L3: Burimyu Candidates

[cailan]

Cailan got a bag then started to look around to find some leaves in the immediate area. He wasn't find any bags around here and knew that he would have to spread out. The candidate went to the wall then saw a bag and grabbed it then opened it to inspect it. When he opened it then it proved to be a dud because it was nothing except leaves from around the training area. A sad look then went to find another bag and went back to the river.

The candidate ran practically to the river then saw another bag and grabbed it. He didn't want to waste time searching through it and took it then started to search for another one. Cailan wanted to win and continued to look around there had to be another one around here somewhere.

[Ruby]

First: Roselle (6+3=9 points)
Second: Cailan (4+2=6 points)
Isori (4+1=5 points)
Keavon (7+1=8 points)
Torino (3+1=4 points)
Nabrik (6+1=7 points)

Nividya (2 points)

Final ranking:
Roselle
Keavon
Nabrik
Cailan
Isori
Torino
Nividya

Once they'd all brought their bags back, and M'kai had counted out the leaves - several of them seemed to have gone for a "grab everything I see" approach, and it hadn't exactly paid off - he sat back on his heels, looking up at the candidates gathered around. "Great job, everyone. These might have seemed like silly games, but they're actually quite important to your development as a Dragonrider, and if you do impress, it'll help us tell what your strengths and weaknesses might be. The leaves, for instance," Yes, he'd spotted that look on Roselle's face, "Test both your recall and ability to notice and remember details, which is absolutely key when you start transferring between. Roselle, for instance, didn't pick up any incorrect leaves - she looked for details and was probably paying attention to her surroundings during the other games. She clearly has a good mind for Between training, and might be able to make the jump early."

Or maybe not, but that had more to do with her dragon at this point than her. Some of the others had showed surprising strengths, too - several of the boys looked fit for combat training, and although Nividya had only participated in one of the games, M'kai would consider recommending her for some sort of stealth training. He hadn't seen too many people that could climb like that, and who knows how useful it could be if developed. Overall, though... Straightening up, M'kai did some quick math, re-arranging a few of the names on his list. "Roselle. Congratulations, you have the most points! Keavon came in second, and Nabrik third. The three of you are excused from chores for the rest of the day, and you can catch a ride home now. Cailan and Isori, the two of you can leave your chores an hour early; Torino and Nividya, you'll have to complete your full chores, and all four of you will stay to help me clean up here. It shouldn't take long, so let's get started?"

[dragon]

Well, shit. If she had known that earning points by participation in these silly events would have got her out of chores, Isori might have been more gung ho about it instead of standing around watching. But! There was a shiny side to all dimglows. She got to stay behind and help M'kai clean up.

How cool was that?! She grinned, and was more than eager to help him start picking up the field and gathering everything up that was out of place. Anything that might at a later date reveal it as having been used by humans for any purpose at all. Of course, as industrious as she was, Isori tended to stick pretty close to where M'kai was working on things, sometimes giving him a hand with whatever he was doing if she could get away with it.

What exactly they were going to do with a lot of it, she wasn't sure. Some of it would rot back into the ground given time. Some of it wouldn't. Some of it needed packed back up to be taken back to the Weyr and re-purposed yet again.

[Ivy]

When Torino fell in step with her she arched a brow at him but said nothing. He picked up a pile she passed over and she watched him slink off towards the treeline. He was rather strange - he definitely didn't seem to want to be here, though if his Searchrider had failed to give him the details of where they were going as hers had she couldn't blame him. Still she wondered if he even wanted to Impress. Wasn't that a big thing for most people? He was one of the few around her age though, so if she decided to start talking to someone he would probably be her best bet. Even if he was raised by tunnelsnakes.

When they all returned with their bags she watched M'kai go through them. He announced the purpose of the exercise and she blushed ever so slightly when he looked her way, so there had been a point after all. When he declared her the 'winner' of the day's events she couldn't help but grin and glance at the boy who had come in second place - hopefully he wouldn't be too bitter about losing to a woman. As M'kai rambled on the rest of the names she glanced to Torino and chuckled to herself, he would probably be upset he didn't get last place.

Chin lifted a bit as she looked around at the other Candidates and then to M'kai. Nodding she offered a small, but genuine, smile. "Thank you."

She didn't think she was better than everyone else mind you - though the fact she'd just beat them all in the day of games did certainly make her feel a bit better about being stuck here. Making her way to the end of the field she waited for her lift back to the Weyr to arrive so she could relax and skip out of her evening chores.

[Rowana]

Nabrik beamed. He hadn't won, but third was terrific! Maybe he really was maturing after all, he pondered. Turns ago, he would have grouched about the older kids cheating when they won. Now, it just felt good to prove he was just as good as any of them. Roselle was a surprise though. He was amazed at her moving up to First in just one round. He almost wished he'd done better at the leaf collecting. He found the piles alright, but hadn't been able to tell which was which that quickly. The result was bringing back a sack that was almost half wrong.

When M'kai made the announcement about chores, Nabrik's grin grew even wider. Third and a free day from chores! With a cocky wave to the others, he jogged off to find a ride back home. After a moment's thought, he turned to catch up with Roselle. "Hey, wait!" he called to her. When he reached her, he paused to get his courage together. He'd never really talked with many of the girls before. "Can you..." he leaned forward in an embarrassed motion. "Teach me to be better at remembering stuff?" he asked finally. After coming to Burimyu, Nabrik had finally started to realize that being a dragon rider was more than just flying and freedom. He wanted to learn everything he could to be the best rider possible when he got his dragon. Even if that meant learning things he didn't like from a girl.

[Sebz]

Keavon scratched his head, in confusion as he glanced at a pile of leaves that he had come upon. They leaves looked different than the ones he had collected in his bag, but they didn't seem to resemble any of the local leaves either. Eventually, after lingering for a minute or two, Keavon decided to leave the pile be and take his collection back to M'kai.

Once the other candidates had gathered, and M'kai had pawned through their bags, he announced the results. Keavon grinned, shrugging his shoulders. So his plan hadn't worked out quite as well as he had hoped, but he had managed to get a point. On the upside, he knew what he had to work on, his recall abilities.

When the candidate master announced the day's winners, he kept his face neutral. Second Place? No bad, not bad at all, and he got out of chores. He saw Roselle, the winner, glance at him, and he nodded in congratulations, smiling. She had done excellently during this challenge, and to be honest, he couldn't be surprised. But everyone had done well, and since he had really nothing better to do, he decided to stick around and lighten the load of chores.

When M'kai had his back turned, he slipped off to the side of the clearing and started gathering up some of tools that had been used for the day. Not that he didn't want to go talk to the other candidates, but he did enjoy the peacefulness the silence brought. Hands laden with slingshots, Keavon walked back into the clearing and arranged them in a pile before going off to find out what else he could help with.