Let the Celebrations Begin!

[Kitari]

It was the most glorious feeling in the world to carry everything she owned from the Candidates' Quarters to the Weyrlings' Quarters. Kitari wasn't even embarrassed by the foolish grin plastered on her face, and she doubted it would fade any time soon. Humming some nonsense tune while arranging her belongings on the shelf above her bunk, her eyes slipped continuously to the pale gold dragonet watching her every move. It was a constant struggle not to drop everything and rush over to hold Lefayeth and become lost in those whirling eyes, but Kitari was much too matter-of-fact. Certain things needed to be done now; she could lose herself in that myriad of love later.

"There, now we can have an evening all to ourselves," she murmured, settling down on the stone floor at last to bring Lefayeth into her arms. The movement of other Weyrlings around her went unnoticed, as others donned their best clothing and left for the celebration. That they were leaving their dragons at all so soon after Impressing shocked the girl, for Kitari had already determined never to leave Lefayeth ever.

You hunger. You should go eat, like the others. Her darling's voice brushed her thoughts, concern and selflessness evident in its colours.

"No, I am not leaving you, Lefayeth." Kitari was afraid that if she looked away for too long, or let go of that golden hide, her Lefayeth would crumble away. She was not ready to be woken from this dream.

Then I will come with you.

"Don't be silly," Kitari chided, a touch of worry coming into her voice. Although she refused to acknowledge it, her mind couldn't help whispering that Lefayeth was not as healthy as the other dragonets. A part of her wondered if her golden darling truly might crumble away. No, what Lefayeth needed most was rest. She must protect her health.

I am fine, and we are going. The colours of her voice had shifted. No longer airy and light, there was a firmness, nearly a bite, to Lefayeth's tone. And with that, the gold dragonet pulled from her rider's grasp and marched, although not very gracefully, out of the door.

“Wait!” Kitari cried, leaping to her feet. Although she hadn’t wanted to go, Lefayeth had made the decision for her. The golden dragonet paused at the door, glancing back. Heaving an elaborate sigh, Kitari quickly shed her still damp candidate’s garb in favour of an ocean blue dress. Anything to remind her of the sea.

With that, the girl resignedly strode out of the room, walking beside Lefayeth towards the Lower Caverns. The Weyrling was constantly aware of her darling’s struggle, walking as slowly as possible while attempting to remain inconspicuous in these efforts. Upon arrival, Kitari couldn’t help but succumb to the infectious air of celebration. The chatter of delighted voices, the music drifting through the air, and the smell of roasting meat and tubers was enough to erase any worries.

Kitari couldn’t help but smile, that ridiculous grin easily reclaiming its place, as she scooped up a platter and began to pile an assortment of tempting morsels onto it. “Let’s get out of the way,” she murmured to Lefayeth.

I am not going to break if someone bumps me, Lefayeth replied huffily. Still, they were both relieved to weave through the crowd to a relatively clear space on the wall. My rider and I will be standing here, she informed the bronze dragonet already in the space. It seemed she expected that was enough, as she settled down to watch Kitari eat.

The Weyrling leaned against the wall, eagerly stuffing roast tubers into her mouth. She had been unaware of how hungry she was until now. Needing something to wash it down, she grabbed a glass of wine off the nearest table. Sloshing this thirstily down her throat, Kitari glanced around and recoiled slightly upon sighting another Weyrling so close. “Oh, hello!” she gasped, nearly spilling wine all over her dress and Lefayeth. “Ah, you managed to Impress as well. Congratulations! This is Lefayeth.” Kitari beamed, gesturing proudly to her disdainful gold.

[M'kel]

The dark bronzerider did not immediately respond to M'kel's statements, so the Weyrleader's eyes drifted to the other's plate. There, he couldn't help but notice the particularly succulent tubers and roast...the way the steam curled up from their tender sides... His mouth began to water insistently, and M'kel barely heard B'kay's retort as he eyed the nearest tables for an unassaulted platter. Grinning apologetically, he darted off to hastily fill a plate before returning to lean against the hearth. Food always put him in a better mood for undesirable interactions.

With his mouth stuffed full of tubers, the bronzerider was finally able to absorb what B'kay had drawled. He had noticed all too easily that pause before his title had been included, and he stiffened in response. The emphasis on loyalty to the Weyr was yet another not-so-subtle jab, and M'kel had unfortunately had too much wine and was too young to ignore these attempts. The compliment to Tirenth assuaged these insults to some degree, and Tirenth himself rumbled proudly in his weyr.

"That is all well...but your Weyrleader," it was his turn to stress the word, "has another request. As you may know, there are many new Weyrlings now, and they will require training by one qualified for such a position." Although it irked him to be making a request, M'kel was fairly confident that the request would equally bother B'kay, for Weyrlingmaster was a far cry from Weyrleader.

[B'kay]

B'kay, somewhat startled that M'kel dove for a plate of food before responding, at the same time understood. He'd attended many Hatchings, and the hills and valleys of emotions could really work up an appetite ... he could imagine how much that would be amplified if your dragon was the sire of the clutch.

I could sire a fine clutch, came a sleepy, stuffed thought from the ledge of his weyr. B'kay chuckled, and made no effort to hide the slight smirk that his dragon's satiated boast evoked.

M'kel's final statement, though, caused him to pause with another large bite of food halfway to his mouth. The smirk faded quickly, and the usual emotionless shadow cloaked B'kay's features. He mulled the implications over for a moment, choosing his response carefully.

"No Weyrlingmaster? Well, that's a difficult spot to be in, isn't it? Have anyone in mind?"

The hint of humor in the glance B'kay tossed at M'kel was obvious as he filled his mouth with food and waited for the other to respond. And truth be told, that shadow of laughter had a spark of genuine surprise in it. B'kay never would have dreamed that M'kel would admit that he was capable, and, despite himself, he couldn't help being somewhat startled.

That admission could not be easy for M'kel. Several months ago, B'kay thought to himself, the younger bronzerider probably would have avoided speaking those words at all costs. Had finding himself as Weyrleader, rather than just dreaming down the pipes about it, actually matured the man?

The thought made B'kay realize that it would be to his benefit to play along, lay low, serve the Weyr, and keep a close but subtle eye on this one. Therefore, he did something B'kay rarely did, reserving the act for occasions that truly deserved it.

He smiled.

Oh, it was brief, and quickly hidden by the mouthful of food that followed, but it was a smile nonetheless.

And then, his expression changed, and concern washed away the laughter. B'kay had caught sight of the little, sickly queen dragonet. The gold's new rider had brought her to the feast. The bronzerider's hard heart lurched, melted a bit, and the realization that these youngsters really did need a solid hand to help them learn nearly overwhelmed him. Swallowing his pride, he looked back at M'kel, letting his dedication to dragonkind speak plainly.

"How can I help?"

[Shikai]

Having finished his meatroll and downed half his glass of wine, H’run quickly wove through the crowd near the food and managed to procure a plate full of various enticing foods. He couldn’t remember ever being so hungry! As quickly as he had darted in, he returned to his spot on the wall beside Gawyth, wondering mildly why his beloved dragon wanted him there instead of at the tables. But in his present state, he didn’t much care.

Gawyth turned at the sound of approaching footsteps, doing his best to look fierce and in a bad mood in hopes of warding them off, when the voice of another dragonet touched his mind. My rider and I will be standing here.[/color] Had the dragonet in question been male, Gawyth would have snapped at them to find another place without a second thought. But upon turning around to face the newcomer, he found himself face to face with the smaller of the twin golds from the clutch! This was a predicament. Gawyth shot a glance back at his rider, who was happily plowing through the ridiculous pile of food on his plate, and sighed. Instantly, his countenance changed, as he completely dropped any effort to appear more fearsome than he naturally did.

Ah, Lefayeth, isn’t it? It’s very nice to see you.[/color] He began pleasantly.

To Gawyth’s dismay, however, their riders were not going to simply stand and eat, for Kitari then noticed that H’run was there. The normally fairly observant H’run, engrossed in his food, hadn’t noticed her either, and equally startled by her sudden appearance.

“Oh! Sorry, I…didn’t see you.” He replied, then collected himself again. Well, as much as possible, given that he was still under the influence of his recent impression, and now a whole glass of wine. He normally was fairly unsociable, but H’run was now pleased that he would have the opportunity to show off his dragon. For like most weyrlings, H’run believed that his Gawyth was surely the most wonderful, perfect dragon in the weyr, and what weyrling didn’t want everyone to know it?

“I’m H’run, and this is Gawyth!” He exclaimed, with equal pride in his dragon. “Congratulations to you too! Lefayeth is a lovely dragon.” H’run said, an absurd smile plastered on his face. “It’s very nice to meet you…” H’run paused, trying to recall her name, but he found himself unable to. Strange. To rectify the matter, he promptly stuffed a large quantity of tubers into his mouth.

[M'kel]

The typical B'kay responses came: a tiny smirk fast hidden, a disinterested tone with a hint of sarcastic sympathy, and a flash of dark, analytical eyes, eagerly awaiting an outburst or loss of control from the younger bronzerider. Of course B'kay would not give in gracefully, accepting the position and ending this awkward encounter. M'kel wouldn't have been surprised if the other bronzerider demanded he get down on his knees and beg. It was enough to stifle the Weyrleader's carefree enjoyment of the celebrations, and his smile flickered. To hide this momentary flash of displeasure, the bronzerider stuffed an enormous tuber in his mouth, allowing himself time to think.

"Shards!" M'kel suddenly cursed, having burnt his tongue on the especially steamy tuber. Sloshing wine into his mouth to soothe his aching tongue, the bronzerider glared at B'kay as if this was the other man's fault. Much to his surprise, the bronzerider thought he caught the flash of a genuine smile on his companion's face, but the other man's eyes showed this reaction was not caused by the Weyrleader's pain. In fact, B'kay didn't even seem to be looking at him.

M'kel craned his head around to follow the other's gaze, and the sight nearly caused him to choke. That foolish girl had brought her spindly queen to the festivities; there was nothing that could succeed better at darkening the bronzerider's mood. He could already hear Sitareh's bitter complaints, and M'kel was not willing to let his Tirenth become a target for that upset.

Shielding these thoughts from his dragon, M'kel turned back to B'kay as the other spoke. The shock was plain on the Weyrleader's face, for all traces of disdain and superiority seemed to have vanished in B'kay's heartfelt tones. It was the last response that the younger man had expected, for he had been certain that B'kay would exploit this position. Perhaps, the young dragonrider foolishly thought, B'kay was willing to accept that the better man had won. Oh yes, M'kel's naivete was still quite present.

"Well," he began, still off guard from the unexpected offer. "There are few experienced dragonriders in this time. You are old enough," he allowed himself a slightly sneering chuckle, "to have flown Thread, and certainly your time would be best spent here at Araelen sharing the wisdom of your years." M'kel was sure to emphasize in his tone that this might be the only position B'kay was still able to fill, as if the other man had already passed his prime. In all of his young, arrogant glory, the bronzerider failed to consider at all that the man's offer might stem from true compassion for the Weyrlings, rather than resigned defeat.

[Kitari]

As sated as she as, Lefayeth couldn't help but perk up at the scents drifting down from Kitari's plate. She rose up higher to smell the roast meat better, but it's cooked smell was not nearly as appealing as that of raw meat. At that moment, much to her disgruntlement, the bronze dragonet interrupted her sniffing perusal of her rider's plate. It seemed that he wasn't content to have been informed of their assumption of this position against the wall, for his tone indicated that he was interested in chatting. All of this was very new to the dragonet, as she was perfectly content to merely sit and enjoy Kitari's presence, but it wasn't right to be rude, after all.

Yes, of course, she replied, her whirling eyes drifting down to scrutinize the bronze. It is...pleasant to look upon you as well. What a strange thing for him to have said. Obviously Kitari's unspoken and ill-hidden fears were unsupported, for this bronze dragonet was not disturbed by Lefayeth's appearance. The little queen couldn't help but puff up slightly at the satisfaction.

Unaware of the dragon-to-dragon speech occurring, Kitari was attentive to H'run's response and proud exclamation on behalf of his new dragonet. Her eyes drifted down to study the bronze dragonet's form, and she smiled at his noble air and richly coloured hide. Her smile widened at H'run's compliment, and her gaze returned once more to Lefayeth. "Yes, she is," Kitari agreed softly, nearly becoming lost in the colours of her darling's whirling eyes once again.

Luckily for H'run, this meant that Kitari was unaware of his falter upon being unable to recall her name, and she only returned her eyes to him in time to see him chewing on an overly large mouthful of food. Even this was brushed aside, for the meal was scrumptuous, and Kitari followed suit by biting into a soft piece of bread. Once she had finished chewing, she realized that her response had been quite inadequate and could be interpreted as arrogant, so she quickly added, "And your Gawyth is a very handsome bronze. He will undoubtedly be a strong flyer." Her thoughts were on eventual Threadfall, unaware of how else such a statement could be taken.

"I'm Kitari, by the way," she grinned, extending a hand. After all, there had been many candidates, and it was difficult to keep track of everybody. She knew this lad by name and face, but they had never spoken before, and it was possible he didn't know her name. Just then, a burst of chill air and a loud chittering caused Kitari to duck in surprise, but the blue fire lizard reached his target easily, landing on her shoulder and broadcasting a wide array of images, including food, happy colours, fear of kitchen workers, and contentment to have finally reached her. "And this," she moaned, straightening and gazing wistfully at a bun that had rolled off of her plate in the commotion, "is Falcon."

[Shikai]

Gawyth was quite pleased that Lefayeth wasn’t averse to chatting with him. Watching her reaction, he noticed that she seemed to puff up a bit at his greeting and praise. Ah, so she liked to be complimented?

Thank you. I am glad to be able to talk to you now. You do look very nice.[/color]

H’run was quite glad to see that Kitari apparently hadn’t noticed that he didn’t know her name, for she had clearly become sidetracked upon looking at her dragon. H’run smiled knowingly, for he could easily loose himself in the wonder of his dragon as well. He was having some difficulty getting down his food, for it had just barely fit in his mouth, but finally, he swallowed the tubers. Taking care to take a smaller bite next time, he quickly reverted his attention to Kitari as she spoke again.

“And your Gawyth is a very handsome bronze. He will undoubtedly be a strong flyer.”

H’run smiled, pleased that another weyrling agreed with him that Gawyth was a remarkable bronze. However, as her words ran through his mind again, he gleaned another meaning from them. He glanced quickly at her dragon, her gold, female dragon, and then at his bronze, who was looking quite intently at her. Was she saying what he thought she was? Well, what else could she mean? She had referred quite specifically to Gawyth’s flying ability. And it was no mystery what went on in riders’ weyrs during dragon mating flights…

Completely caught off guard, H’run looked around him for an escape, but his surroundings gave him no inspiration as to what to say. Nervously, he looked again, his blue eyes pleading for something, anything, and he saw glass of wine on the food table nearby. Not caring if it belonged to anyone, H’run snatched it, and promptly downed the entire glass.

Yet while he found himself feeling strangely light-headed, he still didn’t know what he was supposed to say. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d flirted with anyone, and he had never had to face such a blatant come-on.

“Oh! Well…that won’t be for a quite a while yet, will it? I-I mean golds don’t rise as soon as greens, do they? Ah…” Completely at a loss for words, H’run looked sadly into his empty wineglass. Ah well, food would have to do. Again, he took a large bite of his food, although thankfully not as much as last time. This was not at all what he had expected to happen at the feast…

Dazed, he accepted her handshake, and committed her name to memory. Kitari, was it? At least he would never have to reveal that he didn’t know her name, now. Or had he already, and that was why she offered it?

And as if this weren’t enough for H’run, just then, the girl’s fire lizard decided to appear out of nowhere. Two shocks so soon after impression were too much, and he very nearly would have toppled over had it not been for Gawyth.

“Ah…a firelizard…” Was all H’run could say, leaning heavily against the wall for support.

[B'kay]

M'kel's odd response to his offer of help rattled through B'kay's mind, leaving him momentarily speechless. Did this fledgling really see this as some kind of competition? Or worse? Still pressing the age issue ... M'kel's old fallback position in their relationship. He sighed inwardly, knowing that when the younger bronzerider reached his own number of turns, he'd see matters of age and youth quite differently.

Carefully schooling his expression, as he did not wish the guests to think there was friction between Weyrleader and Weyrlingmaster, B'kay's dark eyes caught M'kel's. He pointed to the deep scar that ran down his cheek, and said, in almost a whisper, "Do you see this, M'kel? I wasn't much more than a Weyrling myself when I received it. And that was in an established Weyr, flying with full-strength wings, and under leadership experienced in ... such matters." He glanced again at the weak little queen, whose rider was now chatting ... somewhat awkwardly, he thought ... with one of the new bronzeriders.

He took a sip of his wine and went on, even more quietly. "I don't like you, M'kel. I think you're young and foolish and too big for your breeches. I won't lie about that and I know it comes as no surprise to you. And I know you don't like me a shell of a lot, either. But Thread is coming, maybe too soon, and if we're going to keep those younglings alive, we're going to have to put our differences aside. At least in this matter. I'm willing to do what I can to teach those ... children ... how to survive when things get tough. After all, I'll guess that most of these young people had never even seen a dragon before they were Searched. We've got our work cut out for us. Can we work together on this one thing? For them?"

He took another bite of his food, and glanced once again at the Weyrlings on the other side of the room. Dragonets at the Hatching Feast? Shards.

[M'kel]

M'kel was feisty, young, and spry. His life was full of possibilities, goals, and dreams. He could be serious when he needed to, but life was so much more enjoyable when having fun. The last thing he wanted was a lecture from this dark, dour bronzerider about the ill times to come. For the first time in all of his Turns on Pern, M'kel had finally succeeded in procuring that position of power he had sought for so long. Was it really so terrible or selfish to gloat a little or enjoy his Weyrleadership?

The other man had to learn to take a joke, that was all. Without humour, life would be bleak. It was...mostly in good taste. Of course he could see the other man's scar: a constant reminder of a time past and soon to come again. Although Tirenth and he had never had the opportunity to fight Thread, M'kel had seen patches that had avoided dragonfire scour his Father's fields. He was not a foolish man, as the Lord Holders and youth of this time seemed to be. Thread was a terrible blight, and M'kel intended to do everything in his power to prepare Araelen Weyr to fight it.

But tonight was a celebration! There were young Weyrlings to congratulate, new greenriders to flirt with...although, being Weyrleader, he could hardly be indiscreet. Surely B'kay was thinking the same thing, glancing constantly over at that foolish goldrider.

However, B'kay was not finished. Following injury (a mention of M'kel's inexperience) with insult (openly declaring his dislike), the man proceeded to supplicate M'kel to work together with him. B'kay's insinuation that the young bronzerider was placing his personal matters ahead of the Weyrlings' safety topped it all off, leaving M'kel nearly twitching in suppressed anger.

His eyes had gradually darkened, their dancing glee fading to a low flicker of malevolence, but other than this M'kel gave no outward indication of his anger. Carefully setting his wine glass and plate on the nearest table to avoid crushing them in his fists, the bronzerider instead released his frustration upon the top of his new Gather outfit by wringing the mahogany fabric behind his back. His teeth were bared in a forced smile, and he took a few minutes to gather himself before replying.

"Now, B'kay. I know that we would make a breathtaking couple, but my inclinations swing towards forms with curves." This was accompanied by a wink for the nearest greenrider. "I appreciate your willingness to help out as Weyrlingmaster. I'm sure they will benefit from your experience, in possibly more than one area, no?" Ah, the old M'kel tactics: when the tension rises, follow it with a joke. His grin came more easily now, as he mussed up his dirty blonde hair, his attention already drifting about the room for someone to accompany him onto the dance floor. "So long as you are willing to serve your Weyr, I'm confident we'll get along just fine."

[Kitari]

With the continuing flattery, Lefayeth was forced to turn an appraising eye on this strange bronze. Yes, he had already mentioned that it was nice to look upon her, which was reassuring when Kitari seemed to harbour such fears about her dragonet's appearance, but why was he repeating it? Perhaps he was a little bit slow and couldn't remember that he had already said this. After all, she could hardly expect every dragonet to be as quick as her. Yes, well...thank you...talking is good...I guess...oh my! I think my skin is itching.

Accompanying this dive to get out of an awkward situation, Lefayeth forcibly nudged Kitari's leg. The goldrider, however, was momentarily unaware of her dragon's plea for aid, for the bronzerider's reaction to her sparse statements had left her astounded and wishing she had an escape herself. After downing a whole glass of wine, he had proceeded to blather uncomfortably about the age at which greens and golds rose in Flight, then followed this by shoving another overly large biteful of food into his mouth.

There was nothing the young Weyrling could do except stare at the boy, who seemed to be looking anywhere but at her. Her mouth worked for a few moments, then shut again, at a complete loss for how to respond. The conversation had gone from airy and carefree chatter about their new dragons to...insinuations about his intentions for when Lefayeth eventually Flew? It was unfathomable.

Following soon after shock, anger and resentment began to course through Kitari's veins. Men! They were all the same! This was the only thing any of them thought of, even on the happiest of nights soon after Impressing a dragon. Their new lifemates meant a mountain of responsibility, and such matters were the last topics Kitari wished to be thinking about. She had thought that life for a girl would include freedom in the Weyr, but it seemed that even here the men intended to tie their women down. Well, the young Weyrling was going to put a stop to this before it could go any further.

"I have no sharding clue what gave you the idea that I am one of those girls, but I am not interested! I'm sure there's some greenrider around here who will be willing to meet your needs. I, on the other hand, have a young dragon to attend to." With a swish of her curly, black hair (and a squawk of surprise from Falcon), Kitari turned abruptly. "Come on, Lefayeth." However, her departure was momentarily delayed.

If you are so intent on attending to me, won't you please scratch this itch on my left shoulder? Lefayeth's tone was amused but insistent nonetheless. Her rapidly whirling eyes avoided Gawyth altogether, focusing on her rider's face.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kitari cried, crouching immediately to reach the right spot. Momentarily trapped, she followed her dragon's example by avoiding the eyes of the males altogether.