[Log] It's a Date
Who: Harley, L'sen
When: Day 11, Month 5, Turn 8
Where: Lakeshore, High Reaches Weyr
What: Harley and L'sen meet up at the lake and make plans.
Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr
This shoreline marks the edge of the freshwater lake that fills the southeastern portion of the bowl. The gritty dirt of the bowl gives way to smooth sand.
Across the lake, the bowl wall rises high into the sky, its face dotted with weyr entrances. A few dragonlengths above the water, glimpses of a level cliff can be seen amidst boulders lining the edge. Just south of here, a smaller pond of water is divided from the main lake by a natural bridge of land. A path leads across the bridge and up to the diving cliffs, winding through a dotting of small boulders on its way.
The early evening over the western rim of the bowl is ablaze in a glorious sunset that seems to reach across the skies with rivers of deep red, dark purple and brilliant oranges. The air is calm, with no hint of breeze. The water's glasslike surface mirrors the cliff walls and sky above.
Contents:
Harley
Verenth
Obvious exits:
LAke Pond Diving Cliff Bowl
Harley is standing right at the edge of the water, holding a handful of flattish stones and is skipping them across the water. There's a small pile of these stones on the rock she usually sits on. Her expression is one of content, her smile relaxed as she casts another stone out over the water, watching it bounce 3 times before sinking.
"I never could manage that," remarks L'sen as he strolls over, wrinkling up his nose. He leans over to pick up a stone for himself and lobs it at the water. It sinks without ever skipping, and he offers Harley his goofiest smile. "Does that count as one?" he asks hopefully.
Harley's smile widens into a grin. "Not quite. As silly as this sounds, it's all in the wrist. And holding it so the flattish side is down sometimes helps." and she casts the next stone, her arm going out to the side, then jerking forward with a snap of her wrist. This stone only bounces twice before it sinks but it still bounced. "Something like that."
L'sen eyes the stone and Harley's motion speculatively, reaching for another. He moves to flick it at the water with the same result as earlier: the stone sinks like a--well, like a rock. L'sen shrugs it off, though, and sprawls out on the ground, leaning his back up against Harley's boulder. "So, how're you doin'? Leysen off in the nursery? He's so cute. And already a month old! They grow up so fast," he opines, eyes glazing over.
Harley is still grinning as she nods. "Yes. And already in clothes that fit three month olds normally." She casts a couple more rocks before she moves over to her boulder, picking up the small pile of stones and setting them down behind it before she sits down. "The nannies are quite taken with him. He's already charmed the socks off one or two of them. I think he's taking after his father."
L'sen rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, girnning at Harley. "What can I say? I'm big, you know what I mean? And charming. Am I really? Heh. I guess I really am kind of lovable, you know what I mean?" Beam. "He really is pretty cute, though? I mean, what else /would/ you expect? Babies are cute, you know?"
Harley nods with that proud 'mama' smile on her face. "He's adorable. Thing is, he knows it. And his hair is getting thick already. Golden blonde and curling on the ends." She sighs happily as she talks about her favorite subject. "And his fingers are long. Really long. Like a harper." With a shake she adds "What about you? How've you been doing, and that gorgeous dragon of yours?"
"I'm good, Neiveth's good," answers L'sen cheerfully, sprawling out further on the ground. He leans his head back on the rock as well, glancing up at the darkening sky. "Haven't done much lately, you know what I mean? I was kinda thinking about going somewhere--Fort, I was thinking. You know Bayan ran off there, right? Did he tell you that? ... Did I tell you that? He left me a letter, said he'd be gone for, like, a week, and to tell you, but then I think I forgot. Oh, well." He grins.
Harley grins down and her fingers almost absently start playing in the shaggy blond hair in her lap. "No, you didn't tell me, but that doesn't surprise me. Though I thought his travels would keep him away from Reaches for a longer span of time than just a 7-day." she shrugs and adds "I hope everything is all right."
"Well, it's been longer than that now," remarks L'sen absently, wriggling slightly at Harley's hand in his hair. "I mean, it's been... think it was before Leysen was ever born. Huh. It /has/ been a while. I really ought to go visiting. You should come, too, maybe. Or maybe one of the weyrings--hey, did you hear they finally set a day for graduation? I'm excited. Wonder which ones'll end up my wing, you know?" Easily distracted, he is.
Harley hmms. "That is a while. And I wouldn't mind a trip to Fort at all. With enough warning I can make arrangements for the baby to stay in the nursery for the night. I've never been outside Reaches." She giggles. "Bet it's R'hin you get in your wing." she says with a mischievous grin. Her fingers continue to play in the blonde hair. Combing through it, gently fingering the tangles out of the mop as she looks out over the lake.
L'sen wrinkles his nose. "I wouldn't mind it, I don't think," he admits. "I mean, he's not so bad. Usually. Actually, he kind of is, even I'll admit it, but... I dunno. I think we're friends, except sometimes I don't think /he/ thinks so. It's kind of confusing. He kinda reminds me of how Satiet can be, you know what I mean? Except we /are/ friends, so." He shrugs, not given to thinking too hard about that. Instead, he continues cheerfully, "I haven't been much myself, you know? But I think it'd be fun to go surprise him, you know what I mean? Hey, we could even go show Leysen off!"
Harley nods. "I know what you mean. Sometimes I wonder if he's a girl in disguise. If he hadn't impressed a bronze, I'd really wonder." She blinks. "Um, I don't know. Can a baby that young go between without any harm?" she asks curiously.
L'sen blinks, cutting his eyes upward to look at Harley. "Uh..." he falters. "I dunno? Maybe you can ask the nannies or something--I got no idea. Maybe if we just wrapped him up really good, you know what I mean?" he suggests. "I mean, it's not like it /takes/ long or anything."
Harley looks down into those blue eyes and nods. "I'll ask them. And one of the healers too." she says thoughtfully. A small smile quirks her lips "Though a couple might protest simply so they can keep him in the nursery with them." she adds. "So what else has been happening while I've been hiding in the back of the weyr?"
L'sen just beams up at Harley. "I don't figure that much," he admits. "I mean, weyrling stuff, wing stuff, all that stuff--shards, /I/ haven't done anything at all lately. It's kind of boring. Well, except for Leysen, of course--that's just great, you know? I love babies. It's even more fun now that he's not just inside you, you know? Y'all should both stay with me some, 'kay?"
Harley looks down at L'sen, a rather knowing smile on her face. "Are you sure about that? He wakes up every few hours or so you know, and he's not quiet about it either." She grins. "You probably will get less slepp than the night I had him." she adds half to herself.
"I can sleep through anything," L'sen says airly, waving off Harley's concerns--probably not the rousing endorsement she was looking for. "Don't worry," he continues. "I can take it. I mean, I'm young, right, and you do it and I can, too. It won't bother me, promise. I'd like it." Beam.
Harley actually chuckles. "On your own head be it." she nods. "Let me know when the best time is for you and I'll pack a bag for us." Her head tilts to one side. "I wonder if I can get a skin of halfway decent wine too. Not the good stuff, but not the stuff that's out every day." a thoughtful 'hmmmm' emerges as she thinks about extra goodies to soften what she thinks will be a pretty disruptive night.
L'sen just grins up at Harley. "Okay. Any time is good, any time you want. I always like having people there, you know what I mean? It's just too big for just me and Neiveth. I kinda wish we still lived in the barracks sometimes, you know what I mean? Wine is good. What's wrong with the usual stuff? It tastes fine to me, I think," he remarks easily.
Harley frowns a little. "You haven't had company lately?" she asks out of sheer curiosity. She chuckles about the wine. "The usual stuff is fine. But I haven't gotten to celebrate his birth yet. And I think one glass of wine that night won't hurt any. So I want it to be halfway decent." and she nods decisively.
"Not real lately," admits L'sen with a shrug. "Huh. Okay, halfway decent wine it has. I think... well, you'll have to pick it out yourself, sorry. I mean, I don't really know anything about wine, except, well. You drink it, and that's pretty good, you know? We can taste-test it, though, and see what's good and what's not. Not that I'm picky or anything, so."
Harley laughs as her hands go back to playing with L'sen's mop of hair. "All right. We'll see what kind of sleep-over we can set up. I'm sure Leysen will love it." She glances across the bowl and sighs. "Speaking of, I probably need to go finish up my chores for the day. How about we come over to your weyr tomorrow night?"
"Okay!" L'sen says at once, happily. "I'll met you out in the bowl, then, and y'all can come up. I can't wait. This is gonna be fun. Like old times, except, well. With Leysen now. Which is even better," he gushes predictably.
Harley chuckles and leans down to drop a quick kiss on top of L'sen's head. "All right. It's a deal. A date? Whatever." and she nudges his head up off her lap and rises from the boulder. "See you tomorrow at dinner then." she adds as she starts across the bowl.
"See you!" L'sen calls after Harley, grinning after her.