The Stars Fall, Part 1
IC Date: Day 11, Month 10, Turn 21
OOC Date: January 16, 2010
Who: Just About Everyone
Where: Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr
(Log stolen from K'del.)
The meteor shower comes a liiiiittle bit too close. Gabe assists the injured.
What a night! Good thing these are meteors and not just normal stars, what with the skies not being as clear as they could be. At least, if the starsmiths are right, and they even show up. A harper's inspecting the dance square, a couple of oldsters are sitting on one of the benches brought out from the main cavern and watching the bakers and bartender get ready, and a few other people are kicking straw around to provide a more solid footing. The little girl's having /far/ too good a time, and Leova gives her wingmate, the child's mother, a sidelong look. "Don't think she'll poke herself with it? In the eye. Or something."
It's dark, which makes double-checking the to-do list a little harder, but Tiriana has commandeered a stray resident into holding the glow up for her, in lieu of her usual assistant at her side. Everything's checked off, double-checked, and satisfied, she sends her helper off to help the straw-kickers, because she is not doing any of that. She will, however, step over to check with one of the loaner starcrafters setting up one of the clunky telescopes the Weyr's borrowed for the evening.
Silarra busies herself spreading out straw, a half smile on her face. She kicks at a bit of it, spreading it out to cover the otherwist muddy ground. The bakers and bartender get a quick look, but then she's back to work, tugging a warm coat closer around her.
A chain of boys runs, yelling, through the thick of things, a few of them leaping benches, one of them not making it and leaving muddy footprints before cutting corners and skidding into a turn close by the telescopes. There is cursing. But look! Also torches. Torches are being carried in as well. To light the sky, presumably, and not the straw. Probably.
Working is not on W'chek's agenda for the moment, though he's come down a bit early. He's got a looking-for-someone thing going on, lots of neck-craning and whatnot. He gives the straw a wide berth as soon as he spots the fire. "Does that seem like a bad idea to anyone else?" he inquires of whoever happens to be nearby, but goes back to trying to look for whoever-it-is.
Shad arrives at the lake a bit early, dodging around the people scurrying around putting things out where they belonged as he went. He was looking forward to tonight, and the meteorite display.
Pulling his coat closer, K'del makes his way down towards the lakeshore without paying much attention to the people ahead of him: his eyes are on the sky, not that there's so much to see there, yet. "Don't rain," he commands it, even if the clouds have been clearing. There's no response, but no one especially expects that. After nearly knocking down a group of excitable children, he turns his attention back down to earth, keeping an eye out on the preparations instead. Whit's comment happens to catch his attention; "Can't just sit here in the dark, can we?" he remarks, though adds, "Supposedly the meteor things should give some light, though, I guess."
"You're a... bad idea," is the best sort of comeback Tiriana can come back with, as W'chek's words catch her ears. Even she seems to find it lacking, though, shaking her head slightly as soon as the words come out of her mouth. "What do you want?" she comes back with a slightly smarter rejoinder, if only for sheer openendedness.
Apparently the bluerider isn't too worried about her kid poking her eyes out, though those torches... maybe she's on the same wavelength as Whit after all, because she yells out for her kid to come back, now. Leova abandons the protesting in favor of getting a good-sized armful of hay and lugging it in Silarra's direction: "Ready for some more?" she asks, all disheveled rusty hair and a tired half-smile. /Vrianth/ may be perched atop the Rim, watching, but she's gone and got herself volunteered.
Silarra looks up as she's addressed and sends a quick grin Leova's way. "I think so. Fun job here, getting to kick stuff and not even get in trouble for it." She jokes towards the rider. "Thanks."
SWOOSH. That would be Isforaith, scaring the crap out of a bunch of seasoned riders who should know better to shy so violently at Impending Doom via Large Blue Dragon, but... this /is/ Raith, after all. Z'yi scales his way down after the blue actually lands, slaps his rear leg, and up-up-and-away goes the darkling dragon. Any other would make the gesture look rakish, grand. On Raith, it just looks sort of awkward and gawky. Oh hey, look! Vrianth! Z'yi shakes his head, and cautiously starts out in the gloom, glancing here and there and-- not finding who he's looking for, evidently.
Gabrion heads over from the caverns to join the crowd by the lake, accompanied by a blonde girl who seems to have a different idea of how much personal space is appropriate than he does. He keeps edging away slightly, and she edges toward him again. At one point, she puts her hand on his arm, but he looks so uncomfortable that she takes it off again with a huff. Gabe is incredibly relieved to spot his cousin in the crowd. "Silarra! Hey," he calls over, smiling at her.
B'tal has dressed himself for a little bit cooler weather, his jacket and that rusty red scarf he's had for entirely too long. Jeibeth is no where in sight and likely already perched somewhere higher to await what B'tal has likely assured her is coming. As the greenrider comes nearer, his steps slow, obviously looking for certain people in particular and apparently not finding them straight away.
"Hello to you, too, Weyrwoman." W'chek is polite to Tiriana. Distressingly polite. Alarmingly polite. Call-the-news-crews polite. Or well, he would be if there were such things as local television news. "I'm looking for B'tal. Got some lovely news. Figured he might be here by now. Glad it's not raining today, at least." Since W'chek is still looking around, his eye seizes on that particular greenrider first--"Bety!" called in that direction, with a waving arm of hello-here-I-am.
Not only riders duck when Isforaith flies in. Shad does too, then shakes his head at himself as he heads over towards the main group of people. "Hello, everyone." He calls.
Yyth swoops into a place that is not precisely clear of people, throwing up as much sand as she possibly can manage. P'ax scolds her half-heartedly as he's sliding down and then promptly covers his face with his elbow as she takes off again to make space. "Sharding dragon," he curses to himself and heads along the outskirts of the firelight.
All eyes on Whit. For a few moments anyway. K'del, evidently in a good mood of his own, remarks to Tiriana - since they're so nearby and all - "Must be something weird getting in to him. Just some pretty lights and really far away rocks, right?" Weirdo. W'chek, that is. Not Tiriana, for once. He digs his hands into his pockets, hesitating, as though he's torn between attempting actual conversation with the Weyrwoman, or moving on to someone more likely to be... receptive.
Leova holds still for Silarra to grab what she needs, in lieu of a you're-welcome. "With you there," she agrees, one corner of her mouth turning up. "Won't offer to let you kick my shins, if it's all the same to..." Gabrion. She breaks off, the better to attempt to shove straw into his arms if he comes near. "C'mon, kid. Give her," them, "a hand." At least they're out in the center of things, not over there where the sand's flying and the complaining's picking up, why-can't-we-watch without-a-dragon-showing-off.
"Like what?" Tiriana is instantly suspicious of W'chek's happiness. Who wouldn't be? She is, in fact, suspicious enough that she'll share a look with K'del, brows lifting as though he can make sense of it. When he can't, she shrugs, lets it go, and instead offers a cool "Weyrleader. You look--presentable." It's a compliment. Really.
That might be a snort of amusement from Laurienth for Isforaith's scaring of those riders, but no more than that as she turns from her rider and pads away from the collection of people quite deliberately before crouching to spring up into the sky and away. Ebeny watches her every pace of the way and only starts to take steps of her own once the green is in the air. She moves slowly, peering past and almost through people, arms folded and hands tucked up opposing sleeves.
Above, the clouds shift in the wind, revealing patches of sky at intervals before they're closed up again. There do, at least, seem to be /more/ patches of night-dark sky, scattered with stars, over time, at least. So... that's something? And no rain. Even so, a few of the starsmiths fussing with telescopes are grumbling about wanting better conditions.
"Glad to know I'm not the only one," Z'yi falling in step with P'ax as he's so conveniently /right there/. There's a smirk on wide mouth, wry amusement in dark eyes. "I think Boreal is going to be out to get me tomorrow. May have given old B'rel a heart attack," with a slant of gaze over to the old greenrider.
Milani was supervising the set up right up until the hour of doom, so to speak and is now off to the side curling Milandra up in her sling underneath her coat, the baby all tucked in and comfy and hopefully soon, asleep. "Jossin's keeping track of the food," she tells Giorda with a little nod, then pauses to shove hands into pockets and look up at the sky for a few seconds as the wind blows clouds aside.
Silarra smirks over to Leova. "I don't blame you. Shin kicks are on the painful side." She takes a good chunk of straw moving just to side to start spreading it out. "Gabe! Come help!" Her cousin gets a genuine smile before she spots the blond beside him. The smile quickly fades to a glare as she looks at the blond's attempts to stay close.
Gabrion has straw in his arms. Awesome. "Uh, what're we doing with this?" he asks Silarra blankly. But it's an excuse to not have his arm grabbed. He cuts his arms to the side and volunteers his companion. "Jess'll help, too," he says to Leova, a bright smile appearing on his face. With whatever it is they're doing.
The B'tal in question turns his head quickly toward the sound of his name and a smile pulls to one corner of his mouth as he starts heading in W'chek's direction. With all the people around, when he gets close, it's just that. Close. But his smile is a little bigger and he glances up at the bronzerider. "I wasn't sure you'd actually be out here."
Somewhere between this afternoon and this evening, resignation has waned just a little bit. As has good sense. Because W'chek's cheerful rejoinder to both K'del and Tiriana is, "We're going to have a baby." Okay, then. Right. That's totally sensible-sounding under the circumstances. Then there's a beam in B'tal's direction as he draws up: "I was looking for you!"
K'del, already in the process of beginning to shrug his shoulders in a display of 'who the shell knows' to Tiriana, stops rather completely short in the wake of W'chek's news. Blink. Blinkblink. "Buh?" is his intelligent reply, so truly impressive that it takes him quite a few seconds to recover enough to do more than stare after the departing bronzerider. "I am so confused." Beat. "But you look good. As always. Has W'chek gone completely mad, do you think?"
"Gabe. Jess," Leova confirms with a sharp nod to each, and readily gives over the hay she's got. At least if Jess doesn't run first. /She/ starts wiping her jacket down, then, a few sharp get-it-off gestures, "Should be almost done, anyhow, I reckon, just get this down and... I think they got blankets and stuff, over there." Her additional nod marks the headwoman's staff. "Them as who don't want benches, or at least, not cricks in their necks."
That squawking noise you hear is Tiriana, trying to get out, "/What/?" in between a coughing fit and pure outrage. In fact, she's so off-balance by that declaration that she involuntarily reaches out for K'del's arm. "What... just happened here?" she asks him, brows furrowing all up as she looks between Weyrleader and W'chek.
Silarra looks back to Gabe. "We're spreading out straw, and then some blankets so that people who want to sprawl out and watch the sky stuff don't end up looking like they've been rolling in the mud." She explains, finishing kicking out the new bit she'd gotten.
A number of helpers have now moved on to spreading blankets atop the straw in areas where it's been finished with, providing more places for people to sit - or even lie down - though as yet, there's not too much to see up above. A few people, bored already, have already started in on the drinks - and still others seem determined to head around the rocks for a quieter, less populated viewing spot.
"Oh hey, good idea!" Milani remarks as she catches Silarra's comment and smiles. "How are you two doing this evening? Looking forward to the show?" Another squint upward. "If the sky cooperates." Another grin sent Leova's way. "Hey Leova."
Gabrion ohs, nodding to Leova, and goes to throw his straw on the ground and spread it out next to Silarra's batch. "Sounds good enough. Did you stake out a spot? I didn't think of it, or bringing a blanket or anything. I didn't think there were going to be this many people here..." At his elbow, Jess speaks up. "I have a blanket, silly!" she says. "You can sit on it, too, if you want," she says grudgingly to Silarra. "I think there's room, if we all squish."
B'tal is looking a little confused himself because with his attention already in the bronzerider's direction, he must have thought he heard something that just couldn't have been the case. And since it really couldn't have been he's left just starting at W'chek uncertainly and waiting for him to continue.
Silarra smiles over to Milani. "I'm doing well." She states before she turns to just stare over at Jess. "Oh no. There is no shardin' way I'm squishing onto a blanket with you. I'd roll in the mud first." She turns to look back to Gabrion. "Haven't staked out a place yet, but we're spreading out lots of common blankets. Thought I'd get a drink first." There's a quick look to Jess before she states. "Maybe a strong drink."
The rusty head turns, the greenrider smiles, though Leova makes it a, "Headwoman," given their company. Especially after the sidelong glance she spares Jess, and another after Silarra's response. She settles for, "Speaking of: can you drink anything interesting? Can get you a mug, think Anvori said something about mulling some of that cider. Even if it's not spiked."
Whatever the reason, Ebeny seems content to linger at the edge of the gathering, that is until a young boy and girl sneak up on her, tug her arms from their knot and start guiding (dragging) her to a destination only they seem to know. "Tarran, careful, you'll trip someone," the greenrider has time to protest, following after even if she does look a little unbalanced. "I said /careful/, mind out," she continues on, trying to tug in turn and prevent the kids treading on people's feet. "Sorry!" she exclaims, just as it appears the girl with her might just go and tread on one of Silarra's feet, not watching where she's going.
Gabrion waves to Milani, and starts to say something to her, but Jess huffs in offense at Silarra's words and starts to draw herself up to make a fiery retort, and he finds himself rushing to try to defuse the situation. "Okay, okay, okay!" he says frantically. "She's just kidding around, Jess, it's fine, take it easy, okay?" The look he casts at Silarra, together with the jerk of his hands, says: WTF was that for? "We'll get another blanket. It's all gonna be fine."
"Not crazy!" W'chek calls back vaguely in K'del and Tiriana's direction, but his attention is now on B'tal. "Madilla got promoted. And she wants to have a baby. With me!" Pause. "Us!" Cheery. "What do you think? I told her I had to check with you, first." He puts his arm 'round the greenrider's shoulders. "I don't think we should necessary tell a lot of people right away, mind." Never mind how half the Weyr has now already heard. "She said she has to wait like six months."
K'del's lucky, lucky arm. Which gets extended towards the Weyrwoman helpfully, his other reaching out to hover nearby just in case it's needed. That's about all the active attention she gets though: he stares after the bronzerider, angling his head to see if he can't hear more of what gets said to B'tal. Under his breath, he tells Tiriana, "/So/ confused. Creeped out, genuinely-- did he just say-- he really /is/ crazy. Right?"
"Sure, just not too much," Milani tells Leova with a smile and peeks downward. "Out like a light in there," she says in a satisfied tone and eyeballs the back and forth between cousins and Jess. Leaning a little closer to Leova she murmurs in an undertone: "Has it been like this since they got out here?"
"Faranth help us all. Don't worry, I'll fix her," Tiriana mutters back to K'del what is surely meant to be a reassuring statement. More ominous is the glower directed at W'chek, followed by, "Or him." She shakes her head to try to dismiss that very thought, and turns her attention skyward in lieu of better things to watch. "I thought they said this thing was supposed to start soon. Should go find Rev and stake out a spot."
Dressed warmly, Eldena walks hunting for a spot where others have gathered. She picks her way carefully through people and more than once tripping and tumbling into people. "Excuse me, Sorry." She says softly.
Silarra jumps back as her foot is stepped on. She looks for a second like she's going to say something angry, but then, it's a kid. "Watch out." Is all she says instead, with /almost/ no bark in her voice. Gabe gets a roll of her eyes for the statement that she was joking. "Right. Because nothing would be better than squishing up with you or with my /cousin/." There's a bit of an ick tone to that statement. And then she relaxes some as she looks over towards Leova and Milani. "Looking forward to seeing the sky meteor light stuff?" She asks over.
Leova leans in reply if not to look, taking Millie's word for it about her girl: "Hadn't /seen/ anything. She was just helping, the girl with... the eyebrows, there, and then the other two showed up. Here. Be back." She hitches her shoulder and heads for the drinks table after a nod Silarra's way, stopping only when she runs into Eldena. Literally. "/Careful/."
"Fix /her/?" repeats K'del, sounding both mystified and uncertain. And then: "Maybe ought to leave him alone. He seems... happy?" But his gaze follows Tiriana's upwards, and he nods. "Supposed to. Cadejoth's all impatient. See you later, then." Abandoned. Again. "Guess I'll go get a drink." Which he does, all on his lonesome, hanging out in the queue behind a group of boorish young men all shorter, but much, much heavier than him, clearly on rather more than their first beers.
At first, it's just one, visible in the sky like a burst of flame, crossing the skyline far above the spires in the space of a few seconds. A few of the smaller children, allowed to stay up for the occasion, let out little gasps of delight - gasps that turn into even louder exclamations as a few more meteors become visible, lighting the sky in an eerie display of wonder. Under that light, the clouds turn pearlescent and beautiful, shifting under the ghostly lights shooting onwards through the sky.
B'tal blinks, stares for a moment, then blinks again. His mouth opens but nothing comes out right off. Perhaps he's forgotten how to speak. Finally, stilted; "I know-- I mean. I know she got promoted-- Us? Baby?" There's a very faint, uncertain smile trying to form. "That's-- I don't know what to say." He's overwhelmed, clearly.
"See," Gabe says to Jess, "she messes with me all the time, it's just a joke, no big thing..." Oh look, meteors! He points. "It's starting!" That ought to be enough of a distraction, right? "Where are you sitting?" he asks Silarra. "We'll put our blanket by yours, you won't have to squish anyone but the bugs." He grins at her.
Thumbs up to Leova at that explanation. "Right," and Milani straightens up, catches the sound of Ebeny's voice. "Evening, Ebeny!" she calls over and nods an answer to Silarra's query. "Oh definitely, I -- ooooooo," because it's starting and the headwoman's gaze tilts upward.
Clearly, P'ax is underwhelmed by Z'yi's attention: thus, the bluerider turns to the nearest little knot of people, shifting his eyes to the sky at the first 'ooooh' and excited gasp. And then-- "Hey, Ben," amiably as Z'yi meanders up next to his clutchmate. "Got your hands full?" He cranes his head back to watch the latest sky addition, distracted.
This is what qualifies as 'yes' in W'chek's world. His hand squeezes B'tal's shoulder. "Great. Great. It's a good day." Yes, he's happy. Let the world end now. "Did you want something to drink? We should get something to drink--" That's when he spots the first of the lights in the sky. "Oh, hey. There they are! Those kids seem pretty thrilled." Smile, smile, smile. "Guess we can get a drink later. You want to sit down?" Pulling his weyrmate off in a direction that does not include, for example, P'ax or Z'yi. It's so helpful when the people you're trying to avoid are obnoxiously tall.
"Yeah. Happy," Tiriana says, eyeing K'del as though obviously he has missed that part. It earns a sigh from her, but she lets him and that arm go quite willingly. While he goes to get a drink, she loiters about for a minute, though she doesn't actually go looking for her weyrmate just yet. Instead, she meanders a bit, checking with starcrafters, peering at the sky, and people-watching in general for the time being.
Silarra looks up to the first of the shooting stars watching them light up the sky for a moment. "Fine. That one. Why don't you set up next to that." She states pointing off. "I'm going to go grab us drinks. I'll be right back." And she's slip off following Leova's path towards the refreshements.
"Are they going to FALL ON US?" one small child asks her mother, suddenly desperately afraid as she stares upwards. "I don't want them to fall on us!" Her tears result in her mother hastily gathering the child up, promising enthusiastically that, no, silly, they're not going to fall on us.
It'll take a while for Leova to get back to Milani at this rate, what with all the people looking upward, some of them standing up but far too many of them down on the ground where they can get walked over. Focused on navigating past the feather-haired girl and onward, she doesn't stare at the sky despite the oohs and ahhs, but there gets to be a curve to her mouth anyway. Even without the telltale glaze to a rider's eyes. And then it deepens, and then she steps onward with Silarra as her tail, heading for the queue and whoever's lined up after K'del.
Gabrion helps Jess spread out the blanket and sits down next to her. He grins over at Milani. "How's the baby?" he asks. Jess says, too loudly, "Ooooh, you had your baby! Congratulations, what did you call him?"
Even though it's not directed at her, it's Ebeny who shrinks back just a touch at Silarra's voice whilst the culprit herself stands her ground, glaring up. "Say you're sorry," the greenrider tells the child, but there's going to be no such thing and the girl breaks from her side and runs, little mind paid to the sky. She's watched by Ebeny until she finds someone else to harass and green eyes finally leave her, turning briefly to the sky, then to Milani and Z'yi. "Evening, Milani," she responds with a smile. One hand on the remaining child's shoulder to stop him running off, she nods and shoots a quick grin her clutchsibling's way. "Evening, Z'yi. I didn't sign up for it, I admit, but then they sort of kidnapped me," she says of the kids. At least the little boy is quiet. "What do you think of this, then?" is asked with a nod towards the night sky, question directed at anyone within earshot, it seems
"She's just fine," Milani answers Gabrion and pats the bump-out of her coat. "Sleeping right here." And she holds up her finger to her lips for Jess' too-loud. "Her name's Milandra and that is awfully pretty," the headwoman says of the skyward display.
Considering he doesn't quite have the wherewithal to do much else but go along with W'chek, B'tal does just that, letting the bronzerider lead him wherever until he can sit somewhere. He glances in the direction of, well, up and says, "Drink later." Probably lots of questions going on in his head but he opts for staying mostly quiet and leaning against his weyrmate instead to watch the sky.
As the stars begin to fall she turns her head skyward. "Oh." she says softly. She swallows, Eldena looks up and find a good place to sit down and watches the stars fall. She looks around at the groups of people.
The drinks line is moving even /more/ slowly now that there's something to see above, mostly because people are getting too distracted to actually move forward when someone else does. At least the brutish young men seem eager enough, pushing ahead, which gives K'del the option to, as well. /His/ gaze settles on Leova, though, by chance, and he grins; "Leova, hey! Looks kind of neat, don't you think?"
Silarra falls into that line right behind Leova. She tilts her head back to watch the meteors even as she waits. "They're real pretty." She states, maybe answering K'del even though she wasn't adressed.
"Wicked awesome," Gabe agrees with Milani, his head tipped up to watch the meteors. Jess, on the other hand, is focused on Milani's baby. "That's such a cute name! Really adorable," she coos. "Can I hold her?"
"Hm?" Leova has to look up, and then laugh, if more of a half-laugh than anything. "Does that. Vrianth says she /wants/ one," and then the comment behind her has her glancing back to Silarra, smiling, making just a little more room. "Did they say how often this sort of thing is supposed to happen? Remembered them being tinier, before."
"Of course," Z'yi to Ebeny: "They have a way of doing that, don't they." He cranes his neck back unabashed, and his 'ooh' is more felt than heard, so low in deep bass. Amusement flashes bright for a moment, and his eyes drop to search the crowd for a certain rusty-haired woman; all of it takes less than a few seconds, and then it's back to star-watching. "It's pretty." Did Isz just use the word 'pretty'? For something that isn't the curve of Tiri's-- um, elbow?
"Wicked awesome," Milani echoes Gabe with a chuckle and looks down at Jess. "No, she's all comfortable and asleep and buried down in about three layers right now, so I'd rather not take her out of the sling," the headwoman tells blondie girlfriend there.
While B'tal appreciates the lights in the sky, W'chek tries very hard to do the same after the first sixty seconds or so. Then he spends another few minutes appreciating B'tal instead. And then ends up making some longing looks in the direction of the drinks. "I think I'm going to go get something. But I'll be right back. Unless you want to come?"
Since he's already looking in that kind of direction, K'del smiles warmly at Silarra as she responds. "They are," he agrees, firmly. "Though--" and this is towards Leova, "I've no idea. Never seen anything like this before, that's for sure. These ones seem /huge/. And bright. Guess that's good for us, with the spectacular element, but... Cadejoth wants one, too. Wants to go fly with them, chase them, or something." There's affection there, but also, a roll of the eyes.''
Dragon> << If you caught one, >> Vrianth says all at once, out of nowhere, << What would you do with it? >> (Vrianth to Cadejoth)
The meteors are now coming thick and fast, the sky completely full - as far as it's possible to see, given the clouds - of the flaming rocks, falling, falling, falling. It does rather look like they're headed straight for the weyr, but they clearly aren't: it's all just a trick of perspective. The Starcrafters? Seem /thrilled/, all talk of, "Best I've ever seen!" and "Incredible!"
"Babies are just so adorable!" Jess says to Milani, unrepressed despite the discouraging response to her request. "I just love babies. You must be really happy! I can't wait until," she pauses, "until I have one myself one day. It must just be so much fun." Gabe looks like he'd like to sink into the ground about now; he focuses on the meteors and doesn't say anything.
Dragon> Quick as anything, is Cadejoth's response. << Let it go and chase it again! And watch it burn. >> Flames and metal, rock tinkling against metal: shinyprettywow! (Cadejoth to Vrianth)
B'tal is not unused to being appreciated by W'chek but it's not usually where there are many other people around. He's not quite uncomfortable but there is, certainly, some awareness on his part of both. "No, I'll come," he says, shifting to get up quickly. A drink sounds very good.
Dragon> << It would not burn forever. >> Would it? (Vrianth to Cadejoth)
Dragon> Firmly: << I would /make/ it burn. With my flame. >> It has to work! (Cadejoth to Vrianth)
Dragon> To that, Vrianth images Cadejoth spitting out a dead meteor like so much already-chewed firestone. Spurt! (Vrianth to Cadejoth)
Deep breath from Milani and she musters a smile. "It's nice when you're ready to have a family, sure," the headwoman tells Jess. "And while they're cute and do funny things that make you laugh, you don't get a whole lot of sleep and there's a lot of poop and sometimes your boobs randomly squirt milk." Telling it like it is, a form of birth control? "Jess, look, look!" Millie says wide-eyed as the sky fills up. Please let her get distracted.
Talk of babies is enough to send Tiriana scurrying back the other way as soon as she nears Milani, Jess, and other cooing female types; at least she has a readier escape than poor Gabe, stuck in the middle. Of course, her escape is to head toward the drink table, which means B'tal and W'chek, which means... even the gays aren't safe anymore. Sigh. And this one, she really can't leave alone, either. "So tell me B'tal at least gets to do the actual knocking up," is her opening line.
Dragon> To Vrianth, Cadejoth adds a little weak-looking smoke to the poor little dead meteor, and a note of sadness. Poor thing. << They're more fun up there, maybe. >> Sad.
From the tiny smirk and how Ebeny's gaze flickers back towards the bluerider for a moment, it would seem that 'pretty' is a word that she wasn't expecting from Z'yi. Laughing very softly, she agrees, "Yes, it is. It is rather beautiful." Content to watch the sky for a bit, her silence is interrupted by the young boy with her. "Ben. /Ben/, I want to find Mama." Affecting a long-suffering sigh, she simply nods in reply to him, then quietly excuses herself from present company. "I'd better find Elyanna. Laurienth says she wants to show me the view from the perch she's found too, so... Have a good evening, Milani, Z'yi." Another smile and she turns, lifting the boy into her arms and goes to return him to his - their - mother.
Silarra doesn't seem too worried about getting through the line quickly. She'll watch happily from here away from annoying girls. "They're really high, though right? The dragons couldn't actually fly with them?" She doesn't sound one hundred percent sure about that.
"Ew!" Jess says to Milani's comments. "They don't really? Your shirts would get ruined!" When she looks up at the meteors again, what she sees causes her to shriek and grab Gabe's arm. "AUGH! THEY'RE COMING RIGHT AT US!" she wails, loudly enough to be heard in Tillek. Gabe looks annoyed, and clambers to his feet. "Cut it out, they are not, they're just..." but he looks up again, blinking worriedly. /Are/ they?
"Huh." And then, "Wonder how many other Gathers are out there, watching." And to Silarra, "Vrianth thinks we could. Halfway want to give it a try. Can't be safe, but," Leova lifts a shoulder, starts to say something further, but her smile shifts at all that yelling back a ways. It's enough to tighten her shoulders halfway into her spine.
Hey, at least W'chek didn't bring it up this time. "That wasn't the plan, no." Not that B'tal has really been involved in this plan exactly. He's there to be arm candy or something. W'chek is making good use of him as arm candy, all proprietary not-quite-touching. Far more than usual in public. Good mood. Yeah. "Why do you care?" to Tiriana. His attention to the meteor shower has pretty much petered out, now. The half life for 'natural beauty' is short in his perception.
Milani relief briefly paints Milani's face as Jess gets suitably redirected away from baby-cooing, only to cause the headwoman to wince as she wails and shrieks. Sidling a step or two away, Milani nods as Ebeny takes her leave. "Good luck!" is offered over and a breath taken before she nods Z'yi's way. "Pretty impressive, isn't it?" The sky, presumably.
"I think they're /pretty/ high," hazards K'del, glancing from Silarra to Leova and then back again. "Could be interesting, flying that close, but... they're, like, big flaming things, I think? Up close. So that really /wouldn't/ be safe." The yelling catches his attention, too, and he has to stifle a grin: "Sounds like it's not just the little kids who're scared of them." The line moves forward, slowly.
Silarra turns to look at the shriek and just rolls her eyes. "Figures she's be shreiking like a tiny, whiny kid." Silarra mutters under her breath before she looks up again. "Yeah. Giant flaming balls of rock? Probably not really the safest thing to be anywhere near. But from this far away they're super to watch."
For all that he's moving along toward the drinks with W'chek, B'tal is still kind of trying to watch the sky. It's Tiriana's comment that jerk's the greenrider's attention back to ground and he flushes in a manner that probably makes him glad it's dark-ish out. "No, I--" but W'chek is talking then and B'tal falls silent and shifts forward to actually get himself a now much needed drink.
The screaming earns a look from Tiriana, who rolls her eyes and announces loudly, "Pathetic little wimps." A shake of her head, and distracted, she peers back at W'chek. "Because," as though that's reason enough. More specifically, "He's better-looking. And I'd hazard smarter, even if he doesn't use it much. I mean, after all, his line popped out Teris, so there's good blood there /some/where." Such compliments!
"/Trick/ is, getting at them before they burn out, just before," and Leova's gotten a distinctly speculative air to her, leaning up on the balls of her feet, even if her shoulders haven't quite relaxed. After a second, sharper look at Silarra, she glances back over her shoulder then. Towards the silhouettes atop the Rim. Beyond to where the watchdragon lurks and stares with his wings fallen back to his sides. And then all of a sudden she's leaning forward, past K'del, "Decide already, will you?" Sure, they're boys built wide, but that's not stopping her.
Now Jess gets to her feet, too, and gives Gabe a look of much hurt for his pulling away. "I'm going inside," she says shortly, and stomps off in a huff. "Jess!" he calls after her, frustrated, but she pretends not to hear. He throws his hands up and turns away, then takes a few steps toward Milani. "Sorry for all that," he mumbles, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I hope she didn't wake up the baby."
"Looks aren't everything." This is W'chek's stuffy response to *that* particular criticism. He's not going to try to claim that this isn't true, after all. People have eyes. They'll figure that one out. "And Teris isn't any smarter than anybody else. Just angrier." Okay, so B'tal might not be too happy to hear that about his sister; W'chek shrugs a little towards him. "Er, sorry. But... you know." Then a glare at the Weyrwoman. "And what do you know about children? When are *you* having some?"
"This-- far away," murmurs K'del, sounding as though he's thinking deeply about something, but whatever it is, he snaps back out of it as Leova leans past to talk to those boys. Who... surprisingly, actually listen, moving aside with their drinks a matter of moments later. The Weyrleader's response to the greenrider is a brilliant smile, as he steps forward to take /his/ turn.
Looks up at the sound of people talking about children, the young lower caverns worker giggles. "Oh dear," Eldena says softly.
Z'yi is distracted by the show, fingers flickering a farewell to Ben's departure. "Who's a wimp?" Because he's meandered over closer to Tiriana and the flamers. "Wh--" Dark eyes glance over, then seem to regret doing so. There's W'chek. And B'tal. "Oh. Never mind. I can guess," drolly commented as he makes to amble away from the trio.
Silarra spots Jess stalking away and just grins, her shoulders relaxing. "Nice job." She comments to Leova on getting the big guys to move on, not seeming to notice, or care, about the sharp look. She peers to the table checking out what drinks are available, so she'll be ready when her turn comes soon.
Mostly, now that he's found something to drink, which B'tal swallows in a fashion quicker than is entirely appropriate, the greenrider is just listening and trying not to look a little, well, almost green around the edges there. A look is shot toward W'chek for the comment about his sister but there's no real protest. "I really don't think I'd--" the thought is left unfinished and he just shakes his head, noting Z'yi but not moving off to hide behind him.
"Not them," Tiriana says to Z'yi. "I mean, at least not this time. The screamers over there--the ones getting hysterical over absolutely nothing." She pitches her voice just right to carry after the stomping off Jess for good measure. As for her own reproductive choices, she draws herself up straighter, directing a lofty look at the bronzerider. "Whenever I damn well please," is the best she can come up with.
The Weyrleader's greeted with an expansive gesture and a quip or two, that don't stint the two behind him: there's beer and plenty of it, some of the new wine, hard cider and mulled cider with spices, and a so-confidential mention that he can come up with something special for the man. Fruit, perhaps? Apparently the bartender isn't worn out, nowhere near. Leova, though, she gives the dark-haired man a muttered, "Wish you didn't have to /work/," as she reaches past the bronzerider for a couple mugs of that mulled cider, taking them to go. But it's lightly said, with a deepened curve to one corner of her mouth, a little bit of ritual.
"Uh-huh. And how many years are you planning on trotting out that excuse? Not that, Faranth knows, we need any more of *you*." W'chek smirks back at the Weyrwoman, then pats B'tal on the shoulder. "Maybe yours can be the *next* one." Not necessarily Madilla's, mind. But of course there have to be other children, right? One couldn't possibly be enough. "You probably would make much prettier children. 'Course, so would Teris, and I figure we'll see that one right 'bout the time that pigs fly."
It's so hard to tell how close some of these meteors are, given their differing sizes. They shower on down, heedless to the dramas of those below, most burning to nothing long before they make it through the world's atmosphere. Only most, though: there's one, getting steadily bigger, steadily less flame-covered, apparently falling closer, and closer, and-- CRUNCH.
It hits the Eye Rock with force, this enormous smoking boulder, and sends it hurtling downwards: they smack against bowl walls as they fall, filling the air with debris along with the screams, smashing downwards to land just barely beyond the open expanse of the lakeshore, to the southeast edge of the bowl.
Far above, there's a scream of pain, the watchdragon with one wing in tatters popping Between with his rider barely holding on.
Below, there are more screams, as the debris begins to land, a number of small but fast-moving pieces of rock smashing into the tables, the benches-- and spectators.
OOC Date: January 16, 2010
Who: Just About Everyone
Where: Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr
(Log stolen from K'del.)
The meteor shower comes a liiiiittle bit too close. Gabe assists the injured.
What a night! Good thing these are meteors and not just normal stars, what with the skies not being as clear as they could be. At least, if the starsmiths are right, and they even show up. A harper's inspecting the dance square, a couple of oldsters are sitting on one of the benches brought out from the main cavern and watching the bakers and bartender get ready, and a few other people are kicking straw around to provide a more solid footing. The little girl's having /far/ too good a time, and Leova gives her wingmate, the child's mother, a sidelong look. "Don't think she'll poke herself with it? In the eye. Or something."
It's dark, which makes double-checking the to-do list a little harder, but Tiriana has commandeered a stray resident into holding the glow up for her, in lieu of her usual assistant at her side. Everything's checked off, double-checked, and satisfied, she sends her helper off to help the straw-kickers, because she is not doing any of that. She will, however, step over to check with one of the loaner starcrafters setting up one of the clunky telescopes the Weyr's borrowed for the evening.
Silarra busies herself spreading out straw, a half smile on her face. She kicks at a bit of it, spreading it out to cover the otherwist muddy ground. The bakers and bartender get a quick look, but then she's back to work, tugging a warm coat closer around her.
A chain of boys runs, yelling, through the thick of things, a few of them leaping benches, one of them not making it and leaving muddy footprints before cutting corners and skidding into a turn close by the telescopes. There is cursing. But look! Also torches. Torches are being carried in as well. To light the sky, presumably, and not the straw. Probably.
Working is not on W'chek's agenda for the moment, though he's come down a bit early. He's got a looking-for-someone thing going on, lots of neck-craning and whatnot. He gives the straw a wide berth as soon as he spots the fire. "Does that seem like a bad idea to anyone else?" he inquires of whoever happens to be nearby, but goes back to trying to look for whoever-it-is.
Shad arrives at the lake a bit early, dodging around the people scurrying around putting things out where they belonged as he went. He was looking forward to tonight, and the meteorite display.
Pulling his coat closer, K'del makes his way down towards the lakeshore without paying much attention to the people ahead of him: his eyes are on the sky, not that there's so much to see there, yet. "Don't rain," he commands it, even if the clouds have been clearing. There's no response, but no one especially expects that. After nearly knocking down a group of excitable children, he turns his attention back down to earth, keeping an eye out on the preparations instead. Whit's comment happens to catch his attention; "Can't just sit here in the dark, can we?" he remarks, though adds, "Supposedly the meteor things should give some light, though, I guess."
"You're a... bad idea," is the best sort of comeback Tiriana can come back with, as W'chek's words catch her ears. Even she seems to find it lacking, though, shaking her head slightly as soon as the words come out of her mouth. "What do you want?" she comes back with a slightly smarter rejoinder, if only for sheer openendedness.
Apparently the bluerider isn't too worried about her kid poking her eyes out, though those torches... maybe she's on the same wavelength as Whit after all, because she yells out for her kid to come back, now. Leova abandons the protesting in favor of getting a good-sized armful of hay and lugging it in Silarra's direction: "Ready for some more?" she asks, all disheveled rusty hair and a tired half-smile. /Vrianth/ may be perched atop the Rim, watching, but she's gone and got herself volunteered.
Silarra looks up as she's addressed and sends a quick grin Leova's way. "I think so. Fun job here, getting to kick stuff and not even get in trouble for it." She jokes towards the rider. "Thanks."
SWOOSH. That would be Isforaith, scaring the crap out of a bunch of seasoned riders who should know better to shy so violently at Impending Doom via Large Blue Dragon, but... this /is/ Raith, after all. Z'yi scales his way down after the blue actually lands, slaps his rear leg, and up-up-and-away goes the darkling dragon. Any other would make the gesture look rakish, grand. On Raith, it just looks sort of awkward and gawky. Oh hey, look! Vrianth! Z'yi shakes his head, and cautiously starts out in the gloom, glancing here and there and-- not finding who he's looking for, evidently.
Gabrion heads over from the caverns to join the crowd by the lake, accompanied by a blonde girl who seems to have a different idea of how much personal space is appropriate than he does. He keeps edging away slightly, and she edges toward him again. At one point, she puts her hand on his arm, but he looks so uncomfortable that she takes it off again with a huff. Gabe is incredibly relieved to spot his cousin in the crowd. "Silarra! Hey," he calls over, smiling at her.
B'tal has dressed himself for a little bit cooler weather, his jacket and that rusty red scarf he's had for entirely too long. Jeibeth is no where in sight and likely already perched somewhere higher to await what B'tal has likely assured her is coming. As the greenrider comes nearer, his steps slow, obviously looking for certain people in particular and apparently not finding them straight away.
"Hello to you, too, Weyrwoman." W'chek is polite to Tiriana. Distressingly polite. Alarmingly polite. Call-the-news-crews polite. Or well, he would be if there were such things as local television news. "I'm looking for B'tal. Got some lovely news. Figured he might be here by now. Glad it's not raining today, at least." Since W'chek is still looking around, his eye seizes on that particular greenrider first--"Bety!" called in that direction, with a waving arm of hello-here-I-am.
Not only riders duck when Isforaith flies in. Shad does too, then shakes his head at himself as he heads over towards the main group of people. "Hello, everyone." He calls.
Yyth swoops into a place that is not precisely clear of people, throwing up as much sand as she possibly can manage. P'ax scolds her half-heartedly as he's sliding down and then promptly covers his face with his elbow as she takes off again to make space. "Sharding dragon," he curses to himself and heads along the outskirts of the firelight.
All eyes on Whit. For a few moments anyway. K'del, evidently in a good mood of his own, remarks to Tiriana - since they're so nearby and all - "Must be something weird getting in to him. Just some pretty lights and really far away rocks, right?" Weirdo. W'chek, that is. Not Tiriana, for once. He digs his hands into his pockets, hesitating, as though he's torn between attempting actual conversation with the Weyrwoman, or moving on to someone more likely to be... receptive.
Leova holds still for Silarra to grab what she needs, in lieu of a you're-welcome. "With you there," she agrees, one corner of her mouth turning up. "Won't offer to let you kick my shins, if it's all the same to..." Gabrion. She breaks off, the better to attempt to shove straw into his arms if he comes near. "C'mon, kid. Give her," them, "a hand." At least they're out in the center of things, not over there where the sand's flying and the complaining's picking up, why-can't-we-watch without-a-dragon-showing-off.
"Like what?" Tiriana is instantly suspicious of W'chek's happiness. Who wouldn't be? She is, in fact, suspicious enough that she'll share a look with K'del, brows lifting as though he can make sense of it. When he can't, she shrugs, lets it go, and instead offers a cool "Weyrleader. You look--presentable." It's a compliment. Really.
That might be a snort of amusement from Laurienth for Isforaith's scaring of those riders, but no more than that as she turns from her rider and pads away from the collection of people quite deliberately before crouching to spring up into the sky and away. Ebeny watches her every pace of the way and only starts to take steps of her own once the green is in the air. She moves slowly, peering past and almost through people, arms folded and hands tucked up opposing sleeves.
Above, the clouds shift in the wind, revealing patches of sky at intervals before they're closed up again. There do, at least, seem to be /more/ patches of night-dark sky, scattered with stars, over time, at least. So... that's something? And no rain. Even so, a few of the starsmiths fussing with telescopes are grumbling about wanting better conditions.
"Glad to know I'm not the only one," Z'yi falling in step with P'ax as he's so conveniently /right there/. There's a smirk on wide mouth, wry amusement in dark eyes. "I think Boreal is going to be out to get me tomorrow. May have given old B'rel a heart attack," with a slant of gaze over to the old greenrider.
Milani was supervising the set up right up until the hour of doom, so to speak and is now off to the side curling Milandra up in her sling underneath her coat, the baby all tucked in and comfy and hopefully soon, asleep. "Jossin's keeping track of the food," she tells Giorda with a little nod, then pauses to shove hands into pockets and look up at the sky for a few seconds as the wind blows clouds aside.
Silarra smirks over to Leova. "I don't blame you. Shin kicks are on the painful side." She takes a good chunk of straw moving just to side to start spreading it out. "Gabe! Come help!" Her cousin gets a genuine smile before she spots the blond beside him. The smile quickly fades to a glare as she looks at the blond's attempts to stay close.
Gabrion has straw in his arms. Awesome. "Uh, what're we doing with this?" he asks Silarra blankly. But it's an excuse to not have his arm grabbed. He cuts his arms to the side and volunteers his companion. "Jess'll help, too," he says to Leova, a bright smile appearing on his face. With whatever it is they're doing.
The B'tal in question turns his head quickly toward the sound of his name and a smile pulls to one corner of his mouth as he starts heading in W'chek's direction. With all the people around, when he gets close, it's just that. Close. But his smile is a little bigger and he glances up at the bronzerider. "I wasn't sure you'd actually be out here."
Somewhere between this afternoon and this evening, resignation has waned just a little bit. As has good sense. Because W'chek's cheerful rejoinder to both K'del and Tiriana is, "We're going to have a baby." Okay, then. Right. That's totally sensible-sounding under the circumstances. Then there's a beam in B'tal's direction as he draws up: "I was looking for you!"
K'del, already in the process of beginning to shrug his shoulders in a display of 'who the shell knows' to Tiriana, stops rather completely short in the wake of W'chek's news. Blink. Blinkblink. "Buh?" is his intelligent reply, so truly impressive that it takes him quite a few seconds to recover enough to do more than stare after the departing bronzerider. "I am so confused." Beat. "But you look good. As always. Has W'chek gone completely mad, do you think?"
"Gabe. Jess," Leova confirms with a sharp nod to each, and readily gives over the hay she's got. At least if Jess doesn't run first. /She/ starts wiping her jacket down, then, a few sharp get-it-off gestures, "Should be almost done, anyhow, I reckon, just get this down and... I think they got blankets and stuff, over there." Her additional nod marks the headwoman's staff. "Them as who don't want benches, or at least, not cricks in their necks."
That squawking noise you hear is Tiriana, trying to get out, "/What/?" in between a coughing fit and pure outrage. In fact, she's so off-balance by that declaration that she involuntarily reaches out for K'del's arm. "What... just happened here?" she asks him, brows furrowing all up as she looks between Weyrleader and W'chek.
Silarra looks back to Gabe. "We're spreading out straw, and then some blankets so that people who want to sprawl out and watch the sky stuff don't end up looking like they've been rolling in the mud." She explains, finishing kicking out the new bit she'd gotten.
A number of helpers have now moved on to spreading blankets atop the straw in areas where it's been finished with, providing more places for people to sit - or even lie down - though as yet, there's not too much to see up above. A few people, bored already, have already started in on the drinks - and still others seem determined to head around the rocks for a quieter, less populated viewing spot.
"Oh hey, good idea!" Milani remarks as she catches Silarra's comment and smiles. "How are you two doing this evening? Looking forward to the show?" Another squint upward. "If the sky cooperates." Another grin sent Leova's way. "Hey Leova."
Gabrion ohs, nodding to Leova, and goes to throw his straw on the ground and spread it out next to Silarra's batch. "Sounds good enough. Did you stake out a spot? I didn't think of it, or bringing a blanket or anything. I didn't think there were going to be this many people here..." At his elbow, Jess speaks up. "I have a blanket, silly!" she says. "You can sit on it, too, if you want," she says grudgingly to Silarra. "I think there's room, if we all squish."
B'tal is looking a little confused himself because with his attention already in the bronzerider's direction, he must have thought he heard something that just couldn't have been the case. And since it really couldn't have been he's left just starting at W'chek uncertainly and waiting for him to continue.
Silarra smiles over to Milani. "I'm doing well." She states before she turns to just stare over at Jess. "Oh no. There is no shardin' way I'm squishing onto a blanket with you. I'd roll in the mud first." She turns to look back to Gabrion. "Haven't staked out a place yet, but we're spreading out lots of common blankets. Thought I'd get a drink first." There's a quick look to Jess before she states. "Maybe a strong drink."
The rusty head turns, the greenrider smiles, though Leova makes it a, "Headwoman," given their company. Especially after the sidelong glance she spares Jess, and another after Silarra's response. She settles for, "Speaking of: can you drink anything interesting? Can get you a mug, think Anvori said something about mulling some of that cider. Even if it's not spiked."
Whatever the reason, Ebeny seems content to linger at the edge of the gathering, that is until a young boy and girl sneak up on her, tug her arms from their knot and start guiding (dragging) her to a destination only they seem to know. "Tarran, careful, you'll trip someone," the greenrider has time to protest, following after even if she does look a little unbalanced. "I said /careful/, mind out," she continues on, trying to tug in turn and prevent the kids treading on people's feet. "Sorry!" she exclaims, just as it appears the girl with her might just go and tread on one of Silarra's feet, not watching where she's going.
Gabrion waves to Milani, and starts to say something to her, but Jess huffs in offense at Silarra's words and starts to draw herself up to make a fiery retort, and he finds himself rushing to try to defuse the situation. "Okay, okay, okay!" he says frantically. "She's just kidding around, Jess, it's fine, take it easy, okay?" The look he casts at Silarra, together with the jerk of his hands, says: WTF was that for? "We'll get another blanket. It's all gonna be fine."
"Not crazy!" W'chek calls back vaguely in K'del and Tiriana's direction, but his attention is now on B'tal. "Madilla got promoted. And she wants to have a baby. With me!" Pause. "Us!" Cheery. "What do you think? I told her I had to check with you, first." He puts his arm 'round the greenrider's shoulders. "I don't think we should necessary tell a lot of people right away, mind." Never mind how half the Weyr has now already heard. "She said she has to wait like six months."
K'del's lucky, lucky arm. Which gets extended towards the Weyrwoman helpfully, his other reaching out to hover nearby just in case it's needed. That's about all the active attention she gets though: he stares after the bronzerider, angling his head to see if he can't hear more of what gets said to B'tal. Under his breath, he tells Tiriana, "/So/ confused. Creeped out, genuinely-- did he just say-- he really /is/ crazy. Right?"
"Sure, just not too much," Milani tells Leova with a smile and peeks downward. "Out like a light in there," she says in a satisfied tone and eyeballs the back and forth between cousins and Jess. Leaning a little closer to Leova she murmurs in an undertone: "Has it been like this since they got out here?"
"Faranth help us all. Don't worry, I'll fix her," Tiriana mutters back to K'del what is surely meant to be a reassuring statement. More ominous is the glower directed at W'chek, followed by, "Or him." She shakes her head to try to dismiss that very thought, and turns her attention skyward in lieu of better things to watch. "I thought they said this thing was supposed to start soon. Should go find Rev and stake out a spot."
Dressed warmly, Eldena walks hunting for a spot where others have gathered. She picks her way carefully through people and more than once tripping and tumbling into people. "Excuse me, Sorry." She says softly.
Silarra jumps back as her foot is stepped on. She looks for a second like she's going to say something angry, but then, it's a kid. "Watch out." Is all she says instead, with /almost/ no bark in her voice. Gabe gets a roll of her eyes for the statement that she was joking. "Right. Because nothing would be better than squishing up with you or with my /cousin/." There's a bit of an ick tone to that statement. And then she relaxes some as she looks over towards Leova and Milani. "Looking forward to seeing the sky meteor light stuff?" She asks over.
Leova leans in reply if not to look, taking Millie's word for it about her girl: "Hadn't /seen/ anything. She was just helping, the girl with... the eyebrows, there, and then the other two showed up. Here. Be back." She hitches her shoulder and heads for the drinks table after a nod Silarra's way, stopping only when she runs into Eldena. Literally. "/Careful/."
"Fix /her/?" repeats K'del, sounding both mystified and uncertain. And then: "Maybe ought to leave him alone. He seems... happy?" But his gaze follows Tiriana's upwards, and he nods. "Supposed to. Cadejoth's all impatient. See you later, then." Abandoned. Again. "Guess I'll go get a drink." Which he does, all on his lonesome, hanging out in the queue behind a group of boorish young men all shorter, but much, much heavier than him, clearly on rather more than their first beers.
At first, it's just one, visible in the sky like a burst of flame, crossing the skyline far above the spires in the space of a few seconds. A few of the smaller children, allowed to stay up for the occasion, let out little gasps of delight - gasps that turn into even louder exclamations as a few more meteors become visible, lighting the sky in an eerie display of wonder. Under that light, the clouds turn pearlescent and beautiful, shifting under the ghostly lights shooting onwards through the sky.
B'tal blinks, stares for a moment, then blinks again. His mouth opens but nothing comes out right off. Perhaps he's forgotten how to speak. Finally, stilted; "I know-- I mean. I know she got promoted-- Us? Baby?" There's a very faint, uncertain smile trying to form. "That's-- I don't know what to say." He's overwhelmed, clearly.
"See," Gabe says to Jess, "she messes with me all the time, it's just a joke, no big thing..." Oh look, meteors! He points. "It's starting!" That ought to be enough of a distraction, right? "Where are you sitting?" he asks Silarra. "We'll put our blanket by yours, you won't have to squish anyone but the bugs." He grins at her.
Thumbs up to Leova at that explanation. "Right," and Milani straightens up, catches the sound of Ebeny's voice. "Evening, Ebeny!" she calls over and nods an answer to Silarra's query. "Oh definitely, I -- ooooooo," because it's starting and the headwoman's gaze tilts upward.
Clearly, P'ax is underwhelmed by Z'yi's attention: thus, the bluerider turns to the nearest little knot of people, shifting his eyes to the sky at the first 'ooooh' and excited gasp. And then-- "Hey, Ben," amiably as Z'yi meanders up next to his clutchmate. "Got your hands full?" He cranes his head back to watch the latest sky addition, distracted.
This is what qualifies as 'yes' in W'chek's world. His hand squeezes B'tal's shoulder. "Great. Great. It's a good day." Yes, he's happy. Let the world end now. "Did you want something to drink? We should get something to drink--" That's when he spots the first of the lights in the sky. "Oh, hey. There they are! Those kids seem pretty thrilled." Smile, smile, smile. "Guess we can get a drink later. You want to sit down?" Pulling his weyrmate off in a direction that does not include, for example, P'ax or Z'yi. It's so helpful when the people you're trying to avoid are obnoxiously tall.
"Yeah. Happy," Tiriana says, eyeing K'del as though obviously he has missed that part. It earns a sigh from her, but she lets him and that arm go quite willingly. While he goes to get a drink, she loiters about for a minute, though she doesn't actually go looking for her weyrmate just yet. Instead, she meanders a bit, checking with starcrafters, peering at the sky, and people-watching in general for the time being.
Silarra looks up to the first of the shooting stars watching them light up the sky for a moment. "Fine. That one. Why don't you set up next to that." She states pointing off. "I'm going to go grab us drinks. I'll be right back." And she's slip off following Leova's path towards the refreshements.
"Are they going to FALL ON US?" one small child asks her mother, suddenly desperately afraid as she stares upwards. "I don't want them to fall on us!" Her tears result in her mother hastily gathering the child up, promising enthusiastically that, no, silly, they're not going to fall on us.
It'll take a while for Leova to get back to Milani at this rate, what with all the people looking upward, some of them standing up but far too many of them down on the ground where they can get walked over. Focused on navigating past the feather-haired girl and onward, she doesn't stare at the sky despite the oohs and ahhs, but there gets to be a curve to her mouth anyway. Even without the telltale glaze to a rider's eyes. And then it deepens, and then she steps onward with Silarra as her tail, heading for the queue and whoever's lined up after K'del.
Gabrion helps Jess spread out the blanket and sits down next to her. He grins over at Milani. "How's the baby?" he asks. Jess says, too loudly, "Ooooh, you had your baby! Congratulations, what did you call him?"
Even though it's not directed at her, it's Ebeny who shrinks back just a touch at Silarra's voice whilst the culprit herself stands her ground, glaring up. "Say you're sorry," the greenrider tells the child, but there's going to be no such thing and the girl breaks from her side and runs, little mind paid to the sky. She's watched by Ebeny until she finds someone else to harass and green eyes finally leave her, turning briefly to the sky, then to Milani and Z'yi. "Evening, Milani," she responds with a smile. One hand on the remaining child's shoulder to stop him running off, she nods and shoots a quick grin her clutchsibling's way. "Evening, Z'yi. I didn't sign up for it, I admit, but then they sort of kidnapped me," she says of the kids. At least the little boy is quiet. "What do you think of this, then?" is asked with a nod towards the night sky, question directed at anyone within earshot, it seems
"She's just fine," Milani answers Gabrion and pats the bump-out of her coat. "Sleeping right here." And she holds up her finger to her lips for Jess' too-loud. "Her name's Milandra and that is awfully pretty," the headwoman says of the skyward display.
Considering he doesn't quite have the wherewithal to do much else but go along with W'chek, B'tal does just that, letting the bronzerider lead him wherever until he can sit somewhere. He glances in the direction of, well, up and says, "Drink later." Probably lots of questions going on in his head but he opts for staying mostly quiet and leaning against his weyrmate instead to watch the sky.
As the stars begin to fall she turns her head skyward. "Oh." she says softly. She swallows, Eldena looks up and find a good place to sit down and watches the stars fall. She looks around at the groups of people.
The drinks line is moving even /more/ slowly now that there's something to see above, mostly because people are getting too distracted to actually move forward when someone else does. At least the brutish young men seem eager enough, pushing ahead, which gives K'del the option to, as well. /His/ gaze settles on Leova, though, by chance, and he grins; "Leova, hey! Looks kind of neat, don't you think?"
Silarra falls into that line right behind Leova. She tilts her head back to watch the meteors even as she waits. "They're real pretty." She states, maybe answering K'del even though she wasn't adressed.
"Wicked awesome," Gabe agrees with Milani, his head tipped up to watch the meteors. Jess, on the other hand, is focused on Milani's baby. "That's such a cute name! Really adorable," she coos. "Can I hold her?"
"Hm?" Leova has to look up, and then laugh, if more of a half-laugh than anything. "Does that. Vrianth says she /wants/ one," and then the comment behind her has her glancing back to Silarra, smiling, making just a little more room. "Did they say how often this sort of thing is supposed to happen? Remembered them being tinier, before."
"Of course," Z'yi to Ebeny: "They have a way of doing that, don't they." He cranes his neck back unabashed, and his 'ooh' is more felt than heard, so low in deep bass. Amusement flashes bright for a moment, and his eyes drop to search the crowd for a certain rusty-haired woman; all of it takes less than a few seconds, and then it's back to star-watching. "It's pretty." Did Isz just use the word 'pretty'? For something that isn't the curve of Tiri's-- um, elbow?
"Wicked awesome," Milani echoes Gabe with a chuckle and looks down at Jess. "No, she's all comfortable and asleep and buried down in about three layers right now, so I'd rather not take her out of the sling," the headwoman tells blondie girlfriend there.
While B'tal appreciates the lights in the sky, W'chek tries very hard to do the same after the first sixty seconds or so. Then he spends another few minutes appreciating B'tal instead. And then ends up making some longing looks in the direction of the drinks. "I think I'm going to go get something. But I'll be right back. Unless you want to come?"
Since he's already looking in that kind of direction, K'del smiles warmly at Silarra as she responds. "They are," he agrees, firmly. "Though--" and this is towards Leova, "I've no idea. Never seen anything like this before, that's for sure. These ones seem /huge/. And bright. Guess that's good for us, with the spectacular element, but... Cadejoth wants one, too. Wants to go fly with them, chase them, or something." There's affection there, but also, a roll of the eyes.''
Dragon> << If you caught one, >> Vrianth says all at once, out of nowhere, << What would you do with it? >> (Vrianth to Cadejoth)
The meteors are now coming thick and fast, the sky completely full - as far as it's possible to see, given the clouds - of the flaming rocks, falling, falling, falling. It does rather look like they're headed straight for the weyr, but they clearly aren't: it's all just a trick of perspective. The Starcrafters? Seem /thrilled/, all talk of, "Best I've ever seen!" and "Incredible!"
"Babies are just so adorable!" Jess says to Milani, unrepressed despite the discouraging response to her request. "I just love babies. You must be really happy! I can't wait until," she pauses, "until I have one myself one day. It must just be so much fun." Gabe looks like he'd like to sink into the ground about now; he focuses on the meteors and doesn't say anything.
Dragon> Quick as anything, is Cadejoth's response. << Let it go and chase it again! And watch it burn. >> Flames and metal, rock tinkling against metal: shinyprettywow! (Cadejoth to Vrianth)
B'tal is not unused to being appreciated by W'chek but it's not usually where there are many other people around. He's not quite uncomfortable but there is, certainly, some awareness on his part of both. "No, I'll come," he says, shifting to get up quickly. A drink sounds very good.
Dragon> << It would not burn forever. >> Would it? (Vrianth to Cadejoth)
Dragon> Firmly: << I would /make/ it burn. With my flame. >> It has to work! (Cadejoth to Vrianth)
Dragon> To that, Vrianth images Cadejoth spitting out a dead meteor like so much already-chewed firestone. Spurt! (Vrianth to Cadejoth)
Deep breath from Milani and she musters a smile. "It's nice when you're ready to have a family, sure," the headwoman tells Jess. "And while they're cute and do funny things that make you laugh, you don't get a whole lot of sleep and there's a lot of poop and sometimes your boobs randomly squirt milk." Telling it like it is, a form of birth control? "Jess, look, look!" Millie says wide-eyed as the sky fills up. Please let her get distracted.
Talk of babies is enough to send Tiriana scurrying back the other way as soon as she nears Milani, Jess, and other cooing female types; at least she has a readier escape than poor Gabe, stuck in the middle. Of course, her escape is to head toward the drink table, which means B'tal and W'chek, which means... even the gays aren't safe anymore. Sigh. And this one, she really can't leave alone, either. "So tell me B'tal at least gets to do the actual knocking up," is her opening line.
Dragon> To Vrianth, Cadejoth adds a little weak-looking smoke to the poor little dead meteor, and a note of sadness. Poor thing. << They're more fun up there, maybe. >> Sad.
From the tiny smirk and how Ebeny's gaze flickers back towards the bluerider for a moment, it would seem that 'pretty' is a word that she wasn't expecting from Z'yi. Laughing very softly, she agrees, "Yes, it is. It is rather beautiful." Content to watch the sky for a bit, her silence is interrupted by the young boy with her. "Ben. /Ben/, I want to find Mama." Affecting a long-suffering sigh, she simply nods in reply to him, then quietly excuses herself from present company. "I'd better find Elyanna. Laurienth says she wants to show me the view from the perch she's found too, so... Have a good evening, Milani, Z'yi." Another smile and she turns, lifting the boy into her arms and goes to return him to his - their - mother.
Silarra doesn't seem too worried about getting through the line quickly. She'll watch happily from here away from annoying girls. "They're really high, though right? The dragons couldn't actually fly with them?" She doesn't sound one hundred percent sure about that.
"Ew!" Jess says to Milani's comments. "They don't really? Your shirts would get ruined!" When she looks up at the meteors again, what she sees causes her to shriek and grab Gabe's arm. "AUGH! THEY'RE COMING RIGHT AT US!" she wails, loudly enough to be heard in Tillek. Gabe looks annoyed, and clambers to his feet. "Cut it out, they are not, they're just..." but he looks up again, blinking worriedly. /Are/ they?
"Huh." And then, "Wonder how many other Gathers are out there, watching." And to Silarra, "Vrianth thinks we could. Halfway want to give it a try. Can't be safe, but," Leova lifts a shoulder, starts to say something further, but her smile shifts at all that yelling back a ways. It's enough to tighten her shoulders halfway into her spine.
Hey, at least W'chek didn't bring it up this time. "That wasn't the plan, no." Not that B'tal has really been involved in this plan exactly. He's there to be arm candy or something. W'chek is making good use of him as arm candy, all proprietary not-quite-touching. Far more than usual in public. Good mood. Yeah. "Why do you care?" to Tiriana. His attention to the meteor shower has pretty much petered out, now. The half life for 'natural beauty' is short in his perception.
Milani relief briefly paints Milani's face as Jess gets suitably redirected away from baby-cooing, only to cause the headwoman to wince as she wails and shrieks. Sidling a step or two away, Milani nods as Ebeny takes her leave. "Good luck!" is offered over and a breath taken before she nods Z'yi's way. "Pretty impressive, isn't it?" The sky, presumably.
"I think they're /pretty/ high," hazards K'del, glancing from Silarra to Leova and then back again. "Could be interesting, flying that close, but... they're, like, big flaming things, I think? Up close. So that really /wouldn't/ be safe." The yelling catches his attention, too, and he has to stifle a grin: "Sounds like it's not just the little kids who're scared of them." The line moves forward, slowly.
Silarra turns to look at the shriek and just rolls her eyes. "Figures she's be shreiking like a tiny, whiny kid." Silarra mutters under her breath before she looks up again. "Yeah. Giant flaming balls of rock? Probably not really the safest thing to be anywhere near. But from this far away they're super to watch."
For all that he's moving along toward the drinks with W'chek, B'tal is still kind of trying to watch the sky. It's Tiriana's comment that jerk's the greenrider's attention back to ground and he flushes in a manner that probably makes him glad it's dark-ish out. "No, I--" but W'chek is talking then and B'tal falls silent and shifts forward to actually get himself a now much needed drink.
The screaming earns a look from Tiriana, who rolls her eyes and announces loudly, "Pathetic little wimps." A shake of her head, and distracted, she peers back at W'chek. "Because," as though that's reason enough. More specifically, "He's better-looking. And I'd hazard smarter, even if he doesn't use it much. I mean, after all, his line popped out Teris, so there's good blood there /some/where." Such compliments!
"/Trick/ is, getting at them before they burn out, just before," and Leova's gotten a distinctly speculative air to her, leaning up on the balls of her feet, even if her shoulders haven't quite relaxed. After a second, sharper look at Silarra, she glances back over her shoulder then. Towards the silhouettes atop the Rim. Beyond to where the watchdragon lurks and stares with his wings fallen back to his sides. And then all of a sudden she's leaning forward, past K'del, "Decide already, will you?" Sure, they're boys built wide, but that's not stopping her.
Now Jess gets to her feet, too, and gives Gabe a look of much hurt for his pulling away. "I'm going inside," she says shortly, and stomps off in a huff. "Jess!" he calls after her, frustrated, but she pretends not to hear. He throws his hands up and turns away, then takes a few steps toward Milani. "Sorry for all that," he mumbles, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I hope she didn't wake up the baby."
"Looks aren't everything." This is W'chek's stuffy response to *that* particular criticism. He's not going to try to claim that this isn't true, after all. People have eyes. They'll figure that one out. "And Teris isn't any smarter than anybody else. Just angrier." Okay, so B'tal might not be too happy to hear that about his sister; W'chek shrugs a little towards him. "Er, sorry. But... you know." Then a glare at the Weyrwoman. "And what do you know about children? When are *you* having some?"
"This-- far away," murmurs K'del, sounding as though he's thinking deeply about something, but whatever it is, he snaps back out of it as Leova leans past to talk to those boys. Who... surprisingly, actually listen, moving aside with their drinks a matter of moments later. The Weyrleader's response to the greenrider is a brilliant smile, as he steps forward to take /his/ turn.
Looks up at the sound of people talking about children, the young lower caverns worker giggles. "Oh dear," Eldena says softly.
Z'yi is distracted by the show, fingers flickering a farewell to Ben's departure. "Who's a wimp?" Because he's meandered over closer to Tiriana and the flamers. "Wh--" Dark eyes glance over, then seem to regret doing so. There's W'chek. And B'tal. "Oh. Never mind. I can guess," drolly commented as he makes to amble away from the trio.
Silarra spots Jess stalking away and just grins, her shoulders relaxing. "Nice job." She comments to Leova on getting the big guys to move on, not seeming to notice, or care, about the sharp look. She peers to the table checking out what drinks are available, so she'll be ready when her turn comes soon.
Mostly, now that he's found something to drink, which B'tal swallows in a fashion quicker than is entirely appropriate, the greenrider is just listening and trying not to look a little, well, almost green around the edges there. A look is shot toward W'chek for the comment about his sister but there's no real protest. "I really don't think I'd--" the thought is left unfinished and he just shakes his head, noting Z'yi but not moving off to hide behind him.
"Not them," Tiriana says to Z'yi. "I mean, at least not this time. The screamers over there--the ones getting hysterical over absolutely nothing." She pitches her voice just right to carry after the stomping off Jess for good measure. As for her own reproductive choices, she draws herself up straighter, directing a lofty look at the bronzerider. "Whenever I damn well please," is the best she can come up with.
The Weyrleader's greeted with an expansive gesture and a quip or two, that don't stint the two behind him: there's beer and plenty of it, some of the new wine, hard cider and mulled cider with spices, and a so-confidential mention that he can come up with something special for the man. Fruit, perhaps? Apparently the bartender isn't worn out, nowhere near. Leova, though, she gives the dark-haired man a muttered, "Wish you didn't have to /work/," as she reaches past the bronzerider for a couple mugs of that mulled cider, taking them to go. But it's lightly said, with a deepened curve to one corner of her mouth, a little bit of ritual.
"Uh-huh. And how many years are you planning on trotting out that excuse? Not that, Faranth knows, we need any more of *you*." W'chek smirks back at the Weyrwoman, then pats B'tal on the shoulder. "Maybe yours can be the *next* one." Not necessarily Madilla's, mind. But of course there have to be other children, right? One couldn't possibly be enough. "You probably would make much prettier children. 'Course, so would Teris, and I figure we'll see that one right 'bout the time that pigs fly."
It's so hard to tell how close some of these meteors are, given their differing sizes. They shower on down, heedless to the dramas of those below, most burning to nothing long before they make it through the world's atmosphere. Only most, though: there's one, getting steadily bigger, steadily less flame-covered, apparently falling closer, and closer, and-- CRUNCH.
It hits the Eye Rock with force, this enormous smoking boulder, and sends it hurtling downwards: they smack against bowl walls as they fall, filling the air with debris along with the screams, smashing downwards to land just barely beyond the open expanse of the lakeshore, to the southeast edge of the bowl.
Far above, there's a scream of pain, the watchdragon with one wing in tatters popping Between with his rider barely holding on.
Below, there are more screams, as the debris begins to land, a number of small but fast-moving pieces of rock smashing into the tables, the benches-- and spectators.