[PRP] Dinner With Friends? [Va'len, Aneirin, + Dergs]

[Uta]

The Feast had wrapped up, and Western Weyr was slowly returning to its normal routine. The lower cavern workers were cleaning up from the morning and afternoon activities, and while some riders were still happily celebrating, for most of Western's newest weyrlings, they had returned to their Barracks to tend to their mounts, rest, and prepare for their first evening of weyrlinghood.

Va'len was no exception.

The party had been a bit of a blur, though he'd spent most of his time with Z'ri, and by the time night had fallen, and his third and final meal had been had, both rider and dragon had collapsed into a deep slumber. It had been a long day for them both, and though Val had wanted to stare at his dragonet forever, eventually, the excitement of the day had caught up with him.

It had been the best sleep of his life.

Soon, too soon, absolute hunger gripped him, and forced the young man to stir. A pair of whirling red eyes had greeted him, along with a need for him to hurry up and rise. While he'd known that dragonets needed to be fed multiple times a day, especially during the first few months, Va'len had never expected the hunger to be so absolute. He felt as if he'd been starved!

"I'm up, I'm up," he reassured, knowing his dragon was impatient to be fed. He barely registered others moving about, with similarly red-eyed dragonets, as he searched through his trunk to dress for the day. It still absolutely amazed him that he had found his most perfect match, and he didn't know how he was supposed to take his eyes off him. All he wanted to do was look at him, talk about him, talk to him, and just marvel at the most precious dragon on Pern.

You may marvel and stare all you'd like once we're at the feeding tables. Valurinnth's voice was impatient, but not unkind--for there was nothing but the deepest wave of love and pride within his words. Va'len couldn't help but laugh and hurry to get on his socks and boots. Thankfully, the weather was still warm, despite being the end of summer.

Within short order, both rider and dragon made their way to the tables just outside the Weyrling Barracks. There were bodies of dead herdbeasts and a few wherries strewn out and ready for the weyrlings to begin slicing. A few early-risers had already made their way to one of tables. Though he was tempted to take a seat at one of the tables with no fellow Candidates, he realized quickly that the thought wasn't entirely his own. Valurinnth might have preferred a quieter, more intimate setting--but Va'len wanted to get to congratulate and meet some of his new peers.

So it was, he took a seat next to Aneirin and his gem of a green. "Just give me a minute, I promise, I'm working as fast as I can. Good morning, Aneirin, Inzigeth," he greeted, grateful his dragon quietly provided the name. "Did she wake you all but starved, too?" He asked the other, partially just for conversation, but also for affirmation. Va'len was quite certain he knew dragonets were hungry, but part of him wanted to know that it wasn't because he'd been underfeeding Valurinnth or doing something wrong. Of course, as soon as that insecurity gripped him, it was immediately washed away by his dragonet.

He was well, he was fine, he was just hungry.

To Inzigeth, the blue dragon offered her a greeting. Inzigeth. How honored she should be to have been so addressed.

Mr Cheri

 

[Uta]

Va'len was, admittedly, a bit relieved that it wasn't just Valurinnth who had woken up starving. While logically part of him remembered all his Candidate training and expectations upon Impression, now that he was a future rider, his thoughts were absolutely overwhelmed by Valurinnth's immediate needs, wants, desires, and wishes, and he hardly could find the time thinking about everything he once had learned. It was incredibly difficult to want to think about anything except the most perfect dragon on Pern.

Admittedly, part of that was the first few days of training--but lessons were already scheduled after breakfast, and Va'len did want to ensure he retained what he learned. But it was painfully hard not to be so absorbed with HIs--and Valurinnth preferred it.

Settling in next to Aneirin, he nodded at the others question. "As ravenous as he was when he hatched," he confessed, which was true. It was almost painful, and the red-eyed blue dragonet stared keenly up at the carcasses on the table. "I know they said they'd be hungry but I guess I didn't know how it would physically feel." That the Candidates would spend much of their first month chopping up carcasses with which to feed their growing dragons made sense. Already Valurinnth looked bigger than he had yesterday--and the itching was proof of that.

The impatient blue nosed at his, hoping to spur him along. Luckily, Va'len wasn't squeamish, and was already an old hand at chopping up meat right off the animal. His time in the troupe assured that. "Here you go, here you go," he sliced off a strip, and handed it to His, who gobbled it up ever so greedily.

It was only after a few bites that the blue finally decided to acknowledge Inzigeth. His eyes slowed their frantic whirling, and a bit more blue dyed the facets. I think I shall, thank you. You're looking mighty striking this day. Not, of course, as striking or as fetching as himself... but his pride had been humored by her initial greeting. At least one dragon here had fine taste. You chose a suitable match, I see. Not as wonderful as His, but suitable for her, surely. She well could have chosen a far stupider Candidate, like many he had witnessed on the Sands and met within the egg.

Mr Cheri