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.
Its afternoon at Xanadu. Yes, afternoon. And, yes, that would be Niva who's sitting in the tavern, certainly slightly intoxicated given the empty glasses that are settled around her, even if by the one still in front of her, they seem to be made of more juice than alcohol. Either way, there she is, a fabric fan in her hand that she's occasionally flapping at her face, before sipping at her drink again, pressing the cold glass idly against her forehead.
Ysa was taking a break. One of many already for the day, though the earlier ones were just walks through the caverns. This time the junior decided to go take a field trip. "Hey, Belly," she greets the bartender, grinning brightly at him as she approaches. "Ale. Faranth, please give me some ale. Right now." The barkeeper, never really a big fan of the goldrider, takes his time. This allows Ysa to scan the caverns, stopping just at Niva almost immediately. "Shell, you're looking awful, Weyrwoman," she calls over to the Senior, making sure to put on her best sympathetic look.
Niva followed Ysa from her entrance, to the bar, and thus is looking at her as Ysa turns to look at her, "What's it matter to you? Not like you're doing any work anyway." There may be a slight slur to her words, but at least she seems to be holding her alcohol fairly well for the time being. After her words, the glass is returned to the table, and Niva is glaring at it instead.
Ysa pouts to the Weyrwoman for just the slightest of moments before she shrugs her shoulders back. "I get my work done." A big eventually should be added to that statement, of course. She snags her mug when it is finally handed to her, making sure Beldar gets her wink in return before striding over towards the other goldrider. Since her rib wasn't causing her to hurt anymore, she was in a better mood. Not to mention she was just starting to lose a little bit of weight. "An' I care for the well being of our Weyrwoman, ya know. Where would we be without ya?" There's a slight dryness to that phrase, as if it might be accompanied by rolling eyes. But she hides it back taking a long drought of her ale.
"Probably under your ever-so-watchful eye. And well, I think Vivian could do a better job. At least she understands when to work and when to play." Niva snaps back, but at least for now she's not chasing Ysa away, even if she does decide that her glass is more interesting than the younger goldrider who is now there with her ale. "What do you want?" She finally asks, flicking gaze up to her. She may be in a better mood, but Niva most certainly isn't.
Ysa manages to chuckle softly at her words, giving her shoulders that added shrug again. "Perhaps your kid will Impress a gold and take over my duties, then. And I'd think calling a little monster added to the weyr, and the broken rid, hardly play. It's tough getting a romp with Ram when we're both not exhausted from work or brats." She does say that with all the loving voice a mother can have, taking after drink of her mug and leaning back in her seat. "I don't really want anything, Weyrwoman. Jus' company is all." Even if the company was a grumpy old woman. Sip. "So… any news down the coast?" She ventures into this question immediately, staring at the rim of her ale and flicking at some imaginary dust.
Niva isn't that old! 40 is totally the new 30. "Well, that's your problem. You aren't the only one with duties and brats. Though, at least no one would dare think about touching your 'mate." And then Niva's muttering about greenriders and alcohol, though its a minute before she's realizing that she's talking aloud, and she's quickly shutting up. "Down the coast?" Niva asks without a change in the tone of her voice, sounding rather bored, and anything but interested. At least she didn't yawn?
Ysa's mood does quite a one-eighty at the comment of her weyrmate. She slumps a bit further and huffs. "Shells, at least I've never seen that C'ian of yours give eyes to anyone but ya. And he doesn't seem the man that'd take advantage of alcohol an' proddiness an' that load of crap." She grunts a moment and then sighs fully, running one of her freed hands through her voluminous hair. "Ram, on the other hand, 'm sure has plenty of chasers." And what she thinks of that is clear as she shares in the Weyrwoman's moodiness. But there's a smirk to her face once again as she peers back towards Niva. "What they found down there… any news on those crazy groupies I told ya 'bout /months/ back."
"Yeah, well you should have seen that no good, little girl, she was practically in his lap, when I was standing there!" Niva's voice is a bit higher now, as her mood gets worse. As Ysa runs her hands through her hair, Niva gives her a rather dirty look. "Just wait, its worse, after twenty five turns." And then the rest of her drink is finished and the empty glass thumped on the table, before she leans back to roll her eyes. "Holders said they'd take care of it." And that seems like its enough to Niva - one less thing that she has to worry about.
Ysa blinks in surprise at the other goldrider. "And ya didn't punch her?" Or stab her, as Ysa might have done… "Who's this gal, anyway?" she asks with a bit of venom in her voice, glancing around the caverns as if expecting to find her own weyrmate messing around in there. She tips the mug backwards, and gulps the rest down before raising her arm to wave someone over to give her a refill. "We work well, Ram an' I," she tells Niva, though not entirely convinced herself. "All those dead people, too…" She didn't sound too depressed by the news, but frowns towards the older woman instead before leaning forward. "Ya know, it is just as much our problem as it is the Hold's. Holders aren't going to like it if we just sit back and don't help scout, either. And that Rennu gal? The dragonhealer? She sent me a note the other day about someone she didn't know taking papers from the stores. Not that that can mean anything."
"Oh, she got run off. Went and hid, too. But that blasted Healer wouldn't let me get to her." There is more hatred in Niva's voice, as her hands are clinched in fists. "If I knew, she'd be gone." Damn greenriders, all looking exactly alike. And proddiness keeping Niva from doing the obvious and just asking Kilaueth who's rider it is. At the mention of the dead people, she just shakes her head. "They're going to deal with the bodies. They said there was a boat.. He could have gone anywhere. Its not our concern now." At least, not in Niv's current state of mind. "You're never going to recognize everyone." And the latest happening is dismissed without another thought.
"All those Healers… they're just there to make our lives more difficult," Ysa says with a sincere nod and a glare to a random passerby as she awaits her second drink. She studies the older woman for a long while, especially as she keeps dismissing everything she was saying. "I'll ask again when that shardin' lifemate of yours mates and settles down. We aren't going to get anywhere with ya in this state, anyway." She grunts and then nods her thanks to the waitress that brings her the new alt, gripping it in both hands. "If ya listened to me in the first place…"
"Sharding Healers." No matter that Niva's a healer herself. That little detail can just go without being said. As the other woman's second round is brought around, Niva's remains unreplaced, though, that's probably for the best. "What, if I listened to you, they'd have run off and killed themselves somewhere else." Niva seems really unconcerned, with a shrug. "You can't stop them, when they're like that."
Ysa turns her head back towards Niva with a smirk again as she agrees with her sentiments on Healers. She was not as entertained by her second mug of ale as she was with her first. "Or we could have caught the main guy in all this and not bothered others to worry 'bout what he's doing wandering Pern in a ship. He'll probably be like those pirates from Western, wrecking havor on other Weyrs and Holds." Her green eyes settle on the Weyrwoman a long time, but realizing that wouldn't change her mind she shrugs. "But you're right. Nothing we can do now."
"What's one man going to do?" Niva straightens up, leaning then in Ysa's direction to stare at her question. "Honestly. One man.." Niva seems unbothered by these possibilities. "Besides. He probably had all the stupid people that are to be found anyway." Her empty glass is spun, and then she's flatly stating, "Besides. They probably deserved it." Ouch.
"That one man convinced a bunch of people to stay with him in /a cave/, Niva," Ysa says with her lips pressed tightly together. "And he kidnapped me, and who knows who else, and those children and…" She just shudders and stops herself before she rants on for awhile longer. She downs half of her mug in one go, setting it down with a gasp. There's a chuckle that escapes her and she nods just slightly. "Most of 'em probably did," she agrees. Yah, she's like that. "Stupid enough to believe something like that."
"The kids seem normal enough." Niva shrugs a bit. No matter that none of them have said more than a few words together since they've arrived, nor that they are sleeping all bunched together, waking up with horrible nightmares. "Well, you were the one that got kidnapped, not me. Maybe you were just making up stories." Niva actually gives the tiniest bit of a smile then, as she teases the other woman. But then, she's pushing herself to her feet, shaking her head. "Its hot in here. I'm going home.." Niva states plainly before wandering back out.
Ysa rolls her eyes at the older woman. "Those brats are far from normal." No, Ysa hadn't heard what they acted like, besides some rumors here or there. But all kids were weird to her except for her own. "I wouldn't trust 'em, either, if I were ya. They could still have some alliance with their father." She purses her lips at the teasing, snorting into her mug after a moment's thoughts. "I could have been… But Keziah provided more proof, too. Not that I'd /ever/ lie to ya, Niva." She downs her drink, and then waves to the departing Weyrwoman. "Feel better."