Gather!

[Chris]

D’rew grinned. “I can call him down now, or later when you have a break. Or I can come tomorrow if that will suit you better. And Natoth will love to meet you too – he loves meeting new people all the time.” He knew he was babbling, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Oh, my. That is a beautiful piece,” D’rew said as he pointed at the sculpture of the girl. It was so life-like that he expected the glass figure to take a step or raise her fist, or just start dancing on the spot. “Is it for sale?” he asked hesitantly while looking at the other pieces, the ones that the little firelizard made and picked up two of them, small enough to be pendants. He browsed the hanging pieces as well, but his gaze kept returning to the sculpture of the girl.

He ended up selecting a few of the bigger pieces that the firelizard had made, trying to think if they would work as some sort of windchime… or a way to use as a weyrling warning system.

[Missing]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYPgxgbOL3Y&feature=related

Rina smiled, N'lir looked surprised about something, surprised was a good thing. Predictable candidate's were boring. She did think the thumbs up was overstating it a bit though, the girl looked... well for lack of a better word feisty. Not the kind of girl who would appreciate a man, even a dragonrider, throwing a thumbs up before being sure of her willingness to stand as a candidate.

---

Rosetta looked at each item in turn, "Ah lets see..." she grabbed slate and began writing on it, "So that would come to... about... this." She turned the slate around only letting Eliza see it, it had some math, along with 4 marks written on it.

She turned back to D'rew, lowering the slate a bit, "It would probably be better tomorrow if you don't mind... Or I could send Magic with you and he can show me," she tapped her head with a smile.

Her eyes widened when he pointed to the piece, she put the slate down on the table so quickly it was a miracle it didn't break, "NO! I mean... no, it's..." she floundered for a moment, Magic had turned to look at her, as had some of the other customers. Rosetta blushed under their scrutiny, "That is, it's just a display piece, you know as an example of my... work... So what pose did you say you wanted for your dragon sculpture?"

[shadeau]

He had just finished setting up the last of his paintings in the stall. The caravan had arrived a bit late, but that didn’t seem to bother him much. No, if there was stress to be had, it certainly wasn’t clear on Aedonys’ face. He smiled politely as people passed by, just as he had when we was still setting up. Many stopped to admire his work, a few said they’d come back around when he was finished preparing. It made is heart flutter a bit – he had been praised throughout his youth for his talent, but he had never sold any of his work before. To think that someone would be interested enough to purchase something me made…the mere thought excited him just as much as it terrified him.

He jumped timidly as the girl in the stall next to him exclaimed. Noctis peered out of Aedonys’ pocket and hissed at the sudden, loud commotion. “Now, now, go back to sleep. I think everything’s ok.” he said calmly to the small Glider, as he looked over at the Glasscrafter. Something about a glass figure?

He tilted his head around and strained to get a better look. Ah, there it was. He contorted his body so that he was practically in her stall. “Oh! Well he is right you know, that is a very nice piece. Just look at that detail, and your proportions." He gazed at the figure with admiration, "You are very good, how long have you been studying the human figure, if you don’t mind me asking?”

A sense of smallness came over him, and was suddenly quite aware of the number of people around him. He decided his comments and question were probably out of place and perhaps unwelcomed. Ugh! Why did he have to open his mouth? He carefully leaned back into his own stall, and cleared his throat, swallowing hard.

[Chris]

D’rew nodded. “Tomorrow is not a problem at all. I’ll come over after lunch?” He could feel Natoth’s pleased presence at the back of his mind. “He wants to meet you – he loves pretty things.” He knew that his dragon would want a closer look at this girl after what he told D’rew about her.

What he wasn’t expecting was her quite violent reaction to his enquiry about the sculpture. He smiled reassuringly. “Ok, I understand,” he said although he clearly didn’t. “If it’s an example, I must say I’m quite impressed by it.” He glanced over at the painter at the next stall and nodded in appreciation at his wares.

“Uhm, I’m not sure what pose. Perhaps when you meet him you can suggest something? He’s quite loveable and loves music. Perhaps a pose here he’s listening to someone playing, curled up with his tail in mid-thump as he’s keeping time? Or is that a bit too much?” He was babbling again, trying to put the girl at ease.

After negotiating with her over the price for the commission and the other pieces he wanted to buy, and paying, he turned to browse the paintings at the next stall.

[Missing]

Rosetta looked at the boy who had poked his head around the edge of her stall. She had seen him setting up paintings earlier and assumed him to be another artist, a feeling that was confirmed as she smiled at the artistic ramblings. However they caused her to note something that she hadn't thought of when she had decided to make an exception and not destroy the glass girl. She didn't have any other sculptures of humans... Not a one. Certainly she had accidentally made them during her flashes but very rarely on purpose. In fact the only times she had had been after a flash when she was comparing the skill level of her conscious and unconscious sculpting.

"I normally don't sculpt people, honestly I was in a bit of a daze when I made this one. You know how the feeling to create is, can't always control it," she smiled, he didn't need to know that her dazes were more of blackouts or that what she made in them usually happened. She watched as he suddenly became nervous, most artists, including herself, were reclusive. Rosetta managed along well enough in front of people, but some situations still made her nervous.

She nodded at D'rew, "Tomorrow at lunch is fine, my workshop is actually here, just behind the stall. I look forward to meeting your dragon as well." She was surprised that a dragon wished to meet her, but then she didn't know many dragons so maybe this was normal for them, "We can work out a pose tomorrow, see what suits him."

She accepted his money and wrapped up his purchases carefully before turning back to Eliza.

[Zen]

Fala couldn’t help but chuckle when the rider said his dragon liked to torture him. She tilted her head slightly. It was rare to ‘hear all dragons’? She wasn’t entirely sure she understood what he meant, but she wasn’t going to let him know that. It seemed to Fala no one commented on what dragons said because everyone could hear it, and one didn’t need to comment on everything they heard. She didn’t even think about it most of the time; it was like thinking about breathing. But then, she didn’t want to give away her ignorance any more than she already might have, so she kept her mouth shut on the subject.

She followed his gaze as he turned to give the thumbs up to someone, raising an eyebrow. She bit her lip lightly when he asked her if she ever thought about being a dragonrider. “Well… my mother would really like for me to be, I know… myself… I don’t really know….” She paused and her gaze shifted to Trey for a moment, “I’ve grown up on the sea… and I love it. It’s kind of hard to imagine my life anywhere else…. I suppose flying might be even more wonderful, though.” She shook her head with a laugh, “I’m rambling. I suppose if I did Impress a dragon I’d be happy about it? But if I didn’t I think I’d be content too. It would be a chance to experience some new things, though. I’ve never really been to a Weyr, never more than the bowl anyway. It would be interesting to see how things work there.”

She colored slightly as she realized she was starting to go off on a tangent again. She started to ask why he wanted to know anyway when she remembered he’d said he was a searchrider. Well, that explained a lot. “Oh… Me? You’re Searching me?” She wished her mother was with her to hear this. Then again she had probably been hoping this very thing would happen when she’d sent her off. She was so set on her becoming a dragonrider.

[kyra]

N’lir smiled slightly as the girl raised her eyebrow. He listened to her and knew already she wanted to impress a dragon even if she didn’t come right out and say it. Seemingly enough she seemed to take a long while before she even talked about Impressing a dragon. “Weyr’s are nice. Crescent Cove is of course very new. Even newer then Western.” He added with a bright smile. You do realize you look like an idiot right now? Rakhinith seemed to add with humor in her tone.

“Of course I am searching you? What else do you think searchriders do?” He asked curiously. Well lets see here, you like to sleep and be lazy at times. Bath a lot. His dragon began to make a list of what he did on a daily bases. “And please ignore Rakhinith she knows nothing of what she is talking about.” He added with humor. Oh nothing, see if I help you find another candidate. This was also a normal thing between his dragon and himself. But he could still feel her warmth of love. “So what do you think.” He asked.

~~

Eliza handed over her money that she had and looked at the rider with curiousity. She remembered seeing him at the Weyr but that was about it. Her eyes flickered back to the girl and smiled. “Thank you they are all so beautiful.” Before she looked over curiously at the paintings then back to the girl. “They will also help brighten up my room.” She smiled brightly.

[Missing]

Rosetta sighed, "You don't go to Gathers much do you?" She nodded to D'rew who had negotiated the price with her, and lowered her voice so the other customers couldn't hear her, "You're supposed to bargain over prices, you never want to take the first one you're given, sellers expect it so we mark them up for our first offers."

She glanced around at her display, back at Eliza, then picked up a miniature glass water lily, "Saw these once in the Northern Continent while delivering some jars to Benden," she wrapped the pieces up gently, including the glass flower, "Did you want them now or did you want me to hold on to them for you until the end of the Gather?"

Magic seemed to have decided that he'd made enough little glass twisty things for today and flew over to Rosetta's shoulder. He peered at Eliza curiously until the Glasscrafter reached up to stroke under his chin gently, and which point he closed his eyes in pleasure.

[Chris]

D’rew nodded. “Lunchtime it is then,” he said as he carefully tucked his purchases under his arm. “Enjoy the rest of the Gather,” he said as he moved away to peruse the paintings.

“These are very good,” he said to Aedonys, looking at the paintings. He liked what he saw and would most definitely be buying some of the boy’s works. The landscape was very well executed and it was easy to determine that it was of the island near the mine.

He is a rider, Natoth said in his mind. Are you sure? D’rew replied. Have I ever been wrong? The blue dragon sounded a bit offended. I’ll yield to your superior knowledge, he said with a small smile.

“I’m D’rew of blue Natoth. Have you ever considered the thought of becoming a rider?” he asked casually while looking at the paintings.

Do you always have to be so circumspect? Natoth asked irritably. I can just talk to him and get it over with. Is it that difficult to tell someone that they have been Searched and are a Candidate if they wanted to be?

As much as you think that would solve the problem, it would also scare the living daylights out of him to just hear a voice in his head. Let me handle this part.

[shadeau]

Aedonys shifted his weight from leg to leg, took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, and looked around at the neighboring stalls and the passersby. Noctis didn’t much appreciate the intrusion in his pocket, so he shoved past the hand and scurried up his owner’s shirt and onto his shoulder. From there, he took a brief glide down to where some of the paintings had been arranged, and, stretching, he yawned and curled himself into a ball where the canvases created a suitable shadow.

Aedonys watched as the customer from the glass stall made his way over to look at his paintings. Mostly he had paintings of landscapes and portraits on display, but he had a few beast canvases hung amidst the rest. The man seemed to be admiring them, and when he granted Aedonys a compliment a wave of relief washed over him. “Thank you very much,” he replied just as the potential customer inquired about riding. Aedonys was still so entranced by the compliment that he misunderstood the question.

“Painting a rider? Ah, well I’ve never tried that before. I suppose it wouldn’t be too difficult. I saw a rider, once, when I was about 10 turns.” he rambled and began rummaging through one of his larger bags. He pulled out some sketches he had made of a dragon in flight, “I was…rather young at the time so I doubt these are very accurate.”

He quickly and nervously laid out small scraps of canvas where he had tried to work up the sketches into small paintings. “I’ve since tried to paint a few from memory, as you can see here,” he motioned to the painted ones, “It’s hard to forget something so majestic, so they crop up in my work from time to time.” He leaned out of his stall and pointed to one of the landscapes he had set up for display in the upper corner of his stall. “See right there, by the mountain? I painted a dragon in the distance. It just wanted to be there.”

[Chris]

D’rew listened with mild amusement as the young painter rambled on about painting and having seen a dragon and pulling scraps of canvas out of his bag. “These are really good, I can see you’d be a great artist.” He took one of the drawings and inspected it. “I’d say you would have a lot of people clamoring for your art.”

He couldn’t tease the poor boy. “Would you like to meet my dragon?” he asked. “To give you reference of course.” He had called Natoth down to the clearing next to the Gather stands, away from the runners and herdbeasts. “He’s right over there and I’m sure the girl in the next stall wouldn’t mind watching yours while you come with me.”

Nathoth was impatiently waiting for them, shuffling from one foot to another. Come now, I want to meet him, the sense I got was very faint and I need to inspect him closer.

“Natoth said he wants to meet you, he likes pretty things and loves to hear music. He’d love to have a painting made of himself since I’ve already commissioned a glass sculpture.”

[shadeau]

"Meet your dragon? Oh, I'd love to!" He stammered and fumbled through his bags, speaking very quickly, "I've never seen one up close. May I bring my sketchpad? Do you think he'd mind if I sketched him on such short notice?"

Aedonys didn't wait for an answer. He tucked a pad of parchment under his arm, and grabbed a few different sticks to draw with. "You said he's blue, right? Seeing him up-close, I should be able to tell which colors would be best to work up a nice piece. Ahh, let's see...blue, orange...bah, I'll just take my set." he said, stuffing the few sticks of color he had already pulled into the pouch with the rest of them. He quickly tied the pouch to his belt, and jogged around the back of the stall to the front to stand by D'rew. As he passed by Noctis, the Glider lazily leapt onto his owner's shirt and crawled down into his pocket once more.

Once he reached D'rew, he smiled and bounced a bit, "Ok, I'm ready!"

"...Oh, right - " He turned to the artist at the glass stall, "Would you mind watching my stand for a little while? I'd be most appreciative, and I shouldn't be too long. I could paint something for you, in return for your time, if you'd like."

[Zen]

Fala ignored his comment about searchriders. It had been out of dumb surprise that she’d even questioned that he was Searching her. She looked down at Sweety for a moment, contemplating the fact that she’d just been Searched. She felt a bit numb to it, like it hadn’t really sunk in yet. Sweety, being unable to explore, had decided now was a good time for a nap and was slumbering away peacefully in her arms. It would be stupid to pass up the opportunity, even if she didn’t Impress a dragon. She looked back up at the rider, tilting her head every so slightly, “Well… I guess… I mean… yeah….”

She paused and cleared her throat, “I’ll go with you to your Weyr…. You’re not leaving now, right? I have time to… talk to my mother and get some of my things and….” Trivialities. Her mother would scold her for putting off an opportunity for ‘things’. Still, it hadn’t really set in yet. Perhaps when she returned with this rider to Crescent Cove she would finally realize what it meant to be Searched, but for now it just seemed like something new to experience.

[kyra]

See you scared the girl Rakhinith told N'lir as he watched the girl debate. He ignored his dragon and sighed. When her answer finally came out he smiled, "You'll love it" He laughed as she asked if he was leaving now. "No you have time. We're still enjoying the celebration. Come find me when you are ready." He said as he turned with a slight wave.

N'lir returned to where Rina was, "Well, what an interesting new candidate." He chuckled. Natoth, tell yours we have a new candidate Rakhinith called out to the Blue as N'lir sipped some Klah and watched every one dance.

~~

Eliza's face flushed, "No...this is my first one." She said with a sigh and watched the girl pack things up. Her eyes lightened up as the girl added a water lily. "It's gorgeous...you don't have to do that." She protested slightly unsure of really what to saw.

Her eyes went back to all of the dancing, "Could you hold them until the end? In case I go dancing, I really don't want anything to be lost." She said softly. She highly doubted she would dance but she didn't want anything to break at all. Her eyes flickered to the firelizard who was watching her and smiled. She wondered what is was like to have a companion like that.

[Missing]

Rosetta waved a hand at the girls protests, cutting them off, "It would be bad for business if the other customers saw me take advantage of you like that. Besides, we'll call it a first gather gift."

She nodded, "I'd be happy to hold them for you... what was your name?"

Magic chirped at Eliza, Rosetta turned to shush him before she realized the painter boy was talking to her, "Oh sure I'd be happy too!" She turned back to Magic, "Magic would you please? And don't mess with his things, they'll burn if you try to flame them."

The black firelizard chirped in understanding and flew next door. Rosetta took the bag of things for Eliza and set them off to the side under a table where they couldn't get stepped on or knocked into before turning her attention to the other customers.