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 Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:14 am
"Ah," Kella said in response to their brief foray into the weather. But that conversation was sidelined as their debate about respect, and how to show it, was picked back up. She speculated over all that C'mor said, digesting it while her fingers working over Naedreth's neck and head knobs. The young woman had to adjust her position when the bronze sat on the ground; she simply sat beside him, crossing her long legs at the ankle and leaning back on one hand.
If this conversation had happened as little as a turn ago, Kella might have responded differently. But now she was finding out that her views were drastically changing. She found herself in agreement with C'mor- that respect was good, but to take it to extremes to display it was definitely excessive and only served to make things uncomfortable. "I've got to agree with you about that, though," she stated and looked up at him, nodding. "It'd be really weird if someone bowed to me, or groveled to any extent. I don't know how I'd handle it. If that happened, it would be really awkward," she elaborated and added a shrug for emphasis. "Besides, I'm just a kitchen worker. I don't get any sort of respect. So, I think that being shown any would also be weird," she added in a quieter voice.
Kella had once, when she had been younger, entertained the notion of Impression. She'd dreamt of being a queenrider- commanding respect and loyalty from the Weyr. But now those dreams had fizzled out and faded. Being left standing several times could do that to ones dreams!
She quickly shoved the rather depressing thoughts away and shot a grin up at her new friend. "Nah, it doesn't bother me! I'm actually really happy to have someone to talk to, and just hang out with," she said and blushed, though it was hard to make out underneath her dark skin.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:29 am
C'mor gave a lopsided grin and nodded. "Me too, I honestly don't know many people of about my age, always hung around with adults really. Ha, especially the one who work in the records, they've always seen a lot of me." Less now, though. As a candidate though his life had been stuffed with chores, he'd had the time after dinner to spend there, and rest days of course. Now... well he still had free time, but it was spent with Naedreth, everything revolved around his lifemate as was only right. Finding somebody who was of his own age and apparently sane to talk to while still being absorbed in what his dragon needed was most pleasant.
"In any case," C'mor chuckled and nodded at Naedreth, "before he picked me I was only any good for fetching and carrying. You never know your luck, right? One day a dragon might just decide you're the one." Even now he was bonded to a dragon he had no idea how it worked, how they chose. Idiots Impressed, and good people were left standing alone. It didn't seem quite fair that the hatchlings didn't just choose on merit.
"I chose only on merit," Naedreth told his rider, "you were the only one good enough for me. You were the best and so am I, and so we are together and right for one another."
"Whatever you say, Naedreth." Certainly he had always believed he had the potential and, yes, the merit to be a rider but 'the best' would never sit right with him. "You must still have three or four turns to stand," C'mor went on to Kella after a moment, stroking Gilden as she hopped down into his lap, "with the queens rising as often as they are you still have a good chance."
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:57 am
Kella was genuinely surprised at how well she and C'mor were getting along. She'd never had this sort of experience with anyone before- where they happened across one another, and just had a friendly conversation. She had no idea it was so easy! She felt very comfortable around the young bronzerider, and his dragon. Most of the people Kella interacted with on a daily basis were more likely to yell at her than just talk with her, so she was certainly grateful for this random happening- meeting C'mor and talking with the young pair.
"I'm the same way!" Kella enthusiastically responded, her face scrunching into a frown. "I'm always around adults, and I'm not a huge fan of it. I, uh.. yeah. They don't really like me," and at this, Kella had to chuckle. It was most definitely her own fault that she was yelled at so often, but she had acted the same way for 16 turns- why change now? At least, that was how the young woman viewed her situation. "Trust me, the women in the kitchens are NOT to be messed with! They're touching your food!" Kella warned C'mor very seriously, but couldn't keep herself from laughing.
Then the conversation took a slightly more serious tone, and Kella automatically got defensive. Only slightly, but the young woman certainly closed up a bit. "I haven't had any luck," she stated quite bitterly. "I'm quite skilled at carrying and fetching things, now. I've had lots of time to perfect the skills," Kella did not really like the current subject. She was touchy, to say the least, about dragons and hatchings and Impression.
"Oh, I certainly could stand for some time to come," she readily agreed. "I'm only 16 now, and they'll let me keep going for another 5 turns at least," but Kella shrugged, not sounding too happy about her option. "I've got a good chance of being rejected for the next 5 turns," she couldn't bite back the caustic remark, snorting to display just how she felt about being paraded on the sands for some time to come.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:09 am
C'mor sighed and nodded. "Yes, there is that. Walking away from hatchings alone is horrible. I was lucky, Naedreth's hatching was only the second I stood for. Still," he snorted, "that's a story in itself. I've been trying to stand for clutches since I was fourteen but somehow I always manged to be ill or injured when one came around. I was beginning to think I was cursed!"
"Not cursed," Naedreth said with another happy rumble, "just waiting for me. One hatching to practice and know how things really happen was all you needed."
...Well, yes, but if he believed that he would have to believe in fate. He supposed he did to a degree, it had been his fate to bond to Naedreth, but he couldn't accept the idea that all his bad luck had been some kind of deliberate set up. What force was there to do such a thing, after all? "Anyway," C'mor shook his head to clear away such strange thoughts and gave Kella a grin, "you're right there! I always try to stay on their good side, the laundry workers too. I don't want my shirts coming back pink or some such." Even if people in a position of power over you were being annoying or daft it was best not to tell them so, unless their foolishness was dangerous of course.
"Most adults do tend to like me though," he went on with a chuckle. "I'm a good boy, quiet and studious and obedient and such. Once Naedreth and I are grown, though, the dimglows I've put up with being polite to will be in for a bit of a surprise. I'll hold my tongue for superiors, but when they're not my superiors anymore they'll be getting the full force of my actual opinion." He looked forward to being a mature rider very, very much. He didn't like keeping his real opinions back, it was almost lying by omission in his opinion.
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:28 pm
Kella turned her face away from C'mor, hoping to hide the range of emotions that played across. Well, it wasn't so much a range. It was more like disappointment and dismay that showed themselves most prevalently. "I think I've stood at close to four hatchings, now," Kella said, lifting her chin stubbornly, forcing away the hurt that welled in her throat and stomach. It was heavy, and cold- and not at all pleasant. She tried her best not to let it consume her.
The attention she gave Naedreth was comforting for her, though. Her hand ran up and down his neck, marveling at how soft his hide was. She'd always imagined it to be rough and scaly, and was surprised to find out how smooth and supple it was. Probably very sensitive, too! She had a fleeting thought- I wonder if dragons are ticklish? But she kept it to herself, smiling and turning the focus back to the conversation at hand.
"What? You don't think you'd look good in pink?" Kella teased C'mor, grateful for the new direction their conversation took. She snickered, looking up at him coyly. To herself, she thought he might be able to pull off some pink- but not an entire, solid shirt. Kella shrugged. She wasn't a fan of pink, anyway. She entertained a wardrobe of mostly neutrals, with a few pieces in bright green, or red for special occasions- which were few and far between. Kella was a bigger fan of comfort than style, especially since she worked in a very dirty part of the Weyr. Why wear something pretty if it was just going to get covered in dirt, muck, and food scraps?
At C'mor's next comments, she couldn't help but snicker. "Yeah. The adults around here don't like me too much," she sighed. "Unfortunately, I think I have a lot of scolding and being spoken down to in store for me. I just can't picture myself Impressing. So, unless I spontaneously become incredibly skilled in some way or another, I think I'll be a kitchen drudge for the rest of my life."
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Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 6:08 am
C'mor wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "No, I don't think pink is really my colour... Mind you, I don't know anything about fashion or style, I guess it might suit me down to the ground!" Perhaps C'mor the Glorious Goldrider would have worn pink. He was still rather sad that the story had been cut off before it could begin. He was sad he'd found Veyes out for what he was as well. Ignorance was bliss, he supposed. It was best that he knew his former friend was a thief, perfectly willing to betray trust placed in him for his own benefit. It was best, but it wasn't nicer.
"I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens for you," C'mor went on after a few moments, his hand stilling on Gilden's flank as he gave Kella a smile. "Whether you Impress or not though, I won't ever talk down to you. Everyone has a right to be treated with respect, to have dignity, and to be allowed to voice their opinions... I thought that if I didn't Impress, I should have liked to be part of a ground crew when the Thread came." The idea of not being any use at all other than to clean up after and feed riders when the silver menace returned had been unbearable. Now he knew that he and Naedreth would fight it together. They might even lead a wing one day, it was easily possible, and it was even possible that they might find themselves Weyrleader. You could never tell what the future held.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:34 pm
With her head turned to watch the bronze weyrling sitting next to her, Kella was only listening when C'mor mentioned pink not being his color. She laughed, agreeing whole heartedly. "I don't know much about style, either," Kella insisted, plucking at her neutral-brown pants. "I definitely wear stuff that is comfortable and easy to clean. I don't follow style... or really care," the young woman admitted and shrugged.
C'mor's smile made Kella feel awkward rather than reassured in any way. It was like.. he had something she coveted, to an extent, and he knew how awesome it was to have said coveted item. Kella blushed lightly and turned away from C'mor. Her hand stilled on Naedreth's neck, her fingers curling into a fist for a brief moment before relaxing. "That'd be a good, rewarding thing to do with your life," Kella agreed, "you know, if you don't impress ever." She hated saying it, and considering it. C'mor had room to grow and rise up in the ranks, and felt as though she were stuck.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 4:47 am
If you didn't Impress. C'mor started stroking Gilden again, remembering well the fear that a dragon would never choose him. It was all he had ever wanted, or really planned for. Being part of a ground crew had been a vague idea of what he might do with a failed life. Was that how he really saw it? Candidates who did not Impress were failures?... No, not all of them, just him. He had been born to ride, if Naedreth had never found him his purpose in life would have been ended. Wiping up what the riders missed was all well and good but never soaring, never knowing what it was to bond to a dragon... Horrible.
"Yes," he agreed eventually, "if you don't Impress... You have to keep believing you will though, keep as confident as you can. That's what everyone says anyway, that a dragon won't go for a candidate who is too unsure of themselves... I've seen nervous people Impress though, so I don't know where that idea came from really. Whether you're afraid or not if your dragon's there, it'll find you... One of the Queens is going to rise soon according to the dragons. Maybe this clutch will be your lucky one, eh?" He hoped so, she seemed a decent girl, and he hoped this was Ren's clutch too, and Nathail's. It would be odd to be up in the stands as a rider, cheering the new pairs on along with the crowd. Incredible, though, and wonderful to feel Naedreth's joy as he welcomed all the new hatchlings into the world.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:50 am
The young woman had spent far too much time dwelling on the negative. Her thoughts of late had been filled with taunts and jests; her lack of Impression weighed heavily on her conscience. Despite the fact she frequently reminded herself that not Impressing was due to nothing within her control, she still was haunted by it. She sighed and frowned, her dark eyes cast downward. She withdrew into herself for a few moments, focusing on the ground and taking several long, deep breaths. She attempted to feed off of C'mor's enlightening mood; his words, especially, helped to uplift her spirits.
"I really hope it is," she responded to the young bronzerider, turning her face up to smile in a small way. "It'd be so nice! I so desperately want to know what its like.. What you two have! You seem so close, in ways I can't really understand. Of course, riders preach about how wonderful it is- I don't even have a firelizard for comparison," Kella said and laughed. She had to lift up her chin. She wanted to believe what C'mor said, about hatchlings preferring those candidates with confidence and self-assurance. She drew upin her inner strength, sitting up straight and taking a deep breath. Now matter whether or not she Impressed, she was still alive, and living at a Weyr. She had a good life as it was, she had to admit.
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:30 am
He sympathized with that deeply, and hoped more than ever that she did find her dragon... Of course he had been quick to like, trust, and hope for Veyes. That hadn't gone well. It wasn't even just the stealing - though that was bad enough - it was how he'd treated his supposed friends int he kitchens and-
"You think about that too much Mine," Naedreth put in with a soft rumble. "Think about him no more, he is not worth it. No dragon will have such a man, you will never have to deal with him on equal terms. He is unskilled, too, so he will probably have to leave the Weyr once he becomes too old to stand. Do not think about him anymore, he will not be here for long."
A dragon might. Who knew? Only time would tell, he supposed. "It's wonderful," C'mor said after a moment, shaking himself out of his thoughts, "I'm not going to play that down. You have turns and turns yet though, so even if this isn't your time with how often the queens are laying your chances are better than I expect they would be at any other time." He could withdraw inside himself, he could cut off his naturally friendly nature in case some seemingly nice person turned out to be a traitor underneath but he didn't want to live like that. Maybe it would get him hurt from time to time, but that was better than living isolated and bitter.
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 10:24 am
With a sudden mood swing, Kella decided she'd had quite enough of this conversation. She didn't really want to talk about it- or anything related to it. She frowned, pondering on where the abrupt change in mood came from.
Bringing her out of her funk was a sharp cry from the direction of the lower caverns. Kella immediately assumed it was one of the cooks coming to reprimand her for slacking, and procrastinating in favor of a friendly chat. Her eyes went wide for a moment, then shark while her frown deepened. "I really don't want to deal with them," she growled as she grew irritated. With a quick glance toward the discarded trash, Kella sighed. It must smell positively ROTTEN by now! "Ugh, gross," she muttered.
"I really need to take care of that," Kella insisted and moved to stand. She was careful not to jostle Naedreth as she rose, but didn't think she could do anything to make the bronze uncomfortable. Not when he was already so much larger than she! "It was nice talking with you! We'll have to talk again, later," the young woman forced. "I'm sure we'll see eachother around!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:45 am
He wanted to offer to go and help given that he had been the one to distract her, but really he needed to finish Naedreth. "Alright," C'mor gave the now rather annoyed looking young woman a smile, "I'll see you around. I hope I've not got you into too much trouble." Or annoyed her too much; he should have talked less about dragons and more about other things. Ah well, he could probably still salvage this relationship if they ran into one another again.
"You should see her again Mine," Naedreth said with a soft croon to Kella, "she gives good scratches, and she knows that I am the best there is! If she Impresses she will think that dragon is the best, but even then she will never forget that I am great!"
Probably so. C'mor smiled at his lifemate, and then at Kella again. "Naedreth says goodbye, he'd like to see you again sometime as well." There, that was really all he could do.
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