Logs:Visiting High Reaches
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| RL Date: 26 September, 2008 |
| Who: Paige, Sunniva, Lorne |
| Involves: Fort Weyr, High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Paige travels to High Reaches to convey congratulations to Sunniva in person. Lorne gets a ride to egg-oogle from the galleries while the young greenrider does her best to reassure her friend as they discuss candidacy, Impression and expectations. |
| Where: Hatching Galleries, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 8, Month 11, Turn 17 (Interval 10) |
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| Tiasheth> Deep in the bowl, there's deeper mud. And dragons. And more mud. And Vrianth eyeing Tausreth's latest creation, though another's arrival will have her staring up all of a sudden. Tiasheth> Tausreth *is* sorry for that flicked glob, really. Even if he's laughing on the inside, too. His eyes whirl delightedly, and he squishes his paws through the mud again, happily making slurping noises. His mind reaches out to Vrianth, cheerful, friendly, inquisitive, and with the same offer as before. Mud? It doesn't have to be mud-weyrs, it can just be squishing it with paws. Tiasheth> Tiasheth's arrival is a quiet one, wings carrying the petite, dappled green down to the bowl floor in a smooth enough glide. Talons squish into the mud as she briefly crouches to let off two women, one particularly miniature; they head for the galleries. She, meanwhile, gives a delighted look to the softened earth, pulling a bit upward to peer more closely at it while her head turns slightly to offer a polite greeting toward those dragons who are nearest. She'll have to be forgiven for not joining in the slurping or glob flicking, however. Cleaning. That's the duty Sunniva was given today and it's one she's taken happily; blissfully, by some accounts. For the moment, however, she's simply on an early afternoon break, having claimed a seat at the front row and quietly leaning forward. A blank expression is on her recently washed face, freshly scrubbed hands resting on her lap; her eyes are aimed at the eggs, but her thoughts are clearly elsewhere. A bucket with cleaning supplies is beside her, of course; ready to be used when it's time to go back to work. Shedding helmet and goggles on her way up into the galleries, Paige isn't unaccompanied on her visit to High Reaches; with a young girl in tow, the greenrider's steps pause upon catching sight of the sands; there, the clutch. Eggs, mounds. Something softens her patient expression into one of fondness before she turns toward the front row, perhaps with the intent of claiming a seat - and promptly beams, smile suddenly very, very wide. "Sunniva? Yer - yer really here?" "I mean, you want their legs to be straight, but it always seems so funny to me because the Herders say that a slight toe-in makes for a gentler ride. Weird right? A deformation makes it more comfy to ride them. But, I've never really noticed. Sadie's comfortable enough, and I've ridden just about *every* runner there..." Lorne continues to chatter non-stop about various Runners she's ridden, how they differ from each other, and whether or not she feels it has anything to do with the shape of their hooves. She's absorbed in her passion, whether or not her companion is even paying attention, and doesn't stop until they're well within the Hatching Grounds and Lorne has a good view towards those eggs. That, at least, shuts her up. Until the other viewer is addressed. "I know you!" she declares with delight. "Well, your sister. Your Fiorella's sister." Tiasheth> No mud-weyrs. Certainly no slurping. Though Vrianth might glance briefly at Tiasheth, and then lean into Tausreth's thoughts, and flex her claws more fully into the cool damp mud. Like so. Tiasheth> There's a friendly greeting from Tausreth, and his head, mud dripping from throat and chin, swings around to regard the new arrival. He's cheerful enough, and extends his touch to include Tiasheth's mind, gentle and inquisitive. Another squish, and Vrianth gets a glance, amusement dancing in both his eyes and his mind at her claw flexing. Mud. Mud is fun. With a delighted, though checked, bugle, he flips over onto his back and wiggles his wings into the mud. Muuuuuud. Hearing her name jars the young woman out of her daze, a smile automatically rising to her features before she turns in her seat to see who spoke. That automated smile making a subtle transition into something far more genuine the moment recognition hits. "Oh! Paige! Yes, I- I suppose I am, aren't I?" Sunni laughs, her smile almost matching Paige's own as she rises to her feet and lifts a hand in a wave. Green eyes flick from the greenrider to the girl with her, her smile waning just a little. "Oh, Ella has made friends already? How lovely," she observes, dipping her head slightly before motioning to the bench she's been sitting on. "I had thought she would have returned to the Hold by now." Tiasheth> Mud, indeed! The clump that rests in Tiasheth's paw gets squished back into the ground, followed soon after by all of her talons sinking more deeply into the ground, not unlike Vrianth's. Mud is fun. And squishy. With such a nice, fresh earthy sort of scent - or at least, so she opines. Tiasheth> There's mud and there's mud. And then there's clawing it and rolling in it, and so what Vrianth does is absent herself: but not before flicking not just her tail but her paw, with mud this time, at his already-muddied belly. That much of his game she'll play. And /then/ go. Away. "Yes," says Lorne, certain, "She did say that Berit was trying to send her home. Erm. Weyrwoman Berit." Proper titles, yes. She gives Sunniva a bright grin and decides, "She might be a friend, maybe. We shared a meatroll, at least." For whatever that is worth. With no more interest in the conversation, Lorne thumps herself down into a seat and turns to study the eggs with intense scrutiny, lips pressed into a thin line of concentration. "Y'are!" Paige repeats, enthused. "I'm so happy fer ya, Sunni!" Truly, happiness personified, she makes to grasp the other girl's hand warmly, eyes bright. "Whatcha think o'ev'rythin'?" she wonders, giving Lorne a cheery grin as the younger girl situates herself to better study the eggs. On the matter of Berit and Fiorella, she's silent - perhaps tactfully so. Perhaps uncomfortably so. Or, more likely, she's just trying to stay out of another family's matters. Nor does Sunniva seem to have anything to say on the matter of Berit and Fiorella, though her mouth presses into a flat line before that smile is renewed. That is left aside for now, leaving the girl to look at the eggs without interruption. Paige's hand is happily clasped in both of her own, hands cool and trembling just a little. That little tremor is stilled soon enough and she answers, "Thank you, Paige. I- I rather do not know, honestly. There are days when it does not seem so bad and then others-" she shudders "-they have me hunting /tunnelsnakes/ of all things." She wets her lips, smile strengthening just a little, "I do hope that I do not disappoint anyone." Paige's grasp increases gently at those small tremors, brows drawing in slightly, but only just. "S'all awful overwhelmin', " she says softly, mouth quirking upwards again at the mention of tunnelsnakes. "Huntin' 'em ain' so bad, I hear. S'good if'n y'can find someone with a - cleaner chore and trade off with 'em. Least, s'how I got by. Never was keen on a'huntin' them 'snakes. And Sunni, " and her tone remains pitched low, understanding, "I - I was awful scared o'tha', too. Lettin' folks down. M'folks, m'family. Maybe Teusath was wrong, searchin' someone like me. Maybe - maybe I wasn' good 'nough." Her shoulders lift slightly. "S'normal, I reckon, t'not wanna let anyone down. If'n s'any help, I dun think y'will. Jus' bein' here as a cand'date - s'an honor, yeah?" "I could not find anyone, else I would have traded," Sunni laments, mouth pulling to a side. Her grip tightens just a touch, her features drawn into an expression that lingers between concern and understanding; worried and listening. "Oh, Paige, and you have lovely Tiasheth to show for it," she finally murmurs, daring to smile, if just a little. "Wroth seemed so ... intent and I could not say no -- but I suspect Berit is not terribly pleased and D'kai-" her smile falters, she shakes her head, and continues, "-but, yes, I suppose you are right; it is an honour, to be asked to do this. It still makes the waiting so- so dreadfully /difficult/." Paige grimaces sympathetically, head shaking a little. "Tha's too bad, " she commiserates for the chore, expression brightening considerably as the other girl, too, smiles. "I do, " she says quietly, grin widening. "T'aren reckoned 'twould be a fine way t'get me t'dismiss m'idea 'bout all women in Weyrs bein' loose." And here she is, one of them. Just not so loose as the ones she was taught to fear. Her brow furrows a bit; Berit, displeased, and D'kai - what? "But 'twas yer choice t'make, " she murmurs at last, "jus' yers." Not Berit's. "Deke'll come and visit ya, I'm sure o'it, " is added brightly. "The waitin' does get kinda hard, but the chores do pass the time. And I'll come and visit ya more, if'n y'like. Jus' gotta keep ya from a'meetin' m'brother." Annoyance twists at her grin, just a tad. "'Less he's still got his Istan girl." "Loose?" pipes up Lorne, having caught a bit of the conversation. "Who's loose?" Her face turns to regard the older pair with curiosity. "I hate tunnelsnakes too. Thankfully, they don't like the stable, so we don't see many there. They can scare some of the runners, though, when they do show up." "Oh, oh I see," she murmurs with a slight nod, her gaze tracking briefly from Paige to the eggs -- such a wary look, that, as if the eggs might just hatch right now -- and then back again. "It was my choice, yes, but-" but nothing; she has nothing to follow the word with and she shrugs instead, finally removing one of her hands to reach up and fuss with her hair. Sunni hazards a small smile, "He said he would, so that is something of a relief. And oh! If you would, that would be wonderful!" She brightens considerably, a look that dissolves into confusion. "Oh?" A beat longer ... and realization. "Oh." To Lorne, she comments only, "Yes, tunnelsnakes are dreadful things, but they are fortunately easy to dispatch." No comment on loose women from her; she's blushing a bit at the very topic. "Be more'n happy ter, " Paige says more cheerily, giving Sunniva's hand another brief squeeze before releasing it. The 'I'm here if you want to talk about it' is likely implied; pivoting slightly toward Lorne, she nods in support of the candidate's tunnelsnake statement, cheeks pinking a bit at the query about loose women. "Everyone, " she says then. "I mean - s'what I used t'think. We was always told tha' women in Weyrs are - y'know. Loose. I - still dun understand how y'can be, outside o'flights." Still, she flushes, too. Lorne makes a face at the tunnelsnakes, but the conversation of loose women is far more interesting to the pre-teen. "Why would they be /loose/? My mom said birthing me was the worst pain ever, why would girls run around /wanting/ to.. ya know. Sleep with guys." Birds and the bees. "Are you loose?" she asks the pair of them, glance flicking between the two with genuine interest and not an ounce of embarrassment at her question. Whatever she was going to reply to Paige with abruptly dies in her throat as the young girl turns the most unspeakable question to her. It's a good thing the benches are right *there*, because otherwise Sunni would have hit the ground and that would have been awful. Instead, she hits heavily, with uncharacteristic gracelessness, and blurts a horrified, "Oh, /no/. No, no, no. I am Holdbred." That ought to explain it all, really. That and her wide-eyed, unspeakably distraught expression at the very /thought/. "I have scarcely even kissed anyone, let alone engage in /that/." Perhaps a public venue isn't the best place for this conversation. Paige, too, drops down into a seat, but considerably more slowly than the other holdbred girl, rosiness remaining brilliant. "Ain' loose like tha', " she says at last, keeping her composure remarkably, at first. "I - I'm committed to one person. Ain' never been with anyone else." Then, more quickly: "M'brother, now. He's - a good example o'what s'like bein' real - like tha'. Gen'rally's got someone new ev'ry coupla sevendays." A speck on the bench is suddenly turning out to be really, really interesting. In an attempt to calm herself, Sunniva looks away and toward the eggs, her hands lifting briefly to dry rub at her face. Speechless, at least for now, all she can do is nod at Paige's description and continue to blush furiously over the whole thing. Her expression might say 'pleasantly neutral' but that blush speaks clearly to her embarrassment. Finally, "Oh- oh, Paige, do you see that silvery egg just over there?" Point. "That is a rather fanciful one, is it not?" Paige doesn't look much better, to be honest; she smiles a little, though, one hand momentarily drifting up to play about her heart-shaped necklace before her attention moves to the sands and the indicated egg. "Tha' lil'un, there? S'awful shiny and purty, " she agrees. "Kinda chillin', though, if'n I compare it t'Tiasheth's egg. Hers was - all yeller and green and warm. Like sunshine and a purty day." Lorne has left. Sunniva nods thoughtfully, her hands lacing in her lap. "I rather like it, all the same. That one over there," that would be Beauty's Price she indicates with her chin, "might hold some promise, as well. Or that one," Height of Indulgence earns a nod. She cants her head, eyes widening just a little. "Oh, that sounds lovely. Almost the same colours as she is," is mostly a guess, curiously ventured. "Those're real nice, too, " Paige nods in return, following the other girl's gaze. "'Twas lovely, yeah. Kinda the same colors she's got, least as far as the green goes. It reminds me o'how - how she /feels/, though." And she's quick to supplement that with more details after a thoughtful pause. "She's all - warmth and leaves and sunshine, most o'the time. And chirpin' birds. Like, in a real big forest. -- But jus' 'cause her egg was kinda green dun mean nothin' 'bout how she was. Why, she coulda been - a blue. Or a bronze. Color o'the egg dun tell much 'bout the dragon inside - 'less s'mostly gold, they say." "Oh," is breathed while Paige gives the description, a slow smile surfacing and lingering a while. "She is- that is how she is up here?" is wondered, her fingers coming up to touch her temple. "I suppose that is very fitting; she seems very kind and friendly." Her eyes slip back to the eggs again. "I had wondered about that," Sunniva murmurs as an aside, leaning forward as if that might make it easier to see the eggs. "That is, whether the shell gave any clue at all to the dragon inside." Her lips purse. "I do not think any of them are especially golden, but-" she has nothing to gauge it with and she leaves it there. "Mainly like tha', " Paige confirms, smile tinging fond again. "S'all real soothin', havin' a 'scape like tha' there, all the time." Briefly, her gaze slides out of focus in the manner of one communicating with her lifemate. "She says thank ya, and is glad t'know yer a'doin' well here." Her head tilts a little, pale eyes flicking from one egg to the next. "I dun reckon any o'them are, either, but - who knows." Shoulders lift again. "Reckon anythin's possible, mos' o'the time." Another soft "Oh" and a nod, Sunniva briefly lapsing into silence. Her hands work themselves into a bit of an anxious knot, eyes flicking down, then up again to flash a small, but warm, smile to Paige. "Oh, thank you," is spoken of the relayed compliment, her head ducking, "I just hope this is over soon enough, one way or the other." Back to the eggs again, her hands wringing a bit more. "But I am not sure which way I would rather see things go." "If'n y'dun Impress now, " Paige says slowly, "s'always next time. And y'can come back t'Fort or - stay here or - do whatever y'choose. Wroth Searched ya, Sunni. Y'got somethin' in ya tha' dragons notice; whatever 'tis, they're bound t'notice it again and again, and jus' 'cause y'dun Impress one time - maybe yer dragon jus ain' been shelled yet. Might take some time." She shifts a little. "But, if'n y'do Impress from this clutch ... " Her voice trails off, ending in a little sigh. "'Twill be wonderful, I'm sure." To her way of thinking, it's clearly a win-win situation. "It could also be the only time a dragon would consider the idea of asking me to stand and perhaps he only felt it fitting since I am a Weyrwoman's sister," Sunniva counters with uncharacteristic acuteness, looking to her hands again. "And that- that terrifies me, I suppose, to think that I might let Wroth down if he did choose me on my own merits." Hands open, close, open again. "But if I do not Impress, then I shall be returning to Fort. That is, well," a lopsided quirk of her mouth follows, "where you and D'kai and my sisters are and I would miss you all so much more than I do now." The matter of 'if she does Impress' is met with a helpless lifting of her shoulders. "And if I do, then- I do and I shall have to visit." "I reckon he woulda asked ya anyway, even if Zibeth had been green or blue or brown, " Paige replies staunchly. "With m'aunt on blue and m'brother on brown, ya'd think I'd have Impressed - a blue or a brown in keepin' with the family or somethin' and really dealt a shocker t'm'mama. I know 'tis hard t'think through all o'it, and - if'n y'dun, no one'll think any less o'ya fer not doin' so. I won', anyways. Neither'll Tia. Yer real sweet and kind, Sunni. If'n I were a dragon, I'd want t'have a lifemate who was like tha'. Wouldn' matter t'me none if'n she were related ter a Weyrwoman or a gardener at a cothold." "Perhaps," but on some level, Sunniva's not terribly convinced -- or else she's simply convinced herself of the converse. In either case, all she can do is nod, something she's rather good at by now. "Well, thank you Paige," she murmurs, adding, "And Tiasheth, as well. I just rather hope those dragons are of a similar mind." Or not. Her expression betrays neither hope nor dismay, just a carefully sculpted neutrality. "I am glad you and yours were able to visit and I am sorry I could not tell you I had been searched, but it was all terribly overwhelming and-" she trails off, leaving the rest as nothing more than what might be a mutual understanding of that kind of chaos. After a moment to mull it over, she dares to ask, "Had you ever stood before?" "S'busy time fer ya, " Paige murmurs as the candidate trails off. "I remember. S'all real sudden. And - it goes fas'." Blue-grey eyes lift from the eggs, settling back onto Sunniva. "'Fore - oh." Her head shakes, decisively. "Naw, never did. 'Twas quite a shock fer me. I was jus' a visitin' thanks t'm'auntie, and was a'startin' t'think 'bout stayin' on a bit longer. Teusath's offer decided me. I'd already made a few friends who was already cand'dates - like Nerine and Deke, so movin' inter th'barracks and settlin' in t'do chores with 'em wasn' so bad, really." "Oh, I see. Then you were really lucky, then?" Sunniva considers Paige thoughtfully, a look of sympathy on her face at the general circumstances of her staying at Fort. The last, however, has her frowning just a touch and she admits, "I rather wish I had that luxury of knowing a few people beforehand. I hardly know any of the other candidates, let alone other people here. I keep trying but it seems so difficult to get to know anyone." She splays a hand, as if to count on it; dissatisfied with the end result, that hand curls up again. Paige's shoulders shrug gently. "I guess, " she hazards after a bit. "Musta been. Dun reckon Tia'd have found me otherwise. Or tha' I'd - be so happy now, where I'm at." It's her turn to wear the sympathetic look again; "I could get m'brother to introduce ya t'some folks, " she offers, then. "Though I'd bet they'd all be riders, save the simperin' girls he keeps on his arm. S'gotta be at leas' one nice'un, though." Ponder, ponder. "Well - keep a'tryin', Sunni. Ya and me, we're - kinda shy 'bout meetin' new folks. Sometimes tha' makes it harder, too." More nodding, more acknowledging and understanding noises. And when she lifts her head, it's merely to say, "Thank you, Paige." Her mouth opens as if intent on adding more, but there's a call from the entrance of the sands, a rather amused, "Don't tell me you got to cleaning /all/ the benches in there, Sunniva! C'mon now, there's a mess in the living caverns that could use your help!" Sheepishly, Sunni moves to stand, reaching for her bucket with haste. "Thank you, again. I- I hope to see you again soon. Do take care, both of you." "Y'take care, too, " Paige says earnestly, flashing her a warm smile. "I'll come by whenever I can t'see how yer doin'. And if'n I can bring ya anythin' back from Fort tha'll help - familiar cookies or somethin' - lemme know." Remaining in the galleries until her young passenger is ready to depart, the Fortian spends the interim in much the same manner as she found Sunniva; her eyes are mostly on the eggs, but her gaze remains remarkably absent and thoughtful. |
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