Weyrling Interviews ((A'lez//Weyrlings))

[HG]

((The way we are going to do this is: A'ez and D'seus are interviewing the Weyrlings together. Each Weyrling will be called in once, asked a couple of questions and then you will have one – two posts of response before calling in the next Weyrling. This is to keep things moving. Thank you all for participating!))

Thoughts were swimming around in his active mind all evening, so that the Bronzerider hardly got any sleep. One would think he was being interviewed that morning instead of the Weyrlings. Wiping his eyes groggily he made his way to the Barracks. There were two Bronzes in the clutch but he would really like to get the older boy into his wing. He was going to need a Bronze Wingsecond sooner than later and very much doubted the younger boy would be ready for that responsibility any time soon. Then again, he was not sure that the older one would be either. Interviews were very telling.

Of the other Weyrlings there were one or two that had caught his eye previously but he was not ready to make a decision about them until he had a chance to see their personalities in person. This was going to be a very long day. Only to be made longer by the discussion he was probably going to have with A'lez over who wanted which rider. A'lez would be able to tap the shoulder of whom he wanted first which meant talking things over would benefit him just as much as it would A'lez. Better that they knew which Weyrlings the other wanted. No need to make things more awkward between them.

A'lez was not to blame for the strangeness that grew between them. Now it was D'seus who was making things complicated. After all, he should have left Raelwyn alone after A'lez had won the flight. D'seus was not entirely to blame either, she made it quite clear that she wanted him and how could he turn down someone whom he obviously cared for? Ahh well, today was about work which meant neither of them would have any reason to be weird around the other.

He arrived at the Barracks not knowing what to expect but there seemed to already be a crowd of Weyrlings gathering in the common room. Smiling at the nervous energy of the room, he walked through to the Weyrling Master's office where they would be conducting the Interviews.

[Marnark]

A'lez had attended to the details of the day during the week before. Mostly because he did not like leaving things to the last moment, and he also liked things going off without a hitch. Of course no plan ever survived contact with reality, but there was no harm in trying. He had a sheet of parchment handy for making a final list of notes on, but for quick note taking and rearrangements of ideas he had several chalking boards. He rather imagined that D'seus would like one or two, which was why he'd brought so many.

It was good that the Weyrling Master was good about them commandeering the office like they were ... not that he really had much choice. All A'lez would have had to do was give the word and that would be the end of it. But he didn't want to be that way. He hated when people were like that. If at all possible, he was not going to be a tyrant, no.

He looked up from reading over the Master's notes on the graduating weyrlings when D'seus arrived through the door. "Good morning." he bid, before stepping out of the way so that D'seus could get past and around the desk if he so wished. "You look like shit, by the way."

Grabbing a chair by its back, A'lez dragged it around to an appropriate location before the desk, before taking the second one that was there and dragging it around behind the desk. Now the furnishings were reversed. Instead of one behind and two before, it was two behind and one fore. "I had some klah brought down." he gestured with the parchments in his hand at the corner of the desk that held the tray with a pitcher and mugs on it. "It's a little over-sweetened, though." he warned. Apparently the kitchen staff was having a rough morning, too. Hopefully not as rough as D'seus' looked to be.

Taking a seat on a chair that groaned a protest, A'lez made himself comfortable while he finished browsing the last of the notes. Sliding them onto the desk itself where D'seus could get them if he so desired, he rattled his fingertips on the desktop thoughtfully. In the time that D'seus spent doing whatever he was going to do, A'lez just sat there and thought. Partly waiting for the other Bronzerider to finish up, and partly wondering if he was going to be any good at this Weyrleader business. Of course, today's work was hardly all that Weyr-imperative. If they made wings, and then those wings didn't quite work, it was next to nothing to rearrange them again if need be. Even if it was a major paperwork hassle.

Once D'seus settled himself, A'lez prodded Neinoth, disturbing the Bronze from this morning's Aeriath-doting session. Send in... he glanced at the parchment before him at the first name. Ah hell. Might as well do this alphabetically. ... Anaryn. he finished the thought.

Neinoth grumbled at him, but was glad that A'lez wasn't sending him off somewhere. He could still stay and dote on Aeriath, and play announcer for His too. Athenath's. Proceed to the office. he issued in a clipped fashion. All the better to return full attention to adoring his lady!

[HG]

After answering their questions, Anaryn was dismissed. He wondered briefly which wing the female greenrider would do better in. She was from the North and if he recalled correctly had given birth to a baby upon arriving at the Weyr. Hopefully she would take control of her body and do what was necessary in the future. Dragonriders had no time for children and wings could not afford holes due to pregnancy. However, there were many young women in this class of Weyrlings so the risk was increased if she was in his wing or not. Her personality was strong enough that she could hold her own in a wing.

He was still thinking to himself when Zorometh made a mental cough. Would you like me to call in the next one. I would enjoy it. The dragon was quite bored having been grounded since the Flight. He smiled at the dragon's enthusiasm. Speaking to A'lez, his voice did not hld back the mild humor from the dragon's previous comment, “Zorometh's rather bored. He asked if he might call in the next Weyrling. I said I didn't think anyone would mind.”

B'ren is next
You should have gone by dragon alphabetically. The dragon paused then directed his mind voice to his Bronze son, Zeuth, have your rider report in now.

“I think we're going to have our work cut out for us with this clutch. So many talented young riders. And with many female riders it will be difficult to even things out. ” His concern was not unfounded. If one wing ended up with a huge number of girls it would not make for a balanced wing. His goal was to keep things close to even. Something he could talk with A'lez about later. He was primarily interested to see what B'ren was like.

D'seus had gotten it into his head that Zeuth would do better in his wing because B'ren was older than Or'yn and he had no other Bronze riders in his wing. Meaning, B'ren would be promoted to Wingsecond within a short number of Turns. Obviously the older, more experienced Brown riders would hold that position until the other was ready. So the next interview would really be one of the more interesting for himself.

[Marnark]

A'lez's chalk scrubbed its way across one of the chalking boards he had handy after the first interview. He nodded absently at what D'seus said about his dragon, and certainly didn't mind a bit if Zorometh participated. Neinoth surely didn't mind; it meant more attention to slather on Aeriath for him. It also saved A'lez the trouble of dealing with the giddy-grumpy Bronze every time he had to bother him. "Certainly." he agreed, setting the chalk down and looking up again.

D'seus' next comment drew a slight frown out of A'lez. He supposed out of retrospect he really should have expected that from the man. So gender biased. Female riders were just as competent as their male counterparts in a wing so far as A'lez was concerned. He refrained from making a semi-joking comment on the topic to rib D'seus with, especially since this was a rather official business event and the next weyrling was on his way in. So instead he settled for; "We'll figure it out."

"Good morning B'ren, have a seat."

[Ise]

The massive bronze raised his head, glancing over at B'ren before settling down again. His was still preening in front of the mirror.
A’lez and D’seus are calling you for your interview. [/i]
B’ren turned to face his dragon, opening his mouth to say something.
And yes, you look fine. Very professional. [/i]
Shutting his mouth, the young man grinned a little as he looked down at himself, dark blue shirt, brown pants, everything clean and well cared for, of course he looked good. One last look at himself before he turned to Zeuth again.
And no, I don’t know how many weyrlings they’ve interviewed or anything else. You should hurry though before they get too antsy and pass you up for someone else.[/i]
B’ren scowled a little.
“Alright, alright I’m going. Keep your uh claws? crossed for me.”

B’ren hustled down to the weyrling master’s office where the interviews were being held. He paused for a moment outside the door, making sure that his clothes weren’t rumbled before he walked in, not giving himself a chance to get nervous about this. Not that he had any reason to be nervous, what wing wouldn’t want him after all?

He gave a nod to both senior bronze riders, muttering a ‘hello’ to them before taking the open seat in front of the desk. He sat up straight, looking attentive and managing not to start bouncing his leg up and down. Though he was nervous, he was excited about the interviews.
Please try not to embarrass us…

[HG]

As B'ren entered he looked up and scoured over the youth with his eyes. Hmm yes, he was a bit cocky now wasn't he? D'seus held back a smile. Looking to A'lez to make sure it was alright to go ahead with questioning the young Bronzerider, he saw that the other was ready. D'seus did not want to step on any toes here. After all, he was no longer Weyrleader and it was hard to act like a Wingleader only after holding such a position.

Zorometh was paying close attention to what was going on in the Interview room. He wanted to be part of this and not just out of boredom. He was interested in knowing which of them would do well in his Wing. Then he could add something to D'seus's thoughts later on. Zeuth, do not be nervous. They are only asking questions. The worst thing he could do is not be himself.

“So B'ren, you are Weyrbred and have continued to show the Weyrlingmaster your abilities as a potential leader. Where do you see yourself in five Turns? What will you do if you are not successful in this goal?”

The question should provide him with something to think about. D'seus needed someone with ambition in his wing. He had to have someone who wanted a position higher than Wingrider. The answer to this question would give him that. D'seus was certain that this was something A'lez wanted to know as well. They had to balance the Wings out well so that they were all equally capable during Threadfall.

[Marnark]

A'lez watched B'ren carefully as the youth appeared and took his seat. A cursory glance over the Weyrling's person was always the first impression. B'ren stood out, but probably not quite in the way he intended. Everything about him screamed spoiled to A'lez. Not only was he over-dressed for the moment, but he was over-grooemd as well. On top of the color of his shirt. Blue. Either he came from a very wealthy family, or he knew someone who was seriously doting on him. Blue was possibly the most expensive and hard to get color out there. Much less a nice blue color.

His straight stance also screamed insecurity despite the prompt and cocky bravado. He was afraid to relax ... and it wasn't out of respect. A'lez managed to fail to see any lines of respect at all past all the rest of what he was seeing on the young man. He let out a breath and nodded to D'seus, merely thinking as the Wingleader started the opening question. Personally A'lez might have worded that a bit differently ... maybe left out the potential leader bit. He suspected this kid started out with an ego problem, only inflated by impressing Bronze. He probably figured himself a shoe-in for leadership and being boss. A'lez suspected he also had no idea what kind of responsibility went along with that. He wouldn't be surprised at all if the kid answered "weyrleader" to his five turn goals.

While A'lez clearly understood tradition and it's place in Weyr life, he was also not color blind. He would take an experienced and solid brownrider for a wingsecond over a solely available bronzerider any day of the week. He only hoped that D'seus wasn't color biased as badly as he was gender biased, and would proceed with proper caution ... at least until this youth stopped being wet behind the ears.

A'lez held his chalk between his thumbs and first fingers loosely, completely relaxed with his forearms resting against the edge of the desk, gaze never leaving B'ren. It was merely a neutral gaze, but even in that it might prove unnerving. A silent stare.

[Ise]

B’ren’s foster family hadn’t been rich but when you were a teenage boy who only wanted to look good and impress the females, any extra marks you made went towards useless things like clothing. Between working in the Caverns and making bets to swindle some of the younger weyrbrats out of their money, B’ren had made enough to get himself a few nice and impressive things.

Not that he needed nice clothing to be cocky and confident. He could have shown up to this meeting naked and still be like this. Maybe even more confident depending on how chilly the walk had been.

Mine being himself is what has me nervous.[/i]
Zeuth made sure to project this to B’ren, making the young man work hard to not scowl at his dragon.
Relax, I take this just a serious as you do.

Some how, the bronze rider didn’t let himself puff out at the idea of the Weyrlingmaster talking about him and his leadership skills. He had been working at being a little more serious during their turns of lessons. And both him and Zeuth had given a lot of thought as to what their future plans were.
“In five turns we hope to be a wingleader. Past records show that when there’s Thread clutches happen more often. Within five turns we should have enough dragons for another wing and by then I hope to have proven myself as a wingrider and a wingsecond. While I have plans on one day being a Weyrleader I don’t see that one happening in five five turns. I may have joined in Aeriath’s flight but neither Zeuth nor myself had any real hopes of winning. But we added a little more competition to the flight.”

B’ren had to give a little more thought to what he would be doing if he wasn’t a wingleader by then. Why wouldn’t he be a wingleader?
“And short of not having enough dragons, I don’t see why I wouldn’t be a wingleader. I’ve worked hard in weyrling lessons to improve both myself and Zeuth and I don’t plan on changing that when I join one of the official wings. I want to be able to talk with the wingleader and find out what I’m doing wrong and how to better myself. I’ve had to work my butt off for everything I’ve ever gotten. I thought things would get easier when I managed to impress a bronze but you learned pretty quickly in lessons that the color of your dragon didn’t matter and you still had to work hard every day to prove yourself. And if I managed to impress H’nen enough with my leadership skills then I must be doing something right there. And I don’t plan on slacking off when I’m only getting closer to my goals.”

B’ren was confident and more then a little cocky when it came to his goals but he was also passionate about them. He wasn’t going to settle for anything less then being a Weyrleader some day and he understood it was going to take a lot of work. His flirting and trying to impress the ladies of the Weyr would have to take a backseat to learning all the wing patterns and everything that was expected of him as he worked his way up through the ranks.

[HG]

There was no doubt that the youth had an idea of what he wanted. How he presented himself said that he was more inclined to lead than to take what he could get. B'ren would be an excellent addition to any wing. At his age it was only natural he would be a bit more arrogant than most people.

There were things that a person had to learn as they grew and were not born with. This was why he wanted to know more about each individual before placing them in a wing. Where would someone be led to shine. Each Wingleader had their own personal style. B'ren fit in well with his own because he was obviously ambitious and unafraid to say so.

Again D'seus looked over at the now writing, A'lez. He was certainly good at being unsociable with the Weyrlings thus far. Jotting things down between questions. There were as D'seus thought previously, all different sorts of Wingleaders and riders. That B'ren and A'lez would clash was not lost on himself. However his ambitions would not be enough to win the Bronzerider over. Mulling over the young man's answer he was impressed more by his knowledge of Threadfall and wondered what else the young man might know.

Normally he would ask for a man's strengths however the fact that B'ren was as arrogant as a man could be meant changing tactics. “Interesting.” he spoke, as he moved to ask the final question to the young Bronzerider, “What would you consider your greatest strength? And equally your weakness?” He wondered whether the answer would sound generic. He had to wonder how much of this was B'ren wanting to impress and how much was B'ren as himself.

D'seus was not going to prolong this meeting. “When you've answered this you may be dismissed.” Then he let Zorometh know who the next vict---Weyrling was going to be. Lokinth send yours in next.[/color][/font]

[Marnark]

"Certainly interesting." A'lez agreed with D'seus' assessment. Though his reasons may or may not have differed, for the comment. D'seus seemed to be content to ask the questions, so A'lez let him. Otherwise he really didn't have anything to say. It wasn't an effort to be stand offish, but taking notes for the moment was all he really had to do.

Though he was already getting the notion that this was going to lead to more than just assigning Weyrlings to wings. Things were never that simple. he was going to have to rework the entire wing set up, especially when it came to the metalics and their dispersion therein. Which he was expecting some stout protests from D'seus on that front, but he didn't see much of a way around it.

---

Lokinth shifted where he was sprawled out, turned his head toward where he perceived Zorometh to be, and flopped his tongue out at the bronze. Which was made even more ridiculous looking because the blue happened to be upside down. The limp appendage drooled across his snout for a moment before being sucked back inside his head. Mine, the shiny no-fly says you're wanted next. Whatever that means.[/color] Lokinth advised. Can we go flying instead? This is boring.

C'mar snickered, and tossed a pebble at the upside down blue. "Unfortunately, I am afraid that if we elope this time, we won't graduate. Surely you don't want to be the only hold back in our whole class, do you? I bet you full wingmembers get more privileges than we have seen so far." C'mar commented.

Are you sure? Lokinth asked doubtfully.

"No." He got to his feet and dusted his rump off. He wasn't wearing anything other than his usual non-flying garb. Mostly because there wasn't a whole lot that would fit. Sure there were other tall people around, but the tall ones were usually lean. Not tall and burly. His trousers were a normal brown color, and his tunic was grey. But the tunic lacked anything even resembling sleeves, and his thick tanned arms were left bare from the top of his shoulder all the way to his fingers. A wide black belt was around his waist, but that was more for tying things to than any kind of fashion statement. At the moment, mercifully, there was only his eating knife hanging from it in a sheathe. Ambling over toward the Weyrlingmaster's office, he leaned his shoulders against the stone of the wall near the door. Whomever was in there ... they'd be coming out soon he reckoned. Otherwise he wouldn't have been sent for. Picking at the crud crammed under his nails, C'mar waited fairly patiently for a body that was usually up to something no good.

[Ise]

His greatest strengths and weakness. Now that was a much harder question then what his goals were. He sat for a moment, taking his time in milling the question over in his mind. This was the question to try and impress the two Wingleaders with. It was a more personal question, one that everyone would answer differently. Most bronze riders were likely to have the same sort of goals; rise to the rank of a Wingleader and hope for a shot at being a Weyrleader.
“Well, one of my greatest strengths has to be my good looks. The guys are jealous of me and the women all want me.”
Zeuth let out a groan even as B’ren shook his head to show he was joking.
“No, I’m not really sure what would be my greatest strength. I can think of a couple of different things I can bring to a wing but so could a lot of the other Weyrlings. I’m a weyrbrat so I have a better idea of what goes into being a dragonrider then those from the holds and from the North. I also know the weyrlings better then you two currently do. I know what Northerners have adjusted to being here better, and who dislikes who. As for my weaknesses… well I’m young, cocky, am a weyrbrat so having a bronze makes me feel like I’m entitled to a little extra at times. Oh, and I enjoy trying to charm the ladies. I don’t let that last one get in the way of training and stuff but some times you just can’t help taking a moment out of your day to enjoy a nice view.”

He wasn’t sure if the Wingleaders would like his answer or not but at least he was honest about them. Zeuth was still whining about his joking but B’ren found that easy to tune out as he stood up. He gave the two bronze riders a nod before he left the room, spotting C’mar as he left and giving the blue rider a pat on the shoulder.
“Good luck with your interview, hopefully you’re dragon has enough of a sense of humor to deal with your jokes…”

[HG]

D'seus held back an amused smile. The overconfidence of the youth would definately be knocked out of him at some point during his time with a Wing. If that did not happen a woman would get to him someday and put him in his place. Women did that. When a more serious answer followed the first one, D'seus watched the younger Bronzerider. D'seus was not surprised that the youth was not sure what his greatest strength was. He had an idea of what it was but this was something he would learn with time and Wing training.

Not another one like you...[/color] He's only slightly more cocky than I was at his age. I never spoke about the ladies outloud but some of us can't help we're in high demand. To which the dragon did not comment. D'esus watched as B'ren left. It was only a moment before he said, "C'mar, come in." The young man was tall and broad, a good build for a man who was a defender of Pern. He was surprised by what the youth looked like after hearing about his personality.

When the bluerider was before them he went ahead with the questions since it seemed that A'lez was content to take the notes and allow him to ask the questions. "We're going to get right to it. Is there an achievement of which you are particularly proud? What is it? Why is it important to you?" He had heard a couple rumors about the young man. Mostly about being a trickster. While D'seus did not mind what people did outside of wing practice, he did not want someone in the wing who was going to be causing trouble during practice. Hopefully C'mar was able to behave during practices.

[Marnark]

C'mar eyed B'ren as he left, then sauntered into the room himself. He had no idea what to expect; how could he? Everything here was a shot in the dark, and he certainly didn't have the first clue what was normal in a place like this. He stopped about halfway between the desk and the door, not really sure where he was supposed to be or any of that formal stuff. He'd never been in a situation like this before, so he was winging it. Given that these two guys seemed to be the chaps in charge, he for the moment kept his wisecracking side to a minimum. Though they did look a lot too serious for his tastes.

No easing into anything, around here it seemed. Just launch straight into the interrogation. Though the question was hardly what he would have expected. C'mar just gave him a strange look at first, before shrugging. "It depends in what context you're asking, sir." He answered, figuring that he might outta treat these weyr-folk as if he might treat a lord holder. "If you're referring to important stuff that most people only really consider, then I guess I could say that it was making it through flying lessons without crashing. Because I swear a couple times I thought I was going to. That was scary as shit. In other fashions, there was one particular prank that I don't think I'll ever forget. I managed to convince my brother I was dead ... " he trailed off after a moment, not entirely sure that these people wanted to hear about that particular incident. "Actually ... I'm pretty sure my entire home Hold isn't ever going to forget that day..."

A'lez straightened in his seat a bit, and glanced at D'seus a moment before focusing on C'mar again. "Why would you want to do something like convince people you are dead?"

"Because I thought it would be funny?"

[HG]

((Sorry for the delay!)

C'mar was not shy by any means and said aloud exactly what he was thinking and feeling. D'seus was not entirely certain the young man was taking this seriously. Then by what he knew of the bluerider, the times he was serious were few and far between. The Wingleader looked at the youngster as he answered. Did he think the interview was something to be taken lightly? He was not surprised that A'lez found the answer disturbing.

D'seus for his part remained silent although he wondered if the young man really felt his proudest moment was pranking people to believe he was dead. There were some people that really needed to see a mind healer. This boy might be one of them. The real issue he had so far was whether he would be able to trust C'mar and Lokinth in a wing. He would think on this hard for most of the interview.

"Interesting." He paused, rubbing his chin a moment in thought. "One more question and you can take your leave. Describe your work ethic on a typical day." This was bound to get an answer like the other one. Some people did not take life seriously at all, he had a feeling that C'mar only sought the fun things in life. The interview however was not the only thing they considered when looking at which Wing would suit a person. Perhaps it was a good thing that the youth seemed to not sweat the small things.

[Marnark]

C'mar blinked. His work ethic? Did they seriously have to ask him that? Did he not participate in all those strange 'chores'? Did they not see his massive stature? A body didn't get this broad or well-built by standing around and looking pretty. His muscles were there from a life of hard labor, and such things took maintaining, to be sure. After all, if a body didn't use it, it was all too easy to lose it. Not that it was any real concern of his how well beefed out he was. It was just a side effect.

As silly as he could sometimes be, he was by no means stupid or dense. "My work ethic, sir, had me as one of the best workers in my father and uncle's lumber craft. I was one of the most reliable youths for showing up, and putting my back into the job. Getting it done, quickly, neatly, and efficiently." he answered, with far more seriousness than he had thus far shown. It was almost as if asking him about his work ethic had been akin to kicking him in his pride; something he didn't like one bit. "It was the way I was raised, and the way I will likely be till the day I die. Life is not all work, however, and I don't believe in being a sourpuss for it. If you are wondering, I don't fool around when people's lives or livelihoods are at stake."