Kiddie Playground
A path of colorfully painted slabs of stone cheerfully invites the weyr's youngest residents and their caretakers to partake in the multitude of activities in this elaborate playground. The pathways here are comprised of a thick cushioning layer of dark brown mulch branching off towards distinct sections. Log roll edging with a pale green-brown finish provided an accent to divide wide stretches of well tended grass from long rounded abstract shapes filled with fragrant wild flowers. More edging boarders the back walls made of tall square shaped hedges with the occasional draping of a flowering bush.
Immediately to the left is a enormous teaching garden filled with most of the herbs and the edible plants that can be found on Pern. Each is clearly labeled with their name and use thanks to posts sliced at an angle at their top, the large blocked text easy to read behind square panels of glass screwed directly into the wood. To the right A twelve foot long, seven foot high 'rock' climbing wall with large protrusions and holes designed with young hands and feet in mind. Farther back from here is a section dedicated specifically to a impressive swing set, constructed of heavy pressure treated lumber and includes exactly six swings along each side forming a wide 'vee'. No more than six feet from the swing set is the record setting oak tree discovered when this place was created, and upon it a fixed rope ladder leads up to an amazing tree house. It has a wide porch, and roof built directly into the tree itself. Inside children will delight in the amount of play space, and the range of games to be found. Peg boards, wooden kitchen items, and even a place to sneak away to color or draw with a breathtaking view of the gardens and playground. Just past the tree house is a hedge maze that a small child may lose themselves in, but is short enough to enable an adult to easily guide the little one out again.
The center of the playground is likely it's drawing attraction. A huge brightly colored play structure With seven different types of climbing components (including monkey bars), six platforms, two slides and several hand manipulated activities including cranks, large interlocking gears that actually work and a pop flip puzzle with amusing cartoon characters.
Summer in Xanadu is even nicer than winter — certainly if your name is Citayla, but just in general, it's totally true. For one, it's not bitingly cold: it is a warm morning, breezy, not a cloud in the sky as rukbat heads towards its highest point. It's not raining, or snowing, and it's certainly not sleeting, which obviously makes this the perfect time to take all eighty-three of your kids to the playground. Seven? Oh. Right. Seven. There's just seven of them, but they comprise fully a third of the playground's current fleet of children. Citayla seems to be currently alone with her charges, but it doesn't seem to bother the healer — she's sat with her back against a tree with an old blanket under er, reading a book that…is a healer text, right? 'Thirty Common Hold Pathogens' is probably not as light a read as Cita seems to think it is. It's fine. It's fiiiiine. The basket of food set nearby on the blanket is only halfway extinquished; there are heaps of little hand pies and what is almost certainly not entirely vegetable-free muffins, too. Set up for the afternoon? You bet.
Rhodelia can certainly, wholeheartedly agree that summer is better than winter just about anywhere and especially in Xanadu. Now without any children, a playground might seem a strange place to find this particular woman, but that's not stopping Rhody from literally charging up the path, clutching her very floppy sunhat in one hand and a canine leash that's not currently attached to a canine in the other. At the sight of the mob of children doing children things, she blinks and glances around for an adult. Any adult. Citayla certainly qualifies and so she skirts over towards the tree. "Sorry to interrupt uhhh… reading time?" She's a bit dubious at that whole Pathogens bit she can see on whether it even counts as summer reading or just work. "You wouldn't happen to have seen a canine running around here. About this big?" She holds her hands less than a foot apart. Those little tiny legs are apparently super fast as well.
Even big feet charging up the mulch-y path don't seem to deter Cita from her book — she glances up every now and then, but the playground is totally safe, right? RIGHT. There aren't any high places for kids to end up broken-limbed off of. There also may or may not be canines, since — "Actually," The healer makes a rueful face as she spots Rhody, waving the book in greeting. "I think some of the 'brats are trying to tame it? Like it's some feral feline, or something. They were over behind the rock wall, last I saw them." Look. It's still fine. It's not like something with itty bitty legs is really as scary as a big ol' feline, riiiight. Cita waves it off airily, raises an eyebrow at the leash-holding woman. "How did I not know that you had a canine? A little bitty one, too. What's it's name? I believe they were calling it Mauler." As if on cue, there's a peal of laughter from the general direction of the climbing wall — Cita ignores it, calmly, only slightly laboriously hefting a leg to kick the basket in Rhody's direction. "I bet it'll come more quickly for a pie."
"Really?" Rhodelia spins around, looking for the rock wall indicated, even getting up on her tiptoes to try and get a better look. "Tame her? They're not going to like accidentally hurt her or anything, right?" Kids are definitely a foreign subject to Rhody and she has no idea how their games might go. When questions about the origins of the canine, she fidgets a bit with the leash. "Wellll…. it's relatively new." As relatively new as that one night not too long ago when several litters of puppies were released from their kennels. "And her name is Pina." The mention of pie gets a quick pondering before a head nod. "I bet she would. I think she saw an avian or something when we were walking and she slipped out after it." Perils of little fluffballs. Hard to judge just how small of a collar they might need.
It looks very much like Cita is contemplating mischief, for a moment — she's not even sort of good at keeping a sphinxlike face, bless her. That little half-smile screams 'I'm a rude ass'. "Oh, I don't know, I think I heard one of them say something about sending it to fight wherries, maybe?" That butter-won't-melt face is not nearly as innocent as you think it is, Cita. She doesn't even hold that long before she breaks, smiling beatifically at Rhody. "Oh! Congratulations, she really was very cute. Pina. That's a nice name for a tiny little thing like her." The goldrider's grin goes lopsided, squinty-eyed with amusement. "All that fur? I bet she did. Faranth, she's so little, how do you even go about training one so tiny? I've never had a touch with canines." A beat, and Cita squints at the basket, thoughtful. "The ones with the smooth crust are meat, no vegetable. It's not too spicy, I don't think it'd hurt her."
As poor as that mischief might have been concealed, Rhodelia is even worst at reading those signs and her eyes go wide as if she actually believes the other woman. "Wherries?" With their nasty claws and scary beak faces and being like twenty times larger than the poor puppy? But then there's a smile and congratulations and the worry seems to slowly melt out of Rhody's face as well and she's blinking confused at the next question. "Training? I've mostly just been feeding her and taking her out for a walk when she whines…" Any actual training like commands or don't jump up on tables or don't eat from people's plates have TOTALLY been ignored. Let's be honest, the puppy is more training Rhody than the other way around. As the right pies are pointed out, she leans down to pick up one, and then pauses. "Should I take a couple more to barter away my puppy's freedom from the ruffians?"
What a pair; Cita doesn't seem to notice that her mischief is taken on the serious side — she's squinting in the general direction of the laughing kids, actually, shaking her head. "Oh," A beat, and she glances back, eyebrows raaaaising up just a little bit. "Well, I'd give you advice, but the last canine I owned, ah, ate the neighbor's caprines so we had to send it to an uncle." The healer relays with an expression that is not as solemn as that would seem to suggest. Look. As for more pies, that perks Cita up, and she nods enthusiastically. "The ones with the crimped edges are berry. They won't even notice the squash in them." CRUELTY. RUDENESS. Cita might have explained why she would do such a thing (or, hopefully, had somebody who can bake do such a thing), even, had it not been for a "MOMMY!" and a sudden heartbroken-sounding wail from one of the multitudes of slides. Cita makes a face at Rhody, waves a hand. "Take as many as you need; I better go kiss this booboo." The healer grins, lopsided again, and…stands? Wallows to her feet? It ain't graceful, but she's off like a shot anyways, off to soothe whatever hurt one of the eighty-three kids has gotten.