Celebrations (open)

[hollie]

A hatching is always a time to celebrate, and Tamzint couldn't get away from the stands around the Hatching Sands any quicker. She darted through the crowd, Myre a few steps behind her, heading towards the lower caverns and the festivities she knew would soon begin there.

Luckily for her, the others all seemed to be taking their time, and the caverns were busy only with the hustle and bustle of the kitchen staff as they went about the final preparations, setting out food and drink for guests and Weyr residents alike.

"Here, Myre, we'll sit here - we should get a good view from here when the dancing starts." Plonking herself down onto the nearest seat and dragging an unprotesting Myre with her, Tamzint sat and waited, watching the activities around her with eagerly darting eyes.

[hrsegrl]

K'dyn was not accompanied on this occassion but he was hoping to find his sister while he was there. The other Zahra Wingriders were in a merry and as usual boisterous spirit. Marisol in particular. No doubt it had to do with the loss of her grandmother. It was hard to lose someone who meant so much. K'dyn had often seen her as a mentor himself.

The brownrider quickly noted that things were being set up last minute before the newly impressed Weyrlings would be arriving. It was always nice to see what the future would bring. A brown had hatched first and two Bronzes...Adeloth was fast becomming known as the Super Queen, among the Weyrbrats.

He took a seat with his Wing in hopes that the Feast would begin soon. He loved a good feast, as did most of the Weyr. Music and wine and above all great food in large quantities. They had every reason to celebrate.

------
Marisol was indeed a louder self today. Not that she wasn't always loud and almost abnoxiously so. She seemed to be taking the Hatchign harder than she thought. It was unfortunate that she wasn't feeling herself or she might not have been convinced into betting on the clutch and impressions.

Luckily she had won money on that. Her grandmother's jewels adorned her usually plain appearance. Greenriders made some marks but nothing that would allow them to afford the jewelry Marisol Sr. had had. Goldriders were lucky in that, or perhaps unlucky. They had to look the part whereas she was free to look how she wanted.

Today she was wearign a deep blue dress, nothing fancy. Her red hair was down but as it was a short hair cut that wasn't saying much. Still, she knew that she wasn't leaving this Feast alone. The last thing she needed was to be alone right now.

-----

Labeth had drifted to sleep after the younger Weyrlings had gotten settled. The boys were rowdy and though she knew a couple of them she didn't bother to help since she had other things to do. The song she was humming soothed her green quickly. Amneris hadn't been to one of these Feasts since Labeth impressed to her. She had to admit the whole night had been a bit of a blurr. The ex apprenticed Harper had been shocked.

Funny what a little dragon could do to change ones world completely. The blonde set her hair back but made sure it matched her red dress. It was new but it wasn't expensive. She was just a Weyrling and her parents knew nothing of her life now so she had to rely on her own income. There were no jewels nor extravagant designs on her dress or herself.

The thought that kept going through her mind was...I hope Jeyna is there. No matter what the bluerider might think was best, Amneris knew what was best for herself. She wasn't going to let the other woman off that easy. There would be time to talk later, tonight she merely wanted to show that she was capable of being simply friends with Jeyna.

------------------
Vittor was always getting into things he wasn't supposed to. Now was a prime example. He had in fact snuck into the kitchens and taken a bubbly pie. When he went back to where he had planned to sit and there was a girl in his spot.
"Excuse me." The six turn old said slightly sad that his plans had been ruined. "Your in my seat."

To an adult a seat was a seat but Vittor didn't think that way. That chair was where he always sat. The young woman probably had no idea but now she would. She seemed happy about where she was but Vittor really needed to sit there. Thats where Altor was going to meet him! He would have whined but he doubted that would improve his situation.

"Hurry now. This pie is heavy."

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

Rory promised himself he was only going to stay for a little while. He had come in with his sister, Allior who had her children and fosters with her. He carried Nishor with him. They needed to eat and he was not going to leave a baby home by himself that would be bad parenting. At least Nishor was a calm child. The growing noise of the Weyrhall did not phase him a bit as he yawned and fell back to sleep in Rory's arms.

The drudge watched as everyone seemed to settle in their seats nearly everyone had arrived already from the Sands. Hatching Feasts were always memorable occassions. He couldn't wait to see the new Weyrlings!

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

Ph'yn had taken his time making sure Ganymeth was comfortable before he left him. He watched the dragon sleep for a few moments but realized he had better get going when his classmates began to leave. He would have liked to stay with Ganymeth but he knew he owed it to the Weyr to attend the Hatching Feast.

At least he knew P'len would be there and of course there would be dancing. He did like to dance with girls. ohhh and there would be wine. Red or white didn't matter. He'd get to knwo his Weyrling classmates better. It would be fun!

Ph'yn readied himself to enter the Weyrhall. Then, as if on cue, he and the rest of his new Weyrling class entered. Prepared for the applause that came with their entrance.

[kayla]

Neory had recovered. And thanks to weyrling class, she had regained most of her strength, but not all. However, the healers had reassured her that she would continue to gain strength and would be back to her old self. She was thinner than she had been before she had gotten sick, but considering how sick she had been, that should not have been a surprise to anyone.

Regardless, the Queen Rider came to the celebration after the Hatching, and she had watched the hatching as well. For the time being, she had enjoyed this hatching among her clutchmates. This was Elisha's moment, not hers. She did not want to intrude, nor did she want to abandon her clutchmates.

Likewise, at the gathering afterwards, she would make sure to pay her respects to the Weyrwoman, but she was not going to take her place at the head table, at least not longer than she had to. She knew that Elisha would probably want to introduce her, since would be clearer thinking than the starry-eyed newly impressed state she'd been in last time. For now though, she sought out her big brother.

He was easy to find though she was a bit concerned to find him alone, "K'dyn? Where's Kanoni?" She hugged him, but just briefly. "Is everything ok with the two of you?"

***

Jeyna was dressed in blue, despite not being a Harper. The color had been chosen to match the hide of her beloved Ragoth. And she carried something in her hand as she wandered about the hall. Stopping at a tray full of bubbly pies, she picked up two, balancing the one on top of the other in her free hand, and ignoring the hotness - it was not something that she could not bare.

Well, equipped, the Blue Rider sought out Amneris. When she found her, she grinned and moved quickly over to her, gently placing the bubblies on the table, and making sure NOT to leave them abandoned. "Ah, I thought I'd find you. Got us some bubblies. I hate when there's not room for dessert after a big meal!"

"However, my lovely Green-Riding Harper," She moved around behind Amneris and the Green would find that suddenly there was a simple but nice necklace encircling her neck, a small emerald - even with extra duties Blues only make so much - nestled in a circle of deceivingly perfectly formed quartzes - enough that they would look to the untrained eye as a diamond. "You need a little something to celebrate the first impression feast that you're not dazed at." She winked. "Sorry, I realize green doesn't match red all that well..."

***

Altor found Vittor, though he wasn't sitting at their spot. In fact, Vittor was trying to remedy that situation. He ran over to his brother but frowned slightly at the girl sitting in his brother's seat, "Why is she sitting in your seat?"

The little boy wrinkled his nose at the girl and then leaned in to whisper to her brother, "You're not going to let her give you cooties are you? She's not there cause you let her sit in your seat or anything is she?"

The last thing that the little blonde wanted was some silly girl stealing all of his not-twin's cuddles. Even the thought of bubbly pie did not distract the six-turn old.

***

V'nes came to the celebration torn between his feeling of duty and his own desire to have fun and perhaps even steal a few moments with a certain Green Rider - one whose dragon was almost mature enough for V'nes to be able to steal more than just moments. While he wanted to be able to spend time with K'sah, he also wanted to congratulate all of his former students and needed to make sure that those Candidates who did not impress would be all right. For those, this evening always seemed to be torture, and he'd probably need to leave early to be able to console them.

He dressed simply, though he was clean-shaven and had attempted to tame his wild mane. As he wandered through the feast, the celebration, he would speak to most that he came across. However, seeing a momentary opening, he moved to the weyrwoman and bowed, "Weyrwoman, congratulations on such a fine clutch. I hope you find that the new Weyrling members prove to be worthy of their new partners." He knew they would, and he also took it as a slightly personal failure that even one dragonet had betweened.

***

Rynien was slightly nervous about being at this celebration. She was a little worried that people would remember where she had spent the last one, the spectacle she had made of herself when she had attempted to assist the young newly impressed Green Rider.

And to be honest, Ry was not the kind to really enjoy feasts. She tended to be shy, and there were always many many people at these events. And while she did have friends, it was hard for her to talk to people she did not know, and those she would enjoy talking to were not always available.

She did dress well for the event though. She wore a brown skirt, embroidered with flowers around the hem. Her blouse was a little bit more revealing than most would have remembered seeing her in - meaning that she actually showed a bit of collar-bone. While she would not yet admit to being Z'ir's, not until he could also admit that he loved and needed her, being with him had loosened her up some, though she still felt rather nervous about being here.

***

Daevon was conflicted. The dragons may not have long memories, but he could not so easily forget the distress of the little Green before she betweened. However, he had closeted himself away far too long during the worse of the illness and following Beynath's death. He knew, and his few friends he had seen during that time had agreed, that he needed to get out, he needed to socialize. He needed to be around people.

Daevon did not tend to be shy, but it was at events like this that he wondered if he had made the wrong choices in life. How nice would it have been to be here with someone he knew and loved, someone who could understand that he still felt the pain of the little one's death, while not allowing him to brood and making sure that they were able to have a good time. However, the Master Dragon Healer could not bring himself to regret the life he lived even if he sometimes did find the price to be too high.

***

Leshya had been reluctant to leave little Kimlye at home. It was the first time that she had been so far from the little precious daughter. However, she knew that there was still some risk of the illness, and even more importantly, she was concerned about how the cold of between would affect the baby.

She wore a beautiful but not perfectly fitting gown in the colors of Telgar. She knew that her husband appreciated her form, but she found it hard to believe that he did not mind the little bit of baby fat that she could not seem to lose. Lesh, at the very least, had a very hard time accepting the, she hoped, temporary, change to her body.

While she was impressed with the second large clutch, and had quite enjoyed watching with her husband, she was afraid of how the Weyrleaders would receive them. She also wondered how her sister was doing, and hoped that she would be able to visit her soon. She wanted her oldest sister to meet her newest little neice.

[effluo]

Elra had the same idea as Marisol about not leaving the Feast alone tonight, but for very different reasons. Her own mood was much lighter and after watching the exhilarating and fast-paced hatching she was ready to celebrate. Now Elra had been raised at Fort Hold where the Harper Hall was a prominate feature of the Gatherings there, but she could already feel the party in the air. There was something about the air of the Weyr, the prideful electricity of the dragons after a hatching and simply being surrounded by so many masculine men that left Elra excited.

Dressed in a long cream skirt that looked every bit ordinary with a similarly cream top partly unbuttoned and completely sleeveless, Elra had turned the homely appearance it would give any woman into a rather nice piece by tying a long, dark red scarf around her shapely waist. It accented it just enough that she knew she’d be able to draw attention to it.

Finding the dance floor, she scanned those present. Elra had every intention to dance and drink, now to just find a partner. Or several.

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

G’eph wandered into the crowd, brought to the feast not for the celebration, but for the food. His stomach was growling and he had every intention to make it shut up. It was the waft of quikal that changed the direction of his feet from the smoked meat to the table set up with drinks and a good number of women serving them.

Two small glasses down, he grabbed a third and a plate of meat before finding a seat and taking in everything that was happening around him. He could already tell he would not be here long, but for now the idea of quikal kept him seated.

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

Eisu had not made the hatching as one of the children within the infirmary found their fever worsening and attention had been needed. Now that the boy’s temperature cooled, Eisu found herself pushed back to her room by one of the drudges who helped in the Infirmary and told to put on something nice for the feast.

“Feast?” she had asked, but soon she understood as she made her way back outside to see if the hatching had finished. Barely able to make it through the crowd, she gave up on the idea of finding something to eat and sat herself down in the first available seat she found.

[brimstone81]

Elisha felt almost like the belle of the ball again, with so many people congratulating her and her Adeloth. She really was a spectacular gold, though secretly Elisha thought that it wouldn't be so spectacular once the other golds started to increase clutch sizes with thread. She wore a long dark blue dress of a more velvet material. It fit her form, though not too tightly. She wasn't really showing yet, much too early for that, but she didn't want to show off until much later. Especially since her mother had several miscarriages. The material went flowy at her knees, and she knew dancing in it would be elegant. Her hair was let down and straight with some at the top pinned back. She wondered where V'rak was. This was his day too. Bristith proved to be a great clutch father as much as V'rak proved to be a strong Weyrleader.
----
L'sander came in dressed in browns and dark reds. His nicest tunic was worn on this occasion, and decent boots as well. He had some finery, but not much. And as always, he wore his father's chain on his neck, though underneat his clothes. If only his father could see him now. He had his hair trimmed, though not too short, but nicely combed and together. He had every intention of dancing and having a good time this evening. Not a thing could ruin it for him.
---
Gwyn came, not so lavishly dressed, but in a simple pale lavender gown with white trim. It was light and flowy, though she didn't think it could compare to some people Yet she herself found it really beautiful. It was a birthingday gift from her parents, both riders at Telgar. She wished her sister could Impress, but she wasn't allowed to stand. . . Aurath's flight had come and gone, and it was little more than a one night stand again. Not that she expected much. One day, she was confident, she'd find a man that would truely love her. Or maybe she was just a fool- Love's Fool. Aurath was all she needed and more, she should be satisfied. Well, perhaps she'd get some dancing in tonight.
---
Elirian was dressed similarly to his mother that his little dress coat was made of dark blue velvet, though he wore light blue hosery and white undershirt and little leather boots. He was by her for a while, and then spotted the Not Twins. While his mother was greeting guests, he ventured over to them, "Hi Vittor, and Altor."

[darkaire]

As if it wasn't obvious enough how much he didn't want to make an appearance, D'leon was kind enough to actually inform everyone of this fact. His brother had decided to lift the speaking ban he'd enacted a few sevendays ago and had come marching into the common area once the Hatching was over. "Where were you?" the greenrider had demanded, arms folded over his narrow chest and eyes narrowed unhappily. His question was waved off as D'leon settled back into his blanket. He'd thought something important was going on when he heard stomping in the halls. But no, it was just his brother asking questions. The speaking ban would have been preferred to the interrogation.

K'sah rolled his eyes and made an elaborate hand gesutre. "Well, whatever, I didn't expect you to come. Though it would have been nice," he sulked, eyes casting elsewhere. When he received no answer, he glared at his brother again. "Look, I don't care, okay? But at least come to the celebration. There will be food."

"And people," D'leon added with a snort. If there was one thing he didn't want just then, it was to be around people. Whatever his plans were, his brother had different ideas, and soon the younger had snatched up his blanket and tore down the hall towards the lower caverns. D'leon, unhappiest when suddenly cold, lept over the back of the couch and sprinted after him. Certain obsenities were yelled and no time taken to admire how well they echoed.

It was an amusing sight - K'sah running down the halls, blanket billowing out behind him like a cape, and his brother sprinting after him, angry as ever. Both looked much the same as K'sah came skidding into the dining area. He glanced around quickly and then sprinted off to one side, ducking behind V'nes with a quick, hissed plea to: "Hide me!" D'leon staggered into the same area soon after, dark eyes piercing into the room in annoyance. Blasted boy had led him right to the celebrations. He had to give him props for method, but he would most certainly pay for it. The bronzer glowered for a moment and then slunk off to the side. He might as well stay for the food if he was already there...

-----------------------------------@

Z'ir was a different matter altogether. He had been a good rider and attended the Hatching, although he'd lurked near the back of the stands. His eyesight was good enough that he could still see. That and his grumpy brown could fill him in on what was happening. Not that I want to, he had been reminded. Azerith was extraordinarily grumpy as of late, and it was dragging his rider down with him.

But nothing could keep the smile off his face when he caught sight of his greenrider. She looked quite fetching, or so he thought. He didn't want to think of what anyone else thought, else he might get jealous. A jealous Z'ir was a Z'ir to avoid.

"Darling, you look beautiful," his grin was easy as he appeared behind Rynien. He had a habit of doing that lately, perhaps because of his thinning frame. It was obvious he hadn't been eating as well, though the reason was hard to tell. Likely it had something to do with the greenrider he was speaking to. He did notice how nervous she looked and was determined to change that...even if he had to be on his best behavior. How boring.

-----------------------------------@

F'lyn was more than excited for any reason to dress up and have a night of fun. He never felt the need to dress flashy, but tonight he wanted to at least look nice. Another lonely night wasn't something he wanted after a party. How pathetic would it be to spend all this time looking good and then sleeping alone? The bluerider frowned and ran his fingers through his hair. Was it too poofy? Maybe it was, maybe he needed to go find a mirror and fix it, he obsessed quietly.

But why worry, his mind asked. There was no need to, not when F'lyn was generally attractive no matter what he did. Sure, he didn't stand out in a crowd, but the longer eyes were on him, the more the owner of the eyes liked what they saw. And he hated spending time worrying about clothes and hair, so why now? The weyrling wanted to appear nice at least one of the days this season. He did have his moments of caring.

After a deep breath he stepped into the area...and paused. Already there were so many people, and he had tried to make it there before the rush. How could he pick anyone out in particular? After a moment he shrugged it off and began to wander; if someone wanted to talk, they would come to him.

[kayla]

Hiding K'sah was not exactly what V'nes wanted to do, but he would not deny the boy anything he asked.

Well, that was not entirely true. There was plenty he had had to deny both his Kael and himself, but he hoped that that would soon come to an end. He knew that it would probably be best to wait until Nariath rose, but it was also possible that he might arrange to talk to M'ren and get the Weyrling Master's view on the maturity of the green.

"Of course. Though I think I'd rather have you in front of me, so don't hide the whole night." The Candidate Master reached behind himself and gently caressed him, being careful not to grope him or touch him in a way that cause either of them too much discomfort.

"What did you do that you need hiding, Kael?" He also wondered just how effective a hiding place he was. Oh, the smaller young man could easily hide behind him, but the question was more a matter of would D'leon not think to look for his brother with V'nes?

***

"Z'ir!" She turned around, most of her nerves melting away completely when he was near. He made her feel safe and comfortable, though there were plenty would not understand that. Sometimes, even Ry did not completely understand it herself, but she did not question it.

She smiled warmly to him and hugged him, though there was concern in her eyes. She knew that he had not been eating, though she tried to get him to when she was with him. "Do you think we'll get to dance tonight? After we eat, maybe?"

***

"Ely!" Altor smiled over to the other boy, "Hey!! Tell Vittor that he doesn't want to get cooties from a girl!" Was the young boy being mean to the girl who sat in Vittor's normal seat - probably, but he simply was not thinking about that at the moment.

[hrsegrl]

(( I wrote this post up last night, twice and both times it was somehow deleted.... lol... so I'm sorry for the delayed response, I just got fed up with it...)

There were few people who would notice that he had no one with him, one of them was his sister who immediately remarked on it. Not only that she had to go and ask questions. What was it about his personal life that interested her so?

"Kanoni might not be coming, she is still recovering and I think this might be too much food for her. That throwing up part was really bad on her stomach. I don't think she should be eating most the things here..." K'dyn really didn't know since he wasn't a Healer.

"So how about you? A beautiful young Goldrider such as yourself should have an escort." K'dyn wasn't one for flattery so when he said things like that it was to be taken seriously. His personal opinion was she was brave to go solo but at the High Table they would wonder why she had no one to bring her and then the Lower Caverns would be buzzing with gossip. He was glad he wasn't high enough ranked to have that problem.

----------

The bluerider's appraoch was unnoticed until the woman spoke and set down two bubbly pies. "I was just looking to see where you were." Amneris said with a smile and looked over the bubblies. "Dessert first. That sounds good to me. Not like I have to watch my figure." Neris giggled and while doing so Jeyna managed to slip behind her.

Amneris had been born to a simple cotholder and his wife. She was he seventh child and even after moving to the Harper Hall, she could never afford anything as fine as this necklace. She jumped up and hugged Jeyna tightly. "This is the best present I've ever recieved!" She kissed the woman's cheek as a friend would and let go of her.

"Its beautiful. Who said it had to match?" Amneris was perfectly content to wear it whether or not it matched anythign she owned. Green was afterall, thought unlucky by some of Pern. Greenriders never seemed to agree on that note.

---------

"Don't get your belly in a twist about it. The girl was sitting there when I got here..." He glared at the girl. If she didn't move and he had to find another place to sit he would be upset. "Hey Elirian. I'm waiting for this rude girl to move." Vittor added in a whisper.

Although he was holding the pies as steadily as he could, it was becomming apparent that he was tiring. Vittor didn't want to be standing there all day and he really didn't want to drop the bubblies. Whispering to Altor, "Maybe we should sit at another table?"

[kayla]

Neory frowned slightly hearing that Kanoni was still having some difficulty from the illness. "I'm sorry, K'dyn. I didn't realize she had gotten nauseous. That's... yeah, I can understand why she wouldn't want to come to a feast. Tell her I hope she recovers the rest of the way soon."

The young Gold Rider rolled her eyes at her brother's comment about her being at the feast alone. "Eh, I didn't really think anything about that." She shrugged, not really concerned about what people would think about her sitting at the head table alone. "I haven't really thought about romance at all since Sheluth. Right now, I'm just focusing on her. She and I have some catching up to do after I was sick."

The Gold Rider had made time to make friends, but the idea of relationships right now just seemed like a distraction.

***

Jeyna would momentarily return the hug and smiled at the kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you like it, 'Neris." Jeyna would not have usually bought a green gem, but for a Rider of a Green Dragon, she thought that it was appropriate - and that any concern of bad luck was really irrelevant.

"Well, since it matches your dragon, I was not too worried about whether it matched your dress." Jeyna pulled the chair out for Amneris near where she'd set the bubbly pies. "And I find that very few people dislike the idea of dessert first. I really think we should always eat that way."

Once Amneris was seated, Jeyna sat beside her. "So tell me how training is going? I have to admit, I do not envy your clutchmates. Having to catch up after the illness."

***

"Ok... as long as she wasn't there cause you wanted her to be." That made everything all better, though Altor couldn't understand why the girl wouldn't just give Vittor his seat. "Just didn't want you getting all those yucky girly cooties."

"Yeah, let's go find somewhere else. There are some spots over there!" The young boy pointed to a relatively empty table where there some adults but not too many. "Do you need help carrying that Vittor?"

[thedreamerlady]

Adreazioh had followed his nose(and other Weyrlings) into the Weyrhall. There was such smells, and so many people- at least they didn't smell bad. If they'd ever had a gathering at Igen, his nose would have felt it, as desensitized as it had was. Piling a plate high with food(more than anyone could think the short boy could, or should eat), Adreazioh looked for a place to take a seat.

And while looking, found the most exquisite woman the Weyr had to offer.

Blonde-brown hair, slightly curly, mysterious eyes, and the most beautiful figure Adreazioh had ever laid eyes on. With surprisingly deft movements, he moved himself to Her table, seating himself across from the beautiful woman.

"'Lo." He said to her eagerly, taking a bite from his roll.
(Tagging Tamzint!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P'len was waiting patiently with his brother's girlfriend, and most of their other friends for Ph'yn to arrive. He was excited for his brother, proud that he'd impressed, glad that he'd taken a bronze, and was glad to realize this could only help seal the rift that might have grown between them. At least until they started trying for Weyrleadership, or Wingleadership. His mouth, formerly turned up into a face- enveloping smile, faltered a little bit, then he pushed it from his mind. It'd be turns in coming, and they could deal with it when they got to it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Enald always counted himself lucky for marrying such a beautiful, intelligent woman. While her esteemed intelligence seemed not to realize that she was even more beautiful than before after carrying his child, he was still pleased to have the most beautiful woman on his arm. Looking at her with a smile, he moved his lips to her ear.

"Shall we pay our compliments to the Weyrwoman? I doubt she'll be pleased to see us, but some of ours did Impress."

His Telgarian blue tunic announced his presence loudly to the room. Enald wasn't ashamed for doing what was right for his Hold, and he wasn't going to hide away from the Hold in a dull tunic, or act ashamed at all. Hadn't one of their boys impressed a Brown? And one of the others a blue and maybe even a green?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nisha probably shouldn't have approached D'leon. Her hormones were almost back to normal, and it was lunacy to have anything to do with the Bronzerider. But he looked so flustered, she couldn't help but gravitate towards him- besides, if he sent her off, there were others she could speak too. G'eph, for one, if she could find the sailor.

"I see you decided to join us." The greenrider said brightly. "Did you see the hatching?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reiko finally spotted some of his friends. He'd been allowed to the Hatching with R'net, been dressed by his mother and her special friend, and then finally turned loose. And then he'd spotted Altor, Elirian, and Vittor. Trundling steadily, he found himself arriving just when they were planning on leaving.

"Were are you guys going?" He asked, sounding very quizzical.

[effluo]

It was not long before Elra found a man suitable for the moment. The night was young, but she was not going to let a moment slip by as the harpers tested their strings and began the first of many dances to come that night. An apprentice harper herself, she loved to dance and she let it show as she was bold enough to lead the young man in the dance.

She was pleased to find that he knew the dance well and it was not long before they were in a second dance together. Elra was pleased, but she would not settle for the same dance partner all night and it was at the end of the second song she began the search for another.

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

It had been a long time since the last gather he had attended in a port Hold with his father, but he remembered it well and it was easy to tell this hatching feast would hold similar indulgences. Sure there would be no runner race or stalls full of sellers and their wears, but there was food and by the sound of the harpers table, dancing. Not that his lessons in dancing with his female classmates had gotten very far.

Even so, the sounds and smells of the hatching feast reminded him of the gather and made him wonder why he had not attended the last. Sure he was not always the most sociable of a guy, but it gave him plenty to watch and drink. Having a sip of his drink, he continued to work on the plate of meat he had acquired as his eyes scanned the feast around him.

That’s when he spotted Nisha, not far off at all and at the edge of the feast. What it was about the woman that always made him loose track of what he was thinking, G’eph had no idea, but when he saw her with D’leon he didn’t really care. Turning his eyes away, he finished off his drink and turned his eyes to the couples upon the dance floor and watched the way the women moved.

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

Adjusting her long, light-brown skirts, Eisu decided she would try her hand at making it through the crowd again as her stomach rumbled. Standing, she took her time heading for the table of food. Once there, she received a plate and found a way back to her original seat nearly impossible as so many were heading toward the food as they still spilled from the hatching grounds.

Shaking her head, she turned to look in the other direction and spotted the familiar face of Master Daevon. The illness had kept the both of them busy and she had not had the time to get to know her fellow healer better than a few momentary encounters. Deciding it was a safe bet as there was an empty seat next to him, she made her way as quickly as she could, praying the seat would not fill by the time she got there.

“Good Evening Master Daevon.” She said with a smile, surprised she did not manage to spill anything on the way over. “Is that seat taken? I’m afraid I’m having difficulty finding another.”

[kayla]

Leshya sighed softly at her husband's question but nodded. It was not that the young Lady Holder wanted to snub or ignore the weyrleaders, but she, probably more so than her husband, was a bit wary as to how they would be received.

However, even with her sigh, Leshya's smile did not waver. "Of course. And yes, I was quite pleased to see how Telgar Hold was represnted on the Sands as well. I just hope they can understand that we do support them."

For a moment she allowed herself to lean against him, just taking comfort in his strength and presence. She then straightened and smiled to him, "I'm ready."

***

Daevon smiled warmly as the young woman approached him. "Please." He gestured towards the seat beside him, "I cannot imagine better company for this occassion than a young beautiful woman who is also a colleague."

"So tell me, Eisu, have you been taking care of yourself? I know full well how easy it is to neglect one's self in a time of crisis such as we've been having here, though I hope the worse of it is well behind us." And yes, it was slightly hypocritical of the Master to ask such a question since he had barely managed to take care of himself and had pushed himself much further than he should have, but that was the privilege of age and a master-ship.

[darkaire]

K'sah angled himself so that they stood back-to-back, pressing up tightly against him. He trusted the man to keep an eye on the direction he wasn't looking so that he could focus on the other side of the crowd. Though when V'nes spoke, he twisted around to peek at the side of his face. He still hadn't really noticed that the other rider had been speaking to the Weyrwoman before he darted in and interrupted.

"I won't stay hidden - just until D'leon forgets why he was mad at me," he answered everything in one sentence before his mind wandered off. What had happened to the blanket? His brother would be upset if he'd lost it. The greenrider bit his lip slightly and leaned against V'nes, trying to remember what he'd done with it. He was so lost in thought that he completely missed the caress, though his own hand moved out to capture his, latching on without much thought of who was watching or what they would think.

--------------@

Oh good, Z'ir thought, Ry looked less nervous already. He grinned at her and slid his arms around her waist to hug her back. Only, he didn't let her go, wanting to hold her close for a moment longer. He enjoyed seeing her this happy about seeing him, and it made him feel a little happy, too.

"Of course we can. Lead the way?" he complied instantly, not guessing that she had only mentioned eating to get him to do so. He had no problem eating in front of other people, but he was rarely in that situation. With all the work that came with being a Wing Second, sometimes there just wasn't enough time in the day to eat. At least, that's what he told himself.

---------------------------------@

D'leon had almost reached the food when he felt someone moving up behind him. Resisting the urge to ignore whomever it was and just keep walking, he paused to turn and glare spitefully at...Nisha?

He blinked, gaze losing the spite it held. The bronzerider had nothing against her now. Maybe he had in the beginning, but she'd seen him incapacitated. She'd taken care of him. He didn't know how she'd done it, how she'd stood his personality (oh, he knew what people thought) or why she'd chose to do it. But the fact was that she had, and he felt that he owed her some respect.

But even so, she was just so cheery. Ugh.

"Uh..yeah," he pursed his lips slightly and glanced away for a moment. He hadn't exactly chosen to come, and if she didn't know that already, he wasn't going to tell her. She should have known. "And no, I didn't go to the hatching. Was it...enjoyable?" He glanced back at her, trying not to look too bored. The only hatching worth watching had been his own.

[kayla]

"Fair enough." V'nes was very curious as to what Kael had done to make his brother angry at him, but at the same time the boldness that the young man had developed, at least in the area of his brother, encouraged the Brown Rider. Oh, there was a sweetness to Kael that he hoped the young man would never lose, and he was sure that he would not, but he was glad to see some boldness too, even if he was hiding.

The weyrwoman was being greeted by enough people, that V'nes doubted that she had noticed that the young man had come and grabbed his attention. And if she did, he would make it up to her and pull Kael into the greeting as well.

However, when he felt the young man lean against him, he closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the feeling of his boy, even back to back. And the young man grabbing his own made him smile. It also made him make a decision.

If D'leon tried anything, V'nes would protect Kael. The Candidate Master moved from the group around the Weyrwoman, gently pulling Kael with him. Once he was a few steps away, he pulled the young man in front of him and smiled down to him before leaning down to catch K'sah's lips with his own, kissing him gently.

***

When Z'ir pulled Ry closer to him and held her, she gently nuzzled against him. Sometimes it broke her heart that he would not simply admit what she knew to be the truth. But it was not something she'd press, especially not now. Now she just wanted this, for him to hold her.

When he let go and told her to lead the way, Ry actually giggled. However, she took his hand and lead him to the line to get the food. She was just glad that he was going to eat without protesting, and half made a note to make cut back on some of the extra responsibilities she'd taken on with her wing so that she could make sure he made time to eat.

"Good. I've been worried about you. You've not been eating enough,"

[thedreamerlady]

"Then, shall we go Milady?" Enald smiled down at her, and hoped she wasn't too upset about what they had needed to do. He knew that she supported him, but wished it wasn't so hard on her to offer that support. Enald didn't know what he would do without his wife, and would have been hard pressed to say no if she'd asked him to lift his safeguards on searching.

Steering them towards the Weyrwoman, resplendent in her joy, Enald forced his face to be ever so slightly apologetic, and hoped that would be good enough to soothe the feelings of the Weyr.

"Greetings, Weyrwoman Elisha, Telgar offers her regards on such a large clutch." Enald called, as they finally reached the Weyrwoman, and were close enough to exchange pleasantries.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Of course it was good." Nisha told the taller boy sternly, looking up at him. "Especially after you Impress. You should have gone- you'd feel better."

And he must have been feeling low. It seemed to Nisha that the boy always was a bit low, down and depressed even. Which wasn't normal for a Dragonrider. She fidgeted with her red and brown dress, feeling lovely now that she wasn't pregant. The clothes she'd had to wear before giving birth to Nishor had been so uncomfortable.

She peered up at him again. "You're planning on not enjoying yourself again, aren't you?" The Greenrider didn't sound pleased. "Well, I refuse to let you spoil good music, and good food. Dance with me."