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Post by lennae on Nov 21, 2007 15:39:52 GMT -5
Bright skies and the deafening noise of hundreds of people all gathered in spot greeted Lennae that afternoon, as she stepped into the gather square. It was the first time that she had been out and about on her own in over a sevenday, and though the healer at the weyr had deemed her healthy enough to go about a daily routine on her own, the young woman still felt extraordinarily weak.
Still, now was as good a time as any to venture out into her new world and with the gather, perhaps she would be able to find something that caught her eye. Her purse was empty at the moment, largely in part due to the fact that she had bought her own passage aboard the boat that she had taken to get to the Southern Continent. And then the Lord Holder had refused to pay in advance, leaving her broke.
Sighing, Lennae knew it would do no good to reminisce over the life she had lost, though she could not say that she had really lost much. Instead, she focused her mind on the brightly colored stalls she was passing, the wonderful aromas that colored the air, and the overall gaiety of the festivities. These people seemed so cheerful, so unaware of the war that was happening only a continent away, or if by dragon back, only the time it took to cough thrice.
Eventually, Lennae had had enough of browsing, and so settled down at a bench to observe the festivities. She mourned the loss of her weapons, knowing that she would have been able to use them to earn herself a few marks with which to buy a few new clothes.
Life, she decided, might not be so bad here after all.
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Post by glamourie on Nov 21, 2007 15:57:45 GMT -5
Why in the world had he come? For all the reasons he could think of, none sufficed bearing the company of so many people, many of whom Keliris would have liked to shove under water and hold there for a few minutes too long until they ceased struggling and would float on the surface of their own accord. He'd arrived early in the morning like so many of the Gather-goers from Selenitas Weyr and, despite his protests, he was hauled around by his younger brother for quite awhile. For the first time since he arrived, he was free, but he had no marks to spend and nothing really to do, except to kiss up to someone who might be willing to buy him a bubbly pie or two. Hardly his idea of a good time, considering he didn't enjoy eating to begin with. Keliris was mildly grouchy as a result, though he made no effort to leave the crowded Gather square. It was only afternoon. He had patience enough to last him a good ... oh, ten minutes more.
Mumbling to himself, the short boy slipped through the crowds with a predatory grace that was amplified by his small size. He'd pulled his chin-length red-brown hair out of his face as best he could, though a few strands fell over his cheeks. With his hair back, though, it was easier to tell that short and slender though he was, Keliris was in fact male. He looked younger than his sixteen turns, though he would not have thanked anyone for saying as much, and the scowl on his face was practically a permanent addition. Keliris was good at making himself look unapproachable.
Unfortunately for Keliris, even the most grumpy individuals at times craved human interaction. Typically he limited that to arguing back and forth with people he deemed inferiors, but aside from a Journeyman Healer that he hoped accidentally found himself on the wrong side of a dragon's claws, no one had bothered him at the Gather. Actually, it was rather disappointing, since he liked bickering and arguing. Fighting with people was a favourite pastime of the young candidate's, and it was a wonder really that he didn't have more scars as a result. But miraculously, he didn't, though he'd more than once been put in his place, and most recently by a green Weyrling he could have done without. (He was still mentally calling her 'Egg.')
His attention was caught by someone sitting at a bench, away from some of the people. Tilting his head, Keliris circled through the group of people milling about casually before coming right up to the side of the bench. His eyebrows raised and he folded his arms behind his head, the posture as comfortable as he was capable of looking. Insecure was Keliris, though he tried his best to hide it. And that girl was a candidate. Whatever her name was was irrelevant - she was a candidate and she was new. That was about all he knew or cared to know, at least prior to that.
"People watching gets boring when there's more of them than there is bugs," he commented, his voice holding its usual sarcastic drawl. He wouldn't be Keliris if he wasn't borderline rude at all times. "You're new to the Weyr. I've seen you. Shouldn't you be using this opportunity to socialize?"
[ Hi! I'm Glam! Keliris is mean! XD; Hopefully you can reply to this. ^^ ]
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Post by lennae on Nov 21, 2007 16:34:15 GMT -5
After a while, everyone seemed to look the same, Lennae decided. Their features seemed to morph until it was all one indefinite mass of bodies, each trying to go somewhere that they thought was extremely important. Occasionally an individual would catch her eye, but more often than not, they all seemed to melt into the crowd, making it quite difficult to discern each person’s intent.
A voice from coming to one side interrupted her thoughts. A quick glance around confirmed that the speaker was talking to her and not to someone else that she had failed to notice. Lennae turned to face this mystery person, who turned out to be none other than a boy. His age was indeterminable, for while he was rather on the short side, his features were mature.
“I highly doubt there could ever be more people than bugs,” she replied with a wrinkle of her nose, thinking back to the time she had spent wandering the wilderness of the southern continent and the myriad of insects that she had encountered. She looked out toward the throng of people and shook her head. No, she decided, there definitely were more bugs than people.
“I suppose I am rather new here,” she mused thoughtfully, chewing on her lower lip. “As far as socializing goes, aren’t we socializing right now? Therefore, I think I’m using this opportunity quite wisely.”
She smiled brightly at him, sliding over on the bench so that he might have room to sit if he so chose. After all, the position that he was currently standing in did not appear to be comfortable to her at all.
( Hi! I guess my username says Lennae, but usually I go by Weaving. =D I think Keliris is adorable. XD )
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Post by glamourie on Nov 21, 2007 21:50:02 GMT -5
"You've clearly not been around in the crowds today," Keliris countered with an over-dramatic eye roll. In his opinion, people bred like insects, constantly increasing themselves at the expense of others. He did not remotely approve people, though. In his opinion, more than two or three individuals was a crowd, and he and the girl-candidate (whose name continued to escape him) were two. There were way too many people, and strangely, in his thoughts, all the talking droned together like the fluttering and buzzing of insects in a fury flying about. There were no proper words or explanations, so what was so different in the end? The sounds were so similar, and people as a rule were parasitic, feeding off one's intelligence and sanity until it became a question of whether or not stabbing them in the face would truly be a crime. My, when had he become so cynical in regards to people?
A slender, dark eyebrow raised as she moved on the bench and he circled over to sit down, on the side furthest from her so there was as much room between the two of them as possible. Keliris wasn't one for personal space, but he knew others who were, and did his best to accommodate their wishes, despite his relatively belligerant attitude. Of course, he'd deny that as his motivations if anyone dared to ask him about it, but really, Keliris did try to be considerate about some things. Only some things, though. He liked chasing people off too much to be nice most of the time. Being terribly blunt was among the best ways to scare people away from him, or so he'd found.
His elbows rested against his knees and he leaned forward to prop his chin on his hands, eyes still on the crowds. She brought up a good point; the fact that they were talking counted as socializing, though Keliris had a hard time considering himself a social being. For him, coming up and talking to someone at all was downright friendly, and his idea of pleasant was acknowledging others when they spoke to him. He didn't like people very much, never had, and being so sick earlier that Turn didn't help improve his standing with most people. Or, rather, their standing with him. It was a wonder the young man managed to avoid getting himself beaten up on a daily basis.
"I know people who would tell you that talking to me doesn't qualify as socializing. There are times I would agree. Are you enjoying the Gather, then?" He probably should have asked her name, because he was still thinking of her as girl, but Keliris wasn't the type to make the first move very often. "Or are you like me, sitting here pretending that the people milling about are terribly interesting when, in fact, you'd much rather be at one of the stalls haggling, but unfortunately you're out of marks?"
[ It's nice to meet you, Weaving! Hope you like it here ^_^ ]
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Post by lennae on Nov 21, 2007 22:13:33 GMT -5
He was an interesting boy for sure, Lennae observed as he sat beside her, careful to maintain a respectful distance. It was clear that he was bored with the social gathering that was occurring while they sat here, socializing. She supposed that she was getting tired of the endless amounts of people as well, though she did find herself looking forward to the dancing, which would occur later that evening. Though she hadn’t had much time to practice her skills, she was light on her feet, a quick learner and a decent ability to feel time, which aided her on the dance floor.
“I suppose I’m enjoying the gather as much as I can, though my purse is empty and I’m in desperate need of a few things,” she replied. “I can’t say that I’m terribly interested in haggling though. I don’t think I’ve ever been good at driving a price down low enough to be considered reasonable.”
The boy didn’t seem to be one with enough patience to haggle over stall keepers, though she did suppose that he had a blunt enough attitude toward things and a stubborn enough personality that a stall keeper would soon realize that further effort would be useless. Sometimes Lennae found herself wishing for a personality such as his, but more often than not she decided that she would grow tired of it.
“So then, are you always so miserable, or only when you are around people?” Perhaps the question was a bit blunt, but Lennae was curious and figured that if the boy couldn’t handle the question, than he wasn’t much worth her time anyway. Harsh, but that was the world she had grown up in.
“By the way, I’m Lennae,” she added as an after thought, offering her hand for a shake.
( I love it here. Less than 24 hours and I'm already addicted. ^^ )
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Post by glamourie on Nov 22, 2007 0:01:27 GMT -5
"I would offer to buy something for you, were it that I had the marks to spend," Keliris replied with a slight shrug. "As it is, I'm down to... mm.. oh, absolutely nothing." He shook his head slowly and sighed. He'd spent most of his marks at the previous Gather, ironically on a belt he'd worn out within a matter of months due to over-wearing it; at the time, he'd been very thin from being deathly ill, so much so that he'd needed the belt to keep his pants up at all. Since then, he'd managed to gain back some of the weight, but Keliris was still a mere wisp of a boy, startlingly thin for his height... which wasn't much, really. He was also rather pale, which compared to most of the inhabitants of Selenitas with their tanner skin tones, made him look sick. His problem was that he didn't take care of himself, though he would have argued there were other, more important things to worry about.
But for once, he was being honest. When it came to marks and paying for things, Keliris wasn't frugal; if someone new to the Weyr needed something and he had extra marks, he would have given it to them without a second thought. That was how he functioned. Need before desire was his main mindset. As a result, Keliris had very little in the way of personal possessions. His clothing was about the extent of it, and the candidate had little desire to change that. He wasn't a materialistic person. He preferred more important things, like quiet time alone. Anything that might draw extra attention to him was scorned with distaste, as was the nature of someone who preferred to be left alone. Let people who liked being focused on buy the expensive, decorative things. It wasn't as though the candidate barracks were very homey anyway.
Looking up at her question, Keliris raised an eyebrow. "People make me miserable as a rule. I don't like groups. I also don't like noise and they sound like a swarm of insects," he explained with a thumb jutted in the direction of the crowds. "I'd feel better if I had some purpose of coming here aside from escaping the candidate barracks for more than a few moments at a time, but every time I leave to explore the Weyr grounds or just get away from people I have the peculiar talent of injuring myself. Who knew?" He took her hand and shook it lightly before going back to glowering at the crowd, as though a dirty look could send them all scurrying in frantic terror from his obvious agitation. If only he was so lucky. "I'm Keliris. There's a taller look alike to me somewhere in here - he's got green eyes and darker, browner hair, too. His name's Kaliran, you've probably heard him in the barracks. Our dead great grandmother probably has heard him when he's in there, the loudmouth. He's my brother."
Despite the seemingly harsh words, Keliris's tone was laden with affection for his younger sibling. Kaliran was nearly his polar opposite, optimistic and friendly, bright and bubbly -- at times, Keliris wanted to hit him. But most of the time, he was grateful to see that the world hadn't scarred his brother into hating everyone in it the way it did him. There were some things to be thankful for. "Which of the holds were you Searched from, Lennae? Southern? Selenitas? You don't strike me as someone from Blossom and I'm not sure Lighttower lets any Selenitas riders in..."
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Post by lennae on Nov 22, 2007 10:40:00 GMT -5
“That is a kind offer of you to make, though I hope I never have need to make good on it. I’m sure that as I begin doing chores and the like, my purse will slowly fatten,” she said, smiling. “And it’s the thought that counts, so thank you for your generous thoughts.”
In truth, the boy sitting beside her didn’t strike her as the giving kind. What with his comparisons of people to insects and clear dislike for the majority of them, she had never thought that he would be willing to help them. Still, people could and would continue to surprise her.
Growing up with the people that she had, she had only ever met one kind of human; the kind that will stop at nothing to get the job done and the kind that wouldn’t take so much as a moment to spare a thought for others. It had been a world where every man had fought for himself. Sometimes she wondered how she had been able to survive it, but she knew what she had done what was needed.
“You don’t appear as though you’ve hurt yourself yet, but you’ve still got the dancing to get through. Do you dance?”
Lennae found herself amused by Keliris, who had immediately gone back to throwing the crowd before them angry glares after shaking her hand. Though he seemed to think that he was being quite threatening and intimidating, Lennae found it adorable, much like when a young child pouts after failing to get their way.
Suddenly, the merriment seemed to flow right out of her. He had asked the dreaded ‘where are you from’ question, which she had been hoping to avoid. She had a half-formed answer ready, but if he continued to question her, surely she would crack and tell him the truth.
“My family was a group of explorers,” she said, clearing her throat. “We came from the northern continent, hoping to get away from the fighting and make a new life. What about you, have you always lived at the weyr, or were you once a hold brat?”
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Post by glamourie on Nov 22, 2007 17:44:31 GMT -5
Kind? Generous? Those... were not words Keliris often had associated with him and as a result, he couldn't help but actually stare at Lennae as if she'd sprouted a second head. He didn't think he'd said or suggested anything of the sort and actually, he was torn between whether to take her remark as an insult or simply a comment based on not knowing him very well. Was it strange that he was actually considering taking such a statement as an insult? Most people would have thought it a compliment and it was probably intended as one, but Keliris didn't think kindness and generous were all that admirable of traits. All they did was prove someone was weak or likely to get themselves hurt. Grouchy, grouchy. Keliris looked for the worst in everyone and everything. Was it any wonder he had no real friends?
He decided not to respond. It was better if he kept those thoughts to himself. The ultimate fatalism with which he viewed the world had a tendency of chasing off the more skittish and for once, he didn't want to be completely alone. He blamed that on Rawign ditching him to go bother the Weyrwoman in relation to her buying pies, and that Harper girl randomly clinging to the man at the Harper stall. Despite his rough exterior, at times Keliris did feel alone. He'd have cut his tongue out rather than admit it, but he did get lonely sometimes.
Slowly turning to look at her, Keliris's eyebrows nearly reached his hairline. Dance? Him? What? "I'm not hurt yet because I've done little except to sit around. Last time I went walking much, I stepped on a jagged rock and tore open the sole of my foot. It's beginning to heal now, though." He shrugged slightly. It would have healed much faster if he wasn't busy walking on said foot constantly, jarring the injury over and over again. He was a fool and he knew it, but he couldn't stand to be bedridden for very long, his instincts wouldn't allow for that. Keliris was an animated person, if permanently in a snit, and he was not content with the idea of being confined anywhere. Besides... he was actually phobic of being trapped in a bed, furs or cot regardless, for very long. He'd have gone insane. As for dancing...? "Not very well, I expect. I haven't tried in a long time, not since I was about six and was determined to be joined with one of the girl candidates ten Turns my senior. I talked her into dancing with me - I expect she thought me quite the fool. She never Impressed and is currently at Blossom Hold somewhere." He shook his head, slinging dark locks around his face. He hadn't thought about that in a long time.
Keliris had no reason to doubt Lennae's story (aside from general skepticism in humanity in general), so he believed her without hesitation. Hers wouldn't be the first family to leave the north and its ugly wars. "My mother and father are riders from Selenitas; I'm a Weyrbrat, or I was. Candidate, officially, now." He shrugged slightly. "I've never been to the north." There was no regret in his voice, or anxiety, nor any indication to whether or not he cared one way or the other. He was who he was; nothing was going to change that. "Becoming a candidate must be quite a different life indeed. I hope it's suiting you..."
Why in the world did he say that? The truth was, he didn't really care. She seemed nice enough but people never lingered in Keliris's mind for very long. He wasn't social, he wasn't friendly, and he didn't care whether or not everyone around him was comfortable or happy. It wasn't his job to please others. Still, he'd said it, so some part of him must have wanted to. Maybe Kaliran's disturbingly friendly demeanor was wearing off on him, or maybe he was just too tired to be nasty for once. He glanced over his shoulder at her, then quirked an eyebrow. "What about you, though? Do you dance?"
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Post by lennae on Nov 24, 2007 6:06:30 GMT -5
Lennae laughed at Keliris’s story of his last dancing experiance, something that she hadn’t found herself able to do in a long time. After all, the life of an assassin is rarely, if ever, an amusing one, and since she had come here, there hadn’t been much of an opportunity to socialize until now. It wasn’t a particularly loud laugh, due to a lack of use, but the sound of her own voice startled her, and for a moment she had a rather surprised look on her face, which she covered quickly.
“I suppose we all have those childhood embarrassments and crushes,” she said after a moment by way of apology for her early burst of laughter. Of course, she doubted that she had any of those sorts of memories of her own; while Keliris had been busy trying to win the affections of a girl ten turns his elder, she had been learning how to fend for herself amongst a world of men. Lennae figured though, that she should, at some point, begin to flesh out her back-story, just in case more probing questions should arise. She doubted that they would from Keliris, but others would probably be nosier than the young man.
“You wouldn’t want to go to the north, though I don’t suppose you had any wishes of doing so in the first place,” she told him, wrinkling her nose in disgust at what had, at one point, been her former home. Quick to change the subject from her back to him, she pounced on his past. “You grew up in Selenitas? That must have been nice. After all, from what I can gather, the weyr is quite a pleasant place to live. And that means that you’ve known everyone practically since birth; you don’t need to worry so much about meeting people and making new friends and what not.”
She smiled slightly, perhaps truly beginning to enjoy herself for the first time in perhaps forever. While Keliris came off as a rude and sulky person to begin with, her conversation was leading her to believe otherwise. After all, no person who truly disliked others would sit and have a pleasant conversation such as the one they were having for any amount of time. “I think candidate life is treating me quite nicely. I can’t say that I’m not a bit anxious about the hatching though. I never really grew up near dragons, and the few that I did see had such hateful and crazy riders that I think it had begun to affect their bonded.”
In fact, the one dragon that Lennae had ever personally seen before coming here had been D’loro’s bronze. She shuddered internally at the thought, and Keliris’s inquiry as to her dancing skills quickly helped to lighten her thoughts. “I’ve danced only a handful of times, perhaps enough to count on one hand, but every time I do, it makes me wish that I had more opportunities. There’s just something about it that is so carefree, like you can forget all your troubles. Unless you have two left feet and an inability to feel time of course.”
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Post by glamourie on Nov 24, 2007 7:58:23 GMT -5
The irony of Keliris's story was that the girl he mentioned was to be his first and only crush to date. He would not tell that to Lennae who could hardly be considered his friend, but he had closed his heart off long ago; people weren't worth the effort. They betrayed and they hurt, and he was tired of hurting and of being betrayed. Keliris was never a carefree and happy individual, never sweet and considerate, and no part of him would ever be loving. He couldn't be. Too much of him was self-oriented. But ever since he'd gotten sick, he'd pushed everyone away from him as much as he was capable. He pushed everyone away, and he hoped that they would ignore him. Everything died. It was easier to let dead things go when there were no attachments. Keliris, pessimist, morbid and unfriendly as he was, thought that the more he pushed people away, the less it would hurt when he did die. He thought about that more than most people probably did.
As for Selenitas being a pleasant place to live, Keliris couldn't say. He watched Lennae with an expression crossed between curiosity and amusement. He'd never lived anywhere else, so he honestly couldn't compare. Home was home, and that was all there was to it. He had a very home-oriented mindset; home was where he belonged, home was where he needed to be, and home was to be protected. To him, Selenitas was home, the only place he ever knew, and he would defend it with every ounce of his being. He wouldn't go so far as to say it was pleasant but it didn't have to be. Homes were what they were. In those stone walls were memories from his entire life. The people he could take or leave, or so he'd claim, but the memories that each wall represented, days spent on the river with the other 'Brats, threatening to drown Kaliran because he was 'loud' -- those were what he could never give up. Home was home.
"I have no desire to go to the north." It wasn't honesty. Keliris actually did want to go to the North, though not for the reasons most would expect. He'd have liked to see Benden and Fort crumble, so that they stayed far away from Selenitas. Nothing personal, just business. But he wouldn't ever go. He had no way of really getting there and no way of making a point. Keliris was a boy who faded into the background when he wasn't picking fights. He liked that about himself, though. That... was probably the only thing about himself Keliris would admit to liking about himself.
Trailing off, Keliris looked toward the group of people making their way out to dance before smiling. "You don't have to worry about anything. Dragons don't hurt people unless their riders order it. Hatchlings sometimes do, but it's a mistake, they don't mean it and it's never personal. There are cases of people getting hurt, but it's really unintentional, the dragons don't realize what they're doing. Simple ignorance. Once they Impress, they won't harm anyone unless their rider specifically tells them to, though they're known to kick up quite a fuss when they're angered. Loud noises and the like. Either way, I think you'll find that Selenitas dragons are not like the north. I've yet to meet one I truly dislike -- though one of the Weyrlings and I have what I would call a disagreement in regards to which of us truly gets to keep my brother as a pet. She seems to feel he's hers, and won't listen to reason. Never mind that she doesn't look to him."
Keliris shook his head casually. Phremath was a strange one - but he didn't dislike her. He might pretend to, but he didn't. Keliris found it very hard to dislike any dragon. Most of their misdeeds were not their fault. Though, that didn't stop him from picking a fight with the young ones. He didn't mean to, he was just... well, hard to get along with. Not that Lennae seemed to be having much trouble. Raising his eyebrows, Keliris turned to glance at Lennae before asking softly, "I don't suppose you'd want to dance with me, then? I might have two left feet. I honestly don't know." What possessed him to ask, he couldn't say, but... well, he'd done it anyway, hadn't he?
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Post by lennae on Nov 24, 2007 8:27:09 GMT -5
It seemed that Keliris was a wealth of information, though it was to be expected that he would know far more of life in a weyr than Lennae would, considering he had grown up within the weyr walls. “Are injuries at hatchings…common?” She questioned. No one had warned her about that. And while she wasn’t necessarily afraid of the potential danger, she had hoped that her new life would be somewhat less…well, dangerous.
“Dragons can take people as pets?” This idea seemed to shock Lennae, and while it might be amusing when it wasn’t occurring to you personally, she made a mental note to steer clear of the younger weyrlings, lest it happen to her. It wasn’t that she was necessarily afraid of dragons, but, well, rumor was that they could read a person’s mind, and she wasn’t certain if it would be in anyone’s best interests to read hers. In fact, it seemed that the more she was learning about dragons and Impression, the less she wanted one of her own.
Though she had never had any dreams of what she wanted to be while she was growing up, after all, her options were limited and the careers that she had been exposed to were ones that generally no one wanted, Lennae had never been one to fantasize of one day being a dragon rider. Perhaps it was due to growing up in the north. It wasn’t that she found the life of a dragon rider despicable, and she was, in some ways, looking forward to it. However, Lennae couldn’t honestly say that being a dragon rider was her lifelong dream.
“Have you attended many hatchings then? Did you always want to be a dragon rider?” She didn’t mean to grill him, but as unintentional as it may have been, she grew nervous simply thinking of the upcoming hatching, though it wouldn’t be for a while yet. Had she made the right choice in accepting a search? Had she really had much choice at all, considering that without the weyr’s aid, she would have most likely parished?
However, all fears were swept aside at Keliris’s offer to dance. His comment of possibly having two left feet had her laughing as she bent over to look down at the aforementioned feet. “You’re feet look quite normal to me, and after all, what better way to find out than to actually try it? I’d love to dance with you.” She smiled brightly as she spoke, her happiness genuine. She was going to get to dance.
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Post by glamourie on Nov 24, 2007 18:37:40 GMT -5
She sounded so worried that Keliris couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for having mentioned it, though it was likely better to warn her than anything else. "Common... well, sort of. They aren't considered rare. It's more a case of people not moving. If a dragonet is walking toward you, and they don't speak to you... they're probably not going to look to you. So you need to move, and let them find their way to who they've chosen. They're rather like small children when they first hatch - very clumsy on their legs, and they don't know their own strength. It's never on purpose, but it isn't unusual for some poor fool to get mauled by accident. Don't worry - as long as you remember to move if a dragon is coming near you, but doesn't speak to you, you'll be fine. There aren't all that many cases of injuries, and ... well, the dragons never mean to do it," he explained with a shrug. "Like I said, clumsy. It isn't really their fault, it's simple ignorance..."
It bothered him to think that his off-hand remark might sway some candidate from standing. To some degree, though, he felt everyone who went to the Sands should be warned about the risks. Dragonriders weren't meant to be the faint of heart or mind. Someone who would be scared off by a dragon accidentally climbing over some boy was not likely to make a good rider anyway. That didn't mean that he didn't feel guilty for being the bearer of bad news. None of the guilt made it to his face, though, because Keliris rationalized it out that if he hadn't told her, she'd have no doubt gotten herself mauled by simple ignorance on her part. See? He could justify anything.
Keliris shook that thought off as Lennae posed her question about dragons taking people as pets. A bemused smile crossed his face. "Of course not. But a hatchling doesn't know that. Dragons grow much faster than people but when they're young, they're not very different from us. A weyrling is like a child. Think of a Weyrbrat and their behavior. They don't know the things an adult would know, and they will when they're fully grown but..." He shrugged. "No, they can't truly take a person as a pet, but that doesn't stop some from thinking they can, just like the smallest 'brat can dream about learning to fly, or managing to Impress the biggest dragon Pern has ever seen. It doesn't often happen, but when you're that young, you believe it can. Phremath - she looks to Healer Kalierre - is a Weyrling, like a child. She'll understand when she is grown that Kaliran can't be her pet, but right now she doesn't know. It's probably a sign of my maturity that I argue with her about it..." A quiet laugh escaped him, for once not bitter or angry. Yes, he had a tendency to be extremely immature, but there was something amusing about arguing with a dragon. He couldn't explain what.
"What?" Her next question threw him and he raised his eyebrows, then shook his head. "I was able to attend some Hatchings, prior to the last one, but it was in the Stands. I've never stood before. I was old enough to Stand for the last one, but I was sick. Firehead." Had he always wanted to be a dragonrider? Didn't every boy? "Yes. But I don't expect to Impress, to be honest. I'm too old to take up a craft now, so I'll likely end up shuffling to and fro doing odd jobs..." He probably should have sounded bitter, but Keliris had accepted he had little chance of Impressing anything. He couldn't even Impress a firelizard. How would he Impress a dragon? He wasn't good enough. He didn't mind so much anymore.
Especially not when she didn't seem too put out by his behavior. It was strange, normally Keliris's bitter, grouchy exterior deterred people. Yet when Lennae bent over to look at his feet, so did he, and he quirked an eyebrow. "They're deceptive. We'll see soon enough, I expect. Do you want to go now or wait until they're fully ready?" He indicated the stage where the Harpers were preparing. "And don't say I didn't warn you in advance if I knock us and half the Gather-goers over, though I admit I'll laugh if I cause a complete topple..."
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Post by lennae on Nov 24, 2007 19:41:44 GMT -5
Right…” She nibbled at her lower lip, contemplating Keliris’s words concerning impression and weyrlings. It made sense that they would be just like young children. After all, they were of roughly the same degree of intelligence of a human, though lacking in memory. So, perhaps she would be able to forgive a hatchling for a scratch or two. She had, after all, suffered much worse. Still, Lennae made a mental note to herself that she would make sure to stay clear of any wandering hatchlings that didn’t look like they wanted her.
She was slightly surprised that there was no bitterness in his voice when he spoke of his slim odds of impression and the sickness that had kept him from standing at the last hatching as well. Considering that he had said it was a dream he had always had. “Personally, I think that if the dragons picked you, than somewhere in that clutch is a dragon growing and waiting for you to find him.” She smiled at him. “Or her,” she added after a moment’s thought.
Lennae said this not only to comfort him, but also because she didn’t see any reason why he wouldn’t impress. In fact, she decided that she would be much less likely to find her bonded in the upcoming hatching than Keliris. Her background simply didn’t lend itself to a dragon riding career. Perhaps in one of the Northern weyrs it would have, but certainly not here. These people were clearly the good guys, and all her life, Lennae had spent her days fighting to defeat these people. She regretted it, but facts were facts.
“I say we go now. People are already gathering and we’d better hurry if we’re to find a decent spot on the floor. That way, if you do end up a complete and total klutz, at least your targets to knock over will be plentiful.” Her reasoning behind this statement being that if you were going to end up making a fool of yourself for something, it may as well be as a big a something as possibly.
“C’mon, quick!” She stood, shaking out her skirts before grabbing to pull Keliris up by the wrist and drag him over to where the dancing square was being set up and others were eagerly awaiting the beginning of the dancing.
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Post by glamourie on Nov 24, 2007 23:44:08 GMT -5
"Perhaps," Keliris replied loftily, though he was not going to get his hopes up. With his sickness came a lot of changes to his personality - a less friendly exterior, more hostile, and the belief that no one or thing could possibly want him. Other people might have been depressed by such a notion, and perhaps some part of Keliris really was, though he'd have denied it to his dying grave. But emotions didn't change facts and he rationalized it out with cold logic: in the end, if he got his hopes up to have them dashed, he'd only be hurt worse. (Of course, secretly, his hopes were up, but that fact, Keliris would never admit to even himself let alone a girl he could hardly claim to know.) The sad truth was, though, no matter how much he wanted it, no matter how eagerly he hoped, even if he denied it even to himself, Keliris did not really believe he had the slightest chance. He'd given up. And he'd silently accepted that, for the most part.
Whatever trepidation he felt about dancing was washed away at the idea of knocking people over, though. He couldn't help but grin, trying to picture a bunch of Holders and Dragonriders stumbling around and falling all because he was incapable (or maybe unwilling was a better word) of dancing. The grin was perhaps the most genuine emotion that Keliris had showed in a long time - first real laughter, then a real grin? It was rare for him to smile and not have it be an angry or cruel look; no doubt the depth of such emotion would be lost on someone who didn't know him very well, but it was possibly the highest compliment Keliris could have paid Lennae. He didn't show emotions very easily.
Most of that stemmed from the fact that Lennae was generally disarming. He couldn't explain why but he felt like she was someone who could at least understand him. Maybe it was because she hadn't turned and scoffed at his comparisons of people to insects, or his bitter tones, and his scowls seemed to be completely lost on her; whatever it was, she'd passed the initial test of talking to him and most of his guard was down - at least for the moment. Some part of Keliris was unnerved by that, frightened because any time he trusted someone it came back to haunt him, he was forced to regret it in some way. But for the moment, or perhaps for the Gather itself, he was fine with at least temporarily trusting Lennae. After all, what harm could one measly dance do, aside from, erm, possibly get them extra chores at the Weyr for causing such a ruckus and misbehaving? Heh!
"Careful or I'll think you're trying to seduce me with talk of toppling people over," he teased as she grabbed his wrist. Both eyebrows raised as he was pulled to his feet and Keliris continued laughing, allowing himself to stumble along to the dancing square where people were assembling.
[ I guess this thread is done - we can move to Dance Square thread now. ^^ ]
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