
Xanadu Weyr - Candidate Barracks
A long, low ceiling room opens off the entrance hall to the arena, one wall slightly curved as it is set against the outer wall of the arena itself. Cots are set evenly the length of the room, in two rows, each with its own small press at the foot, for personal belongings. Wide windows are spaced along the outside wall, letting sunlight in, while other lights are available for the night time hours.
There's the sound of a low-voiced conversation just outside the barracks door, some of the words might be audible but more are not. Then, a little louder as Thea's voice can be heard saying, "I'll take care of it. Yes. You may." Then the weyrwoman is stepping through the door, eyes sweeping the room. "Ah!" She has found what she's looking for apparently as she makes a beeline for the pair of candidates mending. She calls a pleasant, "Afternoon" to whoever is within earshot, an easy smile to the room in general. She nods to Ruzel as she passes him, "Floors are looking spiffy, thanks for that." Her focus, however is upon one person in particular. She plops without ceremony to sit beside Morlanol on his cot, relaxed and unruffled. "What are you mending, today? Any socks in there, Jessamin? Hand me some of them and a needle if you would?" She holds out a hand, quirking a brow at Morlanol, "You on mending duty too?"
Jessamin says "Oh, hi there, Thea." She smiles warmly over at her, waving in greeting. "Sure, let me see what I've got in the basket. Lots of kidlets' socks today. How do they go through them all so fast?" She pulls the basket of mending over into her lap, going elbow-deep into it for a few minutes before withdrawing several pairs of what looks like little boys' socks. She plucks a small packet of needles and a spool of good, strong white thread from her own sewing basket, along with a darning egg; all these items, she plops in Thea's outstretched hand. "There you go. Should keep you in stitches for a while." Her grin is unrepentant at the pun."
"You're quite welcome." Ruzel says with a smile to Thea as he looks up from the floors. "Just my job." The floors are indeed looking spiffy. In fact, they're so spiffy that they appear as clean as they're going to get for the moment. The candidate surveys the area with a bit of a frown. "Well, looks like I'm done in here. Guess that means I have to sweep the living caverns next." He sighs heavily, clearly not looking forward to that tasks. "See you guys later!" With that, he takes his broom and his pan and heads on out.
Morlanol nods, but grimaces slightly, "Yeah, I jus' finished m' mendin'. Bein' somewhat immobile t'day mean' tha' I couldn' really do much else." When he mentions immobility he motions to the icebag cradled in his crotch, "I was jus' glad tha' they let m' do it in here instea' of havin' t' si' up in th' caverns. Tha' woulda been th' end o' me. I mos'ly had torn seams, thoush I won'er how some people get th' damage they get."
Thea's lips curve in an appreciative smile as the items drop into her hand, "Ha! That's a good one, Jessamin." She turns to face Morlanol, leaning back against one of the bunk supports, passes the darning egg into a sock and drops the rest in her lap. She's threading a needle and for a moment her eyes are focused there. As she pulls the thread through, her eyes fix upon Morlanol and they remain there while white teeth bite the thread with a quick snip. "Yes, I see that your name is on my incapacitated list. Something you want to say for yourself about how you got that injury?" A casual inquiry. Not seemingly surprised at all. A proverbial rope one might hang himself upon, perhaps?
Jessamin chuckles, smiling back at Thea. There are a few shadows under her eyes, suggesting long nights feeding a hungry hatchling. She lays back on her cot, curled protectively around the apron-nest containing little Turquoise. "It'll be a late night with this one anyways, I'm going to catch a few winks while I can and finish more mending later." With that, she is soon asleep—and snoring almost as loudly as her little blue hatchling!
"I… uh…" Morlanol pauses, clearly trying to get his story straight, "I… I acciden'lly surprised Cenlia and she reacted t' defen' herself 'fore she knew i' was me. Healers sai' I shoul' be fine in a day or two." He gulps, unsure if they're true, this being his first serious injury, his altered truth being the only way he can think of to avoid getting both himself and Cenlia in big trouble.
Into the Barracks comes Riyontali, looking more pleasant than she usually does these days. She pauses to talk to a dark-haired girl near the entrance for a moment, then goes to flop in her cot, scooting up against her window and leaning back. "Hey!" She calls cheerily to those present without paying too much attention, taking a notebook from beneath her bed and slowly starting to write.
Thea has no idea what is going on in Morlanol's head, she smiles gently at the sleeping Jessamin, but her eyes flick back to the boy sharply as she's knotting that thread. Her face shows nothing but a pleasant expression, however. "That so?" Her needle moves deftly to pick up a few loops of the material around the edges of the hole in sock's heel. Riyontali arrives and Thea returns her greeting cheerfully, "Hey there!" Her hand moves to pull the thread through. Back to Morlanol, "That 'surprise' wouldn't happen to involve a bet now, would it?" Ice green eyes watch the lad keenly as she waits for an answer.
Morlanol gives an absent, "Hey, Tali," when she enters, still mostly focused on his embarassing conversation with Thea, she being the second person who's confronted him about it just a few hours. He glances away from her, his eyes somewhat downcast. He's quiet for a moment, a blush spreading across his face, before he mumbles, "It might've…"
Riyontali isn't scribbling, writing slowly and carefully, but she doesn't seem to be focused entirely upon the activity, for once. In fact, she only keeps it up for a few minutes, at which point she stuffs the notebook under the cot again. "Oh," Thea is noted with a lifted eyebrow and sheepish grin. "Hey." The sock is eyed curiously for a long moment. "Not redoing one of mine, are you? I didn't do too good at all…" The girl doesn't look too upset with this one, at this point, as she now flops onto her belly, peering curiously around. "Hey." Morlanol gets with a faint lift of an eyebrow for the turn of conversation.
"Mhhm," Thea's lips twitch as her eyes return to her mending. For a moment she is silent as her needle weaves back and forth to mend the worn spot. She begins almost conversationally, "You know, it's not against the rules for Candidates to be kissin'." She peeks up at the boy with the barest hints of twinkle in her eyes. She swings her attention to Riyontali and laughs softly, "Ah, no! Just keeping my hands busy while I visit with young Morlanol here." A visit he'd likely rather not endure, but who asked him?
Morlanol turns suddenly towards her, his eyes as large as saucers. No longer trying to keep the conversation quiet, he blurts out, "I on'y di' i' 'cause o' th' be' an' on'y 'cause he was watchin'. I didn' wanna hurt Cen or make her mad, bu' I did anyway. An' I don' wanna kiss anybody 'cause even af'er doin' i' I still don' see wha' people enjoy 'bou' i'
Translation: Morlanol says, "I only did it because of the bet and only because he was watching. I didn't want to hurt Cen or maker her mad, but I did anyway. And I don't want to kiss anybody because even after doing it I still don't see what people enjoy about it."
Riyontali flashes a sheepish smile at Thea. "Ah." The girl says with a little giggle. "You look better at it than /I/ do, I betcha. I'm no good at all." She listens to the other part of the conversation with a carefully neutral expression, wincing at Morlanol faintly. "Oh my." The candidate murmurs, busying herself with fiddling with the corner of her cot.
The corners of Thea's lips quirk upwards in a bit of grim humor at Morlanol's stammering explanation, "No? But you see, I'm afraid you'll have to be doing more kissing, my boy." Riyontali's comment draws her attention and she's waving the compliment away with a breezy smile, "Was weavercraft, you know. From a hold with no tech. Did everything by hand." She shrugs, then her focus is back on Morlanol, "When a young man forces himself on a girl, he needs to know there is -no- good reason for it." Her gaze sharpens just a bit, but an easy smile and casual tone prevails, "So to help cement that lesson into your psyche, tonight at dinner you and Yontal will escort all the old aunties to their chairs on your arm, help them get seated, then give them a sweet kiss upon their cheeks." She nods to emphasize that it will be so, adding sweetly, "And I will be there to make certain the both of you do."
Riyontali listens to Thea quietly, not commenting on her background for the moment — it hardly seems appropriate, when Morlanol's getting /abused/, poor lad. Still, the girl seems to think it's fair, and smiles faintly. "Aw, there aren't /that/ many of 'em." The girl apparently attempts at sympathy, but fails just slightly. "Sleep well, Morlanol." Still, she smiles, before turning and peering at Thea. "That was pretty smart."
Thea finishes the sock, cool eyes flickering back to Morlanol as he speaks. She nods, but there is no regret in her words, "That's right, there are." Her teeth snap off the thread on the finished sock, she dumps the darning egg out into her palm. She rises smoothly and returns the socks and sewing supplies to to Jessamin's basket, turns and starts for the door. She chuckles at Riyontali as she passes her, "Thanks, Tali." A glance over her shoulder at young Morlanol, "Cheer up, lad. There are only a hundred or so. And you get to split them with Yontal." She gives a cheery wave as she heads out the door, whistling a jaunty tune as she goes.