You'll Be Happy There

Writers: Devin, Paula
Date Posted: 24th March 2012

Characters: J'kri, Sh'lua, Kisaline
Description: Jykri is searched from Amber Hills Hold.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 6, day 12 of Turn 6

Excitement went through the Hold like electricity. "A Search dragon!"
Jykri hurried out with the other youngsters to line up. He stared at
the blue. Dragons were a more common sight since the return of Thread,
but he was still amazed every time he saw one.

Galerith landed with extra flourish to the hold's courtyard. **Show
off,** Sh'lua murmured with fond tone before dismounting. Galerith's
attention was on the crowd already.
"Greetings, good folks. I'm Sh'lua and I'm Search rider!" the
bluerider greeted everyone generally.

One of Jykri's sisters nudged her way in beside him. "You made it this
time," Kisaline teased. Last time he'd been down in the archives and
missed the whole thing.

"Couldn't miss a Search dragon twice in a row." He flashed her a grin
and turned back to the dragon.

Galerith was already sizing up the people gathered around him, while
Sh'lua handled the formalities with the Headwoman. She was always so
polite and distant, made the bluerider wonder if she secretly disliked
dragonriders.

Jykri spotted some of his other sisters farther down the line and
tensed as the blue reached the first of them. He wasn't sure if he
wished for them to be Searched or not.

Galerith spotted few so-and-so cases and they both agreed not to
Search them, too young.
The blue moved to sniff a lanky, brown haired boy.

As the dragon loomed close, Jykri held his breath. **Could I be a
dragonrider?** Or even if he was just Searched and didn't Impress ...
would the Weyr be a better place for him?

]: This one;:{ Galerith picked the boy it with confident tone. Sh'lua
didn't even bother to ask if he was sure.

"What's your name, lad?" He asked the boy, leaning against Galerith's
leg with relaxed pose.

"Jykri," he answered, his heart beating faster.

"Congratulatios, Jykri. Galerith here things you'll make a wonderful
dragonrider," Sh'lua grinned, straightened and offered his hand for a
shake.

"Me? Really?" Jykri's head spun as he shook the rider's hand.
Excitement filled him at the realization that he'd been _chosen_. Out
of all the youngsters at the Hold, only a few were Searched, and he
was one of the few.

"Yes, you," Sh'lua grinned again. He just loved Searches. "Do you
accept it?" he asked with more formal tone. After all, they did have
right to decline.

Reality hit him. Accepting meant leaving his family. Jykri looked at
Kisaline. "You should," she said. "You'll be happy there." She gave
him a meaningful look. Jykri had confided to her his attraction to
boys as well as girls. And not just that, but the Weyr would be a new
and exciting place, with lots of things to learn.

Jykri swallowed and looked at the Searchrider. "I accept." Although he
would miss his sisters terribly. He'd have to try to visit whenever he
could.

"Welcome to the Weyr then. That just leaves the practicalities. Do you
want to go with me now, or should I come back for you later?"

"Could you come back tomorrow?" He wanted to say goodbye to his
family. Oh, and he need to ask his father.

"Of course I can. Where do you live, or do you just want me pick up
from here?" he asked, and gestured towards the courtyard.

"Here is fine." He didn't know where else a dragon would fit, and it
wasn't all that far from his family's rooms.

"All right. I'll me here tomorrow, right after Noon," Sh'lua said. "If
you happen to have some friends who weren't here today, you might want
to tip them," he winked.

Jykri nodded. "I'll tell everyone, sir. And I'll be here." He could
still hardly believe this was happening!

Sh'lua dug into the pouch in his belt and pulled out wooden disk.
"Here, you need this tomorrow. It's the proof that you're legitimely
Searched. Give it to Weyr's headwoman when you report in to her.
Without it, just anybody could walk into her office and claim they
were Searched." He handed the token to the boy.

He looked down at it for a moment before clutching it tight. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome," Sh'lua replied. "We'll see tomorrow."

Galerith was already looking for more candidates from the crowd.

Last updated on the March 27th 2012

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You'll Be Happy There