Akri: Living The Life (open)

[lyonza]

Garrett smiled over the rim of his cup. “Well, when Stellath reaches maturity, Mya can take over some of the responsibilities of Junior Weyrwoman, since she will rank higher than me. And Brete with Tinsith as well. Four taking the work load instead of two. Honestly, I’m looking forward to that day.” For the last four Turns it was only he and Talaria that had to take care of the weyr management. Talaria had to handle it herself the six Turns before that. Granted, he had started with some of the duties before Iroth had risen the first time, and the two new weyrwomen will do so as well, but until they graduate the weyrling class they will have other things to do and learn.

“Well, I couldn’t be more glad to shake the dust of Keroon off my boots, even if it was because my parents didn’t want me beaten up more by my ‘peers’. For that I have to thank them, although things over at the Hold weren’t much better. It might only be the Channel between here and there, but it feels like it’s the other side of the world.” He looked at Akri. “So, even though you’re living here, you would rather be at Benden?” He hoped the question didn’t sound accusatory. He’s learned in the six Turns since Impressing that his questions sometimes didn’t come out the right way.

[kyra]

Akri smiled slightly. With four people doing everything their Weyr would be very organized by much. Plus it would take stress of Talaria and Garrett. Nodding slightly she agreed, "Of course, everything will be very organized much better I'm sure, not that everything isn't organized. Plus there will no longer be too much stress on anyone as well."

She looked at him, she never really heard his story of his home. Frowning slightly she thought about the question he had asked her. "I'm not sure. I really didn't get along with many people at Benden Weyr and the searchriders there deemed me of unworthy to be a candidate." She paused slightly then shook her head. She wasn't quite sure how she could be unworthy there. "So when I was searched by Western, it came as a shock to most. And now here I am a rider of Isakith. Somedays I think about going back, but others I don't. I figured there is something more for me here then my own home."

[lyonza]

Garrett nodded. “The more the better with each taking an area to handle and it will be better than any well-run Hold.” He smiled at her. “I know what you mean, but the Weyr is reaching the population and responsibilities that requires more people to handle it all, especially gearing up towards the Fall.” He didn’t take her words as criticism, even if it was easier to do so. “I’m constantly reminding myself of all kinds of things we might need, what we need to stockpile – I sometimes find myself waking up in the morning with a list of some sort in my head.” Garrett shook his head as if he was trying to get rid of the things that he kept thinking of.

Garrett closed his eyes for a moment at the remembered beating. “Growing up in a Hold where being different is not looked upon as acceptable wasn’t fun, things that are taken for granted in the Weyrs. You know I cannot stand any form of bullying and I will come down on it like a hunting dragon.” He shook himself a little and paid attention to her reply.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here and not at Benden,” Garrett said. “Your dragon was here, not there.” He said it simply, like it was fact. “There are many things that brought you to this place at this time. The adventure is discovering why. I think there are so many more opportunities here than at Benden, to be quite honest. Just being one of a fighting wing, or finding something else that you could do over and above being a rider.”

[kyra]

Akri nodded slowly, “Especially since Iroth shall be rising soon. We will have even more Weyrlings to train and prepare.” She added leaning back in her char with a slight smirk on her face, “How is M’kal?” She asked in a teasing tone. She couldn’t help but ask even if it was most likely inappropriate. Her eyes flickered around to make sure the Black rider wasn’t in fact sitting somewhere in the dining hall. That would have been interesting if he had. She smiled as she looked back at Garrett.

Nodding slightly she couldn’t imagine what it would be like. Thankfully she never grew up in a Hold, instead it was just a Weyr. Yet Benden was very different from Western. “It’s good you rarely see bullying in Weyrs then.” She added with a small shrug of her shoulders. If Akri has seen anyone bully each other, knowing her she would most likely blow up on them. Her temper really wasn’t one to be messed with some days.

Akri nodded slightly as he talked. She was slightly shocked he even wanted her here, but she did not show any emotion on her face. “I guess we’ll see what’s here for me.” She said softly.

[lyonza]

Garrett grinned in response. “Oh, he’s mighty fine,” he replied. “For some reason I make him uncomfortable or something like that. I can’t imagine why,” he added coyly. He rearranged his expression. “I sometimes feel sorry for him that Sabath and Iroth are so attached to each other. I know he’s not all that happy about things but he also doesn’t believe in stand-ins. It’s a mating flight and that’s that. I got that after their first flight and spent a few sevendays mooning over M’kal, but I understand it better now.” He gave another wicked grin. “It doesn’t mean I don’t tease him over it from time to time. And with a new Pass coming, Iroth will rise more frequently. I thought it prudent not to remind him of that.”

Garrett nodded. “It is very good, though weyrlings sometimes take it as a challenge to see how far they can take things. Not often, but enough. Nyx is good at stopping it in its tracks, I have to admit. ‘Keep ‘em busy so they won’t have time to get up to mischief’ is a good philosophy, but it didn’t stop us from getting into lots of trouble regardless.” He shared a grin with Kyra at the late night raids on the kitchens, the extra duties assigned as punishment and all the other things their group of weyrlings did.

Akri’s tone belied more than she knew it did. “Here I am bemoaning my horrible past like I’m the only one that’s ever had hardship on this planet. Life is good, we have a new queen dragon and the Feast is going to be great.” He smiled brightly. “Great things await all of us at Western,” he said with conviction.

[kyra]

Akri laughed slightly. She felt bad for the poor Black Rider, but hey dragons like who they like. She smiled slightly, "Well perhaps if he didn't have all eyes for our lovely Weyrwoman." She said with a shake of her head. It was very sad to see the Black rider turned down so much, yet M'kal didn't seem to understand. Closing her eyes slightly Akri seemed to be thinking when her mind was really clear.

Akri remembered her weyrling days and would most defiantly not go back to it for the life of her. She smiled slightly with a shake of her head as she reopened her eyes, "I am defiantly happy to still not be a Weyrling. Hopefully everyone makes it though." She added with a soft sigh. It was always hard when they lost a dragon or two either with their rider or without. "I will most likely offer her some help, just to be sure. We have some Weyrlings that are almost done, which shall be good." She added.

With a nod Akri agreed. She closed her eyes once more. "We all have a past, and without it we would not be who we are now." She said softly.

[lyonza]

“Let’s not even go there,” he muttered. M’kal’s infatuation with the Weyrwoman was all too well known and it shouldn’t irritate Garrett that much, but it did. Was wanting a mate too much to ask for? Although, in the structure of the Weyr, how dragons mated and relationships shifted according to draconic choosing, how could one want something like that?

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to be a weyrling for all the gems on Pern,” he said fervently. “But to me it was better than the Hold and being a rider is so many times more that.” He almost wanted the Pass to start – almost, but that also implied deaths, injury and other horrible things. He was still learning a lot about dragonhealing, it was part of his duties after all, even if only to have Iroth order the injured beast to remain still so the healers could help.

He must’ve been extra perceptive or something, but it seemed that Akri had more to her past than just growing up in a weyr and missing home somewhat. He knew everybody had some kind of past, he just never tried to imagine what hers could be. “Very true that,” he agreed.

[kyra]

Akri nodded in understandment. She didn’t blame him for not wanting to talk about it either. “Looks like I better get to knowing everyone here a bit better.” She said softly realizing she really hadn’t made an effort to get to know people here. She wasn’t sure why, but perhaps it was because she was still so tied to Benden Weyr.

Nodding once more she smiled, “Perhaps…I enjoy the rider life that’s for sure. But lately there hasn’t been much to do. Yet with the new Pass about to come, we may help our Weyrling Master train those Weyrlings don’t you think? She does an excellent job that’s for sure, but some help may be nice. Or perhaps we can help Crescent Cove.”

[lyonza]

Garrett smiled. “Well, we’ve never really sat down to talk,” he said, ignoring the giant pink wherry in a frilly purple dress that was their Impression, “but it’s nice to get to know everybody. I’ve met most of the fighting wings in one capacity or another, but only really know a handful of people. Not that it’s possible to know everybody in the weyr.” Knowing your weyrling class and the members of your fighting wing was one thing, but really knowing everybody in a Weyr, even one as small as Western? That was something Garrett didn’t even try to comprehend and he wasn’t shy to get to know people.

He nodded. “Gearing up for the Pass is one thing, actually doing stuff is something else altogether. There is a lot that still needs to get done, but right now it’s in that funny phase that things are about to happen, but it’s not time yet.” Garrett thought for a bit. “Well, I’m sure Nyx will tell us if she doesn’t need help. This is quite a big group, so I don’t see why some extra hands will be turned away. I know I’ll get to work with Brete and Mya at some point, but it’s a good idea to get to know the other weyrlings as well.”

[kyra]

Akri shrugged slightly, “I haven’t really talked to anything which drives Isakith nuts. She wants me to find a nice male with a blue so she can flirt.” She said with a sigh. She couldn’t understand her Green’s obsession with Blues but it didn’t bug her too much just when Isakith tried to get her to talk to any Blue rider. “I mean more of, just get to know a few people…to feel like a belong.” She added. She had been cold to many people who tried to even talk to her because she wasn’t sure if she was going to stay here and here she was six turns later still at Western.

Akri nodded slightly, “There are more then what we are use to.” She added softly. She was slowly getting lost in her thoughts, the fact that there were a lot of eggs meant that the Pass was defiantly close.

[lyonza]

Garrett found himself liking Akri more than before. They would never be the greatest of friends, but he did like her a bit better than he did before. He knew better than to say anything about it – he felt they had an unspoken agreement not to talk about the exact nature of their somewhat strained relationship.

“I guess it’s a reasonable assumption to make, but I should know better. I do have the relevant information after all. I feel so silly now.” He fiddled with his hair in a little nervous gesture and drained his klah. “Want some more?” he asked, looking over to the hearth to see if there was a pot brewing.

“I immediately felt at home, but I’m strange like that. Anything better than where I came from was good for me.” He shook his head. “Again with the woe is me routine. Sorry.” He settled himself a bit more in his chair. “Tell me about Benden? About growing up in a Weyr? In all my time here, I’ve tried to imagine what it’s like, but I can’t quite make that mental leap.”

[kyra]

Akri looked down at her klah and shook her head no, “I have barely touched it.” She spoke softly as she closed her eyes. Truthfully she was already tired again, but it was no big deal. Even if she did head to sleep she wouldn’t really sleep, but toss and turn.

She shrugged about his woe is me comment. “It happens, it’s okay.” She said with a sigh. Really she wasn’t use to talking about herself as much as she had today. It was a bit odd talking to him, but truthfully right now she didn’t care too much. Really even though he wondered how being Weyrbred was, she was curious at how being Holdbred was.

“Benden isn’t too different from any other Weyr. I grew up with most of the Weyrbrats and didn’t spend much time with my parents.” She said with a sigh. “Most weyrborn kids is raised by other women and spend a lot of time with other kids.”

[lyonza]

Garrett got up to get more. “I should stop drinking so much klah, I sometimes can’t sleep properly. A cup before bed is not the best idea. Yet, it’s the first thing I reach for in the morning,” he said when he got back. He looked at Akri. “You look tired. Maybe you should get some more sleep before the Feast,” he said.

He could see that she wasn’t used to talking about herself, seemingly a common trait among most riders. Though he’s met a few garrulous ones, but most riders seemed to be rather reticent about their pasts. “Well, Hold living is a little different. I don’t know about the major Holds, but at the minor ones and cotholds I don’t think there is that much fostering. I know we didn’t foster with anybody – my sister resented that. She knew of the tradition but our parents didn’t believe in it. But I know a lot about herdbeasts and runners – I just never wanted to tend them my whole life.”

[kyra]

Akri nodded to what he said. He was right the feast would be a big deal especially since it as her chance to meet all the new weyrlings and talk to some of the other riders. Find me a blue. Isakith responded as she landed in the court yard sensing her rider’s tiredness. “I will, but Isakith wants a Blue.” She chuckled, “Any ideas for my poor Green.” She asked figured she would talk to him for just a few moments more before leaving.

Akri nodded, “Then it is good that you impressed.” She said with a slight nod. Sure she still resented he impressed the grey, but he did make a good Weyrwoman. She wasn’t very sure if she would have ever made a good one, especially since she really didn’t take the time to get to know people here the past six turns that she had been here. But now she figured she better try especially since it was obvious Isakith wished to stay here and who knew what would be in store for her here.

[lyonza]

Garrett giggled at what Isakith had to say. “If only most solutions are that easy. I’d love to say to Iroth: Find me a man,” but that ain’t gonna happen. She probably tell me to do it myself and then demand I get help because I’m obviously unstable or something.”

He scrunched his face. “Let me see, there is our Navith, Ligeth and enough other blues here to make her happy for a long time,” he said. “Do you think the blues of this Weyr will be enough for her?” He waggled his eyebrows at the statement he made.

He wasn’t what to make of her statement – he knew there was still some resentment but he had made his peace with it. “Well, I’m glad I Impressed too,” he admitted. He pushed his cup away. “I’m going to take a nap myself before the feast, I know it’s going to be a long day of celebration.”