Hide and Seek (Open)

[Rowana]

The candidate barracks were quiet as they always were now. With the new way candidates were being chosen and handled, most only arrived for hatchings and didn't stay unless they Impressed and then they moved to the Weyrling quarters. The only candidates around the whole year were weyrbrats like the one currently playing hide and seek with two fire lizards.

Annatolli didn't live in the barracks full time. It got too lonely for that, so she stayed with her adopted Aunt Hoayamae most of the year. Still, she liked to visit the barracks. She imagined it full of excited girls and boys her own age. She'd been to a couple hatchings since turning twelve and it was easy to remember the anticipation and nerves everyone felt as a hatching drew near.

Today, though, the room was practically empty and perfect for a game. Dark blue Xelos was trying not to twitter as he choose a sneaky spot inside an empty trunk. Brown Noish was a bit less clever and happily flopped under a bed with his tail sticking out. Annatolli closed her eyes and counted before hunting about the room.

She found Noish rather quickly, laughing brightly as she pulled him out. "Silly Noish," she shook her head as the fire lizard licked her nose affectionately. "You're supposed to hide all of you!"

[Ivy]

It had been a few months since she had bothered reporting to the barracks - all of the holder brats had been sent back to their respective Holds and the weyrbred Candidates were allowed to go back to their families or their own private rooms. She didn't mind either way really, though she did enjoy a bit more privacy in her apartment which was something she could never have when she shared a bunk bed with another girl in the barracks. Smiling to herself as she walked down the hall she mused over the fact she'd stayed there nine times already. Nine in the three turns since she'd been relocated to Inverness from Fort. Nine times she had been left as a Candidate on the Sands.

Still she did not let it get to her much as she figured her time would come soon enough. Besides - she had grown up wishing to be a Fort rider... She wasn't entirely sure she could accept flying under Inverness' colors even though the war was over and the new weyr represented that fact. Halting she gave a soft sigh and then glanced down the hall to the main room where the girls stayed, had she just heard giggling?

Making her way quickly to the girls' room she peeked inside and stifled a chuckle as she watched the younger girl playing a game with her pets. She recognized her as being a Candidate who had stood a few other times, she was from the South. Leaning on the doorjam she tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear before calling out softly, "Having fun there?"

[Rowana]

Annatolli looked up smiling. She hadn't noticed the other girl come inside, but that didn't bother her. Gone were the days of looking around her shoulder for trouble. She knew many of the adults didn't feel the same, but Anna had adjusted well to the idea of peace, even in the North. Noish climbed up around her shoulders as she waved at the other girl. "You bet! It's Camille, right?" Anna thought about that for a moment, then nodded. She tried hard to remember people's names, especially other candidates. You never knew who you might be in your Weyrling class one day!

"Would you like to play too?" Anna asked hopefully. Sure, she was probably getting old for this and Camille was several turns older, but you could never be too old for fun. "Xelos is still around somewhere." Anna glanced around, but Xelos was still hiding quietly. He could be very smart when he wasn't showing off. Noish chirped hopefully and flew off to investigate the other bunks. After all, that was where he would hide!

[Ivy]

As the girl acknowledged her she frowned ever so slightly - she knew her name, yet Cami could not recall the girl's. She had not bothered much with getting to know the other Candidates when she had stood before, there seemed to be little point in it then. Now she regretted such a decision and nodded to the younger girl, "Aye, you can call me Cami if you'd like... I'm sorry, I can't... I can't quite recall your name."

Looking at the firelizard who had been snuggled with his bonded before taking off she grinned, "And who is that?"

To the question as to if she wished to play or not, Cami thought. Looking around she shrugged, "Sure why not, could be fun. Xelos another flitter then?"

[Rowana]

Annatolli didn't really mind that Camille couldn't recall her name. It wasn't exactly an easy name to remember, after all. "I'm Annatolli," she replied with a smile. "Just Anna is fine though. Only Aunt Mae calls me Annatolli." Anna wrinkled her nose at the thought. Hoayamae usually used her full name when she was in trouble. Waving at her visible fire lizard, she continued, "That's Noish and Xelos is a blue one, yes." She frowned a little as she glanced around. "He can be tricky to find sometimes."

Moving about the room with quiet steps, Anna lifted the pillows off a few of the bunks. Still no Xelos. She knew he hadn't left the room. They'd played this game enough to know the boundaries. Xelos only had so many places to hid so it was only a matter of time. The question really was who would find him first!

[Ivy]

"Hrm. Alright. I'm game. Do y'all do this often, Anna?" Looking around the empty barracks she realized that someone had been coming in and cleaning up every so often. They had to be, otherwise there would be dust everywhere. Which could have been useful in such a situation...

As the girl crept forward deeper into the room she nodded a bit and followed suite, checking the other side and the bunks there. Ducking down she peered under the bunk beds and inside any opened chests at the foot of the bunks. "Do you think he left or is he for sure in here?"

[Rowana]

Annatolli checked one of the trunks with no luck. "Not that often anymore," she admitted. She was getting older after all. "But now and then when we're bored of other games and chores. We usually have to clean first though, it gets so dusty in here!" She wrinkled her nose as another bunk turned up empty. Noish crawled around under the bunks in happy pursuit, but wasn't having much luck either.

"He knows the rules," Anna toled Camille confidently. "I'm sure he's...." At that moment, Xelos popped out of one of the trunks that Camille had just opened with a chirped of delight. He landed on top of the older girls head with a dramatically mournful pose, draping wings and legs on either side. Anna laughed at the hilarious picture it made. "There he is! Looks like you won."