Going On Search

Writers: Avery, Paula
Date Posted: 27th October 2015

Characters: B'jon, Riveenata, F'dal, Lahdran, Herika
Description: It's a Search
Location: River Bluff Weyr, Seacraft Hall
Date: month 2, day 26 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Milga

Denenth was nearly bursting out of her hide. They were going to do
Searches! Without one of the older Search dragon. Just her and Savith.
She turned to regard her rider. }: Do hurry up! :{

**Take it easy and calm down. We might have passangers when we get
back, I want to be sure the straps are secure, ** B'jon soothed her
with an amused tone in his mind voice. He gave the straps few more
tugs. He didn't want to anything to go wrong. "So, what's our first stop?" he turned to ask from his Search pair.

Riveenata had been thinking about this as she secured Savith, who was
antsy to get outside the Weyr and be going. She'd been in weyrlinghood
when the Conclave had declared the new Lord. Surely he couldn't have
changed a lot in 6 months, but then Sunstone had only recently become
a major Hold at all.

"What about Sunstone? I'm curious to see if anything's changed with
the new Lord. And then the Seacraft Hall is right there, so we're
hitting two sites," she suggested.

"Sounds fine to me. Maybe we can stop by at my family's cot hold too.
I would love to see them and perhaps Denenth will pick one of my
siblings," B'jon replied and suggested.

"Sure. Is your family from Sunstone area or one of the other territories?"

"Sunstone area," B'jon replied and mounted Denenth. "Under one of its
minor holds."

Riven swung up onto Savith and grinned over. "Well I don't mind the
stopover. Which do you want to do first, Seacraft or main Hold?"

"Let's go to the Hall first. I've never been there before, just flown
over it," B'jon replied. Signal from him and Denenth launched herself
to the air. He asked then Denenth to pass the visualization to Savith.
He was still perhaps bit overly careful with his visualization.

Savith took the visual and Riven checked it. She gave the hand signal,
then they blinked /between/ to the Hall. She'd only been here during
recognition points drilling, and it seemed busier than it had been.
Some ships in the harbor, and people milling down below. They started
descending, looking for a good spot to land in where they'd be out of
the way.

Feydal was bored and watching out of windows. Sitting on classroom
lectures weren't really a his thing. He rather learned his craft on
board a ship. He spotted the two dragons landing. Usually they came by
ones, unless...and there was news from Weyr that there been a Gold's
Flight. "Dragons coming in, it's a Search!" Feydal whooped. That was
all that it took and whole room full of apprentices were running
outside. Feydal at the head. Being short and slim had some advantages,
like greater speed.

Riven grinned and B'jon when they were both down on the ground.
"Nervous? I want to make sure we get the right ones."

}:I will find the right ones. I got many on the test. You remember.:{
Savith said smugly.

She had indeed scored well on the Weyrlingmaster's test. If that
applied to succeeding outside, this she'd see.

"A bit," B'jon admitted. It didn't take long the get the hopeful
youngsters organized for a Search and Denenth started to sniff out
candidates, or what ever she did to sense the potential. Her best
explanation was perhaps, `I just know it.`

}: That one, but he's too young yet, :{ Denenth was looking a boy around ten.

**Yes, look for ones in right age, those who can go directly to
fighting wings,** B'jon guided her attention.

Savith's head swung towards a group of slightly older boys. }:I see
one. The shorter one. He could be a rider. Do you see, Denenth?:{ she
asked the other green.

Riven pointed into the group. "Could you spread out a bit more?"

The group obeyed her directions and Feydal made sure he was in front row.

}: The one with black grass on his head? :{ Denenth asked Savith. Hair
was a difficult concept to her.

}:Yes, I like that one. And maybe the golden one?:{

**The golden one isn't old enough,** Riven warned her dragon.

After checking through Denenth's eyes, that he had the correct person,
B'jon approached the boy. He was wearing senior apprentice's knots, so
he was old enough to become a candidate. "Congratulations, you have
been Searched. What's your name?" the greenrider grinned.

"Who? Me?" Feydal gaped, not believing his ears. He hadn't truly
believed he would ever got picked up for a candidate, he had just
wanted to see the dragon's closer.

"Yes, you," B'jon smiled.

"I'm Feydal," the seacrafter anwered.

"Do you accept the Search and come to Weyr to Stand for Vilarth's
Clutch?" B'jon asked with formal tone and hold up a Search token.

Feydal thought about, his eyes roaming from dragons to the ships at
port. He never really considered any other path than becoming a
seacrafter like his father. There were no dragonriders in his family
tree as far as he knew. It had never been an option before. Oh, he had
visited Weyr's before, since quite few of them had a port. He had less
than Turn to walking the tables for journeyman. But dragons, become a
dragonrider, who didn't want that? To fly, to fight Thread and share
your mind with one. "I accept," Feydal said and quickly snatched the
token from B'jon's fingers. He grinned. "I wish I could see their
faces when they hear about this back home."

"Where are you from?" Riven asked the new potential curiously.

}:There's another one. Over there. Standing in the back.:{ Savith interrupted.

"What's your name?" Riven asked when she stepped over.

The boy had crossed arms and brown hair. He'd been trying to look
unimpressed by the production of all the dragons and the over-excited
fellow apprentices. But in truth, he was interested in what the Search
dragons meant.

His lip curled when she spoke to him. "Lahdran," he said shortly.

"Savith thinks you could Impress," she said. "Do you accept Search?"

Lahdran hesitated. He didn't think much of who the Weyr had sent; a
woman and a man who thought he was one. Not company he wanted to be
seen with. But if he went with them he'd be at the Weyr, and have a
chance at being a real dragonrider. The salt of the sea and the deck
of a ship was appealing, but so was the idea of being a rider and
flying the skies.

"Okay," he said, holding his hand out for the Search token.

"What do I do now? Don't I need master's approval? I should write a
letter home, wait, I can do that from Weyr too," Feydal was babbling
with excitement.

"Yes, you need permission to leave from the Master of Apprentices. You
can come to River Bluff Weyr with us or we can come back for you
later," B'jon replied him and noticed that Denenth was still scanning
the crowd. Perhaps they could find a third candidate. He wasn't
forgetting the too young ones either. This place was worth visiting
again.

"Okay, it won't take me long to throw my things to a bag," Feydal
said. He didn't own a much, everything could be fitted to a seaman's
carisack.

"When would you come back?" Lahdran asked. He wanted to take care of a
couple things at the Hall first. To say goodbye to some of his
teachers and friends, and also to receive appreciation and prestige
for having been Searched. People had to see and talk about it. And he
didn't want to appear as eager as the other boy.

"Would four days be enough time for you to wrap up loose ends?" Riven asked.

"That would be fine," Lahdran said. He looked over the crowd. "It's just us?"

"I don't have any loose ends, I can come right away," Feydal put in.
"Oh, I wonder what Milga says when she hears. And she lives next to
Weyr. I wonder why she never been Searched..."his words were mostly
unheard by the others.

"Then you'll come with us," she said to Feydal, and then turned to
Lahdran. "And we'll get you in four days."

}:Denenth, do you see any others?:{ Savith asked.

}: There is a girl here somewhere, I can feel her but I can't see her,
:{ Denenth replied, turning her head from side by side and even
craning to see over the crowds heads.

}:A girl?:{ Savith reared up onto her hind limbs for a look, startling
the potentials who had been unwary enough to crowd around her. She
couldn't maintain that for long but it was enough. }:Hiding there by
the door.:{

Riven looked over at B'jon, then started trying to push through the
crowd to see the girl. She had a feeling if they called her out, it
might not go well. This was a male-only craft area. Any girls would
probably be workers or children. That was all the holds and halls
thought girls could do, right?

B'jon nodded to her, letting her handle it. If it was some shy
hold-girl, another woman may had better success to persuade her to
come with them.

By the time Riven had stepped through the people, the girl wasn't
visible. The greenrider cleared her throat. "Where'd you go?" she
called

A girl's head peeked from a door. "I was jus' lookin' I didn' wanna
cause trouble I'm sorry - " Herika blurted, worried she was in trouble.

"You're allowed to look at them. It's okay," she encouraged. She
didn't want to cause trouble with the crafters - was it that no girls
had come out because they didn't know? Or because their families
didn't want them to? If the girl wanted to go with them, she wanted to
take her.

The girl followed behind her to the dragons. }:It's her,:{ Savith said
when they approached.

Riven gave a thought suggestion, and the green shifted slightly to
block people's view. "They say you can be a rider."

The girl flinched. "Da's at sea. He won' like that. I'm s'posed to
marry an' be a Seacrafter's wife." But her gaze drifted up to their
dragons wistfully.

"How about your mom? What does she say?" B'jon asked gently. He had
followed Riven.

"Hey, luv! You could always marry me, I'm a seacrafter. They you could
come to the Weyr with me," Feydal, who was back after finding the master
of apprentices, suggested. He wasn't really serious, just sticking his
nose into things like usual.

"Haven' had a chance to ask," she said to B'jon.

Feydal's offer caught her attention and hope spread across her face
for a moment. To be married but then to not have to _do_ any of the
marriage things... Would it even be valid at the Weyr? That was a
strange place. But she knew her family wouldn't approve. "I dun think
Da'd like that either," she finally said.

Riven handed her a Search token. "This is yours to keep as proof that
you were Searched. I know the watchrider at the Hold. If your mom says
yes, you could take it to him and he would bring you."

"I'm all set to go," Feydal told the dragonriders.

B'jon nodded. "You can ride with me," he replied. "That's Denenth,
she'll take good care of you."

Feydal walked to greet the dragon. "My duty to you, pretty lady," he
said with exaggerated bow. "You're mighty fine looking lady dragon."

Denenth preened under his admiration. }: I like him, can we keep him?
As a pet? :{ she asked her rider. B'jon burst out to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Feydal asked.

"My dragon, she wants to keep you as a pet," B'jon replied.

"Like canine or firelizard? Cool, I'm a dragon's pet!"

The girl slipped away while B'jon and Feydal were talking, her hands
curled around the Search token, holding it to her chest like a
precious thing.

Riven watched her go, lips pressed together, feeling thankful she was
a Weyrbred woman. She turned to B'jon. "Back to the Weyr for drop-off?"

"Yes," B'jon agreed and turned to help Feydal get attached to the riding straps.

Last updated on the November 15th 2015

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Going On Search