((This is a freestyle lesson, which means it's very relaxed and as long as people are practicing then they're fine. This is a lesson about Weyr etiquette, and people are basically going over notes and diagrams and practicing scenarios. This is a lesson they have probably two to three times a week along with other rudimentary things. I don't know about you guys but I don't know much about Weyr etiquette myself but I guess it's mostly about how to address certain ranks, how to salute and how to tell certain knots from one another. Feel free to guess around with it, or not even address specifics. This is mostly a chance for characters to interact.))

C'ben was seated in the large desk on the end of a large room within the lower caverns, sitting back in a relaxed manner as he looked over his own stack of hides that would be his wing assignments for the rest of the month, along with the many footnotes that had been written about general Weyrlife.. something of a Weyr news journal, so to speak... just something to pass the time until someone had a question for him. Overall, everyone was understanding the material and speaking jovially with their classmates about the goings on. It was actually a little early for classtime, but he'd opened the doors early for a few people who wanted to get extra time in.. especially for a few people that might have missed a class due to dragon injury or constipation. Whenever he heard someone getting off-track though, he was quick to look over his hides with a warning stare.

------

Zaela had made her way into the classroom early herself, but mostly because she thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Weyr culture. She had been well versed in how to approach many ranks including dragonriders, but now she was a completely new rank, living in a new world apart from holdlife. She was fascinated by the strict lines that seperated many, but also by how very lax it was compared to Holdlife. There was no competition of rank to speak of, but instead a buzzing hive of people working together within their given or earned rank.

Working feverishly, she took her turn at one of the large tables, writing down on her hide scraps notes from the great hidebound book for her own uses. Being raised to be a demure, quiet woman hadn't killed her need to learn. Her life would have been simple if she hadn't Impressed; that of a woman married to some man and nothing more. With those shackles taken off she now was open to a great world of knowledge, and this refreshed and delighted her.. especially when it came to social nuances, which she'd always had a fascination for. Sometimes she pondered over this. That was probably why she always loved to play the social game within the Hold, acting a certain way and conforming to a certain stereotype. Now though, a new identity was forming, that of a dragonriding woman, and she was fascinated.

((haven't we all had a teacher/professor like C'ben?? lol Oh, and if I have the time I might write up a lecture for this lesson, but right now I just want people to get the opportunity to rp with one another.))

Z'per wandered into the room, his brown eyes still slightly dulled with sleep and his hair tousled from the hour nap he had managed to grab between his Weyrling duties. He could have slept in for at least half a candlemark longer, but he knew he needed the extra practice in their latest lessons. Z'per had always been the type that virtually inhaled knowledge... given the fact that it only took a short time to learn. Weyr etiquette, on the other hand, was a complex weave of salutes and shoulderknots and Faranth knew what else. It was fascinating, in its own way, but Z'per found it immensely difficult to concentrate after only an hour or so of studying. Thus far, he knew the rudiments of addressing Weyrleaders and wingleaders, and how to tell rider knots apart, but anything beyond that he had trouble staying focused long enough to remember it. It also didn't help, he reflected ruefully, that Obluth sent an almost continual commentary of anything that caught his attention. The blue had yet to learn discretion when he communicated with his rider, so Z'per was subjected to a stream of chatter about this dragonet or that firelizard or that big thing over there that I don't know what it is but wooooow!!

He sighed and plopped heavily into a chair, knocking over the one next to him in the process. He flinched as C'ben flashed him his famous level stare. "Sorry!" He apologized hastily. Setttling back in his seat, Z'per shoved his hair out of his eyes and began the arduous task of rote memorization. After about 15 minutes, he lost concentration again and instead began to examine the room. A few seats to his right was Zaela, a pretty greenrider a handful of Turns older than he. He discovered with surprise that she was deeply engrossed in her lesson. He wondered idly, not realizing that he was still staring blankly, how she could stand to study for so long without being distracted. Her dragonet must be quiet.. He thought with a wry smile.

Zaela was working hard on her notes and had a great amount of them already copied in neat, small handwriting on the scraps of hide. She'd gotten the portion of notes she needed on hand signals and salutes and picked up her scraps, blowing on them gently to let the ink dry. It was then that she'd notice Z'per, a bluerider notorious for his clumsy nature, staring in her direction. Was he speaking with his dragon? She paused and watched him for a heartbeat before realizing that maybe.. he needed help. Misinterpreted as it was, she wouldn't know any better as she picked up her things and smiled warmly towards the young man before walking towards him.

"Hey, you needing help?" She set her things down on the table and pulled out the chair across from him, sitting down in it.

Z'per blinked and flushed as he realized he had been staring. He hastily started moving things around on the table to give Zaela more room. "Um, I dunno. I guess so. I mean, I'm certainly far from mastering of this stuff." He shook his hair out of his eyes and smiled. He was glad Zaela had approached him. Most of the other Weyrlings hadn't gone out of their way to be particularly friendly to him. He glanced down at her notes, silently marveling at how neat and small her handwriting was. He surreptitiously slid his messy, doodle-filled notes under a clean scrap of hide. "How do you stay so focused?" He inquired curiously.

((lol, he's so cute!))

Zaela smiled kindly at him, taking note that she'd caught him somewhat off-guard.. then again a slightly frantic overtone to his movements weren't anything new from what she'd seen of him. Ah, but that was a minor assessment of the lad, and it was pushed away quickly. At his comment though, she 'hmmed' thoughtfully. She'd never considered herself to be particularly a bookworm or even one who was good at studying, but she supposed she was rather engrossed with this particular study.

"Oh, I suppose it's easy when you're really interested in the subject." Not to mention it was one of the few things women were expected to be adept at if they were to be of any social standing, but she'd keep that thought to herself." She noticed him looking in the direction of her notes, and slid them his way. "You can copy them if you like. I think those dusty old scrolls need rewriting themselves."

She glanced over his stack of hides, but he'd hidden whatever he had written under the blank ones. She decided not to pry, but instead would ask, "So, what are you having problem with? Most people tend to have trouble with hand signals and when to use them. It can be rather ambiguous at times."

((lol, thanks! I'm going for the awkward 'teenaged' puppy demeanor with him XD))

Z'per couldn't help but notice Zaela's smile. It didn't seem to be filled with belittlement or to be mocking, so he returned it happily with an open grin of his own. He accepted her notes gratefully, handling them cautiously. The last thing he needed was to ruin the greenrider's notes somehow.

"It's not so much that things don't make sense.. I just can't concentrate long enough to get through more than a page or two at a time!" He chuckled. It was beyond him how Zaela could find this section of their education particularly interesting. He had always been one to devour knowledge, but hand signals were undeniably dry and boring to learn about. But rather than offend, Z'per began to fake an interest. "But sure, I could definitely use a refresher in them!"

Aeryn had arrived early for the etiquette class. Still shy when around her more talkative classmates, she settled herself behind one of the big tables at the back of the cavern, and composed her tablet and stylus before bending studiously over them, her sheet of silver-blonde hair falling forward to hide her face.

Yes ... yes ... remain standing at mealtimes until all the tables of full dragonriders have been seated. Well, she knew that one already, but she supposed it never hurt to refresh. Etiquette was probably the subject in which she most needed to improve.

You say that about every single thing you do, Eagrith pointed out frankly. Aeryn frowned. The young blue was supposed to be napping!

I thought you were asleep, Aeryn shot back. But she was aware that Eagrith's awkward, uneven growth was reflected in his habits. Sure, he was supposed to be napping. Dragonets usually napped after their morning bath and meal. That's what their instructors told them. But Eagrith was famous for not being what he was supposed to - the smallest blue, the one who didn't sleep when he should, and right now perhaps the most irritatingly perceptive.

I'm not tired. Eagrith would not be distracted from the subject at hand. Why do you question everything you do? I'm happy just learning everything in the world!

"Smug little so-and-so," Aeryn muttered under her breath. I guess I'm trying to measure up to you, she answered snappishly, hoping it would quell the constant flow of draconic questions and let her get back to studying.

Perish the thought.

But why? You're my rider - you're already perfect! The plaintiveness in Eagrith's voice, combined with his absolute certainty, made Aeryn smile in spite of herself. A broad, dreamy grin spread across her face and she pushed herself upright in her chair. Oh, how she loved her dragon sometimes, irritating as he could be.

Time was passing, and more weyrlings were coming in. Zaela smiled warmly to Aeryn as she walked into the room, nodding in greeting before going back to the various hand signals she was trying to explain to Z'per. It was too obvious he wasn't interested, despite his bright-eyed appearance and occasional nodding. Every now and then she'd show him a hand signal and explain the situation used. She herself found it fascinating, but tolerated his.. lack of interest. After all, there were probably things he loved that she'd find particularly boring as well. Regardless though, he had to learn it, and she wanted to help.

"A lot of these hand signals are things we'll have to learn to use, and will use often. We could probably even start using them around the barracks. They're lax on us right now, but in a few sevendays they'll be expecting us to use -these-." She pointed to her notes. "In day to day life, especially when we start spending more time in the Weyr and not just in the barracks." As if to demonstrate, she performed the generic rider-to-rider salute.

---------------------
For those already used to Weyr life, this was a horrible, boring remedial class that they were forced to take. T'bai was one of those people. Weyrbrat since birth, he found himself staring at one of the hides absently. Perhaps he could start chapters on the more intricacies of etiquette between different ranks of dragonriders, but they weren't going to be assigned that section for at least another two sevendays. No, the only reason he was there so early was so he could skip latrine duty. He'd gotten rather unfairly pegged with such an arduous chore the last two days, and had been quite happy to find a reason to be 'too busy'. One of the downsides of being Weyrbred he supposed, was that more was expected from a person. Oh well! It wouldn't bother him as long as he could get away! Now, threadfighting was another matter; that's why he was there, to be trained to fight thread, and that would have his entire heart.. not the latrines.

Encouraged by Zaela's smile, Aeryn watched the dark-haired girl from her shadowy corner, fascinated by the way her hands sketched out the signals in the air. She was very sure of herself as she explained to Z'per, who looked half distracted. Poor thing. She supposed his dragon was interrupting him, too. Half unaware of what she was doing, she pulled the wax tablet that held her own small, neat sketches of the important hand signals, and began following along with Zaela's quiet explanation.

She did remember to keep half an eye on their instructor, so that she would - she hoped - be ready if he asked her a question suddenly. She hated being singled out, and if she wasn't prepared, she'd go red and stutter. Which made it even worse.

Now why, Aeryn wondered idly, did they have hand signals in the first place? Oh, that's right. They were best when flying Thread, when speech was impossible because of height and distance, and even dragonthought was too slow. She smiled, pleased that she'd remembered the rhetoric from an earlier lesson. Then she frowned. But why use the signals around the Weyr? Could it be just to get them used to it, or was there another, deeper reason?

She wished she'd sat closer to Zaela so she could ask. The older girl seemed quietly confident. This observation made Aeryn inevitably think of Kai, and she raised her head briefly, looking around for her serene friend. She would not be too shy to sit with her, she hoped, if Kai wasn't already surrounded by admirers. She was as popular with the other weyrlings as Aeryn wished she herself could be - tall, pretty, kind to everyone, and a healer in training! Aeryn let out a small sigh, wishing she could be so blessed.

Mishaea found herself wondering into lesson relatively early. Of course, it wasn't that it was voluntary, but she definitely needed any extra studying time she could get. Her soft, wavy hair was pulled back sternly and she was determined to learn. Rovelth was sound asleep, and the weyrling couldn't have been happier to have some extra time to learn.

She seated herself next to a fellow weyrling and began to study, pausing about a minute in to wonder if the weyrling next to her thought that she was being rude, from her silence. She looked up and immediately flushed scarlet when she realized it was T'bai.

"Tuh.. Tuh..." Misha stared at the greenrider beofre swallowing hard. "T'bai." She hadn't talked to him since the feast. She hadn't been able to apologize for her parents' inexcusable words. She could feel her eyes casting downward at the thought despite her desire to meet him like any proud dragonrider should be able. "I'm... sorry about my parents at the feast... and I didn't mean for them to insult you..." She mumbled quietly, still flaming scarlet. "I... didn't know that they would... and they're very strict... Never been to a Weyr before..." They expected a lot from her but seemed to think she couldn't stand up to their expectations-- which, she was slightly annoyed to think, she could.

T'bai had hardly noticed anyone had sat by him until his name was said, and he looked up with a start. Of course he'd had class with Mishaea every day since the hatching, but the division between their 'clique' of friends had kept them from speaking much.. not that they had bee bestest buddies to begin with. Bringing up that situation brought a frown to his face, not a slight one of displeasure but a scowl that pulled unnaturally on the boy's face, so rarely that he wore them. He was Weyrbred through and through, and what her parents had said at the party had been ludicrous by his standards.

He was quiet for a bit, not sure what quite to say. He didn't think it was alright at all, even if Mishaea had not been at fault. He breathed sharply, glancing over at C'ben to make sure he was absorbed in something else. "Do you -really- think you are going to uphold 'family honor'?" He was speaking out of terms; they hadn't even gotten to that lesson but these things had certainly been implied in the very beginning, slight insinuations that chastity was a bad idea.

He ran his fingers through his hair, knowing in his head that he'd have to reassure her somehow, but in his mind her parents still looked like the root of all evil and social dysfunction. He snorted, finally finding words that didn't necessarily excuse her family's behavior. "But.. it's not your fault. They are who they are.. but you're not them any more." T'bai lowered his voice a bit when C'ben's scanning eye looked his way, feigning study till he looked away.

J'san slid into the room with an odd grace for a man, his footsteps gliding him across the room so that a book might have very well not moved from the top of his head. Ah yes, a young man of grace and poise, and of etiquette. He'd love this class right? Wrong. There was little subtlety in it that he could see.. just clapping of heels and saluting of... everyone! Certainly he rarely saw dragonriders salute during his candidacy, but he supposed that people that knew each other would slack off during certain times of the day.

Salute your superiors... salute while on duty.. blah blah blah.. So many pleasantries that no one actually seemed to follow unless someone called them on it. With a sigh, he sidled into the room and scanned it. There were plenty of seats open, and even many tables without someone sitting there. Well, if a person thought J'san to be a mopey loner they'd be at least a little wrong; he was mostly just avoiding T'bai. Steering clear of the lad and another girl, whom he watched with a level stare for a little while, he made his way over to another bluerider girl and sat down next to her.

"Hm... Weyr etiquette is so... militaristic. Then again I suppose it has to be. How are you doing, Aeryn?" He never talked much to Aeryn but he knew her. Actually, he didn't talk to many people much at all. He was seeing that most people actually couldn't stand his cold demeanor. Oh well...

Z'per instantly returned the salute, grinning widely. The topic was slowly becoming less boring, but a small voice in the back of his head whispered that perhaps that was only because his tutor was fascinating. He glanced down at Zaela's notes again, committing a few signals to memory before looking up. He sketched a hand signal in the air. "And this one is for addressing a Weyrleader, right?" He smiled hopefully, praying he hadn't messed it up.

Mishaea cast her face downwards, flushed from the topic. "My parents are expecting me to not disgrace my family's name... They only let me come here as long as they had my word that I wouldn't. But they don't know what it's like to Impress, and Rovelth would never let me do anything that was bad, so I know that they're very... they worry too much, and... they don't think that I can stand up to their expectations. But I'm good. I don't disgrace anybody. I'm just sorry that they... jumped to conclusions and... it was very embarrassing." Her voice had lowered to a whisper and she looked up. "I'm not them and they don't know how weyrlife is, how having a dragon becomes so much more important than... everything else." She trailed off and looked up at him sadly. She had been so mortified by her parents' words to him.

--

Darengon had taken to the lesson like a fish to water, and had already learned and memorized the hand signals, incorporating them into his Harper training. He had never been one to settle with what he felt was good enough, though, and was determined to make sure he truly had a good grasp on the concepts. He was freshly washed and dried, dressed in clean clothing and polished to an inconspicuous buff that he planned on exploiting for all studying purposes.

The bronzeriding weyrling moved over to one of the tables and took a seat not too close to any of the talking weyrlings, not wanting to interrupt or give the impression that he was listening in on them. His notes were spare, though thorough-- he'd written things he thought he might need to reinforce, but as he settled and looked over the first few signals and found them coming easily to his mind, he wondered if this lesson might not need as many notes as the previous ones had.

--

Kai's arrival was not unprecedented on her part, for she'd been wanting to go over the signals again and was unsure about most of them. The knowledge needed reinforcement and she was eager to learn, along with the other information she'd need to know. Enorath had been such a darling, understanding of her wants and had even allowed her to come without much fuss. The dragon's name brought a smile to the girl's lips.

She looked around the room, and gave a nod to C'ben as she caught his eye. Weyrlinghood wasn't all Thread practice, as romanticised. In fact, it would be a while before the dragons could even fly.

Kai caught sight of Aeryn and smiled to herself, thinking she aught to go sit with the younger bluerider. She was so sweet, so genuine, Kai enjoyed her company so very much. Her family was pleasant, and she was so kind to others. Kai was halfway across the room when J'san arrived, and as she watched he intercepted her goal. Her feet continued moving and she flushed slightly, half-wanting to turn around to find a new seat, but then she slid into the seat next to her blond friend and shot her a flustered smile. "Good morning, Aeryn. Good morning, J'san." She hoped she wasn't interrupting anything.

T'bai's stern expression was unable to stay on his face for long. How on Pern did she ever expect to live up to her family's expectations. She couldn't, and something told him that it was something that she would have to find out later on.. but as she spoke, he was able to curl his lips up into a smile. "That's right. Your dragon is more important than -anything- else."

The weyrling adjusted his seat to better face her, reaching out and giving her shoulder a squeeze. "So you remember, that no matter -what- happens, if you think you are doing wrong, I want you to ask yourself 'is this what is best for my dragon?' and if it is, then you are doing what is expected of you and you should never let -anyone-, not even your family tell you otherwise." It was so very important that she understood this. He knew he shouldn't tell her anything specific, but if she were to let her family's assinine ideals rule her life when.... when the inevitable happened... It was lucky she hadn't Impressed a green.

At that moment, T'bai took notice of the antics of J'san, his lips curling into a scowl. J'san was over at another seat, extending all of his gentlemanly ways towards two bluerider girls. "Oh for the love of Faranth.. just look at him.. He ignores me but plays the charmer around any girl within a dragonlength."

--------------

J'san all but leapt out of his chair when Kai walked over, not out of embarrassment or fright, but upbringing. "Why, no you aren't. I had just come over to give Aeryn some company, but the more the merrier." With a great show of gallancy he pulled one of the seats beside his own away from the table, smiling and beginning a half bow before faltering and giving a small laugh. "I suppose I should be doing this instead." And he gave a little salute. He was trying to be funny, maybe even cute.. just the charmer as usual.

----------

One more, Zaela couldn't help but giggle, reaching out to reposition his hand that was at an odd angle at his temple. "Just remember that most salutes are exactly the same. Sometimes you can get away with a lot just by the amount of energy and 'smartness' you put behind it. It's all about the meaning you convey with your movements. That's more important than the salute itself."

Ah, quite the roundabout way of telling him his salute looked quite silly, but she kept her smile and pushed some notes in his direction. "Just focus on memorization mostly, I think. What I do is write it down over and over. I'm sure that you could get access to a wax tablet to use. I put in a request for one myself just the other day." Ah yes, the wonders of a wax tablet; write stuff down and be able to melt the surface clean after you're done.. not good for keeping notes but perfect for practicing.



((Gah, sorry, I know. I've been so.. bleh.))

"What's best for my dragon?" Mishaea tilted her head very slightly, a puzzled look coming onto her expression. "I always try to do what's best for Rovelth. The Weyrleaders wouldn't let us do anything that would hurt them, though." She shook her head slightly. "I think that there's some things in the Weyr that must be different than at home," she finally concluded, looking over at the other weyrling again. "But it couldn't be bad, or they wouldn't let us do it-- and Rovelth wouldn't let me, either. So all I have to do is make sure that Rovelth is good, right?" She sighed. "I know that other people tell me what to do, a lot. I can't help it. Everybody seems to know so much more than me. But if something's happening and I'm not sure... then you said it doesn't matter as long as it's OK for Rovelth, too, right? And also because Rovelth wouldn't ever let me do anything bad?"

Misha looked up at T'bai and over at J'san, than back to T'bai. "Is that bad?" She paused again, and then went slightly pale, but remained still. She didn't want to offend him, but she hadn't realized that there were actually people around who... "Um, you like other boys?" She kept her face under control and didn't react as much as she might have. Even if she instinctually found it odd, had she met him a few months ago she probably would have scrambled to the other end of the bench like he was a contagious disease. But he seemed to be OK... he was pretty friendly, actually. He was being nice to her, which was more than she could say for the rest of the class. So she tried to withhold judgement and instead looked at him in slight confusion. Weren't boys supposed to like girls? But that confused her even more. T'bai was so nice; how could he do something evil, like liking another boy? Did that mean that it was OK for boys to like boys, then?

"Oh," Kai said in surprise. Oddly enough, a small smile crept onto her face at J'san's gallantry. "I see you're learning your lessons," she commented on his salute, returning the motion to both Aeryn and J'san. "Well, how have you been doing?" She asked the two of them, sliding into the chair that J'san had offered.

---

"Vetusonth, I've got to go to a lesson again today, alright?" Ro'lan stretched for a moment before looking down with mock-sternness. "You should rest, anyway. You just ate."

Are you sure that I shouldn't come, too? Vetusonth cocked his head at Ro'lan, and the weyrling was unable to stifle a fond smile at the brown's inquisitive posture.

"I think this lesson is more for me than for you," Ro'lan said fondly, giving the brown a gentle skritch along his eyeridges. Vetusonth thrummed in pleasure.

"Go sleep, and I'll come get you when the lesson is over," Ro'lan said. Vetusonth obediently curled up on the couch and Ro'lan exited, smiling vaguely.

Having been raised in Fort, the salutes were no mystery to him. Nevertheless, he felt that it would be good to attend punctually and review the lesson, just in case any of the supervisors thought that he wasn't taking it seriously due to his background.

Ro'lan entered the hall and saluted C'ben before taking up residence at one of the tables with a few weyrlings already seated at it.

Within a few moments, Ro'lan's studies were interrupted by another's arrival. His head jerked up and his eyes widened as he took in Selena's lithe form. "Hey! How've you and Chiarth been doing?"

"Fine," Selena replied stiffly, giving him a glance that was part-disdain.

Ro'lan shrugged and smiled before returning to his studies. After about three minutes, Selena finally whispered back, "What?"

Ro'lan couldn't help the smug silence he'd held. "Nothing. I didn't say anything." Still; Selena had been the one to come sit next to him this time.

Selena rolled her eyes and returned to the notes, though Ro'lan knew that she didn't need to study, having spent much of the days after her childhood but before Kharasi in High Reaches.

Selena sighed quietly and shifted on the bench, idly looking over the notes she had and wishing that M'dak would show up soon. He was still the only weyrling she could really enjoy spending time with.

So entranced was she by Zaela and Z'per's interaction that Aeryn failed to notice J'san until he greeted her. His tone and demeanor were casual as he slid into the chair beside hers, but she jumped anyway, and her heart started trip-hammering. "Oh," she said. "Um. Hi!" Flustered, she pushed her hair back from her suddenly red face with hands that shook a little. For Faranth's sake, she rebuked herself as she forced a smile, he was only trying to be friendly. She should be glad someone wanted to come up and talk to her - she returned the gesture little enough.

"Sorry," she said, and smiled wider. "You scared me." Rolling her eyes in C'ben's direction, she added in a brave whisper, "I should probably pay more attention."

Before J'san could respond, and before Aeryn could make herself look too silly with nervous chatter, Kai joined them. Aeryn's face lit up and she waved at the tall girl in relief and pleasure. Not that J'san sitting by her was a problem - more that she was afraid she'd scare him away with her clumsy attempt at friendliness.

"Morning," she said, and then had to bite her fingertips to stifle her giggles as J'san started acting up, playing the gallant by sweeping out Kai's chair for her. Aeryn felt no surge of jealousy; Kai was the kind of girl who would inspire that kind of behavior, and Aeryn was just an awkward kid, mostly invisible. In fact, as happy as she was that J'san had singled her out, she was also relieved that he chose to act up and flirt with Kai. If he'd done that to her, she'd probably have to run out of the room.

Returning J'san's salute smartly, one eye still on C'ben in case he decided to call them to order, she smiled between the two weyrlings. "I've been doing good! Well, except all the hard labor has about killed me. How about you guys?"

** ** **

J'deryk strolled into the lesson hall on Kai's heels. He stood in the archway for a moment, inclined his head to C'ben, and looked around for a place to sit. Zaela caught his eye right away, but she was immersed in going over hand signals with Z'per, blue Obluth's rider. Not wanting to disturb them, he walked over to one of the few empty seats, next to Mishaea and T'bai. They seemed to be having a slightly less intense discussion. He smiled a greeting as he sat down but remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt. Pulling his tablets out of his wherhide carryall, he paused only to make sure Colieth was sound asleep before immersing himself in his already well-rehearsed hand signals.

On the sly, J'deryk had been making notes of all the signals he saw the dragonriders using around the Weyr - especially the wingleaders. Those were what he was studying now, and he intended to ask C'ben about them after class, if there was time. He'd already gotten by rote everything the weyrlings had been asked to learn, so he didn't see the harm in trying to pick up new ones. Besides, he reasoned, a blue weyrling in a big class had to do what he could to get noticed. It wasn't like he'd Impressed a bronze - not that he'd trade Colieth for all Pern - to warrant special attention from the seasoned dragonriders. And they did get it, those three, even if it didn't always look like they wanted anything extra.

** ** **

M'dak was late. No surprise, but also not from habit or laziness. Segrunth had grown. Again. Right after breakfast, he'd been at the young bronze with a soft hide cloth and bucket of oil, smearing the stuff on the skin lesions that seemed to erupt on Segrunth's hide overnight. Muttering and sticky, he'd sprinted to the bathing rooms to wash off the worst of the goo before joining the others for class - belatedly. Now he caught himself on the rough edge of the hall arch, trying to breathe as if he hadn't just run half the length of the weyr only to arrive late. He caught C'ben's eye with an expressive wince, ready to mouth an apology, but the dragonrider just lazily waved him to a seat.

It appeared, M'dak thought with relief, as if C'ben was in to studying Weyr etiquette today rather than enforcing it. He strode into the room with a semblance of his normal loose stride, and nearly stumbled when he realized he'd forgotten his slates.

Resisting the urge to smack himself in the forehead, and hoping the hitch in his step hadn't been noticed, M'dak continued more grimly in his search for a seat. With luck, he'd find someone willing to share notes. He'd made it three steps when he was brought up short a second time. Selena was sitting at the aisle end of long table alone...alone, except for Ro'lan, beside her.

Great. This day just got better and better. Well, might as well roll with the punches rather than resist them. Straightening up to his full height, M'dak walked with exaggerated nonchalance to Selena's table. He nodded to her as she looked up, and walked right past her, clapping Ro'lan on the back as he went. "Ro'lan! Buddy! How's it going? Haven't seen you in a while, even though I've been hanging out with Selena. Whatcha been up to?"

He ducked his head, trying to catch Selena's eye to wink at her as he slung one long leg over the bench to straddle it, facing Ro'lan an arm's length away.

When Mishaea gave him that look that seemed as if she thought he had grown a complete new head, T'bai's expression went quite blank, paling slightly. In that moment he saw all of that filth and prejudice that he'd seen in her family come down on him, the work of Holdborn thoughts that were drilled into her since birth rearing their ugly head.

He almost physically recoiled, but was even more taken aback that though she seemed confused, tunnelsnakes had not shot out her eyes like he had feared they would. Wincing at his own show of weakness, T'bai forced himself to compose himself. After all, as ambitious a lad as he was, people had betted on him Impressing a bronze! Of course, the lad knew deep down inside that it was not the path for him. Yunaleth was the dragon for him. An odd smile broke his grim expression, and he shrugged. "Me? Oh, well I just like who I like. It doesn't matter if they are a boy or a girl." Aha, a good enough answer if he ever knew one! "In the Weyr, those things don't matter.. and it's good for male greenriders to be open like that.. especially if a brown or bronze catches his green."

T'bai was almost too happy when J'deryk decided to take a seat with them. His smile was huge on his face as he showed up just in time to keep him from having to continue explaining dragonrider sexuality. "J'deryk! How nice of you to join us! Is Colieth doing well?"

----------------------

C'ben looked up as M'dak blundered in, covered in oil and looking like any good weyrling would after doing right by their beast and making them comfortable. His grin cracked the hard look he'd been giving a greenrider lad. The bronzes had it rough right now, but he knew all to well that the browns would be shooting up in a similar matter in merely days. The bronze and queenriders always had it hardest. No wonder they got such special treatment sometimes. His face quickly went back to one of a nonchalant, stolid one when the lad gave him an apologetic look, brusquely directing him to join his other weyrling peers. He'd have to remember to mention that the Weyr healer should come check on the dragonets.. even though it was probably already scheduled. A little harrassment never hurt anyone, right? Maybe it was because of one of his own scares with Leovenath. The dragonet had gotten such a bad mark on his hide, he had been almost sure it would scar. The only scars to this day though would be the ones they earned in the air with thread.

"It doesn't matter?" Mishaea looked at T'bai with wide eyes, before suddenly flushing brightly. How could she just sit and talk about this with a classmate she hardly knew--!

She looked up as another male rider joined, and offered him a mortified half-wave, not trusting herself to speak. It was too much of a good thing that Rovelth was sleeping.

---

"It's been hard work," Kai agreed, glancing over at Aeryn. She'd meant to ask about her health, make sure she was feeling better since her little scare in the lake, but didn't want to embarrass the girl-- and she wasn't sure if it *would* embarrass Aeryn or not, so she decided to just play safe and not ask for the time being.

"Enorath's been very demanding," she added with a smile, looking over at J'san this time. The little blue was fierce and strong-willed, and made it very clear that he wanted Kai's attention the majority of the time.

---

Selena looked up as the trickle of arriving weyrlings continued, before returning back to her wax tablet and the diagrams laid out on the table before her.

Partway through going over the Wingleader salute, the black-haired girl looked up and her eyes landed on M'dak. She followed him with her eyes as he approached, and almost offered him a small smile before he walked past her.

Her features slipped slightly, and she straightened, frowning slightly as he began to talk to Ro'lan and the brownrider weyrling responded.

"Hey, M'dak," Ro'lan replied stiffly, glancing back at Selena sharply. So this bronzerider was continuing to spend time with her? No doubt thought that Impressing a bronze legitimized womanizing actions...

Selena glared at him as though able to sense what he was thinking.

Ro'lan turned back, determined to prove her wrong. "Vetusonth and I have been doing well. Wants to start flying already." He offered the bronzerider a smile.

Selena caught his wink then, and her expression softened. "So how are you doing with the lesson?" She asked.