
Xanadu Weyr - Clearing
A wide clearing stretches from east to west, the ground packed hard although grass grows across most of it. Trees are strictly forbidden in this space, their danger to the constant draconic traffic reason enough to banish them to the forest that creates a border to the north. Where the ground is less trampled, tiny flowers poke their delicate heads out from their shaded hiding places.
The cliff looms imposingly on three sides, stretching upwards all the way up the side of the rock edifice where, high above on Xanadu's Star Stones, the ever-present watchdragon sits on the lonely peak. Directly south is the hatching arena, the large round complex taking up a large portion of the perimeter, a line of trees visible beyond it. Southeast are wide steps leading up to the caverns and eastwards is the large entrance to the Infirmary. Somewhat north of the infirmary is a human-sized archway that has a frequent quantity of traffic — it leads to the Wandering Wherry Tavern. Tucked neatly under the arch, to one side is a tiny wood-frame shop bearing the name 'Petals and Pots Garden Shop'. Southwest lies cliffs where windows for the administrative offices have been cut. Underneath them are the entrances to the crafters complex while north and west along the cliff's base, a broad path leads to the feeding grounds. Due north is the spacious trail that leads to the rest of the Weyr - the meadow, the forest beyond. At the far edge of the clearing, beside the trail leading to the forest sits a clocktower.
A pleasant breeze blows in from the shore and the sky is slightly overcast, making this summer day at Xanadu rather enjoyable. Kera is currently plopped down on the ground a few feet outside the hatching area entrance. Her back is against a stack of crates and she's scribbling in her notebook. A familiar brown lizard is perched on the crate above her, chittering with little curious headbobs. He stretches down as if wanting to pounce the pen Kera is writing with. The clearing has a flurry of commotion going on, much as it does everyday, but the greenling healer is well out of anyone's way as they go about their various tasks.
Ezra arrived earlier that morning on the back of a brown dragon, the tall, lanky cotholder heir seeking access to some records. Now that it's after lunch, he's decided to meander around. With his gold firelizard perched on his shoulder and his black coat draped over his arm, Ezra pauses on the edge of the clearing, peering around. Then with slow steps he approaches Kera. "Pardon me, miss," he says with a little apologetic smile, "but could you perhaps point me in the direction of the beach?" His complicated knot in black, copper and turquoise is looped in that of an heir, but those colors are nowhere around Xanadu - that plus his question betray his 'not a local'-ness.
Kera 's pen pauses in its passage across the page for a few seconds, then takes to motion again. This continue, the pattern broken by the occasional crossing over a word then correcting. At the apologetic greeting, she look up to the young man, offering a smile and nod. Minimur churls a soft greeting to the visiting queen as Kera shifts her feet around to sit forward more rather than leaning back as she was. "Oh no problem sir." A little chuckle slips out as she gestures her pen off towards the direction of the meadow. "It's just that way through the meadow. Follow the path on the other side and it'll take you right to the beach. You should be able to hear the waves half way cross the meadow."
Ezra dips down into a partial bow, a hand across his waist. "Much obliged miss, thank you," he says politely. On his shoulder, Cala fans her wings and then preens, chrring to the brown sweetly. With directions received, Ezra turns and begins to walk that way.
Kera seems rather surprised by the bow, even if it is a partial one, and gives another tip of her head. As he turns to leave, she gives a casual pen-weilding wave and glances back down to her letter. Remembering something, she looks up and around suddenly "Oh sir, wait! Be sure not to go near the Weyrling beach, it's closed off for a time. There should be clear markers, but sometimes the wind knocks them down."
Ezra pauses, turning back with a curious look. "Ezra," he says automatically. "Ezra Stonehaven. And why is the weyrling beach closed?" He glances at her shoulder, searching for a knot.
Kera nods politely to the greeting "Kera Tinen. Moncerath's little greenling healer." Grinning at that, she gestures towards the inner hatching area "She's curled up at the moment." The question about the closed beach gets a hint of a shrug. "I'm not entirely sure what happen. But there was a little mishap, some structural damage. So closed til repairs are completed." Catching movement from the side of her eye, she looks upwards to see Minimur churling and chittering, his little head dipping, and paws grasping at the air. Kera smirks and shakes her head at her lizard's antic.
Ezra dips his head again. "Well met, Kera Tinen, green Moncerath's rider." He's peering curiously across the meadow again, head tilting slightly as he shifts his black jacket to his other arm. "Interesting. Curious, I wonder what happened to cause structural damage to a beach…" His eyes glance at her brown firelizard, and he glances at Cala, who fans her wings again with a low churr.
Kera reaches up to gently pluck Mini from the crate, automaticaly scritching the tiny little chin and jawline, much to the brown's enjoyment. "Show off." is muttered to her lizard before peering back to Ezra "It all happened during the Runner races at the Gather. Not many people know what happen." And no one seems eager to say what exactly /did/ happen. Particularly to a weyrling. She's not gonna say that to the visitor though. Gesturing up to the young man's shoulder. "She's a pretty one you have there…this guy's named Minimur, sometimes I think Brat would have been a better name for him though."
Ezra chuckles. "Minimur? That's an interesting name. And thank you," he says, reaching up to stroke his queen's muzzle tenderly. "This is Cala. She was a gift from my brother." There's another curious look. "I'm afraid I missed those runner races. I attended the ones in Fort, but not the ones here. seems I missed out."
Kera nods. "I saw a couple of the races before all the chaos disrupted things. So you weren't the only one that missed out." A little shrug lifts her shoulders briefly "Good thing I didn't waste marks by betting." Grinning down to her lizard,, she rubs along his necks an dfrowns to herself. Reaching over to her satchel on the ground by her, Kera fumbles around in it til she plucks out a small oil jar Spot oiling the little brown she considers Ezra and his queen a second before offering the little jar over "Mind if I ask…are tending to female lizards much differant than tending male ones?"
Ezra walks back when she offers the jar, settling down cross legged on the grass. "Thank you," he says, as Cala moves down his sleeve to sit on his knee, neck arched and prim as she awaits her oiling eagerly humming. "No betting? I didn't bet either, other than in my head." There's a shrug and a smile. "Not different at all, other than proddy and when they lay clutches."
Kera considers the differances while she attacks a few more spots on the now drooping brown. He putters out soft almost snoring like croons as he settles down to flop across Kera's leg. "I didn't even bet in my head. Don't know anything about runners or what makes one better over another." Another shrug from the greenling. "If I were to bet, it would pretty much just be randomly throwing marks away."
Ezra shrugs a bit, with a smile. "Neither do I, but no harm in betting in your head. Not like you'll laugh at yourself if you lose," he says, smile a bit crooked as his nimble fingers tenderly rub oil into the queen's hide. "Well, you could make other wagers. With friends, perhaps, for who fetches the next round of drinks or something."
Kera grins "More likely it would be the 'or something'." Tracing her fingers over the a relaxed brown's wing, she works the oil in absentminedly. Flashing oily fingers towards Ezra's jacket. "So you're from Fort Weyr?" She doesn't seem to recognize the Stonehaven knot. Waiting a second or two, she adds "Fortians seem to like visiting Xanadu's beaches." She winces just a bit "And here I am running my mouth and keeping you from the beach." Kera can't help but chuckle over that.
Ezra shakes his head, then considers, and then shrugs. "I'm living at Fort Weyr at the moment, but my hold is Stonehaven." He pauses to see if that triggers a reaction or not. Then he smiles. "That's fine, I was just looking for a place to sit for a bit. Here works as well as there, and here I've got company."
Kera nods over to Ezra and starts rubbing the excess oil onto her own hands, rough spots or calluses that weren't there months ago. His mention of company gets a little chuckle "Well, Xanadu people have always seemed friendly so I bet you'ld haven company either way." Drumming her fingers absentminedly Kera seems to be considering "Stonehaven, I've been hearing that name lately, in the caverns I think. But I'm not sure what they were talking about. So many conversations going on there that it's all a loud rumble at times."
Ezra tilts his head with a frown. "Really? Who?" he asks, forcing himself /not/ to sound defensive. "Did you hear anything of what they were talking about? Anything at all?"
Kera shakes her head "Sorry no. Even though Moncerath doesn't need me by her side every minute now, I still find myself rushing about busy with chores and lessons. I may have sat for two meals there since becoming a weyrling, most times I just grab food and go." Glancing down to Minimur, she grins. At least he's drooling down to the grass, and not on her leg. "Ya know how it is, standing in line, some girls giggling over some guy, or some guys discussing a cracked foundation. I thought I heard the name Stonehaven. But it could just have easily heard stonework." Kera gives an apologetic shrug.
Ezra continues to frown for a moment, before he forces himself to relax into a small smile. "Ah, of course." Finishing with the jar of oil, he caps it and holds it back to her, before getting to his feet and brushing off his hands. "I think I will go down to the beach now. Thank you for the oil and your time. It was a pleasure, Kera."
Kera takes the jar back, doubling checking the cap before slipping it into slot in her satchel. When he's ready to head on to the beach, she offers a wave and smile "It was nice meeting you Ezra. Enjoy the beach." Another wave sent to the visitor before she give's Minimur's back a few rubs then then picks her notebook back up.