Xanadu Weyr - Candidate Barracks
A long, low ceilinged room opens off the entrance hall to the arena. One wall is slightly curved, set against the outer wall of the arena itself. Cots are set in two rows along the length of the room, 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. It's always warm here when there are eggs on the sands, and candidates seldom need more than a light blanket.
Nothing at all on the chore board? Teams? The world has been turned upside down and all the candidates can do is prepare. Maorin has spent a bit of time playing with that ribbon found on his cot. Now? It's tied around his head. What else was he supposed to do with it? His colors are displayed /proudly/ while he tidies up his area of the barracks, making sure his sheets are straightened and neat.
No chores! No chores ever again! …well, okay, it's not quite that, but still. Janaya's got her ribbon looped around her wrist a few times like a bracelet… which was a fun idea in theory, but it doesn't seem to be working all that well in practice, because one of the loops keeps growing while the others shrink. She pauses to adjust it - again - as she comes into the barracks, then looks up from that to grin at Maorin. "Hey!" She sees that orange ribbon! And she lifts her wrist to show him her own. Team …somethingsomething… solidarity!
Teams have been delegated, and Maelle is one of the few of the blue team in the barracks. She has her own ribbon wrapped around the bracelet she already had and so far it seems to be staying just fine. She is sitting on her own cot with a piece of paper she's writing on, though she lifts her gaze when she sees Janaya's arm raise to show Maorin the color. Not her team, that much seems to be noted as her attention returns to her paper to jot something down before folding it up. "Figured out who all your people are?" She wonders.
Hey, at least that ribbon of his is keeping that slight bit of hair out of Maorin's eyes. It's tied securely at least. Hopefully not too tight. He glances over at the sudden calling though, a grin spreading as he identifies the orange. "Ah-hah! Good on you. Glad to have you in the..uh..well I'm sure that'll come up sooner or later. We need to call ourselves something, you know. Orangies…doesn't have the right ring to it." But there is another voice, one that turns Maorin's head to peer somewhat curiously towards Maelle. /Blue./ "Ah, no, no. I haven't seen everyone that's been roaming around just yet. Did see Quill sporting the same color as you though, if you're looking for teammates."
Janaya grins to Maorin, then wrinkles her nose. "Orangies is a terrible name. It sounds like what a toddler would have for a snack." She shakes her head, dismissing it. "We need a much better name than that!" Janaya heads closer to the others, with a nod to Maorin's answer to Maelle and a small frown at the mention of Quill that's quickly replaced by a smile to Maelle. "So that's at least one good person on your team, and I'm sure there's others, too!"
"Orangies?" Maelle scrunches her nose when she repeats that, and then adds, "Does that mean I should be Blueies? That sounds equally as bad. I think we can think of better names, once we get everyone together and collaborate. I have to admit though, I do like the blue better." She says with a broad grin, sitting on the edge of her cot and then standing up to stretch a bit. "I thought I saw a girl with blue too, but I am /really/ bad with names." She admits with a shrug, at least she's being honest. "I haven't met either of you yet, really, right?" She wonders, giving both of them a long look over.
"Well I did say we can't use it." Maorin sinks down to sit on his newly made cot, reaching up to scratch at his forehead just under the ribbon. "Yeah, we're gonna have to have a nice long talk about what to call ourselves in the meantime. Unless this is one of those things where they /give/ us a name. Or we have to name the other team." There's a hint of a smile for Quill being a good person for a team, and a slight tilt of his head. He doesn't believe? Well he won't say anything about that at all. He just lifts his hand to wave in Maelle's direction. "You're right on that. Haven't been formally introduced, which is always a shame. I'm Maorin, or Rin if you prefer it. Tends to be a trend around here of shortened names."
"Blueies sounds kind of like riders, at least… but you can so do better." Janaya grins, and nods to Maorin. "I hope we get to pick our own… more fun that way." She hmms. "My firelizard's blue… maybe I should get him an orange harness, just so nobody thinks he's on the wrong team." Because firelizards are an important part of teams, right? So, for that matter, are introductions, and she looks back to Maelle. "Oh yeah! I'm Janaya." She grins. "Shorten it however you want!"
"I don't think that they'll make us name the other team, though I'm not the most creative person. I'd be fine with just being called the blue team." Maelle says with a slight shrug, and adds, "I hope Quillan and the others on my team are more creative. Maybe we have a Harper or something…" She wonders, then perches on the edge of her cot like she's ready to leave at any given moment. "I don't think the color of your firelizard really matters either, but I don't see a problem putting on an orange harness if you wanted to.." She decides, and sighs, "I'm Maelle, Journ… oh, yeah, just Candidate I guess now, right? I don't really shorten my name at all."
"Maelle it is, then. No problems there." Maorin certainly hadn't thought to shorten his name any before arriving! He shakes his head just a bit though, lifting a brow briefly at Janaya. "Quill certainly has a..talent, I guess, for putting names to things." For good or for ill. He reaches though, starting to untie the band from around his head where it's left a nice pinkish mark. "Hey, way I see it, if you're in a craft, you're in a craft. Doesn't matter what your position is currently. What'd you do, Maelle?"
"Hi Maelle!" Janaya says. "Nice to meet you!" She nods about the names of teams, with a sideways tug of her lips at Maorin's comment. "…sometimes they're not very good ones," she says, following it with a shrug. The grin returns as she nods to Maelle about her firelizard. "Oh, yeah, probably not, but it'd be fun to make one." She shrugs, because that's reason enough for her, then tilts her head curiously to hear the answer to that question about crafts.
"I don't really know anyone yet, but.. I'm trying to be more social." Maelle admits, looking a bit sheepish since she tends to keep her nose in paperwork when the opportunity arises - which is most of the time. She gives a quick smile to Janaya and nods, "It might be, if you're good at making harnesses? I'd probably end up wrapping too much around a firelizard and make it encumbered. I don't have one myself.." She says, and answers Maorin's question. "I'm a Journeyman Healer, trauma specialty. I wonder how long before the eggs hatch… Does it take a long time?"
The notation of craft does seem to perk Maorin up a bit more, sitting up to look over. "Really? A healer, are you? I was about ready to try giving that a go when I was rather abruptly detoured by all of..this. Not that it's a bad redirection or anything." His head tilts however, glancing form Janaya to Maelle again. "How's that for you? You enjoy doing it, yeah? I don't..honestly know too much about the whole egg business just yet. Not exactly native to the Weyr life."
"Well, now you know two people." Janaya grins, indicating herself and Maorin… assuming, that is, that introductions count as 'knowing'. Janaya may have some rather loose definitions there, because she just laughs to Maelle about the harnesses. "Well, I dunno, I've never done it before! But I can try." She listens to the talk of crafts, grinning as Maorin reveals his own interest in Maelle's work and looking between them. "Eggs take a few months to harden. So we've a while yet."
Maelle nods a few times, "I am a healer, and I sort of got detoured by all this too. That bronze wouldn't let me go help people until I agreed to stand, and well.. here I am. For now, anyways. I do like it a lot." She says with a grin and a shrug. "I think the experience will be worth it anyways, I haven't spent hardly any time at Weyrs, except when I did a little training in search and rescue at Igen. But, that was short.." She muses, and smirks at Janaya, "I guess you have some experience with dragons then, at least miniature ones. I saw the eggs, they're.. well, different than I thought. Not all of them are very nice looking."
Maorin nods slowly, considering that information. "Good, good. Definitely the direction I'm going once this is all done with. If there's no dragon at the end of it, anyway. Spent a good deal of time in the infirmary myself, so I kinda feel that's..something I wanna get into." There's a very light tap at the side of the teen's face, along the edge where the scarring begins. He grins though, finally pushing himself up to stand. "Well we're all learning pretty well together, I think. Those that don't know. Yeah? I know Quill grew up in a Weyr though so I betcha he could answer a lot of questions like that." Though he does point at Janaya, grinning with a slight wink. "But Janaya here has some good information too! But I think what's really needed is something to eat. Anyone wants to come along, I'm heading that way for a snack." Maorin starts off then, tromping himself right on out of the barracks.
"You could still do it if you do get a dragon, too," Janaya says to Maorin. "Kera does that, she's a senior apprentice healer and a greenrider." Her gaze does linger on his face, clearly curious but… nope, this isn't the time that she actually brings herself to ask about it! Instead, she looks back to Maelle, and huhs. "Quill's from Igen!" Yay connections! If… rather attenuated ones. Janaya shrugs at her own knowledge, explaining, "I'm from around here, so, I know about how long it is between the flight and the hatching feast. Dunno much more than that, I've never stood before or anything, but it's something. Well, and I've got a firelizard, but that only sort of helps." She nods to Maorin, waving as he heads out.
Maelle looks like she might have been wanting to say the same exact thing to Maorin, though she's beaten to it and simply nods. "I'd be happy to answer any questions you'd have." She offers, not bringing up anything about those scars that are so obviously noticeable but offers a wave as he leaves. "Maybe later!" She blinks a couple times and arches a brow, "I didn't know that, but it's cool. I spent most of the time there with the search and rescue riders, so really didn't socialize beyond them that much. None of my family has ever been searched before, so I really don't know what to expect. I don't think I'd want a firelizard, and I'm even torn on the idea of having a dragon."
Janaya grins, nodding. "His parents are riders, but… I dunno what they do." She shrugs. "Zak's from there, too." Not that it's likely Maelle's met, but hey. Her head tilts curiously, listening further. "You wouldn't?" she asks. "Why not? I mean… not that there's anything wrong with it! But lots of people are really… really enthusiastic about it, so… why wouldn't you?" Her tone's curious, not accusatory or disbelieving.
"I was only there for a short stint, I spent most of my time at the Hall really." Maelle admits, shrugging lightly. "I don't know Zak. You seem to know a lot of people here already." She notes, leaning back on her cot and propping herself up with her elbows. "I guess I never really thought of it as an option? It's not like I was raised around riders, or anything, and it sounds like a lot of work. You know, additional work on top of studies if I were to continue them. It's not like I'm /against/ the idea, but I don't think I'd be heartbroken if I left with only the experience of candidacy. I can't judge what I don't really know, you know?"
"I suppose I do…" Janaya says. "It's 'cause I was already here, I think. Everyone's else been trying to learn their way around, and I just get to meet everyone instead." She shrugs a bit, and grins. "Anyway, you'll know people soon too!" Janaya perches herself on the edge of someone else's clothing trunk as a convenient place to sit while conversing, and hmms as she listens. She ponders it for a moment, then nods. "Yeah… that makes sense. I mean, I was sorta the same way about apprenticing for a while. It seemed weird, going to a Hall and having classes all the time."
"Were you one of the first ones searched? That might make a difference. I was busy for a bit after I was searched, but now.. I'm not. Well, busy in a different way." Maelle says, sighing a bit and pulling her legs up onto the cot as well, even if it looks uncomfortable. "I'll have to meet the rest of my team. I'm already trying to figure out the best way to get all the things we need done, how to split them up so we can hit as many as possible." She /is/ organized if nothing else. "I guess it's like anything, you get used to it if you have to. I'm sure whatever happens on the sands I'll be happy, so that's all that really matters. I've yet to hear a dragonrider say they hated their dragon."
Janaya huhs, and nods. "I guess I was. I mean, I wasn't the very first or anything, but… when I got here, pretty much everyone else was still settling in too." The first wave! She grins. "I don't think us being not-busy is allowed. The shadowing thing seems fun, though! Better than just getting chores all the time, that's for sure." Janaya turns her head, looking down along the barracks to check for teammates… hmm… nope, nobody new. She looks back to Maelle. "You're really going for it, huh?" A grin. "Good luck! I mean, I hope my team wins, but let's make it a close one, right? No reason not to do our best… 'cause then we'll be happy, win or lose." The grin widens, "Or dragon or no dragon."
Maelle may have been sprawled a bit on her cot, but a moment later she's sitting on the edge and pushing herself to her feet. "I was fairly late, I think. But, sometimes that's not too bad. I prefer shadowing over chores, and would be happy to help with the first aid ones. Though, maybe not for /your/ team." She says with a smirk, and the shrugs, "But, really, I'd help if you guys needed it. It's a competition but I don't think it's serious at all. I think I /do/ want some food, so maybe I'll catch you later?"
Janaya laughs. "If you do yours and help out with ours, maybe you get extra credit?" she suggests with a grin, then nods. "But… thanks. I mean, I'd help your team too… not that I have any idea with what, I'm hardly a crafter or anything, but if you do happen to need something…" She shrugs, letting that trail off, then nods. "Seeya around! It was nice meeting you."