NRPG: As Lyn correctly pointed out, the conversation that took place in
Cynthia's apartment in my last post couldn't have happened, as it involved her
meeting with C'aranth...which didn't happen till the next day.  Therefore, I'm
reposting that part to correct the error before I move on to the next day.

(evening, day 3, Cynthia's apartment)

     Trevor settled himself into the chair with a sigh, reflecting on what a
difficult job the cooks had to face on a daily basis.  He gratefully accepted
the glass of wine Cynthia handed him.

     "We were lucky to find Andahar today," Cynthia remarked, sitting down
also.  "I wondered what had happened to him."

     "Me too," Trevor admitted.  "I thought maybe D'arcon had tried to cheat
him at cards, or something."

     Cynthia laughed.  "Now, now, be nice!"

     He smiled back at her.  "I'm always nice!" he told her, putting on his
most sincere face.  "But seriously, I can't help wondering just how long
Andahar was watching us."

     The Warrenlady shrugged.  "Well, it probably doesn't matter.  The Nomads
have a rather different set of values.  He probably didn't consider it
anything out of the ordinary."  She leaned back in her chair, with an
expression on her face that told him that she was thinking something over.

     "We're lucky in more ways than one to have found him," she said after a
moment.  "Did you pick up on what he said back there?  His knowledge of the
Nomadlands could be a real benefit - especially since you'll be able to go
back to mapping before long."

     Trevor nodded thoughtfully.  "True...the other Nomads we've encountered
only know parts of the Nomadlands.   But Andahar's been joined for awhile, and
it sounds like he and Bohoc have really gotten around since then."

     "I'd suggest that, when you have time, you sit down with Andahar and your
maps," Cynthia told him.  "Find out how familiar he is with the areas you've
already covered and then see if he can relate those to other places he's been.
That might at least give us some clue as to the overall size of these lands."
She smiled again.  "If, that is, you can understand each other."

     Trevor winced.  "Is that a hint that I need to spend more time studying
their language?" he asked.

      "Oh, would I ever suggest such a thing?" Cynthia asked.  "Just because
Qedhar says you keep confusing the Nomad words for 'sword' and 'horse-
droppings'..."

     "Well, they do sound a bit alike," he pointed out.  "And by the
way...since it looks like I'll be spending most of my time around the warren
for awhile, don't forget that I'm available to help out with anything you
might need me for...particularly since Brisse's apt to be down for awhile.  It
looks like her time's getting pretty close."

     Cynthia smiled at him.  "I'll remember that.  I also notice, though, that
you happen to be available right now..."

     He grinned back at her.  "I am, at that," he agreed.  "You did, ah,
mention something about training?  Night classes, maybe?"

/snip/

(Alton - as before, feel free to add...)

* * * * * * * *
(next morning, lower green)

     "You've all worked hard during your training," J'errid told the trainees,
who sat on the ground facing him and Qedhar in a rough semicircle, with the
young dragons spread out in a much larger semicircle behind them.  "And now I
have some good news.  Qedhar and I agree - as do our dragons - that tomorrow
morning your dragons will be ready to take their first flights."

     Trevor, who had been preoccupied with thinking about attending the
joining day party for Lenna's and Turner's parents - he hadn't known he
*would* be attending until Cynthia had mentioned it to him this morning -
suddenly found himself caught up in the wave of excitement that swept through
the small group of trainees.  He, along with the others, let out a resounding
cheer, which was echoed a moment later by the excited and happy roaring of
their dragons.

     <Oh, my rider, this is wonderful!> Trissana said in his mind, barely able
to contain her joy.

     Nor could her rider.  Finally, to be able to fly astride his own dragon
instead of being dependent on others...it seemed almost unbelievable.  He knew
that he, like the rest of the trainees, would be counting down the hours now
until tomorrow morning.  He wondered how he'd be able to wait so long!

     "So, make sure you give your dragons a good washing and oiling today,"
J'errid continued.  "I'm sure that everybody who can will turn out to see
this, and you'll want them to look their best."

     The wingleader went on, explaining the course their training would now
take.  "Of course, this doesn't mean your training is ended.  You've gotten
through the basics, but after tomorrow you and your dragons will begin
training together.  There's a lot to cover, believe me...formation flying,
combat tactics and maneuvers, simulated fights against wilders and
wraiths...and teleporting, of course.  For a few days you'll continue to train
as a group, but then you'll each be assigned a more experienced rider from the
wing to work with you, to get you fully integrated into the wing."

     Trevor idly wondered who'd be partnered with whom.  He knew that after
the wraith battle of a few days ago, there were several riders who needed
partners - his mother Kellie for one, whose partner's dragon had sustained a
wing injury and wouldn't be back on duty for several weeks - and T'by, whose
partner R'bert wouldn't be back at all.  He made a mental note to go and see
R'bert at the med center today...though he doubted he'd see any improvement in
the man since he'd last seen him.  

     He wondered, also, what would happen to him and Triss.  His joining had
put a temporary halt to the mapping, but the work was still there to be
completed.  He assumed that he'd be performing that job alone.  But the
mapping wouldn't last forever, and he had to give some thought to what he
would do then.  He had some ideas, and he decided to discuss them with J'errid
as soon as the group was dismissed.

* * * * *

     "...and so what I was thinking was that maybe Trissana and I could be
placed in the wing now, and do the mapping at the same time," Trevor told
J'errid, as he and the wingleader walked across the green.  "That way, we
wouldn't need to get back up to speed later when the mapping's done."

     J'errid frowned thoughtfully.  "I must admit that you're a unique case,"
the wingleader told him.  "Usually, when a person joins, his or her duty as a
rider supercedes whatever responsibilities they had before - except with
healers like S'lomon, whose skills are just too valuable to permit them to fly
in combat.  I think, though, that your main responsibility will be to complete
the job you came here to do.  After that, we'll see about reassigning you to
other duties."

     "Riders don't fly patrols every day," Trevor pointed out.  "Why couldn't
we pull regular patrols two days out of three, and map on every third day?"

     "Because that would triple the amount of time it will take to finish the
mapping," J'errid reminded him.  "And, like the Warrenlady, I think it's
critical that we know what's out there.  Besides, we don't give riders off
days just out of generousity...a dragon can't fly extended distances day in
and day out, without a break.  You can't ask your dragon to do that."

     Trevor sighed.  He couldn't deny the truth of what J'errid was saying.
"You need every rider and dragon when there's a wraith attack, though.  And if
Triss and I aren't worked into the wing, we'd just be in the way up
there...particularly since I wouldn't even have an assigned partner."

     J'errid turned to look at the younger rider.  "I haven't made the
assignments yet, of course, but I think it's a given that you'll have a
partner.  That's standard."

     Trevor shrugged.  "Don't need one for the mapping runs.  And you can't
really afford to pull a second dragon off the regular patrols, can you?" he
asked. 

     "No, but we also can't afford to have you and Trissana flying all over
the Nomadlands by yourselves," J'errid told him.  "You're the only one who
knows how to do the aerial mapping."

     Trevor shrugged, not really convinced that it really took two dragons to
do mapping runs.  "So, how are you going to pick the unlucky person?  Mapping
runs aren't exactly a popular pasttime among the riders here."

     "I'll probably need to discuss this with Cynthia," Je'rrid said, "but I'm
thinking of asking for volunteers."

     "You won't get a single one," Trevor chuckled.

     "We'll see," said the wingleader.

     After leaving Je'rrid, Trevor went over to collect his dragon.  As
Je'rrid had suggested, he'd want to give her a good scrubbing - and she'd been
complaining about itching again.  Bathing and oiling her had become a bigger
job than he'd counted on.  After she'd hatched, he'd had fun teasing some of
the other riders about how little work it took to do that...but no more.   She
was now the largest of Tymor's clutch, and promised to get bigger still.

     <My rider, Shaithos says that we will need to get up very early
tomorrow,> she told him, as she left the wingleader's dragon and followed him
across the green.  <He says the air is calmest just as the sun is rising.>

     *Well, I'll try to make an early evening of it,* he promised her.  *But I
do have to go to the joining day party tonight.*

     <Well, I hope you and Syren's rider have a good time,> she told him.  <I
do not think that I will be able to sleep very well tonight.  I am too excited
about tomorrow!! Just think, we will finally be able to fly together!!>

     Trevor smiled.  *Well, yes, I guess I'm sort of counting the hours
myself.  This has all happened so quickly.*

     The dragon lifted her head to look up at the sky.  <I hope it does not
rain,> she said, suddenly sounding worried.

     *Rain?* Trevor laughed, looking up at the sky himself.  It was blue and
cloudless, as it almost always was.  *What do you know about rain?*

     <Well, Syren told me that it does that where she came from,> Triss
replied.  <She says that makes it more difficult to fly.>

     *Yes, well, that's Telnor,* he told her.  *But this is Cleft, and I don't
think you have much to worry about.  Now, let's see about getting you oiled!*

     <Oh, yes, oil!> she sighed.  <Next to flying, that is what I have been
waiting for the most!  I have the most awful itch...>

     *We'd better get you taken care of, then,* he told her.  *Come on..."

     He took her over to the bathing pool and left her to soak while he went
to the barracks to pick up what he'd need...oil, soap, and scrub-brush.
Returning, he quickly went to work on her.  She was so contented that she fell
asleep more than once while he was scrubbing her, so that he had to wake her
up again to get her to roll over when he needed to scrub a new spot.  When she
rolled over on her back, she snorted in irritation.

     <When I was playing here with Arly and Leyean, I could float like
this...now I'm lying on the bottom, and the water doesn't even cover me!  Did
something happen to the water?>

    *There's as much water in here as ever, Triss.  There's just a lot more of
you.*

     <This is very inconvenient,> she complained, trying to wriggle herself
into a more comfortable position.

    *Once you're flying, we can go to a real lake.  You can float all you want
there.  And maybe Syren and her rider will come along!*

     <That would be nice,> she agreed.  <Syren is very nice.  And she tells
good stories...>

      The scrubbing finally finished, he urged her out of the pool so he could
begin oiling her.  But he kept careful track of the time, since he had to get
ready to escort Cynthia to the joining day party later...and it wouldn't do to
show up smelling like a freshly oiled dragon!

    Once he finally had her oiled, he left her to bask in the sun - with firm
instructioins not to do *anything* to get herself dirty!  His own cleaning
took less time - there was less of him, after all, and he didn't require
oiling.  He dressed in his new outfit - his favorite colors, green and gray -
and headed over to the Warrenlady's apartment to escort her to the party.

     Trevor whistled softly when he saw Cynthia in her formal party dress.
"My Lady, you look beautiful!" he told her.

     "And you look positively - gallant!" she replied.  "Shall we be on our
way?"

     "Your wish is my command!" he said, taking her hand.  Arm in arm, they
left her apartment and headed for the party.


NRPG: Just a short one to get me up to the current day...

Trevor will be oiling Triss for a good while before he meets Cynthia, so if
anyone wants to run into them during that time, feel free...

Alton - I didn't know if you were going to write anything about the party or
about Cynthia seeing Far'rin at the med center, so I cut off before then so as
not to impact anything you might be planning...

 Submitted by:

John

Trevor & Trissana
Cleft Warren