Welcome to Dragon Canyon Weyr!

[Wild]

Since her impression to Serinth, Raksha had managed to otherwise avoid the speculation that was circulating over whether or not the under-sized gold would be able to properly clutch. She had her hands full as is helping the other riders, and new weyrlings, to prepare the Weyr for the new arrivals. Candidates from Serinth’s clutch had gone back to their home Weyr’s, but now that there was a larger clutch on the sands, people from all over wanted a chance at living in a more remote area of Pern. The plague had affected everyone. Changed everyone. Even Raksha. She was usually known for her cheery behavior, and optimistic attitude. Now, she didn’t know what to think or feel. Serinth did her best to help her rider look to a positive future, but sometimes the weyrling girl got caught up in the past. (More often than not, really.) She’d lost everyone she ever loved, and then some. So has everyone else though, she always reminded herself, trying to boost her spirits with the idea that she wasn’t alone. Her sorrows were mirrored by everyone else. There’s so many other people to think of. Stop thinking about yourself, she argued. She often had these little spats with herself, but right on cue, Serinth jumped in.

There is so many people Mine. There’ll be so many people here. Do you think we’ll make new friends? I mean, I’m sure they’ll like you RakshaMine.
There will be lots of people here. And don’t you mind them Serinth, they’re just obsessed with size is all. I think you’re perfect. I know you’re perfect, in fact.
Size? Oh... that. Well, I find that when you’re larger you fit less Mine. There’s just so few places to go, because the world seems so much smaller. But when you’re smaller, its bigger. And bigger is better, because they’re all focused on size-right?
That’s right my love. Raksha flashed Serinth a smirk over her shoulder, finally having wiped the oil off of her hands with a rag. She’d need sweetsand however, this stuff just had a knack for sticking. For life. The young junior wrinkled her nose up, clearly disgruntled by the predicament her hands had managed to get themselves into. Why did dragons need to be oiled so often? Well if Serinth is growing less, certainly she won’t need to be oiled as much as the other queens. Lucky for me.

Serinth had a faraway look on her face, and it was only when Raksha turned fully to pay further attention to the small gold that she noticed it. ”Something a matter?” she chuckled, looking almost like her old self. How nice it would be to be carefree once more.

Well... the gold trailed off, lowering her neck until her wedge-shaped head thudded onto her forepaws. Raksha knew by now when the gold was embarrassed. She didn’t have to say anything; it was all in her body language.

”Oh out with it my love. Come now,” the goldrider encouraged. She didn’t mind the work that it took to get her dragon to confront her with whatever it was that was on her mind. She herself knew how hard it could be to confess the bizarre things that rolled through her mind.

I might be hungry. But I feel selfish because you just had to oil me Mine. Really, I can wait. Or... or I can chew on the stone. Raksha could have sworn that the gold bore a goofy grin on her maw whilst she pretended to eat away at the rock bed.

”That sounds absolutely scrumptious. Why don’t I join you?” Raksha managed to sound serious enough to drag a whimper out of her gold. ”I’ll go get the meat chunks I stored away for you earlier!” she announced loudly. She clapped her hands together, took an enormous breath, and then spun on her heel, skipping through the weyr like she’d just happened upon a cove of treasure. After washing her hands of the icky mess of oil, she headed on out.

I’ll try not to get lonely, Serinth whispered. She shouldn’t have been surprised that her sadness caused Rask to burst from /between/ right above her. He was quite a fair bit like Her’s, just with zero sense. His slight overhang of pudge made a splorshing sound when he landed on her back, curling up as if he always slept there.

Continuing to skip all the way down to the Weyr bowl, there was little to no surprise that the weyrling had nabbed her sketchbook on the way out of her weyr. She held it tightly to her chest while she breathed in the fresh morning air. The bowl would soon be filled with dragonriders and weyrfolk. Not to mention dragons! Obviously the riders needed dragons to ride on, duh. She shook her head whilst stopping to flip through her sketchbook. She was so easily distracted, good thing she had Serinth to constantly remind her of what she should be doing. Either way, neither one of them saw themselves as a proper weyrwoman and gold pair. They still made jokes about it half of the time, Raksha claiming that Serinth was a green that had just rolled in too much sand, while Serinth claimed that Raksha had really thought she was attending a hatching for wher’s, not dragons. So, the overall conclusion? That Serinth was an oversized green wher who obviously got mistaken for a mini-gold due to all the sand meanwhile Raksha was truly a wher handler, just like she’d always intended to be.

There were a few pictures in her sketchbook that she was fond of, and yet the majority of those were ones that she couldn’t bear to look at.
It’s been a long time. Raksha didn’t seem to hear her, and so Serinth continued on speaking. (Or what could better be understood as rambling.) Do not miss them Mine, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Unless you want me to go somewhere, but I really hope that you’d come along too. I can’t really picture a me without a you. After a long pause, and a thoughtful sigh, the small queen added, Who’s Xiro?

What? Raksha asked, looking up the second she heard his name being spoken. Oh... Nothing Serinth. I mean, no one. Just... well, a someone. But a no one now. Just... was... had been, a someone... You know what I mean. Anyways, to food! Finally back on track, Raksha tucked her sketchbook safely away under her arm and looked to the entrance which would lead her down into the kitchens.

A someone who’s a no one? That doesn’t sound good Mine. I’m not sure how someone can be a no one. Because being alive, well, that makes you and I someone’s. But if we weren’t alive, wouldn’t we be no one’s? Are they no longer alive Mine? I’m sorry! I shouldn’t ask. I should know that it might hurt you Mine, and that would hurt us. I do not wish us to hurt.

Serinth, I-, Raksha began, trying to process where this conversation had even gone. Yes to us being someone’s. Yes to him being a someone. He’s not a no one... I don’t... I’m not sure actually. Yes, this is one of the hurty things we talked about Serinth, can we talk about something else?

Rask smells funny, the gold offered, and Raksha smacked her forehead with an open palm before giggling like a mad person. That’s because we have so much trouble getting him to bathe. Now, just sit tight, and I promise that you’ll have your food.

Bring food for yourself as well Mine! A healthy rider is a dragon!
No love, its-, she tried to correct, but decided to just let it be for now. I’ll be back soon. Serinth crooned, pleased that she’d have her best friend back very soon. She wasn’t at all aware of how needy she could be, but it’s not like her rider minded. Raksha rather enjoyed being needed by someone. There was no one left to need her. Rask practically took care of himself these days; meanwhile she hadn’t heard a peep from Chaska when she’d left the weyr. The canine must have known that her owner was safe, especially with Serinth watching over her.

Crossing the bowl to get to her destination, Raksha hoped that Serinth would be fed in time for her to return to greet the newcomer’s. She had really wanted to make a point of making everyone feel welcome here. People needed a home now that the plague was over, a home that could assure them that the death and loss was over, and that there was only brightness and pretty colors to look forward to. (Why she constantly referred to happiness as colorations was anyone’s guess.)

[Sakoru]

Xiro had only had to stay at Telgar for a few days before he found out exactly where he should be headed. True, it felt like a bit of an unkind move to leave the Weyr so soon after being Searched, but there were no imminent clutches on the Sands and there wasn't a lot to do here anyway. At least at Dragon Canyon, so the trader had heard, there would be an opportunity to help get the place going, as much as a candidate could. It would be a new start, at the very least -- he'd be away from the Northern Continent where everyone had died and where he didn't feel as if he served much of a purpose anyway. Even at the Weyr people were none too trusting of traders and, while he'd managed to acquaint himself with any number of people already, he'd made no actual friends whilst here. No matter -- he was off to Dragon Canyon, for better or worse!

The bluerider who had offered to take him to his new home stood waiting by his dragon, a magnificent creature with a glorious hide, and Xiro paused for a moment to admire the blue's colour before continuing on towards the rider. "Hello, there! You're A'san?" A'san nodded, and patted his dragon's hide.

"A'san and blue Tasireth at your service. I take it you're Xirofel, then. Let's get going -- I'm needed elsewhere, too." The bluerider didn't seem to much mind taking time out of his busy schedule, though, so the candidate didn't feel all that bad about lifting Khron up onto Tasireth's back before following him. Being seated on a real dragon was something of an adventure to him -- he'd only ever ridden runners before. And Khron... well, the poor canine was going to have to learn to ride a-dragonback. He did not look impressed, but remained silent, although his ears twitched dubiously. Xiro wrapped his arms around the dog to keep him steady, and grinned at A'san, who shook his head good-naturedly and swung himself aboard the blue as well. "Off we go, then. Don't worry about going between -- just three coughs, and then we're through. Hang on, and enjoy the ride!"

Tasireth spread his huge wings, and sprang into the air. Mighty wingbeats powered them rapidly into the air, and then the blue was spiraling skyward. A'san gave a brief warning that they were about to go between, and then darkness enveloped them. Cold darkness -- but it didn't bother Xirofel that much. He'd been all the way north in the dead of winter, and while this was worse, it wasn't all that bad. And besides which, no one could hear anything between... as soon as that thought occurred to him, the excited trader shouted for joy, and replaced his dignified face only when Tasireth brought them out of the dark. "Are we here?" he inquired, leaning over the dragon's neck to survey the ground below. It certainly looked like a Weyr, and A'san confirmed that it indeed was. Thrilled, Xiro grinned and set to enjoying his last few moments a-dragonback as they spiraled down towards the Bowl. Tasireth touched down not long after, and his rider helped Xiro and the traumatized Khron off of his dragon before offering a brief farewell.

"I've got to get back to Telgar. I'll see you two around, possibly -- good luck with everything." With that, A'san climbed up onto his dragon's back and rode skyward once more. Khron pinned his ears and glared after the dragon, evidently not impressed with that mode of transportation. Xiro patted him on the head and ordered him to heel before turning to survey the Bowl. It looked a bit like Telgar in that the general layout was similar, but it was so much warmer here. "All right," the trader murmured to himself, rubbing his hands together thoughtfully. "Where to go, where to go... you're useless, you've no idea at all, do you, Khron? All right then, let's go find someone who does have a clue." Striding boldly forth, the dragon candidate adjusted his course to coincide with that of a girl who was headed away from him, intending to ask her for directions on what to do.

Something about her was familiar. The way she walked was definitely familiar, and for a second Xiro couldn't quite place it. Oh... oh, wait. He'd been told that she was here, and, well... there she was. Right there, walking away with no idea that he was standing here watching. For a moment he froze, uncertain, and Khron glanced at him, picking up on his nerves. Instantly Xirofel shrugged off his uncertainty, and raised his voice, just barely enough to be heard by the retreating girl. "...Raksha? Is that you?"

[Wild]

Well, she’d explored enough of the Weyr upon first arriving to know every nook and cranny of it. It was going to be home for a long, long time. Possibly for forever even, which really didn’t sound all that bad to her. If someday they were asked to transfer, she’d consider it, but right now that wasn’t at all something that she had to consider. Home was here, at Dragon Canyon. She didn’t know any of the other riders who’d impressed at the same hatching all that well, but she was planning on remedying that. Just as her thoughts were about to bounce to yet another subject of importance, she heard her name being called.

At first, she thought, no, she knew, that she was just imagining things. There was no way on earth that she’d heard a voice. His voice. No, she refused to believe it. Then why can’t you turn around? she questioned herself, muttering under her breath about how illogical she was being. Her muttering about her lack of logic led into how if she’d only just turn around she’d see that it wasn’t in fact him, but a rider that needed help with something, and then everything would go back to normal. Is he capable of shaking your world that much? she now wondered, cursing herself. Before she knew it, she’d done a 180, and was facing whomever it was that had called her. Just one problem...

Her eyes were closed.

Who else would know your name? she decided. It was hard to keep herself from wincing when she finally did open her eyes, though any indication that she was in pain, or feeling any foreboding, was completely wiped away the second she laid eyes on Xiro.

He is a somebody Mine. There he is! Serinth shouted into her mind, following by a quick reminder that she was still waiting. Raksha tried to juggle Serinth’s need for attention with her impending shock. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to say? It didn’t take her long to figure out that she was holding her emotions back. She didn’t want to though. And therefore...

She moved at an alarming speed, not caring for now (or maybe the problem was that she in fact cared too much.) Closing the distance between them with one final, joyous, leap, Raksha flung her arms about Xiro’s neck. She didn’t care that it might have been awkward for him to have her so tightly pressed to his lean form. She held on, needing a moment to convince herself that he was real, and here. He was alive, and here. ”You’re alive,” she whispered, her mouth close to his ear. That’s all that mattered right now, that he had made it through the tragedy.

Raksha cleared her throat, followed by a nervous chuckle once she'd let go of him. She did her best to ignore the spinning world around her.
You need to eat something too! Serinth complained, worried for Her’s. The someone who is for sure a someone can help us get fed!

I know, I know. And, maybe. Studying Xiro, she set the matter of her dizziness aside. ”It’s... good to see you,” Raksha said, her voice sounding oddly disconnected to her. She wasn’t really sure why she sounded so formal all of a sudden. Defence mechanism, probably. Wouldn’t it be foolish of her not to guard herself? So much had happened since they’d last seen each other. What if he wasn’t the same boy she’d known a Turn ago?

”What brings you here?” she asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. She did nothing to resume contact with her old friend, her arms swinging loosely at her sides. She forced a smile, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. As hard as she was trying to keep their meeting from being awkward, she could tell that she was failing miserably. I missed you every day you were gone, she thought privately to herself, unsure if her thoughts were meant to be spoken or no. No, not now, she told herself, surprised at her level of self-control. Then again, she’d always been good at discreetness where it was needed.

[Sakoru]

For a very long moment Xirofel sincerely thought that he either had the wrong person or, more likely, was being ignored. Nothing was happening -- she was just standing there, saying nothing, not doing anything, and for all too long Xiro was paralyzed by the fear that it really was Raksha, and that she'd never forgiven him for leaving her. She was going to walk away pretending she hadn't heard him... only she wasn't. The young woman turned, but when she did, her eyes were closed. The trader's head tilted slightly, but his heart thudded abruptly in his chest as he realized that, no, he had not been mistaken at all.

Suddenly she did open her eyes, and seconds later she was flying towards him, running at what seemed to be the speed of light. Xiro took a step forward and, when Raksha crashed into him, wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Khron, shut up," he muttered to his suddenly growling canine, and took the opportunity to squeeze the young woman tight against him. When she let go, he did, and he offered her an uncharacteristically awkward smile. "It's good to see you too, Raksha." Why was this so awkward? Xiro wished he didn't know the answer to that question, but he did: it was because he had left, and a whole Turn had passed, and now neither of them could possibly be certain if the other still thought of them the same way. In Xiro's case, he certainly did -- he'd missed Raksha, and she'd apparently missed him, but had she been excited to see a familiar face that wasn't pallid in death... or excited to see him?

Deciding that it wasn't important -- at least not right now -- the trader moved on to other, more important thoughts. No point dwelling on uncertainty, after all, especially when it had been so long. Probably nothing more would happen with them and everything would stay in the past. That would be it, most likely, but he held onto a secret shred of hope that it wouldn't. Maybe she still felt something for him. He'd been lonely ever since leaving her, but hadn't ever sought companionship from anyone else. The plague undoubtedly had something to do with that, but mostly he just hadn't felt like looking for anyone else. With the amount of traveling he did it would have been pointless, unless the imaginary new girl was a trader too... and those were distinctly lacking, as well as unwilling to leave their families. But whatever -- there were more important things to attend to right now, such as the conversation at hand.

What brought him here? Well, that was a question the trader was ready and willing to answer -- but not here. Not properly, anyway. He smiled, running a hand through his hair and offering an uncertain grin. "Well, a bunch of stuff happened, and I ended up at Telgar. Some dragon noticed me and Searched me, and then I decided to transfer on over here. New start, you know. Not on the Northern Continent. Been there my whole life and I guess I decided it was time for a change." Not knowing if he was making the meeting any more awkward than it already was, but desperately hoping that this wasn't the case, Xiro forged on. "How long have you been here? What have you been doing?" He'd come here because of her, mainly -- but why was she here? Raksha wasn't quite so crazy as to travel halfway across the world purely for the sake of adventure, although adventure was certainly high on her list of priorities if he remembered correctly. Maybe he had her pegged all wrong. Maybe it had just been way too long since they'd seen each other. Perhaps he'd forgotten some important things -- and perhaps not.

Overthinking things again, the dragon candidate hastily shoved the thoughts out of his head, as well as the ones that insisted he say meaningful things, instead of the small talk he was shoving in Raksha's face. By necessity he was a master of discretion -- it was something you needed to have if you were going to live very long on the road. Not that he was on the road, or ever would be again, it seemed. Maybe one day he'd be able to travel around again... and he hoped that day was relatively soon, but held out no real hope for the prospect. Not until and unless he had a dragon, and Xiro had never dreamed of being a dragonrider outside of idle curiosity. Time, he supposed, would tell whether he was actually meant to ride one of the flying beasts or not.

[Alexias]

A mere minute after the blue dragon had made it's retreat back with its rider to Telgar Weyr, another dragon blinked out of between. This one was no blue, its golden hide catching the bright rays of sunlight and reflecting off of the telltale, metallic sheen.

There was no denying the Weyr was beautiful. Despite all her trepidation at coming here, and what it meant for her and Chemith's future, she was not sorry to see the place that would be their home for many Turns to come.

It is a very suitable Weyr,[/color] commented the tiger-striped gold, turning her head this way and that to get a better look at their surroundings. She spotted a draconian form below, and turned her head to look at hers. There is someone below.[/color]

Who was it, then? She felt a feeling not far from discomfort. She'd only just arrived, but there was no way that they had not been seen. Chemith was a large gold, and at two Turns while she was not sexually mature she was just about full grown. Her flight was not for another turn, than Faranth. She had so much to do, that she didn't think she could have dealt with a flight. Chemith was going to be playing proverbial clutchmother to an entire clutch of eighteen eggs not even her own. She hadn't wanted this. Yet here she was, having been sent here because, wanted or not, it was most certainly needed.

Chemith angled her wings for a downward glide, lower and lower, in a spiral that gave them time to look while not looking as though they were taking their sweet time to land. Sooner than she wanted, though, they did land, a respectable few feet away from not only the other goldrider, but a young man who looked around their age. They were so close to her own age, and yet why did she always feel Turns older than her peers?

She needed to make a good impression. Needed this first meeting to go well. She wished it had just been one other person, and not two. Did they have a dragon? If they did, it wasn't here with them on the ground. She remembered that it was impolite to look down on people, and deftly undid her riding straps, dismounting Chemith and landing lightly on the grassy surface of the Weyrbowl.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting," she began, trying to remember to look at both, and not just allow her curiosity to keep her gaze focused on the other young woman. What kind of person was she? Was she lazy? Studious? Easy going? Stuck up? She hadn't liked the idea of coming to a place where she knew no one. Women were harder for her to socialize with than men most of the time. Not always.

Of course you are not. They would tell you so if you were,[/color] Chemith insisted, trying to make hers as calm inside as she looked outwardly.

Raine offered a hand to the marginally younger goldrider, and said in a perhaps-too-formal tone of voice,

"Raine of gold Chemith." She wasn't sure what to add to it. Wait for names, and she couldn't shake both their hands at once, so perhaps she should have shook the young man's first? Did it seem she was showing favor to the girl, simply because she was a girl? Shaffit, she hated first meetings.