Please note: This is OOC knowledge -ONLY-. No mention has been made ICly of what the conversation concerned, and the Weyr residents would know only that Lord Toban left in a hurry.
This Log follows immediately after A Rumor
Xanadu Weyr - Nicca's Room
Its a little over an hour between the time Nicca leaves and the time the gold firelizard appears at O'ric's, letting him know that its time to meet. When he finally makes his way to Nicca's room, he'll find her settled at her desk, bent over the book, already slowly beginning to copy out the list of Black Rock Hold. She's changed into shorts and a tanktop, hair piled haphazardly on top of her head in an attempt to keep it out of her face, and she's at least picked up the room enough - the bed is basically made and the drawers of her dresser are closed, rather than letting clothes spill forth. She made an effort!
O'ric has changed from their last meeting though it would be fair to say there's little attractive about his current attire - baggy shirt, loose cotton trousers. He pauses at her door, knocking gently enough to be heard inside but to not annoucne to the world that someone's there, waiting for the okay before heading into the room and glancing around - tidier than his, but that's not really difficult, there are rubbish tips tidier than his. "You got it?"
"Yeah.." Nicca calls back to the door, letting him know its okay to come in, without actually looking up from the book. A neat line is marked across the paper as she finishes the daughters of Lord Toban, and she waves a hand over her shoulder. "Make sure to latch it, just in case one of those idiots stumbles home drunk to the wrong door." She adds, before motioning for him to join her. "I got it.."
O'ric hesitates for a second, then does as he's told, latching the door behind him before heading across to look over what she's managed to do so far. "Anything useful so far?" He peers over her shoulder, trying to see everything at once, which really results in reading and taking in absolutely nothing.
"I sort of flipped through it.. It can't be Telgar.. All the daughters are already married off.." She offers, flipping the pages of the book to one that was carefully marked, running her finger down the list. "But, plenty of eligible sons, if he was looking to make an alliance.." She taps her finger on the list. "But Lemos.. Lemos has two.. Twenty and seventeen." She spares a look up at him, to watch.
O'ric's head moves as the page he was reading is turned, trying to get teh last few details before it's gone completely. "Lemons sounds like a very good placce to start then, though… they do wood don't they? Can't really think of anything we might need for the weyr that would need to investigate wood." A pause follows, hand covering his mouth, fingers tucked under his chin as he thinks, "Okay so we have a potential. Anyone else got a reasonably young, single daughter?"
"You look, while I finish writing this.." She scoots her chair over a bit, nodding at the book and letting him take a look while she finishes the notes she's taking about Lemos and the daughters. "Maybe we'll just have to.. be taking a trip." She counters as she continues to write.
"We'll need to go and look somewhere, at the very least we need to make sure Lady Johanna's definitely been sent away." O'ric takes the book almost immediately, flicking through the pages quickly, and then returning to the beginning to have a much more sedate and proper look. "There's… deceased, never mind." The book is lowered for a moment, for thinking to occur, "He woulnd't have been thinking about sending his daughter to some old Lord would he?"
"Definitely Keroon, then.. Start at her home." She finishes her notes about the Lemos daughters with a flourish, before looking up at him as he goes through the book. "The oldest one already was married off.. There's four left, between fourteen and nineteen… I.. I don't know. If there was something in it for him.."
O'ric nods, "There'll always be something in it for him, best way to keep an alliance, or force one if she's going to spy for him. How many of the Lords are single at the moment, or even known to have a liking for younger girls? Any chance one of his girls is pregnant?"
"Lord Benden.. He's been the favorite target for turns, from what some of the Hold girls say at balls." She grimaces a little, shaking her head, and then looking back at O'ric more surprised. "I.. I have no idea. I haven't seen any of them in.. turns. Not since.. Vivian Impressed, really."
O'ric nods at the mention of Benden, then laughs gntly at her reaction to his musings, "It's just a thought, they might not be. But it'd be a good way to force an alliance with somewhere, especially if the Lord was known for… um… playing hide the sausage with anyone he can get his hands on."
Nicca seems to contemplate this possibility, biting her lip as she makes a few notes about Lord Benden on her paper before setting the pen down and moving to pace back and forth down the center of the room, though she does smirk a little at his analogy. "I.. have a hard time believing that man is that smart.. Have you seen him wrestle those herdbeasts? -Idiot-." Nicca says with a little giggle as she pauses to turn for another pass.
"Shouldn't underestimate people." O'ric counters, watching her as she paces. "Look at B'ris. I'm pretty sure nobody is as stupid as he looks, and no matter how he acts I'm pretty sure he's not as stupid as he looks either." He closes the book, placing it down on the table before leaning his butt against the chair back. "But it gets him out of things."
"I.. suppose its true. But I'm surprised the Lord Toban hasn't been trampled to death yet. Though, I'm not sure that would solve anything." She wrinkles her nose, pausing in her pacing and moving towards O'ric as he leans against the chair, looking up at him with wide eyes. "You'll take me to visit my old friends at Black Rock, won't you?" A bat of her lashes, and she giggles a little. "Please?"
O'ric laughs, "Got something in your eye?" He winks straight after, clearly teasing, "I suppose I could be persuaded, though it really depends if there's going to be a lot of giggling and screaming, I'm not my ears could take it."
Nicca sticks her tongue out just a little at him, trying to look cute as she moves to rest her hands lightly on his shoulders. "Holder girls don't giggle and scream, its unbecoming towards future suitors." Nicca says in a tone that indicates its what she's been told time and again by those in charge of wrangling holder girls.
O'ric's laugh this time is louder, and longer, though there's no attempt made to remove her hands. "You really don't know hold girls as well as you think. Trust me, they scream. A lot. And do that flappy thing with their hands when they meet, it's quite disturbing sometimes."
"You mean like this?" And she steps back, jumping a little and waving her hands around, before she moving back to him, trying to rest her hands back on his shoulders. "I'd think you'd want to visit.. some of them Holders like a little one-time fun with a rider, no strings attached."
O'ric makes a show of shuddering when she flaps, though the smile on his face does rather ruin the whole image. "Exactly like that, maybe it's a girl thing rather than just a hold girl thing." There's a slight wince for her comment, though he tried to turn it into a lame joke. "Can you blame them?" Almost immediately he adds, "Some of the caverns girls here do too. Doesn't mean I want to visit any of them just now."
"I can't blame them… Not with a few riders at least. -Some- of them.. I'd rather kiss a… A goat!" She says with a smirk, even though she hugs him gently as he winces, the curve of her mouth a silent apology, hands squeezing a little. "Weyr girls are better at no strings." She comments idly, before she moves away to look back at the book. "I guess. That's the best place to start, if they didn't go home with their Mother."
O'ric chuckles a little awkwardly, "Some of the goats I've seen… definitely preferable to the girls back home." As she moves away he stares after her, doing his best to make the sigh that escapes as inaudible as possible, "That's one bet you'd easy lose, Nic. Some of them are all declarations of love, even after a flight. Depends on the girl." A quick pause and then it's back to business for the time being, "You think she would have taken them?"
"Some girls are stupid, too, and are willing to throw away what they have for what they want, and will never get." She comments over her shoulder at him, a soft sigh, and a little bit of a shrug. "I.. don't know. He might think its easier to have a new wife if they're not there."
"Everyone's stupid sometimes." O'ric counters, but then nods, "Maybe. I guess our first stop, really, should be to see about that new runner your mother is going to buy you for your birthday."
"You should have more trust in me." She counters, shaking her head with a little sigh. "I'm smarter than I look.." She teases him even as she folds the book carefully shut. "And as my Mother's trusted rider will be there to make sure I'm not cheated?"
O'ric smiles slightly, "I don't trust anyone." There's a little more truth in that fact than perhaps he intended to share, so he moves on swiftly, "I know exactly nothing about runners so I'd be there to… make sure you didn't buy half a dozen? And to look big and imposing so that people are nice to you."
"At all?" She asks with a bit of surprise, looking at him with a blink, before she shakes her head and lets it drop for now. "You don't have to.. you can just pretend.. Pretend like you do, you can take the cues from me… I'm not about to let myself get cheated."
O'ric just shrugs, "I told you I was strange." He clearly means it as a joke, but the tone is rather flat. "Just give me the right look and I can cough or something so that they think I'm going to object, might work." There's a definite awkwardness to the way he's standing now, as if the conversation had drifted into dangerous territory, "When do you want to go?"
"Tomorrow, if you can get free, maybe?" She suggests with a tilt of her head, shaking her head at him a little as she looks him over, lips turning down into a little bit of a frown. "I'm sorry, O'ric.." She offers a little smile, holding out an arm to him.
"If I can get away. Might be short notice for you getting ready though." O'ric replies, shoulder sagging a little as she apologises for nothing, "Come here." His arms open, hug on offer, "You don't need to apologise for me being messed up."
"Are you not confident that I can put on the whiny, spoiled daughter face that quickly?" She teases him a little, even as she moves to take him up on that hug, wrapping her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest. "I meant what I said, earlier.." She offers softly.
O'ric laughs, wrapping his arms loosely around her, "Your sister I would believe it of, you not so much. Even when you were trying to play the tough girl when you came to my cottage that day you weren't all that difficult to deal with." Her offer makes him take a deep breath, chin resting gently on top of her head, "I know."
Nicca shifts to tighten her arms around him a little bit. "Who do you think I learned from?" She says with a little smirk, before his comment receives a little huff, and she's pouting. As he says he knows, she slowly shifts her head to look up at him, blinking a few times. "Do you, really?"
"Learned from the best." The way O'ric says best it does sound a little like pest, but its close enough. As she looks up all she'd see is his chin, immediately at least, as he nods. "I know you meant it, just not entirely sure you understand it."
Nicca shifts a little bit, straightening and taking a half step back to look at him, with a blink. "Why don't you think I understand it?" She shakes her head a little. "At least -I- know where I would stand. I'm still not sure where my sister stands, and I'm not sure she does either."
O'ric sighs, dropping his hands back to his side and then dropping his head a little, "Okay, let's just say for arguement's sake that I slept with you. Would you honestly be okay with being just friends after that? No mad declarations of love, no holding hands in the living cavern, no ties, no feeling jealous if I slept with someone else. I don't want to hurt you, Nicca, and I'm pretty sure you would get hurt."
Nicca takes half a step back, folding her arms infront of her as she stares at him, narrowing her gaze slightly. "You think I've spent my entire life living in a Weyr without understanding how it works?" She peers at him a little. "I'm not asking for a commitment you're not willing to give, O'ric."
O'ric shakes his head, "No, I think you're a nice girl that doesn't deserve to be hurt. You deserve better than I can give." There's another sigh that follows, and he shakes his head a little as he finally pushes away from the chair, "I'll let you know tomorrow if I can get away. Okay?"
Nicca moves to intercept him as he pushes away from the chair, lifting her hand to his chest. "I think that I'm stronger than you give me credit for.." She murmurs, tilting her head as she blinks at him. "I don't expect… I don't expect to be my parents."
O'ric reaches for her hand, though he's very slow in making any attempt to remove it, "Nic. If it was anyone else offering I'd probably not even think twice, but… the gifts and… and I don't want to lose a friend, Faranth knows I've precious few of them."
"O'ric.. Its.. been a long time since then. I've grown up." She tries to argue, her fingers curling slightly as if to not be moved. But then she sigh softly, shaking her head and closing her eyes, not sure what else to say.
"Nicca." O'ric is clearly feeling a little guilty, ahnd going to her cheek as she drops her head, "This is exactly what I mean. Hurt. There's nothing wrong with you, I would if… if things were different."
"I'm not hurt. I'm… confused." She defends herself a little, leaning into him, with a soft sigh. "You said you could do friends with benefits. You said." And she shakes her head a little, looking up at him. "If I hadn't have helped at Fort, with the Newes, then you would have?"
O'ric sighs again, resisting the urge to put his arms around her again as she leans, "I don't know." His reply is quiet, but honest, "Maybe? Probably not. I don't know. It would change things, you can understand that, right?"
"O'ric.. I don't -want- a Weyrmate." She says firmly, a soft sigh, leaning a little more as she loks up at him. "I… I just know you wouldn't be the type to assume anything, just because you're sleeping with the Weyrwoman's daughter." A pause, and she giggles a little. "Or, uhm, the Weyrwoman's other daughter."
"Sleeping with…" O'ric begins, ready to correct from plural to singular, but thinks better of it. "Other people might expect, though. Like it or not your reputation is nowhere near as bad as Vivian's."
"They probably are already assuming it, with the amount of time we spend together, working or not." She counters, shaking her head. "If people are going to talk, we might as well get the benefit of it." She pouts a little, before she bites her lip to look up at him.
O'ric nods, lifting a hand to brush her lip, "You'll make it bleed." With a sigh he wraps his arms around her, droping a kiss onto the top of her head, "Do you always argue this much?"
Nicca hurriedly lets go of her lip as he brushes against it, dropping her gaze a little, even as she shifts closer into his arms. "Always." She says with a little nod. "Especially if I know I make more sense." She says in a teasing tone.
O'ric laughs, giving a little squeeze, "You'd test the patience of a rock, I swear. Now are you going to let me go home or do I need to tie you to the chair so I can make my escape? Need my beauty sleep before we go looking at runners tomorrow."
"Maybe I'll tie you to the chair so you can't escape." She counters hurriedly, leaning back to look up at him, narrowing his gaze. "Stubborn people get what they want." She offers, before she shakes her head. "Besides.. there's no d.r.a.g.o.n. and no one go walk in. Why are you in a rush?" She teases him and winks, leaning to kiss his chin before she backs away dutifully.
"Because if I don't you might be able to talk me into things." O'ric replies honestly, then jokes, "Or out of things." His gaze drifts down, lingering a moment before he catches himself with a loud, "Well. I'll be off then."
"You say that as if its a bad thing.." She counters, pouting a little bit at him, hands dropping slowly off his shoulders as she gives him some space. "If you change your mind.." She starts slowly, eyes glued.
O'ric nods, "I know where you live." There's another moment of hesitation before he steps to the door and unlatches it, glancing back as if expecting something to have changed since he moved, but then opening the door and heading out.