Breakfast at the Beach

Main Beach

The beach here is of a fine, glittering black sand... volcanic sand, remnants of a long-past eruption. The beach is fairly wide, which is a good thing since many of the Weyr's dragons like to come here and lounge in the sun. The crystal blue waters of the ocean roll up in gentle hissing waves on the shoreline, sometimes leaving shells or other treasures from the sea in their wake. On the north and south ends of the beach, the cliff from the plateau retreats into the forest, and trees flank the beaches.

It is a summer before dawn.

Out on the pier, you see two ships.

Above, you see a green dragon.

On the perch are Topaz, Cinder, Saft, and Jung.

Bronze Nverath is here.

Brenon wanders down the trail that leads to the beach, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he does. Poor 'lil guy didn't get much sleep last night in his new place of rest -- the Candidate Barracks. The cot was a little more comfortable than the one he slept on back at the resident Dorms, so, he can't complain there. Green eyes blink and both hands run through his messy hair which, of course, needs a good combing. What's new? The lad trudges through the sand and meanders over to his fellow candidates, waving to them and the bronzerider all at once. "Hiya." he greets, and then bounds over to Brid. "Can I have a sweetroll, please?" There's that authentic 'B-smile' of his.

Groggle.....wiggle....stop. Er.....Stop? More like caught in the sand! A Stumble. A Trip. A Scream. Yeeek! Arms'a'flailin' and balance leaving her body, Trimaka's not-unusual morning zombie walk was interupted by a face-palm down into the sand where she layed for a couple moments, vulgar and morbid words of curses spewing from her mouth. Not only that, But sand also dropped from her mouth as she lifted herself up. Tired almond oculars squinted from the sun, raising her hand to her forehead to shade them. Alas! Fellow Candi's! But....They aren't going to like the morning 'Mak. Oh no.

Lyrianna shuffles down to the beach, trailing behind Maka, book in one hand, a small basket of breakfasty food in the other., figuring she's woken up early enough to eat and read without being bothered. An uninterested glance towards Trimaka as she goes splat into the sand, then realizes she may want to be a touch concerned and hurries her steps over to the other candidate,"You okay?" Small waves go to everyone else in greeting.

Nadine trots down to the beach, clad in her little bikini and carrying a towel. As she moves close enough to see Nverath, a low string of curses not unlike Trimaka's are muttered, but she continues on down, anyway. She smells food. "Got sweetrolls?" she wonders, changing directions slightly to make for Brid. "Those're good in the morning..." She looks back to Trimaka who was earlier just glanced over. "That doesn't look very comfortable..." And glaze right over everyone else, since she's just hungry and sleepy and wants to swim before chores.

D'baji pauses in his strap checks, while Nverath croons sweetly in response to Nadine. "Y'got klah?" is questioned of Brid after her announcement, while the rest of the candidates are shot somewhat scared looks. "Shards, there's a /lot/ of you," he adds with a whuffle, clutching those straps a bit closer to him. "Everyone getting along all right, then?" The last question asked at a raised voice, in some hope that people might hear him.

Brid extends one of the skins to the bronzer without a word and doles out the rolls and offers another klah skin out in general. "You okay, Maka? have some klah, it'll clean out your mouth." Take the nanny out of the nursery, but... "There's plenty. I'm still not used to not going ho.. to Izz's."

"M.....M'Fine...." Mak's form was crumpled up into a ball shape while she peered up towards Lyrianna and raising her thumb in gesture towards her well being. Sarcasm struck her tone while a look was offered towards Nadine, along side wrist flick, "Oh No, It's perfectly comfortable down here. See? The sand is Soooo comfortable!" And Mak proceeds with a roll around in it. See what you did? You've got the insomniac-senial-non-morning-woman going now! Watch out. Danger is'a headin' straight bound!

Brenon openly takes a sweetroll in hand and starts to nibble at it, catching bits of queries and conversation as he does. Green eyes blink as he sees Trimaka near by in the sand. A lopsided grin forms on his expression and he meanders on over to get a closer look at the bronze dragon. "Oo. He's big." he says to no one in particular. "What's his name?" Ok, so he's a little behind on memorizing candidate, dragon, and kitchen staff names.

Lyrianna blinks at the Maka rolling around at her feet. Fascinating. So Lyrianna just steps over an arm and makes her way to the other candies and bronzer, holding up her basket. "I have fruit, if anyone wants it," as she trades one of her fruits for a roll and kicks a log closer to them to sit down on. "There's still more of us...Bet we could get them out here if you wanted to meet them," is noted to the bronzerider with a hint of joking-ness.

Nadine, getting no reply, just grabs a sweetroll as soon as she's close enough and starts scarfing it. Nverath gets a little nod, and the general beach populace gets a generic, "G'morning." She sets her towel down on the sand and finishes her sweetroll, then looks at D'baji. "Um, is it safe to go swimming with Nverath in there?" She nods her head towards the water.

Nverath paddles a bit closer, surfacing soon enough so that his glistening bronzeness is flaunted as best it can be without too much light from Rukbat. And so the dragon extends his neck towards Brenon and gives a whuffle, which sends droplets here and there. "His name's Nverath," Deb replies with a slow shrug, turning to Lyrianna to stick his tongue out at her. The klah from Brid is accepted with a slow, somewhat concerned, nod. "So aside from being a bit homesick, you dealin' well?" Nadine gets a nod, and a soft chuckle. "He won't grab you this time, I promise. He's downright gentle, really..." Mak gets a blink too, with a mutter of, "Welcome to candidacy."

Trimaka presses a hand against Pern's grainy sand, uplifting herself to her feet and brushing off the excess material from her shirt, pants and boots. Come on, Mak. Put on that plastic pretty smile for everyone! Cheek to cheek spreads a milk-dullened simper before she trundles after Lyrianna with ungainly steps. A stop in her momentum is obviously a thought coming to her head, before Lyrianna's arm is snagged and she's pulled towards Mak's lips -- Not in a kiss -- But to whisper a few words in her ear, "Lyr, I got Somethin' to ask and tell Ya'!" -- Ah. There goes the normal 'Mak now, pulling forth a stunt. Whisperwhisperwhisper. Snicker! Whisperwhisper.

Brenon takes another bite of the sweetroll he snagged and stands there, staring out at the water and large dragon in it. When the dragon snorts and sends droplets of water at him, the lad grins and lets out a laugh. "Hiya Nverath." he greets the bronze. Sandals take him towards the water front and he sticks his toes in to test the temperature. Hm. Not too bad. Pause. Taking the last bite of his sweetroll, he then steps into the water up to his ankles. "I dunno if I wanna swim or not.." is idly spoken. Roseina is then waved at. Wavie.

Lyrianna is just about to bite into a lovely shiny redfruit, but is suddenly jerked Maka's way, the fruit tumbling to the sands. A wistful look to the fruit before she raises an eyebrow at the older candidate,"Do you, now?" Eyebrow raise. Nod. Gigglegiggle. Okay. "Ooh." Gigglegiggle. An eager nod of agreement before she wrenches her arm free and leans over to snatch her fruit back up. "Be clean," she mumbles to it as she brushes it off. She is not talking to a fruit, nope. Of course not.

Brid says, "G'morning" is offered generically. Since Maka seems to have recovered from her tumble, she is smiled at as the dasrk-haired one sits cross-legged on the sands. "How are you and Ver, "Baji?" Unasked.. How is Izz'. Noticing the trade of fruit for roll, she crunches into the piece given. "Ohh.. good, thanks!"

Nadine nods and edges into the water, though it's still at a distance from the large bronze. Once safely out to sea...er, once far enough to immerse herself completely, she stops and treads water, occasionally dipping her head under. Nice water, mm-hmm. She blinks at one of the newer Candidates, as Trimaka's grabbing of Lyri doesn't go unnoticed. But Nadine's an early-morning swimmer, not an early-morning thinker, and most of her concentration is back to feeling good in the nice ol' ocean.

Roseina gallops, doing some kind of a swirl-dance, as she appears in front of the crowd. Wow. A crowd! Brenon's wave is returned with a smile and a wink, and she stops absentmindedly on the sands. Ok, now the image of the crowd sinks in, and she sinks back a little. Who were all these peoples? She'll just have to find out. "Hello! I'm Roseina.." Voice streams out softly, and then louder as it grows into a chant.

D'baji scoots closer to Brid, because someone to sit with is never bad, while still not having touched the klah given him. "'Ver and I are wonderful. Most of the dragons seem to be. Or, Nverath is... I'm being made to look over his straps, though apparently he's forgotten for the time being." A nod to the bronze, who is now realizing that people are in the water, and lowering his head towards everyone and anyone within the vicinity, rumbling more than a little happily. Lyrianna and Trimaka's movements are noticed, and a suspicious eye is sent that way. Though he won't say anything. Yet. Roseina's greeting draws a wave of the klah flask. "'Mornin'!"

Having caught Brid's eyes, Mak's hand was uplifted and fingers went into a waggle of greeting, along side jovial smirl. Lyrianna is given a hearty pat on the back with a chortle and scuff of boot. Some words are spoken a little bit loudly, however, " Sweetsand, Yeah! ..... Pink....Dye.............Bathing...." And the rest of the words are mumbled. Mak's looks are now full of suspicion and are rather questionable. Lyr is now looked at someone Mak will cling to. She just hopes to get along with the rest of the Candidates. Another wiggle of fingers goes towards the Rider, D'baji, for his remark along side a marred wink, "Mornin', BronzeRider."

Brenon pauses for a moment, glancing over his shoulder and at his fellow candidates behind him. Hm. What're they up to? Well, he's not the plotting type.. yet.. it could be interesting sometimes. Mwahaha. Pause again. Yikes! He's got kitchen duty before dawn, and, he's late. Oy. Bailing out of the water, the lad zooms past everyone in a dash. "Gotta go! Bye for now!" he calls over his shoulder. Wave.

Lyrianna is open to clinging. Most of the time. But once again the pat on the back causes a clean redfruit to drop to the floor. A small whine escapes the girl and she just kicks the fruit, which heads to the water. "THere goes my brekfast," she mumbles, eyeing the other people in the water. Are redfruits tainted by saltwater? Although the thing is probably completely bruised tonight. Roseina is blinked at. She's far to cheerful for the hour. "Hello there," mumbles the Lyr.

"Allo, Roseina, welcome to drudgery," Nadine calls from the water. "Name's Nadine, and I will be your fellow drudge this morning..." She thinks she's on the same chore roster. She eyes the rumbling dragon and decides to slide over a bit more. Can't trust dragons. She oohs as she catches "dye" and "bathing" but obviously can't discuss it with others here, so she contents herself with a little smile and sinks further down into the water.

Brid adds her voice to the cacophany as well. "Welcome Roseina, I'm Brid" yes, pronounced Breed.. sigh, and turing back to the now closer bronzer boy, "You going to drink that klah or let it get cold?" A grin accompanying the words, no need to offend this early in the morning. Or late in the day, in her case.

D'baji blinks at the previously waved flask, blushing and nodding. "Right, I'll get to it," he promises, managing to release those straps to have them sit in his lap. Nverath gives a hurt sniff for Nadine's avoidance, advancing towards her again with a croon. Deb's voice is raised here to call out, "Come on, he won't hurt you! You're making him feel bad now, Nadine!" And now, back to Brid. "D'you have mugs, or just straight from the flask?"

Trimaka could easily represent the epitome of a feline. She doesn't like water. She likes to be alone sometimes, and she'll bite'cha if you get too close with those lethal verbal fangs of hers. She decided to retire from standing to sit down; Legs flat and spread and elbows right in the middle. She's rather...un-lady like, isn't she? But You know she's adorable! Beamtwinkle. She stays solitare, giving a few glances towards the other candidates to look them over and see whay they're all about. There's no harm in looking.

Jash is looking a little tired. Imagine that, tired at 7am. Squinting he peers around and finally finds Nadine, making his way over to her just in time to realize Nverath has the same idea. Backing up so that he won't get in the way, poor Jash apparently trips over a grain of sand to end up on his rear looking confused.

Trimaka chokes on laughter. Ahhhhahaha. Jash fell right on his arse! Doesn't he look silly. -- ...Er...But didn't she look even more humiliated when she fell just a few moments ago on her face? ... .. No one needs to know that.

Nadine doesn't exactly look thrilled about it, but there goes that shardin' conscience telling her not to upset the dragon. But she still can't make herself swim towards him, so she just floats in the water and lets him come to her. And meanwhile, there is stuff Going On on the beach. "Morning, Jash," she calls out and stifles giggles. "The sand's being cranky this morning, jumping up and tripping everyone..."

Brid says, "No mugs, I wasn't expecting a morning party, sorry." She winces as Jash joins the group in true candidate style, it seems. "Sweetroll?" is offered. Maybe nights in the kitchen is a good thing. "Just slug it Deba, I gave you your own skin."

Lyrianna eyes Jash from her spot on her log where she nibbles at a sweetroll. Why do people's balance seem to be impaired in the mornings? Lyrianna hasn't ever fallen over from tripping on a grain of sand...Curse those energetic kids. Okay, well, she's not that energetic and she's not /really/ a kid anymore but that's okay. "And we have fruit," she notes, pushing her basket of fruit forwards with her toe.

D'baji manages to look altogether spoiled, like a little boy being presented with five sweetrolls while his four siblings get none. "I love you," he delcares, toying with the flask and lifting it to his lips, adam's apple jiggling with a few swallows. Mouth is wiped, and he clarifies, "In that 'friend' way." Nverath, meanwhile, creeps a bit closer to Nadine, and croons some more. He will befriend this one, if it's the last thing he does.

Jash is looking for the piece of sand that did the dirty work it seems. Smoothing out the section in front of him as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Hey look! More sand! His face is a bright red as he tries to ignore the laughter. He waves vaguely in the direction of Nadine's voice. Hearing the talk of food seems to get his interest even if nothing else could and he looks around to see where the fruit is. Spotting it near Lyrianna he crab crawls his way over and begins to eat in true Jash fashion, which means barely stopping to chew and swallow before the next bite, not messy but fast.

Brid chuckles, "Good thing or Izz would at least try to hurt you." And doesn't even want to think what Yulianna would say. no need to even go there! As Rubkat lifts it's rays a bit higher, she sighs. "Well, all night work calls for daytime sleep. I'll leave the basket of rolls and klah skins. Some one get 'em back to the kitchen for me?" Standing, tiny sprays of sand sprinkle all about D'baji.. Oh well. "Later then.. my cot is calling." Keep her tired enough, she won't have time to miss izz and Iza, right?

Lyrianna watches her fruit begin to dissappear. Hm. Not good. A small thwap is directed toward's Jash's head as she scolds,"Bad Jash. Chew your food." Basket of fruit is pulled back towards her with a foot. The bronze dragon earns an eye. He's really set on making friends with Nadine, isn't he? Small shrug before she goes back to protecting her fruit.

Nadine grins at Jash. "You're going to choke on your food some day, and then where will your...what'd you call it...Wild Fire Lizard Protection thingie be?" Then she shoots a look over at the approaching dragon and sort of squints her eyes shut and cringes into the water, like she's expecting Nverath to eat her or something. You'd think after all these sevendays in a Weyr...

Nverath turns his croon to a rumble, and blinks two /huge/ eyes at Nadine. Almost expectantly. D'baji, meanwhile, nods to Brid as she leaves, and then turns to some other people. More to talk to. So he wanders towards Lyri's log, tilting his head. "Y'got any more fruit?" Nverath's situation is then eyed, and he calls, "Just pat his nose or something already, shardit girl!"

Jash glances up at Lyrianna with a strange look on his face, surprise, embarrassment and perhaps even a tinge of anger. If there ever was any anger there it fades away quickly along with the surprise, leaving only embarrassment. Even that lasts only a moment as Jash decides that he will be kind enough to take Brid's basket back for her, empty of course. Glancing up to Nadine he shrugs and ever so eloquently says "I dunno" before starting to eat his breakfast once more.

Lyrianna picks up her fruit basket, inspecting the remains. "Um...There's one with a bite out of it, but other than that, it's fine?" Redfruit, with a bite out of it already, is held up towards the rider with a shrug. Jash is written off as weird, if he hadn't been already. "Wild Firelizard Protection thingy?" One must be curious.

Nadine squeaks. It's a most amusing thing to see an 18-Turn-old squeak. How's she supposed to pat a dragon when he's rumbling like he's going to erupt? But chances are he'll erupt if she /doesn't/ appease him, so she stretches up out of the water and puts out a hand to...well...pat. For the moment anything on the beach goes unnoticed.

D'baji eyes the fruit offered him dubiously, but shrugs in the end, holding out his hand for it. "Worse things I've eaten, so this shouldn't be an issue, should it?" is asked with a little grin. Nverath lids those great eyes halfway for the pat, giving a contented exhalation that will, most likely, get a fair bit of air passing over Nadine's general area. Jash is eyed next. "Why do we need to protect the wild firelizards? Wouldn't they be the tougher ones?"

Eyeing Lyrianna from his position near the basket of food. "To protect the wild firelizard population of Pern." He shrugs. Less talking more eating. Then D'baji asks the same question, causing Jash to stop chewing for a moment before hastily swallowing his food to answer the rider. "They are more hardy of course but with everyone trying to dig up the wild clutches and Impressing the strogest survivors of a clutch the find being killed off by it's own members it is depleting their numbers." With a shrug, he begins to eat again though more slowly in case the rider asks him another question.

Lyrianna sets her emptied basket next to her on her log with a shrug towards Jalir. "Uh...Sure." Obviously she does not see things as such, but, well....To each their own? Nadine is given a glance,"Looks like you've made a friend there," is a comment accompanied with a smirk.

Nadine squeezes her eyes shut and visibly winces back from the breath of air, but she continues her rather pathetic little patting. Nverath might bite her head off if she doesn't. "There are loads of fire-lizards on the southern continent and they're no doubt breeding just fine," Nadine manages to call out loud enough with her eyes still fixed on the bigbig dragon head.

D'baji ponders the fruit for a few more moments before going for the first testing bite. "Oh, it's good," is commented from around a juicy mouthful. Though he blushes somewhat- lack of manners and all. Swallow. "I suppose that's true... But it's not like firelizards are in danger of dying out or anything. Does anyone have programs to protect wild canines, hmm?" And then Nadine and that big bronze are eyed. "Oh, well done," he commends. "You've made him happy." And thus have made D'baji happy.

Jalir screeches to a halt, quite appearing to be braked by the shrug from Lyrianna. A series of nods follow, one directed at each of the other occupants- with a respectful sort of swaybob to Nverath. Otherwise, not a whole lot is said or done. Profound.

Jash gives D'baji a confused look. "Wild canines? There aren't hundreds of people out on beaches, daily trying to Impress them." Oh! Look out, Jash made a tiny joke, question is, did he mean it as a joke? "Wild firelizard populations are decreasing rapidly while the tame population is growing to the point that it may soon become a pest problem." Taking a swig from one of the klah flasks as he finishes his statement.

D'baji rolls his eyes towards Jash. "So what does your plan propose, then? We stop with the Impression of wild firelizards, and kill off half of the tame ones?" The morbidity has him wincing faintly, though there are hints of amusement in those green eyes. Nverath, satisfied now with Nadine, excuses himself with a soft purr of sorts, and turns his head faintly to eye Jalir, while sending the first few lines of a sonner her way. Well, a sort of sonnet... A rumble with ten syllables per line, shall we say?

"Ah...good," Nadine comments, almost dryly, "anything s'long as Nverath's happy." But since hasn't eaten her yet, her confidence and perhaps a bit of trust grows stronger, and her patting gets better just before Nverath turns away. Oh, goodie. Nadine drops back into the water with relief. "Hello, Jalir, sleep well?" Most definitely a sarcastic comment. The lumpy cots will...well, never mind. "The wild canines are living just fine. But why do we need to protect wild fire lizards? What do they do that our domesticated ones don't? Aside from, you know, not bugging us.

Jalir nibbles, in a rare show of cuteness(aw), at a knuckle, lips curling skywards in an abashed grin. Oh, Nverath! I swoon! I pine! Failing to catch the sarcasm in Nadine's question, she manages a thoughtful head-tilt, "Slept well, I s'pose. By an' by." All this talk of wild canines and firelizards seems to have her baffled, however, and she recedes to silence once more.

Lyrianna waves to Jalir,"Want some...er.." Fruit basket is held up then she looks into it,"Remains of fruit?" There aren't any full ones left. Just a couple cores and slices and peels and...remains of fruit. "Uhm...On the subject of firelizards...Yeah, I'm sure there are plenty of htemdown in southern." Shrug. Wild firelizards? Tame firelizards? It's not like the species is dying out or anything.

Jash shrugs to D'baji as he finally seems to fill that cavern he calls a stomach. "There is really nothing to do about the tame population but with the instincts a lizzard is born with, a tame clutch could easily be released into the wild." Turning to Nadine he shrugs slightly. "The wild populations of firelizards keep small pest populations down in the wild just as the tame ones do in the holds and weyrs. Not to mention they have fascinating social structures which need to be studied in depth. They aren't going to cease to exist tomorrow or anything but we need to take action before it happens." Wow, Jash is talking. Amazing what firelizards bring out in this strange young man.

Nadine decides she's done with her swim and begins lazily making her way for the beach, remaining silent on the topic of fire lizard preservation. She doesn't really have much to add to the conversation. Climbing up the sand, she locates her towel and begins drying herself off.

D'baji rolls his eyes towards Jash. "Stick with your arguments, then, and all the power to you," is decided, the more-than-half-eaten fruit tossed and caught, while Nverath is nodded to. "Anyway, we have wing drills to get to. Don't you guys drive each other insane or anything." A nod to each of them, and a "Thanks for the fruit," to Lyri as he and the sopping bronze make their exit- though Nverath does get a head-bob in to Jalir before he goes, and a tail-swish towards Nadine.

Jash looks around to the other people on the beach as his arguments fall on mostly unappreciative ears. Taking off his shoes he walks out onto the pier to dangle his feet in the water. Taking out his slate and chalk he begins to take notes on something, ignoring the other candidates for a while. Alone time is good. Perhaps he is writing a letter to Mother?

Lyrianna eyes Jash. Creepy. Basket is hooked onto her arm again, and book opened to read while she makes her way back. "Ick. It's time for me to go back. And maybe get some more fruit." Whine. All of her fruit was eaten. And so she wanders off, skillfully reading and walking and not bumping into anything,