Logs:Wasting Potential
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| RL Date: 3 August, 2015 |
| Who: Celestra, Edric, X'vin |
| Involves: Fort Weyr, Harper Hall |
| Type: Log |
| What: Celestra's set upon by X'vin and Edric, needled about her profession, and eventually a decision is made. |
| Where: Hot Springs, Fort Weyr |
| When: Day 10, Month 6, Turn 38 (Interval 10) |
| OOC Notes: I picked random icons, feel free to edit/change/etc. anything you find! |
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>---< Hot Springs, Fort Weyr >-----------------------------------------------<
The Hot Springs are contained within a high domed cavern, the walls
perpetually glistening with a combination of condensation and mica. Steam
drifts through the cavern from the surface of four different-sized pools.
The largest takes up most of the cavern, big enough to hold three
full-grown dragons and is easily reached through the archway from the
Bowl. Three smaller pools, more suited for human use, are clustered near
the entrance leading toward the Inner Cavern. A set of shelves and benches
line the wall nearest the Inner Cavern, fully stocked with pots of
soapsand and towels for those without the foresight -- or means -- to
bring their own.
While the dragon pool is a natural creation, the human pools are the
result of Ancient ingenuity and have been constructed with hewn steps and
seating. The water in all of the pools is warm to hot, and are a perfect
place to bathe young weyrling dragons or for residents to relax after a
long day of work. Perhaps its odd timing, or good timing, that Celestra finds the hot springs to be mostly empty of both dragons and people. The day has barely started, really, so it's not so surprising that not many would find themselves in the steamy cavern at this hour. In any case, she makes the short trek to the smaller pools toward the entrance, a small bundle of things in her arms. The bundle is placed on a bench before she sheds her clothing and grabs one little pot of soapsand and tests the temperature of each pool before deciding on the middle one. The weather outside is cool enough to warrant warmer waters, and yet warm enough to prevent her from getting into the hottest one. Her feet slip in, taking the small steps into the pool and taking a seat on one of the ledges, leaning back against the side and closing her eyes with a soft sigh. It's not a long day yet, but it will be. Enough time might well pass for Celestra to get truly relaxed and comfortable and, save the loud complaining wails of a child who objects to the early hour as he's carried past in the inner caverns, there's almost complete silence, the oppressive white noise of an empty room. It can't last, of course. A cheerfully tuneless whistle prefaces X'vin into the caverns, a towel draped over his neck. He's plainly fresh from a morning run, chest bare in the comfortable weather or in anticipation of the springs' warmth. Courtesy would put X'vin in another pool entirely after spotting only Celestra in the waters, but maybe that is what drives him to the middle pool himself, although he doesn't get directly in. "I hope you don't mind company, Journeywoman," he says gently, untwining the towel from his neck. And the wails only earns the briefest of peeks from Celestra before she's back to simply relaxing. The silence is comforting, different from the Records room that is always filled with the sound of flipping pages and scritching pencils. The occasional splash of water might be heard echoing as she eventually moves to rub some soapsand onto her skin and then rinsing it off. It is in the middle of this process that X'vin's whistling is heard, directing her gaze to the entrance as he comes in. There's a quick aversion at the sight of his bare chest, followed by a pink tinge on her cheeks, eyes focusing on the arm before her as the suds are rinsed off. A flickering glance back up to the bronzerider when he speaks, a smile offered. "Of course not." is the Harper's reply, using her recently rinsed arm to gesture to the opposite side of the relatively small pool. Any holdbred mentality he had - if indeed he ever had any at all - has been shed in his years as a dragonrider, and though there is no lewd edge to his smile it is also a steady thing as he disrobes, folding down his pants and placing them with his boots close to Celestra's own bundle in spite of the availability of benchspace as far as the eye can see. The towel stays in his possession, tossed down near the pool edge. He doesn't use the stairs to leverage himself into the water - perhaps to give the blushing Harper her space - and he stretches into the warmth with a sigh. Part of losing a those holdbred habits means he holds her in his gaze as he settles. "The others are too hot," he explains without prompting. "Are you always up so early? I was under the impression Journeymen got to sleep until noon." As for Celestra, the holdbred mentality is still very much a part of her, having only been at the Weyr for not yet a Turn. Perhaps that's one of the reasons she's found herself to be the only person in the hot springs at this particular time. A calculated move on her part. Being as it is, it is quite obvious as to how the Harper keeps her gaze away from the undressing bronzerider, focusing instead on the warmth of the water. And how it seems to be just a little warmer all of a sudden. Once he does settle, she manages to lift her gaze to meet his and nods briefly at his explanation, so similar to her own reasoning for choosing this very pool. For his question, she chuckles softly. "Well... it is past noon." she points out with a small grin. "And what about you? Don't you have... sweeps or drills or something?" X'vin laughs, "Touche. But by all rights, you should just now be crawling out of bed to begin your day. It's part of your contract." He lifts damp hands out of the water and runs them through his hair, which is surprisingly stubborn in submitting to deviating from perfectly coifed. When the water works its magic, it loosens into damp, wavy chunks across his forehead. As for the contract for bronzeriders, or riders in particular, he has a short: "Done. We with dragons start before dawn and are lucky for midday breaks like this," and he gestures to encompass the caverns. Never mind that his woes are delivered with light tone, and that Flint's never out before dawn these days. "Is it now?" Celestra replies, cocking her head sideways to consider X'vin as he runs his hand through his hair. "I must've missed that little tidbit somehow..." The Harper muses, chuckling softly as she moves to unpin her hair from it's bun, letting the hair flow down and into the water. His gesturing does get her gaze to wander about the empty cavern before landing back on him. "Oh?" is said of his woes, "Busy man, hm?" As she talks, shifts forward in her seat, neck rolling so that her head leans back slightly, dipping the rest of her hair into the water. "What's a rider's day usually like?" she asks curiously, bringing her head back, hair now dripping with water. "Should have read the fine print," X'vin stage-whispers to her, then in a normal tone, considers, "Or maybe you just signed the one without that part. Sad for you. You could have had it all." Without soapsand of his own, and apparently with no desire to get or ask for any, X'vin leans back against the wall until he finds one of the carved-in seats, where he rests. "Only as busy as I make myself. And it depends who you ask what it's like," he says cryptically, but does elaborate. "If you ask, say, our current Weyrleader - such as he is - you'll find that riding is filled with extra duties and drills and strict duties and time-frames. If you come to Flint, though. Well. Things are more laid back, now." Contrary to what he'd have her believe, even moments ago. Celestra chuckles softly and replies in her normal tone, "I guess so." A casual shrug. "Too late now." she adds, grinning easily as she leans back against the side of the pool. As she listens to him indulge her curiosity, she liberally applies soapsand to her thick hair, hands rubbing at the long strands, fingers running through its length to make sure she gets it all. Her expression is one of amusement as she then prompts, "So... not quite so busy then." Another dip of her hair into the water to rinse her hair of the soapsand. And, being the considerate person she is, she'll offer him her own personal little pot of soapsand once her hair's all rinsed out. "Not as you'd say I should be, from behind the lens of your craft," X'vin corrects gently, studying her hands as she lathers up her hair. If she'll look at him long enough, he'll make eye contact; if not, there's that discomfiting examination to look forward to. "You know history, archivist," he says at length, apparently keen on running through all titles except her name. "Do you think that dragonriders need to dedicate all their time to drills at the expense of the hold, in an Interval?" "Hmm." is all she'll respond with as to what her craft my think of riders, briefly making eye contact with the bronzerider, careful consideration behind her gaze. Celestra's lips quirk slightly at the use of yet another title, though she seems to make no comment for the time being. "So I do." she agrees when he points it out, listening quietly as he poses his question. Her gaze shifts, no longer making eye contact and instead going still as her hands drop once her hair is nice and thoroughly rinsed. "No, I don't think they do." she eventually replies, eyes drifting back to meet the bronzerider's gaze. "The records have many entries of riders doing other things with their time." An eyebrow raises curiously, as if to say, surely he knows of that, being a Wingleader? "Perhaps it's too close after the comet," X'vin says, not to her directly. With her break in eye contact his own eyes drift to the ceiling, mouth pursing. "The records have plenty, yes, but that doesn't stop people from wishing for tradition, does it? How much work would a harper say it takes to maintain knowledge of a drill, a formation, anything? Daily? Twice a seven? Once a month?" X'vin flicks his hand dismissively, making the question rhetorical and changing tack slightly, "Our duties don't need to look taxing to be worthwhile. Our duties in the Interval are to support the Holds however we can, but I'm part of the minority in that belief." Once more Celestra's gaze is thoughtful as she considers X'vin, with the distance and water between them putting her slightly more at ease than when he had first entered the pool. "I'm afraid you are right on that point." Celestra agrees, nodding once. "But yes, it may be simply too soon after the comet for people to really understand the impact of the change that it signifies. Understanding, though, will then turn to annoyance as they forget, believing riders to be of no use without the threat of Thread at their heels. Unwillingness will then result as Holds refuse to send their tithes... As the cycle goes, anyhow." One hand moves idly underneath the surface of the water as she speaks, eye contact breaking for a moment before returning. Early afternoon and the pools are empty, save two forms in the middle pool. The in conversation, their words travelling on the water easily, but the context is not entirely there when X'vin, pleased something Celestra's just said, snaps his fingers and points at her. "Exactly! Why do we have lovely people like you to keep our history straight if we're only going to disregard it, in the end?" X'vin's broad chest rises with a deep inhalation of steam that may well carry patience, the way he relaxes into it. "The comet was a fluke. I can't recall any other mentions of an anomaly like that. What is clear is that even after the comet, the holds buck our system, the weyrs retaliate, and it's a cycle until disaster binds us again. We're better than that." Early afternoon and the pools are empty, save two forms at opposite ends of the waters in the middle one. The in conversation, their words travelling on the water easily, but the context is not entirely there when X'vin, pleased something Celestra's just said, snaps his fingers and points at her. "Exactly! Why do we have lovely people like you to keep our history straight if we're only going to disregard it, in the end?" X'vin's broad chest rises with a deep inhalation of steam that may well carry patience, the way he relaxes into it. "The comet was a fluke. I can't recall any other mentions of an anomaly like that. What is clear is that even after the comet, the holds buck our system, the weyrs retaliate, and it's a cycle until disaster binds us again. We're better than that." Early afternoon and the pools are empty, save two forms in the middle pool. The in conversation, their words travelling on the water easily, but the context is not entirely there when X'vin, pleased something Celestra's just said, snaps his fingers and points at her. "Exactly! Why do we have lovely people like you to keep our history straight if we're only going to disregard it, in the end?" X'vin's broad chest rises with a deep inhalation of steam that may well carry patience, the way he relaxes into it. "The comet was a fluke. I can't recall any other mentions of an anomaly like that. What is clear is that even after the comet, the holds buck our system, the weyrs retaliate, and it's a cycle until disaster binds us again. We're better than that." There's a flicker of surprise behind Celestra's eyes as he snaps and points at her, though it shifts as the edges of her lips curl into an amused smile. "Simply put, people are selfish." points out the Harper, shrugging lightly and causing ripples in the pool at her action. "They choose to turn a blind eye because they refuse to believe the inevitable until it is too late, saying instead that the times have changed, only to fall right back into the same vicious cycle." The crisp sound of footsteps - calculated and sure - suffice as an announcement of Edric's arrival. Those steps pause for just a second, long enough for certain assessments to be made, and then the visiting Steward makes his way for one of the smaller pools. One that's yet within conversational reach, without being obtrusive. All he needs to make his bath are with him - neatly folded and arranged in a basket that's designed purely for that purpose. He approaches his chosen pool and arrives just in time to catch traces of those last snippets of conversation. An eyebrow subtly inches skyward. "Most people are," he concurs blandly. "The rest profit from that selfishness and blindness." "As well they should," X'vin says, taking Edric's intrusion into the conversation in stride, in a manner that speaks to familiarity and practice. "But most importantly, those people shouldn't be at the helm, if we want to prosper. There's more bloodshed at the start of a Pass if we let ourselves drift apart." X'vin tilts his head back to flash one of those clever smiles at Edric, and the subject changes just like that, "It's the same way we need law, before lawlessness forces our hands. Have you considered your role, Celestra?" There it is, her name, all of it dropped with the adroit ease of introduction, at least on one side, and without interrupting the conversation, to boot. "Just so." Celestra also agrees with Edric's input and X'vin's comment after, nodding in acknowledgement of the Steward's presence, gaze drifting from one male to the other. "Yet F'lar managed, somehow, to prevent bloodshed after the Long Interval." Likely a history lesson that most riders, if not everyone, knew of. The change of subject is met with a brief silence as the Harper considers X'vin, the edges of her lips twitching. "I have at some length, yes." she eventually says carefully, not quite revealing what he may be looking to hear. Stripping down is a meticulous process; things must be folded and put away, other things must be secured. Edric listens to the conversation, but doesn't interject again until he's in the water - with his glasses on, of course. "Of course," he replies to X'vin. "But, there is much to say about opportunists." But, not right now. Talk of law elicits a sidelong look and a pursing of lips, but no immediate response until Celestra's spoken. "Elaborate, please." His expression, one of indifference save for the barely perceptible - and possibly perpetual - quirk of one eyebrow, doesn't shift in the slightest as he remarks to X'vin (mostly), "After all, without law, how can we know who is good and who is not?" "Except for Fax," X'vin replies blandly, but that was barely a loss no matter who's looking at the situation, and one eyebrow rises. He watches Edric out of the corner of his eye, keeping the younger woman in his sights directly, and at Edric's assessment on law he lobs back, "We certainly can't establish who is punished and who is saved, or if the punishment fits the crime." He gestures to Celestra though, encouraging. Yes, praytell. Once again, the Harper's lips twitch at X'vin's response. "Well, there was that." she allows, keeping her gaze on X'vin and paying no mind to the disrobing Steward. When he speaks though, she'll allow her gaze to flicker briefly to make sure he's in the water before focusing it in the direction of the other pool for a moment as Edric speaks. Celestra's head tilts to one side as she listens to the two men, until their focus is directed on her. "I am inclined to agree with you," a nod in X'vin's direction, "That my skills may indeed be best utilized in law instead of the archives, especially during an Interval." i.e., since people are more tempted to bend the rules when the threat of Thread isn't hovering above them. Her gaze shifts back to Edric, "I'm a Harper," she explains, "If the conversation didn't reveal that already." And she'll offer Edric a somewhat sheepish smile at that. He listens. He nods. Edric dips his chin slightly toward X'vin, the gesture's meaning left ambiguous. He trains his attention more keenly on Celestra afterward, his dipped chin lifting again in a subtle expression of imperiousness without pretentiousness. At her explanation, however, there's a thin, polite smile in response. He'll not address that directly, instead moving on to ask, "Your inclination to agree with him," X'vin, that is, "does not sound as if you do agree." He takes up soapsand and starts to scrub his hands - and, in the process, lowers his head enough to look at her over the rims of his spectacles. "Why?" There's another shift in Celestra's gaze, one man to the other, ambiguous gestures making her curious, yet keeping silent. When Edric poses his question, the Harper regards his gaze over his spectacles thoughtfully. "Does it?" she muses, considering her words and the tone with which they had been spoken, eyes darting back to X'vin for a moment. "I do, at length. It is perhaps my attachment to the archives that makes me reluctant to leave the comfort and familiarity of my current position." Which may explain the somewhat vagueness of her previous response. "Mm." This time, there is no look askance to X'vin; the weight of Edric's attention rests completely on Celestra now. "I see," says he, his tone one of clinical appraisal. That cool, measured tone follows through the rest of his words as he continues, "Sometimes, such attachments can hold one back - but I'm sure you already know that." The words don't have much time to breathe on their own. "What purpose does it serve? This attachment to the archives? Do you think you would be able to serve better through the law - or are you... uncertain?" A slight tilt of the head sends light angling across his lenses, obscuring his eyes from view. If there's any discomfort in the way the Steward regards her, or his tone, Celestra does not let it show. She does shift though, raising her arms from beneath the water as she turns her body slightly, resting said arms on the edge of the pool. There is a nod when he points out the fact of attachments. She is indeed aware of it. As for her uncertainties, the Harper shakes her head. "No. I do believe that by serving through law, I can be of much more use to the Weyr, especially since not many of my craft take the path of law. It can be a tricky field for those who don't have the right mindset, thus the general reluctance." "So. You are uncertain." Flatly observed, that. Never mind the shaking of her head, her initial denial. Edric pauses in the scouring of his arms to seek her gaze - and hold it. "Otherwise," he observes, "you would be doing it. You would not have doubts about whether or not you had the the right mindset for it." Rinsing follows and he utters a soft exhalation that isn't quite a sigh, yet bears traces of disappointment - or exceptionally mild exasperation. "Skills are tools to be used. Your ability to use them - your mindset, as you call it - can be trained. You just have to make the choice to do the work." The Steward's gaze would find Celestra's unwavering as he holds it. She listens, quiet, expression thoughtful as he voices his observations - apt as they are. At some point, the edges of her lips lift into a small smile. "You are right, of course. Though I wasn't quite speaking of my own mindset, but more so my fellow Harpers." she points out, tone light as she does so. "I honestly have no doubt in my own ability to do the work. I have experience, and have been successful in past endeavors. Speaking of my attachment, and the fact that you've pointed it out rather bluntly that it can hold one back, has helped to erase some of those feelings." Her tone is matter-of-fact, "Some of the uncertainty, perhaps, came from thinking too much." So it holds - until there is no need. The break happens after the talk of mindset and before the broaching of ability; Edric's gaze drops, but only to perform a cursory examination of his nails. Satisfied, the Steward pulls himself onto the edge of the pool and reaches for his towel. He listens. He does not nod. There is no need. It's after the last that he finally draws in a deep breath and releases it slowly through his nose. "An astute observation. Good. At least you're more self-aware than most of the law-oriented Harpers I've met over the turns." One corner of his mouth finally twists into a wry half-smile that fades quickly. "There may be hope for you yet," and the implied but does not manifest. It just lingers there, while he goes through the meticulous motions of drying off. When the Steward proceeds to exit the pool, Celestra turns back around in her own, keeping her gaze away from his general direction as he dries off. The soft sound of splashing can be heard as her hands move through the water, gaze unfocused as the thoughts run through her mind, though curious at the implication behind his last phrase, head tilting curiously from her position. "But?" she instead prompts, curiosity getting the best of her to try and draw out the opinion of a stranger. Dried. Dressed. Done. Everything else is put back in its place in the space between her prompt and Edric's eventual answer. An over-the-glasses look is angled down to her, the man standing at his full, square-shouldered height at the edge of the pool. "But," he picks up mildly, "you have to do something with it. Make a choice. Stick with it." He pivots on a heel and makes for the exit with the same, measured stride as before. A few steps, at any rate, before he stops and cants a look over his shoulder. "Don't let those attachments hold you back, Celestra. There are few things that irritate me more than to see potential wasting away." It will have to suffice for a farewell, unorthodox though it may be. With the sound of his voice much closer, Celestra spares a glance from her pool, only to see him at its edge. His answer is received with much consideration, watching as he pivots to leave, only to see him stop right at the entrance. His last earns a nod before he's gone and Celestra is left alone with X'vin once more, her decision solidified now, compared to when she first entered. X'vin's quiet presence has been there the entire time, easily missed in his uncharacteristic silence. As easily and readily as he takes spotlights away, the bronzerider also falls back when it is in his interest, and Edric's efficiency cannot be understated. As such, X'vin conveniently started actually working at cleaning himself when Edric began talking, and save for brief little knowing smiles at the pair's back-and-forth, he's entirely quiet until he calls, "Goodbye, Edric," thus completing the cycle of introductions. He's not quick to return to conversing, either. The radiance of his smile is muted. He just looks at her, the question in his eyes. Well? Celestra's attention doesn't turn immediately back to X'vin, the Harper instead chooses to pin her washed hair back up before getting another small handful of soapsand and working it onto her shoulders. As the suds form, her gaze flickers to meet his brown-eyed gaze, seeing the question behind them, only barely suppressing the smile on her lips. Blue eyes avert their gaze momentarily, "I'll be sending a letter to my Master to let him know of my request to change my specialty." And it is then she allows herself a slightly sheepish smile, eyes darting back to X'vin. X'vin watches her suds again, taking the time to run his hands through his hair once more, just enough to put it back into some semblance of his normal styling, though it's bound to fall out soon anyways. Her words spur motion, with him reaching for his towel to leave the pool himself, and there's that light again, renewed by her answer. His expression meant to be praise enough, X'vin does feel the need to remark, "I've known Edric a long time, and I've rarely found him to be wrong." When he's out of the water, the towel slung low on his hips, he tilts a look down at her. "Intense, but not wrong." When X'vin moves, Celestra averts her gaze once more, eyes pointing downwards as she rinses off her shoulders and neck. So unfortunately she misses his expression, praising or otherwise. At the sound of his voice, she'll chance a glance, relieved to see the towel around his hips. "Intense... is a good word." This time, she, too, reaches for her towel, pulling herself out with her back towards the bronzerider before wrapping it around her. "I guess time will only tell if I made the right choice." is said of the latter. "I think you'll find you have far more opportunities than you would in the weyr's records room," X'vin remarks after a thoughtful pause, but then he's padding away towards the bench where he left his things, so close to hers, taking care not to drip on any of it. "And anyways, if you stay in the archives, he's going to be down your throat all the time. He hates...well." He waves a hand, and that does send droplets on her things. "You know." Celestra is also padding over towards the bench with their things, carefully lifting another towel to dry her face and glancing over at him once that's done as he speaks. "Perhaps." she allows of opportunities, unpinning her hair carefully only to fold it into the towel. With the wave of his hand, her brows furrow at the sight of those droplets getting onto her things and she not-so-subtly scoots it over just a bit. "Hates what? Archivists? Harpers? Indecision?" No she doesn't know, apparently. "Indecision," the bronzerider confirms, but also, "Inaccuracies. Inefficiency. Wasted potential, Journeywoman. Celestra," he tries her name on for size again, like he might remove that wall from between them. "I always figured," he says thoughtfully, draping the towel over his neck in much the same fashion it was when he arrived, and using one side of it to ruffle the water out of his hair, "that he could spot people who would change Pern from a mile away. Ask him about it sometime. He might tell you. It seems he's taken a shine to you already." "Ah." Celestra could see that of the 'intense' man that she'd only just met. She's looking down when he suddenly says her name again, causing the Harper to look back at to meet his gaze, which was awfully close, despite his towering height. Hopefully he'll not notice the way she takes just one step back to give herself some space. "Has he?" she asks, tone quite dubious as she looks at him skeptically. "If I run into him again... I might." Ask him. Of course he notices, but he's a gentleman and says nothing. Beyond that, he'll even take a step away himself, that way they're not close at all. "I would say so. His interest in the affairs of others is - ah. Particular." Hair dried, and perhaps regretting his lack of foresight about that shirt, it's X'vin's turn to turn away, his fingers lifting in a small wave as he drops the towel. "You still owe me a sketch, Celestra," he remarks near the entryway, not stopping to turn back as his compatriot did. "I'll collect, next time," he threatens long strides carry him out the entrance to the bowl. Celestra watches X'vin take a step away as well, and gives him a slightly sheepish look as her hand shifts to dry the hair within the folded towel. As for X'vin's comment on Edric, well, she'll just have to talk more with the man to understand what the bronzerider's talking about. His departing wave also earns one from the Harper, "I haven't forgotten, X'vin." A name for a name, smiling widely this time around, not quite intimidated by this threatening as she watches his form disappear. From then, she'll quickly dry herself and don her clothes before going off to send a particular message. |
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