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 very 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*.
Evening brings the dusk, the deepening shades of darkness that come with the night, though there's plenty of light from the weyr below to make up for that. Its that time when the stars just barely begin to peek out. The Star Stones are quiet in contrast to the chatter of weyrfolk in the clearing. Its here that Siebith has settled taking up an out of the way, well as out of the way as one can be on the ledge surrounding the stones, leaving plenty of room should another wish to land. He's bespoken of Seryth as it was mentioned a few days ago now that his would like to speak with hers. So now they wait. D'had has found himself a place a bit higher up, settled on a human-sized ledge of the rock face that overlooks the weyr and the lake beyond.
A golden form rises slowly from the meadow below curving in a large spiral that encompasses the borders of the Weyr, lifts to a height slightly above the starstones and circles around to glide slowly and land on the stones. Seryth arrives to the summons, bringing her Rider with her, giving a sweet croon to Siebeth. Thea unclips, swings a leg over Seryth, grabs a flight strap and launches herself in her customary swing dismount circling around the front of Seryth to land lightly upon the stones. She heads towards where D'had is sitting, giving the blue a pat as she passes him, "Hi Siebeth, how's my buddy?" An easy call towards the Rider as she approaches, "Evening D'had." Then she is there and she sinks gracefully to sit beside him, dangling her legs over the edge. "What’s up?"
D'had pays little attention to the landing gold. He did know she was coming after all. Siebith, lifts his head to send a rumble of greeting to her however. Its when Thea takes up the space beside him that he finally moves, turning his head only to rest it back on his knees, they having been pulled up so that his feet rest of the edge of the ledge. This time at an angle however so he's looking towards the young goldrider. "You and what's his name talk?"
Thea leans back against the stone, swinging her feet casually. "Yeah, we talked." She gives a little shake of her head and a rueful smile. "Sorry you got caught up in that." A hand waves in the general direction of the Clearing. "It's all fixed." For now. Until the next time. She tilts her head to look at D'had, a bit of concern on her face for the Rider. "You feeling ok?"
D'had nods, "Good," he replies simply in response to her answer. "Don't be sorry. Ain't your fault." Not really anyway. "Yeah, doin' alright. Just wanted ta say sorry myself for all that," he goes on, letting out a slow breath in something akin to a sigh as brown eyes turn slightly more towards the lake. "Wasn't meaning ta cause you any trouble."
Thea snorts a soft little whoosh of air through her nose at that, "You didn't." The words are said with a bit of a laugh adding easily, "We're already in trouble before you showed, so you really have nothing to apologize for, although if it helps, I forgive." She is still smiling as she tips her head back to look at the dim stars in the darkening skies, her eyes seeking the solitary bright one.
There's a distinct lack of any names in this evening's conversation, if one should happen to notice. Up so high there's always a light breeze and that soft whistle around the stones might just help to mask the long moment before the bluerider says anything in reply. "Yeah, well.." D'had almost chuckles, "Me bein' there didn't help matters I'm sure." There's a shake of his head and a glance towards the blue, "There'r times he knows me better than I do. Not sure if the other mornin that helped or hurt. But thanks." The wingleader offers a quick of a smile in Thea's direction.
Thea's not noticing the lack of names, given or otherwise. She turns to half-grin at D'had with a baffled shrug, "I really don't know what his deal with you is. He won't listen to reason when I try and set him straight." She peeks over at Siebith, "Ought to, he's your dragon." Her eyes slide back towards the wingleader, and she drops her head to study the toe of her boot. For a long several moment she is silent, "I don't know either. He's decided to Stand. It wasn't an easy decision for him." She kicks the heel of one foot against the stone lightly as she swings one leg, finally adding with a bit of disquiet in her voice, "Change."
"Don't bother me none if he don't like me," D'had offers, "Just when its gettin in the way of other things." If she knows what he means. There's a chuckle for the remark on Siebith and he nods, "True enough." When she quiets, he quiets leaving that silence to hang until she speaks again, "Big change for all of us when its asked. Can't blame him for that. Actually kinda glad myself he took the time to think it over before answering." Its his turn for another pause then. "What about you? You alright?" She asked, now its his turn.
Thea giggles just a bit, "Enkavir probably doesn’t care either." She sobers as he speaks and nods at the rest, "And I am glad as well. But that is his way about, well, everything." She leans forward, bracing her hands on the edge of the stone as she peers down the sheer drop, mulling the question. "Well, to tell the truth I've been better, but it'll settle." She turns her head towards the wingleader, "That obvious is it?"
D'had nods. Obvious? "Up here.. yeah. Down there," he nods down the drop towards the clearing, "Not so much. But way you took off the other day, something was up. Not so bad a reading a woman you know," he adds with a wink - a touch of the usual D'had in that flicker of expression. "Ain't my place to make you talk about it, but if you do, well you know where to find me sugar."
Thea laughs outright, "Well, you know. Have to keep up my image and all in front of the Weyrfolk." Whatever that is. She continues to giggle as she leans back once again eyes sweeping up to scan the nearly-dark night sky. Her smirk fades, her eyes remain on the points above, "Thanks. Might do that sometime. But I think it's only something time and understanding will help." She starts to speak, changes it to, "What was it you wanted to talk to me about the other morning?"
D'had chuckles himself for her laughter, "Don't we all," he agrees on that account. Keeping up appearances. There's a quizzical look turned towards Thea, but then as she's searching the sky it might as easily not be seen. "Hmm? Talk to you about?" Half a question as he thinks back over things, caught off guard with that one.
"Must not have been anything pressing then?" Thea says lightly perhaps to put the wingleader at ease. Curiosity in her tone, she adds, "When you landed in the clearing the other day, you said you were looking for me." She slides a glance at him then, "If you remember, I guess you can find me easily enough."
"Must not.." D'had agrees with a shrug which might just as easily be a roll of his shoulders. "Soo…" its an attempt to break that awkward silence, or rather keep it from happening. He glances towards Siebith, "You looked kinda upset the other day. Figured up here no one would bother us."
Thea pulls one leg up, bracing her foot on the stone, drapes one arm on it, her head turning away to take in the night-blurred horizon over the lake. "I was." She's relaxed and it comes out easily, "But really D'had, it wasn't your fault." Her pale eyes reflect both the night and her mood as they darken just a bit, "It was just me, learning how to deal with stuff." Her head turns quickly towards him, "You're not…still worried you made it worse are you?" There's a slight frown of concern there on her face.
D'had chuckles quietly, "Pretty sure I didn't make it better, but I ain't gonna put too much thought to it," he assures with a quirk of a smile, reaching a hand up to sweep fingers through his hair. "You're a sweet girl, just hate ta hear bout you bein upset. Wanted ta make sure things were alright."
Thea's frown eases, and she has a slight coughing fit, finally cannot restrain herself and she chuckles, "Must be why I keep getting called all those sugary-names, huh?" She raises a brow at the irony, then hastens to add, "Thanks for that. I will be fine." She continues to regard him, then abruptly, "So, tell me where is your family? I thought someone said you have children somewhere."
"Think so, huh?" D'had teases, leaning to nudge Thea with an elbow that usual smirk finding its way to his face momentarily. "Huh?" he questions before her inquiry sinks in enough for him to answer. "Oh, right. Probably around Big Bay somewhere I'd guess. Not always easy to keep track of the ship." he replies of family. A pause follows for the last remark. "Kids? Oldest is here. Other two are at Ierne."
Thea blinks with a bit of surprise at the nudge, but she doesn't comment on it. Instead she laughs with a head-shake, "Not really, no." She listens carefully to the way he speaks when he answers her question about family, "Oldest is here? I never knew. Who?" She ponders, "You almost sound as if they'd slipped your mind totally. Do you ever see them?"
"H- Long brown hair, bout yey tall," D'had describes the girl with a description that could very well describe half the weyr Thea included. "Couple turns younger than you." Beat. "You don't wanna hear bout all that though. Yeah? See 'em now and then. Not as much now that I'm here and they're still over there. You know."
Thea half-smiles, a little baffled. "No names?" Then he's saying she doesn't want to hear. Hmm. "Okay, if you say so, but I wouldn't have asked otherwise." She's not really one to pry. For a moment she pauses, looking very thoughtful, "So what's on your mind tonight as you sit up here all by yourself if not family? Unless you're thinking I don't want to hear that also?"
D'had glances towards Thea. He'll give her that much, what's the point in asking if she wasn't at all interested. "Hali, she goes by Hali," he finds the name for her. "Resha," a glance towards the blue and the last follows, "And Darsce. As for thinking.. not anything in particular. Just like it up here. Get the breeze. Not the same as the ocean, but nice."
There's a glance at Siebith following D'had's and Thea does a little 'huh' of surprise, but it could be just in response to the names. "Nice names, those. Don't think I know Hali." She mulls something, then lightly, "You know, I think that's the first time I ever heard you say a girl's name." There's a slight smile there as she says it, but she's not teasing him. Just stating a fact.
D'had shrugs, "Could be." He's not arguing that any, thought even if he did say it it took a bit to do so. Siebith snorts and earns another hard glance from his rider. "Ain't a girls, they're kids." There's a difference. Right?
"They're kids." It's a skeptical statement, rather than a question. "Hali too?" The one a few years younger than herself. Thea raises a brow with at the snorting and hard glances going down between dragon and Rider. She just shakes her head and there's a tiny bit of a grin, "So what's their mother's name?"
"Her too," D'had replies. Then again, children do have this tendency to remain so in their parent's eyes forever. Though with that last question Thea's the one getting the look. "They… The younger two are Asher." That one at least he knows! "You know, I'm sure there's more interesting things we could talk about. Or.. you know, not talk about." he adds with a wink. Yes, lets change the subject.
Thea laughs and shakes her head, "Uh, huh. Probably there is and as much as this child would love to just sit up here and not talk all evening, I've things I need to see to. You know, with what's-her-name still away and all, I'm picking up the slack." She rises, shakes the kinks out of her legs and salutes. "Night Wingleader." She turns and strides off towards Seryth, a soft giggle floating back in her wake on the still night air.