Candidate Lesson 1 (R1)

[Ruby]

Kemma leaned against her desk, impatiently tapping her foot and continually flipping through the sheaf of hide she held. The hide was covered with notes scrawled in her almost unreadable hand- notes on what she was to cover in this lesson. It was her first as Candidatemaster, and although she wasn't exactly nervous, she was a little... anxious. Yes, that was right. She had no problem with Candidates; in fact, she loved children and young adults of all ages, but she had never taught an official lesson to a class before in her life. Ah well- she was a quick learner.

There had been a large note posted in the Barrack's main room, informing the candidate group of the time and place of their first lesson. It was nearly time, but the room was almost empty. With a motherly smile for those already there, she commented, "Thank you all for being early. I'd really like to start on time, so I can get you all out of here as soon as possible." Tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, she paced around to the far side of the desk, leaving her hides there. Everyone would be here soon, and then the impatient Candidatemaster could get started. This would be a short lesson- all she needed was students.

To pass the time, Kemma asked all the present Candidates their names in turn, checking them against an attendance sheet she had drawn up from the records. "Anyone I didn't call?" she asked, noting the strays. They must have been newly arrived. Making a note to herself to go add them to the lists later, Kemma put down her writing implement and stood up straight again, returning to the front of the desk, watching as more candidates filed in, taking seats at the individual desks spread throughout the room. "Does anyone have any questions before we get started?" she asked, crossing her arms. No doubt there were questions- Kemma was just curious about what they would ask.

Present
Raen
Raila
Zolten
Mutasim
Meira

[marissa]

Today was the first day of candidate lessons after Aslath's Hatching. It had been pinned up in the Barracks for awhile now, which was much easier to keep track of since Raen no longer lived with the Weyrwoman. They had worked that out, though: she was still Shmee's apprentice, she just no longer lived with the woman. It was a bit inconvenient, but Raen enjoyed being useful. And now she got to actually know the other candidates, if only by facial recognition. You couldn't expect her to actually talk to these people, after all!

Raen was one of those that came early, and she timidly returned the Candidate Master’s smile across the room. After she had given her name, she retreated to a corner, brushing her bangs over her eyes with a swift movement. The candidate was here, but she didn’t have to be readily seen. As long as the Candidate Master knew she was here, that was all that needed to know.

She had no questions, but that was to be expected. It wasn’t as if Raen was going to ask what would happen at a Hatching: she had already witnessed a violent one. And any other questions had already been answered at other Lessons that she had attended. Oh, now, wasn’t she the most knowledgeable candidate around! With her bangs covering her eyes, Raen rolled them back, slightly annoyed with herself.

Bottlebottleyesyesyesyesbottlebottleno. Foodsleepbottleyesnoha. Raen had left Shirk on her cot, of course: it wasn’t as if the green would wake up, and even if she did, there were meat scraps right next to her that she had left on a small piece of hide. The ‘manyr would be fine for the duration of the lesson, even if she was more comfortable cradling the lazy creature to her body.

Now she simply had to wait for the lesson to begin, to see if she would, by chance, learn something knew. It would be nice.

[Ruby]

Raila, too, was decently early. Not the first one there, but if she was completely honest with herself, the truth was that she was looking forward to candidate lessons at Selenitas. She had taken her fair share at Fort, but these would be different. Knowing what she did of Selenitas already, Raila figured they would be alot less about how wonderful the Weyr was, and how only the strong could impress, and more about actual content. Lessons at Fort had never seemed super useful to Raila, so after her first round, she never went back, even though it was suggested. Maybe that was why she hadn't impressed yet...

Well, no matter, she was here. She gave Kemma her name, and noted the other girl's name too. She would have said hi to Raen, but the girl immediately retreated to a corner. Raila wasn't really a corner person- she preferred the direct center of the room, i.e. the center of attention. So she took a desk there, setting a wax tablet and stylus out just right. They hadn't been required- in fact, the notice had suggested that people would not need them at all- but Raila liked taking notes. She was probably one of the few who could read and write, a skill she had picked up from her foster mother at Fort Weyr, and she liked showing that fact off, at least a little bit.

So, questions. What could she ask that would make her sound smart? Nothing about actual content, she figured. She was sure all her questions would be answered throughout the course of the lessons. But cirriculum... that would make her sound thoughtful. Putting a hand in the air, she waited for some sort of acknowledgement before asking "Are Whers going to be covered at all? Because I know a gold has just run, and I was wondering if Wher candidates would be seperated out at all."

[randi]

Since seeing the post of the candidate lesson, Zolten had been waiting, mainly because he was excited for the next clutch, ready for his next chance. Lessons were just another hurdle before he got there. He had arrived a few minutes before Kemma had started calling roll, searching the crowd of faces for anyone he didn't know or anyone who stuck out as someone for him to be near. Spotting Raila, he was tempted to get closer to her, but he was content where he was, close to the front and off to the side where he would be spotted but not watched.

At the request for questions, Zolten held his tongue. He knew the procedure for Hatchings. What he hadn't seen for his very eyes either as a spectator or as a candidate, he knew from his parents. He wasn't sure if anything changed for those who hadn't Impressed, but was fairly sure. However, there was one thing he was curious about, would they be apprenticed to a dragonrider? He continued to stay silent. He was sure either Kemma would say it or someone else would ask. If not? That's what after lessons were for.

Crossing his arms, he sighed quietly, half listening to Raila's question and half lost in the idea of being around another 'rider, becoming familiar with them. Knowing his luck, he'd end up with a dragon that didn't care for anyone else other than Theirs. It didn't matter. The chance would be great, but he wasn't going to push it. He had been lucky to have had the relationship with his parents' dragons that he did, which would be more than anyone else who had been left standing so far could say. With that, he was content no matter which way the events fell.

[reqqy]

Mutasim was one of the last to arrive. He’d actually thought about just skipping the lesson. The former Candidatemaster hadn’t cared about his attendance – either because she was only meant to be a temp, or because he’d taken these lessons enough times by now to be able to give the lectures himself – but Kemma was an unknown. Normally he didn’t care a whit about authority. Normally. After bagging firestone for hours and messing up his lungs (he was fairly positive) for the rest of his natural life, the young man was loathe to be put in that situation again. Seeing as how it seemed to be a punishment for his misbehavior? Misbehavior defined as separating a lad from half of his ear…Well, it might be good to attend the lesson.

Then, because he was something of an idiot when it came to these things – or at least a stubborn fool – Mutasim didn’t actually give his name, though he hadn’t been there when she called it. Best of both worlds, really. A few of the candidates here knew him, and if she didn’t approach him about not attending the lesson, he could just skip all the rest. If she did? Then he’d have witnesses and that was that. Of course, that would only work if she both didn’t know him, and didn’t recognize him herself later on. She might know him. Of the candidates here, he was likely one of the most notorious.

Bother. He gave Raen a brief nod and mostly ignored Raila. Their last meeting had been less than fortuitous. In fact, she was probably the one who’d related the incident and gotten him thrown into the firestone storage room to begin with. Conceited wench. Sitting back in his chair, he folded his arms over his chest and pretended to pay attention to the question about whers. Whers. Dragons. None of them were interested in him, and it was easiest if he just wasn’t interested in them, either. Made it seem less important when they passed him over again. No, he didn’t think he’d be going to any wher hatching. In fact, they might just have to drag him to the dragon Hatching as T’nmor had done two Standings ago.

[Avu]

Meira had been totally unaware of the lesson starting so soon until about five seconds ago. The girl had come in from the river, wet, and only then had she noticed the huge sign announcing the lesson. Her eyes flew open in panic. How had she missed that sign? It was huge; it was bright and bold and—and—HOW had she missed it? And what was worse, it seemed to be starting right now, and she was wet and dirty. Biting back a moan of horror, Meira ran for her room, running a comb hastily through her hair as she changed. Finally satisfied and presentable, although a cold embarrassment had clutched her stomach, Meira managed to find her way to the place the lesson was to be conducted.

Her breath slipped from her unconsciously. She had been slightly wary of a male teacher, only for the reason that she found them a bit more irritable and likely to snap. But this Candidatemaster, now, looked very motherly, kindly. A small, shy smile found Meira’s lips as she told the woman her name, and then glanced around, picking a desk near the front. Sure, maybe it would have been sniggered at by others, but those ‘others’ would be the ones completely clueless at Hatching, whereas those who picked front desks would be the ones confident of their facts, sure of themselves. Well, she corrected automatically, as sure as they could get.

Her glance flickered around the room nervously. One girl seemed to have taken herself to a corner and stowed herself away there. In Meira’s opinion, she looked more nervous than Meira herself was, and that was saying something, for she felt as if she was going to explode. She smiled in the girl’s direction, although she didn’t know whether or not the girl could even notice her. Her gaze went next to Raila, and stopped there, recognizing the girl from doing chores together. She smiled at Raila too, this time a spark of mischief in her grin, and then turned back to the Candidatemaster, pressing her lips together as she waited expectantly. When she asked for questions, Meira didn’t speak. She had a million, and none worth asking. She would wait, and see, what other Candidates wanted to know.

Raila’s question made her stomach slip into a queasy hell. Wasn’t it bad enough, that she was already nervous? Now she had to add the fact that she might be in the wrong Sharding place. While the posted note hadn’t said only dragon Candidates, she was still nervous, blinking tersely as she waited for the answer, her fingers clutching at each other, the other Candidates assembled forgotten.

[Ruby]

Lesson One

Kemma took down names, figuring they could get started soon. People who were late were late, and they could deal with sorting out their homework on their own. She gestured absently at Candidate Raila, prompting her to ask her question even though Kemma was apparently distracted. Finishing her marking of the attendance sheet, she placed it on the desk behind her, eying the one boy who had not given his name. Well, she would just call on him during class, or afterward, and ask his name then. Easily solved. She did wonder why he hadn't offered it, though.

"Yes, Whers will be briefly covered here, especially as you're right, there is a Wher clutch coming up. However, most of what you'll need to know about them you will learn after you impress, during Wher training. Everything else can pretty much be applied to both types. Wher-only candidates are not to be separated, all of you are trained together," she answered. A little long-winded, but no problem. They were here to learn, and that meant Kemma was not required to be brief.

"Alright, it's time. Let's get started," she continued, clapping her hands and standing up straight. "For those of you that don't know me already, I'm Candidatemaster Kemma of Green Mellith. You'll see both of us around, and don't be shy to ask either of us anything. Mellith is very agreeable toward humans- in fact, I think she likes them more than other dragons, so she'll be happy to help out. I suggest especially that Holdfolk have a chat with her about what it means to be a member of a Weyr." Taking a deep breath, Kemma walked around the desk and launched into the meat of the lesson. "First of all, on behalf of Shmee and Ka'rys, welcome to Selenitas Weyr and Candidate Training. No doubt some of you have gone through this training before, but due to the temporary nature of the Candidatemasters in the past, you are all required to do the whole set of four lessons over again. Sorry, I know it's annoying, but that's how it is. Clear these lessons, and you never have to take them again, unless you transfer. The end is in sight." She smiled wryly at this. No doubt these candidates would be happy to be out of here as soon as possible, but she didn't mind.

"So. Moving on. First and foremost, I've been told to remind you that you are a Candidate, not a Rider. In the ranks of the Weyr, you are equivalent unskilled, underage Weyrfolk, even if you are already over age. If a cook asks you to help, you help, no matter what. The only exceptions are if you have a lesson, if you are to attend a Touching, or if a Hatching begins. At those times, you are the most important people in the Weyr, and your first responsibility is to get yourself to to where you need to be. Beyond that, only drudges are below you, and you are still expected to treat them fairly. Candidacy may be stripped from you if there are reports that you do not.

"As candidates, you are restricted to the Candidate Barracks after ten at night and before seven in the morning. Beyond that, stay out of Rider Weyrs, the Hatching Sands and the Weyrling Barracks unless you are explicitly sent there by a Rider or the Headwoman, and have my or Mellith's approval. This holds EVEN if you are being sent to the Weyrwoman for disciplinary purposes. Beyond that, you may go wherever you will during free time, provided you complete your chores and make it back for Curfew. You are also expected to eat three meals a day in the Dining Hall, although you are not required to eat with the other Candidates. I will eat at seven thirty, noon, and six thirty, and you all are invited to join me."

Kemma paused to clear her throat, feeling like she was talking way too much. "Other rules that you should know about... let's see." She contemplated a sheet of notes briefly. "Candidates may not have any physical or mental disability, may not be over the age of 22 unless they want to stand for Whers only, may not be under the age of twelve, and may not stand if they become pregnant. Candidates may not stand if they are recovering from an injury on the day of hatching. Alcohol is highly discouraged, as you will not be allowed to drink at all if you manage to impress, from the time your dragon hatches until you graduate Weyrling Training. Fighting is absolutely not allowed, because you may damage your or another candidate's chances at Standing, and that's simply not fair to either of you. Lessons are required, chores are required and will be posted were today's announcement was, the touching is required... let's see, is there anything else I must tell you you can't do?" Smiling wryly once again, she returned to the front of the desk, sitting on it this time.

"I think we're done with the can nots. Now: the reason you are here. You are here to provide hatchling dragons, or Whers, with the chance to bond with a human presence. Whers can live without us, but become feral and quite dangerous. Dragons cannot. They will suicide if they can't find their mate. That is the reason for this training- to provide Selenitas clutches with the most informed, prepared Candidates possible, to prevent as many deaths as possible. I encourage you to ask questions at any time, and no question is 'stupid' here. If you getting the answer means you are more suitable to impress, by all means, ask. I don't like seeing hatchlings between, or whers go wild. Hatchings are magical times, and each and every one of you will present a highly valuable option for future clutches, I am certain. This does not mean you will impress, of course, but not one of you should be worried about that now. When you walk onto the sands, I hope you will do it with conviction, believing you are there to, at the very least, attempt to save a life. If you don't manage to- well, at least you tried, and that is an honor not many receive."

With a final smile, Kemma hopped off the desk again. Rather active, this woman was. "Alright, that's all for today. Your next lesson will be posted on the board, and I may have Mellith call you all to it, once she knows who you are. You may ask questions now, and I will be here for quite some time to answer them. Those of you not from Selenitas are especially encouraged to ask any questions you have now, or to set up a time to meet with me one on one. Homework is to meet a Rider, and ask them about their Hatching experience. Once people have asked their general-interest questions, I will dismiss you." Glancing at her roll sheet, she had one final realization. "Oh, and you- the boy in the back." Kemma pointed over at Mutasim, not meaning to embarrass, just to get his attention. "I didn't catch your name. If I don't have a record that you attended this lesson, you'll not be allowed to stand. Please come let me know what it is. That goes for the rest of you that straggled in late as well," she finished, smiling to counteract the harshness of her words.

((ohwows, long post. Sorries... anyway. You do need to read this, but responses can be way short if you want. The five who got in before the lesson went up don't actually have to RP, they can just post an OOC acknowledgment. Well, Mutasim might want to let Kemma know what's up, but that's all.))

[marissa]

{I read it, sorry for crappy post. D: I hate Lessons. x3 But I officially love you because you made this so quick. xDD}

As soon as a few more people had entered the room, Raen decided to take a seat. Might as well, and anyways, it wasn’t as if she would stand in the back for the entire lesson. She returned Mutasim’s smile a bit tentatively as she took her seat, as far in the back as possible (of course) and in a corner. She didn’t like being noticed, it was hand in hand with being as shy as she was.

The candidate listened to the lecture without comment or any general emotion, except when she mentioned alcohol. At that point, her cheeks gained the slightest pink tint. Ah, well, oops. She hadn’t known? And even if she did, it didn’t matter. One night! That was it. Shells, she was such a goody-good, and Raen didn’t really mind all that much.

Now it was only the ‘general questions’, and she could get back to either the Weyrwoman, Shirk, or better yet: just a quiet place where she could relax, without all these people. Raen felt the slightest bit cramped, and there weren’t that many candidates here yet. Oh well. It would just be nice to get out.

{-feelsbadfortotalcraptasticpost- xP}

[reqqy]

She launched right in fairly quickly. That, at least, Mutasim could be thankful for. No need to draw things out and talk around the point until they were all struggling just to keep their lids peeled. Although he wasn't about to seek either her or Mellith - why would he, when the socialization he already endured simply by living here wore on his nerves? - she answered his unspoken question, at least. Not a pleasing answer...Jabari trilled quietly at his unrest. Muta did not much relish round five of the same lessons simply because the Weyr couldn't get itself organized enough to retain a Candidatemaster. Forgive me if I don't believe for a moment that I won't have to sit through these again, he thought sullenly.

Nor did he feel an ounce of remorse at her listing of rules, most of which he'd already broken within the last sevenday. Okay, maybe closer to half. Still, the only one of these that would likely stop was his drinking himself into a stupor. It turned out that wasn't a very good way to forget everything. Though he couldn't help but chuckle at Raen's enflamed face. Perfect lamb corrupted - if just a little - by the wolf. Eh, she'd had the upper hand, anyway. Probably due to his small stature, the alcohol had effected him quicker - though he wasn't prone to violent acts, which was a small relief. Apparently that was only when sober. And though he didn't wish to go through that again, he fully intended to be up with the dawn and taking his morning run, whether they wanted him in the barracks until seven or no. And Mutasim was no pacifist; he would fight if he felt he must. Which made him wonder if the Headwoman had brought the incident in the kitchens to Kemma's attention...

Though he'd heard this next bit at least as many times as he'd heard the last, the young man's color slowly leeched from his face. Perhaps it just took awhile, to get past the mental walls he'd so carefully built during his darkest hours in Bitra. Or maybe it was how Raen had forced him, for the first time, to picture himself, not as a dragonrider, but as bonded to a specific blue - or perhaps bronze. Before he'd always considered it doing the dragons a favor if they knew not to come near him, much as he wanted that bonding somewhere deep inside. Surely, upon Impression and discovering the monstrous darkness that was Mutasim, the overwhelmed hatchling would Between. No, not surely, but he feared it just the same. Now, though, the thought that what might be his blue, the one meant for him and him alone, going Between because he was too much of an idiot - that made him quite nearly physically ill.

And he didn't want to feel. Not here. He clamped it down as best he could, trying to focus on something, anything else to occupy his mind. Luckily, the lesson was over. Muta was rising and just about to beat a hasty retreat when he realized that Kemma was speaking to him. And pointing at him, too. His natural reaction was to stiffen, eyes narrowing, and the brown flit hissed quietly in empathic sympathy with his bonded. Shardit, but he still had all those old habits. The candidate had to deliberately force neutrality into his features and tone down the glare.

Turning to walk toward her, he let himself shed some of the furtive movements that normally characterized him, trying not to draw more attention to himself than he already had. These long strides seemed strange, though. Coming up to her, he met her gaze, and couldn't quite pull the respect thing out of the air, though he wasn't being overtly disrespectful. Titles and ranks meant next to nothing where he'd come from.

"My apologies," he said, internally wincing at the formal cast to his speech - and the fact he was saying the words at all. "I'm Mutasim." That's all she wanted, right? He waited, not wanting to have to be called back yet again.

[Avu]

At Kemma’s words, Meira felt her breath slip out of her of its own accord, relieved. It would have been terribly embarrassing to have to excuse herself and walk right back out again, after going through all the rush to get here in the first place. Another good thing about training together would be that the class size would be bigger; if she slipped up, it would be better hidden among hordes of students rather than just a few. She listened attentively enough, although she wasn’t sure she’d be able to parade up to someone else’s Impressed and start beating out questions. It would be rather awkward. The next little paragraph of words, as she separated them neatly in her mind, Meira felt no reaction to. She had never stood before, whether be it for dragon or wher, nor taken Candidate lessons again. Besides, she couldn’t imagine being bored.

Unskilled, underage Weyrforlk. Meira admitted she was unused to this. She had been wondering about if she could help whatever healer was currently taking care of the Weyr until she Bonded, since she had had training before, but it seemed unlikely, what with the lessons and chores. She bit her lip until the sharp pain alerted her to the fact she was biting too hard. Only Drudges are beneath you. So why had they been discharged to Drudge-like chores? A slight irritableness rose in Meira. She pushed it down. Brushing the kitchen was probably supposed to make them appreciate the Drudges for what they did, although it hadn’t worked on Meira. Instead, she just felt a bit cranky and felt like walloping them into action, instead of letting Candidates do their work for them.

Staying out of the Rider Weyrs and Weyrling Barracks would be no problem for her. Meira had never felt any desire to go there anyway. Hatching Sands were basically the same as well. After all, Whers didn’t get the benefits of the Hatching Sands, did they? Curfew was fine with her, too. She could always, could she not, bring back old records to the Candidate Barracks and read them when she was awake at night, or woke up early in the mornings? She latched her mind firmly onto the lessons. Chores, lessons, and touching all required. That was fine; they wouldn’t take up much of her day anyhow, would they? And even if they did, she had nothing else to do.

The explanation of Bonding and Impressing slipped a desperate longing into Meira. How she wanted to Bond, and this lesson was making that ‘want’ worse still. Want for a companion, want for someone who understood, someone with sympathy, which so many people at this Weyr conspicuously lacked. Her eyes followed Kemma as the woman hopped down from the desk she had been seated on for so short a time, a small smile finding her lips. Homework, however, had the smile gone in a wink. Homework? To talk to a Rider? But for her, would she have to find a Handler? How many Handlers were in the Weyr anyhow? And where could she find them? New anxieties took place, and Meira bit her lip again until she was recalled from the dazed thoughts to the sharp pain in her lip. Shards, Candidacy was definitely no vacation!

Meira slipped back in her seat. Her questions were far from ‘general.’ She would wait until the other questions had been asked, and then she would pose her not-general questions to Kemma.

[Ruby]

Kemma cocked her head a little at the Candidate she had called out for not signing in, watching as he stiffened. There was something odd about this one, she decided. He was so wary. Ah well, she'd see what she could find out about him, and try just to give him a comfortable, safe place as a part of Lessons. "Mutasim? Perfect. You're all signed in, and unless you've got something to ask, you may go," she said, adding his name to the list, and following it was a dot to remind herself to check up on him.

Lifting her head from the sheet, Kemma scanned the room again, still seeing no raised hands. "Alright, no questions. You may all go, unless someone wants to talk to me personally. If so, I'll be here for a while- this is essentially my office if you ever need me, and I've got some papers to work on, so I'll be here all day. Drop in anytime." With that, she went behind the desk, and for the first time that entire lesson, pulled out the chair that went with it and sat mostly still, shuffling papers and waiting either for questions or quiet.

This lesson is now CLOSED to new students. If you missed it, you'll be in the next rotation.