Logs:Good A Reason As Any
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| RL Date: 14 June, 2010 |
| Who: Ch'son, K'del |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: The two youngest Weyrleaders bond. Sort of. |
| Where: Meeting Room, Ista Weyr / Lucky Seven, Ista Weyr |
| When: Day 5, Month 13, Turn 22 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Avey/Mentions, Loe/Mentions, Milani/Mentions, Nenita/Mentions, T'rev/Mentions, Tiriana/Mentions |
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| Meeting Room, Ista Weyr Clean, bold lines give the meeting room an air of formality. Oval is a recurring shape here, echoed in the simple chandelier that hangs from the high rounded ceiling, the beautiful oak table that rests directly beneath it and the dark orange rug with black fringe that covers the center of the floor. A dozen wooden chairs surround the table and extras stand waiting along each wall. To soften the effect of stone and wood, an old tapestry hangs on the west side of the room with shelves of scrolls and a stocked sideboard located across from it. There are sconces for torches or glows set into the stone walls at regular intervals. A heavy door leads out to the lower caverns and a more private, curtained passage holds the stairs up the Weyrleaders' ledges. The Weyrleaders of Pern do meet from time to time, to report on matters from their areas, and discuss anything that might impact them all. This time, it's been Ista's turn to host, but the proceedings have finished - without any particular fireworks - and the men who make up the group are dispersing back to waiting dragons, and distant Weyrs. K'del, though, seems intent upon taking his time, gathering up a few papers with what is only superficially great care, and piling together his winter-weight outer clothes as though he intends to categorise them by weight, colour and fabric composition before he can even dream of departing. Distracted by parting words here and there as the others take their leave, Ch'son notices K'del only after he's taken his seat and picked up his drink again to lounge back. Or it's possible he noticed him before that and just didn't let that stop him. He considers the younger bronzerider for a moment, then speaks up, "Somethin' I can help you with? Suppose I can't blame y' for not bein' in any hurry t' get back home." That makes him grin, amused by his own attempt at easy humor. There's no guilt on K'del's expression as he's 'caught' (as it were); mostly, he looks amused, gifting to Ch'son a sunny grin of his own. "There's a very good reason we end up at southern weyrs for winter meetings," he tells the other bronzerider, giving up on the pretence of his tidying to let his hands rest upon the back of his chair. "Figured, though-- well. Seen you in these meetings and what-have-you, but we haven't really talked, and given you, me and T'rev are the only Weyrleaders under thirty..." Clearly, it's been an oversight! "Good a reason as any to suggest drinks, no?" "A very good reason, aye. And all us southerners appreciate y' all not draggin' us into the cold 'n snow, too, I'm sure." Quite sure, in fact. Ch'son studies the other for another moment, then nods his head, sitting back up somewhat, "Ain't much of a talker, I'll admit. But I ain't ever turned downed drinking without a good reason and I can't say that I have one right now." He makes a gesture toward where the alcohol is kept in this very room as he continues, "Y' wanna stay here? Y' oughta visit the Lucky Seven sometime if y' haven't, though." A winning smile suggests K'del's pretty sure of their appreciation, too, though he abandons that particular train of thought in order to note, "Not fussed about the talking bit-- talk as little as you like, though I can't promise I won't indulge myself." His gaze follows Ch'son's gesture towards the alcohol, then returns to the other Weyrleader. "Been to the other one. The-- Sandbar, is it? Been there a few times. Not the Seven, though." But he's heard of it - or he's good at faking it. "Could do my bit to support your local economy. If you're up for it." "Sandbar ain't /too/ bad," Ch'son is quick enough to say. Clearly not /his/ favorite place to go but he can probably see why other people would enjoy it. "We should go t' the Seven. I'm always up for that." He even stands up right around there and downs the rest of his drink before setting his glass on the table and making a 'shall we' sort of gesture toward the way out. "Y' any good at cards?" is a little more offhandedly asked. "Mind if I leave my things here?" K'del wants to know, indicating his papers, his outer clothes-- all the things he /won't/ need now that he's not departing immediately. He seems to expect an affirmative, because he doesn't wait for one, adding, "I play. Can't say I'm a great player, but I do play. Learning dice, too, of late." Which is neither here nor there, added as something of a thoughtful reflection. "But. Cards, yes. And the Seven. Drinks!" "Feel free," says Ch'son with a vague wave of one hand toward whatever as he turns to make his way out. He seems to intend on walking rather than taking the quicker dragon route. "Dice is fun, too. Darts. Cards has a different... somethin' to it, though." Not a man that's good at describing other things! But that's probably not all that surprising. "I'd say it's the girls as makes the Seven really special." And everyone likes girls, right? Walking seems fine with K'del - anyway, Cadejoth is probably off enjoying himself, busily, perfectly content to not be disturbed. "Cards-- mm, yes. Layers to it, right? How you handle the cards, your expression, strategy. Just works." His hands are slung into his pockets, elbows dropped lazily; he adds, then, "That good, are they? Bit of eye candy - makes all the difference." He approves. Clearly. More things they have in common! And Taineth has probably noticed that the other bronze hasn't left yet. But he's not making /too/ much of a pest of himself since pleasantries were forever ago now. Just keeping an eye on things. "Cards is an art form," Ch'son sounds like he means that but not so much in an earnest artsy way as in a guy who plays a /lot/ sort of way. "Aye. Eye candy," he grins meaningfully. And the slight emphasis on the 'eye' part makes it sound like he's talking about something else as he leads the way to the plateau and down into the jungles where the Seven is located. "Sounds like I'll be contributing to the Istan economy indirectly as well as directly, I play with you," says K'del, though by his tone of voice, he doesn't especially object to that. "An art form, huh?" His smirk is probably for the other bronzerider's emphasis on 'eye', and if he doesn't outright agree, he also doesn't object to the implication by any definition. "Guess you people have all kinds of business ventures keeping your coffers full, interval or no." Ch'son tosses a grin toward the other Weyrleader. "We don't gotta do nothin' that'll put y' out too many marks, man. Want you t' come back, after all." Spend more marks, maybe? "We don't do too bad, least ways. Got the Sandbar, the Seven and the Beach House. There's the new cottages. Ain't even looked too close at 'em m'self. The market." He gestures off in various directions even though nothing's really in sight at this point. "Headwoman is... enthusiastic when it comes t' anythin' that does the Weyr good." K'del's easy grin suggests he's not too concerned about losing his marks, and, indeed, he promises, lazily, "Won't go home and sulk if I do. I'm a big boy." More thoughtful is the nod that follows all of that - and his, "Worth having, Headwomen like that. Ours is--" Well. He only looks mildly smug, there, and fails to actually explain. "Imagine all that wouldn't work so well for us. S'pose we could advertise snowbound retreats or something, but..." He's not convinced. Probably for good reason. "Aye. Well, I won't feel bad, then." Again Ch'son seems amused with himself but he adds to be fair, "Lose plenty a my own here. Ain't so bad in the end, usually." There's a glance at the mention of the other headwoman and a brow hitched up at that smugness he catches. The assumption he makes might not quite be on the mark, though. "Good?" Excuse him if he looks slightly interested by that prospect. He moves on, at least, "Can say that /I/ won't be standin' in line for a chance t' do whatever it is y' all do in the snow. Least it ain't so damned humid, though." "Win some, lose some-- tend to figure doesn't matter so long as I'm having fun, right?" K'del gives a bob of his head to adjoin this remark, so relaxed that he-- manages not to answer anything further on the subject of High Reaches' Headwoman. Instead; "Not up for skating, tobogganing, hot pools and hot drinks? It's not all bad, snow and ice. Just... Maybe it's the same as the humidity. Just gets a bit old. We have nice summers, though: not humid, not too hot, none of that." "Fun!" Ch'son makes this sound like a very important point. "All y' really need, that." As they approach the establishment, the bronzerider lifts a hand to rub over his short-cropped hair. Maybe making sure all the 'professional business' is off of him. "Prob'ly break my ass tryin' t' skate. Maybe hot pools if they come with... the right company. Summers might be worth it, though. Here, if it ain't hot 'n tryin' t' suffocate you, it's fuckin' rainin'. Here we are." The last is a separate thought as he pauses to let the other go in first. Preceding his host into the Seven, K'del looks properly pleased and impressed; "Nice," he says, approvingly. Of the rest of the conversation, he adds, then, "So-- booze, cards and women, that about sums up your interests, then?" Beat. "Not that mine're all that different, mind, so that's no slight." Finally, he lets his hands drop to his hips, free from his pockets. "And the hot pools /always/ have the right company. My experience, anyway." "Aye," admits Ch'son after a slight pause for thought. "Suppose that does about sum up my interests." He shrugs, though, clearly not taking any offense to what wasn't meant offensively. "What can I say," is all he says about it, his easy grin back in place as he scans the room for an appropriate place for them to sit. "Think we'll get along just fine." Sincere, that. "Y' wanna sit in on a real game or keep it between us?" He makes a gesture toward the table where it looks like a couple players are just buying in to a game then toward another that's slightly more private. Obviously pleased at how this is going, K'del gives Ch'son another easy grin, and even a short, sharp bob of the head, apparently intended to confirm the other bronzerider's summation of their getting alongness quotient. His attention traipses between the larger game and the quieter table, and eventually, after a few moment's thought, he bobs his head towards the quieter table. "Just us," he says. "Rather size up my opponent before letting myself be fleeced by Istans in league with each other." Joking again, presumably. "Buy you a drink?" "Just us, then," says the Istan Weyrleader without any indication that it's the better or worse decision between the two. "Aye! Whiskey if y' will, thanks." And that has Ch'son moving off toward the intended table. There's a pretty girl that meets him somewhere along the way but there's only a few words exchanged and a glance toward K'del before she's moving on with a smile and the bronzerider is settling into a chair on one side of the table. "Whiskey it is," promises K'del, diverting his path towards the bar, which he leans against as he exchanges a few words with the girl behind it. If he notices the girl Ch'son runs into, he makes no show of it - for the world, he may as well be devoting every energy to getting those drinks, and flirting with the bartender. It takes him a few minutes, but then, finally, he approaches the table, offering Ch'son one of the two glasses he carries before settling down into the chair opposite. Since he doesn't walk around with a deck of cards on himself at all times, at least not anymore, Ch'son is just sitting at the table when K'del approaches. The glass is accepted with a grin and he takes a small drink before setting it down with unnecessary care on the table. "Thanks. We should have some cards here in a moment," he says, glancing after the girl and then back toward the other man. "Been t' your Snowasis before. Nice place. But I ain't ever sure how y' all manage without a place like this around." What he means by 'this' isn't incredibly obvious, but whatever it is, it's important to him. K'del's assumption of what Ch'son means leads to a glance upwards, towards those rooms upstairs, but he doesn't put his surmise into words. Instead, with a laugh, he says, "Guess we manage well enough, in different ways. Anyway-- guess you managed without this places for ages, too. Know it wasn't around when I was a weyrling." He'd /definitely/ have known if it was. He takes a sip from his own glass, now, then sets it down, adding, "Anyone made decks with your face on 'em, yet? Ran into one of those a while back-- with mine, I mean. Kind of weird." Ch'son seems a little confused right at the beginning but then he's rolling with it. "Right. Well, there's, was, usually willin' girls enough when we came in t' dock. This' been here long as I have, though. Think it was new just before I, uh, settled here." The last is a little more genuine confusion that doesn't go away right off. "Can't say that they have. But I ain't been at this for too long so maybe they're just waitin' t' make sure I ain't gonna make 'em look the fool. My Weyrwoman'd probably object, anyway." That girl he'd been talking to brings by the cards he'd asked for but doesn't linger around long enough to be distracting. Not yet, anyway. Whatever confusion Ch'son is feeling, K'del doesn't seem to notice - maybe he's too busy taking another drink from his glass, or smiling at the girl who brings the cards, or whatever. Something along those lines. "Pretty sure the Reaches are still waiting for me to be the fool. Probably proved 'em right a time or two, but still. Not sure what my Weyrwoman'd think of it. Depend on her mood, maybe. She's--" Famously mercurial, but he doesn't actually specify as such. "You get along with yours better than I do mine?" "Fuckin' hot," Ch'son fills in for K'del about the Reachian senior even if he's probably rather aware of what's left unsaid. He has to think for a moment about the rest but he takes the opportunity to have another drink and take the cards in hand. "We get on well enough, 'spose. Ain't exactly her favorite person and she thinks I'm an asshole, but." He shrugs as he shuffles the cards. "Think we're friends, least ways. Now the Headwoman... ain't ever sure what that woman is thinkin'." There's no disagreement from K'del on that diagnosis of 'fuckin' hot'; he looks all smug again. Except; "That, and one of the bitchiest, most difficult to deal with women I've ever met. She and our new junior--" He breaks off, shaking his head. He does seem interested in the Istan relationships, even laughing. "Kinda the opposite to what we have, maybe. But... friends, even though she thinks you're an asshole? That's a new one." "Can't expect a woman that looks like that t' be much else, though. Could deal with it, 'spose, but ain't sure I could put up with that all the time." Ch'son chuckles as he adds the next, "'n I don't really envy you that little queen y' got." Not in the least but he deals out a couple of cards as he continues, "We... fooled around a bit as candidates. Nothin' as'd get us kicked out." Clearly. "Then we was pretty close as weyrlings. We ain't screwin' or nothin'. More like a sister, y'know?" He glances at his cards but, really, seems to have taken to this talking thing better than he thought he was going to. Mention of Iskiveth makes K'del roll his eyes and make a face, though he manages to turn it into more of a rueful smile and a nod before he responds. "Got my share of troubles. Those females!" But he doesn't seem to mean it /too/ much. His cards get a glance, though he, too, seems casual about it. "A sister. Yeah-- can see how that'd work. To be honest, can't imagine how a couple - people who were /actually/ screwing each other - would work it, being Weyrleaders together. Be weird. Definitely rather a sister than a-- Tiriana, anyway." The Istan just grins in a briefly sympathetic sort of way and deals three to the center, apparently not too worried about betting or anything, either. Chaes checks his own cards against the ones on the table and waits for K'del to do the same. There are only pauses in lieu of bets before he deals the fourth community card. Whatever his hand is looking like, it's impossible to tell by his expression. "Depends if they're just screwin' or if there's 'sposed t' be somethin' more, maybe. I don't do more. Guess it's why I like it here. Money's a good buffer when y' don't want nothin' else but the screwin'. Ain't sayin' I gotta pay t' get laid. But there's some girls as expect more 'n get disappointed when it ain't mutual." See! He has the feelings of the womenfolk in mind at all times. Really. He deals the fifth and arches a brow at the other Weyrleader. "Well, true," allows K'del, using the conversation as a distraction from whatever he thinks of his own cards. He barely glances at them, but spends considerably longer eyeing the cards in the middle. "You've never done more, then, or is that just the currently preferred situation? Girl tried to ensnare you one time too often, or something?" He displays his hand after that, making, with the help of the community cards, a pair of fours, but nothing more. "Currently preferred," Ch'son says at first without going into any unnecessary details while he watches K'del play his hand. He looks back at his own as he sets them down. Though it's not a great hand, either, he makes out a pair of tens. There's only a brief flash of a smile before he's gathering up the cards again to reshuffle. "Bad experiences, mostly." The tone of his voice suggests it's nothing too interesting but considering he's been fairly talkative up to this point, maybe he just doesn't want to talk about that. "Y' got anyone that'd object t'..." he glances to a girl passing by meaningfully. "Y' should get a real good taste of Istan hospitality before y' go." That answer seems enough to satisfy K'del's curiosity, his response to it easy; "Can understand that. Me-- never figured I'd be the settling down type, you know? Not when there're so many options and experiences." His gaze lingers on that passing girl, lower lip dropped just slightly. "Never done a closed relationship, never figured I'd even care enough about someone to-- well. May just have to do that." Reaching again for his glass, he adds, "Least I'm not likely to get the wrong girl pregnant, here." Or if he does, it'll be harder to tell, or something. And less likely to haunt him. "Lots of experiences t' be had," Ch'son can agree with that with a readiness that might note it as a though he's had all on his own. "I been close t' someone. Closed, guess y' could say." Since it's the word K'del used. "Didn't turn out the way I imagined it would, though. May's well be another lifetime ago now, least ways." Shrug of the shoulder where his knot rests. Lots of things have changed. The last keeps Chaes from dealing out another hand, though, and he asks, "Wrong girl?" "Figure most things don't happen the way you expect," says K'del, and if his gaze rests on Ch'son's shoulder, then ducks vaguely towards his own - well, can a person blame him? It's only once he's said that, though, that he answers the question, with a rueful little twist of the mouth. "My-- girlfriend, I guess, and I, we've been trying. Always wanted kids, and she had one with someone else, so... turns out another friend of mine is pregnant, only she doens't want it, and I do." He makes a face. "Feel bad even asking her to consider keeping it. Saw my sister-- well. Just awkward, you know? Don't know why I told you all that." More whiskey is required - he takes another long swig. By the look that's on his face for just a few seconds, Ch'son probably isn't sure why K'del told him all that either. But then he pulls it together and offers a grin that's just a little more careful around the edges. "The way I see it, if she really didn't want it, she didn't have no business tellin' y' about it. But she did." His logic is flawless! "Anyway, I mean, not like y' can't get some other girl knocked up, aye? Just cause your shit don't work with your girl don't mean it ain't gonna work with another." At least from his point of view, which is clearly lacking an extent of information. Dubious though the argument may be, K'del gives it thoughtful consideration anyway, and seems satisfied. "True," he declares, cheerfully, head bobbing. "At any rate, not much I can do about it, regardless, is there? So. Going to deal those cards?" There's a certain amount of apology to his smile - moving on, then! It takes him a moment, thoughtfully considering this person with whom he's become more closely acquainted, but then Ch'son nods his head, shuffles reflexively and deals out another round. At some point he remembers to take another drink of his whiskey and he'll be all over the next round when it's needed. He's probably liable to offer whatever company K'del might find himself with on the house, too. |
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