Xanadu Weyr - Candidate Barracks
A long, low ceiling room opens off the entrance hall to the arena, one wall slightly curved as it is set against the outer wall of the arena itself. Cots are set evenly the length of the room, in two rows, each with its own small press at the foot, for personal belongings. Wide windows are spaced along the outside wall, letting sunlight in, while other lights are available for the night time hours.
A fair afternoon breeze flitters into the barracks through an opened window. From it, one can hear the sounds of the weyr. Dragons landing, the chattering of people, the random scream and laughter of young playing weyrbrats who don't realize how easy they have it being so young and carefree. ka-el listens to it all while sitting on his bunk, brows faintly knitted. He's got an array of materials spread upon his matress. Needles of varying sizes. Spools of thread, and a small pile of clothing of the same color. Uniforms of some sort, they look like. He holds a needle between the fingers of one hand and thread in the next. And that's as far as he's gotten and he's busy looking from needle to thread as if mentally willing them to thread itself.
Muir has a broom, and he's sweeping. Honest. HONEST. Even though it looks like he's just leaning on the broom, watching Kale with a crooked grin of amusement. "You're gonna have to ask one of the girls to do that for you," he calls to his friend.
Marel's progress into the barracks is somewhat suspect to say the least, her steps shuffling, shoulders hunched, and the front skirts of her dress held out much like one might hold out an apron. She looks up and glances this way and that, scanning the area for who knows what, until her gaze lights upon Kale and Muir, which manages to make her seem both relieved and more troubled at the same time. Continuing on with her awkward journey, she begins to head towards her cot without greeting either of the boys, trying to keep her dress at a decent length and conceal whatever she's hiding in the basin of her skirts at the same time. Nothing to see here! Brier is no help whatsoever, chirping and whistling merrily away, to which Marel answers, "No, sweetie, they don't want to…" in a mutter.
Kale's eyes sweep towards the sweeping Muir. Wait. No. The unsweeping Muir! "on a break?" he asks with a humored grin that deteriorates as he looks back to the needle and thread that seem hellbent on not following his mental command. "How it is possible at all to get this into that tiny, barely there, diminuative hole?" he asks while squinting an eye to look through that needle's head. Bah! He lowers his arm. "I was goin' to ask one've them, but they're all gone off somewhere. I think they knew .." He pauses, for at this moment, Marel arrives, causing his gaze to brighten. For a moment anyway, though the expression gradually turns curious as he watches her. A questioning look is sent to Muir before he speaks. "Er…alright there, Marel?"
Well, /that's/ not suspicious. Shouldering his broom and flashing Kale a grin, he trots on after his sister, trying to peer over her shoulder. "What've you got there?"
"I—" Marel begins to answer Kale, only for Muir to try peeking over her shoulder like that, to which her answer is a plaintive, "Cut it out!" and a quickening of steps until she reaches her cot. Sitting down at the end of said cot, she remains bent over slightly, as though to shield the bundle of whatever she's hiding there, but following a sorry, sad glance between the boys, she sits back and lets the hem of her long dress fall back to the floor, revealing a little huddle of three tabby-coloured, four-pawed, tiny and decidedly feline-looking bodies in her lap. Thankfully (for who?) not old enough to be walking yet, though they wriggle and mew protest. Kidnap? Catnap! "I looked and looked and /looked/, but there's been no mama with them all day…!" she tries to explain. "I couldn't just /leave/ them there!"
Oh now this is interesting. Color Kale curious! It wouldnt've taken him much to abandon his sad, sorry attempts at sewing anyway, and he pokes his needle into the little pillow thing that came with the set and scootches off of his bed to approach Muir and Marel though his attention lingers mostly on the mysterious female half of the twins. And…oh, the secret is soon revealed, and Kale grins upon seeing the kittens. "Woah, they're tiny he marvels, leaning in to get a closer look. He glances to her at her explanation, then lifts his brows in question. "What're you gonna do with them?"
Muir did not just go 'awwww'. Crouching down, he reaches out a finger to gently poke one of them. "Beastcrafters?" he suggests, glancing around the barracks to see who else is around. "They're cute, Marel…" Glancing at Kale, the boy shrugs.
"…We can't keep them, can we?" Marel murmurs, statement turned into question only by the pleading, hopeful look that she favours the boys with for a moment, until reality settles back in and she ducks her head back down to stare down at the feline trio in a besotted fashion, Brier leaning haphazardly forward on her shoulder to follow suit. "Do you think I did the wrong thing?" seems prompted by Kale's remark about the size of the poor baby felines, one of them squirming as Muir pokes it. "I thought they were getting cold and the mama wouldn't come back. What if she comes back?" And still she can't help but run a gentle finger over the striped forehead of one of them. "Do I put them back? Or… take them to the stables? For the Beastcraft to see?" As Muir said.
Kale gives his head a slow shake. "I think the most we can have are firelizards here," he answers. "Could you imagine the menagerie if we were all allowed to bring in pets? Canines, felines, frogs, firelizards, goats.." Goats? He smirks a bit regardless as he looks at the little babies. They are kind of adorable, although the a-word is not going to be heard coming from his mouth anytime soon. "May I?" he asks before reaching out to rub his finger against one of the tabby's heads. Aw! (and yes, Muir, he heard that aww of yours!) "You said you waited and looked an' saw no mother. … I'm not beastcrafter, but I'd guess you did the right thing. Somethin' could've happened to her and these guys would've been in the cold all night. You saved them," he assures with an encouraging grin. "The beastcrafters will know what to do. They can nurse'm."
Muir shakes his head slightly, but then shrugs and looks to Kale. Can they? "They look really young though," he murmurs, pulling his finger back when one tries to suckle on it. "They need…expert care I think, right now." Then he laughs. "Goats?" Yeah, he's going to question him. "Yeah," he says, nodding his agreement with Kale. "They'll know what to do."
"I don't know much about animals, but all I can see is someone's pet sitting in the corner, having eaten everyone else's," Marel answers dryly, not possessive of her inadvertent find and happy to let the felines be petted, even as their high-pitched cries begin to kick up a notch or two. The laughter that spills out after her word is a little silly, trying to seek solace in humour to ward off the thought of surrendering the babies for their own good, though she seems calmed by Kale's answer and further decided by her brother's in turn. "…Do you think we can ask for them back when they're older?" Last hope! "Whatever happens to us." More hastily: "I mean, you don't have to ask or want to keep one, but—" She shrugs helplessly. It's easier to say 'we' than 'I' right now?
Kale snickers towards Muir. "Goats. Long story, that," he says, though it's one that'll be saved for a later time. More pressing matters are at hand! Like the fate of these tiny little kittens whose mewlings seem amazingly loud in comparison to their size. "How can so much noise come from such a small body?" he smirks. "They're likely hungry or somethin', huh? I don't think klah would be the best for them, an' it's all I have to offer at the moment." Marel's relenting is met with a soft smile. But…wait. We? He caught that all inclusive pronoun! But he doesn't immeiately pull himself out of the situation. "Sure. You just tell'm these are your kittens and that the mother has gone and you were hoping they'd care for them til they're old enough." Pause. "But..you're sure you want three?"
Muir nods, "I'd take one," he says, gently patting one of the three kittens on the head. "After…whatever becomes of us," he says, lightly and with a grin. "I'm going to hear it someday, Kale. You and the goats." Looking back at his sister, he shifts his weight while he crouches. "I can give a few marks, too, Mare, if they charge to…raise 'em or whatever," he offers, giving his twin an encouraging smile.
"Maybe it's their bad attempt at kitten three part harmony?" Marel jokes through a deep sigh, though she quirks a quick half-smile. "…I don't think I could take three," she has to admit, reluctantly and rather quietly at that, a grateful, more confident smile taking over when Muir offers to take one of them and makes his suggestion about marks. She spends a last few moments gazing down at the trio, then starts to gather her skirts up again, all the while trying not to give anyone an eyeful. "I think you're right," she tells Kale. "They sound… hungry. Like firelizards creeling." When she makes to stand, it's slowly, making sure that none of the kittens roll out or squirm their way into an escape. "I'll… go tell them what you said." That the kittens are theoretically claimed. "Thank you," she shares between both, sincere, even if her smile is a little forced. It's as she heads off that she pauses and turns back, mindful of her burden. "I want to hear the long goat story!" she insists, narrowing her eyes the second she rewinds and realises what it sounds like she's just said. "I mean the long story /about/ the goats…" Embarrassed? Yes. "…Not about long goats. Remember it so you can tell me, Muir!" If he gets the story. She'd best be off before she puts her foot in it again.
And just WHO is going to wind up caring for these kittens if you both impress? MmmHmm. I THOUGHT so! XD