Difference between revisions of "Logs:The Choice"

>---< Courtyard, Glasscraft Hall >-------------------------------------------<

  While it is only an off-shoot from Ista Hold, the Hall's small courtyard  
  still seems different enough to make it a separate place altogether.      
  Nestled a fair distance away from the lush green grass of the clearing,   
  the courtyard is seemingly always abuzz with the activity of apprentices  
  and journeymen going to class and working on the next big project. In the 
  centre of the courtyard, a fountain made entirely of glass heralds the    
  extraordinary talent and ability of the Craft itself. In fact, every part 
  of the small Hall seems to herald the artistry of the Crafters that reside
  there: windows of stained glass replace the normal glass panes, what could
  have been an organic garden to the left of the entrance to the Main Hall  
  is replaced with an artistic glass representation and even the Hall's     
  large clock is encased in brilliantly colored glass. Pristine tiles of    
  alternating beige and carmine signal the end of the courtyard and the     
  beginning of the pathway to the main hall of the Glasscraft. Left of the  
  glass fountain, another narrower pathway leads toward what could only be  
  an area for glass blowing and other glass-forming techniques.             
                                                                            
                               (+views available)                           

 -----------------------------< Active Players >-----------------------------
  K'del        M   34 6'4"  slender, toffee hair, baby blue eyes          0s 
  Lilah        F   26  5'5  Curves, Red hair, Brown eyes                 17s
 ----------------------------------< Exits >---------------------------------
                        Work Room  Main Hall  Clearing                      
>------------------------------------------< 21D 8M 36T I10, summer dusk >---<

t's been some time since K'del and Lilah's last encounter; certainly, High Reaches' Weyrleader has not been inclined to visit Fort, of late, and nor has he encouraged Fort's junior to visit High Reaches. A handful of days ago, though, Cadejoth rattled his chains in Eliyaveith's direction, letting it be known that he and his would be attending the Glass Craft's upcoming gather, and if she and hers wished to join them... well, that would be acceptable, of course. The Istan summer is hot, and the many and varied demonstrations of glasswork in progress make it hotter still, but K'del, armed with well-chilled fruit juice, seems relatively comfortable in his position by the waterless glass 'fountain,' blue eyes tracking through the crowds with idle interest.

Clad in a newly made dress of cream linen, soft and light in anticipation of the Istan heat, still Lilah has already started to seemingly wilt making her way through the gather, red and flushed, for all that she hasn't been here long. Long enough for Eliyaveith for to inform Cadejoth that they are there and the queen to settle to nap in the heat that she so enjoys, despite anyone else's discomfort. She wears her knot, not bothering to attempt to blend today as someone other than Fort's junior despite what some may say, and a small smile flickers at her lips in greeting as soon as she spots the Weyrleader. "Where did you get that?" is her actual words of greeting, alas, once she has closed the distance between them, glancing jealously to his drink. "I must have missed the stand."

An Istan summer afternoon is certainly not ideal for two fair-skinned people, a fact K'del may not have kept in mind when suggesting this particular meeting; he may be unbothered, but if he stays too long in the sun... The juice is extended in offering: "Have this one; I'll get another in a bit. Should we find some shade? This," he gestures towards the glass sculpture behind him, "is pretty, but it reflects the light something awful. Or, of course, we can explore some of the stalls. Thought I might find a glass firelizard for my niece, since her mothers think ten is too young for a real one."

"Let's explore. I have a few marks to spare, though I am not certain what to get," agrees Lilah, glancing to that fountain with an appreciation for that reflected light, before she adds in a murmur, "They certainly make beautiful things." It takes her longer to accept that offered juice, shifting to sweep the stalls nearby with a look before she gives in and accepts it with a slight wrinkle of her nose. "Thank you. I will get you one myself, I promise."

"Promise I haven't spat in it or anything," is K'del's comment, teasing enough, as he relinquishes the juice. Without waiting for a reply, he gestures towards the stalls, taking a (short) stride forward. "Pretty sure if I'd seen people blowing glass when I was a kid, I might've considered it as a vocation, you know? Such pretty things. Not sure I'd've been any good, but it would've entranced me."

Lilah's smile dances briefly at the corners of her lips, before that juice is lifted to her lips for a slow, appreciative sip. It seems to revive the goldrider, at least, as she offers back, "I am sure you can convince someone to let you have a hand at one now. What is the worst that could happen?" She even tips a nod in the direction of one of those demonstrators, helpfully, as she falls in step next to K'del.

K'del counts things off on his fingers, with a laugh: "Could burn myself, even to the point of hideous maiming-- and wouldn't that be a tragedy-- or worse, burn someone else. Could discover a passion and a talent and spend the rest of my life wondering what could've been. Worse, could be truly awful at it and that'd be the end of that. Oh no; no, think I'm better off just watching. Some things are better that way." It doesn't mean, of course, that his gaze doesn't linger upon one of the demonstrations, but he turns away from it, gesturing towards another stall. "How are you, anyway, Lilah?"

"You have no sense of adventure, K'del," murmurs Lilah, her own humor dry and subtle along the edges of her words as she shakes her head in a dismissive gesture. "I am fine. Fort's been quiet. Some wing bickering, concerns about Ali's new Weyrleader, Elise's transfer, but--." Her gaze slides pointedly to the bronzerider beside her, lingering there even after she makes that point.

"Old and boring; that's me," says K'del, cheerfully enough, using that to cover over any more serious thoughts he has over the rest of what Lilah says. It helps, too, that they're in front of that stall, now, and the bronzerider can pick up a glass oil lamp, and inspect it. Then, more quietly, "Mmm. All of that. Poor Ali; two turns of doing things her way, her style, and then all that change at once. But she'll do fine... is doing fine." And plainly, she's the one he cares about.

Lilah doesn't distract herself with the things being sold in this stall, her gaze sweeping them over and dismissing them before her attention returns to the Weyrleader. "I am glad she is doing well," she starts, carefully. "Are you, though?"

Despite the eager attentions of the stall-keeper, K'del sets the oil lamp back down, and turns away. "Me?" He crosses towards another stall, evidently expecting that Lilah will follow; he certainly doesn't look to confirm it. Instead of picking up any of the wares, this time, he exhales, holding his hands behind him. "I'm fine. It's been... a difficult summer, but I'm fine."

No one would accuse Lilah of being puppy-like, but she certainly does follow after K'del as he wanders from one stall to the next, a silent shadow of the Weyrleader. This time, where he refrains from picking up wares, she does, dangling a glass bead cracked with threads of gold from a ribbon on her fingers. "I can't imagine. First one, and then the other--. At least rumor seems that Telgar isn't blaming High Reaches for the death?" is a soft inquiry on the goldrider's part.

"No," agrees K'del. "They've been clear on that. It's--" He pauses, managing a brief, not-quite-genuine smile to the stall-keeper, his gaze lowering hastily towards the wares, even if he continues to resist examining them. "Regret is a terrible thing. Teris and I were friends, once. Of a kind. As much as anyone was ever friends with her, I suppose. With Aishani, I regret knowing we'd never come to an understanding; with Teris... well."

"With Teris?" repeats Lilah in a quiet murmur. The bead and ribbon are allowed to slip from her fingers and fall back with the rest, even before she reaches for K'del's arm with a light pinch of fingers against fabric to pull him away towards the next stall. And the little bit of peace from an attentive stall-keeper until they get there.

This time, it's K'del's turn to be led; he follows without question, footsteps slow as he attempts to explain himself. "A different kind of regret. That we drifted apart; that... things ended the way they did. In a way, I feel guilty. If we hadn't sent her to Telgar, would she have-- but that's all useless, isn't it? Worse, I regret not doing more to ease her passing." More; anything. Same difference.

That sentiment leads to Lilah's jaw tightening, briefly, as she pinches again at K'del only this time not only at the fabric of his shirt but skin. "She didn't have to go at all. The sentiment that she should have, that something was wrong if she lived-- That is what is wrong," she voices with a sharp edge to the words. "You should not feel guilty about that. You should not feel guilty about her transfer. You should..." Whatever else she may say trails off, and the goldrider at least flushes a little in embarrassment at her outburst. Or maybe the sun.

K'del's wince is immediate, and has him drawing away from Lilah in surprise, his expression turning from startled to something far more complicated over the space of moments, brows raised high. "No," he says, in a low, quiet voice. And then, more loudly, with a hint of steel: "No. It was her choice and that choice was taken away from her, and I did nothing to stop it."

"And now she has no choice at all. Because she's dead," counters Lilah in a flat, quiet voice, that flush only growing before she looks sharply away from K'del. Almost as if she's angry with him for some reason, as irrational as that would be, right. Luckily, there is a stall there that she can pretend to care very much about their wares.

In answer, K'del can only say, in a voice that has gone back to low - dangerously low, sharply low - "Because that was her choice. And I'd make the same." It's probably lucky for both of them that there's that stall to look at; lucky, too, that K'del again doesn't try and touch anything, since at this point, he'd probably just end up smashing things and causing problems.

It's almost a challenge, the way Lilah tosses back to K'del, "I wouldn't." And that poor bewildered stall-keeper obviously privvy to this is caught in the middle.

"Which," K'del seeks to belabour in a voice that falls just short of temper-filled, "would be your choice." Another tight smile for the stall-keeper, before, sharply, the bronzerider turns away.

"I owe you a drink," Lilah calls at the bronerider's back, annoyance laced there as he moves away. She doesn't move to follow yet, waiting on his response with dark eyes leveled on K'del even if he doesn't look back.

K'del turns, though it's not - apparently - anything to do with the drink. "Would you deny a person their right to choose?" he wants to know, low-voiced. "Would you?"

"It's a shit choice, K'del," answers Lilah, something small and helpless in her answer though her gaze doesn't waver. "One that you couldn't ever take back. The last one you could ever make. I wouldn't want that for you, or for anyone I care about."

"And I," K'del begins, not pausing for thought, "would never want to see anyone I cared about living a life they no longer wanted, because half of them was no longer there. If you could live without Eliyaveith, good for you. Great. But it's not like that for everyone, and if you can't respect that..." They may not be being loud, but he seems to have registered, albeit belatedly, that they are nonetheless two public figures having an argument in a public place. "I should go."

Lilah appeals quietly, countering, "I wouldn't deny anyone the choice, but I do not have to respect it." Her lips part on something more, as he states his intent to leave, but whatever it is is never voiced. Instead, her mouth tightens again and she nods simply.

To that, K'del has nothing more to say: he watches Lilah for a few seconds more, and then shakes his head. This time, when he turns to go, he won't be turning back.