Deliveries and News from the Hold

Xanadu Weyr - Clearing

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A wide clearing stretches from east to west, the ground packed hard although grass grows across most of it. Trees are strictly forbidden in this space, their danger to the constant draconic traffic reason enough to banish them to the forest that creates a this and sharp border to the north. Where the ground is less trampled, tiny flowers poke their delicate heads out from their shaded hiding places with upturned petals to wave to whoever may be looking.
The cliff looms imposingly on three sides, stretching upwards all the way up the side of the mountain where, high above, Xanadu's Star Stones and the ever present watchdragon sit on a lonely peak. Directly south is a massive tunnel, fully wide enough for even the largest dragon to fly down. Southeast are wide steps leading up to the Caverns and eastwards is the large entrance to the Infirmary. Somewhat north of the Infirmary is a human sized archway that has a frequent quantity of traffic — it leads to the Tavern. Southwest lies the low ledges currently belonging to Xanadu's queens while north and west a broad path cut by the side of the cliff leads to the Feeding Grounds and due north is the spacious trail that leads to the rest of the Weyr.


Shellie has just left the infirmary. She's wearing the same scrubs she was wearing when she went in, althought they've been washed while she was a patient. She still moves stiffly, her ribs bothering her

The sound of runner hooves echoes along the ground as a rider comes galloping along the beach path that leads up and into the weyr. Still some distance away, the young rider pulls up on the reigns, slowing his beast as he comes into the clearing, about to follow the path towards the meadow when he spots someone. Hopping down from his runner's back, Rogawani grabs onto it's reigns and begins to lead it forward, "Ho there. You were in the infirmary recently, right? Do you know if Cenlia is still there? I've got another shipment of wine for her." Apparently he hasn't heard yet about the infirmary being declared a 'dry' zone.

Shellie shakes her head. "No, she's not. I discharged her a few nights ago, but even if she were, no wine to the infirmary. No alcohol there unless we healers perscribe it." She's not in the best of moods at the moment

"Oh." Rogawani's face takes on a curious expression as he looks first at the bags attached to his saddle, and then to the healer. "Guess I'll have to deliver it to her room then." He isn't too phased by the lackluster response. "Think I have something for the infirmary, too." He comments, trying to change the subject off of booze. Reaching up, the boy begins to untie various packs on his runner, seemingly looking for something among them.

Shellie nods, and waits patiently, yawning.

It takes a moment for the messenger to sort through his bags, but finally he pulls out a small wooden box, latched shut in the front. There is a small note attached to it with a piece of string. "Ahh, here we go." He cinches the bag shut once more and then walks over towards Shellie, leaving his runner to paw at the ground, occasionally leaning down to nibble some grass. "New scalpels from the smith in Black Rock. And he said…" Closing his eyes, Ro' tries to think hard. "That someone owes him a drink for getting them done this fast."

Shellie nods, and smiles. "Well, we definitely appreciate it." It's the first time in nearly a sevenday that she's truly relaxed. "Give me a moment." She takes the package in, and returns with two bottles of wine, a high quality vintage from Benden. "If you'll take these to him, and let him know they're with Senior Journeyman Shellie's compliments.

As the healer goes inside, Rogawani returns to his runner, giving the tired beast a stroke on the nose. He waits, patiently enough for her return, and then looks a little surprised at what he's given. "Wow." This manages to slip out before the boy carefully corrects himself and clears his throat. "I mean, it'll be my pleasure ma'am." Moving towards his runner's packs again, he pulls down one that seems made for holding wine so that it doesn't get too warm. Setting it next to two flasks, he quickly closes it back up. "I'll be heading back later today, but my runner needs a rest."

Shellie nods. "Well, thank you again for the delivery. We weren't expecting them for another half a sevenday, to be honest.

"No problem, ma'am. It's my job." Rogawani replies, giving his best 'service smile' as he stands up as tall as he can, quite proud of the work he does for the weyr. "The smith said he had them almost done, so I waited. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have gotten back that way for a few days." Afterall, there is only a few messengers that serve the local holds these days, with the dragons handling everything that goes a longer distance.

Shellie shakes her head. "Which, with all the quarantines of late, means that you messengers and the runnercraft have been overloaded.

"Yeah, but I don't mind." Still being one of the younger runners, Ro' has that youthful energy many people wish they could bottle and sell since it would probably make a small fortune. "Shouldn't be for too much longer though. I heard they found a cure, right? Something about a hide in some weyr they found or something?" Apparently while the boy hears a little bit of a lot of things, sometimes he only gets bits and pieces.

Shellie nods, and can't help smirking. "Yeah, but the cure is almost worse than the disease. It acts as a laxitive to the dragons, purging their systems. And when that happens, the rider's back to mucking their weyr like a weyrling.

The look on Rogawani's face is priceless as his nose scrunches upward and his tongue sneaks out in an obviously disgusted display. "Ewwww." Even his runner reacts by giving a neigh and stamping one hoof. "It's bad enough cleaning up after this guy." He says with a small tug on the runner's reigns. "I can't even imagine how much there would be from a -dragon-."

Shellie nods, and can't help laughing. "Of course, it serves one overconfident bronzer from Ista right…

A little shiver runs up from the boy's feet all the way to his hair, making it spike a little more than usual as he rubs the goosebumps off his arms. "Yuck. I don't know if anyone deserves that." Apparently Rogawani hasn't yet met this particular bronzerider giving so much trouble. "But it's good the quarantine is getting lifted. I hear that there was a blue that transferred in? I heard him in my head when he arrived. I've never heard a dragon before." Excitement shows on the boy's face as he peers at the healer, "They don't normally talk to non-riders, I thought."

Shellie raises her eyebrows. "No. In fact, they rarely even talk to anyone other than their own riders.

"That's what I thought." Rogawani replies, running a hand through his wind-tussled hair as he shrugs his shoulders. "Maybe I was imagining it." It's easy enough to dismiss such things, especially since the blue's bugle was the first time he'd ever heard anything resembling dragon-talk other than a few images from his firelizard. "Anyways, um… you wouldn't happen to know where I could catch one of the weyrwomen or the wingleaders or anything, would you? I sorta overheard something in Black Rock that I need to tell em."

Shellie thinks. "Well, Niva's on the sands, but I wouldn't disturb her, at the moment. She tends to be pretty irritable when she's broody. Not sure about R'sul or any of the Juniors…"

"Yeah, I should probably check it out myself. Wouldn't want to bother them if it's nothing." Rogawani replies cryptically, as if reluctant to say just what it is he wanted to tell them. "No problem then. I should get my runner fed and watered and get some of these deliveries made before heading back this afternoon." His smile returns, popping up as if it were practiced.

Shellie frowns. "But if it's important, they should know. I can have Rieselth call one of them…

Looking a little nervous at that prospect, Rogawani's hand tightens a bit on the reigns of his runner, glancing towards the meadow as if looking for an escape. If what he'd heard was wrong, he could get into trouble, but… if what he heard was right, it could -mean- trouble. Taking a breath, the boy steels himself and stands up a little straiter. "Sure… better safe than sorry, I guess."

Thea walks into the clearing, a stack of papers in her arms. She's muttering to herself, words that for the most part are unclear, "…next time Cenlia…" muttermutter, "shardin'papers ruined," mutter, "..Infirmary!" She nearly runs into Shellie and Rogawani before she sees them. The Junior looks up with a blink when Shep chitters a warning, "Oh, er 'scuse me. Didn't see you." No, because she's been staring at a wine be-spotted document. A curious look at Shellie, "They let you out, huh?" Her expression questions the wisdom of that. "Rogawani, isn't it?" Thea gives the young man a smile. "Your delivery…certainly livened up the Infirmary."

Shellie looks up, and waves to Thea. "Speak of the archer and she appears. This young man thinks he may have something important to report, Thea." Shellie glares at Thea, then at Rogawani. Nope. No more wine other than when a healer perscribes it. "All it was was some broken ribs and a wound where /someone/ shot me with a crossbow." Nope, the Goldrider isn't living that down anytime soon.

While Rogawani has met Thea in slightly less 'official' means once before, something obviously has him a little bit nervous. The nervousness echoes into his runner who seems to be a little bit aggitated. "Right. That's me." The boy manages to squeek out this much, his voice cracking slightly. "Um, I'm glad it helped? I had some more to deliver but the healer said Cenlia was released so, I have to find her later." He seems to get his voice back under him as he says this much, and then manages to blurt out, "I overheard something at the farmcraft hall while I was in Black Rock." This comes out in a blurb without much of a pause between words.

Thea glares right back at Shellie, but answers the healer calmly enough with a shrug, "Blame it on the ram. Bounced offa -his- horn. Was tryin' ta save your hide." And this is the thanks she gets. Not much she can say about the wine-party since she doesn't know what Shellie is thinking. Her expression clears as she glances at Rogawani and she can't help but chuckle just a bit, green eyes twinkling merrily at him, "Was shardin' boring in there. And Cenlia will certainly be happy to hear you've more for her." She notices the boy's nervousness and a brow quirks questioningly, "Oh? Black Rock? And what might that be?"

Shellie rolls her eyes, and says nothing more, instead just listening, waiting to see if she gets sent off.

It takes a bit of concentrated effort for Rogawani to slow himself down and actually arrange words within the jumble of his head. Taking a deep breath, he fidgets with the runner's reigns before trying to explain himself. "Well, I was at the hall picking up some seeds for the weyr when I overheard this farmer from out by Rubicon River Hold." Biting at his bottom lip, Rogawani continues, but pensively. "He said that he'd gone out to tend his fields one morning only to find a bunch of people from Hannista had taken up settlement right in the middle of his field." Pausing, the boy scratches above his ear nervously with his free hand. "And he said his field wasn't the only one. That Hannista was sending more and more settlers North into Rubicon land."

Thea concentrates on Rogawani's explanation. Halfway into it, she jots down some notes on the top of the ruined document - she's got to re-write it anyway. She's nodding, "Uh, huh. Mmm, hmm. Hannista, yep." She looks up at Rogawani, seeking to reassure him, "Be easy, lad. I'll let the Weyrleaders know." A glance flickers towards Shellie questioningly, then back at the young man. "Anything else?"

Shellie makes a point of going over to Rieselth, and tisking at the green. "Love, you're getting patchy. I guess I'm going to need to oil you.

Rogawani's face settles a little as he calms, feeling at least a little re-assured that the Weyrleaders would be made known of what is going on in the holds. "Well, I haven't gotten to see for myself. I guess a rider could just sweep the area and find out if it's true, right?" He glances first at the healer and her green, and then back to the Weyrwoman. "I don't… want to get everyone upset if it's just some stupid rumor."

Thea nods thoughtfully, "Sweep Rider could, but I'll let Niva and R'sul know first." She taps the pen to her lips. "You know…" she pauses thoughtfully, "They might want you to go with the Sweep. You might be able to point out the place to them. Think you could do that, Rogawani?" Her attention is on the runner-lad, but she nods to Shellie politely as she moves off towards the green dragon there.

The boy's face lights up a little at the prospect of being able to go with on the sweep. "Sure, I can go." He nearly chirps out, laughing a little as he shyly runs a hand through his hair. "I know the farmer and where his cothold is at, been there once or twice." Giving the reigns of his runner a small flick, pulling the beast in closer to him as it has started to graze, the boy nods, "Never seen it from the air before, though."

Thea eyes the runner for a moment, "Can ya leave the runner for a bit and come with me? Likely the weyrleaders will want to talk to ya. I'll be in the Caverns while you secure it." She heads into the Caverns with her stack of papers in hand.

Well, so much for his afternoon trip back to Black Rock. Rogawani nods his head, taking his runner by the reigns and pulling it towards the meadow and the stables beyond. While he may be quick on his feet, he still has his responsibilities to his beast to take care of, and then some items to stow and deliver later.

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