A Gather Grim Situation (1/1)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Avery, Jelena, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 26th May 2016
Characters: Genna, Minamari, Varlene, Lacarad, Lacarad's Father
Description: The Gather is a disaster.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 5, day 19 of Turn 8
Genna did her best to be excited, she really did. She'd chatted with friends about the stalls they expected to see, what they were going to be looking for, what they were going to wear... But every time the gather dance came up, Genna had felt the dread returning. Would K'ran be there, as a Weyrleader? Would he be dancing with Rhosyn? She didn't want to know.
No, no thinking about the dance. Maybe she would even leave before it started. Today was girls' day and she was relieved to have two friends waiting for her as Lissath took to the Dragonsfall Skies. The greens circled until they had all decided on their exact destination and off they went. A day with these girls what just what she needed, she thought as the cold of between enveloped her. There would be no mushy romance talk or gossip from them and that was just what she needed: a day of straightforward, uncomplicated fun.
Minamari was looking forward to this. It had been ages since she had been able to hit a Gather. She had Marks to spend and she was going to stuff herself silly on all the delicious food she could find, dance with men, and find a nice bauble or two. She waved to Genna and Varlene, the other greenrider who had come along, and motioned toward a place to land.
As the three ladies, green and gold, winged to the ground, Genna took in the Gather-scene below, letting to going-ons distract her as she observed the mass of people and brightly coloured stalls. It was going to be fun. Right?
Varlene looped her purse over her arm and grinned at her fellow clutchmates. "Are you ready to shop? I have _so much_ I need."
Minamari gave herself a quick once-over to make sure she hadn't gotten too rumpled by the flight. Her clothing was androgynous, much like her face and trim frame, but the garments were fit for a Gather, and so was the flat, rectangular Mark pouch she wore in a bandolier against her chest. "I'm ready! Where should we go first?" she asked eagerly.
"Oh, I bet you do," Genna said to Varlene as she joined the two greenriders. "But where shall we start, indeed... Find a good tailor first?"
"Sounds good to me. I've got to get a scarf. The Weyr stock ones aren't pretty enough," the greenrider complained. She'd come from Opal Cove and a Weaver father, and was very picky about material quality.
"That's because you're a spoilt brat when it comes to fabric," Genna chuckled. She was the same with jewelry though, she never wore any that wasn't made by her father. "But I'm all for it, let's hit some tailor stalls first."
Soon the girls were of to a good start and wove their way through the winding rows of Gather stalls, not paying particular attention to where they were going, but following whatever caught their eyes as their bags slowly grew heavier on their arms.
It was Minamari who saw the pottery tent and dragged the others over. No one was there, oddly, but it looked as though the wares were undisturbed, and good thing: The klah mugs, plates, bowls, and goblets were practically works of art. The glazes were of various colors over perfectly smooth, fired clay, and even studded with pretty bits of stone or glass on the handles or parts of the rims. "I have to have one," Minamari gasped.
Her exclamation brought a darker-skinned, rather cute young man from the back of the tent, partitioned off by more flaps of cloth. He dusted off his hands and started to greet them, only to pause when he saw their knots. "Um, ladies, you really shouldn't be here," he hedged, starting to look nervous. "My father is going to be back at any moment with our lunches, and he loathes dragonriders like you wouldn't believe. I'd love to help you, but I'm sorry; you should leave. Now."
"Loathes dragonriders?" Genna raised her eyebrows curiously at her two companions. Now this was ridiculous, were they seriously being sent away from a stall because they were riders? "Excuse me, but we pay marks like everyone else."
"Why doesn't your father want good marks? Afraid the Weyrs will notice inferior goods?" Varlene said snottily, crossing her arms and staring at him. The pottery was excellent, but their attitude sure wasn't.
"I know you do; I'd love to have you buy something because I take pride in our work," the young man said. "But my father won't hesitate to-" He froze, paling as his eyes locked on someone behind them.
"Lacarad, why are you talking to these dragonwhores?" a deep,
threatening snarl asked.
Last updated on the May 27th 2016