~Jaess and Orica's Search Story~
Jaess glanced over at his sleeping sister and sighed. Sometimes he wished he could be as happy about everything as she was, even through everything she had been through. He wondered if she kept it all inside, or if it really wasn't there at all. He closed his weyr-hide, leather bound journal and slid it under his bed. He stared at the closed door of their room then layed down and went to sleep.
"Up! Up! Wake up!" Orica's eyes opened to see her little sister Ursila giving her a wake up call. She hurried to Jaess and shook him. He only groaned and rolled over. Orica laughed and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Come on, Jaess. The festival is today." "Big deal," came her young brother's muffled reply. Orica shook her head and grinned, walking to Jaess's bed. "You made me do it," she said, then grabbed his foot and pulled him off the bed and onto the floor, despite his desprete clutches to the bed posts. "Moth-ER!" Jaess screamed. Urika strided into the room. Her tawny hair was tied back into a bun, and she was half-dressed. "Stop fooling around. Hurry up and get ready." Orica laughed and threw her pillow at Jaess. "Yeah, hurry up and get ready." She then rushed out of the room, followed by Jaess trying to beat her to the bathing room.
"What's so great about this festival anyway?" Jaess asked. Him and Orica were walking together through the crowds. Orica was searching for a game booth that was giving out dragon dolls. "It's just fun. Everyone, together in one place for happy times. Why are you so anti-social anyway?" Orica glanced back and saw her brother staring at her with narrowed eyes. "Because I never could be social. You were always in front, Orica. You were always scratching for the friends. I was always known as Orica's little brother. Even before Geroff died. Even he was known as Orica's brother. Even when he Impressed. Don't you get it, Ork? I'm anti-social because you had to be the only one with friends." Orica was surprised by her brother's hurtful response. "Come on, Jaess. Nobody calls you that. You're older now." She reached to put a hand on his shoulder, but he jerked back. "Not by much, Orica. You think you're so kind, but you know that you'd leave everyone at the first sign of trouble." There was silence, and then Jaess shook his head and walked off. "Jaess -wait!" but Orica's cry was cut off by the the flapping of dragon wings. There were gasps and shouts in the crowd, and then they all began moving furiously toward them. The bronzerider, Head Searchrider, walked off to the stage to make the annoucement of their arrival. Several other Searchriders remained in the crowd, looking through the screaming would-be candidates. Jaess was pushed back to his sister somehow, who wrapped her arms around him.
They both stared at the dragons not far in the distance. This was the first time they had seen a dragon since their older brother Geroff and his bronze dragon had died. They were clearly fascinated once more. One Searchrider noticed them, and their eyes that glittered with amazement. She was oddly pleased to see that they held back, even though they were truly astonished, unlike all the others who simply wished to be famous. So she walked forth, ready to annouce their new rank.
"So you're our new candidates," Weyrwoman Falora said, shaking hands with Jaess and Orica. "Look around." She dismissed them. The siblings exchanged glances then began walking off in silence.
They walked along the beach of Talor Cliff Weyr, after looking at the eggs of Naomith's clutch. There was enough space between them for a green dragon to walk through. They walked forth like that, until Jaess began closing it. "Look, Ork, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier." Orica shook her head. "No, you were right. I am like that. I guess it's because I was afriad of being left out, and instead I made everyone else that one. I'm the one that should be sorry. I suppose I've always known that I was inflicting you like that and I guess I should be thankful for you showing it to me. Thank you, Jaess." They paused and faced each other, smiling until they finally hugged. "Love you," Jaess said quietly. "Love you, too." They drew back, and Orica sniffed. They began to walk again. Jaess began to squint as he saw something off in the distance. "Firelizard clutch!" he shouted, running to the mound. Orica ran after him. It was a firelizard clutch. And they were hatching. Several other people came up. Orica spotted the nice girl she had met earlier and she offered her and Jaess some meat. Some eggs hatched, and they ran off with their bondmates. A green and blue hatched, and rolled clumsly out of their shells. The blue tottered to Orica, the green to Jaess. They began to feed their hungry firelizards. Orica glanced back at the nest, and nudged Jaess. He looked and saw a queen staring piteously around for someone to be Impressed by. Jaess began to walk forth, but Orica got their first. She held her hand out slowly to the weeping gold, who cautiously sniffed her fingers then gulped down the meat. The gold fluttered to her shoulder, joining her green. "You, I shall call Willow. And you shall be for Ursila, like I promised." Jaess looked at her, somewhat of grin on his face. "Maybe I misjudged you," he said. Orica smiled but shook her head. "Let's go."
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