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It was the first break Ceta could remember having since she had entered the Weyr, and she was spending it working on helping to mend clothing. One Candidate had asked her early on if she ever actually relaxed. Ceta, of course, hadn't really answered him, but it was a valid question. She couldn't remember a time when she had wanted to sit around and do nothing rather than keep herself occupied. There was always something to do, after all. Not that she didn't enjoy a nice excursion every now and again, provided something was going on, but she just... couldn't sit idle.

Ceta stabbed her finger with a needle-- a token for her distraction-- and jerked her hand away, immediately sticking it in her mouth so she wouldn't drip blood on the fabric she was holding. Another scar for the battlefield of her hands.

She took a moment to look away from her work as the pain subsided to a dull ache. She was sitting near the shore of the lake Trine bordered, leaning against one of the many trees that made up the forests of the Southern continent. Beside her was a small sack of shirts that needed patching, which she had barely begun to work through. Still, the breeze off of the lake on such a hot day was lovely, and Ceta watched the sparkle on the water with pleasure for its beauty. Moving to Southern had been a mystery at first for her, but she couldn't deny that for all it's dangers, it was beautiful in the South and although she would move back to the North if she had to, she wouldn't be very happy going.

Above the lake, firelizards-- wild or Bonded, she didn't know-- swept through the air, occasionally trilling at each other or dive bombing the few Weyrfolk enjoying the lake's waters. Ceta was quite content where she was, not being dive bombed by flits and with work to keep her hands busy. The longer she observed them, the easier it became for her to realize when firelizards were about to attack. She watched a Blue loop around a Brown companion twice, then glanced over at a nearby Green. In the next few seconds, she swept down and nearly grazed the top of one of the swimmer's heads, trilling as she curved back into the air. Ceta waited, knowing what patterns they liked to fly just before--

Now, she thought, and watched a Blue swoop down and circle the swimmers this time. One attempted to splash at him, but the Blue dodged the shower gracefully and swept back up. They were beautiful little creatures. Cetalese had always admired the idea of firelizards and, later, had wondered if she would ever get one for herself. But firelizards were mostly restricted to weyrfolk and those with high or special ranks outside of the Weyr. The likelihood of her getting one when her family didn't have the marks to waste on more frivolity than a few bubbly pies per Gather...

Now. This time, the water did catch the Blue flit, and he squawked a protest as he flew high to escape it. That just proved flits weren't nearly as clever as their larger cousins.

If they were smart, they would have one swoop in from one side and one from the other. The swimmers wouldn't know which way to look and the firelizards would avoid being splashed if they didn't want it.

Cetalese had seen him approaching from the corner of her eye, so she was much less startled by his taking a seat and addressing her than she had been when Eliza had first introduced herself. In one quick sweep of her eyes she had already gleaned several bits of information about it. The man was clearly a rider, although Ceta had yet to memorize which knots went with which dragon colors or positions of prestige and was left at a loss as to his status. Still, as a Candidate any dragonrider was above her, so it was best to defer whenever possible. Also, he was at least a few Turns older than she and despite the imposing figure his height and relative bulk cut, she could tell from his greeting and the casual way he sat that he wasn't the type to start trouble. That he was mending something, too, told her he may be as inclined not to waste time as she was.

"I'm Cetalese. The space by the lake is open to anyone," she replied, by way of acceptance of his place near her and his introduction. She dropped her eyes back to her work, the firelizards no longer occupying her thoughts as she returned her hands to deftly flipping a shirt inside out and placing the patch appropriately. Her silence wasn't intentional; she just didn't have anything else to say, and since he wasn't a guest in her home, she didn't think to make small talk. Still, despite her silence, she was aware of his presence near her and part of her mind was absently cataloging what he was doing.

Cetalese had lifted her eyes from her work when the needle was safely pulled through the fabric and not at risk of jabbing her while her eyes were away, but her slow start to reply was hidden by K'ro's sudden declaration of his dragon. Her eyes darted up to where Viridith wheeled above the lake and skimmed down the lovely dragon's entire length. Who he belonged to? Were dragons that possessive? She felt a small stab of anxiety for the upcoming Hatching. She'd heard about the Clutch, but since the eggs weren't ready...

Well. She couldn't very well back out now, could she? Her parents were looking forward to being able to attend the Clutch and she was already here. She wouldn't be if the Search dragon hadn't thought she would work out. It was strange, though, that it had taken so long to be Searched. She'd stood for several Searches at Tillek, and one other since coming to the South. Why was she picked now, of all times?

You'll never have the answer, she reminded herself, and as a stiff wind blew over her she was reminded that her work was lying idle in her lap and K'ro was waiting on a response. She flushed slightly and glanced at him before lowering her eyes back to her work.

"I've lived at Iteos since I was twelve. I lived there, I mean, before the Search. I've only been here a few sevendays." She had explained everything she needed to, but there had been a silence when she was lost in thought that she thought she should try to make up for. "Viridith is lovely."

Since she couldn't hear the exchanged between Viridith and K'ro, Ceta was missing a big part of K'ro's reason for exposing that little facet of Viridith's personality. It seemed to fit in with his opening comment about "belonging" to Viridith though.

"It hasn't been much trouble," Cetalese responded to his direct inquiry to her, working the needle around a corner of the patch before pausing to look up at him. "I'm learning something new about the Weyr every day and I don't think I've been too much trouble." She could not say the same for some of the other Candidates. "The chores I'm assigned are often no different than those from home."

Cetalese almost bit her tongue on her question, but decided that knowledge wouldn't be a bad thing to have, in case she did Impress. "Are all dragons so demanding?"

She really hadn't meant it that way. That sounded bad somehow. "I mean, taking up so much of your time you can't know other people. Not that they aren't lovely."

It was odd to think about, in one way. She'd been raised in a Hold, after all, and such things were pretty much Not Discussed there, even among adults. When she had arrived at the Weyr, she'd heard same sex relationships mentioned casually several times before it had really sunk in, but those overheard glimmers had given her a chance to adjust to it subconsciously before she had fully acknowledged what they were talking about. This was the first time someone had spoken directly to her about the same sex relationships condoned and even supported in weyrs, and it wasn't even a passing reference. Cetalese continued to watch K'ro for a moment and then she looked back up at Viridith. Another aspect of K'ro clicked into place for her.

"Most Holds appear to be more hidebound than the weyrs. Many things are accepted here that wouldn't be there." She returned her eyes to her sewing and her hands to their work. "Before I came here I hadn't given much thought to the idea of same gender relationships. The possibility wasn't even an option in the Hold. Any holds."

She was rather sure, though she had taken no fancies to anyone herself, that she wasn't attracted to women. The idea didn't repulse her, either, though, once she'd had the time to really contemplate it. That was probably good, since she was likely to be spending a great deal of time here at the weyr and there were a lot of customs she was going to have to learn and adjust to.

Cetalese had also, after great consideration following a curious thought, realized there were people at the Holds who shared that affection for others of their gender. It was so repressed in an attempt to appear normal that they would likely all go on to marry and live in the way that was expected of them, but once Cetalese had started analyzing those she had known at Iteos, she had recognized several people who might very well have been better off at the weyr than in the Hold. She also thought she knew of at least one pair who may have been more than just best friends.

The shirt in her hand was finished. Cetalese tied a small knot, snipped the thread close to it, and set aside her needle. As she turned the shirt inside out she added, "There's a great deal to adjust to in the weyr. You have to, though, or living here is going to be very hard."

Cetalese listened as she shook the shirt out, folded it, and set it aside before reaching for the next pair of pants. A dragon was a dragon. There shouldn't be a preference for anything other than the dragon that matched your personality the best. She glanced up at Viridith's glaring hide and then over at K'ro. It didn't seem as if the dragon's personality always matched the rider so perfectly, though, which she had just assumed. And yet K'ro seemed perfectly happy with his lifepartner. He had been the one to say you would never want to change your dragon. She looked at him contemplatively, then returned her eyes to the pants, rubbing her fingers over the frayed edge of the hole. Was it healthy to have a dragon so different from you, though?

And again, the answer was already in front of her. K'ro seemed rueful about his dragon's possessiveness, but not unhappy. The dragon who chose you had a reason to do it, even if that reason wasn't always obvious. Maybe when you Impressed you just automatically knew what that reason was and accepted it. Cetalese couldn't imagine turning down a dragon based on color or initial impression. She had nothing to add to his observation and said nothing on her own thoughts, so she let them just fall into silence as she worked her way through the pants. Companionable silences never seemed to bother her. She was happy with her hands at work and her mind in a state of calm. It was rare for her to be agitated.

"I wonder," she commented aloud, "If I would have been Searched if my family hadn't moved south. It seems strange that I was Searched at seventeen when most other children are Searched at twelve or thirteen."

It wasn't until after she spoke that she realized she had come full circle in her thoughts, back to where she had been at the start of their short conversation.

Cetalese nodded at K'ro's reply. It wasn't unheard of for older Candidates to Impress, but it was generally unlikely. Usually, by the time people were Standing in their twenty and twenty-first Turn, they understood that they needed to look into other options as a dragon was likely not meant for them. Ceta had several Turns before she had to worry about that, but K'ro's story was encouraging in a way.

They sat in silence for a short while afterward, absorbing the conversation and the pleasant afternoon, before Cetalese looked up at Viridith's sun-thinned wing and glimmering hide. She glanced over at K'ro and, judging from the smile still lingering on his face, he was communicating with her. What would that feel like? Talking to a dragon in your mind? It seemed strange, but Cetalese was sure it wasn't difficult to adapt to. She'd been doing a fine job of adapting so far. Whatever the weyr threw at her she would take with grace and easy acceptance. She didn't even think about it consciously. That was just her way.

She began another shirt, mending away much as she had been before and letting her thoughts drift wide as she lost herself in the work.

Cetalese looked up at K'ro's question, her fingers stilling rather than continuing her repairs. She'd learned that lesson the first time.

The green-eyed Candidate smiled faintly and shook her head. "No, thank you. I wouldn't want you to keep Viridith waiting any longer than necessary. I think I've learned a great deal already. Have a pleasant day, K'ro." Perhaps it was time to start including the dragons in her responses as well. "And good flying to Viridith."