Everyone knew that Benta was special, not just because she was always smiling or exceedingly bright. She could spot water from many miles away - and this was needed for their desert home's well would dry seasonally. As the youngest of six children, and the third girl, Benta wasn't going to be 'worth' much to her family. But she was pretty and polite, certainly any man that desired a good wife would have no issue with her.

Of course, by the time she was old enough to really care that her family still wanted to marry her off, she also knew that there would not be a man in her life. She managed to keep that under wraps, even allowing several suitors to court her. But even if they had been of any interest to her as partners... they blew their chances in a variety of ways. One of them insulted the local winery (where her mother and two older brothers worked), and the other attempted to 'sample the merchandise' - leading to Benta very nearly gutting him with his own belt buckle.

Thankfully, she didn't have to hide her nature forever - while it was not really a lover that she found, everyone knew that the girl she hung out with from the time she was fifteen was 'into' girls. No one dared mock either of them for it, certainly not any of the men who would try taming them. Both girls were stunningly smart, and could think circles around the men.

It was a man, however, who Searched Benta. Over a game of chess, he casually asserted how good she'd be at flight formations. She laughed, but when his blue dragon nosed into the conversation directly into her head, she immediately changed her tune. Could it be? Her? On a dragon?

Now that would be something! He brought her to Blue Mountain Aurie, and lo and behold... It was far from usual, in fact unheard of, that a bronze choose a woman. But there were so many dragonets, so many candidates... Perhaps he was just mixed up! Some even tried to force the dragon away from her... To absolutely no avail - and to slashing teeth and angry red eyes.

Maeth had chosen. He knew that his One was a girl, what did they think he was, stupid? He wanted the best of the candidates, and obviously she was the best. At any other weyr this might have been a problem. But here - there were red dragons and white ones... dragons which other more 'traditional' weyrs didn't support at all. She trained hard, her dragon would grow to be a very large bronze indeed. She liked scanning the ground for firestone mining, she even liked how it smelled - though not having to clean up after the dragonbarf so much...

When Maeth was old enough to go between, and Benta had learned many tricks of visualization to send him to the right spot, they and others were sent off to another weyr which - they asked before hand - would support a female riding a bronze. Dragonhope had never had such a thing, but they were hardly as uptight as several other weyrs they had contacted.

She refused to elide her name like a boy, liking none of the results - plus, her name was short enough already! It went contrary to her refusal to wear 'ladies' clothing - the formalwear that she found for herself at a gather below Dragonhope, a very comfortable suit of warm leather and heavy cloth in pants and jacket that was cut just right. Benta and Maeth proved themselves to be adept at long flights, hard threadfall, and keeping up with the boys. Perhaps her bronze would fly for a gold - and even if he didn't win, she was certain that she herself could keep any of the other riders at bay (or even ... entertained!) should that happen.

***

"I don't even know what to say about this," one of the recordskeepers in Dragonhope said, handing off a scroll that had been tucked into a flitter's neck harness carrying pouch. "I was to bring this to the Weyrleaders and then let them figure it out... so... you gonna go?"

Benta unrolled the thin parchment, and read it. She read it again. When she was on her third and increasingly confounded trip over the letter, the Weyrwoman herself showed up in the bronze-rider's doorway.

"What he said," she chuckled, "are you going?"

"But it's at ... well, at least there's a chart for where it goes but..." She wracked her brain. Though Benta herself was the odd girl out, on a bronze, she'd never or hardly ever given any consideration to there being male gold-riders. But yet... There was.

Maeth rumbled loudly outside, on his ledge. No one needed Benta's translation, they knew he was eager as any bronze, to catch a lovely queen!

So Benta wrote back, yes, she'd be interested in attending a flight with her bronze, should arrangements be needed? Hm, she pondered, no, not really. Weyrwoman Kira helped her pack, and gave advice here and there about what to do if he won.

"You'll probably want to stay to see a hatching either way," Kira said, and Benta nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh yes, the only one I'd ever been to was my own Impression, I missed most of it even though it was such a big hatching! Whatever comes of it, I'd like to remain. Perhaps I can forward information, if they need candidates too."

"That sounds like a plan, Benta," Kira said, smiling broadly. The Weyrwoman was well into her sixties, but hardly looked it, particularly when her husband the Weyrleader, S'xon was beside her. They'd been very happy with her performance in Pintu Anjin, the so-called 'swing shift' wing, for her bronze was unafraid to fly against Thread, and they were both eager to lend a hand getting firestone to everyone. Maeth was big, strong, and best of all he was generally smart and cool-headed.

"You're going to place bets on him after we leave, aren't you?" Benta said over her shoulder as she continued to pack and the Weyrleaders left her to it.

"Of course we are, dear," Kira laughed, and Benta swore she heard the Weyrleader muttering something about 'glad that bronze isn't in the way for his own's chasing anything'...

Maeth, Bronze

talented, gifted, partial
**
Status: Commoner, House Born child
Age: 17
Gender: female
Siblings: 5
Born: last
Legitimacy: a pleasant surprise to their happily married parents
Childhood Health: sick occasionally like a normal child
Adult Height: a moderately tall person
Adult Build: lithe but muscled
Skin Tone: lightly tanned
Hair Color: dishwater brown
Hair Style: frizzy
Hair Length: shoulder length
Eye Color: forest green
Literacy Level: can read with some difficulty and have poor penmanship
Politeness Level: their politeness extends to everyone around them
Focus: in every day life they are focused on their tasks
While their striking looks make some jealous, most are just attracted to them
They're well known for being very selfish

Values and Goals
Values: their clothing (not expensive)
Enjoys: the Beach
Very weak goal: travel
Practically nonexistant fear: horses
Is very happy with: a Dragonry or Hatchery
Odd Skill (learned outside of craft if any): philosophy

Originally From: high desert community
Location size: average sized
Location climate: moderate
Searched: a couple weeks ago
**