The Dining Hall seemed all the more cavernous than usual when it wasn't filled with people. The tall ceiling and stone walls reverberated with the slightest echo, while a few flitters swooped in and out of the entrances. The neatly lined tables were laden with upturned chairs, clearing the floor of any object that would be in the way. Yes, today was the day when those countless flagstones were going to be soaped and scrubbed by some unfortunate Candidates. Woe betide those who found their name on the list for such a task!

Bryore was one of those unlucky few. He wasn't exactly excited about the idea of getting down on his hands and knees for the next couple hours. But, as any Candidate did, he tried to make a good impression by going about the chore without any complaints. The only way to get something done was to do it, or so was his belief. So, the gingery-haired sixteen turn old grabbed a bucket from the supplies closet, along with a brush, and headed towards the Great Hall. He stopped by the Kitchens to fill the bucket with water and then added sweet sand until the bubbles made a foamy surface.

He strode into the Dining Hall, carefully holding the brimming bucket so that it wouldn't spill. Bryore then set it down on the floor and surveyed the work to be done. This is going to be a long afternoon. he thought grimly. Hopefully the others would get here soon so that the whole job could be done quicker. Meanwhile, he would start working.

Dipping his brush into the suds, the Candidate got onto his knees and rolled up his sleeves so that his tanned arms were exposed. The brush scraped at the dirt and grime caked on to the stone after months of not being cleaned. The others had better get here. Heads would roll if Bryore was stuck doing this whole job by himself.

Caeser chirped as Acacia turned the wrong way, like he was laughing at his bonded. Acacia laughed and stopped, glaring at her flit from the corner of her eye. Caeser chirped and launched from the girls shoulder, winking between for a moment.

Acacia let him lead her to the Dining Hall, peeking in shyly.
"Hello?" She called softly, jumping a mile when it echoed slightly. Caeser swooped in, chittering loudly and enjoying the space. Acacia glared at her flit, shards he was embarassing sometimes.
"Caeser, come here please." She muttered, Caeser, again ignored her. Swooping at the tables and chair before landing on the floor and hopping around, he seemed to be showing off.

Acacia blushed, what if someone was in here? Her flits antics were fine when they were alone but Acacia hated attention.
"Caeser, now." She said, a firmer note to her voice. Realising his bonded was serious, Caeser flew back to her shoulder, settling his blue wings. Another glare was levelled at him and he chirped. Acacia stood on the tips of her toes to see over one of the tables.. Hopefully she wouldn't be doing this alone.

Caeser chirped loudly and Acacia sighed; he was so obviously annoyed with her. She skirted around a table and spotted someone, though they were unfamilliar. For a moment Acacia stayed silent, reluctant to make her existence known.
"D-did you want some help? I mean I'm supposed to help." She whispered finally, rolling her eyes inwardly. Shards she was pathetic. Her hand tugged a strand of her black hair, it was a habit she'd gotten into when she was nervous.

Boot heels clacked against the hallway floor as Sylphi walked towards the dining hall. She had seen the chores list this morning, and it looked like she would be scrubbing floors. The thought made her grin. She'd never been able to do that before, and she enjoyed every new experience that allowed her to further herself from the priviledged holder girl she had been.

She had tried to bring her oldest clothes, but she really didn't have any 'old' clothes. Her breeches were made of a tightly woven dark blue cloth. The breeches were tight and tucked down into her boots. A lighter blue tunic covered the top of her frame, with a brown belt wrapped tightly around her thin waist. Sylphi had also put her long, blond hair up in a tight bun so it wouldn't get in the way while she was on her hands and knees in the soapy and dirty floor.

As she hurried forward, her large Green, Sable, flew ahead of her, trilling the tiny girl's presence to the others in the dining hall. The small girl peered around the room before her gaze finally came to rest on a male candidate already at work. She then moved her gaze to the other girl and sized her up before replying to the comment she had heard as she walked in. "If you're supposed to help us, then go ahead and work." she said before following her own advice and grabbing a brush from a bucket of water. She then got down on hands and knees near the boy and proceeded to scrub at the filthy floor.

"Obviously the last batch of candidates wasn't too competent."

Bryore barely glanced up from his work as he heard a flutter of wings entering the Hall, with a voice following. It sounded like a girl, probably one of the Candidates listed to scrub floors as well. Or so he hoped. He lifted his head to get a better look and noticed that a girl of about his same age was standing only a couple feet from him. He was about to answer her question, when another smaller girl entered and spoke instead. Rather pointedly, in fact. Bryore shook his head and gave the first girl a quick smile of assurance, the scar on his right cheek pulled taut by the action.

"If you're name was listed under this job, then you're in the right place. I think there's an extra brush or two in the Supplies Closet. I'm Bryore, by the way." he told Acacia. She was a pretty, dark-haired girl, he had to admit, though seemed very timid. Hopefully the dragonets wouldn't scare her off the Sands come Hatching Day.

His green-flecked, brown eyes flickered to the second girl, who had started working without hesitation. She seemed very energetic about the whole chore, surprisingly enough. Surprisingly, because she looked so small and dainty, like a doll. Bryore assumed this one was at least fourteen turns, though not much older judging by her size.

Obviously, she was a born Holder girl, bred to marry some man of rank. He almost bet that she would start complaining in fifteen minutes or so. Girls like her couldn't take hard work for very long without "breaking a fingernail" or "fainting from exhaustion". He almost started to wonder how she would make it as a dragonrider if she Impressed. Still, she seemed like she had spirit.

Her last comment almost made him laugh. He just shrugged instead. "Just so long as you're competent enough yourself. This floor hasn't been cleaned for a couple months." was his reply as he dipped the stiff bristles back into the solution, then working it into the cold, rough flagstone.

Sylphi discreetly studied her companion as she worked, glancing up at him from the corner of her eyes from time to time. He looked about her age, she thought. He probably though she was young, though. She smiled slightly at the irony. Deciding to get back on track, she stole another glance. His eyes were certainly interesting, she decided. She didn't think she'd ever seen eyes like his, which made her all the more curious about this boy.

Pulling her attention away from his wonderful eyes, she looked to his hair. He had cut his short, and she made a face. She really disliked short hair on a guy. Oh well, wasn't her hair so she had no say. She started to direct her eyes back to the floor when his scar caught her gaze. Mulling over this, she got back to work, scrubbing harder to removed the cake-on flith. It really was disgusting.

All the more wonderful!

Another grin split her face as she reached for the water bucket so she could rinse her brush. The water was already tainted. She realized they would have to change the water often if they wanted this floor clean. At his reply to her comment, she sat back on her heels, wiping a hand across her brow to leave a line of dirt across her forehead. "I am very competent in what I put my mind to doing. So I will do this to the best of my abilities." she assured him before leaning back down to her task.

As she worked, she tried to keep conversation going. "You know, I was never allowed to do this sort of thing back home. It was stifling, you know? Always being told what I could and could not do, and what was proper for a lady of my standing. I'm glad I was able to get away. I get to do so many new things here, and I can even get dirty." She turned her blue eyes back to the floor, moving the soapy water on the stones with her fingers to create dirty swirls.

Her eyes suddenly widened with shock before she snapped her head up to look at the others. "Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Sylphi. What are yours?"

((P.S. Scrub-a-dub-dub, two men in a tub.

It could not be left unsaid XD))

Bryore mostly listened while the other girl talked, stealing a few glances at her every so often. Her hair was an attractive shade of pale blonde, while her skin shared that same pale quality. But her eyes were a distinct shade of blue, a hue that would catch anyone's attention. At that moment, her eyes took notice of his scar. He could tell by the way they locked on to a particular spot on his face. She was probably wondering.

Still, he didn't want her to think that he was ogling or anything. So, Bryore turned his attention back to the bucket, and noticed that the water had gotten filthy by this point. Which was a pity, because barely less than a quarter of the floor had been finished. "I guess even cleaning would seem like something fun to someone who hasn't done it that often. It must have been frustrating being penned up like that in your Hold." he tried to sympathize. Bryore knew that he would've been driven mad if he had been deprived of his basic independence as a young boy.

She seemed like she was trying to make conversation, so he thought he would help by providing a little tidbit about his own life. "I was raised in Fort Weyr my whole life before transferring to Kharasi with my mother, a Blue-rider. I had been a Candidate there since the age of twelve, so I don't see work as quite the adventure as you do." Candidate chores definitely weren't entertaining after four years. He picked up the bucket they had been using, now filled with grimy soap water. "I'll be right back." he stated.

Then she asked about names. He looked back over his shoulder. Sylphi. That fits her, somehow. "My name is Bryore."

Acacia blushed and hung her head at the girls comment, of course. Just her luck to have more bad luck. Caeser dropped a brush in her hands, looking rather pleased with himself.
"If I get in trouble for you swiping the brush. I've already warned you about the meatrolls." She warned, dropping to her knees beside the others, scrubbing the floors. She was used to this kind of work, it was that or learn how to sew... Anyone could guess which one she'd chosen.

Caeser watched her with intrest, tilting his head and chirping at her, pointing out when she wasn't scrubbing hard enough.
"Do you want to do this Caeser?" Acacia asked, her voice alight with amusement, she'd forgotten the others were there. Caeser shook his head, chirping a 'no thanks' and taking off.
"Didn't think so." Acacia murmured.

Acacia jumped as the girl's head, Sylpi's, shot up. She waited until Bryore had finished talking. Wondering.
"I'm Acacia." She whispered finally, Sylpi was a pretty name, perhaps it was something to do with her standing? Acacia shrugged, nothing to it.
"I was raised in Thyra, I can't remember if we ever lived anywhere else. My mother was always trying to get me to be a lady, so I know what that's like. I'm used to these chores, I'm an only child.." She whispered, not about to add to these important people she had no father, didn't know who he was.

"It was very frustrating." she agreed, sitting back on her heels again and sighing. She then grinned. "This isn't quite what I'd call an adventure. It's just...interesting and something new. I'm sure that by the end of our candidancy, I'll be very tired of this." As he stood to change the dirty water, she tried at his name. "Bryore." she murmured, fitting her lips around the consonants and vowels. It was a nice name. As the other girl spoe up, Sylphi turned her wide eyes to the taller, and obviously shyer, candidate. "Acacia." she repeated, smiling. "I'm an only child too. I often wished for a sibling. Did you?" she asked, scooting closer to the other girl, expression curious.

At her next question Acacia had to pause, think about it.
"No." She finally answered, then smiled, "My mother was really controlling, I got away with it because she said I reminded her of my father. Any sibling wouldn't have been so lucky." Acacia murmured, a bit unsettled by her confindence.
"How do you do that?" She asked, then blushed, things were just bursting out of her lately, with no regard... Acacia was becoming alot like Caeser.

Sylphi nodded slightly. "I wished I could have one, since then my parents could focus their attention elsewhere and not on me." she said with a sigh, idly moving the dirty brush from hand to hand as she spoke with Acacia. At the girl's question, she frowned in confusion. "Do what? I just...talk." She hoped the girl would elaborate, because Sylphi really was confused. She glanced up at Sable who was perched upon a table, but the large Green flitt didn't have a clue either. Shrugging, she looked back to Acacia. "Well, no matter." she said, changing the subject. "You have a flitt, right? That Brown one who came in with you is yours?"

Acacia smiled, she'd confused Sylphi, accidently of course.
"You're so confident, that's all." She murmured, as if he heard someone talkuing about him, Caeser flew down to settle on Acacia's shoulder. She sighed,
"Yes, Caeser's mine, I'm guessing that pretty green is yours?" She replied with a question of her own, stroking Caeser's head. The blue crooned happily, tilting his head at the green with a curious chirp.

(Eh...is he Blue or Brown? You confuse me @_@)

Bryore returned, this time carrying a pail of soapy water in each hand. This way more could be done in a shorter amount of time. He set them down on the ground near the girls, his interest caught by the topic they had been discussing. Slowly easing himself onto his knees once again, the boy picked up the stiff-bristled brush and dipped it into the bucket. His hand moved in a circular motion, guiding the brush deeper into the grime.

Deciding to end his silence, the male Candidate threw in his two cents. "I was originally an only child, but my mother is a dragonrider, so I had to be raised by foster parents. They had a whole group of children under their care, so I was hardly alone. It was the same with Candidacy. There's hardly any privacy in the barracks most of the time." Bryore brushed his free hand through his short hair while reminiscing.

As he dipped his brush back into the water for rinsing, he pulled it back out too suddenly. The effect was a spray of suds splattering on both Sylphi and Acacia. Bryore paused in a moment of embarrassment before quickly apologizing, "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I'll go fetch some towels."

ooc:// He's a blue. Sorry about that.

bic://

Acacia laughed as she was splattered with water, not really caring. Caeser chittered in annoyence and scolded Acacia
"Hey it wasn't my fault. you shouldn't have been sitting there." She replied, grinning at Bryore.
"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm not fussed a little bit of soap won't kill me." She muttered, shrugging. She rinsed her brush, going back to what she was doing before, scrubbing the flagstones. Caeser went to sit somewhere else, still scolding her at length.

"What was it like living with other children around?" Acacia asked softly, her curiosity getting the better of her. After all, she might as well get used to talking to toher candidates or she'd end up very lonely. Her sapphire gaze dropped back to the floor, not really expecting an answer. Acacia had to stop for a moment, pushing her hair back behind her ears, she'd forgotten to tie it up. Not that it really mattered.

"Oh, my confidence? I've always had it. Its just..me, I suppose." she said with a grin, then nodded at Acacia's question. "Yes, Sable is mine. My parents bought her egg for me, thinking her egg held a Gold or a Bronze. They were so mad when it was just a big Green. But I couldn't be happier."

She looked up at she heard foot steps and smiled in greeting at Bryore as he came back. She pulled a bucket towards her and Acacia, dipping her brush into the water and scrubbing again. And suddenly she was covered in suds and blinking in confusion. Now, how had they gotten there? At Bryore's sorry, she looked up at him with a wicked glint in her eyes. "Oh, there will be no need for that." she said absently before dunking her brush in the bucket again and purposely slinging soapy water his way.

(Your sig has him as a Brown ^^; )

Bryore felt a jolt of surprise as Sylphi flung the soapy water in revenge. It splattered all over his pants, soaking through to his legs and dribbling down into his boots. The Candidate put on the most serious face he could muster and regarded Sylphi with a "Oh, you did not just do that" look. "How unlady-like." he reprimanded, before his face broke out into a grin, "But since you're wet already..." Bryore swished his brush in the bucket and splattered a larger amount of soapy solution at Sylphi.

His attention was diverted by Acacia's question. He thought for a moment, before responding, "There are some pros and cons to having a lot of siblings. They weren't my true siblings, but the Weyrbrat group is close enough. You're never really alone, which can be both good and annoying." he paused, "Oh, and there's always something going on, whether it's a sibling fight, a prank or some project one of us has concocted." Bryore was caught off gaurd when he used the term "us". He had never really thought of himself as that close to his foster siblings before, and he felt a slight twinge of sadness. That rambunctious bunch wasn't around anymore, but back at Fort Weyr.

He noticed that Acacia seemed a little saddened as well. Or at least, she wasn't as peppy as she had been before. Perhaps she felt lonely? Bryore didn't really know what to do, since he wasn't exactly the sensitive type. "Well, you'll never be alone in Kharasi Weyr. Sylphi and I will make sure of that, not to mention all the other Candidates." he said in an attempt to reassure her, and passed a wink to Sylphi.

Sylphi felt laughter bubbling out of her throat at the sight of Bryore's surprised face. He hadn't been expecting that, had he? All the better! Her laughter silenced as she noticed his new look, and she just knew he was going to splash her again. So she was prepared for the new wave of water, but it was still cold! "And now I'm soaked. I must say, I may not have acted very ladylike, but your gentlemanly ways leave a lot to be desired." she retorted with a sniff, though her eyes were awash with amusement, not shuttered of their emotion for once.

The girl's attention wa also directed at Acacia as soon as Bryore began to answer her question. Yes, a lot of siblings sounded nice, and it made her wish she had some. But no matter, she had the rest of the candidates. By Faranth, she had the whole weyr now! As her name was mentioned, she came back to attention before nodding. Yes, of course. She liked Acacia. The girl was really sweet. However, that could not distract her for long and she was soon considering one of the buckets of water. She wasn't sure if she could lift it, but...scooting over to the bucket, she cupped her hands into the water before forcefully flinging it out in Bryore's direction.

Acacia smiled, at least they weren't ignoring her. She scooted back away from the water, not wishing to intrude on their fun.
"Thanks. I'm really glad I met you guys, I mean you're way better than the other candidate I've met." She murmured. Water was suddenly dumped on her head, Acacia thinking it had been either Sylphi or Bryore, looked up. At the sound of chittering laught, Acacia glared up at her flit. Holding a wet cloth which he'd rung the contents over Acacia's head, the blue was enjoying himself immensly. Acacia glared at him,
"I'm going to get you for that." She warned softly.

Caeser swooped at her, making the girl duck as the flit dropped the cloth in the remaining bucket of water, before grabbing it again.
"No! No Caeser, don't you dare-" Acacia began, holding her hands up, too late. The flit had already repeated the action, drenching Acacia again.
"Alright, fine. Two can play that game." She muttered, smiling at Caeser.
"Come here Caeser." She called sweetly. Caeser, expecting a treat, came down to land infront of her. He squaked when Acacia shook her wet hair all over him, flying off to glare at her.

"The other Candidates you met?" Bryore inquired. So, she had gotten to know some of the other Candidates already. It sounded like they hadn't been too friendly. Well, not every person chosen for Candidacy was easy to get along with. His thought process came to a jarring halt when cold water splashed onto his face and chest. Bryore spluttered for a moment before exacting his revenge. Soap bubbles dripped down his cheeks, forming a frothy beard on his chin.

"This.." he blew at the water dripping off of his nose, "..means war." After his declaration, he cupped his hands in the water and sloshed out a good half of the bucket. But not only did it splatter in Sylphi's direction, but some portion flew directly towards Acacia as well.

Acacia nodded,
"Yeah. I think her name was Tracey or something. She dumped me in the lake." She murmured, squeaking in surprise when water was suddenly sloshed at her. She tried to move away, too late. The water drenched her as well and she blew a wet strand out of her face before laughing.

It was fun to laugh, something she hadn't done in a while. Unless alone with Caeser. She looked at the floor and shrugged. At least it was getting clean...