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 Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:36 pm
Greenharbor Hold wasn't really anything to boast about, in size, wealth, or prestige. In fact, most had barely heard of the fairly small town, and despite its name, the Hold wasn't exactly sending out massive armadas. No, it'd only been named as it was because the Hold did keep about three ships at the ready for fishing during the best seasons and weather, and because its founder probably hadn't been the brightest glow in the basket, establishing Greenharbor Hold as he had on a narrow strip of land between thick jungle and sea. Yep, there was definitely a reason most of Pern had never heard of the place; most of Pern couldn't get there, unless on dragonback.
But, still, it was home to Farron, in a manner of speaking. It really hadn't been the same since his mother had died, but he'd managed well enough, and quietly composing songs in his mother's memory had helped him grieve and kept him occupied. It wasn't like he had many -- or any -- friends, and his remaining family members could never make up for the hole his mother had left behind in her passing.
Farron shook his head a tiny bit, brow furrowing the slightest bit and the corners of his mouth tugging downward a centimeter or two. Brooding on all of that wasn't going to help him compose the remainder of this song. What was he writing about? Ah, yes... Dragons. It seems his little Hold didn't have quite as negative view of dragonriders as much of the rest of Pern did, probably owing to its isolation. The young harper gave a more thoughtful frown, dark brows drawing together over light brown eyes, and finally began to work out the words, which appeared in a somewhat hesitant, but fairly neat, scrawl in a slow, but steady fashion.
Fly the dragons, bronze and brown,
Lead the men of world's renown,
Sear the Thread, now, blue and green,
Freeze all Thread in cold Between
Now the brilliant queen of gold...
He paused, set his quill down on the hide he'd been using to compose the piece. His fingers rubbed lightly at his temples. Maybe he just needed to get out of the sun for a bit and cool off with some cool fruit juice. Carefully rolling up the hide, Farron rose and stretched, giving a bit of a sigh as some of the tension in his back eased in response to the motion. How long had he been hunched over on that little natural-made rock seat of his, anyway?
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 6:39 pm
So T'rel wanted candidates did he? Oh she would bring him candidates. The Weyr would be overflowing with candidates. The Weyrleader would have so many candidates he wouldn't know what to do with them all-! Perhaps you try too hard, Mine. Videath softly whispered to her rider. She knew how eager Azrani was to please her new leaders and how much she wanted to be helpful, but it was best not to let the woman go overboard. That and Videath did not look forward to carting so many candidates in that the Weyr be overpopulated. No, they had best leave some for the other Searchdragons to find.
Azrani had a plan. A cunning plan in her own mind. Instead of going to all the main Holds and to the Halls Videath and herself would visit all the small ones. They couldn't be searched that often. They must have dozens of people who could impress a dragon and it was up to her and her beautiful dragon to find said individuals. Sometimes Azrani really did love the job she had gotten. Their first stop a little place called Greenharbor Hold. She couldn't say she'd been there before, but Videath had managed to track down a dragon who had given them a reference point to it.
The bright green and her rider came shooting out of between as always. Videath glided for a brief moment whilst Azrani looked down at the place. Hm, it's rather small, dear heart, but I'm sure there's something worthwhile down there. Shall we put on a show to draw out some likely individuals. Videath trilled her agreement, immediately turning into a nose dive. Azrani held on, a smile on her face as the wind stung her exposed skin, as her beloved dragon began to spin as she plummeted downward. Without warning Videath twisted in the air and opened her wings, shooting off to the side and performing a loop in the air. The green's wild display continued for a few minutes before the pair decided that was enough time for them to have been noticed.
Videath landed, gently, just outside the Hold. Well she couldn't very well land inside it. Azrani undid the straps keeping her from falling off and slipped down the green's side. As she pulled off her helmet the green immediately pushed her head against Azrani's torso with a happy hum. "Another wonderful flight, my beautiful girl." Azrani laughed softly as she dutifully gave her dragon the attention she deserved. She looked at the Hold and wondered whether someone would come to greet her. She'd been to others where they had all but locked her out.
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The_Muffin_Puppy Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:10 pm
When the distinctly draconic shape in the sky first popped into existence, Farron was fairly certain his eyes were playing tricks on him, and that he was just seeing one of those random abstract shapes that tended to form in his line of vision after he'd spent too much time outside, where the scorching hot sun tended to gleam with blinding force on sand, rocks, and anything else of a lighter coloration that fell in the rays' path. The male gave another one of those light frowns of his that he seemed to wear quite frequently, his eyes narrowing against the cloudless sky. Though the seemingly green dragon didn't blend in quite as badly as a blue would have, it still took him a few minutes to satisfy his seemingly unrealistic initial hope that a dragon had actually come to Greenharbor Hold, of all places.
As he shielded his gaze as best as possible with one tanned hand, a fairly rare grin slowly spread across his face. There was definitely no mistaking the acrobatics he was witnessing as those of a fire lizard or wherry. A dragon had actually come to Greenharbor Hold! That fact alone was enough to make his heart leap into his throat with excitement, which reflected in the gleam that came to his light brown eyes. But why on earth would the Weyr have sent a dragonrider to this secluded, tiny excuse for a Hold? Visiting distant relatives, perhaps? He'd never heard of anyone being Searched here, so it couldn't be a former Holdbred rider returning for a visit...
Farron blinked, then, an even more unlikely possibility occurring to him in relation to that little train of thought.
"There's no way..." The words left him in a quiet undertone, almost inaudible even if anyone had been standing within a reasonable distance of him. Maybe he was somehow worried the dragon and rider far above would be able to hear him if he spoke too loudly. But regardless, the three quiet words voiced the disbelief he felt as he formed the thought that the green dragon and rider displaying impressive aerial feats above him could have come on Search. Half-composed song entirely forgotten, Farron continued to stare, his expression now more-or-less inscrutable. He didn't even notice the families who'd begun trickling out of the modest homes throughout the tiny Hold. Apparently Farron hadn't been the only one to notice the dragon's arrival.
And sure enough, the Holder himself soon quickly strode out towards the outskirts Farron currently occupied, where the dragon would likely be landing; the houses themselves were too tightly packed to allow much comfortable maneuvering by dragon and rider. The Holder looked even more shocked than Farron and utterly delighted, if extremely nervous. He kept smoothing his hands over his clothing, which was fairly ornate but clearly hadn't been worn in a while. Almost without realizing what he was doing, Farron trailed at a respectable distance behind the slightly overweight, middle-aged man, anxious to get a closer look.
"W-Welcome to Greenharbor Hold! This is certainly a pleasant surprise!" The Holder gave a sort of nervous giggle, using a slightly soiled cloth to mop at the sweat which soaked his face. A heartbeat too late, he realized he'd forgotten the rest of his manners and gave a jerky sort of bow that further betrayed his nerves. Apparently he'd never met a dragonrider before. Farron simply gave a slightly derisive snort, coming to a stop a good half-dragonlength away to watch and hopefully discover if his hunch had been correct or not.
"So.. Uh, what can I.. do for you?" the Holder continued, then, adding obviously belatedly, "I'm, um, Dorian, the Holder here at Greenharbor." He flushed a little more, perhaps realizing he hadn't made the best impression yet (no pun intended). It was a good thing anyone like the Holder wouldn't be included in Azrani's Search!
((Er, sorry if I got carried away with the details. Lol.))
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 4:49 pm
The greeting the pair received was better than they had expected. People hadn't attempted to hide from them at least, which was always good. Given the disbelief in thread and then the Weyr being blamed for not being ready for it's fall, not all holds were on the friendliest terms with the Weyr. As the Holder approached the pair Videath straightened back up to regard the man. The welcome was enough to give Azrani cause to be happy; so, as usual, the woman had a smile on her face.
"Thank you, Dorian, Holder of Greenharbor." Azrani acknowledge the greeting with a small bow of her own. She couldn't help but find the apparently flustered Holder amusing. Not in a cruel way, Azrani wasn't the kind to enjoy others' discomfort. "I'm Azrani of green Videath." The greenrider patted the green dragon's foreleg as she said her name. As though on cue Videath half opened her wings as she looked down at the Holder and then at the others that had gathered around.
"We ride here on Search. Gold Amaranth will be clutching soon, we are expected a large number of eggs, meaning we need a larger number of candidates to Impress." Azrani explained to the Holder, not at all bothered by the people who would overhear nearby. In her mind the more who knew the better. It would draw more people out and so Videath would have more chance of finding good ones.
Unknown to her rider, Videath had already started looking. Whilst Azrani had been introducing the green had been examining those around her. Slipping through the small clusters of people, Videath darted quickly in and out of minds as she examined people. She spotted the more sensitive of them turn their heads as they heard the soft hiss that was cursed to accompany Videath's mental touch, betraying her presence to those that listened enough to hear the quiet sound. Videath could feel someone was there, but they didn't seem loud enough for her to find them. The green shut out whatever Azrani was doing and focused. Honing in on her quarry the green dragon's head turned slightly and eyes fixed on a lad that looked to be about seventeen turns, to her. Videath looked, unblinking, at the youth; whilst she had a different kind of look at him. Her quiet hiss slithering into his mind as she examined.
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The_Muffin_Puppy Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 6:07 pm
The relief Holder Dorian felt upon seeing Azrani's smile came off him in fairly palpable waves, to any standing near enough, as Farron was. The male continued to watch Greenharbor's Holder with just a hint of disdain. Still, he supposed he did recognize the need for the such pleasantries, and he soon forgot whatever uncharitable feelings he might have felt towards the older man as his initial suspicions were proven correctly. A Search!
"Search?" the Holder was repeating cluelessly, though he soon cleared his throat, apparently realizing that single stupid query could suggest he didn't know what the term meant. No, he was just understandably bewildered by the appearance of a Search rider in Greenharbor, of all places. "O-Of course! Greenharbor Hold will gladly supply any potential Candidates the Weyr might need!" The Holder was positively beaming now. "Might I interest you in some fruit juice or somewhere a bit less toasty? Er, though I'm not sure Videath could fit in the Hold proper," he finished with a hasty glance towards the dragon. At least he knew better than to treat the green as nothing more than a beast.
While all that went on, Farron continued his observations, even going so far as to creep a bit closer. A few other members of the Hold were doing the same, if at a much greater distance. The youngest children were in apparent awe of dragon and rider, and many of those of possible Impression age were eyeing the pair with scarcely contained hope. Only a few of the adults watched the two with distrust or outright hostility. Most were simply cautious, as no one still alive in Greenharbor had ever seen a dragon at the Hold. But despite the hopes many of the Hold's children held, few reacted to Videath's subtle probing in a noticeable way. A couple did visibly react, though many of those seemed almost fearful of the contact and shrank back. Farron, however, was a different story.
Farron's generally unobtrusive nature lended itself well to the type of observation he'd been doing ever since Azrani and Videath landed. He'd at least figured out the green was up to something by the time she started her mental exploration of the Hold. He hadn't ever learned the specifics behind Searches, so he was almost literally floored when he felt the dragon's mind touch his. While it certainly wasn't anything like Impression, even by the descriptions he'd heard of it, it was still quite the experience. And though he initially mentally flinched at the contact, he relaxed almost immediately, almost seeming to realize just what the green was doing.
Take me with you. Farron hadn't even spoken the words out loud, nor had his body language changed overmuch, but he suddenly knew that he couldn't stay at Greenharbor Hold. Not after seeing a dragon and rider in person. Not after the Hold being Searched like this. His light brown eyes stared fiercely into the multifaceted eyes of the dragon that remained a good distance away from him. Of course, the Holder was oblivious to all of this.
((I'm a little iffy about this post. I don't even know if that's a plausible reaction to Videath's examination and stuff. I can always edit if necessary.))
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 10:50 am
((It's cool. I'm not even sure this is how a searchdragon does it. I think we're in interpretation territory from here. Sorry this one's so little. The next one will be longer, I promise.))
Well it was good to know the Hold was happy to supply candidates. It was always more difficult in Holds that weren't. Even more so when there were those suitable that wanted to go. That was always a tough decision. The potential candidate wanted the chance, but it only worsened the Weyr's reputation if searchriders took candidates from Holds that didn't want to give them. The Weyr was accused of stealing youths, and that was never good. "Oh, no thank you. Between's cold enough that it's not a bother. And it's better I stay with Videath while she looks for candidates."
Videath's hiss became almost inaudible when Farron spoke to her. True it wasn't out loud speaking, yet that seemed all the more impressive to her. The lad had understood that it was her there and even gone so far as to respond. Nobody else who had noticed her had tried to engage her. Most had simply stayed still under her examinations until she passed on. This was certainly an interesting youth. You really wish to come with us? You may not be able to come back for a long while. Azrani and Videath thought it was important to tell potential candidates that. Some candidates found it hard when they were kept away from home. After Impressing they couldn't leave the Weyr until their dragon was clear to fly and go between without the WeyrlingMaster's permission. What is your name? Videath hissed quietly, having apparently lost interest in the other people she had still to evaluate.
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The_Muffin_Puppy Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 7:30 pm
While the events between Farron and Videath unfolded, Holder Dorian simply bobbed his head in response to Azrani's words, quickly letting her knew that he understood. That finished, he was left to awkwardly stand in place, glancing from rider to dragon on occasion, as if trying to figure out exactly what they were doing to Search those at the Hold.
Farron, in the meantime, had actually taken a few steps towards the green dragon who he'd seemingly caught more-or-less off-guard with his nonverbal plea. Videath's warning about how he wouldn't be able to come back for a while actually made the male's lips twitch briefly with amusement. After all, he didn't have much of anything to tie him here, and he'd always felt Greenharbor was too painfully isolated to be a pleasant place to live for long.
"Farron," he opted to speak out loud in response to the dragon's query. His voice was quiet, but he spoke loudly enough to carry to Videath. His single spoken word carried a bit of quiet confidence to it, as well. As Farron spoke, however, the Holder jumped and turned to stare at him, brow furrowed.
"What was that?" he asked, his tone containing enough irritation to suggest he thought the boy had been rather rude in speaking out of tone like that. Though it wasn't like he'd been interrupting any real conversation. Farron's eyes flicked towards him for a moment, expression bland.
"Videath asked what my name was."
The Holder actually scoffed out loud at this, crossing his arms in front of his chest and scowling at the boy.
"Nonsense. What reason would a dragon have to speak to you?" After all, Farron had never done much to particularly stand out at the Hold. He tended to blend into the background most of the time, which was really quite impressive, at a Hold as small as Greenharbor. Of course, Dorian didn't realize that Farron was normally so unintrusive by choice.
Farron simply stared at Dorian until he grew uncomfortable enough to mumble something about rudeness under his breath and glance back towards Azrani, apparently fully prepared to apologize for Farron's so-called rudeness.
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 2:06 pm
Mine. Videath gently hissed to Azrani to catch her attention. Her gaze left Farron's to look down at her rider. That one over there, Mine. He is good. He wants to come with us. Videath looked back over at Farron and Azrani's gaze followed just as the lad spoke out. Azrani could feel Videath's approval of Farron. The dragon rarely spoke and so, after so long together, Azrani had learnt to know what the green was thinking without her having to say it. Videath thought Farron would impress, she liked the lad and had decided that he was good. Certainly good enough to come with them.
The pair's attention was brought back however when the Holder became involved. At first it had not seemed as though Videath was concerned with much anything the Holder did. Videath's interest when on search rarely went past the individuals she was looking at and Dorian was of very little interest to her. It was probably this that caused Azrani to be so surprised when the green let out a audible hiss of displeasure. The sound started off rather quietly, but then slowly got louder. It was pitched low and was as near to a rumble as Videath was actually capable of getting. The searchdragon did not like having her judgement questioned. Having thoroughly decided that she was going to take the lad with them, she felt interested in his well-being. As such she did not much like the Holder's tone when dealing with Farron.
Azrani absent-mindedly stroked her hand over her bonded's foreleg whilst she mentally tried to sooth the agitated dragon female. Calm, Love, it is no use getting angry. We don't need to make anymore enemies for those like us. Abruptly the sound ceased. Videath drew up her head, whether this was to increase her height and be intimidating or not was a mystery, even to Azrani. Videath ruffled her wings and shuffled about, as though re-settling herself. All the while she looked at the Holder, clearly still slightly displeased.
Now that Videath seemed content to let her rider handle things, although Azrani found the slight tendrils of orange amongst the blue-green of her slowly whirling eyes somewhat concerning, the greenrider saw fit to turn her attention back to the humans at hand. "It seems Videath was indeed speaking to Farron. She thinks he would make a fine candidate and would very much like him to come with us." Azrani said the last whilst looking at Farron. It was, ultimately, his decision, but she had to make it sound like Dorian had some say in it.
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The_Muffin_Puppy Vice Captain
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