Ista Weyr - Southern Bowl
Compared to that of other weyrs, Ista's bowl is small, and incomplete - northwards, one wall was blown clear away several millennia ago, leaving the view clear towards the plateau, the jungles, and the ocean beyond that. Somewhat elliptical, the breadth of the bowl seems to run Northwest to Southeast, the bustling epicentre of the weyr being here, towards the southwest. Several large entrances have been dug into the great bowl walls here - north east are the hatching grounds, south the Living Caverns, these being the two largest caverns in the weyr.
To the east, a small entrance leads in to the ground weyrs - the ledges of these line the bowl wall above, often filled with dragons of gold or bronze; westwards is another ledge, but with a staircase built into the wall, allowing access to the Sable Sands. The infirmary is located towards the southwest.
It is late afternoon at Ista Weyr and a cool spring rain is falling upon the tropical weyr. Briana is with a small group of people working on getting some food supplies just delivered quickly into the dry caverns. She bears a bakercraft badge upon an apron she wears over her dress, one marked with more than a few stains that come about with cooking. "This one has flower…lets get this one in quickly, the fruits could bear washing!" She calls out trying to get assistance to lift a heavy box.
Far above, a mountainous brown pulls himself from /between/ and spirals down to land by the delivery not-yet brought in from the sky. His short rider, pulls his goggles up and leans over the brown's side to Briana and her assistants, "Xanadu's dutes to Ista and her queens." He frowns slightly, then unbuckles himself and slides down the massive brown's side, "Need a hand?"
As she feels the wind from the landing brown, Briana looks over her shoulder to the rider and gives a wave, "Um..Ista's duties to Xanadu's queens." She replies sounding as if she is still working out the form for the greeting. At the offer of help Briana nods to the man, "If you don't mind sir, more hands make light work…got a tithe delivered just in time for the skies to open up." She explains as she moves back to the box she was trying to move.
M'nol nods, stooping to grab a box, "M'nol. Brown Faraeth's. 'Tain't no 'sir' unless you're a candidate or a weyrling." He straightens easily with the load, "Just point me where to go. I remember my turns as a grunt." He gives the brown a sidelong glance, and he spreads his wing out to help protect the goods some from the weather, "So, how fares Ista? I've been gone a month or so now, what've I missed?"
"No sir, but I am an apprentice, reckon I should show respect." Briana says with a nod to the man, her mocca skin darkening though at the 'reprimand'. She grabs a smaller box and nods over to the main caverns, "Just outside the kitchen, we will sort in from there." She suggests to him as she starts to carry her own load, "Oh..um…well..Apparently we have a crazy ovine on the loose attacking people."
M'nol frowns slightly at the mention of the ovine, "Shards, do Cen 'n' X'hil just attract the things? Still, 'm just a M'nol. I know I'm not wearin' the knot just now, but I'm only an apprentice myself, craft-wise." He carries the load into the kitchens, then returns, "So, what's your name?"
"Someone mentioned a Pi being too nice with em.." Briana responds to the rider, looking up to him curiously as if trying to recognize him. She is fairly new to the weyr herself. "Oh, sorry, I am Briana." She says, finally giving her name, "My Uncle lives Xanadu way." She says canting her head to him, "What craft you with?" She asks with an interest as she walks back out into the light sprinkle of rain with him to collect the next box.
M'nol moves out to get his next load as well, "Pi's a greenrider here, isn't she? Oof" The last comes as he hefts a box and starts moving back towards the caverns, "I'm a harper. Who's your uncle?"
"I ain't sure sir, haven't met her yet. Reckon she handles the ovines from what they were saying." Briana says to the man as she lifts her own box, not bothered by the rain. Perhaps quite used to it in this tropical area. "He is a greenrider healer D'len. I lived down there when I was just a little kid." She continues, talking easily with him as she walks along side him.
M'nol shrugs, "Never met many of the regular riders while I was here. Too much time inured with the Weyrlings." He hmms as his load is set down, "Haven't met D'len yet, but I've heard him mentioned about the Weyr. I impressed there, myself." He leans against the wall for a moment before moving back out towards the goods, "If you don't mind me asking, why're you here if your da's there?"
"My Da ain't there, D'len just my uncle. I don't know where me dad is in truth and rather glad of it." Briana says to the man as she lifts another box and glances up to the man, "Ista treated me right when they didn't have to, so when Ma gave me a choice, I came here. It is sorta home…ya know?" She responds seeming quite casual in speaking about this.
"Oh." M'nol at least has the good grace to look embarrassed, "Sorry. I misheard before. My apologies. Ista was good to me for a few turns when I needed it, but I guess Xanadu was always my home and eventually she called me back." He moves to get another box, "You ever considered going there to visit your uncle?" Which is about when Faraeth interferes a brown snout between Briana and her track back to the caverns with a wuffle.
"Oh I have a couple times, its how I became apprentice. Met up with the Master Crafter down there Denna." Briana says as she reaches for another box only to get a face full of brown snouth between her and it. "Oh..Hello.." She says and glances to the rider before hesitantly reaching to the brown head. "Sorry, I suppose I should have said hi to you too, eh?"
The brown snorts softly, giving Briana a draconic evil-eye and M'nol chuckles, "he says yes, you should have. Especially since he has a present for you."
Briana at least does look sincerely apologetic and she tentatively rubs the brown's nose, "I am really sorry, hello there. You are a good looking brown." The mention of a present causes the teen to look from one to the other curiously, "A present? Bring something from me uncle?"
Faraeth's eyes whirl rapid bluegreen as a pleased hum rumbles up from his belly. Morl takes advantage of the girl's distraction with the brown to set his box aside and fish a bundle of white out of his pocket with a nearly smarmy grin, waiting until she turns back towards him to say, "He wants you to stand for him. If you're willing."
At the response from Faraeth, Briana gains more confidence and gives him another nose scratch. "Well I am standing for him.." She starts before she looks over to the Rider, then back to dragon and back to the rider as he notices the bundle of white. "oh…standing. Oh..are you sure?"
M'nol chuckles brightly at the momentary misunderstanding, "My surety has little to do with it. /He/'s sure." The white knot is still held carefully in his hand, "Presuming, of course, that your master allows it."
"I.." She looks up to the brown and has quite an intent look on her face, "So you are sure? I ain't weyrbred.." She says with a note of concern on her features and she bites her lower lip and glances over to the rider, "My Master is at Xanadu, I suppose I should check with her and I got to let someone here k…oh Kal.." She looks between the rider, dragon with a conflicted look on her face, "Alright."
M'nol chuckles and shrugs, "Me neither. Far from a requirement. Dragons don't care about compatability. It's all about what's up here." He points at his head, "Become compatible." He knows that voice, though, "Your boy? Well, if you've got a firelizard, you can always talk to him and then send for me and Farry'n'I'll come get you. Since once you take this knot, you can't leave the Weyr without an escort."
Briana nods to the rider, "Yes sir, that would be good sir. I can't say no, but I should talk to Kal…I suppose I can send him a message, get Uncle D'len to bring him down." She seems a little conflicted then, "He could visit, right?" She asks him as she looks up to the rider, then up to the dragon again, her fingers reaching for that brown snout once more before a bit more surity touches her features.
M'nol chuckles and nods easily, "Of course he could. No sex, though. That's a big one for candidates. No sex, no booze, and no fighting." Faraeth nearly croons under Briana's stalwart affections, clearly fond of the lass.
"I ain't supposed to do any of that with being an apprentice either way." Briana says with a half smile and a light colouring of her cheeks. Maybe that rule has been bent a..couple of times. Well she only got knotted a few sevendays ago. She smiles up at the brown, "You sure you are sure?"
Faraeth's head wobbles up and down in a flashy brown nod. He's sure.
Kyldar comes out into the bowl from the living cavern and gives a wave as she approaches those already present. "Hello and greetings," she greets, and her green Sinasapelth gives a croon of greeting herself. "All is well, I trust?"
M'nol glances up at Kyldar and chuckles, "Just came by to visit a couple of old students and Farry decided to start scalping Ista's population for Seryth's clutch." He tosses the knot to Briana, "Say your goodbyes and find me again to take you back, alright?"
Kyldar says to M'nol, "Seryth? Who's that? Not any of Ista's I take it?" To Briana: "Where are you off to with all that?"
M'nol grins as the girl re-appears and motions for Faraeth to lower himself as much as he can, "Seryth is Xanadu's senior queen, ma'am. And Xanadu's duties to Western, greenrider." For all he saw her impress, he doesn't remember Kyldar's name.
Briana looks over to Kyldar, "Gonna go ask Denna if I am allowed to stand at Xanadu…his dragon reckons I should and seems most insistant." She says with a glance up to the brown. She looks down at her basket and the kitten then to the rider, "Can she travel this way?"
Jeddia hobbles out on her crutches right about the time Denna's name is mentioned. "Oh, I don't think there'll be any problem, Bri. Grandma Denna doesn't ever protest her apprentices standing. And if you're at Xanadu, that'll be even better, since she'll be there to help work with you on craft matters.
Kyldar looks at the kitten and ponders. "A kitten traveling by dragon? Won't that frighten her—especially if it involves going between?" To M'nol: "And Western's duties to you. Xanadu? And Craft matters?" She looks at Briana and says, "You're in Bakercraft, aren't you?"
M'nol smiles indulgently at the kitten, "Do you have a lid for the basket? I wouldn't want her to startle and jump off /between/." The limping Jeddia draws his eye curiously before he inclines his head politely to the vaguely familiar injured girl before nodding to Kyldar, "I recently returned and Farry's already scalping Ista's offerings."
"Grandma Denna? You related to her? I suppose that could work if I am allowed if I am down there." Briana says thoughtfully to Jeddia before glancing at Kyldar then down to her kitten and frowns slightly. "I suppose…" She murmurs, "Blade get on in there with Storm and keep her safe." She says to the green who gives a chirp and curls up around the kitten. "She won't go anywhere sir.."
Jeddia giggles. "Actually, she's my Granddad's sometime Weyrmate. Not so much now, since he's here and she's at Xanadu, but they still see each other often, and still love each other very much." She thinks for a moment. "I think I saw a medium sized basket with a lid somewhere. Find a blanket and put it in that, and Storm should be just fine in it."
Kyldar arches an eyebrow and winces at M'nol's comments. "No, that would not be good. Do make sure the the critter is safe." She looks back and forth among the others. "Well, I've never had to transport live animals—well except my firelizards, and they know between anyway." To Briana in particular: "So you've been searched for this clutch, I take it?"
Briana is definately starting to look a bit overwhelmed. Odd family relations, between and kittens. She about look like she might turn around and change her mind but she just takes a deep breath and stands her ground. "They should be ok.." She looks up to Kyldar and nods, "Yeah, I left a note for Kaldrozen…if ya could bring him down I would be glad, I couldn't find him."
M'nol smiles at the firelizard cuddling the kitten, then nods, "If you're sure. I've transported animals before, but usually in crates." He nods to Kyldar, "I always do my best on such things. No interest in losing anyone /between/ on my watch." He grabs the riding straps and easily hoists his short, muscular form up into the saddle after seven turns, then offers his hand down to Briana, "If no one else will bring the lad, let me know and I'll get him. After all, a candidate's well being is part of my duties."