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.
Early morning finds the cavern bustling with Weyrfolk at breakfast. The serving tables are loaded down with steaming dishes of eggs and sausages, hashbrowns and breakfast casseroles, filling the room with appetizing aromas as pervasive as the buzz of conversation. Most tables have at least a few occupants, and the smallish table not too far from the serving sideboard is no exception. A dragonrider with a green-threaded knot sits with a lanky young man with a toolbelt slung over the back of his chair. The first finishes off a cup of juice and makes her way off, leaving Jerance with a full plate just begun. He waves her off and then tucks in, eating with the focus and speed common to tall, skinny youths.
Sleep addled. That's what R'in is. With Mayikooth half-dozing in the Clearing, the brownrider meanders into the Caverns. She bumps into a few people on her way to the food tables, but that is The Way of R'in. She's been here for 18 Turns (a.k.a. her whole life) and they're used to such behavior. In fact, some actually help her. Well, one older drudge does. By piling up a plate and shoving it into the girl's hands. "You need some meat on your bones, girly." Not that R'in is lacking the 'meat'. It's the curves that is often brought with lots of food. Darn those motherly sorts. When she finds a table with a hot mug of klah along with the food… it's across from Jerance that she sits.
Focused as he is on consuming his meal, Jerance misses the collisions that mark R'in's trek through the living caverns. It's only when she sits across from him with full plate and mug of klah that round brown eyes lift from his own high-piled breakfast to take her in. It's the sort of glance that suggests he thought it was one person and finds someone entirely different in front of him: an easy smile has begun to bloom on his lips and the dart of his eyes is quick, but when he actually /sees/ this unfamiliar girl his smile falters and his eyes widen. "Oh, good morning." Quick eyes seek her knot, tack on, "Brownrider." With fork stalled in the motion of spearing a link of sausage he lifts his other hand in an akward little wave, clears his throat, and drops his eyes back to safety - breakfast.
If R'in were any more awake, she may very well take offense at the smile that disappeared. Even if she didn't know the reason, a smile fading when you arrive is never good! As it is, she's not entirely awake. In fact, she's quite in that stage of awake, but asleep enough to be zoned out and content. "Mornin'," she replies, blinking at Jerance a moment. She focuses enough to ask: "Who're you?" Real smooth.
A hard swallow causes Jerance's adam's apple to bob and it's loud enough to be audible even though there's no food to make it so. "I'm Jerance." It's less matter of fact as though that's all the introduction R'in should need, and much more all that he can come up with for the moment. He uses the side of his fork to cut that sausage link down to size, stabs the resulting bite and lifts it. "I'm new around here." Obviously. "Come down from the north - Minecraft. I'm… a handyman." The sausage gets jabbed toward the toolbelt dangling from a corner of his chair's back, then he finally manages to put it in his mouth. Oh. Chewing, trying to shove the food into a corner of a cheek he holds out the fork-bearing hand. He offers a, "Nice to meet you" garbled by his full mouth, glances at the fork, awkwardly sets it down and tries again, growing pinker all the while.
"Jerance." R'in repeats the name as if it's completely foreign to her. And in a sense, it is. "Mine Craft? But … a handyman?" She tries to process this and after a few drinks of klah, seems to be a bit more alert. "Mm. So you're an Apprentice, then?" Ah-ha! She's putting pieces together. Her own breakfast is tucked into and after a moment, she waves her fork. "Xanadu is a good place. Most techno… something Weyr on Pern, they say."
Nod, nod, nod as R'in repeats what Jerance has just said. That is, until she gets to the Apprentice part, when his head goes the other way, shaking back and forth until she's finished. "Oh, no, I'm not an apprentice. That's just where I lived… with my folks you know? And now I'm here. So I'm not an apprentice, I'm just a handyman." He dunks a forkful of fried potatoes into a sweet tomato-y dipping sauce, then shrugs. "Or whatever else is needed. I did a bit of everything back at the Hall." Brown eyes roam slowly over her and he asks, "How long have you been here…" he trails off, searching for a name before realizing she hasn't provided it. That's not so bad as long as he hasn't forgotten it, so he eats that forkful of potatoes.
"Ohhhh," R'in says, blinking a few times as comprehension sets in properly. She takes another sip of Klah, as if it'll help her brain work proper. "Well. Everywhere can use a handyman," she provides, lamely. Not realizing that he's seeking out a name, Rae just shrugs a little as she chews on her next bite of breakfast. Once it's swallowed. "All my life. My mom is a rider."
Jerance washes down a mouthful with a gulp of juice, then just dips a little nod. "That's what my ma said too. And her cousin's a greenrider here, said you might need some help with the rebuilding and…" it's a bit of a ramble so he cuts it off, shrugs and none too deftly changes the subject. "So how long have you been a rider? He… he's a brown right?" That last with a nod to her brown-threaded knot.
"Mayikooth's brown, yeah," R'in says, seeming to… neither really acknowledge or disregard the rant. Not entirely polite, but not impolite either. The more food and klah in her, the more awake she appears to be. She pokes at some of the remaining food on her plate, thoughtful, then tilts her head to the side in thought. "Ahh… About three and a half Turns now?"
Lips form 'Mayikooth' without sound to back it, Jerance mouthing the unfamiliar syllables in an effort to cement them in his mind. He takes another bite and when it's gone he takes a breath as if mustering some small courage. "So he's Mayikooth, and… well, what's /your/ name, then?" He tacks on a bright smile, lopsidedly pulling one half of his mouth further upward than the other. Not to put her on the spot, (though really, giving your name isn't much of a 'spot' at all) he tucks back into his food so she can answer. He pauses just long enough to nod at the three and a half turns comment, eyes darting over her again. "So you always wanted to ride?"
There's a blink at that smile. It throws R'in off-guard and she's quiet for a moment. Attempting to make up for the embarassment, she quickly takes a bite of food. Right! That's why she's not answering. She has to eat this delicious food. Yum yum. Swallowing, she provides: "R'in. But before I Impressed, I was Raelin. Some call me Rae still." She shrugs, then considers the question. "Yes and no… I mean, I wasn't focused on it, right? But it was kind of a dream… to be a rider, same as my mom. Plus, I couldn't make up my mind on a craft. Though Mayikooth wants me to look into dragonhealing."
Er, right, tone down the smile a bit. R'in's embarassment becomes his own, but magnified into color on his cheeks and a downward glance that knocks a fall of hair into his eyes. Teeth graze his lower lip and he gives his head a shake as she eats, obviously scolding himself silently. When she looks up so does he, with a more subdued shade of smile on his mouth. "R'in, Rae, nice to meet you." He picks at what remains of his breakfast as she considers, then he considers her words. "I guess that makes sense, yeah. Hard to really dream about something you don't have control over I'd guess. Both my parents always wanted me to do what they do, but neither seemed right." He shrugs. "You like it though? Being a rider?"
Andis arrives from the Clearing
Andis has arrived.
Andis
Dark brown hair sprouts out from the young lad's head, highlighted with reddish tints that streaks down to his mid-back. His hair is tied back with a simple black-colored thong, though tendrils of hair tends to escape capture and slip down into his triangle-shaped face. Dark green eyes peer interestedly out at the world beneath thin eyebrows, over-looking a rather short nose. The young man has a rather light tan to his complextion that darkens over his lithe form suggesting that the youth spends a lot of time in the sun. Even at this age he's rather short for his size, dwarfing under most his age. But dispite his stature he seems to have a slight development of muscles in his arms and abdomen, hinting that he may get a bit of exercise.
He is usually seen wearing a light-tan tunic that is tied around the waist, the tunic almost seems to be a few sizes too big for him. As if the person who made them suspected him to grow into them at some point or another and he never really did. His white pants, too, seem a little loose around his legs and too long which causes him to trip on them from time to time.
My mom is a Weaver. Or thinks herself one." That would explain R'in's attire. Even if what she's wearing is quite toned down from the usual. "It wasn't the Craft for me. But then, few seemed to be. Now dragonhealing seems the most logical, but before Mayikooth found me," her features soften into a fond smile, "I was too… wild for it." She finishes most of the food and nudges her plate aside, so it's no longer right in front of her. No, that spot is taken by her mug, almost emptied of its contents. "I love it… I mean, if you've been around a Weyr, you've probably heard it a lot, but… I can't think of being anything else, now."
It's early morning, and the table-filled area of the cavern is bustling with weyrfolk at their morning meal. Not far from the heavy-laden serving sideboard is a smallish table with only 2 occupants - Jerance and R'in. Jerance mops up the last bits from his plate with a hunk of bread and takes a big bite. "Mine's a Healer." Again, a bit muffled from the bread he hasn't quite swallowed, and he washes it away with a drink of juice. "Dragonhealing would be neat. Can anyone do it, or just riders, do you know?" The wild comment brings up his eyebrows and a grin sneaks over his mouth. He shakes his head then, "This is my first time at a Weyr, and you're the first rider I've had a meal with, but I guess that makes sense. Seems like it would be the general opinion. I can't imagine it myself but… well, it's different being Weyrbred I guess." He polishes off that bit of bread and drains his mug of juice, then stands and gathers up the empty dishes. "It was real nice to meet you, R'in. I've got work to get to." The woman gets another awkward little smile and he heads of