Xanadu Weyr - Weyrleaders' Office
Office and retreat, this is the domain of Xanadu's Weyrleaders. The door is in the eastern wall, quite close to the southern end while the northern wall is dominated by big, expansive windows, framed by sumptuous deep blue drapes edged with a brilliant gold braid and tied back with a thick rope of braided gold and blue cord. In between, the eastern wall is covered floor to ceiling with shelves that house all sorts of records, manuals and supplies that are used on a day-to-day basis. The southern wall has the Weyrleader's desk — plain fellis wood, well polished and masculine. From behind his desk, the Weyrleader can look straight through the windows and out onto the main airspace of Xanadu. The western wall is where the Weyrwoman's desk resides: a lovely piece of furniture made of warm cherry wood. From her seat, a glance sideways gives her an equally good prospect out the window. There are a few other seats, some comfortably arranged around a low round table for small, informal meetings while there also some that can be drawn up to one of the desks.
On the south side of the door, the space is occupied by a low oblong table where refreshments can be set without someone needing to intrude. There is also an 'incoming' tray where incoming correspondence or similar items can be left.
It's been nearly a month since being grounded and in that time Thea has kept as low a profile as possible, if possible being weyr-bound and working in the office just down the hall from the Senior's. The junior following Niva's directive to rest up, her time at work perhaps a bit less, but she's busy enough when there. Seryth hasn't left the ground save to hunt and stretch her wings with low glides over the trees to lounge on the beach. This morning however, it's different. Her footsteps take her to the Weyrwoman's office with a few papers in hand, and a knock on her door before peeking inside with, "D'had sent me." Maybe not the best way to start. But that's what comes out.
Most definitely not the best way to start, given that Niva's temper is still flared up, and the heat of the Sands seems to be getting to the Senior Weyrwoman. The pen in her hand is slammed down on the desk as she hurriedly turns in her chair, glaring. "Now what?" She snaps, eyes darting to the intruder. And, perhaps she softens a bit realizing its one of her own Juniors, but certainly not much.
They say honesty is the best policy and Thea certainly is trying to practice that right now. Squaring her shoulders against the wince she tries not to make at the pen-slamming, she gets right to the point, "He wants you to grant a short leave, if you would." And here she steps into the lion's den, her approach although not timid is far from confident. Offering the papers for the Weyrwoman's perusal, which turn out to be the requests drawn up and signed by the Weyrsecond, one for her, one for him with dates of departure and return noted and signed at the bottom.
Niva narrows her gaze a little at Thea as the young woman speaks, sighing and shaking her head as she gets to her feet, moving to snatch the papers from the younger goldrider's hand, flipping through them with a furrowed brow. "Where are you going? Why?" She questions, papers dropped on the table in the middle of the office, not yet making any move to sign them.
Thea has this fatalistic attitude - she TOLD D'had she'd say no - hopefully it doesn't show on her face. Hands drift behind her back and fingers lace together as she rocks slightly to and fro on her feet. "Well," she says as though she's given this much thought, "Nowhere in particular. Somewhere out there." One hand waves in the direction of the shore. "No dragons, we'd take the boat." And oh, yes! Why. "To get D'had to rest better. He's… still not sleeping."
Niva arches an eyebrow at Thea, contemplating, shaking her head. "Get the healers, if you have to. A nice dose of fellis will make sure he sleeps." And even as that seems like a denial, the Weyrwoman is glancing back over the sheets on the table as she settles down on the edge of the seat, flipping through them idly.
There's neither surprise nor disappointment on Thea's face at the headshake from the Weyrwoman. For her part, she merely shrugs, "I hadn't thought of that. The boat trip was his idea." But the caveat to Niva's is, "He doesn't like healers much," the junior muses while one hand lifts to rub her chin absently, "so I won't be able to drag him to see them." The wheels are turning however and she finally says brightly, "I suppose I could sneak it into his klah."
"Well, perhaps that explains things." Including the tension between the Weyrsecond and herself - its just cause she's a healer, right? As Thea talks, explains, its clear that Niva is only half listening, the Weyrwoman nodding now and then as she reaches across to her desk, grabbing the smashed pen to scribble something on the bottom of each page, giving them a little push back towards Thea. "Please don't drown."
Even though 'healer' isn't among the expletives D'had uses when ranting about the Weyrwoman, that has to be it! Thea murmurs her thanks, pivots on one foot to take her leave only to be halted by that request. Her glance back over her shoulder is at first puzzled and then surprised. She turns slowly to blink at first the papers then the Weyrwoman, but she doesn't waste time arguing. She reaches to retrieve them, her fingers curling 'round the sheets. "Ah, sure. Thanks!" Beat. "Kilaueth is well?"
"She's fine." Niva says with a flick of her fingers at the younger weyrwoman. "Ready to be done with the Sands, just like me." And Niva looks back at Thea, a look that's quite like a dismissal as it were, and as her eyebrow arches, she watches her. "Was there something else? I was under the impression you had packing to do."
Bemused still at that seemingly abrupt change of mind Thea's eyes follow that negligent flick of fingers, only to be drawn back to Niva's face. Questions there might be, but she doesn't voice them. Instead, she shakes her head, "No Ma'am. Nothing more. Uh… thanks! Seryth will be in touch." With an uncertain smile for the Weyrwoman, she takes the papers and beats it out of there before she puts her foot in her mouth.
Niva waits, giving Thea another long look before a little smile appears on her face, and she flicks her hand at her back, shaking her head with a roll of her eyes as she gets back to her work, pausing after only a moment, though, scribbling a note and sending it off with Belle.