Something Like Home ((waaay OPEN))

[lastthoughts]

It was unfamiliar.

Joven looked down the row of bunks from his lounging position atop his own. It was not as though he'd never stayed somewhere with permanent bedding before: quite the contrary. Hold lads and ladies, bored dragonriders, crafthall students, they tended to prefer padding to the floors of carts or the solidity underlying a bedroll out of doors (although he smiled to think of the encounters in which he had encouraged them to rethink that tendency).
And during threadfall, his caravan often had no choice but to remain in one place for quite some time. But this cavern, though far from foreboding, was entirely alien in its possibilities.

In the space of a thought, Joven had agreed to come to the Weyr. And why not? It was another new place, another chance to experience, to learn, to find new and interesting people. To provide new diversions.

But he knew that the walls of the Weyr could come to be just as containing as any set of walls. To commit to being a candidate, even if he wasn't chosen, left him here for a long while.

Joven wondered what it would be like, to become truly familiar with a place. To discover where all the passages led, to recognize more faces than not in a crowd, to be made to learn, rather than forcing others to teach. This was so different from what it had become to be him. It was exhilarating. It was terrifying.

Joven pulled three small cloth bags full of sand from his pack, which he'd brought up into bed with him. He began to juggle absently as he thought.
He knew that he would not leave the Weyr unless he was made to. Much as the idea of familiarity was disquieting, there was too much here for him. He would have been an excellent trader, but there was more to the world than that, and all he had to do here was seek it out. His teachers would no longer be transient. No more questions left unanswered because he was forced to move along again.

And besides, he had the chance to become a dragonrider. The wealth of possibilities was in no way lost on him. Usually, his mind spun with visions of profits and gains, whether they be marks, facts, or pleasurable interludes. But this was something else entirely. He wondered how many candidates had come through these halls and considered the same things. What would it be like to impress? Which color dragon might choose him? What would it be linked with another being totally?

What in the world was he supposed to be doing right now?

[brimstone81]

Panthea had heard about a new candidate and was curious. Of course people talked about newcomers, and she wanted to check everything out. She entered the boys bunk room. Naturally it was a bit unfamiliar to her as well, but she had felt bold and came in with out a second thought. She saw who must be the new candidate, juggling? She remembered that J'tan had tried to teach her once, but she could never really do it well.

She had been thinking about the same things he had, about Impressing. She wondered about what color dragon would choose her, if any, and about what it would be like to have a constant voice in the back of her head. Panthea smiled at the thought. She wanted to Impress, and with two flights in close proximity, her chances had to be good. Although she would be standing for a queen egg, and those were rare, she had hope.

Panthea smiled, and finally brought herself to speak. "Hello, are you knew to Ponaa? I am Panthea, candidate."

[lastthoughts]

Joven was not usually easily startled, but between the unusual calm of the chamber, the drifting of his thoughts, and the solid rythm of the juggling bags, the sudden voice made him slip up. He missed one toss and the bag dropped down over the edge of the bed, although he was able to snag the second one that had been in the air before it could escape as well.

Recomposing himself rapidly, he smiled down at the girl unabashedly, and shifted so one of his legs hung off the bed. "Hey there," he said, his voice clearly edged with unreleased laughter. He slid down fluidly off of the bunk and nabbed the little sack off of the floor, gesturing towards her with it. "It's a good thing you came in. I've been trying to drop this for a long while, but I couldn't seem to stop catching it again." His smile grew into a lazy grin that touched his mischievious blue eyes.
"I have just gotten here today. My name's Joven."

[brimstone81]

She laughed at his joke. A candidate with a sense of humor would be an excellent addition to this place. She curtsied to him, and said sweetly, "It is a pleasure then, Joven, and welcome." She smiled and said a bit more seriously, "Just watch out for the candidate master, he likes to enforce the rules and he likes using discipline when he can. But don't worry about it, I'll look out for you."

Of course she was joking just a little. Panthea knew it wasn't bad enough that he'd need some one to look out for him. He'd adapt quickly enough. She looked at the juggling bags and grinned, "Where'd you learn to do that? And for how long?"

[lastthoughts]

((finally baaack sorry to leave you hanging. so happy to have finals done, if you haven't seen my spoutings all over the rest of the site ))

Joven found himself almost shaking his head in disbelief and amusement. Take care of him? Oh dear.

"I'll keep an eye out for him. Wouldn't want to get caught fooling around by the wrong person. Or with the wrong person," he winked. "Don't worry about me, I'm quite charming, you see."
Joven had never been arrogant, but it seemed today was just one of those days where he said whatever popped to the front of his mind. He liked this Panthea already. Seemed like a sweetheart, and curious. He hoped she was a bit prickly too.
Come to think of it, the only type of person he couldn't stand were those with no substance behind them. They were boring to talk to, usually had nothing to teach him, and always, ALWAYS were terrible in the bedroom.
What a great place this was turning out to be.

He tossed the juggling bag back and forth between his hands quickly. "This? I learned it from a little boy when i was about 15 turns. I think I was trying to impress his sister. If memory serves, she spent more time laughing at me than being wowed by the balls that kept dropping on my head." He decided not to go into the rest of the story. Perhaps some other time.
Or not.
He found himself wondering whether she was holdbred, but didn't really want to ask. Instead, he said "Would you like me to show you how? "

[brimstone81]

Panthea smiled at his immodesty. It seemed obvious to her that he had been joking again. Well he'd liven things up around here. When he winked at her, she had to stop herself from giggling. It would never do for her to act like a crushing girl. She was eighteen turns now, it was not an age to be so foolish around a boy with wits and charm. So the candidate just smiled back at him winningly.

That's when he started to juggle again. Simple things like this always amused her. It wasn't a spectacular and expensive to do, but she liked watching him juggle. She wished now that she had such talent for things of that order. Then when he told his story, she couldn't help herself and giggled girlishly. "Oh, of course, a girl was involved. We of the fairer sex always seem to be a motivation to yours. I should think she would be amused!"

Then when he offered to show her how, she looked blankly for a moment, "Well. . . I couldn't possiblly. . . I don't know how. . ." She smiled, and threw her hands. "Why not? If you can teach me, I'd love to learn."

[lastthoughts]

As always, making someone smile and laugh gave Joven a feeling of real pride. Accomplishment? Or was that happiness? He was never actually sure. But it did feel good in some way, and he was always up for that.
The fairer sex, eh he thought with amusement, well, close enough. His exploits did tend to revolve around people, but he'd never really cared who.

His expression lost some of its lazy smoothness when she said she wanted to learn to juggle. He looked as genuinely delighted as he felt. Or anticipatory. Or erotic? Intense? Excited? He was horrendous at having emotions. Or at least at knowing what exactly it was that he was experiencing. There was something just the tiniest bit off in him yet; a creeping dull cold that he still had to squelch every day. It didn't stop him from having a good time, rather, it fueled those desires to act and generally be.

"Fantastic!" he said, " I have to warn you though, it goes a little bit slowly at first. I thought the boy was making a joke of me when he told me how to get started." Joven handed her one of the bags, dropped one to the ground, and then began tossing one methodically back and forth between his hands. He paused for a moment, catching the ball. "Say, do you think there's somewhere else we could go to sit a bit more comfortably? I'm afraid there wouldn't be enough room above the bunk for teaching this, and stone gets hard after a while. It's nicer if you can sit and practice, you see."

It would also get him a chance to get out around the Weyr a bit more with someone who knew where they were going. It was a bit embarrasing to keep ending up down the wrong corridor. Joven had a decent enough sense of direction, but, well, the Weyr was enormous.

[brimstone81]

"Slow is good." Panthea said softely, and then grinned, "Nothing to make me look too horrible now."
She looked at the bag a momnet and tossed it up a few times with the same hand. Then she watched him and mimicked Joven. She tossed the bag from hand to hand, though not perfect, nor was she fast. When he caught the ball, she tried to but had not been expecting it so in the end she dropped the bag. She bent down to pick it up as he spoke. Panthea looked up at him, thinking. When she stood, played with the bag absent mindedly as she tried to think of a good spot for juggling practice. "Well, there is the lower cavrens, however, its usually bustling depending on the Head Woman's daily schedule. There is the Weyrhall, usually filled with riders and the such looking for food. There is the Weyr bowl, might get to see a dragon flying in. The Hatching Sands will be off limits now that there is a clutch. (Since this is after Zhar's and before Sharieth's clutches.) Other wise I'm not too sure on where else to go."

[lastthoughts]

"Well, how about we head up to the Hall," Joven said, "Just in case I keep getting hungry."
He smiled. It was good to already have found someone to hang around with here. At the very very least, it would help him keep on top of what he was supposed to be doing.

"Now...which way do we go?"

((Sorry for the crap post. My life has ended up ridiculous for some reason. I'm working on it ; p))

[nightmare]

Whith nothing but the clothes he had worn and the sword on his back, Isyc had arrived. He still wasn't completely clear on everything, and though he already missed his home, sick with fear as to what was going to happen, he had to make his da' proud.

He opened the door to the boy's barracks, and was a bit surprised, though without good reason, to find others here already.

"Oh... Sorry... This is the boy's barracks for the Candy-dates, right?"

[brimstone81]

Panthea turned at the new voice. She did not recognise this kid either. Well, she could just give them a tour. He looked surprized when he walked in and Panthea wondered why for a moment. Then she figure it was because she was a girl and he had thought he was in the boys barracks. She smiled softly, "Yes, that's right, I just sort of wandered in. You're at the right place."

[nightmare]

Isyc's eyes brightened and a grin spread across his face. He walked in, quickly ruffled the hair on the back of his head, and gave a quick bow. "Thank you, miss. I'm kinda knew to the whole dragon thing. Umm... Where can I put my stuff?"

Though Isyc didn't really have any "stuff" with him, he didn't feel like carrying a sword on his back was the smartest thing to do.