Difference between revisions of "Logs:Flirting Over Lunch"

Living Cavern, High Reaches Weyr(#350RJs)

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.

Lunch time, people have now gathered into the living caverns to enjoy their meal while others have gone out into the bowl to enjoy the weather. Ulestien is one of the people in the caverns, a table to himself with his plate full of fresh food. He's without his harp to distract him from his meal, rather, a book holds his attention for now as he's reading through the pages. Not a glance upwards to see if anyone he knows enters the caverns, lost in the world of the book.

She's good at coming right up behind people with her lips to their ears to whisper sweet nothings, particularly with those too distracted to even notice! In this case, the pink and white clad Yuliye, with her hands clasped behind her back in girlish delight, doesn't speak of sweet nothings, instead whispering, "Must be /fascinating/ if you couldn't even tell when a girl wants your attention." Smiling coyly, but straightening as she does so, two tiny steps of her heels and a reach of her hand draws out a chair by the dark-haired man. Lunch for Yu appears in the form of a glass of chilled iced tea and a plate of thin-sliced cheeses and grapes. "We met. I think. You look familiar at any rate."

Ulestien is turning a page before the whisper which brings forth a slight chuckle and the marker slipped between the pages before he's glancing over his shoulder towards Yuliye. "Ah, if I had known such a lady was seeking my attentions I wouldn't have been so rude." There's a teasing wink before he settles the book side while she settles in the chair. He eyes her lunch with a lift of a brow but makes no comment on it, instead moving on to her statement. "Ah, that we did, Yuliye. That morning where you were seeking a bath in your room. I must say, you do look even lovier when you are all dressed up. Ulestien, or Lest if it'll make things easier on you."

Most girls might be embarrassed at having been seen in such a state, or that a boy might remember them half-awake, hungover, bloaty, and unwashed. But Yuliye cleans up well, and is forward thinking enough to put those pasts behind her. Charmed that he does, in fact, remember her name though she fails with his, the Crom woman tilts her head to one side, so those dark curls might shift with her movement. "I still am a woman on a mission to get a small bath installed in my rooms, but there are perks to public bathing. Sometimes." Her smile fills her face with the most perfect display of doe-eyed innocence. "Lest. My pleasure to meet you when I'm mostly awake. Interesting book?" Hmm? With fork and knife at hand, she begins slice grapes in half so one piece can be popped into her mouth and chewed daintily.

Ulestien is offering another grin in her direction, inclining his head slightly. "And I wish you luck on that mission, couldn't help with it, I'm afraid. I wasn't born with the skills to know of plumbing or rocks, for that matter." Her doe-eyed innocence is met with another grin, "yes. There are some perks to those public baths indeed. More so with the lovely women about." Rather than looking away at her greeting and turning to his food, he's watching with amusement as she slices that grape and puts it into her mouth. "The pleasure is mine. Yes, the book is interesting. A collection of journals, amusing to say the least." And finally, he turns and takes hold of his own fork and knife and begins to cut into his meal, squaring things off and eating rather neatly in front of the lady. It's just rude to be a pig with such a pretty face around.

Another glance slips to Ulestien beneath her lashes, even while her main focus appears to be on slicing those grapes ever so neatly to pair with the tiny quarters of cheese. When she has to, Yuliye's quite adept at pulling off the lady bit; even her elbows are nowhere near the table. "So, Lest," says that incredibly sweet girl's voice, "Tell me about yourself. You don't make baths or plumbing or carve into rocks and you're a reader." Something in her voice finds this absolute fascinating, as if boys in her world just don't /read/. "What is it that you do? What are you interested in? What makes you...," the shoulder closest the man lifts and dislodges the spaghetti strap of her poofy sundress with it, "Click? Other than other people's journals?"

Ulestien lifts his brows slightly at her posture, amusement playing in his eyes as he takes a bite of the meal on his plate which is not as tiny as Yuliye's. An assortment of things, greens, meat, fruit, etc. Her question draws forth another grin once that mouth of his is empty of food, at least. "I do all sorts of things.." He starts, turning that gaze to her and to that shoulder in which the strap of that dress has dropped. After a moment, his eyes are moving up towards her own so not to distract himself for /too/ long. "I'm a trader, settling here.. Not sure how long, yet. Was a harper about to walk the tables, but travel is more.. My thing. Music and instrument making is more of my specialty. Though, I can string together a nice poem or two when the mood strikes. And, my dear, I can fix things that break much like a handyman which is what I'm doing around here, for now." A finger presses to his lips, amusement in his eyes. "But, you're one of the few who know the whole truth."

"Harper!" With the speed in which she latches onto that fact, does it even matter that Yuliye hasn't really noticed her shrug slipped shoulder strap? The fork she holds in one hand lifts to draw idle circles into the air before the tines are then turned on their flat side to pat absently against her pursed lips. She's thinking, quite hard. "Do you play the gitar? The fiddle? A man who sings and plays an instrument. Do the girls of the Weyr know you exist yet?" So much teasing disbelief, punctuated by a stab of her fork into the air before her. "How is it you're sitting all alone in the living cavern without girls duh-ripping off your arms?"

Ulestien lifts a brow, laughing. "Not officially." He starts, but he's allowing her to keep going watching with amusement as he continues to watch her. Another bite from that meal on his plate, "could play it, don't have one though. Can play a fiddle, too. But, I /do/ have a harp with me and play that quite often. Guess I could check with the caravan for a guitar if you'd like to hear it." Then, a laugh and he shakes his head with light amusement. "I'm sure there are other harpers that have all the ladies, but, no. I'm a secret at this moment."

Yuliye clicks her tongue disappointedly, but puts her fork down long enough so one finger can climb against her lips. "Shh. It'll be our secret then." Putting her fork down also frees a hand to reach for her iced tea and sip. "So," sip taken, glass set down, eating resumes, "Why did you walk away from walking the tables?" A little more serious, a little more curious, the Crom woman turns her head so she might look at Ulestien full on rather than fliratiously side long.

Ulestien laughs, "our secret, then." He agrees, then is taking another bite and finishing it off before speaking. "Didn't want to be attached to the hall as a Journeyman, being posted places. Didn't want to be our caravan's harper, either." He muses, "prefer being just a trader, really. Like the travel." He's giving her a curious look before he asks, "and you..?"

"You have," Yuliye says, focusing on him rather than her, "A lot of don't want to dos." And now she discovers the slipped strap and brings it slowly up over her shoulder and places her hand flat against where shoulder slopes down towards chest. A hand to her heart, indeed. Smiling beneath those big eyes of absolute attention and curiosity, "Is there anything you like doing, Ulestien?"

Ulestien lifts a brow, "I suppose I do, don't I? But, I have quite a few things to do, as well." A slight grin as she notices that strap and fixes it back into place, while watching all the more curiously. "Traveling, playing music.. And surprisingly, singing. I don't sing much in public." Because it's horridly embarrassing to have someone walk in while he sings idly. "Or much around the Weyr, really. Anyone could walk up. Reading, as well. Anything where I can use my hands I like doing, too."

"Use your hands." So innocently spoken, of course there's nothing twelve-year-old boy snicker-worthy about that. No. And Yuliye's bright smile doesn't betray any of these more immature thoughts /at all/. She goes about her business, finishing up her very small lunch and sipping more from her iced tea, but a lady should always leave food on her plate and Yuliye takes this lesson to heart as she gets ready tos tand. "Well," is her low-spoken drawl and the hand that means to reach across to ruffle Ulsetien's hair, "I'd love to hear you sing some day, but I must trot along to a meeting I have with one of the Weyr harpers. Again, it was nice to meet you, Lest."

There's a slow nod, along with a smile. "Any sort of way." Lest adds to her statement, chuckling just a bit as he inclines his head. The hand reaching to ruffle his hair is not stopped, he just allows the motion with another smile. "Some day, I'm sure you will. Enjoy your.. Meeting,Yuliye. It was nice to meet you again. I'm sure I'll see you again."