Logs:Less Than Pleasant Dealings
| |
|---|
| |
| RL Date: 6 November, 2009 |
| Who: Audria, K'del, Shad |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: K'del meets Shad, the weyr's newest Smith. All goes well, until mention of where Shad is from. |
| Where: Nighthearth, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 22, Month 2, Turn 21 (Interval 10) |
| Nighthearth, High Reaches Weyr With its entrance located between the kitchen and the living cavern, this tiny bubble cavern is cozy, always kept warm and is filled with comfortable chairs and a small round table. At the far end, there's a hearth, outlined in ruddy, aging bricks, where a pot of stew simmers in the evening hours. Generally quiet, the nighthearth is the haunt of insomniacs and those seeking quiet from the bustle of daily Weyr life. It's late, well past the usual dinner hour, when Shad, looking tired, dirty, but also quietly content makes his way into the night hearth. He fills a bowl with stew, spooning a few bites ... hastily blown on to keep from burning his mouth ... into his mouth even as he heads for a table, too hungry to bother with social niceties, especially since he seems to be alone at the moment. Alone, certainly, but not for long. It's unclear from K'del's entrance exactly why he's chosen this particular spot to head - he doesn't stop to fill a bowl or a mug, nor does he seem inclined towards curling up on a chair near the hearth - but the tall bronzerider nonetheless ambles his way in, perhaps a few minutes after Shad's arrival. Apparently only vaguely aware of his surroundings, he heads towards a table; coincidentally, given the emptiness of the room, it's Shad's table. Shad notices K'del, but he's never met the man before, so it's not until the man sits down ... and Shad sees his knots ... that he realizes who it is. Shad has to work to keep from having a bite of food go down the wrong pipe in his surprise. "Good evening, Weyrleader sir." So engrossed in his own thoughts is K'del that it's not really until his companion speaks that he actually, unquestionably, seems to make the connection that, oh yes, he's not actually alone. Blinking, gaze darting up in obvious surprise, he seems stuck for words for a moment until; "Er-- good evening." Beat. He half rises, adding, "Didn't even notice you there... did you want to be alone? I can find another table. Instinct, I guess. Always go for the same table." Shad 'eeps' quietly. "Oh, no sir, that's quite all right." He says, trying not to squirm. "You're more than welcome to stay here. I just stopped by to get something to eat." K'del's gaze narrows in on Shad, ostensibly weighing up his reactions with some internal measure. After a moment, he tells the apprentice, "You know you're allowed to say otherwise, if it's the truth. I'm--" He shrugs out of his jacket, draping it behind him; there are no knots on his shirt, and that is evidently intended to say something. "Please: eat. Don't mind me." Shad grins. "Oh, I don't mind, honestly." He says. Who /would/? "Just startled me a bit when I realized who you were." And then, half-belatedly. "My duty to Cadejoth." It's well into the evening, and the nighthearth is empty, aside from K'del and Shad, who are sitting at the same table. The young Weyrleader looks awkward, and then relieved, as Shad speaks, and then, finally, makes a face. Laughingly; "Never going to get used to that. Being recognised, I mean, even if it's just from my knot." Spreading his hands flat upon the table, he adds, "Got me at a disadvantage, though." Eyebrow raise; who are you, then?" Audria slips into the room, blowing on a mug in her hands. She looks around a second and then makes her way towards the table the two men are sitting at. "Evening." She greets quietly with a quick bob of her head. "I guess it /would/ be a bit disconcerting." Shad admits. "Apprentice Smith Shaduriess, sir, but most folks call me Shad, since my full name's a bit of a mouthful. I just transfered in a few days ago." K'del's smile shows his teeth. "/Especially/," he tells Shad, "when one is on the youthful side of twenty." But this, too, doesn't seem to /especially/ bother him, not if his smile is anything to go by - it relaxes as he does, the man leaning back in the chair, the smile becoming a lighter, more friendly one. "Shad, then. Glad to have you... got good use for smiths, these days." That's about the point at which Audria approaches; he's not so distracted, now, that he misses that much, his head turning so that he can smile at the girl; "Evening, Audria." Audria gives K'del a quick smile back. "Evening, K'del." She greats slipping into a chair at the table. After all, it would be a sad day for the weyr when K'del is too distracted to notice a woman approaching. "It's, uh, it's alright for me to join you?" She asks before Shad gets a nod. "I'm Audria. I cook." Shad is vaguely relieved that K'del doesn't know his name. And also, surprised at how approachable the man is. He'd always figured a Weyrleader for the same sort of personalities that run Crom. He should have known better. "I'm glad to be here, sir. Truth to tell, my skills run towards smaller items anyway, like buckles and such, rather than the big stuff that's most often forged for holds." He nods to Audria. "Hi. I don't mind." He says, then lifts the bowl he's eating from. "Your work? If so, it's good." Lightly; "Pity, almost." Of the kind of work Shad does. Not that K'del's stopped smiling or anything. Ultimately, he shakes his head, waving away that thought, turning his gaze towards Audria - smiling - and then back to Shad. "First time in a weyr? Or have you been posted elsewhere, before this?" Audria looks over to see what is in Shad's bowl before she nods. "I did. At least some of the batches of that. I mean, it takes more than me to keep this place fed." Audria pauses for a sip from her mug before she turns to hear Shad's answer to K'del's question. Shad chuckles. "I'll graduate to the bigger stuff eventually ... takes a good bit of muscle to wrestle with big chunks of metal." One hand waving at his still-developing body by way of explanation. "But I /like/ doing the littler stuff better." Then he nods. "Yeah, my first time in a Weyr. I've never been posted anywhere but Crom ... was born and raised there." There's more than a slight flicker of distaste in his expression. "I can imagine," declares K'del, with a sympathetic bob of his head. Despite that flicker of distaste, there's a faint stiffening from the Weyrleader, and though it dissipates almost immediately afterwards, it's probably still visible enough to be noticed, if one is looking. "Ah," is what he says, however, deliberately light. "Well. No doubt you'll get used to the weyr, in time. Bit different from what you're used to, but... we all get used to it, eventually." Beat. "Well. Most of us. How're you going, Audria? All settled in, now?" Audria smiles over to Shad. "Well, welcome to the weyr." She says before she nods over to K'del. "Oh yes. It's nice that it really feels like home here new. Not some odd place I'm just visiting. The weyr is definately different from hold life though. I like it." Shad blinks for a moment at K'del's change in demeanor, then swallows before speaking up. "Sir, I've never been so glad to see the back of a place in my life." He says. "I was thrilled to be allowed to come here. It may take some getting used to, but in a good way, not a bad one." And then, quieter. "I know where my loyalties lie." And someone really needs to tell Shad he'd make a piss-poor poker player, because he cannot keep his face from showing what he's feeling to save his hide. K'del's comment to Audria is vague: "Glad to hear it." His response to Shad is more measured, hesitant at first, and then more sure. "Being from Crom yourself, you'd know, of course, that there have been... less than pleasant dealings between your Lord Holder and this weyr. Think we've turned the corner on that now, but there's plenty of people who still hate Crom and all it stands for; just something to be aware of. There's people who won't believe any protestations to the contrary you have." His expression is measured, but that smile is there again - and it seems genuine enough. "Have no doubt you'll settle in eventually. If you'll both excuse me?" He rises to his feet. Audria nods her head to K'del with a quick flash of a smile. "Have a good night, K'del. It was nice to see you." She states before she looks over to Shad curiously. She doesn't make any comment on Crom though, just says, "I'm holdbred myself. From High Reaches hold. You'll settle in just fine, I'm sure. Some people are touchy, but there are more than enough nice ones to make up for it." Shad sighs. "I understand, sir." He says quietly. Maybe ... well, he's not going to count on it. What happens, happens. "Good night, sir." He glanced over at Audria. "Trust me, settling in won't be much of a problem. Even if everyone here hated me because I'm from Crom, I'd still be better off than I was at Crom itself." K'del lets his gaze linger in the pair for a moment more, then he bobs his head, and turns to leave. |
Leave A Comment