Relieved Arrival

[tealah]

Ship cabins were... uncomfortably small.

Mya had to swallow convulsively at the thought of those pitching, swaying, dark rooms. She didn't get seasick, but those cabins... She shuddered as she picked up her bag and shouldered it. At her feet, Chief danced excitedly. His dark fur seemed to ripple with his impatience to be off the ship. Mya had to agree - on deck the ship wasn't horrible, but she was bored with "vacation" and more than ready to get back to work.

She couldn't help a vague sense of curiosity. What would working with Master Jocene be like, in comparison with the healers back at Fort? Working around dragons? She'd never been around dragons before, and she wondered how that would effect her work.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the... what did they call it? The plank? She had no idea, she was a healer, not a fisherman. Whatever it was, they were putting it down between the ship and the Weyr's dock for them to disembark. Chief wasted no time before scurrying down the ramp, blue-tinged frills giving little flutters of excitement. Mya followed quickly. He'd be terrorizing the kitchen's canines soon enough if she didn't catch him first.

She lost sight of him in the crowd, though, with more gemtails darting about than she'd seen in her life. There was an advantage to moving here, it seemed, where gemtails originated. Mya muttered curses under her breath at the creature. Oh well, she'd find him soon enough in the middle of a brawl no doubt. The young woman peered narrow-eyed around the harbor. There should be someone coming to meet her. It would only make sense.

[Zen]

The Weyrwoman had told A’zael to be in contact with the Harbormaster Jiran and to be at the Harbor whenever new arrivals were to be there, with Navith of course. The plan was to Search those that were arriving. He was suppose to bring a Candidate that knew the Weyr well enough to be a guide to the rest, the ones he didn’t Search, and so he’d brought along Lellen who he’d found to be a rather easy-going young man. A little spacey, but friendly enough, and he’d been a Candidate for some Turns so he knew the Weyr.

Lellen stood beside Navith, gazing up at the sky and the dragons that darted overhead now and then. It was so easy to imagine himself up there….

Glancing over at the younger male A’zael chuckled. He had that dreamy look on his face again. Well, nothing wrong with letting him fantasize for now, the passengers were only now leaving the ship and some of them seemed to know exactly where they were going while others were simply part of the ship’s crew. Navith, keep a look out now… we’re here to Search.

Yes, yes… I know. My memory is not that bad. The dark Blue lowered his head slightly, closer to those who would pass by, touching each mind and mostly recoiling as he found them undesirable. He turned to look at a woman standing closer to the ship and raised his head slightly. There was something there…. Would she speak with him? Welcome to Western Weyr. He lifted his head high and turned his gaze directly upon her.

[tealah]

Welcome to Western Weyr.

Having spent several minutes becoming increasingly irritated with the time wasted waiting for someone to guide her to where she needed to go, Mya felt a distinct sense of relief when she was greeted. "It's about time you got here, isn't it?" she snapped caustically, turning to see... no one. She turned a circle in confusion, but there was no one close enough to have spoken so clearly to her, let alone anyone actually paying any attention to her. Then who...?

Halfway through her second turn, Mya stopped dead. There was a dragon here. Staring right at her. In all her life, Mya had never seen a dragon but far in the distance. Every time Fort's dragons had come to convey messages or passengers, or come on Search, Mya had been either too young to have reason to go near or too busy training at the healer hall to bother. She'd never realized... they were so... big. And this was only a blue, and everyone knew blues were nothing in size to a bronze or gold. The boys she'd been apprenticed with were always talking about how they'd love to see a bronze but it was only ever blues or greens that came on search.

Wait.

Blues went on search.

With a growing suspicion as to the origin of that voice, Mya stared back at the blue. Come to think of it, she didn't actually hear anything. The words had just kind of been there. She took a step toward the dragon. "Did you... speak to me?" she murmured. What a silly thought. Supposedly dragons could speak in minds, but wasn't it supposed to be just their rider they spoke to? That's what the apprentice boys had claimed anyway. She must have been imagining it.

Belatedly she realized that the dragon wasn't there alone. Of course his rider would be there. It should have occurred to her. Her eyes passed over his rank knots automatically, though it was obvious that he was a bluerider by the fact that he was standing so proprietorially with the blue. A discrepancy caught her eye, though, and she frowned. She'd made it a point to memorize the Weyr-specific badges and knots, since she'd been posted at a Weyr and would be working so closely with the riders, so she recognized the rank of Candidatemaster. A ranking member of the Weyr. Good, he'd be able to at least point her to the infirmary. She could find where she was to be sleeping later.

"Excuse me," she said as she walked boldly closer. "I was wondering if you could direct me to the infirmary." She couldn't help it - her gaze wandered from the slightly-scruffy dragonrider back to his dark, light-striped dragon, and she wasn't sure if she was successful at keeping herself from gaping at him.

[missing]

Pala yawned, walking carefully down the ramp to avoid an unexpected tumble into the waters below. At the bottom she shifted her pack and looked around for wherever Mya had run off to.

Pala was in the habit of checking any room she left at least five times before she abandoned it, having too often left something of value behind to just run off the ship. And so it seems she had lost her fellow Healer.

"Probably chasing after Chief," she mumbled to herself turning until she spotted the girl, standing right in front of a blue dragon. She blinked a few times, not really beliving it at first. Certainly Pala had seem dragons before, but never this close! She had known too that she would be seeing them here on a Weyr assignment, bit this soon? She thought she would at least be able to settle in before being met with such a shock.

The girl shrugged to no one in particular and made her way over to the girl, but observing the blue quietly.

[Zen]

Navith rumbled quietly, amused at the young woman’s reaction, causing A’zael to look up at him curiously, What is it? Have you found someone?

Perhaps. He did not remove his gaze from her, Yes… she is strong.

Where? Which one? though his question was answered a moment later when Mya walked over to them and Navith still had his gaze trained on her. A’zael gave his leg a rap with his knuckles; having a dragon stare you down was enough to make anyone nervous and he didn’t want Navith making her uncomfortable.

The one in front of your nose, the Blue replied drily, though he knew A’zael had already figured it out. He lowered his head slightly for a better look at her.

“Navith! Not everyone is accustomed to a dragon staring them in the face,” he gave the great head a shove aside and turned a friendly smile to the woman. He wondered briefly why she wanted to go to the infirmary before he caught sight of healer rank knots. “You could always go there, or-“ he paused as another woman came up behind her, another healer.

Navith lowered his head once more and stretched his nose toward the second woman, There is something in her as well….

The other healer woman too? He glanced between his dragon and the two women, Are you sure?

No, I am simply choosing at random. What do you think?

He threw a mock look of anger at his dragon and shook his head, turning back to them both now, “It appears my Navith has Searched you both… if you would wish to accept Candidacy, that is. I do apologize for the ‘ambush’ tactics at work here but with a clutch on the sands and due to hatch any time within the next couple sevendays we’re quite desperate for Candidates. If you choose not to accept, however…,” he spread his hands, then motioned toward where Lellen was standing a bit farther behind him, leaning against the Blue and looking quite far away, “Then I’ll have Lellen here show you the way to the Infirmary as you’ve asked.” He rested one hand on the side of Navith’s muzzle and awaited their answers.

Or are you afraid? He directed at both of them, rumbling lowly to himself and making A'zael quirk an eyebrow at him. He knew his dragon was more prone to speak with others than most and couldn't help wonder what he'd said now....

"Hrm... I do apologize if Navith is being rude, he's a little more talkative than necessary." To that Navith snorted at him and gave him a little shove. If you do not wish for me to speak I will be silent and we'll see how you like it then.

[missing]

"Searched..?" Pala blinked in confusion, she knew the term of course, even heard it whispered between her cousins as they watched dragons flame thread above their cothold through windows that should have been shut tight.

The blue's words echoed in her head causing her gaze to snap up and meet his, or at least as much as she was able to, "I'm not afraid of you!"

She was lying a bit. She was almost certain the blue could end her any moment he decided, but didn't think that was his immediate goal at the moment. A million questions raced through her head, what did he mean by desperate for candidates? Were there not thousands of young men and women dying for such an opportunity? This wasn't what she came here for, but it couldn't hurt could it? What about her duties to her craft? It WOULD give her the chance to study dragons closer though... But wouldn't she be too busy? And just what did he mean by desperate?

"Why us?"

It took her a moment before she realized that she had in fact said that last question out loud. She bit her lip, frowning to herself, "What I mean is, I thought we were assigned here to work under Master Jocene... Aren't we?"

[tealah]

Mya had to catch her breath when the blue lowered his head to look at her more closely. She wasn't sure if he'd actually been close enough for her to feel his breath on her face, but whether real or imagined she thought she could. Caught between respect and intimidation, she could only shiver. Did everyone at the Weyrs take this so nonchalantly for granted?

The feeling was broken when the rider spoke playfully to the dragon and smiled at her. She unconsciously straightened, irritated with herself for letting her imagination get the best of her. Yes, the dragon was much bigger than she'd thought, but that was no reason to act so silly. She frowned, listening as the rider said that she could go to the infirmary or... Or? He stopped before saying what the or was - or what? Hadn't she just said she wanted to go there? Where else would she go? - and before she could say anything the blue stretched down his head towards her again. Mya kept herself from jumping (barely) but the dragon wasn't even looking at her anyway.

"Oh. Pala." The other journeyman who'd been assigned to the weyr. They were the same age, they'd been apprentices together, and they'd walked the tables at nearly the same time, so Mya knew her about as well as she knew any of the people she'd apprenticed with - which was to say, not very well. It's not like she went out of her way to socialize with them, after all. Still, Pala had good work ethics and was intelligent, so Mya couldn't really complain too much about getting assigned to the same place as her.

She switched her attention back to the rider as he began to speak again... hopefully to clear up that or he'd left hanging out there. And clear it up he did. Sort of.

Searched? Her? Matty was the one who'd entertained dreams of being a dragonrider, not her. She was a healer, not a dreamer. Desperate for candidates they may be, but she had work to do, especially if Pala took the opportunity. Mya glanced to the young man the candidatemaster had indicated would bring them to the infirmary if they still wished to go, and she'd opened her mouth to say as much, when that voice-that-wasn't-a-voice spoke in her head again.

"I am not afraid of being a Candidate," she protested hotly, partially echoing Pala. "I'll prove it." Not what she'd intended to say at all. She flushed in embarrassment, then crossed her arms in annoyance that she'd actually blushed, and even more annoyed that she'd reacted like a boastful apprentice boy to the dragon's goad. At least, she assumed it really was the dragon, since the rider said that the dragon was being talkative.

At least Pala seemed to be following the train of thought Mya had meant to express, that they were transferred there to be healers not candidates, even if she was phrasing it as a question.

[Zen]

Navith lifted his head shuffled his wings, feeling rather smug his goading had gotten the responses he’d wanted. A’zael shot the dragon a look, “Keep quiet, you.”

But it seems they need some convincing… or incentive. Perhaps a challenge….

If they need to be convinced they obviously do not wish to be candidates and can go on their way. Now hush. You’ve done your part. “Ladies… no one really knows why or how Searchdragons do what they do… it just is. They sense something in you and think you might make a good rider. Honestly they can’t even really explain it. Now, you could go to the infirmary and stay there as you had originally planned… but would it hurt to stand once on the sands?”

I thought you said they shouldn’t need any convincing.

Hush up. Talaria won’t be entirely happy with me if I come back with no one and anyway… we are desperate…. He gave a great sigh, “Truthfully… we’re not used to such large clutches from our queen…. The Bronze that flew her in the past was…,” he scratched the back of his neck, not wanting to speak badly of Greth.

“Well… the flights were not as good as they should have been… plus Threadfall was not nearly upon us again… so clutches were rather small. This time though, a new Bronze flew her, the threat of Thread looms, and we’re quite unprepared when it comes to Candidates. We’ve hardly enough for each of the eggs and we usually like to give the hatchlings a little more… option. It is rare, but they’ve been known to go between if they can’t find their lifemate, and especially because a Pass is about to begin Western needs every dragon even more if it is to survive it’s first Pass. But, like I said… it is up to you….”

[missing]

"They would go between if they didn't find a partner..? I guess that's why you don't see a dragon without a rider, I never really thought about it..." Pala reached up, twisting a finger into her ponytail with a look much like that of a researcher with a new topic, "But no... you're right... I guess it can't hurt... And there's nothing saying that we will even impress right? I mean if everyone impressed every time that would be rather strange... And even if we did there are other Healers back at Fort..."

The girl didn't seem to realize she was thinking out loud, in fact she didn't even seem to be aware that she was still standing in the harbor. She'd never really been around dragons, or Dragonriders except at the gathers at Fort Hold, and even then the dragons usually stayed on a distant ridge. Her notification of coming to this Weyr in particular had even been last minute, not allowing her what she had felt was adequate time to research the very subjects she may one day be treating.

[lyonza]

Z'mer made a point of being at the harbor when the ships arrived with new people for the Weyr, he liked to people watch and it was always interesting to see their reaction to their new home.

He saw Navith staring at two of the women that stepped off the ship and judging from their reactions and expressions, the dark blue dragon had spoken to both of them.

He smiled to himself and walked over to where A'zael was explaining things to the two women and listened as they talked. Navith challenged them, Amoneth said in his deep mental voice. They would make good candidates, the dragon added. He was never going to be a search dragon, but he was good enough judge of things to confirm a Searchdragon's choices.

"Finding us some more candidates, A'zael?" he asked, smiling at the two women.

"And where are my manners?" he asked rhetorically. "I'm Z'mer, bronze Amoneth's rider. Welcome to Western," he introduced himself with a grin.

[missing]

Pala jumped a bit, turning to face the man. Her amber-brown eyes scanned him quickly, as if evaluating him, "Ah, hello! My name is Pala, and my friend here is Mya. We were sent by the Healer's Hall to work here but there seems to be some... confusion..." she mumbled the last word along with something about if that was really the right word to use, "Maybe I should say that we- I'm confused. Oh! Sorry! It's very nice to meet you Bronzerider Z'mer. I apologize, it's been been a long voyage."

She pushed her hair back past her shoulder, interrupted from her musings momentarily by the new arrival. She shifted her pack a bit and looked to Mya before looking back to Z'mer and then back at the blue in front of her, "I just... I guess we were probably both just taken aback..."

[tealah]

Now, this being her first time around a dragon, Mya wasn't exactly qualified to know what the blue was thinking, but it still seemed to her that he was distinctly smug at the reaction he'd gotten from her. Partly because she didn't want to let him get a rise out of her again and partly because one simply didn't argue with something that large and toothy and firebreathing, the healer chose to ignore the smugness in favor of what his rider was saying. What would it hurt to stand just once? Disregarding the bit about the unImpressed dragons going between - a speech that jabbed right at her healer's oath, as that man probably knew very well, because wouldn't it be doing harm for her to refuse to stand and risk that? - she didn't have to stop healing just because she'd become a candidate, or even if she ultimately Impressed.

While Pala mused aloud, Mya mused silently while she glared at the rider. He was really playing right on their sympathies, wasn't he? He had to be telling the truth though, hadn't he? A rider wouldn't lie to get candidates even if they were desperate for them. would they? Come to think of it, she could remember hearing about something like that happening at Fort when she was a junior apprentice.

"Fine," she muttered under her breath. She couldn't argue with her own logic, and it was in fact quite logical for her to allow this man to whisk her off to be a candidate. Even if it annoyed her to be pulled away from her duties before she'd even started them.

Before she could say as much, another male voice spoke up. Mya's gaze darted to the new arrival. A bronzerider, by his knots, confirmed when a moment later he introduced himself. Tall, rugged, with unusual blue eyes. Smiled too much. The cynical part of Mya muttered that he was probably the kind of man who thought that women would swoon over him if he turned those bright eyes on them and smiled. Mya didn't swoon. She scowled at him.

She chose to ignore the fact that Pala had spoken for her. Mya wasn't confused at all, just annoyed with the whole thing. She turned back to the candidatemaster. "As a candidate, would I still be able to work in the infirmary? During chore hours, perhaps?" A candidate was pretty much an apprentice to the dragonriders, right, so doubtless they'd have chores to do when they weren't in classes, just like apprentice healers. She'd just earned her right not to have to do the lower chores like scrubbing floors and doing dishes, she didn't want to go back to all of that so very soon. Boiling bandages and cleaning the infirmary was one thing, cleaning other peoples' dirty dishes was quite another.

[missing]

Pala watched Mya now as she spoke, it was a good question and one she hadn't thought of. Something within her though had been concerned about just that, although maybe for different reasons than Mya had.

It seemed to Pala that she had spent most of her life studing her craft, working very hard to make it to this point, expecting to jump right in as a Journeywoman and learn new and exciting things, all to have that not be the case at all. Suddenly the most important thing in her life and the trait that was attributed to her character more than any other seemed to mean very little to these people. She frowned, her mind finally calming from it's whirl of questions as she settled onto the most important one that she had yet to ask herself, would she accept the offer?

She didn't think she would impress. She wasn't sure what made a dragon say yes to one when they said no to so many other searchables but she was fairly certain she wasn't of nearly worthy of a dragon. But what if she did? Pala didn't know very much on the subject of dragons, but she did know that a rider's dragon was their first priority and took precidence over all others. If her or Mya impressed, she doubted they would be able to pursue the level of Master, and wasn't that what Pala had wanted for all these turns? The idea that her planned path could be closed forever should scare her more. It should... And yet... something made her consider the alternative...

[Zen]

Manipulative today, aren’t we?

Didn’t I tell you to hush up? I’m no worse than you-

I never hinted that by choosing not be candidates they were killing hatchlings….

A’zael folded his arms over his chest and set his jaw, No one asked you.

Very mature, the Blue snorted once more and lowered himself to the ground, closing his eyes though he had no plan to sleep. There may be others he could Search.

He nodded at Pala, “There is certainly no guarantee that you’ll impress and you might just get back to your healer work as you intended. It’s really only a couple sevendays out of your time if you don’t impress, and even if you do your skills as healers will not be wasted. Riders are encouraged to continue using the skills they learned before Impression if at all possible, and the Weyr will need every capable healer once Thread begins falling again.”

He glanced over as Z’mer approached, “Heh… trying to find us some candidates, but these two seem to be hesitant about taking the challenge.” He shrugged as if he really didn’t care. He tilted his head at Mya as she questioned him, “Oh, sure, by all means…. I’m fairly lax about where my candidates choose to do chores. If you’re going to be working might as well be something you’re good at and actually want to do…. Well then, is there agreement between us or not? I can’t force you into candidacy… honestly if there’s a dragon on the sands for you it won’t matter if you’re on the sands or in the stands, they’ll choose you either way.”

He felt like he was starting to talk himself in circles. There really wasn’t much more to say about the subject, it was up to them to figure out if it was something they wanted or not. He had to say no one he and Navith had Searched had ever refused Candidacy before, but they’d never Searched anyone in such a… well… sort of… underhanded way before either.

[lyonza]

Z'mer smiled reassuringly at Pala. "The confusion will go away in time," he said. "Perhaps we should let them settle in first, A'zael?" he asked. "Or do you intend to whisk them off to candidates quarters without a moment's notice." He hoped he wasn't ruining the Candidate Master's angle but the poor girl really did look very confused about it all.

He returned Mya's scowl with a raised eyebrow, the smile never leaving his face. "Before I get too embroiled in the intricacies of Candidacy - its been too many turns since I've been one, I have some duties to attend to." He nodded to the two women, gave a little bow before turning to A'zael. "I'll leave you to it, Candidate Master," he said and gave the bluerider a nod and a wink before heading off, whistling some tune that was popular.