Ashli's Thoughts...

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 00:01:23 GMT

Seacliffs Courtyard
With the soft echoes of the sea pounding the cliffs behind you, you enter a large natural chamber in the cliffside. Behind, fading away is the faint restlessness of the sea, the tang of the salt air, and before you the open courtyard, which gives an unobstructed view of the sea. Turning into the courtyard, you pass into the chamber and find yourself immersed in greenery, potted plants, citrus trees and flowers, all protected from Fall by overhanging ledges naturally carved out of the cliff. The courtyard is open overhead, allowing sunlight and fresh air to sweep in through a natural chimney in the cliff-face. Neither inclement weather nor Thread enter the chamber, because of the ledges'... [look closer]
It is a winter sunset.
Green Xhuryth, blue Oljeitukhodath, and gold Isamath are here.
You see Flamer Shed here.
You notice Maudia asleep here.
Iliad is here.
Obvious exits:
Beach Stables Common Room Herb Garden Road Smithy

You slip gracefully down Isamath's neck and land with a quiet thump.

If Pern had cigarettes, Iliad'd be smoking one on the steps to the hold proper. Alas, nothing. So, a yo-yo entertains him instead, wherever he might've gotten it from. He's half-leaning against the wall, allowing the toy to fall and be lifted without much skill at all, but it looks cool, right? There're a few others roaming about the courtyard, seemingly dressed up for some occasion, and food can be smelled, drifting from somewhere nearby.

Slipping down from Isamath's back, Ash smoothes her skirts self-consciously, flicking some imaginary dust off the violet shoulder of the dress as she steps forwards slightly, before turning to slip a small money-pouch from within one of the voluminous bags upon Isa's straps, affixing it with a bit of nervous energy to her shimmery belt. A moment is spent in contemplation with Isamath before the gold lithely wanders towards the dragons nearby to chat. A nod here, a smile there, and Ash is making her way towards the steps, calculated grace in her movements...until she sees a friendly face, and a smile flashes upon her face. "Iliad! What are you doing here?" she calls in a delighted manner, moving slightly faster (though feet still taking those dainty small steps Pyrene taught her about) towards him.

Shazi walks in from the Seacliffs Common Room.

"Er, hey," comes Iliad's surprised greeting, a quick hand raised to wave at the goldrider. "I'm just--you know, here. For that thingy." The thingy that he was /oh so convinced/ about that it was the previous day? Yes, that would be the one. "Had a couple days off. Why not use them wisely, you know?" he grins crookedly, finally reaching down to pick up the yo-yo which failed to roll upward at some point. "You here for that, too?"

Shazi runs through, screaming, "Get them off! Get them off! Get them off!" Four firelizards, recently hatched, by their size, cling to her head and arms, shrieking at the tops of their little lungs. In her wake, a pair of youngsters with a bucket of spiderclaws, each, follow, giggling.

Shazi walks to the Beach.

Oljeitukhodath whuffs a greeting at the gold as she joins them. His rider's hasty entrance -and exit- hardly phase him, though he can't help but follow her trail with a whirl of amusement in his bright blue eyes before shifting in his seat to get more comfortable.

Finally slowing to a stop, Ash smoothes her skirts one last time before folding her hands demurely behind her. "Well...I suppose so? I was actually rousted out of gathering some herbs for the stores by Isamath, who informed me that I was supposed to be somewhere right then. And then I was whisked away to my weyr, informed on what to wear, borrowed some shoes from Vaeli..." Ash pauses, at that, adding in, "...who hopefully doesn't mind..." Another pause, before she continues, "...and then I barely had time to toss a pouch of marks into my bags before I was whisked off to wherever Isamath was taking me. Which, apparently, is here. Seacliffs, if I remember correctly from my jaunt here turns ago..." Ash taps her nose in contemplation before she notes, "But, I am here! Doing my representing Reaches duty! Though, really, you could've done just as fine a job, I'm not sure why Isa felt the need for me to be here."

"Hahahahahaha." So Iliad should probably be helping Shazi, but let's face it--this is Very Amusing. Instead, he stands there and laughs for a bit longer before finally following after her. "Did you feed them yet? Shazi, you have to feed them like, twenty times a day. Their ravenous!" Which is why Iliad insisted that she feed and impress to them. Right. "Hey, wanna help?" he calls back over his shoulder towards Ashli, beckoning her with a quick cant of his head.
Iliad walks to the Beach.

Beach
A long stretch of beach lies before you, gently sloping down to the water's edge, where equally gentle waves roll forward to kiss the shore. The far end of the beach cuts off abruptly at the tumbled ruins of a former Hold, where clinging vines cover the fallen stones, creating a seeming garden of peace and beauty. A couple of tidepools are set to the side, teeming with the varied sealife trapped within. Rocks, ranging from tiny pebbles to hefty boulders, are scattered throughout the beach, the more reasonably sized ones usually concealing a spiderclaw or two. Small sand dunes, pieces of driftwood and, of course, shells and pebbles of all sizes litter the beach, offering a sort of treasure... [look closer]
It is a winter sunset.
To the west, you see three dragons.
Gliding above are three firelizards.
You see Millenium Falcon Kite here.
Shazi and Iliad are here.
Obvious exits:
Dock Tumbled Rockface Secluded Beach Seacliffs Hold Courtyard

Ashli blinks as she rather belatedly notes a running Shazi, and a grin quirks at the corner of her mouth at the sight. "Aww...they're sort of cute." Which is, of course, exactly what Shazi probably wants to hear at this moment. "Don't even think about eating them, Isa." At that reply, Ash pauses, and queries, "You don't think Oljheitukhodath will eat them, do you?" The goldrider picks her way carefully along the beach, stopping occasionally to admire a particularly pretty shell or the ruins of the former Hold. "I may have some dried wherry in my bags if you'd like, Shazi?" Though how appetizing that would be to newborn flits is unknown to her.

Shazi stands, arms and legs spread, her new firelizards arrayed across her shoulders and arms with open mouths wide. Every now and again, a tiny head will bob to catch a spiderclaw tossed by one of the eager youngsters. The little bronze loses his grip and slips, but manages to stop himself just in time, saving himself, but tearing skin and cloth in the process. The bluerider squeaks. When she sees the guard, "Iliad, you are SO! DEAD!" One of the youngsters, feeling pity, reaches out to coax one of the browns to release his hold on her and promptly begins to feed it. The other, taking a cue from her older brother, steps forward to take the other brown and feed him.

"That's like canibalism. Almost." And sick. "We found them yesterday," Iliad then explains to Ashli as he attempts to pull one or two of the babies from Shazi's body. "And she impressed them /all/!" At no fault of Iliad's. Oh look, she's free now. "And don't you touch me!" he forewarns Shazi with a wicked grin as he hops out of the way. "If you kick me, I'll end up dropping one of these guys and he'll probably fall and break his neck." Or her neck. "I forgot how cute they are when they're this little. Aww. Have you named them yet?"

A snicker escapes from Ash at the sight, and she notes brightly, "Well, just think, you have little message-carriers. And they're actually quite good at cleaning up any little escaped bits of food, or small creatures that have begun to inhabit your weyr. Look on the bright side!" See, silver lining. "It is not cannibalism. Wherries are stupid. Firelizards are at least semi-intelligent at times." Ash nods, however, at the explanation, and grins. "That's actually quite impressive, Shazi. Though I'm not sure how you'll manage it! I could barely handle one tiny flit. Though I suppose you have Iliad to help you out." A wry look is shot at Iliad, at that.

"Yes," Shazi snaps. "Right now. Hungry, Mouthy, Screechy, and Bitey," she whimpers the last as the little gold mistakes her pointing finger for a spiderclaw. She shakes her head at Ashli as she presses on either side of the firelizard's jaw to force her to release the finger, then offers a spiderclaw in recompense. "Not much doing. Dimglow, there, led me into them, and then Numbnuts back in the courtyard supplied me with a bucket of fish. He still won't tell me where he found it, and I'm surprised I haven't heard anyone grumbling about a missing bucket."

Rumvyios walks in from the Seacliffs Courtyard.

"No no, if a dragon eats them, that's kind of like canibalism." Yes. "Dearest Shazi--in the long run? You'll thank me for finding these guys for you. Really, you will. You may not see it now, but later down the road" like ten turns from now "you'll say "Iliad? This was the best decision of my life... to feed those little guys and let them bond to me..."" Iliad trails off, half-canting his head to the sky in a daydream-like gesture. "You can thank me later."

"Well, there is a dolphinhall here, I'm sure there are random buckets of fish strategically placed for the apprentices and whatnot." Ash offers, muffling a laugh by biting her lip. "Don't you think they might get one of those complexes Wyn talks about, with those names?" Dark eyes dance mischeviously, though she blinks. "Don't worry. Once they get older, they become much less clingy. More like feet-warmers in bed." Though how reassuring that is, is a mystery. "Oh. I suppose it sort of would be, if a dragon ate them. But not exactly. I mean, they're quite far removed..."

See, once upon a time, there was a Rum. And then, the Rum left. And people cried out, 'but where's the Rum gone?'. And now... The Rum has returned. Everyone cheer. (Or not.) As it were, the slightly sleepy-looking man rollicks in, his seagait weaving about on hard land. A dark eyebrow raises; hey, now. There are people. On his beach. Can one see the thought-crease of perplexion?

"Point," Shazi concedes to Ashli as she eases the gold down her arm so she can feed her more easily. She waggles a spiderclaw menacingly in Iliad's direction, scowling. "I don't want to thank you later. I want to thank you now, with a nice big knock on the noggin. As it is," she states slyly as she turns her attention back on the firelizard in her hands, "I won't have much time for anything but my duties and taking care of these things."

"I toooold you I'd help you out with them. Cross my heart." But Iliad doesn't wish to die. "I've got nothing better to do. Trust me." Aside from work and caring for his daughter, right? "They're only young for a little bit. They'll pro'lly be more than twice this size by next sevenday, seriously. And more independent. Trust me!" Because Iliad knows all. The man walking up the beach is eyed skeptically for a short moment, but not enough to constitute staring.

Ashli flicks an eyebrow at the mysterious man along the beach, though she does offer a fairly friendly wave as well. Shazi is grinned at, and then she blinks oh-so-innocently. "But what else is there in life, Shazi?" She can't possibly be considering something as heinous as a...socially active life...Faranth, the very concept. Ash blinks at Iliad for a moment before the rider notes, "Well, that is true, they do grow fast. You've got enough oil for them, right? They'll be itchy as anything soon enough..."

Rumvyios eyes Iliad back. Hey, just because he looks disreputable doesn't mean he's disreputable. Er. Or something. Ashli gets a half-cocked wave, and he continues on, past the group. Aye, carry on, he was just walking through.

Rumvyios goes home.

"How are you supposed to help me, Iliad, when you sleep in the barracks and I sleep in my weyr? They won't be waking *you* up by shrieking in your ears and clawing you half to death." Shazi studies the remains of one of her favorite tunics and grimaces. "I've got enough oil for big butt, I think I've got enough oil for these guys," she replies to Ashli.

"Alright, that guy was a little sketchy." Surely one of the girls saw Rumvyios, right? Eyes trail after the departing form for a moment before eyes turn back to the little one in his own hands, using fingers to scritch behind his back. "I can babysit." Surely the other guards'll love that. "Or I could always just sleep over your weyr more often. I don't know." Of course, that'd probably eventually lead to Iliad's death.

Ashli blinks as Rumvyios leaves, then blinks at Shazi as well. "Oh. Well, all right then." Poor big butt. Moving on, Ash raises an eyebrow innocently. "What guy?" Can't hurt to tease Iliad a bit, right? She grins wryly, then purses her lips slightly as she catches wind of potential gossip. Oooo. A quick pause, and Ash suddenly notes, "Oh, my, I should go back to the courtyard...according to Isa there's some craftmaster or something there I should say hello to...I'll be back as soon as I can extricate myself...wish me luck!" And with that, Ash whisks herself away, bouncing from side to side as she deftly avoids rocks and other various obstacles, skirts hoisted out of the way in a rather unladylike fashion.

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 02:43:31 GMT

Beach
Ancient dunes have been flattened by the endless parade of people and dragons that tramp northwest across the bowl, leaving a mere skiff of sand here along lake's beaten edge. Footprints litter the curve of beach, some left turns ago and caught frozen in the heavy clay earth near the water's edge. As the sun sets, shadows invade, creeping like fingers across the gently sloping ground and darkening the distant ledges on the far side of the lake.
To the north, dust rises from the redolent pens while the flattened disc of the main bowl is just a step to the northwest.
It is a summer evening.
To the north, you see two green dragons.
To the northwest, you see eight dragons.
Darting here and there are ten firelizards.
Green Phaodynth, brown Sidramuntalath, blue Oljeitukhodath, and gold Isamath are here.
Sii'kyn, Shazi, and Ryan are here.
Obvious exits:
Stables Feeding Pens Central Bowl Lake

Isamath senses that Oljeitukhodath rumbles in response. <

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<lj-cut text="Ash and Isa head to the beach...(Ashli, Sii'kyn, Ryan, Shazi)">

Beach
Ancient dunes have been flattened by the endless parade of people and dragons that tramp northwest across the bowl, leaving a mere skiff of sand here along lake's beaten edge. Footprints litter the curve of beach, some left turns ago and caught frozen in the heavy clay earth near the water's edge. As the sun sets, shadows invade, creeping like fingers across the gently sloping ground and darkening the distant ledges on the far side of the lake.
To the north, dust rises from the redolent pens while the flattened disc of the main bowl is just a step to the northwest.
It is a summer evening.
To the north, you see two green dragons.
To the northwest, you see eight dragons.
Darting here and there are ten firelizards.
Green Phaodynth, brown Sidramuntalath, blue Oljeitukhodath, and gold Isamath are here.
Sii'kyn, Shazi, and Ryan are here.
Obvious exits:
Stables Feeding Pens Central Bowl Lake

<Local> Isamath senses that Oljeitukhodath rumbles in response. <<Ahh. Water. It is like balm to the parched spirit.>>

Sii'kyn sheds his shirt-- boots were waylaid prior. Hey! For an old man, Ike don't look that bad. Honestly. He wades into the water, snatches a brush away from one inept worker, and pitches it to Shazi. "'Ketch!" he offers in friendly baritone. Snagging a handful of sandstone, he starts rubbing briskly at hardy wingsail. "Don't be afraid to put some back in it," he informs the gaggle of more'n a half-dozen minions. "He'll eat you before you hurt him." Ram rumbles, darkly content. That's right.

<Local> Isamath senses that she's voice is quiet and musical as she greets the dragons in the area. <<'tis a fine evening, is it not, friends? Been a while since I've seen you, Sidramuntalath. And...ahh, Oljeitukhodath, how are things going? Your formations have been looking well at the grounds, and I've heard fine things about you from the weyrling master.>> Ahh, Isa and her love of weyrlings. At that last sentence, her voice sounds almost maternally proud, quiet crimsons pulsing in response.

<Local> Isamath senses that Sidramuntalath offers a sinuous length of braided sulphur, new metal, and the old, rich scent of brown earth. << Water is indeed needed. >> A wave of rippling red heat, then, << Though Southern's waters are so much more... enticing. >> He's such a snob. Mental gaze encompasses the young queen, and he tosses a melting rockslide her-ways. << Isamath. You look charming. Here to swim, or politic? >> He's evil.

Ryan chuckles at the older rider and his barking orders, before supplying Shazi with a smirk. "Heh, no but it is your compan I'd be joining."he points out in good humor now waist deep and going lower in the 'puddle of mud'. "Need a hand or two, haven't been up to much labor since moving up here completely?"he offers, holding up two hands in emphasis to that suggestion.

Look! In the sky! It's a bird...it's a plane...it's Ashli! And as Isamath hovers for a moment above the middle of the lake, said small female leaps from the gold's slender back, flipping and twirling into a rather large splash in the lake. She can fly, Tinkerbell! Isamath, on her part, done with today's acrobatic eruption, wings gracefully towards the beach, bugling welcomingly to the brown and blue as she settles into a spot on the sand still warm from the summer sun. Dark wavy hair can suddenly be seen popping above the surface, and Ash appears to float for a moment, relaxing from her stunt.

"If you break your neck, we aren't gonna catch you!" Ike hollers to Ashli. She'll always be the little girl that he knew, way-back-when. (Dude. When did Ike get -old-?) "We might rescue her, though," he contemplates to Ram, scrub-a-dubbing away. Industrious, now, the cheap, indentured slav--er, servants seem to pick up pace, fighting in vain to keep up with the man. "If she doesn't, I'll take ya!" Sii'kyn comments to Ryan, with a sly smile to Shazi.

<Local> Isamath senses that she responds with a flicker of lovely lilac amusement, tickling and banking Sidramuntalath's rockslide. <<Why thank you, my dear brown. Mostly here to keep Ashli out of trouble, when all is said and done.>> Relaxing in her response to the brown, Isa is apparently off-duty at the moment. No need to impress the weyr riders, apparently. <<Though, I suppose if you must bring politics into it, I could help you out. What is it you want this time, Sidramuntalath? Don't tell me you want me to try and convince some sort of bronze not to fly after that little green rising tomorrow, do you?>>

Despite being caught off-guard by Sii'kyn's sudden toss, Shazi snatches the brush from the air with a deft lean to one side, Oljeitukhodath shifting so that she doesn't fall. Once someone tosses her a packet of soap "Thank you!" she starts up her own little scrub-a-dub-dub session. She waggles quickly sudsy fingers at Ashli, then grins down at Ryan. "I don't mind. Don't need all that much help, though. Ol'dath isn't all that big, after all." She slips a glance at Sidramuntalath's cadre and laughs.

<Local> Isamath senses that Sidramuntalath twines idle plumes of grey-white smoke, noxious and dangerous, to play among lilac-color. Warping and threading and desecrating- Ram's best devious plots lay waste to conventional beauty. << Keeping Ashli out of trouble is quite a task, I imagine. Though I can guarantee you she will never find such jams as my Kyn. >> He's proud of Sii'kyn's impishness, he is. << Please. Spare me, lovely-- I can outfly a bronze any day of seven. >> He has, in the past, at least. You could ask Chay.. and Ysb... and Cadge... Er. << 'This time', >> he grumbles, mock-affrontedly. << Have I ask of anything from you except your continuing beauty?

Ryan nods, deciding to help Shazi, seeing Sii'kyn has enough helpers. However he does take the pause to wade over and snatch up another brush before rejoining the blue and his 'rider and somewhere in between this he manages a nod of greeting to Ashli.

<Local> Isamath senses that she's voice turns impish in her amusement, and flickers of bright colors quiver along her words, <<Well, she speaks out of turn quite often, you know. Ah, youth.>> Like the ancient, wizened Isamath is any to say. <<Well, if you say so, m'dear.>> In a fine flirty mood tonight, Isa is. Quite out of character, rather. <<Well, I do believe there was that one time you asked me to find information for you about that particularly cute green from...was it Benden? that you had an interest in...>> A pause, while a flicker of thoughtful cerulean glides in, <<And then there was that time during weyrlinghood when you asked me to ask the queens about some sort of formation...>> Another pause, and she begins, <<And then...but, you know, history. How have you been lately? Not breaking too many hearts, I'm sure?>>

<Local> Isamath senses that Oljeitukhodath wends a heady thread of nag champa through the noxious smoke, finger cymbals chiming softly in the distance as a reedy pipe plays a lively tune. <<True beauty needs not flattery to flourish. Thine is that which only nature bestows, great lady.>> Having said his piece, his presence settles, like a great Brahmana on a throne of pillows.

Ashli,however, is rather far away, but Ike's words are relayed to her via Isa-mail, and she waggles a fist at him threateningly, as if daring him to suggest she mess up a stunt. Long strokes take her in towards shore before she darts beneath the water for a bit, surfacing again beside the cadre of workers around Sidramuntalath's dark form. "Sidramuntalath!" she not-quite-squeals, bursting towards his head to tip her own head in friendly greeting. "Long time no see! I, of course, still haven't forgiven you for that day you almost ate Draggieth, though." The young woman laughs brightly, swooshing wet hair back with a single movement before bestowing a wide grin upon the various humans around. "Shazi! Oljeitukhodath! How are you two!? I am so glad you Impressed, Shazi, I know I haven't had much time to talk to you recently, but you and I need to catch up, my dear!!" A pause, then she winks at Ryan, "And, hey, Ryan! What've you been up to recently? You're not one of Sidramuntalath's groupies now, are you?" Or, well, whatever the Pernese equivalent of groupies would be. And, finally, "Ike! How've you /been/? Seems like forever since I last talked to you." Perhaps Ashli's been hiding under a rock, as she apparently hasn't seen any of these folks in quite a while.

<Local> Isamath senses that Sidramuntalath stamps out the nag champa. C'mon, pure opium or nothing at all, man. << Isamath. >> Foreboding once more-- Ram's a tendancy to get too Druseth-romantic at times. He forgets the bloodlust. Crimson pools and heady fogs of intoxication contemplate, kinking smaller and smaller circles. << Isamath, Isamath. I don't -do- greens. >> Well, he does, but he doesn't /boast/ about them. << Formations are different. That's business, not pleasure. >> A mental examination turns towards Oljeiwhatsits. << True enough, wise a-- >> he's chopped off by some unseen force. Thou Shalt Not Cuss At Weyrlings.

Sii'kyn sagely nods to Ryan and Shazi, scrubbing with singleminded intent. "Rinse," he commands, Ram obligingly tucking a wing down, under the surface, swishing, and raising it again. "We need to manage your spars better," Ike critically states. "And trailing edge is looking a bit wearied." Ram bites back something, well, biting. "Sh'dd'p," the human counterpart mutters. He glowers at minions. "What are you all staring at? Back to work!" he barks. He still has some clout, as they scramble to Be Productive. Grey gaze scout out to Ashli once more. "Draggieth. Faranth rest his soul," he gravely remarks. "You dragged that thing -everywhere-." Ram rumbles friendly enough greeting, though he has to appropriately Loom. "I've been in Southern. And Igen. And all the hot places of Pern." Catchin' golds, bein' the ladies' man, etc.

Shazi sighs dreamily as she stretches across Oljeitukhodath's back to scrub the space between his headknobs. The blue's eyes droop with pleasure. "I can't wait until we can fly everywhere. I've never been to Igen." Or a lot of places, for that matter, despite living in a Weyr. "Thanks, Ashli. Dath's grateful I was there, because, otherwise, he'd've had to Impress someone so much less cool." The blue snorts, amused, and Shazi giggles. "Okay, so I made that part up, but what'd you do without me?"

Isamath flutters a banner of soft pink towards Oljeitukhodath, twinkling lights darting around her response, <<Well, if that wasn't some lovely flattery, my dear blue, I'm not sure what is.>> Upon hearing her name, however, her attention wavers, and the banner droops in the sudden lack of wind, to be replaced by a sparkling flurry of golden motes. <<That's what they /all/ say.>> she responds sagely to the brown, noting with a mental lift of proud chin, <<And you have never caught /me/, m'dear.>> The unspoken sentiment looms that perhaps he is losing his touch in his...age, to the youthful gold.

Ashli seems rather unaffected by Sidramuntalath's Looming. Ahh, the naivete of youth. Or perhaps the confidence of a gold dragon backing her. Dark eyes fairly twinkle at Sii'kyn, and she grins. "Ah, yes, I did. Lovely little stuffie, he was, though. No, don't be jealous, Isa, you're a thousand times more lovely. And Ram won't threaten to eat you, I'm sure." She ahhs appropriately at his explanation of where he's been, and meanders out of the water as she responds, "Really? How was Igen? I've always wanted to visit there. Perhaps I will, sometime soon. Can't beat a warm place." She grins again, then adds to Shazi, "I'm not quite sure what I'd do without you." she replies, deadpan, before lighting up into yet another smile. "Well, you and I will just have to take a trip to Igen, then, and wow them with the beauty of High Reaches.

<Local> Isamath senses that Oljeitukhodath glows, midst the ineradicable incense of his presence -- heavy, solemn, yet amused. <<A silken tongue cannot the truth obfuscate nor adorn,>> he warns Sidramuntalath, <<Too much and the weight of words shall lessen their value.>>

Shazi performs a quick, slippery turn on Oljeitukhodath's back to thoroughly scrub his backside from her perch. "It always seemed strange to me, a place where it never snows, where the sand stretches as far as the eye can see, and storms that can strip the skin from your bones... I was always afraid to ask my mom to take me. She looked at me funny, sometimes, when I'd tell her why I wanted to go somewhere." She pauses for but a moment before asking, "You think we could really go together?"

<Local> Isamath senses that she replies after a moment, quiet amusement tickling her words. <<Yet, then again, any female enjoys hearing they're beautiful. Ask your rider, I am quite sure she will inform you of just that.>>

Ashli pads towards Isamath and the towel awaiting there, peeling off sodden shirt to reveal a bathing suit beneath before hiding that behind said fluffy towel as she responds to Shazi, "Most assuredly, I think it'd be quite fun." She winks, and notes merrily, "As soon as I'anex tells me you two are fit to go *between*, I'll have Isa get the image from Cadge or Nissi, and we'll flit off for a day trip. A sanity break, shall we say."

"Sweet!" Shazi crows as Ashli's words add confirmation to what she'd thought was merely a musing. "Oh!" She pauses with a sudden, somewhat alarming thought. "I need leathers!" She meets her dragon's gaze over her shoulder and grins. "I guess that means more caverns diving tomorrow, and another bath."

"Hmm, leathers would be helpful. Caverns diving...oo...best of luck with that." Ash mock-shudders, grinning wryly as she looks up in sympathy at the bath comment. "Don't tell me Oljeitukhodath somehow takes after Isamath in bath-loving tendencies?"

<Local> Isamath senses that Oljeitukhodath sighs pleasantly, the breath sending waves through the mist of incense. <<Ah, the simple joys of youth.>>

Shazi grins. "He loves bathing, but then, so do I, so it's no big deal. I wouldn't mind a nice, hot bath, though." She takes the offered tip of the blue's tail and scrubs it, then allows him to plunk it back into the water. "We've been cleaning out our weyr, so we've had an excuse for the past few days to bathe thoroughly."

<Local> Isamath senses that she responds pleasantly, noting wryly, <<True, those aren't so far behind me...>> She pauses suddenly, however, and notes, <<There is a dragon on my ledge. I do believe I shall go investigate...you and I should chat again, Oljeitukhodath.>> A promise, or a threat? Who knows...

<Local> Isamath senses that Oljeitukhodath thinks << I look forward to it, my lady. >>

Ashli seems to belatedly realize that Isa seems to be ready to launch off without her, and she calls to Shazi, "I'll be back! Good luck with that! I'll talk to you soon - you and I need to catch up!" Bounce, bounce, hop - and Ash is mounted and strapped in, barely, just in the nick of time...

</lj-cut>

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 20:53:52 GMT

(OOC: It's an Ashli! She's alive!! Sorry, RL has been...crazy, for me, recently, and I've been neglecting a lot of things I love, because that very word has been giving me difficulties. I'm glad to be able to concentrate again on HT, though...and I'm going to ensare all of you for rp soon, just wait!!)

Upper Alpine Meadows
A vast alpine meadow stretches to the foot a glacier, flanked by the flat reach of a dozen more peaks; snow lurks at the higher elevations, capping the valleys in thick, endless layers of ice and new-fallen flakes. In contrast, during the spring and summer months a carpet of wildflowers spreads over a base of springy green turf, perfect for picnics and days outdoors. A small stream runs off towards the distant weyr, running cool and clear from out of the nearby blue-toned glacier.
It is a summer noon.
Gold Isamath and bronze Feitoveth are here.
I'anex is here.
Obvious exits:
Ice Caves Glacier Stream

A skin of oil leans upon a rock near to where a particularly gleaming gold dragon is curled, one eye open and watching in what could be termed draconic bemusement as a petite figure with dark locks seems to be attempting to do a running forwards cartwheel. This, however, doesn't seem to be going too well, as Ash seems to be flopping into a sad somersault each time, though as of yet giving up doesn't seem to even remotely be an option.

Dark wings beat with appropriate darkness against the sky as Feitoveth makes his descent with marked haste, his claws sinking into the turf scarcely before he's touched down. I'anex is on his back and is sadly backward. Which has caused some creative, if awkward, rearrangement of straps.

The beating of wings is hard to miss, and Ash turns her head curiously, waving as she recognizes the bronze and rider. "I'anex!" is called as she breaks into a jog towards them, though she slows in apparent confusion as the straps are noticed. "...err...need some help?" Ash offers this slowly, quirking an eyebrow as she pauses near Feitoveth's foreleg. Isamath, on her part, offers a welcoming rumble to the pair.

"Nope!" Feitoveth hisses between his teeth, but it is almost a tolerant hiss. I'anex, for his part, makes no move to dismount. If he does find himself more or less having to say, "We didn't expect anyone would see us doing this. Sorry. I just wanted to see if it'd work. We made sure I was /very/ secure, first."

Ashli considers this for a moment, before asking, "But why would you want to be facing that way? I suppose it's a good show of trust between you and your dragon, might get a few girls at the Spring Games, but...what would you be doing? I suppose if you got really good you could...err...juggle? Hold a flag?" Ash, mostly, still seems to be searching for explanations, and she tilts her head to the side cautiously.

A pause, before Ashli notes, "Or perhaps there were not-so-secret disadvantages, and that's why people haven't done it. You couldn't try going between, it'd be awfully hard to picture it, and even a bronze needs some direction in that sense. And you couldn't do the sporty type moves necessary in Thread - dragonic eyesight is rather different. And wouldn't the blood all rush to your head after a while?" Full of questions, Ashli is, today.

"Ashli." I'anex's fingers work with initial futility against one knot, "I'm not doing it in Thread. I'm not betweening. It's a jaunt from my weyr to the meadows." Ah, there it goes. "There are a thousand rational reasons why you wouldn't do it, but because those rational reasons keep you from /trying it/, you may well keep yourself from discovering something. And what's the harm? This is as controlled a try as you like."

Ash's gaze snaps to I'anex at her name, and she blinks. "Well, I'm not saying you would, of course. I'm just offering reasons why no one would try it...and, well, I'm all for being irrational, but not when it involves the death of people I happen to like?" Ash suggests this with a flip of her hand, and then notes, "Well, what did you discover? Is it fun?"

"Ashli. It was from the weyr to the meadow." I'anex proceeds to the next knot. "In a quiet part of the day. If I /died/ during it, me or Feitoveth would've had to have had a stroke or something. Believe me, Feitoveth was a lot more upset at me for the green diving stunt-- mmph." Feitoveth's nostrils pinch. "As is? Didn't discover much, other than it's kind of fun and dizzying and the way you see things is . . . different. But it's worth it for that."

Again, her gaze immediately goes to I'anex, and she blinks. "Why do you keep using my name? I mean...I don't mind it, it's just odd that someone use it so often." Ash considers, then notes, "I don't think I want to know about the green diving stunt. Though, you know what /is/ fun? Diving off your dragon into the lake. Has to be in the middle, though, needs to be deep." Another pause, before she adds, "I suppose riding backwards once is worth it..."

Suddenly, Ash seems to notice something, and she jumps on it. "As is? Wait a minute, you're going to try it again changing things!? You're crazy! What if you get hurt? I'd be crushed!"

"I used your name /twice/. Because you're acting so all sharding concerned about a little experiment! Feitoveth wouldn't let me /do/ this if I was going to get hurt." I'anex's fingers succeed, finally. He can crawl down Feitoveth's side. There. "What are you so afraid of? It's a waste of time, at worst. Those straps took some time to rig up, but it's good hand-eye coordination practice. So I told Feitoveth, here. We work hard enough."

Ashli looks hurt, and notes quietly, "Fine. It's not my fault you're so touchy about it. Maybe you're touchy because you know I'm right." Oooo. There's a new one for Ash, actually tossing out a baldfaced opinion with no friendly words around it. She furthers her interesting new attitude by stalking off back towards Isamath, pausing halfway there to snag her jacket from where it had been tossed, brushing off grass and dirt with a hand.

I'anex's eyebrows draw in, but his bemusement is tempered by blank eyes. Talking to Feitoveth, apparently. Then, he takes himself away from the dragon, trailing after Ashli. His voice is a bit more measured. "Listen. It was a silly thing to do. But I promise I wasn't in any danger, Ashli. I'm just asking that you trust Feitoveth, if not me."

Ash turns, "I trust you both." is all she says, eyes dark with...a flurry of emotions, though dominant seems to be confusion. She places the now happily clean jacket over her arm, chewing on the inside of her cheek for a moment as she debates her next words. "Would I be a friend if I wasn't concerned? Would you want me as a friend if I wasn't?"

"You can be concerned, but you have to understand. Concern -- I don't like concern." I'anex glances long over his shoulder at the bronze. "It's means I'm doing or being something wrong, which I often am, but give me a good hard order over concern. That's so. Then I know what to do about it."

Ashli frowns, and then laughs softly. "I'anex, when have you ever known me to give a good hard order unless I'm either angry or being 'junior weyrwoman Ashli'?" A glance is given to Isamath, at this, who whuffs slightly disapprovingly, apparently being of the school of thought that Ashli and junior weyrwoman Ashli should be one and the same. "You don't need to do anything about concern. Just don't get annoyed at it, for goodness' sake."

"No, next time, I will just smile at you winningly and wave an 'oh, Ashli,' or junior weyrwoman, if you prefer--" I'anex's eyes blanken again and, when he 'returns', he sighs. "Sorry. Bad day for me. Or, I should say, a bad hour. /Unfortunately/, I've been pretty prickly for turns." He tries a wink. "You just don't see it."

Ashli frowns. "Sarcasm doesn't really become you, I'anex." Ash pauses, assimilating and apparently shrugging off his last statement, before noting, "Don't worry about it. We all have our bad days. Faranth knows usually I wouldn't have jumped at you, or from you, like I did on a normal day, but, you know how it goes." Ash grins, then, and shakes her head. "You're not a prickly person. You just like thinking that you are. I think it's part of that bronzerider swagger."

I'anex just runs his hand over the verge of his hair. "No, Ashli. I /am/. I am prickly, snarly, and sarcastic, among a whole list of other faults that you're . . . probably going to say I don't have. So. Just count yourself lucky." I'anex drops his hand and whisks another wink. "So it is. Let's start over. How're you?"

Ashli laughs! "And why should I count myself lucky? Because I know you're a lot of talk and no action?" Ash teases, then shrugs. "Me? I'm all right. A little...eh, I don't know. Early to say." Moving right along, "How're you doing? Lovely summer this year, hmm? Have you seen the 'lings recently? Isa and I have been along a few times to give helpful pointers and advice - goodness knows we were /horrible/ at formations. D'nik helped us, I believe, most of the time...and Desba."

I'anex's eyebrows spike up. "What /kind/ of action are you waiting for?" But he segues. "I'm Assistant Weyrlingmaster. I see 'em. Had some rough spots, but I think they're pulling along all right, aside from an attitude problem here and there. But who doesn't have attitude problems? Or problems? I did all right at formations, but betweening nearly killed me."

Blink. "Well...your whole concept of you being prickly and snarly..." Ash pauses, though her eyes sparkle with mirth, as she notes wryly, "Why, what were /you/ thinking of, I'anex?" Such a straight face, though. Good thing Pern doesn't have an equivalent of poker. "Have they? Oh, good. Well, weyrlinghood is rather stressful. Betweening, really? Hm. You and I are rather exact opposites in that respect, then."

I'anex seems to abandon previous conversation entire, however. "Betweening? Why not betweening? You make a mistake in visualizing and you could very well die. I don't like dying. Which isn't to say I wasn't /unusually/ neurotic about it."

Ashli snickers. "You know, for someone who doesn't like dying, you try some interesting stunts." Ash wrinkles her nose in amusement, before shrugging. "Isa and I were good at it from the get-go, so I guess I never really considered we'd do it badly. Ah, the confidence of youth, back when I was cute and cuddly." A wide grin and another laugh are added at that.

"The green diving was bad," I'anex accedes without elaboration. "Aren't you still cute and cuddly?" he has to ask.

Ashli considers that, then notes, "From the name, I'm sure I don't want to ask." She considers again, at the question, then shakes her head. "Nope. Now I'm...hmm..." Ash pauses as she searches for the words she wants, before declaring, "...sultry and provocative." Yep. Beat that.

I'anex squints an uncertain squint. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Ashli blinks. "No." is her answer, and she grimaces. "I'm just chatting." She pauses again, however, before admitting, "I think Isa will probably rise within the next two sevendays or so, and that's got me a little on edge."

"I /see/," and I'anex unfortunately sees with a smirk. "Of course, I figured you were probably just saying that to be funny."

Ashli nods. "Good. 'cause I was." Isn't it nice they understand each other? Ash frowns at I'anex, however, and narrows her eyes at his smirk. "She might not even fly, though, considering how close it is to the end of the pass. I've read in the archives about junior golds feeling the urge but restraining themselves for the good of the weyr. And of all the dragons to do that, Isa would be the one." Isn't Ash just lucky?

"Right." And I'anex's crackly semi-good mood takes a small down-turn. "End of the pass. That /would/ be one thing it affected." He takes a step back.

Ashli blinks at I'anex. "If you're worried about a lack of flights, I'm sure plenty of greens will still be rising. And the senior gold will assuredly rise during the Interval." She tilts her head at his sudden body language in apparent confusion.

I'anex forces a grin and shakes his head. "Not what I'm worried about. Sorry, Ashli." And the forcing appears to move into reality. Real grin. "It's -- that kind of day. I'm going to go home."

Ash's eyebrows draw in. "Then...what /are/ you worried about? And you don't need to apologize for anything...I don't think..." Ash shrugs, then nods. "All right...well, don't be a stranger." She flashes a grin.

"Complicated and amorphous. I'll tell you later when I'm feeling better." I'anex starts up Feitoveth's side. "Which means, therefore, I won't be a stranger."

Ashli nods. "All right, I'll hold you to that!" Ash calls after him, as she makes her own way towards Isamath, snagging the skin of oil as she goes, squirting a bit out and heading, with a grin at the dozing dragon, towards the edge of the gold's tail...

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 03:30:47 GMT

Isamath senses that Nylanth invades with a mixture of pride and urgency, his mindvoice a flurry of gold-laced maroon. << They have sat on the sands long enough. >> A pause as a strong scent of mulled wine flares. << They are ready. >> >>

Candidate Barracks
Serviceable, this low-ceiling'd room runs right and left from the heavy canvas curtains that function as a door: relatively bare of ornamentation, tidy glows light the few worn tapestries that adorn the walls and depict a variety of dragons in flight or at rest. But it is the cots, lots and lots of cots, that distinguish this room from the others, their blue or black coverlets tucked neatly over relatively fresh rushes.
Candidate's haven, this is their escape from the bustling world of chores and Weyr; visitors are welcome if invited.
Perched on a few empty cots are six firelizards.
You see Name Board, Xayna's Cot, Naomi's Nest, Iliad's Cot, Shazi's Cot, Lihall's Lodging, Saohlai's Cot, Eikera's Cot, Ryan's Cot, and Akasha's Cot here.
You notice Lihall, Eikera, and Akasha asleep here.
Shazi, Xayna, Naomi, Saohlai, and Ryan are here.
Obvious exits:
Caverns

Ashli rushes in, one shoe still in her hands. "The dragons have begun to hum, everyone! Isamath just informed me - let's go, let's go! Everyone, robes on, knots off! And don't forget sandals, it's hot out there!" Ash beams fondly with remembrance, eyes shining as she reviews the candidates. "Ready, everyone?"

In a quickly building crescendo, dragons of all sizes and hues begin a slow but steady thrum, signalling the beginning of another wintery dragon hatching.

Xayna was attempting to take a short nap and pretty much falls out of her cot as Ashli runs in. "Faranth!" She curses under her breath, grabs her badly hemmed robe and tries to get it on while taking off her bath robe and not letting the others see her underwear. She runs out after Ashli, almost tripping to try and put sandals on.

Saohlai is less than graceful about dressing; fabric catches in its jerk off and then on with the robe, and she topples to her bunk. This does give her the chance to utter some profanity. Also to shove her feet into the sandals. And hop up and down as she tries to hook their loops over her heels. "Bloody -- shards -- up --" she snaps.

Shazi squeaks! Quite literally. With a sudden flurry of doffed clothing and jewelry--a shirt here, a pair of pants, there--she manages to get herself decently robed and sandalled. She tugs her hair out from under the robe, tossing the twist of it over the front of her shoulder, then ties her belt about her waist with quick, if nerveless, fingers.

Naomi having been so anxious about the hatching previously had gotten ready early and tried to keep calm. As the notice of the dragons and Ashli's orders comes in she takes a deep breath, feeling her stomach clench she massages it. Looking at the others seeing if they're as nervous as she is she skitters over to Xayna's side. "Good luck, I hope all goes well."

Ryan stumbles into his own robe, feet slipping into sandals and just about tripping over onto his bunk.Never one to swear much, he shrugs it off standing up straight and sending his attention towards Ashli, as his flits take off joining in the humming with their own voices er hums. "Ready!"

Ashli slips on her other shoe distractedly, beaming happily at the candidates. "Best of luck out there, everyone. I wish you all the best!" With a few helpful herding motions of her hands, Ash starts over towards the Sands, whooshing the Candidates into their traditional stately line behind her. "Look proud, girls and boys, this is your chance to shine - you all represent the hope of the weyr! Make us proud." And with that rousing little speech, she's off...

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 23:31:25 GMT

Stores and Wine Cellar
Redolent with the smells of oak and spirits, fresh linens and drying stores, these caverns offer a certain cool serenity. Swept clean and kept neat, the stores area is well-lit and carefully arranged to offer efficient access to the weyr-tithe. A few small stools and narrow wooden tables offer a quiet moments peace.
Deeper into the weyr, the cool dampness of the cellars stores large casks of wine and spirits. A large stone table and some worn rock-benches fill one branch of the caves, while the Storemaster's office is angled such that any unauthorized visitors might be apprehended.
Most of the hallways are barred and locked.. most of them. But perhaps a few are open?
Iliad is here.
Obvious exits:
Kitchens

Where has the Storemaster gone? There seems to be no sign of him...but, this appears to be a good thing for a certain petite goldrider, whose small feet can be seen poking out from between two large casks, where she appears to be grasping for some sort of bottle from among those cached behind said casks. Various grumbly, grouchy, and otherwise semi-annoyed noises can be heard, many to the effect of the state of dust and various small creatures around and about...

Iliad, the /guard/, will just stand there, staring. Staring with amusement, that is. Until the goldrider notices him, he plays the quiet game with arms crossed over one another in the tough-guy pose. Eventually though, he breaks the silence (and obviously his intentions) and clears his throat loudly, looking smug.

Oh dear. Ashli pops out hurriedly from her space in the cache, dustballs attached to her in every possible manner, giving her a rather...ragged, and thoroughly un-professional look to what may have once been fairly decent attire. A bottle is clutched in one hand, and she glances at it for a moment before moving that hand hurriedly behind her back. If he can't see it, it isn't there...right? Ash glances side to side, as if eyeing avenues of escape, before she apparently decides to deal directly with Iliad. "Err...hello there! How've you been? Long time no see! I guess I'll just be running along now! You know, err, off to...research! Yes, that's why I came down here. Research in that records room over yonder, of course."

"That's sad. I've heard better excuses. Do try again to at least /amuse/ me," Iliad smirks, sidling a bit to the side to block the doorway, as if she'd actually be able to get by otherwards. "I'll give you ten seconds. Ready? Ten, nine, eight..." Etc etc.

Ashli flops a hand at him in a gesture that is meant...well, who knows if Ashli's even sure exactly what that hand-flopping was meant to do, but it occupied her for a moment while she contemplated her options. "Isamath was thirsty?" Amusing, yet...almost...sensible, no? Does she get bonus points for quick thinking?

"Better, but try again," Iliad tells the woman, tapping his foot in anticipation. Eventually though, he maneuvers his way further into the stores, settling down on a upside down crate. "So what're you -really- doing down here?" Maybe that'll get her to spill the beans, hmm?

"Pyrene told me to?" See, see, the woman who spends most of her days resting told her to! Makes perfect sense, right? What about points for effort? Ash wrinkles her nose at Iliad in apparent amusement, using the hand that is not hiding the wine bottle to whuff at her hair in an attempt to rid it of various fuzzy dustballs. She pauses, though, as he queries what she's doing down here, and in an attempt to look innocent, she offers whimsically, "Practicing being stealthy?"

"So if I ask the Py--I mean, the Weyrwoman, she'll tell me this?" Iliad lifts his brows and rubs his chin as if considering his for a moment, but her latter statement becomes the winner! He lifts his hand into the air, snaps his fingers and laughs outright. Once. Just a "HA!" and a "Too bad you failed /miiiiiserably/ at doing so."

"Well...you know...she's not accepting many visitors at the moment, so, err...I'll just verify it for you, and all." Ash offers a diplomatic smile and attempts to look friendly, until he laughs, and she narrows her eyes and makes an odd sort of 'grumpf' sound. "I did not! I was doing just fine!! I had almost wormed my way into that little cache back there! I'd just gotten my hips slightly stuck, but I was close!" She waves her arms around for some sort of emphasis and comments, "I am quite stealthy." So there.

"Oh, but see? It wouldn't be a visit. Simply business," Iliad replies, shaking his head as the smug look returns to his face. "So, think I should apprehend you?" It's really just a question. What'll be amusing might just be her answer. "You'd be my first, you know."

An odd sort of sound emits from Ashli at the concept of being apprehended, and the girl makes a decision. Cut and run, cut and run! And go she does - straight towards that familiar hallway that leads deeper into the weyr and towards the records room, her quick sprint taking her also towards a veritably large stone, the remnants of what may once have been a bench, sitting directly in the path of her running...oh my...

"Do you /honestly/ think you can run from me?" Iliad laughs, quite amused at the rider's antics. Slowly but surely, the young man stands up and starts after her. "I know where you live!" Not that it matters, but it just sounded cool to mention.

Oh, and there's that rock. Sigh. A fall turns into a somersault, reflexes automatically turning Ash's trip into a roll, and up she goes, barely a beat missed, before she hesitates. A good point, that. Ash's headlong sprint slows into a jog, then a standstill at the door of the records room as she comments, "That's a good point." she vocalizes her thought, frowning at the concept. "You know, a few years ago, I would've been able to get away with that." A few years ago, she also probably wouldn't have been raiding the wine stores. Though one never knows. "I do run rather fast? You could pretend you didn't know me? Do you have to report me?" You couldn't report someone as gosh-darned cute as she is, could you? Could you?

"Now, where's the integrity in that?" Iliad asks, canting his head at the woman upon approach. Eventually, he's standing -right there-, and he didn't even have to run! "And disobeying a guard? That's a awful offense, you know. You're just digging yourself a hole!"

"Umm...well...I wasn't doing much harm? And...look, the bottle is still unharmed?" Yes, miraculously, somehow the bottle managed to make it through the somersault and sprint without breaking, and Ash waggles it at him to prove her point. "How about I'm counting and testing the stores for the records? That's a pretty good one, I do do records?" See, there you go. A perfectly logical concept. "I am not disobeying the guards! You haven't told me to do anything." Splitting hairs, splitting hairs. Ash ponders for a moment, and notes, "Don't I outrank you, anyways? I think I do...so...err...I accuse you of...err...pestering a junior weyrwoman!" An offense punishble by...um...tossing the offender in the lake. Aha.

"Outrank me or not, I still have authority over you." And if he sounds really tough, maybe Ashli will actually believe him, whether it's true or not. "Let me give you a scenerio," Iliad starts off, pivoting slightly until he rests against the wall, "Here's a junior weyrwoman, /stealing/ things that don't belong to her. She's caught. Do you honestly think that -nothing- should be done about that because she has a few extra loopieloops to her knot and the apprehender happens to merely hold the ranking of a single loopieloop?" Slowly, Iliad shakes his head, sighing exaggeratedly.

Pondering this for a moment, Ash leans against the wall, ticking her fingers against her leg as she does so. "No...no, I'm pretty sure I outrank you. I think I get called to task by...Pyrene. No, Vaeli. Either of them, actually, I think. Is Pyrene still technically Esprit's wingleader, do you think?" A tough question. She is not trying to distract Iliad at all, however, nope. "I am /not/ stealing! I'm borrowing! I'll give it back!" Perhaps not wholly intact, but she will return it! What else would she do with the bottle? "Well, if it was morally wrong, the gold wouldn't let said junior weyrwoman in your scenario do it. So, obviously, she must have good reasons, loopieloops aside."

"It's not a matter of outranking," Iliad tries to reiterate. "Rank has nothing to do with anything at this point. See, if my own /father/ say---killed somebody, you, just for example," Iliad says, flicking a hand in the air, "Weyrleader or not, I'd still have the responsibility of apprehending him and prosecuting him as deemed necessarily for such a capital offense. Do you see what I'm getting at?" he asks, canting his head to the other side now as he regards the woman. "Alas, there is no gold in the stores here to prevent you from doing such. She may be your conscience, but guess what, I can easily go against mine." Even if it's imaginary.

Ashli frowns. "All right, you may have a point with the rank." Ash pauses, then notes, "But borrowing something is much different than killing someone." She seems to be completely confused with this entire turn of events, pausing once again to apparently hold a side conversation, noting abruptly, "Isa may not be here literally, but have you ever tried to live with a dragon that is upset with a choice you made? Believe me, they can make your life miserable. Your conscience can't drop things on you or trip you or push paint on your ledge or rip up pillows or threaten to eat cats, firelizards, and small children. Well, probably not small children."

"You have issues," is Iliad's response to that before hand is outstretched towards the woman, "The bottle, please." And if she hands it over, all will be swell, right? In the meantime, he pushes himself off of the wall to stand opposed to the woman, waiting.

A hand is waggled, apparently in distress, at that. "I do not! Not any more than your average female." Eyebrows draw down and Ash pauses, looking at the bottle sadly. "Do you /really/ want it? It's a wonderful year, you know, this particular Istan red." Dark eyes gaze up at him hopefully. "It's only one little bottle."

Iliad continues to hold his hand out while eyes roll upward, sideways, and everyways before eventually refocusing on the woman, "The bottle?" Gimme. "It's either that or I'll read you your rights." Surely there's something equivalent to the Miranda rights on Pern. "And apprehend you... take you down to the holding cell. Oh! You'd be the first since /Uriala/, I do believe. It's been a while since we've had to put someone in there."

A snicker emits from Ash, and she blinks oh-so-innocently at Iliad. "You'd put me in the holding cell? Really?" Consideration goes into that. "That might be fun...if I choose that option, I get to keep the bottle, right?" Ash contemplates this, then notes, "When am I allowed out of the holding cell? Would I be kept in there an entire day? Or just a few hours?" A bright smile is flashed engagingly at Iliad, as she has one last question, "What /are/ my rights? Can I have Isa rescue me once we get into open territory? It could be a kidnapping. Ashlinapping."

"Negative. I'd have to take it regardless as evidence." Evidence that can be kept in his own belongings, surely. As the questions come pouring out of the rider, Iliad's face can't help but drop before "Just give me the sharding bottle, woman!" Ooh, echo echo echo.

Ashli jumps as Iliad shouts, and appears rather disconcerted. "Well, honestly, you don't have to get all uppity about this." Ash huffs, putting a hand on her hip. "If either of us should be shouting, it should be me, what with you threatening to arrest me and then not even really meaning it, or being able to explain it to me. Honestly." She frowns, then queries, "Do people really get thrown into holding cells for borrowing wine? How come no one else ever gets caught at this?" Le sigh.

"What makes you think that I don't mean it?" And to prove his point, Iliad moves as if he were about to position Ashli's arms for an arrest, actually reaching for one and snagging it, should she not jump out of the way, anyway. "I guess they're just more stealthy than you are, weyrwoman."

"Well, what would people think? Wouldn't do much for your reputation to arrest the junior weyrwoman merely for borrowing a single bottle of wine." Ash notably doesn't mention how her own reputation may suffer - perhaps it would be chalked down to youthful exuberance. She hadn't caused any good gossip in a while, anyways. Ash squeaks softly as her arm is snagged, and she frowns. "I am too stealthy! You're just..." Her kryptonite? "...perceptive."

"Honestly, I think it'd look worse on your behalf. Arresting people's my job. However, commiting crimes is hardly the stereotype of most goldriders, you know." Point! "Just think about the gossip!" Tsking, Iliad reaches for the other arm as well, "You know, you could just give up the wine and that would be that. I wouldn't even have to write up a report."

"Well, you know, I haven't done anything good and gossip-inspiring since I was involved with X'ian. This could make all those aunties who used to gossip about me re-interested." Unfortunately, Iliad's comment seems to have the opposite effect as intended, and Ash flashes a bright grin. "It is not a crime! I could use it to highlight that the guards' strength is being put into the wrong areas, and resources are being utilized in the wrong areas. You, for instance, could probably be doing much more work patrolling the borders of the weyr instead of chatting down here with one of your resident goldriders." Ash ponders this, freely giving up her other arm, though the wine bottle is still clutched in said hand. "Is the holding cell comfortable? How long do those charged with wine felonies stay in there? Are there critters living in there?"

"Comfortable? I wouldn't say that. It's down by the groundweyrs and com/pletely/ open to vermin and tunnelsnakes. Some say that people've been eaten alive there, you know." Or not, but Iliad can pretend, right? He needs to instill fear -somehow-. Hopefully.

Ash is, however, fearless! See her roar! Or, rather shiver slightly as vermin and tunnelsnakes are mentioned, though she quirks an eyebrow as Iliad notes that people have been eaten alive. "Are you sure? Are there really skeletons there? Who was eaten alive? I haven't read any records of that..." She pauses and considers this..."You know, you still haven't answered how long I'd be stuffed in there. If it's open to vermin and tunnelsnakes, does that mean there's a hole I can wiggle out of, too? Tunnelsnakes are fairly fat, you know." As if he wouldn't know that, growing up in the weyr. But Ash is apparently styling herself the master of the obvious tonight.

"Not anymore. They disposed of the bodies between." And that's all Iliad says as he gives Ashli a little push towards the stores proper. "Are you ready to give up the bottle yet?" he can't help but ask, pausing to peek around over the woman's shoulder to look at her. "I /really/ don't feel like doing up all that hidework, you know."

Ashli teeters for a moment before taking a small step forward to counterbalance the push. "Well, is there an option c, where I get to keep the bottle? I'd like to pick that one." Ash frowns as she considers her options. "Well, you know, you could just pretend you never saw me, and there'd be no hidework involved at all! We could just go on with our lives and whatnot. It'd be a great drinking story." Ha. Perhaps not the best choice of phrases, there.

"Again, we're backstepping on the integrity issue. I don't lie, you know. I wasn't brought up that way." As far as the 'drinking story goes', Iliad just snorts aloud. "Right. Just give up the bottle already. You're not going to have it one way or another, you know. I can /easily/ just pry it from your hands if I wanted to, but you might end up with a sprain."

"Now, that'd make a pretty good story. I could tell people I sprained my wrist due to guard abuse!" Ash comments wryly, twisting slightly to gaze oh-so-innocently back at Iliad, before she notes with a shift of her shoulder, "You don't have to go all high-and-mighty on me. I doubt many people are raised to lie. I was merely discussing an omission of the truth. Not lying, but just...not...commenting." Ash pauses, reassimilates, and adds, "Or, perhaps, shifting the truth to fit the margin. I could be borrowing this here bottle of wine for a very important reason."

"You're so full of it!" Iliad actually laughs, releasing one hand to tug at the bottle, though hardly with all of his strength. "Just give me the sharding bottle already, geez. Why do you have to be so difficult? Would you rather I slam you against the floor? I could do that too and justify it."

Ashli laughs, herself, noting wryly, "You've just caught me at a bad time, really." Ash sighs, and notes, "But, see, I worked /hard/ to get this here bottle, and I'd really rather not give it up unless I absolutely have to." She blinks, and notes, "You don't have to get all manly on me or anything. It wouldn't exactly be difficult for someone of your height and stature to throw someone of my height and stature on the floor. Not exactly something you can brag about to your buddies." Ash huffs, and keeps her grip tightly on the bottle.

"Well, on that note, you -absolutely positively- have to give it up." There is no option at this point. And to stress his point, Iliad gives Ashli another little push, nudging her to give it up as he continues to try and pry the bottle out of the woman's hand. "Just. Give. It. Up. And for the record, I don't brag. I brag about getting laid. I brag about winning a mark or two. I don't brag about arresting uncontrollable weyrwomen."

"Really? Are you /sure/ we can't just pretend you didn't see me? How will you know that I won't just come back later and rescue it? Are you still going to throw me in the holding cell?" Ash sighs as she's pushed again, wobbling as she attempts to find footing. She is like a weeble! She will not fall! The bottle is grasped tightly, and Ash notes, "You know, if you keep prodding at that bottle, it might break." Which would be a tragedy in and of itself. "I am not uncontrollable! I am very sensible. Especially about my wine. Which I have claimed. How do you know I didn't put it down here myself and came down here to get it later on? Wine tends to age well down here."

"Because by then, I'm sure the storeskeeper'll be back to protect his assets," Iliad suggests, snorting with amusement at her persistant excuses, "Because if it were yours to begin with, I'm sure you would've found it in yourself to tell me that from the beginning. But, since you didn't, and since you -did- admit to taking it otherwise... Just give it up."

"Well, he has to sleep, too! And I could always distract him with...something. I'm sure it's quite possible it can be re-taken." Ash frowns at Iliad. "But, you could always save me the trouble of having to come down here yet again?" She blinks. "I did? I have not admitted to anything! I think they call that leading the witness! Hmpf." Ash rolls her shoulders in agitation - she probably would've raised a hand in indignation, but her hands are otherwise occupied. "How about we start over. So, hi, Iliad. I'm Ashli. I'm here to borrow some of my wine. I'm not generally annoying, or stubborn. And...um...as wonderful as your company is, I'm sure you are needed elsewhere?"

"See, now you're telling me your devious plan. Another crime!" Iliad proclaims. But, as Ashli "starts over", Iliad releases his grip from her arms, stepping in front of her. "I know who you are. I'm not ignorant." And for some reason, Iliad's grinning, widely at that. "And actually, I'm off duty. I'm not needed anywhere. Imagine that!" Nothing like toying with one's brains, right?

"Devious plan, my butt." Ash hmpfs at that concept, and notes, "If it was a devious plan, I wouldn't tell you. So, obviously, it's merely a course of action." As her arms are released, Ash smiles, though that smile slips and she actually makes a soft sort of growly noise as Iliad mentions he's off-duty. "So...so...you threatened to toss me into a holding cell, and you're not even on duty? You're not even a guard? You're just Iliad? You are...you are...insufferable!" Ash throws her hands up in the air, being careful to keep her grip upon that prized bottle of wine as she does so. "So I suppose you were just tormenting me for...for...I can't even imagine. Hmpf!"

"I'm a guard. But, like I said, I'm off duty. Just off of a shift, actually." And what's he doing in the stores himself? Hmm. Peculiar. "You see, I could've easily called for someone else to take you away." Another point! "For the fun of it? I've had a long day. I needed something fun to do." A smirk comes next as shoulders roll in a completely innocent manner. "So really, what're you doing with the wine?"

A hand is waved at that distinction, and she sighs. "You are just...hmpf. You're not the only one who has had a long day! For Faranth's sake." Ash grumbles, though mostly good-naturedly. "I'm hoarding wine to put into Pyrene's weyr after I remodel it. Please keep that a secret. I've enlisted the candidates to help - I think it'll be a nice way of showing her that the weyr loves and supports her." She finally admits the oh-so-horrible reason, narrowing her eyes suspiciously as she does so.

"So I've heard. I've been helping Shazi out with finding tapestries, actually," Iliad notes, thumbing towards the stores which, ironically, they're already in. "You should at least taste it first, in my opinion. I mean, you wouldn't want to give her tainted spirits now, would you?" So backwashing spit into the skins and bottles are better, right?

"Well, this particular vintage and year happens to be one of my absolute favorites, which is why I was putting such effort into getting it. I'm not sure if Pyrene will like it, but I think she will." Ash blinks. "Tapestries? That's a good idea. Found any good ones yet? I'anex and I were discussing mural ideas yesterday - I'll have to speak with Xayna, but I think we've agreed upon a dramatic Fall scene, with the dragons in the high winds formation - which is always aesthetically pleasing, you know." Ash chatters on about her current favorite topic, though Iliad is still favored with a slightly suspicious gaze.

"We found some," is all Iliad mentions, smirking for whatever reason. It's rubbed away with his hand as he feigns a throat clearing. "Xayna's weird. All I /ever/ heard was feline this and feline that when I was a candidate. That's something I definitely don't miss." Moving on...

"Did you? Oh, good." Ash brushes right past the odd smirk and throat clearing, blinking as she notes, "I don't know her very well, myself, though I'm hoping to get to know the candidates a bit better through all this - but she did seem very eager to start up on the mural and the project in general, as did Naomi." She blinks, and notes, "'twas a pity you dropped out of candidacy. But, life takes us in odd paths, surely."

"Certainly does. It wasn't for me. I was only in it 'cause Shazi was," Iliad admits easily, rolling his shoulders to shrug it off. "And well, because I said 'yes' when Eit asked. That bastard." Such profanity! "But anyway," Iliad pauses in his speech as he makes his way past Ashli to poke around the crates and shelves.

Ashli grins, and nods. "Eit managed to ask quite a few people, rather impressively. I was rather hoping Isa would find someone suitable, but we didn't exactly get out enough to thoroughly search holds and whatnot. Isa's more into the whole weyrling concept than in the candidate concept." Ash plops herself on a handy stone bench, bottle cradled in an arm. After such a battle, it will not be given up easily. "Seems like it's been an awful long time since I've talked to you."

"Ancient times." Probably just a few months, really. With a flick of his hand in the air, Iliad snatches a skin with the other before settling down beside the goldrider, whether there's adequate room or not for comfort. "Not that I'm sure there's a reason for that other than generally busy lives and whatnot."

Scrunching over slightly to provide more room upon the bench, Ash grins. "Aye, practically back in Faranth's days." She flicks her fingers as she nods. "Things have been hectic recently, I'm sure for everyone." The rider pauses for a moment, as if searching for a topic of conversation, tapping fingers against the bottle as she does so. "How are things with Shazi? Gossip has been running rampant about you two." Ash, ever curious. "Not that I mean to pry."

"Seriously? What's being said?" Oh, Iliad's interested, can you tell? Brows are raised, body's pivoted to better face the woman and a complete look of anticipation's on his face. "Go one. Tell me."

Ashli waves a hand. "The usual run-of-the-mill gossip that occurs in a weyr when two fairly well known members are linked, you know how that is. Occasionally I catch gossip of interesting occurances or supposed illicit encounters." Ash winks, and shrugs. "Nothing that I'd pin down - I'm afraid my gossip sources are mostly what I catch wandering around the weyr and not actual conversations any longer; though perhaps I should schedule out more time for that. Gossip can be handy to figure out what's going on in a weyr. People never fail in their curiosity." Apparently oblivious to the irony of that statement, she flashes a grin.

"Supposed illicit encounters. Cute," Iliad laughs, shaking his head as he casually opens up the skin in his hand. La la la. "Well, for the sake of innocence and keeping Shazi in candidacy, any and all alleged encounters are hereby false. Never happened. We've put the relationship on hold until after candidacy and/or weyrlinghood. The end." Swiiiiig.

"Ah. Of course. I did say supposed, you know. Always give the benefit of the doubt." A smile quirks on Ash's lips, eyes sparkling as she ponders the bottle in her hand. To open it, or to save it? A difficult decision, apparently. "Though I'm sure Shazi'd appreciate the help of another person during weyrlinghood if she Impresses. Can be a rather lot of work. Mostly singular, though, I suppose."

"Do you think it's selfish of me to not want Shazi to impress?" Iliad asks in all honesty, taking another long swig from the skin as eyes stare lightly at Ashli, anticipating her answer. "I mean, I just /miss/ her. Even when I was a candidate, I missed her. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not all about the sex. I don't care that we have to wait sharding forever and a half to do it again. It's just--I wanna /be/ with her."

"Not at all." Ash replies, shaking her head slowly. "I was too young during my candidacy and weyrlinghood to really have formed any strong relationships; even with my fellow candidates there was the age barrier, so I can't really grasp it from personal experience, but candidacy is hard all around on everyone - though it's a lot of waiting. And I'm sure, though, that you two can make time...but, I know you know, Iliad, that if she does Impress, it's going to be very difficult." Ash pauses, considering, then continues, "There isn't much time for outside things during weyrlinghood - it's all learning formations, learning about your dragon, and learning more about yourself and who you are. People change a lot during weyrlinghood - mature, mostly, and become better people for it. It'll get worse before it gets better, as the healers say, but you two will be together again soon enough. With the Interval coming...she'll have plenty of spare time; and I'm not sure how rigorous the weyrling training will be, considering the falls are winding down, and these weyrlings won't be long in the skies."

"I know. And I told her I'd wait for her." So, how about that atomic bomb? "And I want to. I'm just so afraid of something happening--like take Eit for example. He's changed a lot since impression. I just don't want Shazi to change so much that I become obsolete with the break that we'll have to have. I love her so much, you know?" Well, she does now. Sighing, Iliad becomes consumed in the skin once again, taking several long swigs now.

Ashli nods sympathetically, noting, "That's very noble of you - and I'm sure she appreciates your loyalty in all that. Most people tend to change a rather lot...I suppose it all depends on what sort of a dragon she Impresses, if she does. Isa brought out the best in me, while Eit is still struggling with the conflicts his dragon imposes upon him - there's always that period of readjusting, that all weyrlings and young riders go through. I guess it was a little easier for me, since I was so young, I didn't exactly have a game plan or a set personality yet. Very malleable." Ash pauses, and contemplates, noting, "Shazi's a very grounded person, though, Iliad. I can't imagine that she would change drastically, especially emotionally." She tilts her head to the side and shrugs a single shoulder, though, "Relationships are tricky things here in weyrs, where gossip is so rampant."

"Yeah, tell me about it." She just did, didn't she? "You know what's funny? I don't even like wine." Yet, he's thieved an entire skin and has consumed nearly half of it already. "I think it's kind of absurd that relationships are forbidden during candidacy. I mean, it doesn't -really- prep anyone for anything. It just makes them more antsy if anything."

An eyebrow is quirked at that, "Might want to ease up a bit on it, then, if you're not exactly used to it. That vintage you selected tends to be a bit of a kicker in the morning, from what I remember." Ash hazards a suggestion, peering at the skin for a moment. "I suppose, but it's supposed to be a sort of prep for weyrlinghood, and a time for introspection of yourself; not yourself with others, but merely yourself, and who you want to be, and who you see yourself being with or without a dragon, with or without others. Whether candidates actually do that...well, who knows. But that's mostly the point, as it goes."

"Living two turns of celibacy. It's tragic," Iliad proclaims, taking another swig for good measure. "And alcohol. So many rules. I never much liked rules. That's why I didn't apprentice. Well, that and I never found interest in craft life. I almost became a smith once. With Pidgery. But I said 'naw' cause I wanted to be a guard. Did you know I only became a guard, initially, cause Cheyanna was becoming one? We were going out at the time." So how 'bout those Red Sox?

How 'bout those Red Sox. "I suppose it is, but consider it character-building." Ash pauses, then blinks at Iliad. "And yet you seem to find time even in your spare time to uphold rules." She teases, wrinkling her nose at him before she frowns. "I seem to be seeing a pattern of you following the females you're interested in. Though, for the guards, I suppose it ended up working well for you, since you're happy as a guard...do you see yourself being a guard for the rest of your days?" Ash doesn't mean to pry, really, but with comments such as those, how can she resist? Mere human curiosity...

"I do. And I will unless they boot me. I almost got booted, you know, because---wait, why did--oh OH! Because I slugged Iliad. I mean I'anex. I'm Iliad." Hello wine. "I do tend to follow girls, huh? Like Lzi. I almost moved to Ista Weyr to be with her. But we broke up so that never happened and then she dropped Lilly off with me so now I'm raising her only I'm technically not since Elehu and Reiko are fostering her but I see her as often as I can." And breath.

"Right...Iliad you are..." Ash agrees carefully, hiding a smile behind a hand as she nods, then blinks. "Why did she drop Lilly off with you? Well...Elehu and Reiko are a good choice to foster a child, I'm sure Lilly is doing wonderfully...and it is kind of you to look in on her as often as you can..." She pauses to try and wrap her mind around all these various concepts and events, peering at that wineskin in Iliad's hand as if attempting to judge just how much is left in there, and whether she could safely snag it out of his hands.

Another swig leads Iliad to set the skin on the ground, already empty. "'cause she didn't want the baby. Not after it was too late, anyway. I did. I'm very pro-life." See the fist pumping in the air. Go life, go! "You should meet Lilly sometime. She's such a little sweetie pie. Sweeter than a bubbly! And sooooo beautiful. Just like Shazi, but Shazi's a different kind of beautiful."

Ashli stares at the emptied skin on the ground, then raises her gaze to Iliad, clearly impressed that he is even able to sit upright, much less speak. "I have yet to meet someone pro-death, actually." Ash comments, almost ironically, though she follows up with, "I suppose that's a good reason to help foster her, though, yep. Is she?" Ash grins, thinking of her own brat years, then asks, "How old is she, now? Still in those cute adorable years, before she gets into all sorts of various troubles?" The goldrider blinks at the sudden comparison of Lilly to Shazi, though her grin merely widens slightly, "Aye, I suppose Shazi is, at that."

"She's---" Brain fart. Doh. "Four." Or not. "Months! Four months. Young! Get it? Young?" And here comes a nice fit of laughter and Iliad -almost- falls over, but catches himself with a stomp forward. "I love Shazi. She's so hot. And she's sharding /awesome/ in bed too." And she probably loves the fact that Iliad endulges such personal information to others! "And she's sweet. Very sweet. Like a sweetstick."

"Really, only four months? She must be adorable..." Ash seems about to continue to extol the virtues of four year olds before Iliad mentions Shazi's skills, and her lips twitch in a fashion that could almost be said to be amused, "I'm sure she is, Iliad, I'm...sure she is." Ash merely agrees neutrally, then notes, "Perhaps you and I should head over to the guard headquarters? Didn't you say something about needing to finish a report over there?" She hunts for a diplomatic excuse to get Iliad somewhere where he can crash and sober up - hopefully someplace semi-private, where he won't extol Shazi's virtues to the weyr at large.

"Wait, was I supposed to apprehend you? I forget. Wait. Waitwaitwait. Off duty," Iliad proclaims, clapping his hands down to his knees before keeling over, head resting between his legs. "...so I think I'm gonna throw up." Oh, golly gee. How fortunate for the goldrider, hmm?

"No, no, not me!" Ash is quick to correct, before she blinks. "Are you now? Well, feel free, I suppose..." She frowns, shifts her feet farther away from the line of fire, though she does lean her upper body forwards, moving as if to lightly rub the poor man's back. "Off duty, yes...though I could gladly escort you someplace more comfortable?"

Iliad just shakes his head, making one of those lovely gag-reflex noises before finally sitting up. Without a word, he attempts to stand, much like an infant would in those tender turns. He fails at first, eventually managing to upright himself into a stance, if a bit wobbly on his third try. "Think Shazi's still awake? I wanted to say good night."

Ashli casts about for a moment, trying to play damage-control, and notes, "Nope, nope, actually! The Candidates had a tough day today, I actually saw them all heading to sleep before I came down here, I'm sure she's fast asleep by now! Long day tomorrow for them...I'd say you should head to sleep yourself, Iliad, maybe Shazi'll want your help tomorrow!" Ash notes in a hopefully cheery tone, waving a hand or two for emphasis as she jumps up herself to try and make sure Iliad doesn't knock himself into anything.

"Oh. Well, that--" Cough cough. Ew. "Bed. Right. I should head there." Which is why Iliad sits back down to cradle his head? Probably not a good sign. "Or I could just sleep here." ...and he leans over on the bench, curling his body into fetal position.

Ashli blinks and hesitantly moves a hand to poke at Iliad's shoulder. "It's rather cold down here, I'm sure you'd be more comfortable...maybe...in the kitchens? You could probably make it to the residents caverns? It'd be more comfortable?" Ash cajoles, frowning at him.

Iliad attempts to shake his head, but only manages a minor thump thump of his head against the stone bench. "Mmm mmm." Translation: No thanks. He merely curls up even tighter. "I can't move." Maybe the alcohol paralyzed him or something. Or just demobilized him. It does that to people.

"Well...all right...if you say so..." Ash grudgingly lets him be, perhaps because she could certainly not manage to carry him all the way up if he's not willing. "Well...err...sleep well, Iliad. I'll come back in a few hours with a pick-me-up..."

Iliad flops a hand up before tucking it underneath his face. And that's that.

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 05:11:16 GMT

Isamath's Ledge
A ledge, kept immaculately clean...except for the various splotches of color that mar (or perhaps decorate) said ledge. Apparently someone got a little excited about colors and ledges and decided that a little Picasso-like artwork was necessary. And so, greens the color of freshly cut grass swirl along the edges, and blues, that soft pastel shade of a fresh spring morning dance near the green, but never touching. Red, that passionate shade of crimson, nearly shimmering into an amber, almost coppery shade when the light hits it correctly, twirl along the entrance to the weyr. Purple is the other shade that prowls along this ledge, a purple as deep as a raging storm. No royal purple this, oh... [look closer]
It is an autumn evening. The leaves rustle in the fall evening breeze, the first hint of stars twinking across the sky, but dark clouds are rolling in from the north.
Inside the weyr, you see a gold dragon.
I'anex is here.
Obvious exits:
Weyr Stairs

Ashli is sitting on a corner of her ledge, legs hanging off the edge and swinging in a haphazard sort of way - perhaps it's a good thing she never made it to the Harpers, considering the erratic beat she appears to be swinging to. A rather large splotch of fading purple paint swirls around her - testament to the odd colors of her ledge in general. All in all, the girl appears merely to be enjoying the night.

I'anex has walked here, rather than ridden, his foot occasionally twitching a manic side drag on wider spots of his ascent. But despite Feitoveth not being here in body, he can be assumed in mind and spirit, and I'anex is slightly laden -- with art pad, Ashli's letters, a few spare hides, and a stylus and bottle tucked in the opposite hand.

A scrape of a foot, and Ash turns, glancing curiously back at the sound. "Ah, I'anex! How are you?" A warm greeting, and she follows up with a grin as she reports, "I've gotten a few more supplies - I swear, my weyr is starting to look like the inside of a trader's wagon at this rate. But I think it'll be wonderful, don't you?" This mysterious it? Well, none other than Ashli's pet project, her favorite topic at the moment. "Isn't it a lovely night, too? I half-contemplated dragging the candidates out to star-gaze with me, and then I decided that the rider on duty to keep an eye on them tonight probably wouldn't appreciate that much. And I've tormented them enough for now. I just don't want them getting bored, with all those chores. It seems like a very tame candidate class, doesn't it?"

"I was part of a tame candidate class," I'anex says, presenting a mild smirk as he steps onto the ledge, promptly lowering into a crouch to place his own supplies in orderly sets on the rock. "It is a nice night, as long as those clouds don't bring a change of weather with them, well, as long as we're out here. I'm here to try out some designs. Just on paper, of course."

"Were you?" Ash ponders for a moment, then notes, "You know, I suppose you were, at that. Hm. I suppose that's all for the good, though, relaxed candidate classes." She beams at I'anex, querying, "Oh, for the mural? Really? Wonderful! I've dredged up a few paint colors, some greens and blues, and I had some leftover paint from way back when I painted the ledge, but those colors are very bright, and the purple seems to have dried out..." Ash grimaces at that small failure, though she adds, "Aye, those clouds have been hovering there for a while - very depressing, they're blocking out some of the nicest constellations, really."

"Candidacy's usually a quiet period if folk want to stay /in/ candidacy. People put lids on certain . . . impulses, if they want to Stand. They can always explode later." I'anex lays his art pad out and removes the cover with a yawn. "I'm thinking as much line as color, but I have no idea what kind of image you're going for. Bright and peppy, but beyond that . . . "

Ashli nods, "That's a good point. There's usually a bit of drama, though. I suppose that was Iliad's leaving, in this candidacy. A pity, that." Ash shrugs, though, and tilts her head, "Tired? There's no real rush on this, you know. We've got some time. What sort of brushes do you think we'll need?" Major topic bounce in the middle, there, but who knows how Ash's mind actually works. "Bright, yes - happy, uplifting, you know. I was thinking something...well, I'm torn. I was thinking perhaps something dramatic about a Fall, with fighting dragons, to remind her of the rush of a fall in the interval, but...then again, perhaps something peaceful. Ocean scenes, forest scenes...I don't know. I know Xayna was brainstorming some sort of concept with peaceful scenes, but I'm just not sure, myself. You're the resident artist, what do you think, I'anex?"

"A single yawn isn't /necessarily/ indicative of some intense tiredness," I'anex corrects almost brightly, and unstops the ink bottle. "I'm also a resident /man/, Ashli," I'anex, however, must clarify, "and pretty high energy in my, uh, soul. I'm likely to say, hey, let's go for the most difficult, convoluted, violent, but honorable and powerful or whatnot scene we can think of, which doesn't involve peaceful ocean scenes because, although they are beautiful, peace is boring. In most cases. However," and I'anex lifts a stylus, "to have a peaceful scene that wasn't boring would be a challenge."

"Well, but it could be." Ash replies with a waggle of her hand and a grin, "And it was something to say other than to babble on about colors, though I could do that, too." A teasing smile, and she opens her eyes widely, a mischevious gleam in said eyes as she notes oh-so-innocently, "You don't say? Well, I'll be flamed." She winks, then gets down to the topic at hand, noting, "Well, I do think an honorable and powerful scene would be wonderful...and, hey, nothing wrong with convoluted. It could be something different to her every time she saw it, something different would be highlighted. Though that could be tricky for a mural with two artistically inclined people. Well, you and Xayna could trace the lines, and the rest of us could paint inside them, the easy parts, at least. I don't know if I could handle fine detailing. Maybe I'd better stick to chairs...or...pillows..." She wrinkles her nose as she considers exactly what her job will be in all of this, though she notes, "Well, we could have a peaceful scene within an interesting scene. Like...a lake, below the threadfall. With...um...fish in it."

"Peace within tumult, per/haps/. Maybe. Dragons fighting threadfall in some, you know, epic battle and then Thread drowning harmlessly in the sea, where it's nibbled on by fish because . . . Pern prevails against Thread. Right. It's been a while." I'anex dips the stylus in the bottle and starts to draw lines. "It doesn't have to be /fine/ detailing -- how big of a mural are you planning?"

A pause. "How big of a mural do you think we can manage?" Yes, yes, Ashli aims high. "Though I'm not that tall, we might have to bring in some chairs to help some of us reach the top of it and whatnot if we make it vertically astounding." All right, so she probably just chose those words because they sound fun together. Completely worth it, though, right? "Yes, Pern prevails against Thread! Aha, how deep and retrospective and such."

"If it were just me and I had endless time, I'd say we could cover walls and ceiling. As it is, well, kind of depends on how much the candidates want to put in, huh?" I'anex finishes the first few boundary lines and rewets the stylus. "I'll be mostly helping with design and touch-up as I've got time."

Ashli nods slowly. "Well, I think they're rather into the idea, somewhat, though I don't think they're all artistically inclined. Design and touch-ups...sounds good! We do want to put most of it on the candidates, to make it 'their' project. A good opportunity to bond." Ash beams, then queries, "You're still close with your candidate class, right? I love opportunities to get current classes to be more...together."

"How about, then, I show them a few general sketches that they can go off if they /like/, and just let them do what they want. As long as it's not evil, crude, disrespectful, etc." However, I'anex lets out a slight twitch at Lack of Control. It is supressed. And I'anex points out, "Ah, well, close -- depends on who you're talking about. Some, yes, some, no. I think my mum was lot closer with hers than I've managed. That'd be nice for this candidacy."

A nod. "That's a sound idea. Wonderful! Thank you so much, I'anex, for going along with this crazy idea of mine." Ash grins, and notes, "I owe you one." Though hopefully she doesn't owe him a chair or anything too creative on her part. "Well, this candidate class is pretty tame, I think anything they come up with will be the same, for the reasons you stated." Ahh, ever the reasonable...well, not always. Or even most of the time. But for the moment, she seems to be reasonable. "Mm, I sympathize. I've lost touch with some of my candidate class too. But the ones you stay close to make it all worth it. I do hope this candidacy gets a chance to form bonds like that."

"I'm a social fellow, but . . . not completely. I'm a bit of a blow-hard given enough of my way. Well -- I have other bonds. Helps to have lived here all my life." After a few rough indications of dragons and fish, I'anex flips the page. "A lot of this class has, too."

An eyebrow is flicked up. "You? Can't say I've ever seen that in you, but I suppose anything's possible." Ash grins, and nods. "Yes, I agree with that. Though it can also be a bit of a drawback, because you're already comfortable with a lot of people, while the new folks from holds are adjusting and confused and trying to find a niche that hasn't been taken. Though, of course, it can help in aiding them and fostering friendships and all that." So definitive, she is. "Ooh, I like the fish down there with that smile-y face." A pause, before she ejaculates brightly, "I like it all, actually. Do you think Pyrene will? I think she would. It's wonderful. I like the way you've organized those dragonish-blobs up there into an interesting formation, too - been a long time since I've seen that one used. That's the formation the greens and blues use for falls with high winds, isn't it?"

"Smiley face?" I'anex peers at the drawing, disbelieving. "And I can't tell if she'll like it, exactly. She liked what I drew when I was ten. That was nice, I guess. High winds," is acceded dryly as he blows a dry breath over the sheet and pulls the paper over. However, he makes no immediate move to start drawing again. "Sometimes, non-weyrbred have harder times adjusting, especially to, maybe, the sex and the sense of, I don't know, waiting, aimlessness weyrbred can have. And I can indeed be a blow-hard, Ashli. You just like to believe the best of me and don't listen to the right gossip."

"It's right there, see? Next to that rock-like thing?" Ash pokes a finger towards the drawing before drawing it back as the paper is flipped. "The sex? During candidacy? Come now, that was outlawed, to prepare us for weyrlinghood. And no one would break that rule..." Ahem. Cough. Her voice is absolutely wry, and she grins, nodding, "Mm, aimlessness, I can attest to that. And the holderfolk are so used to helping out somehow...well, not that we aren't...but candidacy is a whole new world." And she leaves it at that, to stop herself from digging herself into any interesting holes. "Well, would you rather I believe the worst of you?" Ash quips dryly, then adds, "You know, I haven't heard much good gossip at all, lately. It's been rather depressing. I used to be so good at that, too, keeping tabs on the whole weyr..."

"No, no. Just because you don't have sex doesn't mean you don't get all exposed to it, you know? Weyrbreds will talk about sex like it was eating, if just to show off, and . . . aimlessness, everyone feels, I guess, or hope, perhaps, but Holds are more settled. We weyrbred sit on our parents' ledges and wait, and maybe we don't even think about Crafts, because we /know/ where we'll end up. Aimless in the meantime." I'anex does, after this long, somewhat breathless spiel, pass Ashli a sharp glance. "You and my father have a /way/ of not hearing certain things. Well, keep it that way. Easier on the nerves."

Ashli considers, and nods, "That's a good point, but...you know, I don't think I ever really stopped to think about that. It's such a part of weyr life, hearing about that and discussing it, even from a young age..." Ash trails off, and shakes her head. "It's a miracle any of us actually make it to 16 with our virginity intact." Whoa there, Ashli, odd tangent. She seems to realize this, however, and pauses to re-assimilate, jumping to the next topic and noting, "Hm. Where should I be hearing these things? Maybe I need to corner K'nex and ask him about his gossip sources, and go find differing ones..." Ash ponders this for a moment, and asks, "The nerves? Come now, what hot gossip am I missing? Did anyone elope?"

"I sure didn't," I'anex states in a light inset after, ah, the virginity statement. He stares at the nib of his stylus. "But, really, there's nothing hot right now. Has been, probably will be, but at the very moment, you might as well be living at a cothold for all you'll overhear. Perhaps people are just keeping quiet."

"Well, how utterly boring." Ash notes at the lack of gossip, adding merrily, "Perhaps I should invent some, or create some, to make life more interesting." She pauses for a bit, toying with a thread poking out of her shirt as she considers this aspect. "Maybe I could...hmm..."

"What?" I'anex asks, and reaches into his pocket for a blotting sheet.

Ashli waves a hand and shrugs. "I haven't any feasible, decent ideas. Though you'd think I would. Hm. I'll think of something exciting, I'm sure." One can only hope..."Any ideas? Maybe we could stage that coup." Ash jokes, then sighs. "Hm. Maybe I'll...kidnap a candidate. Or...a holder. Or...a cat."

"I've got the kidnapping in my background. I /don't/ advice it," I'anex says with a markedly Serious look. "Don't need to stir anything up like /that/."

"Oh. Well, all right." Ash notes, contemplating this for a moment in silence, opening her mouth as if to prod for more information on this enlightenment, before shutting it again, and hunting for a topic of conversation. "You know what I saw yester...oh. You wouldn't be interested in that. Ahem. Well...um...I did see a nice bunch of flowers in the meadows?" And aren't flowers just the most wondrous things? "I nearly picked them, but I have a tendency to kill flowers, which can be depressing, you know how it is."

"They're better where they are. The smell's less dry and the petals are less likely to wilt and droop. There's something pathetic about a plucked flower," I'anex suddenly segues, eyes half lidding as if reading a memory. "Better to leave them." He clears his throat and wipes his stylus nib.

"I suppose it's just that temptation to have something beautiful close by you, instead of leaving it where it would be happier." Ash leans back into a more comfortable position, flopping onto her back and gazing up at the stars, legs still swinging erratically. "You know, those clouds do look rather ominous. Is it supposed to rain? I forgot to ask that stableman, Niko, I think it is, who has that knee who can tell those sorts of things..."

"Sounds like some kinds of weyrmating," I'anex wries and stuffs his sheet back in his pocket, watching Ashli's knees with clinical interest. "It might rain," he supposes. "Why not?"

Ashli grins and nods. "That's true, I suppose, though beauty can change depending on where it is. I'll bet some people would find a dried flower beautiful, and the scent still alluring." A pause, as Ash takes a moment or two to shoot a speculative glance at the clouds again, noting finally, "Well, I'm rather enjoying being outside, and if it rained, I'd have to go into the weyr. And Isa doesn't really like rain."

"But it'd be dead," I'anex has to point out to Ashli's knee. "And if you don't like the rain, well, Feitoveth can't be bothered by inclement weather. He'll deflect it."

Ashli's knee, disappointingly, has little to add, except continuing to bend as her legs swing in their odd patterns. Ash lifts an arm to wave as she notes, "Deflect it, will he? Well, all right then, sounds good to me." A grin accompanies that as she blinks. "Oh, dear, I've been a terrible host. Do you want a pillow? Or a glass of wine? I'm afraid I only have Igen reds at the moment, I haven't snuck down to the quartermaster...or Vaeli's...in a while..."

"Pillow? Wine?" I'anex raises his eyebrows and raises his eyes. "Sounds half like a proposition. Ashli, are you lonely?" The lonely has the light lilt of a weyrbrat's light, unconcerned mockery, but it's subdued under the half constraint of the seriousness.

Ashli blinks, honestly surprised, and a blush creeps under those freckles as she waves both arms and sputters incomprehensible words for a moment before grumbling, "Hmpf! My love life is no concern of yours, bronzerider." She pauses, arms returning to flopping on the ground as she adds in a lighter tone, "Is that all you males think about these days? Honestly."

"We /are/ men," I'anex says, sadly, blushless -- "But, seriously, I don't think about it too much at the moment. At /other/ times, I think about everyone's sex life and why am /I/ not more involved, here?"

Slight confusion on Ashli's part. "Why you're not more involved in everyone's sex life? Hmm, that sounds rather...kinky." She's teasing, teasing...though it'd probably come off as more believable if that blush of hers would've faded completely by now. "Right, right. Men. Forgot that was in the job description."

I'anex does manage a blush there, too, and due to complexion and genetics, it goes from pale to fierce in a beat. "I didn't exactly -- that was poor phrasing, you know!"

Cough. Cou...and Ash can't quite hold in the facade of coughing, and rolls onto her side, so as to face away from I'anex, shoulders shaking softly as she attempts to contain her laughter. Thankfully, she composes herself after a few beats, and notes innocently, "Ah. Poor phrasing. I see." Aha! Payback is such a wonderful thing.

"It was!" I'anex protests over the laughter, his blush not subsiding even after she does. He only re-insists. "If I say it was, it was. Anyway, I didn't mean -- exactly what it sounded."

Ashli raises an eyebrow at that one. "So you...didn't mean...what you said?" Pauses are made, in between, in order for Ash to control her twitching lips and sneaking smile. "And, anyways, I'm sure your sex life is just fine. You don't need to be in on other's." Twitch...twitch...she will restrain herself from laughing...

I'anex's sigh is long and excessively tolerant, for all his continued, persistent blush. "/Actually,/ I don't have /much/ of one. Although my self control goes waaay down in periods."

Tolerance is a much-needed quality when Ash has latched onto a subject, quite like she has here. "Really?" Ash files this bit of gossip away, noting, "I'm sure there are plenty of women around the weyr who could remedy that. Though, I know, it's personal choice, I'm sure. Does it? Why's that?"

"I just figure," I'anex says, with a single upward gesture, "that I'm plenty and capable of getting sex, but what's the point? That's not really what I /want/, other than to look good, or relieve stress or ... and lack of self control has to do with being really -- hyper, manic. I do a lot more things on impulse, then."

Ashli waggles another arm in the air with a sort of wistful quality to its waving. "Mm, that's a good point. And appearances aren't everything in this weyr...well, sometimes they are, I suppose..." Ash chews on that for a moment, before blinking. "Well, impulses can be strong." is agreed.

"Yeah, strong. And without Feitoveth to go, hey, now, wait a second, I acted on them a lot more," I'anex emits another yawn. "Even as it is . . . still strong. Nothing like an impulse. But not today."

"You /are/ tired." Ash pauses for a moment, grins, and notes, "I know, I'm boring, but I'd hoped not to put anyone to sleep quite this early in my career." She pushes herself up from her flat position and rolls her shoulders in a feline-like stretch, commenting, "Well, thanks ever so much for stopping by with those ideas - I can't wait to spring them on the candidates tomorrow."

"Believe me, I'm yawning and I'm tired, not bored. I know my etiquette and it's been a long sevenday." I'anex reaches down to tug the drawn-on sheet from his pad and lay it face up on the ledge before gathering his stuff. "You're welcome, anyway."

Ashli blushes at the elegantly phrased rebuke, and replies with a tilt of her head, "I didn't mean to insult you, or your etiquette. I was just teasing. It has been a long sevenday, at that...I'm usually much more serious. I apologize." Ash swings herself up and wrinkles her nose at the sudden sensation of standing before she nods. "Well, rest well, then, I'anex."

"Sorry, sorry! And I'm often not ... as ... serious." I'anex picks himself up, stuff in-arm. "Good night." And he starts a-down the ledge.

Ashli's Letter Brigade

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 22:17:08 GMT

And so it begins. I'll send out my letters today to various weyr residents, and see if they can help any in this task I've set the candidates and myself for Pyrene's benefit. I think it'll work out quite well, if everyone responds. Or even if a majority responds. Isa says to be diplomatic - it'll be good practice for me.

Dear G'deon,
You may not have heard, but I've been trying to organize the Candidates in a goal that I think will aid morale...both of them, and of Pyrene. After Pyrene's accident, the weyr rallied behind her in various ways, but I think that there's a completely unique way the candidates and various others around the weyr can aid her - namely, refurbishing her weyr for her as a "welcome back" type of gift. This includes, but is not limited to, making some pillows, possibly a chair, a rug, and some blankets - and various artwork, up to a potential mural upon one of her walls. Supplies and finished products are being collected in my weyr as I write this to you - so I would like to extend the invitation to help, in whatever way you can, and I also have a favor to ask of you. We expect it may take three hours or so to install all of these new, lovingly made objects into Pyrene's weyr (the mural will take the longest, it is supposed), and I was wondering if it may be possible for you to distract her for those three hours? We're thinking we'll have everything done in two sevendays? Please, get back to me on it - and thank you in advance!
Love,
Ashli

One down. Who else do I need to write to?

Dear I'anex,
As I spoke about with you before, I've organized the candidates...or, perhaps a better word would be, compelled the candidates...into aiding me on refurbishing Pyrene's weyr, and I'd like to ask for help, knowing your artistic expertise. Supplies and items are being collected in my weyr, and I'd love for your help in terms of the mural, or other endeavors - Xayna seemed interested in the mural, especially, and I thought perhaps you could collaborate? Contact me if you're interested, you know where to find me! And, thank you.
Love,
Ashli

I should also contact Sylara and Jess, as assistant headpeople, they'd know where to find supplies that I don't know about. Surpluses, and whatnot...

Dear Sylara,
I know I mentioned to you that I was worried Pyrene may feel a little sad - and with the candidate's help, I'm going to try to refurbish her weyr for her. A few new pillows, perhaps a throw or two, a mural, maybe a chair - I'm writing to both you and Jessica to ask if either of you know if there is a surplus of any helpful items within the stores that we could use in this endeavor? Thanks ever so much - I'll talk to you soon, my friend!
Love,
Ashli

Dear Jessica,
It seems like forever since we've had a good conversation - my friend, you and I need to chat sometime soon. But, beyond that, I'm actually writing you for a reason, as well. I've hatched up a plan (with the help of the candidates) to refurbish Pyrene's weyr for her (shh, it's a secret from Pyrene) in order to welcome her back - give her a weyr a loving touch from those who care about her. We were thinking pillows, throws, perhaps a chair, a mural, maybe...borrow...a few lovely wines from the quartermaster to stock her shelves - and I was wondering if you knew of any surpluses that may have escaped my notice to help us in this endeavor? Please, get back to me - I'll be in my weyr and around the weyr at large, mostly! Thanks, Jess!
Love,
Ashli

I'd write to Marond, but, well...I don't like him. How about Vaeli?

Dear Vaeli,
It seems like we haven't spoken in a while - I know you're crazily busy. I've hatched up a plan, though, that I think you'll like (I've already commandeered the candidates to help me). It's about Pyrene. I know she's a little...well, down, I suppose you could say, and I thought gestures of love from those who care about her might make her feel better. In that sense, we've decided to refurbish her weyr. Nothing too fancy, just some new pillows, throws, perhaps a chair, and maybe a mural. I was wondering if you might be able to help, in any way possible? I've already written to G'deon as well, but the biggest difficulty may be in making sure Pyrene isn't in her weyr in two sevendays, for the space of about three hours. If you could perhaps aid with that as well...I'd be greatly indebted to you. Or, any other aid you can think of - the idea was also floated that we...ahem...borrow some particularly nice vintages from the quartermaster to decorate Pyrene's shelves, and I know you're a much better wine conoisseur than myself (I don't think Pyrene favors the Istan reds as I do), so I wanted to ask your opinion on that as well. Thanks in advance - no rush on getting back to me, I know you're busy. Stop by my weyr sometime - we can pop open an Istan red and chat. I miss you!
Love,
Ashli

Okay. I think I'm nearly out of people who immediately come to mind, though I know I'll probably be writing more letters in the next few days as more ideas occur to the candidates and I. Wait...what about...X'ian? With his diabolical mind, and his mechanical acuity, this might be easier...Faranth knows I can't make chairs...I'll ask him for help with the chairs. Ha! And then, we should be pretty much set on various items, I think...

Dear X'ian,
As I'm sure you know, Pyrene is not at her best at the moment (I don't think any of us would be, in her situation), and the idea has been floated by yours truly (and I've commandeered the candidates to help me) to show her that the weyr loves her, especially in this time of changes for her. I know you may not especially be enamored of her, but there's forgiveness in every heart, right? The plan is (it's a secret from Pyrene, so please be discreet) to refurbish her weyr - new pillows, throws, a chair, and a mural. And the chair concept is where you come in. I'm horrid at building things, and none of the candidates have stepped up to that concept yet, so I figured I would write to you, since you're fairly good with your hands, to aid us in this task? The supplies are being stockpiled in my weyr as I write this - please get back to me at some point. The plan is to move all the newly made items into her weyr two sevendays from today. Thanks in advance!
Love,
Ashli

And...I'm done. Isa demands she be washed, so I believe a trip to the lake is in order. As long as I can find where I left that oil...

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 04:00:01 GMT

So, I have decided to recruit the candidates to help me re-do Pyrene's weyr for her as a weyr-welcome-back gift! I think lovingly made items (and a mural!) will make her weyr seem much more...homey. And the feeling of love being put into it would be nice, too. I'm going to write some letters, too, to various people and get those out, see if other people want to help out the Candidates in this task, though it'll mostly be on them...and me, of course. I do hope she likes it!

Candidate Barracks
Serviceable, this low-ceiling'd room runs right and left from the heavy canvas curtains that function as a door: relatively bare of ornamentation, tidy glows light the few worn tapestries that adorn the walls and depict a variety of dragons in flight or at rest. But it is the cots, lots and lots of cots, that distinguish this room from the others, their blue or black coverlets tucked neatly over relatively fresh rushes.
Candidate's haven, this is their escape from the bustling world of chores and Weyr; visitors are welcome if invited.
Perched on a few empty cots are six firelizards.
You see Name Board, Xayna's Cot, Naomi's Nest, Iliad's Cot, Shazi's Cot, Lihall's Lodging, Saohlai's Cot, Eikera's Cot, Ryan's Cot, and Akasha's Cot here.
You notice Eikera, Lihall, Xayna, and Akasha asleep here.
Saohlai, Naomi, and Ryan are here.
Obvious exits:
Caverns

"Candidates!" Ashli walks in and chirps brightly, waving her arms around for added dramatic effect. One can be sure that if the bakers would've let her walk off with that pot and wooden spoon, she would be smacking it to great effect. Unfortunately, they are very possessive of their pots and spoons in the kitchens. "How we all doing? Time for a field trip! Let's go, folks!" Advance notice? Of course not! Ash is commandeering them, will they, or nil they.

Naomi blinks and sits up from her nest, as she ways laying as she fixed holes in her older clothes. Reaching towards her blue 'lizard Miashi, she hops up, with a small strech and stands ready to follow.

Ryan looks up from whatever he was doing "Ermm...where to?" he asks, always curious as he begins to shuffle to his feet off the cot. "And I don't think everyone's here..."he continues to comment stretching out, as he stands up causing several bulges in his cot to stir.

From the messenger barracks, Oblivion chirps, circles for a little bit after entering, a crumpled hide clutched in one foreleg before spying she whom she has arrived to deliver said crunchy hide to. The green spirals in a little closer, and drops the note near to where Shazi is - the note being from none other than Ashli, inviting 'Candidate Shazi' to meet her in her weyr at her convenience for a 'candidate experience'.

Xayna had just come back in from a late bath before a chore to help clean the caverns. At Ashli's entrance, she stands and gives a startled but sharp salute. Hope there isn't a reprimand for saluting with a comb in her hand. "Doing good ma'am." She comments softly and continues working at the laststubborn tangle in her long hair.

Ashli beams as Naomi readily complies, then narrows her eyes at Ryan and notes brightly, "Wherever I say to!" Ahh, the power. Has she let it go to her head at this young of an age? Hopefully not. But, that doesn't stop her from noting to Ryan, "Candidate, it hasn't been /that/ long since I've been a Candidate. I realize some of you are off on chores and at leisure periods. I've sent messages to all the candidates pertaining this, don't you worry your handsome little head about it." Handsome little head? Apparently Ash has also been hanging around with the Traders a little much recently. Either way, she has arrived, and she is prepared to kidnap the candidates. Or, perhaps, merely borrow. Upon Xayna's entrance she beams happily, and notes, "That's what I like to hear! Okay! So! Onwards! Follow me, folks!" And with that, Ash skips (yes, skips) out of the barracks and towards the caverns...

Isamath's Ledge
A ledge, kept immaculately clean...except for the various splotches of color that mar (or perhaps decorate) said ledge. Apparently someone got a little excited about colors and ledges and decided that a little Picasso-like artwork was necessary. And so, greens the color of freshly cut grass swirl along the edges, and blues, that soft pastel shade of a fresh spring morning dance near the green, but never touching. Red, that passionate shade of crimson, nearly shimmering into an amber, almost coppery shade when the light hits it correctly, twirl along the entrance to the weyr. Purple is the other shade that prowls along this ledge, a purple as deep as a raging storm. No royal purple this, oh... [look closer]
It is a summer sunset.
Inside the weyr, you see a gold dragon.
You notice Ryan asleep here.
Xayna and Naomi are here.
Obvious exits:
Weyr Stairs

Ashli beams and peers. "I have everyone, right? Didn't lose anyone?" Ash pauses for a moment to head-count, before beaming again and waving a hand. "Welcome to my humble ledge! So, you're probably all wondering why I've had you trek here! Follow me into my 'office', and we shall discuss just that! I can tell you're all so excited." The beaming doesn't stop now, oh no. The young goldrider walks into the weyr, pausing at the entrance to scritch Isamath's headknobs fondly and apparently exchange a few words regarding the people following her before she continues on...

Isa's Illustrious Illahie
A work in progress, is this weyr. A brightly colored bed rests against one wall, and a ragged-looking rug rests on the floor, the rug once perhaps having been a pure, snowy, white, but is now a rather indeterminate shade of silver-gray. An unused (as of yet) fireplace is set into one wall, mantel above it of a deep, deep brown, apparently the same wood that was used in her bed. A collection of large, brightly colored cushions rest in no particular pattern around the fireplace, overstuffed items perfect for simply sitting and relaxing upon. Sadly, the mantel is empty of all but a strange-looking mug, and the only real decoration in the room is a faded tapestry upon the wall that was most... [look closer]
It is a summer sunset.
To the northwest, you see a bronze dragon.
To the west, you see two people.
Gold Isamath is here.
You see Ashli's Rainbow Nest, Wenchbeard Mug, and Happy Egg here.
Obvious exits:
Ledge

Xayna follows the weyrwoman into the weyr, looking around curiously at the contents. A nod is given to the gold dragon lounging on her couch. She is quick to move on and takes up a spot to lean against the wall. Using her comb she continues to work at the tangle.

Bustling in, Ash heads towards the fireplace area, fluffing a few pillows as she notes, "Sorry it's a little messy, I'm renovating. I had some chairs, but I sat in them." And...of course, that explains why they're no longer there. "So, we have pillows. They're very nice pillows, Pyrene gave them to me." Chatter chatter chatter. But with the mention of Pyrene, Ash has begun her segue. "And, speaking of Pyrene...well, she's the reason I've connived the group of you here tonight, and what I'm going to discuss with the other candidates as well before tomorrow, hopefully."

Naomi plops on one of the fluffed pillows, still taking in the room. Curiosity keeps springing forth at every new thing she sees and she has to fiddle with Miashi's tail in order to keep her hands from wandering. Taking a breath she bounces on the pillow a little, quietly giggling since she considers that fun.

Xayna grimaces as she finally gets the tangle out of her hair and moves over to sit down on one of the pillows. "What about Pyrene?" She asks curiously and begins braiding the bottom length of her hair to keep it out of her way.

Shazi walks in from the Isamath's Ledge.

Isamath whuffs softly, and Ash looks up, noting aloud, "Don't worry, they're still new at this. And, welcome, Shazi! You came just in time." The grin alighting upon the weyrwoman's face couldn't be called anything but conniving. "C'mon and join us on our pillows. I was just about to explain why I've convinced everyone to arrive!" And with that, and a pause to take a breath, Ash launches into her story. "So, we all know that Pyrene has been through a...rough time, recently." To put it diplomatically. "And you, as candidates, represent the hope of the weyr, especially in times such as now when inter-weyr and inter-hold relations are crucial and may come to a head during your potential careers as dragonriders. As such, it is my plan, to welcome Pyrene back to her weyr with a bang!" What their potential careers as dragonriders has to do with this...well, who knows. But it sounded good, right? "Exciting, right? So, who knows how to paint? Build things? Sew?"

Shazi comes tromping into the weyr at a quickstep and pauses as she notes the candidates, and Ashli with her bevy of pillows. "I suppose waiting until we're actually riders and truly the hope of the Weyr is out of the question, hm?" she asks cheekily. "Baby dragons and all that." She flops onto a corner of the pillows. "Don't look at me. I'm hopeless."

Xayna shrugs slightly as she gets comfortable, pushing one shoulder up against the pillow at her back and then the other. "I can draw a bit. I'm used to taking anatomy notes. You do not want me sewing, Faranth knows how bad I am at that." You want proof, just take a look at her candidate robe hems. She rolls her eyes at the thought of sewing large things like curtains. "I suppose I can help out with what I can do."

Naomi raises her hand, "I can sew pretty well, I helped with what I'm wearing, but it's been a while so I'd need a moment to practice." Smiling happily at the chance to be useful yet again, she bounces more happily on her pillow until an angry squak resounds from her shoulder, then she just sits still.

A hand is flopped at Shazi, "Exactly. And, we should do this before Pyrene actually moves back into her weyr, right? And, hey, you're all a wonderful work force." Ash beams. "I've heard wonderful things about your group dedication from the cooks." Actually, she hasn't, but no news is good news, right? And so that's what Ash informs them of. "And, hey, I think it would be a wonderful gesture, right?" Right. Of course it would be. And, upon Xayna's comment, the girl lights up again. "Wonderful! Okay, here's what I'm thinking. A rug, maybe some chairs, pillows, maybe a new throw for her bed, and a mural on her wall. I figure we can divvy up the candidates into all of your strengths and get this done in the next two sevendays! How's that sound? Do we think it's possible? I think we can do it." Ash beams, yet again. "Now, for supplies, I'm planning on asking Sylara or Jess if we can raid the Lower Caverns - once they find out what it's for, I'm sure they'll be delighted, and I know for a fact we have some surplus fabric down there. Wood is a little trickier, but I have some left over from when I attempted to make chairs, so I think we can get at least one functional chair out of that." Ash pauses again, then beams at Naomi, "Can you? Perfect! Okay! So, my plan is to meet back here tomorrow, same time, same place, bring ideas, tell your fellow candidates, start work on whatever you can, and I'll have whatever supplies I can scrounge up!"

Shazi blinks and opens her mouth to protest, but decides against it. "Make everything? You sure it wouldn't be easier to just head down into the storage caverns? I've unearthed some interesting things down there in the past few months." And it'd certainly get her out of sewing and woodworking and whatever other insanity Ashli has in mind.

Xayna doesn't say anything for a bit, just sits looking at Ashli. Finally she nods, fidgeting in her seat again. "I'll need suggestions on what wants to be drawn. I'll need to start making rough sketches soon." So that means hides, stylus, and some washable paints if they can be found. More fidgeting as she finds a sore spot that is getting pressed too much.

Naomi just nods and starts thinking about what she'll need to get and do to get things underway. As she thinks of things her hands wriggle with the need for a parchment, or ink, or something to write with to take notes upon. Sighing a little at the wantingness to get started she watched to see if there was anything else they needed to know.

Ashli frowns at Shazi. No raining on Ashli's parade, hmpf. "Nope! Pyrene deserves new, lovingly made items! And won't the sense of accomplishment be so much more? I know she'll appreciate it so much more if she knows we did it ourselves. We can stockpile the items in my weyr until we've finished, and then move them on over to her weyr. The mural will be a little trickier, but if we can get a plan set, and get the paints, I don't think it'll take more than a few hours to finish it, anyways, and that'll be fine to organize." Ash pauses, then notes to Xayna, "I was thinking maybe a relaxed motif. Maybe the ocean, or a forest, or something? I don't really know much about art. You could collaborate with I'anex on it, maybe? If you stop by tomorrow, I'll have hides and writing sticks for you to begin with. I think I can get a few scrap hides off Aries."

Shazi tried. With a frown, she subsides into silent thought, her mind going over the candidates she knows. "You could always talk to Eikera. She mentioned something about maybe wanting to become a weaver, so she may be good at sewing, or something."

Xayna nods to Ashli and then looks from one to the other ask each speaks. Her eyes show her mind is not really in the conversation but on what to draw and eventually paint as a mural.

Naomi starts wriggling in her seat, anxious to start, trying not to be annoying she took the angered 'lizard in her arms, she started to pet him to apologize and keep herself from jumping up and running in circles. Glancing around, she wondered if that was all to be said.

An odd glance is shot at the excitable Naomi before Ash seems to decide she has planted the idea. "All right! So! We all know what we need to do, right? So, tomorrow night, same time, bring your fellow candidates!" An excited grin widens upon her face as Ash notes, "This'll be fun, guys! It'll make your candidacy memorable, right? Right!"

"Is that it?" Shazi mutters under her breath, annoyed that she was dragged from her pleasant chat for this. She sighs and pushes to her feet. "It'll make it memorable, all right. At least we don't have to make our own robes." Right?

Xayna turns her eyes on Shazi. "I got my robe the other day but it needed to be hemed. So you may end up having to do some work on a robe." A nod is given to Ashli as she also stands up.

Ashli catches Shazi's comment, and shoots a sad sort of look at her, noting, "If you don't want to do it, you don't have to. I'll make sure Pyrene is told, when we present the items to her, who was involved." And who wasn't, seems to be the unsaid comment following on the tail of that. "Actually, you guys do have to make your own robes, too." Ash comments, on another note. "Though if you have the marks, I suppose you could pay for someone else to do it, or barter something to get someone else to do it." Ash nods back at Xayna, and notes, "Well, it's been a pleasure, thanks for stopping by, everyone! See you tomorrow!" A grin is offered to Naomi at her sneeze and denial, as well, and Ash pops up from her seat on the pillow.

Shazi sighs as she turns her back on the rider and her weyr. "Yeah, I'm sure Pyrene will appreciate a bunch of useless junk from a bunch of candidates who don't know what they're doing," she mutters, her shoulders slumping. Why does she let herself get dragged into these things?

Xayna makes her way out of the weyr with a respectful nod to the gold on the way out. "Do you think the rest of the candidates got our dishwashing chore done?" She asks of Naomi, though her voice betrays that that isn't really what she is thinking.

Naomi blinks, then forces herself to think of that chore momentearily. "Yeah, I'm sure that it'll get done." Smiling she looks over at the other two, and bouncing over to the other females in the room she gives them each a friendly hug before bouncing out with Xayna.

Shazi stares after Naomi as though the girl had grown a second head, then grins. "What a goof." She waves, back still turned, as she walks through the exit.

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 02:34:05 GMT

An afternoon at the beach...

Sat, 18 Mar 2006 01:21:34 GMT

Lake
An irregularly shaped lake curves like a great murky teardrop along the southeast corner of the bowl, the clay bank falling off sharply at the shoreline to form a natural bench just ideal for sitting and dabbling one's feet in the water. The lake is not terribly deep and remains chilled, even in the height of summer. The southern shore is somewhat marsh-like, a muskeg estuary home to a multitude of avians and insects. The boggy, mossy ground there makes for treacherous footing but provides a variety of plants invaluable to the healing professions.
Above, numerous ledges climb the volcanic wall to overlook the chilly waters, and higher still, the star stones themselves perch on the rim of the... [look closer]
It is a summer afternoon.
To the northwest, you see three dragons.
Aries is here.
Obvious exits:
Lakeside Lakesky

Aries swims idly in the water, a nice cooling break from time in the tannery. From time to time he changes strokes or dips underwater. Not the best swimmer, but he can swim well enough to relax after work is through.

Arriving with a fuzzy, brightly colored beach-type towel, Ash seems to be completely prepared to simply flop on the beach in the afternoon sun and while away a few hours before duty calls and hides begin to pile up. A horrendously ugly hat sits atop her head, bright blue coloring distracting one from the reasonably nice weave of it - not to mention the strange fat rainbow-hued tassel that holds a predominant place on the left edge of said hat. Her towel and sundress, in comparison, are quite tame in hue, the former being a mixture of orange and pink, and the latter green and gold. Slowly padding in, it takes a good while before she finally notices the swimmer, and another good while before said swimmer is recognized as none other than her twin! "Beautiful afternoon, hmm? How've you been?" Finally, after a bit of wandering much akin to that of a canine before settling down, she picks a spot in the sun close to where the waves can lap at her toes to flop down...

Aries continues swimming about languidly. At some point, he happens to glance up and notice his sister. He waves briefly before rolling onto his back to float. "Eh, it's nice enough. I'm doing good. How're you and Isamath?" He asks, more polite than brotherly. Every so often, a push is given with his arms to propel him backwards through the water and help keep his face above the surface.

Ashli flops backwards, the ugly hat getting slightly crushed in the process, which only adds to its...unique...appearance. Remembering to remove said hat, Ash flops down once again, noting with a flip of her hand that, "We're doing well enough. Things have been...interesting, recently, at the weyr, though I'm sure you know that. Isa's disgruntled at the changes inherent, but she's settling in. I'm still re-thinking and considering, but we all are, hmm? How's work in the tannery been?" A pause, and then she quips brightly, "You know, I do believe if you worked a little less, I'd then have less hides piling up for me to organize and review. Perhaps we should strike some sort of workload bargain here." Ash waggles her hand again in some sort of gesture, though what it is is up to anyone's guess.

Fortunately for the floating Aries, his view is somewhat restricted to the sky above his head, else he's likely to drown himself by trying to look around. "The tannery is business as usual, of course, but I don't think your hide work would decrease at all, Ash. Rather, they'd work the apprentices harder, and confiscate hides from unimportant tasks to be used for the goldriders." Apparantly Aries missed that joke, though he doesn't seem to be annoyed or any less happy than he was a moment before. It's simply a statement of fact.

A sigh emits from said goldrider, and she notes rather wistfully, "Well, it was nearly a good idea." Always that nearly that gets her. "I'm thinking about trying to sew a rug or some pillows as a welcome-back present for Pyrene's weyr, what do you think? Or should I just re-paint the walls for her?" Ash muses for a minute, before noting, "I am getting very good at making tassels, though, and painting really isn't quite my thing." As evidenced by anyone looking at her ledge. Ash pauses again, then notes, "Maybe I could commandeer the Candidates into helping me! Make it a group project! That'd be sort of fun, hmm? I rather like that idea. Do you think they'd go for it? I think they might..." Thinking out loud, the girl is, before she pauses, then notes, "Keep it sort of quiet, though, hmm, Aries? This should be a surprise for Pyrene and all. I think it'd be rather fun. A show of support and caring for her and whatnot."

Aries nods his head slowly, careful not to upset his balance. "Oh, yeah, of course, Ash," he replies idly, though what he's agreeing with is entirely up to his sister to determine. Finally, he tires of the water, and swims close enough to put his feet down and walk up the embankment. "Pyrene deserves some peace and quiet, maybe you shouldn't paint her weyr..." Aries certainly wouldn't want a bunch of candidates, led by Ashli, making changes to his weyr.

"Oh...hm. Well, we could do quiet, soothing themes? Like the ocean? Or a forest mural? Get some of the mastercrafters in on it? Maybe someone could trace, and the candidates could color in? And then another brigade could sew and stitch?" Preferably not Ashli, since she couldn't sew herself out of a pillowcase. "We could get a whole soothing theme going on!" Oh, the excitement. "I'll ask Vaeli what she thinks. Maybe she'll have some good ideas, too. I've been meaning to lend her a certain vintage of my Igen reds, anyways. It could be a lovely excuse for a chat." Ash rolls over onto her stomach, now facing away from Aries and towards the volcanic wall, scooching herself up farther so as to shimmy her toes onto her blanket, as her knees don't exactly bend that way, so poking her toes in the water is no longer exactly feasible.

Aries walks away from his sister to retrieve his towel. He returns and spreads it out beside her, laying himself down on it to sunbathe as well. "Maybe. How about just giving her a basket of hand-picked fruit or flowers? Something nice and thoughtful but not overwhelming?" Aries is the quiet, sensitive type, as we all know.

Oh, but where would we be without the exuberant, over-the-top type? Didn't fall far from the R'sli-tree, this one. "Well...but...what about pillows? And the harpers like Pyrene...and maybe I could get the miners to make her a nice chest...and what about a rug?" Ash ponders, then notes brightly, "And, anyways, Pyrene has bad experiences with baskets. Remember that last basket she got, that gave her that infestation she was trying so hard to avoid? Bad memories, and all." Aha. Sneaky, she is. "Oh, I like your towel. So hard to find nice towels, hmm?" Bounce bounce bounce, from topic to topic we go...

"Oh. Good point." Another pause. "Well, with all the candidates, perhaps pillows and rugs and paint wouldn't be /so/ bad...maybe we could just do her little bath area. A watery scene. And put a few pillows and rugs in front of her hearth." Toning it down slightly, or at least attempting to, Ash makes some new suggestions. "Towels are so boring, though, Aries. And I don't think Pyrene goes to the beach very often...oh, but we could get some nice bath towels for her! They could match the watery motif! I could enlist I'anex to help." Aha. Another person to rope into Ashli's crazy scheme of the day.

Aries nods slowly. "Yes, bath towels would be nice, I'm sure. And maybe a rug for her bath area..." The man is somewhat scared to encourage his sister, though he's smart enough not to fight against her ideas. Rather, he simply quiets down, dozing lightly in the sunny warmth.

Ashli beams. "Well, perfect, then." And, happily, Ash moves on to other topics. "So, what's new in your life? Been a while since I've caught up with you and cornered you just to chat. Have I told you about my cat? It wandered into my weyr. I've been trying really hard to give her away, but she's just the strangest thing. Keeps returning. Isa keeps threatening to eat her, but I think she's kidding. I told her she wouldn't play the *between* game with her like the flits do, so she's agreed not to try and chomp her up. I think." After that monologue, Ash pauses for breath, then curves around a bit to peer at Aries as she awaits a reply.

Aries nods again, mumbling, "Yeah, that's nice. Nothing new, just trying to relax..." He's spent enough time talking. It's time for Ashli to get the hint of his naptime. "How's Isa these days? When's her next flight?" He's not really up to the minute on his sister's sex life, afterall.

Ashli,on the other hand, would get terribly bored if she didn't spend half her time talking, and so she chatters on, oblivious to any crazy napping desires. "Oh, she's well enough. Enjoying the sun over yonder." And Ash waggles a hand vaguely at a lump of greenish-gold dragon a goodly distance away lakeside. "Next flight? Hm...well, let's see...she last rose, what, about a turn and a half or so ago?" Ash considers this, then notes, "So, feasibly, she could rise again anywhere from a few months from now to a turn from now, considering that the Pass is coming and the queens won't be rising as often. Ysbryth could conceiveably rise again, though I doubt it, which would probably put Isa off rising for a while. I doubt that Tiareth or Ysbryth will rise again, though, especially with the Pass, though who knows what would happen. Cadgwith and Isa seem to tend to rise at close to the same time, but with Pyrene bedridden the way she is, I don't think Cadgwith will rise for another couple Turns..." Ash continues her musing, before finally deciding, "This close to the end of the Pass, I think Isa will probably rise in about a Turn after this clutch hatches, if that soon. Chayath could always rise fairly soon after this next clutch hatches, and then it might be a Turn and a half. But Isa is still very young, so I'd suppose sooner rather than later, depending on the other queens." Well, that was rather methodical, and probably more of a reply than Aries really wanted to hear.

Aries is asleep. Ashli can talk all she likes, but he never got past "She last rose". Snore.

"You're not even paying attention, are you?" Ash questions, as she notes Aries sleeping self, and she huffs to herself, before noting, "Well, to sum that up, she'll rise before the end of the Pass." How vague. A bit of sand is flicked towards her brother idly as she flips herself over once more, poking the horrendous hat out of her way as she does so. The nerve, the nerve.

Aries snorts some sand out of his nose, rolling over to eye his sister and judge whether she's still talking. "Oh yeah, that soon? That's great, Ash," he states, before rolling over again. He's off the towel now, with all this rolling, but that's all right. With how long-winded Ashli is, we'll assume he's been out of the water long enough to dry completely.

"Well, that is about a Turn and a half away, you know, Aries." Ash points out, still in a rather huffy tone, though she does relent as she notes with a shrug, "I don't know if it's all that great. Isa loves clutches, and I must admit, it is rather fun to see them all hatch; but it's a long time out on the sands, and the flights are never really all they say they are." A flip-flop of her hand again accompanies that statement, before she teases, "You are very difficult to hold a conversation with, you know."

Aries sighs, "That's because I work all day and then I'm tired. You should just let me lie here in peace and then maybe I'll want to talk to you later." There's laughter in his tone as he teases his twin back. "Besides, you do enough talking for the both of us. Why should I say anything at all?"

"Like I don't work?" Ash shoots back, sticking out her tongue. "Let me tell you, I am working very hard right now, assauging...intra-weyr relations between the tanners and the goldriders. And working on a tan. Which is crucial to my appearance, you know." Of course. Right. The goldrider flips a hand at him nonchalantly as she notes, "But then I'd get bored. And Isa is napping, so I can't chat with her, either."

"Talk to the sand. You'll help it grow that way." He states, completely serious. He may have been dumb when he was younger, but Ashli's still pretty gullible. Who knows if she'll fall for this utterly blatent lie.

"Really? What will it grow into? I thought that only worked with plants." Ash pauses. "Though, you know, it's never worked for any plants I've had." Oh, the poor plants that had to live out their very short lives in Ash's weyr. She pauses again, then blinks. "Wait a minute. Sand doesn't grow. You liar." She hmpfs and flicks a bit more sand in his direction, folding her arms and closing her eyes, studiously ignoring him. Though another 'hmpf' like sound emits from her.

There are some suspicious sounds coming from Aries, but from the looks of it, he appears to be sleeping. Perhaps those are snores? Not likely.

Ashli grumbles as those suspicious sounds are noted, and the poor sand is again disturbed as another few flicks are sent in the vague direction of Aries. Luckily for him, however, Ashli's aim is just as bad as it used to be when it comes to sand, and they don't seem to be getting anywhere near the 'sleeping' man. "Hmpf. I see when I'm not appreciated. Just you wait, one of these nights Isa will eat you all up." Yep. She has a taste for tanners, you know. Been hanging around with Sidramuntalath a little too much.

"Probably," is tossed over his shoulder, even though he's "sleeping". Aries can't help but laugh one last time before rolling over and stretching out on his back. "Good night, Ash." This time he's going to sleep for real.

Blink. "You can't go to sleep all alone on the beach! What if someone steals you?" She pauses. "Or eats you?" Another pause. "Or doesn't notice you, and steps on you?" Ash waggles at him. "You could be squished by a dragon out for a late swim!"

Aries shrugs his shoulders. "Well, you're here, aren't you?" Not that he's concerned about sleeping alone, but it's better than arguing.

Ashli contemplates that, before noting, "Well, not all night. I do plan to head back and get a nice cozy night's sleep in my weyr. Have a few hides to finish learning about, anyways." She frowns, noting, "And what if I hadn't shown up at the beach? You would've fallen asleep without me to warn you about getting squished flat. That would've been a calamity."

Aries nods, "yeah, yeah, exactly, Ash. Just wake me up before you leave. Thanks." And finally, Aries tunes his sister out and falls asleep. Because otherwise she'll just keep talking and make him stay awake.

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 05:32:16 GMT

Central Bowl
Looking toward the sky from the center of Ista Weyr's bowl, you view the five towering pinnacles of the Weyr rim that appear to reach into the clouds. The bowl floor slopes gently upward to the southeast, where various tunnels lead to the hatching grounds, ground weyrs, and living caverns. Across the bowl to the northeast are the weyrling barracks and training grounds. The Weyr's artificial waterfall sheets down along the northern wall of the Bowl, its pool concealed at the base of the bowl by a cloud of mist. West, the entire wall of the bowl has been blown out by some long-distant eruption, offering a breathtaking view of the ocean.
It is an autumn late night.
Gliding about are three firelizards.
Green Myrrheth, blue Nokith, bronze Morchainth, green Safuriketh, gold Isamath, and green Zaqith are here.
You see Rhapsody, Abbaeth (NPC), Forgy, Dilse Caravan Wagon 7, Dilse Caravan Wagon 1, Dilse Caravan Wagon 2, Dilse Caravan Wagon 3, Dilse Caravan Wagon 4, Dilse Caravan Wagon 5, Dilse Supply Wagon 1, Dilse Supply Wagon 2, Jack Sparrow, Solaris, FireStorm, Moonlit Night, Glory, Sweet Champagne, Keir, and Kissing Game here.
R'sli is here.
Obvious exits:
Northeastern Bowl Plateau Southeastern Bowl

Ashli slips down onto Isa's foreleg, and flips off with a delighted laugh (look, da, no hands!) as she's finally perfected her flipping dismount. Isa, on her part, merely prowls off towards the waterfall along the bowl, apparently going to investigate the local dragonic gathered yonder. "Well, we're here! That wasn't so bad, huh? Where do you think we'll find Sin? Think she'll be allowed out?" It has only been eight turns since Ashli's weyrlinghood, and yet memory apparently fades quickly.

R'sli slides down Zaqith's foreleg, landing on the soft floor of the bowl with a muffled grunt. "I would think that after this long, she'd at least be able to have the odd visitor," he says as he extricates his cane. "If nothing else, she has to eat." He squints over the tops of his glasses, and smiles as Zaqith follows her gold 'daughter', soft cinnamon rumblings coming from his lifemate. "Did you remember that wherhide that I had Aries tan for her?"

"I certainly hope so. But you're the expert, not me." Ash says with a delighted smile, apparently overjoyed at the prospect of a break from Reaches for warm places, no matter what the occasion - and seeing a new bond just makes it better. "And, mm, food is always a wonderful thing. I remember those early days of having to rush out to the living caverns quickly to grab food while Isa was asleep." She grins, glancing back to where the two dragons have wandered for a moment before noting to Ris, "The last time I was here was when Larna and I came down. Remember that? That was so much fun...I completely did not deserve to get in trouble for that, you know..." The girl teases, before noting, "So I have no idea where to go." A pause, thought, then, "Wherhide? No, that must've slipped my mind, I don't think Aries ever mentioned it to me...though I'm sure if Aries tanned it, and you chose it, it's absolutely lovely."

N'ano walks his way in from the Southeastern Bowl.

R'sli looks around, as lost as his daughter. "I never remember my way around here," he admits with a downward tug of his mouth. "Your mother, believe it or not, was always better at finding her way around down here." He plants his hands on his hips, and looks around. "No wherhide, eh? No matter. I can have T'lendel run it up here the next time he's doing runner duty." He smiles at his daughter, and leans on his cane as he stumps forward. "I can't make her first set of leathers, but I figure I can make a present of the hides."

"Mother? No, really? I thought the only way she used to get around Reaches without getting lost was with Ysbryth's help. I remember once I showed her how to get to the meadows through the secret way, instead of the normal way, and she was so amazed...though..." Ash pauses for a moment, then notes, "Maybe she was humoring me..." A wry grin goes at that, and the girl meanders closer to R'sli, grimacing in apology, though she brightens up at the prospect of T'lendel's rescue. "Oh, that'd be perfect, good idea." To both counts, apparently. Ash contemplates, then notes, "I could have Isa ask one of the dragons she's making friends with over there if any of their riders want to show us around?"

"I think it was because she was in love at one time with someone who lived here," R'sli says softly, and smiles wanly. "I think the High Reaches always intimidated your mother a little bit. Even now, though she won't admit it." He looks over to where the dragons are making friends, and smiles. "That might be a good idea," he allows. "I'm always interested in meeting bronzeriders, you know." That comes with a sly wink for his daughter. "Just ask Ty."

Oh look, a caravan. Definitely a lure for a bronzerider, N'ano, in particular. He's browsing... and perhaps browsing some more in idle interest. "No. Hats. Imagine that," he sniffs, turning his heels to venture to the furthest of the wagons until a couple unfamiliar riders cross his path. Or rather, he crosses theirs? Something to that extent. "'evening," he greets, flicking up a quick salute. "And what brings the honor of 'reachians to my lovely abode?" Among hundreds of others', but N'ano's no less.

And lo! A bronzerider! None of Ash or Isa's doing, but...impeccable timing, that. Ash drops a respectful curtsey, "Evening, Weyrsecond N'ano." Always a good chance to start inter-weyr relations off on the right note and whatnot. A quiet, contemplative glance at R'sli, however, notes that she did not miss those first few sentences, though the expression on her face quickly changes, and she wrinkles her nose at Ris in an amused fashion. "Hey now, just because you're more attractive doesn't mean you get to steal all the bronzeriders away, old-timer." Ash skips a couple steps to the side of the greenrider, her eyes dancing with loving merriment. However, back to N'ano's question, which had been lost in the shuffle of the goldrider's thoughts for a moment, apparently. "Well, you see, we rather came to visit Sin. And to enjoy the lovely weather of Ista, of course." And the lovely people?

R'sli grins at the bronzerider; or maybe it's at his daughter's playfulness. Inclining his head in a proper acknowledgement, he straightens his back, and leans forward on his cane. "Greetings, Weyrsecond," he says warmly. "As the weyrwoman said, we came to see Sin, but it appears we have no idea where to begin our search." He waves his free hand idly. "If you have the time, that is."

"Sin? Faranth. I seriously hate that girl." Surely they were just dying to hear that, huh? "I honestly don't see what Baj sees in her," N'ano asides, mostly to himself before looping his thumbs into his belt and rolling his shoulders into a shrug. Just in case they question his little comment, he holds up a hand in defense, "Long story." Which hopefully they won't care to endulge upon. "Well, anyway, welcome, as always." But since the topic of Sin lingers, N'ano tosses a brief look back towards the training grounds, "I believe she's in the midst of a flying lesson, actually. Solo flight, no less. Last I knew, it had just started. Might be a while yet." Oh drat. "Sorry to burst your bubble."

Ashli quirks an eyebrow at R'sli after hearing N'ano's comment, but Ash apparently decides to go the diplomatic route and say...nothing inflammatory, for the moment, merely storing up the information. "I'm sure it's an interesting one, just as I'm sure Sin never means to insult, Weyrsecond." And, moving on, so she goes, "Is she? Oh, how exciting! I hope she's doing well. How..." Ash pauses, about to ask for gossip about Sin's green, before noting, "Well, I'm sure we can occupy ourselves around Ista somehow until she's finished enjoying the skies. Any recommendations?" A friendly sort of grin is offered, at that. Bygones are bygones, perhaps?

R'sli laughs at the bronzerider's comment, and slaps his thigh with a hoot. "That sounds like my granddaughter," he says with a sigh. "She's never been much on meek." He nods at Ashli's question, keeping silent despite the hint of some other longer story. "Maybe some of that spicy food that Ista is so famous for," he suggests.

"Oh believe me, her insulting goes a /long/ way." But that's the jist of N'ano's reply. Moving on indeed. "The caverns are always welcome. Someone's got a pet peeve 'bout old klah so if you're interested in that, there's nearly -always- a fresh brew in the hearth. Otherwise---I 'unno, you could pro'lly pay some of 'em brats a mark to do a little skit for you or something," N'ano muses, doing a little skip in place to perhaps mock the potential show, complete with an ever-so-charming grin and a ta-da type gesture. And then it all goes tumbling downhill. "Oh, shoot. Sorry. I didn't realize." Psudo-cough is stifled before the back of his neck is rubbed awkwardly. "Had I known the relation, I would've perhaps offered ungenuine but complimentary remarks about our lovely Sin." How 'bout that grin again?

"Spicy food? I don't believe I had the pleasure last time I was in Ista." Ash agrees, pouncing on the new topic, though she blinks at N'ano, then notes again, "Well, Aries has had more contact with Sin in recent years than I have, I do admit, but she and I have always gotten along well..." Blink. "Your weyrbrats do skits? Really?" Ponder. "You know, I never thought of that back in my days in the 'caves. Maybe that should be my next project, dad, whaddya think? The bratcave players! I'll have to talk to Aife about her opinions..." A blink at N'ano, and she waves her hand, "No offense taken on my part. Sin is old enough to take responsibility for her own actions, and act how she sees fit. We all go through life with a few people who don't like us, right?" A vague attempt at smoothing things over that may possibly prevail. "So...what's new here in Ista?"

R'sli narrows his eyes--either speculatively or predatorily--at the bronzerider. "You have a smooth tongue, bronzerider," he says with a purr in his voice. "And be assured that I took no offense at your remarks. I've heard more than one bronzerider voice his distaste for the girl." He offers a casual, easy grin, and nods. "And fresh klah is my weakness," he admits. Ashli's suggestion is met with a loud laugh that he manages to choke into a cough. "I think that would be...interesting," he confesses. "Although, I think Pyrene might be a bit put out with you changing duties in midflight."

"I'm sure they would if marks were involved," N'ano winks, grinning a bit more as shoulders roll again. "A few people who don't like us. I think my anti-fan club is growing faster than I'd like." Perhaps because of the easy disposal of past weyrmates. Regardless, N'ano can't help but turn another grin towards the older man, "I'll take that as a compliment then. And you sir, have nice specs." Completely random, yes. "So," the Istan pauses, clapping his hands together once before motioning with them towards the caverns, "How 'bout we all endulge in some tasties, eh? I think they're makin' some spicy wherry wings right now, actually. The new cook loves feedin' 'em riders right off of sweeps."

Kebire waves as she walks past calmly.

"Oh." Hm. "Well, it can be my side, personal project. I'll jot it on my agenda under 'weyr relations/nurturing future gossip sources'. She'll never guess." Riiight. Well, Ash can hope, for the moment, perhaps. Though apparently not in terms of this particular bronzerider. Drats. Foiled again by the charms of R'sli. "Tasties sound lovely to me. Spicy...wherry wings?" A pause. "Well, have to try everything once, right? Are they really spicy?" Perhaps a silly question. As Kebire walks by, the young rider tosses back a friendly sort of nod/wave combination.

"All the better to see you with," is R'sli's smooth reply. And what a nice view it is, too. But you couldn't tell from the man's face; it's a mask of stolid manliness. He nods to N'ano's suggestion, and offers his arm to the goldrider. "Come along, Ashli. The nice bronzerider has offered to break bread with us. It'd be rude to stand out here in the night air." As the girl waves to them, he tosses a friendly wave back. "Please, Weyrsecond N'ano. We hang on the promise of your hospitality."

"Witty, I like," N'ano laughs a little before asking, "So what happens if I take the promise back? I've been known to break promises, apparently," N'ano sighs lightly, pursing his lips together as his face takes on a helpless look. However, that grin of his is soon to break through once again before hand lifts in another quick motion, "Follow me if you will then. I'll lead you into the goodness that is Ista Weyr, aside from our fabulous beaches and perfect weather."

Ashli accepts the arm graciously, though with a wry glance at R'sli's chivalrous countenance. Ash peers at N'ano, grins, and notes, "Then lead on, fearless leader, for we are dying to partake of such wonders." And lo, apparently Ashli has learned something of riposte from her impressively conversationalistic father.

R'sli beams at his daughter. "Isn't she sweet?" he asks the bronzerider. "A chip off the old block." He nods at N'ano. "After you, Weyrsecond."

"Have a seat. Ya'll be be honorary Mavericks today." Since his wing's table is by far the closest. Being the generous and hospitable man that he is, N'ano actually pulls out a couple seats for the 'reachians before stepping back and tossing a quick look over his shoulder, "I'll see 'bout that wherry and anything else they've got. Feel free to grab a mug or even a glass of wine. It's still out." As if it's ever really put away. "So yeah, I'll be right back." And off he goes into the kitchen.

R'sli stumps along the trestle tables, eyeing the beverages. "The klah sounds good," he says slowly. "But I never could say no to the port here in Ista." He chuckles, and reaches for one of the smoky glass bottles. "There's just something about it. Woody, and peppery." Tugging the cork out, he pours the ruby liguid into a glass. "Would anyone else care for a glass?" N'ano is disappearing into the kitchens, so Ris turns to the offspring. "Ashli? Some port?"

Ashli slips into the offered seat with a friendly smile of thanks, nodding in agreement as he disappears before peering at R'sli. "You know, I don't know that I've ever tried port, to be honest with you. I've always favored the darker red wines myself. But, I'll call this a day of new experiences, so, certainly, I'll try a glass." Quite the long speech about alcoholic beverages, there, but Ash is apparently in a chatty type of mood.

"Okaaaay, well, we've got something that'll let us reminisce 'bout our adventurous childhoods, I'm sure." Horray for bubbly pies. "And they're in funtastical flavors." Horray for new words, too. The pies are deftly set upon the table while N'ano's eyes trail over towards the greenrider, "Oh! Would you mind pouring me a glass?" Since he's over there and all. "Unfortunately, the cooks have settled in for the evening. They're apparently preparing for a busy day tomorrow. So, no wherry. My apologies."

R'sli manages to snag the bottle, the full glass, and two empty ones, and get back to the table without dropping anything. Setting the glasses down, he deftly pours out, and sets the bottle down with a thump. He drops into a chair with a small oof sound. "The port here is very good," he assures Ashli. "It's great for taking the heat out of the dishes down here." He smiles at N'ano charmingly. "But it puts heat into the drinker, doesn't it, sir?"

"Oh, my favorite!" Ash peers at them for a moment, then nods, "You're right, those do smell delightfully different. And delicious, at that." Ahh, the alliteration. Attention is switched to R'sli, and she blinks, opens her mouth as if to say something, apparently thinks better of it, and peers at her glass for a moment before taking a rather un-feminine test swallow...and promptly blinking. "My." Pause. "Well." Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Impossible to tell, for the moment.

"Sure does," is N'ano's comment to R'sli's last before he settles down beside the man, nudging the side of one bubbly with his hand, "'course, there ain't any heat in -these- fine delicacies. They'll just compliment the port, I'm sure... and perhaps cool us down some." Of course, as he's taking his first sip, Ashli's reaction causes him to nearly choke it down. "Is it not to your liking, weyrwoman?" Smirk. "If you prefer something else..."

R'sli smiles, and chuckles at Ashli's reaction. "It's a bit stronger than what you're used to drinking," he says matter-of-factly. "In fact, you'd better take it easy on that. I don't want you lost between because the wine put you in your cups." He leans back in the chair, and cuts his eyes at the bronzerider. "The pies look delicious," he says warmly. "And I've always been one for cooled pies, anyway. Too hot, and you might burn your tongue." And wouldn't /that/ be a shame? But again, stolid manliness.

Indignation. She'll certainly uphold the female repuation in light of this male smirking. "No, actually, I was merely...enjoying the new, different, and lovely taste of it, you see."See woman. See woman roar...or at least attempt not to in reaction to the drink. And to prove her point, Ashli takes another manly swallow from her glass, eyes widening in what is perhaps hoped to be seen as acceptance of the challenge, and not her reaction to the port (which, in fact, it is). Upon mention of the bubbly pies, Ash, however, is delighted to switch topics, and so she moves a pie closer to her, taking a speculatory nibble of it as she picks it up. "Oooh. I will /have/ to borrow this recipe, this is delicious." Ashli, apparently, is not worried about burning her tongue, and notes in just the same tone that R'sli mentioned her drinking habits in, that, "You know, a slightly burnt tongue can actually increase sensation, due to the sensitivity."

"I do hate a burnt tongue. It's certainly a burden on different tasks like--" N'ano pauses, licking his lips briefly in thought, "talking." Yes, talking. The slightest hint of a grin is offered before his hand brings the glass back up to his mouth for a long sip, eyes curiously looking between his company, eyes eventually falling upon the goldrider, particularly for her latter comment, "Really? Y'know, I never thought of it like that. I might have to purposely burn my tongue sometime soon and dwell over this sensation that you speak of, far be it better than the pain that I'm usually succumbed to."

R'sli mrrs in his throat. "Yes. I do hate it when I can't...talk." Innocently, he takes a swig of his wine. "And I have always been in favor of increased sensation, wherever one can find it." The fact that his daughter is sitting right there doesn't seem to faze the man at all. In fact, it seems to be egging him on a bit.

Ah, to be the one stuck between this interchange, hunting for words. Where is a nice young male for Ashli to flirt with when she needs one? Le sigh. She answers N'ano with an innocent type of nod, however, "It can be quite satisfying." And one can take that however one would like, for Ashli, with a quirk of an eyebrow at her father, takes an actual bite out of the bubbly pie this time, using the food as the excuse for why she is neglecting to come up with another double entendre-filled response.

"I don't recommend... hot sauce." Once again, N'ano's eyes drift over the rim of his glass while a sip is drawled ever so slowly upon it." The increased sensation might just be a bit too extreme if used on something. A little too spicy for me, I think." Eggs, of course!

"Too bad," is the greenrider's reply. "There are so many...uses for hot sauce." He grins at Ashli. "Just ask T'lendel." His eyes glaze over as his dragon contacts him again, and he sits up, swearing. "My apologies, Weyrsecond. It seems that I'm going to have to impose on your hospitality another time." He makes a face at Ashli, and stands. "But, I must go and relieve the watchrider, as he's from my wing." He nods to N'ano, and smiles. "I hope we have the pleasure of meeting again, sir," he says smoothly. "And you must come to the 'Reaches and try some of /our/ fare."

Ashli flicks an eyebrow at N'ano and notes blithely, "You Istans must have quite the tolerance for...hot items." Upon R'sli's comment, Ash blinks once, twice, then maturely sticks her tongue out at him, apparently conceding defeat. "I'll see you later, dad - I'll send your regards to Sin, when I catch up with her."

"Will do, sir, will do," N'ano replies, offering the greenrider a quick salute from his chair. "And feel free to stop back here anytime. Our ports always welcome visitors." Uh huh. Alrighty then. Ashli's comment is merely meant with a quick lift of his brows. "It's in the blood, I'd like to think." Not that N'ano's Istan by far.

Merely an amateur in the art, it appears, Ashli is, and so she seems to decide to escape while she's ahead. Or, at least, not too far behind. "Well, N'ano, it has been an absolute pleasure - I second R'sli's invitation, feel free to pop by Reaches any time. And, thank you for introducing me to the tastiness of your bubbly pies and the...wonder...of your ports." A pause, before Ash notes, "I should probably pop by and say hello to Sin, though, then head back to the weyr myself - wouldn't want Pyrene suddenly realizing that I've disappeared on a mysterious un-sanctioned mission and whatnot." A smile, and an escape, and off she goes!

"I'll consider visiting soon then," N'ano replies, again, offering a quick salute from his chair before standing up himself. "Oh, and of course, do give Sin my /BEST/ regards. It has been a long while since I've seen the little wench," he grins, giving her a wink before heading off in his own direction.

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 03:04:37 GMT

Living Caverns
The rough-hewn majesty of this cavern far outpaces any delight in the multitudes of curves that form its enclosure. The glabrous grey granite is shot through with translucent obsidian, lending subtly-veined sparkle to the walls and the foot-trodden smoothness of the floor that shows centuries-old placements of the scarred trestle tables; carven hollows give homes for the glow baskets and the coat-pegs that line the walls. No mosaics, no painting, no tiles: just a few well-done tapestries mark the pathway that lead to the kitchen to the north and the inner caverns to the west, and frame the nighthearth's stew and snacks, while a heavier strip of oiled canvas shields the unwary from the wind... [look closer]
Scattered about in various perches and niches are fifty-two firelizards.
You see Llaammaa here.
Elehu and Eshe are here.
Obvious exits:
Bowl Kitchens Inner Caverns Crafting Area Hearth

"Not every single one of them has the experience of hunting that I do," Eshe replies with a smile that has a fair amount of pride in it. She looks into the klah again and lifts a shoulder in a shrug, her face becoming sombre, "I'd like to think I'm a better person now. Different, no doubt, and there's really too much work to do to make trouble."

Ashli prowls in quietly, an empty, rather ugly-looking mug in one hand, which seems to be the raison d'etre for Ash at the moment. A towel, oddly, is slung over one shoulder, and a lonely-looking (most likely forgotten) writing stick is wedged behind an ear, nearly lost amidst dark curls. A jaunty wave is offered to Eshe and Elehu, her gossip-loving ears noting the conversation and paying attention (while attempting to seem as if she isn't) as she pads on over to the pitchers of various drinks, vascillating between klah and cider, klah and cider...

Elehu sets down her book and begins rolling the parchment halfway, finished with the top third or so of each. She takes another sip of her wine, then looks up to frown lightly at Eshe, looking very much as if she suddenly forgot what they were talking about. "Sorry, um... well. Yes. Most people /do/ mature as they grow older. Thank Faranth!" What?

Eshe glances around and gives Ashli a nod as she enters, then turns back at Elehu and gives her a nod as well, pushing her chair back to stand, waving her hand at the hides spread out on the table, "well.. I'll leave you to your work, weyrhealer," she says with a slow smile, "I've already taken enough of your time. Thank you." She carries her mug over to the sideboard and sets it among the used dishes, yet another nod going to Ashli as she passes the goldrider, "Ashli. How are you today?"

"But don't forget about that 'second childhood' concept!" Ashli chimes in suddenly, grinning as she waves a hand and, beaming, explains, "I read about that in a hide I was looking over yesterday. Interesting, really. Just wait, any minute now Pyrene may suddenly begin to dress in crazy colors and seduce young men." Ahh, the blasphemy. Really, she only said it to gauge reactions...but if you'll believe that one, she has a lovely piece of oceanfront property in Telgar she'll sell you real cheap...moving on, however, Ash finally chooses the cider, smiling at Eshe in a friendly sort of way, "Doing well, doing well. Cleaned the weyr a little while ago, which quieted the ever-complaining Isa down. I swear, there were only /seventeen/ articles of clothing on the floor. Honestly. That's not even twenty." Which, of course, is the magic number where clothing needs to be picked up. "How're you faring, Eshe? Do send my regards to Strakath - I haven't talked with you much recently."

"I believe the second childhoods occur more often in men, Ashli," Elehu comments, grinning slightly. "So we likely have nothing to worry about." Of course, the 'likely' part of that might be worrisome. As Eshe wanders off to speak with the weyrwoman, Elehu turns back to her work, studying it for a moment before delving in with the note taking once more.

Eshe stares at Ashli for a moment before tearing herself out of the gaping disbelief the young goldrider put her in. "Still, seventeen is seventeen too much," she mumbles with a teasing sort of smile as she goes on, "I'm well. Strakath is well. The work with Zephyr agrees with us.. Speaking of work. I'm going to have to go. Good to see you again, Ashli." She nods and turns, giving Elehu another nod and walks out to the bowl.

"Really? So, you mean, if I schedule a second childhood for myself for, say, tomorrow, no one will believe me?" Ash sighs melodramatically and shakes her head nigh-wistfully, before her attention reverts to Eshe. "I suppose so, I suppose so..." A wide grin goes at that, and she nods. "Pleasure seeing you again, Eshe! We'll have to catch up at some point." A promise, that. In any case, Ash seems to decide that sociability is in vogue for tonight, and so she meanders over to torment Elehu with whatever it is she's studiously working on. "Working on such a beautiful afternoon?" Now, there's true blasphemy for you. The rider plops herself into a seat rather un-gracefully, the ugly mug similarly being plopped onto the table.

Elehu eyes the plopping mug to make sure nothing plopped onto either of the parchments, but satisfied, she finishes the most recent line of text. "Well... yes," she answers simply. It /does/ answer the question, after all. Conversation takes precedence once more, so Ele sets down her notebook and smiles at Ashli as she retrieves her small goblet of wine. "I was actually outside all morning. It's amazing what a good dose of fresh air will do." Slow sip. "I'm just keeping myself busy long enough to stay awake until Reiko gets back from her sweeps. What have you been up to lately?"

Shazi arrives from deeper in the Weyr.

Ashli frowns. "Well, then, what's the fun in concepts like second childhoods if half the population doesn't get a believable chance to try them? Harumpf." Ash contemplates this for a moment, then decides, "I suppose I will have to discover a new concept I can try. But I did so like the second childhood one..." A pause as the goldrider apparently imagines her day in a second childhood with a wickedly amused sort of grin, and then she bounces back to the conversation at hand. "Were you? Aye, I certainly agree. Bit warmer than usual for this time of year, too, which is always a nice change." The girl nods, then, and notes, "Then I'm not interuppting you overly much?" Just a reassurance, of course, for the answer will most likely not make her go away in either case. "Me? Oh, not much. You know, plots to take over the weyr and whatnot." Ash waits a beat, then grins and shakes her head, "Seriously, I've merely been doing what everyone else has been. Obsessing over the coming Interval, keeping myself busy with various pet projects, debating going to go visit Ista...for, err, diplomatic reasons, of course. Beaches have nothing to do with it." Really. She swears. "And yourself?"

"It's not that, Ashli," Elehu replies, looking as if she would prefer to laugh. "It's mostly the fact you haven't even hit thirty yet." Her gaze shifts towards the exit to the bowl, and a brief smile flashes. "Well, there's my dear weyrmate. I'd better get going. As for what I've been doing... it will have to wait." She winks as she rolls up the long parchments, carefully tying them with bits of twine. "Clear skies."

Shazi emerges from the lower caverns at a trot. Coming to a halt just beyond the entrance, she takes a more decorous pace towards the serving boards, fingers crossed hopefully.

Ashli sips at her cider contentedly, tapping her fingers against the table in apparent idleness. The towel upon her shoulder is poked at experimentally, Ash apparently seeking for something to occupy herself with and then she notices...aha, a person! A person with crossed fingers going towards food. Hmmm. And so, she watches. Ever so...un-subtly.

Shazi slowly makes her way about the serving board, snatching a tidbit or two from the platters there. With a wary glance towards the maw leading into the lower caverns, she slowly pours herself a mug of klah. She takes a sip and makes a face, then eases her way along the wall towards Ashli's table, attempting to refrain, but unable to withhold a furtive glance or two towards the lower caverns.

Ashli is stumped. Perhaps Shazi is afraid of the monsters who live down in the deep? But, wait a minute, that's a bratlet legend. And so, Ashli merely pokes again at her towel. Perhaps if she pokes it enough, it will jump up and do a little dance on the table. After further contemplation of her towel, she decides to offer a friendly wave towards Shazi, despite the girl's apparent fear of the monsters.

Shazi catches sight of the wave and brightens slightly. She picks up her pace and quickly settles into a seat opposite Ashli. "Tell me if you see an old, fat woman coming from the lower caverns," she leans in to whisper.

"Does she eat small children for breakfast?" Ash whispers back curiously, winking merrily as she nods in agreement. Right. Keep an eye out for fat females. Got it. One last poke of the towel and Ash appears to decide to spare the towel the remainder of its poking torture as she decides sociability is still in vogue, and conversation is much more fun than towel-torture anywhos.

Shazi makes a face as she rests her elbows on the table, her hands curled about her klah mug and tipped towards her face. She peers suspiciously at the dark, rich beverage. "Worse. She forced them into drudgery."

Ashli ooohs. "Horror of horrors." Ash opines with a melodramatic shudder. "Did it at least involve exciting things, like beating tunnelsnakes with sticks and tossing them into bags?" Always Ashli's favorite bratlet task...strange child, you see...

Shazi sighs. "No, it wouldn't have been such a horror if she had. No, she was going to make me wash clothes. All that soap would've simply ruined my hands." She studies her fingers with the well-manicured nails and sighs.

Ashli grimaces. "Ooof. That's vicious. Slightly better than patching clothes, though, I'd say. Less blood and whatnot. I never really managed to get the hang of sewing. Thank goodness for those who can." Ash grins wryly and shrugs, querying with a grin, "So, not caused any trouble other than running from poor old women, now, have you?"

Shazi shrugs. She sips again at the klah, this time without the face. "Oh, I can sew. Sewing is well enough, if somewhat dull. If I can get out of anything, I will, though." She winks at Ashli, perhaps forgetting with whom she is speaking.

Ashli snickers and nods. "I hear you. It was so much easier to do that when I didn't have an overbearing gold watching over my every attempt at escape. I was hiding in the quiet corners the other day to contemplate stuff...and, err, not avoid Pyrene at all, of course...and she was muttering the whole time. And then I'anex came in and discovered me, and I wouldn't have put it past her to getting Feitoveth to suggest to I'anex that he go into the corners." Ash grumbles good-naturedly.

Shazi takes this information in stride, her cheeks burning with pinpoints of pink. "Oh, well... everyone knows that I'anex thinks far too highly of himself now that he's become a bronzerider," she states absently into her mug.

Ashli peers at Shazi. "Oh, no, you don't think that too, do you? Oh, no, Shazi, he really doesn't." Ash frowns sort of sadly, and notes, "He's really stressed and takes a lot more onto himself than he needs to, which is somewhat the fault of his overly-moral dragon. I promise you, he's the same old I'anex, just with a large critter that eats herdbeasts and whatnot." Ash pauses for a moment, and says softly, "He's sort of upset that a lot of his old friends think that same thing, you know? I think it's rather depressing. People don't change just because they Impress. Sure, it's overwhelming for a bit, 'specially for the metallics because it's sort of like, 'wow, what do I do now, how am I supposed to act', but after that sort of settling period, you move towards a more mature self, but you never want to lose old friends that you thought were really close friends and then suddenly desert you when you need them most. Because it's /scary/, suddenly realizing that you now have a completely different life ahead of you, you know?" Ash soliloquys, then suddenly silences herself, peering at her mug of cider contemplatively.

Shazi frowns into her own mug. Slowly, she shakes her head. "I suppose I have nothing to base the belief upon, but I don't think anyone who Impresses is still the same person they were beforehand. He can blame it on his dragon all he likes, but the truth is that he has changed... or so I've been told." Again, she flushes. "I don't really know him that well."

Ashli grins. "Of course he's changed. Impressing will do that do you. But it's made him a more mature person - I think he's the better for it. Myself, I think that his old friends just aren't ready to be as mature as he now is, and so react with anger, maybe a little envy. One day they'll mature and realize he's a wonderful person, but you always remember those moments when you needed friends and they deserted you, you know? And that'll always hang. Which is terribly depressing, when you think about it." Ash frowns sadly. "You'd think in a weyr people would be more understanding of the whole concept.

"Envious, perhaps," Shazi agrees. "Though I'm not quite sure what there is to envy. Last I heard, dragonriding was quite a bit of work." She ponders something silently to herself, then, head canted to one side, asks, "What will you do when Thread stops falling?"

"Well, bronzeriders do tend to get a bit more sex than other males his age just because impressionable holder girls think shiny dragons are impressive and whatnot. Wish the same went for shiny female dragons." Ash says this last with a wry wink and a waggle of her hands before she sighs. "I have no idea. Junior weyrwomen...I haven't found out much about what they /do/ when Thread falls. I don't have any skills, other than what I've been trained in for Thread and diplomacy. But I'd hate to just sit around the weyr and wait 'til Isa rises, which won't be often in the Interval anyways, though possibly more often than the older queens." Ash sighs. "I've been worrying over that a lot. Maybe I'd become an ambassador to other weyrs or some such..."

Shazi can't help but giggle at that. "If Impressing a dragon meant impressing the lads, I think I could go for the whole Impression thing. Not that I'd have any luck. I've lived in a Weyr all my life and I've never been asked to Stand." She takes another sip of her klah, mulling over this. "But I think I am far more free to pursue the boys without one. At least, I would be if my mother wasn't always somewhere near."

Ashli nods, and giggles as well. "I tell you, it's much more difficult. One of these days I'm going to find a far-out Hold where no one will recognize me so I can freely seduce without people wondering about ramifications, or me wondering if someone's flirting just for ramifications." Ash grumbles at that, and waggles a hand with a frown, then nods. "Yep, and mothers are tricky, too, definitely. All stifling and whatnot, wanting you to stay cute and little instead of suddenly liking guys for more than another person to jump rope with."

Shazi snorts. "As if I'd ever jump rope," she adds to Ashli's commiseration. She studies the goldrider for a moment, somewhat perplexed. "What would you do with your dragon when you wander out into the back of beyond?" She thinks about it for a moment, then brightens. "I know, you can have another woman come along and she can pretend to be the rider, and that way you won't have to leave your dragon anywhere."

"Really? I sort of like jumping rope...though I could never figure out how those skilled girls were able to jump two at once. One was more than enough for me." Ash sighs wistfully, then blinks, contemplates, and beams, "Good idea!! I was actually sort of wondering about that. Ooh. We'd just have to hope none of them had heard of Isa before and whatnot."

Shazi shrugs. "You're a junior weyrwoman. No one is required to know who you are and... I don't think you've really done anything to distinguish yourself from the others." She pauses, then grins, half sheepish, half impish. "Not to say that that's a bad thing, or anything."

Ashli grins. "Good point. Though people in the Reachian holds would probably recognize me. And maybe old-timers who really hold to tradition and whatnot." Ash considers. "I'll have to investigate out-of-the-way holds...maybe one near a beach, too...it can be a...diplomatic mission..." Riight. The girl suddenly squeaks. "And speaking of diplomacy, I'm supposed to have a summary of some hides to Pyrene soon...oh, dear. I should go finish that up quickly...I'll catch up with you later, Shazi, stay out of trouble!" Ash grabs her mug of cider and darts out with a smile and a wave.

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 06:15:20 GMT

Quiet Corners
Thick woolen tapestries dull the noise from the rest of the caverns, turning this well-lit little room into a welcome escape. The stairs up place it against the bowl wall somewhere above the living caverns, carpeted against the winters chill or left as cool stone floor in summer. Some high and narrow windows can be opened to the world outside, or secured with their heavy metal-sided shutters and blue-threaded curtains.
Glowlight gleams, brightening the well-cushioned stone couches and lighting the weyr residents half-finished projects: knitting undone, sewing only started, leathers being worked soft, and even a hide of sketches or half-finished Thread-chart spread out across one of the... [look closer]
Curled up amongst the baskets of wool are seven firelizards.
I'anex is here.
Obvious exits:
Inner Stairs

The room is silent. Eerily so, perhaps. One would not guess that, in actuality, there is a small dragonrider hiding within it. Why is she hiding? One would never guess, as one would never discover where she is. Secretive, very secretive...except for the fact that the hiding place is, in fact, between two bookcases and behind a chair, and perhaps a very, very observant person may notice sandaled feet if they happened to glance underneath said fluffy poofy chair.

I'anex is, occasionally, terribly observant, down to every sharp and scuffed detail. But Feitoveth is not leaning so hard on his perceptions today. Nor is I'anex looking under any chairs, as what may or may not be under chairs is completely not his responsibility. He settles down, however, into that poofy chair at a mild lounge. His nose is crossed by a plain white bandage across the bridge. In his hands is a sketchbook. Tucked between thumb and cover is a pencil.

A realization suddenly hits the hiding dragonrider. She may be discovered! For, someone has blocked her escape route. A chortle of what may be dragonic laughter emits from a certain gold, a quiet rumble that can just barely be heard through the open shutters of the quiet corners. Ashli is at a loss as to what to do, so she does what any self-respecting hiding person does. Peek around her hiding spot ever so subtly to peer at the interloper before slowly un-peeking and going back to her comfortable curled position, the only notion that she ever moved is a wavy black hair that escaped and is now resting upon the arm of the chair, and perhaps upon the arm of said newly discovered I'anex as well...though Ashli still sits in silence, not giving up her presence, merely...pondering. Aye, pondering.

"Mn," I'anex 'says,' addressing the sketchbook. As he flicks his fingers over the cover to pry it open, he notices the hair on his arm. Not his. Not one of his immediate family's. Not one of his steadily dwindling former-brat-of-comperable-age social circle. His eyes narrow and his observation sharpens, Feitoveth whetted. "Ashli?" is most baffled.

Ashli contemplates, blinks as I'anex speaks to himself, then barely muffles a groan as he seems to suddenly realize that she's there. Or, wait...does he? No, he must. And so the bandit gives herself up, coming clean (or, well, not so much, considering the army of dust bunnies having been living in that particular corner) and wiggling underneath the chair to escape, curving to the side to avoid entangling in I'anex's legs. And, voila! It is a dusty, grimy, smudgy...Ashli! Oooh, aaah. "All right, all right, I give myself up." Ash says melodramatically, though the amused grin belies that melodrama. "However did you discover me?"

I'anex draws the hair off his arm to dangle it over Ashli's head. "You left physical evidence. What're you doing?" he asks with a toothy grin.

Grumble. "Caught by a hair." The irony, the irony. Ash grins wryly then notes, "Well, hiding, of course. What else would I be doing?" Her eyes twinkle as she shoots a perfected-in-brathood 'duh' look at him, and she wrinkles her nose in merriment as she tosses back, "What're you doing around and about here? Portraits? Letters?"

"You're allowed to hide?" I'anex is all envy. He pulls his hand to the side to rub his fingers together and the hair off of them. "I was going to draw a . . . couch. Perfect my, uh, skills at capturing an . . . object."

Ashli considers. "I'm not sure if I'm allowed to hide, actually. But I felt the need, so I hid." Ash shrugs, a grin quirking at the corner of her mouth, before she blinks. "A couch? But couches are boring. Aren't they just rectangles?"

"Lucky," I'anex pffts and waves the back of his hand at the couch. "Well, yes, and no. They're more padded, of course, and there's a lot of tiny detail you can miss if you're not looking /real/ close."

Ashli ponders on couches for a moment or two, peering at the couch that I'anex waved at before she shakes her head. "I don't see it. But, all right. Myself, I like drawing bright things. Though I can't really draw. Mostly I like putting splotches of bright colors places and telling myself they're things." Ash beams, then notes, "What will you do with your drawing of a couch?"

"Nothing. It's just practice." I'anex finally pulls the cover (and several sheets) back to expose a blank page. "I figure art is something I could do in Interval, if nothing else, you know? And, hey, nothing wrong with bright things."

Ashli nods, "Practice is a good thing, I suppose. Will you hang it in your weyr anyways? Make a wall of items? Will you color it?" All sorts of questions, the rider has today, before she pauses. "You know, I'anex, I'm worried about the Interval." Another long pause...and it seems Ash may not finish her thought...

Ashli grins at I'anex and notes helpfully, "If you need to borrow colors, I have some nice ones in my weyr." In case, you know, he got so excited about color he used all of his. Right. Of course. Upon hearing that I'anex is worried too, Ashli relaxes a bit, though she notes, "But, I'anex, you're /skilled/. You have something to fall back upon when the Interval hits. You could be an artist."

I'anex pulls another grin. "I've got plenty. I'm mostly blacks and whites and greys when I draw, so . . ." Another line skits perpendicular to the first. I'anex tilts his head. "Artist isn't enough, though. I'd want to do more -- pictures aren't good enough in and of themselves. Skills aren't, either."

Ashli considers, then notes, "But doesn't that get sort of...drab?" A life in black and white? Horror of horrors! "Why aren't pictures good enough? Or skills? Both are more than what I have, so I would say you're quite ahead of the fall line." Ash wrinkles her nose, then adds, "What else would you do?"

"No," I'anex negates, lightly. "Nothing drab about line, and detail. Color can actually, you know, make all /that/ harder to see." He hooks a curve on the second line. "Pictures and skills and crafts don't reach many people, always. And I'm not /that/ good. I'd want to do more. Work on how things are run. Change things, like I told you."

"Morose, then?" Ash suggests a synonym for drab in the hopes that it will be greeted with a better reception, though she comments, "Perhaps dabs of color, to highlight bits and pieces?" Some sort of color? Somewhere? Somehow? The girl nods. "I remember, yes. Lofty goals for the Interval..." She pauses, contemplates, and notes, "You know what I need to look into? The Guards. How they're run and set up. Uriala talked to me a while ago about it...I need to look into that, on her advice."

"Morose? No, no. Not /morose/ either. It's just line," I'anex insists, protests, and curves 'round another line. "Why the guards?"

"Just line? Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to take the artsy side and argue that lines are alive with meaning and feeling and whatnot?" Ash says with a straight face, though the teasing note in her voice gives her away. "She mentioned something about outdated training techniques and too much of a hierarchy within the guards that stop the guards from being what they should be..."

"Uh. Not at the moment. Sorry. I'm really a draftsman as much as anything." I'anex emits a low sigh and lays the pencil down. But he doesn't appear to be terribly serious either. "So. You want to reform the guards -- do we really got the authority to do that, though?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure. I asked Isa, and she wasn't sure. I'll have to talk to Pyrene about it...I think, in some way, the guards answer to the weyrleaders, they're not completely autonomous." Ash considers. "I'm not sure if that gives me the authority to overhaul, but at the least I could ask Pyrene to be placed into an investigative position and give her my suggestions on how to overhaul, and she could do it?"

Ashli snickers. "You sound like X'ian. He was always telling me to take the subtle route instead of going directly for what I wanted." Ash stretches her legs out from their cross-legged position and lounges, commenting, "But if Uriala couldn't suggest and persuade from inside the guards when she saw what was going on, what makes me able to?"

"Well, if you really care about it, it doesn't matter if you can or not. Can't hurt to try a little and see what happens next. Of course, if they glare at you and mumble under their breath? Uh, bad sign." I'anex passes a suspicious look to Ashli, "How's that like X'ian?"

"That's a good point, I suppose. I could go that way first. But if it backfires, I'll tell Pyrene it was your idea." Ash threatens with a waggle of her finger and a giggle. She blinks at I'anex and queries, "How is it /not/ like X'ian? Didn't you ever notice how he was the type of fighter who would distract you with a wavy left hand then hit you with the right? When he really wants something, he goes subtle with that devious dragon of his. But does something outrageous to distract people from it."

"Pffffft, as you want," I'anex says, shaking the pencil. "But /my/ dragon is no Morchainth. This doesn't mean you have to run at /everything/ headlong, as long as what you're doing is moral and honest and you're doing it in a moral way. I'm no X'ian."

Ashli grins contentedly. A 'pfft', she got. Always a sign of the winning of a debate. She blinks, though, and notes, "Well, I know, that's what I was saying, that you were advising me not to run at things headlong and whatnot." A pause. "Into the morality of this, are we?" Another pause. "And a good thing you aren't."

"Well, I mean, it doesn't have to be perfect in all ways. But you -- well. My /dragon/ is into the morality." I'anex rolls his eyes upward. "So, y'know, by extension. If I'd Impressed Morchainth, I'd be mad and dead by now."

Ashli grins at I'anex and notes, "I was merely teasing. I know, I know. And a good thing Feitoveth is. Isa is a little more lax on morals, but is always strict about propriety, which generally ekes out to being the same basic concept in application." Ash smiles, then, and shakes her head. "I doubt it. You'd have Isa and I to poke at you, if only because Isa constantly finds Morchainth a conundrum she wants to solve. Though she hasn't spoken to him in a long while, to the best of my knowledge."

"Feitoveth would rather I stay away from X'ian and Morchainth altogether. Or, at least, X'ian. Feitoveth does as he wants, moral and proper as it always is." I'anex drops his pencil on the ground and folds his sketchbook closed, dropping it next to the pencil. "Poking sometimes /causes/ madness," he asides, cheerfully.

Ashli considers. "Really? Why X'ian? Well, he has been avoiding most people recently, hasn't he? Or maybe it's just that my path rarely crosses his. Which could be Isa's subtle doings, I suppose. Those dragons, so meddlesome, hmm?" Ash contemplates for a moment, then snickers and moves slightly as if to poke I'anex in the leg. "Well, if you're half-mad to begin with, perhaps poking could go either way."

"Bad influence, the like. You know. But Feitoveth doesn't enforce it, so I do what I want as far as seeing him or not. Um." I'anex rolls his eyes toward the window. "Unless he's being sneaky about how he works my thoughts, too. It comes to a fight between us and he's dominant." I'anex slips his leg away from Ashli. "I swear, poking is madness."

Ashli nods. "Well, I suppose. But I'd think Feitoveth would view him as a good example of what not to do, and therefore somewhat study-able." Contemplation, then, "Or perhaps I'm too used to Isa's occasional analytic view of the world." She grins, however, nodding at that, "Dragons are sneaky sorts, I'll readily agree with you there." Ash snaps her fingers in defeat at the leg escaping, noting with a grin, "But what's so bad about being slightly mad? Makes life interesting, ey?"

I'anex coughs. "Feitoveth is analytical enough to make my brain feel like it's been studied thread by thread. He just thinks I've done /enough/ study over the past seven turns, thanks." I'anex draws that leg in just a little closer. "And interesting is great, but I like being able to /function./"

Huff. "And who says you can't function while being slightly mad? I rather think all of us here at the weyr are a little off in our own quirky ways. Like...me, for instance, I have a thing for colors and am too trusting, which can be slightly mad. And...let's see...Aries is a little mad, too, cooped up with awful smells all day and /enjoying/ it. And...Michel is a little mad, him and his cookie possessiveness and occasional tossing of weyrbrats into vats and whatnot...and that quartermaster is more than a little mad...and I won't even mention Marond..." Ash laughs softly and notes, "And that's the joy and wonder of Reaches."

"That's not /mad/, though," I'anex dismisses with a light wave of his hand. "That's being /people/ and not all of the same type. That's not the same thing at all."

Ashli considers. "You don't think throwing weyrbrats around is slightly mad? Or an obsession with bright colors?" Ash peers at I'anex cautiously, as if deciding if I'anex himself is rather mad. "Then what is madness? Standing on your head all day?" Ash queries, then, with a giggle, "You know, it's not possible to do that, actually. I asked Mosiah that once, and he told me that if you try, your head will pop." She pauses, reconsiders, and notes, "...though he may have been exaggerating."

"No, no. Lookit mindhealing -- you won't get mindhealed for that unless you start /hurting/ the weyrbrats or staring at a table for hours because you /think/ you see bright colors." I'anex adjusts himself on the seat to look at Ashli more directly, his hands turns out. "/Mad/ is when the way /you/ see the world is really different from what everyone else sees, different enough that sometimes, you act and speak on a different level that makes it hard for people to understand you, or dangerous or difficult to try. When you do things that make sense to you, but frighten everyone else."

Ashli considers. "I think that's being totally mad. But I think being slightly mad is healthy for you. Perhaps uniqueness and slight madness are synonymous, in a way, and both necessary to function in a society. Otherwise we'd be all...conforming. Boring. And then there'd be no gossip." Ash sighs at that dreary concept, though she silences herself for a moment as she contemplates. "Perhaps a truly mad mindset would be a difficult thing to envision, but it would also be a difficult thing to accomplish, in a weyr, being a madman. Or madwoman, what-have-you."

"That's not /mad/, though," I'anex insists with a hint of frustration. "Unless you're using that as an expression, which would basically mean someone's a little weird, not normal, which most people are. Mad is something totally different! I think X'ian's a little mad. I might be a little mad. But it's not because I draw without colors. It's not /that/ uncommon."

Ashli waves her hands around in an effort to catch I'anex's attention to calm him down. "All right, all right. Perhaps it's merely quirky and not 'mad', persay...I don't know if I'd call you or X'ian mad, though, going by your definition. X'ian's diabolical and slightly off occasionally, but his logic is generally followable. It's just that his motives aren't always what we would go for ourselves...or at least not in the fashion he goes about them." Ash pauses, and shrugs, "Though far be it from me to defend him. You, however, I can easily defend. You may draw without colors, which is odd," Ash winks to allow the knowledge that, yes, she's merely teasing, "but I've never known you to do something without having a reason for it. And isn't reason the opposite of madness?"

"/Not/ necessarily. I'd say a lot of people, even crazy ones, have a reason for what they do. It's just not quite there -- or right -- or driven by something strange and internal and not altogether, uh, intentional? See. I've seen X'ian /really/ bad. I don't know if you have." I'anex sketches this out with flicking gestures. "/I/ have. I've seen me really bad, you haven't. Do /you/ have really bad moments where you're just not quite . . . quite ... see, hard to explain."

Ashli frowns, considers, then admits to I'anex, "You know, I'anex, I...I...I don't know if I have, or did. I may have, but...I'm finding that a lot of my time with X'ian I don't...remember. I'm a bit worried about it...occasionally think I may be going mad, what with these crazy holes in my memory." She furrows her brow, then nods. "I think everyone has moments when they are absolutely not themselves - when you get yourself into such a passion that no one can get through to you and you just have to ride it out and hope you're still all in one piece in the end."

"See, er," I'anex stops gesturing to scratch the back of his neck. "That happens to some of us more than others. Anyway, it's hard to define. /I/ don't think you're crazy for maybe not remember . . . ing everything with X'ian perfectly. Unless Isamath is making sure you don't?"

"I suppose some of us are more passionate than others." Ash agrees, then frowns. "I really doubt Isa would sabotage my memory like that, because I don't think she ever really had a problem with X'ian. She treats things like that as 'learning experiences'. I haven't told her about my memory...loss regarding it, because I don't want her to worry over it."

"Could you have her --" I'anex stops scratching to gesture at his head, "go looking to see if it's really gone? 'Course, I'm used to my dragon doing stuff like that all the time without asking."

"Is that even possible? I mean, I know at Impression, your mind is completely bare, but that's just the shock. Isa has such a gentle mind-touch...I never considered that. I should talk it over with her, perhaps. But what if it is really gone? Then am I crazy? I don't know." Ashli frowns and shrugs. "I guess it's not that big of a deal. People forget things all the time, right?"

I'anex blinks and resumes scratching. "I guess. I don't forget-forget much any more. I figure you're just, uh, /choosing/ not to remember in some way and that's why you don't. But it can't hurt to have Isamath look."

Ashli frowns. "Well, do you think that if I'm choosing not to remember it, that I'd be better off not remembering it?" Deep, man. Ash frowns, then, suddenly, darts forwards with a poking finger towards I'anex's hidden leg, stretching out like a feline in her attempt to reach. Aha! Didn't expect her to try again, did you?

"Well, she can just /tell/ you if it's there and then you don't have to worr-- hey." I'anex does not evade the poke, but stares down at it. "Why you doing that?"

"Well, yes, that's a good thought. I'll contemplate it. Thanks for the idea, I'anex!" Ash slowly re-folds herself into her lounging position, then looks up at I'anex with wide, oh-so-innocent blue eyes. "Are you mad?" And he can take that in either sense. Wordplay! Lovely.

I'anex narrows his eyes and tries an uncertain grin, this time. "Nah, just manic. Or, not really even that. Today. Poke away."

Ashli flicks an eyebrow up curiously, and sighs. "Oh, I'anex, you're no fun. So serious. What's on your mind, honestly?" Ash sobers up, herself, peering at the bronzerider patiently.

"Hmmn? Oh, don't ask that question." I'anex tosses up his hands. "You ask /that/ and I have to tell you everything on my mind. You've gotta be, uh, more specific." He sighs, too. "Sorry for the serious. If I'm not on my crazy high, I turn pretty stiff, I guess."

"And what's wrong with telling me all that? I'm trustworthy, and there's something weighing on your mind." Ash frowns, noting, "No, serious is not generally a bad thing. Just...relax. Loosen up." Ash winks, and stage-whispers, "I think Feitoveth's morality and seriousness has rubbed off a little too far on you. So. What's going on, my friend?"

"I . . . " I'anex rubs at the underside of his chin and shrugs. And launches. "Family troubles, as usual, as always, maybe worse than usual. General confusion about sexuality and what's appropriate and what's not and whether I wanna act like my parents here or not. Worrying about this whole bipolar thing that might be hanging over /my/ head, and I don't know. Interval. How most of my old friends can't stand me any more. Iliad getting punished for fighting me. Not being sure who I am or what I can do with myself. Not being enough -- good enough, strong enough, etc." I'anex squints a partial squint. "That'll do?"

Ashli listens silently, nodding occasionally at his points, commenting only upon one thing at the end, "Why do most of your old friends not like you any more? Back in the brat caves you were enough younger than me that I didn't hang with you much, but you don't seem...amazingly changed, I don't think..." She pauses, then notes, "Well, I didn't mean to /force/ you to tell me. If you want me to go away and stop bothering you, I will."

I'anex shakes his head. "Not forced, it's fine. I wouldn't have said it if I totally didn't want to, you know. I just tend to, uh, dump like that." He slants his shoulder and fiddles with the knee on his pants. "Maybe it's 'cause I'm more honest now. They find out things they didn't want to know. Or maybe they can't handle me in my bad moments, and I have 'em. Or maybe it's this rank . . . thing. Once, Iliad breaks my nose and it's fine. Now, he does that, and he could get demoted."

Pause. "Then they weren't your true friends anyways, I'anex, and you're the better off for leaving them behind. Aren't things with Lanti going well?" Ash pauses again, then notes, "I'd heard about Iliad, though I must say, I heard a much more dramatic story than what your little bandaid seems to suggest. That's very manly, though, you know...but..." Ash pauses, and then offers, "Do you want me to make that go away? I could go down to the guard house on my...mission, mention a few things, ask a few queries, and while I'm there fix that situation for you. Because, whether he was in uniform or not, a green trainee should be with a older guard at all times anyways. And, Krummolt never gets in trouble for all the fights he picks." Ash comments with a sweeping wave of her hand.

"Lanti's fine -- she gets me. But we're not really," he makes a vague gesture, "together any more. It's not a /bad/ thing, just that we . . . weren't ... I mean, relationships are a little beyond us and, uh, yeah." I'anex scratches his knee. "It's been 'bout a sevenday and a half since we scuffled. It's almost okay, now. Wasn't a bad break. Uh. Manly?" An uncertain grin again. Scratch scratch. "I don't know. Feitoveth wants me to leave it. Although, you know, Krummolt /did/ knock me out that one time, but I didn't follow that up. He /has/ gotten in trouble before. I felt kinda worse about Iliad, but at the same time, he charged me for a word. I don't know."

Ashli blinks. "Really? I hadn't heard that bit of hot gossip. Well, yes, I suppose I understand that, but...hm. Everyone in the weyr recognizes you two as fairly promised. What will not being 'together' accomplish? Space to grow?" Curiosity, curiosity, one day will kill the Ashli. She grins, though, and notes, "You know, once a nose is broken, it'll always be slightly off, which is quite dashing." A friendly smile, and Ash nods in understanding. "Well, it's completely your decision."

"Sort of. Less pressure or, um, something. I mean, it's not like we're weyrmated or pregnant or anything. And I'm more interested in sex than she is." I'anex brings his hand up to cup under his nose. No more scratching. "Off? It was only a little break. Doesn't look off, does it?" His looks!

"I suppose that makes sense. Mm, boys always seem more interested in sex earlier than girls. Strange, that." Ash shrugs at that, then peers at his nose analytically, "I think yours will end up being more of a tiny bump than an actual quirky outline. Don't worry, it'll add character and mystique and whatnot. The Holder girls will rave about the dashing young bronzerider." A wry grin and a wrinkled nose, and Ash comments, "Well, I'd probably better stop my hiding in here. I've hides to re-copy and positions to consider and whatnot."

"But -- I don't /want/ Holder gi-- well. Maybe a little." I'anex sighs at his fundemental weakness and drops his hand to his lap. There. "Well." He leans against the chair. "I probably ought to get to work, too."

Ashli grins at I'anex and winks. "Don't worry, maybe one of the queens will rise soon and then you'll get a fresh new crop of Candidates to flirt with." And, with that cheery thought, Ash bounces up, over, and out, waving merrily as she goes...

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 03:33:23 GMT

Central Bowl
Seven spindles brush the clouds overhead, displaying a jagged, spired cotillion grey-stoned majesty. The bowl from here is expansively large, extending a full half-mile in both directions, and though a bit of a stretch at times, most of the hubs of activity can be easily observed. Hard-packed ground shows the common pathways, all of them meandering about the craggy bunch of boulders that form a centerpiece within the middle of the otherwise vast emptiness.
The hatching grounds and leadership weyrs are located to the north, while the sounds of herdbeasts noisily allude to the pens slightly east of there. Constant traffic marks the entrance to the westward living caverns, and a glance... [look closer]
It is a spring afternoon.
To the northeast, you see a green dragon.
To the north, you see three dragons.
To the southeast, you see three dragons.
Clinging to footholds in the boulder-mound are nineteen firelizards.
Brown Piccath, green Zoryanth, brown Delenioth, brown Sevareth, green Khaijath, blue Taiith, green Lierdeth, green Iztenith, bronze Kolaneth, and bronze Abenth are here.
You see a wagonmaster, Doom, Ashli, and Wagon Two here.
K'nex is here.
Obvious exits:
Pens Northern Bowl Caverns Ground Weyrs Passageway Lakeside Guard's HQ

K'nex has been doing a bit of jogging lately, and today seems to be no exception of that. The brownrider is doing easy laps around the bowl waving to people as he crosses their path, his brown Shirasuth walking along beside him playing 'coach' to his rider. "Shut up," Kez calls good naturedly to Shira, the only evidence the brownr dragon is saying anything to his rider at all. Then, suddenly, Kez comes to a full stop and makes an overly dramatic death-flop to the ground, breathing heavy. Oomph.

A rather disgruntled looking Ashli wanders in from the Northern Bowl, presumably from her weyr. Her hair, which may have been neatly braided at some point today, has already by this afternoon become a frizzy sort of explosion, which may be a part of her grouchy attitude. She idly smacks a rolled hide against her leg as she walks, a constant tap-tapping preceding her. Oddly enough, there seems to be a tear in the side of the hide, as if a small creature had perhaps pounced it - curious. As she pads on, however, lo and behold, there is a K'nex dying in front of her! His performance, however, garners a smattering of applause from the goldrider, and a grin alights upon the grumbly face. "I'm impressed! My goodness, though I don't know how you can stand to jog laps. I've never been particularly good at it, myself. Get bored halfway through."

K'nex doesn't pick himself up at the applause, but he does lift his head up looking a bit startled. Wide-eyed expression is replaced with an easy (and maybe slightly embarassed) smile. "...'Lo, Ashli. You look...er...hi." He squints a bit, then pushes himself up into a sitting position so he can shrug. "Oh, you get used to it. And I just get company to go with me, so I don't get bored. Routine, routine...What are you up to, then?"

Ashli snickers at K'nex's cut-off comment, and shrugs. "Heyla, K'nex." is returned, a laughing wrinkle of the nose her only other response. She nods at his reply, however. "That's a good point, I suppose. Isa tells me I should swim more often, but I've never been much into the chilly water around here." Ashli sighs, and notes with a wry twist of her mouth, "There, there's another reason I should go on vacation to Ista." Apparently, someone is collecting reasons in order to convince another someone to allow her to. "Up to? Me? Well, not much. Heading over to see Aries to see if he can help me fix this hide." Ash frowns momentarily. "I suppose it's handy that there's a tanner in the family now."

"I hear you there," K'nex says with a mock-shiver at the thought of the waters around High Reaches. "I prefer swimming myself. Down in Ista or Southern as much as I can be, really. Some people are simply not meant for the cold." He nods sharply, as if that adds some authority to his statement and then tilts his head. "Yeah, I suppose that would be handy. Especially if you're dealing with a lot of hidework." He pauses and squints again, if trying to decide if that made any sense. "Uhm, Ista's nice this time of turn." Maybe he was better off on the subject before.

Ashli grins at that, and nods. "I don't mind the cold so much, but there's nothing wrong at all with some wonderful warmth now and then. Though, I daresay, last time I went to Ista, I came back red as anything." Upon the reply about Aries, Ash nods. "I do hope he can fix it. Do you know if anyone's missing a kitten?" The girl asks this with a frown, though she does seem fairly worried about the fate of said kitten. "Is it? I haven't been down to Ista in turns. I'anex was telling me that everyone's friendly down there, and goodness knows a visit wouldn't be amiss. If I can just convince...anyways. So...the wildflowers in the meadows are lovely this time of year. Keep meaning to go over there and enjoy the spring weather." Perhaps not a diplomatic change of topic, but she's frazzled, can't expect the best out of her.

K'nex winces. "Yeah...I hear you there, too," he admits, as if that weren't pretty obvious, and brushes at the fair skin of his arm. "Well, I'm sure he''l be able to do something," Kez begins, typically reassuring then he pauses. "...A kitten? Not offhand, least not recently. There's more than a few felines around here that are pretty wild....or near enough to it. Might not even be anyone's." He shrugs helplessly. "I admit I've only been to the weyr a few times myself...haven't been in... a couple turns. Only a have a few friends there. P'rru's there, you know." Nod. The brownrider seems unfased the the topic jump, testament to his own mind's hops and skips. "One of the prettiest places on Pern about now, yeah." He agrees, grinning. "Wildflowers are a true enough doom for a few people with unfortunate allergies, but they are nice to look at."

"I certainly hope so. Even if he could just make it look a little bit like it'd just been beaten up a bit, and not viciously attacked..." Ash trails off for a moment, before picking up her thought somewhat haphazardly, "...by a kitten. A cute kitten, though, I admit. Orange-y, but with adorable black paws, and little white tufts on her ears. I discovered her in my weyr this morning, and I'm not quite sure what to do about her, to be honest." The girl frowns, then notes, "Actually, I didn't check its sex, so it could be a male, I suppose. Do you think I should keep it? It is a hazard to hides..." Another trailing off, though this time Ash jumps topics. "Is he? My, I haven't seen him in ages...I'd have to go visit him if I went over there...allergic to wildflowers? Oh, that would be terrible. It'd take half the fun out of spring."

"Well, just put the word out you've got a lost kitten," K'nex suggests after a moment of thought from his seat on the ground. "If it's someone's, which it's probably not, they'll find you. Otherwise, it's yours." Not quite finders keeps rules, but... "And if you do keep it...keep the hides in drawers. Then she...er..of he, whatever, can't get to them." He nods, smartly. Oh, the wisdom. Er, or something. "Last time I hear, yeah, he's there. And I'd think he'd be downright disapointed if you didn't visit. Erm, well, I'm sure people aren't allergic to all wildflowers...just a few, I think. I believe that's how it is, unless you're real unlucky..." He makes a face at the thought. Bummer.

"Allergies come in all shapes and sizes, so to speak." Rianys casually slips herself into the conversation. "And there are treatments for it, you know." She looks from Ashli to K'nex, flashes a quick smile, then makes a move as though to continue on her way.

Ashli nods. "That's a good idea. I'll try. I've never seen a kitten quite like this one before. I should probably ask Wyn. She tends to have a good handle on the kitten population." Ash opines, then grins. "That means I would have to build a drawer first, though, and my attempt at a chair didn't work so well. It finally broke yesterday. Terribly sad. Perhaps I could build a box. Those can't be hard." She seems delighted at this concept, and nods. "A box it is." A wave is offered to Rianys, and Ash queries, "You haven't lost a kitten, have you, Rianys? Orange-y, cute, attacks hides without warning?"

K'nex raises his brows at Rianys as she casually slips a little medical known-how into the conversation. "Oh," he says shortly. "Well, I guess you'd know." How utterly obvious. The brownrider clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck. "Wyn does seem to have a handle on the kitten population...Faranth knows /why/, but...you know.../Wyn/." She's practically omnipotent, you know. "Who says you have to build it? There are people who's whole jobs are building things. And I'm sure you have a few friends who could help, otherwise." Built furniture? Pishaw. "Probably attacks everything without warning," he pipes up in regards to the kitten.

Rianys quirks a brow, clearly amused. "Me? A kitten? You're joking, right?" She looks from one to the other and grins. "I assume you've found one? Don't let it get near the infirmary. It may just lose a tail, and I won't be responsible." Ashli, she studies once more. "And I do believe the gentleman is correct. You would likely be better off letting someone with the skill take care of that for you."

"Aye, that's Wyn for you. Perhaps she could give me a hand as to how to make it stop attacking things, too. I'm worried it'll attack Isa, and then that would be the end of the little fuzzy." Ash frowns again, then notes, "Well, I'm pretty helpless at tasks like sewing and building. So I've decided that I need to improve on them. So, the best way to improve on it is by doing it, right?" A grin alights upon her face at her resolution as she notes, "I actually don't know anyone who's good with furniture. Hm. I suppose I could ask Dad, he might be okay at it. But I'm not sure, I don't think I've ever seen him build anything." Another frown, and then a blink. "You don't think it'd be stupid enough to attack Isa, do you? Oh dear...maybe I should've brought it with me..." Ash frowns, then blinks. "Oh. Well, all right, I'll remember. It does have a very cute tail, actually. It's all fluffy all over. Sort of endearing...."

K'nex half frowns and half pouts at Rianys. "That's a bit harsh, don't you think, threatening a tail..." He brushes idly at his shirt. Hm. "Well, Wyn might, although he cats are hardly, ah, pacifists." He's had more than a few run ins with the bluerider's felines. "Oh, huh, well, I'm sure you know.../some/one who can build a few drawers...you know. Or a box. Er." He pauses and sits silently for a moment. "Er...if the kitten knows to stay away from Isa....maybe...hopefully." Erm.

That same darned brow quirks again, Rianys' hands slipped into the small of her back as she takes a casual at-ease position a step or two away from the pair of riders. "Assuming you speak of your dragon, do you think a kitten's claws are worthy of note on hide thick enough to endure the chill of between? And threaten, sir? I wouldn't dare."

"Really? I haven't had a huge amount of experience with cats...I always thought they were fairly quiet and just sat around and looked fuzzy." Ash frowns at this delusion being burst, and then nods. "Perhaps I could ask around to see if anyone would want to build me something if I supply the materials necessary. Who knows. Well, I certainly hope the kitten does..." The girl blinks at Rianys, then notes, "It's less that it would hurt Isa, and more that it'd be an annoyance. Sort of the way an insect feels when it nips your skin. You swat at it to make it go away, and with claws the size of a dragon's, I'd hate for Isa to swipe at the poor little fuzzy."

Rianys thinks for a moment, head canted to the side as she rubs an old scar upon the wrist still tucked into the small of her back. When one thinks of the devil, however, he has this tendency to appear. Scab sweeps in from between with a hiss and a glower, then perches on the healer's unpadded shoulder. "Ow! You monster, you did that on purpose." She shoos him away, then grins at Ashli. "I suppose, having wings, firelizards aren't quite the same, but your Isa hasn't killed any of them, has she?"

Ashli grins at K'nex and nods, though she wonders, "My weyr isn't that large, I'm not sure if I could manage it. I suppose I could cordon off an area for the kitten and see if she'll stay in it..." Ash contemplates this for a moment before grinning at Rianys, "Not yet, though she did enjoy playing a game with one of my blues where she'd see how long it took him to go *between* if she attempted to snap him up. That was turns ago, though...and kittens don't have the luxury of hiding *between*..."

"Eh, firelizards," K'nex grumbles and then peers about as if worried his own will make an ill-timed appearaace. Spared that, he just looks dubiously at Ashli. "Good luck getting a kitten to stay where you want it to. They get everywhere...'cause they can climb..." He trails off. "Erm, maybe you shouldn't have a kitten. either that, you you'll have to find a way to keep Isamath from injuring it."

"Butthead would eat kittens, if he could get his claws on one without getting swatted," Rianys states, cocking a thumb over her shoulder. She notes a set of rents in her sleeve and scowls. "Oh, blast." As she spends a moment to survey the damage, she suggests, "Can't you just tell her not to?"

"I wonder how Wyn keeps Vorkoroth from eating hers. Perhaps I'll ask her to ask Vorkoroth to talk to Isamath about proper kitten etiquette or some such. She/he is rather cute...what do kittens eat? Do you think I need to feed it? Meatrolls?" Ash is suddenly struck by this concept, and frowns, noting to Rianys, "Well, I could, but she merely told me that the only time it's my business what she eats is before a flight." Ash frowns again. "She's in a bit of a mood today. You know how it is." The girl shrugs helplessly.

Ashli sighs, and notes, "Well, I do believe I should go rescue the creature and bring it to the kitchens to see if they have any appropriate kitten food that I could borrow. Well, not borrow, take. I don't think they'd want it back..." And with that, Ash waves and calls a good day to the two, meandering towards the Living Caverns...

"Oh, Wyn has...Wynnish ways-did you say...butthead?" K'nex asks, getting distracted. He frowns slightly, a mere lowering of brows. "Yeah, you know, you an tell a dragon what to do, but they only listen about half the time. Selective hearing anf all that. Anyway, you should really keep the kitten away from her if you think she's going to do something to it, even if it's probably unlikely to attack her or anything."

Sun, 16 Oct 2005 05:11:21 GMT

Ha. Haha. Head. So. Ow.

Worrrrth it.

I wish (scribble, scribble, more scribble...) herf.

Sun, 16 Oct 2005 04:38:06 GMT

I am too angry to write.

I don't know what to do.

I cannot explain this.

It would ruin relations. But, fucking shards!

I sound like X'ian. But I am so angry. What do I do!?

I need to talk to someone rational.

OOC Message!!

Fri, 14 Oct 2005 19:44:24 GMT

Belatedly, I would like to thank K'nex verrrry, verrry much for the absolutely amazing to-die-for gorgeous LJ icons he drew of Ash!!!! For some reason, the e-mails lj sends me about comments have been going to my trash, so I only recently discovered them while meandering through people's ljs! Aren't they lovely!? Thank you, K'nex!!! =D

Thu, 13 Oct 2005 18:09:17 GMT

Thu, 13 Oct 2005 04:13:06 GMT

Hearth
Warmth from the stone hearth radiates throughout this area, flowing around the myriad of chairs scattered about. With the old-Auntie, straight-backed chairs, huge fluffy chairs, and even the assorted gathering of rocking chairs, everyone should be able to find something to their liking. The floor here is adorned with an old rug that is rather faded but still comfortable enough to serve as additional seating should anyone wish. Baskets of yarn and darning needles are close at hand, and along the hearth's mantel you can
always find at least a pitcher or two of fresh klah.
Gliding above is a brown firelizard.
Shazi is here.
Obvious exits:
Living Caverns

Ashli is curled on the rug in front of the hearth, the pot of klah beside her, a half-filled mug next to that, a few records sprawled in front of her, and a writin g stick lost in the bustle of a few scraps of not-quite-up-to-par hide, seemingly used for scribbling on. Ash herself is...well, ensconced in the midst of this clutter, though she apparently isn't getting much work done, considering the girl is simply staring into the fire. She's thinking about the records, really...

Shazi throws herself into a chair by the hearth, her cheeks rosy and her hands sticky with the residue from a sweet bun plucked to pieces. She sucks caramelized sugar from her fingertips, an absent toe prodding the hides surrounding Ashli.

Ashli blinks as she hears the rustle of hides, and she is tossed out of her reverie to blink at Shazi. "Oh, hello, Shazi." Ash offers an absentminded grin before she questions idly, "Heard any juicy gossip recently?" Ah, Ash's favorite pastime - gossip. And, here's one of the best sources - a Reachian weyrbrat. Not only that, but she's friendly. Supposedly. "Whatcha been up to?" Relaxed, easy-going, so goes the goldrider's mood tonight as she sits herself up a bit more and rescues the writing stick from its hidebound oblivion...

Shazi's eyes widen in her best imitation of innocence. "Me? Gossip? You've got to be thinking of someone else," she replies, exaggerating her words. Grinning, she flops onto the floor beside Ashli. "I saw a frantic newbie," meaning new Weyr resident, of course, "throw herself at some bronzerider or other, claiming that she had to know a man's touch 'fore she Impressed a green. You ask me, that crackdust holder girl was just looking for an excuse. A stupid one, too."

Writing stick safely tucked behind her ear, Ash winks merrily at Shazi and giggles. "Nah, really? They /still/ use that line? And the bronzers /still/ fall for it?" Ash shakes her head in mock-disapproval, before she notes with a merry chuckle, "Don't know what Pern's coming to these days. I tell you, just yesterday I saw a girl who called herself a Harper drawing caricatures..." Ash pauses for dramatic effect before she finishes, "...in the Baths. I do hope she got a good one of me, though..." This last is said with a wry wink accompanying it, and a soft laugh.

Shazi snorts. "I think they fall for it 'cause they want to," she confides, the answer obvious. She sighs, wriggling her butt to get a better grounding on the floor. "I wish they'd fall for it when I do it. I wouldn't mind having a nice hunk of bronzer -- and he's gotta be a hunk -- warming my bed." Her mother would be absolutely scandalized.

Ashli blinks at Shazi for a moment, slightly scandalized herself, before she laughs softly, and nods. "Wouldn't we all love a nice hunk of bronzer in our beds." Ash sighs melodramatically to accentuate her point, before she grins and nods. "How come it's always the bronzers that get all the action? I tell you, we've got to start Searching a few more...innocent...Hold boys to populate the weyr 'round here." A conspiratorial wink, before she flips a hand and notes, "Though some of the males from this latest weyrling class aren't too shabby..." A merry wrinkle of her nose, and Ash pokes at a sharp edge of hide that was trying to poke a new hole in her side, pushing it away idly...

Shazi shrugs, licking another sticky spot from the palm of her hand. "I dunno. Maybe 'cause folks assume that bronzers are all experienced-like with the wenching and the carousing and... stuff." She gazes into the fire, though not too long, then studies Ashli sidewise with a wrinkle of distaste to her long nose. "Why'd you want an innocent? They ain't good for nothin' but fumbling in dark corners and stealing kisses. You want a /real/ bedding, you gotta go for a man that's good with his..." She pauses, studying her hands, as her cheeks start to burn. "Hands. Yeah. Hands."

Ashli considers that, before she notes, "Well, since most of them are, I suppose that's a true assumption. Not that I'd really know, myself." Ash sighs, at that, before winking. "Perhaps that should be my next course of action. See how many bronzers I can convince to warm my bed, and rate them on just how good they are with their...hands, yes. Hands." She nods sagely at that, before she comments, "Oh, no, not an innocent in that sense. That'd be no fun, nah...more of an innocent to the...weyr...lifestyle. One who hasn'
t heard all the rumors yet. Or been snatched up by a greenrider. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just a few more available snatch-ees would be just dandy...especially if they've got great...hands." Oh, those hands. How the Reachian females love them.

Shazi sighs, folding her fingers together in front of her. She watches her thumbs twiddle. "You're so lucky. You at least have something to lure them -with-. You've got a dragon, and the promise of power..." She studies Ashli out the corner of her eye and giggles. "Or something. I'm just a lowly teenager with a... with a mother who'd be scandalized."

Ashli shakes her head, and notes, "I'd say you're the lucky one. No one is afraid to approach you. You're friendly, and you don't have a dragon that could pose difficulties, or anyone who could mosey up to you for the promise of power that isn't even real. No one will turn an invitation into your bed down because they're worried about past lovers," And at that, Ash's voice gets a little snarly, and her nose wrinkles, "...or because they're afraid of repercussions. You don't have to think about whether someone might be
putting overtures on you simply to garner themselves a gold mark on their bedstand. You can have fun, and live. And I envy you that." Ash admits with an honest sigh, before she notes with a broad wink. "Don't let a scandalized mother get in your way too much. I worried about that so much that I let myself stay...innocent far too long, and went and Impressed, and then it became a necessity, and though it was fun, it was a bit of...pressure. I was a little younger than you when I Impressed, and don't I know how hard it is to lure men at that age. But you, you've got the sort of personality that attracts them, so I wouldn't be too worried..." Ash suddenly pauses, and notes with a conspiratorial whisper, "Just don't tell Jesha I told you all that, or she'll lop my head off." Ash herself giggles as she notes, "And, you know, so few people take advantage of the hot springs up in the mountain..."

Shazi takes it all in, quiet a moment as she mulls over the advice, then her eyes widen. "Hot springs. Gotcha." She grins evilly, though her nose wrinkles through it all. "You've clearly never had a dragon sicced on you. The last time my ma caught me with a boy, she had him sit on me and..." She pauses, checking to see if Ashli's accepting the story, then continues, "Well, okay, so he didn't actually -sit- on me. He just sort of... knocked me over and covered me with his tail. His tail is -heavy-."

"Aye. Easy to station a flit in that nice hidey near the entrance, and there's a handy little back exit. Though, you know, I've no idea how all that information could possibly be helpful." Ash comments with a completely straight face, before she lets her straight face fall as she offers a similar grin in return. She giggles softly before noting, "Ever met Zaqith? Now, there's a green that wasn't afraid to share her opinions...or bowl Aries and I over with a flick of a tail for getting out of line." Ash grins and notes
brightly, "I can definitely sympathize. Darn those meddling dragons." The ex-'brat sighs, and notes wistfully, "And they were always so impossible to bribe." Sigh.

Shazi wrinkles her nose. "Yeah, no kidding. Ever tried to carry a wherry carcass from the pens to a weyr you're not even sure you can reach?" Not that Shazi's ever tried it. Really. She sniffs and sits up. "Blood. Everywhere. And it's sticky. And it smells. It was so gross. I mean... it IS so gross." Though she complains, she does so with relish.

Ashli laughs! "I always used to hate those tunnelsnake hunting competitions. Their blood always smelled so gross, and their hides were so sticky." Her tone is much akin to Shazi's, though she does add, "Though, I've never tried to drag a wherry carcass back. I did have to cart dirty bandages for a Healer once after a bad Fall. I don't know how the Healers deal with the blood and guts." Oooh, blood and guts...

"And screaming people and dragons," Shazi adds in a husky whisper, yet another expression of disgust rising to mar her features. "I suppose the blood and guts wouldn't be too bad if, y'know, it didn't hurt so much to listen to them scream."

Ashli shivers, and nods softly. "A necessary battle, but it's a blow every time. It's a good thing the dragons don't remember...it's hard enough for us." Ash frowns, before noting, "Well, only a few Turns left in the Pass. Already, the clutches are getting smaller." A wry grin, and Ash quips, "But, of course, the quality of that last clutch was phenomenal." Nope, no bias here. Bias? Never.

Shazi sighs. "Smaller clutches means less chance for folks to Impress." She rocks back onto her haunches, her cheeks suddenly burning as she crouches before the hearth. "Not that -I- want a dragon, but I got a few mates who do. All they talk about is 'wouldn't it be grand' this and 'what I wouldn't do' that and blablablabla."

Ashli considers that, before she notes. "Which means less Searches outside the weyr." Ash sighs at that, noting, "There goes my dream of innocent Holder boys falling into my hands..." She winks, however, and shrugs. "Well, the dragons will who they will, but if someone's meant to Impress, and their dragon is out there, they will, whether we're going into an Interval or a Pass. The times may make the man, but in an interval we'll need a man who can make the times. Or woman, I 'm just repeating the saying, is all. Person
ality and all." Ash shrugs, before she winks and notes, "But, I should gather up these hides and head off to report on my findings. Thrilling stuff, like how much grain was used Faranth-knows-how-many Turns ago." A wrinkle of her nose, and the hides are gathered, and she bounces up. "Don't get into too much trouble, now, Shazi! See you around!"

Faranth.

Thu, 13 Oct 2005 03:11:50 GMT

I don't know. Diary, some days I think I'm mature, and some days it's like I've reverted back to being a 'brat again. My social skills are...impossible. I'm not saying I'm not diplomatic, I am, thanks to Isa. It's more...my personal relationships. I try to avoid them when I can. Where did the Ashli of ten Turns ago go, the one who made friendships and kept them with no trouble? She's still in me, somewhere, I know she is. It just seems that something changed in me when I Impressed Isa. Not for the worse, no. Now I have a friend for life, and I would never, ever give that up. But I think I'm beginning to understand what the older riders used to talk about, when I was little and listening at their knee when I was supposed to be in bed. Riding is a lonely task. It's teamwork when you're in the skies, and teamwork between other riders when something needs to get done, but true weyrmatings are few and far between. Not that I want a weyrmate...well, maybe a little. But I'd really just like a few more friends. I've sort of forgone this friends concept for too long, concentrating on learning as much as I could, on becoming responsible, on being the best I could be for the weyr. And I'm doing all right for the weyr so far. But I'm not doing as well for...Ashli. I never would've believed, when I was younger, that there was a single thing that would be wrong with my life, as long as I had a purpose. And I always believed that purpose would be found in dragonriding. And, oh, it has. I have purpose, I have a life, I have a lifemate who is more than anything I could ever want. When I was younger, I had Aries around me all the time. I was such a little tyrant. But I always had his companionship, even when we fought about Rianna. But I see Aries little now, and I don't begrudge him his life - he and Rysta are happy, and I am so happy for them, and have been these past Turns. What I need now is...not an equivalent of Aries, but what he used to be for me. A confidante. Other than the lovely golden creature currently reclining beside me. I haven't spoken to Jessica in far too long. I've been too busy to keep up relationships. Really, my current morose attitude is all my fault, and I know it is. I was talking to Relyssa the other day, a new acquaintance of mine, talking to her about dragonriding. I talked about all the wonderful things about dragonriding, and really, it is wonderful. But I didn't mention this loneliness. It's impossible to describe it, I think, to someone who hasn't been through it. I've always got a friend, someone to lean on, true. But, sometimes, I want a little more. That's greedy of me, I know it is. I don't know what to do. My work is being affected. I need to talk to Vaeli, or Mother, or Pyrene, or Daddy. Or...someone. Someone who could tell me that everyone feels a little down sometimes, and that this'll pass. Maybe I just need a change. I need to get myself out of this rut I'm in, and do something. I mentioned to I'anex the other day that I was thinking about going on a sweep, and taking a few of the weyrlings with me. Isa loves them, and it'd be a good chance to show them a little more about dragonriding. I'll have to inquire of the weyrlingmaster if that's all right. I also need to talk to Eshe. Isamath tells me she's worried about Strakath, that she's 'different'. Well, she can't be any more different than Morchainth, at least, thank Faranth. I know it's none of my business, and it's best left up to the weyrlingmaster, but Isamath has been pushing me to keep an eye on 'her babies, and mine', and I suppose I do feel a little obligated towards her clutch. Well, I'll try my best to capture her. Eshe and I have never been on really friendly terms, but if she's having problems with her bond, perhaps she'd like a confidante outside of the whole issue. Also, I need to speak to the head of the Guards. Before Uriala left, back when Isa and I were on the Sands, she mentioned to me her concerns, and now is the perfect time to act upon them. There. There's two things I can do to occupy my time. Three, actually, if I count the sweep with the weyrlings (if they let me, that is). And two of them are social. I'm making progress. Things aren't so bad. I guess the only reason I've let myself wallow in self-pity for the moment is simply because I made a fool of myself yesterday. I fell head-first into what I thought was love with X'ian too many Turns ago, and made a fool of myself. And I'm still doing it. It's not that I'm still interested in him...Isa just called me a liar. I'm really not. Perhaps a little. But I leave him to Vaeli, or Wyn, or...someone else. Anyone else. Isa called me a liar again. You know what, this topic is idiotic anyways. How many Turns has it been? Why am I still thinking about him? Isa says it's because I dream about him. I do not. She's a liar this time. Well, unless you count the dreams that aren't suitable to be written on paper. Especially since this paper isn't even in my journal, since I lost it. This is a mere scrap of paper. Oh, shards. What will I do with it, now? I guess I'll leave it on my poor chair until I find my journal. It's not like anyone visits me weyr except me, anyways. I just wish...I wish...I don't know what I wish. Maybe I'll go visit the Star Stones tonight. Watch the sunset. Maybe watch the sunrise, too. I've always thought my best, there...and the view is wonderful. I haven't visited in far too long. That's a good plan. For now.

OOC Message!!

Wed, 24 Aug 2005 15:06:30 GMT

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been gone for a bit - I moved in to my college dorms, got the net up and running, but my SimpleMu is not working; I can't sign on to Harper's Tale to say hello to y'all! I fixed one problem (crazy firewall), but another has cropped up. Anyone out there who is computer-y inclined - how do I fix an error #10051 'The network is unreachable'? This computer worked just fine with SimpleMu when I was at home, so I have to assume it's something with this network...can anyone help? Thanks, guys!

~Ash

Ashli, game show host...

Fri, 05 Aug 2005 16:42:18 GMT

Galleries
Row upon row of stone benching rises above the Hatching Grounds, seats for those who come to watch the incredible experience that is a hatching. Each individual seat is embellished with a worn cushion, the only concession to comfort in a place that traps heat, holding it within so that those who watch are inflicted with its intensity, though on a milder level than those who must stand and face the dragonets. The expanse of sand that is the hatching grounds spreads out in front of the benches, a huge stage for a spectacular show.
Type 'help here' for info on how to view objects on the sands.
To the north, you see a green dragon.
Settled along stone are five firelizards.
Eitanex, Eshe, and Auryn are here.
Obvious exits:
Dragon Ledges Stairs

Ashli is happily sitting upon a cushion, a hide in hand, busily scribbling upon it. Ash is working on something, that's for sure, though what it is, exactly...well, who knows, though it could be guessed that it's her newest pet project, by the way her eyes are sparkling mischeviously as she writes...

Auryn drags herself up the stairs, a weary expression on her face. "H'llo Ashli," she greets, flopping into a seat. "I was told to meet in the galleries for extra chores." And by the look on her face, she didn't like that message one bit.

Eshe trails up the stairs, not looking particularly happy to be here, though she does give the dragons on the sands a nod as she looks over toward the eggs, then follows Auryn over to sit near Ashli. "Me too," she says and glances at the hide in the goldrider's hands.

Eitanex pops in with a draggy twitchiness, rubbing the back of his hand against his eyes. This has apparently been a morning where he did not sleep the previous night. I.e. was probably amusing himself annoying his firelizards or some such nonsense. "Hi, Ashli."

Ashli positively beams at Auryn, and hides a merry grin behind her hand as she nods quietly. "Ah." is all she says, before she peers around, searching out any other attendees. Eshe is grinned at, as well, as she comes up, and Ash can barely hide her amused grin. Upon seeing Eitanex as well, Ash can't help but giggle softly. Ever so softly. And then...well...the gig is up. "Don't worry, you're not actually here for extra chores. Well...you sort of are. But they'll be fun, I promise! You see, it all revolves around...well...a herdbeast." And Ash sits in silence for a moment, her grin from ear-to-ear.

Auryn looks absolutly blank. "A herdbeast?" she inquires of Ashli, peering behind the golrider as if a herdbeast has managed to hide itself. "What about it? Is one missing? And you think we're hiding it?" She wouldn't put it beyond certain candidates.

Eshe looks sideways as Eitanex joins the crowd, a brow raising slightly at the kid, but then Ashli draws her attention and the raised brow becomes a furrow, "a herdbeast?" she echoes Auryn and leans back in her seat, stretching her legs out in front of her, adding a speculation of her own, "butchering it?"

"... I don't like herdbeasts?" Eitanex admits with a terribly regretful expression that might be teasing and might be due to the fact he suspects he's smelled like one for the past sevenday or billion.

Ashli can't contain herself any longer, and she beams at everyone brightly before she finally explains it all. "Well, you see, we've decided to gift you with...a herdbeast. All of you, the entire Candidate class. You guys get to name it, take care of it, love it, and cuddle it. It's the herdbeast outside in its own little pen. It has a nice blue ribbon tied around its neck. And...it's yours. To get everyone used to the concept of caring for another creature, of course." Ash beams merrily. "But, there's one more thing." Pause. Dramatic effect. "Every weyr resident will be holding impromptu 'contests' for however many candidates they can find at the time. These contests will result in points, five for the first place, and so on and so forth. These points will be recorded in the scoreboard in the living caverns." Ash pauses, once more, for even more dramatic effect, before she beams. "Want to know what the points are for?" Of course they do. And she's going to tell them! "The person with the most points on the day of the Hatching will recieve the herdbeast for their very own, free of charge, to do with whatever they'd like, regardless of whether you Impress or not. Cuddle it, eat it, feed it to a dragon as a snackie, doesn't matter. It'll be yours! Exciting, huh?" Ash smiles happily.

Auryn looks as if she can think of more apt descriptions than 'exciting', but she nods slowly anyway. "Uhh... sure. But... a herdbeast isn't like a dragon," she states lamely, frowning. "What do we do if a dragon accidentally eats it before the Hatching?"

Ashli blinks and considers this, before noting, "Well, it's up to you guys to protect it and make sure nothing happens to it. The idea is that you Candidates are taking care of it, and if anyone lets it die...I'll give them triple chores for a month, how's that?" Ash winks merrily, and shrugs. "Seriously, though, the point is to be taking care of it, and you don't want it to die. Keep it happy, healthy, and adorable. Isa will make sure a dragon doesn't eat it. But it's mostly up to you guys - Isamath isn't awake constantly."

About as exciting as watching paint dry is the expression that rolls over Eshe's face as the nature of the contest is revealed. She does keep her mouth shut, though, but wrinkles her nose a bit at the goldrider. Sheesh.

"But ... there are a lot of herdbeasts the dragons could eat. Wouldn't it be kind of wrong to care for something like a dragon, or . . . sort of like a dragon," Eitanex is not sure about this concept. "And then feed it to the dragon, or eat it or ... I already had a dog. But ... sure, could be fun?" Eitanex hastily tacks on.

Auryn bites her lip, but doesn't comment on the herdbeast any further. Instead, she asks: "What *kind* of contests? Do we have to fight each other or something?" Because then she'll start training her punches on the more annoying candidates.

Ashli grins happily as she looks around, though her face falls slightly as her gaze rests upon Eshe. "Well...guys...this is supposed to be fun for you guys. If you don't want to compete in any of the contests, that's fine, but...err...you've still got to care for it." Ash beams as she pronounces this, and nods happily. She'll brook no argument. Eitanex is blinked at, and Ash shrugs. "Well, I didn't say you had to feed it to a dragon or eat it yourself. You're welcome to keep and cuddle it forever and ever if you'd like. It'll just show all of us that you guys can take care of something other than yourselves. We're giving you guys more responsibility." At Eitanex's last addendum, though, Ashli beams. "I think it'll be fun, too!" Ash blinks at Auryn, then, and seems dumbfounded for a moment, before she shakes her head. "Oh...err...no. More like...trivia type contests. Like the one I'll be holding in a few moments, entitled, 'how much do you really know about Isamath's eggs'. But, any weyrperson can hold a contest, and each contest could be a little different, I suppose. Maybe, 'who can shovel dung the fastest' or something of the sort. Myself, I'm going the trivia route." And with that, Ash beams once more. Yay.

Auryn looks quickly at the eggs, then back at Ashli. "But... what's there to *know*?! They're rather du... erm, colorless. And we don't know which dragons are inside them." She's determined to be the pessimist.

Eshe winces, visibly, at Ashli's all too enthusiastic demeanor about caring for a herdbeast, "It's a /herdbeast/," she can't help saying with a shake of her head. As in, food for dragons or humans, not something to be cuddled. Probably wisely enough, she doesn't comment on the black and white eggs out there on the sands.

Ashli huffs at Auryn and wrinkles her nose. "Oh, shush. They're lovely. And the game will be fun." An 'or else' almost seems to float after that, though Ash lightens the tone with a bright wink. "So we begin! First...which egg is in its own row, all alone?"

1. Checkerboard Slip-on Vans Egg 7. Hoodsie Cup Egg
2. White Witch, Black Heart Egg 8. Grand Illusion Egg
3. Tickling Ebony and Ivory Egg 9. Monochrome Piebald Egg
4. Go go go! Egg 10. The Fine Line Egg
5. Enigmatic Rorschach Egg 11. Composition Notebook Egg
6. The Good Kind of Evil Egg

Auryn looks dumbfounded, then offers a tentative: "Uh, the Go Go! Egg?"

Ashli shakes her head. "It's not egg 4. Any other guesses, or should we go on to the next question?"

Eshe gives a shrug and points at the Checkerboard Slip-on Vans Egg, saying with a bored voice, "that one over there?"

Ashli shakes her head. "Neither is it egg number one. One more guess for the both of you, unless you'd like to move on?"

Auryn stares at the eggs as if she can tell from this distance. "Uhm, egg 5 maybe?"

Eshe isn't excited at all about this 'contest' and it shows as she sighs to point at the next in line, number 2: White Witch, Black Heart Egg, "that one?"

Ashli grins and shakes her head. "Nope. It's actually egg eight. I'm not quite sure why it's in its own row, to be honest with you, but you can sort of see it over there, all alone. Come now, you guys don't remember the clutching?" Ash winks merrily, then says, "So, next question. Which egg has brown in it?"

Auryn snorts at the answer, then makes a quick guess: "Egg 4?"

Eshe didn't pay much attention at the clutching, but glances over the eggs again, then toward Ashli with a frown, "no one can know that, can they?" she asks, shaking her head, already far too bored with this game. Give her some chores instead!

Ashli blinks at Eshe, then beams at Auryn. "Yes! Egg number four it is!" To Eshe, she notes, "No...not the dragon, I meant upon the shell. There are only two eggs with colors...well, hey, let's make that my next question. What's the other egg that has color in it?"

Lizabet comes up the stairs.

Auryn grins as she gets a question right - amazing. "Uh, number 1, isn't it?" she tries for the follow-up, looking between Ashli and the eggs.

Lizabet trots up the stairs to get herself a peek at the eggs, and is somewhat startled to see the small crowd gathered there. It's not a bad thing though, and she trots over with a smile over face as she greets the three. "Egg that has color in it?" She looks slightly confused, looking from Ashli to the two candidates, eyebrows raised.

Ashli claps happily. "Yes! Number one it is! It's got that strange reddish splotch. All right, ready for question number four? Ooh, wait! Hey, Lizabet! We're holding a little contest. I'm sure Auryn and Eshe would be glad to explain the prize to you, but the idea is basically that you're answering little trivia questions about the eggs." Ash beams happily, then questions, "All right, which egg is Isamath's favorite?"

Auryn snorts at Lizabet. "We have to take care of a *herdbeast*!" she explains with a roll of her eyes, then snickers at Ashli. "Number 4, if I remember correctly."

Lizabet turns her gaze towards the sands, then snaps attention back at Auryn. "Whoa, really?" She asks, hiding a giggle. "I think her favourite's number 9."

"Ah..." Eshe notes, but looks even more bored and beginning to appear rather annoyed too, narrowing her eyes at Ahsli as the goldrider continues her game, then glances at Auryn who is too quick too answer, "dunno.. I haven't spoken to her."

Ashli nods at Auryn. "Correct you are! All right, well...um...I'm running out of questions, so let's make this the last one, and then go have some klah, ey?" Ash winks brightly, and notes to Auryn, "Since you're the obvious winner, though, let's make a run for second place, ey? All right, Eshe, Lizabet, this question is for you two. Which egg looks furry?"

Lizabet ponders the question for a minute, hoping to answer before Auryn. She likes being competitive, and it seems, somehow, that Auryn's got the edge over her. "I think that's number 9 again, it looks furry to me," she says, peering at the eggs.

Auryn is one step closer to winning her very own herdbeast! How utterly... scary. "Uh, great," she mumbles, looking at Eshe and Liza to see which one of them 'gets lucky'.

Eshe rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, now simply refusing to play and so allows Lizabet to answer, giving a shrug at Ashli as she directs her gaze to the Sands, giving a snort before answering anyway, "number eight."

Ashli nods at Lizabet. "Number nine it is! All right, that concludes the game, and the scoreboard now rests at...5 points for Auryn, four for Lizabet, and three for Eshe! Yay! Now, how 'bout that klah?" Ash beams merrily, and bounces up, pausing as she waits to see if anyone will accompany her.

"I'll take klah," Auryn states, trailing after Ashli. It's better than chores any day!

Lizabet thinks about it, then shakes her head. "I don't really fancy klah... I'll just stay and watch the eggs, if it's all the same with you," she says with a soft smile, settling herself down on a seat where she has a pretty good view.

Eshe is deliberately going to /lose/ this contest. No chance that she will be winning a herdbeast, so she simply gives a nod to Ashli and raises herself off her seat, "I think I'll go have a bath, if you don't mind?" she tells Ashli as she starts down the stairs, without waiting for an answer.

Fri, 22 Jul 2005 18:57:04 GMT

A few Candidates meandered onto the Sands today for an egg-touching...

Sands
Heat rises -- ripples -- wavers in a stifling curtain that envelops dragons and eggs while smothering riders and visitors. The black sands have been raked into ruts and dips, an alien, uneven surface for anyone trying to walk across them. Some say tension seers the heat: residue of hope, fear, relief, sadness, pain and ultimate joy staining high grey walls and lurking about the many viewing ledges that speckle the walls. Ancient murals of dragonlore fade across the walls near gallery and entrances.
Gold Isamath and brown Shirasuth are here.
You see Mound of Eggs here.
Auryn is here.
Obvious exits:
Bowl Sands' Thermals

Ashli is plopped on the Sands, a hide in hand, a writing stick making a bid for freedom as it slowly slides out from behind her ear, slowly heading for the heat of the Sands. Ash, oddly enough, curled upon a fat pillow, seems not to be affected by the heat - at least not too much. Though that could be attributed to her very thin clothing, and the fact that she's near the edge of the Sands. Wait, is that a noise? Her head pops up curiously, and she blinks. Candidates? Here? Already? Ash worriedly looks at the eggs, then ohs. "Aha. Egg touchings, right? I forgot. You Candidates are rather prompt this time, ey? Well, welcome, welcome. Hey, Isa, dear!" Ash stands from her pillow, and waggles an arm at the gold, whose tail is curled possessively about an egg. "We have company! They want to admire you! Well, and your eggs."

Auryn meanders onto the sands with a neutral expression, though she breaks into a smile as she spots Ashli. "Hey Ash! I mean, weyrwoman," she adds with a smirk. She means no disrespect - it's hard to remember being formal with someone you've always known as a brat. She inclines her head at Isamath in a display of courtesy. "Isamath, your eggs *are* lovely!" Colorless, but lovely.

Ashli grins at Auryn and nods. "Isa is rather proud of them, though she seems to be a little obsessed with that Go Go Go egg. I don't quite get it. It's certainly not a gold egg. I don't know. If it keeps her happy, I suppose." Said gold tilts her head to Auryn slightly, and backs up just a step or two, as if allowing her to enter into her closely watched circle of eggs.

Auryn looks at said egg and shrugs, not seeing anything special about it. It's black. And white. Like the ten others. "I think it's normal for them to have a favorite?" she asks, grinning. The other handful of lucky candidates mumble their greeting to Ashli and Isamath and spread out over the sands, circling the eggs.

Ashli grins, and notes, "Isa didn't really have a favorite last time, she seemed to rather like them all, though she did feel bad for this one that was incredibly ugly. Cute little brown popped out of it, though, so I suppose it worked out for the best..." Ash trails off, then peers at the crowd and calls, "Now, be careful! They're still hardening! Just touch them gently and think calm thoughts. Try to...focus upon the tiny dragonet inside, and see if you pick up anything. Don't be surprised either way, the Hatching's still a long way to go, so they may not be very chattery as of yet."

Auryn bites her lip. "Once in a while, an ugly happens by," she observes wryly, no doubt thinking about Cadgwith. "Uh, I'll be careful, don't worry!" she assures, smiling slightly at the pair. "Can I just... begin with anyone?" she asks, though a couple of the more daring boys are already touching other eggs.

Ashli waves a hand. "Be my guest. Just be courteous, you know. And, speaking of being courteous, no pushing! You! In the blue! C'mere." And with a whuff of air courtesy of Isa helping the boy along, up he trots, to be regaled with a rather lot of arm-waving and tiptoe-standing by the shorter female.

Auryn snorts at the boy, and heads towards the nearest egg - which happens to be the Checkerboard. She carefully extends her hands and, with a quick glance at Isamath, runs her fingers lightly over the shell, testing the hardness of it.

Auryn sees: A surge of anger flutters through you, quickly replaced by a surge of protectiveness. This particular dragonet seems to feel everything strongly, and leaves a faint taste of smog in your mouth, and the sensation of running roughshod over gravel, leaving you slightly tipsy.

Auryn startles slightly and backs away from the egg with a slight frown. "How weird," she mumbles to noone in particular, turning around to head for another egg. She comes to a halt in front of White Witch, Black Heart and lays a casual, tentative hand on the shell.

Auryn sees: Swooping down upon you is a sudden rush of pomp, and faint horns seem to bugle about you. Weak-kneed, you should be, for this presence seems to fairly demand worship. A malicious chuckle weaves its way into your consciousness, then out again just as fast, replaced by a faint sense of reassurance. She isn't so bad...right?

Ashli reclines upon her pillow once her chastising is finished, the boy sullenly tramping himself out of the Sands for today, and by the expression on his face, he is most likely headed for - you guessed it - the latrines. The favorite task of every Candidate, of course. Ash grins at the looks upon the Candidates faces as they touch the eggs, and she smiles in fond memory.

Auryn grimaces, and after a short linger she withdraws her hand. "It's very, uh, interesting eggs," she calls out to Ashli, eyebrows raised as she heads for a third egg - third time's the charm, right? She looks apprehensive as she touches the Rorschach egg.

Auryn sees: Confusion bursts into your mind, as well as shapes, colors, and feelings that seem to be mixed together in a hodge-podge of blazing emotion. And...just as suddenly as it entered your mind, it is gone, leaving you with a peaceful, calm feeling.

Auryn smiles as she gazes down at the egg's perfect symmetri, and with a small, extra pat she withdraws herself. "Now that was interesting," she says to herself, nodding slightly before moving to the Hoodsie Cup egg, hands sliding over the creamy shell.

Auryn sees: Joy suffuses your being - that innocent, childlike feeling of contentment, even though your hands suddenly feel rather sticky. This egg seems to take you right back to bratlet days, and wonder-filled nights, and as the feeling slowly drifts away, all that is left to remind you that it was there is a lingering taste in your mouth, not unlike that of a sweetstick...

Auryn looks content, a bright smile spreading on her face. Mm, sweetsticks... "They really are very different," she tells Ashli, looking slightly surprised as if she hadn't expected as much from black and white eggs. She moves towards another random egg, coming to a halt in front of Great Illusions. She reaches out to touch it softly.

Auryn sees: Nothing. Absolutely nothing enters your mind for a long few moments until suddenly, with a popping sound, a personality enters your mind, then whisks itself out again just as quickly, leaving you only with the knowledge of the mysterious nature of the dragonet inside...

Ashli smiles and nods brightly. "I'm glad you think so! After being out here for so long, they've all seemed to represent slightly different things, or so I like to imagine. I'm glad to hear my theory confirmed. I've been slightly worried about all this alike-gossip, since they all seem to be rather bland in coloring, you know. But perhaps that black and white exterior hides interesting colors inside, ey?" Ash winks merrily, rescuing her writing stick before it escapes her hair completely.

Auryn blinks slightly at first, then makes a small 'oh' with her mouth. "Hrm, oh, yes, you're probably right. At least let's hope they contain four colors!" she says with a grin. "Clutches are getting smaller, though, aren't they? D'you think there won't be any bronzes, maybe? No offense to Isamath. Or Shirasuth."

Eitanex moves into the heat, shimmered and blurred by the ripples that rise off the Sands.

"Oh, none taken...truly, I don't know. It's highly doubtful, and if there is a bronze, I doubt there'll be more than one, though I've heard the stakes are good if you bet on two, though they're not letting me bet on this clutch, you know..." Ash sighs, then waves at Eitan arrives, "Welcome, welcome. The eggs are awaiting, just be gentle, and don't be surprised if some of them don't reply yet. They're still little."

Shirasuth rolls slightly where he's curled up 'napping' (translation: Covert watching) and picks his head up to snort at Auryn. Hard to tell if he's offended or not. Maybe just supremely confident no matter /what/ people said. Eitanex gets snorted at too. For good measure. Ashli is spared.

"Hi, Ashli," Eitanex says with unnecessary startlment as he comes onto the sands proper. It is probably less Ashli's acknowledgement and more being on the sands instead of sending canny glances over at them. Shira's snort gets no reply at all. Humph! "So, uh, they're over there?" Yeah, duh.

"Well, actually, those are the decoy eggs. We've been hiding the real ones over in the stable." Ash manages to keep a straight face for a moment, before she winks at Eitanex. "Aye, those are them, in all their color...um...ish glory."

"Have you? I thought I broke something with the shovel--" Eitanex gives Ashli one of his hopefully disarming brilliant grins and starts toward the eggs in all reality. "I'm just touching one," he clarifies during his approach. "And I /like/ their, um, color," is further clarified as he eases down careful like to touch Checkerboard Slip-on Vans Egg.

Eitnaex sees: Loud music seems to erupt in your head, a clanging of heaviness that is not exactly what music should be. Slowly fading out, the noise leaves a lingering sense of righteousness...and perhaps as well, a lingering headache.

Auryn nods at Ashli. "Well, one bronze out of eleven would be grand," she admits. "Though I guess there'll be four or five greens." More greenriders. "I don't like betting," she admits with a little sniff, nodding to her fellow candidate. "Hey, Eit! That one's weird," she warns, while she moves to touch the Ebony and Ivory egg.

Auryn sees: A veritable symphony of sound tinkles through your mind, bright music joyfully dancing through arpeggio after arpeggio, before a sudden augmented fifth strikes into the pattern, seeming to surprise the dragonet, and the music abruptly stops...

Eitanex winces and removes his hand, running it inanely through the scuff of his hair, as if to pluck the reactive, if fading pounding in his head out. "Weird one, yeah. That's a good word for it." Eitanex sticks his hands in his pockets and starts back off the sands. "I think I'll do, uh, more of this later. Stupid chores."

Ashli laughs merrily at Eitanex's reply, before she blinks, "Do you? So does Shirasuth, actually, though I find them rather disconcerting. Lovely, in their own way, but many of them seem to make me dizzy if I look at them too long." Ash admits with a wry grin, before grinning at Auryn, "Is it? Hm. Well, every egg tends to be different for every person."

Ash adds on, after taking a breath, "Be seeing you, then, Eitanex. Have fun!"

Auryn grins at Ashli. "See, Eit thought it weird too!" she states, looking slightly brighter than moments earlier. The egg must've raised her spirits a little! "Does she mind us snooping around so much?" she asks the goldrider, nodding at Isamath as she moves towards another egg.

Ashli laughs wryly, then shakes her head in response. "She doesn't at all. She prefers it, to be honest with you. She tells me to inform you that the closer the Candidates get to the dragonets, the closer the bond will be, and she wants only the best for her eggs." Ash rolls her eyes, then winks merrily at Auryn.

Auryn giggles. "How considerate of her!" she says sincerely, smiling a little more genuinely at Isamath. "I'll dare a few more, then," she says with a smile, reachig out to touch the favored Go Go Go!

Auryn sees: Playfulness tumbles through you, and a tinkling of bright laughter dances into your mind, amusement ringing through your very being before a move is made, the game is over, and with a final explosion of merriment, the sensation is gone...

Auryn smiles to herself as she withdraws from the little egg, then looks at Ashli. "I'm afraid I have brat duty soon, though I'd rather do this," she admits with a wry grin. "Thanks for the peek! You too, Isamath, you've been most kind," she says with a giggle and a wink to the rider.

Isamath preens slightly, and her eyes close in contentment as she graciously allows her 'pet' egg to be touched. Ash grimaces, and notes, "Well, you have fun with that! Oh, surely, you're welcome down on the Sands any time you wish! Do extend that invitation to all the Candidates, if you happen to see them. I rarely see any of you all down here, and I know Isa and I, and the eggs, would enjoy the company!" Ash smiles, and nods brightly.

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 18:25:02 GMT

I had a truly interesting conversation with Uriala today, which enlightened me to the fact that I need to be taking my duties more seriously and be looking closer to home. Marond and his problems can wait - or Vaeli and X'ian can deal with them. I'll leave that to them, for there seems to be a slight problem with the make-up of the guards, and with any luck, I may be able to help. I'll have to see if I can talk with Zenethen...is that his name? I need to investigate that first, I suppose...but, this gives me something to mull over while I'm on the Sands. A fine thing.

Though...I do hope Uriala doesn't leave Reaches. If she feels uncomfortable here, then I suppose it's the best thing for her, but she is truly a lovely person.

Galleries
Row upon row of stone benching rises above the Hatching Grounds, seats for those who come to watch the incredible experience that is a hatching. Each individual seat is embellished with a worn cushion, the only concession to comfort in a place that traps heat, holding it within so that those who watch are inflicted with its intensity, though on a milder level than those who must stand and face the dragonets. The expanse of sand that is the hatching grounds spreads out in front of the benches, a huge stage for a spectacular show.
Type 'help here' for info on how to view objects on the sands.
To the north, you see a green dragon.
Settled along stone are two firelizards.
Uriala is here.
Obvious exits:
Dragon Ledges Stairs

Ashli has settled herself upon a cushion, and seems to just be...sitting. Quietly contemplating the eggs in front of her, she seems to have nothing exciting to do at the moment, though her ever-present knapsack does have a few records poking out, it doesn't seem to be garnering any attention. Nope, Ash is just wool-gathering for the moment, it seems...

This is an odd place to find Uriala. The guard, although she has been at High Reaches for several turns, through several hatchings, and even served a (very brief) stint as a candidate, has never ventured this close to the Sands. She is uniformed, but a certain lack of formality to her attire (buttons undone, her belt knife missing) hint that she is not on-duty. She steps up into the galleries, her eyes moving out to the Sands and the eggs that rest there. Her expression is composed, but not precisely calm; there is an underlying tension to its smoothness.

Ashli looks up upon hearing the steps of another, and she peers over at Uriala curiously, waving a hand to gesture her over. "How are you, Uriala? Lovely day to be melting on the Sands, hmm?" Her eyes twinkle with a faint merriment, and she pokes the cushion that is flopped next to her in an attempt to make it look more...well, cushion-y.

Uriala glances up at the sound of a voice, turning towards Ashli. "It's going to be getting cooler soon," she predicts confidently, moving over towards the goldrider carefully. "Autumn is moving in. Within a month or two people will be envying you." She pauses as she moves into easy range of Ashli, then awkwardly lowers herself to sit.

Ashli considers that, then shrugs. "Well, then, I'm sure I'll appreciate the influx of visitors I'll recieve. Gets rather lonely 'round here, occasionally, though of course I've got Isa for company." And at that, Ash waggles a hand towards the dozing gold, who vaguely seems to twitch her tail in reply...though that could have just been a twitch in reaction to a daydream. "So, what brings you up to the galleries? Come to admire the black-and-white eggs? I've heard it's quite the gossip piece."

"I was actually looking for you," Uriala says. And then she pauses, looking for the direction to go in next. "I'm... not certain how much longer I'll be here at the Weyr. I have been thinking about moving on. But there are... concerns I have. About the guard here. And I wanted to speak with someone about them. Someone other than Weyrwoman Pyrene." And Ashli got elected? Lucky Ashli.

Blink. Looking for her? Well, goodness, that's a first. Ash generally has to hunt others down, not vice versa. Well. The goldrider's attention is completely focused on Uriala after Ash is informed of that, and she sits quietly and listens until she's finished. "Moving on? Well, I can't convince you otherwise, if you're sure it's what you need to do, but you're certainly a boon to the weyr, Uriala, and we've been lucky to have you for as long as we have. You're a more than competent guard, and a lovely person as well." Ash pauses, for a moment, to contemplate her words, before she speaks, "If you've any concerns, I'd be more than glad to hear them. I'm afraid that I'm not very well-versed on being a guard, though I do have a vague idea of what a guard is and does. My only experiences with them have been with you and Donis. And getting X'ian out of trouble, I suppose. What's bothering you, Uriala? How can I help?" Ash, perhaps diplomatically, doesn't comment on how she was chosen over Pyrene, though a quiet smile seems to recognize it. And, truly, isn't that the point of the juniors? To be around when people are uncomfortable about going to the senior?

Again, Uriala takes a moment to consider that question before attempting to answer it. "I think there are some real weaknesses in the current structure and procedures of the guard," she says finally. "Weaknesses that could present a fundamental danger to the residents of the Weyr in certain circumstances. I haven't found the atmosphere in the guard to be one that encourages suggestions, or I would have gone to Captain Zethlen. My primary concern is with the knife as the only weapon for a guard. I understand that you don't have much combat experience, but a knife is primarily an offensive weapon. It's too small to be used defensively. This means that if a guard is ever put into a situation where he feels his life is threatened, he must move for a quick decision, and that could lead to an accidental death more easily than I'd like to think. A defensive weapon, such as staff, would be much more conducive to the stated goal of preventing accidental injuries to Weyrfolk."

Ashli nods at this, and seems to digest all of this information, spending a few moments silently sitting and thinking. "How is the guard structured? Is it a traditional craft-like structure, with 'apprentices', or however it is phrased? Also, how would you suggest changing this structure?" Ash quests for more information, then pauses again, and nods. "You know, I do believe that when I visited Ista...however long ago it was...with Larnat, when we saw the guards, there were a few who had staffs, and a few who seemed to have no visible weapons. Are the guards trained in unarmed combat as well? I agree, however, staffs would be a prudent idea considering the safety of both the institution of the guards, and of the weyrfolk."

"The layout of the guard is similar to a craft in some ways, yes," Uriala says. "The apprentice rank, as it were, is the recruit. The recruit generally serves a turn at that rank, training and learning the procedures of the guard. Most of my organizational suggestions have to do with training of recruits: they seem to me to be pushed into action very quickly. They tend to be assigned unpopular, slow watches and are told to run for a full guard if anything goes wrong. I would tend to say that a recruit should always be accompanied by a full guard when on duty. There are a few other minor issues along those line. At any rate, after that turn, the recruit is promoted to full guard. Most guards remain at that rank for their lifetime. A very few will move up to sergeant, which is an administrative rank above guardsman -- a Weyr will only have a few sergeants at a time. We have three. And then there is one captain, who answers to the Weyrwoman." To the other question, she replies, "Unarmed combat is the main focus of our training, yes. Most of the time, problems here at the Weyr are nothing more than a drunk or a petty criminal. They don't tend to make enough trouble to require weapons, so we are all taught to draw weapons as a last resort. If, however, our opponent is armed, we have to arm ourselves as well, for our safety and the safety of those around us. The belt knife is almost a symbol of the guard here at High Reaches. We're given them on promotion, as a recognition that we've moved beyond recruit level."

"Some recruits have firelizards," Uriala replies, ticking off the points as they come, "but not all, and there are no procedures to see that they acquire them and train them to be of use. We have numbers enough to man at least the critical shifts without sending recruits out on their own, and pairing more senior recruits -- say, for the last three to six months of training -- with one another would allow for their increased security and cut down on the manpower needed. Some of the shifts could also be easily eliminated, since I believe they exist primarily to 'build character'." Although her voice is mild and professional, the quotes around that phrase are quite audible. "One example is the Star Stones watch, which requires a guard or recruit to climb the stairs to the Star Stones and walk patrols there. It is unclear what they are guarding." To the next point, she says, "I agree that staves should be able to serve the same symbolic role, and may actually be less expensive than knives -- no metal is required to make them, merely a strong length of wood." Final question, then: "A full guard operates with more autonomy. He is free to deal with situations as they arise. His time is tilted more towards patrols and less towards training, though both still happen regularly. He can conduct investigations."

Ashli sits quietly, and considers this. "Is there a 'recruit-master', or a guard that is in charge of all the recruits? One of the sergeants, perhaps has that particular duty?" Ash pauses, then nods. "There's not much to guard on the Star Stones, you're correct. Is there a list, or a map of all the areas the guards patrol, and when they patrol? Manpower could easily be redistributed. Do recruits generally patrol close to headquarters, to make it easier for them to fetch a full guard if needed?" Ash considers this, before blinking and noting, "Aye, but wood is a fairly scarce commodity, considering that we're currently in a Pass...though, I suppose you're right, with the Interval coming in a few Turns, the cost of wood will fall, and perhaps we'll see more of it in tithes." Ash pauses again, then asks, "Is the captain against changing the structure?"

"There is no one person below the captain in charge of the recruits," Uriala replies. "In fact, it is often difficult to tell exactly how the chain of command operates. Sometimes, sergeants will assign tasks to recruits. Sometimes, guardsmen will do so. My actual promotion was performed by a guard rather than someone of more rank. And recruits actually tend to get some of the more remote patrols, since they are less popular." At the last questions, the young guard pauses for a moment. "I haven't spoken with him about it." Again, a brief hesitation. "I don't consider him very approachable, and he has... done a few things in the past which make me hesitant to criticize him."

Ashli considers. "That doesn't make much sense at all. I'm glad you mentioned this to me...we can get the ball rolling on seeing how it can be changed. And with all this spare time I've got, I'm sure you and I together can come up with a few obviously needed changes." Ash says this positively, though she blinks. "I've never met the man myself, but I can sympathize with the hard-to-approach superior concept. Hesitant to criticize him...so he has done some things well, then, you'd say? And he perhaps wouldn't be amenable to outside interference? Eh. The guards are supposed to be helping the weyr, and all of them should be able to do that to the best of their ability. None of this recruit hazing nonsense."

"There are some things he does very well," Uriala says, and leaves that at that. She pauses for a moment, since that topic seems to have been resolved fairly quickly, and then asks a question on a completely different path. "Are you ever afraid of Isamath? Not physically, but..." She lifts a hand, gesturing vaguely towards her skull.

Ashli nods at that, before she blinks at Uriala and considers. "Afraid of her? Well, no, truly. It's such a...connection, even at the beginning. And Isa has a warm personality, very...watchful, and caring. She always thinks she knows what's best, and informs me of it, and her sense of humor consistently sends me into giggles. It's hard to be afraid of someone who would never hurt you - who, in fact, hurts when you're hurt, and cares for you more than anyone else ever could. A true lifemate, a dragon who was paired with you would never intrude, so there'd be no reason to fear for private thoughts...though why anyone would want to keep anything from a dragon is beyond me, considering their memories. Unless you've a dragon like Maiioth, I suppose, who's a gossip. When Isa was younger, still learning everything, she'd occasionally hit upon memories that at the time, I wish she hadn't. And yet, she was a considerate dragon, and never pushed it. Since a dragon can feel what you're feeling, it's rather easy for them to tell your limits. And every dragon I've met, bar one, has always wanted what's best for their rider /and/ will work with their rider to accomplish goals. Morchainth, however, is an oddity, and thank Faranth for that." And, Ash seems to realize she's been chattering on, and flushes slightly, silencing herself with a wry grin.

Uriala just gives a nod at that, thoughtful. "I am, I think, not built for Weyr life," she says after a few seconds. "I appreciate that I have had opportunities here, but... I cannot understand that mindset. It seems... inevitably to take something away from a person. If someone else was constantly in my mind, how would I know what I was without them?"

Ashli considers. "A dragon is not something a rider will rely on like a crutch. At least, not anyone with any personality to begin with. A rider is a person, and a dragon simply accentuates that personality." Ash grimaces, as she notes wryly, "Though perhaps I'm not best to explain it, since I grew up in this weyr and simply accept most of these things. It's more...Uriala, if you Impressed to one of those eggs out there, would it make you less Uriala, and more Dragoneth? Not at all. You have a set and distinct personality as is, and a dragon cannot take that personality away from you. A dragon Impresses to you for it, truly. You have had years without a dragon in your head - if you don't know yourself fairly well by now...well, I'm sure Wyn could help you with that." She cracks a grin at that, obviously just teasing, before she notes, "After Impressing a dragon...it's unimaginable to go back to life without your lifemate. I suppose at times it's stifling, to have someone constantly with you...but it's also more than rewarding, to have someone to share with, to have someone always at your back, always supportive - and there to both pick you up, and bring you down depending on how your mood is. A dragon is more of an anchor to your personality than a hindrance, since they know you and the personality they Impressed to." Ash pauses, then notes with a grin, "Though I can't say I haven't heard those with that same opinion as yours, truly. However, being in a weyr does not necessitate Impressing a dragon. Truly, it's a rarity, and not everyone shares the same views on dragons, though all...well, most...respect them."

A bit of a shadow passes behind Uriala's eyes at the reference to Wyn, but she doesn't comment on it. "I had thought the same," she says instead, of the last comment. "But I thought..." She hesitates, then says, "How much can they see? Not in their riders. In other people, when they speak to them? I don't like... I don't know how far it can go."

Ashli considers this, and notes, "Not much. Isa has occasionally been able to tell me small things that she picks up simply from surface thoughts, and that's only if she's paying very close attention. But it's not...sentences. More like...feelings. If someone hates another person, but hides it well, she can pick that up. She doesn't pick up sentences, or thoughts. Well, currently, she's dozing. But if she thought you and I were having a conversation that she should be listening to, she'd...monitor, I suppose, your reactions to what I say, and vice versa. I suppose it gives me an unfair advantage, rather, but it's not...blatant. She couldn't tell me, for instance, if you're thinking about bubbly pies right now or something of the sort. She mostly picks up cues that a well-trained observer could also pick up. Basically, it's rather like having another person next to you, who knows people very well, who notices the little details you might miss, and relays them to you. Generally, however, she doesn't really pay attention to other people. I don't think she's ever really paid attention to you, for instance; though if you suddenly became overtly threatening, or if someone around us did, she'd pay attention to everyone in the vincity. Do you see? It's not...spying or...intruding. Just finely tuned senses, I suppose."

Uriala shakes her head slightly at that, not disagreeing as much as resisting. "It's unsettling," she says at last. And then her eyes move again to the sands, and she says, "I should be getting back to the barracks. But thank you for listening to my concerns."

Ashli grins softly, "Well, no rider here will ever breach your privacy." Ash reassures, though she nods. "It was my pleasure - thank you for coming to me. I'll start looking into it, most certainly. Investigate what I can do to help, and how guards can be reorganized." A quiet nod accompanies this.

Uriala nods her acknowledgement and gratitude at this, then rises and descends from the galleries quietly.

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 20:19:20 GMT

I was sitting in the galleries today, when Tatia dropped by. We had a quick conversation, and she brought me food! Which was lovely. She just wanted to talk about Eitanex possibly Standing, it seems. I'm not sure why she thought she should talk to me about it, but it was a nice gesture. Isa likes him (at least as far as I can tell, since she doesn't exactly remember him, but she's always liked him before), so I see no problems. Well, it was interesting. Eitan would make a good rider, I think...

Galleries
Row upon row of stone benching rises above the Hatching Grounds, seats for those who come to watch the incredible experience that is a hatching. Each individual seat is embellished with a worn cushion, the only concession to comfort in a place that traps heat, holding it within so that those who watch are inflicted with its intensity, though on a milder level than those who must stand and face the dragonets. The expanse of sand that is the hatching grounds spreads out in front of the benches, a huge stage for a spectacular show.
Type 'help here' for info on how to view objects on the sands.
To the north, you see a green dragon.
Settled along stone are three firelizards.
Tatia is here.
Obvious exits:
Dragon Ledges Stairs

Ashli has seemed to have settled herself comfortably in a corner of the galleries, a little pile of pillows and cushions (both from the galleries and those that are so bright and fluffy as to have to have been brought from none other than Ashli's garishly bright abode) piled up around and about and under her. She...seems not to be doing much, other than simply sitting, somewhat out of the way so as not to be pestered by curious weyr residents, or ever-curious weyrbrats. If one only took a quick glance, even, one might mistake her simply for a pile of pillows, with no Ash in sight.

Tatia is a rare sight in these parts, even with Shirasuth keeping Isamath company on the sands. It seems likely, then, that the greenrider comes with a mission. Her boots click sharply on the stairs as she walks with a brisk pace, and her eyes search first the sands, and then the galleries. "Ashli?"

"Yes?" A reply floats up from what seems to be a tassel upon a particularly bright cerulean cushion before familiar black curls poke out, followed by the entirety of Ashli's head. "Good day, Tatia! How are you?" Surprised, yes. Friendly? Always. A warm grin is offered to her, and she waggles an arm, poking at an orange pillow in an attempt to make it look fluffy and inviting. "Do join me. It's really quite comfy over here. Rather preferable to the heat of the Sands."

"Horribly tired, but otherwise good," Tatia returns with a dry smile. She hefts up a basket, draped over one arm. "I'm told the sands get hot. I brought you some snacks, just in case." Bribery? What? Of course not. She crosses toward Ashli, although she settles on a bench rather than in the cushions. She glances briefly at the eggs. "They're doing ok?"

Bribery never seems to have crossed Ash's mind, and she smiles merrily, "Snacks? Truly? Oh, wonderful! I was just considering food, but Isa says that right now would be a peak time for her eggs to...well, she's always vague on that part. I'm not sure if they're going to run away themselves, or have someone take them, but she's always on guard against it." Ash rolls her eyes, though she nods. "Aye. I'm a little worried about their lack of...well, any sort of warmer coloring, since they all seem to be rather harsh in their white tones, but I suppose it might just represent the coming Interval, or some such."

"Fruit, mostly," Tatia shares, running her eyes over the eggs insteead of Ashli. Considering. "Well," she offers after a moment. "It's Shirasuth's first clutch. It could just be how his... are." She pauses, and glances at Ashli again. "They've started bringing candidates in, I saw."

Ashli smiles. "Lovely." This is said, apparently to the eggs, before she nods. "That's right, I hadn't thought of that. Well, I suppose that could be. He's been ecstatic with joy about them, as far as I can tell. Gives Isamath someone to worry at, though, and I know she appreciates his presence. Morchainth hated the Sands, and being near the eggs, while Shirasuth seems to love it, which I know is a comfort for that paranoid creature out there." Ash shoots a fond glance at the curled-up gold, before she nods. "Aye, Candidates already. I must say, I haven't really been paying an awful lot of attention, which Isa had chided me about. Though I'm not sure how she expects me to keep track of both the Candidates and her eggs. I can only be in one spot. Who's been Searched as of yet? Anyone I know?"

"Yes. He's been talking about wanting a clutch for some time," Tatia reveals in quiet thought. Her eyes drift back to the eggs, and then return to Ashli. She waves a hand dismissively. "I honestly haven't had time to pay much attention. Cadgwith's clutch is keeping me busy." She pauses, and then adds, "I did want to talk to you about that, though. Candidates."

Ashli's hand sneaks out to snag a bit of fruit from the basket to munch on, as she sits and nods. "Cadgwith's clutch looked like they were all mature...well, reasonably mature...weyrlings. Good for the weyr, they'll be a good senior weyrling class for these upcoming Candidates, and whomever Impresses." Ash sits in silence for a moment, and tilts her head to the side. "Did you?" A vague question, meant only as a friendly invitation to 'go on'...

Tatia nods once. "I know technically we don't have to," she begins, hesitantingly. "But I wanted to ask you anyway. If you would mind if we let Eitanex stand for this clutch." A pause, and she adds, "He wants to, very much, and Faranth knows he needs a bit more discipline at the moment."

Ashli blinks. "Should I mind?" Ash asks in a surprised fashion, before she shakes her head curiously, following that quickly with, "Of course I don't mind. Eitanex is a warm, loving person - and Isa adores him. I still remember him from the days of being a 'brat, though our five Turn-ish...or is it six? meant I didn't know him all that well, but...truly, I can't see a single reason not to let him Stand. If he Impressed, that would be a leap into maturity...well, not maturity, but certainly realizing more responsibility and growing as a person...that I can attest to myself. I'd love for him to Stand, as long as you're sure about it." Ash pauses and gazes at Tatia calmly, wondering if she had detected hesitancy because of an sense of being unsure, or whether it was for a different reason...

Tatia gives Ashli a firm smile and nods. "Good. I'll let Kez know, then, and we'll get him set up soon, I think." There's another glance for the eggs, and then she stands, brushing her hands against her thighs. "I hate to ask and run, but..." She waves a hand at the sands. "Work calls, as usual. I just wanted to catch you before the afternoon classes."

Ashli nods at Tatia, and seems to be somewhat confused by the encounter, but she simply nods once more, and grins. "All right...well, have fun with the weyrlings!" She offers brightly, settling herself a bit more comfortably amidst the cushions and peering at the eggs curiously, concentrating on one that she just can't seem to get the hang of. Just what are the shapes on it?