Oh Not Again! [Cera's Search]

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Mapping out the edges and secrets of Revnan Hold had proven to be an interesting and fun challenge for someone that got as bored as easily as Cera did. She was often out and about exploring and making her maps of the pathways she'd taken and what they led to and notable landmarks she'd seen along the way. It was fun, and she got to go out and do what she enjoyed the best without other people getting in the way. She'd been at the Hold a handful of days now and she was still finding new and interesting things to explore and catalog. It had been a relaxing time for her since the people she'd come with new she worked better alone and had decided to let her do so. So she was relaxed and she made the maps like she was asked to while at the same time still getting to enjoy her cloud-watching.

Now was one of the times she was taking a break and she sat out in an open area just outside the Hold where she could enjoy the sunlight and watch the clouds go by. The people she'd come with knew where she was, so she didn't have to worry about them bothering her. The day was calm and the sky was clear and sunny with plenty of clouds to watch. She was laying out on her back enjoying the sunshine and watching the clouds float slowly by. Yes, life was good for once, and it was much better than being bored out of her mind that was for sure.

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Tags | @kiba

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With three lost hatchlings from Aerroth's clutch, Mavros' Searchriders were hauling out as often as they could to avoid a second disaster. Gisellaine often wondered if all the spectators' Impressions that happened in the earlier Turns--her sister Karredy's Impression of Zalmaranth included--was a sign that the Candidate pool actually hadn't been sufficient for a good while. Not that it was surprising, but...

If the hatchlings all Impressed, there was enough people! Zedorianth assured her.

That wasn't the point, Zedo. She still gave the green a thump on the neck after they landed.

Since they weren't trying to drain their protectorate of Candidates too quickly and the Northern Continent's Weyrs had cut off contact, Gisellaine and Zedorianth had been sent all the way west to Revnan Hold. Revnan's lord had allowed it, but the greenrider had a feeling that they, specifically, had been sent over because Zedorianth was infamously small and wouldn't be too surprising (well, threatening) in case any of Ierne's riders chanced upon them.

Someone's here! Zedorianth told her immediately. She didn't even wait for Gisellaine to dismount, roaming around like one of Gerran's canines sniffing out treats. Hello! The green called. We're here on Search!

"Zedo, we're not in the Hold yet! You'll scare whoever hears you." But Gisellaine couldn't help a chuckle since there was no real option but to repeat her dragon's words--with actual introductions, though. "Hello? We're Gisellaine and Zedorianth from Mavros! We're here on Search--is anyone around?"

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Oh she heard them alright, Cera just decided she didn't care. That didn't mean she wasn't going to let them know where she was at though, since it would be a real pain if the dragon accidentally stepped on her. "Yo, I'm sure the folks in there will be delighted to see you two. Don't mind me, just cloud-watching." And that was that for Cera. She sat up for a moment to raise a hand in greeting - it stopped the dragonrider from being insulted which would be a pain to deal with - before she dropped back down onto her back to continue watching the clouds.

It had been a while since she'd been this close to a dragon though, and she couldn't help but sneak a peak the gorgeous green hide before she focused again on the sky and the endless clouds. If she was lucky, this woman would go on her way and she wouldn't be forced to socialize. If she wasn't lucky...well then she'd have to deal with this troublesome person until she'd gotten wherever it was she wanted out of her system. Urg, what a pain.

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"Thank you!" Gisellaine returned the wave to the girl nearby, and decided to have Zedorianth fly in for Search; after all, she was only small compared to other (adult) dragons, and she would have looked quite out-of-place, trying to walk inside like she was just a runnerbeast. (There was a REASON the dragonriders' between coordinates were always in the air or a few minutes away from the place they were going.) "We'll just head to Revnan now, thank you."

Wait! Zedorianth pleaded, plowing through a bush towards the holder.

"Zedorianth," and she emphasized the green's full name. "We're supposed to be on Search right now. We can't stop and talk to everyone who said hello." And she yanked on the riding straps, but more out of instinct than because it actually did anything. Then she turned and waved to the holder girl. "I'm sorry if she startled you, she gets excited about Searching--"

But I heard her!

Oh dear, the holder girl was a Candidate? Well, time to start the Search talk. "I... well, apparently she just Searched you," Gisellaine said. "She did say that she sensed someone right after we landed."

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Cera rolled her eyes and couldn't suppress her groan of annoyance when the pair didn't immediately go away. Of course they were here on Search, what else would bring a dragonrider this far from a Weyr? She heard the dragon moving closer and didn't budge from her spot even as a snort of annoyed amusement left her at the notion of Search. "You don't have to start that entire 'you're so special' spheal because I've heard it before. I stood for a while at Monaco Bay Weyr and I understand how it works. Urg, what a pain." She sat up again and looked so put-upon that even the most socially inept person would have been able to pick up on it.

Yes she had heard it many times, but she'd never had it said to her directly before. It was...sort of nice, even if it made the rider seem a bit simple minded. She'd stood before because it was expected of her as a child of two dragonriders and the Weyr had needed all the bodies it could throw at the hatchling dragons. It was just so frustrating to have her quiet afternoon ruined by some dragonrider. She sighed then and ran a hand through her short hair, eyeing the pair with a faint sort of curiosity. She didn't recognize their colors. "Fine, I'll bite, where'd the pair of you come from?" Because it was actually rare that Cera couldn't place Weyr colors and these two were a complete mystery. That was the only reason, as of this moment, she wasn't outright dismissing the pair. Well...that and the Green really was quite the sight.

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"Oh. So you're Weyrbred, then?" Gisellaine nodded, though she was getting uneasy--soon she'd have to start thinking about what to say, and that wasn't very easy with how... not-happy her new Candidate was. Was she getting too old to stand for Hatchings? Or had something unusual happened to bring her all the way here? Revnan wasn't exactly a popular destination.

Oh, good, she hadn't caught when Gisellaine said where they were from. "We're from Mavros," she said. "Two of the junior queens are due to rise in half a Turn, and we lost three hatchlings in the latest clutch, s-so... We can't let that happen again."

She winced--she hadn't meant to say that, just that they'd had a recent clutch. It wasn't a secret that Mavros was constantly struggling, but the news about Aerroth's clutch was still patchy for outsiders. If it wasn't about how two of the browns Impressed girls (rare enough as it was), it was the rumor that their new goldrider Aleni was a boy. What was the difference between that nonsense and how holders kept saying that greenrider men were practically women, or that bluerider women were practically men?

She doesn't want to go! Zedorianth said, eyes whirling yellow with alarm. That information was no surprise, given the girl's lack of enthusiasm, but the green had probably been taking a look at her thoughts for such a specific complaint.

"Zedo, don't pry." Between Gisellaine's rapidly fraying nerves and the still-raw events of the recent clutch, she just shook her head and clucked like a mother with a toddler. "Well... what's your name, then?"

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Cera inwardly groaned as she realized that the person before her wasn't very smart; or at least she was extremely thick. What a pain! "Yes...generally that's what it means when I said I'm from Monaco Bay Weyr; I was born there. My parents were dragonriders, not that it matters but when that happens generally the child has to stand regardless." Also it had been the only way to get them all to leave her alone. She also recognized a rehearsed speech when she heard one that that only made some deeply buried part of her realize that once again the entire - you're Searched - thing was only because they needed bodies and not actually because she'd make a good fit for a dragon. That was entirely...not a nice thing to do to a person. It honestly made her angry and upset at this person trying to do this to her, but it was too much work to let others know they'd struck a nerve and it only made things worse besides that so she really didn't react much.

She paused and blinked when the dragonrider finally said where she was from. Mavros huh? She'd heard of the place, it didn't have a good reputation. Still, they had at least three Golds and that was a feat for any Weyr. Then came the mention of the recent hatching and the losses suffered. And she'd needed to know that...why exactly? Was this person trying to guilt her into coming with her? That was just...devious if it was true. She sighed again, seeing the expressions crossing the dragonrider's face and knowing she had upset the woman somehow. Urg, this was all such a major pain! Taking a deep breath for patience and calm, she decided to go a different route and see if she could put an end to this mess. "Apprentice Harper Cera under Journeyman Rollak. Several of us were requested to assist in mapping out the area around the hold since it's still fairly new." She lifted her mapping supplies as if to prove her words truth before putting them back in her satchel.

She couldn't help but sneak another glance at the Green dragon so close to her. She hadn't really cared much for the dragons at either Monaco Bay Weyr or Fort Weyr before so she had never gotten the chance to see a dragon up close like this. She had to admit to being very curious about the Green, but she wasn't going to say anything about it. She sort of wanted to touch her though.

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Oh, tie her out and leave her for Thread--she and Zedo just Searched a crafter, Gisellaine thought with yet more dismay. In theory it wasn't too much problem, but harpers did a lot more than sing and keep records. And this one was doing her job, to boot. On the other hand, they didn't literally need Candidates right now--official Candidacy lessons started around the time the queen's clutch was laid, and since Cera was Weyrbred, the lessons would probably just be a formality.

"Well, that's not a big problem," GIsellaine told Cera. "If you need time to--"

She's mad about the hatchlings, Zedorianth told her with a worried nudge at her shoulder.

"Zedo, don't pry." Well, there was one good thing about accidentally Searching a Weyrbred girl--Cera hadn't said a thing about Gisellaine was stuck between two conversations. "Although... if you are upset that we only need people on the Sands, Cera, I wasn't planning on telling anyone we'd lost the hatchlings. We do need Candidates, yes, but... we need everything right now."

Crafters, dragonriders, holders, Weyrfolk... and sailors with a less shaky reputation than Captain Treyjen, Gisellaine remembered with a twinge of dismay.

But I already Searched you! Zedorianth said to Cera with a squawk of dismay. Why don't you want to go?

"Zedorianth!" Gisellaine tugged at the riding straps and stood very firmly between Cera and her green. "We can't just fly around and grab anyone we Search! Cera, if you don't want to go or if you at least need to talk to your master first, we have half a Turn. There's plenty of time."