Xanadu Weyr - Forest's Edge
While the forest is thick for a long while, in time it begins to thin, as the ground becomes rockier to the south western stretches of the Weyr's land. The trees are further apart, and the tumbled rocks become larger, before rocky outcrops steeply rising with the terrain seem to be more prevalent than the trees around them. As the hills begin to gain in height, the shrubs upon them become more stunted. A cave that was opened up by an earthquake has been widened into a mine, the initially small opening turned into one large enough for whers and humans alike, and the carefully placed support beams can be seen in the opening. Wher dens are located here (to see who lives here type 'dens')
The main trail seems to end here but in the thick forest growth that resumes beyond, a faint less-used trace branches, one to the northwest which leads to the deep forest while the other to the southwest east leads to the old forest. Northeast is the main track back to Xanadu's main forest and the Weyr proper.
It's in a break between one class and the next that Marel actually takes a break and Isyriath… doesn't. Soaring in the skies over Xanadu, the young brown leaves the ground to his rider, though she may well be mentally in the skies with him, given the distant and glassy look to her gaze. She stands propped up against one of the sturdier-looking trees, palms pressed to bark and her head tipped back to glimpse the sky through twisting branches, her two firelizards all that break the silence, their game of chase through said branches drifting down the sound of the occasional twig snapping and the scrabble of claws for purchase against the tree.
With the hot summer months slowly fading into cool autumn nights, M'kal has snuck away from whatever lesson he was supposed to be in. Perhaps it's a well deserved break since evidently Xeosoth didn't yell at him too much for it. The blue isn't anywhere to be seen though as the blue weyrling follows a path further into the forest. Flight jacket slung over one shoulder he's evidently be flying recently. The other shoulder has a young bronze perched and there is no sight of the other two fire lizards that look to him. It's the two playing chase in the trees that catch his attention first before his gaze travels to Marel. Grinning broadly he steps closer. "Heya Marel." he greets as he is within range.
Leathers creak quietly as Marel glances out across one shoulder and steps away from the tree when she realises that she has company, her couple of steps careful to avoid lurking roots. "Hey, M'kal," she greets in turn. "I thought you were…" In the lesson he's crept away from? A little too dutiful to a fault, she abandons that line of questioning, not seeking to chastise. "You're okay?" she asks instead, head tilting slightly.
M'kal gives a little quirky smile at the unfinished sentence. "Nothing I can't miss or make up later." he insists quietly. "Needed some fresh air. Xeosoth's busy scouting around in the meadow to choose his weyr." his gaze cants skywards a moment. "How're you doing? Done with classes for now?"
Marel's smile is not unkind, if laced liberally with amusement. "Is he anticipating getting to select one and inform the Weyrleaders of his choice?" she teases. "Does he have a colour scheme in mind?" Her own gaze briefly follows the bluerider's to the sky before she confirms, "We're okay," in a rather matter-of-fact way. "Got another class later, but nothing for now. He'd rather be active and… Well, distance really isn't /distance/, is it?" she supposes, tapping one finger to her forehead.
"He is." M'kal replies with amusement. "I can't talk him out of finding just the right one for us. Says he's the only one who can do it." he inclines his head and taps his own forehead. "No…always right there eh?" a goofy grin appears. "I don't think color matters to him however. And you? I heard we were getting assigned weyrs soon. Maybe. You got a spot in mind for yours?"
"I'd like to be out in the meadow or the forest," Marel says quietly, as if she's afraid saying it too loudly will mean it doesn't happen at all. "I just want somewhere to be mine. Ours. I mean… I've never lived on my own, but I have Isyriath. And I always wanted to end up with my own place in /some/ form or another." Maybe grander and more Hold-like, in turns past. "I guess, whatever we're assigned, we'll make ours."
"I've never been on my own." admits M'kal with a sheepish smile. "Gonna be weird sleeping with just Xeosoth nearby. I…" he looks around the forest. "The road along the coast is so pretty, Maybe a weyr there would be great." back to Marel he looks. "Don't want to be near your mom's cottage?" he asks curiously.
"We'll visit," Marel suggests with a one-shouldered shrug. "You never know - it'll probably be really embarrassing: we all move out of the barracks and end up all sleeping in someone's weyr 'cause we find don't like being on our own." As for that question: "…No," she confesses in a murmur. "I need to do this on my own. I can't be… that girl; the Weyrwoman's 'kid' - in her shadow all my life." She stares down at her feet, then off into the distance, shoving her hands into her pockets. "I love her and I love Mur'dah, but I need to make a decision for me now."
M'kal laughs a bit. "Course there'll be visits." he brightens at that. "Ha…then I hope we get larger weyrs to fit everyone piled in there. You get to go through the storage rooms yet for furniture and stuff? I have no idea what kind of furniture I'd even like in there. A couple chairs I guess. A bed." he shrugs. He gives a nod at her words. "Well…yeah. That makes sense. I mean you're a rider and all now. Can make your own choices. I hope Mur'dah's weyr is close to mine though I think. To make sure we still hang out and stuff."
"I put a few things aside, but I'd like to get new whenever I have enough marks that are… You know," Marel's rueful smile acknowledges the privileged life she's led, "mine. I don't want for clothes or pretty things, but I'm lacking in furniture." She rocks back on her heels, looking up at M'kal as she asks, "Do you want some help? With furniture and what to go in your weyr?" Sounds like she has her own 'house' all planned out in her head. "Mur'dah… needs friends right now," she says softly. "I don't think any of this is easy on him. We've never lived apart and I think I'm more ready for it than he is." So she /thinks/.
One never knows if they are ready to live apart until it's done. M'kal gives a quick nod. "I'll always be his friend." he says stoutly with a thrust out chin. "He'll be fine I am sure." "Oh…I don't have too much to put into my own place really. Just my chest with a couple outfits in it." a lopsided grin appears. "I might have the most empty weyr around. I can draw pretty good…maybe I'll just draw some furniture."
Marel hides her disappointment rather well, retreating into the nice, even, cool calm that so often characterises her, before she finds a smile from somewhere and tells him, "Good," in answer to all he says of her twin. She glances up into the treetops to locate Brier and Flynn, who have finally given up on their chase and settled down companionably on one of the lower branches. "Very flammable furniture," she remarks dryly, dropping her attention back to M'kal. "I'd… better go get something to eat before we're due back in class."
M'kal adds quickly though on the heels of her words. "Of course I'm your friend too." he steps back, shoving hands in his pocket and looks down at his booted feet. "Yeah…I guess I should get on to my next class as well." he murmurs.
"Yes, we're… friends," Marel agrees, low-voiced, unconsciously mimicking him with a glance down at her own feet. When she looks up, her study of him is blatantly obvious, the steps that follow initially meant to carry her around him and off back into the forest, only she changes her mind at the last moment, and, after a split-second of analytical curiosity, she darts closer with the intention of touching her lips to his. She aims for nothing more than that, almost chaste with it, and, whether he accepts it or not, she turns and marches off through the forest, head held high.
M'kal's eyes follow her steps as they start to lead out of the forest, a million thoughts going through his head on what else he should of/could have said when suddenly she's darting closer and… It's with wide eyes he accepts her kiss, a wide smile curving his mouth as she marches off. "Bye…friend." he murmurs after her. The smile? That'll be hanging around for a while!