Xanadu Weyr – Caverns
A massive cavern in it's own right, this one has been skillfully adapted for human habitation. The high ceilings have been painted a light, soft ivory, as are the walls where numerous tapestries hang to provide brilliant color and insulation from the stone. The floor has been left in its natural state, pale pink granite speckled through with glittering mica and dark flecks of basalt, leveled carefully but kept sufficiently rough to avoid slips.
The cavern itself is loosely divided into areas, each one set up to be suitable for some segment of the Weyr's population. The most frequently occupied area, however, is the one near the Kitchens where tables of varying sizes provide a place to sit down and eat or chat and a buffet of consumables is almost always kept stocked. Its plain that on most days, this area wouldn't accommodate anywhere near the full population of the Weyr and equally plain that on such occasions when a formal meal is laid out, tables are appropriated from all the other areas.
A big fireplace is set into the wall near the Kitchens as well, several comfortable chairs nearby providing haunts for elderly residents or riders who like a good view of all that happens. Rugs cover the floor in strategic spots, all of them abstract or geometric in design and most in the softly neutral colors of undyed wool.
Exits lead off in all directions, a big archway the largest and that leading outside. Shallow stairs to the west lead to the offices and administration area while tunnels to the east lead to the infirmary, kitchen and resident's quarters. Southwards, a sloping tunnel leads down to the hot springs and southwest is a wide tunnel, carefully roped off to avoid accidents.
It began with an announcement via the rider's dragon who was leading sweeps out along the Sea of Azov's coastline to the north of Xanadu. The watch dragon atop the starstones passed on the terse message to Seryth and Romth but there was little more than five minutes warning before a low-pitched moan announced a change in the weather. Oh, the barometer had been dropping, so a storm was expected and precautions taken. But late winter storms, not uncommon to Xanadu, were hardly cause for alarm. This though. Was NOT your average winter storm. The moan heralded a wind, accompanied by thickly-falling snow that so quickly became a howling, screaming whiteout and there was no time to do anything but close the cavern door, bolt it fast and hunker down.
Arriving at lunchtime when most folks were there for lunch, the whiteout conditions prevented most from attempting to leave the caverns. With the children in both nursery and harper lessons, most preferred to stay and wait it out anyway. Dinner came and went and still there was no letup, thus the Weyrwoman, whatever juniors were there with her and Headwoman Ocelara helped make people comfortable in whatever way the could to bed down for the night in the caverns. Makeshift pallets have been added to private rooms, line the walls in the main cavern, are situated on tables and on the floor under them, back corridors, store rooms, offices… wherever there is floorspace to be found.
It is now evening, the lighting is dim, the fire kept crackling on the hearth provides most of the light in this room while many sleep and others… do not.
Thea is one of those who do not sleep. Her family - at least the children - are with Hali and probably Darsce (unless the girl, nocturnal being that she is, is up wandering around) - bedded down in the Weyrleader's office where she and D'had will later join them. Right now it's anyone's guess where the ex-Weyrsecond is, likely somewhere in the cavern system helping with something. Briana is on the radio and Thea is making her rounds in here, checking to see if anyone needs anything, carrying an armful of blankets and tucking in a child here and there.
Sleep? With so many people about? With worries about Mirai and Micaela who are stuck back in the cottage, even though Alosynth said that they were all perfectly all right and the trees and vegetation keeping some spots fairly clear from snow drifts. So, hugely pregnant woman is pacing. Though it's an awkward pacing as she waddles more than walks. There's glances for the cavern doors and more than once her feet have carried her in that direction. Keziah's antsy, worried and not at all comfortable. Which makes for a bit of testyness. "Has it let up yet?"
J'yn finds himself stuck in the living cavern of the weyr, and he's none too thrilled about it either apparently as the normally happy go lucky flighty bronzerider almost has a sneer on his face. He had had a plan to be out of here after lunchtime, since he was up late last night drinking and cavorting with various singles. When the weather siren sounded, he had tried to get out to Orionth, but there simply wasn't enough time for him to locate his bronze and blow this posicle stand. Afternoon came and went and he put up woth the stuffiness of the caverns, and the ever-pressing crowd, but he needed some freedom, so the visiting bronzer has found a place waaaaay in the back as far away from the hearths and other people as possible where he now is camped out, glass of ale in hand(likely one of a number consumed so far) and even sans company of any pretty lasses on his arm for the moment.
Unable to sleep from the howling of the wind, Lorelai is curled up in an out of the way spot on the floor with a rider's oversized flight jacket draped over her shoulders and a steaming mug of klah held between her hands. She's quiet, more quiet than usual, even, and just staring off into the distance. She glances up when Keziah waddles past, a worried expression on her face at the sight of the pregnant woman as she just pulls Ers'lan's spare coat closer around her shoulders and tries her best to be invisible.
Matrin is one of the many who was snagging lunch when the weather went south. Not realizing how truly bad it was going to be, he didn't even make an attempt to flee, and when the true extent of the storm became more obvious he did his best to help get people situated. If only he were the usual sort of Harper, maybe the sleepless would have a bit of music to lull them off to restless dreams, but as it is he's just perched on a chair near the bedroll he's claimed but has yet to use, absently making notes on the work he luckily had with him. Keziah's question to no one draws his blue eyes up and he shakes his head. "You'd know better than me. What does Alosynth say?" Concern flickers and he stands up, heading her way. "Why don't you sit for a bit, and I'll get you some juice."
miah had been in the crafter's complex working on some project all morning but, as with most of the rest, come in for lunch and gotten stuck in here. Unlike some of the others, she isn't too worried or frustrated but she is a touch uneasy and it's beginning to show. She's been helping in the kitchens up until now, so when she enters the caverns when the crew dims the lights back in the kitchens, she's weary, water-bespeckled, has dish-pan hands and a bit tousled. Passing by J'yn, she smiles through her fatigue. "Better make that one last, Rider. Cook's locked up the rest of the booze for the night."
And that adds just one more disappointment to J'yn's list. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me. No shardin' booze, no shardin' space." Luckily, though, his voice is kept fairly low, afterall there are people sleeping around him. Well, he supposes he'd better make due with this last ale, good thing it's freshly refilled. So, with lack of anything better to do, silver blue eyes slide over the various occupants that are still awake, maybe he's looking for a distraction, maybe he's just bored, maybe both. If only he could spot that lass from last night, but she must be bedded down in a different area. Keziah is watched, since she's really the only awake person he knows or recognizes, but he doesn't draw her attention as he tightens flight jacket around his thin sleeveless shirt rather than dare move towards the fire.
Thea nears the spot where Lorelai broods. Something about the girl draws another glance and she hunkers down beside her, eyes concerned. Kindly, "Hey, are you alright? Do you need anything?" If she recognizes Ers'lan's coat, she says nothing about that, rather offers, "Would you like a blanket? We have plenty." Her eyes lift to pass over the room, a random and automatic check of things, noting where Keziah's gone off to. Yes, she's been keeping an unobtrusive eye on the heavily-pregnant greenrider, well aware of the woman's restlessness. It's with some relief that she notes Matrin is speaking to her.
If she recognized the jacket at all that Lorelai has or if she even actually saw it, KEziah gives no indication. At Matrin's words she turns. Damn logical harpers "It's still snowing." she mutters "And I don't want to sit down. I don't want juice. I want to go home. Where's a dang rope. I'll trudge out there myself." However, despite her words she does sit down in a seat. She glances over towards the kitchens as Mishkia comes out and there's a halfhearted smile for her dear friend and then a shake of her head for poor J'yn as the news is announced. With Thea's words of a blanket for someone she looks over towards Thea and Lorelai and then there's a blink as now she does note the jacket and then mutters under her breath "Is that why he's been avoiding? Shards, why didn't he just say something. Bastard." Okay, yeah, so she's still upset over the previous day's little brush off.
Lorelai looks up at Thea and blushes, nodding, "Yes, ma'am. I'm fine. I've just got a lot on my mind, I guess." She smiles at the offer of a blanket and shakes her head, gesturing to a small stack of bedding a short distance away, "I've already got a blanket, thank you." She swallows hard and takes a deep breath, "I might need a bucket soon, though…" She does look a little green around the edges. It's probably a good thing that she doesn't hear Keziah's comment or she might just turn even more green.
A gruff, muttering Keziah isn't surprising at the best of times and this is certainly nowhere near the best of times. So Matrin just listens to her with that concern lingering, and ends with a faint smile. "I am sure everyone is fine and this will blow over by tomorrow. In the meantime we should make the best of it, right? Want me to see if I can snitch some pastries or something for you?" The mention of the kitchen draws his eyes that way as Mishkia exits and he flashes her a broad grin before tipping his head toward Keziah. Help? He's distracted enough to miss the source of Keziah's new ire and he blinks down at her before flopping back into his seat. "Is what why who? Start over, go slow, it's late." But he's grinning and there's a hint of tease in his words as he attempts to gently lighten her mood.
"Not kidding!" Mishkia says to J'yn with a merry lilt to her voice that might just make one wonder if she's secretly amused by the bronzer's dismay. Her twinkling grin says it all though: She's quite pleased that Cook anticipated boredom plus booze could equal surly drunks trapped together in a crowded room and much unpleasantness as a result. Besides, the fans may be circulating some fresh air in, but less of it to keep the place heated, so there's little to alleviate booze-breath or vomitus. Cook deserves a reward in her mind. She does spot Matrin over across the way and her tired demeanor evaporates, her face lights up. Nodding to his head-tilt, she heads on over, reaching a hand out to him while addressing Keziah softly, "How are you feeling Kezi?"
Seryth senses that Kojakuth lets tiny musical mindvoice twinkle towards the far away Xanadu, she has recieved images of nothing but white from her rider's brother's bronze Orionth. « Is all alright at Xanadu? Are you in need of assistance? »
Kojakuth senses that Seryth is preoccupied and her answer is a long time in coming. « We are fine. There is a bad storm here. Everyone has taken shelter. Tell all Eastern's dragons NOT to *Between* here! The winds are too strong to fly and they will be badly hurt. Pass this on to the other Weyrs please. » She leaves the impression that she doesn't have time to chatter - soothing and checking on the other dragons she is responsible for is taking priority right now.
Thea mmms low in her throat, giving Lorelai's pallor another glance. "You should get some rest. And I'll get that for you, hang on." She rises, steps away leaving her stack of blankets on a nearby table and heads into the kitchens. It's a few minutes before she returns, a basin under one arm and a glass of iced water in the other. Passing by the disgruntled-looking J'yn, she places a deck of cards on the table beside the man. "This might help you pass the time," she says with a smile as she moves on, returning to Lorelai. "Here you go." The basin is placed on the floor bedside the girl and the glass is offered. "Iced water with a little ginger in it," she explains. "If you sip it, it should help settle your stomach. And I'm told there are a few beds in the infirmary if you need one. Which, if you use that basin? I'm going to ask you to head over there so they can keep an eye on you."
"Ers'lan. He avoided us. Always some excuse. Busy. Work. Didn't even stop for food or anything. Shards, not even word from Zhaoth other than he's busy. And then last night. Shardin' idiot. I shoulda known better that any kinda relationship would work out." Keziah mutters, but her voice is less angry now and getting closer to tears again and so she goes quiet. She glances back over at Mishkia and shrugs a little "I've been better, but I guess I'm okay." she notes softly. "It's not like I'm stuck in a wet sinkhole while it's raining." she notes with a half-hearted smile. She glances back over at Matrin and asks, a little sheepishly, "Think I could have some of that juice? And if you could get something. I'd appreciate it."
J'yn's eyes follow Keziah's to the jacket, and they blink. Someone's gonna be hearing from a certain greenrider, maybe even resulting in a yelling match in the middle of the crowded cavern, that could be amusing. Silver blue eyes trace across the cavern, taking al the little groups and the couples, and then he stares accusingly at the exit where his bronze likely lurks beyond rather than taking refuge from the storm. He eyes the deck of cards, but leaves them on the table for the moment, playing cards by oneself doesn't make an amused bronzer. Weyrwoman's path is tracked towards the green-faced Lorelai, and they linger just a moment before he turns away and lowers his eyes searching for enough space to stretch out long legs. Iernien is silent, now, gone from audible complaints to silent brooding, which is probably appreciated by those trying to sleep around him.
taking in the little groups and couples, rather
At least Lorelai isn't going to have a hard time sleeping, since she's used to the apprentice dorms and the usual noises of a bunch of young people living all together. The only thing that might bother her is sleeping on the floor instead of a cot. When Thea returns from the kitchen wth ice water and a basin for her, the girl blushes and looks down for a moment, nodding looking embarassed to have the Weyrwoman bringing things to her, even if she did ask for something incase she returns what little dinner she managed to get down for worry about the storm. She nods and accepts the glass, taking a little sip, "Thank you, ma'am. I'll do that." Not that she really needs to go to the infirmary, but it would be a good excuse to sleep somewhere other than on the floor. Then she hears Keziah's complaints and she pales a little, thin brows drawing together as she sighs, muttering, "He didn't come to me… I hunted him down yesterday so I could talk to him."
Matrin's hand is easily snagged by Mishkia when she arrives, and he nudges the edge of his bedroll toward the wall so he can pull out a seat for her. "You look tired," he notes, eyes flickering over her face. "You doing ok here in the cavern?" Under rock, not out in the open. He keeps hold of her fingers but looks back over to Keziah as she vents about Ers'lan, and when Lorelai (basin in hand) puts in her two cents he just lets out a tiny sigh. "Now might not be the best time to get into all of this, ladies. But if you'd like a modicum of privacy we can go…" he trails off, eyes flickering over to the surly looking J'yn and his cards. "Play cards with the visiting rider." There's not much privacy to be had, but he'll offer what he can. Thea, caught on that room-scan, gets a faint smile and a little wave of his free hand.
Shouting matches in the caverns might be amusing to those involved or the very bored but will likely result in getting pitched into one of the coldrooms behind the kitchen to cool off and give others peace. And don't think the Weyrwoman won't have D'had or Xe'ter do it! As for those cards, J'yn is more than welcome to seek out one or two of the wakeful and start a game. Or play solitaire. Thea nods to Lorelai, "You're welcome. Get some rest, okay?" She rises then, scans the room and seems to find it to her satisfaction, returning Matrin's wave with a slight nod of her head. She leaves her blanket stack on the table and heads towards where Keziah is, giving the harper and Mishkia a nod greeting in as she draws up. She's catching that mutter about Ers'lan and soothes with, "Ah, Kezi. Don't fret. It's not good for the babes you're carrying." She's not really focused on the issue with Ers'lan, however. "You're not in any discomfort are you?" The look she levels at the greenrider means business.
Mishkia's fingers twine with Matrin's, her smile for him is a touch more honest than the one she'd given J'yn. There's some strain showing in it, though her reply is, "So far, so good. It's a little… oppressive, but I'm hanging in." She sinks into that chair with a little sigh, kicks off her shoes and curls her legs under her, giving Keziah an understanding smile. "Well then. I see you're looking on the bright side. Because a wet sink hole right now would be miserable. But I meant-" Then the Weyrwoman is there asking exactly what Mishkia had meant and she waits to hear the answer as well.
Lorelai certainly has no desire to get in a shouting match with anyone, much less Keziah! She offers a shy little smile up at Thea and nods, "I will, Weyrwoman." She tugs the jacket closer around her shoulders and lapses back into staring off into the distance while she switches from nursing klah to slowly sipping water.
J'yn finishes the last of his ale allotment for the night and slides it onto the table near the deck of cards. But the bronzer had gone silent and broody and merely claims a stretch of floor where he can lean his back against the wall and stretch his legs out and watches with unseeing eyes, one of those looks that riders often get when conversing with..or through..their dragons.
As everyone starts falling quiet, Matrin leans his head back against his chair, but his eyes don't slide closed. "I don't feel at all like trying to sleep on this bedroll on the floor," he murmurs. Then it seems to occur to him that he's got the Weyrwoman of all people standing right in front of him. "Do you have any word about how long this might last? Maybe we should try to think of something to do." Lest they all get cabin fever and rattled nerves. "That was a deck of cards I saw you had to that rider, wasn't it?"
Thea waits and when Keziah falls silent, she doesn't press the woman, although she does offer her a brief one-armed hug and a whispered, "Hang in there." Dropping her arm, she murmurs, "Keep an eye on her," to Mishkia, starts to turn away when Matrin's question forestalls her. She sends a glance back to where J'yn is. Was. She notes that the deck is still on the table, but the rider seems to have settled for the night. "Yes? Would you like me to get it for you? I'm not very sleepy myself. And Seryth is passing me reports frequently enough that I couldn't sleep if I wanted to." She's keeping herself in a good humor despite, or maybe because of the current situation.
Mishkia would nod but she seems to have fallen asleep curled up there in her chair, her head having drifted awkwardly towards the arm of the chair but not actually resting on it, fingers still entwined with Matrin's though it would be easy enough for him to disengage should he have the need for his hand.
J'yn has settled, but in no way is he going to be falling asleep despite the ale in his system. He is, however, unusually quiet not that anyone here would know him well enough to note this as unusual except maybe Ers'lan, but the brownrider isn't currently here as Kezi pointed out earlier. And the caverns are quiet, too quiet, and he snaps out of his dragonbond conversation to cast a glance around, has everyone fallen asleeps?
No longer being directly under the attention of the Weyrwoman, Lorelai seems to relax a little. With the nausia she's been fighting for what seems like, to her at least, forever faded from the effects of the water, the pette baker finally rises from her spot on the floor and gathers basin, nearly empty klah mug, and her glass of water to find somewhere a little more comfortable to spend some time before sleeping. Seeing J'yn sitting by himself, she moves over to offer the visiting bronzer a quiet greeting, "I do hope you're comfortable enough…" She pauses for a moment, apparently waiting to be told to go away.
Mishkia drifting off takes some unnoticed tension away from Matrin, and he visibly relaxes a bit. Carefully slipping his fingers out from between hers, he grabs the pair of blankets that make up his bedroll. One gets folded and inserted between her hovering head and the chair's arm and the other he spreads over her legs before he rises and gives Thea a quick smile. "More rounds to make, or would you care to share a pot of tea and maybe join them." The latter indicating J'yn and Lorelai as he tips his head in their direction. Not many others are awake and active as most of the cavern starts to settle in for the night.
The Weyrwoman turns her head back after that peek toward's Jy'n's card deck, to see the harper busily engaged in tucking the red-haired friend of Keziah's in for the night. There's a genuine awww-how-sweet look on her face and yes it's because she's sentimental and mushy like that. "I have to check-" Whatever Thea was going to say in reply to Matrin is cut off by the opening of the administration hall door and the entrance of a sleepy Marella, hair tousled and eye-rubbing as she peers about with a semi-disoriented searching of the room. Lips press together and she asides, "I'll be right back." She's moving to intercept the child when her daughter spots her. Perhaps a little too loudly for those nearby she says, "Momma I can't sleep." Right as Thea is swinging the girl up into her arms the dim lights flicker and go out, leaving the room in darkness save for the fire in the hearth.
If Lorelai's waiting for him to tell her to go away, she'll be waiting awhile as J'yn lets silver-blues rest upon the baker and gives a shrug of large shoulders. "'Tis what 'tis, diff'cult t'find room in a crowded cavern where I kin stretch out." Which is likely why he's only stretching his legs while the rest of his holds up the wall. "Shardin' be better iff'n they ain't cut off th'ale." Hey, he'll admit that much. Visitor eyes the girl and her basin a bit warily, but it should be alright as long as she doesn't, well, have to use that basin near him, or miss it, that would be even worse. "Yer one of Lan's, hmm?" Yes, he gathered this from the fact that she's all snuggly with the brownrider's jacket. Bronzer will make room for the baker to lean against his wall if she likes, while he lets his eyes trail back to the cavern and it's sleeping refugees, resting on the quiet Keziah a moment before moving on to the harper and trailing over the weyrwoman's path…Or they were until *poof* lights out. A string of curses lets loose from the bronzer's mouth fit to make a sailor blush. And now he can't even people watch, just blasted wonderful isn't it?
When she isn't told to go away, Lorelai offers a tentative little smile, not looking like she'll have to make use of the basin anytime soon. It's better to have it and not need it than to need one and not have it, after all. She makes a face at the mention of how crowded it is and nods, sighing softly, "It is awfully crowded… It can't last much longer, though, right?" There's an almost desperate hope in her voice when she says that. She doesn't drink that often, so having the ale cut off doesn't bother her a bit, especially since she's been avoiding alcohol for a few weeks now, anyway, but she makes sympathetic noises at the complaint, nodding, but not commenting. She can't help but smile when Marella comes into the room, though that smile vanishes into a stunned look at the mention of Ers'lan and she starts stammering, "I-I wouldn't say I'm his…" A deep blush colors her cheeks and she shifts the jacket around her, "I just…" Then the lights go out and she gives a little squeel of surprise, almost falling on top of the bronzer.
Matrin has a fond smile for the Little Lady of the Weyr, and though she looks sleep-muzzy and uncomfortable he still gives her a little finger-wiggling wave and a smile. Since Thea's departure leaves him on his own, he stands up to pick his winding way toward J'yn and Lorelai and those cards. Of course he's only a few steps on that path when the room goes dark. He manages to find a place to poot his lifted foot that isn't on the hand (or head) of a sleeping person, and he too mutters something, though his is beneath his breath. The only place that's not left in pitch darkness is the hearth, and since no one seemed inclined to put their blankets too close, it's not terribly crowded. So squinting in the gloom, bending close to the floor to make sure he doesn't trip over anything or anyone, he creeps that way.
Marella's hand is raised to give Matrin a sleepy wave, her head already finding her mother's shoulder when the lights flicker off prompting the child cries out. Thea shushes her soothingly and heads to the fireplace, her steps taken gingerly so as to avoid kicking anyone in the head or tripping while carrying her daughter. Winter and the power is out? It's going to get cold in here soon for those not bundled in blankets, asleep and oblivious to the temperature change. She's got enough foresight to snag that stack of blankets dimly seen as she passes the table where she'd left them, settling onto one of the empty couches among the two there. Amazingly enough the several other soft stuffed chairs are also empty.
J'yn reaches a steadying hand to the baker as she nearly topple over onto him, instinctive for him for the most part. "R'ckon blizzards kin last anywhere's from a few hours to a few days." Isn't that reassuring? Bronzer speaks nothing more of Ers'lan, it's none of his business anyways. And since Lorelai is now off-limits to the bronzer, all she gets is that steadying hand and a quiet "S'okay Lass." before he's withdrawing, arms sliding across his chest. So..now what? A glance in the dim light at Lorelai and then across the cavern, can the big lumbering brute make it to the hearth without squishing anyone? He'll likely have to try since he's one of those silly men that didn't take a blanket, what else is there to do, right? "Reckon we be tryin' t'get to th'hearth b'fore th'temperature drops anymore." He says to the young baker beside him.
Lorelai winces at the mention of just how long a blizard can last, blushing more when she's caught, "I'm alright. It just startled me." That's her story and she's sticking to it! She sighs and nods at the suggestion that they move near the hearth to stay warm, "Yeah…" She waves a hand off in the direction that she'd come from, "I left my blankets over there." Somewhere. She can't see them in the dark. She rights herself and starts to shuffle across the floor, being careful not to step on anyone, though she might accidentally kick them, since she's not lifting her feet more than a centimeter off the floor.
Matrin reaches the hearth area a step behind Thea, and settles himself at the other end of the couch she has claimed. He leans over to ruffle Marella's hair with a smile, but the eyes he raises to the Weyrwoman are concerned. "Is the electricity that keeps the lights on the same thing that keeps it warm in here?" His tone is casual in deference to little ears, but he lifts his chin to peer around the big cavern, lingering for a beat on the people at the edges of the room. "At least there are a lot of us and body heat is good… right?" He lifts a hand to greet the approaching J'yn and Lorelai, inching closer to the couch's arm to make space for one of them to squeeze in if they forgo the chairs for some reason.
Over the top of Marella's head, the Weyrwoman has a vaguely preoccupied look on her face. Likely receiving incoming reports and sending out her comments via Seryth, so she doesn't reply to Matrin right away. Marella grins when her hair is ruffled and ducks her head under Thea's chin, turning her head to hide her face in her shoulder. Concentration broken, she blinks over at the harper, noting the approach of J'yn and Lorelai beyond him with a warm smile. Answering the question belatedly and equally as carefully, "Ahh, yeah. It is. We'll get a little chilly but the hearth is large. I'm just glad there are no eggs on the sands at the moment, though the generator has kicked in and we can all go there to keep warm if we have to. If the storm lasts beyond tomorrow morning, we'll definitely have to." Afterthought, and not a very pleasant prospect at all.
J'yn lets the baker go first before he's pulling himself to his feet and carefully trying to pick his way through the sleeping bodies, and if he accidentally kicks anyone, he's quick with an apology. "S'rry..shardin' dark in 'ere. Wish m'eyes worked s'well as a wher's in th'dark." Finally, after a few kicks and nearly getting tripped by the untimely stretch of a sleeper, he makes it to the hearth's side. Sliding bulky body down into one of the chairs, the couch is left for the baker should she choose to settle on it. Warmth from fire is appreciated, he didn't really come to Xanadu prepared for snow, let alone a blizzard. It was supposed to be a quick trip, pick up a few tips, and off again, But nooo, Orionth had to go and change his plans, darn bronze anyway chasing anything that glows. "Guess we all get t'get friendly with eachother, then." He's a little less distracted now that his silent conversation with his bronze is finished, whatever the bronze said must've calmed the rider quite a bit.
Lorelai arrives where the others still awake have settled in with only a mild mishap where she bumped into someone's foot. Fortunately, she was moving slowly and carefully enough that she didn't even wake the sleeper. She settles into a chair alone, settling the basin by her feet before she pulls them up and wraps the nicely oversized jacket around her knees, almost vanishing inside its warmth. She seems content enough to sit in companionable silence for the moment, at least until Thea mentions the possibility of needing to go to spend time on the sands if the storm doesn't stop tomorrow, "You mean we might have to try to find our way thought the mess outside?" Eep!
Matrin looks somber but simply nods, eyeing the hearth speculatively but in the end taking Thea's word for it. "And the kitchen should be stocked enough if it lasts through more than the night," he muses more to himself than anyone else. When J'yn and Lorelai get settled, he tosses an ankle up over a knee and nods to the visiting bronzerider. "Guess we do. I'm Matrin, Journeyman Harper. Sorry Xanadu didn't have a better welcome to offer you." Not that the straits are dire at this point, but the larger man seems none too pleased. Lorelai's squeaked question makes Matrin arch a brow and he turns the questioning look on the Weyrwoman. Lucky her to have everyone's attention?
"If you'd like," Thea's faint smile at J'yn's comment about being friendly is more from preoccupation than reserve. She settles Marella onto the couch beside her, reaching to tweak a blanket off the top of that stack to wrap the child in before offering to pass a few to the chilled bronzerider by way of Matrin with a lofted brow. Lorelai's question is soothed with, "Hopefully not. The storm may well blow itself out in the night, but if we have to, the hatching arena is just across the clearing. We'll simply follow the rock wall to get there." Not pleasant, but they won't get lost doing it. The harper's introduction reminds her and she also belatedly introduces herself with an easy, "Thea, Seryth's rider. Xanadu's duties to Ierne."
J'yn doesn't relish a trip through the snow and ice to get to the hatching ground, but if that's where the warmth is, then what choice do we have right? As Harper makes his introduction, he responds with a "J'yn, bronze Orionth's." No rank or title given by the large man, likely he doesn't really have any official rank or title as he wears not a hint of a knot on his shoulder, one of them independent type riders or something. "S'not s'much th'welcome…s'just th'timin of it all, y'know? I's due t'be at Western t'day, got a gal there ready t'burst, r'ckon she'll ne'er fergive me iff'n I miss th'delivery." Brows draw up in a worried expression briefly as the man glances back towards where he believes the exit to be in the darkness. "Least Orionth was able t'contact 'er green, but still, she ain't too happy with me not showin' fer our rendezvous." He actually chuckles, ever so slightly, "R'ckon I'm durned iff'n I do..durned iff'n I don't." Bronzer inclines his head to the weyrwoman at her own introduction. "Pleasure Ma'am."
Matrin, Marella and Thea are all on a couch near the hearth. Two of the nice plush chairs there are occupied by J'yn and Lorelai, and the latter has a basin (empty so far thank goodness) at her feet. The room is dark and full of sleeping people on makeshift pallets, but this area near the hearth seems pretty cozy. Matrin absently tucks a bit of blanket on his side more securely under the little girl between him and Thea, then shakes his head. "I seriously doubt it will come to that. The rock will insulate us some, and if there's enough snow that will actually help too. But we'll make do." He flashes J'yn a smile and another nod after the introduction. "Nice to meet you. And I am sure when she's not… well, in such a delicate state, she will see that there's nothing you can do to control a sudden blizzard. I'm sure you would be there if you had a choice."
Marella is finding herself more awake as the minutes tick by so when the harper reaches to tuck her blanket in, she sneaky-reaches out from under that blanket making a quick snatch attempting to catch his fingers. There's a sly smile on her face while doing that and it seems she's at least amusing herself with her little game. Shaking her head at the timing of the blizzard, Thea just tsks. "If these disasters would just schedule themselves for us it would be nice, wouldn't it?" And then she again lapses into silence while she receives another report from her lifemate, reporting it as she gets it, "Search and Rescue was on a patrol and I'm hearing they *Betweened* to the Meadow ahead of the storm."
Inuelle has been sleeping for awhile now, and she comes awake with a sort of sleepy sound before stretching her arms back. "Oh dear," she looks around awhile, "Still stranged then." She then spots Lorelai and gets up out of her blanket to go over to her. "Hi," she says, face appologetic. "Can I join you?"
J'yn takes a blanket, though he doesn't put it about his own chilled body, instead he places it over Lorelai. "Here y'are, Lass, dunna wanna get chilled." The baker covered up against the cold, J'yn will lean back in his chair and stare at the hearth, the reflection of the flames flickering in his silver blue eyes. He answers the harper quietly. "Aye, that be what I'm hopin' fer. I pr'mised 'er I'd be there fer th'birthing, jus' hopin' I dunna break that promise." He really is a good guy, really, even as flighty and rebellious as he is. "Pr'mises are important afterall, y'know?" Thea's statement about disasters scheduling themselves in favour of people gets a chuckle from the big bronzer. "Aye, that's be nice, hmm?" And then he's falling silent as she gets her report from Seryth.
Having half dozed off for a moment, Lorelai gives herself a little shake and wakes up again, rubbing her cheek against the collar of the borrowed riding jacket that she's almost hidden inside of. She remains silent for the time being, though the thought of having to make their way to the hatching grounds if the storm continues through the night and into the next day. She looks up at her fellow apprentice baker with a welcoming smile and makes room in the chair for the younger girl to join her, should she want to share a little body heat, "By all means, do!" She looks relieved that Search and Rescue made it back to the Weyr alright, nodding, "I'm glad they made it back." Very, very glad, indeed. She looks surprised when the visiting bronzer covers her with a blanket, as well as the jacket she has yet to return to Ers'lan, and blushes, "Thank you. I really am fine, though." She doesn't turn down the added warmth, though.
Matrin can't stifle a low chuckle and he feigns an attempt to get his fingers out of the little girl's reach, letting her catch them in the end. He winks down at her, then turns his attention to Thea and her report. "Thank goodness. I hope they all made it to shelter quickly too." Though none of it is his responsibility, the idea has him running his fingers through his hair. "I guess I should add freak blizzards to my list of safety procedures, huh?" He settles back against the couch a little, crossing his arms more for warmth than anything, and nods to J'yn. "They are at that. I hope you make it back in time." Inuelle's arrival gets her a little smile and he nods again - agreeing with Lorelai's welcome for the other baker this time.
Inuelle smiles and accepts the chair. "Thank you," she says, and then, looking a little embarassed, can't help but lift her feet up onto the chair seat and wrapped her arms around her legs. "It is rather cold," she admits. "I wasn't wearing my warmest clothes when this started," she wraps her long skirt under her feet and scratches her nose. I should have brought my blanket over with me."
Thea smiles absently at Inuelle as the girl approaches but since she's talking to Lorelai the Weyrwoman makes no comment. Marella's fingers are curled around the harper's forefinger and she's got a soft cackle much like her mother's but on a smaller scale. Her prize! And she's keeping it. A grave look crosses the Weyrwoman's face, her expression quickly shifted to neutral. "They're still out there," she says lowly to the harper, rising from the couch and leaving her daughter there. "Can you… keep an eye on her for a few minutes, Matrin? I'll be right back." Giving J'yn and the two girls a nod meant to be reassuring, she slips out into the administration hallway where is heard the crackle of that radio Briana is so faithfully monitoring… Yeah. Gonna be a long night.