Who

Xanthee, Amania, cameo by Nox

What

Amania and Xanthee have some Things to Discuss before lights-out.

References an unposted log

When

It is late night of the 22nd day of the 12th month of the 11th Turn of the 12th Pass.

Where

Candidate Barracks, Southern Weyr

OOC Date 18 Sep 2017 06:00

 

xanthee_default.jpg Amania44.png nox_default.jpg

"Are you crazy?"


candidate_barracks.jpg

Candidate Barracks

Perhaps the safest place in the weyr, these barracks: the stonework here is old, perhaps as old as the weyr is itself, for the uncanny cleanliness of ancient stonecutters marks neat corners and perfect arches. Richly-lit by glowlight, tapestries reflect scenes of yore from the walls - dragons flaming, holders farming, and one particularly well-made that depicts the impression of a dark-haired girl to a light-toned gold dragonet, dripping and fierce. The barracks themselves are open-air, with not even a curtain to divide the space of male from female. Bunk-bed style cots line each wall, hammocks strung along the middle for those unfortunate enough to lack the privacy that an adjoining wall brings. There are privies in the back and locker-style item storage in the front, and one especially large table next to a book-case filled with basic Harper texts.


It's almost lights out, the night air not giving too much relief to the day's heat. Xanthee is over by the bunk she shares with her fellow Igenite, having just put on her night shift, a short, cotton, sleeveless affair. She is rubbing a fragrant lotion into her skin, especially her hands which she looks down at, callused and rough from the labour of Candidacy, with a small frown, she seems rather introspective this evening.

Almost lights-out, and Amania still hasn't returned from the galleries…until this very moment, that is. There's a sheen of sweat shining lightly across her forehead and at her temples, enough that it's safe to say she's been doing something between leaving the galleries and coming here. And as she crosses to her own bunk below Xanthee's, it becomes evident that there's a slight puffiness around her eyes, a subtle redness. It looks like she's been crying, not that she would ever admit to it. No one saw it; that was part of the point. But she isn't as good at masking the emotional part of it as she'd like. "Hey," she manages as she plunks herself down on her bunk, pushing her satchel off her shoulder almost carelessly. She still wants to talk to Xanthee, of course…but she needs to be still for a moment. "That smells nice."

Xanthee looks up from her moisturizing as her bunkmate returns. She makes note of the redness and slight puffiness of the eyes, but she knows the Zingari girl well enough to not pry, if she wanted to talk, Xan would make sure Amania knew she was available to listen. As she comments on the scent, she points to the small open pot with a rich white cream in it sitting on the top bunk, close to the edge, "Thanks, help yourself. I got it in the Bazaar before I left, it leaves your skin feeling amazing," she says as she picks up her brush to take the tangles of the day out of her hair.

Amania glances at the little pot of lotion as she tugs off her shoes, rising again almost wearily. She peers at it thoughtfully before dabbing her fingertips into it, rubbing it into her hands almost methodically. "Can I come up?" she asks a bit quietly, glancing up at Xanthee for permission rather than just inviting herself to hop up and join the other girl.

A certain someone's firelizard is whale-snoring quietly off in the distance, very very faintly. Nox is laying on his cot, passed out on his back on top of the covers, his firelizards tucked in all around him. His eyes are closed and looks to be asleep, or on his way there.

Xanthee nods as she scoots over a bit on the bunk to allow room for Amania to join her. "Yeah no problem, come on up." she invites as she continues to brush her hair until the humidity fluffed locks return to their silken ebony waves. She sighs as she puts down the brush and swings her legs idly, watching the other Candidates mill about in preparation for bed.

Amania pulls herself up easily, the strength gained from all the PT and obstacle course work and sheer manual labor adding some fluidity to her movements that hadn't been present before. She watches for a moment as well, still rubbing the last of the lotion into her skin. "So you know that asshole bronzerider from Igen?" she asks presently, her voice rasping ever so slightly around the edges with emotion already spent in tears elsewhere.

"R'kyr? Ummm, yeah, we were Candidates together at Igen. He and many others Impressed, I didn't. We weren't buddies, he was always kinda standoffish." Xanthee explains and then puts out a hand in alarm, going to touch her friend's arm, but stops at the last minute as she drops her voice. "Did he do something to you?" she asks just above a whisper, real worry for her friend in her voice.

Nox opens his eyes, evidently not asleep, and lazily pats his hand around the covers, as if looking for something. He pulls a small orange ball out… from under his bronze, who mrrrrms a protest. Squid was sitting on it. He dusts it off on his shirt (not his blue plaid one - have to see D'ex about that) and, still laying back, balances it on the back of one hand, and then slowly rolls it over onto the other.

"He can stay sharding standoffish, and his dragon can learn it, too," Amania grumbles, her gaze slipping sideways to Xanthee. She doesn't seem to mind that the other girl might be about to touch her, and gives a little snort at Xanthee's question. "Do? No. Say, yes. Though I guess I technically started it for pointing out that it's rude of his dragon to make everyone around hear him, including us. So he called me ignorant and said I shouldn't be considering all this." She gestures around the barracks as a generic example of rider life, Nox's stirring momentarily catching her eye before she continues. "I told him he didn't know me and that I wasn't afraid. And I might've insinuated he was soft in the head for letting his dragon be out of hand. He had to get his last word in while I was leaving, of course, and some of what he said…" She grits her teeth, shaking her head. "He sounded exactly like my uncle and some of the other Underground men might."

Xanthee winces as she listens to Amania's rant of the things that must have happened after she left the Galleries earlier. She gives her a delicate pat on the shoulder when she finally finishes, and takes a deep breath. "Wow! Yeah, asshole might be right. What a jerk!" Solidarity, sister! "You are probably better prepared for all this than I am, and I'm Weyrbred. You'll be just fine. Well you better be, I put two marks on you Impressing the gold," she says casually as she gives her friend a mock-serious look and wags her finger at her.

Amania gives a slow shake of her head, uncertain that "better prepared" is really the correct term. She still feels so behind when it comes to knowing the ins and outs of the Weyr no matter how much she's learned. Then Xanthee mentions having bet on her, and she looks fully at the other girl, eyes widened in surprise. "You what? I… How…" Dark brows furl, and she drops her voice. "Can we do that? Bet on each other as Candidates?"

Xanthee giggles at the expression on Amania's face, and shrugs her shoulders a bit, "There's always someone at the Weyr running a book on Hatchings. And I don't see why not? It's not like Candidates can affect the outcomes." She put on a fakey authoritative voice, maybe like a Harper giving a lesson, "It's the dragon who chooses." She giggles and drops the posture just glad she was able to successfulyl change the subject.

Amania has no good contention over that, save for the prospect of Candidates gambling seeming to fall into a grey area. "I suppose," she eventually says, shrugging lightly in turn. "I just hope you're not putting marks on too many people. It's not as though we're making any while we're here." Indeed, she's been fairly conservative with her own little stash of marks, the remnants of her last bit of pay as a guard plus a few little gifts from the Zingari. Drawing a sigh, she relaxes back to prop on her elbow. "So," she asks after a moment, "what was really going on with you earlier? The whole straw in the hair and being nervous thing." Nope, she really didn't forget!

"I only make one bet per Hatching. No pressure or anything." Xanthee winks playfully at Amania. As the talk though turns to other things, Xanthee looks around the room, her eyes never stopping on anything, but totally avoiding Amania's face. She takes a few minutes, lets out a huge sigh and then leans in close, her voice dropping, "I've met someone." She says simply, letting the words settle in the air before her gaze finally lands on the Zingari girl's face, searching for her reaction.

"Oh, none at all!" Amania returns sarcastically to Xanthee's first, though her smile curves easily enough into place. "Good thing it was just two marks." Which one can do a fair amount with, but still. Then it's on to the next subject, and the fact that she's not being looked at makes her all the more determined to have an answer. Fortunately, Xanthee apparently trusts her well enough to not have her dragging said answer out. "Met someone," she echoes, and lets it roll around in her head for a moment before all the implications click into place. Her brows start to draw together again. "Another Candidate?"

"Nooooo…" Xanthee lets the word go on for a second or two as she tries to steel herself for the next part. "He's a…brown…rider." And before Amania can say anything, she trips on, "His name's F'kan, his brown is Quaverilth. He graduated weyrlinghood just a couple months ago. He's gorgeous, blond hair, blue eyes and a smile that's just so kissable." If this were a cartoon, Xan's eyes would be in the shapes of hearts right now as she has been obviously well and truly wooed.

Amania stares at Xanthee through her gushing. She's thought the other girl far too focused on boys, particularly with being a Candidate and all…but to have it proven and then some is something she was hoping against. "Are you crazy?" she finally asks, though her tone is quiet. She's not about to shout at the other girl for all to hear, after all. "Xan, we. Are. Candidates. I thought this was what you wanted!" She straightens, leaning in a bit closer herself. "You're begging to get caught. What if you're not allowed another chance?"

Nox, laying in his cot, pauses lightly tossing the orange ball back and forth in his hands, just holding it, and squeezing. His gaze flickers in the direction of Xan's bunk, where she sits with Amania, maybe overhearing the girls or or seeing those metaphorical hearts in her eyes. "She's in trouble." He tells his green, who is half curled up on his chest. She cracks open an eyelid, and, after watching the young man a moment, lowers it once more. Nox gently caresses her little head, and she croons. "Possibly."

"This isn't a crush though! He likes me back Amania!" Xanthee whispers back desperately. "I know we are Candidates, but you don't think this kind of thing has happened before? All the time." She takes a deep breath and continues on more calmly, "We're very subtle. I mean, it's been going on for several sevendays now and I haven't been caught yet." Except that one time by Therst and Yfana, but tell Amania that right now won't help anything. "Besides, we're not technically breaking the no sex rule. So I would probably not be kicked out." Wow, naivete, thy name is Xan.

"Seems to me if he actually liked you back, he'd respect that you're a Candidate and not be putting your chance at risk!" Amania hisses back urgently. "He's a rider; he ought to know better than anyone what's at stake, right? And he's still getting you to play with fire. That hay in your hair wasn't so 'subtle.'" To Xanthee's last, she shakes her head incredulously. "You think whoever catches you in the middle of it's going to care about the technical part? One look and you're gone, Xan! Please." Here, she's the one to reach out and clasp the other girl's hand, if a bit awkwardly. She's not used to making such gestures herself. "Get your feet back on the ground. We're too close to the end, and I don't want to have to watch you go back because of some boy who'd rather get what he wants than see you get what you believe you're meant for!"

Xanthee looks at Amania for a long searching moment before she slowly pulls her hand away as she turns her face from her friend. "I get why you're worried, I do. And I do want to be a rider." She shakes her head a bit. "But F'kan says he loves me. Love, Amania. No one has said that to me since my mom died when I was four." She takes a deep breath, "But I know what you're saying. You are right." She shrugs her shoulders, defeated. "I'll stop seeing him. I don't want to risk my chance, I really don't."

Amania studies her younger friend hard for a long moment. "Words are easy. Acting on them isn't always," she says after a time. "If he said that, he'd better mean it and let you focus. If it doesn't happen, you're just liking each other's looks and not much else. That's not love." She may not have any experience of her own to draw from, but…it simply can't be, by her reasoning. She considers Xanthee's last for another stretch and finally gives the other girl a small smile. "I'll hold you to that, Xan. Just hang on. This is almost over." One way or another. With that, she gives Xanthee's shoulder a light squeeze and then slips down to her own bunk to get ready for bed. It might be just a few minutes before lights-out, but that's all she needs.

Xanthee sighs heavily and breathes out in relief as Amania slips down to her bed. She didn't want to disappoint her friend, and she knew she wanted to Impress a dragon so much. Settling into her bed, stretching out the full length, Xan stares up at the ceiling waiting for the call for Lights out. She would have to tell him, soon, she knew that. One last meeting before the Hatching to let him know she couldn't anymore. What's the worst that could happen?

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