Xanadu Weyr - Caverns
A massive cavern in it's own right, this one has been skillfully adapted for human habitation. The high ceilings have been painted a light, soft ivory, as are the walls where numerous tapestries hang to provide brilliant color and insulation from the stone. The floor has been left in its natural state, pale pink granite speckled through with glittering mica and dark flecks of basalt, leveled carefully but kept sufficiently rough to avoid slips.
The cavern itself is loosely divided into areas, each one set up to be suitable for some segment of the Weyr's population. The most frequently occupied area, however, is the one near the Kitchens where tables of varying sizes provide a place to sit down and eat or chat and a buffet of consumables is almost always kept stocked. Its plain that on most days, this area wouldn't accommodate anywhere near the full population of the Weyr and equally plain that on such occasions when a formal meal is laid out, tables are appropriated from all the other areas.
A big fireplace is set into the wall near the Kitchens as well, several comfortable chairs nearby providing haunts for elderly residents or riders who like a good view of all that happens. Rugs cover the floor in strategic spots, all of them abstract or geometric in design and most in the softly neutral colors of undyed wool.
Exits lead off in all directions, a big archway the largest and that leading outside. Shallow stairs to the west lead to the offices and administration area while tunnels to the east lead to the infirmary, kitchen and resident's quarters. Southwards, a sloping tunnel leads down to the hot springs and southwest is a wide tunnel, carefully roped off to avoid accidents.
Absolute exhaustion weighs heavily on R'owan's expression as he drags himself into the caverns. It's nearly midnight and the caverns are mostly empty with the exception of a few wingriders who just finished or are about to start evening rides. Dusting snow from his hair, the weyrling bronzerider shivers even as he unbuttons his riding jacket, letting out a sigh as the warmth of the caverns hits his wind-burned face. "Need to find a way to get Nyu to sleep at a reasonable time." He mutters to himself, wobbling tiredly towards the remains of what might have once been dinner. His eyes trail over stale meatrolls and overcooked stew before settling on the rolls. Klah is passed up in favor of juice, since sleep seems his next likely course of action.
Vivian is on her way out of the springs, freshly washed and oiled just like her lifemate who is thankfully now snoozing away in her couch. Still invigorated from the scented oils she's been using lately to try and fend off the worse smells that inhabit the barracks she's almost skipping along as she encounters R'owan. "Oh darling you need to be taking better care of yourself." She croons at him, obviously in a good mood for the moment. She eyes what he's settled for in the way of food and just shakes her head. "Do you want something a bit fresher?" She asks him with a faint sigh of her own.
At first, R'owan seems a bit surprised at Vivian's voice, blinking and rubbing at one eye as if he were waking from some sort of dream. "Vivian?" He asks, and then seems to realize that he's still awake. Seeing someone minus dragon dust is a rarity these days, and to see someone so up-beat at this hour causes him to smirk a little. "I'm just fine. Nyunath was asking me about every star he could see. I had to borrow a book from the starcrafter or I'd have never gotten him to sleep." He yawns, and then blinks down at his plate of dry meatrolls. "Mmm. Last time I wandered into the kitchens, the other candidates tried to make me into a human cupcake. Think I'll play it safe this evening." He bites the end off one roll.
Vivian nods her head with a bit of a giggle. "Yes, why it is me." She replies sweetly, posing ever so slightly. "Who would have thought." She rolls her eyes and dumps her bag down on nearby chair. "I'll be right back, I'm going to find something fresh and at this time of night there'll hardly be anyone around." She tells him as she pads off towards the kitchens, her hair leaving a damp patch down the back of he blouse, her feet leaving wet footprints across the floor of the cavern. It's not long before she's back with a pitcher of cool juice and a plate of fresh meats and some salad type stuff to be plonked down on the table between them. "Eat and drink some of this, they've not started on the baked stuff yet, that's still hours away." She explains as she sits down opposite.
"Mm." Ro' murmurs, lifting his eyes as if he were forcing them very hard to stay open. "That's.. fine." It almost seems as if he doesn't believe she's actually there. Maybe he really is tired enough to think that he's dreaming of a clean, wet Vivian offering him food. So much so that surprise lights his features when she returns and the smell of the meats and salad hit his nose. He lowers the cup from his lips and rubs at his eyes once more as they finally seem to focus. "So, either my dreams have the ability to bring me food, or I'm awake." He muses, and pours some of the juice into his cup, managing, just barely, not to spill it. "You seem to be in a good mood." He muses, still not convinced he isn't hallucinating.
Vivian settles down into the chair, pulling another over to put her feet up onto so they're off the floor. "I'm perfectly happy for you to think that I'm some sublime vision from your wildest dreams if you really want to see me in that light." And she blows him a kiss across the table with a light giggle. Sleep deprivation can do strange things to people, both of them. "Though at this point it may be safer for you to believe I'm just being really nice just now." She pours herself some of the juice and reaches a hand over to the plate to snag a piece of meat from the plate, rolls it up and raises it up to nibble at the end of it.
"Yeah, but I doubt Niva would be too pleased with me fantasizing about her daughter." R'owan replies, noting this with one finger pointed out towards Vivian. Then, another yawn steals him and he sits up a bit straiter, draining a huge slug of the juice before forking a few pieces of the fresh meat, leaving the dry roll forgotten. "So I guess I'll have to take the other alternative. Thanks." He motions towards the plate of food, and then forces himself to take a bit of the greens, if for nothing else than balancing out his already strained diet. "Kelioth asleep too?" He asks before making short work of one meat slice and a good fork full of the greens. He still eats as if the food might wander off his plate if it isn't consumed fast enough.
Vivian laughs and shakes her head. "It's highly flattering to think of you fantasising about me, and Mom isn't going to mind, it's me that you need to worry about." She says with a smile as she takes another bite of the roll of meat she has while she watches him. "She's sound asleep, she got an extra long oiling tonight to try and keep her asleep for longer than usual, allow me to indulge myself with a nice long bath and something to eat before heading to bed myself. You look about ready to fall asleep right there though." She notes. "Don't because I don't want to have to try and carry you back to the barracks myself, it wouldn't do either of us any good." It's got to be said, since she got over the hatching she has been nicer than usual, well with the exception of M'nol.
"Oh, that's what you think." R'owan chuckles to himself, sleepy enough that he lets this little bit slip out after swollowing. "She all but told me she'd string me up alive if I so much as looked at you or Nicca." He snorts, and the drains down the rest of the juice in his mug before refilling it. He forces his eyes open a bit wider, trying to look more awake, and smiles slightly. "I promise I'll get back to the barracks under my own power. No worries." He taps two fingers to his chest as if making a promise of that much. "I'll probably be up early again in the morning to catch a bath, myself. I think I'd probably slip under and drown with how tired I am now." He stiffles down another yawn, which catches with the juice in his throat and causes him to cough.
Vivian smiles at the thought. "She did now did she?" She finishes off the piece of meat she's munching on, pushing the last into her mouth before reaching for another slice. "She told me she didn't care so long as I didn't get pregnant, apparently she thinks she's too young to be a granny. But I may have to have words with mom and find out who all else she's warned off." She takes a drink of juice to wash the food down before her gaze flickers back to him again. "If you fall asleep on me, I'll just poke you until you wake up enough to escort me back to the barracks." She informs him with a grin before she starts on the next slice of meat.
R'owan's tired expression seems momentarily serious. "I think she said… I haven't killed anyone yet. But no one's gone after my daughters, either." He nods once, and then shoves a piece of meat into his mouth, chewing it rather than elaborating too much on it. He seems content to shovel food into his mouth, but eventually swollows and seems to continue the discussion. "Well, a baby dragon is enough to deal with right now, I'd guess. Pretty close to a grandbaby right there." He points out, and then tries to wash down his food with another slug of juice, mumbling something incoherient as he does so. "Mm. I'd be my pleasure to escort you." This part comes out clearly, although still muffled by the mug.
Vivian stretches her legs out on the chair with a bit of a giggle. "Yet." She muses. "I like that word, and she didn't kill D'son so I reckon you'd be safe if you ever tried, so long as I allowed it obviously." She shakes her head and takes another few bites of the meat and a drink before smiling again. "It's as close as she's going to be getting if I have anything to do with it as well, one baby is more than enough, adorable as Kelioth is I certainly don't want another one." She bobs her head in regards to getting escorted home, "It might be needed depending on if that snow has stopped yet." She shivers at the very thought. "I don't want to get lost and freeze out there on my own."
"Yet." R'owan seconds the notion, lifting his glass as if toasting to it. He sets the mug back down and folds his arms, looking at the remains on his plate as if pondering wolfing them down or saving them a bit. "Mmm. I thought you and D'son might have been something, but I don't normally pry on stuff like that." He notes, fingers reaching for one of the meatrolls, trying to pick it appart and see if there is anything edible inside the dry crust. "That's the futhest thing from my mind at the moment. Shards. I'm too young for kids. Leave it to that L'ton fellow to populate the world. Don't think I'd be that sort of bronzer." At least, he's pretty sure of that -now- anyways. Letting his tired eyes roam towards the exit of the caverns, the young rider nods his head. "I wouldn't let you freeze to death. What kind of guy would I be if I let that happen to a lady. Pshh."
Madder pops out of between with a little -squeak-, hovering well above the tables in the Caverns. Food. Why is my human not awake? Must find food. With his eyes whirling red with hunger, he scans the tables, trilling a greeting to the two humans who -do- seem to be present. Aren't I handsome, he seems to say. Feed me?
Vivian nods her head a touch as she listens. "He's not interested in anything more than friends, he has .. others." She states simply, a slight touch of annoyance showing up in her tone. "You seem too nice to be that kind of guy." She replies her gaze still focused on him as she speaks and listens between bites of the fresh meat slices and drinks of the juice. "A really nasty self centred one if you did?" She tells him with a giggle. "I'm glad you'll be there though, the weather round here has been awful lately, first there was those fogs before the hatching, now it's been heavy snow, it's just dangerous to be out at night with all that flying around to disorientate you. Think it'll clear up soon?" She asks as the firelizard starts to make a noise, she eyes it briefly before leaning over the table to push the plate of meat rolls down the table away from them, it may not be as fresh as what the weyrlings are eating but it's still food.
"Ahh." R'owan nods his head a bit, as if he understood that much all too well. "It's never easy when you like someone, and they don't feel the same way." His thoughts drift to M'nol, and then to his own situation without halting on any thoughts of the now blue-riding Ontali. "Well, here's to non-self-centered bronzeriders." He chuckles, drinking again and then setting the whole mug down, nudging it to the side. "It is a bit of an odd year. The fires up North, and the earthquakes at Ista, and the snows and fog down here." He trails off, as if unsure exactly what all the oddness might add up to. "All my trail knowledge said the weather should have broken a seven day ago. We're outside my range of expertise." As limited as it may be. His eyes follow the plate of meatrolls towards the firelizard. Rather than saying aything, he just flicks one of the pieces of meat he'd torn from the meatrolls over in the brown's direction.
Madder creels, diving down on the piece of meat flicked in his direction as if it were a fish leaping from the sea. Catching it up in his front talons, he lands a short distance away from the plate of meatrolls to enjoy his prize. Although, as he gulps down the meat, those whirling eyes are drawn to the plate as well….
"And long may it continue." Vivian toasts with her glass of juice. "This would be soo much better with some wine." She mourns the loss of that particular substance. "Not that it's really needed these days to help induce sleep." With a shake of her head she nudges the plate of older meatrolls closer to the brown and turns her attention back to R'owan. "It has been so far, pretty weird. Got to wonder if that old poem had any truth behind it." She adds, "Probably shouldn't try thinking on that one too much with as little sleep as we're getting."
"Mmm." R'owan looks down towards his mug again, almost longingly. "You know what the real shame of it is? Cenlia'd promised to get me drunk for my sixteenth turnday and I end up searched." He laughs and rolls his eyes a bit, propping his chin on one hand. "Still haven't had more than a glass of wine here and there. Makes me wonder what I'm missing out on, the way everyone else talks about it." He nudges the mug right and left with his free hand, and then looks up again, nodding with a somewhat worried expression on his face. "M'nol… well he was bringing that up before the hatching. How it seems a lot like those old harper ballads. The things that happen before thread returns." He notes, not having been able to quite let go of that thought.
Madder crowhops the remaining distance to the plate of old meatrolls, plucking one off of the dish and proceeding to pick at it. Bit by bit it disappears down his maw, with a grateful crooning song in between to the two humans.
Vivian shakes her head at that. "I don't know about the getting drunk thing, lose too much control if you're drunk, A little tipple though was good enough to get me off to sleep if I couldn't drift off, office work isn't as tiring as working outdoors." She murmurs the last. "Why I run so much to keep fit, helps tire me out as well, makes it easier to sleep. Well usually it does. I went for a run the other day, first time since the hatching, and oh how my legs hurt afterwards." She takes another drink and reaches for another slice of meat. "I don't know about that, I remember the old ballads, but not in that much detail. I just want the weather to go back to normal."
"I never had much trouble sleeping." R'owan explains, eyeing the remaining meat on the tray between the two weyrlings, and then deciding against overstuffing himself. "Probably helped a lot that I was always busy. If it wasn't running messages, my father had me helping in the stables." It takes him a minute or so to realize who he's talking to, and remember that she doesn't exactly see stable-workers in the fondest of lights. "Guess that's all behind me now though. Nyunath keeps me busy enough. He's got endless questions about everything." He rubs at the side of his head, as if somehow all the questions were making his brain hurt. "But you're right, I wouldn't mind things getting back to normal. It's bad enough having to do exercises out in the snow."
Vivian shrugs her shoulders, her hand reaching back to peel her hair back, fanning out over the back of the chair to help it dry better, it gives her something to do while she listens. "You know, that trip into the jungle was the first time I'd been in the stables since I was a child." She mentions. "Roman remembered me though, somehow." She adds. "I noticed that Keziah signed Mars over to me though, he was a lovely ride, even if the rest of that trip wasn't so good." The sight of Vivian running around in her nightshirt may have been better for others than it was for her mind you. "They do rather want to know everything don't they." She nods her head. "I don't know where all the answers come from, I feel like I'm making most of it up."
R'owan's storm-gray eyes look across the long table for a moment, seeming almost as if he were seeing Vivian for the first time. Then, a smile spreads there as he nods his head "Runners have long memories. So it doesn't surprise me so much. I haven't seen Rider since the hatching, but I'd guess he'd still recognise me." His voice has a slight tone of sadness to it, as if he somehow feels he's abandoned his former mount for the bronze upgrade. "Can't say I minded the trip either way to be honest." He doesn't even say this in the pervy way, just shruging lightly. "It got us to work together, probably more than we would have anyways." Stretching his arms once up above his head, the rider lets out a bit of a sigh, and then nods his head. "I just guess most of the time. Or tell him that I'll find out and let him know later. He usually forgets. But shards… today." He holds his head in his hands for a moment. "Endless questions."
Vivian continues to fan her hair out behind her, she really doesn't want that still so damp when she goes outside into the snow. "I was a tad annoyed as you can imagine at my misfortune on that one." Hence why she spent a fair bit of it huddled in her tent freaking out. "It wasn't soo bad at times, though I still think M'nol is a smelly miner." She giggles a little at that one. "But saying that Kelioth seems to get on with Faraeth so I'd better try I suppose. It's amazing what they talk about, or at least the bits that Kelioth shares with me, or hasn't learned to block out yet." She frowns. "I don't want to think know which actually."
"Well, I'm sure I'd have been rightly annoyed if they'd taken off with my trousers and I had to walk around in my knickers the entire time." R'owan admits easily enough, letting his fingers drum along the side of his face as his eyes start to droop a bit. Still, he's talking, so it must mean he's not quite about to fall asleep yet. "Faraeth?" This seems to snap his attention a bit, eyes opening again. "Hrm. Just you be careful though, Vivian. Let those two get too close and the first time Kelioth flies you may end up in bed with a smelly miner." He chuckles, trying to imagine poor M'nol's face in that situation. "I'm cursed in that way, though. The girl I like is riding blue so I can't exactly claim flights for such advances. Guess Nyunath is stuck chasing after your dragon or Keziah's." Apparantly he hasn't even thought about the many other greens and golds out there in the weyr just yet.
Vivian actually shudders visibly at the very mention of that particular flight outcome head shakes the thought out as she draws her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around her legs. "DON'T EVEN THINK IT!" She growls, "If that happens, I'm running in the other direction, even right into your arms if I have to. He can go find Cenlia seeing as he dreams about her so much." She shakes her head again with that same shudder, probably over exaggerated but it's not a pleasant thought for her. "Do you think our cutch siblings are likely to end up flying one another because that's who they know best or will skill from someone else win the day, I wonder." She's musing idly again, though her eyes have ended up resting on R'owan, an interested spark showing. "How would you feel about that? Especially if you've got your eye on another?"
R'owan's face still shows a faint bit of amusement, although his eyebrows do soften a bit, "Sorry for bringing it up." He shakes a hand infront of his face, tiredly, as if dismissing the thought of it, although his mind does toy with the thought that at least she'd pick him over the miner. "Haven't a clue to be honest." He shrugs his free shoulder, admittedly without much knowledge in that particular area. "I'm sure dragon preference has something to do with it. Otherwise there wouldn't be golds who get flown by the same bronze over and over." He doesn't manage to stiffle back the yawn that creeps up again, blinking a bit. "Hmm? Oh." His face turns a bit more serious, but then a wry sort of look settles there. "Well, Tali's going to end up flying greens, so either way… Haven't gotten to talk much with her since the hatching, so busy 'n all. Don't even know if she likes me how I like her." He sits up a bit straiter, trying not to fall asleep. "I was raised in the weyr though. Flights aren't the same as relationships. Not really."
"I guess we'll need to wait and see what happens then, though I agree with the dragons having their own preferences." Vivian replies. "Should speak to her at least before the dragons let slip something of your thoughts." She explains, "I caught a few interesting pieces of gossip from Kelioth the other day when I was out running. She was speaking to Fareath." The wicked looking smile that curls at her lips says it all, it was juicy and/or very amusing. "I'm sure we'll survive." She admits. "We can always just kick them out if they're unwanted, if they're nice enough, we can keep you."
"I plan on it." R'owan says seriously, "I need to know one way or the other. I mean, I like Tali, but … if she doesn't like me that way, then there's no point in worrying myself over it." He's been telling himself this for a while now. Luckily, it's all too easy for him to shift the subject off of himself, lifting one eyebrow. "Gossip?" He seems a bit surprised, perhaps not having expected Vivian to be one too interested in such things. "So what exactly was Kelioth telling you?" His head tilts slightly, allowing his own curiousity to sneak through, and not allowing it to go down the path where he might think of spending a night in Vivian's weyr.
Vivian continues to hug her knees to her chest as she looks over at him. "It'd be a good plan, it helps to let you focus on something else if she's not." She reaches her hand out to collect her glass of juice. "Yes gossip, Fareath says that M'nol dreams of Cenlia a lot. And he likes her dirty, unlike clean little me." She says with a grin. "Though apparently he tries not to think about me in case he gets his dreams confused." There's a certain amount of smugness in her tone as she relays this tidbit.
"That's not all that surprising." R'owan replies, shaking his head from side to side. "M'nol's a strange one. I got the strangest feeling, before he started crushing on Cenlia, that he had a thing for me." Ro' sticks his tongue out a bit, shuddering at the very thought. Not that he doesn't like the ex-miner as a friend, but … he simply doesn't swing that way. "As for me, I'm sixteen. I'd be glad just to have a girl visit me in my dreams. Lately it's been starscapes. Ugh if I dream about another starscape I'm going to ask the healers for some fellis." He groans and rocks back on his chair. "I don't dream anymore, Nyunath does."
Vivian takes a big long drink of her juice and uncurls her legs, stretching them back out to the chair in front of her again. "I think he'd be happier with Cenlia." She replies with a smirk, "He likes them dirtier, and so long as he doesn't get too confused and say my name if he does get lucky, he'll be fine." She can't help giggling at the thought, though whether that's because she's tired or just feeling a bit mean because it's M'nol, who knows. "You were the one who decided I was actually bringing you food instead of being a lovely vision from your dreams." She tells him with an overly dramatic sigh. "Anyway, you ready to head back?" She asks him, dropping her feet to the floor and pulling a thick pair of socks from her bag as well as her boots.
"Aye, because Nyunath wouldn't dream of you, alas." R'owan admits, pushing himself up from the table with a bit of a nod. He buttons up his jacket again, shrugging into it a bit so that it is set to shield out the cold. "We should get back. I'm sure they'll have us up before dawn anyways." And it's already quite late as it is. He rubs at the corner of one eye, and then offers an arm out towards Vivian. "M'lady, may I escort you back to your couch?" The vision of politeness, even without all the training on how to properly treat holders and such. Although there is a quirk of his lips, as if he weren't quite being serious about the whole display.
Vivian pulls her socks on and then the boots. Wiggling her toes in there nice and tight to ward off the cold for when they get outside. "I'll need to see if I can change that." She murmurs teasingly at him. "Try and endear myself to him." She stands and collects her flight jacket, slipping it on and fastening it up, before she nabs her bag and slips it over her shoulder before stepping over to take the offered arm in hers. "Or endear myself to you my darling protector." She's teasing right back as she returns the smile. "Lead on into the frigid cold and back towards my nice warm couch and probably a few hours sleep before they're demanding our attentions again."