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Given a moment of free time, Ailin had slipped off towards the outskirts of the weyr for a touch of privacy. Out near the rider weyrs was one of his favorite spots to practice his fingering drills during the day. Most of the weyrs that were still occupiable were empty around this time of day so he wouldn't bother anyone with his playing.

Sitting on a stack of planks that had recently been salvaged, Ailin fit the pieces of his flute together. Jerint had settled on his knee and was staring at the metal contraption eagerly. Ailin smiled and rubbed the flits head before lifting the instrument to his lips and running a quick scale. The notes quickly echoed by the little creature in his lap. Ailin fought hard against the urge to grin as Jerint tried to 'sing' every note played with moderate success.

The young harper had attempted to teach Jerint to 'sing' simple children's songs but while he'd gotten the idea of notes across he hadn't been able to convince the flit to actually sing them in order or on command. The best they'd accomplished so far was a game of copy cat that Jerint now refused to stop playing. Every time Ailin picked up his flute the flit would attempt to mimic it's melodies.

It wasn't long into their duet that Jerint broke off of the song and fluttered towards a moving figure coming from the direction of the weyrs. He chirped and hovered in front of Set'al sending a distinct request for Pets? He zipped back towards Ailin before changing direction back to Set'al and peering up at the bronzerider's face with big pleading eyes.

Ailin watched Jerint and the man but didn't move from his seat. His playing softened as he transitioned from his drills into a gentle lullaby. The man didn't look to be in the best of moods.

Jerint took the offered arm gleefully and began rubbing his head on Set'al with happy little chirps. Not too far away the subtle tune faded and Ailin lowered the flute from his lips. Stretching his long limbs he stood and walked sedately to where his flit was practically molesting a strangers arm.

"Jerint." Ailin's voice held too much affection to be truly scolding as he neared the pair. He nodded to Set'al "Is he bothering you...Bronzerider?" Ailin took a halfseconds pause to glance at the man's shoulder knots. That might explain the less than bubbly demeanor. You'd have to be dead or between not to realize that a goldflight had happened. Ailin had been very acutely aware of it himself and he wasn't even a rider. It was enough to tint the tips of his ears pink beneath his curly hair.

"He likes people." Eloquent little harper.

Ailin had been starting to feel uncomfortable as the rider stared at him. More so, when he noticed the man's green eyes. As the moment got progressively more awkward Ailin latched onto the introduction. "Set'al then. Thank you." He dipped his head to Set'al. It was an honor to be on a first name basis with a ranking rider. As one of the lowest on the craft and weyr totem poles Ailin always used titles first to avoid giving offense. "I'm Apprentice Harper and Candidate Ailin." He supplied in return.

Jerint creeled with half lidded green eyes and pressed into the pettings, rubbing his head firmly against Set'al's fingers. The flit could go on for hours so long as whomever he was loving on didn't stop. Ailin was generally content to let him enjoy himself so long as he wasn't in anyone's way. "I can take him back if you're busy sir."

Ailin nodded sympathetically. "So we've all heard. I'm sorry for your loss." He watched the bronzrider with concern. Was it really that hard on a man to lose a mating flight? A goldflight meant there would be a clutch on the sands. The weyr was already abuzz with the news. Which in turn meant Ailin would be expected to Stand and risk his apprenticeship all over again. If he Impressed a male dragon would he be subject to this same sort of event over and over again? "Is it hard?"

A small smile crossed his face as Jerint projected feelings of Warm and Happy from Set'al's arm. The little flit arched his neck and set up the loudest of indulgent thrums. If Set'al had been adverse to the attention surely Jerint would know? Ailin reached up and rubbed between the blue's shoulder joints. "He likes to be scratched there as well." He offered quietly and withdrew his hand.

"It seems unpleasant." His feelings on the matter were mixed. While it appeared to be a relatively simple and straightforward way to finding a mate the amount of negativity that surrounded a Flight made it not worth it in his mind. Especially this one. The ripples of rumor spanned all possible opinions of the outcome. It wasn't even segregated by Weyr either though the amount of people who were disappointed to downright angry that the Malvren Wingleader had won seemed to outweigh the amount of people pleased or indifferent.

He didn't know any of those involved though and as such didn't care either way. Not that he would have gotten worked up in the first place. "He's my first. A harper here gave him to me to keep me company after the last clutch." The harper's intuition had proven true. Ever since Jerint was hatched Ailin had been happier. Not only did he have a pet to provide a constant source of love and friendship but the affectionate blue had forced Ailin to socialize more himself by pestering every person they encountered.

"Jerint doesn't seem to mind." No infact he did not! The flit wasn't bothered in the least by the fact that Set'al had little experience with his kind. The rider was doing a spectacular job in reducing him to a puddle of happiness in his arms.

Ailin paused and counted on his fingers real fast. "About a turn now I believe. I was Searched for Brakiath's last clutch." It felt both longer and shorter than that. Time seemed to run together in his memory and yet it felt like he'd been at the weyr for turns now. The Harpers Hall was a distant memory. Ailin was surprised to realize he'd turned 16 a while back as well. He hadn't even remembered his own nameday. No word from his family either... that wasn't that surprising though.

"Is sleeping with strangers something you really want to get used to though...?" He mused. Ailin didn't like dwelling on these things, things that came with being a rider such as Flights and fighting Thread. He really wasn't cut out for it he felt, but when the Search Rider singled him out the Harper Hall had packed his bags and shipped him off like he was to be made Lord Holder.

Really what Set'al was saying wasn't convincing him that he wanted to be a rider. Whatever the search rider had seen in him he couldn't see it in himself. He was not brave, he was not a leader nor did he have a desire to protect others. Maybe he was selfish but Ailin was very much for keeping his own nose clean and staying under the radar. Anyways, the chances of bonding to a disinterested dragon were slim at best. Out of what... 8 colors only two were born sterile if you discounted white dragons.

Holding a conversation this long, even an awkward one was strange for Ailin. He normally, while curious, wouldn't bother someone with questions. Even though it was his potential future at stake. Jerint chirped encouragement from where he lay nestled on Set'als arm. The little feelings of love he got from the blue flit often reminded him of the green hatchling who'd hugged him during the last clutch. He also thought of Krith, the brown who enjoyed music. Ailin still hadn't met his rider but he'd gotten a taste of the unconditional fondness and love dragons held for humans. Secretly it was something he craved. "Even..." He began slowly, fighting his own instinct to get it out. "Even with Thread... and Flights... Is it worth it? Is being a rider, bonding to a dragon?"