Xanadu Weyr - Hot Springs
The warmth that flows from this cavern is almost overwhelming for some, the steam rising from the shimmering pools as thick as the morning fog that rolls in off the ocean. Numerous pools are scattered here and there with ribboned walls that are natural in their construction. The water has a somewhat green cast to it, but it is merely a reflection from the ethereal light which is the glow down here that was so noticeable from the Lower Cavern Tunnel. People can often be found down here washing themselves or just relaxing.
Situated along the walls are various racks covered in fresh towels ready for those who step out of the warm waters. A set of shelves have been installed towards the back wall, allowing people a place to put their belongings while they rest in the pools, and despite the white color that these have been painted, they are cast with that eerie green glow. Then, it's obvious. The ceiling of this cavern is covered in the fluorescent phosphorous matter that glows are made off. The mossy substance almost glitters and appears quite lovely.
With the main excitement of the Hatching past, and some festivities already in progress, one of the new Weyrlings has stolen away for a quiet moment. Jessa, once seamstress and now a rider, steals quietly into the hot springs, with a tray full of fruits, cheeses, bread, and a large mug of klah. She breathes in the steamy air, the exhalation coming out as a laugh instead of a sigh. Who would have thought it?
Moria is already here, splashing water on her face in an attempt to get herself more awake and functional. She's not used to being up this early, not since she became a journeywoman anyhow. Jessa's arrival is noted once she has dried her face off, and the crafter smiles warmly to the new weyrling. "Hey there, Jessamin!" she calls. "Congratulations! I saw you with that green. What's her name?" she asks, moving toward the other woman. "Need a hand with all that?" And she nods to the tray.
Jessa calls out, "Only if you'll help me eat some of this!" Her expression is dazed, bemused, and… in a word… beatific. Her voice takes on a near-reverent tone, hushed and low, a single name nearly lost in the echoes of the hot springs. "Ninkasith." Her robe, pure white when the morning began, now has some meat splatters in a few places, leaving no doubt that her lifemate is now well-fed.
"Ninkasith." Moria says the name slowly, getting a feel for it, and nods. "That's lovely. Well, again, congratulations, and yes, I imagine I can help you eat this. It'll keep me from falling asleep again, anyhow." Moria deftly lifts the tray from Jessa's grip and nods toward the baths. "You go get settled in. I'll bring this over once your in place, hmm? Can't be losing your meal to the water, now. Here, I'll take the mug, too, so you can get undressed."
Jessa flashes Moria a grateful smile, relinquishing her tray to the other girl without much of a fight. She does, however, steal a slice of cheese, nibbling on it as she shuffles towards one of the steam-veiled pools. "I'm not sure who's more tired. Me, or Ninka. Sometimes, I'd feel hints of things from Dylanth… when he chose to share. But it was nothing like this." She's got a silly grin as she disrobes, not at all shy about a brief glimpse of her form before stepping into the pool. "This… is incredible. I somehow don't care that I'm tired, it all just melts away somehow."
"Dylanth?" Moria asks, puzzled, letting Jessa move ahead of her for some privacy and only following once the weyrling is safely in the pool. Then she comes over and sets the tray next to Jessa and settles down beside it. "Well, Ninkasith had all that work getting out of her egg, but she had plenty of time to prepare for it. You got dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, thrust onto boiling hot sands, and then had this green dragon beg you to stuff her silly, like they all do. I'd say your exhaustion is well earned."
Jessa says "Dylanth is G'len's blue… he's a Western rider I'm… fond of." No sense hiding it, because children of any species tend to say the darnedest things! "It was a little surprising he wasn't there in the galleries. Probably on a transport run again. I loved joining him on those." She leans back, sinking a little deeper into the water with a sigh of relief and elation. "I can't wait to tell him everything… or T'burk, or A'ven…."
Moria 'ah's softly as Jessa elaborates, making a cheese sandwich and nibbling at it thoughtfully. "Well, hopefully Ninkasith won't have any objections to Dylanth when the time comes," she says gently. "I hope that all works out for you. Did you see Rished Impressed? He's R'shed now. Our parents were more than a little surprised. I don't think either of them expected him to Impress." She grins, full of pride for her 'little' brother.
Jessa turns bright red, squirming a little. "I thought I saw, but… well, once Ninkasith found me, Pern could have ended around me and it wouldn't have mattered. Beautiful blue he Impressed, really." Oh dear… "The talk… right, well.. time enough for worrying about that later, that's a couple Turns down the road anyways."
Moria nods, picking out a slice of apple and holding it toward the other woman. "Here, eat something before you pass out in there. I don't think Ninkasith would appreciate you drowning a few hours after Impression," she says dryly. "You'll have to eat when you can over the next few days, after all. Might as well start getting used to it now."
The slice of apple vanishes almost as soon as Jessamin plucks the sweet treat from Moria's hands, all but sucking it down with barely time to chew it. Only now is the grumbling of her stomach audible, embarrassingly so. "Shards, I knew hatchlings were hungry, but never expected to feel it quite like this. Is it normal?"
Moria snorts, grabbing another slice of apple to offer Jessa while putting together a sandwich with her other hand. "Well, it's sort of breakfast, right? I mean, you guys got woken up by the dragons like the rest of us, so there isn't any reason for you to /not/ be hungry. Lots of hard work since then, no wonder you're starved," Moria answers, her tone even and reasonable.
Jessa looks as if she is about to wolf down the next slice, but takes a piece of advice she gave to her own lifemate and at least tries to slow down. Ineffectively, as it turns out, with the apple disappearing in short order and a quick little -crunch-. "So R'shed is kind of like a little brother to you, huh? It's great to have someone close enough to almost call family."
Moria regards Jessa blankly for several moments before a laugh bubbles out of her. "Jessa, he /is/ my brother," she says when she gets herself under control. "R'shed truly is my little brother. He's about five Turns younger than I am. And shorter than I am, so I can keep calling him my little brother and have it be wholly true," she says, amused. "Which would be why I said 'our parents' earlier. Mother and father were very much confused when he Impressed. I don't think they really expected much out of R'shed, which was silly, because he has always been a very hard worker and capable of doing most anything he sets his mind to."
Jessa turns beet red at her mis-step, ducking her head. "Sorry… got so used to the idea of never hearing from my little brother again.. and Impression… it just never crossed my mind." Just as she's reaching for another piece of cheese, she starts, eyes unfocusing. Perhaps some private commentary from a half-somnolent lifemate? She murmurs, "You're right. I'll try to stop thinking like that."
Moria nods, waving a hand at the apology. "It's alright, and I know we don't look that much alike. Just, the way you said it, it was funny." She grins and finishes putting together that sandwich for Jessa, offering it over. "I can understand you being a bit out of sorts, too, which will put anyone at a disadvantage." Jessa's quiet words aren't heard clearly, and Moria leans forward. "What was that?"
Jessa gratefully accepts the sandwich, at least having the grace to quell her grumbling stomach with a few bites before attempting a reply. "Ninkasith was reminding me that I'm not alone now." She starts, the import of hearing and feeling that mind touch hitting her. "She was asleep in the barracks… should I go?" There's a more familiar note of concern in her voice, with a new edge to it, now that it's her lifemate. "I was used to dragons speaking to me occasionally, but it was their choice. Not used to someone hearing me -all- the time. Wow."
Moria 'ah's and nods, settling back. "Good of her to do so. If you want to head back, I'll make up another sandwich for you and clean the rest of this up. I don't think she'd mind you getting a bath and food, but if you'd rather not leave her alone, it's no trouble for me. Do what feels right," she says softly, suiting action to words and assembling another sandwich for the weyrling.