[PRP] A New Life (Nadry/Menankith & R'gan/Basanuth)

[DruidTigeress]

Meepfur

Hope this is alright!

Coming from turns of being a candidate, the switch to Weyrling life wasn't so bad. More lessons, about the same amount of chores.. Though a lot less sleep, it seemed. Basanuth insisted that they be early for everything. And stay late to practice, if they could. Though he couldn't say he was thrilled the first few times that he'd been woken up before 5am, half a candlemark before they needed to be, he couldn't fault the blue's enthusiasm.

Today was no different. Yawning, R'gan made his way down to the lake, dragging the stool and bucket of supplies they would need along with him. At least getting a head start on washing and oiling Basanuth meant they were usually first to breakfast. This time however, there was already a silhouette of someone down by the lake.
It's Menankith! Basanuth said enthusiastically, racing down towards his brother.
Hah? Ah.. yeah.. R'gan replied sleepily, following at a normal pace behind. He wished he had half of Basanuth's energy this early in the morning.

Good morning Menankith! Another fine day for training, don't you think? he greeted, coming to a halt by the water.
"Morning Nadry." R'gan said, dropping the supplies by the beach. "You're here early."  

[Meepfur]

Weyrlinghood was...more or less as expected, so far.  Occasionally awkward, sometimes stressful, and complicated by Menankith's nontraditional ways of thinking.  Ways of thinking Nadry quite agreed with, yes, and she was fully supportive of his dreams to push change, but accomplishing those things right now was not a possibility.  They were too young and low-ranking to really be able to make waves.  Teaching Menankith when to hold his tongue, that discretion was occasionally the better part of valor, was a work in progress, and one that had a tendency to leave him restless.

Although that was not why they were up and about so early this morning.  Perched on the edge of their bucket was a chirruping flit hatchling, pale blue tail whipping behind him as he nosed curiously at the contents of the pail.  He'd decided that early morning was a wonderful time to wake up and jabber, and the last thing they needed was for him to wake everyone else up, too, so here they were.  Menankith huffed at him in bemusement before lifting his head at the voice of his brother. Basanuth, he acknowledged. Perhaps. We will see what it brings.

"Good morning," Nadry offered, dipping her head politely.  She might have said something further, had the little flit not just lost his balance and tumbled into the bucket and proceeded to squawk about his predicament.  She shook her head at him and plucked him out, though he continued to grumble. "Now, Sir, you did that to yourself, so there's no use complaining about it."

DruidTigeress

 

[DruidTigeress]

Meepfur

Don't be so bleak, my brother. Basanuth replied cheerfully, an endless font of optimism, as usual. Every day is an opportunity, is it not? For growth, and for change! Oh yes. And that was what they were after, wasn't it? Though His insisted that now was a time for learning, not challenging. That they must be patient, and improve themselves first before they try to improve the Weyr. Still, it was another day to work and strive and continue to move forward, and that was all he really wanted.

Though no less determined in his goals, R'gan took a rather more relaxed view to the new day. It was what it was. Just another day, spent meeting friends, keeping himself and Bas alive, and trying to stay ahead of their lessons. It was all he could do just to try and keep up with Basanuth's relentless pace. And maybe get him to lighten up once in a while. Maybe getting a firelizard would help with that part..

"Cute!" he said, laughing as she rescued the little flitt back out of the bucket. "He's a baby?" he asked. Growing up in a Weyr, of course, he'd seen a lot of firelizards, but he never had any of his own. "When'd you get him?"  

[Meepfur]

I am not being bleak, Menankith asserted, I'm simply reserving judgement until I know more about it. We have lessons yet, and who knows how those might go? They might be anything but fine. His tone was more conversational than pessimistic, full of interest in what might happen, what opportunities might or might not present themselves and for whom. Anything could happen, and that could be good or bad or neither.

Full of sunshine, you are, Nadry teased fondly. She knew he was restless, frustrated even, and if anything would relish a chance to make some sort of scene, to show up or argue with one of his stuffier siblings.

"Yes, he is." An affirmation that he was both cute and a baby, supplied with a nod as she held him cupped in her hands and smiled down at the little blue. "And going to be trouble, I suspect, though I hope he grows out of it. Just hatched yesterday. My brother Rykin sent me the egg, sort of a 'congratulations and sorry' present. I think he may be secretly happy he's not the only disappointment in the family anymore."

DruidTigeress

 

[DruidTigeress]

Meepfur

You're right, of course. Basanuth agreed easily. And yet, I'm sure everything will go excellently. If they applied themselves to their full effort, what could possibly go wrong? Catching a little of their conversation, R'gan grinned and leaned down a hand to scratch Basanuth's eyeridge affectionately while he talked. He didn't know how Bas always managed to be so optimistic, but he hoped that would never change. Still, he couldn't help but worry about what would happen when things didn't go as well as he thought they should. Would he be able to hold onto that hopefulness in the face of everything they would have to overcome in a place like High Reaches?

"That's nice." R'gan said, bending down to get a closer look at the little thing. Straightening up, he folded his arms over his chest. "I still can't fathom that." he said, shaking his head with something between a laugh and a sigh. "I can't imagine a brown rider being a disappointment to anyone."  

[Meepfur]

Perhaps it will today, but it cannot go excellently every day, Menankith persisted.
Sooner or later, something will go poorly. Will you be prepared when it does?

Let him be optimistic, Nadry prodded, bumping him gently with her knee, since her hands were full of baby flit. There's no harm in it.

Are you so sure? Much of what we believe, what we intend to do, will not be well-received. We are all destined for hardship, Mine.

Oblivious to the deep discussions, the little flit in Nadry's hands peeped curiously up at R'gan, reaching up into the air between them with grabby-curious claws as the Weyrlings spoke. "To be fair, anything other than getting married to a respectable young man would have been a disappointment. Being in a Weyr, though, that's outright scandalous for a cotholder. And a girl on a brown, well."

Nadry made a point of clearing her throat, cheeks flushing slightly. "They'll think that means things."

DruidTigeress

 

[DruidTigeress]

Meepfur

R'gan smiled at the little firelizard when it chirped at him. He'd never thought of getting one himself -he'd probably have to wait for a while anyway, he had a lot of work ahead of him with Bas for a dragon!- but it was cute.

Basanuth looked from Menankith to Nadry. His wings lifted and fell slightly in a little shrug. Menankith's questioning didn't bother him. He was more than happy to debate the point with his brother. Open discourse was the best way to better understanding. Anyway, apparently nothing seemed able to dampen his hopefulness. Righteousness will prevail. Many will disagree. But we will change their minds. I have my R'gan's love, he said, leaning up against R'gan's legs. And my good, strong brother. he added, touching Menankith with his nose. Good will overcome. he said, his voice full of certainty. It would be hard, for certain. He expected no less. But they had right on their side and would triumph in the end.

"Alright. Enough philosophizing, you two." R'gan said, shaking his head with a chuckle. "Or at least come over here so I can wash you while you're doing it."

"I guess I can understand that.." he said, though he still couldn't agree with it. "It must take some adjusting to." He looked up, sensing some discomfort in the fellow candidate, before she spoke again. Pff. Let them think what they want. he felt like saying.. But he knew that was easy to say when it wasn't his family. High Reaches might care about the color of your dragon's hide, but no one had ever cared about who you chose to love. "Hmm. That's hard." he said. "I mean, obviously, it doesn't. Everyone here knows that," he tried to assure her. "I don't know how to help you with your family though. Sorry." She could tell them the same, but it seemed like they probably wouldn't believe her.  

[Meepfur]

Finally satisfied that his brother was not merely being optimistic just for the sake of being optimistic, relying on blind faith and ignoring the realities of what it would take to get where they were going, Menankith eased up and nudged him in turn. Good will overcome. We will overcome.

Nadry set her new pet down out of the way (not that he was likely to stay that way for long) and beckoned for Menankith to come closer again so that they could get to work. "It is...very different here. But it's alright. I knew once I came I'd probably never go back." She'd stopped being a 'respectable' girl the day she'd set foot in a Weyr, after all. Given cotholder views of what went on in such places, she was ruined as a good marriage prospect. Which was perfectly fine by her! "I miss Dobrokhoth most of all, really. My brother's dragon. It would have been nice for Menankith to know him."

She'd looked forward to M'yk's visits growing up, not because of any closeness to her brother - she'd only barely started toddling around by the time he went off to Crafthall - but because of his magnificent brown dragon. Amd Dobrokhoth had always been friendly with the family, making himself a part of it despite the long gaps between visits. Menankith would never get that chance.

We have better family here, the drgonet assured her, resting his head on her knee. Illa and Fenrith, Ichta and Aurinkoth, G'ran and Elzebuth, R'gan and Basanuth. They didn't need her backwards-thinking blood relatives, not with so much to look forward to in their future.

DruidTigeress