Xanadu Weyr - Clearing
A wide clearing stretches from east to west, the ground packed hard although grass grows across most of it. Trees are strictly forbidden in this space, their danger to the constant draconic traffic reason enough to banish them to the forest that creates a this and sharp border to the north. Where the ground is less trampled, tiny flowers poke their delicate heads out from their shaded hiding places with upturned petals to wave to whoever may be looking.
The cliff looms imposingly on three sides, stretching upwards all the way up the side of the mountain where, high above, Xanadu's Star Stones and the ever present watchdragon sit on a lonely peak. Directly south is a massive tunnel, fully wide enough for even the largest dragon to fly down. Southeast are wide steps leading up to the Caverns and eastwards is the large entrance to the Infirmary. Somewhat north of the Infirmary is a human sized archway that has a frequent quantity of traffic — it leads to the Tavern. Southwest lies the low ledges currently belonging to Xanadu's queens while north and west a broad path cut by the side of the cliff leads to the Feeding Grounds and due north is the spacious trail that leads to the rest of the Weyr.
Keziah is browsing through the tables of food brought over from Fort, but she does sneak back here and there to snatch another truffle. Addicting little suckers they are. Course a few of it's squirraled away in a bit of cloth and put in a pocket of her vest. Always good to have something nice out on the range.
Even the most dedicated geek needs to eat sometimes. Cazai, it seems, has hit one of those times. Though she's only arrived within the last day or two at the Weyr, her purposeful getting-where-she's-going pace is probably already becoming familiar around the Weyr. Faranth knows she seems to be trying to see everything at once. And now she's on her way to take one good, close look at the food. Truffles are merely incidentals.
At least Cazai missed out on the scariness of the Weyr burning down.. well the kitchens. Kezi finally manages to load a plate, and pockets with various hatching feast styled foods. "I'm gonna eat good today." she notes and then catches sight of a new face. She peers over at the woman and tilts her head "I don't think I've seen ya around before? Course I'm not often around myself being out on the range with the caprines and all."
The fact— not the aftermath! The Techie gives the youngster a sideways look as she fishes up a plate and starts poking through for the more substantial parts of the meal. "Not if you only eat the sweets," Caz notes amiably, though that's probably a guess on her part— and certainly verbally ignores the plate full of actual food. "No, I doubt you would've, unless you were invisible at Landing. Cazai. But just Caz'll do me fine. Caprines, eh? Dinner on the hoof."
Keziah snickers a little "Sure I will. You know how often I get to enjoy them? Not very. Sides the fruit and meat slices will cover any gaps in my nutrition." she notes with a grin and then hmms "Landing? Nope, havn't been ther as for the caprines, I prefer to take their hooves off before cookin and eatin' myself. They're good though. Got a few whethers due for slaughter here soon as well."
"They do make for a gluey meal," Cazai says, sounding oddly satisfied by the response. Leaning one hip into the table, she balances her plate on the edge to slap together a sandwich of random bits and pieces. "I'll eat it if it's not bleating. Keep you busy, I suppose?"
Keziah gives a nod "That it does. I like it though. BEtter than caring for them while they're cooped up in pens. HEad out with teh canines for a few days, come back in and switch out and do stuff around and then head out again."
Cazai wrinkles her nose over a bite, catching an escaping drip of some sort of mustard on a fingertip before it can hit her tunic. "Bore me silly. What do you *do* all day?"
Keziah grins as she takes her stuff to one of the eating tables. "Oh, this and that. Check the herd out for parasites, hunt up my dinner. Course the canines do much of the work, but I've taken down some wherries here and there, and that'll take up time skinning them and slicing them up. Ii'll typically take what I can carry, give some to the canines and then move camp. Sometimes I'll smoke the meat if I'm in an area where I've set up a smoker."
Cazai hmphs at that, plainly not convinced, but tags along after— apparently manners like sitting at tables are one of those things that require a reminder, in her case. Of course, she doesn't ask about sitting down, anyway. "But it's always in the same place, isn't it? Just one big old range of area and you sort of just… stay there?"
Keziah ponders that a bit "Well in a since it's the same, but never in the same spot, caprines are browsers for one, so even in a days time you cover ground. Basically we end up making a circuit. Starting out and going around in a large circle and ending back at the Weyr. But each time we go out, we never follow the same way twice, nor the same pattern, I vary it. Keeps the predators from getting to used to one routine."
"I suppose," Cazai says, but 'dubious' understates her tone just a little. It's more like 'Glad you like it but oh heck no.' She pops up from her seat abruptly and returns a moment later with klah, only noting when she gets back, in a sudden, surprised-sounding way, "Want some?"
Keziah grins "Well, it beats being stuck indoors all day. That drives me batty. Even stables. Not open enough." she blinks at the klah and then grins "Oh, yeah. Sure that'd be great. Thank you."
Cazai, back, forth, quickest fetch in the south. She sets the second mug down and settles back onto the bench, folding her arms behind her sandwich plate to pick at it. Granted, most of it's gone by this point. "Indoors, outdoors, I don't care, as long as I'm doing something. Going somewhere. Pulling something apart."
Keziah laughs "Well, when I'm out, I'm always going somewhere, I pull about dinner. Wherries are the most work with those psuedo-feathers, but that's okay. Better than dealing with 'snakes and such. Though some make real good eatin', and then there's always fresh milk in the mornin' if I want it form the does with kids."
"I suppose," Cazai says again, still dubious. Not quite -as- dubious, perhaps, but…. "I usually pack whatever I plan to eat, when I'm out for a while. Fishing's about as close as I get to hunting, and I don't care much for that." She shrugs and disposes of the last of the sandwich, sliding the plate aside with a nudge. "It's too much time and trouble."
Keziah hmms a bit "Fishing's okay, but I like other meat. Avian eggs are good though, even better if I get a wherry and I've some flour with me. Skillet fry it up. Very good."
Cazai just shakes her head, obviously out of her area in the whole hunting-and-cooking department. "Better if I have someone cook for me," she says simply, a bit of self-deprecating amusement in it. "Then I can do what I do best and not worry about picking out shell pieces."
Keziah hmms at that. "That would be nice. I certainly wouldn't mind having someone cook for me, but I've long since learned, you either do, or do without, ain't no one gonna be goin' along with me just to cook." she sighs a little at that.
"Well, that's why we have kitchens," Cazai says with a shrug and rueful look toward the caverns and kitchens in question. "At least, whenever they'll let me in to get a look at the damage. Really nice of the folks who sent this stuff over."
Keziah gives a nod as she looks back over the food "Yeah, the gace us their hatching feast. That was wonderful of them. As for kitchens, ain't none out in the wilds." she hrms a little as she looks back towards the caverns "I wonder if the managed to clear out most of the sand yet?"
Cazai nods too, though a bit abstractedly. "That what it was? I just heard something about a feast." She slides back a little on the bench, stretching her arms against the table. "Don't know," she says. "Spoke to the Weyrwoman when I got in, but she only said the Miners and whers had to clear it first."
Keziah nods "Fort Weyr had a hatching, and this was all the preparations for it, but when the kitchens went and the call for help went out. This is what Fort donated." she looks around and then leans a little closer "I heard the Weyrleader was a little sad about those truffles coming here. Seems the Baker only does so many and generally only for Hatchings, and they're his favorite." She leans back a little and stretches "Yeah, they wanna make sure it won't collapse and all. It was something else though, the explosion and the people running out screaming. The smell of singed flesh and hair and burnt food. It wasn't pretty."
"Hey, well, he's the Weyrleader. Maybe he got a private stash." Cazai props her elbow back on the table, absently stirring the crumbs around on her plate, deliberately avoiding mustard blobs. "You were there?" She tips a look at that, abruptly curious and alert. "See anything interesting?"
Keziah shakes her head "No, I wasn't there. That was from some of the riders what brought the supplies in." she notes. "I wasn't able to finangle a ride up there. I really don't rate as an apprentice." she shrugs a bit at that.
"Oh. Well." Visibly disappointed, Cazai goes back to designing trails in her crumbs. "And nobody's got a clue what actually happened, as near as I can tell."
Keziah shakes her head "Not yet, but I know some went there, mainly riders. They should be back by tomorrow at least. I fancy that even without the feast, there'll be a lot of chatting and all that."
Cazai pauses, peering across the table in visible confusion that finally clears up with another startled Oh-right sort of look. "No," she says. "The explosion. I meant the explosion. I mean, hatchings are nice and all, but I could really give a shard about Fort's."
Keziah giggles and shrugs "Oh, well. "I dunno, some were guessing something just got too hot. Or something pressure cooking blew." she shakes her head "But I do know heads will probably roll when they do figure out what went wrong. Most people are thinking neglect of something."
"Most big messes are," Cazai agrees with a shrug, "but it's not as if anybody sets out to make them happen. I just want to know -what- happened. That's a heck of a mess for the kind of equipment usually in a kitchen. Even Xanadu's. So you were't around for the explosion itself?" she adds, obviously to be absolutely sure of this. "Just heard about that, too?"
Keziah tilts her head "Well, I wasn't in the kitchens. I was in the caverns though when it happened. IT was kind of scary. I didn't go into the kitchens to help put it out, I was in the line with the buckets of sand."
"So you didn't see anything weird or… specific?" Cazai persists, shoving her plate away again and curling her hands around her klah instead, a contented, possessive gesture. "I mean, didn't hear sparking or smell ozone or anything?"
Keziah shakes her head "There was just this loud explosion and people came out screaming. No one was killed, but there was minor burns and inges hair and everyone had burnt food on them."
Cazai hmphs a trifle regretfully. "I suppose if it were easy," she remarks, half to herself, "it'd be figured out already. So I suppose you don't use much tech yourself?" she adds, shifting topics with a wry, mock-wistful tone. "No fancy radio collars on the critters?"
Keziah blinks a little "Radio collars on them?" she shakes her head a bit at that. "Never thought of it really. I've not the funds for things like that anyways." she murmurs and looks thoughful "Just how would those work for me?"
"Eh, just a thought. Funds," Cazai says ruefully, "are probably not there for it no matter what. I just— somebody was talking about radio collars for dolphins." The Techie shakes her head, sliding out with her klah mug and half-reaching for the other with an inquiring brow raised. "It got me thinking. But it sounds like you keep them in line just fine as it is."
Keziah laughs "Well, if they can talk thorugh it, probably works for them. Caprines aren't gonna talk or listen through them, and well if it's used to keep track of them from afar, might as well say good bye, since they'd be lunch before anyone got there to help them. But I do, the canines are great. They work in tandem and let me know if there's predators around."
"They sort of stalled out at waterproofing," Cazai admits. "Plus setting up relay stations gets sort of tough." She snags the other mug and returns a moment later with both refilled, settling back in— although an impatient glance toward the caverns makes her stifled fidgeting a bit more obvious. Still, nobody's cleared it yet. "I suppose they would. Rather have a radio, myself. Don't have to train those, and they don't pee on your shoes."
Keziah blinks a moment "I've never had firelizards nor canines pee on my shoes." she murmurs and then shakes her head "And they weren't that hard to train." she murmurs and shrugs.
Cazai grins at that. "Neither have I," she says. "But it makes a good argument."
Keziah blinks at Cazai and then just laughs and shakes her head "Funny." she murmrus and then yawns a bit "Well, I should be heading to bed. I've gotta get up before the sun gets up."