"The Little Mucking Boy and The Secret of Rainbows"
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Xanadu Weyr - Beach

The unerring range of subdued white rises and falls in a multitude of sandy dunes, creating an endless amount of tiny valleys constantly demolished and rebuilt by the frequent arrival or departure of a dragon. Smoothing out as it slopes gently to the edge of the deep blue water, the sand darkens and a shell here and there stands out for children to collect. The beach itself is set along a low cliff - the height lessoning as one heads eastwards, blocking a portion of the beach from direct access.

The wide wide stretch of water opens up to the east, the far distant shore way beyond the horizon and the beach curves ever so slowly round to east and west, distant arms of land embracing the wind-ruffled Caspian Lake. East leads up to the mouth of the Rubicon River, where the protecting cliff is merely an arms length higher then the sand, and beyond that, a winding road leading out of Xanadu's territory. Westwards, the beach narrows as the cliff swings out, leaving a path wide enough for dragons in single file before cutting in to the sheltered cove designated the Weyrling Beach. However, cut in the cliff face to the north are a variety of rough, wide staircases, providing access to the clearing and to the meadow.


The beach has been set up similar to the previous day but the fish is lacking, so all are left to fend for themselves when it comes to food. But the fire burns brighter this day, to fend off the possible cold incoming. Despite this, it is a rather mild day for winter, so far. Chairs are all settled near the fire so that people may warm themselves while the story is told. In the center of these chairs is the pinwheel once more, ready to point to the next teller of the story from the circle. The announcer woman is once again waiting for those to gather and to take the seats offered, before she announce. "Welcome again. Today, we will go by the same rules. You spin the pin to pick who will be first to tell the story and then you will spin again to determine who is next. Each person present must have a line before the story can be declared finished."

Kiley is among those gathering once more, her eyes finding the chairs and then carefully moving to sit in a spot that is not too close to the fire. There is still warmth coming her way and the woman smiles pleasantly, while her attention is drawn to the pin wheel once more and her smile grows wider.

M'nol is more than happy to settle himself with his back right up to the fire. A few Istan summers and nothing really seems hot anymore. One hand comes up in an easy wave to Kiley, "Planning more mischief today?"

Perhaps somewhat sheepishly, particularly for a Harper, Kaede is picking her way down the beach, a blanket stolen from her cot and wrapped around her slender frame. Glancing at the woman, and the pinwheel, she shrugs after a moment and settles down in a space next to the fire, tugging the blanket a little closer, and nodding her head to the candidates she recognizes with a soft word.

Pyriel is already here? Yes indeed, because there he is already slumped and grumpy in a chair beside Kiley. Arms crossed over his chest, his frown pulling the corner of his lips down ever so slightly. The holes in his hears no longer exist, though a thin red scar is present on each from the repair process. In fact, he has no jewelry on his ears at all. Even his eyebrow piercings are missing. Just the two on his bottom lip still reside. The back of his head rests on the chair, one foot tapping against the sand below.

Thea is once again taking a break from the heat of the Sands, only now as she reaches the Beach does she slip into her jacket, which is left open. Her cheeks are finally beginning to lose the pink-flushed color brought on by the temperatures in the hatching grounds, so for the time being, skirts the fire. "Hello," her greeting is given cheerfully to all in general, green eyes sweeping those gathered as she steps up, considering the game with a small grin. After a moment her decision made, she takes a seat beside M'nol with a murmured, "Keeping them in line are you?"

Kiley returns the wave to M'nol and inclines her head to the rider, "Perhaps." Comes a cheerful reply from the computer crafter turned candidate. Kaede's arrival is met with wave and another smile, before her gaze is returning to Pyriel as he remains entirely grumpy beside her. She leans over and gives him a gentle nudge. "Smile?" Brows lift as she attempts to cheer up the harper candidate but then her attention is drawn to Thea as she joins them. A nod is given in greeting to the Weyrwoman along with a quick salute. Once all that have arrived appear to be seated, Kiley leans in and gives the pin a spin.

Kiley watches as the pin lands on herself and she chuckles softly to consider the first line of the story, her head tilts back and she considers, thoughtfully. "Hmm. In a Hold far away, there was a small family who found a baby in a log." And with that, Kiley leans forward to spin the pin once more.

Kiley flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Thea

M'nol boggles momentarily at Pyriel's lack of metal. And more specifically the seeming scars, "Shards, lad. What happened to your ears?" From his expression he's trying to decide whether the removal was forcible. Thea's voice snaps him back to the moment with a start, "Always, Thea. Though some require more watching than others." He peers at Pyriel's ears again before taking a moment to nod a greeting to each of the other candidates with a soft utterance of each one's name before he lets his attention side back to the story.

Karona comes jogging from the Weyr, hair slicked to her skull. Looks like she's made a detour to the bathing caverns, from whatever she was just doing. A seat is taken, with an empty seat on each side, though she doesn't sit terribly far from everyone. "I hope I didn't miss the story!" she says, breathlessly.

At some point, Pyriel's eyes had slid closed, face still pointed towards the sky. After a time, even his foot had slowed to motionless. When Kiley nudges him, he startles. "…wha? What's goin' on? I'm awake!" he blurts out before blinking several times and then rubbing at his face with both hands. Groggily he peers over at the computer crafter candidate, before his frown deepens to a small degree. "You say somthin'?" he asks, looking her up and down in appraisal. But Kiley was already telling her story and so he perches his elbows on his knees, dropping his chin to his hands between them, legs slightly spread. Golden eyes drift to M'nol, to Thea, and then back to M'nol. "Got 'em fixed." he says simply enough with grumpy undertones.

With arms looped loosely around her knees, Kaede is settled on the sand, blanket settled over her shoulders, chin on her knees, eyes closed as she listens to the others talk, the story beginning. Slowly opening her eyes, she peeks at Pyriel as he explains what happened to his ears, before her eyes close again, and she just listens, enjoying the fire and the tale.

Iessrien once again has wandered down to the beach, the holder boy walking towards the gathered people with hands tucked away in jacket pockets, his shoulders slanted back at an easy angle while pondwater-blue eyes flicker over the various faces, pausing on one or two fellow candidates before angling his path towards them. He arches a brow slightly at Kiley's story-beginning, though its M'nol's mention of Pyriel's ears which has Iess' lips twitching upward in slight amusement. A polite enough nod is for the riders, head inclining a little lower to Thea before the holder boy drops down somewhere near the other candidates, on whichever side is furthest from Karona. /Her/ he regards with lowered lashes for an instant, and then looks away, settling with his knees drawn up, erms crossing lazily over them.

Other than giving the others a flickering glance as she sits, Thea notices nothing unusual about Pyriel, but M'nol's comment draws her attention to the boy. Other than a small uplift of brows, she says nothing in that regards, choosing rather to listen to Kiley begin the story. Baby in a log. This is blink-worthy. Karona's arrival draws her response, "We just started. A holder in a far away place found a baby in a log." After a brief hesitation, she continues it with a facetious, "This wasn't just any log. Luckily for the baby, it was a hollow log - with a hole in it where an avian had pecked through to make a nest. And it wasn't just any baby. It was…" Her eyes glimmer merrily as she leaves it hanging.

Thea flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to M'nol

Kiley blinks at M'nol's question to Pyriel, glancing towards the candidate beside her with a lift of her brow. But, she comments not on it as she has seen this already, Though it is Pyriel that draws a laugh from the woman as he jumps awake. Smile. She repeats for the harper candidate, tilting him a look that reads something close to 'pay attention' before she turns attention to the arriving Karona. A hand lifts in greeting, "just started." And then Iessrien joins them and she waves a greeting towards the other candidate "Hi Iessrien. Welcome back." Her gaze drifts over towards Thea for her addition to the story, chuckling softly and then watching the pin as it lands on M'nol.

M'nol's frown for the ears stays firmly in place, "Well, you were gonna have to take 'em out for the hatching and weyrlinghood if you impressed, but tearing them out seems a bit over-zealous, don't you think?" He glances at the other candidates, almost as if expecting a story forthcoming, then utters a soft, "Shards." Eyeing the pin as if it's got it in for him, "It was the baby of a sea crafter accidentally set adrift in a storm." He casts Thea a 'this is your fault' sort of look, then leans forward to give the pin a good solid flick.

M'nol flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Kiley

Karona tips her head slightly at Thea when she fills in the story's start. "Thank you." she says politely, settling back in her chair to eye the group, keeping one ear on the story, and one eye on the spinner. Iessrien gets ignored, the woman's attention going to M'nol when he adds to the story. For the moment, the smith seems content to listen and be quiet, she has nothing to say.

"What the shell ya talking about…er…uh…brownrider..dude?" Pyriel asks M'nol in a stammer, distracted all of sudden from people arriving and looks given to him. "I didn't get them torn out, man. I went to the healers to get 'em fixed. Or didja want me to have droopy earlobes for the possibily of gettin' em caught on somethin' at the hatching. Like a dragonet. Jus' wanted to get them healed before the eggs started rockin'." he says, with a measure of annoyance. "…tearin' them out, ya…sure…" Is grumbled. It's then that his attention waders off M'nol and he sees Kaede and Iessrien. Kaede gets a wave, and Iessrien gets a chin jerking up motion. "Hey, man. When did ya get here?" he asks the other boy. He doesn't await the response however, soon looking between Thea and Karona.

"You're welcome, Karona," Thea responds pleasantly to the smithcrafter-Candidate. Pyriel's explanation to M'nol draws a blink, eyes flicker briefly in withheld laughter, but her only comment is a mild, "Sir, not dude, Candidate." Smirking back at M'nol, waiting until he's finished his part of the story, she leans his way, murmuring lowly, "And the hole let water into the log, filling it so it sank, the baby drowned and the holder cried cos he found a corpse. The end." Obviously she's being flippant since the pin is pointing at Kiley, not herself.

Eyes open slowly, and Kaede is blinking at Pyriel without picking up her head, shaking it a little as she lounges there, turning to settle her back towards the fire. "Py.." She murmurs softly, letting her voice carry with a smile lingering on her lips as she nods to Iess, tugging the blanket a little closer.

Kiley eyes M'nol for a moment for his statements, then looking back to Pyriel. She offers a smile and quiets as the story continues with the next line then spin the pin. Her eyes go to it for a second and eyes it once it lands on her once more and the woman takes a breath and releases it as she considers. Her head tilts back, "a storm so bad that they had to place their baby in a log in hopes that the log would keep it safe, but this baby was different for it had a tail." She nods at this, before she leans forward the spin the pin once again. Pyriel attracts her attention after she spins and then she turns attention to the others gathered.

Kiley flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Kaede

Iessrien offers Kiley a thin smile, hand lifting absently with a, "Hi," to her before he leans forward a little, listening with canted head to Thea's addition to the tale. Seeming content with the mutual-ignoring going on between himself and Karona, the holder boy lets his gaze drift, smirking a little at M'nol's story bit, and murmuring a, "More fish," to himself, though Thea's further comment on drowned babies earns a bit of a nosewrinkle. "About the time someone stuck a baby in a log," is said wryly, in reply to Pyriel, Iess' lips tilting slightly as pondwater-blue eyes flick to the other candidate, then over to Kiley, brows lifting a little at the mention of a tail'd baby.

M'nol smirks, letting Thea correct the lad's duty before supplying, "M'nol. Or Morl. I'm not picky. And I know little of piercings, but Farry found the 'fascinating' in his usual manner." His eyes dart to follow the story before Thea's words cause him to half-choke, "Shards, Thea. I'll start calling you Weyrwoman again if you keep stuff like that up."

Its a gentle nudge from the candidate next to her that has Kaede blinking at the pinwheel, and blushing slightly as the pin is pointing at her and she's struggling to remember what has been added to the story so far. After a moment of hushed whispering has her caught up, she's biting her lip lightly and finally speaking up. "You see, it was their prized cargo - a young burdenbeast - who was to start their trading venture on land." And she shrugs a little, unsure if it even makes sense, letting the pinwheel get a nudge.

Kaede flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Pyriel

Karona wrinkles her nose up slightly at the story's turn. "A tail? Ew. I'm glad this is /fiction/." she declares, with a grimace. Kaede's addition has Karona blinking. "Oh. Okay. It's not a human baby." That's better, then. She sinks back in her chair, quietly frowning. These stories can take interesting turns.

Pyriel returns the wry grin to Iessrien, but doesn't follow it up with anything else at this point. Instead his attention drifts back to M'nol again. He frees up a hand and points to himself. "Pyriel…or Py. Most use Py." he says, and nods to the brownrider. Thea, gets his attention for a second as she corrects him, "Yeah okay." he says, shrugging and then slumping back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest again. At least this time his head does not come to rest on the back of the chair. Kaede garners his attention though, in her greeting. She gets a soft smile without hesitation. Though the smile fades as she spins the pin and it lands on him. A long suffering sigh and he slides his eyes to Kiley. "Come on, I really dun wanna do this." he whines at her, in exasperation. Expression falling before he rolls his eyes skyward and sighs again. "Okay whatever. So the holder family who had the baby burdenbeast…" he starts and eyes Kaede dubiously. "Really?" he asks her, before blinking a few more times. "Took it to an auction house to sell it, cause they had no use for it, and they needed a new…um…potholder." He winces, brows knitting. He then reaches over and spins the pin.

Pyriel flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to M'nol

"Well, what did you expect me to say. She's the one that made it have to have a tail." Kaede says softly, tossing her head in Kiley's direction with a wrinkle of her own nose. "Thought about a baby dragon, but that would be a pretty big log." She giggles a little, and quiets, listening once more.

Thea snorts softly at M'nol's threat, "Bah. You have no sense of humor." But her attention is then back to the game, a look 'round the circle to see who is adding to the next part. Her gaze settles on Kaede with the semi-curious expression of one who is seeing someone for the first time. It's entirely likely. A slow grin forms on her lips for her addition, before she flicks Pyriel a stern look after that 'yeah okay' of his that clearly says she'll see him later. His addition draws a "Is it still in the log?" Enquiring minds want to know!

M'nol chuckles a bit, then /glares/ at the pin. Why him? He glances at Thea, then sighs, "It's out of the log so the auctioneer could get a good look at it, but then, inexplicably, it began to speak." Without further ado, he leans forward to give the pin another flick, aiming for Thea this time.

M'nol flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Thea

Kiley smiles at Iessrien and shrugs for the look he gives her for the baby with a tail. She leans forward and rests her elbows upon her knees, chin coming to rest in her palm as she watches the pin and then her eyes lift to look to Kaede. She smiles at the other candidate's addition to the story and nods as the confirmation of what kind of baby was in the log. Her lips curl a little more into a wider smile and then she watches the pin as it spins and comes to settle on Pyriel. Her gaze drifts to the candidate beside her and for his whining she only smiles and gives a nod, gesturing for the candidate to continue the story. When he continues, her smile grows wider and there's a nod of approval before she looks to Kaede. "Well, yesterday we had.. Fishriders." Snicker. The woman tries to avoid laughing at the subject of the previous story as she gives a smile to the other candidate and looking to M'nol as the pin lands on the brownrider. Thea's question earns a shrug, "maybe?" She eyes M'nol again, looking for the answer. Laughter begins for his addition of the story.

Iessrien smirks just slightly at Kaede's addition of a baby burdenbeast, slowly shaking his head and commenting, "It would have to be a pretty big log anyway, to hold a burdenbeast." There's a lowering of eyelids as his gaze returns to Pyriel, considering the other candidate, though there's only a soft snort for the potholder. Eyes quickly flick away, listening to M'nol's part with arching brow, though again there's nothing said for it, merely hearing how the tale unfolds. It's Kiley's reminder of the fishriders which has the holder boy chuckling, another headshake for that, shifting his knees closer to his chest and curling his arms a little tighter over them.

Thea smiles at Iessrien, "I agree, it would." As the pin stops on her, she eyes M'nol, her expression is clearly retribution for his eyeing of her earlier. Sweetly sarcastic, "You -do- have a sense of humor after all, don't you?" For a long pause she's silent, head tilts back while she eyes the sky for inspiration. she begins slowly, "The herdbeast looks very grateful to be released from his log-prison but not so happy to find itself at an auction. So since it can talk, it thinks fast and says to the laborer who, since he's holding an axe and is obviously the one who cracked open the log, 'Oh joy! You have impressed me and we are lifemates forever. Can we go now?'" And she rolls her eyes at her own addition, uttering under her breath, "Bleh."

Thea flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Pyriel

"I dunno. Coulda been a…a…." Pyriel begins, struggling for the right word. "Dolphin or a..a…mamma…mamale…merma? Ugh I can't remember the stupid Earth folklore." he waves a hand dissmissively. He does glance at Kiley though, narrowing his eyes a bit with a faint frown. His eyes dance away for Iessrien's snort, and the harper candidate shrugs helplessly. He mouths silently to the other boy, jerking a thumb over to Kiley. A shake of hid head and his gaze flicks to Thea just in time to get her stern look tossed at him. The boy colors and looks away, feigning innocence with a pursing of his lips and roll of his eyes skyward. The sound of the pin is spinning and he flicks his eyes over towards it and finds that it lands back on him. His expression drops, jaw along within it. "Oh come on!" he protests, a low groan and he slaps a hand to his forehead. Head coming to rest on the back of his chair and he glares up at the sky. "Fine!" he growls, his leg jiggling up and down quickly as it bounces off the way his toe of his boot is dug into the sand. "The guy with the axe is really surprised the burdenbeast can talk. The creature suddenly bathed in a golden light of like…purity and whatever. Cuteness and light. Or…something. The laborer is so surprised in fact, he drops his ax right next to the beast which scares the crap outta it. Literally. What comes out it's hind end…" he pauses, gesturing in a quick flip and the rolling his wrist in a circle, searching for the word. "…is a rainbow…" Another wince. "Ugh." He doesn't look at anyone, and spins the pin quickly before finding something else to look at, even as his cheeks darken to crimson. Jaw setting.

Pyriel flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Kaede

Karona tilts her head at Thea, chuckling slightly. "Now burdenbeastriders? Is there anything on Pern people can't ride?" she says, with a grin. It's all terribly amusing, really. "I'm just waiting for the wherryriders." she adds. But at least burdenbeasts are large enough to actually physically ride? There is that. It makes as much sense as anything else. Pyriel's addition gets a slowly raising eyebrow and a bit of a stare from the smith.

This time, Kaede is paying attention, eyes resting on Pyriel as he voices his opinions, his complaints, and then his portion of the story. "Why, why do boys always pick *poop*?" Kaede asks softly, giving Iess a long look as he happens to be the male candidate closest, before with an exaggerated sigh, the other harper is picking up where her counterpart left off. "Clearly, it was no average burdenbeast, for as everyone was distracted by the rainbow, he gave a little mucking boy a nudge. I'll grant you three wishes, because I am your fairy cowmother."" As the story gets even more ridiculous, Kaede can't even keep a straight face, giggles burst forth between each few words.

Kaede flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Kiley

Kiley beams a smile at Iessrien for his chuckling for the reminder, and her own laughter continues softly behind that smile. Her gaze drops to the pin and then looks back up to Thea with a curious glance for the woman's addition. Laughter grows louder and the woman covers her mouth with a hand to snuffle it out into soft snickers. A breath is drawn to calm her laughter into silence and her eyes watch the pin spin around and around until it comes to stop on Pyriel. Another look is given to the candidate, expectant for him to continue the story and certainly not letting him back out. However, he's mouthing something to Iessrien and her brow lifts and considers the other candidate with a very serious look on her face but he is continuing the story. Kiley cannot help the laughter that spills from her lips from behind her hand, unable to contain it. It certainly takes another moment for her to regain full composure of herself. Kaede's addition earns a little more laughter and then the pin lands on her. The woman can't help but laugh a little more before the story continues. "Right.. So.. The little mucking boy was now distracted by the burdenbeast offering him three wishes. 'So, my first wish is that I wish I could make rainbows, too.' His wish was granted." Then, the computer crafter leans forward and spins the pin, keeping her laughter to herself.

Kiley flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to M'nol

A flicker of a smile is sent the weyrwoman's way, Iessrien glancing between her and M'nol with some amusement for their banter, though Thea's latest addition has eyebrows rising slightly. He leans back a little, hand lifted briefly. Facepalm. He's trying not to roll his eyes, really, even as fingers absently drag down his face. He totally misses whatever Pyriel mouths, though he does note the thumb-jerk toward Kiley, giving the harper something of a blank look. Hand lowering, there's a bit of a stare for the other boy's ..colorful addition to the story, Iess just slowly shaking his head with a mumbled, "Shells, man." Kaede's question has him meeting her gaze when she gives him that long look, the holder snorting softly, lips twitching again towards a smirk, "Don't look at me, I would have set fire." The girl's own story bit, along with Kiley's, just have Iess shaking his head yet again, and possibly pretend he doesn't know these people.

M'nol just /stares/ at Pyriel for a moment, then looses it completely into rollicking chuckles, "Shards, Py. That's an image that'll stick with a man." He follows the story to Kiley, then groans, "Me again… shards. Umm… rainbow making beast begets rainbow making muckingboy… hmmm… And the boy tested his new power and found that it was good, so he turned to ask for his next wish, "I want a better job!" He declared and the beast answered, "So be it. Your new job will be…" He smirks and leans forward to flick the pin. AT least he's not adding more poop.

M'nol flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Karona

Pyriel's addition had the Weyrwoman smiling, but it is his last few words that draw a cackle from Thea, hastily-choked off. Should. Not. Be. Amused. But she is. She'smissing the byplay between Iessrien and Pyriel totally. Teenagers! To Karona, "I don't think they can ride tunnelsnakes?" Nevermind that they probably can't really ride fish. "But I'm sure wherries could be arranged, given enough incentive." Her eyes are dancing as she follows the pin's point to Kaede and listens to her speak, following the ever-growing story to Kiley with a grin.

Karona furrows her brow as the pointer lands on her name. New job for the mucking boy? Hrm… "'Your new job will be… CraftMaster!' the beast decides. 'But which craft?' asks the former-mucking boy." she says, before leaning forward to spin the wheel. It's someone else's turn, and the woman shoots a glance Iessrien's way briefly.

Karona flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Kiley

Pyriel's cheeks darken at all the laughter that follows his addition to the story, curling up a bit perhaps in a vain attempt to make himself smaller. A dart of golden eyes towards Iessrien and he points at the other boy accusingly. "Don't judge me!" he retorts in a quiet hiss to the holder, frowning. Grumbling now to himself he kicks a little sand towards the holder, not reaching him. M'nol saying his name garners his attention though, peering at the brownrider past his lashes. "Now ya know where rainbows really come from." he whips over there, absently, drawing one leg up to his chest and hooking the thick sole of his boot against the seat of his chair. Rainbows are poop. Then he rests his forehead on his knee. Thea's choked off cackle makes him startle and then groan.

Kaede smirks as the story continues from her addition, resting her head on her knees once more as her eyes linger, gazing on the edge of the fire, darting now and then to a face as they talk, sort of drifting out again as the tale happens, even as she giggles to herself, falling quiet as Karona adds her piece.

Kiley chuckles at Iessrien's comment about the fire, "you can't set everything on fire, Iessrien." Pause, "well, you can.. But, still." She smiles as her laughter finally begins to fade completely away and she smiles to herself. M'nol's addition earns a nod as she waits for him to spin. When it settles on Karona, she looks the other candidate's way but it is Thea that pulls her attention and the woman chuckles at the notion of tunnelsnake riding. "I would hope that we don't have people trying to ride the wherries." And then Karona speaks for the story and the woman considers. At least until the pin lands on her and her attention is drawn to it, however brief as Pyriel calls out to Iessrien and her brows lift very slowly. "I don't think he is." The woman offers, but leaves it at that with a shrug as she tilts her head back. "Hmm. What craft?" The woman rolls her head to the side, thoughtful. "'Craftmaster of the.. Hm.. Beast Craft.' And the little mucking boy cheered, 'for my final wish I want more wishes!' But the beast was not happy with this, for you cannot wish for more wishes even if he didn't tell him this. So then the beast.."

Kiley flicks the pin upon the board. The pin spins around.

Please wait…

The pin comes to a stop and points to Iessrien

M'nol manages to at least regain himself a little to chuckle at Pyriel more politely, "Rainbows come from dragon eyes, trust me." He follows the story to Kiley, then chuckles again, "Craftmaster, huh? Poor lad, tryign to run a whole craft. I certainly wouldn't want that job. Must be one of those beasts grants twisted wishes."

Karona sits up a little straighter, and frowns. "Nothing wrong with Craftmaster. Pays well, I'll bet. Not.. that /I/ want that, obviously." she flicks her white knot. She'd never have accepted it if the craft was her dream. There's a quiet snort when Iessrien's name comes up, and the smith candidate /eyes/ the boy on the far side of the circle, just waiting on his response.

Pyriel's groan draws a long, calculating look from the Weyrwoman, but Kiley's comment to Iessrien distracts her. "Nono, he really can't. Better not, anyway." Yes, it's a safe guess to say she's thinking of the Weyr being burned down. Every Weyrwoman's worst nightmare. Of wherry-riding, she responds without missing a beat, "Given the ridiculous things they do when boozed, it wouldn't surprise me in the least, Kiley." There's a flicker of a glance in the general direction of the pens as if she's considering the possibility of such mayhem. The time she's been out here has been considerable and thus she rises with a brief, "See you guys later." On her way back towards the Weyr, she pauses beside Pyriel, telling the Candidate quietly, but firmly, "Since you seem to still be feeling ill, I want you to go have a check up with Shelly." He'd be wise to comply. Thea is known for her follow-up. She's striding off before he can argue with her anyway. Poof. Gone.

Iess continues to listen as the story unfolds, pondwater blues flicking from M'nol to Karona, the latter receiving a quiet, low-lidded look for the glance she shoots him. "I'm partial to runners, myself," is said in response to Thea's comment about tunnelsnakes, though it's Pyriel's hissed accusation which has Iessrien's attention. The holder boy arches a brow briefly before he just lets out a breath and mutters, "Chill already," turning away to listen to Kiley, lips twitching slightly downward, even for her joking words about fire. Lashes lower a little, but he says nothing, merely considering the girl and her story before there's a blink. And it's apparently his turn. He totally hears Karona's snort over there, smirking just slightly even if he doesn't glance her way. He lifts his head a little, and says with a totally straight face, "..So then the beast lit him fire," a pause, utterly innocent smile sent the departing Thea's way, "..and burned everything down." HMPH.

Kiley blinks at Thea's statement, nodding slowly and cheeks coloring very slightly at the mention of booze. "Right.. Thanks, ma'am." A quick salute is given in response to the Weyrwoman's departure before her gaze drifts over to Pyriel to check on his state But she is drawn over towards Iessrien as the pin lands on the other candidate and she gives him a very serious look. Waiting for his addition to the story. Laughter follows and she claps her hands. "The end! Poor little mucking boy." Her head shakes for the story's character. "With everything set on fire, there's not much else that can happen." She grins widely and then pushes up from her seat in order to start collecting the unused seats.

Karona rolls her eyes at Iessrien. "Boys!" she mutters, shaking her head in disgust. Really. Rainbow poop, and fire. "All such… such… such /children/." she declares, arms folding over her chest. She looks most disappointed when Kiley calls an end to the story, shooting a glare Iessrien's way. Your fault! But she schools her expression, taking a deep calming breath, and glances to Kiley. "Ought to do this again some time." she notes, getting to her feet, and helping the candidate collect seats.

M'nol eyes Iessrien for a moment, his expression easily jovial despite the half-harshness of his words, "Shards, lad. You do realize you can't burn up all your problems, right?" He must be in a good moo because when he glances at Karona, he gladly proclaims, "At least I also look the part." And winks. Thea's departure is missed in his laughter. Maybe he's been drinking again?

To Kiley, Pyriel looks as he drops his knee, face pale to a cold tinted hue of pink. "Yeah I know…" he says, shrugging. "I didn't know what else to say." Though when the older boy tells him to chill, the harper glares at him, "Pfft." he tosses back, muttering something about 'lightening up' though the rest of it is difficult to make out. For M'nol's counter statement? The blond boy blinks and his brows knit. "What the? That makes about as much sense as magical glowin' talkin' burdenbeast crappin' rainbows and then make wishes come true." A pause, and he stares over at Iessrien as he adds the part about the kid being set on fire for asking for more wishes. "That's harsh, man." he says, shaking his head and leaning back a bit. After eyeing the holder for a second longer THea drifts by and says something about him not feeling well. This earns the Weyrwoman a blink, "Eh? But I feel fi…." But she's gone soon thereafter, leaving Py to stare in that direction. "Uh…yeah that so ain't happening." he mutters at her retreating form.

Iessrien can't help but smirk somewhat more at Karona's response, though he doesn't bother to reply to the woman, instead sending Kiley a grin and stretching out, faintest wince as he attempts to roll his shoulders back. Rubbing at the left one irritably, the holder boy moves to stand as well, an eyeroll for M'nol, "And you do realize the difference between real life and a story?" heading over to the seat Kiley just vacated and dropping down beside Pyriel with his hand coming down to lightly cuff the younger boy on the shoulder with a thinly smiled, "Lighten up, yourself." Slouching somewhat, he goes back to massaging his own shoulder, gaze flicking to follow the girls while he comments, "Just a story, man. Might as well have fun with it." Though if Iessrien's idea of fun includes fire, maybe Thea does have something to worry about after all.

Kiley nods to Karona and smiles more, "it is fun. We should definitely do it again at some point." The woman agrees as the continue to gather the chairs. All the unoccupied chairs are eventually gathered into small stacks so that they may carry them back to the Weyr with a little more ease than before. She does listen to the rest of the conversations, but does not pitch into it at all while she begins to lift one of the stacks. "Thanks for coming." And then she begins the task of carrying the chairs back to the storage rooms.

M'nol grins before standing and dusting off his trous from the sand that's bound to have attached itself by now, "Might as well get the checkups over with, anyway. They're required before the hatching, no ifs, ands, or buts." He inclines his head politely to Kiley. gives Iessrien a look that might wilt one of is weyrmate's flowers, "Good day, all." His brows pop up, then down, and he turns to makes his way back up towards the Weyr proper.

Karona blinks a little at M'nol, confused. "…look the part, sir?" she queries, evidently not understanding. It was the candidates she was talking about, the boys who actually are still just children. Teenagers, but still, not adults yet. Pyriel and Iessrien get eyed. "You guys could help, you know." Or… not. The chairs are stacked away in short order, and the woman harrumphs at the pile. So they didn't need help after all. "…still." she mumbles, with a vague shrug.

At the words 'Thanks for Coming' from Kiley, Pyriel suddenly brightens. "Oh good." he breathes, getting up and stretching himself out. First to M'nol, he says. "Already seen Laera about it." he states plainly with a shrug. "So I dun need to see that gree…" he cuts himself off though, turning towards Iessrien. Rather than replying straight away, he merely narrows his eyes a bit. "I said, maybe he's right I should lighten up." So now Iess gets to be ignored apparently, for the harper turns to look at Karona, "Nope. I'm out." he bristles and turns on his heel. Stomping off towards the weyr.

Karona scowls faintly at the bristling and stomping Pyriel, and shakes her head. "Boys!" she repeats, a persistent complaint of this candidacy. Never mind that she has a tendency to nag, herself. "I sometimes wonder if I should surrender the knot, just to go back to my nice little journeyman's room." she mutters. She's very careful to make sure only candidates are within earshot when she says it, though. "Bah." she mutters, throwing her hands up in surrender. She turns to Kiley, and says, "I'll help shift these back." with a nod for the chairs. And after that, likely she'll retreat to the forge. In addition to her afternoon work, she's been spending her free time there of late. The woman always makes it back to the barracks by curfew, but sometimes she cuts it a bit close.

Iessrien appears totally unaffected by the look the brownrider sends him, thin smile for the girls over there, the holder boy telling Karona lightly, "Didn't think everyone was heading back already." He certainly looks in no hurry to go anywhere. Lashes lower with a sideways glance at Pyriel, for the explanation of what he'd said, Iess opening his mouth as if to respond, but then sinking back in his seat with a sigh as he watches the other boy stomp off. Giving his head a slow shake, Iess turns his attention back to the girls. "You should do that," he advises Karona, at the woman's mention of surrendering her knot, less than pleasant smirk flicking across his face very briefly. He nods his head to indicate the chairs, asking Kiley, "Need a hand taking those back?" He's actually offering to help? That's almost like.. /work/. Maybe Karona's nagging really is getting to him, poor boy. Without waiting for a reply, he heads over to grab a stack, the vague grimace the only indication of that still-sore shoulder as he hauls the things back towards the weyr.


The Story

“Hmm. In a Hold far away, there was a small family who found a baby in a log. This wasn't just any log. Luckily for the baby, it was a hollow log - with a hole in it where an avian had pecked through to make a nest. And it wasn't just any baby. It was… It was the baby of a sea crafter accidentally set adrift in a storm. A storm so bad that they had to place their baby in a log in hopes that the log would keep it safe, but this baby was different for it had a tail. You see, it was their prized cargo - a young burdenbeast - who was to start their trading venture on land.”

“Okay whatever. So the holder family who had the baby burdenbeast… Took it to an auction house to sell it, cause they had no use for it, and they needed a new…um…potholder. The herdbeast looks very grateful to be released from his log-prison but not so happy to find itself at an auction. So since it can talk, it thinks fast and says to the laborer who, since he's holding an axe and is obviously the one who cracked open the log, 'Oh joy! You have impressed me and we are lifemates forever. Can we go now?'”

“The guy with the axe is really surprised the burdenbeast can talk. The creature suddenly bathed in a golden light of like…purity and whatever. Cuteness and light. Or…something. The laborer is so surprised in fact, he drops his ax right next to the beast which scares the crap outta it. Literally. What comes out it's hind end…… is a rainbow… Clearly, it was no average burdenbeast, for as everyone was distracted by the rainbow, he gave a little mucking boy a nudge. 'I'll grant you three wishes, because I am your fairy cowmother.' Right.. So.. The little mucking boy was now distracted by the burdenbeast offering him three wishes. 'So, my first wish is that I wish I could make rainbows, too.' His wish was granted.”

“Me again… shards. Umm… rainbow making beast begets rainbow making muckingboy… hmmm… And the boy tested his new power and found that it was good, so he turned to ask for his next wish, "I want a better job!" He declared and the beast answered, "So be it. Your new job will be… 'Your new job will be… CraftMaster!' the beast decides. 'But which craft?' asks the former-mucking boy. 'Craftmaster of the.. Hm.. Beast Craft.' And the little mucking boy cheered, 'for my final wish I want more wishes!' But the beast was not happy with this, for you cannot wish for more wishes even if he didn't tell him this. So then the beast.. ..So then the beast lit him fire.. and burned everything down.”

“The End.”

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