Xanadu Weyr - Saeth's Den of Fantasy
There's a path that winds through the woods, away from the assortment of weyrs claimed as homes. It meanders through, as if in no hurry to get to where it's going. Grasses line it, and in places it overtakes it, completely hiding it from view. And then, viola, there it is again, worn and hidden, snaking along until it slightly opens up to a lone cottage. It's a storybook setting. A solitary abode set on a slight knoll, low and unassuming. The sturdy structure is made of flat stone and is rectangular in shape with vines that crawl up a side wall. It's relatively small with a single stone chimney jutting out of a thatched roof and glass windows with shutters set upon the sides. Around the abode, grasses grow long and wild, dotted with blooms of blue and white. At night, fireflies tend to blink in and out of view here more often than not, like fairies peeking out from their hidden places. Tall trees stand as guardian giants with branches that reach out over the would be clearing, as if trying to hide this place from view. Things here seem untouched by the turns of change. The cottage itself set upon a backdrop of a mystical forest where animals roam and call their songs of the wild. Where Xanadu is modern, this place seems timeless.
At some point, there must have been a dragon that lived here, for there is an area big enough for one off to the side of the cottage. It's not a building, per say. More of a dragon-sized space beneath a dense canopy of trees that's grown and overgrown until it's become a roof to the elements. A smaller dragon could take off from the clearing. A green or blue. Anything larger would have a difficult time clearing the arms of branches without getting scraped by them. Jagged claws that protect the inhabitants below.
Eternal Cottage Dwelling
Inside, the low-roofed cottage is cozy and not at all as rundown as the quaint outside may have it appear. 'Simple, yet rustic' seems to be the theme. Upon entry, one arrives into the living space. To the left there's a fireplace set within a jigsaw of large stones and enough room for a leather couch and a matching single seat adjacent to it. Various pillows are tossed upon the couch for comfort, and a blanket that looks suspiciously made of a soft fur draped upon the chair. The hardwood floors seem new, or at least replaced, and are a medium oak color. A large rug is spread on the middle of the floor for comfort and perhaps a try at decor. Walls are left to their natural wood, trimmed in forest green.
To the right, separated by a bar-style counter space, is the kitchen and dining area. A small wooden dining table is set near an assortment of windows that has a view of the clearing facing the dragon area. Facing east, sunlight pours in at sunrise. The kitchen has the usual amenities. A sink for washing. A stove and oven for cooking. Counter space and cabinets crafted of the same wood hue of the floors. From the ceiling, a hanging pot rack is situated above a small kitchen island, and a windowed door leads out to a covered back patio.
Back to the living space and to the left is a short hallway that leads to a single bedroom and bathroom beyond.
Bowyn is settling in for the evening, still not completely used to her new living space. She's pacing back and forth in the kitchen, inspecting pans and trying to figure out how, exactly, the stove works. What sorcery is this? After a while, she gives up and takes a piece of fruit from the counter before wandering over to the couch so she can curl up by the fireplace. Cozy! The hunter-weyrling's silence might cause a sudden intruder to think that she's dozed off when really, Bo's just taking in all of the details in her new home: the thatched roof, the wood floors, the green paint on the trim. She has an actual /house/. It's not a makeshift hut or a tent! What!
It may be evening, but that doesn't mean there aren't creatures lurking about. Or flashlight wielding weyrlings, as is the case now. With Minimur swaying lightly on 'his' shoulder perch, Kera turns along the path towards the house Bowyn was given. She doesn't approach just yet, instead slipping the flashlight here and there. From inside, the flickers may be noticed rather quickly. After looking around the yard a moment, Kera starts towards the door.
Bowyn catches the flashes from Kera's light almost immediately, slightly confused. She bounces up from her seat and sneaks toward the door so she can peer out of the window. She opens the door slowly, her backlit form filling the frame, and she squints her eyes at her fellow weyrling for a moment before registering who it is. "Oh! Kera! What are you doing sneaking around, huh?" Saeth lets out a pleasant bugle from underneath his canopy. Hey, he knows that human!
Kera glances up from watching where she steps as the door opens before she gets to it. "I'm not sneaking, I just didn't wanna trip on anything in the shadows." Clicking the light off, she gestures around with a little grin and nods "Nice place you have Bluhawk." A grin is flashed at the nickname she insist on using for her odd haired friend. Looking towards Saeth's canopy, the greenling waves towards the blue. "G'evening Saeth."
Bowyn smirks and shrugs a shoulder as she replies with, "Alright, so you weren't sneaking. But you did show up unannounced and that's kind of…sneaky." Just saying. "Thanks! I like it a lot…the location is good. I'm still not really used to having an actual /house/." Even her stay in the barracks didn't prepare her for that. "Come in, don't stand out in the dark," she adds, suddenly. "Would you like some ale or uh…tea…or something?" The hunter frantically searches her cabinets for cups and tealeaves just in case. "Where's your new weyr?"
Kera huffs to her friend "I'm not sneaking! I was almost to the door and 'would' have knocked if you hadn't have gotten too impatient to wait." A smirk to her friend as she gives another wave to the blue dragon then steps in after Bowyn. "I know what ya mean. I've spent turns and turns in one crowded dorm or another, between the hall and weyr. And now I got more space than I know what to do with." Shaking her head at the offer of tea "I'm good, don't need anything, thanks though." She gestures through the window "I've got old Master Healer Fraille's place. A bit of a fixer upper. And I've gotta have an addition added for Moncerath."
Bowyn chuckles at the greenrider's protest and holds up her hands in surrender. "Alright." When the offer of a beverage is refused, the bluhawk looks somewhat relieved…she doesn't have to use the stove! "I'm not used to having a confined space, really…but I like it much more than the barracks. But…it seems kind of lonely now that I've gotten used to all of your lot's snoring. And farting." Ugh, the farting! She moves back over to the couch to pick up the piece of fruit she was munching on before as she listens to Kera dish about her new living situation. "That sounds like it could be fun, though. You gonna have someone come build the addition for Moncerath? Where's she sleeping now though, in the meantime?"
Kera simply nods agreeably to some of what her blueling friend says. "Instead of snoring, now you'll be hearing the house settling and creaking a bit. It won't be so bad Bowyn. It will only be confining if you think of it as such. I bet you'll start to like having a cozy little place eventually." Stepping closer to the fireplace, she extends her hands to the warmth and rubs then together a little. "Yea. I need to fill out some request forms with the Steward, then speak with stoneworkers and such. For now, I've gotten one of the huge pavilion tents, scrubbed it down with disinfectant for mold, and she's shelter in there for the time being. Springs settling in so She's happy about things."
Bowyn just kind of grunts and nods her head with approval. "Well that'll be good, I'm sure she'll like having her own little space. So you're getting it made out of stone, huh? So it'll match the look of yours?" She glances outside as she says, "Saeth really likes that he just has trees to cover him. He says it looks pretty and smells good. Makes him feel comfortable." The hunter lets out a relaxed sigh, cracking her neck as she settles in, and then takes a moment to chew her food and ponder. "I guess you're right about enjoying the space. Eventually. I already like it a lot more than a tent or whatever. Did you see that the roof is thatched?" she adds, pointing up. "It'll be a pain to replace when it gets worn down but it looks good. I like that it incorporates some of outside."
Kera smiles "She does, she thought the sands were nice and warm when they had to shelter there, but she does like being out and about in the forest. And yea, I'm going to have it match the cottage. Going to add it onto the back side of it, make use of the main wall. Maybe even adjust the windows to she can look in or I can look in on her without having to step outside." Kera grins at that idea, gaze drifting upwards the the ceiling. "I've some tiles that need to be replaced." And windows, and loose floor boards, and all sorta of things. Did she mention 'fixer upper'? "I'm sure someone can help you when times comes to redo the thatch. I can help some, not sure how to go about it really though. Yet"
TBC..