Presented for Public Viewing, Creation Graduation

[GRADUATION TIME. Okay. Creation weyrlings. Reply here. Because I need to information from yous gaiz. Anyone else who wants to can play here as well. Heck, let's have a party. But a little bit of business before that, eh?

WEYRLINGS; gimme this stuff
- Strap colors
- Preferred wing

If your strap colors are already listed ignore that part, and Zulu go ahead and ignore the wing part too. Know where Salmai is going. xD Mostly need to know everyone else...]

//Step to, weyrlings, stand in line, look pretty. This is the last time you'll be shown off, I suggest you look your best for it. Personally I'd just give you your knots and shove you off to the wingleaders but Tsalani insists on this gaudy show so you might as well follow along.//

Zulendath oversaw the ordering of the graduating dragons as Tsalani and the class's weyrlingmaster organized their riders on a small stage that had been set up on the grass. They stood in a long line so that all could be seen, arranged according to rank. More or less. They had been instructed to wear their riding leathers, so that their new knots and wing patches could be attached to them. Granted, it was just a flimsy pin that would be keeping the wing patches on during the ceremony, but Lani liked having them pinned on. She was always one for a show.

It was evening, the sun starting to touch upon the peak of the western mountain, and a feast had been prepared for the occasion. Tables were set out on the lawn, with the stage at one end and the arrangement of dragons at the other. Zulendath - though professing that she didn't care - had arranged the class with the largest in the middle and the back, the largest in the rear line and the smaller in a more condensed line before them. And she studiously had them all shift and edge one way or another until they were equally spaced, snapping at any dragon that fidgeted to much. It wasn't that she was particularly proud of her grown offspring or anything, she was just a touch obsessive about some things. Those things being anything she did. So.

Riders gathered at the tables, slowly at first but it wasn't long before the place was packed with chattering people. Tsalani always did encourage her riders to attend graduations. And she did it by offering them feasts. Sure, most of them were there for the food, but whatever. They were there. She could put on a show. A longer rectangular table sat to the side, and all the wingleaders and wingseconds lingered around it while they waited for Tsalani's cue. This cue waited on Tsalani's speech, which waited on the crowd falling silent. Which in turn would happen soon. Tsalani stepped forward on the stage, looking impressive in a long puce dress with dark pinstripes across the bodice and on one side of the skirt. She smiled a moment over the crowd of her riders, then looked over at Zulendath. The wiser people in the crowd knew this was a signal to cover their ears.

Zulendath roared across the noise on the plateau, her wings spreading wide as she glared until everyone was silent. Then Tsalani smiled sweetly and looked out across the gathered people of the Weyr. "The life of a dragonrider has several beginnings," she said, her voice projecting out into the late afternoon air. "First they begin as everyone else does. With a man and a woman and nine months of waiting. Then again when dragons hum and eggs hatch and two beings become one. Then once more when those two have grown and trained together and are considered ready to join the Weyr and fight in our wings. And fight they will. We all will in the days to come. And these young ladies and gentlemen-" she stepped back and swept her arm out toward the line of people behind her, "and these young dragons will today join us in that fight. Monachikos Weyr, these are your newest dragonriders. Let's welcome them."

She fell silent to the applause and cheers of the assembled riders, nodding to the wingleaders to approach the stage. When they had, she proceeded to announce the names of the graduating weyrlings, calling them forward one by one to receive his or her knots from her and a patch from the wingleader of the wing they were joining. Except for Salmai, of course, who got both her knots and wing patch from Tsalani, along with a hard look. Because those knots weren't just for a rider, they were for a junior weyrwoman. But she moved quickly through the process, knowing that everyone was eager to get it over with so that they could all eat.

Do try not to glare, Salmai, please?

Such were the words of the queen about to graduate to her full position. And her rider didn't quite have a grasp of the dignity required for the occasion. Salmai had taken the dressing in riding leathers quite strictly. She wasn't going to preen and prim for the crowds of riders who would be there to watch the latest class of Weyrlings graduate. Oh no. Instead, Salmai stood upon the stage, dressed in her standard leathers with her own improvements down the back right above where her spine ran. She'd scavenged one of the few cloaks she'd managed to steal back from the pirates who captured her. That cloaks small rattler plates decorated the area at the base of her neck, forming a sloping triangle where the fell down her spine and ended just below her shoulderblades. Other than that, she was bedecked in leathers the average rider would wear, brown with little to no ornamentation despite Saolsolath's plea to at least do her hair a little nicer. So Salmai had added a feather, which hung from the leather string she used to hold her hair in a severe tail at the back of her head. And she was unarmed. For once. Mainly because she hadn't been allowed to bring weapons onto the stage.

Because the entire Weyr has it out for you, am I right, Salmai? Need to defend yourself from the Weyrwoman? Salmai snorted at her dragon--earning her a cheep from the young green firelizard who had refused to leave her shoulder--and looked over to where Solath was being guided into her proper position by Zulendath. The gold had to move a smidge to the left, putting a little less room between her and Mikhaelth, but she didn't have to move after that. The gold settled herself and looked directly at Salmai, eyes whirling blue with flecks of orange irritation. No one's trying to kill you up there, Salmai. Some might be envious of your position but--

They can have it if they want it.

But before Saolsolath could appropriately respond, Zulendath roared the beginning of the ceremony. The gold raised her head regally, looking like the queen she was. Salmai, for her part, drew her head up proudly, not flinching at the deafening sound, and there was definitely a note of challenge in her eyes. She was a bit surprised to be standing where she was given Tsalani's lack of confidence in her. To be allowed to graduate and be given rank in this sheep-pen of a Weyr was unexpected. Salmai expected it was a ploy to keep her here. Well. She'd see about that. The Weyrwoman's challenge still rang in Salmai's head, but she didn't think about it just now. Right now, she would proudly display the fact she'd survived thus far. She could work out the rest later.

Salmai only half-listened to Tsalani's speech, waiting for this whole sharding ordeal to be over. She hated being paraded around on a stage like some beast for sale. Unfortunately, it was soon her turn to receive the applause of the watching riders, and Salmai could not be more displeased. She didn't scowl, but she certainly wasn't smiling. Saolsolath groaned from where she watched with her clutchmates. Salmai ignored the gold's mental plea to lighten up. Instead she walked smoothly to Tsalani, her Wingleader, to receive her knots and wing-badge. And she met the Weyrwoman's hard look with one of her own. No doubt this was one of those beginnings Tsalani had talked about. The beginning of a new struggle between Tsalani and Salmai. Saolsolath desperately hoped her rider would eventually come to respect the Weyrwoman. It would make everything so much easier...

The Weyrwoman didn't spend much time with the proceedings, so Salmai adjusted the new knots on her shoulder and returned to her place in the presentation line, clasping her hands behind her back and keeping her head high. Her gaze was dark while she waited for the formalities to be over. She almost skipped them entirely, but Solath had practically drug her here. And Salmai, for the oddest and most inexplicable reason, wanted to make sure she didn't upset Solath too much.

More thoughts for later.

This post has been edited by zulu on Aug 6 2012, 09:53 PM

K'lio will be in Screaming Winds Wing; Strap colors already listed

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Leyori will be in Mourning Sky Wing; Strap colors already listed

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Full posts to come after work so please do not delete this.

(( Rh'van and Mikhaelth want to join Rising Storm Wing, please? And Mikhaelth's strap colors are already listed ^^ ))

Rh'van stood alongside his fellow classmates, drawing himself up proudly as he and Mikhaelth listened to the Weyrwoman's speech. The thought of fighting in the sky alongside the other fully fledged riders with his dragon was something of a point of both pride and apprehension in the young man's mind, but his bronze had done everything in his power to reassure the man that they were indeed ready for the task ahead of them. After all, they had to be, or else Tsalani wouldn't have allowed them to graduate, right? For a moment, though, he glanced around him at his fellow weyrlings, smiling lightly at them in the even that one of them happened to glance in his direction. The bronzerider drew himself up a little straighter when Mikhaelth motioned for him to, sending a sharp look towards the dragon snorting slightly in amusement. The movement, naturally, elicited a chirp from Cailain, who was casually lounging on his shoulder for the time being. He glanced towards his dragon for a moment then, who was sitting straight and proud as ever as he settled into his place beside Saolsolath. He offered the large beast a smile of appreciation before Zulendath's roar alerted him to the start of the ceremony. Really, did they need to do this sort of thing in such a public way? Wasn't it enough to simply give them their knots and let them go on with their lives?

You shouldn't complain so much, Mikhaelth warned him, aggravation leaking into the bronze's tone as he stared at the young man for a moment before resuming his statuesque pose alongside his siblings. It is an honor to have the entire Weyr be aware of our abilities, he added after a short pause, shaking his head just slightly as he drew himself up a little straighter, holding his neck at a graceful arch that would let everyone know that he was a dragon in his prime, confident in himself and his rider to be prepared for the tasks set ahead of them. And they truly were capable of whatever life threw at them; Mikhaelth had no doubts about at all, and any doubts that Rh'van could possibly develop quickly dissipated in the wake of the bronze's stubborn beliefs. This way, we have that much less to try to prove to the ones that don't want to see for themselves.

I suppose you're right, Mikhaelth, the young man thought with an amused spark in his eyes as he glanced towards Tsalani, listening to the Weyrwoman intently as she spoke to the entire gathering of people ahead of them. As confident and easy-going as Rh'van generally was, there was still a hint of unease at the thought of being paraded out onto the stage as they were, in front of everyone else and watching their eyes follow him as he moved. He didn't like the thought of being judged, be it because he was a fully fledged bronzerider now or any other reason even remotely close to that. Yes, he ultimately had more responsibilities to look forward to in his time as a dragonrider, and he was perfectly fine with that. He was obviously up to the challenge, or Mikhaelth wouldn't have chosen him that day on the sands. The bronze was a prideful beast, and therefore wouldn't have Impressed to a rider that wasn't going to fall into the responsibilities that he was going to have thrown at him with relative ease. He nodded his acknowledgment to Tsalani's acceptance of their readiness to enter the Wings, glancing up to the sky for a moment without moving his head any more, wondering if perhaps that dreadful menace would plague Pern again within his lifetime. The Weyrwoman certainly hinted towards that by saying that they would all fight in the days to come, but he wondered if perhaps that wasn't just the goldrider reassuring the weyrfolk that dragons still had their age-old purpose.

I probably shouldn't be thinking so much on that right now, he told himself with a wry smile as Tsalani announced his name, calling him forward to receive the knots and badge that would announce his new rank as a dragonrider to everyone in the Weyr. He smiled cheerfully to both his Weyrwoman and his Wingleader as he accepted the new rank knots, not surprised in the slightest when he noticed his dragon's look of smug pride as he watched his rider performing this act. It was well within the bronze's rights to be smug about the entire affair, since they had proven themselves worthy among their fellow riders, and had been found worthy enough to enter the Wings with the rest of them, prepared and ready to fight when the time came. He glanced over his fellow classmates as he moved back into his place in the line, smiling warmly to several of them as he settled back into his place, readjusting the new knots on his shoulder as he waited for the ceremony to be over. Really, he wanted to celebrate his new position, and he couldn't very well do that standing on a stage, could he?