Garden Aftermath

This log is a scene related to A Sudden Storm.


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Xanadu Weyr - Garden

An arch woven from the tendrils of a willow tree stretches overhead lightly creeping with ivy as one steps in from the meadow into this sanctuary of green. Cool gray flagstone carefully spaced enables a soft velvety moss to thrive within the cracks, and creates a single wide pathway that fluidly breaks off into two paths of stone once free of the natural arbor. It is a wonder this place, and meticulously tended from the way it seems not a single leaf is out of place. On either side of the main path expansive grassy patches are trimmed short and edged behind with natural tan colored stone selectively chosen to stack just right. Beyond these are a line of fine puffed shrubberies in vibrant green intermingled with flowering bushes of brilliant pinks varying in hue from the very light to the very dark, which causes the occasional snowy white blossoms of other scattered here and there without worry to simply pop out of the scenery.

Directly in the center of the garden is another wall of intricately stacked stone, this of muted grays, creating what from the air would prove to be a perfect circle. It's been set high for safety, but not so much as one would not be able to lean over it to admire what lies beyond, either standing or sitting at the smattering of benches whose backs are set every four feet along it. Flush to the ground inside it's protective stone outcropping, is an enormous twenty foot wide fish pond. Within one can glean the metallic glint of playful goldfish, the unhurried cruise of fat koi, and even a frog or three among pale yellow and white flowering water lilies and their thick green pads.

The trees surrounding the entire garden were planted to give the impression that they had always been here, not only lending to a rustic look, but also eluding to the beauty that can be found among the wilds if only one might just look for it. Species vary from the ordinary Birch and Pine, but the flaming red capsules of the Indian Shot to the robust orange spokes of the Firewheel tree suggest the spice of the exotic. The two paths leading away from the entrance have come full circle, wrapping around to meet each other on the other side, yet still continue on to the far left and right. One path leads off deeper into the surrounding woods, while the other wider; cheerily decorated with brightly colored slabs of painted stones.


Rukbat is setting slowly on the day of the great storm. Though the meadow and some of the ground weyrs had sustained the most damage, the garden certainly wasn't spared. Almost the entire surface is pockmarked from the impact of fire lizard egg sized hail and many of the shallower rooting plants have been washed away completely. Even the fence has seen better days, a whole section missing where the tornado sucked it up. It is into this mess that M'nol wanders, Faraeth pacing slowly behind him. M'nol had finally decided it was time to seek out Cen again after being told she'd finally returned and this seemed the most likely place to find the gardener.

Cenlia is standing near the pond, at the center of this part of the garden, a totally blank expression on her face. The girl is dressed not in her usual garden attire, but in a pale pink blouse and red-orange skirt. Yes, /pink/. And yes, a /skirt/. The garments are loose, but they fail to conceal the fact that she is very much a girl. Under one arm is a small wooden crate, though as she surveys the garden silently, her expression grows more grim. Her four firelizards are all sitting on the wall surrounding the pond, the flits quiet, staring about with a sort of hushed timidity. Clearly, something here is not right. Other than the wrecked garden.

Before M'nol can broach the silence, his five decide that her four look interesting and swoop in, chittering happily. Well, all except for the youngest brown who instead seems to find bug-hunting more interesting. M'nol thrusts his face into his palm… so much for subtle. He approaches as calmly as he can, keeping well out of shovel range, "Welcome back, Cen." His voice cracks slightly on the 'back', switching between alto and baritone.

Cenlia ignores the noise-making firelizards, while her own flits just eye the newcomers warily. Booze-brown Trouble and midnight-dark Rogue even so far as to hiss. They don't seem to be in the mood to be social. Cenlia hunches her shoulders at the sound of the voice, a sour expression on her face as she turns, looking perhaps surprised to spot M'nol. "Ain't been anywhere," she lies, wrinkling her nose to eye the weyrling critically. "You here to help clean this mess?" straight to the point she is. The girl doesn't wait for an answer, heading for the greenhouse to retrieve a shovel. And set down the wooden crate, eyeing her skirt with a slight frown as she does so.

M'nol's fair settle, well, except the ever-friendly bloodstone, who chitters again, cheer up? play? M'nol sighs, "Well… I was hopin' to talk to you a little. But I can certainly help in the process." The boy *does* speak normal language. gasp, shock, horror.

Not even Charmer seems in the mood to play today, Cenlia's four firelizards just flopping down on the wall looking cranky. Wait, M'nol can speak normally? Cenlia just eyes M'nol a moment, "Talk? About what?" But she's then moving along the path, using the shovel to toss debris to the side and adding, "Since you're the one with pants, there's bits of fence over stuck in the shrubs," and she points in that direction, "Gonna make a pile for stuff that needs hauling otta here." And to illustrate, she uses the shovel to send some fallen branches sailing off the path to a clear spot not far away.

Bloodstone looks thoroughly put out. Charmer *always* wanted to play. M'nol moves to grab an armload of brances and drowned plants, relocating them to the proffered pile as he speaks, "Well… nothin' wrong with catching up with a friend, for one." He deposits his load, "And I did once promise you a ride if I impressed. We got cleared for elevator a few days ago, so I can now."

Cenlia grimaces, though whether its at M'nol's words or at the soggy mass of fallen leaves she sends flying toward the debris pile… Well, she makes no immediate answer, instead using the shovel to pick up some drowned plants and deposit them back in the flower beds. "Ya did?" she finally asks, apparently not rememebring. But the girl shrugs, muttering, "Don't got time," and she gives him an irritated look as she waves a hand at the garden.

M'nol wraps his arms around a particularly large branch and begins to drag it across the garden, trying very hard not to damage any of the plants that had survived the storm, "You don't have to now. Just wanted you to know the offer is still open even though I'm not asking you to the Weyrling graduation." There, he said it, he was sure she was going to be mad.

Cenlia just nods at him absently, tossing another branch off the path. "Wasn't aware I needed an invite to the graduation," she says, though her attention seems more on the shovel than on the topic of conversation. "Last one I went to, was just a big beach party. Gave Thea a bottle of brandy, and she saluted Weyrwoman Niva with it when she was up on stage," and Cenlia smirks, grinning a bit as she flops some dead flowers off the path.

M'nol deposits his branch in the growing brush/rubble pile, "I meant I'm not *ask* asking you to the party… not like I did for the dance class…" Faraeth gives a soft rumble as he settles into a cleared path of ground, clearly thinking his rider was making a dragon out of a wher.

Cenlia pauses to give M'nol a confused look, "What? Why would ya want to? Shardin' dance was a waste of time. Only good reason to go to a party is for the booze." She gets back to work, though the dragon's rumble has her glancing in Faraeth's direction, the girl saying, "Shards, you got pretty big. Might be biggern' Gonth someday." She hasn't seen the brown since the hatching, after all. Glancing back at M'nol, Cen probably would agree about making a dragon our of a wher, but she isn't even aware of what he's getting at, instead asking, "You guys know what wing you're goind into?"

Faraeth manages a draconic chuckle and M'nol grins, "I haven't met Gonth, but he is nearly as big as Nyunath, though the weyrling masters say he's nearly done growing." He blushes slightly, "Well… I thought you might expect me to… what with the way I felt." past tense? ooo. He moves on, though, "I'm thinking about Search and Rescue. It'd let me keep workin' some in the craft and still be a rider."

"Gonth's huge. Swims bettern' I do, too. Didn't know somethin' so big could be so quick. Guess him and S'tan spend a lotta time flyin' and atuff," she shrugs, and then blinks at M'nol, wrinkling her nose, "Felt? Why the shards would I expect you to?" But she waves it off, shaking her head and attempting to avoid the subject altogether by changing it, instead saying, "Search and rescue, huh? 'S good," and she nods, "X'hil did search and rescue before he ran off to Ierne." She sounds thoroughly approving of that.

M'nol chuckles, "Faraeth's not as manouverable as Mikalath, but he manages." The poor boy blushes a little deeper, "Well… I had the crush an' people were startin' t' think we were an item… an' then y' left 'n' I foun' someone else an' I jus' didn't wantcha to be hurt…" The accents baaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaack…

"An /item/?" Cenlia wrinkles her nose in distaste, "Shards, any people think I'm anybody's /item/ I'll shove my shovel so far up their.." and she waves the shovel for emphasis. Apparently, she takes offense at the term, though she adds, "Was Sigam, weren't it? He still playin' matchmaker?" Cenlia scowls, "He ever try /that/ again, I'll break more'n his face."

M'nol winces, but shakes his head, "Naw… I think Sigam was more worried about the why than th' what. Just in general people have been expectin' me to ask ya so I wanted t' let you know I wasn't before it got back t' ya that I was. I still want t' be your friend, if I can, and I didn't want anything gettin' in th' way." He's still flustered, and blushing a tad, but at least some of the confidence has returned to his eyes as he deposits another load of refuse, this time it seeming to involve several planks from the fence as well.

"Oh," Cenlia finally seems to figure out what he's been getting at, and she chuckles, "Well, it's bettern' them rumors about me ending up in bed with that bronzer. Shards, 'least we both had our clothes on," and she continues to chuckle as she works, tacking on, "I need to get boozed more. Shardin' boring otherwise. 'Specially after this mess. Glad I missed it. Shards, is worsen' them ovines." And apparently, it took a tornado for Cenlia to admit there's something worse than rampaging sheep.

M'nol chuckles, ending on a slight sigh that she hadn't kneed him in his sensitive spot again, "I can't say I've heard that one." He moves a few more sticks, finding the grass beneath finally, "The storm was horrible, nearly pick the dragons up and carried 'em away. Kez got hit with hail." He glances around, "This is worse'n what the flaming ovine did?

Cenlia grins, "Was what's-his-name - Kal? K'ael? - that ex-weyrleader from Ista. Both of us got so drunk we was near passed out. Ended up back in my bed. Dunno why he didn't just sleep on the ovine rug. Shardin' nuisance." There's a pause. "Hope he comes back to Xanadu sometime. Not enough folks around who got time to get good and boozed anymore," and a slight frown tugs the edge of her mouth, but the girl shakes her head, stopping to survey the garden once more, "Hail, huh? She alright? Shards, we have storms in South Boll that're pretty bad, but I guess I figured this place'd have better weather. Already got snow." And Cenlia groans, "Sometimes I miss the orchards." There's a slight smirk, however, when the flaming ovine is brought up, Cenlia grinning again as she says, "The flamin' ovine didn't make it to the garden. Got drowned over in the beach. Thought Thea was gonna flay me."

M'nol deposits another load of brakken, getting down to the smaller stuff, "She just got hit in the knee. She seemed fine when we carried F'yr to the infirmary." He goes quiet for a moment, musing, "I won't tell anyone. I miss the smell of fresh dug rock." He chuckles, "I heard ya made a drink up based on that incident. Any good?"

"I gotta get down to the mine sometime. Was gonna ask Satoris to check for mushrooms. Was talking to Master Denna awhile back, maybe could find some that're edible," Cenlia talks cheerfully while clearing more of the path, stepping around debris carefully before she lobs it over to the pile with the shovel. She hrms and ponders a moment before saying, "Yeah. Made a decent drink, though ya prolly shouldn't try a flamin' ovine without eating first. Poor Iroha. Was what me and K'ael got drunk on. Was gonna make a whole batch for m' turnday but…" and Cenlia grimaces, "…stuff came up." Like a booze heist and a lot of frantic jacket-searching. Some turnday /that/ was. But at least it wasn't boring.

M'nol smiles, "A bunch of new miners transferred in, I'm sure one of them could show you around the mine even if Satoris can't…" He ponders her booze-lingo, then grimmaces when she mentions her turnday, "Didja… didja get the present I sent? Things were kinda hectic…"

Cenlia nods, "Yeah, was cute," and she grins, "Snuck into Eled's room one night and stuck the whole lot, even the ovine and the stuffed dragons, under his pillow. Shoulda seen his face." She snickers, "When I got 'em back, he left his stuff with 'em by accident. Didn't even know he /had/ a stuffed canine." The girl giggles, lobbing the last of the debris off the path. Stops a moment to eye the pile, and then nods to herself, saying, "Should go get some pants on. Gotta climb the trees an' check for broken branches." She returns the shovel to the greenhouse and waves to M'nol, "Thanks for hauling stuff. Gonna be a right pain replanting all this." Cenlia makes a face and starts back toward the weyr proper, grumbling about ovines and tornadoes.

M'nol nods, chuckling, "I'm glad you got some use from the odd lot." Faraeth rumbles, "Uhhh… Faraeth says I should be able to see Phy now… I should… I should go… If you need any more help in here feel free to ask. If I don't have lessons I'll be glad to help."

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