Logs:Chess
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| RL Date: 29 July, 2015 |
| Who: Z'kiel, Ahtzudaeth |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Vignette |
| What: Chess is played, in a manner of speaking. |
| Where: Ahtzudaeth's Ledge; Oversized Chessboard Weyr, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 23, Month 5, Turn 38 (Interval 10) |
| Weather: Rainy. |
| Mentions: T'mic/Mentions |
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If one can see beyond the grit, grime, and guano of disuse of this large, square ledge, it's quite a find. What it lacks in cleanliness it makes up for in size and charms hidden under the coating of dirt. The stone underfoot is solid and the ledge's design helps it shed snow and rain. Most surprising of all, a nearly complete set of chess pieces, each about three feet high. Under the grime is a fading pattern of white stone and redwort-stained sections that make up the board for these oversized game pieces Further inside, there's a pair of 'pillars' by the door that are really just stacks of outsized checkers, one set of interlocking pieces stained darker than the other. Past those are a couple of dusty wallows for a dragon or two, the space designed with them in mind. The rock of the couches is smooth, but outcroppings behind them are rough, perfect for taking care of that awkwardly-located itch. The human parts of the weyr seem almost an afterthought, being small and rough-hewn. They're located at the bottom of a small series of steps, where a sitting area at the front boasts a couple of padded chairs and nothing else. The sleeping area at the back has a small fireplace and a couple of alcoves filled with a bed and a clothes press, respectively. The decorations here are the work of a woodcrafter, the bed ornately carved with roses and ships, its posts topped with pawns. Included here are the missing chess pieces from outside. Cleaning the weyr was not a task to be taken lightly. Their days were full of work - more, perhaps, purely because Ahtzudaeth was the way that he was. There were drills and lessons to tend to, as well as his duties as wingsecond under T'mic. Those duties he took as seriously as when he was wingleader of the weyrling wing; duties that he couldn't do but take seriously. The duties were important - or so Ahtzudaeth kept reminding him. Evenings were full of further study and paperwork, researching formations and tending to Ahtzudaeth (always first) and himself (usually last). And in the time in between, Z'kiel cleaned. The ledge was finally scrubbed free of the foulness that was caked onto it. He had yet to re-stain the squares - and, more importantly, yet to find a paint that could hold up better than the redwort did. Another project to add to the list. Ahtzudaeth insisted on the ledge being swept off regularly and Z'kiel was willing to comply; even without the bronze's influence, he'd have done it. With it, he was just more prompt. The inside took more work. He wasn't entirely sure what to do with the oversized chess pieces. A woodcrafter would be necessary to stain them and varnish them, most likely. Another project. He grimaced at the length of that internally-maintained list. The wallows were clean. The dust was gone. The furniture needed to go - but there was little in the stores that he wanted to replace it with. Not that it mattered what he wanted. The weyr was purely Ahtzudaeth's to decorate - and he fully intended on decorating it. The bronze adored the weyr's potential - whatever that meant. « Hooks here, I think, » the bronze stated and tapped his claws above the arch leading into Z'kiel's quarters. « Curtains. Heavy curtains. It would help to keep the warmth in there during the winter. » "Have to get to that later," Z'kiel replied. « Sooner, » Ahtzudaeth corrected. « Before it has time to tumble headlong off that list you're always building and never finishing. » Z'kiel grunted; the bronze grunted back. « Don't try that with me. I know you better than that. » The bronze shifted around and hooked a claw around one of the pawns. He slid it across the floor with a slow, deliberate motion. « You can't keep yourself distracted forever, Z'kiel. You'll have to face it someday. » "You said it yourself; maybe she'll want to talk when she's ready." « Who is to say she's not ready - and simply unable to reach out to you? » "What is that supposed to mean?" « Precisely that. You told me once that she's never set foot outside of Igen Weyr. » The chess piece was slowly being tilted to a side - carefully and with a single claw. Z'kiel grunted assent and continued cleaning. There wasn't much left; he'd have to find something else to do soon. « And if she can't come here to talk, then we must go back to talk to her. Something felt amiss when we visited last. I suspect Tephrasth or Kasdeja knows more than they're letting on. » "The least she could do is send a letter." « That's hardly talking, now is it? » Ahtzudaeth chortled. « Finish what you're doing, Z'kiel and get a nice, hot bath. You've earned it. » "And?" Because, with Ahtzu, there was always an and lurking around the corner. The bronze tipped the piece over gingerly and flicked his claws at it as if to clean them off. He turned toward his wallow, leaving Z'kiel to push the piece upright and put it back in its place. « And, tomorrow, we'll return to Igen Weyr to finish this business - once and for all. » |
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