[CANDIDATES] Doomed Outing

[Arcane]

Did you hear the rumor that Naxen is considering planning a camping trip? After what happened at Fort. On the southern continent. With the spotties. Someone needs to talk her out of it- and quickly. I'm too young to die!

[nineofswords]

Candidate Hamuntep

"If you are afraid of death, I'm afraid you're in the wrong profession. Certainly on the wrong continent," Hamun said, casting a critical eye over the rest of the candidates in the room. "Dragonriders are meant to risk life and limb every time thread falls. And simply by being here, we are all constantly at risk of spotties. The walls are not enough to keep them out if they are truly determined to enter. They have shown that often enough. Safety is an illusion we all choose to buy into because it suits us, but that is all it is; an illusion." He wasn't terribly bothered by the idea of dying to the spotties. If he took at least one down with him, that'd be enough to be remembered for turns to come, after all.

Still, it would be better if he could impress a dragon, live long enough to make a name for himself and actually enjoy the glory that would come with it. But he wasn't about to say no to a camping trip simply because he would rather live. "Surely I cannot be the only one who does not fear a camping trip, with the watchful eye of Naxen on us all."

[FirebrandPhlox]

Candidate Phelps - Hamuntep

Phelps scoffed at his former shipmate. "Yeah, riders are supposed to risk themselves when it's to protect the rest of Pern, but we're a bunch of unarmed candidates who don't have dragons or whers to protect us. Semaca will frost over before you get me out in that jungle without proper protection." He leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table in front of him. He wanted to explore the jungle, sure, but he also didn't have the death wish that Hamuntep seemed to.

"I think seeing what the candidates at Fort went though, Naxen would be more thoughtful and not put us in a situation like that. I heard one of them died. I'm not kicking it before I've even had a chance at the sands."

_________________________________________________________________

Candidate Brabbop

Brabbop wasn't a coward, and he was eager to prove himself. If that meant camping in the woods, that was fine by him. Besides, camping sounded like a lot less work than all the drudge chores and homework that filled his days. "Yeah, get me out dere! I ain't scared of a bunch of oversized cats."

He had heard plenty of stories about the spotties since transferring to Semaca, but hadn't seen one for himself yet. He didn't understand why everyone was so afraid of them when they not only had the protection of the weyr, but also of the dragons and whers. It seemed to him like typical older folks blowing things out of proportion to try and scare those younger than them into obeying their directions. Brabbop didn't care to be told scary stories as if he were a child to get him to behave.

"I'll pack my bag right now. Let me at 'em!"

[nineofswords]

Candidate Hamuntep - Phelps, Brabbop

Hamun turned and gave Phelps a dark look. "Mazurka is hardly out there risking their lives 'for the good of Pern' when they explore the summerlands," he told Phelps condescendingly. "They are risking their lives to sate human curiosity at best. Many of the other squads of Semaca similarly risk life and limb, and at most it is for the good of Semaca, but hardly all of Pern. And you and I have weathered storms which would turn some of those people's hair white. We will be fine, if we do not allow ourselves to be overcome by fear," he added with a sneer.

"You've had a chance on the sands, as I recall," Hamuntep pointed out. "It was one egg, but that does not mean that you were not given sufficient chance."

He turned to Brabbop at the man's enthusiasm, raising a wry eyebrow. "You know where the gates to the Weyr are," he pointed out. "If you are truly so eager to fight the spotties, you can simply walk out and do so." It wasn't that simple, and Hamun knew it, but foolishness or else false bravado (he wasn't sure which quality Brappop was displaying just then) were not qualities that served his purposes, and it might be funny to see the result of goading Brappop on.

[Windra]

Candidate Petraxen

"Man it's not like they knew there were dangers out there when they went camping. Give me a break!" groaned Petraxen. He stroked Honeysuckle's small cranium as she slept soundly in his lap, trilling in her dreams with little puffs that made her draconic lips ripple. Freaking adorable. "They didn't know there was a pack of whers out there. I mean, yeah, Golden Ghost or whatever but lot of people thought she was a goodie."

He waved his free hand to the rock wall behind them, metaphorically signaling towards the jungle expanse that lay well beyond their current domain.

"Most of us came down here knowin' full well what dangers we're facing. And new stuff is cropping up all the time! Didn't you hear 'bout that squid they found by Lominsa? Mo - Naxen - wouldn't put us willingly in danger if she didn't have a really good plan on how to go about it. So we'd go with some protection. Maybe watchdragons, or whers. Definitely weapons."

Yeah, Naxen would absolutely not put her own children at risk for a publicity stunt.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Candidate Phelps - Hamuntep, Petraxen

Phelps returned Hamuntep's sneer with a scowl of his own. "One egg for a whole class of candidates is hardly a fair chance. Besides, that egg didn't even pick any of us, it went for the stands," he grumbled. He didn't need to be reminded of the marks he had lost betting that the egg would be his, and was still annoyed whenever the solitary hatching was brought up.

"It's not fear, it's survival instinct, you dolt. Some of us don't suffer from perpetual delusions of grandeur. I'm not afraid to go out there, I'm just saying that I refuse to without proper preparation and means to protect myself." He was gesturing emphatically, raising his voice with frustration as he spoke. "Would you take a vessel without sails or rigging into a storm on the open sea? No, because that's a great way to get yourself killed."

He turned to the other candidate to give them some of his ire too. "The Fort candidates might not have known about the dangers of their woods, but we're well aware of the dangers of our jungles. Naxen is nothing more than a fool if she thinks taking us out there to be spotty bait is a good idea. Those things can take down whole dragons, from what I hear."
________________________________________________________________p

Candidate Brabbop - Hamuntep

"You think dey'd let me walk out just like dat?" Brabbop asked Hamuntep eagerly. Going out and fighting a spotty sounded much more interesting than sitting around blowing a bunch of hot air in each other's faces. It was much better than doing chores too.

He stood up, grinning broadly. "Who else is gonna come with me? I'm not scared of the jungle like some people." He looked pointedly at Phelps as he spoke.