The trouble with being candidatemaster when you were a wherhandler is that you didn't have the benefit of having your big scary dragon or wher behind you when you told the candidates to do something they didn't want to. For Quinn, of course, that wasn't much of an advantage anyway. Quisk looked scary when you first saw him but it didn't take long for people to realize that he was about as scary and intimidating as a fluffy puppy. All the same, Quinn liked the comfort of having the big squishy white wher with him. And the big squishy white wher enjoyed being with him. So there he was. A brilliant white eyesore, sitting calmly in the weyrbowl, grinning pleasantly, his goggles in place. Quinn stood next to him, dressed in what was for him not much. One long-sleeved turtleneck shirt made of thin gray fabric, loose black pants. Plus heavy-soled black boots and black fingerless gloves. Really, he was feeling exposed. But if you had come to expect anything else from Quinn, you clearly don't know him.

//Exqueeeeese me, candidatepeoples! QuinnMine is you Candimaster, and he says you to come out to outside now. Has lesson for yous.//

Well. There was that unorthodox call to lessons. Quinn stared at his wher, a smile tugging at his lips before shaking his head. Then he remembered something.

//Oopsies. QuinnMine adds that candies should be wearing pants and good shoes. Maybe shirts, but not so important. Coming please!//

And so the candidates were called. Dear Faranth, where have they been all this time?

In truth, Quinn had started only recently. As in a few days back. And this is what he was starting with. In case you hadn't guessed, it was a workout lesson. Whers and dragons took a lot of work. Better to groan and moan now than be caught unawares after Impressing and dying in your first month of being a rider or handler. Quinn stood at Quisk's shoulder where the wher sat off to one side of the weyrbowl, a brilliant signal to any candidate where they were supposed to be. The young - very young - candidatemaster stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, his arms crossed, looking out for any candidates that would be appearing.

Okay, candidates. Attendance is not mandatory. However, it is worth marks and you can bet it'll put you in a favorable light when it comes hatching time. So. After you've posted, your name will be added to this list.


Wher Candidate Lemar
Wher Candidate Daeron
Wher Candidate Nero
Dragon Candidate Kaliska


After three candidates are posted, I'll post Quinn again and we'll get this fun lesson on the road.

Lemar had been bent over, trying to clean out the stuff under his bed. He hated doing it, especially since it was never his things but all the items his two firelizards hoarded. They threw such a fuss and his little green simply sat on the bed and let out the most heart breaking creel while Lemar destroyed her treasure trove. He didn't want to, but some of these things belonged to people and he felt horrible for his firelizards stealing. He left the rocks and miscellaneous scraps of things alone, they were somehow special to his firelizards but not to anyone else. The forks and eating utensils on the other hand...those belonged to the kitchens. So he gathered them up in his arms and made his way off to the dining hall, knowing that he was sure to be in trouble for having the stash. They would probably throw him out to be devoured by thread for being a thief and a waste of resources...

//Exqueeeeese me, candidatepeoples! QuinnMine is you Candimaster, and he says you to come out to outside now. Has lesson for yous.//

The male visibly flinched from the sudden voice, his body tensing as he dropped the armful of utensils that he had been carrying. He watched them hit the ground and bounce around, a look of dismay crossing his face as he stared at the scattered mess. He let out a deep sigh and slowly crouched to begin to pick up the mess. His hands fumbled and he dropped a few as he tried to gather them, the voice came again less startling this time. He took a deep breath, nervous and unsure whether he should attend. The candidate master rarely called lessons and most of the time Lemar skulked in the back, taking up space that could have belonged to someone who deserved to be there.

After he had collected all the utensils, he merely went back to his room and set them down. His green letting out an excited trill as she went to the task of dragging all the utensils back under the bed. He smiled weakly, at least knowing he had made someone happy today. His firelizards always were so kind to him, making him feel as if they really did want him and like him. "I guess I should go, huh?" His voice came out unsure and shaky, neither firelizard paid him much attention as they did what they wanted to do. Deciding that he should, he gave a nod and made his way out of his room.

The male lurched along, his long body bent so that he looked like he might actually fall over. That's usually how he walked though, hoping to not draw attention to himself but only receiving more attention for the way he moved. His thoughts weren't about trying to cloak himself from the rest of the world today though, his thoughts were far away in the mountains. He hadn't visited his friend for a few days and the guilt was eating him alive. The only person who actually told Lemar that he wasn't a waste and now he was being the worst person to ever be born. He let out a heavy sigh, wringing his hands together before he arrived at the lesson.

So far there weren't a lot of people there, for a moment the male thought that he had gone to the wrong location. Heat flushed into his cheeks and his heart hammered in his chest before he noticed the male and the wher. The call had come from a rather wherish speaking creature, he began to relax a little as he shuffled back and forth. He shuffled a little closer, his eyes cast down because he never felt like he was good enough to meet the eyes of another. Especially a candidate master with a wher, that was obviously a person who had a place in this world. A hard working person who burdened no one...someone Lemar would never be. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was the awkward sound of 'ah.' Realizing that he was only proving how much of a dimglow he was to another candidate master, he mentally shook himself.

"My name is Lemar, sir." He spoke softly, barely even a whisper as he quickly glanced up before glancing down and wringing his hands. Unsure what else to say, the male shuffled to the side. Standing and staring at the ground with his shoulders hunched forward almost in a protective manner, as if he was trying to shelter himself against the wind. He allowed his thoughts to wander, the wher that was behind the male was magnificent. His leg hurt a little from the memory of the last hatching and how he had been bitten while his leg was healing. No, not even a wher would want him. Worthless waste of life that he was and all.

[[ lD emo turd has arrived, I'll get Ver and Jen next <3 ]]

Unlike other candidates, who had probably been at Libertas long enough to fully acclimate themselves to the schedule of the place and then some, Daeron wasn't lounging in his quarters or doing some other thing that involved that particular room. No, instead he was wandering the Weyr, taking in all of the sights with eager eyes and committing them to memory at the same time. Never mind what Nero said, he thought with a smile as he moved through the people, giving a respectful nod towards some random person every so often as he walked on. Nero could go ahead and head back to their little cothold out in the very back of beyond again and have little to no contact with the outside world, if that was what he really wanted. He, however, was starting to develop other plans. First and foremost in the young man's mind was the fact that he was really starting to enjoy the hustle and bustle of this place, as well as the knowledge that there were new people to meet just about every day. If he was guessing correctly that new candidates were brought into the Weyr at a fairly steady pace, that was. Which naturally meant that, since he was rather new to the idea of Weyr life and everything, he could and likely was wrong on all accounts there. Whichever the case was, the young man decided it was better, for the time being anyway, to live in the here and now. It made things all the simpler for someone like him, after all; and if there was one thing that he could appreciate, it was simplicity.

//Exqueeeeese me, candidatepeoples! QuinnMine is you Candimaster, and he says you to come out to outside now. Has lesson for yous.//

He flinched a bit at the suddenness of that voice entering his thoughts, though he was almost certain that he actually physically heard the voice as well. But really, that couldn't be the case, could it? Still, he couldn't stop himself from glancing around, as if he could actually locate the source of it by simply looking around. How foolish was he being at the moment, in all honesty? He shook his head before glancing around one last time, trying to decide if anyone who was standing around him thought of him as some sort of dimglow. A blush dusted across his cheeks as he slipped back towards the candidate barracks at what the voice added to its previous statement. Well, what he added, since there was really no denying in the slightest that the voice was masculine. He figured that if the creature, since he was unsure if it was a dragon or wher speaking, specifically mentioned good shoes, that meant that they would be doing some sort of physical labor. And as comfortable as the tunic and trousers he was currently wearing were, they really weren't suitable for anything like that. Now, the clothes he was wearing when he arrived at Libertas were good, sturdy traveling clothes. Those would do rather nicely, if he did say so himself.

After a short time, he stepped into the room in the candidate barracks that he shared with his brother and Ghost. The canine was gone, likely following Nero around as he always did, so he simply changed his clothes and slipped back out of the room, heading back out into the Weyrbowl so that he could figure out exactly which sort of creature had spoken to him just then. A part of him hoped that it had been a wher and not a dragon, since he still hadn't gotten a real chance to look at one of the whers here at Libertas up close in the days that he'd been there. Still, it wasn't as if he would refuse to attend the lesson just for that reason. No, he knew to take what he was given, and was more than content to do just that. As he stepped closer to a small group of two young men and a rather stunning white wher, he wondered if he had actually stumbled in on the right place. The young man standing with the wher did look rather young, after all. He was even younger than Daeron was himself! But the young man silently cursed himself as the thought entered his mind; obviously he was more than capable of teaching them what to expect both during and after their candidacy, if his wher was calling them to a lesson.

"My name is Daeron, Candidatemaster," he said by way of introduction to the young wherhandler, inclining his upper body slightly into a respectful bow as he took a place near the other young man standing there. Pale blue eyes glanced both the fellow candidate and the candidatemaster over, finding that he didn't feel threatened in the least by them and relaxing a bit more, linking his thumbs into the waistband of his trousers as his gaze fell upon the wher. The white was positively huge, easily besting even Nero's prized draft runners in height, and he wondered if this was the way all white whers were. Perhaps it was just this one in particular? Whichever the case, he couldn't wait to see the look on his brother's face when he saw the white for himself.

As much as his brother thought otherwise, Nero was--rather unwillingly--finding Weyrlife much to his liking. Though he had never been much of a people person, there were so many interesting faces and personalities that even the reticent and reclusive Nero was finding it difficult to remain aloof as he'd planned. After all, if he didn't make friends, it'd be easier to leave when he and his brother didn't Impress and Daeron got wise enough to see the mistake of coming here. But not even Nero could fully admit it was a complete mistake.

Working with his runners despite the stable boys' odd looks, Nero kept himself occupied. He of course hadn't brought the best of his breeding stock with him. They were safely at the Hold, away from harm, where they could continue to provide his family with marks for foals and heavy labor. The gelding he worked now wasn't a perfect draft beast. He was a bit too narrow in the chest, a bit too long in the leg. Hence why he was a gelding. And he was a bit too spirited to make a good draft beast, which was why Nero was working with him. The young gelding was only 3 turns old and still needed proper training before he'd ever be worth more than the loads he could pull. Obviously Nero was never going to breed him, but he could be a very useful plow beast with enough work. Meanwhile, Ghost, the canine ever at Nero's side, was off in the grasses, chasing bugs to occupy his young mind while his master played with bigger animals.

//Exqueeeeese me, candidatepeoples! QuinnMine is you Candimaster, and he says you to come out to outside now. Has lesson for yous.//

The sudden voice was enough to shock Nero out of rhythm, letting his runner turn on the wrong foot and gaining back some of the lead rope Nero had taken in to control him. After a few choice curses, a whistle, and a very firm tug on the lead rope, Nero had the runner by the halter and Ghost at his side while he tried to understand what had just happened. He staunchly ignored the snickers of nearby herders working with other runners or herdbeasts and focused on regaining his composure. Against his will, a flush crept to his cheeks as he regained control of the gelding and Ghost trotted to his side. It took a few breaths to gain control of himself and figure out what the shards just happened, but Nero deduced that some draconic creature must have been the source of the voice, and he obviously had somewhere to be. Fine then.

"Make sure he gets a good curry and oats in his ration," Nero instructed one of the stableboys gruffly--one that hadn't seen him jump--and handed the lead rope off. "Come on Ghost," he called unnecessarily with a snap of his fingers. The pale canine was at his heels, trotting along as Nero broke into a steady lope he could hold for miles. It wasn't hard to find the gathering of people. It was a good thing he'd already been working with runners. He was already in good shoes and work clothes. And a shirt, though the creature who'd called him didn't seem too concern with shirts. The one disadvantage was that Nero had already been working up a sweat, but he wouldn't let that stop him. He at least had to give his younger brother an example to live up to.

And speaking of brothers... Nero spotted Daeron arrive shortly before he himself did. Ghost recognized the younger man too and bounded ahead of Nero to rub against Daeron's legs. He didn't jump on him; Nero had trained him better than that. But the big white creature was oh so very interesting! Ghost waited next to Daeron for Nero to arrive and then sat next to his master, muscles tense with the desire to go and sniff the strange big white creature. But his master's hand held him in check. Nero glanced at his brother, knowing the young man was thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Nero, Candidatemaster," the big man said without preamble, examining the wherhandler--for that's the only thing the stubby-winged white creature could be though it had the oddest things over its eyes--and the white wher beside him. The boy couldn't have been older than Daeron, yet he controlled a wher only slightly larger than one of Nero's standard draft beasts, making the wher probably around...16 hands at the shoulder. Nero would bet a gold wher would be even larger than even his largest draft beast, a 20-hand-high monster perfect for hauling rocks and trader wagons. And if Daeron was looking for any particular reaction, Nero's face definitely showed complete appreciation for the power even this white wher held.

Having Quisk right next to him certainly did make it easier to face the candidates as they arrived. Which of course the wher knew, and was why he'd ventured out with him even if he did have to wear a blindfold. Plus he wanted to meet candidates of course. He was a very friendly wher. Though the broad toothy grin he had on his face was probably more likely to terrify them than make them feel at ease. Quinn had no such smiles, his expression maintaining a consistent wary look as the candidates started trickling in. Though in all honesty the first of them were hardly threatening.

Lemar looked more likely to have a coronary than cause trouble. Though how he'd explain to the healers what happened would probably be bothersome anyway. Quinn eyed him all the same, a bit concerned by the way the young man behaved. It wasn't the most welcoming of behavior, and Quinn rather thought that if he was a dragon candidate the hatchlings would be inclined to mistake him for food and eat him. Oh well. He wasn't a healer. Even if Lemar's purpose in life was to get eaten, it was Quinn's job to make sure he was at least a good meal.

The second two candidates were of course older than him. So had Lemar been, but these two really looked it. Quinn was momentarily intimidated, but a gentle nudge from Quisk reminded him that he was safe. So he gulped and stood a bit straighter, almost surprised by how he was nearly as tall as them when he did. Skinny still but tall. Strange.

Quisk of course was much more pleased by the whole thing. //Lemar! Hello Lemar!// he crowed cheerily as the candidate introduced himself, fluttering his wings and shifting in excitement. //Daeron! Nero!// he continued as the brothers did the same, as if their names needed repeating with greater enthusiasm. //Lemar Daeron Nero have dragoncandidate or whercandidate? Or both! Both be too much Quisk think but candidate can try,// he chattered away happily, only cutting off as he caught a whiff of interesting smell. He cut off sharply then sniffed noticeably, his head shifting around until he discovered which direction the little fuzzy creature was in. And then his nose was pointing unmistakably at the little dog. //Puppy!//

Quinn quickly put a hand on the wher's shoulder before he could act on that excited squeal, though the white was clearly as interested in meeting the dog as the dog was in meeting him. "Alright. Now that some of you are here I'll explain what we're doing today," Quinn interrupted, raising his voice as Quisk fell silent. "As a wherling or weyrling you'll be expected to do lots of exercises. Running and weight lifting and stuff like that. The lesson today is to prepare you for that. So once we're all here we're going to run laps around the Weyrbowl. I'd suggest you stretch."

The explanation done, Quinn stepped back for a moment, watching them. And then he started going through some basic leg stretches so that the less experienced candidates had something to mimic if they didn't know what they were doing. After a moment Quisk caught on and stood up to start stretching himself. He reached his forepaws out in front of himself and pulled himself back with his rump in the air. Perhaps he intended to demonstrate as well, but it was more likely to serve as entertainment than to actually teach.

Kaliska was sure she was late, but she couldn't help it. Kaskit had had a rock lodged in his hoof and it had taken careful tending to get it out and then make sure the hoof wasn't infected. She took great care with her runner and nothing was going to keep her from making sure that he was all right. She arrived at a brisk walk just as the candidatemaster was explaining what they were going to do today. She huffed a moment to catch her breath and looked them over, her eyes taking in everything. Whers were new to her, as were dragons, and she found herself sidling closer to get a good look at the white. Oh, she wasn't going to touch, though she wanted to, but knew she'd only get trouble for the effort.

"Sorry I'm late," she murmured. When Quinn started stretching she did so as well. She put her feet together and bent down to touch her toes, then spread them apart and reached for each foot separately, then the ground in the middle. Kaliska was not a stranger to stretching. Stretching made riding easier when the rider wasn't tense. Holding on to one foot at a time, behind her, she pulled and let her thighs stretch as well. She wasn't used to running, but she was fit enough that she wouldn't be collapsing and gasping for air. She looked around at everybody as she stretched and flashed them a big smile. "Great day isn't it?" she asked, by way of making conversation.

When she felt that she had stretched for a sufficient amount of time, her muscles warmed, she swung her arms a little and rotated her shoulders, ready to go. "How long are we going to be running, exactly?" she asked. Kaliska knew she was quick. Fast was something she could do, but running for a long period of time wasn't her forte. Not that she was afraid of running for a while, she'd stick to it until she was done, but she didn't want the others to think she was weak because she couldn't keep up after a few laps.