The current time for zone 9 is: 2681.13.25 12:45:54
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.
Exits lead off in all directions, a big archway the largest and that leading outside. Shallow stairs to the west lead to the offices and administration area while tunnels to the east lead to the infirmary, kitchen and resident's quarters. Southwards, a sloping tunnel leads down to the hot springs and southwest is a wide tunnel, carefully roped off to avoid accidents.
Lunch time brings the Weyrleader out of his office and down the hall to the caverns in search of some food. The cavern is filling up somewhat too with other people with the same idea in mind. Dels waves, greets people he knows while he waits his turn in line to pick up a plate .
The gardener girl is already at a table, munching away on her lunch. She's dressed in her usual garden attire, and looks to have been out in the garden already, with the usual dirt smears on the knees of her pants. Beside her on the table, a hatchling gold firelizard is taking little nibbles out of meatroll on the girl's plate. Cenlia doesn't seem to mind much, giving the little flit some amused sidelong glances and muttering an, "I see you, ya little greedyguts." The firelizard just lifts her head and chirps innocently.
The line moves fairly quickly which leaves D'son with lunch in one hand and a mug of beer in the other, laughing at a joke someone in line just made. He steps away and spots the gardener girl, moves that way. "Hey Cenlia, long time no talk, how's things? New one to add to your bunch?" a little nod to the gold.
Cenlia glances up at the sound of D'son's voice. When she spots the weyrleader, for an instant, the gardener girl looks as if she might bolt. "Uh, yeah," she manages something of a grin, relaxing a little and saying, "Can't go anywhere 'round here with food without gettin' claimed by another one of these things." Cen makes a face while the little gold flit gives D'son a little chirp in greeting.
"Somehow, I've managed," Dels says laughingly. "Generally by running away as soon as I see eggs that aren't dragon eggs rocking," he jokes and nods to a free chair. "Mind company?" That looking-like-bolting quirks his brows just a little.
Cenlia grins, "I woulda run, but couldn't get through the crowd," Cenlia says, eyeing the little flit on the table. "She up an' stole my meatrolls. Little greedyguts." The little gold just croons back, as if being complemented, and then pokes her nose back into the meatroll on Cenlia's plate. Rolling her eyes, the girl mutters, "M' food ain't never gonna be safe again." But she nods to D'son, "Um, sure," when he indicates the chair. Cenlia chews her lip a little, however.
"They do tend to do that," D'son says agreeably and sets his plate and mug down, sits right after and curls an arm around his plate a little protectively. "Can't have my lunch, little girl," he tells the firelizard, looks up at Cenlia and winks. "How's things other than picking up lizards?"
Cenlia eyes her firelizard suspiciously, but the little gold flit only chirples at D'son, seeming content with just taking nibbles out of Cenlia's meatroll. The gardener girl chuckles and then shrugs, "Been alright. Got some new bulbs in the greenhouse. Just waiting to plant 'em. Mosta the damage from the storm's been cleared up. Still gotta figure out what to do with all them fallen branches." She shakes her head, grinning a little, "Figure I could build a treehouse maybe."
"Bulbs. Those make … tulip type flowers, right?" D'son asks curiously while digging up a bite of tubers and roasted herdbeast. "And yeah, it's starting to look better in general around the Weyr. A lot nicer. Darned storms," the Weyrleader says making a little face. "And great, I'll have to swing through, take a look." He beams at her, nodding. "Yeah, a tree house would be great or you know a bunch of little like, lodges in the garden. Kids could play in them."
"Yeah, tulips an' other stuff. Lotta flowers have bulbs, though I dunno if these ones'll grow here. Got 'em from South Boll. Lot warmer there. Wetter too." Cenlia muses, munching things from her own plate, though she leaves that one meatroll for the flit. The girl nods in agreement about the storm, "Yeah, heard it tore up the meadow pretty good. Shards, wouldn't wanna be out there if we get another one like that." She wrinkles her nose, adding, "Thought when I came here the worst I'd se was snow. Storm season in South Boll is pretty awful." The mention of kids has Cenlia grimacing, mumbling, "Mebbe in the playground…"
"I kind of thought Boll was dry except for the jungle parts?" D'son queries, brow wrinkling faintly. "Ista's wet," he notes with a laugh. "But it's not so bad here for cold. Could be a lot colder. Like … Telgar." He shudders visibly. "Spent some time up there at the smithcraft. Now /that/ is cold." He munches on his lunch a little more drinks some of his beer. "It did, boosh, big mess," the Weyrleader says with a shake of his head. "I'll be happy never to see a tornado again." D'son looks across the way with a bemused look. "Don't like kids?"
"M' uncle's orchard is right up next to the jungle," Cenlia nods, "Can get pretty humid." She tilts her head at the mention of Ista, asking, "I ain't gonna need a coat if I go there, will I?" But the girl is soon shaking her head and grinning, "Any cold is too cold for me. You was a smith?" There's another grimace, Cenlia muttering, "Sharding nuisances… kids're worsen' these things," and she pokes the little gold in the side, getting a chirp and some finger-nuzzles in the process.
"Oh yeah that'd do the trick," D'son says with a little whistle. "What kind of orchard? I knew he grew trees, but which fruits?" The Weyrleader eats and drinks a little more. "Nope, won't need a coat at Ista, will for between though if you're riding over." A laugh follows and Dels shakes his head. "No, not properly a smith, my grandfather is one and I lived with my grandparents for a couple of turns. I was going to apprentice but it … didn't work out." Further amusement colors Dels' face. "Yeah? What'd they do?"
"Brandy peaches," Cenlia's eyes sparkle with just the barest hint of mischief, a lopsided grin on her face, "An' apples too, but mostly peaches for brandy. Still got bottles from home, if ya ever wanna try some." Hey, she's boozed every bronzer she's met /except/ the weyrleader - about time she tried, no? The girl nods about the coat, and then makes a face, "Ugh, ya ever met X'hil's kids? Shardin' terrors. Had to do babysitting chores when I got searched. Would rather've been hauling manure."
"Oh wow, that must taste really good," D'son replies as he finishes off the contents of his plate and pushes it a little forward. There's a scrap or two of meat left here. "She can have those if she wants," the Weyrleader says about the bitlets, for the gold. "Not really, no," D'son says with a laugh. "Mostly I kind of see the weyr's kids running around in a group. I did babysit some when I was a candidate at Ista though."
"Best brandy in South Boll," Cenlia practically beams. She may be exaggerating just a little. "I could fetch a bottle if ya want?" the girl asks. The little gold flit does peer over at those meat bitlets when the plate is pushed forward, glancing back at Cenlia a moment before hopping over to nibble. "Greedyguts," Cenlia observes, grinning a bit at her firelizard, and glancing back at D'son saying, "Lucky the rest of 'em are off in the garden. Managed to scare that wherhandler… Kanta, pretty bad when they all came over at once. Shards, never seen anybody run off so fast," Cenlia snickers, "An' then she fell over that rider. Kinda figure she was a bit drunk though. 'Least the rider didn't mind."
"Sure, though you don't have to right now. Something like that though, could make a nice gift … I could buy a bottle or two off you?" D'son tilts his head a little, smiling at the girl. While the gold nibbles, he does reach over to scritch the little creature's head lightly. "The kids scared off a /wher/handler? That's a trip."
Cenlia grins at D'son, "Don't suppose you can make pastries? Was gonna trade a bottle for a tray of 'em, but then R'miel up and left." She sighs, but then looks thoughtful, "M' uncle sells 'em for a half- to a quarter-mark a bottle. Ain't got the really good stuff here, but it's still pretty decent," she ponders a moment longer, "Could bring back some from South Boll when I go." The little gold flit croons at the scritches, stretching her neck out toward D'son happily. Cenlia blinks a little, laughing, "Er, not the kids - the flits. Said she weren't scared, but the way she ran off," and she snickers.
"Cook? Uhhh no. I can .. um, catch fish though? And uh … make you a clock?" D'son rubs at the back of his neck a little, takes a healthy swig of beer. He and Cenlia sit at a table amongst others at lunch time. A mostly empty plate sits in front of the Weyrleader, scrap bits of meat being eaten by a small gold firelizard the Weyrleader is currently scritching lightly. Cenlia has a plate too, meatrolls. "Marks I do have and then you can use those to buy some pastries off of a baker," Dels points out with a grin then laughs again. "Ohhhh. Well that's even weirder. A wher-handler afraid of fire lizards."
M'nol enters, nearly running, face white as a sheet. He glances around, then b-lines for a bubbly pie before wandering, somewhat shakily towards Cen and D'son and muttering, "Cen… Weyrleader…"
Cenlia grins at D'son, "Marks work," and she laughs, "Dunno if Kanta was boozed or what." She pauses, as if considering something, "Actually, I ain't seen her since the gather, when that bronzer carried her off. Hunh." M'nol's greeting is returned with a wave and a, "Hey," Cenlia eyeing his face a moment and asking, "Y'alright?"
"You … have a lot of gossip on you," D'son tells the gardener with a grin. "Guess people do all kinds of things in those gardens," he says with a faint blush and ducks his head, swirls the remaining beer in his mug, looks up at M'nol's approach. "Hey M'nol. Good bubbly?"
M'nol sinks his teeth into the bubbly, eyes glancing back and forth, then over his shoulder, before he collapses into a chair, "I… I don't know… One minute I'm oiling Faraeth, next thing I know there's a white dragonpair walking through the woods. Scariest thing I've ever seen…"
Thea enters the Cavern for the first time today; apparently she has not been into the office yet. She's striding purposefully with her head down, ignoring any snickering she happens to hear as she makes a beeline for the klahpot. Mug in hand, she turns to slink towards the administration hallway. But that is before she spies a certain gardener seated with the Weyrleader. She changes direction and heads straight for them, sliding into a seat opposite Cenlia. "Afternoon D'son, Cenlia, M'nol."
Cenlia snickers at the mention of gossip, eyebrows rising as she catches sight of that faint blush, the gardener girl saying in agreement, "Yea, do all /kinds/ of things." More snickering. The girl's amused expression doesn't change at M'nol's words, the gardener glancing at him and asking, "Sombody explode a bag of flour or something?" It's Thea's appearance that has Cenlia looking suddenly for an escape route, making a small, strangled throaty sound when the weyrwoman sits down, and then hunching a little with a vaguely sheepish, "Um. Hey."
Blink. Blink. "What?" D'son says to M'nol, looking entirely dubious then laughs at Cenlia's possible explanation. "Heh, that'd be funny, flour-covered rider and dragon." Cen's reaction to Thea though makes Dels' brows go all quirky mcmuffins again then he looks up at the goldrider with a bemused grin. "Heya Thea …" because she's acting funny-ish too. "How's your morning been so far? Haven't seen you."
M'nol's face is still white, but the bubbly seems to at least be returning some energy to him. He shrugs, "Dunno… just was there, white thing bounding through the forest." He glances up with a smile when Thea approaches, then glances over at Cen and the noise she makes, then back at Thea, then at Cen. Finally he settles on a muttered, "Mornin' Thea…" before glancing back at Cen, "You okay?"
Thea raises a brow slightly at M'nol's mention of white dragons and there's a slow smile for the brownrider. "You eat some of Cenlia's cupcakes too?" The gardener herself receives a bland look. "Those cupcakes you made me had me feeling pret-ty fiiine, I'll have you know." D'son's question has her giving him an easy grin, "One of the best I've had in a long time." And no, she doesn't explain that. A side-glance at M'nol dares him to say something smart. Back to Cenlia, that smile fades to nonexistent as she pins the girl with a stare. Is that a hint of a… twinkle in the pale green of her eyes?
Cenlia Continues to hunch down, though her gold firelizard croons happily at the assembled people. There's a quick glance between D'son and Thea, the gardener girl mumbling a brief, "M' fine," to M'nol before finally looking a little sheepish and grinning innocently at Thea, "M' glad ya liked 'em. Er…" eyeflicker back to D'son, "Could ask Jeffin to make some more for ya sometime." Cenlia squirms.
D'son takes a swig from his mug and promptly chokes. White things in the forest. Funny cupcakes. Hunching gardeners. Coughing a few times, the Weyrleader looks around at the other three, clears his throat. "Glad to hear it, Thea. I've got some things for you to look over for the afternoon though. You'll be around?"
M'nol smiles a little, "I'm glad you're feeling better, Thea… Hope it's not just temporary…" He glances back at Cen, "You sure? You look like a cornered wherry on feast day." His brain's starting to rev up… any minute now he could say something he might regret… but that's half the fun.
Thea lifts her mug to sip her klah, never taking her eyes from the gardener for one second as she drinks and lowers it. "I think I'll pass, thanks." Her face changes as she gives Cenlia a grin, reaching across the table to tap one of her shoulders lightly, "Quit hunching. I knew they were booze-soaked before I ate them. Did it for you." The girl gets a wink before her eyes shift over D'son's way with a twinkling look. She refrains from making a smart remark, but it's there nonetheless, her lips twitching as she answers, "Going there now." M'nol's comment receives a blink, "Huh? Temporary?" Okay, so she's been wound tight since the hatching. "It's not," she assures him. See, she's smiling, relaxed. And those cupcakes have long since worn off.
Cenlia glances back at the weyrleader when he chokes, mumbling a, "Y'alright?" at him before wrinkling her nose at M'nol before grabbing a half-eaten meatroll from her plate to toss at him, "You're the sharding wherry." The toss meatroll doesn't make it though, as one of Cenlia's other flits, midnight-blue Rogue, dives down from somewhere above and snags it. Cenlia blinks, watching the flit flutter off toward the hearth, where two of her other firelizards are playing. The only one not in sight is brown Trouble, but Cen's not exactly eager to see /that/ one. The shoulder-tap has her jumping. A little. But looking sheepish, the girl grins back at Thea hesitantly. There's also more than a little relief in the gardener's expression. Whew, not in trouble this time.
All this back and forth leaves D'son just chucklilng quietly in his seat. "Booze soaked cupcakes … will wonders never cease," he murmurs lowly. Back up to Thea with a nod. "Good, good, nothing serious, just want your detail-oriented eyes on this thing I'm working on," the Weyrleader explains.
M'nol nods, "Well… that explains some things…" His smile for Thea is truly genuine, "Good. I've worried about you being down so much." Cen's comment earns a surprised look, "Since when?" He checks under his arms and down his back, "No feathers… not a wherry. Promise." He smiles and nods, then starts slightly as Bloodstone reappears from /between/ and lands on his shoulder, nuzzling the boy.
Other than a reflexive duck, Thea ignores flying food and diving firelizards. "You wanna hurt him, throw something more lethal than a meatroll, hmm?" That said to Cenlia as she returns the girl's grin. She lifts her mug, sips, eyes sliding D'son's way, crinkling with humor as her lips curve on the rim of the cup. There's nothing other than a slight nod in response, however, as she lowers it. She rises, pat's M'nol on the shoulder, "Thanks buddy. Time heals all wounds, eh?" With that she casually salutes the Weyrleader and heads off towards the administration hallway with mug in hand.
"Brandycakes with rum frosting," Cenlia grins at D'son, "Should really try some. Got this neat recipe." She glances at M'nol with a snort, and then laughs, telling Thea, "Yeah, but I ain't got any ale bottles." But the woman is already leaving, and Cenlia shakes her head, letting out her breath and mumbling, "Shards, guess Weyrwoman Niva knew what she was talkin' about."
"Huh. Well that does sound tasty, so long as it doesn't really mess with a person's head." D'son looks up at Thea and nods. "See you later, Thea." He doesn't catch Cenlia's mumble, but he does finish off his ale and stacks up his dishes. "Good luck with the garden Cen, I should go get back to work. M'nol, good talking to you and here's hoping no more flour-spattered people give you a fright in the forest." With that the Weyrleader rises with a nod to excuse himself.
M'nol nods, "See ya, Thea… D'son." He turns back to Cen, "You boozed her up? And didn't get in trouble for it? Well done. Looks like it helped, too." His eyes narrow, "What was Niva right about?"
Cenlia nods to D'son, raising a hand in farewell with a grin and a, "Later." To M'nol, she just grins, saying, "Kinda," and "Everything." The gardener girl also rises, her gold flit returning to her shoulder as she gets her dishes, muttering, "Should go find where Trouble's got to." And with another wave to M'nol he heads off, flits in tow.