Ada

Female, Age 16

Rank/Craft: Apprentice GlasscrafterLocation: Dawnlight HoldRelatives/Family: parents alive, one sister, three brothers, all in various crafts

Physical Description: 5'9", 135, solidly built but not overly curvy, yellow tan skin with a port-wine stain birthmark over left eyelid, straight, black hair that is rarely styled, hanging to her high back, pleasant brown eyes. Long face which is often smiling with a little wry grin. She knows that because of the birthmark on her face she won't be often chosen by higher ranking or more popular men, but she doesn't mind. Her voice is high, nasal.

Emotional/Mental Description: Sensible and brought up to believe in herself. She does still care what others think, and how they react to her face, even though she knows she is pretty, otherwise. She muddles through when other people would give up. She is definitely not a quitter, but she is not a leader type either. She rarely sits by watching, when she can be participating in something. Loves gathers and festivals.

Skills: As a Glasscrafter, she has learned how to turn sand into glass. She does it pretty well, though she lacks the strength to do large pieces like her Master. She hopes this will change either way, if she Impresses a dragon. (She will gain body strength by working with the fire stone pass, and not have to do as much glasswork to begin with.) She is observant and has a keen eye for visual detail, but it is her ear for detail which often surprises people. She can immitate many people and sounds easily.

History: brought up in Dawnlight Hold, daughter of crafters. As such she was expected to continue the tradition, but her brothers all got there first. She is ready to ride a dragon, ready for a change.Notes and Special Information: Ada will not like giving up her metal torc to go between, she got it from a secret admirer years ago, and has not taken it off yet.

Pets/Hobbies/Posessions: she has a huge collection of works from the glass craft, as well as trinkets and things from metal workers like her brother, and clay from her sister. She has no pets, they get hair in her work. She likes doodling and whistling.

Ada sat watching the skies as Thread was burned from it. Her family couldn't believe she had sat outside the whole Fall, watching. It wasn't safe, they insisted.

She told them it was, that their nearby Weyr had sent the strong wings to fly against it, and she wanted to watch them. Really watching, she insisted, sitting on her small ledge with a spy glass in her hands, focused on the riders as they swooped through Thread and burnt it down to ash. These days, it was rare that the ground crews had anything much to do, since the dragons were very thorough. She watched them walking, as well, with their big agenothree tanks and blasting the occasional Thread as it came close to their crops.

Smiling to herself, once the Fall was over, Ada put her spy glass away and strolled down to the courtyard where some of the dragons remained to make sure there were no casualties and no problems in the Hold.

The handsome riders on their strong dragons... She sighed heavily, and suddenly realized there were other girls like herself standing around watching the riders. She smirked to herself. Then, one of the blue dragons looked up and made a little trumpeting sound, and nudged his white-haired rider a bit. The rider, very handsome and exotic looking, began walking toward the girls.

Several of them giggled furiously, being the daughters of some minor Holder, eager to bed a dragonrider. They were pretty, these girls, certainly none of them were skinny and none of their skin was marked like Ada's was. They stood quite the chance to do whatever their hearts desired with this rider. Ada watched as he approached, and his dragon beyond rumbled low at him.

The other girls gathered around the man, complimenting him on his bravery, his hair, and his style. But though he thanked them nicely, he also moved them aside with his gloved hand. He stood before Ada, looking at her with a smile on his face.

"My name is A'rd, and that's Trelerth over there. He told me that one of you girls oogling me over here was a suitable candiate. Looks like it's you." He nodded at Ada, and the other girls let off sounds of protest. A'rd glared at them with eerie grey-yellow eyes, and they faded into the Hold's hall. Ada stood looking rather surprised.

"Me?" She squeaked, "I'm a glasscrafter."

"And I'm a Harper, my dear girl," A'rd announced, bowing, "so we're probably about even. I can find a clutch for you to stand at, I'm certain. Be prepared to fly. Pern needs all the riders it can get."

He bent and kissed her hand, smiled up at her, and turned back to his group of riders.

***

It was no more than a few sevendays later when several other riders came down to the Hold to find new Candidates for Talor Cliff weyr. One of their riders, Nora on blue Mitanth, cornered Shard when they were gathering others up, and pointed directly at Ada. Nora came by to look over the young glasscrafter.

"I'm positive you'll like it at Talor, Ada."

"How did you know my name? Other than Shard telling you? You're a blue rider... My friends think that girls should only ride girl dragons..."

"And what do you think?" Nora asked, not quite peeved.

"I think they're wherry headed dimglows who won't see the world from dragonback if their lives depended upon it."

"Their lives do depend on us," Nora said, draping her arm over the crafter's shoulder. "And what about you? Would you like to see the world now?"

Ada grinned and nodded. She was amazed: the woman hadn't even mentioned her skin discoloration, and perhaps what she'd heard about dragon riders was correct! That they were far more forgiving for such things. She hoped to prove herself on the sands, and perhaps prove to those who had insulted her that the only insult was that they didn't know a good rider when they saw one!

Ada and the other candidates rushed to the hatching sands! The dam of the clutch, green Cylith, bellowed into both the air and the minds of many present.

It was not even a few minutes later when Ada began to feel something. She was so hungry! But she'd had lunch and a good one at that. She recalled it clearly and ... For some reason, it made her mouth water!

Then three eggs, the first of the clutch, hatched at once! A white came from one, green and brown from the others.

The brown wandered about looking at the boys for a while, and then doubled back to the girls! What a turn! He looked at Ada and she came forward with a derisive snort for the boys.

"Come on, Viresth, I'll fill your empty belly!" For it was true, she wasn't hungry, her new dragon lifemate was!

"He's so funny!" Ada wiped a tear from her eye.

Why do you cry then?

"Because when you laugh so hard like I do... you just do!"

That is odd. Is it funny too?

"You're funny! And I love you!"

I am still hungry.

"That too, is funny... For I thought I just found you something to eat not more than a day ago!"

I think I will always be hungry if you only feed me little things! I want to hunt something! Look, the big dragons get to do it!

"You can't fly yet, Vir, it's dangerous doing that if you can't fly."

But I have tried! And my wings are strong.

"You aren't ready yet," Ada insisted. "And plus, if you aren't eating the stuff they hunt for us, that'll put the staff out of a job!"

You are always so concerned for your friends! I love you!

Wouldn't it be a surprise if I were to fly that green?

"A surprise to her rider, maybe," Ada chuckled. They flew over Talor for the last time, bidding farewell to their friends and weyrmates. So much time spent in the barracks, learning from the weyrling master... Everything was just so amazing at Talor. But now it was time to start flying in a wing, at the Protectorate, and Ada had an appointment of sorts with the wing leader of the Uplift wing.

L'ex, on bronze Ulonyth, also of Talor Cliff's sands, rested his weary (but very attractive) bones against his dragon, while standing on the cliffside of the Protectorate's little island meeting grounds.

"Think this place can get any more isolated?" Ada asked, and L'ex laughed.

"I don't think any place in the world is isolated, when you're on a dragon. Anyway, I've heard good things about you, especially from the people at Dawnlight. They claim you've got good work below your belt, and I tend to believe them."

"Ooh, praise from an Alabaster flunkie. I like it!" Ada said, and her Viresth grumbled in agreement. Higher praise could not be found in the world.

"You can start right away," L'ex said, "you'll be the shoulder-spot on my left."

Which to Ada, meant ... like a WingSecond's Wing Second. Amazing.

We are that good, need I remind you? Viresth bespoke. They flew off, ready to fight and build with equal love.