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 Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:29 pm
She had just arrived, and been shuffled into the Weyrling quarters. Cots were evenly scattered in the medium sized room. Eyes wide, she hesitantly threaded her way, trying to find an unclaimed place for her few things. Bold little Bartan had already swooped off to explore the area, leaving her on her own.
She was struck by how strange and different things felt here. Finding an open cot, she sat on it, putting her small pack beside her. She sat, hands folded in her lap, staring at them. She bit her lip and took a deep breath. Her stomach fluttered at the realization that she was here, in Ista Weyr, as a Candidate! She bit her lip harder, fighting back the senseless tears that rose in her eyes. She was grateful it wasn't time for anyone to be in here, to witness her foolish moment.
Taking another deep breath, she wiped her eyes on a corner of her apron, which she'd not taken off before being swooped off. She smoothed her skirt and then the apron over it and stood up. It was time to meet this head on and learn what she could about the Weyr. Hesitant but determined, she stepped out of the room and began to learn the layout of her new home.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:53 pm
Lanakirene needed gloves. Well, she didn't need them, but if she was going to be weeding the garden all afternoon, it was better that she at least had a pair on the off-chance she discovered anything with thorns. Morning chores done, she had about half an hour of free time before she was actually needed in the gardens, but the sooner she got down, the sooner the job would get done.
Striding into Candidate quarters, she barely looked up as she moved toward her own cot. A flash of motion caught her eye, but she didn't bother to look up as she extracted the gloves from a tangle of wrinkled clothes. When she finally did straighten up, she tucked them into her belt and tried to find the source of the motion she had noticed. Not seeing it, she frowned a bit and started back out, looking around for whatever she had seen.
Ah, there. It was......a flit? Lanakirene raised her eyebrows. It wasn't often she saw those in Candidate quarters, particularly not......yes, bronze. It only took a moment for her to confirm the colour, and then she whistled softly, clicking her fingers at the little thing in an attempt to lure it over. "Hullo, there, you," she said quietly. "What's a little beauty like you doing around in Candidate quarters, hmm?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:09 am
Bartan dove behind a matress the moment he realized he'd been seen and was being talked to. However, the softness of the tone and the coaxing words made him peek up and over it at the girl. He chirruped inquiringly and clambered his way atop the mattress. Sitting up on his hind legs, he tipped his head sideways and crooned at her, begging for more compliments.
Illabel had stood for a moment in the hallway, debating which way to go, when she heard the flitt noises from a few doors down. Now, she was reasonably sure she recognized the voice as her own Bartan, but in this place, who knew? So it was cautiously that she ventured over and peeked in the door.
It was the other girl she noticed first, gloves in hand. Another Candidate, she reminded herself mentally. Goodness, there must be quite a few of them, to have several rooms with so many cots! This room was just as full of them as hers was, and these all looked occupied, judging by the rumpled covers or belongings piled on or near every cot.
Another croon and a flutter of wings returned her attention to the girl just in time to see Bartan land near her and sidle up slyly for some scritches. That little firelizard would never turn a good petting down, not even from a stranger. He was practically her opposite, so bold and confident! For a moment she felt a stab of envy for her little darling. Ah well, such was life, eh? Taking a breath, she stepped quietly inside the doorway.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:52 pm
"Oh, you're a lovely little one aren't you?" La crooned softly, smiling at the little bronze firelizard. "Where's your person, hmm, sweet?" she asked gently, reaching down and rubbing Bartan between his eyeridges, humming quietly and laughing. She loved flits, but it wasn't particularly often that she got a chance to talk to them. "I wish I had something nice for you to eat," she said softly, face slowly breaking into a grin. This one was friendly, too, not skittish or flighty like some of the greens she had met.
Pausing when she heard footsteps behind her, she looked up at the girl who was standing there. Inclining her head and straightening up a bit. "Afternoon," she said lightly, inclining her head. "I don't think I've met you before; I'd remember your face. I'm good with faces," she went on, moving to tickle Bartan under the chin as she spoke. "I'm Lanakirene. Does this," she paused, and her expression grew surprised, though not negatively. "Does this little fellow belong to you? If so, I have to say, I'm extremely jealous."
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:54 pm
Illabel fidgeted slightly in self-conciousness as the older girl turned round to face her. She bobbed her head in response to the greeting and opened her mouth to introduce herself, but stopped at the verbalized reaction many in her own hold had had. She flushed bright pink in consternation. The only thing that kept her from immediately rushing into an explination of how impressing him had been a mistake was that her tone was clearly a friendly one, not that of someone truly jealous.
She gave a shaky smile and nodded at the question. "I'm Illabel, and that is Bartan." She hesitantly moved forward, further into the room and closer to the two. "We've only just arrived, but of course he's already making friends." The comment was rueful, in clear rebuke to herself for being as timid as she was.
The truth was, it wasn't that Illabel was slow to make friends. She was usually a very pleasant, likable girl. It was just at the moment that she was feeling terribly overwhelmed. This tended to result in her feeling intimidated, making her prone to withdrawing into herself. It took great effort for her to put herself forward to be sociable.
As for Bartan, he stayed right where he was, thrumming at all the lovely pets he was getting. His little eyes closed in bliss and he began leaning into her hand enough that he'd fall over if she moved away. Her scritches must have slowed while she spoke to Illabel, because he suddenly chittered a scolding at her and bumped his head against her fingers in plea for more attention!
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:42 am
The girl's self-consciousness was not lost on Lanakirene, but she simply waited for her to compose herself, keeping quiet in an attempt to put her at ease. She didn't spend a great deal of time around younger Candidates, but she knew a good handful of them, had been fourteen turns and new to the Weyr herself, in fact, and dealing with them was always interesting. They were finding themselves at that point, in a way. La quirked a smile.
"Good to meet you, Illabel," she said lightly, inclining her head to the girl and then chuckling as Bartan scolded her. "And you too, Bartan," she crooned, scritching under his chin and then down his neck. She rubbed between his wings and looked over her shoulder at Illabel once again. "Isn't he a pushy little one," she said affectionately, before scooping the flit up slowly and bringing him over to Illabel. "Come on, you," she said. "Off to Yours, hmm?"
She didnt, of course, stop scratching him.
"I like flits," she admitted with a sheepish grin. Who didn't? "Not sure I have the time for one myself, but I like playing with other people's. Hopefully I'll get myself an egg or two at some point. Maybe this handsome fellow here'll find himself a gold and sire some," she added with a wry grin. "It'd be nice to see a few more little golds flapping around, with such a dapper fellow as this as their daddy."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 9:04 am
This talk of flitts breeding brought the blush back. Sex wasn't a subject that she was comfortable with at all. Her family's beliefs on it were a bit strict, holding that a girl didn't need to know anything about it until she became a wife. Of course, Bartan entering her life did rather change all that. Gulping to try and get ahold of her embarassment, Illabel also reached to tickle Bartan under his chin.
"Well...," she began tentatively. "I never really knew much about them, save that they were supposed to be for the Lord Holder to hand out, and that the eggs needed careful tending." Her expression softened as she gazed at the bronze. "Poor Bartan, he almost didn't make it. His owner was a bit neglectful. He didn't turn the egg, nor did he make sure the sand was warm enough." She smiled as Bartan chirruped and grasped her finger with one paw, making sure she stayed close.
"What color flitt would you want, if you could choose?" she asked, growing more comfortable with the older girl. She had a feeling that preferred colors of dragons was going to be a common topic amongst the candidates, but she figured it was safe to ask Lana which color firelizard she liked best. It was rather nice that the little ones didn't have gender preferences attatched.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:01 pm
Lanakirene couldn't keep from raising her eyebrows at the girl's discomfort, but she pushed it out of her mind and then nodded. Illabel's explanation of how she came upon the flit made the eyebrows go up again, and she couldn't keep from scowling slightly. Holders. So they couldn't even stop at dragons anymore. It was amazing that Lanakirene had spent fourteen turns in a Hold and hadn't managed to come across the effects of dragon prejudice until her move to the Weyr...but sometimes life was funny like that.
"He's a lucky little fellow, then" she said, smiling at Illabel. "And you're a lucky girl, to have been able to be the one to help him." She nodded sagely, toying with her gloves for something to do to her hands after she had handed the flit back to his girl.
The question made her pause, and she hmmmmed softly in her throat, tapping out a rhythm on her belt with her fingertips. That was a hard question. When she thought about flits, her thoughts were usually attached to whichever flit she was looking at at the time. She never really thought about having one of her own.
"Well, I'd be overjoyed with any of them," she started, giving the same answer all Candidates gave when asked colour preferences of anything...including dragons. She had talked with friends about the colour they wanted to Impress before, though as the time for the Hatching grew nearer, it became less and less common, particularly among Candidates who really felt they had a chance. La was never really one of them; four turns's worth of failing hadn't made her pessimistic, just kept her from fantasy and idealism.
"But," she went on after a moment's contemplation, "I think I'd like a brown, maybe. Brown or a bronze, like this handsome boy. After that, maybe a blue." She shrugged and smiled at Illabel. "And you, if you could choose the colour of another one?" She'd guess green, but you never knew until you asked.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:14 pm
Her eyes went round at the very suggestion of another one. Almost worriedly she clutched at Bartan, who squeaked in protest and nipped her hand rebukingly. She answered from the heart, without much thought. "Oh my, I'll never get another one!" Her tone was rife with shock at the very idea. "I wasn't even supposed to have Bartan. You are right that I was lucky, but I can't count on being that lucky again!"
And for some reason it all came crashing down on her where she was, what she was going to be doing. "I can't count on being that lucky again! Her own words rang loudly in her head. But here she was, attempting to not only be that lucky, but luckier still... to become a dragonrider. Barely aware of Bartan's immediate reaction to her distress, his worried warble, his tail going about her neck and claws tangling in her braid as he tried to comfort her. Instead, completely overcome by what she was here to do, she collapsed to sit on a nearby bunk, stared blankly into space for a moment, then burst into tears and hid her face in her hands.
It wasn't that she was frightened, or sad. It wasn't even that she was overwhelmingly happy. It was just such a big change. All she was was a drudge! An ash girl. She was someone who cleaned up after those higher and more important than she. And now, what? She was a Candidate, slated to step onto the sands during a Hatching. Whether or not she Impressed was almost beside the point. Her state in life had changed so drastically and so quickly, she simply hadn't had time to assimilate it.
So she sat and sobbed, with Bartan crooning comfortingly and stroking her cheek with his head. Her shoulders shook as she fought for breath through the sobs. This spate of tears would soon be swiftly over with, but for now, she felt as if her world had come crashing down, and she was lost in a strange life that wasn't supposed to be hers.
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Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 12:33 pm
Lanakirene hadn't been expecting the girl to burst into tears; in fact, that was probably the farthest possible thing from her mind when she brought up the idea of flits; generally, speculating about eggs and their futures as riders was the easiest way to break the ice with others. But apparently she had made a bit of a mistake this time around. Blinking, completely at a loss, at Illabel for a moment, she took a deep breath, came over to the girl, and touched her shoulder lightly.
"Hey, now," she said, sort of patting Illabel's back awkwardly and trying desperately to remember her old lessons for tending distraught children. Generally that consisted of tending their cuts as quickly as possible while telling them that the injuries weren't bad, and while the literal practice wasn't applicable, she supposed the theory was.
"You just get into the Weyr recently?" she asked quietly. "It's kind of a big change, isn't it?" She paused for a moment, and then went on. "It just takes some getting used to. You'll be fine."
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:52 am
Awkward or not, the reassurance was what the girl needed. It gave her enough of a boost to get ahold of herself, subsiding to sniffles and deep breaths. She wiped her eyes and her slightly red nose on the corner of her apron again. She smiled shakily and stroked the crooning Bartan, murmuring reassurance to him for a moment before turning to the other girl.
"I'm very sorry... I'm really not the weepy kind." Well, she wasn't when she felt like she was on stable ground, anyway. This was the most unusual situation she had yet encountered in her young life. And now, being here without her father, she felt off kilter. She took a shaky deep breath and visibly relaxed herself. "I'm better now, though. Thank you." Her smile was genuine, if a bit self-concious.
She paused to think back to what they'd been talking about. She answered slowly, with deliberation rather than gut reaction like her first answer had been. "I think a little lazy brown might be nice," she offered tentatively. One of the other eggs at her Hold had hatched into a brown, who had been friendly, but generally inactive. He had an adorable little round tummy from eating too much too often, but he was much loved by his owner, at least.
A rumble of her stomach reminded her that she'd missed the noon meal in her hurry to get her things and not keep the dragonrider waiting to bring her here. Well, there was no time like the present to start reminding herself that she was not a servant any longer, though she had no illusions about the need to work hard. Boldly, for a servant girl used to blending into the background, she met Lana's eyes and inquired, "Do you know if they'd let me get a bite in the kitchens right now? I... missed my lunch." She felt rather embarassed asking, but if one didn't ask, how could one know, right? She mentally firmed her jaw, despite the quaver of uncertainty that threatened to take control.
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:58 am
When the girl began to get herself under control, La was visibly relieved, though she tried to be so out of Illabel's range of sight. Somehow, she had managed to forget the tumult of emotions that went through the heads of young Candidates; though La hadn't cried when she arrived at the Weyr, it had taken a few sevendays for her to settle into the routine of Candidate life. And she had always been a generally matter-of-fact person. So it was no surprise that other Candidates did get overwhelmed and did cry.
Though it didn't make her any more comfortable with it.
"Browns are nice in all shapes, firelizards and dragons," she answered Illabel with a brief smile. "Sometimes I think I'd like to ride one." And it wasn't that impossible a thought, either. But that wasn't something the girl needed to know at the moment, particularly since it seemed she was distracting herself from brooding with food. La smiled slightly, then tilted her head when Illabel asked about the kitchens.
"That's...touchy," she said eventually. "I mean, you could always ask, but you'd probably do best just waiting until backs are turned and swiping a meatroll or two," she went on. She spoke easily, with an obvious suggestion that she had a great deal of practice when it came to such matters, but after a moment realized that a newcomer might not be quite so comfortable with such things. "I can take you down kitchen-ways and you can decide which you're going to do on the way," she offered.
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:13 pm
She listened attentively to the older girl's advice about the kitchens, but her eyes grew huge and round at the suggestion that she steal a meatroll! The very idea floored her, since she had been sternly brought up that to do such things was wrong, but not only that, but her father would have been ashamed! In the kitchens where she'd grown up, all one had to do was ask, and there were any number of little scraps or nibbles available for the taking. One did not have to steal!
Still rather stunned by the idea, she nevertheless obediently followed the older girl out of the room, beginning with a lesson, unofficial as it was, about Weyr-life. There were many more to come, official and not so official. She only hoped she was ready.
Bartan perked up at the mention of food. He creeled his hunger to both girls in a hopeful manner. He'd missed his lunch too! Greedy little bugger that he was, he was used to eating whenever (and almost whatever) Illabel herself ate Besides... if this other girl showed them the kitchens, why... Bartan could slip in and nick snacks at any time of the day! He never took much, and was used to a kitchen staff that petted and spoiled him. As far as the little bronze was concerned, surely it must be the same here too! Only time and mischief would tell!
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