"Mire!" The voice echoed through the bathing chamber as the young woman surfaced, bringing her head above the water and running a hand to get the water out of her eyes. "Mire! Where are you?" The other young woman entered the room from the hall, her blonde hair tied back behind her shoulders. "Mire! We're going to be late! Look at you!" Her vivid green eyes looked at the other girl with a frown.
"Would you quit flitting around like that?" The other girl stood up from the bathing pool, her black hair soaked and sticking to her pale skin. "The party is not going to be over by the time we get there. We're the guests of honor." She snickered at her own words, dark brown eyes looking over at her friend. She took a deep breath, actually smiling for a moment. "Besides, that was the first bath I've had since I was a child. And it felt wonderful." She stretched her hands above the air.
Casibi shook her head with a laugh, throwing the towel at her friend's head. "It'll be the last one you have if you don't hurry up. J'simo'll be pretty sore if we show up to dinner late, and he'll skin you like a wherry after he's done giving us all the chores he can think of." She smiled with her pretty face, her best feature considering her reed-like body. She frowned lightly suddenly, picking up her skirts and turning around. "I'm going to go try and find those clips Headwoman Landara gave us. Your hair is going to be a mess." She disappeared back into the barracks.
Demire smiled with her tan lips, running the towel over her thin and almost curveless body to dry off. Casibi had always been running here and there, trying to be eveyrwhere at once. She had to have a hand in every pie, and she had to make sure everything was perfect. She was worried about everything, but that was just the way she was. Demire put up with Casibi's constant flitting about, and in general they put up with each other's short comings, which there were many of.
She slowly climbed out of the bathing pool, walking over to the long rack by the wall. She reached out and grabbed the dress that Headwoman Landara had lent her. She and Casibi didn't own a dress in all of Pern, so the woman had taken them back and given them each one to wear for that night's dinner. She pulled it over her head, savoring the soft feeling on her skin. It wasn't as soft as some of the fabrics she'd felt in her lifetime of mending, but it was certainly a welcome change from the rags she wore at the Hold. It caught on the callouses on her hands, but she didn't mind.
The fabric hung down from her shoulder, and she pulled it back up. Demire was tall, and she didn't have the meat on her bones or the curves to fill the dress. However, the Headwoman didn't have a size that could fit everyone, but she could tie a sash of the same dark red color around her waist so that it fit a little nicer, and not like a trader's tent. If you were to put her up to most of the other drudges at Asura Hold, then she'd actually look quite curvy and well-fed.
There was a loud noise of screeching, and a splash behind her made her turn around. The bathing pool was churning and swirling, ripples splashing against the side. It was hard to see into it, Demire had been such a mess when she was brought to the Weyr that she'd been practically covered in dirt. Now she felt very clean, but the amount of filth she'd put into the sparkling water had turned it dark and cloudy.
She leaned forward, trying to see in, and then was able to stumble backwards just in time to avoid being hit by the tiny firelizard that shot out of the churning water. He flitted about in the air, chirruping happily and sending little droplets of water in every direction. Demire grinned wryly and whistled putting her hand out.

He angled downwards, coming to land in her open palm and wrapping his tail around her wrist to keep himself there. He squeaked innocently, looking at her. "Now what did I tell you? You have to behave here are the Weyr, no more of your goofing off. Especially not around this dress. I have to give it back to Landara eventually." She looked the small brown evenly in the eyes. "You get me?"

He chirruped happily, bobbing his head. Then he reached his little head forward and licked her on the nose, showing her that he understood. He launched himself off of his hands, leaving tiny little marks from where his claws had pushed off. He winged around the room a few more times, then dove back headfirst into the water.
Demire watching him with a grin on her face, then shook her head. "Penn, I swear, you're without hope." A few bubbles rose to the surface and she grinned, then turned and walked out to find her friend.

J'simo stood up where he had been sitting at the Weyrleaders' table. Beside him were two wingleaders, and on the other side sat the Weyrleaders themselves. He cleared his throat, then called for attention. The entire Dining Cavern slowly became quiet, and after the last few people in the back settled down the Weyrlingmaster began to talk.
"As I'm sure most or all of you know, two Search Wings went into Asura Hold territory today to fill up some of the empty rooms in our Candidate barracks. They brought back with them eleven fine young people who will all become positive assets to the Weyr." He smiled, pointing a hand at the small table which had been set up level with the other tables and right in front of the raised Weyrleaders' one. The eleven new Candidates sat there, most smiling at the compliment and even other blushing.
"Whether or not they Impress, they come from good backgrounds and seem to have good morals. They will start Candidate classes tomorrow with the others, and we look forward to the example they will set. If they do not Impress, they can all support their new home in a new way, and become model individuals." There was applause from the crowd in the Cavern as Weyrlingmaster J'simo sat down, a broad smile on his face.
Demire leaned over to Casibi, who sat beside her, and snickered. The other girl looked at her, rolling her green eyes with a grin on her face. Demire grinned as well, then turned back to her food and took a bite of the bread in front of her. It was her first big meal in a long time, and it tasted great.
"I can't believe I'm here," said the young man across from her. He was dressed nicely, and his shaggy brown hair hung over his ears. "At the Weyr, I mean. It's a big change from the Beasthealer's Hall. I went from being a Journeyman to a Candidate, it's an exciting change."
The young man seated next to him smiled and nodded. "I agree. This is a big chance from Korevin Hold. Master Tarkin was reluctant to let me go. I'm only a few months away from getting my own Journeyman."
The two girls across from him said pretty much the same. One was a Journeywoman Harper, recently transferred to Asura Hold from the Northern Harper Hall, and the other was a Sr. Apprentice Healer from Korevin Hold as well. The others went on talking about themselves. The young man on the opposite end of the table from Demire was the son of the Ruathan Lord Holder. He'd just transferred to Asura Hold to learn from the Steward there.
"I know exactly how you feel." A young woman next to him smiled over at him. She pushed back her blonde hair, blinking brown eyes. "I'm Lord Laric's daughter from Korevin. It's so strange to go from the Hold to the Weyr, like a new world, and I never knew it was such hard work."
Demire looked at the girl, and then turned to Casibi with a grin. She shook her head, snickering lightly. Casibi simply grinned wryly back at her, then went on eating. Demire's snickerings caught the attention of the young Ruathan man, and he glared over at her.
"And just what are you, Miss? Since you can sit down there and laugh at the young woman across from me." He leveled his dark eyes at her, a frown on his face.
Demire looked up and over him, then paused long enough to swallow what she was eating before opening her mouth. "I just found it rather amusing, that's all. You see, Candidate chores look easy compared to what I'm used to. While you were up learning how to count money and write you father's name over and over again, I was cooking your food and making your fire. While you and your family sat up in your room and pretended to be running Pern, I did your work for you to make sure that myself and my family stayed fed. While you were eating the fine food we made for you, we got your leftovers, bread, water, and some dried meat. I think I have a little bit of leeway to shake my head when one of you complains about having to actually do something and, Faranth forbid, get your hands dirty."
She paused then, letting them take in her words. The young Ruathan was still glaring at her, and the other girl seemed to be quite uncomfortable as she ate her food. Demire had kept her eyes level the entire time, her mouth forming an amused line. Finally, she let an impish grin come to her face. "However, if you still want to call me Miss, don't let that stop you. It's new, and something I could get used to." She grinned again, then went back to eating.
Beside her, Casibi shook her head and put a hand to her mouth to cover a smile. She looked over at Demire, who grinned back at her, and tried to her best to stop from bursting into giggles. She shook her head, picking back up her cup and taking a sip.
Well, Candidacy was going to be interesting...