Xanadu Weyr - Weyrling Barracks
A long and roughly oblong cavern. About a third of the space is open, used for classes or chores as required. The rest of the space is filled with couches of varying sizes, all with plenty of space between them. Some couches are obviously intended for the very young weyrlings while the largest ones at the back are for the older weyrlings.
There are supplies for the care of dragons tucked back against the walls. A barrel of oil sits with scrub brushes and soft clothes, and a thick hardwood table is used to prepare meat in bite-sized pieces for the young dragons. There's also a few supplies for the weyrling humans, like bedding for cots or extra pillows for those sleeping on their lifemate's couch.
Nearly a month of explosive growing hasn't seemed to slow the appetites of the baby dragons all that much. If anything, it's only made their stomachs bigger and increased how much energy they need to keep growing. It's a lot of meat, and obviously the responsibility to make sure it's cut up for their lifemates falls onto the weyrlings. But, hey! It's a good way to take out any frustrations that might be building whenever one isn't completely exhausted. Or at least that might be the case with V'ro, who seems a little bit angry at the hunk of herdbeast he's trying to hack apart with a cleaver while Koth watches with whirling eyes that might as well have excited sparkles dancing around them.
He's singing. Actually, they're both singing. Glorioth's is LOUDER and far more off-key, and they've replaced the words of a drinking song to discuss blood, meat and gore, but they make this fun. It's a distraction, really, for the dragon so impatient to get to finally hunt. The bronze is, frankly, enormous, already. The dragons all are, by human standards, if not by dragon. But that absurd rate of growth means that this task is already old to F'yr while it never loses its appeal for the bronze, who is crouched much too near the butchers block that F'yr is occupying, his hind quarters helplessly wiggling in a want to pounce that is bound to be disappointed (it happened a few times in those first weeks, which… well, were lessons. Now the bronze is waiting for his turn. Once the meat is settled, the beasts already stripped of entrails and small bones by the time it reaches the barracks, Glori gets to STAB IT! With his talons. « HA, HA! » goes the strike, careful now not to gouge into the wood of the table, but effective. IT'S DEAD, Y'ALL. ISN'T HE BRILLIANT? SEE HIM GLOW IN HIS PRIDE. "Good strike," F'yr even compliments, looking over the way the talons sliced the meat. The cubes aren't quite small enough so he'll take to it with his knife, but it takes the edge off of all that bundled anticipation the bronze is radiating enough for the man to do the work in short order. He's tired today, of course, but he must have gotten marginally good or at least markedly more sleep or in just a better cycle of REM to have him looking actually, SLIGHTLY HUMAN today, the dark circles not as dark. It probably also helped that sometime in the past seven, Glorioth has made the drastic change of CARING if F'yr is healing in his ribs and slowed his roll to give those bones a chance to knit. It doesn't mean he doesn't still run places, it just means… well, he stops to wait for F'yr now and again. SO COMPASSIONATE (not really; but it's too complicated to get into here). NOT MERCIFUL. LET'S BE REAL CLEAR.
If V'ro wasn't busy handling meat, Koth would probably already be over there staring at Glorioth and F'yr like a big (little?) weirdo. But she waits until her rider throws a chunk, maybe a couple, at her. And then the green is trotting over toward the bronze pair with no announcement of her presence. It's just her presence, and staring at the big blond weyrling. Look at her, she's wasting away, so thin and unlooked after, whoever will save her from this wretched existence.
We all know that if it were up to F'yr, he'd give Koth meat just because she was asking; no wasting away look required. But, look, these things are no longer a one-too-selfless-man decision situation. If Glorioth had it his way, it wouldn't even be a partnership decision; it would be a one dragon nopetatorship. BUT, SORRY, GLORI, THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP. So when the bronze rounds on his sister, THE FUN ONE, even, and flares his wings in defense of his rightful kill. (HE KILLED IT, HIS PRIDE IS ONLY DIMINISHED SLIGHTLY BY HIS NEED TO PROTECT IT.) « WHAT HO, FUN ONE, » he might as well have just called her VILLAIN. « Just what is it you suppose you're doing? Don't you have your own companion? » A skeptical look is cast toward V'ro, and maybe F'yr is suddenly slapping a bloody hand over his mouth to hold in laughter, but don't worry about that; his eyes are dancing and his smile so bright at the other weryrling, maybe he can be forgiven for finding his dragon's doubt (SHARED WITH ALL AND SUNDRY) to be funny and not reprehensible.
« I'm just watching. » Koth makes it sound like it's very unreasonable if she can't watch whatever she likes. Especially since, « You did that so well, Glorioth. I bet you'll be the bravest hunter when they finally let us hunt. » If she had eyelashes, she might be batting them experimentally. Koth glances over at her weyrling, then. « I've seen him already. » V'ro is looking over at the trio now like he's not sure if he should be offended or relieved that something else is entertaining Koth right now, but it seems like mostly offended. "What, my cutting isn't good enough for you, woman?"
Glorioth's look to V'ro doesn't linger. « Well, it can't be helped now. » It's compassion from his gloriousness. Nevermind that her choice of lifemate is probably not something Koth wanted or needed condolences on. « MY HEARTFELT THANKS, » beams approval and warmth to the green in the next heartbeat, because he really did rock that. He's sure in a way so few are capable of being (as in, he's actually doubtless; it might break something in him if he ever doubted, but today is not that day). The laughter choking isn't working for F'yr anymore and his eyes are tearing up (maybe because his ribs still hurt, even if they are finally starting to heal). He very studiously returns his attention to the meat. He and Glorioth probably would be the sorts to start a game of throwing and catching meat, only there's a chance it would get wasted, even if the bronze probably isn't above eating dirt if that's what is called for in this show of virility that's called HIS LIFE. And here's the thing, Koth, just because Glorioth gave you thanks, just because he gave you compassion for your unfortunately lack-skilled lifemate, he has not given an inch in attention to just how close that green is to his kill. He turns his head only half way so F'yr has to round the table to his side to start putting chunks into the beast's mouth while he keeps a whirling eye on Koth.
Koth doesn't seem to have any inclination to move, sitting back on her haunches with her tail wrapping around her front feet. She stretches out one wing, then another, yawns even. « You seem tense, Glorioth, is everything okay? » Surely he's not worried about little 'ol Koth and her incompetent lifemate being able to steal any of his things. But the lifemate in question has had enough of being ignored, and V'ro is making his way over, with a chunk of meat in hand, to give everyone a suspicious look. "What is even going on over here?"
It's not that Glorioth is suspicious, Koth. Not now that she's stated her intentions to just watch. It's just that this is how it's going to go from here. The bronze is embarrassingly straight-forward in his thought process; he's giving Koth polite attention as he dines, that's all. That eye that's on his sister is simply attention. If that attention happens to foil thievery, well, that's only to be expected from one as glorious and heroic as he, right? Well, if he had any idea that thievery was even a potential, he would think so. Don't mind the bloody handprint on F'yr's mouth-and-face, V'ro. And don't mind that as the big blond turns his head to regard the brunette that he freezes because suddenly that drying blood trail is getting slurrrrped by a slimy dragon tongue. It's definitely not the first time the bronze has licked his rider, though he doesn't make a pronounced habit of it, thank Faranth, but the look on F'yr's face is pretty priceless. It's always shocking and never when he expects it and it's always gross and all that plays right there for the audience that is Koth and V'ro. "You don't want to know." « You're fortunate you're too valuable to eat, F'yrfully delicious one. » IT'S A JOKE, Y'ALL. Glorioth doesn't bother to wait for anyone to laugh at his humor, he's got it covered, with a booming, « AHAHAHAHA HAHAHA HAHA! »
Well, don't mind if V'ro gives F'yr a slightly disgusted look for the blood on his face and then the baby bronze slurping at him. The greenrider side-eyes Koth, to make sure she's not going to try pulling that grossness, too, and when she doesn't, he holds out that chunk of meat for her to take. Tributes for Koth. "I really don't think I do," is agreed about knowing things. « Your bravery is far too brave for your brain, I think, Glorioth, » muses the green as she chews her meat. "Okay, well… maybe we should go get you cleaned up, huh?" Him, really. He wants to get cleaned up. V'ro pats a hand on his lifemate's shoulder and takes a step away. C'mon, let's go! But she doesn't move.
« My bravery is fearsome to be sure, » Glorioth basically agrees, or is oblivious to the green's point. « It might only be matched by my honorable honor or radiant valor, » two distinct and not at all similar qualities he also possesses in great abundance. He chews, while F'yr uses his shirt to wipe his face, giving a fabulous flash of bandaged ribs and abs and low-riding trousers that probably need a belt, but where would the time have been to grab one? Maybe the view makes up for all the gross dragon saliva. At least it's mostly gone onto the shirt when the big blond drops it again. He looks from Koth to V'ro and lifts his brows. Problem, V'ro? F'yr's too nice to point it out.
V'ro is definitely staring at F'yr's bared torso, at least what he can see of it, when the bronzerider covers it back up again. He clears his throat, looks away quickly, and starts to turn like he's going to walk away. But he pauses, and turns back, because Koth still hasn't moved. She's staring at Glorioth, tail slowly twitching as though to prove that she's not just a statue of Koth, but is indeed the real Koth. « What about your honorable bravery, your radiant honor, your fearsome valor? » These are all important to her, as they should be to anyone. V'ro shoves at the green again, and is starting to look a little upset when she continues ignoring him. Finally he simply says, "Fine," glances at F'yr, then turns to head toward the baths by himself.
Glorioth swallows, « An excellent point, my observant friend. » Obviously he agrees with her assessment. Those things are all on the same level. F'yr is not laughing, so points to him for managing to keep that underwraps. It probably helps that he has the distraction of V'ro walking away, and even if Koth won't follow him, F'yr will. "Hey, you okay?" He'll even reach to briefly touch the greenrider's shoulder to seek to stop him, to turn him, before he can get too far. Since F'yr is busy, Glorioth turns to help himself to his next meat chunk from the butcher block. « Tell me more about my bravery. » IT IS ONE OF HIS FAVORITE TOPICS, AFTER ALL.
Maybe it's that V'ro is walking away that Koth finally glances in his direction, the whirl of her eyes betraying her otherwise calm exterior. « No, » is her simple but quietly firm answer to the bronze's not-question. V'ro is obviously less calm-appearing than the green, but he does stop, he does turn. He just doesn't look at F'yr now - down, maybe past him, but not at him. "I'm fine. I just… I want to get this off of me." He briefly holds up his hands, tacky with blood and meat juices, plucks at his shirt which is admittedly not as gross as F'yr's. "And she's just— I don't know." He glances at the green, who has her own entire personality that she's learning to use, evidently.
F'yr's hands twitch at his sides like he wants to touch V'ro, but he knows better than to try it twice in a small span of time when the next touch wouldn't be a brief thing. « WELL, THEN, LET ME TELL YOU OF MY ADVENTURE TODAY. » Don't worry, Koth, if you can't come up with the words to describe the radiance of his valor in all its honorable glory, Glorioth has you covered. « It began when I noticed a dark and suspicious lump on that pedestal of papers, » you know, Koth, the desk the assistants sometimes work at that the weyrlings are not supposed to touch. « I bravely charged and found it to be a foul smelling hunk of bovine skin soaked in something even more ferociously foul. NEVER FEAR, SWEET SISTER, FOR I DEMOLISHED THE EVIL OBJECT WITH MY EXCESSIVE HERO-OCITY. » RIP Ila's latest jacket. The way that the big blond looks slightly pained during this rendition of the day's world saving escapade might be because of the content, the consequences, or just the fact that V'ro doesn't look fine and F'yr can't just hug him and fix it. "Okay," he accepts all that's said to him instead. "I won't keep you," he even rocks back a step, "But if you ever… want to talk," the offer is there, with a shrug that robs the offer of any pressure to take the big blond up on it. "I'd like to listen." It's not just something he'd tolerate, V'ro. His wistful face confirms his sentiment, even if his hands are kept at his sides lest they do something stupid without his permission.
For her part, Koth will listen to Glorioth with almost all of her attention. It is hard to tune any part of him out, after all. « That was very brave. » And not just because it was Ila'den's. « I can't wait until we can flame our foes. That will be the most fitting way to deal with any problems we have. » V'ro looks a little concerned as he glances between the dragons, then finally flickers a glance at the blond's face. "Thanks. Really." He offers a brief smile, seems to be trying to decide if he wants to talk right now or not for just a moment there, then turns to continue on his way. Koth will finally actually move to follow her weyrling to the baths, too, once it's obvious he's actually willing to leave her behind. That or maybe he's screaming at her in his head. One or the other.