I suspect the riders make 'em so
Who: Essdara, T'zen, Uneth
Where: Hot Springs/Dragon Baths, HRW
When: Evening, day 24, month 10, turn 1 of the 7th Pass
Comment: A fun scene, even if Dara continues being a bit manic at times.
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.
The dragon baths are a bit noisy today, as three dragons trumpet back and forth. One annoyed brown who was trying to relax, contending with an overly energetic blue Uneth, who despite his lesser size seems to be taking up more of the pool the two are sharing with a third- a young green who is all too caught up in the excitement that her weyrling boy can barely keep a lid on it. T'zen is flat on his stomach atop the blue dragon, having just lost his bucket of soapsand down the side and is holding on for dear life. "Uneth! Bath! Not play! Baaath!"
Essdara pauses as she comes into the cavern, a basket of bathing goods on one arm, and rolls her eyes a bit as she hears the rider's words and sees the rambunctious blue. "I always managed to pick the best times to visit here. I can always count on Uneth to turn a simple soak in the warm pools into a shower."
The brown rider manages to catch his dragon's attention, and gets the dragon to move over into another pool, after some cross words at T'zen. The poor weyrling gets a good dousing from his own green, and T'zen himself, thinking Uneth has paused, proceeds to stand, and seeing Essdara, waves at her. And then Uneth shifts and off goes the bluerider into the pool in a less-than-perfect dive. Uneth in turn offers a brief trumpet at the newcomer before regarding the little green nearby.
Essdara shakes her head, and peers over towards the bluerider with no small amount of concern. "Uneth, you dropped him!" She scolds. "You know you can't replace them if they break. Really, you must take better care of your toys!"
T'zen comes up out of the water and hears the tail end of the girl's words. "Toys?! Hey now." He clambers out of the pool, clad in his usual burgundy shorts for his trips to the dragon baths. Uneth in turn merely warbles an amused note, and then proceeds to train the little green how to blow bubbles in the water. T'zen swipes his hair back over his head with both hands, and grins at Essdara. "So, how goes today, eh?"
Essdara smiles at him, probably the most genuine to anyone in weeks. "A lot better, thank you. Just thought I would come down and relax in the hot baths a bit. Seems like I can never come here though without seeing you or... Well, Roa." A blush. "Not that I was hoping to see her." She adds, quickly.
T'zen twists around towards his blue dragon. "Hey Uneth! Ess is coming to relax! So hold still, 'k?" He ignores the weyrling, who's trying to pull his dragonet's head out of the water, while bubbles flow all around it. "Might join you, soon's I finish up Uneth. If he'll let me." He shakes his head. "He's always seen bath time as play time. Can never seem to set him straight."
Essdara chuckles, and moves towards the smaller, human-oriented pools to the side, and starts disrobing. "If you like, you're welcome. Just very sore today, and the heat helps." Naked, she slips into the pool with a sigh. "Yesturday was rather intense."
T'zen nods back at the girl as he moves back towards the larger pool with his dragon, looking for the bucket. He nods. "Been plenty busy. I'd say you had the dragon-share of it though." He finally gives up on the bucket, and grabs another one, heading into the water to examine Uneth's hide for anything he missed.
Essdara shrugs, smiling a bit. "I feel better now. So that's fine. Oh, I made you some good meatrolls today, too. Bcause I know how sad you were that I forgot yesturday." She winks, "Can't have you wasting away!"
T'zen rubs some sand on a few spots as he circles the dragon. Popping out the other side he beams at Essdara. "You did? Aw, Ess!" Tossing the bucket down by the side of the pool, he waves Uneth in to rinse the final spots, and T'zen trots over to the smaller pool, and all but jumps in. "I look forward to your handiwork!" And then he gives her a look of concern. "They ain't out on the tables, are they? Don't wanna miss m'chance.."
Essdara grins a bit, and shakes her head, "No, just pop in the kitchen, there's a basket for you. The others just think you asked for some extra for a picnic, so they'll know to give them to you. Should be plenty."
T'zen looks visibly relieved, and settles himself in for a soak, as Uneth immerses himself deeper in his own pool, watching the young green dragon as her weyrling finally gets her out of the pool and starts oiling her. "Much warmer in this pool. Not complaining, way the weather's goin'. Had another 'Fall get rained out. That time of year." He folds his arms, and regards the nearby girl, and grins. "Picnic. Hm."
Essdara grins a bit, "I am always happy to hear that rain or cold has taken care of a Fall. One less chance to lose someone I love. I will never understand your fascination with being up there."
T'zen waves her off, "Well, you needn't worry about Roa," he says, "The goldriders don't take the brunt of anything." He glances over at Uneth, "Ah, but we, on the other hand. We live for it! Don't matter what it is." He grins back at Essdara. "Just like being in the air. It's so freeing, being up there. People look up to me there." The grin twists a bit. "I've heard it."
Essdara looks over at him, expression suddenly sombre. "I wasn't thinking of her, this time. It's that, exactly what you said, that scares me. I don't know what I'd do, T'zen, if you or Uneth got hurt. Who would I talk to and cook for and tease? I don't have any brothers or sisters, you're the best I have. And my parents aren't much better than you, all eager to reprove themselves in the air. You all terrify me."
T'zen's grin falters into a halfway smirk. "Aw, Ess. You'll always have me around to cook for." He snorts. "I'zul couldn't take me down. Uneth and I, can't stop us in the air. You needn't worry." But he pauses for a moment, thinking about her dragonrider parents. "Well, they've done well, haven't they? Yer folks. Still kickin'." He shrugs. "It's what we gotta do. For you folks who can't."
Essdara shakes her head slowly. "I just hope luck always goes your way. I know you two are amzing flyers, but one bad gust, one other rider not cathing a clump they are supposed to..." She sighs, and sinks down into the water. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't worry, but I do."
T'zen frowns, and shakes his head. He slides over to the girl, laying one arm around her bare shoulders once near. "Come on, Ess. I don't like seein' you worry. Just keep feedin' me right, and I'll take care o' the rest." Uneth finally emerges from the water, and gives a shake, sending the weyrling and green scurrying out of the cavern. He asides, "'Sides. Not like I'm under I'zul anymore. E'sere leads well. Not a single injury last time we went up. In the whole wing!"
Essdara smiles a bit, "He does seem to be rather a good wingleader. I like him." She leans against the bluerider. "Shards, I don't know what's with me lately. Everyt time I turn around, I'm finding something to keep me from being happy." She turns her head to look towards the blue, and smiles again, "He's always so energetic and mischivous. What was it like when you were a weyrling with him?"
T'zen laughs, glancing at Uneth himself. The dragon in turn regards the two soakers with merry whirling eyes, and offers a rumble, tail end whipping about. The man adjusts his arm around the girl as she leans in, and idly caresses the far shoulder with hand as he looks out ahead of him to the far end of the cavern, thinking, "Ah. It was worse, I tell you. Uneth got into everything." He snickers. "Everything. Still does, shardin' dragon. And to keep him grounded. Hoo." He shakes his head again. "Kinda tough when you want to be in the air so badly y'self."
Essdara chuckles softly, "I can't even begin to imagine what that it like. Well, I can, a bit. I've had enough friends Impress to have watched the process my share of times. But Uneth, he's something else. I don't think I have ever seen or heard of another dragon so innocent, and yet so full of mischief. And in the air, he's amazing."
Mischief might have something to do with the rider, but T'zen's the wrong person to corner on that. He merely shrugs. "Every dragon's different. Much rather have a happy one than some o' the gloomy ones I see." And then he nods his head her way, as though imparting a secret, oblivious that he could implicate himself by it, "But I suspect the riders make 'em so." He then looks up, because now the great blue head of Uneth hovers over them, warbling as he watches.. and drips water. "Une!"
Essdara looks up at the blue, and giggles. "So, he's so full of mischief because you are? I guess I could see that. You must have been quite the handful yourself, then, before you Impressed. You grew up at a weyr?"
T'zen waves his free hand at the dragon. "Back, you. Yer rainin' on us!" Uneth meeks moves back, but settles nearby, quite interested in watching the pair. He then turns wide eyes at the girl. "What? /Me?/ I don't get into mischief." Right. He shakes his head at her next question. "No, was a miner in training, in fact. M'pa's hold's not far from here. 'Round the mountain. Beholden to 'Reaches hold. Best gem mine in our region. Oh, I gots stories." He grins.
Essdara laughs softly, "Oh, I bet you do! Miners are a rough lot, explains a lot about you. You're kind of like one of the gems they dig up. Born rough and with sharp edges, until Uneth came along and polished you into something worth wearing. Or something like that. Stories... Tell me how you were Searched, then?"
T'zen grins widely, "Polishing me right good, what with launching me all over the place. And, by the way, yer lookin' at the finder of the largest gem found in them caves." A moment's pause to let the glory sink in. Or something. Uneth flutters his wings to get out more water, and then settles for a nap. Boring. "Anyways," the rider continues, gesturing with his free hand while keeping Essdara snug under his other arm. "So's my bros were darin' me, see? Told me it was impossible t'string a rope across two trees we had on the path to our hold. Not without a dragon's help, they said." He chuckles. "Well, I said it could be done. And they didn't believe me, so's I showed them." He nods matter-of-factly. "And they's weren't short tree, neither." He takes a breath before continuing..
Essdara grins in amusement, resting against him to listen to the story after giving the dragon an amused look. If she was down before, it seems to have faded.
"So, I'm good at climin'.. got me a rope, and went up the first tree. Got it tied off there, and picked a good sturdy branch near the top to work out from." He scratches at an itch on his chest, thinking about that day. "Well, I started t'think. Hey. I need a rock'r something to get the rope across to the other tree. Didn't think 'bout that afore coming up. But I thought. Mebbe I can just jump." He beams at the girl, offering a moment's pause for effect. "Wouldn't you know it? Just as I'm getting ready to take the leap- woulda made it, y'know- suddenly I'm starin' down the muzzle of this brown dragon, see? Right surprised, I was. Didn't even see him comin'. And his rider says, hey you." He laughs. "Hey you, he says, what in shells are you doin' up there?" Somehow he's finding that moment extraordinarily funny, and loses his story in mirth. "Oh yes. Shoulda seen the look on my bros' faces. Oh, priceless."
Essdara giggles softly, "So, in the end, a dragon /stopped/ you from doing it, instead of /helping/? And then, I guess, when you got down, decided anyone as fearless and daring as you," Teasing him, of course! "Would be wasted on the miners, so lured you back to the weyr with a promise of sweets and snacks?"
T'zen was quite certain Essdara was truly praising him, and puffs up in pride, right until the part where food is brought as the sole reason he was Searched. He turns a sinister pout at the girl, and digs a couple fingers into her wholly exposed side in a retaliatory tickle. "Yeh. They's told me there was Essdara, best cook on Pern, and I couldn't-" Tickle. "-stay away." Uneth's watching again. This is not boring. But then he starts crooning, and T'zen looks over at him. "Aww, right then." Mercifully stopping, he says, "Une needs his oil now."
Essdara gacks and squirms, giggling and trying to get away, splashing at him, "Don'tdothat!" When he stops, she darts to the other side of the pool, glaring, but with a smile. "Oh, I see, tickle and run. /Fine/. ButI'm not helping, I just got clean!" A more honest smile, "See you both later?"
T'zen laughs as the girl gets away and stands. "Well, I could just stay and tickle. But Une really needs me." He grins wickedly at the girl, waggling a threatening finger, before turning it into a wave. "Aye. I'll be down in the kitchens right after this, mark my words. Not letting those meatrolls wait a moment longer!" And with that he's out of the pool and off to the oil supplies, dragon in tow.
Essdara hrmphs, and gets in the parting shot, "Unless I get there and eat them first!"
Where: Hot Springs/Dragon Baths, HRW
When: Evening, day 24, month 10, turn 1 of the 7th Pass
Comment: A fun scene, even if Dara continues being a bit manic at times.
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.
The dragon baths are a bit noisy today, as three dragons trumpet back and forth. One annoyed brown who was trying to relax, contending with an overly energetic blue Uneth, who despite his lesser size seems to be taking up more of the pool the two are sharing with a third- a young green who is all too caught up in the excitement that her weyrling boy can barely keep a lid on it. T'zen is flat on his stomach atop the blue dragon, having just lost his bucket of soapsand down the side and is holding on for dear life. "Uneth! Bath! Not play! Baaath!"
Essdara pauses as she comes into the cavern, a basket of bathing goods on one arm, and rolls her eyes a bit as she hears the rider's words and sees the rambunctious blue. "I always managed to pick the best times to visit here. I can always count on Uneth to turn a simple soak in the warm pools into a shower."
The brown rider manages to catch his dragon's attention, and gets the dragon to move over into another pool, after some cross words at T'zen. The poor weyrling gets a good dousing from his own green, and T'zen himself, thinking Uneth has paused, proceeds to stand, and seeing Essdara, waves at her. And then Uneth shifts and off goes the bluerider into the pool in a less-than-perfect dive. Uneth in turn offers a brief trumpet at the newcomer before regarding the little green nearby.
Essdara shakes her head, and peers over towards the bluerider with no small amount of concern. "Uneth, you dropped him!" She scolds. "You know you can't replace them if they break. Really, you must take better care of your toys!"
T'zen comes up out of the water and hears the tail end of the girl's words. "Toys?! Hey now." He clambers out of the pool, clad in his usual burgundy shorts for his trips to the dragon baths. Uneth in turn merely warbles an amused note, and then proceeds to train the little green how to blow bubbles in the water. T'zen swipes his hair back over his head with both hands, and grins at Essdara. "So, how goes today, eh?"
Essdara smiles at him, probably the most genuine to anyone in weeks. "A lot better, thank you. Just thought I would come down and relax in the hot baths a bit. Seems like I can never come here though without seeing you or... Well, Roa." A blush. "Not that I was hoping to see her." She adds, quickly.
T'zen twists around towards his blue dragon. "Hey Uneth! Ess is coming to relax! So hold still, 'k?" He ignores the weyrling, who's trying to pull his dragonet's head out of the water, while bubbles flow all around it. "Might join you, soon's I finish up Uneth. If he'll let me." He shakes his head. "He's always seen bath time as play time. Can never seem to set him straight."
Essdara chuckles, and moves towards the smaller, human-oriented pools to the side, and starts disrobing. "If you like, you're welcome. Just very sore today, and the heat helps." Naked, she slips into the pool with a sigh. "Yesturday was rather intense."
T'zen nods back at the girl as he moves back towards the larger pool with his dragon, looking for the bucket. He nods. "Been plenty busy. I'd say you had the dragon-share of it though." He finally gives up on the bucket, and grabs another one, heading into the water to examine Uneth's hide for anything he missed.
Essdara shrugs, smiling a bit. "I feel better now. So that's fine. Oh, I made you some good meatrolls today, too. Bcause I know how sad you were that I forgot yesturday." She winks, "Can't have you wasting away!"
T'zen rubs some sand on a few spots as he circles the dragon. Popping out the other side he beams at Essdara. "You did? Aw, Ess!" Tossing the bucket down by the side of the pool, he waves Uneth in to rinse the final spots, and T'zen trots over to the smaller pool, and all but jumps in. "I look forward to your handiwork!" And then he gives her a look of concern. "They ain't out on the tables, are they? Don't wanna miss m'chance.."
Essdara grins a bit, and shakes her head, "No, just pop in the kitchen, there's a basket for you. The others just think you asked for some extra for a picnic, so they'll know to give them to you. Should be plenty."
T'zen looks visibly relieved, and settles himself in for a soak, as Uneth immerses himself deeper in his own pool, watching the young green dragon as her weyrling finally gets her out of the pool and starts oiling her. "Much warmer in this pool. Not complaining, way the weather's goin'. Had another 'Fall get rained out. That time of year." He folds his arms, and regards the nearby girl, and grins. "Picnic. Hm."
Essdara grins a bit, "I am always happy to hear that rain or cold has taken care of a Fall. One less chance to lose someone I love. I will never understand your fascination with being up there."
T'zen waves her off, "Well, you needn't worry about Roa," he says, "The goldriders don't take the brunt of anything." He glances over at Uneth, "Ah, but we, on the other hand. We live for it! Don't matter what it is." He grins back at Essdara. "Just like being in the air. It's so freeing, being up there. People look up to me there." The grin twists a bit. "I've heard it."
Essdara looks over at him, expression suddenly sombre. "I wasn't thinking of her, this time. It's that, exactly what you said, that scares me. I don't know what I'd do, T'zen, if you or Uneth got hurt. Who would I talk to and cook for and tease? I don't have any brothers or sisters, you're the best I have. And my parents aren't much better than you, all eager to reprove themselves in the air. You all terrify me."
T'zen's grin falters into a halfway smirk. "Aw, Ess. You'll always have me around to cook for." He snorts. "I'zul couldn't take me down. Uneth and I, can't stop us in the air. You needn't worry." But he pauses for a moment, thinking about her dragonrider parents. "Well, they've done well, haven't they? Yer folks. Still kickin'." He shrugs. "It's what we gotta do. For you folks who can't."
Essdara shakes her head slowly. "I just hope luck always goes your way. I know you two are amzing flyers, but one bad gust, one other rider not cathing a clump they are supposed to..." She sighs, and sinks down into the water. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't worry, but I do."
T'zen frowns, and shakes his head. He slides over to the girl, laying one arm around her bare shoulders once near. "Come on, Ess. I don't like seein' you worry. Just keep feedin' me right, and I'll take care o' the rest." Uneth finally emerges from the water, and gives a shake, sending the weyrling and green scurrying out of the cavern. He asides, "'Sides. Not like I'm under I'zul anymore. E'sere leads well. Not a single injury last time we went up. In the whole wing!"
Essdara smiles a bit, "He does seem to be rather a good wingleader. I like him." She leans against the bluerider. "Shards, I don't know what's with me lately. Everyt time I turn around, I'm finding something to keep me from being happy." She turns her head to look towards the blue, and smiles again, "He's always so energetic and mischivous. What was it like when you were a weyrling with him?"
T'zen laughs, glancing at Uneth himself. The dragon in turn regards the two soakers with merry whirling eyes, and offers a rumble, tail end whipping about. The man adjusts his arm around the girl as she leans in, and idly caresses the far shoulder with hand as he looks out ahead of him to the far end of the cavern, thinking, "Ah. It was worse, I tell you. Uneth got into everything." He snickers. "Everything. Still does, shardin' dragon. And to keep him grounded. Hoo." He shakes his head again. "Kinda tough when you want to be in the air so badly y'self."
Essdara chuckles softly, "I can't even begin to imagine what that it like. Well, I can, a bit. I've had enough friends Impress to have watched the process my share of times. But Uneth, he's something else. I don't think I have ever seen or heard of another dragon so innocent, and yet so full of mischief. And in the air, he's amazing."
Mischief might have something to do with the rider, but T'zen's the wrong person to corner on that. He merely shrugs. "Every dragon's different. Much rather have a happy one than some o' the gloomy ones I see." And then he nods his head her way, as though imparting a secret, oblivious that he could implicate himself by it, "But I suspect the riders make 'em so." He then looks up, because now the great blue head of Uneth hovers over them, warbling as he watches.. and drips water. "Une!"
Essdara looks up at the blue, and giggles. "So, he's so full of mischief because you are? I guess I could see that. You must have been quite the handful yourself, then, before you Impressed. You grew up at a weyr?"
T'zen waves his free hand at the dragon. "Back, you. Yer rainin' on us!" Uneth meeks moves back, but settles nearby, quite interested in watching the pair. He then turns wide eyes at the girl. "What? /Me?/ I don't get into mischief." Right. He shakes his head at her next question. "No, was a miner in training, in fact. M'pa's hold's not far from here. 'Round the mountain. Beholden to 'Reaches hold. Best gem mine in our region. Oh, I gots stories." He grins.
Essdara laughs softly, "Oh, I bet you do! Miners are a rough lot, explains a lot about you. You're kind of like one of the gems they dig up. Born rough and with sharp edges, until Uneth came along and polished you into something worth wearing. Or something like that. Stories... Tell me how you were Searched, then?"
T'zen grins widely, "Polishing me right good, what with launching me all over the place. And, by the way, yer lookin' at the finder of the largest gem found in them caves." A moment's pause to let the glory sink in. Or something. Uneth flutters his wings to get out more water, and then settles for a nap. Boring. "Anyways," the rider continues, gesturing with his free hand while keeping Essdara snug under his other arm. "So's my bros were darin' me, see? Told me it was impossible t'string a rope across two trees we had on the path to our hold. Not without a dragon's help, they said." He chuckles. "Well, I said it could be done. And they didn't believe me, so's I showed them." He nods matter-of-factly. "And they's weren't short tree, neither." He takes a breath before continuing..
Essdara grins in amusement, resting against him to listen to the story after giving the dragon an amused look. If she was down before, it seems to have faded.
"So, I'm good at climin'.. got me a rope, and went up the first tree. Got it tied off there, and picked a good sturdy branch near the top to work out from." He scratches at an itch on his chest, thinking about that day. "Well, I started t'think. Hey. I need a rock'r something to get the rope across to the other tree. Didn't think 'bout that afore coming up. But I thought. Mebbe I can just jump." He beams at the girl, offering a moment's pause for effect. "Wouldn't you know it? Just as I'm getting ready to take the leap- woulda made it, y'know- suddenly I'm starin' down the muzzle of this brown dragon, see? Right surprised, I was. Didn't even see him comin'. And his rider says, hey you." He laughs. "Hey you, he says, what in shells are you doin' up there?" Somehow he's finding that moment extraordinarily funny, and loses his story in mirth. "Oh yes. Shoulda seen the look on my bros' faces. Oh, priceless."
Essdara giggles softly, "So, in the end, a dragon /stopped/ you from doing it, instead of /helping/? And then, I guess, when you got down, decided anyone as fearless and daring as you," Teasing him, of course! "Would be wasted on the miners, so lured you back to the weyr with a promise of sweets and snacks?"
T'zen was quite certain Essdara was truly praising him, and puffs up in pride, right until the part where food is brought as the sole reason he was Searched. He turns a sinister pout at the girl, and digs a couple fingers into her wholly exposed side in a retaliatory tickle. "Yeh. They's told me there was Essdara, best cook on Pern, and I couldn't-" Tickle. "-stay away." Uneth's watching again. This is not boring. But then he starts crooning, and T'zen looks over at him. "Aww, right then." Mercifully stopping, he says, "Une needs his oil now."
Essdara gacks and squirms, giggling and trying to get away, splashing at him, "Don'tdothat!" When he stops, she darts to the other side of the pool, glaring, but with a smile. "Oh, I see, tickle and run. /Fine/. ButI'm not helping, I just got clean!" A more honest smile, "See you both later?"
T'zen laughs as the girl gets away and stands. "Well, I could just stay and tickle. But Une really needs me." He grins wickedly at the girl, waggling a threatening finger, before turning it into a wave. "Aye. I'll be down in the kitchens right after this, mark my words. Not letting those meatrolls wait a moment longer!" And with that he's out of the pool and off to the oil supplies, dragon in tow.
Essdara hrmphs, and gets in the parting shot, "Unless I get there and eat them first!"