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.
Devim climbs up the cliff road into the weyr proper, carrying two large sacks—one flour, one barley. The barley is labeled. The flour is just evident because it's leaking at the seams and covering the young man's shoulder and one side of his face. He lugs them over to the tavern and drops them carefully to the ground leaned up on the wall near the door, and wipes the sweat from his forehead. Sweat, and sweat-flour-paste. Ugh.
A large steel gray and tanish overgrown puppy of a dog is making his way racing through the clearing. The large dog is wearing what looks like a harness, the metal ring jingling out so it allows people to know he is about. "Asher!!" The name is heard and Idrissa is following after dog in question. Seems Asher thought it was better to play a game of chase then training! Asher is making making a beeline right towards Devim, a few barks escaping him in the process..an the dog doesn't seem to be slowly down.. Oh dear..
Devim turns slowly as he hears barking. Much too slowly, almost as if the world is going in slow motion. He starts to get his arms up, starts to cry out, just in time to get half-bowled over. "Agh!"
Asher at least stops before trying to knock Devim over completely to the ground.. Cause that is helpful. "Asher! Get off!!" Idrissa half yelps while getting hold of the harness and drags the dog backwards. "I'm SO sorry!! Are you alright?!" This questions with a clearly worried tone while she looks at Devim to see if his still in one piece. Asher just settles back to his haunches looking rather happy with himself.
Devim laughs and tries to steady himself as the overly-friendly dog bodily greets him. At least he gets a lot of the flour off Devim's face before being pulled to heel. "I'm fine, I'm fine. He's just a big puppy, isn't he." The boy crouches down to be at a level with the dog and holds out a hand. "Shake?"
Idrissa hehs softly while eyeing Devim to make sure he really is alright before she looks back to Asher, whom lifts a large paw and drops it into the boy's hand. An Asher is a rather big dog seeing how his paw is almost bigger then Devim's hand. "Well.. yes but his never done that before." She pauses. "No that's a lie he tackled a wingleader once.."
Devim shakes the dog's paw and gives him a firm, steady look, then reaches out to scratch behind one ear. "We had a dog that looked a lot like him at the farm. Always tried to get where she wasn't supposed to be. Dad always said he'd get rid of her, but he never did."
Idrissa chuckles softly, a soft smile seen and she nods while looking to Asher then back to Devim. "Well.. That's nice. His name is Asher." She pauses. "But I guess you heard that already huh?" Asher tilts his head and leans into the scratching, his tail thumping against the ground.
Devim tilts his head. "Huh? Oh, right, because you were calling him earlier. Hello Asher." He stands up straight again and brushes his hands on his shirt, which only manages to get his shirt streaked with dirt from Asher's paw and his hand streaked with flour from his shirt. "Do you know where's the fellow supposed to take these bags?" He gestures toward the bags he'd carted up when he came.
Idrissa smiles and nods. "Ya that." She offers with an amused tone. A glance is sent to the bags and she ahs softly. "Well.. No I dono what to tell you about the bags." A slight shrug seen. "I guess maybe the tavern, or even the kitchen. I dono where else it would be used at."
Devim 's shoulders slump. "Guy who gave them to me didn't say where to take them, I figured there would be somebody waiting. I should've asked, I never think to ask…" He looks balefully toward those shoulder-achingly heavy bags, particularly the leaky flour one. He isn't looking forward to taking them any farther than he already has.
Idrissa looks to the bags curiously a moment. "Well.. I can help you get them over to the kitchen? See if they may be expecting them or somethin'." Well its an idea. "If there is a way we could strap 'em to Asher's harness and he could carry them actually." Though with one bag spilling the flour already it could be a problem.
Devim flushes ruddy in the cheeks, shakes his head, and stammers before Idrissa even finishes, "I've got it, I've got it." He crouches, hefts those bags up over his shoulders, and stands to take them in, only to return a few moments later covered in even more flour which he tries vainly to dust off his hands and clothing and face. He made the mistake of switching shoulders, so now neither side was spared.
Idrissa peers confused like at Devim. "Well..alright. I don't mind helping or anything." She points out while lifting a hand but soon gives up. "Um..ok.." She says while he goes on into the tavern. Oh well so much for helping, at least she tryed! As he comes back she doesn't comment about the added flour in other places. "Was that the right place?"
Devim nods. "I think so. I left them with some other grain bags up against the wall, looked like they were getting ready to take them down to the cellar. Oh, I wonder if I was supposed to do that?" He looks stricken at the very thought of carrying more of those monsters.
Idrissa ahs softly and nods, a slight shrug seen along with a faint smile. "Well I have no idea.. Sorry I can't be more help too you over the matter." She knows about runners not about this sorta things.
Devim shakes his head and says, "Don't worry about it. I'm still trying to figure out what my jobs even are, here. Just doing what they tell me, for now… Course, I don't even know who 'they' is supposed to be. So I'm sort of just listening to everyone right now?" He shrugs helplessly, and reaches down to give Asher an idle scratch.
Idrissa glances back to Devim and ohs. "So your new here?" She questions curiously, trying to recall if she has seen him before. An truthfully if it wasn't for Asher crashing nto Devim this conversation most likely would never have happened at the moment. Rissa is not the most talktive after all. A soft um escapes her. "I'm Idrissa by the way.. I work over at the stables." Asher shifts and leans into the scratching, his eyes closing.
Devim ohs! and nods. "Yeah. I've only been here in Xanadu for a few days now. I'm fostering. Well, sort of. I'm kind of working, kind of maybe looking for someone to apprentice under, if they'll take me and if I'm any good. I'm not any good at most things." After a few moments he realizes he didn't introduce himself. "I'm Devim."
Idrissa smiles an nods. "Well welcome to Xanadu Weyr. I'm a Beastcraft apprentice actually." She offers happly. "An nice to meet you Devim." Asher goes about trying to just lean gainst Devim, a loud yawn escaping the dog. "What are you looking to apprentice in?"
Devim shakes his head and says, "Um, I don't really know. I've tried to apprentice in a lot of things, but nothing ever really… took? I'm good at… carrying things. And sweeping things. That sort of… thing." He idly strokes his fingertips through Asher's fur, apparently a dog-lover.
Idrissa ohs and ponders this, a slight nod seen and she smiles. "Well, what sorta things do you like to do?" Asher seems rather happy at the moment, he loves the attention! "I like working with runners an animals so I figure going into beastcraft is a good thing."
Devim shifts his weight from foot to foot and thinks about that. "I'm not sure," he admits. "I like… doing things. Climbing and running and playing games. I liked working on my family's farm. I was just terrible at it. I killed more plants than I grew, even when my da was telling me what to do. I tried smithing and that was fun, except I never made anything worth anything."
Idrissa ponders this an ahs a moment. "Well.. I have a friend whom is in the smithcraft.. Maybe you could talk to him?" Devim and Rissa are off talking near the tavern at the moment. Asher is there an wearing a harness. "It involves working with metal an stuff.."
Chompchomp! Ah, when is there a time that ka-el /isn't/ eating? Well .. when he's working, one supposes, and even then the bottomless pit that he calls a stomach likely would rather be devouring something. And even now, as he exits the caverns, a place /meant/ to appease one's appetite, he can be seen gnawing something. A piece of dried meat. Jerky. A lasting meal! Or…one hopes. He chews on the leathery piece happily as he heads out to the clearing, smudges of soot seen on his trousers, though his hands and face remain thankfully clean. On the side of his belt hangs a hammer, his usual companion nowadays, and he pulls it from its makeshift sheath to twirl in his left hand in thought as he goes.
Devim looks down at the ground and scuffs his toe in the grass. "I'm not sure. That was my last apprenticeship and I left it because they didn't want me any more. Maybe I should just stick to carrying things."
Idrissa ahs an nods a moment, a slight smile seen. "Well I'm sorry about that." She offers softly smile. "Well, what about being a runner? They run packages back an forth for people I think." Makes sense right? Asher catches sight of Kale, and one this is seen he takes off running over to Kale, a few bark escaping him in the process. She glances over to see whom her dog might be tackling now. "An there's Kale."
Devim looks intrigued by that. "Really? I'm pretty good at running. I'm really fast, actually. Maybe…" He blinks, and looks over toward the other young man approaching, and raises one flour-covered hand to wave.
What now? A dog is trying to steal his jerky! … Oh wait, no, that's just Asher. Kale's brows lift up as he spies a familiar large pup bounding his way, and he grins, holding his stick of meat between his teeth as he kneels to ruffle the dog proper. "Hey Ash! What're ye doin' out here? Not by y'self, are ya?" he says around his mouthful, looking around now, spying Idrissa and another youngster rather easily. He rises to his feet with one last pat to the canine's head before he stands and approaches them, yanking the jerky from his mouth. "Good day an' hello," he offers to the both of them, grinning in a friendly sort of way. "They've jerky in the caverns today. Smoked perfectly."
Devim seems immediately taken by this idea. "Jerky? Really? What kind is it?"
Idrissa smiles and waves to Kale, glad to see him it seems. "Hey.. An ya I know I got some for Asher eariler." She offers with an amused tone. Asher bounces around Kale before heading back over to Devim and his owner. A soft oh escapes her and she points from one boy to another. "Kale this is Devim, an Devim this is Kale. Kale is my friend that is in the smithcraft that I was talking about."
"I dunno.." remarks Kale, looking at the small piece that he has left, as if he'll be able to figure just what animal it came from. In the end, he shrugs and tosses the last piece to Asher. "Well met, Devim," he offers with a grin to the other boy. Aye. Er..Kale Crewstwood of Black Rock Hold, Smithcraft Apprentice," he says formally before exhaling a breath. "I was told I'm to introduce myself that way," he explains to Idrissa with a faint wrinkle of his nose. The hammer that he had been twirling is replaced in the loop of his belt. "I don' prefer it, but it's important, they say." He looks to Devim. "Do you like spendin' time at the beach?"
Devim nods and tries, "Pleased to meet you, Kale Crews… of… Is Kale all right?" At the mention of the beach he seems to blanch, and takes a half-step back. "Well no, uhm, I don't think so. I can't really so much swim you see."
Idrissa pauses as she hears Kale and blinks. "Who told you that.. Does that mean I'm suppose to do that too?" She questions while pondering this it seems. She hums and looks to Kale at the talk of the beach and then looks over to Devim and smiles. "Well you don't have to go swiming.. Kale is working on getting a party together for the kids around our age."
Kale grin and nods to Devim. "Aye, Kale will work jus' fine. All that /is/ sort've a mouthful, isn't it?" Yeesh! Weyrs with their titles and positions and such! To Idrissa he smirks, lifting both brows in a coy sort of way. "Aye y'are. Haven't your journeymen told you? Or at least the senior apprentices?" He clicks his tongue softly while shaking his head. "I bet they're testing you. Seeing if you know this already or not. Lucky I've come along to tell you, huh? You should start sayin' it all from now on, startin' right now." He grins playfully before blue eyes swing to Devim. "She's right. Swimmin's not important. The beach is the sand part. And y'look about…mmm…fourteen, fifteen turns, am I right?"
Devim's shoulders slump noticeably in relief as he's assured he won't have to swim. And he nods to the question. "Fifteen, that's right. How many are our age around here…?"
Idrissa ohs softly while pondering this. "Well I guess that might make some sort of sense." She ponders this while shrugging a moment. "Or, your just messing with me like you did when we first met." This said with a smirk as she looks to Kale. "There's a fair amount really. So it should be a good party if everyone comes out do it."
Devim grins in a way that just sort of emphasizes the goofy shapes of his face. "Um. Guess I'll look forward to it? Right now I kind of want to go get some of that jerky."