Nagie rubbed her forehead in annoyance. Yet again she was being plagued by those little red bumps that annoyed her so. There was only one thing that annoyed her more in all of Pern and that was her second cousin's friend Sytoqual. Unlike her pimple plague, she couldn't figure out exactly what it was that annoyed her so. It didn't really matter now, Sytoqual was now far away from her doing something; she'd never bothered to find out what. Whatever the young man was doing she could only bet that it would annoy her to know about it.
Nagie sighed and flip a few of her many raven black braids over her shoulder. She gave a quick glance around the large dinning hall of Turasake Hold before quickly biting off the tip of one of her nails nervously and then spitting it towards the door. The Lord Holder, one of Nagie's many cousins, had heard that Harana Weyr would be on search at Turasake Hold. This was not the real cause of the 17 turn old's nail biting. The fact was that her cousin had invited the searchriders and any other riders who came with them to dine with them that evening, which meant that Nagie would have to get the kitchen staff to work hard on her specialties.
Nagie had a feeling that it was because she had been slaving in the kitchen with the drudges and the rest of the kitchen help that caused her to have the outbreak again. She took a long drink of her klah she'd set on the table while she was taking her break.
"Least Sytoqual's not here to see me like this," she thought aloud, her eyes narrowing as she knew he'd probably poke fun at the red bumps.
With a remorseful chitter, a blue fire lizard popped out of between and landed on Nagie's shoulder. The young head cook of Turasake Hold chuckled and scratched his eye ridges.
"It's all right Coten," Nagie told him, her dark blue eyes matching his coloring perfectly.
The very young blue fire lizard warbled happily at this almost knocking himself off his perch. Nagie gave him another stroke between giggles.
"Don't get too excited, Coten," she told him, "or you might tumble off my shoulder before you'd get to see the riders of your huge cousins." Coten chirped questionably at his mistress. It was then that a bulge from outside announced the arrival of the searchriders.
"Shells!" Nagie cursed, not just because Coten had wrapped his tail tightly about her neck because he was startled, "'ere I've been, day dreamin' 'bout the meal. Now the dragonriders are 'ere. I haven't even begun to set the tables!"
Racing into the kitchen she gathered cutlery, plates, and bowls. Calling over three drudges, she quickly dealt out the orders in a seemingly crazy way, yet somehow the drudges understood her every word and obeyed with a few chuckles. Next, Nagie started to test each dish, finding to her relief that each one was fine. Even the main course for once was cooking evenly. As she raced about the kitchen, she remembered the bread in the oven.
"ITCH TICH TICH TICH TICH!" she growled out between clenched teeth after forgetting to put on some sort of mitten to pull the bread out with. Her hands were theory burned and no doubt would scar as most of her kitchen accidents did. With the urging of her "second-in-command," Nagie reluctantly quickly dipped her hands in some numbweed that was always somewhere in the kitchen and walked off to find the healer.
Nagie sighed as she lightly kicked the door to the healer's room. She was greeted by the slightly annoyed look of the hold's healer. The look didn't last long on the man as he saw the damage that Nagie had done to her hands.
"What did you do this time, Nagie?" he asked looking at the palms of the girl's hands with a tut tut.
"Tried pullin' the bread out without the correct protection, Turman," she told him as he started to bandage her hands, "I guess I got excited when the dragons bulged that they were finally here"
"Well, ya' gotta be more careful, lass," Turman told her, "Isn't this the second time you burned these palms of yours this turn. You keep it up and I'll be bandaging your bones instead of the skin over them." This caused Nagie to chuckle.
"You don't happen to be interested in dragons anymore are you?" the healer asked changing the subject with a slight chuckle.
"Ya' gotta be kiddin', Turman," she laughed as her fire lizard seemed to be insulted, "They fascinate me to no end and you know it. The closest I can get to them though is on searches or having my little Coten."
"Well, that does it," Turman smiled both because of Nagie's statement and because he had finished bandaging her up, "Now go easy on those hand. I think you should just take your seat and not work anymore tonight other than eating. Should your hands start to hurt again just put numbweed on them; I'm sure you know that well by now."
Nagie grinned sheepishly and waved her thanks as she left. She walked to the nearest window and looked out to see what dragons were about. Her jaw dropped as she saw not only a green and a blue dragon in front of the hold, but a gold and a bronze! This caused Nagie to worry about the food again but she winced as she tried to bite her nails, reminding herself of her most resent injury.
Coten cooed at his mistress and Nagie smiled again. She really didn't have to worry; everything would be handled well by the head drudge. These thoughts didn't totally comfort the girl but she shrugged it off and walked down to the dinning hall. She'd at least be able to make sure that was done correctly and get her own seat near the head table well in advance of the other occupants of Turasake Hold.
Dinner was served a half-hour later. As each course was brought out, Nagie held her breath, should something go wrong she'd feel humiliated. At least Sytoqual isn't here to see it, if it happens, she thought once again with relief. Gratefully, nothing went wrong.
Nagie took a deep breath and let all the tensions out of her body just as some of the visiting harpers along with the hold's harper started up a dance beat. She was startled as someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to find a fair looking young man. He smiled at her in a mysterious way.
"Care to dance?" he asked holding out a hand. Nagie almost fell out of her seat at the question. She rarely dance and wasn't the best at it either, but then this man did seem nice and...
"I'd love to," she replied raising one of her one hands only then realizing her handicap of the night, "but I kind of burnt my hands trying to take the bread out of the oven with no protection."
"It won't matter too much," the man chuckled, "your hands won't have to touch any part of me."
"I'll worn you, I'm not very good," she told him rising from her seat to link arms with the one he now offered.
"Neither am I," he admitted.
The duo danced for a time, every so often one of them accidentally stepping on the other's feet. Between mumbled and chuckled apologies the two had a time dancing. It was getting late when they finally stopped dancing and walked back over to a table.
"Your not half bad," she told the man, "much better than me."
"Why thank you," he replied. Nagie blinked as his eyes glazed over for a moment.
"Are you alright?" she asked and something clicked in the back of her head, didn't harpers say that... "I didn't get to ask you, what's your name?"
The young man smiled, before answering Nagie, "I'm just fine actually. My name's N'tar, bronze Kinneth's rider," he chuckled as Nagie took a startled step back, "the dragons have been discussing for a time that there was someone here that was right for the clutch but they couldn't tell exactly who. You just happened to seem a bit stressed about something so I thought I'd try to cheer ya' up. I had no idea the dragons would be using me to check you."
"You can't be serious!" Nagie asked wide eyed at what this might mean.
"Would this face lie to you..." he smiled winningly trailing off when he realized he still hadn't gotten her name
"Nagie," 17 turn old girl replied, "and... I guess a dragonrider with a face like yours wouldn't lie to me."
"Are you saying dragonriders lie?" he asked her mockingly.
"Not at all, I... ah, never mind," she told him turning her dark blue eyes towards her wher-hide boots blushing in embarrassment.
"Then do I take it that you'll come to Harana Weyr and help out in the kitchen and be a candidate on the sands for Sr. Queen Elysith's clutch of 15 eggs?"
"Would this face turn that offer down, bronzerider?" Nagie asked receiving a laugh from N'tar.
"Well, I believe this search is over, I'll go talk to the Lord Holder and you might as well get your stuff," N'tar grinned, "I hope he doesn't mind loosing his head cook."
"My cousin wouldn't mind, I pester him too much," she grinned mischievously and dashed off to gather her things. Thirty minutes later, Nagie was back down in the dinning hall bidding fair well to the Lord Holder.
"Suppose I'll have to come to the hatching then, Nagie?" he snorted in mock annoyance.
"S'pose so, Ronagin" she grinned and gave her cousin a hug, "Now I know you're worried about the meals and who's' good to be your next cook."
"You know me too well, cousin," Lord Ronagin chuckled.
"Well, the one known as Halten was my 'second,'" Nagie continued, "he knows all my recipes and has a way of making them better than myself at times. He'll be your best bet; very bright young man, and will work well for you."
"Thank you, Nagie," Ronagin smiled, "You should go now, it's quite late and you'll want to get move in and a good nights sleep before you start to work in a weyr's kitchen." Here the Lord Holder of Turasake winked at his younger cousin, "You best impress, I don't want to waist a dragonrider's time to go and not see you impress."
"Ronagin, you would have gone anyway and you know it!" Nagie hissed at him causing all around to chuckle at the two playfully bantering cousins.
"Lord Ronagin is right though, Nagie," N'tar commented, "Harana Weyr may have more night than's left here but it will still be a long day. And aside from that, you're the first candidate that's been searched for this clutch."
"No other candidates at the Weyr then?" Nagie asked surprised and N'tar shook his head.
"Well, get on with ya' now, cousin," Ronagin told her, "For all you know you'll be helping to feed more than just the regular weyr occupants by sundown tomorrow."
Nagie nodded and once more hugged her cousin before leaving with the four dragonriders... wait a moment, there were only two now.
"Hey, where's the rider's of the green and blue?" Nagie asked and looked to the fire heights to find that the two colors she'd mentioned were gone.
"Oh, they went back to the weyr after you went to get your things," the bronzerider replied.
Nagie walked over to the bronze dragon that was obviously N'tar's Kinneth. She slowed, her jaw dropping in awe at the immense size of the dragon. Of course Nagie had seen dragons before but not up close, and of course had never ridden one in all her turns. She blinked as the next moment she saw the dragon crouch and his forearm rise. N'tar quickly vaulted up the dragon's arm and was seated between the last two ridges within moments.
"So are you coming or not, cook?" he asked smiling down at her and offering his hand. Nagie carefully made her way up the dragon's arm, gritting her teeth in the pain that was starting to resurface from her burned hands. She finally, with the help of N'tar, straddled the neck of the bronze and was quickly strapped in. N'tar was about to say something when he tilted his head and a mild chuckle of surprise softly came from his throat.
"Seems you won't be the only candidate at Harana when we get there," N'tar told Nagie, "Elara and green Ysbeth just found the first male candidate for this clutch not far from the weyr... he was traveling with a caravan it seems."
"Least, I'll have somebody in the same boat as me when I get there," Nagie replied as she wondered what the boy was like and how close in age they might be.
"We'll circle the hold twice and then go between," N'tar warned smiling at the girl's words, "Here we go!" With that Kinneth rocked back on his haunches and leapt into the air beating his wings strongly. Nagie was glad she'd brought and worn some of her winter clothes along. The wind whipped icily at her face yet it was exhilarating to be flying above the Hold she'd known only from the ground. She saw both the fire heights and the drum tower drop bellow her. She soon could pick out were people still were awake or had left a glow open. They circled two times and suddenly went between.
Had anyone been able to see Nagie at that moment they would have been stifling laughter at her startled look. Nagie knew well there was a dragon under her, but like all riders and passengers of dragons she could not feel the dragon beneath her any more. After realizing this, Nagie screamed, yet it could not be heard by anybody, not even herself. As she went to take a breath they popped out of between and the 17 turn old cook swallowed the scream that had been about to erupt.
Nagie let out a sigh of relief and then her mind brought her back to between. It was a very disorienting place, both scary and exciting at the same time. If she were to impress she'd have to get used to it. I won't be as scared if I knew I had my own dragon under me, Nagie thought to herself.
Nagie then turned her eyes to the well-lit weyr that they were circling to land in the bowl of. Though it was the dead of night, one of the moons of Pern shone brightly and the weyr looked beautiful in it's pail golden light. Down below she could see a green dragon, fairly large in size which she quickly figured was of Talor Cliff Weyr breeding. The rider beside the green waved at the pair in an excited way. Nagie could only guess it was Elara and her green Ysbeth.
Nagie could feel N'tar chuckling behind her more than hear him because of the wind. The bronzerider directed his bronze to land a few dragons lengths way from the green and her rider. Nagie dismounted the bronze with a bit more grace than she'd mounted him with and was down on the sandy ground of the Weyr Bowl shortly after N'tar had done so and walked to meet the greenrider who was joyful about her search.
Nagie, deciding she should wait till she got directions from one of the riders slowly turned around taking in the weyr from the ground. It was good sized in her opinion, not too big and not too small; just right. She brushed some of her black braids back over her shoulder as she turned about.
"Nagie is that you?" a voice asked a bit startled behind her. Nagie froze, that voice was very familiar. Could it? No it couldn't be him... could it? Nagie slowly turned to where the voice had come from. She blinked, once, twice, thrice. The young man was still there. She bit the inside of her lip, she wasn't asleep. There before her, not ten paces away stood a man with slightly wild brown hair and brown eyes. His face was complimented by a scar that ran over his right eye; that was something new since she'd last seen him.
"What are you doin' here, Sytoqual?" Nagie asked but before he could get a word in edge wise the girl continued, "I thought I was ride of you a turn ago!"
"Nice to see you to," Sytoqual snorted annoyed at Nagie snapping at him, "I didn't think they meant you when they told me I was the second candidate they'd found tonight."
"You gotta be kiddin' me," Nagie almost whined, "you're the other candidate?"
"Seems that way, so get used to it," Sytoqual told her sternly. A green fire lizard chirped on the young man's shoulder. The green fire lizard surprised Nagie, some how in the back of her mind she'd never thought that Sytoqual would impress such a low ranking fire lizard. She'd always thought that he'd make sure that he got an egg that was obviously one of the higher ranks, at least a brown.
Coten suddenly chirped as he appeared out of between having been occupied when Nagie was leaving. He'd known where he could find his mistress and wasn't really angry that she'd left without him. The blue some how knew that his mistress would know how to follow her. Surprisingly the blue didn't even settle on her should but chirped happily as he was joined by the green that seemed not much younger than himself. Nagie saw the startled look on Sytoqual's face and tilted her head. Had he grown nicer sense he went way, he hadn't even tried to stop his fire lizard from performing an airal dance with her own nor mentioned her red bumps.
"What's her name?" Nagie finally asked, an edge still evident in her voice.
"Hortay," he replied bluntly yet in a civil tone, "And yours?"
"Coten," Nagie replied. Sytoqual nodded and looked over his shoulder at the same time as Hortay returned to his shoulder; Coten finally landed on the top of Nagie's head using the braids as grips for his claws. The 19 turn old man turned back with a smileless face.
"Looks like Elara and N'tar will be a while talking," he told Nagie, "Guess I'll just have to be the one to show you to the girl's barracks. Com'on."
Nagie blinked, he must have changed more than the scar on his face. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad being around Sytoqual again. He led her around to the far side of the bowl past a large opening in the wall and pointed to the ground level weyrs next to it.
"Those are the girl's barracks, you get your choose," he told her before walking off, "and you might want to scrub your face a bit better, it might keep away those pimples." Nagie couldn't get a come back out before the boy was out of ear shot yet she almost growled as she picked up her things and took a weyr nearest the large cavern entrance. How was she going to enjoy herself at the weyr if Sytoqual was there? He hadn't changed one bit; he was now only an annoying scarred face green fire lizard owner!
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