Numbers (Star, Open)

[E]

Somadin was practicing his numbers again, a habit he had fallen into since the hatching. It had become almost a prayer to him as he worked on the candidate chores throughout each morning. At times he would simply repeat them in his head while other times he would mutter them under his breath. This morning there was a chill to the air and his breath fogged and frosted in front of him as he hauled the cut wood to the pile by the Lower Caverns for the drudge to move inside when it was needed.

”Three and Sixty completes the Weyr, but not all fighting dragons. Two are Queens; Golden Aliath and Young Nisurath who are too valuable to be risked in threadfall. Eight and Ten make up the Weyrling Wing of Auspice, with Bronze Ravonoth and the Two Browns Niddalath and Hirith. All too young for threadfall.

What is left? Eight and Ten and Two is Twenty. Three and Sixty take away the Twenty, what is left? Three and Forty. Three and Forty. Take away from that those who are too old to fly threadfall… I do not know that number. It is an X, and unknown. What is Three and Forty minus the unknown? Too few… Too Few…”

Muttering under his breath, Somadin did not notice the familiar face walk up beside him. Foot held out, Somadin did not fail to trip over it, stumbling face first into the armful of wood he had been carrying. A yell escaped him followed shortly after by a sob. By the time had untangled himself, the laughter had vanished and no one was around once again.

Rolling over, Somadin looked down at his hands, one hurt severly as he attempted to flex it, but it seemed to move alright. It had been caught under the wood. If he was lucky it would only bruise. Staring at it, he watched a drop of blood fall onto it and a sob tore from his throat again as the feeling suddenly returned to his face. Reaching his hand up to it gingerly, he felt the stickyness of blood everywhere but he could find no deep cuts. His face, however, already felt like one giant bruise.

[starshine]

Kess had spent a good portion of the morning in the kitchens with her mother. She didn't have much time to spend with Miri these days, least not since the arrival of Claralth, who was presently sleeping in the small weyr they shared. Her mother had been glad for the company and had set Kess to work cutting root vegetables for the days stews. After making her way through quite the large pile she was relived from her chore to return to her sleeping weyrling.

The lower cavern wasn't at its busiest time of day, but there were still several drudges making their way to and from different parts of the Weyr. Her silver eyes weren't exactly paying attention to those around her as she hummed to herself softly. She did however look up in time to see a rather nasty looking glance pass from a young weyrbrat and the small candidate before he hit the floor. Kess stopped in her tracks unsure as to help Somadin up or to go after the weyrbrat responsible. She chose the closer of the two.

"Soma are you alright?" She took a few fast steps forward and took a knee beside him. She offered her hand to help him up. His face would get a good shiner on it but it didn't look serious.

[E]

Somadin did not see Kess approaching until she asked how he was doing, kneeling beside him as she did so. Looking up at her, he realized he had not talked to Kess – or any of the new weyrlings for that matter – since the impression. She had been one of two females to impress male dragons, a feat unheard of. Blue if the small boy remembered correctly. He was confident it was blue, anyways, because he had debated with himself for hours if the blue and brown who had impressed females would be able to fight thread when they were older.

“I’m O’kay…” he said, wincing a little at the effort to move the muscles in his face. Even so he managed a smile for her. I must look wonderful. Taking her offered hand, he pulled himself back to his feet and looked down at the pile of wood then around them in dismay. “I guess I was just not watching my feet.” Lifting the hem of his small shirt, he dabbed the worst of the blood off his face before looking up at Kess.

“How have you been? I never see you anymore… I never see anyone anymore.”

[starshine]

"I'm glad youre alright..." She grinned as she helped him up. He was light even for her tiny frame to lift, though the few weeks of training had given her a substantial boost in muscle definition. Kess then realized how long it had been since she had seen Somadin. The short amount of time that had passed since the hatching had seemed to fly by. Claralth was gaining weight and growing by the day and it seemed as though she had just blinked. Time was funny like that.

“I guess I was just not watching my feet.” She glanced in the direction the small menace had slinked off in. "Oh, I wouldn't blame you for that. It wasn't your own clumsiness there." She gave him a reassuring smile then blushed. "Its not that I think you're clumsy at all. I was just say that..." She trailed off. Nerves had gotten the best of her, and her mouth had just blubbered on. She bit her lip and glance at him. He was eye level with her, and would no doubt pass her in a turn or so.

She bent down to gather the wood that had scattered when Somadin had fallen. “How have you been? I never see you anymore… I never see anyone anymore.” She began to pile the sticks and small peices. "I've been well. No complaints really. Weyrlinghood is busy, even if the dragons sleep for most of the day." She smiled at him. Soma wouldn't know the schedule of a dragon, or at least she thought he wouldn't. "How about you? Anything new going on?"

[E]

Seeing Kess begin to stack the wood, he too bent down, but rather than stacking it, he piled what he could into his arms. Holding them out, he offered them as a place for her to stack the last few piece so he could put them where they needed to be. Listening to her talk reminded Somadin again that she had that something that made her a dragonrider that he still seemed to be lacking.

“So they still sleep a lot? I was wondering why I don’t see them more often around the Bowl.” He said thoughtfully. “What have people said to you…. About impressing a blue and all?” Finally giving into his curiosity, Somadin couldn’t keep the possibly rude question from popping out. He wasn’t sure if it was a topic fit to discuss, but the female impressions to blue and brown had him as curious and boggled as everyone else. “What’s it like?”

[starshine]

In the back of her mind she felt Claralth stir in his sleep. He would wake soon and want to be fed. It was exhausting, the unending cycle of meet and bathing, and sleeping. She stood and placed the remaining pieces of wood in Somadins arms.

...“What have people said to you…. About impressing a blue and all?” Her silver eyes caught his face. "Whats it like?" She bit her lip. She knew the Weyr was all a buzz with the news of the recient hatching. Kess had heard what some of the drudges thought. "Everyone seems to be supportive." She offered a reassuring smile. He hadn't offended her at all. "But for right now all they really do is sleep an eat. They're really big babies." She chuckled softly.

"You wouldn't want to see him would you? I need to check in on him, he might want to eat soon."

[E]

Somadin perked up visibly at her question of visiting the little blue. Putting the last of the wood in its proper place, he turned back to her brushing himself off. “I would really like to see your blue. What was his name again? There are just so many…” Blushing, he hoped his not remembering the blues name wouldn’t upset her either. He made a silent promise to himself to be more careful to remember all of the dragons names, not just the golds and bronzes.

A noticeable bounce now in his step, he began the walk toward the Weyrling Barracks with her. It was only a few steps before he turned around again, however, and smiled back at her. Walking backwards he asked another question, “Is there anything we should bring if he is hungry?”

[starshine]

((has been moved to the weyrling barracks))