Log: Lake Swim
Who: I'daur, Madison, Milani, Nathein, Raykini
Where: Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr
What: I'daur's washing Zunaeth, Madison's helping. Milani's being impertinent, Ray and Nathein try to be nice and sociable.
Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr
This shoreline marks the edge of the freshwater lake that fills the southeastern portion of the bowl. The gritty dirt of the bowl gives way to smooth sand. Dragons adore diving from high above into the lake's deep center, often imploring to their lifemates to bathe them with sweetsand. Humans and firelizards alike frequently fish from these clear waters, which are abundantly stocked.
Across the lake, the bowl wall rises high into the sky, its face dotted with weyr entrances. A few dragonlengths above the water, glimpses of a level cliff can be seen amidst boulders lining the edge. Just south of here, a smaller pond of water is divided from the main lake by a natural bridge of land. A path leads across the bridge and up to the diving cliffs, winding through a dotting of small boulders on its way.
"Scrub," says I'daur, and demonstrates on one of Zunaeth's shoulders. He and the dragon are out in the water already, Madison joining them. "Leave his wings, head, to me, but get whatever of the rest you can. He doesn't mind--his idea, actually," the bronzerider admits. There's a pause; then: "So. Why /are/ you capable?"
"Haha, I see." Madison marches towards to the dragon and takes up some items to help her scrub the dragon's left foreleg. "Like this?" She scrubs slowly in a simple circle, rubbing it over and over before washing it off. "Look, he's all shiny." She grins, teasing the dragon.
"Mm," is I'daur's noncommittal reply to Madison's words, as he observes the girl's scrupting. "You didn't answer the question," he points out a few seconds later, as he carries his own end of scrubbing mechanically.
Milani ambles out onto the beach, dressed for swimming in a knitted tank top and shorts, a shirt over that and a towel slung over her shoulder. The lanky teen's feet pad quietly on the sand, bare, apparently she didn't mind the walk across the Bowl without shoes. She stops just shy of the water and looks out over the surface of the lake, eyeing the rider and his helper, busy at work. Almost impertinently she calls out a loud, "Hiya I'daur!" and then turns to lay out her towel, very neatly, well away from the water's edge and leaves her shirt, by contrast, in a messy pile on top of it before she gets a running start and leaps into the lake from a nearby rock.
"I am. I'm capable of fighting off a entire group of boys by myself. I think I can handle thread." The young girl says as she continues to scrub around the bronze's leg scrubbing up and down it. "I'm glad I can't do a bronze." She giggles. "This would be so much work."
Nathein goes over from the eastern side of the bowl.
I'daur glances up at the sound of his name, brows arching slightly. "Milani," he greets the girl, lifting a hand slightly to hail her. "So boys are like Thread," he follows Madison's analogy. "You ever seen it? A 'Fall? Ever been scored?"
"I guess she knows you." Madison giggles and waves to the talish girl. "Hello Milani, I'm Madison!" She says as she moves up to clamber onto of that leg to scrub over the scales ontop of the dragon's back. "I don't think so." She thinks back.. "But getting killed don't scare me. I'm not afraid to fight."
Milani bobs up to the surface not too far off after making a reasonably large splash into the lake. "Need more help?" she offers, doing a slow backstroke to get back to the area where I'daur and Madison are working on Zunaeth, wet hair plastered to her forehead. She wrinkles her nose a little at the topic of conversation though. "Threadscore sucks," she says bluntly. "Da's got a scar, /this long/," she demonstrates with her hands, "on his leg. Ugly." She shakes her head emphatically, then grins affably at Madison. "Hi," and she sticks a hand out towards the other girl.
Nathein leaves off a sack of firestone at the edge of a teetering pile, gives the lump of sacks a doubtful look as his cherry-on-top bag threatens to tumble loose. After swaying a few seconds, it folds inward and collapses into the pile, leaving the candidate free to approach the water line with a hefty sigh of relief.
"Kids and old people's the only ones not scared of dying," remarks I'daur, working hard at Zunaeth's side, half-leaned against the wet bronze. "Old people 'cause they've done it all already, kids because they're too dumb to know better." His tone isn't quite derisive, though, more resigned to that fact. To Milani: "Most of us do, from last Pass or this--whatever the hell it is."
As Madison heards the thud of firestone sacks being dropped off, a soft grumble comes to her throat. "Great, Nathein's here." She murmurs, half to herself. Her hand reaches out and soapy and wet shakes Milani's own strongly for such a tiny girl. "Nicetomeetcha!" She says, grinning toothily at Milani before she turns her attention back to the dragon. "Where else do you want scrubbed up here, big fella?" She asks, scrubbing all along the dragon's ridges on his back. "Right here?"
Nathein stays along the water line, his eyes cast toward the washing in the lake as he hunches down to splash a little water onto his handkerchief. No doubt catching snippets of the conversation, he perks a listening expression; after a few minutes of this, he calls, "Sorry to pry, sir, but this whatever the hell it is? What is it that most of us do?"
Milani actually winces a little at Madison's grip. "You too," she says with a bit of a taken aback look, but then she peeks past the other girl at I'daur. "How many you got, Weyrlingmaster?" passing respect of a sort, from the lanky girl.
Of course the one place Raykini is most likely to be found is a place that's near the water. So, it's not surprising when the ex-fisherman can be seen trudging along the beach shore, kicking a rock before him. He looks up, however, when he spots the small crowd. "Lo." Ray calls out to the others.
"More'n I care to count," is I'daur's dry answer. "Think Zunaeth is testament enough to our luck." One hand (aptly sporting a fairly recent score up the forearm) gestures to the scarred up old bronze, who very nearly preens to show off his battlescars. I'daur only eyes the bronze, then takes a couple minutes' break from scrubbing at him to glance to Nathein. "Get 'scored," he interprets for the young man. "And that's all if we're lucky. Nathein?" he takes his cue of name from Madison, with a sideways glance at her.
Milani purses her lips a little and since Madison and I'daur seem to have Zunaeth all covered for washing, she just relaxes into treading water and conversing. "Least you're both still here standing," says the girl any earlier impudence tempered a little. "How long you been here Madison?" she changes topics and then looks past the dragon and his washers at the approaching boys curiously.
"Yah, Nathein's his name." Madison says before she looks at Milani and nods at her. "Yuck, bet it hurts." She looks past the dragon and waves a soapy hand to Raykini. "Lo, Swimm...er. Raykini" She eyeballs the Weyrlingmaster before nearly being bucked off by the nearly preening bronze. "Oh, whew. Thought I was going to.." And slip she does, sliding down the tail and into the water, splooshing. "Twelve turns, all mah life." She burbles, hair wetly matted to her face.
Raykini turns a rather nice shade of red, turning to give Madison a look. Call him Swimmy, really! "So this is where everyone is? I rather liked this spot, but I didn't think everyone else liked it too.." He laughs rathern nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yessir. As she says, Nathein. You'll have to forgive me for not knowing your name?" With a nod to indicate that Madison is the "she" in that remark, Nathein looks to I'daur's scored hand in a timely manner, then his attention drops back down to his own unscored appendage, which he resumes scrubbing with his handkerchief. Off-handedly, he lifts a wave to Raykini, but it's I'daur he's still addressing; "Again, if you don't mind my asking, I've heard this new business is a lot worse than a normal Pass?"
"I'daur," answers the rider, with a nod toward Nathein. The growing group earns little notice from him as he chooses to focus on the one person he's talking to at present. "And--it's different. Which I guess means worse. Unpredictable, which, considering predictability was the only good thing to be said for the Pass..." His shoulders lift stiffly, before he shoots a chastising look at the bronze. "Zunaeth," he reprimands sternly, while the bronze quickly settles, not jostling Madison further.
Milani furrows her brows at Madison for a moment. "Oh ... wait, you're a fosterling, aren't you? Duh, silly me. Sometimes there's so many kids in the caverns, I don't remember my own name." With that sorted out, the tall girl fixes Raykini with a long look. "Swimmy?" she murmurs in an undertone, shooting Madison a questioning look.
"I'm just here." Madison pulls herself out of the water to slowly scramble back up the dragon's back and tail to her spot where she was scrubbing, now thoroughly soaked. "To deliver a letter and then I got.." She pauses and gives I'daur a winning smile. "I was asked to scrub the lump I'm sitting on." She pats the bronze fondly. "And a lovely lump you are. Such a pretty dragon." She teases the bronze again, looking over at Milani before frowning at her. "What 'bout it?" Touchy subject, that. "Yeah, it's his nickname. He's a boatperson, loves the water. Swimmy. But his real name's Raykini." She tells Milani before going back to scrubbing.
Nathein chews on I'daur's words after a polite enough, "Good to meet you." He straightens up as he thinks, uses his handkerchief to wipe the back of his neck with and then leave the cool cloth just beneath his collar. He shifts gears quickly, lets the topic slide with a little, thoughtful squint as he parts ways with it. "Are you still cross at me, Maddie?"'
Raykini lets out a rather quiet groan in annoyance, rubbing at the side of his head, "It's Raykini, thanks." He frowns at the rest of them. "So...what's going on? I'm rather confused." He turns to peer at the weyrlingmaster, "We had our issues with thread at sea, too."
"And you," I'daur tells Nathein, before he turns back to Zunaeth to scrub. For the moment he's quiet, just working and glancing occasionally at the younger kids, supervising, plainly. Though, his glances takes in Raykini as the boy's words make his frown deepen slightly. "Worst place to get caught," he remarks. "Surprised people still go out. Tillek?" he guesses of the boy.
"Raykini," echoes Milani, surveying the lad again with a measuring look. "Well met Raykini and uh ... Nathan did you say?" Blue-green eyes fix on the other young man next, as if trying to stuff the names and faces into her memory. "Sailing's fun," she notes, after I'daur's comment. "But getting caught out in Threadfall wouldn't be."
"I'm not cross with you Nathein." The young woman gives Nathein a bright, big tight smile towards him before she looks back to Milani and grins at her. "Nathien It's an ein on the end." She says, giggling before she looks over at I'daur. "I'm still not scared, sir." Madison offers.
Nathein counts off on his fingers; "N-A-T-H-E-I-N. I'll answer to Nathan if it's as close as you can get, though." He gives Madison a skeptical look, focussed on the bright smile, then melts into a reassured smile as well, like it's all smoothed over. "You're still not scared of thread?"
Raykini gives a slight nod to I'daur's words, crossing his arms over his chest. "Aye, we do. But we've firelizards and a few tanks on board. Usually we've had the luck to dodge most of the thread at sea, however, we weren't so lucky with the storm..." He wrinkles his nose, arching a brow at the other female, "You are, ma'am? Well met. I've been at sea all my life. We were at Ista before we were caught by a storm."
"Not too bright, are you?" I'daur asks Madison, though his tone is more bemused than anything else. "Well, guess we shouldn't try /too/ hard to scare you, or we'll run out of fodder for the stuff."
"Sorry, Nath-EIN," Milani gets it right this time and grins over at the very very very tall dude. "Gee I'daur, you're being nice tonight," oh there's the impertinence back in the girl's sarcasm-laden quip. If Raykini's talking to her, she doesn't realize it because of the ma'am.
"Excuse me, sir?" Madison asks as she pokes her head up over the dragon and looks towards the rider. "If you'd exuse me sir, I'm scared thread. Yes, very. But I won't be frozen by my fear." She says. "That's why I say I'm not afraid." She looks between them all and gives a soft sigh.
"I have my days," drawls I'daur, with a half-smirk for Milani. A glance for Madison then, and a nod, apparently approving, before he resumes his duties of both scrubbing and supervising in silence for the moment.
Raykini shrugs his shoulders, "I'm not really afraid of thread, I've faced worse things than thread. though. I don't really like being on land too much. I've become rather fond of he fishing pond, however."
Nathein admits with a combination of candor and incredulity after Madison, "I'm afraid." Pulling the ends of the handkerchief around toward his Adam's apple, cooling under his chin, he ends with a little shrug. "Plus, I like to think about what candidacy would be like without thread hanging over head." He casts a baleful look to the pile of firestone bags.
Milani rolls her eyes a little at I'daur's drawl. "Suuure you do," and she mimics his customary gruff expression then grins over at the bronzerider cheekily, before she pushes off, floating on her back to look up at the sky. "Thread's scary." That's a definite echo from the girl as she floats in the lake. "Thank Faranth for dragons." Another definitive, from Milani's simple worldview.
A soft laugh comes to Maddie's throat as she looks to Nathein and shakes her head. "That's nothin' I could lug those all day. Try being the Weyrleader's little doitall all day." She makes a nasty looking face. "Ug!" She says.
Nathein gestures toward the pile of bags with a gracious flourish of his hands. "Be my guest, Maddie, lug away." He walks back over to the pile on the sand over there, nudges one bag with his toe. "I've never actually seen it myself. Thread. Thank Faranth for Holds." He echoes Milani with a laugh.
Raykini tilts his head to the side, "Well, it is rather scary, being out at sea with only our firelizards, but We've been looking up to the sky far longer than the rest of pern." He smiles faintly, rubbing the back of his head, "I've seen it, once or twice."
Madison finishes her scrubbing and slides off the dragon and lands onto the side of the beach before she grins at Nathein. "Gladly." She says and moves over to snag one of the bags in her arm and she lifts it up over her head. She struggles slightly as she oofs.. "See, not too hard." She looks as if she's going to fall over.
Nathein rolls his eyes, shakes his head. "Don't wear yourself out with that, Maddie. Leave it to the big boys?" After making a big show of looking down down /down/ at the girl, he turns back toward the interior of the Weyr.
Nathein strides away from the lake shore, back to the main bowl.
Floating off in her own little world, Millie misses some of the rest of the exchange and when she resurfaces by swimming in closer again she looks almost surprised to find Nathein gone. "Hey, where'd the big guy go?"
Raykini wrinkles his nose when everyone suddenly heads off, "I think I scared 'em away." He murmurs quietly to himself, turning to eye Madison, "Do you need help carrying that? I could help if you wish. You don't want to hurt yourself."
Reaching down and getting the other sack, Madison grins at Raykini. "You didn't, sheesh." She says, plopping the sacks one on top o the other. "Nope, he's going to get in trouble for not getting his chores done." She grins deviously before she looks over at Millie. "He ran off."
Milani sits in the water a moment longer, then pads out of it dripping up the sand to her towel. "Huh. Well I hope he gets his chores done. Shanlee's not into shirkers," so saying, she nudges her shirt out of the way and picks up her towel to dry off. "What chore've you all got this week?" she asks both Raykini and Madison.
Raykini wrinkles his nose thoughtfully, "Who? Who are you talking about?" he asks, moving to flop on the beach sand, "Me? I'm cleaning up the hearths. Dirty job that, I've been makin friends with the washing pools."
"Ew," says Millie distinctly. "That's a /very/ dirty job. Did you manage to get all clean after? There's a really good bathing pool in the lower caverns," she adds helpfully.
Raykini starts to turn over his hands, glaring at them, "It's not really all that bad. I'm used to getting dirty, but it does stain something oaweful." He frowns, "Oh? I'll check them out later, I'm still getting used to it here."
Milani shudders a little as she dries off. "I hate pulling that duty. At least I'm old enough now to get off the general kids' roster. But ... I'm going to have to figure out what I'm doing. Craft or stay and do something else here ... dunno /what/ though." She frowns a little, then tips a look back over at Raykini. "So, if you don't Impress, think you'll go back to sailing?"
Raykini wrinkles his nose, "You're lucky then, ma'am." He murmurs, shaking his head slightly. "I don't mind the job, but it is a bit taxing after a while. Not to mention it tends to soil my clothes." Ray looks thoughtful for a moment or two, "Most likely. Father said I could come back if I don't impress."
Milani finishes toweling off and hooks her shirt up, slinging it on over her damp swim gear. "Well. We'll see," she says with a shrug and gives a little wave. "Good luck to you both if I don't see you around much. I'm going to find some cookies. See ya!" And off goes the lanky girl with her damp towel slung over her shoulder.
Where: Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr
What: I'daur's washing Zunaeth, Madison's helping. Milani's being impertinent, Ray and Nathein try to be nice and sociable.
Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr
This shoreline marks the edge of the freshwater lake that fills the southeastern portion of the bowl. The gritty dirt of the bowl gives way to smooth sand. Dragons adore diving from high above into the lake's deep center, often imploring to their lifemates to bathe them with sweetsand. Humans and firelizards alike frequently fish from these clear waters, which are abundantly stocked.
Across the lake, the bowl wall rises high into the sky, its face dotted with weyr entrances. A few dragonlengths above the water, glimpses of a level cliff can be seen amidst boulders lining the edge. Just south of here, a smaller pond of water is divided from the main lake by a natural bridge of land. A path leads across the bridge and up to the diving cliffs, winding through a dotting of small boulders on its way.
"Scrub," says I'daur, and demonstrates on one of Zunaeth's shoulders. He and the dragon are out in the water already, Madison joining them. "Leave his wings, head, to me, but get whatever of the rest you can. He doesn't mind--his idea, actually," the bronzerider admits. There's a pause; then: "So. Why /are/ you capable?"
"Haha, I see." Madison marches towards to the dragon and takes up some items to help her scrub the dragon's left foreleg. "Like this?" She scrubs slowly in a simple circle, rubbing it over and over before washing it off. "Look, he's all shiny." She grins, teasing the dragon.
"Mm," is I'daur's noncommittal reply to Madison's words, as he observes the girl's scrupting. "You didn't answer the question," he points out a few seconds later, as he carries his own end of scrubbing mechanically.
Milani ambles out onto the beach, dressed for swimming in a knitted tank top and shorts, a shirt over that and a towel slung over her shoulder. The lanky teen's feet pad quietly on the sand, bare, apparently she didn't mind the walk across the Bowl without shoes. She stops just shy of the water and looks out over the surface of the lake, eyeing the rider and his helper, busy at work. Almost impertinently she calls out a loud, "Hiya I'daur!" and then turns to lay out her towel, very neatly, well away from the water's edge and leaves her shirt, by contrast, in a messy pile on top of it before she gets a running start and leaps into the lake from a nearby rock.
"I am. I'm capable of fighting off a entire group of boys by myself. I think I can handle thread." The young girl says as she continues to scrub around the bronze's leg scrubbing up and down it. "I'm glad I can't do a bronze." She giggles. "This would be so much work."
Nathein goes over from the eastern side of the bowl.
I'daur glances up at the sound of his name, brows arching slightly. "Milani," he greets the girl, lifting a hand slightly to hail her. "So boys are like Thread," he follows Madison's analogy. "You ever seen it? A 'Fall? Ever been scored?"
"I guess she knows you." Madison giggles and waves to the talish girl. "Hello Milani, I'm Madison!" She says as she moves up to clamber onto of that leg to scrub over the scales ontop of the dragon's back. "I don't think so." She thinks back.. "But getting killed don't scare me. I'm not afraid to fight."
Milani bobs up to the surface not too far off after making a reasonably large splash into the lake. "Need more help?" she offers, doing a slow backstroke to get back to the area where I'daur and Madison are working on Zunaeth, wet hair plastered to her forehead. She wrinkles her nose a little at the topic of conversation though. "Threadscore sucks," she says bluntly. "Da's got a scar, /this long/," she demonstrates with her hands, "on his leg. Ugly." She shakes her head emphatically, then grins affably at Madison. "Hi," and she sticks a hand out towards the other girl.
Nathein leaves off a sack of firestone at the edge of a teetering pile, gives the lump of sacks a doubtful look as his cherry-on-top bag threatens to tumble loose. After swaying a few seconds, it folds inward and collapses into the pile, leaving the candidate free to approach the water line with a hefty sigh of relief.
"Kids and old people's the only ones not scared of dying," remarks I'daur, working hard at Zunaeth's side, half-leaned against the wet bronze. "Old people 'cause they've done it all already, kids because they're too dumb to know better." His tone isn't quite derisive, though, more resigned to that fact. To Milani: "Most of us do, from last Pass or this--whatever the hell it is."
As Madison heards the thud of firestone sacks being dropped off, a soft grumble comes to her throat. "Great, Nathein's here." She murmurs, half to herself. Her hand reaches out and soapy and wet shakes Milani's own strongly for such a tiny girl. "Nicetomeetcha!" She says, grinning toothily at Milani before she turns her attention back to the dragon. "Where else do you want scrubbed up here, big fella?" She asks, scrubbing all along the dragon's ridges on his back. "Right here?"
Nathein stays along the water line, his eyes cast toward the washing in the lake as he hunches down to splash a little water onto his handkerchief. No doubt catching snippets of the conversation, he perks a listening expression; after a few minutes of this, he calls, "Sorry to pry, sir, but this whatever the hell it is? What is it that most of us do?"
Milani actually winces a little at Madison's grip. "You too," she says with a bit of a taken aback look, but then she peeks past the other girl at I'daur. "How many you got, Weyrlingmaster?" passing respect of a sort, from the lanky girl.
Of course the one place Raykini is most likely to be found is a place that's near the water. So, it's not surprising when the ex-fisherman can be seen trudging along the beach shore, kicking a rock before him. He looks up, however, when he spots the small crowd. "Lo." Ray calls out to the others.
"More'n I care to count," is I'daur's dry answer. "Think Zunaeth is testament enough to our luck." One hand (aptly sporting a fairly recent score up the forearm) gestures to the scarred up old bronze, who very nearly preens to show off his battlescars. I'daur only eyes the bronze, then takes a couple minutes' break from scrubbing at him to glance to Nathein. "Get 'scored," he interprets for the young man. "And that's all if we're lucky. Nathein?" he takes his cue of name from Madison, with a sideways glance at her.
Milani purses her lips a little and since Madison and I'daur seem to have Zunaeth all covered for washing, she just relaxes into treading water and conversing. "Least you're both still here standing," says the girl any earlier impudence tempered a little. "How long you been here Madison?" she changes topics and then looks past the dragon and his washers at the approaching boys curiously.
"Yah, Nathein's his name." Madison says before she looks at Milani and nods at her. "Yuck, bet it hurts." She looks past the dragon and waves a soapy hand to Raykini. "Lo, Swimm...er. Raykini" She eyeballs the Weyrlingmaster before nearly being bucked off by the nearly preening bronze. "Oh, whew. Thought I was going to.." And slip she does, sliding down the tail and into the water, splooshing. "Twelve turns, all mah life." She burbles, hair wetly matted to her face.
Raykini turns a rather nice shade of red, turning to give Madison a look. Call him Swimmy, really! "So this is where everyone is? I rather liked this spot, but I didn't think everyone else liked it too.." He laughs rathern nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yessir. As she says, Nathein. You'll have to forgive me for not knowing your name?" With a nod to indicate that Madison is the "she" in that remark, Nathein looks to I'daur's scored hand in a timely manner, then his attention drops back down to his own unscored appendage, which he resumes scrubbing with his handkerchief. Off-handedly, he lifts a wave to Raykini, but it's I'daur he's still addressing; "Again, if you don't mind my asking, I've heard this new business is a lot worse than a normal Pass?"
"I'daur," answers the rider, with a nod toward Nathein. The growing group earns little notice from him as he chooses to focus on the one person he's talking to at present. "And--it's different. Which I guess means worse. Unpredictable, which, considering predictability was the only good thing to be said for the Pass..." His shoulders lift stiffly, before he shoots a chastising look at the bronze. "Zunaeth," he reprimands sternly, while the bronze quickly settles, not jostling Madison further.
Milani furrows her brows at Madison for a moment. "Oh ... wait, you're a fosterling, aren't you? Duh, silly me. Sometimes there's so many kids in the caverns, I don't remember my own name." With that sorted out, the tall girl fixes Raykini with a long look. "Swimmy?" she murmurs in an undertone, shooting Madison a questioning look.
"I'm just here." Madison pulls herself out of the water to slowly scramble back up the dragon's back and tail to her spot where she was scrubbing, now thoroughly soaked. "To deliver a letter and then I got.." She pauses and gives I'daur a winning smile. "I was asked to scrub the lump I'm sitting on." She pats the bronze fondly. "And a lovely lump you are. Such a pretty dragon." She teases the bronze again, looking over at Milani before frowning at her. "What 'bout it?" Touchy subject, that. "Yeah, it's his nickname. He's a boatperson, loves the water. Swimmy. But his real name's Raykini." She tells Milani before going back to scrubbing.
Nathein chews on I'daur's words after a polite enough, "Good to meet you." He straightens up as he thinks, uses his handkerchief to wipe the back of his neck with and then leave the cool cloth just beneath his collar. He shifts gears quickly, lets the topic slide with a little, thoughtful squint as he parts ways with it. "Are you still cross at me, Maddie?"'
Raykini lets out a rather quiet groan in annoyance, rubbing at the side of his head, "It's Raykini, thanks." He frowns at the rest of them. "So...what's going on? I'm rather confused." He turns to peer at the weyrlingmaster, "We had our issues with thread at sea, too."
"And you," I'daur tells Nathein, before he turns back to Zunaeth to scrub. For the moment he's quiet, just working and glancing occasionally at the younger kids, supervising, plainly. Though, his glances takes in Raykini as the boy's words make his frown deepen slightly. "Worst place to get caught," he remarks. "Surprised people still go out. Tillek?" he guesses of the boy.
"Raykini," echoes Milani, surveying the lad again with a measuring look. "Well met Raykini and uh ... Nathan did you say?" Blue-green eyes fix on the other young man next, as if trying to stuff the names and faces into her memory. "Sailing's fun," she notes, after I'daur's comment. "But getting caught out in Threadfall wouldn't be."
"I'm not cross with you Nathein." The young woman gives Nathein a bright, big tight smile towards him before she looks back to Milani and grins at her. "Nathien It's an ein on the end." She says, giggling before she looks over at I'daur. "I'm still not scared, sir." Madison offers.
Nathein counts off on his fingers; "N-A-T-H-E-I-N. I'll answer to Nathan if it's as close as you can get, though." He gives Madison a skeptical look, focussed on the bright smile, then melts into a reassured smile as well, like it's all smoothed over. "You're still not scared of thread?"
Raykini gives a slight nod to I'daur's words, crossing his arms over his chest. "Aye, we do. But we've firelizards and a few tanks on board. Usually we've had the luck to dodge most of the thread at sea, however, we weren't so lucky with the storm..." He wrinkles his nose, arching a brow at the other female, "You are, ma'am? Well met. I've been at sea all my life. We were at Ista before we were caught by a storm."
"Not too bright, are you?" I'daur asks Madison, though his tone is more bemused than anything else. "Well, guess we shouldn't try /too/ hard to scare you, or we'll run out of fodder for the stuff."
"Sorry, Nath-EIN," Milani gets it right this time and grins over at the very very very tall dude. "Gee I'daur, you're being nice tonight," oh there's the impertinence back in the girl's sarcasm-laden quip. If Raykini's talking to her, she doesn't realize it because of the ma'am.
"Excuse me, sir?" Madison asks as she pokes her head up over the dragon and looks towards the rider. "If you'd exuse me sir, I'm scared thread. Yes, very. But I won't be frozen by my fear." She says. "That's why I say I'm not afraid." She looks between them all and gives a soft sigh.
"I have my days," drawls I'daur, with a half-smirk for Milani. A glance for Madison then, and a nod, apparently approving, before he resumes his duties of both scrubbing and supervising in silence for the moment.
Raykini shrugs his shoulders, "I'm not really afraid of thread, I've faced worse things than thread. though. I don't really like being on land too much. I've become rather fond of he fishing pond, however."
Nathein admits with a combination of candor and incredulity after Madison, "I'm afraid." Pulling the ends of the handkerchief around toward his Adam's apple, cooling under his chin, he ends with a little shrug. "Plus, I like to think about what candidacy would be like without thread hanging over head." He casts a baleful look to the pile of firestone bags.
Milani rolls her eyes a little at I'daur's drawl. "Suuure you do," and she mimics his customary gruff expression then grins over at the bronzerider cheekily, before she pushes off, floating on her back to look up at the sky. "Thread's scary." That's a definite echo from the girl as she floats in the lake. "Thank Faranth for dragons." Another definitive, from Milani's simple worldview.
A soft laugh comes to Maddie's throat as she looks to Nathein and shakes her head. "That's nothin' I could lug those all day. Try being the Weyrleader's little doitall all day." She makes a nasty looking face. "Ug!" She says.
Nathein gestures toward the pile of bags with a gracious flourish of his hands. "Be my guest, Maddie, lug away." He walks back over to the pile on the sand over there, nudges one bag with his toe. "I've never actually seen it myself. Thread. Thank Faranth for Holds." He echoes Milani with a laugh.
Raykini tilts his head to the side, "Well, it is rather scary, being out at sea with only our firelizards, but We've been looking up to the sky far longer than the rest of pern." He smiles faintly, rubbing the back of his head, "I've seen it, once or twice."
Madison finishes her scrubbing and slides off the dragon and lands onto the side of the beach before she grins at Nathein. "Gladly." She says and moves over to snag one of the bags in her arm and she lifts it up over her head. She struggles slightly as she oofs.. "See, not too hard." She looks as if she's going to fall over.
Nathein rolls his eyes, shakes his head. "Don't wear yourself out with that, Maddie. Leave it to the big boys?" After making a big show of looking down down /down/ at the girl, he turns back toward the interior of the Weyr.
Nathein strides away from the lake shore, back to the main bowl.
Floating off in her own little world, Millie misses some of the rest of the exchange and when she resurfaces by swimming in closer again she looks almost surprised to find Nathein gone. "Hey, where'd the big guy go?"
Raykini wrinkles his nose when everyone suddenly heads off, "I think I scared 'em away." He murmurs quietly to himself, turning to eye Madison, "Do you need help carrying that? I could help if you wish. You don't want to hurt yourself."
Reaching down and getting the other sack, Madison grins at Raykini. "You didn't, sheesh." She says, plopping the sacks one on top o the other. "Nope, he's going to get in trouble for not getting his chores done." She grins deviously before she looks over at Millie. "He ran off."
Milani sits in the water a moment longer, then pads out of it dripping up the sand to her towel. "Huh. Well I hope he gets his chores done. Shanlee's not into shirkers," so saying, she nudges her shirt out of the way and picks up her towel to dry off. "What chore've you all got this week?" she asks both Raykini and Madison.
Raykini wrinkles his nose thoughtfully, "Who? Who are you talking about?" he asks, moving to flop on the beach sand, "Me? I'm cleaning up the hearths. Dirty job that, I've been makin friends with the washing pools."
"Ew," says Millie distinctly. "That's a /very/ dirty job. Did you manage to get all clean after? There's a really good bathing pool in the lower caverns," she adds helpfully.
Raykini starts to turn over his hands, glaring at them, "It's not really all that bad. I'm used to getting dirty, but it does stain something oaweful." He frowns, "Oh? I'll check them out later, I'm still getting used to it here."
Milani shudders a little as she dries off. "I hate pulling that duty. At least I'm old enough now to get off the general kids' roster. But ... I'm going to have to figure out what I'm doing. Craft or stay and do something else here ... dunno /what/ though." She frowns a little, then tips a look back over at Raykini. "So, if you don't Impress, think you'll go back to sailing?"
Raykini wrinkles his nose, "You're lucky then, ma'am." He murmurs, shaking his head slightly. "I don't mind the job, but it is a bit taxing after a while. Not to mention it tends to soil my clothes." Ray looks thoughtful for a moment or two, "Most likely. Father said I could come back if I don't impress."
Milani finishes toweling off and hooks her shirt up, slinging it on over her damp swim gear. "Well. We'll see," she says with a shrug and gives a little wave. "Good luck to you both if I don't see you around much. I'm going to find some cookies. See ya!" And off goes the lanky girl with her damp towel slung over her shoulder.