Logs:Some Things Never Change
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| RL Date: 6 April, 2008 |
| Who: Amerie, N'thei |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| When: Day 1, Month 12, Turn 15 (Interval 10) |
| It's officially winter. The people tramping in from the ledge are dusted with snow, bright-cheeked and grinning, not yet tired of the cold grayness of the season. They're greeted by those already here, hearty hellos and back-claps and eager offerings to partake of drink and company. N'thei's among those doing the greeting, leans at the end of the bar nearer to the ledge with a drink and a handshake for a rider that's just plowed into the room. It might be surprising to see Amerie among those coming in from the cold, a short time after the rider N'thei's greeting - though not with the grinning group, it wouldn't do for her reputation. With the faintest flush to the dark skin of cheeks and nose, she takes a moment to stomp off the snow clinging to her boots, swamped in a wine-colored thick shawl. Passing a look over the cavern, her gaze stops on the bronzerider - and she starts in that direction, though in no particular hurry. Even N'thei has moments of decorum. At the moment, it involves listening to a long story about some girl the bluerider's been trying to woo, appropriate interludes of shock and consternation on his behalf, the end result being that he buys the man a drink and sends him on his way. Some time before the end of the story, he finds time to flicker a smile over his friend's shoulder, to recognize Amerie and promise a be-with-you-shortly. At last free; "All that, and the girl doesn't even know his name. Saaad state, isn't it." Amerie has some patience at least - besides, there's then time enough to unwrap herself from the shawl, run quick fingers through her windblown hair and give the evening crowd another look, after returning N'thei's smile, if briefly. When the bluerider passes, drink in hand, she drifts over to the bar, tossing warmer clothing on a stool there. "It's always the way, isn't it? I've heard the story more than once." Rubbing hands together to warm them, "Have you been here long?" "Somewhere between not long enough and too long." The first part of his answer finds N'thei looking into his mug, not-long-enough, and the latter part sees him turning to face the bar and flag down its tender. "What do you drink, my dove? I'd guess at red wine, but it seems too obvious." Awaiting her response, he hands his empty mug across the bar. "Doesn't that mean it's about time to leave? Is there no in-between for you?" With a slight smirk, Amerie leans against the bar, folding arms over it's top. Giving a sidelong glance, "Too obvious generally, or too obvious for me? And brandy is fine." Her last is to both N'thei and the bartender, though it's the former she turns to after, fine brow arched questioningly. N'thei receives his mug back refilled, looks far more at his ease with the weight of it in hand again. "Never got the hang of the in-between parts." He tracks the brandy from the bottle to the glass to Amerie, something about the whole process dragging a smile out of him, drowned a moment later in his drink. "There's either not-drunk-enough." There's a nod to a prim-looking cook that sits by herself at the end of the bar. "Or bit-too-drunk." A brownrider broken down in heaving sobs at a corner table. Unsurprised, "You don't say." Amerie's dark gaze flickers between N'thei and the glass that she eventually claims, takes a slow sip from. As the pair are pointed out, she watches each for a moment, lips pursing in distaste at the brownrider. "There's those. Though there seem to be more than enough people that manage moderation." A flick of slender fingers towards a table of caverns staff clearly in the middle of an enjoyable conversation, even with a multitude of glasses on the table. "I can't see you ever breaking down in a bar, thankfully. It's a bit - much." N'thei agrees with a grave shake of his head, no breaking down in a bar, thankfully. His eyes follow the flicked fingers toward the just-right conversation, a feat he accomplishes mid-drink. "Moderation. Give it a few hours, wager they get rowdy before the night's over. --You?" He's abruptly turned back to Amerie, tilted an inquiring smile toward her. "Neither blubbering nor bubbly?" Amerie can't help but give another look that brownrider's way, somewhat disgusted and fascinated all at once - alien behavior to her, for certain. Giving the table a last glance, "I'm trying to decide if I care enough to find out." By her tone, not really. With the trace of a smile for N'thei, "Not yet. You could wait and see which. I suppose I haven't actually had that much to drink around you." A pause. "Which is odd." Weary and sage; "You don't." The volume in the room is high enough without a table of rowdy drunks added to it. N'thei gets halfway through a drink when his brows decide to get all knotted up after Amerie's pause-comment routine, glass lowered mechanically. "Why odd? Because you're a lush or I am?" A laugh, he qualifies, "Just so I know which one of us should be insulted." The aborted drink finishes. Diplomatic, "I never said /anyone/ was a lush. But you don't tend to bring me alcohol." The other way around, however... Amerie just gives a little shrug N'thei's way, innocent. Taking another sip of her drink, she adds after, "Why would I insult myself? Counterproductive, when there's people to do it for me." N'thei murmurs a recount of the conversation, one finger held up on his right hand when he comes to 'much to drink around you' and the one finger on his left hand held up on 'which is odd.' He brings the two fingers together, 1+1, and looks across them at Amerie with a really-now lean of his head. "But who insults you, my dove? Name the man, we'll have it taken care of directly." With a tilt of her head and one of her rarer smiles, Amerie looks up at N'thei with exaggerated apology. "Oh, I'm sorry," she offers, hand to her chest and with a pointed look towards emptied mug. "I'll try not to do it again. Are you /terribly/ insulted?" At his last, she can't help but quirk another small smile for that. "Mm. No men in particular, the last time I checked, in any case. I meant more generally. Most often, it's girls." Speaking of. N'thei puts his drink at the edge of the bar, in line-of-sight of the tender, and nods importantly toward it, all the while looking /terribly/ insulted at Amerie despite her pretty smile. "Ah, it's girls. Nothing I can do about that then. Unless perhaps you've a mind to join my self-defense classes? They go swimmingly, you know." He's so straight-faced that he simply must be lying. Despite the call for the refill, Amerie has the grace to look abashed for the terrible insult, though dark eyes don't quite manage to match her expression. If the smile isn't enough to make up for it, she'll sidle in a bit closer to N'thei, for all she has a skeptical look for 'swimmingly'. "Oh, I don't doubt that you're a patient and understanding teacher." Somehow managing /that/ with a straight face, she continues, "Self-defense. Doesn't that amount to run, but if you can't, do as much damage as possible?" N'thei, with a snort; "You'll fit right in." It's an accusing mutter, an unhappy one, but fresh beer and sidling closer go a ways toward putting it out of mind. "What are you doing in here, anyway?" Though he lays a heavy arm across Amerie's shoulders, though he seems quite happy at her presence, a sudden puzzle comes to his voice. "This doesn't seem like your kind of place." He lowers his voice so it's juuust audible when he dips his mouth to the mug again. "Seeing as there are people here." As if to prove the point, "I do like the weyrlings, so far. Despite undue interest in what I've been sewing." In Amerie's world, it seems polite inquiries can amount to prying. At the drape of heavy arm about her, she makes herself comfortable against N'thei, the curve of her hip low on his. "I've been inside all day, so I went for a walk. And I was thinking of a drink." Lifting glass to her lips, they purse at his last. Archly, "Sometimes I like being /around/ people. I like to see what they /wear/." And mock it, likely. With a dark grin, "And sometimes I do nice things. Now we're liars together." N'thei makes it sound like some sort of prize they've won, all bright smiling and congratulatory kissing her temple. More on topic; "I don't like the weyrlings so far. That one lad, E'dre, not so bad. Could do without the rest. You like Leova, don't you?" Foregone conclusion. Giving a smirk for the dark grin, Amerie notes quietly enough not to be overheard, "/Sometimes/ you do. But call us both liars if if makes you feel better." Even so, she leans into that kiss, if briefly, as she sets her near-empty glass down. Nodding once, "I like Leova as much as I like anyone I've known that long." Which does say something. "She doesn't seem to ask too many questions." N'thei smiles, long-suffering, and finishes his drink like he really needed that last one. "Of course you like her." He claps the mug onto the bar, no effort made to get it filled again, though the tender's hovering about all ready to cap it off once more. "And the other one. L'vae. He comes highly recommended." There's a prompt in there, her opinion? Amerie looks up with sympathy for N'thei's pain; to bolster him, she slides an arm around his waist, gives a momentary squeeze. Dryly, "You'll live. It's not as if there's a conspiracy to make your life difficult. Not worth the effort, as entertaining as it could be." Sensing a cue, her free hand seeks her glass, finishing the drink. After, "I haven't seen enough of him yet, but I could make the effort. So far, they've mostly been coming to /me/." As it should be. "But if you're interested..." "He's supposed to be my protege or some nonsense." N'thei hasn't got the grasp of the mentor idea yet, sounds inconvenienced by the whole idea. "Don't bother, though I appreciate the offer. Very charitable of you." Cheek-pinch praise in his tone. Abruptly realized-- "What are they coming to you for?" "And don't you sound thrilled. I'd love to be him." Amerie gives N'thei a wrinkle of her nose, looking up with a shake of her head. "You could at least try to sound interested. I understand there's not much wisdom you do have to impart, but let's pretend otherwise for appearances, hm?" With a sweet smile for the 'praise', she gives a blink at the shift in subject. "I don't think for anything in specific. It just seems that way on occasion; I'm sitting there, and suddenly - weyrlings. The other night at least." N'thei's answer is to wave off the whole subject with an expansive, dismissive, disinterested bat of his hand. Hell with it. Even a sweet smile doesn't warm him to the notion. "You're sitting there. Suddenly weyrlings. You stuck around?" Brows drawn, frown formed, he looks utterly confused at Amerie. "Were you somehow incapacitated?" Arching a fine brow for the bemusement, Amerie says flatly, "I was not /incapacitated/." But when she comes to try to explain further, she takes a breath, then stops to find she can't. Eyeing N'thei a bit defensively, "I was working on something, and they asked questions. I made conversation. It wasn't /terrible/. I can manage to be social." There's a moment before she amends, "I'm getting better at it." Slowly, sloooowly, a smile spreads across N'thei's face. It really grows the more defensive that Amerie appears to be. He waits till she's all done, even the amendment, and only then clarifies his confused questioning. "I meant because of the suddenly-/weyrlings/ bit. I'd have excused myself post haste. Not because you're..." He hedges over the phrasing, eyes bright and resting on the dark girl happily. "Not because you're tremendously anti-social." Amerie doesn't like that smile, however slow or wide it may be; her gaze flicks away down to the empty glasses at the bar - though truth-be-told, if she were that irritated, she would move /away/ from N'thei. "So derisive for weyrlings given you're not /ages/ out of that yourself, darling. You discriminate based on seniority?" A bit arch in her continued defensiveness, his brightened eyes causing her to purse her lips, she just gives him a look before, "They're not horrific." Oh come now. "Don't be cross at me because you imagined that I insulted you when I didn't." N'thei continues to enjoy himself more than he should, to wear that happy-with-life expression, to give Amerie ample other reasons to be cross at him. "No table-turning tonight. Tell me you don't find the whole notion bothersome, these little people who haven't actually contributed anything so far, but they still act like their opinions matter, and they want to ask you questions about things they've got no business poking around in, and they can't keep their dragons from practically attacking perfectly innocent people, and--" He pauses, squints. "I forgot where I was going with all that. Do you want to get out of here?" "I didn't imagine you insulted me, I just - Well, you were the one making comments about my lack of interest in being around people." Amerie isn't so much cross as mildly irritated at this point; equally with herself as she is with N'thei's all-too-pleased expression, for all she can't quite disguise the brightness of her own gaze. It's her turn to listen patiently, beginning to curve a slow smirk when he comes to 'perfectly innocent people' - though she just offers helpfully, "Just tell them to shut up. -- And yes. If you're not going to be /too/ insufferable for the evening." Energetic; "I have! Of course I have. Little bastards." Without a drink to punctuate his vehemence, N'thei's point hovers out there in space without a proper finale. Collecting it back to himself, he stands up emphatically, has to unwind his arm from Amerie's shoulders in doing so; he extends his hand to her in its place. "Never /too/ insufferable. Come. We'll celebrate not being weyrlings." "If they don't, can't you make them run laps or something?" Amerie is fuzzy on the technicalities, doesn't really care by her tone - the weyrlings aren't making /her/ insane. As N'thei unwinds his arm from around her, she does likewise to collect her shawl over one arm, taking the offered hand with barely a pause. "It's something to celebrate," she admits, as they start out. "They were learning about /clouds/." |
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