+- World of Pern (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum)
+-- Forum: Benden Territory (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=170)
+--- Forum: Benden Hold (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=129)
+--- Thread: [G] [P] 741.05.23 | Gathering Friends (/showthread.php?tid=4648)
741.05.23 | Gathering Friends - Yfris - 28.May.20
Yfris was rather excited when he heard about Benden's gather week. The colder months seemed to drag with their lack of things to do. There were always friends to go visit but that could become repetitive and lacked the same punch that a large gathering provided. This was a chance to browse some wares, meet up with old friends, and make new friends.
And there was a chance he was finally going to see the inside of a Weyr.
Hearing that Benden Weyr was open once more and they were apparently having a party while the gather was on, was all the incentive he needed to book a dragon and head to the other side of the continent. He didn't think he'd get to stay at the Weyr for long, having heard it was more for the weyrfolk to party hardy while also allowing holders to pop by and meet the new residents.
A part of him wanted to save the Weyr for last and party with the so-called wild bunch but Yfris felt like they would eventually close the gates and continue celebrating together, without being judged. And he doubted they would let the son of a Lord not even in their region stay the night. Then again, when were they officially even opening the door for this? And were they five hours ahead of him? He really should have paid more attention to his geography lessons.
Still unsure about all of that, he arranged for a dragonrider to pick him up on the following day and hoped for the best before arranging with Benden Hold for a place to stay the night.
The next day, a blue appeared before him at the requested time. Yfris didn't take offence to the colour of the dragon like he knew a lot of lords would. He was the second son of a minor lord, why did he need bronze or even brown? Besides, the blue was a beautiful dark shade and was large enough to easily carry an extra passenger. It turned out they were already going to the Gather as well and offered to do the run. Yfris couldn't fault them for that line of thinking and thanked the man for taking the detour to grab him.
He was told it was probably still too early for the Weyr to be in the full swing of things but they could do a quick fly through so he could get an idea of what was inside. Yfris figured that was good enough for now and would look for a more detailed tour another time.
When they appeared over Benden Weyr, Yfris shivered and rubbed his arms. He still wasn't used to going between and found it a bit disconcerting but it was an efficient form of travel. He would have had to leave at least a month in advance to go across land or by sea if he wanted to make the Gather.
He gawked when he saw all of the caves and did so some more when it was explained that they were where the riders lived. He also admired the sheer size of the Weyr as a whole and how isolated it really was with the high walls surrounding them. No wonder there was a divide between Weyr and Hold and no wonder they needed assistance in maintaining the place and feeding everyone. He definitely wanted to explore a Weyr at some point and was still annoyed with Tazikel for not even introducing him to his Weyr girl that everyone constantly gossiped about. She could have given him a tour as well!
Eventually they landed in an open field for such things and Yfris parted ways with the rider he decided was a pretty cool guy and so he asked him if he would be free to pick him up again the following morning. That arranged as well, Yfris set his bag in a tent provided for him--apparently he was too slow in claiming an actual bed at the Hold and had to suffer camping--and headed to where all the action was.
He was slightly off in his guessing of the time and found it to be around midday. He'd had breakfast before leaving so a meal wasn't fresh on his mind, though shopping for a pretty bauble of some sort for his mother was. Perhaps he’d find something for his mother. Maybe a lightweight scarf or shawl for her to have when she sat outside in the evening admiring the sea. With that now at the forefront of his mind, Yfris kept a keen eye out for a weaver's booth.
He smiled when he found one that seemed to cater more to what he was looking for and that smile brightened when he saw a pretty lady already admiring the wares. He came up beside her, immediately drawn to a shawl that he knew his mother would like and then turned to see what the woman was up to.
"Both are nice but the blue one would look lovely against your skin," Yfris pointed out, both in honesty and in flirtation. He handed over the marks to pay for his own purchase and wrapped the shawl around his shoulders before turning his gaze back to his new interest now that the gift was taken care of.