Xanadu Weyr - Observation Level
Dark blue seats form a semi-circle around the sands below, the lowest row separating from the sands themselves by merely a railing. The seats climb upwards, each row a bit higher then the previous, and they are broken up into sections by 3 sets of staircases. Lights are evenly spaced along the outer wall, lighting the seats and the sands easily, though they tend to be dimmed unless a major event is taking place. A large balcony looms overhead, darkening some of the seats, providing a place for observers of the draconic kind to watch without obstructing the view for others.
When one looks over the railing, the oddly hued sand below can be seen easily, the circle-shaped area of the sands spread out to the far walls, the sand itself a unique mixture of red and white grains.
While most of the Weyr may be at their midday meals, Avani and Jammar are just now stepping onto the Observation Level. Thor, already perched upon the railing, chitters a greeting to the pair before looking down and crooning at the eggs. "We can eat something later, right?" Jammar asks, the young man stretching his arms by waving them about to the side. "Absolutely," Avani agrees, "I don't know about you, but after being in that kitchen so long to prepare the meal, I lost my appetite." "Maybe it was the sampling?" Avani laughs and shrugs, "Perhaps."
The sound of voices up here in the observation level isn't really all that unusual, now that there is a new clutch on the sands as folks come and go at almost all hours of the day and night to view them, but it is enough to draw Thea's glance for a moment. She lifts a hand with a brief wave to the two and a quiet smile, but otherwise doesn't intrude on their conversation. She's off to one side at the lowest level in what looks like a makeshift camp with a mattress for a bed set across several seats and a small table set up to do paperwork on. A small frame with a half-finished tapestry rug on it is set up nearby. Presently she's sitting in one of the seats doing nothing other than looking exceptionally bored.
Avani glances down at the remaining Clutch, but her eyes are drawn towards the half Sands which were recently covered with Kilaueth's Hatching offspring. More specifically, they settle on the spot where that poor girl fell beneath that green. Noting the direction of the young woman's gaze, Jammar frowns, moving forward to lean on the railing near Thor. "She shouldn't have just _stood_ there," he states firmly. The words have the note of an old debated started over once more, "You're _supposed_ to keep an eye on everything and then move out of the way. If it's your Lifemate out that, they'll turn to follow you." Avani presses her lips together until they disappear and shakes her head slightly as the boy adds, "No harm, no foul."
Thea isn't one to jump into debates of other folks, really she isn't, even though she can't help hearing very word, they aren't directed at her. There's nothing more than a concerned glance for what she perceives as unease on the young girl's face as the two discuss the incident. She's been sitting long enough, however, and thus rises to stretch and move towards the pair and lean her forearms on the rail as she leans out and gazes at the sands. "Everything alright Avani?" Causal, light as she nods to Jammar pleasantly.
Avani jumps at the sudden sound of a new voice and rubs a hand through her unevenly cropped hair as Thor warbles a greeting and she pulls her tunnel-vision from the spot on the Sands to the goldrider nearby. "No, Ma'am!" There's a pause as her mind prossesses that and then she shakes her head, "I mean, yes, Ma'am. I'm fine." Jammar glances between the two, gives Thea a salute, and then, with a male wisdom well beyond his years, finds a place to watch the eggs without risk of being pulled into the woman's discussion.
"Sorry about that," Thea's apology for startling Avani is chuckled. She lifts an arm without straightening from the rail, returns Jammar's salute with a quick flick of her wrist and then ducks to hide her smirk as her makes his escape. Back to the rail, leaning on both arms, she tilts her head, slanting a look at the teen for the use of that Ma'am, sea green eyes flicker towards her shoulder knot and the mild face she makes brightens into a smile. "I see you got yourself searched, Avani. Congratulations!" She indicates the sands below with a jut of her chin. "You must have been down there the other evening then?"
Avani presses her lips together again and gives a nod. It's a moment more before she relises that a verbal response might have been expected, so she adds a "Yes, Ma'am, I was." That pretty much covers both the questions, no? Avani seems to think so, as she turns her gaze to the Sands again, and she's still not watching the eggs that were clutched the night she was asked to Stand.
Thea considers the girl for a moment longer, eyes traveling the path of Avani's gaze to… nothing but a patch of sand. One dark brow lifts slowly, questioningly but after a moment she nods to herself, apparently mental gears shifting. She says nothing about that. however. Instead she asks lightly, "Running messages over the traces… that can be dangerous stuff sometimes, no?"
The edge of Avani's lips twitch slightly before she offers a lighthearted, "Only if you're caught in one of your local thunderstorms." Thor chitters reprovingly and his mistress flushes as her mind goes over the reply and her gaze shifts to the Weyrwoman before her, before darting down to her hands which are now clasped before her. "I'm sorry, Ma'am, I didn't mean to sound flippant." She pauses then, before her shoulder offers a shrug and she raises her gaze for a moment before finally settling it on Thor. "The occasional risks were always worth the reward of Running, though."
Thea straightens, leaning back as she allows her forearms to slide back until her hands grip the rail, her head turns towards Avani more fully, her voice easy, relaxed, "No need to apologize, Avani. Just because they make you call me Ma'am," and the brief grimace on her face says volumes on what she thinks of that, "doesn't mean you can't speak your mind." Her smile widens then, "Lightning struck sounds like a risk to me, but perhaps slipping from a cliff trail might be one of them too?" She shudders suddenly as she says that, blinking at her own response, but shakes it off. "And yet worth it to you." She nods, before asking quietly, "Was your first time to Stand the other night?"
Avani nods again, "Yes, Ma'am, it was." And this time, when her eyes leave Thor, she turns to lean lightly on the railing as well, her eyes idly moving over the rows of seats which overlook the Sands. Thor, apparently realising that he's along in his interest in egg-watching, hops up, flaps his wings twice and settles upon his mistress' shoulder. "Your Seryth's Clutch will be my last," she finally adds, though it's more as a whisper than something that is obviously sent Thea's way.
Thea mms quietly to herself, drops her hands from the rails and takes a few unhurried steps backwards to sink into a seat. Pale eyes flicker from the firelizard to Avani at that whisper, her head tilts thoughtfully as she considers whether to comment. Her lips pull into a half-smile, "And why's that?" Idle curiosity in that question and nothing more. "Miss running already?"
Avani shakes her head, her gaze still sweeping the empty seats, "I have a Duty to my Hold." Thor gives a soft, low hiss at that and Avani frowns, lifting the small bronze from her shoulder and holding him before her, much like one might a young feline. "What is the matter with you today, Lordling?" The bronze climbs to rest on his mistress' wrist for a moment before circling the Observation Level a few time, looking down and creeling in a nearly moking, pitying way. "Oh, now that's not fair… I'm sure they were just busy. Or didn't hear until later… or something of that nature."
Thea ahhs silently to herself, understanding dawns in her eyes but she asks to confirm anyway, "You're a Holder's daughter, then?" There's sympathy in that question. She slants a look askance at the circling Thor, then quirks a puzzled brow at Avani. "What's the matter with him?" Thea and Avani are having a conversation in the observation level. It is midday in Xanadu with most folks at lunch. They are not far from Thea's makeshift camp where she sleeps at night to be with Seryth. Thea is sitting in one of the seats near the rail and Avani is standing, the runner's bronze firelizard has taken wing and seems to be distressed.
Avani narrows her eyes as the bronze finishes his third circling of the seats and dives down to land on the back of one of the seats Jammar retreated to. "Thor? He's just being a pest," Avani offers. "Ma'am." She nods then, focusing on Thea's face for the first time since their discussion began. "Yes. I am the third Daughter of Sea Foam Hold," she agrees. "My eldest sister, Alvey, was married recently and our Father was looking for a match for Chin and myself, who are the next eldest… At least until my Father agreed to allow us to view the Clutching." She looks over her shoulder, her gaze settling on the gold and her Clutch of an even dozen eggs. "They are lovely… Though two of them are a little offsetting." Thea did say she could speak honestly, right?
Natishen is just skulking around, trying to get a good look at the eggs without intruding on the various watchers littering the observation level. Fortunately for him, his pair of firelizards are nowhere to be seen as he creeps through the rows of seats, trying to find an inconspicuous spot from which to clutch-gaze.
Thea nods briefly, meeting Avani's eyes with a clear-eyed gaze. "I am Holder Thadan's only daughter," she says softly to that. Rather than go into her own experiences with that, she cants her head to one side, giving the girl a keen look, "He gave permission for you to stand then?" Movement is caught from the corner of her eyes and she turns, spots the boy and gives the lad a bright smile of welcome. "Hey Natishen!" She beckons him over with her head, then flickers a puzzled look at the eggs, "Offsetting Really? Which ones?" She's not at all offended by that observation, sits up to lean over the rail to better see the clutch. "And in what way?"
Avani lowers her gaze again, shaking her head to deny the assumption that her Father gave his permission. Instead she turns around and points out two of the eggs, "Those two that look like they have faces on them…because they have faces on them." She gives a slight shrug at her lack of a better explanation.
Spotted. Natishen winces as Thea calls him over, but it wouldn't even occur to him to disobey her, even if she weren't who she is. But because he not only respects Thea, but has grown to like her, he trudges over without even a hint of petulance, giving Avani a quick once over before letting his gaze slide dismissively back to the goldrider. "Yes, Miss Thea?" he asks, dropping with sudden bonelessness into a seat and tilting his head curiously at her.
"Oh. He… didn't…give you permission?" Troubled, Thea frowns slightly, her eyes drift out to gaze at nothing while musing aloud, "With you under your craftmaster's authority, I guess you're safe enough to be a Candidate without him trying to disrupt that…" She pulls at her lower lip with her fingers for a moment before dropping her hand into her lap. "I didn't even ask my da- Thadan." She closes her lips firmly on those words. Back to Avani, her expression sharpens into something more wary. "He's not… upset?" Faces. On eggs. Disquieting? The runner is given a bemused look for that one. "I've seen 'em with all kids of odd markings and patterns. If you think they're offsetting to look at, wait until you touch them," she warns. Natishen plops down then and she turns to him with a grin, eyes dancing with merriment as she asks, "Was just wondering if you got that ride yet?"
Natishen gives Thea a blank look. "Ride? What ride?" Too much excitement, it seems, surrounding his Search for him to remember D'had's promise - or, would that be threat? "I just been doin' my chores and, uh…" Egg-watching, it seems, as his gaze tracks out to the clutch, then slides guiltily back to the goldrider. As Avani prepares to take her leave, he glances at her again, studying her consideringly for a long moment before offering a flick of his fingers in goodbye. His attention, however, strays immediately back to the weyrwoman, as he waits to see if she'll jog his memory regarding said ride.
And thus Thea's questions remain, for now, unanswered. "Well, Avani, I hope your da will not be back to demand you leave." The thought of this troubles her, obviously. "Eggs can be unpredictable like that," she answers Avani easily enough, missing any byplay between the pair of Candidates. She waves away the girl's apology with an airy flip of the wrist, "Stop apologizing, will you?" Her blunt request is softened by a reassuring smile, "Frankly, I'm glad for the company. It's boring being stuck up here." The eyes that slide back to Natishen brim with laughter. "Chores and uh. Sounds like too much fun." Wry irony there. "No ride on Siebith yet then?" She tsks, "Pity. Candidate's need some excitement in their lives." She's assuming he remembers. The trio are near the railing talking at midday. Avani appears to be getting ready to take her leave.
Avani nods to Natishen as Thor comes back to settle on her shoulder though Jammar offers a waves from his seat, points to the eggs, grins and stays behind. With a slight shrug, Avani ignores the further reference to her Father and heads out, reaching up to give Thor a scratch as he gives a soft creel of hunger. "Yes, we are heading that way, Thor…"
Natishen doesn't bother to watch Avani go, too caught up in trying to puzzle out Thea's words. "Siebe- oh! You mean D'had's ride offer? Was he serious about that?" Given the prior talk of flying upside down, backwards, and in other abnormal positions, any logical response would be trepidation. Not so for this boy. His eyes flash with excitement and his whole face lights up. "No, I haven't had a chance to go, but if he was serious, I'd really love to. Maybe you could mention it to him?" he adds, gazing hopefully at the goldrider.
The sound of boots on stairs gives the first hint of someone else arriving on the scene in the hatching arena. The second is in the form of a chuckle from the Weyrsecond as he makes his way up the steps to the level. "Boring huh?" D'had comments, an amused grin touching his lips as dark eyes find weyrwoman and candidates. He did hear that, and no it's unlikely she'll live it down - at least not until tomorrow and he's forgotten. "But no, no ride yet," he continues, putting in his own reply to the question even though he wasn't the one being asked. "Been busy." Hey now, he has, he's been the one stuck with the twins all night for how long now? "How you doin'?" this of course asked of Thea as he tosses her a wink, "No dying of the heat yet, hmm?" And a nod of greeting to Natishen as well.
Thea shrugs at Natishen. "Probably he was?" At least at the time. "If I see him I could, yeah." Those words end on a sigh and an added, "I rarely do these days, though." A mischievous grin lights her face, "Do you get motion sick? Because if you do? Don't let him know before or it's likely he won't take you up." That oh-so-familiar chuckle catches her attention whereas booted footfalls do not. Those sounds are just too-frequent up here as late and thus are filtered out and, for the most part, unheard. Her thoughtful gaze upon Avani's retreating back shift to that of the approaching man. Speak of the-! "Not when I have company, Weyrsecond," she replies silkily, her lips curving in welcome for him. Clear green meeting dark brown are obviously glad to see him, but also carry a hint of something else - unusual reserve. Oh, yes. Busy. It goes without saying. she winces, "My ma should be here any day to help." Uneasy now, "Uhh, no dying from the heat, no. A little nauseas, though."
Natishen studies Thea for a long moment, brow creasing with thought. "I guess it's kinda hard having to be stuck in one place all the time," he replies sympathetically. There's a slight shift of his hands, as though he almost reached out to pat her, but managed to restrain himself. "Motion sick? Nah! I got a stomach like iron, s'what Miss Moyra says. Nothing upsets it." He grins broadly, pleased by what he apparently sees as a sign of his masculinity. Or just the monumental stubbornness that infuses every inch of him. At the sound of boots, the boy turns, espying the very rider about whom they were talking. "Sir," he greets, nodding in return and puffing up at that sign of respectful greeting from an adult. "We were just talkin' of you. Did you really mean it when you said you'd take me flying on Siebeth?" Short, sweet, and to the point.
D'had mounts the last couple rises of the stairs in one large step and continues across the row join the pair already seated. There's a kiss for the top of Thea's head regardless of her reservation. Nauseas though, that does cause a quirk of a brow as he settles into the space beside her. "Not getting' sick are ya?" concern touching his words though not overly so. A nod for the mention of her mother, and is that a hint of relief for that too? There's another chuckle to follow the boy's question. "Sure, if ya think ya can handle it. Ain't no reason not to. Sie seems ta think it's a good test, see if you're ready to stand and all." It really is the blue's idea more often than not. "But you talkin' bout me… nothin' bad right?" A glance split between the two more teasing that accusing.
Thea shifts, curling her legs up underneath her as D'had settles beside her. By all appearances she's not uncomfortable with him there. "Well it all depends on where you're stuck." she tells Natishen. "On a deserted tropical island it's great. In here… not so much." His grin elicits an answering one, "That's a good thing then because I very nearly lost my lunch the first time I went up on Siebith." She can't help but laugh at the boy's forthright and obviously eager question about flying even as she's shaking her head no to the weyrsecond. "Not sick, no. Just not wanting to eat anything. Queasy. It's the heat, I'm sure." Two and a half months past a flight, and she's sure it is the heat! Go figure. Subject change anyone? Mischief in her tone, she answers that last question of his, "Nothing bad… yet." Yay for assurances?
Indignant would be the word for Nash's expression as he eyes D'had. "Of course I'm ready to Stand," he replies staunchly. "I'm gonna Impress and everything, just you see." For all the brash words and belligerant air, though, there's a thread of unease in those bright green eyes. Nodding his head, he sticks out his chin at D'had. "Jus' you tell me when you and Siebeth are ready, and I'll go." His eyes search the bluerider's face briefly before sliding towards Thea, as if judging how the two adults are taking his display of bravado. Then his expression shifts to one of concern, and he leans towards the goldrider, making that abortative gesture again as though holding himself back from a consoling pat. "Maybe you need a tonic. Miss Moyra always makes me take one when I'm sick. Not my belly," he adds hastily, afraid of contradicting his earlier claims, "but just… sick."
Two and a half months past a flight, and he's blissfully unaware that queasiness might be attributed to anything else. Heat! Yes, that's a perfectly acceptable answer. Give him awhile, he'll panic eventually. Sometimes it just takes a little longer for two and two to equal four. "Yet?" D'had inquires, "You mean to tell me you actually have bad things to say about me?" clearly teasing in that at least. His grin quirks once again for the boy's tenaciousness. "Got the right attitude at least." A bit familiar perhaps? "Ain't gonna get nowhere out there," he says with a nod towards the sands below, "You don't think ya should be out there." Beat. "Maybe once her ma gets here we'll go, should be able to get her to keep the twins at night." Without him there. Hopefully. Please!?
Ughblech! That's the expression on Thea's face at the mention of a tonic. Hastily, "No thanks!" Her hands lift to form an imaginary wall of protection against that idea. Let's nip THAT thought right in the bud. "I have… " ice-green eyes flick over towards her table where a mess of paper packets are piled, "mineral powder?" Apparently she's been to the healers already. Two fingers pluck at her damp shirt, lifting it just a bit from her chest to allow air underneath. "It's all the sweating, they say." Speaking of which, "I… I'll be right back!" She's gone quite pale about the mouth. "I think… I'm gonna lose lunch." Eyes slide in apology towards D'had as her legs plunk back to the floor and as she rises she claps a hand to her mouth and trots towards the stairs, her pace increases as she skips down them and out the door.
Natishen is clearly pleased at D'had's acceptance of his bravado, and grins broadly, white teeth flashing against his dark skin. "Jus' tell me when," he repeats, leaning back in his seat and tucking his arms back behind his head. His gaze slides away from the pair to the eggs, and he unfolds his arms, leaning forward again to get a better look at the clutch. "Well, bein' sick is no fun. Maybe a fan -" But his words are cut off as the goldrider leaps to her feet and dashes out. Startled, he half-rises from his chair, staring after her. "Gee, she seems really sick," he says to the Weyrsecond, the corners of his eyes tightening with concern. "That don't sound good at all."
D'had nods slowly. Chin up, chin down, eye Thea suspiciously. Right… But is she actually taking said mineral powder? That's another issue completely. Dark eyes follow the woman on her way out, and he actually starts to get up to follow her before thinking better of it. Concern remains on his face for a moment longer and he shakes his head to clear it. She'll be alright and he'll ask later. Thus is the way of things. "She'll be alright," he replies with another shake of his head. Or so are his hopes for his weyrmate anyway. "You settle into the barracks alright?"
Natishen wrinkles his nose. "Yeah, I guess. Most of the others are older, but they don't bug me. 'Cept I heard on my way out here that Dorovan was Searched." And he has a good reason for the touch of anxiety that crosses his features - that particular lad is a well-known bully in the Weyr. "But I can deal with him okay." Absently, he rubs at a healing scrape on his arm and stares out at the eggs. "Say, sir, mind if I ask you some questions? Y'know, about… Impressing? They tell us its a good idea t' famili- fami- to get to understand what its like to go through." And, hey, it's a great way to get one's mind off of sick weyrwomen and sadistic bullies, right?
D'had rolls his eyes at the mention of the bully's name. "That one again," he says with a snort, though the comment is primarily to himself. No, he's not thrilled with that one. He too turns to more fully face the eggs, taking a moment to get a reasonably good look at them for the first time. Arms reach out behind him, resting against the edge of the next step to prop himself up and stretch for the time being. "Hmm?" he questions even before he has time to take in the whole question. A glance is turned towards the boy at that and he shrugs. "Hard to explain." He might not be the best person to ask anyway. "Different for everyone. Just… one minute you're you, next its you and him." Assuming the dragon impressed is indeed a him anyway, which of course Donn is given his own lifemate.
Natishen gazes out at the eggs, eyes flickering over them curiously. He doesn't seem to favor any particular one, but there are a few which receive longer glances than the others. "I can't imagine what it's like to have someone else in your head," he muses, half to himself, half to the bluerider. "I thought maybe when I Impressed my firelizards, it'd give me an idea, but they just… feel. Very basic feelings, too. Nothin' like I remember with Mother's dragon, the few times she talked to me."
"Yeah, they're different," D'had replies going on to mutter under his breath something about 'sharding lizards'. No, they're not his favorite things. Perhaps why his rarely makes an appearance. "You're ma's a rider?" half question there, but its clear enough by what's already been said that that is indeed the case. "Her's talk ta ya you're lucky, they don't do that often, talk to someone other 'n their rider that is," he clarifies. "Should give ya an idea better than some of 'em." Candidates of course. "You impress, you'll get used to it. Hardest part for me was candidacy an' weyrlin'hood."
"I like 'em," Nash replies, a bit defensively. "They're good company, even if they're always squabbling. They're sleeping right now," he muses, tilting his head as he glances unerringly towards the barracks. "Yeah, greenrider. Her dragon don't talk to me much, mostly to keep me out of trouble. But she did sometimes. Not anymore, since… I left her weyr." That last statement is clearly edited, and he shifts uncomfortably, leaping on the subject change offered by D'had's observation. "Why was candidacy hard? Doesn't seem much different than bein' a weyrbrat. Chores, chores, and more chores," he adds with a wry grin.
D'had narrows his gaze as its flicked towards the boy at that comment. He's not going to ask. Not like some people would. To him, safer to just leave things that don't want to be said unsaid. Now if only he could convince some others of that at times. As for candidacy, that series of comments earns a chuckle. "Til then ain't never spent so much time on land." Good reason number one. "Ain't never been to a weyr 'for that neither. Got into a good bit of trouble too." That last mentioned against his better judgment although realized a few seconds to late. He shrugs again, "Like I said, different for everyone." Which can apparently be applied to many things and not just impression.
"Trouble?" Though it is clear Natishen itches to explore this particular tale further, he politely refrains from asking for details. Instead, he glances at the bluerider out of the corner of his eye, then returns his attention to the clutch. "I try to stay out of trouble. Miss Moyra has a heavy hand when she thinks you've been doing ill. But I hear some of the other Candidates complaining about all the chores and rules, so I guess not everyone has the same way of living." For himself, he doesn't quite understand all the grousing, but he didn't miss out on all of his mother's pragmatism. "Did you think you'd Impress? I mean, since you're not weyrborn and stuff." Centuries, naturally, have proven that being weyrbred makes no difference - but like most of the weyrbred, you couldn't prove that to his satisfaction.
For all Donn doesn't talk most days, that question he seems to have no problem answering. Though again, perhaps it would have been better if he didn’t. "Wasn't so good keepin' it in my pants." Nuff said. "Yeah well…" he considers the next remark from with boy, "Not everyone does. Best stay out of it though," trouble that is, "like ta get latrines otherwise." Cringe. Yes, he does have suppressed memories of that experience. "Wasn't really sure bout all that," he adds about impression, "wasn't gonna find out if I didn't stand though. So they asked and why not. Could always go back to the boat." Which obviously didn't happen.
It takes Nash several minutes to understand exactly what D'had had meant by his remark. His brow furrows and he glances briefly down at the bluerider's legs, shaking his head in confusion, before his dark skin flushes and he hurriedly looks back to the eggs. "Oh," he says, in a small voice. "I, uh…" Ew. He hasn't quite hit that point of puberty yet. "Yeah. I don't like trouble. But sometimes it likes me a lot more than I want it to." He rubs his arm again, tracing the scrape before forcibly folding his hands in his lap and leaning forward, obstensibly to see the detail of the eggs better. "I gotta Impress," he mumbles, half to himself. "Son o' riders, I gotta Impress. I don't know anythin' else."
D'had is honest about it at least. The blush that comes with Nash's realization earns a chuckle. He's not laughing at him, really. Just amused by the whole situation. "Ain't no fun neither," he adds as to trouble. "Long as you ain't like that Dovan kid," whatever his name really is, "Should be fine." A grin quirks his lips as he looks over towards the candidate, "Don't gotta, might want to but don't gotta. Plenty of other things out there. Riders don't start out riders ya know." Him. Case and point.
"No, but I don't know anything else," Nash replies, a bit glumly. "I can't spend my life bein' a weyrbrat, after all, and I don't wanna be one of those guys as goes around picking up after everyone else. I'm not smart, not like book smart. I can do my studies okay, but I'll never he a harper. No craft that I can think of I wanna do." He eyes the eggs, missing that grin on the Weyrsecond's face. "This is all I've ever wanted, y'know? Be a rider. Have a dragon. Have someone." His eyes unfocus as he stares down at the Sands, not really seeing the various ovoids scattered across them. "But anyway!" He jerks his head up, gazing about himself for inspiration. Quick. Another subject change. "What's it like being on a boat? I've never been out actually on the water, just in it."
D'had nods, "Well you'll figure it out. Still got plenty of time," he assures, pushing forward to shift position once again. Elbows prop on knees, hands holding up his chin. She's taking too long… "Hmm…" how to explain the boat. He spent half his life there. Almost makes it hard. "Well.. Thea says is kinda like flying. Only, well it's not flying. Ever ridden a runner?" He pauses a second for an answer, but continues on almost before it can be given whatever it might be. "Kinda like that I guess." Despite his dislike for them. "Water moves, boat moves ya know."
Natishen doesn't bother to answer - perhaps too afraid of showing the depth of his ignorance. Instead, he merely nods thoughtfully, considering what he says. "Maybe I'll go out on a boat someday. Might be kind of interesting." And this stretches his knowledge of the subject, and he falls silent, just staring at the eggs. Maybe Thea will return soon and save the pair of them from an awkward silence.
Thea ought to be well-used to awkward silences by now. Not that she is in the habit of creating them, no. Well, hopefully not? Was there one when she bolted? But light footsteps herald the approach of one junior weyrwoman, who breezes back like nothing it was nothing urgent that caused her departure in the first place. Sliding back into her seat and looking much freshened (apparently she took a quick trip to the bathing caverns and stopped by the weyrbarn to change clothes, too) for her dark hair hangs heavy, a damp sable cape about her shoulders. "Runners?" She caught D'had's last question. "You're finally gonna tell someone about your one and only ride?" She tilts her head at Natishen, "Sailing's fun. You should try it."
Saved from awkward silence? Well, at least awkward silences are one of D'had's specialties? He's good at getting into them at least. But then there's the sound of Thea's voice and he's glancing up, eyes narrowing at her change in wardrobe, even if he does only notice because her hair is wet. "You alright?" he asks, clearly concerned, though hopefully sounding less so than he might really be. "And no," he replies with a snort. He was NOT going to talk about that. "Asked what it was like on a boat." This is him trying to explain.
Natishen is great at awkward silences - causing them, that is. It comes naturally. "Miss Thea!" There's just enough relief in his voice to cause him to flush, and his gaze darts back to the eggs as he tries for nonchalance. "Hope everything is okay, you sure were gone long." As he's clutch-gazing, he doesn't notice the change of clothing or the damp hair. "Sure you don't want a tonic? Miss Moyra's don't even taste that bad, not really, anyway."
Which makes not one bit of sense to Thea at all. Cue confused blinking from the junior. "Sailing on a boat's nothing like being on a runner." Yes, she tells D'had this even though the man knows it already. "I'm dandy," she airily assures the both of them at the same time. "Just got overheated. And I'll pass on that," she repeats her previous stand on taking tonics. Maybe it's those two little words 'not really' that get her. "I'll stick with those mineral packets the healer gave me." Once again she curls her legs under her, leaning back in her seat. As for why she was gone so long, "High Reaches transport was dropping off my ma just as I was crossing the Caverns. So I got her settled." As she says that, she shoots D'had a look from under her lashes to gauge his reaction to that bit of news.
D'had's eyes were just starting to unfocus before her return, asking Siebith to inquire after her through the gold on the sands below. That news of hers comes with more than a little relief. Maybe he'll get a decent night's sleep tonight. An arm curls casually about the weyrwoman's shoulders as she takes up her seat beside him once again, hand idly hanging over her shoulder. As for sailing, "Well how'd you describe it then? Huh?"
Watching these two is definitely more entertaining than watching a bunch of silent, stationary eggs. Turning his attention from the clutch, Natishen turns in his seat and watches the pair, a very slight, very amused smile on his lips. He doesn't interject anything, as nothing said was directed to him, but he makes no bones about listening in to their byplay.
Thea's answer is prompt, "More like flying. Only not," laughing eyes turn towards Natishen, "on Siebith. It's still fun though. Just in a different way." And here she launches into her description of being caught between the swell of the waves and the breath of the wind, the motion and the current, eyes a-sparkle as her hands move depicting the ship and water in an animated fashion. It's all for Natishen's benefit, this enthusiastic pantomime, for his 'maybe I'll try it sometime' must have sounded far too hesitant to her. When she's finished, she snugs her shoulder into the Weyrsecond's side and twinkles up at him, "I miss it! D'son has my sailboat repair almost finished."
D'had laughs silently for through most of Thea's pantomimed story of sailing. "That's what I said," he comments when she's finished. He did say flying only not, she just happened to miss that part. Not his fault. He's clearly content with having her lean back against him however, giving shoulders a light squeeze. "Well then," he says of the repairs. "Might have ta take 'er out for a test one of these days."
Natishen watches Thea's pantomime, a skeptical expression on his face. Of course, that look could simply be for her claim that sailing is like flying. But the boy is dragon-mad, no doubt about it. "Sounds… wet. But interesting." Though his reply is noncommittal, he clearly means what he says. "You have a boat? But, why do you need a boat? You have a dragon."
He also said something about runners. And four words when four hundred will suffice? Pshaw! But then: 'Her' he said. Which reminds her! "I never did choose a name for it." Thea turns her head in time to catch Natishen's expression. "It is. And oh, didn't -need- a boat. Sorta had to buy that one after I," she coughs, "broke it. Besides, dragons don't make very good boats." Then she brightens, "You guys can help me name my sailboat if you want?" Because Ruin is already taken. Besides, who would board a boat named Ruin anyway?
"Well it's a boat," D'had chuckles. "Water's wet." So yeah, there's that possibility of things being wet. "Your boat babe," he adds for Thea's remark on the name. "You get ta name 'er." You know unless she wants him to, but then she might regret that later so… maybe not the best idea. "Sure he'll help you out if ya ask though," he teases them both tossing a nod Nash's way in indication of just who 'he' he was talking about.
Natishen blinks. "I dunno the first thing about namin' no boats," he stutters, staring owlishly at Thea. "What do you name a boat? I mean, I guess they don't name themselves like dragons do." Which, apparently, is just one more reason why people should prefer dragons to ships. Or runners. Or feet. "I dunno. Seaweed? Seashell?" He reaches up to rub a finger over a small lump beneath his shirt. "Uh. That Ship?"
Aaaaand as D'had states the obvious not once, but three times, Thea blows out a breath in amused defeat. Her lips twitch, trying to keep from smiling at that stuttered response Natishen has for her. As seriously as she can, "Sea… weed?" Her voice enters her upper register and wobbles just a little bit. Ignore that- she's not laughing - really! "It's too small to be called a ship, really," she points out as she ponders, eyes half-closed. "Should be something perky." Really now. Two males and they can't come up with something female and perky?
D'had raises a brow at Natishen's suggestions. He might not have a name right off the top of his head, but those… those are not ship names. Not even boat names. "How about…" he starts, pausing for a good deal longer to think about said name before giving his suggestion. "Marella's Song?" Perky is not something he does well. She's just going to have to deal with it or pick her own darned name.
Natishen knows nothing of boats. Or ships. Or anything that travels on the sea. He shrugs helplessly at Thea, not taking any offense at her laughter. "Sorry, Miss Thea, but I don't know how boats are named." At D'had's suggestion, his eyebrows draw together in a frown of concentration, but soon his expression merely clears into a muddle of confusion, and he shakes his head, defeated.
"Marella's Song?" Thea mulls this over. "That's okay, Natishen. I'll think about all those names," she tells them both sweetly, then rests her head against D'had's shoulder to peer at the boy. "So are you ready for all the changes that come if you impress one?" She points to the clutch below with her chin.
D'had rests his chin on Thea's shoulder as she leans back into him. "You'll think of something." For a name he likely means given the timing of the comment. "She's got a good point though…" he agrees. "Lotta changes there." Some of which they somewhat mentioned while she was gone earlier. But for now he remains quiet giving Nash room to answer.
Natishen's shoulders twitch at the question, and he eyes Thea warily. "I- I haven't really thought of it." There's a bit of guilt in his expression, but not that he hasn't thought of it - but rather that his assertion that he hasn't is a bit of a fib. He glances over the Sands and up, anywhere but at the goldrider, then starts. "How long have I been here?" he wonders in shock. "Shards - I have chores, Miss Thea, I can't be seen shirking."
Thea blinks at Natishen's question. "Ahh, quite awhile?" She rises slowly, easing herself from under D'had's chin. "I suppose you'd better go then." She draws a breath, telling the lad kindly, "And if they yell at you, tell them you were with me, okay?" Her head turns towards the sands then and she nods at something unspoken. "Seryth needs me," she tells both of them. And with that she turns and heads down the stairs.
D'had nods. "Should probably," he agrees about the boy having to go. "Don't need trouble to start out." Since they'd talked about that earlier too. "Like she said.." a nod towards Thea even as she leaves and he tosses an uncertain glance after her. "I'll find ya later about that flying," he adds before following after the junior.
Natishen nods, already scrambling to his feet. "Thank you, ma'am," he says with feeling, "and sir. I look forward to that flying." With a bright, if slightly distracted, grin, the boy scampers out, as eager to be away from the questions as to start his chores.