Gather Festivities

[kestrel]

Kestrel listened to Hasima with a surprised look on her face, and she looked a bit taken aback as the girl finished what she had to say by way of explanation of what had just gone on. Then, the look of surprise was quickly replaced by one of admiration and respect for what Hasima had done. With a bright smile for her friend, she replied, "they'd all have to be fools to think what you just did was dumb, Hasima!" Motioning towards the retreating persons, she went on, "looked to me like you even managed to impress that black haired individual. If anything you impressed them and gained their respect. They probably think you're really something, if you ask me. I know I do, what you did was both brave and admirable." She gave her friend a pat on the back, and then turned when Hasima suddenly asked a blond haired boy sitting on the ground nearby with a bubbly pie if she knew him from Dark Moon. She frowned a little, trying to remember if and when she'd seen him around, and realized that she indeed had. So, she nodded, and waited for him to reply. Even though she knew the answer, it was only polite to wait for him to confirm in regards to Hasima's query. She wondered at Hasima asking the boy that-she was pretty sure Hasima didn't know this individual, and Hasima was usually so shy. Well, this day was full of surprises already, what was one more?

~~~~~~

Rhiyo was pretty sure that Akki had been the reason they'd come over here, that something had been happening involving the girl that his friend liked. So, he merely nodded and replied with a shake of his head, "no, it's okay. I'm sure you had a good reason for coming over here, and we should just enjoy our time here..." he trailed off, then added quietly, "I'm sure whatever it was, Akki will talk to you about it later." He tried to smile with confidence at R'xis, not wanting anything to ruin his friend's time at the Gather. To Wolf, he turned next, and then asked a little more shyly, "er, I didn't catch you answer as to what color dragon you got. I know there are blues, and yellows and browns. Did you get one of those, or something else?" He hoped he wasn't rude for asking again, but he hadn't exactly gotten an answer because of the interruption, and was sincerely curious as to the answer. As for the bubbly pies, Rhiyo chuckled and began walking alongside R'xis and his sister back towards the bubbly pie vendor. He recognized Hasima and another girl from the Weyr, and they were busy talking to a blond haired individual he recognized vaguely but couldn't quite place. He turned his attentions back to the brother and sister pair he was with, looking to Wolf while awaiting a reply from the girl.

~~~~~~

By the time Raska reached Tieler with Akki, she had already managed to chug most of her first bottle of wine, and Raska's eyes widened as she realized that in doing so, Tieler was already quite drunk. Well, she was right to assume that Tieler would be different as a person drunk than as a person who was sober. Most were, she just hadn't known what to expect. She raised an eyebrow quietly as Riler joined them. She wasn't too fond of this gathering crowd, and hoped that no one else would be adding themselves to this already-to-large, to her, group. She watched Tieler with a faint hint of bemusement. Any thoughts she'd had of retorting mildly back to the girl's parting words were gone, as she had a lot of doubt in the fact that they'd even register at this point. She took a lazy drawl from her own bottle, as Kero proceeded to seat himself on her lap, purring quietly. There were canines who behaved less well than the black feline, and Raska had no worries about getting drunk herself. She knew how to defend herself drunk or no, and that was what mattered to her. Everything else, she tended to let go in retrospects to being under the influence. She allowed Akki to introduce Riler to her and Tieler, but didn't miss for a second the way the boy's eyes kept flitting back to Tieler. She scowled, for she couldn't stand the way the boy looked like he was staring at the other girl, without even really having to stare. Not that she cared that he was looking, since Tieler obviously was playing the part of the flirt right on back. However, what she didn't like was the fact that Tieler was drunk, and perhaps would be taken advantage of by this new arrival. While she didn't give a sharding care about Tieler as a person, she did mind guys who eyeballed a girl they didn't even know, or ones that took advantage of any girl. She would watch him, drunk or no, and if he said or did something she didn't like, he'd be sure to get it from her. She was feeling the effects of her own bottle slightly, but she was actually going slower than normal, as she knew she had all night to go at this, and wanted her drink-and her marks-to last. To Akki, she motioned to Riler and commented, "you can share with that eyesore if you'd like, but I've got my own, and can get more if I so choose." She wanted to impress on Riler that though he might think himself sly by eyeballing Tieler and being a flirt, she wasn't impressed. She had a bad feeling Tieler used boys the same way she probably used everyone else around her-only there was a lot more to using a guy than a girl.

She drank quietly now, nursing her bottle and her thoughts, wondering if this night would bring any more interesting events. She'd taken enough marks in the first half of her day to account for more than what most saved in a couple of turns, and she had them all hidden away safely. She would take care to not spend them on anyone who was not drinking, lest they suspect something. However, if these around her were drunk, well, she wasn't cheap. She knew she needed to rid herself of at least some of the weight in her pockets before all was said and done. A wise person hid marks, and never let on how much they really had on them. She had already chosen a few hiding spots no one would ever look around the Weyr for the remainder of her marks, and would only keep on her what was necessary. She wondered if Tieler was used to drinking, the way she'd gone on swallowing most of that first bottle. Chances were, she'd be supplying that girl with more if she kept on like that. Everyone knew if you drank it all too fast, you didn't stay drunk as long-well, everyone who drank, or hung around those who did. She was the exception. Her father was a drunk, and that was why she rarely drank herself. Social occasions-large ones at that-or on rare occasions she would. But drink would never overcome or get the better of her!

[jordan]

His hands started to shake. Great, the one place I’m sent to just after being ripped away from home, I should have just been thrown out into falling thread. Jhordan was horrified at the fact that he had just arrived, dismounting off the Blue dragon, into the huge crowds accumulated at the Gather. Ok, I can do this. Try to look normal. What is normal here? Ok, calm, being calm is the key, he thought. He began to wander about, the people around him starting to look as if they were ready to ask whether or not he was lost. Booth after booth; more of an overwhelming feeling of uneasiness kept building as his eyes kept passing over his body curiously. Maybe it’s the tunic? He wondered, trying to comfort himself and think up reasons as to why people were staring at him so awkwardly. Jhordan tried not to make eye contact, not knowing nor caring about whom he passed. Looking down made it harder to walk, his short hair flipping into his eyes. He appeared to be looking at the booths, but the world was just flashing by, everything he did having no real purpose.
After stepping mistakenly, he tripped into a boy a little older than he was. “Shards, watch where you’re going boy!” Jhordan regained his balance and barely managed to squeak out an apology. He walked away; swinging his legs more rapidly then usual in the opposite direction he came, listening to the boy and his friends talk spitefully about his simple error. The impaling thoughts were unconsciously making him move even faster through the crowds, bumping and hitting more people then he wanted to while trying to escape. The memories of the past haunted him, as if motivating him to move faster. “I guess everyone is just as friendly as I can remember,” he said quietly in a dark tone. He walked until he found a slightly less populated area of booths to rest and regroup what was left of his dignity. He took out some water and drank it back, a little to heavily out of nervousness. He coughed and sputtered a little, putting the water away, and then stood erect while taking a deep smoothing breath to allow his thoughts to fade a little. Nothing will ever change; I’m not in a mining camp anymore. Just as his thoughts were plummeting, something caught his attention. A sweet aroma was passing through the air in his direction. What is that?

[Kino]

Khris had looked up and over as the two girls wandered closer to the quieter spot he'd discovered, looking mostly over to the girl that had just stood up for the Rider when she stepped (apparently unknowingly) closer and took a seat not far from him. He found it a bit strange that she didn't notice him right away, but didn't want her to go on chatting without knowing someone was sitting close enough to listen. The boy had been about to speak up himself when the girl looked over with the greeting and question.

He offered a lopsided smile and gave a nod of reply. "Yeah," he said. "I'm a candidate. Eh...haven't been there for long, though. I got there..." he paused for a moment and tried to think of a time frame, but failed and instead went for a time marker no doubt everyone in the Weyr would know of. "I got there just as Warth's accident was happening. However long ago that was."

Khris blinked once, realizing it might've sounded the least bit strange that he wasn't aware of how long he'd been at Dark Moon. The boy gave a short laugh, "I've gotta get used to living in one place; time's starting to just run together." Pausing once more, he realized he'd been talking (rambling, more like. Darn that need to learn socialization) without any sort of introduction. "I'm Khris, by the way." When he spoke he'd looked to both the girls, not wanting to purposely ignore one of them in conversation.

[Wolf]

(( OOC| Just waiting for Riler to reply before I reply myself with Tieler, just going to get in a reply to Rhiyo and Jhordan. ))

R'xis seemed to have his spirits lifted all the more at Rhiyo's comforting words. "Thanks Rhiyo," he said, stopping to let his sister answer Rhiyo's question well the trio walked along.
"Yes, there are many colors you'll soon find out, even unexpected mutations," Wolf explained. "As for me, I impressed my beloved Gold Serinth." A widespread grin was now up on her face, and at this current moment she really wished that Serinth were here with her instead of sleeping back at the Weyrling Barracks at Dark Moon Weyr. She heaved a sigh, saying quietly, "I wish she could've enjoyed the time here with us..."
R'xis slipped an arm around his sister's shoulder, drawing her in closer to him. "Don't worry about it, she'll be there when we get back, as will Ersith." He looked over at Rhiyo, wondering if the boy quite understood that there were ranks given to dragons. In his case the idea of impressing any dragon at all was a great honour but it didn't mean just because he thought this way that the ranks were non-existent. Looking over at Rhiyo he said, "There are ranks given to dragons, you know. It starts off with Greens being the lowest (though still very highly viewed), then the second lowest is Blues, then Browns are the third lowest, and Bronzes and Golds. Bronzes and Golds are the highest; Bronzes being the King dragons while Golds are the Queens. Its rarer to impress the two aforementioned and often those who do are held in high regard, taking up positions such as Weyrwoman, Weyrleader, Jr. Weyrwoman, Jr. Weyrleader, and even Wingleader." R'xis smirked at his sister, her blush not going unnoticed by him. She was doing her best to conceal it, staring down at her feet while she walked in silence.

Wolf quickly tried to change the subject, "Hey R'xis! Why don't you try to meet some one new, huh? There's a ton of people here and you're not very social to tell the truth." She gave him a sly look that said it all. R'xis was fast when coming up with his response, "I don't see you being the social body either, so why don't you go ahead if you're so determined. I dare you." Wolf rolled her eyes, pulling away from her brother, how could she refuse a dare from him? Especially since he had made perfect sense; she was nearly as anti-social as he was.
"Fine!" she shouted, scanning the crowd. Then she saw him, a boy appearing about her age, standing by the bubbly pies. We're headed there anyways, she thought, though up on realizing that she was already with a pair of boys made her current idea seem daunting. What's one more? She walked right up to him, a warm smile plastered on her face.

"Hey..." she said, not really having thought what to say past that. She looked up at the brown-haired boy, attempting to meet his green-eyed gaze. Start off with introductions! "I'm Wolf, Weyrling rider of Gold Serinth, who might you be?" she asked Jhordan, extending a hand out to him in a friendly-manner. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her brother and Rhiyo were standing not too far off from where she was now. She didn't want her brother, or her newest Candidate friend, to think that she was a wimp.

[Riler]

Riler turned to face Akki, grinning. “Oh yes,” he said, adding fuel to her ego, “I need your help when I talk to girls. I would be ever so grateful.” He pushed on her shoulder, laughing. “Me? Soiled?” He snorted with laughter. “Oh Akki, you underestimate me, for shame!” Poking her nose, he said with a grin and a wink, “I’ll be fine.”
Riler took one last look at the red-head, Tieler, before he turned away, a little disgusted. At first, her appearance had intrigued him; you didn’t see a lot of people dressed up the way she was at a Gather, generally people dressed in a finer set of clothes. However, it seemed like Tieler either didn’t have nice clothes, or she just didn’t care. And then, overall, she was wasted; the odor, lazy speaking and the empty bottle in her hand made it blatantly obvious that she was drunk. He didn’t know whether she was just a drunk, stupid, or didn’t care; maybe a little bit of all three?
Simply saying to Tieler, “Pleasure,” he forced a smile and turned away.

As Akki the pair to Riler, it was only then that he noticed that the woman, Raska, had a cat with her. His eyes widened in a large smile.
“A cat!” He shouted happily. “I love cats, I used to have one back at home, I loved her to death.” He nodded his head a couple times, beaming. Looking at the jet-black cat for a moment, he asked Raska, “Can I pet him..

---

Admin's Note:[/hr] Her?” He stared at the lovely looking animal, its white-tipped tail swishing behind him. Smiling, Riler held out his hand but didn’t touch the cat and wouldn’t touch the cat until he got the permission of the owner. He felt like it was proper to ask before touching, he wouldn’t want random strangers approaching him with wine bottles in their hands and groping his stuff. “What’s his or her name?” He asked quickly before she could answer.

Looking to both of them, he said, “M’name’s Riler, by the way.” Wanting to start a conversation without awkward pauses, he asked them both, “Where are you both from?” Riler learned from years of experience that asking a simple question like where a person is from can lead to hours of conversation.

[Wolf]

Tieler could sense the boys sudden disinterest and she rolled her eyes, A waste of two seconds he was, she decided. She looked over at the cat that she had called a sack of waste, then her gaze drifted to the cut on her arm, before she stared back up at the clouds overhead.
"I'm from a stupid place, with a name I can't remember, that doesn't shardin' care whether or not I made it here dead or alive. Gladly it was alive for Benden Wine is of the finest taste there is. She put the empty hole of the bottle up to her eye and stared through, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. "Some blasted fool drank my wine!" she said, not turning the blame on any one in particular. "If any one could be so kind enough as to point me off in the direction of whom ever it was I'll beat the stuffing out of them until they're black and blue-both very fine colors by the way. Blue dragons are quite amusing, you're lucky Akki, I doubt I'd ever get a Blue. Oh well, I can only dream of getting a dragon at all!" The girl was rambling on and on and couldn't really do a thing to stop herself, she was barely aware of the fact that her mouth was moving. She rubbed her temple, moaning, "The world is spinning... Who punched me?" She shot an accusing look at Raska, her gaze cold, but it soon softened when she remembered that Raska had been so kind enough to give her the Benden Wine in the first place. "No, not you Ras... Raska-yes? Well, no, it couldn't have been you." She shrugged her shoulders, closing her eyes over so she didn't have to be seeing everything double. "Oh well, I'll beat the stuffing out of whom ever did that too, unless of course there spreading there anger around and some one's already gotten to it before me!"

She hardly gave time for any one to speak at all. "My home... Why had I ever left there?" She tapped her chin in contemplation, re-opening her shockingly blue eyes. Her read hair was ruffled but she didn't appear as if she cared. "Oh yes! Foster parents..." She made a long 'psh' sound. "Good riddance, though dare I say it I do miss the Harper Hall. People were jerks, or was that after I hit them?" She frowned a bit, her brows furrowed. "Why had I even hit them in the first place? I don't really know, there must've been some reasoning behind it... I don't like hitting people much, nope, they always make whining noises and then I feel-," she cut her ramble short, her laughter ringing out over the crowd. "The sky isn't staying still... so funny... hilarious..." She attempted to breath in-between her outrageous laughter.
She looked over at Akki curiously after a moment or two, "Are you sure you weren't hitting on me before? I really think you were..."

[Akki]

“Tsk, at least play nicely.” Akki said, scolding Raska for calling Riler an eyesore. “Well then Riler, if you want too, we can always share too I ‘spose.” She said with a shrug and a lopsided grin. She eyed Tieler, watching as the girl became more and more noticeably drunk and couldn’t help but snort in amusement. She laughed, pushing the boy back gently, “You should be grateful for me Riler, I think if I was a guy I would definitely be the flirting type. I would go after all the girls.”. She plastered a look of surprise onto her face, “Ehh? What’s this Riler? You’ve already been soiled? By who! I’ll beat them!”. Of course she had no idea of the ‘issues’ between him and their friend Wolf. She watched as Riler seemed to turn away from Tieler, apparently not very charmed by her over-drinking and she stifled a giggle.

She raised one eyebrow at Riler, “Who knew you were such an animal person? And how come I never knew about this until wine is involved?”. She stared closely at the boy, “You’re not drunk, are you?”. She rolled her eyes at Tieler as she took the bottle from the girl and placed it on the table, “You drank it yourself. You should slow down. I don’t want anyone passing out on me, aye?”. She tapped her fingers on her arm, grinning, “Ha, don’t think all blues are so wonderful. Mine has a rather snarky attitude. And a bad sense of humor, I’m afraid.”. She grabbed the girls arm, maybe in hopes of steadying her or hoping that she didn’t fall down on top of the blue rider, and grimaced at Raska. Just how much did Tieler have to drink so far? Akki made a note to watch what the girl was swallowing from now on. “You shouldn’t go hitting people.” Akki said, waggling a finger at Raska.

“You’re right. I was hitting on you. I couldn’t stay away from your bright hair and your startling blue eyes. I just haaaad to have them.” Akki said dramatically, fluttering one hand over her chest like she was over excited.

Hasima looked up from where she was sitting and blushed before shooting Kestrel a very grateful look. She brushed off Kestrel’s words though, not even realizing she was doing that. She couldn’t picture anyone ever admiring her or thinking she was brave so for now she would just assume everyone was thinking of ‘Look at that deathly pale girl, she’s such a spazz.’ Hasima was now winding down, returning back to her shy shell as Khris began to reply to her query. She slowly nodded at his answer, so that’s where she saw him, at the dragon’s accident that had occurred a bit ago. She remembered seeing his face among the hustle and bustle of the crowd, but forgot about it (Like she normally does) until this very moment.

She didn’t mind his rambling, she found that if someone was talking and it didn’t have to be her, she was relatively comfortable. “I’m Hasima.” She said softly to Khris with a wavering smile, introducing herself in turn “Rider of yellow Rimith.”

[Sparrow]

Sh’rel had made his way to the drinking tent, had downed one glass of a fine Benden red wine, and was on his second glass and conversing with some Holders when Tieler arrived and demanded a whole bottle. He studied the girl with his emerald eyes, that wine would certainly get the small girl terribly drunk. The Brownrider excused himself the Holders and followed Tieler but stood back when she sat down on the patch of grass. He leaned against the side of one of the booths to make sure she was not hurt by someone or herself.

~So let me get this straight~ Rolaranth interrupted ~You worry about other when they are drunk and leave me to worry about you? ~

You do it best, Rol Sh’rel said jokingly.

The Brownrider raised an eyebrow as the girl started yelling at passersby. Sh’rel drained his glass as a number of people approached the red-haired girl and sat down to join her. They looked like they were taking care of her, or at least looking out for her. He watched as Tieler finished the bottle of wine in record time. That amount of wine that fast would definitely lead to nausea or even sickness that was not fun.

~You should know~ Rolaranth interjected once again.

Hush, you. Sh'rel replied.

Sh’rel took one last look at the group and the red haired girl before returning to the drinking tent. There he got a third glass of wine for himself and a glass of water for the girl. On the way back to the patch of grass, he picked up a slice of bread from one of the vendors. The Brownrider skillfully carried the two glasses in one hand and the bread in the other until he reached the group. Without a word to the others, he knelt before Tieler and offered her the glass.

“The clear one if for you,” the Brownrider told Tieler. He glanced at the girl sitting directly next to the red-haired girl; she looked the oldest of the group though definitely not much older, if at all, than himself. He did not want her to think he had any wrong intentions, and was giving Tieler white wine to get her even drunker.

“It’s water” he clarified more so that Akki would hear, “It will help you from being completely miserable later,” he added. “You should probably try to eat a bit of this bread too.”

------
Marletta watched Akki follow the rude Tieler, everyone else seemed to be leaving too. She followed the group because there was nothing else interesting really going on. When she spotted the group that had assembled on the ground, she paused. They were all drinking. Marletta had only drunk wine with a meal never just to be drinking. What if her father saw she was with this group? She was supposed to be on her best behavior, show what it was like to be Ruathan. Brushing her wavy locks behind her shoulder she strode up to the group.

Now the decision was should she sit or remain standing? Marletta did not really like to be the only one standing, she felt like she was hovering over the group. However, this dress was really expensive and she did not want to dirty it up by sitting on the ground. A couple of times it looked like she was going to sit down but she would straighten back up. Sighing she kneeled down and made sure her dress billowed out onto the ground, trying to only let the underside touch the ground. That way no one would the parts that got dirty if it did get dirty. Akki, the only one she had met, was talking with someone else so instead of saying "hi" she merely waved.

[kestrel]

Rhiyo listened as R'xis explained the whole thing about dragons and ranks. However, his brows were furrowed as he thought about it, and there was no way the boy could appreciate just how much impressing Gold or Bronze actually meant to others. To him, dragons were dragons-what did it matter if they were assigned ranks or no? He thought they were all really great, no matter what color. Also, he didn't get how people came up with the idea that because a dragon was Gold or Bronze it had precedence over the other colors. To him, it was like someone saying that Golds and Bronzes were 'better' than the other colors. He didn't much like that at all. He really couldn't care what he got, and nothing about what R'xis was saying phased him whatsoever. He could see Wolf blushing and wondered if it was because she was embarrassed R'xis was pointing out that she'd got one of the 'better' colors. Well, if she was, all the more power to her, in his mind. It showed him that she wasn't conceited about the fact people thought her dragon was somehow higher ranked than the others. He had to think quietly to himself before he replied slowly, "so people believe that Gold and Bronze are better than the other colors, and Wolf impressed a Gold...

---

Admin's Note:[/hr]" The question was rhetorical, and he then gave Wolf a half smile, saying quietly, "congratulations, wolf." He wanted to think more about this idea of dragons and ranks. He realized that it would now bother him to impress a Bronze or Gold, as much as it would bother him to impress one of the other colors. Because if people looked at you as some sort of higher rank just because you impressed Gold or Bronze, wasn't that just somehow not right? He didn't believe that a dragon's coloration should dictate who was 'higher' in rank than the others. So, he wore a small frown, his brows furrowed, as he said honestly and quietly, "I'm not so sure I want to impress anymore..." he trailed off, but Wolf was already walking towards some boy he'd never seen before, and he sighed a little sadly as he stood beside R'xis.

~~~~~~

Raska's opinion of the newcomer boy changed, at least mildly, when she saw that he had now noted Tieler was drunk, and therefore seemed to not look so impressed with her anymore. Well, she was a bit taken aback, but rather pleased to not have to worry he was trying to get into Tieler's bed or anything. She still eyed him a little warily, however, especially when his attention turned to her next. However, she wasn't expecting him to pipe up about loving cats, and her gaze was much less harsh in the next moment. Anyone who loved cats couldn't be all that bad, or at least that was a redeeming factor in Riler's favor. However, she leaned back as Riler began to outstretch a hand in the black feline's direction, even though she figured it would serve him right if Kero clawed him, in the next minute he was asking permission to touch the feline, much to her amusement. It was fortunate for him he had not, for as soon as Kero sensed Riler making an advance, no matter how slight it may have been, one ear was back and his tail tip twitched as if in irritation. She shook her head, and placed a hand on the feline's chest, replying matter-of-factly, "you may love cats, but not all cats are friendly to strangers. You may pet him indeed-should you want to be wiping up blood. He has no tolerance for strangers, no matter who they are. He will sooner tear you a new one than allow himself to be touched by you..." she trailed off, and murmured something quietly to the black feline, whose tail stopped twitching almost immediately and whose ears were once more forwards, though its green-gold gaze never left Riler, as the feline walked a little ways towards the boy, and sat down, still staring. Raska explained, "he will allow you to look, but until he knows a person well he would never permit them to touch." She looked over at Tieler and pointed to a medium-depth scratch on her arm, saying, "that was a passing scratch when he leapt from my shoulder. Not wholly intentional. He will protect me better than any canine, as well as himself." She shrugged, and pulled out what looked like a dried fish from her pocket, as the cat turned and sniffed the air, padding towards her and taking the fish from her, until there was nothing left whatsoever. Then, Raska answered, "his name is Kero, by the way. If you wish you may give him a fish, but he must see that I have given it to you first. He won't take food from strangers, either." There were young people who got a thrill out of poisoning animals with baits of food, and Raska had taught the feline to not accept or eat anything she directly didn't give him, or she gave to another within his sight. And so, Raska slowly let the feline see she was offering the boy another dried fish.

"Tch," Raska began, and then, "hit her? She's drunk, and where would the fairness be in that? Maybe if she asked me to I might..." she grinned at Tieler, and then hiccuped. She was feeling quite tipsy now, and made a note to try and not babble or slur her speech once she'd had a bit more. She liked being in control of her actions and her mind. Kero was something she took pride in, even if she didn't have too much pride in herself. He was her best friend, really, so how could she not?

When yet another boy arrived, she narrowed her eyes, and listened as he explained to Tieler about the bread and water, nodding agreeably. "He speaks truth," she agreed, and then, "you'd do well to accept both bread and water, or else you'll be sorry tomorrow. I suggest you sober up a bit or you'll pass out soon." She shrugged, taking a sip of her own bottle, and asking blatantly, "who're you anyway? Might as well give a name if you're going to join us, hrm?" She yawned, feeling comfortably relaxed, and enjoying it quite well.

~~~~~~

Kestrel hadn't been there when Warth had been injured, but she recalled vaguely seeing Khris around the Weyr after that. Even his name rang a bell, and then it dawned on her, and she asked slowly,"you're Khris, hrm? THE Khris? The one who can hear other's dragons?" She wasn't sure, but how many Khris' were ther ein the Weyr? She'd overheard more than one person talking about a new Candidate who went by that name, and could hear other people's dragons. Supposedly that was a rare talent, but Kestrel didn't see too much point in having said talent unless one was a Wingleader, and even then...well, for whatever reason people had been talking about it, and she'd overheard. On another note, "I'm Kestrel, also a Candidate." She could tell Hasima's rush of talkativeness was fading once more, and smiled slightly. Hasima's shyness was part of why Kestrel had been drawn to the girl in the first place. Most people just talked to much, or had too much pride. Hasima had neither qualities, and Kestrel had found in her a friend in whom she could trust and confide in.[/size][/font]

[Kino]

Khris offered another smile when the girl seated near him offered her name, and nodded. "Great to meet you, Hasima." he'd have included her dragon in the introductions (he'd noticed by then that everyone did so when meeting a Rider, whether they could hear the dragon or not), but the yellow didn't seem to be around. That was about the time that the other girl spoke up, and he looked over blinkingly in her direction.

"I...eh..." he blinked once more. "I'm a 'the', now?" The boy brought his free hand up and ran it roughly through his hair. "Ah, I didn't...know that." He looked back up to the girl, "But yeah, that's me. They called me a Hear All Dragons, I think. Made a big deal out of it." Khris gave another short laugh.

"I was just glad it meant I wasn't losing my mind," he added, offering a wry smile when she gave her name. "Great to meet you too, Kestral." The boy gave another small laugh, tinged with the barest hint of awkward nervousness. "Can't say I'm used to being well known."

[Riler]

Smiling, he patted Akki on the back. “Oh, believe me, I am eternally grateful! Where on Pern would I be without you, Akki?” He put the back of his hand up to his forehead, and sighed overdramatically. “Probably lying in a ditch somewhere, dying, bloody, and of course, womanless.”
He grinned. “It was soiled well before your time, in a Hold far, far away,” he said ominously, not letting up any information. “If you want, you could probably start hunting them down, but I don’t think you’ll be able to find them easily.”
“And I’ve always liked cats; I had one back at my home.” He nodded, thinking about his cat. “You might have known that if you asked. Did you ask? No.” He smiled. “You learn a lot of stuff by asking questions, don’tchya know? True fact,” he said as he nodded his head.

Riler couldn’t help but snicker at Tieler as she drunkenly spoke, accusing someone of drinking her wine. He wanted to point out to the poor girl that she was the one who drank it, but he bit his tongue instead and kept quiet. Listening to her talk to Akki, his eyes widened. Getting a dragon? Looking at her again with interest, Riler asked, “Are you a Candidate?” He had never seen her at Dark Moon Weyr before; maybe she belonged to another Weyr? “I’ve never seen you at DMW before…”
He turned to Akki again, commenting wryly, “I dunno, if Ebbeth didn’t have a sense of humor, I think you would drive him crazy. The poor Blue,” he said with a sniff.

Riler looked up at the new people who arrived with interest. One man approached Tieler with a glass of water and bread, offering it to her. Did he know her, maybe? Whether he did or not didn’t really matter, he guessed. He seemed to know what he was talking about when it came to preventing a hangover. Riler made a note of drinking water and eating bread if he ever got wasted. He looked down at his hand and saw the practically-filled wine bottle in it. With a shrug, he downed a gulp before setting it back down. ‘Pace yourself.’

Another, more quiet person made their way to the group. She seemed to take great care of herself as she took a seat on the ground, when she then gave a small wave to the group. Smiling, Riler waved back, enthusiastically. “Hiya! What’s yer name?” Riler noted that he was in more of a friendly mood than usual; he blamed the fact that it was a Gather day.

He lowered his hand immediately as Raska warned him of the consequences of petting the cat, Kero. Watching as she calmed him down, Riler was thankful that Raska had warned him. He smiled, liking the girl; she seemed friendly enough. Plus, she liked cats. “No touching, got it,” he said with a grin. “That’s pretty smart how you taught him to only take food he’s seen come from you. He must be pretty intelligent to learn something like that.” He had never experienced first hand how cruel people could be to pets, but he had heard of one or two cases of people beating on animals for fun. “People can be just awful,” he commented with distaste. Riler took the fish that she offered him, and then offered it to Kero, holding it close enough to him to show it was for him, but far enough way that he wouldn’t immediately get swiped at. “Here ya go, Kero, got a nice fish for you…”

[jordan]

Jhordan began to follow his nose, forgetting what had just occurred. His stomach now controlled his mind, in which directed him to obtain this… whatever this new scent was. It would fill in time until he found out what else there was to do. He walked more calmly now, past a few rows of stalls, and then arrived at where the smell had derived from. He stood and gazed for a moment at what was sitting throughout the booth. The sign said: Bubbly pies. Anything that smelt that good had to taste just as good. At that, he was hit with an unanswered question of the past. Would my mother have made such treats as these if she had stayed? He looked down, trying to knock the images clean out of his head. He decided that the past was in the past, and he wasn’t ready to fall to the thoughts of his mother. The memories he did have had a beneficial effect. They made him stronger every time he had to overcome them, slowly desensitizing him to the badness the world had to offer, losing the sensation of anxiety and fear.

As these thoughts were going through his mind, he did not realize that a small group of people his age had appeared near him. He was hit with a simple “Hey” from the girl shorter than he was. Oh no! They probably saw him trip over that guy. Just great, more criticism… He turned and looked, tilting his head down slightly to meet her hazel eyes as she introduced herself with a huge smile. “Okay then…” he said to himself bluntly. Not knowing much about Weyr positions, or dragon colouring, he let the information pass through his mind. Jhordan, not expecting such a friendly introduction from Wolf, gave a rough look; making sure that she and her friends weren’t going to hassle him. Realizing no real danger he noticed her extended hand. “I’m Jhordan,” he replied smoothly, trying to gently grasp and shake her in hopes that he wouldn’t crush it out of nerves. He began to notice his heart quicken in pace. He then released her hand quickly before she would be able to tell it was shaking. “Your friends?” he said, inclining his head a little in R'xis and Rhiyo's direction, not wanting an awkward silence to seep in. What am I doing? Since when have I become a socialite? Maybe he would come across more normal than he felt. He began to wonder why they had picked him out of the many others to talk to in the crowd. This is going to end up in more of my humiliation.

He still didn't trust people the way he used to when he met them. Being different had its disadvantages. Growing up differently had its disadvantages. Generally, he would be walking away by now. A lot of the time, at least at the coalmines, he and people his age didn’t quite get along. This is different. It's all in your head. He returned his uneasy attention to Wolf.

[Wolf]

Tieler remained laying down but when Akki took a hold of her arm she struggled to sit-up, looking first to where Akki's hand was placed, and then next she looked to the young woman's face. The words that came out of Akki's mouth made Tieler's eyes go wide. "Seriously?" she asked, sounding quite shocked. "I'd only been joking... I didn't know you felt so strongly about it..." Clearly the dramatic tone to Akki's voice had been lost on her. Tieler's eyes narrowed a bit while she looked off in to the distance, having to do a lot of thinking when she was drunk. "Wait," she said, her attention being brought back to Akki. "Does that mean we're dating? I mean, after all, you did say that you had to have me. That would imply that you do have me, and therefore that's how I've come to my question you see." Little did the drunken Tieler know that the sober Tieler was definitely straight; despite her being sexist against the male gender.

She looked over at Riler like he was nuts, barely processing his words. "A Candi-what?" she asked, "Speak up would you!" she scolded him. "If you're going to ask a question you best do so clearly, no one can hear you when your mumbling you know." She rolled her eyes, then her mouth opened and she quietly said: "Oh," dragging the word on for a few seconds. "A Candidate, why didn't you say so? Yes, shardin' right I am! I didn't bother going to... Dark Moon Weyr? Yes, that's the place; I didn't bother going there first seeing as I couldn't give a dragon's rear as to changing my clothes. Why, doesn't look like I'm the type that would be able to impress?" she asked, her tone threatening. She looked right in to his eyes menacingly. Then her gaze softened and she shrugged, looking around, for what could assumed to be a bottle of wine. "No worries! I don't think so either. Chances are we're both right least ways!" she yelled.

When Sh'rel was before her, speaking about something having to do with water and bread she stopped her search and raised an eyebrow at him-giving him the same "are you crazy?" look that she had given Riler. "Its water and bread... Not wine, not a treat, just simple and plain." As she was saying "simple and plain" she had already taken the bread from him and bitten off a chunk. Once she'd chewed and swallowed she took a sip of the water, wincing at the feel of the bread slowly sliding down her throat. She didn't question who the man was, or why he was offering her food and drank until now. "Who are you anyways to be feeding me? Why, I ought to teach you a lesson or two! I can hunt on my own, catching a wild wherry like any man! Don't you dare try and tell me that men are the wiser, no, woman are!" She turned to Akki, nodding to her, "isn't that right? You explain it to him for surely I couldn't be bothered to deal with another brainless wherry of a man... Of course unless he has something to offer..." She bit another piece of the bread off, her head pulsing. She strained to look over at Akki, winking at her, "If you get my drift." Most people would be surprised to know that Tieler was still, indeed, a virgin. She wasn't as low as others, well still low even then.
Tieler watched Riler attempt to feed the feline. "He can feed himself, don't treat him like some poor fool!" She began to talk to the cat as if he was a person, and any one that convinced her otherwise would probably be left feeling as miserable as she. Apparently she had forgotten her insult to him earlier. "Listen, you just be proud that you have fur. How many other people do you know that can keep themselves warm when it’s cold? No, they have to steal other people's fur and drape it over themselves-lest they freeze!" Each minute that went by she sounded more and more insane.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you," she had said shyly to Rhiyo before having left to go and talk to Jhordan.
Wolf seemed a bit surprised that the boy appeared standoffish to her. Perhaps he thought she was hitting on him or something. Maybe this was a bad idea... she thought, fiddling with her bangs nervously. "Its nice to meet you," she said, forcing another smile to cross her lips after he shook her hand and had let go. When he inclined his head towards R'xis and Rhiyo she nodded, her smile turning real. "Yeah, the blond-haired one's my brother, and the redheaded one's our friend," she explained. "I can take you over to meet them if you like, I'm sure they'd love to have another guy around," she told him lamely. She wasn't really sure of what to say although. Jhordan hadn't really said much, and her feeling of nervousness was starting to grow; of course she was unaware that he was just as nervous if not more.
"I'm from Dark Moon Weyr," she added, "where exactly are you from?" She hoped that she hadn't sounded rude, or said anything to offend him thus far. How can you offend him, you've only asked where he's from? she asked herself.

Meanwhile, R'xis was focused on the discussion he was having with Rhiyo. He didn't want the boy to be getting the wrong impression. "No, its not that they're better, its just that they assume more responsibility in the Weyr. They lead over the other dragons, since everything in life has to sustain some sort-of order so that chaos doesn't ensue. Bronzes and Golds are also the largest of the dragons." He wondered if this possibly made more sense to Rhiyo, or would it just make him more confused? His mind then wandered elsewhere when he heard Rhiyo's comment. Was he making the boy dislike dragons? "No, impression is a great thing! No matter what color you impress it doesn't lessen the fact that you did impress, see? Impression in itself shows that a person is worthy to be a Dragonrider, regardless of their dragon's color. You come to appreciate what partner you've been given for who they are. Take Ersith for example, I wouldn't love him anymore or any less if he were a Blue or a Bronze. It just doesn't really matter once impression's been made. All it determines is what kind-of of responsibility, as I said before, that your future will hold." Again his mind wandered to even a third subject when he noticed that Rhiyo had sighed about the time that his sister had walked off.

"Are you up set that Wolf went off?" he asked curiously, staring at Rhiyo curiously. He chuckled, almost teasingly, but then stopped when he realized that there could be some truth to his words. I should probably tell Rhiyo that Ersith isn't a he, I do trust him after all… and as my friend he deserves to know...

[Sparrow]

Sh’rel was happy to see Tieler follow his advice, he chose to not anything about the look she gave him but smiled to himself. He took a sip of his own wine while Tieler chewed the bit of bread. As he was bringing the glass to his lips again, he was confronted questions from both Tieler and Raska. To knock two wherries out with one stone he began, “Sorry, I’m Sh’rel rider of brown Rolaranth..”

Sh’rel chuckled before responding to Tieler’s rambling, “I do not doubt that you can hunt like a man, though in this state I doubt it.” The Brownrider shook his head at her, “All I was doing was offering you water and bread to help you, what got into your head to make you think that I think men are wiser.”

He raised an eyebrow when the girl mentioned something about him having something to offer. His only other response to the statement was, “You should finish that glass of water.”

~Finally someone who drank more, what did you call it? Wine? Than you that you can take care of~ Rolaranth said to Sh’rel obviously amused.

----
Marletta watched as the drunken Tieler rambled on. /That/ was why she did not drink she thought. She caught Riler’s enthusiastic wave out of the corner of her eye and she smiled and waved again. “I am Marletta of Ruatha,” she replied, “What’s yours?” She took her auburn hair in her hands and began to twist it into a loose braid. This was certainly an interesting Gather she, thought.

[Akki]

Akki was busy caught up in the conversations that were being thrown around to notice Sh’rel arrive. She had too admit, she had eyed the cup for a split second, wondering what it was for she didn’t think Tieler could drink too much more without becoming sick. She smiled gratefully at Sh’rel when he clarified what the liquid was, and mouth a silent “Thank you” to him. “You should listen to what he says Tieler, otherwise I’ll have to shove that bread down your throat.” Akki said with a grin. Her grin was then aimed at Marletta as the girl came to join them, “I’m glad you came, I felt bad because I left you behind there!”. She signaled to the cup in her hand and offered it to the girl, “Want some?”. She lowered her voice, “Just don’t drink as much as Tieler did.”

Akki snickered at Raska’s comment, “Tieler, don’t ask anyone to hit you. They’ll more than likely do it, and chances are you won’t be able to hit back this time.”. She looked over at Sh’rel, also rather curious as to whom this man was. Was he a rider? Or just someone wandering about like so many others were? Her attention snapped back to Riler as the boy began to speak once more and grinned crookedly, “I’m too much woman for you Riler. Maybe next time though?”. She let out a moan of disappointment, “Rilerrr. What happened to the innocent person I thought you were? I’m saddened by this news now.”. She smacked the boy light on the head, “I resent that. I don’t think that I can drive anyone crazy!.” A lie, of course. On more than one occasion did someone groan and proclaim that the girl was driving them up the wall at the moment.

She placed a hand upon her mouth, trying to stop herself from giggling. “Yes Tieler. We’re dating. In face we’re madly in love.” She said, sarcasm tingeing her words but chances were was that Tieler was too drunk to notice that. She sipped at her wine, but ended up choking on it as Tieler said that she was going to Dark Moon. She coughed for a few moments and pointed at Tieler, “Ahhh! You’re going to Dark Moon?”. She then pointed to herself, “I’m at Dark Moon!” She was slightly astonished that the girl she had just recently met was going to her Weyr. “You must really love me if you’re willing to come to Dark Moon.” Akki said, bobbing her head up and down. She scratched her head, “Ayaaa. You’ll have to explain it to me, girl. I don’t think I fully understand what you just told me to do.”. She did however catch the wink at the end though, “Hup. I understand that part though. You’re not really going to cheat on me so soon, are you?”.

She smiled at Sh’rel as she learned that he was in fact another rider. So it seemed that she wasn’t the only dragon rider here at the moment. She offered her hand to him, “I’m Akki, rider of blue Ebbeth.”.

Hasima stared at Khris when Kestrel proclaimed that he was a HAD. She hadn’t heard the news of any HAD at the weyr actually. She tried to avoid gossip in general, deathly paranoid that it would be of her. She looked at Khris with wide eyes, admiring the boy slightly. She wondered silently what it was like to hear all the dragons and nodded when he made the losing his mind comment. She’d probably think she was going insane also if she heard dragons all the time and not realizing the gift of a HAD.

[abean16]

Shino continued walking along amongst the crowds once he heard the yelling of the girl. He sighed and shook his head, knowing that he saw someone from Dark Moon in the crowd. He walked past Akki and another girl, almost passing by them without recognizing them. He sighed as he walked amongst the crowds still. He looked around, thinking to himself. How many people were here? five, no six hundred... Or more? He couldn't tell, there were too many for him to count in his head. He almost lost himself in the sea of people moving.

As he moved away from the crowd, he accidentally bumped into R'xis. "Oh... Sorry." He said as he rubbed his head and backed up a little bit, looking through his shaggy brown hair and up at the rider of whom he had accidentally bumped into. "Oh... I know you... You were at Dark Moon." Shino said, recognizing R'xis almost immediately. 'Wow... I almost completely forgot that I'd seen him there at the lake...' He thought to himself, wondering if he would recognize any others.

[jordan]

Jhordan noticed how Wolf reached up to her hair, brushing it to the side. Oh, I must be making her nervous. Jhordan gave a small nod, biting on his bottom lip a little at the fact she said she was pleased to meet him. Ya, right… he told himself. He returned her smile, hoping to ease the tension a little. She didn’t seem inclined to making any rude remarks, just friendly conversation. I guess it won’t hurt to return a little kindness... but what else can I say to her?

Growing up in the coal mining camp had left little room to broaden his circle of friends. The boys that were there were few in number, aggressive, sarcastic, rude, and mainly fighters who felt they had to grow up tough. They wanted to be the best at everything, especially since there was not a lot to compete for. There had been one or two boys that had been around that weren’t following the crowd, different like Jhordan. Jhordan had been best friends with one of these boys. They were like brothers, the only one who knew of Jhordan’s darkest secrets, but unfortunate accidents happen when mining. He was one that couldn’t be saved, and you could not find friends like that everyday. One or two girls would visit, or even stay to live in the camp. Most of the time girls were disgusted with the boys’ attitudes, which ruined the reputation for the more normal guys. The only experience that Jhordan could relate involving women was bad: his mother, and the girl of his dreams, which both faired badly. Other than a casual and awkward “hello”, no more attempts were made to converse with the opposite gender, leaving him unknowing and completely clueless.

He smiled, acknowledging that Wolf’s brother and friend didn’t exemplify what he grew up with all his life, but just to be safe he would keep his guard up, way up. Just say yes; let’s go see them. Finding a comfort zone would be the best thing right now. From what he knew, fitting in or hanging around guys fit that category very well. “Sure, let’s go on over” he stated politely, “I call Dark Moon Weyr home now, as a Candidate. I guess we will be seeing more of each other,” he said with mild confidence. He was glad that Wolf had been somewhat interested in him; at least he was taking her actions as interest but making friends with a girl hadn’t been at the top of his list of things to achieve once stepping foot off of his home. It wasn’t that he was against the thought of being friends with girls, its just that he didn’t know how; he was one of the few mining boys having common sense when it came to manners, as well as having respect and a sense of self worth. The fact that he would be seeing her everyday, maybe for the rest of his life, hit him; especially since he wasn’t overly social, and definitely not with girls. Oh no, there is going to be more of them. How can I make a good impression?

He took one last look at the bubbly pies and decided that eating would have to wait. He waited for Wolf to begin to walk over, not wanting to look overly eager to join into a more unfamiliar atmosphere.

[kestrel]

Kestrel realized that referring to Khris as 'the' probably hadn't been how she'd wanted it to come out. She hadn't meant to insult, that was for certain, and the boy's response to what she'd said kind of surprised her. He didn't seem to really think it was a big deal, though she knew that it rather was. Besides, he only seemed happy he'd figured out what was going on, rather than taking any pride in finding out that he was somehow special in a way others weren't capable of being. His attitude was all right, and even though she was usually more uncomfortable around males, she wasn't too much so with this Khris character. She decided to maybe try and rectify how she'd inquired about who he was, and so, "I didn't mean it that way-I just wanted to figure out if you were the Khris I'd overheard about..." she trailed off, realizing that she wasn't so great at talking to strangers, never mind male ones. She decided maybe giving her name was best. "I'm Kestrel, Candidate at Dark Moon and lucky to be friend of Hasima's." She smiled for a moment at her friend, and then looked back at Khris. Hasima seemed to have shifted back into her shyer and more reserved nature, and she wondered if she'd have to do most of the talking. She'd have rather not been the one to go up and make introductions to anyone else, and she wasn't even quite sure what had made Hasima decide to do so. It wasn't very like the quiet girl whom she called friend to just go up to someone and introduce herself. Not at all. Seemed Hasima was just full of surprises today!

~~~~~~

Raska listened quietly, drinking her bottle slowly but surely, and ever more feeling the effects. Unlike with Tieler, drink didn't make her go totally idiotic. It made her more open to suggestions, perhaps, and definitely more talkative in a more friendly mannerism. She watched as things began to blur a bit for a moment, then regained clarity. When she looked up again, it was to hear Riler addressing her once more, and she couldn't have liked what he was saying more than if he'd been giving her compliments instead of her cat. In fact, if he'd been complimenting her, she'd likely have told him where to shove it and to stop with the sharding flattery. However, since it was Kero he was paying compliments to, she was actually quite pleased! She grinned and replied with obvious pride, "yes, he is intelligent-even more than my father's canines. If he wasn't smart, then he couldn't have learned what he was taught. I had nothing to do with it." She looked over at the feline with obvious adoration, taking another swig from the bottle as she watched Kero sniff at the fish Riler was holding out. She had not told him to be careful if Kero decided to take the fish by swatting it down with his claws instead of taking hold with his teeth. However, the feline didn't claw at it, he merely took it in his teeth, and proceeded to crouch down and daintily devour it, licking his muzzle and then padding back to Raska's side, where she stroked his head and then looked up as Tieler began to speak. She was rather taken aback and narrowed her eyes as the red-head began to speak to her feline. She snorted derisively, and merely said, "yes, he can feed himself, and quite well, at that. No cat better for catching rats than he is. That's why I don't think I'll have much trouble having him in the Barracks. However...didn't you say you thought he was a sack of waste earlier?" Her lip curled slightly, for the words were the only ones she'd been at all offended by, but her tone held no malevolence, she just wanted to know if Tieler had meant that, or had just been trying to insult.

Raska's eyes flew open wider as she heard Tieler's next words, however. "Did you just say Dark Moon Weyr?" There was no mistaking it, even in her slightly inebriated state. She sighed, turning her eyes skywards, as she said in an unimpressed tone, "just my luck. Go figure I'm going to the same Weyr for the same purpose." She sighed again, chugging a little quicker for once, and looked to Akki, querying, "you're there too? By the first egg, this should be interesting..." she trailed off, wondering exactly how this knowledge would affect how she felt about being in Dark Moon. She hadn't wanted to go there in the first place, and now this Tieler character was going there too! She'd be really, really put off if this girl impressed and she didn't. Besides that, sure Tieler was being friendly and all because she was drunk, but she didn't forget how just a little while ago the girl was practically spitting venom at her, and had attempted to even attack her. Well, this could either complicate things, or make them more interesting. Least she would get to find out more about Akki and Tieler, and the inner workings of their minds, if nothing else...

~~~~~~

Rhiyo tried to grasp the concept of what R'xis was saying about ranks and how they worked. He didn't think size, either, should dictate who was in the lead, but at least one thing R'xis had said sunk in. Everything needed to have an order of things, or else chaos would surely ensue. Well, that made sense. He already knew there was someone in charge of the Weyr, and that there were people in charge of smaller village type things called 'Holds'. He supposed that made sense. It still irked him, but R'xis reassurances seemed to reach him, and he tried to look at it more objectively, and replied slowly, "yes, I guess there would need to be an order of things. I only hope no one will see me differently based on if I impress a Gold or Bronze, or Blue or Green..." he trailed off, and then turned a deep crimson shade as R'xis asked if he was upset Wolf had gone off. He looked off to where the girl was standing, and he had to admit she was really nice, and-wait, what was R'xis implying? That maybe he liked his sister? Well, he wasn't sure if he did or not. He certainly thought she was cute, but did that mean he liked her? He began to fret over it inwardly, because he had no clue what liking a girl involved. Thinking she was cute, or liking her personality? Did that mean he liked her, or just liked her as a person? He was beginning to grow confused again, and so, "er...I think she's cute, and she has a really nice personality and all that. But I don't quite know if that means I like her like that, R'xis. I-I can't remember what liking someone or not is about. So maybe I just like her as a person, or maybe..." he blushed again, scratching the back of his head, entirely unsure about the whole matter.

[Riler]

Riler stared at Tieler as she replied to him, saying that she couldn’t hear him. He was taken aback a little, for he hadn’t thought he was mumbling. Then he remembered that she was a little tipsy—okay, really tipsy—and it altered her senses. So he simply smiled and nodded at the girl, not bothering to try and correct her; it would’ve been useless. As she said that she was, indeed, a Candidate at Dark Moon Weyr, Riler wasn’t sure how he felt about that. First impressions usually didn’t mean a lot to Riler, but meeting a girl for the first time and she’s drunk early on a Gather day, well…He’d give it some time before he decided for himself whether or not he liked the idea that she was going to the Weyr.

As for her question about whether or not she looked nice, Riler shrugged his shoulders. “Well, Tie Tie,” he said, not even noticing what he had called her, “you stand out, that’s for sure.” That was mainly caused because she was drunk and drunks were fun to watch, but he didn’t bother to tell her that. Personally, Riler thought that Tieler was physically attractive, but he knew that wasn’t all there was to a woman; he based a lot of his thoughts on a persons personality and not on just their looks. Just because someone looks good doesn’t mean Riler will like ‘em.

Riler smiled with amusement as Kero the cat took the fish right out of his hand and began to devour it. “Smarter than your father’s canines?” He chuckled. “I could see that. My brother had a canine who we taught tricks to, like rolling over and shaking hands, but…” He looked at the cat, impressed. “…I highly doubt it could be taught to things like that.” Riler personally doubted that Raska had nothing to do with it, because it took persistence and diligence to teach an animal to do things like that, but he was getting the idea that Raska was a modest person who didn’t like to accept compliments. He gave a small shrug, keeping his lips pursed on that subject. As Raska began to talk to Tieler, he began to get the impression that they knew each other from earlier, and not in a particularly pleasant way. Part of him wanted to ask about it, but he decided he would rather not anger either of them; today wasn’t a day to get frustrated or angry, it was a Gather day.
“You too?” Riler laughed when Raska said she’d be going to Dark Moon Weyr as well. “My, my, this sure will be interesting…” His voice trailed off, again uncertain that he liked the idea of these two new people going to Dark Moon. But then he remembered that Raska wasn’t wasted—yet—and she did have a cat. Riler decided that he wouldn’t mind it if Raska went to Dark Moon, she seemed like a fun person that he could get along with. The more friends he had there, the better.

“Next time?” Riler asked with an amused look, eyes returning to Akki. “Okay, deal!” He quickly grasped Akki’s hand and shook it, sealing the deal. “I’ll be holding you to that bargain, mind you.” He looked pretty smug with himself. “Aw, don’t be sad, it could be a lot worse…” He paused, wondering what was worse than Akki thinking him as a pure person and finally realizing he wasn’t so pure. “Well, nothing in particular is coming to mind, but I’m sure there are worse things out there!” Riler nodded affirmatively. “For sure.”
He gave a small laugh as he was hit in the head. “Next time I get the chance, I’m locking you in a small room with some poor soul who’s never met you before. I’ll observe how long it takes for him to start ripping his hair out,” he said, clearly jesting. “If I were to bet on it, I’d give ‘em a day before they go insane. Maybe two.” Again, he nodded his head. “Yeah, maybe two.” Grinning, he said, “But don’t get me wrong, your…talent,” he said, trying to find the right word for it, “can be very useful! Who knows when we could use it for an amusing method of torture?” He couldn’t help but poke a little fun at Akki, knowing she wouldn’t take him seriously.

[Wolf]

Tieler, very surprised with what new information Akki was unintentionally feeding her, just stared at the girl in a stupor; trying to fathom all of this. She rubbed the side of her head with a groan, drinking down more of the water that had been given her. "Akki... Are you perhaps lying to me?" She examined the girl's face, not picking up on any hint of a lie. "Never mind, I believe you. I'm just glad that you're at Dark Moon too! That way I can stay in your weyr, seeing as we're together and whatnot." She put an arm around Akki's shoulders, scooting closer to her. How gullible the drunks are! She nodded to Sh'rel, seeming not at all interested in him now that Akki had informed her that the two of them were 'dating.' "Its nice to meet you Sh'rel... el... elalel?" she asked, raising an eyebrow for confirmation. "I don't see this Rolafrith-or whatever it was you called him-are you by any chance drunk?" she wondered. When he asked where she'd gotten it in to her head that he was being sexist from she replied: "All men are sexist, always trying to prove that they're better then girls. Along with asserting their power over them, that's why I beat the stuffing out of any guy who so much as begins to think that way." She smirked mischievously, apparently pleased with doing the world of Pern with, what she considered to be, a favourable act of justice.
She appeared hurt when Akki asked if she was going to cheat on her already. "No, I'd never cheat on you babe, what would ever bring you to such a mad conclusion?" she asked, frowning bitterly. Then it finally registered with her that Akki made the comment of her apparently loving her a lot in order for her to be able to come to Dark Moon Weyr for her. Wait, that's why I'm going to Dark Moon? she thought in confusion. Yes, it must be for this reason... Why else would I leave the Harper Hall? she asked herself. She was getting everything incredibly backwards. "Being able to stand for impression was just a fringe benefit," she explained to Akki, "the real reason I left... wherever I'm from, is because I wanted so desperately to be with you. I hate long distance, it just doesn't work that way-you know?" She smirked again, feeling that everything she said was finally starting to make sense while in reality her world was nothing short of a delusion.

When Riler shook hands with Akki and preceded to tease her she could feel her body shake with her snarls. "Back off, okay! Just because you think she's got some something something going on doesn't give you the right to hit on her! She's taken, end of discussion." She rolled her eyes, muttering about how desperate some boys could be. When he called her Tie Tie that just set her off right then and there. "Only Akki can give me pet names, so stop it!" she complained, contemplating whether or not to reach out and punch him with her fist.

Tieler tilted her head when Raska spoke to her, not quite sure what she was trying to say. "Why would I ever be so wherry brained as to call Kero names?" She looked down at the cat, blinking a few times. "I must've meant that he goes a sack's worth of waste... Wait... Is that any better? Well, in any case," she breathed with a sigh, "I apologize for speaking of Kero's bodily functions with such... arrogance?"
Her eyes narrowed, up set that every one seemed so disturbed that they were going to be at Dark Moon with her-except for Akki of course. "Why is that such a bad thing, my going to Dark Moon, huh?" she asked, feeling her anger flare up for the billionth time.
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"All right, lets," she grinned. "Wait, what?" she asked, turning back around while keeping her mouth from rudely hanging open. "Well, what a coincidence! You'll love it at Dark Moon Weyr, its the best place a person can be-in my personal opinion." She hoped that maybe he trusted her a bit more, especially since her motives both appeared to be and were kind. "I'm sure you'll really like R'xis and Rhiyo just fine, they're both really sweet. They're at Dark Moon too you know, Rhiyo's a Candidate just like yourself!" She motioned for him to follow her happily, immediately noticing the blush on Rhiyo's face by the time she had returned to the boy's side. "R'xis... What did you do to him?" she asked, placing a hand on Rhiyo's shoulder worriedly. "Hey, you all right?" she asked softly, hoping that her brother hadn't hopelessly embarrassed him by letting a joke fly or saying something stupid. She then turned back to Jhordan, pointing first to Rhiyo and then to R'xis.

"Jhordan, this is Rhiyo and R'xis," she told him. "Rhiyo and R'xis," she smirked, "meet Jhordan." She stuck her tongue out at her brother and said proudly: "Told you."

R'xis couldn't believe what Rhiyo was telling him, did he seriously like his sister? He had only been teasing but... His arms hung limply at his sides, his full attention on his friend. "Are you serious?" he started off by asking, but then remembered that Rhiyo said that he wasn't sure if this was how a person felt when they liked some one. He grasped his friends shoulder, "I'm sure you'll figure it out Rhiyo. If its any consolation she's not involved with any one," he said-clueless as to the fact that his sister technically was. "It feels kind of weird hearing my friend call my sister cute," he blushed, but he chuckled as to lighten his comment. "Its all right though, its not like its a problem or anything..." He thought that Wolf and Rhiyo would make a fine match!
When Wolf made her way over with the boy she had gone over to speak to R'xis wasn't at all faking the shocked look on his face. "Hey," he said, clearing his throat. Well, this is awkward. Who knows, maybe this guy will turn out to be nice, he thought. "I'm Weyrling rider of Brown Ersith, its nice to meet you Jhordan." A smile played across his lips before he glared at his sister when she said, "told you." He ignored her questions about Rhiyo completely, not even thinking for a second to give the boy's possible secret away.

When Shino unexpectedly bumped in to him R'xis barely faltered. "Oh, no worries!" he said politely, standing back at his full height, "its all good." When he actually studied the boy's face he realized that he knew him as well. "That's right!" he chuckled, "Shino-correct?" He paused to allow the boy time for a response, hoping he'd gotten his name right. "Its good to see you here, what're you up to?" he asked, trying to start some successful small talk. He hadn't really talked too much to the boy at the lake, having been more focused on soaking Akki and Hasima, with the help of Rhiyo of course. The thought of Akki made his face pale since the idea of buying her a gift was ever present in his mind. What would I get her though? He really had no clue what was a proper present for a girl, other then jewellery and yummy treats. He wasn’t really sure what Akki liked jewellery-wise, would she like something perhaps simply because he’d gone through the trouble of getting it for her?