Xanadu Weyr - Forest
In sharp contrast to the treeless, carefully manicured look of the main clearing, the forest is full of trees, and maintains most of its natural look. Wild flowers grow in their seasons, bordering the road leading from the main clearing as weaves its way between the stands of trees - wide enough for traffic of all types, even draconic. Leading off are several smaller, less worn trails, which branch outwards, making their way to private residences and other attractions - the theater for example. The road, though, continues on eastward, to the feeding grounds and the mine, and beyond that, to the coastal road out of Xanadu's territory.
Lorena gimps along the forest trail with a scowl plastered to her face. It seems she's refused Loyauth's offer of transportation… that or he's busy? Either way, she certainly would be stomping and flouncing if her heel didn't hurt still from it's earilier impact. She pauses a moment in her blustering to look about herself. "THIS isn't where I want to be! Gah!" In all the time she's been here she's not so much gotten lost as taken a wrong turn. All the same, embarassing for someone specializing in navigation.
While the bigger dragons were getting their lessons, Laera and Kereth have decided to go for a swim, which eventuated into a walk, hence to weyrling's attire. Swim shorts and a halter top, with a towel over her shoulders. Their meandering walk has taken them to the edge of the forest where they have settled to sit in a bed of wild flowers. Kereth is looking curiously over the flowers around him, nosing one coloured one then the next as Laera gives their names. As she hears the exclamations from the rider coming up the trail, Laera and Kereth both sway their heads in the woman's direction, Kereth giving a tentative warble in greeting.
Lorena looks around at the warble, not having noticed the pair in her frustration. She stands there a moment… blinking. Er… speak, weyrlingmaster. Cough. "Oh… hello there… Laera… Kereth." She greets, but there's more of a flustered sound to her greeting than the usual jovial personality of the sailor girl. "Nice spot you've chosen. Might come sit if that's right… I could use… a flower moment." She mutters gimping towards them. "Bloody candidates…"
Laera makes her way to her feet quick smart as she sees the Weyrlingmaster, "Evening Ma'am." She says in a cheerful greeting before nodding to their bed of flowers. "Of course Ma'am, iffin you don't mind us being out here. We were done with our lessons for the day and well, I can't get lost around here.." Yep already starting to defend herself! She raises a brow slightly at the muttering, lips quirking in an effort not to smile at the exclamation, "Pranks?
Lorena waves a hand at her as she approaches. "S'fine… don't worry about it. Go ahead, sit…" She flops down in the flowers with a sigh, "Besides, I'll feel weird sitting here with you standing." slipping her foot out of the sandal and examining the purple swollen puncture on her heal. Bah. Her eyes drift back to Laera and then to Kereth. "Well… I suppose Loyauth's announcement was vague… no… the lot decided to turn their barracks into a barn for critters rather than a dorm for people. Felines, baby caprines… crawlies…" She wrinkles her nose.
Laera gracefully folds her legs beneath her as she sits again at the woman's request. As she notices the puncture she leans foreward biting her lower lip slightly, "That looks like it hurts, how did you manage that?" She asks with a real concern in her voice before raising a brow at the antics of the candidates. She can not help but laugh, delight coming to her emerald gaze, "That sounds absolutely delightful. What is the problem?"
Lorena smirks a bit at the wound. "Bleh… I wasn't being mindful in the water the other day… stepped on a poor packtail fish and it stung me… as I would have were I one I suppose. It was really bad, which is why I haven't been at lessons much. It was decided I should focus more on the candidates while this heals… less walking." Smirk. There's a bit of a glimmer to this that seems to show that more than less walking made her eager to accept the post. But it fades and she shakes her head at the weyrling. "What's wrong is sanitary conditions… I mean, you have, what? near 20 of 'em in there? One of the girls is allergic to, probably the feline. They can't keep pets in an environment like that. It's not curteous to the other candidates…" She sighs. "Few of them seem to think about anyone but themselves, which is really what it all stems from."
"I had that happen when I was a kid, hurt like the buggery it did. I think I learned a few new colourful words that day." Laura responds with a wrinkle of her nose as she inspects the wound, "I suppose you seen a healer right proper?" She asks curiously. Even Kereth lowers his head to examine the heel wuffling it gentle before lifting a protective wing over Laera,«I shall protect you from such evil creatures!» Laera smiles at her lifemate and pats his shoulder before grinning over to Lorena, "He is protective…" She explains before contining on about the candidates, "Perhaps one of the other lower caverns can be turned into an animal bit? Not that I would know about the hidden caverns near the candidate barracks or anything." Cough.
Lorena watches the blue with a bit of a smile. "Loyauth's that way too… Sometimes he gets a bit over the top… like when I broke my arm and was walking around in that cast and brace?" Yep, another recent injury. "That was, well… to be fair both our faults. After all, I can't really stop a brown dragon… even a small one like him." But she sighs and shrugs. "You know… I don't care -what- they do with them at this point, so long as their not in the barracks. They have 24 hours to clean it top to bottom… and with that many I've made sure they make it spotless too. They'll either learn to deal with one another or… well…," Frown. "they'll learn." She says firmly. "Much like how I am with you lot… tho you kinda missed that 'lecture'… gave it to the older 'lings 3rd day or something."
Kereth continues to croon until Laera finally stands up and takes his head in her hands, bringing it down to hers. What passes between them for the next minute is silent, but finally the blue settles back down in the flowers once more. Laera settles down a bit closer to him before looking back to Lorena. "Sorry about that.." She says sheepishly and looks down at the mention of not being able to stop a dragon, especially small ones. Nope not been flying outside of lessons. "Well I am sure they will get themselves sorted. I can't imagine such a large group will get along, get that many kids going through their life changes all under one roof…bound to get volatile." She makes gestures to her chest and hips to denote which life changes she is meaning.
Lorena gives a smile at the two. She still has similar conversations with Lo, only his head is too big for it to be quite like that. And so she waves it away with a mild gesture of her hand. Nope, she's clueless. Besides, she and Loyauth have a couple skeletons in their weyrlinghood closet aswell. But she chuckles as the girl gestures to herself. "True… true… Kinda like the craft halls all over again I suppose. Well there's a couple that are in the older stages. Rhelia, Nalkor… both around my age… early 20s… Delenn's 19. So they're… not all whiney brats. Infact I was kinda surprised the one anticipated problem child, Ryski, seemed to hop to it so quickly, though grudgingly. The other day he offered to help me to my seat when I was gimping about." She shrugs. "But either way… it's practice to when I have a few of them for weyrlings."
"And perhaps they can get their problems all sorted before they have to work together as Weyrlings?" She offers helpfully. She has lived at both a crafthall and a weyr, she has seen the different personalities of kids in each. And yes she is one of those 'kids'. Weyrbrat and Hallbrat extroadinaire. She smiles softly at the mention of Delenn and drops her gaze ever so slightly, "Yeah some not so bad." She says in short she leans against her dragon's shoulder. "Yeah he is an odd one, perhaps he just never had a purpose before.." She says with perhaps such some sense of understanding.
Lorena nods vigerously. "Exactly! L'alie's asked me to help with bringing the lot out into the woods again. I only heard bits about last time, but it runs on the same theme it seems… all too willing to assist. So I'll probably be absent a few more days." And then, a bit to herself. "Foot should be fine by then…" She absently picks a lovely blue flower and twirls it in her fingers. "Mm… they're all… odd really. To different extents." She muses, concidering the weyrling's words. "I heard he joined Dolphincraft, Ryski. Can't help by be mildly envious of him." Pause… her eyes go distant and then she comes out of it chuckling. "Loyauth was offended by that… ah, well… he knows I prefer him any day."
"Why should ya be? I reckon it is never too late to join the craft." Laera says pragmatically, "Ma is a rider and a dolphineer and it works well for them. She calls them her team. When she goes out, she has got Liraeth in the air, Flapper in the water and her flitters to run messages iffin she needs them too. People told her that riding and phinning wouldn't work back them, but she told them to get stuffed." She says quite proudly of her mother, sitting up a bit straighter. "I ain't never found a place there but them's good folks there." She ain't found a place anywhere really, just too laid back and flighty to settle on anything. Though she has no doubt been caught reading the dragonhealer's textbooks on more than one occasion and far more than is needed for her lessons.
Lorena inclines her head to the side at this "I talked with your mother at the clutching…" but at last gives a small shake. "Maybe eventually… But I just have too much to do. Between you lot, candidates, and they need me still on the Oranna." Snicker. "Infact the punishment for the candidates, should they fail to tidy to my liking, is to do some exterior hull cleaning and scraping. I'm sure the guys would -love- a break from that one… and it needs doing. See if they pull their act together enough. But at the moment…" Returning to the topic, "I've just got too much going on." She looks at the blue pair. "I know it's early for you two, but what with talking with the older lot about wings… have you guys put any thought to it? Sometimes things strike a pair as particularly fitting when they get into their new wing."
Laera tilts her head at the comment about her mother , "So you lied and told her what a perfect weyrling I was?" She says with a wink, mischeif in her gaze. Well other than sneaking a few flights and becoming distracted with her lifemate during lessons, she has not been THAT bad. And her disregard for dress code. Cough. At the question of wings Laera looks up to her lifemate thoughtfully, that serious look shared between them for a moment when they are deep in discussion. "Well Um….maybe Comet, cause well I do like meeting people and he does love to fly and stuff.." There is a sheepish glance at that, "Or Galaxy.."
Lorena chuckles and nods. "Naturally…" But she notes the sheepish grin with curiousity. "Nothing to be shamed about with a dragon eager about flying. Galaxy was my brother's wing. I don't know how it is with C'ian, but with Matt, heh… it was tough. He worked them hard and constantly. They had to be fit and able to help with anything and everything in a moment's notice. He was real reluctant to step down… but wanted to be with his family." Pause. "Fat lot of good that seemed to do… he was just a bit late about it. But, bah, you don't wanna hear all that. Drama. Just avoid drama… best advice I can give… and I certainly -try- to follow it. Been tough lately tho." Sniffle of the flower. Frown. No smell!
Laera looks up at Lorena and smiles at the 'approval' of the flying. "I do make sure he ain't overdoing himself, I stay completely linked so I feel everything." She admits with a soft smile on her lips. So she can't help it. It is too easy for her to get lost in her dragon's mind like she did with those excercices early on. She nods looking a bit more sober at the latter comments. "Yeah, reckon I have had enough Drama myself with Ma hurt like she was and us moved here like this…reckon I got my quota for a couple turns."
Lorena nods her head. "Then you're doing fine. To tell you the truth, Loyauth and I weren't exactly… er… perfect students as weyrlings ourself. Kinda, ah, did some stunts that we really shouldn't have and I'd have reamed myself for if I were my weyrlingmaster. Assuming I found out, which no one ever did." She gives the girl a sympathetic look though and nods. "Yeeah… I'd imagine so. Well, steer clear of boys then…" She teases, then adds as an afterthought. "Or well, whatever you prefer… But I'm sure Kereth'll not let you think about it much. Loyauth didn't for me and it kinda stuck till, well, recently." She gets up carefully. "Well, I'd better go find the lump and talk to the Weyrlingmasters about my decision. I'm sure they'll be fine with it, but always good to check. You two have a good rest of the day." And she gimps on off back up the path.