Log: Stars Fall

[milaninc]

Who: B'tal, Ebeny, Eldena, Gabrion, K'del, Leova, Milani, P'ax, Shad, Silarra, Tiriana, W'chek, Z'yi
When: Day 11, Month 10, Turn 21
Where: Lakeshore, High Reaches Weyr
What: Even a simple meteor party goes wrong when W'chek starts talking about procreating.

Thiefed from Tiriana.


Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr
The rest of the bowl may be barren, grass barely surviving at best, but here by the lake, it's brilliantly green in the warmer months: thickening and thriving in the silty, boulder-dotted soil just before it transitions to soft sand and thence to the cool, clear water itself.
A large freshwater lake fed by a low waterfall, it not only provides warm-weather bathing space for humans and dragons, but has one end fenced off as a watering hole for the livestock in the feeding grounds. The water there is often muddier than the rest of the clear lake, whose shallows drop off abruptly several yards out into deep water, and whose edge undulates against the coarse-hewn bowl wall: here close enough to just be bramble-covered rocks, there far enough away that a narrow land bridge divides the main lake from a smallish pond. Between are several rocky outcroppings that form excellent makeshift diving points, though only one -- across the bridge -- has a set of narrow, slippery, quite possibly tempting stairs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"Fucking shells!" Gabe yells, and leaps up to make a fast running-dive under a bench. Not that they're safe from being hit, either, but it's at least some protection, as opposed to being out in the open.

Stands as the scream of pain reaches her ears. "We need to move." she says grabbing the children she'd lead outside. "Back inside now!" the young woman said ushering the creche kids inside now that rocks where coming side. "Shells..." she says in a tone of worry.

Silarra is just reaching for a mug of cider for herself as the rocks start crashing into the bowl. "Didn't have that one on the list." She mutters, making a dive to try to get under the table, and ending up with a richoceting piece of rock crashing into her leg instead, before she gets it pulled inside. And language uttered right after that? Must have known a sailor somewhere along the line.

Thunk. Some debris lands right between a little group of people on the blankets and there's a rather sickening sound of bone breaking and a shrill scream of pain in the dark. Amidst the chaos, Milani's ducked instinctively and when the tumbling rock stops falling, she's still for a moment, collecting herself, then she moves forward to help a couple of those people up. "Go inside, walk, don't run, be careful not to step on anyway," the headwoman says in a steady-enough voice.

"Mother--" Whatever the finish of that sentence is, it's lost as Z'yi ducks and covers his ass with the best of them. "F--" The best of them obviously fail, as he's struck hard on the shoulder, ends up rolling hard to faceplant in the dirt. There's a groan. Or maybe an expletive. Or three.

K'del has a few quips for the barkeep in return, as he settles for nothing more complicated than beer, but he's barely got the drink in hand before-- everything goes to hell. His drink is one of the first casualties, though not so much from falling rocks as surprise and shock: the weyrleader is utterly still for a moment, staring in absolute horror at the mayhem suddenly surrounding him. It's kind of a delayed response, for him, to put his hands above his head protectively - because that is so going to help, if something actually hits him. Silarra's fall, so close to him, finally grabs his attention: "Can you walk?" he wants to know. "Shells." And worse.

"My children would be beauti--" It breaks off just as quickly, future kids forgotten in the sudden wake of everything going to hell in a very large handbasket. "Fuck!" she yells, one long moment of panic in her wide eyes, gaping mouth as she whirls toward the sound of stone splintering. Aghast, she watches the descent of the Eye Rock down the bowlside to the floor, and does not move to run or dodge just yet: the Weyrwoman has never been a particular fan of self-preservation, after all. Instead, she turns to point at the three nearest, B'tal, W'chek, and Z'yi. "What are you doing on the ground?" she demands of the latter, never mind he's hit himself. "You guys, go grab the hurt, get them out of here. Everybody, inside!"

Impact, impact /nearby/... Leova's just gotten those mugs, but they're falling and spilling right with K'del's because she's diving, all but over the table to get the bartender /down/ and underneath what cover there is. No, he doesn't get to watch. No, he has to go down. /Stay/ down. Dragons are screaming. Tiriana's yelling. And she's not the only one.

Gabrion recognizes his cousin's voice and barrels out from under the bench, not caring if he knocks it over. He's at her side in seconds, kneeling on the ground. "Silarra! Silarra. Are you okay? Don't move." He's sizing her up with a healer's eyes, assessing injury as best he can.

Meanwhile, those pretty lights above? They're still going. It's just that... no one's really watching anymore. At least none of the other seem to be heading /weyrwards/. For now.

Silarra grits her teeth as K'del addresses her. Her lower left leg is bent in a rather unnatural way. "No. I don't think so." And she ignores Gabrion's orders, moving to prop herself up on her elbows letting out a hiss of pain. "Gabe? You alright? Your mother is never shardin' letting you out in the bowl again." She notes with a lack of the amusemed tone that statement might otherwise have.

The quick head count of the children and with one missing, Eldena bolts back out "Lyka!" she calls grabbing the child's hand and pushing her back inside the WEyr..

"Right," B'tal murmurs and gives the bronzerider another look, but whatever might have possibly come next is completely cut off by the chaos that comes instead. The greenrider curses audibly, very much so, at the first crashes and instead of running off, or walking as instructed, B'tal is moving away to go make sure nobody hurt is getting left behind. "Isz!" Of course that's where his attention goes, anxious, too, and he's heading toward the bluerider.

A bunch of aunties are following an only slightly younger woman towards the caverns, hand on each other's hip. It's almost like the macarena, only more like macabre.

The sound of the discussion of children, meaning death--no, that's really not how it's supposed to go, is it? Then there's falling rock and screaming and he just stands there for a moment--but at least doesn't scream. "Maybe you should be going yourself," he snaps back without a thought in Tiriana's direction. "She is not easily replaceable!" That big gold one who goes if Tiriana goes and keeps Tiriana from being murdered? Her. Who knows what else could happen at this point. But aside from that, he's following directions. That B'tal is headed for Z'yi gets a moment's glance, a flash of something on his face... but surely somebody else needs assistance inside.

It doesn't take too long for the healer brigade to show up, thanks to the wonders of dragons, and no doubt the arrival of a very injured watchdragon in the dragon infirmary. Madilla's amongst these, pale and scared, but apparently not unable to do her job all the same. Though she casts a wary glance upwards, she pushes against the tide of people fleeing for the caverns, heading for people on the ground. "Who's worst injured?" she's asking, casting around in dismay.

Gabrion lets the joke fly right by - no time for that. "Your leg is broken," he tells Silarra. "It's really important that you don't move, okay? There's some other people hurt. I need to go see." The good news, implied, is that he doesn't seem to think Silarra is in any danger of immediate death. Unless another meteor smashes her table, or something. "You just stay right there, can you do that?" He reaches out to grasp her hand, hoping to offer some comfort. Even as he does, he's looking around, looking up. And here are the healers. There's immense relief on Gabe's face as he gets to his feet and looks around, trying to locate other injured people.

"W--" It would help if Z'yi could breath, to adequately answer Tiriana's question. It would /really/ help. He's motionless for a long time, then inhales sharply, as if suddenly recollecting just how to do that. He doesn't move until Bety's voice reaches him, a motivating grace: he then moves to very groggily push himself up. "What th'--" Hey, he could pass as drunk, maybe. And he knows how to be drunk. So he'll just push himself upwards some more, try to stagger to his feet, blankly stare at Tiriana with no comprehension. Bewildered, perhaps a better word.

That Gabrion is now there to look after Silarra seems to relieve K'del, though he gives the young Apprentice a long glance, appraising. It seems to be enough, because he nods once, then moves onwards, stepping around debris and broken tables in a sort of desperate, impossible haze. Kind of 'what the hell do I do now?'

Wincing most of the kids made it back in and only minorly injurted,Eldena sinks to the side of WEyr... She waves off all the healers to let them attend to someone more greviously injurted she's only got a light scratch or two, maybe some heat-pain but nothing serious.

If there's one good thing, it's that the rubble, if not the dust, hits the ground pretty fast. Which... mostly just leaves digging out the rest of the people. "Fuck you," Tiriana shouts at W'chek when he actually talks sense, this one time. "I'm not leaving them." And stupid though it might be, she's not, even if the debris in the air sets her to coughing and covering her eyes as it billows over the bowl. "K'del?" Because he was just nearby; surely /he's/ not dead or buried.

Dragon> Amidst the chaos, Cadejoth extends a thought that is actually surprisingly calm. He's extending his mesh, testing his chain towards each of his pack-mates. << All safe, >> he reports, apparently relieved. No dead. At least no /draconic/ dead. << Iovniath, we will have to stop others from referencing our *Star Stones*. >> Given that they're now... irrevocably different. << We must all make sure we remember. >> (Cadejoth to all High Reaches dragons)

Leova'll have to get to that dragon infirmary, have to get to work, but for now she's muttering at a bemused bartender about breaking formation, breaking formation, /there/. And: forget the booze, though fine, he can stick a particularly precious bottle down his shirt. Time to pick up the table above them and use it as a shield against shrapnel, heading for the inner caverns like a particularly demented turtle. And try, /try/ not to run anyone over. What are the odds?

Silarra drags her coat up over her mouth as the dust starts to rise in the air. "Broken. Right. That would be why it feels like a dragon landed on it." She states through gritted teeth. "Stay here? Where the shells do you think I'm going to go?" She asks him, giving his hand a squeeze, mutual reassurance maybe, despite her tough exterior.

Meanwhile, Milani continues to move amongst the blanket-area, helping people up and she hunkers down when her foot meets someone not moving. It's dark but there's a little cast light from the bonfire and the headwoman feels around for a pulse, looks grim after a moment and pulls the fold of blanket over the man's face. A little further onward there's another body on the ground, but this one has a heartbeat in spite of the large chunk of rock nearby. "Need a healer over here!" she calls out. "Unconscious patient."

Dragon> To all High Reaches dragons, Iovniath, too, is surprisingly at ease, her mind locked in snow. << If you will make sure of that, Cadejoth? And we shall tend the wounded. >> she asks of her mate. Her presence is already spreading out, ice to match the bronze's chains that seek out the dragons of the Weyr, to take on their pain and panic and provide calm strength in return.

B'tal is probably not particularly equipped to support the bulk of the bluerider but that doesn't mean that he's not going to give it a damned good try as the other staggers to his feet. "Hey," B'tal barks, attempting to draw Z'yi's attention to something, "Are you okay? We need to get you inside," where it's safe. B'tal presses for Z'yi to start moving cavern-wards, with or without him as support.

"Here," says K'del, sounding-- surprised? But relieved, too, maybe, as he crosses the remaining distance between himself and the Weyrwoman, glancing down to survey the rest of everyone. His head shakes. At least, aside from being covered with rock dust, he seems to be in perfectly one piece. "Cadejoth says there're some dragon injuries, but the watchrider's okay. Won't fly much for--" He breaks off, ducking his head to cough, splutter, breath. "Need to get everyone in. You, too-- can't risk you, Tiriana. Where's Ezalea, did she come out?"

Gabrion squeezes back, and smiles at Silarra. "I'll be back," he says. "Just hang on." He takes stock of the people around him, and then sprints over to where the healers are. "Over that way there's three," he reports to Madilla. "Female with a broken leg, conscious. One unconscious male. Another female bleeding from the head, not sure if it's superficial or serious." He stands stiffly and waits for instructions.

There W'chek is, talking sense, and fathering children, and maybe the world really is ending. But life seems to be going on somehow all the same. So, as B'tal gets his ex, W'chek gets--an old lady with a bad limp who may or may not have sprained something, as she seems to be too deaf to actually understand anything she's asked. She's not in any way 'little'; nearly as tall as he is and substantially rounder. But there he is, so dutiful, walking her towards the lower caverns.

As people start to trek towards indoors and a healer comes to tend to that fallen person in the dark, Milani turns to find some of the assistants and there's some quick instructions to head back to the caverns and start setting up to take a head count and put out both strong drink and get the cooks brewing up a large pot of klah: people are going to need it against the shock.

Madilla lets out a little unhappy cry as, having followed Milani's words, she notes the blanket-covered body, and the one nearer the Headwoman. She crouches, though, taking no more time than that single cry before she leaps in to action. "You should get inside," she murmurs to the Headwoman, eyes wide, as she lays down her kit to reach for the unconscious man, to test his vital signs. "Shells," she adds, taking a deep breath. "/Shells/."

"I'm fine," is Tiriana's brusque answer to K'del; seems she's not going to listen to him, either. A beat later, she adds, "Nahalith says she's fine, inside already--so you can stop pretending to worry about me. Get the healthy ones clearing this out, best we can for now. Is Milani still out here? She shouldn't, not with the--get her inside," she says, even as Milani's already moving to make all the subsequent instructions happen. "Tell her to go set up the living cavern with... water. Food. The healers can put up there for now, too; infirmary's going to be... too small," is her grim feeling.

Dragon> To all High Reaches dragons, Cadejoth projects, << I will, >> confirms Cadejoth, all traces of happypuppy gone, gone, gone as he takes control of his part of this situation. Clear-headed and confident, he keeps a careful hold on this net of dragons, this pack, encouraging calm as he reaches outwards to warn Pern of the tragedy. << All will be well. We must be /calm/. >>

Briefly, Milani's hand drops to Madilla's shoulder and squeezes, then she nods. "I -- I know. I need to get Milandra squared away," the headwoman says with a look around. "Giorda and Alieva are setting up headcount and Sheala's poking the kitchens to life to help take care of people." Her head lifts as she catches Tiriana's voice and her lips purse faintly. "I'll see you in a little bit. Stay safe, Madilla," the headwoman adds feelingly, then turns to head inside, reaching to slide her hand under the elbow of a staggering, shell-shocked woman. "This way, we'll get you something warm to drink. Everything'll be okay." And she acutally sounds like she believes that as she retreats.

Dragon> Just for him, a private little moment, Iovniath is neither dismissive ice or manipulative fur; just snow, gleaming gratefully underneath a thick coating of dust and grime. (Iovniath to Cadejoth)

Silarra isn't going anywhere on her own. She watches her cousin move off and then just bites her lip. She turns her head to the side to look towards the unconscious man Gabe mentioned before she turns forward again, watching all the scurrying.

Someone's brought stretchers out, and so two big and burly men are dispatched to go and fetch Silarra, get her on the stretcher as gently as possible so that she can be brought to the infirmary. Gabe is sent to assess the woman with the bleeding head. She's got someone's shirt wrapped around the wound. After he takes a look, he rewraps it for her. "It's not serious," he says, "but head wounds bleed a lot. You'll probably need some stitches, but you're going to be fine. Just keep holding that shirt on there and applying pressure." Her companion looks kind of pale. "Are you okay to get her to the infirmary, or do you need help?" Gabe asks the man briskly. He seems a little suspicious of the answer, so he nabs a young bluerider who's standing there looking lost to help shepherd the woman to the infirmary. Then he wipes his hands on his pants and looks around: next!

K'del snaps back his answer before he's no doubt had time to think; the strain is showing on his face. "Of course I worry about you, you stupid woman," he tells Tiriana. None of that stops him from gulping helplessly at mention of the infirmary; he nods, though, and turns away. "I should help carry. I can do that." And so, he takes a few steps away, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth, though both are as dirty as each other. For a moment, though, he stares upwards, at the chilling sight of the star stones, minus one of their stones.

Dragon> Busy, occupied, holding his chains just so, Cadejoth has only a moment to extend his response to this: a perfect bell-like chime of metal against metal, chilled to suit her, and the sense once more of their place together: holding this pack together, this endless expanse of intermingled links. It's his pleasure; his duty. (Cadejoth to Iovniath)

"I will," promises Madilla, urgently, but taking only a moment to do so, in response to the Headwoman. She ducks her head lower, biting at her lip as she struggles with her patient; eventually, she raises her hand, waving it desperately as she calls for a stretcher. "I need to get him inside. /Now/." She can be really forceful when she needs to, good girl.

"Yeah, well." But the cutting retort Tiriana wants never quite materializes in the wake of K'del's comment, and so, with him dispatched to clean-up and Milani to tending the support networks, she sets out on her own self-appointed task of helping out the healers. Without much more skills than to yell for actual healers when she finds someone badly hurt and to give the hysterical a good kick in the butt to do something more useful, she starts moving around the wreckage of Star Stones. The dead are, for now, left where they lie; nothing more to be done for them.

When Leova's table-turtle makes it to the inner caverns, she sees him off to find his girl, the one that's still here. And she, /she/ has other duties that take her towards the dragon infirmary, eyes slitted against the dust and smoke, her goggles still hanging on the hook back in her weyr. If she's looking out for riders like Z'yi, well, it's with a clenched jaw that accepts U'sot's instructions to send less trained assistants out to find them instead.

A makeshift healer assistant finds the disoriented bluerider, even as a pair scythe through the air above. Z'yi lifts a hand, a feeble warding gesture, and follows placid as an old broke-down runner, though he winces every step and is rather obviously bleeding down the side of his chest. If he stumbles, well, go figure. He's obviously not in control of his facilities, entirely, and when brought face-to-face with Leova, at a certain point, he's so clearly in shock that it's a surprise that he recognizes her at all. There's a wan smile, and a slurred comment as if he's on the third day of a weekend bender, before he moves on to the infirmary: "The sky fell."

Silarra lets out another string of interesting language as she's loaded onto a stretcher, though it's not aimed at the burly men, who should have no problem with such a small young woman. "Sorry." She actually tells them once she's settled and on her way to wherever they end up carrying her. "Thanks for the ride." That's said dryly, on a hiss of a breath.

Gabrion looks around, and his eyes find Silarra again, but the stretcher-guys have got her well in hand, so although he bites his lip, he has to put worry for her out of his head for now. "Shells," he mutters to himself, and when he hears Tiriana yell for a healer, he appears at her elbow. "Hi, weyrwoman," he says warily. "There's some injured people who /can/ walk and are just kind of standing or sitting around waiting, if someone could tell them to get to the infirmary, that would be good?" The suggestion comes out tentative - healer apprentices don't normally boss weyrwomen around, after all. "What's up here?" he asks, meaning the patient she was shouting about.

Once Z'yi is settled with other people, B'tal seems a little at a loss about what to do with himself. He was already in a weird state of mind and now this. The greenrider might be a little more pale than usual but it's hard to tell so much in the darkness. He looks around, spots W'chek and starts trying to follow after him toward wherever he's heading with that other person.

In the lower caverns, once Milani's passed the baby off to the safekeeping of other arms, the headwoman moves through the corridors with typically brisk efficiency. Places are arranged for the walking wounded, food, drink and blankets passed out for those in need and that tally comes in eventually for the headwoman to bring to the Weyrleaders, a little grim-faced. The mess in the Bowl will indeed, have to wait until morning.

The unexpected confrontation's enough to send Leova into a sudden step forward, but a reach for the much-taller bluerider's shoulder turns into a thump towards his upper arm. Hopefully his good one. "Yes. Go." Whatever relief there was, now she has to call back the assistant, and get to work, her real work, cleaning and stitching and overseeing and even mucking, shoulders tight-braced against dragons' and riders' pain.

In this particular case, Tiriana is quite happy to follow Gabrion's request. "I'm on it," she tells him swiftly, turning her energy to that particular task. In short order, most of the layabouts and the squalling are scurrying away from her, leaving her to study the particular injured person that drew Gabrion over in the first place. "Leg's pinned. That's... bad, right?" she asks, looking from the pale young man to the healer. "Do we just move it off or is that worse?"

Dutifully, W'chek spends quite awhile helping people inside, mostly not the sorts of people he would ever give the time of day ordinarily. But he does it, without complaint. And once that's mostly settled, he returns to his own weyr for the night, just to be up again early ready to help with the clean-up process in the morning.

"Bad," Gabe agrees, after studying the scene with a certain amount of detachment. "I'm not strong enough to lift it. We need something to use for a lever, probably. Yeah. We don't have to lift the whole rock. Just pry it up enough to pull him free." He kneels down next to the injured man, who's kind of glassy-eyed. "Hey. Hey." He slaps at the man's face very gently. "Stay with me here. What's your name?" He'll get him talking, and keep him talking until someone who's able to move the rock comes.

The man's not completely there, very pale and only half-focusing on Gabrion while the young healer talks to him. But he still manages answers, while Tiriana grabs a couple of big riders and marshalls them into helping move the rock. It takes some heaving on their part, with Tiriana helping make sure the man's leg is free before they stop it rolling. "Okay. Now let's get him out of here."

Gabe jerks the man free, dragging him by the shoulders out of the way as soon as the rock is lifted. He's panting when they've completed the job. Conveniently, here's another stretcher crew just returning from dropping someone else off at the infirmary. He grins weakly at Tiriana. "Thanks," he mutters, and steps out of the way to let them load the man up. He wipes his sweaty forehead with his sleeve, and takes a few deep breaths.

"Yeah," is Tiriana's vague reply to Gabe; she's already eyeing the rest of the rubble, much as he is. It's going to be a very long night indeed, for more than just the healers.

There are no more impacting meteorites after that first one, and eventually, the dust begins to settle, though it's plain that there's quite a crater in the bowl, and the debris will take a long time to clean up. The injured are carried within: to the infirmary, to the living caverns, to anywhere where there's room; the dead, though there are only a couple, are also removed, carried clear of the site until they can be properly dealt with. The rest? It will all have to wait until morning, when there's light to see by, and enough space for a realistic evaluation of the damage to be made. Even in the dark, it hardly looks good.

By morning, there's reports of damage from the Holds, too.