Physically, Rondis is short at 5'5, with a long, strong body and muscular legs. She has dark brown-red skin, reddish-walnut hair that is stiffly straight, and usually goes to her waist in an easily kept tail, and greenish-brown eyes. Her shape is too gangly to be very attractive but she has been known to turn heads when she gets into the mood. She has a voice that a harper cringes at, being somewhat scratchy and hoarse most of the time. Rondis often wears close fitting leather gear, with a long fluffy tunic over it. However she does have two beautiful gowns and in them she looks positively smashing.
The daughter of two riders, D'sali on a brown, and Runo on a green, and the younger of two sisters born to that pair. She has several half-siblings on both sides as well, but it is doubtful there will be any more children coming from her mother, since she is in a fighting wing, and her fertility wanes with every *between*. Rondis does not look forward to that sort of limiting factor, but it is the only factor she doesn't feel totally enamored with, about dragons. All her life, during her stay at the weyr that her parents reside in, and then later at Mama Tani's, Rondis wanted to ride dragons. She did get lucky enough to be taken around on one or more of Tani's children's dragons, as they are usually found to stop by the Fosterling Cothold. She is often the first to offer to help oil or bathe a dragon, and adores the greens. She herself acts as flirtatious as they come, toward dragonriders!
"Maybe look under your cot," Chelsea said. "It's probably where you left it last."
"Why, thanks, Chel, I would NEVER have thought of THAT!" Rondis growled. But she sat herself down next to the low cot, and dug around with one hand. The look of surprise on her face when she did find that missing boot changed to one of guilty apology, as Chelsea laughed.
"Well, are you coming or not?" Chelsea asked, and Rondis let off another tirade before getting her boot on and racing out the door.
***
"We're only here briefly," Said the search rider. "So is everyone here?"
"All but one or two--" Raanatani said, and then waved her had at the last two girls from the cothold, Rondis and Chelsea. The search rider chuckled and his blue dragon nosed over the bunch of fosterlings.
Rondis was picking at something between her teeth when the dragon swung his sapphire head her way. She slowly and casually removed her finger from her lip, and smiled. "Greetings," she whispered.
The dragon's eyes whirled greens. Then, shortly, his rider approached. "Ah, so it's you, keeping us here so late!" He said. "Well, I know there will be enough riders passing through here to bring you to Adanuk later. I must go. But you're to stand on our sands, and perhaps there might even be a dragon in your future!"
Rondis' head did a spin. She laughed, tried thanking the dragon and his rider, but they were already halfway into the air. "I'm searched!" She said.
At dinner, Rondis was the center of attention. She loved it that way, too. But she was very distracted, and didn't even eat very much. Raanatani didn't take it personally, knowing that her wherry steaks and fresh fluffed tubers were perfect as usual. It was just the searching jitters.
She had seen enough of her Fosterlings be Searched that she knew Rondis would impress. Not what kind of dragon, but that the rider was right. There was a dragon in her future!
"Rondis, sweet, come and I will help you pack your things." Raanatani said, and Rondis left the large cothold's dining table.
"Thank you mama," She said. "Should I bring these?" She held up one of her fine gowns, and Raanatani nodded.
"I think so. You'll be busy if you impress, but there will always be gathers and dances. Weyr life is like that."
"I remember when my birth mother would go to gathers, she and father would bring me back things... Like this." She gazed at the dress, which had deep russet strings dancing along the edges of the hems at neck, arm and foot, over a creamy base color. It was a simple but very pretty, very happy looking dress. Rondis hugged it to her chest, and spun around. "I'm searched!" She said again.
"Yes, sweet. You are. Adanuk is a very new weyr, too. It's a small clutch, so you should feel quite lucky." Mama Tani's words fell upon eager ears.
"I do! Oh, mama, what if I do impress? What if I get to fly! It will be the best thing in the world!"
"And what about all the work?" Mama Tani said, smiling to herself. She had reams of letters from her young, her own blood relatives and all her fosterlings who had impressed. The endless mucking, the oiling and toiling...
"I'm ready for that too! I think there will be a strong, healthy dragon for me. I will never let you down, mama. The firestone chunks should be 'this big'," she held her hands into a shape about the size of a fist, "and the littler ones are to be used for fuel. Bigger ones, broken down to size. I'm strong enough to lift a bale of hay myself, mama, you know?"
"I know, I've seen you." Tani reached out and touched her fosterling's strong arm. "But you're gentle with the young, too. I've seen you birth a calf, and you've helped Ishana with her baby too. You like babies, don't you, Rondis?"
"I do," she looked down, blushing. "But all the boys think I'm too tough for them."
"Then you must show them how tough motherhood is. I know you can, you should just choose the right man is all."
"My dragon will decide," Rondis smiled, eyes narrow in delightfully dirty thought. "If I have a green, she'll dance through the sky and have a beautiful brown or blue catch her! Or..." She got a little taller and smirked, "what if it's a gold? What if? Oh, mama, what if I impress a gold?" Her voice trailed off, too excited to even continue. They finished her packing, and Mama Tani held on to her currently-eldest fosterling for many long minutes.
Finally, she smoothed the girl's hair, and said, "I will call for one of my sons to pick you up. They will know the way to Adanuk. And you must learn it too. Because when you Impress, I expect to see you fly back here!"
"Yes Mama!" Cried Rondis, with a smile.
Finally, in the dead of winter, and in the distinct snap of the early morning, Succeth announced her clutch was hatching! The candidates were roused by Syna in a panic, but then assembled down in the vaguely warm hatching sands.
A pretty green hatched first, and then a blue and another green after her. While the second green was having an easy time finding her bond, and the blue had impressed his friend before either of them, at last the dainty pale green dragoness came to Rondis. She cuddled next to Rondis and shivered a bit.
So cold! I am Dissimuth, and I am really chilly. I liked it better in my egg!
"Dissimuth... Let's get you out of the cold!" Rondis said, and wrapped her arms around her small hatchling. They went back into the main weyr to find food, warmth and oils for the little girl's skin!
Rondis laughed, "look at the little animals, running! Are you hungry, Dissi?"
I will hunt, in fact... I think that big buck is good for me.
The green dove down into a herd and came up with a screaming animal in her jaws, then they found a good place to land and eat. As always, Dissimuth shared her kill with her rider. Rondis got her fire going in the time that it took for Dissi to rip a leg from the animal.
I will find a mate soon, I think, Dissimuth spoke, careful yet not shy.
"Well! That's good! I was hoping you'd be ready to fly sooner, so don't worry. I'm quite ready," Rondis laughed again, her fire started and the roast spitting.
Do you want to show me who will be good for me? I do not want to mate with someone you do not like.
"How thoughtful!" Rondis said, "When we get to the Isle, we're going to have to make a list!"
