Logs:Headaches
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| RL Date: 28 August, 2015 |
| Who: Irianke, K'del |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Wine, cheese... and worries. |
| Where: Kitchen, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 1, Month 9, Turn 38 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Aughan/Mentions, Farideh/Mentions, Faryn/Mentions, Ienavi/Mentions, Linuore/Mentions, Nimae/Mentions |
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| It's late enough of an evening that the kitchens have wound down their operations for the night, though this hasn't prevented K'del from making himself at home (indeed, rather the opposite). The bronzerider has opened the door to the cool box, staring into it in a desultory kind of way as if entirely uninspired by the leftovers and cold cuts available; equally plainly, the ever-present stew has also been rejected. "I think," he says, evidently musing to himself, "I want soft cheese. Why is there no soft cheese?" At that moment, somehow unnoticed by K'del, it could help that she was tucked in one of those breakfast alcoves nose in a book, Irianke puts a cracker smeared with some soft cheese and its rind into her mouth and stops, looking surreptitiously over at the voice lamenting the lack of such cheese. There's a carafe of wine, half finished, at her elbow and an embarrassed cough echoes in the less full kitchen. "Um," the hesitation isn't borne of indecision as to whether to invite K'del over or not, but rather the shame, the utter shame, of the visible evidence of having finished a half wheel on her own. "You could share some of mine." Oh, the shame! The door to the cool box closes, pushed shut unconsciously by a hand that plainly knows its duty in life. K'del turns, those pale blue eyes seeking out the goldrider in her corner, as fair eyebrows raise. Amusement, obvious in expression and then in tone, is clearly the order of the day. "Oh ho," he says (but not that kind of ho). "So that's where it-- thank you, Irianke." It's the work of a few moments to slide into the alcove, seated across from her. "Long as you don't mind the interruption to your reading, anyway." "I should have told you to bring your own glass." But the acting Weyrwoman's whims are apparently law in these kitchens and one of the few remaining kitchen staff, overhearing this desire for a glass, brings over not only a wine glass for K'del, but an extra plate and some more of the crackers from the stale bread drawer. "Ah, here we go. Thank you, Crista." The slightest pause before the name could go nominally unnoticed. "It's only the tale of Lessa's great ride." Only. "I've been rereading it, the full Harper theatrical masterpiece, in the last week, marveling at how they managed to make do with so little before she brought the rest of the Weyrs forward in time. I," the goldrider looks to K'del, tired, with her aging eyes lacking the usual dark rim of kohl, "Started reading it to see what we might be in store for, particularly after the Beastcraft's decision." That tiredness does not go unnoticed, and nor does the rest: K'del's gaze is watchful, so much so that he almost-- it seems-- forgets to acknowledge Crista and her efforts with even the slightest of nods. It's as he reaches to pour himself some of the wine that he says, quietly, "And is it doom and gloom for all, do you think? Seems like we're the middle of it; seems like it could be one of our former apprentices, now working for Farideh, who might've started it. Not that I'm blaming her. Likely, it'll only get harder and harder as the Interval goes on." "Was it?" Irianke seems unsurprised. "The Beastcraft looks to Igen for protection from Thread during a Pass." It sounds like an idle, throwaway comment. The goldrider works to smear some cheese on a series of crackers, laying them in a row on the plate before K'del before smearing her own cracker with something for herself. "I have a lot of thoughts and none of them seem cohesive enough to share at this point, but I would not be surprised to see other crafts taking their cues from world events, where Holds limit Search and Weyr population dwindles. I've made an appointment to speak with the Weyrhealer and our token Masterhealer next week about discerning ways to entice people to have more young before the decade is out." K'del mouths, rather than speaks, the word: Igen. But for all of that, it's not what he concentrates on in reply, as fingers reach for one of the crackers (his nod acknowledging Irianke's efforts with thanks), his glass adjusted in position with his other hand. "Mm," he agrees. "Expect you're right. Guess we've got to hope for small clutches, too." He hesitates over the rest of his reply, those pale eyes still considering the goldrider. "You're thinking... incentives for having children? Ways of making it easier, somehow?" "Something? Some way so people know that having a certain number of children is an asset in the Weyr. Too many, and we won't be able to feed them. Too little, and we may not be able to look solely to our lower caverns for candidates." Irianke makes herself another cheese cracker, chewing it audibly, and then washes it down with a sip of wine. "I don't want another situation like Fort had ... that Fort continues to be having." The once Igenite looks into space, beyond K'del's shoulder and then shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I've had these headaches for days now that the healers can't seem to make heads or tails of. Perhaps the changing weather." Nodding, K'del appears to be in agreement with Irianke's assessment of their needs, though he's too busy chewing to attempt any immediate reply. Mention of Fort, however, stills the motion of his jaw, and sets his expression to something darker; even this, however, is interrupted by an expression of concern as the goldrider continues. He reaches out, one hand aiming to touch, just briefly, the goldrider's. "I'm sorry to hear it," is genuine, and quiet. "Do you need to take some time off? Let Farideh-- just for a day or two? The Greenfields situation is under control, and there's nothing else that's so immediately urgent, surely." A moment is taken when his hand brushes briefly, a look cast down that seems almost perplexed by the touch. And then the emotion is gone, in lieu of a rueful gratitude. "I may take you up on that. If Niahvth rises first, it will be a never ending onslaught and I doubt I'll manage to take time off afterwards." Irianke pushes the rest of the cheese on K'del, all quarter wedge left of the wheel, and nurses her drink instead. "How is Greenfields?" No, better question. "What is happening there?" Beyond what the public knows or the wingleaders. It's been a fair few nights since their last late night conversation and Greenfields in between them. For mention of that flight, K'del is rueful, though his only comment on the subject is, "At least it's not due for some time yet-- either of them. There's time for you to take those days, if you need them. Lots of time." As he attends to the cheese, he adds, "It's hard to say. Seems like the fire started in one place, and simply spread into the two different fields. No obvious indication of what started it, though, and no one is admitting to having seen anything. No obvious accelerant or anything. Holder Linuore has promised they'll make the tithe as expected, and I've promised we'll increase the sweeps and keep an eye on everything." "Wildfires? Has it been hotter than normal in that region?" asks Irianke, her voice suddenly sharper. "Greenfields looks to Crom, doesn't it?" is the continued question of the woman not born in the region. No, says the shake of K'del's head. "No hotter or drier than normal. No lightning storms. Nothing unusual at all," he says. "Which does make it suspicious, doesn't it? Greenfields is Crom, yes. Believe Greenfields is where Nimae is from, isn't it? And Ienavi, Lord Aughan's wife, she's the daughter of Linuore and Graeson." His smile, such as it is, is wry; so incestuous, those connections. This is something the goldrider was unaware of and that sharpness takes on a different flavor. A change in the shadows on her face and her nursed drink is nursed all the more frequently as she consider this information. Ultimately, Irianke has no idea what to do with it and shakes her head once more, the end of the day droopy listlessness of her dark hair shaking with it. "It would be too easy to think it's a remnant of Igen's displeasure, but I thought we had all moved on from that like adults." Never mind the Beastcraft and now Greenfields to boot. "I think... I think, I will start my vacation tomorrow, what with Farideh graduated now and the lower caverns in more stable hands, I can go take a few days to get my head together and shake off this autumn cold or flu or something. At worst, I am only a dragon's thought away." K'del hesitates over his reply, watching so intently Irianke's reaction to his words. His lips press into a tight line, then open again. Finally, "Think that's a good idea. Take all the time you need; it's good practice for Farideh, and the rest... it can be managed. Get some rest. Feel better. If we're desperate," he agrees, confirming it with a nod, "we know how to get in contact with you. Been a... well, it's not what any of us expected, when Nimae sent you, is it? We all need a break sometimes." "And should Roszadyth rise first, you're right. Good practice for the day I am no longer here." Irianke feigns a rueful smile at this, but there are shadows in those deeply gray blue eyes tonight. "Good night, Weyrleader." There'a a pause, a breath, a more genuine smile, and then a hand that reaches out to ruffle K'del's hair. Trial by fire, after all, allows for occasional casual friendliness. Right? It's K'del's turn to look perplexed-- or something not far off of it-- at that gesture, but he manages a smile all the same. "Good night, Irianke," he says. "Look after yourself." He? He will stick to his cheese. |
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Comments
Alida (01:40, 29 August 2015 (PDT)) said...
And it begins... ;)
Faryn (08:50, 29 August 2015 (PDT)) said...
I know there is a bigger plot to pull from this, but I'm just relieved that I'm not the only person who goes in the kitchen in the middle of the night to eat cheese.
Squishy (08:54, 29 August 2015 (PDT)) said...
Faryn XD. That said, I love Irianke's deviousness. I also think her approach to managing the weyr population and search problems are interesting.
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