Xanadu Weyr - Smith Forge
Loud, dim, and hot is the large area set up for the Smith's forge area. It's been roughly divided into separate areas, the large common one holding the main forge lodged against the western wall, with bellows at the ready and a chimney rushing high to open in the ceiling outside. This is the area that the apprentices are taught in and are able to use, the nearby wall clasps a vast and unspecialized collection of tools, while the built-in shelves of another wall host jars of nails, crates of wood and metal scraps, spools of wire, sacks of sand, and heavy bins of Cromcoal, all decorated with a fine coating of grime and sawdust.
To the other side are the separate forges for the Journeyman's use, each one kept clean and neat, even when in the midst of a project. Behind and to the back lies the more private forges reserved for the few Masters that stay here.
There is a door to one side that leads into a hallway and to the dorms and rooms of the smiths that call Xanadu home.
Ever since that conversation over dinner, Jethaniel has been disappearing into the Hatching Arena near daily. The ratio of disappearances to days is slightly above one - while there are some days lacking in disappearances, generally due to the lack of a re-appearance the night before, there are also days in which he disappears more than once, present in sufficient quantity to make up the difference. A few others have disappeared along with him - techcraft apprentices, mostly, along with the occasional tech journeyman for a consultation in a different area of expertise. For all that Jethaniel has been making near-daily reports to the Weyrwoman, this project currently occupies a non-urgent status. There are no boilers on the verge of running dry, nor exposed current sparking merrily away. No reason, in short, to draw other techies away from whatever projects currently fascinate them, nor for Jethaniel to rush his progress through this fascinating investigation and upgrade.
Today, that progress finds itself in need of supplies. Bright and early on a spring morning, Jethaniel strode from the chirping of avians to the clanging of hammers as he entered the smithy. Now, several hours later, and after much consultation with one of the senior journeyman smiths - diagrams, specifications, the whole nine yards - the two of them have begun going around to collect those things that won't need to be specially made and set them down on a table. Let's see… They don't exactly keep immersion heating elements on hand here, and certainly not ones of that particular size. The pipes, perhaps, could be found, but those won't be needed for a while anyhow - well, most of them won't. A few suitable lengths are selected. The pump, well - does Jethaniel mean a full-scale one? Ah, that would be ideal, yes, but… There's a brief debate, after which a bilge-pump intended for use in a ship is selected as an interim solution. If that's to be the answer, though… right. Add a couple buckets. Not to mention a few other parts, this and that and the other until quite a stack has been accumulated.
Ka'el has not been part of the gathering process for various reasons. One of which is, he hadn't been asked to, and the reason behind why a more skilled smither has been given the labrious task rather than your go for apprentice is simple: The go for has gone for something! It is true, Kale is not on the premisis, having been roused from a light slumber to do some task just before the crack of dawn. Hauling and delivering, all done with yawns here and there. Even now as he returns to the forges, he's stifling a yawn. The burst of heat that hits his face when he enters is enough of a wakeup call though! Ah, back to the routine of the day. The small and now empty wheelbarrow that he carts is pushed in a corner near an unlit forge, likely one of the first things he'll need to tend to. But he moves away from it, brushing his hands against his trousers and yawning once more (and hopefully for the last time) as he begins tso head for the hallway that leads to dormitories. But hey..what's all this junk? Well, not junk, for nothing metallic is ever considered junk here. But the wide assortment of bits and pieces surely could seem like junk to anyone else, and Kale finds himself slowing and pausing near the collection of items. "Er…did I forget something?" He certainly hopes not, for that wouldn't bode well for the rest of his day!
Ah! There's the next thing Jethaniel needs. A means of transport! How convenient that the wheelbarrow should return just as he's placing the last coil of wire onto the stack, and considering how to get it from here to there. The smith holds up one hand to Kale in a gesture to wait, then looks to Jethaniel. "Is that all?" After a moment's consideration, Jethaniel nods. "For now, it should suffice. You've got the schematics for the rest?" That, after all, is another of the reasons a more senior smith got involved; to provide a skilled pair of eyes for working out designs and custom parts far beyond an apprentice's level of expertise. As the smith fans out the papers for a moment, Kale may catch a glimpse of them before they're gathered together again with a nod. "I'll have most of this in a sevenday, but the coils will take two sevendays at least," he says to Jethaniel, who nods. The smith turns his attention to Kale as he continues. "Take this," a wave to the table of definitely-not-junk, "-where Journeyman Jethaniel tells you."
Uh oh. It's that guy. Kale has been seeing Jethaniel around. Certainly not /often/ but their paths have minorly crossed here and there. The brief time at the caverns. Once here in the forges. The incident with Asher, though he wouldn't even call it that. Everyone gets knocked down by a dog every once in a while. That woman just really needs to loosen up! At least Jethaniel himself wasn't too put out by the mishap, and he watches the fellow as he indeed waits as he's instructed to do. He's curious, because of the handful of times he's seen the guy, he's always seemed so busy and/or lost in his own world. What /does/ this fellow do, and what's he up to? Kale's eyes glances at the paperwork, not really trying to snoop, but more or less meaning to gleam an idea of what's happening because really, how likely is it that any of the smiths will tell him anything? Or even know themselves, at that? He straightens now though as attention is turned to him, and when given directions, he nods. "Aye sir.." he says, eyeing the mountainous pile. This calls for…the wheelbarrow! Such handy dandy thing. "It should all fit in one go.." he says, speaking more to himself than to either of them ebefore he skirts off to retrieve the thing, rolling it back near the pile to begin the process of transfering larer, sturdier materials in first. "Will these be goin' far, Journeyman?"
Insofar as Kale can make out, the papers seem to be for various Metal Things. Well, duh. More specifically… tanks, coils, pump-type bits, weird shaped pipes… a plumbing project, maybe? It'd match with what's already in that pile, only there's also wire and electric stuff. And buckets. Whatever this is, it apparently involves buckets. The senior smith excuses himself, and Jethaniel stands by, musing on how it'll go and occasionally nodding to himself. Oh, wait. Was he just asked a question? He was. "Ah. Not very far, no. Just to the hatching arena."
Ok, Kale knows about stuff. Putting stuff together and taking things apart, to an extent. But this? As he loads one thing next to and upon another, his mind is trying to piece it all together, but…other than some sort of jumbo bits and pieces bucket robot, he can't really make out just what this is supposed to be! Maybe it all doesn't go together? Maybe some things are for one projectand others are for different projects? "The arena?" he echoes, glancing to the Journeyman unable to fully hide the curiosity in his expression. It isn't his place to ask why. Hell, he's been told times before that /questions/ regarding tasks are a luxury he'll never have, so better not start now. And so he bites his tongue and continues his task until its complete, and all the pieces of not-junk are placed in as orderly of a pile that he can manage. He tests out the load, lifting the cart and hefting his weight forward to push it a little, watching to see if anything is in danger of tumbling off. All looks good! "Ready when you are."
Yes indeed, the arena. Jethaniel nods, but either he's disinclined to answer questions or he's too lost in his thoughts about how all those things are going to fit together to really notice them. Once the wheelbarrow is stacked (with various bits sticking off, but nothing actually tumbling. It's like Kale's had practice at carrying things to and fro!) he nods again. "Excellent." With that, he starts off at a fairly brisk pace… though after about a dragonlength, he does think to look back and modulate his step so the burdened Kale can actually manage to keep up!
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.
Woooah there Jeth! The journeyman's initial speedwalk raised quite a bit of concern as Kale, who definitely did not want to lag behind, risked having his carefully packed cart go toppling! One unseen pothole would do the trick at any speed. But things have thankfully slowed down, and the morning is greeted with Kale following a few paces behind Jethaniel, pushing a cart filled with various metal made items that gently clang against each other now that the wheelbarrow is in motion. He goes along in relative silence for a while, coming to his own conclusion in his mind, each one a bit more farfetched than the other. "I've never had reason to go to the hatching grounds," he says, breaking the silence after a while. "Never seen a hatchin', either. Er .. it's where one goes to witness dragons hatch, eh?" Context clues would assume such, even if one knew nothing of such things. "Are you…makin' some sort of…egg carryin' thing?"
Jethaniel has plenty of his own thoughts to occupy him, and occasional mumbles aside, doesn't say much for the first part of the journey. As Kale begins to speak, he blinks his way back to paying attention. Hatching grounds, hatchings, yes, that is rather the way of it. He nods, then pauses at Kale's conclusion. "Ah. No. I am doing repair and refitting of the heating system." He glances over to the smith apprentice. "Dragon eggs have some fairly specific requirements in that regard." His tone is dry, but there's a faint smile. "Since there is, at present, no need for the grounds, it seemed a suitable time to make improvements."
Idrissa is making her way on through the meadow, a yawn escaping her while she lifting a hand to scratch at her neck a few times. She's a bit tired an rather dirty after spending most of the morning cleaning up the stables. Asher is walking at her side, the dog sticking close it seems. Along with his thick wehr hide collar around his neck there is a harness upon him as she was going to get some training in with the pooch in the carting sense. Her bright gaze flicks over the area, an soon enough catches sight of Kale and Jethaniel some distance ahead of them. "Hey." Is offered while waving to them once close enough, and Asher ears perk but he stays put near his owner.
Oh! Makes sense. Heating for eggs. It's not like dragons can sit on their eggs and such, though..they might. Hmm. And here sprouts a brand new thought! Do dragons sit on their eggs in the way birds do? It seems unlikely. Their massive weight must crush them! So there must be other ways they keep their eggs warm and incubated til hatching time. And this is where Jethaniel comes in. Him and his heating system improvements. "Would've been nice to have tested them in winter," Kale remarks before swerving his cart to the right to avoid a rather large rock. "Is this the type of things that people of you craft do often? Have you worked on heating systems before?" He lifts his brows a little, watching him with near childlike curiosity. "You must be good at what y'do, if you're bein' trusted to work on the arena. I mean…I'm guessin' too hot or too cold an' the eggs may not make it." Gasp! Such responsibility. His attention is turned by Idrissa's greeting, and the girl is offered a grin and nod, keeping both hands on the handlebars of the cart. "Hello Idrisa."
Jethaniel glances over to Idrissa, and acknowledges her with a nod and a small wave. If he recalls the canine who knocked him over, he doesn't seem to notice Asher as such at present, or to take special note of Idrissa as the owner thereof. Other things take up his attention, both then and now! Including a flurry of questions from Kale, which Jethaniel doesn't seem to mind. As he continues on toward the large tunnel leading in to the sands, he answers. "Ah, at the temperatures involved, it will be quite perceptible even in summer," he says with a small chuckle, then nods. It is, indeed, an important task. And he, skilled at what he does! "I intend to build in a number of failsafes. The current system has several single points of failure." His head shakes with displeasure. "I've worked with the HVAC for several holds near Landing, though of course the needs here are rather different." New and interesting problems! Fit to make a techie grin.
Idrissa peers at the two curious like a few moments, once she does catch some of the conversation a slight ah escapes her as she recalls the night at dinner when the part about the hatching grounds was brought up. She ofers a smile back to Kale and nods to him once near the two. Asher sits at her side, tail thumping on the ground and tongue hangs from his maw but that is about the only bit of excitment he is showing at the moment, maybe his tried? "You guys going to go work on the hatching ground heating system?" For being in the beastcraft she is rather good at picking up 'somethings'. "Did.. you need help maybe?"
So he does have experience! Kale would've guessed as much, and he's rather glad that Jethaniel is so forthcoming with answers. It isn't often that he gets to ask so much and is actually blessed with responses other than annoyed grunts or the occasional, "Shuddit!" of his own less patient superiors. It's not a wonder that he's sent off with so many tasks that take him /out/ of the forges! "Points of failure? Sounds … bad. Were they not noticed til now? I mean, the longer it goes unfixed the worse the problems get, right? I.." Thunk! Oy, there goes a pothole, and the materials in the cart rattle in protest! Kale grimaces, bracing himself to dart in case he needs to catch a tumbling something, but…for now, everything stays put! A breath is exhaled after, and he glances to Idrissa and Asher as she asks to assist.
There's almost always an internal monologue inside Jethaniel's head. Answering questions just means that monologue is given a particular focus and spoken aloud! "There have been some minor issues, but nothing major… yet." Ah, that's the thing, isn't it? All there's been so far are the warning signs of a catastrophe not yet happening! That's why he's here. "Single points of failure, yes. The primary heating coil, the overflow valve…" He trails off, shaking his head. The rattle of the stuff gets a glance, but when it proves stable he nods, and his gaze goes to Idrissa as she speaks. "Ah, it should be under con-" He stops, mid-word. Blink. Oh. That's right. Take that back, reverse it! "Yes. Your help would be appreciated."
Idrissa poins at Asher while peering at Kale. "I bet Asher could pull the cart the rest of the way?" Well its an idea, an he has his harness on. She glances back to Jethaniel, an he doesn't have to even finsh that for her to get what is said. She's been told that before, everything is under control go find something else to do. An for offering to help this is soemthing that she doesn't normally do, especially to someone she doesn't know like Jethaniel here. She's quiet for that moment that Jeth goes about reversing his words, peering over at Asher and supposes they can get on to cart training then. Though as the comment is changed and the help appreciated, she does smile. "Alright…thanks."
Oh yes. The primary heating coil. The overflow valve. .. ! Well, at least Jethaniel knows what he's doing. Kale needn't understand it all. He just needs to make sure that all of the journeyman's necessary items makes it there in one piece. "Considerin' all the things y'need, it looks like it'll take a while to get it all done," he notes, considering him with gently lifted brows. "You're not the only one working on this, are you? Though…er, I guess y'have time. The arena isn' bein' used now and it'll be a while before they are, won't it?" He glances from man to girl in question, eyes resting upon Idrissa as she offers Asher's assistance. Oh wouldn't that be just lovely? "Ha, no offense to Asher, but I'd rather not risk it," he says with a grin. "Besides, if any smither sees him doin' the task that was meant for me, I'll be in for it."
Xanadu Weyr - Hatching Sands
The large circular "stage" is surrounded on one half by a towering wall, thin slit windows high overhead letting in some light without truly endangering the objects on the sands, though plenty of lights are spaced at human-level all the way around. The other half is ringed by the dark blue seats of the observation level, rising upwards towards the back wall. The circle itself is filled with a mix of red and white sands, deep enough to cover the largest of dragon eggs with ease. To one side, a small door is visible, hidden away behind a platform meant to provide a place for the clutch parent's lifemates to stand during the on goings.
So long as all the parts get to their destination safely, Jethaniel doesn't care how they do it! He ignores that part of the conversation, and nods to Kale. "Oh, yes. There's quite a bit of work to do. Several months at least, I'd say." Not that he seems unhappy about that! It is, after all, an interesting project. "There hasn't been a need to disrupt the other techs. There are, as always, many things that require attention." As Jethaniel speaks, he's been leading the way down the tunnel. He opens the grand bronze doors to the sands, and steps into a room that's several degrees warmer than outside with retained heat, though the thick sands themselves are only acting as a thermal mass at present, not actively pumping heat into the room.
Idrissa smirks slightly as she hears Kale. "Its alright." She offers and follows along after them towards the hatching grounds. As for Asher she leaves him there so he doesn't go bouncing over the sands an cause any problems, an to make sure he gets tied into place on a long bit of lead. Asher settles down and stretches out and soon falls asleep. Once out on the sands she looks around the room, she only peeked in when the last clutch was here before getting sent off on a message run and thus missed the hatching hat day. She listens to the two, taking in everything, and helping Kale if he needs it.
Kale's steady stream of inquiries have paused for now, for he's entering a place he's never been in before. True, he's never seen a hatching, having not been on Xanadu long enough to have witnessed the last, and of course having not seen any while at home. And thus as they move through the arena foyer, he slows his pushing, finding less resistance on the tile floor than on dirt roads, and takes the time to look around. Oooh. Swanky. As they move on to the hatching sands, his head tips up a bit to regard the observation level, imagining the many excited faces that have graced this place, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest young dragons. The warmth here isn't uncomfortable. He's used to heat and likely wouldn't find it uncomfortable even if it were raised some degrees, as long as he wasn't exerting himself. "Wow. That's nice lookin' sand."
Compared to forges - or the sands when there's a clutch hardening - this place is cool. It's cool in another sense as well; the vast size of it, the care with which it's been decorated. Jethaniel pays no heed to either part, perhaps because of how often he's been here recently, or perhaps simply because his mind is already skipping ahead to the next stage of his mission. He crosses the sands, headed to an entirely unremarkable piece of wall. It's downright boring. Just blank stone - or at least, that's what it looks like, until Jethaniel presses one particular spot on that stone, and it swings open just a tiny bit - enough to expose a lock. He undoes that, and a chunk of the wall glides back to reveal a set of stairs, leading down.
Idrissa lets her gaze drift over the sands, smiling to herself before she looks to Kale and nods. "I got to see the last clutch a while before it hatched. It was really neat." She offers with a rather happy tone at the though. Her gaze follows after Jeth and she soon follows along after him, pondering where abouts he is going it seems. Once the stone is opened she peers down into the darkness and the steps. A soft oooo escaping her at the sight.
"You did?" Kale says to Idrissa, looking at her now. "I've never seen a dragon egg, can ya believe it?" He grins, shrugging at his own admission. There will be plenty of time for viewing dragon eggs….maybe, when they're laid. He looks back to Jethaniel, following him to that wall. Er, end of hte road? He opens his mouth as if to say something, but words are cauhght as the once solid wall turns out to be ..well, not so solid, and not just a wall! "…Stairs?" he sas as he eases hte wheelbarrow down, moving around and in front of it to ge a better look. Stairs leading to just the sort of hidden unknown place that a killer could store body pieces. He glannces to Jeth. "Er…I suppose the road ends here for my cart, eh? Unles y'think it'll make it down those stairs without topplin' something. I don't."
Jethaniel glances at the wheelbarrow. "No, I suspect not. We'll have to carry it by hand the rest of the way." No escape from hauling yet, oh no. It's just time to engage manual mode! That said, Jethaniel goes and selects a few items to make himself a reasonable load, and starts down the stairs - clearly expecting the other two to follow. It's not entirely dark, at least - there are a few glowbaskets set strategically along the spiral stairwell. Dim and gloomy, yes, but not entirely dark.
Idrissa grins an nods to Kale. "Well.. I got to see them before the hatching, of course I would get pulled to go message running an then clutch hatched while I was gone. Why not! She hums and nods while going about picking up a few items for her to carry down the steps into the creepy darkness! Monsters anyone?.. Not that Rissa is thinking about that mind you!
Kale steps back from the cart to give his shoulders a roll. Carting things isn't hard, it's just hard work. But hard labor turns good boys into strong men (or so he's been told) and thus he doesn't complain. "Sounds like bad luck," he says to Idrissa as he takes out a few buckets from the cart, piling in a few items that'll fit inside. With a filled bucket in each hand, he follows the others down the stairs, his curiosity on overload! What is this secret staircase, and what sort of secret compartment awaits them on the bottom? "This is where the heat comes from?" he assumes aloud, calling up (or rather, down) to Jethaniel who's in the lead.
Sands Service Tunnel
This passage opening up in the wall of the Hatching Arena has been cleverly constructed to remain hidden. Xanadu's original builders designed the door from the same material as the Arena wall and placed it on a rotating pin, but a person would have to know exactly where to press to open it. Presently the door is ajar, revealing a dark passage.
A series of steps curve in a spiral, disappearing into the shadowed darkness below
Inside this tunnel dust layers everything thickly. There are no footprints, nor signs that anyone has been in here recently. The curving walls and steps are cut from solid, underground rock that supports the arena. At the bottom of the stairs, a short, straight hallway leads to a closed door. A series of cables and pipes line the ceiling.
The assortment of supplies being carried make for strange shadows on the walls, and as they continue down, there's the sound of water moving through pipes and the quiet hum of machinery. This place, in addition to being secret, seems to contain many of the internals that make the sands run. Jethaniel's voice echoes somewhat as he calls back an answer. "Those pipes," he says. Which pipes? That becomes clear once the hallway is reached, likewise lit with glows set up at intervals. The dust has been tracked back and forth by many steps, at this point, though there are still places where the grime of years spent untouched is obvious. "It's circulating radiant from the water using the sand as thermal mass." He's continuing on as he talks, only barely in view - but there's really only one way to go. "I've disconnected the heat, and it's been cooling for some time now." Hence why it's only Somewhat Warm upstairs.
Idrissa follows along, carful of the items she is carrying, an also not to trip and go *splat* with the things she is carrying to make more of a fool of herself then she needs to! She listens to Jeth while following, her gaze flicking one way then another while taking it all in. "I've never seen anything like this stuff before.."
Woah, new places. Like before, Kale's eyes wander, but unlike the rooms above the view is less than spectactular…but none the less interesting! He looks up at the cables and pipes and such that can be seen up there, looking to see if he can find any faults in them himself despite the dim lighting. "An' when the heat is on, bein' down here is about as comfortable as I'd imagine walkin' on the sun would be, huh?" He peers ahead now, half losing sight of their leader, but luckily it might just take some skill to get lost on this one way track. He glances to Idrissa and nods in agreement with her, and also making sure she's still there and not nabbed by some secret passageway creature that's been waiting for the opportunity for two young hold born kids to wander down unsuspecting like. … You never know.
"There is some insulation," notes Jethaniel, but he doesn't deny the truth of Kale's assessment. It depends on just what the pipes are doing, and just how well the heat exchange through the vents is working… but, by and large, visiting down here while things are in full swing is not the most pleasant of experiences. Fortunately, things are not in full swing. There seems to be a lack of further secret passages within the secret passage - or, at the very least, of monsters down them large enough to nab a kid. There are probably tunnelsnakes. There are always tunnelsnakes. The tunnel leads, before too long, to another door, which Jethaniel pushes open after adjusting his load. Inside is a room more brightly lit, with glowbaskets and electrics alike, and an assortment of supplies and work in progress.
Service Control Room
This room underneath the Hatching Arena isn't very large. Pipes and wires line the ceiling, as they did in the tunnel. Along the walls dust-covered consoles and units are, strangely enough, no longer softly humming as they appear they ought to be. The dim green, yellow and red lights that are on panels are not blinking as one would expect. Here and there a metal cabinet shines, dully reflecting the glowbasket's light from underneath their blankets of dust. On the ceiling over the door, a vent gently blows fresh air into the room, the likely source of the dust. On the far wall, newer-looking pipes and cables merge with the older ones on the ceiling, then exit a rough hole crudely cut in the wall. There appear to be no other exits from this room.
Idrissa gaze flicks about over the different pipes with each new turn of tunnel. Her attention turns back towards Jeth a she makes a face at the thought of it being so hot down here like, oh well. "How far.. under the ground our we anyway?" There goes Rissa with her strange questions. "An, how long did it take 'em to build all this stuff down here? Looks like it would take forever with all the dirt they would have had to move, and stone, and putting the pipes in.." Once at another door she pauses and peers at it while shifting the pile of items that are in her arms, which is starting to get heavy but she would never admit it!
It's a good question. HOw far underground? Kale looks up again, imagining the layers of dirt and rock above them that could come crashing down, sealing them in a earthy grave. Would anyone know where to look for them? Would their bodies be lost forever? Heh. Of couse that couldn't happen. These tunnels have been around for a while, it'd seem. Surely any risk of a cave in would be long gone by now. The buckes in his hands are hardly given a thought. Apparently, his months of lugging things around have paid off with stamina. He looks interestedly ahead as Jethaniel leads them into a room, and his pupils dilate in the new lighting. "Woah.. never thought all've this would be down here," he admits as he peers at the consoles that don't seem to be running at the moment. Things old and new are differentiated, and his eyes linger on the newer pipes and such. "Was it you that did this? Or is that uh … renovations from before?"
"Ah, not so far," answers Jethaniel. "Perhaps five meters? It would depend on how you chose to measure it." That's hardly the important or interesting part, though. "I'm sure it was quite the endeavour at the time." He sets his load down near a exposed set of pipes and a small tank, and glances back to his two assistants. "Those are the old renovations, yes. I do not agree with several of the decisions made at that time. Perhaps they were justified at the time." He frowns, as if to say, 'But maybe not!' A small shake of his head, and he returns to the matter at hand, and his two human pack-beasts. "Set those down anywhere, and bring the rest. I'll get started here."
Idrissa peers back the way they came before she looks back to Jeth an ahs softly. "Well.. more then I've been underground ever before." She murmurs out softly before letting her gaze drift over the different pipes, and the ones that Kale points out. Once Jeth says to set the items down she was carring along. "I'm sure your take good care of all the fixes an it'll be good as new in no time!" She nods while brushing her hands and arms off before glancing over to Kale while waiting for him to come as well, she isn't about to walk out that tunnel without someone with her at the moment!
Kale bends his knees to set his buckets down right where he is, flexing his fingers after the load is set down. He whistles out a breath as he looks around. "Can see how this is gonna take /months/ to do," he says as he raises a hand to massage at the back of his neck. This looks like quite a bit of work! But there's more things to unload from the cart, and at Jeth's instructions he nods and heads out with Idrissa. "There's no way I'd come down here all by my lonesome to work with some busted up pipes 'n wires," he says softly as they continue back. "Watch. I bet something'll happen. He should have someone with him so if somethin' does go wrong, somebody'll be around to help."
"I dono, he seems pretty good at what he does. Might get done rather easily if he keeps at it like this." Idrissa offers while she follows along next to Kale. "Ya I don't think working down here on one's own is a good idea either. An don't say that, I don't want nothing to happen to no one." Especially when Kale and her are down here helping! Her gaze flicks around an she thinks she sees a tunnelsnake. "I bet Inkfoot would love to get in here." She murmurs as they move back up the steps to get more items from the cart.
"Aye. This place is a merry holiday for a tunnelcat," remarks Kale who doesn't see the tunnelsnake she thinks she sees, but there are plenty of other shadows and such that'll get the imagination going. He remains close to her, on the lookout for real animals that may do them real harm, but they get back up the steps to the cart with no incident! Kale reloads himself, taking more buckets and filling them, and then grabbing a few more items that'll make this trip a little more precarious than others, as he has things stuffed beneath his arms as well. "Wonder if he's gettin' paid for all this," he muses aloud on their way back to the room. "An', I wonder if he'll get this all done before the next clutch. They don' happen often though, do they?"
Idrissa continues along up the steps nodding a moment. "Makes me almost wish I had one right now to go take care of any that might appear!" She looks over the items left within the cart and picks up somemore bits and pieces, sticking a few under her arms while gathering up more within her arms. "Well I imagen his getting somethin' for it. Though it is his job an't it?" She shrugs at the thought while turning and moves back to the steps, going down them slowly so she doesn't drop anything, or trip on the way down the steps.
"Yeah. Wish I could get paid for my services too," says Kale with a sort of smirk. "If I were paid per kilogram of deliveries, I'd be a rich apprentice right now." He grins, though winces as a pipe slips from beneath his arm and clatters to the ground with a resounding rattle. "Oy…hope that didn't dent…" he mutters as he caaaarefully stoops to reclaim his fallen object. And onward he goes! "/Do/ you know how often dragons lay eggs?" he asks, lifting a brow. "It's only the gold ones that do, right?"
Idrissa grins slightly at this and shakes her head hearing that. "I dono.. I'd do my job for free.." Which isn't she sorta doing being an apprentice? An she would have done it for free knowing who she is after all! She pauses as she glances around for the pipe that falls and she is about to try and pick it up when he goes for it. A soft oh escapes her. "Well.. Yes it is only the gold ones to lay eggs, an once a turn I think?.. I'm not too sure on that really." She ponders it actually. "A sure question for Soriana."
"Thanks," offers Kale, having noted her movement to help with the pipe. "Once a turn, eh? Maybe. Sounds right ot me. That's about how often animals have young, right? Like…runners? A dragon is sort've like a runner…" He continues to walk as he thinks that statement over, eyes lifting to the wiring and pipelines above. "Well…like a ginormous, scaley, sometimes fire breathin' flying runner," he corrects with a smirk. "Well /whenever/ the next hatching is, I'd like to see it. Eh, actually, not so much the hatchin' part, but I'd like to see how the eggs are kept. Are they buried under the sand or set on them?"
Idrissa looks amused as she hears Kale compare a dragon to a runner. "Don't let any of the riders hear you say that." She offers with an amused tone. "There big like runners, well bigger so ya I can see the comparsion. Though dragons eat meat not hay and feed." An she nods slightly. "Oh come on, you have to be around for the hatching. It seems like fun and exciting from what Soriana was talking about it." She hums and looks over. "Oh there on top of the sands, ant the gold makes sure to move 'em and stuff when needs be." She ponders this a moment. "Well..I think they do anyway.."
Jethaniel has been busy while the two teens were gone. Not only has the stuff down here been rearranged, but there's a glistening wet spot across part of the floor where water has sprayed out. There were no towels in those supplies. A minor oversight. He's currently tightening a connection, the bilge pump on a wooden stool beside him, and when Kale and Idrissa reappear he practically swoops down on them, snatching up a flexible mesh connector from Idrissa's hands and bringing it over to where he's working. That's used to connect a valve on the pipe to a bilge-pump. He inspects that a moment, then nods. "Yes, this should do, I'll just…" He picks up a curved metal spout and connects it to the bilge pump, pointing downward. "There."
"Who knows. Maybe dragons have a taste for hay an' feed. Have you ever tried feedin' it to one before?" asks Kale as they get closer to the open doorway. "Maybe this whole time, dragons have been secretly cravin' hay and feed, but haven't known how to ask for it because they don't know the name of it or what it is." He sagely nods, slow and priestlike, though soon begins to grin and laugh at the thought of a dragon chomping down on hay. He nearly drops the /same/ pipe again, but with a "woah!" regains his grip. Ahem. He grins as they arrive, though the look lightly fades as he glances to that wet spot. "Er…" Nope, he has nothing to help clean that up with. "How's it going, Journeyman? Do you need anything from us?"
Idrissa can't help it an giggles at the thought of a dragon eatting hay and feed. "That would be amusing Kale.." She offers with an amused tone and shakes her head. Her gaze flicks around the room and she ahs a moment while tilting her head to look at the wet spot and so forth. She blinks as Jeth is pulling items from her hands and as she tries to keep hold of the rest they go clattering to the floor! A soft ah escapes her and she goes about picking up the pieces. "I don't think we have an towels back at the cart do we?" This is when a firelizard would come in handy!
Towels? Huh? Jethaniel blinks, but proceeds to ignore that question. Instead, he takes an emptied bucket and places it under the spout he just installed. The valve is opened, the pump is worked, and the bucket fills with lukewarm water. Jethaniel nods. "Excellent. It's now ready to drain." The full bucket is swapped out for an empty one, which is also filled. "After the system is drained, I can begin the refit. So." He looks at the two. Guess who just signed up for carrying endless buckets of water up the stairs? That's right! "You'll want to dump them outside." Hopefully, where they're not going to drain into somewhere else and cause flooding, but it's not like his instructions include that. His instructions, in fact, seem to end there. He goes to one of the opened panels and begins working on it.
Oh so …. that's what all of the buckets are for? Apparently /not/ for a bucket robot beast. How disappointing! Kale carefully places down his load of things on the floor awy from the puddle, as he's sure Jethaniel won't appreciate rusted pieces. And now he becomes aware of what their next task will be: assembly line workers! He glances to Idrissa with a 'are you happy that you volunteered for this?' sort of look before focusing on Jethaniel again. "Aye, of course…" he says as he picks up a bucket in each hand, careful not to slosh the water about and spill it. "Er…how much water do y'think is held in there? Just.. out've curiosity.."
Idrissa looks at the buckets and the water that is poured into them, a faint ah escapes her and she takes in a slight breath. She peers over at Kale and smirks a moment before just winking at him. "At least you got help." Is murmured out to him while she rolls the sleeves of her shirt up to about her elbows and moves to pick up two buckets once they are full. "I'm getting the feeling its..very full of water.."
Jethaniel glances up from his work. "Mmh?" He gets a calculating expression for a few moments. "Somewhat over a thousand liters, I'd say. Perhaps closer to two." Such an unconcerned tone. He turns back to the panel, adjusting something before he goes over to collect a few of the parts and bring them over. He's got plenty to occupy himself down here, and no particular desire to go trotting up and down stairs.
Ah ha, he must be joking. Kale nearly trips over himself at the staggering number that's given, stutter stepping and causing water to slosh over the edges of both his buckets, splattering on his trousers and floor. Oops. But he doesn'te ven mind any of that. Nope. What he minds is that he's just been stuck with the task of carrying a thousand or two liters of water out by the bucketload! He gives Jethaniel a wide eyes look, his expresison practically /begging/ for the joke to be finished. But…nothing. There is no punchline! This is not a joke! "Euh…alright.." He glances to Idrissa and murmurs. "Yeah. A thousand for you, a thousand for me, and between us we're probably carrying forty." This will be a looong morning! Not only do they have to go out the hall (which he's doing now) and up the stairs to the cart. Now they have to go through the hatching area, out to the foyer, and finally outside to the clearing in which Kale promptly dumps both buckets on the grass. "This is gonna take a lifetime."
Idrissa frowns at the number that is given from Jeth, a sigh escaping her while she follows after Kale. She continues along a few steps behind while being careful not to spill any in the process. "Could be worse.. Could be two thousand apiece." This is pointed out while she makes her way up the steps. "I wonder if we could get Asher to carry some.." She pauses after saying this. "Or maybe not.. No.. I think not.." She dumps the buckets she has after Kale does and turns to go back and start all over. "Come on, no need to grumble about it. Won't get done any faster is we complain." She peers around wondering if they can find help!
So it goes. The two trudge up the stairs with sloshing buckets of water, and tromp back down them with empty buckets to be filled. The two look for assistance, but don't find much. Maybe people are avoiding the area because they sense that manual labour awaits. Maybe they're all busy with their own work. Maybe it's the swamp growing where the buckets are being dumped. Down in the tunnel, Jethaniel continues his work as, bucket by bucket, the mighty heating system is drained. By the end of the day, the pump has run dry, and Idrissa and Kale are sent off to their well-deserved rest. Jethaniel starts tearing out the now-empty piping to refactor it, as the water it once contained follows the gradients of the ground and seeps toward places it does not belong.