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Post by iradial on Sept 19, 2008 2:27:14 GMT -6
((OoC: I wasn't sure where else to put this. Perhaps we should have an "Elsewhere on Pern" forum for future references?))
The cut up bits of meat bubbled and popped from the heat, sending hot juices spattering over the front of Nerilan's apron. She cursed in an undertone, for the apron had not protected all of her dress, and earned herself a few quick, surreptitious glances from other women in the kitchen. Usually, such behavior was never seen from Nerilan, but she had been in a foul mood today and Krellin was not around to scold her for her actions.
Turning from the meat, Nerilan gathered up the bowl of chopped vegetables she had set aside earlier and emptied it's contents into a larger pot, where water was already simmering. Having done that, she grabbed her pan of meat and poured that in, where she then snatched up a wooden ladle and stirred the bubbling mixture. As she did so, her eyes occasionally flickered impatiently towards the door to the kitchen; Cielle should have been back with the herbs Nerilan required by now, but she was still no where to be seen. And even though Cielle was a deadglow, the drudge was usually quite responsible when given a task...
As if on cue, Cielle burst through the doorway, her eyes wide with excitement her her hands--Nerilan noted irritably--were empty. However, the woman's agitation dissolved away when Cielle announced to the entire kitchen why she had been late. "Dragons!" She crowed once, then tromped towards Nerilan with an expression of utter glee on her face. "Dragons landed outside," the girl repeated, her statement directed just as Nerilan this time.
The blonde's expression had grown thoughtful as her mind wandered. Krellin was not at the hold to greet the dragonriders, although he would be able to spot their approach from the fields; There was no doubt he was heading towards the hold at that very second. Even so, someone would have to meet with the riders until Krellin's arrival, and since she was his lady, that duty fell on her shoulders.
"Cielle, could you watch the soup for me?" Nerilan asked sweetly, hastily pulling off her apron as she spoke. "Oh, and would you please make some fresh klah for our guests?" Cielle nodded enthusiastically . Smiling to show her approval, Nerilan quickly smoothed out her skirts--not that it did anything to better her shabby appearance--and hurried outside to meet the dragonriders.
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Post by katgod on Sept 20, 2008 20:06:39 GMT -6
The winter morning was crisp and cool. While the small search was supposed to be in mock search for the local Weyr's clutch. No one here would know any different and as such, they took the few riders that were with them and no Rankers. Blues and greens.
Amneris was the one to approach this Holder and family because Labeth was so insistent on setting down here. The green was very good at searching girls. More so than boys, which was an odd quality but something people had come to know of as part of her special abilities. Each dragon on this search had their own strong points.
The blonde had made sure to walk with purpose not many around here allowed women riders and she might not be accepted as a real Searchrider because of it. "Greetings to you, this gorgeous day. You are the woman of the holding I assume?" She looked the young woman in the eyes and saw a clear minded and accepting individual. " I am Amneris of Green Labeth and we come on Search."
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Post by iradial on Sept 23, 2008 1:45:39 GMT -6
Nerilan didn't mean to freeze in her tracks and stare, but when she stepped outside and caught sight of the dragons that had landed just outside the hold, the reaction was involuntary. Never before had she seen dragons so close before and been able to grasp how... how massive they were. It was terrifying actually; her heart had practically jumped up to her throat in her shock.
The rider's approach snapped Nerilan out of her entrancement and her focus shifted to the greenrider--which brought another surprise. The rider was not a man as she had expected, but a woman, something unheard of for a rider--a rider of a green, anyways. Realizing that she was staring yet again, Nerilan mentally chided herself and sent the woman a polite smile in welcome as she listened to the rider's words. So they were on search, mused the woman--yet another surprise; there were rarely clutches these days, being in an interval; many, in fact, argued that thread would not return, even when they were two hundred turns into an interval.
Nerilan nodded once to confirm the rider's guess of her status, then said, "Welcome, Amneris of Green Labeth, to Sillas Hold. I am afraid Lord Krellin is absent at the moment, although he should be arriving shortly." Her gaze diverted momentarily to the fields, then back to Amneris. "Is there anything I can do for you and your company? I am unfamiliar with search procedure..." she explained, a sheepish note audible in her tone. In the two years she had been at Sillas Hold, there had not been a search; at home, there had been one or two but Nerilan had not paid much attention...
She hoped they would get this over with soon. Krellin was not particularly fond of dragonriders, thinking they were no longer necessary to Pern's survival. And then there was Amneris, a female greenrider--that would certainly unsettle him!
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Post by katgod on Sept 28, 2008 19:54:45 GMT -6
Amneris smiled at the woman and was in no way going to comment on the lack of the man of the hold until the young woman mentioned it. Of course she wouldn't be familiar as there were not as many clutches at this time in the past. Probably wasn't wise to send her out either but if she was going to Search then they would have to deal with the consequences of it. "There is no need to wait on him really. As far as Search procedure goes, your doing just fine."
The greenrider glanced around, noting this was not a major hold she wondered how many people between the ages of fourteen and twenty one there could possibly be. At least the young woman was a friendly sort. "We don't plan on staying long but thank you kindly for the offer." She wasn't in the habit of staying at the holds on Search as she and Jeyna preferred seclusion.
Amneris pointed in the direction of her dragon, "We need only people of Search age to come a little closer to Labeth there. She wants to be sure of whom she is sensing here. By eligable I mean anyone between the ages of fourteen and twenty one. Both male and female are to be Searched. The Weyr has hopes for a Gold this time." At such a comment she winked at the young Holder and added, "You should probably accompany the potentials, to make sure we don't search anyone that may not be allowed to leave, such as an heir."
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Post by Kayla on Sept 29, 2008 14:59:24 GMT -6
Not having any luck in her own location, Jeyna decided to join Amneris, a plan which Ragoth did not remotely object to. She came just in time to hear her lover talking with the young woman that Jeyna was willing to bet Labeth had all but searched. She smirked softly, imagining how the young woman must be reeling at the site of a woman a dragon.
Ragoth settled beside Labeth, and Jeyna gracefully slide down her Blue to land on her feet. She walked over to join the Green Rider, smiling to her with the familiar smile of love, then she turned to the young woman. Surely with the example of two women Riders, the seed of hope had been planted that a woman could impress even without a gold egg on the sands.
She smiled warmly to the young woman, "Well met. I'm Jeyna, Rider of Blue Ragoth." The Blue Rider made a mental note to tease her lover about all but flirting with the young woman.
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Post by iradial on Oct 6, 2008 1:26:43 GMT -6
((D: Sorry it took so long for me to post.))
Nerilan nodded in response, relieved that she would not have to wait for Krellin. She remained quiet as Amneris explained Search Procedure; it really was simpler than Nerilan imagined. At the mention of a golden egg, her thoughts immediately flew to Odira. A spirited young woman, Odira openly expressed her hopes of being searched to stand for a queen egg, of which she was confident she could impress. In Nerilan's opinion, the woman was born to be a dragonrider with such a lively, infectious personality; she would be ecstatic once she found out her chance had come. Her lips turned up in a small smile as she imagined Odira's reaction.
The smiled wavered when she spotted Jeyna, although she managed to regain her composure. Even so, surprise flickered in her eyes. Here was yet another woman riding a dragon, and a blue dragon at that. Now, Nerilan could somewhat understand a female riding a green, as green dragons were female, but a blue? Had Nerilan not seen living proof and if she were not in front of guests, she would have shook her head in disbelief and scoffed at the idea. After all, it was absurd! Impossible! Yet here was Jeyna.
Although it did seem ridiculous to think of, Nerilan could not help bit feel a flicker of hope inside of her. As she greeted Jeyna with a friendly “Welcome,” her mind began to drift. She looked at the pair of dragons thoughtfully, and then at the two riders. “I’ll return shortly,” she told them before hurrying back to the hold.
The two riders were on search at her hold. She had been asked to accompany the possible candidates to make sure that no one of importance was searched, so she would be standing near the dragon. Jeyna and Amneris were living examples that a woman could impress more than a gold. And she thought with growing excitement I am of age. If she was searched, it would be the chance of a lifetime, but the chances were terribly slim. Even so, she walked briskly, eager to return to the riders. As she did so, Cielle flitted by carrying the klah that Nerilan had ordered earlier. Although the riders had said they needed nothing, Nerilan made no efforts to stop Cielle; after all, Jeyna had not yet landed when it was offered. Instead, her mind shot to the kitchen where her stew was boiling; the thought of it burning was enough for Nerilan to head back towards the kitchens. She pushed open the door and scanned the room and was pleased to spot a woman stirring the stew. Her fears gone, she looked about the rest of the kitchen and called for those between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one. Odira was among the few that hurried to her, and then Nerilan left to alert the rest of the hold.
When she returned to the rider with the last potential candidate in tow, she found a small crowd had gathered, drawn by the presence of the dragons. Despite the crowd’s obvious awe, they kept their distance. Seeing her return, the other potential candidates--some new faces were among them, probably those who had seen the dragons from the fields--strode towards her, their eyes staring inquisitively at her and among them Odira grinned with anticipation. Nerilan displayed her small smile.
“Those between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one, please move closer to Labeth,” Nerilan instructed, motioning towards the green. The words sounded odd as they came out of her mouth, so she sent the two riders a questioning glance to make sure she was following Search procedure correctly. Should she have spoken with them before sending the youth towards the green? Her stomach dropped as she subconsciously began to imagine the worst, but her more rational thinking convinced her that all was well. Surely a dragon wouldn’t harm a human… would they?
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Post by katgod on Oct 6, 2008 21:12:32 GMT -6
Amneris waited for young Nerilan to go rally the other possibles but she knew pretty well already that Nerilan had a good chance herself, whether the young woman knew it or not. She turned to Jeyna with a giggle, "She seems nice if not a little too excited at seeing us. I wonder if she's going to resist the idea over much." No one was near the green and bluerider at this point, so Amneris took the woman's hand in her own. "I was sort of hoping I wouldn't find anyone but Labeth was rather insistant."
The olive colored green stood waiting with Ragoth. The blue and the green were a lovely sight to behold, even to Amneris. She never grew tired of the splendor of dragons. "Maybe we will be lucky and find two Candidates here." She let go of Jeyna and walked towards Labeth. By the time the young woman had returned with the others, not that there were too many of them, Neris was standing next to her dragon.
Labeth was quite enjoying herself. These people were all watching her and she was milking that attention for all it was worth. The green took her time although she already knew who she wanted. It was fun toying around with them all. After Labeth let it be known whom she liked and then conferred with Ragoth.The one off to the side. The main holder's wife...
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Post by Kayla on Oct 9, 2008 16:18:15 GMT -6
Jeyna chuckled softly and took advantage of the moment to drop a soft kiss on her lover's lips. "It's ok, dearest. We'll take advantage of some alone time later, no worries." She winked to her.
"And I believe if that young woman is surprised at us riding dragons, she has no idea how much of a shock life at the weyr will be to her. I wonder what her reaction would be if she saw us just now." She was used to the holdbred finding her to be rather shocking and a bit of a scandal. Now that she was happily in a relationship, that still amused her, though she now wanted to make sure that their reactions did nothing to harm Amneris.
She grinned as Amneris walked over to the dragons, watching her. Then, when the hopefuls came out with the young woman, she moved over to join her lover, though keeping a relatively professional stance. She was not one to search based on appearance, but that did not keep her from thinking, as she looked over the ones assembled, which the rest of the weyr would most thank them for brining.
That is a poor reason to pick, Mine.
Jeyna grinned a bit, I know, and I don't really think that way. But it is amusing.
Ragoth tended not to toy as much, partly because he found more amusement in watching Labeth do so. While he was no longer the Green's mentor, he still tended to keep his thoughts regarding potentials to himself until Labeth made her observations when they Searched together.
She is a very strong candidate. Jeyna will not like this though... She did not realize her rank.
In fact, when Ragoth conveyed their observations to his rider, the Blue Rider grimaced and cursed under her breath. If the woman was stuck in some arranged loveless marriage, then she deserved an out, but that was not the way to go about quietly kidnapping Candidates from under the noses of the other weyrs.
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Post by iradial on Oct 19, 2008 22:14:18 GMT -6
As she received no disapproving looks from the two riders, Nerilan assumed that all was well and it was safe for her to follow the other candidates. She did so, watching as the olive green dragon inspected each candidate. Her eyes moved from the dragon to the candidates, interested to see how they reacted to being so close to a dragon. Most of them were shaking, or shifting uncomfortably, but there were a handful who stood their ground; Nerilan noticed that she, herself, was trembling despite her efforts to keep her composure.
She looked back at the two riders, and sucked in a breath when one of them frowned, obviously displeased with something. Perhaps there was no one suitable? At that thought, Nerilan also frowned slightly; Krellin, although he held no respect for dragonriders, would be displeased to hear that no one at his holding was strong enough to be searched. Hoping that that was not the case, she spoke out. "Is there a problem?" Nerilan asked Jeyna, tentatively.
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Post by Kayla on Oct 20, 2008 19:56:42 GMT -6
Jeyna looked briefly to Nerilan, offering her a warm smile. How strong a candidate is she, Ragoth? If she was a strong enough candidate, then it might be worth kidnapping her. Except for the fact that there were witnesses.
Very, mine. I think it would be worth giving her the chance.
She looked back to the young woman, "If you'll excuse us for a moment, we need to confer briefly."
Jeyna sighed softly and grabbed Amneris' elbow, needing to talk to her. She pulled her to the other side of the dragons, so that they could speak privately.
"I didn't realize she was the lady of the hold. We cannot take her. We're supposed to be quietly taking people that won't be missed. She'll be missed, and we have an audience." She sighed softly. She did not want to deny the opportunity to the young woman, but there was no way to do this without exposing Nova, or perhaps altering the future in some very dangerous ways.
"I want to give her the chance, if she wants it, but I'm not sure how we can without endangering Nova or even the future..." She sighed again, "Any ideas, love?"
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Post by katgod on Oct 27, 2008 15:46:16 GMT -6
Amneris held back a laugh. Of course the dragons would want the one person they couldn't search without a hitch. "Oh its all rather interesting. We don't usually get holder's wives as young as she and it appears she isn't at all concerned her husband is not around. You'd think he'd be worried someone would be getting cozy with his pretty young wife..." Something told her that the pretty girl wasn't all that interested in her husband.
Though it took her a moment she responded with a confident voice, "I think we need to leave so that everyone disperses, land farther away and come back on foot. That way they won't suspect that we took her to the Weyr and it will seem more likely that she had run away from her husband. If that is the case, he can assume she is dead after a sufficient amount of time and in the end be allowed to remarry."
Amneris had witnessed dragonets unable to find their lifemates at Hatchings and it was sad. Her job was in part to ensure that didn't happen. If Labeth and Ragoth were so certain she should come to Nova then she was certain there was a dragon for her there. Neris wouldn't like to give up this girl because of her status.
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Post by Kayla on Oct 27, 2008 16:06:33 GMT -6
Jeyna smirked. She enjoyed teasing her love from time to time. "Oh? And would you want to get cozy with her." She winked, Jeyna trusted Amneris completely.
She nodded a moment, thinking. "I agree. But I also think that we should perhaps come back to gather her another day." She held up a hand, knowing that that might mean that they would be leaving the woman in an unwanted situation longer that might be necessary.
"I know, love. If we're rescuing her, it might seem cruel to not do so as soon as possible, but I think there is a better chance that people will not connect her running away to us if we come back another day or two, after they've ... well, not forgotten that we've come, but there's more time between the two events."
Jeyna frowned slightly as she heard Ragoth growl softly in her mind. The dragon did not entirely understand why the woman could not simply be put dragonback and taken back to the weyr immediately. "Perhaps we could let her know that we'll be back for her. So that she'll know to be looking for us..."
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Post by katgod on Oct 28, 2008 16:41:45 GMT -6
"Well she isn't nearly as good looking as a certain blue rider I know..." Amneris said, "Besides she looks more like the type to be interested in men." Jeyna was right. It would be best to come back at a later time. A few days might be too long. Maybe they should come back at night. No one would see them and the lady could have been abducted by anyone with her husband away as often as it seemed he must be.
She might be overexaggerating the situation but Amneris was as much a femenist as Jeyna was. The young woman should have every right to come to the Weyr, same as any young man would. "We need to talk to her in private so that her emotions don't give her away. Then maybe with her help we can come up with a plan. We do not know her daily routine. Maybe there is a way that we have not thought of."
Amneris was very trusting. It could be that if they told the young woman anything that she would go and tell her husband and then their secret could be out. Maybe if they didn't tell her the details and only used the word Weyr, not which Weyr it was. Howerver if the girl was intelligent she would catch on to that fairly quickly.
"I dont think we can give her all the information she would like to have... just enough to get her to conspire with us and come away to Nova." Labeth was adamant that they bring her and so, Neris would do her best to get the girl to come with them as soon as possible. For being a simple search, things had gotten complicated.
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Post by Kayla on Nov 4, 2008 11:37:49 GMT -6
Jeyna chuckled at her love's assertion that the young woman was not a good looking as herself. "Hmm. Your bias love, but I can appreciate that." She winked. "I do think the men at the weyr might very well thank us for bringing her back though. I hope adjusting to weyrlife isn't too difficult for her." Some hold bred had a really hard time making it at the weyr for a wile, life was different, very different, and for some the transition was rough.
She nodded, "All right, let's go disappoint everyone else and then we can pull her aside."
The Blue Rider came back around from behind the dragons. She spoke to Nerilan where the children could hear her. "I'm sorry to say that none of the children are searched this time." At the resounding "aw"s, Jeyna smiled to the children, "That doesn't mean that you won't ever be searched in the future. In fact, I think Ragoth and Labeth would both be glad for you all to go make all over them. They love being the center of attention."
We are the only ones?
Hush. You're to provide a distraction so we can talk to Nerilan. Cooperate.
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Post by iradial on Nov 10, 2008 23:47:08 GMT -6
As the two moved away to speak with each other privately, Nerilan looked back at the potential candidates. Very few of them were curious about the two riders; Labeth and Ragoth were doing a fine job of keeping their attention. It was now obvious that the dragons had no wish to eat, so a few more children had relaxed. Those who watched conversed quietly with each other.
"I'm sorry to say that none of the children are searched this time."
Jenya had approached her, and Nerilan turned to face her. No one was searched? Her gaze swept back to the candidates, who all stared at her with disappointment. Odira out of all of them stood out, her expression one of utter shock. Nerilan swallowed and quickly turned away. Behind her, the candidate broke the line and clumped together in groups to chatter, probably about the dragons, inquisitive eyes still glued to their large, lithe forms; none of them dared to come closer and touch one of them. Nerilan couldn't blame them, the dragons were massive. She could only imagine how large one of the higher ranking colors were.
Seeing the nothing spectacular had happened such as a child getting searched, the others began to loose interest and disperse. They had work to do anyways, and Krellin would not approve of such laziness.
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