Xanadu Weyr - Shore of Lake Caspian
The cliffs that run along the shore come and go, various weyrs nestled along the tops of them or dug into the walls, but eventually they recede enough to expose a beach. The white sand echoes the rise and fall of the cliffs with a multitude of sandy dunes, endlessly creating tiny valleys that are constantly demolished and rebuilt by the frequent arrival or departure of dragons. The dunes smooth out as the gentle slope approaches the edge of the deep blue water. The sand darkens, and a shell here and there stands out for children to collect.
The beach narrows to the southwest, leaving a path barely wide enough for dragons in single file before cutting in to a smaller, more sheltered cove. The sands are the same white, the waters the same blue, but they're calmer and more tranquil, more protected from the winds that ruffle Lake Caspian and the currents that tug beneath the surface.
Rough, wide stairs lead up to the meadow above and the road that runs along the top of the cliffs, passing through the fields and heading for the river mouth that can be just barely seen from here. The largest of the staircases up the cliff is located near the docks that jut out onto the peaceful blue waters.
Transfers happen. People and dragons change Weyrs and they change weyrs. Moving in. Moving out. Its been a few days now since D'had's return to Xanadu. Blue Siebith sprawled out in front of the weyrbarn that's been assigned to them as rider works on making a few repairs to the front facade.
Yep, transfers happen enough that it's likely Esiae can't keep them all straight, but people moving in near her, well, that she can't miss. The junior descends from her ship-shaped weyr atop the nearby cliff and makes her way along the beach. Quick brown eyes glance over Siebith, then D'had before she offers a cheerful, "Howdy, neighbor." A basket is held in her left hand, while her right settles on her hip, more to take any strain off a heavily bandaged shoulder than anything. "Need a hand?" Absent-mindedly skipping introductions and formality, Esiae nods towards the bluerider's repairs, offering to help if she can.
D'had looks up from fitting a board at the greeting. A quirked smile sent towards the blonde in return, "'Lo," his simple reply. The offer of a hand raise a brow but he points all the same, "Hand me that hammer?" towards the tool that was closer the last time he'd laid it down and now lays just out of his reach if he's to keep that board in place.
It's only when he looks up that some kind of familiarity tugs at the back of Esiae's mind. Her brow crumples a bit as she tries to place his face, but before she can really think on it, he's asking her to hand him a tool. "Oh, sure!" Puzzling temporarily abandoned, Esiae settles her basket to the ground and moves to retrieve the hammer, offering it to D'had handle-first. "Want me to hold the other end of the board steady while you hammer?"
D'had was rather a mess last he was in Xanadu - rather unkept. He's cleaned up since, shaved and all which takes away the grey that resided in the beard and made him look older. Since though there's more of it making an appearance in his hair but there's still likely to be something familiar for those that might have known him. Certainly for those who did. "Thanks," the man replies, one hand taking up the hammer from hers and then transfers a nail between his fingers of the other hand still holding the board. "Should be alright," he assures, but he's not turing her away from helping either. A few quick, hard blows and its tacked in place enough that he can let go.
As for Esiae, she took several turns away to explore every piece of Pern big enough for her to land a dragon on, so pretty well near everyone could look familiar to her. So, she simply asks. "You look real familiar. Have we met before?" She nods, then, in part for his thanks, and in part for his assurance. "'Course you'll be alright, but I don't mind," Esi says, a bit stubborn as she moves to support the board's far end anyways, working more with her left hand than her right. "Sorry the boards were messed up. Should've had them go over the cottage more thoroughly before it was assigned. If you want, I'm sure I could get a handyman out here to do this for you, so you don't have to do it yourself," the goldrider offers, letting go and moving back once his side is tacked into place.
D'had hmms. Have they met? That's anyone's guess and for him there's familiarity in many faces of Xanadu. "Thanks," he notes for her stubborn helpfulness. "Not sure," the reply follows, taking a moment after the board is tacked in place to really look at the woman. "Maybe. Haven't been down this way in awhile though." A shake of his head brushes off any appology for the disrepair. "Nah. Like the work, gives me somethin' to do off duty."
"Anytime," is said in response to his thanks, and it sounds like she means it. Wholly unbothered by his looking her over, the goldrider tilts her head and waits him out. "Ah well. Maybe you just have one of those faces," she jokes with a crooked smile and a shrug, letting it go at that. As for the repairs… "Kinda figured that was the case," she says in a very wry 'men!' tone of voice. "I don't suppose I'll ever really understand it - doing work you don't have to do when there's other, better things to do in your free time - but fair enough." Eyes scrunched up and grinning, she's clearly just teasing, as she doesn't seem terribly adverse to the work. "You're in the S&R wing, right?" It's an honest question - she simply doesn't recall. One of those people with uncanny memories, our Esiae is not.
D'had chuckles lowly, a sort of amusement for her response. "Don't know that I have much better to do in my free time just now," her returns. "May as well take advantage of the time I have, hum?" A nod follows for her question of wing. "I am," he confirms. He was once its wingleader and Xanadu's Weyrsecond, but that was very likely before she might remember. He's not about to go into all that however. "I keepin you from somewhere?" he asks then noting the basket she'd arrived with.
Esi raises both her brows for that, lips twitching off to one side in a half-smile. "Why not? There's plenty to do around here. Hop a boat and sail the lake, terrorize the candidates that're rolling in with fake stories about how horrible the mauling was at your hatching, explore the ruins. If nothing else, it's fun to sit on the dragon ledge on the clock tower and throw rocks at young couples snogging in the shadows," she drawls, grin taking a mischievous turn. She seems surprised that she guessed his wing right (or maybe she actually remembered something?!), but is easily distracted when he notes her basket. "Oh, no, that's for you. A housewarming gift, of a sort. Towels, mugs, glasses, sweetsand, just little things you can't have too much of," she says, hopping to her feet to bring the basket closer. It really is just filled with simple, mundane things, but it's the thought that counts, right? "It's an old holder tradition, but I always liked the idea of it, so." Now she's doing it for others.
"Sounds like you've had your fun," D'had gives her chuckle and a shake of his head. "Think I might like to settle in a little more quietly than all that," he replies, "But I'll keep the suggestions in mind." Blink. Wait, what? "For me?" a bit confused but then he nods at the explanation as he takes it off her hands. "Thanks," given as he takes a little closer look at the contents before setting it behind him to put away later. "So your shoulder?" No, he didn't miss those bandages either, "Sailing or exploring?"
"What can I say," the goldriders says with a self-deprecating chuckle and a slight shrug of one shoulder. "I know how to keep myself entertained. As for the quiet, well, good luck. Let me know how that goes for you," she jokes with the amused air of someone who isn't quite sure the weyr knows the definition of 'quiet' anymore. "You're welcome," is said when he takes the basket and sets it aside, but her pleased little smile fades when he asks about her shoulder. "Oh, that. Uh, no." Cue awkward shuffling. "Neither, I mean. I… might have gotten into a fight with a tunnelsnake." Yep, she's had her fun, alright.
D'had didn't say he wanted quiet. Just rather that he'd prefer to remain a little more under the radar than some of those suggestions she'd given. "A fight with a tunnelsnake eh? Not what'd I'd peg for a holder girl," she's the one who mentioned that with her holder tradition, so he might be assuming more than he should. "Thought they were supposed to be all dainty like and afraid of spinners and snakes," he teases back.
Alas, Esiae is far from an under-the-radar sort of woman. "Yeaaah. Haven't heard the end of it since. Reckless this, endangerment that," she mutters good-naturedly, eyes rolling. "But the tunnelsnake had been terrorizing the heardbeasts for days, and my dragon and I were the only ones there at the time capable of handling it, so… we handled it." Not perfectly, but hey. She snorts for his assumption, teeth flashing in a wide grin as she shakes her head. "And I thought blueriders were raging attention-seekers that make up for their lack of ambition by acting flashy and calling it talent," she shoots right back, brown eyes lit up with mirth. "I'm just teasing. I guess you could say I've never been a paragon of what a holder girl should be. Even when I was a kid, I wanted to be a pirate instead of a Lady Holder. It drove my mother mad. I am pretty terrified of spinners, though. Too many legs, eugh," she adds with a comically wrinkled nose and a wiggle of fingers on both hands, imitating a creepy-crawly.
"Well, kept your wits about you," D'had will give her that and spare the lecture about being reckless. He's had too many of those himself over the turns to dole one out to a woman he barely knows who's admitted to having heard it already for this particular instance. "Tell ya what," he says, leaning in like it were some sort of secret. "Don't think it's the riders, its the dragons," he explains sending a nod towards his own dosing lifemate who snorts. He heard that! Siebith is, after all, an attention whore when he flies. Rocking back he chuckles a bit more, "I think you'd make a fine pirate."
"Yeah, we did. That sucker never stood a chance, no matter how good a fight he put up," Esi says of keeping her wits about her, clearly pleased to have been spared the lecture. "Not eager to go out and do it again, though." And see, she even learned something from the ordeal. Both blonde brows lift when D'had leans in, but Esiae mirrors him, her own gaze eventually sliding over towards Siebith with a sideways smirk. "You know, that's one of the better theories I've heard," the junior drawls, laughing lightly through her nose. "I wouldn't do half the crazy things I do if Sonyxaeth didn't egg me on or back me up. Would you?," she asks as though collecting evidence to support the claim. "Why do we keep letting them impress upon us." Tsk tsk~. Esi chuckles for the blue's snort, but leans back when his rider does, grinning wide over at D'had for that chuckle. "Right? I'm already fierce, and I bet I can get my hands on a boat and a loyal, if not slightly deranged crew. I'm thinking of getting my eye poked out next. Nothing says 'pirate' quite like an eyepatch." Twinkle.
D'had can only shake his head at her questions of would and why, lifting shoulders in shrug. "Somethings yes, somethings no," he decideds upon as to some ofthe crazy things me may have done. "As for why. We need each other?" What theory could be better? "I'd steer clear of pokin' yer eye out though. Easier to set a course with two, 'sides I'm sure you're much prettier without the patch," added with a wink. He knows how to flatter when he needs or wants to.
Esiae chuckles for his response. "True, true. I do agree they bring it out in us though," she says, gaze flicking back to her clifftop weyr, where her own lifemate likely resides. She issues a thoughtful 'hmm' for needing each other, but there's no argument or smart-ass comment from her there. Instead, she squints playfully over at the bluerider. "How do you know? You've never seen me in an eyepatch. Maybe I look even better," she says in a cocky fashion, returning that wink with a laugh. "Come to think of it, though, I wouldn't necessarily have to poke my eye out at all. I could just wear the patch when I needed to look particularly dashing or intimidating and leave it off when it comes time to navigate and swashbuckle." Because swordfighting: already difficult enough with two eyes. "Alas, though. I can only imagine the scandal that'd surround a goldrider going rogue to become a pirate. Perhaps I'd better stick to being a weyrwoman."
"Perhaps," D'had agrees. "But you're right on that, best to give the patch a try at least before just going and poking out your eye. Safer that way in case it don't work out." He nods again, "Better idea," he replies at her thought of the patch as a prop instead. "It is nice to meet you though weyrwoman…?" He hasn't yet caught her name.
"Yeah. It's especially not worth it if people don't find it fearsome to begin with. Maybe I'll have the Healers order me one and I'll try it out." You know. For SCIENCE. "If people express more concern than fear, I'll just have to try something else." Like a peg leg! Just kidding. "Oh, shoot, sorry," Esi blusters when D'had draws that question out. "I'm really terrible at introducing myself. I'm Esiae, rider of Sonyxaeth. Nice to meet you, too." She doesn't return the question, expecting him to offer a name in return if he sees fit, but she does extend her hand for a light shake if he wants it.
"Esiae," he repeats the name as its given, finishing his previous thought. Just don't expect him to remember it tomorrow. Names are not his strong suite. "D'had, rider of Siebith," he offers in return, extending his hand to hers. If his face was familiar the name might be as well. Unsure of the reaction it might get, but she's liable to know it sooner rather than later.
To Esiae's credit, she only hesitates for a second before taking his hand and giving it two decisive but gentle shakes, so as to not twinge her stitched up shoulder. "D'had? Really?" Not that she knew him well, but she knew of him, couldn't not after mentoring under his former weyrmate for several turns, and serving next to her for the next couple of turns after that. There are certainly a number of reactions that she could give, from inquisitive to sorrowful and everything between, but for however dramatic she is, Esiae's also diplomatic when she so chooses, so she settles somewhere on the pleasant side of neutral for now. "Welcome back. Guess I didn't have to roll out my list of 'fun things to do at Xanadu,' huh?," she adds with a crooked little grin and a slight eyeroll for her own foolishness.
"Really," D'had confirms. The one and only, good or bad. That's him. He's glad at least for the lack of reaction there at least. "Nah, but ya give a good welcome," he assures quirking a grin at the woman. "Thanks for that." There's some he's sure who won't be so… diplomatic as it were in their 'welcoming' him back.
"Huh. I knew you looked familiar." Brown eyes skim over D'had's face again as though it all finally added up, her own expression amused as she shakes her head. "Just didn't recognize you without all the…" Well, she was going to say 'floof,' but her hands gesture expressively at her own chin in an imitation of a beard instead. As for her welcoming skills, "Hey, good to know I'm good at something." She matches his grin with one of her own before swishing a hand in dismissal of the thanks. "'Course. If there's anything you need, lemme know, yeah?" Because she can just imagine that it's going to be an interesting time for him real soon, if it hasn't been already.
D'had cringes a bit at that gesture. Yeah, he knows what she means and he nods. That's not who he was, not who he wants to be. "Sure you're good at other things too," he assures. He knew his weyrmate well enough to know that anyone that worked with her would have to be good at something by now. "'Course," the man agrees, "I'll let ya know. And same goes for you pirate queen," he teases with a wink.
Esiae doesn't quite apologize for making him cringe, but she sees it, perhaps understands on some level, and is happy to move on. "I am," she agrees with no small amount of arrogance. "Most of my talent lies in 'demolitions,' though," she says, air quoting around the word with a good-natured eyeroll. "It's gotten to the point where they're blaming me for other people's stunts. It's just awful." Actually, it really, really amuses her, if her expression is anything to judge by. She honestly laughs when he calls her a pirate queen though, chin dipping in an amiable nod. "You bet. Next time a board needs replaced on the Dreameaver, I know who to call," she jokes before glancing at his work. "Which, speaking of, I've completely derailed you, sorry."
"Sounds to me like someone else needs to show off those talents for everyone, take some of the blame off you," that's D'had's theory anyway. Good thing she likes his name for her though, chances are she'll hear it again. A glance back towards his work in progress and then back to the junior, "Sometimes ya need a break," he offers. He's not terribly worried about having been derailed. "Should get back at it though."
"If only," the goldrider chuckles, but really, of all the reputations to have, 'that crazy goldie who explodes stuff' is likely the least bad in Esi's eyes. Or, second-least, right after being a pirate queen, which it's pretty safe to say she'll enjoy any time he calls her that. For now, though, she grins and nods over at D'had. "Too true, a good break is so underrated. I'll leave you to it. Don't be a stranger, yeah?" Offering him a wave goodbye, the goldrider saunters back the way she came, humming a pleasant tune under her breath.