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 Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:07 am
Lestenna nodded along with A'dras' statement, a firm salute shot in his direction as well. He wasn't a bronzerider for nothing, and the candidates would do well to heed him. He had a bit more age to him as well, and she thought she had heard that he was also fairly new to High Reaches, like herself. Worldly, then, but drawn to duty as she had been. Her eyes lingered on the man for a beat longer, the keen need to asses him taking the form of a bright twinkle in her eye before she turned away. "The weyr is not ahort of supplies, no, as High Reaches has long had the sense to maintain the tithing system with most if not all of her beholden holds. Other weyrs have not had such foresight, though, and perhaps what excess we have could be given to them in aid. And realistically speaking, everyone prefers the taste of fresh meat to that reheated or three days old." She smiled at the gathered candidates as they looked over the bow.
"Not to mention that it is always good to have a project, a hobby or a skill to percect. It keeps your minds moving and growing." That might sound a bit too much like one of their lectures, mightn't it? She couldn't help that it was how she felt in general though.
"Of course it needn't be hunting. Anything that interests you, the weyr can provide at least basic lessons in, either in your free time or in place of other more general lessons." That was certainly true, and a great selling point of the weyrs she thought. Sure, it was no master's hall, but unless they aged out and made their life out of their skill or hobby, there was no need. Just one more reason the traditional style of High Reaches worked best, if you asked her.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:50 pm
Demanthra watched as Cami showed how she shot with the bow, it looked like something cool to know. When she offered to let one of them try, she was wondering if she should go first. She looked at the others, not seeing them move towards it, so she bonded forward. She would think of it like one of the stringed instruments, but with a stronger string, she thought. Just as she was about to take the bow, another rider joined them. He looked like one of the older ones, though not one that she recognized. Knowing her sister, she knew of him, but being in the position she was, it was normal. The candidate saluted the rider, before waiting to be able to take the bow.
Ashlyn could tell with the way Cami spoke about hunting that she was not used to having things provided for her. Hopefully, if and when the candidate became a rider, she would be able to find a way to help the Weyr and feel useful. She wasn't surprised when Demanthra sprang forward to use the bow, she had seen how eager she was. The Werylingmaster's Assistant also noticed the male candidate was getting antsy, she could see it on his face. Luckily, a male rider showed up and she saluted him. Just as her sister figured, she hadn't spoken to him much, but knew he was one of the bronze riders. If she remembered right, he was part of the second wing and she would guess the father to the boy.
"Our Weyr is quite prepared for things, since we figured Thread would be back some day. So if you feel like hunting once in awhile, you are more than welcome to. I agree with my fellow riders, always good to have skills at the ready, helps to keep one's mind sharp,"Ashlyn spoke.
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Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 5:29 pm
As yet more people arrived, Cami looked at Caderyn with a small, apologetic grimace. He was clearly uncomfortable. She could tell because she shared the feeling somewhat. She hadn't meant to attract so much attention, and felt a little bad for bringing it down on him as well (though his firelizard had played its part in that too). I really only wanted my arrow back, I promise.. she thought, as though the words could somehow be transferred through her gaze. And though she didn't mind sharing, not really, she made a mental note that the next time she actually wanted to get some practice in, she should probably try to find somewhere a little more isolated.
Cami saluted as the new rider approached, though she was already growing weary of this custom. It was an inefficiency of movement, for which she saw very little practical purpose, something that was utterly against her culture. It was just one of many things about this place that she didn't really get. Like saying 'nice to meet you' when you couldn't possibly have spoken to someone long enough to know whether the experience would be pleasant or not. One thing she did understand, however, was doing whatever is necessary, without fail. In the past that meant walking through the night so they could get beyond a mountain pass before the snows fell or hunting tirelessly so they would have something to eat. Here it meant saluting and learning to read and other things she didn't totally understand but were somehow necessary in order to impress a dragon.
The new rider put his hand on Caderyn's shoulder. A relative perhaps? The gesture made her turn away. His father, most likely. she thought, a burning ache rising in her chest. It took a second for her to push back the feeling, during which the other two riders were still talking about the benefit of having hobbies. She lifted her shoulders, not sure how to respond to either of them, and instead put her focus on the other candidate. She passed Demanthra the bow, feeling a little self conscious all of a sudden. She liked teaching people to shoot, she'd just never done it with an audience before!
Standing behind her so she could check on her form, Cami let her test out the string a few times, watching her closely so she could give her feedback. "If you point the bow up or down slightly it should help you draw the string back." she advised, given the heavier weight of this bow. "Ah! Here.." she added, suddenly remembering something. She pulled her glove and arm guard back from within the pocket of her quiver, handing the first to Demanthra. The glove covered the middle three fingers in a soft suede leather with a hardened piece on the inside of the fingers where the bow string would rest. "Pull back with these three fingers." she said, as she tied the leather bracer around her other arm. "And this is to stop the string from snapping at you. There. You can try it, if you like." she said, stepping back again.
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2017 9:40 am
Caderyn had grimaced some when he felt the weight of his father's hand on his shoulder. He wasn't angry at Cami for helping to attract all of the people here, nor did he blame her and when she gave him a look, he hoped that she understood the one he gave back.
His attention moved back towards Demanthra as she took the bow that Cami had offered. He was wishing he had had enough of an outgoing nature to maybe have stepped forward as well, his thoughts had him receive a n** on the ear from Myrddin, the firelizard still content as he was curled around his neck, eyes glancing at A'dras. Both his father and the other riders were talking about how having hobbies was a good thing. He knew this, having something to fall back on if you didn't impress kept you from becoming a drudge, and not doing having anything like that was just stupid. He was lucky he had impressed Myrddin, then maybe if he didn't impress a dragon, he could become a firelizard breeder, there was an idea at least.
A'dras removed his hand from Caderyn's shoulder, watching the younger girl step forward and take the offered bow. He smiled softly at her, he was darling, though he was sure speaking that out loud would turn her into a bit of a firecracker. Sometimes the older man wished he had been able to have a daughter as well, with thread returned any chance of speaking to Branwyn about it would be null and void, the weyr needed all of their riders in fit condition. Of course anything could happen when her green rose as Gareth enjoyed chasing after her in flights.
Pushing such thoughts from his mind, A'dras turned his attention back to the group around him. His eyes returned to Camilla, watching as she instructed Demanthra on what to do. She was a good teacher, if a little worried about what she was doing at first. The girl seemed a little insecure about some of the things in the Weyr and he wondered where she had come from before she was searched. He moved from behind Caderyn, noticing that the boy stopped standing straight and slouched in relief when he did, over to Camilla. "May I ask what hold or cothold you are from?" He was just curious about her origins, he hoped he didn't come off as intimidating, to children and teens he was just a big teddy bear.
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Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 7:23 am
Lestenna observed the budding archery lesson with vague interest, more keen indeed on watching how the candidates would teach or take being taught. Even this young she felt it wasn't a waste to spend some time monitoring the up-and-comers for talents or specific strengths or weaknesses. Not that she herself was attached in any way to the teaching systems present at the weyr, but still. She could always make a recommendation or give an opinion or reference if needed.
"Now's a better time than most to take up a skill, especially one related to feeding yourself. High Reaches has come out on top, for now, but not even our stores will last forever." She casually moved around the group fiddling with the bow towards the other adult riders, partially to be out of the way and partially to make conversation easier between herself and those unoccupied with the impomptu lesson. "I've read about riders in previous passes learning to shoot from aback. I think it could be useful, especially for hunting in the mountains where you might lose sight of prey if your dragon has to fly another route to get to the animals. No?"
"I've got no such fine skills I'm afraid. So much easier to learn when you're young, so now's the time, that's for sure."
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Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:09 pm
Demanthra was excited when the bow was handed to her, it definitely felt like a sturdy weapon. So tried out the string a little, keeping an ear open for any suggestions Cami might give her. When it was suggested she tilt it up or down a little, she did as she was told. Just as she was about to try again, she heard the other female candidate stop her. She looked behind her and saw the other give her a glove and arm guard, allowing to other to put them on for her. She gave her a nod of thanks, before pulling the string back and practicing. She didn't mind the older rider coming over to ask Cami where she was originally from.
Meanwhile, Ashlyn watched her sister a little, before turning to Lestenna as she spoke. The other nodded her head, she knew some of the past riders had been known to shoot. Her parents had told her about such riders, it made things a lot easier when your dragon couldn't catch the prey. Much like the other, however, she was not gifted in bows either.
"No, I am not great as shooting either, I trained to be a healer before I impressed. I think it is good for some of the candidates to learn it though, just in case it is needed in the future,"Ashlyn agreed.
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Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 5:52 pm
Cami watched Demanthra try out the bow with a fond sense of nostalgia. She was one of the better archers among the children in their community, and when her father wasn't paying attention, would sometimes sneak away to give lessons to the other children. Her attention shifted away from her momentarily as male rider came over to ask her a question.
Her eyes wandered away from him for a moment, considering how to reply. She'd gotten the sense from several people that Holder types weren't too fond of people like her. She briefly considered lying, but it was ultimately futile. At least one rider in the Weyr knew where she came from. Probably more. She shook her head a little. "I don't have one of those." she replied, her voice straightforward, if a little guarded. It was one thing to talk about it when she was alone with Chayrel or another Candidate, when she had time to test the waters and got a sense that it wouldn't bother them. But within a group like this, it did put her somewhat on edge. Though the majority of their interactions with Holders weren't hostile, there were times when they'd been forced out or chased away simply for wearing that mantel of 'Holdless'.
Instead of dwelling on that, Cami put her attention back on the other young candidate. She pushed down on her shoulders slightly, lifting her elbow at the same time "Just like that." she said, stepping away. But she had the form mostly right already. "If you want to try with real arrows, we should probably find somewhere more isolated..." she added. "But you can find me if you ever want to practice. I don't mind."
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Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 11:01 am
Caderyn found himself absently listening to Cami as she was instructing Demanthra, his eyes going over the form she was placed in. He was toying with the idea of asking Cami to give him some tips as well, but the boy felt a little embarrassed to ask that of someone who was a year younger then him. It was one thing to ask advice from someone who was older.
A'drad listened to Cami's response and he nodded his head. If he had been younger, he might had sneered on the inside. Instead he just smiled at her. It took all types to make up the world and being Holdless wasn't like she was an exile. It was harder to protect those who roamed during threadfall, and he felt a tinge of regret, wondering when she had come to the weyr, and if she had lost anyone since it had begun to fall.
"I can see why you have such a skill with a bow then. You will make a great addition to the weyr. It is your home now." He wasn't trying to make the young girl forget about her home from before, he just wanted her to feel like she belonged here, no matter what her past was. She was a candidate now and it didn't matter if she was from a hold or a weyrbrat like his own son.
His attention shifted to the other riders as they spoke and he chuckled softly before speaking to them. "I am better with a crossbow and sword then an actual bow."
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 7:30 am
Lestenna nodded to Ashlyn, even though she kept her gaze focused mainly on the candidates. "Pern will never not need healers, now especially, so I'd imagine it's for the best. Not to mention that if others try to learn to fight, or hunt, rather, inevitably someone's going to jab themself or a friend with something sharp." Her words had a humorous cant to them, and she huffed a small laugh at the idea of it. "An important lesson to learn, for them, but no reason to risk an infection or a scar with a particularly embarrassing story to go with it."
She shifted to eye A'dras over at his admission. Someone prepared, martially capable, might not be so bad to have around. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with training for self defense. A crossbow at least also works for hunting, though it's probably less effective than a regular bow." If the bolt hit it would no doubt down the prey, but the reloading time was greater by far, and aiming was more difficult from dragon back. At least with a plain bow, she'd seens shots made in rapid succession.
Of course, for defending against invaders or rebels or other more...dangerous threats, a crossbow sounded ideal. Not that she said so aloud.
"Before I stiod the sands, I was a drudge, like my parents," She said without hesitation, and a shrug as well. Her life indeed had taken leaps and bounds upwards. "We couldn't afford an apprenticeship, so I more than understand the value of what the weyr is offering freely. It wouldn't do at all to waste the chance to learn."
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 2:49 am
Demanthra listened as Cami admitted that she didn't come from a hold and she exchanged glances with her sister. In their eyes, it didn't matter where you came from, just the kind of person you were. The candidate knew people looked down on the holdless, but she felt it was wrong. After all, it wasn't like you could pick where you came from. From what she has seen from Cami so far, she was a good person and may just surprise them with how useful she would be to the Weyr. Her mind was pulled from her thoughts as she felt the other push down on her shoulders and lift her elbow. She gave a nod of understanding, that stance did feel better to her. At the mention of real arrows, her eyes seemed to twinkle at getting to shoot something.
"I will definitely keep that in mind, since I would love to put this to use. I mean, it will probably take some practice, but I think it would be fun,"Demanthra beamed. She was practically bouncing on her toes now, she did so enjoy learning new skills.
Ashlyn had to hold back a laugh as she saw how excited her little sister was. She stroked her little gold firelizard's head gently, before listening to the other riders present. Lestenna was right, it was good to have healers at the ready, in case someone got hurt. Truth be told, her healer skills did come in handy when dealing with the Weyrlings.
"Yes, healing is something that has definitely served me with my role as an assistant to the Weyrlingmaster. Now as for where a person comes from, sometimes the biggest surprises come from the most unusual places. So never feel bad for where you come from, just as was proven by our gold rider here,"Ashlyn managed a smile.
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 11:39 pm
((Just so you know, Baset, Cami is 18, so I think she's actually a little older than Caderyn. Not that he couldn't still think she's younger! Just wanted to make sure you knew ^w^ ))
Cami gave a little nod at A'drad's reply, seeming to accept his words. Weyrfolk seemed to be more alright with her background than Holdfolk. Which was odd, because she'd been led to beleive most Weyr people came from the Hold. But maybe not.
While watching Demanthra, Cami had been quietly listening to the riders' conversation, and suddenly chimed in without thinking. "I prefer a regular bow." she said with a little shrug, concurring with Lestenna's assessment. But in fact, there was very little difference between the two. When it came down to it, it was just a matter of personal preference; one of those things that had no real right answer, but was fun to argue about anyway. And she felt a playful desire to defend her chosen favorite. She used to have a crossbow too, but she liked the simplicity of this one better. Fewer moving parts meant fewer things that could break or go wrong. The idea of hunting from dragonback, on the other hand, was truly intriguing.
Cami nodded at Demanthra, finding it impossible not to smile back at her bright beam. She looked to Caderyn. "You too. If you feel like it, just find me in the barracks." There was rarely a day when Cami didn't feel like shooting, though it would help if she could get a second bow. It wasn't only a selfless action, after all. Hunting was the one thing she really excelled at, and she'd like to keep doing it. It benefited her too, if there were other like-minded individuals. "I would enjoy it, if there was someone I could go hunting with."
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Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 9:29 am
Caderyn paused some when he felt Cami's eyes on him and she had spoken to him. He didn't know why, but he felt a blush upon his cheeks at her words. He nodded his head some. "T-thanks." Good lord, why was he feeling bashful all of a sudden. Mryddin seemed to sense the discomfort and embarrassment Caderyn was feeling and he tilted his head as he woke up on his shoulder. He let out a chirp to help calm him down. He did smile softly and moved a bit closer to the other two candidates. "So, you've been hunting with a bow and arrow for a long time now?"
A'dras had noticed the blush on his sons cheeks and he bit back a chuckle because he knew that would just make it worse. He had nodded at Cami's words. Some people were better at using a regular bow, he was not. He preferred to use a crossbow or his sword instead. He listened to the other riders speaking to one another, a soft smile on his lips. He had no other talents aside from being a bronze rider, that was it.
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