Pyrene studies D'renn's ice skates. "Cadge wanted a bath," she says with little grace. Cadgwith promptly pipes up with an odd trill and her rider glares at her. "What? I know we're free all day... Are you sure you like lying in the snow? Oh..." She flicks her hand toward the lake, suggesting that now D'renn is free to skate. "Hi, Kinecha... you going skating too? Why not invite the whole weyr down?"

D'renn struggles to his feet, his skates making little runnels in the snow as he tries to edge down the bank. "Cadgwith can't have a bath, I need the ice!" he protests loudly before raising a hand to Kinecha.

Kinecha walks slowly and with measured steps as she comes onto the beach, unable though to hide the slight limp in her motion. "Morning, Pyrene, D'renn.. Skating? I don't think so," she says, motioning with her left hand to her foot. Even if she /could/ skate, it was probably not a good idea at the moment. "I sprained my ankle the other day.. Not bad, but I wouldn't wanna risk anything...." Yeah, enough of an excuse to not go out there on the ice, wasn't it?

Pyrene snorts. "How about if she pushes some ice onto the beach. You could skate on that?" she calls after him. She flops down in the snow, well muffled in coat and mittens and watches, prepared to make snide remarks. "Your ankle's hurt?" she asks Kinecha. "Ouch. How did you do that?"

"That's a shame, Kinecha," D'renn tells the limping guard, taking his first step onto the ice. Both arms windmill madly as he tries to find his balance, and then he's off, gliding competently over the lake surface with a whoop of delight.

"It's not hurt," Kinecha states, quite firmly, shaking her head. "Just.. Sprained a little. One of the other guards tackled me a little too hard while we were training." A shrug of her shoulders, and the guard leans against a large boulder, content to watch the others. "Anyway, it's practically healed now. Elehu used some fantastic herbal packs on it." She gives off a crooked smile as her arms cross in front of her chest. Just not healed enough to go skating, see? But that didn't mean she couldn't watch. Hehe..

Pyrene is unimpressed as she watches D'renn. "Don't you normally have a different suit for skating?" she shouts at him. She's heard the stories. "D'renn's got quite the reputation when it comes to the ice," she adds to Kinecha.

"If you're referring to my Turnday suit, I'm never doing that again!" D'renn hollers back. "Much too chilly on the...." Fortunately he's skated a little too far away for that last comment to be heard, though he loops around in a lazy figure-of-eight and starts back towards his audience.

Kinecha chuckles as she looks at the old... err, older.. rider, giving him a grin. "I must have missed hearing that," she says, glancing back at Pyrene. But then there was probably at lot the guard /hadn't/ heard about most riders in the Weyr.

Pyrene is again unimpressed. "Getting too old now, eh?" she taunts him lazily as he comes back into earshot. "I expect your body's less resistant to it now... Although it must be getting more padding." She pauses before murmuring out of the corner of her mouth to Kinecha. "If we can get him to fall over, I will feel as if today was worthwhile."

D'renn comes to a skidding stop right in front of Pyrene and Kinecha, keeping his balance as he rewinds that over-long scarf of his. "You should try skating, Pyrene, it's fun.... And I'm not too old. Just ask Lis if she has complaints." With that boast, he heads back out towards the centre of the lake.

Kinecha could certainly make the bluerider fall over, but she wasn't so sure that she should use guard techniques on an 'innocent' rider. "Maybe he'll just slip?" she tells Pyrene, raising a questioning eyebrow toward the goldrider. Though probably not, she decides, seeing D'renn's moves on the ice.

Tevya walks in from the Central Bowl.

Pyrene hahs after D'renn. "Lis has never been known for her discerning tastes!" she yells. "And I've skated many a time... Better'n you anyway." Tevya gets a wave before she grins at Kinecha. "And maybe we can /help/ him slip."

"Maybe," Kinecha mumbles, a grin forming on her face. And maybe her ankle didn't hurt so much that she was unable to go onto the ice. Pushing off her boulder, she makes her way slowly to the icecovered lake, stepping onto the slippery surface very carefully. And promptly loses her footing, landing on her rearend. "Ouch..."

D'renn is indeed surprisingly competent at skating. Everyone has to have a hobby. Half-way out on the lake, he spins round in a circle, then skates back with a wave for the people. And a loud 'Ooops!' on Kinecha's behalf.

Tevya heads slowly in, glancing around to see if it really were true. Hazel eyes widen in surprise as..there /were/ people ice skating. "Wow! I didnt think it was true.." Small chuckles escape her lips as she steps closer, waving to Pyrene and the others. "Mind if I join? I've never done this before." Not exactly a shout, as Tevya is now on the edges of the lake and looks increasingly excited at the prospect of falling flat on her rump..what fun!

D'renn is the only one whizzing round the ice at the moment... right up to Kinecha. "You didn't really want to do that, did you?" he scolds good-naturedly, balanced at a stop on his skates.

Pyrene lobs a snowball at D'renn. "The question is... can you juggle three snowballs while skating?" she calls to him. "Careful as you go there Kin..." she adds. "And go ahead, Tevya. Just stick to the edges and if you fall, try and fall on the snow. It's softer."

Not Good. Sitting there on the ice was cold and embarrassing, so Necha does her very best getting up again. "Do what?" she asks D'renn staring up at the rider while managing to get as far as sitting on her knees. "Maybe you could give me a hand," she says, holding out her right hand to the rider, head tilted and a friendly(?) smile on her face..

"Uh-huh. No way." D'renn refuses to be a gentleman. "You'd pull me flat on my face. Pyrene can help you - she's nothing better to do," he tells Kinecha, skating a few steps backwards, out of her way - and then glancing across to give Tevya an encouraging grin.

Pyrene glares at D'renn before rising. "It's easier with skates," she notes to Kinecha with a grin, "But as brats we used to just go sliding about without them. Just keep your body centred and lean forward slightly and sort of /sweep/ forth..." Tevya is glanced at. "You know what you're doing? I've not skates with me to give a proper lesson."

Tevya grins as she pulls a pair of skates from over her shoulders. Lucky for her, she happened upon a resident friend who let her borrow them. For some reason..said friend was limping rather strangely back into the dorms..but, that wouldn't discourage Tevya. Her boots are slipped off as she sits on the snow, and one by one the skates are pulled on and laced up. "Okay.." And then the fun begins. She straightens herself up and wobble walks to the edge of the lake before pushing off and gliding across the ice. The first wave of unsteadiness causes her to swing arms wildly about and by some grace of Faranth she does't quite fall. "Hm? Oh..well, kind of." Wry grin is given to Pyrene..hopeful that Pyrene hadnt seen the earlier bout with unsteadiness.

"Bah," Kinecha exclaims, getting herself righted and further onto the ice. Not much skating, though, as she moves with tiny steps toward the bluerider. "I don't have any skates," she says over her shoulder to Pyrene, leaning forward as instucted, 'sweeping' forward, trying to catch up with D'renn.

Oh no. No-one's catching up with D'renn.... he skates backwards a little further, then swings round to buzz Tevya, enjoying his skill a little bit too much.

Pyrene chuckles and lets the skaters go. Encouragements and advice are called out to Tevya and Kinecha while she ponders the problem of D'renn. Remembering her earlier ploy, she gathers up a few more snowballs and starts tossing them at him. Just to make things interesting.

And just when Tevya thought she had caught the hang of this stuff..along comes D'renn and..well disoriented as well as unbalanced, Tevya wobbles and wiggles more wild arm waving as she near falls again. A smile lights her lips as she glances after him..just as soon as she got the hang of this she'd have some fun of her own. Wobbly legs push out and she takes the second unsteady glide of the day. Having not fallen yet, she actually lifts her head and beams. "Hey this is pretty eas-" Oh, too soon. And down she goes.. Now redfaced and sore, she lifts herself to try again. Maybe she'd need lots of practice at this?

"Ouoff," Kinecha yells, slipping and sliding around, only just managing to stay upright. "I ain't gonna catch him, Pyrene," she calls out to the goldrider, throwing her arms wide. A move that makes her lose balance again, her legs going this way and that, seemingly on their own accord. "Elehu would have my hide if she saw this," she mumbles to herself, going back to the shuffling move, heading toward the shore.

D'renn dodges the snowballs - well, most of them. One hits the middle of his back and makes him stagger for a few steps before he catches his balance again and glides serenely on, further round the lakeshore. Both arms are lifted in the air in happy triumph as he spins and traces out looping circles.

Pyrene looks put out. "Cadge..." she asks plaintively. "Would you just... /nudge/ him a little?" The gold lies placidly by the lake, full of egg and utterly reluctant to move. Not even to take D'renn down a peg or two. "Keep trying Kinecha! You too, Tevya!" Pyrene calls out hopefully.

"No-one's going to catch me!" D'renn yells loudly, sensing the rather futile pursuit. Trydanth watches from the ledge above, head draped over the edge.

Okay..stand tall, dont look at your skates and dont wave your hands..that about sums up what she learned from that fall. Tucking more of that dratted hair behind her ears, Tevya prepares for another glide, and then wobbly half glides as she brings herself to the center of the ring. "Okay..go slow and dont...fall." Ah, great advice to give herself. "Am I doing this right?" She finally asks Pyrene, daring to glance away from her skates and up at her.

Pyrene makes a rude noise in D'renn's general direction. So... /nyah/. "That's it, Tevya!" she shrills delightedly. "Keep it up! Now... go for D'renn!"

Trydanth clatters down from above.

"Keep trying, keep trying," the guard mutters as she's still heading for the shore. "I might just do that if it wasn't for my ankle," she says apologestically as she steps onto the relatively 'safe' snowcovered shore. "I never really had a chance to do this when I was a kid," Kinecha says as she bends down to pick up a handful of snow to form into a snowball, aiming it at D'renn with a watchful eye. This was something she could do without injuring herself again. Throwing snowballs.

Trydanth crouches down amid the snow covered rocks, tail twitching with absent interest

Pia pads in from the Central Bowl.

D'renn skates out into the middle of the ice: waving madly towards his lifemate as he whirls round in circles, now backwards, now forewards. And no-one's going to catch him, or get him with snowballs if he can help it. It's a big lake.

Go for D'renn? Well.. Tevya heads in the direction of the skating man..the only one here..so he /has/ to be D'renn..right? Hands wobble as she slowly heads out in his direction. Maybe he'd get to her faster than her to him? At anyrate, with a rather meniachal grin on her face she heads after him..slow and wobbly. If he was really unfortunate..she might trip and take him with her..if not..well, she'd take the plunge by herself. "Okay..watch out!" A shrill call of warning as she gives a too strong push with her back foot and..rockets forward, wobbling and weaving as she tags along..in the general vicinity of D'renn.

Pia saunters down to the shore, trailing a path around the various icy boulders and snow covered drifts.

Pyrene waves to Pia. "Come to skate?" she asks hopefully. If she can get /Pia/ to fall over on the ice, that will be nearly as good. D'renn is just glared at. "Well don't expect us to save you when you fall over and can't get up!" she retorts, before reverting to cheering on Tevya.

"Hah hah, can't catch me..." This is definitely bringing out the worst childishness in D'renn, as he skates round and round Tevya, faster and faster until he shoots off towards the shore in Pyrene's direction. "Hah, think you can get me?!"

"I heard something like this was going on," Pia notes mildly, swinging her looped skates off of her shoulder. "I'm an excellent skater..." Statement made, the Vintner straps the blades onto her shoes and, only slightly wobbily, climbs to her feet on the ice. "Why aren't you skating, Pyrene?"

"Ohh!" Tevya calls out in fustration as she wobbles after him. "Just wait until I know how to do this..or I get myself a few snowballs!" Grinning once more, she heads after him and Pyrene. Having had mediocre success with that fast glide, she attempts another, heading staight after the pair. "Here I come!" Red cheeked and having way to much fun, Tevya pushes off once more and heads in their direction, going way to fast and now way off course she skates by them and lands belly first into a snowbank..with a soft 'puff'..

Kinecha picks up more snow, forming it carefully between her hand, making a perfectly round snowball. Taking careful aim, she throws it in D'renn's directions, watching it fly aross the ice toward the bluerider, hoping for it to find its target.

D'renn gets hit by the flying snowball - well, he was skating straight towards it - and ends up on his behind on the ice. "Yooowwwww, that hurt!" he protests, picking himself up carefully, and skating parallel to the shore. "Hello Pia!" he yells.

Pyrene shrugs at Pia. "I came down to bathe Cadge. Not my fault there are all these people using the lake." Namely D'renn. Cadgwith seems relaxed enough, absorbed in all the goings on. "Oh, and Pia... if you're skating, beware of sno--Whee! Kinecha! Well done!" She leaps up to shriek gleefully at the fallen D'renn. You're not singing any more!

"Hello D'renn, Kinecha, Tevya," Pia greets, offering each of the mentioned a quick little nod. "Are you all prepared to regard my skating ability with poorly disguised envy?" Slyly, the Vintner pushes off, gliding easily across the ice-covered lake.

Tevya picks herself from out of the snow and turns just in time to see D'renn get hit. "All right Kinecha!" Laughing once more she steps back onto the ice, waving now to Pia, "Hey Pia!" And..now interested in the vinters skating, she watches with amazement. "How do you do that? Skate so evenly?" Maybe it was just really good balance on Pia's part?

"Yeah!" Kinecha shouts, seeing her snowball hit its target. A hand goes up in a triumphant motion, as she grins toward Pyrene. "Well, I've had practice," she says, shrugging as she comes down from her victory, not really one to gloat. "Hey there, Pia," she says, suddenly noticing the vintner out on the ice.

Pyrene sniffs at Pia's skating. Hmmph. "Oh, it's not so hard, Tevya," she assures the girl smoothly. "If you have the time for lots of practice." She grins, wandering over to Kinecha. "I always knew there was a reason we had guards." "Been skating since I was a little girl," Pia replies airily, slowing down when she reaches the little group on the ice. "Fort has the best skating ponds..." Tone indicates that as Fort has the best of everything else, this revelation should come as no surprise. "So, is this a combination skating party and snowball fight?"

Kinecha chuckles, "to dress down bragging blueriders?" she asks Pyrene, giving her a wide grin. Well, she wasn't sure it was part of the jobdescription, but right now she was glad, that she'd come to the lake this morning. It had certainly improved her mood by several notches.

Tevya nods, still having not quite gotten the hang of skatting. "Something like that. I just heard there was skating and I came to watch." She replies to Pia, grinning. Bits of snow still clung to her hair as she retucks the mass behind her ears.. "I'm going to get this hair cut..one of these days."

Pyrene is all smiles and sun abruptly. "Kinecha, if there's ever anything I can do for you, just let me know." She takes a moment to chortle at D'renn's fallen figure for a moment, before calling to Pia: "May you skate as well as your hero!" Tevya gets a critical look. "Sora used to cut hair... I'm trying to think who else is handy with a pair of scissors..."

Elehu quietly walks in from the Central Bowl.

Kinecha blinks as she turns her head to look at Pyrene, surprise showing clearly in her gray-green eyes. "Thank you, Pyrene..." she says, a warm smile spreading on her face, despite the cold. "That means a lot.. Hearing that, y'know." She feel her face grow slightly warm, turning her head to watch those on the ice, in order to hide the blushing from the goldrider.

D'renn is skating perfectly well again after the minor (Kinecha-caused) mishap - though staying well out of range. "Hey, you're good, Pia!" he sings out, skimming across the ice near the vintner.

"My hero?" Pia poses, brow arching as she skims closer to the shore. "And who precisely would that be?" The young woman tucks a stray curl back into it's proper position, sly green eyes focused on Kinecha's blushing face. "Aw, she only said that because you took down D'renn," the Vintner points out dryly. To D'renn, Pia offers a grin. "Thanks."

"I'd be glad to get some of this taken off. It's always getting in the way. Either that, or find a new way to style it." Tevya replies, sitting down on the ice as she pulls off her skates. Now that she'd fallen twice, she'd seen why her friend had walked rather strangely back to the Dorms. Now that she could walk reasonably well, she does and heads for the far side of the lake, waving to Pia. "Okay..that was fun, I'll definitely have to do it again." Her boots are taken back up as she places her friends next to her. Building up a new arsenal of small snow balls, Tevya glances out at the lake watching in further amazement at the skaters there.

Elehu shuffles out to the beach, her boots crunching softly on the snow as she peers about. "What's all this commotion?" she asks quietly, her voice tinted with amusement. Suddenly she claps her mittened hands together and bounces up on her toes a bit, though she stays off to the side to watch for now.

"Skating," chimes Pia in response to Elehu's question, the girl's skates gliding easily over the bumpy ice of the lake. "Join us? Hey, Tevya -- you giving up?"

Pyrene glances to Pia. "You mean there's no longer a vision running through your dreams in tight raspberry leather?" she asks, sweetly. "Hello... Elehu," she greets carefully. There's a potential tongue twister there. For herself, she settles down near Tevya and her snowballs. She knows whose side /she/ wants to be on.

D'renn pirouettes out in the middle of the lake - loses his balance and wobbles for a few steps, arms flailing in the air. But it seems that only snowballs can knock him over, and he skates on, over to a people-free part of the shore.

"For a bit.." Tevya calls out to Pia, as she continues to watch. "I think it's safer that way." Another grin as she responds, piling more snowballs atop the allready growing pile. "Feel free, Kinecha to use as many as you'd like." Whispered, of course, as she eyes the skaters. Her aim wasn't horrid, and if worse came to worse she could make a really big snowball.

Pia aims a carefully arranged glare in Pyrene's direction, but doesn't bother to offer a retort. There's not much she can say. Twisting, she watches D'renn's wobbling with a bemused smile before she glides closer into the shore, near Tevya and her snowballs. Unaware of the danger. "Elehu, do you skate?"

Elehu giggles softly at Pia but shakes her head. "But I have no skates," the Healer replies quickly, pointing at her boots. "Besides, I'd rather just watch for now, thank you!" Her hands pull up a little into the sleeves of her coat as she continues to watch, waving rather comically at Pyrene. "Preparing for a battle?" she quips brightly.

Kinecha's head comes 'round as she hears Elehu's name, giving the healer a sheepish grin as she spots her. No one tell her that the guard had been on the ice, huh? Bending, she picks up another handful of snow, running her glowed hands over the surface to smooth it out. She makes her own snowball, see. Taking aim, she lets it fly in the direction of Pia.

Splat! Kinecha's snowball hits Pia square in the chest, sending the Vintner staggering -- or skidding -- to regain her balance. "Hey!" She protests vehemently, hands going to hips in a stance of indignant irritation. "That wasn't fair!" And she's set herself up as the perfect target...

Elehu's eyes go a little wide as a snowball flies through the air. "Oh my... so this is the reason for the arsenal?" she asks in a quick whisper to the ones with the ammunition. "Well... as long as I don't get any broken bones in the infirmary..." She scoops down to gather some snow into her own hands. Just playing mind you. For now. "How's that ankle, Kinecha? Healing as quickly as we'd hoped?" she asks, stealing a sideways glance at the guard.

Pyrene grins brightly at Elehu. "Do you see any reason not to?" And then she can't resist Pia's target-setting and snatches up her own snowball, hurling it at the vintner. "Wooo! Go on Kinecha!" she shrills, gleeful at assailing Pia's dignity now.

Tevya grins as she watches the snowball head in Pia's direction, adding one of her own; knowing full well this was how wars started. Ah, but she was ready should one start up. Elehu is given a quick nod as she builds more snowballs, alternately tossing them as 'speed balls' onto the lake.

D'renn skates along the shoreline, headed back to the people - and unfortunately, back to the snowball fight. "Pia, just skate away!" he yells in suggestion.

Kinecha chuckles, brushing her hands against each other. There! Her aim was still true, as she hits two for two. Grinning at Pia, she turns her head around to nod at the healer, "it feel fine, Ele, thanks. I'm hardly even limping anymore, and I should be back on duty in a few days," she says as she bends to pick up more snow, to form into a perfectly round sphere, looking around to find a new target.

"Aie!" Pia shrieks as the additional snowballs pelt various portions of her skinny self. "Quit!" D'renn's advice is taken to heart, and the Vintner swirls and skates to a point presumably out of reach. "That is so unfair!" She continues to protest, shrill voice carrying across the ice.

Elehu sits down in the snow as she nods to Kinecha. "Well, just take it easy for a while. Soak in the baths now and then, come see me in a sevenday," she prescribes idly while sculpting... something out of her ball of snow. She laughs softly at Pia's protests and winks at the trio with the snowballs. "Life is so unfair," he says woefully.

Pyrene lobs a last snowball at D'renn before pickign herself up and going over to Cadge in sudden concern. "You're cold now? C'mon... I'll start the fire up in the weyr again. Eggs are alright, aren't they? Good..." She exchanges a few more soft murmurs before shrugging at everyone. "Right. That's our excursion over for the day. Later all!" And the two wander off across the bowl.

Pyrene goes home.

Cadgwith goes home.

Still indignant at being pelted, Pia glides into the shore and settles onto a handy -- but cold -- rock to remove her skates. "I need some klah," she states, half to herself, and stalks off towards the caverns.

"I've been so much in the baths lately that I might as well set up home there," the guard grins down to Ele, glancing from her snowball out over the ice, pondering who her next target would be, and if she could make it three for three. Looking up as Pyrene leaves with her eggheavy dragon, she waves just before taking aim at.. D'renn again.

Pia pads to the Central Bowl.

"Klah... that's a good idea," D'renn overhears Pia, and leaves the ice himself, pulling off skates and hurrying towards the bowl

D'renn strides to the Central Bowl.

Kinecha watches her target walk away, her snowball flying way past him, and shrugs giving a sigh as she tugs at her jacket, pulling it closer around her. "It is getting a bit cold," she mumbles, a halfsmile on her lips as she heads back toward the caverns, "and klah /would/ be good right now..."

Elehu stares from her very sad looking snowball to her mittens which are now beginning to get uncomfortably cold and wet. "You know... klah does sound good. Or maybe hot cider."

Elehu quietly walks in from the Central Bowl.

Sinead looks up to see a few familiar faces, "Hello Kinecha, Elehu," she greets through a few sniffles.

Elehu leaves her mittens near the door and hangs up her coat before shuffling over towards the blazing hearth, her boots leaving small puddles in her wake. "Hi there, Sinead," she replies with a grin. "How's the cider and klah today?"

Heading for the hearth, Kinecha pulls off her thick gloves, placing them near enough the fire to dry them off, but still far enough away as not to have them ruined by the heat. Taking hold of a klahpot, she grabs a mug, bringing the whole lot to a nearby table, trying not to limp /too/ much as she moves. "Sinead.." she notes, giving the girl a slight nod as she sits.

Sinead smiles a bit, "Well, I don't know about the cider, but the klahs definatley good and warm at that."

Sinead looks towards Kinecha, "How's your ankle today?" She smiles, rubbing her nose again, it seems to have become a habit for her.

"Oh, just fine," the guard says, pouring klah into her mug, looking up at the girl after having filled it. "How 'bout your cold?" She looks from the girl to Elehu, wondering if she'd taking her advise and gone to see the healer after all.

Sinead chuckles a bit, "My colds fine, it's gotta get worse before it gets better, I think," the girl looks at the healer before she returns to her klah.

Elehu finally finds a full pot of klah and takes it to the table near Kinecha and Sinead, pouring herself a mug before taking a seat. She nods to Merra as the woman heads through but then just settles down, pulling a plate of bread rolls nearer.

Holding her mug between both hands, Kinecha sighs closing her eyes as she lets the warmth spread from fingers and through her body. "That was fun," she says, opening her eyes to beam a genuine smile at the healer, before lifting the mug to spread some of that warmth through her insides.

Sinead carefully sips at her klah, her pale eyes watching the goings on of the people in the cavern. Sinead's nose seems even redder as the steam from the klah wafts up into the air.

Finishing off her klah in two large gulps, Kinecha gets out off her chair, stretching herself making her muscles creak slightly. "I think I'm gonna go take another of those baths, Ele," she says, giving Sinead a nod before turning to leave for the deeper parts of the caverns. "I'll see ya later. I promise I'll come see ya soon," she calls out to the heaeler over her shoulder, giving her a grin.