Seaside Sounds
beach.jpg

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.


(…scene in progress…)

"I'd say that perhaps you'd be best served to have a small amount more tact with ladies, Kaitro." Dominic softly chides as he speaks to the young man who is seated next to him. The blind harper turns and gets his lute back out and begins adjusting the strings slowly.

Soriana's apparently found a bit of free time in her day, and so she's wandering down the stairs to the shore. She pauses near the base of them, looking around the beach to see who's there and what's going on, smiling somewhat as she observes and gives a few waves to those she recognizes.

Kaitro gives a roll of his shoulders, laughing. "Ah, who cares, plenty of fish in the sea, yeah. And who knows, who I might fish up. Besides, she called me a /boy/ and mocked me. I was just having a bit of fun. People are way too serious, they need to lighten up." Or, at least he thinks so.

"Ah, but still. No reason to be rude to someone when it's not needed." Dom pauses and tilts his head to the side. "Are there stairs nearby? I could of swore I heard someone walking down stairs." His fingers flick at his strings, twisting the nobs to adjust them slowly. "Well you are both younger than I."

Kaitro shrugs his shoulders, "She was rude to me first." Which makes it fair in his book. He wraps his arms about his chest, glancing over his shoulders. "Oh, it's one of the weyrwoman." He can't remember her name, but he does recognize her, lifting up an arm in order to greet her. "Still no need to call me a boy, especially when I provided my name."

Soriana wanders closer, pausing to talk to a few people along the way, then to observe the harper tuning his lute and nod to him and Kaitro. "Good day," she says to them, and smiles a little as she listens to the conversation. "Did you get hers?" she asks idly.

"Good Day Weyrwoman." Dom says in way of greeting as he raises his hand towards her in a way of greeting. "We did, yes." Dominic turns a bit to face the direction where the voice is coming from. "My young friend here took umbrage to the word boy.. but he forgets that a misunderstanding is not a cause for rudeness. It'll come in time, I am most certain." Dom says. "I'm Dominic, Dom for short. You are?" That same hand reaches sort of in Soriana's general direction

"She was rude first." He's going to stand by that excuse until it is the death of him, crossing his arms as if to make a point in doing so. "I gave her my name, I told her I was Kaitro, and she decided to call me boy instead. I think that is rude. Specially when I was nice enough to give her a nickname." Because Faranth was her name long.

"Well, that's good, then." Presumably, anyway. Because a name will… something? Soriana laughs. "If we were all rude just because someone else was, nobody would ever be polite. It's harder when someone else is rude, of course." She smiles. "Not everyone's up for the challenge." She takes a step and Dominic's hand, and smiles. "I'm Soriana. Nice to meet you!"

Dominic's hand squeezes Soriana's and he smiles warmly towards her. "And nice to meet you, Soriana. Would you care for me to play something?" He asks, motioning to his lute with his free hand before he recovers the one holding Soriana's. "It's always a pleasure to play for a Weyrwoman. They deserve the finer comforts of things when they can get them because it's far rarer for them to have, since duty is nearly their entire lives."

Kaitro wrinkles his nose as he's ganged up on, deciding to leave the discussion be and set his chin on his knees. You one this round! He chews on his lower lip thoughtfully and stands. "Well, I suppose I'll be polite and leave you two alone." Alone.

Soriana smiles. "Oh, there's no need for that, though thank you," she says to Dominic. "I'm here to see the beach, not make demands of people…" She looks to Kaitro, and lifts her brows a little. "…or to kick them out." She tilts her head. "I'm just passing through, after all."

"Why would you leave?" Dom asks, tilting his head to the side. "It's no problem. I was playing to no one earlier, ask Kaitro." He makes an amused expression at that. "Passing through to where? Are we not good enoooough!" That last bit is drawn out, morosely, absolutely hamified.

Kaitro waves his hand and then stuffs his hands back into his pocket, leaving the rock he'd brought with him where he dropped it. "Nah, it's okay. You two have fun." And then the youngster is trailing across the beach for finer pastures. Or, at least until the next bend.

Soriana tilts her head, watching as Kaitro departs. "Have a good day!" she calls after him, then slowly turns her attention back to the harper. "I'm sure you can play to the waves themselves, if you wanted. It's not like you'd have taken to the craft if you didn't enjoy it, right?" She smiles. "Oh, well… there are always places to go."

"Oh correct." Dominic says before he tilts his head at that. "Have a bit of a Harper's soul in you?" He wonders as he hmms. "Well if you'd like, why not dinner with a blind harper? Or a soak in the lake here whilst I play music? I do enjoy the company of fascinating people. It also allows me to know and feel safe." He admits.

Soriana laughs. "Hardly. But I've had enough harpers around to at least learn a thing or three." She smiles. "I suppose you'd be well-suited to playing important meetings, wouldn't you? If you can't see the secret paperwork…" She trails off, gives her head a shake. "But really, I can't imagine you'd get all that much from the company if you're busy playing the whole time."

"People talk." Dominic puts his lute away for the time being, managing to find his case and rest the instrument quite well. "And I can sense them nearby, sort of." A wry grin. "Please sit? I can tell you're still standing. And tell me what a Weyrwoman does in her spare time, besides finding new places to go?" He asks.

"People certainly do," Soriana agrees. "They say all sorts of things, really." She laughs. "I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk. Too much, really." A wry grin, not that he can see it. "New places are a fine thing to find - though really, this one's more an old familiar friend." She turns her head, looks along the shore. "As for time… between Weyr and family, there's little enough to spare."

"You have a family?" Dom sounds interested. "Do tell…and one of my hobbies is massage. My mother taught me both, being a Harper as she was…and in case I couldn't catch on in her trade I'd be useful for something and someone." He admits before going back to his first point. "Children and such?"

Soriana smiles and nods to Dominic's hobby and family, then laughs. "My weyrmate and I have a son. A turn… almost a turn and a half old." She grins. "He's grown a bit more every time I turn around, seems like." A turn with every turn!

"Oh boy, a son." Dominic grins. "Dangerous for a mother to have. Ask mine." Dominic snickers at that. "What's his name? I bet he's a handfull." Dom ponders. "I wonder how they get that energy…I hear them sometimes, in holds and weyrs… and they run and run.."

"Is that so?" Soriana asks with a crooked smile. "Any words of warning you care to share?" She tucks her hands behind her back. "His name's Skyler. I figure he gets his energy from between. It just sort of materializes there. Poof!"

"Oh, none that I know of. I don't have any children, mores the pity." Dom admits. "Many women are afraid because I'm blind. They think that I'm either no good in bed, or I'd pass on my blindness somehow." A snort there, derisive. "So," A shrug.

Soriana nods. "Oh, well, some people seem to have advice whether or not they've any personal experience to draw on," she says, then shrugs. "Well, perhaps some day you'll find the right one for you. Until then, at least you don't have to try to track the sound of running footsteps?"

"Ahaha, very true. Ah, I don't buy into the right one. I don't think we fit into such neat pegs as that. We're people, after all." Dominic says before he hmms. "Although, if you give them something creative, and possibly destructive to do, they might wear themselves out. I always hear things breaking around small children. I think they like that."

"And would you think you want to fall into bed with a wrong one?" Soriana asks teasingly. "Right doesn't mean the one and only. It just means… not wrong - because apparently you've only found the wrong so far!" She grins, then laughs a little. "I'd rather not have things broken. I mean, it's sometimes unavoidable, but if I can help it…"

Dominic laughs at that. "Are you calling me a tramp? Because that's what it sounds like…" Dom responds in kind, laughing some more as he speaks. "Well, true but I'm sure some small none important things could be sacrificed?" He asks, still chuckling over her ribbing. "I would say something about /goldriders/ but I'm too polite and pure.." He sits up straight as an arrow at this, lifting his chin.

"Am I?" Soriana asks. "You're the one who said you didn't believe in right." She smiles. "Oh… there are all sorts of sacrifices to be made. Important - or intentional - and otherwise." A laugh, and then she tilts her head to Dominic. "There are all sorts of things that could be said of goldriders. I've likely heard most of them already."

"Ah. Well I was going to say that Goldriders are really Greenriders at heart, but with far more ambition." A hand is quickly raised. "This is /not/ a bad thing, by anymeans. I just think it's in a goldrider's nature to…hide this part of their personalities, because it seems more 'proper' to be almost Lady Holderish." Dominic groans at /that/ thought. "For some reason."

Soriana continues to smile. "I've heard things along those lines, yes." She shrugs. "But really… we're people, aren't we?" A wry grin. "With all that means… which includes all the ways it makes it hard to categorize anyone, weyrfolk or holder or crafter."

"Very, very true. But people hold Goldriders to one standard, Harpers to another. It's very unfair to judge someone like yourself by a group stereotype" he admits. "And it's rather offensive to the person I am, and the person you are." Dom leans over and scoops his hand through the water slowly before getting an impish grin and tossing some in what he (hopes) is Soriana's general direction.

"And what standards to they hold Harpers to?" Soriana asks curiously. "I've never lived in a Hall, after all. Visited certainly, but…" she laughs. "It's hard to tell the truth of what they show visitors, sometimes." She just smiles when it comes to the person she is - or is talking to. The splash gets her haphazardly, off-center but adding a few droplets here and there.

"That we're rogues. Stealing hearts, stealing purses. That we spy and cheat and lie. Drink, carouse, chase women or men…" Dominic says. "I'm quite offended by all of that. I only do /half/ of those things." A 'huff' comes to Dom's throat but the grin is quite easily seen.

"And that's the standard, is it?" Soriana asks. "Me, I thought it was all about the melodies. Shows you what I know!" She laughs. "You know, I don't think I'll ask which half. Sometimes it's better to have plausible deniability!"

Dominic laughs a bit at that before he grins. "Ah melodies are easy, harmonies are hard. It's taking those melodies and merging them into one to create that perfect harmony. Like when your gold flies with a bronze for a flight. That sort of melody."

"I thought you didn't believe in there being a right one?" Soriana asks with a wry smile. "I may not be a harper, but I at least know that not every tune goes along with every other. Some of them sound like… well, like felines out for a night of fun!"

"Ahaha, well that depends of if you try to make parts fit together that don't." Dominic says. "Ah, but what right one? A gold doesn't stay with a bronze forever." Dom counters. "And most harpers know how to get the sweetest sound from any partner."

"And are you a bronze, then?" Soriana asks with her lips quirked in a smile. "Chasing everyone just in the hopes of catching one?" She gives her head a bit of a shake. "…I suppose harpers do practice in various ensembles."

"Ah no, I don't think I'm a dragon. No one's tried to ride me at least." he pats himself down. "No, no wings!" Dom says, grinning a bit impishly. "Quite. And I'm just…" A shrug. "Me."

"If you're not a dragon, then why are you using them as an example?" Soriana asks with a crooked grin. "You're a harper, after all. At least, unless you've changed since you first offered to play me a tune."

"Because you're a rider and I thought they'd play better with you." Dom says in turn before he laughs. "But I don't mind chasing golds, trying to find a right one…as I'm sure many of them don't mind the chase." He says, off handedly.

Soriana laughs. "I thought we were all just people and never mind what people said about us." She smiles crookedly, and when it comes to Dom talking about the right one, she gives her head a shake. "Well, so long as nobody minds."

"Well true, but trying to put my point through was easier in that frame of reference." Dom says, snickering as he can hear the grins in her voice. "Now, how would one find out if nobody minds? Does nobody mind, Soriana?" He asks.

"You'll just have to ask them, now won't you?" Soriana asks with a crooked smile. "Harpers are supposed to be good with their words." She tilts her head to the side. "Mmh. Well. I'm being called back to my work. It was interesting meeting you, Dominic." She starts to wave, pats his arm instead when she remembers, oh yeah, blind, then heads back off along the shore and back to her office.


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