The Gather Begins (open!)

[dragon]

Torad, curious as ever, wasn't to be too far from the action. And this time was no different. Bordering the outskirts of the caravan, Torad watched with interest and kept many thoughts to himself. He noticed some of the dragonriders already made themselves present, along with others of the weyr. This only egged him to venture even closer.

He began noting, already, some of the reactions and attitudes of both the people of the weyr and the Caminar but the only reaction for Torad was that of his usual curious interest. He hadn't considered if it was right or wrong for someone his age or place in the weyr to be venturing so close to something so new. But even if he were forbidden, he'd likely still find a way to atleast take a glimpse at what was going on.

Deciding to remain quiet and to continue observing, Torad ventured just a little closer and stopped. Torad stayed his position and looked on, becoming more vocal with his thoughts. I see some of the dragonriders are enjoying themselves. Though many in the weyr don't seem overly thrilled with this. Still. It's interesting watching these people and it certainly livens up the weyr. Whether that's good or bad would be a matter of opinion I suppose. Torad then fell silent, no longer musing to himself. Instead, he opted to simply watch.

[neopanther]

((mmm I think I'll play this a little different if you guys don't mind!! XD))

P'nset recognised his Wingleader, B'nek seemed a little uncomfortable? Perhaps it was the dismissal he was given by J'fel, perhaps otherwise, he wasn't too sure. P'nset thought it best not to leave the man standing, alone, in the middle of a great number of Caminar individuals (not that standing beside one might help), but P'nset was a rider alongside a Caminar, and it did not affect him as greatly as it did his Wingleader.

"B'nek," He opened, "how fairs things for you?" He moved to a comfortable distance from his leader, turning so he would still face the fire, the dancing and the general humdrum that was displayed before them.

Sarjenth was content in the shadows, he felt cool and calm as always, the fire's light flickering as shadows passed around it, elongated sillhouettes of people having fun. But there was a noise penetrating his general domain, feminine, obviously Caminar from the dialect. Sarjenth raised his head, he felt about the mind of the female, watched as she hugged and spoke gently to the draftbeast, tethered by one off the vivid caravans. Something about her mind was gentle, subtly strong, he feelt a cohersion between he and her. A feeling that he got from few people, but he could not be sure. Was she suited? He would need to take another look, the feeling about her rwas all to distant towards him, and perhaps now was not a great time for her.

Sarjenth stood, his dark form even darker amongst the unlit area. He walked closer to the caravan coming out from the lightt, his form rather monsterous in comparison to the silent carefree draftbeast that stood beside it, barely noticing his presence.

{Mine... I think you should come talk to this Caminar girl.} Sarjenth called to his bonded.
With a mental note of disdain, P'nset replied, I refuse for you to even try setting me up with someone, you know full well that I am content as I am, I have you, I need no other His tone was a little sour, but he spoke the truth.
Anger was returned from the dragon{Not everything I sasy relates back to that matter oh wise bonded of mine, no, infact, I would like you to come here regarding a possible candidate, for she could be suitable, howewver I cannot tell her rthis, or explain to her this now can I?} Oops. It seemed he rilled Sarjenth.
I cannot leave immediately, I've just begun a conversation with B'nek. His tone was apologetic, if a little sour.
{I shall keep an eye on her, see what information I can gleen from her. But You must come, bring B'nek if you must.} The brown told his bonded imperatively. P'nset conceeded, but turned his mind back to B'nek. He would stay for a while, and hope not to offend the man.

[Omnia Munda]

J'fel swung his step easily into time alongside Salina, his expression easing into a crooked-smiled gleam of mischief as the young woman replied him.

"Made friends? Not yet," replied the weyrleader in turn, an upward twitch of one shoulder an agile dismissal of the very possibility. Nevertheless his voice took on a touch of self-importance and though he should feel no need to explain, J'fel explained: "Can't appear to be biased until we're sure what's been - happening - out among the holds."

Another twitch of a shrug, but this time the man glanced past Salina at the wares they were passing. Gloriously dyed skirts and dresses waved like flags or dancers from the rods of a clothier's cart. "Doesn't stop me from asking about them from those who do know," noted the weyrleader, slowing his stride to tip a nod toward the garments, as though to draw the candidate's attention toward them. "Anything you want to look at here?"

[Alsivor]

(Re-posting with edits to work around P'nset's shift in direction. )
Music and laughter echoed up from around the fires, from between carts and stalls and the call of voices was everywhere as Aleda moved through the circles upon circles of wagons. Breathing deep the rich scents of Caminar cooking, redolent of spices, filled her nostrils. Her laughter joined the chorus of merriment winging its way through the air as her stomach growled tellingly. Soon, the palm of her hand told her stomach. Soon, there'll be a meal.

For now though, Aleda was content to walk to observe and at times to speak. She paused in the angle of a wagon to trade greetings with a cousin, compliment the other young woman's gown and receive some praise in turn for the vividness of her own skirts. Colorful panels of ochre and flame swished down to her ankles tonight, unleashed from on high where her bodice laced tight across a creamy shift. Her father had berated her for showing so much cleavage. Aleda had only teased Favio back that this was /one/ way to catch a husband and he'd subsided, eyeing her with an expression somewhere between fond, suspicious and disapproving. She'd patted his arm fondly, winked and slipped out into the festivities, shaking unbound curls back over her shoulders, these same held back, posture straight and proud.

Nearer she drew to the edges of things around the large bonfire. Here riders were mingling with her people and her eyes lit up with interest to see how they went. Aha, here some fellows trying their hand at interesting some younger than she, there a wallflower perched on a stool. Lips quirking with humor, she steered her steps towards the silent, tall rider just as he stood and moved away towards another with a rider's knot. Pausing at the nearest barrel to dip up a ladleful of water, she looked about the space and caught on another lurking in the shadows, this one a young lad with curious eyes.

Purposefully, Aleda steered her steps towards Torad, smile warm on her face. "Never seen a Caminar gathering up close before?" she asked him in a lilting, humor-laced voice.

[dragon]

Torad's ears perked as he heard someone speaking to him. He slowly turned his head from what previously held his attention to the source of the voice. Torad couldn't help but stare for a moment before realizing what he was doing and snapping himself out of it.

"Oh. No, no I haven't. I thought I would just poke around for a bit. See what was going on. And since some of the dragonriders were aleady around, I thought maybe I could venture a little closer."

Torad blinked a couple times, not really sure if it was a good thing or not that he was found. With a simple question in his thoughts, he seemed to relax a bit. What's the worst that could happen?

[Alsivor]

Amused, Aleda kept her voice light-humored as she replied, even posed a little, subtly as he stared. She was not unaccustomed to this reaction from plantado men, especially the young ones.

"I have to agree. I've usually found that poking around at interesting events yields interesting results. Tell me friend, what is your name?"

She was being forward, perhaps even impertinent but it was just too much fun razzing the plantado seeing what they were really made of. This one was very young, but seemed to mostly be holding his own. So far.

The firelight flickered, caught in the flame-like coloring of her gown and she tipped her head ust so. No harm in a little flirting, in her experience, it would either make this young man feel desperately uncomfortable and he would babble and retreat, or it would set him at ease, take tension out of the meeting and allow him to eventually speak more freely.

The latter was almost always what she was actually after.

[dragon]

Torad smiled just a bit and replied to her. "Oh yes. I'm Torad, a local of this weyr." Torad paused for a few moments then realized it'd be best to ask this person for her name as well. "And may I ask for your name?" Torad's small, genuine smile turned to a bit of an awkward smile after he asked, as she tipped her head. Not really sure what else to do other than await her response.

[Alsivor]

"A local of this Weyr," Aleda echoed him, vowels and the R rolling with the accent of the Caminar. He'd answered and not too badly either. Bold enough to ask for her name. Good. "Does that mean you are from the area /around/ the Weyr, or from the Weyr itself? What is the word ah ... 'weyrbred'?" She tilted her head a little, clasped her hands loosely behind her back and let her skirts swish from side to side lightly.

"As for me, you may call me 'Healer' if you wish to be very polite, or Aleda is my name and will do quite nicely." she introduced herself with another wide smile. "If you've never really gotten to know the Caminar, then it follows that you do not know our food. Would you care to try some?" An innocent-seeming question.

[Xinnai]

"Yes, of course," Salina mumured. It would look very bad indeed if any of the prominent at Telgar appeared to like or dislike those that now camped within their walls. The Candidate was quickly coming to realize that there was a very thin and slippery line being walked here and J'fel carried it off with apparent and agile ease.

She had to respect him for that.

She smiled and nodded, glancing at all the wares about her. Just how was she supposed to look at them all and decide? She noted the colorful arrangement of cloth that danced within a light breeze only to turn to the Weyrleader in surprise.

"Oh, well, I don't really need any new skirts..." Nonetheless, she touched one, noting the size and color. Smoothly and slowly. She shook her head and stepped back. "Yes, they are beautiful, but I really don't need such a thing." She smiled at the woman manning the stall and continued walking, peering up at the man by her side.

"Would you need to pump me for information then about my acquaintances? Or is your hardly idle curiousity satisified?" It wasn't harsh nor rude, her questioning. It was merely a question and that was it.

[Omnia Munda]

J'fel watched as the young woman's fingers played briefly along the colorful fabric. He, like she, smiled at the woman who was selling the clothes, but stepped willingly enough into motion again when Salina began to walk again.

"I wouldn't need to, no," replied the weyrleader, in a voice not too unlike a laugh, joviality self-deprecating beneath his words and in the downward tilt of chin and eyelashes. He looked at her from beneath that half-lowered fringe, eyes cornered, then lifted his head and added, "But I might want to. Would it be impertinent if I asked what you made of them and their work?"

[rigantona]

"Hello, P'nset," B'nek greeted his Wingsecond, relieved that the man had decided to come over. He felt a bit more comfortable with someone by his side. At the very least he would probably look less suspicious, more like a participant and less like a cool observer of the Gather. "I'm well, although I have to admit this Gather has taken me by surprise a bit."

He noticed the faraway look in P'nset's eyes that meant he was speaking with his dragon, but he thought nothing of it. Sarjenth was probably just making some observation of his own about the Gather. He waited until the look vanished before speaking again. "P'nset, to be honest, I was wondering if you could explain a bit about the Gather. J'fel said they do it every year. Is it a celebration of some event, then? Or just tradition?"

[Selvagem]

C'cao
Firelight flickered in his eyes, turning the pale blue frost of them into streaks of teal and orange. He watched the merry bonfire for a long moment, until a dancing throng of young lovers came between and cast him into shade. He was not near the fire, but its leaping flames nonetheless cast their shadows long enough to reach him at the edge of the bustling Gather. He turned away and began to walk, his gait slow and light, calm blues taking in the sights as he move. In the shadows beyond him, another shadow lurkered, larger by far than the slender man it shadowed and just as quiet in its movements. A pool of dancers skittered away from the fire, and for a moment the light caught green: the forest hue of the man's tunic, and the paler green of the dragon that followed by his side.

C'cao had not wanted to come. He enjoyed being amongst the Caminar caravens whenever they came through Telgar Weyr or Hold, and took pleasure in the graceful tones of their language, so like the whispers of a world he might once have been a part of. Perhaps, when he was younger, he had hoped as well that someone might recognize him. That someone might come out and claim him, and he would have a tie once more o th mother and father he had never known.

But he was no longer a child. He no longer needed kind arms to hold him if he brawled, or a warm voice to advise him in his indecision. All these things Hulia had done for him, and never once had he ever heard from the parents who were like shades of mist on a damp spring morning. He was no longer sure he wanted to find them. In fact, he was becoming ever more certain that he did not want to.

The greenrider paused, eyes roving the massed crowds idly. Uneasy as he had felt at first, he was beginning to feel his blood rise at the thrill of music flowing through the air, adding colour and vibrance to everything. He caught himself tapping his feet to a lively beat from nearby drums, smiled, and began to move on into the main crowds. Behind him, the green dragon halted at the edge of the shadows, and he sent back a thought at the tendril of worry that reached him.

Won't be long, love. Just wait for me.

A wave of annoyance hit him on the back of the head, and he smiled as he crooned softly to himself, sending the mental feel sound back through the link he shared with Opheriath. She didn't like being left alone: he would try to be fast.

Two seconds later, his sharp gaze caught sight of two other riders in a corner. B'nek and P'nset, Wingleader and Wingsecond. C'cao halted, uncertain at first, then slowly made his way towards the pair. He could guess on why the two had come out this evening, but was curious nonetheless. He bowed his head, politely, as he reached them.

"My duty to you, B'nek, and to you P'nset," his voice held a tinge of merriment as the clear notes of a flute rang out over the Gather bustle from somewhere at the ohter side, "What brings you both out here tonight?"

______________________________

Selvagem
Unaware of the attention she had drawn, Selvagem gestured for Forca to give her privacy as she flung her rucksack into the wagon, and then climbed in after it. Martelo's wagon was the covered sort, with a canvas erected over it and lashed into place by a supporting frame of wood and thin metal strands. The canvas was old now, its dull green dye gradually fading to reveal the original brown of the canvas, but Forca had kept it in good condition. Selvagem noted this as she released the entrance curtains from their ties and let them fall across the opening. She owed him so much, she thought wistfully, as she sorted out the clothes of her pack. And he certainly deserved more than what she had given him so far. Could she truly bear to walk away from him yet again? The thought bent her brows into a frown as she slipped the travel-worn tunic off and began sliding into her brighter Gather clothes.

Forca was gone when she emerged, clad in the vivid dress she wore at every Gather. Selvagem had little time to marvel at his disappearance: Rulf was staring fixedly into the shadows, a low growl rumbling from his throat. The Caminar girl glanced at her canine only a moment before she scrambled to Bessie's side. She was only too used to Rulf's warnings, having lived alone with him for over a turn, and now she glanced silently into the shadows beyond her draftbeast, one hand on Bessie's nose in case the sleepy old mare was startled suddenly and decided to bolt.

[Xinnai]

Salina smiled, head tilted slightly as she glanced up at the much taller Telgari. She liked him, she decided. He was very easygoing, very jovial and kind but she knew he also shouldered large responsibilties. And no sign of strain so far.

"They were kind in their own way, I suppose," she mused, lips pursed and somber gray eyes thoughtful. "The one was very abrupt, rather rude but I gather it was out of protection of his people. We are outsiders to them much like they are to us and they have come to distrust us much as most of Pern distrusts them. The first man I met certainly showed that.

"The other was kinder, much more genial. But he had eyes on him, and a mind too." She tapped her forehead, slim finger touching upon her hair. "He was much more pleasant. Their work was really the best I've ever seen." She smiled sunnily, getting a bit caught up in the frivolity and games a Gather was. "I could not have asked the Mastersmith for better."

She stopped then, eyeing a small cart and stepped over. There were baubles and jewelry all intermixed. She found the arrangement charming and reached out to touch a small ring. It was really quite fine.

[Omnia Munda]

It was not common for J'fel to tower over anyone not a child, however much his jovially egotistical swagger made the weyrleader seem larger than he was. It was easy on his neck, bending his chin down a little to let his glittering gaze rest upon the young woman who walked by his side.

"Well, sounds like their work's not to be sniffed at, at least. That's about the impression I've had, also - "

But J'fel paused, for Salina had paused. Again he watched her as she admired the Caminar wares, though now the weyrleader's eyes weren't the only ones upon her hands.

The dark-eyed Duarte, now alone at his cart with Saliro having departed to clear his head, formed up a crooked smile. After a moment he tipped his dark head just a little bit forward and murmured, "Very dainty, miss. Lovely on fine hands like yours."

[dragon]

Torad nodded slightly to her question. "Weyrbred, as you say." Torad looked around the weyr, speaking as he did so and keeping his arms crossed over his chest. "This is where I was born and rasied." His tone was kindhearted, soft, but still a hint of masculinity. He was 16. An age where one journeyed from child to adulthood, but both could still be seen in Torad. Curious and adventureous as a child, but he was starting to mature and rationalize like an adult.

He then set his eyes back on the woman he was talking to, no longer allowing them to wander around. "Aleda, if you don't mind. Healer sounds just a bit too formal for me, especially at such a time and occassion." Torad looked at her curiously, when she mentioned food. "No, actually. I've never tried any." Torad enjoyed the thought of exploring their food. He began to wonder what the taste would be like and just how they would flavor it and cook it. With a broader smile on his face, Torad gave a slight nod in agreement. "I would love to", he answered with a hint of excitement.