Eastern Weyr - Commons Cavern
A grand stairway leads downward into the cool rock of the commons cavern, a place for socializing and relaxing, as well as an area that provides solid shelter from the seasonal storms of this area. One of the few caverns at Eastern Weyr, the rock here has been worn away by centuries worth of water movement, leaving a nearly glass smooth polish over much of the room. Rocky shelves line the walls on which electric lights covered with paper lanterns rest, providing adequate illumination for the area. High above are further light fixtures, enabling a wide range of lighting options here. A natural pool occupies half of the far end of the cavern and is supplied with heated water piped in by an ingenious techcrafter. All about the room are balconies of rock with stairs leading to them and small dumbwaiters for the purpose of delivering food and drink to their heights.
Delynni chuckles. "I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, there's a stable here isn't there? I can practice my trade here without my big brothers in my face teasing me. "oh cute little Del gonna ride a pretty pony." or "Cutie Delly couldn't impress a draggy if she tried, she can barely jump on a horse."" She sighs in disgust. "You know, I agreed to stand at Ista because my big brothers provoked me into doing so? They teased when I got wrapped up in big blue dragon claws. When all I really wanted to do was bolt."
Kessa admittedly has shaky hands as she picks up the pitcher of spiked punch, pouring herself a mug despite nearly spilling a large amount of it on the table top. A refreshing drink is taken, before she murmurs toward Delynni, "I'm sorry you get teased by your brothers for not impressing. It's not like you have a choice in the matter." She moves over toward the girl and gives her a gentle hug if the other girl will allow it, then it's off to finding a seat, eyes looking for her 'dad' in the throng of people about.
Delynni shakes her head to correct Kessa. "No, they did that right off the bat the first time I was Searched. We were on an errand for our parents, getting fodder that only grows in Ista." Explains Delynni as she sips her drink.
Jheina trails down from the gallery ledges where she was watching the recent Hatching, and spares a look in two seperate directions. One being towards her hut where her daughter ran off to, and the other being to the candidate/weyrling barracks, where undoubtedly hatchlings are being stuffed and settled. Delynni's comment however, is overheard and the junior weyrwoman just … appears behind the woman. "If you were frightened of dragons, why do you accept?" Her voice is a little chilled, but if one has heard of Jhei's reputation, that's to be expected.
T'eo had been hiding in the back of course. He's good at this. The lanky dark haired bronzer moves into the crowd with half an eye for familiar faces. He'd seen, and heard, quite a few Xanadu faces. He absently plays with his hair as he moves very slowly and distractedly towards the refreshments. Yeah, he's in his own little world half the time. He nearly trips over a shorter black haired former candidate, probably spilling her drink, as she was talking to another. "Ee-gak!"
A'ven contents himself with the chilled wines tonight — his age notwithstanding for this special occasion. He sips one now, judiciously, looking a bit tired perhaps, but caught up in the energy of it all for now. "This was a nice break… but I can't stay up too long tomorrow is another day and there's so much to be done." Yes, even for a Hatching the young man can't afford to stop for long.
Senkyou comes in, looking around like people here might find her and drag her back to work. Spotting the klah she gets a mug and fills it while waving to familiar faces. Jheina is given a smile as Senk holding the hand of her daughter moves towards T'eo, smiling at the bronzer. "I have so much to do, naturally I'm not gettin' it done."
Delynni shakes her head. "I'm not scared. Or at least not anymore. Besides, at the time I was just mad and contrary. I'm hemmed in and the /nice/ big brother is out there giggling like some holder girl? Sango's normally the one with a head on his shoulders. And then Naluti, the little prick, joins in with /his/ commentary. He's snotty, though he really tries not to. I've seen him try. 'luti starts in on his cutie little Delly comment." She swigs from the ale. "Honestly, at that point long simmering sibling rivalry and outrage at always being on the short end of the stick I wanted to outshine them. All five of my older brothers."
Kessa's green little firelizard makes a chirp as she nudges her head against Kessa's cheek, earning a tid bit of food she plunders from an unsuspecting individual next to her. Finally, she spots her father. She abruptly stands from her seat and rushes over to the towering spindly older fellow, flinging her arms about him. The man appears startled by this, blinking a few times before he responds in similiarly. A muttered discussion between the two confirms Kessa's plans, her father patting the weaver knot on her shoulder. In short order, the two leave the area, the man's arm slung around her arm.
T'eo scratches that and does a less than graceful avoidance manuver straightening to face Senkyou with an embarassed grin. "Stuff? Oh… yes… stuff. That's right." After all, he's no longer wingleader. Nyah nyah! "Yes, I suppose. But!" He points out quickly and maybe a bit too much so. "It is a hatching… Not an every day, er, thing." Yeah, he's reaching. "Wasn't M'ir around here too?"
Jheina looks at Del and just shakes her head slowly. "I don't need your life story, girl." She replies tartly as she looks around, wondering if any of the dragonnets are sated enough for their partners to show their faces for a /little/ bit before they pass out. Jhei sighs after this look around, and then starts towards the wine table. "Mir went off to visit with R'nel, I think." She supplies for T'eo with a small smile, before resuming her course for a glass.
Delynni rolls her eyes. "Alright fine, let me rephrase that." She says calmly. "I was afraid the first time the durn goofball blue loomed over me. After the first week staying at Ista on my own I wasn't scared anymore in the slightest." There, that's the answer to the original question.
A'ven chuckles at Senkyou's attitude. "Maybe you have it right. I need a day off — I'm just afraid that if I give myself one the rest of my wing will lynch me." He stops to greet the other visitors who've arrived and again, raise his glass to the recently sandy. "Blues are great!", he comments lightly, "Faster than my big lump by a long way…"
Y'sar steps in soon enough to hear his Weyrleader. The brownrider snorts, "And you think I couldn't handle the wing on my own?" the older man teases, reaching for a glass of wine and going to stand by A'ven.
Senkyou chuckles at T'eo and says, "It won't matter, Dulacth is in a hurry to get back and eat. I know someone will notice if I'm not back soon, what about you? how'd you escape?" Nosely asking and grinning like someone who has just discovered a fellow "rebel". Jheina's comment to Delynni gets a smirk.
T'eo glances sideways at the passing Eastern goldrider, offers a tight lipped but thankful smile and nod. He half peers around at the girl he almost ran over and frowns. Why all the nastiness? Why can't we all just get along?? Okay… a bit much, but T'eo's a beach bum. "I've always enjoyed blues too…" He comments before his eyes follow his voice to A'ven. "Some of the best in my old wing were blueriders." He smiles, reminiscing. But Senk takes him out of it and the glazed look lifts. "Hm? Oh… Well, actually, I'm supposed to be taking a sailor to the port here and just before landing Raenth heard the call."
Senkyou nods to T'eo before sighing, "I better get going, I'll have more to worry about if he doesn't get to eat." Hurrily she leaves, now carrying her daughter who seems to be dozing.
Y'sar chuckles, "If you need a break, dear Wingleader, I'm sure I could handle things for a day or two," he says confidently, with a fond smile for the younger man. "Go see that lady friend of yours?" he teases with a wink. The hatching seems to have loosened his tongue somewhat.
Jheina is nasty because half the time that's just the way Jheina works. Haha. The goldrider watches Senkyou leave shortly with her own child, and half way smiles, tempted to go out to her hut and play with hers some more. But no, the junior stays out in the commons, just giving people looks now and again. A glass of red wine has been obtained, and she sips at it slowly though it doesn't stop the liquid from disappearing a little quicker than it should. Quiet Jhei. Is this a bad thing?
A'ryn walks into the Commons Cavern, from the main clearing.
A'ryn has arrived.
T'eo smiles fleetingly to Senkyou and nods as she leaves, contenting himself too to silence. He peers at the wine curiously, having not quite made it to the refreshments before inching… slowly… closer. Looking as casual as he can manage, he gets himself a glass, filling it higher than perhaps etiquette would dictate, and downing half of it before it can be detected. Though, he is a stranger here.
Y'sar watches A'ven leave and shrugs, "Maybe if I hide his knot he'll take a day off," the man murmurs. He finds a seat and slides into it, nodding to Jheina with a smile. "Hello."
So much for keeping up appearances, even if the lad is well-kept and his riding gear hasn't even a hint of a wrinkle, a rather bouncy red-head comes into the cavern, humming something loudly to himself. A'ryn comes to a sudden halt, eyes widening ever so slightly. The lad's eyes go distant for a moment before he breaks into a grin, "Fort Weyr's duties!"
Jheina looks at T'eo out of the corner of her eye and smiles, taking another pull from her own glass, which actually seems to empty it. Phoo? "Stressful day for you?" Jheina asks, going for a refill of the red herself, for some reason needing to relax a little. As Y'sar greets her, another smile breaks out. "Y'sar, I haven't seen /you/ in a long while." She says cheerfully. "How've you been?" And the Fortian rider gets a half-salute from the Junior.
Y'sar sips at his wine and nods, "Yes, I haven't had much time to visit the Living Cavern lately. Been keeping very busy with the new schedule A'ven set for us." The Wingsecond doesn't seem too put off by Zephyr's recent lift in drills. He stands behind his Wingleader. He nods to A'ryn as well with a smile. "How have you been, Jheina?"
T'eo was noticed! He looks a bit startled, having just taken another gulp… all in the eyes and frozen movement. With a careful swallow of this 'gulp' he looks about at Jheina again and manages a stiff rather embarassed smile. "Er… well… sorta yeah." He conciders this, going to elaborate some but as he opens his mouth to speak she's talking to another Easterner. He closes his mouth, subduing and staring down at the contents of his glass. He swirls it carefull once.
A'ryn tilts his head to the side, grinning widely as he makes his way over towards the serving tables, skipping as he grabs himself up some juice and looks over all the people. "We heard about the excitement." A little grin pulls at his feet, meandering over and making himself quite at home near the other riders, "Was hoping to offer my congratulations to the new riders!"
T'eo fails miserably at surpressing a chuckle at the young Fortian's comment. He snorts into his wine glass, eyes remaining down to try and deter notice. No doubt the weyrlings were passed out in their barracks. That auburn haired… boy? Or under-developed girl, he conciders, was possibly in the infirmary as s/he looked about ready to pass out. Though -it- did walk off the sands just fine.
Jheina looks to the Fort rider and must actually decide to play nice for a change. "Sorry, rider. I think the Weyrlings have had their day." The junior chuckles softly. "I'm sure you can appreciate the feelings of a dragon's first full stomach and the following drowsiness." Y'sar is turned back to again. "Well, besides being away for four turns, everything else has gone remarkably… fine." The goldrider rolls a shoulder as she savors this glass more, likely to be her last. "I've a daughter three turns and some months old… she should be playing with her Papa about now…"
Y'sar awws, smiling at Jheina, "A daughter? That's so sweet, what's her name?" He smiles at A'ryn, looking around, "Can't seem to see any right now, but some might be wandering in soon. Until then, join us for some drink and food?"
A'ryn blinks absently, lifting a brow. "Rider?" he mimics, blinking as he moves to turn at his knot, peering at it for a moment. "I believe, unless my eyes are deceiving me, ma'am, my knot is still that of a weyrling." A hand reaches up to rub at the back of his head. "Food!" The magic word has been spoken and immidiately the weyrling leaps to his feet, "I hope there's sweets?" He asks hopefully, bouncing a bit on his feet.
Jheina shrugs her shoulders minutely. "Rider, Weyrling. Just a matter of technicalities really." The junior weyrwoman - known for her tartness - actually grins. "And technically you /are/ a rider. Just not a fully trained one." Aauuuugh! How many conversations can one woman hold? "Her name? Raina. She was rather excited to see the eggs hatching today, I shouldn't be surprised if R'nel has her in bed by now.." And finally T'eo is given another glance and she blinks. "Do I need to tell the headwoman to find sheets for the guest weyr tonight, sir…?"
T'eo raises his eyes a moment to look around at those in attendance, paticularly the Fortian boy. Weyrling, yes, but rider, yes. He rides a dragon after all. "You're not our weyrling, boyo." He ventures rather suddenly, as if that was a very important point. "Would you prefer we call you such?" He looks to Jheina, a square eyed look to match her blinking glance. "I am still on my first." He points out rather bluntly, downing it with a flourish. Raenth'll stop him before he can't ride home.
Y'sar smiles wistfully, swishing his wine in his glass and watching it, "I'm jealous," he admits, "I wish I had a son or a daughter to put to bed." Then he coughs and straightens in his seat, grinning at A'ryn, "She's got a point there, Fortian." He pauses to study T'eo for a moment and offer a smile, but nothing to say comes to mind.
A'ryn lifts his shoulders, grinning widely, "Well, I dunno, just used to getting called weyrling back at the weyr." He looks over his shoulder, peering outside the door. "I know I'm not one of yours, just, we've not graduated yet." He runs a hand through his hair, deciding it's best to stay off the subject. "I'm A'ryn, green Malieth's."
Jheina just waves a hand at A'ryn. "Then you also know well enough not to argue with a Weyrwoman." A junior, but a Weyrwoman. And said weyrwoman chuckles. "So sorry, but you seemed… spacey, which is never a good thing for riding." However, Jheina has seemed to have enough of standing and she plants herself in a near by chair, that's at a table large enough for a sizable gathering. "Well, being a rider you'll either make one on accident someday, or you'll be lucky and find someone who'd like to weyrmate and the such…" She says maybe a little wistfully. Or spacey. Mmm. Hunky brownrider back in hut… headshake. "Either way, I'm sure a time will come for you to have a kid, Y'sar." She finishes with a chuckle. "Even if they're a pain in the neck."
T'eo has that impression on people sometimes. He smiles back at Y'sar. That's words enough for him really. His eyes swim back to his glass, which he refills less discretely. And up again to those around him, the Fortian first… A'ryn? He nods. "T'eo, of Bronze Raenth." He says, annuciating with an odd delicacy, as if to prove to the goldrider he's sober. But apparently not as, "Hm? Oh… Well, it's argued that I can be that way." He offers. Pehaps one too many hits in the head with a capstan handle? Probably. Or hits from landing his clumsy self head first on a rock. "You want one of mine?" He offers Y'sar after a moment of thought. "Well, actually, they're shaping up alright at this age." He muses.
Y'sar smiles at Jheina and shakes his head, "Oh no, not a pain, not at all." He shrugs, "I'd like to hold out for a Weyrmate, myself. But you never know with flights. Kersenth isn't too good at winning, quite yet," he says, and he seems relieved about that. "Well met, A'ryn. I'm Y'sar, Kersenth's." He chuckles at T'eo, "No, thank you. I like to make things from scratch."
A'ryn will just move to stand up, "Sorry." He murmurs quietly, smoothing a hand through his hair, "We'll go someplace else." Murmurs the weyrling quietly as he moves to spin on his heel, wrinkling his nose slightly. "So I'm not so good at this sort of thing."
Marcus walks into the Commons Cavern, from the candidate/weyrling caverns.
Marcus has arrived.
Aaaack, no go! "Hey, just because I said don't argue with a Weyrwoman doesn't mean you have to leave." Jheina sounds a little put out that the weyrling was planning on leaving, but then introduces herself as well, "I'm Jheina, rider of Talisyth." And then Jhei's eyes swivel back to Y'sar. "No? He's not?" Well puft. Tali needs to make better offspring. "Give him some time, or let him find the appropreate lady. He'll chase well enough then."
After the rush of Impression, the scurrying of filling belly voids and the now passed out bronze in the weyrling barracks, Marcus wanders out of the caverns from that direction with his new weyrling knot beside his journeyman computer crafter one. Glasses in place, he makes for the food, merely out of the need to put something in his stomach besides what's there. Big fat nothing.
T'eo looks up at the Fortian, spaciness leaving for a more stern and orderly voice. "Acht, boyo. None of that now." He sets down his wine glass and motions for him to sit himself back down. "Come on… sit back down. Got to learn it all somewhere." And speaking of learning… a weyrling! "Hm… Well, I suppose one of them has some constitution." He comments with a nod towards the new bronzeling.
Delynni grins into her now empty mug of ale. Its the only one she's had, but with no food along with it. The poor girl is smashed. "Is there….. a place I can pass out?" She grunts sleepily to A'ven. "Since there are likely Weyrlings in my cot about now. I don't want to wake them all up just to get my things."
Y'sar chuckles at the Weyrwoman, "It's not that he doesn't try, believe me," he says. "I think it might be because his chase technique is more…soft. He's not driven by his passion, so much as he tries to woo those he's chasing. Usually the females are so fired up and angry that they want to knock him out of the sky for making up a poem about them." He smiles at A'ryn, "Oh, don't leave so soon. Look, there's a new Weyrling right there," he says, pointing Marcus out.
A'ryn shrugs his shoulders a little bit, flicking his hair out of his face with a hint of annoyance, "You try it." A'ryn snaps to no one in particular, glaring out at the door. The riders get his attention once more and the grin is back on his face, as if nothing had happened. "It's all right! Don't worry about it." The weyrling is peered at, nodding a greeting. "It's quite all right! Malieth's saying she's got dirt on her anyway and is demanding to get cleaned." An excuse? Maybe.
Marcus is, pointed out? The weyrling pauses as he turns with his glass of water and crust of bread, figuring he'd be safe with those as his stomach is still unsure it wants any company, despite it's rumblings. Brows lift at the attention directed towards him and cheeks turn an appropriate pink. The finger pointing is a nice touch, and aid the darkening of his skin. "Uh, hello?" he says unsure, offering those who's eyes seem to be on him a faint smile, fighting off his nausea and the fatigue echoing off the new presence in his mind. A blink, and his dark eyes move to A'ryn, waving his bread hoisted hand back and forth. "Hello."
Jheina almost face-palms at that note from Y'sar. "Well, he certainly didn't inherit /that/ from Talisyth. Must've been Zsuzsath's doing.." Jheina looks up as Marcus enters, and Del tries speaking to someone thats… not there. "Marcus! Or.. is it something different now?" The junior looks confused for a brief moment. "Anyways. Come, sit. Relax. But no wine." Still. "Anyways Y'sar, you may have to coach him away from woo'ing during the actual flying part of the chase.."
T'eo watches the Fortian with a furrowing of brows, but offers a shrug and the orderly presence fades back into the wishy washy sailor he is. "Yeeeah… Raenth gets like that sometimes but, erm, no poetry." There's a subtle waft of amusment in his mind at this which causes him to adopt a silly grin for a period. He picks his glass of wine back up and peers over it at the new weyrling, taking another mouthful. "Greetings, boyo." He offers to Marcus. He notes, after a moment, the empty chair right beside him and flops rather casually into it.
Y'sar chuckles with a shrug, "Oh, I don't know," he says slowly, "I rather like it myself. He's a sweet brown, I wouldn't want to coach that out of him. Someday maybe he'll find a green or gold with a matching sentiment." He chuckles at Marcus and waves a hand, "Forgive me, I didn't mean to point you out literally, but A'ven here had mentioned that he wanted to congratulate the Weyrlings."
A'ryn tilts his head to the side, looking from one rider to another before sighing quietly as he moves to take his seat once more, rubbing at the back of his head. "I'm not so good at this formality stuff yet." A'ryn admits quietly, looking over his shoulder and offering a nod to the bronze weyrling. "It gets easier."
Ushered over, Marcus does wander Jheina's direction after a moment's hesitation that is another attempt at beating off the urge to curl up somewhere comfortable and sleep. There's a slight shaking of his head to clear the cobwebs and set things a shambles upstairs a bit more back in place before he pulls out a chair and drops himself into it. Perhaps a bit more bonelessly than he had planned, considering his wince. "No, uh, still just Marcus." he replies, setting his glass down upon the table and holding onto the bread because he'd forgotten to snag a napkin or something of that type for it. Looking to T'eo he manages another faint, if somewhat distracted with brain maintenance as the fortian rider takes a seat beside him. "Hello." he says again, the blush darkening at being at the focal point of those around him. "Oh?" he says to Y'sar before he finally finds A'ryn again and his smile widens a bit, nodding. "I do hope so, all this is a bit disarming."
"Ah, interesting that." Jheina says in Marcus' direction before her grin gets wider. "You'll get used to his presence in there." And there's a pause as that Evil Glint works its way around her oncoming exhaustion. "But d'you see /now/ why we frown upon new relationships during Weyrlinghood and such?" 'I told you so.'? Jheina lifts a hand to rub at her eyes, barely suppressing a yawn. "We-eelll, I can only speak for Talisyth, but she's so bloody-minded during flights, you might not want to take my advice…"
T'eo is distracted once more by… no wine! He frowns intently into his glass, the rest of the world lost to his mind. He reaches to refill it but a warm humm of subdued brass asks he not. "Time to go?" He murmurs the question quietly. Indeed. He sets down the glass and starts to take a step to go- but it's as if he only just realized where he was when he looks about himself. He stops and nods to them. "I must be off…" he smirks at Jheina. "…while I still can. You, good luck with flights." He says, gesturing with a florish to Y'sar. "You, don't take things to such heart." He advises the Fortian green'ling. "Annnnnd…" He glances back and forth between Jheina and Marcus a moment. At last, a shrug. "Good luck." He says simply to Marcus, and heads out.