Xanadu Weyr - Hot Springs
The warmth that flows from this cavern is almost overwhelming for some, the steam rising from the shimmering pools as thick as the morning fog that rolls in off the ocean. Numerous pools are scattered here and there with ribboned walls that are natural in their construction. The water has a somewhat green cast to it, but it is merely a reflection from the ethereal light which is the glow down here that was so noticeable from the Lower Cavern Tunnel. People can often be found down here washing themselves or just relaxing.
Situated along the walls are various racks covered in fresh towels ready for those who step out of the warm waters. A set of shelves have been installed towards the back wall, allowing people a place to put their belongings while they rest in the pools, and despite the white color that these have been painted, they are cast with that eerie green glow. Then, it's obvious. The ceiling of this cavern is covered in the fluorescent phosphorous matter that glows are made off. The mossy substance almost glitters and appears quite lovely.
Orla chuckles at that, a most unladylike sound. "Be thankful you can't smell it as badly as it was, I think it sunk into my skin." She tells him before continuing. "Not necessarily, what if your dragon is injured, or worse unconscious. They may not be able to tell anyone where they are, likewise if you came across a group of people, you may have to look after them if they are unable to move themselves." She replies. "It may not seem all that plausible, but I think they are wanting people to be prepared for the worst, just in case."
Andis scratches at the side of his head, wrinkling his nose. "I guess that makes sense." He says finally, lifting his shoulders in indifference. "I'm just happy to be back in the weyr. It's so nice to be sleeping in our lumpy cots again! Maybe if I don't impress I'll sneak up to visit my sister for a little bit."
Orla shrugs her shoulders, sending some ripples of water across the surface of the pool. "I don't like the idea much to be honest, but if that's' what's needed then we need to know it just in case." She shifts herself again, trying to get comfier. "Where about is your sister, somewhere far away from here?"
Andis sighs quietly, lowering himself into the water and reaching back to untie his hair from the ribbon. "I guess. I'm not so good when it comes to actually practicing things. I rather just read." His nose wrinkles a little. "Which one? I have two. But I was talking about the one in High Reaches, she's been coming to visit me lately. So I figure I would go and visit her if I didn't impress. Surprise her."
Orla settles herself down, arms crossing over in front of her as she leans back, a little self conscious perhaps. "There's no point in reading if you're not going to practice it though? How will you ever know if you can do it or not?" She asks him before listening to which sister. "That's up nearer my neck of the woods, I'm from Lemos, Reaches is further west but when things are over there's bound to be someone else heading in that direction if you're not one of those chosen."
Andis grins, "I tried. You should see my attempts at cooking. As good as I am at learning stuff, I'm not so good at carrying it out. You'd think it'd be easy." He shakes his head idly, running a hand through his hiar once it's released. "Lemos? I think I've been there once or twice. I'm not really too worried about getting to 'Reaches, I have relitives all over the place. Shards, I'm related to T'maz, he's my uncle!"
Orla listens to what he has to say before she laughs, shaking her head. "It's never easy, you need to practice and sometimes you need to just take the hint and realise that there are some things which are best left to others, like babies for instance for me, cooking I can manage simple things but that's about all." The name means nothing to her. "All my relatives are in or around Lemos, mostly working the farmcots and holds through the valley."
Andis just shakes his head, "It's kinda hard to practice when you've been banned from the kitchens." He murmurs quietly as he looks aside, a sheepish look entering his face. "They will only let me come in to wash dishes." He purses his lips tightly together in thought, "All my relitives are riders. My mom, my dad, my other dad, my two sisters, my uncle, my aunt…." The list goes on.
As can be seen from her overall build, Orla is definitely of the farmer stock. "Mostly farmers from my side, I'm one of the few who hasn't gone into either beast or farm craft. Wood craft was where I ended up, heavy construction to be precise, I make buildings." She tells him. "So I'm pretty good with my hands, though I don't do so well with small fiddly things. Dishes though, that's' quite the achievement unless that's all they actually let you near?" A sly smile appears on her face. "How are you with kids?" She asks him.
Andis is small, probably the smallest in the class, and that's certainly saying something. He shifts a little in the water, rubbing at the back of his head, "I didn't do much, I kept getting shifted from one place to another, moved between my mom, my dad, and my other dad, and the nannies…" The list goes on. "I'm good at learning things from a book, but when it comes to applying the things I learned with my hands? I'm not so good." His nose wrinkles slightly, "Kids? I guess I'm good with kids. And yeah, the dishes are all they'll let me near. If I even go near the food they'll wave their pans at me."
Orla laughs at that, it's a deep throaty laugh certainly not a girly sound. "Least it's only pans they're waving at you, I'd be more worried if it was knives or cleavers." She grins over at him a slight sense of sympathy creeping into her features at the tale of being shifted around all over the place. "If you get something you're not keen on and I'm assigned to the nursery, I'll swap you if you want?" She asks him.
Andis shakes his head absently, finally letting his hand drop to the ground. "A lotta the kidletts are half my size." There's a quiet sniffle, "I feel like I should be one of them, not tending to them." He lets out a quiet sigh, shoulders slumping as he pokes at the water with a finger. "Eh, it's all right. I'll give anything a try once, at least until they tell me to shoo out."
Orla lets herself sink down into the water, soaking her hair in the process as she ducks her head underneath. She resurfaces and wipes the water away from her face before answering again. "I thought that would have made it easier to blend in." She teases him a little, trying to lift his mood. "Not like I could ever manage that one." She sighs. "I sometimes miss my work, but this is a new experience to me, well not quite I was at Telgar once, this is the second time I've been searched, lots of new things learned though, it's very different on the southern continent."
As the other candidate dissapears under the water, Andi, too, decides to wet his hair. Inhaling a deep breath into his lungs before dissapearing under the surface, soon appearing with his fingers digging into his hair. "I gues…I do blend in, huh? Maybe that's why they like me so much. I don't tower over them or anything." A smile pulls at his lips, "I didn't really do anything before I came here. I was still deciding what to do with my life, I still haven't decided. All my relitives are riders, I guess…that's what is expected of me. I was going to go into Healer or Harper hall…especially Harper hall."
Orla smoothes her hair back away form her face. "Perhaps, but at least it's something useful, are you the right age to go into the Harper hall?" She asks him as she checks around for the sweet smelling stuff for her hair.
Andis does a doubletake, looking himself over for a moment. "I may be short, but I'm not young." A finger reaches out to point purposely at Orla. "I'm 18 now. This is as tall as I'm getting." He'll stick his tongue out, "So yes, I'm old enough to apply."
Orla smirks and shakes her head at his accusation. "That's what I mean, don't they take their apprentices at about 14 turns?" She asks him as she finds the hair stuff and sidles along to collect it before she settles again and starts to rub it into her hair.
Andis wrinkles his nose slightly, "I was going to ask the weyrharper about it, but I haven't been able to find him." Andi murmurs quietly, working some of the soapsand into his hair. "I hope they do, but if not, I guess I could always be a archevist or something. But I don't want to be stuck in a dusty old room all day long."
Orla rubs the sweeter smelling stuff into her head vigorously, even with the way of these things it works up a very slight lather. "It might be worth finding him before the end of candidacy to lay the ground just in case." She tells him before satisfied with her efforts she ducks back beneath the water again, hands reaching up to run through her hair to free it from the stuff.
Andis frowns a little as he peers up at the ceiling. "I think Uncle T'maz or Lorena can help me out. I was talking to them before candidacy started, they were going to help me get into a craft before I was searched. But I don't wanna bother Lorena since I'm a candidate now." He purses his lips, dissapearing under the water to rinse out his hair.
Orla resurfaces and bends backwards to keep her face above water while she runs her fingers through her hair. "Lorena was a Harper?" She asks of him incredulously. "Just find him and ask, family can only do so much, if you can't get in on your own merit, is there any point?"
Andis wrinkles his nose up, "I think she was a healer? A dragonhealer? Now I can't remember." His face furrows deep in thought, tapping his finger against his lip. "Maybe Uncle T'maz is the harper…or maybe he told me to go see Weyrharper Danewt. It was a while ago…and it's kind hard not to rely on my family. I'm related to a lotta people. Uncle T'maz is J'vry's brother. I dunno if you heard anything about J'vry, but he has a /lot/ of kids. And I have two neices now!" He's quite happy about this, it seems.
Orla straightens up again in the water, still keeping the water up to her neck. "It was just with you saying she could help you into the craft, I was wondering." She replies with a shake of her head. "That's nice." Is about the only comment she makes about the mention of children. She eventually stands up and starts to make her way towards the steps out. "I need to get out before I turn into a prune." She tells him with a bit of a grin.
Andis yawns a little, streching as he moves to pull himself out of the water. "I'm exhausted. I think I might try and get a few hours of sleep, being down in the jungle for so long kinda wore me out, especially sleeping as we did. I hardly got any sleep at all. I'm happy to be back." He grins, "I'll catch you later?"
Orla steps up out of the water and moves quickly over to grab towels to cover herself with before she replies. "I'm going to go up and get myself some klah before I go to bed." She tells him. "But no doubt I'll catch up with you sometime." She tells him as she starts to towel herself dry.
Andis nods his head and offers a grin, a hand lifting as he dries off his hair. "Great! See you back in the barracks, but I'll probably conk out as soon as I hit the sheets!" And out he goes, dissapearing out ofthe hot springs.