All the News [Phlox]

[FirebrandPhlox]

TW: Death Mention

Quentin nodded, breathing a sigh of relief that the other candidate could at least understand sign. "Yes, you can talk if that's easier."

They went back to signing. I've wanted to be a rider since I was small, but always had to help on the farm. Now that I'm grown, Mama told me to pursue my dream and join the candidacy. I went with the first caravan I could, and they were coming to Semaca. Now I'm here.

They didn't feel the need to tell someone that they had just met that their mother had delivered that message on her death bed. They had enough complicated feelings about it that they didn't have the words for, spoken or signed. Quentin didn't want to open that whole bag of issues in front of someone who was essentially a stranger.

[Dragon]

Renkestuous watched Quentin's hands as he started to sign about his story ... not that he 'said' very much. It was sweet, though, that Quentin's mother had told him to follow his dreams. Supportive parents were important.

"So you wound up with a caravan coming to Semaca? How exciting! My dad brought me Between to here." It had been so exciting! But really, everything in Renkestuous's life was planned and he had never really left anything to chance. If Oraneth hadn't Searched him as soon as he was fifteen, then he would have found another way to end up at the Weyr. "It must have been so neat to just let fate take over like that!"

[FirebrandPhlox]

Renkestuous had already been Between? He really was well equipped to be a rider. Quentin had only learned about Between in lessons, and could hardly even imagine what that experience could be like.

Quentin wasn't so sure they would describe throwing their established life out the window to pursue the uncertainty of fate as "neat," but that was how their life was going. Quentin gave a small shrug. "It was...an experience," was the word they landed on. That was fitting and vague enough to encompass their mixed feelings on the matter. On one hand, they were ecstatic to be pursuing life as a candidate. On the other, they were still guilt-ridden for leaving their family behind to follow a dream that might not even come to fruition.

They decided to try and take the focus off of them for a bit. "What was it like? Going Between?" Quentin was curious to hear about the experience from someone closer to them in age than the experienced riders who guest lectured.

[Dragon]

Oh, Between! They were both going to be very familiar with Between in the next few turns as they became weyrlings and then full dragonriders. It hadn't really occurred to Renkestuous that having already experienced Between wasn't universal, but he supposed that if Quentin had traveled via caravan and not on dragonback then they wouldn't have actually gone Between yet.

"It's cold. The coldest thing you've ever experienced! Colder than that! And dark, so dark, darker than the darkest night. It's ... intense." Intense was the best word for it, for the freezing cold and blinding dark and the absolute emptiness of Between.

"Of course, it won't be that long before you learn about Between for yourself!" Renkstuous chirped cheerily. The perky candidate was just so sure that both of them were going to Impress!

[FirebrandPhlox]

Quentin nodded, eyes wide as Renkestuous explained what it was like going Between. It honestly sounded more than a little terrifying to Quentin. They weren't fond of the cold. They had experienced plenty of winters where the frigid wind bit through even the warmest of furs. Going Between sounded like all the worst parts of winter wrapped into a horrific void.

They furrowed their brow. They hoped they would get to experience Between for themselves soon enough, but that depended entirely on how soon they would impress. Quentin had no idea how long that would be, or even when there would be a hatching for them to stand at.

"That sounds...unpleasant." They said in an uncertain tone. Suddenly, another idea for conversation popped into their head. "How is flying otherwise?" They were curious what it was like, as they still hadn't been on dragonback themselves. That should be a more pleasant topic to explore.

[Dragon]

Renkestuous supposed that Between was not the most pleasant place, but it was part of being a dragonrider and so Renkesutous was all for it! Sure, he didn't want to go Between permanently - and not just because that was fatal - but he was just as peppy about the notion of going Between as he was about all other parts of dragonriding.

But flying - oh! He could talk about flying all day. "Flying was amazing! You won't believe the rush." How could he describe it? He couldn't. "It's like nothing I've ever experienced before. I can't wait until I have a dragon of my own and can fly all the time!"

He was so pleased with his life as it was. Sure, he could have Impressed faster ... but that was what the move to Semaca was about! Obviously, his draconic match was not at Ista Weyr. Which meant that he would Impress somewhere else! Plus Semaca was really new and everything was an adventure. That was a plus.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Quentin gave the other candidate a small smile as they nodded. They couldn't even fathom what flying would feel like, so it was no surprise that Renkestuous couldn't explain it to them. If it was as exciting as it seemed, Quentin certainly wouldn't have the words, spoken or signed, to express it.

"I would like to fly, someday." It was a simple statement, but the truth. There was nothing Quentin wanted more in this world than to fly, and the conviction came through in their voice. They were still uncertain about what wing they would fly, or whether they would impress or not, but no matter what, they would find a way to take to the skies and experience flight for themselves one day.

[Dragon]

"I'm sure you will," Renkestuous enthused. They were both going to be dragonriders, so they would both end up flying with their dragons! It was a given. Renkestuous was sure that Quentin was going to make all of their dreams come true!

"It's not just someday, but someday soon!" the gangly boy stated. "I'm sure both of us will Impress before long!" Never mind that Renkestuous had already been waiting for five turns. This was going to happen and happen quickly.

With his unbridled certainty that everything was going to work out, Renkestuous felt that everything in Semaca was going to go smoothly. No more hiccups. No more waiting. Just a Hatching and an Impression, and that was it.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Quentin wished they could share the excitement and certainty their companion had. Renkestuous really could not be hampered, and was so certain of everything. Part of that reassured the doubts lingering in Quentin's gut. The confidence was slowly becoming contagious. "Yes, soon." They hoped.

"When do you think the next hatching will be?" If Renkestuous was so sure of himself and his future, maybe he even had an inkling of when the next clutch would be laid. Though Quentin wasn't sure if knowing how soon the next clutch was coming would reassure them, or throw them into a panic over the lessons they still needed to master before they would be able to stand.

[Dragon]

"Obviously I don't know for sure," Renkestuous continued effervescently, "but it has to be soon! I don't know exactly what the population of Semaca is, but there are a handful of golds and a bunch of garnets, right? That means there have to be multiple clutches every turn!" One or two from each gold, and while garnets only clutched something like a quarter of the time but rose more frequently than golds. "The odds are in our favor in a Weyr as small as Semaca! Plus, there's a wher clutch right now - that has to be a good sign of things to come!"

[FirebrandPhlox]

That made sense that Renkestuous didn't actually know when the next hatching was going to be. No one could exactly predict when a dragon was going to clutch, even if they were as confident in their future as Rekestuous was. They would just have to double down on their study efforts so they would be ready by the time the next clutch came around.

"Yes," they agreed as the nodded. "Perhaps the wher clutch is a good sign." Quentin was a superstitious sort, and it could be a good sign that there was a clutch so soon after they had arrived in Semaca. Perhaps the climate down here was more conducive for dragonkin reproducing? The plants certainly seemed to thrive in the warmer, wet climate, maybe it was weirdly the same for the dragonkin.

[Dragon]

"It surely is!" Renkestuous enthused. "It would be even better if it was a gold clutch, nice and big, but I'm sure that even a little garnet clutch is a good sign." He hadn't actually heard how many eggs there were - that fact hadn't been part of the gossip he'd absorbed - but he was sure since the clutchmother was a garnet it would be a small clutch.

What Renkestuous didn't consider was why it might be a good sign. He was running on pure superstition and presumption here.

He was eager to continue to talk to his new friend, though ... and what better to talk about than their future? "So you don't know what color dragon you might get or what Wing you want to be in .. what do you think about when you think about your future?"

[FirebrandPhlox]

Quentin pondered the question for a few moments. "I...think about flying." They said slowly. "Fighting thread, sometimes. Caring for a dragon, too."

They also worried incessantly about whether they would even impress, but they weren't quite comfortable telling that to someone who was so certain about their future. They already felt like such an outsider here, being holdborn and having so much about dragonkin to learn. Renkestuous and the other candidates they had met all seemed so sure of themselves and their futures. Quentin could not fathom where all the certainty came from.

[Dragon]

Flying, fighting Thread, and caring for a dragon ... that pretty much covered it as far as Renkestuous was concerned! Oh there were a few other things too, like Search! But not everyone was good at riding Search, and not everyone had to be. The basics were flying, fighting Thread, and caring for a dragon.

"You're going to do great!" Renkestuous said, beaming at Quentin. He felt like the pair of them might become good friends. They both had the same goals and dreams, and Quentin seemed really nice. Kind of shy, but well Renkestuous was definitely outgoing enough for two. "This is awesome! We're both going to have all of our dreams come true."

[FirebrandPhlox]

Quentin returned Renkestuous's smile, though theirs was much smaller and meeker than the brilliant grin the boy had given. The confidence really was contagious, though Quentin's own self doubt kept it at the level of 'glimmer of hope,' which was better than it usually was.

"Thank you," Quentin responded. Renkestuous was kind and energetic in a way Quentin quite liked. Maybe he could join the slowly expanding circle of people Quentin called friends. "Maybe we can study together sometime," Quentin slowly proposed. "Help each other get good marks in the lessons." If Renkestuous was even half as good at his homework as he was sure of his future, he could really help Quentin improve on the written work for lessons.