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Post by starshine on Oct 16, 2009 23:42:51 GMT -5
A'rik sat at the desk in the front of the room. He ran his fingers over its surface. What was he doing here? A Candidate Master, at 22 turns? His heart was going fast, his mind was in the clouds. You'll do fine... Pans voice in his head was calming. Oh you think that... but I think these kids have it out for me! His thought went out with a tinge of panic in it. The room was empty for the moment but that wouldn't last, morning chores would be finished soon, they would be coming for him.
I don't think so. Its kind of their job to make life difficult for you. The dragon did have a point. It wasn't like they had tried to kill him, just make lessons difficult. Maybe he was too harsh on them. Maybe he expected too much. A'rik ran a hand through his short blond hair, and let out a slow breath.
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Post by hrsegrl on Oct 17, 2009 6:26:16 GMT -5
As usual Evalos was up early to get most of his morning chores completed before lessons. He was not somone who liked being late, much preferring to show he wanted to be there by coming to lessons early. Dragons were the life he wanted and unfortunately at twenty his options were dwindling fast. The young man ran his hand through the curling dark brown hair before entering the Candidate Barracks.
With a few long strides he enetered the classroom and looked around. He must be earlier than he thought. The new Candidate Master seemed to be a bit nervous too. Setting a charming almost arrogant smile to his lips he approached the brown rider. "Good day Candidate Master A'rik." He said casually.
He did not expect that the man would know him by name as there were many many lower caverns brats who became Candidates and then went on to be riders. It was the way of things he supposed though most of them were not worthy of a dragon. Unlike himself. " I am Evalos." The emphasis he placed on the I was something he did without thought. He was a spoiled young man and as such the world revolved around him.
~~~~~~
What a day! The young blonde was already dirty from helping in the stables. The runners were in a frenzy this morning and one had run loose. While she was not about to run after it, that meant more work for her while someone else did. Her arms ached a little already. Cleaning stalls was not as easy as it looked.
Today she was wearing one of her coarse drudge dresses in a tan color. Her hair was up in a pony tail so as not to get in her way. As ususal the coarse, dry tresses looked a mess. Her dress itself was no picnic either. There were two patches sewn onto the bottom where there had been tearing and her shoes were now covered with hay and dirt so that the real color was not seen.
Havalie would have preferred to work in the laundry this morning but seeing as the Headwoman was not someone to change her mind she went to the stables without complaint. Lessons were a great respite from the usual day to day life of a drudge. Her graceful strides toward the Candidate Barracks were long so she made good time. Now that she was entering the classroom she briefly wondered if she should have chanced being late by changing into something clean. No doubt she smelled of hay, maure and sweat.
Tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear, she smiled briefly at A'rik. So this was the new Candidate Master, she thought. He was very handsome. Havalie, embarrased by that thought turned her eyes to the floor immediately. It was better not to think about him that way. He was her teacher and she did want to be a rider more than a drudge. Learning needed to be the number one priority here.
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Post by LyricalBlue on Oct 17, 2009 21:55:17 GMT -5
With a confident stride that was more akin to a feline prowling it's territory, Iaslia marched into the School Room. Green eyes surveyed the room with a similar attitude and her gaze settled on her uncle, posturing once again. Really, when would he learn that the world did not center around him. With an inward giggle, she decided that would likely be never.
Her gaze went from Evalos to the Candidate Master and she nearly cackled with glee. He already looked as nervous as wherry in the middle of several dragons. Oh yes, this was going to be entertaining. Iaslia's hands fell to her hips as she surveyed the room. As usual, the feisty red head was dressed in long pants and a blouse that would look more at home on one of the male Candidates rather than her rapidly maturing form.
Slick as a tunnel snake, she slid into one of the seats along the front row of desks and draped long legs over the top. An eyebrow raised as she watched what appeared to be a drudge smile quickly at the Candidate Master. Really now, what was that all about? A smirk spread across lips that were far more often pinched in a frown. Oh this was going to be good.
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Post by starshine on Oct 18, 2009 14:57:43 GMT -5
Kesstriel had been assigned to kitchen duty for the morning shift. Her hands were tired from a morning of cutting sugar beats, and she smelled like stew. Her hair, which had been pulled back neatly, was now falling in loose tendrils around her face. Her cheeks were slightly pink from being in the hot kitchen air.
She made her way up the hall to the Candidate barracks. Not taking the time to stop in and change clothes, so she remained in her kitchen tunic. She breezed past the dorm weyrs and into the school room. A'rik was already set up at the front of the room. He was looking nervous.
She quietly made her way through the class and took a seat next to her cousin. She tucked her legs beneath her and gave A'rik a pleasant smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~
A'rik was deep into his own head. He wasn't paying attention to the world around him. So much so that he didn't notice the young man when he entered the room, not until he introduced himself.
"Good day Candidate Master A'rik." He paused then added "I am Evalos." His tone was arrogant with a hint of a large ego behind it. A'rik's eyes rose to meet those of the boy. As if A'rik could refer to him as a boy. The youth couldn't be much younger then himself.
His lips curled at the corners to a smile. "Yes, Evalos, welcome." His voice was light though he still looked a little nervous. Following the boy traipsed in a youthful looking blonde. She glided through the room until she found a seat. He struggled for a moment, attempting to remember her name. Haliee, Hailee, Havvii, Havi... Hava... Havalie. That was it. "And we have Havalie?" He shot her a smile. The young woman was covered in... who knows. From the scent, he didn't dare guess. Perhaps she should have taken a moment to stop and change her clothing, though he did give her credit for arriving on time.
Two more young ladies followed. First a firey redhead. Iaslia, A'rik knew, was nothing but trouble. He gave her a nervous smile. She was followed by a small impish looking girl. Kesstriel. Now that he had a good amount of them there A'rik stood before the small class. "Good morning." He gave them a grin. "Today I thought we would take some time to talk Thread." He paused and looked around the room. "Who can tell me what the best course of action is if you have been hit by thread?"
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Post by hrsegrl on Oct 18, 2009 17:00:27 GMT -5
The ever confident Evalos looked over the blonde momentarily and decided, based on smell, to sit as far away from her as he could without looking like he was avoiding his niece. HEH! Niece! She was only four turns younger than himself which only proved his brother had been sleeping around at a young age. Evalos genuinely liked Iaslia, who he had been becoming friends with. At least she understood that their family deserved to be the best. Her cousin, Kesstriel was a little less prideful and she seemed to hang around Iaslia like a lost pup sometimes but he had no problem with it if she did not.
Noting that the Candidate Master was being kind to everyone, he wanted to snicker. Of course they were going to try to wear him down just a little. He seemed young to be teaching them but he had impressed a dragon so he had something over them no matter what. Evalos would rather die than not impress which may in fact be due to his father and brother being riders. Especially his father.
He sat down a couple seats away from Iaslia on the opposit side that Kess had sat on. Again running a hand through his hair he listened to the Candidate Master's question. Should he answer or leave it to one of the ladies? Maybe he should wait to see who was the dimglow of the class or perhaps the overachiever. They were the worst. The ones who had an answer for everything.
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Havalie's mouth opened to answer as she felt both sets of eyes on her. Now she really wished she had been late rather than be this dirty. There never seemed to be enough time in the day. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and her eyes held the emotional shock at the Candidate Master knowing her name. "Yes." She said in a quiet voice that was barely audible.
Oh she wished he had not smiled at her. Shaking her head slightly while Kesstriel entered the classroom she got her wits back. The other girls seemed nice enough but the boy in the front made her nervous. He seemed to judge each person as they walked into the room. She did not like that.
Thankfully he sat far enough away from her not to be a nuisance. It was not long before her sister and foster siblings were sitting beside her and making her feel more comfortable in a classroom full of Weyrbrats turned Candidates. Hopefully Aliath would clutch soon. Then she would have a lot less to stress over.
Havalie heard the question and raised her hand tentatively. "I believe you should go Between momentarily. That is if you are riding a dragon..."
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Post by LyricalBlue on Oct 18, 2009 22:36:29 GMT -5
The boots were tight, she'd worn them for a few days but the leather was still stiff. Iaslia wiggled her toes, already bored to distraction with the whole affair. Her concentration on her feet shifted as the Candidate Master began to interact with the rest of the class. Now what was he doing, if he didn't call on her, how was she supposed to make all the scathing remarks she had been planning.
Her lips pursed together in her typical pout and she swung her head around as the one of the girl's behind her answered the question. Hmpf, the nerve; answering the question before Ias could get around to it. Well, she would just have to be faster. Competitive streak in full bloom, the lanky girl crossed her arms across her chest and looked back to the Candidate Master with arched eyebrows to await his response.
Better one actually avoided thread in the first place. Not that it had fallen for long and not that anyone had any idea really in how to fight it. Thats how Arizith died, her silly old fool of a Weyrwoman decided to fight thread. And a score of dragons fell, trying to protect her. What a waste that had been. Iaslia tilted her head and smirked, deciding this was rather the right time to join the conversation. "Shouldn't one flame thread, not get hit by it?"
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Post by starshine on Oct 21, 2009 0:20:45 GMT -5
Kesstriel was paying more attention to her nails then to the Candidate Master. He was prattling on about Thread, she was more interested in digging the remaining beets out from under her thumbnail. She looked up when the girl behind her had answered. ""I believe you should go Between momentarily. That is if you are riding a dragon..." She gave the girl a small smile. That would be the correct thing to do, that is if you are riding a dragon.
She went back to digging. Not paying mind to the Candidate Master. "Shouldn't one flame thread, not get hit by it?" She let out a small scoff. It was just like her cousin to give the most obvious yet so sarcastic answer. It was then that she glanced up at A'rik. Expecting him to scold the girl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A'rik stood from behind the desk and moved to the front. He leaned against it and crossed his arms. He watched the faces of the young candidates carefully. When the blonde in the back finally spoke he let out a sigh of relief in his mind. His face remained light, with a slight smile.
"I believe you should go Between momentarily. That is if you are riding a dragon..." Havalie's answer was correct for a dragonrider. He noted that for future use. She had the mind of a rider. That was a good advantage. As the girls words hit the air his eyes fell upon the redhead in front. Her face gave her away. She must be one to like the center of attention. He was about to mention that when the girl in the front spoke up. "Well, that is...
"Shouldn't one flame thread, not get hit by it?" He held his words, as his lips curled to a grin. And she has a fire about her.
"Well yes, those are both correct answers. If you're on a dragon, which I hope someday you all are, the best way to stop threadburn is to go between." He scanned the room while he paused. "And yes, flaming thread is more desirable then getting hit by it." He gave the girl a stern look, one of understanding. These kids have probably sat through the same lessons over and over again.
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Post by ayla on Oct 22, 2009 15:52:52 GMT -5
Acele swore silently. Of course her mother had insisted on her attending the Candidate lesson, even though she had gone through it too many times before. Of course Shirne had backed her up, and then gone to the trouble of escorting the brunette down to the Barracks to make sure she actually attended.
After shooing Shirne away, Acele entered the classroom. She gathered that she was a little late, but it wasn't too bad. She gave a quick bow and a look of apology to A'rik, then seated herself near the front. She could have sworn that Ponaa had more Candidates than this, but they probably didn't have obsessive mothers escorting them to lessons. In any case, Acele gathered that the question asked before she entered had been related to Thread, and what to do in the case of contact.
"Water drowns it, if you're unlucky enough to be on the ground," Acele added to the discussion. Between had clearly already been mentioned; it was the obvious first answer. Water was often forgotten in lessons, but was incredibly useful when Thread managed to make it to the ground. It was what Acissa had told her to say that first lesson, back when she was twelve, and it still went unmentioned when Acele wasn't there. Or at least she liked to think so; in reality, she probably wasn't the only one who had ever reminded a class of water.
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Post by hrsegrl on Oct 24, 2009 10:41:23 GMT -5
The dark eyed boy held back a snicker as the dirty girl answered the question first. Perhaps she was not a know it all but she seemed a little to eager to please authority. With a quick scan of the room he noted that the boys were deciding to keep quiet. Wise of them, given the situation. His neice did not much like the competition of others. That would explain why she was the next to speak, remarking more on the question than actually giving an answer.
Evalos smiled darkly. This could be fun to watch unfold. All these young ladies vying for the attention of the Candidate Master. If the attention was on them then it wasn't on him and he would not be getting into trouble. This was a good opportunity to sit back and relax. The women seemed to be quite able to keep the discussion going. Even the newest arrival to class had something to say.
He was glad that he did not need to participate. Evalos had been in Candidate Lessons for six turns. He knew all the answers, even if he did not voice them. Sadly he knew them before he started lessons so it was really a waste of time for him. Except that he could use this as an opportunity to figure out the other Candidates and use his knowledge to his own advantage. Leaning back in his chair he folded his arms and waited.
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The Candidate Master was going to say something about her answer before he was rudely interrupted by the red headed girl in the front. She seemed intent on making him look bad. Unfortunately most people could see that what she was doing was immature and unecessary. A'rik was starting off well, not giving into the girl's obvious lack of respect.
At the sound of another girl's voice Havalie turned her head slightly. The girl was sitting in front and while she had probably seen her before, she was sure she did not know her by name. Water was a good answer but most riders were no where near water when they were thread scored. For a regular person on Pern that was a good idea though.
Havalie saw her sister looking quite bored next to her. They had heard this before, all of it. She raised her hand again, "Candidate Master, if a dragon gets threadscored do they automatically go Between or do we train them to do so?" She did not remember but she often wondered how dragon's themselves reacted to things.
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Post by LyricalBlue on Oct 24, 2009 23:08:12 GMT -5
Crossing her arms, Iaslia resisted the distinct urge to tap her foot. Sharding man hadn't risen to her bait. He must have the patience of a creche mother, then again, as Candidate Master that was more or less what he was. She resisted an outward giggle that would have to be explained and no doubt, A'rik would not take to kindly to being called a creche mother. Browns did have a tendency to be stuffy about rank and place.
Instigator that she was, Ias was momentarily distracted by the entrance of a late arrival. Didn't children in this Weyr have a sense of time? She then glared pointedly at Evalos before looking back to the Candidate Master. He was just sitting there, the deadglow. Iaslia chewed on her lower lip, out of everyone he was normally good for some trouble making. It seemed today that he was more than happy to let her do the work. Figured, lazy bones.
Then the new girl answered with another solution, but then they'd all heard these a hundred times before. Even if thread had only just begun to fall in anyone living's memory. Ducking under a big rock was also just as.... original as an idea. Shards and shells, was she the only one bent on making this lecture more interesting? It seemed rather unfair that she had to do all the work for the group, Ias might just have to resort to drastic measures.
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Post by starshine on Oct 27, 2009 11:11:51 GMT -5
Kesstriel was never one to speak much in class. Not that she didn't know the answer but because she didn't see the point in it anymore. Herself, along with many of the others had been in these same lessons for a while. Her silver eyes wandered the room, from face to face. They had been here as long if not longer then she had.
The late arrival Acele made a good point, water was affective though less affective then fire, and going between. The best thing to do would be not get hit at all. She smiled at the slight sarcasm of her thoughts. Her eyes left the girl and moved to A'rik. The man was patient, and impressively so. He hadn't risen to Ias' challenge. She wasn't going to give up on the man, and all Kess would do is watch. She wasn't not going to get in her cousins way.
~~~~~~~~~
A'rik's eyes narrowed on the new arrival. After the lesson he made a point to speak with her about the importance of promptness. He smirked. He didn't like having to have serious chats with candidate, but it came with the job. In a perfect Pern he would be about to just hang out with them, shoot the breeze. Shards and shells, these kids would know everything he threw at them, they would be bored with his lessons. He would need to come up with more creative lesson plans.
"Water drowns it..." Acele had made a good point though not entirely correct. "You make a good point however, fish are more apt to eat it before water will drown it, but an excellent answer none the less." He gave the girl a grin before moving on to Hava's question. Which was equally challenging.
"Candidate Master, if a dragon gets threadscored do they automatically go Between or do we train them to do so?" He smiled, a good healthy curiosity for a dragons mind, she had quite the potential to impress. "Well Havalie, that's a very good question." He paused to think for a moment. "A dragon does have instincts, and yes will go between automatically when struck by thread." His mind smiled at Pan. "However it is a riders responsibility to provide the dragon with a picture in which to jump to. Without that, a dragon would go between forever." His voice was serious and heavy, not his usual upbeat tone.
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Post by hrsegrl on Oct 28, 2009 15:21:48 GMT -5
Evalos rolled his eyes. Very good question, was he serious? That girl was never going to impress. Why was she so concerned with the mind of dragons. Lightly he reached over and tapped Iaslia's shoulder. He waited a moment then whispered, "As if she will ever ride a dragon. She can't even keep herself clean."
There was no doubt in his mind his neice would agree with him. That Havalie girl was no where near the caliber of Iaslia or himself. He even doubted Kesstriel would impress with her seemingly docile attitude. The only ones worth a dragon in this room were Iaslia and himself. How A'rik managed to impress a brown was beyond him.
He could make one remark without getting into trouble. At least he could in the past. "Why talk about it when most of the people in this room will remain dragonless. The odds are that the dragons will look past a lot of them." He knew himself to be better and therefore more worthy of a dragon.
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The blonde listened to the answer and immediately began to think of all the things that could go wrong in Weyrling Training. That was why so many could die. Dragons were not the ones who made errors it was the riders. That was a scary prospect really. Shaking her head she was reminded that they were in the here and now and she had no dragon to be concerned about.
Instead she was concerned about the boy in the front row. She had never taken a dislike to someone so quickly before. The red haired girl in the front also made her uneasy. Now they were whispering. On top of being arrogant they were also very rude.
Her mouth hung open after hearing what Evalos said. The words that were on the tip of her tongue seemed to want to stay there. How dare he? What did he know about her or her family? Nothing. After closing her mouth, she looked beside her to see water coming to her sister's eyes and became much angrier. Her face flushed red as she looked to the Candidate Master to hear his response. One day Evalos was going to be knocked off of that high horse of his and rue the day he insulted her family. GRRRR!
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Post by ayla on Oct 28, 2009 16:30:31 GMT -5
Acele was pleased with herself, although she tried to convey an attitude of uncaring. She'd gone through this plenty of times before, so why should a little compliment on a textbook answer make her happy? The Candidatemaster was new, or at least Acele hadn't attended his lessons if he was older. Maybe it was the advent of having someone who didn't know her compliment her intellect.
"Candidate Master, if a dragon gets threadscored do they automatically go Between or do we train them to do so?" asked a girl who Acele couldn't see clearly. The back of her head was visible, though, and it appeared that she had either been sleeping on the ground or in the stables. Acele's opinion of her was immediately lowered. Havalie's question did not redeem her, either; a run of the mill question from a quite ordinary drudge. Acele didn't quite understand why this girl couldn't even be bothered to pick the hay out of her hair before coming to a lesson.
"Why talk about it when most of the people in this room will remain dragonless. The odds are that the dragons will look past a lot of them," said Evalos. Acele knew him; who didn't? The brother of the Weyrsecond was hard not to know. While she admired his status, Acele didn't much like his attitude. It was too much like her own.
Acele let his insulting comment hang in the air a moment, giving herself time to formulate a good response. "I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public. But that's okay; you probably said it without thinking, the way you do most things," she said, loudly enough to be heard, but not quite loud enough to be entirely obnoxious.
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Post by LyricalBlue on Oct 28, 2009 21:26:54 GMT -5
The Candidate Master had already been tuned out for several minutes by the time Evalos leaned forward to whisper to his like minded cousin. A grin which could only be described as purely devilish crept its way across Iaslia's face. He was right, she doubted Aliath would lay more than twenty eggs; even at Arizith's prime the gold hadn't laid more. This time though, her father's dragon was involved and she rather had a stake in the matter, even if she hardly knew the man.
Then the girl behind piped up and interfered. Iaslia turned flashing eyes on the wisp of a Candidate behind her. How dare she! Didn't she know who they were? They had a long family line of dragonriding. The nerve! Gray eyes glared at the turn older girl. Humiliate indeed. Iaslia's response was a hiss of a whisper, as venomous as a human could ever sound.
"Better pay attention to the lecture. -You- will need all the help you can get." With that, the red head swung back around to face the Candidate Master. She crossed her arms, gray eyes hard in the only way she really resembled her father. That girl would at best Impress green, if she managed to live through a Hatching.
The same rather wicked smile arched across her lips once more. That would be all the answer such attitudes needed. Insult her uncle indeed! Few dared that, not when they had both Iaslia and Evalos to contend with. Between the two of them they ruled the lower caverns kids, and that was not about to change.
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Post by starshine on Oct 31, 2009 14:48:30 GMT -5
To Kess the whole class was a bit of a joke. Really she'd been through these rounds at least 6 times. It wasn't A'rik's fault that the Candidates were bored. They weren't being challenged anymore. This pending hatching couldn't come fast enough. She herself could hardly wait to see if this time around a dragon would be for her. Or would she be for it? Either way, she was at her wits end waiting.
Her silver eyes watched as the other kids flung petty insults at each other. Evalos with his ego larger then the weyr itself, and her dear cousin with a tongue sharper then a blade. In her mind, Evalos didn't have a point. It wasn't up to him who impressed a dragon and who didn't. To her, those incredible creatures selected their riders for unique traits that might not be apparent. Her eyes, molten in apparance, narrowed on him. At 20 he was old for a candidate, he would need to impress this time around. It might be his last shot at becoming a dragonrider. Maybe it would teach him a valuable lesson. That reguardless of a persons lineage, it is still fair game. Her own parents hadn't been riders, though her grandparents had. If it did give her an edge, the advantage hadn't shown itself as of yet.
Her cousin hissed a response to Acele's comment. She glanced as Ias, a glance that could only mean Don't stoop to their level.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A'rik was beside himself. On one hand he had a prominent student questioning the possibility for others to impression, and on the other he had a few students who were willing to make these lessons (which were required) bearable. He looked around the room. After the last hissed remark from Iaslia he had had enough.
"Enough of this!" His voice though calm was serious. It was dark and heavy. His eyes crossed over every face before him, arms crossed over his barrel like chest. His eyes darkened as he peered across the room at the young faces before him. "Manners are to be minded in this weyr, somethings are better left unsaid." His gaze was directed at Evalos, though he was not the only one at fault.
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