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Cetalese glanced questioningly at Eliza. Did she want a second breakfast, or would it be all right to give it to Scarath? S'kor was very brusque, sure of himself, and Ceta hated to keep people waiting. Without much of a pause, she offered the meatroll to Scarath so she could free her hands for tending to him. If Eliza was hungry, they could go back and get something from the kitchens after the lesson. So long as S'kor wasn't entirely objecting, it seemed all right to feed the Bronze, though Ceta hadn't known that dragons liked human foods.

It didn't matter to Ceta which dragon she got, since both were fairly large. She'd never been this close to a metallic before, though. Now she could see the shine of his hide up close and get a feel for the size of the larger males as opposed to the Blue she had once ridden. Could she handle such a large creature? There seemed to be more of him to oil than one person could handle!

Once Scarath had taken the offering, Cetalese brushed her hands on her pants to clear them of crumbs and stepped forward. S'kor's comments about oiling cloths made sense, so Ceta opted to go for the barehanded approach he suggested. She eyed Scarath again, observing the amount of hide he had and looking for 'rough patches.' Yes. Barehanded. That would be the most efficient way to go about it.

Peradan was well aware of her ability to bulldoze through people when there was something she wanted, and that went double for dragons. She gave a sheepish grin to the young man she had brushed aside and stepped back slightly, her eyes still darting between green and bronze, unable to pick which one she liked more. They were both so different. There was no way a rational person could choose, was there? Both dragons made her feel like a giddy little girl again, skipping through the vineyards, or playing with the rare canine pup that passed through their Hall.

Much to Peradan's delight, she was assigned to the handsome young bronzerider's group. She still kept her mind mainly on the lesson, but there was enough in there to dedicate a little bit of time to him. They had a pretty big group, and it wouldn't hurt to get to know the rest of her riders. One day they might all ride in Threadfall together, and there would have to be trust. At the very least, she would have to know them. Just from living together, Peradan knew the women by their faces, if not their names. The men were less familiar.

With instructions given and permission to feed Scarath given, Peradan inched closer to the bronze dragon's large head. There was no way she was going to feed him by hand. Instead, she simply left her meatroll near his mouth and stepped back. Surely a dragon that large couldn't even taste her small treat? But he seemed to want it, and there was no saying no to a face like that. Not just because a face like that belonged to a dragon big enough to eat a human.

Dipping her hands dutifully in the oil bucket, Peradan winced at the sensation. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but she wasn't sure she quite liked it yet. Oh, she'd get used to it when she Impressed, but it was rather... squishy. And wet.

"How long does it take one individual to oil a dragon of his size?" Scarath looked like a lot of dragon for one person to handle.

S’kor knew the dragon’s willingness to sample food. Even an item he’d tasted many times before. Curiously he watched a moment to see if the candidates would be brave enough to approach the very large head. He was pleased to see the first girl having to problems in giving the dragon his treat. She clearly wasn’t afraid of him, even with his size. The other was slightly more disappointing; only laying it by Scarath instead of putting it in his mouth. S’kor took a small step toward the roll, should I get that for you? No Mine. I will get it. Scarath rumbled his gratitude to the two candidates who’d given him their food. Delicately he moved his head so his tongue could scoop up Peradan’s meatroll. Swallowing the tiny offerings, he laid his head back down and stretched out his wing on the side where the group worked.

The rider nodded pleased when Scarath got the meatroll himself. He turned his attention to the candidates and their oiling. S’kor felt like an old hand it now. Oiling wasn’t too much different from caring for his stallion, other than the obvious it was oil and not brushes or the size difference. With his pail of oil, S’kor smeared a handful across the bronze shoulder. Diligently he rubbed the oil in until the hide had absorbed it and shined; he didn’t want sand to stick to unabsorbed oil, and possibly cause irritation. “Most of the morning,” he responded to Peradan’s question. “I generally oil him fully after his bath every other day. On off days, I’ll spot check for rough patches.”

Standing at Dynith’s head, Optheli saw several lids close as she relaxed. The poor green tended to worry over the tiniest things. She stroked the soft hide soothingly and finished oiling her face. Seeing the candidates start to oil, she moved closer to the group. “Trying out S’kor method too?” She nodded to the technique Melina was applying with a grin. Dynith shifted slightly and said plaintively, Mine, there is an itchy spot by my dorsal. Hers would make everything better and stop the itch.

”Oh? Dynith says she has an itch. Let’s go check it out.” Optheli had a hunch it would be an example of what the candidates needed to look for should they Impress their own hatchlings. Quickly she scampered up the green’s foreleg. Holding onto the wing joint to keep her steady, her practiced eyes scanned down the green’s back. Sure enough by a dorsal ridge behind her shoulder Dynith had a patchy spot. “Alright candidates grab a cloth with plenty of oil on it and climb up like I did.” Settling herself across the green neck Optheli sat down to watch. “You’ll want to look for and oil the spot.”

It occurred to Ceta when Scarath rumbled that she had fed a dragon for the first time. Certainly it was hardly a snack for the great beast, but she had fed him all the same, and without even thinking about how she should act. It just made sense for her to treat Scarath as she would anyone else, Bronze or not. She'd never heard of dragons hurting humans before, after all. She rather thought that-- unless it was an accident-- they were incapable of it.

I fed a dragon.

She smiled slightly at the thought as she ran her hands along his side, working oil into his hide before it dried on her hands.

Cetalese soon realized that her hands simply weren't transferring enough oil to the hide. She retrieved one of the cloths and soaked it, then applied with that and used her free hand to help work in the oil the cloth applied. That worked much better, as she could now see the gleam on his hide as she rubbed the oil in. The sun changing position would eventually use his hide to blind them if they didn't finish him soon enough. And S'kor spent most of the morning doing this?

Maybe she should have placed the meatroll directly in the bronze's mouth. But that seemed impolite, on top of all her fears. Was it her disappointment she felt at her act of cowardice, or was it S'kor's? That was silly. Peradan couldn't imagine why he wouldn't like her. And if he did, it didn't much matter. A dragon would like her, and that was all that truly mattered. Besides, Peradan saw herself as tremendously helpful, voicing questions she was absolutely positive the other Candidates had, but were too afraid to voice. She saw herself as a leader among them, even if this was likely a not quite warranted label. They were all her little flock, and she would guide them into the caring hands of the riders, and then back to the barracks. What Peradan called 'leadership' others might simply call 'being pushy' or 'sticking her nose where it didn't belong', but since when had Peradan given them particular mind?

She got used to the sensation of oil on her hands rather quickly. She risked one hand to scratch Scarath's eye ridge, giving S'kor a look that seemed to say "I'm not afraid". She was careful that it was a hand that was relatively free of oil, however- she wasn't about to drip any into the bronze's faceted eye. That would be an unmitigated disaster. Confident that she hadn't done so, Peradan returned to Scarath's side, using the oil gently, almost massaging it in. "I imagine I can press harder than this, but I'd just like to be sure." Her touches were light yet, but Scarath was large and sturdy, and probably barely felt it.

All morning spent oiling? That... That didn't sound too bad, actually. This was rather relaxing. She dipped her hands in the bucket, and then spread the oil onto the bronze dragon, careful to make sure that it was all absorbed properly. Her detail oriented eyes did not allow her to miss a single patch, and she strove to make her coating as even as possible. Given the opportunity, Peradan would love to spend a few hours a day doing this with /her/ future dragon, who would hopefully be as obliging and patient as Scarath himself was. What if a dragon wasn't as laid back? Trying to give an unruly dragon an oiling would be a difficult task as they started to grow. The cute antics of a child grew into the annoying habits of an adult. But that's why a dragonrider had to have a strong mind.

Peradan's questioning was relentless. She was going to wring every little drop of information out of S'kor and then some. "What happens if you leave a rough patch be? It cracks, right? How much pain would it cause a dragon?" Everyone made mistakes, and while Peradan never hoped to be in a position where she caused her dragon any injury, it was good to know what was in store for the future. The idea of not Impressing was receding further and further from her mind. She would Impress, and that was that. Until that time came, she needed to gather information.

"And how often do you try and rope Candidates into doing this?" There was a smile on her face now, and wait, was that a jest? From Peradan?! Okay, it wasn't the best one, and it was rather obvious, but... You had to give credit where credit was due. Peradan was not very good at having a sense of humor.

Oh geez. Ruven was late. Not just a few seconds late or “I walked in just as you guys got started” late, but really late. The red head had planned on waking up extra early and arriving first at the candidate lessons. That level of responsibility would make him look dedicated and, more importantly, cool. Unfortunately, fate had had a different plan for him in mind this morning. While eating breakfast, he accidentally dropped and broken a mug. Hot klah spilled everywhere. It took him a full ten minutes to clean up the mess and a full ten minutes more to escape the scolding of a rather moody kitchen worker. The whole incident was not only humiliating, but also time consuming. He really found himself missing the servants his family had back at home.

Doing his best to keep a straight face, Ruven approached Scarath and Dynith. So the candidates were oiling the two dragons, huh? What a mundane task. Great. The teen wanted to put his all into today’s lessons. He would have to stand out in a positive way to make up for his lack of punctuality. This scenario, though, would make that incredibly hard. How could he possibly do something special when all he would be doing was covering his hands in grease?

Wondering what the dragon riders’ responses to his arrival would be, he took a few seconds to glance over the other candidates present. He was slightly disappointed to see no familiar faces. Well, that was not surprising. Compared to most of his peers, he was still a fresh newcomer to Trine Weyr. He had yet to make any friends (though he was confident that worthy individuals would gravitate towards his absolutely brilliant personality over time). His social growth was even further stunted by his stubborn built in class awareness. Almost all of these strangers were commoners, which meant he had no idea how to talk to them. Would poor people be able to understand his greatness? Would they even be able to understand his big words? Frankly, he was even a bit wary of touching his peers. Ruven usually did not have problems with things that were dirty or gross, but his mother had told him some pretty terrible horror stories about people who lived in filth and did not bathe for entire turns.

Ruven bowed his head towards S’kor and Optheli. “I apologize for being late.” He did not offer an explanation or try to make an excuse. His voice was even, steady, and respectful with no traces of embarrassment or shame. He was late. It was his fault. He was here now. That was all there was to it. If there was some sort of punishment involved, so be it. “May I still participate?” Not even Ruven had the audacity to walk up to someone’s dragon and start oiling it without permission (even though oiling was clearly the lesson of the day). Besides, there was a slight chance he would be turned away for his tardiness.

Quietly, patiently, the hold born boy awaited instructions.

|| I'm... pretty sure I'm still allowed to post here? 8D;;; If not, feel free to beat me with something. Sorry I'm late! ||

S’kor observed the candidates working. Over all they were doing well. He took a closer look Peradan’s oiling in response to her words. “Yes, you can. You won’t hurt him, and you want the oil firmly worked in. Too light and it won’t do any good.” He gave the female candidate a critical look. She should have had classes on just this. Still if it helped ram home the importance of this he would answer. “A rough patch will turn into imperfect hide if left unattended. Which in turn hurts your dragon when he or she goes between.

He shook his head, “this is the first time I’ve had help barring when he first hatched just over a year ago.” It had taken several intense lessons for the new rider before he was caught up with the other newly impressed riders. “I was asked to do this because of the clutch hardening on the Sands.” S’kor gave Peradan a stern look. He would in no way slack off in the care of his dragon. Scarath crooned to His. I don’t think she was implying you’d neglect me Mine. She is just a curious candidate. He sounded amused.

S’kor gave a shrug to his dragon. Whatever the case may be. Someone else spoke up and he turned to Zeirvon. “It’s a mutual choice between you and your dragon. If you don’t want to use your hands then a soft brush, like you said, or a cloth can also be used. I use a stiff brush for washing him. It makes sure to get all the dirt off him.” He smiled fondly at the bronze. It’d take far too long to rub you clean by hand. “Scarath would you extend your wing for us?” He spoke aloud for the group’s benefit.
Scarath carefully stretched out his wing over the heads of the group. He was careful enough to hid no one.

He moved out and grabbed the leading edge of the bronze wing; pulling it down so the candidates could get a closer look at it. “When you oil the wing be sure to get into all the ripples and folds. Top and bottom of the wing should be oiled. Feel how thin the membrane is.” S’kor was a bit surprised when a very late arrival showed up. He looked solemnly at Ruven then nodded toward green Dynith.

Optheli watched approvingly as one candidate helped a couple girls up Dynith’s side. Very generous of him, but if they impressed they’d all have to learn to mount by themselves. She giggled at the thought of candidates standing around to help riders mount their dragons. Much too awkward. To Melina she gave a grin, “She’s not complaining. As long as the oil is put on well, I don’t see any complaint.” She waited for them all to climb up then sat watching. “So did you find the spot?”

Her eyes scanned for confirmation from the small group. Sitting backward on her dragon she didn’t notice the late arrival until he spoke. She twisted around to look at him, then S’kor curiously. When her brother nodded toward her, Optheli gave a wave to the boy. “Grab an oiling cloth and climb up.” She gestured to Dynith’s front leg. Dynith tried not to wiggle too much with the group on her back, but did twitch a couple of times. Miiiiiine, it really itches.

She grabbed onto a ridge as Dynith twitched. A grin crossed her lips. “Well? If you’ve found it, why are you waiting? Dynith says it really itches.”

Welcome Mkvc! You can still post no worries. <3