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Post by lithle on Jun 24, 2010 0:04:36 GMT -5
When it came to facing the occasional chaos of the Craft Complex, Roni much preferred to keep her venturing to those times when quiet could be found, sunrise and sunset much preferred over the middle of the day. Unfortunately for the skittish Woodcarver's daughter, it was under a blue midday sky that she found herself, ushered out of her father's presence to hunt down a an apprentice who, according to her father was 'no doubt laying in the sun somewhere like one of those worthless flitters'.
She did not like such tasks and in truth, such chores were rarely assigned her. She was much more likely to be kept near at hand, to fetch tools or simply observe the Woodcarver at work. She knew better than most how to be still and unquestioning, how to turn watching into something like a craft itself, a wide eyed unmoving observer.
But, with the sky above her and no erstwhile apprentice in sight, she was not at her still and simple best. Instead, she hunched as she walked, attempting to be as small as possible, not a hard task, for her. She kept her fingers twisted into a nervous knot behind her back and her eyes jumped suspiciously toward every new noise. If her Father hated the time they spent at the hold, Roni hated the Craft Complex. At the hold, she was not only allowed to hide away, she was expected to. But the Craft Complex her father considered safe and so she was 'permitted' to wander. They had only recently returned from their last stay at Forest's Edge and the complex felt new and alien all over again.
And there was no apprentice, not in the open area ahead, not speaking with the group of Journeymen to her right. Her father would be so very disappointed. So disappointed he might not pay attention while he worked. And accidentally cut off his hand. And die of an infection. And then her brother would kill himself with grief. And he'd be left alone to starve.
Oh, it was a bad day.
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Post by Kit on Jun 24, 2010 10:23:31 GMT -5
Tesni and Kaitoth appeared in the sky over the Craft Complex. The sun shone, and the weather was warm, but windy. Another day, another Search, but this routine was not one that bored the bluerider. Nor her dragon.
Will we get to look at all the Crafthall today? he asked excitedly.
No silly, the place is much too big. Just the Smith Hall. If we Searched the entire place at once we might need a whole Wing of dragons to carry the Candidates away.
I know. I think it would be fun. No one has ever Searched that many at once! Tesni was always surprised by her dragon's competitiveness when it came to Search. At this one thing, Kaitoth wanted to be the best.
He glided effortlessly into the courtyard and Tesni slid of as soon as they touched ground. Already curious onlookers were gathering. She stood up to her full (not very tall height) and said in an authoritative voice, "I am Tesni and this is Kaitoth. We come from the weyr on Search. If you would all be so kind as to gather any youth aged ten to 25 turns in this courtyard, I'd be much obliged."
Itzal appeared above Tesni's head just then, followed closely by Indra, both complaining that she had left them behind. "Well, if you're here go make yourselves useful. Make sure none of the youngsters are forgotten." The brown sped away, followed after a moment by the little gray.
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Post by lithle on Jun 24, 2010 22:33:08 GMT -5
Alert as she was, Roni was one of the first to glance up at the dragon, blue against blue and circling downward. Search should have been an immediate thought, but somehow, it barely skated the edges of her mind. She was more concerned with the gathering crowd of watchers, scanning anxiously in hopes that the boy she was hunting was among them. The press of people only made her anxiety more acute, she was nearly ready to bolt by the time the rider, Tesni, announced the reason for her presence.
And even then, even with her age falling neatly within the brackets of 'searchable youth' Roni scampered nervously along the edges of those gathering not for her own sake, but because she knew the apprentice her father wanted would be among him. He was a youth under the age of 25! And no one missed the chance for search, surely.
So it was that as the crowd of hopefuls began to mill about the courtyard, one little slip of a girl looked not toward the dragon and his rider, but toward the hopefuls themselves. She wasn't quite brave enough to actually push her way into the group, but she danced about edges, wearing a determined little frown and making little indignant squeaks of surprise whenever someone pushed past her unexpectedly.
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Post by Kit on Jun 25, 2010 16:35:14 GMT -5
A good turnout. Tesni said to Kaitoth, laying her hand against the corner of his jaw. You should be able to find at least one among them. Generally, Tesni preferred Craftbred Candidates. The structured life of an apprentice had much in common with that of a Candidate or a weyrling and it made the transition easier.
There is someone here. Hard to tell with all the confusion.
After a few moments, the firelizards returned to report that as far as they could tell, these were all the youth of the Crafthall, plus some stragglers from other crafts hoping for a chance. Tesni smiled. "All right, now if all of you could form a line in a semi-orderly fashion in front of me, you'll all be able to present yourselves to Kaitoth in turn." A line immediately began to coalesce with only a little shoving. As eager as many were to be Searched, they were also trying to be on their best behavior.
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Post by lithle on Jun 25, 2010 22:21:30 GMT -5
If Roni was showing herself to be rather the master of missing the point, there was one thing she'd mastered to an even greater extent. Specifically, following directions. Nevermind that her mind was still on other things, the rider said line up and Roni was immediately in place and at attention. Alright. Not attention. More of a hunch shouldered nervous crouch, as far to one edge of the line as she could possibly manage. But line up she did.
Where before, her gaze had been everywhere, she now seemed to be doing her best to see as little as possible. She kept her gaze at her feet, and shifted her weight constantly from one to the other. Her long hair hung in her face, mostly obscuring her view. And if she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her, right?
And yet still, even poor nervous Roni couldn't help but dart glances toward the dragon. They were just so... big! And different. One of those things so outside of her simple ordered world she couldn't even begin to imagine how she felt on the subject. She just knew they awed her, for better or worse.
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Post by Kit on Jun 25, 2010 23:53:52 GMT -5
The line proceeded apace. There were a few maybes, but not anyone Kaitoth thought were worth taking to the weyr just yet. The end of the line appriaced and Tesni sighed, not quite believing there wasn't a single suitable youth in the whole of the crafthall. Perhaps they'd go to healer hall next, there usually was a good haul there.
Suddenly Kaitoth perked up. There, Mine, she is the one I have sensed. he said, letting his rider look through his eyes. Tesni saw a small slouching girl who looked to be more than half terrified, peering at Kaitoth through the curtain of her hair. Seriously? She looks like she's about to bolt. Well you'd better speak to her.
Kaitoth crouched down as to be more on a level with the girl. His breath ruffled her hair. Hello, little one. How would you like to come live at the weyr? he asked in his gentlest voice.
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Post by lithle on Jun 26, 2010 22:31:08 GMT -5
The line moved forward at a steady pace, despite Roni's fervent desire to have it dissolved before she was forced to stand before the blue and his rider. Ah, but if wishes were realities, she'd never have left the safety of her father's workroom in the first place. All to soon she was the one standing before the (to her) huge creature, though she barely paused before attempting to skitter off into obscurity.
It was the voice that stopped her. As she wasn't what one would call accustom to hearing voices in her head, the experience stilled her completely, even her fingers ceasing their nervous twisting. Live at the Weyr? Why would anyone, dragon or no, ask a question like that? Roni might even have dismissed the question and run off, but doing so would have been impolite. And one was never to be impolite to dragonriders, let alone their dragons.
"I'm sure it's very nice. At the Weyr. Nova. I'm sure it's nice there. For you. Sir." Did one call dragon's sir? It seemed like a good bet. Her statements were stumbling, truncated things, each running into the next. "But. I. Umm. Can't. It's for you. Dragons. And riders. And I'm not. A dragon. Or a rider. Thank you, though. Sir. For asking."
Bowing (because it never hurt to be overly polite) she began to step backward, anxious to get out of the dragon's way, so that he and his rider might get back to their very important business of looking for candidates. How thrilling though, if terrifying, that the blue had chosen to briefly speak to her!
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Post by Kit on Jun 26, 2010 22:47:21 GMT -5
Tesni had to exercise extreme restraint to not fall into paroxysms of laughter. Kaitoth a sir?
She recognizes my importance. the blue said loftily, causing his rider to roll her eyes. But the girl was moving away, so Tesni took a few steps forward, feeling sorry for the girl suddenly. She couldn't imagine what would make her so fearful.
"No, dear girl, what Kaitoth is saying, is that we would like you to come to the weyr. As a Candidate. There are 21 Eggs on the Sands, and Kaitoth believes you are suitable."
There is a dragon who will want you, I am sure.
Privately the Searchrider had her doubts, but Kaitoth was the expert, so she left it up to him. "So, I am formally presenting you with your Search token," she said, handing her the carved and painted wooden disk. "Do you accept?"
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Post by lithle on Jun 26, 2010 23:13:25 GMT -5
For the first time since she'd found herself in line with the others, Roni lifted her gaze from her feet. Her eyes, wide even in her calm moments, were rounded with shock and her mouth formed a slack O of surprise. Candidate?
Had the rider said that? No, not possible. Heat and fear were making her hallucinate. There were people who did things. There were people who didn't. And then there was Roni, who generally, didn't even think about doing things. All to often thought led to action. And action led, almost inevitably, to letting people down. When you didn't do anything, you couldn't let anyone down.
That said, she had heard the rider right. She knew she had. And you didn't say no. You didn't say no to search. It was a duty, and duty had been fed to her from the first moment she'd sucked air into her infant lungs. Duty. Obedience. Order. Those words defined her.
And, well, mind-numbing fear. That was an important one, too.
"I-" she managed, taking the search token mechanically, not appearing to even see what it was. The urge to run fought so strongly against the need to obey that she actually wavered in place.
"My, father," she finally whispered. "I have to ask him." And then, belatedly, as her manners once again surfaced through the fear, "You honor me."
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Post by Kit on Jun 26, 2010 23:43:56 GMT -5
Tesni watched the girl's reaction carefully, hoping to Faranth that she wouldn't refuse out of blind fear. But she took the token and stood their stuttering for a moment before mentioning she had to ask her father. Tesni's eyes narrowed slightly, hoping the father wasn't the reason this girl was so terrified of apparently everything. She wouldn't stand for parents who were cruel to their children.
"Your father huh? Well, lets go ask him," she said, taking the girls arms, gently but firmly. It wouldn't do to let her get away. She pointed at her firelizards. "You two, stay here with Kaitoth." Once she was sure they would obey, she turned back to the girl. "Please, lead the way."
Do not be afraid, young one, Kaitoth tried to reassure her. Mine is very kind and everyone at the weyr too.
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Post by lithle on Jun 27, 2010 12:07:52 GMT -5
Roni barely reacted to being held, jumping, but not flinching away. It wasn't uncommon for the journeymen who worked with her father to grab her by the arm when giving her instructions. Something about being small meant she was often treated rather like a doll, people were more likely to move her when she was in the way then simply ask her to step aside.
"Goodbye, sir," she said over her shoulder, not wanting to leave without acknowledge the dragon a final time. The reassurance, she barely processed. Everyone was always saying that things would be fine. That didn't make it true.
"He's this way. Ma'am." Wait, was that right? "Dragonrider," she added, for good measure.
Her father's workshop wasn't far and as they neared it, Roni's skittishness began to fall away. As she walked through the open doorway, she took a full, deep breath, as if she'd been holding her breath for the entire time she'd been outside. She was still clearly tense, but manageably so.
Her father was a thin, stern looking man, with nothing like humor in his eyes. His attention was bent over a hide, but at the sound of Roni's entrance he spoke without looking up, "Ronasha, I was beginning to worry. Did you find that useless--"
It was then that he saw the woman at his daughters side, and took note of the knot on her shoulder. "Dragonrider." His tone was respectful. "May I help you in some way?"
There was an edge of worry in his tone, and Roni, at least, knew why. Her brother was at the Weyr. "It isn't about Clint, Father," she interjected, quickly.
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Post by Kit on Jun 27, 2010 18:16:26 GMT -5
Tesni's mouth quirked up at the corner when Kaitoth was again addressed as sir. She supposed she ought to be grateful that the girl was at least polite, but she had never been overly fond of formality. "Just Tesni is fine, or Searchrider, if you must."
They moved through the bustle of the crafthall, finally arriving at a door. Through the contact with her shoulder, Tesni felt the girl's muscles ease the moment they crossed the threshold. Whatever was wrong with her, it obviously wasn't the father's doing.
The man greeted her politely, explaining the daughter's formal tone. "Yes, I hope so. I'm a Searchrider, and my blue Kaitoth believes your daughter would be a suitable Candidate for the clutch on the Sands. She said she wanted to ask your permission."
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Post by lithle on Jun 27, 2010 21:32:35 GMT -5
The man, not expressive to begin with, went utterly blank as Tesni explained the reason for her presence. At best, one could say he was frowning, though perhaps that was simply the way his face settled. "I see," he said.
Roni for her part, looked from the Searchrider to her father and scurried quickly to the Master Woodcarver's side. "I don't have to go." The look she gave him was one of naive, even blind devotion. Roni's world was a very small one. There was her father. Her brother. And what else did she need? They'd always told her, hadn't they? You trusted blood. You could only really trust blood. "I'll stay with you."
The man patted her with a sort of absent affection, draping a proctective arm across her shoulders. But his eyes stayed on the dragonrider. "My family knows their duty, Dragonrider." He released Roni then, giving her a gentle push back toward Tesni. "She has my permission to stand."
Roni, for her part, seemed rather confused by this turn of events. She looked back toward her father, her expression showing brief hurt before settling into resolve. "Father?"
"You're to be good, Ronasha. Clint will keep an eye on you." He seemed older than he had when they'd first walked in, a tired old man whose family was outgrowing him. "It's a great honor."
"Yes, Father." She walked backward to Tesni's side, her shoulders squared at least briefly, with what looked to be determination. She was a good girl. She would do her duty. "I love you, Father."
"And I love you, girl." He lifted his attention back to Tesni then. "I am trusting you with my daughter's safety, Dragonrider."
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Post by Kit on Jun 28, 2010 14:40:28 GMT -5
"Don't worry about that. Kaitoth and I will keep her safe as you could wish until she gets to the weyr. Our Candidate Master is the best. She'll come to no harm." That was a statement Tesni had faith in. The only harm a Candidate at the weyr was likely to come to was inadvertent injury by a new-hatched dragon. That was a risk no one could do anything about.
She looked at the girl appraisingly. Maybe some time as a Candidate would loosen her up. "Well, if you have anything you'd like to take with you, as far as clothes or personal belongings, go ahead and gather them. I'll wait."
Trusting she would scurry off, Tesni turned her attention back to the father. "If you'd like to come to the Hatching, we'll send someone after you. It should be about a month or so, I'd guess."
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Post by lithle on Jun 30, 2010 15:44:21 GMT -5
With a quick bow, Roni skittered off obediently, a nervous, but speedy little ball of nerves rushing out the door and down the hall. She didn't have much to pack, as she wasn't much for things. A change of clothes, an old doll, some wood carving tools and a few bits of wood to work at. No apprentice, she, but she still found comfort in the motions. It all worked out into only a small bundle, a bag that matched her in size.
The woodcarver watched his daughter leave, seeming, at first, not to have heard the bluerider's words. His thoughts were on other things. But finally, quietly, a response came. "I would appreciate that, Dragonrider." A small shake of his head. "I would not question your dragon's wisdom, but I suspect I will be bringing her back with me after the event. My daughter is delicate. Not cut out for the life of the Weyr."
A moment later, said daughter came scurrying back into view, all wide eyes and wild hair. Her bundle was under her arm, and she'd been chewing nervously, at her lip. She bowed again, as she had when she left. "I'm sorry to have made you wait, Searchrider. I'm done packing."
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