Logs:Whiskey and Truth
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| RL Date: 21 November, 2014 |
| Who: K'del, Lilah |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr, Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Lilah drops in for a visit. Whiskey happens. |
| Where: Weyrleader's Weyr, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 1, Month 5, Turn 36 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Ali/Mentions, Aishani/Mentions, Azaylia/Mentions, Elise/Mentions, Hattie/Mentions, Iolene/Mentions, N'muir/Mentions, R'hin/Mentions, Tayte/Mentions |
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>---< Weyrleader's Weyr, High Reaches Weyr(#1716RJL) >-----------------------<
Rank certainly has its privileges, and among them are amply appointed
apartments. The short flight of stairs from the Weyrleader's Complex opens
up into the larger of two chambers, formally decorated and clearly
designed to cater as much to important guests as the occupant's personal
living. Old, but obviously expensive, llama wool rugs dyed blue-and-black
cover the stone floor, leading towards the second chamber, the stairs, and
the rush-filled dragon couch and ledge beyond it. A formal seating
arrangement - a sofa and chairs, all blue-and-black - sits around a large,
tiled fireplace, whilst along the other wall, a finely made, if now
somewhat antique, desk sits between a bookshelf and a tall cupboard to
which tack-hooks have been attached, riding gear arranged neatly inside.
Two tapestries hung from the high walls depict overdone splendour for High
Reaches Weyr, one a long view of the snow-covered bowl, and the other a
hazy impressionist piece of dragons flaming over a springtime countryside.
The inner weyr, made up of a sleeping cavern and a private bathing area,
is smaller and cosier and distinctly less ostentatious. An oversized
wooden sleigh bed fills much of the space, the mattress piled high with
overstuffed down pillows and comforter, their covers dyed in varying
shades of navy blue, light blue and bronze. There's a nightstand on either
side, both with reading lamps, and against one of the other walls, a tall,
heavy wardrobe made from a dark wood that matches the bed. The bathing
area is part of the same cavern, a folding screen shielding the toilet and
slightly raised, double-sized bathtub built into the stone, and a small
shelf holding toiletries, shaving equipment, and clean towels.
-----------------------------< Active Players >-----------------------------
K'del M 33 6'4" Slender, Toffee hair, Baby Blue eyes 0s
Lilah F 26 5'5 Curves, Red hair, Brown eyes 16s
----------------------------------< Exits >---------------------------------
Complex Ledge
>------------------------------------------< 1D 5M 36T I10, spring night >---< It's evening, sometime after the spring sun disappeared below the horizon completely, and K'del is - for once - home, quite alone, which may have something to do with the fact that he's still in the former leathers that signify a formal visit somewhere. Sure, he's shucked off his boots, and sure, a wet hand has run itself through his hair, but he otherwise doesn't seem to have gotten further than pouring himself a drink, which he drinks out on the ledge, standing alongside his dragon as he stares into the post-twilight distance. This is not a formal visit, for all that Eliyaveith seeks permission from both the gold and bronze whose territory this is before appearing above the skies of High Reaches Weyr. It is Cadejoth specifically that she tells-- asks, « She comes to visit him, if he will accept visitors. » And yet, when the pair does appear in the skies above, the goldrider's head tilts upwards, searching the ledges along the bowl even as her beastly gold circles with slow, careful movements to find the Weyrleader's ledge. It does not take Lilah long, at least, to undo her straps and start sliding down from the mountain of a dragon with a called, "Fort's duties." Cadejoth's always pleased for visitors, and even if Hraedhyth is grumpy about the visiting queen, he is plainly delighted. « Always welcome, » he promises, with a rattle of chains and a clatter of bones. Always. His rider's gaze tracks the Fortian queen down, as he steps well out of the way to leave her room, lifting his glass in greeting before he says, rather informal, "Lilah, hey. Care for a drink?" "I have been taught it would be rude to turn down such a gracious offer," is probably not exactly the diplomatic lessons that Lilah has taken, but she says it with a smile and a lightness that speaks to her not caring. Straps and helmet are rearranged on Eliyaveith for ease of access later, the goldrider undoing the buttons of her flight jacket even as she crosses the space of the ledge towards K'del. "You look nice today." Eliyaveith rumbles a greeting of her own to Cadejoth, a quiet thing as she settles down carefully on his ledge so as not to take up too much of his space, but still making herself comfortable. "I'd be most offended," agrees K'del, sagely, though his mouth belies his lack of seriousness, curving up into a smile as it is. "Been out," he adds, shrugging, as he gestures the goldrider indoors. "Haven't had a chance to change, yet. Needed to... unwind, I guess." For some, that would mean getting naked, but K'del is evidently not presently inclined that way. Which is probably for the best, really. Cadejoth seems pleased enough to share his space, rumbling a welcome; plenty of room for all. A soft laugh escapes from Lilah's lips, even as she teases, "Well, I suppose that settles it. Do you have a glass for me, then?" She tips her chin in a question towards his weyr, and without waiting for an invitation, turns on a heel and leads the way into the Weyrleader's complex, rather than waiting for him. Which must seem odd, if anyone were watching. She calls over her shoulder as she goes, "Where have you been?" Eliyaveith watches Cadejoth; watches their riders. She doesn't move to take up more space than the necessary space a queen of her size requires, but she does make herself comfortable with Cadejoth's reassuring welcome. K'del's shrug seems to suggest that anything is possible. More than that, he seems amused by Lilah's move to lead the way in, following her in a few paces behind. "Nabol," he says, as he gestures towards the bottle of whiskey that's still on the table from his own drink, while he fetches a glass from the mantle. "We may've ruined relations with Igen for the moment, but there's no reason not to shore things up elsewhere. "What brings you to here Which isn't to say you're unwelcome." His gaze lingers on her; perhaps he's remembering her turnday, which might account for the sudden worry in his expression. Lilah picks up that bottle, studying it beneath her fingers even as K'del fetches that glass. She only relinquishes it to pour herself a glass, making him hold it (since she never reaches to take it) before she exchanges one for the other with the Weyrleader. "I heard that there was interference in their leadership flight. You were that interested in who led Igen?" she questions, with open interest. To his question, she merely smiles, adding, "I am here to visit a friend. Nothing more than the usual." Once they both have a glass - and a full one, at that - K'del lifts his in idle toast, his expression twisting up into something rueful and less than pleased. "Not my idea," he insists, quickly. "Believe me. I'm not dynastic, or ambitious like that; other weyrs are other weyrs, far as I'm concerned." Someone is in trouble, then. Still, "Well, not like I'm not happy to see you, anyway. How... 've you been?" "How far does that ideal extend? Because-- Have you been to Telgar, lately?" questions Lilah lightly, subtly, even as she meets K'del's toast with one of her own before taking one long, careful sip from the whiskey. (She ends up making a face, but it goes down without complain or interruption.) "I am fine. I-- still need to tell my Weyrleaders, about what happened. And, well." If the Weyrleader were expecting a full sentence, one does not seem to come, as she considers him instead. "Telgar?" Either K'del hasn't been, or he didn't notice, or perhaps, he's playing dumb. His gaze lingers on Lilah for a moment, before he breaks off and gestures towards the couch, though he takes the bottle with him to set down on the side table. "What're you going to tell them?" he wonders, quietly. "Going to mention that I was there?" This time, at least, Lilah waits for that invitation before settling herself onto that couch. She sets aside her drink for only a moment to shrug entirely out of her flight jacket, letting it fall to his floor before she scoops her glass back up and draws her legs into a curve on the couch with her. "There has been some oddities to the dragons there. Eliyaveith believes that it stems from Viyareth," murmurs the goldrider, but she doesn't press. Instead, she watches K'del, studying the bronzerider. "I think I have to tell them that you were there. It is only fair that they know everything that may affect them." K'del's silence lasts longer than perhaps it needs to, and it's perhaps not obvious whether it's related to Telgar, or not Lilah's weyrleaders. Finally, "When Ysavaeth died, it was like a fog lifted. Like everyone could think again. You know that your weyrleaders won't be thrilled with my presence?" Beat. "Not that I don't think honesty is the right thing. Just..." A shrug, followed quickly by a drink from his glass. "Because of Iolene's state?" Lilah questions quietly, lifting her glass to her lips in a mirror of his. She does not answer the rest immediately, instead taking her time to sweep a dark look around the weyr around her before settling on K'del again. "It isn't that I do not trust you, but you now know something that could hurt my Weyr, by extension, if you chose to. I do not think you would, but if you had to, for some reason--. They should know." K'del flinches, for that explanation, his expression turning darkly moody. In the end, though, it's that earlier comment that he replies to: "Because Ysavaeth had been controlling everyone, stopping them from... realising." He drinks after that, but not for long enough to make it difficult for him to continue, finally, and say, "Are you going to tell it to them in that way? That I could hurt your Weyr?" Lilah's brows curve upwards, a question held there as she studies that flinch of the Weyrleader, that dark mood. And despite it, she presses, "Stopping them from realizing what? That she had faked her flight?" To his last question, at least, she shakes her head, light catching in red-gold curls as they shift with the gesture. "No. I will mention it, but not like that. In passing, I hope." K'del exhales, staring into his glass for several long moments before lifting it to his mouth to drain it. Luckily, the bottle is close at hand; luckier still, it keeps him distracted enough to give him some time to answer. "Ali used me, once. To help Fort. I'd never've done the same to her. How, exactly, do you think... never mind. Not telling you to lie. In fact, you need to tell the truth; you'll lose their trust, if they find out you've lied." In all that, he completely fails to answer the question about Ysavaeth. "What did she do?" Lilah asks with a tinge of interest, unable to keep subtle the curious way she watches K'del even as she holds out her own glass as he fills his. Both glasses get filled, and rather more than a single finger, or even two. After he's set the bottle back down, after he's taken a long sip from his own, K'del finally answers this question, at least. "She lied to me. Told me your weyrleaders had agreed that if we ended our deal with Boll, they'd support my motion to have Tiriana removed." He laughs, sharply. "Guess that was pretty stupid of me. But Ali... you don't see her as the lying type." It must be said that an appreciative smile quirks at the corners of Lilah's lips for the story, even before she covers it with her own slow sip from her refilled glass. "We are all only moving pieces for our Weyrs, aren't we?" she muses, not exactly lightly. "If we could do something to help our Weyrs--. If you could bargain my past against what your Weyr needed, K'del, I don't see how you could not." "And what do you think that could be? How do you think your past could--" K'del breaks off from that, leaning back against the back of the couch, his gaze tilted up towards the ceiling. "Maybe you're right. Hate it, but... shells, I don't know. I don't use people. Been used too many times, by too many people. Can't blame you for not trusting easily, but... you should know that." "I don't know how," Lilah admits, even as K'del breaks off. "I don't think it is a situation that would ever be a reality, but if it were--." She falls silent as he does, watching him in an intent study even as he looks away. It is only after he's finished, and longer still as silence falls between them, before she adds softly, "I want to believe you, K'del. I think you are the only bronzerider that I know that I could believe that from." That, finally, is enough; K'del exhales through his teeth and nods, just once. "Okay," he says. "Okay. That's... where we are, I guess. That's fine. Bugs me, when people... think the worst of me. Imagine the worst." Beat. "Maybe we should talk about something else, mm?" Or have another drink, maybe; that's what he does, anyway. "K'del--." That is as far as Lilah gets, just that before she exhales a breath and tips her chin in agreement for the Weyrleader's suggestion. And she certainly seems on board for 'drinking more' since it fills up the silence until she can think to say, "How is Ali? And the children?" Ali! That's a much safer topic, as long as K'del doesn't dwell too hard on the 'getting drunk with another woman' thing. Even so, it takes K'del a few seconds to draw his expression into a smile and report, "They're well. Although... Isyath's still not risen, of course. Makes me feel even more for you goldriders; so much of people's opinions of you seems related to when they rise, what they clutch." Or don't. "People're gossiping that we'll be trying to negotiate for another queen, here." "Certainly a lot of it, yes," agrees Lilah dryly. This is a much safer topic, talking about the stupidity of others. And she does not even have to worry about getting drunk with another man, so she does not think much of it as she continues to drink. "Isyath rose two turns ago. That she or Aedrielth haven't risen yet is not odd, given the Pass. Another turn or so, right?" The last tidbit draws her curiosity, brows lifting before she adds in a question, "And, will you? There's certainly the possibility that Hraedhyth will throw a queen to fill the-- absence." "Two and a half turns ago, now," points out K'del. "And previously, she rose much more often than that. It's possible that the move messed up her cycle, but--" He breaks off from that. "It's just hard on her, when she needs her leadership confirmed." He examines his glass, swirling the amber liquid in it for a few moments before he draws his attention back towards Lilah. "She might well. But a queen clutched now... it's not that we need breeding queens so much as I hate for any goldrider to be on her own. It's such a stressful job." Beat. "This is not a prelude to my asking you to transfer, in case you were concerned." It's abrupt and hasty, as though he's just realised how it might sound. "The move, and she was pregnant, was she not? There are plenty of records of pregnancies causing influence to their dragons." Lilah's explanation is simple, light, as she meets K'del's gaze with dark eyes and a smile. Wryly, she counters, "I am not sure that transferring in a goldrider whose queen's only flight had no eggs would be the best move, in any case, for you." Yet, she still lifts her glass to him in a toast before drawing the whiskey back to her lips. "How is Azaylia, since--?" K'del frowns, but seems to accept Lilah's suggestion as regards Ali's pregnancy; it probably doesn't mean he's stopped worrying about Isyath's failure to rise, but few things are quite that simple. His expression turns wry for her next remark, which again, he acknowledges with a nod; "You might be right. On the other hand, if I were after an extra set of hands, and less concerned about boosting our numbers... your weyr might let you go cheap." The twist of his mouth definitely reinforces the fact that he's less than serious. "She's... she's fine. Pretty sure I took it all harder than she did." Yet, even as he says it, the lightness of Lilah's expression turns to a brief tightening, only murmuring, "They might, indeed. Especially given my habit of trouble and my history--." She doesn't press that topic further, however, before she pushes to her feet to explore the weyr around her finally, as if she were invited. And it's as she stands that she sways, slightly. "Is she? She didn't seem to be, when I saw her at the hatching. Or I may have been wrong. But, then, she is a Weyrwoman; she has to put her Weyr over her own feelings." K'del's expression offers the apology his words can't quite form; in any case, he's distracted by Lilah's movement, following her with his gaze, sway included. "She..." he breaks off, shaking his head. "She's herself. Honestly, she is doing fine, far as I know. Granted, I might not be the person she confides in, but... I'm pretty certain." He pauses, eyeing his glass, and then the goldrider. "More? Or should I be cutting you off." "More," Lilah answers, a smile tipping back on her lips. "Why the shards not? I am sure I have to catch up to you." And it is easy to keep track of her movements, because this time she moves towards K'del with her glass, standing before him at a comfortable distance to extend it to him. "Who does she confide in? Who do you confide in? --The two of you are Weyrwoman and Weyrleader." Both glasses get a generous refill as K'del laughs, wryly. "Azaylia and I, we used to be friends. Good ones. A long time ago. Things got... complicated, over time. We're doing better, but we're still not close. No... there's Ali, and there's Tayte. F'manis, for some things. R'hin. Not sure who she confides in. R'hin, too, probably? The crazy man who crashes on her couch, maybe." "R'hin seems to inspire that in people. All the while never giving away any piece of himself." Does Lilah's words sound slightly sharp, slightly pointed there? She even flushes, though that may be the alcohol even as she drinks more. She tries to shift the conversation back by asking, "What happened between the two of you?" One of K'del's brows raises, half-questioning, at that first comment. "That, coming from you," he says, not quite holding back the hint of his laughter. "Though I suppose I know a little more about you now. Me and Azaylia?" He's kind; he'll let her shift the conversation, more or less. "We were friends long before she Impressed. Once she was a goldrider... once she was a weyrwoman, and I'd given up my knot in grief... we had some disagreements. It got complicated. It's hard, seeing someone in a different context. From both sides." It is perhaps because she is drunk that Lilah allows herself to be drawn back to that conversation, defensively. "I am not nearly as bad as he is. He has tried to imply the same thing before too, but at least I do not--. I don't know. It's not the same." She turns away at that, drawing towards his desk to naturally investigate what lies there, shameless of the invasion of privacy. "It must not be easy, to have a Weyrwoman that you do not confide in. But from what you have said before of your other Weyrwomen... Well, perhaps one day." "Okay," agrees K'del. "It's not the same." Of Azaylia, he sighs, rolling his shoulders back as he does so. "We're working on it, Azaylia and I. Doing our best. We'll... see. Always thought it'd be nice to lead with a weyrwoman I could-- but. Well." Evidently, K'del is, at least today, inclined towards being a maudlin drunk. "And what kind of weyrleader would you want? One you can share everything with? One you can control?" "You could?" prompts Lilah, her gaze drawing back towards K'del even as she explores his weyr. (Or at least, his desk right now and then the bookshelf with much more interest.) "One that I could control would be easiest. Better than a Weyrleader who worked against me, or a stupid one who thought he wasn't. Not that it matters, does it? It all depends on who can manage to catch Eliyaveith, and she was not exactly graceful nor in command of her last flight." K'del shrugs, apparently unable to come up with an appropriate word to use. There's surprisingly little by way of personal effects; papers, yes, a few bits and pieces of detritus related to his children, but not much by way of stuff (though probably more than her weyr boasts). "Bet her next flight'll be better. She was young-- too young, maybe. Can see the appeal of controlling, though... guess I've always liked the idea of a partnership. Two equals, you know? It's a nice ideal." "If Cadejoth caught Isyath, I am sure that you would have a true partnership, then. N'muir and Hattie certainly seem to have one," Lilah offers to K'del, her glass twisting between her fingers as she slides a sidelong look over to the Weyrleader. She turns away from his stuff, eventually, to draw back towards the seating arrangement, but it seems she only does since her glass has been considerably emptied. She agrees in a soft exhale, as she sinks back (almost flops) into the couch, "It is a nice ideal. A partnership. Not even just as a Weyrwoman and Weyrleader." K'del's 'mm' is noncommittal, but not dismissive. He sets down his glass, now emptied again, on the side-table, gaze sweeping across the room, and then back to the flopped goldrider. "In general. In life. Pretty sure there's not many times when it wouldn't be ideal to have a partner." He stops, straightening abruptly. "Ali and I do pretty well. It's hard, being so far apart, physically, even with dragons. But with the kids, with... everything." He's beginning to sound drunk. "Are you going to be safe to get home after all of this?" Presumably he means the drinking and not the... sharing. Lilah sips at her whiskey thoughtfully as she considers the answer to that question, her lips twisting in a frown that is likely not all for the drinking but at least somewhat for that sharing. "Maybe-- not. I don't know. I'm sure Eliyaveith could get me home," she offers, her words a mumble. "She has before." But, the goldrider isn't making any moves to get up from that couch, and there is a heaviness to her lids. K'del makes a face, becoming abruptly decisive. "You'd better stay here tonight," he says. "Can you imagine how much your weyrleaders would hate me if I let you go home and you didn't make it? No-- you can crash on the couch. Or take the bed, and I'll take the couch." "But they already hate you," mumbles Lilah more, so helpful. It's to the last suggestion that she shakes her head, adding in a much clearer insistence, "I am not going to take your bed. That'd be rude. I'll be fine here." And she may not even mind sleeping on a couch tonight, though perhaps her muscles will mind tomorrow. Her eyes slide closed, fighting to stay open with a flicker before they fall again. Her glass lolls dangerously in her fingers. So helpful. At least it makes K'del laugh - just a chuckle, really; wry. He manages to pull himself up from the couch in time to reclaim Lilah's glass-- and then to drag down a throw from the back of the couch to lay on top of her. "Sleep well," he says - suggests? - cheerfully enough, before he takes his own leave. Clearly, it doesn't take much to get him to give up on an argument where 'winning' results in trying to fit his length on the couch; go figure. Tomorrow... well, they can all deal with that then. |
Comments
Azaylia (00:40, 23 November 2014 (EST)) said...
And Hraedhyth glared at Cadejoth's ledge the entire night. The end. XD
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