Xanadu Weyr - Shore of Lake Caspian
The cliffs that run along the shore come and go, various weyrs nestled along the tops of them or dug into the walls, but eventually they recede enough to expose a beach. The white sand echoes the rise and fall of the cliffs with a multitude of sandy dunes, endlessly creating tiny valleys that are constantly demolished and rebuilt by the frequent arrival or departure of dragons. The dunes smooth out as the gentle slope approaches the edge of the deep blue water. The sand darkens, and a shell here and there stands out for children to collect.
The beach narrows to the southwest, leaving a path barely wide enough for dragons in single file before cutting in to a smaller, more sheltered cove. The sands are the same white, the waters the same blue, but they're calmer and more tranquil, more protected from the winds that ruffle Lake Caspian and the currents that tug beneath the surface.
Rough, wide stairs lead up to the meadow above and the road that runs along the top of the cliffs, passing through the fields and heading for the river mouth that can be just barely seen from here. The largest of the staircases up the cliff is located near the docks that jut out onto the peaceful blue waters.
Gerazal is in the water with Nikita and they are splashing and having a good time playing in the waves. Nearby is a couple of sand weyrs that they build as well as a blanket with all of their stuff on it. The waves gently roll in and wash over them.
It's a bright and sunny morning at Xanadu and the weyrlings are running circuits with weighted back satchels. They started out as one group, running along together, but over time, the weyrlings have staggered as they each go at their own pace. Kera is training as well, weighted pack on her back, and she's probably not alone. Gotta show that training doesn't stop at weyrlinghood, though her pace seems slower since she isn't pushing herself as the weyrlings are. After a moment, she does stop though, perhaps it's seeing the sandweyrs. Catching her breath, she glances around to see one weyrling behind her simply walking along. Clapping her hands briskly she hurries him along. "You'll never build your muscles up like that! Get moving Bri'sco." He hurries his steps and passes Kera in a rush. Shaking her head, she turns her attention back to the sandweyr, then towards the water. Grinning she spots Gerazal and Nikita. Slipping her pack off shoulders, she gives a wave to the water. "Niki! You gonna swim, laps around these weyrlings?" A grin and she goes on "Hi Gerazal!"
C'rus had…reluctantly mind you…agreed to participate. Physical exercise had never been the top of his favorite things to do, but exercising with Kera isn't as bad as exercising by yourself. He too is moving not as fast as the weyrlings because he is graduated, and doesn't have too..so there! He does watch with amusement as Kera takes charge of the wayward weyrlings, "You best be careful…you might start liking giving orders." he jokes with her knowing full well that she isn't like that at all. When she stops to greet Niki and Gerazal he too stops and waves, "Hello." he calls.
Gerazal waves, "Hello Kera, how are the weyrlings doing?" He asks as Niki waves excitedly, "Good morning Auntie Kera! Yah I will." The little girl of 4 turns old. "Good morning Uncle C'rus." She says as well before Gerazal gives a wave to C'rus, "Good morning. Helping out too?" He asks.
Kera smirks over her shoulder as C'rus stops when she does and teases her about giving orders. "Oh quiet you! Or I won't share any juice!" She sticks her tongue out and tug juice skin from her pack. "I took some of the weight out to make room for…stuff." A conspiratory wink before tipping the skin up and having some, then passing it to C'rus even though she threatened to now share. Looking back to the water, she laughs and starts tugging at her boots to get them off. A couple more weyrling go huffing and puffing by "Doin great, keep it up." Gotta offer encouragement where ya can. She grins to Gerazal "They're doing well, got a few that grumble over what they think is 'needless excercise' but they'll learn it's not so needless soon enough." He gaze slips down to the little girl "And how's my little Niki doing today hmm?"
C'rus, just because he is C'rus, makes a mental note to pull the weyrlings aside later and inform them that a lot of it /is/ useless exercise, but he has good sense enough to not do this in front of his weyrmate. Cause she won't give him any juice then, and that would be the WORST POSSIBLE THING! He takes the proffered skin and takes a sip or two for himself before lowering it once more. He opens his mouth to ask the same question that Kera ends up getting to before he does so he closes his mouth again and answers Ger's question, "Yep. A little bit." Because Kera has got the rest of the stuff pretty well covered, "Hi Niki." he replies to her as well.
Niki grins brightly, "Good, went swimming with dolphins with Mommy and built sand weyrs with Daddy." Gerazal smiles, "And we have to take care of the animals and then off to the harpers for lessons. What do you have on tap for your weyrlings today I see them out and about now, they don't look big enough to fly yet."
Kera gets her boots kicked off, leaving them by her pack and steps over to crouch near by Nikita. Nodding as she listens to her goddaughter, a grin slips appears quickly. "Did you have fun playing with Echo and mommy?" No doubt N'talya is probably hoping her girl will be a dolphineer. Finding a small twig, she uses it to start gently 'drawing' on the sandweyrs. A little window here, a weyr entrance there… "Let's help your daddy make his sandweyr pretty." Smiling, she hands the twig to Nikita so the girl can add her own window like touches to the sandy masterpiece. A quick glance along the beach, making sure the weyrlings aren't slacking off in their training. "Oh, the young dragons are growing right along Not ready for flight yet, but getting there. Though a few are starting to flap about and get their 'flight coordination'. For lack of a better phrase." She shrugs and goes on "Another candlemark of training, then midday meal. Then it's the classroom for a few candlemarks." Looking to C'rus, she wiggles her fingers for the juice skin and soon is taking another drink. "What do we have planned for later today?"
C'rus sees those wiggling fingers and hands the skin back to her. No depriving the AWLM of vital nutrients! C'rus too puts down his pack as he listens to Kera inform Ger about what the day is looking like. This causes him to consider what he has going on for the rest of his own day as well, "I'll probably have to head back to Fort soon and get some work done, but then I'll probably be back. Nothing too terribly strange or out of the norm. My life has become rather predictable." *cough* C'rus's life was always predictable, "…not that its a bad thing. Adventure is dreadfully overrated."
Gerazal smiles as he watches Niki help Kera with the sand weyr and he picks up a stick to help. "That's good strengthen those wing muscles." Niki nods as she helps to dig out some windows and draw in the sand on the sand weyr, "Yah it's always fun to play with Echo and the other phins." Gerazal chuckles a little bit, "There is a certain feeling of stability with knowing how your day will go."
Kera laughs and nods agreeably with C'rus. "And almost always involves bug bites and lots of bad weather." Thinking for a moment adds "I can meet you at Fort later. I'll do a check on the cottage." Meaning make sure the furry creatures have food and the standard lizard oiling routine. "Then a check the barracks and head on over." Kera nods as if that shouldn't be a problem. Gerazal gets a grin "Doesn't it depend on what you /know/ is gonna happen? I don't think it would be very comforting to 'know' that something bad was gonna happen with each new day."
C'rus has learned that living in two different places at the same time takes a bit of planning, but its definitely worth it, "Sounds like a good plan to me." he says to her with a grin plastered across his face, "Ahhhh." he says to the pair of them wagging a finger at the same time, "I'm all about avoiding the bad stuff. Careful planning and a bit of luck are all you need." Mostly anway, "Probably more luck than planning, but yeah…" Though there is a bright idea that pops into his head, "Unless you between through time of course. Then I suppose you could plan for the future quite well. Though there are all kinds of interesting theories about that as well. Some say that it wouldn't matter because whatever happens is going to happen and on the other side are people who say that the future is absolutely fluid and don't even get me started on the idea that every possibility that can happen does in some dimension." He stops rambling and shrugs, "Jai likes to have me read the books in the library…I pick up a few things." Sometimes strange things.
Gerazal continues to help Niki who's absorbed in the task with the sand weyrs. "True and I like surprises. I purposefully didn't want to know if Niki would be a boy or a girl until she was born. I guess you can say that I plan for what I'd like the day to go as but I'm ready if it should go awry." He chuckles a bit. "I think the key is to be adaptable."
Kera cants her head, listening to C'rus and Gerazal while she reaches out and tickles Nikita's ribs a few times. She does flashes a quick look that clearly says 'Not for weyrling ears' to C'rus when he mentions 'timing'. A head tip to point out something past his shoulder and one of the young weyrlings is half bent over nearby trying to catch her breath. She gives Nikita a quick hug and a sudden mischievous smirk and looks to Gerazal, "Did you and Nat decide about that puppy or not?" Yes. She did just say the P word for Nikita to hear. Now Nat should have two arguing for a pup instead of one. Looking back to the weyrling, she shakes her head "I need to go check on her." Brushing off sand, Kera heads over to the bent over ling and after a moment the girl straightens a bit as the greenrider walks along with the limping weyrling toward the barracks. She'll come back for her stuff in a bit.
C'rus stops in his rambling and figures as Kera returns to work that is about time that he probably return to his own work, "I'll see you later…" he says to Kera as she wanders off to check on a weyrling. He waves to Ger and Niki and smiles, "I hope you both have a really good day." And with that he'll turn and wander back toward the cottage to find his dragon and head off to Fort for the Infirmary.
Gerazal blinks and he shakes his head at Kera, "We'll talk about it and we are still talking about it." Niki grins, "A puppy…really Daddy?" Gerazal groans and he looks over at Kera, "I will get you back for this."