Gather Festivities

[Wolf]

R'xis was thinking: Oh shards, at this present moment in time. He plastered on a grin, swallowing hard. "Yeah... Of course," he replied, trying to sound convincing. He nearly stumbled when Rhiyo began to pull him along, apparently having spotted his sister. "Rhiyo-," he began, but before he could get a single word in his friend was already addressing his sister. R'xis's gaze slowly shifted over to the younger girl, watching the miserable look that had been on her face turn to one of shock.
Has she been alone here this entire time? he wondered, more guilt adding to his existing load. He couldn't even begin to imagine how his sister would respond. He tried going through various scenario's of what could happen in his head. None of the options seemed quite... pretty... At the same time this was Wolf and no matter what she'd never intentionally hurt some one's feelings. Rhiyo's actions were most certainly generous so there was a chance that she'd accept the gift with as much happiness as she could muster.

He broke out of his thoughts, looking back to his sister only to see that he hadn't quite missed her reaction since the look of shock hadn't gone from her face. He was sure that her being shocked wasn't a good thing, save a mild heart attack she may just topple over in tears... He bit his lip, trying to be invisible by Rhiyo's side by remaining silent. I bet I'm the last person she wants to see right now... or Rhiyo-he runs a pretty close second I'm sure. He wondered where this Riler guy was, if perhaps she'd run in to him and he'd only made things worse!
~~~

Wolf looked up at Rhiyo in shock, doing everything in her power to keep her mouth from hanging open like a fool. She took the necklace wordlessly, looking down at the shimmering Gold of the dragon on the pendant. "Rhiyo..." she began softly, "Its so beautiful." She looked back up at him, a gentle smile on her face, "thank-you... Thank you so-," she broke off as she interpreted his words the wrong way. She grinned sheepishly, wishing that she could glare at her brother right now with out making it obvious to the boy before her. She put it around her neck, seeming to have no trouble getting the back to connect. She held the pendant in her hand, looking down at it mirthfully. A blush coloured her cheeks and she stuttered, looking back to Rhiyo fearfully. "I--I... Thanks," she chuckled. She finally looked over to her brother, teeth clenched, making a signalling motion with her head that she knew he'd understand by the intensity of her eyes.

Wolf hoped that Riler and Kaiya wouldn’t come running back to her, especially not with these two around. She needed to be alone, or so she thought, and having the two boys towering over her really wasn’t helping things much. She really did love Rhiyo’s gift, it was so beautiful, how could she not? It had been exactly what she was glancing at when she had been at the jewellery booth… how had Rhiyo known? Her suspicions began but she let them go, she bet that he’d probably just kept a mental note of the fact that her dragon was a Gold. She felt bad having not only this other boy that liked her, but her brother as well, standing near her when all she could think about right now was Riler.
~~~

"Ah... Yeah, all right! Rhiyo, ever seen a horse race?" R'xis said, forcing out a laugh. "Of course you haven't! Lets go, I'm sure Wolf will meet up with us later, I think she's just in shock right now because you're-," he was about to finish that sentence but the intensity of Wolf's gaze made him redden. "I mean because its so beautiful." He grabbed the boy’s arm, forcing out a second laugh while steering Rhiyo off in the direction of the horse races. He whispered in to the boys ear: "Its just how girls are, after something like that they need time to process everything. Not that they're slow... It’s just that... Well, anyway, you'll love the horses!" R'xis's heart was beating so rapidly that he thought it might burst. This was far more drama then what he was used to for one day.

[kestrel]

Kaiya listened quietly to Riler, and when he was through, she gave a small sigh, and replied softly, "I thought that was it. Honestly I didn't know you were walking towards her too, or I would have turned round about and went elsewhere. I feel badly that I may have been the cause of Wolf's not being able to say what she wanted to," she admitted, looking concerned as she then tried a weak smile and nodded, saying in an understanding tone of voice, "go ahead-if you hadn't suggested going after her, I would have suggested it myself. I only wish there had been an easy way for me to excuse myself earlier, if I'd have known that I was stopping her from saying what she needed to." She found that she was willing to trust Riler. He was a sincere person and she remembered the promise he and Wolf had made to her that night. Of course, she wished that they were both Riders and able to be together as they obviously wanted to. She hadn't experienced liking someone the way they did, and she knew all too well that it must have been difficult for them. It was in her nature to try and make sure no one got hurt, or in trouble, however. Not that she was a nosy girl, but she did happen to care a lot about what was right and what was not. She had a very good sense of morals and a very nice way of wanting the best for everyone. She therefore was sincerely hoping that Riler would be able to help Wolf sort out her feelings, and that maybe she wouldn't be spending the rest of the gather alone...

~~~~~~

Rhiyo, of course, had no idea of anything but that he was likely forgiven now, and that Wolf liked the gift he'd bought for her. Well, his plan had worked perfectly, and he smiled and nodded decisively as he commented, "it looks really nice on you, Wolf!" He stood up and looked down at the girl, offering her a hand up, but then R'xis spoke to him and his attention was diverted, and he looked in surprise at his friend. No, he had never seen a runner race, not ever, and the prospect of seeing one was exciting to him. He glanced at Wolf, but then caught the meaning in R'xis voice, and with a wave and an "okay Wolf, hope to see you there soon!" and a smile at her, he followed his friend.

Rhiyo was once more confused by R'xis words. Seemed to him that girls were a bit peculiar, but he didn't mind. What did it matter, he'd made amends with Wolf, and now she would be happy again and they'd all be joined back up again later. Well, it seemed that his plan had worked perfectly! Rhiyo found himself being dragged along by R'xis, considering what the boy had told him. Then, with a smile, he said, "well, the important thing is that she liked it, and everyone can enjoy the gather now." He was looking forwards to the rest of his first-at least that he remembered-gather. He couldn't wait to see the runners, and couldn't wait to see more stalls and try out the foods he could smell cooking in the air. He looked curiously at R'xis, then asked, "why do they race the runners, R'xis? Is it just a race for fun?" He thought that must be it, and wondered which one would be fastest.

[Kino]

Khris had been facing in the opposite direction of the two girls, and so was able to see the man walking towards them. He hadn't thought anything of it when he gave his last reply; actually he hadn't even expected the man to be coming towards them, but had instead thought he'd simply been walking by. Hasima's reaction to the man was just as startling to him as it seemed to be to K'tan, and judging by the pleading look he got from Kestral a moment later the black haired girl wasn't the only one unsure of what to do in the situation. Khris had caught the look and opened his mouth to reply a moment after K'tan gave his introduction.

"Yeah, we're-" his words were cut off at the same moment the comment was put in from K'tan's blue. He still wasn't sure how he felt about unintentionally listening in on half of a conversation between rider and dragon though, so he'd come to the decision to simply disregard any of the comments he picked up on unless they were actually directed towards him. Khris picked up his speech only a moment after he'd cut off.

"We're all from Dark Moon," he finished. Khris could only assume by the look he'd gotten from Kestral that they were leaving him to do the talking, so he went on with the introductions. "Her name is Hasima, she's a Weyrling," he gestured to the girl in question, "of yellow Rimith, right?" the question at the end was meant for whatever yeigh or neigh she would give on his memory. "This is Kestral, and my name's Khris - we're both Candidates." He didn't think to give any information about his rarer ability; he didn't see the point, and he certainly didn't want it to sound like he was bragging every time he introduced himself. The boy offered a grin to the Rider then, giving a quick nod as well. "It's great to meet you."

[Riler]

Riler let out a sigh at relief, extremely glad that Kaiya understood and agreed that he needed to talk to Wolf on her own. “Hey, there was no way you could’ve known,” he said, trying to cheer her up a little bit, “she hadn’t even told me that she was upset, technically. I could just tell…” He shrugged his shoulders. “Anyways, I’ll talk to you later!” He turned to walk away from her before pausing for a moment. He shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out a mark. Turning around and sliding the mark into Kaiya’s hand, he said with a grin, “Bet that mark on Here Comes Trouble Too, I don’t think I have the time. I’ll find you later to collect my winnings!” Riler laughed a little as he turned his back on Kaiya and took off in the direction he last saw Wolf walking off in. He did mean to find Kaiya later; he enjoyed her company and didn’t want her to be alone during a Gather.

As he walked, he began to wonder what was specifically wrong with Wolf. She had been upset before he reached her, but he was sure that something he or Kaiya had said or done compounded to the problem. Was it just by showing up that made her more upset? Riler slowed his pace for a moment, before returning to his original pace. No, he didn’t think it was that. Was it how he went on how he would get drunk and kiss all the girls? He had seen her blush, but maybe that’s just because she liked him. He had thought she would know he was joking, though…Maybe he was mistaken?

Before he knew it , he had spotted Wolf sitting between two vendor stalls, by herself. Riler stood still for a moment, not sure of how to approach this. What should he do? What should he say? Should he try to be witty and charming? Should he try and just get to the heart of the problem?

Riler walked forward, maneuvering through the crowds of people, until he was right in front of her. Wordless, he sat down beside her, his legs extended out in front of him so that he was facing the crowd. He turned his head to look at Wolf, still remaining silent, though his eyes seemed to hold sadness in their depths. He reached a hand out, and gingerly picked her hand up, caressing it gently with his thumb, his eyes not moving from hers, his lips still pursed shut, waiting.

[Wolf]

R'xis slapped a hand over his face while Rhiyo said his goodbye's to his sister. "Yes, you did a good thing." He patted his friend on the back comfortingly, "you should be proud of yourself." He kept on walking, not even noticing when Riler came by their way, heading directly toward his sister. "In all honesty the horse races are for betting, but they can be for fun too! I don't bet so therefore I just watch them for the fun of it, guessing on my own which one may win-again-just for fun. I advise you to do the same, betting can become a bad habit and a true danger." He frowned a bit, trying to keep Rhiyo safe by properly educating him. He kept on walking, picking up the pace so they could get a good view of the race. "Just focus on the pretty horses," R'xis teased, chuckling good-humouredly.

R'xis was glad that Wolf had handled that all so well, he wasn't even sure if his sensitivity would have enabled him to respond like she had.
He was glad to have Rhiyo for company; he'd hate to be all by himself here. He wouldn't have wanted to cling to Akki, people would just notice and start to question him about it. Since Wolf had been miserable and still been happy about Rhiyo's gift he was going to just assume that Akki would be enthralled with his gift. "Maybe we should... I don't know,” he said, not really sure how to tell Rhiyo that he wanted to go and find Akki-with his help of course. "Find Akki," he then simply blurted out. He might as well just come out with the truth since he couldn't find a way to be subtle. Its not as if he was sure that Rhiyo would've even picked up on his subtlety anyhow.
~~~

Wolf watched the two boys leave, quite thankful that they had now gone... She looked around, realizing that she was alone once again. She liked the company of her friends; they made her feel like she was needed by at least a few people (and she knew she was most needed by Serinth). She knew that being needed by her friends wasn't the problem here; she knew full well that her friends cared about her, it all came down to Riler. As much as she wanted to deny that fact she knew it was exactly that-a fact. She hated feeling this way and yet loved it all at the same time. How confusing life was! She wouldn't be lying if she said she'd never expected to have happen what happened next...
She found herself gazing up at Riler, her hand currently in his. All she could do was blush, and stare, and then blush some more. What was she even supposed to say? She guessed that he was expecting an explanation from her, one that he definitely deserved. This was the second time now that he'd come after her; she at least owed him a truthful reason. "Riler..." she began, feeling a shiver go down her spine while he caressed her hand, trying hard to collect her thoughts. She'd been sitting here gathering them for a few minutes at least already... "We're friends," she decided to say. Sure, tell the boy what he already knows. Sometimes restating things is good. "But that night, when we told each other how we really felt?" Oh shards, who invented tear glands again? She attempted to restrain herself from crying, wishing the feeling would just go away. Something about contact always made her far more emotional. "Ever since then I've been thinking about you, like, this way... Like this way that I can't even explain... Its just kind of, complicated." She breathed out through her nose a little more loudly then she'd intended to, looking down at the ground well she tried to explain how she felt to Riler. "And now R'xis's new friend, yeah... Rhiyo? He likes me too, but I--," she cut her sentence short to choke back the whole tear feeling again. She managed to hold them down. That a girl. "I only have eyes for you, of course. I mean, its not like we're together-you know that. I know you know that... I know that." She couldn't believe that she was rambling like this, but maybe she needed to in order to bring herself to the main point. "The thing is that I love being around you and" Shells, I swore not to use the four letter word! "I know that'll never change. I just hate thinking about you with some one else, even though that stupid rule still exists-and for a good reason." She looked to him, not able to tear her eyes away. She just nodded rapidly, scanning his face for some kind of reaction or emotion. She just needed something!

She felt like she was in one of those stupid situations that girls always talk about where everything is just all of a sudden taking a lifetime to happen and you're left waiting to hear one of the most important things you'll probably ever get to hear. She couldn't be certain of that though, she didn't know how he'd respond. Right now a scenario was playing in her head-yes her and her brother are a lot alike-of him getting so angry with her and just telling her that she needed to suck it up and stop acting like such a baby. But if that's who he really was then he wouldn't be here right now, and I wouldn't feel what I feel. So I know that's not the case. She hoped that he wasn't too freaked out by her staring at him like she was, sadness on her face and in her eyes. She couldn't help it, happy just wasn't her thing today, so it seemed. Maybe, just maybe, he'll change that. Now she knew she was dreaming.

[Akki]

She looked at Tieler and nodded somberly at Marletta’s response. “I should have done more to it, you’re right. But I figured this was a fair warning to not pass out on me again.”. She brushed the dirt off of her and grinned, “Can someone help me lift Tieler onto my back? I have bad balancing skills, won’t lie.” She shook her leg for a moment, the painful tingling of asleep legs crawling up her entire body and pulled a face at the feeling, not exactly enjoying it very much.

Akki thought about it for a second and nodded in agreement, “They should earn the respect of riders. He had it for a bit, but then it just kind of disappeared. I’m glad you won’t say a word though. I think he could take me down if I ever saw him again.”. Akki grinned broadly, flashing Sh’rel a thumbs up “She’s definitely the best out there. No doubt about it. She’ll probably be all modest about it and try to deny it, but it’s pretty much true.” The blue rider snickered at Sh’rels comment and wondered if she should tell him that she was actually only buzzed, but instead just gave him a crooked smile. It was better to let him just guess whether or not she was drunk.

The riders face fell as he pointed out that the runner she was planning to bet on, was more or less no good. “Ahh! Don’t tell me that!” She half-wailed with a shake of her head. “He has to win, I’m betting on him. He’ll know that and will force himself to win on my behalf.” She vowed, part of her doubting that he would win. But it was the thought that count right? If she was a runner, she would want people to bet on her. She lifted her hand and politely refused the offer of another drink, “Oh no thanks. I think I might want to stand up later, so I better not.”

She thanked Raska as the girl helped lift Tieler onto her back, looping her arms around the girls legs to help steady her. “This will be a really awkward situation to explain if she wakes up like this.” Akki admitted, thinking about it for a second. Mind you, the whole hair situation would still probably be harder to explain. Akki clucked her tongue at Raska, “You have to be polite to your elders. Introduce yourself first, then you can kick his teeth in. Whups, that’s bad advice isn’t it? This is why I don’t have kids.” “Now that Tieler is all snuggled up. To the races? I’m about to prove to Sh’rel that my runner is going to win.”

As K’tan knelt down, Hasima turned a deep scarlet. She was actually quite embarrassed about the way she had reacted and was now silently convincing herself that she looked like a complete and utter fool. She opened her mouth but closed it, no words coming out and slowly nodded to answer his question. She was okay, the initial shock starting to wear off slowly but surely. She hesitated for a minute before shaking the man’s hand, not wanting to appear rude. Of course soon as she shook it, she regretted it as she remembered her large hands and blushed even further, hiding her hands from sight.

She nodded at Khris as he tried to remember who her dragon was and smiled softly at the boy, happy that he could remember. She blushed again as she looked up at K’tan and offered him a weak smile, and nodded with Khris’s introduction. “I’m Hasima of Yellow Rimith.” She said softly, repeating it so she could clarify that Khris was right and because she felt like it was the right thing to do. After all, the man in front of her was a dragon rider and she definitely couldn’t ignore him or anything like that. She looked at Kestrel and quickly flashed the girl a smile, feeling rather foolish for having such a reaction to Ktan’s appearance.

[Sparrow]

Marletta kept her mouth shut as Akki and the rider Sh’rel’s talk turned to who to bet on for the runner races. The Brownrider seemed, to her, to be acting as if he knew more about the races than he really did. “Too bad Ruatha didn’t send any runners or our runners would’ve left these southern runners in the dust. Though, I think Akki that Here Comes Trouble Too is not the worst one.” She smiled, the bluerider did have a good idea it always helped if you had someone believe in you.

Marletta was, needless to say, shocked by Raska’s sudden mood change, the look in Raska’s eyes was quite daunting. She shook her head, “No he doesn’t beat me, I promise. And don’t kick him when you see him, he doesn’t deserve it… today. It’s just he keeps telling me,” she paused as she attempted to imitate her father’s gruff voice, “You need to set a good example for your brothers. They look up to you, stay out of trouble, listen to me.” Marletta shook her head again, “ You know, that sort of stuff.”

When she stopped speaking she gave Raska a thoughtful look. Raska had definitely seemed angry, to say the least, at the thought of her father beating her. Perhaps that was the reason Raska acted the way she did, it seemed very likely. Realizing she had been staring at Raska the entire time she quickly turned her attention to the dirt on her skirt that she had not yet brushed off. “Oh… and your welcome, for the wine you know. Enjoy it.”

---
“Perhaps you could call Raska if he were to try to take you down. She seems willing to fight,” Sh’rel said after Raska’s comment of kicking in someone’s teeth. “Though, I’m sure you could get the upper hand over him, yourself.” Despite all this talk of fighting Sh’rel really did not approve of such things, especially between dragonriders. The scars on his face, however, probably made him look like a fighter but he tried to avoid it when he could.

The Brownrider was about to offer Akki a hand in getting Tieler up but Raska was already there, situating the red-head onto the bluerider’s back. He smiled, it was indeed a strange sight, a dragonrider with a drunk girl on her back with a very peculiar hairstyle. This was one of the most interesting Gathers he had been to. Sh’rel returned Akki’s crooked smile with one of his own, “I suppose that is supposed to mean I have to guess whether you’re drunk, this is difficult. Because, one I have had a bit to drink myself and two I have just met you today and I do not know what you act like without alcohol in your system.” He tried to look at the bluerider in the eyes to see if they were dilated but he was having trouble. Partly because of what he had consumed, and partly because the way she was standing with Tieler on her back.

“You know if you’re going to pass on the drink, I will to.” Sh’rel replied. “I am ready for the races, if you’re sure you’ve got her.” He eyed Tieler making sure the girl would not fall backwards and land on her head. He motioned for Akki to start on the way to the race track, “I’ll follow to catch Tieler if she should fall. And,, I told you you’re just throwing your marks away on that one, Akki. It is Sunscrape’s day to win.”

[Riler]

Riler was a little happy to hear her first words, saying that they were friends. He also dreaded the words, because he knew right then that this was about them; about what they talked about a few nights ago after Kaiya had confronted them. The more and more than Wolf talked, the more disappointed Riler became in her. He kept his lips pursed, though, politely letting her finish. He was a little amused to hear that this boy, Rhiyo, liked her too. A little envious, he quickly pushed those thoughts aside. He knew that he needed to be as unbiased as possible here, now.
As she finished, Riler moved his hands out of hers, lettings his palms rest on his legs. He was quiet for a moment, wondering how to word this in the nicest way possible. He let out a small sigh. No matter how tactful he acted, this wasn’t going to feel very good for either of them.

“Wolf. Remember what we promised to do a few nights ago, that night at the lake? Don’t you remember me saying all we could be is friends? Well, to me, it seems like you’re still harboring too strong of feelings towards me.” The sentence seemed awkward to Riler, but he was sure she’d understand what he meant. He bit his bottom lip for a moment, hard, leaving a small imprint on it. “You’re clearly in a state of emotional anguish; how can that be good for your Serinth? Surely you love her more than you love me, but you’re not acting like it…” Riler was amazed at how much he sounded like Kaiya a few nights ago. It was funny how these kinds of things worked out, he mused.

“You may be jealous when I talk to other woman, but you need to stop being jealous. Enough with the envy. Enough with the agonizing over the fact that we can’t be together.” He noticed his tone was becoming a little more angry, so he quickly lowered it, altering it into a state that resembled sympathy. “You’re worrying and suffering needlessly over something that cannot be changed. Why? Why do that to yourself?”

“As much as it pains me to say so, you need to let go of me.” And he did feel pain saying so. Did he want to be with Wolf? Yes, of course he did. Did he care for her deeply? Yes, he did. But because they couldn’t be together, was he making a big deal over it and becoming hurt by it? No. Maybe it was because he was cool, calm and collective, but Riler couldn’t really understand why Wolf was acting this way. All he knew was that she was, and her still clinging to him wasn’t doing anybody any good. So one of the only ways that Riler felt like he could continue to stay at the Weyr and they could still be friends was if she stopped what she was doing. Stopped her senseless suffering. Stopped it all.

Riler considered reaching out to contact the poor girl, to provide her comfort. But then it’d defeat the purpose of him trying to seem so serious about this. Touching Wolf could mean he’d be sending her a different message from how he really felt. How did he feel? Well, sympathetic, first of all. He really did still feel strongly for Wolf and didn’t want to hurt her. But this…the ends justified the means. In order to help her out of her misery, he would need to make her stop this foolishness, because that’s what it was to him. Senseless suffering. Also, he was disappointed in Wolf for acting rather immature. For the second time, Wolf had run away from Riler and Kaiya to be on her own. That wasn’t the Wolf he had fallen for, this Wolf was somebody different entirely. Riler sincerely hoped that this wasn’t the real Wolf, and that the one he had fallen for was just an act? She didn’t seem like that kind of person…

[Spirithawk]

Christae was contemplating slipping up to the owners of the runners for a chat. She could pretend that she wanted to speak to the owners and see how the holds that tithed to her. She actually just wanted a closer look at the beasts.

She heard a familiar voice behind her and turned with a bright smile. "Please, Bronzerider J'red, if you could call me Christae today that would be great. I don't have to be Weyrwoman today and I intend to make full use of it." She still looked tired, but she couldn't help that. At least today she could enjoy herself. "Are you coming to watch the runner races? You are the first from Dark Moon that I see here. The others must be elsewhere because Kaith has been greeting our dragons all morning. She loves the sand on the beaches near here, although she claims that the water at Dark Moon is clearer because there is less ship traffic and the dolphins are usually happy to come up for a chat. I'm afraid we haven't been able to indulge in her favorite persuit all that often."

[kestrel]

Kestrel smiled at K'tan, nodding with Khris' introductions and looking a little concerned for Hasima, wondering how she was dealing with K'tan being right there in front of her, and all. She would have been nervous, and her friend was far more nervous than she was. When Hasima met her gaze, she smiled reassuringly at her, but couldn't say anything because K'tan would have heard.

~~~~~~

K'tan silently noted the way Hasima kept on turning shades of crimson, from lighter to darker, all very quickly. He thought then that perhaps she was shy, and personally he found shyness of that sort to be rather cute in a girl. He of course didn't say this, but simply said after she'd reintroduced herself, "Hasima of yellow Rimith, is it?" He cocked his head to the side slightly, then continued, "Hasima...it's a very pretty name, yours is. I've never heard of a yellow dragon before-perhaps I'll be lucky enough to have you introduce me?" Then, gently, he reached for her hand again, and smiled reassuringly at her, turning it over to look at it, and then asked, "are you an artist or do you play music? You've great hands for such a thing, you must be talented with some sort of thing." He then added, "if you aren't, I think you should consider learning something of a sort, I think you'd excel at it wonderfully!"

To Khris and Kestrel he said with a sincere smile, "it's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm actually pleased to have found you, I would rather meet a few people from my new Weyr than go in there knowing no one. Congratulations on becoming Candidates-I've every faith you'll both impress finely. Is this your first time standing?" He released Hasima's hand, smiling at her, and then taking a seat near where she sat, asking, "you don't mind, do you, if I enjoy some of your company?"

~~~~~~

Raska shrugged at Akki's thanks about helping with Tieler, and then snickered at the comments about the red-head's braided hair. She would have rather been dead than seen with her hair all weird like that! She had Kero in her arms, stroking the feline as she listened to Akki speak, and then actually snickered when the girl said about introducing herself first. Then, with a curt nod, she replied, "I'll be sure to introduce myself first, then! That way, he won't be so quick to forget my name!" However, as Marletta began to speak, she frowned slightly but the anger that had been so blatantly blazing in her eyes abated, and with a shrug she said, "all right, but if he ever does anything but tell you off like that-you come find me," she said, eyes dark. She only wished she'd had a parent who cared what she did and what happened to her. However, it was nice having to not worry about that at the same time, allowed her to do as she pleased. Besides, it had been a mother she had wished she had, not a father whom she'd never known any form of parental love from.

She glanced over at Sh'rel and then back to Akki, saying, "I'm going to bet on Here Comes Trouble Too as well. But just to be safe, I'll bet on two runners! She wanted a better chance at winning some marks back, so she'd intended to bet on two runners to begin with, and stated so. Then, without another word besides, "let's go then!" she began heading for the place where she knew that the races were being held.

~~~~~~

Kaiya felt a little uncomfortable, but Riler was right. She'd had no clue that Wolf had been upset over Riler, and had only begun to suspect she might have wanted to confide whatever was wrong with her to just him after she'd seen the way Wolf seemed to be trying to put on a false sense of happiness. She took the mark from Riler, rather glad that he'd said he'd be coming back for his winnings, but rather disappointed she'd have to watch the races all by herself if he took a while talking to Wolf. However, she was determined not to mind that since Riler was going to try and make their friend-well, her friend, and she supposed they were called friends right now too-feel better. So, she took the mark and said a quiet, 'bye...' before continuing to the races herself.

When she reached the place where the bets were being placed, she put Riler's mark on Here Comes Trouble Too, and then put her mark on Rip Tide. She had quite a few marks, and had a hard time picking just one, but that was what she ended up deciding on.

~~~~~~

Rhiyo colored a little at R'xis saying he'd done a good thing and should feel proud that he'd chosen to do so. It wasn't that he felt proud in the least, he was merely happy he'd rectified a bad situation that he'd felt responsible for creating. He explained this to R'xis, and then on the matter of betting, he nodded agreeably, replying, "I can see that being a problem. Besides, when there's so much to buy from the vendors, I think I'd not care to lose what marks I have left to spend on pure chance!" Then, he added, "but I still want to see the races and pick which one I think will win, even if I don't bet on any of them. Nothing to lose by doing that, at least!" He grinned, and then with surprise he motioned to a flitt on someone's shoulder, exclaiming, "wow-baby dragons start out that small?! How do they get so big if they start out no bigger than your arm!

---

Admin's Note:[/hr]" He was shocked, for he'd thought that a baby dragon would look less frail, more large, and more like, well, a dragon! He'd never seen a firelizard before now, and couldn't have known anything about the way dragons had been created by Kitti Ping, from firelizard dna. He could only stare on in wonder and think that they must have been baby dragons!

~~~~~~

J'red smiled warmly at his Weyrwoman and nodded ascent, confirming, "all right then, Christae is is. It's a lovely name besides, and likely doesn't see too much use in your position as Weyrwoman." He wanted to be sure to keep anything he said within' the bounds of respectfulness. Though he admired Christae and in truth had grown to like her very much, he still knew in his heart that the feelings might not have been reciprocated, and that he needed ro remember to not cross any lines that would make either of them uncomfortable if there should be an open flight or other contenders, and Hikanth didn't win. He was confident in his dragon, but overconfidence never got anyone anywhere. And so, "yes, the waters at Dark Moon are quite crystal clear indeed," he agreed. "Hikanth loves to go for a swim in the lake whenever he can, and I must say that it's a beautiful place to situate yourself on a nice day." Then, in reply to her query, he said amiably, "yes, I came to watch the races. I do like runners, and though I don't often bet, today there's a new colt-Lightfoot, I believe it is-that Kalenre has entered. So I wanted to place a mark or two on her today." He liked to place marks only one special occasions, like if there was a runner no one thought likely to win, or one that was trying the races for the first time. Then, he might or might not, depending on the amount of marks he had on him. [/size][/font]

[Kino]

Khris smiled lightly at how the Rider was obviously trying to make Hasima feel better. He kept his silence while they finished up their conversation, picking up his attention once more when K'tan turned to sit with their forming group. Who would've thought that his seat in a corner on the street would turn out to be such a social gathering?

"I don't mind," he replied to K'tan's question on if they minded his company. "Thanks for the encouragement - and yeah, it's my first time. I just got searched not long ago."

[Shortish xD;]

[Akki]

“Maybe if Ruatha sent out some runners, I would have bet on them.” Akki pondered out loud, wondering if she would have. Chances were shouldn’t wouldn’t have. Her way of betting was nothing logical or scientific. She never looked carefully at the runners to see which one was in the best shape or anything. She always bet on the one with the weirdest name, that’s how she liked to do it. Akki nodded, “Here Comes Trouble Too will definitely win. Just because Sh’rel here doesn’t believe in him.” She grinned at Sh’rel, “Can’t you tell I could take him down on my own?”. Of course in reality she would never hit a dragonrider or weyrleader or anything. She knew that Ebbeth definitely would have stopped her before she put anything like that into action. Or at least…she hoped he would do that, because if he didn’t than that could end up being quite interesting.

“That’s all very true Sh’rel. So I’ll give you three days to figure out whether or not I was drunk tonight. Sounds fair, right?” She asked as she shifted Tieler, trying to get a better hold on the girl so she wouldn’t slip off. “Yup I got her, no worries. And I’m sorry in advance if she does fall.” She said as she started off towards the races, trying to get used to the extra weight on her back. “Know what Sh’rel? No, just no. Sunscrape won’t win.” She said, tossing the man a look that involved her sticking out her tongue at him. “I’ll be your back-up Raska if you need it. I’m a mean hair puller and ear yanker if you want to know the dirty details.” The blue rider said with a sober nod. Of course if she tried to grab anyone’s hair right now, more than likely Tieler would fall off of her and into the ground or Sh’rel.

“Ohh, now that’s smart.” She said, praising Raska for a second. “Maybe I’ll bet on two also. No offense Sh’rel, but now I have to beat you in the races.”. She hurried her steps, trying to catch up with Raska with a “Hup! Wait up!”

---

Hasima seemed to visibly relax as she caught Kestrel’s smile and knew that nothing would happen while her close friend was there, especially since Khris was there too. She nodded with a wavering smile as K’tan repeated her title. She looked down at the ground as he complimented her name and said a soft, “Thank you.” She was much too embarrassed to say anything else, not used to the idea of compliments being used on her; she never saw a reason why anyone should compliment her. Kestrel was much prettier than she. She made eye contact with K’tan for a brief second before looking away and fought for a second to say something, not wanting to appear rude or frightened in front of a dragon rider she had just met. “Only if I can meet Vyralth.” She said quietly, her words stumbling for a second over each other like they normally did.

Hasima’s eyes widened a bit as he took her hands and she fought back a flinch to snatch them away and bury them underneath her. She hated her hands the most, they were too large for her small frame, they always seemed to engulf other people’s hands which always brought a blush to her face. She let out a soft “Ha!” before she could hold it in. Her? Play music or draw? Absolutely not. She wouldn’t be able to remember notes and she was too scared to draw anything that people might see, and might laugh at. Doing things she didn’t have to do in front of others? Not exactly her personality, she wouldn’t date bringing any extra attention to herself if it was not needed. She smiled weakly at K’tan to answer his statement and confided quietly, “I would mess that up.”. She stared at Kestrel and Khris with all curiousity, had they stood for a hatching before? She never even thought of that before and was know waiting to hear the answer. She often forgot that people could stand more than once since she had never seen an actual hatching, other than the one she was at and she couldn’t recall anyone being left behind, dragon-less. She shook her head to K’tans question, black hair flying for a second. She would never be able to bring herself to say to a dragon rider, or anyone actually. She looked at the other two, wondering if that was alright with them

[Wolf]

(( OOC| I'd like to formally apologize to all who have had to witness the ongoing emotional-state of Wolf, which isn't what she's often like. I made the mistake of allowing past personal history to return to haunt my posts. ))

Wolf just stared at Riler as he spoke, resting her own hands on her legs. She found herself nodding along with his words, really focusing on what he was telling her. She knew that Riler was pleading with her, pleading with her to just stop this and focus on what she had now. Her love for Serinth wasn't what was being questioned here; every one seemed to be misunderstanding that fact. The fact was that she simply needed to get over her fear of when Serinth was grown, and then had her Flight. I can't control that, yet maybe not every guy is going to be like my dad, she told herself. Riler's not. This unusual feel of emotions had gotten her head in to quite a mess, something that she wasn't at all used to-including the whole issue of crying when before it was a rarity for her. She didn't give a response to anything he said; instead she stood up dusting herself off. She swiped her sleeve over her cheek, looking down at Riler before her. "So," she said with a playful smirk, "how badly do you want to see those horses?" she asked. She put a hand on her hip, extending a hand out to him in order to help him up.

This was the way she was choosing to deal with it. From now on she'd keep her thoughts her own, like she was accustomed to, and deal with things on her own as they came up. She was sure that Akki would be good for a talk or two when she needed it, and when she went to her brother to sort things out she was sure that he'd be able to help her through those things as well. She knew that R'xis had her best interests at heart and the bottom line was that she loved him. She hadn't spent her entire life trying to find him just to have an end-all fight. "We may as well get back to Kaiya, we wouldn't want to leave her waiting now would we?" She peered around the booth to where the redhead was standing off in the distance. She hoped that maybe she'd become a valued friend, one that she could rely on as well. Only time could tell and she certainly wasn't going to waste her time sitting around sulking on a Gather day. She took in a cleansing breath, trying to let her mind go blank.
~~~

R'xis's eyes widened and it was at that moment that he felt the most sorry for Rhiyo. There was so many things that he was having to explain to him, not that he minded, but it was sad to see some one living in a world they didn't understand. "No, no, not baby dragons," he corrected him. "They're flitts, firelizards, smaller forms of dragons that were here even before dragons were. They don't get bigger then what you just saw. There intelligence is lower then that of a dragon and they can't communicate the same way-only through images-but they make fine companions nevertheless." He was glad that he had a chance to be able to share what he knew; it wasn't everyday that he had to go over the basics with some one.

"You'll pick things up as you go along." He didn't want to run out of encouraging things to say. "There is another form of dragons, one's that didn't go quite as planned, called Watchwher's. You'll likely see one eventually as well, that explanation can be left for a better time although. The best person to ask about these kinds of things would be the Candidate Master. She has a lifetime of knowledge, honestly. She's the Weyrling Master as well."
The pair was soon by where the runners were getting prepared for the race. R'xis had a good view, which was to his liking because he hated to miss out on the details. "So then, which one do you think will win?" he inquired excitedly. He always liked to assume that the most unique looking or funniest named horse would win. That way, if they did, it'd be all the more hilarious.
~~~

Tieler opened her eyes groggily; feeling like a dragon had just sat her on. All the sounds and sights around her were slowly coming together. Sound came first, and her mind attempted to put names to the voices now in her head. "Akki rider person?" she called out quietly. When her eyes fully opened she became more coherent and grabbed on tighter to whatever was beneath her hands, for support. The material beneath her palms was soft, and her eyes widened when she realized she was on some one. Now, at first, she thought that maybe in her drunken state she had tackled Akki and had not remembered until now. Then, as she started piecing things together more properly, she discovered that Akki was carrying her. Now, this to a typical Tieler was an infuriating situation.
"What the-shards!" she hollered. "Put me down! Oh... For the love of-I didn't actually say that did I?" She rubbed the side of her head, moaning. "I'm scarred, for life. Okay, don't put me down on second thought! If you do I swear I'll... think of something to do to you, which currently I'm not capable of doing since I can barely manage talking... Comment on that and you'll wish you hadn't." She held on tightly to the Bluerider, not fancying the idea of falling flat on her butt.

Tieler really wished that she hadn't even seen the drinking tent, let alone chugged the wine like she had. Regardless, she'd be blaming every one else for her mistakes. She then threw more comments Akki's way, apparently not having lost her mouth in her ill state. "If you... If I... If we did anything! I swear you will never live another moment of piece Bluerider. Dragon or not I will hunt you down!" She swallowed hard, keeping her eyes closed because the sounds were hurting her head too much already. "So... Did we?" she asked in a shaky voice, not having intended to sound fearful. She really didn't want her first time to be with a girl! She didn't want people getting the wrong impression about her, especially the guys. Her head felt weird, like her hair was bound by something. It didn’t have the same freeness-as she liked to call it. Tieler touched a hand to her head, practically fuming. “Who the shells touched my hair?” she screamed. Clearly today was not a good day for her, or any one else in a mile radius of her.
For her the Pern swears had come to lose all meaning a long while ago.

[kesomon]

(I wish to apologise profusely for my absence.)

*To Tikal, wayyy back in time...*

"Oooh, look, games!" Kaelin said excitedly, and tugged her newfound friend off into the crowds.

It was some time later, when the sun had gotten late and the gathering had begun to grow lazy with the well-fed and content, that the curious young redhead calmed down and was content to wander amiably through the square, a glass of something cold and cool and sweet from the south in hand. She couldn't be bothered to remember what it was precicely called, but it was good, and made her mind buzz quietly as her thoughts just floated away.

"Y'know what, Tikal, I think this might be mildly alcoholic," she mumbled absently, inspecting the light as it fractured and glittered through the cup's sides. "I'm not old enough to be drinking, at least according to d-" her breath hitched and hiccuped slightly and she grinned. "Dad. But he's not here, so I think I shall get another cup of this...whatever-it-is."

P'mar paused midstep as his ears picked up what seemed like a familiar voice amid the crowd. His hand reached out of it's own voilition and grasped the sleeve that was getting ahead of him, slowing A'ton to a halt.

"You hear that?" He asked, tilting his head as he scanned the crowd. A'ton blinked curiously, looking around.

"What is it, P'mar?"

"I thought..."

"But he's not here..."

A'ton was momentarily speechless as his eyes caught sight of what his ears had found. Sharing a glance with P'mar, who had a mildly amused raised eyebrow, he pushed past his friend and headed towards the familiar shock of red hair.

[kestrel]

Kestrel wasn't sure what to say to the rider. She'd been far more at ease when the newcomer wasn't here, with people she knew at least somewhat better seeing as how Khris was a candidate with her, and Hasima her closest friend. She even knew Jilsthekiran better than K'tan, having grown up with him, having been friends before things changed so much for her in her life. However, she couldn't be rude to this young man, and the way he treated Hasima was kindly, even though in her distrust of men she bristled and felt protective in her friend's behalf. However, whatever she might've been feeling about that she kept to herself, and tried at least to make some form of conversation so that she wasn't being unfair to Khris, making him do all the talking for Hasima-and mostly not for herself. So, she cleared her throat, and then asked, "so why'd you decide to transfer to Dark Moon, K'tan?" Well, it was a question, but it might've come out wrong, now that she gave it some thought, so she added, "did you want a change of scenery, perhaps?"

~~~~~~

Raska smirked but said nothing. She never fought dirty because she didn't need to, but there was no need to let people know her full capabilities when it came to fighting. If she were to do that, it'd be letting them know more than she was comfortable with. So, she merely decided to finally say, "sure thing," with a half-smile, then in reply to Akki's agreeing with her on the fact that betting on more than one was a good idea, she retorted, "you stand a better chance of winning that way, if you split your marks on two instead of just the one, you know." She continued walking, now falling into step more alongside Akki, so that she saw the moment when Tieler opened her eyes. Now this? Was going to be good. She'd been waiting for the girl to wake up, for she knew full well what would ensue when she did, and found herself being carried with her hair all done up in that ridiculous style.

She couldn't quite suppress her laughter at Tiler's words, for the girl was obviously in the throes of a wicked hangover, and also quite obviously finding herself in a compromising situation indeed. She kept the laugh as quiet as possible however, so that it wouldn't be so obvious to everyone there, especially Tieler, who was likely only hearing the ringing in her ears, likely to have a pounding migraine. However, Raska was sincerely hoping that her fellow candidate wouldn't throw up. The sight of vomit made her disgustingly ill. She didn't like the sight of blood, either. It wasn't that she had a weak stomach. Rather, the smell and sound of vomiting, made her want to do the same. As for blood-well, she just wasn't one for bodily fluids, perhaps. With the amount Tieler had drunk, and how fast, however, it was potentially inevitable that the girl would indeed throw up. Now that, she didn't find at all funny.

Raska cringed visibly as Tieler screamed loudly right next to her. She pitied Akki, who must have gotten the worst of the loud sonic blast. She glared over at Tieler, but then said with a slight quirk at the corner of her mouth, "not I, said that cat!" She snickered, and raised an inquiring eyebrow at Akki. Akki was in a situation now more than ever to offer up a reply. Tieler didn't want to be put down, and who would feeling like she was? So Akki was the only thing keeping her rear end from hitting the ground. She mouthed silently to the bluerider, "better now than later!" and then broke out in a wide, mirthful grin. She was enjoying this far too much, and this gather was turning out better than she could ever have hoped for! With luck, things would continue to go well, and she'd win some marks on the runner bets!

~~~~~~

K'tan nodded in appreciation, taking a bite of his bubbly while raising an eyebrow at Hasima when she said that she'd 'make a mess' if she took part in either art or music. Reasonably, he said with a smile, "have you ever tried? You can't know that unless you have," he said sensibly, then, to Kestrel, he shrugged and replied with a small sigh, "they asked me if I wanted to help out in a Weyr where I'd be more needed-who would say no to that? Plus, you're quite right, Kestrel. I wanted a change of scenery, a chance to get to see the stars and land in a new place, the chance to meet new people and dragons. Vyralth especially wanted to meet the new dragons. He thinks I'll have a better chance at finding a pretty girl here than there. From what I've seen so far, I'm quite apt to agree that could very well be possible!" Saying that, he winked in a friendly manner at Hasima, before asking, "how about you three? Did you all grow up in the Weyr?" He was, of course, hoping to boost Hasima's confidence. Not that he minded if the girl was shy, it was her lack of self confidence in herself that made him do so. She was probably a diamond in the rough, and didn't even know it! Besides, he had only just met the girl, and he found her quite intriguing-not to mention cute!

~~~~~~

Tikal had enjoyed the afternoon with Kaelin, browsing stalls and enjoying the nice weather, chatting amiably about everything and nothing. Truth be told, he was this friendly with everyone, not just the new girl he'd met this day. It was in Tikal's nature to be sociable and friendly with all sorts, be they male or female, older or younger. He could get along with just about anyone. He'd only had one cup of whatever it was that Kaelin had been drinking, and he tended to hold alcohol well. However, he merely laughed and followed her as she went to get more. He wasn't the sort to say what another should and should not do, but he warned, "don't have too much there, hrm? You wouldn't want to incapacitate yourself before the gather is done!" He spotted the games and then heard someone announcing that runner races were due to start at any moment, calling out that now was the time to place the bets. He loved runner races, and loved anything that involved taking chances. So, he said with a wide grin, "suppose after you've gotten yourself another drink I might go place my bet before it's too late, Kae?" He wasn't about to leave her until she'd done conducting her business, so he waited politely for her reply.

~~~~~~

Rhiyo listened with eyes wide as R'xis spoke, taking all of his friend's words in with disbelief. There were mini dragons now, and a form of dragons gone wrong? He hung his head a moment, pausing to let that information sink in. Momentarily, he felt rather stupid for having made such a large fuss about 'baby dragons' when that wasn't even what they were! Then, he had another thought, a more positive one, and asked, "who can have one of the little dragons?" The creatures were lovely and he liked them very much. He found himself wishing that he might have one, too. He tried not to let that part out, though, and then said, "I mean, if I never get a bigger dragon, maybe I can get one of those, you know?" He grinned, then said honestly, "you're lucky to have Ersith. He's a really nice looking dragon. Did you notice he's a lot prettier than the other browns? I did! You're really lucky to get a dragon that looks so nice like he does!" He really liked Ersith, though he had an oddly pretty mental tone and body, he admired R'xis for having impressed him.

When R'xis asked which runner Rhiyo thought would win, he looked at the runners and their sign names. He really liked the one, named Starfire, so he smiled and said brightly, "I like that one-I hope he wins-how about you, R'xis?" He didn't know what made a fast runner, but Starfire looked like he was fast, and Rhiyo really thought he was a gorgeous creature.

[Sparrow]

((Yay Tieler is awake! ^^))
Sh’rel shrugged. “I didn’t say I didn’t want Here Comes Trouble Too to win. I just said he wouldn’t win. It’s a fact.” He said trying to sound like he really knew what he was talking about. In truth, he had absolutely no idea how to decide which runners were strongest or fastest by looking at them. He merely chose the name that took his fancy, or is a Fort Hold or Ruatha one were running went with those. Sh’rel stopped walking as he tried to figure out if it was in one’s best interest to bet on two runners.

Since he had stopped he was behind Akki when Tieler began to awaken. He thought he heard the red-haired girl speak, and he was about to ask if she was awake when she began hollering. The Brownrider suppressed a chuckle as he caught up to the bluerider. The red-haired girl was beginning to question whether Akki and her did anything in her drunken state. It was just as well that Sh’rel was not carrying her for she’d probably rant about him being sexist again or something. He smiled at Tieler, “Good afternoon Tieler. Nice nap?” he asked.

It seemed rather hypocritical for him to teasing Tieler when he had been in this state many times. However, Sh’rel couldn’t help but grin as Tieler finally noticed what had been done to her hair, “I think it is rather charming, Tieler.” He looked at Akki wondering if Tieler, in her groggy state, would figure out who had done it or if Akki would fess up.

--
Marletta nodded when Raska said to find her if her father ever hit her. She wasn’t sure what she would do if her father ever did but it would probably not include finding this new girl. Her thoughts turned to the races as she trailed Raska, Akki, and Sh’rel as they headed to the race track. “I think Tempest stands a good shot at winning,” she said not caring if the others heard her or responded, she was just thinking aloud after all.

She almost bumped into the Brownrider as he stopped to think. The Ruathan stepped around the man and came along the side of Akki, she heard Tieler’s first words. “Ah, it seems like Tieler is awake now,” she grinned. “How’re you feeling?”

[Kino]

Khris had looked over to Kestrel when she asked the question, listening to the Rider as he answered and as he spoke to Hasima. He could tell that the man was trying to boost the girl's confidence; it was something he'd probably work to do himself now that he seemed to have formed a friendship with the two girls. Though of course, he wouldn't be going about it in the same way that K'tan seemed to be; Khris wasn't particularly the flirting type.

The boy looked back to K'tan as the Rider asked another question. He smiled wryly, considering he'd only just finished explaining to Hasima and Kestrel about his previous living situations. "I was a fosterling," he replied, trying to keep the answer simple this time. "They shipped me around wherever some family needed an extra hand. Home to home, hold to hold." Khris rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "This is my first time to a Weyr - and my first permanent home since I lived with my mother. I gotta say, I do like it." He ended the answer with one of his lopsided grins.

[kesomon]

"Sounds g-" she hiccuped again, blushing fiercely with a giggle. "Good, Tikal. Who's the favorite to win today?"

"Kaelin!" a shocked voice came out of the crowd. Kaelin turned abruptly, staring blankly as a tall, brown-haired older man sidestepped a passer-by and approached their little group. He was dressed in rider finery; even out of flight gear, it was so easy to tell the riders from the holdfolk. This one she hadn't expected to find here, now, in this gather. It was beyond the relms of logical maths. The odds were just too great.

"A'TON!" She squealed, bouncing up to hug the startled older man around the neck. "When did you get here? And why?"

P'mar stepped up behind his comrade in time to watch the embrace, and he smiled quietly in the manner that for anyone else would've been a full, amused grin. "We were in the neighborhood," he said lightly, glancing at Tikal. "Good afternoon."

Kaelin gasped and tried to hug P'mar in the same manner. Unfortunately it was attempted while she still had a hold of A'ton. A'ton grabbed for her waist before she could topple over and wrinkled his nose. "Kid, you're drunk."

"I am not!" She exclaimed indignantly, straightening up. "Just a little happy."

[Akki]

A quiet, almost groggy voice reached her eyes and right away Akki knew that Tieler had finally woken up from her drunken state. “Eh? What’s this? You alive now?” She asked, not looking behind her shoulder because she had the feeling if she did, Tieler would end up eating some of her blonde hair. The blue rider flinched as Tieler began to shout, obviously just realizing who she was on and what was happening. “Ow! Shards Tieler! Stop shouting in my ear before I shout back. And stop grabbing me so hard, I don’t think my lungs like the extra pressure at the moment.” The girl said with a shake of her head, her ears partially ringing. Did Tieler think they were just going to leave her there passed out? They had to move the girl around some way, and this really was the only way other than dragging her across the ground. “I’m not putting you down, I think if I did your legs would collapse on you. A thank you would be nice though.”

“Hey now. I didn’t do anything. You did however confess your love for me, and said you wanted to stay together in my weyr. Oh, also you came just to Dark Moon just for me.” Akki said, struggling to hold a straight face as she smothered any smiles or laughs that might come from her. “Oh, and you tried to kiss me. But that’s about it I think.” She said with an affirmative nod, at least she didn’t think she left anything out. Maybe just a few of the more boring details, but that should be all. Akki’s eyes went wide with innocence as she gasped out a story, “Can you believe it? Some guy came up to you and just starting braiding your hair, it was ridiculous. We tried to fight him off, honest we did, but this guy was absolutely huge so we didn’t stand a chance. He stayed for only a few minutes, he had very quick hands see, and when he ran off again your hair was like that. We would have taken them out for you but we didn’t know if you wanted to keep them or not.” She finished her story, without a hint of a smile or a laugh and stuck out her tongue in distaste as Tieler once again began to shout in her ear.

“Raska, Marletta and Sh’rel can all agree with what I said if you don’t believe me. We’re just heading over to the races right now by the way. Fancy the idea of making some bets with us if you can think long enough on who you want to bet on?” She asked, flashing a smile at Raska because of the interesting situation they had created at the Gather. She snickered at the comments Sh’rel made and nodded in agreement, “I thought your hair looked nice too.” Akki frowned for a second, in thought before looking over at Marletta, “Tempest eh? Maybe I’ll be on that one too. Then I have two chances at beating Sh’rel.”

---

Hasima looked over at Kestrel for a second, smiling to her and her friend. Hasima pretty much knew that Kestrel wasn’t fond of strangers, or maybe it was just men? That’s probably one of the reasons they got along so well together, is that they understood each other and more than likely wouldn’t laugh at each others thoughts or fears. It was weird that even though she knew Akki and Wolf and them longer, she probably felt much closer to Kestrel than anyone else. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but to her it didn’t matter. She had never had a close friend before, so it felt good being able to say that she had one now. She wondered if she had changed much from being at Dark Moon, probably not that much since she was still quite shy and was normally found with a red blush on her face. But she had changed, even if it was just a tiny bit.

She shook her head at K’tans question and replied softly, “I haven’t, but I know.”. Chances were she never would try too. She would never try something when she already believed that she would fail miserably. She did not see her hands as elegant, or talented or anything positive at all. She saw them as big, clunky, an unwanted annoyance. She normally kept them hidden away for a reason. She smiled wistfully at K’tans reasons as to why he was coming to Dark Moon. If he wanted to meet new people, than Dark Moon was definitely the place to go too. “There’s tons of people to meet at our Weyr.” She said with a few, quick nods. She placed her hands on her cheeks in an attempt to hide the blush that was now there as she caught K’tans wink towards her. Most of her was just thinking that the man was trying to be nice to her; another smaller part believed that he was making fun of her, something she was used to back at home.

She shook her head for a second in reply to his answer. She looked down at the ground as she mumbled out her answer, “I lived at Southern Boll most of my life, and then came here when I was searched.”. She was forever thankful that she was searched too, she know knew tons of people and no one made fun of her at Dark Moon. She really considered it her home now, whether or not she recognized that fact yet. Hasima flashed a grin at Khris, fully aware that the boy had to explain more or less what he had told the two girls a bit before.

[Riler]

Whatever Riler had expected Wolf to do in response to his little tirade, this was not it. He had expected a bit more…resentment? Did he want that? No. But the fact that Wolf was just going to get up, smile, and hold out her hand like everything was alright worried Riler a lot more than a few shouts of rage ever could. Riler stared at her outstretched hand, wondering if he should take it. For some reason, he didn’t know whether or not he could believe that she would get over him, just like that. It seemed unreal, based on how she was just acting. But he had to take her word for it, didn’t he?
“I hope that means you understand,” he said looking up into her eyes, a shy smile on his lips, “You know I don’t want this sort of silly thing to come between us. That’d be…stupid.”

He figured he might as well as respond to her question. “Well,” Riler said with a sigh as he took Wolf outstretched hand into his own, “I did place my bet already, so I’d at least like to watch the race I put my bet on.” He pulled himself up onto his feet, smiling at Wolf. He slipped an arm over her shoulder, hugging her body into his side. “C’mon, let’s go find Kaiya. I’m sure she misses us.” Holding Wolf at his side happily, he began to walk through the crowds of people starting to make their way to the race track. Lots of people began to crowd up along side the track, getting ready for the start of the race. Riler looked around for any sign of long and wavy red hair. Seeing none, he began to look for any sort of place where he could place a bet; Kaiya probably would’ve gone there first, at his request.

“Ah!” Riler exclaimed, tugging on Wolf’s arm happily. “There she is!” Kaiya was walking away from what appeared to be a betting station. Riler waved his free arm at her, shouting after her. “Hey! Over here!” He looked over at Wolf and hugged her a little tighter around her side before quickly making his way over to Kaiya. Upon reaching her, Riler smiled, asking, “Did ya place my bet?” He wanted to avoid brining up the fact that Wolf had been upset for as long as possible; at least, not to her face. Riler felt like he was somewhat obligated to tell Kaiya what had happened, she was the one whom he made the promise to avoid this sort of thing to.