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 Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:21 am
Conomor grinned sheepishly and did as he was told; sure enough the unpleasant oozing stopped. Well, one minor disaster wasn't too bad going anyway. "That's no problem," he said with a nod, "whenever you have time to be down there, I'll be there too looking over something so it'll be no trouble." So now for a carving lesson? This bit sounded fairly interesting. He had a vague idea where different cuts of meat came from but it would be interesting to see them separated in person, and indeed to help out on the easier ones.
Gilden, perhaps feeling a little neglected, fluttered over to land briefly on Conomor's shoulder and give his face a nudge before zooming over to the waste barrel. Perching on the edge, she twisted her head around and gave a questioning chirr. Was it alright for her to have some of this? Looked tasty!
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:30 am
Veyes glanced over at the flit then looked at the waste barrel. "If she wants to have something from that barrel it's probably ok. They use that for making fertilizer later and I doubt she could eat the whole thing." He chuckled and his imagination suddenly envisioned a very round bellied flit burping and sitting beside a tumbled empty barrel. It's belly so huge that it couldn't get itself off the ground.
"Ah...ok.. well..umm. I don't know where the records are kept." he said sheepishly because he hadn't had as much time for investigation as he would have liked since being put to work. Actually his creative side desperately wanted to go exploring the Weyr and sooner or later he had to satisfy his urge or he'd be fussing a lot more later.
"So...well this is how we cut the meat." He went back to the original task at hand. "Up on the wall is a hide that tells the cuts but I know most of them already. I just had to learn the cuts for the Hatchlings and well...those are easier because Hatchlings aren't as picky as we are about it all." Pulling the knife across the beast he started showing the cuts for the the dragon's portions. "See...not too bad overall."
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:36 am
Conomor nodded, watching Veyes carefully once again. It seemed that being completely accurate wasn't needed at least for hatchling meals. Just cut off about the right portion of meat, and then the weyrlings cut those up into smaller chunks. Right. When he moved over to the beast it was his job to carve, he glanced up at the marked hide frequently. It was surprising how tough the raw flesh was actually; quite possible with the wickedly sharp tools they had of course but still quite tough. Of course, the stringy nature of the beasts wouldn't be helping that.
"I'll show you the way after dinner some time," Conomor said as he succeeded in doing one of the easier cuts.
"Just let me know when you want to go." He was quite pleased about finding somebody who cared to look over scrolls with him. He didn't mind being by himself down there or anything, but it was still nice to have someone to share his interest with for once.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:23 pm
Nehren did as he was told and curled his fingers around the ridge that ran along the greens back, sitting comfortably on her haunches he pressed his body down slightly along the slim curve of her neck, knowing from experience with runners that at fast speeds it would create less resistance and make sure that there was less chance of him falling off. It didn’t help with much else though, like before the intial leap into midair took the breath from his lungs. But that feeling of freedom inspired awe soon took over, and he released his grip, after all the air pressure around him kept him quite firmly in place, like swinging a bucket of water over your head fast enough and not spilling a single drop.
He peered over the side of the green and waved to the farmers below he starred up at the dragon shielding their eyes from the sun with toughened hands, although a few waved back most just watched in quit aw as the dragon took flight over the pastures and greens. He listened carefully as L’thor explained Between, leaning back to catch as many words he could against the rush of wind. Cool against his skin although the sun beat down on his face and brought out the splatter of freckles sharply into focus. As they flew out over the sea Ren took one last look at it, just spotting his Fathers boat bobbing in the distance He was half tempted to ask Raith to fly out to him but that would only make this harder. He rolled his shoulders and put his hand back around the neck ridge. “I’m ready!” he called.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:42 pm
Raith bugled her acknowledgment, and then they went. The black and cold enveloped L'thor, and his found himself grimacing as a couple of ribs high on his right side twinged. They hadn't yet forgiven him that kicking he'd taken. Before long however, they were back in bright sunlight and warmth. L'thor sighed contentedly, closing his own eyes and looking at his Weyr through Raith's. It was a stunning place to live, his considered with a smile as they soared lazily towards the dead volcano.
Xerrineth was on his ledge, and he raised his dark head to call a greeting to the green who weyred with him. Raith returned the cry gladly as they began to spiral down towards the bowl. So V'kain was in then. Dusk should go down and say hello to him. The dark flitt gave a soft cheep before hopping off L'thor's shoulder and fluttering down towards the weyr.
"Once we're down, I'll show you to the Candidate dorms," L'thor said as they approached the ground. "After that I'll see if I can't find the other lad I brought in a short while ago and introduce you... Oh! And I can take you to see the eggs if you want as well; the Touching should be within a sevenday or so now I reckon." He couldn't wait to see who Impressed this time around, couldn't wait to see what lay inside those eggs too!
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:18 pm
One minute they were in the open air with early morning light bathing them in a pinkish orange glow and the next, nothing and abbess of utter nothingness, it was like ice had suddenly enclosed his body and when they broke out again into the open air his arms had wrapped around his chest almost automatically. He took a gulp of breath and leaned back a little towards L’thor maybe just to assure himself warmth still existed. He didn’t know that anything about riding a dragon could be that unpleasant. “It felt like death.” he muttered with another shudder, but there was plenty of other things to distract him and push that memory completely out of his head.
He took in a sharp breath and ‘ahhh’ of delight and pushed himself up as far as he could with the straps holding him to peer at the weyr, it was amazing. He’d never seen such a vast spread of life before, seeing moving figures appearing groggily from holes on the stone like small beetles. And dragons! Dragons of all colours and sizes littering the area. Bright splashes against the hard stone. And with the sun spilling over the edge it made it all the more brilliant.
Hazel eyes were open wide as he leaned this way and that trying to take in everything as they descended, while also daunted by the shere size he couldn’t imagine what this place could hold and just being here enforced his treasured desire to impress. “I want to see the eggs!” he told him excitedly wriggling slightly in his seat, in fact he wanted to see the eggs more than the candidates brackets and much more than the other candidates he felt he couldn’t compare to other boys with all his scrawny awkward angels and freckled round face which the women said made him look cute and his brothers teased him for. Yes that could defiantly wait.
The thought seemed to settle him and he was squirming less by the time they touched down in the bowl and he started to undo the straps over his lower half, giving the green another stroke along her neck, she would also hold a place in his affections now, after all if it weren’t for her he wouldn’t be here. “thank you raith.” he praised her before slipping down gently from her back.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:29 pm
L'thor touched the youth's shoulder lightly for a moment as he lent back. Like death. He couldn't help but agree. It was where riders went when they died after all... to be forever in that darkness. Well, at least he'd be dead and know nothing about it; that was some comfort. As they landed, L'thor freed himself of the riding straps and hopped lightly to the ground, and Raith rumbled softly as Nehren spoke to her and L'thor removed the youth's pack from her.
"Tell him he is most welcome," she said as she backed off a little before leaping into the air once more. "Xerrineth's will take the harness off me," she added as she soared towards her ledge, "take the young one to see the eggs."
L'thor nodded, shielding his eyes against the morning sun to watch her glory for a few moments. "She says you are most welcome Nehren," he smiled once he'd seen his dragon land safely. "Now then, let's go and see those eggs," he said with a grin, holding Nehren's bag out to him.
"Xerrineth's says hello to you," Raith said after a moment, "he greets the new Candidate as well."
L'thor chuckled and nodded. "Also, Raith says that my friend V'kain says hello to you, and welcomes you to the Weyr."
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:46 pm
Veyes finally completed the last beast letting Con cut up all the dragon portions while he finished up all the cuts for the kitchen. "Sure...I usually got free time in the evening at least until they assign me something else. Maybe I can learn something...I've never seen any place like what you're talking about so it will be completely new.
Placing all the tools in a sink he scrubbed up each of them then set them out to dry in a rack before wheeling the cart around with the cuts of meat for the Kitchen. "You grab the dragon cart and take that to the weyrling class. One of the instructors will handle it from there so you don't have to worry about anything. I'll take this cart to the kitchen and talk to the women. Meet up with me at the back kitchen entrance and we'll put these gloves and aprons into the dirt laundry. I think we'll both need a bath after this. You got meat in your hair." He smirked a bit and pointed at the bit of flesh that had gotten flicked into Con's hair.
As soon as he had spoken his piece, he was down the hall in a flash; cart rolling as fast as he could get it without dumping the lot. He was hoping that he'd make it on time. Each time he did this he got a lot of looks from people seeing the bloody mess on his protective clothing but most of them knew what his job was and the Kitchen wasn't that far away.
Once inside, he rolled the pile up to the head cook, who looked over the selection. "Well, boy you got it here just on time to get that meal we promised. Now put it in the locker over there and for shards sake get out of those dirty clothes. "
"Yes, Ma'am." He said with a broad grin as he maneuvered the meat around and straight into the locker. After putting away the meat, he closed the heavy door and walked over to the dirt kitchen laundry, where he peeled off the "uniform" and dumped it in the pile. "Ma'am." He called out to the cook. "I had some help today with the meat so...umm...I'd be happy to split my portion with him. "
"Oh...alright Veyes...but I think we can spare a little extra for your helper." the matronly woman said as she dished up the goodies promised beyond what he normally ate. He licked his lips upon seeing the cherry tart she set on the side. "Wow, that sure looks good."
She laughed and glanced over at him, "Well we made a couple extra."
He sat down at a small side table in the kitchen; having eaten in here more often than in the main hall. He didn't want to show others that he was actually getting a little favoritism by the cooks. That could bring about problems; so he waited for Con to arrive in front of the steaming plates...mouth watering....
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:53 pm
He knew the way well, and it didn't take him very long to push the cart down there, hand it over and hurry off to the kitchens. He was glad to spot Veyes already there, and gladder to get out of the meaty clothes. Gilden had quickly spotted and eaten the meat that had got into his hair - lovely - and the enterprising flitt had been clinging onto him and licking at the apron and gloves ever since. Really lovely. Well, so long as she was happy he supposed.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said with a grin as he dropped down opposite Veyes. "This all looks wonderful," he added with a smile at the cooks. Wasting no more time, because he realized only now that in his enthusiasm to go and cut up meat he had neglected breakfast, Conomor dug into the food. Well worth all the effort, he decided, but a bath soon would certainly be welcome; he was fairly sure Gilden wasn't licking his cheek out of simple affection.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 2:07 pm
Veyes grinned as he watched Con arrived with a seriously interested flit licking his face. Now that added another level of amusement to Veyes day because Con had turned into a "meatsicle" for his flit. Yes, his imagination was hard to beat when he pushed the envelope of his mind.
"Ah..its ok. The ladies gave us both extra. Bet it tastes pretty good after missing breakfast." His tummy growled and he finally dug in. "They gave us tarts too! I'd have taken it out to the dining hall but people start to look at you funny when you get extra. So, I usually eat here. The women don't seem to mine much as long as I stay out of the way."
He bit into the mashed roots covered with a delicious gravy. Maybe it wasn't his mother's cooking but it sure was good after a hard days work. Even the brisket was tender and that probably was only because it had been cooking slowly overnight because even with all his hard work, it would have taken many hours more to tenderize that meat with a mallet. He knew the women would have given him that task as well but it interfered with the Candidate studies; for that he was thankful.
As he bit into his tart, he had finally slowed down enough to talk some more, "So what are you doing after you get cleaned up? You want to see the eggs? Might not be so busy right now since some candidates are getting lessons."
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 2:18 pm
Conomor nodded enthusiastically, swallowing a mouthful of the excellent tart in order to reply more coherently. "Yes, sounds like a good idea to me! I know they don't change from day to day but..." he shrugged and grinned, knowing that Veyes understood. You just couldn't help it. They were... entrancing. You couldn't help but wonder what was inside them, wonder if the hatchling might look to you and say 'Mine'. That was his hope, was the hope of any Candidate here, and there were lots of those of late. He'd never seen the dorms so crowded!...
Yet their chances were good. Maybe not for this clutch, but eventually, surely, they would find their dragons. After all this effort he was putting into being ready, into being worthy one of them had to want him eventually. The thought that he might reach twenty one turns without finding his dragon was agonizing. It was everything. Everything. Perhaps he should have made contingency plans, but he hadn't. He had given this dream his all. A dragon would recognize that in the end... he hoped.
Conomor ate the rest of his tart more slowly. He would go an see the eggs, once he was clean, and he would hope. There was really nothing else he could do. Stay confident, stay hopeful but never get cocky. He could do that, he was sure.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 2:33 pm
After finishing their meal Veyes took his plates to the sink and washed them himself much to the approval of the women in the kitchen. He knew exactly how to win his brownie points.
"We'll see you tomorrow, Veyes." called out a lady by the stove as she stirred a pot of stew.
"Yes, Ma'am. Tomorrow is the smaller ones right?" he paused and glanced back hopefully.
"Umm...yes indeed. And that means the next day will be fresh sausage for biscuits and gravy if you grind them for us." she gave him another grin and a wink.
Veyes knew right away that was a promise for another extra serving. "I'll be here then." he smiled back at her starting to walk out.
"Oh and Veyes, we have told the Candidate master that we really appreciate your work here, so you'll probably be assigned to our Kitchen until you impress." she said confidently.
With that Veyes smiled back but within it wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear as he walked out of the kitchen with Con. "Well, I guess I can't complain about that. Means I wont' ever go hungry....right? " He wanted to learn new things and maybe try jobs he'd never done but it was easy to see that if they found a niche where you fit, they weren't likely to let you go.
So he took a breath trying shove all that aside, "I'll race you to the baths!" he said with a bit of a laugh and sprinted down the hall.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 2:44 pm
Conomor grinned and nodded. "Yes, I suppose that's-" The other youth was off! He stood still for a few moments, slightly perplexed, before pushing his legs into action and taking off after Veyes. He wasn't exactly the fastest runner in the world, but he could at least make sure he didn't disgrace himself! When was the last time he'd raced someone, he wondered with a grin as Gilden shot off ahead of him, and soon overtook Veyes. A long time for sure. He dodged past a surprised drudge and called an apology to her as he barreled on towards the baths.
He got there a little way behind Veyes, and somewhat out of breath. Grinning at the other boy, he caught Gilden in his arms as she zoomed back over to him. "You win," he laughed, "you're quick. Well, quicker than me," he amended with a chuckle. It was good just to be aimlessly energetic sometimes. Of late he knew he'd got himself very bogged down in what needed to be done in the way of chores, keeping himself fit and his personal education. He'd taken time out for Gilden, yes, but that had still felt rather purposeful; keeping her happy and training her too. The race had refreshed him in a way he hadn't realized he'd needed until Veyes had taken off.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:08 pm
Veyes' burst of speed left him laughing as he almost doubled over from the fit in the bath room. He grabbed his knees and took some breaths trying to stop the laughter as he glanced over at Gilden. "Ok...little flit...you win. I'm not that fast!" How he wished he had those gracefully little wings upon his back as well but THAT was exclusively left to his imagination.
He grinned over at Con as he arrived. "I'm not that quick but it helps to have some speed to get out of the bull's pen when the beast is angry." Once his laughter subsided, he started tugging off his clothes looking forward to the bath. The hot water and the soapsands would feel so good after being with the meat all morning.
As he undressed, it was easy to see that he was very fit from the farm and rather handsome, but the beauty was rather marred by the numerous scars that traveled up and down his back even though he turned quickly to hide it and slid into the water. It wasn't hard to tell that Veyes' life had been a hard road for a long time.
"Ah...this feels so good..." he said with a sigh as he sunk in deep; eyes closing as he let the hot water just sooth ever part of his body. "I hope that we find our matches soon...I don't think I want to work in the kitchen forever."
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:25 pm
He was glad the other lad's back was turned when he shed his shirt; it meant Veyes didn't see the momentary widening of his eyes. Where had he come from, Conomor wondered, what had his family been like?... The rider that had brought him in - L'thor that was - had been hurt, hadn't he? Kept away from the Weyr for... well, a while, he wasn't sure of the particulars. Shaking himself internally, Conomor stripped too, and stored the mystery away to wonder about later.
Stepping into the water too, Conomor gave a sigh of his own. "Does," he agreed as the heat relaxed his muscles. "We will," he added, closing his eyes contentedly. "I'm sure we will. It has to be people like us over the ones that whine and moan and do their best to avoid the 'hard' or 'nasty' chores... Least I hope so." Conomor opened his eyes again and quickly set about unfastening the jaw-length cornrows he wore his hair in; needed to make sure he got all the meat, and meat smell out of it.
"Yes," he went on, standing up briefly to grab the large pot of soapsand and putting it within reach of both of them, "might not be this time, but it'll be soon. I can't imagine what I'd do with my life if I never Impressed." Did Veyes have much of a life to go back to if he didn't Impress? From what he knew of L'thor, the man was usually quite happy to gossip as much as the next person... But nothing at all about Veyes had circulated. Interesting. Well, if the tough young man Impressed then it hardly mattered anyway and he was sure that he would... but then, he was sure that everyone he liked would. It just felt right that they should find dragons. Life wasn't like that, he knew, he knew it wasn't fair and perfect... but he, and Nathail, and Veyes would find their dragons. Had to.
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