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 Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 9:22 am
Veyes wandered up to the dorm and yanked of his robe tossing it upon his cot. He stared at its whiteness for a long moment before shaking his head. "This is no way to spend my evening...but shards I don't want to go to the hatching feast!" he muttered under his breath as he sat down upon the bed kicking his feet around in a bit of frustration.
He wanted out of the Weyr, but where could he go. Thinking on his options he thought of one place that probably had the least amount of people right now - The Lake. But what would he do there? Maybe just sit out and watch the stars? ...Shards! He wanted a really stiff drink - like the kind his father had on the back shelf. It was then he realized that he might be able to snag a bottle from the busy Kitchen if he were sly about it. Then, maybe some food?
The wheel started turning and clicking in his head as he pulled on clean clothes and made his way to the Kitchen. He was right...it was very busy! Things were already in full swing for the feast and Veyes scooted in trying to survey his possibilities. Glancing around he saw several trays of cheese, meats, breads - appetizers fixed up for the feast plus bottles of wine. He licked his lips as he thought for a moment on how to get away with some food then smiled as his imagination came up with the right answer. "I'll take a tray to the Hatching feast for you." he called out to one of the kitchen workers. All she did was look at him and nod quickly as she prepared vegetables in a pan.
He grabbed a tray and then looked right and left making sure no one was looking before swiping a couple bottles of wine from the counter and tucking them just under the tray so they wasn't visible. Scurrying out like he was in a hurry to get this to the feast, he made his way out of the kitchen and down the long hall. However, instead of taking the path to the feast, he took a path straight out of the Weyr and into the bowl.
Keeping to the shadows so not to draw attention, he made his way to the lake. It was so quiet now this late at night while everyone else was at the feast. The perfect sanctuary for someone like him. His feet made little sound as he walked along the sand until he found a secluded spot upon a rock that gave him a welcome view of the stars above and the moon upon the horizon. It was there he settled in then sat down with the tray and bottles; a smile forming upon his lips as his eyes drifted over a feast that was far to much for him to eat alone. "Well, this ain't so bad now. is it?" he spoke out loud to the open air. "No...not bad at all." he responded to himself with a sad smile.
Looking up to the moon in the sky, he grabbed the first bottle and popped it open then raised it in an unsaid toast to the moon before taking a slow swig.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 11:37 am
He wasn't alone. Conomor had made it back to the dorms before him, changed, and hurried out again. The lake; after the heat of the sands he felt in need of a cool swim. The walk down there had been peaceful, nobody but Gilden and himself. The feast was being set up in the distance, but he chose to ignore it. Nobody he liked had Impressed, and so he saw no reason to attend. It would just depress him even more.
Near the edge of the lake, Conomor shed his clothes into a messy heap and stretched. The stars and moon were out; bright silver white, giving sufficient light to see by. Sighing faintly, he walked into the water. It was a relief, brought back a feeling of reality that had abandoned him when the final dragon Impressed. Here he was; still alive, still healthy, ready to try again. Okay, so he was also still gloomy but you couldn't have everything. Wading out to waist depth, Conomor kicked off the bottom and began to swim. Gilden joined him, moving along gracefully at his side.
He hadn't been in for long when he grew tired of swimming; he hadn't eaten in too long, and a weariness of spirit in general soon sapped his enthusiasm for the water. He struck out for the bank once more, noting that he was no longer by himself. A figure sat close to the water's edge... Ah, Veyes, he recognized the hair. No doubt the other lad was just as disappointed as he was.
Smiling wearily, he waded out of the water some way from the other youth and waved a greeting. After donning his clothes once more, he padded over and gave another smile. "Hey. Better luck next time, hu?"
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 12:35 pm
Veyes had leaned back upon the rock casually eating a piece of cheese and sipping on a bottle of wine. The water was lapping along the bank but he wasn't in a swimming mood quite yet. Absorbing the quiet was about as much as he wished for. He could almost hear the feast and revelries in the distance and imagined himself among them with a ....bronze...no brown...mmm...maybe blue....or how about a green like Raith? Mmm...lets go with a brown, today...he smiled as his toes curled upon the rock. Maybe the biggest brown the world had ever seen.
That dream was a fine one to settle into as he watched the clouds drift by but soon he was brought back to the surface again and glancing around. Someone had spoke! When his eyes focused again he saw who had caught his attention - Conomor. "Hey, yeah...I guess so." He smiled up at him and then glanced to his side grabbing up the bottle of wine. "I figured I'd drown my sorrows the old fashion way...good drink and even better food." He peered back down to the vast tray covered with bread, meats and cheese.
"I figured they wouldn't miss a few things tonight. Want to join me? I didn't really want to go to the party." He handed Con the bottle as he picked up a hunk of bread. "It's good wine. Better than what my old man had on the farm."
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 1:24 pm
Firyal had been quick to get off the sands. The whole thing had been like a mummer's farce. She knew she wasn't going to Impress, but that didn't make the dragonets' rejection much easier to bear. Watching other people discover their lifemates, knowing that for them there would be adventure and excitement and glory in the future while she would probably be scrubbing pots and floors until she died a bent over old maid didn't do much for her mood. She knew what would improve her mood though.
She summoned Numenor from wherever he'd been sulking as a result of being banned from the Hatching Grounds and slunk into the kitchen. She was a common sight there, and no one thought anything of it as she made her way to the wine cellar. Remarkably, no one even seemed to notice when she emerged from the wine cellar laden down with way more bottles than she could possibly be called upon to serve, even if they remembered that she wasn't on serving duty because of the Hatching. With her contraband Firyal and Numenor made their way to the beach, where she thought she might find some solace in the familiar sounds of the water.
When she got to the beach she was a little surprised to find that there were others there. There'd been Hatchings in the past where unsuccessful Candidates had opted to hold their own, alternative Hatching Feast, but those tended to be held elsewhere, where discovery was less likely. She wouldn't quite consider two people enough to constitute a feast, and from what she could tell the two involved so far were Veyes and Conomor, but there was worse company to be had. Numenor was already thrilled to see another firelizard in Gilden, and had darted off to greet the gold.
"A little help?" she called across the sand. "I've got a lot of bottles here, and would welcome some assistance in carrying them. Maybe emptying them, too."
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 1:36 pm
Gilden gave a happy cheep, lofting off Conomor's shoulder and flitting over to greet the other firelizard. Conomor gave a lopsided grin and raised the bottle Veyes had given him in greeting to the girl. Might as well enjoy themselves as best they could. Pausing to take a drink from the bottle - it was good - and to put it down safely, he hastened over to the other candidate to help her with the bottles.
"Hi there," he said with a smile, "Firyal, isn't it? I'm Conomor." He'd seen her about but not spoken to her before. Well, now they had something in common, and that was the first step towards making a friend. He wasn't too interested in knowing the ones who had Impressed today. If he ended up on a wing with a dragon of his own at a later date, then maybe he would care to speak to them but right now he was quite happy in his petty jealousy. What had all of them had that he had lacked?
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 1:49 pm
"Firyal," she agreed with a slightly confused frown. "Just like it's been the last six years I've lived here."
Well. That was a happy start. She wasn't even recognized by people who'd lived here their whole lives. It was true that Firyal was particularly good at being invisible, and that for the most part her duties were in the kitchen and the laundry and similarly domestic tasks that a male Candidate would not be put to. It was also true that she and Conomor had actually managed to go six years without an actual introduction, but really.
"It's nice to see you, in any event, Conomor," she said. She didn't have to be prickly.
Yes. She was in desperate need of liquid cheer.
Numenor chirped at Gilden, expressing his confusion at his human's unhappiness over the baby dragons. He couldn't see the appeal. He was far more clever, and a better hunter, and he fit in her bed, which a dragon would not do. In all ways, he was a superior companion, and there was no reason for his human to be so unhappy that she hadn't Impressed a dragon. Was it the same with Gilden's human?
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 1:51 pm
Veyes smiled as Con drank from the bottle, "This sure beats sitting around looking at the lucky ones."The clinking of bottles cause him to glance over the sand to see the site of someone else coming down the bank. Firyal! He smiled as he saw her and hastened to his feet then hurried over right after Con to grab a few more of the bottles.
"Hey, its good to see you Firyal. I didn't except you'd come down here but maybe we have like minds tonight. I managed to swipe a full platter of meat, cheese and bread from the kitchen. You're welcome to join us." He carried the bottles over and sat them not far from the other bottle he hadn't opened yet and sat back down on the rock crossing his legs under himself as he got comfortable once more.
"Oh! Numenor, I remembered this time." he took a small piece of meat up from the large platter and tempted the flit with a smile on his lips.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 3:28 pm
Conomor raised his eyebrows for a moment but didn't say anything; they were all probably a bit short on temper. Still. Forgive him for introducing himself. He never knew if people would know him or not; too much of a recluse. Perhaps he should have been more sure of her name; he'd never paid much attention to other people his age. Still, that was slowly beginning to change. He could name, oh, two friends in their teens now. Oh, maybe three; Nathail, Veyes, and Nehren too. Maybe Firyal would be a friend too if she got over him not being utterly certain of who she was.
"Agreed," he said after a moment, "I can't imagine being at the feast, surrounded by everyone cooing over the new dragons. It's wonderful they're all healthy, all Impressed, but I find it hard to be really happy about it all. I think we'll have a lot more fun down here," he concluded with a slight smile, picking up a bottle for himself and opening it. He'd never drunk a bottle all to himself before. It would be interesting to see what the consequences were.
Gilden's eyes flickered green with amusement and she gave a trill. Yes! Silly things! Flitts were better, much better, but they didn't seem to see that! Silly silly humans. They seemed a bit happier now they were away from them though!
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 4:10 pm
Mal was a bit like chaos; they both naturally gravitated towards large groups of people, especially those in the presence of alcohol. For a moment, he had considered going to the Feast proper, but had decided against it. He could sense trouble before it happened-----ironically enough, he was often in the region just before trouble struck----and was in no mood to get punished for something. That Bronzerider----the one with the long hair and the scar on his face----had been glaring at just about everyone. No reason for Mal to get in trouble too.
Besides, Mal had just seen a girl carrying off some bottles of alcohol. And there was far too much for her to finish all by herself, right? A mental call for Aeron was mostly ignored. That is, the Bronze firelizard had shown up, but he wasn’t exactly following Mal around. Instead he idled after his owner, his body language clearly stating, ‘I am not following him. I just happen to be going in the same direction quite coincidentally’.
Mal didn’t mind. Aeron was a grump, but he was a big ol’ softy, really. At the sound of other firelizards nearby, Aeron cheered up considerably and made a beeline towards the Gold and the other Bronze. Well… more the Gold, actually. While Aeron didn’t mind the company of other males----so long as they knew their place, of course----he vastly preferred females. Puffing himself up as much as possible, he let out a bleat of a greeting towards the two other flits.
Meanwhile, his owner let out a similar greeting to the other people at the lake. “Well, hello! I didn’t ‘spect anyone else to be out here. Especially with all that alcohol, you know. I’m Mal and that lump of firelizard is Aeron. Don’t get any fingers near him. He continues to think they’re delicious treats.”
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 5:31 pm
Veyes sighed slightly and tossed the meat over towards Numenor then grabbed a bottle and took another swig of it sweet contents. Sure tasted better than the thought of listening to the newly impressed talk about their dragons. Not that he didn't have good wishes but still it bothered him.
"I'm not sure why many candidates would go to the Hatching feast. I guess if I had a dragon it might be fun but I think I'd feel out of place. But I guess no matter we have the whole lake to ourselves while the rest of them are packed in the caverns. Can you imagine how hot it will be in there?" That thought caused a smile to return to his lips as he imagined how comfortable they were outside in the cool night while everyone else was crammed inside.
A moment later though, Veyes looked over his shoulder as another person arrived at the rock. He was rather surprised but there were starting to develop a small gather of people here with the same idea in mind it seemed. Not that he could blame them. Shards! It was his first hatching and emotionally it turned out a little harsher than he realized. In time, he'd probably get over it and maybe one day enjoy the hatching feast with other winners; but not tonight.
The new boy approaching was someone he had seen around the Weyr and was a candidate but had never met him. "Ah...Oh, hello Mal. I'm Veyes and...well...This is Conomor and Firyal." He inserted quickly to draw the other two away from the previous conversation that had put them on edge. "Nice to meet you. It seems several of us had the same idea; I guess. Not as hot as inside; you know. Umm...you and your flit are welcome to join us if you'd like. We've got a bit of wine and a platter of food." his hand gesturing to their feast and taking Mal's words to heart about his fingers as the flit flew over to the others.
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 10:59 am
"Hello, Veyes. Good to see you again. I didn't think to grab any food. Which would have had unfortunate consequences come morning. Alcohol sits better on a stomach with something in it I've been told."
Numenor was only too happy to partake of the meat Veyes offered him. Being a pleasant, friendly firelizard (at least where other firelizards were concerned) he offered to share a little of it with Gilden, who had been pleasant enough to agree with him when it came to their humans and dragons. This was momentarily before Aeron appeared. When Aeron arrived with his human, who Numenor didn't recognize, he returned the other bronze's bleated greeting. He was not impressed by Aeron's display.
Firyal glanced over at her firelizard once to ascertain that he wasn't going to get into any fights with the golden firelizard. Then she returned her attention to her human company. She shouldn't have grouched at Conomor. She was a fairly invisible person, and he wasn't particularly social. There was no reason she should have expected him to recognize her outside of her normal setting of servitude. Apologies came easily to Firyal, and so she had no difficulty making one to Conomor.
"Sorry," she said. "Hatching's kind of got me in a bit of a mood. It's nothing to do with you."
Just as she'd finished making her apology another young man arrived with a bronze firelizard following him nonchalantly. The bronze's attitude amused her, bringing a grin to her lips as she greeted the newcomer, another Candidate.
"Hello, Mal. It's nice to meet you and Aeron. I'm Firyal, like Veyes said."
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 11:10 am
Conomor smiled and gave a slight shrug. "No problem; it's not put me in the best of moods either... Oh, hello there Mal, nice to meet you." Another person? This was going to turn into a secondary feast soon! He quite liked that idea.
Gilden crooned happily as Numenor passed her some meat, and had to swallow the mouthful she'd taken quickly in order to greet yet another flitt! Perhaps he would like a bit of the meat? She tore some off what she had left and held it out to him.
Conomor smiled over at his firelizard; she was good at being friendly, both with her own kind and with humans. The new male flitt seemed very keen to make a good impression on her, but she was taking it in her stride. Either she was very calm about such things, or she just hadn't noticed his displaying. A feeling of amusement from the gold told him that it was probably the former, though he supposed she could be finding something else humorous.
"So then," Conomor sat back down and took a swig of his wine, "are all of you staying on to try in another clutch?" Perhaps he should have some food first... well, he'd have some in a little while, before he got too far with the wine.
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 3:26 pm
Unlike the other Candidates who failed to Impress, Mal didn’t seem too broken up about it. He grinned brightly at the others and sat down nearby. “Well, don’t mind if I do. It’s nice to meet you three. I haven’t been meeting many other people lately.” Unusual for the typically social young man, but he had been trying to behave at least a little. Aeron had been partly to blame for that; after the flitt’s fight with Daramulath (well, let’s call it a confrontation), Mal had been trying to train his firelizard not to attack people. They were just lucky that Dara was such a patient dragon, otherwise Aeron would’ve been a little snack. Thankfully, he was better behaved with other firelizards.
“I just didn’t want Aeron to get overexcited at the Feast,” he explained his reasons for coming out here. No one had asked, but he imagined that they were curious anyway. “He’s not fond of dragons, especially little ones.” Which made Impressing rather difficult, didn’t it? Mal helped himself to the food and wine before trying to recapture Aeron’s attention with a whistle and a bit of meat.
Aeron ignored him in favor of the other firelizards. The fact that the other Bronze was, more or less, unimpressed by him was slightly bothersome. Wasn’t it perfectly obvious that Aeron was the best? He eyed Numenor, mentally weighing himself against the other Bronze. Well, at least he was bigger. Aeron took pride in his size, being fairly large for a Bronze firelizard. Gilden took his attention soon enough, especially since she was offering him a bit of food. Thus, two of his favorite things in the world were neatly combined: food and females. The tidbit was accepted with a happy chirp.
“Yeah, I expect I’ll Stand again. I like it here well enough for the time being,” Mal answered, once he was certain that Aeron wouldn’t try to attack the other Bronze. Considering the emotions he was getting from the flitt, it didn’t look like an attack would happen… but, all the same, it was best to keep an eye on the little b*****d.
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 3:59 pm
Firyal returned Mal's grin. Under ordinary circumstances she probably would have found herself put off by his readiness to join them - or more likely by his cheerful mood, which was so at odds with her own darker one - but he'd done nothing to make her dislike him and he had a firelizard. She was always more inclined to like people who had firelizards.
"Is he excitable as well as nippy?" she asked. "No wonder: there are lots of small dragons about, eating everything they can put down their ravening gullets."
After swallowing a few mouthfuls of a bitter red wine Firyal felt a little tempted to show off how well trained she had Numenor, but she decided it was unnecessary. Besides, Numenor felt happy, and it at least one of them ought to enjoy this evening.
In reality, Numenor was maybe a little irritated by Gilden sharing the tidbit he'd brought her with Aeron. He wouldn't do anything about it, though. Not unless the larger bronze took more overtly threatening action. Still, his eyes stayed a contented blue color. Aeron might be larger, but he was older, and probably more clever.
"I'll probably stand again, too," she said. Why not? It earned her time away from her chores, which was pleasant. Once she turned twenty one she would be too old to stand, and that wasn't so far away. She might as well keep trying.
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 4:25 pm
Veyes smiled a bit more as he watched the flits. Their actions were a small comedy to his otherwise poorly ending day. He was the only one in their small party that didn't have a flit and he felt a little like the odd man out. Maybe one day he'd get lucky and find an egg because he surely wasn't going to be affording one any time soon. "Here Mal." He grabbed a bottle and handed it over to the boy.
"I guess I am going to have to find a flit of my own one day. Everyone seems to have them." he sighed just a little as he took a bite of cheese and stared out to the lake for a moment. "Mm...I'm going to stand every time until I'm too old to anymore. After that...well, I'm not sure what I will do. However, I like it here better than farming."
He grinned and stretched out continuing to look up at the flits as Gilden tried to share her food. "You know its too bad that you couldn't just get those three to "grow" bigger. Imagine what they'd be like as your Dragons." His mind was vividly creating a grand tale and it brought a chuckle to his lips.
"Of course, it would kind of be funny to see Con as a gold rider." he smirked over at Conomor and then glanced at Firyal very amused, "But I am sure you'd be quite a bronze rider even if you have drag Numenor out of the Weyr with meat on a string." He giggled a bit more as the alcohol lightened his head. "Mal, I don't know you well enough but I can imagine you be a good bronze rider too but Aeron probably be a really big boy. You'd have to keep him from nipping people in one bite."
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