All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are copyright © Anne McCaffrey 1967,2000, all rights reserved, and used by permission of the author. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, by Anne McCaffrey, used here with permission. Use or reproduction without a license is strictly prohibited. For more information, visit the Worlds of Anne McCaffrey.

30-10-01: Meet the candidates
Relian strides across the cavern in usual nonchalantic style, padding to the kitchen to serve himself a single mug of...

Relian strides across the cavern in usual nonchalantic style, padding to the kitchen to serve himself a single mug of water, which he carries back to one of the least busy tables in the caverns. Here, he sits, his legs stretched out in front of him, his eyes half closed - as if in thought.

Jayden walks in from the South Caverns.

Ilara diligently cleans tables, humming softly as she works. When Relian enters she looks up, blinking, and gives a slight not before going back to work though. She doesn't hum once she realizes she's no longer alone, and she works a bit harder, fearing she might be slacking.

Relian echoes Ilara's nod, responding with a smile that flickers about upon his lips. "Afternoon," he notes; "Wow, you're working hard." It's not hard to work much harder than Relian, it's true. "Have we met? I'm Relian."

Jayden walks into the Caverns with somewhat of a frown on his face. Rowann was right: things had seemed a lot closer to normal in the morning. After all, chores are the best way to bring about normalcy, aren't they? Sighing, he heads inside, waving towards his fellow candidate as he heads for a dirty table. "Ilara, hi." He begins clearing the table. And then there'll be tubers. /Fun/. Jayden was never a particularly large fan of chores.

Ilara shrugs her small shoulders, just slightly. "I don't want too shirk on chores? It'd look bad." Wouldnt do to look bad, with her so new here and all. No matter how much she complains, and fears these strangers and this strange place... she certainly doesn't want to be shipped off back home in disgrace! She'd die of embarassment. "Ilara," is mumbled in response to to recieving his name. Jayden is given a small smile and a relieved look; he's someone she knows, at least.

Relian's smile is echoed to Jayden, as he takes a sip from hs mug, setting the ceramic form back on the table. "Too many new faces, I tell you. Relian," he adds, by way of Jayden, adding to Ilara, "Well met, Ilara. Honestly - I doubt you'd ever shirk, the way you're going there. Although I'm probably not *really* capable of a proper note, since I've only just met you." He grins, dropping his hands towards his lap.

Jayden looks up from his table at the unfamiliar face and grins. New faces /everywhere/...that's the truth. Of course, he's in an entirely new place. "Jayden," he says to Relian, and then raises his knot slightly to show who he was. All right, so he really did that to remind himself that he /wasn't/ dreaming, but details. Now, back to the table. Sigh. Of all the things he's learned at the Weyr so far, the most prevalant one has to be that he's not cut out to be a drudge.

Ilara just shakes her head. "Everyone has to do his or her share, right? I probably don't do as much as I should, anyway. Or I don't do it right, or... something." Lar decides to shut up on that topic, moving briskly on to the next table to wipe down. This goes a lot faster when Jayden's clearing things off for her first... Hmm. She doesn't bring attention to her own knot, but then, the less folks that know of her, the less that can gossip about her should she fail on the sands.

"Well met, Jayden," concludes Relian with a grin, admitting, as he glances between the pair of candidates, "I feel a little silly, just sitting here, if you're going to work. Do you want some help?" The young man sits up, leaning forward, his arms resting upon the table. "What do you say?"

Jayden stops working just long enough to give Ilara a disbelieving look. "Not doing as much as you should? Ilara, look at yourself. You're doing just as much as the rest of us if not more." And probably more. He sends a smile to Relian as somewhat of a silent acknowledgement as he carries a pile of empty glasses over to the kitchen. "Oh, you don't have to help..." Jay, on the other hand, does. Though at least there's been nothing as bad as removing bloodfish. Yet.

"Er, you don't have to," mumbles Ilara as she pauses in her cleaning to blink up at him in mild confusion and surprise. "They're our chores to do, not yours... You don't need to trouble yourself over us." Again, that could be viewed as slacking off, if they coorced the resident into doing their work for them. Scrub, wipe, shine. Cleaning tables is easier than mucking stalls anyway. No manuer to avoid walking in.

"Well..." Relian hesitates. "Okay. But - you're still making me feel awful lazy, even though I've done *my* chores. Such as they are." He grins between the two of them, adding, "Where're you from? Been here long? You're going to have to keep talking from me, so I feel like I'm doing *something*, even if it's really nothing."

[Move through of R'ley and Fitz]

Jayden chuckles in Relian's direction as he glances down the Caverns. Well, at least they're making some progress. "Oh, don't feel lazy...we're just doing our job." He proceeds to begin clearing the next table, briefly answering Relian's questions as he does so. "I'm from nowhere in particular, my parents were SeaCrafters and we just traveled from place to place by ship...and I've been here a couple of days." Well, that's the short end of it anyway.

Ilara blinks in utter surprise, recognizing, briefly, that figure that just pranced through the caverns for half a moment. Oh, Farenth, it was someone she knows! Not a /stranger/! Lar is almost tempted to follow, except for the expressions on the faces of the two as they passed. "I came with him," Lar mumbles, half listening, in response to what may have been a question... or not. It just seemed approrpiate to add at that moment. "Gar stablehand, originally," she also puts in.

Relian grins, as he moves to rest his chin in his hands, which are propped up by his elbows upon the table. "Ah-hah. One a Seacrafter brat, the other a Hold brat - like myself. Although I'm from down south, and came up of my own accord." Shifting his elbows into a more comfortable position, the young man adds, "True enough. Hard job, though. Lots of chores, it seems."

Jayden grins as he clears yet another table. This chore is getting old. Fast. "Well, I'm actually technically a Dolphincrafter brat now, but close enough." He sucks his breath in as he almost drops a glass. Phew. That would be bad. "Yeah, lots of chores all right." He'll stop whining one of these days. Really.

Ilara tilts her head, returning her attention a bit more to the conversation at hand. "What's a hard job? Huh?" Alright, so maybe she shouldn't get so distracted easily. But, /oh/, if that was Fitz she saw... Maybe she /could/ still catch up with them... But, no, she doesn't know her way around here; she could get lost. "This isn't bad. Its better than mucking stalls, or mending tack, or cleaning hooves.."

Relian laughs; "Oh, I see. Just confuse me, why don't you?" He winks, as he moves his head from its rest, leaning backwards in his chair in a pose of utter relaxation. "She's right, though, they could be worse. I s'pose it's to get you ready for a lot *more* work, if you actually Impress." He nods, knowledgably, although he admits, "Not that I'd *really* know anything about that, either."

Jaydennods as he takes the rest of one table's contents towards the kitchen. "True, this chore itself is nothing. But it'll get worse." He shakes off his hands and turns to Ilara. "Think you can handle the rest of this?" Whether she can or can't, she's going to. "A rider asked me to oil his brown, so I have to go..." And he's going. Yep. He sends a wave as he heads for the door. "See you both around."

Ilara stops wiping down a table to blinkat Relian, looking like /she's/ the one confused here. But then, that's about normal for her, considering the past couple days. "Maybe. I just don't want to be sent home, that's all," she shrugs a bit, and works on a particularly sticky spot on the table, tongue escaping the corner of her mouth as she scrubs. "I'd just die of shame."

Relian laughs, as he leans back, slouching, his arms crossed in front of him. "I s'pose. That would be kinda embarrassing, although I doubt it'd happen. I mean - you'd probably have to do something *really* bad, to be sent home, I'd imagine." His hand is raised idly in greeting to Kita, as his other hand moves to reclaim his ceramic mug, fingers wrapping about it as it is drawn to his lips.

"Such as abuse other Candidates, show extreme disrespect to the riders or their dragons and other weyrfolk...it is possible," Kita comments as she walks in, catching the tail end of the conversation. "Hey Ilara," she grins, waving to the Candidate and smiling at seeing her already 'indulging' in chores. "How's the barracks? Comfortable?" She comes to sit by the other man whom waved to her, plonking her booted feet onto a table. "Afternoon," she greets him cheerily.

Ilara stops wiping the table, looking like a startled wherry as she hears Kita. Pink creeps into her cheeks and burns her ears and she ducks her head down to finish with that spot and more on. "Yes'm, quite comfortable... an' I'd never intentionally do any of those things." Just to be clear on that one. She wants to make a good impression and all that. Who knows what could be taken as disrespect?

"Afternoon, indeed," agrees Relian, stretching out his right leg to let it rest upon one of the empty chairs at the other side of the table. His mug is brought back down to a resting point on the table, while his free hand moves to toss lank hair away from his face. "I imagine you'll be the least likely candidate to be sent home, Ilara, by my first impressions."

From the sound of things, Ilara couldn't be disrespectful even if she tried. Take a look at Kita- she's being pretty disrespectful at the moment, having her feet on the recently cleaned table from poor Ilara's hard work. This thought must finally sink into the brownrider's mind, for she quickly removes her boots, looking a little guilty in the process. She turns to the young man and nods her agreement at his words. "I have no doubt that you wouldn't, Ilara," she grins, wiping some errant grains of sand off her leathers. "So tell me," Kita begins, her eyes twinkling mischeviously. "What do you think of pranks?" Oh talk about putting someone on the spot. Kita knows about Candidates: she was one herself once upon a time...

Fitz zips in from the South Caverns.

Ilara finishes with the table and moves on to the next, either not caring that Kita had her feet up, or simply politely not commenting on it. Either way, she doesn't seem to notice. "Pranks?" she asks, quite innocently enough. And it may even be genuine, but you never can tell with candies, can you? The new table is wiped down with relatively little trouble; it being the last on the end, it hasn't been used much, so there's not much to clean off. Lar then takes her rag off to rinse and wring it out, before she returns and tilts her head curiously for an answer.

Relian's lips twitch with squelched amusement at the topic change, his gaze flickering to rest upon Ilara as she makes her one-worder response. "I know Celira - she's another resident - is slightly nervous about pranks. Says she'll get her firelizards on cot-minding duty while she's not there, or asleep. Me, I think they're a waste of time, and resources. But probably a lot of fun." He fiddles with the handle of his mug, as he adds, "Surely you've an opinion, Ilara?"

Fitz slinks into the Living Cavern, looking slightly timid. He gives a little wave and crosses the room, looking around in awe. "Wow." he's still in shock.

"Yes, pranks," Kita states slowly, her eyes becoming amused as she notes Ilara's evasiveness. "Candidates are notorious for them. Since you're so polite and respectful, I was wondering what your stance on the issue is..." She stops talking for a moment, listening to the dude beside her. "Yes indeed- you must have an opinion Ilara," she agrees, grinning evilly. The youngest Candidate is noticed scooting in, his awe all too apparent. "Welcome to the Weyr, young Fitz," she calls out. Sure she hasn't met him yet, but word gets around.

Ilara's head turns sharply, hearing the name, catching a movement-- "Fitz!" Great Faranth, its someone she /recognizes/! Were Lar the type to jump for joy or show large ammounts of affection, poor Fitx would probably be flattend at the moment. As it is, she weaves through the tables to grab for his hand to pull back towards the people she /doesn't/ know, those strange weyrians. And then it sinks in. "They kidnapped you too? Oh!" Not sure whether to be happy for him or sorry for him, Lar peers at his confused expression, trying to figure out how he feels about this. Besides stunned, that is. Behind her, half forgotten, Lar calls over her shoulder, "Never tried any, see no reason to." Well, its not exactly an opinion, but its an answer.

"You," greets Relian of Fitz, watching him. "I met you, didn't I. Congratulations." Just another greeting to the hoarde, as the young man crosses his arms again, more comfortable in his poistion. He raises his eyebrow at Ilara's answer, shoulders shrugging. "I guess that's sort of an answer. Maybe."

"You," greets Relian of Fitz, watching him. "I met you, didn't I. Congratulations." Just another greeting to the hoarde, as the young man crosses his arms again, more comfortable in his poistion. He raises his eyebrow at Ilara's answer, shoulders shrugging. "I guess that's sort of an answer. Maybe."

Fitz blinks. "Ilara--aah!" he gets towed toward the other people. "Yeah...R'ley and Tynabith brought me in." he grins at Relian and nods. "Thanks!" then

Kita gets an answer. "Thank you ma'am. How did you know my name?" the young boy fluffs his hair out and sits down, letting it lay where it wants. He needs a trim, or else he's trying to let it grow long. "Pranks? We get to make pranks?"

"I'm sure," Kita mumurs in response to Ilara's answer, looking for all the world that she really doesn't believe her. The brownrider shrugs, and propels herself off the seat to the hearth where a freshly made pot of klah is awaiting. Any information she gets from Candidates is stored away for future use, should the need arise. "Oh, R'ley told me...actually, Tynabith told Djarreth, and Djarreth told me. I think I've told a few people...nothing is secret at Ista Weyr." A small smirk works it's way onto Kita's face as she pours a mug. There. Let them think about that for a bit.

Jayden walks in from the South Caverns.

Fitz ponders this for a minute, but only for a minute before his attention is captivated by a trundlebug scuttling across the floor. He laughs as it walks by, picking up his feet that don't quite touch the ground just in case the bugs at the weyr are maneating trundlebugs. Oi, 12 turn olds can be so weird.

Ilara has forgotten about chores for now, but at least the tables were already done. A small break to talk to her fellow Garian shouldn't hurt, right? "I don't even know the name of the woman who dragged Jayden and I off... I don't think she knew ours, either, actually. I don't remember telling her it, at least." At this, she shrugs slightly, glancing over at Kita. Maybe she knows who the greenrider was. But as her excitement about finding Fitz wears a bit, she remembers hearing... "You know Celira?" Lar queries of Relian, still avoiding the topic of pranks. She just doesn't like them. "I've talked to her a few times..."

Relian grins in response to Fitz, head bobbed in a short-ordered movement, as he shifts his other foot onto the chair across from him, furthering his slouch so that he's hardly sitting up at all. Ilara's query is met with a nod - and the faintest of blushes. "Er, yes. Celira and I are," pause, "good friends." And that's all. "She's cool, isn't she? Alas, she's considering deserting us for the Harper Hall, but I'm hoping to convince her otherwise."

Kita spoons in a few scoops of sweetner...1, 2...3, 4...maybe a few too many spoonfuls...into her klah, turning back to the conversation at hand. "Why would you want to dissuade her from the Harper Hall? The Harpercraft is wonderful," Kita asks, raising her mug to her lips. Her eyes flit this way and that as she drinks, and notes Fitz's feet moving up off the floor due to a trundlebug. An affectionate smile appears on her face, quickly abolished as soon as it arrives. Stupid, maternal instincts...

Ilara raises an eyebrow slightly, but is nice enough not to say anything about Relian's blush. She pretends not to notice. "Oh, she's very nice. But yeah, why would you want to keep her from doing what she wants to do? If I thought they'd have taken me, I'd have gone to Herder... and I wouldn't like it if people were trying to stop me." She shakes her head, thinking it more than a bit rude to keep someone back that way. "Not that anyone /would/ try, of course, but... that's neither here nor there."

Fitz lets his feet fall back down to dangle above the floor. "I wanted to be a guard. But I'm not old enough yet." or big enough but you'll never get him to admit that. "This is more fun. Why would you want a girlfriend now?"

Relian wrinkles his nose, complaining, "Because she'll be, like--gone. I don't mind her ambition, but I'd rather it didn't take her away from Ista." He grins, admitting, "Selfish, aren't I? But there's the truth. *I'm* allowed to do what I want, but she's not allowed to leave me here, and go off to whatever she wants." He glances at Fitz, and laughed. "Will you still stay that, when you're bogged down in chores?"

Jayden has decided that he deserves a break. After all, he's taken only what, two today? And those were for mealtimes, so they don't really count. Yes, a short break is in order. He saunters into the living caverns, those piercing eyes darting around. Two people he's met, two he hasn't. Hmm. He acknowledges everyone with a wave and a small smile, and then moves to help himself to some klah, half-listening to the conversation.

Kita frowns a little in thought, and comes to sit by the man again. "She may be able to stay at the Weyr, you know. When I joined the Harpercraft, my mentor was posted at the Weyr. I stayed here and studied with him. When he left, I risked all and stayed here under the new Weyrharper. Technically I should have gone but I didn't want to leave. It is possible for her to join, and stay here. It's not all bad." Kita stops her tirade for a small drink. Her eyes twinkle once more. "You seem to be showing a fair amount of concern for a...'friend.'"

Fitz nods. "Yeah. Who wants /girls/ anyway? They just try to kiss you and make you wear funny clothes all the time." and he knows this from experience. "Apprentices can't have boyfriends anyway. " 12 turn old wisdom. "Why don't you go where she's going if you want to be with her?""

Ilara is a sick and twisted individual; she likes chores. She doesn't see what the problem is. Its better than foal watch in the middle of the night, hands down. "If nothing else," Lar adds with calm logic to Kita's advice, "You could always go with her, if she /did/ have to leave. What's keeping you here, if you want to be with her so bad?" Yes, the socially inept stablehand has the gall to give advice on these things. Such nerve! She'd never know or understand, but she's in a good enough mood to feel like she can talk freely right now, which is a rare thing.

"You were a harper, Ma'am?" Relian asks of Kita, sitting up. "Really? Oh - that *would* be good. I think she might prefer that, too, so we can but hope..." He blushes again, admitting, "Well, I do like her a lot." He tilts his head into a nod of re-greeting to Jayden, laughing at Fitz. "I'll believe you, there -- and yeah. It's a silly thing, for poor apprentices." He frowns at Ilara, then nods; "I guess there's always that. Although she'd probably think I was chasing her."

Kita blinks at Fitz- he's not quite the cute little adorable thing she had taken him for on sight- he seems like a typical 12 turn old boy, actually...girls germs and all that..."Not all girls wear funny clothes!" Kita protests, looking down at her particularly unfeminine leathers. "And we only like to kiss certain people...well, unless you're a greenrider. Then anyone will do," she smirks. The man whose name she doesn't know but is having a pleasant conversation with distracts her. "Yes I was, until a certain brown bulk decided that I'd make a nice accompainment to him...and please, call me Kita."

"I don't see whats so great about boyfriends or girlfriends either," Lar mutters in agreement with Fitz, though mostly keeping her voice low to herself. "Its nothing but heartbreak, in the end. Especially for people our age; what the shell do we know about what we want in life right now? Who do you know who's ever 'fasted someone they were with when they were this young? No one I bet, huh? Its pointless." Ah yes, Lar the bitter and pessimistic. She's in a right good mood today, isn't she? Well, she wasn't the one who brought up the subject, so its hardly her fault.

Fitz is cute and adorable! Just traumatised by teenage girls. "I didn't say /they/ wear funny clothes. I meant they make /us/ wear funny clothes! And I know what I want in life, or at least I did. Now stuff is just weird." there goes that trundlebug again, and up go Fitz's feet as if it were some sort of game.

Relian smiles. "Kita, then. I'm Relian," offers the young man by that name, his head nodding. "I see nothing wrong with boyfriends and girlfriends," he asserts, to the group in general, rather than just in response to the only partially heard comment from Ilara. "My parents met when they weren't so much older - no more than a turn or two - than I am now, and they're still perfectly happy together. 'sides, it's good fun. It doesn't have to be forever, or anything."

Ilara never did know what she wanted out of life, other than to be with her precious runners, so this hasn't put /too/ much of a kink in her plans. Other than missing Bloodfrost. To Relian she shakes her head slightly, just looking confused. "But why bother, if you know its going to end? That one or both of you will end up with a broken heart?"

Fitz sighs. "Confusing. At least girls like to bunnyslide. How old are you guys?"

Relian points out, cheerfully, "She's hardly my girlfriend," yet, "so quite possibly neither of us will. I guess we'll just have to see what happens, won't we?" Can't stand in the way of twoo wuv, whatever that is. "You'll all have to excuse me, on that note, because I do have some things to do. Good luck, and all that." As he leaves, he adds, "I'm seventeen."

You go to the South Caverns.