Welcome to Gaia! ::

Becka smiled weakly at Cai when she came over. "Not sure, but i think she's probably stable enough since that hatchling hasn't gone Between she said to her with a small shrug. "She's pale but the bleeding looks like it's stopped" she added after another glance at the gathered healers around the girl.

The last egg finally hatched and .. oh! a Bronze, rather handsome too. She was amused at his attempts to fly but then she nearly squealed as Mari Impressed, she'd liked Mari when they'd met, the girl had even done her hair for her. "WAY TO GO!" she whooped before restraining herself by clamping her hand over her mouth and flushing bright red.

Things were happening so quickly. The brown wandered off, to Rodana’s private disappointment. Some girls wouldn’t look twice at a brown, saving their eyes for green or gold only, but she would’ve been happy enough with a male dragon if the option came.

The situation around the injured greenweyrling seemed to be worsening. Something about moving her dragon? It was hard to tell from here... Scorch it between! She wished she could have been on the sands like a proper Candidate, none of this hanging about in the stands pretending she was only here as a spectator business. Rodana wasn’t a harper, all this diplomacy and polite games tended to hit a brick wall with her.

The sandy blue was making another break for it, bless his dimglow heart. Well, at least he knew what he wanted. And he was building up some decent speed, dashing straight past everyone and under the table to... paw at the stands? And look right at her?

A more doe-eyed, less practical girl might have misted up a bit, or been lost in the wonder of Impression or whatever it was that doe-eyed impractical girls did. Or at least, someone else might have paid a little bit of mind to Ninuta and F’real’s expressions. Rodana did neither. She merely snorted in amusement and reached down to give the blue’s headknobs a rough, affectionate shake. “Yeah, wherrydung, you were trying to get to me! And the food just happened to be there, huh?”

Yes! It was! Girth waggled his entire rear end like a happy canine, then hauled off towards the meat table. Now come ooonnn, I’m already late thanks to Mom. Rodana, chuckling, permitted herself to be dragged. For now, anyway. They could establish ground rules later. One of her cousins had had a canine once – big animal, very friendly, but food-aggressive. Tended to snap at anyone who got in the way of mealtime. She noted with some relief that there was no malice or aggression in Girth’s hunger; his offer to share was sincere, even if Rodana wasn’t much interested in raw meat. Good. She could wrangle a singleminded but good-natured dragon far easier than she could wrangle an ill-tempered beast. (And Faranth, some of her fellow weyrlings were going to have their work cut out for them, weren’t they?)

They didn’t quite make it to the food, much to Girth’s disappointment. There was an uproar, a sudden frantic scuffle of flits and baby dragon and – and the green with the downed rider was gone. Had Rodana really seen that correctly? Had a pair of firelizards killed a dragon?

“Faranth almighty.” Girth let out a terrible keen and pressed close to her legs. Apparently the loss of a sibling was enough to distract even him from his hunger. In response, she dropped to one knee and wrapped her arms around him protectively, as if she would pick him up and physically shield him from what had just taken place.

Rodana...

“Mmm?”

Can you let go now, please? I still haven’t gotten any food. While Girth’s eyes were still whirling with shades of yellow, hunger was once again creeping into his gaze. All baby dragons were ravenous, of course, and Girth more than most. Rodana merely shook her head at him, then snagged a bucket of meat and began methodically feeding him. Open mouth, insert meat. Repeat. Simple.

She became aware from the voices behind her that the respective Weyrleaders were discussing her. She was being discussed, while she was occupied with feeding her dragon. Well, now, wasn’t that something. “C’mon, Girth.”

It wasn’t hard to get Girth to come with her. Hold the bucket low enough that he can try to get his nose in it, but just high enough that he can’t successfully get his nose in it. She strolled right up to F’real and Ninuta, and L’ki and Alaia, and placed herself quite helpfully between the two pairs. The new bluerider, in her poorly-fitting robe now splotched with egg goop and sand, the sleeves rolled up, her hands and wrists wet with raw meat juices, did not seem particularly bothered. She continued matter-of-factly removing meat from the bucket and handing it to Girth, not missing a beat.

“Hullo! I’m Rodana. You’re talking about me.” The last statement was not a question, and while it was punctuated with a friendly smile, her presence was nonetheless... solid. A kind of if-you-want-me-gone-you’re-going-to-have-to-order-me-gone firmness of stance, which was only slightly undermined by Girth tugging insistently at the arm with the meat.

Conversation stops among the weyrleaders as the girl from Igen confronts them. The Fort weyrleader looks amused, a smirk twisting his mouth despite everything else that is going on. None of the others seem particularly amused, but that's usually the case. L'ki is often the only person in on whatever joke is amusing him. Those who are used to him and must work with him do their best to ignore it.

"That's so," Alaia agrees, releasing L'ki's hand. Her fingers have left stripes of white and pink on his skin. "We were deciding what will be done about you, since you aren't just a stands Impression, but an Impression from another Weyr."

"Yes. Our Weyr," Ninuta adds. "And so it's only natural that once your blue is old enough, you'll be returning to Igen. After all..."

F'real shoots his partner a look that is intended to silence her and adds with an easy-going smile intended to put Rodana at ease, "Obviously that won't be for some time, since your dragon can't go between yet, but when he is able to do so, we do expect that you will return to your Weyr."

Neither Igen weyrleader quite says it, but there is a hint of implication that Rodana would not have Impressed at all if it had not been for them bringing her to this Hatching, and so she owes them her fealty, regardless of where her feet were standing when she happened to Impress. The other side's equally tacit argument is that she Impressed at Fort and ought to stay at Fort.

"You have time to think about where you would rather be. As far as we are concerned, it is your decision." Alaia is deciding to try honey for her fly-luring purposes. L'ki's face twitches. Perhaps it is a wink.

Rodana's acknowledgment of the debt she owes Igen very obviously pleases the weyrleaders from that Weyr, but they are both experienced enough to recognize a stalling tactic when they hear one. Surprisingly, Ninuta smiles, turning very pretty despite the smudged kohl surrounding her eyes.

"We only want what's best for you and your dragon. What's his name, by the way? We should have asked straight off." She looked the voracious blue over with a critical eye. "He looks like he's going to grow up to be very strong."

L'ki blatantly rolls his eyes. "Feed the beast. This is something we can discuss later. Perhaps after the appetite with wings has a better idea of what he wants, too."

It is a dismissal, but at least it isn't a rude one. For now the plan seems to be that Rodana and her blue will remain at Fort to train, and that her permanent assignment will be revisited at a later date.

Ninuta, not quite willing to let it go at that, cannot resist adding, "Don't let anyone here mistreat you or say you stole one of their dragons. You're from Igen. Be proud of that."

L'ki has a sudden coughing fit.