Dining Companions - Open

[kevna]

Tak’ril ~ Bronze Agureyth

Agureyth had started out following them but stopped along the way. I’m going find some sunshine to take a nap, it’s getting hard to fit when evening meal is so busy.

Okay, have a good time bud.

The broad-shouldered man was then distracted by the question and looked over at his friend, “Sure, I would love to meet her, what did you say her name was?” They were coming upon the dining cavern and tried to imagine this tall man’s sister. Was she tall like him, and have the same eyes or nose? Was she more like a female Vavithan? 

They passed through the entrance, and Tak’ril looked around casually, he couldn’t help but feel his anticipation rising. Maybe Joia would be eating now. He hadn’t seen her for a bit, and he could still feel the bracelet he had made for her heavy in his pocket. He contemplated telling his new friend about it but decided against it. It was a bit strange confiding a-a. What did you even call it? He couldn’t even explain his feelings to this new friend. He led them toward the line to grab food.

“Do you see your sister?” He asked, grabbing a tray and following the line, not even paying attention to the food he was placing on his tray.

tovaana

[tovaana]

Vavithan;

He through a glance over his shoulder when the steps of the bronze started to fade – but looked back at Tak’ril when he acknowledged his question. “Her name is Muze…” He said, taking in the aromas of the meal that wafted toward them. After mentioning her, he was on higher alert to see if he could find her. He remembered when they first got to the weyr they had dined together every meal – it had lessened as time wore on because of schedules and whatnot, but he had also wanted Muze to spend time with the friends she was making. He felt protective, but he also wanted her happy.

“Uhm, no, not yet.” He said, anticipating fish to play a part in their meal – or so the scent told him. Vavithan had found that the weyr had far better cooks or it was the spices they had that his small hold hadn’t had. They worked their way through the line and sure enough, there was fish, grains, and bread and other sides. He took his share and the men found a place to sit – all the while he glanced about to see if he could find Muze. She was small, so it was easy to miss her… ah, there she was!

She had just entered the hall and got directly in line. He waited until she started looking around the hall and waved a hand to get her attention.

Muze;

She’d spent a frustrating afternoon in the library and made her way blindly to mealtime. Of course, she wasn’t actually blind, but she didn’t see anyone except for the strange words that she hadn’t been able to figure out or understand…they bounced unpleasantly in her mind as she tried to make heads or tails of it.

Muze woke up from her trance as soon as she got in line, glancing down the line and to the food to see what there would be. Not that it was ever exciting, but she felt like distracting herself with food would help her forget some of her frustrations. As the line ambled along her eyes wandered around the hall to see if she would recognize anyone she could sit with – movement of a wave caught her eye and found Vavithan waving at her. She grinned and waved back, just as she reached the edge of the table with all the food.

She gathered food on her plate and went in the direction of her brother, but paused as she saw another familiar figure – Joia. A feeling of excitement of making this new friend, she paused, less excited to sit with her brother, but feeling like her wave had meant commitment. Muze bit the inside of the lip in thought and stood still with her plate, trying to catch Joia’s eye so she could wave her over. The moment her eyes seemed to come in her direction, she waved at her and beckoning her to come sit with them. She couldn’t tell from her angle if Joia had her food yet or not.

After that she walked more slowly to her brother’s table and paused as she noticed someone unfamiliar next to him. “Hello.” She said, still not sitting. He was handsome, but she’d kind of been hoping to have time to complain to her brother about her weak reading abilities. Resigned, she sat across from her brother and placed her food down.

“Tak’ril, this is my sister Muze – Muze, this is Tak’ril, he’s a bronze rider from the clutch of dragons we helped that one time.” He said, trying to provide enough information to place Tak’ril in her mind.

“Ah, yes. I remember that.” She said with a weak smile. “Nice to meet you.” She said, slightly distracted, glancing behind her to see if Joia had taken up her invite to come join them.

Alyx kevna

[Alyx]

Joia

Joia seriously wasn’t sure if she wanted to eat in the Dining Hall or retreat to the safety of the Candidates’ Barracks. Until she should leave, she was still doing her best to avoid direct contact with most of the other candidates, and of course the most recent group of weyrlings. There were exceptions, mostly because those people had managed to weave their way into the fabric of Joia’s day before she could stop them. People like Nova, Tak’ril, and Muze…

Almost as if summoned by the stray thought, the motion out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked up to see Muze’s beckoning motion; she smiled, then puzzled as the other girl moved away from her. Watching the other candidate drift to the farther table and claim a spot, she shook her head and laughed. She didn’t know one of the young men, but she did know the other. It was strange... the want to return to hiding in the barracks quickly vanished, Joia moving to finish collecting her food so she could join the trio.

She did glance over the room, wanting to make sure that she wasn’t going to accidentally ‘run into’ someone she was trying to dodge. She didn’t want to put them, or herself, in that position. Mostly herself, but she had a feeling it would be awkward for them as well? Maybe? Probably, if they hadn’t simply forgotten about her as they settled into their new lives as future Dragonriders of Mavros.

Joia pushed the thought down and away as she collected a roll to go with her meal and turned away from the line. She wove her way through the crowd, smiling as Muze looked up again for her. The other girl didn’t look panicked, but she did look very much like she wanted Join there – Joia would bet marks the other boy was Muze’s brother. She’d yet to meet him, but Muze had said he was Searched with her, and they did look a bit alike.

She pulled up next to the table, her lips curling up into a smile at the look on Muze’s face. Oh yes… definitely brother. "Heya Muze. Morning Tak'ril." Greeting the two she did know, Joia gave the other boy a glance over quickly as if confirming her earlier guess that it was indeed Muze’s sibling. “Can I join?” She doubted Tak’ril would say now, and Muze had motioned her over, but she wanted to make sure before she sat that the third member at the table was okay with her presence.

kevna tovaana

[kevna]

Tak'ril - Bronze Agureyth

Tak’ril started eating, even though his mother had always taught him it was rude to eat before everyone was at the table, this was a different meal setting. They weren’t sure that Muze would even join them. He started with a meatroll, his favorite, and nodded when Vavithan stated he couldn’t see her yet.

“I’m sure she’ll show.” He started picking at his tubers, his least favorite part of any meal, but decided they would be worth it if it meant he could eat the three other meatrolls he had placed on his tray. He was about to ask Vavithan more about his life when the young man waved a small, very small, girl over. Tak’ril blinked a few times, wondering if this was truly the young man’s sister, or just another friend he was inviting to sit with them.

“Hi there.” He wiped his hands on his trousers, prepared to stand and shake the girl’s hand as his new friend introduced them, but stopped himself, noticing the distracted glaze to her eyes. “It’s nice to meet you too, Muze.” He was studying her, trying to decide if Muze looked anything like her tall brother when he watched her wave to another.

His gaze followed her wave, and his heart started pumping just a little faster. He suddenly felt like a tuber was stuck in his throat, and coughed, trying to clear the thick feeling in his throat. It was Joia. He had hoped to see her, and now didn’t remember anything he wanted to say to her before. He took a quick drink of his juice. She was finishing gathering her food, and then approached them.

“Err he-hey Joia,” he started to stand for her, but felt hampered by the small table, so sat back down again. “It’s good to see you, would you join us? Have you met Vavithan yet?” He motioned for her to sit, and his arm hit the cup he had badly placed and it spilled out over the table.

“Oh, so sorry. I-I’m sorry.” Embarrassed, he quickly grabbed his napkin and started cleaning the mess, feeling his cheeks growing hot, shooting a glance at the sibling pair and Joia. She looked especially nice today.

tovaana Alyx

[tovaana]

Vavithan & Muze;

“You okay?” He asked as Tak’ril started to cough up a lung. He didn’t see that Tak’ril had seen who Muze had been motioning toward. He looked back at Muze who was now smiling and patting the seat next to her – a girl, or more like woman, had come over and had greeted both Muze and Tak’ril, somehow he was the only one who didn’t know her. Curious he glanced at Muze, but it was Tak’ril who started to talk hastily.

Vavithan turned slightly toward Tak’ril who was stuttering, completely nervous compared to the conversation they had had just earlier as they cleaned his bronze. He blinked at the man, thinking of only one reason that would bring nerves like that – a pretty girl. Not that his sister wasn’t pretty, but usually it was a pretty girl that one favors. He tried to act casual, for Tak’ril’s sake.

Muze was a bit more confused at Tak’ril’s clumsiness, but something seemed to dawn on her face as she stared at the spilled drink. She bit her lip, trying to hide a smile, as she remembered a conversation she and Joia had had. She cleared her throat, “yeah, this is my brother, Vavithan!” She said, reiterating her brother’s introduction. She picked up a roll and took a bite, swinging her legs happily at the company of her brother and new friend.

Vavithan helped Tak’ril clean up the mess, but he tried multi taskin and smiled at Joia. “Nice to meet you, Joia – you’re a candidate too, right?” She looked familiar, but only faintly. The classes had been very overwhelming and he’d done his best to focus, that he hadn’t done well on making friends within the classes.

Alyx kevna

[Alyx]

Joia

Vavithan. So it was Muze’s brother. She could see the resemblance, now that who the young man was as been clarified, and gave him a smile. “No, we haven’t met, but Muze talked to me about him. Pleased to finally meet you, Vavithan.”

Anything else she might have been thinking to say vanish as the cup on the table tipped over; she stepped back a pace, then turned and set her tray on the chair next to her. Grabbing up the cloth napkin from her tray, she twisted it quickly and dropped it along the edge of the table to contain it and hopefully keep the spill from escaping off as Tak’ril tried to clean it up. She favored the bronze weyrling with a soft grin. “Accidents happen, Tak'ril. Don’t worry too much about it.”

Muze, for her part, seemed to be enjoying the whole awkward moment with a sort of gleam in her eye that pretty much promised Joia she’d been answer questions to the younger girl later. The weaver gave a soft, silent sigh and shook her head, focusing on helping Tak’ril clean up the spill rather than focus too much on what her new friend might be thinking. Muze did take a moment out of her inner humor to confirm that Vavithan was indeed her brother; Joia was sure for the sake that the weaver might have forgotten.

Vavithan’s question shouldn’t have caught her off guard, but perhaps it was because her attention was more focused on cleaning up then keeping her defenses in check. Was she a candidate? “Technically, yes.” The words slipped past her lips and she stopped, glancing at the siblings, then sharply back to Tak’ril. She took a deep breath, and then blew it back past her lips roughly, before forcing a softer smile and meeting Vavithan’s eyes. “Sorry. Yes, I am. A Candidate, I mean.” Unwillingly, but she didn’t say that.

The mess finally contained, Joia turned to collect her tray from the chair and set in on the table, claiming a stop across from Muze, with Tak’ril on one side. The way, she could kick the other girl in the shins if needed, she thought with a smirk, and shifted to get comfortable. “How are you liking Weyrlike, Vavithan?”

tovaana kevna

[kevna]

Tak'ril - Bronze Agureyth

Her smile softened his embarrassment, and he wanted to look at her face longer, try to read every emotion stored there, and watch her normally sad eyes light up as she spoke-but her continuing to clean kept him on track. And he snapped back to the cleaning beforehand, catching a glimpse of Muze's semi smile, wondering if he was being too obvious. 

“I-I suppose they do, thank you.” He was grateful for her assistance, because the mess could have gotten out of control. When the small brunette responded to the casual question Vavithan threw out, Tak’ril froze mid wipe of the table, eyes frozen on his sticky hand. He opened his mouth as if to correct her, say, ‘of course she is a Candidate.’ But he had been taught to respect women and correcting her didn’t seem right. He knew she was considering leaving, he just couldn’t fathom her actually leaving. Joia’s rough exhale had him turn to look at her, trying to gauge how she felt. Wishing they could move on to a less painful topic for her.

Her more solid affirmation of her rank didn’t ease him, but he felt his throat thicken when she gathered her tray of food and sat next to him. He could feel her warmth and wanted to lean just a little closer to her, but her simple question directed to his new friend reminded him promptly of the others with them. He grabbed another meatroll and twiddled with it, turning his attention to Vavithan for his answer.

[tovaana]

Vavithan & Muze;

He glanced at his sister who shrugged innocently, inferring that she’d said nothing embarrassing… but who really knew what women talked about when men weren’t around? A woman could tell a man what happened, but what would they leave out? And with a man in the room – the he knew the conversation wouldn’t be the same. It reminded him of times when he had approached a group of talking women, their eyes all casting warning glances at each other as he approached and a hush would come over them before the conversation started back up. He could only assume they had also switched subjects to include him.

The candidate simply nodded and smiled at her return of greeting. As the mess got cleared, Joia answered his question. ‘Technically.’ It wasn’t a subtle additive to what could have been a simple, ‘yes.’ An eye brow rose curiously, and he glanced at Muze who was looking at Joia with an intent gaze as well – when his gaze flicked casually back to Joia he could tell that she had realized the implication of her short phrase. Unlike Muze, who was watching her friend while biting her lip, Vavithan didn’t feel the need to draw out information needlessly – or at least he felt it was needless. He didn’t know Joia enough to ask such personal information.

He poked at his food, since the mess was cleaned up, glancing at his plate as he considered the question. “It’s uh – different.” He grinned. “I mean, when you go from building boats and spending all your time on the ocean, then suddenly swept into a world learning dragons and caring for them…” He gave a half shrug. “Just getting used to it I guess.” He motioned to Tak’ril. “I prefer more hands on work – Tak’ril let me help clean his bronze just earlier today.”

Muze opened her mouth, “ohhh, could I come help some time?” She asked with owl-ish eyes, leaning slightly forward in anticipation with an intent gaze directed at Tak'ril.

Alyx kevna

[Alyx]

Joia

Joia could almost feel the weight of Muze’s look but was very happy the other girl didn’t drag up Joia’s slip of the tongue with Tak’ril present. Even if Vavithan wanted to know, Joia would happily explain as long as it wasn’t in front of the young Bronzerider. She hated the panic in his voice, the pain in his eyes when he thought about how much she wanted to leave. She wanted to avoid that as long as she could; until, you know… she was actually heading home. Maybe she would have him take her home if he was out of training when the Candidatemaster finally realized what broken goods she was and set her free. For some reason, she liked that idea.

Vavithan’s words moved the conversation on, and Joia was very grateful. Muze was getting plenty of ammo to stalk Joia down for dozens of questions over chores later, but right here wasn’t were Joia wanted to be hashing all of that out. She returned her friend’s brother’s grin, laughing softly as she caught up her fork. “It really is like a whole different world, isn’t it? I was a Weaver before I was searched, so I knew clothing, not dragons. You get used to it eventually, but I still think sometimes I’d rather hide in the laundry.” Most of the time, but still… she was trying.

She brightened a bit at the mention of Tak’ril’s Bronze, Muze’s eyes slipping off her to focus on the weyrling sitting next to Joia. “Oh? How did that go? Agureyth is wonderful, but I know he can be a bit pushy when he wants something.” She stabbed a bit of her food with her fork and then shot Tak’ril a smile. “But I think Tak’ril has him in hand. Well, most of the time, at least.” She shifted, bumping her shoulder against the bronze weyrling’s gently before popping the bite of food into her mouth.

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