[Log] The Right Decision
Who: Adria, E'sere
When: Day 5, Month 12, Turn 375
Where: Kitchen, Benden Weyr
What: Another interesting chat between E'sere and Adria.
Kitchen Late Autumn. Windy. 26F / -3C.
One of the most functional and well-maintained caverns in the Weyr, the kitchen still has an abandoned feel to it. Most of the cupboards are empty, only a few broken cups here and there and some shards that were probably once plates. There are ten stoves in the room, but only one is currently in working condition - and just barely, all of it held to working strength by a shoestring and a smile, as they say. A series of pullies and levers are designed to make serving the living cavern easy when they're functioning. In a mostly-separate alcove to the south is the nighthearth.
The living cavern is visible from here, as the kitchen itself wraps around balcony-style. The hearths are all along the walls and the work-stations are arranged so workers can see down into the cavern. A rock barrier of four feet is supplemented by brass railings that further enclose the area, though the brass is in dire need of a polish.
-- Players --
E'sere.........Very handsome and well-dressed man in mid- to late twenties. Lean, rangy build; short dark hair; strong features, including a hawkish nose.
Adria..........Tall, slim, refined; Lovely, unassuming. Early twenties.
-- Exits --
Nighthearth..............[NH] Living Cavern............[S]
The kitchens are fairly quiet this far on into the evening, most of the dinner rush dealt with - most of the sounds are the rush of water and the clink of dishware as everything is washed to go through it all the next day. Improbably, amongst all this is Adria, lurking in one of the darker corners of the kitchens with a wineglass cradled in both hands. She's slouching into the collar of her sweater, and looking generally in a dark mood.
After dinner himself, E'sere is left to his own devices, to wander about and eventually make his way down to the kitchens. He pauses to speak to a couple of the kitchen girls as he makes his way through, and then notes Adria. A brow arches at her demeanor, and he ambles toward her to offer, "Evening."
Arching a brow herself, Adria straightens a touch as E'sere approaches, taking a drink from her glass. Setting it aside half-full, she responds sharply before she can think; "Observant of you." Almost immediately, she winces, folding her arms over her chest and glancing away. "I must tell you, I'm not very good company at the moment. As a warning."
"As a warning?" E'sere tilts his head slightly, then moves to seat himself, despite that. "Perhaps I can be good enough for both of us, at any rate. What's got you... wound up tonight, weyrlingmaster? Tell me our weyrlings aren't already stressing you this much?"
Adria watches E'sere seat himself, arching her brow again - this time looking a little offended at the presumption. Clearly resisting some impluse for a moment, amber eyes closing briefly, "One can hope. It's Chiyath." And even now, when her eyes open again, her cheeks flush a little. Glancing away, towards the dishwashers, "The weather in the South, then the timing threw her off schedule. With a spectacular disregard for my interests, now is the time and she is being particularly difficult."
There's a slight pause on E'sere's part, and then he nods slowly. "Ah, I see. I hadn't noticed here; I suppose Morelenth has been preoccupied himself what with Feliath and the clutch. You don't mind my joining you for a bit, do you? I can leave you in peace if you'd rather, you know," he adds, with a wry smile as he notes her expression when he does sit. "I can't say if I'll be welcome distraction or just an annoying one, so."
"Well - it comes on rather suddenly. And she's barely about to notice - she won't even sleep on the ledge, eventually." Wrinkling her nose, Adria's flush isn't going away just yet as she gives E'sere an apologetic shrug. "I did try to tell you," she offers, with a wry little smile of her own. "And as long as you're aware of the risk of me being awful, I wouldn't mind the attempt at distraction."
"I like to think myself brave," laughs E'sere, shaking his head. "So I'll do my best to stick it out. A reclusive one, then? Interesting. I'm sure Morelenth will be watching for her now, at any rate--nevermind he just got done with Feliath. Males," he offers dryly. A lift of his shoulders ensues before he leans back in his chair comfortably. "So how are you, other than Chiyath? Are our weyrlings doing well? I think I'm the only one quite so enthralled with the clutch's turnout, but. They seem good kids, though, from what I know of them."
Deadpan but dry, "I only have one knife on me at the moment, so there's not /much/ bravery required." Adria unfolds herself from her huddle only long enough to get her glass and take a sip. As she sets it down again, with a sigh, "I imagine he will. Such is the way of things. She likes bronzes." Another warning, maybe. Pleased to move on, she glances to E'sere to offer a faint smile. "Well enough so far, but it's not so difficult yet. And for the most part, I rather like them." Darkly amused, "Another reason to lurk in the kitchens. But I think they'll turn out well."
"One is more than I care to involve myself with." E'sere smirks, then studies Adria, brows arching. "Does she? Most greens don't. Perhaps I should warn Morelenth away, in that case; Aivey shouldn't be very... thrilled with him if he should catch again so soon. And to a, if you don't mind my saying, female rider. But anyway." Quickly, he moves on to a more pleasant subject, looking pleased to hear of the weyrlings. "That's good, good. I do hope they do. I'd like to stay a little while longer, just to see how they turn out."
With a short laugh and a nod for the bronzerider's smirk, Adria busies herself with unwrapping her scarf as she confirms briskly, "She does. And if Aivey thinks /she's/ got problems..." She trails off with a grimace, but the implication is clear. Back to the weyrlings, "I don't think they'd mind you being around at all - I think there's often some attachment there - to the clutchparents. The dragons care less, but." A shrug, then she slouches a bit, looking down at the stone of the floor. "Raliah reminds me of someone from Fort. It's interesting, the little connections."
"Not thrilled with Morelenth? Or myself?" E'sere teases, bemused. "Aivey hasn't lived long in a Weyr; it's still not an easy concept for her, unfortunately, the flights we accept without a second thought. Or at least, I do," he admits, with a glance to the greenrider. "As for the weyrlings... I suspect you're right. I know I felt that way about Morelenth's dam and sire. And I've always taken an interest in the weyrlings myself--I had an eye, once, to assisting our weyrlingmaster, though I was named wingleader before I had that opportunity. Raliah is one of those I've not met yet, though. Green... Beryth, is that right? I'm learning names, and faces, even if I don't know them." He pauses, mulling that a moment before noting slowly, "I had an interesting conversation the other day, though--just before the hatching. With the wingleader S'dric."
Smirking at E'sere, Adria notes lightly, "It's really all the same to me. It's her - thing." Giving a quiet cough after that, she attempts to be more pleasant with her next; "I am still not entirely comfortable myself, but... it's been... nearly twenty now." Blinking with some surprise, "Hm. Well. You get used to it, if not comfortable. And I do feel that way myself, a little, for Raine and X'drian - but they also took a stand for me - whether I got pawned off later or not, I can still respect that." With a nod, she confirms, "Beryth, yes. And - did he?" Some little interest, despite foul-tempered dragons.
"Her thing," E'sere repeats bemusedly, but doesn't follow that threat of thought further. Instead, he hesitates and then nods once to affirm the answer to the latter. "He... offered to allow myself and Aivey to stay here. Permanently, I mean--and to go forward with you to your Benden. Very... generous of him."
Adria shrugs a little in response to the echo, not seeming all that inclined to elaborate - so it's a plus that E'sere moves on - and apparently, more so at the subject. "That's certainly distracting," she says, slow and thoughtful. "And I can see several reasons why, and generosity has little to do with any of them. If you're prepared to do it, it's not as if we don't need the people." The greenrider is matter-of-fact about it. "It's a numbers game at this point. It's the only reason I'll -" Pause. "I would have flown Fall at all."
"Desperation?" E'sere drawls, ducking his head slightly. "And yet they'd trust you to train weyrlings to fly it. Interesting, no?" A shrug ensues. "I should like to stay a while longer, perhaps long enough to see Morelenth's weyrlings get closer to the wings. But it's... something else entirely to ask me to go forward with you. However much you might need my assistance, and how little it might seem like it, I have responsibilities to my own Weyr first."
"That's one way to look at it," Adria allows. With a wry smile, even as she slouches back into her sweater, "The irony does not escape me. I don't even know why I've been trusted to do it, beyond the fact that I am usually the most competent person in the room and won't get them killed." After a moment or two, she regards E'sere, head tilting - a little bit of clarity - and asks, "Why consider it then? And why tell me?"
E'sere snorts. "Well, that's one point in your favor," he notes of her competency. To that latter, though, he hesitates, and then offers a wry smile. "I... don't really know," he admits, rubbing his neck. "It seemed like a good idea, is all. As S'dric informed me, it's not like I have much of a future here--there's nothing in the records of your time, not even my name, after this last turn. Even though I stay, obviously I do nothing else with my life, or if I do it's all erased again, so entirely."
Picking up her glass, "I have many points in my favour. Though oddly, there does seem to be some realization of that fact." Adria drains the glass and sets it aside afterwards, arching a brow over at E'sere. Amused, "Not that I /mind/ being informed of such things." A pause. "Well, he would say that. It's the bleakest way to see it, really - and one that'd convince you to go. The other way - which is just more positive - is to see it as already done. Your records do not exist /because/ you went forward and they have yet to be written."
E'sere admits, "I know a lot of people here now--acquaintances, not friends. So perhaps I'm just eager to speak to someone who is the latter--or closer to it, anyway, than the rest of them. I wouldn't presume you think me a friend." He shrugs, though, leaning forward slightly to rest his chin in his hand. "And that is the conundrum. Which is it? Does it matter? Can I change my future, your past? Short of going a hundred turns forward from your time and seeing the records then, how do I know what I will do, have done? This is why I didn't want to know anything about myself."
Adria admits rather candidly, "I don't know what to think of you, to be honest. But - it hasn't been /unpleasant/." Perhaps high praise, in her current state. Looking at the empty glass thoughtfully, she glances up over it to the bronzerider. "But he told you anyway. What's done is done, I suppose. I think in these cases, all you can think about is what you actually /want/ to do and assume - try to know - that it's the right decision."
Musingly, E'sere repeats, "It hasn't been unpleasant. I suppose that's something, at least, under the circumstances." He's thoughtful a long moment when she offers her advice, lips pursing. "I suppose that's the only thing I can do. I can see why you're usually the most competent person in the room--although I don't think it's quite so easy to do as you suggest as it is to know that's what one should do. Still, it helps. It's late, though; I should be getting home. Good luck with Chiyath, weyrlingmaster."
"I never said that it was /easy/. It's no easier to assume you've done something because the evidence is there that you did; then do it and hope for the best." Adria lets out a little sigh, nodding tiredly. "I'm less - so, she's getting tired. I'd best move on soon myself before she leaves me here." With a wry smile, "Good luck with your thoughts, E'sere."