Logs:You Remember?
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| RL Date: 12 August, 2009 |
| Who: Madilla, W'chek |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: W'chek joins Madilla for dinner, for once. They talk about her studies, and reminisce. |
| Where: Living Cavern, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 16, Month 6, Turn 20 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Delifa/Mentions, Leova/Mentions, Persie/Mentions |
| Living Cavern, High Reaches Weyr Stalactites hang high above this enormous cavern like a jagged chandelier or an inversion of the Spires themselves, but shadows cling to them instead of light. Below lie great tables arranged in rows, each large enough to serve a fighting wing, while in the nooks and alcoves around the cavern's edge sit more sensibly-sized tables, from six- and eight-seaters down to intimate spots for just a couple of diners. The only really open space is around the kitchen entrance, smelling of food and rarely quiet, and by the nearby serving tables with their long buffet of the day's offerings. Tapestries on the smooth walls -- some faded and others newly woven -- only slightly mute the sea of sound when a meal is in full swing, but they add cheerfulness augmented by the glowlight from wall sconces and the centerpieces of each table. Still, shadows always creep along the ceiling and into the mouths of the exits -- the myriad small hallways at one end of the cavern and, at the other, the twisting tunnel to the bowl near an array of coathooks and and hatracks -- and late at night, when the glows are allowed to dim, the chamber can seem very dark indeed. It's a rare occasion for W'chek to grace the living cavern at mealtimes anymore--sometimes he might be glimpsed coming through for just long enough to snag a bite and then depart again, but sitting down, eating, being sociable? No. But this evening, for whatever reason, he is in fact here, loading up a plate with a moderate amount of food, getting a glass of juice to go with it, and then scanning around for a particular face among the many seated at the cavern's tables. Madilla is seated off to one side of the cavern, at a table that is surprisingly empty, though perhaps that has something to do with the air of absolute industry she sends out: though she has food, as do most people around, she has her head buried in a book, with several others scattered about her, evidently reading furiously. Her plate is barely touched, though, her fork set to one side, her knife yet to actually leave the table where it has been set. It does take a little bit of time spent looking for W'chek to find her there, carrying plate and beverage. "There you are--tucked out of the way here, aren't you? I thought I'd come to see you. Have some supper. All that. I know I've been terribly busy lately." He makes rather more show than is strictly necessary of the process of setting his food down across from her, pulling out a chair, waiting to sit down until she's, well, at least noticed his presence. "What are you reading?" The intru--no, not intrusion. The /arrival/ of W'chek draws Madilla's head up from her book, and her face immediately blossoms, all smiles. "W'chek! How nice. Please-- I'd like that." She even closes her book and returns it to the pile, which gets pushed away. "Not, of course, that I don't understand: you are busy. But it's lovely to get the chance to eat with you, when you /can/. I-- just study. Exams, shortly." "Really? It seems like it only just was exams--can it have been so long already?" A little bit of genuine surprise at the beginning, tapering to rue at the end as W'chek sits himself down and starts loading a fork. "Time flies. I guess that's a good thing. Zhikath getting grown, finally getting some freedom, you're moving forwards--all very good things." Fork to mouth, then lots of thoughtful chewing. Madilla's head nods: really. "Twice a turn," she reminds, warmly, as she reaches for her knife, finally. "Time does seem to be moving quite quickly though, you're right. It can't be so many more months, now, before you graduate? You all look very good in the sky, now." She's been watching, evidently, though right now, she's looking at her food, instead, and cutting off a piece of meat to combine with potatoes, and then put in her mouth to chew. "Zhikath does, anyway," W'chek is quick to agree between two bites. He's making short work of his food. Maybe some of those meals really have been skipped, or maybe it's just that usual hungry-male thing. "Not too many more months. Wish I had a better idea what we'd be doing after that, but I s'pose we'll get a better idea of that soon." More eating, more washing down the food with his drink. Surely he can't be intending to bolt as soon as he's finished, or he'll be gone in no time. "So, what are you studying at the moment?" Wave of the fork in the direction of her book. "I'm sure it's partially due to you as well, even if he does the flying," Madilla insists, but it's all light: she's not arguing or anything. Swallowing another mouthful, then, she adds, "I'm sure you will. I suppose they... work out your aptitudes? Figure out something." She gives the book a glance, her expression twisting slightly. "Pregnancy complications, mostly. It's not... /strictly/ something I need to know, but Delifa... I still might be examined on it, so it's important." Glass gets lifted halfway, but W'chek gets thoughtful before he can take a drink. "Useful information that, I would imagine. I mean, aside from for yourself. That kind of thing is important, even in a place like this. Maybe especially. My stepmother always said that the first couple could be trouble, but after awhile you get the hang of it." He lets out a small laugh. "Certainly she knows well enough. But around here, well." Not a lot of women with that many kids around here is the obvious message. Madilla's fork hovers just above her food for a moment, as she nods. "I suppose so," she agrees. And then, "They may not have a lot of children here, in general, but there are still plenty of problems that can occur. Particularly with older women being mothers for the first time. And... well, worrying about Between." Beat. Then, ruefully, "It's all a little depressing, though, as a whole. I suppose most healing is: all about problems." "Think," W'chek suggests, "about the good things. Every one who can be saved?" A little shaky by the end, though, vague furrowing of eyebrows. This sort of advice is obviously not W'chek's strongest suit, but he is making an effort to be comforting, which is something. "At any rate. At least you won't have to wait so long as some." Broad smile here, finally seizing on something at least he certainly considers to be positive. "And I'm sure you're learning all kinds of things and you'll do excellently on your exams."
The last bits scraped off his plate, W'chek regarding the dish thoughtfully. "Won't seem like any time at all. I'm sure. We'll back and wonder how all this time passed so fast." He looks up then, suddenly. "You know, I've been here almost a year now. Like that. I didn't realize until past couple days. I wish I'd written down what date I got here. But it was last summer. I met you last summer. At the end of the summer. You remember?" Madilla works more slowly at her food, chewing each bite carefully, so she's far from finished, as yet. Scraping another forkfull together, she glances up, then nods. "No-- of course, it must be about a turn, now. Nearly. I remember. In the caverns, and then Leova was there." Her smile is a fond one, lost in reminiscence. "How much things have changed, since then. And also... not." "And also not," W'chek agrees with a look around the living cavern, and then he points. "Was it that table there? I think it was that one we ended up sitting at. Leova's... she's been a lot of help, much as she's complicated things." Well, technically who it was Vrianth who complicated things, but even so. "Bit odd getting used to... all the women. On dragons. Some of them, like I don't know how Persie manages to hold herself together, she's so--" Loopy motion of one finger. Yeah. "But Leova, hard to think of her like a woman. So it's worked out okay. She's good at what she does. Notices stuff." Madilla turns her head to follow the pointed finger, expression thoughtful; "Maybe? I don't remember... but it could have been." She nods, apparently deciding that, indeed, that might as well have been the table. "She's very good. Leova, I mean. At a lot of things. She always makes me... think. But I don't feel like she judges. I don't really know Persie, but... I've heard." At the word 'judges', a vague shadow passes over W'chek's feature, but at least it passes. "Lot's changed," he says, a little softer. "Do you think I'm still--the same? Even with Zhikath, and... everything." It could sound a little pitiful, if he didn't go on, "I don't want to think that this place is getting to me. Changing me. Making me into--" Okay, well, that might still be pitiful, just in a slightly different way. If Madilla notices the shadow, she says nothing. Perhaps she's just more taken with what comes next, because certainly, it's during that speech that her fork gets set down, her hands reaching out to grasp for his. "You're not exactly the same, W'chek, but that doesn't mean you're... you're still you. I'd be more worried if you weren't changing at all." Hands are taken and W'chek squeezes hers lightly, no great comfort but at least a little one. "I just don't want to change... too much. I can stay here," and evidently somewhere along the way he did decide to do that much, "but I don't want to be... a part of all of this. Like them. No matter what it might make people say about me. I want to do the right thing." Earnestly, Madilla tells him, her gaze fastened upon his, "I can't imagine you ever not doing the right thing, W'chek." Right. "You don't have to change like that. You don't. I've been here for turns longer, and I haven't, and I know it's a little different, but... We all change. But we can choose our own paths, at least to some extent, I think. It's going to work out." The weyrling takes a moment to turn this over in his thoughts, but finally agrees, "It'll all work out. I wish I could be as good as you. But I've got you to keep me on the straight and narrow, don't I? Everything will have to be fine, with you here to help me." W'chek favors her then with a big smile. See? Everything's just fine. Then a look down at his empty plate. "Well. I'd best be off to see to my dragon," that all-purpose excuse. "And I'm sure you have plenty of studying to do yet that I shouldn't interrupt." "You don't need me for that," Madilla tells him. "I think you do just well on your own. But. You /do/ have me, and I promise... I'm here." She meets his smile with one of her own, then nods, drawing her hands away again after one last squeeze. "Of course. I should get back to it. It was... nice to have dinner with you, W'chek. To see you." "I'll try to make time for this more often," W'chek assures her. Not that he could have any ulterior motive for that, of course not. He picks up his plate as he stands. "Good luck on all your studying. I'll catch you tomorrow, perhaps. Some meal or another." All fond smiles, now. "Good evening," then, and with that he's off to take care of his dishes and then make his way back to the bowl. "I'd like that," she says, as warm as ever, already reaching for her books again, as though she just can't do without them. "Good evening, W'chek." Nose? In book. Again. |
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