Plans for Never
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Xanadu Weyr - Observation Level

Dark blue seats form a semi-circle around the sands below, the lowest row separating from the sands themselves by merely a railing. The seats climb upwards, each row a bit higher then the previous, and they are broken up into sections by 3 sets of staircases. Lights are evenly spaced along the outer wall, lighting the seats and the sands easily, though they tend to be dimmed unless a major event is taking place. A large balcony looms overhead, darkening some of the seats, providing a place for observers of the draconic kind to watch without obstructing the view for others.
When one looks over the railing, the oddly hued sand below can be seen easily, the circle-shaped area of the sands spread out to the far walls, the sand itself a unique mixture of red and white grains.


Morning harper lessons are over, and after the Master had released everyone, Pyriel had taken off muttering something about being cold. He can be found in one of the warmest places in the weyr during winter. Not the bathing cavern, but rather the observation level. He's about as far back as possible, tucked in a corner, curled up. His head rests against the wall. But he's not gazing adoringly at the eggs or contemplating his hopes and dreams. No. He's fast sleep with his arms loosely folded over his lap.

Ever since returning to solid ground after that trip to the Yokohama, Kaede has been somewhat more reserved and thoughtful, keeping even more to herself and giving all her attention and spare time to her studies. Today seems to be no different, for while Pyriel went headed off in one direction, Kaede returned to the barracks, gathering up a few books, which are then carted up to the relative peace and quiet of the Observation Level to read. Of course, this plan goes right out the window as the curled up, sleeping form is noted in the corner, and she's headed in that direction after a moment to contemplate.

As Pyriel is passed out at present, he is not aware of the fact that his restful slumber is likely about to be interrupted. The two blond harpers are of course, not the only ones about at this time of day, a few others mill about. Someone unfamiliar woman smiles and nods on her way past Kaede, heading down the stairs that the girl is headed up, turns, and merely walks out the doorway. A few others are chatting softly among themselves. There are even several that, like Py, had chosen this place to escape the chill to be found elsewhere. Peacefully snoozing, or loudly snoring scattered among the level's many seats.

Kaede blinks, turning to watch the woman who nodded disappear, before shrugging it off, the harper-candidate settling her shoulder back with her books into a seat before she's climbing back a row and moving to settle down quietly next to Pyriel. Gaze lingers on him for a moment, before she's leaning, fingers lifting to gently brush over his check, a curious little smile twitching at her lips before her hand drops to gently rub his shoulder. "Pyr.." She murmurs softly, hoping to not wake him too abruptly.

At the soft touch to his cheek, Pyriel's face twitches before his entire body begins to shift. Dark lashes part and golden eyes hold that look of between sleep and awake and then he sharply inhales. Stretching all his limbs at once, his head turns towards the other harper, and he smiles sleepily. "Hey Kae, sup?" he ask, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand before he's slouching down in his chair and blinking a few times. "Musta dozed off, just came here to get warm." He's then rubbing at his face with both hands before another yawn rips itself free.

"Hey…" She offers as he awakens and stretches, turning to sit sideways in her spot, facing him with a little smirk on her face. "I don't blame you, if I didn't have so much catching up to do…" She wrinkles her nose, glancing down at the bag of books sitting in the row in front of them. "You would think they'd let me have a bit more leeway.." With chores and studies and everything else.

Pyriel ruffles his hands through his hair, making a right mess of the near shoulder length locks. "Ya got more book work than I do." he says, his head coming to rest upon the back of his seat, hands folded behind with knees spread wide. "Hey Kae, ya know that all that shit ain't gunna matter if ya Impress right? Yer a good person ya got a better shot then most. Ever think about whatcha gunna do if ya do actally walk away with a lifemate?" He turns his head then towards her, brows lifting.

"What would it be aside from bookwork? Faranth knows me and instruments.." Kaede clears her throat a little with a blush, shaking her head and waving off that concept. After a moment, she leans to tug a small pamphlet from the pouch - the cover listing a case name and a date only two weeks past. "If I stop reading, it builds up… And then I'll never catch up." She shrugs a little, and then gives Pyriel a long look. "Why would that happen? I'm a Harper." She starts, with a blink, and a shrug. "I know my duty, I stood… But.. I still have Senior Apprentice to make."

Pyriel sits up, leaning over himself and draping his arms over his knees, his attention still on Kaede. He expression morphs into one of bewilderment as she talks of reading and catching up, eyes flickering briefly to the case file in her hand before they return to the harper girl. "Yer kiddin' right?" he asks, astonished. "Ya saying if a dragonet came up to ya on the sands ya would refuse it and then go back to yer studying?" Head drops then, and he looks down at the floor between his feet. "I love singin' and playin' the guitar, but not so much that I would give up a chance to prove to my father I ain't a waste of space."

"Hey, I never said that!" Kaede protests as Pyr takes her statement 'wrong', shaking her head hurriedly. "I.. Just don't think a hatchling is going to come walking up to me on the Sands." She shrugs a little, fanning herself a little with the booklet as she thinks, finally turning back to meet Pyriel's gaze. "You aren't a waste of space, Pyr… I'll tell anyone you want, that."

Pyriel arches a brow at Kaede when she protests, getting a sort of amused lit to his features. "Like I said, ya got just as much chance as the rest of us, and that's coming from the biggest bastard in Xanadu." he winks and then is moving again, this time to stretch upwards, arms over his head. Task completed and he flops back, pulling a hair elastic out of his pocket and applying it to his head. While he can pull the length into a runner tail, his bangs in part slip free and over his left eye. As it had been back when Kaede and he first met. "Ya never met my father Kaede. Dude used to toss me around like a ragdoll, and I dun think he's above smacking a girl. Dun wanna see ya get hurt, but I appreciate the gesture." he says, yanking the elastic out and trying to just pull up the sides and front rather than all of his hair at once.

"There's a lot more of *us* than there are those eggs, down there…" Kaede counters again, shaking her head, glancing at the buried ovoids on the sands below. "I.. I'm just not thinking about it, because there's no point in planning for something that won't happen." She shrugs, and peeks back at him, wrinkling her nose as his hair falls in his face, before he's attempting to fix it, and she's going on. "Don't you see, though, Pyr? That's what harpers are for… Protecting those who can't protect themselves. That's what all these books are full of.." Oh, idealist.

Pyriel manages with some trial and error to get the majority of of that bothersome blondness up into the elastic, a small chunk freeing itself eventually but as it does not fall into his eye, he doesn't bother retrying. He does look to the sands as Kaede reminds him of their number and he merely shrugs one shoulder. "Dun matter. Ya got just as much chance as anyone else. Ya should plan for it even if ya personally think ya got no chance. Just cause ya think ya ain't gunna, dun mean that one of those hatchling down there is gunna agree with ya." he chuckles, but the sounds tapers off as Kaede goes on, and the boys sighs. Yes, idealist indeed. "Oh I can protect myself just fine. The whole reason I learned how to fight was cause of the old man. Wasn't about to let him push me around no more."

"Maybe…" Kaede glances at the eggs again, eyes darting over each one, falling quiet as she contemplates the consciousness within each shell, and then her eyes drift to the bag of books. After staring for a moment, she shakes her head and pulls herself from her contemplation. "Its not just about not being pushed around.. its about justice, too. Punishing people for hurting others… For.." And she colors, shaking her head as the thin case notes are shoved back in her bag. "I'd protect you, the bet I could."

The eggs? Pyriel doesn't spare them another look, merely shrugging again. "Anything is possible." And that is that. He lets Kaede do her egg gazing and contemplating while fingers fiddle with his healed ears. He still hadn't done anything with them, his only remaining piercings being the two on his bottom lip. Attention instantly snaps back to the harper girl when she begins speaking again. He doesn't reply at first, brows lifting to his hairline and there is quite the pause before he just laughs right out loud. "I ain't laughing atcha, just…that's a rather brave stance ya took there. Maybe ya got the makings of a dragonrider eh?" he teases, "My father is about six foot…three? Four? Anyway, he might be old but I wouldn't even mess with him unless he was messin' with me."

"I guess.." And then as he laughs at her, she gets rather ruffled, forehead wrinkling and arms folding defensively over her chest as she gives him a dirty look, leaning over to pinch him. "There's more than one way to protect someone. You should know that." And then, with a huff, she's pushing herself to her feet, and snagging her bag to fling it over her shoulder. "I'm going to go study, because even if you don't think I need to… I do." And she's flouncing off, hackles raised, to distract herself with the familiar pages of law literature.

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