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 Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 4:37 pm
Kallista had soaked after the Hatching. It was several hours later and she was ready to face the world, or weyr as it was, with a shaky smile on her face. She had made sure to give Astarteth lots of love and support before changing into her Gather dress. It had simple lines that framed her slight body well. In the almost two turns she had been at Ista, her body had filled out a little more but she would never be called full-figured. Her coppery-brown hair was brushed back and her face scrubbed, Kallista actually looked the part of a girl instead of a rider.
Why not be both? Astarteth asked quietly. Her mood had improved as Kallista cleaned herself up and made herself pretty.
"It's too much to explain, Astarteth. Just be happy that I am not staying huddled in our weyr." Kallista let a smile cross her face. She wore the dark green that reminded her of her dragon. She made her way out the weyr and into the Bowl where somber celebrations were taking place. Some seemed to merely eat and drink with a woodenness while others enjoyed the night. Music played and folk danced.
Life moved on. It always did. Sighing, she grabbed a merchant who was wandering. "A full skin please. Benden, if possible. If not, something sweet."
The merchant handled over a skin and charged her two marks. Almost all her money. Still, Kallista didn't mind. She needed the distraction and the chance to unwind. Tomorrow, she would find T'ka. Grabbing some fresh fruit and a full platter, the green rider made her way to a bench by herself.
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:39 pm
The Hatching had been long and exhausting for E'rik. True, he'd actually fallen asleep for some time, but he'd been awake for the blue dragonet going between and no one missed that one of the eggs failed to hatch. He had taken it upon himself to see that Kyllae would be safe for the night following the tragedies at the Hatching so that no one seeking Kyllae and vengeance would find either. He'd left the ex-Dolphineer with T'ka's Haanyath, who seemed more than capable of preventing harm to the unfortunate Candidate. After that he'd gone to the Feast, hoping to be able to do some damage control, but the fact was he was simply too tired to be effective and he decided to leave before he did something that would actually hurt Kyllae's position, if that was possible.
A few hours' sleep had helped, but he was more used to not sleeping than sleeping, and recent events had made it difficult for him to stay asleep. He kept hearing the blue's terrible cry and the echoing keening of the dragons as they mourned. It wasn't something he cared to remember, at least when he was conscious he could make an effort to banish the memory. Asleep he was helpless, subject to the whims of his memory, and he hated that feeling. He'd spent most of his life an unwilling prisoner of his stage fright and he wasn't too keen on entering into any more mental incapacities.
He needed to do something. Anything. He wanted to run and run. But that would be cowardly and besides which, he was on an island. The places to run to were ultimately limited. With Dara he could go anywhere. Reaching for Dara he felt that the brown was still asleep. Fine. He deserved to sleep. But E'rik couldn't stay abed any longer. He threw off his furs and looked over at his roommate's cot. It was empty. No doubt he was still out reveling. Lucky him. E'rik dressed in the only clothes he had that didn't need cleaning, his second-best tunic and breeches. His boots were stained and dusty, but he still looked all right over all. He didn't bother combing his hair, since it would do little good.
Absently he wondered where Cobalt was. He'd not seen the blue firelizard since he sent him to Numenor and Chance. Maybe he was still there. Which reminded him that he should have checked on Firyal after the Hatching. He hoped she hadn't been too badly injured. The fact that she'd gotten back up and stood for the entire Hatching was promising, but he knew she could be damnably stubborn and that she had precious few chances to stand anymore. She probably would have endure worse. But that left the question of where she might be. Definitely not at the Feast, but would she be in her room or the infirmary or somewhere else?
He wandered out of the Weyr and into the Bowl. There were still people partaking of the festivities that traditionally followed a Hatching. He thought, maybe, he could do with some wine. Dara didn't like it when he drank because he said that it made E'rik's mind feel funny, but Dara was asleep at the moment, and not available for consultation. He'd probably be available for the hangover that would follow. If E'rik went to sleep, which was doubtful. He didn't want to sleep ever again he felt at the moment.
It was as he was thinking this that he saw Kallista across the Bowl with a skin of wine. She looked very nice in a dark green dress he couldn't recall having seen her in before. He made his way across theBowl to join her. Perhaps she could be induced to share the wine, and if not that then at least they might share each other's company. Being alone with his thoughts was proving unsettling. He kept wondering whether Kyllae was able to sleep, and if Firyal was all right. He knew life would go on as it had before, but for this evening the world seemed a bit off-kilter.
"Kallista," he said by way of greeting, adding hopefully, "Benden?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:56 pm
"E'rik," Kallista replied. She took a swig and nodded, holding the skin up. She could hear the question in his voice. "Two marks for it. It's Benden. Not the best year though."
Her thoughts were already a jumble. After all, it had been an exhausting time. She couldn't shake that heart piercing cry and the egg, so still and silent. Maybe she would run later... Just run and try to clear her mind from everything. She had kept her link with Astarteth wide open since the Hatching, taking comfort in her dragon's closeness. Unsure of what to say, she scooted over and offered a seat. "Rough day for all, huh?"
Her eyes looked around again but didn't see T'ka. She really hoped to have found her room mate, or at least some sign of her dragon. But there had been none. She supposed T'ka was keeping Kyllae safe from whomever might want to do her harm. There were rules about such things in the Weyr and Hold but that didn't stop them. Kallista didn't want to have to come to anyone's rescue or report anyone to the Weyrleader or Weyrwoman. She had not had the pleasure of meeting either yet. Though, she supposed when Thread fell, she would meet them both.
"Have you seen...anyone?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:16 pm
He cast a quick, hopeful glance at the wineskin but dismissed the thought. Kallista looked like she was barely holding it together. He felt that he had a duty to attempt to alleviate her difficulties. He wondered if that was a result of his Harpering or being a Dragonrider. Either way, as with his instinct to help Kyllae, he found himself sitting beside her, close enough that their shoulders and thighs almost touched. He wondered how she had been handling the events of the evening. Most likely she had turned to Astarteth for solace. That was what Dragonriders were supposed to do. He sometimes felt he was the only one who wilfully excluded his dragon from his thoughts at difficult times. He didn't want any more voices in his head. His own thoughts were bad enough.
"Two marks for an inferior year. You've been had," he said, trying to force a jovial tone. He managed it, but barely. It had been a long time since Harper Hall, and some of his hard-learned talents were eroding with disuse.
His tone was tellingly weary as he responded, "Yes. It has been a rough day. And wickedly long."
His gaze followed hers and he wondered who she was looking for. Dressed as she was, had she planned a meeting with someone else? Was he infringing on somebody else's time with her by being here? He, too, looked around, but he didn't see anyone who seemed to be looking for Kallista. For the moment, at least, he had her all to himself. Maybe she could distract him as he would not allow Daramulath to distract him. He wanted the brown to forget about all this. He wanted to forget about all this, but he knew he would remember for a long time. Possibly for the rest of his days.
"'Anyone?'" he repeated. "That depends. I saw Kyllae earlier and she was safe, though I'm none too sure about her mental state. It has been, as you say, a rough day. If you meant anyone else, I'm afraid I've probably not seen them. I couldn't sleep so I came out. I thought a distraction might prove...distracting. How are you doing?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:33 pm
Kallista shrugged and took a swig of the 'skin. Then passed it back to E'rik. It had a fruity, tangy taste... Maybe it was starting to go bad? She didn't know anything about wines at all. "Just hoping T'ka is okay. I kinda want to go looking for her but she probably needs some time to herself."
Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair. "I wonder. I wonder if Kyllae is really at fault? I know what she did was wrong... Very, very wrong. Some people say touching has no effect at all on the eggs but with this Hatching..."
Kallista sniffled and tried not to cry. She remembered from before that her friend did not do to well with tears. Instead, she took an unsteady bite from a fish roll. Either it the wine or her mood but it simply did not taste right. Putting it back down, she pushed her plate over to E'rik. "Help yourself. I think I do not have the appetite for eating."
Leaning against his shoulder, she sighed. And then, she lifted her head back up, blushing a little. "I am sorry. Just tired and stressed but who isn't I suppose besides the new weyrlings. They shouldn't be worried about anything except their new bonds. Do you know anyone who Impressed?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 4:14 pm
E'rik hadn't given any thought to how T'ka might be taking all this. He was distantly aware that Kyllae was her cousin, but he couldn't remember which of them was older. T'ka gave the impression of being the older of the pair, but that might be her nature. She seemed more reserved than the ex-Dolphineer, and that added to it. Now that he considered it, Kallista would probably know. She was T'ka's roommate, or so he thought.
"I imagine she and Haanyath have a few matters to discuss. That overgrown wher has gotten into the habit of thinking for herself and acting independently of her rider."
His gaze followed her hand as she ran her fingers through her hair. He remembered cutting her hair during the lice outbreak. He had not behaved in a manner he was proud of. But she had started crying for no good reason. He didn't like to be around people when they were crying inexplicably. It made him feel uncomfortable and ineffectual, since he was supposed to be good at consolation and had never had much aptitude for it. At least not once the tears started. Up to that point he was all right. Kallista's sniffling made him stiffen, but he resolved not to beat a hasty retreat like last time. She had every reason to be distressed in this instance.
"I can't answer that," he said. "I want to believe that what happened was not Kyllae's fault, but I have no way of knowing whether that is the truth."
He glanced briefly at the proffered fish roll and wrinkled his nose. He didn't want to consume anything fish flavored or fish scented, he realized very suddenly. "Thank you, but I'll decline. I'm not hungry."
When Kallista's head touched his shoulder E'rik made an effort not to react to the unexpected contact. Instead he looked down at her at what might be considered an inopportune time - just as she lifted her head and blushed. It would be too easy to do something asanine and chauvinistic. With a greater effort than it had taken him not to react twitchily E'rik made himself ignore the temptation and said to the ex-Runner, "There's nothing to be sorry about. It's been one of those evenings that I don't think will be easily forgotten, and won't be remembered fondly."
Her question took him a moment to decipher. He'd been a bit distracted. "My friend from Harper Hall. Mal. He Impressed a grouchy blue." He thought about it and added unhappily, "Actually, I'm not sure I can call him my friend at this point. We came to the Weyr around the same time, but we've grown apart. I Impressed Dara when I did, and he remained a Candidate for over a year. What about you? Know anyone who Impressed?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:43 pm
"Haanyath is a rare dragon indeed. She and Astarteth get along well enough. They like picking at each other." Kallista replied absentmindedly. She had made her way through a fourth of the skin and it really wasn't so bad now. "You're not sharing the wine? Is it that bad? We can get another skin... I just have the urge to unwind some."
She tried not to dwell on the Hatching too much. Every time she did, she thought about that blue going between. What if Astarteth hadn't found her? She sent much love to her beautiful dragon who was up at the Heights. "I hope nothing bad happens to her. No one deserves to be hurt over this, it will only make things worse."
Taking another sip of wine, Kallista placed the skin in front of E'rik. "Here, you drink on this a little bit. My head is starting to feel a little fuzzy. I don't want to be to the point I can't walk or something silly like that..." And then, she picked it up and took another sip. "Well, now you can have a drink."
Laughing to herself, Kallista thought through his response. "No. I haven't made a lot of friends. Astar says I hide in the weyr all the time and saddle myself with Duty all the time. I just like to be busy. Idle hands and all that nonsense... I suppose, for both of our sakes, I should try talking to more people."
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:27 pm
"I imagine Astarteth holds her own beautifully. To hear Dara talk, everything she does is beautiful," E'rik replied. "Well. He tends to say 'graceful' but what he means is beautiful. We're alike, he and I, in that we see beauty in things performed skillfully."
A bit like watching Kallista run, or Kyllae swim, or Firyal handle firelizards, actually. There was just a way people looked when they were performing a task they had done so many times it was second nature to them and they didn't have to think about it. There was something poetic about it. He didn't really have the words to describe it, except that some people could take what they did and make it into art, rather than just something they did.
"I'll be happy to share the wine. I didn't realize that was included in the offer of fish rolls. Even if it's an inferior vintage, it's alcoholic and I can appreciate that. It'll take the edge off, and Dara's asleep, so he can't take umbrage." He rolled his eyes at the oddities of his dragon's nature.
"As for Kyllae, I doubt she's in much danger tonight, at least. What the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman decide later on will probably determine her future at the Weyr, if she's allowed to remain."
E'rik reached for the wineskin and began to explain that Dara didn't like how his mind felt when he drank when Kallista temporarily withdrew her offer of the wine to take another sip. He made a face of mock-annoyance and took the skin from her hands, "Fuzzy-headedness. That's what Dara objects to about my drinking. But I'll save you from that by valliantly drinking some of it."
The problem with drinking, much as E'rik enjoyed it, was that he'd never had much of a head for wine, though he'd acquired a semi-educated palate through effort and a lot of hangovers. He always got wicked hangovers and he became inebriated quickly. Finishing a wineskin would finish him, too. He hoped Kallista planned to drink a bit more, whether or not she got past the point of silliness, or they'd both be in a bad way.
"After all," he said after taking a swig. "I hear you break out into painful song when you're drunk, though it may prove a testament to my skill as a teacher if you break out into not-painful song."
"You're talking to me," he pointed out. "And you seem to get along with T'ka. And...I have no idea who else you spend time with, actually. I'm afraid I haven't been stalking you."
He wasn't sure he could blame the wine yet for his startlingly candid utterances. Perhaps it was that he was even more deeply unsettled by the events at the Hatching than he'd anticipated and he was talking to fill the silence so that he wouldn't have to hear what was in his mind. He hoped the alcohol would deaden that, rather than sharpen it.
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:28 pm
Kallista laughed at E'rik's comment about her green. "Yes, according to Astarteth, no other dragon is as good as she is... She still hasn't stopped bragging to Haanyath about her...uh...never mind."
She took another gulp of wine. Now was not a good time to think about Astarteth's first Flight. As long and as lusty as it was... Not with as much wine as she had to drink and planned on drinking. Giving the skin back to the brown rider, she tried not to let her thoughts wander too much towards that subject. Not that she was a prude but she wasn't going to turn into a loose green rider just because her dragon was a little lusty. Or a lot lusty.
"I heard there was tension between the Weyrwoman and Cheoth's rider, Favan? That is not good for the Weyr, not so close to Thread falling. But I am just a green rider. There are plenty of us to go around."
She sighed at this comment. No matter what, Astarteth was the most important dragon and being in her life. Without Astar, life would be bleak. Like a colorless rainbow. She smiled at E'rik and listened to him speak. He really did have a nice voice. "Then, if we get fuzzy-headed together, it will have to be a secret we keep from our dragons. Astarteth has finally dozed off at the Heights. As for singing, I think I play the pipes a little better than I break into song. I promise, you are helping. Someday I may be able to sing and not cause others around me to wince."
A thoughtful look settled on her face as she thought about all the people she knew...and it was a pitiful amount. "I believe, I can count all the people I talk to on both my hands. I prefer to sit back and watch people. Learn about them. I like to blend into the background."
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Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 5:33 am
"Her what?" E'rik asked. Thinking back to previous encounters with Kallista's green it occurred to him that Astarteth would probably have no difficulty mentioning any one of her attributes with pride. The field really needed narrowing after an opening like that. He couldn't read human minds, after all, and his draconic mind reading was limited to his own dragon.
He took another mouthful of wine and swallowed it, then followed it with another. It occurred to him that he was wasting a great deal of education by simply drinking the wine as though it was a fruit juice, but the business of appreciating wine didn't suit the occasion. The occasion called for hard drinking, and possibly something stronger than wine, though that would have been difficult to get ahold of since no one wanted their weyrfolk drunk and stupid.
"I know nothing about the matter," he declared. "And from the most recent count there are plenty of Goldriders to go around, too. The one from this Hatching, that nosy girl who Impressed earlier. The girl who Impressed with Dara and Astarteth. We've got at least five golds, three of which are fully grown and one of which is nearly so. I can almost understand why so many people are campaigning for a new Weyr."
His arm brought the wineskin back to his lips automatically. His mouth felt kind of dry, which was probably a result of the wine, but it was the liquid that was most readily available to him, and so the cycle continued. His head was beginning to feel fuzzy. He laughed, but not unkindly. "The masters at the Hall, if they didn't string me up for presuming to teach, would die of mirth that I, who was once among their best baritone voices, set out to train a singer and ended up creating a piper."
"I don't seem to talk to as many people as I used to, either, and few of the people I do talk to know each other or are particularly keen on meeting new people. It could almost be frustrating if I was foolish enough to care whether you all met and got along." He tilted his head back and looked at the sky above the Bowl. Then he laughed again. "I can just imagine how a meeting between you and Firyal would go, for instance. No offense meant to either of you, but what a disaster that would be."
There seemed to be only about a third of the wineskin left and E'rik wondered whether he should have some more or offer it back to Kallista. He chose the latter course and held the wineskin out for her to take, if she wanted some.
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Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 8:10 pm
"Her Flight," Kallista mumbled more to herself than E'rik. She had not forgotten that his Daramulath had almost caught her Astarteth if not for a tricky bit by Sigranth. Letting out a deep breath, she picked up a piece of fruit and bit into it. It tasted sweeter thanks to the wine.
She watched E'rik make a dent in the wineskin. She wasn't sure how much was left but she was pretty sure they would need another skin soon. She had one mark left but wasn't in the mood to spend it on more wine. Besides, her companion should share the wealth and buy the next round. When he started to list the golds, Kallista realized that there would be another clutch soon as Annelie's Yansanth hadn't risen yet. "Well, Yansanth is due to rise soon. And they say the queens lay large clutches in preparation for Thread. But seriously, I think we are at double or triple our capacity as a Weyr. I have heard that some folks think they can make things better by making trouble. That is ridiculous of course. Makes more trouble and work for those higher up. And for those lower on the ladder as well..."
Kallista grabbed the skin back and peered in its little opening then took a swig. She would probably have a headache in the morning. Luckily, T'ka was a good roommate and not a loud one. "Firyal? I don't think I have met that person. Of course, with all the crowding going on, I could throw a stone and hit a stranger. But what is a stranger but a friend you haven't met yet?"
Another sip, another bite of fruit and she sighed. This really was a night for deep thoughts, wasn't it. "You got the next skin when we drain this one?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:01 pm
"Ah," E'rik said. He remembered Astarteth's Flight fairly clearly. It was the first time Daramulath rose to pursue a female, and it had been a memorable experience. He was fairly certain he didn't want to discuss it any further.
He hadn't realized that Yansonth was due to rise soon. Mostly he paid little attention to the Weyr's golds. His Daramulath was not ambitious enough to fly one of them without his urging, and E'rik wasn't about to urge. He had no designs on any of the Goldriders, and he would not put Daramulath through that. Gold flights nearly always went to bronzes unless the rider herself had a preference, and such a flight would be hard on Dara. Better that the brown stick to chasing greens. Like Astarteth.
And he didn't want to follow that line of reasoning any more.
"I've heard nothing about it. I'm afraid I've spent very little time attending to Weyr gossip, though it's impossible to ignore the overcrowding. As you say, you can't throw a stone without hitting a stranger, though your outlook is considerably brighter than mine when it comes to strangers, and I was trained in dealing with them and manipulating them to like me."
"She's a friend. She has two firelizards," E'rik explained dismissively. "She was the one the young queen walked over at the Hatching today."
He couldn't quite believe that he'd not mentioned Firyal to Kallista. Actually, he could very much believe it. There was an unspoken conversational law that dictated a person shouldn't mention members of the opposite sex when in the presence of someone of that sex. Particularly not if you were even remotely interested in the person you were talking to. Which is why he'd spoken to Firyal of Kallista, but not vice versa, possibly. He liked Firyal and enjoyed her mind and her dark humor, but she was not to his taste in other respects. Not in the way Kallista was, though he was aware that Kallista was some years younger than he.
"Yes, I can get the next skin," he said, mentally counting his marks. He was by no means wealthy, but he could afford to buy another wineskin when they emptied this one, which would probably be sometime in the near future. "I think I see someone with wine I could purchase now, if you don't mind a brief period of abandonment."
He thought it might be a good idea to put some distance between Kallista and himself for a bit. His thoughts needed sorting out, particularly if he was going to have more wine. He'd come to Kallista seeking companionship, but that wasn't the kind of companionship he'd intended to seek, if it came to it. He wondered if it would. He didn't think he'd mind, though. There seemed to have been something between them on a few occasions, and he'd thought about it a few times, but...Shards. Maybe he shouldn't drink any more. It made his thoughts unruly.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 10:17 pm
"I have just heard the murmurs during meals. Mostly, must to Astarteth's chagrin, I stay to my weyr and to whatever duties I get assigned for the day. But I have noticed things going on and the cavern women complain about the tithes." Kallista looked thoughtful as she recalled the rumors and complaints she heard at mealtime. However, this meal seemed to do just fine under their watchful eyes.
Her eyes were getting a little heavy with the influence of the wine. Taking a piece of roll, she munched on it, trying to stave off the feeling of fuzziness that was quickly overtaking her. But this was what she had wanted and she was going to achieve her means one way or another. It did not bother her when E'rik spoke about Firyal, or any others he may know, in front of her. After all, she had friends that he didn't know. Shaking her head, she wondered why lately E'rik had been on her mind when she thought about friendship... or other relationships. It had to be some sort of crush. Of course, he did have a few years on her.
Shaking her head and bringing herself back to the conversation, Kallista tried to remember what had been said. Wineskin? Leaving? Oh yeah. She did say something about him buying the next round. "I don't mind as I doubt it is a good idea for me to move around right now. I have one mark left in case it is needed."
What was a mark amongst friends after all? She took a big swig of the wineskin and then giggled to herself. Giggling? When did she ever giggle? That was not like her at all. "If I do need to leave, I will just prod Astar awake so she can rescue me. But I think it best, I get something a little more in my stomach besides the wine."
She watched as he got up to leave. Now would be a good time to try and get her thoughts together. Taking slow deep breathes seemed like a good start. Kallista watched with interest as E'rik's backside searched for a wine seller. Weird. Why was she looking at his backside?
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 3:16 pm
"I've truly heard nothing about it," E'rik said. "But I try very hard not to overhear gossip. I have no plans to seek advancement and I don't find that I need to utilize my talents for acquiring clandestine information, that being the case. At the Hall I was quite talented at overhearing rumors and putting them together to see the greater whole, though. I think I may have since lost the skill."
That, and so many others. An unexpected side effect of alcohol on no sleep and an empty stomach was that his thoughts were fairly dark, particularly if he turned them to Harper Hall and what he might have been there. There was no way of knowing whether he would have ever overcome his stage fright without Impressing Daramulath, but his Impression meant that he could never be a Harper, which was what he'd wanted to be since he was thirteen and even now wanted to be in his heart of hearts. To pursue that course would be a dereliction of duty of the worst sort, but he still sometimes wanted to direct Dara to fly him to Fort and just stay there until the Masterharper agreed to let him finish his training.
"I'll go get that, then. I've got the marks for it," he said as he stood up a little too quickly and the world spun briefly.
Another wineskin would probably be a colossal mistake. His head would kill him in the morning, and he would be sick all day. Not to mention as photosensitive as a wher and very susceptible to the least noise. He knew how this would go. He'd been here before, though not since Impressing Dara. The length of time between this experience and his last meant it would be even more unpleasant. He'd observed enough people the morning after the night before to know these things for a surety. His first few steps were very careful as he took much longer to recover from the world's spinning than he would have in his ordinary state of being.
As he made his way to the man with the wine E'rik remembered that Kallista had mentioned she should have something more than wine in her stomach. Not a bad idea. He wondered if he ought to bring back something for them to munch on. It might take the edge off their inebriation. Maybe. It might also be too late, at least for him. He decided, after haggling with the wine man at a bit too loud a volume for normal conversation, that he should definitely find something to gnash. For this he did not feel like going to a great deal of effort, and so he sidled up close to where someone he recognized from the Weyr's kitchens stood with small, heavy loaves of bread. He picked one up and held it up obviously so that the worker could see he had taken it, but the young man's attention was elsewhere and he didn't have the patience to wait around.
He returned to Kallista with the purchased wine under one arm and handed her roughly half the loaf of bread. It hadn't broken apart evenly. He rejoined her on the bench and confided, "There's a chance they'll think I've stolen this bread. So we'll have to eat quickly so that there's no evidence, or go someplace else, where we can't be seen. Last time someone got in trouble for stealing after a Hatching, Candidates were cleaning privies for a week, if I recall."
He'd not been subjected to that punishment, but he'd met Firyal several days into it and eventually had come to learn the story behind why she always seemed to be on privy duty. He'd been inclined to side with her on the matter, but no one asked his opinion and he wasn't about to volunteer it. He had, however, made it quietly known that anyone who wanted to take out any frustration on her physically might have an accidentally damaging brush with Daramulath, who had been large and clumsy at the time, and inclined to accidents at any rate.
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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:14 pm
Yupt. E'rik definitely had a nice backside. Not that she should be having those thoughts about her second closest friend in the weyr. For a few minutes, he was lost in the crowd. Kallista took the time to finish her roll and then make a face at the plate she had received earlier. Nothing else really appealed to her.
Already, her head was starting to get a little clearer even if her stomach rebelled at the thought of anymore food. Taking a large swallow of the wine she had purchased, she sighed. It was pretty much gone. Manners dictated she leave the final swallow for E'rik. Somehow, she knew she shouldn't hit another skin. It would be a bad idea. Back at the station, Kallista had seen the repercussions of a night of hard drinking. But shard it! This night called for a way to drown out the blue's squealing and the sight of an egg that would never hatch. Trying to bring herself back to happier thoughts, she checked on Astarteth who was snoozing contently with some other dragons. Even the great beasts had all had a rough time listening.
She jerked up when E'rik returned suddenly and shoved a hunk of bread at her. Startled, she tried to remember why he had left. Was bread the reason? And then, her hazel eyes lighted on the wineskin and memory returned. Oh yes, trying to forget things was such a hard task. "I am sure this will taste all the better knowing it might be forbidden. I vaguely recall something about a theft amongst the candidates but I am afraid I am rather dull on that point. I tend not to break too many rules."
She bit into the bread which was still fresh and warm. It was a big chunk which she put the rest in her lap. Looking over at her friend, she gave him a smile. "I saved you the last swig of my poorly chosen wine. I hope you picked up something better."
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