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It surprised O'asis, actually. He was the personable of the two; he was the one interested in other people, and he was the one that read them. And yet it was Uktenath who saw them, and picked them out. The quiet bronze, sitting like a statue at his right hand while O'asis joked and chatted and scouted people out, was the one to observe the ones that didn't come to O'asis, gauge their potential, and murmur their names to him.

It wasn't N'tos that had gotten Uktenath's attention, though. It was Asceth. There was something about his clutchmate that struck him as necessary, strong, and good; something that could be used for the cause, that could do good things. Maybe not great things as he and O'asis were going to do, but even thinking such, Uktenath felt that the brown could surprise him.

And so he'd told His, they were worth talking to. Not inviting - at least not yet - but discussing with. And he was sure, without having to tell O'asis that he was sure, that he was right - and so O'asis agreed that, should the opportunity arise, he would speak with N'tos and get his measure of the brownrider.

Fortunately, it wasn't hard to get an excuse to talk to them. They were in the same circles now; taking care of the needs of young dragons, it was only a matter of time before the bonded pairs would be in the same place at the same time. And now they were; for, when Asceth inevitably found that he needed oiling, Uktenath also decided he needed it as well.

"Shards, Uktenath," O'asis was saying, "I just oiled you earlier!"

It itches, the bronze answered mildly - and of course, there was no arguing that. O'asis just grinned fiercely and gave the young bronze a scratch as they made their way over. Uktenath took little notice, but nodded to his brother. Asceth. You are well today?

"Hey yourself!" O'asis called back with equal exuberance. "Yeah - Uktenath must be growing something fierce, it seems like all I do anymore is walk between here and feeding!"

Uktenath positioned himself within comfortable speaking of the other pair. I am, he confirmed to the brown, and seemed satisfied with their exchange. One had greeted the other, the other had returned the greeting; that was how these things were supposed to go, and all parties should be satisfied with it. Wasn't that right?

The blond considered the abbreviated name carefully, echoing it aloud for good measure. "N'tos...." Tasting its depth, he nodded. "Got a nice ring to it! I'm O'asis. You and Asceth seem to be doing well. How many roommates did they stick you with? Got at least a bit more room for yourself now than in the alcoves?" With a friendly smile, O'asis began rubbing some oil around the joint of Uktenath's wings, following the curt directions of the bronze to slicken just the right spots.

The blond pricked up his head at the mention of N'tos's old roommates. "Ah? 'Fraid to tell you, J'riar's already bunked with S'van and me," O'asis told him, seeming honestly apologetic. Though on the bright side, that was one more plus for N'tos in his book; a friend of J'riar's was sure to be made of decent stuff!

Still smiling in a regretful way, O'asis went about slathering Uktenath's itchy spots, following the bronze's curt direction at all times to get it in just the right spots. "Life's been decent," he answered. "Busy, though. Sharding busy. Just trying to get around this Weyr anymore is hectic - can you believe, we're still pulling in Candidates by the cartload?" He made sure to sound especially disgusted, shaking his head. "How many more do you think we can take, before this place falls apart?"

"Oh, he's a people pleaser, is he?" O'asis commented, smiling in the brown's direction. His Uktenath, of course, was far from sociable. The bronze was oddly detached from the Weyrfolk and dragons around him, content to take his company in O'asis. It wasn't strange, though - O'asis understood that Uktenath simply did not want to expend unnecessary energy nursing relationships which he had not discovered importance in yet. It might have been worrying to another person, but it was enough for O'asis that Uktenath expressed curiosity at his bonded's friendships and interactions. Sooner or later, the bronze would learn why these relationships were so treasured, and would nurse them himself--

Ah, but even now Uktenath was growing uncertain, wondering at the concepts that O'asis was picking at. Am I not doing something right, Mine? the bronze wondered - not necessarily insecure, but dubious. Surely, if he was making some mistake in his behavior, he be told?

"No, you're doing fine," O'asis assured the young dragon, patting him on the shoulder. Uktenath was unconvinced, but accepted that His would not lie to him about any glaring problems. Still, he found himself regarding Asceth a little more, wondering if perhaps he ought to be trying to talk with his clutchmate....

The ex-Trader's thoughts were already moving on, though, and Uktenath quickly forgot the notion. "No real sign that they're going to let up, either," O'asis sighed heavily. "Shards, I mean... the Queens are laying more, I gather, so I understand they want enough Candidates. The Weyrs need to bring in as many folk as possible - not just to Impress, but to run the place, and to have memories and loyalty enough to support the Weyr in later years! But soon, they're going to run out of room on the Sands. What then? Start a lottery to stand? Go by seniority?" He shook his head vigorously. "No, no, it doesn't make sense. If Ista can't close its doors, then someone else needs to open them up."

O'asis took the joke seriously. "If I could, I would in a heartbeat," the bronzerider asserted plainly. If Uktenath were older, if O'asis had the group he needed, then maybe he would go to the Weyrleader and formally request that they be permitted to found a new Weyr - but it wasn't his job. Not yet.

"As it happens, I know that one of the Jr. Weyrwomen has been in contact with the Weyrleader, but it's been no good. The Weyrleader isn't buying that there's problem enough to justify action." This was obviously a point of discontent for O'asis, who heaved a sigh and shook his head. "I don't know - why would he listen to Weyrlings like us, when he wouldn't listen to her?"

When O'asis had still been in the caravan, he knew, it was the leader's job to address all complaints and keep the wagon train out of danger. If anyone had sufficient concern, they could just take it up with the Caravanleader and have it heard out. But the Weyr wasn't like the caravan; problems were too well-hidden, just by the sheer size of the place. And the people on the lower rungs, the Candidates and the Weyrlings... they just didn't seem to register. Concerns had to work their way up the chain before they'd get heard.

Disgruntled by these thoughts, the bronzerider bent his back to his work. "Maybe once we've gone through training," he mused, "they'd take us seriously. What do you think?"