Who

Eala, Ryott, Ailsa (NPC'ed by Eala)

What

In the chaos before a storm, Ryott decides some mischief is in order, aided by Eala's niece, Ailsa.

When

It is afternoon of the thirteenth day of the eighth month of the fourteenth turn of the 12th pass.

Where

Kitchen Courtyard, Igen Weyr

OOC Date 31 Jul 2018 04:00

 

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"I guess if you get stuck down there, you'll at least be safe from the sandstorm."


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Kitchen Courtyard

The domestic space of the kitchen courtyard is small, dusty, slightly over-grown, and practical. The focal point of the stone courtyard is a large well found directly in the middle. Turns have worn the once angled bricks to soft, crumbling curves about the lip, and a bucket always slightly damp is tied, secure, and ready to use at the side. Though a broom has swept here since last you passed through, it would appear the wind-borne dust has merely been heaped under the cobble-cracking shrubs of a stubborn environment that grow ever upward. A few benches are scattered around, but the feel is not comfort, for this small slice of sky and wind are saved for a kitchen staff always on the move.

It is the forty-third day of Summer and 108 degrees. The small dark cloud has grown rapidly over night, covering the blue sky. It blows a furious rush of hot, stirring wind. In a moment, the daylight is gone as visibility plummets. The clouds of burning sand mercilessly flog all living things as the air itself turns against you. Every living thing chokes on sand and dust before escaping inside.


It's mercilessly hot, as Igen's summers so often are, and the clouds overhead threaten the sort of windstorm that's guaranteed to stir up the dry-baked sand. The kitchen courtyard is busy with workers preparing for the inevitable blitz, bringing in any items which might be vulnerable to the storm before it strikes. A blonde pre-teen perches on the edge of the well, leaning precariously as she eyes the depths below. Not far off, an older blonde is engaged in conversation with a kitchen worker, their voices low despite the hustle and bustle around them. "Please don't fall in," is called out to her niece, but Eala is still in the midst of some engaging conversation and can't yet step away to mind the girl.

It had been a relatively quiet spot to take a nap, or at least pretend to, tucked into a corner of the courtyard on a bench. Face obscured by a light scarf, Ryott lifts it to peek at what all the ruckus is about, dark eyes examining the scene passively as she considers what to do next. Scanning the area, she spies the younger girl at the well, studying her for a moment, taking note of the woman who cautions her. With a groan for stiff muscles, she sits up before swinging her feet back onto the ground, stretching in a completely unhurried manner. Wandering over to the blond girl, she leans on the edge of the well and says in a lowered voice, "I bet you, I can climb down there and back up without even getting wet." The Zingari girl doesn't seem at all concerned about all the hub bub going on, people are distracted with their storm preparations, and the teen can't resist a little showing off.

Ailsa may be verging on those teenage turns, but for now she's still all wide-eyed innocence as she turns her gaze toward Ryott. There's a striking resemblance between the young girl and the older woman whose sharp gaze has noted this new arrival, although Eala makes no move to intervene. "I bet you can't," Ailsa retorts swiftly, a hint of mischief lurking behind that innocent smile. She's a fair hand at betting games for a reason, this one. Picking up a small stone which rests at her side, Ailsa allows the rock to tumble from her grip until it goes 'plop' in the water at the bottom. "I guess if you get stuck down there, you'll at least be safe from the sandstorm."

The bait having been taken, Ryott's usual impassive expression gets just a ghost of a smirk curling at the corners of her lips, dark brows raising just slightly. "Nah, I won't get stuck. I've been in tighter spots," she says with a smidgen of adolescent bluster in her deadpan delivery. Shooting a glance over at Eala, she notes the woman's gaze and obviously won't do anything while it's on it. Watching the stone fall down the hole, she tries to judge the distance as she kicks off her sandals casually in preparation to move at just the right moment. Tilting her head in Ailsa's direction, she asks casually, "So usually I ask what I'd get for doing something like this, but you're just a kid," Hi pot, I'm kettle, "So this one is just for fun."

Eala's awareness never truly leaves the pair at the well, but the greenrider at least turns her gaze back toward the woman with whom she's still engaged in conversation. The wind is picking up again, and there's an urgency to their discussion which wasn't there before. Ailsa castsa look in her aunt's direction, but unlike Ryott, she doesn't seem too worried about the prospect of dangerous games under the woman's nose. "I don't think it's so much about tight spots…" the girl mumbles, but the protest isn't all that vocal. She's not actually trying to discourage this adventure, after all. "I'm pretty sure you shouldn't get anything anyway since you basically offered," she points out, her tone turning indignant at the suggestion that she's just a kid. "I am not. I'm the one who has sense enough not to climb down a well."

With a tilt of her head, Ryott considers the younger girl's words and shrugs her shoulders, "That's fair," she concedes easily enough. "Here I go," she declares softly, in a dry, low voice, finally seeing the moment she's been waiting for, when Eala's discussion gets that urgency to it, and with one hand on the edge, the teen vaults the wall in one quick motion and disappears below the rim. It's a little cramped, her feet flatten against the bricks in front of her as she presses her back hard against the opposite side. Looking back up at the blonde girl, "Just make sure you warn me if anyone is looking when I come back up ok?" Ryott asks as she starts to edge further down into the well.

"Okay!" Ailsa agrees readily enough, trying to peer downw into the well without blocking too much of the light. With all those threatening clouds overhead there's little enough sunshine without a girl-shaped shadow interfering. Although she wobbles a little on her perch, Ailsa is careful not to go tumbling in. "I can send the bucket down after you if you run into trouble," she suggests, holding up said bucket following her offer. Of course, while Ryott may have waited for Eala's moment of distraction to enter the well, it doesn't take long for the woman to notice that her niece is alone again, and… talking to the well?

"Hey! I need to see what I'm doing here," Ryott chides as the girl blocks it with her body. "And just act cool up there okay?" she adds as an afterthought, not particularly thrilled with the way the girl is so obviously talking down at her. Then she quiets as she concentrates her movements to take her down the well shaft. It's a complicated rhythm with many moving parts, shifting feet down first before releasing the pressure she's exerting on her back just enough to slide down a hand's breadth before repeating. Hands are held out to the sides, grazing the brick surface in case she slips and needs to catch herself. It's obvious the girl has had some practice at this, and in no time she's halfway down.

"How am I supposed to know that you actually did it if I'm not watching?" Ailsa points out, frowning down at Ryott. She does, however, make another attempt to adjust her position so that she can peer down without blocking too much light. It's fairly successful, at least. "I've beat criminals in dice games, I'm pretty sure I know how to act cool." The girl rolls her eyes, sitting back from the edge without losing her glimpse of Ryott's progress. Eala keeps an eye on her niece as she attempts to urge her conversation to a close, having guessed at what might be going on.

"Better," is all Ryott grumbles in reply as she concentrates on the trek down. Ailsa's comment about dicing with criminals earns a bit of a derisive snort, but she doesn't say anything. Then suddenly, there's a moment, when her foot catches on something slimy against the wall and slips. Instincts kick in, she automatically braces every other part she can manage against the walls of the well, scraping her elbows with a hiss of pain but catching herself readily enough. Taking a moment to breathe and steady herself once more, she continues, finally making it down to the bottom, hovering just above the surface of the water. To prove she'd made it all the way, she takes a hanky and lets just the corner trail into the water before she stuffs it back into her pocket. Looking back up, she gives the girl a thumb's up, not trusting her voice not to resonate up the well, before she starts back up.

Ailsa gasps softly when she hears the sound of slipping, all the tension gathering in her shoulders as she grips the edge of the well tightly. There's a sigh of relief from the girl when it seems Ryott catches herself. "Careful," she urges quietly, watching as the older girl continues her descent. Eala finally manages to resolve her concerns with the overly-chatty kitchen aide, dismissing her in favor of making her way over to the well where her niece appears to be entirely absorbed by whatever is going on below. "So, if your friend down there?" the greenrider asks, only to be met with a sheepish nod. She doesn't bother leaning over the well's opening, but she does call out, "Better hurry, or we'll have to leave you down there when they close off the well for the storm."

Climbing back up is definitely more difficult, Ryott's having to use whatever handholds she can find to pull herself up with as well as her feet and back in unison. She's grunting softly with the effort, about halfway up, when she hears that second voice call out and she curses silently as she looks up, but doesn't see anyone new at the opening. With a heavy sigh, she calls back up, "I'll be right there," rather breezily, as if she were doing something much more mundane than climbing back up a well. Finally, after increasing her pace just enough without being dangerous, she catches the edge of the well wall and hauls herself up, hooking one leg over the edge then the other before hopping off onto the paving stones of the courtyard. Her elbows and shins are sporting some scrapes, but nothing serious. Looking up at Eala, her face as inscrutable as ever, she merely quips, "Hey," in a dry tone before reaching for her discarded sandals.

Ailsa is still watching, her expression slightly wary as Ryott climbs the well. It's clear the girl is expecting her adventurous new acquaintence to take a tumble on the way back to the top. Eala merely rests a hand on her niece's shoulder, awaiting Ryott's arrival with significantly less concern. "Hey," she echoes when the girl gains wolid ground again, a greeting which is offered up brightly by Ailsa as well. "You alright?" She eyes those scrapes for a moment, but she doesn't spot anything which looks terribly dire. "Are you adding wells to your list of places you like to skulk around?"

Slipping her feet back into her sandals, Ryott takes a moment to examine her scrapes and finds them unremarkable before she replies with a shrug, "I've had worse." Leaning back against the well, she crosses her arms over her chest and ponders Eala's last for a long moment, thoughts racing and wondering what this rider could possibly know about her and her habits, she doesn't remember ever meeting the blonde woman before. The picture of nonchalance, Ryott shakes her head idly, "Don't know what you're talking about, I dropped something, and was trying to get it." She doesn't even look at Ailsa at this blatant lie, trusting the girl to be cool like she said she could be.

They might not have met, but Eala has noticed the girl in the past with the same interest that she takes in any of the young ones who are getting themselves into trouble too early. "I'm sure. I won't send you off to the infirmary with Ailsa, then." It sounds more like a threat than a kindness. One brow arches, glancing between Ryott and Ailsa. While hte girl might confess the truth later, for now she only nods, giving Eala that wide-eyed look which suggests this is an absolute truth. "Did you find it?" The greenrider doesn't sound impressed — or, quite frankly, the least bit convinced by the lie — but it's also no skin off her back if teenagers want to throw themselves down wells in search of excitement. It's certainly not the worst thing they can do around Igen.

"No use troubling Healers for a couple skinned elbows," Ryott remarks as she finally looks at Ailsa when Eala does, a knot of tension in her chest easing when the girl supports her story, she was worried the girl might crack for a moment. Swining her dark gaze back to the Wingleader, she shakes her head with a sigh of regret, "Nah, couldn't see enough all the way down there." Pushing herself off from the wall, she looks out towards the bowl, frowning slightly, "Should probably get back before the storm hits…" she trails off, giving a valid reason for her to make a hasty exit and avoid anymore questions.

Ailsa is true to her word of being cool under pressure, even if that pressure comes from the woman who essentially plays the role of her mother. "Seems poorly planned. You'll have to try again with a glow," Eala comments, faint amusement in her expression. "Ah, yes. You'd better run off." There's a slight emphasis on the word 'run', perhaps a dig at Ryott for her quick exit. "Stay out of trouble, if you even know how." Ailsa, on the other hand, is more effusive in her farewells, launching herself at Ryott for an attempted hug and a quiet murmur of, "Good job not dying," before she returns to her aunt's side. No doubt she'll be hearing a few words about encouraging Igen's troublemakers…

"Excellent suggestion, I'll have to do that," Ryott responds in her even deadpan, completely nonplussed. When Eala gives her leave to go, the Zingari girl doesn't have to be asked twice and steps off one foot when Ailsa comes in for that hug, causing Ryott to freeze like prey in the sights of a predator, brows hooding over her eyes as her lips thin as she presses them together. Not returning it, she sort of endures it for the sake of the girl who played along, whispering back a mumbled, "Thanks," before she extricates herself from the younger girl. Stepping back, she straightens her tunic with a shrug and, after offering a respectful bob of her head for the Wingleader, takes her advice quite literally and jogs out of the courtyard towards the Bowl without looking back.

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