
Xanadu Weyr - Beach
The unerring range of subdued white rises and falls in a multitude of sandy dunes, creating an endless amount of tiny valleys constantly demolished and rebuilt by the frequent arrival or departure of a dragon. Smoothing out as it slopes gently to the edge of the deep blue water, the sand darkens and a shell here and there stands out for children to collect. The beach itself is set along a low cliff - the height lessoning as one heads eastwards, blocking a portion of the beach from direct access.
The wide wide stretch of water opens up to the east, the far distant shore way beyond the horizon and the beach curves ever so slowly round to east and west, distant arms of land embracing the wind-ruffled Caspian Lake. East leads up to the mouth of the Rubicon River, where the protecting cliff is merely an arms length higher then the sand, and beyond that, a winding road leading out of Xanadu's territory. Westwards, the beach narrows as the cliff swings out, leaving a path wide enough for dragons in single file before cutting in to the sheltered cove designated the Weyrling Beach. However, cut in the cliff face to the north are a variety of rough, wide staircases, providing access to the clearing and to the meadow.
It may be autumn, but the warm breeze is keeping the seasonal chill at bay for a little while longer. With her duties finished right near midday, the apprentice wasted very little time getting to the beach, intent on enjoying the water before it gets too frigid to swim. So, with a towel tucked over her shoulder, a brown yet colorful lump of a lizard on her other, Kera strolls along the sandy beach. Toes digging in the sand and her sandal straps clutched in her hand as she walks.
A'ven and Glyith are here as well. The latter is actively attempting to dig himself deeper into the sand it seems with a contented rumble. "I keep telling you the water is probably warmer. Going deeper into the sand is only warmer if the sun has been out all day or you're back on the Hatching Sands." He chuckles. A'ven sits down and stretches out his legs ahead of him, addressing his dragon again he adds, "… and don't make too big a mess. We're new here, it's important to at least try and be polite. I don't want a little one falling into the hole you leave behind. You will be filling it in when we leave." He scolds, somewhat playfully. When he notices Kera, she is at first simply cataloged as yet another person walking by, but he looks longer and notices her knot. That sparks his curiosity enough to offer a "Hello.", delivered with a trace of shyness, which he seems unused to as he clears his throat a little.
Even though the large dragon is still a dit of distance further ahead on the beach, it's hard to miss the little spurts of sand falling to settle back downn on the beach. As Kera gets closer, she hears the rider's voice, half of a conversation with his dragon, before she sees him sitting on the far side. Not wishing to intrude on the bronzepair, the apprentice merely smiles, nods and wiggles her fingers in polite greeting. Fully intent on finding a nice quiet peice of sand, Kera continues on, that is until the rider calls out. Pausing and turning back with her ever cheery smile and polite dip of her head "G'day sir.." Eyes scan the man briefly, then blink when the knots finally sink in. "Oh, I don't believe we've met yet…Journeyman…rider…..sir." The apprentice healer let's herself get flustered very briefly. Way to make a good impression on the new Journeyman. "M'name's Kera Tinen…sr. apprentice in the Hall." Gesturing to her shoulder "And this is my little friend Minimur." Said brown chitters a greeting to the large bronze and his rider.
A'ven sits up a little straighter, he's just too relaxed to stand properly. His eyes soften as part of a kindly smile, "G'day!", he says, gaining some confidence. "No need to call me sir. I didn't care for it even when I was a sir." His grin spreads easily. "It's very nice to meet you Kera Tinen.", he adds, "… and you, Minimur, little Master of the sky.", he says, amused. Glyith's head turns as he offers his own hello, an oddly soothing rumble that is so pleasant it might indeed cause little ones to nod off, if he were to keep it up. But the greeting is short even if his gaze lingers a while. "What are you studying, Apprentice?", he inquires. "It's a long road, Healing. You know that right?"
'Master of the sky' Puffing his chest up a bit, it's obvious the brown likes the sound of that. Another round of chitters erupts from him as Kera reches up and scratches his side with a chuckle. "He'll be showing off all day now Journeyman." She gives an amused roll of her eyes before peering back to the rider and nodding to his question. "My main studies and are centered around General Practice, with some emergency situations thrown in with infirmary duties." A rueful little grin accompanies her nod "I know I've a few turns or more before I'll learn most of what I need to know Journeyman." Canting her head at the wallowed bronze a moment, she grins at the damage done to the beach before looking back to the rider. "Have you been finding your way around Xanadu well enough?"
A'ven nods, "Well enough so far. I've been here now and then for meetings and the like but never have seen the whole of it.", he adds dryly, "Well, there's nothing wrong with a firelizard showing off now and then, as long as nothing gets broken. My own 'lizards do that too, in spite of my best efforts to curb their… exuberance." His eyes widen a little at the mention of her studies, "General practice eh?" "That's ambitious." "… have to know a lot about everything then.", "Or did you just have trouble finding a specialty?" He softens that with, "… not that it matters at this stage, plenty of time to decide that if your interests change." "Plenty of time to get comfortable with the idea of maybe seeing someone close their eyes for the last time." He says the last part softly, though not unkindly and sighs. "Forgive me, there are some things even Turns of training cannot prepare you for. No indeed. Healers never stop learning, not ever. It's just that sometimes the lesson is a harsh one." Glyith rescues him from his darkening thoughts with a nudge, and he brightens immediately. "Of course there's making people well again — that's great when you can do that, watch people who came in a mess go out whole again, hold their children again." He lets that happy phrase hang in the air a moment longer than the others. "You will be tested, I mean you personally, deep down, you will be tested Kera Tinen, far more than the Sands may test you, in the Healing Craft."
Kera nods agreeably that the newly posted rider is managing to find his way around and chuckles "I kept getting lost for the first month of my posting, and that was with a map that someone made me." Tugging the towel from her shoulder, she shrugs excessively, urging the her lizard to find a new perch that won't put a cramp in her shoulder. He does, winging off to cavort with other lizards, some banded, some wild. "Don't you go too far this time." Is called out to the brown before her attention goes back to the Journeyman. "He can be a brat sometimes." Kera regards the Journeyrider thoughtfully with a somber nod "I hadn't considered it to be ambitious sir. But I can see the reasoning." She nods again "And saying I couldn't quite decide might have a little to do with it. New methods of treatment or breakthroughs are always happening so…Perhaps in a turn or so, I might turn my eforts more fully to something else." Glancing towards the little wavelets a few seconds, the apprentice shift her bare feet to wiggle her toes in the sand. "Aye, those days are the worst. Whether an accident, or one of the ole aunties or uncles just…give out."
A'ven nods appreciatively, "I can see you've had some lessons they don't teach in the books." "That's good. You're well on your way Kera if you're still standing firmly on that path after some trials. I've seen many a Healer 'give out' Or more correctly, give up at their first sight of blood. "I'm glad to see you're not that sort." He nods, and then smiles slowly, as if you have truly caught his attention now. "We should talk again. There may be some things this old man can pass along to the next generation, before it's my time to slip away." He doesn't seem at all bothered by the notion, although Glyith warbles in a little concern. He soothes his friend, "Oh not for a long, long time yet…" He says back to Kera as an aside, "Isn't it funny that dragons can be concerned about something like death when really… he probably won't even remember we had this conversation in a few sevendays… unless I remind him." "Sometimes I think, that would be nice… not to have a care but what you see in front of you." "Thankfully we have this excellent beach to help us forget our troubles eh?" "It looks like you were going for a swim before I stopped you. I'm sorry I delayed you with my silly ramblings. By all means, make the most of the day." "Every day." He pats his dragon just above the talon in an oddly tender gesture and then comes back to the moment, and the comfortable smile breaks through again.
Kera gives a little nod then winces at a couple of unpleasant memories. "Well, I won't lie and say I didn't have a bit of a sensitive stomach during a few of the early lessons. But blood itself never brought on any bad reactions." Nodding agreeably that more craft discussion is in both of their futures, she shrugs it off before giving the large bronze a considering look then back to his rider "Maybe they are just lucky that way." She grins suddenly, "That means they also don't have long to live down anything they do that might be embarrassing. So they are doubly lucky." Kera nods decisively as if she had her own little epiphany and grins, waving off the man's concern. "Nah, didn't interupt me. I was just enjoying the beach." She smirks and gives a flourishing, and maybe even comical bow "So ramble away to your silly heart's content Journeyman." Straightening with another little flourish, chuckling a bit.
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