It's sunny, clear, and obnoxiously cold on this winter day in Igen. That would explain why there is a clothing-layered figure with hood drawn and face wrapped in a scarf shuffling across the courtyard, carrying a big armful of copper kitchen implements; mainly pots and pans. They look like they've been freshly scoured and polished, and now they're all set to be returned to wherever they go. Zetali is not really recognisable except for the white knot at her shoulder, or the barest glimpse of sea-green eyes beneath her hood; even her fair-weather firelizards have forsaken her for warmer climes, like curling up in her cot. Oh well. There's still work to be done, and so she trudges doggedly across the courtyard, intent on returning the tools to their proper place.

A pair of heavily bundled children can be seen sweeping the courtyard. From time to time one stops only to be prodded back into work. Agertha stands to one side watching the pair, "Don't forget the corners," she says mildly. The slightly taller of the two stops to stare at Zetali, "Is she in trouble too?" such an innocent question.

Fresh from evening drills, Zaria is hoping to sneak into the kitchens and grab some food while avoiding the main Living Caverns. There's a greenrider who has been trying to court her since Azrith caugh his lifemate, and the bluerider has tried to be polite and let him down easy, but he's just not getting the hint. Hopefully once the after glow of flight has faded more, so will the man's ardor. Spying one of her Arroyo riders, she greets Agertha with a salute, "Wingrider, are these yours?" she asks of the pair of children. Zetali is also noticed, with some lingering interest but she doesn't interupt her in her duties.

Either the hooded figure lugging all that copperware is in trouble, or they're a tinker. You never know in a place like Igen. But no, that white knot suggests this person is not in any sort of trouble, although maybe that depends on just who you ask. Copperware clanks as Zetali stops, shaking her head vigourously to throw back her hood, since she's fresh out of hands. "Trouble?" Sea-green eyes swivel toward the child that had spoken, along with a grin. "No. I'm a Candidate. Who are you?" she spots both Agertha and Zaria at about the same time, and they might note the sudden flush of scarlet — she can't salute without dropping everything she's carrying, and manages a distressed sound as that realisation reaches her. Maybe that kid was more accurate than she thought…

Agertha snaps a salute to Zaria, and gives a nod, "Sadly, yes," the one who had asked about Zetali continues to stare at the candidate, "Grystan, don't stare. It's rude," Agertha states firmly. This gets the boy back to work, "Oh," Grystan says to Zetali, "I'm Grystan, and that's Annis," Annis bobs her head as she drops her broom, "I can help with those. I know where they go," the girl is at Zetali's side in a flash. Anything to get out of sweeping up the courtyard. Hers and Grystan's prank wasn't that bad, so thinks Anni.

"Sadly? I though children were supposed to be a blessing," Zaria reponds with a playful twinkle in her eyes as she lifts a ginger brow in Zetali's direction, amused as the candidate blushe as well as the distressed sound she makes. The blueriding Wingleader is just about to step in and help when Annis beats her to it. So instead the ginger haired woman will just stand back and watch with amusement as Zetali tries to wrangle the mess of copperware in her grip.

From the mouth to the kitchens comes Th'bek looking like he faced down a proddy green. Having not altered his shoulder-length hair any after removing his helmet to eat, the brownrider haphazardly wears his goggle askew as he balances five meatrolls in the grasp of one hand against his chest. "O, dithn't 'ealize…" mid-chew, he leaves the warmth of the kitchens to face down the cold he's more used to.

"Well… uh… well met. Grystan. Annis." Zetali tries to juggle copperware, and mostly fails. It's only through the childrens' quick offer of help that she doesn't lose the whole load of it. She manages to save the biggest pieces as the children manage to save the smaller pieces, and once she has her hands somewhat free, she snaps off a salute to the dragonwomen. "Ugh. Thanks for the save," she asides, to Grystan and Annis, before straightening up and facing said dragonwomen (and now another dragonman) with due good cheer in spite of the cold. "Well met," she adds, to the dragonriders, now that she's managed to salute properly. "Candidate Zetali. Sorry, Ma'am. Hands full. I'll get these put away promptly. I'm sure the Head Cook'll be happy. I can see my reflection in 'em."

A wry look is thrown towards the twins before Agertha answers, "It is when they're not trying to pull off pranks they're not ready for," meaning? The twins got caught in the process of doing whatever it was they were trying to do. Worse? They got caught by their mother. Dun dun dun. Annis beams as she heads towards the kitchens, then finds it necessary to sidestep Th'bek. Grystan's right there behind his twin, "Toldja we'd get in trouble," he says as the pair disappears inside. Agertha sighs, as she sends Gigan to shephard the pair back out once their task is done, "They were trying to shave their canines, and dye them green," a harmless prank, but one that will not be tolerated as they were going to try and blame someone else, "Th'bek," a nod is given to the rider as he emerges, then a look given to Zetali, "The more troublesome of you lot, I would appreciate if you could keep them away from those two. They get enough ideas on their own. They don't need help."

Trying not to chuckle at the Candidate's predicament, Zaria almost wants to cheer when Zetali manages to handle things without dropping any of the freshly cleaned and polished copperware, and she accepts the Candidate's salute with one returned, "No worries. If you're hands are full, most riders I'm sure will understand if you don't salute them. I'm Zaria of blue Azrith. Very well met Zetali." Th'bek is then spied with his meatrolls, and it's her turn to salute the brownrider. "Evening, you managed to snag that from the kitchen? I was just about to go see if I could grab some stuff without having to deal with the Living Caverns." As Agertha tells the tale of the childrens' prank, she tries again not to look too amused, "Wow, that's pretty gutsy for a couple of kids. How's you're littlest one doing?" she asks with interest.

"Whoa now," Th'bek relays in response to Grystan and Annis flitting by him toward the kitchens. "Agertha, did you know your twins are their own stampede?" Chomping into a meatroll, he waves through the salutes with a meatroll in hand- like a Weyrsecond's scepter. "Want one?" He shows his heavily insulated torso to Zaria in a presentation of his cache of portable food. "Oh a candidate…" The man presents with emphasis, grinning all the while he chews.

The candidate arches her brows at the explanation, puffing a little sigh of disappointment. And they seemed like such nice kids. Why in Faranth's name would someone want to shave a canine and dye it green? Might as well shave a runnerbeast and dye it blue. "Well, at least they knew what they were in for." Juggling copperware, she shifts her load so she has a more secure grip on the lot of it. At mention of the more troublesome Candidates, Zetali puffs a little sigh. "That depends on who the troublesome ones are… besides, I don't want to blow anything, so you're not going to see me setting a toe out of line…" …any more than she already has. Ahem. She grins. "I'm just here to put the Head Cook's copperware back in its place. Ma'am." Attention swivels back to Zaria. "Well met, Zaria. And Azrith." She spins neatly on her heel and manages a salute for Th'bek, too, although for a brief instant it looks like she might lose the entire load… but manages to save it, with a little feline-like dexterity. Whew. Those meatrolls smell good, but she pushes the thought out of her mind. No time for eating! Not yet, anyway. "Sir." Maybe it's just imagination, but does she blanch a little when Th'bek affects that grin? "…Sir…?"

A slightly belated salute is given to Th'bek by Agertha, and a slightly belated introduction to Zetali, "Agertha, green Kestrath's," then she's back to watching the kitchen's door as she answers Zaria, "Ramia's doing well," there's more she could say but it's boring to listen to people go on about their children, so she doesn't. Th'bek's comment earns a chuuckle, "They hate sweeping," which would explain why they are doing just that.

"Ohhhh, don't mind if I do," Zaria says and snatches up a meatroll from Th'bek's cache, biting into it and immediately blowing out to cool her mouth. "Their hot!" she exclaims with a mumble before managing to swallow her first bite. She lets it cool a little bit before going for the next one. "Sounds sensible, towing the line that is. I never understood those Candidates who just have to make trouble for themselves and others," Zaria was always the sensible one in her candidate then weyrling class. Agertha's answer to the bluerider's question is met with a smile. She only really asked out of curiosity, Zar has very little interest besides casual in children and babies frankly scare her.

Th'bek partakes in another large bite that may indicate dingo as a forebear, effectively halving the meatroll in one bite. After he's concentrated on swallowing it, the Weyrsecond fishes for the canteen always on his right hip. After a thumbnail's dislodged the lid, he drinks quite heavily from it. The lump in his throat eased down, the brownrider parts his mouth momentarily to edge some food stuck to the side of his gums. This is what haste and hunger do to a person. "S'good for 'em," of sweeping children. "Those're, yeah, fresher ones, sorry." The volley of comments go to Zaria after her selection. "I just want to scare you, that's all," is the reply to Zetali with a winsome smile. Th'bek is within the 3.56% unscary Igen people.

"Really? They hate sweeping?" Zetali arches a brow as though mystified. "I like cleaning. It's theraputic. Oh, well met, Agertha. And Kestrath," she repeats, committing the dragon's name to memory as much as the rider's. The Candidate shifts her copperware with a clattering and a clanking, studying the other riders, and Th'bek with particular scrutiny. She's even squinting just a little. Frankly, he's not half as scary as Wingleader Eala is when Wingleader Eala is really pissed off about something. So she shifts her weight, tilting her head a little. "Oh. Really? I mean, depending on who you ask, actually Standing is terrifying enough. When we're not too exhausted to think about it, anyway. I mean… dragons, man," she adds, with feeling. "That's a big deal when you were born in a Hold and trained to a Craft… I'd never really seen 'em up close before I came to Igen Weyr, you know?" A short pause. "…Sir," she adds, politely.

That Zetali claims cleaning is theraputic is music to Th'bek's windchapped ears. "Someday I'll bring you up to Last Call and you can have allll the therapy you want. I'm Th'bek, by the by, lifemate to Tavuqth. Of Whirlwind." At least he's getting his updated wing correct. "Dragons do have that effect on people," siding with the candidate for how impressive they truly are. "As a Weyrbred lout, I had the distinct advantage of seeing them as common as fish, part'a life. Which Hold did you spring from?"

Annis emerges back to the courtyard, and reluctantly picks up the broom she'd dropped earlier. Grystan follows shortly after chased by a bronze firelizard, "I grew up in a cot," Agertha comments, and once more she's back to watching the pair of children to make sure they don't miss anything, "When you're done, you can help Zetali with the rest of those pots and pans," Agertha states to her twins. The pair groan in unison, "Cook already wants us to scrub floors," Annis whines only to be prodded by Grystan who tries to shush the girl.

"No, it's all good, fresher is better," Zaria asserts before she takes another, more careful bite of her meatrolls. She's starting to wonder when the Candidate is just going to excuse herself to finally rid herself of her burden, but she guesses she might not until all the riders quit talking to her. She chuckles at one of the girl's comments, "Oh standing is indeed terrifying. I was Hold bred too, wanted to go into the Seacraft but they wouldn't take me. Then got Searched and the rest, as they say is history."

Grystan sidles up to Zetali, and carefully takes some more of those pots and pans. He'll just take those inside, shall he? Agertha continues to watch the pair like she expects them to try and sneak off, "Come straight back. You're not done," said firmly to the boy who's racing off with another armload of copperware.

"Oh yes! That's a great idea Th'bek," Zaria says, lighting up significantly as she looks over Zetali with a critical eye. "Might need to bring a couple more candidates up there to get a nice deep clean though. Although we'd have to have someone there to chaperone/manage them cause Candidates left alone with all that booze might be too tempting for some." The bluerider is most definitely hatching a plan now with a smirk playing over her lips.

"Last Call?" Zetali quirks a brow again. She's doing a lot of that, today. "Some kind of tavern? haven't actually been there. Bad for Apprenticeship, unless you're a vintner, which I'm not, and bad for Candidacy, both. Well met, though, Th'bek. And Tavuqth." She considers, shifting her load of cookware. "Keroon Hold, Sir. My family's all herders. Parents, seven sibs. I'm the youngest of the lot. Seacraft? That's exotic." She grins. "I don't even know how to swim. I've never been around more water than enough for a bath… the lake here in the weyr is pretty big." Before she even notices, she's holding fewer pots and pans, and the kids manage to abscond with a few more pieces. And suddenly she's being looked at like a prized race-runnerbeast. Wuh oh. "Er? Oh, I don't drink, Ma'am. Not really. I've got too much at stake!"

Give him time. Grystan will stealth away, taking more of the copperware when he comes back. This is almost fun sneaking pots and pans away from Zetali. Annis rolls her eyes as she continues to sweep the courtyard. She does not want to get roped into scrubbing floors. Let Grystan get roped in to that if he wants.

"The Lounge isn't quite as grubby, I think because Whirlwind keeps it nice for the Weyrleader. But we can arrange something." Th'bek purports to hatch a scheme with Zaria. "Some of the wings have their own hangouts, Arroyo claims Last Call. Keroon's one of my favorite places to visit, I could go on for days lookin' over their fields and stock. Glad to have you with us at the Weyr." Having finished all four meatrolls, the Weyrsecond takes a final drink. "Now that I had my first meal of the day, it's back to it. So long, friends!" Somewhat adjusting the crookedness of his goggles, Rev ducks back into the kitchen, probably to scrounge one more meatroll to fill in for the one donated to Zaria.

"I'd better get these back to the kitchen before they're actually needed for something." Zetali manages an apologetic grin, although she's not carrying half as much as she had been when she'd come into the courtyard. "Also, I'd better make sure they're actually putting those back where they belong, or the Head Cook's liable to throw me into the stew." She pauses, pirouetting neatly on her heel. "Well met!" she calls, cheerfully, before disappearing back into the kitchens.

Agertha rounds her twins up when Grystan reappears from the kitchens. The sweeping is done, and now it's time to get her pair of trouble makers home, "Alright. You two are done for now," now doesn't that sound ominous? Agertha herds the twins out, and away from the courtyard.

"Last Call is a bar made long before my time in an empty weyr. You need a dragon to get access to it," Zaria further explains as she takes another bite of her purloined meatroll and uses it to tip a salute to Th'bek as he takes off. Although one meatroll is not nearly a meal, the bluerider decides that maybe she'll find something to eat in the Bazaar instead. Tossing a wave to Zetali just before she leaves, she says her farewells to Agertha before heading off in the direction of the Cantina maybe.