Scorch Marks and All
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Xanadu Weyr - Garden

An arch woven from the tendrils of a willow tree stretches overhead lightly creeping with ivy as one steps in from the meadow into this sanctuary of green. Cool gray flagstone carefully spaced enables a soft velvety moss to thrive within the cracks, and creates a single wide pathway that fluidly breaks off into two paths of stone once free of the natural arbor. It is a wonder this place, and meticulously tended from the way it seems not a single leaf is out of place. On either side of the main path expansive grassy patches are trimmed short and edged behind with natural tan colored stone selectively chosen to stack just right. Beyond these are a line of fine puffed shrubberies in vibrant green intermingled with flowering bushes of brilliant pinks varying in hue from the very light to the very dark, which causes the occasional snowy white blossoms of other scattered here and there without worry to simply pop out of the scenery.
Directly in the center of the garden is another wall of intricately stacked stone, this of muted grays, creating what from the air would prove to be a perfect circle. It's been set high for safety, but not so much as one would not be able to lean over it to admire what lies beyond, either standing or sitting at the smattering of benches whose backs are set every four feet along it. Flush to the ground inside it's protective stone outcropping, is an enormous twenty foot wide fish pond. Within one can glean the metallic glint of playful goldfish, the unhurried cruise of fat koi, and even a frog or three among pale yellow and white flowering water lilies and their thick green pads.
The trees surrounding the entire garden were planted to give the impression that they had always been here, not only lending to a rustic look, but also eluding to the beauty that can be found among the wilds if only one might just look for it. Species vary from the ordinary Birch and Pine, but the flaming red capsules of the Indian Shot to the robust orange spokes of the Firewheel tree suggest the spice of the exotic. The two paths leading away from the entrance have come full circle, wrapping around to meet each other on the other side, yet still continue on to the far left and right. One path leads off deeper into the surrounding woods, while the other wider; cheerily decorated with brightly colored slabs of painted stones.


Idrissa doesn't often spend time in places like this, but here she is wandering around through the garden, pausing at times to look at different plants and flowers. The fish pond gets her better attention and she pauses looking down at the fish within that are swimming back an froth. She's never seen fish like these before and tilts her head before crouching down to watch the koi a bit longer. Leave it to a beach born Rissa to be interested even in strange looking fish!

ka-el hasn't spent much time in the gardens. He really hasn't had any need to. But today curiosity wins out, and plus it seems as if the lad has nothing else to do. Thankfully, today he doesn't look scorched or singed in any way, and the trousers that he wears definitely aren't the same ones whose bottoms had gotten ruined somehow. He meanders into the garden, looking around curiously at the blooms and stone walls and benches that line it. He's not alone. There's a familiar figure ahead, and a devious grin creeps onto his face as he creeps as quietly as he can. Closer. Closer. "Rah!" he says as he reaches out to grasp at her waist, hoping to scare her.

Idrissa takes in a faint breath and is standing up brushing her hands off before a sharp YIPE! Escapes her as someone is grasped out of her. She sends an elbow flying back right hard though towards dear ghostly Kale's belly though! Yup he scared her, but he may be hurting in a moment!

Haha! Kale begins to grin as he gets the desired outcome from her, but.. uh oh. Something is happening! He can see her retaliation coming, as dastardly quick as it is, and he tries to block, releasing her hips, but is too slow. Ugh! Her elbow slams right into his gut, and he doubles over a little, clutching his stomach with his arms and back stepping a few paces. Oww.. He winces and coughs once. "Nice…to see…you too…" he says with squinted eyes.

Idrissa blinks and looks to Kale and bites her lip. "Kale! I'm sorry.. Are you alright?" She questions while moving closer towards him, looking VERY sorry! Her hand moves to try and take hold of his shoulder and help him sit down on a bench. "I.. I didn't know it was you.."

Kale does his best to do what all boys do and act as if everything is fine…but his poor smashed belly isn't allowing him to! "Yeah.. m'fine," he insists, managing a crooked grin, but he doesn't decline her help and indeed sits down with a bit of a huff. Hr'll be fine. Just give him a minute! He looks at her with slightly raised brows as he rubs at his belly once last times. "You've practiced that, eh? Doesnae feel like the first time you've caught a fella in the gut."

Idrissa ums softly, actually blushing now. "Yes.. Well.. Still.." She stammers while taking a few steps back to peer at Kale, worried his hurt or the fact that she just elbowed him one can't be too sure over it. "Ah.. actually ya I have done it before." She murmurs out now while eyeing the ground as if that little blade of grass was the MOST important thing in the whole world at the moment. "Got into a few fights and stuff over at the colthold when I was growing up. An't proud of it bit, it happened."

Blink blink. Kale shakes his head a little. "Wait, y'mean to say… /you/ fought?" he says, not meaning to sound skeptical but it comes out sounding that way regardless. "Ah, I can't believe it. Not you." He shakes his head despite her expression that hints that she likely isn't joking. He's not buying it! "You? You're one've the nicest people I've ever met, besides Soriana." A pause and he glances around. "Speakin' of..it's the first time I haven't seen the two've ya attached to the hip.

"I didn't say I was happy about it." Idrissa offers with a soft murmur while she shrugs and shifts to sit down next to the pond. "Mostly cause my brother got in trouble so I was trying to help him." Help him, and got herself in plenty trouble those few times. She lifts her hand to scratch at her neck and smiles a bit hearing Kale. "Well.. Thanks.." Her gaze drifts around. "Ya well.. I think Soriana is mad at me or something. About what happened at the beach." It is very strange not being anywhere with Soriana not with her, Rissa isn't the most outgoing person after all.

"Ah. Family," Kale nods, as if she needs to say no more on the topic. "Family's what matters most. An' to help your brother? O'course yeh did what had to be done." He watches her a moment and gives his stomach another small rub. He's ok. He stands up and approaches her to lean against the small rock wall that surrounds the pond. He lifts a brow up though at the mentioning of a possible problem between his only two friends. And…eh, the beach? Er.. "What…what do yeh mean?" he asks, head tilting a little. "Why would she be angry?"

Idrissa nods at that. "Ya, someone had to help him. He always managed to get into some sorta trouble. No one expected me to come up and elbow 'em in the side or somethin'." This said with a joking tone before letting her arms wrap around her knees that rest close to her chest while she watches the water. "I dono.. She won't tell me, barely got her to talk to me yesterday until I got her to go exploring in the forest an stuffs."

Kale is quiet for a little while, thinking. "Nothin' happened that'd make her angry with ya. I wouldn't worry very much, eh?" he says encouragingly, smiling a little as he reaches oer to lightly poke at her shoulder. "She's probably jus'…" he trails off, brows furrowing. Soon after, he waves his hands in the air dismissively. "Well, I don' rightly know, to be honest. Girls are difficult to understand. I'm sure she'll come 'round. By tomorrow, whatever's bugging her will be a memory, and it'll all be back to normal." He hopes. He turns around to peer down into the pond as well. "Find anything in the woods? A new pet, maybe?"

Idrissa glances over at the poking, she smiles some. "Ya.. Well I hope so at least. I've been getting more time off for working so much an its sorta lonely on my own when I got wandering." Yes Sori and she do tend to wander a good amount. "Though if ye an't careful I'll start following you around or something." This said with a playful tone. "Naw, just went on this forest trail that didn't look like it had been used for a while. Was sorta interesting."

"Me? Ha, maybe you /should/ follow me about. I'll show you all sort've new things I bet." Kale grins and turns around again, arms crossing over his chest as he faces her. "I'd guarantee you one thing, though. If ya go into a forest with me, you won't be comin' out empty handed. I'm the master of findin' things of interest, livin' or not." A smirk. "An' it's the not livin' ones that /I/ fancy the most."

Idrissa scratches at her arm a bit and peers over at Kale, a soft laugh escaping her. "Oh really?" Is questioned with a curious tone. She is still worried about Soriana being mad at her for some reason, but at least it is helping to talk about something else. "Well then, maybe I will start following you around more. Then I could at least figure out what it is you do."

Kale grins a beaming grin, brows raising up. "You still haven't figured it out? Soriana either?" Well woohoo for him being a super secret agent. He clambers upon the low wall, balancing upon it. "Should I jus' tell you then? Nah…that'll ruin the game. We should make a wager. Whether the two've you will guess it or not in a certain amount've time," he sas, thinking aloud as he begins to walk upon the wall, arms out to keep his balance. "What do you think? Is Soriana a wagerin' type?"

Idrissa smirks and points at his pants. "Your pants was burned the otehr day, and you had the runners shoes the first time we met you. I bet its something to do with a smiths?" She eyes him a moment. "Unless you got in lots of trouble and got stuck doing those jobs." She chuckles and shrugs. "Well.. I think it depends on the situation.. She may be."

Speaking of the Soriana, here she comes from deeper in the gardens. Inkfoot is perched on one shoulder looking smug, and a gnawed tunnelsnake is tossed over the other shoulder. Toral circles overhead, lazy and drifting on the air currents. When she notes the two in conversation, she gives a wave with the non-tunnelsnaked hand. "Hey."

"Eh-eh! No guessing til' we've decided on whether we're wagerin' or not," says Kale, lifting his hand to wave off her suggestion. He glances over his shoulder to smirk at her. "Besides. A person's trousers could get damaged in /many/ ways, and, aye, luggin' runner's shoes is a perfect punishment for any kind of fellow." He smirks coyly, then turns his eyes to new movement. A firelizard above, and a girl approaching. He hops off of the rock wall, landing nimbly on her feet. "Hello. Your ears must've been burning."

Idrissa chuckles and just grins at Kale. "Sure.. Whatever." Is said with an amused tone and shake of her head. "I don't wager on nothing. I don't have the marks for it." She points out before glancing over to the voice. A smile is seen and she waves back. "Hey Sori.." Though she can't help but wonder if her friend is still well, mad.

"An' here I am now, scorch marks and all," says Soriana to Kale, then glances to Idrissa as she comes closer. She doesn't seem to be acting mad, anyway… in fact, she grins. "Aw, like marks are the only thing to wager. It's more fun if you bet for other things. So what's the question?"

Kale snickersi n response to Soriana's first remarks and nods in agreement to her second. "Plenty of other things to wager! I agree. An' the question is the same as it has been: What is my purpose on Xanadu? We've met plenty of times, or at least times enough, that you've to have some sort of guess, eh? But first we've to figure out what to wager and how much time the two've you have left to guess. Like…a deadline."

Idrissa grins back to Soriana, glad to see her friend back to normal it would seem! "I have an idea.. But he doesn't want me to say nothin' until talking to you first and what not." A faint shrug of her shoulders is seen while eye peers over at Kale. "Well.. I dono what I would wager with truthfully."

As the question is given, Soriana's grin… well, it widens, in a way that verges on the predatory. She would not make a good player of cards, just yet, because that is assuredly a tell. "Four tasks; if we win, we each get to demand two of you. If you win, you get to demand them of us in any combination y'like. They can't be anything that'd get someone dismissed, anything else is fair game. Time scale: four days, but you can't avoid us to stop us from askin'. We get at least four guesses, no matter what. Deal?"

Kale brings a hand up to his chin, rubbing at the nonexistant stubble in consideration. His eyes narrow, trying to find any loopholes that may bode ill for him. "Four guesses /total/," he says. "Not four each. Agreed? An' I agree to the wager of four tasks to be determined upon winningi. Non-deadly and not terribly troublesome." He grins at that, lowering his hand. "To those terms, I do agree." Squaring his shoulders in an official sort of way, he extends his hand to shake on it with the both of them.

Idrissa watches Soriana and just grins more. She is so glad Sori is here and helping with this! A soft laugh escapes her and she hums while peering at Sori at the comment on the guesses. "Well.." There is a pause while she takes hold of Kale's hand and gives it a shake. "Alright, deal." She already has a good idea on what Kale does after all. This should be easy! Well that is what she thinks at the moment at least.

Soriana nods her agreement to the 'total' clause, as well as the whole non-deadly bit. Addendums accepted, she shakes on the deal with all due gravity. The bet, much like the game, is afoot. And now… with the half-bored tone of a school-room recitation, Soriana says to Kale, "Yesterday, you worked the bellows for a while and went to get more coal at least twice. Also, you hadta go get a clean bucket of water for that thing where they stick the hot metal in it. Why do they do that, anyhow?" She certainly wasn't there to watch any of that! Of course… she doesn't exactly have to be, now does she? Not if she shares the eyes of a certain brown firelizard swooping nearby. Toral has a far easier time of remaining inconspicuous, perched contentedly on the rafters of a hot forge after following through between to find a certain boy that Soriana can picture quite well. "So. I'd say y'r a Smithcraft 'pprentice."

Challenge, accepted! Oh this is going to be grand. Kale hardly sees either one of the two when he's actually working, except for the first day he met them. And like Idrissa said, there could be a multitude of reasons why he was lugging around runner shoes! And so he's looking pretty smuch as the deal is set with handshakes and all…but boy isn't /his/ bubble bursted pretty quickly as Soriana starts…and continues…adn..what? Blinkblink. "How'd ya.." he begins as she speaks of the bellows. "An' the water's fo…" Wait! He's not supposed to admit to knowing any of this! And so he feigns ignorance as she goes on, eyes darting to Idrissa after a while. He has a feeling…he's been fooled! The bet lasts all but, what, a minute before he loses! As his craft is correctly spoken, his shoulders slump in defeat. "You're goin' to make me shave me head, aren't you?" A wry smirk is given as he runs his fingers through his chopped locks. "Wouldn't be the worst thing. I probably should anyway .. Eventually."

Idrissa just grins at Kale, a twinkle seen in her eye as she watches him. "I think its something to do with the smiths.. The runners shoes, the burnt clothes.." She pauses as she hears Soriana and watches her friend a few moments before something catches her attention, the movement of a certain firelizard! Her gaze drifts upwards and she can't help but just start giggling as she leans back against the rock wall about the koi pond. THOUGH while Sori got it from /stalking/ Rissa got it from doing that thing called thinking and putting clues together or somehing like that!

Aaaaand let's just not dwell on the fact that Sori's showing creepy stalker levels of knowledge here. Does she watch him in his sleep? Does she- moving on! Soriana continues to grin - lucky for her it didn't give her trick away before. Male pride would probably have kept Kale from backing down even so, but she'll definitely have to work on those tells before she tries to take a Bitran for a bet. "Maybe," she says in answer to Kale. "I'll hafta think about it." And there with that is the sweetest smile in the world. Poor boy.

Boy, is he in trouble. Kale apparently needs to put more effort on getting intel on these two, as at least one of them knows a lot about him and it's cost him his wager! And now, the worst part: Waiting! Not knowing what cruel, non-deadly deed the girls will think of tasking him with. He blows out a breath and looks skyward. "Fine, fine. I s'pose one've the terms should've been no /draaagging/ out informing the loser of the tasks," he jokes, rolling his eyes afterward. "Well!" He takes a backward step, "as you ladies think on it an' prod the darkest portions've your mind for my…punishment," he smirks at the word, "I've to get back to the forge before I'm missed."

Idrissa just grins while she watches Kale. "Perhaps your remember that for the next wager?" She questions with an amused tone and shake of her head. A glance sent towards Soriana proving she is clearly very amused over how this has turned out. "Oh.. Don't worry we will figure out something very good.. For each task.. Remember two from each now." This said while just grinning still. Though unlike Sori's her's is more amused, and friendly filled then before when it was all creepy stalker like! "Alright, see ye later!"

Soriana keeps that sweet smile. "Yeah, remember for the next bet!" she says to Kale, because of course there will be another bet, sometime down the road! Clearly. None of 'em could possibly have learned their lesson, nope. The smile widens toward the grin again as she waves. "Be seeing you!"

"Oh, I'll remember /much/ for the next wager," Kale counters to Idrissa, his grin growing. Oh, these girls can have this one. Let them conjure up what crazy shenanigans they want! He'll have his day, oh yes he will. Til then he can just…er…worry about what they'll ask him to do! He wrinkles his nose at them both, but his sour face is ruined by the playful glint in his eye and the grin that he can't quiet wholly hide. he turns and departs, hands clasping behind his back. Maybe head shaving will be the worst of it!

Idrissa giggles out softly while watching Kale go. "I bet you will.." Sori an her will have to keep on there toes when dealing with this one from now on! She looks amused and soon turns her gaze over to Sori. "So.. Toral huh?" This questioned while she just grins. She waits until Kale is out of ear shot before asking that though.

If Soriana was interested in having things be dull and safe, she'd have apprenticed long ago as a weaver or baker or something instead of tromping around hunting tunnelsnakes and training her firelizard. She hasn't. She'll likely enjoy whatever counter-challenge Kale cooks up! She watches him go, then laughs at Idrissa's question. Her gaze flits to the sky, and Toral does a little dip in the air. "He's a clever one."

Idrissa chuckles softly and shakes her head. "That he is!" She looks amused and pokes at her friend's arm. "But.. I figured it out without a little clever friend." This said with a teasing tone.

Soriana shrugs, and the dead tunnelsnake slides off her shoulder to thump against the ground. Inkfoot chirrups, then jumps down after it, starting to wrestle the ex-critter. Soriana leaves it down and lets him play, continuing her conversation instead. "Well, and you get half the prize, so what're you complaining about?"

Idrissa grins as she watches Inkfoot attack the rather dead critter. "I an't complaining." She offers with a shrug now herself and glances towards the koi once more.

Sure, it's dead. Doesn't mean a determined ferret can't maul it. Inkfoot's good like that. Soriana nods. "Well, okay then," she says. She's quiet for a moment. "I coulda figured it out anyway. It's just… practicing visualization and stuff. It's part of trainin' a firelizard right, to be useful instead'f a pest."

Idrissa peers at Soriana. "Well I know that.. I didn't mean nothing by it." She offers softly a moment while glancing to Inkfoot and then to the ground a moment. "Its really cool how your training Toral. He'll be the best, most useful firelizard around here I'm sure."

The firelizard in question glides down and hops onto Soriana's shoulder, and she reaches up to pet lightly along one of his wings. "Maybe," Sori says, but it's with a smile. "Anyway… I better get going, before this starts to smell." She hefts up the tunnelsnake carcass, and Inkfoot gives a chittering protest as his toy is taken away. "One of the FishCrafters said as how they could chop stuff like this up and use it to bait their traps, so 'm gonna bring it there."

Idrissa smiles and nods. "Sure.. An ya stuff like that is rather good bait actually." She offers while looking amused at the idea. "The smellier the better so my pa always said on the matter." There is a slight pause. "You.. Mind if I tag along?"

Soriana shakes her head, grinning. "No accountin' for taste," she says. "Well, least /I/ won't have to smell it much longer." At the question, she tilts her head a moment, then nods. "Yeah. Sure. If you want… y'can carry Inkfoot." There's the ferret, scampering around at her feet in the quest for the lost toy.

Idrissa chuckles and smiles. "Fish don't have much in the thought of tastin' stuff I suppose." She nods and leans down with her hands open for Inkfoot to come over so she can pick him up. "Thanks." Is offered to being able to follow along.

Inkfoot chirps, tilting his head to Idrissa and then scampering into her hands. Chirpdook, says the ferret, and nose sniffsniff nose! Soriana nods, and adjusts the tunnelsnake a little before starting off toward the beach.


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