Female Harper
Shenandoa lifted the flute to her lips and attempted to play, cringing as the notes came out as a whistle of air. Her father, the MasterHarper, was the only reason that she had been Apprenticed, and she stunk.
"Ckyta, why don't you come up and play for us," The Journeyman teacher said, and Shenandoa waited until Ckyta was up at the front before heading back to her desk. She brushed up against the girl, then gasped, wiping her dress off wildly with her hands.
"Excuse me, sir, but may I go change?" She asked. "I think that I just got pondscum on my dress." Around half of the class laughed, and the second half glared. Ckyta lowered her eyes and stepped backwards.
The Journeyman glared, too. "Shenandoa, for that you're going to definately get something dirty on your dress, even though it might not be pondscum. You have Ckyta's duties in the barn for today, and Ckyta, you will have Shenandoa's duties of... nothing."
Shenandoa gaped at the Journeyman, then huffed back to her desk. She was going to have to do Ckyta's duties? "And now, Ckyta, please play your flute," The Journeyman said, and Ckyta lifted the flute to her lips unsurely. Then, closing her eyes, she began to play, and Shenandoa became even madder.
The daughter of a bluerider and a drudge at the Harper Hall, conceived at a gather, could play the flute. And, by Faranth, she could play well. Ckyta didn't even know who her father was, as her mother had only met him at the one gather. And yet, there she was, her eyes closed, fingers flicking up and down the pressure buttons on the flute, and playing a song that sounded like a forest at dusk. Birds chirped softly, the crickets joined in with their rasping melody, and then the rustle of the trees came into play, as well. Shenandoa glowered.
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Shenandoa smiled at one of the handsomest Apprentice Harpers as she stood in line, watching the green Searchdragon come winging into the Hold Proper. Why were green dragons Searchdragons anyway? As if they'd know what to look for in Candidates! They were only greens. Diamons and queens ought to Search more often, because they could pick the best.
The greenrider's face registered disappointment as she looked down the row of males, but her eyes perked up whenever she moved down along the female row. Shenandoa could see her eyes unfocusing, which had to mean that she was speaking to her green dragon, who was seated behind her.
"Shenandoa," She said after a long pause. "And Ckyta. Shenandoa, you will stand for the green Wiayth's clutch, and Ckyta, you will be standing for the golden Ambranth's clutch. Get your bags and come join me out here."
Ckyta ran to get her bags, while the rest of the HarperHall tunred, discouraged, back to their lessons. Shenandoa gaped at the greenrider. "Amaykala, I really think that your Mayeth over there made a mistake," She said sharply. "I am the daughter of the Master Harper, and yet I'm standing for a green's clutch with no alibi in it? That's insane! Why don't I stand for Ambranth's clutch, or, better yet, Mayeth's? She did clutch an alibi, the rarest of all dragons."
Amaykala glared at Shenandoa. "Girl, you would do well to hold your tounge," She said as Mayeth growled. "And Mayeth has made no mistakes on the color matchup. She clearly said Ckyta for the golden Ambranth and you for green Wiayth. And you should consider yourself lucky if even a green will step low enough and allow you to bond with her. Now shut up and go get your things. Ckyta already has her's."
Angrier than she'd ever been before, Shenandoa strode back to her dorm room, packing many of her finest dresses in a large trunk, then calling for one of the male drudges to come and pick it up.
He grunted under the weight of the trunk, but loaded it up onto Mayeth's back without complaint. The green's eyes flashed violent red as the trunk was loaded onto her. "Shenandoa, you may pick three dresses out of that trunk and keep them," Amaykala said in a low, dangerous voice. "Mayeth isn't a burdenbeast, and you won't be needing those for cleaning the runner's stalls at Ocean Side."
Shenandoa didn't dare not comply.
Ocean Side Weyr
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Outith's bugle rang sharply in Shenandoa's ears as she ran to her weyr, then grabbed the robe and continued to run, trying to slip into it while running. "Here," One of the male Candidates that Shenandoa recognized as Tuneal, said, helping her. "Hope that helps."
Shenandoa smiled coyly as she ran along behind him. Everyone knew that Tuneal was bestotted with Lecirnor, the purple rider at Ocean Side. She was going to change that, though, to where he was eating out of the palm of her hand and forgot entirely about that silly girl.
The first egg was a brown, and Shenandoa watched curiously as it sat down in front of the male Candidates, looking at all of them.
A blue and green hatched next, both choosing before the brown. The blue, Sappheth, chose Jhelson, while the green Emeryth settled for Llyan. Shenandoa scoffed. That green, choosing Llyan over her? Oh, of course... None of the dragonets were going to choose her, and then she could Impress an alibi.
Two greens burst from their shells, walking past the still-choosing brown. The first one, larger and darker than her sister, sat down in front of Shenandoa and twined through her legs much like a feline.
Why do you want an alibi? The green asked curiously. I am Tzanth, and I think it isn't fair that you don't want me.
Shenandoa giggled. "Oh, Tzanth, I never would of taken any silly alibi over you," She reassured the green. "Greens like you are much better than them..." Shenandoa cast a glance at Tuneal. Her Tzanth was better than that purple Amisserath, and she was just going to have to prove it.
