Meeting between unknown partners

[Spirithawk]

Christae gradually became more awake. She couldn't ever remember sleeping this hard. Usually she had to listen for Chiron or any sign of trouble in her weyr. She never slept hard. For the first time in many sevendays, she actually felt rested. She kept her eyes closed and sent her thoughts out towards her dragon, automatically checking on the great golden Queen before she did anything else. Kaith was sleeping and showed no signs of waking any time soon. She was too comfortable.

Christae didn't have time to wonder about why her dragon was so content and so deeply asleep. She became aware of the fact that there was a warm body pressed against hers. She was also naked. Christae had long since given up on trying to sleep in anything but decent clothes because she was often woken up at odd hours of the night to deal with emergencies. But now, not only was she unclothed, but there was someone else in her bed. No, she mentally corrected herself, se was not in her own bed. Her furs were softer than these and the bed longer. In her own Weyr she couldn't stretch out her long frame and touch the foot of the bed. With this one, she could.

The young Weyrwoman's brain was still fogged by sleep as she processed those thoughts. She became more and more awake with the realization that something was definietly different and it was important. She opened her eyes. The light coming from the mouth of the weyr was coming in at a different angle than it would from hers. From the looks of it it was already past noon. The shape of the weyr was different as well, far less spacious than her own. There was no ledge and Kaith was not sunning herself on it.

Where was Kaith? Christae checked on her dragon again, somewhat frantically. Kaith was on her own ledge, twined around a muscular bronze and content beyond belief. Ok, so Kaith was fine.

Christae turned to the warm body behind her and was surprised to see a man she did not know. He was still sleeping and that gave her a chance to scan his body. He was lean, like most riders and his dark brown hair was mussed from sleep. He was taller than her own 5'8" of height. She could see a few scars on his neck that looked like they had been there for a while.

Realization brought her fully awake. Kaith had flown! The man beside her was now her Weyrleader and the dragon entwined with Kaith was her mate. Christae tensed slightly. She did not knwo this man. He was from another weyr. He didn't know anything about Dark Moon and its people and now he would lead them. Christae was afraid for the welfare of her weyr. She tried hard to stifle the feelings before they reached her dragon and disrupted her slumber. She would deal with this if she had to. She calmed herself. She didn't know if this man would be bad for the weyr, but neither did she know if he would be good for them either. Either way, she would do what she needed to do. What's done was done and now he was her Weyrleader.

[nighttillek]

Something seemed off. N'kal couldn't place it, as he was still sleep-drowsy. He had slept well the last night and the time was an unwelcome guest in his opinion.

He had meant to do something...what had it been? He reached out mentally for Asuth but the bronze was asleep and would probably protest to being awoken, as he too seemed to be having a good slumber. But there was still something pressing on N'kal's mind as he began to stretch his lean figure and open his eyes.

He froze in mid-stretch and stifled the oncoming yawn when he woke up to those dark brown eyes. There was a woman in his bed! He nearly bolted out right there, startled beyond belief. And then he recalled the previous day. Upon their arrival to the new Weyr a gold had taken flight and Asuth had pursued her well. And he had also caught her, which explained why there was a woman in N'kal's bed. Or perhaps he was in hers? He didn't exactly have a weyr here yet, and he hadn't even spoken to the Weyrleader about transferring in, simply allowed his dragon to shoot off like that because Asuth wanted to fly the queen, and what mate would N'kal be if he said no?

N'kal shook his head, realizing that all this thinking was leading to a poor manner in bed, and an improper introduction, though he wasn't sure how a proper introduction would come out of this situation, and instantly red flushed along his cheeks.

"Hello," he said uncertainly, his voice harsh and rasp from lack of use. He cringed at the sound of it, but continued on, "N'kal, of bronze Asuth," he said shortly. But it was the best he could do in this situation, as he had gone through as much of a shock as she must have. And then his thoughts turned to how bad this situation must be for her, having to wake up next to a rider she didn't know. And probably assumed was from another Weyr! "Transfer, yesterday," he explained, but his blush deepened as he mentioned the previous day.

[Spirithawk]

Christae had remained silent as her new Weyrleader awoke from his slumber and began stretching. She tensed slightly when he spoke, unsure of how to handle the situation but forced herself to smile after he introduced himself.

"Christae of Senior Queen Kaith." She caught the words 'transfer yesterday' and her smile became more genuine. He must be just as unsure about this situation as she was. He had just arrived in the Weyr when Kaith rose for her third mating flight. "I apologize for Kaith's untimely flight and the lack of introduction. I hadn't realized that there was a transfer coming in, otherwise I would have warned you that my Queen was about to rise. Welcome to Dark Moon Weyr, N'kal." She paused and then decided to say what she had started to say. "Congratulations Weyrleader."

[nighttillek]

N'kal just looked at her for a long time. She had called him Weyrleader. And her dragon Senior Queen. What exactly had he flown into? He hadn't expected a rising queen when he had come, nor had he expected Asuth to win her, let alone for her to be the Senior Queen! And now here he was with a new weyrmate, Christae of Senior Queen Kaith. Were transfers allowed to become Weyrleader upon arrival to a new Weyr? So many various questions all leading to the same extent in his mind rumbled around unanswered, though he spoke none of them.

What of the old Weyrleader? What had become of him? Should he still report to the man? Would the man be furious losing his position to some stranger? Perhaps even more so at losing Christae to some stranger. "Old Weyrleader?" he asked, his voice half creaking as he spoke for lack of use. Although the man was decent to look at, listening to him for too long might hurt one's ears, or so he had been informed at his other weyr. He had hoped to come here to hide out a bit and get to know people before starting to let them hear his voice too much so that they'd shy away from him. How was he supposed to do that as a Weyrleader?

[Spirithawk]

Christae's face darkened. The old Weyrleader didn't even deserve that title for what he had done to the weyr. "You don't have to worry about the old Weyrleader. This weyr hasn't had a
Weyrleader for over half a Turn. Our previous Weyrleader decided that he wanted to return to his old weyr and left before his dragons last clutch hatched. The night of the hatching he took off without telling me and took our son as well. I got him back but he was at Benden for several sevendays before I appealed to the Harpers to help me get him back. The former Weyrleader preferred being a Wingleader at Benden to a Weyrleader here. You have no former Weyrleader to answer to. Basically, I have been running the weyr by myself since he left. It would be best not to mention him. The Weyr doesn't really care for him and it is likely to start an all out rant if you mention him."

Her voice was still bitter but she shook her head. This was not the time to drop all her burdens on this man. He had just arrived at the Weyr and was now, unexpectedly, Weyrleader. She knew nothing about him other than his name and the name of her dragon.

"What Weyr did you transfer from?"

[nighttillek]

N'kal frowned at the mentionings of the previous weyrleader, but said nothing of them. Instead he turned his attention to the question at hand, "Igen," he said simply. "Weaver bred," he stated as well, hoping that information would be helpful, though he doubted it would. He wondered what else a Weyrwoman would need to know about her mate. Then he frowned, a hand going to his neck to cover the scars, perhaps she would be upset with his looks? He was not the best looking rider here, he was sure there were far more handsome for her to choose from. But what did that have to do with leading a Weyr?

And what was the Weyr lacking? He had so many questions to ask, but doing so would likely injure himself as well as poor Christae's ears. "Usually talk through Asuth," he said to her, "He's sleeping now."

[Spirithawk]

Christae watched his movements carefully, trying to read him. She saw his attempt to cover his scars and decided that he was probably just as nervous as she. His cliptic responses to her questions and his comment about his dragon usually talking for him confirmed her suspicions that her new Weyrleader was rather shy to say the least.

"I'm sorry then, but I hope you will be able to get used to talking to me directly. We have to work together to prepare the Weyr for thread. Asuth won't always be here." Her voice was gentle but matter of fact. She paused to let that sink in and then went on. "You will also have to speak to your wingleaders and riders. I will make sure that you meet them later, say tomorrow or the day after. I figure we can take today to show you around the weyr and get you aquainted with your new home before I dump duties on you. I have been taking care of the weyr by myself for this long I can handle it for a few more days while you get used to things. You may feel free to ask me anything, even if you think it is irrelevant or silly. If you want to know it, ask. "

She rose, unconcerned by the fact that she was naked. He had already seen all of her. As she had suspected, a drudge had left fresh klah, redfruit juice and some fresh sweet rolls and fruit for the Weyrleaders. "I hope you are hungry. The people of the Lower Caverns set out some food for us. Will you have klah or redfruit juice? I will bring you up to date on what has been happening here while we eat. Then we can return to my weyr. If you want separate sleeping quarters that is fine. I have a feeling Asuth will want to stay with his mate but things can be arranged. We will need to remain close so that we can work together better."

[nighttillek]

N'kal frowned as she spoke, but listened intently. He had never thought he would have such a grand position like Weyrleader before, and had more shunned himself than anyone else. He had never expected to have to deal with speaking to people on any form of a constant or even casual basis, let alone a daily one. After the accident on his ship the healers said that his voice would be ruined and that he should thank the First Egg he wasn't a harper by trade. But it was suggested that he take vocal lessons from a harper to strengthen his voice. At the time his neck had been horrendous to look at, and he had denied being seen by anyone. Perhaps he should look into doing that again?

Her movements caught his eye and he watched as she stood and walked over to the tray. Noting her nakedness, he looked down, a blush crawling across his face. He knew he had seen her already, but that was dragonroused. At this moment she felt nothing for him, her dragon lust gone with the passing of the time.

As to her questions, "Juice," he responded simply. He had never had a taste for klah. Far too bitter for him. And as to separating weyrs, "As you wish," was his reply, though it sounded gruff on his voice. He knew Asuth would stay with his queen at all costs so long as she was his mate. "Just let him stay," he said, nodding his head to his dragon as he sat upright, "with her."

[Spirithawk]

"Very well." Christae said as she was pouring juice for him. She handed him the mug and set the tray of sweet rolls and fruit on the bed. After a moment's thought she poured juice for herself as well. "I really have been drinking too much klah. Its about the only thing that would keep me awake lately. Maybe now that I have a Weyrleader I can slack off and save it for when I really need it."

Her voice was carefully conversational. His voice sounded like it was almost painful to use and she didn't want him to think that she was repulsed or concerned about it. "Asuth is more than welcome to share Kaith's Weyr for as long as he is welcome. I could separate my own quarters. You'd have to deal with a rambunctious toddler though and worry about stepping on his toys or being woken up early when you actually have time to sleep in." Amusement colored her tone, and love for her child. "Chiron is almost three Turns old." She thought for a moment. "Or there is a weyr that connects to the Queen's weyr. It is a rather large weyr and you would have access to both my weyr and our office. The drudges must have moved your things by now. I see they have fresh clothing out for both of us already and our other clothing is gone. They will have put them in my weyr. My Headwoman is a jewel. She keeps the Lower Caverns straight without any help from me and that leaves me free to take care of the rest of the Weyr."

"Our Headwoman's name is Uslanee. She is as much a Queen of the Lower Caverns as Kaith is over the dragons but don't tell either of them that I said that. Our Candidate Master and Weyrling Master is Rhia of brown Mneith. Her assistant Candidatemaster is Akki of blue Ebbeth. Rhia is training Akki to take over as Candidate Master so that she can focus more on the Weyrlings. We just had a batch of Weyrlings graduate and they are waiting to be sifted into wings. I will leave that to you once you have had a chance to look them over, but I will be glad to make suggestions. Most of the other riders are doing well in the wings they were assigned to and have been drilling almost daily under my command but I need to train my Queen's wing. I have a new Queen and two mutants from the Weyrlings that will be flying with me and I haven't had time to really work with them all that much. I also need to focus more on my Junior Weyrwoman's training. My Jr. WW will be Wolf of gold Serinth. My last Jr. WW had to leave for health reasons. We have one HAD in the Weyr, a young lad named Khris. We have about 17 Candidates, at least that's how many we had last time I checked. A few more might have trickled in and I expect more now that Kaith has flown."

She glanced up and realized that she had been rattling on. "Any questions?" Her eyes strayed from his face to the scars on his neck. She reached out and touched them gently. "What happened?" Her voice was soft and full of almost motherly concern.

[nighttillek]

N'kal listened intently to her entire speech, taking some things to memory and others to heart. He would have a lot of people to meet, but he was great with names and faces and didn't think it would be too much trouble. All he had to do now was put faces to those names. And learn the faces and names of every other dragonrider here, as well as the rank of most of them. Learning the faces and names of weyrfolk would be wise as well. Boy did he have a lot to learn!

He also had duties to attend. This gave him a smile, for he liked having work to do. Being without work seemed far too boring and uneventful. As well as like he wasn't doing anything to help the Weyr, which he also enjoyed doing. Questions, he was sure that he would have many, but none at this moment.

And then she turned the conversation over to the scars at his neck and the brightness of his eyes dimmed slightly, although a smile curved his lips, "Went fishing...with my father," he said simply. "Storm came, blew the ropes, I got caught up." He still did not like riding the seas during a storm, but as his dragon was not held together by ropes he would gladly fly the great bronze over any ill-weather. "Cut deep, ruined voice. Healer said to thank Farnath I wasn't a harper," he decided that he would have to use his voice more, and as he did know how and had merely refused to do so, now was the time. He still smiled at the healer's attempt to take the dark of that situation away from a young boy. "Twelve turns. Was sent to the Weyr for their healing, searched but no time. Sent to the Healer Hall directly on dragonback of the Senior Dragonhealer," he recalled vividly the way the woman's eyes had shot open, the severity of the situation was not masked by her. She had handled Dragon Scorches more than fishing accidents, and the situation was dire enough to shake her.

"Masterhealer saw to me," a rare feat he had been later told was reserved for the most severe of situations. "Said to take voice lessons from a harper?" he said to her, more asking her if she thought he would. "Didn't, no need. Never spoke to people. I will now," he said, his brows furrowing with the thought, "Lots of people to speak to now..."

His voice seemed strained, but he was talking deeper in his belly than in his throat, it seemed to ease the pressure although it made his voice deeper. It was a little easier to understand and slightly less harsh on the ears that way. Better all around and would have to do for now. N'kal couldn't help but wonder if he would have already had his voice back with those suggested lessons. But decisions made in the past could not be changed, and the best N'kal could do was change his mind now and decide to go with some form of strengthening his own hideous voice. He looked up, blushing a little, though the blush died down when his eyes locked onto hers. And that was where his gaze would remain, her eyes, her face, nothing else would draw his attention. "I will do my best to be a good Weyrleader for you," he said to her softly, although it didn't really help the sound of his voice.

[Spirithawk]

OOC: You might want to change Threadscores. We don't have Thread just yet in this Pass. That will come later.

IC:

Christae listened solemnly to the story that obviously still pained him. "Twelve turns? That's hard to deal with. I am glad that they were able to save your voice though. You can still talk, even though your voice isn't like it used to be. I would be glad to apply to the Healer Hall for someone to work with your voice. However, it is your choice. I don't have the personnel here that would be able to do it. I think it would be a good idea. At any rate it would make speaking less painful. I have something that I can give you to help soothe your throat if you want me to mix some up when we get to my Weyr."

She almost didn't catch his soft promise. She smiled. "I am sure you will, and I will do all I can to help you and to have our riders accept you. I must warn you that we are a rather unorthodox weyr." She finished off her sweet roll and stood. "Now, how about we bathe and dress so that we can begin showing you around your new home?" She didn't really wait for an answer. She grabbed her clothing where it had been placed on a chest and walked quickly off into the bathing chamber. She had a new bounce in her step even though she was still a bit worried about how things would play out with a rider new to the weyr catching the Queen. There was a chance for that at any rate because the flight had been thrown open. At least this rider had chosen to transfer to Dark Moon before the flight and not because he had won. He just picked the wrong day to transfer. A small smile curved her lips as she hurriedly washed and dressed. It didn't take her long. She figured he would probably be too embarrased to join her so she hurried her bath. She could take a longer one later in her own Weyr.

[nighttillek]

OOC: Kaykay, changed it to Dragon Scorches. Much more likely so long as teams still drill and practice with firestone. And just so you know, when they refer to the "weyr" as a dragon/rider residence it isn't capitalized. Just when they are speaking of the Weyr in general, IE Dark Moon Weyr "the Weyr".

IC:
N'kal watched her go, noting the bounce in her step before he turned away, the blush on his cheeks creeping farther down his neck. Asuth had never before flown more than a green, and they were generally gone by the time he woke up. There was a difference between the flight of greens and the flight of golds. A larger connection between the dragons. Generally the bronzes would stay loyal to any gold they had flown, and generally the golds would only choose another if the other was more capable and adequate. A strange connection indeed.

And this connection left him in charge of an entire Weyr. One he had just transfered to not a breath before the flight itself. So many faces he had seen surrounding the Weyrwoman yesterday. He recalled them all and looked at each one, one by one. All the while he wondered who was a rider for this Weyr and who was flying for another? Obviously many of them would be from other Weyrs, as it was an open flight, which meant that Dark Moon was lacking in bronzes at the moment. Possibly even browns who might chase a gold. But then what did that leave for the wings and their leaders? His wings, he realized. They were his wings and his wingleaders. He would have to choose a wing of his own, as well as a wingsecond. All this and he didn't even know anyone in the Weyr beside the woman he had woken next to.

He could hear the water move as she washed, but said nothing. He found his clothes deftly and waited, the important parts of himself covered even though she had already seen them. He couldn't help but feel as if they had switched roles in this case, she uncaring of her beauty and he hiding himself like an untouched youth. Mentally he cursed himself. But it was awkward, finding yourself next to the person in the Weyr you were supposed to report to. Even more so if you were both naked and your dragons had mated the two together. Although not all couples remained mated simply because their dragons were.

After a great sigh, he began to look around the weyr they were in. He pulled on his trousers and looked at the dragons as they slept, then past them out fo the weyr so that he could see the view. It looked grand, although it was no grander than where he had come from. There was a different air to it all, and a different feeling knowing that he would have to control most of it. He took a steadying breath as he looked out at Dark Moon. He was certainly feeling a little over his head about the whole thing.

[Spirithawk]

OOC: Sorry apparently my reply to this didn't go through. I mustn't have been paying attention when I capitalized Weyr there. I was typing in a hurry before going to sit with my Pappy. Thanks for pointing it out.

IC:

"Since our dragons are sleeping on the ledge and I don't really want to wake Kaith I will show you to our office first and we can take the back stairs to my weyr. That way we don't have to go through the heat on the outer stairs. It's nearly noon and the heat here is a bit different from the climate at Igen. It can be hot in Igen but it's a different kind of heat here. You will have to be careful until you get used to the heat. We try to stay out of the heat during the worst parts of the day for about a couple of hours before and after midday. That means we get up earlier to take advantage of the dawn light and coolness and stay out late to finish what we have to get done. Some of the riders nap but most use that time to take care of riding straps to bathe and oil their dragons. We use that time to try to catch up with paperwork."

"The Dining Cavern is through there." She pointed to a large opening in the stone. "We'll head there once we get some stuff straight for lunch. If you are ever hungry there is always fruit, rolls, or some stew on the night hearth. There is always fresh klah or a drudge willing to get you some. If you want something and it isn't out ask a drudge and they will get it for you."

She led the way into one of the smaller caverns. It was set up with a sky broom desk polished to a shine by countless Weyrwomen and Weyrleaders handling the paperwork of the weyr. She went to a chest. "Recent Weyr records are in here. After about two or three years they are sifted out and the older ones are placed in the archives. Those are in a different cavern deeper in the Weyr. I have fresh hides here and a sand tray for memos so we don't have to use hides. Ink and spare quills are here." She showed him each chest and drawer as she talked. "Here is a spare list of all the personnel we have in the weyr. The Candidate list isn't up to date. I haven't been able to catch up with my Candidate Master lately. She's been busy and so have I."

She led the way to a covered opening in the back of the cavern. "Here are the steps leading to my Weyr. The drudges keep the glows fresh so we don't have to worry about torches or stubbing a toe." She moved swiftly up the well-worn stone stairs and entered a huge weyr. "See if you want to stay here, there is plenty of room. I don't take up that much space." There was a huge bed that had a few tumbled furs on it. A carved piece of skybroom wood in the shape of a dragon stood on a small table with a glowbasket behind it near the bed. There were a rew ornate chests set against the wall that contained her belongings. Hides were scattered on another table with a cushioned chair near it and another glowbasket. There was a small braizer that had burned out with klah and various powders in jars. An open medical kit was in the corner. Jars of oil, numbweed and redwort were tucked into a shelf in the wall. The great gold's riding straps were hung on pegs near the cavern opening, but far enough so that driving rain would not wet them. Her riding boots were near the foot of the bed. There was a colorful curtain separating the main room from the bathing room. A child's toys were scattered across the floor.

"Sorry about the mess. Chiron still hasn't learned how to pick up his toys." She set a stack of hides she had grabbed from her office on the table and started straightening things on the table she used as a desk. "I keep telling myself to get a smaller table and put a desk in here but I always forget to put the order in when the Traders pass through." She picked up a mug of cold klah and went into her bathing room to dump it and rinse it out.

A bronze flitt flew in, chirping. "This is Birinj, my flitt. Say hello to N'kal." Birinj chirped and then fluttered around his mistress's head, scolding. "I'm sorry it wasn't my fault that Kaith rose. You know if you are hungry you just have to go to the Kitchen and someone will feed you." She chuckled. "He gets testy when anyone else has to feed him. Do you want me to send a request to the Healer Hall for someone to work with your voice? I have Birinj here now and he is used to bringing letters to the Healer Hall so he could get it there in no time. The Healer Hall has its own dragon transport but I would send one of my riders because it would be more courteous. Birinj could give the response and I can have a rider ready quickly. You don't have to decide now if you don't want to."

Almost as an afterthought she moved to her medicine kit and pulled out a few small jars of powdered herbs. She measured out portions from several of them and placed it into an empty mug. "I'd put redfruit juice but it won't mask the taste. This will help your throat but it won't taste very well." She poured water into it and then handed it to him.

[nighttillek]

He wanted to laugh at her, but that had been something that had never really come back. Instead he smiled at her, exhaling his laugh through his nose in an almost snort-like fashion. Then he shook his head before looking at her once more, his eyes gentle. He took the drink and gulped it down, disliking how it slid down his throat leaving behind a ghastly aftertaste. He welcomed the water. Then he smiled to her once more, "Not healer. Throat's been long healed, no use for another one," he said simply. Then frowned at the horrid sound he made. The drink had relieved some of the pain, though it had not enhanced the sound quality of his voice. "What I need is practice," he said simply. "Need a Harper, not Healer," he said. It had been the first suggestion a healer had given him when his life was no longer threatened completely.

He said little, instead he just watched her as she explained everything. "I don't mind the mess," he said finally. "Children will be children," he added with a shrug. N'kal liked children. They always brought a smile to his face with their wild ways and adventuresome tails of trials and tribulations of the young.

((Sorry for shortness =/))

[Spirithawk]

OOC: Rofl..I was reading the old posts when Christae and Rhia found out they were pregnant..that was a hoot..we all have short posts..its ok lol now im going back to bed

IC:

"I did say Healer didn't I?" She said, a rueful expression on her face. "Sorry. I get a bit scatter brained from time to time." She shrugged and then laughed. "It's a wonder I get anything done sometimes. Well, at any rate I can send for the Harper Hall. I am certain they will have someone who wants a vacation to the Southern Continent. It can get cold living next to Fort Hold at this time of year. We just get a lot of rain later in the season."

"I'm glad you don't mind children. Mine is just about as boisterous as they come and Rhia's twins are just as bad. Get the three together, and By the first egg you have mayhem. The weyrfolk affectionately call them the terrible trio. They sound like a herd of wherries stampeding with all their shrieks and the things they knock down. The Weyr doesn't have many youngsters at the moment so everyone dotes on them. They don't lack for attention even though their mammas are busy with Weyr business." The was pride and affection in her voice as she spoke of the children. "They were born a few days apart from each other. I still remember when I found out about Chiron. They were cutting up herdbeasts for supper and I passed out cold on the floor in the middle of the kitchens. Chiron was born about 6 months later." A happy light was in her eyes as she talked about her son. She refused to let herself think about the sevendays she didn't have him because of her former Weyrleader.

"I will send for the Harper then if you wish." She trimmed her quill with a sharp knife and dipped it in the ink pot she had on her desk. A fresh scrap of hide was already before her on the table. She was just waiting for a reply. Birinj knew what the small scraps of hide meant. He perched on the table, hopping up and down with excited little chirps. He loved playing messenger.

[nighttillek]

N'kal smiled as she spoke of her son. He wanted to meet the boy already. Even if he was a spoiled little child that loved the affectionate responses from each of the weyrfolk. N'kal smiled at the thought of seeing this terrible trio of toddlers as they wrapped the Weyrwoman more tightly around their fingers. The whole idea seemed much like the love of a mother and child, and it brought a seemingly neverending smile to N'kal's face. He may have turned out a bit of a loner, but that didn't mean that he did not adore children. His smile faded slightly. Children didn't really like to hear him speak. He always ended up sounding like a big, mean monster to them, and sometimes frightened them. He would have to remember to keep speaking to a minimum while around the Weyrwoman's son. Probably around the Weyrlingmaster's children as well.

He nodded at the comment, "A Harper would be best," if he was to be the Weyrleader of a Weyr he would actually have to work on his speech. People had to hear him after all, had to listen to him, had the ability to ask him questions. He even had to meet with the other transfers, give introductions, speak plans, direct wings. He had a lot on his plate and it revolved fairly immensely on his ability to interact and speak with others. He smiled at the chirping bronze flit, a miniature little Asuth, but with a bit more rambunctiousness in him. "Best to give him something to do," he said simply, his voice tender. It was the first moment where he had simply let down his guard in front of the Weyrwoman, although it wasn't much. It wasn't that he was hiding anything from her, he was just far more used to keeping to himself than to speak out to anyone around him.

[Spirithawk]

OOC: Its the Candidae and Weyrlingmaster's children. The Jr. WW is JUST out of W'linghood. Just fyi lol.

IC:

She smiled and put her quill into the ink. She put it to the hide and quickly wrote a message asking for a Healer that specialized in speech therapy. A dragon would be waiting for the Harper in the courtyard if the Hall saw fit to send someone. Christae attached the scroll to the little flitt's upraised leg and pictured the MasterHarper. He chirped excitedly and bounded into the air before vanishing.

"Sometimes he is entirely too enthusiastic." She said with amusement. "Oops, I should have sent him to fetch one of the new riders first. Kaith won't be happy with me for waking her to summon one of them." She sighed and shrugged. "She'll get over it." She glanced at the hides she had brought from her office. "Who to send? I think I will send P'rin and bronze Kilzanth. That way the Harper Hall does not feel we have slighted them by sending a lesser dragon. It will also give the scamp something to do. It's a wonder P'rin manages to keep his sanity with that dragon. He certainly is a demanding creature from what Rhia has told me."

Kaith love, I need you to summon P'rin and bronze Kilzanth for me. I need an errand run.

Her eyes unfocused as she spoke to her dragon. Kaith was reluctant to stir and began grumbling. The rumble of her displeasure could be felt in the stone of the cave. Sorry love. The sooner you call him the sooner you can return to your nap.

Very well but don't disturb me again unless it is important. Kilzant, you and your rider are to report to the Weyrwoman's weyr immediatly ready to ride. You have an errand to run.

As you wish my Queen. I will send word to my rider immediately. The bronze's reply was prompt and respectful.

There now let me sleep.

"Grumpy." She said out loud. The Queen's only response was to flick her tail where it lay in the opening of the cavern. She was asleep before Christae's smile could fade. "Uh oh." Shrieks and the sound of a stampede could be heard from the staircase leading from the WW's office to her weyr. A few shouts of 'stop' and 'get back here' followed. "Here come the terrible trio. Brace yourself! We are going to have to quiet them down quickly before Kaith gets woken up again."

Three young children burst into the room. One of the boys was obviously Christae's son. He looked like a younger version of her with short, dark blond hair. The other two were siblings. They looked so much alike that they couldn't be otherwise. The other boy had dark red hair and his father's brown eyes. The girl had her mother's grey eyes and her father's black hair. The contrast was startling. Aside from hair and eye color the twins had the same features.

"The two that look alike are Rehan and Giana. Their father was a bronzerider here but he transfered out. Rhia is their mother. The three were born within days of each other and play together a lot."

"Mama!" Chiron shouted and launched himself into his mother's arms. Christae kissed him while the other two gathered around her tugging at her clothing. "Kis tay. Kis tay." They couldn't really pronounce her name all that well yet.

"Shh, hush darlings. Yes I am glad to see you. You must be quiet. Kaith is sleeping." Christae tried to quiet the bouncing children.

"Kith take nap?" the little girl said. The children had no fear of the great Queen. Her bark was worse than her bite and she adored the children, especially her bonded's little hatchling. She had been furious when the former WL had taken the boy and made her chosen sad.

"Yes Kaith is taking a nap. You must be quiet now." Christae crouched down with her son still in her arms and kissed the top of the little girl's head.

The little grey-eyed boy walked up to N'kal and raised his arms to be held. "Up. You up now. What name?" His grey eyes were solemn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The trio was followed in by a harried looking rider with the knots of Weyrlingmaster and Candidatemaster on her shoulder and brownrider on the other. Her chocolate brown sleeveless shirt was full of white blotches that looked like powder or flour. "Sorry Christae, they got away from me. They saw you go into your office and Chiron took off running. The twins followed. They have been in my hair all day but better me than the drudges. Rehan and Chiron thought it would be funny to cover Giana in flour and Uslanee is fit to be tied. I just finished getting all the flour off of Giana." She pushed auburn hair from her eyes and caught sight of N'kal. "Oh, forgive me bronzerider." She glanced from Christae to the new rider and realization hit her. "Weyrleader." She bowed slightly. "Welcome to Dark Moon Weyr. Please forgive my intrusion."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christae laughed. "Such formality between friends just because of the presence of the new Weyrleader Rhia. Allow me to introduce you." She turned to N'kal. "Our Weyrlingmaster and Candidatemaster, Rhia of brown Mneith and her children Rehan and Giana. Rhia, our new Weyrleader, N'kal of bronze Asuth, formerly of Igen Weyr. He was transferring to Dark Moon when the flight took place."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chrisate had barely finished speaking before another rider appeared, this one from the outside opening of the cave. The lanky lad stepped carefully over the tail of the sleeping Queen. He had barely managed to squeeze past the two dragons reclining on the large ledge. He wore the shoulder knots of a bronzerider though he was very young and obviously just out of Weyrlinghood. He bowed low. "Weyrwoman, Weyrleader. You summoned us?"

[nighttillek]

N'kal couldn't keep the smile from his face as the three children made their way boisterously into the room followed by a woman who seemed fairly out of breath. He took note of Rehan and Giana, memorizing their faces immediately. He knew that the Weyrwoman had mentioned having only a very few children in the Weyr at the moment, but he wanted to be sure that he could call these ones by name especially, seeing as how dear they were to his ma...the Weyrwoman. He gave his head a quick shake to clear his thoughts, as things were going so fast. Christae was not necessarily his mate. Her golden queen was indeed the mate of his bronze, but that did not entirely tie her to N'kal himself. Although she had made no signs of wanting her weyr to herself completely, just continuously offering him one to himself. Perhaps they were the same thing? N'kal was unsure as he hadn't had very much socializing in his life. Especially not of late, deciding to transfer here and away from the Weyr where he had impressed his Bronze. But that Weyr had not been for him, and he desperately hoped that this one was.

He blinked at the little boy who demanded to be held, and at once obeyed. The smile on his face grew more tender as he lifted the child into his arms, "N'kal," he said, doing his best to make his voice sound as smooth as possible so that he didn't scare the child. His eyes were watchful of a response from the boy he held as well as the two siblings who were also in the room.

At the woman's greeting and the introduction given by the Weyrwoman, N'kal smiled at her too, a genuine smile that was pleasing to see. "A pleasure to meet you, Weyrlingmaster and Candidatemaster Rhia. And all three of you lovely children," he said, continuing to strain in an effort to ease his voice on the ears. Raspy, certainly raspy, but it did soften slightly. However, it was still no Harper's voice, and was not pleasant to hear.

N'kal gave another nod as the young bronzerider entered the room, although he did not speak to the man, his eyes going back to the face of the boy he held. He desperately wanted to be accepted by these children. N'kal had always loved children, but shied away from them due to the sound of his voice. He did not want to frighten them after all. But these were the children of the WM/CM and the WW of his Weyr. He needed their acceptance more than even he realized.

[Spirithawk]

"Weyrleader N'kal of bronze Asuth, this is P'rin, rider of bronze Kilzanth. P'rin, we have an important errand for you and Kilzanth to run. We have requested a Harper to come to the Weyr and I will need someone to go and bring him or her to the Weyr. I trust you and Kilzanth are up to the task? We are just waiting for Birinj to return with the Harper Hall's message."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P'rin bowed low. "It would be an honor Weyrwoman." The dark-haired lad turned to the Weyrleader. "Your bronze is a fine beast. He flew well yesterday. Congratulations. It is a pleasure to meet you." He held out a hand to shake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rehan grinned. "Kal. Kal. Me Rhan. You got dragn?"

"N'kal. Love. Don't forget the N." Rhia said and smiled warmly. "It is a pleasure to meet you. If he bothers you any just set him down and send him on his way. They can be a nuisance at times." She grinned and bent down to pick up the little girl who was begging for her mother's attention.

"Christae, I want permission to take the Candidates out of the Weyr in the next sevenday or so to show them the herbs we use in our daily lives in their natural settings so they know what to look for. I don't know when I will take them. I need to make sure they are ready for an excursion. We might be out of the Weyr for a few days so I wanted to run it by you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christae shrugged. "You didn't really need to ask for permission. You are the Candidate Master. You know what needs to be done. Just leave me a notice when you plan to leave so we know why they have suddenly disappeared from the Weyr. You will have your flitt with you?" When the brownrider nodded she went on." Good. Kaith and Mneith will be able to keep in touch and you can use Gylfie to send reports on their progress. Just come back in one piece." She grinned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rhia laughed. "I'll try not to get overwhelmed by the rascals. We had a fight on day one, and a few of them like to pull pranks and be rebellious but thats the normal Candidate batch. They are doing as well as can be expected. I am optimistic about this bunch. We need to have a few more to give Kaith's hatchlings more of a choice but I trust word will get out now that she has flown."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A chirping bronze flitt appeared and went to the Weyrwoman. Christae took the scroll from him and nodded in approval. "They would be happy to send someone. Harper Mihal will be ready within the hour. It seems he is looking forward to a vacation in the Southern Continent and would be happy to work with Weyrleader N'kal's voice. P'rin, I trust you know the way? Be safe." The bronzerider bowed and left and his bronze's brassy bugle to the Watchdragon was heard a few minutes later.

[nighttillek]

N'kal could do little but smile at each of the people in the weyr. He was honestly a little excited to no longer be an outsider. He knew it was a huge change for him to make, but he had never backed down from a challenge yet. His eyes were gentle as he watched the boy in his arms, nodding at Rhia when she spoke of putting the child down. But he did not place the child back on the floor, instead deciding to answer his question, "I have a bronze dragon, his name is Asuth," he informed the child, thrilled to be able to give information to one so young. This was the age where children liked to know things.

He nodded at P'rin, shifting the child to one hip to take his hand in a mildly firm grasp to give it one solid shake, before taking it back to be a protective measure for the boy he held. He nodded at the man again when he left on his duty to retrieve the harper who was to aid N'kal with his vocal insufficiencies.

Once the rider was gone he returned his interest in the Weyrwoman and what seemed to be her right hand woman, Candidatemaster and Weyrlingmaster. The two were to be admired, for they seemed to have everything the Weyr needed from leadership. He could only hope that he could take some of the stress off of the pair, wishing more than anything that he would be more of a help than a hinderance. He looked back at Rehan and smiled at the boy, "Do you like dragons?" he asked, though he could already guess the answer.