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Post by HG on Apr 2, 2012 21:48:39 GMT -5
Today was already so boring. She had spent the morning just passing time having shirked her chores in favor of a spying on the clutch on the sands. No one had seen her as she had taken the secret passage and had not actually entered the Sands. It soon became quite apparent visitors were not welcome. There were even Dragon Shields around so she had made it a point not to stay long. The rumors that the Queen was in poor health were quickly abolished upon seeing the shining pale hide. Queens were not to be messed with however, so with Jinx sleeping on her shoulder and Momma Cat finding tunnelsnakes to kill, she left the passage in favor of some food. The day seemed to drag on forever and ever. Over the last few sevendays she had been on her own a lot. She was too young to be a Candidate but most of her good friends in the pack were boys and they were all Candidates now. So they had chores and then lessons and then they had to be in bed at a certain time etcetera. The whole thing sucked. She didn’t like the feeling of being left behind. So when mid-afternoon came and the sun warmed the weyr past a bearable temperature, Seirsha found herself at the Lake. Following one’s feet was not probably the best idea ever but it really did not matter where she went. Everywhere she went she became bored. Swimming in the lake was fun for a little while. At least while Jinx had decided to play splashes with her. He was not very steady though and his wings gave out about ten minutes in. He fell into the water and would have drowned if Seirsha were not a strong swimmer. Nothing was going right today. The only pleasurable thing she had planned was ruined. One couldn’t spy on Clutches when Shielders were around. They saw everything eventually! That would have at least been some fun. Guessing the eggs and what was in them. Sadly she had barely caught a glimpse of Issarith. Faranth the day just dragged on and on with no end in sight, she thought as she dried out on the sandy lake shore. The sun’s rays were reflecting off of her light blonde hair. Her mother had braided it this morning and now it was down, messy and much more comfortable. She wouldn’t wear the dress her mother had laid out for her that morning, opting for something less complicated. She preferred to wear pants when she had a day full of adventure planned. Sadly no such adventure had taken place. What she wouldn’t give for something amazing to happen! Saving her firelizard was an almost daily thing. He was such a clumsy thing, she almost felt bad for him. He was tucked safely in the crook of her arm now, looking up at her expectantly. She had not thought to bring him anything tasty. Jinx was often pleased by her voice so instead she decided to tell him a story. “Once, a long, long time ago, there lived a young man who was brought up by the sea.” She started. Jinx loved stories about firelizards. Her words were matched with images so the flit would understand her. It was like creating a picture story. “The young man’s name was Westly and he wore a dark coat that protected him from sun and wind. On the sea it is often sunny without shade and windy without protection. He was a good person but tempted by the adventure of the unknown. Westly took it upon himself to venture far out to sea.” Her tone changed with the words and the flit perked up and fluttered his wings. What was going to happen?! “There was a big storm and his boat was slung about on the waves as if it were no more than a feather in the wind. The ship was ripped apart and poor Westly knocked unconscious….” The fluttering of wings suggested the firelizard’s further agitation. Why was she letting Westly get hurt? She shook her head and smiled at the little flit adjusting herself so her hands were behind her back as she spread her legs in front of her, leaning back on her hands. The relaxed young girl let the flitter fly about for a moment before he landed on her lap again. “ Westly woke up on a beach like no other he had ever seen. The lush foliage that surrounded the white sand was thicker and greener than he had ever before witnessed. He ventured into the jungle without a second thought. He was brave and unafraid of what might lay inside. For a while nothing happened and he grew lonely and tired.” She paused letting the last part sink in. The brown looked up at her quizzically. Describing lonely would be hard. Well she had been a little lonely all day but not with him. Maybe she could describe life without him. He seemed to understand that. So she moved on. “As time passed he grew more and more lonesome. Until, one day he decided to go back to the beach and see if there were any ships or boats that might go by. He stayed there all day in the beating hot sun and into the cold windy evening until he finally fell asleep. It is funny how when you try to stay awake you fall asleep faster.” She said with an outward giggle. The flitter didn’t quite understand that part but he went along with it. He wanted to know what was going to happen next. He chirped at her to remind her. “Westly woke up to a very odd sight. There were dozens of them. Colored so beautifully from sunny yellow to grass green, to muddy brown to sky blue, they looked like small dragons. He was so intrigued he moved closer and closer until, they saw him. He thought they might come after him but the smoked fish from the night before had caught their attention. Firelizards you know, are very fond of food; especially right after leaving their shells, just like you were Jinx. So Westly soon had several little friends. The Sunny hued Gold he named Star, the greenish hued bronze he named Soar, the dark muddy brown he named Slither, the two blues, one light and one dark were called the twins with the names Skee and Sky. The green was as light as spring grass and had a name to match, Shay. They were a family and soon Westly found he was not lonely. He would never be alone again. He lived on the island till the end of his days, happily ever after. The End.” She said and by that time her flitter was giving her what she called the lovey eyes.
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Post by Lady Smara on Apr 3, 2012 10:13:16 GMT -5
By the time Tschermak had finished his candidate duties in the lanterines, he had been found out by a lower cavern woman who recognized him as a willing worker and told him to quickly clean up, there were fresh cloths that had been cleaned and needed to be taken to the kitchens. Of course, people hardly recognized his name let alone that he had finally transferred to the candidates barracks – so why would they think the small boy had anything better to do with all of his free time besides lend a helping hand? There were times Tschermak wished he was brave enough to tell the adults to shove-off. Sometimes they were as bad as the larger Weyrbrats, sometimes worse. But then Tschermak knew too well what a hand to the side of his head, or a foot too his rib cage felt all too well and he’d rather spend his time from sun up to sun down doing someone elses chores than getting beaten to a pulp simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, was there ever a right place at the right time? Well perhaps there is… he thought to himself as one of the cooks slipped him a sweetroll after delivering the fresh cloths. Holding it like a treasure with his eyes wide, Tschermak dodged out of their quickly before someone could accuse him of swiping it like so many of the other weyrbrats tended to do. Taking a few back tunnels, he paused to think of the safest place to eat his newfound treasure and the far side of the lake came to mind. There were drills today, which meant the dragonriders should be sufficiently busy and few of the weyrfolk bothered to walk all the way around the lake to get to the far side. Perhaps I can get a short break out there too… he thought wistfully before heading out at a short trot. Tschermak was not sure what surprised him more, the fact that he made it out of the back cavern passages without being snagged by someone larger, or the fact that he made it across the Weyr’s Bowl just as unhampered. Reaching the far side of the lake, Tschermak could not help but slow his pace and smile up at the sun, reviling in its warmth and the breeze cutting across the grass. Taking a small bite from his little treasure, he let his feet simply wander as he enjoyed a moment away from chores. ”As time passed he grew more and more lonesome.” At the sound of a girls voice, Tschermak paused and looked around quickly, surprised that someone else was out here, and someone young too. When he found the blonde, messy braid that marked Seirsha, however, he found himself surprisingly…. Okay with not being alone out here. It took a moment for him to realize who she was talking to, and then a moment longer to realize it wasn’t really talking, but telling a story. Moving closer as softly as he could, he finally reached as closely as he would dare before quietly sitting down some short distance behind her. Folding up his knees and wrapping his arms around them, he munched on his sweet roll quietly, listening to the story. It seemed strange, that anyone would be outside the protection of Hold or Weyr in the first place, but he found it even more silly that the girl might fantasize about having so many flits. From everything he could tell, one flit could be useful, but also a handful. What would someone do with so many of the flitters constantly around? “I’ve never seen anyone who had more than one flitter.” He said quietly, speaking just loud enough for her to hear his soft voice before he even realized that he had spoken out. Kicking himself silently, he quickly finished the sweetroll and turned his head to look to his left, trying his best not to actually make any eye contact. Perhaps she’d not have heard him and would tell the flit another story.
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Post by HG on Apr 3, 2012 14:10:37 GMT -5
Startled, Seirsha turned her head at the voice coming from behind her. She recognized Tschermak as one of the kids she knew from the Creche but they had never really spoken. He wasn’t very tall but then very few boys were as tall as her brother. Hinuk and Thoran weren’t that much taller but they were more outgoing. Seirsha knew him to be shy, she rarely heard the boy say anything to anyone. Her eyes widened a moment, had he been listening to all of that? He probably thought she was mental. Oh great, now her mother was going to send her to see that head healer after all. It was threatened enough already with her almost getting someone killed and constantly being on the wrong side of trouble.
She scrunched her nose in thought for a moment before commenting. “True. It was just a story. Jinx likes stories about firelizards.” She added, hoisting the dark, nearly black colored, brown flit onto her shoulder. The wobbly legged firelizard sat on her shoulder once he found some balance. Seirsha then turned around and sat cross legged in front of Tschermak. “The best part about stories is they don’t have to be true. They can be made up and completely imagined. I think it would be possible to have that many firelizards if you were alone on an island with no one else to share things with.” It was actually a bit reminiscent of her own life lately. She was alone, on an island with only a flit for company.
The idea of being lonely made her want to desperately change topics. She didn’t want to be a baby about things. None of the boys were complaining about being alone. Then again they all had eachother and Candidate Lessons. It was so unfair. “So Tschermak, you are a Candidate this Turn right?” She didn’t really wait for much of a reply. He was about her age maybe a turn or so older but of an age to Stand for a clutch. Very few Weyrbrats waited to stand till they were older. The more you tried the more chance you had at impressing. “You are so lucky! I have to wait another whole Turn!” She said with obvious frustration. Her mouth was drawn into a pout momentarily. Jinx butted her neck with his head which caused her to smile again. The firelizard was miserable when she wasn’t happy.
They were not friends… yet. Seirsha never knew why the boy hadn’t hung out with them. They would have kept some of the bigger kids away from him. Perhaps it was not their place to intervene when he wasn’t a pack member and in fact some of them may have been bullies in the past. It bothered her that they didn’t stand up for everyone. She had only recently become a leader though and growing up meant learning what was acceptable behavior and what was not. No one could change the past so it was better to move on and hope that people were forgiving and understanding. Seirsha herself had never been a bully but being associated with some was not how she wanted to be perceived. The pack had a reputation too. She doubted Tschermak would mind her company though. No one was really mean to her except for Kreallie. “I tried to catch a glimpse of the Clutch this morning but the place was teaming with Shielders. Besides, Issarith is a very temperamental Queen. I wouldn’t want to make her angry.”
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Post by Lady Smara on Apr 9, 2012 12:10:40 GMT -5
Tschermak could not help but wonder if this was how talkative all of the other children were when they were not playing games of ball or working at their lessons under the WeyrHarper – or if it was just the girls. Seirsha was, after all, a girl rather than one of the boys that he tended to watch more often. She jumped topics faster than her flitter could yet fly and it was all he could do to actually follow where she was going with any of it.
With her posing a question, but giving no time to answer, all the dirty boy could do was nod once to confirm her belief. He was going to stand and to be honest he had been surprised when the Candidate Master had come up to him in the WeyrHall and asked his age and wanted to know why he was the only Weyrbrat who had not come to him for permission to stand if he was old enough. To be honest… he wasn’t sure. Scared maybe. Unconfident was much more likely. He knew in his gut that he’d be left standing, so was there a point in stepping on the sands at all?
But then again, he never denied an adults request for help with chores – so how could he deny the blue riders request that he stand for the hatchlings? After all, as a boy at the Weyr, it was his duty to stand a few times, wasn’t it? If for nothing else to let the hatchlings decide what they didn’t want in their rider and make the rest of the candidates look good.
Catching Seirsha’s words again, a look that was a mixture of surprise and awe crossed his face that she was brave enough to try and sneak a peek at the eggs on the hatching sands without the Queen’s permission. That was suicide! And if the queen was not scary enough, he was certainly confident the Shielders made the whole ordeal worse. They had, after all, killed so many Holdless when they attacked to protect the Weyr and the Dragons. Holdless or not, they were still men and women – and what was Tschermak but a small, weak boy, not yet a grown man? No, anyone who could kill terrified him – added to a Queen who was rumored to have attacked two of the bronzes in the Weyr, larger than herself, and he was not about to get closer than absolutely necessary and even then, not without some poking and prodding or a very sharding good reason.
“Issarith scares me.” He agreed quietly, still amazed at how much she could talk and with so little words back to help feed the conversation. Most would have walked away from him by now, and yet he was not upset that she hadn’t. She was…. Well. She was pretty to look at and if it had not been for being curious of her, he’d never have been given Mismatch who was currently chasing mice in the lower caverns.
It almost upset him, that she was upset from not being allowed to stand this turn. He felt ashamed, actually, that he had been asked to stand and they would over look her, but then again they had some silly rule that the girls needed to be older. He was not entirely sure if he understood the why – something about green and gold dragons – which were drastically different in his opinion. Even so, she’d have been a better candidate than himself. She was at least not afraid to step onto the sands.
“If you want…” he said, beginning his offer before hesitating. Realizing that the first few words were out, however, he knew he’d need to finish. “I’ll stand with you, when they will let you stand.” He felt his own face warm and he quickly made sure to look away again, resting a cheek on his knee, but listening carefully for her reaction and reply.
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Post by HG on Apr 9, 2012 14:26:07 GMT -5
Issarith was a Queen it was natural to be nervous in her space when there was a clutch on the Sands. If she were there with the permission of the Queen it would be a different story entirely. Besides, if Seirsha got into any more trouble her parents might threaten to have her sent away from the Weyr. It was not an entirely empty threat however they had no family outside the Weyr. She did not see that being a really good situation for herself. “I would spy on Issarith if the Shields were not there. I can’t afford to get caught doing anything that could be considered naughty.” Brave or not, after her altercation with Kreallie things had been worse for her than before. Her parents were not too thrilled that she nearly beat up the Weyrleader’s younger sister, who was his only family left. Somehow her enemies were always people who had the upper hand. She always ended up losing something dear too.
Her parents trust was gone and the Headwoman who had normally tolerated some of her games and pranks was not at all tolerant any more. Her life was closing in so that she had to change or be suffocated by it. Her eyes widened again at Tschermak’s offer. Beaming at him she said, “Thanks! Its nice of you to offer.” Which was more than some of her other “friends” had done. “I wouldn’t want to hold you back though. Better to stand and increase your chance of Impressing.” She said, ignoring the slight flush to his cheeks. It was warm out and the sun was shining. People could get hot or sun burned in no time at all.
“I do not know if I care what color dragon I impress or if I do. Somedays I think I would like to ride a fighting dragon. For one you get to protect Pern from Thread and you get to save people from Holdless. The adventures you could have!” She said excitedly before itching her nose with the back of her hand. “Other days I think about being a Queen rider. It is not so much having the power to tell other people what to do that I like about the idea. I like that no one else would be able to tell me what to do, or very few people would. I wouldn’t get to fly Thread in the same way but there are stories of Gold dragons flying Thread in lower wings, like sweepers.” She shrugged thinking in the end the only thing that mattered was that she Impress. “I guess in the end I’ll be happy so long as I’m a rider.”
“What about you? Do you have dreams about what you want to be in the future?” This time she did wait for an answer. Despite the chattiness, Seirsha could also be a good listener. Although perhaps not as good as those who were really quiet all of the time. It might seem strange that the girl was going from one extreme to another. She was completely silent now, eyes focused on the ground in front of her because it was hard to get someone to talk when they were being stared at. Seirsha’s two sides were clashing now at the age of thirteen.
She was becoming more than a child although she was less than an adult. In this inbetween she had much to learn about others and herself. She had almost surprised herself in telling Tschermak about the dragon rider dreams. She really didn’t know what she would like more but she had never admitted to the appeal of gold dragons until now. She had always assumed they went to people who were destined to be great. The realization that greatness was something people made themselves not something people were born with was quite new. Since her fight with Kreallie and the boys being busy she started to do quite a lot of thinking about her own future. Not the future of the Brat Pack, her individual future. She was becoming an individual, not one of many.
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Post by Lady Smara on Apr 9, 2012 14:50:19 GMT -5
“I’ll stand, S’nuo asked me to.” He said, quietly surprised and pleased that she liked the idea of him standing with her. There was no doubt in his mind that a turn from now he’d still be standing. He didn’t really believe he was dragon rider material, despite being raised in the Weyr. “But I’ll still stand with you when you’re ready. I’ll still be on the sands I bet.”
Now it was his turn to look at her when the question she posed was actually followed by silence. He was always listening to Weyrbrats talk about how they would either become great dragonriders or shield members with wild felines at their side. He loved to listen, just like he loved to listen to Seirsha debate between riding a fighting dragon or a queen now. It was nice to hear a girl was interested in something more than just a gold dragon that seemed to be all that the others obsessed over.
Even so, when the question was posed about his own dreams and his own future, he paused and studied her as she looked at the ground at her feet. Was she really asking him what he wanted to be?
“Umm…” he started, hesitating as he scratched his own brain for some day dreaming that he might have had in the recent past. He came up empty, however, and found himself at a loss. What did he spend his time thinking about? The past… What he didn’t have, rather than what he wanted. But then again, wasn’t it the same thing? But then who ever heard of someone growing up to have a family? Family was something they were born with, not something they grew up to gain.
“I want to be taller.” He finally managed to grasp out of a very short list that really was refusing to be read in the back of his mind. After saying the simple statement, he heard it in his own ears and realize how ridiculous that sounded in comparison to most kids wanting to be a dragonrider. Of course he’d be taller, he’d grow up eventually… Wouldn’t he?
"Wait, I don't think that's the right answer..." he added quickly before falling back on a fail-safe. "I want to be a dragonrider too, I just don't think I can be."
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Post by HG on Apr 9, 2012 15:26:07 GMT -5
She nodded at the first part, he would stand. The boys always did but he thought he would still be Standing in a Turn. Seirsha didn’t know what to say to that just yet so she kept quiet on the matter. Of course she would be glad to stand with someone she knew had her back but she would feel bad if he had not impressed by then. Most people would feel that way, she thought. Confidence had never really been something she lacked much of. She was almost too confident. Some might argue it was not possible to be overly confident however Seirsha knew differently. Being too confident left people dead or injured. She would never forget that her confidence led to the death of her dearest childhood friend.
On the same token there was the opposite which was not having any self-confidence. She felt this must be so with Tschermak. He was very alone and people who felt alone thought the worst things. She knew this from her recent loneliness. Still she was not going to push on him over his confidence level. Talking people into thinking more of themselves did not involve pointing out their flaws. Everyone had them, including her. It dawned on her slowly that he might not have thought about it much because no one had really asked him what he wanted to do. Well that was a thing of the past. They were going to be friends after this and she was not going to let him sit in the background all the time. Sometimes even shy people needed to talk and vent to other people.
She was looking at him again when he finally got out that he wanted to be tall. She really couldn’t help herself, Seirsha laughed. Realizing it might not be the best reaction she contained herself, saying with a guilty grin. “You are funny. We’ll both be taller by the time we’re adults. My mother says boys grow later than girls, which is why I’m about as tall as my older brother.” She had grown a lot over the past Turn, which made her mother slightly irritated but she didn’t plan to be very tall. Not that she wanted to be short either. Average height would suit her just fine.
His next statement startled her a little. It was rare to hear that people wanted to be something but did not think they could be. It set her mind to wondering. “Why don’t you think you can be? What makes you less likely to impress than me? ” Since he seemed to agree that she could be a dragonrider. It made her sad for him in a way. She knew that Tschermak had a better chance than her brother. Goodness she didn’t think anyone could be less suited for a dragon than her clumsy, scatterbrained, distracted and gullible older brother. She could impress ten times before he impressed once. That she did know.
“You know, no one in my family has ever impressed a dragon.” She added, well at least no one she knew about. Maybe some great-great-great –great-great-grandparent had been. Someone in her family had to snatch up a rider in their bed at some point she should think! It would be outrageous to assume otherwise.
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Post by Lady Smara on Apr 26, 2012 16:52:04 GMT -5
What did make him so certain that he couldn’t impress? Tschermak took the question and mulled over it a moment while he finally got up the courage to openly watch Seirsha as she spoke to him. Arms around his knees, he rested his chin there as he thought about her question. She had a point, if she was not from any dragonrider’s herself… but there was something that Tschermak felt was different between the two of them. Confidence maybe?
Or that flitter. His eyes fell back to the little lizard before he shrugged and pointed to it, sitting with Seirsha. “You’ve impressed a firelizard. Aren’t they just little dragons? So I’m sure you’ll impress, especially with your whole family supporting you.”
Pausing, he wrapped his arm back around his knee with another shrug. “I don’t have any family to support me on the sands. If I’m not good enough for a mother or father, why would I be good enough for a dragon? Doesn’t make sense to me, is all. But I’m okay with that, I have Mismatch and a place to sleep. Since the larger Weyrbrats are standing as candidates, they seem to bother me less too. So life isn’t so bad without a dragon.”
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Post by HG on Apr 28, 2012 21:56:58 GMT -5
“Not really. I mean firelizards are not picky. You just have to have loads of food when they hatch and they will bond with whoever is giving them the food. I’m not sure Impress is really the word for it. I don’t feel any differently with Jinx than I do with Momma Cat. The difference is in the sharing of emotions and thoughts but firelizards cannot handle the complexity of most thoughts. You have to show images more than use words.” She shrugged. “There are loads of people with firelizards that do not have dragons.” She added as an afterthought. Looking up at the boy as he said he had no family made her want to bite her lip. Seirsha was a girl and she could even be a bit emotional when it came to things like this but she refused to go soft in front of a boy. Still she did feel bad.
“The Weyr is your family. There is nothing anyone here wouldn’t do to make sure you felt you belonged here with us. I’d say you could be part of my family but you would not want to be around the baby. All she does is cry and cry. I avoid home as much as possible. They are smothering in their demands too. Parents are highly overrated.” She said with an eyeroll. “Right. The last thing they want me to do is become a dragonrider.” She changed tone to sound more like her mother, “ It is far too dangerous for a girl like you Seirsha. You need to get your head out of the clouds and start being realistic about life. You are about as likely to impress a dragon as runners are to grow wings. Maybe if you stopped running around with that pack of boys you’d know that girls are not the same as boys. You are not supposed to fight.” Seirsha grimaced. Her parents loved her but their support in the dragonrider area was zilch. They even tried to dissuade her brother. He was a rather frail, clumsy boy. She wouldn’t be surprised if he were to die on the Sands.
Seirsha was much stronger than he was though and she had plenty of her own will power to get through tough situations. Once she was of age to Stand she wanted to. There were plenty of other people who would and nothing would come of it but she had no doubt in her mind that she had what it took to be a dragonrider. Looking back down as she tugged on the end of her braid she said slowly as if the thought was just coming to her. “I think you can’t rely on other people to find that something deep inside you which makes you want to do something great with your life. You have to discover it yourself and you have to believe it will happen for you. Else ways you’ll always believe what other people say of you and never what you think of yourself.”
She was realizing this more and more in her own life which up till now had always been filled with support from other people. Still that support and stemmed from her own self confidence and demeanor in times of great duress. She had made herself who she was, not other people. Then it dawned on her why Tschermak was not sure what he wanted in life. He was afraid to believe in something and have it not come true. Her blue eyes looked up to meet his as she said, “You know it’s okay to believe in something and have things not work out. That’s when it’s time to find something new to believe in. It does not mean failure only change.” A little change never hurt anyone. Everyone needed something to have faith in, even if it was something as hard to achieve as a girl impressing a dragon.
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