Two For the Price of Nothing

Writers: Ames, Chelle, Len, Paula, Suzee
Date Posted: 16th January 2011

Characters: C'niv, Ardos, Talisian, Alira, Trelos
Description: C'niv searches two hold boys, beginning a whole lot of trouble
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 13, day 8 of Turn 5

Ardos scuttled through the lower levels of the Hold, bouncing from one
corridor to another. There was a searchrider outside, in the courtyard,
and he wasn't going to miss it.

**I can run faster than this!** he grunted and sped by a woman
carrying laundry, who shouted at him. "Sorry!" he yelled as he headed
up the stairs.

C'niv was looking around nervously, while Aluaath was sniffing out the
potential candidate-material. Something in this hold was making him
feel uneasy and he was starting to regret he didn't come with a pair.
A sturdy brown or even a big blue.

Talisian spied Ardos speeding by. "Wait up!" he shouted, trying to
catch up. Then he saw the dragon in the courtyard. A green! He
almost stopped and ran back the way he had come, if it wasn't for a
crowd of excited boys overtaking and pushing him out into the
courtyard. He followed them, feeling quite sick to his stomach.

Ardos got into line, looking at the dragonrider, willing him to pick
him. He could go to the Weyr!

Talisian slipped past some taller boys to get closer to his friend.
"Ardos," he whispered, "How long has the green and her rider been
here?"

** Her?** C'niv asked when Aluaath nosed a young girl. The green shook
her head, }: No, not yet. She might grow into it. :{

Alira heard the commotion and raced to the window, the sight of the
green in the courtyard caused her to panic. "Oh no!" she said. "He's
going to sharding crack!"

"Maybe a half candlemark, probably not even that long," Ardos supplied,
jostling toward the front so that the green might see him.

Talisian allowed himself to be pushed towards the green, alongside
Ardos. Maybe, hopefully, she wouldn't choose him at all, and he could go
back to what he had been doing. He kept his fingers crossed, not sure
he he was hoping she would or wouldn't 'see' him.

}: This one, :{ Aluaath said and pushed her muzzle through the crowd to
poke one of the boys' chests.

"What's your name, lad?" C'niv asked him.

When the green pushed her muzzle into his chest, Talisian felt all his
blood drain, and the world lurched for a moment before the rider's words
hit him. His name? "Uh...uh...Talisian, sir." He shut his eyes
against the knowing smirks of some of the boys around him, and tried to
ignore the rough push against his back. His da was going to kill him,
just knowing that he had allowed himself to come along to this.

"There you go Tal. Now you get to spend all your days on your knees
before a man, at the Weyr!" a hateful voice whispered behind him,
causing the boys around to laugh. The boy wished himself anywhere but
there, looking at the green dragon with real desperation in his eyes.

Ardos, on the other hand, wanted his shot. He had a second cousin or
something that had ended up a brownrider. So he had the right Blood,
didn't he? Shoving forward, he hoped that maybe today was his chance. He
watched as the green looked over some of the children, but didn't pick
them.

}: And this one too,:{ Aluaath said and snorted warm air against Ardos' face.

"Congratulations, you two have been Searched and offered a chance to Impress a dragon," C'niv declared.

Ardos gave out a whoop, then looked at C'niv. "I'll just go make sure
everything is fine with my parents, rider sir..I'll get my things?" He
wondered if he was supposed to come back to the courtyard or what.

"It's up to you. I can take you to the Weyr now or I can return to pick
up you two closer to the Hatching," C'niv replied. "There are no eggs on
the Sands just now."

Talisian sighed and decided there and then to just grab his stuff and
go. His father and brothers would still be out in the fields, and his
sister in the creche. He would write her a quick note. She was the only
one that would understand why he had made the decision to go with the
rider. And the girl he had been half promised to, she would
understand too. But the others? They were no more enlightened in their
views than the jerks who had made the comments to him. All his father
obsessed on was that a nice girl would be the making of his boy.

He fled the scene only to return moments later, a small bundle on his
back. He ran a hand through his short, auburn hair, and stepped up to
the obviously uncomfortable looking greenrider and said, "Sir, I'd like
to go back with you now, if that's okay." In a lower voice, he added,
"eggs or no eggs, I think my life might be better in the Weyr, if
you get my meaning."

Trelos, who'd been napping deep in the recesses of his hold was shaken
awake by one of his stewards. He heard someone whisper something and the
old, bleary eyed Holder bolted upright. Rubbing his hand against the
back of his head he only made his hair stand up straighter. "What?
What's going on?" He grumbled, looking around as if he expected
the walls to fall in on him.

Ardos hurried back, with his carisak fastened to his back. He hadn't
proper flightgear, but someone had lent the boy a coat at least. It was a
few sizes too big, but he didn't care. "All ready!"

"All right then," C'niv said and gestured for him to mount the green. It was going to be crowded. Again he regretted not asking for a company, he
hadn't expected to take back two Candidates straight away!

Last updated on the January 23rd 2011

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Two For the Price of Nothing