[Log] A Little Bit of Conflict
Who: Ailani, R'dur
When: Day 11, Month 8, Turn 7
Where: Southern Bowl, Telgar Weyr
What: Ailani and R'dur meet briefly in the bowl.
Southern Bowl
Towering above, the bowl wall rises in a curving three-pointed arc as it shelters this southernmost point of Telgar Weyr's great caldera. Sloping down to the north to a slight degree, the floor of the bowl has been channeled so that runoff might drain down to the lake beyond. There are several strategically placed evergreens that serve to baffle the biting mountain winds away from the southern entrance into the Living Caverns. Drifts of snow and the heavy tracks of large dragon feet and bellies cross the expanse of the bowl. Rocks and crags are hung with the purest white. Northward, the center of the bowl spreads hugely, leading to the feeding pens, hatching grounds, weyrling barracks, the Telgar Weyr lake. The ground-level weyrs of the queenriders dot the mountain to the northwest. Use '+view queenriders' to view them. The murmur of voices and the clatter of pots and chairs drifts from the Living Cavern, where the evening meal is being served.
The afternoon is clear, and the sun shines with a few small clouds floating past. A light wind blows and the summer air temperature feels comfortable.
Contents:
PLAYERS: R'dur Ailani
Obvious Exits:
Living Cavern Central Bowl Outer Infirmary Guest Weyr Records Room
Ailani
Ailani is a petite young woman - tall enough to avoid being mistaken for a child, but short enough that she's frequently left looking up at others. Her body is as narrow as she is short, with slim shoulders and deceptively delicate-looking limbs, though there's an underlying strength in the way she moves. Chestnut hair is long and loosely curled, swept up in a careless ponytail, a few wisps escaping to frame her face. Her eyes are a striking shade of pale blue, crinkled at the corners, with a tendency to reveal more than they hide about her mood. Oval-shaped, her face is a tad long, her lips a bit wide, her nose a bit on the small side - not what anyone would call beauty - but her outward demeanor seems pleasant.
Dark brown linen forms the base for Ailani's tunic, which is belted at the waist and hangs to mid thigh. Colorful embroidery decorates the scoop-necked collar and cuffs, in the form of tiny flowers. Trousers are a lighter shade of brown, and tucked into a pair of scuffed, soft-soled boots. The knot on her shoulder, threaded through with a pale gold cord, identifies her as a Jr. Weyrwoman at Telgar Weyr.
Another slow summer afternoon at Telgar Weyr finds R'dur outside with Alidaeth. The brown is stretched out across the ground, every available piece of hide presented to the warm sun. R'dur, however, is hiding in the dragon's shoulder and predictably enough working, though carrying on a distracted conversation with the dragon. "I don't know why you can't do this on the ledge--or by yourself," he notes idly.
From her ledge, where she can observe the bowl's activity, but still hide within plain sight - so she might wish - Soraeth rumbles a broad greeting as she stretches her long neck out. Ailani appears shortly thereafter, pink-faced and damp-haired from a bath, close enough to catch R'dur's comment, which prompts a somewhat harried smile. "It's more fun that way," she replies, a sidelong glance directed toward her lifemate. "That's what she'd tell me, at any rate."
R'dur glances up quickly, surprised by Ailani's arrival. "Oh, um. Weyrwoman. Hi," he offers awkwardly, as Alidaeth raises his head just enough to regard her and then Soraeth. "I suppose so," the rider agrees after a moment, extending a small smile to the woman. "Alidaeth says much the same thing, but I think really it's only more fun for him to annoy me. How are you and Soraeth, weyrwoman?"
Bemused, Ailani shakes her head and murmurs, "Strange, how much three turns can change things." Then, bringing herself back to reality, she grins. "She'd do the same - though the annoyance might only be a side benefit. We're... doing well enough, thank you. And how are the both of you today?"
R'dur smiles slightly, nodding. "It's, well, surprising sometiems how many of them seem to enjoy bugging us," he notes. "Alidaeth is... more like a pesky little brother than a dragon sometimes." That comment earned an offended snort from the brown, though he can't muster much emotion--it's too true to really deserve such. R'dur adds, "We're well, though, the both of us."
Ailani steals another look Soraeth's way, smiling. "I wonder sometimes if that's what makes them such good partners - if they look for someone with whom there's just a little bit of... conflict, but maybe that's not the right word." Her eyes go distant for a moment, her expression briefly speculative as she glances past Alidaeth, then she shakes her head as her eyes refocus, flustered. "I - er, well. That's good - does he often make you come out here to work?"
A thoughtful frown tugs at R'dur's mouth as he glances up to Ailani. "I don't know," he finally admits. "I--maybe. I... I can't imagine why they would /want/ conflict, because that's just... I don't know." His brows knit as he puzzles that out a moment; finally, he shakes his head to clear it and offers a tentative smile again to the woman. "Ah. Sometimes. Whenever it's warm, generally. He's more of a warm-weather dragon, for all he hatched at Telgar," he notes ruefully. Then, noting her expression: "Ah. Is everything all right?"
Abruptly, R'dur's eyes widen, the same moment Alidaeth raises his head and rumbles. "Oh, no," says the rider. "Excuse me--my firelizard--I'm sorry," he offers rapid explanation as he hurries toward the living cavern to sort out the damage.