Something Like That

Xanadu Weyr - Observation Level
Dark blue seats form a semi-circle around the sands below, the lowest row separated from the multicolored red and white sands by merely a railing. The seats climb upwards, each row a bit higher than the previous, and they are broken up into sections by three sets of staircases. Between the first and second section, a glass wall descends to separate the observers from the heat of the sands. Air is kept in motion through a set of fans, and so these seats are quieter and cooler than the rest… though the noise and heat of the sands is still present.
Lights are evenly spaced along the outer wall, lighting the seats and the sands easily, though they tend to be dimmed unless a major event is taking place. A large balcony overhead connects to the glass wall. Vents for cooling run along the bottom of it, and the ledge provides a place for observers of the draconic kind to watch without obstructing the view for others.
The sand below is variegated in hue, individual grains of red and white that have a pinkish hue when seen from across the circle of the hatching grounds but - up close over that railing - are clearly two varieties mingled.


For once, the hatching arena is relatively quiet, empty of candidates and workers and perhaps even dragons, as the solitary figure perched up in the observation level definitely isn't Innes. Likely having relieved the goldrider to allow her to feed herself and her dragon, Esiae is slouched in one of the blue seats, eyes focused distantly out on the sands as she plucks slowly, pensively, at a guitar in her lap. It's definitely a coherent song she's playing, but with her mind visibly elsewhere, she just isn't paying enough attention to play it as fast as it would normally go.

Stepping up into the galleries D'had's attention is soon enough drawn to the sound of music. His steps turning towards the junior weyrwoman and her guitar he sends a simple greeting her way, "Hey," in hopes of not startling her too much with his arrival. While he does move across the aisle to stop a few seats away from the woman he doesn't invite himself to sit.

Esiae is deep, deep down in Lala Land, so much so that she doesn't even seem to notice D'had's there until he speaks. She doesn't jump, thankfully - that'd be embarassing! - but her fingers definitely tweak over the strings in a dischordant series of notes, giving her startlement away. "Oh, hey!," is Esi's initial reply, eyes blinking several times as though pulling herself out of the mental fog. "Sorry, I was totally checked out. You been standing there long?," she asks, shooting a sheepish look up at the bluerider.

D'had chuckles quietly, "Didn't mean ta startle ya," he offers not quite an appology it serves its purpose. "Nah," his answer to the question of if he's been there long. "Just got here," he adds clarifying. "She yours?" he asks, nodding towards the sands the question obviously about the clutch's dame.

"S'alright. It's just so easy to tune out up here, you know? I think it's the heat. Gets to your head, makes you all lazy and stuff." Indeed, Esi's slouched pretty far in that seat, even after being spooked. She 'ah's quietly when he says he just got there, chin dipping with a nod. "Come t'see the eggs? They… aren't much to look at, really. Pretty drab, aside from a few gems in the bunch." The question about the clutch dam has her chuckling, her head shaking in a definite no. "Nah, and thank goodness. I don't miss being sands-bound one bit. Just egg-sitting while Innes and Kairokyriath take a break." Her guitar is waggled. "Started out playing 'em a lullaby - dunno if they can even hear it, but it's the thought, right? - but then…" Hands wave expressively, as though to blame the heat again.

D'had nods idly, thumbs tucked in his pockets as he observes the sands below. "Not as hot up here as it is down there," he indicates the grounds with a nod, speaking from experience by the sound of it. "But yeah, good place to be lazy," he agrees. "And to think." Also experience one might gather. He follows with is own "Ah" of understanding, nodding for her answer of the current clutch. "They always seem to know everything else goin' on around them," he comments, "Don't see why they wouldn't hear it."

"Been on the sands yourself, since your own hatching?," Esiae asks, having caught that hint of experience in his tone… both times, apparently, judging by her slight chuckle and agreeable nod for it being a good place to think. "That it is. All too easy to slip into deep, philosophical thoughts about the meaning of life and what the future might hold, when it's literally sitting right there, encapsulated in fourteen little shells." Since he doesn't seem to be moving to view the clutch, she pats the seat next to her, indicating he can sit wherever, if he wants to. "S'pose you're right," is said about them probably being able to hear her. "Hopefully it was soothing then. What about you, any requests or dedications?," she asks in a very Harperish tone of voice, a little smile quirking up one corner of her mouth as she pulls the guitar back into place against her hip.

"Yeah," D'had admits that answer in a breath of remembrance. "Plenty of times," he says with a shake of his head, clearing thoughts as he turns his attention back to the woman. "Future, past," he shrugs, a glance to the chair and he settles himself one over, leaving a space between them. "Well if you ak me, it was," he replies as to the song played. "Me? No," added with a shake of her head.

Esiae glances his way for that answer, and for a long couple of seconds she doesn't speak, visibly debating over whether she should indulge in her curiosity or choose the diplomatic response and let it go. Eventually, she sighs and glances away, evidently going for a little bit of both when she says, "Well, your dragon ain't the clutchdaddy sort, so I guess you were just visitin'," she says, and D'had can correct her if she's wrong. The goldrider issues a breathy laugh through her nose when he adds the past alongside the future, lips pulling off to one side ruefully. "Yeah, there's plenty of thinking space for that, too, unfortunately. Good and bad. It's easier, focusing on the future." She shoots him a grateful little smile when he says he thinks the lullaby was soothing, and since he doesn't have a request, she'll go back to it, fingers and thumbs picking their way across the strings a little quicker this time, now that they have purpose. "What, no favorite song? I know plenty. Tavern songs, ballads, teachin' songs, sea chanties…" She trails off as though to indicate the offer's open if he changes his mind.

D'had nods, "Yeah, no," he agrees on his blue not being the clutchdaddy sort. "Weyrmate was a weyrwoman," he explains for the visiting of the sands. "Was Weyrsecond for awhile too," he adds, she might well have known that. And that position sometimes leads to assisting with hatchings and the like. "Not always so easy to forget the past either though," he counters for the easier to focus on the future. He's quiet for a time, content with her choice of songs. "Egh, don't know I'd know the name of 'em anyway. There's one though," he goes on after a moment. "Somethin' like," and he whistles a few bars of a tune more known on the seas, a soothing tune. "But like that one too."

Esiae nods, too - the first part she knew, and now it makes sense - her fingers only slowing a bit when he mentions he was the weyrsecond, too. "You were?" A beat passes as brown eyes go distant, dredging through memories. "Shells, you were, weren't you? Man, that was…" Her head shakes - longer ago than she'd like to admit. "Sorry, I should've remembered that. I was in my own little world back then, always off causin' more trouble than I could fix. Bet we walked past each other dozens of times in the offices and never once thought about it." She flicks D'had another look for his counter, one shoulder lifting in an easy shrug. "Never said it was easy, or that it should necessarily be forgotten. Important things, pasts. Just that the rest is easier," she says, lightly emphasizing the 'er' in the word this time. The goldrider issues an understanding chuckle for not knowing the names of songs - she totally gets that - but when he whistles the first couple bars of the song, her brow furrows, fingers flicking to transition into the soothing sea-song instead. It isn't quite smooth, but she remembers it with a slow smile, brown eyes darting his way. "Where'd you hear that?"

Longer ago than he'd like to think about to. A brow raises at the comment that wasn't finished and D'had shakes his head then, brushing off her moment forgetfulness. "Likely," he agrees with an easy grin, not terribly concerned with it given he didn't remember her either. "True," he'll agree on it not being easy all the time to remember leaving that part of the conversation lie where it is as she finds the new melody. "All riders have a past before their dragon."

Catching the brow raise, Esiae huffs and rolls her eyes, but it's a good-natured gesture accompanied by even more thinking. "Around a dozen turns ago?" she says, finishing the thought with a slight wrinkle of her nose. "Something like that. Long time." Likewise happy to leave their other conversations lie, she matches him grin for grin, continuing the song past the point he whistled for her, fingers shifting slowly through the notes as she fixes D'had with an amused, needly look, clearly intending to pry. "Yeah, well, yours has something to do with boats," she states. It's not a question. Both brows raise, nonverbally asking for information, though surely he can weasel out of it if he wants to.

"Something like that," D'had agrees. Was it really that long ago? "Could ask you the same…" he hints in a way that's not subtle at all. About where she'd heard that song. Fishing for time or distraction to avoid the question posed to him? Perhaps. "I should get goin' though, supposed ta start sweeps soon," he explains as he stands. "Maybe can finish that song another time?"

"You could," Esiae drawls, teasing clearly in her tone as her brows lower again. "Tell ya what, I'll barter you a story for a story, someday. Take it or leave it," she adds with a wink. The goldrider nods in understanding that he has to leave for now though, kicking her feet up onto the seat in front of her, settling down deeper into her slouch. "Absolutely, any old time. I'll try to dredge up a couple other good ones you might know in the meantime," she says, pausing long enough in her playing to offer him a grin and a wave farewell before sinking back into her thoughts again.


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