LESSON Rotation 1, Lesson 2

[dragon]

Rotation 1 (Lesson 2)[/u]
Meagan
Rulven
Dyleshi
Xerxes
Llannu
Cerdic

---

-Rank and Responsibilities –

As always, as the time for class approached, Emoyan was there ahead of time and making sure everything was ready. Given Candidates' tendencies to like to sit as far away as they could, he tried to fix it so that couldn't happen - by removing quite a few of the chairs from the common room temporarily. This time he did not have a stack of parchments on the table that he usually used, but he did have a covered basket sitting there.

What was in the basket would be revealed once the Candidates were all there and settled, but until then it was sitting there all by itself and more or less ignored by the Candidate master as he went around making sure all the windows were nice and open, allowing for a pleasant cross breeze to air the room and cool it off some. Sometimes, the tail end of summer was hotter than any of the rest of the season.

While he wasn't watching, Skink sidled over toward the basket, beady eyes watching Emoyan cautiously as she sneaky-crawled toward the basket. Jumping the last few inches, the tiny green mandyr leapt onto the side of the basket and scrambled up the side to try and nose under the towel that covered it. She had just reached the edge of the basket under the covering when suddenly something landed hard on that very spot of the rim, pinning the covering down and nearly squishing her head.

With a startled squeak, Skink flopped back to the tabletop, whereupon she stared up at the basket - and Rascal. Perched atop the basket's handle, he had both front feet on the very spot she had been trying to worm through while he glared at her pointedly. Grumbling to herself about no-fun brown flitters, Skink sulked to the edge of the table to sit and pout there, looking over her shoulder at Rascal. Bad brown, no good... She pointed out, quietly, so that Emoyan couldn't hear.

[midnight]

Meagen had been getting better at paying attention to things in this Weyr. She had been paying rather good attention, because now she noticed the fact that it was time for the next lesson. She didn't know what it was, but there seemed to be less female candidates this time around. At least in her old home, there had been quite a handful. But that was needed, she supposed. She shook her head and nibbled her lower lip. She decided it was best to just move on.

She pushed back her hair, pinning it out of the way. She knew that Masters didn't like it when they couldn't see their candidates eyes. She grumbled beneath her voice, as she pinned it back. She braced her hands on the back of her head then, and then looked up. Crystoph was around, she had seen him... spoken to him. A shiver raced through her as she looked to the side. It was sad to think, that she might end up not seeing him too often. Cry and Mik would always be her best friends.

These thoughts filled her mind as she entered the Lesson Chamber. She nibbled her lip a little nervously, nodded her head towards the Master and took her seat. She sat at the ready, not slouched... Good posture, and head tilted back. This was what she had been taught to do. She was raised for dragons, she woul-couldn't fail. She just couldn't. Because if there wasn't a place for her with dragons, where did she belong?

This was exactly what she put herself through mentally, each and every time. She really should stop it, but she just couldn't. It was just how she was.

[Requiem]

The pretty - there was really no other term for it - drudge-turned-candidate stepped lithely into the room. No basket of goodies today. He'd gotten a bit more comfortable with this whole 'candidate' thing, as well as the people who now made up a larger portion of his life, and so compulsive baking was no longer an issue. Though he still liked to, and it wasn't unusual to find baskets of this or that set out in the common room for everyone to nibble on once or twice a sevenday.

He flashed a smile at Meagan upon seeing her, but made a beeline for the little green troublemaker perched on the edge of the desk. "Hello little cookie thief," he greeted the salamandyr warmly. Did he really...? Oh yes he did! The cookie (a small one, to be sure, though still quite large for a creature her size) appeared out of his pocket. He'd noticed her last time, he had, and figured something with nuts and berries might be more to her tastes. Maybe. He didn't really know what salamandyrs ate. Xerxes placed the yummy beside her. "No need to steal this time. It's just for you." A meatroll was removed from the other pocket and offered to Emoyan's firelizard, since Xerxes didn't want to leave the brown out. "Guard it well. She's a sneaky one," he added teasingly, winking at the firelizard.

Xerxes contemplated the desks for a moment, but he couldn't read or write anyway, so what was the point? The young man found the window nearest Meagan's chair, perching up on the window sill where he could get the fresh air. Ah. Nice. One leg folded up to his chest while the other was left to dangle, his posture decidedly relaxed. He leaned over and whispered, "You look like you starched all your clothes. Loosen up. Emoyan won't bite." There was amusement, not bossiness, behind the words, as if he really didn't care if she took his suggestion or not. Which he didn't. She just seemed remarkably awkward, all straight and tense like that.

[Ember]

The decidedly young boy entered the classroom and immediately had to stop a laugh. Smart of Emoyan to do that! Besides the people in the room, Dyleshi had noticed right away that all the further back chairs had been moved away. He was slightly put out that his favoured seat was no longer available to him. He preferred to be as far away from Emoyan's pets as possible but he'd have to settle for a closer seat.

The black haired boy moved over to where Meagen and Xerxes were and sat ontop of a desk where he could see them both. He took in Meagen's posture and a worried look crossed his face. "Are you okay? That looks tiresome," he commented, glancing at the ex-drudge curiously. He'd entered just as Xerxes had been saying something to Meagen. Dyleshi doubted the other boy had a mean bone in his body, but maybe Meagen had taken something he'd said wrongly? Not enough information to judge.

A quick glance up at the front of the class made Dyleshi frown slightly. "Any idea what the basket is for?" Maybe Emoyan had cookies for the class. The ones Xerxes had brought were quite good and the boy had been happy to have a snack during lesson. The occasional basket in the common room was a nice surprise too. He'd taken a snack or two from it every time it appeared. Undoubtedly, the people in his class were the best.

[mierce]

Was he late again? Was he? Cerdic dashed towards the classroom, once again nearly knocking over a few people along the way. He was a little more careful, of course, after the kitchen duty disaster, but he still didn't want to be late again. Emoyan didn't seem like the super stern type, but he still didn't want to get on the bad side of someone who had the power to outright flunk him. Yes, Cerdic took his candidacy rather seriously, or as seriously as one could expect him to.

Upon coming within sight of the classroom door, he slowed down to a jog and then a brisk walk. It didn't sound as if lessons had started yet since he could only hear the idle chatter of voices that obviously did not belong to the Candidate Master. Just outside, he stopped to smooth out his clothes (but not his hair) and catch his breath, then coolly strolled into the classroom. Ah good! He was neither the first one there, nor... he counted the number of students and chairs... the last one.

Hmm. The chairs were kinda... bunched together, weren't they? he wondered. Especially considering how much space there was in the back of the room. Of course it didn't occur to him that maybe Emoyan had arranged the chairs that way on purpose."Hi everyone~" he said cheerfully with a friendly, sweeping wave, and began to walk towards a seat close to Meagan when Dyleshi commented on the basket.

"More cookies?!" he asked without a second thought.

[rii]

Yaaaaaawn.

Rulven came into the room, stretching his long arms slightly out to the side and above his head. It did well to increase his already large size. The smith really didn't have a clue at times of the imposing sight he could become. So tired, Rulven's mouth remained open for a long time, and slack-jawed as he was he surveyed the usual occupants of the room. Lips finally met as one callous hand raised to rub the side of his tired features.

"Oh. Sorry.." It dawned on him that Emoyan might be offended by his behavior. He gave the candidatemaster a weak smile, though once his eyes settled on the covered basket Rulven instantly perked up into a wakeful state. Food? Was that food? He could do with a snack–and a nap. Without even realizing it, Rulven had stepped to be closer to said mysterious basket.

A questioning glance went to the other candidates before returning to the harper. Had Emoyan confiscated it from Xerxes? That wasn't nice. No harm came from sharing food with the class. He blinked at the basket, then at Emoyan. His stomach spoke for him, grumbling at the mere idea food laid hidden in the basket.

[dragon]

Llannu came scrambling through the door at the last instant, looking a little harried. And for no wonder, as right behind him came Rose, zipping through the door screaming and throwing a horrid fit. What over was anyone's guess, but she didn't seem to be calming down for it, either. "Errr ... Sorry!!" Llannu apologized profusely, scrambling to try and catch his young flitter before she caused too much of a scene. Today just couldn't possibly get any worse, could it? No, it couldn't. Not only was he the last one there again, but he also now had a pet that wasn't inclined to settle down or shut up! What was worse, being a fussy queen, she could easily start all other pets in the room on their own rants with hardly a thought. Notgoodnotgoodnotgood... "Rose!" He called, desperately.

She ignored him, zooming around the room at forehead-height, cawing and screetching and chattering the whole way. Thankfully she wasn't issuing orders to the rest yet. Llannu didn't even bother to stop and check see how many other flitters were in the room. But he could see at least one - the Candidate Master's one. Oh, so not good! "Rose!" He called again. Oh, if only he had been able to convince her to stay behind. But noooo ... that was actually what had set her off. She didn't want to stay behind. Especially since she was convinced that he was going to go get other pets. She didn't want to share! And now that she was here, her suspicions were confirmed. There were others here! How unfaithful of hers! Screaming all over again, she dived at Llannu, her unhappiness quite clear.

Prepared for that, Llannu yanked a piece of cloth out of his pocket and threw it over her right before she plowed into his chest. He oomphed, but hung onto her for all he was worth. She squirmed and shrieked, but that lasted only a moment before she stilled. Apparently, she didn't wantt o get away as a quick blink between would have sufficed. Grinning apologetically, Llannu quietly took a seat, hanging onto his cloth-wrapped flitter. All that could be seen was a twitching tail protruding from a wrinkle.

---

Skink stared murderously as the first Candidate came in and stiffly took a seat. She couldn't take her frustrations out on Rascal - especially not since that would tip Emoyan off in a heartbeat. But maybe she could do something equally nasty to this one, instead? No one would know what had got her until it was all over. And even then, Skink was confident she could get away again unnoticed. Which would make said stiff girl look like a screaming fool when she jumped and yelled for nothing. Yeah ... good plan. Skink stood up, all ready to execute said plan when someone else came in. Oh, not good. Witnesses! She sat down again, and watched instead.

Propping the last window open, Emoyan turned around to realize that Candidates were arriving already. Pleased, he started back toward his own place as they started filing in. Xerxes approaching the table with items of his own got his attention for a moment before he realized what the lad was up to, at which point he turned his attention back to the others as they entered. It looked like most of them were going to show, this time! Good, good.

Skink sat up at attention when she was offered the cookie by the strange boy. She eyed it suspiciously, before looking up at the lad. Was it poisoned? What was the bribe for? What was his motive?? But in the end she pounced on the cookie, chomping on the edge of it busily with her teeth while keeping an eye on Xerxes. Rascal looked at the lad for a moment when the meatroll came his direction. With an appreciative cheep, Rascal reached for the meatroll with one forepaw despite his awkward upside-down position atop the basket. His haunches were still atop the handle, after all. After a few unsuccessful grabby motions at the roll, Rascal clambered down off the basket and sat up like a dog might, reaching out with both hands for the roll. Completely trusting and happy to have the food, Rascal accepted the treat and started chewing on the top end of it. Skink, jealous as ever that Rascal had gotten something bigger than her, abandoned her cookie and scampered over to the brown flitter. Sitting in front of him and underneath the roll, she started chewing on the bottom end of it. Once she'd broken the bread, though, the gravy inside started pouring out and running down her body to puddle on the edge of the table. Tongue flashing, Skink blinked, somewhat disconcerted by the feeling of gravy flowing down her sides. That certainly hadn't been what she had been expecting to happen!

The basket seemed to be an instant hit - or at least point of attention. Emoyan grinned just a bit at the reactions it got out of the students, even as he began to note that all of them were going to attend after all. The last one and his new pet elicited a frown for a moment until the flitter was back under control. At which point, Emoyan spoke. "No, not cookies. But this is for you, yes." Reaching past his two messy pets, Emoyan lifted the towel-covered basket and handed it off to the nearest Candidate, taking the towel off as he passed it on.

Inside the basket was what looked like large rolls that had had their middles poked out and reswollen shut in rising. They were still warm, but not hot, and now that the towel was off, the scent of the bread filled the room. Also in the basket was a ceramic bowl of butter with a little spreader, accompanied by a small jar of fruit spread and a spoon. Each Candidate would have the option of whether or not they wanted any of it, and could easily pick and choose, as none of the breadrings had been tampered with in the least.

"Thought I'd take care of any food issues, so you can all concentrate." Emoyan remarked, teasing. Though it was only part in jest, and part in seriousness. Candidates concentrated and learned far better when their thoughts weren't centered on getting out of class and getting something to eat. Or on empty bellies. But the food was also another thing. It was a devious method the Candidate Master had contrived (thanks to Xerxes and his initial basket of cookies) to try and attract Candidates to lessons. "Help yourselves."

He waited patiently for all to get what they wanted from the basket as it was passed around the room, until the basket came back to rest on the table again. Once all such maneuvering was over with and everyone was settled again, Emoyan started in on the lesson. He didn't bother with the basket himself - it would be awfully hard to talk a lesson if he was trying to eat something himself, after all.

"Today we're going to go over some topics that we touched on before, only a little more in depth." Emoyan started. "First, I am going to tell you who is who, here in Selenitas. These people are important, and for the moment are in charge of everything. They make pivotal decisions that affect us all. The Senior Weyrwoman is Keagen of Gold Millieth, and her current Weyrleader is S'rei of Bronze Salenth. Keagen will be our Weyrwoman until she day she or her dragon dies, but the Weyrleader position is handed off - usually - about once a Turn. So who is Weyrleader changes on occasion., but who is Weyrwoman very rarely changes. Our Junior Weyrwoman is Savitri of Gold Hepaticath, and her current Jr. Weyrleader is Ka'rys of Bronze Ciceroth. Remember these names, and when you meet these people, treat them with utmost respect." Emoyan advised. "Not only do they work hard at running the Weyr's administrative functions, but also the political and diplomatic functions as well. If you piss them off, they can do some particularly nasty things to you. Even if you happen to already have a dragon at the time. So, do be on your best behavior."

"Those are the most stable leadership individuals. There are more people of rank that you should know about, but who they are change with the wind it seems. I honestly cannot list off all their names off the top of my head, but when I see them I know them for who they are. Partly through knots, and partly through other means. You, too, should learn how to identify people at a glance. It is imperative. Other important individuals within the Weyr would be Wingleaders, Wingseconds, the Headwoman, the Headcook, and all of the Masters. To be sure there are plenty of people that you need to know about, and it may seem daunting at first. But it's not as hard as it seems. After all - there are some few hundred people who Ride dragons, and as many or more who don't. Learning to read knots can save you a lot of trouble." The next part was convincing everyone to actually wear their knots, but that was not an issue he was going to raise to the class. If a person of rank wandered around without their knots, getting addressed ambiguously was their own fault. They couldn't do that and expect people to call them by their full titles at the same time.

"When you meet a person of rank, address them by their full title unless they instruct you to do otherwise. This is a mark of respect, and all respect is due at all times. Even honoring their request to be called something other than their full title is respect, so don't worry about that. But while we are on the topic of ranks, let's look at yours for a moment. You are all Candidates. Regardless of where you came from, what your rank was before you came here, or what craft you are talented - and least of all how old you are. Some of you are considerably older than others. This is of no matter. You are a Candidate, and that is all that matters. You are all exactly the same rank as all other Candidates, regardless of other defining factors. Which means no Candidate has seniority over any other Candidate. The twelve turn old lad is equal in standing to the twenty turn old young man just about to age out of Candidacy."

"Last, let's cover some of the chores. Some of you have been doing them already, which is good. Generally, just follow the instruction of who ever happens to be in charge of said type of task. General Weyr service being the Headwoman, and kitchen duty being the headcook, and so on and so forth. The tasks are pretty simple and straight forward. In the records room, pay close attention to the Archivist. He gets a mite grumpy if you don't do just what he said to do." He warned. "Just about the only chore you will need any kind of skill to do is the boating. If you can't swim, and if you can't operate a boat very well, you might want to abstain from rowing and instead do boat maintenance. Every now and again they need the algae scrapped off the bottoms and the insides swept out. Maybe some patchwork done. If you don't know how to do patchwork, then don't bother to try. It's safer to let someone else do it, than to have your work fail and someone drown for it." Never mind drowning would be unlikely ... most Weyrfolk knew how to swim. Candidates, on the other hand, were in greater danger of drowning, as not all knew how to swim.

"Any questions? And don't spill that butter, please."