Xanadu Weyr - Craft Complex
This large area has been painted a soft cream with dark orange trim used as an accent. It's separated into a variety of smaller sitting areas, couches and chairs organized into rings and squares, tables set where they can be used easily. Recessed electric lights in the ceiling provide a warm glow, and a row of angled skylights on the eastern wall above the entrance give some natural light when bleary crafters first emerge. There's often a cart with klah parked off to one side to help with waking up or finishing that important project - or simply to be enjoyed with comfortable seating and good company.
Along the southern edge, an open archway leads to a library of books and records. There's something for every craft, it seems, from tomes of caprine diseases, to Pernese history and law, to gemstone identification, to sheet music, to sea charts and herbal manuals. There's even a few works of fiction, though none of it seems very well organized. Whatever is sought, it's probably here… somewhere. A few desks for studying are tucked in amongst the shelves, each with a lamp to illuminate the reading material. Near that archway, a long table holds a row of computers. They're connected to databases all over Pern, and are available for general use except when the computercraft requires them.
To the north, a pair of double doors open onto a grand hall, the vaulted ceiling designed with acoustics in mind. This space is used for lectures and concerts, rows of benches set up to face the front. Along one wall, instruments hang free or on shelves for anyone with the appropriate skills to use. There are often harpers here, practicing their craft.
A pair of hallways lead back from the western wall, one going to the apprentice dorms and the the private quarters for the ranking crafters posted at the weyr. The other provides access to the various workshops.
At this time of morning, there's activity aplenty in the Craft Complex, with members of various industries buzzing about on the day's first tasks. Despite the buzz that echoes throughout the space - and there is quite a buzz today, as there's a Harper band and a choir practicing something in the grand hall with the doors not quite closed properly - the library is a relatively calm space, with only the occasional crescendo music heard amidst the shelves and desks. That seems enough of a distraction for one Minecraft-knotted apprentice, though, as he's positioned himself in such a way that he can quite clearly see the doors to the hall, and is paying very little attention to where he's attempting to put a book back onto the shelf. Which means, of course, the inevitable happens… he ends up knocking half the shelf's content off, sending books clattering to the floor. Oops.
At least this time no one can blame that incident on a certain bluerider — or perhaps they can, as Kiena just so happens to walk into the little library just as half that shelf comes down and clatters to the floor. "Good thing that shelf didn't hold glasswork or I'd imagine you'd have some very upset Glasscrafters after your hide." she drawls with a half-crooked smirk of amusement. She's teasing, honest! Given the hour, Kiena's dressed for work in the forges and yet looks surprisingly clean. Likely she is on her way to the forges but has made a detour first. Crouching down, she'll grab the first book, turning it over to examine the title of it curiously. Maybe she's here to help?
Watch out, Kiena, or Quillan's quick-crouch to make sure he's picking up his mess before she can will lead to the two of them clunking heads! He squats and starts gathering books - all related to Pernese chemicals, at it happens. His cheeks blaze red with embarrassment, and he can't quite look her in the eye. "Yeah… just as well they weren't filled with my work, either. It would've been a whole lot worse than just bruised pages." He peeps up, brown eyes scanning the woman before him. "Can I take that one from you, miss?" The book in her hand, he means.
Luckily for both of them, Kiena manages to evade that disaster of them cracking skulls together. No need to drag Healers into this mess too! She chuckles, "You're work?" Is….? Her head tilts and it's obvious she's attempting to scope out any knot he may have pinned to his shoulder, along with a badge for Craft. Miner? Cue a visible wince, "Ah yeah, that'd… be unpleasant! Almost as unpleasant as a shelf of Smith tools." Which could hold chemicals too. Though she knows just how wrong things can go in a smith forge. So books falling off a shelf is such a little thing! "What… this book?" Kiena's in a… mood it seems. She looks at it again in her hand, likely scoping out the title again. Poor Quillan. "And please, no 'miss'. I'm no 'miss'. Just Kiena, is fine."
An attempt to tap the knot on his shoulder fails miserably given that Quillan's hands are full of books, but he nods when Kiena spots it anyway. "Yup. I work in demolition." So doubly unpleasant. "Though I betcha you'd get some nasty bruises from a buttload of Smith stuff dropping on your head, too." He straightens up, careful not to knock into anything and to not drop the gathered books, which he starts to put back onto the shelf. "I'm Quillan, Just Kiena. That book's the one I was trying to put back… but them lot over there, he gestures to the partway open doors, through which the music can be heard, "are distracting. They shouldn't be allowed to be so noisy at this time of day."
"Demolition? You mean you explode things for a living?" Kiena knows it's more in-depth than that but she can't help it. She chuckles again, "You have to keep that quiet from some of the younger folks around here. Thankfully my nephew is half way across this world." Lucky for all of them. She snorts, grinning at him for the return quip on her name and for that he earns the book back only she sets it on the shelf if his hands aren't quite cleared by then. Is it in order? Probably not and the bluerider isn't going to fuss over organization. She'll let a Harper Archivist have a heart attack over it. "When else do you think they should practice?" she teases. "Because I could think evening-time would be a lot worse. You try closing the door?"
Quillan is paying no attention at all to the order he's putting books back, so if Kiena's as a hodge-podge placed as his is, then who'll know who put what where? The last book is returned to its roughly rightful place, and he puffs out a breath. "Yuuuup. I get to blow things up for a living, because my mum thought I oughtn't do anything more dangerous than breathe." Hence, rebellion. "She's back in Igen, though. Man, she freaked out when I told her I was coming here with F'zen. Is your nephew apprenticed halfway across the world, or does he just live there? And I don't know if I should close the door. What if it's open for a reason? I don't want to get in trouble. I've barely been here a month."
Kiena's brows lift when Quillan hints at his 'rebellion' and while she does make an amused sound low in there throat, there's a slight hint of understanding when she glances at him. "Parents often think they know best for their children. Funny how most don't realize how wrong they are. So you're liking being an Apprentice Miner then?" The rider name he uses is unfamiliar, earning another curious tilt of her head. "He a rider here or newly transferred with you?" So many questions! Such is the nature of this bluerider. As for that door, she looks at it again and her grin… is wry. Which never bodes well. "Mhm, I see why you'd be hesitant. Me, however…?" She's been here for Turns and, well, honestly doesn't care who gets all bent out of shape. Striding forwards, she'll wait until the Harpers are at their loudest before gently pushing the door shut with a barely audible click. Ta da?
"Yeah, it's alright being a Miner. I like what I do, at least? I only really picked it because it meant getting out of the Weyr away from mum during the day… it's not like you can practice blowing things up in the central bowl." Quillan smirks, watching as Kiena goes over to shut the door. When it clicks, he raises his hands and slow-claps as he goes to join her. "Bravo! F'zen's my mentor. He was at Igen, and we would fly about on his Grexith to get to wherever we were working that day, but then he went and fell for some woman here… Frella, I think her name is? Some bluerider, anyway. And so he moved here, and I was like 'yeah, you're not leaving me behind', and so here I am. What about you? How'd you get to be not scared of getting into trouble for closing doors on Harpers?"
"That's all that matters." Kiena points out. Do what you love, love what you do? She laughs then, "Or you could, just to make the day interesting. Not worth the fallout though." Don't let anyone think she's trying to corrupt Apprentices now! Listening to the explanation on who F'zen is, she utters a sound not far from a grunt of understanding. Lady-like… she is not. "One of the lucky ones then, aren't you? And what? They're Harpers! If one comes storming out here, I'll tell 'em straight why I closed the door. It's just courtesy." She shrugs. "I've learned to stop fearing a lot of things in my time. Smithing kind of doesn't leave a lot of room for it either. Caution is fine but hesitation… eh, may wind up in bad things. Ruined work at the least." Giving him a curious look, she plies him with more questions. "You're not spooked by everything, are you?"
Cocking one brow high on his forehead, Quillan looks almost offended for a moment… before his shoulders sink, followed by a shrug. "I'm not spooked. You just haven't met my mum." He smirks sheepishly, crossing his arms across his chest and looking down as he digs the toe of his boot into the floor. "She'd clip me round the ear if I upset anyone. I don't like crossing people, if I can help it… sometimes just closing a door can make people get all rawr-y if they didn't want it closed." He shrugs once more, looking from the bluerider to the door behind her, then back again. "Harpers aren't that scary though, really. And I guess it's not like they're going to go sending a message to Igen to mum, right?" Is he looking for reassurance, there? He certainly looks to Kiena as if he's hoping for something.
Kiena smirks and points a finger towards him to further drive her point. "Ahh, but you see? You're mum isn't here, she's in Igen! How's she to know? Or you afraid she's got eyes and ears on you here too?" Though he DOES have a point, but the bluerider is just as polar opposite to him. If he's looking for reassurance though, Kiena can give that in spades! Sometimes. "Exactly. Likely they don't even know who you are or where you're from — or were from, rather. So don't sweat it! It's good you try 'n not piss people off on a regular basis but it's gonna happen. Most you can do is just grit your teeth and make sure they don't get the one up on you." Simple, right? No, not quite. Now she turns her head but it's in a distracted way, as if listening to some unheard conversation. Her eyes focus again and there's some quiet laughter. No, she's not crazy but any Weyrbred person worth their salt know she was 'talking' to her other half. "Speaking of pissing people off… Y'think F'zen's going to be hurt much if I do this?" She pulls something from her pocket and holds it out for Quillan. No, it's not a book! It's something a little squished (sorry?) but definitely a knot. A white one! Kiena's grin is amused but her voice holds a certain seriousness to it too. "So… Would you like to Stand for Kairoikyriath and Saburath's clutch? Been letting Ujinath in on our little chat. He's intrigued, thinks you'll fit in just fine." So does she!
"I'm still from Igen even if I'm not there now," Quillan points out, with a cheeky wink. "But you've got a point, Kiena - no-one's going to care enough to go tattling back to someone half a world away, are they?" He stiffens up a little, shifting his stance to stand taller and rest his hands on his hips… and to look at the bluerider with a very shocked expression when she hands him something unexpected. "That's… you're asking me to be a candidate?" From shocked to a smile, and then he laughs, reaching out to accept it. "Shards yes. Mum'll freak out if she knows I'm Standing." And so naturally, he's going to do it. He even reaches up to start tugging his Miner's knot free, to replace it with the new one. "That's so awesome."
Kiena's laughing too, but more for Quillan's response. "Now that's a first I've heard. But honestly, kid, your mom is half way across the world. You need to just start living for yourself. Guess you'll start as Apprentice and Candidate, hmm?" she teases him, pleased when he takes the knot and slips it on. "Glad you think so. Well," Her hands clap together and her grin is wry again. "My job is done. You, on the other hand, got to go break the news to your mentor. Of course, you don't have to drop your Craft entirely… but I doubt demolition is going to be on your schedule much. We kind of try to keep our Candidates away from explosions." Emphasis on try? "So once you're done breaking the news to him — you've got to go get yourself settled in the barracks and signed in with the Headwoman." One hand does the usual 'so on and so forth' roll and flick. "Any questions before we part ways?"
"Sounds good to me." Quill grins, brushing off his new knot so it's a little smoother, and free of imaginary dust. "I've got no questions… yet. But there'll be people to ask after right now though, won't there? It's not like this is my only chance ever to ask…" He looks at her with eyes slightly narrowed, expression echoing the hint of sarcasm in his delivery.
Kiena snorts again and then gestures for him to just go on and get out of here. "No, there's a whole Weyr of folks you can ask." she drawls back and with that dips her head. "Good luck, kid! And congrats and all. I've got to get back to the forges." She's a busy bluerider! Even if she doesn't act like it half the time! Chuckling, she'll walk on past him as she heads out and if he should follow and choose to talk she'll answer as she can — or at least until their paths no longer follow the same.