Weyrlinghood's End Celebration
Day 25, month 1, turn 22 of Interval 10: Fort Weyr Living Cavern.
Jiella's not in the mood to party. At least, not with everyone at the weyrling's graduation ceremony.
"G'dri," T'rev greets the bluerider with a nod as he approaches as well, then pauses to take a sip from his glass. "Sounds like that was a pretty good match up of skills," the Weyrleader says conversationally of Kai's assistance with this group. The four are clustered near the bar that's been setup, though standing out of the immediate flow of traffic for those fetching beverages. A quartet of harpers plays background music and the buffet has been set up with a veritable smorgasbord of finger foods.
With only a glance for the dumping of whiskey into ale, G'dri accepts his unaltered beverage with a murmured word of thanks. With a heightened sparkle in his eyes, he laughs lightly and answers Jantha, "Were I to have a say in such a choice, I would think that yes, he would be well suited to continuing on in such capacity." Is he looking to get smacked? Which might possibly be why he follows that up with, "I dislike drinking on an empty stomach. Shall I put together a plate of things for us all?"
"Thanks, ma'am," B'kaiv tells Jantha with only a faint whitening of his knuckles on his mug. He does glance sidelong at G'dri's quip before offering (bravely?), "Could do that for next time maybe, sure. 'F you still want t' have me," thus leaving them both a gracious out. "Should go sit down? Only," to T'rev and Jantha, and he at least -sounds- regretful, "Guess you got t' be around for everyone t' say hey to, huh."
Jiella has the look of a woman making an appearance as she enters from the bowl; her steps are quick, her glance over the crowd is cursory, her gaze disinterested. The occasion doesn't warrant one of her gowns, but she still looks lovely in a soft, short, clinging cowl-neck sweater dress in a rosy pink, knee-high boots, and dangling pearl earrings. Once inside, there's only one of two choices, really - food or bar. And despite the fact that there's a few kind souls waving the blonde over to their spot in the buffet line, she eyes the bar, purses full lips, and moves in that direction.
"Thanks, G'dri," Jantha says, then spots a new arrival approaching and turns slightly to call a ringing greeting. "Jiella! Congratulations, brownrider! And every success in your new Wing." Which is pretty much what she's been saying to the rest of the ex-weyrlings that she's met, in fact.
"I've made the rounds, so I could take a little break," T'rev says with a ready smile for B'kaiv. "Just don't mind me if I need to shake hands and chat with proud parents every now and then," the Weyrleader adds jovially. He's in a good mood today it seems. Jiella's approach only serves to widen his smile and T'rev lifts his glass in her direction as she nears. "Congratulations, Jiella," he echoes Jantha. "You look lovely in pink," the compliment follows smoothly. "We were just sayin' that Kai's a good self-defence instructor, he taught you a thing or two didn't he?"
Why would G'dri need a gracious out? "You bring the valuable addition of true-life experience to your lessons, Kai. Some instructors I have seen in the past forget that real opponents won't follow rules or be mindful of safety. Would you mind holding this for me?" The ale, that is, as yet untasted. As Jantha and then T'rev call his attention to pretty-in-pink, he too has a smile and a, "Congratulations, Jiella. You are indeed, quite a vision." Like a master artist's painting, or a fine sculpture. "I was just heading over to grab some light snacks for us all... shall I add some for you?"
B'kaiv's certainly not going to fuss for his wingmate's arrival, but unlike T'rev he doesn't have a smooth greeting. 'Hey' is all-purpose, really, and it helps that he already has a beer so he doesn't have to gape, open-mouthed, at the brownrider but stare at the surface of his drink instead. Much safer. He grunts something that could be accepting for G'dri's request and compliment, but two mugs are as easy to hold as one, and then the greenrider nods at one of the rapidly-filling tables. "Could all go sit over there, if you want." A beat and he adds awkwardly, "How's Orisoth?"
Wincing a touch at the Weyrlingmaster's greeting, Jiella can nonetheless manage a polite smile for it, equally polite in response. "Thank you, Jantha." Now that she can call people by their name and it's a social occasion, what the hell. She's pretty in pink and standing by the bar set up in the cavern along with two-thirds of the weyrling staff, B'kaiv, and the Weyleader, who she's favouring with one of her more brilliant smiles for his congratulations. As for Kai and self-defense? Time to get a drink! Turning to find one, "Suppose so, though I'm not that good at it. I don't think it's my thing. And thank you, G'dri. I might grab a few things off the plate, but I don't know how long I'll be around, so use your judgement?" Kai's suggestion seems to get a response - hard to tell when she's talking to the bar - "Maybe. And he's pretty much how he usually is. Hope Chielyth's well." Brisk, civil.
M'try wouldn't be late to a party like this. And he sure wouldn't come hurrying into the room, brushing his hands through his hair busily like that will make it look anything other than windblown. There's a quick, smiled, "What was that? Ah, nowhere. How's the party?" to answer the question with which he's greeted a few steps in, exchanging good-to-see-you handshakes before trying to duck off and collect food. Which isn't progressing very quickly for him. Mostly because he's too polite to just cut someone off mid-sentence.
T'rev shoots Jiella another smile, warm in quality and nods in answer to Kai's query. "Right there? Sure, sounds good," and the Weyrleader's already moving, hand dropping to the back of a chair to draw it out for whichever of the ladies chooses to occupy it. M'try is spotted in his move towards the buffet and T'rev briefly lifts his glass in his wingrider's direction.
"Besides," continues Jantha with something of a smirk - she's still on the subject of B'kaiv's self-defence lessons, it seems. "The lads take it better when they're taught by someone who's young and male. Being put on the ground by a middle-aged woman isn't good for their self-esteem. Besides, I'd much rather they were taught by someone with more enthusiasm for the subject than I can usually muster." She glances across the room, and raises a hand in greeting when she sees M'try newly arrived.
G'dri, heading off towards the buffet, leaves the rest of the cluster at the drinks table to sort themselves out as far as where they're going to wind up sitting. Polite he may be, but he also moves with a purpose and doesn't pause long enough for anyone in-between to really get going with the chatting. Of course there's a line when he gets there, and he fits himself into it somewhat ahead of where he should rightly have ended up, just by dint of finally deciding to actually exchange more than a passing greeting.
There's a reason Kai teaches self-defense and not small talk, and this would be it: he's utter crap at small talk. "Yeah," he says, stilted, "She's good." But T'rev's making a break for it and Kai fair leaps upon the opportunity to do the same, claiming that, "All these people, should go get a couple plates. Hey, there's M'try." In case they haven't all seen him by now. Jantha and Jiella get thin, pained smiles, and then the greenrider hastily ghosts off to join G'dri, much to the chagrin of the person who's been bumped back not just once, but twice.
Glass of red wine held elegantly in one slim hand - that'd be the unbruised one - Jiella does eventually have turn around and consider her options. With a tilt of her head, she'll regard the table T'rev's chosen for a moment before shrugging and sauntering off in that direction. That is, after answering B'kaiv, still without looking at him, "Good." The greenrider tips her off about M'try, who she glances over at with brief, wary interest. How long do you have to be at a party to consider it an appearance anyway?
Hey, there's M'try, who eventually manages to detach himself from one of his clutchmates only by promising to come back and hear the end of that story before the party's over, but seriously starving right now, so catch up to him later? Great. To answer Jiella's brief glance, he smiles with obnoxious brightness-- she already hates him, so it's not like he has anything to lose-- on his way to claim that food. "Sir. Sir. Ma'am. Sir." That'd be T'rev. B'kaiv. Jantha. G'dri. As they're each passed or noticed or whatever.
"M'try." Another smile - Jantha seems to have one for everybody today. "Congratulations on escaping from weyrlinghood. How are you finding it?" She shoots a glance towards the queue where G'dri has gone to retrieve food before looking back at M'try. Maybe she's hungry: there's only a half-full glass in her hand at present.
Maybe one of G'dri's Smiles(tm) will help the one so cut-in-front-of feel better? No? Well, he tried, and apologetically too. As the line shuffles forward he waits for a natural break in the flow of the idle conversation he was having, before he clearly switches his attention to Kai. Tilting his head towards the greenrider, he says quietly, "Hey, relax? I'd say you look like you're about to face three much-larger men in a fight for all your marks, but I think you'd enjoy that somewhat more." They'll get to the food eventually, and the bluerider takes happy advantage of Kai's presence to claim two plates to fill instead of trying to balance a mountain of delectable tidbits onto just one. "M'try, there is no need for such formality," when one of those passing 'sirs' is realised to have been directed at him. "Congratulations on your new wing."
Wrinkling her nose for that obnoxious smile, Jiella just continues on her way over to T'rev at the table, who is relatively safe by her standards. Meaning, he won't be mean, and will tell her she's pretty. Eyeing the chair for a moment like she might be shackled to it if she takes it, she eventually sits, crosses her legs, scans the room with barely disguised impatience. May as well wait if someone's going to bring her food. Tilting a look up at the Weyrleader, "How's it going?"
Jiella earns herself another smile as she heads towards T'rev and that pulled out chair. Once she's sat down, he steps away to set his glass down and sits himself down too. "Pretty good, it's a nice party, most of the parents seem pleased enough though a few were askin' about whether or not it was /quite/ safe," the Weyrleader says with a little shake of his head. "You?"
Congratulations. "Thank you. Thank you." One for Jantha, one for G'dri, and M'try snags a plate with a glance along the buffet, taking his place at the back of the line. "It's a lot like being a weyrling, except that now I have a Wing badge and I get paid a bit more." He tilts his empty plate toward the luncheon and adds, "Plus, there appears to be a decent spread, so I can't exactly complain. You both must be enjoying a well-earned respite?"
B'kaiv swallows a snort at G'dri's comparison but can't keep a small smile from forming. "Yeah," he admits, gesturing around at the clumps of people, the conversation, the general party atmosphere. At least he hasn't started plucking at his shirt's neckline yet? That's always a sure sign of discomfort. There's a nod - but no hey, for a change - for M'try in passing, but does he invite the brownrider to cut in line too? Nope. Once their plates are full he turns to try and find the others, gives T'rev's table a nod. There it is. On the way past M'try again, he points it out to the younger man, inviting, "Got seats there, if you want." It's up to him now if he'll join.
Jantha laughs as she tells M'try, "Well, weyrlingmasters are a bit surplus to requirements, now that you've all joined wings. But, much as I'd /like/ to spend my time pottering in the herb garden, Imoth and I will need to find another way of making ourselves useful. We can't have the Weyrleader here thinking we don't earn our keep, after all!" That's said with a cheerful grin in T'rev's direction: she doesn't seem too worried at the prospect.
After a sip from her glass, Jiella is arching light brows at T'rev for 'safe', surprised. "Really? I hope..." She trails off, giving him a knowing look - he knows what she hopes. That no relatives are behind that particular concern. Glancing only briefly towards the group at the buffet, she just gives a diffident little shrug at the question and a bland, "Not bad." That's certainly not the whole of things, but she's not talking about it, and not talking about it here.
T'rev shakes his head slightly Jiella-wards in answer to her incomplete question. "I'm pretty sure at this point that we'll be able to pronounce things as safe as they were before soon enough." The Weyrleader's grin pulls to the side a little and he nods. "Better than bad-bad," he says quietly and under the table, his foot nudges towards hers companionably. "They're supposed to be playin' dance music in a little bit," a tilt of his glass towards the harpers. "Save me a dance?" he requests with a slight note of pleading married with cheer in his voice. "Here come Kai and G'dri with stuff to munch on."
G'dri follows the direction of Kai's nod, since he himself was scanning in rather the wrong direction. "And plenty more food," he tacks on to Kai's invitation towards M'try, lifting the plates he's holding as if further visual aid is required. Then it's back through the drifting mill of people to the table occupied by T'rev, Jantha and Jiella, to set those plates down with a humourous bow. "There we go. Should be plenty of choice here for everyone to find something they like." Once his hands are free he can use one to reclaim the mug of ale Kai's been kindly toting around, the other to snag a couple sandwich squares and some sort of batter-wrapped roll for himself. But instead of availing himself of the option of a chair, turns instead to peer again in the direction he was looking earlier. Aside to the greenrider, "I think I see C'rys over there. Want to see if we can get a game set up for later?"
M'try looks squarely at the blond amid the seats in question while he answers B'kaiv with a polite, "Thank you for the offer, sir." Which isn't to say he wants to join them, but that part might actually go without saying? He has a bit of time left to wait in line, anyway, teetering the edge of his plate against his chest to pass the time. "I somehow doubt, ma'am, that those are words we'd ever hear from our particular Weyrleader, but I'm sure your industry's appreciated."
Kai grunts a 'welcome' to M'try on his way back, relinquishes G'dri's ale, and picks up a couple of the sturdier-looking pastries as his price for fetching and carrying. "Food looks good," he essays in yet another attempt to try this 'conversation' thing, but the bluerider's suggestion is greeted with unconcealed relief. "/Yeah/. Regards t' Mecaith, sir, and Orisoth," to Jiella, naturally, and neither sir nor ma'am for her, before the greenrider cuts off through the crowd as quickly as he might, leaving G'dri to follow in his wake.
With something of a relieved glance, Jiella nods to T'rev, offering a flash of a lovely smile. "That'll be something. I guess it'll take some time for people to /believe/ it, but it's a step? And if I'm around for dancing, of course." As G'dri arrives, she's happy enough to drop the subject in favour of food, examining what the bluerider's brought over - then waving a farewell after both he and B'kaiv, bemusedly. Eyeing the greenrider's back in what may be the first time since she's set foot in the cavern, she grimaces and goes back to her wine and food inspection. "Seems like a decent party so far."
"Baby steps," T'rev agrees with Jiella and grins. "Great," for the dancing part and sits up as the green and blueriders arrive only to look equally bemused as they both beat tracks after picking up snacks. "Everything okay there?" he asks in an undertone with a little nod after Kai, fingers plucking out a pie to draw his way and munch on between sips of wine. Some laughing kids, bump the edge of the table rattling plates and glasses and a chorus of 'Excuse me sirs' lifts up.
Jantha has found her way to the table where the others are seated, and thanks G'dri when he and the food arrive. "An excellent spread," she agrees, then adds, "Careful," to the bumping ones good-naturedly. "You want to stay upright: the night is still young!" She helps herself to a cheesy pastry concoction that proceeds to shed flakes of pastry: hard to eat with decorum, and she gives a rueful smile to her table companions.
Jiella gives T'rev one of her 'are you completely serious' looks of disbelief, but just goes with; "I don't know why he keeps trying to talk to me in completely weird ways." Especially when she's trying to pretend the greenrider doesn't exist. But under the table, belatedly, she'll give the bronzerider's foot a little nudge back - it's all good. Mostly. Peering over her plate at Jantha's for a moment curiously, she's less charitable to the kids that run off, glaring after them for all that there's been no real damage.
"Bein' polite in his own way," is T'rev's assessment on B'kaiv and he reaches for his glass as the table gets bumped. "Planning to party hearty then, Jantha?" he asks the Weyrlingmaster. "And are you looking forward to a little bit of downtime before moving into a wing?"
Jantha chuckles. "I don't know about hearty. I'm planning on still being upright at the end of the evening, which is more than can be said for some of my former class, I gather." She shoots a benign glance towards the pair of youngsters who are now retreating rapidly. "But I reckon they're entitled to cut loose a bit at this point. As for me, I do want to take a short break to visit my family for a couple of days, and get my patch of garden tidied up, too, but that's about all. I don't really know what to do with myself if I have too much free time."
"But he didn't ask after anyone /else's/ dragon," Jiella has to point out - but then, the blonde remembers it's not like she /wants/ to be talking about B'kaiv, so she shuts up. Fortunately, there's food to eat - and though she's the sort of girl who has to be careful, it's not like those curves come from starving herself. As she picks out a cheese pastry and starts munching, Jantha gets an odd look for her free time comment. "I never understand it when people say that. I'll take the free time, everytime." No. Really?
"Well if the party goes that long," T'rev says with a laugh, "I'll bet a lot of folks won't still be standing," he tells the Weyrlingmaster and picks up his pie, takes a bite out of it. "G'dri and Nia are going back into Jasper - we should have a little chat about where you think you'd like to fit in," the Weyrleader continues and slants a look Jiella's way at that statement, lets the matter of the recent flight go for now. "Some folks need to be learning new things all the time, don't feel right if their brains and bodies aren't doing something," he says conversationally.
Jantha nods at T'rev's suggestion. "I do have some thoughts about that," she says. "And of course, we shall want to be keeping up our skills by drilling with a wing. I'll come and see you in a day or so, then?" She rubs her fingertips together to dislodge pastry crumbs. "So what will you do with all the free time you're hoping to have?" she asks Jiella lightly. "You've not exactly had a lot of that, as a weyrling."
"And for some weyrling graduation is a good excuse to visit," Fiorella notes as she slips around to join the small group. What that exactly has to do with some people learning new things all the time - well likely nothing, but it seemed a good place to comment. "Fort Hold sends its congratulations," she adds directed clearly towards Jiella.
For the bronzerider's explanation, "I know. I'll just never understand it. And I have tons of things to do with my free time. Sleep. Suntan. Sometimes read. Other stuff." Jiella leaves the last vague, and vaguely suggestive - so at least some of the other stuff involves the blonde being naked, go figure. Finishing her cheesey thing, she brushes her fingers off on a napkin, then breaks into a smile as Fiorella turns up, nodding for the congratulations. Lightly, "I won't go getting all formal - so thanks, Ella. It's good to see you."
M'try would never drop into a party long enough to snag a plate of food and wander off. So maybe he just disappeared into the crowd. It's a little odd that no one remembers seeing him socializing, maybe, but 'M'try' and 'a little odd' are probably synonymous, anyway. All that to say: he and his snacks duck into the lower caverns while no one's paying attention.
"Good, we can talk it over when you're ready," T'rev tells Jantha and looks over towards Jiella for her answer to Jantha's question. "Reading, sure. Do like a good story," the Weyrleader agrees. "And other stuff." Humorous there, but he look up as Ella's voice sounds and his smile turns bright and wide. "Ella! Glad you could make it up." And he reaches out a hand to his foster-daughter, aiming to draw her in for a hug.
Amusement flickers in Jantha's eyes as Jiella mentions "other stuff." Perhaps she has her own ideas of what that might mean. Then there's a new arrival, and she says, "Hello, Fiorella," a little less engaged as she doesn't really know the girl. "Well, I should circulate a little more, if you'll excuse me," she continues, looking at T'rev, though as she's already getting up it's a purely formal request for permission. "I promised I'd talk to some parents: I'd better make good." She's away, then, picking up her empty glass and going for a refill before she heads into the crowd again.
"You're welcome," Fiorella replies to the no longer weyrling, with a look that says 'thank you' for not going all formal. A nod to Jantha and a return greeting of a simple, "Hello," for the woman as well before she's taking her leave. T'rev gains her attention next as she steps into that offered hug and returns it with one of her own. "So am I," the reply comes paired with a smile. Glad to be back even if it's only for a few hours, but then its been a quite a while now since she's been back to the weyr.
Jiella seems pleased that everyone gets what she means, but it would be hard /not/ to get what she means, so. With a slight grin for T'rev, she turns to give Jantha a little half-salute as she heads off. As for Ella, "Are you up here for long? If not, I'll come down in the next week or so? There's a few things I wanted to take care of." Again, talk about vague - but the blonde's not providing answers, merely standing and finishing her glass of wine before favouring both with a lovely smile and heading for the bowl.
Jiella's not in the mood to party. At least, not with everyone at the weyrling's graduation ceremony.
"G'dri," T'rev greets the bluerider with a nod as he approaches as well, then pauses to take a sip from his glass. "Sounds like that was a pretty good match up of skills," the Weyrleader says conversationally of Kai's assistance with this group. The four are clustered near the bar that's been setup, though standing out of the immediate flow of traffic for those fetching beverages. A quartet of harpers plays background music and the buffet has been set up with a veritable smorgasbord of finger foods.
With only a glance for the dumping of whiskey into ale, G'dri accepts his unaltered beverage with a murmured word of thanks. With a heightened sparkle in his eyes, he laughs lightly and answers Jantha, "Were I to have a say in such a choice, I would think that yes, he would be well suited to continuing on in such capacity." Is he looking to get smacked? Which might possibly be why he follows that up with, "I dislike drinking on an empty stomach. Shall I put together a plate of things for us all?"
"Thanks, ma'am," B'kaiv tells Jantha with only a faint whitening of his knuckles on his mug. He does glance sidelong at G'dri's quip before offering (bravely?), "Could do that for next time maybe, sure. 'F you still want t' have me," thus leaving them both a gracious out. "Should go sit down? Only," to T'rev and Jantha, and he at least -sounds- regretful, "Guess you got t' be around for everyone t' say hey to, huh."
Jiella has the look of a woman making an appearance as she enters from the bowl; her steps are quick, her glance over the crowd is cursory, her gaze disinterested. The occasion doesn't warrant one of her gowns, but she still looks lovely in a soft, short, clinging cowl-neck sweater dress in a rosy pink, knee-high boots, and dangling pearl earrings. Once inside, there's only one of two choices, really - food or bar. And despite the fact that there's a few kind souls waving the blonde over to their spot in the buffet line, she eyes the bar, purses full lips, and moves in that direction.
"Thanks, G'dri," Jantha says, then spots a new arrival approaching and turns slightly to call a ringing greeting. "Jiella! Congratulations, brownrider! And every success in your new Wing." Which is pretty much what she's been saying to the rest of the ex-weyrlings that she's met, in fact.
"I've made the rounds, so I could take a little break," T'rev says with a ready smile for B'kaiv. "Just don't mind me if I need to shake hands and chat with proud parents every now and then," the Weyrleader adds jovially. He's in a good mood today it seems. Jiella's approach only serves to widen his smile and T'rev lifts his glass in her direction as she nears. "Congratulations, Jiella," he echoes Jantha. "You look lovely in pink," the compliment follows smoothly. "We were just sayin' that Kai's a good self-defence instructor, he taught you a thing or two didn't he?"
Why would G'dri need a gracious out? "You bring the valuable addition of true-life experience to your lessons, Kai. Some instructors I have seen in the past forget that real opponents won't follow rules or be mindful of safety. Would you mind holding this for me?" The ale, that is, as yet untasted. As Jantha and then T'rev call his attention to pretty-in-pink, he too has a smile and a, "Congratulations, Jiella. You are indeed, quite a vision." Like a master artist's painting, or a fine sculpture. "I was just heading over to grab some light snacks for us all... shall I add some for you?"
B'kaiv's certainly not going to fuss for his wingmate's arrival, but unlike T'rev he doesn't have a smooth greeting. 'Hey' is all-purpose, really, and it helps that he already has a beer so he doesn't have to gape, open-mouthed, at the brownrider but stare at the surface of his drink instead. Much safer. He grunts something that could be accepting for G'dri's request and compliment, but two mugs are as easy to hold as one, and then the greenrider nods at one of the rapidly-filling tables. "Could all go sit over there, if you want." A beat and he adds awkwardly, "How's Orisoth?"
Wincing a touch at the Weyrlingmaster's greeting, Jiella can nonetheless manage a polite smile for it, equally polite in response. "Thank you, Jantha." Now that she can call people by their name and it's a social occasion, what the hell. She's pretty in pink and standing by the bar set up in the cavern along with two-thirds of the weyrling staff, B'kaiv, and the Weyleader, who she's favouring with one of her more brilliant smiles for his congratulations. As for Kai and self-defense? Time to get a drink! Turning to find one, "Suppose so, though I'm not that good at it. I don't think it's my thing. And thank you, G'dri. I might grab a few things off the plate, but I don't know how long I'll be around, so use your judgement?" Kai's suggestion seems to get a response - hard to tell when she's talking to the bar - "Maybe. And he's pretty much how he usually is. Hope Chielyth's well." Brisk, civil.
M'try wouldn't be late to a party like this. And he sure wouldn't come hurrying into the room, brushing his hands through his hair busily like that will make it look anything other than windblown. There's a quick, smiled, "What was that? Ah, nowhere. How's the party?" to answer the question with which he's greeted a few steps in, exchanging good-to-see-you handshakes before trying to duck off and collect food. Which isn't progressing very quickly for him. Mostly because he's too polite to just cut someone off mid-sentence.
T'rev shoots Jiella another smile, warm in quality and nods in answer to Kai's query. "Right there? Sure, sounds good," and the Weyrleader's already moving, hand dropping to the back of a chair to draw it out for whichever of the ladies chooses to occupy it. M'try is spotted in his move towards the buffet and T'rev briefly lifts his glass in his wingrider's direction.
"Besides," continues Jantha with something of a smirk - she's still on the subject of B'kaiv's self-defence lessons, it seems. "The lads take it better when they're taught by someone who's young and male. Being put on the ground by a middle-aged woman isn't good for their self-esteem. Besides, I'd much rather they were taught by someone with more enthusiasm for the subject than I can usually muster." She glances across the room, and raises a hand in greeting when she sees M'try newly arrived.
G'dri, heading off towards the buffet, leaves the rest of the cluster at the drinks table to sort themselves out as far as where they're going to wind up sitting. Polite he may be, but he also moves with a purpose and doesn't pause long enough for anyone in-between to really get going with the chatting. Of course there's a line when he gets there, and he fits himself into it somewhat ahead of where he should rightly have ended up, just by dint of finally deciding to actually exchange more than a passing greeting.
There's a reason Kai teaches self-defense and not small talk, and this would be it: he's utter crap at small talk. "Yeah," he says, stilted, "She's good." But T'rev's making a break for it and Kai fair leaps upon the opportunity to do the same, claiming that, "All these people, should go get a couple plates. Hey, there's M'try." In case they haven't all seen him by now. Jantha and Jiella get thin, pained smiles, and then the greenrider hastily ghosts off to join G'dri, much to the chagrin of the person who's been bumped back not just once, but twice.
Glass of red wine held elegantly in one slim hand - that'd be the unbruised one - Jiella does eventually have turn around and consider her options. With a tilt of her head, she'll regard the table T'rev's chosen for a moment before shrugging and sauntering off in that direction. That is, after answering B'kaiv, still without looking at him, "Good." The greenrider tips her off about M'try, who she glances over at with brief, wary interest. How long do you have to be at a party to consider it an appearance anyway?
Hey, there's M'try, who eventually manages to detach himself from one of his clutchmates only by promising to come back and hear the end of that story before the party's over, but seriously starving right now, so catch up to him later? Great. To answer Jiella's brief glance, he smiles with obnoxious brightness-- she already hates him, so it's not like he has anything to lose-- on his way to claim that food. "Sir. Sir. Ma'am. Sir." That'd be T'rev. B'kaiv. Jantha. G'dri. As they're each passed or noticed or whatever.
"M'try." Another smile - Jantha seems to have one for everybody today. "Congratulations on escaping from weyrlinghood. How are you finding it?" She shoots a glance towards the queue where G'dri has gone to retrieve food before looking back at M'try. Maybe she's hungry: there's only a half-full glass in her hand at present.
Maybe one of G'dri's Smiles(tm) will help the one so cut-in-front-of feel better? No? Well, he tried, and apologetically too. As the line shuffles forward he waits for a natural break in the flow of the idle conversation he was having, before he clearly switches his attention to Kai. Tilting his head towards the greenrider, he says quietly, "Hey, relax? I'd say you look like you're about to face three much-larger men in a fight for all your marks, but I think you'd enjoy that somewhat more." They'll get to the food eventually, and the bluerider takes happy advantage of Kai's presence to claim two plates to fill instead of trying to balance a mountain of delectable tidbits onto just one. "M'try, there is no need for such formality," when one of those passing 'sirs' is realised to have been directed at him. "Congratulations on your new wing."
Wrinkling her nose for that obnoxious smile, Jiella just continues on her way over to T'rev at the table, who is relatively safe by her standards. Meaning, he won't be mean, and will tell her she's pretty. Eyeing the chair for a moment like she might be shackled to it if she takes it, she eventually sits, crosses her legs, scans the room with barely disguised impatience. May as well wait if someone's going to bring her food. Tilting a look up at the Weyrleader, "How's it going?"
Jiella earns herself another smile as she heads towards T'rev and that pulled out chair. Once she's sat down, he steps away to set his glass down and sits himself down too. "Pretty good, it's a nice party, most of the parents seem pleased enough though a few were askin' about whether or not it was /quite/ safe," the Weyrleader says with a little shake of his head. "You?"
Congratulations. "Thank you. Thank you." One for Jantha, one for G'dri, and M'try snags a plate with a glance along the buffet, taking his place at the back of the line. "It's a lot like being a weyrling, except that now I have a Wing badge and I get paid a bit more." He tilts his empty plate toward the luncheon and adds, "Plus, there appears to be a decent spread, so I can't exactly complain. You both must be enjoying a well-earned respite?"
B'kaiv swallows a snort at G'dri's comparison but can't keep a small smile from forming. "Yeah," he admits, gesturing around at the clumps of people, the conversation, the general party atmosphere. At least he hasn't started plucking at his shirt's neckline yet? That's always a sure sign of discomfort. There's a nod - but no hey, for a change - for M'try in passing, but does he invite the brownrider to cut in line too? Nope. Once their plates are full he turns to try and find the others, gives T'rev's table a nod. There it is. On the way past M'try again, he points it out to the younger man, inviting, "Got seats there, if you want." It's up to him now if he'll join.
Jantha laughs as she tells M'try, "Well, weyrlingmasters are a bit surplus to requirements, now that you've all joined wings. But, much as I'd /like/ to spend my time pottering in the herb garden, Imoth and I will need to find another way of making ourselves useful. We can't have the Weyrleader here thinking we don't earn our keep, after all!" That's said with a cheerful grin in T'rev's direction: she doesn't seem too worried at the prospect.
After a sip from her glass, Jiella is arching light brows at T'rev for 'safe', surprised. "Really? I hope..." She trails off, giving him a knowing look - he knows what she hopes. That no relatives are behind that particular concern. Glancing only briefly towards the group at the buffet, she just gives a diffident little shrug at the question and a bland, "Not bad." That's certainly not the whole of things, but she's not talking about it, and not talking about it here.
T'rev shakes his head slightly Jiella-wards in answer to her incomplete question. "I'm pretty sure at this point that we'll be able to pronounce things as safe as they were before soon enough." The Weyrleader's grin pulls to the side a little and he nods. "Better than bad-bad," he says quietly and under the table, his foot nudges towards hers companionably. "They're supposed to be playin' dance music in a little bit," a tilt of his glass towards the harpers. "Save me a dance?" he requests with a slight note of pleading married with cheer in his voice. "Here come Kai and G'dri with stuff to munch on."
G'dri follows the direction of Kai's nod, since he himself was scanning in rather the wrong direction. "And plenty more food," he tacks on to Kai's invitation towards M'try, lifting the plates he's holding as if further visual aid is required. Then it's back through the drifting mill of people to the table occupied by T'rev, Jantha and Jiella, to set those plates down with a humourous bow. "There we go. Should be plenty of choice here for everyone to find something they like." Once his hands are free he can use one to reclaim the mug of ale Kai's been kindly toting around, the other to snag a couple sandwich squares and some sort of batter-wrapped roll for himself. But instead of availing himself of the option of a chair, turns instead to peer again in the direction he was looking earlier. Aside to the greenrider, "I think I see C'rys over there. Want to see if we can get a game set up for later?"
M'try looks squarely at the blond amid the seats in question while he answers B'kaiv with a polite, "Thank you for the offer, sir." Which isn't to say he wants to join them, but that part might actually go without saying? He has a bit of time left to wait in line, anyway, teetering the edge of his plate against his chest to pass the time. "I somehow doubt, ma'am, that those are words we'd ever hear from our particular Weyrleader, but I'm sure your industry's appreciated."
Kai grunts a 'welcome' to M'try on his way back, relinquishes G'dri's ale, and picks up a couple of the sturdier-looking pastries as his price for fetching and carrying. "Food looks good," he essays in yet another attempt to try this 'conversation' thing, but the bluerider's suggestion is greeted with unconcealed relief. "/Yeah/. Regards t' Mecaith, sir, and Orisoth," to Jiella, naturally, and neither sir nor ma'am for her, before the greenrider cuts off through the crowd as quickly as he might, leaving G'dri to follow in his wake.
With something of a relieved glance, Jiella nods to T'rev, offering a flash of a lovely smile. "That'll be something. I guess it'll take some time for people to /believe/ it, but it's a step? And if I'm around for dancing, of course." As G'dri arrives, she's happy enough to drop the subject in favour of food, examining what the bluerider's brought over - then waving a farewell after both he and B'kaiv, bemusedly. Eyeing the greenrider's back in what may be the first time since she's set foot in the cavern, she grimaces and goes back to her wine and food inspection. "Seems like a decent party so far."
"Baby steps," T'rev agrees with Jiella and grins. "Great," for the dancing part and sits up as the green and blueriders arrive only to look equally bemused as they both beat tracks after picking up snacks. "Everything okay there?" he asks in an undertone with a little nod after Kai, fingers plucking out a pie to draw his way and munch on between sips of wine. Some laughing kids, bump the edge of the table rattling plates and glasses and a chorus of 'Excuse me sirs' lifts up.
Jantha has found her way to the table where the others are seated, and thanks G'dri when he and the food arrive. "An excellent spread," she agrees, then adds, "Careful," to the bumping ones good-naturedly. "You want to stay upright: the night is still young!" She helps herself to a cheesy pastry concoction that proceeds to shed flakes of pastry: hard to eat with decorum, and she gives a rueful smile to her table companions.
Jiella gives T'rev one of her 'are you completely serious' looks of disbelief, but just goes with; "I don't know why he keeps trying to talk to me in completely weird ways." Especially when she's trying to pretend the greenrider doesn't exist. But under the table, belatedly, she'll give the bronzerider's foot a little nudge back - it's all good. Mostly. Peering over her plate at Jantha's for a moment curiously, she's less charitable to the kids that run off, glaring after them for all that there's been no real damage.
"Bein' polite in his own way," is T'rev's assessment on B'kaiv and he reaches for his glass as the table gets bumped. "Planning to party hearty then, Jantha?" he asks the Weyrlingmaster. "And are you looking forward to a little bit of downtime before moving into a wing?"
Jantha chuckles. "I don't know about hearty. I'm planning on still being upright at the end of the evening, which is more than can be said for some of my former class, I gather." She shoots a benign glance towards the pair of youngsters who are now retreating rapidly. "But I reckon they're entitled to cut loose a bit at this point. As for me, I do want to take a short break to visit my family for a couple of days, and get my patch of garden tidied up, too, but that's about all. I don't really know what to do with myself if I have too much free time."
"But he didn't ask after anyone /else's/ dragon," Jiella has to point out - but then, the blonde remembers it's not like she /wants/ to be talking about B'kaiv, so she shuts up. Fortunately, there's food to eat - and though she's the sort of girl who has to be careful, it's not like those curves come from starving herself. As she picks out a cheese pastry and starts munching, Jantha gets an odd look for her free time comment. "I never understand it when people say that. I'll take the free time, everytime." No. Really?
"Well if the party goes that long," T'rev says with a laugh, "I'll bet a lot of folks won't still be standing," he tells the Weyrlingmaster and picks up his pie, takes a bite out of it. "G'dri and Nia are going back into Jasper - we should have a little chat about where you think you'd like to fit in," the Weyrleader continues and slants a look Jiella's way at that statement, lets the matter of the recent flight go for now. "Some folks need to be learning new things all the time, don't feel right if their brains and bodies aren't doing something," he says conversationally.
Jantha nods at T'rev's suggestion. "I do have some thoughts about that," she says. "And of course, we shall want to be keeping up our skills by drilling with a wing. I'll come and see you in a day or so, then?" She rubs her fingertips together to dislodge pastry crumbs. "So what will you do with all the free time you're hoping to have?" she asks Jiella lightly. "You've not exactly had a lot of that, as a weyrling."
"And for some weyrling graduation is a good excuse to visit," Fiorella notes as she slips around to join the small group. What that exactly has to do with some people learning new things all the time - well likely nothing, but it seemed a good place to comment. "Fort Hold sends its congratulations," she adds directed clearly towards Jiella.
For the bronzerider's explanation, "I know. I'll just never understand it. And I have tons of things to do with my free time. Sleep. Suntan. Sometimes read. Other stuff." Jiella leaves the last vague, and vaguely suggestive - so at least some of the other stuff involves the blonde being naked, go figure. Finishing her cheesey thing, she brushes her fingers off on a napkin, then breaks into a smile as Fiorella turns up, nodding for the congratulations. Lightly, "I won't go getting all formal - so thanks, Ella. It's good to see you."
M'try would never drop into a party long enough to snag a plate of food and wander off. So maybe he just disappeared into the crowd. It's a little odd that no one remembers seeing him socializing, maybe, but 'M'try' and 'a little odd' are probably synonymous, anyway. All that to say: he and his snacks duck into the lower caverns while no one's paying attention.
"Good, we can talk it over when you're ready," T'rev tells Jantha and looks over towards Jiella for her answer to Jantha's question. "Reading, sure. Do like a good story," the Weyrleader agrees. "And other stuff." Humorous there, but he look up as Ella's voice sounds and his smile turns bright and wide. "Ella! Glad you could make it up." And he reaches out a hand to his foster-daughter, aiming to draw her in for a hug.
Amusement flickers in Jantha's eyes as Jiella mentions "other stuff." Perhaps she has her own ideas of what that might mean. Then there's a new arrival, and she says, "Hello, Fiorella," a little less engaged as she doesn't really know the girl. "Well, I should circulate a little more, if you'll excuse me," she continues, looking at T'rev, though as she's already getting up it's a purely formal request for permission. "I promised I'd talk to some parents: I'd better make good." She's away, then, picking up her empty glass and going for a refill before she heads into the crowd again.
"You're welcome," Fiorella replies to the no longer weyrling, with a look that says 'thank you' for not going all formal. A nod to Jantha and a return greeting of a simple, "Hello," for the woman as well before she's taking her leave. T'rev gains her attention next as she steps into that offered hug and returns it with one of her own. "So am I," the reply comes paired with a smile. Glad to be back even if it's only for a few hours, but then its been a quite a while now since she's been back to the weyr.
Jiella seems pleased that everyone gets what she means, but it would be hard /not/ to get what she means, so. With a slight grin for T'rev, she turns to give Jantha a little half-salute as she heads off. As for Ella, "Are you up here for long? If not, I'll come down in the next week or so? There's a few things I wanted to take care of." Again, talk about vague - but the blonde's not providing answers, merely standing and finishing her glass of wine before favouring both with a lovely smile and heading for the bowl.