Who

Elle, Kyara, K'vvan

What

Starcrafter Elle likes to predict things, but she didn't quite predict the outcome of greenriders at the star stones.

When

It is evening of the twenty-eighth day of the eleventh month of the fourth turn of the 12th pass.

Where

Star Stones

OOC Date 23 May 2015 07:00

 

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"That's the definition of erratic, isn't it? Unpredictable."


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Star Stones

The climb up here on foot is steep, narrow stone steps carved high into the sandstone, and from the top the precipice-drop to the jagged-craggy stones far, far below is treacherous. It's a wide sweep of ledge, a dragonlength and a half jutting out from a rough cliff wall. The wind here is ceaseless, dusty-dry during daytimes and biting at night. But for those who brave the climb to this lookout perched high above the Weyr's bowl, the view from these sandy-red rocks is breathtaking. Igen stretches wide-wide-wide around, a vast expanse of deep blue lake and lush green swamp and the myriad rust-rich colours of desert and rock. The real purpose of this spot, though, is highlighted not in its view of what is below but its view of what is above. Three tall rocks stand, one balanced across the tops of the other two, at the focal point of the ledge, perpetually framing one slice of the desert sky beyond.


The fourth turn of the Pass marches on to the eternal wheeling and turning of the stars overhead, much to the rote expectation-commingled-delight of the Starcrafters keeping watchful eye on time and star-charts alike. Elle is no different than her peers, and dusk on this Igen autumn evening finds the slight starcrafter next to the Star Stones, watchful eyes lifted to assess the heavens as the bounty of starlight slowly starts to appear in the gloaming.

With no weyrlings in the barracks to watch over in the evenings these days, it isn't uncommon for Kyara to be seen on watches and sweeps every now and again. This evening yields a watch for the greenriding AWLM, something she doesn't mind in the slightest with the weather being as pleasant as it is. A clear night, low wind, the bit of autumn chill refreshing but not unbearable in the slightest - all told, it's a lovely end of the day. Liareth is mindful of the presence of another as she alights at the Star Stones, keeping well to the far end of the space in order not to disturb the woman there. Dismounting, Kyara surveys the slight Starcrafter curiously as she pulls off her helmet and wanders toward the monolithic stones. "Good evening, Journeyman," comes the greeting as she nears a potential perch. "Everything turning as expected up there?"

K'vvan is… not as careful about being polite about the quietness of the evening. His boots crunch loudly as he takes the pathway upwards, muttering to himself like he's having a full on conversation. But with himself. He must have just come from the showers or some other wet persuit because his hair is plastered down as he makes the final step of the climb to the top. "… might lose if we did that." Not that losing is uncommon. He'll get around to noticing he's not alone eventually.

Dusk-darkened eyes follow Liareth's progress across familiar skies, Elle's mouth curving upwards slightly at the bounty of space given. "Greenrider," she returns to Kyara, dipping her chin cordially. "So far so good," the starcrafter lightly comments as to the turning of the celestial bodies overhead; "Though I'm not quite sure what we would do if something unexpected occurred." She turns her attention to the arriving K'vvan, but doesn't greet the man. In the faint light, only the ascendant curve of her eyebrows indicate any reaction to the loud man's progress.

"Jump out of the way, perhaps?" Kyara suggests, a darkly humored smirk accompanying her words as she belatedly catches her own double meaning. Ah well. "Though only if it were something unexpected heading for us, of course." She hears K'vvan's approach but gives only a slight turn of her head, Liareth filling her in a bit more as the green peers down at the stair to watch the man's ascent. "I don't suppose the sky is any more forthcoming about why Thread still surprises us sometimes?" she ventures, a chagrined edge to the question despite the faint thread of hope that glimmers there as well.

"Of course, then I could see how well I could kick the s…" About midway through Kyara's statement about unexpected things it hits K'vvan that there are other people there. his words roll to a slow stop and he snaps his mouth shut. Nope. Not talking to himself at all. He catches the last part of Kyara's comment and snorts. "If there were an answer to that don't you think they might have figured that out at some point? Last I heard there've been more riders doing this then just us." His gaze slides from Kyara to fix on Elle, evaluating. No insults there yet.

"Like Crom did?" Elle replies to Kyara, macabre humor given in response to a bit of the same. "I can only hope we never see the cometfalls that happened last Pass," the Starcrafter continues, "Much less the big comets like they experienced in the tenth interval." The starcrafter's openness turns far more reserved when Kyara brings up Threadfall, however, so far as to lean back on her heels. "We are tracking the erratic falls, but haven't been able to trace the cause yet." She doesn't acknowledge K'vvan, falling silent as the male greenrider enters the conversation.

Kyara gives a silent sigh of resignation as K'vvan inserts himself into her chat with the Starcrafter, lips pressing into a thin smile for the other woman. "The odds are low, I'm sure," she offers. "Thankfully. And as for Thread…well. There's always hope that something may change, or some new bit of knowledge might be regained." A sidelong glance is slipped toward the other greenrider as she clasps her hands at her back. "I seem to remember there being less incidences of surprise Falls in the accounts of earlier Passes. Maybe there were none at all at one point." With a small shrug, she settles onto a nearby boulder, idly brushing off a pant leg above her boot.

"That's the definition of erratic, isn't it? Unpredictable." K'vvan takes the last few steps and leans against the star stones themselves. His gaze lifts upwards at the stars above, but only for a moment. Philosophy isn't quite his thing. "It's good enough I know more or less when I'm going to go try to get myself killed starcrafter, why take the fun out of it by tracking everything?" The layer of sarcasm threading through his words could almost choke a goat.

"No, the cometfalls changed the topographic pattern of Thread," Elle returns to Kyara, her voice quiet. "The little information we do have from last Pass defies all historic information that the Oldtimers brought with them, which was substantial. The prevailing theories postulate that the comets altered the approach of the Red Star." One shoulder lifts and falls. "I'm just thankful we have a modicrum of predictive modeling, now. Last Pass they didn't have even that." It sounds more like musing aloud than anything else, and she doesn't dignify K'vvan's question with an answer.

And this is why it was a good thing Kyara became a Harper and not a Starcrafter, much as she enjoys watching the sky from time to time. It's not something she would have considered, for certain. A soft 'ahhh' of comprehension escapes her, one brow arching subtly. "That makes a lot of sense," she murmurs, nodding and turning her eyes upward. K'vvan's maudlin sarcasm is ignored on her end as well, though a glance is flicked over to wear he leans before she props a foot up on her boulder. Arms drape over the resulting bent knee as she asks, "What are you watching for tonight, then?"

…. "Modicum of predictive modeling. Farnath save us, who talks like that?" K'vvan shoves himself up from the side of the roach and approaches the edge of the cliff looking downwards. A foot kicks at a rock, and K'vvan watches as it bounces downwards, dislodging others to create a pebble worth of rockslide in its wake. "Would it kill one of you to just say "We have enough to be able to know when it will happen?"" Above, the moonlight is interrupted for a breath. Nadeeth is there, and a low murr reaches down just for Liareth's benefit.

Nadeeth thinks to you, « I bespoke Liareth with: Dark velvet reaches out to enfold Liarath's mind. Greeting, welcome… on the heels of a dark thread of apology. « I have asked him to talk to the one you speak to. She feels good. » »

Nadeeth senses Liareth twines welcoming steam round about dark-threaded apology, crooning softly in physical reply to the other green. « She does, » is agreed emphatically. « I was about to tell mine to say something. Though if yours will speak, I will keep my peace. It would take him from our watch, at least. » Sorry, Nadeeth. Liareth isn't one for putting it nicely when someone is irksome.

"Abnormalities," Elle returns to Kyara, a rogue amusement touching her voice. "I've been tracking one of the dawnsisters as of late. I think her orbit has shifted, and with Timor full tonight, I can make a bit more precise calculations." She finally acknowledges K'vvan's existence with an even-voiced, "No, likely not." Kill her. To speak simply. "But I find that limiting my vocabulary for others tends to come off as condescension."

Nadeeth thinks to you, « I bespoke Liareth with: « He does not like to ask women. » The appology continues as the silk soakes in the smoke, darkening to an almost black. « But if yours speaks first, he would walk her back. » »

One brow arches high for K'vvan's words, while Elle's reply has Kyara stifling a laugh with a purposeful cough (helpfully aided by a legitimately dry throat). A discreet grin is slipped to Elle from behind the waterskin she lifts to her lips from her belt, and her leg drops again. "We don't have to justify how we speak to you any more than you have to justify your attitude to us, wingsecond," the AWLM states easily. She opens her mouth to add more, but a blink passes, a split-second note from her lifemate conveyed before her smile tilts and turns on the Starcrafter. "Journeyman Elle," she says, rising and moving her hand to another pouch, "you have two greenriders interrupting your evening, both with very different perspectives…but very like-minded dragons. Where you're concerned in particular." Her hand leaves her pouch, extending to Elle with the wound form of a white knot draped across it. "Would you be willing to stand for Kaelidyth's clutch?"

"Hurmph." That sound means that Elle wins a point there and churlish K'vvan doesn't particularly want to admit it. His arms come up and fold across his chest until Kyara asks that question and he deflates at little bit. Perhaps the bluster was all him not actually wanting to ask a girl to stand and now that Kyara has taken the first step~~ "You wouldn't have to give up your starcrafting. Shards only know we do enough pouring over those stupid charts ourselves. You could teach a few idiots about your models."

K'vvan perhaps has his wish, for Elle is at an entire loss for words when Kyara makes her offer. "I," the Starcrafter starts, her voice clearly faint, "Me?" A lingering note of bewilderment imbues that solidary syllable, a perhaps-understandable surprise flattening her voice. It's dim with Timor and half of Belior, but Elle's scrunched brow is evident enough. "I, ah." She draws herself to an insignificant height. "It would be my honor, assistant weyrlingmaster," she carefully directs to Kyara. "Surprised honor," in a less-formal tone, reflective and paired with a longer glance towards K'vvan as if to suss out his part in this. "But honor nonetheless."

Kyara's smile for Elle's answer is broad and brilliant even in the darkness, a soft chuckle escaping her as she passes the knot off to the Starcrafter. "I don't think I've come across anyone who isn't surprised by it," she notes, then gives a half shrug. "In the short time I've been on this side of things, anyway. Get whatever you need, and wingsecond K'vvan," indicated with a sweep of her hand toward the other greenrider, "will take you to the Candidate Barracks." Hopefully without too much more grumbling, but that's being a bit optimistic, she's sure.

"There's always a few rider's sons that think they're entitled." Because K'vvan can't just keep his trap shut. He glances skyward once more, tracking Nadeeth as she flits across the stars and then down again. "The other candidates will like you better if you talk like a human being you know." Because now K'vvan is the master of interpersonal relationships and how to build them. "You almost had it there at the very end. Less honor and more "Yeah. Sure."" Looking downwards K'vvan meets Kyara's gaze with something a kin to… gratitude? That he didn't have to ask first? Or maybe he just got dust in his eye or something. "Assistant weyrlingmaster." And she even gets a sketchy kind of salute before K'vvan leads - and hopefully Elle follows - down the path back towards the weyr.

Elle inclines her chin at Kyara. "Thank you," she offers after an only slightly awkward pause from the starcrafter, as if the woman has had to cast about for the correct words to use. Not quite the same is the pause she gives after K'vvan speaks. It's heavier. Judgier. But unlike some individuals in proximity, Elle knows when to hold her words; she does just that, inclining her chin. Luckily her gear isn't quite unpacked yet, and she shoulders her bag after only a moment, following K'vvan down silently. Somehow, one doubts this is exactly what she was expecting tonight.

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