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The Lower Caverns are lit by partly shielded glows. The
moons have long risen over the rim of the Weyr Bowl,
and the sun disappeared many hours before. The stars
twinkle in the skies, and a small group of Starsmiths stand
at the Starstones and stare. Most of the weyrs are quiet, some
are filled with the even breathing of a sleeping dragon,
some are filled with troubled minds.
But still, some of them are empty. The Dining Cavern has long
since stopped serving dinner, but there is always a pot of
klah left warming for any late-night visitors to the Cavern. On
such visitor now sat at one of the tables nearest to the big hearth,
where there was still a small fire crackling.
He had light brown hair cut very short to his head. In fact, if
you ran your hand across it you'd probably think you were running it
across the fuzzy, coarse hide. He wears a pair of glasses over
his light tan eyes. They are rectangular, with copper wire at
the sides and no frames surrounding the rose-colored curved glass.
He's dressed in the normal garb of a weyr-person. A soft hide
tunic over a pair of simply, darkly colored breeches. He has
on a dark red woven bracelet.
You enter the Dining Cavern, pulling your riding jacket
closer around you. The cold of /between/ is enough to deal
with during the night without having to put up with the
chilling darkness outside. You go and fetch yourself a
cup of klah to warm yourself before you know you have to
return to the Hold. As you walk towards the hearth to warm,
you see a young man sitting by himself. You wrap both arms
around the mug and then walk over to him. "This seat taken?"
He looks up, as if startled to see someone else in the
Cavern so late at night. Then again, wouldn't you be?
He nods, then scoots down a bit on the bench to
make room for you. "Go right ahead."
You take a seat, then look over at him. He has a small notepad in
front of him, and the pages have no lines to write on.
Instead, he is looking at what appears to be a young woman
drawn in brown. You tilt your head to the side
and smile. "Girlfriend? Weyrmate?"
He looks up again, startled, then looks back down at the paper.
"No. Just an old picture I was drew." He smiles wryly, stretching
his neck and making a succession of popping noises. He then
turns his eyes back to you, staring at you over the rim of his
glasses. He extends a hand to you with a light smile. "I'm
N'mrix, rider of Brown Oketh, Artist, and generally unlucky
in love until as of late. And you are?"
You tell him that you're a messenger from Asura Hold. You
were delivering the letter of the newest Searches from Asura
Hold. At this he nods, smiling gently. "Oh yes, I remember when
I was on that list. Arrived here the next day, not knowing what
to do or where to go." You inquire if he was born at the Hold, he
nods. "Born and raised by my father, have you
heard of Master Healer Numar?"
You nod, smiling. Numar has been a friend of your father's
for who knows how long! N'mrix smiles, nodding. "He always
makes friends easily." He leans back a little, careful so as
to not fall off of the backless bench. "O'neri is still the
resident Watchrider, yes? He's the one who
Searched me and Sisha."
Sisha? You look down at the picture, then back at N'mrix.
"Is that her?" You point to the drawing.
N'mrix looks down and nods with an ironic smile. "Yes,
that's Sisha. No longer a Candidate, but a holder girl
once more. Has been for quite a while."
You raise an eyebrow curiously, so he explains with a wry grin.
"Wasn't quite cut out for the weyrlife. After not Impressing
for two Hatchings she gave up and ran home crying to her
father." He sighs lightly, shaking his head with a wry look.
"You said you were unlucky in love until now. I'm guessing she's
part of what you meant?" You lean one elbow against the table,
glad to feel the klah begin to warm your insides. Or is
it the fire that's warming you so much?
N'mrix laughs lightly, shaking his head. "No, she's just one
in a long line of crushes-gone-wrong. Before Sisha it was Illaea,
and before her it was Bryna." He smiles lightly, and when you
inquire about the two other girls he laughs. "Illaea was a short,
young woman who had been a Candidate for as long as I'd known her.
I've been here for almost three Turns, though I haven't stood
for as many Hatchings as I should have. I've been doing a
little freelance artistry, though it's most definitely not
something I could make a living off of." He grins. "Anyway,
Illaea was a Candidate. And one day she Impressed, and I didn't."
You frown. "And her Impressing and you not is
what broke up your relationship?"
N'mrix laughs, shaking his head with a grin. "No, that
didn't change anything. The fact that she and I both
Impressed a brown, however, did." His ironic grin sends
you into a small fit of laughter. You compose yourself,
and then inquire about Bryna. "Bryna? Oh dear... the
Weyrwoman 2nd from the Red Star. Made the wrong
comment about J'simo one day after her accused me of
skipping chores, she took offense that I'd insulted her
father and there wasn't much more to it than that."
"Sounds like you have had bad luck. How has it changed?"
You finish off your klah and debate going and getting more.
However, N'mrix makes good conversation while you wait
for J'mini and his brown. Besides, the fire in the hearth is very warm.
N'mrix waggles the stylus at you, a wry grin on his face.
"You know, someone once asked me that very queston once."
He grins as you give him a confused look. "Then I did the best
thing that I could have done." He grins. "I didn't answer. Now
look what it's gotten me! Oketh flew his first green dragon
the other day. Cardath's rider, Liora, is wonderful." He smiled.
"I made my own luck by not pushing it too far."
You laugh, nodding your head. "Well said, Nym."
N'mrix's ears perk up lightly, and then a small brown
firelizard lands on the table between you to. "Friend, meet
brown Noser." You laugh at his choice of name, and N'mrix
simply grins. "It seemed a good idea the time. However, the
jokes are getting old." He gives you a wink, then folds
up his notepad and stands up.
"Good luck to you at Asura Hold, my friend. Have your
father say hello to mine for me, I haven't gotten the
chance to send him a letter lately, though I'll probably have
Noser here end up sending him one late tomorrow night. Ask him to
expect it." He shakes your hand as you stand up as well, your
empty mug in the other hand.
"I have an early day tomorrow, as I do everyday, so I might as
well pretend I'm going to get some sleep." He smiles, nodding
his head to you. "Wind to thy wings." He then starts towards the
large doorway to the Dining Cavern.
You look down at your cup of klah. J'mini probably won't
be done with the few errands he had to run for the Lord Holder
for another candlemark at least. "N'mrix!" You jump up from
your seat and jog after him, smiling when he turns around.
"Since you don't seem to have plan to sleep, and I have
nothing to do, why don't you introduce me to this
Oketh of yours?"
He grins, then motions with his hand for
you to follow him across the Weyr Bowl.
N'mrix Impressed at Jerdan Weyr.
N'mrix Impressed brown Noser at
Glass Island Weyr.