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.
Late evening, and the glows have been dimmed all throughout the barracks, with only a few here and there to provide soft light so nobody accidentally stubbs their toe if they need to sneak out to the latrines or something. A few cots have them too, candidates still awake for whatver reason. Over near the back, there is a SNOORE, and some tossing and turning, while elsewhere groups of folks sit up and chatter, hushed voices low with the general buzz of eveningtime. The floors are cold and there's a random green firelizard flitting about, chasing some flying bug that's gotten in, while near the entry, one of the younger candidates is painting someone's toes fuschia. Over on his cot, Iessrien is ignoring all of this, save the snoring, which he lifts his head to peer at briefly before returning to what he was doing. What he had been doing was lying on his stomach, a writing stick in hand, scribbling down something on a piece of paper. The holder boy has his arms cross in front of him and is facing the foot of his bed, his pillow shoved up under his chest, sleeping clothes somewhat thicker for the colder months at Xanadu, but as well-tailored as the rest of his wardrobe. Dark lashes lower, considering the page before him, but the words appear to come slow, with much crossing out and slight brow-furrowing. Occasional glances are sent over to Pol's cot, and then more writing ensues.
Karona comes stalking through the barracks from one of the corner cots, blanket around her shoulders, one hand clutching it closed, the other hidden underneath. She's lurching along, grumbling about chattering candidates. "So shardin' excited. Probably won't impress, y'know. Get over it." she's muttering, shooting dagger-filled glances back the way she'd come. There's a vacant cot /somewhere/ near Iessrien's, and it's there that she flops, completely unaware of her new neighbours. Until she rolls over, and finds herself face to face with the holder boy. "You." she mutters, "Figures." But at least he's keeping to himself? She sinks back down into the cot.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. This is the sound coming from Kiley's cot, her fingers idly playing along the cover of a book and her short nails making sound when fingers make contact with the cover. Tap. Tap. Tap. This continues as each finger is brought down to tap the cover and then it repeats in a pattern. Pinky to thumb thumb to pinky and repeating over and over and over again as the woman remains entirely lost in whatever thoughts she has. While she is already covered in her blankets, only her arms remain out above them and her book above the sheets. Reading stopped awhile ago when the lights dimmed, but even before then as she became lost in her thoughts. So there she lay, staring at nothing and saying utterly nothing as the tapping becomes quicker and quicker until it slows down to a pace that spreads each tap. If those around her haven't gone insane yet, it is likely that they may soon. But then the book is abandoned with a soft thud onto the floor as the woman rolls and pulls her pillow in closely. Then there is a soft rustle of blankets as her feet begin to move at the same pace her fingers left off. Restless, anyone?
Iessrien's thoughtful and slow-going writing of whatever it is soon has him tapping the blanket absently with the end of the pencil. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Rinse and repeat. Only once it quickens does the boy become aware that he's unconsciously mimicking Kiley, and he blinks over at the girl with something of a start, expression slightly sheepish. "Can't sleep either?" is called over quietly, though unfortunately this puts the approaching Karona in his line of sight. The holder boy wrinkles his nose, offering the smith-candidate an equally warm, "You," in return, sparing her only a mild glance before his attention returns to his writing.
Karona's eye twitches in time with each tap, shooting a /look/ Kiley's way. "Something bothering you?" she queries, more to get Kiley to stop than due to any real concern. But the question was asked, she can hardly complain if there's an answer. She glances Iessrien's way briefly, then seems to shrug - the blanket rises and falls. And then wriggles, the woman resettling herself. Seems she's brought something with her, as she's shuffling back to give it some room on the pillow - some reading material, perhaps.
Kiley shifts, and rustles and then finally comes to sit up when sleep eludes her once more and she finds herself peeking over at Iessrien. "Nope. Thinking too much." She takes a breath and releases it. "Eggs, computers, family, riders, Weyrlings… Ranks. Crafts." She lists everything and then rolls her shoulders before dropping her head onto her knees. "The more we go on. The more confused I get and the more confused I get, the more restless I feel and the more restless I feel, the more I think of the eggs. And then potentially Impressing, then with that leads to Weyrlinghood, and then continuing my craft, and then to the talking computer idea that Keziah gave me and then it becomes a circle." Seriously. Someone knock her out already. The woman yawns, pulling her knees in closer and peeking over at Karona. Then, sleepy Kiley asks: "Why don't you like one another?" It is a completely innocent question, child-like in the way she asks. Her eyes lift to bat innocently at the pair. Blink blink blink.
Iessrien eyes Karona sidelong, for that shuffling, his own query somewhat demanding, "What are you doing over here? Don't you have have a cot already?" though the holder boy's irritability with the woman is tempered by the tired, his attion drifting back to Kilay. A sympathetic smile is offered to the girl, Iess murmuring, "I know how that is. Been doing a lot of that myself," again a glance over at Pol's got, and then Pyriel's, very briefly, before his eyes drop back to the writing he'd been doing. Each thing the computercrafter lists off receives a faint not, to indicate he's at least somewhat listening, Iess looking up again and tilting his head. "Computer idea..?" catching only the last part, apparently not entirely able to follow. Kiley's question, though, gives the holder pause, eyes flicking to Karona before he vaguely lifts his shoulders in a shrug, "She's rude, inconsiderate, obnoxious.." he doesn't go on, instead waving the pencil-holding hand toward the smith. Apparently, tired Iessriens lack tact, also.
Karona blinks several times at Kiley's onslaught of answer, opening her mouth several times to answer, but then Kiley adds another thing to the list. All Karona can do is shake her head, eyes wide. "That's.. quite a list. Now /I'm/ worrying about those things." she complains. At Kiley's question, her mouth again opens and closes, turning to Iessrien for his answer first. She snorts. "Because he's a brat, and a kid, and rude, and annoying." is her answer, in the end. "I can't concentrate in /my/ cot, that silly girl is chatterchattering away again." is her retort to Iessrien. There's more shuffling, and a pencil emerges. Writing a letter? Looks that way.
Kiley gives no answer, for at some point during Iessrien's distraction the computer crafter laid back into bed and fell promptly asleep. She misses the response from both; curiosity would have to be sated another day. Oh well.
Iessrien smirks at Karona's answer, muttering what might possibly 'old fart' under his breath and then tilting his chin up, "If I'm so annoying, I'm sure you'd be better off going /back/ to your own cot. He gives the older canddiate a pointed look, turnign back to perhaps say something to Kiley, and then pausing with a bit of a blink. An eyebrow arches slightly, ghost of a smile tracing along his lips before his attention drops back down to his own letter-writing.
Karona raises an eyebrow at Kiley's complete lack of response, then shakes her head, turning to her own writing, making a point of ignoring Iessrien. Though, there may be a mutter of 'bratty kid' under her breath.
..And they continue trading insults like that for much of the the rest of the night.