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Oscar Entwistle frowned. He’s been at Ryslen for a few months now and hatchings had come and gone… Still he had not impressed. He’d tried impressing a fire lizard countless times, always failing in the matter or just as the egg was about to hatch it somehow got away from him and into another person’s hands. Despite Oscar’s plans of going into Veterinarian Science he felt he was doing a poor job of it if he couldn’t even impress one flit. And at the end of this semester I was supposed to graduate and go into my field! the African American sighed. Oscar looked on longingly at his fellow teammates who had impressed during the Flurry Hatching. As usual his eyes ended up on Aisu and her sunlight gold Akemith. Oscar sighed at the sight of the pretty Japanese American who was one of the Victory College Dragons’ two Alternate Captains.
“Why doesn’t she even give me a chance?” Oscar growled as he thought of how many times he’d tried to get her to go out on a date with him and how each time she had turned him down, both verbally and physically. But then she wasn’t the Dragons best defensive player for nothing. Jealousy quickly took over his love sick look as Carter, or as he now preferred to be called C’rter upon hearing of most men on Pern shortening their names when they impressed, approached Aisu and started conversing with her. I’m defiantly not shortening my name, mine’s good enough as is, he scowled and then smirked, Besides that there’s not much I could ever shorten Oscar to except for maybe S’car but that’s not even a proper name for a hockey player. The veterinarian student walked off, stuffing his hands in a pair of new pants that he had been informed had been made form wher hide which he found interesting as the whers were usually used as guard dogs. But then sometimes people had to do such things to survive. And the pants weren’t half bad really, more like jeans than one might think. Oscar rounded another corner and walked a little farther down the hall before entering a door into a fair sized and warm cavern. He sighed sadly at the sight he found that he knew would be there. Four dragons lay in the room looking lonely. Two of the dragons looked at him and stuck up their noses at him while the others only looked at him and went back to their brooding. These four were hatchlings from the Flurry clutch, and to top it off they all had been abandoned by their riders. A sorry thing to hear about and Oscar was one of the first to jump at the chance of trying to take care of any of the quartet. It was shortly after that he found out sometimes dragons re-bonded with a new rider when they were abandoned if they didn’t just try to between themselves in the first place. With thoughts of the other team members and their own lifemates Oscar had tried to get one of the abandoned dragonets to choose him. In so doing in only annoyed Nevalith and Erynduth and seemed to cause Varioth and Yohlisath to be a bit down when he entered the room. It only took them, or to be precise Nevalith, to tell him they weren’t interested in him being one of their new riders. Oscar, though saddened by the news, continued to help them despite the knowledge that they would not except him. “How are you guys doing?” Oscar asked in a soft and kind manner. Fine I believe, Oscar… though we are hungry. Nevalith replied with a little annoyance attached to her words. And itchy Yohlisath replied almost appoligenicly. “You know, you don’t have to wait till I get here,” Oscar mock scolded the hatchlings as he rang the small bell on the little shoot that would bring up food and supplied to work with the hatchilng with, “You can always speak to me when you start feeling this way and I’ll come right away.” Even in the dead of night? “I can always try Varioth,” Oscar replied rubbing the iridescent blue’s head. Then you are not lifemate material at all. Erynduth shot at him with a snort causing Oscar to flinch. Not lifemate material? the man frowned at the harsh words from the white bronze. Before he could dwell on the insult too much the bell rang that the food and oil were up. “I only said it like that because it’s a bit hard to get from one end of the Weyr to the other in the dead of night,” Oscar replied, “I’d do it but it might be a bit of a wait.” The bronze seemed to almost roll his eyes as the hockey player but dropped the subject as the brown skinned man started to distribute chunks of meat to his clutch mates. Oiling of the dragons came after the meal when all four were bloated with pecies of meat showing through in some areas. Oscar was sure that the process of oiling the foursome was about as long as working on a dragon at about six months to a year old. When he finished and the hatchlings were starting to drift of to sleep he still stayed and watched them. How could anyone abandon such precious lives? It seems quite a shame that they might never know a partner again… I hope that I’m wrong and they do choose one some day. He watched them for another few minutes before signing deeply and leaving the room. Good luck, Oscar. the green crooned in his mind as the man walked out of the room. Oscar looked back at the green, her eyes were closed the picture of sleep around her though she was awake still. Thank you. he thought back though he was not sure why the hatchling had wished him luck. The dark brown skinned hockey player walked down the hall, his stomach calling him to eat something. He walked into the kitchen, greeting the Headwoman and gathering some fruit and meatrolls. He looked about for a pot of klah to pour for his drink yet found none and the Headwoman shooed him off telling the Dragon she brew up a cup for him. With a thanks, Oscar entered the dinning hall and sat down. He was only seated for a few minutes when his cup of klah was brought out to him. What surprised him was who brought it to him. “Ar’wen,” Oscar jumped remembering the rider who hailed from a place called Talor Cliff Weyr but was to move to a place called Seiryuu Weyr in two year. The African American grew cautious quickly of the man, he was not well liked by at least half the team who had met him for the first time after the Flurry hatching, “What do you want?” “Nothing really,” Ar’wen replied though for once he looked completely serious, “I just came to visit a friend who impressed a Night green some time ago… I saw you leaving the kitchen when I entered and was a bit surprised you weren’t with your teammates or a dragon at least.” “The dragons here seem to not like me as much as my team,” Oscar confessed though he glared at Ar’wen for seeming to make fun of his lack of activities, “I’ve been working with the abandoned dragons as of late while I wait for the next hatching.” Ar’wen nodded thoughtfully and Oscar blinked, did this man actually have a serious side that didn’t mean to get on anybody’s nerves? “Ever think there’s not a dragon here for you?” Ar’wen asked. Nope, still as insensitive as ever. Oscar thought as he growled at Ar’wen. “You got a problem with me, blue rider?!” Oscar snapped as he stood up gripping the table tightly for somebody as slim and slightly short looking as he was. “No I just asked a sensible question of you,” Ar’wen replied though a smirk could just be barely made out in his eyes. Before a fight could possibly happen started by Oscar, the sound of jogging feet interrupted any further remarks. Moments later a woman came trotting into the dinning hall and headed over to the table looking a bit nervously at Ar’wen. “You wouldn’t happen to be trying to convince this guy to come to Talor Cliff Weyr to impress would you?” she asked without introducing herself. Ar’wen instead of replying cocked his head as his eyes clouded for a moment as his blue dragon, Camoth, talked to him. “Not at all, Arayalliz, green Kokoratith’s rider is it?” Ar’wen asked after a moment, “Talor Cliff’s gone back to looking within the Weyr for candidates so you won’t have to worry about that for some time.” Oscar looked at the green rider whom Ar’wen had called Arayalliz in question. “Thank Faranth, Kokoratith was worried when she saw your big blue here with all his stripes,” she sighed in relief. Oscar looked at Ar’wen, in question at the stripes comment; he’d never seen Ar’wen’s blue Camoth though he had heard the dragon was the largest blue ever shelled on Pern. “Cammy likes to be painted on,” Ar’wen replied to the hockey player’s unspoken question, “But I think I must be going, no telling what the superiors are thinking with me gone… need to keep them on their toes. Clear skies.” Ar’wen winked and he was soon heading out of the kitchen towards his dragon. “May I talk to you, lad?” Arayalliz asked of Oscar. “Name’s Oscar Entwistle, lady,” he replied to her a bit snippily, still annoyed by Ar’wen’s earlier comment. Arayalliz nodded in reply and sat down. “I’ve been talking with Werywoman Tiyanni and heard you’ve been here for a few months trying to impress,” she started and Oscar’s brow furrowed in annoyance at what he saw coming. “Yes I have, what about it?” Oscar softly snorted, his hockey playing temper held scarcely at bay. “Did you ever think that maybe you weren’t meant for a dragon…” “Now I can take it from, Ar’wen but not from somebody who I only just met about two minutes earlier!” Oscar growled loosing his temper and about ready to round on the woman. “I didn’t mean to insult you, Oscar,” Araylliz replied quickly while she raised her hands up as a sign of a truce. Oscar wrinkled his nose in annoyance but let the green rider go on. “ I was only asking if perhaps you ever thought your dragon wasn’t here but might be at another Wery.” Oscar sat down once again, partly shocked at the idea. Truth be told he’d never really thought about it. He’d heard of other candidates going off though thinking perhaps their dragon wasn’t at Ryslen and tried to impress elsewhere. Maybe she’s right… not every dragon impressed at Ryslen after all. “I was wondering,” Araylliz spoke as if she might be walking on egg shells, “would you be interested in coming to Cincanta Weyr and trying your luck there? My green Kokoratith seems to think you might do well there.” “I’m not sure,” Oscar replied immediately thinking of Aisu, If I leave C’rter might take advantage of that fact. I’m not sure I should leave her. Look little one you’ll be on better footing if you come and try to impress at Cincanta, an unfamiliar voice sounded in his head. “See, Kokoratith is very sure of you if she decided to talk to you,” Araylliz smiled at the Victory College Dragon hockey player. Oscar sighed and thought for a time on the subject. In the end the African American man nodded a few times. “Can’t hurt to try can it?” Oscar replied coyly, “I’m ready to go when you are… I just have to say my fair wells to my teammates.” “I’ll be waiting outside,” Araylliz replied, “yet please hurry, the clutch has been on the sands long now, it could hatch any time now.” Oscar nodded and ran off to speak with the Dragons who had impressed at Ryslen most recently, all were encouraging on his decision, yet only time would tell if the man would do better at the new Weyr. See what and who Oscar finally impressed! Cincanta Weyr
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