Culture Shock [OPEN]

[Zen]

About 2 weeks before the Gather at Jask

Kisoraz

Kisoraz had arrived at Mavros on the back of a brown, along with several other candidates. Brownriders didn’t normally take on such lowly duties as transporting candidates about, but after all, Kizoraz was Mirrish, his mother and father would not allow him anywhere on the back of a blue or a green. So the other candidates being sent to Mavros got the honor as well. He was beyond shocked to find that the candidate master was a bluerider. The man seemed friendly, and suitable for a blue, if one were to ask Kisoraz, but as for being ‘master or anything? He had his doubts. Mavros was already shaping up to be as queer a place as he’d heard and he’d only just arrived.

The living quarters provided for the candidates was also horrendous. He thought it was a joke when S’bol warned the new arrivals that a couple areas in the damp caverns flooded at high tide, but when the man simply continued with the tour and did not pause to laugh or make fun at their shocked expressions he couldn’t help but think it was true. What sort of place was this exactly? The large room they were then led into where candidates shared sleeping quarters instead of receiving their own rooms just had his stomach dropping further. This was absolutely unacceptable. Had his father known things were this bad at Mavros? Was this really meant to be some sort of punishment for his lack of Impression thus far?

“S’bol,” despite always calling the candidate master back at Mirran by title out of respect, he couldn’t quite bring himself to do so here, and the man had even insisted they call him by name. So odd. “When is the next clutch due to hatch?” At Mirran, with 7 clutching golds, there was rarely ever NOT a clutch on the sands, and when the sands were bare, it was never for long. The sooner he had a chance at Impression, the sooner he could leave these horrible quarters. Hopefully the weyrling barracks were at least marginally better.

“Oh, well, that is certainly a good question. Unfortunately I couldn’t say. We’ve no eggs on the sands currently and well… we’re not entirely sure which queen will rise next.”

Kisoraz stared blankly at the man, trying to decipher once more if his words were a joke or not. How could they not know which queen will rise next? Were even Mavros’s queens strange, unpredictable beasts? It felt wrong to even think it. “What… what do you mean? Do your queens not rise regularly?” He tried to be as polite in his question as possible, he was speaking of gold dragons after all.

“Oh, they do, mostly. But well…,” S’bol fidgeted, clearly uncertain, before continuing, “But well, our twin golds recently traveled back in time and now no one is quite certain how that will affect them. They are technically due to rise already but neither of them have since their return. We’re all sort of just… waiting to see what will happen.”

What on Pern was this nonsense? Kisoraz’s eyes widened at the explanation. Back in time? He knew it was possible of course. White dragons had mastery over time, after all, that much was known in Mirran. But to attempt it without the guidance of a white dragon was forbidden. He also knew that Mavros had a white dragon at one time, but all of Mirran had mourned to hear of the dragon’s passing some turns ago. Pern would have heard if Mavros had been blessed with another white, surely?

But S’bol was continuing the tour and Kisoraz followed along, mind churning. He was going to have plenty to write his mother and father about later, and it was only his first day here. Perhaps they would already know about some of it, but perhaps not. His father had made it clear he expected detail in his reports, so he planned to be as thorough as possible. Mirran’s weyrleaders would decide what was important and what was not for themselves. He knew Mirran had sent a decent amount of green and blue riders in transfer to Mavros over the last couple turns but it seemed they either hadn’t been trusted with the task of keeping tabs on their new home or they had chosen to shirk the duty from the way his mother had spoken of them. He couldn’t imagine his mother and father entrusting too much responsibility to any Mirranese, however.

At last S’bol released them to their own devices, to settle in for the rest of the day, and Kisoraz headed for the dining cavern. There were plenty of people gathered to eat their midday meal, chatting with friends, and Kisoraz gathered a plate of food for himself absently and sat at a table near a group of people already having a conversation of some sort, to see if they were speaking of anything interesting. In his experience, the dining cavern was always the best place to pick up on news and gossip.

[Alyx]

Joia and White Tellamuth

I thought we were going to the beach today? Joia couldn’t help the smile, shaking her head as she padded along the worn corridors of the Weyr’s halls. ‘I said maybe.’ Joia could feel Tellamuth give a dramatic flop onto the grass outside, knowing that he was making sure she felt his disappointment. ‘Why?’ I want to do something. Lessons are wonderful and all, but there is nothing to do besides them. Can we go hunting? Joia nodded to another weyrling rider as she ducked into the dining hall.

‘We don’t have to hunt thought.’ But I would like to? Please? The herdbeasts aren’t a challenge, and it’s boring they just let us eat them. ‘Only you would complain your food was too easy to catch.’ The room was crowded as always, and much louder than breakfast was. Normally lunch was when everyone was chatting with others, catching up on the gossip and interesting tidbits of Mavros daily flow. ‘So many people.’ She was very tempted to just bolt – lunch wasn’t that important…

Her stomach growled to argue the point. Tellamuth sent a wave of warmth and support. You don’t have to stay long, remember? ‘I know.’ While they both knew it was best to get used to the noise of a now much fuller weyr, it was taking longer than Joia had hoped. She collected a plate, slipping into the line. It was quick enough to collect a nice mix of lunch-time treats; if the worst part was the crowds, the best part was sometimes midday had the best variety of choices.

Finally, with a plate of fruit, meats, and other lighter fare, the young Whiterider escaped the line and headed for a seat. Pastries? Joia smiled even though she knew the dragon couldn’t she here. ‘Yesss. Is there a problem with me treating my sweet tooth?’ Tellamuth chuckled. No, not at all. I just want to make sure you aren’t going to make yourself ill. ‘I promise, I’m not overdoing it. Its only one. Plus its berry, how can I walk away from a berry hand pie?’ Oh, perish the thought.

She smiled to a few other younger riders that called her name, waving back, but avoided joining them. There was still a lot of things she was working on – crowded tables weren’t on her plans today. Sadly, she didn’t see Tak’ril or No’va… or Muse for that matter. She gave a little frown, glancing around. Without her normal friends, she would often simple escape outside and eat with Tellamuth, but that sort of defeated the purpose of coming in here to try to get used to the whole thing in the first place?

Just a bit. Joia frowned, nodding softly as she grabbed a seat at one of the less crowded tables. She smiled at the other man sitting at the table, realizing after a moment that she had no idea who he was. She blinked at him, and then her smile brightened a little. “I’m sorry; I didn’t ask if it would bug you if I sat here. I could move if you like?” She didn’t move right away, mostly because she wasn’t sure if the young man was bothered with her being there.

Zen

[Zen]

Kisoraz

Unfortunately the group sitting at the next table wasn’t talking about anything of particular interest to him and after a few moments of listening he tuned them out, his gaze wandering the cavern curiously. It was a lot smaller than Mirran’s grand dining hall, and considerably less organized to look at. Noting various shoulder knots, he was more than a little surprised to see how many brown riders were mingling among the blue and green riders. He didn’t spot any bronze knots, but from what he knew of Mavros they did not have terribly many bronzeriders, and thought perhaps they chose to have their meals brought to their quarters instead of sitting among the masses in the dining cavern.

He glanced over when a young woman sat near him, and the two looked at each other for a moment before she smiled and spoke first. He smiled back, “No, no. It doesn’t bother me at all. Please stay-” He cut off when he noticed her rank knots. A weyrling, but the thread of color that marked her dragon was… white. How? How did Mirran not know about this? A white old enough to lead an expedition through time could not have been kept a secret this long, so then… she must have Impressed on the venture? And yet it was still difficult for him to believe that a Weyr would between times without the guidance of a white dragon in the first place.

But his thoughts on the matter came to an abrupt stop when he realized he’d been gawking at her the entire time. “I am so very sorry for staring, whiterider. I… I didn’t realize Mavros had been blessed with a white dragon. It was quite a shock to see your knots. I am honored to meet you.” Just what sort of person did a white dragon choose? He had not been fortunate enough to meet either a white or their rider before. He was eager to find out just what she was like, and if he was lucky, perhaps she would even allow him to meet her dragon. To meet a living, breathing white dragon….

“Forgive me, I haven’t even introduced myself. I’m Kisoraz, I’ve just arrived today from Mirran, and I hope very much to Impress at Mavros’s next hatching,” he told her in a rather excited rush. He couldn’t help but wonder why she had chosen to sit with him. Did she not have a seat of honor somewhere, or someone to see to her needs at least? “And what shall I call you? What is your dragon’s name?” There were so many more things he wanted to ask, but he stopped himself. He didn’t want to overwhelm her with his questions and make a nuisance of himself.

Alyx

[Alyx]

Joia and White Tellamuth

Joia was pleased the young man didn’t instantly shoo her off to find another seat, but his reaction did startle her. His words clipped off for a moment, and she blinked at him. She looked over her shoulder for a moment, wondering if something odd was playing out behind her – nope, nothing. She looked back at him, but he’d seemed to recover well enough. His words and manners clearly were from someone with higher ‘breeding’ than her’s, and S’goi would have put it. Still, she smiled all the same.

Blessed with a white dragon? Tellamuth’s interest slipped into her thoughts, curious of both the conversation and the boy. ‘He’s a little odd.’ You don’t see me as a Blessing? The White’s tone was colored with humor, so much so Joia had to resist rolling her eyes in cause the young man didn’t understand. ‘You are a Blessing to me, Love; it’s just odd to hear it worded so by someone else?’ Tell chuckled, wrapping her in a blanket of warmth as she focused on the young man.

Mirran? She tried to remember what they’d been taught about the Weyr in lessons. She remembered vaguely that they hadn’t been on the best of terms with Mavros, and she thought a few of the riders had come from there directly? She couldn’t remember completely, and that frustrated her. Still, she smiled at Kisoraz as he introduced himself, shifting her tray around to set better on the table in front of her. “Well then, Welcome to Mavros Weyr, Kisoraz. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Joia, and you read the knots right – my dragon is a white, his name is Tellamuth.” She collected a bit of the fruit off her plate, her attention focused on the young man. “If it's not too bold to ask, why did you come here to Stand? I mean, I understand Standing and all, but why come here instead of staying to Stand in Mirran?”

I would like to meet him. 'We'll see, okay? I'm still supposed to eat, remember?'

Zen

[Zen]

Kisoraz

Joia of white Tellamuth, he repeated mentally, all the better to remember it. Not that he imagined he would soon forget the names of the only white and whiterider on Pern. Mirran had been hoping for a white to hatch on their Sands nearly since its founding and they had had no luck, and here Mavros had now hatched out not one but two? He had a moment of silent lament over the white Mavros had lost some turns ago, still completely baffled as to how they had allowed it to happen. Did Mavros not cherish white dragons as Mirran did? Or, as Mirran would, if given the chance?

Her question drew him from his thoughts and his expression faltered a bit. “Ah…,” he trailed off, looking down at his food as the question forced him to think about his failure thus far and the very real possibility that he may never even Impress at all. He sighed, “I… Mirran is fortunate enough to have seven golds. Though when I started standing there were two fewer, I have been standing since I was thirteen…. I am twenty-two now and… obviously… still without a dragon. Seven golds have given me many clutches to stand for, and yet….” He offered her a bit of a sad smile, “So… I thought perhaps I might have better luck finding my dragon at a different Weyr, and Mirran needed candidates to send for part of our trade deal with Mavros. And here I am.”

Though he wasn’t exactly lying, he also wasn’t telling the whole truth, and it didn’t set very well with him to lie, even by omission, to a whiterider. He laughed softly, trying to lighten the mood a bit after he had become rather somber, “It has been a long several turns for me. I just… think I might need a new start. Hopefully here, as I’m rather running out of time.” With the golds here at Mavros, he likely had… perhaps nine or ten more clutches to stand for at most before he aged out of candidacy. His chances were dwindling, and none of his siblings had been left standing. He had no idea how his parents would react, or what he would do with himself if he never Impressed. It had always seemed like such a sure thing, but now….

He shook his head, “Ah, but anyway. I’m curious about you as well. S’bol mentioned something about… going back in time? I can only assume you led the venture? White dragons truly are remarkable.” Not that he’d ever met one, but he had read plenty about them. Mirran had a wonderful account of Ruth and his abilities as well as the white Nimbuth that had managed to hatch at Benden during the early part of the last Interval. But until the two whites at Mavros those were the only white dragons Pern had ever known. And now in its short lifetime Mavros had hatched not one but two. He wanted very badly to ask if he could meet her dragon, and yet he didn’t want to bother her either. In the end he couldn’t help himself, “If it’s not too much a bother… I would be incredibly honored for the chance to meet Tellamuth. At your convenience, of course.”

Alyx

[Alyx]

Joia and White Tellamuth

Joia gently tucked into her meal, listening to Kisoraz answer her query. She couldn’t fault his logic; she’d been there before. Not as long as he had been, but it felt like a lifetime between her first hatching and the moment Tellamuth entered her life. She couldn’t imagine what it was like to live through that rejection over and over and over again. Her thoughts turned dark, the bitter taste in the back of her throat instantly drawing Tellamuth’s attention.

Not Broken. Joia smiled, popping a bit of food into her mouth to hide it, even though her appetite had all but vanished. ‘I know. I’m sorry. I just kind of feel bad for him? I barely managed one failed Standing and managed it would be putting it in the kindest light. I couldn’t imagine doing it over and over and over again?’ What if you knew I was waiting at the end of all that failure? Joia sent a rush of love over the link to the White. ‘For you, I’d do it in a second.’ Perhaps he feels the same for the dragon he has yet to meet.

‘Always the scholar.’ She felt him slip back, laughing in her thoughts as she refocused on her dining partner. “I think I understand; might as well try new grounds and see if you have better chances. I hope you won’t be waiting long. I only stood once before the one I found Tellamuth at, and I wanted to go home after that first failure.” She flashed the young man a smile. “I think you’re very brave to keep trying. I’m sure your dragon will find you before you have to worry about aging out. If nothing else, Mavros seems full of surprises.” Not all of them good, but she didn’t add that.

Catching up a bite of fruit, she popped it into her mouth, chewing quickly as the conversation continued. She shook her head, swallowing the bite as he asked about the Timing trip, wiping her lips with a cloth before she spoke. “No, I only led the return trip back. I mean forward? I mean...” Joia laughed, shaking her head. “Sorry. Yes, I was on the venture, but I went back as a candidate and impressed Tellamuth there. We helped bring the group back to our present time, but the Golds are the ones that led us back into the past.” She hoped that made sense; honestly, sometimes talking about it confused her and she’d been in the sharding middle of it.

“They are remarkable, yes. I’ve only ever read about them in tales, and never considered them real until I actually had to Tell in my arms. Sometimes I think he’s more the one in charge and I’m just along for the moral support.” She didn’t sound upset at that; she loved the White with all her being, and she’d never have given him up. ‘He wants to meet you too.’ The White’s attention was there, having been eavesdropping on the conversation. I would like to know more about this Mirran place. ‘I could ask D’rew? I’m sure he’d know, and if he doesn’t, maybe he could point us at someone that would?’ Hm… that might work. ‘You still okay meeting him?’ Of course, I said I wanted to.

She hoped her moment of gazing off into nothing hadn’t bothered Kisoraz; she assumed that, since he was from a weyr, it wasn’t the first time he’d been around someone ‘spacing out’ to talk to their dragon. She gave a quick nod. “He said he’d like to meet you too actually. He’s very curious like I said.” She looked at her plate, then around the room before looking back at Kisoraz sitting across from her. “You want to go now? I normally grab my food and go eat with him anyway. You could bring your food and join us?”

Zen

[Zen]

Kisoraz

Her encouragement was kind and Kisoraz appreciated it, considering she’d just met him and certainly had no obligation to be so compassionate toward him. She had only stood twice before finding her dragon. He couldn’t help but sigh, thinking of his siblings and the scant few hatchings they’d ever had to stand for before their dragons found them. His sister had only stood once, for the first gold egg she was able, and none of his brothers had been left standing for more than a couple turns, if that. He let out a soft laugh, “Well… Mirran is - was - my home… I had nowhere to go after failing to Impress. My entire family is there, nearly all of them riders…. It is… expected of me. Only my youngest sister has no dragon, and she is not old enough to stand.”

When she said she thought he was brave to keep trying, he laughed again, “I do appreciate that, but if you knew my family and how they might react if I chose not to, you might not think so.” He hadn’t really meant to say that. It had just sort of… come out, perhaps because he’d been so surprised at being called brave for continuing to stand after so many failures. It was far more terrifying to think about giving up and facing the disappointment of his parents. He had no idea what they would do, how they would react. If they’d been disappointed in O’rel for Impressing a brown, how much worse would it be for him if he did not Impress at all? Would he be able to salvage any pride from them, salvage his Mirrish status? Perhaps if he pursued a craft and made a name for himself there, but he would be getting such a late start.

He cleared his throat lightly, hoping she wouldn’t dwell on the statement about his family, “I hope you’re right about Mavros and its surprises. I like to think I have been rather patient but it does wear a man down to be rejected so many times.” His tone was light, though, more playful than anything. Her short explanation of the venture back in time made him chuckle as she got caught up on her words. He supposed it was a rather odd thing to speak of, but he understood what she meant. Still, thinking about attempting such a thing without a white to guide them back… Mavros really must have been desperate to try it, particularly sending two golds back. The risk had been great, but it seemed, worth it in the end.

A soft smile settled on his lips as she spoke of her dragon, though it was also mildly surprising she hadn’t thought whites were a real thing until she’d Impressed. Surely everyone knew of Ruth if not the two others that had managed to hatch? Though he supposed he could attest himself to how different it was to read about them than to meet one in person… or, hopefully, he soon could, at least. He hadn’t met Tellamuth yet, after all. And it seemed it would be so. His eyes widened slightly as she offered for them to go eat with the white. A picnic with a white dragon? By the shell of Ruth, how could he ever pass up that opportunity?

“Oh… really? He wants to meet me? Shells, if I knew I’d be meeting a white dragon today I would have dressed better,” it was only half a joke. He suddenly felt wholly inadequate. What if Tellamuth didn’t like him? Maybe that meant there was indeed something wrong with him… something that kept any dragon from choosing him on hatching day. If a white dragon found him lacking, perhaps he should give up on standing. He shook his head slightly as his thoughts started to spiral. They hadn’t met yet, there was no reason to think such things… not yet. But if that was the case, at least he might finally have his answer as to why he hadn’t Impressed yet. Well, there was only one way to find out. He could either come away from this meeting encouraged or… with a hard truth to accept. “Yes… yes, I would love to. As long as I’m not intruding?” If she normally took her food to eat with her dragon, perhaps she preferred to be alone… but then why would she have sat with him in the first place? And why would she have offered then? Though she did seem a kind sort, perhaps she was just being nice. Augh, he was overthinking was what he was doing, but how could he not? He was about to meet a white dragon!

Alyx

[Alyx]

Joia and White Tellamuth

The way Kisoraz stumbled over himself at her offer almost made Joia laugh. You would think he’d never met a dragon before? Surely he had since he said almost his whole family back in Mirran were riders. She did let the smile curve her lips, happy to be seeming make the young man’s day and be able to get out of the Dining Hall in the same action. His statement about his dress seemed a little odd, but Joia took in with a shake of her head as she pushed to her feet. “I’m sure he won’t worry too much about your appearance, Kisoraz. He’s a very mellow scholar.”

Her fingers caught the edge of her meal tray, lifting it off the table. “No intrusion, I promise. In fact, I’m sure we would love the company. Come on.” As she turned away from the table, she felt the sensation of Tellamuth moving, assumingly leaving whatever high spot he had picked to sun himself to join them on the floor of the Bowl. We should go flying after. The weather is wonderfully clear. ‘Well, we did talk about going to the beach. Maybe after lunch, as long as nothing comes up?’ Sounds like a plan. What door are you coming from?

Joia glanced over her shoulder to make sure her new friend was still with her, her steps briskly leading the way from the Dining Hall to the escape of the chilled open air of the Weyr’s open sky. ‘Um.. west exit, I think?’ Tellamuth was circling over them, backing gently the moment he saw Joia’s form clear the door. Her lips instantly widened into a full smile, watching the White backwing a little to touch down near them.

Tellamuth folded his wings against his sides and shook himself softly, his delicately crafted head tilting for a moment to regard the young man with his rider. Joia laughed, turning partway to see the man’s features. “Kisoraz, meet Tellamuth. Tellamuth, this is my new friend, Kisoraz.” The White gave a soft rumble, taking causal steps to join the pair. Fair Skies, Kisoraz. The dragon continued to watch the boy a moment more, then turned his head to look at Joia. Where shall we sit? The sun is still over in the lake if you don’t mind a short walk. “Sun would be good, to keep the chill away. You alright with a little walk, Kisoraz?”

Zen

[Zen]

Kisoraz

A mellow scholar? That was quite an interesting way to describe a dragon. He really wasn’t sure just what to expect from a white. One could expect certain basic behaviors from the other colors, generally. Golds were authoritative, commanding. Bronzes were proud and strong. But whites? What were whites meant to be like? Were they meant to be like anything? Perhaps they were meant to be unique, unable to be classified so easily. A mellow scholar. A dragon unlike any other on Pern. His heart skipped as Joia invited him to follow her and he nearly forgot his meal as he hurried as if he would lose his chance if he fell too far behind.

The early summer warmth as they emerged into the open was dampened by a chill breeze off the ocean, but it was still warmer than Kisoraz was used to so it affected him little. His gaze lifted immediately to the sky until he spotted the bright white form circling. His breath caught in his throat. It was made real in that moment. Undeniable. A real white dragon, steadily heading toward them. His grip on his tray tightened and he was unable to tear his gaze away as the white - Tellamuth - landed. Shells they were small, weren’t they? Larger dragons seemed the most desirable when it came to the other colors, but whites were the smallest dragons of all and they were the ideal, so why was that exactly?

The whirlwind of thoughts in his head ceased as Tellamuth looked at him. He felt himself straighten up on instinct, pushing out any semblance of a slouch in his posture. Joia took care of introductions but he was not prepared for the white to speak to him. His mouth opened but no sound came out and he snapped it closed again to prevent himself from looking any more foolish as he wrangled his unruly tongue into working properly. Before he could do that, however, Tellamuth inquired as to where they ought to sit and it really started to sink in that he was about to have a picnic with a white dragon. If he never Impressed, at least he would have this, and his time at Mavros would not have been completely wasted.

It occurred to him after a moment that Joia had spoken, a question, and another moment to register just what she’d said. He shook his head, feeling hot with embarrassment about how stupid he must look to them both, his words coming out in a bit of a panicked rush, “No, not at all. A walk would be fine. Anywhere you’d like.” He still hadn’t greeted Tellamuth properly but now it seemed awkward to do so and he was at a loss. Shells, how was he stumbling so much? He was better than this. His parents would be aghast at his behavior. “Please… lead the way,” he insisted, trying his best to calm down so he didn’t make a complete ass of himself. His gaze kept shifting back to Tellamuth and he was doing his best not to rudely gawk, but it was difficult. A living, breathing legend stood before him.

As he followed the whitepair toward the lake, his racing thoughts finally slowed enough to start forming into something more coherent and he spoke again, more sure of his words, “It is an honor to meet you, Tellamuth. I hope I haven’t made too much of a fool of myself, I just… I never imagined I would get the chance to meet a white dragon.” It was like walking in a dream, one he was afraid he would wake from at any moment if he lost sight of the white. As they walked, hints of color shimmered over Tellamuth’s pristine hide. He remembered reading about that, that whites weren’t really, truly white, but had all colors in their hide, in the right light. Before he could stop himself, he blurted, “Could I paint you?” And then hurriedly, “Not right now, of course… another time, whenever you’ve time to pose for me. I would be… it would be my greatest honor as an artist to capture your likeness on canvas.” His gaze flicked to Joia briefly, “And you as well, Joia. I would love to make a gift of it to you. A portrait of you both, together.”

Alyx