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 Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:08 pm
The Hatching Grounds. They were such a sacred place, a quiet place, where people could come and watch, waiting… Hoping. Kiriwar was not exempt from this hope, watching through that tiny crack in the wall and eyeing those eggs, wondering if one of them might just hatch and call him Mine… What a fascinating idea. He sighed wistfully, idly twirling a strand of wavy hair around one of his fingers, as he mused. Not long ago, he had considered himself too old to even think about becoming a Candidate. But now he was here, and his brothers were not, and he was going to potentially become a Dragonrider. It was so strange, thinking of this. Some part of the Vintner still had not completely wrapped around what was happening now, what was becoming of him in this new life…
He sighed again, pushing himself to his feet and stretching a little, figuring that now would be the time to back off and let anyone else who might want to see the Hatching Grounds do so, stepping away from the split in the wall and pausing in front of the doors, looking up at them and rapidly getting lost in thought.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:45 am
Though L'mel had long since Impressed, he couldn't resist the curiosity to peek at the eggs. He was 'only' a bluerider- as such, he didn't get to peek until the day of the Hatching, and the intrigue drove him mad. He had heard that this clutch was smaller than the previous one- fifteen eggs in total. But he had heard rumors that their colors were even more intense than that of the prior clutch, and that had led him here.
L'mel hadn't followed this narrow passage since he was a Candidate. It brought back fond memories of pressing his own body against the narrow slit, elbowing other boys and girls out of the way, whispering excitedly and telling them to shut up so the Queen wouldn't hear them. It was there that they had placed bets on what eggs would have what, and who would Impress, and what color they would get. Most of their bets had been wildly off. L'mel himself had been slated to get a green of a rather amorous nature, and he ended up with Dimeth, a wet blanket of a blue. It was a good pairing, all in all, but not what anyone expected.
If L'mel had been expecting the crack to be alone, he was surprised. He somehow thought that this current batch of Candidates hadn't heard of it, though that was a rather silly idea. Of course they had. Everyone would take the chance to look inside and try to glimpse their future, eyes glinting with the ideas and dreams of what it would bring. That there was a young man here was not exactly a surprise then, though L'mel certainly tried his best to look shocked and stern. Honestly, he was mostly just humiliated to be caught in the act. He was too old to be a Candidate, and every good Weyr resident knew how to read rank knots. His clearly spelled out 'bluerider'. Oh dear.
"Haven't you heard that looking at the eggs ahead of time turns them into whers?" Well, L'mel never could resist the chance for humor.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:07 pm
Kiriwar was more than fascinated by the varying and brilliant colors he was seeing amidst the fifteen eyes, to the point that he did not sense anyone coming up on him. The Vintner was just excited that the peeking spot was empty for now, and was drinking in as much as he could before anyone else would come sneaking up with their group of friends to mumble and bet, claiming the eggs they were sure they would get and contain the color they dreamt of.
So when L’mel spoke up, he whirled around quickly, brown eyes wide and owlish, even as he held back any sound of surprise in case the Queen be alerted to his presence. Trouble with the Queen was the last thing he wanted at this point. The man in front of him seemed far less threatening than any protective Gold mother, and he blinked a few times, before grinning crookedly, shoving a hand through his wavy hair. A blue rider? Here? He took a moment to marvel at the other man, looking over the rank knots a few times to be sure he had read them properly.
“I keep hoping that just a little peek won’t be enough to cause such a terrible change,” he replied quietly, flashing his most charming grin at the rider, hoping to dispel some of the stern expression on the other’s face – was he in trouble for being here? He glanced about nervously, suddenly wishing that the area was not as empty as he liked it to be. The thought of being the only one in trouble was not an appealing one. “Should I be hurrying off before trouble strikes me down?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 10:57 am
L'mel did a poor job of keeping up his stern facade for more than just a few minutes. It just wasn't programmed into him to be the stern rider. Especially not when he had been a rather mischievous Candidate, and possibly even worse as a Weyrling. Some things just aged better- like pranks.
"Naw, you're fine. Just don't like the Queen or the Weyrwoman hear you. No one ever checks behind here on purpose. I think we all looked when we were Candidates. I bet even the Senior Weyrwoman did." L'mel shared a wink, suggesting that this theory was shocking.
Careful mine... If she hears you saying that, you'll get in trouble. And I'll get in trouble.
Stop being such a wet blanket Dimeth. She doesn't have ears everywhere, as much as she'd like us to think so. L'mel received only a snort in reply, as Dimeth settled his blue body back out into the sun on the ledge of their weyr.
"To be honest... I was just here to see the eggs too. I want to make some more marks on my bets this time around. What do you reckon?" Gesturing grandly to the clutch, L'mel listened for the opinion of his new conspirator... whose name he had never even bothered to ask. Sometimes one didn't need names. Especially when gambling.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:11 am
Kiriwar saw the bluerider's sternness slowly fade off, his own demeanor relaxing along with him. He laughed a little, running a hand over his braid again and looking just a touch awkward. He was still a bit amazed to be in the presence of an actual rider -- this man was the first rider he had met face to face and he was certainly a touch dazzled
"I've been doing my best to keep quiet," he said, glancing back towards the crack, before pausing when bets were mentioned. Kiriwar now turned his gaze back to L'mel, cocking his head a little and blinking slowly. "Reckon? Oh, I hardly know..." He trailed off, shifting now to peer into the Hatching grounds again, humming thoughtfully (and quietly, of course). "What sorts of bets are you asking for? Colors that will hatch?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:38 pm
L'mel's grin stayed quirked on his face, more amused by the Candidate than anything else. He saw reflections of himself in every single one of the little buggers, and he absolutely loved it. It reminded him of when he was younger. Not that he was old now. No, far from it. He was the prime of his life now, at the peak of his potency! Er... not to say that L'mel would ever seduce a Candidate. He had more morals than that. Besides, it was too sharding difficult to tell the orientation of non-dragonriders. Inferences were far easier to make once you had a bonded.
"Let's walk and talk," L'mel said, turning smartly on one boot heel and chatting as he strolled, clearly not caring whether or not Kiriwar was actually following and listened.
"Oh, aye, the colors of those that are in the shells. I try not to be so distasteful as to make bets on who will Impress in front of one of the Candidates. Besides, I haven't scoped out your lot, and it shakes their confidence or gives them an inflated one if they hear. We riders are like a secret society, when it comes to placing bets on individuals. The only sure bets we make are the children of Weyrleaders, and we haven't got any of those right now anyway."
You'll scare him rumbled Dimeth, a note of disapproval in his voice.
Oh shush. He'll need o get a spine anyway to Impress.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 12:31 pm
Kiriwar was slightly unnerved by that lingering grin, watching L'mel with a touch of wariness. He really was not sure about what to think about that look, or what to think when he was told to follow the other. But something made him obey. He moved forward and trailed after L'mel, unsure about where this would lead him or what sort of trouble he could potentially get himself caught up in. The Candidate bit his bottom lip, listening to L'eml talk with a touch of a frown on his lips.
"I see... so becoming a rider is even more interesting than I originally thought," he said with a chuckle, running a hand over his hair and sighing heavily, before glancing back towards the wall, considering. "I have not really thought of what could be in the eggs. There's one, though, large enough to possibly be a small brown. That's my only sort of sure idea." He shrugged, stepping up now to walk beside L'mel, looking at him curiously. "How long have you been a rider?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:00 pm
Things could be worse. L'mel could have been flirting with the Candidate. He was being so good though! Again, he remembered his period of celibacy. Then again, he hadn't even had sex until Dimeth was grown, so it had never mattered much to him what rules were made for Candidates regarding things of that nature.
"I've been a rider about five Turns... though you can't really ride until at least a Turn. Dragons are much slower to grow than most people think. They don't mature until about two Turns, depending on the color. They can bear weight briefly at one Turn, and learn to fly at about half a Turn. There's a lot of... not riding going around for those first six moons." L'mel shrugged; to him, the wait had been well worth it. Feeling Dimeth's muscles beneath his legs, knowing that he was riding on a dragon that was bonded to him... It was a feeling that had been indescribable the first time, and had not grown more so in the Turns since.
"How old are you lad, if you don't mind me asking? You look as though you could be older, but have a few Turns left. Have you stood before?" L'mel wondered if he would have to make the speech about waiting until you were too old. He had made it before, but he wasn't one given to such airy things. They just seemed falsely hearty. Shards, no one knew if you would Impress or not. Many people wouldn't, and they would go back to a lifestyle mundane and dulled by the knowledge of what they could have been.
You could have been a minor holder. You might even have owned some land. Dimeth sounded positively sarcastic, making it clear what his opinion was. Being a dragonrider was much better than that.
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:21 pm
Kiriwar trailed after L'mel still, listening to him intently -- there was sure to be some wisdom in any rider's words, especially in the words of a rider who had been as such for five turns. He sighed quietly when asked about his age, flashing a crooked smile. "I'm 19 Turns, so I still have a few more Turns left before it'll be too late for me... And no, I haven't. I've only been at the Weyr for a short time, so I'm excited to stand this time."
To be honest, quietly, to himself, he was afraid. Afraid that he would end up to old to Stand, that he would not Impress in time. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, blinking slowly, before looking up at L'mel. "What did you do, before you came to the Weyr? If I may ask, of course."
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:42 am
L'mel was surprised by the empathy he felt for Kiriwar. He had never been getting to the point where he was too old to stand- he had always had a few Turns left to go. Nineteen was cutting close to the edge though. Still, there would be clutches... the Queens rose regularly, and there were enough of them to keep the Weyr supplied with a fresh stream of eggs. Which would be the problem, wouldn't it? They were running out of weyrs to put new dragons and riders, and they could only stay in the Weyrling Barracks for so long. Besides, soon the Weyrling Barracks would be rather crowded themselves...
"Well, you've still got two full Turns left," L'mel said in a falsely hearty voice. "And at the rate our Queens seem to be going, you'll probably have at least four clutches to stand at for that time. Besides, you could always transfer Weyrs at some point. You've got the potential. Other Weyrs would probably be happy to have another Candidate." Especially since the Holders had been less and less forthcoming with giving theirs up. Ista Weyr was fortunate to have as many Candidates as it did. Maybe it was the tropical climate that made people more tolerant. It certainly made them more relaxed.
"Before I came here I was at the Weavercraft Hall. I was an apprentice there. I was shy, and not altogether too happy with the work I was doing. I always thought there were better things I could do with my time than make dresses, but I didn't have an aptitude for anything else, and I didn't want to be 'just a Holder'." Note the air quotes he made as he said it.
"Where did you come from before this?"
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 7:56 am
Kiriwar glanced up at L'mel when he spoke again, that false-inspiration in the other's voice grating on his nerves more than giving him any sort of real hope. He could only really hope that the situation given would be the case, that he would have plenty of times to stand at a Hatching before he ran the risk of being sent back home with an apology to his parents. With his luck, that would happen, and Bevan would Impress--
"I was an apprentice Vintner, working with my father in a Hall," he answered, when asked about what he was before coming to the Weyr. He smiled crookedly, noting that L'mel was another who had been saddled into a craft he was not all that fond of. "I loved it, though... but to completely honest, I could not see myself beyond an apprentice. So I had no idea what I would be doing with my life, if I continued on that track. It was exciting, to be Searched and have something else to do, somewhere else to go, and all that..."
He trailed off, then laughed, waving one hand lightly. "Best stop me now, before I start rambling on some heartfelt gush about my life and all that. That would just be awkward."
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