Telgar Weyr Nursery(#14781RAL)
Down at the far end of the living caverns lies this large cavern used by the Weyr's children and their nannies. The stone floor has been worm smooth by the footsetps of generations of young children, many long gone. The area is far from the bustle and clatter of the main caverns, yets radiates the noise of young bodies and their keepers. Many glows light the room, scaring off monsters and giving it a cozy atmosphere.
One side of the cavern serves as the day nursery; filled with child-sized furniture and the usual story hides and toys. Dedicated nannies can always be seen milling around, working with their youthful charges. Young artists have obviously been at work here, the stone walls a myriad of bright and beautiful colors. There are vividly hues rugs over the floor in a rather successful attempt to make the room a cheery place.
The other side of the cavern is quieter, filled with cots belonging to those children who do not go back to their parents when duties are done. In the middle of the section is a large desk for the nanny on duty, with a grand hearth behind it to keep the immense cavern warm even in the coldest of winters. The sound of steady breathing filters this area almost constantly, making it a rather peaceful place to spend time in.
A long passage at one end leads back to the inner caverns.
Why Metri? Of course that's what's running through the boys mind as he stalks into the nursery, scowling at the group of small children...and the other group of small children...and the nannies...then more children. Too many children. It's really a pity that Carli had to have such a large mouth about his little magic trick with her. The kitchen staff had relieved him of his duties to go help in the nursery. He pokes thoughtfully at one of the plushies on a nearby table before picking it up, staring it down and deciding it's not to big for the task at hand. Figures.
Amarie is already in the nursery. The babies are being helped by the nannies and wetnurses. Amarie is telling a story though to the children who are listening to her. She's got a cast iron hook in one hand, brandishing it. The other hand has a scroll in it. "Captain Black, the most fearsome pirate of the open seas, had finally gotten what he wanted. Rosemary, the Lord Tillek's daughter was in his grasp. He knew this girl was Captain Green's only weakness. He lashed her to the mast!" She drops the sword to reach out and pluck a giggling nine turn old girl and push her up against the wall. She's careful not to hurt the child with her hook. "You'll be staying here girlie," Amarie says in a mean tone to the little girl. "And when your captain comes, I shall kill him!" She holds her hook up in her right hand, high over her head.
Metri grins at Amarie before weaving through and around, and occassionally stepping over, the children until he's within a decent distance to hear her story. And then, without much thought, he takes the plushie by the tail and hurls it at Amarie, not caring to aim it, however much he's hoping it hits something good. "Slightly violent, wouldn't you say," he asks, grinning smugly at her, hands retreating back into his pockets.
"And then he-Oh!" Amarie is into her story and doesn't notice the stuffed dragon being flung at her. That causes her to turn around and say, "METRI!" in a really loud, scolding voice. All eyes of the children turn at that, they love to see who's going to be in trouble. Staring at him for just a moment Amarie suddenly grins and reaches down to pick her scroll up off the floor. "For that unkind sir, you will pay! Hah!" She jabs her /makeshift/ dagger at Metri, saying, "I will smite you!"
Metri yelps in surprise at her turning on him. As he dodges her 'dagger', he hisses, "I don't /do/ pirates well!" and sweeps up his own weapon; well, technically the lass who was being held hostage is more of a shield, but at the same time she's light enough to be wielded as a weapon, if it comes to that.
Claret walks in from outside the room.
Amarie is threatening Metri with a scroll, her makeshift dagger. She's got the scroll in her left hand, a wicked looking hook, the one she found in storage that's actually a hook that goes on a weyr wall, in her right hand. "Unhand that maiden!" she calls to Metri. Metri has shielded himself with one of the nursery girls.
Claret peeks in the door to the nursery, scanning the contents of the room with interest. When she sees Amarie brandishing that hook she found in Metri's direction, her eyebrows perk up in interest. "Ooh, a real pirate battle. Looks terribly fierce." She takes the step into the nursery from the door, and then a few more towards the little scene.
Carlile skips in, freezing in -um, horror?- at the scene. Eyes widening, she quietly asks, "Umm, what are you guys doing?" backing a bit towards the entrance. She assumes this situation is not one to joke in, otherwise she'd mock- scold them. Instinctively, as a nervous habit, her right hand sleeve meets her mouth to chew on.
Lanisa walks in from outside the room.
Amarie warns once more to Metri, "Unhand that girl or I shall slice you in two pieces." She edges towards him, swishing her scroll through the air dangerously. "She's my prisoner not yours!"
"Oh, you're using her as a prisoner?" Metri asks, looking very bemused. He doesn't release the giggling, squirming girl, but he does look down at the top of her head. "Oh, well, I certainly think that I'm making more use of her than you are." He nods very easily, looking about for something to use as his own sword, glaring at her and mouthing something along the lines of, "I don't do story time well," in the process.
Cheers of "Captain Green!" come from the children's mouths, those who are watching. They stare at Metri, fascinated that he's playing the part of the gallant hero.
Lanisa makes her way in, carrying several damp items from the steam baths. She starts to put them away, but pauses as her attention is caught by the others. Then bemused, she places a hand on her hip as the other holds the remaining items, and she watches.
Carlile drops her sleeve with an 'ooh.' She giggles. Wow, Carli was really worried there for a second, thinking that this was serious. She darts over to her friends to watch.
Claret spares a glance back at Carlile, giving her a big grin. "'S all right, I think they're just playing." Though she seems to have realized this point. "Bet you could be taken hostage too. I don't think you'd get hurt much. Or you could help Metri save that girl!" Claret suggests, pointing, not yet noticing Lani's presence.
"She's my prisoner Captain Green...and she's done her job. She's lured you here to my ship, where you will now die! No more will you escape me like you did the last time! Arrrrrggggg," Amarie advances on Metri and says, "You and your girlie will die together!" She makes to jab at them with the scroll.
"Captain Green?" Metri practically moans. "Why green?" he demands of Amarie as she edges closer. "Why not something cool, like magenta? Fuchia? BEIGE?!" As questionable as the names are, he finally sees something he can use as weaponry. Releasing his hostage-slash-apparent love interest (ahem), he dives for a scroll of his own, disregarding the fact that they've a bigger audience. Gracing the children with a winning grin, a tip of the head, and a salute, he glances his own scroll off of Amarie's. "I think not," Metri says, affecting a lazy yawn.
Lanisa edges her way around to Carlile and Claret, though her attention is held by the battle of the, well, scrolls before her, "How long have they been at this?" She asks quietly, perhaps hoping not to interrupt.
Claret lowers her voice to a bit more than a whisper, following Lanisa's lead in quietness. "I'm not sure. I just came in a minute before you, and they were at it." Swishing her hand around in imitation of Amarie's hook, she keeps her eyes peeled on the battle.
Carlile giggles at Metri, returning his salute with one of her own. Watching intently, she scoots over to make room for Lanisa.
"Have at thee!" Amarie says. She hisses, "Captain Green has always been the good guy's name." Then she charges at Metri and says, "You are no match for me Captain Green. I'll run you through and hang you from my hook!" She holds up her right hand which is holding a wicked looking metal hook. Well except for the small ball on the end that keeps the 'sharp' point from being dangerous.
"Well, what dimglow ever thought of that?" Metri demands, backing away and then, at the last moment, ducking beneath her makeshift sword. "Never fear, m'dear," Metri says to the little girl who's been appointed as Rosemary. She's in a fit of giggles, sitting on the ground and blushing brightly. After all, who wouldn't, being defended by Metri? Or held hostage. Or whatever he was doing.... "We'll see that, won't we, Captain?" he asks, hopping around to her side and holding his scroll at the ready. An now it's his turn, and he thrusts at her, making a very good show of not trying.
Lanisa gives Carlile a grin when she makes room for her and then giggles softly, "Ahh. I see. Who do you think's going to win then? The good Captain Or...?" She pauses, "Who is Amarie suppose to be anyway?"
"I did," Amarie frowns at Metri and says, "I'm not a dimglow!" This said in her normal voice before she deepens her voice into her pirate drawl. "We shall see..that I will triumph!" Amarie parries Metri's thrust, knocking the scroll up quickly before going in for a thrust of her own, towards his middle-section.
"Bet it's a pirate," Claret supplies. "Since I hear she's always telling pirate stories." Refraining for once on making any comments to those embroiled in battles, she shakes her head and remarks woefully to Lani and Carlile, "It looks like the pirate might triumph." For all her woe, she seems to find the prospect an appealing one, however.
One child pipes up, "She's Captain Black! The bad pirate!"
Carlile doesn't really care about who wins, it'll be entertaining either way. "Ssh, I'm tryin' to listen," she whispers.
"Oh! Captain Black. I see." Lani says with a grin that becomes a giggle, "Yes miss Carlile." And believe it or not she does hush to watch then.
Claret compresses her lips together, miming buttoning them up and staying shockingly silent herself to get a better perspective on the debacle.
K'ran walks in from outside the room.
K'ran, upon initially entering the nursery, seems to be in relatively high spirits, for all that he's likely spent the better part of the morning in drills. But upon glimpsing the knot of candidates within, his expression sours rapidly, and he's dancing a concerned gaze toward a crib in the far corner of the chamber.
"If you came up with green--AH!" Metri yelps in fake agony, taking the end of Amarie's scroll into his hands and holding it there as though he's been stabbed. He makes a very good spectacle of fake death throes. He drops to he knees and spasms, once. "You wretched creature!" he declares. Twitches again, and then sees the weyrleader. Perhaps this would be a good time to die. Or pretend to die, in order to lure Captain Black closer? Whatever, he still thumps to his side, twitches again, and lets out a groan of agony.
The babies are currently being tended to by the nursery nannies and wetnurses, however the children who are slightly older are enjoying the display of Metri and Amarie. Amarie is holding a hook in her hand, one of those pegs that usually hangs on the wall and has a rounded tip on the end so as not to be dangerous. She's got that in one hand, a scroll in the other. Although she's just lost her scroll to Metri. "Aye..die.Captain Green die!" And of course, the girl selected to play 'Rosemary' his love interest yelps, "No! No!" on cue. "My dagger runs deep!" Amarie advances on Metri and says, "But I shall not be satisfied until I hang you from my hook!" She gets lured towards him.
Carlile jumps in um, what's the word... oh yeah, surprise, that's it. "Captain Green! No!" she says through giggles, eyes still glued to the performance, not noticing any new arrivals.
Lanisa is just part of the audience. Caught in the act of returning toys and getting sidelined along the way. She, for one, completely misses the Weyrleader's arrival as she giggles as well, venturing as quiet observation of, "Ham," at Metri's act.
Once K'ran's satisfied himself that the occupant of the crib he's been eyeing is asleep and relatively undisturbed by the developing drama, he turns stern attention to the players, folds his arms across his chest, and clears his throat.
"Oh no!" Claret exclaims, putting up a front of consternation, because after all, one should root for the hero and not the pirate. But she looks rather pleased, all the same. Sideline participant as well, she heaves a sigh, her attention all reserved for Captain Green's death.
So he's not really dead. Metri jumps up very quickly (if a bit unsteadly, after all, he's taken a blow for his lady fair) and thrusts his own sword at Amarie. Pretend not to hear the throat clearing, that's it. "You'll never have the luck for that," Metri declares valiantly. "There will be no shipfish to save the likes of you!" And he gives a wink at 'Rosemary'. "Never fear, m'lady. I will not be defeated by the likes of him...her...what are you?" he hisses to Amarie.
Amarie missed the throat clearing as well, because she's too into her 'drama'. "Captain Black the fearsome pirate renegade," she hisses at Metri just before taking his scroll and stuffing it in her side. "No! Curses you Captain Green!" She staggers to the left, teetering over some children precariously before staggering back to the right. Her pathway takes her towards the door, backing up towards K'ran. "I'm done for.. done for..I'll haunt you somehow Captain Green!" She shakes that hook at him and then falls backward, right into the Weyrleader.
Throat clearing is so much less entertaining than watching the scene unfolding before her, but Lanisa's not completely oblivious. Especially if Amarie topples toward K'ran. Her half formed cheer for Metri turns into a cough and then a bright smile, "Hi Sir."
Carlile giggles more, but stops rejoicing for Captain Green when she does hear the throat clearing. Her gaze follows Amarie as she stumbles to the Weyrleader. Disappointment crosses her face as the performance is nearly ended, but as it still has an ounce of entertainment in it, Carli will keep watching. If Carli ever met the Weyrleader, she's forgotten.
K'ran makes a homage to gallantry, and makes to catch Amarie not altogether unlike how one might a swooning woman, rather than a faux-dying one. In any event, though, he's mentioning, "I'm not sure if you all are aware that I get the duty roster for Candidates in my morning reading. Which means that I know, say, that the only one of you bunch who has actual business in here right now is Amarie. Were the rest of you here because you were in need of nannying? Because if that's the case, you're clearly too young to stand."
Claret notices no extraneous sounds or throat clearings outside of the death throes, though when Amarie goes careening backward she certainly does take note of the Weyrleader's presence. "Are they -both- dying? Oh de--Oh! Hello, sir," she breaks in, echoing Lanisa. "Uh oh," she murmurs, looking a bit caught.
Metri does a bit of his own throat clearing, reaching for thier co-star and finally settling the little girl back with the rest of her agemates. "Hi, Sir," Metri parrots the others, scratching just behind his ear and patting the scroll gently against his thigh. The boy pauses, shaking his head at K'ran. "No sir...one of the kitchen workers didn't think my disappearing cutlery trick was suitable for the kitchens. I think his exact words were, 'Metri, if you want to make things disappear, either go to the occupy the children or find the duty pair. Either way, you're not around me.'
Amarie gets caught by K'ran and says, "Oh my first mate, Pegleg .." Suddenly she glances up and notices it is K'ran she landed on. *SPROING* She practically jumps out of his arms, whirling around to look at him wide-eyed as if caught at doing something wrong. But then she's the only one /allowed/ to be in here, doing her job. "Sir, Weyrleader sir.." She drops both hands to her side, even the one clutching her new 'hook' hand.
Lanisa's hands are still holding some of the damp toys, so her story at least has the ring of truth, "Just bringing back things left in steam baths by the littles washing up." Or their playing, but she's not tattling. What ever the case, she for one doesn't look much of anything less than amused.
Carlile uses the name 'Sir' for the Weyrleader just like everyone else. "Um, Yselle told me to stay here instead of the Residents' Dorms, um, Sir." she says quietly, in case she too needs a reason to be here.
Claret adds her story once all the others have given theirs. "I was making a mess of my chores outside, so I got sent along to find something helpful to do. And what with all the dying in here, I thought they might need a bit of help in the aftermath," she supplies lamely, though she sends Carli an odd look at her explanation for being in the nursery. "You're allowed!" she whispers comfortingly. "I think," she amends.
K'ran doesn't seem particularly impressed by various explanations as he lets Amarie back to her feet. "Let me explain a couple things to all of you," he says, his lips quirking in a humorless smile. "Candidacy accomplishes two things. One, it prepares you for the kind of chores you might be doing as weyrlings. Two, it gives you an appreciation for everything that needs to be done to keep the Weyr running smoothly. If you're not interested in that preparation, or that learning, now is the time to say so; I'm a patient sort, and I appreciate blowing-off-steam as much as anybody, but if you're primarily interested in screwing around and shirking work while you're here, you're nobody I want under my command in one of the fighting wings." He pauses a moment, long enough to allow that to sink in. "Do you all understand?"
Even the children are quiet as the Weyrleader gives his lecture, all wide eyes at him. Amarie glances at Metri and Lanisa, biting her lip as she looks at Claret too. "Yes sir," she answers even though she /is/ doing her job which is assisting nannies, by entertaining the children.
Metri diverts his gaze from K'ran. He /wasn't/ shirking; he was kicked out of his chores. There is a huge difference. However, he still mutters, "Yes, sir," and puts the scroll back where it belongs. He glances at the children, then at Lani and Claret, blinking as though he's just noticed them being actually there.
Carlile doesn't dare break the tension filled atmosphere that ensues after the lecture. Instead, she tries cheering the Weyrleader by giving him a cute little grin, showing that there's a tooth missing between her two lower front teeth.
"Understood, sir." Lani doesn't bother trying to explain farther. He'll have believed her or he wont, she just gives a level look that doesn't quite quell all of her amusement, "I'll just finish putting these away then, sir?"
Claret shifts from one foot to the other, opting to echo the "Yes sir," which seems to her the least obtrusive responsive possible, though she wasn't quite -trying- to shirk. Still of a mind to notice any underhanded tactics on part of Carlile, she bites her lip down on an errant grin, sneaking looks at the other candidates.
"Good," allows K'ran, even as he's giving Carlile a wan smile in answer. "Go ahead, Lanisa. For the time being I'll forget to mention this conversation to the Candidate Coordinators." But it seems he's not quite done. "Metri. The bag of tunnelsnakes in the living cavern was Number One. Getting thrown out of the kitchens for doing magic tricks rather than work is Number Two. I hope for the sake of whatever dragonet might be waiting for you on the sands that there will not be a Number Three."
Amarie goes really quiet. She glances at Metri, shock stealing across her face. And back it goes to K'ran as she says, "Sir? Are the rest of us in trouble too?" She sounds /worried/ about that.
"Thank you, sir." Lani says, then gives each of her friends an encouraging smile as she slips away from the group, putting toys away where they belong now. But managing to stay within earshot as she does so.
K'ran lifts both his shoulders in a mild shrug, and prompts Amarie, "Would you like to be? I can arrange it. Personally I'd rather not have the headache; it's a lot of hidework, getting one of you in trouble. Like I said, I'd just as soon forget to mention this conversation to the Candidate Coordinators, say hello to my daughter, and then be on my way."
Like Amarie's shock is completely called for. Metri knows he's in trouble, and it's very difficult for him to swallow the thought of keeping out of trouble. He gives a rather disappointed glance at Lani, but only briefly enough for her to catch it before she moves on her way. There's a glare at Amarie; why's she so worried about if they're in trouble? It's thier first call, after all. "Yes Sir. I'm sorry," Metri says, clearing his throat again, a nervous gesture. "I guess I'll go back into the kitchens, then." There's a brief wave to all assembled, a brief glance at K'ran, and Metri skirts out the door.
Claret seems for once to have either lost, or to be quelling any instinct for creative speech, opting to keep on echoing. "Thank you," in a properly subdued tone, though she sends a smile back to Lani, even as she regards Amarie with mild concern. "Much better that it not be mentioned," she pipes up helpfully, uncomfortably edging a bit closer to the door.
Amarie is quick to assure, "No I don't want to be in trouble!" She shakes her head, "Mum would kill me." She wrings her hands. "She told me to be on my best behavior here and so far I have been except one time and that was because..." She finally realizes she's rambling and shuts up, right there.
K'ran, as Amarie remembers what to do when one is in a hole, lets his smile warm a trifle before he turns away from the knot of candidates; he spends a moment or two knelt down by one of the cribs, and then stands, again, and begins to head out of the nurseries. "Take lunch, if you haven't already," he suggests to the group.
Yselle walks in from outside the room.
Lanisa can only manage to take so long putting toys in bins here and there. She does pause to watch Metri head out, but with a quick glance to K'ran she's back to her task, rather than delay farther.
K'ran walks off towards the Inner Cavern.
"Yes sir," Amarie still has the 'hook' in her hand. She glances around the room and then says, "Do you guys want to eat anything?" Because she doesn't look all that hungry after just having received 'the speech.'
Carlile watches Metri leave with a saddened look on her face. "Oh, but that was so much fun..." she mumbles. She immediately perks up when Amarie mentions food. "I'm hungry," she says.
Claret looks immensely relieved as the Weyrleader makes his exit. Not to be subdued long, though, she offers up a bright grin. "Well! That's just the worst thing about being a candidate so far." Watching Lani pick up toys, she turns and nods to Amarie, though not particularly in agreement. "I already ate..." she supplies. "But maybe we shouldn't stay here. Well, you two can," she inserts, gesturing to Carlile and Amarie.
Yselle wanders in, glancing about thoughtfully. "Was that...?" she's just in time to almost bump into K'ran. "Oh, shells," she mutters. "I'll have to catch him later." Still, apparently the Weyrleader wasn't her goal in coming here, because she doesn't immediately turn and leave. Instead, she nods. "Lani, Claret, Amarie," to each, and a special warm grin for Carlile, asking archly "Did the tooth 'lizard come?" then she awkwardly gets down on her hands and knees, which is, after all, something of a feat at this stage of pregnancy, to start peering under the cots. "What's the worst thing?" she asks in a vague-curious sort of way.
Lanisa heads back over by the others, "Well, I was going to go back to the steam baths to finish cleaning, but he did sort of tell us to take lunch..." Anh, and then her gaze falls on Yselle, turning her expression wary, "Heya Yselle, ma'am." Doesn't roll off her tongue -quite- as well as 'sir' did a moment before.
"Well I'm not hungry but he told us to lunch so.." Amarie starts to move to the door but Yselle's looking under cots has her stopping to ask, "Ma'am? Are you looking for something?" *here's your sign Amarie*
Carlile giggles and sits down near Yselle. "Yeah! The tooth- lizard gave me a 32nd Mark! And I hid it, too :) So no one will steal it." she sits up straight, looking very proud of herself. Hunger forgotten, of course.
"Hi, Yselle!" Claret greets easily as she takes note of her entrance. "The worst thing is, well, getting in trouble. At least, I think so." Looking ruefully at the doorway, she nods. "Yes, I guess we'd better eat. Since he did say so."
Yselle tries to crawl to the next cot, frowns and mutters, "Not long now," to herself. She looks up, and her nod to Lanisa is every bit reserved as the candidate's to her. "I'm just looking for a blue blanket," she says. "Kind of old and tattered, it's... well, Levarn thinks he left it here, and Tel and he went camping, and of course he has to have it right now." - "K'ran was upset with you?" her expression is blank as she turns to Claret now, "Whyever for?" she seems to have no doubt that there's cause for it, just keeping neutral, that is, except when she grins at Carlile, "A /thirty second/?" she asks. "Wow, you must've been extra good. The tooth lizard only gives thirty seconds to the best girls!"
"I haven't seen it." Lanisa says with reasonable politeness, not that she hurries to help look either. "He walked in on story time and said we shouldn't all be here." A bit simplistic an explanation, but at least Lani's talking.
"I'm going to go." Amarie looks at Yselle and says, "I haven't seen your blanket." She scampers out of the nursery to go get her lunch.
You walk off towards the Inner Cavern.
You walk through the large entrance to the Living Cavern.
While Amarie is in the LC, the nursery is busy as Lanisa, Claret and Yselle continue on.
Carlile shurgs, basking in the praise. As for the blanket, "I don't think I've seen it, sorry." she says. "Maybe he left it outside. I'll go check," she offers, dashing out.
Carlile walks off towards the Inner Cavern.
Claret corrects hastily, "Well, not just me. With all of us. Well, not really Carlile, and Amarie didn't do anything wrong, but... Anyway, for shirking, he said." She nods in agreement with Lani's simple explanation, because after all, there wasn't much to it, unless you count the pirate and the duel to the death, and all of that. Lunch?" she asks, swiveling her head to watch Amarie leave, and then Carlile on her heels. "I haven't seen the blanket either," she supplies.
Yselle frowns, crawling around awkwardly to peek under more cots. "I'm going to kill Tel," she mutters. "I... it's not under that one over there is it?" she asks the candidates hopefully. As for the rest, she says, "Oh, well, I can understand that; well, if you hadn't done all your duties," and she, it seems, seems to be assuming that is the case. She grabs the leg of the nearest cot and begins pulling herself upright. "He's just going to have to come and get it."
Claret makes her way over to the cot in question, kneeling to have a look under it, and promptly checking a few more in the near vicinity while she's at it. "I did my duties!" she protests. "I just didn't do them well, so I got sent to find new ones." Not that that's much better.
"I was here doing my duty." Lani replies, and still she doesn't move to look for the missing blanket. "I just happened to pause and watch a moment, just before he walked in." She pauses and tacks on, "And from what I could see, the others were lending Amarie a hand with the littles."
Yselle looks at Lanisa steadily, sighs, and apparently dismisses her as a source of help. There's frustration and disappointment in her gaze. Eventually, she pulls herself upright. Tightly, she says, "I'm sure you did," as for Claret, she says, "Well, we need all hands helping out, especially now." She pats dust off her clothes, and adds "If he's given you an order, you'd better go take care of it. I'll send Tel and Levarn to find it themselves. Thank you for your help, Claret, I'll be sure to let K'ran know, if I see him, that you were assisting me," there's a slight emphasis on that 'you'.
K'tdan walks in from the bowl.
Amarie is standing in the line to the food tables. She waits her turn and then orders something from Pierron.
K'tdan strides in, pausing to speak with the first friendly face he finds. "Ista's duties," he says. "Might you know where I can find Yselle?"
That first friendly face just shakes a head and shrugs, "I don't know. Telgar's duties." However, Amarie pipes up from the serving line, "I know where she is!"
K'tdan nods to the anonymous friendly face, then smiles in the direction of the helpful candidate. "Good," he says, closing the gap in a few quick strides. "And where would that be?" he asks Amarie.
Amarie glances at her plate and then to K'tdan. She sets the plate down telling Pierron, "I'll be back for this." She snitches the apple off the plate and says, "Follow me," leading him into the weyr. "Beastcraft and Telgar's duties sir." she also adds as an aside.
You walk towards the inner cavern.
TGW-LC>> K'tdan follows the expeditious candidate.
K'tdan walks in from the living caverns.
Amarie wanders into the inner caverns and says, "Last time I saw her was a few minutes ago. She was trying to find a blanket for someone... I can't remember who." She leads the bronzerider from Ista into the nursery.
You walk off towards the Telgar Weyr Nursery.
K'tdan walks in from outside the room.
Claret backs away from the cot and rises, the she ducks her head to see if the blanket is to be found anywhere else. "I suppose you will have to have Levarn look for it. Sorry!" Brushing off her knees she she sends Lani an uncertain glance, never having taken note of any particular recalcitrance from her before. "I was going to help," she informs Yselle honestly. "But I hadn't yet. Anyway, all the Weyrleader told us to do was eat lunch, if we hadn't."
Lanisa doesn't seem to mind that her lack of help will be noted. Wasn't like it was an order or something. For her part she returns Yselle's steady look for one of her own, and since she has nothing else to say, she simply says nothing. For Claret's uncertainty she eventually just gives a one shouldered shrug.
Amarie comes into the nursery, leading a bronzerider from Ista behind her. "She was in here looking for a blanket," her voice carries in before she does and she pauses just inside the door, scanning it for the Weyrsecond.
Yselle doesn't address Lanisa either, there's a tension in the air and she looks past, rather than /at/ the candidate. "Shells," she mutters to herself. Patting her hair, getting some tangles out. "Well, thank you, Claret," she says again. "Honestly, it may not even be in here, and I don't see why Tel thought I'd be better crawling on the floor than /him/," she looks so tired. "I think..." at Amarie's entrance, and words, she glances over to the entrance in a 'what now?' sort of way. Clearly, all she wants to do is rest.
K'tdan follows the helpful weyrling into the Nursery, grinning as he sees not much has changed even after all these turns. He then stops, mouth agape, when he sees Yselle. "Jays, Ys, you're huge," he says undiplomatically, or perhaps teasingly. There is a twinkle in his gray-green eyes.
Well K'tdan's comment is the first thing to draw a smile from Lanisa since Yselle had walked in the door. Her chin lifts and yet she suddenly minds her manners again, calling a greeting of, "Telgar's duties to Ista and her queens."
"I guess he'd just rather not do it himself?" Claret asks, only just seeming to notice how tired Yselle looks. "Maybe you ought to take a nap or something," she suggests, before noting another pair of new entries into the infirmary. "Hi Am--Oh, right, Telgar's duties," she breaks in, looking at the rider curiously.
"Kitty," Yselle pulls out a smile for the arriving bronzerider. "You rascal, you should've come ten minutes earlier, I'd've had you crawling all over the floor for me, how are you?" She waddles over to him. "I swear, never around when you're needed." That doesn't stop her from trying to lean on him now, even, if he lets her, putting his arms around her. "Well, now you're here, you can be of some use." Apparently she's not the slightest bit fazed by his big Weyrlingmaster knot. "Fuss over me." From that vantage, she can look over at the candidates, and reply to Claret's suggestion with "I suspect he never even considered it'd be easier for him than me right now."
"Hi Claret," Amarie is quick to move over to her fellow candidate's side although she does turn to now peer at K'tdan curiously. He did after all, rush in saying he needed to see the Weyrsecond. She looks between him and Yselle, the expression on her face, dying to know what was so important.
K'tdan looks over the candidates - they always look so young - and says, "Ista's duties to Telgar and her lovely queens." Charming, ain't he. He carefully hugs the very pregnant Weyrsecond. "Ys, you know I'm ladened with weyrlings right now. Practically had to abandon them to Claia, who looked ready to..." His voice trails off as he puts a hand to his mouth and makes retching motions. "How are you doing?" he asks.
Claret looks rather intrigued by Yselle and K'tdan, but all the same, she looks mournfully at the door. "Probably, I should go and find something really productive to do." Giving her fellow candidates a reluctant smile, and everyone in the room a wave, she edges out.
Claret walks off towards the Inner Cavern.
Yselle snickers. She can't help it. "Did you get /her/ pregnant?" she teases, "So, did you come to see me or your father? And did you bring me a present?" Still, she leans into him. "I'm tired. Tel's had me crawling all over the floor here looking for Levarn's blanket, otherwise, very glad to see you. Especially if you brought presents."
Lanisa edges over by Amarie now, not quite watching the two riders as she asks lowly instead, "Did you see Metri? Or did he go back to the kitchens like he said?"
Amarie stays. "No I didn't..I hope he did because I don't want him to leave." She says this lowly to Lanisa. She fishes the apple out of the pocket of her skirt and crunches into it. However, the little children have noticed her and come running over, "Amarie, Amarie! Pete took my toy!" One little boy reports while another says, "I have to potty.."
K'tdan puts a hand up. "No, not that I know of. You think I should try?" he asks teasingly. Apparently, he likes playing up the epic bronzerider stereotype. Or, maybe, this is just how he is. "You, of course, Ys." He makes it sound like it would be silly to think there was any other reason. He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small wrapped package. "You warned me never to show up empty-handed," he quips, holding the package out. "Let that be a lesson to you, candidates," he says as if Yselle wasn't standing right in front of him. "The Weyrsecond likes gifts." He winks.
Yselle pokes her tongue out at the bronzerider, which does nothing for her image. "What did you bring?" she asks. "Shells, Kat, haven't you bedded her /yet/? Wasn't she the one that was so adoring of you as a weyrling? How come you're getting so slow?" she takes the package, makes herself comfortable against him, and begins to unwrap it.
"Me either." Lani admits. "Want him to leave that is." Then her gaze goes to the kids, "So much for lunch, eh?" At the mention of giving Yselle gifts she arches a brow and looks from one to the other as if she's quite at a loss for what to say. Eventually she mutters something that might be, 'I'll remember.' But it's hard to say.
K'tdan watches as Yselle unwraps the small package. "Something to sate your sweet-tooth, dear Ys," he tells her. He ignores the teasing about bedding his assistant. "I guess the weyrlings are just taking so much of my time now," he tells her. He waits for her reaction to the baklava.
"Peter give Lonny back his toy," Amarie goes over to break up the squabble even as she says, "Nettie you know where the privys are. You go there right now and come back immediately." She gives the toy back to Peter and distracts Lonny with another toy, the one Metri threw at her earlier.
Yselle giggles. "My tooth is only sweet when I'm... ooh, what's this Kitty?" she grins up at him. "Now, how come you're trying to get into my good books? Have you got fathers chasing you and you want me to hide you behind my big knot?" she glances over to Amarie and nods approvingly. "Seriously though, how are you? Taking care of yourself? I'd have Dianneth yell at Faorath occasionally to remind you, but you know she won't talk to him."
Lanisa watches Amarie getting back to work and then fidgets there a bit as if debating if she wants to try and leave before the riders or not. Yselle gains a roll of the eyes behind her back as Lani turns away from them, "Amarie? You have anything in here I should take back with me on my way to the steam baths? Is the laundry I should drop or something?" Might as well be useful.
K'tdan stands at ease, chuckles wryly as Yselle speaks. "Small favors, I guess," he says. A glance towards the gawking (?) candidates. "Don't let Yselle here mislead you. I'm the very model of behavior. I wouldn't put myself in a situation where someone's father would be chasing me." That is, he wouldn't get caught.
"Yes!" Amarie looks gratefully at Lanisa and points to the wooden diaper pail. "Can you grab the diaper sack out and take it to the launderess?"
Fortunately, Yselle misses the eye-rolling, quite possibly due to her outrage from K'tdan's latest statement, "Ha," she says. "Unless you've gone and changed on me," she turns in his arms, so she's facing the two girls and says, "don't believe a word of it. This is the sort of bronzerider you should be very wary about, not that he'd compromise a /candidate/," she grins teasingly up at K'tdan. "A model of what kind of behaviour exactly, Kitty?"
K'tdan clears his throat. "Or a weyrling, for that matter," he adds quickly. That whole episode with Claia has had a profound effect on the weyrlingmaster. "How's the baklava?" he asks, trying to distract Yselle from her present line of comments.
"Can't say I'm worried about that." Probably because more end up running away when they hear who her dad is. But Lani sighs before giving her friend a wane smile, "Diaper sack. Right. Sure Amarie." Well, she did ask. Silly Lani.
Yselle takes a bite of it. "Wonderful," she says. "Of course not a weyrling, I meant that," she says. "Not candidates, not weyrlings," she's rather cheerful in teasing k'tdan. "Hm, Kitty, I think I might delegate you my official food-getter, what do you think?"
K'tdan steps back and half-bows. "It would be my pleasure, Ys," he says grandly. As he straightens, he sighs. "It appears there is a situation back at Ista that requires my attention. If you would excuse me, Ys. Candidates." With that, he starts for the exit.
"Oh you're a love Lani," Amaries smiles at her friend and then goes over to check the babies in the nursery. She wrinkles her nose at one and says, "I smell your poo." She picks him up and takes him over to the changing table.
Lanisa gathers up the laundry with a smile for Amarie, "No problem." And then makes for the door herself, "Goodbye, sir." She calls after the bronzerider. And then she too is on her way, without backward glance. You didn't expect her to tarry with stinky diapers, did you?
Yselle pouts as her bronzerider-resting place moves away. "Well, it was good to see you," she tells him. "You'll come back, won't you. Want me to give your father any messages for you? Not that I suppose Faorath couldn't talk to Dulath, but..." she spreads her free hand. "Thanks for coming, and for this," she waves the baklavah.
K'tdan walks off towards the Inner Cavern.
Amarie changes the baby's diaper, throwing the other one in the recently vacated diaper bucket. She coos and makes noises at the baby as she changes him, finishing up and picking him up with expert hands. "Let's go bouncy!" She keeps her voice soft, but makes her lilt higher as she walks around and bounces, "Bouncy bouncy bouncy." Bouncing the baby who breaks out in a fit of giggles.
Yselle wanders over to lean against the wall, and watch Amarie with the baby. "I used to work in here," she shares.
"You were a nanny?" Amarie asks, glancing at Yselle and smiling. She bounces the baby around. "I'd like to say the same but this just comes from helping my Mum with all my brothers and sisters. My newest sister is already six months old." Amarie coos and continues bouncing and laughs when the baby does.
Yselle nods. "Before I was searched," she confirms. She pulls a face at the baby as Amarie bounces it around. "I love children," fortunate, given her current state. She drags over a chair and semi-collapses into it. "Ever thought what you might do if you don't impress?"
Amarie comes over to sit down near Yselle, stopping her bouncing and just stroking the baby's back. "I love babies too," she nods. As for the other question she shakes her head, "I don't really know. I suppose I'll go home and become a Crafter like my Father. And my sister." She lets out a small sigh as if this had been something on her mind. "What's it like?" she asks, "Being a dragonrider?" She pats the baby and says, "I know you have to fight thread, but when you're up there," She points at the ceiling to indicate the sky, "What goes on?"
Yselle reaches out to offer a finger for the baby's hand, smiling. "Well, a lot of people do that," she says. "Some stay on. Some are searched again. Of course, you /may/, you were just so good with that baby, I wondered, you know? So, is that what you want to do? Will you be happy being a crafter?" At Amarie's question, her expression takes on a far away cast to it. "It's... hard to explain. I think it's different for everyone. See, it's not just you there. It's you and your lifemate, and well, at least for me, when we're flying, it's hard to work out where one of us stops and the other begins. Sometimes I can feel the wind on my wings, you know? Well, granted, that's more common when she rises, but sometimes." She pauses, and says, "We're together, we do things together. Down here, we have our differences, but not so much up there."
Amarie looks as if she might have more to say except at that moment, one of the nannies comes over to request her help with a certain child that just threw up all over the floor. Making a face, Amarie says, "I'm sorry.. I have to go." That's the life of a candidate.
*** Disconnected from PernMUSH ***