Xanadu Weyr - Meadow
A large, slightly rolling meadow is set high enough above the riverbank on both sides to avoid suffering from flooding, healthy ground cover and grass spreading out from either side of the dividing river. Scattered amongst the meadow are a variety of weyrs, each with a narrow path leading up to it from a main, winding road. Some are set under a few trees, while others sit by themselves.
Runner stables with the paddock beyond are to the south beyond the meadow weyrs, a smithy and a woodcraft shop are settled closer in towards the path to the clearing, while trees border the western edge of the meadow, and a faint outline of a stone wall and low rolling hills can be seen to the north. Wagons laden with felled trees from the forests to the southwest or ore from the mountains to the southeast are hauled by burden beast up the road through the meadow, over the bridge spanning the river to be processed in the appropriate workshops.
Datsun is just coming out of the Woodcraft Shop, obviously on a break during his shift as he's still covered in woodchips and it's not even midday yet. The Journeyman lingers around the front of the Shop, Datsun takes a swig from a small waterskin he's carrying in one hand and a bite of the breakfast sandwich in his other han. This is how he usually has his mornings when he's on shift: grabbing a quick bite and drink on a bench while observing the ongoings in the Meadow.
Apparently Soriana got an early start on the day, because she got all the way out into the forest and is on her way back already. She's bare-handed, though a brown firelizard drapes himself over her shoulder comfortably. As she begins across the meadow, the motion by the woodshop catches her eye. She glances over that way, taking a moment to look over Datsun as her steps slow, then giving him a slight nod of most probably greeting.
Suddenly that jaw of his slows down as Datsun sights Soriana coming back to the Weyr, furrowing his brows briefly before swallowing. His free hand, the one that usually handles the waterskin, comes up and a finger motions for Soriana to come over, patting on the otherwise empty bench for her to sit by him. He doesn't say anything otherwise, watching to see if she'll come or not.
Soriana arches an eyebrow at Datsun's gesture. Her arms cross in front of her, and she approaches him… though not to sit down. She simply stands before him, that one brow still somewhat lifted to make a question of her words as she says, "Hello, Datsun."
Datsun shrugs as she doesn't sit, "Soriana." He returns by greeting, taking a final drink from his waterskin and setting down his sandwich before he starts the conversation. "I've been thinking about our conversation before. First of all, nobody told me to heat the water for the Hatching Sands." His eyes look up at hers, "I was hired to bring water from Point A to Point B. And that's what I did. If I had been asked to find a way to heat up the water, I would have, but I wasn't."
"…is this really what we're talking about?" says Soriana, and sighs. "Fine. Yes, you are good at what you do. I'm sure you would have. Yes, I acknowledge that, absent technology, many of the same things can be achieved by far more effortful means. I'm sure you could have built tiny fires or something. No, technology isn't necessary. It probably makes your apprentices lazy." She shrugs. "So. Do go on."
Datsun blinks, raising an eyebrow. "Then why on Pern would you ask me that question when you knew that it wasn't even what I was asked to do? As for technology…" He just shrugs, leaning back against the Shop, "It does have its uses. I realized something while I was considering what we said before. I got full of myself and acted all high and mighty about traditional methods over technology. I think it felt like I was trying to impose that on you. Do you agree?"
Soriana just shakes her head at Datsun's first question, though it's with a slight clench of her jaw. Still, she manages to not actually say anything out loud. Her eyebrow gives a slight twitch at the mention of technology by him, and then eases into a cautious nod as he continues. "I agree you were full of yourself. And I will point out, you had just …imposed… that on the entire Weyr." The brow does arch there. "Yes, I know it was an accident." She sighs a little. "And I know stress has effects on people." See: accident and resulting near-miss with death. So far as what it felt like, she simply says, "Were you?"
The tension in Soriana isn't lost on Datsun, watching her carefully and ready to respond but her next action surprises him. Her words has him unable to help himself stop from chuckling, nodding, "Aye, aye. You do have a point there." He admits, eyes shifting over to the freshly dug dirt still there. "It was not my intention to, though. It was a happy accident for me, but you and the rest of the Weyr made it perfectly clear to me that it wasn't for them." His eyes shift back to Soriana's face at her question, "You're right, I was stressed by my unwanted experience with what powers technology up close. Enough time's passed for me to appreciate it again. As for your question, I was temporarily trying to because of my feelings. Now I'm not."
"Mistakes still count," says Soriana with a slight quirk of her lips. "It's different if you mean it, though." There's a moment's pause, and then she shakes her head a little to clear it. "In a way, you're lucky. You can go back to Lemos, or even just out to Mire, and see places where they're never going to manage to run a wire and it's all tradition. Places like here… it's always going to be a mix." She half-smiles. "And personally, I think that's a good thing."
Datsun brings one foot up to rest half-crossed on his knee, setting one hand on it. "Yeah. So for that and trying to impose what I prefer on you, I apologize. I had forgotten what I learned from meeting different people from different ways of life. I might not agree with them, but there's more to them than only that." He glances from his boot back to her, "You're the opposite of what I like. I don't need to explain why, we both already know. Despite that, I was trying to get to know you better as a friend since I didn't know much about you. I ended up pushing you away."
"People are complicated," Soriana agrees with a pensive expression. At the talk of opposites, her mouth curves into an expression that… well, half of it is a smile. Sort of a smile. Maybe a smile. Ish. "I seem to be a lot of things." She shrugs a little, and looks up to Datsun. "It was a nice fire." The expression settles a bit more toward an actual smile. "We can be friends. I'm not mad at you or anything. I was, I got over it." She glances down at hr crossed arms, and her lips quirk a little. "Okay, so maybe I'm still working on that." Her arms uncross and go to her sides to look awkward there. "But… just having a fight isn't a reason to give up on something…"
"No kidding." Datsun agrees with a light shake of his head, picking up what remains of his sandwich and finishing it off. "Well, thanks. I'm glad people enjoyed that, at least. To tell you the truth, I felt guilty for taking out the power and that was kind of my apology to the entire Weyr." There's a last swing taken from the waterskin before he stands up, facing Soriana. "Well, I'm glad you're still friends with me, mad or not. Tell you what. I won't give up on you if you won't give up on me. Deal?" A hand is held out.
"Next time, maybe you should just try flowers," Soriana says with a teasing expression. "They're sort of traditional, from what I hear." When Datsun extends his hand, her own reaches out to take it. "Yeah, all right. Stubborn ought to be something I can manage."
Datsun smirks, "It'd be a bit expensive to get all those flowers. Wood's free for me." Her hand is shaken and released, "Traditional work was once advanced technology, too. Someday in the future, all this technology become old." His hand comes up to his forehead in his usual two-finger jaunty salute, "Yup, wouldn't expect anything less. I gotta go back on shift. See you later." Then he's heading back into the Woodcraft Shop.
Hands: shaken. Soriana hehs. "There is that. Convenient for you. Now me… yeah, if I ever have to apologize to an entire Weyr, I'm kinda out of luck." At his talk of the future, she smiles. "Guess then I'll get to see something new. Something to look forward to." Or be long dead by the time it comes around, but hey. Speaking of a far less distant future, "Yeah, I've got some stuff too. I'll see you around." Soriana waves, and turns to continue along toward the rest of the Weyr.