Xanadu Weyr - Caverns
A massive cavern in it's own right, this one has been skillfully adapted for human habitation. The high ceilings have been painted a light, soft ivory, as are the walls where numerous tapestries hang to provide brilliant color and insulation from the stone. The floor has been left in its natural state, pale pink granite speckled through with glittering mica and dark flecks of basalt, leveled carefully but kept sufficiently rough to avoid slips.
The cavern itself is loosely divided into areas, each one set up to be suitable for some segment of the Weyr's population. The most frequently occupied area, however, is the one near the Kitchens where tables of varying sizes provide a place to sit down and eat or chat and a buffet of consumables is almost always kept stocked. Its plain that on most days, this area wouldn't accommodate anywhere near the full population of the Weyr and equally plain that on such occasions when a formal meal is laid out, tables are appropriated from all the other areas.
A big fireplace is set into the wall near the Kitchens as well, several comfortable chairs nearby providing haunts for elderly residents or riders who like a good view of all that happens. Rugs cover the floor in strategic spots, all of them abstract or geometric in design and most in the softly neutral colors of undyed wool.
Exits lead off in all directions, a big archway the largest and that leading outside. Shallow stairs to the west lead to the offices and administration area while tunnels to the east lead to the infirmary, kitchen and resident's quarters. Southwards, a sloping tunnel leads down to the hot springs and southwest is a wide tunnel, carefully roped off to avoid accidents.
Aeris is one of those early risers, at least today. Of course, it's quite possible she hasn't gotten much, if any, sleep overnight. The plump woman is settled nearby the fireplace, her fingers curled about a mug of teaming klah. People are scattered throughout the cavern, most in the dining area eating breakfast.
Niva is awake, though neither work nor young children tend to allow people to sleep in late. And so, she sleepily enters with C'ian, heading straight over to get herself some klah, glancing at the bronzerider as she does so. "You want anything?" And as she pours herself some, she nods absently to Aeris, offering a 'g'morning'
C'ian, the wonderful ball of sunshine that he always is, merely grins at Niva and shakes his head. "None for me. Trying to cut down on the klah intake. At least for now." He jumps over the back of a chair and lands in the seat with a small thump. "Mornin', Aeris," he says with an eye waggle.
Aeris spots the entering weyrleaders and gets to her feet, offering a brief salute. "Good morning, Ma'am and Sir." Always the respectful one, only after the greeting is made does she settle back into her chair. "How're things this morn?" She asks before lifting mug to lips for a sip, ah nice warm awakening klah.
Niva rolls her eyes at C'ian's jump, snickering a bit. "Show off." And she adds a bit of sweetener to her mug before sipping at it, and then moving towards the table C'ian's picked. "How /are/ you so awake?" Not like this isn't a normal morning ritual, nope. And then her attention goes to Aeris - "Even you seem to awake.." But she shrugs it off, sipping at her klah for a bit responding. "Too early for things to go anything other then fine." It /is/ right?
C'ian leans back in his chair. "I just take everything in stride, that's all. I've always felt that it's mind over matter." He pops his neck a bit and a few other stiff joints then smiles. "If I just don't think about the fact that I'm tired, I don't let myself get tired. And it all works out."
Aeris smirks slightly at the weyrleader's antics, then smiles a bit at Niva, "Well, I wouldn't be if it weren't for the klah." She admits, holding up her mug briefly. "You look like you could use another night's sleep, yourself."
Aeris adds, as an aside, "Is he always this…cheerful in the mornings?"
Niva scoots her chair a bit closer to C'ian, leaning absently against him as she nods slowly. "A few, to be honest." And she tilts her head to glance up at her weyrmate before looking back at Aeris. "I think its my punishment, to be with him every morning." And she winks taking another long sip of klah.
C'ian shrugs. "I just got nothing to not be cheerful about," he says with a mighty grin. That's right. Mighty. "So what's on the agenda, then?"
Aeris chuckles quietly. "Well, you can give me some of that energy, 'kay?" She beams sweetly at C'ian. And then, to Niva, she smiles, "At least you've someone to be with every morning, you're lucky in that. Someday I'll have someone." This from the eternal bachelorette.
Niva teasingly tugs on C'ian's arm, with a smile. "You can have him, if you want him?" And she straightens, sipping at her klah, before arching an eyebrow. "I'm sure you'll find someone - Let Aelith do the work."
C'ian waggles his eye brows some more. "Who knows.. Aelith goes up, Alhenaeth's too close… You just might be another notch on C'ian's Bed Post of Golds."
Aeris laughs softly, "He already missed his shot at that, at least for this turn." And, to Niva's comment about doing the work, she grins, "I tried that, she doesn't seem to approve of any of the men my age, instead she chooses the youngest male in the pack, silly girl. Like the other night, when she rose, there was a perfectly handsome Western that was close to our age, but no, she had to let Raenth catch her." She's laughing, though, so she can't be too upset with that outcome.
Niva mockingly takes a swing at C'ian for his outcome, making a face at him, as she shakes her head. "Though, better her then Calanth." And she glances back at Aeris, wrinkling up her nose. "At least it wasn't some Istan." That would have been worse then bad.
C'ian rolls his eyes some. "Honestly, the idea that Ista wants to do what the suggested.." but that's all he says on the subject. After all, no sense in getting into things this early in the morning; once Niva starts, she doesn't stop. "Perhaps next time? I would imagine that dragon's tastes can change, yes?
Aeris nods a bit at the Ista comment, "There was one Istan that attended, though I didn't recognize him, he was real young, and loud." She nosewrinkles. "I'm glad he didn't catch her." She chuckles at C'ian's question, "Aye, we'll see." She grins almost impishly. "I guess I should see what I've got to do today." She hasn't made her daily to-do list yet, hrm, she's slacking off, bad goldie.
"Its that weyrwoman of theirs. Definitely not old enough to lead - She's been affecting their weyrleader, too. He should know better." And Niva rants bit - She got started, she did, before glancing over at Aeris. "You're assigned to craft halls - See if they'll still trade for supplies." So complicated.
C'ian scratches his chin. "I've been considering, lately, sending some of my wing out to other weyrs to ensure that we have support from everyone else. If we do, perhaps a bit of solidarity will show Ista that we cannot and will not be pushed around by anyone.
Aeris nods, "I'm sure they'll get over it, it'll just take time." She doesn't want to get into it, really, she just does what's asked of her, yep, like a good minion. She finishes her klah and moves to refill the mug, onemore cup, then she'll be ready for the day, or something like that.
Niva shrugs, "They'll get over it quicker if there's more of us staring them in the face. Fort is helpful, but just not enough." The more on their side, the more they have going for them. "I like to see them be the ones cut off, because of all of this." And it seems she's done, for she's almost sulking as she stares into her klah mug.
Aeris nods, "I'm sure everything'll be fine. No need to stress about it as long as we're getting what we need." Right?
Niva is still sitting next to C'ian, half leaning on the Weyrleader as she talks with Aeris. "Lets just home it continues to happen." Pause. "Let me know if any of the crafters give you problems? If you want, I can assign some male to go with you.." NOt that a big gold dragon isn't scary enough.
Aeris chuckles quietly, "I don't think I'll have any trouble, Aelith wouldn't let anyone give me a bad time." Yes, big gold overprotective dragons are useful. "Of course, if the escort was handsome..and available.." She's teasing, really.
R'soe skips into the Main Cavern in all his pretty dainty-skippyness, and whistling merrily. "Oh there was a boy from Xanadu," he sings, "Yes a boy on a blue on a blue, and he loved a boy from Igen, a flyin' up high on a green," sing hum, skip. The boy with the blue dragon prances over to the snack table to pour himself some klah. A spoon is pocketed casually, and he skips over to a table. "A boy on his blue likes klah, oh yes he does," sing sing.
Niva glances over at R'soe, sighing softly as she catches the tail end of the disappearing spoon. "R'soe.. Spoon." And she shakes her head some more, glancing back at Aeris. "I could send R'soe here with you," She offers with a wink.
Aeris eyes the overly cheery bluerider, and ponders briefly. "I think…he's too much energy for lil ol' me to keep up with." What is it with Xanadu and its happy maleriders in the mornings. Mornings are supposed to be sluggish, aren't they?
R'soe blinks, and turns to look at Niva. "A spoon ma'am?" he looks around. "Oh, you want me to get you a spoon!" he goes, and picks up yet another spoon to bring over to her. "Here you are ma'am. Is there anything else?" he says, having caught the tiniest bit of Niva recommending R'soe to send with Aeris. He smiles, and salutes the ladies. Totally unaware that he has a spoon in his pocket of course. Somebody should sew the lads pockets shut.
Niva sighs again, shaking her head as she glances sidelong at Aeris, muttering. "Remind me to have someone go clean up his weyr, later." And reclaim the lost spoons. And she glances back up at the bluerider, shaking her head as she does so, "No thanks, I was just joking about sending ya out with Aeris, here." Not a good idea after all, most likely. Glancing back at Aeris, she grins a bit. "Perhaps that's only for those of us who have to deal with 'em the rest of the day?" The sluggishness.
Aeris chuckles quietly, "R'soe, dear, check your pockets." She grins at Niva, "Perhaps I oughta have the ladies sew his pockets shut next time he has his laundry done." She smiles ever so sweetly.
R'soe blinks at all this. "Sew my pockets?" cheeks going red, an embarassed crossing of his eyes. He reaches into his pocket, and produces the spoon. "…" He flings the spoon onto the table, and flees towards a corner table, flushes crimson. "There's a perfectly good lost and found in my weyr, where everything lost goes!" he exclaims as he walks away, horrified.
Niva bites her lip a bit as she glances over at Aeris, blinking as she picks up the spoon, spinning it between her fingers as she does so. "Aw, R'soe. Come back over here…" And she leans back in her chair, glancing at the bluerider.
Aeris is so mean, isn't she? "Aww, come on, I was only teasing." She ponders the lost and found thing. "Maybe I can find my lost youth in there." This is mostly to herself.
R'soe turns around, and blanching, walks back over to the ladies, to lower his head. "I'm sorry. What I said was uncalled for…" he thinks he's in serious trouble! Poor R'soe, he never gets anything right. And look, there's even a misty wetness around his eyelids that causes him to take on a look consternation and rub his eyes with the back of his shirt. He'still hasn't outgrown his youngish tendencies yet.
Niva has learned a few positive things from having her own children, and so she pulls a chair over, getting up to steer R'soe into it. "We weren't really angry, R'soe.. Why don't you just settled down and relax, hm?" And she glances sideways at the older goldrider, looking for some input.
Aeris has never had kids to deal with, surprisingly enough. She actually looks momentarily lost, here, and so busies herself with her klah, yeah.
R'soe gives a little pout, and a relieved look as he sits down. "So embarassing," he says, and pulls a hanky from a pocket somewhere to dab at his eyes. Well, the pockets come in handy for something, although, that hanky, is a little frilly for a boy, and his initials aren't F.L.B. "Really quite embarassing."
Niva arches an eyebrow at the hankie, though nothing else is said for fear of provoking further tears. "It's alright, its alright," And she pats absently on his shoulder before moving to settle back down in her own chair
R'soe nods, and pockets the hankerchief again, then takes a sip of his klah. "So, um," right. How often does a young fluffy bluerider get to talk to Niva? He watches her with the wonder of a child and respect of a rider. He doesn't know quite what to say, eyes crossing in embarassed confusion. Not one for starting small talk, this lad.
Niva leans back in her chair, watching R'soe for a long moment, before tilting her head to one side. "What do you think of bugs and such, R'soe? Do they bug you?" She'll keep them far away from herself, thanks, but boys will be boys.
R'soe blinks. "Bugs? As in insects? Crawly things? Ew, no," he wrinkles his nose. "They get everywhere, don't they? I'm always cleaning my weyr, and there's always some bug hiding in some crack or cranny. I carry them outside, of course, I don't like to kill even the tiniest creature. Of course, Siyamath, when he sees a bug, will squish it on site. He doesn't like bugs either, they get onto his skin and make him itch." He scratches himself absently as if there were an insect there to scratch at.
Niva makes a face, "Well so much for that, then." She murmurs to herself, tapping her fingers on the table as she stares at some random point on the other side of the room. "Well, grubs really aren't bugs, and they don't get into stuff…" Some justification?
R'soe shrugs. "Oh, I suppose they have their uses," he says. "In farming, and the spinners I hear keep the biting bugs away, but I'd still not have them in my weyr," he grins, and takes another sip of his klah. Still a LOT of growing up to do. He's one of the youngest full fledged riders at Xanadu after all.
"And if they aren't in your weyr, do you mind them? Like, touching them, and all?" And Niva continues to question, pushing her empty klah mug away from her as she does so.
R'soe doesn't like the sound of this. He gives a hesitant, "Um, I don't know. Don't make a practice of holding bugs ma'm," the boy says honestly, and takes a difficult gulp of his klah.
"I was going to ask, if you would be interested in field duty, Ya'd have to gather any grubs ya saw up, and put them right in a container, to bring back." Pause. "If we can figure it out, maybe we'll be able to have cookies and sweets again." And so she attempts to appeal to the youngste.r
Aeris is so very glad she doesn't have field duty, yes, very glad. She had fallen quiet while Niva and the youngster chatted, and she continues her silence for the time, though nose does get wrinkled at the mention of collecting grubs.
R'soe now looks highly nervous, and spins his mug around. "If you really want me to ma'am, of course I'll go, can I bring a couple of the others in my wing to help me?" Technically he's in the search and rescue wing, but, he's not exactly going to let down his Senior Weyrwoman, no matter how much he dislikes insects. "…"
Niva shrugs a bit, "There'll be a few others, from different wings, all doing the same thing. Its a priority for us, at the moment. Though, of course if your wing should need you, you are immediately released back to them. And it'll be for no more then a sevenday." And she bites her lip for a long moment before standing up and gathering up her empty dishes, getting ready to head to her office, where C'ian when ages ago. "If you don't mind, then, I'll talk to T'eo about it." Glancing at Aeris, she smiles, "Good luck with the crafters," And then she's refilling her mug and headed to the office.