One of the men took him an a cart, which reeked, pulled by a racing horse quality gelding, who also reeked. Apollo sat next to him, trying to hold his nose against the stench and figure out where the hell he was as the scenery went whipping by, the wind messing up his hair.
The Weyr was an even wierder looking place than the ones Apollo had passed on the way there. The people there, at least, looked cleaner than the two men he'd met, but that was the only normal thing about the entire place
It was made out of stone, and it was all red. But that wasn't the wierdest thing. All around him were huge dragons, creatures that only existed in fairy tales. Wierder still, these dragons seemed to live with, even like the humans, where all the fairy tales Apollo had ever had read to him had dragons as wanting to char any human they saw to ashes.
The man chuckled when Apollo told him this. "These dragons are Pernese dragons. They wouldn't hurt a human."
"Where can we find Weyrwoman Tiyanni?" he called to one of the passing women, who slowed down for a moment to look at the pair. "She's probably in her study."
"Where's that?" the man asked.
"I'll take you," the woman sighed, shouldering the load of strange looking fruits she was carrying and leading them into the mountain.
The woman led them up a flight of stairs and indicated the first door they came to. "Right here," she told them before dissapearing back down the stairs without any further explanation.
"Weyrfolk," the man grumbled as he knocked on the door.
"Come in," a woman called from within. The man opened the door into a spacious yet still cozily lit room. A gray haired woman sat behind a desk, frowning at a peice of animal hide on the desk. "May I help you?"
"Weyrwoman, is this man a Candidate here?" the man asked, indicating Apollo, who was still a bit awestruck by the entire experience. "My daughter found him in the field a few days ago. When he woke up, he talked like he was from another planet, so I assumed he belonged to you."
Tiyanni peered at him. "He doesn't look familiar. What's your name?" she asked Apollo sharply.
"Apollo Anghanmis," Apollo told her. "They told me you had a bath here, may I please use it? I feel absolutely disgusting!"
Tiyanni's mouth curled at one end into an amused smile. "I'll have a drudge show you to one of the bathing rooms after we figure out where you're from."
"I absolutely must have a bath now!" Apollo demanded. "I haven't had one in three days! My make up is all over, and I cannot show my face this way!"
"Patience," Tiyanni told him, then turned to the man who'd brought him. "Thank you for brining him here. He's not a Candidate, but I believe we have someone here who may take a liking to him."
The man gave her a questioning look but nodded and left anyway, glad to get rid of the strange man. Once he was gone, Tiyanni indicated for Apollo to sit down. "Tell me about yourself," she instructed.
"Well, I'm a male model, at the top of the industry, really," Apollo began. "I mean, people can't help it. I am just so incredibly good looking I was made for the runway. I was in the middle of a show, just coming out of an amazing jump when I just..." he frowned, unable to come up with the words, "it was just dark for a moment and then I was here."
Tiyanni chuckled and shook her head in amazement. "Well, I've heard stranger stories but I guess I have to believe yours since you're obviously telling the truth and here you are. Since you're here, you might as well stay, I guess. After you take your bath, there's a dragon I'd like you to meet."
An hour later, Apollo emerged from the bathing room in the new clothes laid out for him. They were comfortable, but he would definetly have to replace them later. He didn't do tunics. Tiyanni was waiting for him, looking more than a little annoyed. "You took long enough," she told him.
"You can't put a time limit on good looks," Apollo told her.
Tiyanni raised an eyebrow but didn't ask. "Come with me, Vainith is very excited to meet you."
"Vainith?" Apollo asked as he followed her down a flight of stairs.
"You see, we had a clutch hatch here, a gold's clutch, but they chose not to pick riders when they Hatched, like normal dragons. Instead, they abandoned themselves and are waiting for the right people to find them," Tiyanni explained.
Tiyanni opened a door into a very dark room. Apollo squinted but could make out nothing more than darker shapes moving around.
Like wow! They brought like another one! a voice said, though he had the wierd feeling he had not heard it through his ears.
Would you hush up already Ditzth? another voice grumbled.
You'll scare him away!
I wonder if he's going to oil us, another asked.
I am sooo itchy but they said I had already had enough oilings. How do they expect me to keep my hide looking good if they will not oil me enough?
Is your hide all you ever think about, Vainith? a fourth voice scoffed.
There are more important things, you know.
"No there aren't!" Apollo answered automatically. "Your skin is what the world judges you by! It should look perfect!"
Finally! Vainith crowed,
A human with some sense! They don't oil us nearly enough, you know. And they don't even let us have proper baths!
Apollo gasped. "No!"
Yes! And they don't use the good oil either! It's the old, smelly stuff.
Apollo whirled on Tiyanni. "How are you treating these poor creatures?" he demanded of the weyrwoman, who was trying to hold in her laughter.
"We actually give Vainath the best oil," Tiyanni told him with a chuckle. "But try telling the silly dragon that."
It is not the best oil! Vainith insisted.
You should smell it! I wouldn't let something so smelly get within a klick of me if that wasn't the only oil I had!
"We all make sacrifices for our looks," Apollo told the dragon sympathetically.
I have a limit though, Vainith grumped.
And smelly oil is getting very close to going over it.
"They once wanted me to use this awful stuff for one show and it smelled like dead fish!" Apollo told the dragon. "And Ren�, she's the head of my make up team, she made me use it anyway!"
Eew! Vainith exclaimed.
Was it worth it?
"Apollo," Tiyanni told him gently, breaking his conversation with the dragon. "We've been down here long enough. You may visit again tommorow."
"I'll bring you some of the best oil I can find!" Apollo promised the darkness where he thought Vainith was.
You'd better!
Apollo seemed reluctant to go, reaching towards the smooth wooden door with manicured fingers.
On second thought... The door seemed to swing open again of it's own accord.
Maybe we ought to get that oil right away? The light bronze hatchling strutted out into the corridor, and didn't seem affected by the grin on Tiyanni's face. It was as though he was used to being admired. The first to choose a rider! She'd thought Xenarioth would have chosen Xira, but apparently there wasn't a match there.
Will you be my rider, Apollo Anghanamis?
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