Welcome to Gaia! ::

See? Miith's is here to greet you. He has greeted you! A series of emotions played across S'van's face before he turned to look in E’si’s direction. “Hey.” Perhaps the ‘hey’ was a little brittle, but considering what he had—what they had— so recently experienced, he didn’t think that he could be blamed. He tried to smile, and it was just as brittle as his voice, which sounded gravelly, very much as though he hadn’t used it in Turns. Still, he managed to smile, and for all that it was a pale ghost of his usual cheer, it was… well, it was.

“Noticed your friend Anont Impressed,” he remarked idly, as much attempting to distract himself as he was making simple conversation. He scrubbed at his face for a moment, attempting to remove any ostentatious trace of tears, and let out a breath. “Good for him.” There had been a number of goods that evening, for all of the tragedy that had occurred. S’van would have to seek Inaari out from among the crowd and congratulate her for Impressing. She was probably walking on air, and he had to at least see that. He also had to see M'al, to make certain that he was all right, and to meet his lovely Blue dragonet.

Miith! Will you come to see me? I do not see you. I would like to see you some more. More, he would like the company of his clutchmate to reassure himself that she would not be going between like the Blue from the recent Hatching. That had been quite upsetting, and he had not been truly prepared for the impact that it would have on His. “Been keeping out of trouble?” When did E’si ever keep out of trouble, really? Yeah, no… never. Which meant that S’van simply did not know what sort of trouble he was getting into.

--

The melancholy mood of the Weyrfolk was not lost on Journeyman Harper Vera, who was currently in the process of attempting to drown her sorrows in a glass of wine. … Several glasses, at this point. She carried her panpipes with her, her fingers occasionally idly stroking them from time to time. Xeran had made them for her, after all, and she had been exceedingly grateful for the thought and care that had gone into their creation after her own set had been broken when she had fallen at the end of the previous Hatching.

She was wearing an outfit very akin to what Inaari had dubbed her ‘Vera Dress’, but that was because Ver never wore anything else. The long tunics with the splits at the legs and loose pants beneath suited her needs very well. As a Harper, she could not resist the opportunity to spy on people just a little, and she noticed the little blond in the crowd, and smiled. Yes… that was the girl she had met at the Gather, and she’d gone on to Impress a Green?

Sweet. … Unlike that terrible, wrenching moment when the Blue dragonet had disappeared. All of the screaming, all of the wheeling about had been incredibly distressing, but… she had not been prepared for what had followed. She bit her lip, and looked down into the glass, nursing it absently. Xer had insisted that she get something to eat before bed, and she had taken the (perhaps inappropriate) opportunity to drink. Alas, if only life were as grand and glorious as Harper Tales.

When Varth came to a sudden halt, A'bri nearly tripped over his tail. He managed to avoid it, which was probably a good thing in such a crowded setting- he likely would have landed on someone, and that would have been unfortunate. Looking up to see why Varth had stopped, he was met with the sight of a lovely young woman he didn't know. Which to his mind was a terrible pity.

Flashing her a bright smile, a little more of his depression fading in the presence of someone to meet, he gave her a slightly theatrical bow when he noticed her stunning Gold. "Hello! No, I don't think we've met before, I'd remember such a beautiful pair! I'm A'bri, and this is Varth." He made the introduction purely for Nandeli's sake, since he was pretty sure the dragons were handling that themselves. "We were heading for the drinks, actually, I don't think I can sit still yet."

:Yes, I am Varth,: Varth agreed, pulling himself up to his full height and observing the new Gold with wary interest. Cheoth, after all, had been somewhat frightening, and Arioth was... well, Arioth, so he was a bit hesitant. Still, His wanted him to make friends, and he was supposed to be proving he had manners... :Hello, Reneneth. Mine was talking to Mitsukazeth's, and I believe his calling is A'nt. He might be the one you and Yours are looking for, Mitsukazeth is also a brown.: Not as impressive a Brown as he was, of course, but definitely a Brown.

Catching Varth's part of the exchange, A'bri gave Nandeli another bright smile. "Are you looking for A'nt? He was sitting down over that way, I can take you over if you want." He didn't need a drink that badly, after all, certainly not if he could be helpful instead.

Grinning, Rinfala tipped the cup slightly so he could see it better. "Fruit drink. Furred greenfruit, I think." Taking a sip, she grinned in delight and nodded. "Yeah, it is!" Now, Rinfala liked a lot of the fruits Ista could offer, but furred greenfruit had to be her favorite. Who cared if your mouth went a little numb after five or six? They were GOOD! "I think I saw some margaritas over there too, if you're not into fruit." And with that, she took a bite of porcine, glad for the fact that it a] wasn't fish, and b] wasn't burnt.

Actually, it was pretty damn good.

An even longer silence stretched out now, as Arioth tried to figure out if she was offended or flattered by Uktenath's advice. Since he'd complimented Hers, she eventually went with flattered. Yes, Mine is very smart. She will know what to do to him to teach him a lesson. A whirl of blue entered her eyes, happy at the thought of one-upping Varth with an idea Hers might have. That is a good idea.

"Knowing the Weyrwoman... and given Favan's temperment, I'm fairly well assured it's not being ignored." S'kagi answered, grimacing faintly at the complicated and prickly subject. "I haven't been privy to the discussions, but I'm sure it's under debate. Favan doesn't want to be a Junior Weyrwoman forever, she's too ambitious." he didn't add that this was perhaps 'too ambitious for her own good'. She was a firey woman, and while that wasn't bad, he wasn't sure she was as prepared as she thought she was. That was an opinion probably better kept to himself. "The problem I suspect we're facing is that it's complicated. "No thread is falling, no queens have been lost, and founding a Weyr is an enormous and lengthy proposition. It's not as though we can majestically wave a hand and have crafters magically build a new Weyr overnight, and because the dragon population is also growing, we can't simply fix the problem with temporary structures for the men and women of the Weyr. Neither can we simply ask people to go home, though I think if we see any more wine theives or the like, Z'nal may risk a month of night watch to argue the point with the Weyrwoman himself." He offered a wry smile at this, hoping it addressed some of the undoubted frustrations in the Weyr.
Well, perhaps answered was too strong a word, but spoke to.
"I have a great deal of respect for the Weyrwoman, and a great deal of faith that even if she doesn't feel the need to speak to it until a solution is in view, she's not one to pretend the problem doesn't exist."

There's a strange man holding your friend! Ormeteth piped up after G'ran had already surged to his feet, startled by the sudden appearance of a hand. Of course, when it was an older man simply talking to Canthry as though he knew her, the giant awkwardly sat back down and grunted, clearing his throat. A plate was forced about the girl, and then the other toddled off without another word.

'Course, considering her expression, G'ran was no longer so sure she knew the guy. "...You... know him?" He growled, turning his head slightly to try and follow the stranger with his eye until the man was gone. Why would he give Canthry food if he didn't even know her? Looking out for Candidates, maybe?

Or he was just a sharding wherry, that was always a good choice.

If she does not want it, she may set it on the floor? The brown offered.

"You just ate."

What a smile!

Nan's mood brightened instantly when A'bri grinned at her, and she even giggled at his bow. People seemed to be bowing to her a lot more now that she was a goldrider, but she wasn't about to complain. Though she was no longer a member of the tuber peeling corner, the gossip she was picking up thanks to Reneneth was ten times as good as the stuff she'd spread in the kitchens. Not to mention all the respect and privileges that were awarded to her! Er, rather, the ones that she had to work for. But it was all worth it in the end.

"A'bri and Varth! The pleasure is all mine, I assure you! And drinks sound excellent. Would you mind too much if I joined you?" She was tempted to throw an arm over his shoulder and guide them but decided against it. One never knew how a hatchling would react to having theirs touched, especially after such a violent Hatching. Nan didn't want to piss anyone off, especially a boy who had the makings of a potential friend. "How long ago did you get to the Weyr anyways? You must have been Searched for this clutch, though I suppose you could have been Searched earlier. Do you remember the rider? I don't know too many of them but I do know some. Some of the new Wingriders went out on Search so I know all of them. Where did you come from anyways? I mean, originally." Typical Nan. Ask them a million questions and see how many you could get answers to.

Reneneth did not seem to be upset or angry when the brown drew himself up, instead keeping her posture rather relaxed. She had nothing to fear from this young brown, especially since she was not only older but bigger. And she was a queen. Nobody would dare harm a queen. Still, he seemed agitated somehow. No doubt the hatching had been quite stressful. I believe that is who Mine is looking for. We met him not too long ago. He is a very nice boy. He will do well with His. You and Yours will as well.

The Nose perked up the mention of A'nt. "Is that how he's shortening his name? How cute! We're friends, you know, him and me. Adorable boy if you ask me. I'll have to go over and see him before the night is over."

The human contact made La flinch slightly from surprise, and she turned to the speaker and saw Zara. …oh. That was…aw. “Hey yourself, Zara,” she said quietly, shifting and hugging the bluerider back. “I know, it’s just…shards.” She shook her head, unable to get rid of the horrific memory of the little blue and the dead egg. “Shards,” she repeated, unsure of what to say. She wasn’t going to cry again; she’d gotten quite enough of that done at the Hatching itself, and now she was waiting for the numbness of shock to set in.

“It…that scared me. More than any of the other Hatchings ever have,” she murmured. “I’ve never felt so powerless.”