[Candidates] Just Drink It *see note*

[Snow]

Eavan took a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. The alcohol had made her feel warm, but so far as she could tell her mind was still just as clear as ever. At least her tactic of drinking small, slow sips had worked. She gave a smile and nod to J’ain before she began telling a little something about herself.

”Well, I was born at Crom. My mother moved us here when I wasn’t even a turn old, though. So Sunset is the only place I know. I think it’s fair to say so far I’m the only candidate that has grown up in this weyr. I have stood a few times now, but…here’s to hoping for a successful impression. For all of us.” She raised her glass slightly in a toast and took a small drink.

”Not much else other than that. Oh, my mother does work in the kitchens. Her name is Ekletta. If any of you ever get hungry between meals, she tends to keep a few tidbits laying around for hungry candidates to eat.” It was an invitation meant for all. Her mother loved kids and still missed her older children horribly. To fill that empty space she looked after the kids of the weyr in the best way she knew how. Feeding them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Neiram shrugged indifferently. She just got here she wasn’t about to complain about something as small as not having something more delicious to drink. ”That’s alright. I think I’ll be alright.” She said and tried taking another sip. She couldn’t help but make the scrunchy face again. Well, she still wasn’t going to complain.

It was the blond haired girls turn then. Eavan was her name, Neiram caught. She tried her best to pay attention to what the girl said, but all she could think of was the fact she was going to have to tell something about herself. Neiram had never been too comfortable speaking of herself, but it looked like she was going to have to. There was no sharding way she wanted to join the other girl in latrine duty.

[ambigious]

As the Candidatemaster advanced on her, Ophelia merely gazed up into J'ain's lightly flushed face. She knew what to expect, since J'ain had to make an "example" out of her in order to gain the loyalty of the other Candidates. But the fact that she was tipsy when administering the punishment rankled Ophelia. Ah well. Still, Ophelia didn't bat a lash when J'ain told her she had latrine duty for a week. There were worse things in life. Before the other woman walked away, Ophelia couldn't help but respond to her comments, as she did not agree with what was said. It was her nature to express her opinion, as she felt it was unjust to have one thought rule all. It was why she chose to play devil's advocate at times.

"With all due respect," she said simply, "sharing my past has nothing to do with riding a dragon. If something came up in wing training, I would handle it accordingly. But how much I choose to disclose is my right, and mine alone." Ophelia ignored the comment about being scared. It had nothing to do with fear, and everything to do with caution. She'd only just met these people. How did she know she could trust them with any kind of information about herself, especially after the way most of them responded to her. But then J'ain was off to the next Candidate, and Ophelia listened quietly to Kogran's explanation. Oh yes, he'd mentioned something when they first met about being afraid of getting in trouble again. It made sense.

When Julim was excused, Ophelia couldn't help but snort and glance sideways at the young man. He was smart. Using that outburst to...well, Ophelia decided to withjold judgment for now. When Eavan addressed Neiram, she glanced over at the young girl, having missed her presence. She was drinking alcohol, too? That caused the Candidate to frown slightly, but she refrained from speaking. It was good for the girl to learn how to control herself in the presence of friends, or at least an authority figure; that way she didn't go off on her own and get into trouble. As for the rest of the stories, Ophelia listened quietly as she sipped at her drink, relishing the fire that burned its way down her throat and into her gut.

[Sher]

The assistant candidatemaster didn't feel like getting into it with Ophelia again, and only shook her head. It was easier to smile at Eavan. "Excellent," J'ain said. "It sounds like you'll all have something to talk about, some things in common. I guess that makes it my turn." She cleared her throat, blinking too much. Her head felt stuffed with wool again. "I was born to the name Jalaine in a tiny little farmhold at Lemos Hold, and raised with the beasts; didn't get much education there. I got Searched by Telgar Weyr when I was sixteen. That first Hatching I was left standing." She shrugged, the memory making her smile. "Ansith came along the second time. In between the two, I learned to read and whatnot." How much should she tell them about when she was a young rider? Better leave some of it out.

"I didn't get caught in the Lost Turn because I wasn't at a Weyr just then. Then Thread started, so I resigned my post and came here to help fight it." She hesitated. "That's pretty much it." There. No mention of her disregard for authority, or anything else sensitive. "So. Now that we all know something about each other-" She avoided looking at Ophelia. "-mostly anyway, what are we going to do about a sitting area in the barracks?" She leaned back a little from the table. If they could talk it out among themselves and come to a decision, great. If not, she'd make them vote.

J'ain had quite forgotten about discussing the firelizard eggs. Something in her head felt strange; more than could be attributed to the brew anyway. Her stomach felt like it had dropped to the floor as she realized what was amiss. Ansith was awake, and he had been 'listening' with her ears for... who knew how long.

Mine, you were drinking,[/i] he said calmly.

"I'll um... be right back," she said suddenly, standing woozily, trying to keep her face straight while keeping from the dragon things he shouldn't see. I'm not drunk, she denied quickly. I only had one cup.

You were drinking,[/i] he reiterated. With the candidates? J'ain... what were you thinking?[/i]

J'ain had stopped walking toward the door with one foot above the floor; she only put it down because she started to wobble. Okay, so he could see right through her mental barriers. Maybe she was a little drunk. I was trying to get them relaxed with each other, and get them familiar with each other, she said, frowning. Ansith, you aren't going to-

Tell on you? I think I'd better,[/i] the blue yawned. Since you ordered them to drink-[/i] A detail neatly lifted from her mind. You'll be the only one to get in trouble.[/i]

J'ain stood there with her mouth open for a moment. Well, shards. What an unexpected turn of events. If there was a formal reprimand, she might even lose her rank. Best case scenario? She'd be working in the latrines with Ophelia. Quickly, she wobbled her way out the door, heading for her weyr. The candidates would probably think she'd passed out somewhere and slept it off. Exactly what she intended to do, if Ansith would let her.

I can't believe you would go that far...[/i]

[azure]

That had been an interesting little bit of drama. He was so glad it hadn't widened to catch him.

Prinner reached over to the forgotten jug and refilled his mug. Why not? It had been left here, and it tasted pretty good, really. If he impressed, there would be no drinking for a long time. Over a turn if he remembered. If he didn't impress, Julim had told him there were sympathetic riders and weyr folk who would be ready to share drink with him.

He really hoped this would be his last chance for a turn, and would drink as if it were.

"I guess the tales of wild times at the Weyr have some truth in them." he said, unable to help himself. This was just too strange of an evening. "Ophelia, may I fill your mug? In commiseration for all the smelly latrines to come? Although, seeing how easily she got drunk, maybe she'll forget about it?"

He held up the jug invitingly. If he had gotten latrine duty for being annoying, he'd sure drink.

[Snow]

Neiram didn't know what was going on. It was bad enough getting dropped off in a strange place, but to be thrown into an awkward situation was just too much. On top of all that this drink was absolutely horrid. At least she thought so. Her face had been one of shock and dismay as the bluerider walked out of the barracks.

With a huff she pushed the glass away from her, but did eat more of the food in front of her. "Okay, that was weird. I know I'm the new kid here, but I'm sure I'm not the only one to think this whole situation odd." She watched as one of the boys fill Ophelia's cup and made a grimace.

"I honestly don't know how you all can drink this stuff. So what are we suppose to do now? Just sit here and see if she returns? I'm tired and a bit...well I feel like a sunstruck wherry and would love to just go to sleep." Neiram knew she sounded a bit whiney, but shard it if she didn't have some what of a right to be that way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eavan sighed and pushed her cup away from her as well. It wasn't even a third gone yet. "Well, this has certainly been interesting to say the least. I'm not sure if she'll be back or not." Eavan said getting up and started to pick up the empty dishes that people were done with.

She listened to Prinner's logic as he offered to fill Ophelia's glass. "Honestly, I doubt any real punishment will be given. If someone asked J'ain what Ophelia was being punished for she'd be forced to either lie or be vague enough to cause suspicion. Our Assistant Candidatemaster knows better than any of us that we shouldn't be drinking. I doubt she'd want to get herself in trouble. Eavan still thought that in a small way the girl deserved the punishment, but when looking at the bigger picture it was obvious that J'ain's breaking of the rules was far more severe than not giving out the appropriate amount of information.

She thought briefly about telling Prinner that none of them should drink more, but the night had been long and tedious already. Besides, if one was to look at it in a more rebellious point of view they had been ordered to drink the alcohol. Eavan wisely decided to stay silent on the matter, but she would not partake any more of the stuff. "Yes, you must be tired and you need to pick a cot for yourself. If J'ain comes back, well...I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Eavan neatly stacked the plates at one end of the table as she looked at the others to see what they thought of the abrupt disappearance of their assistant candidatemaster.

[ambigious]

As J'ain's words filled the silence that Neiram's words had left, Ophelia glanced up, her expression curious as she listened to the Candidatemaster's words. The reason that Ophelia had been so civil with the bluerider was because she could sense the same disdain for authority that she herself bore, and found a kindred spirit in that. She wanted to know where J'ain had come across it, especially since she'd lived in the Weyr for quite a while, judging by her dragon's age. So as she spoke -- if a bit slurred and almost wanton -- Ophelia listened with her head tilted to the side, occasionally bringing the cup to her lips to sip at the alcohol. The tart flavor that preceded the burn was actually rather enjoyable, and since she hadn't eaten much of her pie she could feel the contents of the cup warming her stomach.

When J'ain paused in recollecting her early years as a dragonrider, Ophelia instantly made a mental note of that and stored it away for later use. The candidatemaster had piqued her attention, and she meant to figure out why. However, when J'ain rose to her feet abruptly and raced from the room, Ophelia was left mildly perturbed. Perhaps she was sick? But still, that left a very awkward and disjointed group of people to discuss living arrangements. Before Ophelia had more time to mull over recent events, she heard herself being addressed, and glanced over to see a young man -- Prinner, that was his name -- holding the goblet towards her. For a second Ophelia scoured his face, searching for something, but when she didn't find it a languid grin lifted the ends of her thin lips.

"Sure," she replied, but rather than get a word in edgewise waited until Eavan had her share. "Thank you for that," she said sarcastically, even as she extended the cup towards Prinner for a refill, "but there are also worse things in life than latrine duty. She was trying to make an example out of me, that was all. But I personally," and she intentionally pitched her voice a bit louder to be heard by all, "would love to forego the decision about a seating room until we've all had some time to relax. It's obvious we can't agree on anything." The grin transformed itself into a slight smirk. "But maybe if we spend a little more time together we can come to some sort of understanding." When little Neiram spoke, Ophelia couldn't help but glance towards the young girl with a mixture of regret and a protective edge. She was so young to be a Candidate...

"Hmm," she mused aloud, and tilted her head to the side. "Since this is a party, why don't we have some fun?" A mischevious light danced in her eyes as Ophelia leaned forward across the table towards Neiram for emphasis, her hand still extended to Prinner with the cup. "Truth or dare. What do you say?"

[Rust]

More than anything else, Kogran was confused. It was no surprise, of course, since he wasn't the brightest of the bunch, but the brew wasn't helping much either. People telling their stories wasn't bad, although it was pretty boring when it all came down to it. People never had anything cool to say about themselves when asked like that. And then J'ain left for some reason, out of nowhere! Why?

Kogran sipped at the last few drops of his brew as Prinner refilled his own cup. Kogran planned on taking some more once the jug was back on the table as soon as he had a chance, but he ended up listening to everyone too much to see an opportunity. Ophelia's suggestion really caught him off-guard though.

"Truth or dare?" Kogran repeated with exaggerated surprise. "I mean, it sounds fun, but what if someone asks you truth? I kinda got the feelin' you didn't want to tell any of us about yourself. I mean that's fine 'n' all but I'm jus' sayin' it seems weird."