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 Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2021 5:27 pm
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Kleoth rising had been a joy that left the Weyr abuzz with gossip. Everyone knew what it meant when a queen took to the skies, and very soon, there would be eggs. Eggs meant baby dragons, and baby dragons meant Impression... or at least, the hope of such a thing. While Valendyr had been as swept up with excitement and anticipation as his fellow Candidates, he would never admit to being so distracted, and instead, kept it rather tucked away. It wasn't that he begrudged anyone--but he was trying very hard to remember the keen disappointment that inevitably would occur.
He'd been standing for a few Turns now, and while he enjoyed meeting the eggs, and seeing the little dragonets, the bitter feeling of rejection was difficult to swallow. Nobody ever knew what would draw a baby dragon to them, and some people would inevitably be left standing. Was it better to assume no dragon would want you than to hope that Yours was in one of the newest shells? Was it that very assumption that would keep dragonets away? Valendyr honestly didn't know, and the Weyrlingmaster and assistants were less than helpful in answering.
'The dragon knows best' could only assuage one's feelings for so long, and quite frankly, there were more than a few candidates-turned-riders that made Valendyr question what they had that he, or others, didn't. But, as it was the dragons choice, there was little rhyme or reason to the matches, and so long as each dragonet found Theirs, that was what mattered, didn't it? All he could do was show up and hope that maybe, this time, one would His.
Settled at a table with his parchment work before him, Dagger curled around his neck, Scimitar grooming herself on his lip, and Switchblade crawling on the table, he did his best to focus on his work. He wasn't alone in the Barracks though, and peeking at his fellow Candidates, his gaze fell upon Sioryl, lost in some daydream. "Productive night, I see," he commented aloud, though there wasn't any blame or accusation in it. He tossed down his charcoal stick and wiped his fingers on his already-stained pants. "You finish up already or just distracted?" He asked, curious.
He didn't know Sioryl well at all, or know what the other was working on, but a little break with conversation might help them both. Hidework and memorization lessons weren't his favorite part of training, so any excuse to not was good for him.
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Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:28 pm
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Sioryl didn't immediately realize that he was the one being spoken to. There were other Candidates doing various things in the barracks this evening so it was fair to assume that the comment had been for someone else. All things considered, Sioryl was still a pretty fresh face here at Western. He'd arrived just after the most recent clutch and had been overjoyed to find that his mother had just impressed, combining the two coolest things in the world: his mom and dragons.
Now it was his turn. He was beyond excited that there was a chance his dragon could be on the sands waiting for him soon. Then he could join his mother in the skies, fighting Thread and protecting Pern and-
"Huh? Oh!" That person was talking to him! Sioryl snapped out of his daydream and looked first at the other Candidate - Valendyr, he recalled - then down at his blank parchment. Whoops.
"Heh...distracted," he admitted without shame, looking back up at the older boy with a little grin. "Hard not to be, yeah? All I can think about is Kleoth and those eggs!" It was making homework and focusing in class extremely hard but he was trying! Sioryl shifted his weight a little bit to turn himself towards the other Candidate, a new distraction fresh in his sights. And this was one he could talk to.
"Whoa, you have so many firelizards!" he exclaimed, finally noticing the three little creatures. "I've got one, too. Probably off sneaking snacks or something." His little blue was just as energetic as Sioryl himself so it was rare for Timor to snuggle up like Valendyr's were currently doing.
"You've been here a few Turns, yeah? Is waiting always this awful?" As much as Sioryl hoped he'd leave the sands with a dragon at his side he knew there was a pretty big chance the clutch wouldn't include His. He was fine with that but waiting was so hard!
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2021 9:52 am
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It seemed to take the other a moment to realize he was even being spoken too--but Valendyr wasn't offended. He had been the one to speak up without moving closer, after all, and the Barracks were far from empty. Thankfully, the Candidate did finally catch up, and his response was unsurprising. Why wouldn't he be thinking about Kleoth or the upcoming hatching? Granted, she hadn't even laid the clutch, so there was still quite a bit of time to daydream--but he wasn't going to burst the other's bubble.
Honestly, Valendyr didn't know Sioryl well at all, outside of recalling his name. He knew he was younger, newer, but that was about it--so many Candidates came and went that it was a little difficult to know any of them all that well, especially given Valendyr's tendency to hang out with Z'ri or his flits instead during his free time. Ever since Thread and coming to the Weyr, the once sociable youth had found it exceedingly difficult to reach out or make many long-term connections. While he wasn't necessarily eager to start now, Kleoth's flight did make it an easy ice breaker. "I suppose it's not easy not to be interested in the upcoming Hatching," he carefully agreed.
"Waiting's all we can do, really, waiting for eggs, waiting for the hatching, waiting for a lifemate, waiting for another gold to go up.... I'd say it gets better the longer you're here, but I guess it's less exciting the more times you're passed up." He certainly wasn't trying to rain on the others parade, but it was his experience. He certainly wasn't as old as some of the Candidates in the Weyr, but he had stood for a variety of clutches and was still waiting.
"But the wait's worth it," he added, not wanting to sound bitter about the whole thing. "You're fairly new, right? Did you come far to be here?" He asked, curiously. Val was lucky to be in the Weyr, and had been luckier still to have been Searched. What would his fate had been had he not been Searched? It was something that did worry him, especially the longer he failed to find His. His craft wasn't exactly in high demand with Thread returned, and he had no living family outside his bluerider sister.
Going back to Sioryl's excitement over his flits, this did earn a more genuine smile from the dark-haired lad. "Dagger's my oldest," he nodded to the brown, who gave a small peep at being so acknowledged. "I didn't expect to have any more but was lucky to be given Switchblade'd egg by my sister, and then he managed to fly a green, which is where Scimitar came from." He explained. The little green's eyes whirled a happier blue, but Switchblade decided to see who was giving all the attention.
With a little hop and a quick glide over to where Sioryl was sitting, the little blue gave a curious peep up at the other. Treat? Surely there was something good to nibble on. He sniffed at the edges of the boy's lessonwork, and seemed to be debating taking a nibble.
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2021 5:49 pm
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As soon as it became clear that Valendyr was in this chat for the long haul, Sioryl scooted down to be a bit closer to the other Candidate. They were on opposite sides of the table and he stopped when they were directly across from one another, the eager grin on his face hard to miss. Daydreaming was fun, but talking with other people was way better!
The other Candidate's reply made Sioryl groan just a bit. Sounded like a lot of waiting if he was looked over by all the dragons this go-round and while Sioryl could put a pleasant spin on anything, waiting was tough. If His wasn't among those shelled, though, there wasn't much he could do.
"Waiting isn't fun," he agreed, catching the tone in Valendyr's voice. Clearly the other Candidate was speaking from experience. He didn't think he was close to aging out but he could definitely see how someone might get discouraged after being passed over time and time again. His own mother had gotten pretty close to being too old to be considered on the sands but she'd managed to Impress at the last Hatching, living proof that you could never give up.
"But I think you're right, finding Yours is definitely worth that wait." And there it was, the ever-positive outlook combined with that cheerful smile. Nothing was ever wrong in Sioryl's world. He nodded at the question, shifting his weight a little in his seat as he wiggled.
"Yeah! I was Searched just after the last clutch here. Not too far on dragonback, I suppose, but no one ever traveled to Western from the little hold I'm from." They were under the protection of Western but his home hold wasn't very important or large enough to have important people come and go often. "What about you? You from here?"
As he was introduced to the flits, Sioryl gave them his undivided attention. He'd always loved the little lizards and was overjoyed when he'd gotten an egg just over a Turn ago. Getting to meet a small hoard of them was wonderful. When Switchblade made his way over Sioryl offered him his fingers to sniff and inspect and had no qualms in letting him inspect the edge of his homework parchment. He might have even nudged it closer to the blue in an encouraging way.
"I love their names! The theme is great. Mine is Timor. I figured if I ever get another I'll name it Belior," he said with another grin, looking up from Switchblade and back to Valendyr.
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Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2021 6:09 pm
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Valendyr didn't mind when the younger Candidate moved closer. It would be easier to talk, after all, especially with all the background commotion of other Candidates. Switchblade was ever eager to continue his investigation over the hidework, first pawing tentatively at it, then snatching a corner to chew on. His eyes whirled a bright green in pleasure as he faced off with his new-toy, and while Val didn't want him ruining the others work, he wasn't doing any long term damage...yet.
"It's not fun, but it's all we can do until we find Ours or age out," and as difficult as it was putting his life on hold for the hope of Impression, even if he had wanted to leave, where would he go? He had no family, had no Hold, and his craft was hardly needed in a world ravaged by Thread. He enjoyed his time as a Candidate, and appreciated that it gave him some sort of purpose. He did wonder what would happen if he never found His... But that was Turns away. He was in no danger, yet. "I'd rather wait until the very end than leave early and miss a chance."
Deciding that his own work wasn't going to get done anytime soon, Valendyr relaxed a bit more in his chair. Dagger watched Sioryl curiously, but remained firmly attached to His' shoulder. Scimitar's green eyes did turn curiously to see what her blue sire was doing, and though she stretched out her neck in curiosity, she remained where she was perched on his lap.
"Were you surprised then?" He asked, curious about Sioryl's Search. They were once-in-a-lifetime-moments,and it was a wonder any of them were there at all. When the lad asked about his own origins, he gave a small snort and a shake of his head. "Nah. I was with a caravan and was holdless, up until Thread came back. My sister had Impressed a blue here, and was with us; only reason I'm alive, really... We came here to tend to our injuries, and she decided to stay and fight. I got Searched here after, and have been here since." He'd been lucky to have been allowed to stay while his sister recuperated...and luckier still to be found on Search . He would have hated to have been sent to some Hold to be fostered...even if Pandyr's life was so busy she was all but a stranger to him now. She was still in the Weyr and that was what mattered.
"I used to throw knives and do blade tricks back in the troupe," he explained. "At least, that's what my specialty was going to be. Am mighty rusty these days though, and have tried to train these three instead." He wouldn't mention just in case he ever lost his status as Candidate and needed to turn the odd mark. It wasn't much but at least he could try to entertain if he had to--and he didn't want to go back to petty thievery. Again, not that anyone had to know about that, either. "You pick up a craft at all back at your Hold?" He asked, genuinely curious.
As for flits... "Belior would be fitting," he agreed, "I didn't think I'd wind up with two more after Dagger, but stick around long enough, and I have no doubt you'll find yourself another egg." A nice benefit of the Weyr, no doubt--flits were quite fashionable and easier to get a hold of than they were in the Holds. |
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2021 5:23 pm
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A nod from Sioryl confirmed Valendyr's sentiment, that waiting until you aged out was much better than bowing out before hand. He'd wait for the very last clutch on the day of his Nameday if he had to! Although waiting was hard and boring, having a dragon all his own was more than worth it. Then he and his mother could fight Thread together and save Pern side by side and he could tell his foster family back home all about it because he'd definitely take trips there to say hi. And to show his awesome dragon to all the Hold folks who always told him his head was in the clouds. But moreso for the first reason.
"Oh, huge surprise," he said with a grin. "I mean, I'd always hoped someone would Search me since my mom was Searched but just because she was doesn't mean I'd get the honor, too." At least, that was what everyone had said back home. Dragonriding had nothing to do with blood. The best dragonriders could have children that were never picked no matter how long they stood. But Sioryl had been confident one day he'd be able to join his mother and it had worked out perfectly, nary a smudge on his rose tinted glasses.
As Valendyr spoke of his own history Sioryl leaned forward in his seat a bit, eyes wide with wonder. He'd grown up in a caravan? And had thrown knives?! What an exciting start to life!
"That is amazing! I wish I knew how to do blade tricks!" He was pretty confident he could thrown a knife, though he didn't bother to think that throwing it well was what Valendyr had meant. "Can you show me some time?" Maybe not right now and maybe not until after the Hatching (and if Valendyr Impressed, maybe not until the dragon wasn't a baby anymore), but Sioryl's hopeful expression wasn't diminished by the thought of waiting. As long as he had something to look forward it it wasn't the worst thing in the world, even if he acted like it was.
The question about his own craft made him sit back in his seat, pushing his homework a bit closer to Switchblade in the process. If it was done on purpose or not wasn't clear.
"Yeah, I'd started studying under a cobbler. Everyone always needs new boots, right?" he said with a little laugh. It hadn't been the most interesting work but it would pay well and be a job that was always needed. Before he'd been Searched his plan was to specifically make boots for riders so he could live in a Weyr rather than his tiny Hold, but things had taken a turn for the better in that case. "Don't know if I'll go back to it if I never Impress but at least it's something." Surely now that he was here at Western he could find a reason to stay if he was unlucky. Not that that was a thought that crossed through his mind, of course.
"Your flits are so well behaved, Timor is always popping off to somewhere," he said with a little sigh before perking up once more. "Do you think you could show me how you train them? I'd love to keep Timor around longer, he only stays for an hour or so before leaving. I hardly see him during the day." The little blue did always come home at night, snuggling up to sleep with Sioryl.
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