Xanadu Weyr - Forest's Edge
While the forest is thick for a long while, in time it begins to thin, as the ground becomes rockier to the south western stretches of the Weyr's land. The trees are further apart, and the rocks become larger, before rocky outcroppings seem to be more prevalent than the trees around them. As the hills begin to gain in height, the shruberry upon them become more stunted.
The small cave that was opening up by an Earthquake has been widened, the initially small opening turned into one large enough for whers and humans alike, and the carefully placed support beams can be seen in the opening. Outside, it seems that more construction is due to begin, given the building materials currently being stockpiled.
A series of 'dens' sit into the rocky outcroppings, showing signs of the whers who make their home within them.
Its night at Xanadu, Rukbat having set beneath the horizon, casting even the open meadows into long violet shadows. As the air cools, mist has begun to form, swirling and gathering in the small valleys and beginning to creep between the trees of the forest. And yet, despite the later hour, Niva is out and about, the Weyrwoman's path taking her far from the main area of the Weyr, and out towards the territory of the miners, a flash light in her hand, though she does cover the end with her hand to make sure it doesn't disturb anyone unneccessarily.
Fros is, of course, up and active at this hour- with a young wher, it's hard not to be. Frosk is happily bounding around, some fresh blood still on her lips from her evening meal. Now, however, it's time for work. Frosk and Fros are not on the main obstacle course- rather, they're next to it, facing a small pile of rocks. "Right, Now." Fros is saying, "Yah gotta focus an' take the rocks apart. If yah do this right, yah can try the main-" She's interrupted by Frosk's curious grumble; the little green is paying more attention to the forest line then her handler. Fros looks in that direction, squinting, and eventually picks the form of Niva out from the trees. "Evenin', Weyrwoman." she calls.
Devarn spent one too many days in a row up in the Weyr. He decided to take a leisurely walk through the forest with his fire-lizard, Rust. He overheard the wherhandler greet the Weyrwoman just as he emerged from the forest. "Hello, Weyrwoman, Fros." His easy smile is a clear indication of his relaxation in being out of the stone walls.
The curiously little rumble from the yellow-green Wher is enough to confirm that yes, wherhandlers are indeed out and working, and after a moment Niva's flicking off the light, letting her own eyes adjust as full dark takes over. "Wherhandler.." And at the sound of another voice behind her, she's turning, blinking a few times to identify the voice, settling for now on a simple offer of 'good evening'. Light clothes still noticeable in the darkness, she moves away from the forest's edge, though careful to give Frosk a wide berth as she does so. "How is your training going?"
Fros another voice attracts Fros's attention, and she gives Devarn a nod, too. "Evenin' as well." She greets. Frosk gives Devarn a mildly curious glance, before deciding that people are boring and laying down at Fros's feet. "Eh, it goes." Fros replies to Niva, "She's real good at pickin' me out, but we're havin' trouble with the rockslide obstical. She gets discouraged when she hits them metal walls." Fros shakes her head, fondly looking down at the wher. "An' it's hard gettin' her used to people, but more cuz people don' wanna get near her." Fros' voice betrays that she doesn't really understand this- surely everyone finds little Frosk as endearing as she does, right? "How're yah both tonight?" she asks, "The evenin' treatin' yah well?"
Devarn continues walking toward the others, hands in his pockets. "I know I'm doing quite well," he answers, leaning against the nearest solid object. It's probably a fence or something, but he doesn't take the time to look. "It's a good idea to just take a walk nowehere sometimes, you know?"
"She'll get it in time. From what I've seen, some whers simply pick up some skills faster than others." Though, if pressed, Niva would admit to not knowing too much about them, given their nocturnal habits. "I'm certain some of the candidates standing for Kilaueth, and then Seryth's clutch in turn will find them… intriguing. And be willing to help." As Devarn closes the distance, her dark-adjusted eyes pick out his knot, smiling a bit. "It is… How is your own training progressing, Apprentice?" She asks curiously, relaxed in the relative obscurity that darkness offers.
Fros nods, looking at her. "I hope so." Fros replies, "But I don't doubt her. She's a smart one, even if she doesn' act like it." The mention of candidates gets her to perk up, anad she grins slowly. "So they'll be comin' in soon?" She asks, voice interested. "That'll be good, then. Socializin' you isn't a lost cause yet." This last bit is said fondly to the little green wher, who looks up for a second when she notices her handler talking to her. Devarn gets a curious look, when Niva directs a question to him. "What do yah do?" she asks him, "I've only seen yah in passin' at mealtimes." she admits, slightly sheepish.
Devarn cocks his head sharply to the side before answering, a quiet crack audible in the still night. "I was an apprentice in the Tannercraft, but I didn't want Journeyman enough to stay. I've got the training I need for what I do," he replies simply.
"There's nothing wrong with that - you never know, you may change your mind in the future, and go back, or find something else." Niva offers in a tone that seems as if she has told one of her children the exact same thing, even if Devarn is older than her own. A glance at Fros, and she nods, gaze dropping downwards to the little green wher, looking her over, curiously. "I do think you'll have a better time of it here, at least, rather than at some hold, where she'd be trained more to protect than work."
Fros grins slowly, when Devarn admits to having been a tanner. "Tanners is good folk." She replies, "My family did some tannin'. I was a beastcrafter myself, 'for I went to the weyr." To Niva she nods, looking proud. "Yeah, I think so. I don't think I'd want to handle a protection-trained wher. Rather her be friendlier an' work in mines." Frosk doesn't seem to have a preference either way. The little green lays her head on her paws and sighs, looking wistfully at a tree. "Yeah, yeah, you can go chase Sirus." Fros tells the little creature, and Frosk is off towards a tree the brown firelizard is perched in. "Anyway," Fros says to Niva, "I'm glad the weyr gave me this opportunity, to train'r here."
"Maybe," Devarn noncommitally answers the Weyrwoman. "I'm glad you think so, Fros." After tilting his head the other direction and getting a louder pop, he watches the wher run off. Rust takes off to chase Frosk chasing Sirius, but Devarn quickly calls him back. "Huh-uh, you're staying right here." The small lizard looks at him defiantly for a moment, then gives up. He almost seems to shrug, curling around his owner's upper arm.
Niva winces at that pop as Devarn stretches, shivering just a little, perhaps from more than just the evening's chill. Arms are folded infront of her before she hugs herself gently, and watches as the wher goes shooting off after the brown firelizard, chuckling softly as Rust's own attempts to join in are squashed. "We need all types to have a functioning Weyr.. And the Whers certainly earn their keep.." She nods absently.
At Devarn's unwillingness to let his lizard join in the game, Fros nods to the green. "She won't hurt'm, don't worry. She likes lizards; Sirus just has a bit of an attitude, an' she thinks he's hilarious to bother." She seems to agree, "But they nap together sometimes, so it's no harm done." A few more seconds of watching convince her that Frosk is fine on her own, circling around the tree that Sirus is sitting in and making happy little growls. Sirus seems less amused, flitting higher into the branches. He doesn't WANT to be bothered right now. "When do the candidates start comin' in, weyrwoman?" Fros asks, curious.
Devarn smiles. "Nah, I know she won't. Rust's just a bit too young for me to be comfortable with him flying off in the dark." The aforementioned reptile takes that moment to reposition itself, 'accidentally' finding a hole in the padding. "Ow! Watch it… You know very well why." At the mention of candidates, though, he looks to Niva; he's quite curious, himself.
Gaze flicks upwards into the tree, trying to follow the firelizard's movement through the branches, before she drops her gaze back to Frosk, nodding absently. "They just enjoy playing." Niva waits for a moment before chuckling at their questions. "A few of the older candidates have already begun to move their belongings into the barracks, and there is a clutch hardening at Igen, due to hatch any day, I expect we will see those candidates who did not Impress. After Seryth has clutched, the pace should pick up."
Fros nods. "That's excitin'. I can't wait." she responds. "I Stood a few times. Frosk is enough for me now, though." To Devarn, she asks, "You ever stood for a clutch before?"
Devarn shakes his head, reaching out a finger to rub Rust's head. "No, not even for this guy, here. I can't say I'd turn down the chance, though," he replies with a grin. "Who doesn't want a -dragon-?" Pausing for a second, he scratches under the small brown's jaw. "You're great, too, at least you can fit in a house." Smiling, he continues, "Although taking care of Rust has been an eye-opener of sorts."
"They'll be full, with enough for both clutches, if Seryth's is anything like Kilaueth's. T'was a good flight, should be a good clutch." She laughs softly at Devarn and Fros, shaking her head just a bit. "It certainly is, and at the same time it's nothing compared to what a newly hatched dragon requires." And then, with a wince, she's shaking her head. "If you two would excuse me… Kilaueth is complaining about noise in the Galleries, I need to go sort it out." And with a bob of her head, she's heading back towards the weyr proper, though she waits to turn on the flashlight til she's well away from Frosk's sensitive eyes, disappearing into the thickening fog.
Fros nods, grinning. "Eh, I'm rather likin' my wher, personally." she responds, "She might not have all the bells an' wistles of a dragon, but she's got some good stuff too." There's obvious pride in her voice, as she speaks of Frosk, who couldn't be paying less attention to the humans. Niva gets a wave and a salute. "Have a good evenin' Weyrwoman." She calls after the older woman, before giving frosk another look over. "I'd better go give her a bath before she gets too worked up." She says, "So I suppose I'll see yah around." Devarn gets a wave, before she whistles to her wher and starts off. Frosk turns at the whistle and goes bounding after her handler, Sirus waiting a few minutes before launching himself from the tree and following the pair more slowly.