[prp] The theory’s the thing (Tass, A’ye backdated!)

[Thaliawen]

(Since the candidate lesson is backdated to right after the teaclutch, I’m backdating this to around then.)

Tassiel’s eyes were redrimmed and the tell tale signs of a young man in distress still lingered on his cheeks. He’d tried to rub at them, tried to keep Bekah from worrying, should he see her—but he needn’t have worried. Bekah was too busy helping those who needed help to see him, as she should’ve. She was going to become a great masterhealer one day.

So the blonde young man began his trek away from the Healers’, maybe he could stop and see Ash, if she weren’t busy with the weyrlings. She’d probably already know, though. She knew practically everything that went on in the Weyr, being the weyrlingmaster’s assistant. Would she be ashamed? Had anyone in their family been stripped of their knots?

He fretted and turned around. He couldn’t see Ash. But maybe he could help out here.  

[houllow]

"I'll be going then." With a few bandages and salves in hand, A'ye gave a polite bow to one of the healers as he turned to leave. Threadfall was coming up soon and he wanted to be prepared, and with a few marks and providing supplies he'd managed to get some medicine to have on hand in his weyr. Hopefully he wouldn't be needing it with all the drills he and Oyath had been pulling, but who knew? A'ye couldn't predict the future.

As he walked out he happened to bump into someone, and the rider prepared to apologize until he thought he recognized the face. "......Tassiel?" Surprisingly, A'ye was good at remembering people even if he'd never properly been introduced, likely because he'd spent his youth in the creche among others. Plus there was remembering people from candidacy, and in general A'ye was an observant man. ".....you look awful. What's wrong?"

It didn't take much for the rider to notice the look on his face, the red about his eyes. Something was clearly off.

Thaliawen

a'ye grew up in the creche as well and they're not too far apart in age. he makes a note to try to memorize people for later

 

[Thaliawen]

“Oh, I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going and—“ and he was spoken to, by name. That made him pause. He studied A’ye for a moment before recognition set in.

“Nothing,” he immediately lied. No, everything. “The candidatemaster took our knots away,” he said, sighing. “I thought I could come see Bekah or something.” Something, anything to feel less hopeless. “What about you? Is Oyath alright?”  

[houllow]

A'ye frowned deeply as he listened to the candidate. The fact that he'd had his knots taken away was a little surprising to hear, Tassiel was a good sort as far as A'ye could recall, and it was strange that he'd lose them. "Just you, or everyone?" The our could have meant everyone, but he wanted to clarify. "Also Bekah isn't in, but I'm here to talk to if you'd like."

The rider smiled, warm and friendly. He liked candidates, really. "And Oyath is fine, thanks for asking. I'm just getting a few supplies together for the upcoming Threadfall we need to fly. It's always better to be safe than sorry."

Thaliawen

 

[Thaliawen]

"Everyone, all the candidates," Tass elaborated with a shrug. "Yeah, I tried to see her earlier, she's always so busy." He gave a small smile. "I bumped into you when I'd turned to come back and see if I could help anyone."

"Oh..." He'd forgotten about Thread with his troubles, how stupid of him. That was what being a rider was all about! "I hope you two do well and don't get hurt!" He couldn't imagine how he'd feel if Tarmath got hurt--and she wasn't his, A'ye had to be infinitely closer to Oyath.  

[houllow]

"Wait, why did all of you lose your knots? What happened?" A'ye knew Gr'del to be a fair and just man, someone who wouldn't pull knots from anyone if he didn't have a legitimate reason. The greenrider could recall his time as a candidate fondly, and in it he never once saw Gr'del do something he could consider inherently selfish or in-explainable. Of course he understood the Candidatemaster was only human and thus could behave like one, but taking away all the knots? "There must have been a good reason. Come on, let's go over to Oyath and we can talk some more."

He motioned for the candidate to follow him out a bit, where a green dragon was waiting in the sun. She'd just been freshly oiled and her hide shined brightly beneath the light.

Thaliawen

 

[Thaliawen]

"The hatchings," Tassiel blinked in surprise--hadn't A'ye seen the dreadful behavior from the candidates the hatching before last? "I think we did something awful. I don't know..." He couldn't judge anyone, not the way Gr'del could see things. He'd been candidatemaster long enough to see things other people couldn't.

He followed A'ye to Oyath, admiring the green. "She's bright today," he said.  

[houllow]

"Err." A'ye....hadn't really noticed how bright Oyath was, but now that Tassiel mentioned it a whole lot of thought went into her look. "Probably because she's freshly oiled." And not....proddy. Never proddy, never again. Oyath gave a faint rumble while she raised her head, her eyes the usual ruby red as she looked over her rider and the candidate. A snort meant she was clearly unimpressed.

A'ye mentally chided her to be kind as he motioned for Tassiel to have a seat anywhere. He took a seat on his dragon's leg. "I didn't see the hatching at Western, if that's the one you're talking about. The most recent hatching was....fairly uneventful, if we're honest. Aside from a few candidates running off, I didn't see too many issues."

Thaliawen

 

[Thaliawen]

"Yeah, one of their candidates died," Tassiel offered, when he'd heard A'ye hadn't gone. "None of us went, I don't think. I thought the last one went well, though." Candidates running off... That wasn't the cause of the candidatemaster's wrath. It couldn't be.

"I hope I get my knot back soon," he said, then. "I just stood there and waited for a baby. I'm going to keep hoping."  

[houllow]

"Standing there and waiting is all good, but sometimes you have to be a little more proactive in your thoughts." A'ye reached over and touched Oyath, who rumbled her approval at the contact. "I mean, obviously you can't demand anything from a dragonet but you certain can send a few hints of hello, or hi, to get their attention." Clearly something had gone wrong to have a dragonet maul someone to death, and he wondered just how that baby had managed to survive with what he was sure followed.

"Did he say how long you would all be without your knots? Are you going to be able to earn them back, or are you all no better than basic weyrbrats now?" It was a sad thought to think of all the youth in the Weyr with their dreams literally taken from them with no return date in sight.

Thaliawen