Telgar Weyr - Center of the Bowl
A nearly circular bowl, surrounded on all sides with the sheer soaring cliff walls of the now dormant volcano that once formed Telgar. Hard packed earth, leveled to nearly flat by the passage of feet, both human and dragon with the odd intrusion of rock that is sheared off to keep the area safe to traverse. Two openings can be seen from this area, one the gigantic oval teardrop shape that leads on into the hatching grounds and nearly opposite the much smaller doorway that leads into the communal living areas for the weyr.
Hatchings are always a busy time, with visitors and relatives practically flooding the area to get a glimpse of the new Impressees and to collect on bets that have been made over the time since the clutching. Telgar hatchings are no exception, this one having gathered many visitors with the suspicion of a gold egg amongst the clutch. In the end the egg markes as possibly gold hatched a sickly looking bronze, but the celebration will not be derailed by such a matter. As people begin filing out of the grounds one young man with a Xanadu knot, and very small brown firelizard clinging to one shoulder, gets swept along with the masses.
For her part, Avani is busier keeping bronze Thor safe from the crowds and keeping in the general vicinity of her father, the Lord of Sea Foam Hold. For once, she does not wear her knot of a Runner, unbound to any geographical location, but that of a daughter of the Hold. She nods politely to those she is introduced to, offering curtseys when expected, but her gaze travels mostly to the newly Impressed as they move around to introduce their friends and families to their new Lifemates.
Osric finds himself without his lift home, but doesn't seem too worried by that. As the crowd begins to form clusters he drifts around a couple of the groups and while his eyes might be on the weyrlings as they head for the barracks, he can't help but overhear some of the convrsations going on around him. He pauses next to the group from Sea Foam, not entering the conversation, just lingering.
"Lord Toppin, this is my third eldest daughter, Avani," Sea Foam's Lord offers to another man who wears a knot from the Telgar area, "I don't believe I've had the honour of being introduced to your son?" Avani does her curtsey and such, idly rubbing Thor's eyeridges with the tip of her winger to get the near-purr of pleasure her firelizard likes to make as such moments. She glances around once more as the men continue to talk, rolling her mud-green eyes slightly when she's sure her father will not be able to notice.
Osric glances towards Avani as her name is mentioned, smiling slightly as she glances around. Only now does he seem to be taking an interest in the group he stands beside, and he mouths a silent 'hi.' in her direction while keeping one eye on her father and the other men. With one hand he makes the universal 'want a drink' motion towards her.
Avani glances at the tall fellow who is offering a drink. She lowly sends a glance, and another thin-lipped smile towards the latest Holder's Son that is being introduced, but then glances down towards Thor, her eyes narrowing slightly before the firelizards eyes start to slowly start to whirl the first shades of hunger. "My appologies, Father, Lord Toppin, but I should get Thor fed before he starts to make a scene." Once she's a few steps away from her father, she glances towards the fellow with the brown firelizard and motions with her head towards the area the feast is lain out. Once he gets close enough, she mutters, "I've been working with Thor on that one nearly a sevenday now. Seems he likes sweets the best, maybe because that's the first thing he ate…" Spotting a plate of bubblies, she takes one and holds it out to the bronze. Thor lets out a hungry creel and starts biting into the treat as Avani makes her way further down the table, looking for something resemling "proper food" amongst the treats.
Osric hesitates for a moment before casually, or at least as casually as he can manage, wandering towards the tables. Avani's mutter makes him grin, "That's a much better escape that I could think of. Best I can get Cad to do is chew on people." He shrugs one shoulder under the little brown, rewarding him with an irritated scolding. He stares openly at the bronze feeding on the pie, his own companion utterly uninterested in the treat, "He really likes bubblies?" He follows her down the table, picking up a few things for himself, taking a large bite of meatroll before offering, "Oz." There's a slight pastry spray before he swallows and tries again, "Osric, but most people cal me Oz."
Avani nods and looks down at her young charge fondly, "Bubblies, sweet rolls, pastries, you name it, he'll eat it." She smiles, spotting a roasted wherry, a thick gravy resting in a bowl nearby. "Though, I tend to insist that he gets protein in there somewhere." Which might just explain her taking a plate in her free hand and putting mashed tubbers, wherry slices and gravy on it. As an afterthough, she grabs a pair of rolls, then glances around for a place to seat as the introductions are made. "Avani. I'm a Runner generally, but today my Father has insisted that I play my 'proper' role as a daughter of Sea Foam Hold." She shakes her head slightly at that, then her expression clears slightly as she spots two empty seats at a table where a pair of hatchlings (blue and green) are being proudly shown off by the new Weyrlings.
Osric grabs some more meatrolls, stuffing a couple in a pocket for later, and follows over to the table. "So you're actually blooded and everything? Not going to expect me to call you ma'am or anything are you?" He smiles, making it out to be a joke but following wiht a more serious, "I guess it must be fun though, except when you're being shown off like a prize runner." It comes out as more a statement than a question.
Avani shrugs at Osric's question, setting down her plate and settling Thor and his nearly consumed bubbly beside it. "So, please don't 'Ma'am' me right now," she offers with a slight shake of her head. "I spend most of my time as a Runner near Xanadu, actually. My eldest sister just got married and Father came to collect me to attend… And hasn't allowed me to return to my duties since." She shakes her head, breaking one of the rolls open and dipping it into the thick gravy. Her gaze travels to the nearby Hatchlings again and doesn't seem to notice or mind when Thor finishes his treat and moves on to help himself to a selection from the Holder's Daughter's plate.
There's definite recognition in Osric's face at the mention of the wedding and collection, "Oh, that was you? The auntie that seems to be always by kitchen was talking about that the other day in her disapproving voice. I think she thought you'd been kidnapped or something." His eyes widen a little as Cadwallon walks down his arm towards the meatroll in his hand, and carefully he sets the brown down and pulls the center from the roll to feed him. "Do you think you'll be coming back at all? M'lyn would probably give you a lift back as well, he has to take me anyway."
Avani blushes slightly and nods, "My Father had a bit of…trouble tracking me down?" She glances at Thor with a grin as the bronze freezes, mashed tubbers and gravy all over his face. "Lovely, now you'll expect a bath too?" The firelizard chirps happily and continues his pillaging of the plate, though Avani saves the second roll and a few bits of wherry meat by pushing them to the side nearest her position. "With the amount of thunderstorms around Xanadu, the Traces were washed out of flooded quite a bit, and I was supposed to head out as soon as they'd dried, but that's when I impressed Thor." As for the offer of a ride, the young woman shakes her head slightly and nibbles on her roll a bit before offering a verbal reply, "That's kind of you, but my Father expects me back once Thor's fed. I've already asked him if we can attend the Clutching once gold Seryth's time comes and he's agreed to commission one of Ista's riders to get us there once it's begun."
Osric nods, "She's not far off actually, they reckon within the month. There's been a lot of betting on how many eggs there'll be and things. You ever been to a clutching before?" With the center of one 'roll gone, he pulls another form his pocket and sets about pulling the meaty center from it. "Been to a couple of hatchings, but I've never seen a clutching."
Avani shakes her head, "No, and this is only my third Clutching, though I was so young during the first that I don't remember a thing about it." She offers one of her thin-lipped smiles as she continued, "I was there when my mother had my youngest sister, but I wasn't very old at that time either. Six Turns."
Osric takes a while replying again, chewing on empty pastry since the filling has been claimed by the little brown, "You actually watched a birth?" The idea seems to make him slightly squeamish, and it shows in his wrinkled nose, "I guess your da'll be looking to get you married off so you can have some of your own soon. That why he was introducing you to people?"
"I'm the third of five daughters, so, in theory, my next-eldest sister is next, but I suspect I'll be called to perform my Duty to my Hold after she is," Avani agrees with a nod. The first roll has been nibbled away and she takes up a fork to eat the bits of wherry meat she pushed to the side. Thor, for his part, has slowed in his pillaging, sending inquisitive chitters Cadwallon's way. For the moment, it doesn't seem that the firelizard has noticed the Hatchlings about, though the blue and green who were nearby have not moved on to another table.
Cadwallon looks up at Thor's chitter, replying quietly though slightly coldly. Carefully he reaches out one taloned foot and places it over his food in a very definite 'mine' movement. Osric is oblivious, concentrating on Avani instead, "So it was your first sister that got married, and you've got two more?" he pauses after checking this fact and then smiles slightly, "Glad there's only the two of us in my family, me and my sister, we'd lose track too easily."
Avani shakes her head. "I'm one of five, actually," she repeats, shaking her head slightly as Thor ignores the brown's coldness and returns to his now methodical clearing of the plate. "My eldest sister was married to a Lord near High Reaches. It seems that my Father is looking for Igen and Telgar for my next-eldest sister and myself."
"Any of them actually interest you?" Osric asks quietly, glancing down at the firelizards slightly too late and finding only innocence in Cadwallon's behaviour. "Would probably stop you being a runner though." Glancing up he spots M'lyn through the crowd and frowns slightly, "Here's M'lyn, looks like I'm going to be heading back before I really wanted to. Are you sure you don't want to come? Safe from Lords of all shapes and sizes."
Avani frowns and gets to her feet, picking up the last roll and mopping up the gravy with it before settling it backon the plate and watching Thor pounce happily on the offering. "I do not need 'saving' from my Father," she offers evenly, "It only seems to be those Weyrbred who think it needs to be offered." She shakes her head slightly, catching sight of her Father making his way over with yet another Lord. "As for your previous question, there's no need for me to be interested in my husband, only to be loyal to him."
Osric blinks. "I'm not weyr…" he pauses mid-explanation, deciding to not push things any further. "I still owe you a drink." is offered instead, "Don't let me forget next time you're at Xanadu." He opens his mouth to add something else, but M'lyn spots him and calls over stalling any further conversation. Carefully he picks up Cadwallon with only the mildest of scoldings, and adds a quiet "See you around Avani."