A Question of Taste (Zen/Ki)

[Alyx]

Joia and White Tellamuth

‘So what flavor would you like?’ Joia sidestepped a man hawking in the path, doing her best not to wince at the volume of his voice as he bellowed again, boasting about some sort of fish he was selling. His voice was lost quick enough in the bustle of the Gather’s makeshift market stalls, and Joia was pleased enough to leave him behind. She could feel Tellamuth pondering her question as if it was some great secret he had to find the key to. She smiled, ducking left around a pair of boys looking at daggers at one of the tables, following her nose to find the promised hand pie vendor.

Berry, if they have them. Or redfruit works? The voice was smooth and warm, rolling in and out of Joia’s thoughts as she walked. Too bad I doubt they will have those cinnamon and cream ones they had in Jask. ‘Yea, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like those in Mavros. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like them anywhere, honestly.’ We should visit there soon. Joia laughed, shaking her head. ‘And why? For hand pies?’ Do we need any other reason? ‘You are going to get fat.’ Her jab didn’t offend the White, his laughter joining hers. Perhaps. But Cinnamon and Cream hand pies might be worth fat.

‘You are horrible.’ She slowed, taking a chance to look over the fabrics that lay among the stall tables. ‘Oh, they have brocade.’ They have what? Joia took the image in her mind of the fabric as she passed, sharing it with the relaxing dragon. Oh, that’s fascinating. It is lace? ‘Not quite? It's more like embroidery.’ Thinking of a new project? Joia nodded, even though Tellamuth couldn’t see her. ‘Maybe. I mean, I don’t have a big one going.’

The last big project she’d had was a dress for her Graduation; before that, she did shirts for No’va and Tak’ril. She frowned softly, then turned away from the fabric to continue her trek for Tell’s pastry treats. Tellamuth reached for her, wrapping her in that familiar warmth. He’s simply busy. ‘I know. I just… I miss him. I hadn’t realized how busy both of us would be with lessons. Now that I’m graduated, I’d hope to be able to see him more.’ Maybe you should track him down later? ‘I don’t know. He’s a Bronzerider weyrling, Tell. They have a lot to learn.’ Tellamuth knew better than to push too much on the topic of Tak’ril, letting the thoughts trail off.

Are No’va and Alduntulath around? ‘Yea, they are racing later.’ Oh, are we betting? The eager tone in the dragon’s voice made her laugh, her spirits lifting a bit from the darker well in her tummy. ‘I had planned to.’ Wonderful, more hand pie marks! ‘Glutton.’ She stepped around a man balancing to kegs of something on either shoulder, slipping into the growing line at the Baker’s stall. ‘Handpies first, then bets.’ Then shopping? Joia smirked. ‘Yes. Shopping.’ Back for some of that… what did you call it? The Fabric? ‘Brocade.’ Yes, that. A nice light purple with white stitching would look wonderful on you.

She would have said something more about the White’s attempting to charm more hand pies out of her, but a face in the crowd caught her attention. She pushed up on her tiptoes to make sure she was right, then smiled and cupped her hand around her mouth hoping he’d hear her. “Kisoraz!” She brought her other hand up, waving at the Candidate to make sure he saw her.

Zen

[Zen]

Kisoraz

Kisoraz had hoped to perhaps attach himself to S’goi for the gather, as he had at Jask, but he hadn’t been able to find the bronzerider and simply decided to go ahead on his own. If he was lucky perhaps he would find the man among the crowds, or perhaps he hadn’t even deigned to come. Kisoraz couldn’t exactly blame him. The Mavros gather didn’t hold a candle to Jask’s, and when he imagined the turnover celebrations happening back in Mirran it only made him sigh forlornly at his misfortune in being stuck here of all places for turnover. He had hoped perhaps his mother would send someone to take him home, if only for a couple days, to enjoy the festivities in Mirran, but no word had come for him to prepare for a visit. He didn’t doubt that his mother might have wanted him home for turnover, but if she had brought it up, his father must have talked her out of it. He sure was making his disappointment clear - he couldn’t even blame him - but every so often he couldn’t help but wonder if sending him to Mavros wasn’t just a way to get him out of sight, to not be constantly reminded of the stain of failure he brought to the family.

He shook his head, trying to shake the dour mood that had fallen over him, but it was difficult when even the gather around him just seemed dismal in comparison to what he was used to, reminding him of everything he was missing, reminding him of how fortunate he had been and how much he had lost and may never get back. What if he never Impressed? Would his father even allow him to return if his failure became so absolute? Even if he did Impress, even if a bronze found him, even if he did all his father wanted and managed to redeem himself, was a path back to Mirran available to him or was he expected to remain at Mavros forever, an extension of his father’s will? He hadn’t really given it much thought before. He had assumed he would be welcomed back, eventually, but… but that might not even be part of his father’s plan. If that was the case then he really needed to start looking at Mavros as his new home, try to figure out how to make his situation even the slightest bit more tolerable. A good first step would be to stop comparing everything to Mirran, because obviously nothing was ever going to come close. He would be chasing Mirran for the rest of his life and getting nowhere. And yet Mirran still had his allegiance. How could he think of Mavros as home if his every action was in service to Mirran?

He rubbed his hand over his face, frustrated and confused, wishing he had someone, anyone he could talk to about any of this. If only he had a dragon, for who else could ever be such a trusted confidant? But he didn’t, and that was the root of the entire problem. He wandered through the gather stalls absently, lost in his thoughts, not really paying his surroundings much attention at all but to avoid running into people. There wasn’t much use wishing for something he didn’t have, something he had no control over. He thought about Sularenth’s upcoming clutch, though the mating flight battle and killing of another gold at the conception rather cast a pall over it. He couldn’t help but wonder if he really wanted to Impress a hatchling from this clutch or not. He had never witnessed a gold mating fight before, but surely it was a bad omen, especially when one of the golds involved had died. What sort of dragons would hatch from a clutch conceived in the ichor of a gold? He couldn’t imagine a worse omen.

The sudden loud call of his name had him blinking and looking around in surprise as he was forced out of his rather dark thoughts. It was a good thing Joia had started waving or he might not have spotted her among so many people. Immediately he grinned, making his way toward her. If nothing else good ever came of his time at Mavros, at least he had met Joia and Tellamuth. Perhaps they even made his time here worth it, in the end, even if he never Impressed. To not only meet but to befriend a white dragon and his rider was not something he had ever imagined doing. If he had never left Mirran, it was unlikely he would have met them, and even if he did, forming a proper friendship without living at the same Weyr would be next to impossible.

“Joia, always wonderful to see you! Are you on your own?” He couldn’t help but give a quick glance around her, surprised to see no one at all that seemed attached to the whiterider. For a moment he wondered if she preferred to be on her own, but then why would she have called him over? No, she seemed too friendly to be spending the gather by herself, particularly as a whiterider. He would never understand the complete lack of reverence Mavros showed her. “Would you mind if I joined you? A gather is always more fun with companions. At least in my experience.” It really was something how she chased his somber thoughts away so easily. Just being around her put him in a much better mood. It was difficult not to be in a good mood around the only whiterider on all of Pern. It didn’t hurt that she was just a pleasant person to be with either. “And how is Tellamuth today? He did well in his race. Please offer my congratulations to him.”

Alyx

[Alyx]

Joia and White Tellamuth

Joia smiled as the young man’s head whipped around, looking for the source of his name. It took him a moment, but Kisoraz’s eyes lit up the moment he saw, and Joia’s smile brightened more. Dropping her hand, she rocked back on her heels in line as he wove through the crowds to join her.

“Joia, always wonderful to see you! Are you on your own?” The smile faded just a moment on her lips, but then she tilted her head and shrugged. “Not anymore. I have you for company for a bit now.” Was it cheesy? A little, but honestly she liked him. Kisoraz came from a Weyr that seemed so foreign and strange to Joia, even with the little she’d managed to learn for him. She kept planning to learn more, but… well, she never remembered when she actually had the time to ask questions.

“Would you mind if I joined you? A gather is always more fun with companions. At least in my experience.” “Of course not, as long as you don’t mind waiting in line with me for Handpies?” She doubted he would have a problem with it honestly. She didn’t know what else she had planned really; some shopping maybe, but she didn’t want to wander alone. And maybe the presence of her new friend would make her stop dwelling on the missing ones? At least for a few hours.

That would be nice. ‘I’m sorry, Tell. I can’t help it.’ The White’s warmth wrapped around her. I know. But for the moment, at least, enjoy yourself. I don’t like you moody like this. Kisoraz continued to talk, and Joia forced herself to focus back on him and the conversation. The line moved, and Joia side-stepped to keep in her spot, nodding to the man.

“Oh Tellamuth’s around; he’s currently trying to get me to place bets on No’va and his Brown in the race later for more marks.” She gave a shrug. “But right now I’m on a mission for Handpies for him. I promised him he could have a couple if we placed in the racing. Since we came in second, I own him at least two.” I will take three without complaint. ‘Oh, I’m sure you would.’ “And now he’s trying to convince me we need to fly back to Jask sometime to get the pastry handpies he liked there. I’m convinced he’d be a round ball with wings if I let him.” She couldn’t help the laughter in her voice.

“What about you? Want a handpie? I think they have berry and redfruit for sure, not sure if they have others, honestly.”

Zen

[Zen]

Kisoraz

“I have you for company for a bit now.”

A soft laugh escaped him, “So you do. For as long you like, my lady.” Others may not show her any proper respect but he was raised better. He wished he could take her to Mirran and show her how a whiterider is meant to be treated. She and Tellamuth would want for nothing in Mirran. It really made no sense at all. How could Mavros have been blessed with two whites in less than a decade? How had they been blessed with a second after allowing their first to die so young? They were irreverent and ignorant. Joia and Tellamuth certainly deserved better.

When Joia said something about handpies, he realized she was indeed waiting in line. Kisoraz considered whether he might like to buy one or two for himself. He doubted they would have his favorite kind. In his time at Mavros citrus fruits had been quite rare. It was unlikely anyone was making citrus pies in great enough numbers to be selling them at a gather. He sighed lightly, wishing once more that he was in Mirran right now. No, he would probably pass on having any pies himself, but he didn’t at all mind keeping Joia company while she waited in line… something she’d never have to do in Mirran. He offered her an easy smile, despite the sour thoughts trying to creep in, “I am at your service, as ever, Joia.” It felt strange to call her by her name, no matter how many times he did it. To be on such familiar terms with a whiterider that he could just casually call her by her name was too much to believe at times.

Joia had mentioned No’va before, though Kisoraz had never met him. His dragon had an odd coloring, though. He had seen the brown from a distance. Alduntulath looked to be more black than brown. In Mirran it would be considered auspicious, the boy likely groomed for further leadership than the usual brownrider, prepared to lead his own Wing at the least. Here, though…. He shook his head lightly, finding it difficult not to dwell on the vast differences between Mavros and Mirran. Mavros was the only other Weyrhold on Pern, he had been sure it would be so similar to Mirran, but it seemed as though it could not get more different. He supposed that’s why his parents had sent him here, hoping he might be able to influence things when… if his bronze found him.

“Are you the betting sort?” his brow rose slightly, curious at the mention of betting on the dragon races. He wasn’t much one for games of chance himself. It seemed a low form of entertainment. It was common among the Mirranese, but he knew very few Mirrish who would partake in the activity. Then he mused, “Or is Tellamuth the betting sort and you only go along with it?” There were only so many ways for a dragon to amuse themselves after all. When it was revealed that the handpies were for Tellamuth, Kisoraz gave a bright laugh at this new information, “Does he have a sweet tooth? How interesting. I’ve not heard of dragons demanding sweets before.” He wondered if it was normal for white dragons, or if it was only a quirk of Tellamuth. He would remember that for the future.

“If he enjoyed Jask’s offerings he ought to come to a gather at Mirran. Riders fly great tubs of snow in from the wastes across the Azov in warmer months and there is a great variety of sweetsnow to pair with any number of flavors of handpies. He might enjoy the candied meats available as well. I know the technique for safely making redwood syrup is rather carefully guarded in Mirran, and the taste of it is quite unique, sweet of course, though not so much as with many other syrups, but with a hint of spice in the aftertaste. It goes well with a great many things and can be made into hard candies as well,” he stopped as he realized he was going on a bit of a tangent and cleared his throat lightly, “I would be most honored to show you both around Mirran one day.” After he Impressed… if he Impressed. “Ah, but no, I think I’ll pass on any pies for myself, thank you. I would be happy to get a few extra for Tellamuth if that’s alright? His performance in the race was quite impressive, after all, so surely he deserves it?” He grinned, glad enough to focus on his current company rather than the thoughts that kept trying to drag him down in his mind.

Alyx