Whether the new Weyrleaders were there or not, the evening party had already started. Ratina had organized things with Tiazora for them to supply a bit of extra supplies so they could afford to throw the small jamboree, but that was between her, the dragonriders that helped her, the headwoman, and the Weyrwoman if she became nosy enough.

Wines, beers and ale were all in supply, both to stoke the high spirits as well as dull the misery some of the bronze and brownriders felt after their loss. Aside from wine, there was plenty of breads to eat if one didn't want to get plastered so quickly, along with fruits, slabs of wherry steaks, and a hearty herdbeast stew along with leftover vegetables from the dinner meal that was so artfully prepared one wouldn't have guessed they were served earlier that day. Already, many were tossing back the drinks and talking excitedly about the day's events. A few people from other Weyrs were there, especially a few Tiazora dragonriders. This was a party for the adults! No one under 16 turns was allowed, since if a dragonrider can fight thread at 16 turns, they can most certainly drink, yes?

Milarth appeared from between in the skies over the Weyrbowl and spiraled lazily down to land near the Lower Caverns to allow Kiara to dismount and grab some food. The greenrider stalked toward the doorway, her nerves frayed. She had spent the day at a secluded beach to prevent Milarth from becoming agitated by the queen's flight, and the lack of sleep and food had worn her patience down dangerously low. All she wanted now was a quiet meal and a comfy bed. But as she grew closer to the entrance, the boisterous laughter of slightly tipsy dragonriders rang out into the night sky. Her eyes widened as she let out a string of choice curses. Naturally. Sensing repressed mirth from her dragon, Kiara whirled around and glared at the lantern like glow of Milarth's eyes which were currently swirled with blue. "Oh shut up! Of all the sharding nights for a sharding party...." She trailed off and sullenly stalked into the caverns, intent on grabbing a plate of food and retreating to the comfort of her rooms where she could sleep off her unaccustomed bad temper in peace.

But escaping that easily would just make life simple, now wouldn't it? Within moments of entering the room, Kiara was swept up by riders proffering drinks, asking for dances, or wanting to talk about that day's queenflight. Evidently that was was the party was organized for. The greenrider groaned and rubbed her temples which were beginning to ache. Barely managing to remain polite, she excused herself from the sober riders and roughly extracted herself from the grasp of the drunk ones. Heaving a sigh of relief as she spotted the food, Kiara darted toward the trestle tables laden with all the delicacies the Weyr could offer. Piling a plate high, she resumed her accustomed seat to eat and observe the antics of those around her, intending to return to her rooms as soon as possible.

Kiskith grumbled about Lyriania going, after all, shouldn't her mine stay with her? Lyriania just laughed, stroking her eye ridges,
"I'm only a thought away love." She murmured, Lil'Bit flew to her shoulder, chirping. Flier was asleep somewhere, Faraneth knew where.
~But.. I don't want you to go mine..~ Kiskith murmured, lying her head on the ground so she could look at her rider better.
"I'm only a thought away." Lyriania repeated, not really wanting to go to the party now. Kiskith giggled
~Go on then mine.~ She muttered, nudging her towards the door.

Sharding dragon, making her believe the poor beast would practically die if she left. Lyriania muttered curses and threats, though wouldn't carry any of them out. The Lower Caverns were noisy for a change.. Party? Why would they-.. Lyriania shrugged, walking into the Caverns, perhaps she could relax.

"Oh come on Acacia!" Tracey whined softly, so what if the girl didn't like her? It would be good for her to get out, come out of her shell a little.
"I don't like parties!" Acacia protested, finding herself dragged along anyway. The girl was really starting to get on her nerves but that never mattered, no-o. Acacia sighed, even as Tracey giggled,
"Oh lighten up. It'll be fun!" Acacia puled a face, she didn't even like the girl and yet the sharding persistent girl had sought her company.

Pulling her grip from Tracey's hand, Acacia shook her head.
"I don't want to keep you from making friends." She murmured, looking back hopefully at the barracks. Her hand was grabbed again, pulling her onward.
"Cheer up. You won't. Besides, you need friends too." She muttered, dragging her along. Acacia sighed, rolling her eyes, gr-eat. She allowed herself to be pulled into the Caverns, a pained look on he face.

"It looks as if someone -needs- their green to rise" Came an amused voice as a boistrous, well rounded woman came up behind the sullen greenrider that was Kiara, setting a goblet beside the woman and promptly filling it with wine. "You've about as much of a pout upon that face as some of the bronzeriders do around here. Don't tell me the inconvenience of a phenomenal, long overdue goldflight that has set everything -right- in this Weyr could get you down so badly?"

The saucy female would of course be Ratina, the mastermind behind all this mischeif. Offering a wolfish grin, she invited herself to sit across from the woman, swirling her own goblet of wine before sipping it, one wineskin propped up on one of her thighs casually.

Kiara grimaced, a surge of fear prompting her to quickly drain her wine goblet. The truth was, she was petrified about Milarth's upcoming flight. D'kar was off assisting another up-and-coming Weyr in the south, and would be unable to return in time for Reramoth to catch Milarth. The green wasn't happy about the situation either, but she handled it with the equanimity most proddy dragons exhibited.

Sighing, Kiara pushed her now empty plate aside. "Iolath may have solved some big problems, but I doubt her flight could fix my foul mood." She smiled grimly. "I've spent the entire day on a beach with a moody dragon and no food. And every time I tried to get some sleep, my sharding firelizards would harass me." She groaned. "And by the looks of it, I won't be getting much sleep tonight either with all this noise."

Ratina gave her a long look at the bleak expression that had overtaken her at the mention of her dragon's flight, quirking a brow, but biting her tongue for the most part. "Weyrmate not going to be around? It's not like a person usually remembers enough about a flight to care." Bah, so much for biting her tongue. She shrugged, as if to say she couldn't help her opinion, and refilled the greenrider's glass.

"You'll get the sleep eventually. If not tonight, then tomorrow morning. I figure there will be plenty of dragonriders here that will need it. Besides, Tiazora is graciously sending us some more drudge-staff, so us dragonriders will be able to actually -sleep- before we have to fight thread next sevenday. I don't think the weather will be freezing it to blackdust this time." Ratina herself was feeling particularly loathful because the wings would probably be modified with a new Weyrleader now, and Faranth knows how their assisting Weyrs will want to impliment their support wings this time. "But -don't- get me started about work, don't let me go a length farther than that because that's what this party is for, to have fun, and to not sharding worry." the bluerider's face was pulled by the wear and tear that all the dragonriders were facing for that brief moment, but she forced it away with one of her wolfish smiles. "Well, since you're not getting much in the way of sleep, you might as well enjoy the party hmm?"

Kiara sighed and drank her second glass a bit more slowly, if no less enthusiastically. "Well, there's not much I can do about the flight, so there's really no sense in worrying. ...I just can't seem to stop." Her mouth twisted wryly. Heaving another sigh, Kiara shook her head as if to clear away any glum thoughts and forced a smile on her face. "But it's true. I won't be sleeping tonight, but tomorrow I don't have any duties. I think I'll be passed out all day. Which means," She concluded brightly, "that I should let loose tonight. Thanks Ratina." She clinked her glass against the bluerider's.

A willowy form sauntered in, stormy eyes glancing this way and that. She had heard about the after-flight party, but wasn't sure if she wanted to attend or not. But after being wheedled by her older sister, she had agreed to come, if only to keep Reina company. Now...where was that Greenrider anyway? She better have not tricked her! Her sister always thought Makea kept too much to herself and was always pushing her to get out among others. Sighing, she pushed back her red-gold hair, pressing her lips into a thin line as she surveyed those here. There weren't too many yet, but she assumed more would soon arrive. Eyes falling to the loaded table, she walked forward, grabbing a bit of fruit and slinking to a wall, wanting to lean against it. She wasn't into drinking too much. It really wasn't to her tastes anyway. She studied the others through lowered lashes, noting their actions and words. Most had come to let loose and just have fun. She supposed that was a worthy cause, certainly. She let a small smile touch her lips. Maybe she could let loose a little too.

The grin on Ratina's face seemed that it would split her cheeks, feeling triumphant that she had the greenrider, probably even influenced by early proddiness (or so she would like to think, hehe) to actually sit back and enjoy what was going on. "And Ratina saves the day once more, one glass at a time" When the glass would be set down, she'd top Kiara's drink off once more, but would't do much else unless asked. No, she wasn't going to get all the greenriders drunk, no matter how much of a wench, and a bluerider, she was.

---

Nako was bustling through the crowd along the wall, a grin on her face, and a simple blue dress donning her figure. No gather fineries for a party like this, but something simple yet feminine for the occassion. In her haste, she nearly ran into a young woman, but an odd mixture of stumbing and twisting made it so that she missed running into Makea, merely grazing her shoulder. "Gah, sorry, didn't see ye there. In too much of a hurry getting to the drinks" A laugh escaped the young woman, but sobered when she realized she didn't recognize the woman. A dragonrider? No no, but a candidate, most likely.

"You a candidate? Seems like we got a lot of the older ones in for some reason. Blame it on Iolath's late rising! The younger pickings were gone." She laughed, being as blunt and tactless as it can get. "But I'm joking.. mostly.. except for the fact that there -are- more older candidates than young. Anywho, I'm Nako of blue Mellanoth, and you are?" A hand was thrust out, eager to be shook in greeting.

Hearing someone approaching from the side, Makea glanced over just in time to see her almost run-in with another woman, who performed an amazing feat of acrobatics to avoid crashing. Straightening herself from the brush, she tilted her head slightly to the side as she studied the woman before her. "Oh, no, it's fine. I shouldn't be skulking in shadows," she said with a small shake of her head, grey eyes considering. At the rider's question, she nodded. Yes, she was one of the older candidates, but she didn't mind it too much. She wasn't sure that, if she Impressed, that she could handle it at a younger age. She took the offered hand, shaking it before giving her reply. "I'm Makea. If you're Nako, that would make you the Candidate Master, yes?" she asked, curious. She had never set eyes on the Candidate Master before, despite being a candidate herself. "Umm, you wouldn't have happened to see Reina of Green Kaseth, would you? She's my sister, and she promised to meet me here..."

"AH! Yes, I am!" Nako let out a peal of nervous laughter, scratching the back of her neck rather sheepishly. "No wonder I haven't seen you. I usually just put the roster of stuff to be done and go back to something else. Well, that's what happens when you put someone like me in such a position.. but that's not to say all blueriders are that way."

"Reina? Nope, I've only just gotten here, I'm afraid. Maybe she stood you up?" She grinned widely to let the girl know she was joking.

((Oh.. someone have mercy on me.. I completely forgot I made her candidatemaster >_< that first post would have been a bit different if I remembered that.. but I'll wing it XD doh.))

Crys was terrified, she had no one to ask for help. And she was cornered. The rider infront of her was so obviously, already drunk. A fact that Crys did not find comforting. She tried to siddle to the side, planning to make a dash for it, perhaps hide behind somone taller. Her plan was folied as the rider put out a hand to lean against the wall.
"And I think my blue could've flown the queen better!" He slurred, Crys managed a smile and murmured something comforting. Again she looked around for an escape route, and none was availible.

Tracey sighed, watching Acacia with bright eyes. The girl was too uptight, too... Serious. She just wasn't normal!
"So... What's the deal?" Tracey asked finally, the girl turned her gaze to Tracey.
"Pardon? I'm sorry I didn't quite understand that." She whispered, dropping her gaze almost immeadiately.
"You're so uptight. Kinda snobby really." Tracey continued, not really understanding that what she was saying could be taken as an insult.

Acacia glared at her, she didn't want to be here and now this girl had the right to tell her she was snobby?
"Well, I'm sorry. Perhaps, if I'm snobby you should find someone else to drag along to parties with you." She snapped, turning and walking away before the girl could say anything else.

Lyra was quite comfortable, louging against the wall, and listening to Kiskith talking to her. All round a very relaxed atmosphere surrounded her. Looking around to see if there was anyone in immediate range she knew well enough to talk to, Lyra kept herself still.
~Why couldn't I come?~ Kiskith whined softly, her voice soft in Lyra's mind.
~Because. Now either cheer up or shush love.~

Setting her glass back down on the table, Kiara took a moment to survey the room. It seemed as if some riders had been dipping into the wine flasks a bit more than the others, judging by the babble of slurred conversations that reached her ears as well as the occasional upset as one simply fell off his bench. She smiled wryly as an overzealous bluerider was put in his place by a fiery green, one of her friends, and flashed the woman a quick, approving grin. Returning her attention to Ratina, Kiara leaned back. "Well, we've heard about my problems. How are things going with you and Forgoth?"

"Same old, same old. I somehow ended up a semi-headwoman of sorts due to the lack of manpower, but I feel that such power will be usurped soon with Alesia now having a bit more time to take care of things, and more drudges arriving soon" Ratina frowned slightly at that, but shrugged it off. Eh, what was a dragonrider if they weren't doing dragonriderly duties anyhow? "But we aren't here to talk about work.. but eegads, that's all that is going on!"

Ratina glanced behind her as the shouting bluerider stopped his shouting at the greenrider abruptly. Only one thing could make a drunk bluerider remember his place. Sure enough, Alesia had walked into the door, casual pant and tunic of coppery tones adorned for the occassion, and a boistrous, grinning bronzerider in tow. Nothing but a harsh look would be given to the bluerider, but something told Ratina that dragon influence might have been used. A few dragons would probably be roused by the queen to tell their drunken riders to behave this evening.

"Frankly, I didn't think Alesia would show up" the female bluerider joked, turning her attention back to Kiara. "Hopefully she won't ruin the party." An applaud had rang into the room as the belated respects were paid to the new Weyrleaders, and Ratina chimed in hastily, more interested in her conversation with the greenrider than formalities. "I hope there's a gather sometime this turn. With all the drama going on, I'll be surprised if we have one locally." Ratina remarked after the applause died down. She was having difficulties talking to the woman, if only because she didn't want to talk about work, and talking about the lack of rising greens that was making Forgoth moody would only unnerve her. Oy. Women can be so delicate to deal with sometimes.

The blue-rider suddenly backed off. She didn't wait for apologies, Crys ducked off somewhere. There was no way she was going to be anywhere around if the dragon-rider decided she'd been good conversation. Crys looked over her shoulder warily, not even realising it when she walked into someone. That is until the girl laughed.
"Gee, watch it." She laughed and Crys flushed brightly. She backed off immeadiately, looking timid.
"I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't s-see you." She mumbled softly, forcing her hammering heart to slow down.

Tracey ran a critical eyes over the other girl. Shards. Another uptight one. Yet... This one just seemed plain terrified. Her eyes darted around, and her posture was taut as a drum..
"Hi! I'm Tracey." She offered enthusiastically, immeadiately thinking that wasn't the best approach. For the girl flinched back and awya from her.
"C-Crysania." She finally mumbled and Tracey sighed.
"Hi, again."

Acacia looked over her shoulder in annoyence. Had she really been that bad towards Tracey? After all, the stunt at the lake had scared the wits out of her, and since then, the girl hadn't left her alone. Could she be blamed for the way she was? Not everyone was as outgoing as the lovely Tracey. Acacia snorted softly, lovely... Yes, when a watch-wher was considered a dragon!