Just a Little Test

Writers: Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 22nd August 2013

Characters: Cyradis, J'ackt
Description: Cyradis meets the newest Candidate
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 19 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: N'vanik

Cyradis

J'ackt

Fingering the new knots of his shoulder, Jenackt made his way away
from the very noisy barracks. It wasn't as bad as the cot he had been
sleeping in, but he still felt closed in. Running a hand though his
hair, he made his way to plop down in the shade beneath a tree and
then stretched out his legs. Shards, his life was changing far too
quickly.

"Those are fine knots there candidate," a small woman smiled from the
shade of another tree nearby. Her own knots were laying on the ground
beside her invisible in the pile of clothing she'd stacked while she'd
been swimming. She liked to dry after a swim in this spot as you could
see across most of the Weyrbowl but at a remove that made it feel
something like solitude.

His head swiveled to regard the woman and then back down at his knots.
He gave a slight shrug, but his eyes couldn't help but notice the
bathing suit. In the back of his mind, he suddenly could appreciate
certain aspects of Weyrlife. He cleared his throat. " Won't be wearing
them long."

"Oh?" A small smile twisted the corner of her mouth. "And why's that?"

"Only going to Stand once." He replied, his voice firm with
conviction, but not out belief that he'd Impress. N'vanik had agreed,
and Jenackt figured that agreement at least satisfied some of the debt
that he had accrued for the care the Weyr had given him. He had
quickly figured out that despite the loneliness he had felt when
living on his own, the need for other people, that he was ill suited
for life amongst them. It was one thing to imagine it, and quite
another to experience it.

By now she was fairly familiar with the riders and workers at the Weyr
and they with her. But it was obvious he didn't know who she was so he
must be a new arrival. "Are you the young man they found injured?"
She'd only seen him once when she'd visited the infirmary and he'd
been out of it at the time. "How are you feeling?"

Instincts instantly told him to be wary of more personal questions,
but he'd been asked that question several times. Instead, he just
nodded. "Yeah." He glanced down at his leg, still sore, and still
healing. "I'm doing better."

"Well that's good to hear," she smiled. She found it interesting that
he hadn't asked her a single question yet. Clearly meeting new people
wasn't part of his socialization skills. Perhaps it was because
questions so obviously made him uncomfortable he assumed the same
applied to others. "You know, I felt really out of place when I came
to the Weyr. It wasn't this one of course," she smiled into the
distance. "But I understand."

He turned to look a little more closely at her and his eyes twitched
to become slightly more narrow. "Understand what, exactly?"

"Why, what if feels like to be an outsider in a place where everyone
else seems to get along." She said in her lightly lisping contralto
but she didn't look at him. "It's lonely. But a dragon changes your
whole world." She smiled softly with her own memories. "I hope yours
finds you."

His lips thinned. Was he that easy to read? Shifting uncomfortably, he
stared at her and then snorted. "I doubt it. Like I told the
Searchrider and like I told N'vanik, I'm no rider. And I'll be fine."
He'd Stand, repay his debt to the Weyr and then find somewhere quiet
and wooded. Somewhere he felt normal again.

"So you're going to Stand once but you don't think you'll Impress."
She looked at him curiously. "So you say you're no rider, but do you
want to be?"

Why was she asking so many questions? Wariness in him rose higher as
his jaw twitched. "Not the type to be." In truth, it had never been an
idea to occur to him until the Searchrider had literally sprung it on
him. He still wasn't fully accepting of the idea, despite N'vanik's
insistence and that dragon's. Whether or not he wanted it...He gave a
mental curse. He was so used to thinking about where he was getting
his next meal and if his next day would be his last. Instead of giving
a clear answer, he shrugged.

Cyradis chuckled. "You must have an odd idea of the 'type' of people
dragons choose." She looked out at the water and knew Panitath was
lurking just below the surface where she'd been playing with the
dolphins. "Because you know it _is_ the dragons who choose." She
turned to look at the obviously uncomfortable young man. "You have
something. Something that interested the blue who noticed you and you
have no idea how rare that really is. It's like a talent for singing
or working with beasts."

About to reiterate that the dragon had made a mistake, he suddenly
stopped, his gaze sharp. "I didn't say anything about a blue." He rose
slowly. "Who are you?"

She shrugged undisturbed by his obvious suspicion. "Blue's are the
usual search dragons." She stood herself and brushed off before
picking up her towel. She tilted her head and looked at him with a
smile. She came barely to his shoulder. "I'm Cyradis," she said. "And
that," she point to toward the water where her lifemate rose up in a
cascade of water. "Is Panitath. Want to help me oil her?"

Oh of all the sharding.... Jenackt stared at the little woman, eyes
going wide before he took a quick step back. First N'vanik took an
interest now the bloody Weyrwoman? That was all he needed. Spouting
off mental curses at his ill luck, he fought the urge to bang his head
into the tree's trunk in frustration. But that was before his eyes
swung to Panitath. He had thought the blue was large, but this
dragon....he swallowed roughly. He'd never seen a gold up close, and
though she wasn't exactly looming over him, she was close enough. And,
he had to admit, she was beautiful. But he had heard tales of golds.
Stories, really. They could tell if you were lying, some said. They
knew things. His face paled. He couldn't risk it. "Uh...no. No thank
you. I've got to go."

"Are you sure," Cyradis asked hopefully. "She has a terrible itch at
the top of her shoulder where I can't easily reach and she thinks a
tall person like you could take care of it for her." Cyradis held out
a paddle and some oil that seemed to appear from nowhere. "She'd be
ever so grateful you know, and golds don't forget things the way the
other dragons do." Cyradis did her solemn best impression of a maiden
in distress just to see if she could get the boy to open a tiny crack
in his armor.

Jenackt shifted on his feet, the expression on the little woman's face
disarming him. He wanted to refuse outright, but if he could get the
gold to owe him in a way, or maybe like him, it could do nothing but
help...just in case.

He glanced at the gold, then back down at the paddle. "I don't know
how." That was the truth; he'd never even attempted to oil a dragon,
much less climb on one. "She's not going to...you know...get in my
head like the other one did, is she?"

"A dragon spoke to you?" Cyradis gave him a startled look. "That is
very rare and usually an honor. Though I can see you didn't think of
it that way." Her eyes drifted a moment and then she spoke again. "No,
she promises not to intrude."

Then she walked toward the supposedly offending front leg and with the
paddle spread some oil as high as she could reach. Of course Panithath
was playing the game with her and didn't lower her bulk at all as she
would have normally. "See? Like that. Right up there at the top." She
pointed up at a spot about the limit of the boy's reach.

He blinked at her startled look. "Yeah. When I was Searched." He then
turned his head to the queen. At least she had promised. Dragons
didn't lie...did they? His brow furrowed as he took a hesitant step
towards her. Carefully taking the paddle, he looked up at where
Cyradis pointed and took a deep breath, then climbed to the point and
stretched. His leg twinged for a moment and he grimaced, but pushed it
aside. Moving carefully, he did as Cyradis had done, spreading the oil
over the spot with quick, precise movements.

"She said that feels much better," Cyradis told him. "And thanks you."

Panitath blew a soft breath as if in agreement. Then she curved her
neck so her head hung hear her rider and Cyradis reached up to scratch
an eyeridge. Whirling eyes closed in pleasure and Cyradis smiled
gently. "I thank you too."

He climbed down quickly and thrust the paddle back at Cyradis,
uncomfortable with the ease of affection between the two.
"Uhm...You're welcome."

She just smiled as she watched him bolt. **Interesting young man.**

}:What was the point of that?:{

**Just a little test** Cyradis picked up the oil. **Now let's do all
of you,** she smiled.

Last updated on the September 7th 2013

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Just a Little Test