Xanadu Weyr - Main Clearing
A wide clearing stretches from east to west, the ground packed hard although grass grows across most of it. Trees are strictly forbidden in this space, their danger to the constant draconic traffic reason enough to banish them to the forest that creates a border to the north. Where the ground is less trampled, tiny flowers poke their delicate heads out from their shaded hiding places with upturned petals to wave to whoever may be looking.
The cliff looms imposingly on two sides. Toward the southwest, a spire stretches up to high above where the everpresent watchdragon sits on a lonely peak with Xanadu's Starstones. A massive rocky spur extends to the north, curved slightly to hold the clearing and pocked with doors and windows.
The hatching arena and Dragonhealers' Annex sit to the southeast, built together into a single complex that takes up a large portion of the perimeter beneath its domed roof. To the southwest, wide steps lead up to the caverns, and almost directly south is the entrance to the Infirmary. Nestled between the infirmary and the main caverns there's a human-sized archway with frequent traffic - it leads to the Wanderin' Wherry Tavern.
Tucked near the arch, just off to one side is a tiny wood-frame shop bearing the name 'Wildflower Boutique'. Windows have been cut along the cliff in various places along the cliff. Those of the administrative offices are placed to have the best view of Xanadu's airspace - to the southwest, over the entrance to the caverns and the infirmary. Others mark the dormitories and those of lucky residents, while toward the northern edge of that spur cluster the windows and entrances to the crafters' complex.
The rest of the Weyr lies to the north and east - a broad road that leads through the meadow and the trees of the forest beyond. At the far northern edge of the clearing, just inside the perimeter kept clear of trees, a clocktower sits and proudly displays the hour.
Winter brings a chill to the air and evening finds a number of residents heading towards the caverns in search of one thing or another at the end of their day, Katailea among them. The sweater pulled over the top of her dress could perhaps be warmer given the season but it does well enough to keep most of the chill out.
The end of V'ro's day, well, it doesn't really exist right now, unless one counts his dragon passing out as the end. But even if that passing out has gotten a little more reliable, it's not perfectly reliable, so he takes advantage of what time he can. Why he's here isn't that important, though. It's who he sees that matters. "Oh, hey! Katailea!" He says it pretty loud, yes. Being shy isn't one of his many flaws.
Oh hey might not have caught her attention, but the sound of her name certainly does. The blonde turns towards the voice, a smile finding its way to her lips as she spots the source. "Hey yourself!" Katailea returns the greeting even as she redirects her path to lead towards V'ro instead. "How are you? How is she?" because of course she's going to ask after his lifemate as well.
The greenrider will at least meet her part of the way instead of standing there waiting for her to get to him. That'd just be rude. V'ro returns her smile with one of his own, "I'm hanging in there. I think I got to sleep for five hours straight last night." He seems proud. "She's good. Really good. Sleeping." Even more proud. "What about you? I've been meaning to find you." And here she is!
Katailea laughs lightly. "Sounds like quite the feat from what I've heard." About getting young dragons to sleep and their rider's getting a halfway decent sleep in these early months. "Glad you're both doing well," she adds then, a shoulder lifting in half a shrug for the question of herself. "I'm alright, but," its what follows that question of his that has her expression turning both curious and quizzical. "To find me?"
"Aye, to find you." V'ro hesitates then, trying to decide what exactly to say about why he wanted to find her. Then, "Do you like F'yr?" Okay, that's a weird place to go, but now that's where they are, so V'ro looks at Katailea with all sorts of curious expectations.
Right. He said that. Its that hesitation that brings the quirk of a brow. "Is everything…?" the question remains unfinished when his is finally asked. "Of course," Katailea doesn't need time to think about that answer. They're friends and friends usually like each other. "Why?" because that's not the most usual way to jump into conversation.
"Of course you do. Everyone likes that big idiot." V'ro doesn't sound frustrated, exactly, but definitely unsurprised. "No reason," he lies with the ease of a man used to lying. "He set me up to get back something of yours and I've been carrying it around hoping to run into you and I'd really like to not be carrying it around anymore." Her locket is in his hand as if by magic and he holds it up for her to take if she so wishes.
"Yeah, well…" Katailea can't argue that one, but neither could V'ro so they're in agreement on one thing at least. If she could call him on that lack of reason she would, but practiced as he is in that area she doesn't have that advantage and so instead he's met with an inquisitive look for what follows. A look that turns to surprise when what it is is revealed. Its her turn to hesitate, sea green eyes shifting from the piece of jewelry back to the greenrider. "I told him I didn't want it back." That is what she said, and even now she's holding herself back from reaching for it, but it should be clear enough that she does. "How did you?"
"It doesn't matter how. I have it now, and I'm giving it to you." Easy as that. Details aren't important. V'ro wiggles the locket enticingly, so she'll take it from him, like she's some firelizard attracted to shiny moving targets. "Because F'yr thought you should have it back." Look, whether this is a good or bad idea, he's laying all the blame on the bronzerider. He's just the middle man. "And I agree with him."
Oh, like she's not going to take it when he's tempting her with it like that. "Thank you," Katailea says with a smile that's perhaps the truest it's been since the hatching. One hand reaches to pluck the locket from his hand even as she leans to press a kiss to his cheek. "Tell him for me too?" she adds settling back.
That smile makes V'ro smile, too, but it's the kiss that makes him laugh. "I'll tell him you said so. But you'll have to kiss him yourself." His hand lowers, shoves into the pocket of his coat, "And don't go giving that to anyone else, okay? I don't know what it means, but it must be important." And you don't give important stuff away, or something.
Katailea shakes her head, "Well don't expect you to pass that on," she replies with a laugh of her own. As to the locket, it gets a glance and, when opened briefly and the picture inside remains, a smile before its tucked into her own pocket. "I won't and I didn't. I traded it." There's a difference! "And it doesn't really mean anything." It does and it doesn't, if that makes sense.
"Good," says V'ro, grinning like he's both amused and relieved that it's not part of the thanks he'll be passing along. "What did you trade it for?" is the most obvious and interesting question to ask. Just a couple of traders, talking about trading things.
"In fact, don't mention it," Katailea adds in regards to passing that part of her thanks along. Traders talking about trading things, it was a good trade. "It and stable duties," that she thankfully didn't have to do thanks to the hatching happening when it did, "for ten marks," the blonde replies, providing that answer to that question.
V'ro makes that whistling noise people make when they're impressed by an impressive thing. "Not bad. Good thing I didn't try trading back for it, I guess." Because he doesn't have that kind of money laying around. And possibly he's not convinced the locket is worth that much. "Anyway, I suppose I should grab something to eat and get back to the barracks. But I'll see you around, yeah?"
Katailea doesn't either, hence the original trade. He's probably right that its not worth that much either, but then that's what extra candidate chores were for. A smirk meets that whistle, "Thief," she whispers towards him. She's not going to say it aloud for anyone to hear, but she'll call him on it with a certain hint of amusement. "I'll see you," the blonde agrees. "Hopefully sooner rather than later?"
The greenrider brings a finger to his lips, that universal sign for keeping it quiet, but he's grinning behind the finger. "Maybe don't go flaunting it around Jerica if you can help it," suggests V'ro with a wink. And then he's turning toward the caverns to go find something to eat. "Sooner than later!"