Hyzen's Search

Main Beach
  The beach here is of a fine, glittering black sand... volcanic sand,
 remnants of a long-past eruption.  The beach is fairly wide, which is
 a good thing since many of the Weyr's dragons like to come here and
 lounge in the sun.   The crystal blue waters of the ocean roll up in
 gentle hissing waves on the shoreline, sometimes leaving shells or
 other treasures from the sea in their wake.  On the north and south
 ends of the beach, the cliff from the plateau retreats into the
 forest, and trees flank the beaches.
  It is a spring afternoon.  
Out on the pier, you see two ships.
Above, you see Hoth.
On the perch are Wiggles, Deathbycow, and Turk.
You notice Tatianna asleep here.
Hyzen is here.
Obvious exits:
Plateau     Hillside Path     North Beach     Pier     Water     South
 Beach

Hyzen (#19084)
Glowing amber/gold embers flash brilliantly in the rounded face of this
 small weyr-child, hinting at truths untold and the mysteries and joys
 of being a kidlet. Short bangs decorate the high forehead then
 lengthen back into her usual ponytail, banded together with a small
 runner-clip. Pert little nose tips slightly up at the end and small
 mouth is usually pulled into a thoughful and reflective line. Gentle
 neck extends downwards, drawing ones eye onto the flat chest of a
 child and towards the jutting shoulders. Short arms, not showing
 anything in the department of muscles, lead unobtrusively into
 delicate hands... uncalloused and seemingly fragile, they do hold the
 almost unnoticable knobs of the paintbrush and stylus resting spots.
 Curving waist leads completely into legs, not stopping for the waist
 of which there doesn't seem to be... as is with most children.
 Resembling arms as much as is possible, her legs are also short and
 unmuscled to the eye. Small feet poke out from the ends of her legs,
 not highly noticable to one how only gives her the cursory glance as
 is common for the quiet and thoughtful.
Perched on Hyzen's right shoulder with his tail curled around their neck is Proof.
A delicate flash of intricate twining shines from the slender finger of
 young Hyzen; thusly the shape of a hand-wrought ring.
Hyzen is 16 Turns, 6 months, and 14 days old.

Zai (#16905)
Short, sienna colored curls are chopped short, held back from Zai's
 face with an ever-changing assortment of hair clips. Misbehaving
 tendrils escape from their ties, to hang in her face, or stick out
 wildly.  Her skin is tanned a deep golden color, from hours spent
 outside, and freckles liberaly dot her pert nose, and sweep across her
 high cheekbones.  Long and dark lashes surround her sapphire eyes, so
 pale they edge on an icy-white hue at times.  Small and lithe
 describes Zai, although by no means petite. Arms and legs are short,
 but muscular, ending with small hands in feet and long, deft fingers. 
 Despite her turns, Zai's subtle curves remain mostly hidden under the
 muscle of her upper body.    
Pale sky blue sheens the soft, supple leathers as they glide over Zai's
 lithe form, hugging at just the right places. Dolphins, embroidered
 delicately in silver stiching dance about the collar and cuffs of her
 leather jacket which loosely covers her tunic, while more trail down
 her legs in a thin sapphire piping. Mid calf high, her dark boots fit
 snugly, and appear warm. Holding back her hair is a blue seashell
 clip, mostly managing her sienna curls.
Wrapped around brownrider's neck is a thick, woolen scarf of deep navy
 blue. Embroidered on the dark blue is -- suprise -- a pod of leaping
 dolphins, all done in the much lighter sapphire of her leathers.
 Tucked away beneath her normal wherhide jacket is a thick wool
 sweater; Cream colored, with indigo drizzled over it. 
A thin chain is about her neck, and on it is a silver, heart shaped
 locket. 
A single looped twist of obsidian and cobalt twists together with an
 added dash of silver, and a single strand of brown -- the color of
 Zai's Puizuth. Added to the mix of colors, a virulent crest of water
 decorates her wing badge. All combined, it marks her as a Tsunami
 Wingrider at High Reaches Weyr.
She is wearing a silver chain bracelet with the Apprentice charms.
She is awake and looks alert.
Carrying:
 LlamaPhin                          
Zai is 22 Turns, 8 months, and 14 days old.

Hyzen is balanced rather percariously upon a slippery rock, bare feet
 clinging to it as she reaches upwards, hands passing through the
 thundering water.  Letting it rain down on her small, lithe form, a
 ringing laugh rises upwards to greet the flowing liquid.  Proof,
 disliking this very, very much, detaching himself from his mistress
 and wings away, warbling shrilly as he comes to land upon the ground. 
 Ah... now to get dry.  "Proof!  Yer silly... water isn't going to hurt
 you!"  Deseret rests a little beyond the pool, munching on what grass
 she can find.

Zai slides down Puizuth's side and glances around. Eyes narrow as the
 bowl proves to hold no trace of Kwanne. "Shards. Come /all/ the way
 down here, and she doesn't even show up --"  Brownrider cuts of as she
 notices Hyzen. "Hyzen!" Picking her way over to the girl, she beams at
 her. "Ane didn't send you by any chance did she? She was /supposed/ to
 meet me here."

Surprise... where'd that voice come from?  Hyzen, startled and already
 with an un-firm holding on the rock, finally loses her balance and
 falls with a loud splash into the pool.  Sputtering, she rises up and
 scrambles out of the cold water, wringing out her clothing and
 laughing softly.  Her two friends watch from a distance before
 returning to their assorted grooming: Firelizard of hide and runner of
 ground.  "Hello Zai..." comes the chilled greeting from Hy as she
 moves away from the water and into the sun.  Sighing softly, she beams
 at the 'rider.  "Mum?  Nope... haven't seen her in a while.  Jhia
 takes so very much of her time."  Shaking drenched auburn locks, she
 gives the other a curious look.  "Though... if you wanna leave a
 message, I'll get it to her..."

Zai shakes her head. "No, it's alright. Puizuth will just tell Jhia."
 Dragons are handy like that. The brown in question pads his way toward
 the two, and nudges Zai gently before splashing his tail in the water.
 "Oh, hush Pui. I /just/ bathed you." Turning back to Hyzen she grins.
 "Might as well stay and chat with you though, now that I'm here." 

Hyzen gazes towards Puizuth then back to Zai again, laughter dancing in
 her eyes as she continues to twist her shirt about and about in her
 small hands.  Dribbles of water slowly stream downwards to end up in a
 dark puddle at the bare feet.  "I forgot about that..."  Flashing a
 grin, she turns to face the water again.  "That's great!  I haven't
 seen you in a while either... saw Sraine just the other day though...
 at the beach in Ista."  Nodding wisely, she whistles towards Des, who
 comes trotting over, eyeballing Puizuth as she does so.  "Tis okay,
 Des, he won't eat you... he's too nice."  Patting the mare's strong
 neck, she moves about her side and pulls out an extra tunic from a
 satchel.  Quickly changing behind the beast's back, she finally
 returns into sight, smoothing the fabric down.  "Have you ever been
 dunked by Puizuth?"  Now, where'd -that- come from?

Zai blinks at Hyzen for a moment and then shrugs. "Sometimes I guess.
 When he's in a playful mood." Which would be all the time. Puizuth,
 giving up on Zai for a short bath, moves on to Hyzen. Muzzle nudges
 her softly with a whuffle. Rider sighs and rolls her eyes.
 "Pui...Fine." Turning to Hyzen she makes a Why-Do-I-Put-Up-With-Him
 face. "He wants you to wash him. Just for a minute. Feel free to say
 no though?"

Hyzen turns her runner's head about and points her back to where she
 had been feeding, giving a gentle slap to thick haunches before she
 turns back about, rolling up her sleeves to where she likes to wear
 them.  "Aw... he doesn't seem the type."  Winking at said brown, she
 bows before Zai playfully.  "I could never say no to a dragon!" 
 Getting muffled and nudged was also helping.  She loves dragons... and
 it shows in how she treats them.  "A bath, eh, Pui?  You don't mind if
 I call you Pui, do you?  I'm already wet from the waist down..."  Bah.
  Moving towards the water, she wades right in, giving no guff about it.

Zai snorts softly and shakes her head. "/I/ can say no to a dragon.
 Especially /this/ dragon. See?" Turning toward the brown who is
 already positoned in the water she gives him her best mean face. "No,
 no no." Puizuth ignores his rider as he waits patiently for Hyzen.
 It's only a concidence that his tail slips into the water, spraying
 water on the brownrider.

Hyzen hrms as the water laps at her waist, gazing down into it before
 twisting her head about to peer at Zai.  "Aw... he's just too sweet to
 say no to.  Aren't ya, Pui?"  Grinning mischieviously at her friend,
 she reaches beneath the water and takes a handful of sand, beginning
 on the soft brown hide.  "Hrm... she takes really good care of you,
 doesn't she?"  Whispered... and in a teasing fashion too.  Seems that
 dunk put her in a good mood instead of a bad one.  Hehehhee...

Zai stands on the sand, moving back a few steps at the splash.
 "Uh-huh." Rider peers down at the sand below her, and moving back
 toward a little rock she settles down to pearch on it. "So, how have
 you been?"

Hyzen stifles the laughter that threatens her, dancing eyes focused for
 the time on Zai as she systematically scrubs dragon hide.  "It's
 okay... I'm already wet."  Seems she's in the mood to agree with
 draconic mind rather than human.  Winking at Puizuth, she finishes
 that part and moves onto a different, taking up another handful of
 sand.  Comparing it to his hide, she makes a soft humming noise.  "You
 know... this wet sand isn't much different from Pui's color..."  Very
 observant, aren't we?

Zai mock-sighs. "Wonderful, wonderful, just /add/ to his inflated ego
 why don't you?" Wink if offered to the girl as she speaks. "Anyway,
 what have you been up too? I hevn't seen you since...erm...a while
 ago." Brownrider hasn't been down to visit her friends in too long.
 Bad Zai. No cookies.

Hyzen catches the wink... so doesn't let the words get to her.  Hah. 
 Scrubbing merrily, she gives the portion she's bathing a hardly pat. 
 "Nothing much... since mum has to care for her dragon, I get to spend
 more time with the twins.  They like to get into trouble and such.  I
 got to meet Saria's dragon... sweet gold."  A glow crosses the
 female's face at the rememberance.  "What about you?  What have you
 been up to?"

"Nothing much. Thread, and bathing Puizuth and stuff like that. Nothing
 at all interesting." Zai reaches forward, idly piling the sand into a
 small pile at her feet as she speaks. "Puizuth, are you /done/ yet?
 I'm /sure/ Hyzen has other things to do." Brown snorts, then nudges
 Hyzen gently. "Oh good. Come out of there then." To Hyzen, she adds.
 "He says thank you."

Hyzen giggles softly as she's nudged, reaching out to gently stroke his
 muzzle if he'll allow it before wading to shore.  "I don't have
 anything planned... there's nothing to do around this time as is...
 It's not like I have a job to do..." trailing off, she winks
 conspiratorially towards the 'rider as she emerges fully from the
 waves. Shaking herself much like a canine would, she then goes back to
 wringing out her clothing yet again.  "You're welcome, Puizuth... any
 time!  I usually have time on my hands when I'm not cleaning my part
 of the weyr or helping with the twins."  Lucky her... she's gotten
 over the odd feeling of not having chores anymore.  "Is it...
 exciting... to fight Thread?"

"Well then! I'll just have to bring Puizuth down here more often to
 spare myself the trouble of bathing him myself!" Lazy rider finds a
 way out of at least part of her chores. "IF only I could get someone
 else to do the rest of my work." As dragon lays himself out to sun,
 Zai turns her attention on Hyzen more fully. "Exciting? I guess. I
 don't really like it though." 

Hyzen perches on a part of the rock that Zai isn't, laying upon it to
 try and at least dry out most of her clothing before tromping back to
 the Weyr when the time comes.  "You know I don't mind to help out...
 not many of the 'riders ask me anymore... but I do get to do the odd
 dragon."  Yup... she got to help P'rru with his the other day. 
 Deseret, done with her foraging and wanting to move as far away from
 the big brown as she can, approaches the rock and lowers her head to
 lip her rider. Patting mare's head, Hy turns her own to regard Zai for
 a time.  "You don't?  Well... I might have guessed.  With so many that
 get hurt in 'fall..."  Shaking her head, she sighs softly.  "That's
 one of the things I -don't- like to do, watch as a wounded dragon is
 healed.  It's painful to hear them."  Gaze slides towards brown then
 back again.  "He hasn't been wounded, has he?"

Zai blatantly ignores the question. If he hasn't, its not important. If
 he has, she wouldn't want to injure his pride. Turning eyes toward the
 brown, who is making rather odd, half purring-half choking noises from
 his rock. Blinking a few times, an intelligent look finally dawns on
 her face. See, she's not /that/ dense. "So then your good at cleaning
 dragons? I know lots of dragons back up at the 'Reaches that could use
 a bath." She wrinkles her nose dramatically to illustrate her point.

Hyzen notices the silence and bites her lip... she should have censored
 that before she spoke it.  "I'm sorry... that's none of my business." 
 And sure it isn't.  But her worry does come through her speech now and
 then.  Half sitting up, elbows holding most of her upper body weight,
 she gazes at Puizuth for a time.  "He's too good anyways..."  Hee...
 there so goes again.  Amber-golden optics turn upon the ocean now,
 watching the waves as they lap the shore.  "I guess so.  Quarith and
 Jhiateshyrth like me to and Dsalth and Puizuth didn't mind my handling
 of them."  Giggling, brows furrow as she finally looks at Zai.  "Up at
 the 'Reaches?  I wouldn't mind... but I don't know if I could find a
 ride enough times to make any notice."

Zai can solve /that/ problem easily enough. "Oh, don't worry. I'll take
 you up now." She jumps from her little rock and makes her way toward
 Puizuth. "Alright, you've been ::Between:: right? You know what you
 are doing?" She's not in the mood to explain the details. As Puizuth
 stands, Zai pulls herself up and settles between his neckridges. "Come
 on."

You step onto offered forepaw of dark brown and swing onto Puizuth,
 settling between two gold brushed neckridges.
Puizuth (#9292) [Main Beach (#590)]
A taste of avaricious gold hunts rubies throughout this grimalkin's
 hide: bright colors pad along his sweeping wingspars, curl about
 eyeridges 'knobs, and prowl the salient ridges of his lithe and sturdy
 spine.  Softer aciculate tendrils of silver whisker his narrow face
 and lighten the variegated browns creaming his neck and rump, while
 spokes of dried grass careen amongst the autumn-hues of scarlet,
 ocher, and green at play over his shoulders and back.  The short
 barrel of his chest is tabbied in alternating stripes of beer and ale,
 while bearnaise smothers his expressive tail down to its spatulate
 fork.  But it is a fastidious line of seal's dark-brown that boots
 those sleek legs and coats each dainty, cheliferous paw.  No ogre is
 he, no brutish tom, for despite his great size and tensile
 violin-string strength, indolence luxuriates along every roving curve.
A sturdy set of shimmering, sky blue straps surround Puizuth's brown
 neck, glimmering in whatever light they might catch and reflecting it
 in a dazzling display. The smaller lashes hold the hooks that will
 secure the rider safely upon her lifemate, their metal clasps
 glittering gleefully in the light. Along each length can be seen
 small, lustrous forms of dolphins that seem to leep along the
 material, the silver coloring of the creatures seeming to glint with
 wetness upon the sparkling cobalt beneath them. 
Puizuth seems to be listening.

Hyzen blinks as she hops off the rock, confused... not knowing what to
 do with her runnerbeast.  Proof comes from where ever he had been,
 curling about her neck and warbling softly.  Shaking her head, she
 takes Des's head in her hands.  "Home, Des.  Go Home."  Smart
 runnerbeast... but since Hy's father trained her... she knows many
 things.  And it isn't impossible.  The mare turns and begins to trot
 back to the Weyr from whence they'd come.  Ignoring her wet clothing,
 Hy quickly mounts.  "I know... I've done it before."  Clinging to
 Zai's waist, she waits...

Hyzen steps onto Puizuth's forepaw of deep brown, and swings up to
 settle between his gold laced neckridges

Zai turns about to make sure riding straps are fastened and then urges
 Puizuth up. "Alright, here we go."

You take off, scattering sand behind you.
Puizuth slips into ::between:: in a flash of autunm browns.
:::BETWEEN!:::
You hang, senseless, in the dark nothingness of ::between::... absolute
 darkness surrounds you, and the profound cold stings you... you wait,
 and count...
Black...
Blacker...
Blackest...
Above High Reaches
Quite, quite high, nothing braves these heights but stone and dragon
 and cloud; the Star Stones jut dutifully above the Weyr proper, flayed
 by the mountain winds that are consistant at this altitude whilst the
 rest spreads below, protected by its crown of jagged stone
 spires'-teeth.
  It is a spring afternoon.  
Obvious exits:
Weyr     Over The Mountains     Star Stones
Puizuth suddenly appears from ::between:: in a flicker of autunm browns.

Zai turns to look behind her with a sudden thought. "Oh! Hyzen! I'm
 sorry, I didn't think to offer you my jacket or anything. I hope you
 didn't freeze too badly!" As Puizuth glides down toward the bowl, she
 gives the girl a sympathetic look. "I'll get you somewhere warm."

Hyzen is clenching her teeth... and the fabric in her hands as she
 clings to Zai's back.  T'was cold when one was wet!  "It's... it's
 okay.  Please..."  Whew... talk about freezing weather!  Ista was
 warmer than this.  Eek.  Trying not to let her teeth chatter, she
 gazes down at the land below them, a blue-lipped grin crossing her
 face.

Central Bowl
Seven spindles brush the clouds -- quite literally -- overhead, a
 jagged, spired cotillion grey-stoned majesty. The bowl from here is
 expansively large, extending a full half mile in both directions, and
 although sometimes a bit of a stretch, most of the hubs of activity
 can be easily observed. Hard-packed ground shows the common pathways,
 all of them meandering about the craggy bunch of boulders that form a
 centerpiece: carven, hand-worn and foothold-full, it gives a bit of
 centerpoint to the otherwise vast emptiness of the area.
To the north lie the hatching grounds and leadership weyrs, while the
 lows of herdbeasts mark the feeding pens to the northeast. A flurry of
 ever-present activity marks the living caverns to the west, and
 another time-traveled path the ground weyrs just adjacent to the
 southwest. Southeast, a glint of blue shows the lake, glittering and
 cold.
  It is a spring afternoon.  
Clinging to footholds in the boulder-mound are Zhaneel, Vanitas,
 Tremayne, Gavin, Wilt, Archer, Beats, Persnickety, Reno, Immie,
 Sentanta, Mosfet, Gyahaahaa, Ozu-Zarkh, Qebehsenuef, Ascelpius, Kinky,
 and Simon.
Bronze Nhamarath, green Yshanth, brown Druseth, green Miravith, brown
 Revnath, bronze Jhanath, and green Alymath are here.
You see a wagonmaster and Wagon Two here.
Obvious exits:
Pens     Northern Bowl     Caverns     Ground Weyrs     Lakeside    
 Guards HQ

You slide down Puizuth's neck of variegated browns, using offered
 forepaw of dark brown as a step.
Hyzen slides down Puizuth's variegated brown neck, offered forepaw of
 deep brown used as a step.

Zai slips off the brown's back and waves Hyzen down. "Come on, I know a
 place in side where we can get you some clothes and a blanket maybe."
 She strips her jacket off and hands it to Hyzen. 'Reacher girl still
 has several layers beneath it. "This way." With that, she dissappears
 into the Caverns.

Living Caverns (#392)
The rough-hewn majesty of this cavern far outpaces any delight in the
 multitudes of curves that form its enclosure. The glabrous grey
 granite is shot through with translucent obsidian, lending
 subtly-veined sparkle to the walls and the foot-trodden smoothness of
 the floor that shows centuries-old placements of the scarred trestle
 tables; carven hollows give homes for the glow baskets and the
 coat-pegs that line the walls. No mosaics, no painting, no tiles: just
 a few well-done tapestries mark the pathway that lead to the kitchen
 to the north and the inner caverns to the west, and frame the
 nighthearth's stew and snacks, while a heavier strip of oiled canvas
 shields the unwary from the wind in the bowl.
Tucked into a glowlit niche are Donnan, Searcher, Quenn, Tiramisu, Gyo,
 Heaven, Hunter, Kelpie, Aftiel, Nyumnyum, Ebb, Mamoru, Rude, Kynance,
 Freak, Truro, Boingy, Bloop, Tork, Aphira, Spoingy, Boink, Endel,
 Spuds, Leviathan, Ashleigh, Chiernathe, Lava, Vsevolod, Oren, Wufei,
 Sociopathe, Heero, BronzeMaleFirelizard, Lechehedonvoluptintri, Marp,
 Tyan, Archimedes, Pyre, Amulet, Felvis, Rhiannon, Puk, and Vincent.
You see Old Auntie sit-by-the-fire, OOC NOTICE (look sign), Food,
 Boots, Hobbes, Nimbus, Generic Sign-Up Sheet, Cattysaur, and Kageri
 here.
Kinecha, Rauve, Ula, and Skylark are here.
Obvious exits:
Bowl     Kitchens     Inner Caverns     Crafting Area

Zai passes through, offering a wave for those present. "Just looking
 for a blanket," She offers, in case anyone wondered. Continuing on,
 she slips into the iner caverns muttering softly under her breath.
 "Blanketsblanketsblankets...."

Hyzen follows Zai, hugging down into the jacket as far as
 she can without hindering her eyesight.  So many familiar faces...
 even places.  Nodding to the others, chattering teeth finally allowed
 to go, the ex-fosterling continues to follow Zai's lead deeper into
 the Weyr.

Inner Caverns (#7484)
Ancient caverns unfold in an endless maze of tunnels and stairs, the
 Weyr's cavities a labyrinth to the uninitiated.  Here, trimmed by the
 last of the stone cutters, arched walls and vaulted ceilings retain
 the soapy smoothness of well-worn stone, as do the endless tunnel
 floors kept clear and tidy.  Shadows creep and flicker across these
 glowlit mountain walls, creatures of non-light wending their way east
 to the main caverns and bowl, or branching out in a web of caves to
 the Weyr's living spaces.
Shadowed on stone-smooth ledge are Esmeralda, Pix, Kyrenna, Kitaro, and
 Spirit.
You see Delphin and Fantastic Triple Layer Bubbly Surprise here.
Obvious exits:
Living Caverns     Guests' Quarters     Hallway     Dorms     Candidate
 Barracks     Baths     Brat Cave     Infirmary

Zai points toward a doorway. "Were going in there. Lots of blankets.
 You can warm up." She flashes Hyzen a short, odd smile before moving
 into the indicated room. What /has/ gotten into the brownrider.

Hyzen nods, teeth making that odd sound that they do, though it was
 slowing down now that she had the 'rider's jacket to keep warm. 
 Heaving a sigh, she grins towards Zai, eyeing the doorway.  Hrm...
 she's never been in there before... and her memory isn't serving as to
 where it lead.  "Laundry room, possibly?"  Feeble attempt at a guess,
 one would think.  Proof, nuzzling his mistress, knows... he got it
 from the Big Brother brown... but he isn't telling.

You survived! Escaping through the heavy canvas curtain you arrive
 here...
Candidate Barracks (#6388)
Serviceable, this low-ceiling'd room runs right and left from the heavy
 canvas curtains that function as a door:  relatively bare of
 ornamentation, tidy glows light the few worn tapestries that adorn the
 walls and depict a variety of dragons in flight or at rest.  But it is
 the cots, lots and lots of cots, that distinguish this room from the
 others, their blue or black coverlets tucked neatly over relatively
 fresh rushes.
Candidate's haven, this is their escape from the bustling world of
 chores and Weyr; visitors are welcome if invited.
Resting atop the doorframe are Rydia, Leannan, Butterfly, Kya, Frist,
 Celta, Cocoa, Mistletoe, Rennlet, Dystopia, Bay, and Windu.
You see Name Board, Oren's Lecherous Lounge of Lu-uvvv., Gideon's Cot,
 Gideon's rucksack, Slippa's Cot, Lea's Rebelliously Corrupt Corner,
 Reka's Centermost Purple Cot, Sasha's Cosy Quilted Couch, Sraine's
 Cot, and **Gideon's Welcome Sign (OOC)** (look gws) here.
You notice Sasha, Slippa, and Oren asleep here.
Obvious exits:
Caverns
Hyzen escapes in from the bustling activity of caverns and Weyr.

Zai waves a hand at the room as she enters. "Ah, here we are. Pick a
 cot, any cot. They all have blankets." Sly glance goes to the Istan.
 If she's anywhere near as dense as Zai she'll need telling. "Actually,
 you may want to pick a nice one. Puizuth wants to know if you'd like
 to stand for Ysbryth's clutch, so you may need it for a while."

Hyzen stops dead when she steps through the doorway, wide optics
 ranging the room.  She knows this place!  It wasn't -that- much
 different than the one in Ista.  Mouth dropping open, she stares at
 Zai for a time, blinking.  "Really?" comes her soft voice, quickly
 closing her mouth as she looks away from the 'rider towards the cots. 
 "You really mean it?"  Oh yes, she's happy.  And it's about to
 show right about now!  Letting out a gentle cry of joy, she
 tries to hug Zai about her middle.  "Of course I will!  I'm so happy! 
 Thank you so much!"  She's crying... she's a sensative child, to say
 the least.

Zai's eyes widen in suprise as she glances down at the child. "Yes, I
 mean it. Of course. Er..." She blinks a bit, not sure what to do. She
 settles for patting her head in what she hopes is a comforting manner.
 Prying the arms away from her she steps back. "Well now, warm up and
 I'll see you later. I have to be off anyway." With that, short wave
 and bright smile are turned upon the new Candidate and she makes her
 way out into the hall.