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'We are going to the sunning rocks where the soothing one is, yes?' Skananth asked as the over sized blue hatching walked along side his lifemate.

"Soothing one?" F'len asked giving his dragonic friend an odd look. "Oh you mean Tofir! Yes, we're going to see Tofir. He would like to ask us some questions about the hatching.

'I hope I will know the answers." Skananth worried lowing his head in concentration as he thought back to the hatching.

Laughing F'len gave the blue a reassuring pat. "You were there, so of course you will know the answers. Just do your best and it will be fine." He smiled feeling the dragon relax beneath his hand. "Besides from what I hear of Tofir he is a very nice man. I think you'll like him."

'I like him already. He has a soft mind.' Skananth burbled brightly flaring his wings a little.

"Soft?" F'len repeated not really clear on what the dragon meant and was suddenly assaulted by images and feelings. The safe feeling of being held, the softness of a caress, and warm happiness of not being alone. 'That is how his mind feels,' the young blue explained.

Difficult concepts to put into words for a young dragon, but F'len thought he understood what Skananth was trying to say. "Ah that's why you call him the soothing one, isn't it.'

'Yes, he feels very soft and comfortable.' Skananth agreed with a bob of his head.

"Well I'm glad you think so because we are here." F'len waved to Tofir as he approached the place of the meeting. "Hello there I hope we're not too late." He called out as Skananth settled himself down beside the place the mind healer had chosen.

Skananth looked over at the fire lizard sensing his agitation and hummed a pleasant greeting his eyes whirling slowly in blues and greens. Though he did nothing that might startle the little creature.

"Don't worry, I don't see it as an imposition. How dragons decide on the candidates they chose is a very interesting topic. In fact, I'm delighted to be included in your research even if our schedule is a little full at the moment." F'len sat near his lifemate unconsciously moving the hand that still rested on the blue's back in gentle circles.

"I am 16 turns old." F'len nodded ticking off points on his free hand. "I was born and raised at Harper hall. I had the normal life of an apprentice harper, learning to write music, making instruments, learning to sing. Nothing out of the ordinary happened really, but it was a pleasant life. I'd like to say I was brilliant at it. But If that were the case I probably would never have been searched. The masters would not have allowed me to go. As it was I wasn't very good at all."F'len laughed self deprecatingly.

"But I made myself useful at any rate. As many of the masters were fond of saying," F'len's voice adopted a tone recitation. "There is no role too small to play only small harpers."

F'len laughed as he thought back to those times. "The hall is a wonderful place and I will miss it. Still when the opportunity came to become a candidate I wanted to try. Honestly, I am only a mediocre Harper and I have no shame admitting as much. I will do my best wherever I am, whatever I am doing. It just wasn't my passion. But given a chance to see if perhaps my talents might lie elsewhere, to find that drive that I've seen in others that compels them to do what they do, in myself. Well it was an opportunity I could not pass up. I didn't know if I would impress or not, in fact I had convinced myself that I was likely going to leave the sands without impressing. But then Skananth fell at my feet. "

After glancing fondly at his dragon F'len looked back up at Tofir,"I rambled on, didn't I? You just asked for age and place. Sorry if I went off topic a bit it's the harper in me."

"It's just my grandparents on my mother's side and my grandmother on my father's. My grandfather on my father's side has passed from old age and I don't have any siblings, cousins, or aunts and uncles." F'len fingered his chin thoughtfully as he considered his family. "I suppose that's a bit unusual as far as families go, but not really for those that stay within the harper craft. The few others who have two harper parents are also the only child in the family. I imagine it's difficult to raise children when the majority of harpers are wandering about singing and teaching. My parents teach at the hall so it wasn't too difficult for them even when I was very young. Even so, I was made an apprentice as soon as it was allowable."

F'len smiled as he thought back to his youth. "I never lacked for friendship and support though. I was sort of adopted by the hall at large. Everyone there is a bit like an extended relative, we're just not related by blood."

'Have it your own way.' Skananth sighed softly in his place next to his. He couldn't make the small one not be afraid, which was sad because he liked having friends. But compelling him to do anything would only confirm the little one's fears. Instead the young dragon turned his head to watch the soothing one. The questions the mind healer had asked so far were interesting. He couldn't help but wonder what sort of question would be next.

"Well, my grandparents worked and stayed at the hall. But as you say, I never really saw them any more than any other adults. So yes, I guess it was rather weyrlike." F'len replied thoughtfully. "I never really thought about it much. Though I suppose anything your used to would seem normal even if it's different from the norm. My parents are Journyman harper and archivist Maki and vocal specialist Master Harper Rianna."

F'len looked down at Skananth as he waited patiently for Tofir to continue the interview. 'How are you doing?" He asked the blue realizing the young dragon had been silent a while.

'I am good. I was just listening. I like it when you remember. Harper hall seems like a wonderful place.' Skananth replied as he rubbed the side of his head against his rider's leg.

'It's is a wonderful place Skananth.' F'len agreed. 'Perhaps we'll be able to visit there some day.'

'Mmm, that would be nice.' the blue thrummed in pleasure.

"Oh I don't mind answering questions. But it is amazing that such a small list of questions is going to give you the information you need. I had thought the interview was going to be much longer and more difficult when in fact it's been quite nice, actually.

Skananth tilted his head as he listened to the mind healer trying to picture the hatching in his mind. Turning to fasten one bright eye on the soothing one the little blue spoke for himself. 'I do not mind speaking to you, Soothing one. For you are kind. Of the hatching I remember that Pipith was not pleased. He had some trouble getting out of his egg and the weyrfolk were worried he might not hatch. He does not like it when someone thinks he might not be able to do something. I was having trouble with my shell too. But I am strong and after a little bit of moving around I managed to get out of the egg. I was not angry. I just wanted to find mine.'

The little blue was leaning forward as he told his story almost to the point of tipping over. But F'len's hand on his back kept him from doing so. He shifted his wings slightly and rebalanced himself as he continued. 'Moving around is harder than it looks. Especially for me for some reason. Mine says it is because I get too excited. I was excited at the hatching. I could sense mine. He was with the other boys and I wanted to be with him so I tried to run, but it didn't go quite as I expected it would.' Skananth warbled a soft draconic laugh.

'F'len got me untangled though and he took me to find food. Food is very good.' Skananath imparted very seriously. 'I like food, but it made me sleepy. I do not know how much more I can remember properly after that.'