First Gather: Food Stalls and Dining Square

[M'kel]

A mixture of rich aromas wafts throughout the Gather, carried by a pleasantly cool breeze to tease the appetites of all Gather-goers. The Food Stalls have lived up to their tradition of delighting the palate, with a wide assortment of delicacies as well as traditional Gather treats. The bakers and cooks are eagerly supplying food to hungry mouths, in exchange for a Mark or two, of course. Adjacent to the Dancing Square, a cleared area is filled with tables for the sit-down, evening meal. Otherwise, snacks can be eaten while browsing the other stalls.

Purchases will require the use of Marks earned through Member activity. Please see the thread titled 'Price Listing of Gather Items' to determine item costs.

[B'kay]

The music drifting over from the dancing square had the lovely brown flitter on Caltrain's arm bobbing and weaving in time. The Beastmaster seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face since bonding with Rapture, and was tempted to move closer to the musicians.

But first stop at any Gather, for the little man with the giant appetite, was always the food court.

The marks jingled in the bag on his belt as he surveyed the wares. Roasted meats were laid out in thick, juicy slices on a warming stone, and a quarter of a herdbeast was still sizzling where it turned on a spit nearby. As Caltrain headed toward the succulent smells, Rapture turned his attentions to the food as well, and began to sing loudly with hunger.

"A whole mark for a single plate of meat?" Caltrain complained as he flashed a grin at the vendor who was slicing and serving.

"Finest beasts on Pern," the man said, thrusting his hands, the right still containing a sharp blade, to his hips. "Worth far more than a mark, my friend, and .... " At that moment, the man caught sight of Rapture.

"Well," he said, his scowl turning into a smile, "What a lovely lovely little one," he reached toward the flitter, who stretched his head toward the man, and trilled a contented purr. "May I?"

Caltrain's grin softened, "Certainly, he loves his head rubbed."

"Just a baby, are you, littling? Just a wee little ookums. What him's name?" The sight of the rotund, blood spattered meat monger cooing to the flitter caused Caltrain to almost break out in a giggle.

"I call him Rapture, and yes, he's a very new hatchling," the Beastmaster said, suddenly realizing that there may be a real use for the aura of peace and contentment his firelizard always seemed to exude.

"Rapture, what a pretty name for a pretty boy. I bet you's hungry, aren't you, little darling?"

Rapture, right on cue, opened his maw and fluttered his wings like a nestling begging for food.

"Well, then," the man stood straight, a broad grin oh his face, "For you, good master, TWO fat slices for a mark! Mustn't let the little one go hungry, now!"

Caltrain thanked the man kindly, and handed over the shiny coin, as the man placed a plate containing not only two slices, but two larger slices than on any other plate nearby, into his hands.

As he walked away, the vendor called out, "Thank you kindly, sir, and feel free to bring Rapture back to me any time he gets hungry today!"

Caltrain waved his thanks, and fell to the task of popping juicy bits of meat into the gaping mouth of the flitter who was trying his very best to climb into the plate.

[sapphire]

Loana and F'lan arrived at the gather.

"There you go Loana" F'lan said.

"thanks F'lan" Loana said to him, and started looking around.

**I'm hungry**Loana said, licking her lips. She told F'lan where she was going and headed to the food stalls. She aciddentaly bummed into the beastmaster and his flitter.

"Opps, I'm sorry" Loana exclaimed. She fingered her pipe necklace. "I...I...I"She stuttered. "I didn't see you there"She said.

**Great, me and my hunger don't mix**She thought, **I always get so into finding food**

"Um...Do you know where I could find the bubbly pies?"Loana said, noticing F'lan coming torwards them, looking concerned.

** I hope he's not mad when he finds out I bummped the beastmaster**Loana thought, **Though it won't be the first time I got introuble**

Loana smiled at the fun memories.

[Journye]

S'lem glanced around at all the things going on around him, his stomach growling at the smells floating about on the breeze. The gold fire lizard on his shoulder trilled softly, looking at all the people passing by, her tail curled possessively about her person's neck. S'lem smiled and reached up to gently scratch her eye ridges. "I'll get you a treat Majesty," he said softly as he headed toward the meat vendor's stall. He smiled to the man and asked for some roasted meat. Paying the man he moved on, pausing to purchase a block of cheese before moving on to one of the tables.

He sat down and Majesty hopped down to the table, loudly demanding the promised treat. S'lem chuckled and cut up several small pieces of meat for her, which she greedily gobbled up. S'lem laughed and ate a couple bites himself. He glanced around, watching the people passing by. He enjoyed Gathers and watching people. He knew his sister was around somewhere, probably flirting. He shook his head, dreading the day when his sister's green would be old enough to rise.

[Kitari]

Crowds parted for the striking beauty who passed with a haughty air through their midst. Men stumbled or suddenly lost their train of thought, leaving conversations silent or full of stutters. Women with pinch-nosed faces glared fiercely, furious that they were being so outshone. Even children paused in their games to stare in wonder at the flaming red hair that flowed behind the graceful woman.

At least, that's how the Gather appeared to Brinne. She was back in her element, amongst simple-minded men who would grovel at her feet for a smile or a wink. She had found dragonmen to be depressingly difficult, thus far. Not one man was trailing her yet at the Weyr, although she was able to draw an appreciative glance from time to time. The candidate had begun to question her abilities. Either she had not yet found a man worthy of her attentions, or she was losing her touch. She preferred to believe in the former.

In actuality, Brinne was making her way through the crowd with about as much difficulty as every other member of the throng, although she did receive a greater allowance of space and courtesy than some, and there was an appreciative eye or ten. She did, after all, easily stand out. Her rich, cherry red hair, which was brushed with shades of orange, positively glowed in Rukbat's light. She had left it falling down her back to better display its health, though it was held back from her face by a graceful, silvery circlet.

The skirts of a sleek Gather dress twirled about her ankles as she walked, for Brinne had decided upon length for its graceful appearance in dancing rather than the alluring factor a shorter skirt would grant. Her dress was a deep forest green colour, matching the darker shades of her sea green eyes, and the bodice was embroidered with swirls and intricate patterns. It was one of the only pieces she had brought with her from home, and Brinne treasured it dearly.

At the moment, though, the girl was not seeking a dance partner to show off her swirling dress with. The Dancing Square would only contain children and layabouts at this hour. For the time, Brinne was driven only by her nose, as she flitted from stall to stall, eagerly eyeing the steaming treats in each. Finally, loaded down with a tray of ten bubbly pies, a biscuit, and a glass of cool fruit juice (all of which she was certain she had haggled down far lower than plain folk could have), she made her way in a manner that rather lacked grace to one of the tables. She seated herself neatly and nibbled away at a bubbly pie, eyeing the lads around her in hopes of enticing them with the food, if not her stunning good looks.

[B'kay]

Jul 15, 2008 19:28:26 GMT -5 @sapphire said:

**I'm hungry**Loana said, licking her lips. She told F'lan where she was going and headed to the food stalls. She aciddentaly bummed into the beastmaster and his flitter.

"Opps, I'm sorry" Loana exclaimed. She fingered her pipe necklace. "I...I...I"She stuttered. "I didn't see you there"She said.

**Great, me and my hunger don't mix**She thought, **I always get so into finding food**

"Um...Do you know where I could find the bubbly pies?

Caltrain was popping a bite of meat into Rapture's mouth when he felt a bump, and the meat went flying. The little brown chirred with disappointment, and the beastmaster quickly ripped off another chunk to replace the lost bite, before turning with a smile as he heard the girl's apology.

"No problem, no problem," Since bonding with Rapture, Caltrain was noticing that very little bothered him. "Bubbly pies? I just passed a stall of them, right back there on the left," he said, and pointed in the direction. "I'm Caltrain, by the way, and you are... ?" He began t hold out a hand in greeting, noticed the meat juices on it, and quickly wiped it on his trouser leg before offering it again to the girl. "I've seen you around the Weyr recently, but I don't think we've actually met."

[Journye]

H'ter glanced around the food stalls, his mouth fairly watering at the scents coming from each of the stalls. His blue flit, Cobalt was perched on his shoulder, leaning out to sniff as well. H'ter chuckled and shook his head, reaching up to scratch the flit's side. Cobalt nuzzled against his person and chirped contentedly. He didn't know where his green Ivy was, probably off sunning her self or causing mischief.

H'ter paused at the juice stall and purchased a glass of the cool juice that was being sold there. He took a sip and wandered through the stalls, his stomach growling as he progressed. He stopped at the stall with the pastry and debated with himself over buying one of their cakes. Perhaps her could find someone to share it with. He smiled and haggled with the vendor over the price and walked away with a lovely little cake.

He headed toward the tables and spotted Brinne. Her hesitated and felt his cheeks color slightly. He took a deep breath and headed toward the table she was sitting at, glass in one had and pastry in the other. "Hello, Brinne," he said cheerfully, stopping by her table. "Do you mind if I join you?" he asked, his cheeks coloring even more as he looked the lovely girl over.

[Shikai]

Unlike several of the more serious weyrlings and riders, who had gone to the gather solely to purchase riding equipment, Farallen had gone purely to enjoy himself. Also unlike the weyrlings, his marks weren’t pinched by the need to buy expensive leathers, and it showed in the food tray he carried with him. Why bother conserving his marks? It wasn’t as though he had any use for them normally. Farallen just wasn’t the kind of person who felt the need to have things, or nice things in particular. No, he was quite content to make the most of the opportunity, and splurge on food he couldn’t enjoy every day.

Thankfully, his shoulder was missing its usual occupant – his green firelizard, Valkyrie. Farallen had had the foresight to persuade her to stay at the weyr for the day, knowing it would be inviting disaster to bring his flit to a Gather, with so many other people and firelizards about. Plus, he hadn’t forgotten the incident that had occurred when he was with Brinne and H’ter a while ago, and it would be a shame to ruin his only set of Gather clothes! He certainly wasn’t the most extravagantly dressed at the Gather, but his clothes were nice nonetheless. Farallen was adorned in rich shades of brown and amber, with simple patterns embroidered on the hems.

At the moment, he was simply trying to carry his laden tray without upsetting his drink or causing any of the various biscuits or pies to go careening off and dropping to the ground. His eyes scanned the tables as he searched for a place to enjoy his lunch, and lit up as they spotted a familiar face. Brinne! What luck! Eagerly, he hastened toward her, but he nearly bumped into another lad who suddenly appeared in his way as he drew near to the table.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” He apologized, moving around the lad and gratefully depositing his heavy tray on the table. “Hello Brinne! Nice to see you here!” He greeted, a wide smile on his face. However, Farallen realized that the other boy was still there. “H’ter?” He said, surprised, realizing who it was. “Oh! It’s nice to see you again too.”

[Felina]

"Are you hungry?" Felina asked of the little bronze clinging to the front of her tunic, sending an image of raw meat to reinforce the message. She had smelled the food almost immediately upon being set down by Breunth, and she was sure that Sunny did as well, for he seemed to be able to sense food anywhere, regardless of any hunger. Sure enough, a couple of seconds later, he gave the flick of his tail and three notes that signaled "food" and "yes" respectively.

He really was easily trained, though the going had been rough at first, and he could still signal only "food", "yes", "no", "danger", and "Bree is bothering me again". The brown had, for whatever reason, been absolutely besotted with Sunny, and kept on attempting to figure out when he would grow bigger. Unfortunately, since he wasn't growing to Breunth's satisfaction, that involved a lot of prodding while the fire lizard was attempting to sleep, Felina's attempts to explain the differences between fire lizards and dragons going largely ignored.

It did smell good, though, and the aroma of roasting meat wafting through the air made Felina's mouth water almost as much as Sunny's would if fire lizards produced a lot of saliva. She hadn't eaten in... however long it had been since she last went down for a meal, probably the day before at supper. It was little comfort that she had managed to get Sunny happily fed when her own stomach was twisting uncomfortably. Eating more often would likely be a good idea, but she was still wary of the stares of other people. Perhaps wearing a short-sleeved dress, baring her hideously scarred arms, had been a bad idea, but she did like the cut of it and it was one of the few things she owned that didn't make her look a gawky stick. The other things being a heavy overcoat and a nice tunic. Apparently, it wasn't feminine enough to wear a tunic and trousers to a gather. How she wished she had been born a boy!

Of course, then she would have to deal with all those other emotional messes that boys surely had to deal with. And she rather liked how she looked for the Gather, with nice clothes for a change and her hair even done up with a ribbon of all things. For a change, she actually felt like a girl rather than just one other brownrider in the weyr, though she wasn't exactly certain if she liked that part of it. Being a girl meant being pretty and attractive to males, and she definitely didn't want any of that, whoever she happened to be attractive to, male or female. It was just more emotional muddling to deal with, and far more trouble than it was worth.

There was too much time to think, waiting in lines, Felina mused as the man at the man at the meat stall asked her what she wanted for what was likely the seventeenth time, judging by the angry glimmer in his eyes and the prickles in the back of her neck that let her know people behind her were staring, probably wondering at the holdup. Flushing slightly, she muttered a quick "Sorry, I was distracted," before looking quickly at the arrayed food. "I'll take a loaf of bread, some roasted meat, and some cheese," she said as she counted out the requisite marks. 2 1/2 Marks for a meal for herself and a fire lizard seemed a bit over the top, but she was too hungry to care to haggle at the time.

She sat down at an empty table, Sunny leaping to stand upon it demandingly as soon as she did so. "I know, I know; you're hungry." Again, he made the signals for "yes" and "food". "All right. Half for me, half for you. The bread's mine, though. Fair?" Again, the signal "yes" as he practically dove into the proffered meat in her hand, the other hand already busy cutting another. They had feeding time down to a refined art, this ill-matched pair.

[sapphire]

"Thank you sir" Loana said. She looked around her shoulder and saw F'lan coming closer to her. She didn't know if he saw her necklace, and hoped he didn't ever see it. He might look at her funny, which made loana feel uncomfortable. She thought his flitter was cute too. The man said his name was Caltrain. He offered her his hand.

"I've seen you around the Weyr recently, but I don't think we've actually met."

"I'm Loana", shaking the offered hand.

She felt F'lan's hand on her shoulder. She put her head down suddently.

"Good day, Beastmaster Caltrain"F'lan said seriously, "I'm sorry if Loana bothered you, it won't happen agian"