Storage Cavern
The storerooms here are carved into the stone, stretching back deep underground beneath the upper hallways that serve for residences and work areas. There is, after all, little need for natural light here; a series of electric lights are more than sufficient to illuminate smoothly cut walls and the assortment of supplies kept until they are needed once more.
For some of the things here, that time will be long in coming. Broken furniture and torn clothing awaits the opportunity for someone to repair it - or else the kindling and rag piles. Other items are more immediately useful; gently worn clothing and boots are neatly arranged in rows and on racks, especially in the quickly outgrown children's sizes, and an assortment of furniture and small appliances in functional condition await new homes.
A series of side rooms connected to the kitchen are the larder which feeds the Weyr through the winter. Sacks of grain lean against barrels of salted meat and wheels of hard cheeses stacked high. Refrigeration and dragonflight make for a more flexible winter diet, but it still takes a great deal of food to provide for this many people. The food is a tempting target for tunnelsnakes, and the occasional scuttle can be heard in the otherwise quiet depths of these caves.
Toward the southern edge, near the path leading down to the hot springs, there's the laundry rooms, a set of steam-filled chambers where water and soap are scrubbed into fabric of various sorts and the dirt and grime is scrubbed right back out.
Much of the stores are easily accessed, requiring only the appropriate permissions to be borrowed from. These supplies are, after all, here for the good of the Weyr and the people living here. A few rooms - those containing particularly valuable or dangerous items - are kept locked.
With the heat of the summer sun, it's probably a wonder that more people haven't flocked down to the coolness of the Weyr's storerooms. Maybe it's just fear that the headwoman might assign actual work if they were to be found lollygagging since the place is just about desserted this afternoon, but not completely! Rhodelia has no fear, at least not today! The weyr's newest junior has commandeered a stool and a crate and she's digging and digging and digging through it's contents. Occassionally a woolen item is pulled out of the assorted box of goods and a crow of delight is given before she tosses it into an ever growing pile of odds and ends beside her. Currently visible in her collection is: three small mittens, four slightly larger mittens, a few sets of grown folks gloves, a couple of probably scarves and a knit hat with a very fluffy pompom.
Wouldn’t that be super awkward though? Having so many bodies pressed for space down in those tunnels where workers are supposed to bustle by freely! Could be the fear of the Headwoman’s (and staff) wrath or perhaps that the beaches are more amicable a lure for summer fun! Ru’ien shouldn’t be in the storerooms and yet his tall and lean frame saunters in through the doorway, confidently arrogant as always. It if weren’t for Rhody’s timed crow of delight, he might’ve gone about whatever business sees him here and none the wiser! Instead, he creeps up on her, immediately bending in an attempt to snatch THE BEST of her hoard so far — that POM POM HAT! “… getting a head start on the winter there, Rhody?” he teases, as distraction to his potential PILFERING.
"It's never too early to get ahead!" Rhodelia earnestly agrees with the attempted tease before she dives back into the box, arms in up to her shoulders, "Wait just a minute. I think I saw a scarf that I was thinking would go perfectly with Kihatsuth's hide. You know… in case you go decide to visit your uncle up in Fort. Or it gets cold here…" Because despite the near triple digit heat one might never know!
“Guess you got a point!” Ru’ien admits with a grin, while trying on the pom pom hat for good measure. It’s too small, barely tugging down even to his ears. With a snort, he’ll remove it and… promptly attempt to drop it on Rhody’s head. Plunk! “My dear uncle is sharding terrifying and you can’t pay me enough to willingly visit!” he chimes, jokingly enough to take the seriousness of what he shares away. Family, am I right? “But I don’t mind being fashionable here! Show me this scarf!” MUCH more exciting! “Want some help?” Seeing as he’s done nothing but muck around with her already accumulated prizes.
Rhody's face wrinkles as she sees Ru'ien struggle with the too small hat. She finally finds that scarf and starts tugging it out of the mess like a magician's never ending handkerchief and a massive mustard yellow hat comes with it. "Well, you don't have to visit him. You could visit your cousin!" Never mind that infant visits do normally require adult interaction as well. Scarf and hat obtained, Rhodelia bounces up and starts draping the massive scarf around Ru's shoulders. It's large enough it might better be called a shawl. "I can always use some help! I think its gonna take forever to find all the Weyr's mittens… but what did you come down here for?"
Ru'ien stands patiently, maybe even ducking down slightly to help Rhody drape that shawl scarf about him. When done, he takes the edges and twists a bit side to side, while glancing up at her sidelong. Well? BE HONEST! "Which cousin, hon? I've got like… a quarter of an army of cousins! Full blooded? Half-blooded?" PICK! "Is that what this is? Mitten count?" He seems to find that deeply amusing, starting to chuckle heartily while he continues to pluck at and adjust the scarf. "Mhm? Oh! To see if I couldn't find some curioso for my weyr-to-be, y'know? Before I hit actual markets." His finances are probably in RUIN. Ahahaha… get it?
As soon as Rhodelia has the scarf-shawl situated, she tiptoes up to plunk the hat on the green rider's head. The monstrous mustard creation is oversized enough there's still plenty of extra room even if Ru had the largest hat size on Pern. "There you go. PERFECT!!!" Good thing there aren't any weavers around at the moment to object. "Well, I realized I didn't have any mittens and then I wondered just how many the weyr did have but couldn't find a list…" curse her hilariously non-existent filing system, "so I figured I'd count myself! What sort of curioso? I think I saw a fat wherry sculpture not too far away…" it would be hard to miss as just down the aisle there's a fat, pink sherry sculpture that's also currently wearing a scarf and hat.
"Uh, you sure about this hat?" Ru'ien's going to be the small voice of reason here, as he tilts his head slightly to keep it from flopping entirely over his eyes. He hasn't removed the shawl-scarf, so THAT's a good sign, right? He laughs, "Of all the things to wonder on and you chose mittens?" Blue eyes light up, however and he's already searching the shelves before she's even finished. "Like that one?" He points a finger towards the sculpture in question, before having to use the very hand to push the hat back up out of his eyes; will she be disappointed if he takes it off entirely?
"Uhhhh… yeah?" That's a tone that couldn't possibly understand why the awesome hat Rhodelia bestowed on her clutchmate wouldn't be absolutely the right hat, but she's also easily distracted. "Well, yeah… Hands are important!" She wiggles her own fingers for demonstration. "And should probably figure out how many of the mittens are the type with the little flip to fingerless gloves for folks that need to work outside with their fingers…." She pulls out a notebook and actually (horror of horrors!) takes a note to herself! After she finishes with the note Rhody looks up and over in the direction of the statue before grinning and nodding. "Yep. That's Jerry. Jerry the Wherry. You could take him home and then have Kiha choose a different color scheme to paint him each month! It'll be perfect!"
She’ll have that tone and Ru’ien will have a LOOK directed at Rhody for a moment that lingers just a second too long. What’s ticking up in that (thick) head of his? “Gonna agree with hands being important!” he admits, not at all questioning her decision for work any more than he already has. Who is he to judge? He blinks as she takes notes, looking ready to say something when… Jerry the Wherry?? “Ahahahaha!” Bursting out into laugher, he’ll grin positively from ear to ear in delight, even going as far to clap his hands together slightly. That hat? Forgotten. Even as it slips off his head, as he goes in pursuit of that sculpture. “I LOVE it! Him? Him, I guess. Kihatsuth will too…” But? His nose wrinkles, “I’m not much of a painter though. Do you just paint over the existing stuff or does it scrub off?” As if to test his theories, a lone finger plink-plinks against the surface.
Look away! Rhodelia's going to be oblivious to any looks or LOOKS as she goes about her thing which is piling up the pile of mittens and other wintery gear at least until the laughter has her looking up and beaming in delight. "Him. The female wherries aren't as colorful after all…" Or at least in her head wherries have some minor sort of peacocking going on. "I think you just paint over him… unless you try to go lighter color after darker and then you might need to paint it white first." She shrugs. "But don't scrub it off. That way if anything ever happens to him, you can count the rings to see how old he is!"
"Wonder why that is," Ru'ien muses distractedly, while he continues to peer at Jerry and eventually picks him up for further examination. What a pair they must look like! Rhody with her catalogued winter gear and he in an over-sized not-scarf and holding that sculpture. What's it doing in here, anyways? "Well, Jerry? Looks like you're coming back with me. It'll be safe enough in the temporary place I got —" Tucking his prize under his arm, he'll whirl to face Rhody again, smirking from ear to ear. "Any more suggestions?" he muses, only half serious that she lead him to more curious finds! Because in the next breath, he'll ask: "So how've you been, anyhow?"
"Probably for the same reason female dragons glow… to help find a mate!" Rhodelia has stopped cataloguing and moved on to the shoving the mittens and hats into random pockets and draping the scarves about her. Good thing she's wearing a cardigan with enormous pockets but she may look like a runaway yarn monster by the time she leaves the stores. "I knew you'd give Jerry a good home!" As for other suggestions she hmmmms and taps a finger to her lips as she ponders, slowly starting to wander through the aisles as if inspiration will jump out at her. "Ohhh, you know. Same old, same old stuff." Despite being relatively recent graduate, at least office paperwork she was familiar with. "I think I've managed to only mortally offend one of the holders once this month, so improvement! How have things been with you?"
Ru'ien scoffs at first as if dismissing that, only to pause and mull it over. "Huh… alright, I'll give you that one too!" Glancing back to Rhody, he'll laugh again and begin to approach her; all the better to playfully tug at one of the scarves. "You're gonna roast the second you get to the inner caverns! And what'll Risali say, if you go off getting heat exhaustion, eh?" He teases, while giving Jerry a fond pat on the head. Yep, good home! He'll be a conversation starter for SURE! "Only one! That's not half bad, y'know? Better than what my track record would be," Ru'ien pauses long enough to wink, grin back in play. "Thankfully, I'm keeping myself to the Crafter's Wing!" Where he can just annoy, frustrate and chafe with Masters and other Crafters! "Oh, same old, same old," he muses in reply. "Kihatsuth got her maiden flight out of the way some time back. Still chipping away at building my weyr — even with help and a good friend on the Woodcrafting end, there've been setbacks." He shrugs helplessly.
Score one for Rhody! She gives a satisfied little nod at her minor victory before pshawing off concerns about heat stroke. "Maybe I'll just run to the cold stores and see if we have any ice cream stored up. It's been a while since we had an ice cream party…" with Inasyth's love of parties and food it's probably only been about two seven days, but small gathering with close friends doesn't count! "And well… I only saw one so you could say I have a perfect record this month!!!" Rhodelia grins until Ru'ien's tale of weyr-y setbacks gets the most concerned face and a hand reaching out for his shoulder. "What sort of setbacks? Anything we can do to help? Inasyth can hold things? Or we could try and get some help from other Weyrs? There's been a bronze from High Reaches hanging around a lot lately… I think he is a wordsmith too…" And surely said bronze is only interested in a brief break from the Reachian winter and exploring what lumber the Southern continent can provide….
"That's a THING!?" Ru'ien exclaims out of the blue, suddenly all grins and eagerness again. Is this going to be like the clocktower forever ago? Does Rhody still think he's a little off in the head? "Rhody! You have to have an ice cream party now! Why don't we all go to the cliff jumping spot too? Or would it melt?" Look at him, zooming off on ideas without even half a breath between his snickering. "Here's to perfect records?" Hi-5, Rhody! As for the help, he seems to consider it. "Just little things, nothing major! But I'll get back to you or have Kiha reach to Inasyth if we can use a few extra hands… paws… y'know what I mean! And nah, I'm not gonna drag other Weyrs into this — who's this bronze though?" Oooh, is that a coy-sly look coming from Ru'ien? It's a wonder he's not batting his eyelashes and making kissey-kissey faces yet.
« DEAR EVERYONE!!!! IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: YOU ARE ALL CORDIALLY INVITED TO MY ICE CREAM PARTY!!! » There's a brief bit of bubbly interference interrupting the transmission before Inasyth continues. « MINE AND RHODY'S ICE CREAM PARTY. BRING COSTUMES AND BRING BOOZE. » And who needs details like when and where as long as the important detail of what is settled. Rhodelia laughs a little. "Looks like you'll have your wish." The hi-5 is returned with all the energy she can muster which has the gold rider shaking her hand a little from the slight smarting sensation. There's an eyeroll for the question of the bronze. "Someone that's got his hopes up a bit too high… Ina's not shown his dragon any more affection than she would anybody else."
« My dear! » Kihatsuth purrs with absolute DELIGHT from over the link, dark mists parting to already show a glimpse of outlandish paintings of vibrant abstract tastes. « How delightful! We will be there with bells on. » Something of a disembodied smirk suggest that may be literally. « Costumes? Ooh, » her voice rises and falls in a perfect mimicry of bemusement that edges on sarcasm. « Is there a theme? » This smells like SOUNDS like chaos a good time, to her! Ru'en is in unanimous agreement, of course! "Awesome!" he crows, then laughs. "Want help organizing, since I just volunteered you as host?" Seems only fair, right? His grin is in place still, though he scoffs. "Sounds like most bronzeriders—" Sorry FEAR, BRO~ <3 Exceptions, obviously. "Y'think she's getting close to… y'know." He flips a hand in a vague rolled-gesture. "That?" Proddiness. CLEARLY, he's not made the connection of Rhody's behavior today, here, as any indicator, if that is what is going on.
Faranth help them all as Inasyth croons as her sister's interest has been sparked and she's more than willing to take help in this wild plotting. Thankfully or not, it seems like the chatter will be private maybe all the better for SURPRISES if the dragons can remember them. "It seems like Kiha has just volunteered herself. Not sure what they're plotting, but if you could handle costumes? Or props? Maybe some posters! I'll handle the booze and the food!" Rhodelia definitely isn't stopping just at ice cream for this shindig. Maybe she'll also figure out pernese pizza too! As for the you know, Rhody lets out a hearty sigh. "She has to be, right? She's been full grown for a while now, but how do you even tell? Ina's always been focused on eggs even as a weyrling… and wrestling is like one of her favorite things…" It's a very long list of favorite things which they've both probably heard sing more times than they can count.
"If it wasn't for how I was feeling," Ru'ien remarks with a smirk and a knowing look to Rhody. She remembers crossing him on that bridge, right? That was just the START! "I'd never known Kihatsuth was proddy. She doesn't start flashing all fancy lure-like until showtime." Literally, right down to the main event! At least he has some warning. He gives her a broad and bright grin then, which likely comes off as 'good luck' but without the patronizing or canned answers. He isn't sure how she is feeling about it all, so he's not going to go digging into emotional pitfalls. Instead, he focuses on other things, quick-fire like. "I can definitely do posters! Not great at costumes but I'm sure someone can field that —" He'll ask around! "And I'm not going to even asume/, I KNOW those two are plotting. Come on, Rhody! This is Kiha and Inasyth!" It should just be expected, at this point? Chuckling to himself, he'll tuck Jerry a little more securely against his side — he's still wearing the scarf-shawl too. "Guess I should get this guy safely home and let you get back to… work." Smirk. "How soon you want these posters?"
Rhodelia states down at all those many scarves and pockets bulging with mittens… before shaking her head free of such thoughts. Nothing to see here, perfectly normal Xanadu day… with noticeably less fire or dangerous mayhem than one might expect. "I just feel like there's something I need to prepare for and I can't quite put my finger on it…" so mittens and ice cream it is until Inasyth's hide starts to undeniable shine. "Hopefully whatever they're planning doesn't involve flame dancers near ice sculptures…" it probably will and more. As Ru'ien prepares to leave, Rhody reaches over to give Jerry the Wherry's head a pat, for good luck. "Stsy safe and take good care of him…" that could be for the statue or the greenrider! "And uh…. how about three days?"
"Three days!" Ru'ien agrees with a wink and a cheerful grin. "And if you need anything, you know where to find me or, y'know, just holler!" Through dragons, that is. "Take care too, Rhody and best of luck!" To figuring out what it is exactly she's preparing for, but he's making ASSUMPTIONS that he'll politely keep to himself for once! Then, with Jerry tucked under his arm, shoulders still carrying that first gift, Ru'ien strides out of the storerooms and off to his business. No doubt whistling a tune under his breath and looking SMUGLY PLEASED~