At noon in the Weyr, when the sun made shadows just around the bases of the mountains and just around the feet of those who were out and about, three large dragons appeared suddenly above the Star Stones. They flew in an odd triangle formation, with the smallest at the front and the two larger ones in the back.

Anyone looking up would have seen that there was a green dragon leading the pack. She was small--and being a green, that was saying something--but she had been chosen to head the triangle because she was the most maneuverable, and it had been a long flight. Her rider was a woman with short black hair.

A medium-sized bronze flew close behind the green. His muzzle bore darker brown marks, although they seemed to be natural and not the work of Threadfall or some other accident. His rider was a man with deep scars in his dark skin. Since only one rode the bronze, that dragon also bore the group's baggage. It was nothing to the bronze, who outweighed them all by a landslide, but nevertheless, the trunks and bags he bore were numerous.

Bringing up the tail of the party were a small brown dragon and his rider, a man with fiery-red hair in a ponytail. Behind him sat a fourth passenger, a young woman who seemed to be screaming at the top of her lungs. The red-haired man had an expression on his face that was a twisted mixture of disgust and pain.

As they made to land to one end of the Weyr Bowl, the few who were there turned interested eyes towards the party to regard them. The girl finally stopped screaming, and started to pant and gasp for air instead. She was clearly the odd one out of the bunch--her three fellows were much older, in their twenties or thirties at least, and bedecked in dragonrider gear. The girl was probably around eighteen Turns old, and she wore a ridiculous outfit of voluminous skirts, a fancy blouse, a fine hide vest, and a scarf that had miraculously stayed on for the duration of their flight. She stayed on the brown dragon, clutching at his back as she trembled. As the three riders dismounted and gathered around the brown, he turned whirling, pleading eyes at them.

//Get her off me...//

L'ricor, his rider, grinned apologetically. "Sorry, fella. We've got to figure some things out first." He turned back to the other two, who were looking around the Weyr in awe.

"Do you think anyone remembers us?" A'breeq asked quietly.

His red-haired friend shrugged as their female friend seemed to shiver. "I hope so," L'ricor said. "That's why we came, isn't it?"

They were all silent for a while, save the girl who still sat on L'ricor's brown Jiraljith. She now seemed to be crying, although it was a fake sort of high-pitched crying, the kind that little children employ to get sweets from their parents. "Why did we take her, again?" mumbled L'ricor, wincing. "She cost us an extra two hours in Izvand, she's got more stuff than either of us could carry, and I think she left bruises around my waist." He massaged his sore middle with a frown.

"Asaujarth said she was dragonrider material," A'breeq said simply. The bronze blinked balefully at them. "He's a better judge of character than I am, and I trust him. Besides, her father says that he taught her all he knows about running Izvand. If she becomes a Junior Weyrwoman--" L'ricor scoffed, "--that knowledge will be put to good use."

He was interrupted by a shrill shriek from the girl, and both men turned sharply to look. She had dismounted Jiraljith and was now inspecting the many trunks that were bound to Asaujarth with thick ropes. She was holding up a loose and empty loop of rope and sobbing.

"One of my trunks is gone!" she cried, stamping her foot. "It had all of my shoes in it! Do you realize what my father had to pay for those shoes? And now they're gone! They're all g--"

"Would you please be quiet?"

It was the first time that the woman in the group had spoken, and they were all so surprised that they fell silent. The woman adjusted the straps on her green Lamorath as she said, "You'll only need one pair of boots, and the Weyr can provide them for you. You shouldn't have brought so many to begin with." The girl looked as if she was going to start screaming again, but thought better of it.

**Will anyone remember us?** The question filled Aubria's heart with a horrible terror, chilling her although now the sun had risen above the hills. She hadn't told either of her companions, but the question had been haunting her day and night for the past five Turns. She would deal with it later on her own, however... Now, there was business to be taken care of.

**Lamorath,** Aubria asked her green softly, **Where is Alesia?** The name came to her with only a bit of difficulty. She had known the Weyrwomen of Tiazora when she was there, but that had been... long ago. And Aubria had Impressed at the same clutch as Limaru, a clutch of Josolith and Asiroth. Iolath was a gold from five clutches later--coincidentally, the clutch that Limaru's gold and A'breeq's bronze Asaujarth had born. She looked amusedly at the behemoth of a dragon while Lamorath searched the awake awarenesses in the Weyr.

//In the Hatching Grounds,// she replied.

Aubria smiled. A new clutch! That was promising, and it lifted her spirits, if only just a bit. **Could you please have Iolath inform Alesia that we are here? Tell her that we can meet her at the Hatching Grounds if it is more convenient. And tell her congratulations, too!**

"Eight, Actually." Alesia murmured behind a piece of wherry steak, gesturing to one that had only just been lain. "Probably a brown, or an impressive blue." But just as she said that, Iolath stretched her neck towards an unseen figure, eyes whirling quickly for a moment in recognition. Asaujarth, Lamorath and Jiraljith are here. Their riders bring a candidate and wish to speak with you. You may go to them, but everyone must leave. I will not have others here without you. And very suddenly, Iolath growled deeply at the crowd, warning all dragons to have their riders usher them out. It was a jarring, instantaneous effect of startled riders urging everyone to leave, and Alesia sighed. How bossy, she was! It seemed everyone was rightfully about to stampede their way out of the Grounds! "Just let them know I'll be coming then, Iolath!" She hastily washed down what little of her meal she had just consumed, standing up and wiping off her simple coppery toned tunic and pants she had hastily donned for the clutching of Iolath's eggs.

"A'breeq,L'ricor and Aubria are here." The names came quickly to her. She had gotten to know many people in Tiazora, practicing her ability to remember names, and daresay she was rather decent at it. Of course, it helped that Aubria's green was a part of the clutch Limaru's gold hatched from, and that A'breeq was the rider of the bronze that sired Iolath. Oh yes, he was definitely one she wouldn't have forgotten. Call Alesia sentimental if you wish, but she held him in particularly good light as something of a father figure because of his role in Iolath's creation. She supposed it was her own craftbred reasoning for it all. "I just need to take care of this... get out of this heat. Oh, do come if you feel you're up to it, L'gan.." But she was in no mood to wait for him, smiling over her shoulder hastily to dissapear into the crowds.

You didn't say goodbye to me.... The queen dragons tone was a very fake sort of unhappy, but Alesia would amuse the dragons whim given the circumstances. Would you like me to come back and do so properly? It's so hard to consider myself away from you when we are close always. Such sentimental blabber would appease the gold this time. No need, just be back quickly. I told Asaujarth and the others to make themselves comfortable, but they won't leave Jiraljith behind. He is carrying much luggage, with a very loud and annoying young woman in tow. Dissaproval darkened Iolath's mental tone. The girl would have to shape up quickly.

The Weyrwoman made her way quickly across the Weyr Bowl, all bright smiles for the three dragonriders ahead of her. "Welcome!" She cheered out to them rather informally, throwing a salute into the air jubilantly as she trotted over. "So good of you to come to Kharasi! I..." She physically doubled back in absolute disgust as the mess of frills appeared from behind the brown, looking horribly exhasperated, red faced, and tear stained. The Weyrwoman had to think fast and screw her face into a false sneeze.

"Ah, excuse me. The sands must have gotten a bit kicked up." She glanced at the trunks upon the bronze one's back. "Is this.. all hers?" The Weyrwoman smiled a bit. "It's a good thing you brought her so soon. It means she'll have much of the day to consolidate everything into one trunk." But she quickly waved that aside, thrusting her hand out to grab the hands of the dragonriders, shaking each with enthusiasm as if she were more the Weyrleader than a demure Weyrwoman. "But yes, so good to have you all here! Iolath is on the sands as we speak, with 8 eggs on the sands, and still clutching! I'm afraid I can't be away from her long, but she allowed me a short while to welcome you all."

**You remember Alesia, Asaujarth?** A'breeq asked conversationally, helping L'ricor unfasten the cases from the bronze's form. **Iolath's rider? The Weyrwoman, for crying out loud! And Iolath is one of yours. You should really keep track of these things.**

//If you say so,// replied Asaujarth, affecting ennui, but his eyes whirled excitedly. His size and attitude had been two large factors in making him unpopular with the other dragons who had remained at Tiazora; doubtlessly he was looking forward to being with a new crowd, led by one of his own children. Asaujarth's pride swelled from his heart and touched A'breeq's own, curving the rider's scarred cheeks into a broad smile.

The smile remained as Alesia approached. A'breeq jumped down from Asaujarth's back to shake her hand, returning her welcomes warmly. "It's good to see a familiar face, Weyrwoman," he said. "We're hoping to see many more as we settle back in." Asaujarth gave a low rumble by way of greeting.

"It's all hers, alright," piped up L'ricor, shaking her hand in turn. "Her name is--"

"Ollyriale, so very pleased to meet you." The girl pushed L'ricor firmly aside and extended one manicured hand and a perfect, snow-white smile. She seemed to have cheered up quite quickly once she realized that Alesia was someone of importance. "Daughter of Valian, Lord Holder of Izvand Hold, doubtlessly you've been acquainted already. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience..." she gestured carelessly towards the large pile of trunks now sitting beside the dragons, rivaling A'breeq for height. "I'll have it taken care of presently."

"Where did that come from?" mumbled L'ricor out of the corner of his mouth, as he and A'breeq stared at the absurdly pompous presentation in awe.

Aubria politely waited for A'breeq to drag Olly out of the way before taking Alesia's hand too, clasping it gently as she spoke. "Congratulations to you and Iolath!" she said, her face forming her first real smile in what seemed like years. "Perhaps after we've settled into our weyrs and I've introduced Ollyriale to the Candidatemaster, we could come by and see the clutch?"

Alesia composed herself quickly, reminding herself harshly just how she should act as a Weyrwoman, despite her dislike of snotty, spoiled children. A broad smile crossed her face, amazingly looking at least like an obligatory smile instead of a forced one. As she shook her hand, she responded. "Weyrwoman Alesia, rider of Iolath. She's.. in the hatching sands right now." A glance was given to the trunks, as if she were regarding them for the first time with a scrutinizing eye.

Alesia had to force herself not to laugh as the young woman was physically pried from in front of her, now shaking hands with Aubria. "Thank you, Iolath is quite proud, and still going strong. I expect it to be a good clutch, and..." Her gaze went blank for just a moment, pursing her lips in a quizzical manner as she spoke quickly with her dragon. ".. I believe Iolath will be so kind as to appeal to a small audience. She had the entire Weyr in a stampede out of the Hatching sands earlier... and she was the one that suggested everyone come to see her eggs!"

A mental snort intruded her thoughts. If you are done berating my decisions, I'll have you know I spoke with Mellanoth and his rider is on the way. A smirk. You are ever so kind, Iolath; performing your duties even in the middle of labor. "The candidatemaster is on her way. I assigned Nako to the job and.." A sigh followed that. "Well, you know Nako. She tries, but she's got the attention span of a firelizard. I'll be sure to have her replaced after the Hatching." Alesia made sure to keep the comments about the candidatemaster low enough so Olly could not hear. The last thing she needed was for the candidates to undermine their tutor.

Olly was far too preoccupied to pay attention to Aubria and Alesia's private conversation. She was now the one dragging A'breeq over to the pile of trunks, talking to him animatedly. Apparently, the appearance of the Weyrwoman had put her back in the mood for dragons--her mood had waned only when the trio had winked into /between/ without advanced notice.

"So which gown shall I wear to the Hatching?" she was asking the bronzerider, who clapped a hand to his forehead. "Luckily I put my gold sandals in this other trunk, because they wouldn't fit in the other one... Ooh, and my gold necklace, too! What do you think?"

"All Candidates wear plain white robes," A'breeq replied in exasperation, and was pleased to see the look of horror on Olly's face. "And hide boots, because the sands will burn right through anything else."

"Well," Olly faltered, "Perhaps they could bend the rules a little... you know... for a Lord Holder's daughter?"

"You can take it up with the Candidatemaster, but I wouldn't count on it." A'breeq smirked and left Olly to fuss over her trunks, then came to stand next to Aubria, who was still speaking with Alesia.

The greenrider was saying, "That sounds wonderful! All I need to do is take my trunk--" she emphasized the singular form, "--up to the weyrs. I'm sorry for not having given advanced warning, but Tiazora is training a new batch of messengers and I didn't trust them to get a message here in time as it was."

A look of concern crossed her face. "And... I only realized halfway through our flight, but... are there weyrs for the three of us?"

Alesia leaned around Aubria to listen to the conversation going on, a rather blank look upon the Weyrwoman's face as this unspeakable horror unfolded in front of her eyes. A look was flashed to Aubria that clearly read 'please shoot me now', but instead, she leaned towards Aubria to murmer in her ear. "Go get some drudges from the lower caverns, and have all her things moved to a storage room to be sorted through. Ollyriale will be down shortly to sort through them." She hastily murmured assuringly. "I'll deal with her. You all go and find an empty Weyr that will suit your needs; they are marked with white over the entrance." A pat on the womans shoulder, and she strode toward the candidate and the other dragonriders.

"I'll take your charge, A'breeq. Ollyriale, would you join me for a walk around the bowl? These kind souls will help take your things down with the drudges to a clean storage room for you to sort through later. At the moment though, I require your company." Discreetly, she flashed the two dragonmen a wink. She'd have to deal with this girl much like she would deal with the Holders. She was after all, that breed. Alesia would have to admit though that other than looks, she hardly resembled her mother, who was a hardy woman unafraid of work.

Aubria nodded, looking at Olly as though she were having second thoughts about having Searched the girl. Nevertheless, she replied, "I'll do that. Thank you, Alesia." She smiled at the Weyrwoman and made for the Lower Caverns.

**Go and find a ledge at an empty weyr that you like, love,** she told Lamorath. **I'll be happy with whatever you choose.** The green rumbled happily, looking forward to the rest, and took off, leaving pale spirals of dust in her wake.

A'breeq and L'ricor happily left Olly in Alesia's capable hands, both of them giggling at the eager look on the girl's face. They, too, sent their dragons off to find weyrs as they followed Aubria, each hauling one trunk.

Olly flashed the men a decidedly superior look as Alesia approached. **The Weyrwoman, talking to me!** she exclaimed to herself, chest puffing out in pride like a rooster's. **And drudges to carry the trunks? Just like home.** Apparently, she hadn't heard (or had chosen not to hear) the part about her sorting through them, but doubtlessly Alesia would correct her on those points in a few moments' time.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to be here," she began before Alesia could get in a single word. "It was nothing but diplomatic lessons for me at Izvand, and I daresay I'm ready for adventure. I do apologize for the scene that I must have been upon my arrival; you see, the rider that I rode with neglected to inform me that we would be entering... ah, what was it? /Between/? And I was a bit shocked at the sudden change." Olly gave a high, musical laugh that showed her years of training in speaking to show one's breeding, please her conversational partner, and pass the time.

Alesia made a note to listen to what the girl was saying, nodding slightly, but still looking ahead as they walked around the bowl, heading towards the feeding pens. They were still a ways away though. She didn't respond to exactly what the girl was saying, but instead spoke on accord of her own train of thought. "It was kind of your family to allow you into my Weyr, Ollyriale. Most Holders don't let their own Blood to lose their ability for inheritance." A gaze towards the great stones ahead that had showed the red star in the Eye Rock turns ago. "Especially with thread still falling."

With that, Alesia finally looked at the girl, a very calm, calculating look. "I believe you have some misconceptions about what this Weyr is about. With being undermanned, along with what is normally expected of candidates and riders alike... you'll find that it is very much not like home." A sweeping gesture was given to some people out in the feeding grounds, wheelbarrow and shovel in tow as they mucked out the area. They weren't drudges.. and only a few were actually of the beastcraft, but wore candidates knots upon their shoulders. "Candidates are expected to pull their own weight in the Weyr, and that often means being given chores that would have been more suitable to drudges.. sometimes with a drudge overlooking their performance." A grin curled her features into something almost wicked, but it softened quickly.

A hand reached out to gesture towards one side of the Weyr, its cliff face surface pocked with holes. "Weyrs. Only Dragonriders recieve Weyrs, for it is a requirement for their dragons to have the space, and is an honor that is earned. Non-riders live in the lower caverns in small living areas, where they have several facilities for bathing and overall maintenance of their needs for their well being. Candidates... are rather low on the totem pole I'm afraid, and will be until they either give up their candidacy, or Impress and finish their Weyrlinghood. Candidates live in barracks, with only a curtain to be brought around their small area, with one cubby at the foot of your bed to place your belongings. Any extra clothing assigned to Candidates because they are lacking will be earned afterward, whether they are lacking because they were poor and could not afford it, or because.. their richer tastes did not accomodate their needs in their new life."

Alesia was now standing rigidly, proudly watching as some blue glided gracefully above them, making lazy circles above. All human life had quickly vacated the pens, which was just as well because the herd was now stampeding wildly. The Weyrwoman merely spoke over the noise. "You will be training to keep this machine of a place running, to go to battle against Thread. Many are injured.. some even die." A flicker of raw emotion overtook her, but she was quick to wipe it away. "Your title means nothing in front of a dragon, and often doesn't. The Blood of dragonmen is what matters, that... spark that the dragons see in candidates." The blue had now dove towards the herd. "Most people with false hope that their breeding means something often realise.. quite quickly.." She paused, waiting, and the blue finally chose its prize, slamming down upon the screaming herdbeast, wrenching its neck back to cause a very audible 'snap'. Alesia played it off quite well, looking toward the girl with a grin despite her own personal revolsion. "They realise.. that their dreams were falling apart into a much rawer, serious reality."

Now it was Olly's turn to listen. It was something she rarely ever did, because the people that came to lecture her about policies and inter-Hold relationships were so boring... but she had a real respect for this woman, even though they had only just met, and it wasn't just because she was the one in charge, either. The characteristics that Alesia possessed that had brought her gold to form a bond with her had come out and shown their true colors in her position of power, and to the young, naive Holder girl, Alesia's sense of graceful control shone out from her like an aura. So although she found herself less and less liking what the Weyrwoman was saying, she listened raptly.

A strange look crossed her face briefly as she realized that she would soon be joining those with wheelbarrows in the fields. Olly understood quite well how to prepare a field for sowing season--she had learned it all through lectures and explanations. But Olly had never done a day's work in her whole life, because although her father controlled the Hold with a firm and sometimes unmerciful hand, he seemed to have wanted his only child to be on his side of the master-worker relationship. It was true that Olly sometimes got sick of being pampered and waited on, and she was actually quite eager to prove herself, prove that she could work as hard as anyone, harder, even! True, she'd never done any work with her hands, but she was well prepared to prove that her body could work as hard as her mind.

Her face hardened, and she blushed with embarassment as she realized that she must have seemed such a fool to the Weyrwoman upon their first meeting. She was used to touting her high class before everyone she met simply out of habit, because the only people she spoke to were people to whom that sort of thing mattered deeply.

Olly watched the blue's kill with a passive face, flinching only lightly when the herdbeast's head snapped back with a sickening crack. The very foundations of her personality were being challenged, and it would take some time for her to adjust.

"...I understand," she said softly, the pompous music almost entirely absent from her voice.

The Weyrwoman's brow raised, for she had very much expected a different reaction. Instead of the haughty yelling and demands she had expected to hear, the girl instead.. almost sounded humbled. The blue dragon looked up at the two curiously, licking his bloody chops before looking beyond them with whirling eyes. Alesia had finally remembered which blue this was, and it looked to the Candidatemaster. It did not surprise her when Nako's voice rang out behind them.

"Oh, there you are! Mellanoth said you were here." The older woman huffed goodnaturedly, grinning crookedly at them both. "Good day, Weyrwoman. I take this is the new candidate eh?" She thrust her hand out towards Olly. "Nako, Candidatemaster, and that's Mellanoth" She looked to the blue with an exhuberant grin. "Don't let his table manners jarr you too badly; messy eaters, dragons are. If you Impress though, I'll personally promise you that you'll never even be physically -capable- of ever regretting it.. er.. erhum.." She cleared her throat oddly, catching the eye of the Weyrwoman that held a glance that told her she was babbling. "So, is she ready to go, Weyrwoman?"

"Ollyriale still needs to sort through her things, which are being stored in the lower caverns. She came to the Weyr... slightly overburdened, so she'll need to sort through her things to find the essentials." Alesia frowned slightly, considering something. "I'll actually come with you two; I need to grab a cot and some other things from storage.. to be near Iolath on the hatching grounds. But, have you any questions, Ollyriale?"

Olly shook Nako's hand with a smile that still glowed with high breeding, but was slightly less saccharine than the smile she'd given Alesia at first. Apparently she was still deep in thought from her conversation with the Weyrwoman.

The prissy, pampered materialistic girl wasn't completely gone, though. A look of mild horror came over her eyes as she realized something. "Um... W-What will happen to the things that I don't need?" she asked Alesia. "I mean, like you said, I'll only keep the... um... essentials... but what about the rest? ...You won't get rid of them, will you?" She began to wring at her flouncy skirts anxiously.

Nako gave a giggle, and even Alesia grinned despite herself, but was quick to respond lest the girl take negatively to their amusement. "Oh, no, we aren't quite that cruel. We are a bit more accommodating about such personal things. You won't have them at your disposal as you would probably like until after you are a candidate... and if you Impress, then not until you are nearly a full dragonrider and when you move into your own Weyr. We will continue to hold it in storage, and anything of extreme value can be sent back to your family for safekeeping.. Most things should be safe in a storage room.. but then again I don't want to be held responsible for any family heirlooms disappearing." Theft seemed highly unlikely to Alesia, but then again she wasn't all trusting either and knew what people were capable of dastardly deeds when temptation lay in front of them.

Gesturing for them all to begin to walk, Alesia initiated the movement towards the lower caverns. "Your blue will be fine hunting on his own?" The Weyrwoman queried the Candidatemaster conversationally.

"Oh, yes; he won't be eating very heavily at all. We're still waiting for Lyriana's green to rise, so he'll.. well.. yeah, you know." Nako hastily finished what she was saying when the Weyrwoman gave her a warning look. It wasn't very tactful to be throwing out the realities of what relationships were like in Weyrs during the first day of a candidate's arrival. After all, the promiscuity of blues and greens and the genders their riders were was a bit jarring to holdbred.

Alesia gave a look of concern to the young woman's attire. "Do you happen to have anything more suitable for work?" She wasn't trying to be condescending now, but slightly worried that she'd have to trouble the Headwoman to find something the girls size. She might end up with a looser fit than she'd like since they had an abundance of slim females in this batch of candidates. Oh, what she wouldn't do for a few men! She hardly thought there would be enough men for the higher ranked males, since Iolath's first few eggs were showing such promise already.

Olly looked a bit flabbergasted at the women's amusement--these were her clothes they were talking about, her clothes! But she smiled once again when it turned out that her things wouldn't be given away during her Candidacy and Weyrlingship. Things were looking up.

She happily joined the Weyrwoman and the Candidatemaster, listening curiously to their conversation with a strange glint in her eye. She didn't know very much about dragons, but she was eighteen Turns, after all, and... well... things like the specifics of dragonflight had a way of getting around, even in the Holds.

She decided to save thinking and personality-challenging and all that for later, since she was eager to be looking through her clothes again. She walked along with a skip in her step, so that her skirts bounced along merrily (this was an art that Olly had long perfected). She looked up at Alesia at her question, and nodded vehemently. "Of course! I wore this for first impressions, but I do think I packed a skirt whose lace is fraying a bit... I suppose that would do. And I even think I have a pair of breeches in there as well!"

(I think we should probably close this for now, open her up to doing other things =D I don't.. really think I want to rp her going through her trunks. lol)

OOC: :P Sounds good. I'd love to have her meet your aforementioned snot-nosed equivalent character, if you'd like to set them up somewhere.