Early morning has left parts of the Weyr unoccupied of the heavier bustle of a day's preparation. It could be the sandstorm lurking off in the distance too! That hasn't deterred I'dre from settling himself in the courtyard though. It's rare to find the blue rider here and yet here he is! He's working on neatly devouring a stuffed roll — his breakfast, no doubt. Lost in his thoughts, he's not giving much attention to his surroundings and enjoying the quiet this spot offers.

The kitchen courtyard is definitely a good place to find a mellow note and some solace, even if it's also being a reprive from Death Summer. It may or may not be a good place to find pets, but about halfway into I'dre's breakfast, the familiar form of Vosji is walking through, making tongue-clicking noises and occasionally cooing 'here, kitty' and the name 'Honeycrisp.' Presumably her missing cat wasn't a big fan of the approaching weather either, but there is no sign of a domestic feline in the courtyard. Just the occasional paw print.

Familiar voice is right! It's enough to snap I'dre out of his reverie and glance sidelong to Vosji. While he leaves her to calling her missing feline as he swallows the last bite of food, he'll soon smirk. "Hey, stranger." He can get away with not being super formal right? He's at least saluting, if belatedly.

H'rik is crunching on an apple as he exits the kitchen, squinting at the sun as he steps into the courtyard. Another ridiculous Igen day. But, delicious fruit! And two other people too - the more familiar Vosji and the less familiar I'dre. And, apparetly, a cat who may or may not be around. "Lost a cat, Vosji?" He seems mildly surprised at the idea of her owning a cat.

Reasonable to be surprised about the idea, because technically, she doesn't: "My daughter lost a cat, Weyrleader," Vosji tells H'rik with a sideways-glance salute which is also sideways; she's still kind of focused on the prints. Her daughter is twelve, so. "Did you see her while you were sitting here, Dre? The cat, not my daughter, though I would want to know that too." No one would recognize Vosji's daughter as such, because she's not that kind of parent — the fact she has one (two) is probably all either of the men know.

Cat? Cue a head tilt from I'dre and a bemused look for the Weyrlingmaster. He doesn't own any pets, only a recently acquired bronze firelizard named Wibble Wobble — for an obvious reason. "Afraid not," he admits with a helpless shrug, which morphs to another salute to the Weyrleader. "Just me and my thoughts. Morning, sir!" Sitting back a little, he'll gesture vaguely to the distance. "Storm might have it hiding. Animals are cunning that way?"

"Oh, right." That question in his mind settled, another bite of the apple disappears. Chomp chomp, chew swallow. "Not gone to the kitchen to try and steal some fish?" You'd think he'd have noticed if that was the case, given he came from there, though. I'dre gets a "morning!" back, and a quick, casual salute. Speaking of the storm - H'rik gives that distant darkness a good stare. "I'd say clever, rather than cunning. I'm not staying out here longer'n I need to."

"Both, I would assume," Vosji isn't entirely clear about what she means here, but it is probably: both clever and cunning. Yet it could very well be also: stealing fish and avoiding the storm. "I am not entirely sure how the feline got out, but it wasn't my place to ask, only to help since I was available." She has a limited amount of work at the moment and is bored, so she's stalking paw prints. "Honeycrisp is small, so easily missed, which means I could be doing this all day, but I'm also confident she will make her way home. I just can't tolerate crying." See, terrible parent.

"Aren't they similar enough?" I'dre jokes to H'rik on the Weyrleader's suggestion. He nods, "Figured I'd get my share of breakfast before that hit. I'll be stuck in the 'yard otherwise till it blows over." He's got his studies anyhow and his appointments. There's also a certain recuperating rider who he will no doubt visit! Just to fuel further rumours among the Healers. "Sounds frustrating," he mutters to Vosji but seems incapable of fully sympathizing, except for the crying part. He can't stand that either, from anyone!

Not being a parent himself, H'rik can't relate, but he can try and sympathise with Vosji's need to go cat-hunting. "True," he comments back to I'dre with a grin. A thought occurs on the feline issue: "I would have thought a cat'd be easier to find than a fire-lizard. Can't fly, can't between." And H'rik isn't helping with the search! Another thought! "Don't they like crawling into tiny places?" Is that cats? Or tunnelsnakes?

The answer to that is also both, isn't it? "I had assumed it would not be as difficult as it has been," Vosji admits, pulling a little bit of a face. "She likes crawling into small spaces, yes, and I hope she hasn't been eaten." The tunnelsnake connection arises.

"Well, that'd be damned unfortunate if she was," I'dre smirks grimly, also continuing not to be much of a help. He'll dart a look to H'rik, as if waiting to see if the Weyrleader has any pearls of wisdom! Eventually, he just exhales heavily. "Don't think 'snakes eat cats anyhow. Might be the other way around? She's probably just off hiding. Or maybe she's, y'know, calling the boys?" Did he just suggest…? From the sudden smirk-grin he gives, he did and has no shame.

H'rik seems happily oblivious to his unintended implication that the poor cat may have been eaten by a tunnelsnake. He finishes his apple, leaving only the core to toss into one of the bins of items for the compost heaps. And he gets it in! "Cats hunt tunnelsnakes, I think, yeah." I'dre's brought up the idea, and H'rik kinda confirms it? He gives the younger rider a weird look at that suggestion. "I remember hearing them wailing like crazy at night. Always thought they were fighting when I was a boy, but, heh." Awkward look.

I'dre makes a low sound, close to an amused huff, when H'rik lands the shot. He keeps on track with the conversation without missing a beat, too! "I've seen them hunt just about anything… I mean. We've got canines that'll go right into their burrows, so." That's his logic on the matter! Blinking at that awkward look, I'dre soon laughs. "Innocence is bliss, eh? Wonder how many have wrongly assumed that."

"I worked it out eventually but…yeah." There's a faintly embarrassed chuckle from H'rik as he finishes his admission. But enough talking about horny cats! Something's fallen into place about the blue rider. "You're the blue rider from the clutch before last, right? Helping out at the infirmary a lot?" It's not an accusation, simply a question.

Looking up from the pawprint she was squinting at to determine its origin — no, that was definitely a small canine — Vosji laughs softly. "I think we would have been able to hear if she had such an interest when she was escaping Zali's room," the Weyrlingmaster says, though that's admittedly a theory. "And I'm not sure how much feline mating isn't actually fighting. Yes, he did actually finish weyrlinghood," she confirms for H'rik, and actually sticks her tongue out at I'dre. Really. They're pseudo-family, it's cool. "I think the dragonhealers even like him."

Uh oh. I'dre instinctively bristles despite the innocent question, but luckily curbs the edge from his tone. He'll relax too, since Vosji is bound to be glaring daggers at him by this point. "Yeah, I did. Name's I'dre, blue Mhiruth's rider. I — yeah." He ends up being the one who narrows his eyes at Vosji in mock glaring! What was that for!? Clearing this throat, he looks back to H'rik. "I'm training as a dragon healer, sir. Help out when and where I can and fly with Mirage."

(It's for being her favorite near-failure, of course.)

H'rik gives Vosji an exasperated look when she brings up feline mating habits again, but - the conversation veers onto I'dre! Much cleaner subject matter. He either ignores the bristling, or hasn't noticed it, for he carries on pleasantly. "I know you wouldn't let anyone fail," he grins at Vosji, before noting to I'dre: "the more dragonhealers, the merrier. Asmuch as I'm trying not to give you too many injuries to deal with, we still need ya."

Yes, let's NOT keep talking about feline mating. Good plan. "I don't ever let people fail," Vosji agrees mildly, "but occasionally they choose to despite my efforts." She doesn't hesitate to hold back anyone who can't get their act together. It just doesn't happen very often. "You're both doing well with — did you hear that?" she cuts herself off, tone changing. Is that a tiny little mewling from the well bucket?

"Appreciate it, even if that means less hands on practice for me," I'dre has a dark sense of humour sometimes and cannot resist cracking one joke about lack of injuries. Truthfully? He's as relieved as anyone else! He might look a touch embarrassed though about the talk of failure going between Vosji and H'rik. Spared the awkwardness by a mewling bucket, he scoffs as he rises to his towering height. "… how'd she manage that?" He's going to go investigate and likely will help if help is needed! Otherwise, I'dre is politely excusing himself. "Clear skies, both of you. Here's hoping the storm is a quick one!" It's certainly far closer now and the winds are picking up. More than enough reason to hurry on out, which this blue rider will do.

H'rik's surprise at I'dre's height, suddenly displayed when he rises, is short lived. The mewling is so damn pitiful, he just has to go over to the bucket, check inside, and then carefully grab the thing. By the back of the neck, right? Away from all the pointy bits? He'll draw it out and offer the kitten Vosji's way. "I hope this is the one you're looking for!" Poor wriggling thing!

Everyone in this scene is tall! Vosji and H'rik being the same height and all, which is at least easy now and not weird like during weyrlinghood when most of the bronzeriders are confused by her standing eye contact. She's stood up as well but sags with relief when the Weyrleader confirms that the mewler is Zali's pet. "That's her," she says more softly, gathering the confused and mildly damp animal into one arm. "Thank you both for your inadvertent assistance." With salutes all around, now she will be able to return to her monthly mom-visit plus one overwhelmed pet (who probably wants a nap).