Xanadu Weyr - Star Stones
Looming up above the weyr stand the spindly spires called the Starstones. Jagged grays and brown are stately, if a bit dull and uniform. These rocks have stood for as long as records stretch, being used by millions of dragons across time and space to come home, or to herald the coming of Thread by the circular hole drilled there by the first people of Pern. As the Red Star creeps across the sky, an enemy still v
ery real, if perhaps just a memory now, to line up with the circle and sing of the Pass' beginning.
There is room here for a few dragons to land although there is no shelter for man or beast. It is a magnificent prospect out over the weyr and across the lake, the sky often occupied by dragons and firelizards, many flitting in and out of *between*.
It's one of the clearest nights of the late fall season, thanks to a sweeping front that has brought stars glittering in multicolored points across the sky, revealing a depth usually unseen due to humidity or dust in the atmosphere. There isnt a breath of wind tonight to stir the air, allowing a light frost to settle upon the stone. Atop the spire, a lone figure sits, wrapped in a thick blanket humming to herself. At the end of the spot where the dragons land is a half-covered glowbasket dimly lighting the way to the 'stones.
Sound carries far on this kind of night, with nothing to halt its progress across the sky, and so the little green that flaps her way up to the stones is announced well before she truly arrives. She lands neatly, claws clinging as she settles to the rock, and after a moment there is stilted movement atop her neck. After a few moments stretch with nothing more, there is finally a dull thud that is Enkavir hitting the ground - on his feet but barely - followed by the abrupt departure of the delivering green. "Thanks-" he calls, but the dragon and rider are already out of earshot. Enkavir just grunts, pulls his long wool trenchcoat closer around himself and turns to find a spot. Even better, he sees Thea, and his lips form a soft smile as he trots over to her. "Mind company, love, or did you want to be alone?"
Thea has watched the arrival, her face unreadable in the dark, but her voice has a delighted surprised tone, "Oh, its you! Not anymore I don't." She pats the stone beside her. "Thought it was the watch arriving." She snakes an arm through the blanket's opening and lifts it towards him, her hand palm up. "Come to see the-" Swiftly she substitutes, "-solitude did you?" An awkward change and she winces. "I'm glad to see you!" The dim light of the glow barely lights the curve of her lips as she says it.
Enkavir adjusts the length of a long scarf, varying shades of blue wrapped around his neck and disappearing into the coat, as he finally approaches the rock where Thea sits. "I proofread a sweep report for her so she'd drop me off up here. She's my new ride," he offers lightly, then he flops down on the rock with uncharacteristic looseness, grabs that hand and drops a gentle kiss into the offered palm. "Mostly I am hiding from the Harper that keeps asking me to reorganize old files," he admits with the tiniest hint of chagrin. "Mere mortals have a hard time getting up here, you know." It's said lightly, jokingly even if there's the tiniest hint of dry humor underlying the words. "I'm glad to see you too," he offers just as lightly but without pretext as he leans against her blanket-shrouded side. "How about you, stargazing?" One brow arches teasingly - he caught her substitution and has no such qualms about mentioning the lights above them.
Thea's chuckle eddies around them as Enkavir kisses her palm, but whether it is because it's his evasion from the Harper's chore or his quip about the greenrider, she doesn't say. "You seem…" there's a pause, merriment laces the rest, "…in control tonight." A quiet laugh follows, "They ought to end your working hours at dusk. I shall see to it." A hand waves at the sky, a gesture meant to include the whole of it, her voice losing the joviality, "I am." She leans against him as well, snuggling her head against his shoulder, keeping her chin tilted so she can see the sky, "I've always loved them, but…" Said with a wistful sigh, but left hanging unfinished.
Enkavir winds his fingers through hers, settling the paired hands lightly in his lap as he nods. "I feel a bit more settled tonight I guess. And I was productive, and now lo and behold, I find my favorite person and I get her all to myself. All good reasons to smile." And smile he does, even if it is still not quite as broad and deep as some. He takes a deep breath, eyes traveling up to scan the sky, but then she trails off, leaving him to look at her searchingly instead. "But?"
Thea curls her fingers round Enkavir's as his fingers slide through hers, her other hand sneaks out to join them, covering the back of his hand so it is cradled in both of hers. "More settled?" Her opening for him to share if he wants, "I'm glad." At his question, she raises her head from where it is resting on Enkavir's shoulders to turn to him, "My father was not inclined to tolerate stargazing." Drily said, void of emotion, yet without heat or bitterness. A shrug and a headshake, "Was a staunch traditionalist, We spent little time in Harper lessons as it was." Her head snuggles back down on Enkavir's shoulder once more. "Was few times I could sneak back out to just have a look. He… forbade such things."
Enkavir gives the hand inside his a little squeeze, smiling down at her much smaller hands cradling his long-fingered one. It's with his eyes on the intertwined fingers that he nods slowly. "Thank you for letting me hash some things out last night. I still don't know what I'm going to do with myself, but I know what I am /not/ going to do and that's something." His eyes slip up to hers, nearly golden in the glowlight. "The most important thing." He listens to her recount of her youth, and his smile fades into a vague frown. "So what /were/ you allowed to do? The stars shouldn't be off limits to anyone, just like they don't belong to anyone." His free hand balls into a loose fist, and suddenly he lets out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "I have never had the desire to physically accost so many people in all my life. You do strange things to me, my Thea." There's self-deprecating amusement in his eyes, shifting quickly to warmth. "Not that I mind."
Thea's head nods from its spot on Enkavr's shoulder, her voice husky with feeling, "I was glad to be able to be here for you. Anytime." The fingers of her free hand gently trace across the back of the hand that holds hers, and she adds with a little rush, "You are precious to me." Likely by the tone of her voice, the one that knows her better than anyone else knows that were it light and her face hidden down there below her hair, she wouldn't be so daring. She abruptly leaps to the next question asked, irony in the answer, "We were permitted to work." Her lips quirk, "Holder Thadan believed in the old ways and the entire hold was run on that philosophy." The chuckling Enkavir does has her head snapping up as she looks at him with a laugh, "I do huh? Have you actually hit any of them yet?" Her fingers give his a gentle pressure, "You don't mind." The statement is made as an impish twinkle is caught by the starlight in her eyes, "Pretty sure the feeling's mutual."
To Thea's offer of listening anytime, Enkavir simply nods, letting out a small sigh at the stroke of her fingers against his skin. Her next words have him tipping his head, seeking out her eyes even in the dim wash of glowlight. The quirk of his lips as he opens his mouth to speak hints at some wry comment, but instead he just closes his mouth right back up, watches her thoughtfully, the leans down to brush a kiss across her cheek. It means his mouth is close to her ear when he murmurs his thanks before straightening. "Hmm, well work is important but you know what they say about all work and no play. How did you end up so… wonderful?" His free hand toys idly with her hair before finding its way around to her far shoulder. "I have not hit any of them, no. But I haven't met your father and I have kept my distance from X'hil. I'll let you know if that changes." He grins, watching that twinkle in her eyes. "I thought it might be." Mutual, that is.
"I'm keeping my distance from that one as well." Thea says with a bit of growl in her voice as she settles back against him within the circle of his arm, "The man's daft, picnicking while I'm carried of by a crazy runner indeed!" She snorts softly, "Wonderful? If you say so. I dunno why I am what I am." She shrugs, "My parent wise training, I guess." The tone holds no irony this time, so her meaning is true. "Strict, but good folk." She tilts her head, regarding him for a moment. "Tell me, if you don't mind about yours?" Gentle digging, but with the shovel ready to refill, if necessary.
Enkavir scowl, turning his head down to look at her. "He picnicked while you were carried off by a crazy runner? Was that the same day that Rhasmir was there? Shells, woman, I can't let you out of my sight for single hour, can I?" The words bring him up short and his eyes warm a bit, his arm around her tightening. "Maybe I should do that less. I could do half of my work in the observation level you know - get Spark trained to spy on you." He's half joking, but really only half. Her question leaves him settling back to get comfortable, eyes sliding out to the middle distance as he thinks. "My father is a SeaCrafter, which means he wasn't home much. My mother was a nanny which meant that I stayed home with her instead of spending my childhood on the water, which was good. She's your typical motherly type I suppose, sweet and kind and ready with a hanky or a cookie, but I had to share her with the all of the Hold's children. I don't share well." He tips a glance down at her - this is probably not news. "Good folk," he echoes.
"It was, yes." Thea nods then laughs quietly at his exclamation. "You're always welcome to join me there. Might need a body guard to keep the crazys away. And taste my fruit-ices before I eat them." Her lips curve at the corners mischievously as she ends with that. She listens carefully as he speaks of his family, "They sound like good folk. I'm glad you have that, Kav." Warmly said and the relief for it is there in her tone. "Kav…" The fingers entwined in his tighten just a bit, "Can you tell me what you meant by me not wanting to hear about things that happened before you were born? Was it concerning your family?" She inhales, holding her breath wincing a little.
Enkavir grunts, leaning into her. "I /make/ the fruit-ices, so if you need a guard from the fruit-ice maker, I am probably not the best choice." He pauses then, a line creasing his brow. "What other crazies though? You said it was just kids with the flowers in the hatching cavern right? No weird letters or anything?" There's concern, and it's almost enough to trump her question. But then there's that wince, and his keen attention catches it even if it is small so he takes a deep breath, lets it slowly out. "It's just that it's ancient history is all, not terribly interesting though in many ways I suppose it formed the path that led me here. My grandfather, I was closer to him than my own parents for a lot of my childhood. He used to be a StarCrafter too. It's what made me choose the craft, though it didn't work out any better for me than it did for him. At least he made Journeyman." He shrugs, dismissive.
Thea nudges him back, her grin growing into a smirk, "Oh, yes, you are. I could die happy then." His question causes the teasing to stop and she hastens to assure him. "No notes, in fact, I never got any." She chuckles then, "Though X'hil got one warning him to stop hanging around goldriders, so maybe it's not all bad?" Odd place to find an upside but who's complaining? "Granfather. The… one you took care of? I remember you saying something about that." She watches his face carefully, listens to the nuances in his voice. "Starcrafter…" Then there's that dismissive shrug. "Kav…" Her hands draw the one they have cradled up and she tilts her head to press her cheek against the back of his. "You don't have to tell me, but don't think I don't want to hear, I do. When you're ready."
Enkavir rolls his eyes, lifting the hand around her shoulder to ruffle her hair. "Silly girl. Dying is not a happy thing, ever. But lucky for you I've no desire to poison you. Never did, even when you were suspicious." This brings his smirk to full force and he just grins down at her. "It's been an interesting few months, I'll give you that." On the subject of notes he grows slightly more serious, and simply nods. "That's good." And then it's back to him, and he lifts fingers from her hair to cup her cheek instead - one hand on each side of her face though one is clasped in her hands. "It's all a long story. It's not that I don't want to tell you about it. It just isn't the sort of thing to recite all in one sitting. Unless you want a monologue. It's not something I struggle with daily or anything, so don't be worrying about me."
Thea sighs, relief mixed with something of the unreadable in her expression, as she nods, "I understand." As his hands cup her cheek, she laughs quietly, eyes crinkling with humor, "If you can worry about me, I guess I can worry about you a little, can't I, Kav?" Firmly said, although the question at the end is plaintive. "I won't bother you about it, but just know I care, even if I am only your.. something." A brow raises and her lips quirk as the starlight shows her eyes are silently laughing at some withheld bit of information.
Enkavir releases her face with one hand so he can hold up finger and thumb held about an inch apart. "A little. I'll give you that much." To her firm his voice is soft, the line of his smile equally gentle. Then he blinks, surprise merging into a confused sort of frown. "Only my… something? What's that mean exactly?" He's not angry, how can he be with that grin on her mouth and that sparkle in her eyes? Instead he squeezes the hand still held in hers, tugging gently on it. "You better tell me."
Thea laughs, "I'm not only your something, silly. I'm your Thea, too." Then she's lost in a bit of soft laughter so she cannot speak, just shaking her head. After a moment, she says airily, "Just… something I heard somewhere. I'm your something." She takes a moment to tug back playfully, "And there's no way you can force it out of me, my lips are sealed. I never reveal my sources." Her eyes still dance as she adds, "At least I'm not your cupcake?" There's always an upside.
"It's true. You are my Thea and my one and only too." Enkavir taps a playful finger to her nose, then he blinks, straightening a bit and tugging that hand through his hair. "Ah, I see. Said that did I?" There's a sheepish line to his mouth, and he grins at her little tug. "Must have been Rogawani, he's the only one who's asked about us. You know what I meant." His brows draw down a bit, thoughtful, his eyes intense on hers even if there is humor in his tone. "What would you have me say? I told him we're together. I think I did. Something along those lines." He tries to wave it away with a dismissive hand, then just snorts. "You better not be anyone /else/'s cupcake, that's what concerns me."
Thea tilts her head to one side, refusing to be baited, "Might have, might have not. You never know who else is listening around here." At the expression in his eyes, hers grow thoughtful, "-I- know what you mean. Rogawani's likely content with that answer. Other's…not so much." She shrugs, "I've been getting questions too." His snort about cupcakes has her dissolving into another fit of laughter. "Why does it, Kav? I just sort of ignore it." Although it gives her gigglefits.
Enkavir's brows lift at this, curious. "You've been getting questions? And what do you say, weyrwoman, when people ask?" He watches her with that intensity so common to him, head tilted down so his glance is up and through his lashes. "And as for that Wingleader calling you flirty pet names?" Though she's giggling and ignoring it, his eyes glint with something that is not amusement. "It /is/ disrespectful but I thought it was sort of humorous when he was doing it to Niva so that isn't all of it. I guess it just seems a bit…" He shakes his head, then starts on a different tack, lifting her chin with the side of a finger beneath it. "I want to be the only one who gives you cute little pet names. I want that to be my right, no one else's. I guess I shouldn't feel so… possessive, but I do."
"I say I am Kav's Thea but they either laugh or say I'm evading their question." She shrugs, "I can't satisfy them, I guess." Her eyes are held captive to his as his finger lifts her chin, her lips part as he speaks, "You… do?" She's finding it hard to breathe and think, "Why shouldn't you feel that way? There is no law against it?"
Watching her eyes, watching her mouth, Enkavir's hand slides to cup her cheek, and when he blinks it is with languid slowness. "That answer works just fine for me. I suppose they expect a more traditional title of some sort. Just tell them I kissed you once-" he breaks off, dropping his face to press the gentlest of kisses on her lips, then murmurs, "or twice. That should satisfy them." He smiles, straightening back up to shrug and watch her with warm eyes. "If you don't mind I suppose I'll go along feeling that way then."
Thea watches his eyes, quite fascinated and content to do so. As his lips touch hers briefly, she doesn't look away from them. "I'll tell them," One shoulder lifts, "Though I can't say I really care all that much what -they- think." A soft smile lingers where his lips just were. "I think I'd be sorely disappointed if you didn't feel that way." Her smile takes on an impish curve, "Make up any cute pet names you want, but please…" She begins to laugh softly again, "Just don't call me cupcake."
When she laughs, so does he, a low chuckle that has him slumping back a bit, shaking his head. "Don't worry, cupcake is not on the list. He called you something else too though, sugar I think. I might just have to keep you away from him so he doesn't ruin all the pet names in the world." He's jovial again, leaving his one hand loosely entwined with hers, but the other hand settles by his side. "I know he doesn't mean anything by it, he's just that kind of guy. I'm not sure why it bugs me so much… unless it's just that kind of guy being so familiar with you."
Thea shakes her head, "I don't take it that way from D'had, really. He's never improperly familiar." She frowns, changing track for a moment, muttering, "I like your hair, but I like to see your eyes better." She dares to reach over and flip some of that hair away from his forehead as she's forming her thoughts, "A weyrwoman walks a fine line, to interact with the people of the Weyr. We find a balance between friendship and manager." Her fingers trace down his jawline, one of her eyebrows lifts over eyes that dance, "We could… make out a list quick and give it to him as his Not To Use Names?" Her lips twitch as she once again gives in to the temptation to needle.
Enkavir just grunts, eyes narrowing. "Maybe I think /cupcake/ is improperly familiar." He's disgruntled but at least he's not making fists. When she pushes his hair out of his eyes he chuckles, especially as it flops right back into place. Grinning he tries again, tugging it into another place, leaving his gaze clear. "It's more stubborn than you /or/ that dragon of yours I'm afraid. You like it though?" Pleased, he almost misses all her informative explaining. Especially as her fingers are tracing their way across his face. "Hmm… I suppose as long as I'm not there I can leave it to you to draw your own boundaries. You are the leader and manager person after all."
Thea just laughs softly nodding, "Yes I do. Though it make you look like a wild man sometimes." She uncurls from her blanket, standing to stretch. "Late and getting colder. I'd best be getting back to the sands." She looks down at Enkavir for a moment a laugh in her voice, "Tell you what? You give me a list of not-to-use names for D'had and I'll give you my people-to-punch list. How's that?" She's already started hers…
Enkavir stands, wincing as he finds himself more stiff than he would have anticipated. He stretches first legs, then arms up over his head, and then lets out a slow sigh. "Would you mind giving me a ride down? Spark's still pretty unreliable I'm afraid, and the watch isn't here yet." Obviously. He grins down at her, shakes his hair so it goes every which way, then nods. "It's a reflection of my inner nature," he quips. "And you get me that list, I'll see what I can do."