With the morning getting on, lunchtime on the horizon, the lower caverns are at that point of people getting on with their daily routine. For the majority this would consist of, you know, working. For Idara, it would appear to consist of lounging on one of the comfortable loveseats by the hearth, her legs half bent under her, with a book propped on her knee. Outside it may be grey, drizzly, and mild in temperature, but here it's pleasantly warm and cosy - even more so thanks to the mug of klah steaming away on the low table next to her. The teenager turns a page in the book, eyes slowly moving as she reads, a subtle smile on her face. A green fire-lizard is curled up just in front of her legs, eyes closed as she snoozes contentedly.

The firelizard who is sitting in the crook of Ginger's left arm is neither snoozing nor contented, and her eyes are whirling orange with hunger. The brownrider's arrival at the nighthearth is heralded by a loud, incessant creeling that's audible from a fair distance. Ginger's headed for the hearth with the stew pot, but after taking a deep breath of the pleasantly meaty fragrance that's coming from it, she thinks better of that plan, and drops into an armchair. She holds the firelizard securely against her chest before she balances the small bowl that she's carrying on the arm of the chair and removes the cloth that's covering it. The creeling turns to an eager - and even louder - chirping. Ginger glances around to see who her friend is likely to be deafening. "Morning, Idara. Sorry about the noise." Her other firelizard, brown Walnut, pops out of between, circles once, and vanishes again. A quick-eyed observer might notice that he is carrying a small fish in his jaws.

Idara frowns, the creeling disturbing her from the happy world she's currently lost in. The smile on her face has gone as she looks up, to work out who the offender is. When it becomes clear that it's Ginger, the girl's expression immediately reassembles itself into a friendly smile. "Oh, good morning, Ginger." Beauty, awake now but still silent, blinks her eyes sleepily, still curled up but peering at the gold who's now chirping. "When did you get this little one?" Idara asks, her book forgotten for the moment as she leans a bit closer to peer at Ginger's noisy companion. Walnut's brief appearance is noticed by Beauty, who manages a little chirp of greeting to the brown before he's gone again with his fish.

Ginger has to think about that. "Four - no, five days. It seems like a month. Walnut was loud, but I'm sure he was never this loud, and she's got no idea that night is for sleeping." Ginger does look rather bleary around the eyes. As she speaks, she starts offering the small gold lizard cubes of chopped meat from the bowl. Blissful silence descends as the little one tucks in with gusto, then tries to get her muzzle into the bowl when the food isn't being offered fast enough. "Hey, you, that's enough of that. No wonder you're so plump. I really will call you Bulge-nut if you don't slow down." Bowl and lizard are separated by firm but gentle hands.

Her rather jealous admiration of the gold over and done with, Idara flicks a look towards Ginger that takes in the tired appearance the rider has. Did she look that tired before? She shifts her legs, reaches for the table and takes a bookmark from it to slip into the book she closes, keeping it settled there on her knee as she talks. "You're not really going to call her that, are you?" Is asked, a hint of horror in the girl's voice. A hand goes to stroke Beauty, who is watching the nearby gold rather warily, for all that she has nearly a Turn on the youngster.

"Not if I can think of something better," Ginger replies in an ominous tone - the threat is still there! "One of my brothers came up with it. To go with Walnut," she explains. "I've run through every nut I can think of, and none of them seems to fit her. Maybe I should try berries. Or spices." The bowl is emptying rapidly, despite Ginger's attempts at flow control. "Got any ideas?"

Ginger doesn't mean it - right? It's just a silly idea from her brother - right?? Still stroking Beauty, the action soothing the green back to sleep, Idara contemplates names, watching the gold as she eats and eats. "She needs something cute," the teenager decides. "Pecan? Oh! or Lily? Water lilies are so beautiful." She would probably clasp her hands together in girlish delight at the idea of calling a gold that, were one not occupied.

"Pecan. They are kind of orangey, I suppose. Do you think it's OK for a girl, though? I want something that's not totally girly but not wrong for a girl, I think." Ginger looks down at the lizard. "Pecan?" She doesn't sound convinced. The little gold takes no notice whatsoever. "What colour are waterlilies? Maybe a yellow flower would work, as long as the name's not too… frilly."

"They are, more than most nuts." Okay, so maybe nuts aren't the way to go; Idara's talking herself out of her own name suggestion. Probably because Ginger doesn't seem on board with the first idea - but ah! She may be onto something with the flowers route. "Well, the ones I saw were white. Fellis trees have yellow flowers, but Fellis isn't a very nice name, I think. Tansy is yellow?" Idara's mental encyclopedia of flowers, go!

"Don't think I know it," Ginger says uncertainly. "Do we have it here, or is it a northern one? I don't know much about flowers, except a few useful ones." Ginger's highest accolade: useful. "Ma used to get us picking stuff for dye sometimes, when we were little." She frowns: that's brought something to mind. "Oh, wait, does it have bright yellow flowers with petals that stick out like fingers?"

Idara mentally thumbs through that encyclopedia. "Some people say it's a weed, but I have known it grown at the Hold - though not in the winter." What does grow at Southern Barrier in the winter? "Oh, you can use it to make a lovely golden yellow dye, but mostly the healers use it for various things." She frowns, not understanding which plant Ginger is referring to. "No, it's more like little clusters of small flowers?"

Ginger shakes her head. "Don't know it, then. Still, it's a nice name. Is it really bright yellow? I don't think she'd suit one of those pale and interesting shades - she's more gingery than anything else." Her hand moves automatically back to the bowl, but finds nothing: the meat is gone. An ominous low-pitched sound comes from the young firelizard's throat. "And that's enough of that, young lady. Young Tansy? Maybe. But I'm not going to let you overeat because then you'd really be miserable." She stares into the lizard's eyes to drive the message home. "This is the part where you're supposed to go to sleep." The sound starts to fade. Ginger grins at Idara. "This is the part where I stay really still in the hope that she will go to sleep."

Idara summons up the image of the plant in her mind - she's not seen one since she a while before she came to the Weyr. "Not so bright…more of a medium yellow?" She looks alarmed by the sound that Ginger's unnamed gold is making, and blinks at the fire-lizard. Beauty curls up tighter, unsettled by the noise, it would seem; Idara hastens to stroke her, making a soothing, cooing noise to her green. "Just like a baby," the girl sighs, giving Ginger a smile. "It does make me miss when mine were so small."

Ginger starts rubbing between the little gold's headknobs with a fingertip. "I've had enough babies in my life, I reckon. This one wasn't exactly planned." The soothing caress seems to be having an effect: the young lizard's eyelids start to droop. "That's it, Tansy-girl. You have a nice sleep and let me get some lunch." The bright eyes are instantly wide open again, though they're now swirling green and blue. "OK, don't think about food." She keeps stroking.

Speaking of food - Idara reaches for her klah, almost forgotten in all the excitement of Ginger's newest friend. Reaching for it has to be done carefully, so as not to disturb the book on her knee or the half-asleep fire-lizard by her legs. "Oh? Did you find her egg? Apparently sometimes you can find clutches out on the more remote beaches - or so I've been told." Has she considered going looking for one herself? Most certainly, yes.

Ginger shakes her head. "Long story, but I don't actually know where she's from originally." She's going to tell it anyway, though there's a hint of resigned embarrassment about the telling. "I traded favours for the egg with someone who'd been given two and then decided he only wanted one extra mouth to feed. He reckoned he'd got two bronze eggs, but it's hard to tell with firelizards. I actually got her for my sister, but the little monster hatched before I got her there, so I now have another firelizard and I don't have a birthday present for Ravi."

Idara rests the mug on the book on her knee, both hands wrapped around it as she watches Ginger recount the story. "Oh!" It's all good fortune for Ginger, in her opinion. However! There is something troubling her, and she voices it easily: "So what are you going to get for Ravi? How long do you have?" Because clearly this is the big issue, and not Ginger's accidental acquisition of another mouth to feed.

Ginger scrunches up her lips. This is definitely a problem. "Day after tomorrow. And she's not exactly keen on going shopping. And I never know what to get her - the lizard seemed like such a good idea! What do you give to someone who's into clothes and stuff like that - I mean, she's a weaver, so there's no way I'm going to choose something to wear for her."

Um, clothes? Totally Idara's thing! "Ohh," the girl utters softly, looking delighted at being able to advise for someone who - it seems - is more girly. "Southern Boll has the best fabrics, if she wants to make her own. And they have so many stalls for accessories." Did she miss the bit about going shopping. "Ista produces some fabulous cloths, just right for the weather here, too." She's getting a bit starry-eyed at the thought of a shopping trip.

"Accessories? What, like belts and stuff? Maybe I could get her a belt. That's pretty safe, and they're always useful." Ginger has brightened considerably at this idea, but her face falls. "At least, I find them useful. Roni's more into floaty skirts than something to keep her trousers up. I guess you can get fancy ones, though?"

"All manner of things," Idara confirms, practically sighing at the memory of her last big shopping trip. She doesn't seem too sold on the belt idea, apparently being more in Ravi's camp when it comes to trousers versus skirts. "Oh! But they do brooches in so many styles. They're so versatile!" Never usually one for deep talk, this is right down her alley for safe conversation. Finishing her klah, she sets the mug back on the table, both hands coming to rest on her book. "And they have plenty of skirts, if you know her size. Though I suppose as a weaver, she could always adjust if it she needed to?"

Ginger tilts her heat and looks sideways at Idara. "You… wouldn't have time to come shopping with me, would you? I am really bad at choosing this sort of stuff. I usually get her and Ma scented soap, or something like that, but that's not a wonderful gift when the Weyr provides perfectly good stuff anyway. I did make her a little pendant one year, but I can't really use the workshop any more to make something."

Idara beams across at Ginger. "I would be honoured to," the girl proclaims, sounding as pleased by the idea as she looks. "Oh - but the Weyr's soap is so basic. Some lovely scented soap from a maker, that is wonderful." She waves a hand airily, before asking the most important question: "when would you want to go?"

"Thank you!" There is definite relief in Ginger's voice. "It does need to be this afternoon or tomorrow, really. Could be an evening if we went North, though." Ginger glances down. The firelizard, who now seems to be called Tansy, is fast asleep in glorious silence. Ginger transfers her very very carefully to the padded arm of the chair.

"I'm free today and tomorrow," Idara says happily. "It would be lovely to visit the North again - it's been too long." She catches herself before she gets too over-excited, smiling at the now-sleeping gold. When she speaks again, her voice is more hushed, out of consideration for Ginger's success in soothing her fire-lizard. "I must get some new winter dresses, myself. Styles change ever so quickly." A soft sigh: it's clearly such a chore to keep up with fashion.

"Great! Today then? And where shall we go? If we're going to Ista, we can go straight after lunch, and she might still be asleep." That would be Tansy. "Which might be a good thing. If it's Boll, we'll maybe want to go a bit later, because of the time difference." Even Ginger's seeming quite enthusiastic at the prospect of a little expedition - even if it is shopping.

Idara's hands clasp together as she ponders that question. "Oh!" Her enthusiasm bubbles over as she suggests: "we could do both! Ista first, and then Boll later on?" Just how long do her shopping trips (expeditions?) last, exactly? "That would make certain that we find just the right gifts for Ravi." Does Ginger get any say in the length of this trip?? "Oh, I shall have to go and change if I'm going riding."

Ginger blanches just a little at the thought of that much shopping, but manages a bright smile. "That should work - and so will I." She's changed after drill, and isn't wearing her leathers. "I'm going to get some lunch here, then, while she - while /Tansy/ is asleep. She still fits under my jacket, and she quite likes it there, so I'll be able to bring her with us if I pick up some more meat to take along. Might need to find a quiet spot to feed her. Are you eating, too?"

The cherry on top of Idara's day is that her name suggestion seems to be the one! A shopping trip and helping someone out? Fabulous. "I suppose I should," she says brightly about lunch. "Shall I go get us both something?" She's already uncurling her legs, careful not to disturb Beauty, to place slippered feet onto the floor in preparation to stand.

Ginger looks relieved. "That'd be great, thanks. I'd rather not disturb her when she's finaly asleep." And when the food is brought, there's a pleasant lunchtime chat before the two girls and assorted firelizards meet up with Shokravanth to start the Great Shopping Expedition.