Pageantry for Peace

[Shoki]

Rilora’s statement smoothed away some of his nervousness, though his mood fell a bit when she let go of his sleeve. But then she took his hand. He moved his hand a bit, familiarizing himself with the size of her hand compared to his as he laces their fingers together. Her last statement promised other things as well, and he couldn’t help giving her hand a little squeeze.

“I would like that very much.” His eyes crinkled with a smile as he looked into hers, no longer so worried about trying to steal a glance. He minded that they were still not private yet, otherwise he might have dared something further. However, this was a wonderful moment in and of itself.

[Cait]

Truthfully, Elysif had never expected something like this to happen. She'd merely come to give R'vor a basket of goodies and ended up Searched for the clutch that warmed on the sands. She'd never aspired to become a dragonrider; it had never even occurred to her to dream of it. Yet, after the death of her husband she viewed the world through a different lens. Life was a bit like the boats she'd watched in Cliffside. You could either ride the waves that were thrown at you or you could drop anchor and let them batter you. Sif had decided that she'd rather ride the waves than let them toss her around. With that mindset, she'd agreed to see where candidacy would take her. She had no definite expectations though she was looking forward to the experience. In the future, perhaps if she married again, what other cotwife could say that they'd gotten to stand of the sands of the Weyr or touch the shell of a dragon's egg?

Incidentally, it wasn't long after she'd sent word to Vortil's mother that she would be staying on a bit at the Weyr, days in fact, that the candidates were gathered together. It was an interesting group, some little more than children while others, she ventured, were older than even she was. Still, she couldn't imagine that any of the candidates were any younger than seventeen or eighteen. The rules were fairly simple and quite frankly seemed common sense to Sif. Be respectful of the mother, do not jostle the eggs, distribute attention to all eggs. Still, some of the other candidates seemed to shift anxiously. When the booming voice beckoned them onto the sands, Elysif walked in calmly with the others. Dipping in a respectful curtsy she smiled, a slight curve of her lips as she peered up at Archith. Sif doubted she would ever get over just how large dragons were on the ground or how very expressive they could be.

"Good morning, Queen Archith." Was that the proper way to address a gold? Should she have just used the dragon's name like she did with R'vor's dragon? Should she have even addressed the dragon directly? Maybe she should've spoken to the Weyrwoman. Warm brown eyes skittered to the blonde nearby. Too late to change what had been done, besides, dragons were far more like people than animals based on her interactions with the ones she'd met so far. Might as well be polite. "I hope you and your children are well."

With another curtsy, she stepped aside for others to greet the great mother. Hoping that she hadn't committed some act of ignorance, Sif let her eyes stray to the clutch. She'd not had much experience with dragonkin but found it fascinating how the eggs were arranged just so. She was eager to inspect a little closer but would it be rude? They'd been told to wait for permission. Had the summons been permission or merely a summons? Better to wait...safer too.