Roads Entwined

Averna looked up at the dark grey sky. It was a little early for storms in the season but not uncommon. Though she didn't mind a little rain, she wasn't too happy with the thought of being outside when this storm broke loose. The light was shifting to the yellow that she associated with thunderstorms. 
She'd been helping her parents keep track of their herdbeasts in the fields. It was birthing season and it seemed like every day there were new additions to the flock. It was labour intensive work to go by all the fields and count the livestock, but seeing all those new lives was rewarding on it's own.
At the horizon Averna spotted a beam of lightning running down. She saw it hit a tree and gulped when she saw the tree falling down. She knew a shelter not far away. One of the older runner-hideouts. She'd be safe to wait for the storm to pass in there. 
Picking up speed, she rushed to the structure.

Lester walked around the tavern. As usual he was looking for small jobs to keep himself fed and clothed. Finding steady work had been hard since he was neither a journeyman nor very handy. 
"Can I deliver something? Anywhere is fine." he said.
Lester desperately tried looking strong and dependable. But his attitude only worsened his boyish looks. Finally one man stood up and said:
"I want you to deliver something."
"What and where?" Lester asked, eagerly making his way to the man through the tables and chairs.
The man fished a tattered letter out of his vest pocket and gave it to him.
"I want you to deliver this to Diete. She should be living in this hold."
The man gave him more details and Lester was certain he knew who the man was referring to. Lester assured the man that he would find Diete and asked if he wanted to get a reply from her. The man shook his head, and asked to just deliver the letter and paid him in advance.
Lester sensed some sadness and instantly whipped out a lame joke. It really wasn't funny but the man smiled slightly before he stood up and went his own way leaving Lester to go do his job. The young man was certain that Diete had gone out with some other girls to gather spring flowers. It was a common pastime for the young girls to fetch flowers and sell them. 
As he left the hold, Lester noticed the darkening of the sky. Never matter, he knew places to take shelter along the way.

Diete picked only those flowers she knew would hold for their trip back to the hold. Flowers that were already too far in bloom would wilt soon after they were picked. She looked around and noticed that most girls had already returned home. Only one other was still on the fields. Diete sighed as she noticed it was Zulma. She'd really wanted to stay in the group. Being alone made her feel vulnerable and she always made sure to stay in a group of girls for safety. 
Zulma looked up and noticed the sky. She'd been so absorbed in wandering that she'd neglected to look up. Almost all of the girls had gone home and Diete was the only one that was still out with her. Strange that the other girls hadn't called out to them. But then, maybe they had and she just hadn't heard them.
"It's going to rain." she called to Diete.
"Yes, we should head back."
"I dare say we won't make it back. But I know a place we can take shelter not very far from here."
Apprehension filled Diete's mind. But running back home to the hold by herself would be even worse so she nodded and let Zulma lead the way.
Zulma knew where she was taking Diete. The place wasn't all that comfortable but it should be clean and dry. She'd stumbled across it while exploring the area. She hadn't been allowed to stay out all night but she'd lost track of time and had stayed the night in that old runner station. She'd been grounded for weeks after that - not that she'd actually stayed put. The thought of going there again made her relive the thrill of that first night out. 

Waver looked around and tried to decide whether to go left or right. He'd left the hold earlier that day to gather raw materials for a project of his. The material he needed was very delicate so he couldn't dispatch someone else to get it for him. His trip had been successful, but now he had trouble finding his way home. And to make matters worse, the sky looked mighty angry and ready to release a downpour. 
Kantin noticed the younger man at the crossroads and wondered if he was a traveller like him. It didn't appear so. For one he hardly had any luggage with him. Just a small bag. 
"Hello, need some help?" Kantin asked.
"Oh yes, I seem to be lost. I'm trying to reach Garnett hold." 
"That's not too far from here, though I doubt you'd get there before the rain starts."
"I can't let these materials get wet." Waver said looking determined and distraught at the same time.
"I know a place where we can take shelter." Kantin offered, "That is if you don't mind me going with you."
"Of course not. My name is Waver."
"Kantin, nice to meet you."
The two young men left, getting to know each other as they hurried toward shelter.

Averna opened the door to the shelter and noticed she wasn't the only one to have been caught outside in the storm. She counted five other people inside. Some she recognised from around the hold, one was a traveller for certain. 
"Mind if I join you?" she asked.
"Make yourself at home. Though I'm afraid there isn't much place for sitting." the stranger, Kantin, smiled.
Averna made her way to the two other young women present. They'd obviously been gathering flowers. Diete was relieved to see someone she knew show up. They'd met previously while she'd helped at Averna's parents' farm. 
Zulma nodded and shifted to the side so Averna could lean against the wall.
Waver was busy fiddling with some leftover equipment, lost in thought and Lester was close by, looking at what the young technician was doing. 
"I think everything here is broken." Lester said.
"That doesn't mean it's worthless." Waver replied.
"Spoken like a true scavenger." Kantin grinned.
Raindrops started falling on the roof, not the downpour they were expecting yet, but definitely a little warning up front. As the frequency of drops intensified, the door opened once again and a man entered the building that was starting to feel cramped.
"Hello there, mind if I take shelter?" K'roohan asked.
"We're all in this together." Lester grinned.
K'roohan nodded and made himself as comfortable as he could. He'd been out without his dragon, Brown Takanth and had neglected to look at the weather forecast. After all, as a dragonrider, he was used to winking straight where he needed to be when the weather turned bad. To make matters worse, he still needed to return to Dragonhope Weyr and go look for candidates for the future clutches. There were several planned for the near future and the Weyr needed a steady supply of candidates to make sure the hatchlings had plenty to choose from. 
Suddenly he had an idea. All people in the room were young and seemed promising enough. He had but to ask and then his work would be done for the day. An enticing thought.
"So I have a proposition for you all..." he started. 

STORY: Roads Entwined - Dragonhope Hatchings - Weyrling Training - Flights
STATS: Averna, Diete, Lester, Kantin, Waver, Zulma



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