Logs:Hiding From The Cold
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| RL Date: 26 October, 2012 |
| Who: Brieli, I'kris |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Brieli is helpful. And secretive, not that I'kris notices. I'kris has Thoughts. |
| Where: Hatching Galleries, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 1, Month 2, Turn 30 (Interval 10) |
| Weather: Wind and snow make for very bad weather today. The visibility is low, making travel dangerous. |
| Mentions: Azaylia/Mentions, Iolene/Mentions, K'del/Mentions, Lujayn/Mentions |
| Hatching Galleries, High Reaches Weyr Ringing the southwestern side of the hatching sands are ample tiers of carved stone benches, the lowest of which is some six feet off the ground -- just high enough to separate wayward hatchlings from unwary viewers, and vice versa. A metal railing on the outside helps prevent anyone from falling off; it also extends up the stairs that lead the way higher into the galleries. While most of the area is open seating, ropes section off some of the closer tiers when dignitaries are expected; those areas even feature cushions in the Weyr's blue and black. The higher one climbs, the more apparent the immense scale of the entire cavern becomes. The dragon-sized entrance on the ground is dwarfed by the expansive golden sands that glitter in the light. Everything on them is easily visible from the galleries, whether that's a clutch of eggs and a broody queen, or simply its emptiness and the handful of darker tunnels that lead to more private areas than the bowl. Wherever one sits or looks, however, one thing is constant: the overwhelming, suffocating heat. The combination of wind and snow, outdoors, has made the Galleries - with their oh-so-convenient excuse of 'eggs on the sands' - a prime location for weyrfolk, this afternoon. Lujayn's not currently present, but Rielsath and Svissath are keeping an eye on the clutch, while I'kris sits up in the galleries, alone amidst the crowds. He looks bored, almost literally twiddling his thumbs, but equally disinclined to get up and go elsewhere. Wind and snow and cold are more than enough for Brieli to make a detour on her way to... wherever she was off to, or returning to. The tall dark young woman practically throws herself into the galleries, dusted with flakes, and none too pleased about it. Though it likely doesn't win her any toughness points with the lifetime Reachians, she makes a great, disgusted show of getting it off. Svissath is still new at this whole sire business, and Rielsath is a protective (if wary of her own skills) dam; it's no wonder, then, that both dragons are keeping a close eye on new arrivals to the galleries. As the brown's head lifts to regard Brieli, so too does I'kris', and, clearly desperate for the company, his wave quickly follows. "Brieli," he begins. And then, "Please tell me you'll keep me company for a little while. It may be warm in here, but it's not as though the eggs are entertaining, whatever Svi says." Thankfully, he's sitting not too far from the entrance - close enough that doesn't need to yell. The goldrider must notice sire and dam's interest, for the rise and fall of ocean's waves are soon breaking on the edge of their mindspaces - always soothing, this time with specific purpose; Brieli means no harm, and Iesaryth would (hopefully!) know. As she takes off her jacket, she complains to I'kris, "I don't know why it feels so cold on days like this. Some say it's because the air is wet; I think it's the wind." Her attention shifts to the eggs as she moves closer, tilting her head. "Maybe you're just less entertained than he is. I'm glad Iesaryth is a bit lazy, more inclined to thought - perhaps this won't drive her insane." Both dragons seem to accept Iesaryth's reassurances; Svissath in particular acknowledges it with the salted edge of his own thoughts, matched by the rich sweetness of caramel and burnt sugar. "He's entranced," admits the brownrider, cautiously cheerful despite his complaints. "I suppose most new parents are. But eggs... I hope Iesaryth will take to it. I'm--" He glances back towards the exit, and shudders. "Not really interested in going back out there. It's awful." Giving her coat one last shake before she sits nearby, Brieli offers a diffident little shrug, noting, "They all take it differently, it seems. At least he's not demanding your presence, merely providing a convenient excuse to stay warm, yes?" She flashes I'kris a quick smile before, "You have to eat eventually, unless you can bribe someone to bring you food. But I won't argue that it's awful. It's this, or the greenhouse. You might like that better, actually." "True," allows the brownrider, with a quirked smile. "On several counts. But - the greenhouse? Oh, I know. The glass building, built into the bowl? I'd seen that, but I wasn't sure... you don't think they'd mind my hanging out in there? I wouldn't want to be in the way or anything." I'kris turns his body, shifting so that he can face Brieli more directly; the eggs don't get another glance. "But you're right: I think I would." "I'm always right," Brieli says lightly - she seems to be joking, but who can really tell? The grin might help, as she drapes her coat over the seat next to her. With a nod, "That's the one. I don't think there's any Weyr secrets within, so you'll likely be fine. Just stay out of the way of the cooks and Healers." It doesn't sound too difficult! "And I think they put benches in there for that reason - to sit and enjoy. I'm told it rains on occasion in there." I'kris certainly seems to take that remark as a joke, answering it with a merry grin of his own. "No doubt they keep the controlled substances-- you know, the dangerous plants elsewhere," he says, teasingly. "I guess that makes sense, then. I'll have to check it out. Svissath wasn't much on leaving Rielsath before the eggs got here, and now that they have... it's hard to go anywhere." His gaze shifts back towards his brown, but hovers there only briefly. Then, as it returns to Brieli, "How do you think you'll cope, when it's Iesaryth on the sands?" Dryly, "Indeed, wouldn't do to be growing fellis out in the open. Or anything less legitimate." Not that Brieli's accusing the Healers of anything, but who knows what they really go about growing. But for other Healers. "In any case, I would think it'll be a nice change. It helps from getting all... dried out, I find as well, though my hair gets frizzy. Almost as bad as wet." There's a little shudder, perhaps not completely theatrical. Glancing over to I'kris, she considers. "I usually have something to do, or something to think about, to plan. I don't think it'll be too much of an issue. Iesaryth is... atypical. There's not much that bothers her." "A healer with a sideline in controlled substances," smirks I'kris, visibly amused by the concept. "Most of the ones I've ever met seem so... staid. Boring. Perhaps I just don't know the right ones." Much more interesting, however, is Brieli's remark; interesting enough that he studies her thoughtfully for long moments before adding anything else. "You're a planner," he says, neutrally - it's more a statement than a question, and not one that contains any surprise. "Planning for world domination? Your eventual rise to the big knot? Or is it just fat babies you're thinking about?" "I wouldn't be surprised. I wouldn't put it past... someone." Brieli knows there's someone out there who might do just that, by the twist of her lips, the wry amusement about her. "And perhaps that's just what they want you to think. I imagine it doesn't take much to pretend you're not actually the way you are." She imagines. She's just guessing. Her glance to I'kris is sidelong; she gives another easy shrug - and a grimace. "Children. Hardly. And I just find it's wise to think ahead, plan for different eventualities. I suppose Weyrwoman is a possibility to plan for, it's just not one I'm too concerned about right now. Do you have plans? Make plans?" I'kris gives Brieli a curious look for that wry amusement, rather as though he's interested in this possibility, but not inclined to push it further. In any case, he holds his tongue until after she's finished speaking, only then exhaling lengthily, and giving her a bashful smile. "We all make plans," he says. "I want to make my Father proud one day. What kind of eventualities have you considered? Do you consider? And - why no children? I've always thought it might be nice. One day. Eventually." There's barely an arch of fine brows for that interest, a slight pause. But Brieli doesn't seem to notice otherwise, instead musing over a sigh, "Don't we all. Want to make our fathers proud." That touches her features with a darker, sober shadow, but is quick enough to shake it off. "And I don't think everyone makes plans, to be honest. And I've considered as many as possible, as many as Iesaryth can spin out." As for children, a little wrinkle of her nose. "I don't mind them. I suppose I don't like the idea of leaving them alone if something happened. It's not as dangerous as threadfall, but..." "But this is a Weyr," points out I'kris, offering immediate counterpoint to her argument. "No child is ever left alone in a Weyr. Shells, even those of us with stable family units - like mine - are half raised by the caverns as a whole. Besides," he sounds surprisingly intense and intent on this subject, "you Impressed a queen. Don't you think that bloodline should be maintained? One day there will be 'Fall again, and we'll need every potential dragonrider we can get." It's a long speech, and one that leaves him without breath to reply to anything else she's said. His expression, however, remains intense. Careful, "True. I suppose I'm not used to that idea. Both my parents died when I was young; I know that likely affects how I think about it. I can't think it's... the same." If Brieli's surprised or discomfited by all that intensity from I'kris, she limits it to a brief blink before, "I'm fairly certain that I'm the only one in my family to have impressed, or at least, for a very long time. But I never really thought about it that way." Flashing another grin easily enough, "I suppose there's time. I'm not yet twenty." Sympathy shows itself in I'kris' suddenly muted expression, and his shallow nod is slow and careful. "That must have been hard," he says, uncertainly, showing a brief return to the awkwardness that so plagued him during that earlier meeting they had. His hands fiddle uncomfortably in his lap, for all that he seems relieved by her grin. "Plenty of time," he agrees. "I wouldn't want to be a parent until-- I don't know. Ages from now. Anyway, if you Impressed, there's got to be a chance your children will. It's not like all children get the opportunity in the first place. Maybe your whole family had the potential, but not the opportunity. My Father says it's definitely in the blood, though. That's why most of our family Impresses." Reassuringly, "Long over, that." Brieli's words don't quite ring true, nor does her smile seem entirely genuine, but she's not inclined to discuss it - or get too much sympathy for it. "I won't be the only one, not here certainly. And nor would I. I don't know that I'd be a terribly good one either, though..." There's the trace of a real smile now, one that leaves her a bit embarrassed. Briskly, "Someone else might be. And the Weyr besides. And does he." It's one of her own non-questions for I'kris, but she merely seems curious. "There's no real way to prove it, is there, though? I can't imagine." I'kris takes the hint, seemingly, and doesn't push down that path of questioning and sympathy. Instead, he leans back in his seat, and stretches out his legs. "I think people grow into becoming parents, when they become them. Maybe, anyway. It's hard to know, I guess. Maybe we'll find out, one day. Or maybe not." His smile, at least, is encouraging. "I guess there isn't a way to prove it, no. But it's-- I was going to say it's a nice thought," only his smile is fading. "But maybe it isn't. Isn't it a nicer idea, that we Impress on our own merits?" "Perhaps. Some people seem born to it. Like Azaylia. It's in her way to try to take care of people." Not that Brieli understands that at all. Shrugging, still not seeming all that interested, "Maybe, maybe not. I suppose one has to make the effort with all the betweening. Thankfully." There's a pause at I'kris' realization, and she's a thoughtful moment or two before she'll allow, "It might be. I'd think that has more to do with it than anything, who we are, but it's possible that lineage helps. I wonder sometimes if it's just... opportunity, right place, right time." I'kris nods, at the mention of Azaylia, and his own mouth twists into a quiet smile. He abandons the topic of children, instead focusing on the last of what Brieli has to say, that reply to his thought. "Maybe so," he agrees. "But there must be something they see in us; not everyone has the ability, or there'd be no need for search dragons." For the first time, he glances back out at the eggs. "The Weyrleader has said no search, for these eggs. Svissath worries there won't be enough choice, though of course it's sensible enough not to have too many candidates... right?" He sounds uncertain. Regarding the small clutch thoughtfully, "There's candidates from the last clutch that stayed, some that were searched for the one that... didn't work out chose to stay behind as well." Brieli is quiet for a moment before, "I think I was the only one that paid enough attention to Iesaryth. I heard her before she was mine. So, yes - I think there's something." Shaking her head to pull out of the reverie, she looks over to I'kris to add, "Some of those candidates that stuck around were certainly chosen by search dragons. But at the same time, I wasn't. Either time. Anyway, I think we can certainly muster more than enough of them." Mention of the clutch that didn't work out has I'kris' expression suddenly freezing, and if Brieli can see into his lap, she might see the sudden white of his knuckles as he clenches his fist. It doesn't linger: a moment later he's saying, quietly, "That was a tragedy." Beat. "I had never heard of such a thing happening, before then. I suppose you're right - there will be enough. I hope. No, I'm sure. It'll be fine. I guess I care more about those eggs than I thought." Lingering her sharp dark gaze on his hands, his frozen expression for but a moment, Brieli doesn't look too concerned. Not right yet, anyway. Soberly, "It was, yes. Very upsetting for everyone. And no one had heard of such things, but... I can't imagine it's something that everyone would want to record, if it had. It was difficult for everyone." Not wanting to linger on the thought too long, she has a faint smile, before, "If you're concerned closer to the date, there's always asking to go on search. If it seems there won't be. It's not an unreasonable request." "No, I imagine not," says I'kris, and his tone this time could easily be mistaken for quiet horror. His head turns, allowing him to glance sidelong at Brieli, though it's hard to tell if he's looking for something in particular, or just generally looking. "I don't really think it would be my place, really. I'm just a visitor, and barely graduated, and... I'm sure Lujayn will know. And your Weyrleader. He's seen plenty of clutches, I think. I shouldn't worry; I'm sure everyone has it well in hand." "I've never entirely trusted the idea that people wouldn't leave out what suited them." Though how leaving such a thing out would benefit anyone, it's hard to say. Brieli quirks a bit of a grin, as she adds, "I don't trust much of anything." With a sigh, she leans forward to pick up her jacket, looking out towards the entrance. How much snow has piled up there? "I don't know. I'd think it's not the end of the world to ask, should you be concerned. He--" She nods to Svissath before looking back to his rider. "Does warrant you a bit of consideration." For a moment, it looks as though I'kris has something to offer - a reason why it might best go unreported in the records - but evidently he thinks better of it, because then he's shaking his head and shrugging. "I guess he does. I still feel like... well, I'm the outsider here, you know? But-- I'm sorry. I shouldn't keep you, should I? Unlike me, you've no doubt got important things to do." That might get a curious look from Brieli, but she doesn't ask if I'kris isn't saying it, for some reason. By the narrowing of her gaze, she might think about it later. Sliding on her coat before rising, she tilts her head a little to regard the brownrider more openly. She's her own shrug before, "Up to you. It's not as if there aren't ties, though." Herself being one of those. "And it's debatable how important my things to do are, but they must be done. Should I have someone send food out? I can say it's for Lujayn, when she comes back?" "I'll think on it," says I'kris, suddenly firm - his nod is a sharp one, and comes accompanied by a slender smile. "If nothing else, I can raise it with Lujayn, if it becomes important. We'll see." Her offer seems to please him, for his shoulders straighten sharply, and this next nod is repeated several times. "If you could? Please. It'd be-- nice to not have to face the weather, just yet. I really do appreciate it, Brieli. And you. Zaisavyth's daughter chose well, you know." "I know. But thank you." Brieli isn't entirely joking there either, but she has nothing more than a smile and a little wave before she squares her shoulders and makes for the bowl. And makes some poor loser carry out food for I'kris, sucks to be them. |
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