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25-03-01: Meeting Mikan
Lydiere makes the aquaintance of one of her fellow candidates, Istan weyrbrat Mikan.

Lydiere has wrapped her arms about her knees, feet half resting upon the edge of her seat, eyes watching -- albeit with glassy expression -- the sands. Smile twitches against her weathered face, expression vague, although hardly downcast.

Amidst a swirl of lizard wings, Mikan stops to sweep all three pairs aside. The young man seems relatively annoyed with his trio and sharp orders them to /disPERSE/ or he'll really give them an earful. Bulbasaur rumbles and flutters down to his pocket. That's a nice spot of course. As the others remain as is, he grumbles but that'll have to do. However, at some point his eyes cross and he blinks. "Wish Syth didn't do that..."

To Lyddie's credit, she doesn't so much jump as blink, head raising itself to present a stoney glance, and then a smile, upon Mikan--"Wish what wouldn't do what?" One hand grasps at a lank tendril of hair that has fallen from it's loose knot, pushing it away from her face with a brushing movement.

"Syth, Da's bronze.. tends to talk to me when he gets a chance." Mikan absently mumbles, sighing, "And at the strangest times, too." At that, he averts grey-rimmed blue eyes towards the eggs. That's for a few seconds before he regards Lydiere, "How goes you, so far?" Straightening up, he inquires this, politely of course.

"Oh," exclaims Lyddie with a wry nod of her head--"Imagine, me calling him a 'what'. My apologies, in case you took that badly," a glance at him appears to reassure the woman, who draws her knees done, hands resting amid her lap. "I didn't think they did that often. But what's so strange about now?" Politesse is returned, the woman straightening, and responding, "Oh--not so bad. It's different here, and I'm still not settled. Plus, I miss my boat, and my son."

Son? At this point, Mikan must really take a good look at Lydiere but concludes - she is older than him, big time. However, he is a wise lad, don't speak of AGE to a female, or he might get hurt. His head bobs a bit and then he ers, "I usually don't expect it coming." He offers to the question, eyes flickering to the eggs once more. A small grin touches his lips, "I 'member when I was much younger, a toddler.. I used to come 'round often to look at gold Nanaith and her clutches..."

Lydiere's old, indeed, especially as compared to Mikan. "Oh, I suppose that'd make a difference. I can't imagine that, though, I admit." Her eyes follow his, resting, for a moment upon the ovoid forms upon the dark sands--"Oh? Nanaith...the retired Senior Queen? I do *try* and keep up on these things, but there's too many weyrs, too many queens, and since I've been here I've been far too busy."

With a brief nod, Mikan pauses a moment, blinking a few times, "Yeah, the retired senior queen." And incidentally the rider is /his/ mother, but he doesn't say that, of course. Flickering a glance upon Lydiere, he grins a bit. By looks alone, one can't tell that he /is/ Yannah's son, of course. "I bet if they're a bit harder, we can touch 'em."

Besides the point that Lyddie has never seen Yannah, let alone met her properly--"Oh, good. I hate getting my facts messed up; it's hard, when you're out at sea so often." That's not a sigh in her voice, in truth. It's just--okay, it's a sigh. "I guess so. I've never gotten this close to eggs before. I haven't lived in a weyr since I was four. Until now."

"I've lived in a weyr all my life.." Mikan admits openly, having really never left the weyr, much. "Weyrbred and raised... partially by my ma and aunts.." He mms under his breath, rocking on his heels, thoughtfully, brows touching together. "Never been out at sea." Which is correct, "Been adragonback many times.."

Lydiere will take this chance to boggle, head turning, eyes staring abjectly at Mikan--"You've *never* been out to sea? I mean, not even on a boat around the area? And you live at *Ista*?" Regaining her cool, the Journeywoman candidate adds, "I was weyrbred, too, but fostered elsewhere. Been on dragons, too, although not often."

"Not at all, never got a chance, I was pretty busy around the weyr with chores, duties, lessons and whatnot. My love was for animals, over the sea." Mikan is hardly aware of the stare, or he's deftly ignoring it. Glancing over, he lifts his shoulders upwards, "I wasn't really fostered at all, mother took some time out of her schedule life to take care of me. If it wasn't her, it would've been the nannies that kept me inline." A half-grin and he ohs, nodding.

Lydiere wrinkles her nose, noting, whilst digging her hands into her pockets, "My crew are sailing my boat over this way, so as to be here in time for the hatching. Maybe I could take you out, for a little while. You, and anyone else who is interested. Faranth, I can't imagine not having spent any time on the sea." Lyddie, evidently, takes the sea very seriously. "Your mother was a rider, I assume?"

"Oh yes, she was." Mikan nods vigerously, half-grinning but then he pauses, flushing a hint, blinking but then ohs, nodding, "I'd love to see what it's like." Ever the curious soul, and one that enjoys new things, Mik willingly agrees to such a .. offer. He thinks and admits, "My foster brother might find interest." A small grin and then there is a apologetic appearance to him, "I didn't really catch your name, ma'am."

Lydiere fails to notice the blush, and simply accepts Mikan's response with a nod--"Mine, too." She's entirely comfortable, crossing her arms lightly in front of her, for all that there are nearly ten turns between them. "Great. I expect we'll have to ask permission, since it'll likely be close to the hatching, but--I can't see that it'll be a problem. Your foster brother? He'll be welcome." She pauses, then laughs nervously, head shaking, "Lyddie. Not ma'am--Faranth forbid. I'm ranked same as you, for the moment."

"There's the beach.. we could probably take time .. there." But Mikan's the innocent lad, not even thinking what he's saying. Not. He clearly meant for the boating. Bringing himself to lean against the tier, his gaze floats towards the eggs once more, "Seems like we got something in common.. aside from bein' born at a weyr!" He admit, but peeking, he ers. "Y'can call me Mikan, or Mik, whichever you prefer, Lyddie." He likes that name, it can be .. noted. "Oh, candidate, too?" A peek and he ahs.

Lydiere tilts her head to the side in agreement, lips twitching only slightly at his inadvertant statement. "Right. Oh, good. That'll be fun." The Seacrafter fiddles with a lock of her dark hair a moment, adding, her own gaze turning to the eggs, "Guess we do." There's two things--is there likely to be anything more? "Mikan, or Mik it is. Well met, of course. Candidate, indeed." She gives a rueful smile, almost hesitant about it.

"Now that my Ma's retired, I think.. I can finally find some time to be with her." Surely that gives away quite a bit of information. Maybe. Mikan absently thinks and sighs. "Probably goin' t'go out of her mind.." He jokes and scans over the eggs and the /new/ senior queen. His eyes darken a hint, and his head shakes briefly. There is something of the new Senior queen's rider he's not too fond of.

Lydiere's eyebrows raise, her lashes blinking down, then up again briefly--"Retired--Oh! You're the son of the Retired Weyrwoman?" See, Lyddie isn't *entirely* stupid, all the time. "She'll probably start chasing after you, constantly, wanting to take more of a role in your life. Scary. It's probably a good time for you to have been searched." She watches his glance upon the eggs, asking, "Why'd you just shake your head? Something wrong?"

He suddenly realized he just /said/ retired and Ma in the same sentence. Oops. Flushing a hint, he nods briefly and peeks over, "Gah.." Mikan's going to be really scared if Yannah starts chasing after him.. and be /mother/. Eek. "I think I'm glad to be Searched." He openly admits but then ers, "I am not too fond of the new Weyrwoman..."

Lydiere grins, noting, "I won't hold it against you. Faranth, I don't know the woman, and I hardly think that one's parent's occupations should really reflect upon how one treats their offspring." She pauses, nose wrinkling, "I don't think that sentence made sense; ignore my gramatical errors. Never was one for sitting around and studying that kind of thing." She tilts her head into a nod again, remarking, "I think I'm glad, too, but I don't know. Don't know if I want to give up what I have--" she trails off. "Oh? Why not? I can't say I've had much of an impression of her, yet."

"I suppose it's the mothering thing.. that gets to me." and Mikan sighs, yawning a bit afore he stretches, rubs his cheek and then subsides into a seat, crossing his arms over his chest, "Just her manners, I suppose.." A shrug but the doesn't continue, as it seems he's not wanting to bring up such a subject.

"That possibly brings an advantage to fostering; mothers don't need to mother, they just play, or that's how I feel with my son." Lyddie rests back a little, stretching out her average-sized, but full grown legs in front of her. "Her manners?" She's not so perceptive as she catches his desire not to talk on the subject, genuinely curious in her question.

"I rather not speak of /her/, if you please." Mikan is aware that Lyddie hasn't caught the body language and he nods to the woman, peering at her for a bit. While he's only 12 Turns, one can tell Mik'll be /really/ tall come puberty which is in... 2-3 Turns. His voice is already near the breaking point and is slightly tenor-ish. "I enjoyed playing when I was young." He must admit to this.

Lydiere pauses, bites at her lip, and nods, shortly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry." A glance is sent towards the sands, ands the eggs resting therein, glance returning to her companion. "Me, too. Shards, I still enjoy playing, when I get the chance. My boy is just on three, which is the perfect age for playing." She watches the young man a moment more, stiffling her yawn. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to head for bed."

A soft oh and then Mikan nods before smiling weakly, "It's alright." And then he ers. "Ah-hah.." but then he adds, "Hope you sleep well, got chores in the morning."

Lydiere shifts herself to her feet, nodding shortly, "And morning will come far too soon--I'm really not used to doing *chores*." Waving her hand, she slips out.

You walk out to Entrance Foyer.