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Post by darkaire on Jun 21, 2007 15:22:27 GMT -5
Dyleon sat outside the door to the Candidate Barracks, knees drawn to his chest. He was bored. He had been bored before, but the weight of absolutely nothing to do weighed heavier on him at this moment than it had before. The Weyr was an amazing place, full of people and possibilities, but Dyleon wasn't in the mood to go looking for them. Today, they must come to him.
No, Dyleon wasn't going to move until something interesting happened. Or someone decided it was a good idea to talk to him. He'd developed a small reputation for unpleasantness, one he couldn't deny as something that hindered finding something to do. Not that he had any intention to go about changing that reputation. He liked it just fine.
The boy sighed and rested his chin on his knees, eyes balefully searching the hallway in vain. It was a bad time to be waiting for someone to walk by, but he was stubborn. Even his brother seemed to have obtained the skill of avoiding him.
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Post by hrsegrl on Jun 21, 2007 18:17:36 GMT -5
Amneris had been bored, as she had seen fit to skip lessons today and move on to more sporting fun. As usual she paid no heed to any passers by. Amneris had never been one to care what others thought of her.
She really did need to get writing that song for Caidenth, poor dragon. He had been dealt a blow to his ego yesterday. She was singing gaily as she walked back to the barracks to grab her pipe set. The song was upbeat and as her soft, high voice rang clearly she accompanied it with the sounds of her guitar.
"And if you are a harper, you should be my harper,
For it makes no matter to me, to me,
For it makes no matter to me.
'But what if it prove that I am no harper?
That I lied for your love most monstrously?'
'Why then I'll teach you to play and sing,
For I dearly love a good..."
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Post by darkaire on Jun 22, 2007 12:37:54 GMT -5
Dyleon’s eyes had just slid shut, thinking a nap was better than burning holes into the wall with his bored stares. However, it seemed he was not fated to sleep, as the strum of a guitar echoed through the hall. His eyes squeezed shut, but he found himself forced to open them and find the offender. It was another Candidate. He had seen her around, but never bothered to talk to her. He had never found a benefit to approach the thin girl in Harper blue. It hadn’t helped that most forms of celebration annoyed him, singing being one of them.
His face twisted into a frown as he tried in vain to plug his ears. It didn’t help. The girl was moving closer, destination being the door he was sitting beside. It’s not that her voice was unpleasant – if Dyleon was forced to ever admit it, he might say it was even bearable – it’s just that it wasn’t something he enjoyed hearing. Muted green eyes narrowed at her approaching form. What in Faranth’s name was she singing?
He snorted in disgust, trying to lean even more into the stone behind him. Some silly ditty about love. Not worth his time to pay attention to. The moment he decided that, the boredom crept up again, forcing him to realize he’d have to at least attempt to torture the girl to get rid of it. A new intensity lit his eyes, though the rest of him remained how it had been before the decision.
“What on Pern are you singing? It’s terrible,” he said jovially as she neared him.
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Post by hrsegrl on Jun 23, 2007 21:19:41 GMT -5
The girl quirked her eyebrow at that. What did he care? The song was pretty much over anyway. "I didn't write it." She said, all logic. After pausing a moment she did concede that he had a point. "It is a silly song that is easy to sing when walking. Besides Tipp and Half Note like it very much." Neris was of course reffering to her canines. For once they were not with her. Their presence was sorely missed by Amneris and she realized the boy would have no idea what she was talking about.
"Anyway the song isn't important. Its the way it is sung and played. I'd much rather hear a bad song with a wonderful singer than a great song with an awful one." That was again logical. She didn't like people with bad attitudes and this boy seemed to be a bit rude.
There was a moment of silence before she got chatty. "Are you waiting for someone?" She asked, noting that he was alone and most of the other Candidates had found people to hang out with. Amneris was not a loner persay but she did not have a group of friends she constantly was surrounded by either. She much preffered animals and dragons to people. The reason being that people made things much more complicated than they had to be.
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Post by darkaire on Jun 24, 2007 13:50:17 GMT -5
He felt a moment of disappointment when the girl didn’t immediately burst into tears. Or anger. Or something besides that disinterested look. Of course he hadn’t known that the song was over, as he made it a point to not know songs. The only good thing that would come out of this, he reflected, was that she had stopped singing for the moment. Dy tipped his head back against the wall to watch her through lidded eyes as she spoke.
Dyleon didn’t bother trying to figure out what she had meant when she referred to her canines by name. If he didn’t know them already, they were obviously of little importance. The boy listened to her carefully, as he often did to those he’d targeted. He couldn’t very well make an intelligent game out of it if he didn’t listen, now could he?
“I’d think songs are important,” he tossed back. He didn’t have much of a stand on either view, but he was certainly going to think up something to support any opposite view. “You couldn’t very well sing a song about dragonriders to a group of people who hated them, could you? The same way you can’t sing to people about love who have nothing to do with it.” The way he said it held nothing to lead her to believe he felt that way, though his attitude gave away that he did.
“It’s good to be able to sing well, but you’re young yet. You may have a pretty voice, but you’ve a ways to go,” he said this very simply, tone holding no malice or ill will. His eyes did that for him. At her question, he pursed his lips in annoyance. “I wait for nothing. If I wanted to be with someone, I’d be with them.” And that was how he was.
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Post by hrsegrl on Jun 24, 2007 14:17:48 GMT -5
That wasn't a bad point but she would probably do what he said shouldn't be done. "Oh that depends. I think singing about dragonriders to people who hate them would be rather fun." And probably dangerous. The little voice inside her head said. Since she never paid attention to the voice she wasn't about to now.
"Songs are important indeed.Well love isn't all that important anyway. Its just something people use to pass the time." She answered. Neris really didn't care about anything romantic at her age. She had not even come into her womanhood yet. "I'm writing a song but I'm not about to sing it to anyone but the dragon who commissioned it." She wasn't going to say any more on that subject. No doubt the boy thought she was daft.
She walked to the other side of him to get some shade from the sun. Her hair was down as usual. She didn't bother wasting time doing anything with it. She tucked a strand that kept falling into her face behind her ear. "My Masters all said I had a lot of raw talent but as you said I need to mature my voice. I spend a lot of time practicing." Her devotion to music may not be something people saw. They mostly saw her skipping lessons and chores, not paying attention and all in all being a bad Candidate. Time she was spending to better her music.
"I wonder how long you would wait, for a dragon..." She said, baiting him with her words. Personally she needed no dragon to make her happy. Many Candidates, pretty much all the Candidates thought it was the end all and be all of their being.
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Post by darkaire on Jun 24, 2007 14:57:12 GMT -5
He kept his opinion on her first statement to himself. Dyleon wasn’t being nice, he just hoped to see her sing in front of the wrong audience. It would certainly be amusing. A slight smile perverted his lips at the thought, an entirely odd sight, but then it was gone as he dismissed the idea to listen to the next topic to contend.
The boy realized with some displeasure that he couldn’t continue the subject of love any farther. The Harper girl didn’t seem to care much about it, leaving him no room to provoke her. He’d have to find something else. Determination suddenly full-force, he leaned forward a bit to search her words for anything he could use.
Passing the time with songs? He snorted his disagreement, thinking there were much better ways to spend free time. Although he had been at a loss for a better way before she’d come into his range of hearing, he assured himself that he had come up with several ideas that were better than singing. He just hadn’t done any of them.
“A dragon commissioned a song?” his question was disbelieving, but the girl seemed to refuse to say anything more on the matter. Her silence on the matter, coupled with her graceful acceptance of his opinion on her singing, peaked his temper. None of the usual baits he used with girls was working. She looked young, so maybe her age was the cause of that. He’d have to try something more childish perhaps. He searched his mental list of usual tactics, trying to come up with something quickly.
Dyleon’s thought process came to a screaming, protesting and furious halt at her lure. He stared at her in simmering disbelief before standing. Once again, his eyes were all that belied the resentment at her question, his voice sound the same as it had been – cool and calculating. “I need no dragon,” it was all he could say without divulging that he had been forced to come to the Weyr, and certainly wasn’t keen on the idea of improving his image in his father’s eyes by Impressing willingly. He was strong and worked better by himself. He didn’t need some needy winged bottomless pit to cramp his style. Having to constantly feed it, bathe it, take care of it, and the worst of all – having someone privy to his every thought and scheme. It would be too much. Whether he liked it or not, his father was forcing him to stand, and so the mention of a dragon had hit a sore spot.
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Post by hrsegrl on Jun 26, 2007 22:39:25 GMT -5
He seemed interested enough in the conversation but Amneris wasn't sure that the boy was all that trustworthy. He looked at her as if he were judging her every word and move. It was unnerving. She bet he was one of those Lower Cavern's bullies. Well she wouldn't be bullied by a silly boy on a power trip.
The dragon impression statement usually made people quite chatty. His response was far from that of an excited Candidate. In fact he sounded more like she did. At first she was suprised by his admission that he didn't need a dragon. Neris recovered, quickly saying, "Really?" She asked interested in why he wouldn't want a dragon. Most the people at the Weyr wanted one. All the Candidates she had met, other than herself, had been of the mind that Impression was the end all and be all of their lives.
"I was Searched at the Harper Hall. Its so hard for girls to even be accepted as apprentices that I wanted to stay and live out my life there. My Master forced me to come to the Weyr. I still think it was a way to get me out of the Hall. He didn't want me showing up the boys with my talent. Something many of them lacked. Its not that I don't like the Weyr. I just don't think riding a dragon would be for me. Besides they only let girls stand if theres a Gold on the Sands. I wouldn't be any good at leading a Weyr..."
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Post by darkaire on Jun 27, 2007 15:43:45 GMT -5
Still tense over the sudden rush of passionate anger her question had caused, Dyleon was unable to fully listen to what she was saying. He recalled something his brother had told him once, though the memory was vague. Something about counting to relieve anger. He tried it quickly, found it didn’t work and decided to use his anger elsewhere. He forced himself to lean against the wall and cross his arms. He appeared significantly less distracted than he was. Okay, he thought, Listen to what she’s saying. And he did so.
He immediately regretted it and rolled his eyes. What on Pern was she rambling about now? It sounded like her personal sob story about how she was forced to the Weyr. A part of him respected her story, if only because it was similar to his. Both of them were here when they’d rather be elsewhere. However, Dy couldn’t let her know that.
“You’re right,” he stated bluntly. “You wouldn’t be good at leading a Weyr.” His eyes appraised her, mind coming up with reasons. He couldn’t say anything about her age, because one: he didn’t know it, and two: age is something that would change over time. No, he’d have to come up with something else. He’d have something by the time she asked. If she asked.
“What makes you think that your Master made you leave because you were better than the other boys?” he posed the question softly, tone implying that there had to be other reasons; reasons that had to do with an opposite reason to what she’d said. “And don’t think I care about your reasons for being here. As far as I’m concerned, you just wasted your breath recanting that little story of yours.”
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Post by hrsegrl on Jun 30, 2007 18:06:53 GMT -5
"Your opinion isn't all that important. I mean you don't really know me and I can't say that you are a good judge of character or not because I don't know you." She looked off into the distance as she often did when thinking to herself. Bet he would love to be a Ranker, she thought without blinking she lumped him into a category. The category of haughty, rude and unfortunately intelligent.
"He didn't have to say anything. Sometimes when someone is saying one thing you can read between the lines and see that they are truly saying something else. It was written all over his plump, wrinkled face." She looked down at her feet, moving away from the wall she had been leaning on.
"I'm a Harper. Telling stories is what I do." That was all she answered before walking a little bit further away, completely forgetting why she had come that way to begin with. That was until she heard the barking. "Oh Flame it all!" The tall girl began running past the building. "I'm so incredibely late!"
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Post by darkaire on Jul 2, 2007 12:36:28 GMT -5
Dyleon's face twisted in an effort to hide his brief shock at her words. His opinon didn't matter? He'd had people say that to him before, but it was always said out of anger. This girl hadn't said it like that. It seemed she actually believed it. As she walked away, he sucked in a breath through his teeth, and let it come out in a short bark of laughter. Why, the girl had sounded like him!
With her back to him, he was able to grin happily at his find. This girl, this Harper, had the ability to stand up to him. It had been a while since he'd found someone that didn't simply ignore him. Dy cracked his knuckles and watched her run off. It took him a second that it might be a little hard to find her if he let her get away without even getting her name. The boy sighed and jogged after her, stopping at the corner of the building to see where she was going.
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Post by hrsegrl on Jul 6, 2007 20:18:37 GMT -5
The moment she rounded the building , she put all her effort into running for the Bowl. She needed to get to the Stables, where Tipp and Note would be waiting for her. The Beastcrafters were not as patient with her as the Candidate Master had been thus far.
Amneris was lucky to be blessed with long legs and a thin body. She had no trouble picking up a quick pace and sticking with it. It was only after a minute that she thought she heard someone behind her. She would not turn and look because it would only make her more late. Curse that boy for distracting her! She could only imagine the mess Note had gotten into since she had left them for training that morning.
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Post by darkaire on Jul 9, 2007 21:35:38 GMT -5
As Dy peeked around the corner, he noticed the girl sprinting full force away. It was hard to miss her with her painfully blond hair bouncing out behind her. Realizing he’d have to keep pace with her to follow her all the way, the boy groaned and stretched his legs. He dipped over frontward, letting his hands rest firmly on the ground before standing up again. He always kept in excellent physical condition, but still hated running unless it was absolutely needed.
This time it wasn’t needed. However, his interest was already peaked, and the girl had proven to be a worthy adversary in bantering. His version of banter, anyway. Stretching done, he loped after the girl. Shards, he idly wondered if he should find her name out so he could stop referring to her as ‘the girl’ like he did every other girl in the Weyr. He followed her all the way to the Stables. He didn’t follow her all the way in, but stayed a very safe distance away to watch and listen.
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Post by hrsegrl on Jul 12, 2007 14:49:33 GMT -5
The beastcrafters spoke breifly to Amneris about her canines. What would she be doing with them if she impressed? The girl shrugged. How was she to know that anything should be different than it was? Why could she not keep them with her in the barracks? She would have to think this over, for a long time.
Tipp and Note ran to their owner as soon as the stall door was opened. Tipp was trained well enough, not to jump. Half-Note was not as disciplined and continued to jump and lick Amneris on the face. "Sit." Neris heard the beastcrafter say. Half-Note didn't listen and looked at Amneris, head cocked to the side. "Sit." Amneris said, voice suddenly commanding. The canine did not hesitate to sit. "I don't understand how you could possibly have a trouble with her. She's a good listener. I think you just don't know how to train her properly. With that said, we are leaving." Amneris walked out of the stable, somewhat irritated at the beastcrafter. She didn't even notice Dyleon. Her canines were walking at her side, perfectly under control.
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Post by darkaire on Jul 14, 2007 20:02:41 GMT -5
Dyleon stood in the shade, listening to the beastcrafter chide the girl about her canines. He quickly connected the earlier names to the canines, deciding they must have been the "Tipp and Half-Note" she'd mentioned earlier. He briefly thought over her future problem, then tossed the idea since it wasn't his to worry over. The girl seemed capable enough to come up with something on her own.
He leaned forward a little, sneaking a peek inside the stables. He smirked when the beastcrafter failed to get the excited canine to listen to him. He'd never met the man before, but any initial respect he might have had for him disappeared. If you couldn't get an animal to listen to you, how could you get a person? He snorted softly, then nodded his approval when the canine listened to the girl. She certainly had it in her to be fiesty if she ever chose to be. Or at least commanding. Potential. He even snickered at her words to the beastcrafter, thrilled at the look on his face.
He controlled the mean laughter and schooled his features as the girl left the stables with her canines. Now, what had he- oh yes. "Girl," his voice rang out as if he deserved the immediate attention he always thought he did. He lifted a hand in something resembling a greeting, but did not smile. "I didn't catch your name."
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