Know what a shipweyr needs? A cistern. A'hali has made this decision and is now working to make it a reality. Poor Ohanaveth is having to put up with A'hali's newest building project with good grace, having given up about half of his laying-about room to the lumber, nails, pitch, and assorted tools that A'hali has borrowed. Right now he's in the measure-twice-cut-once phase of getting the actual physical cistern to go up on the top level. Lots of banging going on. LOTS OF BANGING.

Ohanaveth may be putting up with with this newest building project with a certain amount of good grace. Sorvani probably was until ALL THAT BANGING! "What the…?" The barmaid queries as she steps out of the shipweyr, she may or may not be sleep-dishevelled and yawning. "What are you doing now?" She asks with suspiciously narrowed eyes.

At least A'hali has the good grace to look sheepish when he sees her all sleepy-woman-cute. "Cistern," Helpfully he holds up the saw and the piece of wood he has carefully put measurements onto. "For water." Because this is the weyr, and it is possible someone would decide that a cistern for like, wine, is appropriate.

Sorvani would totally be that person! But the idea is unlikely to occur to her in her half-awake state. Instead she's going to blearily frown at the brownrider. "I was waiting for you." And she fell asleep on the couch, only to be awoken by A'hali banging something other than her. She's a little miffed, but she'll get over it. "Water?" He may need to go into greater detail, her brain isn't up to much inference at the moment either.

Well, to be fair, she was asleep. So A'hali wouldn't have been banging her either. That would be creepy yo. Leaning over his pile A'hali reaches for his plan before gesturing her over. This will be easier to explain if she comes and sits on his lap so he can put the whole plan in front of them. "Cistern. Gathers water from rain, holds, lets down when we turn a knob." RUNNING WATER

Sorvani cocks her head. Yet he had no problems waking her up with LOUD NOISES. Man logic is weird! After chewing her lip thoughtfully for all of two seconds, she's just going to wander over and snuggle her way onto his lap. No words just snuggles. "So I wouldn't have to go all the way to the baths?" She tilts her head one way and then the other at the plans, but they may as well be some of the art in the Solarium for all the sense it makes to her.

But Sorvani! There are NUMBERS and SHAPES and all of the notations that could make any handy-man happy. A'hali is rather proud of this plan actually. One arm wraps snugly around her as he re positions the plans between them. A finger traces down the pathway that the water will flow. "Maybe not enough for a bath. Plus, cold." The water won't be as awesome as the baths are. :( "But, dishwashing, cleaning… better." All of it will be easier with a cistern.

Sorvani's lips crack in smug little smile. "Cold might be nice…in the summer. Together." But he's all distracted by numbers and shapes and all that stuff right. Obediently she looks over the plans, nodding with approval. "I'm sure it'll be amazing." Her attention turns from the confusing bit of design back to him, after another moment's thought (still waking up) she kisses him three times quickly on his cheek, because it is there. "Will it take you long do you think?"

A'hali is going to blush slightly but PLANS NUMBERS. Shifting slightly he sets the plans aside with a tiny little 'good boy' tap to them. He'll return her kiss with one of his own- though he's going for the lips because. "A month? Maybe two." A'hali is quick to add the qualifier, just in case. Seriously, who knows what with thread and grubs being a jerk lately and the uptick in the injuries. "Sorry to wake you." A pause as a thought occurs, "You didn't have the door closed?" Assuming she was totally in bed~

It may take a while for Sorvani to answer, half-wakefulness then kisses disconnecting the voice part of her brain momentarily. "Uh…I wasn't planning on sleeping. I must have dozed off…" That doesn't answer the bed implication at all. "…waiting for you." There is a gentle poke to his ribs. "I've got a couple of things I need help reading. And I don't know if I could wait a whole month, maybe two…" The briefest glimmer of teasing humor flashes in her eyes. "Is there much more you were planning on doing right now A'hali?"

A flick of a glance at his working space, then back to poor patient Ohanaveth who is just settling for LESS space all scrunched up over there. "Help me clean a little? Then I can stop." So poor Ohanaveth can stretch out a bit. A'hali's gonna be playful enough to try to lift Sorvani off of him by grabbing her butt. That's allowed, right?

Sorvani quirks an eyebrow, but his hands tend to go there frequently enough that she just goes with it. But the sooner they clean up, the sooner he can read her mail, so she soon dances away from him and his hands. "Later." She promises with a wink. However seeing as pretty much everything is foreign and strange to her, her bit in cleaning up is just going to involve holding up a random thing for A'hali to tell her what to do with it. But she is helping, and she is following instructions…so it shouldn't take them that long to have Ohanaveth comfy once more.

A'hali has a real simple too system. Put everything into a pile and bam, it is good. Once they are done Ohanaveth gets a head knob scratch before A'hali will follow Sorvani into the weyr proper, "What first?" Her turn to boss him around.

"Oh! Right!" Sorvani had momentarily forgotten in all the excitement of piling strange things together. With quick steps she goes to the kitchen table to hold up two scraps of hide. "This one, the words are too big." She waves the larger one of the two (The letter from Drex). "And this one, the words are too small." To be fair the smaller scrap looks like something that would be tucked into a firelizard message tube. Both are problematic for her novice reading skills. "Do you mind?" Because she doesn't mind sharing her private correspondence.

"Live to please." A'hali takes that phase a little too seriously. He goes over to the seat and settles himself for serious reading once she gives over.

A'hali sort of set the precedent for 'how they are reading today' earlier out on the ledge, so she's just going to settle herself back on his lap once he's settled. Sure her scraps of hide aren't as interesting as his plans with all the SHAPES and NUMBERS, but she appreciates his help. "Later too." She tweaks her brows before handing over the larger two of the letters. "The cook at the 'Kitten gave me this. I think it's from Drex." And it just details that he is free, and back at Blackrock and maybe she could visit. A'hali too. The second scrap she holds onto a little longer. "A strange firelizard bought me this, this morning." Upon the finger-smeared hide is a short simple message: Dear Sorvani, It was great seeing you! Come back again any time! Love Stanov…P.S. Bring your guy.

But in teeny-tiny letters so it is really hard to read.

The first letter gets a head nod, "Good for him." A small weight off, even if the whole Drex thing still sours A'hali's stomach. Anyway… moving on… Hal stumbles over the unfamiliar name. "Don't remember him?" Did Hal meet this one? "Or her." No judgment on poor names if that is the case.

"It's from Stanov?" Sorvani asks excitedly, there may even be a little bouncing because she's not thinking about where she is sitting right now. "Pen! I need a pen. And Lyah." Not that she stayed sitting too long. Drex and his letter are dismissed for the moment as she searches for something to write with. "Oh." She pauses looking back at A'hali. "I thought I told you?" She rummages through a container. "Stanov is my brother." Pen found she returns to the table and flips the smaller scrap of hide over. In her careful way she's just going to write: Is now good Y/N?… leaving enough time for Hal to read "If you don't mind that is…" She asks, even as she concentrates on her green and getting the creature to settle long enough to attach the message.

"Oh!" A'hali puts a LOT of excitement into that word, smiling before wincing slightly as her final bounce didn't land exactly right. "You just called him brother." And A'hali didn't pry about the man's name in particular. Sitting forward A'hali smiles wryly. "Are you?" There's a significant look at her sleep-muddled hair.

"Am I what?" Sorvani is just going to blink at A'hali, she's not exactly aware of what she looks like, and she's concentrating on getting the message-laden Lyah to PAY ATTENTION. Eventually the green disappears with a squawk and a pop and Sorvani is going to pace a little. WAITING IS HARD. "Oh. I thought I told you his name?"

"Nope…. Hair?" A'hali will say this slightly more pointedly and actually physically point at her hair. It's sticking up slightly on one side and while Hal thinks she's still pretty it does look a little weird. Just being a good guy here. "Want me to brush?" A'hali does know how to do that from his years looking out for Aly and Brit.

Now Sorvani's hands go up to her head. "Oh…OH!" Her eyes widen and she also takes a moment to check her breath not so discreetly. "Do you want to brush my hair?" She asks even as her fingers reach up and start unravelling her braids. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Lyah could be back any candlemark now! Sorvani has the bestest, most reliable firelizards EVER! Needless to say, she does manage to get both braids undone before she heads into the bedroom for her hairbrush.

"If you'd trust me." Which… might not be a good idea. A six year old's hair is probably not the same as a grown woman. Sorvani should probably say no to that. "Should I change too?" Since he's still in infirmary/build-shit clothing.

Sorvani takes a moment to consider the possibilities once she returns. "As much as I am sure we'd like to help each other…" There is that twinkle in her dark eyes, and an arch lift to one of her brows. "Perhaps it's best if we just do what we need to." She's already brushing her hair, dragging the brush through it with impatience. Once that is done she is rebraiding with quick fingers, patting the sides of her head a time or two to ensure that it doesn't look too weird.

Which is really good timing too, because Lyah returns right about now, with another pop and some put-upon chittering. The same scrap of hide. This time the writing on the wrong side looks like this: Is now good Y/N?

It elicits a laugh from A'hali and he pushes himself to his feet and goes to disappear into the room to do a change of clothing. At the sound of wings he pokes his head out, "We going?"

Sorvani spends the time while A'hali is dressing, chasing Lyah about the room. THE BEST FIRELIZARDS! Eventually she manages to coax the ALWAYS hungry green with a little bit of food. "I think so." She says after a moment frowning at the message. She is getting used to interpreting men who don't say a heck of a lot. "Have you been to Igen before Hal?" She probably should have asked that sooner, but you know - she was distracted.

Sorvani and Ohanaveth need to do some serious bonding, so that she can be all like 'bro, make the little spaz chill OUT.' Ohanaveth would totally be all quiet <3 and make it happen. "Just for the between image." So Hal can get them there but he hasn't like, explored or whatever. "You ready?"

BUT where is the fun in that? Besides, Lyah's spaz is nothing compared to Figners! Sorvani gives A'hali a big nervous grin and a firm nod. There may even be a thumbs-up. "Yes." Sweet and simple she'll just lead the way out to the big quiet Ohanaveth, and with the practise of the last little while clambers up his side. A'hali is needed to drive of course, so as soon as he is settled they are off! ::BETWEEN:: is a bit of a new experience, but Sorvani has done it often enough that she doesn't clutch A'hali too closely. "Down there!" She yells and points to the adobe glory that is the central bazaar. "Ohanaveth can't get any closer to where we are going." Hopefully A'hali hears her over all the flight noise.

*handwaveallthegettingoffthedragonstuff* A'hali's going to spend a special few moments hugging Ohanaveth after they land. The ocean-inspired brown doesn't have much love for the desert that the trio have found themselves in. It's not a BIG production but Hal <3s Ohanaveth. Once the brown is settled Hal'll hold out a hand to Sorvani, "lead the way?" And he will FOLLOW.

Smithy
The Smith's area is certainly not the prime real-estate in the crafter's section of the Weyr: but, true to Smith form, they've taken what they were given and made the best of it. At the tail end of a maze of winding streets, an iron gate is set within adobe brick walls, opening up into a narrow courtyard. Cracked cobblestones and paths overgrown with native grasses mar the place, though the influx of Oldtimers brings signs of improvement. A few gnarled trees provide shade over stone benches for people to sit and talk. In the back corner of the courtyard, where it can be shaded by the surrounding buildings, is a rather large copper still.

Off of this central area, there are several wooden doorways opening into the four sides of the small buildings flanking this narrow courtyard. To the left is the metalworking wing, its windows often kept open to keep air flowing and prevent the buildup of toxic fumes. On the opposite side of the courtyard, away from the metal's fires, is the woodcrafting wing. Straight ahead, opposite the entrance gate, are the living quarters - with apprentices on the bottom floor, and stone steps leading to the second floor offices and higher ranking sleeping quarters. Along the wall with the gate, there are various classrooms and working rooms with windows opening out to the streets beyond, so that their wares can be displayed for passersby to see - and hopefully purchase.

It is the sixteenth day of Spring and 67 degrees. It is a clear night.

One good thing about the desert? It's not raining, and also it's spring so the temperature is entirely reasonable. "Come A'hali." Being back in her old home has Sorvani being a little more 'Igen-ish' than normal. So she'll lead him through the streets of the bazaar with the occasional mischievous glance over her shoulder, but little else in the way of speech. Eventually her languid pace brings them to the iron gates of the smithy. "He's a smith…apprentice." Did she already tell him that? Who knows. With an increasing confidence she pushes her way inside and is just about to ask the nearest smith for directions, when a fourteen turn old boy of reasonable height pushes himself out of the shadows and approaches. "Sorvani!" There is hugging, but it's awkward because this is only the second time they have met since Sorvani left all those turns ago.

A'hali hangs back a little when Sorvani lets him go so she can go hug her brother. There's a smile on his face though - THIS - this is happiness right there. Families reunited. Hugs. He leans on a nearby wall and doesn't interject himself until they both make it clear he's wanted.

"So did you bring the guy?" Stanov asks, in a teasing tone that is both familiar, and breaking a little because of puberty. While he still has a few inches to go, he's not going to be that far off A'hali once he reaches his full growth. "I couldn't come so quickly if I didn't." Sorvani retorts right on back, turning back to A'hali and then pausing shyly as she takes in that smile. Still clutching her brothers hand she steps closer again. "Stanov, I'd like you to meet someone…very special to me. This is A'hali, of Southern Weyr." She looks up at her brother before returning her gaze to the brownrider. "A'hali. This is my little brother, Stanov. He's a smith." Sure that's obvious, seeing as they are hanging out in a smithy, but she can't interject the pride she feels if she doesn't say it. "Apprentice smith, sis. Apprentice." Stanov corrects, dropping her hand to offer it out for a handshake. There are similarities between brother and sister despite the disparity in height, a certain mischievous charm being the most obvious.

At 'the guy' A'hali will figure that's his cue to stand up straighter. Stepping forward he'll take Stanov's hand in his own, and give it a firm squeeze back. Hal's no smith, but he has the body to have gone down that pathway. No measuring or judgement. "Nice to meet you. A'hali," just in case Sorvani'd been stingy with his name back, Hal offers his. "Or Hal." Because they're practically ALL family now? At least, as family-ish as riders can get with anyone.

"Hal. Well met." Stanov has his sister's way of taking full advantage of all that is offered as well. And then, he's just going to fold his arms and do his very best (despite not having grown into a lot of his extremities like a puppy) to look a little menacing. "What are your intentions towards my sister?" He asks, as gruff as he can be, although much like Sorvani, he can't quite hide the twinkle of humor in his equally dark eyes. "Faranth, Stan!" Sorvani protests because SHE IS RIGHT THERE, there may also be a little not-so-gentle-but-full-of-sibling-love elbowing in the ribs from the barmaid. "Did no one teach you manners?"

Thank goodness A'hali is saved from answering that question because there's no GOOD way to say 'well, I intend to sleep with her lots, and all that stuff but never actually marry her because dragons can't do that so she'll always be a slightly loose woman as long as she hangs with me' in Hal's short way of speaking. Instead he'll settle for a simple, "Sorvani is a wonderful woman."

Stanov grins down at his big sister. "Nope. Mum died, you ran away. I'm a weyrbrat through and through." Stanov takes nothing seriously, not even the sad beginnings that he came from. "She's always been a bit wonderful. Keep her that way, or we'll have words….later, when I catch up to you" There is the barest hint of something other than brotherly teasing in that comment but it quickly passes with a wink. "Not that I remember much, she abandoned me when I was seven." Stanov is quick to sling a forgiving arm about Sorvani's shoulder though. "Best thing ever." He admits. Sorvani really isn't equipped to deal with the pendulum of emotions her brother's teasing elicits. "I am sorry about that." She winces up at him. "I wasn't that much older than you are now." Although she is directing the explanation to her brother, her eyes seek A'hali's face for understanding. "It is…I'm sorry." She can't change the poor decisions she's made, but she can say SORRY a whole lot.

What else COULD Hal be but understanding? She couldn't take care of her brother, but someone else could. Weyrs seem to be good places to be raised. Reaching out A'hali takes her hand and squeezes three times gently, his response said more clearly with action than with words. "I will." He says this to Stanov, a crooked smile on his face for the brother. "More than a bit. Wonderful that is." Just to see if he can get Sorvani to blush over it.

Sure, A'hali has like ten, eleven turns on him, but Stanov has been itching to play Sorvani's protector for most of his life, to repay her for what little protection she gave him in their childhood. "We'll get along just fine then." He decides with a nod, letting his arm slip from his sister's shoulder as the brownrider takes her hand. With a quick glance at her brother, she squeezes A'hali's hand in return, three times. And there may be the faintest hint of color on her cheeks, but in the darkening shadows all that is apparent is the arch of one eyebrow. He's going to have to try harder than that. "So yeah." Stanov is just going to interject. "When you said you were living in Southern now…I made some enquiries." He starts taking his time getting to the point much like Sorvani does. "With the grub thing, it's all hands on deck. So I'm just going to ask if it's a good place to live?" The teenagers face splits into a wide grin. "They need help with flame-thrower production and maintenance, I saw a chance to get a transfer." And because he lives in a Weyr, it's pretty much instant.

One hand is left in Sorvani's but the other comes up to rub at the back of his neck. "The weyr is safe." THAT much, at least, A'hali is rock solid on. No need to mention that he and Sorvani live in a wooden house, right? Right. All is good. "Smiths would take help. If you wanted." A glance at Sorvani is slightly confused. Is he saying he transferred already or is looking to transfer?

This is news for Sorvani as well, she's going to turn back to her brother with a frown. "What are you saying?" She asks suspiciously, but with the merest hint of suppressed excitement. As for Stanov, he's just going to keep on grinning at the pair of them. "I've got my master to agree, I'll be transferring as soon as one of the Southern Smiths agrees to take me. You won't have to travel so far to come see me!" Perhaps this was the news that had the youngster invite her to visit, he certainly seems proud of himself as he holds his arms wide. As Sorvani listens, the excitement becomes more and more apparent. "Really?" She asks, her own grin answering her brothers. Of course he's going to get the hug. But she'll step away once it is done. It's still a bit awkward. "You'll like it. It's very green." The creep of shadows reminds Sorvani of the time passing. "D'you want to get dinner?" She asks of both the important men in her life.

"Know a most Southern smiths." A'hali will offer his assistance if the boy wants it in finding a new master. (Sorvani's probably going to have to translate until either Hal gets more comfortable and uses more words, or till Stanov figures out how to speak A'hali.) As if on cue, A'hali's stomach does the whole 'omg yes feed me now' thing that involves a LOUD NOISE and A'hali looking rueful embarrassed. Reasoning given, "Forgot to eat, working on the cistern."

"My master seems to think I shouldn't have any problem. It's a time thing mostly. Messages take a while to get there and back." Stanov frowns at the inefficiency, even as he chuckles when A'hali's stomach joins the conversation. "A meal might be nice. You have to eat more." Despite his claims at not remembering much of Sorvani, there is a firmness in the smith apprentices tone that suggests he is well aware of how little Sorvani eats normally. Stanov also gives a chuckle for the brownriders spoken answer. "I've done that more than once when a project gets really interesting." Forgotten to eat. "Almost there are days I think I can see myself growing." And that takes a lot of fuel. "Follow." Stanov instructs tersely, giving Sorvani the chance to worm under A'hali's arm. "I know this really good food place." He explains over his shoulder as he leads them deeper into the bazaar. Sorvani rolls her eyes at her brother, but seems kind of happily bemused. At least she has only the one family member, and she hasn't abandoned A'hali to his tender mercies yet.