Gather Festivities

[kesomon]

A'ton nodded in return to the gangly young lad and smiled. "It's A'ton. Pleased to meet you, Kiran, it's our pleasure. It's gonna be a bit cramped, I'm afraid, but I think if you mount up behind me we'll all be at our most comfortable." The brownrider grinned lightly, and then, checking the straps once more, he vaulted up to settle behind Rhiyo. As the kid had never ridden before, he had determined the position would be more secure, but Kiran with his long legs would be more comfortable in the back. Getting himself settled in the straps, A'ton leaned over and offered a hand up to the second passenger.

[Riler]

Riler was panic-stricken as dragons soon began to be mounted, and quickly filling up, before quickly departing into Between. Riler was beginning to worry that he wouldn’t be able to catch a ride into the Gather until later on when the straggler riders decided to go to it. That is, until a man with dirty-blonde hair called out to him, asking if he needed a lift. He returned the man’s smile, as well as giving a sigh of relief, before he approached the young man, who appeared to be a few years his senior. “Yes, please,” Riler said kindly to the man, “I’d be very grateful if I could get a ride from you.” He gave a short bow, grinning into the man’s face. “M’name’s Riler, it’s a pleasure to meet ya.” Riler loved meeting new people, and his expression clearly showed this.

[kesomon]

P'mar offered out a hand to the younger man as he approached and presided a bow in respect. "P'mar, mister Riler. I saw the look on your face," he chortled softly. "Ready to be off?" Stepping aside, he gestured lightly towards Altoth, who was studying Riler with mild curiosity. "You'll be riding behind; that's how the straps are situated."

[Riler]

“Please,” he said, waving his hand from side to side, still smiling, “just Riler.” The title ‘mister’ in front of his name seemed unusual to him. It didn’t sound terrible, but he much preferred simply being called by his name. “Pleased to meet you, P’mar.” It wasn’t until P’mar had gestured to the Green dragon that Riler had really noticed her. He smiled upon noticing that the Green was looking at him. Riler bowed before her. “It’s a pleasure,” he said simply, not knowing what her name was.
Riler looked at P’mar at the mention of the straps, looking a little confused. “Um…” He scratched at the back of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. “I’m afraid you might have to assist me with the straps, I’m not sure how they fasten…” He had only been strapped onto a dragon’s back once, and that was when he was brought to Dark Moon Weyr. Even then, the rider who had brought him here had done that himself. Beginning to approach the Green, he added, “I hope that’s alright…”

[kesomon]

Of the two of them, P'mar was probably the more surprised when Altoth cocked her head at being addressed, gave her folded wings a shake, and purred in open broadcast, ~Altoth, little person. Of many passengers you're the first to speak to me before P'mar could introduce me.~ Her eyes whirled a preening myriad of colours.

P'mar felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle to a stand and he gave what, in his physical translation, was the equivilant of snapping one's head around and dropping one's jaw in shock. He turned his head slowly and arched an eyebrow in disbelief.

Altoth, rather innocently, twitched her tail and returned the look as if to say "What?"

Blinking, the man glanced back at Riler, and shrugged with a small smile. "Don't worry about the straps," the greenrider said genially. "Most folk don't. You a candidate?"

[Riler]

Riler was shocked to hear a response come from the Green dragon, from Altoth. When she finished, Riler suddenly felt like he had done something wrong. The first to speak to her before her rider could introduce her? Was there some sort of unwritten code-of-conduct that must be present before a dragon and rider; that you cannot speak to the dragon before she, or he, is introduced?
This nervousness and paranoia soon slipped away from Riler’s mind, for Altoth didn’t seem angry. If her face and eyes showed any emotion, Riler would’ve guessed she was pleased.
P’mar looked shocked, as well—for Riler couldn’t help but think he looked surprised—as he looked at Altoth, who met his gaze. Riler could only imagine what they were saying to anything, if they were saying anything at all.

He felt his spirits lift slightly when he was told not to worry about the straps. He nodded to P’mar, saying, “Yeah, I’m a candidate.”
Hopefully not for too much longer, he privately thought to himself.

[kesomon]

"Well, when you get to be a rider, you'll learn this stuff," P'mar reassured, still slightly dumfounded by his dragon's forwardness as he stepped up on Altoth's forearm and gripped the harness bar. His other hand he held out to Riler, and when grasped, provided the stabilizing force to pull the other man up and into the saddle. "And I do mean when. Altoth doesn't usually talk to other humans. She must like you. Usually means she senses something worth the trouble." Or she likes having her ego stroked, he added privately, though he didn't let that thought cross his expression.

[Riler]

Riler grinned to himself as P’mar stepped up onto Altoth and then helped pulled him up. He was generally a humble person, but he couldn’t help but take the assurance to heart. “I guess it’s good to know I’m worth the trouble, then?” He gave a soft chuckle as he situated himself onto the saddle and let P’mar begin to help strap him in.
Yes, he reassured himself, when I’m a rider, I’ll know how to deal with these straps. When; not if. Ever since he had left his home to come to the Weyr, he had become more and more sure of himself that he would Impress a dragon of his own. Riler didn’t know whether or not it was just the atmosphere of the Weyr that was making his ego grow in size, or whether or not his confidence was fueled by something else.
“I guess it’s a good thing for a dragon to like a person? If it means anything to her,” he continued, his eyes darting back and forth between P’mar and Altoth’s head, “I like her, too.”

[kesomon]

The compliment quickened the whirl of pleased hues in Altoth's eyes. P'mar tightened the straps around Riler's waist with a light smile and swung up in front, shifting himself a bit before finding comfort and securing himself in. "Definately a good thing," he told the young man from over his shoulder.

~If I did not like P'mar, I would not have choosed him,~ Altoth remarked, eyes shifting to a lovely purple shade as she crouched back, spreading her wings.

"Chose, Altoth. The word is Cho-ooah!" P'mar's heart along with his sentance lurched off into a laugh as the green sprung forth into the air, gaining altitude fast. "Sorry for that, Riler!" He shouted over the whistle of the wind. "We're going Between now, so just-"

P'mar felt his words strangled in his throat as existance ceased and he shut his eyes, counting the seconds away. The return of the sun's pale warmth against his face was a relief and he opened his eyes, inhaling a deep breath as the green leveled out her flight over the hold.

~Do you see A'ton down there, Altoth?~ He asked silently, scanning the ground for the familiar brown figure of Roanoth.

~I do not. I believe they are still at the Weyr,~ Altoth replied. Her eyes shifted to concern and she turned her head back slightly to bring her riders into focus with one glittering orb. ~You think he is planning something?~

~Along the lines of Lakeshire Hold,~ P'mar replied with resignment, leaning back slightly as they made their descent. ~Think defenseless naive Weyrlings unsuspecting of Old South viewpoints. He was eying the blue.~

~Ebbeth? Roanoth felt he was overly pleasant,~ Altoth rumbled curiously. ~But he is ridden by-oh. Ooooh.~ P'mar was treated to the sensation of a blush in his mind that tainted his own cheeks pink. ~What will you do?~

~He hasn't done anything yet; there's nothing I can.~ As Altoth backwinged, the rider braced for impact, tightening his grip on the harness. ~We'll see what happens.~ "Good landing, love," he said aloud, stretching a kink in his neck and unbuckling the straps that held he and Riler onboard. "All ashore."

[Riler]

Riler’s grin only grew larger, but was soon replaced by an alarmed expression as he noticed that Altoth was preparing to take off. Of course he knew that he was to ride a dragon to the Gather, yet, for some reason—despite the fact that he had seen hundreds of dragons take off and land—he was a little frightened of riding one. It was an irrational fear, he knew, and he was sure that in the future, he would be able to get over it. He didn’t even understand what he was scared of; heights didn’t make Riler bat an eye, and he knew that the dragon knew what it was doing. He gave a small sigh.

His stomach lurched as Altoth took to the skies. He was sure that P’mar had said something, but he didn’t catch what it was. Suddenly, the cold and darkness of Between took him. Was it Between that frightened Riler? No, he thought. Of course it was a little scary, for there was always the potential danger of getting stuck there forever, but he didn’t think that this was the cause.

Suddenly, they burst out into the bright sunshine. Looking down, he could see that the Gather was well underway by now. Riler laughed with delight as Altoth began to lower to the ground. Again, Riler felt his stomach drop as the dragon back-winged—he cursed himself for not having the foresight to know that’s how they would land, he had seen it done many times before. They touched down on the ground smoothly, and P’mar began to unbuckle the straps that bound them down.
As soon as Riler was free, he hopped down from Altoth, and turned back to the pair. “I thank you both for the ride!” He gave each of them a short bow before he added to P’mar, “Maybe I’ll see you later, then?” He gave a small wave and a grin, and then turned around. He began to make his way to the Gather, his marks jingling in his pants pockets. Not for too much longer, he mused to himself.

[Kino]

[Bah, sorry about the lack of replies. This week has been by the first egg on due dates xD had to get a bunch of work done. But! Now I'm finished. =P

I'm gonna leave Khris to wander a bit more, wait for something that he can actually reply to xD]

Kiran nodded in reply to the Brownrider's greeting and quick set of directions. He waited while the Dragonrider pulled himself up to sit behind the other boy that was getting a ride, and took the hand when he was offered it. He held onto the rider with one hand and grabbed hold of some of the straps with the other. Of course he'd seen other riders using their dragons as a step to get into the saddle before, but as nothing of the sort had been done at this moment he thought to mount as if he were getting onto a runnerbeast instead.

Bending lightly at the knees he gave a quick jump and continued to tug himself upward until he could get his leg over. Long legs certainly helped, of course. Once he was up and settled in he gave another nod of thanks and a smile to the Brownrider, giving a "Thank you." to the previously offered hand up, as well.

[kesomon]

P'mar lent the young man a hand down with a warm smile and made sure he was clear of Altoth's wings before he turned his head back to focus on his dragon's chameleon eyes. "Back to the Weyr, love?"

~Oh why?~ Altoth sighed, making no move to take flight again. ~There were plenty of others giving rides to the needy. Let's go back to the sun.~

P'mar thought about protesting for a moment, but said nothing. It was a valid arguement. It had been A'ton's idea in the first place to help out, and they had done their part. As a result, A'ton had zeroed in on a new rider, they'd lost the benifits of a day's relaxation to the cold of Between, and P'mar's stomach now growled hungrily with a dull ache of want that wasn't entirely his. He dug his fingers into his eyes to create pressure, watching stars blossom against the back of his eyelids.

"Alright," he agreed, unbuckling his straps and sliding off. Altoth dipped her forepaws to allow him to remove the harness, and straightened with a satisfied rumble, shaking herself loose. "Go sun. I'll wait for A'ton."

With a responding churr, Altoth lumbered off to the sunny rocks, her rich green hide aglow in the light.

--------------------------

A'ton hauled Kiran up into the harness with one hand and tightened the straps around his waist, flashing a grin over his shoulder as Roanoth rose from his crouch. "Alright, hold on," he warned, and tightened his own grip reassuringly around Rhiyo's waist as the massive brown sat back and spread his wings, rising into the air with a few powerful downstrokes. The wind whistled past their ears, making a mess of A'ton's hair, and the Weyr below grew smaller and smaller, until-

they were Between, the void, no light, no dark, no up or down, no sense at all, and-

They appeared with a rush of warm breeze tainted with the scent of the Gather's aroma's, and Roanoth was flapping his way down to the landing area. He could see a figure already standing there, and as they grew closer he could make out P'mar's familiar blonde curls. Altoth, on the sunning rocks, bugled to the brown as Roanoth swept back and touched down gently, and A'ton leaned back so that the jolt of landing wouldn't crack his chin against Rhiyo's head, or his skull against Kiran's nose.

"Welcome to the Gather, boys," he said, unbuckling the harness and helping Kiran off first before sliding down on his own and holding out a hand to Rhiyo, assisting his unload. "Hope you enjoy your day here. Any problems there, P'mar?" He flashed a grin at the greenrider, who was standing off to the side, arms folded over his chest, a bland expression on his face.

"We're both hungry," P'mar replied smoothly. "You're paying."

[Wolf]

Finally, they were here at the Gathering, and it was a chance to sneak away. Wolf hadn't had a lot of time to herself, which wasn't surprising since every one was always out and about at the same time that she was. Now, at the Gathering, it'd be easy enough to get lost in such a large crowd. For all she knew she wouldn't bump in to any of her friends and she could just have some time to think and ponder over how happy she'd be to return to her bonded, Serinth. Serinth was her sole focus, and her overall reason for living. Sure, there were other aspects of her life that she enjoyed but nothing compared to being with her magnificent beast. Akki's shouted out comment set her to laughing, while her brother was muttering to himself-always finding himself on the opposite end of people's teases.

She took J'red's offered hand, needing the help down. Once she was sure that her feet were on solid ground her heart stopped racing. She bowed to the Bronzerider politely, not wanting to forget her manners. He had, after all, gone through the trouble of transporting her brother and her here. Wolf flashed him a gentle smile, saying: "Thank-you for the ride, its much appreciated and I'm sure R'xis and I will see you at a later time." She glanced over at her brother, who had gotten down on his own; now standing beside her. She looked up at him, feeling small compared to his tall form. She was truly a shadow in his presence. It didn't bother her for she knew with him around she would always feel protected, and watched over.

While R'xis said his farewells to the Bronzerider she scanned the area to see who all had arrived already. She spotted a few of the Candidates, not recognizing all of them, but one boy in particular stood out to her. She watched Riler walk by, remaining silent. Perhaps it was best if he didn't see her, and she knew it would've been all the more better if she hadn't seen him. She looked back to J'red, giving him a polite nod. 'Bubbly pies,' she thought, using the food item to distract her thoughts. 'Warm and oh so tasty,' she sighed. She looked up at the sky, watching more dragons fly in to drop off people at the Gather. It only made her all the more envious, unable to wait for the day when Serinth and her were airborne.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

R'xis smirked, shaking his head back and forth. Akki's comments were already flying, and it made him feel relieved somehow. He watched Ebbeth disappear in to the sky, hoping for the Blue's quick return. He bowed to J'red respectfully. "J'red, it’s been a pleasure. Thank you for taking my sister and I to the Gather. As she's said, we will likely see you later on." The boy waved with his hand, offering an arm to his sister, which she linked on to.

He was hoping that they'd run in to specific people, unlike his sister. He wanted to spend time with Akki, despite everything. She was still his, well, best friend. He hoped he'd get a chance to dance with her but then thought of how close people could get while dancing, and he shivered, finding the thought pleasurable while fully aware of the dangers. Even while looking about fantasies of Akki and himself played in his mind. He looked down at Wolf, flashing her a sincere smirk. He hoped she knew that he planned to stick by her unless she wished for some time to herself. 'Bubbly pies,' he thought, licking his lips. Little did he know Wolf's own thoughts were just that. Nothing was more comforting then food, well-almost nothing. He really wished that Ersith could be there with him, enjoying the festivities. It seemed like she was growing up so fast, and he was enjoying every minute that he was with her. There were days when he still woke-up in shock of being in the Weyrling Barracks. Another thing that often startled him time and time again was Ersith's femininity. How surprised would every one be to see a brown rising to mate? He blushed, wondering if he'd feel any different then other male riders who had male dragons during a mating flight. 'At least I'll go in to it knowing I'll end up with some one unlike those who are participating in the flight.' A smirk tugged at his lips while he imagined Ebbeth soaring through the skies after a full-grown Ersith. He shook his head back and forth, which prompted a look of questioning from his sister. His sheepish grin gave it all away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wolf would've asked but his sheepish grin was indeed enough to answer what would have been a question raised about his behaviour. She chuckled softly, patting his arm. The silence between them was a comfortable one, the sound of the festivities all around them. Wolf kept close to R'xis, keeping a weather eye out for the vendor who sold the best bubbly pies. The scent that came to her nose was heavenly... She closed her eyes over, tongue running over her lips while her thoughts were immersed in what she remembered of the taste. 'Soon my mouth will be filled with the savoury goodness,' she thought, glad that R'xis was leading her along otherwise she'd probably be bumping in to others. When she re-opened her eyes she could see that R'xis was leading them toward the marvellous scent. 'No one can miss it,' she thought. "To the bubbly pies I gather?" she asked just to make sure.

"Of course, what kind of big brother would I be if I didn't treat my sister?" he asked, looking down at her with a clear expression of affection shown on his face. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head, glad that she was by his side. He really didn't spend enough time with her, and he desperately wanted to change that. He scanned the group of people once more, knowing that other then Akki the only other person that may ever approach him would be Hasima or the newest Candidate boy: Rhiyo. 'I hope he's doing all right,' he thought, unable to even imagine how difficult it must be to get along with having lost your memory. 'I wish I could help him retrieve if only a few of his memories but...' He frowned, wiping it off of his face when he reminded himself that he was here to have fun-and so was Wolf.

[Akki]

If I got any more graceful, you might feel the need to bow to me dear Mneith. Ebbeth replied to the large brown, a dragonic smile covering his face. Akki lightly flicked the blues hide as she grinned at the dragon and his rider. She leaned forward, shrugging slightly, "I actually don't know myself Rhia. I've been waiting here but no one is coming up so far so I guess we can just head to the Gather then. I can see how Mneith could look scary mind you." Ha! He's like a big ol' feline. Ebbeth said, teasing the brown. Akki grinned at Rhia's hair, and guessed that the woman would be dressing at the Gather which the bluerider was starting to wish she had done. Her dress wasn't working out so well for good flying clothes. Akki looked around, and still saw no one rushing up for a ride, "I think Ebbeth and myself are going to head out. There's a couple of extra riders here anyways, so you should probably head to the Gather also. Meet you there?"

Ebbeth lifted himself and his rider up off the ground a few feet, hovering for a second. I'm sure you'll find me Mneith. I'll be the handsome blue, surrounded by all the pretty females. Akki let a snort escape from her mouth as they finally got high enough to slip Between where the endless cold was meeting them once again. Fresh air filled the riders lungs as they appeared high above the Gather, letting Rukbat's rays warm them as they landed softly on the ground. Akki slid off, arms up above her head in a stretch, "Ahh, finally. I just want to enjoy the Gather now. Go on then, find yourself some pretty dragons and chat them up."

Happy to oblige, the blue dragon turned and took off, looking from some company for himself. She watched as her dragon slowly grew smaller and smaller before brushing off her dress, and fixing her hair for a moment, grinning to herself as she looked around for people to talk too. Gathers were the perfect place to meet new people, and everyone in Dark Moon knew that was what Akki loved doing the most. Of course, now was time to make difficult decisions. Should she bump into someone to start a conversation, or just chat someone up?

[Wolf]

People, everywhere! Would they stop and form a path for her so that she could actually get through? Probably not. The smells were unbelievable; coming from the food. Surely the wondrous smells weren't coming from any of the people, they all smelled like a hard day's work; something that was uncommon to her. She scoped out her next victim, intense blue eyes darting from person to person. Some of them were moving too fast for her to reach them while others were in a group of friends so she didn't even think to bother, smartly. She whistled a teaching ballad, arms hanging limply at her sides; her fingers drumming against her thighs. Dragons were passing overhead, landing to drop off even more people. Because that's exactly what we need, the girl thought bitterly, a neutral expression on her face. More bumbling idiots to add to the mass. She kept on walking, passing who ever she had to; pushing aside who ever she had to. Then her eyes locked on her victim, a tall man (possibly a Dragonrider), passing by. Her gaze flickered to his pocket from afar, seeing the tip of a bag sticking out-as if the bulge wasn't already enough to indicate the presence of the treasures. She walked past him, bumping shoulders. As they did she pulled the weight out of his pocket, putting it in her other hand before holding it closely to her side.

The man spun around, catching her by the arm. She looked up at him, having expected that he'd notice something. She broke free of the man’s grasp with a twist of her arm; an innocent look in her eyes.
"I know what you did girl! Give them back!" He grabbed on to her arm again and she found that she was unable to free herself this time. She put her plan in to action after inconspicuously putting the marks in to her pocket with the already existing ones. His gaze shot to her side furiously and she yelled out:
"Hey! Let go of me! Keep your hands off, what do you think your doing?" The sound of her voice marked urgency, a look of fear on her face that anyone would have guessed was real. She began to whine, the man trying to get at her pocket to retrieve the marks while demanding for her to stop hollering before he turned her over to a Lord Holder or Weyrleader. She ignored his threats, people stopping to look to the shouting girl. A few men tore the tall man away from her, her bottom lip quivering. "Thank you," she said, faking a sniffle. Her eyes watered with the formation of tears. She then turned and fled, a few people staring after her in bewilderment. Meanwhile the tall man was trying to explain to those hauling him off what she had done.

Tieler laughed, swiping the side of her face with the back of her hand. Fake tears dried on her cheeks. She continued on whistling the same teaching ballad, looking down while she kicked a rock through the dirt, her one hand sunk in to her left pocket. A few young boys passed by and the one who was closest to her whistled, looking to her exposed stomach-area. She flashed him a smirk, disappearing in to the crowd before he could come and find her. Just as she was about to look straight ahead she bumped in to something... or more like some one. She scoffed, eyes narrowing when she looked up in to the face of a young woman. "Shards, watch where your going!" she yelled, not knowing that this was Akki, rider of Blue Ebbeth. Knowing her she probably wouldn't have cared all that much anyhow. Akki's height exceeded her own, but it didn't seem to deter the girl’s motor mouth any.

A Dragonrider whom had told her that the Weyrwoman of the Weyr that she was meant to go to would be at the Gather had dropped off Tieler at the Gathering. He'd offered to bring her to the Weyr so that suitable garments could be found for her but she'd simply glared at him and asked if he was nuts. So, here she was, dressed in baggy pants and a tunic cut off two to three inches below her chest. Keeping up appearances wasn't really something she cared to do. As long as she was, for the most part, clean, then that was good enough for her. Tieler was still hoping to find a vendor she could purchase some fine wine off of. It was moments like these, when people were all around and she was dead bored, that the option of getting drunk seemed like a suitable one. After that she figured that she could find a sucker or two to puff up her already existing ego...
Her short, blindingly red, hair couldn't be successfully tied up; not that she'd tie it up anyhow even if it was longer-which it never was. So, therefore, all the girls at this Gather looked far more feminine then she. She wouldn't even be surprised if some mistook her for a boy, if it wasn't for her figure.
She pulled up her pants a bit but it wasn't any use seeing as they sunk down low again. Oh well, its hot out here anyway, she thought.

[Akki]

When someone collided straight into Akki, her reaction was a mixture of an exhale of breath and a 'Whup!'. She looked down, her eyes latching onto a bright mop of hair that seemed to be glaring at her. She took a step back, careful not to step on the hem of her dress as she surveyed the girl who had ran into her, hands on her hips. "Oi, oi. Shouldn't I be the one to say that?" Akki said, waggling her finger with a fake, scolding tone. Of course, this entire situation seem rather ironic due to her previous thoughts of how to start up a conversation. "You should watch where you're going, you could have tripped on my dress and now be sprawled out on the ground." She said, with a cluck of her tongue.

She took note of the outfit Tieler was wearing and shook her head with an exclamation of, "Look what kids are wearing these days!". Of course this statement made her seem older than she really was. "Some guy could snatch you away without a second thought." She pointed out with a shake of her head, casting a look around to see if there was anyone ready to steal her. She jerked her thumb into R'xis' direction, "That guy over there would probably pick you up and run away with you.". She took another look at Tieler, why was she getting the feeling that this girl in front of her didn't seem like the type to care for authority very much? She removed one of her hands that rested on her hip and stared at Tieler, not sure if she was waiting for an apology or what exactly. "Kids shouldn't be straying away from their parents." She said absent-mindedly, not realizing she said it out loud. A small grin grew on her face as she realized the hypocrisy of the sentence, after all she had run away from her father in order to get to Dark Moon.

[kestrel]

Tikal nodded to Kaelin's words-they had all day, really, and they could probably accomplish just about anything they wanted to. There were runner races, and dances, competitions, games, stalls to browse, food to eat...there was a lot they could do. He couldn't even pick which to do first, and so suggested, "well, there's a runner race scheduled to go on later this afternoon. There should be several-if you want me to I could place a bet on a runner for you and I? It might be fun!" Then he suggested, "after we do that we'll have some time, so if you'd like to do some stall browsing, it would be all right with me. I didn't come here for anything in particular, but I sure do love looking for something that catches my fancy!" He grinned broadly-there were so many stalls at a gather that browsing was what usually occupied most of the people's time before evening, when dancing, eating and drinking started. There was lots to see, and he had no problem spending his marks on someone not himself.

~~~~~~

J'red was pretty sure everyone who'd been in the bowl was accounted for, and so he told Hikanth that it was quite all right for him to be off sunning and chatting with the other dragons. Hikanth, he was sure, would be seeking out Kaith. However, not to be outdone, the bronze would likely give the other females some minor attentions as well. Hikanth was by no means untalkative whereas it came to female dragons, but J'red knew that the bronze's preferenece was for Kaith, and was sure he'd let hier know in his way. Speaking of Kaith...

J'red had yet to see Christae at the Gather, and wondered what she'd have worn. Whatever it was, he had no doubts he'd like it. The Weyrwoman seemed to have good taste in dress insofar as he could tell, and he was inclined to believe that the same would apply to her gather attire. He decided he would get himself a cup o Klah and a bubbly pie to begin with, as the stalls for both were very near to the dragon's landing place. With this in mind, he headed to the vendor's and purchased a pie and a mug of Klah, sitting down against a tree to plan out what he'd do for this gather. He'd every intention of getting a dance-or two or three-with Christae, if she'd allow it. What better excuse did one need for dancing with a lady of one's liking than a Gather, where he was as free as any to request a dance? He had also gotten a promise from Wolf that she'd save him a dance, and he'd have to be sure to dance with the energetic young bluerider, Akki, as well. He also made a mental note to save the young Yellowrider a dance. She was so shy that he had a feeling she'd not be asking others for dances. He smiled slightly at this, and took a slow sip of his Klah, eyeing the sunning rocks for signs of Kaith and her rider...

~~~~~~

Rhiyo was grateful to the rider for taking him to the Gathe, and thanked him politely as he slid down off the dragon, feeling rather unsteady on his feet for a moment. He'd had no clue what had happened when everything suddenly went dark and cold. He'd tried to scream and no sound had come out. When they'd blinked out back into the daylight, his face was white as could be, and he felt rather ill. For, though he knew dragons flew, he had never been told of 'between'! He shakily looked around to see if he recognized anyone, and did, but he was looking for R'xis or someone he'd be more comfortable with. He spotted R'xis with a young girl he'd never met before, and walked over tentatively. There was a certain familiarity about the girl's face-who was she that there wold be a slight sense of recognition within him? She wasn't sure, it wasn't as if he felt he knew her, just that he thought she had a sort of look about her that he'd seen before, and so, he asked R'xis with a small smile, "hey there-urm...is this a friend of yours? She looks kind of-" he stopped short, looking from R'xis to the girl, than back again, before exlaiming, "oh! Are you two family?" He would feel very stupid were he wrong. The similarities were not great. But he thought, at least, that there were slight resemblances between the two.

~~~~~~

Kestrel thanked Akki for the ride, and then turned to Hasima, after looking wide-eyed at the large Gather before them, "did you have any idea of what you wanted to do?" She asked this a bit tentatively, because of all the people gathered she was feeling a bit more ill-at-ease. Better to let Hasima pick where they went. However, it then occurred to her that Hasima wasn't much of one for being around large groups either! She reddened a little, than pointed to the bubbly pies and commented, "those smell really good! I bet they're as good as they smell, really. Did you want to get one?" It was a random idea, but there was a lot to do and that was at least someplace to begin.

Kestrel wasn't so much nervous as she was not liking being around so many others. She felt better when she wasn't having to deal with a lot of others. She was pretty sure that Hasima didn't have the same problems she did, and that Hasima on the other hand was nervous where she was just not pleased to be in an area with so many people. She didn't get along with most people-perhaps that was more it. She wasn't much of a talker and people liked to talk. Talking wasn't what she did, or did well. She'd become friends with Hasima, but other than brief interludes where she had to interact with others briefly, she'd spent all her spare time with Hasima when the girl was free, and all the rest of her time alone. Was that normal? She didn't know. Even Hasima seemed to get along with Akki and a few others. At least she interacted well enough even though she was painfully shy. Could she, too, interact with others? She'd never tried...

~~~~~

Kaiya had finally gotten a ride to the gather but she had no clue about who she planned to spend it with. It was all very well to wander about on one's own, but it was better to spend a gather with other people, not by yourself. With a heavy sigh, she stood alone nearby the dragon's landing site, after thanking the rider for dropping her off. She bit her lower lip, seeing no one right away that she recognized. Who, after all, did she know? Wolf? Riler? That about summed it up. She'd been doing her chores and minding her own business in the barracks, friendly with all but having made no real friends amongst her fellow candidates just yet. Hence the reason she'd arrived at this gather alone, hoping that someone would deign to at least keep her company for part of the day, since later on everyone would be dancing, and she did know how to do that, at least!

[kestrel]

Raska was not in a good mood. She'd been taken from her hold and brought to the Weyr by a Searchrider, only to be told there was a Gather going on and to be dropped off there next. Now, she liked Gathers. They were the perfect opportunity for her to practice one of her three favorite crafts: art, writing and thievery! Stealing always made her feel great about herself, for it was not always something easily done. One had to be crafty and have a good method to not be caught. She had several. She was in a bad mood because the Bluerider had threatened his dragon on her, and because she had been forced to come to a Weyr and she had no intentions of doing so. It was not part of her game plan, and Raska didn't like people who messed with her plans. So, after glaring coldly at the Dragonman and his 'stupid beast', as she had been thinking of the Blue he rode, she coldly vanished into the crowds to begin her 'work'.

She preferred working later in the evening or at night, under cover of darkness. Yes, night and darkness were her friends, as surely as the black feline whom she now removed from the inside of her shirt to sit upon her shoulder was. He had been sickly when she found him, and she was sure that his growth would be stunted by this sickness. However, he now seemed healthy enough and was growing rapidly, as fine a mouser as there ever was, yet a better companion than she'd ever known. She rubbed the fur between his ears, weaving throughout the crowd with practice long worked upon, looking for an 'easy target'. The easiest were those who wore jackets over their shirts, and therefore would be less likely to feel the removal of whichever goods she stole from their outside pockets than from one closer to the skin. Dragonriders were her favorite targets. They wore wher-hide jackets and those were made of thick stuff to keep out cold. Yes, they were the easiest targets, them and drunks, or those too into what they were doing to notice what was going on. Her first target made himself easy to her.

Standing in a crowd, talking to others, wearing a wher-hide jacket overtop his clothing. His position was such that she would not arouse much, if any, suspicions. The pockets built inside her clothing were genius. Closer to places no one dared reach, and her baggy overshirt hid it as well. This pocket was down the front of her pants, and only once sure of her getaway would the won goods be transferred to other hidden pockets. One in each boot, one down the front of her shirt, one in the hood she'[d built into her shirt...yes, she was well-prepared for her trade. There was a something that looked like a pocket at the side of her shirt, which she'd made possible for the goods to fall down into the one in the front of her pants, where no good person would be reaching! She never missed a beat.

She walked at the normal pace, arms crossed as she went along, looking in the opposite direction of her target for she had already seen he was not changing stance much. A fast walk, but not fast enough to warrant attentions. A swift snag as she went by, and down the wallet was dropped into the already opened pocket, down to the front of her pants. The Dragonman didn't even change his stance or stop his sentence. A small smile was barely notable, as she spotted another up ahead who was stupid enough to leave the drawstring from his wallet hanging out. A Lord Holder likely, from his air. Fool. He was already drinking, so early in the evening, she could smell drink upon his breath before even nearing. Her sense of smell was very keen, her eyes sharp. A wicked look crossed her expression as she swiftly lightened his load and continued walking, this wallet promising to be chock-full of marks. She was delighted, usually she didn't get so lucky this early on. It was going to be a good day indeed!

She overheard someone telling another to watch where she was going, her cool, violet gaze falling on a pair of persons who were as different as night and day. A young girl with bright red hair, startlingly so, and a bit of an older girl, with lighter blond hair. Her interest piqued, wondering if she might score another steal so soon from the older one who was obviously looking all-too-engaged in conversation, she edged forwards. However, her interest over won her desire to get more, and she merely stood there, arms folded, observing the red-headed individual. She was loud, that was for sure. She wore clothing that showed off her mid-ruff, but not much else. Raska guessed this girl liked that section of her body, perhaps more so than the rest of it. She seemed to be volatile, but something about her attitude suggested that she was more than she let people know, that this was an affront. Raska was a master of affronting, and therefore could recognize the quality in others. In fact, her assessments of others was so acute that it made her job that much more easy. She turned her gaze to the other girl. Loud, easygoing and over-friendly. Probably popular with others. Annoying. Raska couldn't stand nosy, loud, over-talkative people. At least not friendly ones. She smirked wryly, her eyes going back to the red-haired girl. She could perhaps tolerate that one. Unless the girl was a total wherry-brained fool. She was curious, however, so put on her 'friendly' face, oh-so-convincing, and walked over, asking, "excuse me, I need to find the drinking tent. I usually prefer to be drunk if I'm at boring gatherings like these-makes them all the more interesting, if you get my drift." She winked at Akki in a friendly manner-she was hardly old enough to be drunk but she looked like she was more closer to sixteen or seventeen turns when she behaved maturely, at least. Not everyone was fooled by it, but many still were. She kept the friendly face, one eyebrow raised awaiting the answer to her query.

[Sparrow]

Amongst the hustle and bustle of the gather crowd strolled one girl of 16 turns. She went by the name of Marletta and she came from Ruatha Hold. She and her father had arrived several days before so they would not be rushing about on this Gather day. This was actually the 16 turn-old’s first Gather outside of Ruatha and she was enjoying it immensely.

As many others had done, she had dressed to impress. Marletta wore a dark red gown with intricate designs along the hem of the dress in a deep brown color (red and brown being the colors of Ruatha). The way the dress flowed about her body had a much-wanted slimming effect on the girl. The neck of the dress was in the shape of a V and dipped enough to show a bit of cleavage. Upon her feet were slippers in the same brown color as the design on her dress. Marletta’s hair hung down to the middle of her back in waves. She had pulled just a bit back from her face so that it would not fall into her eyes when she danced.

Right now, however, dancing was not on the girl’s mind. Marletta was now walking through the crowd glancing around at all the different vendors, hazel eyes trying to spot something that she would want to buy. She had a few marks of her own left over from the last Gather she had been too but even if what she wanted was too expensive, she was sure her father would purchase it for her. She grinned at that thought. Someone yelling brought her from her thoughts. Hazel eyes caught sight of the source of the commotion, a man who was holding a red haired girl by the arm. That did not look good, whatever was happening. She watched as the crowd pulled the man away from the girl and decided to follow her, wherever she was going it was more interesting than what these stalls were selling.

Marletta took a handful of her skirt and held it up as she hurried to follow the girl. She frowned when she thought she had lost the girl, even though she had no idea what she was going to do if she found the girl. Thankfully, though she heard another loud voice that caught her attention. It looked as if once again the red-haired girl was being yelled/scolded at. “What was with this girl?” Marletta wondered as she tried to maneuver a bit closer to hear the girl’s response to the scolding.


((Sorry I'm a bit rusty haven't RPed in forever. ^#^ Oh and if someone at some chance could possibly search her at the Gather. Not necessarily now of course, whatever works into the plot thingy.))

[Kino]

[Ohhh man. I have enough free time to get in a post xD but I'm gonna leave Kiran on his own for now, nothing quite for him to do. Just see a spot for Khris and I'm tossing him in xP]

When he'd finally gotten to the gathering Khris had stood there for a moment or so realizing he hadn't the faintest idea of what people usually do at gatherings. On top of that, he'd come alone. Not exactly by his own choice - he'dve been fine with going with someone else...he just...didn't really know anybody else. In the end, after a few minutes of standing there somewhat awkwardly and watching the others people wander by, he figured he might as well buy something. Sure, he didn't have much money, but he had enough to get something different to eat. And besides, living in a Weyr now, he probably wouldn't need money to buy necessities for quite some time; Khris started off towards the various stalls.

As he made his way the boy noted contentedly that it was a lot quieter here than it had been at the Weyr. Khris blinked once. Okay, he thought as he looked around at the many bustling and chatting people, Not literally quiet. but at least quiet in the sense that there weren't dragons everywhere who were also talking amongst themselves or their riders. The boy was sure there were dragons on the outskirts of the Hold sunning themselves comfortably, but apparently they were far enough away to where their conversations didn't reach him. He was fine with that.

Khris slowed in his walk when the smell of bubbly pies caught against his nose, and he stopped to look around for them. Catching sight of the stand that was selling the treats, he smiled lopsidedly and turned to walk over. He hadn't been able to have bubbly pies very often in his life at all, so he figured they were as good as anything to spend the bit of money he had on. When he reached the stand he stood off to the side to look over the prices, smiling once more after a moment. "Enough for one, at least." he mused to himself, turning then to step into the line.

[xD Well, Kest, we had been talking about getting Khris and Kestrel to meet. Thought it was as good a time as any.]