Reenith raised her head a bit and blinked slowly. Tired. she said with a yawn. Mine wanted to follow his sister. she said, laying her head back down on her forepaws.

((He he, teenage troubles. xP))

[paryal]

"I don't think we were here very long before the Hatching happened. And now all our lives are so different, for better or worse." This girl was one of those that hadn't Impressed, right? Yes, that was her. She had given her name too, and knew Paryal's. But then, who didn't? The sudden rise in fame was almost uncomfortable for Paryal, given that she had been relatively invisible before this. Another nameless Candidate, someone you might bet on casually, but didn't pay much more attention to. Now everyone knew her. Sometimes people seemed to know more of Paryal's story than Paryal herself. How did they know she used to be a beastcrafter working with ovines? She didn't recall telling anyone that, yet somehow people seemed to know. "From sheep to a Queen", some people exclaimed when they saw her. It is because you are with me now. We are important. Aezanth always sounded so lofty that it was hard not to grin. Of course, this grin may have appeared perfectly random to anyone watching the pair. They couldn't hear Aezanth, but they must have guessed that Aezanth was the cause of most of Paryal's joy.

"I'm P'tol", the greenrider threw in. Why hadn't the other boy introduced himself? Maybe he was as shy as P'tol himself was. Had been. Was he still that shy? As more people came, P'tol could feel himself growing increasingly uncomfortable, but he could hide it better now. "Mine is Llath." He gestured to the green at his side, her head raising to regard Reenith with curiousity. Who was this? Why was this dragon so skinny? It didn't look too healthy. Llath felt some concern despite herself, though she was too shy to address her sibling herself. What was Aezanth doing? Sleeping, apparently, or pretending to. Maybe Reenith was safe then, but Llath would hold back just in case.

Another pair came up then, a greenrider and a bronzerider. How interesting! Paryal didn't know any of them, though they both looked familiar. P'tol didn't know the pair either, and found himself trying to slink back, making himself as invisible as possible. No such luck. He had called P'tol a lad? He didn't look much older! But he had said it nicely, so P'tol didn't take it as an insult. Well, not too much of one. "Not Llath. Paryal, actually. I'm P'tol." There was no need to introduce the dragon, as he had just said her name. Llath now hid fully behind P'tol, trembling lightly. There were too many people! She didn't like this. She wanted to go home. Why didn't that dragon have front legs? That was different. Llath peered around P'tol's shoulder, gawking openly at Kasraith. "Llath, that's not polite! I'm sorry. She doesn't know better. She can't remember her own Hatching. Llath, that's your brother." That term didn't seem to ring a single bell in Llath's little head. Her brother? What did that mean? He was handsome anyway, though not nearly as attractive as a blue or brown dragon. Bronzes were too big for her! Even if this one looked so interesting. He had chew toys for legs.

On the traces before? Whatever did that mean? They hadn't met before, if that's what this Weyrling was trying to say. "Aye. I was just discussing with Narna here", Paryal said, gesturing to the Candidate, "That we seemed to have very little chance to socialize. I'm Paryal, and she's Aezanth. She's also a lazy lump." The Queen didn't even dignify the newcomers with opening one eye, though she did rumble slightly. It's a bronze Aezanth. Sure you don't want to say hello? No answer. It appeared Aezanth was going to dignify such an offensive remark with her own gracious words. "And I don't believe I've met you, bronzerider." It wouldn't hurt to flirt a little bit with him, would it? He was rather handsome, though there were always concerns about if the disabled dragons would survive. His looked strong and sturdy enough though.

Before Paryal could even respond to Z'hin's gentle teasing, he had vanished off. "Don't just cook a rabbit in public!" He wouldn't really do that, would he? Not in public, at least. It was a shame he was leaving though. Mutasim seemed rather awkward, and there was something condescending about him that Paryal didn't like. What was his problem? Well, he had splashed into the water now, and there was nothing to do about it. But where had Z'hin gone? He was enjoyable to be around, and this was frustrating. It took a while for Paryal to notice Mutasim's scar, but when she did, her frown deepened. There was an air of mystery about him that she wasn't going to question. He would tell in his own sweet time.

Sadly for Z'hin, one dragon had taken quite a notice in Jesserath. Llath watched with wide eyes. Her first baby infatuation was happening full force. He was so handsome! But he was also scary, because he was so big. How could dragons get that big? Aezanth and Kasraith were practically monsters to the dimunitive Llath, though at least Aezanth was kind to her. Maybe the rest of the dragons would be kind too. As Llath questioned the good looks of Jesserath, P'tol blushed. It was a good thing he was out of sight, or he would have seen the bright red coming to his cheeks. Shards, but he didn't want to think of someone like that right now! Especially someone that P'tol strongly suspected didn't like other men in that way.

[evendar]

N'vis' own blush increased as he caught a splash of red out of the corner of his eye. P'tol was blushing too. Was it because of him? Had he been spotted. How he wished Narna was closer. Reenith gave her's a loving caress and N'vis remembered he had two loved ones to fall back on again. He patted her head and smiled, just her presence giving him strength.

Narna turned back to the other group, making sure she was in a position as to be talking to both Paryal or Mutasim. "I know, I never even got the chance to meet half of you. I only know Paryal's name because she Impressed the Queen." she said in a slightly over exaggerated tone. It was nice to talk to someone other than her brother, no matter how much she loved him. He wasn't much for talking in public, which left her rather stranded sometimes. He seemed to be rather nervous, and no matter how much she wished to find out more about Mutasim, perhaps he needed her. But then she saw her brother smile, apparently something his dragon had said had soothed him. Feeling a bit ostrasized near all these dragonriders, she turned back to Mutasim a bit, feeling that they should bond together since they were both still Candidates.

[Requiem]

Z'hin moved along at a steady pace, just fast enough to send a running stream of grumbles through his head as Jessereth hauled tail to keep up. This was his element. This was his home. The weyrling was happy as a clam - How is a clam happy? The young man broke stride to stare at the brown, obviously nonplussed. "You know, honestly I don't know." Z'hin frowned in puzzlement. Then he shrugged. More people meant they needed more rabbits. His eyes moved to pick out anything that might tell him where a den could be.

***

All of these weyrlings were becoming annoying to Mutasim. He could tolerate one or two. Z'hin and Jessereth certainly didn't bother him. But now the count was up to one gold, one bronze, four greens and Jessereth. Besides which, he didn't like the way one of the boys was looking at him. Mutasim was especially sensitive to male attention - as well he should be. The muscles in his thighs tightened sympathetically.

N'vis. That was his name, the candidate recalled. His shame did not at all escape the street urchin's notice. Mutasim did, however, dismiss him as a threat, though he still felt distinctly uncomfortable. That discomfort was only heightened when the question came, from N'vis's twin, no less. He looked at her with a frankness that was both open and closed. It was the steady scrutiny of an animal, judging whether or not this other creature was threat or food. Water glistened off his bare, olive-toned chest, the curls falling about his face. So innocent seeming unless you looked him in the eye. His tone never changed as he replied matter-of-factly, "All they wish to keep within the gambling houses of Bitra bear such scars."

Mutasim didn't know what people outside Bitra knew about the hold. Narna may or may not know of the unwilling guests kept upon the upper floors of those gambling houses, may or may not be aware of just what he meant, just what his purpose was within that place. It didn't matter. The boy had long ago accepted that piece of his past as unchanging. He refused to be ashamed of something he had no control over. He also vowed never to allow himself to fall into such a situation again.

The look that he directed at Narna bordered on defiant. Though, really, one would be hard-pressed to note just how his expression had changed.

***

When Z'hin reemerged from the trees, three skinned rabbits thrown over his shoulder and staining his tunic with their blood, he came upon a crowd of weyrlings. Not so many as to set him into a panic attack, but still...it was enough to dampen his spirits just a little. Jessereth leaned against his bonded. The brown was a sturdy creature, but he was young yet, and his Mine had tired him out just a bit with all of this running around.

Suddenly the swarthy young man beamed. Well, now look at how many would get to taste the rabbit! It never occurred to him that it might be at all inappropriate to prepare food in front of everyone. His upbringing was such that he'd grown up around killing and dressing animals. Z'hin simply hadn't realized it was any different for anyone else, or rather, he hadn't considered the situation at all, and so hadn't thought of that. Nor did Jessereth find it at all strange. You ate when you were hungry, and you killed to eat. If you could. Though he still didn't understand why the meat had to be cooked...

The pair immediately set about piling the perfect, smooth river stones over the rabbits. Three little mounds. Then, above that, they laid wood for the fire, and Z'hin brought out a small flintbox, striking up a spark. The rabbits had already been wrapped in herbs and berries to give them that taste he wanted. Mutasim had long since waded up out of the river, his trousers clinging wetly to the muscular, wiry legs, as he watched Z'hin with intensity. He was indeed curious about the process.

Left to smoulder, the fires were low heat, heating the river stones beneath and, eventually, the rabbit meat. The herbs and berries would infuse the meat with their flavor as it slowly cooked. So tender, that meat would be.

Z'hin finally straightened on his haunches, slapping his thighs soundly in satisfaction. "That will do it," he said, to anyone who cared. Jessereth had long since lost interest and wandered over to the grouping of greens and the queen. He even spared a glance and welcoming mind-touch with the bronze.

[evendar]

Narna's eyebrows knitted together in a frown. "Why would they beat you though?" she asked, utterly confused. She'd spent her entire life in the South, never knowing for an instant what had occurred in the Northern Continent. Though from what she was hearing she was glad she had never been there. She leaned against a tree near the waters edge, enjoying the view only a bit. She liked guys as much, well as much as her brother to be perfectly honest. But she would prefer to wait, having seen what men can do to women when they want their way she would wait till she was sure she knew what she was getting into.

N'vis gulped visibly when he saw Mutasim glance back his way. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Not one to be the forerunner in anything, he stayed silent and bit his lower lip. Why was Narna being so open with him? Seeing yet another boy come back with dead rabbits over his shoulder, he gagged. He wasn't a big fan of most meat, and the site of blood had always made him gag, he turned away. And besides, this one rode brown, which meant he was "available" as they say. And no matter how much he secretly wanted to be involved with someone, the thought of anything while Reenith was so young and weak made his stomach turn.

[thialyn]

((please forgive the rather not-so-hot post. I'm a little out of it today for various reasons, and I'm not all that sure what's going on in the thread anymore so...yeah.))

The adopted siblings simply grinned, the fact that Mutasim was beaten not really phasing them. Everyone in life had their problems, some just more visible than others. Hence Kasraith. He obviously had no front legs. But that didn't stop him from ambling over to Llath, grinning because he wanted to meet one of his clutchmates. Hello, I'm Kasraith and my Chosen is T'ren, he said openly. What's you name?

Liamorth on the other hand was staring at the queen. How could she get so big? she wondered. Would she get that big? The green didn't think so. So she went and sat down next to Kasraith, purposefully making herself look even smaller next to the bronze. Llath looked so scared....but she remained silent, not wanting to add her own voice to her fellow green's already scared head.

"I'm Alene," the Runner answered easily amongst all the people. She really wasn't used to being around so many but she took it in stride, just as any Runner would. "And that's Liamorth sitting by his Kasraith." The two shared a look that only siblings would understand, and only close ones at that. Since the two were neither, the full import was rather lost on both of them.

"And I'm T'ren," the bronzerider said with a grin after looking back to the rest. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

[paryal]

It was difficult for Paryal to like Narna, though she tried as hard as she could. Everything about the young woman seemed to have an edge to it, and most of it seemed directed towards Paryal herself. She also appeared to be dominating her sibling too much- the lad would never learn to grow and spread his own wings if his siter kept him on a tight leash. Aezanth noticed the tension in her rider and raised her head once to stare at the girl, before turning her attention elsewhere. Do not worry about her. She is not even worth a second glance. It was a relief to have Aezanth quell her own worries about crazed, vengeful Candidates, and a double relief to know that Aezanth thought nothing of any woman except her own rider. Everyone had their doubts that their dragon could have chosen someone better, and Paryal was no exception. There had been so many, yet Aezanth seemed to think nothing of them now, and even claimed that none of them had held much of her attention on the Hatching Grounds. None but Paryal were worthy of her.

Z'hin returned with rabbits, cooking them right then and there. It wasn't the most pleasant sight, and P'tol felt rather queasy just looking at it. Paryal was staring it with a sort of intensity that spoke of disapproval of Z'hin publically making his meal right then and there. There were Kitchens, after all. He was a Weyrling- he didn't have to provide his own meals, or food for anyone else. Why did he do it then? Paryal was sure that if Z'hin asked nicely enough, there could be rabbit on the table in time for dinner, yet he had gone out and caught his own rabbits, and was going to cook them and skin them all by himself. What compulsion drove him to do so? There was a mystery to the brownrider that begged to be discovered, though Paryal couldn't say her interest in him was sufficient enough to make her do it. Maybe someone else could snoop him out and just tell her. Someone like P'tol? He certainly looked rather smitten with both rider and dragon, judging from the furious blush still in place on his cheeks.

As the brown wandered over again, Llath peered out at him once again. He was handsome, but so big! And so scary. She wasn't sure if she liked him quite yet. Some part of her mind seemed to demand that she like every male, and that every male like her, but the other part overwhelmingly said that she should stay behind P'tol, who represented all the safety in the world. For now, P'tol was the only male Llath needed.

As more and more people began to gather and mill about, Paryal stood and stretched, dislodging Aezanth. Grumbling, the Queen yawned and stretched herself, looking quizically up ato Paryal once. "It's been a pleasure to meet you all, but I think I might turn in for a nap. Aezanth kept me up half the night. I think I may have overfed her." It was hard to say no to the love in those eyes, and as a result, Paryal spent much of her night mucking out the increasing mess that the delicate little female was capable of producing. P'tol waved goodbye, wanting to stay, as he watched his cousin and her dragon wander off. Maybe some people would go with her, and there would be less people to deal with. That would be nice, but unlikely to happen.