Taking stock [tags Dy'shi]

[tarra]

The bustle of the Gather was a shock after the relative quietness of Weyr life, and she took a moment at one corner of the crowds to get used to its clutter and hustle. She had been to Gathers before back in the North, usually as a guard or an escort for a ranking rider, just one more body to swell the size of an entourage often designed to stroke the ego of a rider already known amongst the commonfolk on the ground. But those Northern Gathers had always been more muted, more subtle and soft in terms of activity and noise (or maybe it was just the presence of the ranking riders she happened to be escorting at those times). But there was an easiness, a lightness to this one that she had never felt in her previous excursions to Gathers, and she rather found that she relished it.

Sonarth, it seemed, felt the same. She had left the blue humming (humming? hmm) on the edge of the grounds, to while away his time in conversation or plain solitude whilst she pounded the grounds at her own leisure. That was in itself a new experience: Fort had never liked her enough to give her much spare time in which to roam and discover its secrets. It had always been guard duty, patrols, sweeprides - anything and everything but the main geist of the work, the whys not addressed even as she was ordered to take care of the whens and the whats. It had been a senseless life back in Fort, though not much more so than the rest of her existence had been; dragonriding, at least, had given her life purpose, defining its functions and its roles with a clarity as sharp as the knives she wore at her belt. But it was only after arriving at Selenitas that she had began to realize she still had a capacity to dream, and to decide her place in life.

Settling herself at a spare table, she took a moment to chew on the stick of calamari she had just made off with. Seafood was a new thing for the ex-Fortian, and she was amused at how much she found herself enjoying it. Eating slowly to prolong the happy feel of this strange but desirable foods, she scanned the stalls all around, considering her next target for unusual seafoods. There were too many of them, she decided; choice and choosing free from the duress of necessity were new concepts to her, and she could understand now why some said the Selenitas riders were spoilt rotten. With this much freedom available to them, who wouldn't be?

Not that she was complaining - she was half beginning to worry that she would soon grow fat herself. She could only imagine how their most recent hostages must be taking it. Several months had passed, and even the stitched woumds on Sonarth's flanks were becoming scars already. Ar'ren, she knew, had began mingling with the general populace, albeit reluctantly. A'emi, however, had not been heard or seen much of since the attack, and she wondered idly if he was really being so reticent or if there were some other reason for his absence. Not something she wanted to speculate on openly, of course; but between Sonarth and herself she was entitled to all the conjecture they wished to imagine.

She pushed the thoughts aside, and let herself dwell on more pleasant things. Later she would start thinking about moving out to visit the main Gather Stalls. The word was that the weapons on offer were of particularly good quality, and had been imported from the North - now that, she certainly had to see. For now she was content to sit and chew, and think on what she would like to chew next.

[Ember]

Dy'shi was nothing short of amazed. He'd only ever been to one Gather before the Southern Gather and he'd been too young to be able to wander freely, nevermind be able to actually buy anything. Thankfully weyrlings earned a small amount of marks for their chores - the boy was convinced it was to keep them actually doing them - and he was making full use of them. When else would he spend them? He didn't need anything because the weyr provided for his basic needs. Chakraith hadn't needed anything either.

Thinking of the blue, Dy'shi wished she could have come too. He couldn't wait until she could fly and he could ride her. He loved the thrill of heights and surely riding his very own dragon couldn't be beat! She always counseled him to patience when he spoke of it. The day would come but waiting specifically for it would only make it seem farther away. Dy admitted that was true and instead of dwelling on it during the Gather he shared his sight with her since she had grown interested after his initial reaction to it.

He'd only asked her to withdraw when he needed to concentrate, such as when he was talking with people or making a purchase...or both. Earlier he'd bought a gift for someone who had helped him out. In his own words, she'd saved his life and thus she needed to be repaid somehow. Of course, finding her might be a bit of a problem. He supposed he could get Chakraith to bespeak her dragon and ask where she was. I do not know Sonarth well enough, Dy'shimine. So much for that idea.

Dy sighed as he entered the area where food was being cooked and sold. He bought a couple of bubbly pies like most children with marks did and was looking for a seat when he spotted the person he was looking for. Ask and ye shall receive! He made his way over to where Katar was sitting and plopped himself at the same table. "Hello Katar!" He sure hoped she remembered him, otherwise it might be kind of awkward. Since she'd been interested in his dragon he somehow doubted she'd forgotten the rider of the female blue.

[tarra]

Katar, lost in the pleasant reverie brought on by such genteel surroundings, was nonetheless nonplussed when a small figure plunked himself at her table. Not that she minded sharing - it had just been a little sudden, and her roaming thoughts had not registered the youngster in time to prevent mild surprise at his abrupt entrance. Even as her startled gaze lit on him, however, she heard her name called and recognized immediately the boy who rode the female blue, Chaikrath. It was impossible not to when Sonarth spoke so often of her, when he so often observed her with intense curiosity from afar (though with care to avoid detection as well).

"Hey Dy'shi," with a light smile, the bluerider sat back a little to give him more space as she gestured for him to settle in more comfortably. It had been but a few months since she last saw the blue-weyrling, but the memory of their chance encounter seemed a hundred years ago. Fort's attack had changed everything, and even the Main Hall in which she had first ran into Chaikrath's weyrling was no more. The memory brought a cold light to her eyes - it was remarkable how war and battle aged people, not least of all herself. Selenitas, once innocent and sluggish (a fact that even she with her youthful perspective had noticed on her first coming) was slowly waking to this fact, and to the concept that war was more than just a Northern concept. But she smiled nonetheless for Dy'shi, sparing him the grim realities of the thoughts behind her eyes. For now.

"Good to see you out and about," she laid down the stick of calamari to better speak to him over it. The boy seemed awed by his surroundings, and the sight deepened the smile on her features. Ah, to be so young again, and forget that even at the tender age of 20 turns she had already taken more than one life! She nodded towards the bustling stalls.

"This your first Gather? It can seem pretty big at first, and noisy; it's noisy even for me, and I've been to a few," she spoke with cool, honest empathy, "How's Chaikrath? I doubt she came with you, aye? She's too young to fly."

[Ember]

The surprise on her face registered and Dy'shi deflated slightly. Forgotten! Oh how silly of him to think someone like him would be remembered by someone like Katar. He might have started moping if not for the greeting that recovered his spirits. he smiled back brilliantly before taking a small bite out of one of his bubbly pies. He hadn't been allowed to eat sweets much so he was savouring the ones he'd bought for himself. How great it was to have marks! He wasn't enitrely sure how to start a conversation with her so the pie was a good way to gain a bit of time.

He counted himself lucky when she initiated it first. He quickly swallowed what was in his mouth and grinned. "Not my first, but it might as well be. I was too young to really enjoy the first one I went to," he added. "All the people kind of surprised me. It makes me feel even smaller." He was small for his age and already shorter than a lot of children, but he felt positively tiny with so many adults all bustling around. He wondered every now and then if any of his family were at the Gather. They didn't know he'd Impressed yet. He'd prefer not to face them just then...

Dy'shi sighed at mention of Chakraith. "Chakraith is as good as ever. She's really grown. I knew dragons got big but I guess I didn't appreciate how quickly they grow. Still not big enough to fly," he nodded at her, indicating she was right, "but small enough that a bigger dragon might have been able to bring her here. That's what my Weyrlingmaster's dragon did to get us out of the hatching grounds." He frowned at the reminder of the attack. Neither he nor Chakraith had suffered any harm but there were plenty of others who had.

To be polite and because he was genuinely interested he asked, "How is Sonarth? He's here, isn't he?" He still wondered on occasion if Chakraith would end up as large as Sonarth was. That would be so cool! She was bigger than her green clutchsiblings, much like a blue was, but she was female so Dy thought that she might have been smaller. Granted, she wasn't that much larger than the greens.

[tarra]

Dy'shi was cheerful, and his genuineness drew the older girl from the shadows of her quiet thoughtfulness. Smiling with a lightness that grew as she listened, she chuckled as the weyrling emphasized his height and continued about Chakraith in response to her question. Not even the mention of the weyrlings' escape from the burning Grounds dampened the lightness, though a shadow did glance over her eyes at the memory. But it went even as it came, and the bluerider retained her good mood. If there was one thing she was grateful for, it was that she had not brought her two kittens to the Hatching Grounds that day. Many had brought their pets there that day, she knew, and the resulting chaos had been all the worse for it. Her calamari stick lingered in her fingers, half-forgotten as she slipped in a comment on the incident.

"Aye, I heard. Good thing she was small enough - sometimes it's good to be smaller. But you'll soon find that Chakraith is bigger than you ever thought she'd be at Hatching."

The bluerider could speak from experience, remembering fondly how proud she had been of her Sonarth in spite of the hardships they faced in weyrlinghood. And there had been hardships indeed - not all weyrlings made it to the fighting Wings as full riders. Now that Selenitas had become a part of the war, she really ought not to be getting too close to its weyrlings, knowing how easily they might die...Wishing that her straying thoughts would stop continually wandering into depressive thoughts of war and death, she toyed with her calamari to hide her thoughts as Dy'shi went on.

"How is Sonarth? He's here, isn't he?"

"Oh he's here alright," Kata smiled, "He's hanging on the edges somewhere, there's no space for dragons in this crowd. Some dragons don't like crowds, but I daresay he's enjoying everything as much as I am."

A sense of happy agreement pulsed in her, and her smile widened at the touch of Sonarth's mind. He, at least, was not troubled by implications of what lay ahead, and she decided she should take the cue: be happy for the moment, that dark future could wait. She continued.

"So, are you thinking of buying anything? Must be a big thing too, having your own marks. I know I intend to visit the weapons stall later," she felt strange, being so chatty. It was probably the seafood, but she didn't care, she was too cheerful.

[Ember]

Dy'shi's smile grew at mention of Chakraith getting bigger than he imagined. It prompted him to say, "I wonder just how big she'll get. She's blue...but female. She's bigger than the greens in our class but I wonder if she'll stay like that? And what will happen when she gets older..." He trailed off there with a perplexed expression on his face. He was thinking of flights (though he still didn't know the effect they had on the riders) and he wondered if Chakraith would rise or chase.

It was only a passing concern at that point so he pushed it out of his mind and smiled again at Katar, albeit a little less brightly than before. When she mentioned Sonarth was around he glanced toward the beach where the majority of dragons were but couldn't catch sight of him. Perhaps another time then. He was drawn to blue dragons ever since Chakraith had chosen him. He wasn't entirely sure it was a desire to see other blue dragons or to compare them to his own blue. Either way worked, right?

"Oh, its quite different having my own marks. I already bought something...er for you...in thanks for saving me that day. Although I'm not sure you realized you did...anyways, here!" He presented to Katar the egg he'd bought earlier. "Its a mystery egg. The stallkeeper said she didn't know what was in it, if it even hatched at all...more exciting that way I think." Dy'shi really hadn't needed anything. Well, besides clothes...but the ones he had fit him fine so he didn't technically need any more. A bit of his parents' thriftiness seemed to have passed to him over time.

[tarra]

Katar chuckled at the boy's widening smile as he talked about his dragon, and the calamari twitched between her fingers. Its movement caught her eye; abashed, she took a quick bite from it, one small enough that she could swallow without chewing and still not choke. Dy'shi's expression as he dwelt on what might come as Chakraith matured did not slip the bluerider's notice. There would be time enough for the boy to learn about Flights - he was still such a child she could hardly him...well, in Flightlust. Not that there weren't those who took to that sort thing with young ones, but Katar was not one of them. Without a break in her smile, she coaxed the topic into calmer waters.

"She'll be as big as any blue, tis' my guess," she said. It was so odd to think of the blue behaving like a green: starting Flights instead of chasing them. It had, in fact, fascinated Sonarth enough that he took an unusual and especial interest in the younger blue, "Since she's already bigger than the greens, she'll likely stay that way."

Fortunately, the moment of confusion passed and Dy'shi turned to look towards the gathering of dragons as she mentioned Sonarth. His attempt to pick out her dragon amused her; it was rare that any person managed to pick out a single dragon in that mass unless they were the rider of the dragon in question. Or the dragon were a gold. That the boy would try to find Sonarth only endeared him further as a child, and Katar stifled a sigh. She never got close to youngsters, whether weyrbrats or weyrlings, and Dy'shi was beginning to waken instincts in her she never knew she had. The mere comprehension that she could be motherly - even slightly so - was disturbing, so she was quite happy when he continued to speak and so distracted her.

"Oh, its quite different having my own marks. I already bought something...er for you...in thanks for saving me that day. Although I'm not sure you realized you did...anyways, here!"

Astonishment lit her features as she startled upright, nearly dropping the calamari in the process. She caught it just in time as Dy'shi presented the small round object to her.

"Its a mystery egg. The stallkeeper said she didn't know what was in it, if it even hatched at all...more exciting that way I think."

"Oh, eh, I...did?" Brows raised, Katar lingered a moment longer before she reached for the egg. She remembered that day clearly enough, marked by Sonarth's anger and alarm as the table of drunken riders nearly turned on the weyrling and her in the crowded Main Hall. She hadn't seen it as a rescue - if anything, the rescuer had been Dy'shi, not her. Hadn't he been the one who pulled them both into running from the scene as fast as she could? She raised this even as she clasped the egg in her fingers.

"You are an interesting kid - I think tis' more that you saved me, not the other way 'round!" she flashed him an amused glance. It was against her instinct to accept gifts from strangers, or from riders she didn't know well for that matter; but a gift from a weyrling was just plain unexpected. Had Dy'shi been 4 or 5 turns older she would have chucked it back at him and told him to take his attentions elsewhere; but he was a child, a boy, and she could sense nothing but innocent gratitude in his manner. Rolling the egg in her fingers with an eye turned on it in curious examination.

"I hadn't known they sold these queer eggs here," she said at last, "But it is a very thoughtful gift - thank you. I hope it didn't eat into your first marks too badly."

She glanced at him as she did so: a queer and uncertain sort of glance, grateful but uncertain. Exactly as a person who had received a thank you without expecting one might react, though she certainly did not think she appeared like that.

[Ember]

"Really, really!?" He asked excitedly. So she'd be as big as a normal blue? Maybe. The boy's smile widened even further - if that was at all possible - and he almost clapped his hands together in joy. As young and thrifty as he was, Dy'shi thought bigger was better. Not to say he thought bronzes were better than his beloved blue but if she was too be a true blue dragon in size then that was all the better.

Dy was quite unaware of just how much amusement he was providing Katar. Thankfully it saved him from worrying about what he might have been doing wrong to make her find him funny. Had he known he likely wouldn't have presented the mystery egg to her (and then who would he have given it to?) and been on his way. Thank Faranth for small favours. The expression on her face was funny and worrying at the same time and it made him smile weakly.

The blueweyrling released the egg to her grasp once he was sure she had it safely. For all that the idea of having a pet kind of scared him, he would never wish harm upon an innocent creature for that reason. He shook his head emphatically at her words. "No, no. You saved me. I'd have gotten hurt for sure if you hadn't knocked into them, intentional like or not. You gave the opportunity to get away, I just took it." He smiled as she accepted - and even called it thoughtful! - and told her, "No, not too badly at all." He caught her uncertain look and became a little uncertain himself, and being the transparent boy he was it easily showed. She did say she liked it though.