Fortian Visitors
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Xanadu Weyr - Caverns
A massive cavern in it's own right, this one has been skillfully adapted for human habitation. The high ceilings have been painted a light, soft ivory, as are the walls where numerous tapestries hang to provide brilliant color and insulation from the stone. The floor has been left in its natural state, pale pink granite speckled through with glittering mica and dark flecks of basalt, leveled carefully but kept sufficiently rough to avoid slips.
The cavern itself is loosely divided into areas, each one set up to be suitable for some segment of the Weyr's population. The most frequently occupied area, however, is the one near the Kitchens where tables of varying sizes provide a place to sit down and eat or chat and a buffet of consumables is almost always kept stocked. Its plain that on most days, this area wouldn't accommodate anywhere near the full population of the Weyr and equally plain that on such occasions when a formal meal is laid out, tables are appropriated from all the other areas.
A big fireplace is set into the wall near the Kitchens as well, several comfortable chairs nearby providing haunts for elderly residents or riders who like a good view of all that happens. Rugs cover the floor in strategic spots, all of them abstract or geometric in design and most in the softly neutral colors of undyed wool.

Exits lead off in all directions, a big archway the largest and that leading outside. Shallow stairs to the west lead to the offices and administration area while tunnels to the east lead to the infirmary, kitchen and resident's quarters. Southwards, a sloping tunnel leads down to the hot springs.


A bright sunny morning leads into a warm afternoon at Xanadu. Many dragons are snoozing in the sun, Kera's young dragonmate among them. The greenling herself is hiding from the heat in the shaded caverns. Many have already had their midday meals and returned to duties, while others remain and latecomers wander in. Kera among those scattered around the tables, a little plate of fruit chunks and some juice distract her from the manual she is skimming.

Among the latecomers are some foreigners, though not here on a first ever visit to Xanadu Weyr. It's been awhile since Th'ero has stepped foot, however, among the paths and halls in a more unofficial nature. Whatever his business may be, the Fortian Weyrleader has already met briefly with Ka'el. Entering the caverns, he is not alone but the one with him is another Fortian rider and not the Xanadian Weyrleader. "Want to go grab a table, Wingmate?" Th'ero murmurs her, eyes quickly scanning the crowds and seeking out the serving tables. "I'll grab us some food and drink. Any preference or should I just grab whatever looks good?" he muses. He may not have noticed Kera quite yet, but outside Velokraeth is waddling his way over to the snoozing dragons in hopes to wriggle himself in among them for some communal sunbathing.

Kimmila pushes hair away from her face as she unfastens the latches on her riding leathers, fanning her face a bit. "Shards, forgot how warm it can get here sometimes. Makes me almost miss Fort's snow. Whatever looks good is fine, and something cold to drink if they have it." With a smile, the knotless bluerider looks around for a spot to sit, finding two vacant chairs near where Kera is sitting. "Mind?" she asks as she approaches. Outside, Varmiroth is following after Velokraeth, the pale blue rumbling softly and drowsy.

Kera looks over the diagram sketched, then flips back a page to reread the explanation. Shaking her head with a hint of a frown while nibbling from her plate. Glancing up at the odd question, she notices the visitor. It takes her a moment to switch gears, taking in the empty chairs then nodding with an agreeable smile "Not at all ma'am." A quick dip of her head. "Welcome to Xanadu." Reaching out, she sweeps her mess out of the way and stows her pack under the table.

"Cold drink and light food. Got it!" Th'ero drawls as he smiles back to Kimmila and parts ways. The downside to wearing the knot he has means he will have to partake in a few more greetings and how-do's, polite and respectful as he tries his best to get to the serving tables in a reasonable time. Regardless, it will be several minutes before he's approaching the table that Kera and Kimmila share and he sets down the tray of food and drinks he's carried over, looking a bit flushed and harried. Relaxation at last? Perhaps! Slipping off his jacket, he'll fold it in a way that the knot is hidden but not before it can be glimpsed and noted and draped over his chair. "Afternoon," Th'ero greets Kera with a light smile. "Fort's duties to Xanadu and her queens. I hope we're not interrupting your work?" To Kimmila, he grins. "Hope what I nabbed is alright?"

Kimmila pulls out the chair and sits, draping her jacket across the back before she extends her hand. "Kimmila. Blue Varmiroth's of Fort," she introduces with a warm smile. Glancing over when Th'ero returns, the woman smiles fondly. "Thanks, wingmate. Lots of people stop you to chat?" She knows that look. "Everything looks great," she tells him, smilinga s she pulls her plate off the tray and spreads a napkin on her lap.

Kera extends her hand to shake Kimmila's with a smile "Nice to see you again ma'am." It's only a short time later when she's giving a headshake to the Fortian Weyrleader and gesturing towards the chair across the table. "Welcome to Xanadu Sir." A negligent flick of fingers towards the manual she set aside "I was just reading about formations. I'm hopin it will make more sense later." Chuckling at her own confusion on that topic, her gaze slips between the Fortians. "You've come to visit the beaches for a few candlemarks perhaps?"

Th'ero extends a hand for Kera to take as well before the pleasantries are concluded and as he settles into his chair he gives Kera a long, lingering look. Where has he seen her before? Further curiosity is stirred when the words 'see you again' are mentioned to Kimmila. "Thank you. I've a feeling… we've met before? You'll have to excuse my memory…" Her name would be? Velokraeth is too sun drowsy to heed his rider's inquiry, so the Fortian Weyrleader can only settle and try not to look to sheepish. "One of the banes of the knot," Th'ero drawls to Kimmila, snatching a sliced vegetable to quickly devour before his focus drifts back to Kera. "Ahh, weyrling training? Formations are difficult to absorb to start but it becomes second nature in time. Doesn't it, Wingmate?" He flashes another smile to Kimmila.

Again? Kimmila tilts her head at Kera, but recognition evades her. Typical, for the bluerider. She peers at the charts and then back at the girl, tilting her head a bit. "What's to make sense? Are you confused by them?" Glancing at Th'ero, she smirks a bit. "Hey, you're the one who let him chase." Old joke. "Formations are really quite simple, but it can be hard to 'get' from paper. You have to see them."

Kera nods agreeably to Th'ero and Kimmila both once greetings are out of the way. "I'm Kera, Moncerath is my dragonmate." A vague gesture made towards the cavern exit "She's sleeping off her meal with some of the other dragons." A quick grin flashes across her face and tip of her head "Once a couple turns ago, at one of your Festivals, it was a very brief meeting among lots of chaos of the evening." Plucking another bite of fruit from her plate and seems to recall "There was a Tunnel all lit up and very pretty." She watches the couple across the table a moment before her attention goes back to the manual. "Oh, I understand them well enough. I'm just wondering if we're supposed to switch in the midd.." Kera trails off suddenly and chuckles as she waves off her own question "Nevermind, it's something I should ask the weyrlingsmasters later, not bother visitors with." Looking from Kimmila to Th'ero with a grin "Are you both enjoying your visit to Xanadu?"

Aha! It all clicks in Th'ero's head and he chuckles throatily, giving Kimmila a knowing look as Kera fills them in. "Now that does bring back some memories. You were right about the chaos of the evening, but most Festivals tend to be a whirlwind of conversation, dance, music, food and in that instance… light. Well met, Kera. And Moncerath, is it? I… believe I was here for her Hatching." he remarks and picks a few more nibbles off his plate. That sudden movement under the table? Is totally his leg bumping against Kimmila's for her little quip on chasing. "It's not like one can simply keep a bronze from chasing a gold!" Th'ero drawls matter-of-factly to the bluerider, only to ruin the moment by chuckling under his breath. "Bother us? We don't mind. Formations among riders is no boring discussion though Kimmila has a very good point. Better to see it with your own eyes than only from papers." Glancing to his weyrmate, Th'ero's smile turns warm. "I'd say we are? We've not been here too long. It's been sometime since I've visited Xanadu for the sake of visiting."

Kimmila nods, "Oh! I kind of remeber now." Kind of. That's as close as she'll get from Kimm. "I remember the lights for sure." Shifting her gaze, her look for Th'ero is a private, loving glance. "You were there with a brownrider, were you not?" she asks, as more memories of that night seep into her brain. "As for switching, really depends on what you're told to do," she remarks, peering at the hide. "Oh yes. We always love Xanadu." She winks at Th'ero, nudging him back with a grin. What?

Kera smiles to the pair and nods "It was a fun evening." Dipping her head agreeably to Kimmlia "Yea, he was nice enough to take me to the Festivial. Hopefully he didn't get banged up too badly from my horrible ice skating skills." Grinning at the couple across the table, a nod to Th'ero "Yes'sir. I think…" She shrugs a bit "I honestly don't remember much after Moncerath finally fell asleep that first night." An embarrassed little chuckle "Was a bit confusing." Glancing down to the manual she smirks "What's confusing me the most is the little notes scribbled in on the edges by someone who read this book already. They don't make sense with the chapter." Her shoulders lift in a shrug as she smiles across the table to Kimmila "So I'll just ask about that later. But like you said, maybe what's on paper will make more sense when I see it differantly."

Th'ero returns that private glance to Kimmila and then looks down at his plate, picking a little more at his meal. Chuckling between mouthfuls, he looks up at Kera with an amused half-grin. "No worries on that. The first few hours… Shells, usually the first sevenday is confusing after Impression. I know it took me quite some time to adjust and it doesn't help that Velokraeth's mind is like being in a constant state of mild intoxication." Oh how fun? Frowning, there's a darted look to Kimmila and then he's making a small gesture with his head towards the manual. "Mind if we looked? It's probably best you don't focus on another's scribbles…" For obvious reasons! When Kimmila nudges him back, he quirks a brow and bites back another grin. "We do enjoy it here." he agrees, only to tilt his head. "Have you lived here in Xanadu all your life, prior to Impressing?"

Kimmila chuckles, nodding a bit as she takes a few more bites of food. "It's someone else's book? No, ignore the scribbles. If it's not printed it probably isn't worth your time." She reaches for the book, though waits for permission before taking it. "It's so nice and warm here. We're buried in snow up north."

Kera grins at the couple's interactions with each other and takes a moment to pluck another bite of fruit from her plate. She lifts a brow at the question but nods "Shure" She says around her fruit bite and the manual is nudged across the table. Smirking at the bluerider's advice Kera nods "I probably would have saved myself a headache if I had done that to begin with. Here, have a look." A quick headshake to Th'ero "No sir, From near Rubicon River Hold. But The Hall posted me here about three turns ago." Flashing a grin to the bluerider "We get snow here too, just not as much as what I recall seeing at Fort. I can see where the sunny beach could be calling to visitors." She cants her head at the pair across the table as something else occurs to her "Are you here for the coming runner races too? I've been hearing lots of people going on about their favorites."

"We're not that buried under snow," Th'ero chuckles in response to Kimmila's reply. "Our winters can be bad, but nothing like the far north. Xanadu does get snow too, that's true. Sunny and warm beaches are very tempting, no matter where." As the bluerider takes the manual from Kera, Th'ero will crane his head a bit to sneak a look at the scribbling but for the most part leave it to Kimmila to decipher what is written there. "Ah, so your holderbred. Seems like many riders I've come to know of late are." Th'ero smiles again to Kera and then dips his head in a slight nod. "We'll be here for the races too. We attended the first round in Fort Sea Hold and then the second in Ista Hold. If you're looking to do any betting, Kimmila has a very good eye and sense for it." Barely able to keep the chuckle from his voice or from grinning, he glances sidelong to the bluerider. "Isn't that right, Wingmate?"

Kimmila takes the book and flips through it curiously, half listening to the conversation. "Not many of us weyrbred riders around," she remarks, grin crooked. Then she laughs. "Really I just guess," she admits. "And bet on a lot of them but only talk about my winnings." She winks at Kera and nudges Th'ero under the table again.

Kera chuckles and lets them look through the manual and scribbled notes it contains througout it's pages. Nudging the little fruit plate aside, the weyrling leans against the table, propping herself on elbows while her attention drifts between the duo. "Really? I hadn't thought of that." Counting off something quietly on her fingers she finally concedes the idea with a nod "It makes sense, in a way. Most of my friends among the other weyrlings seem to come from hold or a hall." Glancing around to eye someone's plate when they head towards a table, seems something on the plate caught her attention. Looking back to the Fortian rider Kera snorts in amusement and shakes her head "Oh no thank you. I know enough about betting to know I shouldn't do it. Expecially on an apprentice's marks." Trying not to laugh outright at the bluerider's winning strategy, she nods "That's not a bad idea though." Getting to her feet, she gestures to the sweet tables "I'm gonna grab a roll, either of you want something?"

Th'ero chuckles under his breath as he speaks. "Are you saying that a weyrbred rider is a rare species?" he teases Kimmila and pops another bite of food into his mouth and washes it down with his drink. There's a grunt when Kimmila nudges him again and this time she'll get a gentle elbow to the side for that. What? "Isn't any betting just a guess?" he drawls, quirking a brow as he glances from his weyrmate to Kera. Laughing, he nods his head in agreement with the weyrling. "Half the reason why I don't bet either… I know better. I'd likely make a small win and then get sucked up into the moment…" He lifts his hands and spreads them out. Good bye marks! "But you can bet too for fun," Th'ero points out and when Kera stands and offers them something he shakes his head and politely waves it off. "No thank you, Kera."

Kimmila nods, gesturing to Kera's words as if in proof. "Yes. Weyrbrats want out, holders and crafters want in." It's that simple! She flips through the pages, rocking when he elbows her…so she elbows him back. What was that for? "Unless you've got inside information," she drawls casually. "I'm good, thanks."

Kera dips her head with an agreeable nod and chuckles "Perhaps, if no marks are wagered. Learned my lesson with that one." Still waiting for the Weyrleader to cough of the half mark she's owed. "Be right back." is sent to both before she heads towards the well laden food tables with her little plate in hand. Grabbing a still warm bubbly that she adds to her plate, and a hand full of dried meat strips stuffed into her little waist satchel for later, Kera heads back to the table and plops down. She's quiet while taking the first couple of bites, using the time to observe the Fortian visitors, as she listens to the conversation.

Th'ero grins crookedly for Kimmila's reply to Kera and grunts again when he's elbowed by the bluerider. She nudged him first? What was that for? "Learned your lesson?" he goes to prompt Kera, but the weyrling is already off to the food tables and the Fortian Weyrleader only shakes his head before slipping an arm around Kimmila as he leans over to peer at that manual before carefully lifting it and handing it back to Kera or at the least resting it on her side of the table. "You mentioned beaches, Kera but are there any other sights to see in Xanadu?" he asks curiously.

Kimmila wants to know about this lesson learned as well, nodding in a silent echo to Th'ero's question. With the manual returned, she turns back to her meal, leaning into Th'ero's arm as he slips it around her. "An insider's opinion. Though we should also visit with family," she adds, glancing at him.

Kera slides the manual off the table and fumbles it under the table for a bit as the previous questions jumps back into her head "OH! I had made a bet with Ka'el a while back, putting his and Kiena's skill at a task to the test. I bet on Rider Kiena and won." She snorts down to her roll "Last time I asked him about the half mark due, he said the mark was in the Transport." She waves the sweetroll around airily. "Or something like that." Mentioning of sights around Xanadu, Kera takes a bite and leans back in her seat to think "There are quite a few stretches of beach. The rockier ones near the cliffs will probably be quieter….And the floating docks can be almost too relaxing if you stretch out to sun too long." A few seconds go by as her gaze slips from one to another as she thinks. "There are also a couple of gardens to enjoy around the Weyr.

Th'ero blinks for a moment, looks to Kimmila and then back to Kera as the weyrling explains the bet and in a very un-Weyrleader behaviour he bursts out laughing. "That sounds like my sister!" he says between hearty chuckles. "What was the task, if you remember?" He has to know now, what his sibling challenged Ka'el to. Quirking a brow, he gives Kimmila a significant look. "You know how she can be." he tells her in a lowered voice. "A visit may not be an option." Turning back to Kera, he smirks at the details of the unpaid bet. "Could be it just slips his mind? Not intentionally." Right? At the list of sights to see, Th'ero leans back in his seat with one arm still casually wrapped around Kimmila. "A beach by the cliffs? That sounds peaceful. Though so do the gardens."

Kimmila laughs as well. "Good for her," she praises, much amused. Glancing at Th'ero, her brows lift and then she shrugs. /She/ wants to see his sister and the girls, even if he stays behind. Time will tell. "You should knock on his office every morning and ask for it." That's Kimm's sage advice.

Kera grins at the reaction over the bet details "It was a long while back." and uses her half eaten bubbly as a prop to demonstrate as she moves it about. "Ka'el had this new bodyboard. I don't remember how it got started. But Kiena stayed up and moving longer than Ka'el." Looking between the two "This was before he was Weyrleader, and her Weyrsecond by the way. So been a long while ago it happened." An easygoing shrug lifts her shoulders before they drop "I'm not worried about it though. Not like I lost anything….that time."

"Kimmila!" Th'ero chides her but it's obvious from the start that the Fortian Weyrleader is joking with her. "Don't give her ideas that may get her in hot water and only midway through her Weyrlinghood!" he teases, giving Kera a crooked smile. As for visiting with Kiena, he has no further comment on that but if Kimmila goes, he will follow and the Weyrsecond will just have to deal with it. "A bodyboard? You mean surfing?" His sister surfs? "Still… it's a bit of a let down not to get what is owed. Even if it was meant all in fun!"

Kimmila just grins, figuring Kera is smart enough not to actually /take/ her suggestion. "I'd still bug him about it periodically. Like every time I saw him." Smirk. "She surfs? Ka'el surfs? That's weird. A skill I never did learn…"

Kera laughs at the memory, nodding to Th'ero "It was worth it just to watch them both tryin to stay on the board. Not sure if I would call their attempts surfing though." Stuffing the last of the bubbly in her mouth, she chews while swiping her hands of crumbs, her gaze slipping to Kimmila "Oh, we got in enough trouble when sneaking our dragonmates into the hot springs. So it's not like we didn't come up with a couple ideas on our own." Flashing an amused wink, she sighs and starts gathering her pack from under the table and the dishes. "And speaking of springs, I need get cleaned up before Moncerath wakes up all hungry and itchy again." Getting to her feet she nods politely to each "It was nice seeing you both again. Hope you enjoy the rest of your visit to Xanadu. Have a good evening sir, ma'am." Wagging her free hand, Kera turns and slips off to deposit dishes in the tub by the tables then lost in the crowd.


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