Xanadu Weyr - Caverns
A massive cavern in it's own right, this one has been skillfully adapted for human habitation. The high ceilings have been painted a light, soft ivory, as are the walls where numerous tapestries hang to provide brilliant color and insulation from the stone. The floor has been left in its natural state, pale pink granite speckled through with glittering mica and dark flecks of basalt, leveled carefully but kept sufficiently rough to avoid slips.
The cavern itself is loosely divided into areas, each one set up to be suitable for some segment of the Weyr's population. The most frequently occupied area, however, is the one near the Kitchens where tables of varying sizes provide a place to sit down and eat or chat and a buffet of consumables is almost always kept stocked. Its plain that on most days, this area wouldn't accommodate anywhere near the full population of the Weyr and equally plain that on such occasions when a formal meal is laid out, tables are appropriated from all the other areas.
A big fireplace is set into the wall near the Kitchens as well, several comfortable chairs nearby providing haunts for elderly residents or riders who like a good view of all that happens. Rugs cover the floor in strategic spots, all of them abstract or geometric in design and most in the softly neutral colors of undyed wool.
Exits lead off in all directions, a big archway the largest and that leading outside. Shallow stairs to the west lead to the offices and administration area while tunnels to the east lead to the infirmary, kitchen and resident's quarters. Southwards, a sloping tunnel leads down to the hot springs.
Smoke, that's something you expect to see drifting up from the fireplaces. That's to be expected. But it's normally frowned on when that much smoke is coming from the kitchen. And that much yelling and clattering of pots. Well that just can't be good. And why is Kera standing just outside of the kitchen door, to the side, flattening herself against the stone wall and peering cautiously into the kitchen? Minimur is clinging to his little healer's neck with his tail, her braid with his claws, as he too churls softly and cants his head to peer past Kera's cheek. It's no use tryng to hide really, I mean there are quite a few peering towards the smokeyinterior of the kitchen as the air slowly starts to clear inside. "Well Mini, this is gonna cost us." She can't help but sneeze as some of the smoke irritates her nose.
Ila'den was merely here looking for Sorel (a mission in which he has clearly failed), and found something so much more exciting when he peeked his head into the caverns on the off chance that one pain-in-the-neck might be lurking over a plate of food or four. The smoke draws him in, but more than that, little Kera trying so hard (or what he assumes is hard) to be inconspicuous adds intrigue to the mystery of Whodunnit unfolding in the kitchen. It's why the former renegade makes an appearance before too long right alongside Kera, pressing his own much-too-large body against the wall next to hers, and dipping his head down to whisper, "Why are you hiding?" in the general vicinity of her ear. He sounds amused, and mischievous, and ready to join in on the fun if there is any to be had.
Kera is normally on the ball, but everyone keeps sneaking up on her lately. In this instance though, it's understandable, all that smoke an all. Jumping at the amused whisper, she whips her head around, eyes wide, and focuses on the face. the brown on her shoulder gives an angry chitter at Kera for the sudden movement but a quick scritching of his chin soothes the savage little beasty quick enough. "I'm not hiding!" She whispers hurried, gaze flickering towards the kitchen door that she's edging away from "I just thought that a timely relocation was a strategic move,…for the moment." A little snicker slips out of the candidate healer as she whispers back "Bet I don't have to cook anymore." Stepping further away from the door, a gestures towards the food tables is given "Welcome back to Xanadu sir. Help yourself to something to eat or drink if you wish."
Ila'den emits low, husky laughter when he makes the candidate jump, though he doesn't apologize like any other decent human being might. Instead, the laughter fades into another one of those smiles, and Ila'den gives his full attention to Kera with a half-cocked head as she explains her "innocence"… in a whisper. Ila'den's brows arch high, and there's another breath of laughter before he says, "And tell me, Kera, do your timely relocations always consist of pressing against walls and whispering?" All of this, of course, in a continued whisper of his own before his attention is being diverted to the tables by her gesture and her words. He steps away from the wall himself, arms coming across his chest as grey hues sweep over their surroundings and take every lingering resident in. He tilts his head towards Kera after a long moment, shifting his eyes to the side without really turning to /face/ her. "Are you trying to distract me?" The words are laced with amusement, but he doesn't make any moves to sit. "I'll sit if you'll join me and explain why you think they aren't going to have you participate in meals anymore. Deal? The alternative to that, of course, is my own strategic relocation of both of us right back into the kitchen."
Kera smirks with a quick nod "When it needs to be, yes. Sometimes it gives me enough time to see exactly how much trouble I jumped into." Following the rider when he steps away from the wall, the candidate flashes another quick look towards the kitchen before hurriedly blending in with the mix of people, or tryin to at least. Canting her head up to peer at Ila'den when he turns back to her, she blinks innocently and shakes her head "No sir." He'll buy that, right. Sure he will. With a smile, she gestures to the food once more, but it seems he's onto her ploy. With little choice in the matter, unless she wants to face the cooks wrath right now, Kera nod with a little mock huff and amused roll of her eyes towards the food "Well, if that's what I have to do, then that's what I'll do." Another gesture "You first sir. Perhaps Sorel will show up while you're eating."
And Ila'den /does/ notice Kera's attempts to blend in with the crowd, which only draws more laughter from him. He slips out of his riding jacket, and unceremoniously drops it onto the top of her head when she tilts it back to look at him. "There you go, little Renegade. They'll never suspect you if we prowl the tables incognito." There's a mischievous echo on his own lips when he jerks the jacket down over her eyes, and he doesn't wait for a response as he moves away from her to find a suitable seat to house the both of them. He chooses a table that's not entirely private, but far enough from the "crowd" to give them some semblance of isolation. He would like the full story, thank you very much! Sans any interruptions!
Kera hears the rider laughing at her, but isn't much bothered by it. The jacket suddenly dropping down on her gets a startled squeak, but it didn't come from Kera. Minimur however is a bit annoyed, at first. It takes him only a few seconds to burrow down in the sudden shadowy cave that sprang up over him. A few soft churls that could say 'This isn't so bad.' Renegade?Glancing down at herself as the jacket is pulled over her head "No, they will never suspect a thing….you could fit three of me in this thing." Kera snorts out in amusement and pushes the jacket up so she can see where she's going. Grabbing a plate and juice, the candidate joins the Western rider at the table. With a bit of juggling, Minimur is settled, plate is on the table, and she's grinning while draping the jacket across the end of the table. Glancing at Ila'den a moment, she starts tearing little bits off her roll for the brown to eat. "So, in order to keep from facing that.." s thumb gestures over her shoulder towards the kitchen "..you wanted me to answer some questions sir?"
Ila'den emits more laughter at her comment, saying only, "You can thank me later, little bird," from over his shoulder. When she finally joins him with a plate and juice, he retrieves his jacket and pulls it back into place over his shoulders, digging into a pocket and pulling out a small pack of dried meat. He bites into the first piece, and then proceeds to tear it apart with his hands in much the same way Kera's doing with her roll. He's even pushing pieces across the table for her, as if offering them up to the brown firelizard in her company. When she asks her question, he chuckles, but does not immediately answer. It would seem his attention is on making a couple more bite-sized pieces, and then he's lifting his gaze to settle on Kera's face as he chews. Once finished, he's asking, "Did you do it on purpose?" and then another piece of dried meat is popped into his mouth.
Kera grins across to Ila'den as the lizard takes his customary place by Kera at mealtime, the lizard shifting anxiously from one red soled little paw to the other. He takes what Kera holds out, hunching down into himself while he eats as if another lizard will swoop in and steal it otherwise. Kera just rolls her eyes at the brown's actions, chuckling at Ila'den's questions qith a quick denying shake of her head "Oh no sir. It was completely accidental. I just plain can't cook." Plopping a bite in her mouth, she raches across for the little jerky bits "Thanks." is murmured then she shows Minimur the treat, which is snatched quickly. "The cook was yelling something about the pan and grease being too hot. Then I heard 'get out' rather loudly, so I did." A shrugs lifts Kera's shoulders, doesn't look like she's too traumatized over it. Canting her head at the ride, she studies his face a few long seconds before shaking her head "I don't see it." she mutteres to herself.
She can't cook? This only draws more laughter out of Ila'den, and he nods his head while swallowing. "Well, little bird, then we have something in common. I can't say that I've ever started a /fire/, though. I've just made some surprisingly inedible food." When Kera thanks him for the meat, he doesn't respond with anything more than a half smile, and then he chuckles into another piece of food as her story continues. "Ah, well, maybe they'll put you /only/ on cooking duties then. Might be that they will want you to /learn/ how to not burn the weyr down. That's what I'd do anyway, if you were trying to set the cooks on fire at Western." He pulls out a new piece of dried meat then, and again begins the tedious process of tearing it up and dividing it between himself and the flit. He looks up from the task long enough to catch her studying, and he raises his brows before giving her a roguish smile. "Don't see what?" he inquires, curious as to just what observations she is trying to make. "And why were we looking in the first place?"
Kera shakes her head, quick to clarify as her attention darts around the cavern. Her voice raising a little as she makes eye contact with a couple of people. "No fire. There's no fire. No flamage at all." Nodding determinedly to assure people she's not burning down anything, her attention goes back to Ila'den with a little chuckle "Well, not everyone can be expected to know how to cook. Bet the cooks can't stitch someone up very well, so it evens out in the end." Cringing at how things would go for her at Western "Even if I didn't do it on purpose?" Giving that some thought as Minimur sidles towards the bit of meat Ila'den sets out. The little brown cants his head cutely and churls, his way of saying 'thanks' probably, as he grasp it in his claws. Kera turns her attention back to her plate, taking a few bites before shrugging good-naturedly at Ila'den's question "Oh, I having trouble seeing the resemblance to your brother. Maybe if ya were both standing next to each other."
Oh, the laughter Ila'den emits when Kera attempts to assure people should be absolutely /criminal/. It's dark, and amused, and ends with a wicked smile as he adds, "Right, sorry. No /big/ fires, but a small one. Enough to make smoke, anyway." Is he teasing? He is! It's all good natured fun, though he leans back just enough to take her in with smoky hues, and then he's rolling his shoulders. "I wouldn't be doing it to punish you, little bird. I'd probably have somebody pull you to the side and just teach you enough to keep you alive. Faranth forbid you get stuck somewhere and the only thing you can manage to do is burn down the environment around you." A pause, and then another of those dark smiles. "Of course, I guess getting rid of any foliage would make you much easier to find." He chews down some more meat while she talks, and this time once he's finished, he just tucks the pack back into an inner pocket, and then brings his hands together on the table. He is, actually, rather intrigued by the conversation once Sorel is brought into it. "Do you? You're the first to say that, though we do have different mothers. Do you like him?" It's an off-handed question, but he isn't politely dropping his gaze while waiting for her answer, either.
Kera 's brow lifts when she's called 'little bird' again, but she ends up chuckling into her juice "Oh, it wouldn't be me that would be punished sir, not really, it would be the poor people that were forced to eat my cooking." Setting her glass aside, she takes another bite before nudging her plate to Minimur, letting him have at the leftovers. With the way his little muzzle sways over the palte, he's used to this routine. Considering the rider's words, she gives a halfhearted shrug. "I might not be able to cook, but I could find all sorts of roots and herbs, to eat." Raw of coarse. The candidate does chuckle when he mentions burning down foilage to be spotted easier. "Now that's one extreme I'll try to avoid at all costs." Taking another sip of juice, she taps the glass with a fingernail absentmindedly. "Perhaps it's simply your mothers' features I see more than your father's" Canting her head at the question about Sorel, she shrugs "I've not had much chance to get to know many of the other candidates very well. By the time chores are done, most everyone falls into their cots snoring." She laughs suddenly "He does seem to be housetrained, so he's got that going for him. A couple of the candidates wouldn't even wipe the muck from their shoes the first couple of days in the barracks. They quickly learned how once the Headwoman got a whiff.."
Ila'den laughs softly, and finally drops his gaze away from the little lass across the way from him. "Well, as long as you don't /kill/ them with your cooking, perhaps you'd be motivated to learn when you know somebody else's taste buds are on the line." But then they are back to the topic of Ila'den's parents, and there's something dark underneath that friendly surface that threatens to emerge for literally /seconds/ until it's gone again. A trick of the eye? Perhaps, since he's smiling. "I wouldn't know, Kera. I don't remember what either of them look like." It's said softly, almost too soft, and then he's shifting his gaze to watch her firelizard for a moment until they're back on Sorel. He chuckles, though there's little genuine amusement filtering out of the sound. "Aye, well he took a while to break in, that one. He is a good kid, though, albeit somewhat rough around the edges. He means well, though, he just isn't always fantastic at showing it." Her tale of the Headwoman, and dirty shoes has Western's Weyrsecond shaking his head, and then offering, "I can imagine. I haven't had many run-ins with the Headwoman at Western, but I've heard she's not a very pleasant woman if you catch her in the right mood. At least learning to un-muck your shoes is the worst of it, though. During my candidacy, somebody went through all the women's trunks and took their rather more… delicate… pieces of clothing."
Kera grins at the 'incentive' to learn to cook, though that grins slips when she realizes she's dont it yet again. Thankfully, Minimur is battling with a bit of food that's being difficult, so she reaches to tear it into a couple of smaller peices. While she does, her gaze flickers up to the rider briefly as she tries to gage just how badly she messed up this time. "I appologize sir. Sometimes I can ramble on and before I know it, something completely thoughtless flies out." A nervous chuckle follows her statement. "And let's not mention 'Headwoman' too loudly, else she may appear to investigate the smokey kitchen." Kera and Ila'den are seated on the outer fringe of the tables, currently just the two of them seated, but several empty seats just waiting to be filled. Minimur is examining the remains of Kerta's plate while the two chat. The current topic is Ila'den's brother Sorel. The odor of smoke may cling to Kera for some reason. "Sorel doesn't seem that bad to me. He seems to treat his lizards and fellow candidates well enough. So can't be all that bad right?"
And Ila'den looks taken by surprise when Kera offers up apologies to him. "Do not ever apologize for things you had no prior knowledge of, Kera. You didn't do anything wrong." But he slides easily enough into the change of topic, overlooking any scruples that may have risen when the topic of parents came into play. He looks instantly devious, and flickers those grey eyes towards the aforementioned kitchen. "You sure it'll be my mentioning her that'll bring about her wrath, and not you hanging around the door, pressed against the wall looking guilty as could be?" Ila'den tsks, and offers up a teasing, "Mayhaps you should get rid of the witnesses." He says this in a conspirator's whisper, leaning closer to her from across the table as if doing his best to not be overheard. And then? Sorel! An easy enough topic. "Aye, little bird, he's a good heart. I hope that you will get to know him well enough, but I hope that you'll make trouble for him at every turn." Oh, what a devious little smile.
Innes is here! Appearing from parts unknown, the ginger candidate wanders through the entrance to the caverns with a bag slung over her shoulder, in her usual disheveled state. She makes a quick stop to fill up a mug before turning on her heels to survey the room. Kera is quickly spotted, along with someone who looks familiar enough - although unsurprisingly, she has already forgotten his name - and it's in this direction that Innes heads. She drops down heavily in the seat beside her friend without waiting for any kind of invitation. "Who are we making trouble for?" she interrupts with great interest. Ila'den gets a little tap of the forehead to stand for a salute, before she looks between the two of them. "And can I help?"
Kera nods briefly to Ila'den's statement about appologizing. "Perhaps, but it's not the first time I stuck my foot in my mouth like that though." Shoulders lift and drop as her gaze does a quick scan before shaking her head to Ila'den "You really shouldn't tempt fate like that. Ya never know what might happen." Draining her juice looks around, tallying the 'witnesses', and finally shakes her head "Hmm, I do have the training to make it all look likes lots of little accidents, I'm afraid soo many at once, may get more attention than I want." Reaching across for the juice pitcher, she begins to refill "And I didn't look guilty until some giant started looking over my shoulder into the kitchen." The candidate smirks, but whatever she was about to say is preempted by Innes flopping down and inquiring baout trouble. Kera considers her friend briefly before snorting "You if ya don't clean up that mess you call a cot." Flashing the other candidate a wink, she goes on more seriously "Rider Ila'den and I were just talking about Sorel. Seems I'm being enlisted to get his brother in trouble….wanna help?"
Ka'el enters from the administration wing, gnawing on a stick of taffy-like candy. It's time for a break! Or food. Or both! The caverns make for a good one-stop-spot for most things, including conversation if one is so inclined to strike one up. As for Ka'el, he is the conversational type, and perhaps he's on the lookout for that and company, since he's not making any immediate stops at the food tables. He does pitstop for a mug of juice though before continuing on his merry way, still gnawing at the sweet treat he's snagged from somewhere within the depths of Quasar's hallway.
Ila'den's brows raise at the mention of Kera being trained to make a bunch of 'little accidents', and getting more attention than she wants. "Have a past, do we?" He inquires softly, though he leaves it at that. Instead he's looking mockingly offended at being referred to as a giant, and a piece of his torn dried meat is picked up and flicked across the table at her. "I'll show you a giant, little girl." He does his best to look menacing, which actually isn't all that hard, though he does make it /obvious/ that this is in jest. Ila'den turns a smile onto Innes then, when she joins them, and returns the salute seconds before saying, "No need to be so formal with me, Innes, and as Kera said, we are making trouble for my younger brother, Sorel." She might not remember his name, but he remembers hers! There's a low chuckle for her eagerness to help, and Ila'den's says softly, "The more the merrier. You little birds can cheep him into madness. I'll enjoy the descent." The new comer does get a flicker of a curious look from Ila'den, though he's distracted by a little green firelizard popping in from between, settling on his shoulder with a fit of squabbles, and nipping at his fingers as he tries to untie the note she's been tasked to deliver. "Aye, Nymeria. Calm down, calm down."
"I'm just covering my bases, so you don't end up complaining to someone about me later," Innes says cheerily, although there's a note of sarcasm to her tone. Yes, she does have a history with this kind of thing. "Sorel?" Her head cants to the side as the considers this new information. Trouble for Sorel. Hmm. After a moment's contemplation she straightens up and bobs her head in a nod. "I'll happily accept this assignment. Even if I like Sorel well enough. He probably doesn't deserve to be cheeped into madness." She glances toward Kera for confirmation of this fact. "Do you think Sorel should be cheeped into madness?" Her gaze goes back to Ila'den as she adds, "How do we know you aren't the one who deserves to be driven to the brink?" She arches a challenging eyebrow, but her smug stare is interrupted when she catches sight of Ka'el out of the corner of her eye. The Weyrleader gets an enthusiastic wave, and a hollered greeting that's probably a bit too loud.
Kera chuckles to Innes, not at all phased by the other candidate's sarcasm. "It wouldn't be me complaining. But if that mess were to pounce an unsuspecting candiate walking by, there 'could' be an investigation into the candidate's disappearance. Questions are bound to be asked, doncha think?" Grinning to Innes, she simply shrugs too innocently to Ila'den. "Past? No, but if one where to know the sideeffects of any given herb or root, if improperly dosed, the outcome could be the same." Another shrug given, starting to feel uncomfrtable with this bit of conversation. Ila'den's use of cheeping birds cause her to chuckle. "I'm not sure if we should be offended or not. Are you saying that we'll talk so much that we'll drive your brother nuts? In which case, I know of a well trained Mindhealer." Innes joking cause her to lift a brow, but she can only shrug and nod agreeably. Innes does have a point. The candidate's frantic waving and calling out to the Weyrleader gets a wince, Kera lifting her arm to smell her shirt in what is hope d a casual manner. Hopefully, the smokey odor has faded enough. She'll wait til he actually comes over to greet him though, if he comes there way that is.
It's a miracle! Ka'el has made it a good twenty or so steps without someone snagging him in hopes of getting him to lend his ear on some matter that may or may not require his attention. Success! It's at step twenty nine that he does in fact hear his name, though it's not quite in that gently prodding manner he's come accustomed to hearing. Nope. This is loud and enthusiastic and…yeah, loud! He pauses and his eyes shift to the left, then right, then.. Oh, look it's Innes! The exuberant candidate earns a grin, and thus he redirects his walk to her and the small congregation of folks she's a part of. "Good day," he greets as a whole. Then, individually, "Innes, I haven't forgotten about your postponed test. Kanekith has been readying himself for it. He's taken a sudden interest in shellfish.." There's a faint quirk of his lips for that. "Kera," he acknowledges with a nod, apparently having not seen her self-sniff…or possibly opting not to mention it. The unfamiliar man earns a nod.
Ila'den is clearly distracted by reading the note that's been delivered, though Innes' conclusion does draw his eyes up from the parchment with a wicked little gleam of humor. "You could /try/ to drive me into madness, little bird, but I think I'd take all the fun out of it on account of already being there. I would just bring to both of you down with me, and where's the fun in that?" A sage nod, and then those grey eyes are right back to his paper, eyes following line after line until Kera is speaking again, and he's looking up to her. He must have experience with this multi-tasking thing! He studies the candidate for a long moment, and then smiles before dropping his eyes. "Clever girl, aren't you? I don't know, Kera. Does talking usually drive a man to the edge? I don't necessarily concede to knowing how little birds cheep, but it /is/ maddening. If talking is your way of cheeping, then yes. I expect you to talk him into oblivion." Then Ka'el is there, and Ila'den folds up his paper as those grey hues jump to take in the Weyrleader with a hint of a smile. "Western's duties," he says softly, and there's a salute given as the former renegade gathers up what's left of his torn meat and offers it up to the firelizard squeaking restlessly in his ear. "I was just plotting with your candidates."
Innes' eyes narrow slightly at the name 'little bird,' as it ends up being directed at her this time. "I'm not a little bird," she objects, still regarding him with suspicion. "I'm something much more ferocious." But she's swift to be distracted, and Kera earns her attention shortly. She takes a sip from her mug - almost forgotten with conversation - nodding along to her fellow candidate's sentiments as she swallows. "I think we could talk someone into madness," she says with a note of pride, but still adds, "But it's still offensive." She sets her mug back on the table and attempts to gently slide it from hand to hand. It doesn't seem to want to cooperate, however, and moves only and inch or two before stopping. She glances up when she realizes her cheery waving of moments before actually worked. Ka'el receives a disgusted look that wrinkles her nose. "I was promised no shellfish, I'm pretty sure. Kanekith can't just go changing the terms like that. There are rules." She gives a firm nod.
Kera nods to Ka'el when he arrives "G'day sir." Sipping her juice, she reaches out to scoop Minimur closer to her so there is more room at the table. Tilting a curious look to Innes when Ka'el mentions test, then to the Weyrleader briefly before the candidate again, who she leans over and 'sorta' whispers to. "If ya are learning to catch shellfish, get me some too. I love shellfish." Grinning across the table with a quick nod "My Journeymen think so, so who am I to argue with my Journeymen?" Watching the green while she sips some juice, she doesn't ask what Ila'den is reading, how rude would that be. Minimur chitters a greeting to the visiting lizard after she settles a bit. "What was her name sir? I didn't quite catch it a moment ago." She gestures to the messege wielding green.
"And Xanadu's to Western," answers Ka'el to Ila'den, eyes flicking to whatever knot he may be wearing before giving a respectful salute to the man. A light smile is reserved for his hungry firelizard before he takes a swallow of his mug. Mmmm. Apple! "It's our season of harvest. If you haven't taken a mug of our juice or cider before you've left back to Western, I'll take it as an affront to our Weyr," he says, his grin clearly showing his jest. "And I've nearly been talked to madness once," he says, having caught a tidbit of their conversation, eyes shifting to the girls. "It's very much a true threat that's yet to reach problematic levels, yet still it remains." Another smirk, though that soon turns to a laugh at Innes's protest. "Unfortunately it was my promise and not his, and all the rules are given by Kanekith. That bein' said, they'll likely change ten times more on a whim." He remains standing, even though room has been made, perhaps to accommodate him. "Thank you Kera, but the moment I sit I'll be standing again to go on to my next thing. There's always a next thing to get to, I'm afraid."
"Alright, alright Innes. If you insist on being something more ferocious, you can be a kitten, or a little tunnelsnake, or a wherry - though I think it'd be a rather unflattering nickname to go for anything aside from the first choice." He's /teasing/ her, of course, and then he's laughing as he brings his attention back to Kera. "Her name?" He points to the green, who croons affection and nibbles at his finger, ceasing only when he gently scritches at her jaw. "Her name is Nymeria." The green's on the move then, twittering at Ka'el as he approaches before moving across the table to Kera and Minimur. The fellow firelizard gets a chirp as the green stares up at him expectantly, head tilted with eyes whirling. Is she trying to coax him into play? A little playful hop would say yes! But Ila'den's attention is not on the candidates or the flits, but on the man standing near. "Aye," he says with good natured solemnity. He absolutely will go along with the joke, as straight-faced as he can manage (that's not very straight, if you were wondering). "I have heard of Xanadu's wrath in turn of leaving a mug untouched. I will make it my sole duty, sir, to acquire such before I depart." And then he can't fight the bit of laughter that he emits.
"I wish I were learning to catch shellfish," Innes laments with an overly dramatic sigh and a hand placed to her forehead. But her statement is shortly amended with a shake of her head, and a, "No, I don't. I want to avoid shellfish completely." A pointed glance is given to Ka'el as she adds this. Her head cants as he explains the situation, the slight frown on her face indicating that she's not altogether thrilled by the answer. "Well. As long as dragon breath is the worst thing I have to withstand, I guess I'll live with the rule changes. Maybe. Or maybe i'll come up with a test for him instead." She lifts her shoulders in a shrug before nonchalantly reaching for her mug. Ila'den receives a contemplative look. "Kitten doesn't sound very fierce," she decides, "but it's better than a wherry. I could be okay with tunnelsnake."
Kera looks between Ka'el, Innes and Ila'den, cracking when Ila'den compares the other candidate to possibly a kitten. "A kitten getting a bath more like." Is murmured to no one in particular, though she seems to be trying to lean away from any retaliation Innes may be considering. Flashing her friend a grin, She glances back to Ila'den as Minimur chitters inquisitively. Nymeria must have said 'game on' cause the brown bounces in place a time of two before joining in the game Nymeria starts. Kera works to not but out laughing at the playful lizards, and nods to Ka'el. "Guess you should be lucky you haven't been drug back to your office yet huh Sir." With a sigh, she grabs her plate and glass, eyeing he kitchen "Speaking of getting back to the office, I should go face the smokey tune already." A little grin is given as she stands "Minimur, you behave." She makes sure the playful brown is paying attention to her before peering to the others "Nice speaking with you Rider Ila'den sir." Ka'el is given a quick head nod "G'day sir." Flashing a wink to Innes "See ya back in the barracks Innes." Salutes and waves are flashes around before the candidate hurries back to the kitchen to finish her duties.