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 Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 6:29 am
Most men on Pern have, at some point in their lives, dreamed of being a dragonman. For little boys, it's practically tradition. Especially if that fantasy is seizing the sky on bronze dragon wing, heroes against their ancient enemy.
Selden was never one of those boys; not even when he had been small and naive. For as long as he can remember, his dreams have always been a more mundane, more terrestrial fare. Someone wiser might call them ambitions. He hasn't bothered caring what they are, but he does know they're not flights of fancy. He never was taken with those.
Of course, that serves mostly to make it more ironic he is S'en now; an honorific to which he is slowly, but surely growing accustomed. More ironic yet is the reality he is Bronzerider S'en. That… Well, he's not so used to that, though the thought of it doesn't make him scoff like it might have a sevenday earlier. Those seven days though; those have brought on the most dramatic and rapid changes of his life. Not even leaving his quiet home to apprentice in Telgar can hold a candle to it. While S'en can sometimes be a creature resistant to change outside his own control ─ and make no mistake, the experience has been very much like a Southern sea storm swallowing him whole and spitting him back out again ─ it's so far been an enlightening, and at times, breathtaking ride.
Little Kanath, pacing quietly at his side as they move down a corridor, has proven far more pure and perfect than he had ever realized anything could be. He is… like they say, the half S'en never know he was missing. And looking back, with the young bronze beside him, he finds it's almost impossible to grasp his prior reservations. He remembers the sentiments well enough, but they don't fit any more, as if the recollections belong to someone else, and maybe he's just imagining them.
He is not, however, imagining the growing dragonet, who gives an involuntary yawn, and follows with a rather harmless glance at His. "I know," he tells Kanath, more patiently than he typically affords his own kind. The bronze is sleepy; he understands. They need only to make it back to their room first.
Hopefully the people no doubt between them and it have things to keep themselves busy.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 8:22 pm
Nandeli was staking out the Weyrling Barracks, theoretically anyways. You had to be actually waiting for someone in particular to really be staking out a place, but she had always been the type to avoid making any concrete plans. It was very common for her to simply stand in a given area and wait for the people to come to her. Who didn't matter, since she could talk to anyone and nearly everyone had something interesting to say. The only problem with her little stake out was that so far nobody was coming. It was hard to interrogate new weyrlings when they weren't there.
Her luck took a turn for the better, however, when she heard the sound of approaching feet. Judging by the sheer weight of one, it sounded like one of the weyrlings was returning to their quarters. Excellent! Secretly she hoped it wasn't S'van. She'd interrogated that poor brownrider enough by this stage of the game. Perhaps it would be that new bronzerider. What was he name again? S'en? That sounded right. When the dragon and rider came into view, Nandeli waved merrily at them.
"It's S'en, right? S'en and bronze Kanath? I've been waiting for you, you know. You're really late." The Nose, however, was never early, nor was she late. She always arrived precisely when she meant to.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 8:52 pm
Who is that? Kanath asks, rousing himself from his tiredness long enough to lift his head and observe the stranger with some curiosity.
S'en doesn't know. In his time here, he's made very few acquaintances, and he's heard even less. For her, his ignorance is probably a boon, because if he had known this girl was 'The Nose', he would have made it a point not to afford her a second glance. He spares no fondness for those more concerned with the affairs of others than they are with their own, and he has better things to do than humor it.
She knows us. The dragonet lowers himself to his haunches, settling into comfort.
So it seems. "Yes," S'en answers. There's an edge to his voice, suggesting he's not really in the mood to entertain her, and he gives her what can probably be described as an incredulous stare. "Waiting? Why?" The first thing on his mind is that he's missed something. Overlooked some duty or obligation. But he's positive he hasn't. He couldn't have, and if he had, surely they would have sent someone other than this girl ─ is she a Candidate? ─ to retrieve him. She looks too chipper to be fetching him for some errand.
"Who are you?" 'And what do you want?' his tone seems to say, not sounding much like a pleasant introductory query.
You should be more polite, the bronze chides him, sleepily.
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Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 8:07 am
“For you,” Nandeli replied instantly, quirking one eyebrow at him. That wasn’t entirely true, but it would suffice. He didn’t have to know that she was just waiting for someone to surprise her. Arms folded over her chest, she proceeded to quietly appraise the pair before her, starting first with the rider. “Hmmm… You know I thought you would be a little taller, you know? Not that not being tall is a bad thing, but it was just a thought, since you were from the Smithhall, right?” As usual, she didn’t give him any time to answer her questions, and continued on with barely a long enough pause to conclude the sentence. “Your hair is nice though… very pretty colour. Light eyes, nice nose, though you could do without that scowl. You’ll get wrinkles if you leave your face like that, and nobody likes a wrinkly bronzerider!” Giving him an affectionate pat on the shoulder she moved on to Kanath.
“Now you… you are very handsome. I’ve never seen a bronze quite this colour before. It suits you though.” Bronzes have never been her favourite, but this one is very pretty. He seems to be quite calm, though Nan has been around dragons long enough to know that a quiet outside doesn’t always indicate a quiet inside. For all she knows he could be chattering away to his rider. It’s not the first time she’s wanted to be privy to those ‘secret conversations’, however for the sake of the Weyr it’s probably better that she’s not. It’s bad enough that she knows more than she should about everyone’s personal life.
Returning to the rider, Nandeli pauses long enough to collect her thoughts and pushes bravely onward. “So, where are you from? You’re not a Weyrbat so I can’t say I know very much about you and your life, though you don’t really look like you’re a fisherman, so I’m going to guess you’re not from Ista. Am I right?” Her brain seemed to remind her at that moment that he had asked her a question, and she added, “It’s Nandeli.”
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Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 12:23 am
Now hold on a second. Just because she's waiting around ─ randomly, at that! ─ doesn't make him late. S'en doesn't know her, and it isn't as though this is some sort of appointment. He can't be late for something that doesn't exist; her deciding it does isn't exactly validating. It's probably obvious he's disgruntled. He doesn't bother covering it.
But 'disgruntled' doesn't last long. Typically easygoing S'en falls rather quickly to annoyance, and he doesn't put much effort into hiding that either. It would be more trouble than it's worth, with her appraising that way. He's rather positive he doesn't look like a runnerbeast, but shards if she isn't treating him like one. So what if he's more mundanely average than he is tall? He's been called worse, having grown up in Telgar, though it grates at him she knows that too.
He's more than ready to tell her to mind her own, but she presses on, and his objection dies on his tongue, leaving him with little choice but to swallow it. At least she's not berating the rest of him too… Save for 'that scowl,' anyway. He's not going to start smiling just because she thinks he ought. He does wish she wouldn't regard him so familiarly, though, even if he does tolerate her… affection with no protest greater than a persevering frown.
Kanath, however, is much more appreciative of the attention. He's not one to crave the limelight or anything, but who doesn't enjoy a compliment? Please tell her thank you, the dragonet tells His, sounding so polite and contended as he looks between them, S'en is torn between feeling revulsed and feeling amused.
The weyrling catches himself wanting to sigh at his building exasperation. "He says thank you." It's difficult to keep the reluctance from his otherwise chilly tone.
What bothers you? His is upset. The bronze knows that, but he can't tell why. She is being very nice. She even said kind things about them.
… "No place you'd recognize." His Hold is little bigger than a cothold; even if she does know all manner of other things, he's sure she doesn't know it. Not that it's any of her business, anyway, but he's in no humor to deal with the nagging he's sure would come if he doesn't answer. "Nandeli." That is a name he makes note to steer clear of. "Kanath is tired. Excuse us." This is not a request so much as it is a statement; he does intend to leave.
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 8:48 am
Nandeli has always argued that persistence was her best quality. Other people had simply argued that she was completely oblivious to annoyed facial expressions, and therefore never stopped while she was ahead. It was really anyone’s guess which theory was right, but whatever the reason she didn’t seem at all fazed by S’en’s expression. He hasn’t told her to go away yet, which puts him slightly higher on her grumpy people scale than Bevan, though slightly lower than Marko since the Harper had been at least partially honest. Perhaps this bronzerider would surpass him, though she doubted it. That scowl was proof enough.
She beamed at Kanath’s thanks via S’en, dipping her head to the dragon. “You are very welcome! My foster mother always said that one should never hold back praise when it is due.” Nan didn’t bother to finish the sentence, which had been something about keeping your mouth shut when it was wise too. She clearly hadn’t paid attention to that bit. At S’en’s answer she tilted her head. “How will you know that if you don’t tell me? I could have relatives where you’re from for all you know.”
The mention of the tired dragon does catch her attention, and she beckons for them to follow. “That’s fine. We can go to your barrack and let him sleep while we talk. You won’t mind too much, will you Kanath?” S’en doesn’t get any say in the matter.
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 3:58 am
For Kanath, compliments are a rare treat. His is probably the most undemonstrative person in all of Ista Weyr, and he's doing good to receive affection in the form of subtle pats and gentle kindness. S'en doesn't afford others even that much. Will you try that?, the bronze asks, in more the tone of insistence than an actual question. He could certainly stand to! It might help them make friends.
S'en, accustomed already to his growing companion's 'You should─' rebukes, fixes the dragonet with a long-suffering stare, earning him an endearing look that quite clearly speaks 'what?' through its silence.
And then there's Nandeli. "Keogh Hold," he answers again, flatly. The odds of her knowing where that is, let alone actually 'having relatives there' are close to non-existent, but there she has it. He figures forwardness is the least painful of his options (he doesn't see what harm she can do with knowing where he's from), and sometimes the path of least resistance is also the best. Just not often.
Wait, what? She's inviting herself to his barrack? He understands people can sometimes be intrusively gregarious, but… No; S'en catches himself before he wonders too seriously if privacy means anything to her. It does not. That much was obvious even before now. Still. He sighs, exasperated anew.
Of course not, Kanath tells His, expecting him to relay.
Honestly… For the first time, S'en finds himself wishing dragons didn't have a natural aversion to speaking with others, and he would tell her himself. This really isn't the sort of message he'd like to pass along; it goes against his better judgment, and his sense of comfort. But, like his dragon would do almost anything for him, he would do almost anything for his dragon. "It's fine."
With a barely-audible sigh, S'en turns and resumes his course toward their barrack. Except, this time, he's hoping Gh'lan and Khunoth aren't there. That would go over about as well as first Fall, and at the moment, he's not in the mood to deal with a temperamental brown. Kanath must have picked up on his sudden discomfort; as he pushes himself to his feet and picks up alongside His, he assures him they are not there.
There's a pause. At least, as long as he thinks she'll allow him ─ which isn't long ─ and then he breaks the silence. "Why do you care?" He… isn't entirely sure he wants to know the answer to this, but it can't be worse than the truths his imagination has made up already. Besides, one question she has to answer is a moment she's not spending asking something of him.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 12:37 pm
"Keogh Hold? Nice place?" Nandeli wouldn't admit that she didn't know where the Hold was, not after her earlier declaration. She would have to scour the maps and charts once she was through with this bronzerider to find out where he was from. Or she might just go as Elae. Elae was much more familiar with the various holds than she was. It wasn't Nan's fault that she didn't know, not really anyways. How as she supposed to pay attention to the Harper when her best friend was telling her all kinds of juicy gossip?
She was quite pleased when he did not refuse her presence in his barrack. For the grumpy type he was surprisingly mellow. Not that she was complaining really. He hadn't tried to use his height to his advantage and tower over her like Bevan had, nor did he try to blow her off more than once. So far this was looking good. Though she initially started off in the lead, she fell into step with S'en as he led the way. Seeing as she didn't know where he lived, it would be unwise to try and be in the front of the procession. Besides, she could keep an eye on him better this way.
Nan was quite pleased to find that the barrack is empty save for them, and leans casually against the nearest wall. She'd sit, but she's not sure she'd like the consequences of that. S'en could be the type to physically throw her out. At his question she blinks. "Why do I care? About what? About you? Or about him? Or about where you life? Or just in general?"
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 8:27 pm
She doesn't have to say it; he knows. He's been away five turns now, but he remembers it well enough, and he's sure she'd have a reasonably good idea what it's like if she did know its location. "Cold," he says, simply. Mind, it's not so cold to him ─ Fardles, Ista is hot! ─ but in comparison to the tropical heat, it's difficult to consider it anything but. It's a nice place though; not at all like Telgar, where he'd been so set on returning. He liked it, and S'en supposes there are times he misses it. He'll have to go back some day, when Kanath is big enough to make the trip. Won't his parents be surprised? He really should have told them…
But, there's no undoing it now. He has no lizard to utilize, and he's not going to call on a stranger for a favor. Their knowing what he's been up to can wait a little longer. A couple turns more shouldn't hurt; they aren't yet that old.
"In general." If he had meant something else, he would have said so.
He doesn't seem overly concerned with playing host to Nandeli though. S'en follows the bronze in, who ambles over to his couch, much too large for him currently, and makes quite a deliberate effort of settling and getting comfortable. His fatigue is so great, it makes even S'en feel a little drowsy, but the rider knows better than to assume he will sleep. More likely, he will lay, rest, and listen, until he can no longer keep himself from drifting off. Sleep. I will tell you later, S'en assures him, rubbing one eyeridge, briefly, before seating himself on the stone couch's edge.
Which leaves him, again, to Nandeli, who he realizes now hasn't ventured to make herself at home. S'en does absolutely nothing to discourage the notion she's not exactly welcome, and does not invite her to do otherwise. As far as he can tell, there's very little to him worth caring about, and the sooner she leaves them be, the better.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 6:48 am
Cold? That's it? Jeesh. Chock another rider up for the "no imagination whatsoever" category. At least La wouldn't get lonely. Nandeli was seriously beginning to wonder if the riders were looking for Candidates who would be grumpy and mind their own business. Perhaps that was their way of solving the over crowding. If the grumps didn't Impress they would probably go back home to avoid all the people. But it definitely backfired when unimaginative grumps Impressed. Clearly the dragonriders should have given more thought to their plan.
Making a face, she gave the room a quick overview before deciding to park herself down lightly on her trunk. She knew she's not heavy enough to break it – not unless other people have been doing things on here, however she doubts it – and she figures the trunk is a safer seat than his bed. Though completely without most social bars, she doesn't usually go sitting on other people's beds unless she knows them well. And she most certainly doesn't sit on their beds when she's alone with them. There are some lines that cannot be crossed even by Nandeli.
The short answers don't surprise her, and so she doesn't seem bothered by them. Instead she wiggles her toes in her sandals as she considers his response. "Why do I care, general question… That's very vague, you know. If you're asking why I'm interested in you it's just because I am. I'm interested in everybody. I'll bet you won't find anyone else in the whole Weyr who cares about what people have to say more than I do. How come you don't like talking? Most boys would be flattered that a girl is taking interest in them, you know. Unless you have a girlfriend already? Is it anyone I know?"
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 8:49 am
And then she goes and makes herself comfortable anyway. Shells, why do they always do that? He knows it's not that his dagger glare needs practice.
S'en fixes her with a skeptical stare, unwilling to accept her 'genuine interest' at face value. Sure, he understands a girl having an interest in dragons. In her Craft. Even in runners is understandable. But in people?… One doesn't just take an interest in others for no reason. He's leery of her other motivations, which lead him to believe his earlier suspicions correct. She is a gossip. That's bothersome.
It isn't that S'en doesn't like talking though. Just… "I don't have much to say." And when he does, that something can usually be expressed in a sentence or two. Sometimes less. No one can accuse him of indirectness.
Wait… "What? No." The expression, vaguely soft thanks to Kanath, drains away from the young man's face, leaving him once again with a rather stony frown.
Of course, Nandeli probably isn't the sort of person to care he's not really one for friends right now, and he doubts she'd care he has yet to even desire courting a girl. He has no time for such frivolities (clearly, his parents never impressed on him the importance of an heir). At this point in his life, S'en is genuinely a solitary creature ─ excluding Kanath, and if it's left to the dragonet, it won't last ─ but why would something like that matter to a person like her?
Him, flattered? "No reason to be. I'm not looking for attention." And is that ever putting it lightly.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 12:54 pm
There was something about the look he gave her that reminded her very much of the grumpy Harper Marko. He had asked her a similar question, now that she should about it, about why she was so interested in people. Marko hadn't believed her intentions and nether did S'en, if his sceptical look was anything to go by. It was a source of continual irritation for the Nose. She really was interested in people and their lives. She just was more interested in their relationships. Was that such a bad thing?
"Well, if you're not saying much then you're doing a lot of thinking, which isn't always a good thing you know. I know!" She looked as though she'd been struck by a great epiphany, and without further ado she pointed her finger at him for added dramatics. "You're one of those brooding bronze types! I've seen it before, yes, a couple of times in the past. You'll spend so much time holed up in here while your dragon kindly persuades you to go and meet people, moping. And then one day, when you finally get out to go to a Gather or something you'll find the perfect girl for you!" Shards she was good at this game. Sometimes she even impressed herself.
"And you say you're not looking for attention, but I bet your dragon likes to talk to people. How much could it hurt to indulge in some friendly conversation now and then?"
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 11:01 pm
Fine. Grudgingly, he admits to himself he does tend to think a lot. Not by choice, though. It's not his fault his mind wanders when he has no task to keep it tethered, and he can't help that labor here is often less demanding than he had grown used to at the Hall. He liked that part of being a Smith; it required concentration, and he almost never had opportunity to just think. While Kanath has done some to help ease that particular ail, S'en supposes some things never really change. Not that being thoughtful is a bad thing, anyway. Adenar always did say he needed to use his head more and his temper less. He'll probably be glad to hear his son has grown out of that. Some…
The Weyrling looks flatly on her accusing point, clearly unimpressed by the 'revelation'. "No." There is a finality in his tone, making that single word sound every bit the encompassing response he meant it to be.
He broods. A little. S'en will grant her that much. He does not, however, mope, and his distaste for the word may be apparent. Moping is something people do when they lack the courage to take action and solve. Dragonman or not, he is still a Smith, and is inherently a doer. He doesn't gape at problems and bemoan them; he puzzles out what he can do to fix them, and then he does it. He always has, and hopes he always will. S'en would never forgive himself if, some day, he turned into a hopeless, helpless wherry. He is a lot of things ─ antisocial included ─ but he is not useless, and those sorts are almost always good-for-nothings.
Shards. Perfect girl. He doesn't even want a girl; is that so difficult to realize? "People can be happy on their own." Okay, happy may be a bit of a stretch for him. Content. Maybe content would be better.
You have me, Kanath interjects, sleepily, and somehow still sounding quite self-assured.
But maybe not. In the face of something so magnificent, it's difficult to be anything but happy, even if he shows it to no one else. I know, S'en answers, the ghost of a smile in his thoughts. Sleep.
How much could it hurt? "Quite a lot, depending." Still he wears that impassive expression, well aware this Nandeli is quite likely an individual to put truth in his remark. It's a bit late to go backing out now; he figures he may as well roll with it. To a point, anyway. He still has no intention of humoring her outlandish fantasies.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 7:51 pm
No? No? That's all he can say to that? Pshaw. S'en clearly didn't know that Nan knew everything about everyone, often times even before they knew it about themselves. That was just how good she was at judging a person. So, if she said he was a brooding bronze then that's what he was. He could deny it all he wanted, but in a day or two he would find that the label had permanently affixed itself to the end of his name, courtesy of yours truly. Still, S'en shouldn't complain. At least he wasn't the Gay Harper Extraordinare.
Nandeli responded to his denial by rolling her eyes. "You can say no all you want, but you can't deny the truth. One day I'll look you right in the face and you'll be like 'gee, that Nan girl was right! I should have had such a pole up my behind!' And then we can celebrate your finding of your true self and happiness." She flashed him one of her best megawatt smiles. It appeared that the tiny remains of her tact had decided to take a vacation today along with her manners.
"And I suppose regular people can be happy on their own. But you're not a regular person. You're a dragonman now. You're never alone, so you cannot be content with solitude anymore. You have to look beyond that! Take a crowbar to your mind and embrace the possibilities! You can't tell me you haven't even looked at anybody else in the Weyr since you've been here, or even back home in your little Hold." Straight boys were always looking at girls. Nobody needed Nan to tell them that.
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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:34 am
Nandeli's flagrant disregard for reason earns from him a very stolid frown. Truth nothing. Being introspective has gained him a solid understanding of himself, and if anything is true, it's that S'en knows himself far better than this practical stranger does. It frustrates him she has the gall to claim otherwise. He lets her say her piece though, sighing once to keep himself from speaking without thinking.
"…" Which leads to a moment of him saying nothing at all, just fixing her with an icy stare that edges nearer on being a glare with every passing instant.
It's none of her business what he has, or hasn't been doing since he came to the Weyr, let alone what he was on about before that. It's his life, shardit, and so far as he's concerned, Nandeli can keep her nose, and her opinions, out of it.
His rising irritation rouses Kanath, who has yet to heed his bonded's insistence, and parts two sets of eyelids to peer at the girl across the way. The bronze, too young to fully grasp Nandeli's implications, informs His he is a fine companion, and goes on to tell him he does not understand why she is so adamant His must have a girl to be happy.
S'en doesn't understand either, but blames that largely on her being unreasonable. "Kanath says you aren't making sense," he starts, folding his arms over his chest and putting an honest effort toward quelling his obstinacy. No good will come from letting his defiant pride take hold. "You said yourself I'm never alone. Don't need a girl to appreciate it."
And actually, "I can." Partially because he hasn't had time, partially because his thoughts have been lost in other things, and partially because he sincerely hasn't wanted to. Or maybe he hasn't allowed himself. Any more, it's hard to tell which. If Nandeli knew just how deeply immersed in his Craft he had been before coming here, it wouldn't be all that difficult to believe. He expects her to take it about as well as he had her declaration, though.
Granted, it hasn't always been true. There may have been a time, he admits privately, where he had come to enjoy the company of others. He may have even learned to appreciate the aesthetics of the female figure, and might have discovered what it felt like to harbor some curiosity toward feminine affection. But that was then, and this is now. Those days are long behind him, squelched beneath sheer force of will and relentlessly determined self-control. Not that a girl like Nandeli has any idea why one might strive for something like 'self-control', he realizes trailingly.
'Lighten up,' people always tell him. 'You're too hidebound.' Already Kanath has taken on some of that tone. He rears it now and then. S'en supposes this is just more of the same; nothing he hasn't heard before.
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