Of Soup and Colours [open]

[parallel]

Marlaey sat at the end of a very long table, watching the comings and goings of the weyr's inhabitants. Dipping bread into her thick soup she let her mind wander. She was excited to at last be among the candidate ranks. Having lived at the weyr and watched her friends impress had been hard, but now she had been asked and she would bond with the perfect dragon for her, she just knew it.

Many people who stood at hatchings already had ideas of which dragon colour they wanted to impress and were often disappointed when they bonded with a different one. But what they failed to remember was that colour wasn't everything. Marlaey had no expectations whatsoever. When she reached the hatching sands she wanted to be able to stand with an open mind and an open heart. It didn't matter what colour hide her dragon had, so long as it was healthy and a match for her. Once those two criteria were filled, the rest would fall into place easily.

Smiling a little to herself and chewing on the fresh bread she began imagining what the hatching day would be like.

[HG]

Or'yn had been at practice, then after shirking and passing off any chores he could possibly have, he had gone in pursuit of food while Rath slept soundly. Nothing like a sleepy dragon and a rumbly tummy to get you moving to the Dining Hall. He was sadly there at a busy, perhaps one of the busiest times of day. Waiting to get a tray and fill it with food was agonizing as the smells of the food wafted up his nose which flared with impatience. So hungry!

Once he had the food finding a place to sit was hardly an easy task. Finding no room at his normal places, he went over to where a young woman he had known growing up, Marlaey sat. She had a glazed look over her blue gray eyes. Well he couldn't chat with someone who was so far away they did not notice his approach.

"Day dreaming?" The young man said with a smile as he placed his own tray down in front of her. Or'yn was someone most people at the Weyr knew and who also knew most of the people. He had been young to impress and now at sixteen was pretty much a full fledged rider. Well as soon as he got past interviews and the Graduation Feast. He was also one of the few Bronzeriders left on Pern. Perhaps more important, he was one of the friendliest people at the Weyr.

As per usual, he was scarfing his food down like most young men who never seemed to put on any weight. He was growing albeit slowly. His mother would tell him to talk inbetween eating to slow himself down. Eating too quickly was not good for one's digestion. So he decided to broach the subject of what was on her mind, "Were you thinking about anything in particular Marlaey?"

[parallel]

Blinking, startled, Marlaey turned to see Or'yn take a seat near her. "Sorry Or'yn! I didn't see you there, I was daydreaming a little yeah..", she smiled at the bronzerider.

"How is Rath doing?", she asked as she watched him gulp down his food with haste she could never quite comprehend. Marlaey was very fond of Rath and Or'yn, though it seemed everyone wanted a piece of them considering how rare bronzeriders were. Still, she had always made it known that her metaphorical door was always open!

"I was just thinking about the hatching and if I will really Impress.. I know it's only my first time, but I do hope there's a dragon there for me!" She smiled a little shyly at the young man, knowing he understood her excitement and nerves.

"It wouldn't matter what colour it was," she said, half to herself, "As long as they felt right on the inside," she said, gesturing to her heart. "You and Rath have that, I want it too." For something to do she dipped her bread into the soup, which she discovered was growing a little colder.

[HG]

He grinned. "Oh you know, dragons are rarely unwell. Rath is great. Sleeping at the moment though. He gets tired after practices. All the flying and maneuvering. You'd think though that I'd be more tired than he is. Seeing is humans have to do work after practice and dragons are free to do as they please." Or'yn wished he had been born a dragon most of the time. Their life was one of very little hardship and a good deal of ease.

"You should come see him when we get our own weyr. I know he'd be glad to show off that we finally have our own place. Won't happen till Graduation though. They've given him and Zeuth ledges from unnoccupied weyrs but they are waiting till Graduation to officially give us our own place." Between speaking, which he was very good at doing, the Bronzer was eating. Both of which were completed with speed and ease.

Or'yn was well aware that he could be overly talkative. Still he could not help himself. Not when he finally had some to have a conversation with. His sister was always so busy and most of the guys were not so chatty among the Weyrlings. With a knowing and understanding glance, he added, " Ahh, well I would not worry too much over it Marlaey. You are sure to impress. I was never concerned about the dragon I impressed either. I must admit though, Rath was a bit of a surprise. Certainly not what I was expecting."

Nothing anyone had said prepared him for the Hatching. With so many eggs, the odds were in his favor to impress. Still he watched as his sister was the first to be impressed. Then one by one other people began to as well. He felt like the moment would never come. That was when Rath had come into his life. Or'yn would never be the same again, nor allowed to sleep in either.

[parallel]

"Well he has to carry you! And get all of his moves right!, she exclaimed, grinning. "He deserves a good rest after that."

The crowd in the hall was still pretty packed, but she felt no inclination to join it now that Or'yn was here. She loved hearing about the dragons, especially from the weyrlings. They were all so happy to talk about them, their pride and joy! "I'd love to see you both in you're new weyr, it would be fun to see him so proud." Graduation would be soon, she'd almost forgotten about that in her excitement about the hatching. But she had to remember that weyr life didn't just revolve around eggs.

Watching the young man speed through his meal she chewed on her slightly neglected bread.

She was glad he'd come over, much to her annoyance she was the kind of person who occasionally really did need the supporting encouragement of another person. He didn't know it, but Or'yn had given her the boost she needed. "Who knows", she smiled, "Perhaps I'll impress a bronze too!"

Falling into a fit of giggles she felt her hopes about the hatching grow.

[HG]

Oh sure, the girl takes the dragons side in all of this. Go figure! Or’yn good naturedly laughed at her statement. “When is he not proud? Bronze dragons in general seem to be born with an innate sense of pride along with some arrogance.” Lucky for Rath, Or’yn was not the high and mighty type as well. Then they would really be in for some trouble. People did not find arrogance appealing. Rath might prefer to be looked on as someone to be practically worshipped for simply existing but that was not how Or’yn operated...most of the time.

There were of course those times when Or’yn found the near fandom created by being a Bronze rider to be helpful to his own causes. For example getting him out of doing chores. The time of doing chores would be over soon though. While he contemplated the differences between himself and his dragon he came to the realization they were not much different where it mattered the most. No two beings were exactly alike.

At her joke, he laughed too. Once he had mostly regained composure he added, “Actually you never do know. Just because its never happened before does not mean it cannot happen now. We had a lot of girls Impress last hatching. Even to blue dragons. There is no way of knowing till you Impress though. The dragons are the ones that choose after all.” Or’yn was a glass half full kind of guy so there was no doubt in his mind that she would impress. All of the people he knew well were worthy of impressing. He did, why couldn’t they?

[parallel]

"That's true," she laughed, bronzes were always a very proud breed. She thought it was funny how each colour could be associated with a list of certain attributes. Of course, not all were, but generally they followed along the same sort of lines. Gold's were bossy, bronze's were proud, green's were vain... and so on.

She wondered vaguely if she were a dragon, what colour would she be?

Dragon's and riders always paired up well though. Whether that meant that they were similar in personality, or the opposite to balance each other out, it didn't matter. The hatchling knew what to look for in a partner.

“Actually you never do know. Just because its never happened before does not mean it cannot happen now. We had a lot of girls Impress last hatching. Even to blue dragons. There is no way of knowing till you Impress though. The dragons are the ones that choose after all.”

Marlaey thought about this. It would be pretty fun to be different, to stand out a little from the crowd. Were the girls who impressed to blues all that different? Perhaps the dragon's had seen something in them that pulled stronger than what they'd seen in the boys. "Well whatever I impress, if I impress, the moment my dragon is old enough me and you have to race!"

She beamed excitedly at Or'yn. "I've always wanted to race on dragonback. I can't see why riders don't do it more often! It sounds like alot of fun, for both dragon and rider! So when I get my own you have to promise me we'll race together."

[HG]

To Or'yn the conversation was of a light hearted and fun nature, however Rath would take offense to being called proud. He was not nearly as arrogant as Zeuth was. Anyone compared to Or'yn was probably proud. The young man barely took pride in making himself presentable. There were more important things to worry about. "They have different personalities though. Rath would hate to be thought of as the same as other Bronzes. Where I think that is part of his pride, he argues that every person and dragon is an individual. Actually, I quite agree with him there. No two people are alike, why should two dragons be?"

The word in the Caverns was that Aeriath was due to clutch any day now. All they could do was wait. "So are you going to touch all the eggs, if Aeriath allows Candidates on the Sands? They do say it can increase your chances." He was willing to bet that it was just an old wives tale but heck it was nice to dream. He loved Rath more than sleep, food and breathing. If he could give that feeling to everyone he would. Or'yn was a great friend for this very reason.

"Never say if Marlaey. " Or'yn added, "You need to be confident. Say you will do something and then do it. If is so ambiguous. Almost seems as though you don't want it bad enough..." He teased. There was some truth to the sixteen turn olds theory though. Putting your mind to something, getting it done, there was no if or maybe involved. He said he would impress a dragon and he did. Being of a confident mind at a Hatching was important.

"A Race? Hmmm, we'll need to get people to wage on it then. Won't race without a little gambling. Also the distance will have to be fair. If you have a smaller dragon it will be a better sprinter, where Rath will be better at long distances...etc. You know, mating flights are like races, only the females have all the power and they get a head start." He laughed.

[parallel]

"Exactly," Marlaey agreed, "And so every candidate can match up to their perfect partner regardless of colour and rank!" She was always pleased when other's understood what she was talking about because it happened so often that people didn't. She tended to think of things most people weren't very concerned about, so when she did have a useful idea they automatically zoned out and didn't listen. But Or'yn at least was humouring her for now.

"Of course! I'm not sure if I believe in the old saying, it can't hurt anyway, but that's not the reason I'll be touching them all." She smiled warmly, as if she'd just remembered something sweet someone had done for her before. "I want to feel each presence in each egg because I think they're all important. If I do Impress, the dragons that didn't choose me will still play a very important role in my life and I want to know them all, and for them to know that I'm here for everyone if they need me."

She blushed a little at this. There was no real reason that any of the dragons, apart from her-own-to-be, would need her at all, but she was the kind of person who wanted to make herself available just in case.

"Confidence," she murmured. "I think I might have to work on that a bit", she said, ruffling up the back of her short fluffy hair. "But I'm sure- I mean I know it will all work out well," she grinned.

"No matter what size my dragon is, they'll definitely win! You can let anyone bet on the winner Or'yn, just tell them it'll be me!" Laughing, she didn't notice that she'd said my dragon. The young Bronze Rider's confidence was rubbing off on her, and so was his encouragement.

But when he mentioned the similarities between races and mating flights Marlaey turned so crimson she pushed her spoon onto the floor just so she could dive under the table for a minute!

[HG]

Or'yn finished the rest of his food, wondering if Marlaey truly believed that or if that is what she told herself to believe. Many people tried to convince themselves that any color dragon would do but truthfully they were set on one particular dragon. For women it always seemed to be Golds although as Rath pointed out to him before, greens were easier to get along with. For now he would try to keep an open mind about what she said. If she truly believed that the only disappointment for her on Hatching day would be not impressing.

"Oh sure. I don't believe that for a second." He laughed. "You may tell yourself you want to be there for them all but your secret heart hopes that by touching them one will choose you." Or'yn was no stranger to those feelings. He wondered how many eggs will be in this clutch. "Number of eggs could make it hard to touch all of them anyway. Aeriath had over 30 last time and she doesn't like anyone on the Sands for long."

He did not blame Aeriath for wanting some privacy with her clutch. Who knows maybe there would not be a Touching at this Hatching. Some Queens couldn't stand having people on their Sands before the Hatching. "I should probably be wagering on how many there will be this time but then I could save the money for guessing who is going to impress. My sister doesn't much care for gambling and doesn't like me to do it and since I'll be sitting next to her at the Hatching, I should probably hold off altogether."

Noting the color on her cheeks and the way she had to duck under the table he immediately felt bad. He and Rath had not been in a mating flight yet and wouldn't be till he was more mature. Or'yn was only sixteen. "Heh, sorry Marlaey. You won't be needing to worry about that for a couple of Turns should you impress. Though based on prinicipal its rather similar there is one major difference. You'd be on the dragon in a race."

[parallel]

Truth be told Marlaey hadn't counted on how large the clutch might be. If there really were going to be up to thirty eggs how would she ever manage to touch them all? She'd have to run past them with just a flick of her wrist to do it... No. That wouldn't work. That's not what she wanted to do at all! Her mind quickly made up, she decided that quality was definitely better over quantity.

"Maybe it would be better if I just touched a few..", she mused. "I'd rather ahve a moment or tow more with some of the eggs than a few seconds with all of them I think." She looked at Or'yn, wondering if he thought she were foolish.

Laughing a little she said, "If you really think you have an idea about who will Impress, then you should go for it! I'm sure you could keep it from her if you tried. Or maybe not!" She stuck her tongue out playfully at him. Marlaey didn't have any siblings, but she did feel at home in the weyr and the weyrfolk had become her family growing up. "Who do you think will Impress anyway? I haven't really gotten to know many of the newer candidates yet. I might have to wait until I do before I think about it."

"That would be a pretty big difference, yeah..", she agreed, clambering back to the table. "I still think it's a fun idea though!"

[HG]

Or’yn had not meant to say she had the wrong idea about the clutching however he did have a point after all. It would be better if she focused on a few eggs and made a connection with them. He was not sure that everyone who touched eggs last time impressed to the ones they had touched even. Who really knew what the eggs held within them and what the real persona of the dragon within was. Or’yn did not recall if he had touched Rath’s egg before impressing or not but he rather doubted it. Proving that egg touching meant nothing at all to the dragonets. There was bound to be a counter to that argument if brought up so he made no comment on the matter.

“ Yeah well the trick to gambling is never to tell anyone what you are gambling on. If I said who outloud there would be some upset people and the fact is I could very easily be wrong. There are many promising Candidates from Haven and the outlying cotholds and a few from the Weyr always impress. Sometimes people have to stand for several Turns before Impressing too. A Searchrider might have a pretty good idea of who will impress…” He paused thinking it was an ingenious idea to ask a Searchrider. An interview he should conduct sooner than later. “I may need to wait till I consult one of them before betting myself. I’d rather have more informed odds.” Which might be taken as cheating by some but everyone had access to Searchriders they just didn’t think to ask one.

He laughed, leaning back in the “Clearly you don’t know Aisynn well. She’s got a great moral conscience, which keeps me from getting into trouble. You know she was thinking similarly to you before the last Hatching and ended up being the first person to Impress. Her green is Shivath.” He explained, for while he was one of those people who had tons of friends, his sister was more shy and kind of reliant on him for some of her friends. “I guess most older siblings do what they can to protect the younger ones from danger and trouble. Like having a third parent.”

[parallel]

"True, " she nodded, "You wouldn't want to go around offending people with your predictions, especially if they came true!" A Searchrider, that was pretty smart. Though it obviously wouldn't work for candidates like her who were weyrbred. But then again, most of the candidates were searched anyway, so it would work for the majority.

Marlaey laughed at how Or'yn spoke of Aisynn, it was nice to see that the two got on well. She remembered as a child she'd asked her mother to find her a baby brother or sister, her mother's response had been to send her to play with the other weyrbrats. All in all it had been quite a good tactic! "It's good to have someone else looking out for you, even if it means they sometimes spy on you too much!" She was thinking of another weyrbred boy who confided in her that his elder sister kept spying on him and reporting to their parents.

Looking down at her now stone cold soup, she sighed. "I s'pose I better get some more soup, this has gone too cold for me now. Do you want anything?", she asked, standing up.