Xanadu Weyr - Weyrling Barracks
A long and roughly oblong cavern. About a third of the space is open, used for classes or chores as required. The rest of the space is filled with couches of varying sizes, all with plenty of space between them. Some couches are obviously intended for the very young weyrlings while the largest ones at the back are for the older weyrlings.
There are supplies for the care of dragons tucked back against the walls. A barrel of oil sits with scrub brushes and soft clothes, and a thick hardwood table is used to prepare meat in bite-sized pieces for the young dragons. There's also a few supplies for the weyrling humans, like bedding for cots or extra pillows for those sleeping on their lifemate's couch.
The first few days of this new Weyrlinghood life has been much as D'lei warned during the hatching feast - Eat, Sleep, bath, Oil, scoop, rinse, repeat. Today, it seems that it is no exception, and that one weyrling pair is partway through the routine, as mid-morning is approaching and the young woman is settled on a smaller couch with her green life mate, Iczy's head draping over Ricki's lap as fingers gently work oil into the spots around wing joints and ridges, Iczy's eyes lidding lazily. As she works, she is carrying on a soft conversation, the occasional word drifting further. "I know you were hungry, but you can't just help yourself to someone else's breakfast."
It's like there's a pattern, in among the chaos! Or something like one, at least. R'eyn enters the barracks with a stack of clean cloths in his hands, heading toward the rather-emptied stack near oil and brushes to replenish it. He pauses to turn toward Ricki and Iczobyth, with a smile and a vague gesture with the stack. "You two good on supplies?" Since he's up, after all, and Ricki is maybe a bit pinned down beneath draconic head.
Lani has connected.
Since the new Weyrlings are pretty much sequestered for a while, someone has to make sure food shows up, otherwise the new little weyrlings will waste away. So it might be a welcome surprise when Kera arrives, gesturing to a couple of kitchen workers over to a side table. "Over on that table there, Thanks." The residents deposit large food trays before returning outside where a small wagon holds more food trays and large coolers of water and juice. While food is being set out, Kera turns her attention around to the barracks. "Oh, that needs to be cleaned up right away…..now." she adds to a slow to move brownling that needs to tend to his dragon's needs a bit quicker. R'eyn is quickly spotted and given a headnod as she approaches Ricki's cot. "How's she doing Weyrling? Are you having any problems?"
Iczobyth snorts what is practically a draconic laugh at Ricki's 'reprimand', making no move to shift and free her human partner though. Instead, eyes continue to whirl lazily, Ricki's attention shifting first to R'eyn, pondering his words before glancing down at her oil-covered hands. "Uhm, maybe an extra towel or two, please, sir." She finally asks, even as eyes turn almost greedily to the arriving refreshments, hands pausing in their oiling. A nudge from Iczy reminding her of what she was doing, and she rolls her eyes, shaking her head just a bit as she picks up her work once more. "Aside from her trying to help herself to anyone and everyone else's food… She just walked right up to one of the older weyrlings earlier and that was that.." If you act like you belong, who will question you?
R'eyn glances over the the food as it arrives - yay food! - and then back to Ricki. "Have two," he says, as he shifts his burden to take two off the top and lean in to set them down beside the pair. "It's generally a bit messier than you expect." He smiles, though, and looks to Kera with a nod as she arrives before looking back to the pair. "That's definitely something to work on," he agrees. "Even if you can get away with it now," and yes, he's addressing the dragon, "it's neither polite nor a good idea. Some dragons will fight you over their dinners… and others will just think less of you and your rider because of it." For all that it's a lecture - of sorts - he doesn't sound upset. Just… instructive.
Kera turns her gaze around to make sure the brownling is cleaning up after his dragon "And don't let me see that again." she raises her voice for the whole barracks to her "From anyone. If your dragon relieves themself, clean it up right then. There's not enough windows on Pern to clear the air if everyone decides to let crap build up." Making sure she has made her point, she goes on "Those that aren't currently busy, grab some food." That said, she wanders over to R'eyn, nodding "I think the launders are already sick of the extra towels we send them." She flashes an amused wink to both, but nods agreeably with ehr fellow AWLM. "She'll grow out of it. Sometimes it takes some trail an error to figure out how much she'll need to eat. And it will only be more and more with each meal for a while."
Iczobyth unlids an eye to watch R'eyn at the lecture, colors swirling lazily as she she regards him, freckled nose lifted just enough to keep the assistant in sight. Once his words are finished, he is treated to a snort, and she is shifting her face away from him, resettling her head in Ricki's lap as she makes an attempt to re-tuck wings and limbs on the couch. "I don't quite think that went in in a matter that will stick." Ricki murmurs, looking slightly embarrassed, even as she is giving the green's shoulder a gentle shove. "Iczy.. Hey now." The green just shifts again and glances at Kera with a nod, slowly. "She had her own pile, and everything. She just.." Her hand waves in silent indication of how well that went.
R'eyn looks up from dragon to rider as Iczy turns away. "That's why you heard it too. Now you know, and you can figure out how to make it stick." He smiles to Ricki, then turns to look at Kera, giving her a nod. "Laundry's probably just sad they don't have candidate help anymore," he offers there, then looks back to Ricki with a nod. "Thought it tasted better if she took it?" A half-smile. "You'll get better at calling her back with practice, too… and realizing when she's about to do something like that so you can stop her."
Kera grins at R'eyn's observation and laughs "You probably hit the nail dead on with that R'eyn. With the lack of candidates to help them the additional piles of laundry we add to their workload probably has them a little miffed." Still amused, Kera settles on a nearby trunk and looks the young green over "So I won't bother asking if she's eating well, that's obvious if she's sampling her siblings meals." Her gaze slides over the green then settles on Ricki with an approving smile. "Her hide looks to be well tended. At this stage I don't think it's possible to overoil them." Well it is, but at that point things would be just too silly with weyrlings slipping across the floor like frozen lake. Kera peers around as weyrlings start streaming forwards the food, and then turns her attention back to R'eyn, Ricky and Iczobyth. "Yea, and bout the time you start better at guiding her behavior, that's when all the questions start. You may dislike the word 'why' after a while."
"Oh, it tastes better. And if I am not cutting up meat, I have more time to read. Or to tell her about different places. Or.. well, anything besides cutting up meat." Ricki at least, seems to have decided that it is rather hilarious, once you stop and think about it, for she starts to giggle softly, shaking her head, abandoning her oiling. Of course, this causes a rather disapproving grunt from Iczy, one hind limb awkwardly attempting to stomp, and regain her lost attention, even as Ricki is shifting to reach for one of the towels left by R'eyn as she glances to Kera, slowly gaining control over the giggles. "The real challenge is making her the oil stays on her, and not me. So far that is harder than the questions that have already started."
"That, and they might still hold a grudge from the glitter," R'eyn adds on about the laundry. Because he hears things, he does. And maybe sees some of them, sparkling around. Ricki's explanation of her dragon's perspective gets an amused sort of snort. "In that case, you can tell her that you'll be forced to replace whatever she eats out of someone else's pile." His smile is almost conspiratorial. "Cleverness is only rewarded if she's more clever than that." And they have the advantage in brains! At least… so far they do. There will be more. And more questions. And more oil. "That's a lost cause," he says as far as keeping it just on the dragon. "We just try to keep the oil-pond from seeping out too far into the field."
Kera gives an amused eyeroll "They still mutter over that ya know." referring to the glitter disaster. A smirk for R'eyn's sneaky method of handling Ricki's dragonmate. "Well, if she does it too many times, then it will probably be a true statement. And you'll have to explain that she's making you do extra work." Or Ricki could come up with a totally new way to curve the green's wondering muzzle. The Weyrling gets a little smile "I know it seems like that now. Hmm, maybe you and your fellow weyrlings can sliding contests. Judge for form, and for spectacular crashes." And is Risali is around, there might even be oil wrestling.
Shhhh, don't give Leirith any ideas - they only barely survived the mud, the jumps, the glitter, and the marooning in space. Ricki gives Iczy's head a firm push, wiggling out from beneath it, "I'll be right back.." She offers quickly, as the green protests the treatment, the weyrling wiping her hands on a clean down as she is slipping towards the food, getting herself a quick snack which is taken with her back towards the couch. "I feel like I am going to have to constantly stay one step ahead of her, and frankly.. I don't know how I will."
Put some glitter in the oil, and… wait. Right. Not giving Leirith terrible ideas, that's the name of the game! Not Glitter-Oil-Wrestle-Sliding. R'eyn nods a bit to Kera, then goes over to put the rest of the towels away - and note to a few other weyrlings busy with their dragons that there's food for humans to be had - before he steps back toward the conversation. "There's nothing wrong with being clever. You don't need to keep her back, just… learn to direct her energy so she's not causing trouble with it."
Kera nods with a growing grin for what R'eyn says. "Pretty much. As he said, you'll get better at predicting what she's up to and managing to redirect it." Looking the green over "Hmm, parhaps when she's bigger, I can show you some dragon surfing with Moncerath." She doesn't go into detail about the dragonsurfing thing though right now though. "You seem to be learning to manage her needs well enough. Just don't forget about your own needs. In another sevenday you and your fellow weyrlings will need to take turns making foor runs to the kitchen. And brin back enough for everyone to share." Yea, the kitchen workers could bring it but, "Will give you all a chance to stretch your legs and get some fresh air for brief moments."
As Ricki settles back down on the couch, Iczy's interest is caught by the plate in her hands, and the weyrling is left to play a game of 'no this is mine' with something that is a -lot- larger than a typical cat. Plate held out of reach, Ricki mutters a 'no', scooting backwards to finish her quick snack, keeping a cautious eye on her lifemate. "See, Iczy, if you're good, maybe you can learn dragon surfing." Bribing is ok, right? "And yes, ma'am, of course."
Bribing is one of the fundamental methods of dragon-training! And… so is trying to eat, for that matter. "Reinforce it with your mind," R'eyn notes to Ricki as he sees her playing keep-away. "Like you're pushing her muzzle down… but mentally." Yeah, because that is super crystal clear, right? Not that R'eyn explains any further, at least right now. He lifts a hand to wave farewell, adding to Kera, "I've got between practice with the seniors," by way of explanation before he heads off to collect those senior weyrlings and send them off through the void. And come back out the other side again, that part is important!
Kera looks around and nods as her fellow AWLM heads off to work with some betweening Sr. Weyrlings "Clear Skies!" is called to him and any others joining the lesson. After they've gone, she turns her attention back to Ricki and Iczobyth and grins. "Don't worry. Plenty of time to work on Dragonsurfing. She's gotta grow into those wings first." An amused wink before she gets to her feet "I can start explaining the fine points later if you like."
"That.. That might be fun, thank you." Ricki offers, even as she is turning, staring at Iczobyth with a look of concentration on her face as she tries to listen to R'eyn's suggestion. Brow furrowed, the green just snorts and settles back down, sprawling a bit more widely out. But, plate is safe for the moment, and Ricki is hurriedly finishing off her snack. "Thank you again."
Kera nods, waving off the thanks. "As I said, plenty of time. But for now, your days are busy enough as you get to know each other, and learn how to take the best care of her." The woman glances about and seems to nod to herself, mutter a few words before nodding to Ricki again "And on that note, I've a few things I need taking care of sooner rather than later. Help yourself to more food, you're gonna need more food with all the excercise and training you're about to go through." A quick wave "See you in a bit." Then she seems to be rushing out of the barracks as if she's late for something.