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A cloud of dust rises around the feet of the green
dragon. She bends down low, letting her rider
and guest slide down her soft emerald-colored side.
She turns her head around, talking to the young
woman who is her rider for a moment before jumping
up and winging towards a small third floor weyr.
The rider turns her attention back to her companion- you.
"Your cothold looks wonderful. I must say that you've
pulled it together really well." She pauses for a moment,
then a grin bursts onto her face. "Tell me though, is
that cousin of yours that was rounding up your runners
single? He's really cute, and I heard that-"
You put your hands up in mock defense, grinning at
her. "Down, child! I'm not going to say anything for
him, but if you want to talk to him when you drop me
off in the morning than that's your business. I refuse
to be match-maker for my own kin, it's inhumane and
cruel because I know what I'm unleashing on them.
" You give her a wink and she rolls her eyes with a laugh.
"One of these days I'll make a civilized person of you.
Maybe not when you're back in that secluded hold of
yours. At least the Islanders will keep you company,
that trader I saw had the wildest tatoos I'd ever seen!
And so many colors, too." Now she's simply rambling,
a trait which Liara is very good at. Most call her the
Weyr Gossip, though there's no official title to go with that.
You put your hands up again, grinning at her.
"Speaking of Islanders, I have one I need to
go visit." The two of you exchange a few more words,
you turning down Liara's offer to accompany you. The
girl's too much of a gossip for you to have her around
when you're talking to old friends. You wave, then start
towards one of the queen weyrs on the far side of the Bowl.
You walk in, taking your time. No need for Merrith to
jump out of any shadows, though she's certainly
too big to be doing that to you anymore. {{Come in, I'm
not going to hurt you.}} The queen carries an amused tone,
and you swore that if she could she would have
giggled after her words. You walk in, smiling to see her watching you.
{{Inkali's not here.}}
"She's not?" Your surprise was quite clear. In all
of the times that you'd visited her, Inkali had always
been in her room during evening meal. Now, the one
time you come to catch her before-hand and she's not there!
{{She's across the Weyr Bowl. Did you see the bonfire
when you came in?}} Merrith lowers her head, blue
eyes whirling and a smile on her face as if she held
a secret that you don't know.
.gif)
"Yes, are you telling me she's actually out there?"
Merrith just continues to grin at you. You laugh and
dart out of the weyr, promising to have Inkali
bring you back later. You start a brisk pace across
the Weyr Bowl. It's still rather chilly out, but the bonfire
looks incredibly inviting... and incredibly warm!
You immediately recognize a figure dancing around the
fire. She's dancing by herself, swinging her arms in
wild directions, spinning around in circles, and smiling
broadly. She stops, her face slightly confused with
dizziness, and grabs onto the nearest sturdy object-
you. You laugh, reaching out a hand to steady her.
"Well, isn't this a surprise to see young Inkali out-and-about?"
She grins wryly, her dark eyes sparkling. "I finally
found a gathering worth attending. Now *this*,
is how we party in the Islands." She waves her hands
around, the elaborately made Reli not standing out any
less than the first time you saw it.
"Some things, my dear cotholder, never change." She
winks, then grabs you by the arm. She leads you back to
her weyr, listening to you describe your new cothold and
the events that have taken place in the final week of finishing it.
"Sounds exciting, a lot of work, but exciting." She
grins wryly again, then ducks behind her curtain. She
had managed a smile at Merrith, but the queen was
seemingly asleep. She walked over and sat down on
one of her small stools, pointing to the other which
you take. "Can you believe that I graduated?"
She smiles, leaning back on her hands.
"Not quite, for some reason I can't quite picture
you as full-fledged Weyrwoman Fourth." You grin,
teasing her. She gives you one of the characteristic
'looks' some women give, then goes back to fiddling
with some of her jars. "So, is Niamh still at the weyr?"
Inkali's interest is immediately grabbed again, though
she doesn't turn her eyes away from the jars. "Yes,
she is! She's a Candidate now, and she's learning the
ropes slowly but surely. Tonight was her first time out
of her new weyr, she's been afraid to leave it- thinking
that any minute the dragons will start to hum." She snickers,
shaking her head. "She enjoyed the bonfire, but
she had to retire early. Candidate classes start
at the crack of dawn. How thankful I am to be
far away from those."
Ksarri appears and lands on your shoulder. He
chirps at you in welcome, wrapping his tail around your
arm. You smile, watching her work with her jars. This
Inkali is such a difference from the first time you
met the young girl as a Candidate. Then she was quiet,
snippity, and mostly unpleasant. Now she was chatty,
seemed to be enjoying herself (even if only for the night),
and in general much more in control of not letting herself
get goaded.
"Here it is!" She smiles, picking up one of the jars
and standing up. She walks over and hands the bottle
to you, smiling broadly. You take a sniff, the scent is
very familiar. "Do you remember it? When we first met Ksarri
ruined one of your shirts and-"
"And you gave me some of this to make up for it.
I might be older with some responsibility, but I'm
not senile." You smile, winking at her and rolling the
jar around in your hands. Then you look up at her,
a genuinely thankful smile on your face. "Thank you..."
Inkali smiles softly for a moment, then laughs and
drags you to your feet. "Please, dearest friend. Don't
get so sentimental for such a small gift. Let me
show you the party and then you can express your
thankfullness for my wonderfully over-abundant
generosity." She grins wryly, then the two of you walk
out of the weyr and back towards the bonfire,
the perfume tucked safely in your bag.
Story: The discovery of Reli- By Inkali and Niamh
Dance: Inkali's Search
Spirit: Learn more about her (stats)
Where Inkali Impressed Merrith
and
Where Ksarri was Impressed