Welcome to Five Stone Weyr!

[Bookworm]

As the world burst back into sound and color around him, Peytrel realized he was screaming. Abruptly, he shut his mouth, but his heart was still pounding like mad and when he looked down, he almost wanted to scream again. His stomach flip-flopped as the green dragon he was riding plummeted towards the ground, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Then the green touched down lightly, and he opened them again. Peytrel let out a sigh of relief. They were on the ground, safe.

"You can release your death grip now, candidate," the greenrider said, grinning at him as she pulled off her helmet. He reluctantly let go of her, then accepted her hand to jump down to the ground. She handed him his bag and gave him an encouraging clap on the back. Usually, he would have cringed at that, but right now he was too shaken. "The candidate barracks are over there," she told him, pointing it out before going on her way.

Scurrying across the bowl, Peytrel made his way to the barracks. There were so many people here! Dragons and firelizards, too. It was all so bustling it almost made him dizzy. Finally he stepped into the quiet of the barracks. "Hello?" He called out, nervously clutching his bag to his chest.

[Kay]

The closer the date of the Hatching crept, the busier Candidate Master Y'rud seemed to be. There were lessons to be given on the specifics of Hatching procedure, letters to be written to the candidates' parents inviting them to the Weyr for the event, white candidate robes to be passed out to their respective owners, weyrling barracks to be swept out in preparation for the new weyrlings who would be living there, and, of course, new candidates to get in and settled in the hectic days that remaining before Nalith's children made their entrance into the world.

It was this last duty that was most abhorrent to Y'rud. After all, hadn't the Searchriders already brought him enough candidates for all of the eggs on the Sands?? But, no, they liked to give the hatchlings a wide "selection" to choose from when it came time for Impression. Y'rud rolled his eyes at the idea.

{As if I need any more on my plate right now,} he growled to himself.

Speaking of incoming candidates, I think one of the green riders has just brought you another one now, rumbled Olanth, amused.

Y'rud's face grew beet red, and he rose from his seat with a start when he heard the timid little voice calling out from the barracks entrance. {What?! You must be joking!}

I wouldn't joke with you about something like this, Y'rud. I know how it raises your blood pressure. Just remember to be patient with the lad. It isn't his fault that the Searchdragon has only just picked him up, after all.

Y'rud tried to keep that in mind as he stuck his head out of his office door and scowled at the boy who was looking around him with the air of a brain-addled wher.

"Well, come on then," Y'rud growled. "What are you waiting for? Get in here so I can get all your paperwork filled out." Without another word, Y'rud withdrew to his desk and waited for the candidate to follow him into the office.

[Bookworm]

Soon enough, a rider, presumably the Candidate Master, poked his head out of one of the doors. He was scowling, and he didn't sound very happy to see him. Peytrel's face grew pale, and he felt his nervousness returning. This wasn't as bad as being hundreds of feet in the air, but he could tell it wasn't going to be fun. What did that Search dragon see in me, anyway? I can't even meet the CandidateMaster without getting nervous!

"Y-yes, sir," Peytrel said, following Y'rud into his office. Setting his bag down beside the desk, he sat down across from Y'rud. His gaze flickered over the desk, picking out things that seemed disorderly. His fingers twitched, eager to clean, and he quickly looked away, focusing on Y'rud instead. "My name's Peytrel," he provided. That was probably the first thing the Candidatemaster needed, right?

[Kay]

Y'rud was still scowling when the boy plopped his bag down beside the desk and took a seat, and at first he ignored the boy while he pulled a sheet of hide from the uppermost drawer of his desk and began scribbling a few notes to himself on it. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the new candidate seemed fidgety. Hmm. Irritating. Canddiates were always so nervous when they first came in. Y'rud didn't remember ever acting like a sissy when he had been brought to the Weyr all those Turns ago. Kids these days were too soft.

"Peytrel, eh?" Y'rud repeated, scrawling the name at the top of the hide scroll. He looked up at the lad with eyes that could pierce flesh and bone with their intensity, as though he was reading Peytrel's very soul. "Well, Peytrel, your Searchrider plucked you out of your little home with hardly time to spare, didn't he? The eggs on the Sands should be Hatching just about any day now." At last, he broke eye contact with the boy and returned his attention to the hide in front of him. "And where might that little home be, Peyrel? Also, I will need your parents names, and your occupation if you have one."

[Bookworm]

Peytrel gulped as Y'rud stared at him with his cold eyes. He was nervous, but he reminded himself that a Search dragon had looked at him just like that and found him worthy. Y'rud couldn't take his candidacy away, could he? He was surprised to hear that the Hatching was so soon. It seemed like he had been Searched just in time.

Shakily, but without looking away, he returned Y'rud's stare. He was relieved when the glance was finally broken. "My parents are Master Harper Teyan and Journeywoman Harper Rilla, sir. I'm an apprentice Weaver, and I was living at the Crafthall when I was Searched," he rattled off.

[Kay]

Y'rud frowned dubiously as young Peytrel rattled off a bit of his history. Harpers had never been Y'rud's favorite people. As far as he was concerned, they were boastful, obnoxious, and quite confident in the belief that they were better than everyone around them. Well, he supposed he couldn't fault the lad for his parents. Besides, as Candidate Master, he was...erm...discouraged from displaying any biases towards his young wards.

"Age, please," Y'rud drawled, barely glancing up from the hide. "Once we get this paperwork taken care of, I can have someone give you a quick tour of the Weyr, if you like. Or you can just settle down in the barracks and wait for evening lessons to begin. Whichever you prefer. Since the Hatching is so close, we're having lessons twice daily, so be sure to attend all that you can before the Hatching. Newbies like yourself are in a bit of a tight spot, since we've already covered most of the basic information on how to improve your chances of Impressing. I'll be having an accelerated refresher course for anyone who wants it, though, tomorrow evening after supper. If you want to have any idea what you're doing out there on the sands before Hatching day, I suggest you attend."

It did not even for a moment occur to Y'rud that he was bombarding the boy with too much information all at once. Y'rud was a man of business, and the sooner he could get something done and off his hands, the better.

If you'd like to get him off your hands, then I suggest you consider the knock that's about to come at your door to be a blessing, Olanth remarked calmly.

Y'rud looked up at the exact moment that the knock sounded, and he called, "Enter!" It was one of his candidates who stepped through the door--the plain-looking one with the baby, he recalled. Hmph. Another candidate he wasn't particularly fond of. Those who sought to become dragonriders of Pern shouldn't be carting their children around with them at the Weyr.

"Yes, Raiell, how may I help you?" Y'rud asked.

"The Headwoman let me go from my chores early today, so I wanted to know if there was anything else you needed me to do," Raiell said politely, before she noticed the boy sitting across from Y'rud. "Oh! Hello there! You must be new. I'm Raiell," she said with a little curtsy.

"As a matter of fact, Raiell, why don't you give our newest addition here a tour, while you have nothing better to do," said Y'rud. "We're almost finished here, if you don't mind waiting outside."

"Of course," said Raiell, closing the door behind her as she retreated into the hall.

Y'rud turned his intimidating gaze back on Peytrel. "Now then. Where were we?"

[Bookworm]

Peytrel opened his mouth to provide his age, but the CandidateMaster plowed on, describing the lessons. He was beginning to feel rather hopeless. How could he catch up on all of this information in so short of a time? He picked at his sleeve, removing invisible specks of dust, a nervous habit he often displayed.

There was a knock at the door, and a girl entered. Peytrel was rather relieved to hear that she would give the tour, and not Y'rud. After she left, he turned back to Y'rud, trying tor remember where they had left off. "Er..My age, sir. I'm seventeen."

[Kay]

One of Y'rud's thick eyebrows raised in mild surprise when Peytrel declared that he was seventeen. The way the boy acted, Y'rud would've thought he was much younger than that. Why, Y'rud had been only fourteen when he began working in the mines with his father, and he'd certainly been a lot tougher than this shrimp.

You're going to scare the poor lad, Olanth scolded. You're the Candidate Master, Y'rud, You are supposed to make the new candidates feel welcome and comfortable, not scared witless because you're an insensitive ogre.

Y'rud's hard expression softened a little then, realizing that perhaps his dragon was right. Perhaps he was being to hard on young Peytrel. (He doubted it, but it was a possibility.) He could tell that the boy was very nervous, and whether or not he was being a gutless shrimp, Y'rud's job was to make him confident enough for Impression.

The bronze-riding Candidate Master cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair, resting his chin upon his steepled fingers.

"Now Peytrel," he said, and this time his voice was calm and undemanding. "I realize that it is all very shocking to suddenly be dropped in the middle of a Weyr, but I assure you that it won't be long before you find your place here. I, too, was an apprentice crafter before I found Olanth, and he and I have been together for many Turns and enjoyed a successful career as a wingleader, as a Weyrleader, and now as a Candidate Master."

Having done as much coddling as he could stomach, Y'rud leaned back again and scribbled something at the bottom of the hide before slipping it into the proper file.

"Now then, unless you have any further questions, you may go out and meet with Raiell to begin your tour."