Xanadu Weyr - Stables
The Stables of Xanadu Weyr are composed of one long building, lined with box and standing stalls that are kept thoroughly clean by the resident grooms and stablehands. Runners nicker and neigh at everyone who enters, save for the obstinate ones that just flicker their ears in indignant curiousity that they dare not make visible. The foremost stalls near the door to the Barn Yard are the grand box stalls which are home to the prized runners of Xanadu, as well as the most pregnant, those which are so far along that they require constant observation by the Herders, so as to ensure easy foaling
However, the primary design of stall which lines the broad pathway that is covered in saw dust which is the main avenue of the Stables, is that of the Standing Stall. Many runners are in the standing stalls, with ropes strung across the front so as to keep the runners from leaving their designated containers. A few hay bales sit here and there along the avenue, some of which act as seats for the stablehands and grooms on their breaks, others as snacks for those runners who can reach out their necks far enough. Buckets and baskets of grooming supplies, brushes and combs, and the like also sit here and there, occassionally knocked over by a wayward hoof or inquiring muzzle.
It's early in the afternoon and already there is a number of people moving in an out of the stables, inspite of the fact there are less runners there than is typical, mostly because a number of the residents hadn't recovered from the plaque that decimated the population of the critters. Course, what has gotten people interests is the occupation of a stall by a certain greenrider. Along with a half full bottle of whisky that has been aged twenty turns. There's speculation on what Keziah is doing with it, since it's well know the greenrider doesn't drink. Let alone half a bottle. But there she is, passed out and only now starting to moan and grab her head.
Someone who knew the pair were on friendly terms did fetch Briana to come see to Keziah. The young woman is quick to come to the stables and starts peaking into the various stalls until she finds Keziah. She has a skin of water in hand and some plain bread in another. "Now what is this all about Keziah?" She asks as she kneels in the hay next to the woman.
Keziah groans and moans and looks like something a feline wouldn't even bother dragging in. "Shards. Where am…" she pauses and looks around and then frowns as she recognizes just where she is and then she groans. "Oh sweet Faranth." She looks at Briana and what she's bearing. "The whole Weyr knows. Don't they?" She eyes the bottle "I didn't drink it all, or even half of it."
"Well I do not know if the whole weyr knows Keziah, but someone came to fetch me." Briana replies as she passes the woman the skin, "This is just some water and should help." She suggests and settles in besides Keziah and looks down at the half drunk bottle, "Who drank with you and left you here like this then?" She asks with an upraised brow, "They could have at least seen you to your weyr."
Keziah greatfully takes the skin of water and starts drinking it. "Likely Yina." she murmurs, referring to the assitant stablemistress. "She's a good one, trained her myself and likely to take over when Tarsin calls it quits?" she murmurs and then eyes the bottle balefully. "Bought it for Ers'lan. Didn't do me a hill of beans good." she mutters "Man is still pissed at me. Likely won't ever be able to call him friend again." A pause "If ever we were that I guess. Damn B'rdian. He's near ruined him. Now I get to clean up his mess. I don't know what she was thinking. Shards." she mutters, not mentioning who she is. "This wasn't how I was expecting it to get taken care of."
Briana breaks off a bit of bread and passes it to Keziah as she listens. "The same reason she put you in charge of us. You were the best of my Weyrlingmasters Keziah. You are fair and compassionate." She suggests of the upgrade in knot status. She cants her head at the mention of Ers'lan, "I am sorry it had to get this far before something was done, but …we did not realize just how bad it was. Few in his wing complained of anything we can do anything about." She says with a sigh as she leans back against the stall, "Why is he angry at you?"
Taking the bread, Keziah nibbles on it as she listens to Briana "I don't always feel to compassionate." she remarks and then shrugs a bit "Because I'm his boss again? Because I didn't go to him first? Shards. What was I supposed to do when I saw B'rdian kicking him? Rush down there and get suspended too? Shells. He'd probably like that." she mutters, not exactly being fair and compassionate now. "Shards, how do people drink anyways? I didn't have more than half a glass." A pause "Well, maybe a full glass." She closes her eyes. "He's never just up and left like that though. He was pretty upset."
"Well you are a senior rider in the weyr, he has to expect it. Shards I still look up to you Keziah, but he is a strong willed man who by the accounts coming up now has been through a lot. That bastard tried to break him and I wished I had seen the signs before now." A touch of guilt in her own voice. At the comment about the drink, she can't help but smile a little, "Its not always like this Keziah. I reckon you had more than a full glass to be in this state." She says with a light teasing in her voice. Of course she has probably had access to alchohol from a young age.
Keziah sighs "I should have said something sooner." she murmurs quietly "Shards, even told you and then you go tell Them." she shudders a little. She still doesn't feel too easy about that meeting, though nothing at all went wrong. She then eyes Briana and bristles at her. Course, it could be the headache "It twasn't more'n a glass." she snaps and then groans and holds her head. "Oww." And then in a quieter voice "At most I've ever had was a few sips of wine." she admits. And to go and knock back most the glass at once? Bad idea. "I thought he'd appreciate it though. I thought it'd help smooth things over. Well, never again am I gonna waste me marks on alcohol."
"Thea knows you will never be like that man. I know you will never be like that." She breaks off another bit of bread and passes it over. Just small amounts to ease the stomach but not enough to set it off. At the bristling she raises a hand up defensively, "Ok ok..just a glass.." She responds before nodding at the wine, "You and Thea both…us kids were getting sips in our bottles I reckon. Sometimes it was the only safe thing to drink if the water went off." She says with a shrug, "I would go for one of them cock tail things at the tavern, tell him to make it weak." She says lightly in that regard before she sobers as they speak of Ers'lan, "I reckon he is dealing with a lot of hurts right now, maybe give him some time?"
Keziah mehs softly "Or water was clean enough." she notes softly "Never had a sip till I came here actually. Drinkin' ain't really the safest thing to do on the slopes of Reaches. And well, I'm such a lightweight that first few sips really made me lightheaded and funny feeling and well so I've never had more. I'll stick with me cider I think" she shrugs a bit. To from that to tossing back whisky? No wonder she feels crappy. "Yea, he would be. That man. I'd geld him and stuff 'em down his throat. I don't think the Council would take to kindly to that though." she mutters. Mores the shame. She nibbles on the bread "He's a good rider though. Works hard, he's got potential. I saw that when you all were weyrlings. Course, I didn't think that B'rdian was gonna show that he had nothin' but wherry piss fer brains. The mans strict, but this. This was.." she shakes her head as player flubs for a word to replace kosher.
"Never been Reaches way, perhaps I should take time to visit there." She responds with a half smile, "All I hear about it is about how cold it is , but reckon there must be more to it than that." Briana giggles lightly, "I remember when a few of us kids thought to have some mischief and snuck us a small keg and boy did we regret it the next day." She wrinkles her nose at the memory, "We thought we would get stripes for that, but they figure we were suffering enough." She settles at the talk of Ers'lan. "He is a good man, a proud man, who has a lot of hurt inside. I suppose we bonded being outsiders. We both felt like we had so much to prove…but he is smart and strong and will work as hard as he can for this weyr…I just reckon he needs a little…recognition."
Keziah shakes her head at Bri "Ya, I'd say ya'll deserved whatcha got." she snorts and snickers a little. Without wincing too much. There's a thoughtful look "Well, maybe he'll look at his being wingsecond as recognition and not as being stuck under me." There's a snort at those words as a double meaning comes clear to her. See what drink does to her? Her mind goes places it shouldn't.
"Yeah I reckon…I don't think any of us touched alchohol for a good month." Briana says with a grin. These little moments where her odd upbringing shows through. At the mention of Ers'lan she nods, "I hope so…though I noticed you two have been at odds for a time. What's that all about Keziah?" She asks of the wingleader.
Keziah looks away, towards the stall wall actually. Wow, just look at the nondiscriptiveness of it all. "Umm?" she flounders a bit there and then she shrugs. "He rubs me the wrong way?" she tosses out just a bit lamely.
Briana arches a brow at Keziah, "I reckon it be more than that Keziah. You remind me of…a pair of old Aunties. Nagging away at each other and picking on each other because you are both too stubborn to actually agree on anything." She says as she looks over to Keziah, "There is something unresolved there and I wish you both would just sort it out, not only because you are both about to have to work closely together but I consider you both friends and it hurts to see what you two do to each other."
Keziah shakes her head a little "It's more me than him I would be figurin'. " she murmurs "I dunno. I guess, because he's attractive and I don't want to be attracted and well, not would be even more awkward for that." she shrugs "It's nothing against him. I just don't mix well I guess." she sighs "I don't want to hurt him either. But well. I just get riled up with him, with others."
Briana listens to Keziah and extends her hand to her, "You mix well enough with me and others Keziah. Reckon if it weren't for you I would have left before I even impressed. You got me through weyrlinghood when self doubt hung over my head. Talk to him…tell him how ya feel and deal with it?" She suggests as she looks up at Keziah, "You are better than you think you are."
Keziah snorts a bit and then shakes her head "No, I'll deal with it, but I won't tell him. No, that'll just complicate things more. Sides. what would I say. Hey, I think yer hot, so does my daughter, but well, I have issues and I'll never follow through on anything so lets just shake hands and call it even?" she rolls her eyes. "Lame. Sides, I get involved things'll be complicated and well there could be subordination and it's bad on morale for the wing and" she just trails of her rambles. Yes, she can grab excuses from out the yin yang.
Briana sighs at her response "Reckon half the weyr thinks he's hot. I think of him like a brother and think he's hot. So I reckon its more than that. Do you think you can work with him without dealing with at least some of the issues flying between you two?" Briana asks with a shake of her head. "Don't have to act on it, but get it out there instead of all bottled up inside!"
Keziah twitches a little. "I've worked with him before." she states finally after several long moments of silence. "I ain't so sure it'd be such a bright idea though. I told ya. He hates me. I don't think sayin' something like that is gonna help the situation. Less said the better. I've no plans on kneeing him in the nads either." There's a pause "Likely I never will again on him. Not after B'rdian." she mutters. "He had the gall to tell Lan he'd go see Laera and see about knockin' her up."
Briana sets her lips in a thin line before she sighs and just nods, "Alright.." She responds as she watches the woman and passes her another bit of bread. "How is your head?" She asks before the last words make her eyebrows go up, "Seriously? That…how …that bastard." She finally exclaims. She doesn't know Laera all that well but she does know Ers'lan and how even she would feel if someone said something like that about her. "Well I reckon this will be more than a temporary promotion…I will see to that."
Keziah hmms and then shrugs "It's there?" her head that is. She takes another piece and holds it for a bit "Yeah, he was a right bastard for saying that. Told Lan that since he couldn't have kids no more, he could pretend it was his." She snorts "I'd like to make sure that man doesn't reproduce anymore than he has. I've done plenty of castratin', I'd be quick and sure about it." She then looks at Bria and nods "It'd be good for him to have to stick with this." A pause "If it's even dawned on him." She pauses and then groans "Oh shard it all anyways. What time is it?"
Apparently, Thea has a knack for wreaking havoc in the lives of the Weyrfolk. *snerk* XD
Nothing like kicking people out of their comfort zone and making them live up to their potential :) I wanna see who's next. Muhahaa.
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
I love all the ways the B'rdian tp is rippling out. Though a hungover Keziah scares me a little. :)
Only a little? Maybe I'll have to get her drunk while she's proddy. That might be interesting…
I reject your reality and substitute my own.