Xanadu Weyr - Stables
The Stables of Xanadu Weyr are composed of one long building, lined with box and standing stalls that are kept thoroughly clean by the resident grooms and stablehands. Runners nicker and neigh at everyone who enters, save for the obstinate ones that just flicker their ears in indignant curiousity that they dare not make visible. The foremost stalls near the door to the Barn Yard are the grand box stalls which are home to the prized runners of Xanadu, as well as the most pregnant, those which are so far along that they require constant observation by the Herders, so as to ensure easy foaling.
However, the primary design of stall which lines the broad pathway that is covered in saw dust which is the main avenue of the Stables, is that of the Standing Stall. Many runners are in the standing stalls, with ropes strung across the front so as to keep the runners from leaving their designated containers. A few hay bales sit here and there along the avenue, some of which act as seats for the stablehands and grooms on their breaks, others as snacks for those runners who can reach out their necks far enough. Buckets and baskets of grooming supplies, brushes and combs, and the like also sit here and there, occassionally knocked over by a wayward hoof or inquiring muzzle.
The stables are filled with the sounds of runners. Neighing, shifting, clomping hooves echo now and again. Light is streaming in from windows open to the spring air, sending a cool breeze through. Along with all of this, is the sound of brooms sweeping across the hardwood floors. Rogawani, washed and looking particularly oddly dressed in a pair of loose slacks that don't seem to suit him well, is pushing one of the brooms. Hay, dirt, and other refuse best imagined as dirt, is swept towards a pile near the back of the stables, where two 'hands are already working at shoveling the mess into a pile.
Morlanol is sweeping as well, steering clear of the runners as much as possible as he does so. Sure they don't *all terrify him anymore, but some of them are still dangerous and he certainly doesn't know which ones. As he finishes sweeping his latest gathering into the corner he calls out to Rogawani, "Hey, Ro… do we need to sweep out the paddocks too?" He doesn't seem particularly pleased at the thought, just asking…
Keziah is currently grooming a rather small stallion. He stands there head of, eyeing the rope attached to the cross ties. "Don't you even dare, Vulcan." she remarks to the runner who flicks his ears back and then forward again. He turns his attentions towards the sweepers as Kezi turns his coat into a gleaming shine of blue black. Keziah glances as well and grins at Morl "Careful, you might give Yina ideas." she notes.
Ro' pauses for a moment, leaning one arm on his broom as he reaches down to pull the draw-string on the oversized pair of pants tighter. "I think they said we had to sweep out the empty ones." He mutters, deftly tieing off the knot at his waist, checking the fit so that he doesn't inadvertently flash anyone. Only afterwards, he looks, smirking slightly to Morlanol. "I promise, I'll keep the runners from trampling you to death." There's a slightly teasing tone to his voice, which extends towards Keziah as he looks over to her. "We're slave labor, everyone already has ideas on what to do with us."
Morlanol gulps a little too loudly as he makes his way over to one of the empty stalls and begins sweeping it out. An unhappy squawk is heard before blue Agate, now out of the eat-sleep-poop-repeat phase comes tumbling out followed quickly by Morl's admonishment, "Stay away from th' runners, Agate, they'll stomp y' as soon as look at y'." Agate squawks again, then wings up to the rafters to survey his serfs, his midnight blue tail hanging down perhaps a tidge too far
Keziah eyes Vulcan "Behave you ninny." she snorts and runs a hand along his rippling hindquarters. "Easy boy." Course the runner is now eying the tail hanging down and sidesteps a little away from the brush. Is it edible? Kex grins over at Ro "Tis true, tis the lot of a candidate, but there are worse chores and all." she notes with a shrug "Sides, it's only fair in some ways. I mean how else do you think they'd keep the ones the bring in from elsewhere occupied? Might as well treat us all the same."
Swinging his broom around back into his hands, Rogawani just smirks as Morlanol gives quite a warning to the little firelizard. "You know… they can between if a hoof gets too close." He chuckles though, finding the situation more amusing than not. "I don't mind at all, though. I'd rather be out here than arms-deep in laundry or dishes." He sweeps the broom along the main hall, meeting up with Morlanol to begin moving whatever the younger candidate has sweeped from the stall. "Not so many from outside this time, though. Sabrina, Iroha, you remember any others?" He asks to no one in particular.
Morlanol's face screws up in thought, "Tali, maybe? That's all, I think. An' even if he can b'tween, I don' wan' him gettin' too close while he's so young." Up above, Agate chitters angrily at Vulcan even as he pulls his tail up out of reach, clearly scolding the horse, how dare that violent beast even contemplate his divine form. Morl sighs at Agates behavior as he continues to sweep hay and dung out of the unoccupied stall, glancing at Ro, "Are they all like that?"
Keziah leads the stallion back to his box stall, the runner prancing as he moves. He's not to be trusted in a standing stall. The runner does eye the blue one more time before he's lead in. Latching the gate securely, Keziah hmms. "Dunno. Do recognize most all. Tali's been around for awhile." she notes and then shrugs as she leads out a dun mare "Come on oh Demented one." she murmurs as she clicks her tongue lightly and then leads her to the same spot and cross-ties her. "Are all who like what? Runners or Firelizards and likely the answer is no."
"Nah, Tali was a stablehand here before getting searched." Rogawani says, bent over to sweep the dirt across the floor and into the growing pile there. At the end of the line, he looks up towards the blue firelizard. "Well, not all of them." There is a thoughtful look on the boy's face as he walks back for another sweep-through. "My first lizard was kind of like that." With a scratch to the side of his face, he moves the broom around to collect some hay into a small pile. "I got lucky with him, though. He's so independant that he's rarely around to harass me now that he's old enough to hunt on his own."
Morlanol nods, doing a last sweep around the corners before moving on to the next stall, "Hmmm… I hope he grows out of it or some bronze or gold'll give him what for some day." Agate continues to chitter at Vulcan for a few moments, until the new runner catches his eye and he gives a soft croon.
Innocent Dementia is pretty gravid as she's heavy with foal so Keziah his careful with her. The mares ears flicker a little at the crooning and the looks around, not having seen the firelizard at all. "He'll grow into his own I'm sure. Firelizards can tend to mature, or not. Much like people." Keziah notes as she runs her hands along the mares side. Smiling softly.
"Maybe that's just what he needs, though." Rogawani suggests, glancing momentarily to the rafters, where his own two firelizards are nestled together, green and gold. "I could try to get Kassi to have a word with him." He offers, pushing the broom forward with a bit too much force, sending a bit of dust up towards the pile already gathered. As his eyes sweep back towards Keziah, he eyes the mare for a moment. "She looks fit to pop any day now. She one of yours?" His head tilts slightly, curious.
Agate gives another happy chirrup and a light humm before spreading his wings and drifting down towards the mare, a happy blue green in his eyes, not landing, simply going back and forth between humming and trilling. Morl shakes his head, "I'm gonna try t' let him be a kid firs'. If'n he keeps it up fer too long I may take y' up on tha' offer." He sneezes as the dust from Ro's wayward sweep reaches his nose, sending more dust flying.
Keziah snerks "I'd let Eirwyn have a go at him, but she's liable to take a literal chunk out of his hide." she notes and then nods to Ro "That she is, bred to that fella I just groomed." she notes with a smile "Hoping for a good foal." She notes "She still has a couple months though. As does Dreams over there." She gets to grooming and just pampering the mare. "Little thing she is. Course so's Vulcan. They've actually been fairly decent on longer treks as long as they're paced. Or short distances running full out." she can't help but grin at Morl "Careful, don't wanna inhale that. Lots of feces in dust." she states with a smirk.
"Sorry." Rogawani says sheepsihly over his shoulder, trying to be a bit more careful with his broom strokes as he follows behind Morlanol, playing the go-between from the stalls to the pile of collected dirt. "Couple of months? Poor girl." He shakes his head, sometimes quite glad he was born male. "Mine's Rider, he's the gray gelding in the back." He motions with his chin, but the runner is too far down the line of stalls to really be visible. "Just some old gelding a candidate left behind when he impressed, sold him to my Da when I got interested in message-riding. Great trail-runner." With an easy motion, he sweeps some more dirt forward, glancing back over his shoulder. "Don't know much about the racers though. Do you compete with yours?"
Morlanol grimaces at the mention of feces, "Really? Is it even safe to be in here if tha's th' case?" Agate continues to flit back and forth well above the mare. Maybe he just likes babies. Morl smiles slightly, "Y' race yer runners? Do they ever win anythin'?
Keziah shakes her head a little "Not so much myself, there are better jockey's than I am." she notes. "They're the ones with the training. But, they're good iffen I need to get somewhere fairly quickly and not so oversized that I feel like I'm stretched in two." She chuckles at Morl "Well, what to you think happens with dried manue that gets trampled? It turns to dust. Course, if you think about it, your own skin as it flakes off becomes dust too." Nummies. She then nods "They've won a few races, placed some as well. Not too bad on the jump circuit as well, which is nice."
"Yeah, I can't imagine how Rhasmir rides around on that big mare of his, especially without a saddle." Rogawani's hand reaches down instinctively as if protecting a certain group of important male body parts. "I don't think you have to worry about the dust, though, Morl. Some people have trouble with allergies, but if you're not sneezing up a storm, you should be fine." He walks into one of the open stalls, sweeping at it while looking over the gates separating it from the next. "Do you ever sell a foal? I don't like to admit it, but Rider's getting old, need to keep my eyes out for folks who might be sellin runners around here. Not that I have the marks right now."
Morlanol finishes with the stall he's on and moves on to another, sneezing again, but at least for the moment it seems to be the last one. Suddenly, he bends over and comes up holding what looks like several stalks of hay bound together by another. His eyes look quizzical, "Guys… d' any o' th' runners have thumbs?" Agate, meanwhile, has drifted down fairly close to the mare, trilling as he does a loop-de-loop beneath her, running smack into Keziah's knee when he tries to re-surface. With a startled 'awp' he disappears *between* then reappears back on his original rafter perch, looking sullen.
Keziah tilts her head a little "I've been known too." she notes with a smile "Gets expensive keepin' runners sometimes. Gotta do something to make back the marks. But I'll likely be selling ny colts that I get. And I'm debating on a couple of stallions." she also adds. A curious glance towards Morl "Not the last time I checked." she notes and then yelps as she's smacked into. The mare startles a moment and then settles down with a breathy sigh "Could be one of the kidlets, they're always making straw dolls." She leads the mare back into her stall, one of the larger ones that are good for the gravid broodmares.
"Probably not something I have to worry about right away, but if you do have one you might consider selling, let me know?" Rogawani says, trying to keep his voice down as if somehow worried his runner might hear him. Or perhaps it's something else entirely, as he ducks behind one of the supports as a herder journeyman comes walking down the center corridor of the stables. Ronani, visiting Fortian herder, nods once to Keziah, and then heads on towards the back where he seems to be meeting with someone. "Shard it all." Rogawani mutters, and then props the broom up against one side of the stall. "I think I'm done. I'm going to head back." He thumbs over his shoulder, glancing only once at the odd bundles of hay that Morlanol holds. Without a look over his shoulder, Ro' skedaddles. What is with him lately?
Morlanol puts some finishing touches on his stall before setting his own broom with Ro's. He whistles shrilly and Agate becomes immediately alert, then flies to him, though he doesn't seem happy about it. Morl walks quietly up to Kez, trying not to startle the gravid mare, "Umm… Kez… d'you… d'you think I coul' be here when she births? It'd be innerestin' t' watch."
Keziah arches a brow as Ro suddenly hides away, and then her attention drifts to the new fella and she tips her head a bit. There's a thoughful look on her face and then as Ro comes back out she nods "Sure thing. Will do." she notes and watches him head off. Then she's smiling at Morl "Well, so long as both of us aren't doing something else. Sure. I'll let Yina know to let you know as well. She's been keepin' an eye on 'em for me." She smiles and then secures the mare "Well, I need to go see about a few things, but don't let me forget either okay?" she says the last as she waves and heads out of the stables.