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 Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 3:27 pm
"Happy birthday!"
Orlina beamed at her fostermother and accepted her embrace and her kiss with all the excitement of the 12 Turn old she now, officially, was. She'd come looking for her mother for just that announcement, knowing the woman would want to be the first to say it, though she'd left their rooms earlier to begin her work for the day. "Thank you, Mom!"
"And not even the risk of you missing the Clutch! See, you worried for nothing. You should go down today and find the Candidatemaster so he can get you settled in the Barracks and added to the roster for the next Clutch," her fostermother advised, brushing Orlina hair back from her face as they parted. "We can celebrate tonight, after I hand off my duties to whoever's been assigned to the late night shift."
"I'll do it now," Orlina confirmed. "Then we can have all evening. Did you make me a cake?"
"Selfish chit! Go on, off with you! I have work to do and you're taking up space." Her fostermother began shooing her out of the mending room with waves of a torn shirt. "You'll see tonight."
"That means yes!" Orlina exclaimed, but then let her mother's harmless flapping send her out into the hallway. She smiled brightly at a passing rider, then made her way down the hall. She wanted to get to the Candidatemaster, and she wanted to get there quickly. The sooner she did, the sooner she would officially be ready to Stand for a dragon!
The hallways passed in a blur and Orlina thought nothing of the fact that she was running through the weyr and could bump into someone. The Candidate Barracks-- and the Candidate Master's office-- would be up ahead. It was a toss up as to whether or not he would be in, but if he wasn't here she could wait or find a Candidate to ask, see if he was at lessons or something. Or ask a rider. Sometimes they were helpful if you were polite enough.
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 6:46 am
G’ten was indeed in the office. As it happened he was also asleep with his feet up on the desk and his arms folded across his chest, snoring lightly. A man used to being awake at all hours of the night to deal with escapades of every kind caused either by his charges or his dragon he was rather adept at snatching moments of rest whenever the chance presented itself. He had once been found asleep standing upright leaning against a wall down in the lower caverns shortly before a hatching a few turns ago, so by comparison being asleep with his boots on the one clear patch available on his desk was rather mundane to anyone who knew him.
He was not the only creature taking a doze in the room; curled up on top of one of the stacks of papers was a stocky black firelizard, which was also snoring. As the sound of hurrying footsteps drew closer however the little creature blinked awake, yawned, stretched, and jumped between to just outside the door in order to find out what the fuss was about. “Squeep?”
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 1:56 pm
The sudden arrival of a firelizard drew Orlina up short, and then she smiled at the little creature. She'd grown up around flits; she was used to them and she liked them, for the most part.
"Hello." She tilted her head at the Black and then glanced at the Candidate Master's door just beyond him. Had the Candidate Master heard her coming and this was him checking out who it was? Was the flit his? Did he have a flit...? Orlina couldn't quite remember. "Who do you belong to? The Candidate Master?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 2:04 pm
"Squeeeeep!" With this happy little noise the black vanished again. It was not surprising that Orlina hadn't seen him before; he usually didn't follow his human around, rather he stayed in the office in case of visitors (or trespassers) while the candidatemaster was out.... Or sleeping.
Orlina might just have been able to make out another high-pitched squeaking from the other side of the door, followed by the scrape of a chair being pushed back. A few moments later G'ten opened the door, looking for all the world as if he'd been awake and alert for candlemarks rather than moments. "Ahhh," a small smile flashed across the stocky man's weathered face, "I wondered if I might see you today. Come in and take a seat Orlina." Did he remember every Weyrbrat's name? Of course not. Did he have a list that told him their ages and names? Yes! Did he check up on what they looked like when they were due to turn twelve? Was a packtail's arse watertight?
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 2:12 pm
Orlina blinked, but though her smile when she entered his office was small, it was bright. She took a seat across from his desk and watched him move behind it with attentive eyes. How had he known her? She couldn't remember ever having a conversation with the man. Maybe he knew her birth-mother. Or maybe he just knew every Candidate and when they came of age. He might. That would be part of being Candidate Master, wouldn't it?
Silent, she watched him and waited for instructions. After all, he knew who she was and she knew who he was, but they hadn't really had formal introductions. That meant they were still, essentially, strangers to one another. Theirs would likely always be a formal relationship, too, as Orlina didn't think the Candidate Master had time or the inclination for making friends with Candidates so many Turns his junior.
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 2:17 pm
"So then," G'ten dropped into his heavy wooden chair and shuffled a few papers to look official, though they actually had nothing at all to do with Orlina. "Twelve today, a big day to any Weyrbrat. Can I assumed that you coming to see me today means you do want to become a candidate?" As the grey-haired man spoke his black firelizard flew a few loops around him before alighting on his shoulder and curling up, much like a canine walking in circles before lying down to sleep.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:38 am
Orlina tried not to watch the firelizard, but her eyes darted to it once or twice as it settled on the Candidate Master's shoulder.
"Yes, sir." She smiled at him. "I want to stand for Feynath's next Clutch. Can you add me to the list? Please."
She'd been waiting for a Turn for this. Not that she thought about it all of the time, but she did think about it quite a lot. Especially since she'd heard quite a few Candidates talking recently about the imminence-- a big word for a twelve-Turn-old, but she had asked her mother what it meant, so she could use it now-- of Feynath's next Flight. No one had any doubts that H'trel would stay Weyrleader, and of course no one had any complaints, but the Flight meant eggs, and eggs meant the chance for all of those Candidates-- and now, Orlina-- to become riders.
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:35 am
“Of course,” G’ten nodded, getting to his feet and moving the heaps of paper on his desk to one side before turning to an alcove cut into the wall that acted as a bookshelf. At one end was a hefty leather-bound tome, its importance made clear not only by the size of it and the quality of the leather but also by the golden caps on each corner. The candidatemaster lifted it down and set it on the desk, running his hands over the smooth leather with a touch of a smile pulling at his lips. He remembered when he’d been sitting where Orlina was now, watching old Marla take this same book down from the same spot.
“Every candidate of Malvren Weyr is recorded here in this tome, and tomes like it down in the archives,” he explained as he opened the book to the current page. “Your name goes down beside our Weyrleaders, Wingleaders, mine, every rider alive today.” As he opened his ink well and dipped his quill into it G’ten considered that her name also went down beside hundreds of candidates who had never found their dragons. No need to say that though.
“There,” the bluerider nodded after a few moments, setting his quill aside once more. “Welcome to the ranks of the candidates Orlina, you can move down to the dorms and find yourself a bunk any time today.” He presumed she knew her way to the candidate barracks, he certainly had by her age.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:24 pm
Orlina, when she was calm later, might consider the sheer number of riderless people mentioned in the book, but for now she was so excited to watch him write her in that it passed over her head completely.
"Thank you, Candidate Master. I'll go as soon as I finish packing!" She stood and smiled brightly at him. "Thank you. Good-bye."
She had to get back upstairs and pack! She was moving out of her family's rooms and into the Barracks!
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:30 pm
Giving a satisfied little; "Mmfh," G'ten nodded. "Dismissed, candidate, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning for lessons, I'm sure the other girls will show you where to go." Just another child who might never Impress on the one hand, and yet on the other a child would could become a Weyrwoman, or one of the youngest riders to battle the Thread when it returned. He hoped for one of the second two options, but then he hoped that for every name he recorded in that heavy book. Not everyone got lucky like he had, but it was easy to hope for them when they were twelve with so many chances ahead of them.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:59 pm
"Yes, Candidate Master." Orlina turned and exited his office with a spring in her step. She was well on her way, now. Almost every weyrbrat looked forward to being added to the list of Candidates. Even though Orlina didn't know many girls her age beyond acquaintances, she was sure someone would be able to help her find a free bunk, if nothing else. She knew her way around well enough; it was sleeping arrangements that she would have to figure out.
The dark girl saw someone coming down the hallway towards her and moved over to one side so they could slide by if necessary, but something about the boy made her slow her steps as she grew closer.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:59 pm
Orothor was surprised to recognize the face coming up the hallway toward him. It looked something like his, although he thought her eyes looked brighter, despite that only glows lit this part of the hallway.
"Hullo," he greeted her briefly, startled. He had always assumed he had half-siblings out there somewhere-- his mother was a Greenrider and not even between could really make you barren-- but he'd never come face to face with one of them before. Not that he'd known, anyway. He thought she looked vaguely familiar, as if he had glimpsed her before without noticing it, but it was possible that was just because they looked... very similar. Now that she was closer he knew it was impossible that they couldn't be related. That was his mother's face looking back at him, all right.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 2:00 pm
Orlina, for her part, was almost as startled. She knew Orothor existed, probably more than he knew she did, but she hadn't expected to run into him. She only saw him now and again around the weyr, usually from a distance. He was no more a sibling to her in her mind than Eirlyn herself was.
Some kind of sign? She wondered, then brushed that away as being silly. She was 12 now; no more silly baby ideas for her!
"Hello," she replied demurely. Just because she knew his name and his bloodties to her didn't mean she knew him. He was a stranger entirely. "Uh, going back to the Barracks?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 2:01 pm
Orothor nodded his reply. He'd been returning to change before going to his assigned chores for the day, but a little detour wouldn't make him too late. It wasn't as if he should brush her off now that they had met. He smiled at his younger half-sister, because that was just what you did in social situations.
"Orothor," he greeted, and held out a hand for her to shake.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 2:02 pm
"Orlina," she replied in kind, shaking his hand. Well, this wasn't so bad. Plus, he had introduced himself now, even if she had already known his name. This was more polite, her fostermother would tell her, and it made them not-strangers now.
"We share a mother," she explained as if he didn't already notice it, pointing to her face and then to his. It was a casual statement, but that was how it was in the weyr. It was more a fascination to realize whose genes went where than it was a joyous realization that you had found bloodkin. "Same looks."
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