Late [Sketchy]

[cetas]

The dining area was suitably loud for the volume of people it contained. Reir sat on her own as she watched the hustle and bustle going on around her. The noise was not even completely unlike the roar of the waves she was used too – yet this time she could not concentrate with it around her, but even so it was somewhat oddly enchanting.

Inaise was late. Reir wasn’t entirely sure what her new friend was doing, but she was starting to get hungry. Who could blame her? The food around her looked to be better than anything else she had had in the last few days. Unfortunately, it was hard to stay occupied to forget that thought - the influx of humans and dragons alike was certainly interesting to look at, but it certainly felt awkward to keep staring at those she did not personally know.

One thing had become obvious to her whilst scanning the room – the ratio of the dragon colours was rather skewed towards green and blue. Not that she was expecting to see a gold or even a violet, but greens counted for half the room by themselves. Reir had been taught that green were the most common of all dragons, but she did not realise the degree to which this was correct.

It had been a little while now, and Reir was still all by her lonesome. The place was much larger than she had anticipated; perhaps Inaise was waiting for her in a different part of the room out of her viewable range? Even so, the idea of grabbing something to eat now was too desirable to resist. The brunette kicked the chair out of her way and stood up with no hesitation… unknowing there were weyrlings in close proximity.

[Sketchy]

Inaise was late; she had been detained (not surprisingly) for drifting off too often in thought during her chores. So she was stuck cleaning the floor- again.

But luckily, D'cien was around! Because him and Hiarth were always happy to find food. Hiarth's blue body, light powdery blue shimmering in the dim light, followed D'cien as best as he could. The hustle and bustle had caught up to the two as they made their way. Finally, Hiarth was sat in a corner, sulking, as D'cien made his way to find food. It had been a long day at weyrling work, and now it was time to rejoice in the simpler joys (mainly: food and sleep). He was looking foward to both.

Watch out! Hiarth's warning came too late as D'cien turned, a plate of food in one hand, a bowl of meat in the other. Both toppled, though D'cien managed to barely catch the bowl. The plate, however, clattered to the floor, pieces of food stuck to D'cien's already not so clean uniform.

Catching his balance (barely), D'cien glanced over to see Hiarth stretching his wings in humor. Hazel eyes returned to face forward, looking over the girl that he'd tripped over. "Didn't see you there." D'cien, ever the charming and prone to taking advantage of the situation, managed to not be irritated about the food. There was more, and already a few flitters had strayed to come pick up what they could gather. "You all right?"

[cetas]

Reir couldn’t help but notice that in less time than it took for her to stand up that she was already down again, hunched over the back of her fallen chair, and surrounded by a group of Fire Lizard’s hoping to gain a quick snack from the spilled food. Taken by surprise from the event, it took her a moment to even notice the concerned weyrling standing above her.

Unfortunately she wasn’t entirely sure what would be the appropriate manner to address him, for she felt that he was her superior. This always meant one thing for her – she’d revert to her trademark formal mannerisms rather than the casual ones she much preferred. Hopefully the weyrling did not think ill of her for taking her time to formulate a response.

“I am fine, thank you very much for your concern.” She replied, slightly lying as she raised her right hand to soothe a sore spot at the back of her neck. It then became apparent to her that the spilled food had belonged to him. “Oh my, I am sorry about your food.” Reir apologised, lifting her chin to gain eye contact with the rather tall weyrling.

What Reir saw actually surprised her, although she wasn’t completely sure of what she was expecting. The weyrling’s facial expression had a rather serene, caring quality to it. This was something to take solace in, and Reir found a genuine smile was now lighting up her face. The man appeared to be of similar age, which made her feel a bit more comfortable. He was also followed by a lanky looking blue dragon who was clearly amused by the events that had just unfolded.

It had occurred to her to perhaps him if he knew where Inaise may have been, but quickly dismissed this idea – after all what were the actual chances he actually knew who Inaise was? Best not to make this all about her, when she just wanted to thank this guy for his concern.

[Sketchy]

D'cien grabbed the now (mostly) clean plate, pushing flits away with a food at he straightened, noticing how very... very... short this candidate was. Taking in the candidate clothing, he relaxed a little. Would have been wonderful to stumble over someone who could get him in trouble, of course. At least a candidate he could just apologize and get it over with.

"It's no problem. There's plenty over there." He watched the last flitter scurry away as he rubbed the back of his neck with a lop-sided grin. "And look, we helped feed all the flits for the evening." A few other weyrlings looked on, rolling their eyes or smiling at D'cien. His lack of grace was known already.

Hiarth hung back, getting only close enough to look at Reir a bit and check D'cien over. The blue wiggled a little and made his way back towards the edge, waiting at a table on the outside. D'cien would bring back more food, he assured him.

Invite her back over or something, for love of little green dragons. It was your fault. The dragon's commentary caused D'cien to laugh a little. "Hiarth," he indicated towards the dragon, "insists I invite you to eat with us, as I obviously need to go fetch more food. Join us for a cup of klah?"

Brushing a piece of food from his front, he waited for her answer, hoping he wasn't being too imposing. Hiarth smugly assured him that people liked eating together and of course she'd accept.

[cetas]

This was certainly unexpected, but very welcome. Things were starting to look a bit more optimistic for Reir – the last time she was in Nyocia she had struggled to gel with anyone in particular, and here she was now, and she couldn’t be treated in a nicer fashion. For once, she did not feel compelled to keep up her guard around the weyrling, after all she was aware of the glances they had been getting – chances were that this guy was more comfortable being himself and did not particularly care how other people were to view that. Perhaps this was something she needed to replicate?

Before answering, she decided to break eye contact to acknowledge the dragon that seemed to be instrumental in her being invited for klah. He was much different from the searchdragon she had met before, the shape and colour varied greatly. All in all, Hiarth appeared to be a friendlier dragon – that was Reir’s hypothesis anyway. He had kind eyes as well, to match his human.

“Hiarth…” Reir uttered softly, in awe of the dragon’s form, before switching her attention back to the weyrling. “Tell Hiarth I would love to sit with you.” She replied in her sweetest manner, which also probably was attracting some odd looks from the casual onlookers, but perhaps they were more fixated on Hiarth, who at this point looked like he would want to say ‘told you’ at this point.

Making sure there were no remains of food and what she had assumed was dirt on her bare right hand, she boldly stretched her arm for the weyrling in hopes for a handshake. (For Hiarth too if that was actually possible?) “Funny. I get to learn his name,” gesturing towards Hiarth “Before yours. I should probably introduce myself too. My name is Reir. I am a candidate, and also a keen fisher. It has been a pleasure to meet you.”

[Sketchy]

D'cien was indeed aware of what others thought of him- but he didn't really care, as it was. As it was, he'd spent so much time as a candidate, most of the current weyrlings, and a few dragonriders, knew of him for him, if not by reputation. The scar on his right cheek made him memorable, at the very least, though by now, he hardly noticed it.

Hiarth wiggled a bit to get comfortable, trilling a greeting to a passing flit. While some dragons were annoyed by the little beasts, Hiarth found them to be entertaining and liked watching them play.

"Hiarth will be oh so pleased," he replied dryly, still in good humor.

Juggling the items in his arms, he managed to give her a handshake, grinning. "I'm D'cien, blue weyrling of Hiarth." Having gotten the formalities out of the way, he continued on, shifting as he turned. "Pleasure, as well. I'm off to get some klah and some more food." He pushed the bowl of meat strips in her direction. "If you want to, you can head over to Hiarth. He'll appreciate the food and I'll be there in no time."

[Sketchy]

IGNORE THIS.

[cetas]

“If he invited me then I have no doubt Hiarth will be pleased.” Reir chuckled. “Hopefully, I am not imposing on you though.” Good nature aside, she had hoped that D’cien was not simply just playing nice for the sake of it, but she felt comfortable enough to brush off her concerns, though some lingering anxiousness remained.

Grabbing the meat strips, the brunette nodded softly. “Thank you. I shall do that.” The dining area had not got any quieter since arriving, but it did look as if eyes were finally off the two of them. This took a reasonable amount off Reir’s mind. It didn’t bother her too much that it was occurring, but she didn’t appreciate actually seeing them stare.

“Hiarth.” She called, attempting to get the dragon’s attention. “I believe I have some food for you.” Hiarth probably struggled to hear the girl’s meek greeting. The tone she was using was of a lower volume than how she was communicating with D’cien. No matter though, she would place the bowl in front of him. This ought to get his attention.

[Sketchy]

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS.

"It's not hard to please him, he's fairly easy going. Though if I leave him alone, he gets into trouble." He swung around to give a parting, "Not at all," before rounding over to gather a new plate of food, return the dropped plate, and grab some klah.

Making his way (much more carefully) back to the table, he watched as Hiarth dug into the bowl. D'cien usually fed them to him slowly so that he had to keep his attention on him for the time while he was eating, so the dragon was happy to have food en mass available to gorge on.

The powdery blue dragon watched Reir, one eye turned towards her as he gulped the food down. Are candidates always so... little?

D'cien laughed a little as he set the plate down, and passed a cup of klah towards her, the tray holding the pitcher clattering a little.

"Hiarth wanted to know if candidates were always so little as you," he joked, sitting on the bench and pouring his own klah. "It's just because my brother and I are tall, I guess. He's not used to other heights."

Am too, Hiarth objected. Stop making me look silly. You're the one always dropping stuff. Stretching his wings a little, Hiarth laid his head on the edge of the table, eyes watching the candidate and his bondmate as his stomach settled. Mmm, food.

[cetas]

The best way to respond to a joke is another joke, in Reir’s opinion anyhow. “Why yes, last time I checked candidates have to be small, and we grow seven inches when we Impress. Well that’s what I have heard. Is this not true?” If you had looked carefully enough, you would be able to just make out a sly grin coming from her. In her comfortable state, this actually wasn’t that uncommon a sight.

“What of the other riders? Are they all as tall as you and your brother?” Reir quizzed. Looking back, she had not met anyone sharing her height, although she also couldn’t remember meeting anyone quite as tall as D’cien – although she considered that the rest of his body type might have confused her, making him seem taller than he actually was.

Taking the klah, her immediate reaction was to add some (actually, quite a lot of) sweetner to the contents. Habit really, something she had never grown out of. Her parents had once or twice tried to encourage her to drink it without it, fearing that it would cause her to appear more juvenile than desired. All in all, Reir never saw a real point to it – The taste of unsweetened klah was tolerable to her, but not delicious. Why spoil the taste if she enjoyed it sweetened?

Taking no more than two sips, she set the cup back down on the table. D’cien seemed fascinating to her in some regards, and she was eager to learn more about him.

[Sketchy]

D'cien grinned, sharing the joke with her. He liked her, even if at first she had seemed a little stiff. "Oh no, it's true. How d'ya think I got to be so tall?"

D'cien thought it over, pulling his klah closer as he watched her dump sweetener into her cup. He smiled a little at that, before lifting hazel eyes to reply. "Most of the fellows are around our height, but not all of them. There's a few shorter weyrlings, as far as I know." He didn't, however, know anything about the current candidate group. He hadn't kept up with them, not with all the work they were doing as it is.

Don't get your wings twisted, D'cien soothed Hiarth. "Hiarth thinks I'm making him look bad." He took a few sips of his klah (too hot, he thought to himself) and gestured towards the blue who was now curling himself up beside the table, finding nothing of interest on D'cien's plate.

You are. The dragon's mind-voice was firm as he tucked his wings closer to his body.

"He'll forgive me later when I bring him some sweet meat." Changing the subject away from his sulky dragon, he asked after a second, "How do you like being a candidate? Have you stood yet?" Though she could have stood at the same clutch as him, D'cien doubt he would have remembered. He'd Impressed last, and been so nervous and anxious and happy for his brother all at the same time, that he couldn't really remember many of the faces who stood with him.

[cetas]

“That’s good. I was hoping it was true.” Indulging in a good joke was surely one of life’s high points. This was one of those times. It was great to know that riders were allowed a sense of humour, on some levels Reir had been concerned that becoming a weyrling would consist of a purge of the lightest side of her. Looking back now, it was increasingly obvious that she had been worried over silly things with no real basis of why she was ever concerned about them in the first place.

“Tell Hiarth I do not think you are making him look bad, quite the opposite in fact.” Reir was now building a mental picture of what she was imagining Hiarth to be like, probably all wrong though, she wasn’t entirely sure on his body language but she certainly did not think ill of him.

D’cien’s bond with Hiarth was lovely to watch. Reir was amused by this greatly. If this is what Impression will entail, then perhaps she would actually start to look forward to it. A friend for life was something to envy, and Reir was appreciative she had the chance of this, disregarding her previous failure…

Which was something she still wasn’t entirely comfortable with talking about, but it felt more appropriate to talk to D’cien about it rather than Inaise. Perhaps this was something only an experienced rider could help her with.

“I stood once before, a little while ago now. I had to leave soon afterwards due to my father suffering an injury, so I needed to help my family through some financial problems. Aside from my father, I was the only one who could fish, so my presence was needed. I have been convinced to return now; it’s exciting, but pretty scary at the same time. I hope that’s not too uncommon of a thought.” Words were now coming naturally to her as the conversation progressed. Satisfied with her explanation, she signalled its end by taking another two sips of klah.

[Sketchy]

D'cien, busy shoving food in his mouth, gestured towards Hiarth. "You can tell him yourself. He hears everything, even if he pretends he doesn't." The dragon shifted a bit guiltily. It seemed he did sometimes have selective hearing, especially during training sessions. Only recently had their communication gotten better.

"Ah, yeah. That sounds about right. I stood a few times and was left on the sands. Last time I managed to Impress." He smiled fondly at the blue bulk of a dragon. Once Reir got to see other weyrlings interact with their dragons, she'd realize it was something everyone of them did. It was instinctual- they became so tangled up in who you were and what you were in that instant, that it seemed impossible to live without them.

"How is your father faring now? I'm guessing better, since you're back here."

D'cien couldn't help another look back to Hiarth. "They're worth waiting for, even if it takes some time. Just means the right one hasn't come along, yet." Hazel eyes softened a bit at the thought of Hiarth.

[cetas]

“Much better now, thank you for asking. I couldn’t say he recovered to the degree he was before the incident, but he is more than capable of bringing in my family’s income, and that will have to do.” Reir reminisced. There was no doubt in her mind that the accident was never likely going to be a fatal one, but she would never stop being concerned for her family.

Reir was starting to hunger again. She had been so engrossed with meeting D’cien that the thought of eating had been placed on the backburner – even though she had never stopped being hungry. Timidly reaching over, she grabbed some food and starting eating along with him. It was pretty good, certainly a meal worth waiting for.

“It’s not rare then for someone to fail once, and then successfully Impress on a second – or even more attempt?” She questioned, inquisitively, accompanied by a sigh of relief. Not that she wanted to fail again, but chances are no one did, and if it happened, then that would be that. If she would gain a bond with a dragon like D’cien and Hiarth’s, then it was worth waiting for.

[Sketchy]

"Of course," D'cien murmured, glad to hear that her family was okay. He had assumed, since she was here, that it couldn't be that bad, but it was always good to know for a fact.

Done with the plate for the time being, D'cien pushed it over towards Reir. "Go ahead, I'm done." He wasn't going to admit this was his second plate, after all, but then again, strapping young men always ate a bunch, right?

"I was left standing more than twice," D'cien admitted easily, playing absently with his klah cup. "My brother Impressed on his first standing- lucky man. He Impressed a bronze, too." He grinned. "But no, I would say it isn't uncommon to stand a time or two. How many turns are you? I was 21 turns when I Impressed, and I've been here at the weyr for years."

Hiarth rumbled a little. It took a long while for me to find you, bondmine. But now we have each other.

D'cien couldn't agree more.

[cetas]

There were signs of relief in Reir’s voice. “Thank you, that actually eases my worries to know that you – and others went through the same thing.” This ought to relieve some tension that had been weighted on her shoulders. “I just hope I can meet a dragon just as special to me as Hiarth is to you. I think for now its best not to worry about it until it is time to stand. I am 20 turns, by the way.” She added.

Now that conversation was moving more comfortably, Reir began debating on what to ask him. If there was one thing she wanted it was for the conversation not to be all about her, and her concerns. This was a prime opportunity to learn more about the life of a weyrling outside of a formal lesson.

“I’d like to learn a bit more about your way of life actually. You’ve already been there, and are experiencing what I also hope to experience. I’m not sure exactly what I want to ask, but surely life has become different for you after Impressing?” She made out, in a reasonably quick manner, eager to wolf down some of the remaining food.

Despite asking questions, Reir couldn’t help herself musing over what D’cien had told her.“Maybe the timing was good for when you Impressed? You got to share such an exciting experience with your brother too.”

[Sketchy]

"Of course. You're not alone in that experience," D'cien reassured her, taking a drink of klah. "At least you managed not to get caught in the trouble," he commented, fingering the scar on his cheek. "I was a little too slow the first time I stood.

"Oh yeah, life is way different." He grinned, brushing his hair back from his face. "For one thing, you're never alone. Your dragon is always there, in your head. At first it's terrifying, because they know everything. Just rummaging through your mind like cupboards." He poured himself a bit more klah as he talked, shifting on the hard bench. "But it gets better. Once you find a balance with them. And when they're little, they need a lot of care."

Hiarth chirped in reply to that particular comment, calling him out on it.

"Yeah, that's what I think too. It was good to wait, because he was worth waiting for. The timing worked out well, in the end."

[cetas]

Reir felt herself letting out a small chuckle, covering her mouth with her tender fingertips in order to maintain the ladylike portion of her. “Well then I hope my ‘cupboards’ will satisfy my potential dragon partner. I can imagine that it must take a little while to get used to though. Perhaps that is something I can’t really prepare for…”

Having to thump the higher part of her chest suggested she had eaten too much in too little of a time span. Eagerness left a little to be desired, but good food will do that to you. While she had wanted to communicate her thoughts more thoroughly, it was necessary to have a few more good sips of klah to help the food down.

“I wonder when it will be time for the touching… “ Reir pondered. “I may not know if this time will be different but before I was less than enthusiastic. Looking back, I think I wasn’t ready for the lifestyle change. Maybe my potential dragon knew that and was waiting for me rather than the other way around?”

[Sketchy]

"If they pick you, there's something about you that's meant to merge with them, I assume. It's not like they pick wrong, after all."

Dragons are always right, bondedmine. That's why I got you. Hiarth's tone was smug as the dragon stretched, watching Reir suffer just a bit for her food intake. His eyes whirled a dark blue, showing his content state, sleep still an option at this point.

"Not for a while, I don't think. As far as I know, the flight was fairly recent." He toyed with his shirt sleeve absently, picking off a piece of food that he'd missed from the earlier spill. "You'll get a dragonet when the time is right. Until then, just prepare." He grinned. "And by prepare, I mean sleep. Because once you get one, there's not a lot of that around."

[cetas]

“That’s unfortunate; I certainly do enjoy my sleep. But no one I have met so far has seemed excessively tired, so hopefully that is something I can adapt too. A good friend is better than a good night’s sleep anyhow.” There was no hesitation in her words. Every single sound she uttered had been the absolute truth, something she could not be wavered from. “I shall heed your words though, I will make the sleep I have now count.”

D’cien’s devilish grin was a little unnerving but she knew that was just part of his charm. If it had been the candidate master giving her that glance then things would have been very different.

“It’s actually likely to be a good thing if it doesn’t happen soon – not to say I’m not itching for the opportunity, but I think the time spent as a candidate will help me to grow as a person. Perhaps I will find my place in the world yet – although I do hope I would still get the time to fish. For a dragon to be my perfect match, I bet they will like the taste of fish then.”