[Log] Family Squabbles
Who: E'sere, Kierom
When: Day 17, Month 1, Turn 2, 7th Pass
Where: Northern Bowl, High Reaches Weyr; Dragon Baths, High Reaches Weyr
What: Kierom confides in E'sere, of all people.
Northern Bowl
The bowl floor is a broad expanse of gravel and dust, packed flat over decades of dragonweight landing on it. Kept free of vegetation, the only color variation across the vast hollow of the bowl are the dragons, in good weather often found sunning on low ledges or sprawled along the floor itself. The well-worn, charcoal-grey walls of the bowl are nearly vertical, far too steep for even the most adventurous climber to attempt. The rim of the bowl, marked by a rainbow of perching dragons at all times of the day, is topped with massive stone spires that stretch upwards into the blue vault of the sky. There are seven in all, great black fingers of stone that seem, from where you stand, to touch the clouds.
A number of tunnels breach the walls of the bowl, leading to various indoor parts of the Weyr. To the southwest, a vast tunnel entrance descends to the baths, curls of steam seeping out on colder days. On the northern face of the stone, a huge gaping maw betrays the presence of the Hatching cavern. Somewhat more modest tunnel entrances lead to the living caverns and the versatile classroom chamber to the west, and the Weyrleaders' complex to the east. In the distance to the south, the vast grey-blue of the lake stretches off to meet the southern wall of the bowl.
It's a clear winter day and though the sun is clear and bright in a pale blue sky, it's still cold enough that breath will fog in the air. When the wind kicks up, it's icy and mean, nipping at any exposed skin.
Obvious Exits:
Dragon Baths (DB) Living Cavern (LC) Classroom (C)
Hatching Cavern (HC) Weyrleaders' Complex (WC) Southern Bowl (SB)
Kierom
Kierom stands at approximately 5 7 with slightly curly brown hair cut short. His frame is toned and lithe, but shows signs of filling out some. His hands are slightly calloused, even at this young age from work he did in the stables before leaving his Hold. His tan is natural, but shows signs of having deepened in the recent past.
His features are slightly fine with high cheekbones and blue-green eyes that are set a little wide apart. His lips are slightly full and once he relaxes, he is prone to smile more, although the smile seems slightly off center.
His clothing seems a little disheveled him, but simple. His wrinkled, light green shirt hangs loosely over somewhat worn brown work pants that are tucked into leather boots.
Walking slowly around the Bowl, Kierom tugs at one of his bandages on the cuts on his chin and neck, bruises showing around his neck in a chock-like hold. He sighs a little, kicking at the ground. not paying any attention to where he's headed.
It's hard to miss Morelenth, the sinuous bronze stretched out in the bowl, but if someone's not paying attention, well. He lies right in Kierom's path, ignoring his own surroundings until the closing figure forces him to glance over. He fixes his large eyes on the small man then, rumbling a deep note. Crunching footsteps in the snow herald E'sere's appearance, the wingleader stepping around the bronze. Absently, he lifts a hand at the other man passing.
Taking a sharp intake of breathe, Kie's eyes widen. "Shards!" he manages to say and then blushes deeply, "I need to stop saing that and pay more attention," he mumbles to himself. Looking between rider and dragon, Kie gives a small smile as much to the dragon as to the rider, "Sorry, sir."
Morelenth rumbles again, turning away; E'sere gives the bronze a look and then steps away from him with a wry smile. "My apologies," he tells Kierom, studying the man a moment and then glancing to his dragon. "I'm sorry if we startled you, though." A pause, during which he takes in the state of the other man. "May I help you with anything?" the rider finally asks afer a moment.
Still blushing while glancing at the bronzerider, Kie sighs slightly. "I'm sorry sir, I've had a bad past couple days and kind of depressed and not paying attention to my surroundings. Seems my mind is wondering back to not being able to go back home."
E'sere frowns slightly, nodding at that as if he understands. He does glance again to Morelenth, the bronze now thoroughly disinterested. "I... see," E'sere answers slowly. "And you are... one of our guards? Where are you from, then?" he makes polite conversation. A pause, then, and he adds earnestly, "I don't mean to pry, of course, if you'd rather not. But." He shrugs mildly.
Nodding slightly and smiling a little more, Kie starts to speak. "Big Bay originally, but my brother," a quiver then and a fronw, "Lives in Nabol." The last part of the sentence has a little more of an edge to it though and there seems to be tension there. Could that be who Kie fought with? "And yes, sir, I've been one of the guards here."
"Ah, I see," agrees E'sere, nodding. "Big Bay. A very nice little seahold, isn't it? I've visited on occasion. Nabol, as well, is a very nice place, to visit. I assume you're part of their contingent of troops? Hmm. I had thought they had recalled their guards already, but I must have been mistaken," he muses, half to himself. He shrugs, though, and offers the guard a fleeting smile. "Your brother, then? I see. You sound close?" he guesses.
Kie winces then, turning his eyes away from the rider. "We were close before." He gestures to the bruises and the couple bandages, "But we aren't now. It seems he doesn't like my actions here, or me anymore." Slight anger, bitterness and pain have entered Kie's voice then but he continues. "I think I am one of the last here, sir, and will have to leave soon and I really don't want to."
E'sere's expression is plainly sympathetic as he observes the young guard. "Ah. A tragedy, then, that something like that could drive you apart. Would you care to get in out of the cold? I was planning on a trip to the dragon baths myself--" he gestures toward the entrance to that cavern "--as I promised Morelenth earlier, and I've often found a good soak in warm water will do wonders for aches and pains of many sorts."
Blinking with a little suprise, Kie nods as a shy smiles crosses his lips lsightly. "I would like that sir, very much. My name is Kierom, sir," a blush starts on his face again as he realises he hasn't properly interoduced himself.
You make your way down to the dragon baths.
Hot Springs
This large natural cavern is heated by the same mechanism that warms the hatching sands. Fed by a spring, the waters that fill the center bowl are warm enough to steam and deep enough that a bronze might almost float after following the gentle slope down into the pool. There is room enough there for several dragons, provided they mind their wings.
To the right of the entrance tunnel, a second pool has been hollowed out of the rock. It's much smaller than the first and is intended for use by the human residents of the Weyr. Alcoves over the pool hold extra towels and pouches of 'sand.
Glowbaskets have been raised on poles around the lip of the larger of the two pools. They end three-quarters of the way into the cavern, leaving the rest in perpetual shadow. The rear of the cavern is gloomy, its wall broken by a number of small crevasses.
Obvious Exits:
Bowl (B)
"Wingleader E'sere," the bronzerider replies, as he leads the way to the dragon baths. Morelenth follows close behind the two men, and when E'sere pauses at water's edge, the bronze slips easily into the warm, deep water. "So you don't wish to leave us," remarks the rider as he starts to strip down, clothes folded neatly and left out of range of errant splashes. He trails Morelenth into the water then, glancing back at Kierom curiously. "The Reaches isn't for everyone, as I understand it, but it is a beautiful home for those of us who don't mind the cold or the people," he notes with a wry smile.
Taking a sharp breathe as the bronzerider strips, Kie blushes then and glances at the ground and shortly follows suit, placing his clothes out of splash range as E'sere did. Bruises are visible on his ribs and neck, Kie slowly enters the water. He smiles at the bronzerider the, "I actually enjoy it here myself and would do anything I could to stay. I honestly don't mind the people here either." He shrugs then and chuckles softly, "I was hoping this could be my home someday."
"After you retire from the guard?" queries E'sere idly, glancing sideways at the other man briefly. His brows knit at the collection of bruises visible, though for the moment he doesn't comment; instead, he turns back to his dragon. The rider is chest-deep in the water as he begins scrubbing the bronze's shoulder, starting systematically across his hide with the ease of long practice. "It's certainly home to me; I can't imagine living elsewhere. It's rare, though, that I hear visitors espouse the Weyr as wholeheartedly as you so quickly--especially those from warmer climes such as Big Bay, or even Nabol." There's a hint of a question in those words, accompanied as they are by a quirked brow.
Moving towards the rider until the water is past his lower ribs, Kie sigs a little. "Actually, I wouldn't mind becoming part of the guard here or quiting the guard and doing something else completely. Big Bay and Nabol never seemed like home to me and I always felt like I had to...hide myself there." There's a slight catch in his voice and another slight blush, but Kie doesn't say much more. Unless he's asked.
E'sere nods slowly, working his way down the thin bronze's side, across his skeletal ribs now. "I understand, I think. I sympathize, though I've never actually experienced as much myself. I've never lived anywhere but High Reaches--I can't imagine leaving it myself, in fact." A shrug; and he pauses to half-turn and regard Kierom. "Hide yourself?" is his question. Though, lest it seem to direct, he adds as an afterthought, "What other skills do you have? High Reaches is always in need of more residents, of course."
Nodding slowly, Kie chooses to answer the last question first. "I was trained to be a stablehand before I became a guard and could work with the herdbeasts here if I need to. I did enjoy working with them before...." his voice trails off and he shakes his head. He speaks quietly now, "As far as hiding, sir, I like other men and my family, especially my brother, doesn't approve." He crouches down into the water some, letting it surround him up until the shoulrs and sighs a little.
"Ah," says E'sere. He apparently takes this news quite in stride, for he asks simply, "And that would be the reason behind your and your brother's unfortunate falling-out? I'm sorry to hear that." There's a pause again in his work as he regards the injured young man. "I suppose it's another case of us terrible Weyrfolk corrupting the morals of an innocent Holder boy?" he asks wryly, arching a brow in mild bemusement.
Blushing more as the bronzerider says this, Kie nods. "That's what he thinks, yes. Someone told him, I guess after the gather, that they had heard I slept with a rider here...." He sighs then and shakes his head. "And falling out would be mild in some ways to describe it." An smile crosses his face slightly, "I guess it would of been worse if he had found out that the rider was my first time too."
"Brothers," notes E'sere dryly. "I feel more fortunate all the time my mother never had any other children. Have you spoken to your superiors about this? If there's one thing I can't stand, it's fighters and troublemakers. I'll not have them in my wing, and I'd rather we rid ourselves of the others in the Weyr as well. It's not something High Reaches needs now, these internal spats or feuds." He folds his arms across his chest idly, leaning his weight against Morelenth's side, the bronze seeming almost almost now.
Kie nods slowly at the rider, a smile staying on his lips as he looks at the rider and stands up, strecthing slightly. "Yes, I have and my brother is already back at Nabol and has talked to the guard there. I have had a couple of conversations with Captain Jensen about it and it won't happen again."
"Good to hear," says E'sere approvingly, taking that moment to turn back to his dragon. His scrubbing is slower now, as even Morelenth doesn't seem very invested in his bath anymore. E'sere keeps up the steady flow of conversation, though, asking over his shoulder, "I'll wish you luck, though, in patching that up sometime in the future. Family squabbles are never pleasant." A wry smile twists his mouth then.
Nodding at the bronzerider, Kie nods. "No, they aren't and thatk you. Do you have much family?" Kie asks but winces. Stupid question that he's heard the answer too before somewhere. "Do you need any help with the dragon sir?"
E'sere glances around at Kierom, then to Morelenth dryly. "No, thank you," he answers. "I think I'm about to give up--when even he can't be bothered to stay awake for it, I don't see much point to it. Though, I suppose I can forgive him, since we worked harder than usual at drills today." He gives the bronze's shoulder a companionable slap, earning a tired whuff but little other reaction, before he turns back to the guard. "Some," he answers honestly. "My mother's family is largely at Tillek, of course, except for my cousin S'lien; my father's... Well, he's of Nabol, of course," says the rider briskly, "and I'm not close to that branch at all."
Smiling wryly, Kie nods. "I understand, He is a gorgeous dragon. You've been togather for a while." Part statement and part question, Kie continues to try and keep the dragonrider talking. "NHE doesn't comment on NAbol though and refrains from talking about it completely.
"Thank you," E'sere says politely. "Morelenth sends his thanks as well, or will, at least, when it registers tomorrow morning. He's about ten now, give or take a couple of months. Coming up on a third of my life that we've been together," he remarks. "I've never been able to decide if the time feels longer or shorter than that."
Listening, Kie nods. "I don't know what it means to be a dragonrider and don't think I ever will, but I think I understand. You go through a lot when your life changes and it seems longer than the time spent doing it, but you are much happier afterwards." Kie shakes his head as the words don't seem to come out right. "I know what I mean, just can't explain it right....."
E'sere glances sideways at Kierom, nodding. "It sounds like you've the right of it. It is a change, certainly, but in the best possible way. Morelenth--well, if not for him, I'm not sure what I would be doing with myself now. An interesting train of thought, certainly, but. I am happy things have turned out this way." He falls silent for a moment, then glances back to the dragon. "We should be on our way, though, before he really does fall asleep and I'm stranded on the ground for the night," the wingleader notes of his tired dragon, nudging the bronze awake. Morelenth starts to consciousness and rumbles before heading out of the water.
Kierom nods at the rider and smiles. "Thank you sir. I hope I will be running into you again sometime. Thank you for listening to me...." The boy blushes then and turns his head slightly. Once the blush clears, he turns back and nods to both again.
"I'm usually around," E'sere notes mildly, "somewhere. I'm always willing to talk, as well. Good night, Kierom." With that, he slips after his dragon, making short work of drying off and redressing. Then, the pair of them amble outside to the snowy bowl again for the night.