
Xanadu Weyr - Wanderin' Wherry Tavern
It is often whispered, in the crowds that converge here, that a certain Weyrleader was asked what he wanted in the remodeling of the pub that was not so long ago given a refreshing. He muttered back over the rim of his ever-present mug, "I don't care what you do with the place, just so long as there is plenty of ale." With that in mind, cask after cask of ale lines the walls of the tavern, the remodeler's idea of a jest. As they age, the casks bring a real rustic atmosphere to the pub, along with the deeply wooden flavor that seems to be the theme throughout.
The lighting is dim, as it should be in all good pubs, and the tables and chairs are plentiful. A long mahogany bar, intricately carved with runner beasts, stands vigilant duty at the head of the bar, lined with stools for those patrons that seek the bartender's company. Behind it are drinks for those not inclined toward ale, as well as a door leading to the small kitchen where snacks are made and a back room that probably holds yet more ale.
NOPE. NOPE. NOPENOPEITYNOPENOPENOPE. Risali just did a whole lotta noping out of her life to here, and she's doing a whole lot more of it in that back corner booth, with another glass on her table that says she's on drink number three and DRUNK FLITTING PEOPLE. That's right. It was Potato with a hastily scrawled letter that POPPED IN FROM BETWEEN and ruined WHATEVER IT IS THAT A RICKI AND A N'KON DO on a N'kon and Ricki filled night. You know. Before Risali interrupts it. BUT SHE HAS. She has done it with a letter that simply said, 'I'm going to do it if you don't stop me,' and that's it. Who even knows what it is that she's going to do? It was VAGUE and AMBIGUOUS and strictly lacking in any kind of detail for her friends. So, your date night, or your cozy cuddles, or your romantic rendezvous has totes just been interrupted by one not-quite-sober Weyrwoman committing a faux pas. And okay, she's not drunk — not yet. But she's ON HER WAY TO IT.
Or, you know, scanning dozens upon dozens of photographs of Candidates taken from stealthy-stealthy secrecy for Niko's most recently acquired project. There's no trepidation visible in the bluerider as he swings into the tavern ahead of Ricki, manfully holding open the door for his -WEYRMATE, YES WEYRMATE SHE SAID YES NYAH- before scanning the crowdnotcrowd for the diminutive person of the Weyr's Weyrwoman. Spotting her, he nudges his greenriding companion, then slips among the tables towards Risali and her drinks. "Aww, you started without us. I guess we have some catching up to do."
Sometimes, evenings are all work and no fun - and well, when you live with your craftmate, there is likely no shortage of those. And so, maybe it wasn't all bad that they were summoned, given the look on Ricki's face as she slips into the tavern, smiling up at Niko with a almost sappy look, her hand brushing his chest as she passes him and follows his lead to Risa's table. "Shards, who died?" She asks, before blushing as she slides into a seat. "I mean, uhm.."
And she lights up. Risali's expression brightens the moment she sees N'kon and Ricki, grey eyes tracking their progress with a scrunch of nose and a hint of humor. "You were taking too long." AND YOU BROUGHT A BAD CHOICE OF WORDS. Ricki's question actually has that smile faltering, Risali attempting to save it by forcing it and - "Uhm." It comes softly, intelligently, as brows knit in and — no. Risali forces away conjured pictures of men in forests, of knives and throats and offers a breathy, forced laugh as she answers with, "My sanity, probably." Because that is, in all seriousness, probably what she is here drinking to. The Death Of A Weyrwoman. Or, the woman she used to be, anyway. The moment Ricki sits, Risali is leaning sideways into her, tucking her head onto the greenie's shoulder and hooking her arm through hers. "What have you two been up to?"
Watching Risa cuddle up to Ricki, Niko pauses as he tries to figure out which side to slide in on - and, maybe, JUST MAYBE, he's enjoying the view. He's male. He's Xanaduvian. Sue him. Eventually, however, he slides in next to the Weyrwoman, not quite crowding in on her as he lifts a hand to catch the bartender's eye, indicating himself and his weyrmate. As their drinks are prepared, he folds his hands on the table, craning his neck to peer at the weyrwoman thoughtfully. "I'm doing a… chronicle? Yearbook? I've been stalking the Candidates," he admits glibly, "and have all sorts of pictures, so we're assembling a memoir of their Candidacy." He chuffs a soft, self-exasperated laugh and, as his drink is delivered, pauses to quaff half of it in one go. "Ricki's probably regretting recent decisions at this point," he murmurs, sliding a glance towards the greenrider.
Ricki definitely does not bring -that- word up again, as Risali falters briefly, and she is trying to recover, even as she leans back against the goldrider, nodding slightly at Niko as he orders a round of drinks. "He is ~inspired~ so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. And I haven't heard any one complain he is creeping them out, so." Her shrug is shorted by having a Risa head on her shoulder, before she is reaching for her glass as it appears, sipping at it with a bit more reserve than the other two have exhibited with their drinks.
Yeah, Risali totally sees you looking, N'kon, and that's why she's scrunching up her nose in humor and then sticking her tongue out at him. She mouths the words, 'Mine,' to him and squeezes Ricki's arm a little tighter, because of course she has claimed his weyrmate for her own. HAVE YOU MET HER? She's awesome. But there Niko is, settling on her other side, presenting the perfect opportunity for Risali to cast propriety and dignity aside and pursue absolute shamelessness in the way one of those leather-bound legs comes up and gets thrown over his lap. Yep. She is claiming him too while he orders his drinks, reaching for one of his hands with her own to trap him. Still, her interest is piqued, and her head comes up and off of Ricki's shoulder just enough for grey eyes to find the bluerider, to watch as he explains just what it is that he's doing with their latest batch of candidates and his camera. A beat, two, three, and Risali's smile comes back brighter, a shift as she looks to Ricki as well and then parts with a soft huff of laughter. "Faranth, you two are brilliant. I can always get them to do an actual photo shoot for you. Maybe we can have them vote each other into categories or something. 'Most likely to burn down the weyr,' or, 'Most likely to Leirith.'" Which is totally a reasonable category. HI DASH. These three are in a booth, and Risa has been drinking, and FLITS WENT OUT WITH AMBIGUOUS VAGUE MESSAGES. 'I'm going to do it if you don't stop me,' being the theme of the night. Now watch Risali drop her head back to Ricki's shoulder, rolling it so she can see the greenrider's face better. "Have you seen your weyrmate?" A SQUEEZE for that word. But the implication is pretty clear: he's too pretty to be creepy.
D'lei is late to the party. Such as it is. Which is to say, it's always a party when you have faces like these to fill it, but he's late to this particular party that was vambiguously announced and is now - and has been - happening. (It's a very happening party. An entire booth of haps. And… here is the chap to join it! D'lei has arrived into the bar, and he looks around to see just what he has walked into, because it might be a joke. So anyway, he does that thing, and here he is, in all his loose-shirt, tight-pants casual-after-busy-day glory. SO. How about those drinks? Which is why he walks up to the bar (in the bar) and makes order out of a lack thereof. Just like that.
"Brilliant? Mad, more like," Niko mutters, a snerk in his voice if not quite on his lips, blue-grey eyes laughing in Ricki's general direction. "I don't know. Would Candidates complain about being stalked by a rider while there's eggs on the Sands? I mean, everyone's already watching them, what's one more pair of eyes?" He'll keep that opinion right up until the guards come to haul him off for voyeurism and he has to use his one phone call to beg the Weyrwoman to spring him. "Superlatives? Huh." Photographer muses over the goldrider's suggestion, non-stolen hand reaching down to lightly rub a propped ankle as his gaze wanders. Spots. Latches. HAI D'LEI. "And the day just keeps getting better."
"Have you -seen- my weyrmate?" Ricki replies, with a teasing lilt to her voice as she gets another squeeze, even as her eyes follow D'lei as he moves to the bar - and apparently isn't the only one doing exactly that. "Well, I take it -he- wasn't the problem.." She murmurs softly to Risa, resting her head lightly against the goldrider's, watching the weyrleader for another moment before stealing another glance at Niko. "Do you, uh, want to talk about.." And the glass in her hand is waved at the glasses in front of the Weyrwoman.
"This is Xanadu Weyr, Niko," Risali answers him with dry humor. "We're all mad here." Or pyromaniacs — or both. But N'kon's hand on her ankle actually makes Risali whimper, a sound that says she likes it even if it maybe hurts just a little but she's not complaining so DON'T STOP. "What is it with men and their hands?" Risali faux-whispers to Ricki, squeezing at her and Niko BOTH, but for all that those words could be implying, the Weyrwoman does just mean when it comes to massage. NO SINNUENDOS FOR YOU. "And I have," Risali answers, Ricki. "You should keep him." Cue her own weyrmate, and yes. she. does track him with grey eyes that maybe fixate a little too long on his pants and no she doesn't stop herself from catcalling him. "Is there a mirror in those pants, Weyrleader? I think I can see myself in them!" EYOOOOO. LEIRITH HELPING WITH THOSE TERRIBLE PICK UP LINES. And that smile remains as Risali tilts her head to look back at Ricki, as those grey eyes find those glasses and - "Ah." A beat, another falter of her smile. "I just… needed you guys." She's never been good with her emotions or talking about them, so this is gonna have to do for now. "To remind myself that I have people in my corner." That's all. Not that D'lei and K'vir aren't, but listen.
Speaking of, has anyone seen D'lei's weyrmate? He got this message, see, and… she's here. He hears it! And it is terrible, which is how he knows it's Risali. He turns with his grin, focuses in and grins wider. Oh, hey, added bonus: here's his drink. It's a tall glass, something with a citrus-fruit flavor and a few generous shots of spirits, and once he's got that safely exchanged-for and in his hand, he turns from the bar to stride across to that booth. "Not mirrored enough," he says to Risali by way of counter-greeting. "You better polish them." He gives a teasing grin and an arch of eyebrows to her, and then he just tucks himself right into that booth as well by stealing the spot next to Niko.
For a brief moment, Risali's pickup line draws Niko's attention from D'lei as the bronzerider crosses towards them, a twinkle in his eyes. "I'll remember that one." I mean, with a dragon like Tsarziath, one must appreciate cheese. Gaze lingers a moment longer, then is drawn like a lodestone to the Weyrleader as he makes himself comfortable. One hand remains captive by Risali, the other continues to massage her ankle - so, bluerider simply inclines his head in greeting and offers a quirking smile. "Well," he drawls, dropping his gaze to the safety of his own half-drained drink, "we're always happy to oblige - especially when it starts to feel like the Candidates are the one creeping on us." All those pictures. All those eyes. Everywhere.
"That's fair.." Ricki offers, letting it drop - at least for now - just absently petting Risa's hair even as D'lei joins the table. A smirk tugs at her lips, and she gives Risa the slightest nudge - trying to not draw too much attention to the movement, leaning into the goldrider as if to direct her attention towards Niko and D'lei - as if her attention is probably not already on them. "Don't give him ideas.. next you know, he'll have some of them dressed up as dragons, staging a mock hatching."
"Oh, I will. I'll start with the zipper." GET A ROOM. Risali gives N'kon's hand another squeeze, that smile going fey as grey eyes start on him with, "Here's another one for your repertoire: Did you get those pants on a discount, Weyrleader? Because in my home, they'd be 100% off." And end on D'lei. EYOOOOOOOOOO. She even brings up the arm hooked through Ricki's to give both men FINGERGUNS before blinking her attention up to Ricki and — ah. Right. A shift of that tiny body and Risali is (RIP MASSAGE) pulling her leg from N'kon's lap and her head from Ricki's shoulder; she's grabbing the greenrider's hand in her own as she rudely deposits herself halfway across N'kon's lap to kiss her weyrmate on his lips, as she draws back just enough to press another kiss against N'kon's temple, and then she's giving Ricki a gentle pushpushpush to get her out of the booth. "I like that idea, Ricki." And she's turning a deviant smile back on N'kon. "I like that idea." A faux whisper, so he knows, and while her attention jumps to D'lei and lingers, she's back to harassing Ricki out of the booth.
"Good plan," D'lei replies to Risali, his grin sharpening as his chin tilts slightly down. "You can go tooth… by tooth…" Aww yeah. He's got this, where this is his pants. And also bad innuendos. "I do like a good drop of… price." BUT. Apparently these terrible lines actually work, as evinced by how Risali is now leaning in over Niko, and D'lei is leaning in back enough to kiss her, and the bluerider has a view of this with Risa over him and D'lei's shoulder bumping his. "…mmh." Now, where were they? "Far away candidates and close up firelizards?" Nothing like taking advantage of a bit of… perspective.
"I just figured we'd dress them up." Niko's remark is rather abstracted - he's very distracted watching the Weyrleaders kiss and make… up. Indeed, there's a definite air of disappointment about the bluerider as Risali withdraws from her weyrmate - and his lap. "Don't stop on my account," comes the mild protest, the quirk of his lips suggesting that his words are only half-in-jest. "Stick some fake wings on a few of them, give 'em tails, and let them run around and maul each other while Leirith issues contradictory commands." Or could go all out - Szetamirath would probably love directing that particular production. "Are you leaving me?"
Being ushered out of the booth as she is, Ricki has to settle for blowing a kiss of her own towards Niko, though she does pause long enough to snag her drink from the table, tipping it back. "Sometimes I have good ideas. Unlike Niko." The greenrider teases as she slips from of the booth, pausing at the blue rider's question. A glance around her, and she hesitates for a moment before managing. "We're just.. dancing. You two.. enjoy.." And then there is another smirk and she is reaching for Risa's hand to pull her up from the bench.
And from this day until forevermore, Risali decreed D'lei, in all his himness, highly illegal. Her cheeks might be going flush, but maybe that's just the alcohol talking. "You two can always pick up where we left off," Risali tells N'kon a little breathlessly, and then she's laughing, because she's following after Ricki, catching the younger woman's hand in her own and leading her OVER THAT AWAY. "Hit it, Leirith!" Which doesn't actually need to be said aloud, but does prepare everybody for that house-party music that comes as Risali drags Ricki into a dance. And she sings, and she claps her hands and stomps her feet; indeed, this is no slow dance, but one that means she's spinning the greenrider, hooking arms with her and pulling her round in a do-si-do. IT'S THE HEEL-TOE-POLKA, Y'ALL. And Risali is having entirely too much fun.
D'lei sees how it is! FLIRT 'EM AND LEAVE 'EM, that's Risali. He laughs, though, with a grin to Risa - a wiggle of fingers to Ricki - and then a turn of his head to N'kon, an arch of brows to go with it. "So," he says, and pauses there a moment - long enough for his eyes to trace down and then back up again to Niko's face before he grins. "Heard any good pickup lines lately?"
Ladies are watched before look is traded with look, and Niko's gaze snaps to, then echoes D'lei's, blatantly roaming from toes to tippy-top, a glint of appreciation in blue-grey eyes before he meets the Weyrleader's own. "Did you know, on a scale of one to ten, you're a nine?" the bluerider asks breathlessly, his eyes widening in a mock simper. "And I'm totally the one you need." The last few words waver slightly, the overtones of the snicker he's quite heroically suppressing whispering across them. Before the last word leaves his lip, he ducks his head against the bronzerider's shoulder, his own shaking with silent laughter. "Sorry," he chokes out. "You asked for it."
Dancing, Ricki seems to be having almost - not quite, but almost - as much fun as Risali, spinning and clapping and going around and about with the goldrider, grin on her face. A totally-super-stealthy glance at Niko and D'lei and she almost cackles to herself, disguising a high-5 to Risa as a clap as they go round and about. The cackles, though, turn into giggles as the group goes one way and she goes the other, and she is pausing to recombobulate herself, picking the dance back up after a moment.
Oh yeah, that was totally not a highfive. DON'T BE SUSPICIOUS. NOTHING SUSPICIOUS TO SEE HERE. JUST TWO MEN, CANOODLING EACH OTHER WITH THEIR EYEBALLS while their weyrmates dance themselves into oblivion. Their eyes definitely don't keep jumping to the men in the booth, because Risali and Ricki only have eyes FOR EACH OTHER. But it's more clapping, and spinning, and heel, toe, heel, toe, dip and hophophop to one side. When they come back together, Risali changes up the dance just a little, catching Ricki around her middle, pulling her into a spin, and then heel-and-toe, and heel-and-toe, and a hophophoping her away from the group, away towards a table just out of the way so that she can hook her arm around Ricki's hips and lean in against her side. An exhale, and, "We got good ones." A whisper, a bump of her head to Ricki's shoulder as she turns a smile up towards her. "It's kind of unfair." HOW GOOD LOOKING THEY ARE, she means.
D'lei arches his brows as N'kon sets up the line - then laughs as he knocks it down. "I did," he admits, then tilts his head just a bit, thinking for a moment before there's a flicker of amusement and, "Of course… if the scale was out of five, I could be the one…" he gestures to himself, "…four you." A swivel of that hand to indicate Niko, instead. Not that anyone but the bluerider will notice, because of course there's nobody stealing glances. Especially not any weyrmates. Nope. Not at all!
"HAH." Niko appreciates a cheesy pickup line as much as the next person. Probably more, as fond of word play as the bluerider is. "Clever." And before he can think - or be stopped - he leans in to press a quick, sharp kiss smack on D'lei's lips. Then he's swinging his lean, lanky body up and over the table, booted feet hitting the floor with a thud before he darts in to give the same service to Risali - and a much longer, deeper, and SEXIER kiss to his weyrmate. "Stay, enjoy," he bubbles, a slightly manic look in his eyes. "But come home later." And he's out the door with little explanation for the sudden disappearance - except a single word whispering into open minds. « Triplets. »
If Ricki could hear the terrible lines, she'd be groaning, but luckily for her opinion of the two men, she is over there, dancing with Risali, having fun even as she is shimmied to one side. Settling an arm over Risa's shoulders, she leans back into Risa, nodding with a happy sigh. "Aye, we did." And their efforts - they are paying off as Niko leans… and just as quickly, all their very hard work suddenly goes up in smoke as Niko flees - sure there were kisses but… "Well then.." Ricki murmurs after a moment, blinking and staring after the disappearing bluerider.
Why does Risali never expect it? She sees N'kon's exchange of lip-service with D'lei - you can tell because that pull at the corner of her lips screams appreciation. It's still there when grey eyes track N'kon's progress across the floor to them and - a blink. She's kissed, and it takes her brain a second too long to register before the bluerider is moving on to his mate. But she did close her eyes on instinct, even if those lips are softly parted in - well, definitely surprise, but… anticipation? It doesn't matter, she's blinking her eyes open to watch the exchange between blue and greenrider, and then giving Ricki a little squeeze. "You go fetch him," she tells her. "I believe my weyrmate had a zipper in need of polishing." But she is laughing, pulling the younger woman into a hug, pressing a kiss against her temple, breathing out, "Thank you," where lips meet flesh, and then she's drawing away to cross back across the Tavern to D'lei. She's curling fingers in the lapels of his shirt, pulling to indicate that he should stand even while she leans down to kiss him. And yeah, it's just like that that she leads him out of the tavern, backwards, and blind, and probably tripping and bumping over things on her way but not caring enough to stop. GODSPEED, RICKI! GO GET DAT BLUERIDER.
KISST. Right in the kisser, which is - all things considered - a suitable place for kisses. Niko gets D'lei right in the grin, the lunge in too rapid for his lips to change alignment - or dodge. Smack and - before Dash's lips have a chance to adjust to that, Niko's are gone again, the bluerider fleeing - with a stop for weyrmate, or at least a kiss-in-flight. D'lei stares after him for a moment… and then he laughs, with a shake of his head and then a deep drink from his glass before he is DRAWN FORTH by Risali to A PARTY THAT WILL ONLY BRIEFLY INVOLVE PANTS.
Why does this -always happen-. But this time there is at least time to return Risa's hug, before the greenrider is slipping away after Niko - encouraged all around.