Logs:First Pick
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| RL Date: 10 August, 2013 |
| Who: A'lorin, Ali, N'dalis |
| Involves: Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Ali has a surprise for Dal. |
| Where: Stores, Fort Weyr |
| When: Day 22, Month 6, Turn 32 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Orialu/Mentions |
| The warm summer afternoon has seen a number of the weyrlings dragons - those whose dragons can fly, anyway - taking advantage of the thermals and being coaxed upwards to join Isyath in the skies above the Weyr. While Isyath's warm, delighted presence can still be felt for the others, it's more a byproduct of her mood than direct attentiveness, sharing the sensations of the flight. It's towards late afternoon that Ali appears at the junior queen's weyr and, spotting N'dalis there, beckons him to follow her, striding across the Weyr with an odd sense of urgency, leading him through the kitchens and to the stores, pausing there to unlock the door with a glance over her shoulder. She's not exactly known for being sneaky so it's probably a shade out of character. Suraieth has been watching the other dragons from the sunny ledge /she/ still uses for much of the afternoon, apparently perfectly content to do so, even if her rider seems less... enthusiastic. Ali's abrupt arrival is certainly surprising, but N'dalis is not one to hesitate to answer the summons of a /goldrider/, and so he follows, matching his long-legged stride to Ali's as, with an increasing look of bewilderment, they move through caverns and kitchens, and now, into the stores. "Ma'am?" he asks-without-asking, keeping his voice low to match the apparent tone of the encounter. "Yes?" Distracted, a little, because Ali's finding the right key, and it's with a noise of success that the lock finally clicks open and she slips inside the stores, unshuttering glows as she does. It's a lot cooler in here, and the goldrider's wrapping her shawl tightly about her as she waits for N'dalis to follow her in. "I'd asked A'lorin to join us as well- so he'll be coming along shortly to help you." With? Well, she hasn't exactly explained that bit, and she recalls, belatedly, "You're- you'll be delayed in getting your weyr, so I thought- the others will get first pick of furniture and decorations. I thought maybe you could pick out one thing, and I can hold it aside for you." Now isn't this a familiar sight? Or at least enough to cause a small smile on A'lorin as the man makes his way up towards the stores. "Afternoon, ma'am." A short nod is given towards Ali before his eyes drift towards the greenrider. "Niyuth said my help might be needed. We're more than happy to give a lending hand if you need it." A hand waves towards the greenling curiously. "How is your lot fairing anyway after the collapse? We'll have to see if things can be repaired sooner or later, can't leave the next lot high and dry." N'dalis', "Oh!" is one of surprised pleasure, immediately followed by a: "Thank you, ma'am. That's very kind of you." He follows her in to the storeroom, gaze abandoning Ali so that it can, instead, take in the obvious /wonders/ of the storeroom. Despite his general inclination to stoicism, it's obvious that this is a new pleasure; an exciting one. A'lorin's arrival has the greenrider turning, snapping a smart salute to the brownrider as he says, "Thank you, sir. Most are - doing fine, thank you. What - uh, should I be looking for?" Lingering near the door, Ali tenses briefly when she hears footsteps approaching, and relaxes when she sees it's the brownrider. "Thank you, A'lorin," she says, warmly. "I know N'dalis is out of his cast but I'd rather not put him back /in/ it moving heavy things around." She purses her lips. "I'm- not really sure. What was hotly contested furniture when you were picking your things, A'lorin? Me - I'd go for a tapestry or a rug I liked the look of, because they're unique. You can always get furniture. But-" she spreads her hands kind of helplessly. There /is/ a lot of choice. A'lorin's lips purse as he leans lightly against the door, casting his gaze on what furniture there was to offer. A hand slowly moves through his hair thoughtfully as he mulls over the choices. "Something that screams 'you'." A finger waves in the air, "I remember when we were picking out our furniture I picked out a lot of the fixer-uppers because I wanted to make them my own and everyone else glossed over 'em. I figure, if I can give 'em a nice new lean on life, they could find a good home. 'Course, that personal touch is always nice. A good comfy bed, maybe a stand that has a bit of character. I would say something to sleep on would probably be your best bet if you don't wanna sleep on the floor." Ali gets a small smile, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "Really, it's no problem, ma'am. We're happy to help, no need to cause the weyrling to injure himself just when he's fully healed. Niyuth and I'll take care of the lifting." "I'm sure I'd be fine -" begins N'dalis, but he stops himself, and shakes his head. "Thank you, both," he concludes abandoning that argument in order to focus on the positives. He takes a few tentative steps down the aisles of furniture, and admits, "I've never been up to any of the weyrs. I don't know what they're /like/, how much space." His fingers run appreciatively over the fine grain wood of a set of shelves, but his eyes barely give them a glance. "Are they usually empty when you get them? Completely?" The fact that the most practical thing didn't even occur to Ali is perhaps telling, she lets out a surprised, 'oh', and then nods in agreement with A'lorin. "Something comfortable and- big, if that's what you like." A hint of awkwardness at the last makes a bit of color touch her cheeks. "You can always commission other things later, too- once you've saved enough." The dark-haired woman keeps her shawl wrapped tightly about her, but curiosity pulls her towards the nearest pile of rugs, fingers brushing down the side of the pile. "Most of them are good sized enough for a bed, drawers and chest. Most'll have room for tables and chairs, or maybe couches. It differs, really." "Depends on if someone's lived in it before." A'lorin says, agreeing full-heartedly with Ali as she mentions the rooms, "If you don't like the beds here, you can always get one made later if you have your heart dead set on something." A curious glance is given towards the goldrider, "He only gets one piece, you said? Did I hear that right? If you only get one piece, you might wanna go for something you really like as opposed to something you need. Someone might take it and then you'd be hard pressed to find a piece like it." A'lorin leans lightly on the door frame, crossing his arms across his chest. "Most of 'em are good sized, my weyr's pretty decent and gives me enough space for me and Niyuth to move around in. It's pretty homey." N'dalis hesitates, glancing back at Ali, and then at A'lorin. "Do... some of them have room enough for a family? For a little boy, at least? I'll need - I suppose I can't plan too much out, before I know what space I'm getting. You're right; I should pick something I really /like/." Which means he does bypass the row of beds, and most of the other pieces of large furniture. If he has any particular plan, it doesn't seem to be obvious from his steps: first this way, then that way, stopping every so often to look at something in particular. "Normally they all get to choose together, so it's fairer, but with Suraieth a little behind-" there's something apologetic and regretful both in Ali's tone at the words, pausing for a beat, "-it only seemed fair to let him pick something in advance of the others." She glances over her shoulder A'lorin, nods an agreement with the brownrider, and moves along the row a little, tilting her head back to look at some of the higher-stacked pieces. "Some will, yes. Are you thinking of bringing your boy to the Weyr, N'dalis?" /She/ sounds approving, even if she might've been trying for neutral. "You...have a kid?" Is asked of N'dalis, a hand rubbing at the back of his head. A'lorin seems to mull the answer over for a moment, unsure of how to word an answer. "I suppose? Depending on the age of the kid, I'm sure there'll be enough room, though I'm not sure if the kid'll get a room to himself. Not many of the weyrs have more than one room available." A glance is sent to Ali, as if asking for assistance with the answer. Reagarldess, A'lorin seems statisfied and slowly follows the others. "When I was a weyrling, we all got our furniture at the same time, it was a bit of a race to get the good pieces, so you're lucky you get fist dibs." N'dalis is clearly used to people reacting the way A'lorin does, and though he doesn't /smile/, he's clearly not bothered. "He's nearly four," he says, by way of confirmation. "And yes - I think I'd like to, ma'am. It seems like he ought to be with me, if he possibly can. We won't need much space. We always shared, before. I'm very grateful, for the chance to pick something first. It can be... difficult, being so behind." He's stopped, now, to examine a finely carved side-table, inlaid with glass. It seems to perplex him, somehow, fingertips running across the surface over and over again. "Some have additional /rooms/, but you'd never get one of those out of weyrlinghood- I /hear/ people bribe Shevena to be told when those come up." Ali herself doesn't seem entirely sure how that's done, exactly. "But- your boy is young, and he can spend time down with the other weyrkids while you're out. You might be able to find a smaller cot for him-?" And she's casting about the stores now, searching for just that, not having noticed the weyrling's fascination with the side table yet. A'lorin almost seems appologetic for his own reaction, "Sorry, just...not used to weyrlings having kids. And I've been a bit...busy with my own duties. Niyuth and I are constantly striving to be better and it doesn't leave us with much time for socializing anymore." A glance is shot towards the table as the weyrling finds it, "Now /that/ is a nice find, nice glasswork there." It gets a nod of approval from the brownrider, "Almost as nice as the work we did on the Solarium." Ali's talk gets a arched eyebrow, "Is /that/ how you get more rooms? I'll have to keep that in mind next time Niyuth and I are trying to prove to the wingleader we're on top of our game." The idea of bribing someone for more room makes N'dalis laugh. "No doubt the ones with baths - I've heard /rumors/ that some of them do have them - go for bribes, as well. Seems a little like a waste to me, though. A cot..." That /is/ a good idea, though as yet, the weyrling is still focused on the side-table. "Isn't it? I'm just surprised that it ended up here. It must have been properly commissioned, surely. I suppose - that means someone died, and had no one to claim their belongings? /You/ worked on the Solarium?" He doesn't answer the apology; his head shake seems to indicate that it's fine, not an issue at all. Chewing her lower lip a moment, Ali murmurs, "Niyuth was always very- driven," she says, somewhat carefully. "But surely you- catch up with your wing, or at least your clutchmates now and then?" At A'lorin's mention of gaining larger weyrs, the junior just looks /awkward/. "That's what I hear. But /Shevena/ would never do that." Except, well- there's a hint of doubt even in her conviction. She's drawn by the discussion of the table and walks closer, edging around to see past the pair of riders. "That is nice looking," she approves, though there's a faltering wince at the mention of death. A'lorin nods his head, glancing towards the ceiling, "Yeah, before I impressed, I was working on helping the roof of the Solarium. I helped with the glasswork." A'lorin kneels down to the floor, rasping his knuckles against the glass experimentally. "Well made, pretty sturdy, I bet'll hold up with a four year old on the loose and'll make a good piece in your room if you're fond of it?" A brow arches on the brownrider's forehead before he pushes himself to his feet, sighing. "You know Niyuth, if it's not perfect, then nothing is. I haven't caught up with the others in a while. Sometimes in passing but never for long." As for the piece itself, "Well, maybe someone decided it was time it moved onto another person who might find it a good home? Or it just didn't ring for them anymore the way it used to. Who knows, it's here now." Those other, less morbid possibilities make N'dalis look a little relieved, though it's likely less because of /his/ feelings than for Ali's. "Oh, of course," he agrees. "That makes sense. It's - the Solarium is beautiful. You did good work. I like the table. I think I'd better look at a few other things first, though, shouldn't I? It's such a... do I even /need/ a little table like that? What are they used for?" His gaze darts away, but as yet, he makes no moves to step away. Instead, glancing back at the two riders: "It's normal for people to form close bonds with their classmates, I assume?" "It's hard- most of my clutchmates have gone their separate ways. I only see Yami, and T'mitl every now and then." There's a soft hint of regret in Ali's voice, but she's busy re-folding the shawl around her shoulders, muffling her words a little. A moment's hesitation at N'dalis' question, and she nods. "It's hard /not/ to. The same with your- your wingmates, I hear." A hint of jealousy perhaps there. "It's a good choice," she adds on the heels of A'lorin's approval. "You could get some nice pillows and kneel on the floor to have dinner with your boy. Or play cards on it." A'lorin's face darkens slightly at the question from N'dalis, "Not all the time, N'dalis. I had maybe...one friend from my clutch I still talk to all the time, I didn't get on well with the others. They thought I was a bit on the nosey side and I should keep my thoughts to myself." To more cheerful conversation, though, and A'lorin rolls his shoulders as dimissing something from his mind. "Thank you, I appreciate the compliment but I wasn't the only one who worked on the solarium, I did some of the work, not all of it." As for the table, A'lorin laughs, "It's a good center piece? You put stuff on it? That's always useful, things for putting other things on them, especially if they're nice-looking." But the brownrider doesn't stop the young man from looking. "There's lots of things there, no need to make your mind up yet." In a way, N'dalis seems... relieved that neither of the others are /especially/ close to their clutchmates as a whole. "I've not made any particular friends," he explains. "In my group. I expect the differences in age and experience make it difficult. No matter. I'm sure - in a wing, things will be different." He turns his attention back to the side-table, apparently reconsidering it in the light of these new possibilities. "You're right," he agrees. "It could work for either of those things. I'd hate to lose out on it." There's a darted glance towards A'lorin and something sympathetic in the look Ali gives him. Quietly, she says, "There was this younger boy who I kept wanting to kick, in my group," the goldrider admits, ruefully. "He was always talking when he was awake and snoring when he was asleep. I'd never been so relieved to get a good night's sleep as well I first moved out." She exhales, though, and looks pleased by N'dalis' choice. "It will look perfect," she agrees. "A'lorin, could you carry it? We'll move it into the back room, and I'll leave a note to tell the assistants not to touch it." She gestures towards the other end of the stores. "Not everyone always gets along." A'lorin says dismissively, waving a hand in the air, "Be glad you don't have a gold in your clutch, Orialu impressed gold in ours and shards was she a pain to deal with. She didn't want to do /anything/." He shakes his head sadly, deciding not to say anything more on the subject less bitter words are said. A forced smile pulls at his lips and he shrugs his shoulders, "Hey, when you move to the wings that's when you make your real friends. The people you're with now you're only with a short pierod of time. You'll be with your wingmates for the rest of your life. They'll have your back and you'll have theirs. I've always felt closer to my wingmates than I ever did with my fellow weyrlings. You'll see, you'll fit in just fine." As N'dalis makes a choice, A'lorin grins cheerfully. "Sure, no problem, I can move it to the back, no worries, I'll be careful with it. And if you need help moving it to your weyr, you just have Niyuth let me know and I'll move it for you." He gathers the table up in his arms and shifts it until he has it secured and carries it out towards the back. N'dalis is obviously cheered by A'lorin's comments on the subjects of wings and friends and fitting in, and pleased, too, to have made a decision. He watches the brownrider carrying his chosen piece of furniture off to the side, and smiles a small but genuine smile. "It's strange, knowing that it's just going to be-- so few of us, left, in our makeshift barracks. I'm used to there being that many more noises at night. But the dragonhealers say Su is coming along," even if he doesn't wholly seem to believe it, not yet, "and so... maybe it won't be so very long for us. Thank you, ma'am. For bringing me in here." Ali, for her part, is pointedly silent on the subject of the ex-junior, though there's a pointed tip of her head kind of away to mask her expression, since she's not otherwise normally that good at doing so. She leads the way, looking back over her shoulder to make sure A'lorin's fine, before opening the back door and nudging away some boxes to make space for the brownrider to set the table down safely. "It'll be even stranger then, once it's just you and Suraieth in your weyr, I imagine," she murmurs, and there's an easy smile for the weyrling. "It's our little secret, mm? I'll do the same for the others that are staying with you, but best not let it get out." And, "Thank you, A'lorin. That's very kind of you. Actually- A'lorin'd be a good one to talk to, when it comes to finding out what wings do. Jasper's amazing to watch in the skies." "Hey, no problem, you're both very welcome." A'lorin gently sets the piece on the ground and dusts his hands off before placing his hands on his hips thoughtfully. "It was wierd getting used to my new weyr when I moved in. No snoring, no bickering, no good nights. It was silent nothing but me and Niyuth. Maybe for you it won't be so bad since you've got your son. It gets easier after a while." A'lorin agrees with Ali, looking over his shoulder at the goldrider. "What about what wings do? What do you want to know about them?" There's still a limp to N'dalis' gait when he walks, but it's far less pronounced than it was, and he seems comfortable and confident enough. "It will be," he confirms: strange. "Even when Jay's there, too. It's been a long time since I had space that was /mine/ like that." He answers Ali's remark on secrecy with a serious nod, followed quickly with a pleased smile. To A'lorin, "Well - all of it, really. I know we've covered some of it, and I've certainly /seen/ some of the wings in action, but I don't really feel like I know much about the actualities of it, I think? I would, very much, like to learn more." There's something both sympathetic and understanding in Ali's gaze towards N'dalis as he talks of having his own place, nodding slowly. "If nothing else- if you stay long enough you'll get the queen's weyr to yourself. A handy bath and everything," she says, with a grin. To A'lorin, "N'dalis is holdbred- so it might help to give him some ideas about what he might want to do once he and Suraieth are closer to graduation. Each of the wings are slightly different- some people try to influence the decision based on their preferences to do things like search and rescue, or to be specifically more aerobatic, or if they like a particular Wingleader." A'lorin grins as he leans forward, "Well, I dunno exactly where you guys are on your training, but if you wanna come fly with us you're more than welcome to come and fly. I'd be happy to show you what we can do, we mostly work on formations and making sure that everything is precise and runs smooth. I don't wanna brag, okay maybe I do, but our wing is one of the best." A'lorin seems quite proud of himself at least. "Niyuth and I worked really hard to get into Jasper and I'm happy where I am today with them. I wouldn't have it any other way. With Jasper, we're always striving for perfection and that suits us just fine." Ali gets a nod, "Well, what exactly are you interested in wings? Do you want to help people out? Do you want to be more of a functioning wing?" "Su's not flying yet," explains N'dalis, with a twist of his expression: guilt and sorrow volleying for prime position upon his features. "When the barracks collapsed, her wing was badly torn. I can see her liking that, though: the perfection thing. She can be very precise. I think the problem is that I'm not really /sure/ what would work for us, yet." He glances in Ali's direction, belatedly answering her remark when he says, "I can't deny that I'll miss that bath.... though it's less useful with so /many/ of us living there." There's perhaps a slight wince on Ali's part as A'lorin mentions N'dalis flying with him. After a brief pause, she murmurs, "You'll get a chance to fly with each of the wings when you reach senior weyrling, to get a feel for them. B'rant would be a good one to talk to- he and the other newly graduated riders just rode with all the wings." It's N'dalis' latter comment that makes her smile, "True- I can't imagine the queue that must've created." With a gesture towards the door, she says, "I should lock this up before- before rumors start. If we go out through the kitchens, we can grab some fresh klah on the way, and get a lungful of dinner." Only somewhat rueful; it's not like the Weyr isn't full of dreadful gossip here and there. A'lorin's gaze shifts between the goldrider and the greenling, opening his mouth for a moment before closing it. "Ah, sore subject. Sorry about that, foot in mouth disease, that's me." A'lorin offers an abashed look, rubbing at the back of his head. "Well, I suppose I'll get myself going before I get myself deeper into mud. It's been nice meeting you, N'dalis, hopefully thing's'll ease up a bit with the wings soon. I've been dying to get some fun in, shards, all work and no fun makes life quite boring." A quick shake of N'dalis' head is evidently intended to reassure A'lorin: it's fine, really. "Thank you again for your help, sir," he says, quickly. "I hope we can talk more, in future." Ali's remark on rumors has his expression twisting, but he has no direct response, just: "And thank you, too, ma'am. I appreciate it. Certainly wouldn't say no to some dinner." He's pleased; that much is obvious. "Truer words," Ali murmurs on the heels of A'lorin's comment about 'all work'; she's looking at him wryly as she does so. "Maybe Issy can coax Niyuth up into the skies long enough to give you a good break to relax in," it's only half-joking; gratitude is in her gaze. "Thank you, A'lorin. And you're welcome, N'dalis. I /think/ I can smell roast herdbeast...?" she's saying as she walks from the stores. |
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