Logs:With Three Girls in the Common Room
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| RL Date: 9 February, 2008 |
| Who: Amerie, N'thei, Niena, Laylia |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| When: Day 28, Month 3, Turn 15 (Interval 10) |
| As the weather improves, the common room becomes less crowded, even in the evenings - but a few people dozing or working quietly - a fact that Amerie seems quite pleased with. The girl has found herself a comfortable chair in a darkened corner, mostly lit by the fire in the hearth. Boots abandoned to one side and legs tucked up under her, she's sketching idly on a few hides in her lap. Killing time. A glimpse of flask-silver being pocketed, a whiff of rough whiskey exhaled like a sigh, why it must be N'thei! He looks clean tonight, no mud to cake the floors, just a little rough where a half-healed score puckers skin down his chin, disappearing under his collar; he's certainly looked worse. He doesn't bother trying to creep up to Amerie's chair, no chance hiding someone his size, but he doesn't announce his presence until he's at the arm of her seat; "What do you draw, I wonder." Niena wanders in from the children's wing, though she doesn't have the usual baby in tow. Noticing Amerie's busy-ness, she begins on through quietly, but freezes when the Weyrleader speaks. No chance hiding someone the Weyrleader's size, though for all his shadow might darken Amerie's little corner of gloom further, she doesn't seem disconcerted but rather, mildly annoyed. Tilting a look up at N'thei, dark eyes catch on the score for a moment before archly, "I'd show you if I could see. Do you think looming is the way to impress a girl?" Quirking a faint grin, her attention shifts to notice the frozen Niena; with a cough, she sobers and adds, "Sir." Smooth. N'thei leans this way, leans that way, proves that he can cast his shadow over every scrap of Amerie's hide and impresses himself with the knowledge. Only then does he take a backward step and let the light fall back across her hides, a half-laugh at her question. "Never thought about it. Are you impressed?" The cough, the shift; he kens to Niena's frozen presence with the grace of a mild smile and a polite greeting. "Evening, miss." Niena says cautiously "Hello, Weyrleader." She is no longer frozen so much as tanding still. She also nods over to the assistant Headwoman, whom she sees aroound here a tad more often. Dryly, "/Always/." Amerie does add another near smile to that, looking up at N'thei as he allows her a little light back. With the look of someone with infinite patience, she flips the hides towards the bronzerider, holding them his way. Clothes, mostly - at least, that's what it looks like before she pulls them away. Trying not to look overly imperious, she gives Niena a nod in return. "Evening." The shift in N'thei's expression toward amusement is slow but steady the longer he watches Niena just standing there. He lets it go on a fair few seconds longer than necessary, ended when he whispers a laugh through his nose and turns his look to Amerie's sketches. "Always. Such a bright girl. --I like this ensemble, the bow really brings it all together." Indication to her current attire. "But no, should you really be using valuable weyr resources on these trivial little pictures?" He pulls off stern in spades. Niena heads over closer to look at the pictures, her curiousity piqued. She offers a quiet "Those are nice." In a rare show of sympathy, Amerie lowers her voice to note to N'thei, "It's not very nice to just stare at someone like that." At the compliment, she curves lips into a slight smile, amused. "Does it, now? I didn't know you had an eye for fashion beyond your interest -" A pause. "I wasn't aware of it." Arching a fine brow at the Weyrleader, "How do you know it's weyr resources I'm wasting, sir?" Glancing Niena's way, she offers a quirk of her lips, a nod. "Thank you. It's just something to do, really." N'thei nods in sincere agreement with Amerie's lowered remark, absolutely 100%. "Because where else could you have gotten it, miss? If not from the weyr?" He's quiet while Niena makes her compliment, while Amerie accepts it with such grace, only a little dance in his eyes to keep track of the two. "Niena-- it's Niena, isn't it?" Niena answers Amerie first. "People keep telling me I need to find something to do other than nursery work. Could you show me how to draw sometime?" To N'thei she says "Yes, sir." Amerie just keeps arching that brow N'thei's way, seeming far too entertained by the interrogation to be concerned about it. "I could have bought it, as I came into some money last winter. And this one past, come to think of it. Or maybe I stole it from Crom on my way out." Beginning to smirk, it's lost to her at Niena's question; with a blink, "I don't really know how to draw - this is nothing." N'thei holds a finger up toward Amerie, stay that thought, and turns back to Niena once again. "I thought so, Niena, I thought I'd heard the name before. Let me ask you, do you believe that Amerie here bought these hides herself? Or is it more reasonable that, being an assistant headwoman, she took them from the weyr's stores? Be honest now. What seems more likely." He looks at the nanny with such earnest gray eyes! Niena actually ponders the quesion, then says simply "I can go into the general stores and get hides if I need them. Why couldn't she do the same? Pained, Amerie looks up at the ceiling of the room with a give-me-strength air of martyrdom; she unfolds long legs from her chair to begin pulling her boots on. In case she's dragged off for misuse of resources. Staying quiet - but looking terribly unimpressed with the way N'thei holds up that finger - she smirks at Niena's answer, pleased. "And as I recall, there's no need for me to justify such a thing. Or has that changed?" "Yes but that's not really the point. She /can/ do a lot of things." N'thei questions a look from one girl to the other; right? "I know Amerie to be a temperate young woman capable of immense restraint though. --But never mind, never mind. I can see the point is lost on you both. Please, back to what you were saying." He physically withdraws a step to the rear of Amerie's chair, the center of the conversation, to let them talk around him. Niena is quite oblivious to any implications the Weyrleader might be making. Since he's said to go ahead, she takes up where she'd left off. "Those clothes are drawn wonderfull, though." "Is it then a matter of /can/ versus /should/? Are you imparting /wisdom/?" Amerie's tone might have a bit of a edge to it, supposed temperance and immense restraint aside. Narrowing a look N'thei's way, "Maybe you should just enlighten us." Showing every sign of sliding into irritability, she lifts her chin to look Niena's way with a slight smile. "I appreciate it - you're kind. I just like to think about things I'd like to wear." N'thei dismisses kindly, doing her the favor, "No no, I can see you're in no mood for it. Please." The same hand he used to stay Amerie's comments ago now begs the two girls to continue on their chat, comes to rest with his elbow on the back of her chair as a brace for his propped chin, careful to avoid the scored side of it. He nods along with Niena, drawn-wonderfully-yes. Niena says "Oh, you imagine that kind of thing too? My favorite fantasy clothes are those with no baby stains on them." Amerie is just going to ignore N'thei now, for all he's right behind her; boots properly on, feet on the ground - and decidedly straightened away from the back of her chair. Flicking hair back over her shoulder, she arches a brow at Niena, gaze flicking over the girl's clothes, looking for any stains present at the moment. "I don't really deal with children if I can avoid it." Imagine that. Niena says "A common comment, especially when I'm carrying one. What do you do as assistant headwoman? It seems to be complicated, more so than children." Ignored, N'thei stays quiet. The logical thing to do would be to leave for greener pastures, but he stays with an interested expression and nary a word to speak on the subject. Amerie can't quite manage to totally ignore N'thei, arching a brow behind her at the man's unusual silence, then turns back Niena's way with a little roll of her eyes. "Odd that, I thought most people flocked to babies. And I don't know if it's terribly complicated so much as - taking care of details. Right now, it primarily seems to be moving things from storeroom to storeroom." With a wry quirk of lips, "Not always exciting." Niena nods,then hears s clamor from the children's wing. "Oh dear, sounds like they need help. Please excuse me." Niena disappears down the tunnel leading to the children's cavern as it curves out of sight. Niena has left. N'thei answers the arch of Amerie's brow with a smile of sublime innocence, with a nod that's just about to direct her back to paying attention to Niena when the girl darts off hastily. "Leaves you wondering what's going on in there now, doesn't it?" He chances a glib question. As the nanny hurries off, Amerie isn't buying N'thei's innocence at all. "Maybe they're tearing each other apart, who knows," she says dismissively, pushing from the chair to rise on one motion, turns to look back at him. "Are you really wondering, or are you worried you've irritated me? Or worried you irritated me /too much/?" Confidence; "I don't think too-much, or else you just would have left by now." N'thei casts a studious look upon Amerie, his eyes slimmed while he considers, finally to commit an assured nod. "I'm not really wondering, but the thought crossed my mind. She certainly tore out of here like the place was on fire. --You were awfully nice to her." Surprises him, says the tone. Unsettled by that assurance, Amerie flicks a glance past N'thei towards the door of her room - clearly considering stalking off just to spite him. Crossing her arms over her hides, holding them to her chest, she stands her ground for now. "Maybe I'm feeling generous. To you and to her." Shrugging, she asks, "There was no need for me to be /mean/ to her, was there?" The surprise, at least, doesn't offend her. N'thei climbs an eyebrow at what's to be read of Amerie's glance, a look flicked over his shoulder toward the door; "I'll assume that wasn't meant to be an inviting glance." He adds a dash of what-a-pity to his tone and follows it up with a quick shake of his head. "Not saying there was, only that you usually don't bother with more than a cool look and that thing you do with your chin." Amerie quirks a bit of a smile at N'thei's lifted brow for all her annoyance, telling him loftily, eyes brightened only a little. "That depends on how you explain picking on me and leaving me to talk to her while you stared at the back of my head." She arches her brow right back now, though questioningly. "And with both her being terrified of you and you throwing me to the conversation on my own, I had little choice." "You just listed my reason for throwing you to that particular conversational wolf, my dove." N'thei looks down to where his shoulder knot would be if he ever bothered to wear his shoulder knot; thus far, he has not. The gesture ends with a bemused sniff at his own failure to make a point. "You're very defensive." Said fondly. Innocently, "Aren't you used to striking fear into the hearts of random residents?" Amerie drifts back over to the chair, perching on the arm and looking up at N'thei with a pointed glance. Amused at his near-point - at least she got it? - she notes, "You were interrogating me about my hides and are making a point of my unusual empathy. I've got reasons to be defensive. You seem to like it, though." With some pride; "On purpose, yeeessss. When I'm being my pleasant self?" N'thei's look is wounded, disheartened, brief. "You called me sir. The only thing I could think to do was interrogate you about the hides, hope it learns you a lesson. --Of course I like it." He smiles his most enamored, his most fondly impressed with Amerie. Amerie can't help but curve lips into a grin at the pride in N'thei's tone, dark eyes indeed brighter now, warm. "You have a pleasant self?" she asks, since he left that door wide open. For the wounded look, an exaggerated expression of sympathy - which quickly fades as she points out, "I had to at least pretend I respect you, didn't I? Learn me a lesson." With a wrinkle of her nose, she does still soften a little at the enamored smile, despite her flat, "Fortunately - for you - I'm occasionally defensive." Occasionally. N'thei rolls off a shrug to answer, "From time to time, though not that you've seen much of, that's true." Expression turned droll, head leaned to the side and still propped on his hand, he muses his remark down at her blandly. "If that was you pretending respect, I can only imagine how you pretend familiarity." His other hand, the one not holding up his chin, just reaches over the back of the chair to put a fingertip to Amerie's chin, the one so often tossed upward. "I've noticed." Niena wanders out of the tunnel from the children's cavern, high reaches weyr. Niena has arrived. Amerie is now sitting on the arm of the chair she was in, hides held in her arms, crossed over her chest. She's looking up at N'thei, who's still leaning on the back of the chair, chin propped in one hand; the other reaching over the back of the chair to touch the tall girl's chin. She's grinning as she tells him, "Not much of it at all. And I'm fairly good at pretending things, though I admit I was having a hard time striking a balance. And if you've noticed, maybe more than occasionally?" "I wasn't going to say that. I'm already on thin ice tonight." So N'thei is not a total fool, not this evening. Matching Amerie's grin, tapping the side of her chin thoughtfully for her since he can't very well do that to his own; "Were you. I didn't notice that really; you had the snide teenager bucking authority role down pat. Even to the oh-so-polite sirs." Added with a distasteful wrinkle of his nose. Niena wanders back out from the children's wing, crisis at least quieted down some. She is all business now wanders through, though just before she reaches the dorms she stops and turns around, listening curiously. Not this evening. "I think maybe you'd be bored if you weren't on thin ice," Amerie theorizes, dark eyes not straying from N'thei as she does, seeming amused at the tap to her chin - even putting on a thoughtful expression for a moment. With a little laugh, "Oh-so-polite. Maybe you just read snide teenager into everything I say? I didn't think my tone was all that different from usual." Not yet noticing Niena's listening in, she adds, "And that was a perfectly reasonable explanation, for all it was annoying." N'thei grants her the possibility that he reads into her tone, gives up that possibility with a minute nod. "But what was it you said again? 'Are you imparting /wisdom/?'" For all he just granted Amerie the possibility, his eyes now narrow skeptically to meet her dark ones; "Must be me misreading your tone, of cooourse." He's in no place to have noticed Niena either, currently quite taken with his dark-haired preoccupation, except for a stray glance from his peripheral vision. The finger that just tapped Amerie's chin points toward the dormitory doorway. Quiet-- "Audience." Perhaps a bit waspishly, "You deserved /that/ tone. You might've just said what you were on about in the first -" Amerie stops to follow the pointing finger with her sharp gaze; finding Niena at the end of it, she offers a swift smile. And all-too-casually, she rises from the arm of the chair, glancing N'thei's way a moment before asking the girl, "Everything sorted out with the kids?" Niena nods once, then says "Linia is teething, and she was keeping all of the other babies awake with her crying. Hopefully we got her stopped crying long enough for the children to get to sleep. They'll sleep through anything, usually." Her curiosity finally gets the best of her. "Was it really all that bad to take some hides from the stores?" N'thei doesn't argue with Amerie, not even by his expression, the very opposite in his peace-making wave of his fingers and dip of his head. He stays leaning on the back of the chair even once she's out of it, like he wasn't just doing it because she was there or anything of the sort. Quite mild: "Are you asking me or Amerie? You'll get different answers, so probably best to be clear." Wryly, "Best to learn that skill early, sleeping through anything." Amerie drifts over to the wall, leaning on it as she flicks a look towards N'thei being peaceable; with the traces of a smile around the corners of her mouth, she nods over to Niena in agreement. "Different answers on most things, really," she says lightly. "But in terms of rank, I think he's more right than I would be." Laylia strolls in from the dormitory. Laylia has arrived. Niena is near the dormitory door, looking between Amerie and N'thei, her expression bemused. Then she asks "Will you at least let her keep the pictures she drew? It would be a shame to rub them out." N'thei leans on the back of a chair, Amerie leans on the wall sort of nearby, Niena stands near the door into the dormitory; the few other people in the room are doing non-descript things like napping and knitting quietly. He speaks to Amerie first, a laugh veiled in his tone; "Your deference is humbling, miss." Niena's question quiets the amusement, replaces it with a wince of his eyes and forehead. "I think you took that whole conversation too seriously, Niena. Much too seriously." Laylia pulls a shawl over her shoulders as she saunters in from the lower caverns, even the chill of spring here appears to get to her. She looks around, hopeful for a friendly looking face and appears to find Amerie pleasant enough to look at, and ask a question to. "Might I ask where I could find Shanlee? I was told she's somewhere around here, but shard it if I can find her without a map." She says, and glances to N'thei with a faint smile. Comfortable in her lean, Amerie asides to N'thei, "Is deferential as interesting as defensive? Sir?" Dark eyes brightened, she glances back towards the dormitory door and Niena, again agreeing - despite assertions to the contrary - "I'm not actually in any trouble, honestly. The worst that might happen is I'll be dragged off and spoken to, or similar." Vaguely amused by that for some reason, she's fairly bewildered by the fact that anyone might find her a friendly face; with a blink for Laylia, "A map wouldn't help, as she moves about. People tend to do that." Niena ahs, comprehension dawning. "That's good, then." She notes the newest person in the room with a smile, though that may just be relief from what N'thei and Amerie just said. Turning to face Laylia, she asks "You're new here, then, or do you just get lost easily?" N'thei gives up even trying to pretend that Amerie hasn't made him grin, isn't the reason that he's scratching his thumb at the corner of his mouth and looking lost in a pleasant-seeming thought for a few seconds. "You're this close, you know. To being dragged off and spoken to." The very name Shanlee ends his reverie, peels him off the back of the chair after so long spent leaning comfortably there. "Won't find her here, thankfully." "Yes, people move. But, the kitchen doesn't. I was told by some helpful rider that her dragon said she could be found in the kitchen. I suppose I should have said that in my question." Laylia says, and turns a pleasant smile on Neina, and taking a few steps closer to her. "New here, yes. Shanlee's my sister, and she tends to get her underwear in a knot if I don't tell her when I get here soon after I do." She gives a sidelong glance to N'thei at his comment, but doesn't say anything outright to him about it. Amerie arches a brow N'thei's way, sober and serious in the face of the man's grin and reverie both. "How close? If I tell you I did, in fact, misuse the resources of the Weyr, do I /have/ to hear about it?" Her tone is the very essence of snarky-teenager, as she gives him a look for the remark about Shanlee - and smirks triumphantly, as if Laylia just proved some point. With the trace of a smile, "Might have helped. The kitchen's just through the lower caverns. It's difficult to miss." Niena points in the direction of the lower caverns. "Go that way, then follow the good smells. At least I know I've not been there today, so nothing's probably burned or blown up." "Are you telling me that, miss? Because I really think--" N'thei cringes again at another set of words that interrupt his train-of-thought toward Amerie. Shanlee's-my-sister just hunches his shoulders up, just makes him exhale harshly through his nose. "The kitchen's that way, as they said." He points vaguely but imperiously, like that will hurry Laylia on her way. Laylia arches a slender brow at N'thei's direction, and impetuousness of his pointing out the direction. "Really now, are you going to shoo me with a rolled up hide too?" She asks, and then shrugs her shoulders lightly with a soft sigh. "I don't know what she did to you, but I'm sorry." She says, as if it's something she feels she /must/ do for her younger sister - out of habit more than anything. She gives a faintly more pleasant smile to the other ladies who gave her slightly more pleasant directions. "Thank you very much." Niena nods, suddenly remembering her social graces lessons. "I'm sorry, we didn't tell you our names." Indicating Amerie, she says "She's assistent Headwoman Amerie, and he" nodding toward N'thei, "Is the Weyrleader. I'm Niena, a nanny here. Well met." Nodding seriously, unrepentant, Amerie tells N'thei quietly, "That's what I'm saying, sir." Watching the bronzerider's shoulders hunch up, she notes mildly, "You really need to learn to relax." However, Laylia's apology and soft sigh both catch her attention; bemused, she tilts her head to regard the woman for a moment, then nods with a flash of a smile. "Not at all." Falling silent as Niena provides introductions, she merely punctuates hers with a nod. N'thei answers Laylia with promising blandness. "It's possible. Would that help get you started on your way?" Niena's chirpy introductions lend to tacking on a nice-to-meet-you smile when it comes to his part. To Amerie, after he visibly loosens his shoulders and cracks an unamused smile, "Is this where I make a clever remark about the pot calling the kettle black? --Weren't we going to discuss your impertinence? Let me add that to the list." "If you're upset with my sister, be upset at her. I've done nothing to earn your displeasure." Laylia says flatly, perhaps the same way she'd scold her sister if she was talking to her the same ways. She then turns a much more pleasant smile to Niena, "I should have offered mine as well. I'm Laylia, Shanlee's elder sister.. Speaking of, I imagine I should go to the kitchen to see her since she's likely waiting. And, no, I don't need any 'encouragement'." Niena smiles again, then eyes the pair. "Perhaps I'd best be going to see if any of the teething rings have made their way into the resident dorms. Babies always seem to teeth in pairs or trios. Clear skies, and I hope you find your sister." Niena strides into the residents' dormitory. Niena has left. Amerie has to admit, "I did leave myself open for that one, I admit. Though there's few names that make me twitch like that." As for impertinence, she asks helpfully - and impertinently - "Is it a long list? I'd be disappointed otherwise." Glancing Laylia's way again with some interest, she tells the young woman, "Don't mind him. It's just his way - I hope you enjoy your time with your sister?" The questioning note sneaks in there at the end. To Niena, with a brief smile, "Good luck with that - have a good evening." N'thei's eyes widen at Laylia's response, at her flat tone, and he looks accusingly toward Amerie like that one's to blame for all of it. "Growing by the minute, miss, just wait." His interest in Niena's departure is marginal, a glance, nothing more. "Give your sister my regards, won't you." He cracks his knuckles-- absently! Laylia looks at N'thei a long moment, her eyes meeting his before she smiles broadly, perhaps like a cat climbing into a vat of milk. "And what would your regards be, dear Weyrleader?" She asks, pausing to wait for his response and tossing a curl of red hair over her shoulder since it's gotten unruly and apparently in the way. "Shall I roll up a piece of hide and whap her with it for you?" She chides a little, and then turns away as though she isn't going to wait for the response to be given. Of course Amerie's to blame - that seems to be expected, by her expression, her long-suffering sigh. It's hard to be her. With a sweet smile for N'thei's comment, supremely unconcerned with whatever she's supposed to be waiting for. However, the shift in Laylia's demeanor arches one fine brow, and she watches the woman with a narrowed gaze, thoughtful. If she's walking away, there's no sense in calling after her, so the dark girl stays silent. All playing aside, N'thei levels Laylia a direct look to meet hers steadfastly; "We're not familiar enough for you to talk to me like that. Don't do it again." It's a very simple warning while she plays her cat-who-ate-the-canary smile at him. When she turns, he adds a polite-but-distant, "Goodnight." He doesn't blame this one on Amerie, turns to her with a shrug rather than an accusation. Laylia takes what appears to be a mental note, more likely about the reaction she got in response to her statement than the actual threat being made. "Yes, sir." She offers pleasantly enough, and continues on her way towards where she's off to meet her sister at. Laylia strides out to the hallway and caverns below. Laylia has left. |
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