Xanadu Weyr - Candidate Barracks
A long, low ceiling room opens off the entrance hall to the arena, one wall slightly curved as it is set against the outer wall of the arena itself. Cots are set evenly the length of the room, in two rows, each with its own small press at the foot, for personal belongings. Wide windows are spaced along the outside wall, letting sunlight in, while other lights are available for the night time hours.
There's a general amount of confusion and disorder between some of the younger candidates that rush into the barracks. Keziah is already shooing them over to the robes. "All right, grab a robe everyone and get into it. Times a wasting and you don't want to be caught dawdling, else you may miss your chance."
There is a general hustle, bustle, and panic as 30 odd Candidates from all over Pern come to the sounds of humming, thrumming dragons. Of course, this isn't exactly a moment unprepared for…and when those selfsame youngsters arrive, V'dim is there, along with his crew of assistant weyrlingmasters — and the Weyrleader, the rider of the clutch's Sire. Young Xe'ter's fingering something in his pocket, as he tries to count heads…but then has to wait for V'dim to give him the nod that they're all accounted for…as far as the older bronzer is concerned, anyway!
Jeniosa isn't normally one for rushing, but with the push of other candidates behind her, and the quickened rate of her heartbeats, she pales as she enters the barracks. And over to her cot she goes quickly, grabbing her robe from her trunk before slipping out of her clothes quickly to tug the loose robe over her petite frame. Then comes the mad search for her sandals. "Ack, where'd I..Oh!" They were right there under her cot where she left them, duh! Baby bronze and large blue flitters are settled on her cot then, and she looks deep into each one's eyes. "Stay here. Azurite, look after Copper." Blue and bronze both chitter to their person excitedly, humming along with the dragons.
Inuelle quickly rebraids her hair into a neater tighter braid, and quickly pulls off her muddy boots and dirty work clothes and gets her tidy clean white candidate robes. They fit her quite nicely, and the simple sandals she puts on her feet to go onto the sands with are a matching white. She's color coordinated at least.
Xe'ter hops up onto a small platform…maybe it's just one of the cots, and then gives a shrill whistle…the sound of a wingleader calling for the attentions of his wingmates. "CANDIDATES!" Anyone who has NOT ridden adragonback with the skinny Weyrleader might be taken aback…he can be loud when he needs to be. "I want your attention! Just take a moment…the eggs are only just beginning to hatch. I want to say something to you all!" Of course…he's wagging his hands over his head, almost at odds with his self-confident sounding voice.
Matrin is one of the few without a cot and press in this room. Instead he's already half clad in his robe, dragging it down over the dress pants he hasn't gotten rid of yet with one hand while sandals dangle from the other. He give V'dim a nod, then heel-toes out of his dress shoes and wriggles out of his pants. Folding them neatly he finds an empty cot to claim for the next few minutes. Then he straightens, absently giving his robe a little tug and a smoothing palm before raising keen eyes up to the Weyrleader for his words.
Esiae is certainly one of the panicked ones, at least at first. Caught away from the barracks just before the hatching does lend a certain streak of fear of missing things… but once her robe is donned according to weyrlingmaster direction, she calms herself as much as she can, dropping onto her cot to lace sandals properly. Xe'ter's yell does startle her, but only because of his loudness, brown eyes turning to glue themselves to the man's face. Well. More or less. Those hands are distracting, but only for a moment.
Kinzie is also rushing, or at least trying to if her hands would stop shaking, she grabs up her robe from her cot then starts hunting under it for her sandals. The little brown flit perched on her bed is humming along in between his excited chittering. Sandals Found she begins to dress, pulling the robe over her head before pulling her hair out of it's green ribbon so she can re-braid it. Xe'ter's call for attention makes her jump slightly and she turns to watch him while trying to argue with her sandals.
Jeniosa gets the firelizards settled, and grabs for her belt so she can tie her robe around her waist. Once sandals are slipped on, she trie the whole breathing thing, rebraiding her long hair into a tighter braid as she turns to listen to the weyrleader. She'll continue that whole breathing thing, in..out..in..out.
Keziah isn't startled by the voice, but instead her attention shifts his way even as she helps one small boy with his robe as he gets himself caught up in it. "Take it easy. Klamar. Just breathe." she states as she reassures the young beastcraft apprentice.
Xe'ter waits until most of the faces are turned to him…and then he draws a slip of paper out of his pocket…looking at it before he speaks again, "Thank ye…Candidates…ye've been a very well behaved, and orderly class of such…but this are just th' beginning, lads and lasses." Heh. Romth's rider is YOUNGER than several of the Candidates. Lads and lasses, indeed. "But this are just the beginnin'. In a few minutes, those eggs out there will be hatchin', not just rockin'…and in a bit longer than that…some of ye are going to come back, as dragonrider's o'Xanadu…think on that a moment…if ye can breathe."
Matrin takes a deep, steadying breath and runs his hand across his jaw. Xe'ter's words are big ones, and though it's something that has occupied his mind for months now, the immediacy of the whole thing is nearly overwhelming. He clears a sudden thickness from his throat and steels the sudden softness around his mouth into something firmer. A big day, but not something any of them can control at this point. He takes a moment to glance around the room and musters a bit of a smile for the candidates who meet his eye.
Iforian hurries in with the other candidates and pushes his way to his cot beside Jen's. He shucks his work clothes and slips the slightly too short sack of a robe over his head. At least it's not too tight, though he grimaces and is going to be worrying about bending over the entire time he's on the sands. He drops down to the edge of his cot, glancing at the tiny green firelizard curled up on his pillow for a moment before turning his attention to the Weyrleader. It seems that that moment is the first time he's really considered that he might not be getting the dragon he thinks he will be. Yikes! "Shards… What'll th' folks back home say if'n I'm left standin'?" The little green chirups at her person and burrows under the pillow to hide from all the commotion. Frazzled candidates are scary!
Kinzie reckons that thought hasn't made her calm down much and she tries to keep control of her breathing, she fumbles with her sandals until eventually they are on and she sits down on her cot blinking at the little brown who seems quite excited "Now you promise to stay here" she says softly scritching an eyeridge "I'll be fine, I'll be back soon" whether she's saying that to Origami or herself is not clear but she brushes herself off, sighs heavily and stands, a more determined look on her face than she'd managed previously, looking about her fellow candidates with a slight smile she then returns her attention to the Weyrleader.
Esiae smirks somewhat for the implication that they were well-behaved and orderly, but she doesn't interrupt, listening carefully to Xe'ter while fingers comb nervously through her purple-dipped hair. Sandals fastened, she takes to braiding her locks instead, determined to make herself as comfortable as humanly possible. The breathing bit is debatable, but she tries, inhaling and exhaling so she can actually think about the weyrleader's words. Riders… shards, she had hardly let herself think on that for more than touch-and-go moments this whole time. It was almost scary that the moment was here. Her gaze roves, taking in the others, indeed catching Matrin's glance and trying to return the smile, if not queasily. Ifo's worries are noted, but she can't afford to let the thoughts in, instead taking a second big breath and steeling herself in case the weyrleader had more to add.
Xe'ter seems willing to address Iforian's concern, "An the fact is…there be only twelve eggs out there…more than half o'ye are not going to Impress…but I would welcome ye, one and all, t'stay at Xanadu after…at least for a se'enday or so…and think on it…if ye'd want to stand. Queens will rise again, and eggs will be laid…an' good folk are always welcome at Xanadu…" He looks, though, like he's at such a high altitude atop that makeshift stand. "An ah…with that…I'll see ye on the Sands…" He hops down with MUCH less dignity than he hopped up…and beats a tellingly fast retreat, out towards the Sands, leaving the Candidates in the tender clutches of V'dim, Keziah, and the like.
Inuelle turns slightly crimson. "I know exactly what my Mom would say," she admits. "'See! I told you!'" and she looks around the barracks carefully. No sign of her brown flit, thankfully, and she takes a little more time getting her hair perfectly neat, and checks herself in the mirror. No dirt on her face or showing. "I wish I'd had time for a bath."