Nightheart

A comfortable nook, this natural extension of the living room is cozily attired with overstuffed chairs and a couple of well-worn loveseats. All have been covered in various shades of green, giving the very incongruous appeal of a miniature forest hidden away inside… a grove of man-made proportion. Fish stews and spicy white-wherry chili are often kept hot on the minor hearths east and west of the main, for those whose hours defy when meals are kept. Ornate, the largest hearth towers high, rich with carving and utilitarian in fashion: it holds court by providing the weyr with rich klah, the air thick with the scent of cinnamon wafting.

Off of sweeps and in for food. It is an early dinner, but an escape from the drizzle of water outside that has D'ex in the Nighthearth tonight. He sits in one of the far corners where he can see the door, his two annoyances laying on his table watching his every move as he eats. He frowns at them, taking another pointed bite of bread and stew. He was not sharing, something that he felt very justified in and his firelizards felt was some of injustice. However, this was his stew. Eyes move away from the begging creatures to a map next to him, scanning it for imperfections and inaccuracies. Hmmmm, it looked okay, but maybe another look over before he turned it in… .

The food and the drinks that are offered in the Living Caverns is not always Talya's favorite. The more cozy discussions here are usually avoided, the Kitten being her usual haunt for the brownrider. However, on occasion she does prefer the quieter company instead of the rowdy riders drinking. She's fresh off from her own drills, bathed and in freshly laundered clothes, and with a big steaming soup carried in one hand with wine in the other. Comfort food, likely. When she gets to an empty cozy chair by the hearth, it's only then that she sees who else is occupying the space. She hesitates, generally used to moving in the opposite direction of this certain bluerider. And then with a loud very obvious sigh she slumps down into the overstuffed seat. Maybe today was made for facing her nightmares. Or just people she doesn't always get along with. No greeting, no nod, just a long swift gulp of her wine.

D'ex doesn't look as Talya enters and gets food. He doesn't look as she approaches or sighs. But he cannot avoid it when she actually sits down. "Hello darling, you better be ordering me one of those if you are going to sit there." The tone is flat, not hostile, but not particularly welcoming either. "Zynth says I should say Hi from him too. So: Hi. From Zynth. He thinks we should hang out more and wants to know if you have been avoiding us. He also says that he likes your dragon and thinks you both should drop by and visit sometime. Because he is rather fond of you and says you should know it." This all comes out in a constant stream, no pause, no change in tone, simply stated, as if D'ex is talking about the weather. "How have you been Talya?"

Talya looks directly at D'ex when he mentions getting him one of those, then makes a point of taking another good sip of it. "I'm not a bartender anymore, if you haven't noticed," she says cooly in reply to that. Setting her wine glass down on the little table beside the chair, she moves to swirl her spoon in the soup, cooling the thing down. Her dark eyes are all on the other rider, as he goes on. And on. Her brow raises a bit higher til they're both practically by her hairline at the end and she's stopped stirring. "I think that's that most you've ever said to me in one sitting without me having to push it out of you. It only took avoiding you any chance I got?" She snorts and looks away, back down at her soup. "Yes, avoiding. Both of you. Had a lot to deal with that I didn't need fighting with a fellow rider in with all the rest of trying-to-stay-alive training." She finally takes a sip of the soup, attempting to relax into her seat. She still looks tense. "I've been alive. And how about you, D'ex?"

Two figures sit at the far end of the Nighthearth, both eating, both tense, and both engaging in the first converstation of months. Stew is on the menu this evening and while the night is young, Talya is already nursing a glass of wine and D'ex is looking rather like he needs one. "Alive. Good word for it." He nods, that probebly was the most he's ever said to her in one go. He shrugs and taps the map beside him, "Work." Jerks a thumb in the general direction of the Kitten, "Play." And shrugs again, "Alive for now. Welcome to the world of the living." He dips his bread into the stew again, taking a bite, seeming to be done talking and turning back to his map.

Talya makes a sort of angry-snorting sound this time, and if D'ex were looking at her he'd catch her shaking her head. "That sounds more like you," she notes about his curt answers. She doesn't bait him, not like she may have once upon a time or even if she were drunk. Old grudges die hard, after all. Still, it's hard to be completely silent. She does give some good annoying slurps of her soupon as she starts to dig in to her dinner. "It's harder than I thought it'd be, staying alive. Even after all the training with the guards. But Tura keeps us both on our toes," she murmurs eventually. "I wouldn't trade him for anything, even if it means being safe again."

Maybe it's the voices that trigger it or not, it's hard to tell, but there's a faint moan coming from behind one of those plush loveseats, between it and the wall there is a gap of a couple feet. slowly fingers appear over the back of the sofa, and then the top of a pale blonde head followed by some forehead, brows and icy blue eyes that are generously blooshot. "Shhhhhh!!!" she hisses, then recoils when the sound seems to reverberate in her head painfully. "Do you fucking mind? Some people are dealing with shit over here!" And by people, she means her, and by shit, she means the almost radioactively glowing green perched over the training grounds and accepting the attentions of many of the younger males. Those poor senior weyrlings.

D'ex is quiet as she speaks, he nods slightly, though the slurp will get a twitch. Eyes narrow and move back toward her for a moment, "You get it now. Congrats." He looks like he wants to go on, but if caught off guard by the moan. D'ex turns, eyes widening before a smile spreads over his face, "Evening Alyna. Get your girl flying and you won't have this problem." For a moment, D'ex unfocuses, as if checking back to make sure that the green hadn't, in fact, actually taken off yet. Zynth is watching. Quiet. Presant, not bothering her, but watching.

"I get something, not sure if it's the same kind of fucked up situation you've got going half the time." Talya shakes her head at D'ex, waiting for more, but thank Faranth for interruptions. Turahaimajusuth is there, wherever she is. He's determined not to miss this one, though for the moment Talya is not concerned as if she knows she doesn't have to worry about a night time flight. Or maybe her soup is just that good. She squints in the direction of the moaning. Looking from D'ex to the source of the sound again. Her brows go back up in surprise. "That is Alyna? Shit, you're not looking your best there, Alyna. Not sure I've ever seen you look like you've been run over by a herdbeast." That may be her last words. And she knows it, grabbing her wine and taking a good swig of it. "And a good evening to you too."

Pulling herself up futher so that her arms are resting against the back of the loveseat, her chin being propped up by her hands, Alyna has to pause then until the room stops spinning so inconveniently. D'ex's reply is met with a rather childish raspberry blown in his direction. "Oh why the fuck didn't I think of that? Shards D'ex and here I was suffering for nothing. It's so simple!" words drip with icy cold sarcasm as she manages to push herself up enough she can brace herself against the wall with a weakly triumphant "Yes!" Reaching in a very practiced way for her back pocket, the greenrider produces a flask that she opens, then brings to her lips for a short swig. Talya's blunt commentary on her state of affaird also gets an impudent flash of her tongue. "Fuck you both very much. With your male dragons. Unless you deal with this shit, you're not allowed to comment, okay?" She bites back before taking another swig and climbing over the back of the loveseat, but catching her foot halfway just sends her carrening foreward, ass in the air and hands catching herself from barely missing meeting the floor with her face. Of course, she's now upside down, and completely tangled with the obstinant piece of furniture. And so she weakly pipes up with a muffled squeak of, "Help?"

D'ex points at Talya, "Don't you be calling my situation Fucked Up. My situation is a Work in Progress." D'ex attention turns back to Alyna, watching without moving, "Happy to be of assistance honey~ I'd love you to fuck me, but you'd had better let me iron your clothing afterward, because you are a disaster." As the greenrider tumbles however, D'ex is up, an attempt to stop the impact misses, but will have him crouching carefully pulling a cusion free and putting it back in it's place, starting to push the loveseat away so that Alyna might have the room to right herself and stand, "Slow down, slow down, one thing at a time."

"Tubers, taters, whatever you want to call it D'ex." Talya is not going to agree with him there, and that may be a conversation she'll have to have another day. Her tenseness seems to loosen up with the presence of the grumpy proddy greenrider. "Love you too, Alyna," Talya says in a sweet uncharacteristic voice. She even makes a kissy face at her friend. "The dragons choose, not like we do. At least Haquith isn't a glowing gold. Speaking of, proddy dragons are certainly sprouting out like weeds. Finally." She doesn't make a move to help the woman, leaving that up to D'ex instead since he is being a gentleman about it. "Been getting some of Th'res special brew, Alyna, or some other swill that has you this hungover?" She leans forward in her seat and squints at her. "Or are you still drunk too?"

With the grace of a drowning wherry, Alyna flails a bit, arms trying to both push her up, and she tries to get her feet underneath her. D'ex's help is actually helpful and it only takes a few choice curses before she has managed to come to sitting on the loveseat instead of thrown across it like a discarded coat. Once there, she slumps low in the chair before running her hands through her mussed up hair. Her peasant top is all askew, and wrinkled as D'ex so kindly pointed out, which she tries to straighten without actually flashing anyone. Talys is shot a look for her lack of help, but does return the kissy face, but sarcastically. "All of the above? It's the only way to stop the incessant buzzing. It can't be more than a couple days now, I'm sure…" She almost whimpers the last before sinking further into that plush upholstery.

D'ex flips Talya off, it is a causal thing, no real malic behind it, but a promise that this is a topic for later that will be brought up again. D'ex will straighten the pillows askew, "Honey, I think you should try to convince your wings to come take you home, kay? I'd offer, but I don't want a green biting my head off for touching her rider. Talya and I will chase you later, but I think you need to sleep." Or sober up. Or something? What did greenriders do while proddy other than being asses? D'ex isn't sure.

Talya finally gets up from her seat, likely because she's finished off that glass of wine already. The soup is set to the side, having slurped as much as she could. "Maybe you should stay indoors for your own safety, a nice ground weyr with one of those little warm baths that they already have in there cause they're lucky?" She tilts her head to the side and studies her friend, then D'ex. "Though D'ex is pretty capable. Can you promise to throw up on him?" Her head jerks suddenly, eyes distance. She blinks a few times before turning back to the other riders. The amused look is replaced with a frown. "Tura needs my attention for something. You two behave, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Because that's a lot of things, of course. "I'm sure I'll run into you next Turn, D'ex, unless you come searching for me." With a wave of her head and a backwards glance, she leaves a friend behind with an enemy— er, aquaintance.

"Call me 'Honey' one more time and you'll be tasting my boot D'ex," Alyna drawls matter-of-factly as she lets her icy gaze rest on the redhaired bluerider. "Wingmates too scared to piss me off. D'har will find me…eventually," the greenrider seems awfully certain about her blueriding weyrmate's ability, and not at all concerned. Then Talya's is leaving and Alyna waggles her fingers in a parting wave. "You stay out of trouble dear! And I hope Th'res liked that new underwear, tell him I accept payment in booze." then D'ex mentions sleep, and that actually sounds like a good idea. "Ohhhh, ok. Sleep is good." And before anyone can do anything, she stretches out, pulling a small throw pillow under her cheek with a murmur.

"Okay, so darling? That one sounds kinda demening how about sweet?" D'ex nods toward Talya as she leaves, "Uh-huh." D'ex unfocuses again, "Ummmm, Zynth will tell D'har's wings where you are then… .give him some time." He blinks a few times and frowns at Alyna, "You sure you don't just want me to take you home? I can if your girl is busy. . or… . ?" Perhaps he hasn't acutally dealt with many proddy greens.

"D'har'll come get me…" Alyna repeats with surety as she shuffles and curls up on her side, one hand under her cheek as she looks up at D'ex with heavily lidded eyes. "It's ok, really. I'm used to to this…and so is my weyrmate by now. We have…an understanding. I try to keep from completely losing my shit and causing a scene, and he is very understanding. Don't worry so much D'ex. You'll get wrinkles…" she points out bluntly.

"Weyrmates are nice like that, but-" D'ex's arms fold, "D'har isn't here. Someone has to worry about you." He doesn't move for a moment, then turns and returns to where he was seated. He takes his mug of klah and puts it on the table-rest next to Alyna's love seat before turning back and returning to his own chair. A quick shift of seats and D'ex can maintain visial on Alyna as he starts to eat again. "Sleep. He'll be here soon."