Xanadu Weyr - Shore of Lake Caspian
The cliffs that run along the shore come and go, various weyrs nestled along the tops of them or dug into the walls, but eventually they recede enough to expose a beach. The white sand echoes the rise and fall of the cliffs with a multitude of sandy dunes, endlessly creating tiny valleys that are constantly demolished and rebuilt by the frequent arrival or departure of dragons. The dunes smooth out as the gentle slope approaches the edge of the deep blue water. The sand darkens, and a shell here and there stands out for children to collect.
The beach narrows to the southwest, leaving a path barely wide enough for dragons in single file before cutting in to a smaller, more sheltered cove. The sands are the same white, the waters the same blue, but they're calmer and more tranquil, more protected from the winds that ruffle Lake Caspian and the currents that tug beneath the surface.
Rough, wide stairs lead up to the meadow above and the road that runs along the top of the cliffs, passing through the fields and heading for the river mouth that can be just barely seen from here. The largest of the staircases up the cliff is located near the docks that jut out onto the peaceful blue waters.
Mid summer days are always nice and even for exhausted weyrlings. Tani is no exception. Lumbering after a lumbering Saburath, he has a bucket in one hand and a towel hang across one shoulder. Looks like bathing time. And if anyone closely peers at Saburath's maw, the blood stains would probably informs the young bronze just had a meal. Of course, E'tan could have clean his lifemate inside but it'd have been a shame not to enjoy the sun. "Saburath….not so fast….wait for me please…" calls a chuckling Tani.
While R'en wasn't known for great escapes to other Weyrs very often, it seems since he became Weyrleader he's made more appearance at random weyrs that he ever had before. Either that, or it's simply more noticable, since he's not just a random rider anymore. Sindrieth obscures the view of his rider, the large bronze enjoying the dunes and he's apparently been there a while as he appears to be asleep. His rider isn't far off from sleeping though the sound of new people approaching does wake both of them a little, the bronze stirring and opening an eye to look at the little one coming his way. « You should not run off from your lifemate, little one. » He suggests with a tone of hot desert sands that brush against stone, grating yet not unpleasant.
Saburath instantly stops, claws digging in the sand as he slows his pace to a brisk halt. Craning his neck to one side, he contemplates the older bronze. Behind him Tani catches his breath but is caught by this sudden move from his lifemate and stumbles on his tail and falls, head first. "But…" comes the voice muffled, the weyrling fighting a bit with the bucket and towel before following the young bronze's gaze. « Mine is still a bit slow. I do it for his own good. » is the first reply, mindtone carrying a scintillating touch of eagerness and respect. « You….are big! »
Sindrieth doesn't move from his position, he doesn't need to. The bronze can see all he wants to and needs to from his lounging position on the dunes. However, there is a stirring on the other side and the shifting of sands that is punctuated with a blond bit of hair being seen over Sindrieth's neck ridge before he peers over. "Weyrling, huh." R'en says, though it's not a moment before he disappears again on the other side of the behemoth of a bronze and isn't seen again until he walks around the large head on the sand. « I can understand that, but he requested you to wait. » He returns in response, adding, « It is important to respect the others wishes. There are better ways to encourage without frustration. »
E'tan finally manages to stand up without even a look back from his young bronze. "Oh thank you Saburath. And…yes…I'm alright if you ever wondered." He says not able to hold a grudge on his dragon for more than a blink. "So, it's also a bronze dragon. You've seen some before since we go here to bathe. What is all diff…" the young man's voice trail off and even turns into a cough as the silhouette of R'en is finally noticed. He instinctively straightens, eyes darting this way and that very fast. Knot spotted. Big knot! "Err….Xanadu's duties to…." he's thinking hard. Remember the lessons, remember the lessons. Oh! "…Igen and their queens. Good day Weyrleader. I-I hope we didm't disturb your…rest? Yes." A sharp nod here. "I'm one of the newest weyrling. Elt..err…E'tan. And this is Saburath." A hand rests on the bronze's hide. « But he wishes to be as strong as me. I only help… » Is this a piteous sound that lingers along the youngling voice?
R'en might actually cut an imposing figure if he weren't just sleeping and half covered in sand. His eyes still look half lidded, and while he manages to give the weyrling a bit of a grin and nod when he recognizes both the knot and the rank. "Igen's duties to Xanadu and her queens, as well. I'm R'en, and this is Sindrieth." He offers formally, lifting a hand to rest it on his own bronze's muzzle as he's standing right near it. Sindrieth doesn't move, no, though his eyes close once more and he gives a soft sigh. « You are not strong yet, youngling. You, like he, are still young. Weak, and you both have far to go. » He doesn't argue though, simply states a fact, as the young bronze grows, as will his lifemate. It is not meant to upset, only to make the young dragon realize that they are far from their end result.
E'tan's face turns white. He /did/ disturb a Weyrleader's nap. Swallowing some, he stays close to his young lifemate, obviously searching for support even if R'en didn't show any sign of annoyance. "A pleasure and honor to meet you, Sir." Oh his voice raises again it seems but the original grin on Tani's face is quickly replaced by an apologetic look. "We're sorry we woke you up…" A quick polite nod is sent to Sindrieth. "Both of you…" At his side, Saburath allows a low warble. « You mean it will take….time? » Some disappointment here, lays within the bronze's tone as if suddenly realizing. « So we should work more. And harder. » It's limpid in the bronze's mind.
"Just relaxing, don't worry about it." R'en is quick to say, still standing by where the bronze's head is resting on the dune and quickly wiping some of the stuck on sand off. "And your name is…?" He invites, and glances to the smaller bronze and adds, "And his as well." He lifts a hand to rustle his hair a little, and stretches. Sindreith remains as he was, though his gaze peers between the new rider and his lifemate. « Don't despair. It will happen before you realize. » The bronze's voice is hinted with humour.
E'tan takes a deep breath and exhales, forcing his shoulder to drop some of his tension. "I'm E'tan and this is Saburath." the young weyrling replies softly. Still a bit tensed but it's slowly improving. Saburath tries to raise his head as up as he can, in an obvious way not to look that small in comparison of the huge adult bronze. « I won't despair and shall become larger than you. » Next to him Tani instinctively mimics the young dragon's antic and blinks a bit as he realizes. A calming hand reahces for the hatchling side again. "I assume you come here often?"
R'en will log those names away in a safe place, so safe he'll probably have forgotten them by the next time they meet. "Bath time, I take it?" He asks, noting the bucked that E'tan was carrying along with him and the towels as well. Sindrieth allows the young bronze to try and primp himself so he looks large, making no effort to do the same himself. Instead, he remains laying with his head on the sands and just taking in a breath and letting it out slowly almost like a sigh. « Of course. » He will allow the young bronze to have 'won' that battle. "Oh, no. Just came for some business, and Sindrieth was waiting out here and well.." R'en shrugs, and that is what happened, one supposes.
Some people, when they get hurt, emotionally or otherwise, tend to avoid where it took place as if it were a cursed area. Apparently Kyra doesn't believe in that, or is at least willing to overlook it when she's trying to hunt somebody down. She comes trotting lightly down the stairs that lead down from the meadow, hard to miss in a bright blue knit top with no sleeves and a pair of simple denim shorts that just barely reach her knees. She has her jacket under one arm as well, likely for the trip more than anything else, and she beams brightly when she recognizes both of the bronze-having figures, trotting in their direction quite rapidly. This may be part of why she's here, really, as she is capable of trotting in the first place: her cast is off. The skin of her lower left leg is slightly paler and looks to have a couple scars where they must have had to set the bone in place, but otherwise, she seems to be using it fairly well as she heads in their direction, sandals kicking up a bit of sand in the process, "El! R'en! Hi! Look!" Yep. Concise.
Saburath's twin gems of his eyes whirl with the deep blue of contentment making Tani chuckle some and rub the bronze's neck. "Bath time yes." he replies lifting his bucket before adding. "We will try not to splash or anything since you have an appointment." This time his tone shows all of his respect. Must be a quite amount of work to be Weyrleader. « At least we will try hard! » Saburath may be young he is also a quick learner and with the help of E'tan he begins to surround his limits. Shielding the sun with a hand, Tani perks at the familiar voice, his grin widening on his face. "Kyra? Look! You're walking! And running even. A miracle!" He teases sticking his tongue out quickly.
Sindrieth shifts on the dune, moving to a proper sitting position and it shows that the bronze's straps are still on so he hasn't gotten so comfortable that they're going to stay for too long either. Certainly, he's a lot larger than the dragonet, but he seems interested in watching the young bronze. « I'm sure you will. » Of course, by his own dragon moving it leaves him abandoned on the sands because the head is no longer in the way. He's wearing his normal clothes, just functional and in the usual colors of tans and browns. He running on a newly healed leg certainly doesn't bring the smile she might hope it would, just a shake of his head instead. "A miracle if she doesn't end up on her face." Since newly healed legs are likely less muscled than they were before they went into the cast.
Kyra isn't running far, at least, and does tend to favor her left leg when she slows and eventually stops, grinning brightly at E'tan only to poke her tongue out in response, "Yeah, yeah. Wait around and maybe I'll start to fly." R'en's headshaking and general sour greeting earns a roll of her eyes before she props her hands on her hips, taking on a mildly defiant pose by nature, "Come on, can't you at least be a little happy for me? Or are you just bummed now that I'm totally free to run over to Igen and bother you whenever I want?" Not that she didn't break the rules at least once in that regard, but she's been good since then.
Saburath's tail lashes a bit behind him and he suddenly decides to inspect Sindrieth closer, aiming for his left wing at first. Peering. Crooning. "Saburath, it's not polite…" E'tan almost groan at his life mate's bold curiosity. His attention is dragged away as R'en swiftly comments and the stern look on his face gives place to a large grin again. "Kyra has been known to be resourceful. Right shorty?" His turn to tease. "I'm sorry R'en you got to deal with her. We, here at Xanadu, found ourselves lucky when she broke her leg. Never thought she'd bother someone else." All of that said between laughter and Tani immediately reaches to hug her, silent acknowledgment that he didn't mean that at /all/. "Glad you're healed, Kyra. And I'm happy to see you." That much is true.
"If you start to fly, then we're all doomed." R'en says, though there's no actual reason why for it. Simply it seemed like something to say. Sindrieth doesn't seem to mind the inspecting, even lifting his wing so the younger bronze can see the glimmer beneath the darkness - his wings have some brilliant coloring underneath even if the rest of him seems to lack the glamour of a bright bronzen color. He watches as Tani and Kyra hug, and scrunches his nose at her other comment, "You can't visit me that often, surely you're kept busy doing something.." Yeah, something.. There's got to be. "I've met worse than her…" He offers Tani, though doesn't offer any names to go with the sentiment. "She isn't that bad, really."
Kyra sighs at both of them, her lids lowered and her voice plateauing as she says, "Now I feel like I never should've come here at all. Thanks, guys." E'tan gets a light punch in the side before she returns the hug loosely, giving him a pat on the back, "Yeah, yeah. It's nice to see you, too. And Saburath - I got to see you hatch! You were so cute, and now look at you, such a handsome little guy. You telling Sind how one day you guys will be big bad bronze buddies?" She turns back towards R'en after that, moving to sit next to him on the sand and folding her arms and legs when she does, giving him a frown with a slight twitch of her nose, "Bothering you DOES keep me busy. Although now that my leg is healed, for the most part, I've been able to do some things again, so yes, I've been busier than usual. Want me to fill up my schedule so you don't have to worry about me coming by Igen anymore?" Casting a look up at E'tan, she shakes her head a bit and says, "R'en has become too important for me, El. What should I do?"
"Err…He's actually trying to persuade Sindrieth he'll be larger than him one day" Tani coughs out quite embarrassed as the young bronze reappears from under Sindrieth's right and gently extended wing to sniff at Kyra, almost huffing. "She's a friend, Saburath…behave…" There's another moment of discomfort there and he idly pats the bronze's hide. "I can't be a good adviser Kyra. We just met…" It's not like a bronzer thing. To R'en he offers a knowing look. "I have to agree with you here. There is far much worse on Pern than her." He even gets bold enough to add a wink.
R'en just rolls his eyes and nudges at Sindrieth to get ready to leave. Seems about time, at least, though it's not for the reasons that people might suspect. "It's not like I mind that you come visit. Really, Kyra, you exaggerate too much." He says lightly, trying not to seem upset in the least although the fact she throws barbs at him isn't really helpful. He smirks at E'tan and nods, "You should meet Reya sometime. She's enough to get under anyone's skin." He admits and sighs a little. "I should probably get back. Wasted too much time as it is by falling asleep." Unintentionally, it would appear.
Kyra frowns a little bit when she's told she's exaggerating and looks up at R'en as he stands, angling her knees inwards absentmindedly and commenting, "I only say that because I'm never sure, R'en. I wasn't trying to be mean." Still, she lifts a hand from the sand to wave in his direction, as well as one for his bronze who gets an added bit of smile. She recognizes something of what E'tan is doing and arches a brow at him, kicking a bit of sand towards his feet, "Stop talking with your brain around me. It's rude." So there.
Everything happens fast and Tani tries to follow the best he can. R'en gets a nod and a wave as he departs. "Clear skies." He calls and even Saburath croons at the huge bronze before reaching Tani's side again. "You know I'm only teasing, Kyra." he finally replies, plopping on the sand next to her. "So you know him well? I mean…A weyrleader and all." Recently the young weyrling has experienced a better and clearer view of the Weyr chain of commands.
Kyra blinks at the question from E'tan as she plops her jaw into her palm and watches Sindrieth take off, exhaling roughly, "Yeah, I've known him a long time. Before he was a Weyrleader, especially. You don't need to act like they're quite so dazzling, El. My parents were weyrleaders, gender respective. It doesn't mean as much as people seem to think… and I don't think R'en likes people bringing it up at all, really." She's still looking off into the sky a little, big hazel eyes contemplative and her lips shaped in a pensive pucker.
Saburath was looking up as well, his whirling blue eyes betraying his sudden envy to also leap in the sky. Kyra's rough exhaling brings the young dragon from his reverie and he slowly goes to rest his head on Tani's lap, warbling softly. "One day, Sabu, one day…" and a delighted croon is emitted as the weyrling reaches out to scratches the bronze's eyeridge fondly. "It's just so new to me. I mean I knew ranks and stuff from the outside but now." He grins, lifting his head to look at her more closely. "I will remember your advice tho." is added in an attempt to make her react but it seems like something else is preoccupying her thoughts. "Is everything Okay, Kyra?"
Kyra nods her head slightly when E'tan mentions remembering her advice only to blink rapidly at the question that comes after, finally turning her head to look at him again, a bit of color rising high in her cheeks, "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. I was just thinking. And hey, you're a rider, so I imagine the ranking DOES matter for you more than the rest of us. It's just good to remember that they're still people, you know?" Dropping her legs so they're folded under her, she puts her hands in her lap and smiles over at him, "Sorry I haven't been back to visit much. I figured you guys would be busy, anyway." Yes. Change the subject. Quickly!
E'tan's grin is wide now, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he leans to lightly poke at Kyra's shoulder gently. "It's two 'sorry' in less than three minutes Kyra. Watch out." Another playful poke and a chuckle. "We've been through candidacy together. Remember? Chores, lectures, moping and all. Don't be shy around me. We're friends. I didn't want to embarrass tho." His tone is edged with a slight touch of concern. "And yes, we're quite busy. Chores, moping…Oh and something new…mucking!" He chuckles again but it's soon covered by an undignified bugle from Saburath. Well, more like a squishy sound than a real bugle. This young still needs to grow. "No, no, I don't mind…Was just kidding."
Kyra looks amused for a second while she ruffles her fingers through her hair, "Shy? I'm not being shy, you dork. I'm just saying. Besides, there are some things you don't talk about until you're dealing with the person they're about, and that's not you. So don't worry about it so much." She pokes her tongue out just a little only to laugh brightly when mucking is mentioned, casting a look to Saburath and grinning a little, "Don't worry. Some day, neither one of you is going to have to worry about that." A mild shrug and she looks back off idly skywards, leaning her neck on her hand now, "I'm happy to have the cast off, but it looks like the island might be in for a storm or something. You have to go out far to get any decent fish. It's a pain in the ass."
E'tan snorts at that, resuming his stroking on Saburath's head. "You know I've missed you too." He declares, adding another amused snort and chuckle. "I know it's not me and it's certainly none of my business. It's just funny to see you troubled like that. But since you keep changing the subject…." he cuts himself short to stare at her, bracing himself until she reacts. "Don't push yourself too hard tho." he comments the upcoming storm and hard fishing.