Snippet #2345264

"Looks like Tariel is going to be changing his name soon." Ransier smirked at the sight of his old Creche buddy and his new dragon. "Good on him."

Ransier was seated comfortably amongst the crowd in the audience. The majority of onlookers were either silent as the grave, or muttering quietly to neighbors. He in particular didn't exactly share some of the sentiment that came with Hatching....not after his own experience with the event.

His gaze made its way to the injured boy, the once white tunic took on a deep scarlet that cut at Ransier's trauma.
"Looks like you'll be busy afterwards, eh Master Healer?"

Ariel looked on with a concerned frown. "It's always the case. We do what we can, but there are sometimes those we can't save. Even this young the dragonets are powerful creatures."

She smiled then, though, as her eyes fell on Tariel. "He's been pining for a dragon for years, now. I think it's because of his father - no, I know. I always got the sense that as much as he enjoyed learning my craft, that he felt something was missing."

The healer shook her head, "I just hope that T'len is kind to him. He still has quite ... traditional views from his upbringing in the Holds. I feel as though he may not approve of the green." The wrinkling of her nose evidently showed that Ariel found her weyrmate's attitude annoying.

"I've visited the Hold quite a view times myself, it's different from the Weyr for sure, but the people there mean well." He shrugged as he placed his chin in one of his hands, observing the ceremony intently. "Good folk that simply look at things differently than us."

He tried to sound convincing, but Ransier knew Tariel's father as well, the boy's mother certainly was right to have her doubts.
"In the end, I'm sure he'll still be happy that Tariel's found himself a Dragon, plenty of other can't make that claim."

Himself included.

The healer smiled at Ransier, "It's not too late for you just yet, Ransier. Maybe next hatching you'll be chosen as a candidate again?" she said, "Besides, you don't need a dragon to be proud. Look at me, after all. I like to think I'm as accomplished, if not more so, than many of the riders." Ariel chortled, "Don't let them hear me saying that though." she added jokingly.

Nodding her head, she sighed. "You're probably right. Still, I worry sometimes that I made the wrong decision in breaking with tradition and taking care of Tariel myself. He needs to find pride in himself, rather than always look for it from me or his father."
"I wouldn't go as far as that." Ransier disagreed. "I kind of envy Tariel, being able to grow up with his parents. Maybe that's the Hold in me, but I kind of think that a kid should be able to spend time with his true family, and not just be pushed off onto whoever seems to suit the Weyr's needs best."

He sighed, but what would've happened to him if that was the case?

"Anyway, how's Jusiran doing? I'm still very grateful to you for taking her under your wing."

Ariel beamed, "Oh, she's doing marvelously. A very astute student, she reminds me of Tariel when he was her age." she said, nodding her head. "You did the right thing by her bringing her to me, it's my pleasure. I need someone to occupy my time now that Tariel's going to be off training with the riders, after all."

With a faint frown, she sighed. "You know, in a selfish way, I almost hoped that he wouldn't Impress, and I'd be able to train him to take my place. And he wouldn't have to be off risking his life in the threadfall. It's hard enough with T'len up there, but now I have the both of them to be worrying about..."

"You should know your son by now. He would love nothing more than to help you out and become a great healer, but he'd still feel like he wouldn't be living up to his father's expectations. I think this is the best thing we could hope for Tariel, with this he can learn a bit of what his father goes through and decide just how much he's willing to do to please him."

He would've gone on longer, but he felt a sudden weight land on his left shoulder. When he looked, Ransier found a pair of light blue eyes staring back at him. The eyes belonged to a larger than average brown Fire lizard. This Fire Lizard's name, was Sniff.
Ransier smiled and pulled a strip of dried meat from his pocket, holding it up to the creature which happily snapped it from his fingers.

"Excited about the Hatching are you?" Ransier smirked at his companion.

"Hopefully," Ariel agreed, "Too much hero worship can be a bad thing." she chuckled, "If only because it'll eventually start going to T'len's head. Like he needs anything more to boost his ego. He can be ridiculous sometimes." The smile on her face made it clear that she wasn't too bothered, though. After all, she had quite the way with keeping her weyrmate in line.

The healer glanced to the side at Sniff, waving a hand at the little lizard affectionately before she turned her attention back to the scene below, anxious to keep an eye out for any other injuries.

Once he was finished eating, Sniff began to nuzzle the side of Ransier's neck. The young man placed a hand on the Fire-lizard's snout and grinned. "Yeah Yeah, you're welcome. Now behave, Hatching isn't over."

Ransier returned his attention to the sands, where he noticed a young boy had begun to attempt getting closer to a Blue. Ransier had saw it almost instantly, and apparently only moments before the young one.

The Blue had no interest in him.

The young Dragon had barely finished crawling out of it's shell, and as it ignored the boy, it turned away from him and began to to walk away.

But neither the dragonet or the candidate seem to remember about the creature's tail. Before he could avoid it, the dragon's tail crashed into the side of boy's chest. Ransier and Sniff both winced as they watched the boy get tossed quite a few feet away, crying out in pain.

"That's a few broken ribs...." Ransier sighed, subconsciously his right hand went to the left side of his chest, tracing an invisible line straight across the width of his torso. Under his clothes, his skin bore a scar that would remind him of his failure to impress for the rest of his life.