Who

Alyna, Haquith, Kyriatis, N'iel, Roxeauth

What

Roxeauth is having a post-Threadfall bath at sunset on the beach. Alyna and Kyriatis join with their own strange conversation, and Haquith shares some interesting information with Roxeauth.

When

It is dusk of the twenty-eighth day of the eighth month of the thirteenth turn of the 12th pass.

Where

Beach, Southern Weyr

OOC Date 06 Apr 2018 23:00

 

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Beach

An eerie mirror, the glass-quiet Sea of Azov: the clear waters stretch along the dark-pebbled shores, and along this narrow beach. Here the faintest lap of waves belies the calm beyond; here the rocks have been ground down into finest, softest sand - those observant would mark upon the similarity between it and the sands of the hatching grounds. The soft sand soaks up summer sunlight as a sponge; painfully hot during the warmer months, it is only truly pleasant at wintertime. Rocks rise to east and west, lichen-limned and green against the abyssal darkness of stone.


There was threadfall out over the sea earlier today, heavy enough for there to have been both death and injury, but the beach is quiet, now, and the clouds have cleared enough for the setting sun to be visible across the horizon. Despite the air still being winter-chilled, Kyriatis has laid out a blanket for herself upon the ground, and sits on it, cross-legged, with her dark eyes trained upon the sun as it sinks lower and lower still. The teenaged gardener presses her lips together, largely oblivious to anything— or anyone— else in the vicinity.

Lynx has come out of the 'fall unscathed, but there's still the stench of firestone and the haunting images of the event to rid oneself of. The beach lends itself to both, despite the chill, and so after a visit to their weyr to pick up the necessary supplies, Roxeauth soars in over the beach, low enough to stir up some sand and make her entrance well known. She comes in for a landing on the water, not far from Kyriatis, touching down in deeper waters but swimming in to the shallows so that N'iel can jump down. She's free of her straps, and the emerald green of her hide bears the grime of a hard-fought 'fall. N'iel looks much the same; hair wild from being under his helmet; light clothes sweat-stained. He holds a basket filled with various items, setting it down on the sand and then noticing Kyriatis; the girl gets a hand-lift of greeting. Not like their presence isn't obvious, or anything.

Having flown one of the earlier shifts in the Threadfall of that day, Haquith has already had the stench of Firestone scrubbed from her, and the chartreuse green had been dozing on the beach after her oiling to soak up the rare winter sun. When Kyriatis set up, the green noticed the gardner's presense and mentioned it to her rider, who has had the girl on her mind a lot in the last couple of days. Finishing her own bath quickly, Alyna arrives from the baths, damp hair twisted up in a thick towel and wearing a short fleece lined jacket over matching wherhide pants. Her short stride is rapid quick as she makes her way across the sand towards the younger girl, calling when she gets closer, "Heya Kyriatis!" There is a maybe too-bright smile on the woman's face. Haquith raises her head to trill a greeting to Roxeauth when the other green arrives.

It's true: it's a little difficult to miss dragons— even green ones— when they land in your line of sight, especially when they necessarily stir up a wave of water (even if it is too far out to be a danger to one's state of dryness). Although she's failed to identify Haquith, Kyriatis does follow Roxeauth's arrival with idle interest, eventually acknowledging her rider with a tip of her head, though her hands stay where they are, pressed idly into her knees. Indeed, silence may well have remained the order of the day, were it not for Alyna, whose arrival draws a faint pink blush, and a more hesitant, "Oh! Alyna. Hello." Too-bright is suspicious. Maybe N'iel is less… something. This time, the male greenrider gets a warmer smile.

Roxeauth's acknowledgement of Haquith is just a hair more than the bare minimum needed; a brief lookover with blue eyes, before she curves her neck back round to N'iel. AHEM. It's bathtime. N'iel seems to be weighing up whether to apologise for intruding on Kyriatis's spot, such that it is, when Alyna makes an appearance with her very bright attitude. Now he does look curious. There's some silent conversation, and Roxeauth - reluctantly - moves further up the beach so that she's in enough water for her wash, but N'iel is close enough to converse. "Evening," the rider says, blinking in confusion at Kyriatis's sudden warm smile. "Nice sunset, huh?" Roxeauth is behind him, looking unimpressed that she has to continue to be smelly while her rider chats.

With a soft rumble at Roxeauth's aknowledgement, Haquith looks sympathetic of the other green's plight when her rider delays her bath as she begins to preen and groom herself. Alyna's ice blue eyes notice the hesitant response from the girl and opens her mouth to speak just as N'iel approches with his greeting and the blond-haired woman turns to him with another one of her bright smiles, "And a good evening to you as well. Looks like you and yours fared well enough in the Fall today." She says with a bob of her head in Roxeauth's direction. Holding out her hand in greeting, "I'm Alyna, and that's Haquith." she says as she points to the green grooming her dark talons. The greenrider lets Kyriatis make her own introductions as she quickly reassesses this situation as not the time for what she previously was about to say.

It's not really in Kyriatis' nature to be deliberately rude, and yet the girl seems hesitant to turn her gaze back on Alyna: N'iel is easier, even if she's still pink-faced and a little awkward for it. "Kyriatis," comes a few moments after Alyna's greeting, and as the teen draws herself up to her feet. "It's a beautiful sunset. Do you want some help?" Helping: it's better than talking when talking could mean subjects one does and does not want to discuss, hurray!

N'iel is aware enough to notice that there's something odd about the interaction between the girl and the green rider, but what it is, he can't put his finger on. He'll remain faintly puzzled, but polite. Now a bright smile is being aimed his way, and he closes the gap to clasp Alyna's hand. "N'iel, of green Roxeauth." Thus introduced, Roxie slowly turns her head to regard Kyriatis and Alyna, with the distinct impression she's regarding them down the length of her nose. "Yeah, just sweaty and dirty, fortunately. Could've been worse." Rather than give his name again, he nods at the gardner when she offers her name. "I'm sure Roxie'd appreciate the help," he accepts the offer, glancing back at the green. Whatever she may be thinking to him, she simply continues to regard the teenager. "Might be a bit of a job though - she's particular." N'iel's turn to give a grin, now.

Alyna has done her required quota of dragon-washing already today and when N'iel mentions his green being particular, the petite greenrider makes no move to help them. "and Fall you can walk away from is a good one in my book. I'll leave the two of you to that. I'm just going to enjoy the sunset." She says nonchalantly as she crosses her arms over her chest and looks out over the water, watching Rukbat sink lower and lower. She may be trying to look relaxed but her blue eyes keep flitting to the other two, keeping an eye on them, or maybe looking for an oppotunity to have a quiet word with a certain young gardner. Then her eyes unfocus briefly as she speaks with Haquith.

Kyriatis senses that Haquith reaches out with a soft comforting buzz of gossamer insect wings. « Don't be alarmed. Alyna just wants you to know that she did have to tell R'zel who found the letter, and he may have to tell the Weyrleaders as well. But she doesn't think you will get into trouble, and you should definitely not worry about it. » As quickly as it came the buzzing is gone again.

"I've washed plenty of dragons in my time," Kyriatis blusters, in a way that might be more effective if it weren't so obviously intended to distract from whatever other weirdness is going on - like the way she's almost completely ignoring Alyna, and not very subtlely. "I'm sure we'll manage. Hello, Roxeauth! I'll do my best, and you just tell your rider if I'm doing something—" That's the moment when she stops, abruptly, squeezing her eyes shut. She even wobbles on her feet for a moment, squeaking, before she swings around on her heels. "Now I'm more alarmed," she complains, and not quietly either. "And worried, too. Shells." Awkward.

A rider turning down washing another dragon doesn't surprise N'iel, and he gives Alyna good-natured grin. "Nothing quite like a sunset at the beach." Not that he's paying a huge amount of attention to it right now. No, N'iel is more interested in Kyriatis and her increasingly odd behaviour. Roxie's expression shifts from that casual air to a closer look, her head dropping slightly, eyes whirling slowly as she gets it more on a level with Kyriatis. "Er?" N'iel says, gaze flicking between the girl and Alyna, befuddled.

Roxeauth thinks to you, « I bespoke Haquith with: Roxeauth is trying to cover up her intrigue with a hint of disdain as she asks, « What is wrong with this one? » »

Roxeauth senses Haquith replies amiably. « The little one did a bad thing but for a good reason and wanted mine to cover for her, but she couldn't. Although mine is almost sure she won't get into trouble after what she discovered. »

Wincing considerably when she is rounded upon, Alyna turns to face the girl with a heavy sigh. This girl needs a serious lesson in playing it cool. the greenrider thinks to herself before she replies, "Kyria, chill out. I am telling you not to worry about it, because I honestly believe there is nothing for you to worry about." Her tone is even and a little chagrined that the girl couldn't keep it together in front of N'iel who gets an apologetic smile thrown his way. "Sorry about all this."

Roxeauth thinks to you, « I bespoke Haquith with: Roxeauth's mind lingers, silent but present, a curl of cigarette smoke dancing in the air. Idle gossip is one thing she detests, but this isn't that. « Oh? » She returns when Haquith mentions a discovery, a single word to prod for more information, please. »

Kyriatis is fifteen! 'Playing it cool' is not (yet) in her arsenal. She seems to remember about N'iel and Roxeauth only too late, glancing wildly at that pair before her dark eyes focus upon Alyna again. Wringing her hands, the teenager seems quite lost without words, but her expression is accusatory. "I'm," she begins, finally. "I'm going to" Turning back to Roxeauth doesn't actually help much, unfortunately, because beneath that green's closer gaze she wilts further. "Don't you dare start," she lectures the dragon.

Roxeauth senses Haquith is the queen of gossip, and since Roxeauth is a member of the super special sisterhood of green dragons, she will gladly share, « A letter, that seems to indicate that the missing Headwoman was not in her right mind. The girl broke into her room to find it. » There's almost a hint of pride for the girl's moxie.

How cryptic! N'iel continues to watch the two women, eyebrows creeping up. He's not got a clue. "S'okay," he replies to Alyna. Um, look, he's just gonna start scrubbing Roxeauth, look! Totally not listening on on whatever this conversation is. Roxie's eyelids close in a slow blink, and she turns her head slightly as if to say, 'what, me?' in reply to Kyriatis's protest. At least she's getting her bath now - and some conversation with Haquith!

Roxeauth thinks to you, « I bespoke Haquith with: Roxeauth's smoke ebbs; there's a hot glow as the cigarette drawn on, thoughtfully. « Oh? yes, N'iel was thinking about how she went missing. » Roxie is no great detective, but this has her interested. her next comes with a casual waft of smoke. « Broke into the Headwoman's room. No wonder she's so worried, poor dear. » »

And it's never too early to learn the fine art of keeping one's cool in Alyna's opinion. With a shake of her head, she sighs again moving closer to the girl so that she can drop her voice slightly, "Getting all upset isn't going to change anything. Like I said so many times now. The worst I can see happening is the Weyrleaders are going to ask you some questions, maybe give you a stern word. They are not going to slap you in irons and haul you off to the brig." she says with a huff of exasperation in her voice. "And that's if R'zel even brings up your name, but he will have to if they ask, just as I had to because my Wingleader asked me to name my informant."

Roxeauth senses Haquith lets her soft buzzing vibrate through the smoke of Roxeauth's mindvoice, « Indeed. But I admire her nerve. She would maybe make for a good Candidate when there is next a clutch. » Of course, Haquith is sure to forget this fact by the time it becomes relevant.

That Roxeauth does not immediately… well, do whatever it is Kyriatis seems to have feared, seems to give the teen a little more room to breathe, because Alyna's approach doesn't set her off again - though her shoulders do tense. She reaches for a scrubbing brush and some soapsand perhaps as much so as to have something to do with her hands as anything else, though her gaze is lowered towards her bare toes and her cheeks pink as she says, "I just need my dad not to find out, that's all. He'll kill me, even if—" Even if no one else does. More loudly, then, and to N'iel: "Is there anywhere in particular I should help with?" Everything's fine, really!

N'iel is trying his damndest not to hear what the two are talking about. 'Weyrleaders' does pop out from their words, despite his best efforts to use the splashing of water to cover up their talking. SCRUB SCRUB! Ah, this spot on Roxeauth's foreleg needs plenty of water, yep! Oh, hey, but now Kyriatis is talking to him! "Oh - yeah, if you want to start on her other leg. I'll let you know if she says anything," he grins, a little too cheerful now. Maybe they can all be happy, and there'll be no worrying talk of Weyrleaders and Wingleaders and all that stuff. Whatever it is that's going on involving Alyna. The sweetsand has a strong and distinctly floral scent that N'iel seems immune to.

Roxeauth thinks to you, « I bespoke Haquith with: Roxeauth would never admit to her own poor memory, but no doubt she, too, will have forgotten this by the time the next clutch is on Southern's sands. « A spunky one. Nice to see that in a girl nowadays. »Her mind drifts a little, to the girl who is now helping her rider. »

Alyna looks slightly worries when Kyriatis mentions her father, "I am sure you are exagerating. He's a rider correct? I'm sure he can be made to see sense." Of course she doesn't know the man, so she may be speaking out of her ass but she hates to see the girl upset. Her ice blue gaze turns then on the male greenrider, an dthe way that N'iel is actively trying not to eavesdrop makes her lips curl in a soft smile at the too cheerful way he grins. "So when does it warm up again here? I came from the end of Igen's winter, right into autum here and it's hardly stopped raining since. I feel like the damp has reached all the way down to my bones." She remarks casually, trying to change the topic now to one not so emotionally charged.

Roxeauth senses Haquith buzzes her agreement to Roxeauth's assessment of the girl, « I agree. We need more spunky girls around to show the boys how it's done. » Oh dear, don't get Haquith going on one of her feminist rants, there will be no stopping her. Thankfully, her mind buzz softly fades out as the green falls softly back to sleep as the exertion of the Fall makes itself known.

Legs! Washing legs. Kyriatis can do this— does do this, setting her attention to this rather than respond to Alyna's question about her father, or indeed anything else. True to her boast, it's clear that she has done this at least a few (hundred) times before, though whether her efforts are to Roxeauth's taste are plainly another question. "Watch, a few more months and you'll be complaining about the heat. But at least we have beaches and the ocean, and it's a different kind of heat to Igen." Igen, so dismissive.

Roxeauth settles, relaxing as her bath gets well underway with not one, but two pairs of hands to work on it. N'iel grins when Kyriatis answers about the changing seasons, nodding his agreement with what she says. "I'll take the humidity over the sandstorms, any day. No offence to Igen." he adds with an apologetic smile to Alyna, realising she's come from there and he's possibly being deeply insulting to the place. "Winter should be easing off soon, I'd hope. Though the rain does make the Threadfalls a little easier, sometimes."

Alyna seems to be mollified by the way the girl seems determined to go about the business of helping to bathe the green and so her worried expressions fades into a friedly one as she chuckles a bit at the way Kyriatis dismisses Igen, having already been introduced to her glowing Southern Pride on previous occasions. "They do have a lake you know, and who needs a beach when there is sand everywhere." Shaking her head though she concedes, "I will say after twelve turns there, it does get old. Part of the reason I transferred. I wasn't from there originally, I'm from Telgar Hold originally." she offers for N'iel's benefit to show no offense is taken. "And the sandstorms were definitely the worse part I will agree there. But you are correct, I've noticed the rain does help with Fall sometimes."

Kyriatis makes a dismissive sound at the back of her throat: lakes, pfft. It's enough to make her glance over her shoulder at the sun setting over the sea, which she observes with a plainly satisfied smile. "I'm looking forward to spring," she admits. "Though I'm sorry if the lack of rain makes 'fall more difficult for you. Spring's the best growing time, so there's more weeds but also more…" She waves her free hand, emphatic. "Growing things. Flowers."

N'iel grins over at Alyna. "You make the Weyr sound like it's all beach." He's joking around. Her explanation about the locations that have eventually ended with her at Southern gets a nod. "Yeah. I thought Southern might get old for me, but I've been here, uh-" now he has to think! "Fourteen Turns? Something like that." Roxeauth is the perfect dragon to be washed - she stays perfectly still, other than to move a leg just so, presenting the next area to be diligently scrubbed. N'iel shrugs off Kyriatis's apology for the weather. He's more interested in her next, anyway. "Oh? You work growing stuff for the healers?" Gonan throw out a guess there.

"Well, it kinda is." Alyna asserts with smile at N'iel's comment and a friendly chuckle. "Okay, so I'm exagerating." She does note that derisive sound from Kyriatis and shoots the girl an amused look, "Oh it's ok, I am prefectly fine with flying fall without it if it means not having to deal with pounds of wet riding gear. I swear drying it out completely is a nightmare." She sighs heavily at that with another shake of her head. She too looks over at Kyriatis when she mentions growing things, "I'm sure Spring is your busiest time." Haquith is now snoring softly, her head tucked under one wing.

"She's easier to wash than my dad's Siovarith," Kyriatis tells N'iel, approvingly, and apropos of nothing else in the conversation. "He wiggles too much. I'm a gardener, but in general rather than specifically for anything? Mostly I weed where they tell me to weed. Spring's busy, but… I like it. I mean, last spring was my first spring, so I don't have that much experience with it. But I still like it."

N'iel laughs, too, softly. At least with the weather being cooler in Southern's current season, his scrubbing of Roxie isn't make him any more sweaty than he already is from Threadfall. "That is the downside. And when water gets down the back of your neck!" He grins again, amused at Kyriatis's comparison between the dragons. "She's always happy to be doted on." Roxie, whose eyes have been slowly closing, opens one just enough to give N'iel a look, which he ignores, still grinning. "Ah, a gardener." He'll probably file that away somewhere. "Yeah, winter must be a drag. Spring's when all the flowers in the rainforest start to flower; it's nice."

Alyna shivers slightly as N'iel mentions water down the back of the neck, chuckling softly, "Oh, that's the worst!" she commiserates, deciding she likes this greenrider, he has an easy way about him. "Yours too huh? Haquith is not happy unless she is the center of all attention." She playfully narrows her eyes in the direction of the sleeping green but she can't help the look of adoration on her face as she watches her lifemate for a long moment. Back to the conversation, she grins in Kyriatis' direction. "Do you ever tend that one secret garden that's underground?" she ponders, "I love that place, there's something other-worldly about it almost." she adds wistfully.

Kyriatis is silent as the two riders talk about their dragons, though by the expression on her face she's listening with interest - even if she has no comment. "Winter's a lot of dull work in preparation, and then spring is so busy, but so much more interesting," she agrees. And, in answer to Alyna: "I have worked in that one, a few times. It's so beautiful, isn't it? That's one of the places that made me most want to work with the gardens. It's" Words fail. Glancing back at the horizon, she makes a face, setting down her brush again. "I should go. I forgot I'm supposed to have dinner with my dad. It was lovely to meet you?" That's for N'iel. For Alyna, a pause, a brief nod, and then she's dashing off.

N'iel grins at Alyna, enjoying the camaraderie of riders with particular greens. He knows well that expression one gets when their dragon is involved; he still does, even after all these Turns. he listens with interest to the talk of the secret garden - a place he's visited a few times. Then, before he can chime in, Kyriatis is dashing off to her appointment, odd farewell to Alyna and all. Well, N'iel isn't going to question it if it seems to be a sensitive topic for the two of them! Roxie watches the girl leave, but so long as there's something to bathe her, she's not fussed. "Funny girl, that one," N'iel comments, now the gardener is gone, but he's not being mean. Just amused!

"Funny girl indeed." Alyna responds with a considerate look after the girl and her brief nod of farewell, her eyes narrowing just barely in her direction, the greenrider is obviously pondering something for a long moment before she turns back to N'iel with a smile. "Yes, I think she will make a great Candidate someday soon." She says in an off hand kind of way. That moment Haquith stirs and lifts her head in her rider's direction, and the way the greenrider's eyes unfocus it's apparent that there is a private conversation going on. Finally Alyna groans and rolls her eyes, "Well, her ladyship commands that we take our leave." she says with a sardonic lilt, but then leans in and stage whispers to N'iel "She wants to go make sure her favorite blue is still in one piece after Fall." The haughty look on Haquith's face looks incredulous at the idea that she would ever settle for a single male but her croon is most insistant as she gets to her feet and rustles her lime green wingsails Alyna's direction. With a roll of her eyes and then a wink at N'iel, the pettite woman walks backwards in her green's direction. "You and me should get drinks sometime N'iel and I don't take no for an answer." She calls amiably before turning and sprinting up her green's leg to settle before Haquith leaps into the sky.

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