Xanadu Weyr - Workshops
Some crafts are ill-suited to being tucked away in a cavern, too loud or too dangerous to be desirable. They've been clustered here, out in the meadow away from others. The central building is made of stone and glass, the roof shallow as it slopes away from the thick central ridge that holds forges and kilns for smiths, glassworkers, and others.
The smith forges are loud, dim and hot; windows here are covered with soot or have been replaced for safety. The large common area holds the main forge lodged against the central wall, with bellows at the ready and a chimney rushing high to open in the ceiling outside. This is the area that the apprentices are taught in and are able to use. The nearby wall clasps a vast and unspecialized collection of tools, while the built-in shelves of another wall host jars of nails, crates of wood and metal scraps, spools of wire, sacks of sand, and heavy bins of Cromcoal, all decorated with a fine coating of grime and sawdust. To the other side of the main forge, set against the outer wall, there are separate forges for Journeyman and Master use, each one kept clean and neat, even when in the midst of a project.
Further back there are heating systems and molds for metal and plastic alike, and a set of machines used to grind gears and cast various parts. There's a pump to bring up water for quenching, though it won't stay cool for long given the heat this workshop holds even in winter.
On the other side of the broad central wall is the glass shop, brightly lit through the heat-resistant fixtures and many windows that show off the skills of the crafters of Xanadu Weyr. That central wall and the one opposite it are both lined with kilns and glass forges for the glasscrafters to do their work. The portion of the room near the main entrance seems to be devoted to teaching, as a number of mobile diagram boards have been erected there with desks arranged in semicircles around each. The central portion of the room serves as the production area, with barrels of sand and various additives arrayed beside several long tables and charts, and finally, the back wall is made up almost entirely of cabinets and storage shelves.
There are other workshops scattered nearby, smaller buildings for the various other crafts that are better suited to be where the wind sweeps out over the sea and carries fumes and smoke with it or for those who need to catch their breath after the din of the forges.
It's just another fine afternoon at Xanadu Weyr; the forges are blazing, the glasscrafters are blowing, and things are just going right along as intended. But, there are other workshops and not all of them are attended by designated crafters, per se; Lyubomir, for instance, is just a regular, garden-variety handyman. At least, that's the usual impression of him. And, at the moment, there's nothing to dissuade one of that notion; he's just a dude in work clothes with a toolbelt, looking like he belongs here. Currently, he's crouched and looking over a couple of chairs outside of one shop in particular, squinting at the legs and base and taking a few measurements here and there in a small notebook that's readily at hand.
D'lei meanders his way in with a thoughtful look and slow pace, which already distinguishes him from much of the more-purposeful step of those working here. He's at least reasonably good about stepping back and getting out of the way of those going somewhere in a hurry as he makes his way through, glancing into various shapes and then pausing by Lyubomir. His head tilts to the side a bit, watching what he's doing with regards to that chair… and considering the chair itself, too… which doesn't exactly answer his question by itself, so… after a moment or three, he lets curiousity get the best of him and asks! "What're you doing?"
The controlled chaos of people working with fire and metal and glass is a magical thing to behold - from a safe distance, that is. Fortunately, there's little risk of real danger if one's quick-footed and aware. Over here, where Lyubomir is working, things are a bit more sedate; not too far off, some woodcrafters can be heard hammering and sawing away on something or another. The handyman finishes his notes, sets things aside, and rocks back on his heels to consider what he's been working on - until he's aware of someone approaching, that is. He cants a look over and up at D'lei, a hand lifting in a wave that turns into a cautious salute. "Hey- uh. Oh, this? I'm just working out how to, uh- well, make them into swivel chairs on wheels. That's all." Perfectly normal! "Are you looking for someone?"
"Huh," D'lei says to Lyubomir's answer, his gaze shifting to study the chair again and consider on it… though not for very long, at least not in the forefront of his mind, because there's another question. He responds to it with something that starts as a shake of his head, then shifts partway toward a nod, and ends up as something more or less a shrug. "Not someone specific," he says, and gives a crooked grin. "More just that I've got a problem, and I'm hoping if I wander my way through here - " he makes a vague gesture to the busy hive of craftering going on around them "- I'll get some combination of inspiration and expertise that'll help me figure it out." A half-beat, and then he grins. "That, or an interesting distraction, which isn't so useful in the long-term but is nearly as good in the short."
"Yeah, it's- well, I think it'll be helpful for people," Lyu reckons, briefly glancing at his measurement notations and the technical sketch in his notebook. He flips the battered book closed and pushes to his feet, toolbelt clanking and creaking. While the bronzerider explains, he nods a few times; slow and thoughtful, with a rumble of acquiescence after a fashion. "Ahh, I understand. Yeah- you're bound to find someone who knows something helpful around here." His mouth pulls into a crooked kind of smile, a half-forged thing that falls quickly. "What kind of inspiration and expertise are you looking for, exactly? Something with metal? Glass? Wood?" He glances around, then back to D'lei, "Of course, if you're looking for a distraction, you could do worse than watching the glasscrafters over there. It's pretty great to watch them at work."
"Yeah, when you've got a long workbench or you're going between a couple of places…" D'lei muses, then hehs as a particularly loud pop comes from the vicinity of those glasscrafters. "Probably no good for anywhere near fire, though." He grins, then hehs a bit as he drags his thoughts back to his own projects. There's another sort of spread-hands shrug, and a smile. "Probably all of them, eventually… but the part I was thinking about at the moment is… none of them, exactly? More like salvage." D'lei grins a bit. "I've got a weyr that's halfway to falling down, and while I've been assured the frame is good, I've still got to figure out how to get the upper story stripped down to that frame so it can be rebuilt."
That pop does draw a brief glance from Lyu, but- well, thank Faranth that it's over there and not over here. "Oh, yeah, definitely not for that. But for the bench or even computercrafters-" he trails there, idly smacking his notebook against his thigh in thought. He's wrenched out of his reverie by D'lei's words, though, and while his expression briefly grows shadowed, it passes quickly. There's a faint sniff, a nod, and a grunted, "Sure. I think I can help with that. I've- ah." He looks away briefly, long enough to ride out a briefly pained expression. "I've had some experience with that kind of thing, actually. And I know a few woodcrafters that could help with it, too." Because that kind of work is rarely a one or two man kind of deal. He holsters his notebook in his toolbelt, then offers a hand. "Lyubomir, resident handyman and builder of things."
D'lei nods to Lyubomir about those tasks that a rolly-chair would suit. "Yeah… and Tech's about half and half on tasks it'd be great for and ones I wouldn't want it anywhere near." He grins. That expression dampens slightly as he sees Lyubomir's do the same, a bit of sympathetic curiosity even if he doesn't quite pry into the details. He nods at the introduction, and smiles as he takes the hand. "I'm D'lei. Technician by training, so… when we get to the electrical system, I'm good, but I only halfway know what I'm doing when it comes to the rest of it." He grins, good-spirited in his self-deprecation as he gives that hand a shake. "That sounds great… I've got official assurances from the Weyr of help with the bigger parts, but there's plenty of small ones, and besides that… it's always better to actually know the people you're asking so it doesn't get bumped to the bottom of the todo list."
"Well met, D'lei. And, ha! Good to know. I have a few things that I've been toying with that could use a technician's skill, actually." Lyu's grin is fleeting, but warm enough while it's there. "Seems we're well-matched to get all this done, then, hey?" With a nod to settle it, at least on his end, he returns the shake with a firm, callused grip. "Even better that you've already secured the hard part. Supplies are always the trickiest thing to negotiate, especially for beams and trusses and the like." His hands drop, thumbs looping into his toolbelt. "Just let me know when you want me to come by and take a look, yeah? They usually have me doing busywork these days, so it'll be nice to have a good, big project to work on."
"Oh yeah?" D'lei says of those technician-needing projects, and grins. "I'd love to take a look… see what's possible, improbable, or is going to need more research before we know which it is." But he, at least, knows what all that jargon in the techcraft manuals actually means, so he's got a head-start on figuring out the theory and putting it into practice. As for his more personal project… he nods, several times. "Aye. I don't mind doing the work, but… that's the part I wanted to make sure of when I agreed to take the place. Good lumber's not cheap, and… well, I'm not exactly flush on marks these days." A wry smile, with a trace of thoughtfulness that might turn into feelings but that he dismisses with a small shake of his head. "I mean… if you've got the time, we could head there now?" he suggests, and grins a bit. "That's basically how I'm spending my days right now, so." Which may help explain why he's so short on marks!
"Yeah, well, I do make a few weird gadgets sometimes, but I think they'd be even better with some electrical components. But, ah- we can discuss that another time, I think. After we get your weyr situated, yeah? Consider it a trade." Lyubomir gives a final gander to the chairs he was working on, then starts hauling them off to a side to keep them out of the way. "Oh, absolutely. I got lucky on a couple of my personal projects, but nothing on the scale you're looking at." His mouth tugs into a wry line, echoing the rider's own. If he catches any of that thoughtfulness, though, he doesn't pry into it. Instead: "Sure, I don't have anything else to do today, so far as I know. And I'm always a firelizard away if someone needs me." Which is pretty darned helpful! "Let's see what you're working with and work up a plan, yeah?"
"You may want to actually see the place before you make that deal," D'lei replies with a crooked smile. "Just to make sure you've got enough projects to occupy me." He grins, then applies himself to helping move those chairs - not that he knows exactly where, but he can certainly do a basic shift and let Lyubomir adjust it on the other end for the fine details of placement. He nods, "Yeah, I probably could have gotten something less, uh… broken?… but I honestly sort of appreciate having something to do." The corner of his mouth tugs inward, and he shrugs before giving a smile and a nod. "Work'll always find you, if it wants to. But, until then…" And, when Lyubomir's ready, D'lei will lead the way out across the meadow and through the woods to… The Project.