Hot springs =/= storage rooms.
RL Date: 8/22/08
IC Date: 7/15/17
Hot Springs, Fort Weyr
The hot springs are contained with a high domed cavern, the walls perpetually glistening with a combination of condensation and mica. Steam hangs on everything, lending a soothing and dreamlike quality to the entire experience. In the center is the main pool, which is vaguely kidney-bean shaped, and large enough for a few fully grown dragons to lounge in comfortably and easily reached by the archway from the bowl. Three smaller pools, more suited for human use, are clustered near the entrance leading toward the inner caverns. Also located near the inner cavern entrance are a set of shelves, fully stocked with pots of soapsand and towels for those without the foresight -- or means -- to bring their own.
While the dragon pool is a natural creation, the human pools are the result of Ancient ingenuity and have been constructed with hewn steps and seating. The water in both pools is hot, but comfortably so, and are a perfect place to bathe young weyrling dragons or for residents to relax after a long day of work.
Several weyrlings have taken to the hot springs to grab a bath post afternoon lessons; Paige is one who makes her way in long after most of the group has headed into the water, fluffy towel and dry clothing deposited on a spot of dry ground before she, too, goes in. Where they chat, she remains mostly quiet, expression edging toward broody as she submerges her head and comes back up while hunting around for her nearby bag of sand; it's sitting innocently just behind her. She'll find it eventually.
X'lar has been here for time enough to be able to get a thorough soaking in the cavern containing the hot springs. For the most part, the bronzerider appears rather relaxed, leaning as he continues to soak. Finally, however, albeit lazily, Xie opens his eyes and spots Paige's arrival and subsequent search of the soapsand. He almost appears as if considering whether or not to actually point it out to her. In the end, however, the Istan teen moves through the water to grab the bag of sand. "This what you lookin' for, Paige?" Xie drawls, hefting the bag a bit. At least he has the wits to not grin at her while he says this.
And what's behind door number three... "Ah. A hot spring. Of course." Jefrym steps fully into the room on the utterance of those words, his expression contorting into one of sudden amusement when he gets hit in the face with a wall-of-steam. The 'of course' is really the comedic factor, like what else would he expect to find than a hot spring, the very naturalest of things. Not that he'd planned on having a bath, considering his lack of bath accoutrements, but he comes in anyway, his eyes cast toward his feet to watch for the danger of a puddle. "Aren't there baths like just back over there?" he asks, apparently talking to himself.
Blinking water out of her eyes, Paige's hand searches more frantically, stilling once X'lar nears. "Oh. X'lar. Tha's ya, ain' it?" Turning a bit, she offers him a grateful smile, reaching to reclaim her bag. "Thank ya. Didn' notice y'were in here. Ya and Malsaeth out a'travelin' again?" Pale eyes peek over in time to catch the weaver's entrance and she offers, in an attempt to be helpful, "Yeah."
X'lar's brows climb upward at Jefrym's own arrival and latter rather obvious conclusions drawn by the man. "Of course," Xie tells him, grinning despite himself. But soon his attention returns back to the green weyrling. "Mal and I are out travelin' again, right," the Istan teen tells her. "Oddly, he chose Fort rather than Reaches today." He gives her the sand happily, looking at her for a moment before asing her: "Long day?" To Jefrym, X'lar grins and asks, "Are you going to talk to yourself all day or talk to us instead?" X'lar's Istan drawl is thick as he relaxes in the water.
Oh surprise of surprises; young people in steamy water. Jefrym rubs the end of his nose while he looks over what's visible of the two people talking back his way, having come to a stop a splash-free distance from the water's edge. "I hadn't really given it any thought yet, do you have a preference?" To Paige, whom he may recognize in the vaguest way, he raises his hand in a stilted gesture that's supposed to resemble a wave. "H'lo."
Paige half-turns away once she's back in possession of her sand, chin ducking a little as she wades in deeper, easing the scrubbing and rinsing process. "Sorta, " she replies to the bronzerider after a moment, "but thinkin's more t'blame, I reckon." Evasive, she tips a look back over her shoulder in time to catch Jefrym's almost-wave, returning it with a small one of her own. Her subsequent, "Hullo, " is quiet, polite.
X'lar looks back to Jefrym curiously, oddly even. "Do you normally talk to yourself a lot?" he asks the other man, chuckling softly. "I think I'd prefer it if you talked to someone other than yourself. Otherwise you might come across as... creepy? An older gentleman like yourself, walking into the baths where younger folk are enjoying a good soak? Might come off creepy." There's an easy chuckle from the Istan teen at this, only teasing. Well, maybe a little bit of mocking too, but it's all in good fun. Xie cants his head some as he hears Paige, asking her: "Thinking about what?"
"Would it help if I explained-- everyone. Everyone!" Jefrym raises his hands like he's about to deliver an oration right there in the hot springs, pulls the attention of the other people all soaking and sighing and being steamy. "Everyone, I thought this was a storeroom. I promise you, I'm not a pervert. Go on about your baths now. Thank you." And he looks to X'lar, to Paige; yes? better? Most of the other people who'd been quite content to ignore him and enjoy their baths are more weirded-out by the interruption than by him talking to himself, so probably no, not better.
"S'public place, ain' it? Anyone can come in t'bathe or relax." But Paige's surety falters just a bit by the time Jefrym's finished with his equally public explanation; okay, maybe he's not in here for one of the usual purposes. "Easy t'confuse here with stores, " she says quickly, perhaps trying to be reassuring. "I almos' did, when I firs' came here." A brief dunk underwater later, she rinses off the suds, half-turning again to add, "Name's Paige. Y'were in the Leakin' Cavern, weren'cha?" To X'lar: "Oh, er, thinkin' 'bout lotta thin's. Y'know. Finishin' up weyrlin'hood and - all tha'."
X'lar laughs aloud as he watches Jefrym, caught off guard by the raise of his hands and exclamation. He snickers as he looks to the patrons of the hot springs and then back to Jefrym, remarking with a grin to the man, "I suppose that's a good enough explanation." There's a pause and then makes an attempt at reassuring Jefrym as well, telling the man: "I once walked into someone's /home/ thinking it was the latrines. /That/ was a hard one to explain." He grins briefly before glancing back to Paige, telling her: "Yeah? You been thinking about what you want to do after graduation? What wing you want to be in?"
Jefrym says, "Yes." That answer hangs in the steamed air a few seconds, coupled with a frown that deepens while the man figures out how to qualify that statement. "Yes, it's an easy thing to do." To the comments of both X'lar and Paige. "And yes, I was in the leaking cavern, if that's what you call the place. --But no, this isn't a storeroom. Where would I find a storeroom then? One with...?" He pantomimes the time-honored gesture for needle-and-thread. As he's asking them both equally, he obviously has no clue that X'lar is not a permanent resident here.
Paige can't help it; a small grin escapes for X'lar. "Y'did? How'd ya do /tha'/?" Bath over with relatively quickly, she wades for the shore, wrapping her towel around her quickly. "Haven' even gotten around t'thinkin' 'bout all tha', " she admits. "I'm still too caught up on - other thin's I gotta consider." Still evasive, she's quick to provide Jefrym with: "S'cavern or two over, I think. Thattaway, " complete with a hand gesture in the appropriate direction. "Y'need somethin' mended?" is added, curiously.
"What's the leaking cavern?" X'lar asks Paige and Jefrym curiously. "Does it leak?" He glances to Paige and then back to Jefrym, shrugging at the man. "I have no idea. Foreign weyr to me, man," Xie explains. "I could probably tell you if we were at Reaches or Ista, but shells, I get lost every time I'm here at Fort." He gives Paige a brief grin at her question, "Trust me, you do -not- want to know." Toward Paige again, he murmurs more quietly, less obtrusively (or at least, it looks like he hopes it's less obtrusive): "Flights?" he asks of the stuff she might be still caught up on and stuff to consider.
Jefrym points with his thumb in the direction that Paige has pointed out; "No, I don't need anything mended. Do you?" He cocks his head like he finds that question rather odd and out of place, heavy eyebrows climbing. Ah, but then he figures out why she'd ask and shakes his head at his very own question. "Right, figured it out, never mind. --Thank you. Thank you." A bow for her, a bow for him, and he's backing out of the room to try and figure out exactly what way thataway is.
"Leaks, but folks seem drawn ter it fer the drinks, not the leak, " Paige explains to the Istan, about to give Jefrym an answer to the negative. "N -- yer welcome, sir." Always a safe thing to tack on a title, right? Brow furrowing as she watches him back out of the room, the weyrling's posture stiffens momentarily; X'lar hit the proverbial nail. "Yeah."
X'lar watches Jefrym, his brows climbing much like Jefrym's and then lowering, as if trying to decide whether or not to be amused by the man's antics. And then finally, he looks back to Paige, realization dawning on him. "Oh, so it's like the Sandbar or Snowasis. Leaking Cavern? I suppose that's a pretty good name." Though, from the sound of it, Xie's not in total agreement with his words. At the stiffening of the weyrling, Xie winces. "Sorry... Have you talked about it with P'draig much? I... am not really the best person to talk about it, because I kinda like the way they make me feel. Unless it's Malsaeth chasing after a certain Honshu green whose rider does /not/ like me." And then finally he silences himself for a beat, ultimately concluding: "But... that's not at all helpful for you. I'm sorry." Apologetic in tone, X'lar winces again.
IC Date: 7/15/17
Hot Springs, Fort Weyr
The hot springs are contained with a high domed cavern, the walls perpetually glistening with a combination of condensation and mica. Steam hangs on everything, lending a soothing and dreamlike quality to the entire experience. In the center is the main pool, which is vaguely kidney-bean shaped, and large enough for a few fully grown dragons to lounge in comfortably and easily reached by the archway from the bowl. Three smaller pools, more suited for human use, are clustered near the entrance leading toward the inner caverns. Also located near the inner cavern entrance are a set of shelves, fully stocked with pots of soapsand and towels for those without the foresight -- or means -- to bring their own.
While the dragon pool is a natural creation, the human pools are the result of Ancient ingenuity and have been constructed with hewn steps and seating. The water in both pools is hot, but comfortably so, and are a perfect place to bathe young weyrling dragons or for residents to relax after a long day of work.
Several weyrlings have taken to the hot springs to grab a bath post afternoon lessons; Paige is one who makes her way in long after most of the group has headed into the water, fluffy towel and dry clothing deposited on a spot of dry ground before she, too, goes in. Where they chat, she remains mostly quiet, expression edging toward broody as she submerges her head and comes back up while hunting around for her nearby bag of sand; it's sitting innocently just behind her. She'll find it eventually.
X'lar has been here for time enough to be able to get a thorough soaking in the cavern containing the hot springs. For the most part, the bronzerider appears rather relaxed, leaning as he continues to soak. Finally, however, albeit lazily, Xie opens his eyes and spots Paige's arrival and subsequent search of the soapsand. He almost appears as if considering whether or not to actually point it out to her. In the end, however, the Istan teen moves through the water to grab the bag of sand. "This what you lookin' for, Paige?" Xie drawls, hefting the bag a bit. At least he has the wits to not grin at her while he says this.
And what's behind door number three... "Ah. A hot spring. Of course." Jefrym steps fully into the room on the utterance of those words, his expression contorting into one of sudden amusement when he gets hit in the face with a wall-of-steam. The 'of course' is really the comedic factor, like what else would he expect to find than a hot spring, the very naturalest of things. Not that he'd planned on having a bath, considering his lack of bath accoutrements, but he comes in anyway, his eyes cast toward his feet to watch for the danger of a puddle. "Aren't there baths like just back over there?" he asks, apparently talking to himself.
Blinking water out of her eyes, Paige's hand searches more frantically, stilling once X'lar nears. "Oh. X'lar. Tha's ya, ain' it?" Turning a bit, she offers him a grateful smile, reaching to reclaim her bag. "Thank ya. Didn' notice y'were in here. Ya and Malsaeth out a'travelin' again?" Pale eyes peek over in time to catch the weaver's entrance and she offers, in an attempt to be helpful, "Yeah."
X'lar's brows climb upward at Jefrym's own arrival and latter rather obvious conclusions drawn by the man. "Of course," Xie tells him, grinning despite himself. But soon his attention returns back to the green weyrling. "Mal and I are out travelin' again, right," the Istan teen tells her. "Oddly, he chose Fort rather than Reaches today." He gives her the sand happily, looking at her for a moment before asing her: "Long day?" To Jefrym, X'lar grins and asks, "Are you going to talk to yourself all day or talk to us instead?" X'lar's Istan drawl is thick as he relaxes in the water.
Oh surprise of surprises; young people in steamy water. Jefrym rubs the end of his nose while he looks over what's visible of the two people talking back his way, having come to a stop a splash-free distance from the water's edge. "I hadn't really given it any thought yet, do you have a preference?" To Paige, whom he may recognize in the vaguest way, he raises his hand in a stilted gesture that's supposed to resemble a wave. "H'lo."
Paige half-turns away once she's back in possession of her sand, chin ducking a little as she wades in deeper, easing the scrubbing and rinsing process. "Sorta, " she replies to the bronzerider after a moment, "but thinkin's more t'blame, I reckon." Evasive, she tips a look back over her shoulder in time to catch Jefrym's almost-wave, returning it with a small one of her own. Her subsequent, "Hullo, " is quiet, polite.
X'lar looks back to Jefrym curiously, oddly even. "Do you normally talk to yourself a lot?" he asks the other man, chuckling softly. "I think I'd prefer it if you talked to someone other than yourself. Otherwise you might come across as... creepy? An older gentleman like yourself, walking into the baths where younger folk are enjoying a good soak? Might come off creepy." There's an easy chuckle from the Istan teen at this, only teasing. Well, maybe a little bit of mocking too, but it's all in good fun. Xie cants his head some as he hears Paige, asking her: "Thinking about what?"
"Would it help if I explained-- everyone. Everyone!" Jefrym raises his hands like he's about to deliver an oration right there in the hot springs, pulls the attention of the other people all soaking and sighing and being steamy. "Everyone, I thought this was a storeroom. I promise you, I'm not a pervert. Go on about your baths now. Thank you." And he looks to X'lar, to Paige; yes? better? Most of the other people who'd been quite content to ignore him and enjoy their baths are more weirded-out by the interruption than by him talking to himself, so probably no, not better.
"S'public place, ain' it? Anyone can come in t'bathe or relax." But Paige's surety falters just a bit by the time Jefrym's finished with his equally public explanation; okay, maybe he's not in here for one of the usual purposes. "Easy t'confuse here with stores, " she says quickly, perhaps trying to be reassuring. "I almos' did, when I firs' came here." A brief dunk underwater later, she rinses off the suds, half-turning again to add, "Name's Paige. Y'were in the Leakin' Cavern, weren'cha?" To X'lar: "Oh, er, thinkin' 'bout lotta thin's. Y'know. Finishin' up weyrlin'hood and - all tha'."
X'lar laughs aloud as he watches Jefrym, caught off guard by the raise of his hands and exclamation. He snickers as he looks to the patrons of the hot springs and then back to Jefrym, remarking with a grin to the man, "I suppose that's a good enough explanation." There's a pause and then makes an attempt at reassuring Jefrym as well, telling the man: "I once walked into someone's /home/ thinking it was the latrines. /That/ was a hard one to explain." He grins briefly before glancing back to Paige, telling her: "Yeah? You been thinking about what you want to do after graduation? What wing you want to be in?"
Jefrym says, "Yes." That answer hangs in the steamed air a few seconds, coupled with a frown that deepens while the man figures out how to qualify that statement. "Yes, it's an easy thing to do." To the comments of both X'lar and Paige. "And yes, I was in the leaking cavern, if that's what you call the place. --But no, this isn't a storeroom. Where would I find a storeroom then? One with...?" He pantomimes the time-honored gesture for needle-and-thread. As he's asking them both equally, he obviously has no clue that X'lar is not a permanent resident here.
Paige can't help it; a small grin escapes for X'lar. "Y'did? How'd ya do /tha'/?" Bath over with relatively quickly, she wades for the shore, wrapping her towel around her quickly. "Haven' even gotten around t'thinkin' 'bout all tha', " she admits. "I'm still too caught up on - other thin's I gotta consider." Still evasive, she's quick to provide Jefrym with: "S'cavern or two over, I think. Thattaway, " complete with a hand gesture in the appropriate direction. "Y'need somethin' mended?" is added, curiously.
"What's the leaking cavern?" X'lar asks Paige and Jefrym curiously. "Does it leak?" He glances to Paige and then back to Jefrym, shrugging at the man. "I have no idea. Foreign weyr to me, man," Xie explains. "I could probably tell you if we were at Reaches or Ista, but shells, I get lost every time I'm here at Fort." He gives Paige a brief grin at her question, "Trust me, you do -not- want to know." Toward Paige again, he murmurs more quietly, less obtrusively (or at least, it looks like he hopes it's less obtrusive): "Flights?" he asks of the stuff she might be still caught up on and stuff to consider.
Jefrym points with his thumb in the direction that Paige has pointed out; "No, I don't need anything mended. Do you?" He cocks his head like he finds that question rather odd and out of place, heavy eyebrows climbing. Ah, but then he figures out why she'd ask and shakes his head at his very own question. "Right, figured it out, never mind. --Thank you. Thank you." A bow for her, a bow for him, and he's backing out of the room to try and figure out exactly what way thataway is.
"Leaks, but folks seem drawn ter it fer the drinks, not the leak, " Paige explains to the Istan, about to give Jefrym an answer to the negative. "N -- yer welcome, sir." Always a safe thing to tack on a title, right? Brow furrowing as she watches him back out of the room, the weyrling's posture stiffens momentarily; X'lar hit the proverbial nail. "Yeah."
X'lar watches Jefrym, his brows climbing much like Jefrym's and then lowering, as if trying to decide whether or not to be amused by the man's antics. And then finally, he looks back to Paige, realization dawning on him. "Oh, so it's like the Sandbar or Snowasis. Leaking Cavern? I suppose that's a pretty good name." Though, from the sound of it, Xie's not in total agreement with his words. At the stiffening of the weyrling, Xie winces. "Sorry... Have you talked about it with P'draig much? I... am not really the best person to talk about it, because I kinda like the way they make me feel. Unless it's Malsaeth chasing after a certain Honshu green whose rider does /not/ like me." And then finally he silences himself for a beat, ultimately concluding: "But... that's not at all helpful for you. I'm sorry." Apologetic in tone, X'lar winces again.