It was a cool spring afternoon at Jerdan Weyr. You look up at the sky and realize that it is almost dinner time. You walk into the weyr and down into the tidy Lower Caverns. You can smell the mouthwatering roast wherry cooking, and you can't wait to eat the savory bird. Not wanting to wait much longer, you ask Headwoman Lorin if it is time to eat dinner. She tells you that it will be finished in about another couple of hours. Disappointed, you go to sit at one of the tables where a young lady with medium length blonde hair is already sitting. Her skin is very pale. You can see that she is very thin and is wearing a dark pink dress with a blue belt.
"Hello," you say sitting down.
"Hello," the young woman says smiling at you. "I am Azura."
"That is a very interesting name," you say repeating it to yourself. "How did you come by it?"
"My parents gave me this name because of my blue eyes," Azura says her dark blue eyes sparkling in the light of the glows.
"I can see why," you say laughing. "But what are you doing here?"
"That's a long story," she says still smiling. "Do you really want to hear it," she asks sounding a bit surprised.
"Yes," you say sounding more enthusiastic than you planned.
She laughs a high soprano laugh. "Well, I was born in Southern Weyr, but I only lived there until I was two turns old. Then I moved to Rolin Hold which is not too far from here. We had to move from Southern Weyr because the heat was making my mother very ill while she was pregnant with my baby brother. When I was younger, I used to hang out here at Jerdan Weyr whenever I was lonely. I have always loved being around dragons and dragonriders. I have wanted to know what it feels like to soar into the air alone with my dragon as long as I can remember. I also admire their courage to protect Pern from Thread. Eventually when I was twelve turns old, I moved here by myself to fulfill a dream I had of getting picked to be a dragonrider. I had thought that if I lived in a weyr I would have a better chance of being a dragonrider. Shortly after my arrival here, I discovered that dragonriders come from all over Pern not just from weyrs and that living in a weyr has nothing to do with who gets picked to stand on the Sands. "
"Your parents let you move here by yourself at such a young age," you say a bit astonished.
"Yeah, they thought it was a good idea because it would give me a chance to live on my own and teach me to be more responsible. You see I was a bit of a troublemaker when I was younger." Azura says hanging her head in shame of her past.
"Do they ever visit you," you say looking a bit sad.
"Of course they still come and visit me. They come at least once every other sevenday," she says very surprised that you would even ask a question like that.
You smile at her reassurance. "What do you do here? That is since you aren't a dragonrider, " you ask trying not to sound rude.
"That is another story," she says calm once more.
"Tell away," you say smiling broadly.
"Well, it all started when I was eight turns old. I came here one day and went into the Lower Caverns to steal a bubbly pie. As I was walking out of the caverns triumphantly holding the pie, I bumped straight into Headwoman Lorin. The bubbly pie smashed all over her new dress for the up-coming Gather. Once she realized what I had done, she sent a fire-lizard as fast as it could go to my parents asking them if she could punish me herself. They responded that she could do what she liked to me to repay for the pie and her ruined dress. She set me to work making the item which I had stolen. I discovered that I had a knack for making the delicious pies. I went home after working for about two seven days." she says smiling at the memory of when she first came here.
"Then how did you come to work here now," you ask getting more interested in this young woman every minute.
"Lorin kind of took me in after I moved here and finished teaching me how to cook. I have been working in the Lower Caverns as a baker under her for five turns now. My specialty is bubbly pies." she says with a mischievous grin.
"Do you think you will ever get to stand on the Sands," you say sounding a bit exasperated.
"Yes," she says her face glowing. "Didn't I tell you I am going to be a dragonrider. I get to stand on the Sands for the next clutch." .
You give her an encouraging smile seeing that Azura would love nothing more than to be a dragonrider. "That is great," you say smiling at her. "I think you would make a wonderful dragonrider because of your great enthusiasm."
"Thank you very much for the complement and for the encouragement," she says going a bit red. Just then two little fire-lizards come from between and land on Azura's shoulders. One is blue and the other is green. "Hello you two," she says to the flits. They chirrup in greeting at their owner. "The blue is Kilren and the green is Kairia," she says noticing the look you are giving the two. "I Impressed them at Dawnsisters Weyr when I was there on an errand."
"They are very beautiful," You say smiling at her. "Who are your parents," you say remembering that she never actually told you much about them.
"Did I leave that out of my story," she asks in disbelief. Her face flushes red with embarrassment.
"Yes, I think you did." you say going a bit red in the face, too.
"Oh well." she says recovering much quicker than you had expected. "My mother is Raly, and my father is Mardan. My father is a just a normal holder. My mother is too busy managing things around the hold to have a craft, but she is very good at that sort of stuff."
"What ever happened to your brother," you ask concerned.
"My brother, Falon, is fifteen turns old now and an apprentice tanner." she says obviously proud of her younger brother. She looks out the window and sees that it is getting late. "I need to go make the bubbly pies for the dinner. It has been great talking to you." As she says this, you can hear Lorin calling her name.
"I hope we meet again," you say sounding a little disappointed that the meeting was over.
"I also hope to see you again," Azura calls over her shoulder as she disappears around a corner.
You eat dinner that night especially enjoying the delicious bubbly pies. Then you retire to your room for the evening. All the while you are thinking about your strange meeting with Azura.
Name: Azura
Age: 17 turns
Job: Baker in Lower Caverns
Parents: Raly and Mardan
Siblings: Brother Falon, 15
Birthplace: Southern Hold
