Xanadu Weyr - Clearing
A wide clearing stretches from east to west, the ground packed hard although grass grows across most of it. Trees are strictly forbidden in this space, their danger to the constant draconic traffic reason enough to banish them to the forest that creates a this and sharp border to the north. Where the ground is less trampled, tiny flowers poke their delicate heads out from their shaded hiding places with upturned petals to wave to whoever may be looking.
The cliff looms imposingly on three sides, stretching upwards all the way up the side of the mountain where, high above, Xanadu's Star Stones and the ever present watchdragon sit on a lonely peak. Directly south is a massive tunnel, fully wide enough for even the largest dragon to fly down. Southeast are wide steps leading up to the Caverns and eastwards is the large entrance to the Infirmary. Somewhat north of the Infirmary is a human sized archway that has a frequent quantity of traffic — it leads to the Tavern. Southwest lies the low ledges currently belonging to Xanadu's queens while north and west a broad path cut by the side of the cliff leads to the Feeding Grounds and due north is the spacious trail that leads to the rest of the Weyr.
Shellie is sitting on a bench outside the infirmary. She's on duty, but enjoying a break outside for the moment.
Chores are done for the day and Kiley is walking from the caverns and into the clearing. Winter already has the Weyr in its grasp, the cold already filling the air and nipping at the noses of those around. The computer crafter turned candidate is no exception as she only wears a jacket, but her hands tuck into her pockets. It is when she pauses to look to see where she will head next that she spots the healer outside of the infirmary; she makes her way over, pulling one hand from the warmth of her pocket to salute the rider before shoving it back into her pockets. A smile comes to her lips, "hello Shellie."
Shellie looks up, and grins. "Hello, Kiley. How are you doing today? Managing to keep up with the chores?" She stands up, and goes over to the Starcrafter, pulling her own light jacket a little tighter around her.
"Hello ma'am." Kiley smiles a little wider before shrugging her shoulders up to bring the jacket up a little higher around her neck. "I'm doing well, thank you. I'm managing to keep up with what they give me, yes. They're not that hard once you get used to them." A soft chuckle slips from her lips and she casts her gaze skyward for a brief moment. "How are you, ma'am?"
Shellie grins. "Please, call me Shellie, dear. I'm not that formal. And they are easy once you're used to it." She sighs, as she remembers her own candidacy. "So, how have the egg touchings gone?"
"Oh! Right, sorry. Thank you, Shellie." Kiley inclines her head in thanks before nodding her agreement of the chores. "I like them when they can keep me distracted, then I also like the ones that allow me to think when thinking comes easily." The question of the eggs earns a shrug from the woman, unhelpful until she speaks. "They went well enough, really. The eggs were… Well, I've never really touched the eggs before so I cannot really compare them to anything." Her eyes roll skyward and focus there as if it holds the word she is searching for. "They like to test people. To test what they feel about themselves. That's what I got from it after asking some of the others what they felt."
Shellie nods. "Honestly, I think they do that to help decide who they're going to bond with. Rieselth was much the same way with me. And the imagery they give you… Rieselth made me think of a valley in Benden, full of grapes…"
"Hm.. I haven't really heard that one, yet. I was told it was a glimpse at the personality of the one inside the egg.." Kiley shrugs again and smiles, "but, I guess we wouldn't really know until the Hatch and Impress with someone." There's a tilt of her head for Shellie's statement of her green, giving a slow nod. "Weyrwoman Thea said that Seryth's egg reminded her of home when I asked her. Do you remember what egg she came from?"
Shellie nods. "It was beautiful, with swirls of green, blue, red, and grey. Of course, this was at Western, nearly twenty turns ago.
Kiley hmms softly, furrowing her brows and then looking to her sides. "Oh. I wish I had my journal to write that down.. I think I can remember, though." The woman smiles towards the Healer. "Did you think that Impression was worth it?" There's a curious tilt of her head as she watches the other woman. "There's so many opinions and options to consider. I was told I should also try to plan for Impression, just in case. But it is hard to plan for something that is not definite." Out in the Clearing, Kiley and Shellie are talking relatively close to the Infirmary. It is just after the final chores for the day and the start of free time.
The sound of two boys talking drifts over from the direction of the meadow, a certain harper and holder's son soon coming into sight, the latter walking with shoulders slanted back at an easy angle, hands tucked into jacket pockets, a slight smirk flickering over his face for something or other his fellow candidate has said. Iessrien is dressed for the cold, thick shirt and jacket buttoned snug, except for the lazily open bit at his collar where a flash of a silver charm is clearly visible. Garments nearly as dark as his hair make pondwater-blue eyes seem somewhat brighter by comparison, though there's an obvious smile lurking, barely-contained even as he snorts softly as some other commentary from Pyriel. There's lift of his head as the two approach Kiley and Shellie, Iess offering the computercrafter a, "Hi," and maybe a slightly considering look before nodding a more formal, "Ma'am," to Shellie.
Shellie smiles. "Impression is ALWAYS worth it. It's like nothing else that I ever experienced. Even today, the joy of that moment is as strong as it was when I first met her eyes." She waves to Iessrien as he speaks to her. "Hello, Isserien. How are you doing today
Briana is coming from the direction of the caverns with a basket in her arms. She is still wearing her cook's apron and some flour dusted upon her dark cheeks. She is wearing an oversized coat against the cold overall and gloves, not quite used to these temperatures. There is a searching look to the girl gaze as if seeking out someone and as she notes the group of candidates with a rider she starts on in that direction. There is a hesitation though as she notes the two male candidates, though she keeps her head up and heads into the group. "Hey there, Ma'am." She says with a nod to the rider before looking to the candidates, "Just made a new dessert, don't suppose you all want to try it? They should still be warm…" She says with a touch of pride to her voice as she holds the covered basket before her and a hopeful look upon her face.
Pyriel runs long fingers through his lengthening blond hair, grinning wryly at the holder as they walk over with the holder, he himself wearing a puffy powder blue jacket, grey and white gloves and scarf, knitted and the rest his usual attire. They talk softly and appear to be at ease at least. As they approach the others, animated hands once flying about in the thrill of conversation still and slide into the pockets of his jacket, golden eyes drifting over those gathered. Giving a chin lift to Briana and Kiley, and a mumbled, "Ma'am." in greeting.
Kiley looks towards Iessrien and Pyriel as they approach, the smile on her lips steadily growing and her hand comes from the warmth of her pocket to wave a friendly greeting. "Hey Iessrien. Pyriel." Each get a nod, "how are you two doing?" The nod is returned before her head turns to consider the Healer and nodding for her statement. "That is good. I.. Find myself asking people this more and more…" Her gaze doesn't linger long on the woman as Briana is joining them and her hand sneaks out to wave once more towards the other candidate. "Hello Briana. How are you doing?" She shoves her hand back into her pocket, seeking temporary relief before she is reaching to snag one of the desserts. "Warm is good." If the rosy color in her cheeks and her nose are any indication to her current temperature. She doesn't waste a moment to bite into it, a soft sound of pleasure coming from the woman. "So good."
Iessrien slows to a stop as he nears the women, head jerking to the side briefly, to shift dark hair back from his forehead. "Doing alright," is in reply to Shellie and Kiley, "You?" his blue eyes flicking vaguely over to Briana with a brief nodded greeting to the girl as well, and then dropping to that basker, eyelids lowering consideringly. "What's in it?" is asked with some small amount of curiosity, though it's the computercrafter his eyes return to. The girl's smile is at least returned, if thinly, before his gaze flicks to Py, then back to the gathering people. If he shifts a little, putting weight more on one foot than the other, perhaps it's just the cold.
Pyriel glances to Iessrien, and then his eyes settle onto Kiley as she waves and greets harper and holder both. "Fine I guess." he says with a half shrug, no frown present. "How about ya?" he asks, brows lifting in curiosity. As he waits for the answer to come, he shakes his head at Briana, "Not for me." Though he does mutter something to the boy beside him and hold out a hand, palm up in the space between them for some reason.
A bright smile is given to Iessrien, "Good." Kiley answers with a nod of her head before taking another bite of the sweet with another sound of pleasure following. Her hand remains out though some of her fingers grow pink with the cold, despite the warmth of the sweet. As for the answer what is in it? She doesn't exactly respond as her mouth remains full as she continues to take a few bites. Pyriel is given a nod for his response, taking a moment to swallow before she speaks again. "That's good." Her eyes flicker towards Shellie as the apprentice comes out and speaks to the Healer. Her opposite hand wiggles out of her pocket to give a salute to the woman. "Take care, Shellie." And back into the pocket it goes. "What were your chores today?" A careful look is given to the two and she grins slowly. "I went to Ierne for lunch and had real food."
"Asking what?" Briana asks with a curious note to her voice even as she lifts her basket, opening the lid to let people partake in them. "Sorta a bubblie, but working with some new ingredients. Red and Orangefruit mixture wrapped in pastry." She explains as people ask about them. "Sorta part of the craft to work on new recipes to get a better understanding of certain ingredients." She holds the basket up towards the boys as if some kind of peace offering, a hopeful look upon her face. Definately looking more relaxed than she did on the Yokohama. Though as Pyriel turns down the pastry and mutters to Iessrien she lowers her gaze a bit. At the question of chores she looks up again to Kiley, "Grooming runners this morning, but promise I scrubbed up proper before I started cleaning."
Iessrien arches a brow at Pyriel, just slightly, eyes sliding sideways to the harper even as the holder tugs something wrapped and red from his pocket. Absently tossing it over to the other boy, he gives a nod of his head, turning back to the girls, and mumbling a polite enough, "Ma'am," to the departing Shellie. He watches Kiley a few seconds more, and then brows arch for the girl's words, "Ierne? How'd you manage that?" Chores? What chores? He wants to know about the food! Speaking of which, Briana's bubblies are eyed consideringly, before Iess steps forward with a sudden grin twitching the corners of his mouth, and plucks a sweet treat up with another nod of his head and a, "Thanks." If he remembers anything that might have been seen or said on the Yokohama, he doesn't show it in the least, just stepping back peside Py again.
Golden orbs follow Shellie as she departs, but Pyriel says nothing as the woman is gone long before he can even open his mouth to do so. A passing up and down bob of a shoulder, and the blond returns to the conversation with the other three candidates. Though with Briana's eye lowering gets the slightest of frowns, managing to catch the wrapped item that Iessrien tossed at him without even looking, despite the offered palm. The lollipop is lifted up, to show the dark-skinned girl. "I dun eat sweets unless it's stuff like this usually." he says in way of explanation, pulling the crinkly wrapper off and sticking the candy past his lips. He instantly rolls it around with his tongue, and it clacks against his teeth. "So chill, kay?" he says, with no tone or anything and he doesn't even look directly at Briana either, rather up over her head or past her shoulder. Never at her face. However the talk of real food and Ierne has Py's eyes glued to Kiley, certainly not shy about looking at her. "What? How's that fair! I'm starving and ye…." he stops them, frowns deeply, crossing his arms over his chest and now glares at the grass. There is some serious clacking going on now, poor lollipop.
"If Impression is worth it." Kiley answers easily to Briana, taking another bite of the pastry. "I like it." Comes the confirmation from the computer crafter, if the fact that she continues to eat it is not any indication to this. She finishes it off, brushes off her hands and promptly stuffs both back into her pocket. "Every craft has that sort of thing, learning a bit of everything so that you can pick what you want to specialize in." A grin of encouragement settles onto her lips before she's lifting her coat up with her shoulders to cover her mouth and nose for a moment. It is when Iessrien speaks does the coat drop and the grin on her lips only grows wider. "Karona paid a rider for us and also paid for some food. It was wonderful." The look she gives Pyriel is apologetic, "we went and got a few other candidates. Sorry, Pyriel."
At Pyriel's response to her reaction, Briana looks back over to him and nods, "Alright, maybe next time I will make some rock candy, It can be a bit fussy temperature wise." She offers to the young man. There is a quick look back to Kiley though as she speaks of her earlier conversation and the trip to Ierne. "Well the riders certainly seem rather besotted with their dragons. Haven't found one yet who has said it weren't worth it." She comments as she looks towards the direction of the sands then back to the group before them. "Sounds like a fun time..so we have more candidates in the barracks now?"
Iessrien holds the pastry up, a more thoughtful look to Briana, before blowing on it with a brief puff of breath, before biting down and then getting the most.. interesting look on his face. While he doesn't exactly spit it out, he doesn't complete the bite either, removing the toothmarked bubblie-thing and eyeing it. "Uh.." rolling his tongue in his mouth and giving the sweet a really dubious look, "Think.. I'll pass, actually." Apparently, something about it doesn't quite agree with the holder, given the tug of distaste in his expression. Py's commentary on sweets has Iess' gaze flicking toward the harper, though. Brief smirk. And then he's fishing in his own pocket, pulling out another red lollipop to unwrap and stick it in his own mouth. Mnph. And then, like the harper, Iessrien is also frowning, though this tome with brows drawing together and a soft snort, "..Karona." He sounds like he's swallowed something really awful-tasting suddenly, despite the candy tucked to one side of his mouth.
Pyriel tosses another glare over at Kiley, candy making clacky sounds again within his mouth, that sound hollow with his lips closed. Apparently prepared to give her the very adult and mature silent treatment now, instead focusing in the air around Briana. "Dun need to go to no trouble 'count of me, actually prefer if ya didn't." he doesn't explain really beyond that, other than to tact on with a hand held up, perhaps against protest. "And it ain't ya, so dun start mopin' around and crap." The harper still isn't looking at Briana, with great effort and intention, looking towards the sky above her head. Eyes wander to Iessrien, and the blond leans over a fraction, but not so much as to invade the Breakwater holder's personal space. He makes no face, or sound he merely shakes his head as golden meets pondwater blue for less than an instant and Py is back to mouthing on his candy and making clack, clack, clack sounds against his pearly whites.
"That is true. It is an amazing experience, as they say." Kiley grins easily, though the grin doesn't last too long as a hiccup comes from her lips. The look of surprise that crosses her face grows into one of confusion as they continue to happen. Her hands fly up to cover her mouth, but the soft squeaks that come forth are still quite audible. No more words come for the moment as she continues to attempt to hold them in. "No new candidates.. Hic. Just the ones from the Weyr." More hiccups follow and she turns to Iessrien, holding her breath briefly before continuing. "She used - hic - her marks to pay for everything - hic - for everyone. Hic. From her commision." Her hands promptly cover her mouth and she mumbles, "Briana.. I think you - hic - put something in it.." Pyriel's glare is met with apologetic look, but hands remain upon her lips again in attempts to end the squeaks of her hiccups.
Briana looks to Pyriel for a moment, lips pressing into a line as she notes him not looking at her but she nods all the same to his 'request'. "Alright then." She says before looking first to Iessrien at his reaction to the pastry, then Kiley's response. Her brows knit as she reaches into the basket to pull out a pastry and takes a bite of it. "Ain't really nothing more than is in most pastries.." She starts before taking another small bite and her eyes widen a little, "Oh shards…I wonder if I overdid the soda…" She murmurs even as she gets a small hic. "I am so sorry…I wanted them to be…bubbly bubblies, but not this much…" She has a little crestfallen look to her face at her failed treat, even if ever so tasty.
Iessrien gives Py a very curious look for the harper's words to Briana, but makes no comment on it, shifting the lollipop in his mouth and holding that pastry out to the side, as if unsure what to do with it. The leaning Py is given a flicker of a glance, though Iess doesn't move, brow arching slightly before his attention goes to the suddenly-hiccuping Kiley. Eyebrows lift higher, the holder asking almost warily, "..You okay?" and then giving his still-held bit of pastry a look. It gets promptly tossed off to the side somewhere, the boy wiping hands on a pantleg with a muttered, "Strange texture," and shaking his head. Hands now free of items save a candy wrapper, the holder shoves them back into jacket pokets and takes a step toward the caverns, suggesting to the (now both) hiccuping girls, "You should get something to drink in the caverns. Might help." He's certainly heading that way.
Kiley's hiccups continue to grow in volume the more the woman tries to hold it in, it even gets tot he point where she says nothing and merely shakes her head at the other candidate for her apology. "S'okay." Comes quickly before her hands clasp over her mouth, but this does not prevent the onslaught of hiccups. Iessrien's question to her earns a shake of her head. "Feeling - hic - sick." There's a soft whimper from the woman, and then at the suggestion and Iessrien taking off, she's quickly following after for a drink to end the hiccuping.
If Pyriel noticed Iessrien's curious look, he doesn't go out of his way to point it out, it's unlikely as he wasn't facing the holder at the time. The two hiccuping girls are eyed, and the harper blinks, his expression both puzzled and wary. Especially at the pasty, which gets a wide rolling of eyes skywards. "Ooooookaaaay, that's just weird so…I'm out, later." he says as he passes by, waving over his shoulder as he heads not for the caverns, but past them and towards the playground.