Xanadu Weyr - The Firelizard Theatre
A natural clearing in the forest has grown a different sort of tree. The Courtyard of the Firelizard holds grass trampled into dirt around the wooden play structures.
In the northern part of this field lies a jungle-gym like fort, with two towers that soar to fifteen feet of height. One of them adjoins a large open deck with spiral staircase up and a metal slide down. That aside, the structure's made almost entirely of wood, the boards locked together either by being interlocked or by huge wooden bolts hammered into the boards. The towers are studded with uneven boards and rough spots, various climbing challenges on each of their faces. A swaying rope bridge with wooden slats connects the towers, and beneath it there's a sealed tunnel to run through or play minecraft.
Just past the fort, there are wooden sit-toys carved and painted into the likeness of dragons. They're about two feet high and four feet long, though the green is smaller than the blue. There's a place for a child to sit on the dragon's back, with their feet resting on the dragon's paws and hands on the bars bars attached to the neck of the dragon. Pushing with hands or feet will make the dragon rock and writhe.
In the middle of the field are two sets of swings, suspended by rope from from a wooden beam that's held up by crossbraces on either side. There's a set of monkey bars, made entirely out of wood but carefully polished until the dark bars glow, and a set of seesaws. The sandbox is set back a little from the rest, filled with sand from Xanadu's beach and scattered with buckets and shovels.
Trees border the area, including a massive Lemosian ironwood that has beneath its branches wooden benches with a view of the playground.
Spring has sprung and that means the showers are sweeping in as well. The last has just past with the rain tapering off and leaving everything damp. It means the structures in the Firelizard Theatre are empty as the caretakers and nannies shooed the children and weyrbrats in long before (if they even came outside at all yet today). However a bit of rain never stopped one bluerider and Kiena's not about pass up the chance of being a "kid" again on the account of some water! Currently she's sitting on the bars, legs dangling over the edge as she hums to herself, lost to her own thoughts.
Even with the threat of rain and the recent drizzle upon the green grass, it's not enough to stop Kaitro from doing what he loves: enjoying life to its fullest. Even it it means making a bit of an idiot of himself. But, he doesn't seem to care. Having donned some boots, the candidate is leaping from one puddle to the next, laughing as the water erupts about his legs, and judging by how soaked his pants are, he's been at this for a while. But Kai doesn't seem to care, and as he finally makes his way over towards the firelizard theatre, well, it's yet another thing for him to enjoy. Abandoning his current fun for a new one, Kai makes his way over towards the swings, giving himself a little shove as he flicks his head back up to Kiena on the bars. "Y'know, sometimes it's nice to come out here after all the littles have gone inside. It's nice and quiet and relaxing!"
Kiena's head lifts at the sound of splashing and she grips the bars in preparation of leaping down as she half expects to see a troop of children (and possibly her own two daughters) charging in. Only her eyes pick out a solitary form and one she recognizes on top of that. Her posture relaxes, shoulders slumping as she idly kicks her legs back and forth. "Couldn't have said it better myself!" she laughs, turning to face Kaitro as he takes his place by the swings. "Quiet is right; relaxing is optional! Depends on the level of fun you seek and surprisingly these structures offer enough of it. Shame folks tend to frown on adults using it. So… that why you're here, Candidate Kaitro?" His name is said with a grin and almost amused air — not at all as formal as it seems.
"Well, can't a guy come have some fun and relish the thrill of the wind in his hair while he plays on a swing?" Kaitro laughs cheerfully as he gives himself a good shove, leaning backwards as he uses the pull of gravity to his advantage. This gets a little whoop from the candidate, laughing loudly before he slows in the motions. "Hey, it only needs to be as relaxing as you want it to be. I persoanlly like coming out here when no one else is around to have a little fun myself. Just 'cause I'm an adult doesn't mean I have to act like one, you gotta live life to it's fullest and enjoy the little things in life. Like a good swing every now and then!"
Kiena grins, "Nothing wrong with that!" she agrees, "And I'm not about to stop you! After all, that's why I'm here. Though I'm a girl, not a guy." Duh? Shifting, she swings her legs over the bars and slips her body between them, choosing to hang upside down as she listens to Kaitro. "I like the way you think!" Kiena admits with another laugh. "Who says you ever get to old for a bit of fun, eh? As I told Kera once — Live a little, play a little! Or a lot. Keeps ya healthy!" Or gives repeated visits to the Infirmary! "I heard that standin' on the swing can be thrilling for something different!" she suggests while dangling upside down.
"Hey, life is short, gotta enjoy it while we're here, at least, that's the way I look at it. You can't overlook the little things in life." Kai grins as he drags his feet into the ground, slowing himself to a stop as he clutches at the chains in his hands, a wide grin pulling at his lips. He glances up at the rider, nodding his head in enthusastic. "See, I feel exactly the same way! You gotta live a little and have fun every now and then, or a lotta fun. It's not gonna hurt anything and it makes life all the more fantastic." He laughs, standing to his feet to consider the seat of the swing. "Hrm, I might be a bit heavy for it, but I suppose I could attempt it. Worse that could happen is I fall flat on my ass."
"For a young man as yourself you're awfully wise," Kiena drawls with a grin and begins to swing back and forth and back and forth until she's gained enough momentum to curl herself upwards and grab the bars and pull herself upright. Then with another half swing she lands on the ground with a muffled thud of both feet and only a slight grunt of surprise when one of her boots slips slightly on the muddier ground. "Oops!" What was that about falling? "Well, only hurt could be you but then there's folks — like myself — who say it's just a way of gainin' experience really. 'Sides! Girls fancy scars and the stories behind 'em… Nothing says you gotta tell the whole truth neither." Another laugh and a wink to the Candidate and she walks to stand by one of the structures closer to the swings, leaning against the support beam with her arms crossed over her chest. "Nah, I think it'll hold you." Kiena admits after eyeing the swing itself and then giving him the once over. She nods, amusement still flickering in her eyes. "Or you break the swing which is bad but not terrible. If you do fall though and flat on your arse, be sure not to break it? I think if you wind up in the Infirmary, it'll be my backside that's flayed for it." She's… kidding, right?
"Well, I'm not saying I'm wise, that's just my way of looking at life. No need to sweat the small stuff, if you keep yourself open for the future, there's bound to be fantastic things just waiting for you to stumble upon them. And I can't help but like the little simple things in life, I don't like to take anything for granted. We only have a short time here, after all." A small smile plants itself upon Kai's lips as he moves to climb up onto the seat, clutching the chains tightly between his fingertips and likely getting the seat rather dirty with his muddy boots. Ah well, it'll wash off. He gives a little hop upon the seat, testing to see if it'll hold his weight. And after deciding that it's not about to break in half and gloriously dump him on his ass, he grins, turning to Kiena. "Girls? Me? I think you're talking about Tani, he seems to be the popular one as far as I can tell. And here I was thinking that girls liked guys that can cook. Aw well, their loss. I'll wait till I can find myself a good catch. Most of 'em don't suit my fancy anyway, and more of 'em seem too materialistic for my tastes. Care too much about what they wear rather than anything else." Kaitro shrugs his shoulders, ticking out his tongue playfully. "Hey, I'll be fine. It'll take more than a fall to my ass to send me to the infirmary, and I'lll be careful. I promise, I don't want to end up like Kyra stuck there till the eggs hatch. Faranth that'd be boring as hell."
Kiena chuckles, "I'd say your wise Kaitro cause I didn't have half that sort of wisdom in me when I was about your age. In fact… I did some pretty reckless and stupid, stupid things — Not that I'm saying you will!" She holds her hands up quickly as if to ward off any offence she may have caused. "You seem to have your head on straight, at least! Let's hope that nothing but fantastic things come your way!" No one is going to complain about a bit of dirt and mud on the swings! It'll wash off and plus… everything is covered in rainwater. Kiena seems to be waiting too to see if the swing will hold Kaitro's weight and when she hears no ominous creaking or groaning, her grin returns. "Dunno who this 'Tani is? Another Candidate I guess? And ha—!" She laughs and her grin broadens. "So you'll be a scarred cook? Double the intrigue! For the right girl." She points out with a snicker for the types of girls Kaitro lists. "Ah yes, those are some types. Eh, at this point… Well, it's back to what we were sayin' about enjoying life. Girls 'n whatever can wait." It's not the end all, be all of life apparently! She snickers at his tongue and almost returns it until she remembers she is a bit too old for that AND a rider. "Oh really? Hard… assed… are you?" Kiena snickers, then chokes a bit as she fights back more laughter. "Sorry. That was too easy… Ahh, yes, Kyra." Kiena sobers immediately and a faint frown pulls her brows together. "How she doin'?"
Shoulders lift idly and roll in their sockets, the motion causing his clothing to lift and fall as he glances over at Kiena, tilting his head to the side as he listens to the rider. "Well, I'm not saying that I'm not gonna do stupid stuff, 'cause at one point I probably will, but I'm not gonna go out of my way to do stupid things. That sound better? And I hope so. If not well, no skin off my back and I'm sure I'll weather it fine. Not much is gonna bother me too much." The candidate grins as he shifts his weight upon the swing, wincing slightly when he hears the notoroius creek echo across the barren theatre. Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all? Kaitro seems to contemplate for a few moments before giving another shrug of his shoulders. "I'm not going out of my way to find a girl, figure if I look too hard I'll never find one. Could be one'll just pop up at the perfect time and then there isn't much I'm gonna be able to do about it, with how girls are and all. Harder to shake off than syrup they are." Kai grins, turning his attention back to Kiena, nodding his head in agreement. "Yes, I reckon I've got a rather hard ass, 'might be from falling on it so often, you could say there's scars there. Mighty fine ones at that." As for Kyra, he frowns, glancing towards the ground thoughtfully. "She's alright, she's on crutches. I've been taking meals into the infirmary to share with all of 'em, I'm certainly not gonna let 'em starve on that slop they feed 'em in the infirmary."
Kiena seems to consider his words for a moment and then smirks, nodding her head. "That does sound better! Don't want ya to think I'm sayin' you gotta live life so carefree as to be reckless!" Though for her, being reckless is part of the fun but she won't say that out loud to Kaitro (yet). She shakes her head then, "Not many like you out there, Kaitro who take such a look on life. It's good to see a bit less of the jaded sort even for one as young as yourself." Not that he's that young either! Kiena winces a bit for the creaking but as the swing doesn't snap right then and there she relaxes and continues to watch. "You've got the right of it there. Take it from me! Don't be tryin', just wait. And if one gets clingy, y'just tell her to scram. Course… you got to be nice about it unless you want your ears boxed." Or worse. Kiena's grin is just wicked at this point and it's hard to say if the bluerider is truly imparting wisdom or is half yanking the poor Candidate's leg. Unfortunately for most, Kiena's idea of fun is to poke people a little. Kiena laughs again and takes a moment to recover, "I'd… not recommend showing those scars to no girls right off 'less you've wined and dined them and maybe until the third date?" she teases and then they're back to serious topics again and Kiena sighs, "So it's true then? Her leg was broken. Glad she's mending at least and it's nice of you to bring her meals. I've had to stay in the Infirmary enough to know how the food is…" See how she wrinkles her nose? Trauma!
"I like to think I'm rather smart, but could be I'm just spewing a whole lotta nonsense. But, well, it's just the way I go about things. One man's nonsence is another man's wisdom, I suppose." Kai grins slightly, a little smirk pulling at his lips. "Well, I'm intending to live my life the fullest and to experience everything I can. Faranth knows there's a whole world out there just waiting for me to explore it. And one of these days I'll get around to seeing. Shards that'd be great. Might even set up my own bakery where people'd flock all over for the taste of my food. That'd be a mighty fine life, that." The candidate pauses, deciding the swing is safe enough, or at least it is for the moment and he gently starts to shift his weight upon it, moving it back and forward in a steady motion, his hands clenching tightly upon the chains in order to hold himself on the swing. "Think if I jump off I could land on my feet?" He asks, arching a brow over at the bluerider curiously. "Oh c'mon, you'd think they were lovely scars if you had but a look at 'em, mighty fine if I do say so myself. And then there's that grand scar I took from the vegitable wars of last turn, I nearly had my arm bitten off by a rabid tuber. Let me tell you, those things have /teeth/!" he laughs loudly, wiggling his brows playfully at the greenrider. "Kyra's doing fine, last I saw. And yeah, her leg seems to be healing, mostly. Dunno if she's gonna be able to stand at this rate, but I'm not a healer, I'm a cook. Best I can do is try and speed up thier recovery by stuffing 'em full of goodstuffs!"
There is a padding of footsteps that preceeds the arrival of another Candidate, this one being the small blonde kid from Nerat. Being Giroux, that means he comes up with a generally affable smile on his features as he looks around the area. He notices a pair of people that look somewhat familiar and in this somehow not abismally cold day he manages to walk over to them in a slow, casual gait.
Kiena snorts, "Huh! Haven't heard it said like that before. I like that saying!" She's going to remember that for the next poor soul she traps and rambles away with like this! Her grin remains fixed as she listens to Kaitro, "Sounds like a great dream! I'd say explore first, learn all you can. You'd be surprised how… expansive our culture is and how it varies from region to region. Even the continents! And a bakery ought to be popular. Who doesn't like a bit of sweets or baked goods now and again?" Well, Kiena can think of ONE person but she's not going to badmouth her brother, Fort's Weyrleader, to the Candidates. "Why not try it? If you land on your face though… no promises I won't burst a seam laughing." Snickering, she pushes off the beam she was leaning against and stands straighter only to toss her head back and laugh again. "I ain't gonna look at no scars there. Sorry boy. And oh? A vegetable war? Sounds nasty — and don't let the weyrbrats hear you say such tales. Bad enough they barely touch the things…" she teases and again her expression falls briefly to a grimace. "Not sure on that either but I'm sure she'll know soon enough what her fate is. Oh, hello Giroux! Escaped, have you?" Kiena drawls as she wiggles her fingers in a welcoming wave.
"Words of wisdom by Kaitro. I like that. Maybe I should become a philosopher instead of a cook." Kaitro laughs loudly, a cheerful grin pulling at his head in amusement. "Seems that's about the only thing I've /been/ doing is spewing out nonsense that I hope is wisdom. Shards, I was just talking to Eltanin, Tani, and yes he's a fellow candidate." Kaitro's got nicknames for everyone by now. "And anyway, I was trying to convince him to not be such a Mr. Grumpybutt. I was /trying/ to convince him to go on a date with Bri, but apparently they are just 'Friends'" This is accompanied with airquotes from the candidate, which makes him flail slightly on the swing, depositing him rather royally in the middle of the mud. There's a brief pause before he bursts into laughter, obviously not harmed at all. "Well, go on then, have yourself some laughter at my expense, at least I got to make you laugh." The candidate smirks, pulling himself from the mud and gives a little mock bow, mud clinging rather tightly to his clothes. "Aw, why not? It ended in such a lovely stew, too. Ah well, I'm making peperations for next fall, don't want to get ruled by our vegitable overloards, y'know. They are rather nasty. I've plans to take all the leaves off the trees." Because that makes sense somehow, he grins, turning as Giroux moves to join them, an arm lifting. "Hey, Gir, you all better? Do I need to feed you up some more?" Because he will, dammit.
"I'm slippery than a tunnelsnake." Giroux starts before he snerks a bit as he watches the pair for a moment. "In reality, I had to scrub the barracks extra for going out there. Was worth it." He states as he walks up towards the duo. "And no, thanks. I'm all nice and warm.. if you can call this weather 'warm'" an impish, almost impudent face is made there. "Who were you trying to convince to go on a date with Bri?" He asks, nosily. "Cause she seems like the 'hard' to get type.. I mean not like me… you see all the women chasing me around?" He makes a pbbbblt sound with his tongue. "Gotta beat 'em off with a stick."
"Or a philosophical cook?" Kiena suggests with a bit of a roguish grin and then she blinks, "Wait. Eltanin? Starcrafter Eltanin? HA! I hadn't known he was Searched but then it's been ages since I crossed paths with him. Mr. Grumpybutt…" she snickers and then rolls her eyes a bit. "Ah, now. You can't force things!" she chides, only to break out into laughter again. "Shards and shells! What'd I say about breaking your arse? You alright?" Oh, she got her laughter in and she steps forwards to help Kaitro but backs off when the Candidate is getting to his own feet. She is, however, a little lost. "Leaves from the trees? Why do you need 'em?" Do tell, do tell! Glancing back to Giroux, she just shakes her head. "You're lucky it was just that and that you didn't catch a cold! Speaking of which… Y'got my jacket still!"
There's quiet laughter that erupts from Kaitro as he bends over to wipe the mud off of his pants. "I'm fine, I'm fine, my hard ass saved my fall. Told you it was good for somehing." Kiena gets a playful wing, turning to Giroux with a shrug of his shoulders. "Eltanin, they were being all…close, and touching, and holding each other. Figured I might make them a nice romantic meal. I'm famous for those, after all. Fixed Kera and C'rus one a couple sevendays back." A little proud look fixes upon Kaitro's face as he moves to plop onto the swing, no point in worrying about getting his butt dirty now from his muddy boots being on the swing. "Well, y'see, the leaves are in on the vegitable revolution. They're the eyes and ears, y'see. So we gotta get rid of 'em so that they can't help out their allies take over the weyr. Without the leaves, the vegitables'll have to look elsewhere. I suspect the rocks." Kai glances over at the rocks littered upon the ground. He's watching you, rocks! Gir gets a little nod from the candidate, "Kay, well, if you ever need another good stew, you know where to look."
"I know, I know." Giroux says to Kai as he nods. "Ah, that's interesting about those two.. and your jacket is with Mur'dah, Kiena." He turns back to the rider. "I couldn't find you after the chores so I gave it to him when I ran into him." He admits. "Almost kept it and ran around pretending to be you, but I don't think I can pull it off." he snerks at that, tapping his finger to his lips. "None of the women have asked me to hold 'em or anything. Maybe cause they're worred about my dad." He admits. "Oh shardit." He says, frowning as he looks to Kiena. "Wonder how much of a fuss they'll make if they show up for the hatching."
Kiena snickers again, unable to help it, when Kaitro makes that quip about the toughness of his backside and promptly quirks a brow, "Huh! Really? Well… good for 'em even if it's "just friends"!" And now it's her turn to use the air quotes with a little grin. "Y'know, if I could, I'd hire you to cook something for Mur'dah and I. Dunno if I've ever treated him to anything quite like that… And my cooking skills only go so far." she drawls and then just gives Kaitro a bit of an incredulous look before she's chuckling and shaking her head. "Shards. You sure you don't have some Harper in you too? My girls would love these tales you weave." Glancing back to Giroux, Kiena looks relieved to hear that her jacket has not come to serious harm and is in safe hands. "Thank you! And… well, I doubt that'd last because for one — you're not a girl. Second, I'd like to see you try 'n be a Smithcrafter for a day." she grins, clearly teasing him too until he seems concerned over his father. "I'm sure they'll be proud no matter the outcome. You're not the first Holder's son or child to Stand, you know." Glancing back over her shoulder, Kiena's eyes become unfocused before clearing again and she sighs. "Looks like my free time for the day is up. You two don't cause any mischief, alright? Or… enjoy a bit of fun while you can." Winking, she'll begin to step away.