WeaverCraft Hall - Courtyard
Festive to the eyes if not also the ears, this courtyard is filled to the brim with life. Around the edges of the large expanse of space, brightly blossomed plants stare into the open expanse with petalled faces of red, yellow, and blue. Between the cobblestones that carpeted the ground of the area, tiny white flowers have thrived, filling in dark crevices with their cloud like flowers which remain just low enough to avoid all feet that may be rushing across.
The clifface into which most of the rooms have been chiseled takes a commanding presence. On any given day, new brilliant banners can be seen dangling off the balcony that rests high above or from assorted windows. The great doors themselves, which usually remain open, revealing the great hall, have been painted in likeness to the leafy denizens lounging about.
Vwayath backwings into the Weavercraft Courtyard, the brown taking a long minute before a shout from the rider on his back finally has him folding his wings to their relaxed positions on either side of his body, crouching to forelimbs to allow an easier dismount. And so dismount Marte does, sliding to the ground with a tight hold on the straps as she goes, feet hitting with a dull *thud*. And then without turning to investigate the rest of the area, she's hastily undoing the buckles on the various pouches attached to the riding straps.
Sent outside to help take down one of the booths from the recent Gather, Marlyn tramps out of the Great Hall with a vague pout on her expressive face, muttering under her breath. Seems the apprentice really doesn't want to do the chore she's been assigned. The sight of a dragon and his rider in the Courtyard brings a smile to her face and a glimer of excitement to her gray eyes and she approaches, "Good afternoon, Rider. Can I help you with something?" Her voice is polite as she offers to give the visitor a hand.
Marte finishes undoing the last buckle on the straps before she turns at the sound of a voice, a voice directed at her. Leaving a hand resting lightly on Vwayath's hide, the middle-aged woman scans Marlyn's face, identifying the knot before giving her a smile. "In fact, I was coming to collect Xanadu's order of white fabric for candidate robes. Too many of them turned.. bad with all the rains." A grimace crosses her face, as it seems the rider doesn't want to think on the specifics. "I don't suppose you'd be able to help?"
Marlyn beams, glad for the excuse to get out of an unwanted chore, "Gladly!" The apprentice thinks for a moment, her face lighting up as she remembers where she saw the fabric in question, "I know right where it is." She holds out a hand to the rider, "Would you like me to take some of those bags?"
Marte pulls two of the large bags that would hold a few bolts of cloth off her shoulder, offering them to Marlyn, keeping the other two for herself, motioning for the apprentice to lead the way. "I appreciate it. I thought I would have to deal with one of the Journeymen.." And there's a nervous look as if there's someone this rider would rather avoid.
Marlyn doesn't seem to notice the look as she drapes the empty bags over her shoulder and heads back toward the Great Hall, "I think I remember seeing them just right inside here."
Vwayath settles down patiently, large head turning to investigate the nearest of the still standing gather stalls, sticking his nose into it without hesitation, crooning to himself. Marte simply nods, with a smile. "They knew we were coming, so I'm glad they pulled them out. This group will be lucky, to have brand new robes."
Marlyn grimaces at the thought of wearing someone else's castoffs, although she's had to wear hand-me-downs before herself, "I sure hope that the new robes can be made before the Hatching. I know some people take a long time to sew things." Her sisters for one. On a table just beyond the doors of the Great Hall, is a stack of several bolts of white fabric. The order for Xanadu Weyr. Marlyn leads the way streight to them and starts sliding the bolts into the bags she's carrying, "This is some pretty nice fabric, here. It takes colors very well." The apprentice stops talking and blushes, "But then you aren't going to be dying it…"
Marte follows after Marlyn, following suit to slide bolts of cloth into her own bags, before chuckling some. "The cloth will be cut carefully, I would be surprised if there was nothing left - even the scraps will be saved - probably some of those dyed." Waste not want not - with Xanadu Weyr receiving no tithes and having to support itself, things are used to their end. "Everyone will be working on them, I'm sure, to get them done." Boo, sewing. A bolt is slid into the second bag, filling it before Marte carefully buckles the folding flap shut, shifting one strap over each shoulder, testing them for balance as she does so.
The last bolt is slid into the bags and Marlyn hefts her two back up to her shoulders, seemingly impressed that the Weyr would use every scrap, "One of the other apprentices made a beautiful quilt from this kind of cloth. She'd painted dye on the squares and the color combinations were amazing."
Marte tilts her head, considering this idea. "A quilt like that would be nice.." It seems now that the Apprentice has put a rather interesting idea into the brownrider's head, for she's muttering incoherently to herself, though once sentence makes it through clearly. "But who to have sew…" And then Marte is shaking her head, voice rising to a near squeak as she sees Vwayath, nose still in a tent-style booth. "Vwayath! Get /out/ of there!" She practically shrieks, pace speeding up as she moves to the brown side.
Marlyn nods, "It was really beautiful." She grins at the half heard comment, "You could commision a Weaver to make it for you…" Hint hint, nudge nudge. The apprentice blanches a little, her eyes wide, at coming back outside and finding the brown looking inside one of the booths, "Oh, dear…" She hangs back a little to give the rider time to take care of it.
Vwayath is hesitant to listen to Marte's reprimand, but then something else draws the brown's muzzle out out of the tent, and instead a faceted eye is settled upon the form of the Apprentice, with a soft croon. Marte's rush stops mid-stride, and she catches her balance as she turns back to stare at Marlyn, then at Vwayath, and then back at Marlyn. "I.. I don't suppose you'd want to come help make the candidate robes, do you?" Marte asks, trying to keep her tone level.
The offer to come help make robes earns an excited grin from Marlyn, "I'd love to come help out." She unconciously takes a step back at being so scruntinized by Vwayath, not really accustomed to being the one a dragon is interested in. She seems oblivious to any deeper meaning behind the question and just seems thrilled to be asked to lend a hand.
"And, would you care to do so as a candidate for Kilaueth and Hesketh's clutch?" Marte continues on, moving to stand between Vwayath and Marlyn, as if her form will do something, as the apprentice takes a step away from Marte's lifemate. "Vwayath thinks you would make a good candidate, and you could show everyone something about making robes." And now, Marte's just rambling.
Marlyn just stares in shock at the offer to be a candidate, "M-me? He wants me to be a candidate?" The teen's voice goes up an octive with shock and barely suppressed excitement, "I'd be thrilled!" Her eyes glitter with emotion at the terrific opportunity she's just been offered.
Marte chuckles, her rambling rather cut off by the excited response. And then she's settling her own bags down, reaching to take the other two from Marlyn, nodding her head at the hall. "Go, get your things, tell who you must. I'll settle these, and then we shall get you back to the weyr." Before that creepy journeyman finds Marte in the courtyard.
Marlyn nods and takes off running back inside. Her voice can be heard shouting with excitement, spreading the news that she's just been Searched.
Marte watches Marlyn run off, shaking her head before returning to strapping the bulky items back into place, leaning against Vwayath's side lazily as she waits for the girl's return.
A whirlwind of blue fabric and golden brown hair exits the Great Hall a few minutes after Marlyn had entered as the apprentice come candidate returns with a hastily packed bag slung over her shoulder, "I'm ready!"
Marte motions for the pack, to take it and add it to the bundles on the straps, Vwayath crouching even lower to allow Marlyn easy ascent up the brown side, with some help from the riding straps. "Up ya go, we'll be there in no time."
Marlyn hands the pack over and looks up at Vwayath's back, "He's a lot bigger than my mother's blue…" She barely hesitates, however, in climbing up to the brown's back, using the straps as hand grips.
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.
Vwayath is eager to land in the Xanadu clearing, this time his wings are against his back almost immediately, and Marte is sliding to the ground to detach Marlyn's pack, leaving the others where they are for the time being. "I'll show you where the barracks are.." And she waggles a finger at Vwayath in a silent 'behave'.
Marlyn scrambles back down the brown's side, looking a little shaken at the trip between. Obviously, she hasn't experienced it very many times. The candidate nods and reaches for her bag, ready to follow wherever the rider leads.
Marte gives the brown one last look before heading towards the large Hatching Arena that borders one side of the clearing, and the candidate barracks within.