Xanadu Weyr - Beach
The unerring range of subdued white rises and falls in a multitude of sandy dunes, creating an endless amount of tiny valleys constantly demolished and rebuilt by the frequent arrival or departure of a dragon. Smoothing out as it slopes gently to the edge of the deep blue water, the sand darkens and a shell here and there stands out for children to collect. The beach itself is set along a low cliff - the height lessoning as one heads eastwards, blocking a portion of the beach from direct access.
The wide wide stretch of water opens up to the east, the far distant shore way beyond the horizon and the beach curves ever so slowly round to east and west, distant arms of land embracing the wind-ruffled Caspian Lake. East leads up to the mouth of the Rubicon River, where the protecting cliff is merely an arms length higher then the sand, and beyond that, a winding road leading out of Xanadu's territory. Westwards, the beach narrows as the cliff swings out, leaving a path wide enough for dragons in single file before cutting in to the sheltered cove designated the Weyrling Beach. However, cut in the cliff face to the north are a variety of rough, wide staircases, providing access to the clearing and to the meadow.
Xelleen clops on down the beach at no particular speed, her gold firelizard swirling above her head as she moves, never very far away. Like any true bully, the young gold is scolding Xelleen in trills and shrieks. The young woman chooses to ignore this, more intent on the beach and the surf than what the flizzen wants her to do.
"Nazaya," Delenn calls out from where he is perched on a blanket draped over a rock, his eyes transfixed on a pair of little girls playing a bit further down from where he is. The black haired, silver eyed child about three turns old looks up when her name is sounded. "Not so close to the water, sweetling. That means you too Briana." The golden eyed of the two peeks over, she about four with long dark brown hair and dusky skin. They whisper among themselves, giggle and then move a bit further up the beach and away from the water. The nanny sighs as he opens his book again, finding his place, even as he peeks up once more at the children. They were going to be the death of him. It was the trills of the firelizard that bring Delenn's green eyes towards Xelleen, and she's noted. He offers the woman a smile if she happens to glance his way, but soon his attention reverts back to his wards.
Xelleen glances across the beach at the children and her nose wrinkles. Great, kids. "Shut up, Sheba." She finally snaps at the firelizard, waving her arm at her. "I already delivered the note, I don't have to be back to landing for awhile yet, let me do my thing." She offers a wave to Delenn and decides to head his way. People are good. "Hello there! Tanner's duties to Xanadu." She calls when she's within earshot.
Said kids were under the watchful eye of their guardian, but Delenn gives them a break as he divides his attention with the newly arrived Xelleen, closing his book and returning her wave. "Xanadu duties to the Tanner Craft." he offers her along with a sunny smile, setting the novel aside. His eyes dart to the golden firelizard, even as two small green heads poke out from beneath the veil of the nanny's hair. "Would you care to sit with me, miss?" he asks, scooting over to offer the woman a place on his blanketed rock. After all, it was better than standing or sitting on the wet sand. A glance given the girls as they poked at a spiderclaw with a long thin piece of driftwood.
Xelleen returns that sunny smile, her teeth white against her dark skin. "Ah, such a gentleman to offer!" Without needing any coercion, she slips onto the rock beside him and proceeds to look him up and down in a leering fashion. "What's your name, pretty boy?"
Delenn takes the leering in stride, his smile deepening somewhat at the accepted offer of his company. Though his eyes wander back now and then towards the children. He clears his throat and gives them a look when the brown haired one decides to try and pick the spiderclaw up, shaking his head. He gets a chorus of 'awwww' in disapproval, but the poor creature is resigned back to just being poked and loomed over. "I'm Delenn," he tells Xelleen, his attention back on her however fleeting. "One of the nannies." A pause, "And you would be?" he asks, brows lifting.
Xelleen just grimaces at the children and their game, pleased to just ignore the little beasts. A hand is offered to Delenn, her palm smooth but callused in places. "Xelleen." She nearly purrs. Eyes once again dart to the children and one slender eyebrow is raised. "A nanny, hm? Well, I suppose that's better than hearing those two are yours."
Delenn's hand is in comparison, smooth and soft, not baring the mark of one who's done a lick of hard labor in his life. The handshake given firm but gentle, he retracts himself from it after a polite amount of time has passed, "Well met, Xelleen." he says with a nod, again his eyes darting over to the children. "Hmmm, no they aren't mine. They're my fosterlings." This said he glances back to the woman, and tips his head to the side. He looks at her curiously, eyebrows still aloft upon his brow, an amused expression settling in upon his features. "And why would it be better if they were not mine?"
Xelleen's nostrils flare just a little bit. "Children are.. unagreeable creatures." She tells him, saying it as patiently as he'd probably explain something to his charges. "I just don't like them. They have sticky hands and they smell."
Delenn hmmm's and goes very quiet for a moment before his eyes wander back over to the girls, now entertaining themselves by collecting small common shells and smooth pretty rocks. For what purpose is unknown at this point. The nanny flicks his gaze back to the woman seated beside him, "The hands can be washed, and I'm not sure I know what you mean by smell. As long they bathe regularly, there should be none, other then soap." he says, bewildered it would seem by the woman's dislike for little ones, but then again it wasn't his place to judge her. He considers Xelleen a moment before he smiles faint, lacing his fingers together over his lap before leaning slightly over them.
Xelleen frowns as she sees she is loosing Delenn's attention, and tries a different tactic. "I was going to go for a swim. Would you perhaps like to join me?" She slides just a little off the rock, looking over at Delenn expectantly.
Startling green depths flicker back to Xelleen, a single brow arching lightly upwards. "I would, if I didn't need to keep an eye on the girls." he says after a minute, already clued in on how the woman was likely to react to a turn down of her invitation. "Their fathers would kill me if anything happened to them." Course he doesn't go on to explain just how close to the truth that statement is, just giving the impression that it would be very very bad. "You go ahead though, not sure how cold the water is this time of turn." he wonders, looking over to the licking waves as they curl up onto the shore.
Xelleen makes a face, her lower lip puffing out just a little. "Oh, I'm sure they'd be fine. You can watch them from the water just as well as from here, can't you?" A sly look crosses her face, "Or you could just go return them and come play with me." A glance is given to the water, "Not that cold, surely. The water down south is never as cold as up north."
Delenn gets a strange expression on his face at Xelleen's insistence, right before he frowns lightly. Shaking his head, the nanny politely declines. "I don't think so. I'd feel safer if I watched them from here, where I can jump in should I need to. Bringing them inside isn't an option either as they'd been looking forward to this outing all sevenday." Drawing in a breath, he stands and stretches, yanking his shirt down afterwards to recover his toned stomach. "Do go though, don't feel you have to give up on your swim for the likes of my company." he smiles, tipping his head to the side.
Xelleen presses her lips together, and then lets out a huffy sigh. "You're gay, aren't you?" she concludes, folding her arms beneath her breasts and shifting her weight so that one hip cocks out, the epitome of feminine indignity.
That expression? Gone. There is a blink now from the young nanny, and he laughs softly. As if everything was making sense now. "That's right," he admits to her, crossing his arms over his chest as he frowns at the girls, brow arching. "No throwing sand Briana!" he reprimands, though quickly his eyes return to Xelleen. The two little ones seem to be losing interest in the merits of a day at the beach, though school themselves at that gentle telling to. Back to poking at another poor spiderclaw.
Xelleen lets out another huff, rolling her eyes skyward, "Faranth give me strength. They're all gay. Gayer than a pixie with mismatched stockings." She rubs her chin with her knuckles, eyeing him squarely. "Can't change your mind, can I?"
Delenn laughs softly, shaking his head at Xelleen. "Afraid not," he tells her, finding her exasperation rather amusing in itself. "I've only slept with one woman my whole life, and now she's pregnant." He watches the woman's face with distinct interest as to her reaction to that, before he peeks over at the children. They were having some sort of memorial service for the spiderclaw they'd impaled with a stick, now murmuring soft words of blessing over the poor creature's grave. "Sorry to disappoint you." he tells her, offering another faint smile.
Xelleen frowns over at the children. "You're not a very good nanny, if you're letting them torture and kill small animals. You should watch out, I imagine they'll turn into murdering renegades at this rate." She shrugs and hops down off the rock, sending sand spraying away from the impact of her feet. "Oh well, dinner for me." She troops towards the children, intent on their victim. She's not above grave-robbing.
There is the slightest flicker of Delenn's eyes when Xelleen mentions renegades, calling out to the girls when the woman pops up from the blanket covered rock. "Nazaya, Briana!" he beckons, gesturing for them to come to him. They abandon the grave site, and come skipping over blaming each other for the death of the spiderclaw. The nanny had seen what happened, it was an accident, and already Briana was in tears over it. Nazaya though, cooly watches the stranger their guardian was speaking with. Crouching down, he talks with them, quietly, smoothing the oldest's hair with one hand before he gets up and collects the blanket. Folded over one arm, he leads the children away from Xelleen. He shakes his head at her as he passes by, and the trio head back towards the weyr itself.