The Arrival of a Golden-Eyed Girl!

[kestrel]

The mild breeze blew out across the lake, causing ripples across the surface of the otherwise-still water. The leaves on the trees rustled gently-not enough to create the whistling sound of higher winds, but enough to cause some audible sound nonetheless. The warmth of the Pernese sun overhead warmed the earth and the people below-as well as the native creatures and dragons.

Dragons-something the girl who was taking a rest beside the lake had yet to see since heading in this direction. Well, at least not up close, in either case. She'd seen a few high overhead-too high, she'd wager, to take much note of a single girl wandering along a well-beaten path towards the Weyr. The Searchdragon had dropped her off a little ways away from the Weyr, considering the fact that he'd been summoned back to his own Weyr. Kestrel had reassured the rider that she'd be quite fine to make her way on her own, after receiving proper directions on how to continue from where she'd been dropped off. The Bluerider had been quite apologetic, in either case. Kestrel had merely been bemused.

Scanning across the surface of the lake, her unusual golden eyes slanted to avoid the direct glare from the sun off of its waters, she pondered what her arrival at her new Weyr would bring. Certainly it would mean dealing with people-something she wasn't too fond of. However, it was a necessary evil, and she would get to meet the Weyrwoman...that, at least, could prove interestingly beneficial. She would get to see what sort of person she was dealing with-would it be a good Weyrwoman, who cared for her Weyr in the proper way? Or would it be one of those haughty, self-centered Weyrwomen? She knew that such ones existed. She could only hope that the Weyrwoman from the Weyr she'd be at (at least until or if she impressed!) would be the former, and not the latter. She doubted she'd deal very nicely with the latter. With a sigh, she reached up to stroke the creature on her shoulder.

The creature was a Golden firelizard-part of her reason for having discovered she was Candidate material to begin with. The f'lizard, whom she'd dubbed as 'Roksha', was her constant companion since she'd impressed her and left her Hold to make her way to Malika Weyr-whose rider had informed her she was to be sent to Dark Moon Weyr to stand at their hatching-whenever that was. She wasn't even told if there were any eggs on the sands or not!
'Not that it really matters,' she mused. There would be eventually, even if there were not now. Made no difference to her-as long as she wasn't stuck on kitchen-duty! How she loathed that...she hoped the Weyr would put her other skills to use. By Farinth's egg she'd be damned if she'd do kitchen-chores until the Weyr had a hatching!

A little voice in the back of her mind told her that she wouldn't have much say in the matter. However, she chose to ignore that and tell herself it was not something she'd be forced into doing. Perhaps if she requested not to...

---

Admin's Note:[/hr] Well, she might not be able to do even that. With a frustrated little derisive snort at the thought, she stood up, looking in the direction of the Weyr. She had a bit of a ways to go, yet. If she were lucky, some Rider from the Weyr might spot her and she could tell them she was headed in that direction. However, she wasn't going to count on that. She'd probably have to walk the rest of the way. It wasn't like it was a chore or anything. She wasn't really in a hurry, and she didn't have anything important-or better, for that matter-to do. So, after giving Roksha's eye-ridge a good rub, she continued heading for the Weyr at her usual pace-a fast walk, which covered ground effectively without burning out much energy. It was sort of like a wolf's lope-meant to cover ground but not to wear out.

Her hair, which fell just to her shoulders, was held back with a leather thong, save for the two strands that framed her face on either side. Those strands were also blown by the breeze, causing her nose to itch as a few hairs tickled it. She didn't like sneezing. One of her oddities was that this seemed to annoy her. However, she felt the sneeze coming, swore under her breath ('shards!') and then sneezed three times, irrately shoving back the offending loose hairs before continuing walking. She began to wish she would meet up with someone-the Bluerider had dropped her further away from the Weyr than she'd thought. And though she didn't overly mind sleeping outdoors, she hadn't brought any proper things to do so. Likely it would be a night spent on the cold ground, as she didn't see any caves. She didn't relish that thought, to say the least! At least there was no risk of thread falling down on her while she slept on, unawares...[/font][/size]

[Akki]

An audible sigh rose up from tall grasses that were growing in the shade of a large tree. It wasn't a sigh of exhaustion, or annoyance but instead of content. It was warm out today, but the soft wind kept it to a reasonable temperature, one that wanted you to do nothing all day but just relax. Which was exactly what Hasima was doing as the sigh escaped from her lips. She had no plans for the day, for she had finished oiling Rimith beforehand, and had wandered toward the lake, watching as the ripples of the dark water collided with the shore.

She had then retreated to under a tree, laying there, not moving as the wind whipped hair long hair back and forth all around her as she raised her hand slightly, using her finger to trace patterns in the leaves above her. She let her hand drop, and rested it on top of Rimith. The yellow dragon seemed content with life as she curled up beside her rider, glad for the shade that was protecting them from the hot sun that was bearing down on them. Neither girl or dragon had noticed the unknown person, both caught up in their own thoughts.

Hasima had just closed her eyes, just listening to the sounds the wind was making as it traveled across the water and whipped itself through leaves when three loud sneezes reached her ears. Startled, she bolted upward into a sitting position, eyes wide. The small yellow dragon however, did not notice the noise but was surprised by Hasima's quick actions and quickly clambered to her feet. Both of their eyes landed on the strangers figure at the same time, Rimith letting out a soft croon.

Hasima curled her fingers, letting her nails bite into the palm of her hand, ignoring the fact that it was hurting her. She was a shy girl, and part of her was slightly hoping that maybe the stranger didn't notice that she was there. If they did though, she knew she would stumble over words as she greeted them, embarassing herself. She closed her pale eyelids over her dark brown eyes, silently wishing she was elsewhere for the moment or that she had come with someone outgoing, someone who would do all the talking and she wouldn't have to say anything.

But no, there was no one like that. She didn't ask anyone to join her today, wanting some time for just her and her dragon to be alone, to talk. And now, biting her lip, she was slowly regretting it. She was never good with meeting someone when there was no one else around to do the greeting.

Ooc|| ;o; Ahhh~ Short post. I'msorryyyy

[kestrel]

Kestrel heard the sound of the grasses rustling and turned her head just in time to see a-yellow?-dragon rise up from the ground. Certainly her eyes were deceiving her-weren't they? Such things as yellow dragons didn't exist. She would not pretend to be the person who knew most about such things. But it was, after all, basic knowledge that the dragons of Pern came in five colors: gold, bronze, brown, blue and green. Yellow was not in those five colors. She narrowed her eyes, and happened to see a girl standing there, too,
'the dragon's rider, surely,' she told herself, though it was the dragon whom her eyes turned back to, as if trying to somehow analyze it. She might have accepted the fact that this was some form of Gold gone wrong. But it was clearly the wrong size for a Gold-it couldn't be both too small and so discoloured. Perhaps something had gone wrong within the incubationary period of the hatching, and a dragon who was meant to be Gold had instead come out like this? If that was the case, she should feel sorry for it. However, she didn't. It looked hale enough, and it wasn't so small that it wasn't a properly ridable dragon, she'd wager. Insofar as Kestrel was concerned, if it could be ridden and fight thread, there was no need for her to stand here staring at the dragon-perhaps it might take offense. If her assumations were correct, and this dragon haled from the Weyr she was headed to...she was not making a good impression upon it nor its rider. So, letting her eyes fall upon the girl, she said as levelly as she could manage,
"My apologies, Dragonrider. I have never seen a dragon with such a lovely coloration before." It was honest enough-it wasn't like she was lying and it would be far better than saying she'd been staring because she was trying to figure out if it was a Gold or no. Then, after a moment's pause, she asked, "do you hale from the Weyr that is nearby here?"

Kestrel was astute, and as a hunter and a silver-crafter both, she was adept at paying close attention to things. As well, being a quieter individual, she was also able to judge people quite well-by stance, facial expression-anything, really, that gave sign to what the person was feeling, thinking...the girl had not spoken yet, so that was, as of yet, still to be ascertained. However, from the way the young woman stood, it seemed that she was...nervous?
'No, surely that can't be it?' Kestrel chided herself-and yet it certainly did look as if that were the case. Long years of fending for herself (save her father, who was busy more oft than not) had taught her to trust her first impressions and instincts. But why would a Dragonrider be nervous, of all things? Surely she didn't pose a threat to this young woman-especially not with her bonded at her side.

Kestrel's stance stiffened, if only marginally-it was not enough for the other person to notice, but her muscles contracted in case she'd somehow met this young woman when she did not want to be met. Her pupils dilated in that odd way they had of doing when she was alert, and she forced herself to remain calm. She was getting too cautious unnecessarily. The girl perhaps was startled by her arrival, likely that was all. However, should she take precautionary measures, just in case? If the girl hadn't wanted to be disturbed, then perhaps she should say something that would make the situation lighter? There were intellectual things to say in such a situation, and the Dragonrider certainly held rank over her. So it was-she admitted begrudgingly to herself-her place to apologise if she had disturbed her.

As quickly as the thought had come, Kestrel banished it. The girl was out in the open, and Kestrel had been coming her way. She should not have to apologise for an accidental meeting of ways, whether or not she'd been the one who approached.
'Besides,' she told herself, 'she should not have stood if she was really trying to avoid notice'! She ignored the other argument-the one that said that the girl would have been noticed anyhow, what with a yellow dragon there, standing out like nothing else. So, instead of apologising unwontedly, she decided to merely format what she'd been going to say into a query.
"Did I disturb you?"

That, in her mind, was a far more acceptable-at least for her-way of going about really doing the same thing. If she had, she still would not apologise for something she hadn't meant to do, or that hadn't been her fault. Still, she would have liked to know why the other looked so nervous. She saw the way she was clenching her hands, and refrained from letting her eyes be noticed looking at it. The girl's knuckles were white. Kestrel's curiosity would not permit her to not wonder exactly what the girl had been doing. Now that she was noticing this factor, her mind raced and began to do it's usual analytical queries upon what was going on. It was really unusual for a Dragonrider to be nervous at a mere passerby whom did not seem to pose any threat...

Her eyes could not help but drift to the dragon again, if only momentarily. She knew that Dragonriders had moral codes and standards-they were there to protect, not harm. So really she shouldn't fear anything from the dragon. She just didn't know what happened to people who made the dragon's rider uncomfortable. She resisted the urge to shoot a tough look at the beast-probably not the wisest thing to do-no, definatly not a course of action she should take. She didn't know anything, not as of yet, and she should wait until she did before acting. Or so her father always said. Kestrel had a habit of speaking before thinking-something her father warned her she would need to curb when she got to the Weyr.

Roksha, still on her shoulder with tail entwined about her neck, sensed Kestrel's uneasiness, and gave a chirrup in reassurance, nuzzling Kestrel's cheek in a friendly manner, and giving a questioning chirrup at the yellow dragon. Roksha was a brazen little firelizard-but not stupid. She wouldn't go fluttering in someone's face like some f'lizard's did when the ones they'd impressed to were not feeling particularily happy. Instead, the only time the little creature had ever done something like that was when Kestrel had been truly alarmed, or very angry. However, her eyes had tinges of red mixed in with the other colors, swirling slowly as she was unsure of how to feel. Kestrel's own feelings seemed to be mixed, and therefore the creature merely sat there offering her form of consolation on the matter.

[Akki]

Hasima watched as the person's attention snapped toward where she and Rimith were now exposed, her eyes still wide and her breathing slightly uneven. She knew that the proper thing was to greet the stranger, who she could now easily tell was in fact a girl, but her mouth seemed dry, like someone was shoving something. Her throat constricted, and when she opened her mouth no words came out, so she continued to stand there. Rimith had noticed that the girl seemed to be almost examining her, and stretched to her full, if not large, height and opened her wings for inspection or so it seemed.

Hasima pulled on her earlobe,a habit she had begun to do unconsciously when ever she became nervous or self-conscious. She looked down at Rimith after hearing the girls words and smiled softly. "Thanks." She said in a whisper, one just loud enough to be heard by all. Shifting her body weight slightly, she lifted her left leg and itched her other leg with it. Taking a deep breath, she smiled a bit bigger this time, "I'm Hasima. Of yellow Rimith.". Speak, speak slowly, don't stumble repeated itself in her mind. If she wanted to be a good dragon rider, she had to get over her fear of messing up, of making mistakes. She nodded, if a little slowly, "Yes. Yes, I do. I'm from Dark Moon. Where are you from?".

Yes, this was good. Don't let your tongue trip, don't slur your words together. Turns of bullying did this to you, she silently guessed without fully registering this fact. Turns of having people poke fun at you probably did damage your self-esteem enough to make your second guess yourself every single moment of the day. She lifted three fingers to her lips and tried to answer the third question that was asked. "Um." She said, biting her lip. Did the girl really disturb her? "More of startled. I wasn't expecting anyone to be around." She said with an unsure smile.

Rimith, who had quietly been watching the scene unfold in front of her with whirling eyes of curiosity and anxiety for her rider, inspected the girl that stood in front of her. She didn't miss the fact that the girl's eyes kept flitting toward her and continued to watch with open interest, despite the awkwardness of it all. She took a few steps forward, crooning softly at Hasima. She startled me also. Rimith admitted with a dragonic grin.

[kestrel]

Kestrel was rather surprised when the dragon she was now sure was not a Gold, but actually yellow, seemed to be spreading its wings out to allow her to better inspect it. She had most certainly not been expecting it to do that, of all things. Well, if the dragon were this amiable, surely the rider must be likewise. However, the girl was still standing there without moving, without speaking. The corner of her lips twitched in the beginnings of a small smile in the dragon's direction. She might've thanked it, if she were sure that it was acceptable to do so, for allowing her a better look. It really was a lovely dragon, when she got over the fact that it was indeed yellow. Well, she knew better than to be close-minded, and chided herself for not simply going with her first thoughts that the dragon was so very obviously not Gold, but a Yellow. Instead of saying anything, she just gave the dragon a small smile-and smiles were most certainly something she did not give often-and looked back towards the girl.

It was if the girl were frozen there, like a herdbeest caught in a dragon's stare. She looked as if she was trying to speak, but was quite unable to. Was the girl a mute, then? No...she did not think that after she noticed the girl's mouth open as if she were about to say something, and then close again. A mute would make some hand signals to let her know she was mute. Or, if the situation merited it, allow her dragon to bespeak her on her account. Could it possibly be that this girl was so wary or shy of newcomers-or people in general?-that she was unable to speak to one when she met her?
'But she's a Dragonrider!' she thought, quite surprised at the thought that a person who had impressed one of the mighty dragons of Pern could be as such. And then,
'what a wherry-headed fool I'm being!' she scolded herself. Of course this girl was a Dragonrider. But it did not mean that she was not simply another person, with her own personality and feelings. Perhaps she had been a shy person before she had impressed, and was as of yet unable to overcome it. Yes, that must've been it. And this thought was only confirmed as the girl finally seemed to find her voice.

Right away Kestrel knew that the girl was a quiet, shy individual. The voice she heard was not a loud, outgoing one. It was quieter, and it seemed as if the girl were trying to speak clearly and slowly. Was she a stutterer, then? Perhaps. Or maybe she was truly this ill-used to speaking up. Whatever the case, she was a Dragonrider, and deserved the utmost respect. Kestrel would be careful not to cut her off and make her any more nervous than she already was. Perhaps she should put forth the effort to smile at her? She grimaced inwardly, but it might help to ease the girl. And she could certainly smile, couldn't she? As the girl identified both herself and her dragon, Kestrel almost spoke to reply and give her name, but then could see that the girl was likely going to try to say something else,
'and I'm best to let her get it out while she can, as she seems to be trying!' she told herself, and so she did and was at least rewarded with the girl's reply to the third question she'd posed.

Much to Kestrel's relief, she seemed to have not disturbed her. But she hadn't meant to startle her, either, and perhaps that warrented an apology-maybe it would ease this particular individual, and therefore that would be an acceptable reason to give one? She argued this with herself. She was never one to apologise without a very good reason. She could, however, make an acception if the situation warrented it, as this one seemed to. And so,
"I didn't mean to startle you," and she might've said 'or your dragon', but she didn't know that she had, in fact, startled the dragon the girl had called Rimith, and so she went on, "I am called Kestrel, and it is my pleasure to meet you and your lovely dragon. The pretty little thing on my shoulder is Roksha." She paused, giving a small bow to the dragon, that was executed as if she were used to giving them, and then, "I come from Malika Hold. It is tithed to Malika Weyr, to whom I was searched by. I am on my way to your Weyr to tell your Weyrwoman I am here for Candidacy." She gave a quirky smirk, then, and added, "I hope she doesn't doubt this, however. It is fortunate that I have brought a letter from Malika's Weyrleader and the rider who searched me, indeed. I do not think that I should have reason to be believed otherwise."

With that said, she fell silent once more, to allow the other to speak now. She had tried not to say too much, and she did not have the audacity to point out that she would not make it to the Weyr before nightfall on foot. She was, as of yet, only a Candidate and would not impose upon an actual Rider for anything. It was not, in her mind, her right to do so. She was glad for the letter in her pocket. She was not sure what type of Weyr it was that she was going into, of if she would actually have need of it. However, it would be presented, as was proper, to whichever Dragonrider wished to see it for verification. Of course, the Weyrwoman was really the one who would likely need to see that letter.

Kestrel was wholly unfamiliar with what being a Candidate involved. She had not been at Malika Weyr long enough to know more than the fact that they were given lessons, of sorts, and chores-hence her fear that she might be assigned to the Kitchens, doing dishes-something that would make her first days at the Weyr truly unhappy ones! She knew that she would be assigned a room-of her own or with another of the Candidates, she wasn't sure. It would depend on the availability of rooms in the Weyr, and how many Candidates there actually were. Well, in any case she hoped she would get a room of her own. Perhaps it was hoping for too much, but she did not wish, in either case, to be sharing a room with another person.
'Something else you may not have a say in,' she thought, with a slight tinge of irritation. She was not a people person, and didn't exactly wish to spend her Candidacy time in a room with someone she did not even know. It would make her more uncomfortable than need be. In truth, she didn't really trust people who were not Harpers or Dragonriders-or her father. A history of betrayal and being alone had done this,
'and I cannot even trust that all Dragonriders will be good and honorable!' she reminded herself. She'd heard about those who most certainly were not-the vast majority of the ones she'd heard tales of were Bronzeriders on 'power trips'. She hoped she did not meet any of those. She'd even heard that Bronzeriders sometimes expected to have their way with any woman they chose! Fortunately, she knew that if she were to impress, she would be a Weyrling and not allowed that kind of relationship. Besides this fact, she could only hope she had a Weyrwoman who could keep her Riders under control...

Roksha crooned back at the Yellow, brazen as any Gold would be, and seemingly undaunted by the fact that her kin was so much larger than she. Hers seemed to have calmed and so she was assured all was all right, now, and she began to preen her wing after this, puffing herself up to look bigger as if to say that she were a dragon, too! Kestrel could see the little Gold's antics out of the corner of her eye, and had to smile-if only inwardly-at it. Roksha was someone-or something!-she was very fond of. The f'lizard had been her only real friend ever since the journey from her hold.

By now, Kestrel's stance was one of ease, and her golden eyes were no longer flitting from Rider to dragon in her analytical mannerism. Now she was able to be calmer, she was focused on the rider, only giving her attentions to the dragon where she felt need to address it respectfully-it was the rider speaking to her, after all. She wondered if dragons here ever spoke to Candidates, even briefly? She knew that the Blue who'd searched her would sometimes throw her a word or two-something that would thrill anyone, and had so done for her. She figured, however, this was only because he had been the one to search her. She very much doubted that a dragon would have reason to speak to her here.

[Akki]

Hasima watched curiously as Rimith had started to flap open her wings, like she was showing them off but not with braggery, but modesty instead. She had clearly missed the whole examination of the pale yellow and was slightly lost at this point. Rimith, on the other hand, new exactly what was going on. She was used to it by now, by having people stare at her because of her color even though she didn't fully stand that she was probably the first yellow they had seen before. She just accepted the looks and moved on, there was nothing more to it. As Rimith caught sight of the smile, she went back to her normal size and bugled softly. However, was it a reassuring bugle for Hasima or a welcoming one for the newcomer, or perhaps both?

Hasima blushed furiously, she had a pretty good idea that she was embarrassing herself thoroughly. She was taking a long time to reply, and even then her reply had few words in it. This would be much easier if J'kel or Akki were here, she was used to having them talk for her which suited her just fine. A small sigh escaped through her lips, she knew that there would be times where there was no one to talk for her but herself. She had to get over her general shyness and nervousness, it was bad enough that she had just one, but both of them was proving to be a lethal combination. Why was she so worried anyways?

The girl seemed nice enough, Hasima had little doubt that she would be attacked with Rimith at her side. And the stranger had just apologized for startling her, even though it wasn't her fault. What was there to be afraid of? She lifted a hand, palm outward in a stopping gesture and shook her head. "It's my fault. I wasn't expecting to see anyone here and got jumpy when someone did come." She said, speaking a bit louder and a bit faster, trying to gain control of her tongue. She listened as Kestrel introduced herself and mumbled an audible 'Nice to meet you' before gazing at Roksha. She had always loved fire lizards but never had one of her own, her mother had one that she used to play with all the time but she had to leave it behind as she came to Dark Moon. A smile appeared on her face and she said with all honesty, "She's lovely.".

She nodded along as Kestrel said where she was from, and tried to recall if she knew where that Hold was but soon gave up after a moments though. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to picture Christae turning anyone down from the Weyr but instead pictured the entire weyr running out and wrapping their arms around the new girl and a small giggle rose up from her. That's what Dark Moon would probably do, strangle the girl with hugs. She teetered on the balls of her feet for a moment as she opened her eyes and said as she shook her head softly, "The Weyrwoman wouldn't turn you away. She'd believe you even without the letter probably.".

Rimith stared openly at Roksha with interest and Hasima recalled that the only flitt Rimith really knew was Sargon, and this gold seemed much more reserved then he would ever be. After a pause Hasima looked at Roksha and tried to make a conversation, "When did you get her? She's very pretty.".

[kestrel]

It was becoming more and more apparent to Kestrel that Hasima was a person ill used to dealing with people. That was well enough-it wasn't like she was the Weyrwoman or a Gold Rider, and so she likely wasn't forced into dealing with people as often as they were. If she rode in a Wing, she would have to take orders-not give them. However, she'd never met a shy Dragonrider before.
'And yet you've never met a lot of them, anyhow!' she reminded herself, growing more amused by the minute as the girl reddened very noticably in color. Well, if she was shy, Kestrel figured she could be as pleasant as possible and try to make her feel more at ease. Kestrel herself wasn't shy-she just didn't like dealing with people because she was more reclusive than most, and didn't feel she really had anything to say to them that needed saying. She would answer direct questions-but not usually in lengthy mannerisms and would often refer to just 'yes' or 'no' where she could, or very short ones. It didn't seem fair, however, to do this with a girl who was attempting to converse with her despite the fact that she was quite obviously very, very shy.

It only put more points towards her 'good book' when the girl apologised herself-something quite unexpected by Kestrel-and then complimented Roksha, who was looking with open curiosity at Rimith. She chirruped at the dragon in a rather friendly manner, and Kestrel smiled slightly. She knew Roksha hadn't seen very many dragons before, either, and she seemed to be curious about her larger kin. In fact, she was so curious that she suddenly launched from Kestrel's shoulder and glided and then flew up onto the tree-branch over Rimith's head, alighting daintily on the branch that was closest to her. The little Gold lowered her head to gaze at the Yellow, chirruping again as if questioning her.

Kestrel was calmer now, and not worried about how Rimith would feel about having her smaller kin sitting there and 'talking' to her. She had heard that dragons didn't mind firelizards-after all, their small kin were the reason for their existance! She had always paid attention to stories of dragon-lore and she knew enough about where they'd come from and about caring for them and training them. She loved all dragons, needless to say, and now that she was quickly growing used to Rimith's coloration she had more time to be awed by being so close to a dragon. She was, however, paying most attention to Hasima, who had just asked where she'd gotten her. She felt a twinge of nervousness-she was only a Hold-girl, and a 'commoner' one, at that. Girls of her rank were never seen with Golden firelizards. It was likely better to just be honest than anything else-Kestrel was no liar, in any case. She would have to get used to being asked that-a question that was usually asked with derision or anger by many, as if she'd no right to have Roksha, or any firelizard, let alone a Gold. Some people had even openly accused her of stealing a firelizard egg from some Dragonrider or Lord Holder-as if! She had scoffed and told them where to 'stuff it'.

Kestrel replied as levelly as she could,
"I found her, actually. While I was on a beach near some rocky areas and caves-it wasn't too long ago..." She felt no need to tell Hasima the whole story behind that-the girl didn't need to know, and she wouldn't have told her even if she'd asked-not even if she was a Dragonrider. That was too personal, and not a memory she liked to share. She suddenly felt the need to divert the conversation from her firelizard to something else, and so,
"What about you? Is your Rimith a grown dragon, or are you a Weyrling still?"

She knew the girl was nervous and shy, but she herself was becoming uncomfortable and so therefore she would ask simple questions that Hasima could open up about. She knew from experience that Dragonriders, even if they didn't like talking, or talking about themselves, liked to talk about their dragons. And who could blame them? She had never expected to be chosen as a Candidate, and though she wouldn't get overly hopeful in case she failed to impress, she was-perhaps for the first time in years-honestly excited at the prospect of standing. She couldn't remember the last time the thought of doing something had given her such a feeling. Hers hadn't been the best life over the past few turns, but she'd kept her head up and tried to make the best of things, regardless. Impressing would lead to a whole new life, and maybe she'd stop being lonely, finally, and feel like she actually belonged somewhere. She knew her father had wanted something better for her, and what could be better than being a Dragonrider? Surely nothing.

The only life that Kestrel could have hoped to lead was one of a silver-crafter and hunter. While she would have made good marks from her crafts, it wasn't what she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing. Silver-crafting was something she did as a hobby-she didn't want to be forced to do it to support herself. Once she was forced to do it, she feared she'd enjoy it less and less. It was something she treasured, this gift her mother had taught her, and she didn't ever want it to be seen as work, or a chore.

She had nodded to the comment about the Weyrwoman 'probably accepting her without the letter'. Well, if that was the case, she'd be pleased that she'd been believed. She was not, however, sure if she would be accepted without it, though she was now quite reassured she'd be accepted with it, by what Hasima had said. In either case, it did more to put her mind at ease. She didn't know what she'd do if she were sent back-did that even ever happen? She doubted Weyrs sent away Candidates, but she'd heard stories of how some Weyrs only accepted those Weyr-born. It was an old tradition in some Weyrs, but however, it had remained a habit in a few Weyrs throughout Pern. Faranth forbid that this should be one of them! Yet she didn't think that was the case anymore, also due to Hasima's words.

Kestrel glanced up at the sky-it was just past mid-day, and she would have to continue walking if she hoped to get to the Weyr by tomorrow afternoon. Not that it mattered-she'd get there tomorrow in either case, it seemed. She put the thought of arrival aside, and waited for Hasima's reply, wondering from which clutch Rimith had come. That sparked new thoughts and questions in her mind-were there more like Rimith at this new Weyr? And not just more Yellows-were there more different dragons, period? That would be something she would ask next, she decided. When Kestrel had a question she wanted to ask, it got asked.

[Akki]

Hasima scratched above her elbow, staring down at Rimith for a few moments. It was registering in her head that she was probably being examined, taken apart piece by piece to see what made her tick. But she was used to it. Wasn't that what everyone did at one point in their lives when they met someone? Surely everyone has wondered if there was some hidden maliciousness hidden away in that frail body, or were they as pure an innocent as they seemed. In fact she had already done this to Kestrel, whether or not she realized this. Deep down she figured that the girl in front of her resembled a certain blue rider, both seemed straight forward if they meant to be or not.

The pale yellows whirling eyes followed the fire lizard as she flew up into the air and landed daintily on top of a tree branch, perching herself above the dragon. She straightened her neck, trying to get a closer look at the miniature dragon and crooned softly to the gold. I like the mini dragon. Rimith announced out loud as she continued to watch the flitt. And the girl too She added as she turned her head to look at Kestrel more closely. Hasima blushed slightly, glad that the yellow was so polite and easy going compared to some of the other dragons out there.

Hasima also gazed at the flitt. She always like fire lizards, and she missed Yashin. the green fire lizard that her mom had that had followed her around. For a while she had wished the had her own flitt to care for, wanted to have that unspeakable bond with someone, or something, else. But now she didn't yearn for a fire lizard, after all, she had Rimith who was better than any other creature in her opinion. The oddly colored dragon would always be there for one and another, and they had that unspeakable bond that every dragon rider had with their dragon even though each one differed slightly from the next. Also, after seeing how much of a handful Sargon was to Akki, it had slightly changed her opinion of them. Then again, it was probably just Sargon and his 'In your face' style that was a handful. Roksha seemed very reserved and polite.

"You're lucky to have Roksha. Fire lizards are wondrous creatures." Hasima said with a small, almost unsure of herself, smile. She shook her head slightly as she was asked if Rimith was full grown. "I'm still a weyrling." She said with a small grin. "Rimith will get bigger but not by too much. She'll probably be the size of a small to medium green." She said with a nod or two. If there were other yellows out there, Hasima had a pretty good idea that Rimith would not be the largest one. The dragon's size would probably be right in the middle or small and medium. Rimith looked down at her self, tail flicking, as she tried to see for herself just how big, or small, she would become in the future.

Hasima realized Kestrels thoughts as she looked up into the sky, to judge the time Hasima guessed. "Do you want to keep walking?" She asked, looking at the girl stared in the eyes for a moment before redirecting them into no particular direction. "Is it okay if I walk with you?" She asked softly with a furious blush. She had gotten a ride out here by a dragon rider that was going to visit his family at some hold, whose name she had forgotten now so it hadn't taken her that long to get her. Also, Rimith was out by the lake before Hasima had even reached it, busy sunning herself as she enjoyed the warm temperatures. She had no intentions to stay out here for the night either, for Akki had said a while ago that if Hasima ever needed a ride somewhere she and Ebbeth would happily come and get her. The blue rider then whispered something about Ebbeth needing some exercise before he became just a blob of dark blue and Hasima knew that getting Rimith to ask for a ride would be no trouble at all. To Ebbeth and Akki it would be considered an adventure, so it worked out well.

[kestrel]

Kestrel simply nodded as Hasmia told her that she was still a Weyrling. It had been the reply she'd expected, as Rimith didn't look as if she were a fully fledged dragon just yet. As for the size she would grow to be, Kestrel had not been able to make any guesses on that, at least. The pale yellow dragon was the first she'd ever seen of its coloration, and therefore she had nothing with which to compare it. She'd seen more Greens than any, so she knew when Hasima compared her to a small Green exactly what to picture for that particular size in her mind. It meant that Rimith would be amongst the smallest of the dragons, as Greens were the smallest, and smaller Greens were still smaller yet. Small dragons, she knew, had their advantages. What they lacked in endurance at times they made up for in speed and agility. There were aerial movements that the smaller dragons could pull off, that larger ones could not. She liked any and all dragons, however, and could see the advantages to both small and large. She wondered, again, if she'd impress anything at all here, or be left standing. If she did impress, however, she wondered what color she'd get.
'Perhaps a Green', she mused. Greens were the most common of dragons, amongst the females, anyhow. It'd be easiest for her to get, in truth. Though any dragon would have been a miracle, in her mind. She had doubts that she would impress. It'd never been something she'd really wanted until she'd been searched. Of course, like any child she'd played at 'Dragonrider' and entertained thoughts of it. But that dream had died along with her mother...

Hasima seemed to like Roksha, and her Rimith didn't seem to mind her, which was nice. However, the compliment about a firelizard being 'wonderous' coming from a girl with a dragon? She almost laughed at that. However, if Hasmia thought that a firelizard was something good, she wouldn't bother offending her by laughing or turning down the compliment. So, instead of giving in to her first impulses and letting out a full-blown laugh, she merely smiled a little and replied,
"well, I think so, anyhow. However, you have a dragon. You ought to know more about 'wonderous' creatures than I." Her smile faded a little, as she pondered what made a dragon choose a Candidate. Hasima, though nice, was certainly timid seeming. She knew that no one knew what made a dragon choose its rider-but she figured there had to be something to it. Perhaps their personalities were somehow similar? Or maybe there were telepathic patterns in a mind that the dragon was automatically drawn to? Well, she supposed she'd never know-maybe if she impressed herself, she could ask her own dragon. However, she'd seen total snobby and ill-mannered girls impressed to Golds, while mild mannered, down to earth and sensible as well as nice girls with great leadership potential had impressed the Greens.
'I guess one dragon is just as good as the next', she told herself, and then, noting Hasima's own eyes look to the skies overhead that she'd looked at only seconds before, she tensed-had she looked bored, or like she was wanting to be elsewhere?

When Hasima suddenly asked if she'd like to keep walking-and then offered to come with her!-she was taken aback once again. This girl who had actually impressed and was a Weyrling wanted to walk with her, a mere Candidate whom she wasn't even sure if would impress or not? Kestrel took a lot of pride in herself as a person, but she was realistic and knew that Hasima outranked her as someone who had a dragon, while she didn't. Was it usual for a Weyrling to offer to do such things? Well, she wasn't about to knock it, that was for sure. Seeing how Hasima reddened again just from that simple inquiry-which was really doing her an honor-she had to shake her head inwardly, at least, and smile slightly. As for her reply,
"Yes, I'd like to keep walking, if only so that I don't have to take my chances sleeping outside all night. I didn't bring any sleeping furs and I wouldn't like to be caught out in the rain...or by a wild creature! As for walking with me, I would like your company very much, Hasmia-and Rimith's, of course!" she added with a polite nod at the yellow dragon-or dragonet, was it, since she was not fully grown? She would ask about that later, perhaps. Hasima had said that Rimith would not get much bigger-that likely meant she was closer to being full grown than a dragonet, but she couldn't be one hundred percent sure. Kestrel almost never just assumed anything-she analyzed to the maximum amount, but never came to a solid conclusion until she was sure of herself.

Of course Kestrel could not have known that Hasima would have a way back a-dragonback if she needed it. In fact, it only occured to her right then that Hasima's Rimith couldn't likely take her anywhere, as she'd just confirmed that she was a Weyrling, and so, that brought up another question.
"Hasima? If you don't mind my asking, how far away is your Weyr? I have a rough idea-I don't think I'd make it there before nightfall. But since you and your dragon are out here, and you said you are a Weyrling...how did you get out here to begin with?" She figured the girl had walked-but how about Rimith? Had they been planning to spend the night outside themselves? Or perhaps Rimith could fly, though not with a rider? Whatever the case, she was sure they meant to go back to the Weyr before nightfall. She knew there were rules for Weyrlings, and if one went missing all night? Well, that was probably not allowed, unless they were visiting relatives or their home. Even then, she wondered if it was not the other way around-the Weyrling's family came and visited them. How many rules would there be, for a Candidate or a Weyrling? She hoped the rules weren't too overbearing-she hated rules...

[Akki]

Hasima didn't actually realize that Kestrel was nodding at her about the Weyrling thing. She was lost in thought. How big or small would Rimith actually get? She had asked a few people but none of them really knew, only gave her estimates. Mutant dragons were filled with mysteries and surprises Hasima supposed. 'I guess I won't know until she doesn't grow anymore.' She said with a mental sigh, not a sad one though, just a sigh. She wouldn't mind if Rimith was rather small, it'd definitely would help in the speed category. She scrunched her nose for a moment, then again, did Hasima really want to go as quickly as the yellow dragon could? Probably not, but who knows, maybe deep down Hasima had some crazy need for speed. Highly unlikely, but it was still a possibility.

Hasima's attention went back to Kestrel just in time to see the girls smile and hear her comment. Hasima blushed a tomato red and placed a hand behind her head as she laughed softly. She rubbed the back of her head and grinned shyly, "Yeah. I suppose I do.". Sure, many people said that dragons were the most wondrous creatures around but there was always the few people that said that their favorite animals were the best. "I like to think that fire lizards are amazing just like dragons." She said with a smile. Sure, there were many differences between the critters, like height but there were also quite a few similarities. Either way, flitts held just as many mysteries as dragons.

Hasima's eyes widened slightly as Kestrel didn't reply right away. "I don't have to if you don't want me too. You can walk alone if that's what you want." She said in a hurry, not wanting to impose on the girl and force her to make a decision that she didn't want too. She let out a soft sigh as Kestrel agreed to walk with them and smiled unsurely at the girl. She was glad that Kestrel allowed her to walk along with her. Sure, it wasn't really lonesome walking with Rimith since they had interesting conversations, but it'd be nice to talk to this girl some more. Hasima nodded in agreement, if she had too she wouldn't want to sleep out here in the dark either.

She frowned slightly in thought, "Um. I think a bit more than half a day. So if you walked all night, you'd get there around mid-morning I guess.". She thought about it for a moment, and nodded to herself. That sounded about right. While the two girls were talking, Rimith had slipped away, walking toward the weyr. She wasn't big enough to fly by herself yet, and she couldn't exactly get a ride from a dragon. Thankfully, she was faster than most people and would reach Dark Moon before the new day started. She also would have said goodbye to Kestrel, not wanting to seem rude, but she didn't want to interrupt and the yellow was sure she would see the girl again.

"Oh." Hasima said, not realizing that she hadn't said how she gotten out here sooner and how she was getting back. "My friend is a rider also, she gave me a lift out here. And she offered to give me a ride back, and she'd be more than happy to give you one also. She likes meeting new people, especially candidates." Hasima said with a grin, remembering how Akki would ambush the new candidates as she tried to introduce herself to them. "I can get Rimith to ask if she could come get us right now if you want."

[kestrel]

Kestrel was more than a little surprised by Hasima's shy nature. Instead of being the suspiscous, untrusting person she usually was with just about everyone else, Hasima seemed to put her at ease in an unusual way that she wasn't quite used to. Was it perhaps because the girl seemed more ill at ease than she herself would have or should have been? She paused for the first time to give the other girl a physical once-over. Of course it was merely just to get a better look at the physical side of ther person that made up Hasima. It wasn't the 'once-over' men gave women. It was the summing up that women did with one another. However, unlike regular people who did the physical summing up first, Kestrel paid more attention to personality, unless the other person was very obviously highly attractive or unnatractive. However, she was a tad surprised she hadn't really noticed that Hasima was quite unusual looking. Especially for a Dragonrider.

This girl was nothing like she'd pictured a Dragonrider to be, not at all. Mind you she'd impressed a small dragon that she'd never even thought could have existed on Pern. The girl was lanky looking, with big hands and a pallor that was altogether unhealthy looking. She gave off the impression of being ill, so skinny and pale was she. Would a dragon have chosen a girl who was ill as a partner? Or had Hasima become ill since impressing?
'Perhaps she is not ill at all...' This thought crossed her mind, as she realised that maybe Rimith was not the only one who could look so 'different'. 'On the plus side her hair is very pretty,' Kestrel noted, 'and she has decent features, and could even be considered 'cute' for them, if she would do more with herself'. Kestrel was very astute when it came to looks, even though she did practically nothing with her own. Hasima did not wear clothes that complimented her thin frame, and she did nothing with herself to improve on the good features she did have. Kestrel was prone to weigh positives and negatives. As if on an afterthouht, she suddenly said aloud,
"you have very pretty hair, Hasima. It shines nicely, even in this light." She smiled warmly at the other girl, surprised at herself, and then cleared her throat and then fell silent as Hasima brought up the friend she had who had dropped her off.

'One surprise after another,' she thought to herself, eyes growing a bit wider. Would a full rider come to pick up not only Hasima but a total stranger? She didn't know quite what to make of all this. At Malika Weyr they'd been pleasant enough, but rank was taken quite seriously there-as it had been at her Hold. Here, it was seeming like persons of rank didn't mind associating-even liked!-with persons of lower rank than themselves. Hasima may have been an unusual Weyrling impressed to an even more unusual dragon. But that didn't mean she was not a Weyrling, impressed to one of the great dragons of Pern. Even Kestrel, however, could not turn up the oppertunity of riding a-dragonback, no matter her reserve or what she was normally like, and so,
"do you think she'd mind terribly? It's not at all that I mind walking-I'm not a lazy person," she added with a slight hint of defensiveness to her tone, and then in a normal tone once more, "but I don't really want to be stuck outside all night-even without thread there are other dangers and I would like to get some sleep tonight...it's been a very long past couple of days." She didn't mention just how long the last few days had seemed to her. Finding out she would not be a Candidate at Malika's hatching, which was only a few days away? She'd waited a half a turn just for that hatching, and only to be transferred last minute to Dark Moon? Well, it was what it was. She had Roksha with her, and that was good enough for her, for now. However, having anticipated the hatching and being sent to another Weyr last minute had been stressful on her, to say the least.

In either case, Kestrel did not want to be left outside all night on her own. She figured that Hasima didn't wish it, either. Suddenly, she realised that Rimith was no longer with them, and turned to see the dragon's form disappearing at a far faster pace than they would have gone had they gone with her. She jerked a thumb towards the disappearing dragon's form, and asked,
"is she back on her way to your Weyr, then?" She did not ask if the dragon would make it there before morning-at that pace the dragon would take half the time they would take to get there. It wasn't a matter worth questioning, since common sense could tell her that much.

[Akki]

Hasima noticed the fact the Kestrel was staring at her, as if examining her once again but took nothing of it. The girl was used to these looks, and she was no desensitized to them. On many occasions did concerned people ask if she was well, if she was eating enough. And at one or two events did someone ask her mother or father quietly if the girl was ill, almost on her deathbed.

She knew she looked like she had been starving herself for a few turns, and that it did look like she was on her deathbed. But she had become so used to these facts that she just accepted them to be part of herself. However, she was still embarassed at the fact she did look so awkward, and about the fact her hands were larger than another girls. She looked in the distance, watching as the sun glanced off of Rimith's hide, accenting it.

The last thing Hasima was expecting after being analyzed was a compliment. She never really got them before she had come to Dark Moon, she had only really got sneers or the normal insults. She really didn't have anything to compliment, unless the person happened to like frail people. So when Kestrel commented on Hasima's hair, Hasima looked like the girl had given her the gift of something like immortality. Sure, she flushed her normal red but a large, wide grin burst on to her face. She didn't realize she was really doing it, but she bowed to Kestrel and cried out happily, "Thank you! Thank you very much!".

While still flushing she shook her head. Akki, minding picking up a person she's never met before? Surely not, the blue rider would be ecstatic at this chance. "Oh no. Believe me, she won't mind at all. She lives for meeting new people, candidates especially. She'll be more than happy too." Hasima assured Kestrel, her grin still rather large. "I couldn't let you sleep out here if I had an easy way to get back to the weyr. That'd be very rude of me." Hasima said, her voice returning back to her slightly louder than a whisper tune. She looked in the same direction as the thumb was jerked too and nodded in reply. "She can't really fly yet, and she can't really get a ride from Ebbeth. She's fast though, she'll be back there soon.".

Ooc| Short post D: I'MSORRY

[kestrel]

Kestrel nearly jumped out of her wherhide boots as the 'thus so far quiet' Hasima gave an exclamation, thanking her quite loudly and unexpectedly. Roksha, too, gave a surprised screech and leapt from her perch in the tree, gliding down to Kestrel and settling on her shoulder, golden tail wrapped tightly about the girl's neck. She hissed lightly, as the wide eyed Kestrel stared at the girl who'd been so silent so far. She had only paid her a small and truthful compliment, and behaved as if Kestrel had just told her she'd be giving her something priceless and irreplacable.

Kestrel raised one eyebrow slightly, eyeing the girl curiously. Was she so ill-used to being paid a compliment? It surely seemed that way. She could see for herself where that might be a possibility-Hasima had an odd sort of prettiness, not one that many people likely saw. Hands to big and frame that was unhealthy looking in its skinniness, and regular features all around-her hair was nice, it was true. Kestrel never gave flattery or dishonest compliments. However, there was a look about Hasima that Kestrel liked. She was honest looking and her eyes were expressive, and the way she held herself was modest and sincere. Kestrel had a knack for looking beyond the first impressions of outward appearances. So, with a smile and nod, she replied,
"don't thank me for telling the truth. I wouldn't say it if it weren't true," she paused and then went on, "well, if it's not too much trouble to your Rider friend, then I would be honored..." she trailed off, hesitating, her curiosity overweighing her knack for not talking much or asking many questions. Then, seeming to decide that she'd ask, she queried, "what color does your friend ride?" She was going to be a lot more nervous about accepting a ride from a Gold Rider than a Green Rider. Insofar as she knew, those were the only two dragon types girls could impress. She glanced in the direction Rimith had disappeared into.
'Unless there are more like her in the Weyr...'

Rimith was a yellow-something unheard of. At least to Kestrel, and she'd not heard of it in the other Weyr she'd stayed in. But since Rimith did indeed exist and seemed in all other respects a healthy, proper dragon? Could it not be that there were more like her in this Weyr? Or was she, like the White dragons of whom she'd heard legend of, a rare mutation? That could be it, too. She decided that whomever came to get Hasima and herself, it didn't matter insofar as she was concerned. She was, in truth, flattered that there were Riders in this Weyr that would actually come and get a Candidate! Even if she were really coming because Hasima requested it. Hasima was, after all, a Weyrling. She just happened to be there with her, and she was right-though there might be some more uppity Riders that would turn down a Candidate, there weren't many who would be so rude. It bode ill for their reputation, for starters, since she was to stand and might impress.

She then added as an afterthought,
"I'm glad I'll get to meet your friend and that she'll get something out of meeting me. However, I warn you I am not the best with people." Her tone was matter of fact, but sincere. For reasons of her own she liked this quiet girl. Hasima didn't make her feel the usual distrust she usually felt, and she didn't feel ill at ease with the girl either. The thought that this Weyrling might actually be someone she could even call 'friend' flashed across her mind. However, she dismissed the thought as quickly as it'd come. She wasn't ready for that type of step with someone here just yet.
'Who knows how long I will even be here?' she wondered. Chances were she'd be a Candidate, not impress...but didn't that mean she'd be staying here until she was too old to impress? If that were the case, having a Weyrling who would eventually be a Rider for a friend could be nice.
'I'd be so lucky to find anyone worth calling friend,' she reminded herself. No matter if it was Weyrling, Rider, Candidate or Drudge. She went from her thoughts to paying attention to Hasima-she'd been looking at the Weyrling the entire time, but lost in thoughts. Not that it would have been noticable to Hasima, as thoughts went more briefly through time than conversation or actions.

Roksha was comfortably settled, and gave an amiable chirrup towards Hasima, as if regretting the hiss she'd been startled into. Kestrel could tell it was more of a 'f'lizard explanation' for her hiss. Hasima couldn't have known this, but perhaps the girl guessed as much. Though she seemed a bit...she took longer to respond than others, Kestrel noted. Perhaps she was more of a thinker? Maybe this made her intuitive? Kestrel waited for Hasima to say what she would next, hand reaching up to hold the tip of the Golden f'lizard's tail.

[Akki]

She placed her cold, large hands on her cheeks, hoping that their lack of temperature would cool her face down and make that blush dissapear as quickly as possible. She really didn't like the fact she blushed so much, and such a range of reds, but she couldn't help it. Maybe one day she could get some more self-confidence and that would at least help and prevent her from blushing at the slightest thing.

She had a feeling that Kestrel was slightly, maybe startled wasn't the right word but it was the only thing she could think of at the moment, at the fact she had acted so grateful at the comment, which caused a faint blush to occur once her first one dissapeared. Yes, maybe she had acted unnaturally thankful, but she just couldn't help it. She just wasn't used to them, and maybe she never would be.

Hasima's eyes widened and she shook her head in disagreement. "Oh, no." She said in a muffled voice. "I can't thank you enough.". She looked at Kestrel with bright and shining eyes and smiled abashedly, "Really. Thank you.". She grinned almost broadly and responded with a, "Don't worry about it. If she knew anyone was out here that was heading to Dark Moon, she'd be here in a flash.". Hasima knew Akki long enough to know of the girls obsession with meeting new people. "She rides a blue named Ebbeth." She said with a nodding, not adding the fact they often took shots at each other. It was something you had to experience first hand.

Hasima couldn't help but admire Kestrels straightforwardness, that she wasn't shy to admit the true facts about herself. "That's okay, Akki knows when to be quiet when she notices she's annoying something." Hasima said. She frowned for a second. Wait, was that true? Did the rider know exactly when to stop talking? Now that she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't know. She had never seen an occasion where someone needed her to be quiet, so the girl really didn't know what would happen. She came back to attention as Roksha chirped, removing Hasima from her long train of thoughts and she couldn't help but smile softly at the gold.

[kestrel]

"A blue, huh?" Kestrel murmered, wondering if the blue would be dark or lighter, and what the rider of it would be like. She straightened up a bit, listening as Hasima spoke. As the girl informed her of the name of both Bluerider and dragon, she stored them away for later use-her memory was quite adept when it came to remembering names-and then spoke up again.

"Oh, it's not that I'm worried about your friend 'annoying' me. It's more the other way around..." she paused and then gave a half-hearted shrug, admitting, "I don't usually have more dealings with people than need be. I haven't much to say to them, nor they to me-or so I've found. Unless, of course, I'm of a mind to speak out on an issue, wherein I usually get irrate looks from those involved in the conversaton." For whatever reason, she was saying far more to Hasima than she'd willingly have admitted to anyone she'd only just met-or anyone at all, for that matter. Save her father back home, who quite obviously knew all of this anyhow. She was an aloof loner by nature, and had always preferred it that way. People just complicated things in her life in ways she didn't like. She had been betrayed by many and trusted very few. She preferred the company of animals or her father, who she often felt was not only her father but her closest confident and friend. Even when she'd had friends they'd been all males, the girls didn't seem to have anything intelligent to say.

Now, however, talking with Hasima, she could almost believe that perhaps the same was not true for all girls everywhere. Perhaps dragonriders were different? Or maybe it had just been the girls she'd grown up with, in her hold. In either case, she had a feeling that if she did impress she'd have to at least make a slight effort to be more sociable than she was now. Best to start out by making at least an acquaintance or two-maybe even someone who also rode that she could call 'friend'. She had heard that in a Weyr you had to work together with the other riders or else things wouldn't run smoothly. She cringed a little inwardly at this-this would mean male riders too, and she didn't trust men in the least!

She wasn't exactly certain how 'calling a rider' worked. She assumed that Hasima would have to get her Yellow Rimith to call to the Blue dragon who would in turn contact his rider. Curiously, she asked,
"will you have to get Rimith to call to Ebbeth? What if Akki is busy or something-isn't taking care of a dragon a lot of work, with other things you have to do besides?" She would not pretend to be an expert on what being a rider was like. She had no clue whatsoever, as she'd only seen dragons from afar, until only a few sevendays ago. That hadn't been sufficient time for her to even observe what the riders did-besides the fact that she knew Weyrlings were usually always 'busy with their dragons'. She wished she had a better concept of things in the 'dragonrider' aspect-she didn't like getting into things without at least some knowledge of how they worked, or what would happen. Not if these things would affect her. All anyone had ever told her was that it was the best thing that could ever happen to a person-the most amazing experience and so on and so forth. No one seemed to be able to describe it though, besides some saying it felt like you'd only been half a person until you impressed and 'found your other half'. Honestly she wasn't sure if she liked the sounds of that at all.

Kestrel was an independant person. She didn't like feeling like she was relying on anyone else for anything-especially not her own well-being or happiness or emotional state. It sounded like people became reliant on their dragons a lot more than she cared to rely on anyone or anything. She was perfectly content to keep her own thoughts to herself, and not worry about what anyone else thought or to have someone intrude upon her privacy-even if that someone was a dragon. She glanced at Roksha, and the golden f'lizard gave a sad chirrup, and she murmered reassuringly,
"not you, my pretty little lady. You are always a pleasure to have around." She smiled fondly at the little draconic kin, and wondered then if she might not like having a dragon as much as she enjoyed having Roksha around...maybe, just maybe, she could discuss this with Hasima? Hasima herself seemed a more quieter individual, maybe she could explain things having impressed herself? She chewed her lip unnoticably, and waited for the other girl to reply, somewhat anxious to ask her these questions all of a sudden.

[Akki]

Hasima nodded, even though it was more like a a quick jerk of the head. "She's the only girl that rides a blue that I know of." Hasima said with a shy smile as she wondered if she would ever meet another female that rode a blue. Maybe not now, but eventually she could when Rimith could fly. She placed three fingers on her lips and laughed a soft, whispery kind of laugh. "If you don't want to answer Akki, don't worry. She'll more than likely answer the question herself with some crazy assumption."

Hasima twisted a piece of hair around her finger and pulled on it slightly, chewing her bottom lip. It was rather odd, to speak so many words in one conversation. Before, the same amount of words she said so far would last the entire Turn. The people her age were too busy running around, having fun with their own friends. Her mother and father were too busy doing their own things to offer anything more than a sympathizing cluck of the tongue or a quick ruffle of the hair as they walked by her. It was rather weird from going to that to Dark Moon, where everyone more or less knew each other and would gladly offer you a word or two...even a few hundred when you didn't even want it.

Hasima looked up at Kestrel and flashed the girl a quick grin. Akki definitely was the type of person that would never pass up the chance to meet someone, and Ebbeth was exactly the same. They both had more than enough curiousity pulsing through their veins. She nodded, this one resembling an actual nod, "When I ask Rimith, she'll contact Ebbeth and in turn he'll contact Akki.". Or maybe Rimith would contact Akki directly? Hasima wasn't sure, but either way Akki would get the message. "It is a bit of work, but she would be here in a flash, no questions about it." Hasima said in a voice a bit more audible than a mumble.

She was going to offer to ask Akki to come now and pick them up, but the girl had the feeling that when Kestrel wanted Akki to come, that she would say so.

[kestrel]

For the first time in days, Kestrel had to laugh, and when she was through and down to a bemused grin, she replied,
"not answer a rider? By the first egg, I doubt that'd go over well at all! Last I heard, not answering a rider of any rank was a surefire way to get your posterior kicked into the dirt..." then she smirked wryly and added, "though I'd like to see them try to do that to me. I don't fear riders-just some of their dragons," she confided, and then, "anyhow I'm not going to not answer her, I just may not give her the lengthy and talkative answers she might be looking for." She wasn't being rude, she was being truthful. She wasn't much of a talker and being asked questions about herself always made her nevous and tended to make her clam up even more. So while she would never disrespect the Bluerider by not answering her period, she wouldn't give her long ones either. She wasn't a person who simply revealed things about herself like that off the bat. Even if she got to know a person, unless she was comfortable around that person she wouldn't be bothered to be overtly talkative nor overly friendly with them. She did not give false impressions of friendship or make friendly overtures unless she really and truly liked a person. Which did not, sadly, happen often.

She then remembered her questions she'd wanted to ask Hasima, even though now she was feeling a little ill at ease in asking them-were they too nosy? Well, if they were Hasima could very well just choose not to reply. And so, with that,
"I had a question or two about impressing for you...I know like everyone else you're likely really happy to have impressed your dragon. But before that...did you really want to impress, or were you unsure if you did or not?" There, it was out and the worst that could happen was that Hasima might choose not to tell her that information. She didn't think it was overly nosy. However, one could never be precisely sure whether or not another would want to answer a question or not. She herself often didn't choose to reply to almost half of the questions that were put to her-she was never really rude unless the person was being presumptuous or rude in the asking, but she pointedly told them that she wasn't going to answer them.

To Hasima's last words, she said bemusedly,
"well, you know her better than I do-is there any time of day in which she's not so busy? I would rather not cause her to be disturbed by coming here to get me."

[Akki]

Hasima couldn't help but grin to herself once she heard Kestrel's proclamations about not answering a rider. How many times had she herself not answer a rider, only offering an unsure, quivering smile instead of words? Some didn't answer riders, like herself when she was too nervous to get a word out, others answered politely and then there was the odd person would who poke fun at them with a friendly banter. Hasima combed her hair with her fingers and said softly, "You don't need to worry about not giving her lengthy answers. She can do quite a bit of talking even if you said only one word to her.". She knew this firsthand, thinking of the never ending talks Akki had with the yellow rider who barely said a word in return, but instead just smiled.

Hasima twisted her clothing with her large hands, twisting and twisting until it there was a small ball of cloth in her hand. She didn't mind answering, but she didn't really know how to answer it. "Um..." She began, chewing on the corner of her lip. "I never pictured myself as ever being on a hatching ground." Hasima admitted with a blush. "I'm not exactly the fastest person out there. I thought that I would just be around and help my parents with things when I got older. I figured that all the other kids would be searched. It was never a thought that I would be." She said, stumbling over words as she spoke almost quickly which only added to her already ferocious blush. How could one person admit to someone they just met that they thought of themselves as useless and even now, on some days couldn't help but wonder if they made a mistake searching her instead of someone more intelligent and rambunctious than herself.

Hasima grinned smally at Kestrels question. Akki's lifestyle could never be pin pointed down. She could either be working on something, or just walking around, joking around with people. She rubbed her the side of her face with her almost manly hands and shook her head. "No one can ever tell what she is doing."

[kestrel]

Kestrel smirked wryly and then replied with a curt nod,
"well, that's good then, because I don't believe lengthly answers are something I can, or will, be giving her. No disrespect meant of course, but it is not what I am prone to doing." Having said this, she continued to listen as Hasima spoke about how she had not expected to be searched, let alone impress.

As she listened to the girl speak, she realised that what Hasima said made sense. This shy, quiet girl did not seem to be amongst the brightest of people Kestrel had met. Any riders she'd met seemed vibrant or strong, outgoing or reserved and cunning. Hasmia seemed to be none of these things. However, there was another side to things and Kestrel was always one to look at both sides. Hasima may not have been the most intellectual person, but she was she was one of the most sincere. She wasn't the most outgoing person, but when she did speak she too the time to think about what she was saying, and got her message across clearly. She wasn't necessarily vibrant, but she was interesting in her own way. And she wasn't cunning from what Kestrel could tell, but she had a certain wisdom about her that Kestrel could respect. And so, after a moment, Kestrel replied,

"you may not see why you impressed, but rest assured I can. Perhaps you are not someone who has qualities that many other riders do, but you have your own good qualities and I can see why Rimith chose you, and why you were searched that day. Dragons are never wrong in their choices, or so I hear." With a small smile she added, "I can see more reasons why you would have been searched, and impressed, than for myself. I should be so lucky to impress anything at all, let alone a wonderful dragon such as you yourself have." She meant every word of what she said. She wasn't sure why the dragon had searched her considering the way she, as a person, was. She felt she had less 'good qualities' than Hasima did. She spoke without thinking and she was sure that more people liked Hasima than would like her. At most she would likely manage to push most of the people in the Weyr away, and she couldn't see them liking her-she was rather surprised to find that Hasima seemed to get along with her, and was sure that it was because the girl was different, like she herself was different but in another way. Yes, that had to be it. However, she would count her blessings and not think too much on it. Hasima she could hopefully be friends with, but she'd be a fool to think that she'd get along well with most of the others. If there were any others that she got along with at all.

Kestrel always had 'walls' up around herself, and never let anyone else in. It was the way she'd been for a long time now, and had problems breaking out of this habit of hers. She showed respect where due, listened when spoken to, followed orders flawlessly and was civil but not necessarily always polite, likable or agreeable. People found her rather 'cold' and 'reclusive'. She figured she knew who she was and what she wanted, though in truth that was probably not at all the case. Oftentimes one had to let others in to figure out who one was, and that was something Kestrel would have to learn...

To Hasima's comment that 'no one could ever tell what she was doing', Kestrel replied with a careless shrug,
"well then, I'll leave it up to you to decide when to ask her. She is your friend after all, and even if 'no one can tell what she is doing' at least you'd have a better idea of when a good time would be than I would," she said, glancing up at the skies overhead. It wasn't like she'd much to unpack at all-just the knapsack slung over one shoulder, which held a few articles of clothing and some essentials, as well as other things she'd brought. Still, it wasn't much. She could have it all unpacked within a few minutes of arriving. It was then she wondered if she'd have a room of her own, or if she'd be sharing. She actually whitened in pallor a touch, and then asked in an unsure tone,
"Hasima? When you were a Candidate, did Candidates have to share rooms?" She hoped the answer would be no, because she could not picture having to room with another person for more than a day or two, let alone the duration of her Candidacy!

[Akki]

Hasima grinned softly at Kestrel as the girl mentioned how giving long answers just didn't suit her. The yellow rider could definitely understand that. maybe even more so then the average person. Hasima too wasn't the type to really give lenghty answers, except for maybe no which certainly was a rare occurance. She wouldn't be able to count the times when she just blushed or uncertainly smiled as an elder questioned her and then retreated off with a last pat on her head, probably in hopes of finding someone who could actually hold a conversation. Maybe it was because her parents communication was a fast smile, or a pat on the arm before they ran off to do their own things.

As Hasima listened to Kestrel's words, she blushed so ferociously that her face was a deeper scarlet than it had ever been before. It clashed almost wonderously in an eerie way with her dark hair and pale skin. And despite the comforting words that had reached her ears, the girl still secretly had her own doubts, doubts that she wouldn't be able to get rid of for a very long time, if not never. Deep in her conciousness, part of her was sure that the dragon had mistaken the girl for something, someone else and that it truly should have picked someone other than her. A frown appeared on Hasima's face as her forehead wrinkled in near-confusion. "I think you'll impress." Hasima said softly. "The dragon who searched you saw something, and dragons are never wrong." She said with a small blush as she quoted the candidate.

Hasima nodded earnestly. "Do you mind if we walk a bit more then?" Hasima asked in her normal soft and polite tone. She figured that chances were the later it was, the less important things Akki would be doing right now. That way when Rimith talked to Ebbeth, if anything was interrupted it would probably just be the riders supper which she could get back to easily. Hasima frowned lightly as she wracked her brain for the answer to Kestrel's question. She knew the Weyrling Barracks was just one giant room, and didn't want to get that confused with the candidate barracks. "Um. I think there are seperate rooms for candidates but not for weyrlings." Hasima offered, almost weakly as she couldn't fully remember.