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.
Today is a brisk fall day, and Soriana's out on the beach. Admittedly, summer days are more traditional for wandering the beaches, but there's something to be said for cool breezes and the waves lapping up against the shore. She's got on her jacket, but it's hanging open in front, and there's a fuzzy little tunnelcat peeking his head up over her shoulder. Today he rides in style!
Idrissa is down on the beach already, sitting upon a rock. The bandages look to be off, though she is wearing a jacket so it is a bit harder to see at the moment. She lifts a hand to push back some hair as a faint breeze blows by. A yawn escapes her while she shifts, stretching slowly which makes her wince. Even if the bandages are off she is still sore.
Beachfront property! Gotta get some quick, or it all sells out. As so. Soriana grins as she catches sight of Idrissa, and comes over to join her. "Trundlebug farm didn't work out, huh?" she asks playfully, as Inkfoot leans forward to dook at Rissa.
Idrissa looks up to Soriana, a smile seen and she chuckles softly. "No, not really." This said softly. "How you doing?" She lowers her head to make dookdook sounds back at Inkfoot.
Great Googly Faranth on a Field of Flowers! Idrissa dooked back. Okay, so her accent is kind of atrocious, and Inkfoot doesn't think she actually meant that about the sky rock of nibble, but it's really just encouraging to see her making the attempt. DookdookchirpsqueakDook! he declares fondly, his paws scrabbling against Sori's front as he bounces in place. Soriana laughs. "I'm pretty good. Oh, and guess who I ran into at Ierne?"
Idrissa giggles softly as she watches Inkfoot. "Missed seeing you little little guy." She offers softly before she glances back to Soriana. "Good.. An.. well… I have no clue. WHo did you see?"
Inkfoot chitters. Ah, he sees how it is. The brief communication took it out of Idrissa. Still, A for effort! Despite how effort starts with an E and contains no actual As anywhere in it. What, he's a ferret, he's not so good at spelling akshully. Soriana, meanwhile, grins. "Flower shop guy!" Yeah, she still hasn't actually remembered his name. Whups.
Idrissa looks back to Inkfoot and goes about doing the dookdookchirpdook again. She looks back to Soriana and blinks slightly. "Who…" She pauses, pondering. "Tsenik? How's he doing?"
That was his name! Soriana grins. "Yeah, him!" She knew that all along. Definitely. "He's doing okay. He's been at Ierne, doing flower stuff, but he sold his shop. Now he's got a rider he's sweet on and he's trying to decide what to do next." Inkfoot chirpdooks, and then gathers himself to jump down from Soriana's shoulder and sniff around the sands instead.
Idrissa grins at Inkfoot, he still is a cute little thing! "Well that's good. I bet he is really enjoying himself there then." She had wondered about him now and then at times.
Inkfoot scampers about, investigating sands and burrows and all the rest, and Soriana laughs. "Yeah, he actually is." She pauses. "It's a little weird, honestly. But he said he might come visit sometime. We'll see."
Idrissa smiles and nods to Soriana. "Well that is good to hear. How have your classes been going?"
Soriana laughs. "Pretty good." She pulls up a bit of rock and sits down. "Been studying about diseases, which is interesting, but kinda mostly theory unless we happen to get lucky. By which I mean, a dragon gets unlucky."
Idrissa ohs and blinks while eyeing Soriana at this. "What sort of disease does dragons get anyway?" As if she knew! If it was a runner she could totally figure it out.
The beach! It's brisk, like aforementioned. ka-el wears a long sleeved shirt for this reason, though jackets are totally not necessary. Boys only wear jackets when it's super needed. Like when it's icy and freezing. Brisk is not freezing, and thus Kale has no jacket even though beneath those long sleeves of his, he's a little goosebumpy. But that's ok because who is there to keep him ever so warm? Shahani, of course! Oh, you thought she fell off the face of the earth? Or was transferred? Or like, died? Nope, she's right there wearing a puffy cream colored jacket with fur lining because her barely fourteen year old self is cold. And she complains. "It's even chillier here by the water. You know, you should be wearing a coat, at least. If you take ill, then I'll fall behind. I'm supposed to review the qualities of aluminum with you tomorrow, you know. I have a quiz next sevenday."
Are we sure died is not an option here? We should revisit it. Make sure we haven't dismissed it out of hand. For one shining moment longer, Soriana is unaware of the looming dread which is Shahani (and also of Kale's approach). She hehs to Idrissa. "Well, there's two kinds really, depending on if it's infections or parasites. Dragons can get sick same's people or runners, but there's almost nothing that can catch back and forth. Some parasites, but even those tend to be specialized."
Idrissa hums and nods a moment at this idea while she peers at Soriana. "Do they get sick often?" She is rather curious it seems. Her gaze lifts upwards slightly, movement and voices getting her attention it seems and she clears her throat. "Kale is on his way over with Shahani." She murmurs out softly.
"I haven't forgotten," assures Kale with a glance to his pressing shadow. "You have your notes, yes? You should…study'm. Y'know? Especially since it's cold out.." he says, that hopeful tone a little too evident in his voice. Not that Shahani notices. Oh no, her attention has already ping-ponged to figures in the near distance. "There are people on a rock," she reports, lifting an arm to point ahead. He squints her eyes, scrunching her freklces closer together. "Those are your friends, aren't they? Wasn't that one lost? I hadn't known she was found. I had a funny feeling. I didn't wish to speak it to you, but I thought maybe she had died. It was so long she was gone, wasn't it? And with no supplies and the wild all around?" She shudders, mindless of the stony look being given to her. "Don't. Say that. To her." He says, already rethinking his choice to approach but…too late! Here they are. "Hello," Shahani says before Kale can get a word out.
"Oh, not that often," says Soriana. "Mostly stuff like overeating if the riders don't control them well enough." She smiles, and then turns at Idrissa's other comment to see… oh, yes. It's Kale. And Shahani! Joy of joy. Rapture of rapture. Shahani of Shahani. "Hey," she says to them, and gives Kale a look. The one that goes, 'Really?'
Idrissa doesn't hear the comment from Shahani at least! She waves to /Kale/ though it looks like she is waving to them both it seems, sorta hard when they are nexty to one another after all. An she did not DIE thank you! "Well I'm glad to hear that nothing is too serious." Her attention goes back to Soriana. "Why is she always hanging around him?" She questions with a soft tone before Kale and Shahani can get to close.
Kale is sorry! That's what Kale's expression wordlessly says to Soriana in response. He's sorry! But he's missed you guys so much that sacrifices had to made in order to be in your presences! ….. or something. "Heeey," he greets verbally now, grinning a 'awww, you can't be mad at /meee/' sort of grin. "Nothing too serious?" pipes up Shahani, looking nosily at Idrissa. "Are you speaking about yourself? I was just saying that I can't believe you made it out alright. Was it horrible? Are you terribly injured? I haven't heard much about your return. You'd think they'd make a big deal of it, wouldn't you?" She huddles into her coat a little more, looking like an Eskimo. "How are you not cold? It's freezing!"
Yes, but why do those sacrifices have to be made by Idrissa and Soriana? There's something subtly not right about this. Something subtly… oh, wait, this is Shahani. Subtle isn't even a word in her vocabulary, let alone a descriptor. "…because she has no friends," Soriana mutters sotto voce, then gives Shahani a slight nod. Only a slight one. She doesn't want to encourage her. Well, unless it's to- "It's probably nice and warm in the caverns," she notes. Casual-like.
Idrissa blinks and just peers at Shahani a few moments. "Gee, how nice. I did return though. Hope that didn't upset you to badly though." She says with a faint tone before she looks back to the water. "It is not freezing. An yes the fires are going in the caverns." In other words BE gone you.
Shahani nods in earnest to Soriana, blissfully unaware of anything beyond her own needs. "Yes I know. And they probably have klah on the pot too," she says wistfully. She turns doeish eyes to Kale. "Can we go now?" Yes. We. As in the two of them, sans anyone else. As in they came together and they shall depart together! A united front! "Huh?" is Kale's oh so intellectual answer. Oh, what a man of words! He recovers though, after a blink. "No, I'm fine. Not cold at all, see?" he gives his arms a shake as if this somehow proves anything. "You can go ahead though. Get yourself a cup of kl-" "That's ok!" she says briskly, shaking her head. "I'll stay too." She rounds to Idrissa now. "I am glad you were found. Missing persons are always bad. No one ever knows when to stop looking. If they stop looking, they risk giving up on someone who may still be alive. If they keep looking and the person's already dead and rotted, they're wasting time and energy and keeping hopes alive. It's a good thing you're found. And alive. Dealing with the dead is bad, too," she says, apparently believing that to be a compliment by the way she grins after.
Soriana frowns for a moment at Shahani. "Y'know," she begins, but then she trails off in the sea of how do you even explain these things. Nevertheless, she'll have her eye on that apprentice, so she will! Which, at the present moment, she'll do by… attempting to ignore her AND her talk of death despair and being lost. "So I was thinking," she says to Kale and Idrissa, "We should have a bonfire on the beach for fall. Roast some sausages on sticks, that sort of thing. We can…" her eyes dart to Shahani, and she steels herself to say, "…invite other people, make a party of it. Maybe tell spooky stories or something."
Idrissa gaze flicks back to Shahani an she just watches the girl a few moments. "You can leave… Now…" She states with a thin tone, which is rather unlike Rissa, but after what she went through it shouldn't be a real surprize. "I lived, got attacked by felines and /could/ have died, your right. Want a damn cookie for it?" Rissa leans away from Shahani and pulls her knees to her while she looks back to the crashing waves.
Did someone say bonfire? Both smithers' eyes light at the word (pyromaniac, anyone?), and do even morso at the addition of 'party'. Ooh Xanadu hasn't had a good party in a while! Their last beach party was at least a turn ago now, and turndays come and go so quickly now with their separate apprenticeships not pausing to allow much celebration. "I like that," Kale agrees, speaking before the fast-tongued Shahani this time, who instead nods her agreement. And, was that an implied invitation she heard? Oh yes indeedy it was! "I have plenty of ghost stories!" she says, momentarily forgetting the 'freezing cold'. "I…" But eh? What's this rudeness she hears? Her eyes dart to Idrissa now, and she frowns, hands coming to her hips. "What did I do? I said I was glad you were found, didn't I?" Kale's eyes are on Idrissa, and he soon lifts a hand to clap it on Shahani's shoulder. "The Cavern was a good idea. How about I meet you there?" To which she frowns! Why is he always trying to get rid of her?
Soriana glances to Idrissa, and then, "Shahani," she says with deceptive mildness. "Hey, about you come with me and we have a little talk, okay?" Not that she intends to give the younger girl much of a choice, reaching for her arm firmly to drag her off down the beach. She still doesn't know how do you even, but she's definitely going to give it a try. Kale just gets a look, and a tilt of her head back toward Idrissa. He's on damage control duty while Shahani and her have A Talk.
Idrissa hears the three talking, comments of the cavern picked up, she hears the tone from Shahani but doesn't look back towards her. As for the party, sure it sounds like a great idea but her mind has drifted towards a rather raw place for her. The physical wounds will heal faster then the mental ones, perhaps even more so with RIssa. Her gaze drift towards Soriana and Shahani but she stays quiet still.
A talk? Shahani gives Soriana a distrustful look. One of them is already being horrendously rude to her, and for no reason! She's seen enough to know that the two of them are best friends forever, and any girl in her right mind knows better than to get ensnarled in the trap of two bffs! But snagged she gets whether she likes it or not, and Kale is given a 'you beter not let anything happen to me!' look before she's drug off down the sand. "What sort of talk?" she says, punctuating the last word by pulling her arm back, trying to free herself.
Kale, meanwhile, watches Sori and Shahani, not sure who to feel sorrier for. But for now, his attention must turn to Idrissa, and turn it does. He settles himself down next to her quietly, not saying for a while. The sound of the water rushing to shore and pulling back is the only thing heard for a while. Eventually though, his arm begins to snake around her lower back to loop around her. "Sorry," he says first and foremost. "You alright?"
"We need to have a talk about you," says Soriana. She lets Shahani have her arm back, but not escape from The Look. … though Shahani might be that marvel of marvels and clueless enough to actually be immune. "What you said to Idrissa was hurtful." Her voice is level and serious, and she holds up a hand to forestall retorts. "I know you probably didn't mean it. That's kind of my point. You may be good at smithing, but when it comes to dealing with people, you can be really, really dumb. If you don't learn better, you're going to hurt a lot of feelings and you're not going to have any friends."
Idrissa looks to Kale watching him a moment before she leans close to him, her head pressing against his shoulder. "Ya… I'm sorry Kale. I didn't mean to say that but just what she said didn't help." Oh she wishes she could be in on that conversation between Soriana and Shahani.
Shahani gives the sleeve of her arm a rub while she watches Soriana like a cat would a dog. Cautious. But what's this? She's being hurtful? She takes in a breath, mind whipping up a storm of retorts which are silenced by that lifted hand before they make it anywhere near her mouth. She frowns, looking put out, then offended. Dumb? "I deal with people just fine, thank you. And I won't lose friends. That one," a glance to Idrissa, "wasn't a friend to begin with. Plus, I don't say anything that isn't true." The truth hurts, sometimes! but, about having no friends.. How many does she have now. Kale? Only because he has to be. Even she knows that. The other apprentices? Nope. Journeymn are never friends. Others? Uuh.. "So what am I supposed to do? Never say anything just to get people to like me?" she asks with attitude, hand on hip.
Kale shakes his head to Idrissa, dismissing her apology. "It's alright. Maybe she needed to hear that," he says, exaling a breath. "You girls are better at this than me. I don't know how to talk to her. Can't really say anything bad to her or /I'll/ get in troble."
Lose friends, not make them in the first place… Soriana remains unruffled through Shahani's indignation. She keeps up that look, the one Thea uses on Muir sometimes. She's seen it often enough she can fake it. "Yeah, it's true. That's better than lying and hurtful, but it's still hurtful." Sooo what should Shahani do? The 'use your common sense' option appears to be preemptively off the table, but, "What you're supposed to do is think about things before you say them. I don't want you to not say anything. I just want you to think if things are worth saying. It's… like working metal." She's only a little out of her depth with this analogy, but she presses onward. "Conversation is the hammering. But you need to hit it with the right angle and the right strength, and… if it's not hot enough… you sometimes can't say things yet, because you're not good enough friends. So, uh, you need to listen to how the metal sounds, and make sure it's doing what you want in the conversation."
Idrissa wasn't a friend with Shahani that is true, but not it is going to be even harder for them to even be friends after all! "I dono how you deal with her if she always acts like that." A faint sigh escapes her at the idea. Though at least she got to snuggle with Kale cause of this! "I dono what to say to her, but if she acts like that again it won't be pretty."
Think before you act. That's a golden rule. One that people should have engraved on the backs of their eyelids! Shahani could probably benefit if it was tatooed there. And on her arms. And hands. And possibly printed on a sign hanging in front ofher face at all times! She stares at Sori with a look on her face that's hard to differentiate between 'I can't believe you're saying this to me' and 'What in the world are you talking about?' But there's a glimmer of hope! That expression changes with the mentioning of metal and smithing. This is the quietest anyone likely has heard her be for a prolonged amount of time! And when Soriana is done, her eyes remain on her and the silence stretches on for a beat or so more. Marinating. Thinking over what she said. "You sound awkward when you use smithing for an example. Like, it doesn't…fit." .. Sigh. "But…ok." Progress! Maybe.
Kale is too far away to hear the conversation going on between the two girls, eyes rooted on Idrissa still. He lifts and drops a shoulder in a slight shrug to her. "Used to it now, I guess. She's not so bad sometimes. Sometimes" he emphasizes with a smirk. "What would you do if she does? Frown at her to death?" he lightly teases as he very slightly squeezes her.
"That's probably because I don't know much about smithing," says Soriana. "You could maybe come up with a better analogy." She smiles to Shahani - actual smile! Not the forced one! Only a small one, but hey. Progress! Maybe. "What I do know, though, is that they're both skills. And maybe some people start better at them, but everyone can learn them." Yes, even you, Shahani. Even. You. "Y'know…" she adds, a little quieter, "-part of why I wanted to talk with you about this is, a couple turns back, I had a really big fight with one of my friends. I said something true but sort of dumb, and he said things back, and, well, things went from there. We're not friends anymore. I don't want to see that sort of thing happen to you. It really sucked."
Idrissa ehs softly at the idea and shakes her head slightly, she peers at Kale slightly and smirks slightly. "Oh so funny." This said with a faint amused tone. She stays put where she is near Kale, and seems a bit better then before. "I dono what I'll do, depends on what she does I suppose."
Shahani nods sagely. Soriana does not know much about smithing. That is true. Just as it is true that Shahani does not know much about dragon healing. She understands, thus nods. And that smile she's receiving…that smile looks a bit different than ones she's seen in the past. She can't quite put her finger on just what this difference is, but this smile is a little easier for her to return, only to vanish again. Losing friends. Losing Kale? Her eyes dart to the older boy whose arm is around Idrissa, and lingers there. He's like…the only person she'd consider a friend despite all those exasperated looks he gives her in a day. "Oh…" she says, tones thoughtful. She looks back to Soriana with an expression of resolve. "I owe you. A good deed deserves a good deed in return. I'll rememeber what you said, even if it was with a stu-…" Pause. "with an interesting smithing comparison." See? She's already learning! "Thank you for your talk, but now I'm freezing my toes off. I'm going to the Caverns."
Kale smirks to Idrissa, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Funny? Hilarious you mean, I think. And don't worry. She's…not a bad person. Just sort've…uh, outspoken, I guess," he says, not quite sure if that's the best word to use, but it's close enough. "Feeling better?"
And that word replacement gets an actual grin, both because it's showing Shahani was, in fact, listening, and because… well, it was funny. Not that she's going to try explaining humor right now. One thing at a time. Soriana nods. "Thanks for listening. If you want to talk about this more, just ask sometime." She's totally a conversational journeyman or something. At the mention of frozen toes, she nods again. "Yeah, it is kind of cold. Still not as cold as Fort, though." She smiles again, and waves. "I'll see you around." With that, she lets Shahani head off to the caverns and the not being freezing before turning and heading back to Idrissa and Kale.
"I dono if I could call it hilarious." Idrissa says with an amused tone, a soft chuckle half escapes her. "Ya, sorta. An the bandages came off today." She points towards her shoulder while tilting her head to catches sight of Soriana coming towards them and Shahani leaving. "Looks like the talk is done." Well for now at least.
Hmmm, Soriana may live to regret that open invitation to talk. Though who knows? Maybe this ia doorway for her to becoming Xanadu's psychiatrist! Shahani nods to her, agreeing without words that she'll take her up on that offer, and then looks to Kale again. Helloooo. She's leaving! His apprentice senses should be tingling. But, she sees that they aren't. "I'll order him a klah, that's what I'll do." She's not going over there right now! Not with Idrissa so near. And so she heads off by herself.
"Bandages are off?" Kale says, looking more than a little interested by his fact. He lifts a hand to touch at her shoulder. Indeed, he feels no wrapped gauze under there! He smirks at her. "So.." he begins though pauses, attention turned by Soriana's return..without Shahani. "You didn't threaten life or death, did you?"
Faranth save her. Imagine if everyone in the Weyr started showing up on her doorstep when they needed to talk, or were feeling lonely, or had problems. It'd be like… like… actually, let's not imagine that right now, but Soriana will be making a point to seek out Shahani and socially interact, just the two of them. Because… she hates herself, apparently. Or… something. She laughs at Kale as she returns. "We just talked. That's all." She gives Idrissa a considering look, making sure she seems okay.