Unofficial Lesson [Candidates]

[mumu]

On the bulletin board outside the candidate barracks were the usual every day chore lists. Such and such group would go here, candidate group this go there. It looked like all the same basic information they would be given every day. Or at least that's what it should of been. But today was vastly different, for posted over all the other pieces of paper was a larger one. The script was in bold letters and read as followed:

Voluntary and unofficial Candidate Lesson today! Share what you know about Dragons and Hatchings with your fellow hopefuls. Lets all be prepared for when the next clutch finally hatches!

If you're interested go to the barracks common room around mid day after lunch.

Hope to see you there!
Muya

While others may or may not be busy reading this posting of sorts the woman who had posted it was busy in the common room. She'd managed to bribe one of the cooks with promises of extra help on her day off for some food stuffs and drinks. There was a pitcher of red fruit juice and a small pile of meat rolls sitting on a platter on one of the tables. Even a large bubbly pie was there, waiting to be cut into.

As she placed the finishing touches on the room (dragging a few chairs over to a larger cluster of them) the lass looked up towards the door. It would shortly reach mid day and hopefully all this effort wouldn't go to waste.

[danaphantom]

The first Candidate to enter would certainly be far from what Muya was expecting - indeed, Caelen himself wasn't even expecting to happen upon the informal lesson when he stepped into the Candidate Barracks. Not that he hadn't take note of the note, he simply had lost track of the time. His entrance into the Candidate Barracks was coincidental at best. Frankly, the man was just here to take a shower.

Stopping at the doorway, he pulled off his muddied boots to keep from tracking dirt through the commons room. It was when he glanced up that he noticed the rearranged furniture, followed by Muya.

"Oh, hello," he said lightly, offering a small smile. "Having a party?" It seemed like the lesson had completely escaped him. Then again, he was coated in a fine layer of grime and gore, which was a bit more pressing in his mind. He didn't mind terribly having clean-up duty in the herdbeast pens, but, well, he smelled and wasn't the prettiest sight to see.

[lredd011]

Kolben arrived at Solace Weyr breathless from his first experience on the back of a dragon and grinning from ear-to-ear. This was all so surreal. He was was really here at Solace Weyr and as a Candidate! That didn't mean he would Impress, of course, but he was one step closer to his dream. He felt honored to even be given this chance.

His parents had been upset of course. Kolben was their only child and he had never been away from them before. They were a close-knit little family unit. He had explained to them that this was his dream and an actual Dragonrider from Solace Weyr had Searched him, had picked him out of a lineup of boys and girls. It was an honor! They understood, but that didn't mean they liked the idea. They hugged him and kissed him good-bye and wished him luck anyways. They had said they would eventually learn to accept it, if this was really what he was meant to do.

And so the Senior Apprentice Harper was here, finally. His gitar hung across his back and he carried a small pack of his belongings. The sixteen-turn-old young man made his way over to the entrance of the candidate barracks, eager to claim a bed in his new residence. He stopped short to read a note posted on the door.

He considered the note for a moment. He could certainly benefit from a meeting like this. He was well-versed in the history of Pern and Solace Weyr as all Harpers are required to be as part of their training. And he knew a lot of facts about dragons...but when it came down to the practical stuff - how to actually take care of a dragon and such, he really didn't know a sharding thing.

Kolben made his way over to the common room, not even stopping to put his things away first. He noticed there were already a couple of Candidates there: one sort of grimy-looking older boy, and a girl, whom Kolben deduced was probably the writer of the note. Not wasting any time, Kolben strode straight across the room and over to the pair. He nodded to each of them.

"Hello there. I'm Kolben. Just arrived here from Cliff Hold," he indicated by sort of lifting his pack up. "I could definitely use something like this," he said, grinning. He then turned to face the girl, saying, "You must be Muya. Thanks for arranging this." He extended a hand towards her and then turned to the other boy in the room. "I didn't see your name posted anywhere...so what should we call you?"

It didn't even phase Kolben that the man was dirty and smelly. He was just happy to be here, and ready to make the most of his time.

[kolstoi]

She hadn't been in the Weyr long. All she was really familiar with were the stretches of hallway that contained the candidate's barracks, and the few places she was dispatched to carry out her chores. So far life had been pleasant, though most of it had been spent wrist-deep in dishwater, or scattering dirt and dust around the floor with a broom. The past few days she'd been thanking the careful tutelage of her mother in all arts domestic, realizing that she could complete her chores more effectively and efficiently than some of her cohorts. Gwen didn't mind the work - if she had nothing to do but sit around and daydream she'd eventually get bored of it. Maybe.

She did miss her family something terrible, though. It was strange not to wake up surrounded by the sleeping bodies of her siblings, and start her morning ritual not by tying on an old, worn apron, but instead by traipsing out into the Weyr to perform her duties. There were no children to swaddle and feed here, other than perhaps the creche, but Gwen suspected those strange infants wouldn't give her the same joy and comfort that her family would.

This morning was no different. She pulled her brush through her hair and hopped into her clothing, toeing her feet into her shoes before making her way out into the main corridor. Briefly, her eyes flicked to the sign that would tell her what her chores for the day would be - more dishwashing? Perhaps labeling bottles in the infirmary?

Gwen's lips twitched to one side in surprise. An unofficial candidate's meeting? Well, that was certainly more pleasant than any of the tasks she'd been prepared for! It was with a smiling face that she traipsed into the room where they'd be meeting, hands clasped in front of her chest. She could see that someone had put a good amount of effort into arranging chairs, and even spiriting food from the kitchens, and almost immediately Gwen set about to find the individual in charge, intent on thanking her for the forethought. Then, and only then, would she be able to start nibbling on the snacks provided.

Muya seemed already beset with new acquaintances, and Gwen waited her turn, hovering politely behind the boys' shoulders until there was an opening. "Oh, thank you for setting all of this up! I've been waiting for a chance to really meet everyone, since there's not much talking to be done during chores!" She laughed, bobbing her head quickly in a little bow. "I'm Gwen! It's wonderful to meet you! Oh, and, of course you two," She said to Caelen and Kolben, ducking her head to both. "We're going to talk about dragons, yes?"

[kolstoi]

The dragon hide beneath his legs was much thicker than he'd ever imagined it would be. Far as he could tell, it was soft, and resilient, and radiated warmth. The dark, inky blue of it stirred in him memories of home, and the roiling ocean, even though he'd only left it not even moments prior. The Searchrider that was perched on the dragon's neck in front of him didn't appear to be a conversational sort, and all the warning that Rujin got of their trip between was the blue's almost flippant reminder to brace himself.

It was a special kind of freezing, a black breathlessness that set his heart to panicking in his chest. It was nothing like the icy, serpentine touches of deep sea water that he'd recently been acquainted with, but it stirred in him an identical fear all the same. It was over before Rujin could really process that he'd been afraid, and he spent the entire descent forcing his heart to calm and his muscles to relax. The rider chuckled quietly to himself, guiding his beast to the ground.

Rujin slid from the dragon's back with a sense of relief, gladly taking his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. The Rider was off after a short word of thanks, leaving the young man stranded in the weyr bowl with instructions to find the candidate's barracks. Obviously the older man believed in youngsters learning for themselves. It wasn't too much trouble to find his way - all he had to do was follow the flow of people into the Weyr, a jaunty step in his stride. He chittered with people all along the way, fluttering from brief conversation to swapped compliments. When he was eventually directed to the barracks that he sought, he discovered a small hitch in his plan.

Well, can't really put my things away without knowing which room I'm in, he mused, scanning the room for any postings or perhaps instructions for newcomers. All he found was a brief notice hung near some chore lists, but even that small bit of information was something he could work with. Maybe at this 'unofficial' candidate's meeting he could figure out what he was supposed to be doing.

Striding into the room like a ray of sunshine, Rujin immediately pulled his face into a dragonlengths grin. "Well, then!" He boomed, sliding his pack off of his shoulder and onto the ground, "Looks like we've got the beginnings of a gathering here. What're we all on about?"

[danaphantom]

It seemed to him that, all at once, the commons room began to crowd with people. Which was not necessarily a bad thing, Caelen mused. Quite a few new faces had started showing up - indeed, as he glanced through the crowd, he realized at least two of them had only just been dropped off. So this whole unofficial lesson was a good thing. It would, at the very least, let him learn the names of the other boys and men he would be rooming with.

A hand was raised when Kolben approached - not that Caelen was against human contact, but the reasoning would become all too apparent at a glance. Grimy and slightly bloodstained, handshakes would not be the best idea at the moment.

"My name is Caelen. Pardon the, uh... mess." He grimaced sheepishly as he lifted his soiled boots.

"Alright, who's ready to start this lesson?" a louder, very chipper voice asked. Larien strode in from the main corridor, dressed in some of his finest, a wide grin spread across his face. "We're gonna learn about dragons, and in a few sevendays, we're going to have dragons! Everyone ready?" He laughed as he grabbed a chair, spinning it around and having a seat in it backwards, arms hanging over the back.

Completely oblivious to the fact that he had simply taken over Muya's lesson (despite the fact it had been she who posted in the first place), the boy gestured to the cluster of chairs, inviting people to take a seat.

"Don't be shy, don't be shy. No one's going to bite! Well, the dragonets might, but..."

"Larien," Caelen scolded, scowling at his younger brother.

"Well, okay, they won't. Unless you're after a wher. But that's a whole 'nother topic! Who wants to ask a question first?"

[. s p o r e ♪]

Calanon felt extremely lost in the Weyr, where everything was unfamiliar and he knew no one. He followed the Searchrider's directions, found himself a room in the candidates' barracks and took a long while settling in and finding places for his things. It wasn't that he had a great deal of possessions to relocate, but once he finally finished putting them away the newly-searched candidate knew that he would have to find something else to do. So he took as long as possible, giving himself time to think and let his new position sink in.

Eventually everything had been organized and re-organized beyond any semblance of usefulness, and Codassiel admitted that there was nothing left to do in his new quarters. He padded into the narrow hallway and looked around, wondering where all the other candidates were, and feeling nervously like he should probably be with them. After a moment he spotted a wooden board with several scraps of paper posted on it. He wandered over and read the message on the largest one--it was an invitation to a voluntary lesson in the common room. Feeling like this was his best chance at finding other people, since it was currently less than a candlemark after midday, Codassiel continued down the dimly-lit corridor in search of the common room.

The murmur of voices lead him to the end of the hall, where it looked like a good portion of the barracks' inhabitants were gathered. Codassiel stepped inside, realized that he had just walked in at the end of someone's speech, and instantly felt mortified.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologised. "I didn't mean to interrupt. This is where the voluntary lesson is being held? I just arrived."

[lredd011]

Kolben was trying to come up with some witty remark in response to Caelen's apology about his hygeine when there were a string of new arrivals. There was another girl who introduced herself as Gwen, followed by an energetic boy who had yet to identify himself. Shortly after, they were joined by Larien, who was apparently the younger brother of Caelen, and whose voice certainly demanded all of their attentions.

Larien was certainly ready to jump into things, and Kolben was right there with him. Did he have questions? Did he ever! But what to ask first? Where to start? Kolben found his stream of thoughts were soon interrupted by yet another addition to the group. His voice was more timid when compared to some of the other personalities in the group, and he seemed to look a little out of place. Good., thought Kolben. Maybe I'm not the only newcomer here.

He offered a smile to the boy as he replied, "No worries. We were just getting started. You came at a perfect time. We were just trying to figure out our first topic of discussion..."

He paused for a moment, debating whether or not to put himself out there to this group of complete strangers. They would find out sooner or later his lack of knowledge about dragons and Impressing...so he might as well just admit it now. He turned now to face the whole group.

"Well, I for one need to start from the very beginning...I don't know really anything at all to be completely honest. I have visited Solace on a couple of occasions, but I can't say I know anything of real practical use about dragons. Has anyone here ever Stood at a Hatching before? Or been a spectator of one? What kinds of things should we expect? Is it something you can even prepare for?"

Well, there it was. He was out there all right. Surely he wasn't the only one that was completely out of his element. But surely this was an open-minded group of people to be meeting here voluntarily. He continued to smile, hoping they would receive his questions with grace.

[beastiepie]

Naria was not as prepared as she had hoped for the lessons. Much to her dismay, she had been ordered to help in the kitchens that day. While normally that meant wrinkly, scorched fingers, today had been different. Most of the powders and potions and lotions had been washed off, but not everything had compiled. A few set-in grease stains from some unknown liquid spotted her white tunic with brown bubbles. The flour had not quiet washed off her hands, leaving gooey clumps under her nails and around her cuticles. She plucked at this, flicking any globs she could pry away.

Naria had her usual stupid grin on her face as she slipped into the room. The plastered smile made the action seem odd to anyone who noticed, but it was a practiced one. She had stepped into the room, making sure to enter at the side of the door and not the center, then hung to the walls like a shadow until she reached the seats. She took care to quietly. very quietly, take a seat without moving it. She folded her hands in her lap and only then did she look around.

A nice bowl of red punch of some sort was next to a stack of meat rolls (and if they were both from the kitchen and fresh, there was a good chance she had had a hand in making them). The chairs had been massed into the center of the room in some sort of chaotic order she could not place, and quiet a few other people were already there. One woman she guessed to be the orchestrator of this event, the rest her fellow Candidates. She was one of only three girls, if you counted the event planner and if she did her math right. Most of them were clustered up around Muyu (she was pretty sure that had been the name on the flyer).

She did not recognize most of them, and guessed from one boys bags that he had only just arrived. Some others she felt she had seen before, though no name jumped to the front of her mind; a fact that irked her some- after all, she made it her business to know who people were. The closest seemed to be a boy who looked about her age. He was sitting across from her and straddling some poor chair. Her already strange grin broadened and she nodded slightly to him, then affixed her attention to the action going on around her.

She had a feeling that this would be very interesting.

[kolstoi]

While Muya hadn't really had the chance to say anything in response, Gwen found herself swept up into the sea of new potential social interaction. There were so many people here! None of their faces were familiar, but that was alright. A stranger was only a friend that hadn't been made yet, right? ...Right?

Emboldened by that platitude, Gwen's eyes swept the room, bouncing over the young man that had taken his chair and begun to speak, and the rebuke he received from his sibling. She was more intent on finding someone that wasn't already chatting away, so that they wouldn't feel like they had been left out. It took her a while to notice, but eventually movement on the outskirts of the room snagged her eyes, and Gwen turned around in order to watch Naria slink about and silently take a seat. How graceful, she thought, envious of the other girl's quiet grace. The chairs looked so clattery, Gwen didn't think she'd be able to take a seat without it squeaking or striking the floor.

Gwen made her way over to the other girl, lips pulling up into a bright grin. Naria seemed so quiet, and even a little stiff, like perhaps she was uncomfortable with a crowd of strange people. Gwen could change that! Maybe! She wiggled her fingers in a wave, settling herself into the chair beside the other young woman. Surely enough, the force of her rump hitting the chair caused it to skitter backwards, and Gwen had to rock forward, hands grabbing the sides of the seat to ensure that she stayed in it. So much for positive first impressions.

"Well! Guess I sat a little hard," she laughed, tucking a few stray locks of hair behind her ears. "I'm Gwen. You looked so quiet, I just had to come over and say hello!"

---

Rujin settled himself into a chair near the front of the mass of people, lowering his elbows to his knees. Everyone seemed nice enough so far, with nobody being an outright downer. The two girls off to the side kind of looked like wet blankets, though, and he made a private memo to himself to search for the more spirited females, if any made an appearance.

One of the other young men was addressing them now, sitting backwards in his chair with all the ease and social graces of a lord. Rujin smirked a little, turning his head to the side to listen as another candidate spoke up about his relative lack of dragon experience. That seemed par for the course here. Leaning forward, he tilted his chin upward and began speaking.

"Yeah, I haven't got much to offer, either. Spent all my time on a boat. No dragons in the sea, yanno." He paused, thinking back to when his father had told him stories about a hatching he'd attended once. Apparently, it had been bloody. "I hear tales though that the newborns will rip into you if you don't move fast enough."

[danaphantom]

Making wide gestures with his arms, Larien tried to tacitly prompt the rest of the gathered candidates to take a seat. This was an informal meeting! No need to stand and be all stiff and serious. He listened intently to the questions as he beckoned, brows furrowing slightly as he pondered what had been presented to him. A frown appeared on his face at Rujin's question.

"Well, no, I was just kidding, I mean..." He trailed off with a grimace, afraid his joke from earlier had been taken a little bit closer to heart than it was supposed to be. Luckily, he was saved by his brother.

"Hatchlings are rather single-minded," Caelen said from his post at the door, still unwilling to take a seat and soil the chairs or floor more than he had to. "They have two things on their minds, finding Theirs and getting food. If you get in the way of either of these... they just don't really realize it."

"It doesn't help they don't know how to use their feet." Larien chuckled at a memory of a dragonet that had slithered more than walked over to his rider, the little blue having trouble figuring out how his various limbs worked. "If they don't realize their claws are sharp, and they step on your foot..." He trailed off, letting people come to their own conclusions about that.

Larien turned his attention to Kolben, then, not having meant to skip over his questions. Just, the last thing he wanted was an entire class of candidates fearing for their lives. "I've been to several hatchings, so has Caelen, and there's plenty of other Weyrbred candidates about."

Caelen nodded his agreement. "There's... not much to prepare for. You just have to be there. S'rus will do as much as he can, but, it's just something you have to experience."

"It will be hot. You can expect that." Larien smirked, amused.

[lredd011]

At Larien's beckoning, Kolben realized he had yet to take a chair and was still standing with his things in one hand, fresh from the Searchdragon. He took a seat and placed his things, which included an old, but functioning gitar, under his chair.

He was taking in everything that was said. He didn't have much tangible experience with dragons, so it was hard for him to say how close to the truth any of it really was. He was thankful when Caelen spoke up, putting everything into perspective. That made sense. He had doubted that dragons would purposefully harm anyone...It sounded like he just needed to be aware of what was going on during the Hatching, and those...incidents could be easily avoided.

So it seemed like Caelen and Larien were quite the experienced Candidates. He wondered how many times they had stood, but he felt it would be rude to ask. He didn't know them well enough to know how they felt about not having Impressed yet. Surely it didn't feel good.

He wondered though if that was really all there was to it. You just had to show up and if it was meant to be, it would be? There was no skill, no strategy in it at all? It was just pure luck?

Kolben waited for a moment to see if anyone else had any questions, but these questions were burning inside him and he just had to know. He chimed in again. "So...but what does a Hatching look like, really? Is it really all up to fate? The dragons already know who they are going to Impress to? And if so, why do they call it Impressing? I mean, doesn't that assume there is a little something more going on for them to BE Impressed?"


The questions spilled out, one after another, but he couldn't stop them. He knew he probably sounded very ignorant. But he wanted to gather as much information as he could so he would have a better idea of what he getting into. Even if there wasn't much to go on...something was better than nothing, right?