Soggy Breakfasts

Participants:

Vanielle.jpg Ahnika.jpg Max.jpg Nenienne.jpg Suzan.jpg

Date: 2010.08.01
Location: Living Cavern
Synopsis: One rain soaked beastmaster, two candidates who then leave, and then a worker from the beast caverns and another candidate arrive.
Rating: PG13
Logger: Max

[ Eastern Weyr: Living Cavern ]

The main Living Cavern at Eastern Weyr is a near replica of the "Lower Bowl" in shape. It is circular, with ceilings sloping up into a gentle cone shape. There are a few stalactites hanging from the ceiling, from which the Weyr's few firelizards may perch. Between these, there are a few inverted "hills", showing exactly how quickly the workmen finished this job. It lends an eerie quietness to the place, as the features cut the sound more effectively. The glowbaskets on the walls highlight the tables of all shapes and sizes around the room. The Head Table appears to be more traditional in place and kind, but the rest of the tables are variable. The east side of the room boasts larger rectangle tables suitable for whole groups of riders, while the middle holds smaller circular tables more appropriate for a family with children. The west side of the room has small square tables which often double as gaming tables on lazy days and most evenings.

Near the Head table, off to the East side, the double doors of the kitchen swing open. Near those doors, two long rectanglular tables are set up for food and drink service. On the eastern and western sides of the room, the stairs lead up to parallel hallways which connect to the rest of the Weyr. A third, smaller set of stairs at the southernmost end of the cavern leads to the Weyr entrance.


The life of a candidate- more drudge work- not a problem. Vanielle walks quietly moving fresh fruits and vegetables to designated places "Glows, one day, fruits the next… I'll be gutting fish…" she hauls a basket towards the kitchen. "Here you go!" she calls out to one of the drudges. "Since you got that knot, Vanielle, we'd thought you go and act all haughty.." the drudge says softly. "Me Haughty? No. This knot, doesn't change the work I can do… only if I get picked does it change the work I will."

A stormy morning combined with the enticing aromas of the breakfast hour draws a man usually little seen in the living caverns, indoors. Slapping his hat against his thigh and sending a shower of drops everywhere, Max saunters in and over to the counter, and proceeds to exchange charm laden banter with a serving girl whilst heaping a plate with just about everything available. Low laughter greets something said by the girl followed by a regretful shake of head as he pushes away and seeks out a table to plonk his wet butt down at.

Vanielle turns at the sound of someone sitting. She glances around looking for knots or indicartion of rank. "Sir." she says softly, in greeting. She walks towards the foods and grabs herself a plate. She smiles. "Would you like some company—" she notices the water. "Raining?"

Suddenly there comes the sound of a great crash and loud exclamations from the kitchens. A few moments more, a little boy of about age ten is ushered through the door to the kitchen with an Ahnika attached to his ear. That is, she has a great hold of it between her fingers and is twisting to the point of him going, "owowowowowowowowo!" He is covered in flour and pie filling, it should be noted. "Let go!" He bellows at her, trying to swat her arm away, but she has a pincher grip and is not inclined to let go it would seem. "Not yet," Ahnika says in a remarkably calm voice though certainly laced with irritation, not seeming to care who notices, "Go on over to the Journeyman there," the redhead nods to the Journeyman Baker who is currently overseeing the food banquet table, "And give her a sound apology, and then you will take yourself off to the baths. Do I make myself clear?" The boy agrees readily enough and Ahnika lets go, only to have him laugh at her and take off at a run, heading right past Max and Vanielle's table. Glaring, Ahnika gives chase, "Come back here!"

The soft greeting almost goes unnoticed being as how there is the –serious- business of meeting a rather lusty appetite. Almost, but not quite. Fork halfway to his mouth, Max’s head turns seeking out the speaker and lands on the candidate, his mouth quirking to one side in wry grin, “Nope, figured I’d save myself some time if I bathed with my clothes on.” This to her comment of rain. As to the offer of company broad shoulders roll in a shrug and an empty chair is gestured towards as the fork completes its path. The ensuing crash and one boy with an Ahnika attached to its ear, has him jerking his round. A wide grin starts to peel out as a chuckle follows on its heels, “Shoulda worn earmuffs, kid,” the beast manager calls out as he goes dashing past.

Vanielle chuckles as she watches the other woman escort the kid. "Ouch." she says firmly. "But I guess he stolen soem break, he deserves it though." She smiles to Max.

Ahnika, for all her effort and longer stride, just isn't quite as quick as the little ten-year-old, who barely manages to escape the cavern up the steps after nearly stumbling when Max calls out to him. But escape is made nevertheless and Ahnika stops just short of the steps, avoiding a near collision with someone coming down them. She leans up into the stairwell and shouts, "This isn't over!!" Then punctuates it with a harumph, before turning and making her way back the way she came, arms crossed just under her bosom. On approach, she spies Vanielle and Max and pauses by their table, managing a somewhat distracted and sheepish smile, "Good morning."

Max’s hand goes involuntarily to his own ear abused by just that very hand, amusement showing in his eyes as he shovels the next forkful in. Chewing and swallowing, he’s finally able to answer, “The trick to stealing from the kitchens is not to get caught,” pointing the fork at Vanielle while making his point. Clearly someone has been or still is, a bit of a kitchen thief. Open laughter greets Ahnika’s call up to the escape artist which he’s very quick to try and swallow down once she appears at the table, drawling out instead his usual, “Mornin’ darlin’.” Though there might be a hint of something else in his eyes.

Vanielle nods to Anika. "Morning." she says quickly "Its nice to meet you sir," she extends a hand. "Vanielle."

The redhead narrows her eyes at Max, seeing him try to swallow some of his mirth, but the smirk playing at her lips suggest she's not really vexed over it. As Vanielle extends her hand to Max, Ahnika looks up and over to the Baker, and seeing she is engrossed in conversation with another Baker, she returns her attention back to the two at the table. "I don't have long. How is breakfast? Is the klah still hot?" Ever helpful, Ahni is. And then she blinks at Max, "Shards, Max, you're drenched!" Then she eyes the floor beneath him, "And you're making a mess, too, I see."

Having taken up a roll in his free hand, Max sets it down, dusts the crumbs off on his leg and clasps the offered hand, “Well met, Vanielle. Max,” that’s him. More food disappearing down his gullet as if this were the man’s last meal on Pern and then he’s lifting his attention back to the newly introduced, “Standing for them eggs, eh?” trying to make idle conversation as he chows down. The narrow eyed look his amusement earns from Ahnika, earns her a cocky wink in return and then widely affected innocence for the puddle of water starting spread under his chair. Dark eyes still filled with amusement flick back up to the redhead along with a helpless shrug, “A funny thing happened while I was out working Charger this morning. The sky broke open and all this water just…fell out of it!” Imagine that!

Vanielle nods. "Klah's hot still.," She says. "Anyway,— yeah He was just telling me how he went swimming with his clothing on." she says with a small smile. A small chuckle. "So it did start to rain, and yes I am. Though I don't expect much to come of it. I couldn't refuse…"

"If you get sick … " Ahnika starts in a tone to Max and his reply that suggest she's threatening something, but then there is a glance around her to the various people there within earshot, including Vanielle, and Ahni just stops and smirks at him, her grey eyes alone suggesting dire consequences. And then she looks back at Vanielle as something she says captures her attention and the redhead actually scowls, remembering a recent conversation and rumors spreading among the Candidates, "Yes, you could have, point of fact, Vanielle. I for one think the whole matter is just despicable, really. I mean, they should have told us. We should know what we're getting ourselves into and they didn't tell us," and here she is starting to get even more riled up and angry, "and … and … it's just as bad as lying, really, and well, I don't think anyone should think any less of someone leaving. After all, they didn't tell any of us the whole truth. Not everyone is willing to take such a risk and it just … " she makes a frustrated sound, throwing up her hands a little, "I can't believe they would do that to people."

Vanielle pauses. "Well I'd heard some stories. But I knew those rumors weren't true. Mom stood when she was younger and so did my dad- so I grew up to old-stories." shesmiles. "I accepted because the funny blue— was so… insitant."

At least some of his appetite fed, Max leans back and sets a smirk onto Vanielle, “You can always refuse,” challenging her statement. As to her comment to Ahnika and the lecture that almost starts for his getting sick, a cocky grin turns out as a brow lifts in silent prompt for the unspoken threats to indeed be carried out. Listening to what is now passing between the two candidates, both brows hike upward, “Take what risks?” trying to follow the tone of the conversation with a slight frown.

Ahnika gives Max another sly smirk as his cocky grin and brow lifts captures her attention, but she leaves off, further, hearing Vanielle again, and turning back to her once more. She makes a little wave of her hand, "Okay, I agree that the notion of the dragonriders running swords through anyone who doesn't Impress is a little farfetched," to Vanielle, and her voice is tempered a little now, "but my point is, they should have told us especially the holdbred at the time they asked us to Search that there is every likelihood of being shredded to death on those Sands, and anyone who wants to leave Candidacy as a result shouldn't be given any lip about it, because, after all, they didn't tell any of us this when they asked us to Stand." She glances at Max, a hint of fear in her grey eyes and then it is gone and she looks back at Vanielle, "It just wasn't right. So, my point is, if you don't want to Stand, you shouldn't feel like you have to or couldn't refuse."

Vanielle pauses. "You just get out of the way." she says. "If they're heading for you, back up and move… its like playing doge-the-ball.. Only the balls are hungry dragons, who…." she pauses.. "Wow nothing like the gaame. Well I wasn't going to refuse. IT's an Honor to be though… potentially worthy to be a life-mate to a dragon. And I am willing to take to risk. I enjoy a little bit of risk. Without life wouldn't be life."

Straightening out of his easy sprawl, Max glances between the two girls, "Shredded to death on the sands?" Perplexed for such talk his mouth compresses into a thin line, "I don't' know who's been telling you such a load of runner dung. But I can assure that such occurrences are extremely rare." Says the weyrbred one, "I've heard old aunties long tales about a candidate getting bumped and a little scratched up by accident, but that was only because they refused to step out of the dragon's way." Anger for the candidates being needlessly scared wells up and he asks, almost demands, "Who told you this!?" Vanielle's further comments on standing her ground on her decision to stand earns her a sidelong look for a moment or two before he picks up his fork and starts stabbing at the rest of his meal in silence.

Her own rant lapsing as Vanielle speaks up about the honor of Standing and dodgeball leave the extremely country girl blinking a moment and looking a little at a loss for words. And then Max's reaction has the redhead actually straightening and blinking some more. Ahnika opens her mouth, and then shuts it. There's a pause and she slowly puts her hands to her hips, opened-palmed, and casual. She looks at Max, knowing him a lot better than she knows Vanielle, no offense meant to the latter, and she says, "So … candidates don't get … slaughtered when they don't Impress?" She pointedly refrains from saying where she, personally, got the information.

Vanielle pauses, as she catches the Glance from Max. " I mean I wouldn't want to just live my life— in a little cave and pretend that nothing could hurt me. I wanna run around and feel the sun and wet grass go swimming. And in life you get hurt. I am sure there will be healers standing by… It'd be silly not to…"

Unable to stifle it, dark eyes roll expressively, “No, ba….candidate,” the correction coming smoothly, “They don’t. Don’t you think if that were something that were to happen the news would be all over Pern? I mean think about it,” his tone turning more reasonable, “Would the harpers not write teaching songs about the dangers of impressing if this were the case?” appealing to the common sense he knows Ahnika to have. And then Vanielle speaks up and he puts an assessing look over to her. Quiet for a moment before answering with a chuckle, “You seem to have it all figured out, Vanielle.” Hard to tell if that’s a compliment or a tease.

For whatever reason, Vanielle's response actually seems to irritate Ahnika. She actually scowls a little, "Well, of course, which is why despite the rumors," and apparently our rural country girl Ahnika actually believing them hook, line and sinker, "I was still Standing." She recrosses her arms over her chest, adding, "I just didn't like the fact that candidates were feeling pressured to stay out of some misguided tradition when they weren't told … everything." And apparently they weren't told everything because there wasn't anything to tell, at least about shredding dragons. So, her voice trails off and the redhead looks a little foolish and she knows it, especially after Max says his piece, and she doesn't like the fact that she looks foolish one iota. Her lips work a moment as if she is tasting something bitter and her cheeks color. In a much more calmer, neutral tone, she nods once to Vanielle, "Well, you just know that there must be plenty of people to Stand out there, and if you truly don't want to Stand, you should say as much and, and well, whatever." The last comes at a mutter, and then another look at Max. A frown for him, and a sigh and rub of the back of her neck, "I need to get back to work." And there she is off again, turning and heading back to the kitchen door and presumably clean up whatever mess that ten year old left her.

Vanielle thinks. "I guess I always assumed it was know thatyou could leave, or request to leave." she points out. She turns to Max. "I don't have it all figured out- its really only parially in my head.

Working quietly on his food through Ahnika’s tirade that thankfully seems to be aimed more at the issues of impression rather than him personally, the twitch of lips the frown she sends Max is luckily hidden. Head lifting at her pronouncement a perfectly bland expression greets the redhead, “Catch you later.” Spoken easily with just the slightest lilt of query at the end. Turning a look onto Vanielle as he makes as if to stand, his plate empty of his meal now, a smirk appears, “Good to have somewhere to start, just don’t expect rainbows and puppies along the way.” Seeming to have decided the girl to be a bit of an idealist.

Vanielle smiles. "Well I guess not everything is perfect, but…" she watches Anhika leave. And stands slowly. "I should probably get going- back to the massive list of chores. Firestone today I think." She nods to Max. "See you around, sir."

With Ahnika having gone one way, and Vanielle now the other, Max stands from the table he’d been seated at and gathers up the empty place, heedless of the puddle his drenched clothing has left him. Stopping at the basket for used crockery he drops his in and sets hands to soggy pockets, clearly intent on braving the storm outside yet again.

Vanielle has left.

The day begins early in the beast pens. Feeding, mucking, milking where necessary, and now finally Suzan has the opportunity to enjoy a bite to eat. Unfortunately the run across the bowl has left the blonde soaked to the bone. The upside to this is that the storm acted as a rinse for hair and clothing and boots. The downside? The smell of animals and manure is that much stronger around her for being soaked into her clothes and now wet, the aroma practically drawing stink lines in the air as she navigates the tunnel and steps into the living cavern; in fact, the curls of steam that rise from her shoulders may well serve for that effect. Though she's busily scraping dripping, clinging tendrils of hair back from her face, she doesn't seem too put off by the damage. Whether others will suffer the perfume of the herds as contentedly is another matter entirely.

Nenienne has just come in from said storm, and is likewise dripping wet. She's also walking as if in pain, particularly in her back, which she holds with one hand. She heads toward the klah pot and deftly pours herself a mugful and adds milk, one-handed, before drinking the conconction in one large draw. Then she gets an identical second mugful and heads over toward a familiar smel… er, face.

Immune to the smell of the beast caverns as he is, it takes a moment or two before Suzan’s arrival reaches Max’s attention. Probably the comments coming from a few nearby about something smelling ‘off’. Which earns the speakers a dark look from the beast manager and tersely placed, “You don’t seem to mind so much when it’s cooked and on your plate.” And then he’s turning to his most recently placed employee with a chuckle for her state, “You could have just sent Waine to get something for you. Big lout seems impervious to pretty much everything.” This of the rather large and chunkily built ‘hand that also works under him. Nenienne passing by catches a passing glance of interest, a brow going up for the manner in which she walks.

Suzan is in the process of piling up a plate when she glances up to discover Nenienne at her elbow. At first the 'hand just dips her head to acknowledge the other woman in friendly fashion but a second glance shows those signs of pain. "Twist something?" Like Max, her eyebrows lift, but that's the limit of her expressed concern. Before an answer can be heard, she's hailed by someone and shifts her head in the other direction to find the manager himself right there. She pauses, spoon of scrambled eggs held above her plate while a reply is considered. Finally, she shapes her lips in a smile and says, "I'll never learn my way around, hiding 'midst the herds. Morning, sir. Storm caught you too?"

Nenienne may be oblivious to the eyebrow raisings, but not to something she can actually hear. As she answers Suzan's attention shifts, but Neni doesn't notice and goes on with her reply "Lake digging again. Nothing like mud to remind me of how very light dirt is." Then she assumes her "not overhearing conversation" position, her eyes wandering to the ceiling.

The exchange between the two goes largely unnoticed with Max's attention sweeping across the living caverns in narrow eyed gaze. He's looking for someone and they clearly aren't there. With a wry edge of a smile sent Suzan's way, he nods his farewell, "You'll learn," this to finding her way around then adding, "If you see that good for nothing, son of a…" the curse cuts off and he tries again, "If you see Leron around tell him I'm looking for him." What might be construed as a sympathetic look is sent to Nenienne and then the soggy beast manager is striding his way out and back to work.



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