Xanadu Weyr - Clearing
A wide clearing stretches from east to west, the ground packed hard although grass grows across most of it. Trees are strictly forbidden in this space, their danger to the constant draconic traffic reason enough to banish them to the forest that creates a border to the north. Where the ground is less trampled, tiny flowers poke their delicate heads out from their shaded hiding places.
The cliff looms imposingly on three sides, stretching upwards all the way up the side of the rock edifice where, high above on Xanadu's Star Stones, the ever-present watchdragon sits on the lonely peak. Directly south is the hatching arena, the large round complex taking up a large portion of the perimeter, a line of trees visible beyond it. Southeast are wide steps leading up to the caverns and eastwards is the large entrance to the Infirmary. Somewhat north of the infirmary is a human-sized archway that has a frequent quantity of traffic — it leads to the Wandering Wherry Tavern. Tucked neatly under the arch, to one side is a tiny wood-frame shop bearing the name 'Petals and Pots Garden Shop'. Southwest lies cliffs where windows for the administrative offices have been cut. Underneath them are the entrances to the crafters complex while north and west along the cliff's base, a broad path leads to the feeding grounds. Due north is the spacious trail that leads to the rest of the Weyr - the meadow, the forest beyond. At the far edge of the clearing, beside the trail leading to the forest sits a clocktower.
Note: This is a backlog done after the missing duo Idrissa and Lorelai were found .. which will also be backlogged soon!
Autumn. It's a cold and blustery time, even moreso with rain on the horizon. The temperature has dropped with the oncoming front, and clouds roll heavily across the sky, threatening rain. With the disappearance of the sun, much of this cannot be seen, but there's no doubting the nipping chill felt in the breeze and the scent of water in the air. Kale has been mindless of the weather, holed up in the forges as he's been. There, the cold doesn't dare permeate and heat is dominant. Heat and toil, and my has he been toiling! Angrily, at that. None of this is anywhere near fair. How would any of them feel of their friend..no, best friend…no. girlfriend, was lost in the woods for days upon days with no trace left behind? Woods that could be teeming with renegades and murderers? Woods that undoubtedly are filled with animals with sharp teeth and claws? Would any of /them/ continue on with book study and menial tasks when instead they could be trying to find ways to help and seeking information? Puh. Stupid. But he's done with his consequence for the night, arm aching because of it. He's hurried to the infirmary, got in..only to be kicked out! And so he and Alloy are exiting, him looking angry with hair tousled by the wind, disregarding words of "tomorrow" that are called after him by some unseen healer.
Cold and rain and wind, oh my! Despite these things, Soriana's in a pretty good mood. After all, she's managed to actually see Idrissa, and verify with her own eyes that, yep, still actually alive and only partially gnawed on by felines. Right at this moment, Sori's coming across from the annex, and while she's got her jacket on, it's hanging open. This cold? This is nothing. She glances over to see Kale, and her steps gain a bit of hurry in that direction. Hustlehustle, "Hey!"
To the caverns! That's where Kale needs to go now. In for a hot mug of something hot. Klah, likely, or a spicier thing that never fails to remind him of happy times of family and home, usually bringing sour moods up a smidgeon. And so that's where his feet turn and begin to tromp until he hears someone calling. Hey! could be anyone. He doesn't look up immediately until realizing that the sound of that "hey!" was familiar. Soriana-sounding. He glances in the direction in which he thinks it came from, peering through the dark til Soriana is spotted. "Hey," he grumps, a smile not forthcoming although he is glad to see her. Any why is that smile so elusive. Well, he's boiling enough that she needn't even ask. He thrusts an arm towards the infirmary in gesture. "They won't let me see her!" Outrage!
It's a very Soriana hey. Which means, bright side, it's not someone from smithcraft telling him he needs to carry another bucket of coal tonight or redo his sweeping. She steps up beside him, not so much with the smiling anymore now that she can see just how unsmiling he is. And why? The reason is promptly explained, and she ahs in comprehension. "Healers!" she says. Because really, wouldn't it be far more restful for Idrissa to see her friends? Most definitely. But… "She's probably asleep." Not that it's a good excuse, but… maaaaybe those healers have a tiny fractional smidge of a point.
Yes, so maybe she's probably asleep. Likely, considering it is nighttime and injured folk likely need their rest to heal and recover. But this is a practically sixteen turn old boy we're dealing with here. The logical makes no difference to him. He wants to see her, and damn it, he should be seeing her! Who do those healers think they are, telling him no? He's a grown man!! "They didn't say she was asleep. They only said 'it is past visiting hours' and I'd have to come back tomorrow. I tried telling them that I needed to see her. That she'd think I didn't care about her if I didn't come see her today, and that I at least needed to know how she was. I don't know if she's hurt or sick or…or missing an arm or blind or starved or what. An' all they could say was that if I wasn't kin or weyrmate, I'd have to wait til tomorrow!" Again, outrage! He makes a gesture towards the infirmary, whatever the Pernese equivalent of a middle finger may be.
Soriana steps closer, and attempts to sneak an arm around Kale's middle. Even sixteen (almost) turn boys in the middle of an outrage need hugs. Even if they also need plausible deniability about those hugs, which she provides by making no mention of it, instead speaking on the matter of Idrissa. "She's okay," answers Sori from her vast store of knowledge, gained by… "I saw her earlier. She's got a bunch of bandages, but she's still like… got all her parts attached." Which is important! "They're just worried about infection. And I saw a tray of food, so they fed her." As opposed to being the sort of healers that starve their patients. "We'll go tomorrow. Early, like first thing. And if they try to give us trouble, I'll tell 'em I'm there to treat Ripley and you're my assistant." Because that's completely plausible.
Hugs. Pft. Who needs'm? Kale does, even though it doesn't look like he even registers that she's near, other than that very slight lean against her side for a brief moment. But wait. "You saw'r?" he asks, pulling away enough to look at her with wide eyes. Why is he so surprised? The world doesn't stop and wait with bated breath when he is stuck doing punishment work … even though it should … past normal hours. He listens to her report, with those wide eyes soon turning to a frown. "Bandages? For what? How was she hurt? Did someone hurt her?" One can almost see his hackles raising. If he had hackles. But the look on his face is equivalent enough: Angry Protective Boyfriend. Ready to stalk the woods and seek vengeance. "I can't go in the morning. I'm stuck in the forge again with extra duty for two more days," said with snort and roll of his eyes. "Extra early. Extra late."
"A wild feline," says Soriana in explanation. "It attacked them. Musta been crazy or something, or… I don't know. Maybe Jessi'd know about why they go after people. She studied them." She shrugs a little. "But that's why they're worried about infection, because apparently feline bites are really bad for that… the healer said they weren't too serious as long as they don't get infected." And what's one of the best ways to keep strong and fight off infection? That's right, getting a good night's rest! Hrmph. "Oh," Sori says at the mention of forge duty. "Still?" She frowns at that. But, there must be some answer to this problem! "Maybe we can get them to make an exception."
"Heh, you try tellin' Orik to make an exception. He'll get so mad his head'll explode. He's not the type that likes anybody questioning his orders or tryin' to get out of 'em, and he'll probably give me three more days jus' for asking." Blue eyes are rolled again, but at least his bristly self is gone knowing that it was no human attacker that caused Idrissa's injury. Not that a possibly rabid creature is any better. Sigh. Maybe those healers do know what they're talking about. Maybe (just maybe) him not disrupting her tonight, asleep or not, is best for her. ".. Are feline bites the worst of it, then? Nothin' else? Was she talking to you when you saw her?"
"I didn't mean Orik," says Soriana, her tone implying she well knows the impossibility of that. "But maybe we can get the healers to let you in when it isn't visiting hours." She glances back to the infirmary, then addsquickly, "Not tonight, but… if we pick the right journeyman to ask…" After all, two days is an eternity. "Far's I saw," Soriana assures him. "And she was awake and talking, yeah. She really is okay." She smiles, and then adds, "…and she's not mad at us anymore." Because, also important.
Ooh … maybe there is a nice and sympathetic healer who'd be willing to hear him out and let him in for a while. In his anger, Kale hadn't thought of that. There's a spark of inspiration that's diminished as Soriana kills the idea of trying to execute this plan tonight. Sigh. Fine, he can wait. He'll have to, regardless. The toe of his boot kicks at a rock while a gust of wind whips his jacket. He has to think about it a while, though it starts to sink in how scary this all must have been. Being attacked by a wild animal alone in the dark maze of a forest. She's lucky she wasn't killed. His eyes have drifted with his thoughts, but they blink back to Soriana now, seeing her smile, and managing a slight one of his own. One that grows a little at the last of what she says. "And are you? Are you still mad at me for not telling her? I know you were. Even if it was just a little."
After having stormed off is maybe not the most ideal time to ask for favors. Maybe. Soriana nods, and gives Kale a little nudge in the direction of the caverns as the wind gusts up again. It may not be as cold as Fort, but it is a little on the cold side tonight. At the question, she quirks up one side of her mouth for a moment. "Well, yeah. But only a little. I mean, it's not like I asked you to do something and then you didn't," she adds, and smiles. "I wasn't mad for long, and I'm definitely not mad anymore."
Kale is nudged, and he promptly nudges her back although he gets the message. Onward to warmer places! Thankfully. He's chilly now that the fire of annoyance has dimmed. He gives another look to the Infirmary. "You'll let her know that I tried though, huh? I mean, she might tell you she's not mad at us anymore, but she'll be right angry with me if she thinks I never came to check on her." And the last thing he needs is to give her any reason to believe he has something against her. He reaches for her hand now, looking ahead to the Cavern's glow. "Klah. And lots of it. That's what I want."
Where did summer even go? Isn't it still supposed to be warm out? Apparently the weather didn't get the memo. "Of course I will," Soriana tells Kale. "I'll tell her you tried to keep a candlelight vigil, but you ran out of candles because the tunnelsnakes ate them." She grins playfully, heading toward those caverns and the promise of warmth. Also, of klah. "Well, lucky for you, there's probably a pot keeping warm. But if there isn't, I'm not making it. I've already done enough of that tonight. I didn't think it was possible to love klah more than my mother does… until I met C'per."
… "You'd let my insides freeze before you made a pot of klah?" Kale says with a single lifted brow and a look on his face that's close to hurt. "Especially as you know how to make the stuff?" He looks at her for a long moment, then shakes his head slowly. "I expected more from you, Soriana. Having been an apprentice longer than you, I am technically your senior. You must do what I say. And if you don't, well then," insert a little dramatic sigh here, "you'll face the consequences. For your sake, you'd better hope there's a pot waiting for me." Else…dire consequences! With Idrissa still on his mind, but momentarily put on a backburner, he pulls her off!