Xanadu Weyr - Caverns
A massive cavern in it's own right, this one has been skillfully adapted for human habitation. The high ceilings have been painted a light, soft ivory, as are the walls where numerous tapestries hang to provide brilliant color and insulation from the stone. The floor has been left in its natural state, pale pink granite speckled through with glittering mica and dark flecks of basalt, leveled carefully but kept sufficiently rough to avoid slips.
The cavern itself is loosely divided into areas, each one set up to be suitable for some segment of the Weyr's population. The most frequently occupied area, however, is the one near the Kitchens where tables of varying sizes provide a place to sit down and eat or chat and a buffet of consumables is almost always kept stocked. Its plain that on most days, this area wouldn't accommodate anywhere near the full population of the Weyr and equally plain that on such occasions when a formal meal is laid out, tables are appropriated from all the other areas.
A big fireplace is set into the wall near the Kitchens as well, several comfortable chairs nearby providing haunts for elderly residents or riders who like a good view of all that happens. Rugs cover the floor in strategic spots, all of them abstract or geometric in design and most in the softly neutral colors of undyed wool.
The day back been rather warm, a faint breeze found closer to the water yet some of the breeze carries further inland. Lunch time at the cavern it would seem, and Idrissa is just making her way over to a table with plate in hand and a mug of something yummy to drink it seems. She sits down on the bench, plate and mug placed upon the table as well, the foodbits she has gotten looks like meatrolls, cheesebuns, some veggies and fruit even, a little bit of everything. She rubs at her hands a few times, eyeing a few cuts and bruises across her right hand. Clothing wise she has on a tshirt, sleeved rolled up to her elbows, a vest, jeans and boots, her left forearm has some red welts across it from something she has been up to it seems.
The volume level in the caverns rises abruptly as a swarm of weyrbrat kids and teens arrive from outside. They're all various degrees of soaking wet, some in swimsuits, some in normal clothes, and all talking and laughing amongst each other. Those with floor-cleaning duty will not be amused. Among the crowd is Soriana, chatting with a couple of others near her age, and the group heads over to mob the tables set with food.
Making his way into the living cavern is a rather young man with a pot of rather bright-looking flowers. The pot is set on one of the tables and he brushes his hands off, "Hrm, s'posed to be in the kitchens…" Light green eyes flicker towards the kitchens in question but first his attention seems to linger Idrissa. Tsenik leans forward to check a card resting on the pot, "Are you Nema? I've got a delivery for her, I was told she'd be in the kitchens."
Idrissa hasn't caught sight of Soriana just yet it seems, she lifts a hand to scratch at her neck a moment while she munches on a meatroll. Her bright green gaze flicking around an she catches sight of the group of teens along with Soriana and is about to wave at her friend before the voice gets her attention. She coughs at first as the voice catches her by surprize while she was chewing on a bite of food and she peers up at Tsenik once able to breath again. "Um.. No sorry, I'm Idrissa." She points towards the ktichen door. "Maybe she is in there?" Her gaze lingers on the flowers and she smiles. "There very pretty."
Once she's got a plate more or less assembled, Soriana joins those scattering through the room to look for a table. Oh, hey! There's one. She comes over to set her plate near Idrissa, and grins to her friend and to the flower-bearer. The kitchens, huh? "Might wanna be careful in there. Lunch rush still, you'll get trampled before you know what's coming." There are certainly kitchen staff coming and going through that door to set out new trays and tke away emptied ones.
Tsenik's eyes narrow slightly an he looks over his shoulder to peer at the kitchen, "Hrm, perhaps you're right. After lunch rush." The card is eyed again and he seizes a seat for himself in order to sit and wait. Idrissa's comment gets a beam from Tsenik "Oh, thank you. I take my work very seriously, you know? Only providing the best flowers I can." A grin is flashed in greeting, "I'm a bit new here, when do you think the lunch rush will be over? Hoping to get this delivery done before this woman slips my grasp."
Idrissa smiles and nods to Tsenik. "Ya I can understand that." She offers while smiling still. "An that's alright, welcome to Xanadu." A glance is offered over to Soriana and she waves to her friend once the other is sitting down. "Well, it just started so.. Give it a little bit and then I bet you can get in and find this person your looking for."
Soriana brushes back wet hair, and grins. "Yeah, it kinda comes and goes, but…" She cast a considering eye of the crowd. "Be a slow bit in half an hour, probably… unless Galaxy finishes early, in which case not 'til after they've come and gone." She glances at the pot of flowers consideringly as she has a bite of food. "You grow 'em?" she asks after.
"Half an hour…I guess I can wait that long, then I gotta make the next delivery." There's a slight nod of his head as Tsenik leans back in his seat, wrapping his arms behind his head. His eyes remain trained on the entrance, Nema is not escaping without him noticing! "Oh, well, thank you, I figured this was a good place as any to set up shop. Good weather to grow plants and such." A hand waves indifferently in the air, "And I'm rather enjoying the greenhouse here, it's suited my purpose quite well already." A smile pulls at his lips as he turns to Soriana, "Yup! I grow 'em myself, I make perfumes, too."
Devim trundles into the caverns from outside, lugging a wheeled sledge piled with cleaning supplies—soap and water, mops, push-brooms, the works. He smiles bashfully at Idrissa and Soriana before picking a corner to clean.
Idrissa smiles and nods to Tsenik. "Well that's good. Glad everything is working out for you." She offers before chewing on another bite of the meatroll she had hold of and letting Sori talk. She glances over to the movement of another and smiles while waving to Devim.
Hey, Soriana can't do all the talking! She's got to eaaaat! Which she does some of as Tsenik replies, nodding to him. Growing and greenhouses and gardens, oh my! "Must be pretty hot, this time of year… I was in there last winter, when they thought there was a tunnelsnake nesting under the hot peppers, and it was kinda hot even then." Another bite or three, another nod about the perfumes. "Where y'from originally?" Devim, when she glimpses him through the lunchtime crowd, gets a wave.
"It's not that bad. Go in, water my plants, see how they're doing. Get my orders ready, do some delivering and get some fresh air. Then, when all the deliveries are complete, I make the perfumes." A hand waves dismissively in the air, his gaze never leaving that of the kitchen entrance. The pot is turned in his hans absently while he waits. "Oh, I'm from Blueriver Hold, not far from here. Figured I'd come up here and set up shop since there wasn't much profit back home. Figured I'd make more marks here."
Devim seems more interested in listening to the ongoing conversation than cleaning, which explains why he's been mopping the same patch of floor over and over again for several minutes. That patch, at least, will be clean enough to eat off when he's done.
Idrissa had to eat herself, she missed the morning meal after all! Well that is nothing new with Rissa actually. Her bright gaze turns back to Tsenik an she nods slightly. "I haven't seen the greenhouse yet. I bet it's pretty with all the flowers and plants in it."
Soriana nods. So, no melting in summer, and in winter… why, it's probably even nice! The hold mentioned gets only the vaguest sort of recognition, but she nods slightly. "Yeah, plenty of people here, lots of coming and going… and not everyone's gonna want to go all the way to Ierne just to get something. Between's probably bad for the flowers, anyway." Another glance at that flowerpot, while she takes a few more bites.
"You should come into the greenhouse sometime," Tsenik is suddenly saying, a wide grin pulling at his lips, "If you like flowers, there's a lotta pretty ones to look at. My personal favorites are the orchids, they're so easy to take care of and they're really pretty to look at. Anyone can take care of a orchid, even if they don't have green thumbs." There's quiet laughter as he wiggles his thumb at the two ladies. "No, between is horrible for flowers. They die instantly unless they're well protected and even then, they probably are destroyed. Better to get 'em fresh from a florist." Like himself!
Devim frowns and says, "What if you haven't got a green thumb but a brown thumb instead? My da's a farmer and he couldn't even teach me how to keep plants alive. It's the strangest thing." At the very least, he's moved on to a new spot on the floor.
Idrissa smiles and ndos to Tsenik. "Maybe I'll come back and see them. Haven't spent much time paying attention to flowers lately." She takes another bite of food while rubbing across her left forepaw a few times. She glances over to Devim and then heh osftly. "I've never tryed to grow anything. Spent more time working with runners I suppose."
Soriana can't help but grin back at Tsenik's obvious enthusiasm. "Seems like it'd be fun to look around. Y'better leave Asher behind, though," she says to Idrissa, then hehs. "The honeysuckle by my weyr's been blooming like crazy this summer… can't help but pay attention." She nods about between, then hehs to Devim's comment. "Well, can y'at least turn that power on just the weeds?"
Devim pauses in his mopping, and looks consideringly at Soriana. "You know I've never tried? If I yank them out of the ground they die, but I've never tried keeping them alive. That's clever."
Tsenik shrugs his shoulders, considering Devim for a moment before his gaze moves back to the kitchens. "Some people just are bad with plants." He says casually, shifting the pot between his hands, "Just like I could't do some stuff to save my life. Weeds would thrive no matter what you do, that's why people don't much like them and why they are called weeds. No one wants 'em." To Idrissa he offers a smile, "There's always time for the prettier things in life, that's what I think."
Idrissa lets her gaze flick from Soriana to Devim and smirks as there comments. "What.. Asher would behave. His gotten better." She points out with a soft huff to her friend. A slight nod is seen at the talk of weeds goes on. "Well.. I suppose so." She offers as Tsenik talks about pretty things. "I'll make a point to come by and look around, without Asher."
Gardener of weeds! It's a thing. That… nobody would possibly want, but it is nevertheless a thing. Soriana grins to Devim, then glances back to Tsenik and Idrissa. Oh, sure, Asher would behave. Totally. Smirk. Moving on! "So," she says to Tsenik. "When'd be a good time? I mean, looking around's one thing, but it'd be nice to have someone who actually knows what all the plants are and such!" A grin.
"Asher is? I'm guessing it's a firelizard? If so, yes, I don't want firelizards near my flowers. I gotta make marks somehow, you know?" Tsenik chuckles quietly and offers a playful wink to Idrissa, "I'm Tsenik by the way, nice to meet you. A finger idly taps at his lips as he considers the ceiling. "I usually tend to my plants early in the morning before it gets too toasty in there. I've got a little section all to myself, I'm hoping to get my own little plot sometime so I can grow more stuff."
Devim fills that one in: "Asher's a very big friendly dog." He doesn't describe how he was run down and very nearly bowled right over the first time they met.
"Asher is my canine, his nice really.." Idrisa peers over at Devim, a faint heh escapes her whie she scratches at her neck. "See?" She peers back at Tsenik, a soft smile seen an she nods. "But I understand. I won't be him along, promise."
Oh yeahhhh, names. Those silly things. Sori nods, and grins unapologetically. "I'm Soriana." And, of course, she's the only one who bothers giving her name, so! "This's Idrissa," she adds, "And that's Devim." Social graces, she… pretends to them sometimes. "Nice t'meet you!" She nods about the timing of a potential tour. "Guess that mostly depends how well you do with what you've got already, huh?"
Devim ohs as he's introduced by name and raises his hand to give a wave, except it was the hand holding the mop he was mopping with, which nearly falls clattering to the floor. He manages to catch it at the last moment. "Hi," he manages after all that, then goes back to cleaning, having made enough of a fool of himself.
"A canine huh? With the way you guys were talking about him, I was thinking he was a firelizard that didn't like plants." Tsenik chuckles quietly in amusement, his lips parting in a wide grin. "Ah! Nice to meet you, Soriana, Idrissa, Devim." The mopper gets a casual nod of a greeting, "You need any help there? I could possibly spare a little bit of time once I drop these off." A hand waves to the pot, "You look to be having some trouble." And then back to the females. "I'm hoping to get my own little garden eventually, or at least enough coverage so I can readily supply whatever I need to sell. Plus, they'd be nice to look at." Idrisa gets a curious look, "He breaks things I'm taking it? You've captured my curiosity now."
Idrissa ponders this and she offers a smile once more while nodding to Tsenik. "Nice tomeet you as well." She glances back towards Devim, an hums before her attention turns to Tsenik once more. "Well I hope you go about geting your own garden soon. There nice to have." At the comment of breaking things she smirks. "Not really.. His just a very large canine, very happy to meet people.." Well that is one way too put it.
Soriana nods. "Well, good luck with that!" she says of the gardem, then laughs at the talk of Asher. "Not on purpose he doesn't," she says. But, well, yeah, like Idrissa says. "His tail'd start wagging, and thunk thunk crash would go all the pots."
Devim shakes his head and says, "Thanks, I can manage," and then he seems quite focused on the work he was supposed to be doing in the first place. He has most of the floor in this room sparkling pretty soon, though none of it near as clean and shiny as that spot he spent twenty minutes mopping while slacking off.
Tsenik nods his head slightly as he listens to the people about him, "Ah, big dog, big tail, knocking things over. I got it. No, we don't want canines knocking over my flowers." Someone's perhaps a little over-protective of his plants. "You sure?" Is asked to Devim as the florist considers the other man with pursed lips. "Perhaps I'll meet your canine in a non-flower, setting, eh? I've never had a canine myself, or any other sort of pet."
Idrissa hehs softly and nods as she hears Soriana. "An that is why I wouldn't bring him with me to the greenhouse. Wouldn't want him to knock over anything after all." This said softly. Her bright gaze turns back to Tsenik and she nods with a smile. "Sure, I don't see why not."
"Asher'd probably like that… Has he ever met anyone he doesn't like? Ever?" Soriana asks Idrissa with a grin, then glances over at Devim as he wanders off to his mopping duties before returning her attention to those at her table.
Devim finishes pushing around his broom and mop having brought the floor to a state of enviably cleanliness. He sets down a wooden placard reading, 'Caution: Wet Floor' then scratches his ear and gives another wave—with his free hand this time. "Gotta go do more work. Bye Rissa and Sori. Good to meet you, Tsenik."
Tsenik chuckles quietly and pushes himself to his feet, "I think I'm going to chance the kitchens now, I'd like to get these delivered before the afternoon is over." He dips his head towards the females, "I wish the both of you well, please feel free to stop by the greenhouse, I'm usually there if I'm not making deliveries." Devim also gets a short wave, "Good luck with your leaning." And then he's grabbing his pot to bring into the kitchen.
Idrissa chuckles and grins at Soriana. "Naw, Asher seems to like everyone he meets. Just seems people don't like canine's all that much I've finding. Poor door thinks he does something wrong when I tell him to go lay down." She glances over to Devim and waves to him. "See you later Devim." As Tsenik takes his leave as well she waves to him now. "Alright, I'll try to stop by sometime. Have a good afternoon."
Soriana waves back to Devim! Without having food in her hand, even. "Seeya around!" Oh, hey, and Tsenik's headed off too. She nods. "Good luck! Don't let them commandeer you to scrub dishes!" Not that she speaks from experience or anything! Or that it might not be exactly that Devim's off to do. She nods her agreement with Idrissa. There shall be visiting!
Devim pushes his sledge down towards the kitchen, so it may well be that he's off to do that…
Idrissa glances back to Soriana. "So.. I was able to get some bow lessons in today." She grins slightly, someone seems mighty proud of herself. "I did ok!" Well, other then having a bunch of welts across her arm and nicks an the like on her hands. She didn't kill anything at least!
Soriana finally finishes up some of her partly-cold food, and grins. "Yeah?" she says. "So how much practice do you need before they start letting you shoot from the back of a runner?" Because of course that's not a terrible idea to give a novice at all, nope.
Idrissa blinks at this and ponders it seems while chewing on a bite of fruit. "Well.. I dono.." She scratches at her arm a few times and titls her head. "Though.. I'm gona try it at some point.
Soriana laughs, and nods. "Be pretty awesome, that." She nibbles a bit more on food, considering. "So who'd you get to teach you?"
"One of the guards that went out with us to look for Laris. I just kept talking about wanting to learn an she finally gave in." Which should prove how interested Idrissa is in learning it. As she doesn't normally do things like that.
"Heh. Fair enough!" says Soriana, and leans back in her chair to look at the mostly empty plate. "Well, if you're really gonna be like Kimmila, you'll have to also practice your staring. Gotta get those dirty looks down solid." Yeah, Sori's got a solid guess about the cause of this brand new interest of Rissa's.
Idrissa sticks her tongue out at Soriana. "Please.. I don't think anyone could stare someone down like Kimmila.. She has it down pat." An yes that would be where her new interest did indeed come from!
Yep. Guess: confirmed. Soriana laughs. "Well, maybe. But you gotta get at least to a fraction of that level! If she's a wild feline, you're… a whirlybug. Or maybe a little avian chick, cheep cheep!"
Idrissa smirks at that and huffs. "A chick?.." She questions and even pouts at this. "Sok.. I'll just have to practice long an hard and get really good at it tis all!"
Soriana nods firmly! For, lo, is not her point even now proven? An ineffectual huff and a pout is not a fierce retort! It is meek, mild, and altogether tame. "Yep. A fluffy-feathered little chick." She grins. "Better get on that, then. Maybe see if you can get Mikal or Dillum to listen to you and go from there!"
"Well.. We're see about that after a few weeks of hard work at it!" Idrissa states with a firm tone! Oh..she might hurt herself there.
"If you work very, very hard, maybe you can get an upgrade to wide eyed canine in a month or three," Soriana suggests, and reaches out to give Idrissa an encouraging pat on the shoulder… then grins, because she can't help herself.
Idrissa smirks and sighs a moment. "You just like picking on me don't you?" She questions while eyeing her friend.
"Picking on you?" asks Soriana, and laughs. "Nah. I'm just helping you train. How're you gonna get tough otherwise?" Her tone and grin make it hard to tell if she's being serious or not. After a moment, she pushes the chair back, and picks up her plate. "Anyway, I'd better get going." Not that she says for what. "You gonna be free this evening?"
Idrissa glowers playful like at Sori and rolls her eyes. "Right.. Making me tough. I'll just remember that when I'm off training." She grins now and nods. "Ya I'll be around. See you later then?"
One day, Idrissa will be tough and fierce, and when that day comes, there shall be vengeance! Mighty, mighty vengeance! Assuming, y'know, the day ever comes. Soriana grins wide, and nods. "Okay. I'll come by the stables and find you, end of the day." Of the workday, at least! She waves, and is off to deliver her plate to be cleaned and then out to the wide wide world!