Ista Weyr - Ground Weyrs
Just inside of the corner of the bowl where most of the - admittedly few - ground weyrs are located is this massive anteroom, beautifully fitted with electric lighting and rich, luxurious carpet. The walls have been painted, apparently reasonably recently, in a pale pearl colour, with tasteful designs added in motifs between the various entrances and exits. Most of the anteroom is filled by different staircases, which lead up to the weyrs set aside for Ista's leadership. There are nine, in total, though most remain empty, leftover from larger days when Ista might house up to five queens. The largest, and most ornate staircase, carved with beautiful trellises, leads up to a small landing at which point two ornate entrances are positioned - one for the Weyrwoman, one for the Weyrleader.
The remaining seven staircases are by no means plain, though they are nowhere near as ornate as the first - and most serve as guest weyrs for visiting dignitaries, or for mating flights. A smaller passage leads through this anteroom towards the Records Room and Council Chamber, whilst another leads back out into the sheltered end of the bowl, mostly protected from the wind and weather.
The early morning light filters in from the opening of the guest weyr. M'nol stirs softly in his sleep, then rolls over, his arm falling across Izarra's waist. He mumbles quietly, still half asleep, "Phy? I thought.." His hand strays up towards her chest and his eyes bulge open as he nearly catapults himself from the bed, yelping as if he'd just touched a hot stove. Pointing a shaking finger at Izarra he yells, "You're not Phy! Where am I? What did you do to me?" Faraeth's attempt at a calm interjection is ignored completely.
Izarra snores very unladylike and rolls over, flenching away from an arm even in her sleep. The sound of a yelp, and the fast talk that follows is enough to wake her with a start. Her response? She rolls out of the bed, drawing the blankets up around her. She's a pile on the floor. "N-no, I'm n-not. Who the s-shards are y-you?" she shoots back, glaring at him. "W-what did /y-you/ do to m-me?" she snaps, becomming aware of a dull pain. She curls up more. "W-what…. did… you d-do?"
M'nol's more chivalrous side kicks in when presented with scared girl, though he's certainly not 100 happy just yet, "/I/ didn't do anything. One minute I'm delivering a message to the Weyrwoman, the next I'm here. You must have drugged me. I'd never willingly cheat on my Phy!"
Izarra blinks. "D-do I l-look like a h-healer? H-how am /I/ s-supposed to k-know how to d-drug s-s-someone?" she shivers, curling harder around the blankets. "I w-was p-painting a fl-flight… and a-after that…. h-how do I k-know /you/ d-didn't drug m-me? I d-don't even l-like men." she snorts a bit contemptiously.
M'nol looks truly aghast now, "I would never! I'm a miner and a dragonrider, not some tavern punk…" he trails off, then mumbles, "Flight? was there a…" he cuts off when Faraeth interrupts his mental monologue and just stares blankly at her for a moment before crumpling to the floor. Very, very quietly he asks, "I don't suppose you ride a dragon and Farry just happened to catch her?"
Izarra shakes her head quietly. "I'm a h-harper. N-not a r-rider." she sniffles. "W-what's going on h-here?" she demands.
M'nol just crumples, curling in on himself until he's rocking back and foth on the floor muttering, "I promised… I promised…" His hardened, buff exterior making an odd tableau with his fragile state.
Izarra arranges the blankets around her so it's more like she's wearing an oversized cloak than a pile of sweaty blankets. "P-promised w-what? W-why don't you j-just t-tell me w-what is g-going on here."
Tears continue to stream down M'nol's face as he stares at the equally scared and mortified girl, "I promised Phy I wouldn' sleep wi' anyone else outsi'e o' winnin' a flight! I… I b-broke my promise!" And he's bawling again.
Izarra blinks at this… rider…. thing…that's /crying/ before her. Shells, she knew how to pick them, didn't she? She sighs, and shakes her head. "L-look… I d-don't really… it's none of m-my business about w-what y-you promised… b-but… w-why did you p-pick me?" Yeah, of all the women around, why not some other poor sap?
M'nol stops blubbering and just blinks at her for a minute, "I… I don' really 'member… no' even th' flight… bu' I'd guess it's 'cause yer kinda like Phy an' I couldn' tell th' diff'rence…" His eyes narrow at her, "Why'dja let me?"
Izarra frowns. "I d-don't r-remember." she sighs and scoots over to him, and collapses against him. "I d-don't e-even remember if I e-enjoied it." she sniffs. "I d-don't l-like men…"
M'nol frowns, trying not to be hurt by this revelation, and wraps his arm around her in his best attempt at comforting in his own distraught state, "I'm sorry… flight frenzy isn't an excuse, but it's all I have…
Izarra lays against him a little, sighing. "I d-dont know what that m-means, b-but I a-accept your a-apology."
M'nol shudders a little, "When dragons rise t' mate their riders feel wha' they feel… so it c'n be hard t' walk away if'n y' lose… but I've always managed 'fore…" He sighs, "I'm sorry…"
Izarra nods again. "I c-cant say that I u-understand, b-but I g-guess I c-can appreciate t-that you're s-sincere." she gives him a little hug, not like she most likely did before, just a comforting gesture, and backs slightly away from him. "W-what are you g-going to do?"
M'nol lets her go, after all he feels no propriety over her. He sighs softly, "I guess I have to tell Phy the truth… in terms of me… in terms of you? I suppose that depends on what you want me to do…"
Izarra frowns. "H-honestly… I d-don't feel s-so well. B- but… I m-mean… I d-don't know what to do."
M'nol blushes a little, "Phy said th' firs' time was always a li'tle painful… y' shoul' probably wash up… 'n'… 'n' if yer still feelin' bad I c'n take y' to the healer hall…"
Izarra shakes her head. "N-no. I'll b-be fine. J-just s-sore… and… s-sick t-to my stomach." she pauses. "N-not that y-you make me s-sick to my s-stomach… just the s-situation…"
M'nol nods a little, "I c'n unnerstan' tha'… I'm really sorry yer firs' time was…" he waves his hands indicating their current position, "Bu' if anythin' does come up resultin'… let me know…"
Izarra nods. "T-thanks… ah… s-so what n-now. We j-just go on o-our merry w-ways?"
M'nol shrugs, "I… I don't know… the last woman who wasn't PHY I ended up in bed with ran me off with a knife…"
Izarra snorts. "I h-have a s-shoe. W-will that w-work?" she asks, thinking it some kind of weird rider custom.
M'nol chuckles, "You want to run me off? I didn' think I was tha' bad… Rupa jus'… doesn' like guys aroun' af'er a fligh'."
Izarra ahs. "N-no… I d-don't want to r-run you off… I do-don't guess. I t-thought you w-wanted me t-to." she frowns again.
M'nol grins a little, "No' neccessarily… bu' I don' wanna stay if'n it bothers you… I c'n jus' fin' m' clothes 'n'…" he glances around and is completely unsure of their location. Shards.
Izarra shakes her head and leans up against his side again, sighing. "N-no. P-please… I d-dunno what to d-do…" she mumbles. She's still wrapped up in her protective blanket. Her eyes well up with fresh tears. "I d-don't know…w-what to d-do with m-myself."
M'nol smiles, trying as hard as he can to understand the poor girl's plight, "I c'n holdja as long as y' need… bu' 'ventually y'll have t' stan' up an' go back out t' th' world 'n' tell 'em you're okay." He hugs her gently, not wanting to scare her.
Izarra snorts. "I… I'm okay." she sniffs, drying her eyes on his convinent shoulder, before they fill up again. "S-sorry." she mumbles, embarassed by her own tears.
M'nol points to his own damp cheeks, "I unnerstan'… even if we're feelin' bad fer slightly diffren' reasons… I always tol' m'self I wouldn' do something like this…"
Izarra nods. "I… if you w-want… I c-can go w-with you… t-to talk to y-your girlfriend…. if… you w-want."
M'nol sighs softly, "Dunno if that'd help or make it worse, hones'ly…"
Izarra says "J-just thought I-I'd offer…""
M'nol nods, "I 'ppreciate it… jus'… dunno… par' o' me wants t' no' tell her atall…"
Izarra nods, slowly. "W-well… I m-mean… I g-guess it's up t-to you." she pauses, and looks around a moment. "H-have you s-seen S-Snuzzle?"
M'nol blinks at Izarra, "Snuzzle?"
Izarra nods. "S-snuzzle. A g-green f-firelizard…"
M'nol grins, "Oh… right… y' were at that hatchin' o' Xhaine's where I impressed Hematite…" As if on cue the little brown bursts from /between/ followed by a veritable fair of others in all colors but the crucial gold chirping and chittering at him about where he's been and what he thinks he's doing.
Izarra nods. "I… she's… m-my friend, I g-guess. Sh-she's not in h-here th-though."
M'nol chuckles softly and emits a piercing whistle, at which his massive fair returns from whence they came, "She would be if you asked her to… but with as many as I have I'm glad they take turns…" He gives the girl another soft hug, "How're you holdin' up?"
Izarra nods and closes her eyes, calling back the little green. She pops out of *between* and lands in Izzy's lap. She hugs her green tight, and presses back against M'nol. "G-good. I t-think. I-if… you c-can spot my c-clothes…"
M'nol grins at the little green, then cranes his head, finally spotting a pile of clothes in a far-off corner he points to it, "They might be over there… I think that's my riding jacket."
Izarra nods, and scooches over, her blanket still pulled around her. Under cover, she hastialy dresses, careful to hide herself from M'nol. "S-sorry again… I d-didn't mean to p-put you in this p-perdiciment
M'nol quirks an eyebrow at Izarra, moving carefully across the room to hide himself from her as well, "I didn' mean t' put you in it, either…" He dresses quickly.
Izarra smiles. "B-but you have a g-girlfriend to a-answer t-to. I d-don't." she nods. "I-if… If you n-need me to t-talk to her… i c-can.."
M'nol nods, "It's as much my fault as yours…" he pauses, then blushes again, "ummm… I don't believe I caught your name…"
Izarra sighs. "I-Izzy. I'm Izzy." she says. She can hardly beleive it. Her first time, and it was little more than in passing, and she couldn't even remember it.
M'nol smiles softly, "M'nol, brown Faraeth's rider," he holds out a hand to her, "Pleased to meet you if somewhat ashamed of the circumstances…"
Izarra gently takes his hand and shakes it. "W-well met… sort of." she looks at him and hmms. "C-can… I meet your d-dragon… if h-he… doesnt m-mind…"
M'nol smiles, "Of course. He loves meeting people." He pulls his riding jacket into place and smiles, "He's just outside in the bowl."
Izarra finishes adjusting her clothes, then she follows M'nol out into the bowl to meet Faraeth.
M'nol leads her out into the bright sunlight, only a little embarassed by the whole thing