Meet and Greet (LESSON)

[Lark]

Zalanth dipped his wings in as he made his landing. Tossing his head back, the blue pranced a few steps. Oh, oh, oh! K'torLoveMine, can you believe it?!? The blue rider hissed for his dragon to behave in response. "Come on now you overgrown wher! We're supposed to be teaching...and the candidates aren't here. Zalanth, why are they not here?"

Fluttering his wings, the blue shuffled his feet embaressed. I have not called them yet...but I will. Yes, LoveMine, I will right now I tell you! Oh Little Ones! You're needed for your first lesson. Turning his head to K'tor, Zalanth crooned. "Yeah, yeah you're doing well you big blue lump." As soon as the candidates started arriving, the blue rider picked himself up off the dragon's neck and slid down.

"Alright, so a few of you know me already." K'tor paised and smiled at Akira the girl he and Zalanth had searched. "I am K'tor of blue Zalanth. That's this big guy behind me." Zalanth pranced forward and struck, what he felt was, a nice and proud pose. Rolling his eyes, K'tor continued. "I want you to start by saying your name, age and a bit about yourself. For instance, I'm K'tor as I said, I'm 23 turns old. I was originally trained as a healer and was at a hatching helping some injured candidates when this guy showed up. I still am a healer when they need me by the way."

Casting his eyes around the group, K'tor picked out his first victim. "You're up kid." As the candidate started talking, Zalanth sidled up next to them and nudged their side. Snorting, the blue stared down at the first to speak while wagging his long tail back and forth like an excited canine.

[Zero]

An odd sensation seemed to wash over the lad as Zalanths voice seemed to fill his skull. It was a little startling at first but the large dragons voice seemed to portray one of excitement and eagerness and soon enough Ryaxth found himself giving into the command to gather. Pushing himself away from the table he was seated at, Ry stretched his back and shoulders and rubbed at the back of his neck with a small yawn. Looking around at the other empty tables, Ry sighed softly to himself before taking the first steps down the hall towards the candidate barracks.

Along the way he took note of the other candidates all moving in the same direction he was going. Were they nervous, excited, eager? Should he have been feeling the same? Shuffling along the corridor, Ryaxth folded his arms across his chest as he entered the barracks, feeling indifferent about the whole situation at the moment. That was until he saw the large blue posing somewhat stoically beside his Rider. Instantly his stomach twisted into a semi nervous knot as he stopped in the doorway but still allowing enough space for others to get through.

He remained silent as the others took their turns speaking and introducing themselves. Some seemed to have pretty good lives, either their parents were Riders or excelled at their Craft. What was he supposed to say? He never even knew his father, he watched his brother die, and as for his mother, well…she was more of a figure head really. Introducing himself was like opening a can of worms, it was an ugly affair. Maybe he could get by without revealing too much about himself in the process. He didn’t fair well when it came to receiving sympathy or pity from others, it was unnecessary and unwanted. So Ryaxth remained quiet as he looked over the other individuals, listening as each introduced themselves as he took a moment to piece together what he would say when it came to be his turn.

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[Akira]

Akira relaxed a little when she finally put away the last of her few belongings. There Blue, all of our things are put finally put away. The little blue flit in question chirped happily at His' voice, they had been trying too get everything put away for almost two hours now, and the flit was starting to get bored. Akira closed her eyes and tensed as soon as she heard the dragon's voice in her mind. I guess that means we won't have a chance to relax yet Blue. Akira nodded her head when Blue jumped from his perch on top of a small dresser that was in her room, onto her shoulder, and started nodding his head towards the door. He didn't really want to relax, he wanted to do something.

She calmly strode from her room, and headed outside where she found a group of waiting candidates, and the blue rider and his dragon that had brought her to Trelis. Her demeanor was calm, collected, and just as tense as it always was when she had to be around a big group of people. She moved away from the other candidates a little and, kinda hid herself away from their view. She was behind the others, and to the side of them, her head staring at her feet as she waited for the lesson to begin.

Akira lifted her head, and looked at K'tor when he started to speak. She averted her eyes when he paused and smiled at her. She wasn't one for public affection, not even a friendly smile. Blue on the other hand started fluttering his wings and chirping happily when he noticed the man smiling at His. Blue stop it! Akira's words were a hushed whisper as she glared at the little blue flit. He quieted, but kept his head held high as he watched the larger blue dragon carefully. He turned his head to look at Akira, and chirped in her face before laying down on her shoulder.

Akira rolled her eyes at the little blue flit and turned her attention back to K'tor's words, after all, this was her first candidate lesson. Akira stared at the blue rider with wide eyes when she heard what he wanted them all to do. If there was one thing that she didn't want any part of, it was this lesson. She didn't want to have to speak about herself in front of all of these strange people. It was one thing to share some personal information with one person, but a completely different thing to share it in front of big crowd of people.

[kitsuneko]

Rihard strolled into the room at the tail end of the group of candidates. He didn't particularly want to attend lessons, as they seemed dreadfully dull to him, but at the same time, he wanted to make a good impression on those who, with luck, would someday be his wingmates. So eventually he decided to just deal with it and at least try to pay attention. He grinned when he heard K'tor tell them what they were supposed to be doing. At least this would be an easy lesson; Rihard had never been afraid of speaking his mind.

He did stare a bit as the candidate master's dragon casually sidled up to one of the other candidates and nudged them with a snort, looking rather a lot like a very large, blue canine. Well, he certainly seemed friendly. Rihard wondered if that was typical for blue dragons and not just a quirk of Zalanth's. If so, he didn't think he'd mind a blue of his own, come hatching day.

He let a few other people go first before he spoke up. "Hey there, my name's Rihard, and I'm sixteen turns old. There's not much to tell about me other than my parents are traders and I've done a lot of traveling in my life. Before I was searched, anyway." He gave a jaunty wave to the other candidates, particularly one or two he'd met already, before slumping back down in his seat.

[derek]

Oh Little Ones! You're needed for your first lesson!

The blue dragon's projection into his head was not the first time a dragon had touched his mind, but Derek was still startled. He had just been relaxing in the Dining Hall, sipping a cup of klah while making sure Pounce got something to eat, so having Zalanth barge in on him wasn't exactly something he was expecting.

Jumping slightly, he looked around to see if anyone had noticed. As far as he could tell, no one had. Gulping down the rest of his klah, the Candidate scooped up Pounce in his arms and strolled casually toward the Candidate Barracks, where he supposed they would be meeting. After all, where else would they have their first lesson? They were Candidates, so they belonged at the barracks.

Derek was not the first to appear, nor was he the last. As K'tor started to speak, the young man gently petted his feline, who was still cradled in his arms, purring contently, and listened patiently. Apparently K'tor had once been a healer. That was interesting. His Impression seemed like it had been interesting, too. He hadn't even been Standing and Zalanth had picked him!

I'm sure to get a dragon, the Candidate thought to himself. If dragons could pick people who weren't even on the stands, surely he'd Impress. Maybe a Blue, like Zalanth? Color didn't really matter, though. He just wanted a dragon! Any color was fine with him!

Finally, it was his turn to speak. Still petting Pounce (a nervous habit), he looked around, glaring at the other Candidates. "I'm Derek, and I'm twenty turns old. My past isn't important." He looked to the person next to him and nodded. He wasn't really in the mood to share his life story.

As if Pounce agreed, the feline meowed loudly.

[Lark]

So, a few had spoken? K'tor nodded his head at the appropriate times. However, a few candidates were running late. Sighing, the blue rider mentally called for his huntyre. The Lunar came to him through between with a cry and landed on the man's shoulder. "Hello there Snow. Everyone, this is Snow. He's going to go find your late friends, aren't you boy?" Cawing again, the white and silver bird flapped his wings, the blue crest on his head raising then lieing flat again. Of course he would get them for His. He would do anything for His.

Looking back at the candidates, K'tor cleared his throat. Well, there was no reason they couldn't start the lesson now. He didn't mind re-stating things anyway. Looking at Zalanth, the blue rider urged his blue to sit still. Plopping his hind quarters on the grass, the lightly colored dragon crooned. "Alright, while we're waiting for the others to arrive, go ahead and move around Zalanth. Get an idea for what he looks like, I'm not sure how many of you have seen an actual dragon up close before."

Zalanth opened up his wings so that the candidates could inspect them as well. This was no different than what they did at times in their wing! This was an easy task for such a wonderful blue to do. Crooning as he basked his hide in the warm Spring sun, Zalanth half-closed his spinning eyes. "I want you to come back over here when you are done and say one thing that you know about dragons. However, it has to be something you think no one else knows." Well, this ought to be interesting.

[derek]

Humming to herself, Tahoi carefully arranged a pile of sticks in a square. "Hmm..." It didn't look right. Something was missing. Squatting by the Weyr Lake, the young Candidate completely missed the call of the Candidate Master's dragon, she was so engrossed in her play.

Grabbing another handful of gritty sand and dirt, she slapped it on to the side of her "sand castle." Flattening the turret of her castle, to make all of the sides even, she rearranged the sticks around it as a sort of protective barrier. Smiling, still humming aimlessly, she jumped as a Lunar Huntyre landed in front of her. "Oh, shards!"

She knew what that meant! The Candidate Master was waiting for her! Cursing, the girl hurriedly wiped her hands on her shorts, leaving muddy streaks down them. Her bare feet and hands were still muddy, but it was good enough for her. "Thanks!" She yelled back to the Huntyre as she took off running, her blond hair flying behind her.

She ran full out until she skidded to a stop where the Candidates were gathered. "I'm... sorry...!" She gasped, hands on her knees. "I didn't... ignore... you... didn't... hear...!" Taking in a deep breath, she was aware that everyone was watching her. Straightening, she put her hands on her hips and stared around as if daring them to say something. "What're you looking at!?" She asked angrily. "Get back to whatever you were doing!"

Moving slowly towards K'tor, she hung her head. "I really didn't mean to be late," she told him softly.

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Derek watched as the Huntyre appeared. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder around this place. Weren't firelizards enough? Pounce meowed imperiously from the Candidate's arms as if he agreed. Derek patted the feline on the head to calm him, and listened to K'tor.

Examine the dragon, huh? Get an idea for what he looks like? Okay, he guessed that as a valid idea. He had seen dragons before, but had never had the time to really study one. This would be a good opportunity. As many of the candidates moved forward, he stayed where he was. He didn't want to seem too eager, and he could look at Zalanth from right where he was.

The dragon spread his wings, and Derek watched carefully, studying how the muscles and tendons stretched and popped. That was interesting. The young man wondered briefly how the light covering between the bones could hold a whole dragon aloft. Somehow, it did.

The next part wasn't so easy. Something he thought nobody else knew? Something he knew about dragons... "Well, this isn't directly related," he started, voice full of scorn. "But some people can hear all the dragons of a Weyr without even trying."

[kitsuneko]

Rihard welcomed the chance to get a closer look at the blue dragon, and wasn't intimidated in the slightest. He walked in a circle around Zalanth, staring at the blue's pale hide and wondering if a dragon like this was in his future. He was only distracted when K'tor suggested they all tell something they knew about dragons, something that nobody else in the class would know.

Rihard bit his lip. That would be difficult. He'd never even seen a dragon up close before the day he had been searched, and the past few days he'd been at the Weyr had kept him busy with chores and exploring. He'd barely had time to get to know any of his fellow candidates, much less fully fledged riders. Surely the bluerider would know more than anyone else in the room...but he supposed that wasn't really the point, was it?

He listened as a couple of the other candidates spoke up. One mentioned the ability of hearing all the dragons. Rihard had heard about that particular talent in some of the older ballads, but he'd never known anyone to possess it in living memory. Was there anyone like that at the Weyr now? When it came to his turn, he shrugged and spoke up. "I know the only color that doesn't chew firestone is gold. My uncle told me it was because they were allergic to it, or something like that."

[Akira]

Akira turned her head, and listened quietly as K'tor gave them their next orders. She walked up to Zalanth, and gave him another look over, just as she had the day she had met the blue dragon. She then walked over to K'tor and stared at him with a blank look on her face. If a dragon's head knobs are damaged in any way, they may loose their psychic abilities. She spoke quietly, and when she finished she moved back to the back of the gathering of candidates, hoping that she didn't draw any attention to herself.

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Nick walked up to the blue dragon, and looked him over from head to tip of tail. He wasn't exactly sure what he knew about dragons that the others didn't already know. After he finished looking the blue dragon over he moved back to the croud of candidates, and began thinking hard about what he knew. He didn't really know much about the large creatures. He stood where he was, head down, thinking hard about what he should say. He couldn't really think of anything to say, and was starting to wonder if he would get in trouble for not saying anything.