[Log] Oh, the Omelets You Could Make...

[brazenbronzer]

Who: Elyanedra, Lassen, Rachiel, Savaughna, Selvorin, Suraiya, V'rin, Xeledyr
When: Day 21, Month 2, Turn 4, 11th Interval
Where: Lakeshore, High Reaches Weyr; Living Cavern, High Reaches Weyr
What: Lassen and some of the other candidates hang around and talk outside before venturing inside where it's warm.

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. Dragons often dive from high above the lake into its chilly waters, rinsing away the pungent smell of firestone. Their riders are frequently seen standing along the shoreline, watching on, the waters too brisk for casual swimming.
     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. The water of the pond is frozen solid, an expanse of crystal glass that spreads from shore to shore. 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 crystal clear as the sun sets over the western rim of the bowl. There is a light breeze that whistles softly across the frozen lake.

Contents:
Savaughna
Rachiel
Suraiya
Snow Fort
Dasmareth

Obvious exits:
LAke Pond Diving Cliff Bowl

"It woulda been the talk of the caverns if they got a dragon stuck at the entrance of the hatching grounds." Suraiya grinned widely at the thought, actually finding that particular idea really funny. "An' I bet we would've heard the queen in there real mad." She glances over her shoulder in that general direction, making sure said queen wasn't taking a stroll away from the eggs for a moment. Her icy eyes found themselves back on the candidates. "An' dragons are odd."

Rachiel nods, "He wasn't really stuck, but he was acting like he was stuck... Everyone in the Hatching ground thought he was stuck, though....."

"Ah, so he was pretending, very clever.." Savaughna snorts, and shakes her head again. The young woman stretches her hands out to the fire again, her eyes momentarily unfocusing as she gazes into the fire. She blinks then, and sighs, "Have you both seen the eggs? I took a quick look yesterday but.." shrugging, "Didn't hang around there too long."

Rachiel nods, "I'm in there almost every day, at least for a few minutes."

Suraiya carefully stands up from her crouching position, stretching out her legs and nearing the fire again for her freezing fingers. "I saw the queen clutching 'em. An' I go there 'tween some random chore 'ere and there. Nice eggs." Of course she scrunches up her nose to that. "Well, half of 'em are pretty."

Good-natured, raucous banter heralds Lassen's approach with another boy about the same age: they seem to be discussing some antic that just happened in the living cavern. However, they eventually go their separate ways, Lassen heading for the lake and the other young man heads in the opposite direction. With a cheerful step, Lassen meanders along the shore of the lake, and offers the trio of girls a bright wave as he nears them.

Rachiel puts another piece of wood on the fire, "I like the egg that has brown on the bottom, and then turns into green and blue." (Or the brown is the sand, I don't know...)

"Hey there," Savaughna calls to Lassen as she spots him wandering along the shoreline. She waves a hand, "You're welcome to join us, it's sharding cold." As if he couldn't tell that himself. Eventually she ends up sitting on the ground, hands tucked back into her pockets, her legs now stretched out toward the fire. Ahh warmth. "I think the eggs are always ugly," Sava continues, frowning. "Leastways they are until they get harder. You can see them *move* now. It's disgusting."

Suraiya tilts her head at Rachiel's comment, as if trying to recall the egg itself. "Not sure I remember that one. I love the red one, or the one that's got lots of pink and reds." She bobs her head. She crouches again, this time slowly, her eyes turning to Lassen, whom Savaughna had caught sight of first. She waggles a finger or two that-way. "'Lo," she calls, then returns to finger-warming. "There's not all ugly. The brigher ones are nice. An' when they harden an' hatch, ya can sneak out and take some bits of the shells."

"Really? 'Kay," Lassen replies agreeably as he heads over and drops gracelessly to the ground by them. "I'm still all warm from the living cavern, so it feels kinda good out here, but then, that'll change fast enough. I'm Lassen, by the way. What're you talking about--eggs? I saw the clutching, you know. Part of it, anyway," he launches into a amiable ramble.

Elyanedra goes over from the eastern side of the bowl.
Elyanedra has arrived.

Savaughna shakes her head, "Nope, I still think they're all ugly right now." She won't be swayed. "But they all end up pretty enough once they start to get hard. I've seen it a million times before," One would simply assume she's exaggerating, "At Fort. They used to collect some of the shards and turn them into trinkets for the new weyrlings," She adds with a nod to Suraiya. Lassen gets a grin when he joins them, "Refreshing for maybe a little while, but you'll freeze through soon enough."

Slipping and sliding on to the lake shore, the young woman ends up in a pile of snow. "Ooof." she says picking herself up. She's shivering a bit, and not really warmly dressed. Elyanedra moves towards the lake itself, looking at the ice with wonder. "Ohhh." she says her voice shaking with cold.

Suraiya turns her full attention towards the arriving boy. "At the clutching? Do ya remember me?" Not that she admits she could recall him. She shrugs a shoulder. "Well met, Lassen. Suri 'ere." She points to herself with her toothly grin. "Trinkets?" Once again her curious-face comes into play. "Never seen that.. I collected the shells in Ista, then over at Southern, 'cause 'm making a rope of pretty eggshell bits." A warmed hand waves in the air, Elyanedra's way. "Over 'ere it's warm!" Soon enough a bigger fire would be needed for the crowd.

Lassen nods slowly to Savaughna. "Yeah, I guess," he agrees easily. "Hopefully, though, I'll have sense enough to get in by then. You're from Fort? The eggs, they didn't look so bad to me, but then, it /was/ my first time. Kinda got dull after a while--mono... mono-tonous." His pronunciation is awkward; he doesn't seem to know the word well. But blithely, he continues, "Made me hungry, too: kept thinking of all the omelets you could make." Expression grows briefly forlorn. "And you... nope, not a clue," Lassen admits after a second of studying Suraiya. "Suri. Okay. Suri from... Southern? And Ista? I feel boring. I'm just from over at the hold, see--no place interesting or anything. Hi!" The last word is a greeting toward Elyanedra, as he offers a exuberant wave to her as well.

Elyanedra grins. She walks over rubbing her arms vigoriously. "Thanks." she said quickly, moving closer to the fire. "I'm Ely, Elyanedra." she explains. She rolls her shoulders a bit. "Hello." she said. "I'm from I here, High reachs, but I've been down at Southern..." sh adds catching the tail end of the conversation.

Savaughna stands up, dusting off her backside as she does. She reaches her hands out toward the fire once more, then shoves them back into her pockets. "Well, as nice as it is to hang about chatting with you all," And the new-comer gets a quick bob of her head as a greeting, "I have those chores to finish." Heavy sigh. She winks at Lassen, "Omelets made from dragon-eggs.. Now that'd be enough to satisfy any hunger!" She laughs, and makes her way toward the bowl.

Savaughna has left.

Suraiya shrugs both her shoulders at Lassen. "I bet you're not that boring. I'd've stayed in one place, but my sis likes to wander 'round now." She waves again when Elyanedra joins them, smiling. "Well met, Ely. Suri, if ya didn't catch it the other three times." Which she probably didn't. To both Savaughna and Lassen, she wrinkles her nose. "I doubt dragonet bits are appetizing." Blasphemy to think that! "G'bai!" she calls after the retreating girl's back, turning her attention to those left by the fire.

Lassen offers Elyanedra a grin, introducing himself again. He then adds, "Elyaned--Elyan... Ely. I'd stick with that, too. You okay? You look cold. Want my jacket?" He tugs on the collar of his coat, giving her a questioning look. Then, he smirks at Savaughna. "Yeah, tell me about it. Teenage guy, you know: I can always eat." To emphasize that, he rubs one hand across his stomach. "Anyway, yeah, I guess that would be bad. Besides, hot as those sands are, they'd end up hard-boiled, and I don't like those as much." He's entirely serious, to judge by his expression.

Suraiya spares Lassen one of her rare frowns, shaking her head just a bit like a disappointed mother. "Don' let the Weyrwoman catch ya saying that." She crosses her arms, hugging her jacket closer, and sitting down near the flames. She glances between the others around the fire, trying to bring her smile back. Not that it's hard. "So, ya gonna be 'ere 'round long, or jus' visiting the Weyr?" She tilts her head at Lassen. "'Cause it's getting a bit crowded with incoming candidates."

"The weyrwoman? Satiet?" Lassen queries curiously. "I met her once, when me 'n' Lisle--Lisle's kind of my relative, almost: her brother is my foster brother--when me 'n' Lisle an' that other guy--I forget his name--were sliding around on the ice. She wouldn't do it, though. The weyrwoman, that is. Anyway, I'm staying... a while. I dunno how long, exactly. I'm thinking now until the hatching, just 'cause that'd be fun. But I guess I could always come back for it. What's candidacy like?" he wonders, tilting his head as he glances to Suraiya.

Rachiel smiles, "The Weyrwoman is Josilina, but Satiet is a Jr. Weyrwoman."

Suraiya shrugs her shoulders. "I think I met her once... Satiet. The one on the sands, right?" She bobs her head to Rachiel, smiling softly. "An' her, met her too." She means of the Weyrwoman. Turning back to Lassen, she says, "An' that sounds like a plan if ya wanted to see the hatching. It's not /that/ fun. 'Cept for the marks ya get if ya bet." At Lassen's last question, she rises her brow and lifts up her hands. "'M not a candidate /'ere/. I stood for a Southern clutch 'while 'go, though. It's hard work, no skipping, and getting shouted at by the riders. S'bout it. Oh, an' the hot /hot/ sands. But that sounds better to your toes falling off in the cold."

Rachiel nods, "Satiet's Teonath is on the sands right now. Here it's not quite so hard, being a Candidate, of course, it probably helps if you know some people in the Weyr..."

Lassen blinks at Rachiel, then waves a hand airily. "Right. Like I said," he notes. "Anyway. Right. Of course. I was just wondering. I've never been to a hatching before, so. I've never bet, either. I'd probably lose all my marks doing it, 'cause I'm just no good at that sort of thing." He shrugs it off easily.

Suraiya chuckles at Rachiel. "That sounds nice. Ya get off light on the chores?" She grins at the thought, but then drops the face. "Ah, but it still would be boring, candidacy that is." Her eyes turn wide, blinking at Lassen. "Never? But it sounds like ya've been 'ere often!" She sighs, and nods her head slowly. "An' that's one reason I don' carry the marks 'round."

Lassen shakes his head. "Nah, only once or twice before now. I'm from High Reaches Hold, remember? Dad--he's a woodcrafter--he just brought me along this time to move some furniture because his back 'n' knees hurt 'im sometimes and stuff. But then, I stayed along after he went back home, see," he explains, grinning.

Rachiel shakes her head, "Still have to do chores like all the other Candidates here."

Rachiel hmms, "Speaking of chores, I have to go do some stuff..." She stands up and wipes all the snow off her back side, "See you some other time, hopefully."

Savaughna strolls over from the eastern side of the bowl.
Savaughna has arrived.

Suraiya wrinkles her nose at Lassen, annoyed at her own forgetfulness. "Oh... yah. Guess I forgot. Jus' ya sounded like ya've been 'ere often 'nough." Her smile returns and she gets up, skirts rather stiffened from sitting. She smooths them out, patting them out in the warmth from the fire. "Well, hope ya see this hatching. Gotta see at least one. I really hope I don' stay /too/ long. But I bet we'll run into each other 'gain." She snuggles into her jacket, eyes turned to the bowl, as if considering to leave. Her eyes catch Rachiel, and she sighs. "Oh, thought ya were lucky there a moment. It'd be fun. " She waggles a finger. "Take care there!"

Rachiel has left.

Lassen offers Rachiel a wave as she exits, himself distracted by conversation with Suraiya. "Well, hey. I'm doin' something right," he remarks, "if I sound that much like a native." He grins brightly at her. "You going, too? I think everybody's running inside. It /is/ kinda cold, though--even I'm starting to feel it."

Savaughna wanders back down towards the lakeshore, and consquently the warmth of the fire. She wiggles now-gloved fingers at Suraiya and Lassen, "Hey again," she calls, as she comes closer. Her hair is slightly damp, and her cheeks are lightly flushed. "You two still braving the cold?"

Suraiya shifts from foot to foot, grinning over at Savaughna's approaching form. "Not entirely sure. The cold's getting to me. But it seems not /everyone/ minds it." She lifts her chin at the older girl. "'Lo 'gain," she replies. "Not sure if ya call my stupidity brave. I should be out of 'ere and back at Ista!" She sniffes lightly at the thought, glancing to the candidate, "Have ya seen me wandering around the caverns or back towards wherever ya went?"

"Oh, hi again!" Lassen hails Savaughna as she returns. "If you've spent much time at Ista, I bet you must be cold. I've always heard it's /sweltering/ down thattaway, but then, I've never been there at all, so what do I know."

"Well I'm all warmed up from the bathing caverns," Savaughna replies with a shrug, "So I'm not cold anymore. Bet I will be soon though," She comes closer to the fire, letting it warm her cheeks and finish off drying her hair. "Are you going to stay around here long, anyway? I don't think I asked you what you were doing here. Or maybe I did. Who knows," she throws her hands up in the air.

Suraiya bobs her head savagely at Lassen, her hair flying at that sudden movement. Blame the cold. "Oh, it's definitely /really/ cold... /really really/ cold for me. An' it's not swealtering. It's nice. Southern was hotter, but still nice." Blue eyes glance momentarily between the two, before resting once again on the candidate. "'M jus' passing some time 'fore I head back. I really jus' like looking at the lake like this. An' then I'll go find my sister." That's her plans for that evening.

"Me? Her? Us?" queries Lassen confusedly. "I'm visiting. Kind of doing nothing, kind of doing whatever I can do. Which is mostly what I do back at home, but hey. Or did you mean out here? Because that definitely falls more in with the doing nothing part, but I dunno. I'm kinda lost. Is it dinner time yet? Because I'm thinking that's a good excuse to go back in where it's warm, you know?" He muses on this a moment, grinning.

Savaughna tries really hard not to laugh at Lassen. Honestly. Her lips quirk into a grin though, and thats where it all ends. She gives up with a little snort of laughter. "You're lost? How can you be lost. Though I mean, I guess the place *is* pretty big so maybe it's not quite so hard to get lost as I think. I'm just used to living at a Weyr." The young woman gives a shrug. "Well, if you guys are heading inside for dinner, then so am I. There's no way I'm staying out here in the cold *alone*." A shrug to Suraiya, "I've never been to Southern. If it's that hot, probably don't want to either. As much as I hate the cold sometimes, I love it infinately more than hot weather."

Suraiya shudders in the cold. "Inside sounds like a good plan. The night's getting pretty cold." She squeezes her face into her jacket, staring out at the two others. "Probably is dinner time. I bet there's food in the caverns. An' might as well follow, too..." Her voice is muffled slightly, but audible at least. A flicker and her eyes are staring at Savaughna, though it's harder to see with her face half-hidden. "Oh, at least with the heat ya can go into the ocean or lake an' cool down. 'Ere ya gotta build a fire." She sniffs. "An' get sick."

"Confused-lost," clarifies Lassen, blinking. "I know my way around most of the main places, see: the living caverns and the bowl and the way back to the dormitory. Of course, I've taken some wrong turns and ended up weird places, but not in a while. And I swear I followed the guy's directions perfect the last time that happened," he states with a firm nod. "The cold is nice. I mean, I don't think I'd like being all hot all the time much, either, but." A shrug ensues, and he hoists himself up from the ground. "So. Food. Let's go," he suggests, dusting his hands and his pants off. "'Fore you freeze somethin' important off." He grins over at Suraiya then.

"I think only guys have important bits that can be frozen off," Savaughna mutters with a shake of her head, as she heads up bowl-wards. "Food then, right? Let's go." She nods to the pair of them.

Savaughna has left.

Suraiya follows after the candidate, mumbling to herself about freezing parts. "Well, I bet someone's lost a few toes 'ere, 'fore" she calls back to Lassen, going to the bowl.

Suraiya has left.

Lassen stares after Savaughna, gaping a moment; then, he gathers his wits and starts after her and Suraiya quickly.

Living Cavern, High Reaches Weyr
     The impressive living cavern is seemingly as large as the bowl that cradles the hatching sands. Rivers of polished wood tables and benches arrow towards a raised platform crowned with a compact version of their sturdy design. Neatly crafted pegs, some fancifully carved, are tapped into holes in the wall and support clothing dangling like lazy sleepers. Woven baskets, both useful and decorative, hang along another wall. The air is redolent with the smell of burning conifer wood blended with the myriad odors of the bakery's spices and the kitchen's succulent offerings. Banners worked with the designs of Holds and Halls beholden to the weyr cascade down the walls high above, interspersed with several brilliantly colored tapestries. The clink of cutlery harmonizes with the flowing river of talk and gossip as the weyrfolk gather for a hearty evening meal.

Contents:
V'rin
Selvorin
Jemah
Large Ale Cask
Tray of Bubblies
Firelizard Perch

Obvious exits:
Kitchen Bowl Lower Caverns

Savaughna strides in from the tunnel to the bowl.
Savaughna has arrived.

Suraiya strolls into the cavern from the lower caverns.
Suraiya has arrived.

Selvorin is sitting at a table with V'rin. They're eating, and talking.

V'rin asks, "Impression?" He considers it, not really eating yet himself, smiling at the memory. "It's the best feeling imaginable. It's hard to describe to someone who hasn't felt it. Before, you never realize how lonely it is, with just you there in your mind. After, though, you do, and know at the same time you'll never have to feel that again."

Selvorin thinks that over, frowning. Then, a smirk crosses his face, but he doesn't share the thought that prompted it, just nods. "Right. Well." He takes a big bite of food to avoid saying anything else.

Savaughna tromps into the caverns with Lassen and Suraiya, the three apparently headed towards food. Or at least thats where Sava is headed. Her stomach gives an audible growl, and she sighs. "I swear, I had never felt hunger before I had to spend my entire day mucking out stables." She shakes her head, grabs a plate, and begins loading it up. Selvorin and V'rin get a cursoroy glance.

Suraiya, her hands hidden in her skirts, shuffles in quickly after Savaughna. Out of the bowl, she gives a shudder (that's where she came from, really), and already liking the warmth from the caverns. "Try weeding out all day in the Southern heat," Suri grins at the candidate's comment. She follows her actions, taking her plate and going first for dessert.

There's no detering Lassen from the food: he's a man with a mission, and eyes only for that wherry the cooks just brought out. "Ooh, one of those," he says, sounding just a touch awestruck as he hastens to pile a plate with the meat and various trimming. "Stables? Sounds ucky," he notes distractedly to Savaughna. "Lots of big animals, and big animals make big--nevermind. I don't like weeding, either."

V'rin smiles and says, "What's that look for?" He starts to eat then, glancing up to nod to the teens coming into the cavern. Then he turns his attention back to his conversation and meal, for the moment.

"Nothing," Selvorin says, twisting around, distracted by the sudden influx of people. He shrugs a bit. "Did they hold you back when you were a weyrling? for being young?" he asks.

"I don't think I want to try weeding, all day or not," Savaughna replies with a shudder. She shakes her head at Suraiya, "Does that mean you've stood at Southern before? Is that why you were over there?" The dessert gets an eyeing. "Good idea," she notes, and grabs a few sweetrolls to go with her meat. A nice healthy well-balanced meal indeed. She turns toward Lassen, then points toward a table, "Should we sit?" She does smile at Selvorin when he twists around to look at them.

Suraiya piles two bubblies, then goes for some wherry and tubers, all mixed upon the plate. She chuckles at Lassen. "Oh, but chores are chores. An' weeding would be a lot cleaner, an' better smelling." She picks at one of the bubblies with one finger, licking off some of the filling. She finally catches sight of Selvorin, familiar... to some extent, and she waves at him and the bronzerider. "An' I stood there, yah. Me an' my sis. We were there to visit, but got stuck... I would've loved to stay, but Sari wanted to leave." She carries utensils and plate, staring down at her food to make sure she doesn't drop it. "Sitting sounds good now.."

V'rin shakes his head, "I thought they would, I think they were even considering it. But, they didn't, probably because I worked that much harder. I was good at visualizing, Barith was great at finding thermals to maneuver, the two talents were more important in a Fall than the... well, strength and wisdom I was lacking."

Lassen's plate is so full that he can't pile anything else on it, even dessert; thus, reassuringly, he tells the desserts, "I'll be back later." Then, it's off to a table, as he balances the overloaded plate precariously in one hand, a full glass in the other. "Sari your sister?" he asks Suraiya curiously. "Sari and Suri. Cute." He falls silent then, as he drops to a seat without much forethought for location. Immediately, he tucks into his meal with fervor.

Savaughna just shakes her head at Lassen's back. She pauses at the trestles for a glass of chilled juice, then follows him over to his chosen - or was that his random? - table and plops down. "Sari and Suri? Are you twins or something?" Sava arches a brow at Suraiya. "I've got /triplet/ siblings. Among others. But they're the most annoying." She forks a mouthful of food up and bites down.

Xeledyr strides in from the tunnel to the bowl.
Xeledyr has arrived.

Selvorin nods a few times. "Bet it was scary, fighting Thread, at first," he says, sounding a bit envious of the experience. "But isn't it kind of boring now?"

Suraiya takes a seat across from Lassen, and just as she had picked the food, she starts on one of the two bubblies. After her mouth is cleared, she bobs her head cheerfully. "Sarisia and Suraiya. Me an' 'er. Sari an' Suri." Could you tell they're close? She giggles at Savaughna, having been caught. "Yup, twins." With a pause, she tilts her head at her. "Now /triplets/ must be a whole lot of fun." In the silence that follows for her, she finishes the pastry and moves on to forking up the meat.

Lassen glances up at Savaughna, brows arching. "Triplets? Three of them?" he repeats, surprised. "Wow. I don't know anybody like that. Don't think I know of any twins, either, actually. I mean, me 'n' my brother are close--a little less than a year apart (I'm the older one)--but that's about it. Well, okay, so now I know some twins. One, anyway: you." He grins at Suraiya, and resumes single-mindedly eating.

Rugged up to the eyeballs, Xeledyr wanders in from the bowl with both his arms wrapped tightly over his chest and a scarf wrapped multiple times around his neck. Anyone would think the poor boy is cold. He stamps off any residual dirt that clings to his shoes from the trek over from the barracks, checking their soles before making his way over toward the hearth area. Instead of grabbing a plate and piling it a mile high with food, he just finds a spot to stand near the heat and make an attempt to thaw out first.

Savaughna sighs, "Yeah, triplets." It's the sigh of one long suffering. "Delan, Sorandra and Rulana. But Rulana's my favourite," Pause, "At least she is when I'm not pretending to disown her for forgetting my turnday and stuff." The young woman grins, "And then I have about a million other brothers and sisters spread across the continent. But you know, my Mam is just like that," 'like that' is said with a wiggle of her brows. Her eyes swing toward Xeledyr, and she offers a smile to the frozen-looking young man. "Join us?" She offers.

Suraiya is nodding her head as Savaughna speaks. "Sounds kinda like me, but I don' know most of my siblings. Half-siblings. Sari's my only full sister an' all, an' we're our mother's only kids." She grins mischieviously at Lassen. "Might be hard to tell 'tween me an' Sari at first. But ya'll know 'er when ya meet 'er." She rubs a shoulder in between bites of food. Once she finished shuffling the main food, leaving one bubbly, she goes to get some klah. Returning quickly, she settles down and waves over at the new candidate in the caverns.

Lassen grins. "I didn't think you were s'posed to have favorites," he remarks. Then, he peers at Savaughna, brows knitting. After a moment, he shrugs and offers to both girls, "There's only me, my brother, and then my three sisters. Two of 'em are younger than me, and one's older. And a few rotating foster-siblings, as my brother calls 'em." There's a pause, while he works on his dinner some more. He waves his free hand at Xeledyr in greeting, though fortunately he doesn't open his full mouth to hail the boy.

V'rin glances up to those talking about siblings and such as he eats, bits of the conversation catching his curiosity. Then, though, he looks back to Selvorin and shakes his head. "Sure, we don't have a rain of deadly killers falling down on us anymore, but every trip *between* is dangerous. We get to see a lot of places, meet a lot of important people, on our duties."

It's the scarf that's first peeled away as warmth returns to Xeledyr's body, a deep breath taken as he nose is uncovered and a tongue flickers out to wet his lips as the rest of face is revealed. The blonde youth finishes tugging it out from beneath his jacket and just hangs it over the back of his neck. His jacket is also unbuttoned a fraction and his hands rubbed together to generate more circulation. The invitation from Savaughna is given a welcome nod before he starts to collect a plate and concoct an evening meal for himself. "Anyone want anything while I'm over here?" The offer made as he glances over toward the group.

"It can't be that dangerous... I mean, people don't die, unless something really bad happens," Selvorin says with a shake of his head. "And I mean... it's just not as.. I dunno."

"A hot drink," Savaughna's quick to call over to Xeledyr with a grin, "If you wouldn't mind." She shakes her head at Lassen then, "It's alright to have favourite so long as you're only the sibling and not the parent. Although I'm sure I'm my Mam's favourite anyway," the young woman preens just a little, sitting up higher in her chair. "Or at least that's what I keep telling people. It could be true, you never know." A forkful of greens is shoved into her mouth nonchalantly.

Lassen eyes his plate, about half-clear now, then Xeledyr speculatively. "I'd take one of those little pie-thingies," he suggests. "And a few sweet rolls. Oh, and--nevermind. I'll get in myself, soon as I finish the rest of this." He seems determined to do that as quickly as possible, at any rate. "I don't think my parents have favorites," he muses. "I mean, I hope not. There's probably no hope for me, you know?" He grins good-naturedly.

Suraiya cradles her mug while staring down at the last pastry, eyes darting from it to Lassen a moment. "Close family? It sounds nice... In the Weyr, it was jus' Sari, really." All those other relatives never seem that important to the young girl... Well, the siblings portion. "That sounds 'bout right," she tells Savaughna. "Having a favorite sibling isn't bad at all." She finally sets aside the mug and picks up her bubblie, standing up as well. "An' speaking of favorite sisters an' all, I gotta go find Sari." She waves to the two, then towards the others in the general area. "I'll be sure to run into ya 'gain!" Stuffing the treat into her mouth, she wanders away.

V'rin seems to finally recognize Xeledyr now, and waves to him with a smile. He asks then, loud enough for Xeledyr to hear him at the distance, "You settled in yet?" He looks back to Selvorin after another mouthful of food, and asks, "Not exciting, you mean? You don't need people to be dying around you for excitement. If that's happening, you don't feel the excitement, just the pain."

Selvorin shakes his head vehemently. "That's not what I meant! Don't go putting words in my mouth," he retorts.

"Actually," Savaughna says, standing, "Nevermind that hot drink. I'm going to crash." She rubs a hand over her face, suddenly looking weary. "Who knew chores could take so much out of a person?" Poor darling. She wiggles her fingers at Lassen, "See you later, hey?" The Rider and his companion are given polite nods - at least in their general direction anyway - before she escapes into the tunnel leading to the bowl.

Savaughna strides outside to the bowl.
Savaughna has left.

Lassen shrugs idly. "Kind of. I mean, not that close, but... close, I guess. I mean, I guess it's just the difference in where we were. Most of the people I knew back at the hold had siblings and parents and stuff like that, but then, like when my first foster-brother came to stay with us, he was just kind of amazed, because his family wasn't like that, see?," he remarks. Then: "Oh, see you! Night," he tells Suraiya and then Savaughna cheerfully.

Savaughna's request is acknowledged with a shallow tilting of Xeledyr's head. Lassen's answer simply earns a quick grin. The half filled plate in his hand is placed to one side for the time being as he hunts around for a mug and a beverage suitable enough to be classified as 'hot'. The result is a mug of steaming herbal tea, and another one is poured for himself, and both are given a brief sprinkling of sweetner. V'rin's question catches his attention, but it's not till he spots the rider does recognition settle in. "Yes sir, though perhaps I'll need more practice at picking cots." His shoulders are wriggled as if to loosen stiffening. "Almost feels like I'm sleeping on the floor." Savaughna's quick exit gets a vaguely flattened look as he glances at the two mugs in his hands and he shrugs. "Oh well."

V'rin nods to Selvorin and says, "I'm sorry. But, trust me, I would rather never go back to fighting Thread." He looks back up to Xeledyr and Lassen again, saying to the former with a grin, "Well, not many of the cots in there are all that comfortable. Sorry, would have warned you but I wanted you to stay."

Selvorin makes a face at all this discussion of cots. "I should probably ah. Go and clean up some in the dorm, i was going to... I'll see you later," he says to V'rin, getting to his feet.

"Though," Lassen notes, watching Xeledyr and the tea, "if you just happen to have an extra something or 'nother, I'll take it off your hands. Out of the goodness of my heart, right?" He grins, scooting his half-finished plate closer to V'rin now that the rest of their company is gone. "Watch that for a second. And don't take anything--I'm watching you," he tells him with a grin as he gets up and heads back to the serving table for dessert.

There's a faint shaking of Xeledyr's head, the youth amused by V'rin's words. "I'd still be around the Weyr sir, and if what they say about the dragons is right, it wouldn't matter if I were on the sands anyway." He takes the time to finish compiling his meal from what remains, and also adds a pie or two as well before he makes his way over toward the table. "Actually sir, if you've got the time now, would you be able to give me a run down on what else is expected of me while I'm a candidate?" The plate in his hand is placed on the table, and thw two mugs are offered, "Tea?" Selvorin's start to leave earns a quick nod, "Maybe tomorrow we could go skating?"

Selvorin turns round at the mention of skating. "We're going to have races, soon. If you want to race." He grins, cocky. "I'll probably beat you. But."

V'rin looks up to Selvorin again and nods, smiling as he says, "Good night, if I don't see you later." He nods quickly to Xeledyr and says, "Sure, I have some time." He finishes the last few mouthfuls of his dinner quickly, then.

Xeledyr grins at Selvorin's answer, and he lifts his shoulders with a shrug, "I wouldn't be surprised, I haven't skated in a few good Turns. If I get some time off tomorrow afternoon I'll come and find you." He then tugs a chair out and seats himself finally, taking the time to sprawl his long frame out and relax, his neck resting against the back of the chair, and thus his attention on the ceiling. "Huh, I can't remember taking the time to look at the roof in here before." V'rin's answer causes him to sit up a little, "Uh.. I'm not quite sure where to start with what I need to know." The second mug of tea is pushed over toward Lassen's plate also.

Lassen takes only a few minutes to head to the serving table; when he returns, he has in hand a saucer of desserts, which he sits down next to his plate. Then, he eyes that plate, perhaps checking its contents now and before he left. He seems satisfied, though, for he resumes the meal without further delay. "Skating, huh? With, like, real skates? I want to go, too. Y'all don't mind, right? I mean, I haven't done that in a long time. The other day, though, we--me 'n' him an' my friend Lisle--went sliding, but we didn't actually have skates." He gestures to the exiting Selvorin to indicate the 'him' in question.

Selvorin waves to them all, and disappears to the lower caverns.

Selvorin meanders through the archway, into the lower caverns.
Selvorin has left.

V'rin smiles to Lassen, glancing back to see Selvorin leave. "I'm sure he'd be happy to have more join in. He does the races pretty much every Turn." Then he looks back to Xeledyr and says, "Well, we can start with the rules. Have you seen those yet, or has anybody told you about what they are?"

"Well I figured out that we've got a board and what our assignments are for chores." So Xeledyr's been able to keep up to speed with that. "And someone else made mention of the fact we've got to refer to riders as 'sir and 'ma'am'." He pauses for a moment to sip at his tea, a free hand pointing at the other mug near Lassen's plate, and gesturing a 'drink it'. "Is there a list of rules pinned up someplace?" He looks almost sheepish at having to ask that question, "Yesterday I was exhausted after all the firestone stacking, that I pretty much fell into bed once I'd had dinner."

Lassen grins. "Yeah, probably," he agrees with V'rin, nodding. Then, finishing his main meal, he glances around the living cavern and spots someone else he knows. Grabbing his dessert plate and his mug of tea, so helpfully brought to him by Xeledyr, Lassen stands. "'Scuse me. Gotta go socialize with s'mother people now," he excuses himself, starting for his friend. "Thanks, by the way," he adds over his shoulder to Xeledyr, raising the mug in his right hand with a grin.