A Present for Cenlia
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Xanadu Weyr - Observation Level

Dark blue seats form a semi-circle around the sands below, the lowest row separating from the sands themselves by merely a railing. The seats climb upwards, each row a bit higher then the previous, and they are broken up into sections by 3 sets of staircases. Lights are evenly spaced along the outer wall, lighting the seats and the sands easily, though they tend to be dimmed unless a major event is taking place. A large balcony looms overhead, darkening some of the seats, providing a place for observers of the draconic kind to watch without obstructing the view for others.
When one looks over the railing, the oddly hued sand below can be seen easily, the circle-shaped area of the sands spread out to the far walls, the sand itself a unique mixture of red and white grains.


Thea is relaxing in one of the seats. Her legs, crossed at the ankles, are propped up on the railing in front of her. In her lap she has a swath of sheer pale muslin that she's working with needle using fine, brightly-colored thread. A soft humming, almost inaudible escapes from her slightly parted lips. Every now and then, she glances down at the Sands below to [[[dragon:

X'hil makes his way up onto the observation level, grimacing and muttering something about /Hannistans/. Down on the sands, Kinseth is feigning sleep, but there's a tenseness to his posture, an alertness. As he walks, the man is tugging off his ever present jacket, and grimacing. It seems to have been raining a little, as he's a bit damp. The heat of the sands will be good, dry him out.

Cenlia and Eledri have entered the observation level of the hatching grounds, both of them looking worn and tired, despite the neatness of their clothing. Cenlia is, for once, not covered in dirt or leaves, though Eledri is sporting a fantastic purple bruise along his jawline, and has a puffy lower lip. The young man's hair is wet and has been pushed back, the dark damp strands hanging almost to his shoulders. A few stray locks dangle in front of his face, though his glasses generally seem to be keeping them out of his eyes. Cenlia is likewise damp-haired, though hers is a bit more unruly, the locks sprawled over her shoulders and sticking to her forehead. At the moment, the girl is oddly without firelizards, the four creatures nowhere in sight. The two siblings are walking slowly, with careful, deliberate steps, Cenlia especially squinting and occasionally rubbing her head. She's looks for someone, and upon spotting Thea, makes a trundlebug line for the weyrwomen, calling out a soft, "Hey," when she's within hearing distance. The gardener girl is… carrying a clipboard? And a book. And a pen. Eledri has a dark gray messenger bag slung over one shoulder, and he shifts it uncomfortably as he trails behind his sister.

Thea looks up at the sound of footsteps, taking in the approaching group. X'hil is the nearest and her eyes flicker over his lowered brows and frown. "You're looking, ah…" she searches for the right word, "…rather damp today X'hil." Yeah, it's fairly obvious she means grouchy. Keeping her tone light she asks the bronzerider, "Having a bad day?" Her gaze travels over his shoulder to Cenlia and her brother, noting the gardener's taking care not to jar her head. Her eyes come to rest upon Eledri's splendidly-colored jaw and her lips quirk into a knowing smile and she drawls, "Looks like you had quite a party last night."

X'hil glances up at Cenlia's hey, though not directed at him, and then frowns as he spots Eledri, his gaze fixating on the man's jaw for just a moment, before sliding to the sands. Eggs. Look. Eggs. Yep. "Had to bring a caravan in from the rain, from a small border holding on the edge of Rubicon. Sharding Hannistans /attacked/." Apparently. He really only has the Rubicon side of the story, but he's got /family/ there. The word party has an effect on the man indeed, as he makes a face like he's just tasted something extremely sour. He makes no comment, though, and is avoiding making eye contact with anyone. /Especially/ Eledri.

Cenlia manages a tired grin, nodding slowly to Thea, "Yea, was a pretty good party. Was brandycake. And X'hil decked m' brother." Cenlia gives the weyrsecond an amused look and a "Hey," while and Eledri just frowns at the floor. "Got something for you to sign maybe," Cenlia says to Thea, giving the goldrider a lopsided grin. The gardener girl nods politely to the dragons on the sands as she takes a seat nearby, the memory of Seryth chomping down that runner still fresh in her mind. /Always/ good to be polite to dragons. Eledri mimics his sister's polite nod, and adds his own formal greeting, "Weyrwoman Thea. Weyrsecond." He eyes X'hil for just a moment, before turning to regard the floor, paying the man no more attention, his expresson carefully guarded. The mention of Hannistans attacking, though, has the gardener girl's brows furrowed. Eledri, too, blinks and glances up, though he's also carefully avoiding looking at X'hil. Oh, hey, look. Sands. Eggs.

Thea glances down at Seryth and smirks briefly in response to something the queen is conveying, then returns her attention to the Weyrsecond, one brow lifting. "So I heard," she answers quietly. She doesn't know what's going on in his mind, however so she adds, "Holder issue. No sense letting it get ya all worked up." Her fingers flick the importance of it away. She isn't going to let it ruin her day. "Happy Turnday then, Cenlia." Thea nods pleasantly to Eledri, her eyes sweep over the group. "You all gonna just stand there or have a seat?" She's looking slightly amused at all the eye-avoidance going on.

X'hil just /stares/ at Cenlia. She just said … and so /openly/ … Okay, Eledri probably earned it, but, X'hil is still struggling with the /guilt/ of last night. Clearly. Also the unrelated but concurrent hangover of last night, though being out in the rain helping that caravan does seem to have helped with that one at least, slightly. He snorts at Thea's dismissal of the issue, but he doesn't really feel like /explaining/ himself at the moment, instead taking a seat on the far side of the goldrider, after she suggests sitting, with a glance to Eledri. And then back to the sands, eyes flicking to the guarded tunnel with a frown. Yep. There's no way this day could possibly get any worse.

At the weyrwoman's words, Eledri quickly takes a seat beside his sister. The young man's knot is no longer that of a computercraft apprentice of Landing, but of Journeyman, and is sporting Xanadu's colors. He continues to watch the eggs, though there's some real curiosity there, besides just wanting to avoid looking at X'hil. Being holdbred, he's likely never even seen dragon eggs before. Cenlia is still grinning lopsidedly, and holds out the clipboard and pen to Thea, looking rather sheepish and a little anxious. And, possibly, a bit hungover. The gardener girl bites her lip, saying, "Need to get this signed so's I can stay at Xanadu. Is from my Uncle Cern. He's makin' Eled babysit me while I'm here." Eledri grimaces visably, but says nothing.

Without turning her head, Thea mutters, "Quit sulking," out of the side of her mouth that X'hil is sitting on, hopefully quietly enough the others don't hear it as well. She turns towards Eledi noticing the new knot. "Congratulations, Journeyman." She bestows a genuine smile for the lad, before raising her eyes towards the clipboard Cenlia's holding out. "You what?" She's looking a bit confused as she takes the pen and clipboard and peering at the paper on it. Then back up to the gardener in mild disbelief, "You draw this up?"

Heyyy, it's n-sken! And… A greenrider. Nosken is grinning and nodding, so smugly, as the pair enter. "Oh, yes, he's usually up here. I'm sure he'll have what we need." he's telling the woman, voice carrying rather well. Kinseth stirs on the sands, and lumbers over, closer to the observation level. X'hil mutters, sulkily, "I'm not /sulking/." And then Eledri's bruised jaw catches his eye again, and he scowls. "Sharding /holders/." he mutters. "I've got /family/ at Rubicon! Family I actually /like/!" Well, he gets along okay with his younger siblings, really… And, yes, he /is/ ignoring Nosken.

Eledri dips his head to Thea with a faint smile, "Thank-you, Ma'am." Nosken's exit gets a quick, curious glance, but Eedri doesn't know the man. Cenlia shakes her head, saying to Thea, "M' uncle sent it. Wants to make sure I, um," she glances at her brother, muttering, "Eled told 'im about the ovines." The paper on the clipboard appears to be a letter from Cenlia's Uncle, Orchardmaster Cernien, who requests the signatures of two ranking weyrfolk to verify that Cenlia has been granted permission to remain at Xanadu Weyr for the remainder of her apprenticeship, under the guardianship of her brother. Looks like Ysa's idea about the letter worked, after all… At X'hil's outburst, both Cenlia and Eledri turn to look at him, though Eledri quickly looks away. Dragon eggs are /far/ more interesting.

Thea sighs as voices of more arrivals carry up from below. Under her breath she growls, "Shards." As Noskin and company clomp up the balcony stairs. A quick look of enlightenment mingled with exasperation is sent X'hil's way. "I see. Well, look. The Hold Lords will figure it out, right? They always do." She speaks soothingly, adding "No one's been killed yet." She listens to Cenlia's explanation while her eyes skim the letter, noting X'hil's signature at the bottom and she snickers softly to herself. "So…" her eyes flash up at the gardener, "…whoever signs here will be the ones your Uncle comes after when he finds out you're being toted all over Pern by an older fellow and partying instead of here under your brother's watchful eyes?" She taps the pen on the letter idly while waiting for her answer, a bit of a twinkle there in spite of her serious tone and expression.

X'hil is just having one of those days, really. Or weeks, or months, rather. "Weyrsecond!" Nosken calls, though the greenrider quickly tries to shush the man. "I require a knot. White." Nosken adds in a quieter tone, though no less smugly, as X'hil's face drains to match the man's future knot. The greenrider blushes a little, and nods as X'hil shoots her a questioning glare. It's legit. Even a glare at Kinseth doesn't seem to appease the bronzerider, but he digs around in his pocket for a knot anyway. There's /something/ on the tip of his tongue, but then Thea pulls his attention away. "Three of them were injured. One of them hit on the head. He'd not woken up yet, the whole journey to the Weyr." he mutters. He worked search and rescue, he knows that's a bad sign. The knot is turned over and over in his hand, with a scowl.

Cenlia grins lopsidedly at Thea, and seems about to say something, but Eledri tears his gaze from the sands to frown at the weyrwoman, "/What/?" Cenlia winces at the sharpness of the young man's voice, especially since it's right by her pounding head. Eledri's gaze fixes on X'hil, however, eyes narrowed as he says, "/What/ partying? /Where/ on Pern?" Cenlia scrunches down and tries to be small. She doesn't need /another/ chewing out, and Eledri looks ready to start yeling at her again. She glances at X'hil, notes his scowl, and looks a tad hopeful. Hey, maybe the weyrsecond needs to punch someone again? Especially with Nosken asking for a candidate knot over there.

Thea flashes a swift mocking half-smile the Weyrsecond's way. She obviously knows it's a white knot needed for Noskin, but she mutters facetiously, "Why don't you give him yours, Xhil?" Her expression shows concern at this news. Obviously the Sand-bound weyrwoman is the last to receive report. "Still a holder issue, unless we're told otherwise, X'hil, so don't go doing anything rash." Eledri's ire and sharp tone draws a mild but firm, "Take it outside boys," an emphasis on the word 'boys', "if you're gonna fight and yell. I don't want any of them disturbed." The weyrwoman points with the pen at the Sands where four clutch-parents lounge. An eyebrow quirks at Cenlia, "Well?" She's still waiting for an answer from the gardener.

X'hil has already punched both men present, and his gaze flicks between Nosken's wonkily-healed nose and Eledri's jaw and back again, with a sheepish frown. "Fine. Here." he mutters at Nosken, holding up the knot. Eledri's narrowed gaze gets a blink from X'hil, and a shrug. "Don't ask /me/. Try talking to /B'miel/, if you can find him /sober/, that is." There's a snort at that. The bronzerider obviously doesn't /approve/ of this B'miel character. Nosken grabs the knot, and scarpers, off to break some rules with that greenrider, no doubt. But hey, at least it avoids a fight? X'hil scowls at the man, but his mind is on other things. "I'm not going to do anything," he waves at Kinseth, who has been a near permanent fixture on the sands since the clutching, only leaving to hunt. "But… Someone /should/." he mutters.

Eledri immediately looks apologetic and gives Thea a quick nod as he settles back in his seat, mouthing 'B'miel' to himself with a furrowed brow. The computercraft journeyman does glare at his sister and the weyrsecond, but remains silent. Cenlia eyes Eledri warily for a moment, but seems to shrug off the man's gaze if he's not going to yell at her for now, turning back to Thea and saying, "M' uncle Cern would come flay my hide himself. An' maybe Eled's," and she does grin a bit at Eledri who manages the briefest scowl from behind his spectacles and says flaty to Cenlia, "Any trip you take away from Xanadu will be /chaperoned/." And his tone leaves no doubt as to will be doing the chaperoning. Once can almost see
Cenlia's hopes sinking. The girl makes a face, obviously not happy about the part where Eledri is being instructed to stay at the weyr. Eledri doesn't look too happy about it himself.

Thea expels a breath of relief as Noskin and greenrider leave, eyeing Kinseth with approval, "Now there's a beast who knows his duty," she comments wryly. Below Seryth nudges at the bronze with a pleased whuff before lowering her head to the sands. Her voice is even as she replies, "That may be true, X'hil, but it isn't up to us. Weyrleaders will call a meeting with the wingleaders when they've something to implement." She listens to the exchange between brother and sister, "So your hides are the ones hanging on the hook, eh? Then why this form? Why doesn't Uncle just require your word?" A look of misgiving flickers in her pale green eyes before she sighs wearily, "Look, Cenlia. You know I like ya, but I never get in the middle of family fights." She hands the clipboard back, tapping it with the pen as she does so, "No mention of a chaperone in this." Eledri gets a glance of sympathy, "And if you're planning on keepin that new knot, you'll not want to be chaperoning all over Pern through all the time zones of the planet, either."

X'hil seems to be holding a conversation with Kinseth, as his face goes all kinds of annoyed in quick succession, and he stands, with a scowl. "I should give my report on the caravan. I came straight here…" He glances to Kinseth, with a sigh. Being near the bronze does seem to have a positive effect on the man - look, he didn't hit anyone! He may have /wanted/ to, but he didn't. He shakes his head, and leaves.

Cenlia sighs and grumbles, "Weyrwoman Ysa said it's what I should do." Grumble grumble. Eledri, though, smirks juuust sightly, "Uncle Cernien wants the signatures to be sure that she isn't the cause of all this trouble." He means the ovines, and Cenlia gives him a glare, muttering, "I ain't caused no trouble." Seeing X'hil leave, Cenlia waves to the weyrsecond, but Eledri looks a little relieved. He doesn't trust that bronzer, not one bit.

Thea rubs her face, her palm hiding her expression of disbelief at X'hil's words. "Came straight here?! To pout? Because that was no report you came to share with me." Thea's more than a little irritated now. "Niva and R'sul. Always to them first, X'hil!" Cenlia's grumbling about Ysa brings on a frown, which Thea quickly masters. If one were to listen carefully, sadness tinges her voice when she says flatly, "Well, Ysa isn't here anymore. Not sure Niva would approve this…" a pause, "letter idea anyway." Eledri's comment draws a snort. "Cause…contribute…same difference, I'll bet your Uncle would say." She gives her friend an apologetic look, but her tone is firm, "Sorry. Try Niva. Here…" and she bends down to reach for a rolled parcel lying near the frame of her small loom and offers it to Cenlia. "Happy turnday."

~~*~~ Bedside Rug ~~*~~(#5289)
Handcrafted in the old tradition, this small bedside rug is made up of fine sheeps wool. Each variously colored tuft, has been laboriously added bit by bit to a tough backing with a special hook to form a picture in the thick, soft carpet. Fleecy clouds float lazily across brilliant blue sky under which a verdant meadow beckons. It's a peaceful scene that is only marred by one thing - tearing across that serene field is a snowy ovine sporting gray, curling horns. And it is ablaze.

Should you flip a corner up and look underneath, you'll find a tag with a hand embroidered message that says, "Handmade by Thea for Cenlia. Happy 15th Turnday."

Cenlia makes a face at the mention of having to ask Niva, but if she has to, she has to. Maybe she'll even manage to catch the senior weyrwoman when she's not drunk or raging mad. Hopefully. Then again, drunk weyrwomen are so much nicer… At the sight of the rug, Cenlia boggles, and then starts laughing, gasping something like, "Flamin' ovines." Eledri stares at it, with much the same expression a certain weyrsecond sometimes has when ovines are mentioned. Eledri looks rightly horrified, and gives Thea a vague look of disbelief, "Are you trying to /encourage/ her?"

X'hil is gone a while, making his report no doubt. When he comes back, he's frowning, though not looking quite as annoyed. Presumably he made a /proper/ report to the Weyrleaders. And then… "Gah!" It's loud, and it's nearby, the bronzerider having snuck up on them and discovered the sheep rug, apparently. "Just… Gah." Good workmanship, if it looked sheepy enough to set him off. That's a compliment, kind of!

Thea just can't help it. Her face goes from glum to grin in one second flat as Eledri's comment starts her laughing. When she can speak, she just says, "Trust me. No encouragement needed." Still chortling her mirth, X'hil's unnoticed return and subsequent 'Gah!' has her jumping. And turning to glare momentarily in response to the startlement. "Gah? That's elouqent." Subtil sarcasm tinges her voice, but she doesn't rub it in. A hand rubs at her temples. "Gonna go see the Healers to get something for this headache. Later, you two." And she strides down the aisle to take the stairs down two at a time.

Eledri actually jumps at X'hil's 'Gah!' and eyes the man sourly. Cenlia, upon seeing X'hil, just doubles over with laughter, and competely misses Thea's exit. Eledri waves to the weyrwoman and just shakes his head, eyeing the rug with more than a little exasperation, and looking like he could really use a drink, despite the hangover.

X'hil looks a little sheepish at Thea's exit, and flops into the recently vacated seat. "Shards. I can't do anything right lately." he murmurs, though not nearly as whiny a tone as his words would imply. More bewildered, confused. And vaguely hungover. "But it /looks/ just like a sheep, but on /fire/." And he just doesn't like that, nope.

"Is a sheep," Cenlia affirms, while still giggling, "On fire." Eledri brings a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, not wanting to think about that sort of thing right now. But Cenlia is grinning as she continues, "Is the flamin' ovine that got in the smithy. Me and Thea chased it through half the weyr." She snickers, straightening up and giving that clipboard a grumble, "Now what'm I gonna do."

X'hil nods slowly, glancing tentatively to the rug, and then grimacing. "/Lovely/." he mutters. Well, it is lovely craftmanship, but he's referring more to the flaming sheep of reality. "I'm /so/ glad I missed that." Although, the time he spent /missing/ it could have been better spent… At Xanadu, rather than Ierne, for one. "Sharding… /Nosken/." He jumps to random things when he's annoyed apparently, like earlier when he saw Eledri and ranted about the Hannistan holders.

Cenlia snerks and rolls up the rug, and then sits on it, though she grins and pulls out that ovine plushie, saying, "Been gettin' a lot of ovine stuff. Even Eled." Did… she just call her brother a sheep? Eledri glances at her sharply, but then his attention shifts to X'hil, though it doesn't stay there long, as he glances back at his sister with a frown. Cenlia, too, glances at X'hil, "Nosken? He got an ovine problem too?"

X'hil scowls, and just shakes his head, snapping, "Nosken doesn't /have/ problems, Nosken /is/ problems." Well, it made sense in his head, anyway. "I don't know /what/ he did to that poor greenrider, but, /shards/." Yep. Stubbornly refusing to believe Nosken actually could be searched. Isn't he a /charming/ fellow? And a bronzerider to boot!

Eledri smirks at the statement about Nosken being 'problems' and the computercrafter remarks wryly, "Sounds like Cenlia." Cenlia shoots her brother a look, but then furrows her brow, "Greenrider?" She tilts her head and looks confused.

X'hil nods slowly. "That quiet woman he came in with? Greenrider. Her dragon seems to like him. For /some/ reason." Scooowl. "If you ask me, there's something going on there. Something…" Yep. X'hil sighs, and shakes his head, glancing out over the sands. "People do all /sorts/ of things to get searched." he mutters, quietly. His eyes flick to the guarded tunnel again.

Cenlia frowns a bit and shrugs, "If her dragon likes him, what'd he been doing, giving it ovines?" And then a thought seems to occur to her and her frown deepens a bit. "He ain't no renegade, is he?" the girl asks, since that is apparently the only thing she can think of that might be wrong with the man, "Can he impress dragon if he ain't been searched?" She looks dubious, and then adds, "Not like bein' searched is so great. Even /I/ get to boss the candidates around." There's a satisfied grin there. Quite possibly, all that wood hauling wasn't done by Cenlia alone, though she's definitely been working in the garden. Eledri just eyes his sister warily, possibly not having heard yet about her escapades outside the weyr to search for the missing gold.

X'hil furrows his brow, and peers down at the sands, and at Kinseth specifically. "I've no idea. Maybe it was all the rider's idea. I've seen it before, riders see a likely, er, romantic partner, and snatch them up as candidates. Supposed to inspire … romance. Or something. I wouldn't know, I was searched by my mother's green." he grimaces. "And Kinseth's not yet shown an interest in searching." Not that he /could/, barely leaving the sands, as he does. Over at the entrance is Griselda, having just entered. She moves over towards the group, though X'hil hasn't spotted her yet. The galleries certainly have been busy today. Kinseth looks rather fidgety down there on the sands. First the guards on the sands, and then the constant visitors.

Cenlia snickers and ohs, "So ya think he's knockin' her to get searched?" Subtle, isn't she? But the gardener girl just shrugs, "Can he impress if he ain't been searched properly? Them harper songs always made it seem like the dragons'd know or something." The bronze dragon is not the only one who looks fidgety, and Eledri glances towards the exit, perhaps torn between not wanting to leave his sister in the presence of this bronzerider and at the same time wanting to escape the heat of the hatching sands. He spots Griselda, and looks even more like he wants to flee. He remembers /her/. Cenlia also spots Griselda, and waves a, "Hey," and grins, "Thanks for the turnday present." And she grins.

X'hil nods slowly, scowling at the sands. "Well, no-one's quite sure /what/ dragons look for, when they hatch. Some say they just know, some say touching the eggs can influence things," he looks a little guilty there, "And there's a million other theories. The funniest one I heard was that all bronzeriders are good in bed." There's a wry smirk, he doesn't really /believe/ it, and he certainly wasn't /searched/ according to that criteria. "No-one /knows/. He /does/ have just a good a chance as anyone else." and that's the worst part. Kinseth is now shuffling closer to the observation area, peering up at the constant comings and goings. Griselda smirks a little at Eledri, eyes lingering on his jaw. "Nice one! Did your past catch up with you, then?" Ah, just as nice as ever. To Cenlia, Izzy grins. "Hey, no problem. If you need a hand with it, let me know." she tells the gardener, and X'hil peers over curiously. What did Izzy get her?

Eledri sinks in his chair a bit, especially at Griselda's jab about his past, but before the computercrafter can say anything, Cenlia says cheerfully, "Nah, X'hil decked him." Eledri even manages to blush slightly. Does his sister /have/ to keep telling everyone that? Half the weyr must know by now. Then again, this is possibly Cenlia's not-so-subtle revenge for having him looking over her shoulder and following her around to keep her out of trouble. Cenlia gives her brother a grin, and then nods to Izzy, "Peaches'll be ripe enough in a couple days. Should be ready to start off the first batch in a sevenday." There is a slowly dawning look of realizaton and horror on Eledri's face. He glances from Cenlia to Griselda, and then at X'hil, looking amost accusing, but of what?

X'hil never did find out about Eledri's past, did he? He'd be much more curious if Cenlia wasn't so open about him having decked her brother. Instead, he frowns at the sands. Kinseth is suddenly /very/ interesting, yes. There's a suppressed snort of a chuckle as he figures out what Izzy got Cenlia, but he doesn't comment. Look, dragon. Dragon getting closer. Look at dragon. Griselda /laughs/ at the first. "X'hil, /again/? You really have to control that temper of yours!" Yep, way to reassure Eledri that the bronzerider is safe for Cenlia to be around. The woman nods at Cenlia, with a grin. "I see, I see. You need a hand with that?" she asks, glancing briefly to Eledri. "Or… Anything else?" Maybe getting a certain computer crafter out of the way at a predetermined time…

Eledri eyes X'hil warily, especially after Izzy says 'again' and mentions that tempter. Lips pursed, the computercrafter says nothing, bit he does glance sharply at Izzy, the frown on the young man's face speaking volumes despite his silence. Cenlia, though, is oblivious to Eledri's disapproval, and grins broadly, nodding to Izzy and saying, "Yeah, could use a hand," and she glances sidelong at her brother a moment, before adding, "Will let ya know when the peaches're ready." Eledri almost scowls, but… is he afraid of Griselda? He certainly isn't snapping remarks about Cenlia /now/.

Kinseth is getting /awfully/ close to the observation level now, peeeering over at the three non-riders gathered there. There's a short burst of exhaled air, and then he sinks back down to the sands, though not without glancing X'hil's way. « You should give her a white knot. » the bronze tells the man, and X'hil's brow furrows. "Is that all?" he asks of the bronze, seemingly at random. "Not going to tell me /who/?" But something in his expression, /guilty/, indicates he has an idea. Siiigh. "Iz— Griselda, uh, here." he mutters, handing her another candidate's knot. She knows what it means evidently, because she actually goes over and sits in X'hil's lap, giving the man a hug. X'hil frowns. "Hey, hey. Easy. You're a /candidate/ now." he snorts at the woman, gently disengaging her, and standing, moving towards the railing. But he's smiling, slightly. She /is/ his oldest and dearest friend, after all. Izzy moves over to Cenlia then, murmuring, "I'll still help, if you need me. However you need me." Despite the new knot.

It is late afternoon and there are people in the observation level of the hatching grounds. Cenlia is sitting on a rolled-up rug at the very front, with her brother Eledri seated on a proper seat beside her. X'hil is by the railing with Griselda (Izzy) nearby. The woman has a… white knot? Cenlia is grinning at Izzy and nodding to her while Eledri is looking even grumpier than he was last night.

At first, Rogawani might be hard to recognize. He's not wearing his typical riding jacket and slacks and instead has on a neat, oversized gray tunic and a pair of dark brown slacks that are sinched in tightly at his waist. Even his hair is combed down as if he'd just gotten back from having a bath. The heat of the hatching caverns comes as a relief as opposed to the cold rain he'd been caught out in earlier in the day. So, the boy comes in, rubbing at his arms and glancing at the sands for a moment before looking to see if anyone else was taking refuge from the not-so-nice weather. "Oh, hey Cen." He greets with his usual lopsided smile before giving a more serious nod of greeting to the weyrsecond, his mate, and the journeyman. "That Rubicon group seems all settled in, but they don't think the one with the head injury will make it. One of the healer's dragons did ask those two boys to stand, though." He reports this much towards X'hil, trying to keep him up to date on the situation.

Kire yawns as he comes up the stairs to the observation level. He had heard that there as something going on in the sands, but he wasn't sure what it was. He has just woken up after sleeping the morning and part of the afternoon away. He spots others and gives a friendly wave to them, "Hello everyone. What's this about refugees? Did something happen?" He asks as he hasn't heard anything about it, but he just woke up. Kire moves to find a seat and he stretches out a little bit. He spots the white knot and smiles at the woman, "Congratulations on being searched."

X'hil's face darkens at the news about the one with the head injury, and he clenches and unclenches his fists. Kinseth warbles up at the man, and he shakes his head. "Good luck to the boys." he mutters, trying to focus on more positive things. He turns to Rogawani then, and just looks tired. He nods to the messenger boy, a brief gesture, but a thankful one. Griselda, the new candidate, looks mildly concerned at X'hil's response to the news, and lets out a low whistle as he calms down. "Wow. Kinseth is /good/." she notes, with a shake of her head. "And, ah. Thanks… I think." she adds to Kire, eyeing the white knot in her hands, just recently given to her no doubt.

Cenlia waves a, "Hey," when she sees Rogawani and Kire. The gardener girl has a lopsided grin on her face, her eyes sparkling with mischief. At the arrival of more people, Eledri looks suspiciously at the boys, but since neither of them appear to be bearing booze or animals, the computercraft journeyman slumps back in his seat, just nodding a silent greeting. Cenia furrows her brow at the mention of refugees, then glances at X'hil. She raises her brows, but doesn't comment.

Blinking a little as Kire comes up behind him, Rogawani does what he does best, fill people in on the news. "You heard about the Hannistans pushing North in to Rubicon land, right?" He asks, looking between the starcrafter and Cenlia for a moment to make sure he doesn't have to cover that part as well. "Well, apparently one group got violent and attacked a cothold. Drove a farmer and his family out. They're staying in the empty barn near the coastal road." With that much done, he walks a bit closer to the gardener and her brother, taking a seat nearby but giving the journeyman quite a bit of space. "I like the younger one to impress, he's got spunk." Lifting an eyebrow towards Griselda, he offers her a sheepish smile, "Well, and best of luck to the rest of the candidates, too." Can't leave her out, afterall.

Kire shakes his head, "Nope sorry I'm new here so you might want to explain the whole situation." He frowns a little bit, "That's horrible. Surely there is enough land for everyone. Why are they fighting for the land." He shakes his head a little bit and sighs, "It makes no sense to me, but then I never was one to pay much attention to what went down on here. I guess I better start." He smiles at Griselda, "You are welcome. I hope you your dragon is out there on the sands. I hope the dragonriders are going to do something about it."

X'hil just shakes his head, and moves over to sit down. "We're doing everything we /can/." he mutters, with a pained expression on his face. He /wants/ to do more, but there isn't anything more he can do. "If there was anything… We'd be doing it." He frowns, and shakes his head. Griselda seems to be in a better mood, though the bronzerider's mood is making her frown slightly. "Ah, thanks…" she nods to Rogawani, then admits, "I, I've never /been/ a candidate before." now glancing down at Kinseth. "I never even thought about having a dragon waiting for me." she answers Kire, seeming amazed at the thought.

Cenia nods to Rogawani, having overheard as much from X'hil, sort of. But she does frown at the explanation, hold invasions being something that never really occurred to her before as even being possible, since South Boll is about as far as one can get from political strife. Eledri also frowns, shaking his head and saying, "This place has nothingbut troubles." And he gives Cenlia a pointed look. Cenlia ignores him, instead turning to Izzy and saying, "Congrats, an' good luck." She raises her brows then, "Never ever thought about it?" Cenlia seems surprised, "Bet you'd make a great dragonrider, though." Cenia sounds full of confidence. Of course, Cenlia doesn't know much about dragons, but she's got plenty of enthusiasm for her friends.

Kire smiles "Well the saying goes that if you are searched it means that your dragon is out there somewhere on the sands. At least that's the saying." He hmmed a little bit, "Well if there is anything that I can do to help. I know it's not much, but the smaller starviewers can be used to farviewers, just not the bigger ones. Shards I wouldn't want to try to adjust those mirrors."

Scratching at his chin, Rogawani seems to search for a way to explain the political situation in the holds surrounding the weyr. "Well, the Lord Holder of Rubicon kinda disappeared, and they found the wreckage of his boat, from what I understand." The look on the messenger's face shows that he's not completely certain exactly what surrounds that. "And the Conclaves haven't met yet to affirm a new Lord Holder, so Hannistans and renegades alike have been taking advantage." Something seems to spark in the boy's mind though, "Oh that reminds me." Ruffling at the pockets of his pants, he pulls out a crumpled, somewhat damp looking letter. "I have the reply from your aunt, weyrsecond." He tries to be all official as he offers the drooping letter out to X'hil. "Sorry it's a bit wet. Surprised it came through as good as it did, all things considered." Settling back into his seat a little, the boy smiles at Kire's sentiments about being searched.

Griselda nods a little at Cenlia, peering down at the sands. "I suppose… Kinseth knows, right?" she nods at the bronze, who has moved back to the far wall of the sands now. "Still, it's going to take some getting used to. Shards, gonna have to foster the 'brats." she notes, with a frown. X'hil is sitting up in the front row of the galleries, lost in thought, and it's not a /good/ thought, judging by his tired frown. Griselda - Izzy - is standing near the railing. Also sitting here are Cenlia and Eledri - the latter with a rather obvious bruise across his jaw - and Kire and Rogawani have not long entered. X'hil blinks as Rogawani hands him a damp letter, rousing out of his funk to peer at it. "Good news, I hope." he mutters, but he doesn't dare open it. It might not be good news. It might in fact be the opposite of good news. It might be /bad/ news.

Cenlia giggles, glancing down at the dragons and eggs on the sands and saying to Izzy, "What color dragon do you think you'll impress?" No ifs, apparently, for Izzy, as Cenlia grins. The gardener girl is sitting on a rolled-up rug, while her brother Eledri is on a proper seat beside her. The young journeyman computercrafter does indeed have a nasty bruise on his jaw, and a swollen lower lip. The man seems rather interested in Rogawani's news, asking, "Do you know when the conclave will meet?"

It's been a while since A'di's been in Xanadu, and as such, the young bluerider is itching to get back into the speed of things. And after having heard there was a clutch on the sands, well, of course he had to check it out. There's a quiet thump-thump-thump as the bluerider scales the steps, using the railing to help pull himself up. He pauses at the top, looking about curiously before spotting a group of people gathered around. "Lo." A'di says quietly, wrapping his arms behind his head as he makes his way over. "It's nice not having to worry about impending weyrlings." There's a quiet chuckle, "Even if Dal misses talking with the hatchlings."

Giving a glance over towards Griselda and the bronze rider, he almost seems hopeful that X'hil might let something slip about how the bronze feels about certain candidates, but unfortunately that doesn't happen. "No idea if it's good or bad, but she seemed fine." Official duties taken care of, Rogawani's attention is caught next by Eledri. "The Conclave? Um…" He scrunches his nose a little bit and closes his eyes as he strains to think. "A little less than a month, I think? I forget the exact date. Someone mentioned it, but I was distracted." Letting his eyes open again, Ro just shrugs a little, looking apologetic. An unfamiliar voice does cause his eyes to move away from the journeyman though, blinking to the arriving blue rider. "G'day, rider." He eyes for a shoulder knot to make sure the man is actually a Xanadu rider, not a visitor from another weyr.

Kire sits in his seat as he listens to Rogawani tell the history of what has been going on and to looks out at the eggs. "I see. Well I hope that Conclave makes their decision on the matter soon. Do you know if there are any favorite? Like an heir or was the man heirless?" He hmms, "What's the difference between a Hannistan and a renegade? Please excuse my ignorance I'm new to the area." He nods politely to the new rider, "Hello."

X'hil actually smirks at Cenlia's question, and says, "Green." Answering on Izzy's behalf. He's so /sure/ of that answer, too. "Probably from that egg," he points to an egg of Solarith's, set a slight distance from the others. The Ornately Gilded Cage Egg. Information Rogawani can use? Perhaps. There's not one but /two/ clutches on the sands, sure to make life interesting for the weyrlingmaster and his staff. Kinseth, down on the sands, starts to fidget again. So many people… "Hannista is a nearby hold, bordering on Rubicon River Hold." X'hil explains, absently, frowning at the damp envelope in his hands. Griselda nudges the man. "Open it." she encourages, as she finally switches the knot on her shoulder out for the white knot of candidacy.

Eledri nods to Rogawani, echoing Kire's question about possible heirs. Cenlia, not being interested in politics, looks up at the approaching rider with a, "Hello," but then is distracted by X'hil pointing out an egg. Cenlia peers down at it, "Green, huh?" she glances at Izzy, and grins and muses, "Green'd make a great getaway dragon…" Eledri frowns down at his sister briefly, but when he sees another rider approaching, the computercrafter nods his head in greeting.

A'di arches a brow as he considers the the group, lifting his shoulders idly to himself as hsi greeting mostly goes unnoticed. "Looking at the eggs?" A'di asks as he makes his way over, his glance turning to peek at the eggs in question. "Shards, it's not often that there's two dragons on the sands, Dal said two went up." A hand idly rubs at the back of his head as he helps himself to a seat. "I'll have to see when the last time was…I think a couple of turns ago…must be it…" A finger idly taps at his lips in thought. "Well, at least I'm not on staff anymore." The bluerider mostly is rambling off to himself, a habit he's picked up from somewhere or another. X'hil does get peeked at, however, "Are you all ready making bets as to what color holds which?"

"Well, there's Lady Ryeira, and her son but most think he's too young to take over the hold." Rogawani wiggles a little in the oversized clothing he had to borrow from his father until his usual things dried out a bit. "But the renegades are something else entirely. Holdless folks who take what they can where they can. Whereas the Hannistans are obviously getting told by someone to start trespassing into Rubicon land." Shrugging slightly, Ro' isn't the biggest one for politics either, and he pushes to his feet, feeling ill at ease discussing matters that effect not only the weyr, but the surrounding holds. Turning his attention to the eggs on the sands, he lifts a brow skeptically at the bronzerider. "That one, huh?" A small quirk of a smile edges the corner of his mouth. "I'll have to keep that in mind." Giving a rub at one arm, he looks towards A'di and nods. "I hear we've gotten bets from as far as landing. I'm putting a bet in on Xaliyan to impress, but no clue as to color or what egg." The messenger shivers slightly, and then looks around apologetically. "I think I'm going to head inside and roast by the hearth a bit. Can't seem to shake the cold from earlier. Rain seeps into your bones sometimes, I swear."

Kire nods a little bit as he listens to all the news. "I see. It's an interesting problem. I hope that it gets resolved without anyone being hurt." He looks towards the eggs and shrugs, "I wouldn't want to bet on the color of the eggs, it'd be too easy to lose marks."

X'hil mutters under his breath, but finally opens the letter. It gives him something to read, a distraction. There doesn't seem to be anything terribly bad in the letter, as the man relaxes slightly, and pockets it for the time being. Griselda eyes the bronzerider, and he shakes his head. "Nothing too exciting. Couple of her mares are with foal, yet another tale of Felks' goat." He smirks a little. Ah, Felks and his goat. Griselda snickers a bit too, but it seems to be some great in-joke between the pair. But yeah, nothing exciting. "Xaliyan's got a good chance." he agrees, but seems like he's only saying that because he has to, Xali's his brother. He seemed much more sure about Griselda on green.

Cenlia waves to the departing Rogawani, and then eyes the eggs speculatively. It just so happens that Cenlia has marks to lose. Courtesy of X'hil, even. So she grins at Kire and says, "I bet Izzy impresses a green." Eledri seems to be pondering the news the messenger left them with, and slumps further down in his seat, looking vaguely troubled, but then talk of the eggs has him eyeing the sands curiously. The young computercrafter is thoroughly holdbred, so as she peers down at the eggs he has to ask, "Are they always so colorful?"

A'di turns his head slightly to the side, blinking for a moment. There's a slight roll of his eyes and then the bluerider is off as soon as he had come.

Kire smiles at Cenlia, 'I hope that she gets the dragon the is meant for her." He looks over the eggs once more and he stands up, "If you'll excuse me I have some work to do before the skies get dark."

Griselda frowns a little, at her knot, then mutters something about having to talk to Isabet, heading out quickly. X'hil, meanwhile, is frowning down at the eggs. "They're often this colourful, yeah. All sorts of colours." he murmurs, yawning slightly. There's an indistinct mumble, and then snoring. Snoring? Seems the man's slumped over a bit, and is asleep.

At the mention of dark skies, Cenlia groans, having spent most of the day either hungover or here, and so she gets up slowly, lugging that rolled-up rug with her as she says, "I gotta get back to the gardens. Still got a whole 'nother tree to trim." The gardener girl waves to Kire and then starts making for the exit, saying irritably to Eledri, "What else'd they be?" The computercrafter rises from his seat with a sigh, likely realizing he's going to get wrangled into doing garden-maintenance by his sister. "They're so… I thought they'd be plainer. But they're not. Like chicken eggs I mean," the young man blushes slightly, running a hand through his damp hair and looking rather embarrased by his inarticulate stammerings. Cenlia just rolls her eyes at him, though her gaze also travels onelast time over the eggs, and there's unmistakable curiosity there. But she has work to do, and possibly weyrleaders to stalk. Cenlia does smirk, though, and as she sees the sleeping X'hil, she is oh so tempted to tuck that plushie ovine intothe crook of his arm - but she's not that mean. Plus, he did deck her brother, so she leaves, hauling the rug with her, and with Eledri trailing behind.

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