Mischief Managed
meadow.jpg


Xanadu Weyr - Meadow
A large, slightly rolling meadow is set high enough above the riverbank on both sides to avoid suffering from flooding, healthy ground cover and grass spreading out from either side of the dividing river. Scattered amongst the meadow are a variety of weyrs, each with a narrow path leading up to it from a main, winding road. Some are set under a few trees, while others sit by themselves. The meadow continues with gentle rolls and dips, grass tall and short waving in the slightest of breezes, and eventually those hills grow higher and steeper, ending in a large rige that provides a fine view of that meadow and the rest of the Weyr, gazing out over the multicolored roofs of the houses and the cliff that holds the caverns.
Runner stables with the paddock beyond are to the south beyond the meadow weyrs, and a smithy and a woodcraft shop are settled closer in towards the path to the clearing. Trees border the northern side of the meadow, and more of those low, rolling hills can be seen to the northwest. A road passes through the meadow, coming from the east and used by traders and crafters alike. Wagons laden with felled trees from the forests or ore from the mountains are hauled by burden beast up the road through the meadow, over the bridge spanning the river to be processed in the appropriate workshops.


Sweet Faranth, what is that bright, shiny round thing in the sky? Could it be Rukbat?! Indeed, for the first time in quite a while, the sky is open and blue. High clouds promise the return of precipitation in a few days' time, but for now it's cold but, dare we say it, nice outside. The literal calm before the storm. "Honestly, you'd thing you were three, not thirteen." Hands stuffed deep in her coat pockets, one arm awkwardly tucked around a paper-wrapped object, Esiae trudges away from the Woodcrafter workshop with an amused eyeroll, watching as her dragon plays with a trio of weyrbrats. The gold dangles her tail up out of one kid's reach, only to whip it around and playfully bump the 'brat onto his butt in the snow. Whirling eyes peer over at her rider, wings raising in a very shrug-like gesture before resuming her play.

Another joins in but not necessarily on the fun! Ujinath glides in from above and a might bit sharply at that. Could be he wasn't expecting so much traffic? Or a gold to be playing with weyrbrats! The blue veers away to land somewhere else less crowded but that doesn't mean his long wings won't kick up some loose snow and nail a few unsuspecting people. As he touches down, he makes a disgruntled noise but whether that's an apology or him "cursing" the situation is… difficult to say. Kiena at least is quick to dismount. So quick that she almost drops the items she was hastily unbuckling but manages to save it from an untimely tumble (and herself for that matter). "Good going. Show off." she grumbles under her breath to her lifemate, which earns nothing but a snort from Ujinath.

It's like a tiny bit of the sky's blue has come down to perch on Janaya's shoulder… but actually, it's a firelizard. A teeny little blue firelizard, tucked into a nest made out of swirled scarf. Janaya turns her head to peer at the little 'lizard. "You're /sure/ you're not cold?" she asks him, and recieves a cheery little chitter in reply. "Well… okaaaay…" she says, and then continues on across the meadow only to pause again as she sees the gold playing, giggling as the one brat tumbles and then lifting up a hand to shield her eyes as snow flies - but not from the sky.

Ujinath nails someone alright - Esiae gets a whole faceful of snow-spray, hands too busy to deflect it in time. "Ack, blech!" Batting at the stuff as though it's fire, the goldrider jerks her free hand out of its pocket, hastily wiping her face clean. « Six points, » Sonyxaeth rumbles, amused thunder echoing across the shores of her mindvoice. Judging his landing? Totally! « You stuck the landing, but your execution left something to be desired. » Her head shakes playfully at the blue as her tail lashes, dumping that weyrbrat on his butt again. "Need a hand?," Esiae offers, wincing towards Kiena sympathetically. Janaya's approach is noted, mostly by Sonyxaeth who lowers her head to whuffle curiously at the girl (yay, more snow flying at her!), but also by Esiae, who offers her a quick wave. "Hey! How's that baby blue of yours doing?"

Ujinath tilts his head as Sonyxaeth grades his performance and he's momentarily confused by her 'compliment'. He was half expecting a rebuke. Which apparently comes later, albeit mildly. He snorts, his long tail curling around his feet as he regards her silently. No answer? Nah, he's just debating whether to be good or bad. He goes for the latter. « I'd like to see you try it. » he replies dryly but not without a healthy dose of challenge. « When you're done playing. » Kiena grimaces but shakes her head to Esiae's offer. "I'm good. You alright? I thought I saw someone get swamped by that stunt of his… Just glad he didn't bury none of those kids." Hoisting the bundles, the outer of which looks suspiciously furry, under one arm, she peers past the goldrider to spy Janaya as well, giving a brisk nod of her head in greeting.

Janaya escaped the worst of that flung snow, but she doesn't escape attention. The girl braces herself a little for Sonyxaeth's inspection, but it's with a grin - she's not scared of anything except being knocked over, buuut given those other weyrbrats, that seems like a real risk! "Hullo, your goldenness," she greets the dragon, then looks past her to Esiae, who gets a cheery wave. "He's good! Yesterday he /only/ wanted three meals and a snack so I think he must be growing pretty good, right?" She grins. "And he's flying and he says the cold is okay but I still think he shouldn't be out in it for long, 'cause he's still a baby and all." She beams, waving over to Kiena as well and then lifting her hand to scritch her firelizard and wrap the scarf a bit more securely around him. Can't have him freezing and turning blue!

Sonyxaeth chuckles a draconic little chuckle, leveling an amused look over at Ujinath. « Noone wants to see that, » she replies, implying that it'd be a travesty. « Not again, anyways. » She's tried hasty stunts, but, well. Look at her. She's enormous. « No, I will leave the fancy acrobatics to you. » Well. Maybe. Lightning forks hard through her mind at the challenge, as though, despite knowing her limits, maybe she'll test them again. "If you're sure. I'm pretty well-doused," Esi laughs, moving from her face to brush snow-splatters off her front, "but been worse. Don't concern yourself about the kids though. The two taller ones're my niece and nephew. They deserve what they get," she says with a mock-cruel smile. "Anyways, whatcha got there?" Quick brown eyes take in her bundles - especially that furry one - before shifting over to Janaya. "Only three meals and flying! My, you're moving up in the world," Esi jests. "Has he been letting you sleep through the night?" Finding the girl's greeting appropriate, Sonyxaeth removes her nose, but still peers down at the teeny (to her) girl and her even teenier firelizard with amusement while idly jerking her tail out of Ainemn's reach again.

Ujinath rumbles in a way that doesn't bode well for anyone. His mind is nothing but clear skies and rolling fields, seemingly innocent. « I would like to see it. » Because he doesn't believe she could (or ever did) and he'll let that doubt seep in nice and deep if she takes the bait. « It's a good day for flying. » Push, push. He's even unfurled his wings a bit, now that Kiena's distracted by conversation. "I'm sure, thanks. Sorry about the, uh… snow shower." As for the children, the bluerider blinks, takes another look at them and then chuckles low and gruff. "Alright, if you say so. I'll believe it — about them deserving it." She's not questioning that they're related to Esiae! Glancing down at what she's carrying, Kiena just grins crookedly. "These? Well, one is a pelt. Inside of that is… other things." And stuff. She tilts her head to the item carried by Esiae. You? Glancing back to Janaya, Kiena grins. "When did you get that little fellow? Wouldn't happen to be from one of the eggs from Kera's firelizard, was it?"

Janaya beams proudly, scritching her fingers under Kori's chin to encourage the little blue firelizard to lift his own head up high. That's right, she's a blue-firelizard-haver! Not everyone can claim that. As for sleeping through the night… "Well… no… not yet! But he's getting better about it." Definitely not waking her every hour… anymore. She glances curiously at the bundles of stuff when they're talked about, then nods to Kiena's question. "Uh-huh. They hatched and I was there and I found him!" She grins. "His name's Kori."

In all honesty, it's that false innocence that goads Sonyxaeth on, far more than words or unfurled wings. Dark stars and rolling thunderclouds reach for those clear skies in his mind, never quite reaching, but pushing back nonetheless. « Very well, but if I knock over a weyrbarn again, I'm blaming you. » Lifting herself out of the snow, the gold nudges the weyrbrats away from her person and, after a moment, they head to start a snowball fight elsewhere. Esiae waves off Kiena's concern for her person. "They do. I'm trying to get them to burn off as much energy as they can before the weather turns again," the goldrider says with a huff, not excited at all. As for their respective bundles… "I'll show you mine if you show me yours?," she jokes, but clearly doesn't mean it, as she's already moving to unwrap hers. Carefully she unwinds paper and padding from around a delicate wooden statue of a dragon - unmistakeably painted with golden stain to match Sonyxaeth's markings - launching itself off a dark, rugged piece of wood made to look like a cliff. "Was a late turnday gift from my family. They seem to think that turnin' thirty means something other than I'm becoming an old biddy," she drawls self-deprecatingly. Janaya and Kori receive a grin, wry with understanding. "Shells, but I don't miss those days. Ah well, soon you can start training him, at least. Then maybe his usefullness will outweigh his nuisance," she says gently, calling the little blue a nuisance only as a joke. "Kori's a nice name."

« Deal. » Ujinath is no stranger to blame and, quite honestly, doesn't care. He'll care later if and when it all falls on Kiena's head but for now? He smells a challenge and some excitement and that's enough for the blue. Moving away, he'll slink sidelong to give himself clearance but moving in a subtle enough way that he hopes doesn't draw his rider's attention. So far, so good. « Ladies first? » If a dragon could smirk, he'd be doing it and with a smug tilt to his head too. Her dark stars and rolling thunderclouds are met with nothing more than a changing landscape to match them: nightfall and forest now. "Smart. Should've thought to do that with my own… but they'll be their foster parents worry. Not mine," Kiena's grin could be a touch mischievous then but she's craning her head a bit to steal a glimpse of that wrapped bundle. "It's beautiful." she even whistles low in appreciation before snorting, "Feh. Thirty isn't old and I'm about there myself." Chuckling, she'll appreciate the joke Esiae made earlier and act on it. Since she showed, Kiena shares though she's not as delicate in unwrapping the bundle she's carrying. Which… surprise or not, is a pelt. Inside of it are what suspiciously looks like bone, but other materials are wrapped in little leather pouches too. Shells, no doubt, stone and other mysteries she doesn't bother going through. "Supplies." Kiena gives as "explanation". "Smithing. I dabble a bit in jewelry and, heh… certain tools." Sharp, pointy and ones that stab. Fastening the bundle closed, Kiena's focus drifts back to Janaya. "I like that name too. Kori. Simple… easy to recall — or shout, even. And hey, they're not that difficult to train if you've got the time!" Says the bluerider who's three are near to wild. Ahem. "Huh. Guess that cauldron Kera asked of me worked after all, if the eggs hatched."

Janaya sidesteps a little to make sure she's out of the way of Sonyxaeth as the gold starts to move - which also brings her closer to Esiae and Kiena, since the weyrwoman's dragon obviously isn't going to squish her. Esiae's painting is looked at curiously, with a soft 'ooh' before the comment along with it makes her look up at Esiae and squint a little. Huh, just how elderly does the goldrider look? Oh hey, and she can compare to Kiena, who's apparently just about as ancient. Hmm. Janaya looks thoughtful, then offers reassuringly, "You're not grandma old, anyway." She smiles, leaning in to peek curiously at Kiena's supplies. "Are you gonna make something?" she asks, then beams at the praise of her little flit. But… "I'm not gonna shout at him!" Or at least so she claims now. "He's not gonna be a nuisance, either!" …yeah, so she claims now. Wait and see what she says in another month, hmm? She huffs, then nods to Kiena's mention of the cauldron and the hatching. "Two blues and a green."

« Why, thank you, good sir, » Sonyxaeth murmurs, head lifting regally as she draws herself up, feigning propriety. About time someone called her a lady! It's abundantly clear a moment later why few people do. She practically bounds her way into the air, and while it's graceful enough for a gold of her size, she does it with far more joy and viviality, enjoying the experience of flight rather than making a show of it most times. She gives Ujinath enough time to join her in the air before banking hard and darting for the ground, imitating the blue's earlier maneuver. Incoming! "Thanks! I'm impressed. Didn't know we had people this good around here," she says as quick hands wrap the statue back up. Esiae's definitely tuned in enough to realize what the gold is doing at this point, and though she peers closely at Kiena's pelt, she's only too quick to nod encouragingly when the bluerider bundles it back up. "Jewelry and tools," the goldrider repeats, eyes flickering with interest. "Remind me later - if you have time, I might have a commission for you." For jewelry, or sharp, pointy bits? It's hard to tell with her. "Gee, thanks," the junior says, grimacing playfully over at Janaya when the girl reassures her she's not grandmother material yet. "Watch it or I'll start carrying a cane and telling you to get away from my hear—" Well, that might have been 'hearth,' but the word is abruptly cut off with a hiss as her lifemate comes in for a landing. Even from here, it's abundantly clear that it's gonna be like that albatross landing in that one Disney movie, but without the emergency runway extension. "Run. Run run run RUN!" Because if they don't, they're gonna get crushed under a great big golden butt as, catching the ground with her forepaws, Sonyxaeth whips around and gliiides backwards, wings snapped wide in an attempt to bring her hulking form to a halt.

"Always time. Find me in the forges or pop by the weyrbarn… we're off the forest trails," Kiena grins to Esiae. "Might have some of that ale I promised too." That's more incentive, right? Janaya's comment is met with choked back laughter and a feigned sharp look to the girl. "Hey now! We're far from grandmothers. At least, I ain't ready to be one yet." Patting the bundle under her arm, she nods. "I will make something, yeah. Not quite sure what yet but either someone's going to ask for something or something will come to mind." Eyeing that blue firelizard again, Kiena can only shake her head and chuckle again. "You say that now but—-" Gold butt! Not Kiena's choice of untimely end, thank you! Esiae's warning has her snapping to attention and too late at that. "Oh for Faranth's SAKE!" No time for cursing… more time for running and she'll do just that! She'll drag anyone else too who might be moving just a touch too slow before she's too distracted with reigning in her own lifemate. Ujinath totally goaded Sonyxaeth on and even joined her but while she's making a rather spectacular landing, he's… just going to glide out of the way and land over there and watch everything unfold. Maybe, just maybe, there's the inkling spark of guilt too.

Not even the finest smith can make a defense against gold butt! Janaya looks up… her eyes widen… and then she runs, little blue Kori squeaking protests and clinging to her shoulder with his claws as she charges through the abrupt snow-storm caused by Sonyxaeth's… maneuver. Don't squish her! She promises your rider isn't all that ancient, and she won't say it aloud, and… and she's just going to keep right on running into she reaches her parents' weyr and can hide. Byeeeeee~

Don't worry guys, she's GOT this. Well, actually she's got a tree, but that totally counts right? Right. Colliding with the poor thing's trunk, it creaaaaks in protest and eventually cracks, eliciting a giggling « Whoops » from an equally sheepish gold. Esiae definitely books it as far and as fast as Janaya - old lady eh, take that! - but three heads pop out of the snow nearby like daisies. "That was awesome!," crows one of the poor, forgotten weyrbrats, cackling maniacally as he pulls his fellows out of the newly-reshaped snowbanks. Yep. Sony definitely won't be living that one down anytime soon.


Add a New Comment
Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License