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.
Exits lead off in all directions, a big archway the largest and that leading outside. Shallow stairs to the west lead to the offices and administration area while tunnels to the east lead to the infirmary, kitchen and resident's quarters. Southwards, a sloping tunnel leads down to the hot springs and southwest is a wide tunnel, carefully roped off to avoid accidents.
Late afternoon, but not quite dinner time, finds the caverns a pretty sparsely populated place. A few people move about, preparing dinner for the Weyr's population or grabbing an early bite to eat, but not very many seem to be just sitting and doing nothing. Not like Tecoah. The brunette Runner is seated at a table alone with her hair tumbling loose around her shoulders while she teases her firelizards with the ribbon that usually holds her hair contained. The green pounces at the end being dragged across the table only to have it jerked out from under her at the last possible moment with a small giggle from the petite young woman as her blue waits for his moment to leap in and capture the infernal piece of fabric that's being used to torment them so.
A'di makes his way slowly into the area with his hands stuffed into his pockets. The short rider doesn't really seem to have a particular reason for entering, but enter he does. He doesn't move immidiately towards the serving tables, but he slowly wanders towards a table and plops down a couple of books. this done, he heads over to grab himself a cup of tea and slides into a seat.
The Runner isn't as unobservant as she appears to be, though her bright green eyes don't leave the pair of playing, pouncing lizards, "Afternoon." Tecoah tears her gaze away long enough for the blue to make his move and the ribbon is caught! "What're you reading?" She looks back at the firelizards now worrying at the scrap of cloth and tugs it away long enough to resume their little game, though the loss of their toy gets a quiet hiss from both creatures.
A'di turns his head and offers a warm smile of greeting, "Afternoon." A'di says quietly as he tips his head. His attention turns to the books as they're mentioned and he chuckles quietly, "Oh, well, this is a book about history and stuff, not sure you'd be interested." He chuckles quietly and rolls his shoulders in a indifferent manner, "Your firelizards are certainly a noisy lot."
"Ah…" Yeah, not something that Tecoah is really interested in, "Well, if you like that sort of thing, then I'm sure it's an interesting read." She wrinkles her nose a little at the mention of the now tousling and getting wound up in the ribbon, "You have no idea!" The green squawks indignately as she finds herself pinned on the bottom for a moment and the young woman rolls her eyes as she plucks the blue off, "I swear, they haven't really grown up yet."
A'di chuckles quietly, "yeah, I thought as much. It may not be interesting for you, but I quite enjoy it, actually. I find it facinating." He winks playfully, "Oh, no it's quite alright, history is not for everyone." He looks over to the firelizards, "Firelizards are a nuiscanse but not nearly as bad as a dragon."
Tecoah shrugs, a sheepish expression crossing her face, "I'm more interested in running than I am anything else, to tell the truth." She offers a bright little smile, "And as long as you like it then that's all that matters, right?" She giggles softly and shakes her head at the comment about firelizards and dragons, "Yeah, I suppose so." The blue perks up, oddly, at the comment and chirups curiously, almost as though asking what the man wants. The Runner giggles again, covering her mouth with her hand and enjoying the little laugh before explaining, "He thinks you're talking to him. That's his name: Nuisance." Seems someone had a sense of humor when she was naming her little friends…
A'di chuckles quietly as he watches the firelizards in obvious amusement, "You should meet my dragon, I think you would find him to be even more of a nuisance." he grins over at Tecoah, "Have you met many dragons who bespeak humans? I must warn you, Dalasith's rather chatty…" He trails off with wry amusement, a smile pulling at his lips. "And once he starts, he doesn't exactly stop, he'll bug you until he forgets."
"No… I can't say that I've met any before…" Tecoah seems almost cautious at the thought of a dragon actually speaking to her, "And I only named him Nuisance because he attacked my lunch while I was watching his clutch hatch." She pauses for a moment, "And she's Pest. She's just one of the most active creatures I've ever known, and Nuisance is the reason I've got her." She shakes her head a little at that, "Sharding little guy wanted to distract me so he could dive head first into his bowl of meat when he was less than a month old." There's a quiet sigh, "I guess it's a good thing that they can't actually talk, though. I'm sure I'd never get a moment's peace."
A'di smiles and nods his head, "Yeah, I try to tell him that not /everyone/ wants to talk to him." He shakes his head slowly at the thought, "I usually tell him when someone doesn't want to talk to him, so if you don't want to, it's alright." He closes his eyes as he shifts in his position, "Pest and Nuisance?" He chuckles, "Interesting names, I have a couple of firelizards myself, I mostly use them to help with Dalasith. I'm sure they keep you entertained, though?"
"Oh, I'm sure there are plenty of people that would like to talk to him." She just isn't nessisarily one of them, "I know a lot of the kids I grew up with around Fort Hold would have given their left thumb to have a dragon talk to them." She shrugs a little, "I guess if he wants to talk then I wouldn't really mind. I just never really thought about it before." In other words, it wasn't one of ehr dreams as a child. She shrugs a little at the comment on the names she gave her firelizards, "I'm just a Runner, is all. I've got these two trained alright for carrying messages, but they have to know the person they're delivering to. Makes them pretty useless when it comes to people we haven't met before." She grimaces, "And they get distracted pretty easily if they can't find who they're looking for right away…"
A'di seems to consider something or other, digging around in his bag at his side, "Well, maybe you could try on the sands, then? You may not have been one of the kids, but I think Dalasith wants to see you on the sands from the general jist that I'm getting form him. Of course, he could be going on about something else, knowing him…but unlikely." He grins as he stands to his feet and makes his way over. Offering out a white candidate knot, "So how about it. Feel like trying for the sands? You could get a dragon that is much more than a pest or a nuisance, but then again, you might just keep the firelizards."
Tecoah blinks a couple of times at the offer and sighs, nodding almost reluctantly, "Really?" She doesn't really sound that excited by the idea of Standing again, "I stood here a couple of turns ago. Right after these two hatched, actually." She sighs again and nods, "If he thinks I should try again, then I suppose I really don't have much of a choice, do I?" She pauses, "I'll have to let the Station Master know that he needs to find someone else to cover my route for a while…" At least she's already making plans, even if she doesn't sound too enthused.
A'di shakes his head, "You don't have to stand if you don't want to, no one's going to make you. Who knows, maybe this time you'll find what you're looking for?" A'di offers and places the knot in front of her, "Think about it, it's yours if you want it." He smiles a little, "If you would like help moving in, let me know."
Tecoah looks at the knot for a long minute and actually snatches it up before pest can mess with it, nodding, "I'll do it. I was left on the sands last time, maybe I'll be lucky this time." She doesn't actually say it, but it sounds like she's implying that she would be lucky to be left again. She shrugs, "I just don't like the idea of passing up an oportunity is all." She pushes away from the table and stands, scooping up the green firelizard and leaving the blue to fend for himself, at least for the moment, "I don't have much. It's hard to run when you're bogged down by a bunch of stuff."
A'di nods his head and offers out his hand, "Would you like me to escort you to the barracks? Or do you think that you will be able to find it on your own?" He looks over his shoulder with a secret smile, "It took me more than once to find Dalasith, not everyone finds what they're looking for on their first try."
Tecoah takes his hand in her free one, for once not making the green fly, "If you don't mind? It's been a couple of turns since I was in that part of the Weyr…" With apparently being left behind, Nuisance warbles and jumps up to cling to the back of the Runner-turned candidate's shirt, "If it's meant, then it'll happen. I don't want to stress about something that might not happen." At least she's not worrying about whether or not she's going to leave the sands alone again?
A'di smiles, "think of it as making new friends, if it helps. I made a lot of friends at Reaches." He takes her hand in his own as he starts to walk outside, "I really enjoyed candidacy. When you look at it as a learning experience instead of just hoping to get a dragon, it helps take away the dissapointment later on." He shrugs a little as he continues to walk. "And even if you do walk again, think of it as opening yourself to new experience, taking a different life for yourself, steering yourself in a completely different direction. Make different choices, that sort of thing. A new start, if you will."
Tecoah nods and shifts Pest from being draped over her arm to perched on her shoulder, "I remember it being very interesting. I did enjoy getting to know all the other candidates. I still keep in touch with a couple of them." She pauses for a moment, "N'shen Impressed that time, if I remember correctly."
A'di nods his head and makes his way out of the barracks, "I'm quite happy I impressed when I did, I made some very good friends. I don't see them nearly as much as I would like to. But let us get you to the barracks and then you can move your things in later, hrm?" And then he's off and walking outside.
Tecoah nods, "That sounds alright." She'll have to get someone to send her a few things from the Station, but she can at least get her firelizards set up for now, "I don't think I've really spoken to N'shen since he Impressed…" Not in a long time, at least. She follows him out and in the direction of the barracks, reaching up to give Pest a little scritch.