Xanadu Weyr - Dragons' Pool
Light filters in through a jagged crack in the wall, but while it's dark in here, it's certainly not cold. Water seeps through the walls, forming trickles and rivulets that run down to an enormous pool only to rise again as steam. There's enough room for a full-grown gold dragon - though she'd be curled nose over tail and likely displace half the water. Smaller dragons will find ample chance to bathe and play - which may splash just as much, all things considered. Glowbaskets hang from hooks drilled into the rock, casting their dim phosphorescence over stone shattered and blackened by smoke.
His chores weren't particularly strenuous or gross today, but Khavro has a tendency to end up here just about every evening. Tonight is no different. His running habit might be to blame, but whatever the reason, the curly-hair trader is taking up a tiny portion on the far end of the pool to wash away his day and generally not just be hanging out in the barracks, which he seems to avoid as much as humanly possible. It's like he's antisocial or something.
Katailea might not avoid the barracks, but she does tend to spend a minimal amount of time within. The pool isn't exactly private, but it is a place that's less traveled at some times of some days. Today might be one were it it not for Khavro. The dim lighting might be reason enough for him to go unnoticed by the petite blonde as she picks her way along the edge of the pool to settle herself on one of the rocks to remove her boots.
He might go unnoticed, but she does not. Khavro dips under the water to rinse out whatever soap he'd scrubbed into his hair, and he resurfaces a little bit closer to where she's removing her boots. "You're the trader," he says, maybe more to let her know he's here and paying attention than because it's a special fact he's remembered about another human being that isn't himself.
Katailea jumps, startled by the sudden sound of another voice. The sounds of water moving that little bit earlier attributed to well water rather than another person. It takes but a second for green eyes to settle on the other candidate, the accusitory look for scareing her fading quickly enough into a slight smile. "I am," she replies, "And so are you." A comment for a comment as she finishes pulling boots from feet to set them out of the way to one side before wrapping arms around knees and resting her chin on top. "So this is where you hide then?" the words a mix of real question and a hint of friendly teasing.
"I am," Khavro echoes her reply with one of his own. "Was," is added after a moment, but he continues on, "Sometimes. I wouldn't say I'm hiding, though." He wouldn't say it, but… well? "Is that what you're doing tonight?" He's awfully chatty for someone who is so consistently grumpy whenever he's actually in the barracks. Or looking for anything in the stores. Or doing anything even remotely inconvenient.
"I wouldn't say that exactly," Katailea returns. Hiding that is. "But with the hatching so close, its well…" she gestures in the general direction of the barracks. He knows what its like in there. "Here it's .. quieter," to say the least. It lacks the chatter and tangled the nerves of so many candidates.
Ever closer he comes, but he settles to a still far enough away that it won't be stupidly awkward if she decides she wants to actually get into the pool. He won't stare at her undressing probably. "It almost makes you want to run away and never look back," is his take on the barracks. Communal sleeping must not be his favorite thing. Won't he feel lucky if he does impress. "That wasn't a hint, was it?" To leave her be to enjoy the quiet.
"Almost," the blonde agrees easily, uncurling arms from legs to strip off her socks and tuck them inside boots. "But neither of us have so it must not really be so terrible," Katailea adds, tossing a smile towards the young man as she only to laugh at question that follows. "No. You were here first, if anyone should leave it'd be me." So he can enjoy it.
Khavro immediately doesn't look that convinced about her logic of why he's still here, but he doesn't disagree with her out loud so it must not be that important. "I think it might be big enough for both of us," he says, grinning and glancing theatrically over his shoulder at the expanse of water fit for dragons. Fortunately they don't have to share with those just now. "I'm only putting off going back now, though," so her claim to the pools is probably more relevant than his. "Is this your first time?"
Katailea isn't quite so conviced by her logic either, so the feeling is mutial. "You think?" the question asked as she flashes her own grin back at Khavro in regards to the pool's size and fingers move to unbutton her dress. "Standing you mean?" the query rhetorical it would seem as she goes on to without waiting for an answer even as dress, once divested, is pushed aside before she lowers herself into the water. "Mmhmm. You?" Clearly she doesn't have quite so many qalms about showing some skin as some of the others those barracks are shared with.
When she starts to unbutton her dress, Khavro shifts green eyes away, but it's less about a sense of modesty than it is simple politeness. There's a time and a place to watch people get naked, and communal bathing generally isn't one of them. "Aye." It's his first time, too. "I was hoping someone might be able to tell me that it gets easier after the first time, but I'm not sure I'd find any of this easier if I have to do it again."
Some would opt against communal bathing all together. She does haver her own sense of modesty as underthings remain to double as swimwear. "Me either," Katailea agrees with the idea of having to go through it all again. "I mean I know people do, but.." she ends with a light shrug. They've already agreed on the idea of it though. "Worrying about it isn't going to change anything though." Not that she doesn't have her doubts and nerves about the whole thing, she does. "Its just hard not to think about. You know?" With all of the others sharing the same sleeping space.
Well I'll be. A girl after his own, shriveled heart. "Exactly! I know whatever happens'll happen. I just wish it'd sharding happen already," says Khavro with frustrated amusement. "Waiting is probably my least favorite thing to do," he admits, just in case that wasn't already obvious. "Especially when there's no other choice, I guess. I'm not sure I knew that before. I've never been… stuck somewhere for so long before." He seems to expect that she'll know what he means.
Katailea laughs, "I know!" The waiting, that's the worst part and it just gets worse the closer it gets. "Right?" its a form of agreement rather than a real question before she lets out a sigh. "I can't listen to the way some of them talk about waiting anymore. A distraction would be welcome." A nod follows as she reaches to push a strand of hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear, where it doesn't stay for very long. "Not all at once. Spent plenty of time on the ship, but there were always stops along the way."
He's grinning right up until the mention of distraction, and maybe Katailea can guess where his mind immediately goes. Khavro clears his throat awkwardly, tries very hard not to look at her mouth, and declares, "I think I'm getting overheated. I'll let you have the place to yourself, I think. Hopefully we aren't waiting too much longer." And with that, he's getting out of the pool, no modesty of his own to speak of, but he doesn't linger to show it off before he's heading for towel and clothes.