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Post by .K.aci on Jul 21, 2008 11:41:15 GMT -5
I can't believe that I actually asked him. The thought flickered threw her mind as she waited restlessly outside in the bowl, ducking often from the Headwoman's glare. The woman had told her that she could go and visit her brother's if she got a Rider to go with her -- the woman hadn't thought she'd do it, especially the Weyrleader. But Crown had to go see her brother's. If she didn't, they would hunt her down and probably kill her and then bring her back to life for not seeing them. All she had to do, she figured, was go, say hi, tell them that she was fine in the Weyr, and then leave. They'd go back somewhere else, and everything would be fine. She loved her brother's, but she needed to breathe sometimes, and they were sooo... Overprotective.
Shaking her head, she watched the Weyrleader stride out, snickering behind her hand at him. He was looking all decked out, and he thought he was something. She knew he really wasn't. But, she would be good, because she got him to take her. So settled on the huge Bronze and gleeful as they took off, she could barely sit still, so amused by flying and going Between.
They were there too quickly, but Crown looked eagerly out around the stalls before slipping off, barely grabbing the offered arm.
'My, what a lovely day it is. Now that we've arrived at this charming Gather, I have a few rules, in exchange for carrying you here today.'
She was just as eager as he was, nodding and making faces at him to hurry up. She wasn't stupid.
'You are not to leave the Gather grounds. You will report to me if you have any difficulty with anyone. You will not speak of private Weyr matters, and you will not cause problems. We'll be here until I'm ready to leave, and I expect you to be waiting by Tirenth, for he'll send out a call to you.'
"Yup, yeah, yes, I understand, thank you, anything else, let's go!"
'Now! Enjoy yourself out there! Here, this, is for your dinner. Don't break the hearts of any young lads, now! Time to find some amusement of my own.'
She looked at him, dry amusement all over her face.
"Boy's are icky. Thank you!"
Crown felt entitled to explain this to him, felt as though he needed to understand that to Crown, boys were basically things that meant "underlings." Shaking her head, Crown was off, tucking the mark in a small pouch along with two other's, her meager savings. Then she was off, slipping gracefully threw the crowd's to run into boys from her old Hold, quickly gathering them and gleefully wrecking a small path of havoc in their wake. She would go bother her brother's later...
Even as the boys were off buying things, many of them taller than her, she maintained a ring around her, shifting and melting to different people as she kept court. It was at this point that Euphoria and Glomp decided to make their presence known, Glomp bursting out of mid-air and happily diving into her arms, cuddling with His in his sweet way, nipping her chin as he always did in greeting. The Bronze did not stay there long however, rising out her hands to flutter about her hair, eyeing around. He saw a pretty Green over there...
Euphora ignored Her's other flit, settling on her shoulder daintily, the forest green cheeping greetings to the wide-eyed envious boys. Glomp however, decided that he was going to run straight into the back of...
"Sorry!"
As her crowd dispersed with a wave of her hand, Crown sprinted over to him and gathered Glomp in her hands.
"I'm sorry he ran into you... Are you alright?"
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Post by Shikai on Jul 21, 2008 18:38:46 GMT -5
With a soft thump, Gawyth’s four feet made contact with the grass of the bluff he had landed upon, and the dragon craned his head back to look at his rider. H’run had already began unfastening the riding straps that secured him to his bronze dragon’s neck. So, I will pick you up here when you are ready to leave the Gather, mine?[/color] The dragon asked. H’run nodded. They had, of course, gone over the procedure ahead of time, but it was good to confirm that they both knew what they were doing, especially given the crowd clearly visible down at the Gather. Yes, I’ll let you know a bit ahead of time when we’ll be leaving. The young rider replied, jumping down from Gawyth to land on the grass beside his dragon. And it seemed like it was a greater distance from the ground every time! Gawyth was growing fast.
H’run patted Gawyth’s foreleg affectionately before moving toward the Gather. H’run![/color] The dragon called, spreading his wings to take off again and clear the landing space for another. The weyrling turned, eyebrows raised slightly as he waited for his dragon to finish. Try to enjoy yourself, will you?[/color] The bronze chided, but in a more friendly way than anything, and took to the air again.
H’run kept the initial surprise off his face, but allowed a rare smile to cross it as he watched his dragon fly away. Have fun, eh? Gathers had always been a time of business for him, rather than amusement. After all, he had been a trader in his youth, and Gathers proved to be excellent opportunities to sell their wares. Now he was a dragonrider, but his main purpose in coming remained business, although this time he was buying rather than selling. Threadfall was fast approaching, and he had heard that there would be plenty of useful leathers to protect dragons and riders available. And with his experience, he was determined to get the best leathers he could with his rather meager marks. There should, by his estimation, be enough for what he needed, if he bargained well enough, but it would still be a challenge, that was certain! He made his way down to the craft stalls, meandering along though the crowd as he looked for what he needed.
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Post by Kain on Jul 21, 2008 19:08:40 GMT -5
S'pren was thouroughly enjoying himself. At the moment, he was particularly enoying the skin of wine that he had... ah, borrowed from one of the stalls. He only had the two marks that had been his meager supply, and he wasn't about to go scrounge up three more marks just to have a drink. He still had his two marks, and he was considering buying some gear for the thread that was supposedly upcomming, but for the moment he was just wandering. A few of the stalls had some very shiney trinkets, though most were very out of his price range, especially if he wanted gear too.
Just as he was begining to tire of wandering aimlessly, he caught sight of a familiar face. Wasn't that one of the weyrlings? Now was a good time as any to meet the boy. S'pren waved and made his way through the press of people to say hello.
"You're... H'run, right? The weyrling, yeah?" S'pren said as he frantically tried to remember what dragon the youngster had impressed. It wasn't very polite to forget someone's dragon, but there had been a lot of candidates at the last hatching. And there was going to be another one soon! Vaguely he wondered how he would keep them all the weylings straight. Well, no matter. The brownrider banished the thought from his mind and grinned. Gathers were a place to have fun, not fret over a bunch of kids and thier dragons. "Thristy?" He asked, profiting his not-quite-owned wineskin.
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Post by Shikai on Jul 22, 2008 3:22:17 GMT -5
Alana meandered past craft stall after craft stall, her eyes lingering upon the wares of each before she tore them away to take in what was offered by the next stall. It was her first time at a Gather, after all, as she had grown up at a relatively isolated cothold, and a Gather in full swing was a lot to take in even for those who were accustomed to them. Find anything interesting, Alana-mine?[/color] A sleepy voice flowed into her mind, and Alana’s face flickered with surprise at the mental touch, for she was certain Gwynevith had dozed off in her distant perch in the sun. Interesting? Hm, I guess you could say that. Nothing particularly useful, though. Lots of trinkets and baubles and such. I’ll save my marks for things we need. She replied somewhat blandly, with a touch of derision as she passed a jeweler’s stand, where several well-dressed ladies stood about gawking at some item or other.
As though emphasizing this point, her hand strayed to the pouch of coins at her side, and she patted it gently to reassure herself that all were accounted for and in place. None had attempted to steal them literally (after all, who would dare to take the marks of one of Araelen’s Junior Weyrwoman) but she couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed by how many vendors seemed to be clamoring for them, trying to entice her with claims of their merchandise’s value, how it was the ‘perfect thing for a pretty girl like her’, or whatever they could think of that could aid them in their cause of bringing her marks into their hands. How unscrupulous some of them seemed! It was the comments about her ‘beauty’ that had most convinced her that they must be dishonest, clearly only doing whatever it took to get her to purchase their wares. Well, Alana was certainly not one to be frivolous where marks were concerned, and was determined to keep a careful watch on her pouch. And while she had yet to attend a Gather prior to the one she found herself at in the present, she had been sent to buy something or other from passing traders, and had quickly learned to get the best bargains she could for only things that were needed, ignoring seemingly helpful offers from traders meant only to delude her. The punishment for wasting her father’s hard earned marks had been severe.
It wouldn’t kill you to buy something nice for yourself, you know. No need to go overboard, of course, but something little wouldn’t hurt.[/color] The dragon replied, her tone equally blasé. Alana considered this, eyeing the goods of a nearby table skeptically as she passed. Hm. Maybe if I see something I like. But only after I buy the important things. Gwynevith yawned, lowering her head as she began to return to sleep. That’s a good idea…[/color] She stated, and fell silent as she resumed her rest.
As unused to any sort of positive comments about her appearance as Alana was, the remarks from the craftsmen weren’t as contrary as she believed. Weyrlife, followed by her impression to Gwynevith, had done wonders for the Jr. Weyrwoman’s appearance. Her hair, surely too long for a rider, as she had yet to get it cut, fell in soft waves past her face and over her shoulders, in a shade so caught in between brown and blond that it was difficult to discern what to label it. Her clothes were relatively modest for a Gather outfit, although, due to Sitareh’s wishes that Alana well represent the weyr, the clothes managed to be pretty without being so extravagant that Alana felt ridiculous (which honestly, didn’t take much, as the girl felt that wearing beautiful clothes only pointed out the disparity between themselves and her own appearance). Her top was a light, creamy tan color, which she felt quite comfortable in, but adorning her lower half was a skirt of a rich yellow-golden color, which flowed pleasantly about her legs as she walked.
Sighting only more jewelry and unneeded items around them, Alana turned to Kitari, who she had come to the Gather with for the purpose of buying necessary threadfall equipment. “Don’t see too many leathers around here, hm?” She remarked, with a wry smile. “Maybe they’re further ahead.”
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Post by Shikai on Jul 22, 2008 13:11:58 GMT -5
H’run eyed the goods at the craft stalls with a touch of boredom coloring his usually blank expression. He had paused to look at a few things of some interest, but had yet to find any of the protective gear he sought. Perhaps he was in the wrong section, he thought idly to himself.
He caught sight of a young man in the crowd waving at him, but assumed the lad was waving at someone else. Someone standing behind him, probably. After all, the person looked a bit familiar, so he was probably from the weyr, but what would he want to talk to him for?
But H’run was his target, for the young man approached him. H’run’s brow furrowed just slightly in confusion. Was he being mistaken for someone? No, he knew his name, and his status as a weyrling. H’run took another look at the newcomer’s face, trying to put a name to it. He didn’t want to be rude, after…who was he? had remembered his name, after all. Ah! H’run recognized him now, he was one of the riders who had come forward in time. One of the younger ones. “S’pren!” He said aloud as the name came to his mind, relieved. “Rider of Giyriath, right?” The weyrling added, hoping his slight hesitation between ‘of’ and the dragon’s name was not noticed. “Yes, I’m H’run, rider of Gawyth.” He supplied his dragon’s name, to save the rider any embarrassment if he didn’t recall it himself.
What business did the rider have with him, though? H’run eyed the wine flask in the rider’s hands, wondering if he had perhaps had too much to drink. However, perhaps his lingering gaze had been taken as a sign that he wanted some of the liquid, for S’pren proceeded to offer him some! H’run was conflicted for a moment. On one hand, he didn’t want to take any of something the rider had spent his marks on (or so he thought!), but he was getting thirsty, and the offer seemed genuine. Well, why not.
“If you don’t mind.” He replied, accepting the wineskin and taking a long drink. “That’s pretty good! Where’d you get it?” H’run exclaimed, unaware that his innocent query might not be one S’pren wanted to answer.
((Sorry about H'run. xD -pokes- He just needs to loosen up. xDD))
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Post by Kitari on Jul 23, 2008 13:47:47 GMT -5
"Hm?" Kitari responded absently to Alana's query. Her blue eyes were roving the stalls on either side eagerly. She was drinking in every aspect of this Gather, for she was enjoying it greatly. The Minor Hold she had lived in never held Gathers, and she had only visited a Major Hold for a Gather once before being Searched. Unlike those who lived more seclusive lives, Kitari was absolutely accustomed to crowded conditions; the sleeping quarters in the bottoms of shipping vessels were hardly luxury apartments. Thus, she moved easily through the crowd, drawing the other goldrider along with her.
Coming from meager beginnings, Kitari's Marks pouch was miserably lighter than she could have hoped, and her Gather outfit reflected this. The only reason she had a simple dress at all was because her Mother had tried to force 'being womanly' on her and had demanded that her Father buy one. It had spent most of its existence in the Weyrling's trunk, for she hadn't had much occasion to wear it until now. Dresses simply weren't practical for the life of a dragonrider! She did like the colour, though, which was why she had kept it at all. It was a lovely turquoise blue that reminded her of the waters of a shallow bay, whose blue was coloured by the yellow sand below.
Her mop of black curls hung about her head as it always did, for her hair wasn't long enough to do much with except tie back, and she preferred to let the curls dance and bob with her movement. Kitari wasn't dressed for finding a handsome dancing partner, as most other women seemed to be. The first priority for the Gather was business, but she was looking forward to enjoying herself after certain items were procured.
As Kitari glanced from stall to stall, she caught a flash of green darting by and grinned to herself. One of the candidate weyrbrats had been blacklisted for stealing a redberry pie, so she had offered to carry the girl to the Gather. She wasn't even bothering to monitor the child, beyond asking Falcon to check on her from time to time. The goldrider found the whole matter of 'blacklisting' to be perfectly ridiculous. She cared little if Sitareh found out about it, and she had also succeeded in ignoring Alana's disapproving looks. Honestly, as if taking a redberry pie from the kitchen was a crime! The Weyrling doubted that this was the true reason for blacklisting; Sitareh was probably just livid that someone had dared to eat the delicacy she had become obsessed with since Penna's arrival.
"Ah, there!" she cried suddenly, pointing ahead to a booth that was distinctly full of items from the Tannercraft. Kitari quickened her pace, pulling on Alana's arm in case the other goldrider had failed to notice. The Weyrling grinned at the sight of dragonriders swarming the Stall and waited patiently in line. "I can't afford much more than a helmet and some leathers," she murmured to Alana, eyeing the finely made wares. "That's one point I almost agree with Sitareh on...dragonriders should be granted whatever protective materials they need..."
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Post by Skye on Jul 23, 2008 17:43:10 GMT -5
A'idin was looking over some of the wherhide riding jackets for sale, needing a new one to replace the one that Dainor had decided to shred, pesky feline. He was about to turn away when he felt something run into his back. The bump wasn't heavy, but it startled him and he stumbled forward slightly.
He spun around to see who the offending party was, right hand automatically going to his knife and his left going to his pouch to make sure all of his marks were in place. He looked wide eyed at the bronze fire lizard and his person, Crown. He lowered his hand and smiled, chuckling.
"No harm done Crown," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He spotted the group that had been gathered around the girl and grinned, turning his attention back to Crown. "I'm glad to see that you were able to come to the Gather," he said, holding his hand out to her in a friendly gesture. He looked her over with his good eye, his sandy blond hair was getting a bit shaggy, falling in his face, but he was clean shaven today.
He was wearing a pair of earth brown pants and a dark gray top, proudly displaying his riding knots.He continued to smile, being in good spirits today, it was a Gather after all and was pretty sure he'd be able to find someone to spend some time with. Perhaps even Crown would be willing to give him some company for a while.
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Post by C'lyn on Jul 23, 2008 18:03:19 GMT -5
Seath landed carefully in the space allowed for landing and his rider slid to the ground, leaving his riding helmet with the bronze. L'kas shook his head, running his fingers through his blond hair, curls as unruly as even, but added to his looks. He smiled and made his way toward the stalls as Seath took off to find a sunny spot to sleep, his rider having woken him earlier then he liked.
L'kas whistled to himself as he made his way through the crowd. He was in his element, loving to be in a crowd and make new friends. He smiled and winked to a few of the girls that glanced his way. He wasn't the tallest of riders, only standing 5'7", but he was well toned and had been told many times that he was handsome. His hazel eyes were a rich greenish blue today, conveying his excitement of the Gather.
He wasn't looking for anything particular today, just wanting to enjoy the atmosphere of the Gather. He spotted a few of the Weyrlings mingling in the crowd and smiled, glad to see that they were getting to enjoy the day as well.
As he was passing the stalls with leather gear he spotted the two weyrlings bonded to the Queens. He smiled and maneuvered closer to them. He wanted to make friends with as many weyrlings as possible, especially the queen riders. Not just because one day his Seath would chase then, but because he respected them for being bonded to golds and for having to deal with Sitareh.
"Good day m'ladies," he said with a deep bow, smiling brightly. He looked them each over. They were both lovely girls, but he allowed his eyes to linger on Alana a tad bit longer then on Kitari.
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Post by B'kay on Jul 23, 2008 20:15:28 GMT -5
Well, you told me to remind you, the deep bronze dragon said grumpily into his rider's mind. B'kay had been most miserable since being ousted from their weyr, and even his dragon was growing impatient with him. Of course, the fact that poor Syth was stuffed onto a far-too-small rough-honed couch that was drafty and damp from the wind that blew in across the lake might have added to that impatience.
I really do NOT feel like mingling, B'kay snapped back as he made his way gingerly down from the sunning heights toward the craft stalls, as he rued having to broach the crowds to hunt down a new pair of boots. His gait was ever so slightly unsteady, and he was moving more slowly than he might normally have. A limp wineskin swayed around his neck. The old boots are perfectly fine, he tossed back to the dragon. The sole of the right flapped as he walked, and he pretended not to note that it was coming free of the uppers.
Syth responded with no more than a mental shove in the direction of a number of riders. B'kay raised his head, focused his vision with a small bit of effort, and determined that the little group was indeed gathered around some leathercraft stalls.
He stopped beside an arrow-shaped sign which said something about dancing beginning at the eighth hour, and lifted the skin to his lips.
Shards, empty. He let it fall, making a mental note to find himself a refill once he'd located the boot-crafter, and continued into the crowds. The wine that clouded his mind left him feeling maudlin, and he found himself regretting the fact that amongst the growing numbers of people present on this day, despite the fact that many were familiar in face and name, he really couldn't call any of them 'friend'.
You're sounding pretty pathetic right now, Syth said, interrupting this round of self pity.
With good reason! the slightly-tipsy bronzerider snapped back.
As he drew closer, he could see several of the faces eyeing the leathers. Though the features were familiar, sadly, B'kay felt that he hardly knew them. Any of them, that is, except for the girl with the dark ringlets. Kitari. Kitari, who, with her golden Lefayeth, had saved his life. Kitari, to whom he'd opened his thoughts that day. Kitari, his friend ... or was she? Well, thanks to the spirits tickling his brain, he felt at least brave enough to find out. Perhaps this Gather would be almost bearable after all.
"Ho, there," he said as he approached. He straightened himself, set his shoulders back, and put great effort into appearing more sober than he was feeling. He spotted a sturdy pair of hide boots and made for them, as if they were his true goal. Lifting them, he turned the boots over in his hand and said, "Not bad craftsmanship, eh?"
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Post by Shikai on Jul 24, 2008 2:27:11 GMT -5
Alana looked up at Kitari’s exclamation, following the direction of the other girl’s gesture. Her eyes lit up as, finally, they took in the sight of the tannercraft booth, which they had been searching for the whole time. She nodded in agreement at Kitari’s comment. “So we should. We’re risking our lives enough for their sake, the least they can do is give us what leathers they can to reduce our chances of being eaten alive up there.” She grumbled to her friend, folding her arms over her chest as she waited for the crowd to clear enough for her to examine the products.
They appeared to be well made, which was a relief. They certainly couldn’t do to buy shoddily crafted leathers for threadfall. The line moved forward, and Alana had had the opportunity to enter and examine the protective leathers up close. She ran her hands lightly over a jacket, her expression turning to approval as she admired it. She looked questioningly to one of the journeymen manning the booth, and, sensing her unspoken question, he approached instantly. “Ah, have your eyes on that fine jacket there? Good choice! It should provide excellent protection in threadfall. Master-made! Only the finest wherhide, of course.” He exclaimed. “Of course. And how much?” Alana replied impatiently, making it clear she wasn’t swayed by his words. She knew she wasn’t likely to like his answer, as she suspected that the journeyman’s speech had been an attempt to justify the price he was about to give. She was correct. “Thirty-five marks.” He replied, turning his attitude immediately to one of business.
Alana’s eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Thirty-five marks? What kind of insult was that? Did the fool know that these items were the only thing separating a dragonrider from the most horrible death imaginable? They probably did, and that’s why the price was so high, she thought with disgust. Sharded tanners. How dare they take advantage of the dragonriders’ desperate need for their own profit? “I’m afraid that’s a bit out of my price range.” She replied coldly. “Well, I suppose we’d be willing to give it to you for thirty-two.” The journeyman replied, shifting his weight uncomfortably under the Junior Weyrwoman’s icy gaze. “Thirty.” She nearly growled, stormy undercurrents of anger nearly visible in her eyes. The journeyman hesitated, his mouth rounding to form the word ‘no’, but he took a second look at the young woman and changed his mind. “Alright, it’s yours for thirty.”
Alana begrudgingly handed over her marks, and the tanner prepared the jacket for her to take. The whole event had put the goldrider in a foul mood, so it was unfortunate that L’kas arrived at that time. She tried not to let her anger show too much, and attempted to smile in greeting to the bronzerider. “Ah, hello, L’kas. Here to purchase leathers, I take it?” She said, oblivious to his lingering gaze. “Hope you brought all your marks with you, if that’s the case…” She muttered under her breath, casting an annoyed glance at the journeyman who had assisted her.
Then another of the bronzeriders from the past arrived, which was not a surprising occurance, as most weyrlings and dragonriders would likely be stopping by the stand at some point. However, as had L’kas, B’kay approached her and Kitari. She shifted her attention to the Weyrlingmaster, and her mood lifted slightly. He and L’kas were both good looking, but there was something about B’kay… “The craftsmanship is excellent, yes…” She replied, somewhat absently. But how expensive!
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