Coldstone Hold - Drawing Room
Ungodly. Insane. Unwarrented. Unacceptable. These are the words that several people are muttering about the early hour at which they are roused. Servants knock on doors with torches instead of daylight, proffering bowls of warm porridge and oats and perhaps a few sweetrolls before quietly informing our bold adventurers that the bard is ready to tell them of their quest! Wizard, Warrior, Thief, Paladin, they all adjurn to the-
Wait…
Ungodly. Insane. Unwarrented. Unacceptable. These are the words that several people are muttering about the early hour at which they are roused. Servants knock on doors with torches instead of daylight, proffering bowls of warm porridge and oats and perhaps a few sweetrolls before quietly informing the visitors from Xanadu that one of their number is expecting them in the main drawing room, doubtless with a deathwish given the early hour…
Indeed, Tenebrous can be found in that drawing room with a rough map of the area spread out on the table and a few chalk boundaries already marked off. And the prickly bastard doesn't even seem to be drowsy.
Moria is perfectly chipper this early morning, and looks like she's been awake for a while when she is led to the drawing room. Mulgrave is perched on her shoulder once more, but in a much better mood than last night. Trina is held in the crook of one arm, and Moria is forcibly shoving a sweetroll down the green's throat. "So, oh fearless leader, what's the plan this morning?" she asks as she wipes her fingers clean on her sleeve.
"Really." Comes Phylicia's voice promptly followed by a yawn as she catches the tail end of Moria's question. She's lacking the coat for now, dressed in materials made for warmer weather. And it doesn't look like she probably got much sleep either by the black smudges under her eyes. "What couldn't've waited for three or four more hours?" And then - since she likes her breakfast - she takes off a chunk of a sweetroll. Mm. Breakfast to go.
Thea enters the drawing room but she's not eating and from the look of her, she hasn't slept. She's dressed for hiking and carrying a light jacket for the early morning chill. "Morning." It's said quietly to the group in general. She simply waits without much interest to be off.
Tenebrous looks up slowly from his drawing. "You know, it's not that I haven't ever seen an actual steaming pile of dung before. It's not that I don't understand why it steams when it does. It's just…one of those things that always makes me stop and stare for a moment." He stops looking at the map for a moment to rub one side of his face. "I'm…not sure what relevence that has to today's activities, but…there you have it." He glances at Phylicia then. "Dawn, apprentice. Dawn is precisely what could not wait for three or four more hours." Something has him in an off mood. Thea merely gets a nod of his hooded head before he points to the map with one already gloved hand. "Two groups will make covering the region I've selected more managable. Six people, three a team." He raises a slow brow. "Do we all have preferences for our hiking partners, or should I choose?"
Moria raises a brow as she listens to Tenebrous, and shakes her head with a wry smile. "You say the oddest things," she notes as she snags another bit of roll and tucks in into the green's mouth just as she opens it to screech. "I've no preference. Place me where you think I won't cause problems," she answers Ten cheerfully. Mulgrave slinks down Moria's arm to eye the map on the table, gracefully stepping onto the surface to examine the colors.
Phylicia covers up another yawn with her free hand and leans against a piece of furniture that will support her weight. "Mm. Right then." She mumbles at her mentor, content to nibble at her sweetroll for the moment. Thea is grinned at, for the pair of them seem rather sleep deprived. "Well, I can't go with you, obviously." Since she was meant to keep the other team out of major trouble. For having very little to no sleep, she's rather witty. Estevan flies down from the rafters, settling himself about Phy's shoulders and neck as she grunts softly.
Thea is listening in a listless sort of way. She remains mute, unsmiling as Tenebrous speaks, his odd comment unremarked to. "Tharen in one, myself in another. Guides." Her reason for even being here in the first place. She merely shrugs indifference at the question as to which group. She doesn't care. Speaking of her brother… She peers around, missing him. There's a mutter from her and she slips from the room. Someone's gonna get his butt kicked out of bed, by the looks of it. She does manage to give Phylicia a wan smile in return as she passes her friend.
Tenebrous glances over at Moria. "Odd, perhaps, but usually honest." His lips press into a firm line. "The truth is usually awkward, but almost always less painful in the long run." He gestures to Moria. "You're with me. If the brother can find his way out of whatever barricaded cell he locked himself into last night, he can catch up." He eyes the glasscrafter. "Step high and call out if you can't keep up." Thea's departure warrents a neutral look from the healer before he turns to Phylicia. "You're on point with the Weyrwoman and one of the local holders if you want it. Focus on this area here, closer to the Hold proper." He gestures to the map. "Stay frosty, step high, move quiet. Live ammo." He smiles with some hint of amusement. "Otherwise everyone gets to drop their pants for me over lunch."
Moria eyes Tenebrous at his last comment but doesn't say a word, shaking her head as she lifts Trina to face her, firmly gripping the firelizard's nose and staring into her eyes. "You go sunbathe somewhere, you irritating creature, and stay out of everyone's hair." The green chirps submissively, and Moria releases her. Trina flaps in place for a few moments, then squeaks and vanishes :between:. Mulgrave creels his disappointment and crawls back to Moria. "Oh, hush. You know better," she mutters to the bronze. "So, when do we start, oh fearless leader?" she asks Ten with another bright smile. "I'm fairly sure I can keep up."
Phylicia is on her feet, looking at the area on the map before she glances up to look at Tenebrous' face. But she just can't seem to stop yawning, which she covers again. "Got it." She says with a bit of a grin before she pauses to shake her head with a small sigh as her cheeks turn a light pink. "I swear, you do get /some/ sort of amusement out of that." She chides him gently before Moria gets a look and a sleepy grin. "'Less you've been in the forest lots, you might regret those words." Because some of the time she still has trouble keeping up.
"Not a chance of that happening," drawls Thea as she steps back into the room just as Tenebrous speaks his last. "I know the local plantlife, as well as the area." There's no humor in her this morning, apparently. "Tharen's… coming later," she adds quietly to Moria while donning her jacket and moving to stand beside Phylicia.
Tenebrous snorts. "We start now." He throws Moria an exhasperated look. "And for Thread's sake, woman, I'm no one's anyone, let alone a leader." He takes another glance at the map and then abruptly scoops his running satchel up, slinging it up onto one shoulder. He starts around the unoccupied part of the table, towards the exit. "Keep them out of trouble, Phylicia," he says in a professional tone of respect. He works several of his satchel's straps into place before pulling his hood low over his head. "Cila," he murmurs, holding out his hand. A moment later, his tiny gold appears, twining around his arm as he reaches for the door out.
Moria regards Phy without concern, shrugging. "Have you ever tried blowing glass? Or throwing a pot? It's hard work. I have plenty of endurance and wind, and am in good shape," she assures Phylicia. "Unless he tries to imitate a runner, I should be fine." We'll see… Mulgrave cheeps at Moria, and she picks up the bronze, stroking his head. "You can come along, but you have to be quiet. I don't want you distracting everyone," she tells the flit, who murrs contentedly at the caresses. "I thought you had a sense of humor?" she says to Tenebrous, raising a brow. "I'll be along in a few moments. I need to grab my carrysack." She ducks her head to Phy and Thea and scampers after Ten, slipping out the door and heading back toward the room she has been using.
"Yes sir." Phylicia replies promptly, but completely seriously. She looks down at her feet for her satchel and sighs softly as she looks to Thea. "Just a quick stop back to the room for my satchel." Because apparently the girl's brain is still in bed. She watches as her mentor and the glasscrafter leave and rolls her shoulders slightly as if working out a kink. "Did we wear him out?" She asks of the weyrwoman softly.
Thea just snorts at the comment about trouble from Tenebrous. "You're the boss, Phy." This is said respectfully enough to her friend, "Though I do know these forests, I'll defer to your leadership." She's fastening her jacket then and stepping aside for Phylicia to lead the way. Her question about wearing him out has her shaking her head wordlessly.
In the hallway, Tenebrous casually watches the dispersement of people, every one of them BUT him heading away from the the way out. "Screw it," he mutters out loud. Footsteps echo loudly as his pace picks up down that hallway, and a hollow boom sees him blowing out the front door of the hold at a dead sprint, Cila's exaultant cry echoing through the courtyard as she takes flight with her master.
Phylicia was just turning to head back to the room she and Thea shared, to pick up her satchel but she just manages to hear Tenebrous sprinting off. She sighs to herself as she continues on her path to get her satchel, Thea likely tagging behind her. For now, silence is good.