Xanadu Weyr – Clearing
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.
Towering white clouds drift slowly through the blue sky. It's hazy and hot this summer afternoon, but the shade under the green leaves of the trees is welcome relief from the hot glare of the sun. Not that the Candidates have the leisure to enjoy it. The Weyrwoman is, apparently, big into giving the Candidates learning experiences and with that in mind, she's scheduled an out-of-this-world trip for them. Though the Candidates haven't been told where they're going, they have been told to pack a bedroll, pillow and overnight bag for a 4 day stay and instructed to meet in the Clearing. The AWLMs have rounded up the Candidates and have dragons awaiting them. "Please present yourself to one of the riders," one of them instructs. "And follow their directions as to stowing your gear and we'll be off as soon as you are all mounted and buckled."
Fl'ynn is candidate nor AWLM, but somehow or another, the Comet wingrider has managed to fenagle some kind of messenger duty that requires him to take part. Kagenaith sits upon his haunches, a brilliant near-purple rival to the beauty of the summer skies. The dragon happily croons to himself, looking to the clouds and remarking upon their shapes so that Fl'ynn's head is a crowded thing. The rider gives a pull to the side of his dragon's straps, making sure all is well. "Just wait and -flopped puppy." Err. Wait. "I guess that cloud looks like one."
Inuelle arrives with her travel gear with a light happy step, but a slightly nervous chewing of her thumbnail. "I brought warm clothes for a cold places, and cool clothes for warm, but I didn't know what to wear for the journey there," she's wearing proper clothes for riding, despite her own concern, and her pack isn't as overly packed as she's fearing. She gets in line with the other candidates to board one of the dragons.
Denil is there, amongst the assembled, pillow and a ratty little blanket tucked under his arm and half-full backpack unfastened (and probably lacking clean socks and underwear) on his back. He's not at all hesitant to pipe up with, "Hey, where are we going anyway? We get to know yet?" The answer, if he gets one, doesn't stop him from skittering over to a cute green and her rider, skidding to a stop in his excitement just before he plows into her rider. He offers a cheeky little grin to go with his, "Hi! I can go with you, right?"
Matrin hangs back a bit, watching the younger candidates scampering about and eyeing the gathered dragons and their riders. His pack is the sort Harpers use for their circuits between the smaller holds - well cared for but obviously it has seen some use. For once he's dressed truly casually in denim, with a leather jacket slung over his shoulder for the ride. "Flopped puppy?" It's asked with a light grin and a squint at the sky. "That's not bad actually." Kagenaith and Fl'ynn both get a nod of greeting and Mat adds, "He's a really gorgeous color. I'd love to paint him sometime." Oh yes, they are supposed to be mounting up and such. "Are you taking passengers?"
Along with all of the other Candidates, Iforian is herded from the barracks with a napsack slung over his shoulder. He's flirting with one of the girls, who is doing her best to ignore him, even taking the oportunity to run up to a rider that's already got several other Candidates lined up to ride with him. The broad shouldered miner-candidate scowls for a moment before he wanders over to Fl'ynn and offers a charming smile, "Mind if'n I ride with ya, Fl'ynn?" He gives Matrin a quick nod of greeting.
Its just Inuelle's luck that she's in the line to get on the same dragon as Denil. She gives the boy a look that the weyr nannies would give a small boy covered in mud. She's about to start lecturing the boy on his state of dress, when the sound of Iforian's voice causes her to turn. Her face turns a little red and bashful and she eyes Fl'ynn's dragon rather longingly for a moment before she's brought back to reality by the greenrider urging her to get on the dragon.
Esiae arrives a tad behind schedule, puffing sight-impeding flyaways out of her face as she heads into the clearing from the direction of the coastal road. The rest of her is much better put together, bright blue shirt clean and tucked into tan working pants, but her hair has seen much, much better days, clearly having been just thrown back in a braid to hide the mess. A squashy looking sleep roll is coiled around her pillow sushi-style and hiked up under one arm, with an overnight back slung over the other. She's just in time to catch the AWLM directions, head bobbing in a willing nod before she turns and gives a random nearby rider an awkward curtsy, burdens considered. "Greetings. Might I request a right with you?" Making up for her lateness with charm? Mayyyybe.
Kagenaith's muzzle remains lifted to the sky, nostrils wuffling, throat throbbing as he continues to draw out idle notes in his bemusement. Fl'ynn gives his dragon a look before gloved fingers release the strap, leaving his blue to his clouded musings. At a voice, speaking his name, the teen turns to lay dark eyes upon Matrin. "The one before that was a headless ovine sitting on the back of a wagon… Oh, yeah-sure." Then to Iforian as well, returning that smile with one of his own, "Don't mind at all."
Denil is all but wriggling with having to contain his excitement but manages to fumble into the jacket and gear handed to him. He catches Inuelle's look (but only after pushing the helmet back from where it's fallen over his eyes) and clearly recognizing that half-open mouth as impending Lecture Mode, points at her shoulder with wide, horrified eyes. "Lookit that HUGE bug!" And then, since he's next up on that green, scrambles up before she can swat at him for the diversionary tactic that it was.
Matrin tries to hide his smirk, he really does, and though his lips twitch he covers it by holding a hand to his brow and peering up at the sky again. "Well, I'm not sure I can spot that one, but maybe the wind disturbed the clouds." He's making an effort anyway, though the vivid blue seems to be far more focused on cloud pictures than anything Matrin has to say. When Fl'ynn agrees, he smoothly swings his pack down off his shoulder and lets it dangle from his hand. "You want to point me to the best place to strap this in?" In spite of the heat he juggles the load while shrugging into his jacket, pausing only to offer Iforian a nod and a polite smile. "Any ideas on what we're up to, Iforian?"
Iforian flashes a quick grin at Fl'ynn and shifts his grip on the bedroll and pillow tucked under his arm, shaking his head at the quesion from the older Candidate, "Ain't got a clue." He glances off in the direction of the kennel, "Just hope th' pups're fine while I'm gone." Not that they won't have plenty of people to look after them, "They's big 'nough t' find homes." And, as long as they're all working together, bring the big Candidate down.
Alosynth is bright and shiny from a recent scrub and oil and well, post flight has the green sitting smug and self satisfied. Kezi herself is on the tired side herself and looking disgruntled. The green is all strapped up with all the safety straps in place. She watches as a number of candidates head over towards Fl'ynn and she just relaxes against Alo. "Perhaps we'll have an easy trip this time." she murmurs to the green. "And maybe I won't have to clean things off again like the last time when someone lost their lunch." she adds with a wrinkle of her nose.
Inuelle is certainly a sensible girl, and certainly not completely prone to falling for the usual tricks of children. But she's also a very feminine person, does not enjoy being dirty, and almost always wears dresses, save for the rare occasion when pants are required. And she does not like bugs, insects or creepy crawly things. Just the idea of the bug then, is enough to cause her to shriek a peircing female scream of fright! And then she realizes she doesn't have a bug on her and glares up at the boy already on the green. "Not funny at ALL!" she says and stomps her foot, embarassement and anger reddening her features. Grr. Then she has to get up on the dragon right behind him.
Esiae can't help but snort over at Denil from the next dragon over, brown eyes rolling playfully, if not a little tiredly. She likely just got through with such antics, on her day off no less, but there's no rest for the weary it would seem. "Keep one eye open when you sleep with that one around, wherever we're going," she says teasingly towards Inuelle once the girl realizes the trick. Now that she's a little less harried, the others are marked and waved to… but then her rider is speaking to her, and Esi goes straight-faced and solemn when taking direction - see, at least she knows when to be serious, even if it's only sometimes! Indeed, as soon as she's scuttled a-dragonback with what has to be practiced ease, the girl is all smiles, all but bouncing up and down as she buckles her pack in behind her as instructed. Then there are straps, and a helmet, and dear Faranth, somebody's ready to go, isn't she…? Cough.
BUG! This rips through Kagenaith's mind like a bolt of lightning, obliterating all thoughts of clouds and humming in favor of a BUG. His head drops low, legs stepping right on over Fl'ynn as the blue looks to try to crowds up closer to Inuelle 'cause she apparently has a BUG and that little human pointed to her Shoulder! *Breathewufflepeer* "Whoa there. Just wait. She didn't. He was /kidding/." Of course, when Inuelle shrieks as well, this stops the blue short. Fl'ynn reaches out to take things from the candidates, "I'll get it," especially while his 'mate is distracted.
Matrin hands his pack over a little absently, busy watching Kagenaith and his antics. There's amusement first, followed by a narrowing of his eyes in thought. He shrugs it off and pulls his smile back on, and when Fl'ynn gives the go ahead he makes his way up to the blue's neck. He's definitely done this a time or two, making good use of the straps and settling comfortably before reaching a hand down to help Iforian up if he needs it.
When Kagenaith goes to whuffle Inuell's shoulder, Iforian blinks and frowns over at the girl before shaking his head in amusement. Then the blue is being mounted by the others in line and the tall man steps up when it's his turn, gladly taking the harper-candidate's offered hand to haul himself up, "Thanks, Matrin." And there's another charming grin for Fl'ynn as the miner-candidate gets settled.
Alosynth watches Kagenaith and then chuffs at him as she lets out a breath. Keziah pats the greens hide and then climbs up on Alosynth as a few of the younger candidates head her way, being not so keen about climbing up on the larger dragons and taking the smaller one. "You know Fl'ynn, it'll be a sad day indeed if he ever grows up."
"Sure it was," Denil smirks down at Inuelle while those buckles are clinked about him. While a REAL bug would have been better, those prissy-type girls are still fun to fool like that. Then she's climbing up to sit behind him. Uh oh! "If you hug me I promise I'll stick some real ones in your hair," he tells her over his shoulder. Then he points to the straps crisscrossing his thighs. "Y'can hang on there if ya have to."
Riders are handing out flight gear for those who need it. Jackets, helmets, goggles and gloves, while most may be too large, they'll at least do the job intended. The AWLMs are helping wherever needed, stowing bags and giving Candidates a hand up. The signal from one sends several aloft, who wink *Between* Several minutes later the dragons reappear in the sky and another group is sent aloft. Finally it is down to these few left to take their turn. "Everyone ready?" His signal sends the last group to the skies.
the dragons spread their wings and leap into the air, surging upwards.
Inuelle is so embarassed by the fuss made over her, and then the dragon is whuffling her too, and now now…this boy again. "If you try to trick me like that again I'll make sure to your laundry is washed in the most flowery potent smelling soap I can find," she counters. Then suddenly they are up and away and looking down at the weyr. "Oh wow!" Okay she hasn't seen the weyr from up here yet. She may be afraid of bugs, but at least she's not afraid of heights!
Xanadu Weyr - High Sky
It is easy to see why the settlers of Xanadu chose this exact spot to live out their lives. Here high above the Weyr one gets a good perspective on the landscape that drew the eye of that rider long ago that sought out the home for a new Weyr. Mountains loom protectively above this pristine little valley, while an energetic river races headlong down the northern side, in a hurry to reach the lake that rests peacefully to the east. Grove after grove of trees dot the land, creating endless shade for the human or dragon.
As well-placed as the natural aspects of the Weyr are, the founders worked hard to keep with the uncontrived rhythms of the valley while destroying as little of it as possible. All of Xanadu opens up below you, welcoming the odd visitor into its friendly arms, or calling a cheerful 'Welcome Home' to the rider and dragon after a visit away.
The AWLM in charge waits until the larger dragons are aloft and in formation, then warns his own passengers to hang on and count to three, it won't be but three beats then he gives the group the signal for *Between*
The dragons suddenly disappears -=* BETWEEN *=-
Between
Darkness and cold like you can't imagine. Nothing to see, feel or hear, except the beating of your heart.
<LUB> <DUB>
<LUB> <DUB>
<LUB> <DUB>
Then, as suddenly as you entered the emptiness…
You suddenly reappear from -=* BETWEEN *=-
Yokohama - Cargo Bay
Since the gravity units were restored and now are maintained in working order, the cargo deck of the Yokohama is constantly buzzing with activity. With research needing to be done, equipment to be moved, or a plethora of other tasks taking place people are always coming and going, either from the planet 'below' by dragon back, or meandering in and out from other places aboard the ship.
This area is well lit, the floors themselves have had space set aside specifically for 'betweening'. Three large marked off areas remain clutter-free of people, dragons and equipment. With these 'landing pads' clear, dragons avoid the danger of teleporting into an area of space already occupied and causing a tragedy. Several massive sun lamps have been set up over off to the left, in an effort to make the stay of dragon-kind more comfortable.
Kagenaith suddenly reappears from * BETWEEN *
Alosynth suddenly reappears from * BETWEEN *
Into the cargo bay of the Yokohama the last group appears. Instead of entering on the landing pads, the dragons appear in clear air with wings folded, floating almost motionlessly. "the grav units are down for repair," the AWLM announces calmly. "Just keep your movements small and use the dragon to push off of gently in the direction of the lift. we'll have your gear brough up in a short while." Buckles clink and passengers are discharged, some given gentle pushes in the general direction, but it's clear some of them are floating awry. Not that they're hurried by any means as some of the AWLMs are grinning and enjoying the weightlessness.
Kagenaith is here. whoa. Whoa. WHOA. As the blue blink in from between, he immediately begins with a flap of his wings… and again, and… nothing happens. *SNORK* It is a noise that manages to reverberate and echo within the chamber, made more loud alarming by one very alarmed dragon. Wings go wide. Legs go wider. Tail flicking about from behind. Yeah, this blue will take up a bit of space. "Just… Just don't worry." And then there is a flurry of commentary passing from rider to dragon. Then a murmured, "You might wanna get off before we start spinning."
The trip between is as disorienting as ever for Iforian, made more so by the lack of gravity. The blond miner has his eyes squeezed shut and looks the faintest bit green at only being held to the blue's back by the straps. He swallows hard, just barely managing to keep from losing his lunch. Then spinning is mentioned and Ifo looks even more sick to his stomach, "Uh… Yeah." He fumbles with the straps for a moment before he manages to unbuckle and starts drifting up from Kagenaith's back, frantically grabbing for the straps again to steady himself. There's one more hard swallow before he pushes off in the direction of the lift; unfortunately, he pushes off a little too hard and launches faster than he'd intended. There's a more than half panicked yell from the big man and he covers his head with his arms to protect himself from colliding with the wall. Ouch!
Inuelle does NOT get off the dragon. Her eyes widen at the sight of floating dragons, and then she gives a sort of wordless gasp as Kagenaith starts to panic. Oh oh oh, what on Pern…? ON Pern? Oh gosh, they're somewhere not where she would ever expect to be. She GRABS Denil and clutches his shoulders. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee don't let me fly away!" she squeaks.
Esiae has, luckily, arrived abreast a dragon that knows how to land in zero-grav. This is… probably a good thing, because the green is calm whereas Esi is… not so much. "Gah!" Her initial reaction to the lack of gravity is to cling to the rider in front of her, a natural response considering of all the places she's gone by dragon, none of them have ended with her feeling like this. But she's smart, our Esi, quickly piecing together that there are very few safe places for dragons to dock where you're also suddenly straining at your tethers in midair. "No. Way." By now, her legs are floating up of their own accord from momentum. Combined with wide, owlish eyes, the end result is a tad comical.
"-so what if stinky soap-" Denil is used to *Between* He's done it all of one time in his entire life, but he's an expert, don't you know? "Nothin' to it!" He announces with feigned boldness a beat after they enter the cargo bay. Then they're floating and the AWLM makes his announcement. And there's Kagenaith over there in all his spread-eagled glory. "Su-weet!" The herder boy exclaims and he's not waiting for his buckles to be undone, either. His clink as he undoes them, draws both feet up until his knees are under his chin and pushes off the green to go rocketing across the space. "Waugh!" His arms flail but there's a big, silly grin on his face.
Kagenaith's immediate flail doesn't help, but she's less scared, and more thrilled. There's a little of her former self there, just a quick glimpse of Dread Pirate Princess Esiae, Feared of Hold and Hall, Conqueror of Land, Sky, and Sea, now AMBASSADOR TO SPACE. Iforian's push and Inuelle's squealing departure encourage her, and as soon as she gets her feet back under her, she unclips herself and wheeeeeeeees off in the first direction she points. Erm… Someone may have to fetch her in a sec.
It is bad enough to go Between, whether or not you have done it before. But to be expecting snow or sun and to come out surrounded by metal and without any gravity instead is… rather a shock. Matrin handles it by blinking rapidly and tightening his grip on Kagenaith's straps, and he gives a weak sympathetic chuckle to the blue. "I completely agree," is his wryly spoken mumble, but hanging on tighter might actually end up being counter-productive. Fl'ynn's suggestion makes his lips press into a firm line, but he nods. "Right. Getting off would be good." He undoes the buckles keeping him still and clears his throat when he immediately starts floating a few inches above the blue's neck. "Um, I'm just going to push against you a little, ok?" Hopefully it is, as he plants his hand and shoves gently toward the lift door. His eyes are wide but he manages to float semi-gracefully to the door, although when he gets there he just sort of slams into it with his shoulder and starts to bounce off until he frantically grabs for the hand of whatever AWLM is near.
One of the assistant weyrlingmasters is, indeed, enjoying the weightlessness of zero gravity. Rysith makes a relatively quiet reappearance from Between, the aged green tucking her wings firmly to her sides and simply submitting to floating through the open space rather then flying. Kagenaith's attempt at flight and his alarm has her tilting her head just enough to watch, a gruff rumble escaping her. Laughter? Perhaps. But she gives the blue the space he needs, drifting by as she is. Anoryn is just as reserved as her lifemate, mouth quirked up in a half-smirk as she takes in her surroundings, but also takes notes on the whereabouts and reactions of others. Carefully, she unbuckles her passengers and then herself, muttering a few blunt tips on how to dismount. Once all begin to drift away, the greenrider follows. But even in her experience, however many Turns ago, even Anoryn has her difficulties as she drifts just a little too wide from the lifts. Which may be a good thing, for any unfortunate souls who also miss the mark and go adrift.
Kagenaith does, indeed, panic. All of those fine draconic instincts that have gotten him thus far in life? They really don't do so well in a zero-G. The blue honks again, loudly, fanning his wings 'cause that is what you do when you are not touching anything! Again, dragon doesn't really go anywhere, just kinda starts rotating a little bit… sideways, upside-down, sideways again. "Uhm." Yeah, this may take some work to get the blue settled. The bluerider glances up, and up, apparently back now to make sure his passengers got free without getting caught up in all of his dragon's flailing limbs. Okay, good. Now to work on the dragon.
Inuelle is suddenly being pulled along with Denil and she starts to squeal. "Ah ah don't let me go! Slow down slow down!" she says, and clutches faintly and whitely at his shoulder. She's not afraid of heights, but she's never been OFF Pern before, thats for sure. "Watch out!" she says, but of course she's perfectly safe, there's nothing in front of them.
*THUD!* Iforian hits the wall and bounces back, going sailing back across the cargo bay at only a slightly slower speed than he slammed into the wall beside the door, "Ow…" At least he had his head covered, but he's almost certain to have bruised forearms. He grabs for one of the other candidates as he sails past, only managing to bring his unfortunate anchor with him instead of stopping, like he'd intended.
There's a squeal in his ear and Denil peers over his shoulder, "Where'd you come from? I ain't gotcha! You got me!!" Her warning serves to remind him that he's hurtling through empty air and there's got to be a sudden stop looming and thus he'd better watch where he's going. Slow down? "I don't have any breaks!" He turns his head just in time to see the bulkhead, bring his flailing arms coming up to shield his face. The THUD he makes echoes Iforian's and the pair cartwheel back across the bay. At least they're going in the right direction this time?
Alosynth and Keziah are a little later in appearing after the other dragons and the young candidates up on the greens back are wide-eyed with a bit of fright. Keziah coughs just a little, clearing her throat so to speak before instructing the youngsters on a proper dismount into free fall. The experience of weightlessness as a new experience overshadows that period of time Between that was just a little longer than a few beats of the heart. After the youngsters have dismounted, Keziah is following suit, pushing herself down the dragon and alight to watch the candidates careening into each other and things. "Wonder how many we'll be taking back with broken limbs and no chance on the sands, eh Alosynth?" A young girl blanches beside her, or maybe she's just still white from the trip. "No chance on the sands? What?" KEzi smiles "Well, you know how it is. If you've too many injuries it just ain't safe. So no implanting yerself into the deck now, ya hear?" "Umm.. okay, ma'am.." Gulp.
Matrin ends up grasping onto the shirt of a fellow candidate awkwardly, but at least the younger man has a good grip on a handhold so they don't both go spinning off. He clears his throat, leans and stretches to get a handhold of his own, then absently smooths the front of the cotton shirt beneath his leather jacket. "Well this is quite an adventure anyway, isn't it?" He flinches when Iforian goes slamming into the wall nearby and then drags an unfortunate spinning off into space with him. "Um…" trailing off, he makes sure his own grip is secure, then holds a hand out to maybe snag the next person tumbling through the air. "No sudden movements, push gently I think," he suggests to no one in particular - but that seemed to work well enough for him. He offers Keziah an uncertain looking smile as she appears and gives his head a little shake. "Way to be positive there, Keziah." But he's more amused than anything, leaning out to snag a young girl and drag her by the back of her shirt toward the wall.
Inuelle finally has had enough to being the backseat driver and she actually pulls Denil tighter into her arms and curls them together into a semi-ball as they spin. This does slow them down a little bit as there's no longer any flailing about. "All right, we're going back towards that wall and we're staying there until somebody tells us where to go," she instructs him, "And how," she gulps and starts to try swimming towards the wall again, this time pulling Denil along with her. She is not going to be responsible for the younger boy getting injured!
Anoryn simply gives in to her miscalculated drift, tucking in her limbs to absorb some of the shock when she finally does bump into the wall. Slowly, carefully, she'll extend her hand to find any sort of handhold to keep herself from rebounding out into open air. Her fingers finally find something sturdy enough to grasp and the greenrider comes to a slow stop - somewhat. She's having to fight to keep her legs from drifting upwards, less she wish to be parallel to the wall. "Getting to old for this." She grumbles under her breath, just as the first squeals and thuds ring out across the cargo bay. That has Anoryn turning her head, just in time to catch candidates colliding and rebounding. Her grimace says it all. "Small movements and subtle is best if you can manage it." She tosses out as gruff advice to any near enough to hear her. Then she's doing a quick calculation in her head before pushing off again, likely reaching out to snare anyone still adrift and bring them back on course. As for Rysith? The aged green has managed to drift to a point furthest away from all the commotion and latch herself securely to the wall, almost bat-like from the way she hangs. This only seems to mildly fascinate her, rather then cause alarm.
"YAHHHHHHHHH" There's another wall, though at least this time Iforian manages to hit it with his back, keeping the unfortunate girl he'd managed to drag with him in front of him so he doesn't accidentally squish her. It would be really bad to be the reason for another Candidate to be banned from the sands, after all… The rebound, this time, is much slower, but they're not going in the right direction, either. Shard it all!
Keziah can't help but grin at Matrin. Not evilly, oh no. Not Kezi. "I'm too positive now? And here I thought you thought that I was too negative. Honestly Harper. Whats a girl to do to satisfy you? Knock you on your pretty little umm, well." She pauses a moment "Course, it worked on Ers'lan." she uses and then shakes her head a bit and murmurs something about men and then her attention is diverted as she Alosynth rumbles and the green is looking at the older green and Keziah lets out a laugh "Go for it dear." And the smaller green heads over to the older one and then she too tries the bat-like hanging.
The wall they're swimming towards is the lift-wall, so that's a plus. Denil, however has a girl CURLED AROUND HIM!!! As they zero in on the vicinity of Anoryn, Matrin and a few others, he's saying, "Getitoffgetitoffgetitoff!" He's at least learned not to flail but from his expression he'd REALLY like to push - or swat Inuelle. "That's it," he mutters in disgust. "Bugs. In your bed. In your clothes. When you least expect 'em, expect 'em."
"I was being sarcastic," Matrin notes with a wry twist of his lips. "Though knocking me on my butt worked pretty well for Mishkia, and if you'd like other tips she's the one to ask." He flashes a wink her way, and his grin is nearly smug. Unfortunately it means he's distracted enough that he almost misses the fact that the duo of Denil and Inuelle are heading right for him. Luckily the bug talk has him glancing up and he inches to the side to give them space to land, reaching out with his free hand to hopefully help them stick when they arrive. "Grab the handhold, bend your arms and knees to cushion the impact." He pauses, a frown touching his brow. "At least, I think." He gives Anoryn a smile and tips his head, silently inviting her to put in her two cents since she seems to actually know what she's doing.
Inuelle is grateful to Matrin when he helps them get to the lift wall. "Thank you, I think I'm starting to get used to this now. "She determinately leaves Denil at the lift, ignoring his comments about bugs. "Stay here and try not to get bruised," she says, then she floats out again, a little less frightened then she was before, to reach for anyone else who might need in order to help them. Iforian and the girl he's with is the direction she goes in. Maybe just for the fact that she doesn't want him and some random girl floating around the bay together. Ahem hem! "Need a hand?"
"That's the right of it, at least, to start. Only real way to learn is through trial and error." Anoryn does toss in her two cents from where she continues to half float along the wall. The greenrider has found another spot to latch on now, closer to the lift and pushing a few errant candidates in the right direction along the way. The rest of her commentary however, is tinged in obvious sarcasm. "However… usually that winds up with disastrous ends. So… do try to keep it simple and safe, hmm?" Seems like she's joining Keziah on the whole injury bit. Then she's glancing up as Denil, with Inuelle, go sailing by and with his run on commentary. Anoryn simply sighs, her smirk returning in full force. Rysith goes Alosynth a welcoming chuff, followed by a few other sounds that sound like encouragement. Usually the older green prefers to be alone, but the new experience has left her unusually friendly.
This time, when Iforian and his unwitting passenger hit the wall, the miner-candidate manages to grab a handhold and bring them to a stop. The girl, not thinking, swats him for grabbing her, and he has to wrap one arm around her middle to keep her from spinning off, wincing a little when he wrinches his shoulder, "Hold still, darlin'. I didn' mean t' drag ya with me." Grr… Then, here comes Inuelle and the vaguely green miner flashes a weak imitation of his usual charming smile, looking embarassed by his lack of control, "I prob'ly could…" The other candidate squirms out of his grip and pushes off of him to make swimming movements through the air to get back to the others, leaving Ifo free to hold out a hand to his admirer.
Keziah just smiles at Matrin and then she's turning her attention back to the candidates as one of the younger girls tries to experiment with the weightlessness and starts freaking out when she goes up and up and up. "I'm coming Tatyani!" there's a sigh and greenie is pushing herself up after the wayward young girl and help her back down. "Just take it slow and easy. A little goes a long way. There is no need to force it." she murmurs. Alosynth settles herself and is content to hang and whuffle back at the green and she's enjoying this experience of reorienting herself in a different way.
"Thanks, man." That's for Matrin and his helpful hand. However Inuelle's bossy 'stay there' draws a small growl from Denil. Under his breath he asides to Matrin, "Girls!" The pre-teen sends a dark glance after her, then amends, "At least I think it is. S'not a dude. Maybe it's a bug." Muttermutter. He's clinging to the wall because, well, they're here for a reason and cavorting in zero gravity wasn't it. Was it? Maybe it's to listen to innuendoes fly back and forth between greenrider and older male candidate. "EwwW?" Like… he gets it when in fact he has no idea at all.
And so Inuelle has ended up exactly where she'd wanted to be when they left the Weyr. She takes the hand offered to her, then 'allows' herself to float 'accidentally' up against him. "Oh darn this air swimming," she says. "I'm all sorts of clumsy now," she says, and smiles. Of course, the bay is filled with AWLMs so this is as coy and flirty as she's willing to get without risking being banned from the sands.
Matrin makes sure the younger lad is settled before letting go of him, but he does flash a broad grin. "Quite welcome. And I am pretty sure she is a girl, yes. Don't be too hard on them as a group though - you might find yourself more interested than you'd think in a few turn's time." He anticipates a loud and negative response to this but his smirk doesn't slip. If anything, as he glances around to see how the group is faring and catches a bit of the interaction between Iforian and Inuelle, it grows. "See?" Is his aside murmur for Deil. Then he's trying to figure out who's in charge and what might be up next, holding out an absent hand to help anchor the incoming flirty duo. "Should those of us who are settled start heading… down? Up? Er… into the lift?" Something before they start losing folks.
There's another pair of eyes that are watching the interactions going on and if Anoryn assumes anything, the older greenrider is keeping mum on it. Her smirk or frowning just seems to be a constant expression for her. "Start making your way over to the lift. /Slowly/," she directs, following Matrin's question. Whether to set an example on how to do it or simply follow through with her own orders, Anoryn pushes away from her current spot again and slowly floats her way to the lift. She takes her time about it and by the time she's orientated herself and found somewhere to hold on. From this vantage point, she's a bit out of the way but she can keep an eye on the remaining candidates, both those who have made it and those still drifting in.
Iforian chuckles softly, though it's not his usual confidant rumble, "Ain't never floated like this b'fore…" He does go ahead and wrap an arm around Inuelle when she floats up against him, "Ya know… Ya got real pretty eyes, doll." He glances over at the group by the lift door and down at the floor several feet below him, "Might do t' try headin' t' ever'body else now, though." As much as he'd like to take a moment to get to know the girl better, they are right out in full view of everyone… He lightly pushes away from the wall, keeping the baker-candidate held close, and manages a more controlled drift toward the lifts than before. His free hand is stretched out in front of him, reaching for where he wants to go and hoping that someone will take pitty on him to bring them in when they get close.
Denil snorts patent disbelief at Matrin. He follows Matrin's prompt, spots Iforian and Inuelle huggy-close and he makes fake gagging noises, "That's SO gross!" Meanwhile he's floated upside down, while still hanging onto that rail, so when Anoryn says to go to the lift, well he's right there where the button is, so he pokes it, grinning to himself when it whooshes open. He push-glides in, skims across the ceiling, using the wall and hand-grips there to guide himself down the far wall like a bug (are we seeing a theme here?), turning at the bottom to plant feet to floor.
Having managed to catch a lift with one of the many riders travelling back to the Yokohama the ex stablehand nods a polite thanks to her courier before she attempts, attempt being definitely the correct term for her current random and seemingly directionless movement, to try and reach her fellow candidates. There seems to be a stream of mumbled curses before Kinzie finally manages to push herself off a railling and gain a better, slightly more controlled, momentum "This is going to take some getting used to" she says with a slight grin pulling at the corner of her mouth, using the walls as guidance as she draws near to the lifts.
Inuelle goes all blushy and eyelash fluttery with the comment about her eyes. She's rather content to let Ifo guide them now, but she does take the time to look around. She's never been in a space station before, obviously. "I think I like it here," she says. "Uh despite the lack of being able to touch the floor." Okay, so she's a Baker and Hold bred. But she does know what a space station is, her Harper lessons have taught her that at least.
Matrin just chuckles at Denil's exaggerated reaction to the 'huggy close' couple, but his smile grows admiring as the boy goes clambering around the lift like he was born there. "I guess the young really do acclimate faster, hmm?" He waits to go in himself until Iforian and Inuelle are close enough for him to reach out and snag a bit of shirt sleeve. A soft tug sets them moving more firmly toward the open lift door and he follows behind by pushing himself awkwardly from one railing to the next. Upward pressure gets his feet at least near the floor and he takes a deep, steadying breath. "Is the gravity for the whole place broken right now?" AKA, are we going to be doing this floaty business the whole trip?
"No, only here. Just get in the lift. You'll see soon enough," Anoryn hints towards Matrin with a grin that could either be reassuring or unsettling. But her response and that same grin seems to be directed to the others as well, along with a look that seems to tell them to organize themselves now. While she did say to do it slowly, the greenrider is still impatient to be off and out of the zero gravity. The older rider has figured they've pushed their luck enough as it is. Then it's her turn to climb into the lift, moving carefully and making a quick count of those in the lift to be sure no one is trying to sneakily remain behind. "All set then?" It's not so much a question as it is a warning. "Right. Whoever's near the controls? Hit -that- button. Anyone near the doors, you best pull in your limbs." Another grin, while her free hand gestures to the control panel and the button mentioned.
"Thanks, Matrin." The tall Candidate gives the other man a grateful look, once more looking vaguely like he might lose his lunch. Iforian isn't nearly as graceful as some of the others, gliding into the lift, and it takes him longer to get his feet oriented 'down'. He doesn't let go of Inuelle yet, either… Maybe he should do that soon.
Guiding Tatyani along Keziah makes her way over to the lift coming up behind the other candidates "I've forgotten how disorienting weightlessness can be. I'm certainly looking forward to a little gravity again." she notes as she wrinkles her nose. Then there's a glance over towards Alosynth there the dragon is hanging 'upside-down' and messing around with her footing "Hush you or I'll tie you to your next 'suitor and make you cuddle with him." There's a pause "I do not!" Hmmph and the greenie makes her way into the lift with the others. "Stupid, ornery dragon. Thinks she's so smart." A pause and a yell out towards the hanger "I heard that Alo!" She lookss around at some of the looks she's getting "Just you wait. Some of you will be getting a snarky voice in your head too." Hmmph.
Yokohama - Main Lift
Manufactured from a lightweight composite of Terran materials this lift supports a "microfoamed" cylindrical cab to house personnel as they travel from one part of the Yokohama to another. Three linear induction motors, mounted longitudinally on the cab's exterior, provide the force to move the cab. Electromagnetic conduits lining the shaft power the motors. The lift reaches an approximate maximum speed of ten meters per second under this system. Inertial dampeners mounted on the cab's base counteracts the acceleration effects. The interior display shows the ship's directory to assist in achieving the correct destination.
The lift is lined with brilliant tubes shining brighter than a hundred glows each, at least. The floor is thinly carpeted in a depressing industrial gray, and the walls are painted an unassuming tan. The doors are quite thick, and bear a small silver plate with the title 'Emergency procedures in case of Hull Breach…' but the rest makes little sense.
It comes from scampering up and down rocky mountain slopes in search of errant ovines, the easy adaptation to climbing around in zero gravity. Iforian and Inuelle being mushy over there draw an eyeroll but no further comments. And Denil happens to be right beside that control panel so his hand reaches for it, finger hovering over the array of buttons, hesitates then with a little grin he pokes the one that says 'Bridge' on it, smile growing wider as the hiss of doors, lights flash and clanging alarm sounds Apparently finding he rather likes pushing buttons, for he's all wide-eyed appreciation of that. And as the hissing commences, the gravity returns with a slow feeling of growing heaviness and his feet are firmly on the floor.
Inuelle floats into the lift with Iforian and is more than happy to continue holding onto him. She does reach for one of the hand holds inside. "I hope this isn't too bumpy a ride," she says, though she is looking a little pale again. She's still not used to the idea of a space station and no-gravity, but electronic lifts and artificial gravity are also filling her brain now. Denil hits the lift button and Inuelle grasps at Ifo's arm tightly. Up up up!
Denil presses the button for Floor: 17. There is a momentary pause as the lights flash at the entryway.
The doors to the lift come closed and after a momentary pause, waiting for everyone to take hold of the hand rails, the capsule bobs and then rockets to its next destination.
The lift comes to a halt at Floor: 17 and the doors open.
Anoryn turns her attention from the candidates for a moment to fix Keziah with a curious side-glance. Then the other assistant weyrlingmaster's mouth is curving into a small smile, brief and short lived during the other's exchange with her dragon. "Don't scare 'em," she muses in a gruff-like tone and soon chuckles just the same. Then the lift doors close and there's a nod of thanks given to Denil and just like that she's back to frowning. Knowing what to expect, she's prepared for the gradual return of gravity and so she regains her footing easily. Waiting until the lift's doors open again, Anoryn then gestures with a sweeping motion of her hand. "Everyone out."
Yokohama - Bridge of Operations
From the lift, the main viewscreen dominates the wall seen directly across the way from it. Set above is an enormous observation window, which affords an amazing view of space and the planet below. There are many control consoles and chairs on the deck set before them, as well as a large open area just in front of the viewscreen. Centrally located in this expansive area is the Commanding Officer's chair. Three sets of steps ascend to the platform, which is set several meters above the deck. Other important stations line the upper platform, which extends both the port and starboard, each side ending a few meters short of the viewscreen.
Iforian shifts his arm to drape around Inuelle's shoulders as gravity returns, looking relieved to be securely on the ground (so to speak) again, "Tha's better." It'll take a little while for him to lose the green color, though… He nods in agreement with the girl's hope that it's a smooth ride and steps out with the others when they reach the level they're heading to, almost herding the other blonde candidate along as he refuses to take his arm away until told to, either by Inu or one of the AWLMs.
Out. That's all Denil has to hear to prompt him skipping on out those doors to the bridge only to skid to a sudden stop before the huge window. "Whoaaaaa!" But he's not looking at the planet spread out before them. Nope. He's staring at the arrays of buttons blinking on the consoles around the room. Shoving his hands in his pockets he ambles casually now, towards the empty captain's seat, eyes on the console.
Inuelle is quite relieved to be on her feet again, but she doesn't let go of Ifo either. Maybe due to gravity of another sort than the one keeping her feet on the floor. "So um," she says, and then Denil's wow gets her attention and her eyes are suddenly glued to the window. "Oh my!" is all she can say.
The words won't be coming from Anoryn, though she levels a pointed look towards Iforian and Inuelle, in hopes that one of them catches on and hopefully are smart enough to catch on. Oh, she's watching, in her own subtle little ways. Neither was she born yesterday. The greenrider has many Turns under her belt, but she doesn't feel the need to publicly draw attention to it. Yet. Then she's distracted by the varying reactions to the view screens by the candidates. In particular, she's watching Denil or trying too. "Amazing, isn't it?" Anoryn muses as she walks from the lift and it's immediately obvious the greenrider doesn't move with the same ease and fluidity in normal gravity. Just a bit of stiffness, enough that she can mask it cleverly unless one knows what to look for. She'll take up position somewhere off to the side again, but close enough to the console and the rest of the bridge.
But Kezi is good at scaring people. "Well, why not? They should have a good expectation of what to expect. Right? Oh well, I'm sure some will get an oh so sickenly sweet dragon that would never be sassy and" She eyes Iforian "You get sick, yer cleaning yerself up. I don't feel like cleaning anyone up again." she notes and then muses "I also wouldn't suggest getting sick onto Inuelle either." She advises and then shifts over to one side where she leans against the wall. Out of the way. Computers and machines just don't really thrill her after all, or at least not quite as much as watching the candidates with just a bit of a smirk on her face.
Iforian looks down at Inuelle, his arm just casually draped, "Hmm?" She was about to say something until she got distracted by the view out of the window. The awe in her voice, and soft exclimations from other Candidates, has him looking at the view as well, his brows raising in appreciation. Instead of making a comment on the vastness of space, the miner-candidate falls silent, quite content to ignore Anoryn's pointed looks. Keziah, however, gets a grimace and he shakes his head, "I ain't gonna get sick. Just didn' like floatin' 'round like tha'."
Denil will tell them! "Y'guys need to get a room or somethin'. Where y'can be all mushy without makin' other people sick." He pulls an over-done queasy-face, then scoots a bit closer to the console, hands still innocently in his pockets. He's just looking, really.
Inuelle is very happy just to look outside the window for awhile, but then turns to give Denil a look that says exactly what she thinks of his comment. But then she turns to look at Anoryn. "Actually, Ma'am I wonder where we'll be staying up here. I think I do need to lie down for a bit." She's not getting sick honest. "Maybe change my clothes. Its a little warmer here than I thought," she tugs on her warm jacket.
"Sweet, sassy, snarky… what's it matter?" Anoryn almost drawls in an overly casual manner to Keziah, her grin a little lopsided now for the younger greenrider. "Suppose it's good to offer some warning. Sickly sweet could be just as frightening to some." Then she's tilting her head to the side when the other assistant weyrlingmaster's attention turns to Iforian and Inuelle as well. The mention of one being sick only has Anoryn grimacing. Seems she's hoping the same or it could be she's noticed her subtle looks go ignored. Denil's little outburst has her blue eyes fixing on him, narrowing a little. Innocent? Suddenly the greenrider isn't so sure. He's freed from her focused attention by Inuelle and Anoryn turns to give her a small smile, "No, not here. You're free to explore the rest of the ship. Quarters are on the lower levels."
"Well, I'm all for full disclosure or something like that," Keziah remarks. "Course, it shall be interesting indeed to see how our next batch of weyrlings are." she remarks "I so look forward to it." Evil much? Nah. As Anoryn gives them leave to explore she adds in her own little bit "I don't recommend expoloring the airlock and leaving the ship. There really isn't any breathable air out there and the vaccuum will suck you out and by the time someone can get out there to save you, you'll likely be dead and thereby rendered unable to stand."
Iforian just looks at Denil for a moment, smirking a little, "Tha' soun's like a nice idear." Finding somewhere to be alone with the girl that's been making doe eyes at him for a while now, that is. He gives Inuelle's shoulders a little squeeze when she says she wants to change, finally slipping his arm from around her shoulders and putting his hands in his pockets. His own jacket gets unzipped and is allowed to hang open, moving over to focus his attention on the control console, just looking to see all of the confusing looking knobs and buttons for a moment, "Lemme know whar ya bunk down, Inu." The baker-candidate is offered a wink and a small smirk.
Denil doesn't care what Inuelle thinks of his comment. See him not caring? He doesn't even notice it because he's looking at those buttons, see? He does smirk over at Anoryn when Inuelle mentions needing to lie down. "That didn't take long," says the little smartmouth. While the AWLM is fixing her attention on answering Inuelle, one hand is pulled from his pocket to move nonchalantly towards the console then darts to poke an orange button inquisitively. Instantly the lights go out, alarms blare and a strobe flashes while that display screen reads: Life Support. Life Support. Life Support. Ooops? In the chaos, Denil slips from the room, into the lift and presses something that takes him to the bowls of the ship. Aren't the… engines down there? Uh oh!
Aww, wish I hadn't missed it, it sounded like fun. At least I got to RP a little up there at the Yoko. Yay space! ;)
Also, I love Kagenaith! :)