[Turnover Thread] Hope to Close the Book (31.12.182)

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

This was quite possibly the most extravagant Turnover that Fort Weyr had ever had. With no other Weyrs to compete with, and most Lords scrabbling to be looked on kindly by the Weyr, their walls were almost bursting with all the best that the Northern Continent had to offer. The Weyrbowl had been transformed. Snow cleared away, fire pits started and bright, colourful, tents erected. The kitchens were working non-stop. Churning out food fit for a Lord, but to feed thousands of mouths. It was hard to the inhabitants of the Weyr not to get swept up in it all. Despite the harsh turns that had come previously the Weyr was full of colour, music, laughter, good food and plenty of fine alcohol. Dragons lined the walls of the Weyrbowl, watching the bright motions with their own jewelled eyes. Some clustered together in groups, this as much a social occasion for them as it was for their riders. Often they would let out a trumpeting roar that would echo through the population, or a particularly excited dragon would launch into the air to lead the others in a flight over the celebrations.

The event had started early in the day, the sky still dark as people began to mill around the stands or dance at one of the many harper stages. Even now, as the afternoon drew on, it showed no sign of stopping. The sky showed the faintest signs that it would begin to darken, but the fires were merely stoked higher. The main harper stage playing all the louder and faster. It seemed that the Weyr was intent to put the poor turn to an end with as much joy as it could.  

[magnadearel]

M'li had been avoiding most of the festivities this Turnover. Since they were the only Weyr left it felt like everyone and their cousin had come today. Plus with a sick dragon, she hadn't felt much socializing. It was a shame her fancy new Gather dress would remain unworn. Until the healers had a say in the matter of course. About midafternoon they had bustled up, gotten her cleaned up, dressed pretty in her new gather dress and sent her out to get some fresh air. The healers had been muttering something about a hermit as she left. An apprentice was stationed by her dragon in case the green needed anything while she went out for a couple of hours.

The teen walked slowly around. Everything had changed since she'd last seen it. So many more people were here. Not to mention all the booths and fire pits that had been set up for cooking for the latter, and selling food or wares for the former. M'li walked quietly among them. Of her firelizards, only Loceev remained on her shoulder. Sid had taken off somewhere soon as she stepped outside. She paused on the outskirts of a group surrounding one of the harper groups and listened to the music.  

[TawnyAngel]

magnadearel

"We've given them something to celebrate, right?"

V' sauntered up beside M'li clad in thick boots with a warm jerkin, shirt, and britches and shot her a sharp grin as she gestured around at all the finery with her cup of sweetened klah. "All of northern Pern's got its eyes on us and our girls. Their last hope. If none of them get egg-heavy when they start to fly I wonder what they'll all do after having been so nice to us so far?" V' drew a finger across her own neck and laughed nastily. "But let's be hopeful! Perhaps they all will first try, and we'll be sung about at gathers like this for the rest of time."  

[magnadearel]

M'li smiled lightly as the most cocksure of all her weyrling mates managed to find her amid the press of people. "Or they're taking advantage of it." Turnover was meant to be celebrated, so she shouldn't let her black mood color everything. As the last Weyr, of course people wanted to come and celebrate here. It was probably a sign of prestige for many. Or the chance to see the last of the dragons of the North. No, no, she had to think positive.

She glanced toward the woman and noted her clothes for the evening. "You're looking spiffy tonight." M'li sighed. All the greens except her Starelth, who was back at the infirmary still. A quick mental touch told her the green was sleeping. "Their last hope in the North, otherwise everyone will have to move South." Her eyes widened as the woman slid her finger over her throat. "Really V'! I doubt they'd do that. They need every dragon they have right now. So sense wasting what you need."

Though right now her main worry was if her dragon would live to see her first Turning. She laughed at the ridiculously idea of being sung about at gathers as if a legend. "How have you and Lithustoth been doing?"

TawnyAngel

 

[TawnyAngel]

magnadearel

"Oh? Thanks." V' smoothed a hand back over her tightly braided hair; despite herself she was actually pleased by the compliment, she told herself she wasn't the kind of woman who cared about shallow things like appearance... But she'd put an effort in today and it was nice that somebody had noticed that, that was all, nothing more! After a few moments she thought to add; "You look nice too." M'li wasn't as awful as she'd thought she was when they first met, not by a long shot.

"But," she shrugged, "if we can't breed them some more then what good are we to them? We'd just be eating food they needed while they built fleets of ships to take them away to the south; that or we'd be in the way of them begging some healthy southern dragons to come back up here." V' shrugged again, M'li might not like to hear it but there wasn't much people wouldn't do when their survival and the survival of their family was on the line. If she were a Holder and she knew the northern dragons were doomed long term? She wouldn't hesitate.

"Me and Lith are good though, yeah," she continued, happy enough to move to a less ugly topic. "How's Starelth? Any better?" Less ugly, but not less worrying she guessed; M'li was holding up well on the outside though and she could respect her for that.  

[magnadearel]

TawnyAngel

She could tell V' was pleased with the compliment by her reaction. She tried to act the hooliden so much, others forgot there might be a lady under there. Somewhere. Just waiting to be let out. Maybe she should try to get V' to dress better. She hadn't taken a much time as she normally did for her dress and hair. It had been rather rushed. M'li appreciated the compliment for what it was. "Thank you V'."

The teen considered the question. "Well, when thread does come, I'm going to guess we'll still fight it. Otherwise the whole place won't take long to be devoured, right? What if they aren't ready to leave by that time? Or they don't have enough boats for everyone?" And what of them? The Southerns didn't want them in the south lest they share their dragon's sickness. Were they to be banished here until the last of them died away? "What of us? Do you think we could survive here without holders and farmers? Perhaps we can find a few islands south that we could move to. We wouldn't be on the mainland, but we could survive." Survive as long as their dragons lasted anyhow.

"This might be ideas to post to Sh'shi. Even if the weyrleaders won't listen to us, she can point them out to them." She smiled as the talk switched over to dragons. "I'm glad to hear." M'li gave a wince. "Same. No worst, no better. I'm still having trouble getting her to eat." There was nothing she could think of that the healers already hadn't suggested.