Xanadu Weyr - Hatching Arena Foyer
Large outer doors can be thrown open to allow massive amounts of people into the foyer with ease, the well-lit space both having many thick-paned windows as well as spaced lights along the walls. Smooth tile has carefully been laid on the floor, a variety of orange hues reflecting the pale tan of the walls. Wide areas have been left unadorned - perhaps for future artistic endeavors - on either side of a pair of low, bronze doors which remained closed the majority of the time, as they lead to the sands themselves. Off to the sides are doors to the candidates barracks and the Dragonhealer's annex, and a pair of wide staircases on either side lead upwards to the observation level.
The snowfall that's blown over Xanadu rests upon the ground outside, making everything look particulary clean. And cold. But clean is a better word as the winter sun reflects icy surfaces causing snow to glisten and icicles to sparkle. It's a picturesque time, but ka-el isn't outside to behold anything. No, this day has been spent indoors. A rest day from the smith, thus a day where he never knows what task will be assigned to him in the candidate barracks. But he seems to have lucked out and has been spared anything too time consuming or gross, and he doesn't even have to go outside! Nope, today he's merely keeping the foyer clean. A usually droll task, but with the influx of more dragons and the consequent dragonhealers moving in and out, plus more and more candidates passing through from cold to warm areas, Kale is kept busy, sweeping a dry mop over wet places. Sweeping debris. All the while wearing a wool cap that's been pulled down to his ears and just above his eyes. Odd, considering the inside warmth and a lack of a jacket that would complete the winteresque attire. Maybe it's just his favorite hat.
Soriana managed to get her firelizard fed! So what if she kinda of missed a class to do it? It's like practical experience. Or, maybe not. She got a lunchtime lecture on that subject. Having insisted she already knew the topic, she was given a quick quiz (she passed) and informed that was still no excuse, and she had certainly better not skip her chores this afternoon. Like… laundry. She's been busy in there, and she's just now returning with a basket full of laundry, billowy white sheets for all the cots in the barracks. So much white! Like the blizzard come inside. In more ways than one, because the height of the stack makes it rather difficult for her to see where she's going. Or to operate door handles. Scrabble, scrabble…
Alloy has been banished to high places. Why? Because he likes to make messes, and messes are the direct opposite of what Kale is needing now. And thus, he is perched on the top of the staircase, left to look down in envy. Every wet footprint that Kale mops up could've been a grand opportunity to slip and slide. Sigh. Where is the fun in today? Kale leans against a side wall now, glancing at the pristine tile with a look of satisfaction. Any time the outside door opens, a person is given the evil eye. Or rather, their various forms of shoes are, though most have taken the hint by the piece of carpeting that has been laid right at the entrance and wipe before moving on. Most. But there's always that one… Kale idly plucks at the edge of his cap, making a vaguely irritated face before. Oh, here comes someone!! He zeroes in on feet but..oh, they're not trudging in from outside. They're safe. He relaxes slightly then slowly begins to realie he knows that person so weighed down by laundry. With his mop in tow, he heads her way. "Uuuh…need help, Miss Laundress?"
Soriana leans about until she can see back around the laundry, and hehs to Kale. "Seems like," she says, and steps back away from the door so the person with at least one free hand can get in and help. The outside door pushes open and one of the candidate coordinators comes in, stomping his feet and kicking off snow fit to make a fine set of puddles.
"Welll…are you gonna /ask/ for help?" remarks Kale who stands by the door, perfectly capable of opening it for her, though giving her a hard time about it seems to be first and foremeost on his his. He smirks, and just when that smirk comes into view is when the candidate coordinator comes in and RUINS his PERFECTLY CLEAN floor. "Hey!!" he calls, flopping the mop head on the floor and waing a hand. "Er….I mean.." He checks his tone, as that yell /could/ have been intepreted as mouthy. "There's a carpet…jus' there," he says, pointing to the oh so conveniently placed rug piece. He lets that hang, though the only response he receives is a /look/ and grumbled words he doesn't quite catch.
Soriana rolls her eyes at Kale. "Kale Crestwood-" she begins to that smirk, and then she catches sight of that coordinator as well, or at least hears the grumble, because she goes on with, "-I would be ever so obliged if you could kindly open this door for me, as my hands seem to be occupied." With something heavy, and the look she gives him seems to add that, if he doesn't help, she'll drop it on his foot and feel not a trace of guilt.
Ooo, first /and/ last name, huh? She means business! Kale keeps his eyes rooted on that coordinator though. Because really, if he pisses him off, his next task likely will be something like…flinging dragon dung with his bare hands or something. He wouldn't put it past anyone! And so even as Soriana goes on with her sugary sweet perfect little request, he keeps watch til he's sure that he's not facing a raving mad aggravated coordinator. Now he looks to Soriana, fixing her with a bright smile. "Why of /course/ I'll help ya. You needn't've asked…" he adds with a devlish smirk as he indeed twists the doorknob and pushes it open with his shoulder. "Shall I carry that for you the rest've the way? Sems like a heavy burden."
Flinging dragon dung? No, that's the reward for if you impress! Though they do generally permit you to have a shovel. Fortunately for Kale, the coordinator has other things on his mind, and continues on with no worse consequences than those grumbles and a few puddles. Fortunately for Soriana, Kale opens the door! "Gee, thanks. How nice of you." She steps inside, to the mostly empty barracks - everyone's off doing their chores, or at least having found a less obvious place to slack off. Beds all in a row, but missing their sheets. Why? Because Soriana's got a basket full of those sheets, freshly washed! The blankets are still on most of the beds, though the heat from the sands means this place is far from wintry. On Sori's bed, a ways down the room, golden Haruhi sleeps inside the circle of Toral's neck and tail. Back by the door, Sori carries the basket of white to the first of the cots and sets it down with a heavy thump. Fortunately for toes, none of them were underneath it!
Kale theatrically bows as Soriana moves past, spreading an arm in the direction of the barracks. "Madame," he says with a small grin before he rises again. Sigh. Oh yeah…puddles. He glances to where clumps of melted snow has pooled and quickly moves off, dragging the mop behind him. The mop head is slapped down on the wetness and he sloshes it side to side, up and down…slosh, slosh, soak it up. Phew! Hard work. (not really) With that done, he leans the mop against the wall near the doorway, knowing this won't be the last instance where someone blatantly ignores the unspoken "wipe your feet" policy. Then, he abandons his post! He follows after Soriana to the sheetless barracks. "You did mine special, didn't you? Extra soft and ironed? I don' like wrinkled bedsheets. Plus I'm thinkin' I need extra pillows, an' with the cold, another blanket.." Not that it's ever cold in here, phew! He plucks at his cap to get some air under there.
Hello, bed. Meet sheets. Lay, tuck, tug, adjust, crease, set. There's one down, many more to go. Hello, bed. Meet sheets. She's about halfway through that one when- Hello, Kale. Sori looks over at him, and grins. "Oh, sure, they're the ones at the very bottom." She points down to the basket. "Did them first, after all. Wouldn't want me to be tired and give them a slapdash job. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll find them soon." Tug, pat, another bed down.
..Pssh, yeah right. Kale glances at the basket. Then at Soriana. Then at the basket. Then at Soriana with a brow arch. "Uh huh. Sure y'did. I'll believe it when I see it, an' if I /don't/ see it then…you an' I?" he points his fingers from himself to her, "are gonna have us some problems." Big problems! Big fightin' problems! "Sleep is serious business, an' I need mine, an' there's no way I can get it done without extra soft ironed sheets with extra pillows an' a warm blanket." He's not asking for much now, is he? His eyes traverse back to the open door, and he dashes off a bit to peer out. Nope. Nobody. Or at least, if anyone /did/ go through the foyer, they did so with clean boots. "Want some help?" he offers, looking back at her.
Kale forgot the part where he needs a special bedwarmer applied come evening and to have mints placed on his pillow, or else he can't sleep! "Such problems," agrees Soriana, and she manages to get a couple more of the beds done before Kale can return. Help? "Yeah, that'd be nice," she agrees, and tosses him a sheet as she drags the basket on toward the next set of cots. "Is it still snowing?" she asks as she pushes a blanket aside and shakes out a sheet to start getting it in place.
"Aye. It's tough bein' me," sighs Kale as he steps away from the doorway to head further into the barracks, allowing the sheet that's tossed to him to hit him in the chest before catching. "Ow, y'needn't be so violent.." he says as he moves to the nearest bed, putting on the sheets. "Aye, it's still snowing. Not so bad as before, but…still." As he continues making the bed, it becomes obvious that making beds likely isn't one of his strongest skills. But hey…he never /claimed/ he was good at it. He just offered! "Name your firelizard yet?"
Soriana is so cruel and vicious. She grins. "Yeah, yeah…" she says, then nods. "I don't think it snowed for this long last winter." She pauses a moment, thinking back, then shrugs. Her own bed-making is… acceptable, nothing more, but D is for Done and she doesn't care. She gets another one dealt with, and grins. "Yeah, I did. Her name's Haruhi." As if her name summoned her - or, really, the intentionality behind it - the gold lifts up her head from across the room and gives a little chirp before setting it down again on Toral's back.
Ugh. That's unsettling. Kale hates winter. Hopefully this one won't be long and hard and extra cold and stupid. One bed is made! Hooray! And…apparently he's done helping, for he plops down to sit on whoever's bed it is. "Haruhi?" he glances to the not so little gold and smirks. "How'd you come up with that?" Not that he's going to get a chance to hear the answer, because right about now, heard outside the open door…
"Who left this mess in the foyer? This is a hazard! I know I left someone on duty here.." Flip flip, rustle! That's the sound of an in charge someone looking through a chore list!
Cue a wince from Kale, who is quick to dismount from his perch. "Right. Lovely name, Soriana. Couldnt've thought've anything better myself. I should likely go," he says, jerking a thumb towards the door, which he's alwayd backing towards. "See you!" He turns and trots off now, hurrying back to the foyer. "/THERE/ you are…"
“Well, it-” will have to wait for another time, for Kale’s being called away. Soriana waves to him, then goes about finishing up with putting sheets on beds, and maybe scritching a few firelizards along the way.
Having asked around, Mikal gets pointed into this direction. He can be heard long before he's seen. "Soriana! Hey Sorrrriiiiii! You around here?" as he comes into view he can be seen walking hunched over with his coat off and wrapped around something he carries.
Having just finished putting sheets onto beds in the candidate dorms, Soriana's emerging from them with the laundry basket in hand. And what does she hear? Her name, that's what! Now where is she being called that from, huh? She looks around and… "Over here!"
Mikal slows down his steps a moment. "So thiiis is where the candidate barracks are at." he says. "Oh! Sori! Good. I found you. Lookit what I got?!" the boy can hardly keep his excitment from bubbling over as he approaches close and gestures for her to lean in to see the wrapped bundle. "Lookit!" he uncovers just a bit to reveal an egg.
Decently sized, this egg boasts nothing more then a simple two toned coloration that some would say is striking on it's own while others would claim it quite drab. Off-white hues cover most of one end, though nearing the rounded end of the egg it darkens abruptly a quarter of the way down into a dark shade of gray. Straight cut and without gradient, it's as though a permanent shadow casts itself over that end, giving the illusion of holding a tiny replica of a quarter moon in one's hand.
"Yeah, right against the sands," says Soriana, then hmmms. "What did you- oh! Nice! It kinda looks like moonlight." She grins. "Do you have a good pot to keep it in? And where'd you get it?"
There's a touch of panic to his excited tone as well. "WhatdoIdo!?" he asks hurriedly. "Pot? No no pot." oh noes! He panics more. "It was there. Just there under my pillow and still warm to the touch!"
The egg fairy came! Soriana grins, but - what's this? No pot? "C'mon then, I've still got - I was gonna leave it at the stores, but-" She drops the laundry basket and leads the way into the barracks, where the now-empty pot from Haruhi's hatching is set near her stuff. "You need to keep it warm, sands're best, and put it by the hearth and turn it or stick hot coals in the sand…"
Mikal walks with exageration, shivering a bit since he's no coat on. It's wrapped around the egg. "I bet it's gonna be at least a brown. It's a larger egg!" he says proudly. "Can…can you check it? See how hard you think it is?"
Soriana nods. "Might be, yeah," she offers judiciously. The pot is held up, the egg considered, and she nods. "Yeah. But hold on just a second…" she says, and goes to raid one of the closets for the sand they use to replace what's tracked around here. A bit of it is poured into the pot, then she takes it to the warmest spot in the room, right against the wall with the sands where there's a hot pipe to set it against. "Okay. Let's see…"
Mikal's gaze tracks Soriana's every move while he holds the bundled up egg close to his chest. He steps forward, arching a brow in question as to wiether or not he can put the egg in the pot yet.
Soriana nods answer to that question. "Put it in carefully, and keep a hold of it. I'll pour in the sand around…"
Mikal bobs his head quickly as he unwraps it. Sloooowly he places it into the pot, keeping hold of it as instructed.
Soriana pours in the sands slowly, layering them evenly around the egg to cushion it from the walls of the pot. "You've seen how the dragons are, right? Keep it covered, turn it… you can just turn the whole pot, and you want it so it feels warm but it doesn't burn…" She keeps her eyes on the pot, talking as she adds the sands, and when it's about halfway full, she pauses for a moment. "It should be stable now," she says, though she splays her fingers to either side to catch it if it does wobble, then filling the pit the rest of the way before giving the shell a quick check and a considering nod.
Mikal whews with relief as Sori gets it all nice and covered. "Good! I hope it hatches soon. Oh I gotta show Kale!" with that he oofs a bit as he picks up the pot and hurries out. "Thank you!" is barely remembered and tossed over his shoulder.