Xanadu Weyr - Waterfall Cave
Cleverly hidden behind the illusion of stone, a cave has formed at the base of the waterfall itself, large enough to host several individuals comfortably, or one person and a dragon. The walls are moist and textured, with small rivulets of water draining from the cave floor down into the pond beyond. Moving further back into the cave finds a dry floor and a smooth rear wall. Two sturdy camp chairs lean up against the back wall, along with a generous bedroll, wrapped in water-tight animal skins. A small bundle of firewood rests off of the floor on a makeshift stand, drying.
The roar of the falls is loud here, making conversation difficult from any range other than close, and the sheer volume of water makes it almost impossible to see through to the forest beyond. The only way out appears to be via the water, back the way you came.
The inside of the cave is…surprisingly spartan now, save for a few key items that Tenebrous has apparently decided to leave. One of his larger medical satchels rests on a wall, hanging from a knobby outcropping of rock, and two substantially more comfortable bedrolls rest near the firepit. A third somewhat less fluffy looking roll sits forlornly in a corner next to a large, rolled … something, tightly covered in waterproof skins and bound with sturdy wax cord. The dish bag sits near the firepit along with a bundle of firewood in the standing holder, but beyond that…Stormhaven's cave has very little personality to it.
Tenebrous simply stares into the gloom for a moment before walking back into the cave, the light from the waterfall and the afternoon sun dimly guiding him. He stares hard at a spot along the back wall before dipping a hand into his own satchel, murmuring, "Preserve." A moment later, that golden ball of fire explodes in his palm, and he sets to his work.
Phylicia is a little ways behind Tenebrous, and as she finishes heaving herself into the cave she's surprised he isn't shivering like she's starting to. Oh, the fun in the water was well worth it but by no means was that water warm, nor is the air warm enough to make up for it. She blinks into the darkness, her eyes slowly adjusting before there's that flare of light. "How do you see?" She asks towards that little ball of light.
Tenebrous offers one of those half-formed smiles. "I keep my eyes closed when I'm climbing the wall," he calls quietly. "It gives my eyes plenty of time to adjust, and I know the rocks well enough that I don't need to see them anymore." He begins adding little bits of tinder and kindling to the firepit before squatting before it, his pants protesting with little rivulets of water. The fireball is thrust into it, and a moment later, he's adding larger pieces before squeezing the ball into dormancy. "Come over," he gestures. "Might as well start warming up. There are several heavy blankets folded into the spare bedroll, if you want to cover up after you strip."
Phylicia stands in the 'entryway' a little while longer while her eyes finally finish adjusting as the fire starts to lick at the larger pieces of wood. She squeezes out excess water from her hair in silence before she seems to come to a decision on how to proceed. Her face is red as she unbuckles her belt and manages to step out of her pants with a little bit of wiggling, and bending over so it's easier to grab, manages to thankfully get her shirt off by herself. The underthings stay on. "I'd appreciate it if you looked elsewhere for a few moments.." She says loud enough to be heard before she's padding quickly across the cold cave floor towards those blankets. "I'll get you out one too." She tacks on as she crouches by the roll, undoing the fastening to get at those blankets.
Tenebrous rolls his eyes briefly, a little more of a smile touching his lips. "I doubt I'll need one," he calls absently. "I'll warm up quick enough and then change into some dry clothing." There's the unmistakeable sound of several buttons being unbound on his pants before wet cloth goes skimming off of his legs. "Do what you need to," he murmurs. "I'm going to go outside to lay the clothing across some rocks. No sense in it molding. Bare feet slap on a rock floor, and a moment later, he's diving into the water wearing…very little, a bundle of soggy clothing in his arms.
Phylicia humphs at his denial of needing a blanket, fishing two thick and warm-looking blankets from the bundle o' bedroll. "Sure you won't." She says, forgetting the likely state of undress and peeking over her shoulder as he's diving into the water. And thankfully he probably didn't notice her getting a glimpse, which make her cheeks burn again. One blanket she sets in a careful bundle close enough to the fire to be warmed but not catch on fire, as she then wraps the second blanket around her shoulders, pulling the ends in and overlapping them as she then proceeds to sit down and huddle as she waits for sounds of him returning. "He can't possibly warm up that fast." She says to herself as she trembles slightly.
It's some time before Tenebrous returns, approaching 10 minutes, but then there's a quiet splashing, and he bobs to the surface of the water, dragging the two hide coats behind him. They're simply hung upside down on another outcropping, water sluicing off of them with ease. If he's not naked, he isn't wearing much, but it's hard to tell. His form is sillhouetted against the waterfall itself, light throwing him into one great, sculpted shadow. "Starting to warm up in here," he muses, padding over to his own bag. By the glow of the fire, one evenly tanned flank can clearly be seen. A moment later, he's pulling a long overshirt out, one that easily hangs down to his knees. He doesn't put it on though, just pads over to the fire, ploppign down on that warm blanket. "Warm seat," he murmurs appreciatively, nodding to Phylicia. "Never tried this, but it's awful nice." Thankfully, the shirt is pooled in his lap to avoid massive embarassment.
Phylicia is looking rather relaxed and amost drowsy by the time he gets back. Apparently she decided a few moments after he left that changing into dry undergarments would be a good thing. The fact her satchel is now right next to her speaks for how far she's moved to do this however, the wet set being laid out carefully on the other side, hopefully in a discreet enough manner. "It's a good fire." She says in response, startled out of her fire-gazing to look over towards him, before her gaze quickly gets focused on her lap, wincing as she pinches a nerve. "It works even better if you wrap it around yourself." She comments to her lap, not quite daring to look up again just yet.
Tenebrous shrugs a little. "Not entirely dry yet. I wouldn't want to get all of the water on it. Legs dry off pretty fast when you walk, but the torso generally stays wet a bit longer. NO sense in wasting a perfectly good blanket." Then he looks over at her, his face a mixture of deep shadow and tan skin. "You could just say it," he murmurs to her. "It wouldn't hurt my feelings. Wouldn't be rude. Especially if it were honest."
Phylicia sneaks a hand out of her wad of blanket to rub at the pinched nerve at the base of her skull. "I hope you don't mind that I am." She grins, finally raising her eyes to his face. Just bypass the lap and it'll all be good, though her eyes seem to be drifting every now and then until she pulls her attention back to his face. "I'm /cold/." He can probably imagine so, from the nest of blankets she usually slept in here. But then she looks mildly confused, her brows furrowing. "What would I be saying that wouldn't hurt your feelings or be rude?" She's obviously missing a note somewhere, though thankfully she was able to keep a leash on her occasionally-sarcastic tongue just now.
Tenebrous smiles a little, looking back to the fire. "Tell me it bothers you, that I Skin around this place." He's still for several moments before murmuring, "I got used to it, for years and years. It's a hard habit to break. Convinient and comfortable, most of the time, and the Jays are the only things that stare, and that's only because they think you're hiding a set of skybroom nuts between your legs, the greedy bastards." He glances back over at her. "Even if it doesn't bother you…you can ask me to stop." Then he tilts his head. "You hurt your neck?"
Phylicia briefly waves the hand that's rubbing her neck in vague dismissal of the matter. "I just pinched a nerve, is all." Her voice echos that dismissal. Her cheeks are slightly flushed at his frankness even if it gets met with some of her own. "It would be better if you put some pants on." She confirms with a little bit of a grin. "Or at least some underwear." She shifts in her blanket, which is only minorly moist from being wrapped around her.
Tenebrous smiles. "See? That didn't hurt at all, did it. And the next time you say it, you might just be wholly honest, too." he chuckles a little bit, eyes drifing back to the fire. He makes no move whatsoever for his pants, but then…he never said he would. Just sits there, letting the head wash the cool water from his chest and arms. "I wonder sometimes, what this place would be like if people were honest. I think it would be awkward as thread on a dragon's balls for a bit…but would it get better?" He shakes his head. "I have to think so."
Phylicia ponders that thought, rubbing at her neck again. She must've pinched the nerve with a vengance. "I think it depends on the person." She offers her opinion. "Some," She waves her other hand at him, before realizing this leaves a gap in her blanket and she quickly fixes that issue. "Can take the truth easily. Some others," And she's not naming anyone, probably because she can't think of anyone off the top of her head. "Can't." Her hair is starting to dry, and the heat is slowly seeping through the thickness of the blanket.
Tenebrous glances over her direction again before chuckling. "Wisely spoken." Then he is up and moving over to his bag again. Whatever…game, perhaps, that he was playing is over, and with a whisper of fabric, he pulls light, easy to move in pants on over his form. "Warm up. I'll see about a bit of food, and then we'll begin our work."