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.
What a lovely morning! With the rains having moved on elsewhere, everyone seems to be in a much better mood as of late. Or perhaps it just feels like that. Despite the incident with Ryski over a sevenday ago, Delenn is also in good spirits, and why not? Short hair or no, the nanny has a few stolen moments to sit at a table off to the side of the cavern, sipping at a cup of tea and reading a leather bound book. Life couldn't be much sweeter.
With the caverns finally regaining some semblance of order, as the tables have returned to the inside, leaving the clearing to return to its duty of landing place for the weyr, things are finally starting to seem like normal. At least to a certain extent, as Niva enters from her office, escorting a rather angry looking gentleman towards the exit. "I'm sorry, we can't do any more than we already are. Our crews were there, but /yours/ weren't." She states dismissively. "Your holding will be attended to in turn. Until then, you will have to make do." And then, her attention is off him completely, and she eyes the table warily, choosing instead to avoid it for the moment and settle down in a chair rather near the reading Delenn.
Pale eyes lift at the sound of the Weyrwoman's voice, casually observing the exchange before they drift back down to his book. Only once Niva has dropped herself into a chair nearby, does the young nanny speak up. "Good morning Weyrwoman," Delenn pipes up with, once again letting his attention wander over to the older woman, his head drifting to one side as he takes in the body language that she might be displaying. "Can I get you anything?" This is asked kindly, but not in such a way as to denote that he might think that she is unable to serve herself, rather just the way one friend would offer another refreshment when they'd had a rough start to the day.
The rather stout man lingers at the exit, face turning quite red as if he's contemplating continuing the confrontation, before someone in a hurry happens to bump him on his way out, and then his attention is turned, angrily puffing as he heads after the offender. Niva's gaze lingers to make sure he removes himself before glancing at the nanny, shaking her head as she waves a hand, dismissing the offer. "None of it seems particularly appetizing, to be honest." Motioning at Delenn to sit forward, and turn, she arches an eyebrow. "Got all fixed up, hm?" She inquiries about his hair.
Without expression, Delenn's eyes wander back over to the man lingering at the doorway, only to return to Niva when the angry visitor stalks off. Bobbing his head once to the dismissal of his offer, a hand drifts up to touch the lightly layered hair to be found along the sides of his face, the right in fact. "Yes. I took your advice and took myself to that person you recommended." he replies evenly, twisting lightly at some of the hair between his fingers. The back was cut loose but short against Delenn's neck and then steadily became longer towards the front, and there it was layered. More or less, a bob, but again with the layering. It certainly complimented the young man's face and had the added bonus of nearly eradicating the femininity that had been clinging precariously to him. Now there was no mistaking him for a girl, even from the back. This combined with the near turn he'd lived there, well, he was nearly a completely different person outwardly. "And thank you for helping with Ryski, thanks to your punishment he's starting to show some interest in the beastcraft."
Niva's gaze drifts back to the cavern entrance, to ensure that the man has not returned, before tilting his head to eye the hair cut. "'solda's real good about that. She's managed to save a few of the worse chop jobs I've seen candidates give each other. She has a good eye." And a assistant headwoman who can salvage hair or fabric is definitely a valuable commodity. "Has he now? I simply thought it would be a good distraction - though if he's taken a true interest, that will certainly make things easier for a number of us." Especially the women who try to keep him out of trouble.
Tucking that side of his new haircut behind the curl of one ear, Delenn situates himself so that he doesn't have to crane is neck at too much of an unnatural angle. More or less facing Niva now, he offers the woman a soft friendly smile. "She nearly fussed worse over it then I was. Though I must admit I was afraid that she was going to just cut it all the same length, and I'd end up looking just awful." he nearly whines, but actually manages to keep that particular tone out of his voice. Which might have made those words perhaps a bit grating, however he manages to just come off as conversational. "I'm glad he's taken an interest in anything really other than trying to become a guard," he sighs, appearing relieved. "Though he's not particularly pleased with me at the moment," A pause, "This whole incident was over seeing with another man intimately. He was hoping if he cut my hair, I would no longer be attractive to him." The nanny sighs and shakes his head slightly, which looses the hair recently tucked behind his ear, nearly black strands drifting against his cheek. "Is it normal for younger siblings to be possessive, even jealous…like that?" he asks, obviously not having a clue to this.
Niva shifts in her chair, sitting up straighter for a moment as if trying to shift the muscles of her back just slightly before she relaxes, shaking her head. "I think it looks just fine. Certainly better than it did after the braid first went." Her own hair is touched absently as she considers its state, before shaking her head and looking back at Delenn. "Perhaps he would be suited for the guard, though. Everyone needs to make their own decision." A soft sigh, and she offers him a bit of a comforting smile. "Perhaps he just wasn't expecting it. My girls are constantly arguing though, of which one we care for more, and if which one got a better gift." Which definitely makes things interesting getting them in the same room. "They may grow out of it." Maybe. Hopefully.
The nanny's brows jerk downwards just slightly, his lips parting as if to tack on something else, or perhaps to elaborate a bit, but decides against it as his jaws slowly close again. His smile fades away but quickly returns as he refocuses on Niva. Seems the prospect that this obsession of Ryski's not being something he may grow out of must be rather disconcerting. "Preferably I'd like to see him doing something more constructive then learning how to fight and muscle people. He's already short fused as it is, and I really don't want to encourage that behavior." he notes, letting out a lungful of air slowly. Nearly a sigh, but no real effort put behind it to make it genuine. "I honestly feel strange taking a motherly role with him, but I get the impression that Tay isn't exactly making herself…" he starts but his voice trails off as if he were looking for the right word. "…available?" That thought finished, he winces slightly, "I honestly didn't mean that as harsh as it sounded, I'm just worried about Ryski. He doesn't seem to want to be a child while he can, and I wonder if it's because of being bounced around so often."
Niva arching an eyebrow, as if waiting for Delenn's forthcoming addition, but then as it dissipates, she shrugs a bit. "All boys his age are active, though. It is why there's the play set out there - My predecessor was tired them them tearing through the caverns at high speeds and breaking things left and right. He's of age to be apprenticed, if I guessed right, and perhaps he'll decide that the beastcraft is for him. But, if you push him, he'll simply choose another path." And with Vivian refusing a craft, and often honest work, it seems that Niva has some experience in the matter. "Perhaps he merely has someone he looks up to, and thus he wishes to grow up."
It takes a moment, but it finally clicks somewhere in the back of Delenn's mind that Niva really wasn't getting what he was trying to talk to her about, and really that was for the best. The less the Weyrwoman knew about the side of the family that he and Ryski shared the better. For everyone. A smile stretches the nanny's lips upwards slightly, "He needs a better role model than myself. I have few regrets, but Ryski is still young and has so much raw potential." Honestly it has to be in there somewhere, after all there was no way the boy was merely just a time bomb waiting to go off. Right? "But enough of that," he topic changes, "How are you on this fine morning?"
Niva tends to not click immediately on everything, particularly as almost constantly something else has at least a portion of her mind occupied - Kilaueth directing visiting dragons where to go, or thoughts of what she still has waiting for her to address. Or, given the recent departure of the stout man, on wishes of someone just happening to disappear on their way home. "Jaleldan may be happy to have another apprentice, particularly with the new animals we'll be receiving from Western's holdings." She offers, though more for her own record than anything else, before nodding absently at Delenn. "I could do without angry holders barging in before dawn - its too early, in my opinion." At least to have to be functional.
That was likely what the nanny figured, and really neither he nor his brother was important enough to bother the poor Weyrwoman anymore then they had already. So, subject successfully changed, Delenn's expression shifts to one of understanding as he gently nods his head. "If you don't mind me asking, what seemed to be the trouble that couldn't wait until a reasonable time?" he asks, folding his hands in his lap as he peers over at Niva appraisingly. "Your visitor looked as if he were ready to leap across the cavern with teeth bared for your throat. I'm curious as to what would possibly have been so important as to get such a strong reaction."
Niva sighs loudly, shaking her head. "His cothold was one of the worst after the rains. Almost completely hidden by the mud. But, we sent our crews, and he wasn't prepared, so we move to the next. And now he's demanding we return to him immediately, even though we're occupied as it is. There aren't enough of them who know how to set up the solar panels as it is, I'm not going to overwork them." And the weyrwoman sends dagger glares in the direction the man when, shaking her head. "I tried for near a candlemark to get him /out/ of the office, but he simply would not go."
Delenn hmmm's softly, his lips pursed briefly before he nods again. One might get the impression that he might be jotting down notes on a small pad of paper given half the chance. At least he hasn't asked poor Niva how she feels about that. "You don't have some sort of security for your personal safety? A panic button perhaps?" he inquires, an edge etching his expression into one of mild concern. "I would hate to have someone of that type unable to stop at red faces and unrestrained words. After all, in your condition, it'd certainly put my mind at ease if there was some kind of safe guard against blows." Or knives. Or any attack for that matter. Oh yes! Delenn nearly perks, and plucks up his tea happily reclaiming it between his two hands and taking a soft sip. His nose crinkles upon finding that the contents had gone room temperature thanks to his neglect.
"Kilaueth always keeps an ear in.. if he'd gotten too angry, I know C'ian and R'sul would have been there before he could have done anything, and probably with a guard too." And if anything truly happened, the gold might even attempt to put her head straight through the window, at least probably scaring the man off. "Someone in my condition?" She looks at him in shock, eyebrows furrowing as she regards him with a look somewhere between annoyance and frustration. "I'm hardly that old." She mutters, shaking her head, clearly not taking the true meaning of his words at the current moment. "They're good about checking for knives before they let them in my office, though." After that unfortunate incident those turns ago with the attempt on S'va's life, its a necessary precaution.
Knowing next to nothing about dragons, quite noticeably in fact considering the widening of Delenn's eyes as Niva explains a little bit about her security detail. Apparently he was not aware, which might make one wonder from which rock the young nanny had crawled out from under before arriving at Xanadu. Considering however, that Delenn is mulling over the sad contents of his tea mug, he misses the annoyed and frustrated look the weyrwoman gives him, though her words clearly drag his attention back upwards. "Oh no, that's not what I meant at all," he says, now taking note of the woman's expression, following it up with a perplexed one of his own complete with a fluttering of dark lashes. "I'm sorry, I meant the child your carrying." he clarifies before gasping softly. "Knives? Surely there isn't much of that sort of nonsense in a weyr?" A renegade camp sure, but not a weyr. Obviously Delenn believed the weyrs to be some sort of Utopian society lacking the barbarities of such uncivilized behavior as the drawing of sharp instruments on area leaders.
Kilaueth is also one of the biggest golds on Pern, and unlike some of the others, hardly even tempered. And probably more than enough to scare most people senseless. As Delenn regards the contents of his tea cup, Niva just shakes her head slightly. But then at the clarification, she simply stares at him, her expression evolving to one of surprise, and then shock. "The child?" She continues to stare at him, fingers absently spreading across her abdomen as she just blinks. "I.." And her words are lost, clearly as she considers this. But, as she ponders that, she clearly misses the question of knives.
Bewildered, Delenn very slowly cants his head to one side, observing the Weyrwoman with some curiosity before he smiles and nods quickly once in a bob. Despite his lack of blond locks, the shock and whatnot displayed clear as day on the woman's face is missed, happily contained behind his metaphorical rose-tinted glasses. "I wish I could guess how far along you are, but, sadly my talents are reserved to being able to tell who's expecting and who isn't." he replies perkily, practically bubbling now. Gushing even. "I haven't been wrong yet." Eventually though the high doesn't last and soon those pale eyes are peering over at Niva, a soft gasp again, this time followed up with a very quick flush to his cheeks. "Oh Faranth. You didn't know?" he begins, worrying his bottom lip and looking as if he was seriously considering a relocation at this time. "I am so sorry, Weyrwoman, it was not my place…" he starts to babble, already in the process of gathering up his things as he suddenly rises as he frets. "…oh dear…."
Niva continues to just stare at him as he simply bobs his head, and then proceeds to continue his explanation, practically gushing as he does, and the weyrwoman doesn't seem to know what to say. Or what she should say. "How did you.." And the normally rather composed rider finds herself unable to phrase together even a simple sentence, even as he stops and begins blushing. At the pause, Niva is quickly getting to her feet, hurriedly moving to stand behind the chair, hands grasping the back of the chair tightly. "I.. I need to see the healers." Clearly that's all that she's thinking, not upset with him, just baffled.
Delenn pauses as Niva speaks, that flush of his long since having left his skin pale, as if he was confused as to whether he should be upset as her, more apologetic, or what. If nothing else, he might be wishing that he had a better grasp on mundane conversational topics. "I…I don't know why I know. I just…know," he says to her quietly as she stands and grips the back of her chair, bruising his bottom lip with the application of his teeth to it in such a manner. For some reason this sense failed him when a particular goldrider from Fort sprung that particular news on him personally. However, since Niva is clearly upset by his news, the young nanny can only nod his head a few times, but inwardly he knew in his gut they're not going to tell her anything different then he just had, except perhaps a rough estimate on when it was she likely conceived. "Warm winds and clear skies, Weyrwoman." he tells her, wincing a bit. Really, he had to learn to keep his mouth shut.
"I-I'm not mad." She moves to reassure the teen, just shaking her head a few times. "I.. just didn't think I would.." And her words trail off, as she shakes her head, simply nodding once more before apologizing for her sudden departure, moving at a hurried pace to the infirmary.