Who | Alwyn, Br'er, Eiko, Hannah, Kyara, Q'fex, Teyaschianniarina |
---|---|
What | Chaos! Lots of stuff goes down while Teyaschianniarina tries to maintain order. Tries. |
When | It is a winter evening. It is 8:03 PM where you are. There is 1 turn 11 months and 21 days until the 12th pass. |
Where | Living Cavern, Igen Weyr |
Weather | It is Winter and 40 degrees. The sun shines down heavily and the wind refuses to blow. |
Living Cavern
Dim light from hanging glow-globes cannot fully camouflage the ravages of time and neglect on Igen's busy living caverns, though hints of its former glory peek through in the decorative cuts to the cave's natural limestone and the high quality of dusty, tatty-ended tapestries. Here and there, skybroom tables — stained dark by wood finish and a decade of grime — sit in loose groups, flanked by wicker chairs with pointy, broken rattan that pokes out to invariably find unprotected skin. The seemingly randomly placed furniture, however, at closer inspection, forms a sort of cross-shape of negative space. At the northernmost walls and nooks of the caverns, a long buffet table with tarnished lazy susans hosts an array of finger-foods and pitchers for the interested, refilled occasionally by drudges that shuffle in from the curtained entrance to the south, beyond which lies the kitchens. To the east is a large arch leading outside and, across from that, to the west, a set of rattling doors that open to reveal the tunnels and stairs of the inner caverns themselves.
On the perch are Gilead, Milletface, Booger, Rabble, Briony, Lime, Elderberry, and Eggplant.
Teyaschianniarina and Br'er are here.
Obvious exits:
Central Bowl Inner Caverns Kitchens
Surely, the Weyrsecond hasn't been here all day. But here Teya is again: this time it is the dinner hour, and it is a bewildered, pigtailed girl who is cheerfully dismissed from her table and her presence to go find a new home in the candidates' barracks, and explain to her parents how she's standing for a clutch without a gold egg in it. Teya looks satisfied by this; she grins faintly after the newly knotted dragonbait, then bends her head to her notes. One hand scribes down a name, while the other reaches for half a sandwich, barely touched.
Eiko walks in from the Central Bowl.
"Have you seen Bailey? I haven't seen her ALL day LONG and she's supposed to meet me for dinner, and — and — " The terribly earnest, terribly sweet, and terribly obnoxious sound of El'ai follows Hannah through the doorway of the Living Caverns. Looking eerily like Eth'n, only not, the boy seems intent until somehow the junior goldrider uncomfortably extricates herself from the situation with a murmured apology for lack of knowledge of Bailey. Her expression all but says it all, 'go away', to the young bronzerider. Home free, This happens to bring her by Teya's table. "That one is a handful," she comments, adjusting the afghan she's taken to wearing in the walks across the chilly Igen bowls. "Did you get another one?" Candidate, presumably.
Br'er has also been attending to a Searchrider's duties: the pair of sturdy young Keroonians disappearing down into the inner caverns, a headwoman's assistant drafted into serving as their guide, serves as testament. The greenrider lets the woman take his charges with nary a glance back: he is far more interested in scanning the Living Cavern and its contents. Teya, once spotted, brings a half-smile. Hands in his pockets, the man waltzes languidly over. "Ma'am." One hand withdraws, sketching a sleek salute, then resumes its pocketed repose. Hannah's approach is noted, expression wry, but otherwise unacknowledged. Teya is his focus. "Two more with white knots." Without asking permission, he takes a seat.
Thanks to the weyrling who told Alwyn that the Weyrsecond was in the Living Cavern. Ducking back to the crafter's barracks where he's been staying since he moved his things back from when he was a Candidate, the apprentice-harper eventually returns with his shoulder-duffle over one arm and a narrow scroll case in the other. Slowly, patiently, he approaches Teya in an attempt to make certain that she's not up to her eyes in business and things before bowing a geeting, "Weyrsecond…" he begins and snaps to an attentive pose. "…if you have a second, I have a gift for you from my superiors at Benden Weyr."
Eiko had been eating, silently and by herself, in a far away corner. While near-ish to the main Sandblast table, she is quite content to not mingle with the other members of her Wing. She's simply people watching, her eyes intently keen on the Oldtimers in particular. A steely look crosses her face as the Weyrsecond, a freaking female brownrider for fuck's sake, asks a girl (A GIRL!) to Stand. A few deep breathes are taken in through her nose and released through her mouth. All that is tradition, all that is what Eiko knows is blowing up in her face and it makes the woman mightily uncomfortable. Her teeth clench briefly, but relax somewhat at the sight of Br'er, though that does not last long as he seems to chummy up to the (FEMALE BROWNRIDER WTF) Weyrsecond. Eyes close. Open. Close again. That same deep breath. Eiko rises, moves over towards the greenrider, goldrider, and (FEMALE BROWNRIDER!!!!) Weyrsecond. Grit and determination stamped all over her face.
"Goodness, it's like you have a puppy," Teya greets Hannah first, eyes still on the disappearing El'ai for a moment. "That makes my second today," she confirms, and then Br'er brings in two more and it's all she can do to keep from grinning. "Four total just by the combined effort of this table," pleases her greatly, and rather than tell Br'er off for sitting without asking she pushes over her hide (on it, a list of names and points of origin and other brief, sketchy details) and stylus so he can mark his acquisitions down. "At ease, apprentice," she tells Alwyn, the cheerful openness of her expression shifting to something more subdued; something more On Duty. Eiko's arrival earns (her fellow ladyrider!) the brownrider a nod and a faint half-smile of genuine welcome. SOLIDARITY POWER.
"Bailey has a puppy," Hannah corrects, amused. "He is very… fond of his sister." That's a nice way to put it! Is there a Br'er? It's like (annoyingly) Hannah sees right through the greenrider to… Eiko! "Brownrider," she comments, reserved, and possibly taking a step back from the stormy expression on Eiko's face. Alwyn? Glanced to from the corner of her eye, though the junior weyrwoman tugs the edges of her afghan closer and taking a seat as far from — and yet still close to the action — Br'er as possible. Don't mind her. Giving Br'er the cold shoulder.
Skritch skritch skritch goes the stylus as Br'er makes his additions. Rather than passing the hide back - or over to Hannah, who might wish to see it - he takes a moment to peruse it, then lazily leans forward, languidly (accidentally?) placing an elbow on the parchment. Hopefully that ink is dry. Pay attention to HIM, now! "Mm. Weyrsecond, I was going to ask if -" Oh, nevermind: there is an Alwyn. AND an Eiko. The one gets a mild-mannered, welcoming smile; the other, a warm buddy-buddy sort of look. Though she is already heading their way, Br'er takes it upon himself to gesture her nearer, anyway. Hannah, meanwhile… Hannah he ignores.
At the Weyrsecond's approval, Alwyn tucks the slender scroll case under one arm as he reaches into the opened shoulder bag and produces a medium-sized, glass bottle with an elongated, angled neck. The bottle has been fitted with a leather 'harness' of sorts for storage and protection. For those who are afficianados of wine - the shape of the bottle reveals its contents as clearly as if it were a lable; Benden Brandy. The bottle is offered by the carrying strap as the apprentice-harper explains, "Master Harkon bade me bring this to the Weyr. He was worried that the sudden cold of flying on a dragon's back would ruin the flavor and so asked that I deliver it to the…" he pauses a bit and then adds, "…Weyr's leadership. He said to try not to drink it all at once - and never drink it alone."
Q'fex walks in from the Central Bowl.
There are no smiles from Eiko to Teya. Eiko can barely muster the energy to raise her hand to her head and give a quick, crisp salute to the other woman. It feels dirty, sacrilegious, blasphemous, causing the woman to just let her arm fall limply to her side. Her frown deepening even further. There is respect for the knot, but the sheer backwardness of this moment has the woman flustered and clearly agitated. Though she clips her boots together at the sight of Hannah, straightens her back, and is able to clip off another salute, this one much more energetic. "Ma'am!" She says, staring straight forward, in her hello. She relaxes her stance after a moment, turning towards Br'er. "Sir," even if he no longer holds the Weyrsecond knot, the man is still a 'sir' even for a lowly greenrider. "Surely… surely you don't… agree to this?" Eiko tries to keep her voice to a mere mutter, leaning towards the man. "There isn't a confirmed gold egg… they're, she's" A thumb jerks towards Teya, the force of the teeth clench with that gesture causing Eiko's jaw to crunch. "asking girls to stand. Searching women! This isn't… this isn't what was expected…" She's flustering, losing her words, her face turning a perculiar shade of red as she just keeps bumbling over what she is trying to say. "Surely you are not okay with this?" It's a plea of desperation, a plea from one Traditionalist needing someone else to agree about the insanity of it all. And Alwyn, sadly, for the moment being, he is ignored except for a quick glance out of the side of her eyes. At least he's not a girl.
"Oh Eiko," comes the breezy baritone of her eternally dapper (and probably quite sloshed) wingleader, "Lighten up, will you? If they hadn't let skirts Stand then you'd never be one of my own!" Q'fex claps her on the back WITH FORCE, because she's a guy like that, and smirks at Br'er. "Greenrider." He gestures with his wineskin- because he has brought the WHOLE DAMN THING- to Teya, then offers it to Hannah with the half-smirk of devilry that indicates that some lucky lady is probably going to have to deal with a sobbing Q'fex naked and talking about his childhood at some point tonight. "A drink for m'lady?" Alwyn, alas, doesn't reach his state of cognizance. This could potentially be a blessing.
"Hopefully she's as fond of him," is back to Hannah, but it's a bit distracted: there is a greenrider on Teya's records. She doesn't try to pull them out from under him, but she does touch him, and absent three-fingered prod of yes-i-see-you-there-hello acknowledgement that - doesn't actually go anywhere. She just kind of prods and leaves her hand there, while watching Alwyn's presentation. "Oh, yes, that's - send him the Weyr's thanks for his generosity," she tells the apprentice, "I'll make sure N'thu-" doesn't get anywhere near that for a few days yet; the rest of her sentence is drowned out by Eiko. "-with a Pass beginning in just under two Turns, the Weyr's Leadership," not just her! But mostly her, "determined that every eligible candidate should Stand, regardless of their gender." Look, see, Q'fex is totally backing her up, here. At least a the moment. She salutes, neat, and goes back to leeeeeaning her fingers against Br'er in a stealth attempt to reclaim her hide.
Alwyn's gift is watched with raised brows as Hannah tucks her legs up onto the bench to better wrap the afghan around her knees. With the thing as it's situated, all she needs is a hood and she could be labelled as a Wise One. "How long — " the question is interrupted by Eiko's intrusion, pale brows drawing inward as the brownrider takes offense to girls being asked to stand. "Brownrider." The junior's tone holds warning, soft-edged in ire not-yet-realized; "Girls being asked to Stand is just as valuable as boys being asked to Stand." A deep breath is taken, "In fact — " Again, the goldrider's interrupted, only this time by Q'fex. "Why, thank you." graciously, Hannah takes some of the skin and sniffs it. Side-long looks at Q'fex. Sniffs it again. Just in case. Br'er continues to be monitored but not really looked at. They're good at playing this game.
There is a great and deep kindness on Br'er's face, as he looks at Eiko: that's maybe the worst of it. "I think," the man begins, in measured tones - and then there is a Q'fex, and whatever sage advice or subtle manipulation he was about to try for (let's be real, it was probably the latter) is RUINED. The greenrider salutes the newcomer, but he also SCOWLS, openly and blatantly. At Q'fex's stupid face, his stupid wine, his stupid shoulderpat. Way to ruin his flow, ASSHOLE. "Ahem." Riled, the man withdraws his elbow from the parchment (think fast, Teya!), mostly so he can run his fingers fastidiously through his already immaculate hair. After a half-second's furious grooming, his routine calm - and smile - pops back in focus. "Maybe another time, Eiko? I'd really like to talk to you, but… perhaps not at this exact moment?" A half-second's discreet side-eye at Hannah, and the man refocuses on Alwyn, smiling broadly. "Oh, only for the rankers? Pity."
Alwyn glances between Eiko to Br'er and then to Teya with a perplexed expression. One of his best friens was searched and has become a candidate but she was the only one - he thought. Now that the eggs are on the sands and, to his knowledge, not a gold among them…why -are- they pulling in more girls? Very confusing but he's already gotten in trouble for asking questions once. With a brief sigh and his eyes falling to the table's surface until he's spoken to he tries to let all of this go over and around him. His body, still mostly rigid in his attentive posture, is wound a bit tighter in the hopes that the words rolling out of Eiko's mouth will simply slip past him. The arrival of the sloshing Wingleader is something, however, he can't really ignore. The once-and-current harper's apprentice raises his eyes and head to watch the man 'present' himself to the small group of people around Teya's table and can't help but let a smirk out about something in the man's behavior. Quickly the grin is wiped away as quickly as it appears but he has one more object in his hands; the narrow scroll case. The case, just a tube of what appears to be polished bamboo that has probably been used over and over by a dozen different harpers over the years, is capped with a slightly wider section of the large grass to create a fairly tight seal. "This…however," he presents it to her, "…is from me." The case, when opened, reveals an illumination possibly worthy of the history scrolls of the Weyr. The image is that of two gold dragons, one on either side of the pannel with female figures below them; one in a violet dress with dark skin and the other in red with dark hair; the two queens? Below each, within the pannel, is the sigil for Igen Weyr. It would make a perfect starting point for any recount of the events of two queens clutching upon the sand. "My master gave me four bottles, actually. One for friends…one for strangers and one for the leaders…and one broke along the way here but I never understood who it was meant for. He was…vague."
As Q'fex appears and claps Eiko oh-so-manly on the back, the woman's expression goes from hopeful to see her (beloved) Wingleader to being ultimately betrayed in the worst way possible. "S-s-sir." She stutters, shock and horror now overtaking her face as the blood drains out of her head, leaving her just a little bit faint. "You can't, you truly can't, I couldn't believe you'd in anyway agree with this… they are shitting on that which makes us us!" A big, ole steaming pile of shit right on the chest of their Traditions. Hannah gets a glance, the sheer color of the woman's dragon forcing Eiko to hold her tongue in the presence of a goldrider. A nod goes to the younger woman, arching her eyes away from her and back onto Teya. Her mouth is set once more, head simply shaking back and forth, back and forth. "Vergora… Vergora would never approve that. You oldtimers, you are corrupting this Weyr! The very foundation that we have built and strived for and…" She BITES down on her own tongue, causing it to bleed but successfully stopping her rampage. Weyrsecond. Weyrsecond. A wingrider does not backtalk a Weyrsecond. Jerking away from the other female brownrider, Eiko only has eyes for Br'er. The safe haven in this sea of calamity. Her head is nodded with vigor at the greenrider. "H-h-have your green bespeak Imevharameyth when you have a free moment. I'll," A wheezy sound escapes the brownrider's throat. "be around." A flurry of hand movements is thrown all around, basically Eiko quickly and efficiently saluting EVERYONE who has higher rank than her and then she's turning and stalking off, almost running into poor Alwyn without even a glance backwards. Out of the Weyr, away from the chaos, in a desperate attempt to clear her jumbled thoughts and emotions.
Wait, scratch that, maybe it's going to be a MAN holding Q'fex while he breaks down in an emotional puddle of Feelings and Freudian complexes. Dark eyes light on Br'er's anger with knife-keen satisfaction. That's right, boy, you got a purdy mouth. "I— " anything he WAS going to say is annexed by Hannah's taking-up and then HOLDING RANSOM of his wineskin, and he's forced to smile his most charming why-yes-allow-me-to-undress-you-with-my-eyes schmarm. "May I say that you are the most remarkably delicate creature I have ever laid my eyes upon," and because he can't leave that alone, "Eclipsed only by the shadow of your… tremendous lifemate." Dhia. Q'fex just called you fat, yo. And somehow, the balance of his politically incorrect soul still yearns for more chaos, because he assures Teya, "She's just on the rag. She'll get over it."
Teyaschianniarina is trying, oh, she is trying to maintain Dignity in the face of chaos: it drapes around her shoulders like a ragged, tatty mantle, saver for the quick downward motion of her hand to snipe that parchment out from under Br'er's elbow, and anxiously check it over for smudges. She nearly pats it. (She nearly pats him; there are a lot of things she's trying to track, at the moment). "Wingrider-" hangs in the air, and she follows Eiko's exit with fixed expression; it shuts down tight again with Q'fex's comment, which she does not dignify with a response. Out loud. Her posture wilts for a moment, just barely noticeable unless near enough to catch it the moment before she straightens. Puts on her best face. "Yes, well, that was - this is lovely, Alwyn, thank you. Have you given any consideration to the circumstances surrounding your removal from candidacy, young man? I've had someone - who, I'll keep in confidence - come speak to me about it already, but any action needs to come from you," because they're on, they're on, they're on the subject of candidacy, see. "Br'er," comes just as suddenly, and she passes him the bottle she's been given as a gift, "as my predecessor and advisor that's close enough to rank, it-" glance up, glance back to the assembled around her, "-seems like now might be a good time, after all."
Does Hannah just go ahead and stand up on her chair? Yep. Time to gain some altitude to the rarified air up here. "Did you just," words come, snipped out, angry, "make a derogatory comment about Eiko's personal," how does one confront such a topic, "business?" Tight fights clench around the neck of that wine skin, choking the life out of it while holding it hostage. "Weyrsecond," oh was Teya trying to do something with Alwyn? Divert, divert! (Maybe) "I think your wingleader is out of line." Or maybe he's too hot to handle. Br'er — on there Br'er is. "Well?" Did the world just end? With Hannah looking at Br'er expectantly. Alwyn, poor Alwyn, is flotsam caught up in the chaos, though the junior weyrwoman eyeballs him from the corner of her eye while taking a teeeeeeeeeny, tiiiiiiiiiiiiiny little sip from 'Fex's wineskin. She's totally watching him now.
"You shouldn't play with a spooked tunnelsnake," observes Br'er to Q'fex, rather hypocritically: he's the one who keeps pushing people (okay: women, mostly, he never does seem to pull this shit on dudes) until they hit him, after all. He is still TOTALLY scowling, though there's maybe a smidgeon of friendliness, amusement lurking. Maybe it's just seeing the bronzerider rile up Hannah that's doing it. Because the greenrider is taking DEEP PERSONAL PLEASURE in seeing her angry - at someone else. And yet! The young weyrwoman's expectant look at him makes the delight fade, inch by inch, replaced by a deep-seated uncertainty. He pauses. And takes the bottle from Teya, on a stall. A sip is knocked back, eyebrows lifting appreciatively - "Oh, my compliments to your Master, apprent - say, weren't you just a Candidate?" - and then he takes another, allowed to linger a few contemplative seconds. Finally, mildly: "Q'fex has always been an asshole, Weyrwoman. I don't think that… was very kind…" and oh, he is choosing his words carefully, here, "… but being Sandblast's wingleader is already enough punishment for any man."
Kyara walks in from the Inner Caverns.
Alwyn nods to the Weyrsecond and offers, "I have, Ma'am. I…," his bright blue eyes side-glance to Br'er and then down to his feet, "…need to learn that my…natural curiosity has a time and a place. Though a benefit as a Harper it…is troublesome as a Candidate. I…" his voice waivers as the cool facade of his rigid posture starts to show the faintest cracks, "…find it difficult to supress the one to become the other - but I will learn." With that he takes a deep, soul-sucking breath and lets part of it out before adding, "I-if…there's a place for me on the Sands." He is a picture of repressed emotions; fear of missing out on the opportunity to be bonded to a dragon, curiosity about how the others are acting with each other and yet so much going on around him is completely over his head and shame that someone - and there's no doubt in his mind - had spoken with Teya about him. Well…maybe a little doubt that gnaws at the corner of his thoughts - evidenced by his eyes circling the room while the attention is focused somewhere else.
Okay, so this probably isn't the BEST COURSE OF ACTION, but who ever said that Q'fex was likely to engage in those in the first place? When Hannah CLIMBS onto that seat, it starts. His lips… they start twitching. Dark eyes laugh. A muffled noise, kinda porcine-ish. His shoulders shake. (He is, actually, a good mirror for poor Teya, in some aspects, though his — is more pointed. More inebriated!) His eyes GLEAM at Hannah. "Oh my loveliest ancient rose," dude, she's old enough to be his umpteenth great-great-infinity-great grandmother, "You are so beautiful when you're irate." He LEANS in towards Hannah, swaying as if drawn by the magnetic force of her RAGE. "If you'd like to beat the derogatory comments out of me, my dearest goldrider, I'll be in my weyr." Luckily he doesn't lick her face. If it was Br'er, he probably would. Speaking of: he has an entirely similar gleam for that candid soul. "I could show you real punishment." He twitches fingers towards he knot, just to see the atavistic fear. Hahahahaha. Br'er, Sandblast Wingleader. "Hey," to Alwyn, "Lighten up, kid, 'fore people start mistaking you for a girl." All that emotions and shit. And before Hannah can DECK HIM with a shoe, he's swaggering out. IE: drunken Q'fex curling into a fetal ball, D-thirty minutes.
Teyaschianniarina is not quite the center of attention, nay, but she is the center of a knot of chaos at the moment: irate Hannah on her chair, confronting inebriated Q'fex before his exit. Br'er, at her side - her left, for all that she seems to have appointed him her right-hand man; Alwyn before her, penitent. "Faranth's tits," she whispers, asides to Br'er as she reaches for and steals back the bottle gifted the weyr's leadership by Alwyn's Master; she sips, fortifying, then passes it back. At least Hannah still has Q'fex's wineskin. "That was uncalled for," she interjects, "all of that - Hannah, ma'am, if you could-" sit down. "-thank you. Apprentice," she doesn't grind her teeth, but there is a breath caught between them, "an important lesson to learn whether you are Harper or potential dragonrider is both when it is wise to ask quesitons, and when it is wise to keep your curiosity to yourself and listen. You must write a formal apology to Wingleader W'rin for your insubordination and impertinence, and you're to work with him whenever his schedule allows; you'll also write to the rest of the Weyr's Leadership, outlining what this experience has taught you-" deep breath, Teya, you can do it, "-and if the determination is made that you actually have, your knot may be restored to you." This delivered, she takes that breath and lets it out with a whoosh, "Dismissed. Or- at ease," technically, not actually under her supervision, "or - something."
"Not nice?" Hannah's voice manages to stay modulated only just barely, shoulders almost trembling in her affronted rage on the long-gone brownrider's behalf, though it's really for all females — Teya included! — that she takes umbrage. "You're getting on up in years, greenrider, so how's about we parade about the sagginess of your virility when you reach that age and just — " whatever example she was about to make is HALTED by Q'fex's leering half-lean into her, before shuffling out. She hops on one foot, afghan fluttering to drape on the seat of the chair she's standing on, to yank of her shoe. Taking aim, she lets that shoe fly STRAIGHT for the back of Q'fex's head. "I'll sit down." Ominous words as she then walks down the line of whatever free chair she can find — does one of them happen to be across Br'er's lap? She's not really watching where she walks — in an effort to go after Q'fex. "Oh I'll beat them out of you until you squeal, you porcine." Promise? Threat? Poor Teya — Hannah is just not in good form tonight. She's off to skin herself a 'Fex and brandish his hide. Maybe the stress of the two time jumps has addled her wits. Forgetting her afghan even, she storms out. At least she has that wineskin.
Alwyn blinks and asks, "And that is the … only way it shall be restored?"
"Huh." Br'er devotes half an ear to Alwyn's explanation-confession: the rest of his being is focused entirely (DELIGHTEDLY) on Q'fex vs Hannah, Round One: The Fable at the Table. He's paying enough attention to pfft at the unfortunate younger fellow, though. "Curiosity's fine, lad. It's tact a man needs in this world. And a healthy survival instinct, which — Wingleader, do try to demonstrate for the child, won't you?" And yet, he looks a little disappointed when the bronzerider makes moves to depart, and pointedly calls, "I'll check the ditches for you in an hour, Q'fex - ARGH, oh, ow, watch it, goldie -" Hannah totally just caused him PAIN AND SUFFERING there, and she wasn't even trying, this is :( … and this calls for another gulp of brandy. Medicinal, this time.
FWUMP. "Carenath's BALLSAC," comes the loud and strident complaint from Q'fex, as Hannah's freaking SHOE reaches the back of his HEAD. He rubs at the back of his head and GLARES at Hannah as she stomps her little toy feet all over WRONG THINGS. "Br'er," he barks, "Tomorrow." That's a gleaming promise of debauchery and a terrifying threat, but right now he has to go have hate-sex with Hannah. Miserable blubbering Q'fex: D-twenty nine minutes. But this time, he really IS gone (and he took Hannah's shoe with him, NYAH).
Guitar in hand, Kyara slips in from the Barracks, hoping to find a relatively quiet spot to sit so that she can work out a bit of music. When she gets a good look at the scene in the Living Cavern, she knows she's out of luck - at least, if she doesn't want to get too far away from where her bed is. Two riders are here: a green and a bronze, the latter currently the target of a shoe from a weyrwoman. And there's Teya, and…Alwyn. She takes a moment to evaluate all of this - Blaze doing the same from her perch on Kyara's left shoulder - and naturally begins gravitating toward her friend and the Weyrsecond. How in the world is she supposed to get off a proper salute to the others at a time like this? Would they even notice, or care? Well, the bronze rider is leaving. Still, better safe than sorry. Sidle, sidle, sidle closer…
"Oh, Faranth's tits," is loud enough this time that everyone can hear, as Hannah makes her exit by stepping across laps; Teya lifts a hand to help steady the junior weyrwoman on her way, but that's about all she CAN do. Teya's dignity: 0. Chaos: 1. "That was," impressive, "uncalled for," is a little weak, but she is rallying as she steals back the brandy, and takes another sip to brace herself. Who wouldn't, in this chaos. "Yes," she finally answers Alwyn, on steadier ground this time. Answers firmly, because this territory - well, this territory she knows by heart. "It is. It's not unprecedented and it's a more than fair opportunity." As the chaos finally dies down - that is, as the chaos-causers have exited, stage right, she espies Kyara on a glance around the Caverns; the candidate gets a nod of acknowledgement, but. Her attention is focused: on Alywn and his answer and Br'er as her … sidekick? Whatever Br'er is, tonight, other than the apparent keeper of the brandy.
Is that a sneaky little surprised smirk at accidental manpain?! The gleam of Hannah's green eyes are all for Br'er, but she's got bigger fish to fry and bigger cats to skin. Now she really is going. Hobbling, kind of, with all of one shoe! Into the exit rafters she goes!
"Learn to lie," is Br'er's blunt-trauma comment to Alwyn. He sets the brandy down with a decided thump, and takes a surreptitious moment to check for DAMAGES (freakin' Hannah!) before… reaching over, and taking Teya's abandoned sandwich. Like a feline, if he wants it, it is obviously his. More brutal-realist advice swiftly follows: "Life is awful that way."
Kyara pauses for a moment to observe a sudden mass exodus - the weyrwoman, following after the bronze rider, and then Alwyn, who leaves in a rather roundabout way, very much lost in thought. Oh well. She'll hear from him tomorrow, most likely. Now she's near Teya and the green rider, and with things being a little calmer now (she thinks), she salutes - a little bleary-eyed about it, considering the hour, but there it is nonetheless. "Good evening, Weyrsecond, greenrider." She glances around as if someone else might pop out from under a table or something. "Did I come in at a bad time?"
"Sometimes," Teya's voice is a little strained, a little weary. She doesn't go so far as to agree with Br'er, but, "you have to learn to work with people you don't like. Who you can't stand. Who you think are just wrong." It's for Alwyn's benefit, as he makes his exit, but it's also for those still assembled, herself included. "You either learn to and you flourish, or you don't and you fail." Speaking of: she eyes Br'er's theft of her sandwich, then shakes her head and rolls her eyes and leans in to him to reach for the brandy instead. "I think you picked just about the right time. Missed most of - well, you missed some of the chaos," and therefore the damage to Teya's Dignity.
"Not at -" chew, chew, swallow, "all, young lady," says Br'er, with his purloined sandwich in hand. Having provided a dose of Bleak Realism mere moments before, he is perfectly content to flip gears entirely, smiling brightly. "Though you look about ready to fall over on your cot, if I may say so. Or -" a faintly dramatic yawn, politely covered with the sandwich-bearing hand, "- perhaps I'm merely projecting."
A chuckle for the greenrider, at that. "You're right, but I have to get a little music in before the end of the day, or I can't sleep. Drives me crazy." She settles in a chair across from the two and begins plucking softly at the strings as Blaze crawls to the headstock of her guitar and watches Kyara's moving fingers with great interest. "I'm Kyara, greenrider. Good to meet you," she greets the unfamiliar man over the quiet notes. The a yawn escapes her, and she shakes her head. Yes, she will have to go to bed soon. "Everything's going to be all right, I hope?" As all right as it can be…
More familiar with Br'er than with this morning's brief meal companion, Teya totally kicks him under the table; just a little kick, the side of her foot against his ankle. He is totally the second worst. Also, still eating her sandwich. "The Weyr keeps moving whether we want it to or not," she says, then frowns. "Not - actually moving, the Weyr actually moving is kind of awful. But trundling a long. In a metaphorical sense." She doesn't yawn, but she taps Br'er's arm with the bottom of the brandy bottle, and makes a gimme gesture for the sandwich. "Retiring might be a good idea, though, and soon. You'll help me finish this," bottle-tap, arm-thump, "right? Right. I have notes." These appear to be two completely separate thoughts, despite the fact that they're said in one breath. But she does, in fact, have notes. Right there. On the table. Right … there.
"Br'er," introduces same. "Green Inlayraith's rider. Parhelion wingrider and general meddler." He lifts the sandwich in polite salute, and also to keep it firmly away from the brandy-tapping Teya. "Mm, it could be worse. Always true, that." Philosopher, isn't he? Flashing a smile at Kyara, the man starts to rise from his seat, languidly sweeping up one pile of Teya's records. "That's good brandy, I'd be mad not to help finish it." It's powerful brandy, he's going to end up sleeping in her weyr if he's not careful. (On the couch. Br'er is a gentleman.) Though he waits to follow the Weyrsecond's lead, it's obvious from the faint distracted expression of his sleepy face that the man is mostly focused on an immediate future of… booze. And recordkeeping. "Good evening, Kyara. Enjoy your tuning."
Ahem. Br'er is not a gentleman. (/meta-Hannah)
"Good night," the girl answers, though she doesn't get much more of her song out before she yawns again. Blaze looks at her, chirping a question, and when Kyara just looks at her, blinking, the little queen stalks up her arm, plants a paw on her cheek, nuzzles through her hair and proceeds to nip her ear, causing the girl to yelp. A little. The baby gold might not be old enough to give her definite imagery yet, but she does know how to get her point across now. Silly human needs to sleep! "Alright, alright," Kyara sighs in capitulation. "I guess I'm being urged to bed on a couple of fronts now. Good night, Weyrsecond." With a smirk, she rises and leaves the two dragonriders to whatever it is they intend to keep doing this late into the night.
"Most accurate assessment I've heard of you yet," Teya commends Br'er on his candor with another thump of the brandy bottle - this one against his hip, once he's on his feet beside her. "I think it's time for everyone to get out of here," she agrees, both with the greenrider and Kyara's little gold. She's still steady on her feet, but very decisive about the way she scoops up the rest of her records; the remains of her dinner plate are abandoned, sadly. "Come on. You're eating my food, you might as well keep being useful," is cheerful; pointed at Br'er as she waves Kyara toward the inner caverns, and then tips her head at him to indicate that he should follow. Don't worry, Br'er: the good news is at least her weyr has a couch; bad news is, she might fall asleep using the greenrider for a pillow on the couch.
Sweet jesus this was a hilarious scene. xD
does one of them happen to be across Br'er's lap? She's not really watching where she walks
Hahahaha manpain. ;P