Xanadu Weyr - Wanderin' Wherry Tavern
It is often whispered in the crowds that converge here, that a certain Weyrleader was asked what he wanted in the remodeling of the pub that was not so long ago given a refreshing. He muttered back over the rim of his ever-present mug, "I don't care what you do with the place, just so long as there is plenty of ale." With that in mind, cask after cask of ale lines the walls of the tavern, the remodeler's idea of a jest. As they age, the casks bring a real rustic atmosphere to the pub, along with the deeply wooden flavor that seems to be the theme throughout.
The lighting is dim, as it should be in all good pubs, and the tables and chairs are plentiful. A long mahogany bar, intricately carved with runner beasts, stands vigilant duty at the head of the bar, lined with stools for those patrons that seek the bartender's company.
More than two sevens now since the change in leadership and D'son's still doing the meet and greet quite a bit, while also getting stuck in the office a lot with notes and papers and learning that computer Vivian set up for him. The young man is taking a break this afternoon though, perched at the long bar with a mug of dark ale curled into one hand while he listens and nods to the very long-winded discourse an older rider is giving him on wings. "Well, shells man, thanks for the ideas, really," Dels says with an earnest smile though there's something about the set of his shoulders that might read: "Helllllp"
Thea enters the tavern, having declined or missed the meal served at the Caverns, it appears she's here to eat rather than drink since she is dressed for the office in a neat skirt and blouse, her hair neatly coiled and some files in hand. She pauses inside the door, blinking at the crowd filling the tables with just a hint of irritation. "Shells," it's a low mutter. Hunger rules so she heads for the bar – the only spot with seating available and clears her throat, "Sir, D'son? Do you mind if I sit?" There's a slight apology in her tone for him, but the look she flickers towards the older rider is mildly pointed. A hint if he chooses to notice.
"Soo," D'had begins, pushing is way into the space between D'son and the other rider. "You must be that new weyrleader everyone's talking about." Short and sweet. Interruption made with all the grace and charm of Donn. Index and middle finger rise from where a hand is laid upon the bartop to catch the attention of the man behind him who quickly serves up two good strong drinks, one of which is pushed over for the Weyrleader by the blue rider. "Go get yourself another drink old man," he shoots towards the long-winded one, look who's calling people old now, not that D'had is -that- old himself of course, and with that a mark is flipped his way as well. There's the sound of female then and the bluerider turns a smirking smile, that's nothing more than natural for him, towards Thea. "Hey sweets. How's it finally off those sands. Hmm?" Wink.
Boom. Just like that, D'son's blinking, mouth falling open just a little as D'had swings in. The weyrleader sits up on his stool, peeks around D'had towards that older rider who shoots the dirty look at the bluerider not the bronze and makes an 'I'll talk to you later' motion at Dels. Brave little smile for the weyrleader and a faint wave. No really, don't but then: "Yeah, D'son, bronze Inimeth's," he tells D'had and holds his hand out to the bluerider. "Well me—" Thea. "No, please, do," Dels reaches over to pull out the stool at the bar beside him. "How've —" back and forth and he suddenly laughs. "Well met, D'had. Thea, you're more than welcome. Buy you lunch?"
There's a dance of humor in the ice green of Thea's eyes at D'had's question, but she manages to keep a straight face as she answers him formally though pleasantly enough, "It's great, thanks Wingleader." Her brows raise slightly as the other rider is so neatly dispatched by him and she utters a faint whistle for the skill. "You can sit by me anytime, D'had." Especially when the patrons are… persistent. "Thanks, Sir." This to D'son as she slides onto the stool on the other side the Weyrleader with a small shake of her head. "I've some credit to use up yet." A small smirk, "Ovines on the loose came in handy for that."
D'had takes up the seat of the older rider as it's vacated, lifting the drink he retained for himself to his lips and taking a long swig before returning the glass to the bar. "Turns of practice sugar," he winks towards Thea once again, "Sure you're boyfriend won't mind?" he adds, quirking a smile before his attention is brought back to D'son once again. "Well met," he replies with a mild nod of acceptance. "Lunch… lunch would be good." Who's he to turn down lunch for the Weyrleader?
D'son eyes the fresh drink D'had just ordered for him and picks up the glass to take a testing sniff. Hm. Sip. And then he's grinning for the bluerider's fast and easy quipping. "Okay then," he agrees about lunch, nodding first towards one then the other of his new companions. "And … loose ovines come in handy for credits? Really?" His brows lift a little. "Go ahead and order what you like. They've already got mine." He's squinting at the glass again then looks up at D'had. "Uh — what /is/ this?"
Thea leans forward slightly to see D'had, her voice ripples with amusement, "Not if you keep the lechers away. I'm assuming he'd prefer sweet talkin'to hands walkin'." Her fingers flick the imagined had-one-too-many folks out of mind as the 'tender pauses beside her. "The usual," she quietly says and the man is off to the back. "Yes, ovines do." She points to a tufted tapestry on the wall with a rather disturbing picture on it of an ovine in flight and aflame. "Wool came in handy for that." Then she' peering at the drink D'son is sampling with a bit of curiosity and a lifted brow.
"Don't ask, just drink," D'had replies, doing just that which results in the glass he holds being half empty already. "Well," he chuckles, "If you ever change your mind 'bout him you know where to find me." "The usual," he adds when the bartender pauses for his order as well. So difficult they are with these things. "Managed to avoid most of that fiasco myself," the man comments with a nod towards the indicated tapestery.
Hazel eyes settle on D'had's face and then D'son laughs again, nods. "Uh — okay, cheers," and has a proper swig. Coughs once and tilts a look Thea-wards. "Do you um, have a lot of trouble with that? Lechers I mean." His eyes skip over to the tapestry thoug and his mouth makes a little O. "Do uh — did you help make those or buy those or … man. Sheep running around," he says with an exhaled breath. "I did get all the way through the notes on that." More drink. And his food is arriving. Juicy herdbeast sandwich, side of fried tubers and some greens. You know. Growing boy food.
"Not likely." Thea murmurs to D'had with a tiny smile, her attention drawn by the bowl and glass placed before her on the counter. She lifts her spoon, her head turns at D'son's cough and she cannot help but chuckle just a bit, flashing D'had a look, "Igen Firewater or Flaming Ovine?" The question aimed at her draws a shrug, "Depends on when I come in. And whether Ruin is with me. Never when Enkavir is." Her eyes lift to the frame above the window, where a bronze 'lizard crouches expectantly watching, growling with a muted frustration. Her spoon dips into her bowl and raises to her mouth, "Made 'em." Then she's got her mouth full so falls silent.
D'had chuckles at that cough as well, lifting a hand to give the younger man a pat on the back. "You alright there?" A wink follows to the junior, leaving her question unanswered as he takes another long drink for himself. What he's drinking will remain his secret. For now at least.
Brows lift and D'son gives the tapestry a second look. "Nice work," he tells Thea sincerely then bobs his head about that 'depends'. "Ahhh … Ruin?" Another bob of his head D'had-wards. "Yeah, that's … got some kick though. Usually stick to ale," the Weyrleader notes and picks up half his sandwich, bites in with the hearty appetite of the young.
Thea snorts softly, a soundless woosh out of her nose as she gives D'had a tiny shake of her head. Fine she won't press for an answer, she'll just eat. It's there in her expression as she returns her attention to her meal as she answers D'son with a gracious, "Thanks. Prefer ovines dead." She reaches over and flips on of her files open, eyes scanning it between bites. before a mildly bored, "Hmm? Oh, Ruin?" She points up at the window frame with her spoon, "Prefers misery. Can't find it, he makes it. Needs no invitation, really." Back to the list she's studying.
"We'll toughen you up yet." D'had's food is last too come, but when it does its similar to D'son - without all those veggies of course. "Thanks," he nods towards man as its set before him and he leaves his glass to be refilled. "Never did understand the point of having all them beastly things around," he comments. The firelizards obviously.
Satoris waves off an apprentice with a mumbled 'Later' as he opens the door to the Tavern. The miner journeyman has had a tendancy, as of late, to not be as… devoted to his work as usual. In fact, before he's even sat down at the bar, Beldar has placed a mug of dark ale down in preparation for him.
Thea spoons the soup she's eating neatly into her mouth silently. At D'had's comment she slides a sideways glance at the Weyrleader, "already seems tougher than the Weyrsec-" The words are out of her mouth before she thinks and she coughs dryly, the file suddenly claims her attention. Another glance up at Ruin and a shrug, "Come in handy at times." Other times, not so much. Satoris sits and she nods, greeting the miner easily, "Afternoon Satoris."
"Oh … firelizard," D'son nods in Ruin's direction, takes a breath after another bite of sandwich. "Had a whole fair of them on my ledge at Ista. They just kind of … lived on this overhang. Drove me nuts. But Inimeth liked the company. Munch, munch on that sandwich. And there go his eyes sliding Thea's way, brows lifted a little.
Satoris starts in on the ale promptly. He downs a good half of it before realizing that Thea's greeted him. Unfortunately, the best he can muster is a grunt, before returning to drinking. The miner's shoulders slump a bit and he leans forward, one arm propped up on the bartop.
D'had has foot. Therefore, for the moment at least, that's what he's focusing on. Satoris' entrance going relatively unnoticed. "Well least you have the sense to know their a nuisance." Whatever that's supposed to mean.
Thea glances back at Satoris, slumping and grunting noted, but she doesn't comment on that. More out of politeness than anything else she asks him mildly, "Mines doing all right?" Before it's back to her meal and a carefully innocent-sounding, "Hmm?" This as a brow-raising D'son is eyeing her sideways. To D'had’s compliment, she takes it as one anyway, "Thanks, Ruin's an awesome teacher like that." Her gaze flickers back to her file, there's a mutter and she scribbles something next to a name.
D'son is chewing. A lot. Big sandwich you know. He tosses back the last of whatever that drink that D'had got him is and sets the glass down, covers his mouth for a moment and there's a silent belch from behind his napkin. "You started to say something about X'hil," the weyrleader says to Thea casually then he leans forward a little to forward a nod Satoris' way and picks up a fry, bites it neatly in half. "People keep trying to get me to Impress lizards and adopt kittens. I just — I'm not a pet person. Cats make me sneeze."
"Well as can be expected." Satoris musters up something of a reply, if only because he finished his ale and is waiting on Beldar to bring him some more. Pale eyes do shift to regard D'had and D'son, to an extent. Curiousity, perhaps.
"Can't blame you there. Pets. Dragon's enough to take care of." Thea agrees with D'son, one finger lifts towards Ruin. "Though, in a pinch they fit inside." She busies herself with her glass for a moment before, "X'hil." It's flatly said and she's getting that look of unease again while above the window Ruin begins hum with smug pleasure. "Ask me another time," Her lips press closed in a flat line. There's a bit of a blink at Satoris, mild surprise showing in her pale green eyes as they flicker over him. Hmm.
"True, they do at that," D'son says with a nod. "Just the sneezing with the cats. It's bad," he says with a wry look. It fades though as D'son looks over at Thea, a hint of concern wrinkling his brow. "All right," he lets it go. Takes another bite out of his sandwich and lifts his brows at Satoris. Maybe that's encouragement to go on.
Satoris doesn't seem set to elaborate. Instead, he just waits for the next ale and continues drinking. "Want any food?" he's asked and the response? A shake of the head. The miner is looking a bit gaunt. More than usual, that is.
D'had is over halfway through with that sandwich before he's got anything more to say. Eat first talk later apparently. "Neither of you two have kids," he points out. Surprisingly enough, he's good with them, but all the same - pets are bad enough.
"Thanks." It's muttered, but with sincere gratitude as Thea flashes D'son a bit of an apologetic glance. She doesn't make any comment to Satoris, but she's noticed the change in the man. She sighs just a bit, tries not to look concerned and fails so she makes a pretense of scanning her notes. D'had's got her attention then, "Nope, no kids and I hope it stays that way." Firmly said.
“Negatory good buddy”, says D'son's shaking head. No kids. Because his mouth is full again. He swallows after a moment, pulls his ale close and swigs. "Not for a while yet. My weyrmate and I agreed not until we're both over twenty."
Dust is evident on her black slacks and jacket and even a smudge streaks one cheek, her normally sleek and not-one-hair-out-of-place twist is a bit loose and judging by the way she fidgets on her feet, they are complaining about her shoes. Taerah sighs and the bronze at her shoulder tugs a stray strand of hair, making her yelp softly, "Yes yes.. I know.. food.." she murmurs, her path set for that very thing.
D'had chuckles. "Good on you," he replies, reaching for the recently refilled drink and downing three quarters of it. "Might want to talk about fostering too," he notes, "My weyrmate wanted to keep 'em herself. Sweet enough, but somethin' else when they're bouncing on your head to get up at dawn." D'had… Weyrmate…? Kids…? Who've thought. And with that another bite of sandwich fills his mouth.
Nothing like the topic of having babies to kill a conversation in a mostly male group, not that the words were really flowing anyway. "I'm just… not having any. Ever." Thea's adamant about that. "Like kids best when they belong to someone else." Weyrmate. D'had. The weyrwoman's eyes do widen a bit. "Hrm." That's as about as untactful as she is going to get today. Taerah enters and Thea's blinking at the disheveled appearance of the girl. "Records room can't be that dirty. Please tell me it isn't." The plea in her voice is quite evident.
Satoris is likely trying to ignore talk of babies. If anything, he slumps more and drinks all the faster.
Looking up from his lunch, D'son notes the incoming records-keeper with a curious glance then blinks over at D'had. "Uh yeah, of course. Was raised that way myself. Weyrbred. My mother's a bluerider and my father a greenrider. We're close enough, but Badri took care of me and she's my half-sister's mother." His elbows park atop the bar, hands bracing his second half-sandwich over his plate. "I don't think Ais meant for us to just … raise them. I mean, she's a weyrlingmaster's assistant and I —" he breaks off. He's weyrleader now. At a different Weyr. Probably better to cut that one off at the pass. "Records?" he queries chipperly with a questioning look over at Taerah and a 'please introduce?' look towards Thea.
Kire comes into the tavern and he sees that the place is crowded. He nods as he sees a couple people that he knows as he heads over towards the bar to get something to drink. He orders an ale from the bartender and he sits down at the bar to wait for his drink.
Taerah's eyes shift upward at the voice and she grins some, "Oh no, I cleaned it up the first day.." and she gives Thea a playful grin. "No..this is the result of me trying to find just the right spot for a few things…" and she waves a hand. It's not so much meant as a wave of greeting at first but turns into one and she smiles to Thea's companions. Already at the bar she places an order and then waits as well, smiling to the newcomer.
Thea's taking in the story of D'son as she's waiting for Taerah's reassurance that the records room is not in shambles, caved in and rubble strewn. She noticed that Satoris' drinking has sped up but rather than look nervous about it, her face shows that she's growing more unhappy with each glance at him. Kire, for the moment is missed, but Taerah's reply causes her to chuckle, "Enkavir keeps them in order, as long as no new disaster has befallen the Weyr, I'm good with that." Her eyes slide towards D'son, "Weyrleader, Taerah, another of our records keepers, Taerah, D'son. Yer both about as new to Xanadu as each other, I'm thinking."
Satoris is near to Thea and the two male riders, but not really a companion. If anything, his squared shoulders, slumped posture, would indicate that he's sulking. In fact, they most certainly do.
D'son leans backward and sets his half-sandwich down, wipes his fingers and holds a hand out around D'had towards Taerah. Wow is that bar ever getting busy. "Hey there, nice to meet you. I've gotten to know Enkavir a little. Probably going to be the bane of your existence for a little while with all the things I have to learn about Xanadu," the weyrleader tells the records-keeper cheerily.
Kire smiles at Taerah, "Hello there Taerah how are you doing? Good I hope. How is the archives treating you?" He ask as his mug of ale comes and he puts down some money to pay for it and a couple more drinks. He takes out a meatroll to feed the brown firelizard that is perched on his shoulder looking around the room.
Taerah grins some and nods, "Thankfully they are easy enough to go through being in date order already, it's much harder when they aren't." Her eyes drift to Kire and she smiles, "I'm doing quite well, thanks, I trust you are too." She hears Thea making introductions and glances to the group as she leans up off the bar, "I hear my name.." she says with a grin as she turns and takes a step or two around to D’son’s spot on the bar. Her hand is offered to D'son in return then pulled back and rubbed against a clean spot on her pantleg, blush, then she offers again, "Nice to meet you, sir, I'll be happy to help." She looks back to Thea and hrms, "I think I arrived shortly before.. a few sevendays perhaps.."
M'gan comes in right about this point, and grins as he recognizes Taerah's voice. The Ierne Bronzer looks around, and then heads for the bar, ordering a skin of Benden red, then moving up alongside the lovely archivist. "Right about the same time I started to spend time here."
Thea's attention is sorely tried with the rising clamor being only a secondary cause to her distress. She nods, "So you did Taerah. Too many new folks coming in lately to keep track of." Her soup finished, she lifts her glass, drains the last from it and wipes her lips. To M'gan's arrival, she merely nods offering a pleasant, "Afternoon Bronzerider." She's slipping away from her spot at the bar, gathering her files. "I've another memo from Vivian," she reminds the Weyrleader quietly, "to see you this afternoon?" Then she's off weaving her way through the crowd and out the door.