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.
Where do most people go of a night if they can't sleep? Some for a walk on the beach, some to someone else's bed, R'sul… to the tavern with a pile of paperwork and a mug of something hot. He sits tucked away in a corner, staring at a book and reading the same page for the fifth time in the hopes that something sinks in.
Thankfully it's a bit earlier at Ierne…right? And Ysa and Ram have managed to bribe one of the nannies into working overtime tonight with their little almost 2-month old guy. And so they've snuck off to a different weyr! To go to the tavern, no less. At least here they could have a drink without people asking them about the baby, right? At any rate, the bronzer heads in with the goldrider. He heads to the bar, grabbing two mugs of ale, then looks to her. "Where you want to sit?"
Ysa is in a brighter mood. She has been since the baby was born and she was able to travel again. A happy gold dragon, a happy goldrider… well, not so happy once they were sand-bound, but for now she enjoys the traveling even if it was just to Xanadu. She sighs, happily, as she walks into the tavern, her favorite place, and follows close to R'miel, eager to get ahold of her mug. "Oh, it doesn't matter, really. Somewhere where the bartender can probably see us for seconds, would be best." And thirds, and forths… Ysa just can't help herself.
R'sul stares at the page some more, running a hand through his already messy hair and only succeeding in making it worse. Banging the book shut he gets up, knocking a loose sheet of paper to the ground in the process. He seems to have not noticed, and as he moves over towards the bar he steps on it and it sticks to the sole of his boot, clearly visible as he leans and waits on a fresh mug of klah.
R'miel spots R'sul's knot when we gets up and heads to the bar. "Hey, there's the weyrleader." He says quietly to his weyrmate. Though the quietness doesn't last too long, as the bronzer is already moving over to introduce himself. "Hey, weyrleader! R'sul, right? Ierne's duties. I'm R'miel, bronze Arinith's rider. This is Ysa, gold Ellamariseth's rider." Formalities formalities. "How are you? I've heard some interesting stories about you." There's a hand extended R'sul's way. It was always a hit-or-miss chance that it'd get shaken.
Ysa would have missed the Weyrleader completely if he wasn't pointed out to her, as she's already nose-deep into her first mug of ale. After that thirst is quenched, though, she pulls the mug away from her face to blink green eyes in the direction of R'sul. Which R'miel was already heading towards before she could say anything. She gives a brief glance to her drink as if wondering if she could chug it all down before reaching the bronzer pair, before deciding not to look rude and join her weyrmate's side. "G'day, Weyrleader. Ierne's duties to you and your queens." She bobs her head at R'miel's introduction, taking the chance to take another sip quickly.
Oh, someone's shouting for the Weyrleader. R'sul stays leaning for a moment then it sinks in that… that's him. And there's someone cheerful at his elbow. There's a look of panic on his face for a brief second as he tries to think of something to say in return that matches the level of cheerfulness, but eventually settles on. "Xanadu's duties." A look between the pair, "Welcome to you both." A suitable greeting were it not for the yawn on the end that rather strangles the word 'both' and causes a hot flush to creep up his neck. Eyes drop to the extended hand, safe thing hands, and he shakes it quickly.
R'miel takes a sip of his beer after a shake of R'sul's hand. He looks over at Ysa. Sheesh, her beer was just about gone already. She was an expensive date. Ram rubs his chin a bit in thought before peering at R'sul. "We've actually got a bit of business with you and the weyrwoman. But I'll let Ysa go into the details of that once she's good and plastered. Right now there's a bit of gossip I've been dying to get confirmed, if you don't mind." The bronzer looks around. "You got a table?"
Ysa arches a brow right back at R'miel, smirking for a moment. It fades when he brings her into the discussion, clearly confused at first. "I do?" She looks between one bronzer and then the other before it dawns on her. Why was she always hanging around Xanadu these days after their hatching, anyways? "That's right, I do. We do… And I never said I was going to get plastered." She takes another sip of her drink. She was nearly going to be on her second soon enough, but she'll make it last, just to make sure she doesn't overdo it right after they arrived. "We could at least get comfortable before ya go bothering the Weyrleader," she says towards R'miel before turning back to R'sul and not doing a good job at hiding in her examination of the shorter man, her lips quirking up into a more friendly grin. "Is that yours?" She looks down towards his shoe and the paper stuck there, her free hand waving in that direction to get his attention to it.
R'sul blinks twice before rubbing at the back of his neck, "Business. Sure. Um… gossip?" He looks quickly to Ysa in the hopes that she can save him and his half-awake brain from this business, but then she's waving at his feet. Of course they're his! He looks down and that flush on his neck gets brighter. "Oh. Yes. Thanks." There's a moment of struggling to unglue the sheet from his boot and when he looks up they're both still there. "I'm just over here if you don't mind a bit of clutter." He nods over to the table he was at, then heads on over. Followed a moment later by the bartender who's carrying his mug of klah and looking very amused.
R'miel raises a brow at Ysa, then laughs a bit. "Yeah, we do. And so you say you're not going to get plastered. And why not get comfortable at the weyrleader's table?" He chuckles a bit as R'sul takes a moment to unstick the paper from his shoe. "Important documents?" The bronzer heads over to the weyrleader's table with his mug, taking a seat and setting the mug down on a clear section. There's a bit of a pause while R'miel rubs his chin and lets everyone get settled, then he looks up at R'sul. "Anyways. I heard you knocked up the weyrwoman." He doesn't say it /loud/, but it's probably loud enough!
Ysa chuckles at the Weyrleader's reacion. He's not getting any help from her, that's for sure, because she's just as curious about gossip. "He's kinda like Ren," she says softly to her weyrmate before he moves towards the indicated table. As she also makes her way over, finishing up her mug on the way, she makes sure to catch the bartender to ask for seconds and hand him the empty one. She takes a seat next to R'miel and pushes a few papers from being too close to the edge as she does so before leaning back in her seat. She lifts both her brows at the delicate way that R'miel brought up the discussion before shaking her head and turning back to R'sul. "I doubt it's really confirmed that it's yours. Or is it?"
R'sul's eyes go wide, and even if he hadn't quite managed to stammer out "No." the strangled choke that accompanied it would have been a good hint that this rumour is false and somewhat embarrassing for him. "Just a case of bad timing, it was her weyrmate. No children for me." Oh look, paperwork. Isn't it fascinating? "So… um… business?" As subject changes go it's not the smoothest.
R'miel watches the weyrleader for a second, then nods and chuckles to Ysa. "Yep. Exactly like Ren." He blinks at R'sul's denial though, sighing a bit. "Ah, it's not? Oh, I see. Well that's not nearly as exciting. No children?" He watches R'sul shuffle the paperwork, wondering if L'ren has said the same thing in his younger years. "Right, I heard L'alie mention that you didn't really seem interested." Or ready, perhaps? "Oh right, business. I'll let Ysa explain. Otherwise she'll get mad at me for being too blunt or leaving something out." The bronzer instead turn to his mug, a bit glum that his big piece of gossip'd been denied.
Ysa carefully watches R'sul's reaction, only turning away when her second drink arrives and she gives the bartender a grateful smile before taking a long drink. "That's a shame… I mean, it's not like it'd be either of your faults. Just timing, like you said. But wouldn't it be nice to have at least one kid?" So says the goldrider that didn't want them to begin with, though she's already got one and it'll take a lot of convincing to go through that again. She takes another drink before nodding again to her weyrmate and back towards the bronzer, hesitating only to wonder if they were thinking of the same business… "You see, my Ellamariseth's going to be too egg-heavy to :between: real soon and I've been looking for a Weyr that wouldn't mind sharing their hatching grounds." She starts, and then sighs. "I was looking to ask the Senior if ya wouldn't be trouble taking on a new gold pair. I don't want to be a burden with another queen in the Weyr and since Xanadu is busy with new weyrlings now, anyways…" She shrugs helplessly, not quite sure how to continue phrasing it. Maybe she /should/ be plastered, first.
R'sul's expression turns dark at the mention of L'alie, hand clasping on the table as he tries to look calm - the observant would probably spot the fact that one thumb is being squeezed pretty hard between the other thumb and forefinger. Almost as quickly as his expression darkens it's schooled back into quiet neutrality and he focuses on Ysa, looking for an out once again. "Um… sure. I don't see why not. The senior class are due to graduate soon so there'll be space. And I don't think the other golds are due yet." His head drops for a moment as he thinks, then he adds, "You'd be best to talk to Niva though, it's really her domain. I don't think she'll say no, but it depends on how Kilaueth would feel about another gold around."
R'miel looks to his weyrmate like she's an alien when she asks the weyrleader if he wanted at least one kid. He shakes himself out of it once the topic changes, looking back towards the weyrleader. The darkened expression causes his eyebrow to shoot up. More gossip! But then the subject changes to their bit of business. "I haven't seen Niva around lately. I bet she's pretty big by now, probably isn't getting out too much. We'll have to pay her a visit." He takes another sip from his mug. "My Arinith caught!" He adds excitedly. Yep. Like R'sul cared. Plus his dragon caught the senior queen, so he was one-upped anyways. "How are the weyrlings doing? We were at the hatching, seemed like a good group."
Ysa can't help the slow smirk that forms as she catches R'miel's look out of the corner of her eyes, though she tries to hide it by taking another long drink and focusing on the Weyrleader instead. She's also curious about what that reaction could mean, but she wasn't about to make an enemy out of a leader from another Weyr by prying. "Right… I thought it'd be easier to ask the Weyrwoman instead, since it concerns her queen the most. But it's always good to run the idea by the Weyrleader too." She sighs again and nods to her excited weyrmate. "It was a very strong clutch, too. A gold and plenty of bronzes." Only two was plenty? She seems to think so as she grins towards the Weyrleader now. "Not that we really need to hang around that long if Kilaueth doesn't mind Ellamariseth. With another young queen, it could mean trouble."
R'sul nods, latching onto the safe part of the conversation as if his life depended on it. "Thank you, we were very proud of how it turned out. Obviously not the forty eggs of history, but all healthy and that's what matters." He falls silent after this and an awkward silence settles over the group for a moment before he fakes, and obviously too, a large yawn. "I… really need to get some sleep, but if you're both here for the night anyway I could arrange a meeting with Niva in the morning?"
R'miel slides an arm around Ysa while she talks. Moral support and all of that. The bronzer figures it'll be easier to ask L'alie than to try to pry things out of the flustered weyrleader. He nods in affirmation to her comments on the clutch. There were probably many others who felt two bronzes was plenty. "I've met the tiny queen." That's all her says for now though, Ysa will have to ask him about it later. He looks up at the weyrleader's yawn. "Ah, we probably won't be, but a meeting in the morning should be fine anyways. Thanks, we appreciate it."
Ysa has hands only for her mug of ale for now, as she cradles it carefully. She arches a brow at the forced yawn, smirking before she nods slowly to the Weyrleader at the proposition. Even if her weyrmate had already answered him, she also adds a few words. "Oh, that sounds great. I haven't been able to request a meeting or catch up with her anywhere before, so any help works. I've got to have a decision made for Ella soon or she'll be stuck in Ierne." And without sands. Though that will most likely not happen at all, especially if her gold is stubborn enough to just move all on her own to some other Weyr. "Have a good night, Weyrleader. And thanks." For clearing up gossip and giving them more, of course.
R'sul nods, getting to his feet and hurriedly gathering his paperwork up. "Good, that's good. I'll arrange to have a weyr cleaned out for you." Didn't he say to ask Niva earlier? Oh well. "Um… have a good night, both. Don't drink us dry." His comment is accompanied by a laugh that's a little too loud and a little too fake, and he rushes off clutching his paperwork to his chest.