Who

Evka and Saetyroith, Amani

What

Two friends take a little breather away from home.

When

It is midmorning of the fourth day of the second month of the fifteenth turn of the 12th pass.

Where

The Klah Bark, Southern Barrier Hold

OOC Date 26 Sep 2018 06:00

 

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"Southern definitely feels more like home now."


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The Klah Bark

Welcome to the Klah Bark, hippest joint in the Hold. The place where everyone gathers to get that needed Klah fix. A curved bar dominates the space to the left of the doorway, laden with tiered trays of delectable pastries and square wooden canisters of herbs to add that extra spice to your brew. Behind the klah bar is a large hearth where all the magic happens. Baking a variety of snacks to tempt the pallet and brewing the signature Klah the place is known for. The recipe of which is a closely guarded secret. Smith crafted workshop stools line the curved bar for those who wish to gather and socialize briefly. While a smattering of hewn wooden tables fill in the rest of the room for those who would rather linger and enjoy.


The weather in Southern has been sweltering and swampy this summer, hot and unbearable, so when one can escape to cooler climates, one does. It's one of those swampy days at the weyr proper and well, there's a pair of riders and their lifemates who've decided that on a rest day, it's a good idea to head for the hold, where it's much cooler. There's been a lot going on for the brown pair that blink in from ::between:: and land outside the Klah Bark, ready for some damn fine klah, and a break from the very real excitement of life.

Evka slides from Saetyroith's shoulder and lands on the cool ground with a light thump. The cold air is a shock at first, but soon she's taking deep breaths of hit, letting it cool her inside and out. Amani and her Zymuraith should be right behind her, so Evka waits outside for her goldriding friend.

« Why klah? Why not have some wine? »

No. No wine. For one, it's far too early in the day for wine, and secondly, I need a boost, not something that's going to put me to sleep. Evka rolls her eyes at Saetyroith and looks around.

Pure indignation crosses over with the smell of fruit ripening on the vine. « It's never too early for wine. »


At some point, Evka will likely learn that sweltering, swampy, hot, and unbearable are pretty much the only adjectives for Southern's summers on the regular. Zymuraith does indeed appear a breath after Saetyroith, announcing her presence with a clear alto bugle as she angles down to the courtyard and lands beside the brown. Amani is quick to dismount and join her friend before striding for the doors, which swing open at the hands of the Hold guards. They offer salutes to the dragonriders as the women pass, and Amani angles them toward the stairs up to the roof once they're inside. "It never fails," she remarks wryly as they ascend. "One minute outside here, no matter how hot it is at home, and hot klah sounds like the best thing in the world."

Evka chuckles. "I quite like it, I think." Following after Amani, she takes in her surroundings, trying to ignore the salutes bent their way. "Though I'll have to agree that a hot cup of klah sounds amazing right now." She pulls off her gloves and tucks them in the pockets of her riding jacket. Once they're at the top of the staircase, she'll continue to follow Amani, after all, her friend looks like she knows where to go. "Do you come here often?"

"Good, because I might take you out hiking in it afterward." Which just gives them an excuse to come back for more klah. "You might not want to take your gloves off yet," Amani warns as she pushes open the door at the top of the stairs and takes them out onto the rooftop. Fortunately, the Klah Bark is only a short trek away, but it's still enough to make one's fingers numb. Thank Faranth for pockets! "Fairly often, yes. The klah at home is great, but it's something else here." It isn't long before they're stepping into a warm, cozily lit space full of justice furnishings, a crackling hearth, and a sweet-spicy klah scent hanging in the air. At the main counter, a variety of pastries present themselves, the klah pots simmering beyond and an array of fixings beyond the usual milk and sweetener on proud display alongside all of it. "Take your pick," she tells Evka with a grin and a broad gesture before taking off her own gloves and unfastening her jacket.

Hiking? That may be appealing. Evka nods along and shoves her hands in her pockets rather than putting her gloves back on. Once inside, Evka too begins to unfasten her jacket as she looks around the place. She let's out a low whistle, impressed. "I like this place already." She slings her jacket over the back of a seat at an empty table and goes exploring, debating what type of klah to have. "How do you choose?" She asks jokingly, rubbing her hands together as she looks at all the various accoutrements.

Amani smiles broadly, nodding. "I've had a fondness for it ever since my first time here," she says, snapping up two large mugs and passing one to Evka. There's a chuckles for her friend's last as she crosses to the nearest klah pot. "You go for whatever you're in the mood for." Once she's filled her mug, she adds cream and sweetener…and then a generous tilt of spiced rum from a dark bottle. Following that, she tosses in some vanilla and a dash of citrus bitters. "This…is what I'm in the mood for," she notes with satisfaction as she stirs the concoction together, looking to the brownrider expectantly to see what she'll go after.

Evka takes her mug and looks around for a moment after filling it. She adds cream and sweetener and is delighted when she finds some whiskey mixed in with the bottles. She pours a generous amount of this into her klah along with some crushed dried pepper. She takes an experimental sip and quite likes the spice and tang of the pepper infused spiked klah. "I'm definitely going to have to come out here again." She awards Amani with a bright smile (one seen much more often these days) and moves back towards her seat. « And you said it was too early for wine… »

Amani observes Evka's doctoring of her klah with mounting curiosity, uncertain whether or not the combination is something she'll try at some point. "Well, I will certainly pull you back here again from time to time, if nothing else," she tells her friend, taking her seat and then a sip that draws a contented sigh. "I saw you on the roster for Ocelot," the Weyrwoman notes with a grin. "Congratulations! R'zel is a good wingleader; you and Saetyroith will do well." She's confident in this, as she is in most everything her friends put their minds to.

Evka chuckles. "Aye, he seems fair enough. Surprised me on the beach when he tapped me, but I think I like him well enough. The first few days left me dead but I'm getting used to the routine." She sips at her klah and leans back in her chair.

"Sounds about right," Amani agrees wryly, leaning back in turn. After a moment, one of the young women behind the counter comes over with a clutch of fresh bubbly pies on a plate, which sends the goldrider's eyes wide. "We didn't order these," she corrects, but the server shakes her head, smiling. "Artem insists, for the Weyrwoman and any with her. He always has." She doesn't stay to here any more protests, bustling away to get back to her work and leaving Amani blinking at the plate. "Uh… Well, I'm not going to argue; I was about to go after some anyway," she says atop a chuckle, cheeks coloring slightly as she reaches for one of the pastries.

Evka has no qualms about tucking in after an excited thank you to the young woman. She's perfectly happy and content to snack and sip at her klah for a few good moments. "Must be nice to get away from all the chaos. Are the things associated with that shiny new knot driving you up the wall yet?" She asks because she's genuinely curious about her friend and how she's doing, particularly with all the new stresses. Evka herself, while busy with the normal amount of day to day stress, is happier than she's been in a long, long time. Mostly due to Amani and Saetyroith's abilities to pull her out if the darkness. The least she can do is return the favor in any way she can.

"Any moment I can is a relief. I was getting used to just how much business there is to take care of while Mayte was still here, but…now it feels like I'm starting over again somehow." Which isn't really true. There's just a certain degree of overwhelm that Amani is having to adjust to, as with any major change in her life. "But Zymuraith keeps me grounded. And you. All those I care about. And Va'os is a good partner in all this. I know I'll be alright." She smirks and brandishes her newly-acquired bubbly pie. "So long as I'm able to keep taking little breaks like this."

Evka grins. "That makes two of us." She sighs contentedly. "Just another chapter of our lives opening. I'm rather excited to see what comes next." Though of she were to be honest with herself, she can't see what could top impressing Saetyroith and becoming a fully fledged rider. Maybe she'll visit and see what the cards have to say, maybe she can talk Amani into going with her.

"Zymuraith might have some opinions for you about that. With her little charms and things she likes to focus on," Amani comments wryly, her mind drifting in a similar direction. Which inevitably leads her to thoughts of the Zingari and Igen - and another question. "Have you…been back to visit at all?" she ventures just before another sip, dark eyes watching Evka's expression carefully.

Evka is mid-sip when Amani asks if she's been back home. She finishes her sip before nodding lightly. "Aye, a time or two. I went to visit Xanthee and get a few things for my Weyr." She sighs. "It was both familiar and… rather foreign. Pleasant too, for the most part. There were some whispers but I tried to pay them no mind."

Amani nods approvingly at that. She'd suspected Evka had to have gone back by now, though it's good to actually hear it. "That's about how I feel every time I go back, saving for the whispers." Different situations, different circumstances and challenges for the both of them. "Southern has come to feel like home now, though. No matter if there are things I miss about the desert. At least I can revisit them from time to time, but I don't need them to survive."

Evka nods. "There's another thing we can agree on. Southern definitely feels more like home now. Though I do miss being so close to the caravans, I miss the performance nights and the music." Evka brightens at this juncture. "Which reminds me, I brought back some tea and curry spice and I have extra set aside for you. Maybe we can convince the cooks to make some curry for us." She winks and smiles. "I brought back some whiskey too, if you're of a mind to come get silly sometime soon."

"Oh, I'm of a mind, I think," Amani agrees with a chuckle. "Both for getting the cooks to do curry, and for getting silly. My evenings are open enough now." There's a faint flicker of of melancholy through her smile, there and gone, giving way to a thoughtful expression. "I don't think I've ever actually gotten tipsy, come to think. Though I can't do much more if I'm going to have a clear head in the mornings." Duty before fun for her, after all.

Evka beams. "Great! It's a date then!" Because who isn't up for getting silly with a friend on occasion?" There's a look of sympathy on Evka's face for that moment of melancholy though and she'll reach over and pat Amani's hand if she can. "Getting tipsy isn't so bad… It's getting drunk that's an issue." Evka wrinkles her nose. Her last drunk experience hadn't been so great. "I'm not for going much past tipsy, so you're safe with me Amani." She winks and sips at her klah, letting it warm her insides. "Now what was this about hiking later?" Because that had definitely caught her attention.

The more work she has, the more the notion of getting silly now and again appeals, somehow. Recall of just how much drunkenness has factored into Evka's past suddenly smacks Amani upside the head, though it doesn't seem to be affecting her friend much. The squeeze she gives the brownrider's hand is as much apology as gratitude, though. "I know, Rev. And I'm glad for it," she assures the other woman, and then her smile warms for the matter of hiking. "There's a frozen waterfall just off the lake out there," she explains. "And ice like mirrors in the glacier, if we want to go out that far. Both worth a bit of work to see, though I'm thinking short hikes. Let the dragons take us most of the way, until it's harder for them to stay close. Which basically takes us right up to them, really." It's the traipsing about inside that's more work!

Evka perks considerably. The outdoors type of adventures are her favorite! "That sounds great! Think they can let us fill up a few skins before we go?" She chuckles and finishes up her klah before continuing their conversation. The rest of the day is spent in comfortable companionship, friends strengthening their bond and spending time together. The hike is a bit of an experience for Evka, one she loves and will cherish the memories from for the rest of her turns.

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