Needle in a Haystack [Search:Tag Kivin/open]

[Kristin]

Kivin relaxed completely when S'lain put his hand on the candidate's shoulder. There was just something so comforting about the rider and he always seemed to know what to say to the shy boy. And just by him telling Kivin that he would show him to the barracks, a small weight was lifted of his shoulders.

"The climb will be no problem," Kivin assured the rider. He was used to exercise and his stamina was very good. He enjoyed the climb, which was made especially enjoyable, not to mention useful, by S'lain who pointed out the important things. Kivin never said anything other than humming in response, and instead paid attention to S'lain and his surroundings and made sure to memorize the really important stuff. Everything was fascinating and the candidate felt slightly overwhelmed.

It gave Kivin an immense sense of security, to be able to go to S'lain whenever he needed to, and he was immensely grateful to the older man. He knew he would take the rider up on the offer sometime. It was important to always have someone to go to, especially for someone as insecure as Kivin. If people here were only half as nice as S'lain, Kivin knew he would have no problems. He had a feeling that it wouldn't be long until they would reach the candidate barracks and then Kivin would lose his security blanket and instead would have to socialize with entirely new people. "Are there many candidates already S'lain?" He hoped there weren't. Fewer candidates meant it would be easier to adjust and a greater chance of impressing.

[Rouxy]

S'lain shook his head at the question. "We only have a few right now, not even enough for a full clutch, but we get in new Candidates all the time it seems." He smiled down at Kivin as they neared the top of the cliff, passing rider weyrs on the way. S'lain pointed at several. "Here's where the Riders stay with their dragons when they have free time. When you impress, you'll get one close to the ground so your dragon won't have a chance of falling off the ledge."

Finally rounding the top of the cliff, the bluerider angled towards a double set of buildings, waving idly to Jaxith on the way. The blue had found a favorite sunning spot of his further along the top where the trees were cleared away. He pointed out the open-air hatching sands. "There's the most important place for you, as a Candidate, Kivin. The hatching sands. When one of the golds lays her eggs, you'll get to touch, and hopefully even impress one of her hatchlings. Remember this place, and I would suggest memorizing several different ways to get up and down from here to the beach if you need to get here in a hurry." He advised, ending the tour at the adjacent candidate barracks.

Pointing to the distant jungle, and the dragons even then on watch duty, S'lain ushered the boy inside. "We keep a constant watch on this area because of its proximity to the jungle. We haven't had a direct feline attack, thank Faranth, but you need to be aware of the danger. Don't go outside alone, especially during the night, and just be careful." He gave Kivin a bright smile. "You're safe here, but we like to take extra precautions. This here is the male quarters, while the other building houses the young girls. Do you have any other questions before I leave you to get settled in?"

[Kristin]

When you impress, S‘lain had said. The rider seemed sure that a dragon would choose Kivin on hatching day. He felt flattered at the older man‘s trust in him, but at the same time couldn‘t help feeling that if he didn‘t impress, he would be letting S‘lain down in some way. And the chance of disappointing S‘lain, the only person he knew here, horrified the candidate.

Feline danger... Kivin felt that he should be more alarmed than he was but the truth was that he just didn‘t care at the moment. He had much bigger fears now, like about the fact that they were finally here, at the candidate barracks, and S‘lain was leaving him. He racked his brain for questions to ask the rider, so he would stay longer, but found that his mind, so full of questions before, was now empty. It would be easier if only Toll was here, then he wouldn‘t feel so alone in the world.

Toll, sensing His distress, immediately appeared to settle on Kivin‘s shoulder. The firelizard crooned softly in the short boy‘s ear and made, as he had so often done in the past, Kivin feel safe and confident. Kivin smiled feebly at S‘lain. "No. No questions. Thank you for, um, being so kind to me." He really wanted to hug S‘lain now, but real men didn‘t do such things so Kivin instead turned his back to S‘lain and walked away from him, to get settled into his new life.

[And Kivin and Toll bow out.]