Talking and Toying

Participants:

Ahnika.jpg Andi.jpg Merendezen.jpg Nenienne.jpg Zhia.jpg

Date: 8/5/10 (IC: Day #: 18 Month #: 08 Turn #: 1 Time : 10:34:00 AM)
Location: EW: Lower Hatching Sands Galleries
Synopsis: Some of the candidates and Andi and Zhia find themselves in the galleries doing chorework, and conversation ranges from toying with hearts, pure intentions, and rumors of shredding dragons.
Rating: PG
Logger: Ahnika

Eastern Weyr: Lower Hatching Galleries

Open sky gives way to stone as one enters the galleries. The small room built into the rock is architecturally designed to draw the attention down below: to the sands. Holding six tiers of five seats each, the room is fairly etched out of the stone of the caldera, giving its occupants places to rest while their focus is on the life-changing space before them. A long rail sits between them and the ground, keeping people from angry dragons or painful falls.


"But, but, but it's raining!" comes a young whine from one of the entrances into the galleries this fine, wet morning. Enter young Candidate Gavin with a little bin used for midden duty, followed closely behind by Ahnika who looks to be threatening him with her index finger and thumb, oddly enough, and a broom. Or not so oddly for those who know her. "And there's still trash to pick up even if we can't sweep the dust so well in the rain. More and more people are coming here to gawk at the eggs every day, Gavin. Just count yourself lucky I finished my chores a little early before the midday break and can come and help you." They step down the gallery steps toward the sand, intending to move up and back to the exit as they work. Gavin's expression under the miserable drizzle is sour. Ahnika just simply looks determined.

Andi is once again in the galleries, this time having been chased from the records room by a trio of candidates who, noticably lacking in their writing skills - had been set under the watchful gaze of a tutor for the time being. She's settled once more near the lower portion of the galleries, the little precious book of paper open on her lap, bent over as she writes neatly. The sound of voices as she's lifting her gaze, blinking a few times as her eyes adjust to the difference in distance, ducking her head again in turn.

Ahnika looks at the lowest row as they get there and frowns thoughtfully, gesturing, “You start there, and I’ll start down here.” Her tone, while not bossy, doesn’t exactly suggest her directive is open to feedback, and Gavin, with a sigh and a swipe at his water-sogged bangs, moves in the direction Ahni had pointed and starts picking up the larger debris from the row and putting it in the bin. Ahnika, with her broom, moves down the damp row and starts to brush at some of the larger debris there. And that’s when she notices Andi. Ahni offers the girl a companionable, friendly smile, then makes a glance at the paper and her writing. “Good morning,” the red-headed candidate finally greets congenially.

Andi finishes off her writing quickly, and as the voice draws closer she blinks a few times, hurriedly closing the little pad, sticking the pencil in the back of the binding to be held in place before offering a glance up at Gavin, and then a shy smile at Ahnika. "Good.. Good morning." She offers shyly, giving a sort of nervous smile.

Ever the helpful with unsolicited advice, Ahnika comments, “Best be careful of the drizzle getting on your paper,” as she pushes a little more of the large debris down the row, “I’d hate for anything to happen to … well, whatever it is you’re working on.” And with this she glances out on the sands, leaning a little on the broom, and then back to Andi and her work. Gavin, meanwhile, seem uninterested in the conversation happening down the other end of the row. He is working, but kind of begrudgingly. “Are you a new Harper? Come here for the Hatching?” There’s another glance at Andi’s shoulder, looking for a knot of some kind, and not finding it, looks back to Andi’s face.

"I.. I won't let it." She murmurs, the pad carefully held against her chest, hiding it from the view of a casual glance. "Just.. notes." She counters, glancing past her to the eggs that are settled on the sands, before sparing a glance at the candidate in turn. "For.. my father. Lord Kiril." She blushes a little bit, nodding her head at the book. "He.. likes to stay.. up to date." She offers in explanation, keeping her gaze turned away from the other candidate, almost embarrassed as she admits it.

Ahnika watches the other young woman answer and furrows her brow a little with growing obvious concern as Andi works to get out everything she means to say. When the young lady holder finishes, Ahnika’s expression smoothes once more to an even one, and her smile returns, and Ahni actually gives a little deferential head-bob toward the other girl, little lady holder that she is. Then Ahnika turns and looks back at the eggs again before looking back at Andi, and then pushing a little more of the debris along the row with the broom. “Up to date is good,” the would-be future headwoman says with a firm nod. “Hard to work on anything important with old and inaccurate information. Nice of you to come here and collect it for him.” If Ahni thinks there’s anything spy/espionage-like going on, she doesn’t show it, or at least doesn’t show any disapproval for it. “I’m Ahnika, by the by,” she introduces herself with another friendly smile. “Settling into the weyr well?” As if Ahnika has become some sort of expert of the lifestyle here herself? Please.

"Without good information, the.. The Lord Holders can't make the right choices." She says softly, repeating the oft-heard mantra of her father in a flat voice, shaking her head a little bit. The notepad on her lap is touched briefly again, before she nods hesitantly to Ahnika. "Andr-" And then a little clearing of her throat, and she ducks her head. "Andi." She counters, glancing over her shoulder, and shaking her head slightly. "I.. It's different." And her simple answer is neither here or there.

“Err, right,” Ahnika agrees with a little nod, blinking a little uncertainly at the floor of the row as she pushes a little more of the larger debris there with the broom. Then she smiles again, nodding a little more, “Well, good to meet you then, Andi.” She spares a watchful glance for Gavin taking his time at the other end of the row, and then back at Andi, “Different. Yeah. So very different from the little cothold where I grew up.” And that thought has her biting her lower lip a moment and looking back up toward the entrance, and then back at Andi, “Don’t let them bronzeriders try and take advantage of you or anything either. Stand up to them when they get a little handsy, yeah?” Remembering her own brush with manhandling. “They’ll back off or someone will come help you. They’re all just too wound up with their naughty bits to really know better.” Pause. “Sometimes.” Then she looks back at Andi, "Or send for me and I'll show 'em whatfor for you." She punctuates it with a nod.

Merendezen steps into the galleries, obviously looking for someone. "Thought I'd find you here." Is called as he notes Andi. Ahnika is given a slight look and a nod before he approaches the two, moving to place a hand on Andi's head and offering her out a folded piece of paper. Green eyes focus briefly on Ahnika, giving her a look over, briefly but then turns his full attention back to Andi.

Nenienne half-runs in, dripping wet. As she climbs the rows she squeezes water out of her hair and shakes her arms frequently. Finally she arrives at the row where Ahnika is sweeping, and slips into the row behind it. As she heads over she is careful not to drip on Andi's work.

"I.. They.. Don't worry." Andi says softly at the mention of bronzeriders, shaking her head for a moment. And then there's a glance as Zen is appearing, and she's squeaking a little, blushing even before he gets to her side. The note is taken awkwardly, and she nods slowly as she reads it, biting her lip as her gaze flicks to him momentarily, before her attention is back to Ahnika. "Its.. Very different from Boll." She says softly.

As Zen arrives, Ahnika’s grey-eyed gaze lifts from Andi and her work to the young man. At first, she just offers him a little smile and a nod, but as he comes over to Andi and gives the young lady a note. A note! Ahni looks openly curious and nosy, and not a little wary on Andi’s behalf, even moreso by her blushing reaction to the King of Segzy Smooth, well, when he’s not calling women weak, anyway. The redhead arches her eyebrows a little, looking at Zen over Andi’s head and managing to remember herself enough to say, “Morning,” to him. She seems ready to either say or ask something more of Zen, and then she glances at Andi and seems to think better of it. Ahni is thusly distracted as a soggy Neni comes in to take up debris-removal duty on the row above. “Morning,” Ahni greets the other female candidate before she looks back over her shoulder at Gavin who is still trudging along, picking up larger bits of trash in the rows and muttering complaints to himself as he does it. “Yes,” Ahnika finally speaks in reply to Andi, and goes back to the task of pushing some of the debris along to the end of the row, “Boll, you say? I can imagine it would.”

Merendezen chuckles softly at Andi's reaction to his arrival, waiting until she nods before settling down beside her. "Let me know." He says before turning attention to Ahnika and offering her a salute. "Morning, Ahni. How's chores going?" Then he tosses another salute in Nenienne's direction with a chuckle. "Nenienne."

Nenienne glances briefly at the note-poassing, but her frown doesn't change. She says "Hello!" brightly to Ahnika and responds to Zen with a formal "Merendezen", with no salute.

"Very different." She repeats again softly, with a long glance at Zen, nodding without a word to his question, though there is a tentative little smile. And then with a glance over her shoulder at the gathering group, she's starting to make excuses. "If.. If you don't mind.. I should go.. Back to work.." She starts, shaking her head a little and moving to flee from the group, despite the rainy weather out of doors.
It’s late morning and rainy. A group of candidates are working on the stands or lounging as in the case of Zen (and to some degree Gavin). Andi was seated nearby and is now appearing to leave. “They’re going, Zen. Yours?” Ahnika asks conversationally, with another glance between Nenienne and Zen, and another long look for Gavin … over there, checking up on him like an old shrew of a mother hen, nevermind the mixed metaphor. The redhead’s attention turns back to Andi as the young lady makes to leave rather suddenly, and Ahni’s grey eyes fixes Zen with a ‘look’, yes that look, and the girl purses her lips a moment. She manages a nod to Andi and murmurs, “Nice to meet you, Andi,” in farewell, but her gaze remains fixed on Zen, and it’s only after the other girl is actually gone – or as gone as Ahni thinks she is – that Ahni says to Zen, “What was that?”

Merendezen nods to Nenienne again, offering a slight smile before it grows as he turns full attention to Andi once more. The nod from her only grows his smile, "later, little one." He offers in farewell, watching her leave before he's turning attention down to the Sands below. He's pointedly not looking at Ahni in anticipation for that look, keeping hs gaze there until she finally speaks. Green eyes flicker to her briefly and he grins, lifting his hands. "I'm innocent. I swear."

Nenienne murmurs softly "I hope I didn't drip on her paper." Then she begins looking at the eggs as well, actually sitting on the bench behind her, but leaning forward.

As one body leaves in an apparent rush, another enters with a casual slowness that leaves a dripping trail in her wake. Zhia turns her head to watch Andi leave before turning to look at the group of candidates with a puzzled frown on her face. "She ok?" is asked as draws close.

“No, Nenienne, I think Zen dripped on her paper, not you,” Ahni says, and probably doesn’t mean rainwater. She is still looking critically at Zen before giving a little sniff, and getting back to work. “I don’t think she’d work for your needs, Zen,” Ahni says, assuming she knows just the sort of woman Zen needs. “Kind of … skittish.” Pot… Kettle… . “Don’t know what you’re about, but I doubt it’s innocent. And you shouldn’t toy with girl’s hearts. Any girl, but especially a lord holder’s daughter. He’ll have you flayed alive, you know.” Poor Ahni is just too direct and tactless for her own good sometimes. She shakes her head a little as Zhia enters and asks about Andi, and then Ahni looks from Zhia and Nenienne and adds, “I mean, come on, girls. Am I right? You know any girl who likes her heart to be toyed with?"

Merendezen gives Ahnika a look, "I don't have specific needs, sweetcake. But, you're one to talk. I talked with Max." He gives her a little look, green eyes flickering with a smug light as a grin forms on his lips. "I'll have you know my intentions, for once, are pure. I asked her to lunch. I can handle myself against a Lord Holder, who probably doesn't know how to fight. He'll just send guards after me and they're easy enough to handle." And from the sounds of it, he's already planned how to take out an army if they do come after him. "I'm not toying with her, Ahnika."

Nenienne blinks as she and Zhia are put on the spot. Then she considers the question and says in a clipped voice "I wouldn't know. No one's ever tried."

Zhia looks quickly from candidate to candidate, offering a small chuckle at the sparing of words between two of them. "I wouldn't like it but hey if he says he's got good intentions then why not just believe him?" With a turn of body and head the drudge looks out over the sands, pondering the eggs that can be seen clearly. "So all the fuss about candidates that don't impress getting fed to the dragons die down yet?"

Ahnika frowns at Zen’s words, lapsing quiet as she chews on them, especially about talking to Max. She would blush, but she’s a little more irritated about being talked about behind her back (hypocrite, much?) than about being embarrassed, so she just maintains the frown. As Zen continues talking, however, the frown lessens until her expression is smooth and considering, and she arches her eyebrows, “You know … you sound pretty convincing there. I do believe they are pure, for once.” This actually as her backing off, looking more than a little surprised and caught off-guard. She blinks a few times, and looks to Neni, and to her, she just says, “Well, it’s not fun, let’s just say … being toyed with.” Then she glances to Zhia and nods, “Yeah,” another look at Zen, adding, “Maybe.” And then she is back to sweeping the row, saying of the shredding, “Apparently, the rumor got a little blown out of proportion. Apparently, the most that can happen is a little scratch or bump.” She shrugs. Nevermind the fact that Ahni was one of the people who set about the rumor about terrible bloodshed on the sands.

Merendezen gives an appreciative smile in Zhia's direction, nodding his thanks to the woman before attention turns back to Ahnika. "Men talk about their women." He states simply in response to her silence, shrugging though it soon shifts into a roll of her shoulders. "For once, I'm being pure. I swear it." Because he doesn't swear on things often, green eyes flickering towards the Sands, his expression unreadable. "People have died because they didn't get out of the way. Simple as that… Be ready to move when a dragon comes to you don't stop until you know you belong to it."

Nenienne says, "I suppose gossip isn't strictly reserved for either sex. Nor is toying with people." And with that she resumes looking at eggs, at least until maulings are brought up. She makes no pretense of not listening in, nodding at Zen's words and confirming, "That's what Akyla told me."

Zhia hrmms, nodding and pushing soggy hair out of her face and off her shoulders. "I thought that they'd loose some of the hold born girls for sure, saw one come through the LIving Caverns in near hysterics because of all those rumors." dripping hands are shaken then wipped on her pantlegs. "I guess it's a good thing they didn't since there's still another clutch to get settled out there sooner or later."

Men talk about their women? Ahni shouldn’t like that, certainly not phrased like that, but for some reason, there’s a flutter in her heart and stomach at the thought of it – especially in relation to Max – and yes, there’s some heat to her cheeks now, too. She clears her throat, averting her gaze and murmuring, “Well, okay,” and then a moment later with a little more conviction as she looks at Zen, “but just you be careful. I wouldn’t want a bunch of weyrfolk to have to come and rescue you or something.” Aww. She cares. Ahnika frowns at the talk of maulings, and glances then to Neni for her words and looks slightly confused by them, then scowls again as Neni agrees with Zen. “No, no. Max is weyrbred, and he said nothing of the sort’s ever happened.” She’s given up any pretense on discretion about her relationship with Max in the presence of Zen and these other girls now, since Zen was rather open about it already. It doesn’t seem to bother her, however, that Zen let the feline out of the bag. “He said the worst to happen was a bump or scratch. No shreddings.” And the redhead apparently intends not to doubt Max’s word on this matter. She glances back over her shoulder at where she last saw Gavin and sees that the candidate has disappeared while Ahni was distracted with conversation. “What the? Gavin!” She bellows, picking up her broom to go in search for him.

Merendezen nods to Nenienne, "sounds like she knows what she's talking about." Green eyes drift to Zhia and he chuckles, "there were a lot of hysterics going on, from what I heard. Both clutches are out on the Sands. Kaseth's is just hard to see as there are guard dragons blocking the entrance." He watches Ahnika, chuckling softly. "Thanks. I've managed before and I can manage again." He looks to those eggs, staring, staring, staring. "Probably not recently, no. Good for us, at least." Because those of weak stomachs would probably not stick around for the second clutch Hatching. There's a wave of farewell as Ahnika takes off after Gavin.

Nenienne waves after Ahnika, then looks around at the galleries. "Clearing out," she says, needlessly.



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