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The blonde youth had been absorbed in thought as he'd returned to the Candidate quarters, mind awhirl with possibilities and questions. Those eggs had been quite a sight, and more to the point, they'd... they'd rooted him. It was a feeling he'd never experienced before. He'd traveled around with the same wagons all his life, sure, but to actually have one place, to be able to say, "I will be here for the next many years"... just wow.

It took Okassis a decent while to realize that his name was being called; and even turning, he squinted at Sovann for several seconds before the face clicked. It was one he'd seen many times over the past ten Turns or so - one of very few friends he'd kept outside of the Trader caravan.

"... Sovann?" he asked, eyes going wide. "By the Egg, it is you!" Unlike his friend, Okassis had no sense of keeping his excitement dimmed down. In his mind, anyone who expected to sleep in the aftermath of the Candidates' Touching was a deadglow, anyway. Laughing jovially, he reaching out to clasp the other's hand. "It's unbelievable, is what it is! When did you get here?"

"I saw them," Okassis agreed, his voice muting. It was strange; usually, when something got him excited, he started getting louder and more outspoken, spilling out words like a torrent until the need for oxygen slowed him. There was something more serious in the youth's eyes now, if only for a second; then he was grinning, playing around like his usual self again.

"A day or two, huh? Shells, how'd it take us so long to run into each other! I got in... eh, less than a week ago. My bunk's over there," Okassis nodded to it. "Geez, but what're we hanging around here for? C'mon, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Let's go get a bite, catch up! I've got stories for you, you'd better believe, and it looks like you might have a couple of your own by now, huh?"

Given Okassis's beaming nod, it didn't seem like he was the slightest bit perturbed for having Sovann as his bunkmate. Waiting impatiently for the other to drop off his stuff (not like it actually took a lot of time, but Okassis had to be dramatic about it anyway). As soon as Sovann was ready, he started walking toward the mess hall, seeming fairly confident by now of where he was going.

"Klah, huh? When'd you start drinking that stuff?" he asked, wrinkling his nose and drawing in conspiratorially. "One Hold I went to, there's this shop that makes that stuff with crushed-up bug legs. True story. The locals said it gave it some kick." The youth was grinning again, but it was hard to tell when he was doing that habitually, and when he was actually just teasing.

"Me, drink klah? Eugh, c'mon! That stuff is for Holdfolk," Okassis replied haughtily. "Out on the road, the sun's enough to get us up!... most of us, anyway." Never mind the fact that Okassis himself had never once been a morning person, and considering the sun his mortal enemy until the afternoon.

Thoughtfully, he added, "My sister gave it a shot, though, and there's somebody who never needs klah; she was wired the whole day. So maybe it did have a kick, huh? Ah, but don't let them catch wind of that around here- they'll start sneaking it into all the klah if they think it'll make people work harder!" Okassis snorted derisively. "Got a bunch of softshells here, Sovann. I think some of these folk haven't ever held a tool before coming to the Weyr. It's no wonder they'd got to have so many people around, otherwise nothing would ever get done!"

Oh, Sovann just had to give him that push. That was a challenge, and Okassis knew it. His eyes glinted, and his grin turned devilish. Pushing a bit harder at the back of his friend's shoulder, he commented loudly, "Of course, I don't drink Klah anyway, so it wouldn't really affect me if I let it slip to somebody. Hey, it might do some real good, right?"

"Oh, c'mon. Anyone who's slept through Touching deserves to get woken up by a bunch of loud-mouthed Candidates," Okassis protested, snickering. "I like to think that I'm just providing variety by not waxing on about how perfectly the light was reflecting off that egg, you know THAT one, the one that's absolutely guaranteed to Look to me!"

"Say it again? Why would I say it again? To you, anyway." His grin was nearly wide enough to swallow up his face now. "We're headed by the kitchens anyway - I'll just pop in, have a few quick words with the cook...."

As always, duty had warred with pleasure, and Inaari was dragging her heels back to the Lower Caverns to help with the evening meal. She was one of the few Candidates who had actually shown a real proficiency in the kitchen, and as such, was kept close to it for her duties. If she Impressed, she'd get out of the place, but really, it wasn't so bad.

The ladies were very nice, and she was useful. That, and it was a great way to sneak out extra food when no one was looking. The stockpile she had in her belongings alone was fantastic for early morning meals, or a quick snack before heading out into the outer Weyr.

Brushing past two of the older boys, she couldn't help but hear the conversation as she retreated, and whirled suddenly, hair whipping out behind her. "Did you say you wanted klah?"