Waiting Is Hard To Do (part one of two)

Writers: Allison, AmajoS, Avery, Patrick, Rochelle, Vix
Date Posted: 6th August 2007

Characters: N'alt, Tamaca, Riveenata, Ariau, Viriana, Benna
Description: Several Candidates sit and discuss their classes and their chances.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 5, day 5 of Turn 4

Noalt followed the general crush of Candidates out the door and stretched as they walked into the sunshine. He stretched and looked around, noticing the Candidates dividing themselves into smaller groups. He walked over to one such group gathered in a small knot and looked around. "I'm glad that class is finally over," Noalt said, grinning around the circle.

"As many times as I've taken these classes, I'm glad when any of them are over." Tamaca rolled her shoulders to work a kink from her back. "Of course, I seem to pick up at least a little bit of information each time - and it gets me out of other work."

"Its starting to feel like a bit of a waist of time for me." Viri said as she loped beside the group, resisting the urge to let her body contort in its usual way. "I mean most of us have been here long enough to know what to do and say right? So why do we have to keep going to the classes?" She gave into the urge and flipped fluidly onto her hands, walking on them as easily as she did her feet.

Tam rolled her eyes at the other girl's actions. "Would you stop showing off and let us have a civilized conversation for once?" She turned to the other candidates. "I skipped the classes for a few of the times that I stood, but I figured that I'd join in again this time. Not that I expect the results of the Hatching to be any different, but it never hurts to be informed."

"What class did you get out of now?" Riveenata asked the group curiously. She knew a few of the Candidates- she'd Stood with some of them, before dropping out to focus on her Craft. She'd done all the classes, she knew all the lectures, and it wasn't her business anymore, anyways. Still, she liked her old fellows, so when she wasn't on shift- like now- she enjoyed socializing.

"Same old 'how we care for a newly hatched dragon' class," Noalt replied."Hopefully someone out of our group, rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck. "I'm sure you took plenty of those, huh Riveenata?"

"Plenty of what?" Ariau asked as she came from behind the little group, having stopped to ask the instructor a question after class was dismissed.

"Same classes, same information," replied Tam with a quick glance to the new arrival.

Noalt nodded his head. "I'm just hoping that it actually comes in handy finally. Maybe this time will be the lucky one for us..." he trailed off, glancing around the circle.

"Yeah lucky would be nice." Viriana said as she flipped back onto her feet.
"I'm so sick of being disappointed." She didn't mention the number of classes she'd skipped to do other things. Those were for her to know and others to find out.

"What happens, happens," stated Tamaca. "We Stand because we don't want any hatchlings left without partners. If we Impress, we use all of this useful information that will probably leave us when we most need it. If we don't, life goes on."

Benna had been watching the girl walk about on her hands more than listening to the chatter going on around her. She herself had enjoyed the candidate classes. It was the only time in her life she could remember where she hadn't felt the urge to sneak off - maybe if the harper who'd tried to teach her letters had been as interesting, she'd have done better there too! She did catch what the older girl, the one with brown hair, Benna hadn't learned many names yet, had said.

"That's a good attitude to avoid disappointment, I guess, but is it the best for attracting a dragon? I thought the idea was to try to project how much you wanted them?" Benna had only been in a couple of these classes so far, having only arrived at the Weyr two sevendays before.

"I haven't put much effort into it the last few times," Tam admitted. "But in the beginning, the first time or two I was on the Sands, I did try to project that I wanted one to choose me. I don't know that one way works any better than the other."

Benna wasn't so sure. "Well, thinking positively couldn't work any worse,"
she replied with a grin.

Noalt shrugged, looking at the two girls. "Well, I think it doesn't matter what our attitudes are. If our dragon is out there, he or she is going to pick us. However, I wish it were sooner rather than later."

"I think we all do." Ariau agreed. "Waiting is nerve-wracking, even if you do have a craft or classes between."

"I suppose that's it." Tamaca nodded to her fellow candidates' replies. "If it's my lot to get out there and join the others fighting Thread, then why not just get on with it instead of waiting to see?"

"I'm pretty sure that the eggs will take the same amount of time to harden as they did last time." Viri told the girl as well as her fellow Candidates.
"And the time before that, and the time before that, and the time before that." She'd said with an exaggerated hand gesture.

"I'm sure you're right about that," conceded Tam. "But we were discussing the waiting to see if a lifemate did actually exist for each of us. If so, it would be just as well to find out the first time Standing, or even the second. I've been on the Sands for every Hatching since I turned twelve - as have several others. It gets to the point where it's difficult to think positively."

(to be continued)

Last updated on the August 7th 2007

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Waiting Is Hard To Do (part one of two)