It's the early evening at the trader camp, and the fire is roaring, despite the light drizzle that falls from the sky. The Middle of Nowhere, Pern is a strange place to call home, but to the Viatoris Caravan anywhere there's a road, water, and family, it's home enough for them. For the moment, this is it, the caravan all parked in a circle to rest for the night before deciding which way to head in the morning, having taken a day or two to recover from the long journey from the Fort region. The children are all in bed, some of the adults going on in a hushed rowdyness around the fire, while yet others gather wood and tend to the animals. One of those is Felandre, checking on the team of heavy horses tied down for the evening, making sure they're fed and watered.
Isobeth has been circling in the early evening, far from Xanadu, but seemingly looking for something amidst the wilderness of the Northern Continent. Lazy circles high the sky bring the green pair slowly closer to the area lit by the roaring fire, and eventually, the pair circles down, the rider wrapped up in heavy gear to ward off the rain. Out of politeness, they land a fair distance away to avoid winding up the beasts.
One of the more skittish horses, a slight little dull-witted pony one of the traders -insists- on keeping, despite its overall uselessness to the caravan, gives a quick and nervous shy at the sound of wingbeats, hooves kicking up turf as it stomps in alarm. The rest of the small herd of heavy horses don't bat much more than an eye or swish a tail, snorting but not seeming to be worried one bit about the dragon about in the night. Felandre raises up his eyes, only catching the bit of movement caught in the firelight before darkness takes the pair again, and so he waits, listening and watching in the darkness to see who, or what, it was.
Isobeth creeps rather low to the ground behind V'dim as they pair approach the camp, the rider calling out a greeting once he's close. Can't take enough precautions. "Xanadu's duties!" Moving close enough to the fire to gain both some of its light, and some of its warmth, he glances around. "I apologize for intruding so late.." And his gaze continues, looking for one in charge, sort of.
As the rider comes into view, Felandre gives his head a dip in deferrence, responding, "Welcome to the Viatoris Caravan, dragonrider. Please, come sit by the fire and have a drink and something to eat." Gesturing the rider to follow, Felandre leaves the horses and makes his way for the central fire around which a group of men and women sit. "..Uncle, there is a rider from Xanadu here." "Huh, what's that, boy?" Utters a gruff, older man who's more likely the young man's great-uncle, as he rises up from beside the fire. His hair's long gone, skin speckled by age and a grey beard going white about his chin that's braided at the bottom.
"Thank you for the offer, but I did not have intentions of staying long." V'dim inclines his head to Felandre, before offering a hand to the rising older man. "V'dim. Xanadu rider. If I may, I have 2 questions for you, and then I will let you get back to your meal." Gaze flicks momentarily back to Felandre before he looks questioningly over his shoulder at Isobeth. At a slight rumble, he nods his head, and all attention is once more on the elder.
"Welcome and duties to you and your Weyr, rider V'dim." Says the old man with a tone of old-fashioned formality as his one hand tightens around a thick, gnarled walking stick. "My name is Drean, wagonmaster of the Viatoris Caravan, and both myself and my family are at the service of the dragonriders. What may we do for you?" Felandre remains quiet, deferring to his great-uncle as he takes himself a seat next to his relatives.
"I was perhaps hoping that in your travels, you've noticed an abandoned cothold along this way? Would likely be grown over, and it certainly makes it difficult to spot from above." V'dim looks over the group - if Drean doesn't have the knowledge, one of the others may. "It used to serve an old mine, if perhaps you came across that instead."
"Hmmm…" Throatily murmurs the old man as he strokes the braided end of his beard in thought. "Ah!" He then barks, pointing a meaty, strongly knuckled finger to a red-headed man, "Nures, didn't you and your scouts spy some caves some miles back?" Blinking briefly at being pointed out, the slender Nures nods his head. "We did, sir. They looked too old to safely investigate, so we just passed them by, figuring they were just wherry nests now than anything valuable. No sign of a cothold, though, but they we didn't stay in the area long. That was about… four hours average pace to the southwest, if I remember correctly."
V'dim considers this information, storing it away for further investigation later - Its too late to consider crawling around in old caves with the light fading and the drizzle continuing. "Thank you, sir." V'dim offers crisply. "The second matter I must address - Upon landing, Isobeth sensed someone with potential to be a rider. With further investigation, it seems to be that young man." V'dim nods his head in Felandre's direction, though his eyes remain on Drean. "With your permission sir, Xanadu would like to take him on Search for our hardening clutch."
Slowly, does Drean turn his head to look upon Felandre, who's eyes are quite wide with shock at such a revelation. "…so they want you too, then, do they boy? You'd be the third that nephew of mine and his lady have bred up that the dragons want -" But the Felandre gets up from the log, shaking his head, "I know you need the people here, Uncle, and I'll stay if you -" With with a gruff expulsion of air, the man shakes a large, calloused hand. "Nonsense, I wouln't have you staying here with your head in the clouds, skulking and sour cause you 'missed your chance'. If the dragons want you, than so be it. It'll be an honor to have another of our family stand on the sands, Dragonrider, and if the boy doesn't object he has my permission to go." Felandre, appearing taken aback by his uncle's response, turns to V'dim and with a hard swallow replies, "I'd be honored to go to Xanadu, sir. What will you need me to bring with me?"
V'dim nods his head in silent thanks to Drean, as Isobeth rumbles a bit of her own thanks. Turning to look at Felandre, he glances him over once more. "Your clothing, bits and pieces that you wish to have on hand." Seems simple enough, right? Turning to look back at Drean, he inclines his head. "Xanadu's thanks. I will be taking my leave - Its time to find somewhere significantly drier." He says, a bit of humor peeking through his words. "Gather your things, boy." And then its back to Isobeth's side, where he adjusts the straps to account for a second rider and his belongings.
With all due haste so as not to keep the rider waiting, Felandre goes about gathering his things and packing clothes, personal items, and carving tools in a sturdy leather duffle which he brings to V'dim to be properly stowed. Goodbyes are given and well wishes gratefully recieved, and then Felandre makes his way towards Isobeth, pausing to give the green a gracious dip of his head before waiting for his chance to mount up and be off to whatever the future holds.
V'dim watches, rather patiently as surprising as it may be, before mounting up as Felandre approaches. Offering a hand down to the young man, he moves to do up the straps and settle the bundles on either side for the drip. Isobeth rumbles an easy enough greeting to Felandre, standing still as he mounts.