Welcome to Gaia! ::

Belram loved mealtimes, and only partly for the food - which was saying a lot for a teenage boy! No, he liked them because they were the perfect time to socialize, much more so than chores. Once could certainly talk while doing chores, and he was very good at that kind of multitasking, but it was always much more enjoyable to talk with someone when you were really able to focus on it. And it was always easy to find someone to talk to, what with everyone in one place! Meals were definitely the ideal place for catching up with those he already knew, and meeting those he didn't yet - and with eggs on the Sands, there were more of those than usual.

As was his wont, the lean young man picked a table with hardly a glance to see who was already sitting there - if there happened to be someone he didn't know, well, all the better! He set his lunch down and greeted any occupants of the table with a bright, "Afternoon!"

D'astel loved and hated hatchings for reasons that didn't involve scandal. (That subject was best left untouched, in word and in thought.) The candidates weren't his problem, it was the way they acted that had him thrusting his palm into his forehead hundreds upon thousands of times just before the dragonets broke free and invaded the populace. They daydreamed more when they were supposed to be working. Worse than that, they fought more. As if somehow telling another person they'd never Impress would up their own odds.

Kids. Unstoppable because they were youthful, but stupid for it, too. Once it was said and done, and each hatchling had Impressed (or taken that other, more grave option), the red mark caused by number of facepalms would no longer plague his sharp face. Yet, at the same time, it would. To see R'o have trouble with his Weyrlings was no less frustration. They made quite a duo when it came to scouting out troublemakers beforehand. And, they were both very good at not looking like they were doing it.

When he entered, what first caught his eye was the energetic Belram. It was reasonable to assume, given his haste, he was friends Raysan until the look he gave him. Curious--and possibly somewhat amused--the Weyrleader made his way over and sat next to outgoing candidate with no less abruptness than he'd had when he placed himself near Raysan.

"Is this the popular table this go around?" he wondered aloud. The lad just looked so thrilled to be here.

Belram was absolutely delighted that he'd managed to land himself at a table with two people he didn't know - had seen around, but didn't know. And one of them was a girl! A pretty, older girl who winked at him, no less! Oh yeah, he'd made an excellent choice. He offered them both a brilliant smile, in spite of the other boy's lack of enthusiasm. At least he'd returned the greeting! That was plenty for Belram.

"I don't think we've ever m-..." About to introduce himself, he was interrupted by the sudden presence of a bronzerider...not just any bronzerider, but the Weyrleader! Surprise, though not unpleasant, was evident on his face. "Weyrleader!" he exclaimed cheerfully, "Good afternoon."

In answer, he shrugged. "I like moving around."

Introductions, however, were still not to be forgotten, and so he finished, "I'm Belram."

The day had progressed smoothly in her favor, with no complications or interruptions in her drawing, save for the usual candidate responsibilities she always built her schedule around. Heady and rich scents burned through her nose as she slowly made her way in the direction the smells wafted from, her stomach suddenly roaring with hunger. She’d skipped breakfast in favor of sitting before the sunrise to think and to plan.

Amoreth emerged into the chamber filled with people, her stomach clenching painfully with anticipation as she saw food on the plates set before those sitting at a table relatively near her. The young woman tucked her sketchpad and pencil into the pouch on her hip and procured her own plate of food with a cup of the traditional drink supplied by the Weyr, moving to another occupied table; this one had three males and one female seated around it. That was one other female than the others she saw had! As a Weyrbrat, she was quite used to sharing eating space with anyone, but she wanted female company as well as male today.
“Salutations and a fair afternoon to you all,” she said gently and a bit softer than she’d planned, though her polite smile never left her lips. “I trust you’re well today?”

Her eyes traversed over the people seated at the table, and as she saw the Weyrleader himself seated amongst them, she could hardly help inclining her head respectfully—she would’ve sank into one of her more characteristic bows, but the fear of unsettling the food she held or spilling her drink made her settle for the gesture she gave instead.
“Sir.” She said matter-of-factly, taking a seat at the table. No other words left her lips as Amo took dainty bites of the meat, testing and balancing its taste on her tongue. Delectable, as always! A sense of calm set over her, and she gave a barely-audible sigh of content. Today was one of those days that made her feel gentle, warm, and happy, though outwardly she remained quiet and perhaps a bit pensive.

Conversations began. She listened to them, her emerald-colored eyes turned on each of the speakers as they made small-talk and introduced themselves. Belram.. she'd heard that name before, seen the boy a couple of times in her meandering about the Weyr. Raysan, she'd oddly never seen. The female, she also recognized from a few chance meetings. Suddenly, Amoreth wished that she hadn't spent so many hours immersed in her world of paper and pencil and spent more time getting to know her fellow kindred.
Despite the introductions offered around, she remained quiet, pulling her art tablet out again to sketch down a few doodles and words of wisdom that her mind had spawned as she ate and watched the people around her consume their lunch as she was.

D'astel was a man of power but a man none the less. Uuni registered on his radar and far be it by him to restrict his eyes from giving the young woman a very sublte once over. Around Luci's age, he decided. Not a bad looker, either, which is why he wasn't going to bother trying with her in this lifetime. Those beautiful ones? Yeah. It's a trap.

"And good afternoon to you, Belram," D'astel echoed with a less enthused version of his cheerfulness. The longer he stayed there, the more he felt it was nice to see someone so... happy, for lack of a better word, when so many candidates they'd been shoveling in were angsty teenagers with dead parents. Sharding kids these days and their dead parents. "We certainly get by," he went on to tell Raysan. 'Certainly' should have been 'barely' if he was being honest, but you didn't go around reciting to candidates and workers things like that. Bad public relations waiting to happen.

--Oho, what was this? Another chatty one? D'astel smiled charmingly at the new arrival by the name of Amoreth; not that he knew that. "Hello," was all he said in response. It sounded the most harmless. Surprisingly, she sat down and kept quiet from that point on. Interesting. Very interesting.

The next question was directed at him. The Weyrleader tracked A'ras and gave him a familiar, greeting nod. Ah, riders. Those he did know. Had they not been in the company of only potential riders, he'd have jokingly told him to be on his way, less he steal the spotlight with his good looks. Alas, he couldn't bring himself to forget nor overlook the reason he was there.

"Becoming acquainted with our future riders," D'astel said, then he added for clarification, "of any color."

Delicious aromas preceded Trista on her walk to the dining hall. She was excited to have her first meal in the weyr. Taking the plate full of food offered to her by a soft faced drudge, she smiled gratefully. "Thank you, this smells incredible. I can't wait to try it."

Turning toward the tables Trista laughed as had to side step a weyrbrat who had apparently been told fetch some fruit from the stores for he was running head long with an overfull bushel basket that was nearly as big as he was.

Snagging an apple for her meal Trista found an empty place at the table and settled herself down. "Hello," She said brightly to those those at the table before looking to her food.

Trista was famished from her tasks as a candidate. As she ate she had to admit that the food was every bit as scrumptious as she had thought it would be. She took her time savoring each bite. It's wasn't that the food she was used to was bad. But as a brewer's apprentice she rarely had time to sit down and enjoy a leisurely meal like this.

Come to think of it she should enjoy this time while it lasted. If she didn't impress she was likely to be sent home. Not that she minded, she loved learning to brew and helping her father out with his stand. But she would miss the weyr it was such an interesting place full of a myriad of people.

If she did impress, well the new candidates were all going to be very busy taking care of their new charges. From the size of the dragons it looked like it would take the better part of a day to just look after their needs. She couldn't imagine how the riders managed to get training and sleep in as well. It was no wonder then that their meals were as good and fortifying as they were.

Raysan he nodded slightly to the new girl that had arrived at the table. "Well enough." he answered as he emptied his Klah mug and set it back down. She seemed a quieter type and he wasn't sure if it was because of the Weyrleader or what. But...well never underestimate the quiet ones he concluded considering they probably listened more than others. "Nice ta meet ya, I'm Raysan." he finished before taking another bit of his roll.

It wasn't long though before a he chuckled under his breath about the bronze rider's statement of future bronze and gold riders. He had a feeling the bronze rider meant it as a joke of some sort but considering how a few of the others reacted they didn't take it that way at all. It wasn't hard for him to take the joke in stride considering he didn't have any real expectations yet and so he poked fun back. "Yeah, you know, us guys would look pretty good as Gold riders. Don't ya think?" he said with a lopsided grin for anyone to comment back on. The amusing joke was enough to make him a bit more cheerful from his normally serious front.

Mm...was that one girl flirting with the Weyrleader. Well, heck if she knew what she wanted then go go go get it was his opinion. The Weyrleader wasn't that bad looking and well for that matter neither was the bronze rider sitting next to him. Coming back from that thought, he heard the offer for a refill, he glanced over at the girl and then looked down at his almost empty mug. "Ah...yes please...I'd like a refill." he said not missing that polite detail if she were going out of her way. He handed her his mug back to her, "If ya need help carrying cups back, hollar at me. I'm Raysan." Heck, he might have been abrasive at times but he also knew how to help out.

And now he had a name to the quieter girl....Amoreth...after hearing Sunshine's greeting. Well, that was another name to jot down. Of course as he looked up another girl had settled into another open spot at the table with a large apple. Fortunately, there was still plenty of room at the table because they had drawn quite a crowd. Still feeling a bit of mirth from the previous joke he was able to greet her in a friendly tone, "Hey, welcome to the popular table. I'm Raysan. Nice ta meet ya."

Trista...he made a mental note of the name but was kind of surprised by the comment that she was glad to meet him. The tone was rather friendly and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. However, it was rather nice to be accepted for the most part. If they knew him better, they might not feel the same way. However, that was nothing he would talk about outright. He wasn't ashamed of his life style, he just knew others probably wouldn't be so keen on it.

"So, you been here very long? I just got here a couple days ago myself." he asked as he sat there. It was all small talk and it made him feel just a little awkward because usually he just didn't have much time for it. Coming to the Weyr was definitely a change in pace for Raysan.