Xanadu Weyr - Nature Gone Wild Weyrbarn
The victim of one of the major storms to pass through the Weyr this past turn or so, this weyrbarn stands amidst the majestic trees of the forest like a sore tooth. Although still structurally sound - the underpinnings intact and the foundation unmarred - there is little doubt it will take a great deal of hard work and time to make this once elegant structure livable once more. The roof has been stripped to little more than crossbeams, the walls gaping with holes where boards had been stripped by the wind. The inside of the barn is little more than rotting floorboards and plant life tentatively exploring its new home. The bulk of the interior seems to be given over to dragon living space - stone gives in less to the demands of nature than wood, and most of the wallow seems yet in good repair.
Such cannot be said for the human side, however, where storm and nature have combined to create a verdant ruin where once was a two-level dwelling area, complete with vine-encrusted kitchenette, an entertainment room for mushrooms and fungi of all sorts, and two well-sized - and well-stocked with wildlife - bedrooms up what was once a spiral staircase. Choked with plants, overrun by forest furries, there is little of what was once a well-loved, well-tended weyrbarn in this decaying structure. Yet, with such a sound foundation, there is little doubt that it can be repaired, with a little hard work, a little ingenuity, and a lot of friends and family.
Just the kind of fixer-upper Thea would recommend for her sons, if indeed she had anything to do with assigning the dwelling. It builds character, right?
The materials have been requested, they have arrived, and it's time to start building Mur'dah's run down weyr. Since the little mushroom incident, the brownrider has been working his tail off to clear the interior (and a good chunk of the exterior) from greenery. So now the weyr is empty, the remaining fixtures cleaned, painted with wood stain and other 'keep it from rotting' products, and the electricians are done putting in all the wiring. Because…Mur'dah + electricity = bad. And the plumbing. So he didn't do either of those tasks. What remains to be done now is putting up the timber for the walls, and general weyr building stuff.
Ka'el had gotten word through Kanekith, who lately has been pretty placid and easygoing when it comes ti most things now, that there have been things happening with Kalsuoth's. And now that Ka'el's mind has been able to focus on things for long then a minute, he took the liberty of flying over the forest to check things out himself. Yup. Things Are Happening down there! And so, after letting Kanekith go back to his near permament spot wherever Luraoth happens to be, he's made his way through the forest, after pitstopping at his 'new home' to leave a note, letting the homeowner know where he's off to, toward Mur'dah's. Passing the path to his own weyr proved more difficult than he realized. A magnetic pull seemed to want to drag him that way. Towards his broken tower home. Towards.. nope! He presses on, frowning, til he reaches Mur'dah's. Marel was right. He needs to keep himself busy. "Mur'dah! Mur'dah, where are you? Y'haven't died in there without us knowin', have you?"
Between catching snipets of conversations in the infirmary, the living caverns, and pretty much anywhere else Kera found herself, the girl dug out her gardening gloves, borrowed a few items from weyr stores and makes her way towards Mur'dah's weyr. Stepping off the path and into the rider's yard area, Kera looks around with a curious frown. She sees stacks of supplies sure enough, but where is everyone. Hearing a voice from inside, she eyes the dwelling from top to bottom, giving her head a shake before stepping to the door. She doesn't go in, just gives a few sharp raps on the wooden frame, hoping it doesn't fall over. "Hello?
Rumors fly quickly and so once M'kal's done with any Galaxy wing related things he pulls on some older clothes, grabs a large brimmed hat and gloves and trots over towards the shell of Mur'dah's weyr. Xeosoth trills on ahead, his voice waves of water sending a message. « M'kal comes to help! »
"If I was dead, you would know it, Ka'el," says Mur'dah, helping a competent Smith lift up a long, wide board that's presumably going to be part of the exterior. "The weyr would have a sevenday of silence, dragons would fly in formation overhead and drop rose petals, and all the women would weep." He seems to be in a good mood, helping the Smith set the board in place and then turning to eye his friend. "How are you?" Casually asked, and yet with so much weight behind it. Glancing through the door (and the gaps in the walls) he blinks a bit when he sees Kera. "Uh, hey, Kera…" If he looks suspicious, it's only because he's afraid that /other/ Healer is here with her. Outside, where Kalsuoth is resting (until he's needed), he rumbles happily back towards Xeosoth, absorbing that water into the forest of his mind, letting it nourish parched earth. He says no words, but his pleasure is evident. Yay!
Ka'el looks up to the clear skies seen between treebranches. "Mm. Maybe the rose petals got stuck in the trees…" he murmurs before looking ahead and vaguely smirking. He moves ahead, snagging a pair of work gloves to pull onto his hand, and instinctively grabbing a hammer. His eys flit to Kera, and he nods a greeting to her. "Hey Kera. Come to help make a patchwork quilt out've this weyr?" He grins a bit as he moves closer to where things may need to be hammered in with nails. Mur'dah's question is slightly hesitated at, but answered with a genuine sounding, "Better." He pauses to look at the framework of the weyr, whistling lowly. "It's lookin' … alost like a real place," he compliments before he glances to the arrivine M'kal, waving the hammer in greeting.
Kera squints into the interior towards where she hears the voices. Eyeing the structure hestitantly, she seems reluctant to step inside considering Mur'dah's less than welcoming greeting. Another glance around outer area as she drops her bucket by her feet. "Hi Mur'dah, Ka'el. I heard ya might need some help, and thought I'ld come do a bit of weeding." Turning back to the doorway, she sticks her head in but goes no further, calling out again. "But it looks like someone already did that."
"A whole sevenday of silence?" calls out M'kal in good humor. "No talking at all?" he allows doubt to creep into his tone before he merely chuckles. Moving in closer to the work area he pauses though before grabbing any kind of weapo….tool. "Hey there Kera." the healer apprentice is greeted. "Heya Ka'el." his greeting to the bronzer is casual. A little too casual perhaps. "So what can I do to help ya out here, Mur'dah?"
Outside Xeosoth has landed near Kalsuoth, warbling cheerfully to his clutch mate. Friends!
Mur'dah smirks, glancing at Ka'el and grinning. "Glad you could make it," he says, again…man speak for much more than that. "Yeah, Kera, thanks, but Kalsuoth and I have been weeding. All we could do during the spring and the rain, until the supplies came in. Now it's time to actually build things…" There are three Smiths here working on it, and they all give Ka'el smiles and nods of greeting. "No talking at /all/," Mur'dah answers M'kal with a grin. "Just sitting and remembering how awesome I was before I was tragically taken away." Good thing Marel isn't here, she'd smack him for such talk. "How're you doing, M'kal? All well?" Glancing between M'kal and Ka'el, the brownrider clears his throat. "So…" Yeah. Outside, Kalsuoth happily welcomes Xeosoth, bumping his head against the blue.
"Hey. Sorry about the tavern thing," Ka'el offers straightforward to M'kal. "Had a lot on my mind." He's distracted a little by thos smiths. Smiths! Oh, his bretheren, how he misses you all! He waves to them but catch up time will come later. Right now he has some hammering to do! And apologies to make. But oh, look he already apologized. So everything's all good and forgotten, right? "Hey, Kera!" he calls to the healer. "Wanna help me with this?" He holds up a wooden pannel that needs to be hammered down. "You hold, I hammer?" He looks to Mur'dah. "We need any more dragon help? Can.. /try/ to get Kanekith here." Emphasis on try!
Kera moves back out of M'kal's way when the rider arrives. "Hi M'kal." Wiggling her fingers his way, she leaves the bucket of gardening tools outside but grabs her gloves before taking a cautious step inside and following M'kal to where the others are. Eyeing all the chaos and workmen moving around her attention moves towards the riders. Brow arching when she sees Mur'dah messing with more lumber and her head shakes "I guess it's just as well the weeding is done, I may need to be dragging some of you off to the infirmary before too much longer." She chuckles and flashes a grin to show she's teasing, mostly. Nodding to Ka'el, "Sure." she slips her gloves on and moves to help hold down the panel, keeping her hands well away from the spots being hammered.
Bumping heads. The equivalent of a knuckle bump no doubt. M'kal simply offers Mur'dah a lopsided grin. "A tragedy no doubt best not happening. Marel would be devastated for a whole day!" teasing! Ka'el's apology gets a. "No problem." two words that speak volumes no doubt! All is forgiven it seems though he casts a wary glance as something else seems on his mind. One would imagine he's heard of Ka'el's most recent…sleeping arrangements yet perhaps he's too afraid to simply ask about it. As far as help goes he looks around for his own part to help in. Anything need drawing on? He's good at that!
Mur'dah arches a brow a bit, glancing between Ka'el and M'kal but in the end he just shakes his head at the bronzerider. "Nah. I don't think so anyway. Let him stay with Luraoth." Since everyone knows that's where the bronze hangs out these days. "Hopefully not, Kera!" he calls with a crooked grin. "A whole day? You /wound/ me, M'kal," Mur'dah says, eyes flickering with a few swift emotions before he laughs. "Here, you can help me move these boards over there, so they can keep putting up the outside siding." Lifting one end of the board, he glances around again. "Ka'el, isn't Marel's weyr immaculate?" Ice breaker? Or insensitive? Time will tell.
It's hammer time! Get out your parachute pants and let's do the hammer! … Oh. Wait, wrong kind of hammer. Ka'el, with Kera's help, gets that side panel situated. It's the beginnings of a wall! A nail is placed and softly tap-tapped to get it secure before harder hits are given to hammer it in. Construction! An excellent way to get rid of stress. And far healtheir than other options he's turned to. M'kal's not asking, Ka'el's not telling. He's pretty sure he probably…knows. As much as the redhead looks at a certain cottage in the meadow, it's likely he's seen the bronzer entering and exiting on more than one occasion. "Keep your fingers still," he warns Kera, smirking. "I take no responsibility for smashin' thumbs if they're in the way. You'll be the one visiting the infirmary, not me!" He picks up another nail, but glances to Mur'dah before hammering. "Understatement of the turn. Feels like I should shower before steppin' foot in there all the time. I really do feel like a caveman in there."
Kera already has her hands well away from the spot Ka'el is tapping. Snorting to the bronzerider "If you hit my hand this far away, I'll know it's on purpose. Just know, that I'll get a turn with the hammer every time I get hit." Smirking at Ka'el, she turns her attention back to the plank, holding it steady as she listens. Her gaze slips from person to person joke around before she settles her gaze on her fellow healer. "So if the Galaxy Wing treating ya alright M'kal?"
M'kal strides over to assist with the boards that Mur'dah is moving over…there. He winces visibly at Mur'dah's question as that subject is BROUGHT OUT TO THE OPEN! So much for don't ask don't tell? "Yeah…" oh and yeah he is stalkerish when it comes to glancing over to the cottage EVERY time he's in the meadow. "Galaxy's wings great. All's quiet for now." he replies towards Kera first. "Marel's cottage makes /anyone/ seems like a caveman." though perhaps his tone indicates that he thinks Ka'el to be like one more so than others. "Sleeping on her pink couch?" is asked oh so casually. It's laced with another, deeper imbedded question but he lets that one go unvoiced.
Mur'dah snorts. "I know, I didn't even want to sit down the last time I visited. I sat on the floor…Where are you sleeping? On the couch?" Shudder. The couch. The aesthetic part of him /loves/ that couch, but the practical, sloppy man cringes at the very thought of it. It is far too pretty for the likes of him. And he asks that almost the same moment M'kal does, making him laugh. "You've got nothing to worry about, Kera. Ka'el was an amazing Smith before he impressed." And now…he's not? Maybe that's not how Mur'dah meant it. Hauling boards across the weyr, he sets his end down and helps M'kal put his end down before he tromps back for another.
"Ka'el is an amazing smith, even after Impression," says Ka'el first and foremost, as that's the most important thing to clarify right now! He shoots Mur'dah a look before hammering in another nail, not smashing any fingers in the process, either! "Was the craft I came to Xanadu to study," he explains to Kera. "But then … well. Plans tend to change a lot in weyrs," said with a wry smirk. As for where he's sleeping. He gives an owlish look to M'kal, momentarily holding off on his hammering. The pink couch? "Why would I when her bed's large enough to fit two?" he asks, brows lifting and head tipping in a 'what were you thinking?' sort of way. Seconds tick. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. He snerks. "Yes I'm sleepin' on her incredibly girlish pink couch," he says, dropping the act hopefully before M'kal can come and tackle him.
Kera nods to M'kal "Good to hear." Mur'dah's comment draws an amused chuckle. "It's not myself I'm worried about. It's my poor defenseless hands." The mention of a pink couch catches her attention, and the apprentice can't help but learn a few things as she listen to the dragonriders gossip worse than aunties. Shaking her head, the apprentice scooches her fingers a little further away from the hammering, even with Ka'el's assurances. The bronzerider's boasting to his friends makes those same fingers twitch to smack the back of his head on her friend's behalf.
Seconds…mere seconds from the time that the bed remarks is made until the time he assures that the couch is being slept on. For M'kal it seems time stands still as he nearly drops his end of the board he's moving. "….oh." he doesn't tackle. Nope but he thinks about it. Grudglingly he moves with Mur'dah to pick up another board. "Right….course." he mumbles, ducking his head. "S'all good. She's a good friend."
Mur'dah rolls his eyes. "Of course you are, Ka'el, that's not what I meant." And then he just stops. And blinks. And /stares/. Maybe Ka'el should also be worried about Mur'dah going to tackle him. But when Ka'el clarifies, the brownrider just snorts and helps M'kal move another board before he pauses to wipe his forehead. Moving around the weyr, he picks up a full bottle of whiskey and moves it, looking around for a safe spot to put it. Difficult in this construction zone, until he finds a bottom drawer of a dresser he's keeping. Tucking the whiskey in there, he moves back to move another board. "How's that weird new Healer working out, Kera? He attacked anyone else for mind games/"
Kera is brave to smack a guy with a hammer! "Hey!" Ka'el protests as he's hit. "I was only joking. M'kal knows I wouldn't." Right? Sure he does! Ka'el and Marel have been quietly close even before candidacy! Perhaps why it's she that managed to bring him back closer to his senses more successfully than anyone else. Also perhaps why he's out here helping instead of hiding away. He rubs the back of his head, shooting her a mock evil stare before going back to hammering nai- is that whiskey he saw? Eyes follow Mur'dah, or moreso that bottle that he's stashing away, until it is indeed stashed away. He swallows. No. No. Not gonna do it! .. He pounds a nail. "Yeah, she is," he agrees quietly. ".. Mind games?" He looks to Mur'dah, then to Kera. "Is that what that note's about?"
"Mind games?" M'kal echoes Ka'el's same question. The moving of the bottle of booze draws his eyes briefly from the bottle to Ka'el as if judging his friend's willpower. Luckily all seems well and there's no lunging towards the bottle to suckle on it like a babe nursing.
Kera 's gaze slips around, before she gives a Mur'dah a cool look when he insults the newest posted healer. Several replies slam against her brain to mouth filter before one passes all the safety checks and is allowed to pass. "He's doing just fine, I'll be sure to let him know /you/ asked after him." Her gaze travels back around to the others, perhaps observing their reactions to Mur'dah's comment. Ka'el is simply snorted at and she can't help but roll her eyes a bit with a shrug. "You'll have to man-up and go see him for yourself if ya want to know. I simply deliver the appointment notices." Much good it does since no one goes to their appointments. And if they do, they are quick to raun away like little weyrbrats. Her gaze flickers over to Mur'dah after that thought.
Mur'dah gives Ka'el a look that's downright /fearful/. "You got a note? Don't go, man. Do NOT go. Make up any excuse you can. Get Sori to assign you chores, that's what I-" Gulp. He glances guiltily at Kera and then turns away, going over THERE to help someone with something, leaving the whiskey stashed in that drawer. "You do that," he says to Kera with a frown. Glancing at M'kal, Mur'dah just gives him a wide eyed look and another shake of his head.
Nope, no whiskey suckling, though Ka'el can't help but give that drawer one more look. "I thought he wanted to see me for… somethin' else. I heard he's a healer for people who're addled in the head. Y'know? .. Crazies." A category that Ka'el feels as if he shifts in and out of far too often. Maybe he should honor his appointment! He looks to Mur'dah. "He saw you?? .. What'd he ask? What'd he do?" Brain probing? Did he get strapped to a bed and have wires stuck to his head?
Kera just shakes her head, as she listens to Mur'dah. Her frown becomes more and more pronounced until she finally takes her hands away from the plank she is bracing. Hope Ka'el got enough nails in it. Already tugging her gloves off, she doesn't bother looking the brownrider's way. Why waste the effort on someone who obviously thinks so little of her craft. "I'm done." Rather than elaborate and waste her breath she just shrugs and wags her gloves to Ka'el and M'kal. "See you around M'kal, Ka'el." Stepping around a couple of people measuring out timbers, the apprentice stops outside the door and grabs her bucket before heading back to something important, like her books.
M'kal's still helping Mur'dah move boards or whatever it is that needs done right this moment. He pauses though mid-action to peer curiously towards the healer apprentice. "Shells…she doesn't like you much does she Mur?" he inquires curiously.
Mur'dah shifts a bit, looking uncomfortable. "Just…weird questions. Tried to get me to open up, you know. Talk about feelings and shit. And…why I thought things went wrong…in my life. It was just…he just asked all these questions without getting to know me first. I didn't - don't - even /know/ him. No way I was gonna talk about personal stuff with him. Especially not with a bunch of /other/ people around. I just felt /really/ uncomfortable." Then, when Kera storms off, Mur'dah grimaces. He /does/ look guilty, but… "It was awful. Don't go. He kept telling me that I was friends with Kera, so talk to her - with him listening - but…" Sigh. "Clearly she and I are /not/ friends. He just wasn't listening." Looking at M'kal, the brownrider just sighs. "I…guess not. I don't know. It's so weird with her, it's like we misunderstand each other /all/ the time."
The plank doesn't go clattering down when Kera releases it, though Ka'el's hammering has paused so that he can hear and listen to Mur'dah's report. Personal things? Why things went wrong in his life? He makes a face. "He asked you all that? But he doesn't even.." Yeah, Mur'dah said it. He doesn't even know him! "Yeah…definitely skippin' my appointment.." he murmurs beneath his breath. Hopefully it's not required, and hopefully the wingleader or wingseacond doesn't get word and force him to go! He moves on to another plank that's only halfway nailed down, considering Kera as she heads off. "Bye, Kera…" he offers in her wake, looking to M'kal and Mur'dah after. "Maybe Healing is one've those topics we should avoid with Kera around."
All the talk of the mind healer's probing questions makes M'kal cringe a bit. "How'd you even get an appointment to begin with?" he asks curiously of the bronzer. "But mind healer and Healing are two different things really. I don't see why she'd be so sensitive." he'll clearly be on Mur'dah's side evrerytime no doubt!
Mur'dah just shakes his head, leaning against a support beam and running fingers through his hair. "Yeah, you should…Mom didn't even tell me I had to go back." Then he shrugs. "I guess? I don't know, M'kal. She likes him or something, or thinks he's great, but…he just made me /really/ uncomfortable. And I don't know how Ka'el got one, but I got one 'cuz apparently my Healer file is huge. And they thought I needed someone to talk to, or something." Shrugging, he pushes upright again and goes back to hauling wood, if M'kal is still willing. "When I want to talk, I talk to you guys, or Marel…not some random Mindhealer."
"It was on my door one morning," inputs Ka'el about his appointement. "Why? That part I dunno. I…guess I have a big file too?" Though Ka'el can't really remember having gone to the healers much for anything. The mushroom incident. One time when he burned himself at the forges. When he dropped a bag of runnershoes on his toe… He sounds skeptical. Then, he looks.. well, guilty, as Mur'dah speaks of talking to people. He glances to the other workers then abandons his plank, though still clutches that hammer, as he approaches the other two. "Hey, uh…" he looks to M'kal, then Mur'dah. "You should visit Marel," he advises them both. "I'll uh….make myself scarce when you do. But she's goin' through some stuff. Dunno how much she she wants me talkin' about it, but .. you should visit her."
M'kal draws in a deep breath, a look of concern crossing his features at Ka'el's words. "I always want to visit her." just you know it's hard when she's not around. "Work in the wings…or she's busy in her own wing." he shrugs almost defensively. "I visit her every few days. She's..alright?"
Mur'dah's demeanor instantly shifts, the brownrider tensing up. "What? What's wrong?" he asks, suddenly all brother protective though he tries to hold it back, darting a glance at M'kal. Assuming it's not /him/, since Ka'el is telling them both. "I don't visit her as much as I probably should," he admits with a guilty looking grimace. "I just figured, you know, since you two are a thing…" nodding at M'kal, "that she wouldn't want me around as much…" Those assumptions. They kick him in the butt every time.
"As alright as I'd expect her to be. .. She's not hurt or anything," Ka'el assures. "It's just .. dragons. And what they're startin' to do now. The part've weyrlinghood they can't really give us any firsthand experience about, you know?" He flips the hammer in his hand, catching it by the handle. Once. Twice. "She's like me in the way she doesn't want to bother anybody with things. She's willin' to help me, but won't let anyone in on what's really bothering her." He looks to Mur'dah. "Visit her. You're her brother, an' you're always gonna be her brother. Us boyfriends?" a sympathetic look to M'kal. "come and go." Kinda sucks, sometimes!
M'kal makes a face. "I aint going anywhere." he mutters, putting down his end of a board perhaps a little too forcefully. "Flights…." he grimaces. "Xeosoth's not chased yet." is said with what he hopes is an indifferent shrug. "Ill try to run into her soon then. Or at the least leave another present on her doorstep. To let her know I'm thinking of her." which he is. Like all the time. "She need anything in the weyr that you know of Ka'el?" he asks him since he's staying there and all he might have a good inside knowledge!
Mur'dah grimaces. "Flight stuff?" Uggggggh. ICK. He is learning so fast to /hate/ flights. "Isyriath didn't…win one, did he?" Then he glances at M'kal, and back to Ka'el with a nod. "I will," he promises quietly. Glancing at M'kal, the brownrider oofs softly when the board is suddenly set down. "Kalsuoth chased. I hated it." Grimace.
Ka'el glances at that dropped board, then to M'kal. Comments on the relationship front aren't forthcoming though. The kid will learn on his own. He shakes his head to Mur'dah. "No, he didn't win, but that's not making her feel any better about it. I don't know if it've been any worse if he did, or if it'd be just as bad as not." He collects a few dropped nails, just to busy himself because he knows he's opened a can a worms. "No," he answers M'kal. "I don't think she needs anything else. Her weyr's the most put together weyr I've ever seen in my life. .. Unless you want to buy her a cot for guests," he says with a smirk. Back to flights. His smirk vanishes. "I hated it too. Winning's no better." A frown, and he glances to that drawer again.
"It'll get better though, right? In time?" after all flights happen more often than perhaps they would notice and the Weyr isn't exactly full of people who simply hate flights. "Evertying about them…winning or loosing." M'kal shrugs. "My parents say I was a flight baby." another shrug. "It'll be alright." he ignores Ka'el's look to The Drawer. "Well then I guess a flower will be good." he's not gonna by her a cot for guests. That'll just encourage more guests won't it?
Mur'dah exhales in relief, but then looks awkward and clears his throat. "It wasn't?" he asks then. "I mean, other than getting hit in the face?" Then he laughs. "A cot…that's…actually a great idea but I don't know how…appropriate it is. Maybe something, like…a little silver platter or something? Something…pretty. Something she can decorate with and use? There's this store down in Ista that's got all sorts of older stuff." Antique shopping ftw? "Nice older stuff, not junk. Maybe a new vase? Crystal? Or pink? I think I saw one that was like…cream…what's it called? Porcelain? With little pink flowers. I thought about getting it but it seemed weird coming from her brother." Then he follows Ka'el's look to the drawer, and clears his throat. "That's not for drinking," he mutters, turning back to hauling boards. "It's my dad's. Darce stole it and I keep it as…a reminder." To not turn into his father.
"Hell if I know," retorts Ka'el to M'kal, not sounding as if he's all too eager to learn whether or not it gets better, or if some are better equipped at losing control than others. "Maybe bein' a flight baby helps you to not care as much." He didn't mean to sound mean, nor did he mean to say those words exactly. Sigh! He sets the hammer down, shaking his head at Mur'dah. "No, it wasn't. It was the worst thing I've ever done to anyone. But, eh, it was just a flight." Nope. Even saying it flippantly doesn't help him to stomach it. His mouth twitches at the mentioning of the whiskey and the explanation behind it. "Well if you figure you don't need it anymore, I'll take it off your hands." He smirks then wipes his palms against the side of his trousers. He can feel it starting to rise again. That weird feeling . "M'gonna go check on Marel. See if she's home," he says abruptly. "Should think of what color you want to paint thisp lace, Mur'dah. Anything but pink."
M'kal straightens up, rubbing a hand across his brow. A glance is cast over to Ka'el as he announces his intention to go see if Marel's home. "Tell I …" a pause. Tell her what? He loves her? Too mushy. Tell her he says hi…too lame. "…tell her I'll stop by later if she's free." he finishes.
Mur'dah frowns a bit at Ka'el, his expression concerned. That's definitely a switch from what Ka'el said the last time they talked about flights. Of course, that was before they actually participated in one. "Are you okay?" he asks quietly, taking a step towards his friend. "Blue," he adds absently, glancing around. "Blue and maybe some greens…" Glancing at M'kal, the brownrider shrugs. "You can go too if you want. I've gotta stay here and help, but if you guys want to go," and ABANDON HIM, "that's totally fine."
Ka'el nods to M'kal. He'll pass the word along. As for Mur'dah? No, he really isn't okay, but… "Later," he says to the brownrider. Not the 'later' as in 'I'll see you later' but moreso the 'I'll talk to you about it later'. "I'll come back to help," he promises. And he will! Once he can stop looking at that drawer and wish that he can run away with what's inside and banish all this flight stuff into a happy haze of drunkenness. He'll be back then. Until then he lifts a hand and waves to the both of them and starts back into the forest.
M'kal shrugs. "I'll stay and help. You can't do all this by yourself after all." he looks around to see if more lumber needs to be moved. "What next?" he asks simply.
Mur'dah watches Ka'el go with a low exhale of breath. "YOu know what's hard for me?" he asks M'kal, nodding for him to help move another board from the outside to the waiting Smiths, so they can nail it into place. "Not knowing everything. Why is that hard for me, when people don't want to talk to me or open up to me?"
Board goes up…gets walked over and then set down. Rinse and repeat. As they work M'kal can only shrug at the question. "Sometimes it's easier to know everything and then there's nothing left to guess about and misunderstand." he spares a glance out towards the door, perhaps getting an opinion ( asked for or not). "I agree though that I can't understand why people won't talk to you. Or me." he adds with a hint of annoyance.
Mur'dah glances at M'kal and grimaces slightly. "You hurt that Marel is talking to Ka'el and not you?" he guesses.
M'kal shrugs. "Maybe." he says evasively. "I mean I get that she's not gonna talk to be about everything but…." he trails off with uncertainty. "And Ka'el too!" he adds. "He's not doing so good after that sharing flight and not even Soriana will talk about it! How'm I supposed to help if none accepts it!"
Mur'dah nods, "Yeah," he says with a low and understanding sigh. "It's hard. I care about them so much and yet…it's like…if they don't come to me - us - to talk when they need someone. Does it always have to be us going to them and dragging it out of them? That's not fair. Sometimes…" he says with a low sigh, "sometimes I think they're my friends more than I'm their friends…"
M'kal frowns. "Well /I'm/ your friend no matter what Mur'dah." he says feverently. "And…they are too. I'm sure of it. We all Impressed together. We spend the last how many turns learning and growing together? That's something you can't forget."
Mur'dah grins a bit at M'kal, nodding. "I know. We've never had any problems talking. And I know, I know. It's just…ugh." He shrugs. "Just feel like an outcast sometimes, when no one asks me for anything. Asks to talk, or…anything. I've got to chase them down, always. Maybe when I get the weyr done people will just stop by, but…"
"So long as you promise not to burn any more 'shrooms'" teases M'kal in a clear effort to lighten the mood. "You're not an outcast. Actually you're luckier than I. You've family here. A twin. Your mum. N'shen…um, your brother, right?" he forgets. "So no you're not an outcast." he says firmly. "Whatever the problems are of everyone else they'll get through them and we'll all be back to normal. This whole flight crap…well it'll be all normal routine soon enough."
Mur'dah snorts, but he grins a bit just the same, giving M'kal an amused look. "That's true," he does have to admit, with a nod. "Yeah, N'shen is my brother. Darsce…" So really he should just be quiet. Moving another board, he pauses to stretch his arms and shoulders. "Ugh, flights. I wonder why our dragons can't just…take care of themselves so they wouldn't even have to chase."
M'kal copies Mur'dah's stretches, pausing before he seems ready for another board. A chuckle escapes him. "I um…dunno." he finally says, evidently not wishing to put too much thought in exactly how a dragon would simply take care of themselves without the need for chasing. "They need us as much as we need them." he can't think of anything else to say on that! "It'll get easier though. I just know it." or so he hopes. "Least you don't ride green though." he teases. "That would be too awkward for me!"
Mur'dah grimaces, shaking his head. "I feel bad for all the girl riders. And the riders of girl dragons. That's got to be…so hard. To just…be used like that…" He grimaces, shaking his head. "Ka'el said winning was awful," he mutters, moving back to shift more boards around so the Smiths can keep putting up the walls.
"Maybe that's cause his bronze caught a gold. Probably different for blues and browns going after greens. They um…rise more often." M'kal says with all his infinite wisdom. "It is just for one night and I suppose if their partner is sweet?" he hasn't even chased so he's not sure about winning either. His teasing of Mur'dah on green goes right over the brown rider's head so he just lets it go. Ashifting they ago as they chat. There's got to be something other than flights and drama to chat about right? "So I heard Fort's youngest queen rose." oops,that's kinda like flight talk. "Eggs there soon. Wanna place bets on if anyone from Xanadu gets Searched?"
Mur'dah just grimaces. Then, at the subject change, he laughs. "Kera. I'll put marks that she gets Searched for Fort…"
M'kal considers a moment. "A good bet. Perhaps Green then?" he hazards a guess. "Did you hear Natalya Imprssed over at Ista?"
Mur'dah nods, "Yeah, I did. Glad she found her lifemate," he says. Then he grins. "Yeah, green. Sure, why not." Shrug! "So…I found this really cool spot in Ista the other day, when we went there to deliver something."
M'kal grew up at Ista so he ventures a guess. "Yeah? The waterfalls?"
Mur'dah shakes his head, "No, not the waterfalls. There's this really cool, turquoise cove there, on the other side of the island from the weyr. Maybe we should all go and just relax. Have a party, you know? Make a fire, fish, surf, swim…just chill."
"That." M'kal exclaims. "Is an excellent idea. Catch some spider claws for roasting. Maybe camp out. Spend a whole night there." he pauses. "With permission of course. On a rest day." his eyes light up at the idea. "It'll be just what we needed." another pause. "Course maybe wd could open it up for the whole weyr but still it'll be good for us." us meaning the former Weyrlings.
Mur'dah frowns, "Why the whole weyr? /We/ need this time." Yeah, Mur'dah wants this to be an exclusive party, it seems. "We all just need to…relax. Feels like…ever since Ka'el broke up with Idrissa, the whole group has been a little off."
M'kal shrugs a bit. He's game for either way really. "Just thought perhaps it would be good for a Weyrwide party. Next time though maybe then." he is agreeable. "Yeah…I know. Guess though it seems natural for Ka'el to stick with Soriana after the hatching…"
Mur'dah frowns again, shaking his head, "Yeah, but. I know he didn't dump Idrissa just because she rides green. He can be a real jerk but he's not /that/ much of an ass. But, yeah. Maybe…oh! What if," snicker. "what if we send out the invitations, but make them look like they're from V'dim, and he's ordering us to another camp out? Just because we need more lessons or something?"
"Ha!" bursts out M'kal before clamping a hand to his mouth. "That's brilliant. I could write 'em up real careful like to try to make it look like V'dim's handwriting."
Mur'dah nods, grin just a /tad/ wicked. "Yes. Yes, you should totally do that, absolutely."
M'kal totally should. After all Mur'dah's gotten into enough trouble, he needs an assistance in that! "Sure then…we'll need to find a good time though that perhaps we won't be as missed." he says thoughtfully.
Mur'dah grins. "I'll go check the duty schedules and see when all our times mesh up. Then you and I will go ahead and get everything set up - food, drinks," maybe not for Ka'el though, "and a fire, fishing equipment, towels, surfboards, umbrellas…everything for an overnight beach stay. And then we send the letters, and we play dumb, and then when we go, it'll be a surprise!"
M'kal can play dumb. Totally. "Sounds good." he steps back as another board is carried over. "I think I'll go see how Marel's doing." cause she's been on his mind this whole time! "I'll stop back by later to help ya though." he promises.
Mur'dah nods, giving the bluerider a smile. "Yeah. Tell her I'll come see her soon too," he requests, before waving. "Clear skies, M'kal."
M'kal waves. "Clear skies! And I will."