Roza shivered as she dismounted Raimith. Lilium chirped and appeared from between having managed to find her owner on her own. Nik nearly fell of the dragon. He shivered once. Roza couldn't help but smile. "I thought you were a big strong man's man."
Nik shivered again. "Don't tell me that didn't give you the wiggins."
Roza smirked. "Wiggins?"
Nik glared. "Y'know. Freaked you out a bit."
"Maybe." She continued to smirk. "But just a bit."
"It takes some getting used to." Cheche interupted their conversation. "The Harper's really anxious to get to you as soon as possible so if you could get Nik to take Lilium and go find the Headwoman to get you rooms and clothes then you can follow me." The bluerider began walking off down one of the many corridors of the Weyr.
Roza grinned as she handed Lilium to Nik. "Yes bodyguard, and I'd like a room with a view."
Nik swatted her. "Stow it gypsy." He stormed off to find the Headwoman and Roza ran to catch up with Cheche.
The Searchrider began to tell her about the festival, but Roza tuned her out. She knew she had to sing, she'd be given what she was supposed to sing, and she'd be expected to sing it. Yeah, she thought to herself. And Nik thinks Mother treats him like garbage. Least she doesn't rent guards out for three days. As Cheche continued talking, Roza continued thinking. I hope I didn't make him mad with that bodyguard comment. He's practically my only friend... She immeadiately stopped that thought in it's tracks. No Roza. She scolded herself. Don't go there. Not today.
"And here we are." Cheche stopped at a door and opened it for Roza. "The Harper's in there. Have a nice time."
* * * "Ugh!" Roza threw herself down onto her bed and glared at it. "What the ...?"
Nik laughed. "Bed Roza. Like sleeping furs, only elavated."
Roza continued to stare incredulously at the bed. "I'll fall off in the middle of the night and break something!"
"No you won't. Lots of people spend many nights in bed with no casualties." Nik couldn't help smiling. "You've really never lived anywhere else but with Mother have you?"
She nodded and sat down on the bed. "I've been to Weyrs lots of times before, but we always slept in our own tents."
Nik smiled. "So how did practice go?"
"Horrible." Roza rubbed Lilium's head. "That old Harper is just evil! It's a stupid song I'm singing and he's making me do it over and over and over and over and it sounds the same every time I sing it, but he insists!" She threw her hands up in the air and flopped back, resting on the bed. "My throat hurts and I have to sing tomorrow." She pouted like a spoiled child. "And I haven't even figured out why I'm singing yet."
"Why didn't you ask the Harper?"
Roza glared at her friend. "Because I had a hard enough time trying not to deck him for insulting my voice, my pitch and my rythym without getting him to insult my intelligence for not listening to Cheche when she was telling me."
Nik laughed and sat down beside her. "Bronze Portath flew Gold Kikanath. They expect Kikanath to lay her eggs any day now," He grinned. "Any day now meaning the expected and anticipated egg-laying date has come and gone. Anyways, having a little celebration with some of the other Weyr-folk to celebrate the start of a new clutch. Nothing fancy, so they hire gypsies instead of Harpers."
Roza glared. "No wonder that old Harper was so grouchy. Probably mad they didn't call the entire Harper Hall down here, instead of hiring 'second-rate' performers."
Nik yawned. "Probably. It's been a long day. I'm going to bed. Good dreams Roza." Nik walked to the door.
"Good dreams." Roza murmured and drifted off to sleep still in her clothes.
* * * "I feel funny." Roza stood in front of the mirror complaining.
"You look fine." Nik commented, not bothering to even look at her.
Roza glared at her feet. "I hate shoes." Most of the gypsies in Mother's troupe went barefoot for most of the year, Roza among them. This was only the fourth or fifth time she'd worn shoes and the first time she'd worn anything resembling what she had on now.
"You need them. People might step on your feet." Nik was fidgetting in the tight collared shirt that had been given to him to wear at the feast tonight. "And at least your shirt isn't trying to choke you!"
Roza sighed and walked over to Nik. She twirled him around, reached up and fixed his collar. "There. Now don't touch it again and you'll be fine. How do I look?"
Nik smirked. "I was going to say, 'Like a nice little Weyr-girl', but as you'd probably hit me for that I'll go with 'Nice.'"
Roza glared. "I hate you."
"I hate you too." Nik opened the door for her. "Good luck with your song."
She stretched and exited her room heading towards the main hall where the feast was taking place. "Thanks. I'll meet you after."
* * * Roza left the stage to thuderous applause, partly because she was a darn good singer, and partly because most of the Weyr residents had had a little too much to drink. Roza quickly left the hall to wander around outside and find Nik. Lilium helpfully found the guard and the two walked around the near deserted Weyr.
"It'd be sorta nice to stay here." Roza started the conversation by removing her shoes and throwing them into an empty barrel.
Nik smiled. "You mean as permanent entertainment?"
"No!" She swatted him. "Just for fun. To learn more stuff."
"More stuff like what?" Nik was actually curious now.
Roza gazed past Nik at the Sands, where Golden Kikanath's clutch was hardening. "Dragon stuff."
"Why don't you?" Nik suggested.
Roza laughed. "Mother'd kill me for leaving. Besides...I'd need to be Searched..."
"You already were remember?"
"I mean really Searched! Like for impression Searched. Not for singing Searched."
Would you like to be for impression Searched? Both Roza and Nik jumped as Raimith's voice entered their minds.
"What?" Roza glared suspiciously at the dragon, not trusting her own ears.
"Searched." Cheche added. "When I first saw you in the caravan Raimith suggested you'd make a fine candidate. Part of why I asked Mother for you."
"Me?"
"Her?"
Cheche nodded. "You."
Roza still didn't believe it. "To stand? For impression? Here?"
Nik smiled and grabbed Roza's arm. "Don't worry. She's not really this dense, she's just surprised."
"Dense?" Roza glared daggers at Nik. "I am not..." Nik pointed to Raimith and Roza remembered where she was.
Cheche laughed. "Yes. To stand for impression. Here."
Roza felt faint. She turned to Nik. "Who's going to tell Mother? What will Amaryliss think if I ever see him again and I'm a rider? What if Raimith's wrong? What should I do?" She whispered.
Nik grinned. "Dance."
"What?" Roza raised an eyebrow.
Nik grabbed Roza's hand and dragged her into an overly energentic waltz. He accompanied the dancing with off key singing. "And if you get the chance to sit it out or dance...I hope you dance." Roza laughed and continued to twirl with him.
"I guess that means yes." Cheche called after them as they waltzed away.
* * * Roza was still grinning as she entered the candidate barracks. Her heart sunk at the sight of more beds (which she -had- ended up falling out of the night before, stupid Nik), but it lifted again at the sight of the other candidates.
A beautiful girl sat on a bed playing a flute. Roza smiled and dropped the bag of things Nik had brought for her on the bed next to the flutist's. A bronze flit chirped along with notes Roza suddenly recognized.
Hoping the flutist wouldn't mind she closed her eyes and began to sing along.
"May you never take one single breath for granted,
GOD forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance...Roza had sung the last word by herself, realizing the girl had been startled by her voice. She smiled. "Why'd you stop playing? I was just getting to the good part."
"Who, by Faranth, is God?" The flutist asked the girl who had been singing.
"I'm not really sure," Roza admitted, "But He was mentioned a lot in Terran times, and you were playing the music to those words."
"I was?" The girl asked, obviously not realizing the rarity of the music. "I just got that music from the Master yesterday. He said it was something he found in the records."
Roza smiled, "Well, he must have dug deep." She sat down happily on her bed, feeling oddly -in- place instead of -out- of place like she expected. She rubbed Lilium's head and smiled to herself. I hope you dance...
The green firelizard chirped and brushed her tail over Roza's face. She sent Roza pictures of Lilika and Amaryliss.
Roza's smile fell slightly, but she managed to replace it quickly. "Where did you find pictures of them?" She asked softly.
Lilium chirped sadly, realizing she'd upset her owned. She sent pictures of Mother, Nik, Roza herself...
Roza understood. "Our memories. You found those images in our memories."
The green chirped once and begged for forgiveness for whatever sin she'd unknowingly commited.
Roza smiled. "It's not your fault Lilium. You did nothing wrong. And you're right. I haven't been this happy since we...they...were still here."
Lilium rubbed her head against Roza's. She sent her pictures of storm clouds.
Roza smirked. "No Lilium. I'm not going to cry...not any more." She thought of Nik and Mother and Lilium and the distinct hope of a dragon sometime in the future. She sang softly to herself as she fell asleep. "I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance, never settle for the path of least resistance. Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin', lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin'. Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter. When you come close to sellin' out reconsider. Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance. And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance. I hope you dance."
Roza has impressed!!!!
* * *
Roza is a candidate at Dark Moon Weyr.
Roza's picture is from Chibi Ningyo's Adoption Center.
The song is "I Hope you Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. Lyrics found at A to Z Lyrics.
The flutist is another candidate at Dark Moon Weyr named Tarana. Everything in bold is based on something that happened in her candidate story.
Background from Myrror Images.
