Social Dynamics

Apparently, Candidates had some status in the Weyr. Mardian mused over this revelation as he reclined back in the hammock that had been designated 'his'. He and Mardrist had long ago claimed a deep, sheltered alcove down in the warrens below the still as their own space, but they'd had to fight for it. Now, however, that the were "Candidates", they'd been escorted to a large, roomy cavern that had been hung with fabric and leather dividers and shown to an area that contained rows of hammocks and locking chests. They'd been invited to choose the ones that suited them the best, and told that this would be their sleeping quarters from now on. Until they Impressed. Or left candidacy.

Mardian didn't know what would happen then. Presumably if they Impressed, they'd get a weyr of their own as well. The idea of such luxury amused him, and he lay with a smile on his lips as he swung in the hammock on the "Boys'" side of the newly designated Candidate Barracks.

Some chatter outside his curtain caught his attention. Apparently, some of his fellow candidates were back from... somewhere. He wasn't really sleepy, and, truthfully, was a bit bored, so he hopped out of his hammock and poked his head out into the central area of the large cavern.

"Oy," he said, his tone friendly enough. "What's going on?"

Mardian came very close to regretting his decision to peek through the curtain right then, as a pale blur of legs nearly connected solidly with his nose. His sudden appearance startled Teagan, who lost her balance while going from the back handspring that had nearly taken Mardian's head off, and went tumbling into a pile of pillows she'd placed at the end of her run for a worst case scenario.

Antonia held her breath for a moment, staring at Mardian with wide eyes, until Teagan dissolved into giggles and pulled herself to her feet. "Are you okay?" she asked, trotting up to Mardian and standing on her toes to see if she'd caught him with her foot. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were gonna come in! Are you going to have fun with us tonight? How many of the boys are coming over? Should we get food?"

Breklynn covered her snicker with her hand, lounging against a self made throne of pillows. "We didn't wake you boys up, did we?" she asked, a grin on her face.

"Oh!" Asteriel said with surprise and pink flooded her face. She was in her night gown and swiftly donned her robe and tied it snugly shut. She almost ushered the boys out right then and there. She should have ushered them out right then and there but part of her wanted to see Evzen.

'You shouldn't even be thinking about him. It's not proper to think long on a man you are not promised or married to.' Asteriel told herself. She set herself down on a sparse chair, glad that her gown came to her ankles. She felt more than a little exposed.

"How do you do?" Asteriel said politely.

Mardrist did not like it.

He did not like being down here in this closet, packed in like fish in a barrel. He and Mardian had a nice little alcove all to themselves and he liked it there. His stuff was there and it was safe there.

'But you are not there. You are here and you have to deal with it. Stop pouting like a girl.' he sneered at himself. 'You have a job to do, boy.'

"You okay?" Mardrist asked of his brother.

"Yeah, I'm good," Mardian said to his brother. He threw the older boy a smile that was meant to be reassuring before turning back to the much more interesting spectacle of the girls.

"What was that?" he asked Teagan. "I've seen you doing these flips and things before, but how did you ever learn to do that kind of crazy stuff?"

He caught sight of Asteriel huddling in her wrap, but told himself to be a gentleman and not smirk. Not much, anyway.

Evzen came in from his wandering of the ledges - dumb to do at night, and he was no longer pressing the edges for unnoticed ways out (as though he'd ever had a chance, considering the other people who lived here), but a habit that helped settle his mind before bed. And also ensured that most of the other young people would be asleep before he got back, so he didn't have to talk to anyone.

He couldn't (wouldn't) have said why he came back early this time, but there was quite a bit happening at this earlier hour. No need to say anything, people involved in other conversations as they were, and probably had nothing to do with the fact that his tongue glued itself to the roof of his mouth at the sight of a robe-clad Asteriel.

*
Abry also watched quietly, though for entirely different reasons. She'd seen quite a bit of Teagan's acrobatics over the Turns, and had never made any effort whatsoever to get to know Mardian and Madrist, with whom she had the worst sort of thing in common, but the group was all starting to interact more, canyon-born and not, and she was interested in...well, she was interested in doing her job well.

*
Vianne put her book down and her lips curved slowly. About time. But she didn't need to engage the boys in conversation, not yet. She leaned over toward Asteriel instead, "You're completely covered," she said lowly, genuinely reassuring as best she could.

Asteriel smiled gratefully but then spotted Evzen. Her breath stilled and her words died. Without realizing it she reached for the other girl's hand.

"Thank you." she managed after a minute or so, blue eyes cast down to examine the embroidery at the cuff of one sleeve. Tiny blue flowers alternated with pale yellow, green leaves all around. Jisa's own craftwork and it was lovely.

"Boys aren't suppose to be on the girls side." Asteriel breathed helplessly to Vianne, her voice no louder than dove's coo.

Mardrist posted up by the door. He supposed someone competent should keep a look out.

Vianne leaned close to Asteriel, as though examining the embroidery on the younger woman's sleeve. "They'll be all right to visit. We'll make sure they won't stay." She kept her voice low, soothing. She had known quite a few young ladies with the manners of this pretty blonde, and though she knew Asteriel wasn't holdbred (she did, after all, recognize the beauty as quite close to that of the cobaltrider who'd lured her here), the manner was very near.

Mardian jerked his head in a friendly "hello" type gesture to Evzen. Not that he'd had much but the barest of interactions with the other guy. In truth, if he were particularly honest, the welcoming gesture was really for the benefit of the girls. Unlike some other guys his age, Mardian had clued in to the fact that the best girls preferred men with at least a veneer of manners.

Not much more than a veneer, because it wouldn't do to be labeled a "nice guy", but no one liked a bully. So he'd say hello and put the ball in the other guy's court, as it were.

Wherryshite. Now he had to say something. Evzen glanced around, took in the bouncy tiny candidate's position and returned Mardian's nod. "Did I miss a magic trick?" he asked, no one in particular. Not wondering what Asteriel and the dark-haired girl next to her were whispering about.

"Just Teagan defying gravity," Mardian said, trying his best to affect a lazy, seen-it-all tone. "She likes to pretend she's a dragon and fly. I suppose she's here because that's as close as she can get to being one herself. Is that about right, short stuff?" he asked, looking archly at the little blonde candidate.

Ellaeris sat with his sketchbook, half listening to the other candidates. In a group situation, he was usually too shy to join in. Remaining where he was for now, he scribbled a few little things in his sketchbook, not drawings but just some doodles.

He stayed where he was for now, but occasionally he glanced up to peek at the gap between the curtain.

'Magic trick.' Mardrist scoffed to himself. Teagan bounced about like a ball with not a dollop of sense to what its business should be. That wasn't surprising to Mardrist as she was a child and, if he could have an opinion about the matter, was too young for this.

'The red rider keeps saying 'the dragon know', so I suppose it is all the same to me.' he said. Teagan's Impression or lack there of was of little concern to him. What did gnaw on his heart was that his brother might himself Impress....and Mardrist would not. Or the other way about, which was just as painful if not more. Then his brother would be left behind, alone and Mardrist would have to contend with another creature vying for his time and attention.

A creature who, my all accounts, would know him to his very core.