Maikah really isn't a man at home in the Harper's Wing and it shows. Dressed in black singlet, shorts and muddy boots that look as if they are quite possibly the only shoes the Journeyman owns, he's also not adjusting well to the humidity of the Southern summer as evidenced by the sheen that glistens across his tanned skin. But the out-doorsy Herder is here, and looking somewhat flumoxed as the day settles into evening. He'll just inform a passing Harper apprentice. "I don't think this is where the writing supplies are kept." Help a lost brother out? His tone seems to suggest.

A young woman with long bright red hair sits on one of the couches, feet curled under her, quietly observing, perhaps waiting for someone. Keelie wears a comfortable summer dress with a necklace that has a singular seashell for a charm at the hollow of her throat. She glances over as Maikah enters, watching the apprentice he speaks to kind-of shrug in return and point him in the general direction of a classroom - or maybe a closet. Helpful? Maybe?

Even now, the craft wings seem more like Clementine's territory than hers, and so Ione rarely ventures into those halls. But today she's on the arm of a Sr. Apprentice Harper who looks to be maybe a turn older than her, and he's giving her the unofficial tour of the place. It's nothing she hasn't seen before, but she's politely smiling and giggling at the appropriate moments. Still, it's clear that her attention is beginning to wander, as the redhead notices Keelie nearby and gives her clutchmate a confused 'what are you doing here?' sort of look. "I hate to cut this short, but I really don't want to get you into trouble. You should go back to your duties…" she suggests with an innocent look toward her companion. It's the politest 'scram' she can muster, as she sends the young man on his way and wanders back toward Keelie.

Perhaps Maikah was overly optimistic in expecting a harper apprentice to be any more helpful or diligent than a herder one. With a dubious set to his eyebrows he attempts the door indicated by the silent apprentice (aren't all harpers chatty?) And it is indeed a closet - a closet full of cleaning supplies. This is not helpful at all. Closing the door carefully, he turns back to the room, only to find it is suddenly clear of all apprentices. Even less helpful. Seeing no other bodies close he'll intrude upon the riders with a respectful bob of his head. "Evening ladies. I don't suppose either of you could help me?" He offers a neutral smile to both Ione and Keelie.

Keelie spots Ione and suddenly smiles, sitting up a bit straighter, sending her long hair tumbling off the back of the couch. Her clutchmate's exchange with the apprentice harper is noted - perhaps with a slight curious narrow of her eyes. Hmm. "Who was that?" She'll voice, not at all shyly, although her expression becomes more polite at Maikah's approach. "Evening," she greets. "What did you need help with?" She's not really that familiar with the area, but she'll look hopefully at Ione.

Ione flashes Maikah a smile that's all teeth. "That depends on what you need help with," she returns easily, as she settles herself beside Keelie on the couch without waiting for an invitation. The goldrider tugs her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs as she studies Maikah's unfamiliar face. Mental note: get to know the crafters, it's embarrassing to constantly have to ask for their names. "Oh, he was nobody," she answers to Keelie with a flippant shrug of her shoulders. "His name is, uh…" Oops. "Well, it doesn't matter." And it's dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"There's a couple of new guys who want to write letters home. The need pens and things." Maikah is the king of understatement. "Journeyman Maikah, of Herder." He introduces himself, now he can't be called a nobody! "Figured the harpers might know where I could find some." He's talking about volume, because his quiet little craft is being over-run by grub-hunters and their rivals in Farmcraft. "It's all terribly urgent." Which is clearly evident by the way he is lingering. Don't mind him ladies.

Keelie doesn't shuffle on the couch to make room, but rather nudges Ione a bit instead in a friendly way. Perhaps it's in response to her flippant attitude, which causes her to grin, and roll her eyes slightly. Uh-huh! Those brown eyes turn to look over Maikah as he speaks. "Pleased to meet you, Maikah. I am Keelie, brown Gruffith's." Does Ione know about pens? Keelie must hope so, because she looks kind-of stumped. "Ah -" Nope.

Ione nudges Keelie right back, with a bit of accidental elbow thrown into the bargain. Whoops. She's all big eyes and innocence as she glances toward the brownrider, but Maikah's request is quick to draw her attention. "Well met, Journeyman. I'm Ione, gold Niatskivhiath's. And as for the pens…" She unfurls from her curled up position to lean forward, eyeing the area curiously. After a moment, she points to a random door. "Try that one." Who knows, she might get lucky in her completely random guess!

Maikah's brows draw together. He's been taught how to salute, but this is clearly one of the only times he's had to do so. "Well met." Introductions out of the way, he'll follow Ione's pointed finger to yet another door. Not being successful in his first foray into the closed doors of Harper Hall he looks a little reluctant to repeat the experience, turning back to face the women with a frown. "I'm beginning to think this… quest is beneath my dignity as a journeyman." There is the faintest glimmer of humor in his eyes. He does however go to investigate what is behind door No. 2, and returns with a stack of hides. "Well, you weren't right. But you were helpful."

Hey! Elbow! Ow. Smirk. Wait. Did he just say beneath his dignity as a journeyman? Keelie's eyebrows go up, and then her nose squishes in a comical expression. "You had better hope you are not asked to stand as a candidate, then." Not to say that they ask them to open all of the closets to find writing instruments, BUT THEY COULD. "What about that one?" She'll nod to yet another door. Since the previous one had hides, maybe Door No. 3 will have a few pens! And be moderately but not quite actually helpful. She'll also nudge Ione a bit, while looking the other way, at Maikah. Totally innocent and helpful.

Look at that! It's magic. Ione appears honestly shocked as Maikah returns from his foray behind closed doors with anything of use, even if it isn't what he was initially searching for. "Maybe that tour did me some good after all," she suggests with an easy shrug. Keelie's observation is met with a laugh. "That, and you'd better hope none of your superiors hear you talking like that. Until you're a Master, nothing is really beneath you." Well, maybe a few things that are strictly for apprentices, but she seems to be the type to make sweeping statements. "Yeah, try that one," she encourages Maikah, tossing a conspiratorial grin in Keelie's direction. They're sooooo helpful.

"Clearly I'm all about my dignity." Maikah agrees with a pleasant tone, not even looking down at his sweaty armpits (sans knot) and muddy boots. As a third door is selected for his exploration his brow will shoot up. "Why do they have so many doors?" It's a legitimate question. However his stride appears good-natured enough as he trudges off yet again. This is what happens when you keep a man indoors. The third door, appears to be full of musical instruments, which naturally tumble out in an cacophany of sound once he opens the door. With a slightly sheepish look he'll just nudge them back into the closet with a boot. NO ONE WAS WATCHING RIGHT? It's the fourth door (or is it fifth) that produces the pens he is after. He grabs a handful, and makes his way back to the suspiciously helpful lady riders. "My thanks Ladies." And that appears to be all the farewell he has as his task is accomplished and he is out the door.

OH NO. Keelie has immediate guilt when those musical instruments tumble out! Hand flies to cover her mouth and part of her nose, brown eyes large. "Sorry!" She calls, and looks like she might get up to help, but he's got those big muddy boots and has things under control. Is she laughing under her hand? Possibly! Hand is lowered, lips pressed together in worry - brief wide-eyed look to Ione - as he tries the next door, and she kind of cringes - but nothing else falls! AND HE FINDS PENS. That's the important thing, right? Her lips part as he takes off, not calling after, but looking a bit stunned and raising a hand in farewell. She cringes once he's out of eyesight. "We should fix that closet." She says to Ione. She sighs. "I'm just here for a harp, really. Do you think there was one in there?" That isn't broken, now? She doesn't care if it has mud on it, honestly. She'll push off to her feet and go over to investigate.

Ione has far less guilt for the tumbling instruments, because hey, she didn't do it. Instead she just giggles, not even bothering to disguise the noise behind her hand. She leans forward, eager anticipation in her gaze to contrast with Keelie's worry, but the next door he tries is not nearly as exciting. There's a bit of a sigh as he manages to successfully find what he's looking for with no further incident, but she masks that moment of disappointment with a grin as he returns. "You're so welcome," she replies with ease, taking credit even where it's not really due. She lifts her hand to wave farewell as he departs and leaves her alone with Keelie. "Wait, what?" she blinks over at the brownrider, confused. "We don't need to fix that closet. If thigns came falling out, that means a Harper didn't put them in the right way to begin with." Ergo, not their fault. "I don't know, there might be one. You could check, but everything might come tumbling out again…"

On cue, headstrong Keelie opens the door and the instruments come tumbling out with a second chorus of unharmonic sounds. Something bonks her on the head and she frowns. A xylophone hammer. She sighs. A quick glance, as she rubs her head, reveals that many of the instruments are, indeed, in some form of disrepair. Maybe they started out that way, or maybe it's from falling out of the closet so much? "Yes, let's leave it for the harpers." Is agreed. The second loud sound was apparently enough to stir a posh, elderly-looking Master from his office. He peeks out, does a double-take at both riders, but perhaps because they're not apprentices, merely shakes his head and returns to his room. Keelie beams upon spotting him, quickly shoving in the rest of the instruments and closing the door. "Ione, I need to go - but let's catch up soon, ok?" She'll quickly embrace her clutchsibling and then dart off down the hallway, presumably after said harper.

Now, when those instruments come tumbling out on Keelie, Ione does wince. Apparently she has far more sympathy for someone who should've known better — or maybe it's just because the brownrider is a friend rather than a stranger. The goldrider gets up as though to go over there and help her fellow redhead to clean up, but freezes when that Master pokes his head out the door. She doesn't start whistling innocently, but it's a near thing. Nothing to see here, move along, etc etc. She breathes a sigh of relief as the man retreats. Before she can move toward Keelie, her clutchmate starts to make her escape, and Ione can do little more than shrug. "Well, okay." She doesn't understand the brownrider's quest, but she accepts it with a little wave in farewell. "See you soon, I guess?" She's too surprised by the hug to really react in a timely way, and she's only just starting to wrap her arms around Keelie when the girl turns around and departs. Left alone, the goldrider very quickly determines that this isn't where she wants to be. Rather than be blamed for that mess of a closet, the goldrider makes a quick exit, escaping from the realm of the crafters as quickly as those long legs will take her.