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.
J'esh chuckles between bites. "Furgath and I are a bit of unique pair. Or at least that is what they 'all' say." He explains, which isn't really an explanation at all. "These are wonderful." He holds up a half-eaten biscuit. "My thanks to the cooks."
Mikal splits his own biscuit in half and procedes to fill it with different meats to make a sandwich. A large bit is taken and thankfully swallowed before he replies. "I'll tell the cooks. My foster parents work in the kitchens. I used to have kitchen duty lots and lots but not today cause I had lessons with the Masterhealer. I'm an apprentice." he brags a bit. "Furgath is a nice dark blue. I like that color a lot."
J'esh reluctantly finishes off the last bite of his biscuit, then leans back. "Oh yeah? I suppose that's how you knew it would be good." He chuckles. "And that explains the bandaging-if-needed bit. Enjoying your apprenticeship so far?" The bluerider crosses his arms and regards the boy. "Never had a craft, myself. I suppose I'm lucky I Impressed."
Lugging around a sand-filled pot is awkward. Hasn't stopped Soriana from doing a lot of it, these past few days. Fresh coals in the morning, and to Candidate lessons. Fresh coals before lunch, and she's late to lunch, then around to chores. Sometimes it's not quite possible to drag it with, and so she has to just leave it on a hearth and hope. At least Toral's there to keep an eye on things, right? The brown firelizard is currently sprawled over the mantel as Soriana returns, and she makes a line straight over that way to brush back sand and.. whew! Still just a rainbow-bright egg.
Mikal wrinkles his nose a bit. "It's a lot of studying right now. Not so much hands on but I suppose it's okay." says the younger boy. "Lucky? Naw, I bet Fury was just waiting for you to show you." movement catches his eye and he casts Soriana a speculative look. Just what is that girl doing? He's been so busy with his studies that he's had no time at all to pester her! Cramming the rest of his biscuit sandwich into his mouth he stands to meander her way. "Whatcha 'oing?" is asked around a mouthful of food.
J'esh hrms. "Never was good at studying either." He admits. "Weyrlinghood was enough for me, thats for sure." He raises an eyebrow at the girl rushing in, but then understanding dawns. He stands and follows Mikal, peering into the pot for a moment. "Close to hatching?"
Soriana turns to look at Mikal, and her expression is somewhat… awkward. Wait what? Since when does she look that way around him? She brushes sand back around the firelizard egg, though likely not before he's seen the coruscated colors of shell. Gotta keep it warm! Which it is, so she just rotates it so the other side faces the fire and so as to delay answering for a moment. "Well." Non-awkward way to say it? Nope. So! "Checking on my egg." She glances up to J'esh, and nods. "I think so…"
Mikal blinks. "You got an egg?" why yes, there's a slight jealous twinge to his tone that he tries to keep out. "Oh hey! When did you get searched??" he points accusingly to her white knot.
J'esh glances from the brown firelizard to the sand-covered egg, then raises an eyebrow. "But… he's a brown." He points out helpfully, apparently confused. "Last I knew, browns did-oh, nevermind. I'm an idiot." This last part is mumbled and he makes his way over to the serving tables to pour out a mug of klah and hopefully clear his addled head.
Soriana ducks her head for a moment. "Yeah," she says, then goes on quickly. "It was really weird, though, just like it showed up with my stuff. I don't even know who did it!" Because… anonymous gifts are so much better than named ones? J'esh's confusion gets a bit of a smile, but then she shrugs. "I dunno, really," she tells him. For all she knows, this is a clever ceramic imitation and she's just being made a fool of! …yeah, but probably not. Erm. Maybe a change of subject is what's called for. Oh, here's one. "Uhm, a couple weeks ago. Thea asked me to stand." She reaches down to fiddle with the egg-pot, oh wait, she was changing the subject away from that, try again. "Uh, I guess you've been busy with your apprenticeship, huh?"
Mikal spares another glance to the egg before dragging his eyes away from it with a muffled sigh of regret. "Yeah, even spent a few weeks at the Healer hall actually to meet some of the other apprentices. Thea asked ya huh? Well…congrats then. And g'luck."
It's rather hard to miss Mikal's sigh. Soriana frowns for a moment, because really, shouldn't she… after all, she's already got a firelizard, and even if it's oh-so-pretty… no, but she can't. This was a gift, even if she doesn't know from who. Maybe that's just an excuse, but… this one is hers, even if that makes her greedy or mean or whatever. "If I ever find a clutch, I'll give you first pick, okay?" she says, and gives the egg a final adjustment before rising to her feet. It doesn't seem likely to hatch /just/ yet. Toral hops onto her shoulder, and she gives him a scritch. "Thanks," she tells Mikal. "It's kinda weird, 'cause there's Yumeth and Auspiraeth there on the sands… nobody's quite sure if we're candidates for both or what." She shrugs a little, and Toral spreads his wings for balance. "Healer Hall, huh? Must've been neat, I've never been."
Mikal shakes his head a bit. "Thanks…I think it's pretty you got gifted an egg. I'm still hopeful that I'll find a clutch someday!" his perkiness returns a bit. "Oh yes, I seen the two clutches. How crazy is that? I'll be cheering for you when the hatch. What else did I miss while I was away? I missed being here and boy is it good to be back! Even if it is winter. Oh yeah, it was really neat. I met this one kid from Fort Weyr. He was a bit of a bully. Likes to fight a lot like I used to when I was younger. Harder to fight now cause I'm just too busy! He got into some serious trouble though when he got caught in a nasty prank. He was sent back home." there's a certain smugness to his tone that makes one question if that's the full story or not.
J'esh returns, mug in hand, just in time to hear Soriana's comments. "Ah, yes, what a fickle." He says sadly, tsk-tsking. "Five eggs, none of them too… healthy looking, so I hear. Who knows if they will even hatch. Our thanks for the loan of the sands, though." He winks, taking a sip as Mikal tells of his trip.
"Well, it's just a good thing the sands are working again!" says Soriana, then glances back at J'esh as he returns. Erp! Maybe she shouldn't be talking about how close they came to failure. "We're glad to help!" Yeah, that'll do. She nods to Mikal's story… with a slightly raised eyebrow around that prank but she doesn't press it. "Hah. I still think the mudpuddle in the barracks the other day was someone's prank. The thing was huge." A grin and a shake of her head. "Reanor fell in it. He's a candidate, and so're Kale, and Idrissa, and Wakua. Tsenik was, but then he changed his mind 'cause he'd rather have flowers than dragons." Weirdo, says her tone of voice, and she glances back to J'esh. "I'm sure the dragonhealers will do what they can."
"Mudpuddle eh?" Mikal sounds impressed at the possibility of a prank being pulled. "Well…sounds like they got enough candidates eh?" jealous? Maybe a little. He's having a hard time keeping it from his tone. "Oh!" he says to J'esh. "I do hope they hatch. Can't the dragonhealers ensure they do?"
J'esh has been looking around, but at the sound of one name, he focuses solely on Soriana. "Tsenik… isn't a candidate anymore?" He asks with a sort of confused surprise. "I wonder if he ever spoke to A'dmar…" He daydreams for a moment before shaking his head as if to clear it. "Hm? Oh, well, not always." He nods at Soriana. "They will do what they can." He agrees with conviction.
"Well, I saw a couple blueriders headed out earlier," Sori says to Mikal. And, as everyone knows, blues are the best dragons for search. "There'd be enough for Yumeth's, but with Auspiraeth…" Not to mention candidate attrition! Like Tsenik. "That's what I heard," she tells J'esh. "Just gossip, but he wasn't at the lessons today." A shrug, and then she nods. "Yeah, Xanadu's the best place they could be!"
Mikal quickly glances towards the exit as if expecting to see a sudden bluerider just walk right up to him. Naturally it doesn't happen but a cute girl does walk in just at that moment so he takes a quick moment to watch her until he looks quickly away. "Yeah…I can't believe Tsenik would just step away from that kind of chance." he does seem genuinely baffled by that. "Well I hope they hatch. That'd be awful if they didn't."
J'esh shakes his head a bit. "Hard to believe, but I've met the lad, and he really is passionate about flowers." That said, he cranes his neck to look at something behind Soriana. ""Ah, Headwoman!" He calls, then gives the teens a lopsided grin. "Excuse me, will you? Duties." He puts his mug down and hurries off towards the woman.
Soriana has no answers for Mikal. It's just as weird to her! She nods to J'esh's comment. "He really is," she agrees, then nods to his departure and gives a wave. Her eyes go down to her smaller egg for a moment, and there's a trace of worry. What if she did something wrong with it and now it won't hatch either? She frowns, then gives herself a little shake and looks up again. "Yeah. I saw a dead baby dragon once. It's… pretty awful."
Mikal shivers a bit and looks around as if trying to figure a way to change the subject. "So!" he says in an overly cheerful tone. "What kinda stuff do you gotta do for candidancy? You mentioned lessons?"
"Yeah, lessons!" Yeah, change of topic! "Mornings're lessons. Geography and history, mostly, and like… how to address a holder or a wingleader and that sort of thing. Once a sevenday it's about dragons, but it's all really basic stuff so far. Like… they spent a whole class tellin' us why you gotta oil. I guess it's for the ones that were from holds, 'cause they don't know any of that." She shrugs. "Then, afternoons, crafters can keep on doin' their craft stuff, and everyone else gets chores like usual… only more of them, and I think they assign the nastier ones to the candidates on purpose." Soriana makes a face.
Mikal ooohs a bit. "Why to oil's fairly easy." but then he's been in an out of weyrs a lot of his short life. "Geography? Really?" he seems interested in that subject. At least a little. "Oh ick! Nasty chores are no fun. Can you get help doing them? That would at least make the icky chores go by faster."
Soriana nods her own (totally biased) agreement about how easy to understand oiling is. "Yeah, it's mostly been like that. There was one about how fast dragons grow that was kinda neat 'cause they had this set of diagrams… and it was funny how shocked some people looked." She grins. "Yeah, geography. 'Cause whoever impresses, they'll have to know it for navigating from the air. So, lots of maps… like, they'll show us just the outlines and we have to write in all the holds." Or at least the major ones. After impression, new weyrlings get to discover they had it easy during candidacy! "Yeah, you can get help or trade them around, unless it's for punishment. I had to take the kitchen compost out the other day, and I wish somebody /had/ been on punishment, 'cause it sucked."
Mikal mmhmms. "A chart of their growth sounds interesting. I've known a few weyrlings before but I wasn't like with them everyday so when I did get to visit with the new dragons it was amazing how much they grew from that last time I seen 'em." "Ewww, kitchen compost. I had to do /that/ four nights straight one time." he doesn't mention /why/ he had to do it so many nights straight. He scuffs his feet idly against the floor. "Do they know how much longer 'till the eggs hatch?"
The fact that kitchen compost is one of the go-to chores for when punishment is needed… can just go unspoken for now. "I've just got clearing the beach steps today, and that'll be easy." As long as it doesn't snow! "Maybe I'll go see the weyrlings after that. It's been a bit since I've seen Aisuohkoth… and she's just a green but it's still amazing sometimes how she grows, gold'n bronze are something else." She glances out as if she can see through the walls to the hatching sands, and hmms. "Well, Yumeth's got a month or two, I think… and Auspiraeth's a bit behind her."
Mikal pffts. "Greens are better than the bigger dragons for lots of stuff." he's a tad partial to the smaller female it seems. "Ooh, a month…" a pause. "Or two. It'll go by faster than you think." he says excitedly.
"I like Aisuohkoth," Soriana says, as if there was never any doubt. "She's fun, and so's Jessi. And green's more exciting to ride." Which probably explains Mikal's preference; he is, after all, a boy. She grins. "It feels like forever ago and yesterday I got searched. And like it'll be forever and ever or… it could be tomorrow. I just hope we get to do egg touches soon!" Rubbing her firelizard egg… just isn't the same.
Mikal is totally into the more exciting dragon to ride. "I've been keeping up on my runner lessons too. I'm getting better!" which isn't really hard since he wasn't all that great to begin with. "Ooh egg touchings will be super fun I bet." he casts on more longing look to the pot of sand and the egg he knows is hidden within it's depths. Then he spins quickly and heads to grab some juice. After gulping down one whole cup as fast as he can he remembers some form of manners and asks. "Would you like me to pour you some juice?"
"Rissa'll be glad to hear it!" says Sori with a grin, then nods. "Yumeth's been really anxious about her eggs, but I think she'll come around." Think, hope, same thing right? She rises to her feet and gives the pot another little nudge towards warmthland before following after Mikal. But what? Manners, from Mikal? She gives him a considering look. He really is starting to grow up, isn't he? Huh. Okay, mannersland it is! "Yes, please."
Mikal inclines his head. "Oh sure. Beside her rider will help convince her that the eggs can be looked at closer and touched." or so he hopes. He tries to sound like he is more knowledgeable on the subject than he really is. Manners may be slow in coming in the lad but he is indeed maturing a bit more every month or so! He even reaches for a clean glass to pour her some juice. "Still cold too." he comments. Which really since it's winter it's not too overly hard to keep the juice cold in the pitcher. That nicety done, he grabs for some meatrolls and crams one into his mouth hungrily. Yes, he's hungry again despite eating a full plate of food within the last hour.
"Yeah, my mom's working on her," agrees Soriana, then takes the glass with a, "Thanks," and a largeish sip. "On to arguin' with Yumeth she's got to let the rest of the candidates in too, I guess." She grins, and reaches for a cheesebun herself. Food good! Her eating is only modestly more dignified than Mikal's, on account of, well, she's hungry.
Mikal is always hungry. No doubt he's gonna grow several inches soon. He casually leans against the table, chewing the remainder of his meatroll before starting on on the cheesebun he grabbed. Clearly he thought that one was a good idea that Soriana had. For several minutes conversation suspends while the two eat.
Sips of juice are alternated with cheesebun - also with a meatroll, 'cause hey, maybe Mikal was on to something there. Soriana didn't realize quite how hungry she was until the bit where she started eating. Okay, there. That should do it for now. From somewhere across the caverns, there's a loud cough, and Sori hehs. "Have they started getting winter colds in the infirmary yet?"
Mikal's head swivels to the sound of the cough. They've been covering this a /lot/ lately in classes since it's winter time and all that. "Yeah. I was in the infirmay yesterday with the Master healer. There were 10 cases of winter colds reported to him yesterday alone!" Mikal seems astounded. "I still miss the winters in Ista though to be honest."
"I don't want to get sick this winter," says Soriana, not that the wishes of the patient tend to have anything to do with it. "Are there really winters in Ista? Or is it just like… warm and less warm?"
Mikal shakes his head. "Of course you don't want to be sick. Would a weyrling even look at you if your sick? Surely not!" he's a little misinformed perhaps. "No snow." he says quickly. "Just not as warm and muggy. Which I'll take over this snow and ice anytime!"
"Depends how sick," argues Soriana, but never mind that, how can she properly enjoy this experience if she's even a little sick? "I got some tea, though, it's supposed to be good for not gettin' sick." A shrug, and she'll see how it manages, but… "No snowball fights? No snowdragons?"
A faint puzzled expression crosses his features. "Snowball fight? Snowdragons?" clearly these are foreign ideas to him!
Soriana blinks, as though Mikal has just admitted he doesn't know what 'candy' is. Or like she did when that one holdbred kid asked if dragons really could stand on the clouds. "Yeah! Like-" How do you even explain it? It's such basic knowledge! "Snowdragons, like in sand, only snow's way better, kinda like clay." Only not, 'cause it's snow. "Or snowball fights, like… with seaweed. Only not as yucky, unless it melts inside your pants."
Dragons can too totally stand on clouds…or is it they can carry clouds. Something like that. Mikal tries to understand what Soriana tries to explain. "Like in…sand?" he questions a moment then a lightbulb goes off. "Oh! Like building a sand weyr." a pause. "In the sand." naturally. "I don't throw seaweed balls. Though there /is/ this one time I filled a pillow case up with it and then I…" he stops. "Well nevermind that. Can you show me how to make a snowball?"
Definitely like building a sand weyr! Soriana nods with vigor. "Yeah, like that! But in the snow." Clearly. "Well, snowballs are more fun anyhow, even if you don't throw them at anyone." …because of course a well-behaved candidate would only throw snowballs at trees or rocks, not at anyone else. "Sure, it's not hard." Glug goes the rest of her juice.
"Alright then." he too downs the remainder of his juice before crossing over to where his jacket is resting on the back of a chair. He slides it on and pulls the hood up. "Ready."
Soriana gathers her jacket and gives her egg a final triple-check and a lurking brown - who also gets a scritch and a piece of meat. How did she ever manage to hatch him, without a firelizard to watch? Oh yeah, she wasn't a candidate back then, and she could just spend the whole day reading by the fire and watching an egg-pot with bated breath. Jacket, gloves, both of them rider-style, and a round knitted hat to go with. "Well, c'mon then!" she says, and leads the way outside.
Xanadu Weyr - Clearing
//A wide clearing stretches from east to west, the ground packed hard although grass grows across most of it. Trees are strictly forbidden in this space, their danger to the constant draconic traffic reason enough to banish them to the forest that creates a border to the north. Where the ground is less trampled, tiny flowers poke their delicate heads out from their shaded hiding places with upturned petals to wave to whoever may be looking.
The cliff looms imposingly on three sides, stretching upwards all the way up the side of the rock edifice where, high above on Xanadu's Star Stones, the ever-present watchdragon sits on the lonely peak. Directly south is the hatching arena, the large round complex taking up a large portion of the perimeter, a line of trees visible beyond it. Southeast are wide steps leading up to the caverns and eastwards is the large entrance to the Infirmary. Somewhat north of the infirmary is a human-sized archway that has a frequent quantity of traffic — it leads to the Wandering Wherry Tavern. Tucked neatly under the arch, to one side is a tiny wood-frame shop bearing the name 'Petals and Pots Garden Shop'. Southwest lies cliffs where windows for the administrative offices have been cut. Underneath them are the entrances to the crafters complex and the resident's cavern while north and west along the cliff's base, a broad path leads to the feeding grounds. Due north is the spacious trail that leads to the rest of the Weyr - the meadow, the forest beyond.//
Mikal pulls out an old pair of gloves from one of the pockets within the jacket and tugs them on as he follows along behind the older girl.
It's cold outside, but not horribly so, and while the major paths have been cleared and trampled often enough that they're just sludge, there's decent snow off to the sides. Soriana leads the way to one such spot, and crouches down to scoop up a handful of snow. "This isn't great snow, too dry, but…" she starts packing it together, moving it between her hands like she's rolling a meatball. Snowball. Same diff.
Squatting down in the patch of decent snow, Mikal scoops up a handful with a dubious expression. "Too dry?" he questions as if unable to see why dry snow would make it not great snow. Still though he copies her moves the best he can though his attempts keep crumbling as he puts a little too much pressure on the snow.
"Yeah." Soriana pats and turns, pats and turns, until the snowball takes shape. "It doesn't shape right." Once she's got a satisfactory sort of ball, she extends her fingers for a moment to display it resting on her palm, then lobs it at the side of the cliff. Paff! Now there's a white spot.
Mikal scowls a bit as he tries several more times before actually crafting a ball that stays together and looks like…well a ball shape. "Aha!" he shouts out happily. He follows Soriana's example and lobs it waaay out there to fall…well three feet short of where her's splotched into.
Soriana grins. "There ya go!" she says, ignoring the fact that it didn't fly nearly so well as hers. Details! She scoops up another handful of snow, starting to shape it. "If you build one around a chunk of ice, it throws better, but then you really can't throw it at anyone."
Mikal winces a bit. "Except at your enemies. Maybe." he says cheerily as he reaches for more snow to try. For fun he piles up several snowballs around him. Ammunition. "I bet it would be fun to throw to the dragons and see if they can catch them in their mouths."
Soriana smirks slightly. "Yeah, well." Enemies beware! She tosses snowball from hand to hand, little bits of it flying off with each impact. "Dragons cheat at snowball fights," she says with a grin. "Just a swipe of the tail, and they've got you covered in snow." A shake of her head, still grinning. "Catch's fun, though. Dragons get that it's just snow, but canines don't. Asher gets soooo confused, like, where'd the ball go?… it's pretty funny."
Mikal sits down on his bottom, stretching his legs out to start covering them in snow. Hey, he's done it with sand. Snow's just a bit colder right. "Ooh, a trail tail of snow in the face. That'll getcha I bet." he says with enthusiasm. Clearly he wants to see this done to someone. "Ha! I bet that's funny to watch with Asher."
Just a bit colder, oh and also it melts. Soriana tosses the snowball again, higher and higher with each toss. "Oh, it will. We decided she was the winner of that particular battle. No doubt about it." She grins, and nods about Asher… then sighs. "I can't really take Inkfoot out in the snow, though. Tunnelcats can catch cold too easy."
"Or he could totally get lost out here if the snow's deep enough." Mikal ventures a guess to that. With his legs buried (and soon to be numb no doubt), he keeps on making and tossing snowballs across the way.
"Aww, he's smarter than that," says Soriana. "He'd just dig himself a burrow and run around underneath." Maybe. Ish. "Anyway, he's… fostering." Yeah, that's what she'll call it, with him being away because she can't have him in the candidate barracks. She watches Mikal with his snowball-tossing, and throws hers after his, aiming for one of the splut-spots.
Mikal blinks. "Fostering." Confusion reins a moment until he comprehends. "Ah! Like I'm fostering." this he can understand. Totally. Slowly his tosses get better with one of his snowballs colliding with hers mid-air. He gives a toothy grin at that.
Soriana nods. Totally like that. When the snowballs collide in mid-air, she laughs. "Nice one." She scoops up another handful of snow, but this one, instead of making a snowball with, she just holds in her palm for a moment before setting it back down and starting to construct a mound. Sculpture time!
Mikal looks impressed indeed at his snowball collission. However with his short attention span he quickly tires of tossing snowballs. He hops up with a brr as snow falls free from his buried legs.
Soriana continues mounding up the snow, making a lumpy sort of snow creature. It keeps crumbling, though. Too dry. She sighs after a while, then laughs at Mikal's shiver. "You've still got some stuck to you," she points out.
Mikal stomps around a bit trying to get the clung on snow off his legs. With this stomping he trips and stumbles across her lumpy snow creatures.
Lumpy snow guts are strewn across the landscape. So much for those critters. "Hey, watchit!" goes Soriana, and she scoops up a snowball to throw it at Mikal's back. Vengeance will be hers!
Mikal stuuumbles and….manages to stay on his feet with a few arm pinwheels. "Aiee!" he brings his arms up to block but the snow's coming from behind so it's a futi gesture. Quickly he bends to scoop snow and hastily craft a ball. "It was an accident!" so sayeth the boy with half frozen legs. The hastily crafted ball gets lobbed over towards Soriana.
Idrissa is making her way on out from teh caverns, Willow her little green firelizard is settled upon her shoulder an lets out soft unsure little chirps and chitters at all this cold looking white watery stuffs! "It's alright Willow, this is snow!" Rissa said with a happy smile as she continues onwards, her jacket pulled around her a bit more. As of yet she doesn't catch the two doing the snowball fight!
Suuure, but how did those legs get frozen in the first place? "So you claim!" Soriana retorts, though her tone is playful and has no trace of actual offence. She ducks sideways so as to only take a snowball to the shoulder instead of anywhere more deadly, and scrabbles up the torso of a poor doomed snowbeastie to throw right back at Mikal!
"Tis true!" Mikal calls out in his defense. It's a well thought out defense. Really. Two words! "Hey I hit ya….oompf!" he gets snow in the mouth. Splutting a bit he dives sideways as he throws another snowball in Soriana's general direction which actually ends up flying waaaaay off target.
Idrissa blinks at the voices and peers around until she catches sight of the two playing in the snow? "Hey Soriana, Mikal." She calls out o the two, a wave even offered though she ponders not getting too close!
Too close? Within a dragonlength is already too close. But, given that Idrissa's already more or less here, it's too late for that now. Soriana laughs, and gets up with a brushing away of snow. Serene. Dignified. Because she totally won this battle and made Mikal eat snow, which is like crow. Not that she feels the need to crow about it. "Hey Rissa," she calls back instead, and scuffs a foot through the snow to nudge her other fallen snowbeast. "I'll make a better one later, anyway."
We did mention his short attention span right? Already slightly bored of simply throwing balls of snow around at Soriana, Mikal now scuffs around with both feet in the snow. "Heya Idrissa!" he waves as the other girl is spotted.
Idrissa chuckles softly as shew atches the two still and moves on over towards where Soriana is. "So Soriana won huh?" She questions with a grin. Willow chirrups out from her shoulder perch and inches closer to her humans neck, even hiding under her hair to try and stay warm. A soft oh esacpes Rissa. "Maybe I should make you a jacket or something Willow.." Wouldn't that be a sight?
Soriana laughs, and shrugs. Her toe gives another nudge to the snowbeast. "We'll see next blizzard." Not that Xanadu often gets what would be properly called a blizzard. Not like Fort or High Reaches or such. She smiles at Willow, and gets a distant look for a moment as she checks in with her own firelizard, lounging on the mantel and keeping an eye on an egg.
Mikal snorts. "I /guess/ you can say she won but really it wasn't about wining or anything." says the younger boy haughtily. "Oh! Grats on being a candidate and all that." he states to Idrissa. The green lizard gets a brief jealous look.
Idrissa lifts her hand and takes hold of her green firelizard softly and undoes her jacket enough for Willow can scramble into it and just her head pokes out, she coooos out, happy lizard! She smiles and nods. "Thanks Mikal… It's a great honor. Hope I can do alright."
"Really, the snow won," says Soriana. "Always does." She grins, and gives herself a bit of a brush. "You'll do fine," she tells Idrissa, then hmms. "I'm gonna do my step-sweeping now, get it over with. Y'can come keep me company if you want." With that, she turns to go get the big-bristled broom suited for the task.
Mikal is cooold. "I think I'm going in. My legs are sooo cold!" hmm, wonder why that is. "Im sure you're both gonna go fine! Just watch out for hungry hatchlings lest they eat your arm or something." with that cheerful warning he heads off out of the cold.
Idrissa chuckles as she hears Mikal and waves after him. She blinks at the 'eating your arm bit' he leaves her with and smirks. "Oh funny so funny.." This said with an amused tone as she follows after Soriana.
Soriana cannot imagine in the slightest why Mikal's legs are cold. She's very unimaginative. Also she has a bad memory. She waves to him as she returns, broom in hand. "Okay, seeya!" she says, then laughs. "Remember. Gravy is not an acceptable perfume," she adds to Idrissa, and makes her way along to the stairs to start sweeping them clean of the sand, snow, and other debris they've accumulated. At least there's no fresh snow, and the winter's reduced the number of people heading beachward. Though, really, compared to the compost duty? Nothin' to complain about at all.
Idrissa harhars as she hears Soriana and smirks. "Oh so funny. I'll make sure not to spray any herdbeast scent on you then." This said with an amused tone. Willow chirrrups out from her snuggled warm spot.
Soriana grins, and nods. "Right then, we have a deal!" she says. Sweep, sweep, sweep. Okay, this is rather on the boring side. So, uhm… "What'd you think of the lesson today?" Yeah, okay, not exactly excitement, but it's better than sweeping!
Idrissa chuckles and smiles before looking around, broom is found and grabbed and she goes about helping her friend with the sweeping! "Wasn't bad.. Give somene stuff to think about. I kept having to poke Kale to stay awake."
See, the company was enough, but help? Soriana grins wide. "Thanks," she says, and continues her sweeping, then laughs. "I didn't think it was /that/ boring…" she says, and shakes her head. "I guess he's going pretty hard, though, trying to get a full smithcraft day in even with the lessons."
Idrissa grins and nods while she continues to sweepsweepsweeep. "Well I didn't think so either. But it is Kale. He burns the candle at both ends to much." Someone has been dealing with a few aunties lately it seems!
Soriana hmmms. "Nah, that's not smithery enough. He-" Ponder, sweep, ponder. This really does go faster with two people! "-melts the ingot at both ends."
Idrissa blinks and laughs out softly before nodding. "Alright, good point there." She says while sweepsweeping a bit more before pausing to look over. "Looks bout done to me."
Soriana grins, and pushes a final bit of sandy slush off to where it belongs. "Yeah, I think that'll do." She looks to Rissa, and grins. "Race you back to the top?" she asks, then leaps into motion, carrying her broom like a large and unwieldy lance!
Idrissa chuckles and grins while she follows after Soriana. "Hey! You so got a head start!" She calls out while following after her friend. Willow chitters out as she gets bounced around from the running.
Soriana so did. She's a cheating cheater at cheatmas! "Nuh-uh!" She laughs, running up the steps two at a time. Sometimes three, when she can manage it. So very lucky there isn't ice on them right now. "Come and get me!" Leap, bound, nearly at the top!
Idrissa grins while she follows after Soriana, catching up to her ratehr quickly. Luckly there is no ice of this would be a rather painful gave of 'chase' for them. She reaches out with the brush bit of her broom and tries to 'tap' Sori lightly at her shoulder.
Aaaaand whump! Soriana stumbles a bit, but quickly recovers, laughing. She spins around, brandishing her own broom at Rissa with a wigglewaggle of bristles! "Gasp! You've caught me now."
Idrissa pauses and nearly slides down on her knees there for her trouble. She blinks and eyes her friend, a slight oh escaping her and she grins. "So.. I win then?"
Oh hey now, actual winning? Soriana hmmmmms for a long moment, considering on that. "We-e-ell," she says, and tilts her head to the side. "I suppose. Just this once." She grins.
Idrissa grins, a soft laugh escapes her. "yay!" She offers with an amused tone and Willow coooos out happly, happy imagens are even send to her person while her eyes swirl.
Soriana grins, and ruffles at the shoulder that isn't occupied by a firelizard. "C'mon, let's put these away, and then we can go something hot to drink. I mean, get you your reward for glorious victory."
Idrissa nods at this and follows after Soriana. "Sounds like a great plan to me!" She offers out with a happy tone. "Anything going on with that egg of yours?" Might as well ask!
"I checked it right before I came out with Mikal," says Soriana as she goes and puts the broom away. "It still looks close, but I dunno just how close it is, y'know? Like if it's going to hatch today, or tomorrow, or… not until next week or something!" Oh the waiting! It is so difficult! "I've got Toral watchin' it now. He says that it's fine. Well, mostly he says it's warm and he's comfy, but…" Firelizards!
Idrissa tilts her head and nods, a soft chuckle escapes her. "Not that I know anything about that. Sorry.. I mean everything with Willow was all suddenly an stuff after all." Willow chitters, yes, yes it was! Rissa grins at the 'comments' from Toral. "Sounds rather firelizard like to me!"
Soriana laughs, and nods. "Yeah. I think the firelizard queens know, like dragons do, but… that doesn't much help me. And it's not like Toral really knows either, just what he saw when Willow and Alloy hatched. So…" She trails off, and shrugs. "I've just gotta keep an eye on it, I guess." Speaking of, she turns back toward the caverns.
Idrissa nods slightly while she follows along next to Soriana. "Ya that is true.. Sexy seemed sorta interested in her eggs hatching, and then that gold from the other night was interested in your egg." Willow cooos out from her place still cuddled into her perosn's coat.
Soriana nods, heading inside. Yay, warmth! "Well, golds're the ones with all the maternal instincts and… stuff." Especially the stuff, yes. Sori's eyes go first to the hearth and the egg-pot. Still there, still undisturbed. Toral is still being lazy on the mantel. All is well.
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.
Stuff, stuff indeed! Idrissa nods while she follows along. Once within the cavern Willow wiggles free from the jacket and flutters on over towards where Toral and the egg-pot an be found. CHirrrrup!
Toral sits up and chirps a greeting to Willow, sliding over to make room for the green. Soriana grins, and heads over to investigate the hot drink possibilities here. Hmmm… right. Cider it is. After all, this is to celebrate Idrissa's victory!
Idrissa watches as Willow goes to join Torl and follows along after Soriana for the warm drink! "Maybe they have some cheese rolls or something.."
"Hey now, how am I supposed to serve you for your victory if you follow me?" asks Soriana, and hands the mug over to Rissa. Hmph! Now, what's this about cheesebuns? "They did before. I'll go check. You go sit down." She waves a hand to Idrissa, sending her toward the nice warm fire. The warmth and comfy couch is incidental; Sori just doesn't want to be too far from that egg of hers!
Idrissa blinks..and ohs before chuckling and nods before heading on towards the fireplace and settles down upon the couch then! "Alright.. Gee.. This sure is /nice/." She offers with an amused tone. Willow bounces around a few times before settling himself down to peer at the egg, coocooo?
"Well yeah!" Of course it's nice. "That's genuine Xanadu cider. Hand-warmed! Elegantly presented!" The mug is green, and a little lumpy. Sort of like a squashed toad. "And a luxurious setting!" Yep. It's the couch. The same ol' couch. It smells faintly of wet wool, this time of year. Majordomo Toral spreads his wings and chirps to Willow, and the egg… is silent. Aww. Before long, Soriana arrives with an exquisite delicacy to tickle the senses. Which is to say, a cheesebun and a couple sesame cookies on a plate.
Idrissa grins and nods to Soriana while she peers over at the fireplace and then oon while she snags hold of the cheesebun. "Thanks Sori." She offers with a smile and takes a bite from it. Willow chirrups and stretches out while eyeing that egg, someone is curious!
More than one someone! Sori glances at the egg and the firelizards near it, and hehs as she settles back onto the couch and holds out the plate. It's almost dinnertime, after all… what better time to ruin your appetite with cookies? Well, and a cheesybun. Can't forget that.
Mikal is all warmed up! Well mostly. He did have to trudge though the /blizzard/ but he's here now and nothing will coax him to leave now. Especially so close to mealtime. Hanging up his coat he meanders ever so casually to peek in on the pot of sand. IF it were to accidentally hatch /right/ now it would be a shame if he caught the hatchling…yes? No,not really but the kid can dream can't he.
Brrr! How fickle Mother Nature tends to be! An hour before, ka-el was admiring the flakes of snow while shoveling coals outside. Now, he's ducking for cover as the grey skies suddenly decide to dump their heavy load of snow upon Xanadu, complete with an icy wind! It's a hunched over Kale that arrives in the Caverns next, his leather jacket pulled tight and a wool cap snugly on his head. He stamps off snow from his boots and shivers soundly befoer stepping further in, still looking like a hunchback, as if hiding from the chill! "Soup…they've /got/ to have soup today. Pleeease let there be soup. Stew. Anything.." Shiver!
Idrissa doesn't have a problem eating something now, and then eating dinner later! She shifts and leans back upon the couch while munching on the cheesybun. Movement is heard and she glances around curiously waving over to Mikal and then catches sight of kale while blinking a moment. A soft laugh esacpes her. "Looky, it's a snowKale.. Be quiet or he may run off.."
Seriously, blizzard! How did that happen? Sori just finished getting the steps swept, and then a blizzard had to go and blow up and ruin her progress. There wasn't any sign of it when she and Rissa got here, honest! She peers out at the storm each time the door opens to let someone in, and sighs. Her chore! The steps! But there's no way she's going out in that right now. Besides, it's practically suppertime, and that means chores are over for the day. Yeah, okay, even being optimistic she doesn't think the candidate coordinators will buy that, but she can at least wait until after the storm's blown over. Getting lost in the snow would not be helpful here. She might turn into her own personal snowbeastie! Not happening. She does, however, get up and head over to greet Kale with a mug of hot cider, seeing as how she hasn't drunk any of hers yet. Oh, look! Here's Mikal's chance. If the egg starts to tremble, he'll be ready and she won't! After all, what do firelizards care for the plans of humans?
Mikal slooows down and takes baby steps. Baaaaaby steps…"Did the sand move?!" he asks excitedly but alas there's not really any movement. With a sigh of sadness he drifts on to fill a plate of sweetbuns or something else not very healthy for him.
Kale is so miserable he isn't even aware of where he's going. Is he heading to the kitchen for food? To a table? Maybe for the fire, which likely would be his best choice? He's not sure, nor is he thinking about it. He's a heat type. Not a cold type. Cold makes him…well, like this! Unaware and distracted. Shivery and distracted. Mumbly and…distra- huh? His eyes are set down, and thus he gets a grand view of shoes that causes him to stop. He blinks up, and now there's a steamy mug of something wonderful looking in his view. He brightens. "You're amazing," he says as he reaches out to pluck the mug from her hands and fix her with a grateful look before lifting the mug to his cheek. "Oooooh, man,,.." Warm! ^.^ His stomach wiggles. Literally. And from below the hem of his jacket, out pops Alloy! His claws clickclack against the ground as he lands and shakeshakes. That was a nice toasty ride under there!
Idrissa grins and shakes her head while she moves over to help brush some of the snow off the snowbeastie known as Kale! "Drink up and it'll make you become unfrozen." This said with an amused tone. She blinks and looks to Alloy and chuckles while pointing towards Willow and Toral whom are over there near the fire and the eggy! "Go on and get warm Alloy."
Nope, no movement. Just a breeze stirring the surface of the sand. Easy enough to make that mistake. It's just the anticipation. But, well, now Soriana's halfway across the room, grinning to Kale. Idrissa's with her, brushing away the snow, and Mikal's off getting food. All that's left by the fire is Toral and Willow… and Toral's head tilts, his eyes flicking brightly as he lifts his head to regard the pot again. …huh. How about that? Did the sand move that time? "We've got the couch by the fire," says Soriana, too far away to see the quiver of the sands. "C'mon, Rissa, let's grab some food. They're bringing out dinner."
Mikal stomps his feet a little simply because he likes the sound. And he whistles a quick little tune. It's a working tune. Perhaps he should have joined the harpers? Naw…he's not really whistling on key. His foster mom comes up behind him and scolds him. "No sweets before dinnertime!" said plate of yummy food is taken and a new plate soon takes his place full of greens, spiderclaws and some thick meat sliced with icky little tubers beside them. And a roll. He makes a face but he can't really argue so he moves down the table with a sigh. Obtaining a glass of drink and now he's juggling glass and plate as he turns to look for a place to sit. The cavern's really filling up now as the evening draws near and that storm outside keeps people in. Hearing that someone got a couch by the fire, Mikal decides to see if maybe he can get there first!
"Is there soup? Tell me there's a stew or somethin'," says Kale, who still nuzzles the warm mug. Nuzzle nuzzle purrr. His eyes shift to Idrissa with a smile, and he shakes off one of his sleeves a bit to help in the de-snowifying process. "Thanks." Hmmm, he should probably drink this lovely warm drink instead of making out with it, and thus he does take a cautious sip, not wishing to burn his tongue and ruin the stew/soup experience he is so hoping for. Alloy, after blinking up at the taller human people, zeroes in on firelizard buddies and skitters over to them. Oh what's this now? EGGTIME? Blink. He sits down too and just watches. Kale, spurred by the words "fire" and "food"…oh, and "couch" too, starts that way, eyes flitting to Mikal. "Hey, there's that kid that hung around y'guys for a while." He totally knows his name. He just forgets what it is at the time.
Idrissa chuckles softly and smiles. "How about this.. I'll get you some soup or stew, which ever they have alright?" She questions once getting a bit more snow off Kale, now her fingers are numb! "Go on and sit next to the fire on the couch ya?" Rissa then follows after Sori towards the food line! Willow blinks while watching the eggy, and the sand, she cooooos out while shifting upon so she sits on her haunches more, her wings fluttering a few times, and eyes a swirl. Seeing Alloy she chitters out to her clutchmate and her head bobs while eyeing the egg.
Toral is definitely intrigued by the pot of sand at this point. He's watching it with green-yellow eyes whirling quickly, his neck arched up, and a soft hum begins to rise from his throat, easily missed amidst all the sounds of the caverns at dinnertime. The sands quiver again, little trembles that start landslides and expose fragments of the dragon-eye rainbow that makes up the shell. The brown firelizard flutters a greeting to the young bronze, but most of his attention remains focused on the egg as it stirs, on the welcoming song he softly croons. Soriana laughs at Kale's muzzy comments, and notes to Idrissa, "I think his brain froze," as the two wait in line. There's a barley vegetable soup today, which… is nutritious enough to make the person serving beam as teens take it willingly. Soriana just wields two plates: one of which gets that meat and tubers, some rolls, some baked beans… the other of which gets fruit and sweetrolls. She has no foster mom to stop her. Hah!
Mikal sees that he can take his time so he walks backwards while keeping a close eye on Soriana to see if he'll need to actually sprint for the couch. He's distracted enough not to hear the hum from Toral yet though step by step he's getting much closer to the couch which is near the fire so it much be semi close to the pot of sand. Steeeep. "Hah!" he calls out happily as he bumps into the couch with a foot. This causes his juice to slosh out a bit over his glass to his shoes. Unmindful of that he takes a triumphant seat. Naturally, because he's a boy, his eyes return to the pot and he sits up a bit straighter to see inside. "I see some egg shell showing." he comments casually. "Hey Kale! Sit over here. There's an egg in that pot. It's Sori's though."
Kale's brain is totally frozen, yes. Good thing he's too far away to hear that comment, else he'd have something ot say about it! Probably something with the oword soup or stew in it…but still, something! He's taking Idrissa's advice and is shuffling his way towards the fire, already starting to feel a bit better just by walking through the warm atmosphere. And looky here, that kid is there too! And that kid knows his name…and, after a moment's staring, Kale realizes that he knows his name too! The kid's. Not his own. "Mikal," he greets with a grin as he shotens the distance between them til he's at the couch too. He sits, a bit carefully as to not spill any the lad's food. Only now does he notice that sand pot, especially as Mikal's attention is all over it. "Oh yeah…that mysteriously appearin' egg. I forgot about it.." he says, peering at it and the three firelizards that surround it, one of which is his. "Have y'seen it all yet? It's pretty cool lookin' for a firelizard egg."
Willow tilts her head and as soon the egg starts to tremble she follows along with the hum with Toral, her eyes are swirling about while she watches the egg curiously. Idrissa chuckles and nods while grinning to Soriana. "That wouldn't surprize me in the least." She offers while going about getting a plate and getting stuff on it, an there is stew! Which she gets a bowl and fills it up for a certain snowyKale. Though she pauses a moment and tilts her head, she's getting some funny images from Willow and sends a glance to Soriana. "Willow is trying to tell me something… I think. She is happy over something, an humming..?" SOmeone is confused!
There's an egg! It's Sori's. Sori is… oh, only a quarter of the way across the room now. Gettin' there. Still oblivious, though. She'll have to work on that. Toral continues his hum of greeting, wings slowly rustling as he arches himself up further to watch. Egg shell is showing. Egg shell is shiny! Inside… rustlewriggle. Taptaptap, the faint sound of the firelizard scrabbling inside. Soriana arrives, leaning over the back of the couch to make a plate of food miraculously appear in front of Kale. "Here you g- oh." Idrissa's words come just as she's taking in the scene before her. There are three firelizards keeping watch over that egg. One of them is humming. Also, she knows she didn't brush back that sand, so - there! It just moved! Soriana puts two and two together. The plate, if Kale doesn't manage to grab it, is unceremoniously left in his lap, the other one on the couch beside him (hey, at least they're mostly upright. Even if the one did slosh a bit) and Sori's off without another word, dodging through the crowds back to the kitchens. Good thing about compost duty: she now knows where the scraps are kept. Including the meat scraps, and it's dinnertime. There's bound to be some nice fresh ones ready to be made into stew. Or… yoinked. Either way. Not that she hasn't been carrying around some dried meat just in case, but… fresh is better.
Ooh egg. EGG! Mikal gets a clue nearly a whole minute before Soriana does. "Oh hey! SORI!" he hollers at the top of his voice. "I think the egg is hatching!" he leans forward eagerly to watch it. Even if it's not his egg he can still watch it hatch. "I'll bet it's a green." he says cause…well he likes greens. He kneels down in front of the couch, putting his plate of food before him though he's clearly not interesting in eating right now! "HURRY!" he shouts again as clearly he thinks she's taking too much time getting her meat scraps.
Ooh. Alloy has never seen this before, and it sure is interesting. The humming sounds made by his clutchmate and pal Toral are nice sounds indeed. He likes them. Can he do that too? Likely, but he doesn't, instead opting for random churring sounds before startling at Mikal's loudness! Kale is bewildered by the amount of things happening at once. Food is brought to him! Such nice friends he has! And then food is promptly THROWN…ok, so not thrown but abandoned upon him, causing him to clutch the tray quickly and settle the contents with his free hand. And Mikal is off to the floor! And Sori goes running off! And Alloy half flies off but then settles back down. And Kale…blinks, letting all this marinate…Then picks up a roll to take a bite. Food helps things to process, you see.
Willow continues to sway back an forth, humming out along with Toral as the egg is starting to move about more. Willow can't recall seeing this before herself, but it just seems like the right thing to do! Idrissa sets her things down on the table and sits next to Kale while watching the three firelizards and the eggy that is wiggling about in the sand. "Hurry Soriana!" She calls out to her friend and is even picking out a few pieces of meat from Kale's stew incase she has to throw it at the baby firelizard to keep it put until Sori is back!
The EGG is HATCHING! Sori is moving as fast as she can (it's totally not fast enough, shells and shards and dancing firelizards with polka dots it's not fast enough) but it's still several minutes (and a couple shouts from the kitchen) before she emerges with a handful of meat scraps and races her way - sorry sorry didn't mean to bump you - back to the fireside couch and the trembling, wriggling egg. Pant. Pant. Okay, it's not hatched yet! It's not too late! She plonks herself down on the floor, clutching the meat, and sets it down on her knee as she reaches for the pot and - carefully, caaarefully - pours it out to a spot between her legs. Because, apparently, she hasn't done enough sweeping yet and wants the chance for more! Or maybe not; Toral's hum rises in intensity as the egg rocks, a strong shudder, then a weaker one… then another strong one. Soriana holds a piece of meat in her hand, and (pant, pant) she waits. Why do these moments seem like they take to the first hatching and back again? C'moooooooon! Oh! There's the first crack!
Mikal does a little chant. "Hurry hurry hurry." it seems she's fallen into the whole 'friend' category so therefore he doesn't want her to miss her own 'lizard hatch. Oh good, she's there. "Whew!" he breaths a sigh of relieve as he edges a bit closer now so that he's nearly behind Soriana. All the better to see. As he scoots forward his plate of food scoots a bit with him to stay before him. He still doesn't actually eat from it yet though but absently shreds one of the pieces of meat.
Oh. Egg is hatching! Got it. Yes, it took Kale this long to figure out what the fuss was about, but hey.. give him some credit. He's hungry. And everyone knows that a hungry brain doesn't function at full capacity! "Hey, hey that's mine!" he protests as Idriss goes fishing for meat from /his/ stew. He hunches oer it, glaring at her. "I hope those fingers are clean.." he says, smirking after before settling in to eat, scooping up hot stew with a spoon. Mmmmm…juuust what he needed! Slurp, chomp. "Wonder what color it'll be. Hope it isn't a bronze. Alloy might fight'm." Cuz he's so savage and all, rar! Just look at him. Savage beast staring at the egg like he is! Probably staring it /down/. Cue another stew slurp. "Look at Sori," he grins, pointing his spoon her way. "I don' think you've much to worry about, Soriana. There's nobody else vyin' for him. .. or her," he adds.
Idrissa blinks and snicekrs at Kale before putting the few pieces of meat back into his stew then.. "Ya they was clean. Only shovled a bunch of runner stuff, and then sweeped the stairs, and played with Asher and Willow. So all clean!" She is joking, really. She rubs her hands across her jeans a few times, and looks over to Sori and the egg smiling as she ponders the color. "Well.. I don't like to bet on it. Just have to wait and see I guess." Williow continues to hummm and inches hangs back as Sori comes over and takes hold of the pot and dumps the sand out. At the crack on the shell Willow chitters and her wings flutter a few times.
A long tail escapes out from the shell as the Jeweled Splendors egg cracks soundly down the middle. Admidst the tail and wings is a fairly large sized golden hatchling who sits there very much a queen in her own right. A little shell is stuck to her head and there's a creel as she gives it a shake and sends it flying. And there she sits, waiting for her special handmaiden.
Gold Hatchling
Soft spring golds alight across the soft suede hide of this rather large golden firelizard. The soft gentle hues seem to shimmer with the faint colors of the rainbow that are sprinkled across the golden surface. Shimmering speckles of white-gold surround her head knobs in what could be described as a crown, while the same pale shade twines around neck like fine ribbons. Long and elegant, her sinuous tail is by far longer than is average, and compliments her large wings as well. Both are covered with the same jeweled sparkles of color, though here wings are more amorphous due to their translucent coloring.
Mikal makes a bit of a grimace as he spares a glance to Idrissa. Suddenly the egg hatches and it's GOld. "Ooooh." he barely breaths as he watches. "She's so beautiful."
Mikal is soo jealous but he manfully hides it. Mostly. "Grats." plate in hand he goes to sulk somewhere quietly.
"…could… wild," replies the pant-o-tron three-thousand, aka Soriana. "If-" But he'll have to ask her about those possibilities later, because there's another crack, running almost perpendicular to the first, and a golden tail. A pause, as if the hatchling inside is taking breath, and then she strikes against the knobble near the egg's top and it shatters open, a curved shard of shell resting on the golden head that emerges. The young queen lifts her head, stretching a graceful neck to squeak in a not entirely regal way. Babies seldom are, though this is a large baby; already a fair competitor to the green months her senior. Her eyes are orange with hunger, brighter than her shining hide, and Soriana is there to provide, her own eyes wide. A meat-scrap is offered, and the gold reaches to snap it up, eating as Sori reaches to help brush back bits of that so-confining shell. The gold has aspects of that rainbow still, in the iridescent sparkles of her hide - and in her bright eyes, orange-yellow as she spreads her wings and - crack! - further shatters the shell. Sori offers her another piece of meat, eagerly accepted, and Toral hops up to his human's knee to regard his new royal companion and chirp softly. "Hello," says Soriana softly, her plain brown eyes meeting the rainbow regard, and her hands move of their own accord, feeding the queen without looking away even for long enough to notice the reactions of the others. "It's nice to meet you." The words are simple, the real interaction happening on another level entirely.
Uh. Ew. Kale eyes his stew with a nose wrinkle nose as Idrissa plops his meat back down into it. Meat that might have all sorts of runner nastiness all over it! … Ah, well. He scoops up a few veggies and meat and into his mouth it goes! Flavorful. Nice! He dips his roll into the stew before taking a bit, looking back at Soriana, Mikal, and the egg in question. Crack, crack! There definitely is something on over there, and Alloy is looking pretty interested too. Kale can sense that, and he glances to Soriana as she speaks. Or…well, kind of speaks. "What?" Ah, he'll ask her later, as she's obviously pretty preoccupied now that…there's a firelizard to be seen! A gold? Kale's brows lift as do Alloy's…well, as much as a firelizard can lift brows. "She's pretty…" Kale remarks, glancing over to Idrissa now.
Idrissa rolls her eyes as she watches Kale. "I'm joking." This offered to him with a playful tone before she looks back to Soriana. Her eyes widen as she watches the egg crack along in different ways and then hatch! A gold…woah… She is quiet and smiles while tilting her head. "She is so pretty Soriana.." This said softly with a quick nod! Willow chirrups and cooos out happly at the much larger, if just hatched gold.. The green slowly inches back too not wanting to be seen as a threat it seems! Willow flutters up and is over settling upon Rissa's lap and curls up there.
Alloy doesn't see what's so great about her. He really doesn't! He lingers for a while longer. Blinking here and there, head tilting one side to the next. It's the first time he's seen anyone hatch! Anyone besides his own gold clutchmate who has been filed away in a folder of forgotten firelizards by now. With a churr, he watches Willow depart, but he stays. Just because. No need to let this new one think too highly of herself! Kale doesn't really know what to make out of what he's picking up from Alloy, and thus he just waves it all off and focuses on his food. Hey…where did it all go? He's nearly done! "Thanks, by the way, for bringing this," he says. "Aaand…either've you figure out who left the egg in the first place?"
Idrissa shakes her head slightly. "Naw, I don't know, an well I don't think Soriana knows either actually. We was talking about it the otehr night." She looks to Willow and hugs the little green to her softly murmuring to the green. "It's alright. Really. I bet she won't be like your sister." Well she hopes not!
"Did you do your assignment?" Kale asks with raised brows. "Remember, I told ya to think've all the people y'know who have firelizards that can lay eggs. Now, y'can even make that a closer list. List all the people y'know who have gold firelizards. Only gold ones can lay eggs that hatch a gold hatchling, right?" Or does he have that fact all twisted up? Alloy's nose wriggles a little, a telltale sign that he's sniffing…but without gettng too close. Done with a majory of his food, he sets his tray of empty bowls aside.
Idrissa ahs softly at this and scratches at her neck and soon shrugs. "Well there is Lan, an a few more I'm sure. Soriana will know more then I will." She looks to Willow whom is still eyeing that gold hatchling over thar.
Hm. He could very well ask Soriana….but she's all entranced with her firelizard. Kale vaguely grins to himself, remember his first meeting with Alloy. It was … something he can't descirbe, nor something he probably ever could. But thinking about it has him wanting his little pal, and, right on cue, here he comes! Abandoning Toral to his new golden sidekick, Alloy bounds back towards Kale as if summoned, hopping into his lap with a croon. "Ers'lan, huh? But doesn' he only have one? These two are his gold's young," he says, running a finger down Alloy's back. Who else…who else? "Well…whoever it is, I wonder if they knew they were givin' up a gold. S'too late /now/ for them to want to take it back, but still. S'kinda good luck on Sori's part, isn't it?"
What, was something happening around her? Soriana wasn't paying attention. The little queen spreads her wings, fluttering the wet membranes in the air as she accepts another gobbet of meat, then turns from Sori for a moment to survey those around here. The firelizards first; the brown, the bronze, the green. The humans get a flicker of her attention as well, before it returns to Soriana whose fingers stroke slowly down along her back, and chirps, her tone less urgent than before, her eyes eyes a pale spring green tinged with yellow instead of raging orange hunger. Sori offers her the last piece of the raw meat, and looks up as the queen eats. Oh, right, she was here with other people. She gives them a grin. "Hey."
"An' she returns," says Kale, who lifts his hands in a gesture of praise as Soriana becomes aware of them again. He grins at her, finger waving. "Hello. Where've you been, eh? Idrissa an' I left ya here days ago. Y'know, after your firelizard hatched? Figured y'd need a bit, an' we waited for you in the barracks but…eh, y'never came back," he informs, brows lifting in a look of concern. "An' another day came an' went. We were jus' about to alert search an' rescue for ya when we came in here and…there you were, same as we left ya two days ago."
Firelizard instincts are rather clear on this situation. There's a sidekick relationship between Toral and the new hatchling, all right - but Toral's not the hero here, despite his turn of greater experience. When the young queen lifts her head and squeaks her continued hunger, the brown is the one who launches himself into the air and pops off between to oblige her. She is, after all, gold! So this must be her fair. …also it's Sori's fair, but Toral's only a firelizard, so he doesn't stop to think through the impossibility of there being two queens. Soriana digs for the dried meat she's been carrying around, giving it to the gold in little shreds so the hungry baby doesn't choke and petting her all the while. At Kale's teasing, she smirks. "Yeah, yeah. I was listening, you were talking about, uhm… golds." Yeah, real observant, she was totally paying attention and that proves it.
Hey now! Toral, Toral, where'd you go? Alloy perks as Toral disappears. Where do you go and why did you go, friend? His tail whips against Kale and his eyes half close in sudden comfort as he's rubbed. Niice feeling. He'll think about this stuff later. And that new one later too. Or not. What matters now is that he feels nice with his buddy. "No," remarks Kale. "We weren't talkin' about golds at all. Why would be? That hatching was ages ago." A faint smirk tugs at his mouth and he leans back against the couch's cushions as he watches her, curiosity replacing his former look of play. "Y'don't have a name yet, do ya? Or…do ya?"
Soriana laughs to Kale. "Practically a sevenday," she agrees. As for the name, she's about to answer that when Toral returns. For a mighty queen, the brown brings mighty meat! He pops back again, wings laboring as he carries a hunk of meat nearly as long as he is. It's fresh. Like, glistening just torn off the herdbeast fresh. Soriana blinks at it as the gold squeals eagerly. With heavy wingbeats, Toral flaps down and deposits it before her. Chirpchirrr, he says; cheep!, she says, hopping awkwardly forward. She manages to get her jaws into it before Soriana can grab it, and her eyes flash yellow as she tugs and yanks and manages to tear off a chunk. "Don't choke!" Sori tells the gold, not that the little queen's paying attention, and the girl grabs for a knife to try and cut off smaller pieces and keep up with demand. Okay, where was she? Right, names. "I dunno what to call her," Sori says, with a fond smile as she looks down to the queen and strokes her jaw lightly.
Oh, there he is. And…geeze, isn't he a busy firelizard? Kale lifts a brow as Toral reappears with his prize of yummy…er, yummy meat. Alloy heartily ignores it all, making it a point to turn his back on the other lizards while basking in the attention given by Kale's hand. "How about Greedy?" offers Kale oh so helpfully. "Or…Gorger? Demanding? Or.." he glances from firelizard to girl, then firelizard again. "Your Majesty?" Teasing words they are, evident by the look on his face. "Doubt she'll choke on anything. She's nearly bigger'n Willow, look at her!" True, it's his first time seeing a young gold firelizard up close. He knows not what to expect! "Do they always come out so large? If not, maybe you can call her "Grandiose"."
Soriana smirks to Kale, continuing to feed the golden queen piece by piece as Toral croons approvingly. Her appetite has slowed down, really it has! Relatively speaking. Fresh meat is tasty meat… for a firelizard. "Well, golds are bigger, even hatchlings," she says, but her tone's uncertain as she tries to think - whoops, that slowed her fingers too much. The gold squeaks, and Sori takes a few moments to catch up again before looking up again. "B'sides, I know someone else who eats like that, I could just use that name."
"You know someone who eats like your firelizard?" says Kale, lifting a brow. "Y'mean, you know someone who eats raw, bloody meat? Y'know someone who swallows it down without barely chewing? Someone whose belly swells.." he lifts his arms and holds them out, as if pressing them upon a rather rotund midsection, "like this afterwards?" He lowers his arms, head shaking after. "M'sorry for you. Mus' be hard to watch that person eat. Hopfeully you're not around'm during too many mealtimes. An' if y'are…you must have a stomach of steel." Heh heh! As for golds being larger than most, he nods, glancing to the unnamed young female with a half smirk. "Well then. Large whatever your name ends up bein', happy turnday."
Soriana laughs, and sticks out her tongue at Kale. "Oh, sure, I know plenty of those, too. Come hang out at the feeding grounds sometime, and you'll see." Neither firelizards nor dragons are much known for table manners! The queen's definitely slowing now, her belly bulging with that tasty meat. There's still some left; Toral was enthusiastic in his providing, and as the queen moves from scarfing meat to savoring it, she chirps with green-eyed pleasure and invites the others to eat with a little though-flutter. Toral hops in and starts to gnaw - he worked up an appetite just bringing this here! Soriana holds the queen against her, gently petting as the gold slowly nibbles and makes sure her belly is oh-so-full. As Kale addresses her, the queen looks at him with eyes that flicker blue in echo of his own, then chirps before arching her neck against Soriana.
Idrissa comes back with a mug of hot cider for everyone and grins while looking at the gold. "So no name yet huh? I'm sure your come up with one without a problem!" This said with a happy tone as she sits back down next to Kale. Willow chirrrrrups out to the gold, her head low, wings tucked close as she still isn't sure how this one will act it seems!
Hm! What that a sound of .. come and get it? Alloy's head lifts up and turns quickly. So much for giving the cold shoulder. When food is involved, everybody becomes a friend. He scrambles out of Kale's lap, who raises his hand to let him head off, and smirks as he joins the other two unabashedly. Hey…he was invited. No problem! Unlike his clutchmate he moves forth and digs in with little to no hesitation shown, trilling in enjoyment. "Ah, I'd rather not see the slaughter, thank you," replies Kale to Soriana, looking up as Idrissa returns with warm drink. "So Sori, still no clue who left ya that egg, huh? Will this be one've life's great mysteries?"
Soriana smiles to Idrissa, and adjusts things so she can take that mug and have a sip. Oh yeah, somewhere in there she neglected to have her own dinner. Oh well. "Thanks," she says, then shakes her head. "Yeah, I dunno yet. I'll have to think about it." The gold's eyes are half-lidded now, after her big meal and the effort of hatching. She's not so sleepy yet that she won't keep an eye on things, though, and they open to, oh, three-quarters as she chirps back graciously to Willow. Then they close to about a quarter. Toral chirps a greeting of his own to Alloy as the bronze joins him. One day before too long, that little baby bronze is going to be as big as the brown! To Kale's question, she shakes her head. "Dunno that, either! Nobody's admitted anything… I don't even really have any good guesses. D'you?" She looks back and forth between the two of them.
Idrissa sips at her drink while watching and smiles as she shifts in her seat. A shrug is seen. "I have no idea.. You know more people around here with gold firelizards after all." She points out to her friend. Willow ponders this, her nose twitching then she slowly hops down from her person's lap and slowly inches over to where the sleepy gold is! Well might as well see how close she can put it, at least this is what the green is thinking. A soft coooo escaping her, the little green shifting on her paws while she crounches down.
"A ghost," says Kale as he rises from his seat, straightening his jacket. "A ghost with a ghostly firelizard. S'the only logical reason, isn't it? No one saw anyone come in or out. The egg couldn't appeared out've nowhere .. unless it was laid by a ghost fireliard, though someone had t've put it in the bucket." Mysterious things have happened before, haven't they? His eyes traverse to the picturesque gold, a light smile evident on his mouth before his gaze drifts from her to the door, watching as it opens and closes…lacking the furiosity of a blizzard behind it. "Think the storm's over," he remarks. "I'm gonna go before it starts up again."
Oh yeah, who does have golds? "Uhm, well… there's a few around, but… I dunno which of them had clutches at the right time. I haven't heard about anyone else… I guess if we see another newly hatched firelizard, we can ask the person where they got it?" She hmms, and gives her gold a scritch to get a chrr. "Or maybe we'll just find out it appeared with ghostly mystery." At this point, she's not going to rule it out! She nods to Kale, as the new queen drifts closer and closer to sleep. Sori peeks down, and nods. "Good idea. I'll head back soon too, I think…" A glance to Idrissa. "Could yoooou get me something to eat?" Hopeful look!
Idrissa blinks and smirks at Kale. "It was a totaly ghost queen!" She nods and grins at this before looking to Kale and ohs and ndos a moment. "Alrighty well, try and stay warm ya?" She smirks while poking at his side. A glance is offered back to Soriana and she ohs before nodding. "Well sure. I'll go get ya something." Willow settles down next to the gold and Sori still watching!
And thus, it has been determined. Goldie had been laid by a ghost. So it shall be written! Kale grins at them both, and that grin widens at the poke before he leans away. "Yeah, sure I'll do my best at that," he replies to Idrissa, mock glaring at her as he rubs at his poked side, situating his wool cap on his head afterward. "See the two've ya in the barracks," he says, plucking up Alloy, much to the disdain of the bronze. He was EATING, dang it! Mrflemrrr. Despite his protests, Alloy is situated, with some scrambling and effort, into his jacket which he zips up. He holds the bottom to keep him from falling out (aka, escaping). And then he heads out, opening the door to be greeted with a gust of cold wind. "Hold on to your firelizards when ya leave!" he advises. "Else they'll blow away!" and he steps out.
Yay food! Soriana beams to Idrissa, then laughs to Kale. "Seeya there," she says, though a keen eye would note her snuggling her gold closer. No blowing away, little ghost queen! The gold squeaks softly, but her eyes are only barely open. Her belly is so full. Naptime has come. Willow can watch in peace. Toral hops over to lie beside the green, chirping and nudging against her lightly. The chunk of leftover meat… sits there. Along with the dumped out sand. Some cleaning will definitely be required.
Idrissa shakes her head as she hears Kale. "Right right, don't get lost in the snow!" She calls out towards him as she is on her way back with foodz for Soriana. Which is stew with some cheesey rolls already in it! She holds the bowl out to Sori while she sits down. Willow chirrups and looks to Toral, she chitters out and takes hold of the meat and goes about eatting it! The little green leans against the brown lizard even. Tawws.
Food! The gleam in Soriana's eyes is an echo of her queen's. That's right, not all of that hunger was from the gold - some of it was her own belly going rumbly. "Thank you!" she tells Idrissa, and carefully shifts the queen to rest in her lap as she takes the bowl and eats. Teens are neater than queens! …this time. Toral chirrups, watching over Willow, Sori, and the new queen with a fond expression. Good brown! He provides for his fair. Beam!