Xanadu Weyr - Weyrleaders' Office
Office and retreat, this is the domain of Xanadu's Weyrleaders. The door is in the eastern wall, quite close to the southern end while the northern wall is dominated by big, expansive windows, framed by sumptuous deep blue drapes edged with a brilliant gold braid and tied back with a thick rope of braided gold and blue cord. In between, the eastern wall is covered floor to ceiling with shelves that house all sorts of records, manuals and supplies that are used on a day-to-day basis. The southern wall has the Weyrleader's desk — plain fellis wood, well polished and masculine. From behind his desk, the Weyrleader can look straight through the windows and out onto the main airspace of Xanadu. The western wall is where the Weyrwoman's desk resides: a lovely piece of furniture made of warm cherry wood. From her seat, a glance sideways gives her an equally good prospect out the window. There are a few other seats, some comfortably arranged around a low round table for small, informal meetings while there also some that can be drawn up to one of the desks.
On the south side of the door, the space is occupied by a low oblong table where refreshments can be set without someone needing to intrude. There is also an 'incoming' tray where incoming correspondence or similar items can be left.
The golden sunset has just died when quiet footsteps make their way to the Weyrleaders' office and pause outside. A knock sounds promptly, Fiara waiting for acknowledgement before entering. The harper's cheeks are a little flushed and there's excitement, a sparkle in her eyes as she waits with two books clutched to her chest. Her jacket's still on and her satchel slung across her body as if she's just been somewhere through Between and come back.
Sometimes even the most experienced Weyrwoman need a break from the Sands, and after having spent most of the night on the Sands with Kilaueth, keeping watch, Niva's retreated to the office for the time being, relaxing a bit. But then there's a knock, and Niva's straightening up, glancing at the fading light through the window, before responding. "Yes?" And she turns in her chair to see who just who it is.
Fiara pushes the door open and peeks inside. "Good evening, Weyrwoman," she says politely, still with that excited look about her. "I had something I wanted to report to you, if you have a moment. It's about what we found at the camp. The one with the boat. That old rider's badge," the harper continues, giving the books she holds a little explanatory tilt.
"Harper.." Niva says a bit wearily, particularly when compared to Fiara's excited attitude. "The old rider's badge?" That's enough, though, to perk up the Weyrwoman, and she's actually getting to her feet, moving to peer curiously at the books, clearing off a space on the table for her to put them down. "You found something, then?"
Fiara's head bobs. "Yes ma'am, the Weyrleader asked me to take a look and we found something today when we were going through one of the books." She sets both volumes down and aligns them side by side. "This one, well it's an old history about wings at the different Weyrs, and here," she flips open to where there's a marker in the book. "There's a short description of a badge from Southern Weyr. A sun with radiating beams." The harper sets her finger just beneath the relevant passage. "So I went over there and asked the harper if I could see some of the old wing records and luckily, some of them have been bound up nicely." And now she opens the second volume and taps a finger to the faded picture there. "And here it is. It's a Southern Weyr badge, ma'am, or at least it looks an /awful/ lot like it."
Niva turns her head to look down at the books, glancing up now and then at the Harper as she talks, though most of her attention is on the passage as its pointed out, quickly scanning over it. The faded picture actually elicits a surprised gasp from Niva, as she looks over it, finger tapping it gently. "Hmm.." She says, staring at it for another moment. "That means.. That's probably been there for… turns. Decades." She shakes her head again, looking back over the passage, as if trying to find some error in the finding.
"It could be wrong, could be different, but they look /so/ alike," Fiara says with a little lift of her shoulders. "So I think this is the right one. Southern." The harper's lips press together for a moment as she listens to the Weyrwoman and takes a deep breath. "But — what about Between times? Like Lessa," she blurts out and then flushes a little. "I mean, wouldn't a badge like that have been rusty if it had been there for ages?"
"I.. I think they're the same, though." And Niva is turning to rummage through the rather disorganized piles of paper on her desk, finding a folder and pulling from it a surprisingly neat rubbing of the badge, dropping it on the book, next to the image. "I think is obvious they're the same." She says with a sigh, moving to settle back in her seat even as she's waving Fiara into R'sul's. "But, why would they have come forward? Its.. Its harder to go where you don't know what's there."
Fiara nods emphatically as the rubbing is placed next to the drawing. "Just about identical … and that's a better rubbing than mine," she points out about the paper in question. That chair is given a look, amusement on Fia's face briefly then she drops into the chair, listening. "I don't know ma'am, unless they believed something about the stars, from all that talk from, you know, those poor children." There the harper's face creases with sympathy.
"Everything alright, Harper?" Niva questioned, catching that amusement, before she's shaking her head and nodding to the badge. "The question is, where did Kefai get the idea of Thread coming again? If they knew about it then, perhaps.." Niva's fingers pluck at the fabric on the armrest of her chair, chewing on her lip as she thinks. "I suppose that's the next place we should look, try and figure out where this idea came from. Though, I suppose we do have Kate to ask.."
"Oh just fine, just that that's the Weyrleader's chair. Sort of funny to be sitting in it," Fiara says with a laugh and props her elbow up on the arm of said chair, listening as the Weyrwoman continues to speak. "Right. And who would know about that sort of thing. Starcrafters, right?" She takes a deep breath, face creasing further as Kate is mentioned. "Mm, who knows what else they know but are too afraid to talk about still." And her voice goes soft there, regretful and still sympathetic for the plight of the children.
"I'll take your word on it." Niva smiles at the Harper, fingers tapping on the arm of the chair now, hmming softly. "I'll send a message to the Starcrafters, then. And see what was said about this last Meteor shower, if anything." Niva shakes her head a bit. "Those ones from the mountains, I wouldn't be surprised if they knew something. They've taken to Kate." And then the Weyrwoman is reaching for the rubbing of the badge once more, and glancing to the Harper. "If you can find anything else, please.. Let me know."
Fiara just lifts her shoulders again, grin a little sheepish. "There have been an awful lot of those, haven't there?" the harper asks, looking thoughtful, then nods again about Kate and the other children. "Of course, ma'am. I'll keep looking, see if anything leaps out. I hope this helps, the Weyrleader was quite excited when I pointed it out to him. I'll copy over those passages, so that you have them, the books will need to go back to the Hall and to Southern eventually." So saying, Fia pushes to her feet and stacks the books back together. "Is there anything else I should keep an eye out for?"
"Sometimes I think even if the end of everything as we know it was in a book, R'sul would get excited over it, just for it being something else to read." Niva sighs softly, shaking her head. "I appreciate it.." And then she's biting her lip, considering the options, before shaking her head. "Unless you can find copies of the old stakehold maps.." Niva tilts her head. "Their settlements would be idle to hide in, if he's still out there." And then Niva's getting back to her feet to offer Fiara her hand. "Thank you for the help, though, Harper.."
"Oh I've been helping him with the book he's writing too," Fia says with a smile. "He really does like his history," she continues gaily then nods energetically. "The stakehold maps? I'll see what I can do. Even if it's not my specialty, I know some other harpers who might be able to help with that." There's a grimace about Kefai even as Fiara takes the Weyrwoman's hand and shakes it firmly. "You're welcome, it's the least I could do." The books are juggled back under her arm. "I'll let you and the Weyrleader know if I stumble on anything else, oh, also, Calen took pretty well to learning to clean a drum and he's helping me out with other things around the classroom and so on. Not bad kid I think if he gets his head straightened out. Anyway, have a good evening, ma'am."
"Thank you, again.." Niva says, shaking Fiara's hand firmly, moving to get the door for the Harper. "At least he's out of trouble now. I just hope it will stay that way." Glancing once more at the window, Niva's nodding again. "Have a good evening.." And then she's headed back to the Sands for another stint.