Fresh off the Wagon
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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 border to the north. Where the ground is less trampled, tiny flowers poke their delicate heads out from their shaded hiding places.
The cliff looms imposingly on three sides, stretching upwards all the way up the side of the rock edifice where, high above on Xanadu's Star Stones, the ever-present watchdragon sits on the lonely peak. Directly south is the hatching arena, the large round complex taking up a large portion of the perimeter, a line of trees visible beyond it. 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 Wandering Wherry Tavern. Tucked neatly under the arch, to one side is a tiny wood-frame shop bearing the name 'Petals and Pots Garden Shop'. Southwest lies cliffs where windows for the administrative offices have been cut. Underneath them are the entrances to the crafters complex while north and west along the cliff's base, a broad path leads to the feeding grounds. Due north is the spacious trail that leads to the rest of the Weyr - the meadow, the forest beyond. At the far edge of the clearing, beside the trail leading to the forest sits a clocktower.


The leaves are turning bright colors as autumn settles onto Xanadu. Not that there are trees in this part of the Weyr, but when those leaves fall off the more distant trees the wind has a tendency to pick them up and send them scurrying around to get everywhere. It's early afternoon, a little after lunchtime, and the sun is out, giving a pleasant warmth. That warmth is likely why Soriana's leaving the caverns for outside, carrying a small napkin-wrapped bundle in one hand.

Kera is currently wandering around a bit, moving quiet out of the way place to lean against while she watches the activities going on in her soon to be new home. With a shake of her head, she readjust her overstuffed backpack and shoulder satchel before stepping away once more to see what else can distract her before she can report in. She smiles cheerily to a few people that pass nearby before finding another place to lean and figure out where she's supposed to go. If she looks lost, it's cause she probably is.

The clearing can be a busy place, and today… it is. Not the most busy Soriana's ever seen it, but there's a brown dragon off to one side being unloaded after a cargo run, and various people going briskly along to wherever it is they belong. Kera gets smiles in return from some of them, but most seem too busy to actually stop and chat. Places to go! People to see! Things to do! Soriana has those too, but first, she's got Lunch to eat! That means she's also looking for a quiet out of the way place, and as luck would have it, she ends up heading for the same one Kera's found. Along she goes, and first she just offers a wave, but then her steps slow. Backpack… leaning against the wall… hmm. She stops entirely, and smiles to Kera. "Hello!"

Kera's attention is caught by something off in the distance and she seems to follow it as it moves off. Reaching up, she tugs her braid forward as if to get the added weight off her back. Caught off guard by the close voice, she peers around quickly. With an embarrassed smile she pushes back up to her feet and teeters a little as she counter-balances the differant weights around her. "OH Hi there!" Peering a bit closer her eyes wider a little and she pipes in "Excuse me Weyrling.. Ma'am." With a little respectful headdip she gestures to the bench "Help yourself to it ma'am."

Ma'am. What. Did Soriana… just get called… MA'AM? That wasn't even ironic or something. For a moment, she just stares at Kera. What is this. She does not even. What. No. "Uh." Okay. So this is a thing now. Better deal with it. Step one: she puts a smile on her face, and says, "Just Soriana." That's her name, do wear it out. At least, if the alternative is ma'am. Please? As for the bench, she glances there, then at Kera's burdens. "I think you were there first," she says with a smile. "But, if you don't mind sharing…" Soriana sits down, careful to take only a small part of the bench, and gestures Kera to the rest of it.

From the path from the Crafters complex, n-talya makes her way slowly along pulling a cart that rattles every step of the way. The slight young dolphin crafter strains a bit at the burden but smiles as he moves along. Spotting Soriana and the unfimiluar girl she slides to a halt, deciding this is a wonderful place to take a break and gives a slight wave, her breath coming slighlty hard, "Hi."

Kera considers the bench a moment, then Soriana once more before a very slight, due to her heavy pack, shrug of her shoulders. She tries to ease down, but end up plopping down heavily. With a bubbly chuckle and swipes her hand across the bottom of her tunic a time or two before offering it to her greeter. "Hi Soriana. I'm Kera. Just recently in from the last Rubicon runnerwagons." The new greeting catches her attention and the apprentice healer nods with a grin to the other girl.

"Nice to meet you, Kera." Soriana takes that hand, once it's offered, and gives it a friendly shake. "Rubicon, huh? We studied that in weyrling class. Exports… mmh, a lot of seafood, if I'm remembering right." A smile. "Well, welcome to Xanadu. I'm just one of the weyrlings here. Luraoth's rider." Soriana glances up at the approach of a rattling sound, curious. When she sees that it's Natalya there, she waves to the dolphineer. "Heya!" Her non-waving hand lifts the napkin bundle into her lap.

Natalya looks curiously to Kera as she approaches, and smiles hearing Soriana' introduction, catching the name she joins in saying, "Yeah welcome to Xanadu. You'll love it here, their great around here." he smiles to Soriana, "Hows training going anyways?" completely forgetting to introduce herself as she speaks, leaning agains her cart.

Kera grins with an easy going nod, "Seafood and dolphin pods among a few things it seems." Tilting her head abit, Natalya's reviews of Xanadu cause her to chuckle. "Well I certainly hope so. I'm to report to the Weyrhealer, but this place is just so…busy that I keep getting distracted. Not to mention lost." With a little bit of shifting, she slips off her shoulder satchel over her head, and wiggles the backpack off her shoulders. It ends up tumbling off the other side of the bench with a thunk. Rolling her eyes at it, Kera sets it upright, but leaves it on the ground behind the bench for now.

"This is Natalya," Soriana says with a little gesture to indicate. "She's an apprentice dolphineer here." A grin, and she adds, "Maybe she got one of Rubicon's exports." Then Soriana finishes unwrapping her bundle, revealing… food! A couple meatrolls, a couple cheesebuns, a few sweets and pastries. An outdoor lunch ready to be consumed. She extends the napkin to Natalya. "Want something?" Pushing carts is hungry work! So is weyrlinghood, of course, and she laughs at the question. "Busy. As usual. I know, I disappeared again, but there's just so many things to study…" Once Natalya's had a chance to pick something out, Soriana extends the napkin-o'-food to Kera as well. "You'll want that archway there." She points with her free hand. "Goes to the infirmary." But first, hey look, there's food! And distractions.

Natalya smiles brightly to Soriana and daintilly picks a piece of the meat roll and nods, "oh I know, I have been busy with my lessons too. It has been a really busy time for all. Fun though, I have got to do alot of diving lately." he nods a the mention of Rubicon's exports, "Probably have some on the cart, the journeyman has me moving gear over to the docks for something or another." she frowns a bit, "Not sure what though."

Kera smiles, watching the other girls as they converse. Politely shaking her head she declines the offered snack. "Thanks, but I need to wash up first before eating. A few days camping between there and here." Her stomach chooses that moment to object.. LOUDLY, causing Kera to blush and offer an embarrassed shrug. "Well, maybe just one." Almost reluctantly, she plucks the closet bit of food from the napkin. "Thanks." Her gaze slips over to the mentioned archway with a nod. "At least now I know where to go."

Soriana nods to Natalya. "So many lessons!" She grins, good-naturedly. "Oh, I saw some dolphineer gear in the storerooms, you should tell your journeymen to check and make sure they've got a good inventory." As for Kera, well, Soriana can't help but grin a little at the stomach-rumble. She tries to get a more polite expression back in place, though… or at least a bite of food to cover it. After, she nods to Kera. "I wouldn't rush, if I were you. They're always really busy this time of day, because it's when the shifts change out. If you go now, you'll probably still have to wait to actually talk to someone."

Natalya sighs a bit at the mention of the gear in the storeroom and says, "he'll probaby have me dragging the stuff out of there two." she grins though, "You would think he would get some of the bigger apprentices to haul stuff about but." At the mention of needing to get washed up she mentions, "THe hot springs are just off the cavern there, when you want to get cleaned up. I might suggest heading there before reporting in. Doesn't hurt to make a good first impression."

Kera nods agreeably to both. "Definately don't want to make a horrible first impression. Expecially being several days worth of travel dust." She gives a brisk shake of her head and nibbles on her snack for a few quiet minutes. Her attention drifts about as movemenr further away catches her eyes. After a moment she peers between the other two, trying to learn a few things from their conversation as she eats.

Soriana laughs to Natalya. "Probably. I put all the stuff I found in with the fishing supplies, so it should be pretty easy for you to see. Can't do anything about the hauling part, though. Maybe your journeyman figures it'll help you build up muscle?" Not that it seems to have worked, to judge from Naty's slight figure, but hey. She nods to the part about the hot springs. "It's amazing how the dust can get in everything…" A shake of her head, and then she nibbles a bit more of her lunch.

Natalya giggles and says, "Probably, he keeps trying to get me to eat extra helpings and stuff too." she shakes her head, "I am just little nothing can be done about it I don't think." she looks over to Kera and nods in agreement with Soriana's statement, 'I know the springs felt wonderful when I first got here."

Kera smirks with a nod and raise eyebrow to Soriana over her /evrything/ comment. "Isn't that the truth." Another bite is taken before she continues. "Springs will definately be my next stop." Gesturing with her free hand to Natalya. "Did you come from Rubicon River too? My mother is a Dolphineer there." She peeks between the two hopeing she's not being too intrusive.

"Makes it easier on Echo, anyhow, so maybe it's for the best." Soriana gives Natalya a grin and a what-can-you-do shrug. As for that dust, she nods again. "So are you…" a glance for knots… "posted here? For how long?" she asks, adding her own questions into the mix before having another bite or three as she lets Natalya answer.

Natalya says, "No actually I came from somewhere much more unlikely for my current craft." she giggles a bit, "I came from High Reaches orriginally." she moves to sit on the edge of the cart seeming in no hurry to finish her task. After all greating a new posted crafter is much more important then moving some silly equipment around, right?

Kera's head tilts curiously at the mention of 'Echo' and her expression brightens a little. As the chat continues, shakes her head a bit and chuckles. "I don't remember hearing about a High Reaches pod in any of mom's numerous lectures. But then again, I've been at the HealerHall the last few turns." Taking the last bite of her snack, her expression still seems doubtful, but she shrugs it quick enough with a nod to Soriana. "Yea. Was told to report here with all my things. They didn't mention how long. Hopefully, it will be a long while."

Natalya's journeyman might have a different opinion on the relative importances here… but Soriana won't tell. That's a craft matter, not any of her business. She gives her head a bit of a shake as far as a High Reaches pod goes. "They're not really coastal. Also, it's cold up there. I know the dolphins can still deal with the water when it gets chilly, but the poor dolphineers!" Another shake of her head, and a shiver even though the day itself is a nice reasonable temperature. She nods to Kera about the posting. "It might well be. M'kal was here for turns as a healer apprentice. J'myn too, I think…" A grin. "Apparently we've got good practical experience!"

Natalya giggles and nods, "We didn't have a pod up there no, I didn't start training until I got here. Feel head over heels for the dolphins." she smiles, "there is so much to learn. Echo sorta like it when its cold out here, but it doesn't get High Reaches cold." She nods, "I am supose to take some lessons over with the healers myself sometime soon. Just basic stuff, in case I am involved with a water rescue. you know… The stuff to do until a real healer gets there and stuff."

Kera grins almost excitedly to Natalya. "That's why I was wondering if you spent time training with my mother back at Rubicon River. I've only been able to visit a few times over that last couple of turns, a few days ago being the most recent. So I don't know all her more the more recent Apprentices she worked with." Nodding at something she looks between the two "As a kid, you pick up a few things listening to your parents give lessons, Right? Even if you choose a differant craft." After another moment she frowns a bit and reaches for her waist pouch, "Journeyman M'kal? I'm not sure if that's the name on my posting order or not."

Soriana nods to Natalya, and hehs about the cold. "What is? They've probably still got snow waist-deep up there." Ha ha only serious. "It's good stuff to know," she says of that healing knowledge, then looks to Kera and nods. "Oh, sure. I know I picked up a lot from my mom." A shrug of one shoulder, and then she shakes her head about M'kal. "Not a journeyman. Not yet, anyhow." She gives a crooked grin. "He's still an apprentice… and still here, for that matter… but he's another of the weyrlings, so… that's kinda how I think of him right now." A shrug.

Natalya looks to Kera curiously and says, "I don't know maybe? Whats your moms name, I have studied under a couple of dolphineers at this point, I may have had a few of her lectures." she smiles

Kera ahhs softly as she stops searching for her orders. "Maybe I'll be able to meet him during some lessons sometime." She nods happily at the propect before peering back to the other apprentice. "Her name's Eran Tinen. But I don't think she travels away from back home very much, but who knows."

Soriana nods to Kera. "Probably, he's getting to healer lessons when he can still, so you'll see him around. Or I can introduce you sometime." She smiles, and has another of her cheesebuns while the other two talk about dolphineer stuff.

Natalya blinks and looks to Kera and says, "Your Journeyman Eran's Daughter?" she smiles brightly and nods, "I have taken a few of her lectures, when I can get down to the hold. I hope she has time to come up here sometime soon or get another chance to visit down there soon.

Kera nods to Natalya "Ya, that's me. She'll be glad to hear I how the dolphineer apprentices are doing." She chuckles over that with a little shake of her head. "I can't guess at when she could visit yet though." At Soriana's introduction suggestion. "Maybe, we'll see how things work out. No doubt he's got other things on his mind than lessons if he got picked off the sands. Right." She pauses a moment as if rethinking what she says "At least healing lessons for the moment. You probably have too many things to learn really fast now huh? Being Weyrlings?"

"Yeah, but they still let us out to eat and stuff," Soriana says with a wave of the small remaining piece of her bun. "Sometimes, anyway." She grins, then her expression turns more serious as she nods. "There is a whole lot to learn, though. Taking care of your lifemate and working together is the biggest part of it, but we study geography, history… etiquette…" She grins briefly at that one. "All sorts of things, really. And we've got to help our lifemates learn to fly, and hunt… so it certainly keeps us busy." Soriana smiles. "But, we picked our crafts before we impressed for a reason, so it's not like any of us want to drop them entirely. It's just a matter of finding the time."

Natalya looks up and frowns as she spots her Journeyman in the distance and says, "Well….um. I will see you too sometime soon!" as she speaks she hops up to begin to drag her cart once more.

Kera looks after the quickly retreating dolphineer apprentice and chuckles as she pulls her satchel strap back over her head. "Nice meeting you!" She calls out before peering back to Soriana and working the backpack onto her shoulders "Nice meeting you as well Soriana, but I really should get myself looking and smelling presentable before reporting to the Weyrhealer." She gives a quick wave and starts off. "See you around soon I hope."

Yeah, funny, it looks like Natalya's journeyman does have a different opinion on whether she should be hanging out and talking or dragging her cart around. Soriana smiles and waves. "See you soon!" she says, then adds the, "I hope." They may let the weyrlings out to eat, but… there never does seem to be enough time to do all the things that Soriana tries to fit into her day. There's always something. Even now - because as she starts to look back to Kera, she pauses for a moment and gets the distant expression riders often do when talking to their dragons. Just for a moment, and then she nods to the healer. "It was. See you later!" she says… and then gets up herself and heads off at a brisk walk. Places to go! People to see! Things to do.


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