“Oscar, why are we here? I thought you said Seiryuu Weyr didn’t have a clutch on the sands,” a young man with dusty brown hair frowned as he followed the brown skinned dragon rider who had brought him to the Weyr farthest to the East on Pern’s northern continent. Oscar didn’t look over his shoulder at the recently turned Journeyman Healer.

“We’ve come to speak with Ar’wen, he’s good with finding the right places for people to stand,” Oscar replied giving a nod to the odd weyrfolk he knew as he passed always keeping a steady eye out for one of Seiryuu Weyr’s Searchriders and Weyrartist.

“Ar’wen, blue Camoth’s rider?” the healer replied stopping in his tracks for a moment only to have Oscar turn back to him, grab him firmly by the shoulder to help move the young man forward and continue their search, “But you said you hate Ar’wen.”

“Dislike Ar’wen is what I said, Filinro,” Oscar replied looking sharply down a hall, “he knows how to push the wrong buttons on a person but he has his good points. Doesn’t mean that I and a number of others don’t want to throttle the man half the time.” He pulled the young healer to a stop with a tug on the back of his shirt as a young man and women exited a room, both looked at the rider with slight surprise.

It was the woman who spoke first as a smile came to her face, “Oscar, it’s been a long time. What brings you to Seiryuu?”

“Looking for Ar’wen, Tiff,” Oscar replied then jabbed a finger over in Filinro’s direction, “I need to discuss the kid with him.”

“I’m not a kid, Oscar,” the healer growled back at the still irritable brown riding Weyrhealer of Cincanta Weyr, “I’m 20 for Faranth’s sake!”

“You’re younger than Oscar so you’ll forever be a kid…” the man with white hair chuckled then trailed off as he had not been introduced.

“Filinro, I was just stationed at Cincanta Weyr through the Healer Hall when they decided I needed to stand for a clutch.”

“Well there’s no clutch here,” the man replied flicking some beads hidden within his hair.

“We know that R’mar,” Oscar sighed his frustration, “we’re here for Ar’wen’s help betweening to a Weyr with eggs.” Filinro watched as an understanding look moved between the three riders before him. Why would Oscar need help betweening? He got here fine on Shinzoth.

“Knowing Ar’wen he’s probably either busy with painting Camoth or knew you needed him and hid himself… either way he’s probably out in the Weyrbowl,” R’mar replied, “We’ll help you find him, he might be more likely to keep his tongue that way.” Filinro observed the trio separate from their conversation. He could tell that both men saw Ar’wen differently, Oscar had some respect yet disliked the rider while R’mar and Tiff seemed to give off the feeling they were actually friends of the rider and also respected Ar’wen. Filinro was fairly sure the only reason Oscar respected this searchrider they were talking about was because the man had directed him to take his chances at another Weyr, Cincanta in fact. Had it not been for that Filinro would have probably been elsewhere instead of looking for this mysterious Ar’wen.

Filinro prided himself on observing. He found if he were silent and observed, he could find out more information sometimes than if he asked questions. It was this fact that lead him to realize that Tiff was with child but still only in the early stages. The young healer looked at the plaque on the door the duo had entered the hall way from to find the words infirmary.

“About three or four months?” he asked Tiff halting all conversation. The green rider stiffened, her eye right twitched in slight irritation.

“Sorry, Tiff,” Oscar cut off before the women had time to speak, “Filinro is quick to assess a situation, good for being in the Healer field but he has to work on not being so blunt… so finally got the first one on the way, Weyrsinger?”

“Don’t start with me, Weyrhealer,” Tiff shot back (causing Oscar to flinch) but calmed as R’mar placed his hand on her shoulder calming the women, though he shot a warning look at Oscar and Filinro.

“We should help you find, Ar’wen,” he said firmly stopping the discussion. He has to be the father, Filinro thought this time kept the thought to himself not sure if he might step on their toes again even with the innocent comment. He hated to see what their reaction would be if he congratulated them at the time.

“Please, lead the way,” the Healer said instead. Both men from Cincanta followed the couple who knew their home better than the outsiders. Soon, they were standing out in the middle of the bowl. Off towards the Weyrlake the latest Weyrling class could be seen washing their dragonets. Filinro stopped in his tracks as he saw what looked to be a young man in his early twenties with marble blue skin and wings attached to his arms and legs, making him look like a human kite, washing a dragon.

“Close the mouth, kid, it’s just a gargoyle,” Oscar told him, tapping the Journeyman’s lower jaw just to prompt the man in closing his mouth, “Keep in mind they are neither human nor dragon but do seem to look like a combination of the two. In a rare time you might have to work on one if they are hurt. In the mean time keep an eye out for a painted up dragon.”

The three men and one woman visually searched the bowl for the search rider and or his dragon for five minutes without a single hint at where the man was. It was Filinro who finally looked to the air and saw it, a blue dragon with a silvery sheen.

“Hey, is that the blue dragon we’re looking for?” the medic asked shielding his eyes against the sun. The three riders followed his gaze and out of the corner of his eye Filinro watched for any signs of their reactions to this odd blue. Oscar seemed to look a bit puzzled, the healer could tell the brown rider was not sure. However, when he looked to Tiff and R’mar he saw they seemed to recognize something. Two dragons bulging at the silvery blue startled the young healer into looking for the source. Two dragons, a green and a brown were looking up as well and seemed to be greeting the blue happily. As the blue gave bulge in reply Tiff and R’mar cheerfully waved up at the dragon and his rider.

“It’s not Ar’wen . I’d know that hide anywhere,” Tiff tried to withhold a cheer, “That’s one of Vasharath’s sons, from her first clutch, blue Jesioth and his rider M’len.”

“He was an odd colored blue in the clutch, has always had a naturally silvery sheen to his blue hide,” R’mar waved more as he saw a hand wave back from near the base of the silvery blue’s neck. Oscar nodded while Filinro examined the blue harder.

He’d heard of dragons being colors other than what some hide bone people had called the standard five or six depending on the person he talked to. Here was a dragon who was somewhat a standard color but was obviously also something beyond the standard blue. He was not like one of Seiryuu Weyr’s Dawns or Dusk, this coloration was all over the silverish blue. By the First Egg… was all he could think as the sunlight was blocked out by the dragon’s wings. So wrapped up in the silvery blue dragon, Filinro nearly didn’t step out of the way to allow the dragon to land, as the three dragonriders did. It was Oscar’s soft tug on the back of his shirt again that caused him to realized the move. As he backed up to give the blue dragon some room he noticed the green and the brown from before now flying towards them.

“Greetings, R’mar, Tiff Prisim,“ M’len called from Jesioth’s shoulders before sliding over the side and down to the ground, “It’s been a long time.”

“It has been,” R’mar replied grasping the man’s hand. Filinro watched the exchange, he determined that the two men had high respect for one another but what made the medic tilt his head slightly was the fact that this M’len seemed to be older than R’mar and Tiff Prisim Did they impress at a younger age than M’len

“Jesioth insisted we should visit his sire and dam,” M’len replied, “We haven’t seen you or them in a long time.”

“Longer for you than us it seems,” Tiff gave the blue rider a motherly hug with a knowing look.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Filinro asked aloud causing the moment to come to a crashing halt. The three riders who were greeting one another looked to each other in question of holding back something. They then looked to Oscar who sighed and shook his head.

“I haven’t told him that much yet,” Oscar replied, Filinro was sure the irritation in his reply was because of the lack of finding Ar’wen, “I was going to explain it when we found Ar’wen… but I guess now’s as good a time as any.”

“Bad pun there, Oscar,” R’mar half chuckled.

“It wasn’t meant to be,” Oscar replied with a slight grin.

“Huh?” Filinro asked then things started to connect, “You’re talking about going between times aren’t you?”

“That would be correct,” Oscar replied, “How do you even know about it? I don’t remember mentioning it in front of you before.”

“You didn’t, not intentionally at least,” Filinro replied suddenly realizing that he was the focus of the group’s attention instead of being a passive observer. He fidgeted with his shoulder knots for a moment before continuing, “I overheard it a few times in passing some rooms at Cincanta, most discussing how you and the other VCDs got here.”

“Victory College Dragons,” Oscar clarified at the quick looks he was given for Filinro’s abbreviation of the college hockey team Oscar had been on before their arrival on Pern over five turns earlier.

“I remember that group,” M’len replied thoughtfully, “Half of them impressed at the first Flurry right? I tried to enter Jesioth into the flight that produced that clutch. The records at Talor Cliff Weyr didn’t say he was silver blue so we were denied entry into the Flurry Flight.”

“Yes that’s the flight,” Tiff replied with a smirk, “Funny though, Oroth’s blue mate at the time snuck into the flight at the last second, he was a sold blue.” There was an slightly mournful silence from the two Seiryuu Weyr riders at the mention of the blue.

“But you were saying, Filinro?” R’mar prompted turning all attention back to the healer. Filinro resisted the urge to give the brown rider a sarcastic thank you glare.

“From what I’ve gathered it can be very dangerous for any jumps more than 50 turns, more so if you’re heading into the future,” he completed, “What all did this have to do with Ar’wen.”

“That man is one of the best at timing it,” Oscar replied to which the Seiryuu riders nodded firmly in agreement, “He’s made many jumps to a place called Dragonhope Weyr. Always seems to know when there’s a clutch there that needs a candidate or more. Thing is Dragonhope’s…”

“In the future,” M’len cut off the brown rider, “I take it you already had somebody search him?”

“The twins Z’roze and R’zick’s dragons Asantith and Boedith searched him yesterday,” Oscar replied, “Tsuyumi instructed me to seek out Ar’wen to see if he could get Filinro to a clutch in another time so he might come back in a week with a full grown dragon.”

“And you didn’t tell me the last part until now?!” Filinro cut in making sure the Weyrhealer’s attention was fully on him, “Why couldn’t you have told me before this?”

“Because I didn’t know you knew about timing and I knew I knew you’d react similar to this,” Oscar replied to which the healer crossed his arms, “Filinro, you’re a great observer but sometimes with the data you put together you get so far ahead of yourself you forget to factor in random acts. Yes usually you’re right on the mark but…”

“If I made a small mistake it could be disastrous,” Filinro finished. He’d heard it before; it was something his Masters had all warned him of shortly before and after he walked the tables, “I promise you, I will do my best not to over calculate things in this area. For assisting you in healing of Cincanta’s residents both human and dragon I will remember that.”

“You haven’t found Ar’wen yet,” M’len cut in thoughtfully it was more of a statement than a question, “Maybe we can help instead of him.”

“You know of a clutch,” Filinro deduced.

“It’s farther into the future than Dragonhope,” M’len replied, “but we are in need, that is Falas Weyr is in need. If you’d be willing we could leave as soon as we are done with our visit here.”

“That would be an adventure,” Filinro replied looking at the silvery blue who was now obviously conversing with his parents.

“That’s what Jesioth and I are known for,” M’len replied with a smirk.