Hope lies heavy in a Weyrwoman's heart (open)

[ShadowReine]

No matter how large the clutch Lyeth lay, she would have to match Faranth to achieve what truly needed to be achieved.

Perhaps it was over, perhaps Pern would die. Perhaps there was no hope. And all of the hope of Pern rested on the slender shoulders of one young...far too young...woman. She was younger than Lessa had been, and she had no Question Song to guide her through the mists of time to bring salvation from the distant past.

Yselka, Weyrwoman of Ista knelt at the edge of the hatching grounds, running the black sand through her hands, letting it fall grain after grain. Letting it flow away as all light seemed to have fallen into Between's darkness as each gold's flight proved barren.

If Lyeth was barren, then...what? She feared that there would be those who would suicide Between if that was the case.

They needed hope. And most of all, they needed something, someone to believe in.

How could an eighteen year old girl be that one. Thus, there she was, handful after handful of sand lifted to fall and mingle with the tears she did not wish to share with even her dragon...

[phlysolo]

Candidates had much to look forward to when they approached the dauntingly large opening of the Hatching Grounds. Their whole lives, their whole futures could be decided on those hot Sands. It was for both of those reasons, and neither of them, that had drawn a certain quarrelsome and disdainful youth towards the Hatching Grounds. She'd been sent by someone or other to deliver some type of message to the Weyrwoman. Oh, yes, she'd thought about not doing it at all; why! What did it matter to her if the Weyrwoman knew some bronze dragon had made his quarters in the Weyr? It didn't at all.

But then again...she had gotten a peak at the handwritten note and decided that it would probably be for the best that whats-her-name got a look at it. But still, didn't matter at all to Lenia. She'd been told by the Headwoman herself that if she was a good lass and delivered the note promptly she'd get a bubbly pie! Not that she hadn't already nicked one or two from the Kitchens already, but...

"Oy!" She called out loudly once she was in earshot of the kneeling woman. What was her problem? Shouldn't the Weyrwoman be doing...Weyrwomanly tasks? Lenia didn't think that as, Weywoman of all ranks, she had the time of day to be idly outside the Hatching Grounds playing with sand. Ugh, if this was the manner things were going to be run around here...

The girl got closer and eyed the woman's defeated form interestedly. What could be such a travesty that this woman was on her knees like a child begging for another sweet before bedtime?

"Weyrwoman, I've got something for you," Lenia said finally, standing directly behind the woman, feeling a spiteful sense of authority over the apparently distraught goldrider.

[ShadowReine]

And that was all she needed. To be seen like this was almost enough to finish her off. With utter dignity and control, though, Yselka stood, turning to face the...candidate. Running errands, she assumed, for the headwoman or the cooks. "What is it?"

She regretted her brusque tone the moment the words were delivered. And Lyeth was stirring, waking up. If this was important..she might have to take it back to the Weyr.

Of course, had Lenia asked, she would have said she was checking the condition of the grounds...which was essential. And had been what she had intended to do. She just hoped it was not a waste of time. It could be, and she knew what a disaster that would be for Ista and all of Pern. For now, she just held her hand out for the note.

[phlysolo]

Lenia expected and, actually, was rather hoping that the Weyrwoman would rise in a contemptous fury and attempt to put her in her place. Yes, her smart, quick mind had already thought of several snide and disrespectful quips in preperation for the goldrider's wrath. Her eyes glinted in excitement and antpicipation and her face pulled into a rather vicious smirk. However, the woman rose calmly, regally and in such an unexpected way that Lenia was disapointedly shocked. The Candidate's smirk fell only slightly and her blue eyes lost their iciness.

"A message from the Headwoman, ma'am," She said. Then, before she could stop herself, she blurted, "Something about a bronze dragon coming here!"

Yes, that was exciting news and Lenia had the audacity to tell the Weyrwoman herself. But spilling the beans, so to speak, on the fact that she'd read the notice herself would be very, very dangerous...

"Well, that's what the Headwoman was babbling about, of course," She corrected herself quickly, not at all fumbling foolishly for words. This female had trained herself to be a competent liar. "She sounded excited about it, but I'm sure you'll get the full story in here."

With that, she practically thrust the small, rolled piece of partchment into Yselka's hands. She knew the proper and expected thing for her to do would be to scamper off away to chores or the Candidate Barracks, but Lenia wasn't know for doing what was expected for her. No, she wanted to watch the Weyrwoman tear into the note and take in its contents. Reading, Lenia always thought, was how to get the measure of a person. Anyone, she believed, showed the most emotion while their eyes were taking in the contents of a Record, a scroll, or in this case, a note about a bronze and his dragon.

Lenia thought, perhaps in the very depths of her mind, that if she did not see what she was looking for in the Weyrwoman's expression, she would never come to respect Yselka as anything more than someone lucky enough to have captured a gold's gaze long enough to Impress her.

[ShadowReine]

And there had certainly been...well. Weyrwomen varied in quality and Yselka, not that much older than Lenia herself...

"I wonder how many more will show up," Yselka said, quietly, showing no sign of being upset with Lenia...maybe she'd been over-curious about notes herself...as she read it and took it in.

"I suppose I'll have to talk to him." She studied the candidate in front of her. This one...probably wouldn't Impress gold. Had she been a boy, she would have had bronzerider written all over her...and once that brashness was tempered by maturity might even have been a good one.

It was almost a shame that the girl would, most likely, Impress green. She felt Lyeth stir, then come to full awakening.

What is going on, my rider?

Another suitor for you, apparently.

He had better be worth it.

Lenia might notice a slight shift in Yselka's expression as she briefly conversed with her dragon. We'll see.

"Do you know where this bronzerider is? Naturally, I would like to speak with him." The Weyrleader would be the one to place him in the wings, but Yselka needed the measure of the man. And Lyeth, no doubt of his dragon...quite possibly literally.

OOC: There is no separate candidate barracks, for next time. Yes, I realize that's weird.

[phlysolo]

OoC: Right, right. I had forgotten about that until you pointed it out. I'll keep it in mind. :3

IC:

The Candidate was regarding the Weyrwoman sharply, trying to size her up. However, Yselka seemed to show not one bit of real emotion on her face. Even in the face of Lenia's baiting, she'd remained rather composed. Instead of making the violate Lenia more anxious to ruffle the greenest goldrider of Pern, this composed attitude eased her feelings of rebelliousness. Perhaps this woman was capable of being a good leader, Lenia thought, her sharp blue eyes traveling over the woman's body appreciatively now. Too bad riding that gold meant she wouldn't look twice at other women. Shards and shells....

To the first comment, Lenia merely grunted, uninterested in the whole bronzerider situation completely. However, the next moment, Yselka addressed Lenia herself and the girl stood up straight and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at the other woman's scruitiny. What was she looking at?

"I guess you'll have to," She replied, then continued to answer Yselka's other question. "No idea where he could possibly be. I suppose both he and the Headwoman so quickly forgot to mention it to me where he could be."

Her response was sarcastic and biting, although her eyes didn't have their usual edge to it; it could be supposed that Lenia was actually being polite.

"I think he's already settling into a weyr, though. Earlier today, I saw him land at the Star Stones and there was a green that showed up to greet them. Maybe the greenrider got him settled in," Lenia finished, shrugging once more.

"He's probably around his weyr or eating or something. Can't be too much to do his first day here."

[ShadowReine]

Yselka nodded. "Lyeth can find him, now that she's awake."

She had her control back, the emotions thrust away where the candidate could not see them. Yes, this was an interesting young woman. And from the look she'd just given her...yeah. Not a goldrider. Definitely a shame. There was a strength to this one, underlying the brashness.

Love, be a dear and...

I already did.

Dragon and rider finished each other's sentences, and Yselka knew the weyrleader was alerted to the new transfer. "He probably is getting food."

Yselka would not want to be a candidate now, with all of the uncertainty. Some of the weyrbred had already left to pursue crafts. Of course, if Lyeth clutched, they would rapidly be replaced. She could not turn down candidate transfers...even if she would have the heart to do so at the moment. She was even already accepting a few hopefuls.

The atmosphere, though, was tense. Not as bad as at other Weyrs, though. She'd heard of knife fights at Benden and a rider being disciplined at Fort for raping a woman after a flight.

Lyeth had to fly, soon, and fly far and clutch well, or they were doomed.

[phlysolo]

Now that was something intruiging. Lenia knew that, of course, dragons could speak easily to one another, but to know that a gold could also reach out and touch another dragon with her mind to pinpoint his location was interesting. Perhaps Lenia should have paid more attention to those general lessons the Candidates had been...forced to attend. Of course, she herself would never admit to falling asleep at the back of the makeshift classroom in the Lower Caverns after dinner.

"Hrmph, for a bronzerider he doesn't have any sense of propriety, does he?" Lenia remarked scathingly. "If I were him-" And Lenia paused almost with impish sexuality. "I would have sought you out first, Weyrwoman. After all, he will be given the chance to fly your Lyeth..."

She let the implications hang almost obscenely in the air, a small smirk once again on her face. Lenia couldn't help wanting to try to push the Weyrwoman to the limits of her politeness and apparently easy going attitude. If just one teenager just about the same age as the Weyrwoman could rile her, then anything could.

Lenia, unlike other Candidates and Weyrfolk, was completely unperturbed by the anxiousness of Ista and the rest of the worl.d If Lyeth didn't Clutch, so what? What could that honestly mean? That they would have to find some new and inovative way of fighting Threads? Even at that, she stubbornly refused to believe that this golden Lyeth was infertile. After all, dragonkind were surviors. They'd pulled through all kinds of catastrophies and plagues before now. How was this one truly any different? If there was hope for the continuation of the draconic species, it certainly lay with Yselka's gold. However, if it did not, the world would not cease entirely to exsist! It would not succumb to Threads no matter how hopeless the situation became. As much as Lenia wished to soar amongst dragons high in the sky, she was not completely closed minded to the fact that, while she could live out her days in a Weyr, might see the beautiful age of dragons come to its end...

"But I do not wish to take up so much of your time, Weywoman Yselka. I'm sure you've got...matters to attend to..."

Lenia made no movements to leave, however, and stayed standing calming and arrogantly before the goldrider.

[ShadowReine]

Of course, Yselka had only really meant that Lyeth could pinpoint a strange bronze and ask him what he was doing there. Which, she was doing without her Weyrwoman even asking.

A good bronze.

Wanting to collect a few?

I need them.

Yselka's eyes widened as a certain wistful longing came through her dragon's mind voice and tones. "He...will indeed." And while she hoped that Lyeth's mate's rider was a tolerable person, a long flight and a large clutch, that mattered far more.

Hopefully the girl wouldn't notice the slight blush that was coloring her cheeks, though. No doubt, Lenia would think it came from her words not the realization that was flowing through her.

Lyeth flying was suddenly not a 'one day' on the horizon, but quite imminent. She was not about to take off for the feeding grounds right now, but it would definitely be...soon. "And yes, I suppose I do."

She was definitely blushing now. Was she embarrassed about being hit on by another woman? Or was it something else...

[phlysolo]

Oh, yes, Lenia did she think was a clever one. Of course, the girl could not here the interchange between dragon and rider, but she saw everything she wanted to see on the other woman's face: a soft coloration of red against her cheeks. So perhaps Lenia had gotten to the woman, hadn't she? Her smirk grew wider in her ignorance of what could probably an immanent Flight of a golden dragon. Either way, the longer Lenia's sharp, predatory gaze remained on the Weyrwoman, the hotter the goldrider's cheeks became and the wider the smirk on Lenia's face grew.

"Well, then," She said silkily, moving ever so slightly out of Yselka's way, but not so enough that passing Lenia would be considered completely polite. "I wouldn't want to keep you idling here when you could making some certain...assessments about the newest-and youngest-bronzerider here..."

The girl's tone was icy and taughting; she knew just as well as Yselka that the Weyrwoman's personal life, and body for that matter, was going to be snatched up by some hungry stranger by way of a bronze and gold Flight.

"I'm sure he'll be a good man, for if his dragon survived the Plague he'd be rather strong, wouldn't you think?" And once again, Lenia was using her words to stab at any worries that might be inhabiting Yselka's mind: the absolute need to have a good turnout of healthy bronzes who could keep up with Lyeth's endurance and hopefully produce a Clutch.

Lenia herself was mildly concerned, she supposed, about the Flight that was dominating all minds and conversations at Ista Weyr. While it was her top prority to become a true dragonrider like her father, her subconscious had conceded that she is at least realistic enough to know that actually becoming one was not really a possibility any more. Instead of being an eternal optimist, Lenia's cup is half empty perception had already hardened the girl of any disappointment she would undoubtedly feel if Lyeth turned out to be as barren as the rest of the gold dragons on Pern....

[ShadowReine]

Yselka regarded Lenia. Very quietly, "You're teasing me."

Some Weyrwomen would have considered that insubordination, but this was an informal moment. "But Lyeth just informed me, rather smugly, that she needs all the bronzes."

Knowing Lyeth, she would ideally want every surviving bronze to show up so she could choose the very best of them. The gold was entirely aware of her responsibility. A long flight, a large clutch.

Lenia's teasing, thus, ran along her own thoughts. And Yselka would tolerate anything for the sake of her dragon and for the sake of the rest of Pern. Well. Almost anything.

He had better not think that Pern's youngest weyrwoman would be a pushover. This was her Weyr, and it was staying that way. "Now, if you will excuse me, I think I -do- need to find that bronzerider."

Should she warn him Lyeth was showing signs of being proddy?

[phlysolo]

So clever, so clever this Weyrwoman was. Indeed the girl had been and Yselka had finally withdrawn from her own mind to realize it. And how disapointing it was that it was just at the end of their meeting Yselka had actually said something about it. This goldrider was absolutely no fun at all, even if she was rather...Lenia's gaze hooked almost obscenely on the Weyrwoman again, but at least this time she had the decency to look away after a beat.

"That I was, Yselka, that I was," She replied with such informality that, had this been with any other woman in any other setting, Lenia would have probably been slapped across the face.

Then, all of a sudden, the Weyrwoman's body language became brisk and matter-of-fact, forcing Lenia's eyebrows up in surprise. Well, now! Perhaps she could be feisty! Only too bad that Lenia would never sit on the back of a bronze.

"I believe she will be, Weyrwoman. I am rooting for the both of you," She replied nonchalantly and nodding. Yes, despite everything said and done in this rather short conversation, Lenia wanted to be a dragonrider. If Lyeth didn't Clutch, she could say bye-bye to that idea and hello again to Tanning. Ugh.

Slowly, admiting defeat about some aspects of the Weyrwoman's personality and claiming victory over others, Lenia nodded and stepped completely out of the Yselka's way.

"Find him, yes. Hope your skirts stay on though. Wouldn't want you flying before Lyeth..." She hissed tauntingly.

[ShadowReine]

Yselka elected not to answer that.

Someone needs to fly -her-.

There's enough women of her preference that that shouldn't be a problem, dearest. Now, I'm going to find this bronzerider. Would you ask his dragon where he is?

Of course.

Lyeth might be right...maybe the attitude-filled candidate -did- need to get laid. Or maybe she just needed a bit of time and maturity.

Or a dragon. Impression often brought out a woman's good points and muted her bad ones. It might work with this girl...she could hope so, anyway.