Logs:Not so Secret Secrets
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| RL Date: 22 May, 2015 |
| Who: H'kon, Arekoth, Keysi, Neianth |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Keysi requests a meeting with H'kon to supplement her leadership program training, and to touch on a subject they'd been avoiding |
| Where: Snowaisis, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 15, Month 11, Turn 37 (Interval 10) |
| Weather: Autumn chill with clear skies, cool and damp |
| Mentions: Y'rel/Mentions |
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>---< Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr(#555RJ) >----------------------------------<
The Snowasis is rarely quiet, and even then, the high-ceilinged former
weyr is kept from echoing by the fantastical booths tucked into its
convoluted perimeter. The secluded seating spaces have been shaped from
the truncated stalagmites that escaped the smoothing of the main floor,
and are both softened and separated by colorful hangings that are thick
and opaque enough to make each corner its own private nook.
Some of the smaller stalactites still roam the ceiling, their jagged teeth
tracing a bumpy, inverted spine to the hearth. There, a thick rug with a
low klah table and comfortable armchairs and couches sit, their upholstery
and cushions changed sporadically to match the season: bright, light
colors in the summer, fresh greens and yellows in the spring, warm
autumnals in fall, and clear, rich hues for winter. Small tables litter
the rest of the cavern, enough to fit up to four people each, while stools
stand along the smooth wooden bar behind which is the passthrough window
to the kitchen. Glass-paneled cabinetry behind the bar provides a clear
view of the available liquors, the many colors reflecting the soft light
of glows tucked into strategic niches around the cavern.
-----------------------------< Active Players >-----------------------------
H'kon M 37 5'4" compact, brown hair, green eyes 24s
Keysi F 17 5'7" athletic, brown hair, grey eyes 0s The stillness of Neianth's conciousness reaches out like a single droplet falling into that perfectly reflective pool, distorting shapes, sounds, thoughts. But it's gentle, reaching, the first of the ripples touching but not pressing. A request's search. His mind's voice, however, a weighter thing, commanding even if he does not mean for it to be so. « Arekoth. » He seeks, pleasantly calm in this moment. Serene likely because of bodily exhaustion from so many hours in a day already used. « Mine seeks words with yours. Does he have time to meet with us? » (To Arekoth from Neianth) To Neianth, Arekoth's focus was elsehwere, and was intense; the frigid cold of it transfers to the touch that acknowledges the younger browns, and there's a faint glow of Aurora behind that first answer of, « Neianth. » The sensations almost instantly, gone from the next, « You don't fly with her yet, do you. » A beat. « Good thing we've got stairs. » Another beat, and then exasperated: « Although I guess it's more proper if we come to you. What do you need, anyway? » Colloquial, a bit abrupt, but friendly. Although not typically a patient beast, Neianth's presence lingers with those ripples continuing on in steady, drifting patterns. After Arekoth speaks, the young brown responds in his all-encompassing manner, « Not yet. » Is given first in reference to the flying, though the hints of peaked mountains rising out of mist-filled valleys summaries the wish that they were, « We can come to you if it is less a hassel. She only wishes to speak of his experiences. In reference to the string added to her knot. » (To Arekoth from Neianth) « Go figure that he'd think a young girl coming into his weyr would be inappropriate. Whatever could possibly happen. » It's drawn out, that one word, and there's a laugh behind it. The sense of Arekoth stirring is just that; a restlessness that doesn't quite work itself into imagery, but can be felt. « His experiences. Official ones? Has she eaten recently? We have to meet Kavith later. » The image of the bowl beyond the Snowasis is shared. The place as Arekoth knows it. (To Neianth from Arekoth) « Official ones, with unofficial opinions. » Neianth is amused, his reflective pools choppy and disturbed with the sense of laughter. « I think he is safe with her. She has no intention- » The young brown drifts off, considering Arekoth's implications. Now that is a topic she has never once brought up, and muddled confusion takes the place of the earlier feeling of laughter. « She has not eaten. » Confidence returns upon a question he can answer, with the sense that he's moving as well- grounded as he may be still. Brief time lapses as he conveys private messages before his vast mind again reaches out, « She says she does not need to eat. As always. But we come. » (To Arekoth from Neianth) To Neianth, Arekoth projects « Good. Us too. » Although H'kon and Arekoth have the benefit of flight, and thus, speed, there's also the time required for the brownrider to gather his things into a satchel, and ensure he's left a note for his weyrmate as to his whereabouts. Domestic details. Arekoth arrives in the area outside the Snowasis fairly shortly after the arrangements have been made, though not as quickly as if they'd just taken off from their ledge right then. H'kon, for whatever concern it is, has it in his mind to wait until such time as he's seen Keysi, before proceeding in. And waiting means brow-furrow. Because it cannot occur without thinking, also, prepping for... well, what, he doesn't rightly know. Keysi arrives into the Snowasis with steps swift with purpose and intended destination. Even for one so focused, so driven, the sheer amount of time required for training makes time management difficult even for the most efficient as she used to think she was. She carries a satchel too, overburdened with charts, maps, scrolls, and he likely won't be waiting for more than the difference of time walking across the bowl is versus flying. And she has a quick pace, short of outright running. "I am sorry to call after you. I'm sure you are busy.." She starts, her words as rushed as her gait as she sidesteps a patron or two to close some distance. Keys catches her flurried words, closes her eyes briefly, takes a breath and shakes her head slowly. "Sorry-" Stop apologizing. "...I was wondering about your experience as wingsecond." The task of finding a table registers once Keysi is making her way towards him; it's temporarily shelved once more, as the weyrling starts to speak. There is much to be said for their shared experience, that the older brownrider simply waits - even as she's slowing down and that breath does, technically, give him time to interject - until her point has been reached. Keysi has earned some patience that others may not so readily receive. Still, however, H'kon's responses remain curt: "Ah. Good." His satchel is tapped. "I have some of it with me now." Okay. Now table. Not usually one to be flustered, Keysi's grey eyes drop to the intended table in self beratement. Stern intensity still paints her, even if exhaustion haunts right behind it. Once she has a chance to collect herself, she follows to a table, quiet in that period drowned in thought. She pulls a chair out just enough to slide into it, the heavy bag looped over her shoulder dropped with a dull thud of hide on stone. "There's nothing terribly pressing." Is added, her tone unfluctuating as always. "But if I could get to you while there was some down time on both our parts, I thought I would try. And Neianth, well, he is more than willing to push me to be the best but he cannot coach me in wing theory." H'kon's movement to the table, to sit at it, is all particularly efficient, a mood carried over from when he'd been interrupted at his own table at home. It was still work, there. It's still work, now, for the most part, although the weyrling across from him is given a more considering sort of look. "Ah," again. "Good," again. Eyes track to that knot on her shoulder, and that even earns a bit of a smile, that one that pulls into the corner of his face and looks a little bit painful, but comes with the short nod, so surely is intended. That's the praise she gets; and then, he's opening the satchel. "I'd been reviewing a drill schedule for Alpine. Wing theory, I suppose." Hides are withdrawn. "Do you change it much? Given there's no thread, outside of drilling with rope I suppose it's hard to test new..." She drifts off, as if deciding the importance of her question is negligable. Given their history, Keysi is comfortable enough with H'kon's brief responses, settled into getting to the point herself and not missing the short smile awarded in her direction. As he pulls out the hides, her attention is dropped to them, focused. "I've been to a couple of the wingleader meetings, but I am.. not quite caught up enough to understand the why's. What exactly are your duties to Alpine?" She's all-business now, but there's a question lingering on the tip of her tongue, restrained for now. "Hm," acknowledges each question in turn. H'kon gathers his thoughts, though, before even attempting to answer. Those hides are set out beneath his fingertips on the table, but not yet passed toward the weyrling. "The wings of course are now more independent of each other, without Thread. There's more freedom for each to pursue what they will. With Alpine, Y'rel and I have divided the task so I focus primarily on maintaining the wing as a whole. We've been involved from time to time in politics beyond the Weyr, but mostly it's a matter of running drills, maintaining our standard - higher than some - for drills that I should hope would prove useful even in Thread time. We work together less on the policy of the wing's actions. But Y'rel is the wingleader, and I am his second." So there's not (much) complaint there. "Do you ever drill together with the other wings? To compare, or... do the 'leader meetings serve as as much comparison as they desire to have." Keysi sits back a little bit, forcing patience. Everything's been so full-speed ahead in the past sevenday, she's notably having trouble finding the off button. "And Y'rel doesn't maintain the wing?" Calmer, and shortly distracted as a tray of drinks are brought over and offered to them by one of Snowaisis' bartenders. Intense grey eyes look up at the older woman briefly, a moment's consideration to decline before stomach growling and parched throat speak for her. A mug steaming with klah is defeatedly taken. And of course, the woman waits long enough to offer something to H'kon or take a request- silently as she may be. The distraction seems necessary, and the second topic is touched upon, "How have you been?" Slightly out of order as that question may be. H'kon simply nods, yes. "For different reasons. Some - Iceberg is one - will drill with others to test themselves. It's good for wing spirit, to have competition. But it's also good for Weyr spirit, in a way. Or, can be. What I try for in our drills is to see to unity in that way. Not just that, but chemistry. A wing that works well together, that cannot do otherwise. Even moving in formation can create bonds in other walks. Understand, Y'rel allows me freedom there, but he shares in the task, so far as leading, and seeing to discipline, are concerned. So I have sway over what I wish to accomplish-" and where he might have said more, H'kon breaks when that server arrives, and reaches for klah, following suit. But he's a long night ahead of him. (Longer than even he knows...) "Hm?" as he's sipping it, piping hot. Leather-mouthed. "Well enough. We carry on with this, mostly. With family, the rest." Eyebrows lift, and serve to return the question to the weyrling while he takes another hot sip. "He will like that." Keysi says, quieter than the rest as if primarily a sidenote to herself concerning Neianth. Really, that's a 'we' considering the spark that's in those otherwise stonecold eyes of hers. "I suppose, one of the whys I've not yet encountered is why there are different ways. Should there not be a tried and true method? They flew thread for turns, and surely there were less casualties one way than others." The weyrling brownrider leaves it there, having spun enough considerations for reasons- dragon makeup, rider personality, state of the Weyr- to likely make it more than necessarily complicated. She cups the mug in both her hands, warming her fingers through the ill-fitted riding gloves that are partially consumed by the moderately oversized hand-me-down riding jacket. Eventually, she'd sip but leave her studious, penetrating gaze for the dark liquid. Keys is well aware of his method of returning her question, but she only offers another question in stead of her own answer. "Do you talk about what happened with Arekoth?" The subject matter is implied. [Monitor] Dee has connected. "Thread, I think, could change, though. One fall to another. One key wingrider being out for one reason or another. Scrambling to adjust. Evolving, also, I should think, as better methods were found. And now, there needs to be focus on other things as well, lest we become obsolete before our true purpose returns. Here," added as he shifts the hides over at his fingertips, sliding them across the table toward Keysi. "Look at those. You know my reason for choosing them. See it there, perhaps." There's a beat for her question, a darkening of his brow... and then, matter-of-factly, "Arekoth was with me for it all." Keysi sets her mug down off to the side, placing her fingers on the edge of the offered hides to pull them that much closer to herself. She studies them, considering, "No matter what other usefulness we can offer, I suspect it should never take second place to practicing these near perfectly in order to pass them on." To save lives, later. The reply is mechanical, searching for his agreement or disagreement and why- though everything may sound mechanical with her level voice threatening on the monotonous. Her interest is without question earnest. There may be a secondary reason for meeting him, but it is just that- secondary. "I haven't spoke to Neianth about it. I thought it might have been better if I'd had a dragon. Now I realize I'm glad I didn't." Although H'kon is, well, H'kon, she still looks up to study his reactions, his thoughts. "Hm," is agreement, and one that seems to H'kon so obvious it warrants nothing more than that favourite syllable, that single nod at which he's so practiced. His brow maintains its furrow on that latter question. He slowly, slowly lets out a long exhalation through his nose, more noticeable for the slight drop of his chest than any overt noise created by it. "I could not say what it was, to be there without one. I cannot accurately recall a time before him." It's a push, to get out, "I was nearer those I care for most, and farther still away, through him. Nearer him, and farther away, also." A finger is very slowly tapped once, twice, three times on the hide. Memory stretched from turns of healer study makes the looking over the Alpine wing's hides useful to a degree. She won't be able to remake them by any means, but should the patterns come up again, they'll remain familiar. "But you couldn't be with him, and he could not help you." There's some strain there, as if she's still in this moment working around saying anything directly. "I suppose at least he could be with those close to you." She says the latter part as if it's something unfamiliar. Her history never divulged even in all that spare time they had together. "Would you let time pass and fade the memory or.. confront it." Options she's been toying with for some time, on a number of things. "No," H'kon agrees. "And we were confronted by that constantly. There was no normalcy." Stated simply, as the fact it is, but still with that heavy expression to his face. Then again, H'kon is, well, H'kon. How much can be read into it all? It's her last words that bring about a (slight) change to his face, a bit of a squint, at the corners of his eyes only. "Memories are strange things. Calling them up can change them so as to make you uncertain of them. Time, also." With a slight forward shift in his chair, "Does your Neianth react, when you think of it?" Keysi listens. Intense, studious, grey eyes simmering with a coiled impatience. Although concern doesn't display itself on her expressionless face, her increasing spans of silence demonstrate it just fine. "Explosively." Is her short answer, somewhat quieter in volume. "I shared pieces, by accident, of other things and I didn't have a pillow anymore." An example. "He is... getting better as he gets older. More patient, more amendable to things that don't go his way. But I dislike making excuses for my hesitancies or why I suddenly stop a train of thought I have. I feel like I'm lying to him." The weyrling brown had been silent, spending his time flying from one unoccupied ledge to the next. Practicing, always practicing. For the most part, he let Keysi have her time uninterrupted. He wants nothing more than for her to succeed in her studies. However, discontent rising in his rider makes him less aimiable to focus on his own practice. Distorted waters seek Arekoth again, this time not so serene. Dark, lacking their reflection, murky and thick like swamp water replacing his fresh water pool, « Mine seems upset. Is yours upset? Is thread theory intended to be upsetting? » (To Arekoth from Neianth) H'kon's lips press, almost a smile again, but also... not. He reaches for his klah, not nearly so hot now, and takes a steady drink. "I could never hide things from Arekoth. It is near anticipation, on his part, foreknowledge." Fingers stay resting on the outside of his mug even once he has set it down. One eyebrow lifts, faintly. "Do you expect your experiences to upset him irreparably?" To Neianth, Arekoth is faintly cool now, and relatively calm. There's the slightest aura of caution in his answer of, « They're not talking about the wing now. » "I do, if not from the cave-in, for my time before the Weyr." She offers no details, as she never has. Keysi's eyes take on the classic rider's glaze, Neianth not being quite so considerate now even before Arekoth's cautious reply. "No." She says outloud, her expression suddenly expressive with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. Attempting to have him go back to his practice is fruitless. Distracted, the words she speaks next are to H'kon, "I was hoping to speak longer but I.." She shakes her head, recollects and continues, "I suspect I will have to go soon." H'kon nods, and stands; not to go himself, but as a courtesy to the young weyrling who seems ready to leave the table. "Go see to your dragon," has the sound of a dismissal; the personal comes in after, when he seeks her attention with, "Keysi." And looks at her straight on. "They may not know all memories, but I cannot believe there is a dragon who doesn't know old strains or scars." Careful, for certainly the brownrider can only claim to be privy to one traumatic experience. "I would think it better not to stress old injuries for longer than need be. He may know more already than you suspect." The chair slides back with assistance of one hand on it and again, out of efficiency, only enough to allow Keysi to stand. She takes a step, only to remember the satchel she'd left on the floor. It's just as swiftly slung over her shoulder. There's a sense of relief at his dismissal, be it barely discernible in her controlled demeanor. "Thank you for your time." The thank you for his advice is implied, and she hesitates a moment at the last of his advice. Considering it, and giving further words of her own a moment's thought. The weyrling thinks better of it; she's yet to tell him how significantly his wise words before had impacted her, but now doesn't seem the time. Instead, she nods, a small smile passing over her too-serious self before she turns to depart the Snowaisis with as long a stride as she entered it. |
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