Xanadu Weyr - Garden
An arch woven from the tendrils of a willow tree stretches overhead lightly creeping with ivy as one steps in from the meadow into this sanctuary of green. Cool gray flagstone carefully spaced enables a soft velvety moss to thrive within the cracks, and creates a single wide pathway that fluidly breaks off into two paths of stone once free of the natural arbor. It is a wonder this place, and meticulously tended from the way it seems not a single leaf is out of place. On either side of the main path expansive grassy patches are trimmed short and edged behind with natural tan colored stone selectively chosen to stack just right. Beyond these are a line of fine puffed shrubberies in vibrant green intermingled with flowering bushes of brilliant pinks varying in hue from the very light to the very dark, which causes the occasional snowy white blossoms of other scattered here and there without worry to simply pop out of the scenery.
The current time for zone 9 is: 2686.5.17 14:49:50
Mid-afternoon with the weather getting wintry down at Xanadu means D'son's got on a jacket and scarf for a walk through the gardens. His hands are hidden away in the pockets of that jacket, the notebook he hardly ever is seen without tucked under one arm as he walks. A little cool breeze winds its way through, ruffling the grass and the heads of the trees, many of the flowers and shrugs already clipped back and trimmed for the colder season.
The coolness is welcome, for once. Desri's come from the deck overlooking the sands and she has the flushed cheeks to prove it. The rest of her is no more impressive. There's paint streaked in her hair, and spattered along the legs of her pants. The jacket she's tossed on is clean, at least. Quick, almost running steps sound behind D'son as the nanny works to catch up with him. "He…hey! There you are," she pants, somehow managing to shape a smile through the attempt to regain her breath.
The sound of running feet slows D'son's progress forward and as Desri calls out he looks over his shoulder, coming to a complete halt. "Heya!" he greets her, though his expression shades sympathetic for the breathlessness. "Whoa there," Dels says and pulls his hand free so he can lay a casual arm across his sister's shoulders. "You okay?"
"Fine…fine, I'm okay, honest. You'd think I'd be in better shape, chasing children all day." Desri accepts the arm by bumping her head against Dels' own shoulder. The tap is meant to be fond. "I thought that was you. I'd have felt stupid if you were someone else…I had a story all ready. What are you doing out here, Dels? It's cold, isn't it?" she asks, already slipping her bare hands into the pockets of her jacket to protect them. The heat generated by that dash will wear off quickly enough.
"You'd think," D'son teases just a little and curls his arm that much more around his sister, laughing for the tap. "A story huh? And um, well you know, just some fresh air. Even if it's starting to get cold. At least it's not as cold here as it can be some other places. It's survivable, even for us thin-blooded Istans."
Desri tilts her head just enough that he can get a glimpse of the face she's making at him, complete with scrunched up nose and quirky lips. That, for his teasing! Her smile follows immediately after. "I was going to pretend I needed to run past to get to the playground, to find a lost doll." Yes, she really does plan for every contingency. "Maybe for you it's survivable. I was thinking of setting up my cot in the hot springs but somehow I think they might notice. Have you had any word from Ista, Dels? Whether the ash has stopped?"
"Cute," D'son teases for scrunchy-nose. "And that's a smart story, fits right in with being a nanny," her brother approves and gives her a little half-hug. "Yeah, I've had some time to get used to it," he agrees about the weather and then puffs his cheeks out. "Yeah it's still falling," he says quietly, face serious. "Dad's been touching base often through Inimeth."
Desri's own expression falls at the news and she lowers her gaze to the ground, bending easily to stay tucked against her brother's side. "K'ael offered to take us back to see everyone and make sure they're all right. Me and Rylavi, who wanted to see the beaches. But…not if ash is still coming down. At least they're okay." She falls silent a moment before stealing a glance at his face. "See, /this/ is why it's important to plan for /anything/ happening. You're minding your own business and boom, volcano."
"Yeah, as far as I know, air traffic is still prohibited," D'son says with a shake of his head. "Dad says that Badri's okay, if that's what you're worried about. And I haven't heard anything about any of the kids being hurt," Dels continues then makes a little wry face. "Yeah. It's always good to have a backup plan."
"He said he could try to sneak us in…but not with ash in the air, I'll tell him no. Azaeth could take a spark through his wingsails and then where would he be?" Desri says, striving for an oh so mature tone of reason. "You'd think with another baby on the way, he'd be less reckless." Fretting over Badri earns a brief nod, and a breath puffed out slowly to fog in the air. "I haven't had a letter from her in ages, I was worrying. That's good though…I knew she'd be all right but…well. It's hard, not being there." Pause. "I mean, not that I wouldn't want to be here with you instead but…you know."
"Yeah, probably not a good idea," D'son agrees about the trip. "Not until things clear up." He laughs though, shakes his head. "Mikey's very much a spur of the moment kind of guy." Fondness colors his tone as he speaks of his clutchbrother. "And I know, Des, I know. It's part of why I charged over there to help out back a few turns when things were rough over there."
Desri wrinkles her nose again, this time pairing it with a quick grin. "I've been seeing that, yeah. He was strutting around flexing the other day in front of me and Rylavi. She was all starry-eyed afterwards." The look on her face is very much one of amusement and 'ew'. After sharing this tidbit, she taps her shoulder against his ribs and dampens her smile to something gentler. "It was nice having you around, then…how are things now? I mean, um. I haven't seen…Amelia?"
That description brings on full-belly laughter. "Oh shells. Yeahh, that's Mikey all right. Very /nice/ muscles too," D'son says with the laughter still in his voice, though that fondness is there too. "Yeaaah could've wished that had all turned out better," he mentions of that prior visiting time. "I hadn't intended to stay at Ista inside a jail cell," he notes wryly then blows out a breath. "Yeah, things're good. She made journeyman recently so she's been pretty busy."
His reaction gets Desri going too, her laughter quieter but no less amused. "I was trying not to look, it felt like I was watching my brother preening and flexing his chest," she remarks, "And he's head over heels for Enka, besides." Her smile wobbles briefly before springing back firmly into place. Happy thoughts. /Happy/ thoughts. "It made it easier to track you down, at least?" The suggestion is followed by a softer sound, meant to indicate that she understands. "A lot of new knots being handed out lately…Rylavi got apprentice, Amelia journeyman. I just saw N'shen and Natali, in the arena, he's moving her into the candidate barracks."
"What? Would it be so bad to watch me?" D'son asks, making rounded eyes at his sister, clearly joking again. "Yeah," soft sigh, "I know." A little swallow and then he snorts softly. "Mmhm. Yeah, definitely easier to find a guy locked up behind bars." He blinks though at that news. "Shells, really? Well I'll have to offer congratulations when I see her next," he says and then pauses, gaze getting a little abstracted before he re-focuses on his sister and blinks a couple of times. "Uhhh, speaking of candidate barracks, Inimeth's right out in the meadow and he's saying he thinks /you/ would make a good match for a hatchling. Says he's /always/ thought it, but didn't really have an occasion to ask before now." Beat. "Huh."
Her arm slips around his back to drape around his waist, tensing beneath the thick sleeve of her jacket to give a reassuring squeeze. Desri frames her smile to match the gesture. "He still thinks the world of you too though, doesn't go two sentences without…mentioning you…" She trails off, eyebrows gone quirky. "Uhhh." There's the familial resemblance! A glance is shot off in the presumed direction of the absentee bronze before she tilts a frowny face up at Dels. "Are you sure he isn't just being competitive? Since Taozyuth must have tagged Natali."
"He's my best friend," D'son says with deep loyalty behind those words of K'ael, but then he's clearing his throat again and shaking his head. "Inimeth's not really … competitive about that kind of thing, Des." His mouth quirks to the side and he tilts his head thattaway. "Want to go visit and find out if he's for certain sure? Or are you not interested at all?"
"I…guess? I mean…sure, okay. It's just…" Desri catches her lower lip between her teeth, biting down hard before she can stick her foot in her mouth again. "If he's for certain sure, I couldn't say no. Wouldn't. No one's looked twice before but…I didn't think I'd spend my visit…um. Sure, let's go see Inimeth. But /you/ get to tell Mother if he insists, okay?" There, a joke helps her find a smile again, though the bridge of her nose is threatening a perma-crinkle now.
Stuttering speech seems to run in the family. "Uhhh okay, sure, I can tell her," D'son says with a little nod. "And he sounds pretty sure from over there, but he wants to see you up close. Not like he hasn't already, plenty of times," the bronzerider says with a little shake of his head and then turns to change their path back out of the garden and toward the meadow.
Who's going to argue with a dragon? Certainly not Desri, who falls into step with nary a hitch. "He should know I'd come give him a scritch without having to threaten to turn me into a candidate," she adds, just so the bronze is forewarned. At least she sounds more amused than taken aback, now.
"He does," D'son says confidently. "I'm willing to bet that whatever he picked up in my head he's picking up in yours is all," the bronzerider continues with a theory as they reach the garden's exit and the bronze dragon is right there, head snaked forward curiously to meet them. He lets out a low, pleased croon and immediately nudges toward Desri. "Uhh, yeah, he's sure," Dels confirms.
"That's probably it, then. We can blame Da." She sounds satisfied, and all too willing to pin this new turn of events on the bonds of blood. It beats having her life take a rapid left turn without warning for no reason at all. Desri has a smile ready in spite of her trepidation, tugging her unoccupied hand from her pocket to reach out towards the bronze snout. "Um. All this time, huh Inimeth? Mother's not going to be happy with you, stealing her best assistant."
"There you go, makes it easy," D'son claims with a wink as she pins the blame on their father. As she reaches out to scritch Inimeth, so does he, on the opposite side of that snout. "He says he thinks she'll get over it. Because you'll make her proud if you find your very own dragon on the sands," Dels conveys with a little grin. "So. Is that a yes or a 'not no'?"
Desri looks from dragon to brother and back again, caught somewhere between nerves and that uncertain smile. Her hesitation drags out longer than it perhaps should, though not so long as she'd likely take if given the choice. "I suppose…a yes? It'd be silly to turn it down. Rude, too. Let's…not count our dragons before they're hatched though, huh?" That's for Inimeth, who receives a more energetic scritching to take any sting from the words. "Do you…maybe they'd let me keep working in the nursery?" Instead of, say, scrubbing toilets.
"It's okay if you do," D'son says with a shake of his head. "Though Inimeth'd be disappointed." The bronzerider reaches over to hug his sister briefly. "Congratulations, little sis," he says gaily. "Guess I should walk you over. As for the work arrangements, I dunno. I had to do chores like everyone else at Ista. I think it's pretty much the same here, but it doesn't hurt to ask."
"I wouldn't want to disappoint him. Or you," Desri responds, managing a little laugh as she takes and returns that hug. "We'll…see how it goes, I guess. If I…um. I might go grey before this is all over, just warning you," she adds, stepping back and reaching a hand up to her paint-streaked hair. The prospect of being shown over to the barracks leaves her hurrying to give Inimeth one last vigorous rub to the snout before she steps in close to D'son again.
"Oh I'd be fine, no matter which way," D'son says seriously. "I mean, if you really didn't want to, I get that," the bronzerider continues. "And you're way too young for gray," he says fondly, gives her hair a little pat. "Try not to worry too much?" Then he reaches for Desri's hand to lead the way to the barracks with all of the necessary explaining about rules and so on and so forth.
"Selbadrin would never let me hear the end of it if I let my worrying keep me from the sands. /Especially/ with it being Inimeth who decided I should stand." Desri's smiling but her tone is as serious, and she gives his hand a squeeze as it's taken. "And it'll make for great stories about my trip to Xanadu, won't it?" Having said her piece, and given consent, she lapses into silence to listen to the rules. Nodding occasionally, but mostly just listening while walking beside her brother.
"Really? Heh. He looks out for you pretty well, huh?" D'son lifts his free hand to rub at the back of his neck, nods a few times. "Sure will. And if you impress then it won't be just a trip either." It's not a long walk to the barracks and by the time they get there, Dels has run out of rules as he knows them. "So um, you should probably check all of that with you know, the people in charge."
"If." It's not a word she likes especially well, the lack of certain outcome behind it, but Desri gamely fixes her smile in place. With the entrance looming ahead, she comes to a stop in order to offer a clingy sort of hug. "The…um, yeah. I'll…that's the first thing I'll do, promise. You're not…you'll still be around, right? I'll have time to…" Stalling a little perhaps, but in a good cause.
"Yeah," D'son answers 'if' with a long blown out breath and then looks down at Desri. "Of course I will. I'll see you at mealtimes and around chores and duties and stuff like always. And you can always come find me if you need to talk or anything," Dels says earnestly, arms folding around Desri again comfortingly.
Desri lifts her eyebrows and quips, only partially in jest, "Or hide?" She turns her ear briefly to his chest, taking her own deep breath and slow exhalation. "Okay. Not all new things are bad. Not all new things…are bad. It's worked out okay for you, Inimeth is wonderful. I can do this. I won't get maimed. Or broken. Or…um." Give herself an early heart attack, maybe. That last one is most likely. She wards it off by giving him one more squeeze before stepping back to attempt an 'I am an adult' posture. Onward!
"Not all new things are bad," D'son echoes reassuringly and gives her a squeeze. "You'll be 100% fine," he adds and when she steps back, bends to kiss her forehead affectionately. "You'll do /great/," he adds on confidently. "And if you need anything, I'm not far away."
Desri reaches up to tweak the tip of his nose after that kiss, a gesture every bit as fond and far more teasing. It helps the nerves, to have a sibling to harass. "Maybe," she temporizes. Then, before Dels can argue with her and she can change her mind, she pulls away to quick-step the rest of the way to her home for the next several months. After a last wave, she ducks inside.
"You /will/," D'son says again and lifts a hand to wave as Desri scampers off. "Good luck!" he calls after, a little bemused grin on his face. After she's gone, he turns to head back to Inimeth and the rest of his afternoon.