Log: Talking and Skating

[milaninc]

Who: Milani, C'mryn
When: It is a winter dusk, 17:11 of day 11, month 13, turn 17 of Interval 10.
Where: Lake, High Reaches Weyr
What: Millie attempts to cheer up a tired and sour-faced Cam. They talk through some things then head out onto the ice to skate.



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.

Eleventh day of the last month of the turn. Dusk. Ruddy light bleeds through the sky and reflects off of the icy surface of the Weyr's lake. There's a few lingering skaters out on its surface. Milani seems to have been among them recently, but is sitting on a rock at present, blades clinking lightly against its stony sides now and then. Blue and white striped gloves cover her hands and she's leaning her weight back on both, watching the slow glide of one of the laundresses, maybe incongruously graceful for one of that profession.

Looking almost has haggard as one of the Weyrlings themselves, C'mryn comes walking to the lake shore from the weyrling area. Tausreth is a distant shape behind him, curled up near the barracks and looking like he's a sleep: a large, curled up hunk of bronze in the middle of a mud-and-snow field. He's in his own thoughts, looking tense and uncharacteristically sour.

Movement caught out of the corner of her eye turns Milani's head in C'mryn's direction. That haggardness, the way the bronzerider walks bring an instant expression of sympathy to the assistant headwoman's face. "Cam," she says simply, not calling out and bouncing around like she would usually. "Take a load off?" she suggests as he gets a little closer, a glance sent towards Tausreth's distant shape, gaze returning to the rider after a scant moment.

It's enough to catch his attention. Pausing, C'mryn glances up and over at the summons. Without a word, he shuffles over, turns, and leans against that rock no matter how awkwardly that might be. He doesn't even sigh, just stare out towards the lake with a distant sort of look. Sullen. "Never learned to skate," he says idly. It's a statement, a causal fact used to break the silence, though it holds no cheer or humor. "Never had the time at Telgar. Never saw the point."

Sitting up a little, hands shifting off rock, Milani brings both palms together to brush snow off blue and white stripes. "I think I offered to teach you once," she says lightly. "Would today be a good day for that? Something to take your mind off things?" There's a little bit of Millie's characteristic bounce in those words, but she's clearly trying to keep things just a little more subdued in deference to his mood and aims to slip a companionably arm through his.

He'll allow it, only because it's friendly. A dry little uplift to his mouth, and he says apologetically, "Raincheck? Don't feel much like falling on my butt tonight. Thanks, though. I think you did," he says of offering to teach him. "Don't know if I want to take my mind off things. Think I've been doing that too long, actually. Gotta focus." But he shrugs it off, and shakes his head. "I forgot how little sleep Weyrlings got."

Milani gives that arm a light squeeze and tips her head to the side, nodding. "Sure, I'm not going anywhere and neither is the ice. Not for another month or two," she says with a little laugh. His mood though fades her smile and she listens as he goes on. "On the weyrlings? Or on ... oh I dunno, other stuff. Whatever is on your mind. And ... yeah. Paddy says the first month is just awful and the second isn't much better. I guess it's a good thing there's a bunch of you assisting so you can trade off?"

"And not too many weyrlings," Cam adds. "Couldn't imagine doing this with a class of thirty or more." He shudders. "Thank Faranth for the interval." He removes a hand from his pocket and rubs it over his face. "Weyrlings are on my mind, sure, but they're easy. Teach, punish, help." He shrugs again. "Ah, it's just history, ya know? Just been thinking about things lately. Being broody," but he manages to crack a faint grin at that assessment of himself.

"Or a double class, like there could be in a Pass," Milani says with a sage nod, like she knows /everything/ about Weyrlings and so on. "Definitely. Interval is a wonderful thing. I'm very glad our little foray into odd Thread is over and we don't have to worry about it anymore." Blue-green eyes take in that shift in expression and Millie nods. "History. There's some good books in from the tithes if you want something new to read," she offers up. "But I'm guessing you mean personal history and that can be messy, and from the way your face keeps kind of scrunching up, messy probably applies here."

There's a definite grimace for the mention of a 'double clutch pass'. A small shudder. "I would have refused, at that point. Certainly not volunteered." C'mryn's shoulders shrug and he tells her, "Absolutely right. Messy. Personal history. All of that." But then he twists his head towards her, frowns, and asks, "I make a scrunchy face?" as if that might be a large concern to the bronzerider.

"Really? I suppose that makes sense though with the ambition to be an old and cranky watchrider somewhere quiet," Milani muses, a hint of the usual teasing in her voice, maybe testing the waters to see how he takes it. One gloved hand lifts in answer to that question, the motion slow enough he could duck away as her finger moves towards his furrowed brow. "Like this," she tells him and mimcs that sour look from earlier. "It's not too bad though, manly scrunching."
There's a little pause before she goes on. "I'm sorry there's messy getting you down. It's never any fun, is it?" She puffs out a light breath that steams in the chilly winter air.

Cam gives a little smirk for the mention of his secret ambition, and he shrugs. "Gotta start somewhere," is his answer for it. He doesn't duck away, and even attempts to mush his face back up into that scrunched look. It's half-hearted. "Well," he decides with a note of normal cheer, "S'long as it's manly." A little smirk, another quick shrug. As for histories? His expression darkens just briefly and he tells her, "No, it's not. But don't they say 'time heals' or something equally silly?"

"Exactly, one step at a time, right?" Milani says about beginnings, her smile flashing wide as he scrunches his face up all the more. "Very manly and uh - you know distinguished looking. For a scrunchy face." That darkness is seen, but there's only the faintest press of Millie's lips for it and her shoulders lift. "They do. Mostly lots of ... older people." Maybe she meant to say some other word there. Maybe 'grownups'. "Some other people say that getting even, getting laid often, copious quantities of liquor and so on help too. That or some things just don't heal, you just ... figure out how to deal around the mess."

There's a further nose-scrunch for 'distinguished'. "Distinguished?" Cam asks, sounding insulted. There's a small pause before he asks her. "I can't remember... did I want to be distinguished, or did I want to not be?" It's said with a straight face, too. Manly scrunched-up faces are dropped, and he just shrugs his shoulders again, dismissive. "Nothing to get even for, on my part," he tells her. "And she didn't punch me, so I guess I'm in the clear." A thoughtful frown. "Sleeping around doesn't appeal anymore. And getting drunk would be a bad influence for the weyrlings. Guess I get to try that time thing," and he offers her a brief, tight-lipped smirk.

"Maybe on the right days and under the right conditions," Milani says, equally straight-faced, though her eyes dance for a bit before his summary makes her expression serious again. "There you go, process of elimination. That and my brother says that the drinking and sleeping around thing is just a temporary fix and has some bad consequences, so there's /that/ to consider too," she agrees, head bobbing. "Time or dodging around the wound until you get used to it enough that you can stick your finger in it and it still hurts, but it doesn't make you catch your breath and pass out." Her arms squeezes his lightly again and she makes big eyes at him. "As for punching, if that was a possibility, I'm /glad/ you didn't get punched."

A brief, "Drinkin's got hangovers. Women've feelings." Cam shrugs. "So, time." But that mental image of hers has him wincing and scrunching his face once again, and he even adds an 'ugh' to the end of it. "Oh, Milani, really," and he shakes his head. "Been hanging around the infirmary a bit too much?" But at least he's acting a little more lighthearted. "Eh. I thought she might. Would have deserved it. Ah well. It's over." And it is over. He offers one final shrug on the matter. "Why're women complicated?" he asks her, seeing as she is one.

Milani wrinkles her nose up in turn. "Nooo, more like, the extra carcasses and butchers chopping stuff up to pass on to the Weyrlings," the assistant headwoman confesses then she's bumping his shoulder very lightly. "C'mon, you can't tell me a manly man like you can't take a little bit of blood and gore, can you? Though maybe with being I'daur's assistant your threshold's a little low right now," she concedes. The last bits, lift her eyebrows right on up. "From the way it sounded, actually, maybe she was the one that deserved a smack upside the head, but I'm kind of missing some details there, so." A little shrug and that last question brings out a laugh. "Oh Cam, you know, I could ask you the same thing about guys." She sighs a little then, eyes closing and her face tips up to the last of the sunlight as Rukbat sets. "And a lot of girls do for that matter." Her eyes open again and she grins over at the bronzerider.
"In the end, I guess the question really is, what is it about women you think is complicated?"

C'mryn snorts. "'Scuse me, but it's not the blood and gore that's got me, it's the idea of sticking my finger in my own wound. Ouch!" A last sympathetic shudder for the image before Cam's moved on to the topic at hand. Complications. He scoffs. "What? Guys aren't complicated! We're very straight forward. Don't see a guy batting eyelashes one minute, and then acting like a statue the next." Hmph! But he gives more thought to the question. "Guess I don't know. The whole matter just seems so complicated. Life would be a heck of a lot easier if people just... said what they felt." Course he's omitting himself from that, naturally. "Meh. Nevermind."

"Sooo literal," Milani teases again, eyes rolling just a little bit. His protests are taken with an arched brow. "Maybe not batting eyelashes, but you know, all teasing and then grumpy the next. Or maybe buying a girl a drink and then leaning away like the last thing in the world he wants to do is touch her," she says mildly and looks away, back out at the lake where there's fewer skaters out now, a pair having come in to take blades off and head for the caverns for warmth and presumably food and drink. "Actually, I agree with you, but at the same time, I've wound up in trouble for being too blunt," Millie confesses.

"Ah," says Cam, with the semi-sheepish tone of one who might have been just such a man once. Or still is. But he asks anyways, "Now, who's done that to you? Want me to hit 'em?" He grins a little. "Alright, so we're both guilty of being not so clear. But maybe, just maybe, that guy leaning away realized that what he was doing would hurt her?" He shrugs. "Now, that sounds like a story," he says of being too blunt.

"Thanks Cam, but that's okay," Milani answers grinning and nods about the 'not so clear' then makes a little face at his conjecture. "Spot on right there, actually. He was in fact, trying to do the right thing. You know, battling his baser instincts and all that," she continues then puffs out her cheeks. "Oh well. It's one way to get N'thei pissed off at you enough to go all loomy and threatening."

His eyebrows shoot upwards. "N'thei?" He has to ask. "What.. OK. I want the full and complete story now, Milani," and Cam even turns so that his shoulder is resting on the rock, full attention on the assistant Headwoman. One hand comes out of his pocket and moves to wind around her waist, friendly.

That question is met with a long silence as Milani looks out across the darkening lake now. "Some of it ... I can't really share. But, basically, he asked me to do something and I didn't think it was the right thing to do and I told him so. And he put his foot down. He's ... a complicated guy, the Weyrleader. Or maybe not, depending on how you look at it. He expects loyalty, sometimes blindly. And well that doesn't always work." Her head tilts as Cam's arm winds around so, and there's a slight lean in his direction. Just as friendly.

There's a wrinkle in his brow that has nothing to do with humor. For a moment, C'mryn remains contemplatively silent, almost darkly so. "Hm," he says finally, and shrugs it off. "He was my Wingleader until I became a weyrlingmaster, but I didn't know him outside of that role. I wouldn't claim to know him, so I will take your word on it." But it's clear the idea of anything that cannot be discussed has the wheels in his head turning. He gives her a little squeeze before wondering, "Too dark to try that skating thing?"

"We snipe at each other a lot, N'thei and me," Milani says bluntly. What was she saying about bluntness again? "I have a bad habit of not keeping my mouth shut around him," she says with a little laugh and nods at what Cam says next. "Sometimes I wonder if anyone really knows him. He's got the whole bad boy image going on. But is that who he really is?" rhetorical and that last question, well, that brings a wide smile to her mouth. "No. I skate in the dark all the time and there should be good moonlight in a bit from /both/ moons." Her hand drops to cover his where it's curled around her waist, squeezes gently. "Go ask Greina for a pair of blades, I'll wait 'til you come back, okay? "

"Hm," and Cam drops the subject of N'thei. "Alright then," he decides of skating, glancing towards the lake with a touch of wariness. "Less people to see me fall, too," he decides. With a grin, and one last squeeze, he unwinds and pushes off from the rock, heading off at a jog to go fetch those skates.

"A /very/ good point," Milani says laughingly about the 'less people'. He's right too, just about everyone's gone in for dinner or to warm up. As Cam moves off, Millie drops off the rock too and back onto the ice, stroking out rapidly for the lake's center. When he comes back though, she spirals on back to shore and sends up a little bit of snowy spray coming to a flashy stop at lake's edge. "Need help getting those on?" about the blades.

"Nah," says Cam, now sporting a scarf and a pair of mittens. "They don't look so difficult." Maybe that's just manly pride coming through, though. He drops to the snow, ignoring the cold and... stares at those blades. "Alright, maybe a little," he confesses. "How do I do this? Does it matter what end is pointing forward?"

Sparing him her laughter, Milani only grins and nimbly steps off the ice, kneeling down in the snow and picks up one skate. "Pick in the front," she says, showing the little toothy part, "flat in the back, or you'll go flying head over bumpkus." She turns both blades the right way beside the right feet. "Left blade, right blade." She leans her weight back on her calves then and waits to see how he muddles through with the buckles, hands folding in lap.

"And that would definitely be bad," decides Cam of going end over head on the ice. He muddles through those buckles with minimal swearing, though there is a definite, "women, absolutely no help!" uttered in there, all in good fun. And then he's ready, and attempts to stand. It's managed, wobbily, and the bronzerider gives a quick look around for anyone that could potentially be watching. "Alright," he tells her. "Show me how it's done!" While he stands, toes pointed in, and arms half raised for balance. Like a toddler, aww.

Milani just grins for that remark. "Hey, I'm respecting your manly pride," she teases back with a wink and then eases back onto heels, steps sideways to hop onto the ice. Both of her hands reach out for his. "C'mon let's get away from the edge a little so there's not quite so much slushy snowy stuff. It's clearer out towards the middle. I'll tow you, then show you, how's that?"

"Mm hm," says C'mryn, arching an eyebrow at Milani. "Sure, protect my manly pride while I tie a few blades on my boots, but then tear it to pieces by /towing/ me across the ice?" but he's just teasing, and eagerly takes her hands as they step out over the ice. There's awkward half-walking, half-sliding as Cam attempts to try his hand at skating.

"Only if it's /that/ easy to shred," Milani fires back and takes another glide backwards. She eyes those attempts just a little skeptically, but doesn't say anything just yet. When she reaches close to the center of the lake, she stops and takes a breath. "Okay. So, the key with skating is gliding. It's not walking. Gliding. If you try to use your feet like walking, you'll fall down. And actually, maybe the best way to explain it to /you/ since you're such a good dancer, is that it's like dancing. You know how in some of the fancy dances you kind of, glide your feet from position to position? Well, that works better than thinking about it like walking." So saying she gives his hands a squeeze, lets them go and spins around so they're side by side. "Watch my feet." And so, she demonstrates, slowing down the motion so he can see.

Skeptical, C'mryn nods his head as she speaks - he'll ignore that bit about his manly pride for now. "Ah, gliding," and he bobs his head a bit more enthusiastically. At her command, his eyes drop to her feet, straight down, and he watches as she glides off effortlessly. "Something tells me it's harder than you make it look," he teases. After another moment of watching, he tries his hand at it. His first attempt really is more like walking than gliding, but by the third step, he's seemed to have gotten the hang of it, shifting his weight rather than lifting his feet. "Heh, not too bad."

Turning about again, Milani skates backwards, apparently quite good at this. "Yeah, I've been skating all my life so I really don't remember not being able to," she says with a little shrug and then it's her eyes on his feet and she beams up at him. "Heyyyy, lookit you, you're picking it up faster than most I've taught. Keep it up, just don't get /too/ cocky, because that's how you wind up sitting on your arse feeling sheepish," she tells him with a wink.

A nondescript "Hm," from Cam as he works on this gliding thing. He's getting more confident by the step, however, and soon is gliding around quiet comfortably. "Heh, no fear there, hm?" he tells her, glancing to the side quickly. "I promise not to boast of my skating abilities. Dancing, sure, skating? Not yet. Not till I can jump and twirl," a pause. "Heh, nevermind. I don't think I'll be jumping or twirling on skates, thanks."

Milani nods as she continues to glide backwards, keeping an eye on Cam's balance. "Not at all? Really? I bet you could, after practicing for a while. Like this!" And Millie takes off, pushing hard to build up speed, looking over her shoulder to mark where she is on the ice. The moons are rising higher and higher, casting silvery light across the lake, enough to see by, though it's still very shadowed where trees lean or the Bowl walls loom. Out go Milani's arms and her leg kicks back and up she goes in a neat twirling jump, lands on one foot and goes into a spin. Then she's arcing around and back towards C'mryn, cheeks flushed and eyes shining. "I love skating," she says happily, which might maybe take the edge off of any show off factor.

"Sorry, just can't see a bronzerider jumping and twirling. My image would be ruined," decides Cam somberly. But he watches her demonstration, making sure to stop moving so that no tripping and falling happens while he's distracted. He's got a mildly impressed expression as she comes over, and a grin for her enthusiasm. "I can tell," he tells her. "Nice to see something you like that doesn't involve pen and ink," he teases. "Well done."

"You twirl when you dance sometimes," Milani points out upon her return and holds her hands out to him again. "And there are /plenty/ of things I like that don't involve pens or ink. That's just work. Just like, you know, you've got interests outside of Tausreth and weyrlingmastering-ing." There's a little hesitation on adding that extra 'ing' to the word. "And thanks. It's one of my favorite parts about winter, being able to skate. I come out almost every evening, work off the extra energy."

"Too much sugar," decides C'mryn with a grin. "And... good point. You also like reading," he notes. As for himself? He starts gliding again, a mildly thoughtful look on his face. "Suppose I do. If being lazy counts?" But he's just teasing again. "This isn't so bad though, just cold. I could get used to it. But... know what's funny? One of the first conversations I had around here involved watching stars, and how silly it was - well, I thought it was silly. And now? I find myself glancing at them when I'm on Watch. Does that count as a hobby, or am I still safe?"

That line makes Milani's smile falter just a little. "I'm just naturally energetic," she winds up countering with a sweet smile and nods. "Yep. Reading and well ... gossip." There's a faintly sheepish look on her face for that. "Dancing. Which we both like." One foot pushes a little harder increasing her speed. "And this is only chilly because you're not going fast enough to work up a sweat yet," she challenges just a little. "With Oysric maybe? And yeah, it's nice to just sit and kind of go all zoned out looking up at the stars with him, or just for kicks. I don't know if that's enough for a hobby, but you know, there's worse ways to pass the time on watch, right?"

"Naturally energetic," Cam repeats, agreeing. He speeds up a bit himself, attempting to keep himself withing conversation distance, though not quite as comfortable going as fast as Milani. "Ah yeah, him," he nods, finding the name familiar. "And it's not like I watch them, just... look up and there they are!" Imagine that. Thoughtful, C'mryn's step wobbles a moment when he hits a nick in the ice. He remains up, though, and onward he goes without a comment. "Think there're better ways to break a sweat, though," he tells her, a bit wry. "But, it is fun."

"Yep!" Milani declares sunnily, eyeing that increase in speed and her smile brightens all the more for it. "Like right now," she says, tilting her head up a little bit, her own pace slowing just a titch as she does. The wobbling brings her gaze down and one hand moves to offer support if needed. That it's not, just brings back her grin. That last wry quip, makes her eyes twinkle a little. "Mmhm. Sure are." There's a little pause as Millie's mouth works, like she's trying to keep herself from blurting out something. In the end what comes out is: "Like dancing!" And she turns about, drops alongside Cam, weaving side to side a little as she paces herself with him.

"Dancing," agrees C'mryn with a smirk. "Right." Her turn earns an arched eyebrow, and he gives a shake of his head. "See, now you're just showing off," he decides. But he looks pleased enough that she's dropped to glide beside him, matching his pace. And he even reaches out a mitten-ed hand for her gloved ones. "See, now, isn't this nicer? Going one direction, not at the speed of sound?"

"Uh-huh!" Milani says oh-so-innocently and sticks her tongue out about the show-off remark. "Best way to get turned around," she counters and her hand meets his. "Yes, yes it is. It's always nice to have company. But there's times when I need to go fast. But this is /definitely/ a good way to spend the evening. Good skating, good company." Millie eyes the rising moons though and tips her head back in the direction of the caverns. "Dinner soon?"

"Ah," says Cam of 'fast'. "I know that feeling. Tausreth likes to fly, so usually I just take him out for a good race against the wind. It's... refreshing." And that's all he'll say on that. A little shrug, and a squeeze to her hand. "Probably a good idea. This is fun, but my feet are starting to feel the pain, and my stomach's protesting a bit as well. And I'm starting to push my luck with the Weyrlings not needing anything." A beat. "Not that I don't thoroughly enjoy skating around the lake with you."

"Does he like to go really fast?" Milani asks, gaze sliding sidelong towards Tausreth's rider. "Leova takes me up sometimes on Vrianth. She's a really fast green. And Malsaeth's a daredevil up there." She pauses again then laughs. "I just like ... fast, yeah." A little shrug and and a nod. "Yeah, I'm hungry too and it's not a good idea to push it too hard the first time out. And yes, definitely, let's get you fed before any of them come calling! I should put together another 'care package' for all of you assistant types, actually," Millie muses, then looks over at Cam with another one of those bright smiles of hers. "Thanks, Cam. I'm glad you decided to give it a whirl after all." She tugs on his hand lightly, playfully. "Let's head in and go eat before they all tear through all the good stuff, though."

"Fast," agrees Cam, "Though likely not as zippy as Vrianth. He's got speed over distance, but can't do the fast turns. Playful, sometimes. But other times, just... I dunno. Straight? He has his moods." The complexities of Tausreth. Cam rolls his eyes. "Sounds like a plan," he decides, flashing her a grin before heading towards the shore.