Welcome to Gaia! ::

Somehow Nelioa was able to keep her resolve and swallowed down the lump in her throat. She expelled a small sigh, not wanting to leave her mouth open for long just in case. Feeling quite the fool and with good reason she remained meek and quiet. This had all backfired on her, well she supposed it surved her right. That was a nasty trick anyway. Surely no one else would be trying that Klah now.

She took the tea with a small smile. "thank you." she said giving it a sip and finding that it did ease the flavor in her mouth and the warm tea seemed to settle her stomach. She closed her eyes and rested her hand on her forhead. "You all may think Im over reacting but...cant you smell it?" she asked, but perhaps she could because she knew what she was smelling.

Her eyes turned to Sovann now that she was feeling a little better. "Nice to meet you I guess.... why did you kiss me?" She glanced over at the boy behind the table with the klah supposing he had something to do with it by his reaction and suddenly not feeling so sorry for what she did.

The tea was lifted from her hands and she turned to see Jessmet, she nodded and followed her over to sit. "Thank you...sorry about your napkin."

Kypak had been about to accept the offer and try the klah for himself when the little scene unfolded in front of him. Seeing Nelioa's reaction, he was deeply grateful he hadn't gone for the third pot, and suspected that no one else would be, either. Not after that unfortunate display. Poor girl, though -- and what were Sovann and Okassis doing, fooling about and putting her on the spot even more instead of doing the sensible thing and helping? He suppressed a scowl at the both of them. Honestly, some people never thought...

He stepped forward with a small concerned frown after Nelioa was safely settled on the bench, moving to her side and trying to get a good look at her face... She looked queasy, that was to be expected, but not flushed or pallid, and the unhealthy hue seemed to be fading as she recovered -- he wasn't about to go feeling her forehead for a fever or anything so foolish, but others had drank the same klah before her with no signs of ill effect. And hers had been a dramatic reaction. It was instinct to look for other symptoms, just in case.

"Were you feeling ill before?" He hadn't smelled the allegedly tainted klah, perhaps he ought to... But he wanted to be sure first. "Any dizziness, chills...?"

He made a bit of a sound as he was used as a 'shield' of sorts, not at all understanding what was going on--not even when Sovann had to sidle up to the girl who'd made the mess and give her a peck on the cheek. She seemed to promptly turn green afterwards, making the tall man wince. Wait, fish? What? Shaking his head a little bewilderedly, Jiriar glanced up and managed to spot his cousin, mused for a moment, then idly sidled next to the other.

"Quite the party, eh?" He'd offer idly, a lazy grin flicking across his face as he looked Jessan up and down. "Had your klah yet? Or afraid it's been tainted now?" Shards, he certainly wouldn't be going back for seconds, not after seeing how quickly she'd spat it back out. Still, it was making him a little uneasy now. He hadn't tasted anything that deserved a reaction like that! Unless he was going to get horribly sick later and didn't realize it yet...

"No, no, no!" Sovann said quickly, realizing how the girl was taking his responses. "No, I didn't mean it like that. You're plenty... pretty, and all. It wasn't that, it's not that. It's just, I've..." Oh, see, this part was hard to say. He didn't like sharing personal thoughts, not really, but he needed to now, to set the Record straight. "I'veneverkissedanyonebefore," he got out in a rush, changing colors once again. "Does the tea help? It's supposed to help. Used to help my mom, and all when she was, well. When she was feeling sick like that," he muttered awkwardly, shuffling his feet a little. It wasn't that she wasn't a nice girl (that he knew of, anyway) it was that he would've rather chosen his own time to start with the kissing business, and all of that. Did it really count if it was a kiss on the cheek? Maybe it didn't. By the Golden Egg of Faranth, he was babbling wasn't he?

Normally Z'nal did not book with the sort of nonsense the Candidates were putting up. He thought their time could be put to a far more constructive use, but for once, he would allow them their little game. He would even taste the klah, if they so offered. It was getting close enough to the Hatching that no doubt the Candidates were getting antsy. And there were so many of them- all for just fifteen scant eggs! This competition could be operating on far deeper levels than even the Candidates suspected.

So it was that he found himself leaning against the far wall of the cavern, watching the Candidates with a strange mix of trepidation and pride. He wasn't sure the he trusted them not to poison him, intentionally or not. Especially if some of them were Weyrbrats. He didn't know all their names and backgrounds, but suspected he would find out soon enough.

******

Astrisabe was also drawn towards the scent of klah. She had heard rumors of this competition, and was willing to subject herself to the strenuous task of taste testing (hah). It was a sacrifice she was willing to make. Besides, it would give her a chance to maybe actually make friends with the other Candidates. Astri wasn't immune from the pre-Hatching jitters, and though she wouldn't admit it, she felt it especially strong in lieu of being mauled at the last one. She still walked with a slight limp, though that would fade in time.

As it was, Astri stood on the fringe, feeling more nervous than she had the right to be. They were just people, and she was social. Fine. Just step forward, and be firm... But not too firm. Astri had the idea that perhaps she might intimidate people a bit, though she could be incorrect about that.

"So... You guys are making klah, huh? Lots of klah..." It sounded stupid, but there it was.

Interrupting something? Was there something to interrupt, really? "Oh, you're not interrupting anything. We're having a contest. A Klah-Off. Trying to figure out who brews the best klah. Sort of seems like there's something fishy about that one pot, though. Don't know how that happened." Sovann, who was generally not used to so many people being in any one place, was at a bit of a loss for how to handle so many newcomers. He thought he might have caught a glimpse of the Candidatemaster out of the corner of his eye, but then again, he might've been dreaming. He did have a vivid imagination, after all. Grinning slightly, he welcomed Astrisabe to join them if she wanted to with a wave of his hand. "Sure we are. Lots of it. Care to try some? Only... I'd just take a little taste, if I were you," he said, remembering how the girl from before had choked on the one cup.

Veyes as always had gotten up way early than most and had just gotten done with his chores - today...he ground meat for sausage and meat loaf. Fortunately, someone else had done the gutting and cleaning of the beast so this time so he actually could consider having a sit down breakfast. When he finally made his way through the kitchen, he was rather surprised by the number of people around the dining hall. What was going on? he thought to himself as he looked around for the answer.

As he glanced around he saw the main table where the Klah had been placed and realized that at some point he had heard whispers about the boys' dorm that something was coming up. Cautiously, he approached the table he spied the three pots and cups set around each. The odors that poured from each of them didn't mix as well in the morning air but the temptation to try the brew was too much and soon he had slipped his fingers around a cup to take a slow sip.

He cocked his head and looked into the cup. Who puts FISH in Klah!?...he thought to himself as he wrinkled his nose while wishing his luck could have been better. Shaking off the flavor he politely returned the empty cup and took up another one trying to find some thing to get rid of that aftertaste fast.

Taking up the second cup, he was fast to take a swig but discovered it was rather...earthy and made the fish taste stick to tongue rather than give even a remote bit of relief. He tried to keep a straight face about it all but those two cups close together tasted terrible. Setting down the cup, he hurried to pick up the final one and stood back praying that it wouldn't be as awful as the last two were. This time, his tongue was fortunate to find that the flavor actually had a dessert like quality that was rich and full bodied without being down right rude.

Quickly he dropped the bead into the #1 Pot bowl and walked off into the crowd to find a place along the walk to try and savor the brew just a little more before he'd head back to the boys' dorm for a bath. While he stood there, he noticed something that had been bugging him on and off....his head was itching yet again. Not that occassionally, one had to scratch but, he noticed it more and more as of late. Something that he'd have to check out when he returned upstairs.

In the mean time, he glanced around the room and watched people chatter back and forth. This crowd didn't make him feel very comfortable however, it didn't seem polite to just run off after trying out the brews. There was even the grumpy Candidate Master in the bunch not to far away...well at least he could be thankful that the man did take a small break every now and then. Veyes figured that the Candidate Master probably was overwhelmed with the number of candidates around. Taking care of one child, for any parent had to be a hassle, but to have 70 or more of them running around you every day must be why the man seemed to sport a continual scowl.

Veyes just smiled to himself as he sipped the brew; thankful he was not the Candidate Master because he'd probably have pulled out his own hair by now...strand by strand. Speaking of which...it still itched! Grr...alright...He'd look at it soon...this had to stop.