(no subject)
It is a spring morning, day 18, month 3, turn 21 of Interval 10.
Commons Cavern, Fort Weyr
While not nearly as large as the living cavern, the commons do serve something of a similar purpose as a gathering point for residents. There are a few scattered tables and chairs, with a section of counter carved from the native granite for general use. The typically cool floors are covered with a handful of rugs, while tapestries serve to blunt the chill emanating from the walls. Lighting is provided through glow baskets for the most part, although some individuals might bring in a lantern if they think to.
It's a fair bit quieter than the living cavern and is designed more as a location for residents to meet and work on whatever work needs to be done -- mending, cleaning, and tending to children are only a small sampling of the things that can be seen going on here. It's most active later in the day, after the bulk of the work is done and people start to settle in for the night, but it's never empty of people.
It also serves as a hub for a variety of useful caverns -- the nursery is located across from the residents' dorms, with the bathing cavern situated between the two. The candidates barracks are somewhat off to the side, closest to the tunnel that leads back out to the inner caverns.
Hurray for spring! It's been a whole lot less miserable lately, the weather lending itself to a general upswing in mood, the lightness in the air echoed by a lightness in the steps of many. It also means that the caverns aren't quite so stuffy -- for all that it's still chilly out it's no longer freezing, which somewhat empties out those enclosed spaces where people have spent the winter huddled in groups around hearth fires. Which isn't to say it's still not nice to lounge around indoors now and again, and even assistant weyrlingmasters get days off now and again. Or at least, time in-between things to relax. Whichever. G'dri's got a comfy chair and a mug of klah, and even if he's not strictly on-duty it looks like he's still working, a portfolio open across his lap with hides scattered across the mostly-flat surface. Squinting but not currently writing, the pencil he holds gets fiddled with absently, twirling over and under long fingers as he sips at his drink.
Everyone loves spring, including - or perhaps particularly - Chielyth, and it may be his lifemate's persistent good mood that brings B'kaiv into the commons just this side of whistling. It's still too early for her to be awake, of course, but that doesn't keep Kai from roaming about the caverns, his own mug of klah in hand. A quick question of one of the other men ends with a nod in the bluerider's direction, and Kai heads over to flop into a chair with the boneless grace of the young, offering both a, "Hey," and a crooked smile over the rim of his mug. "Whatcha doing?"
Well, if that isn't a sight to see. Too bad G'dri misses most of it, focused as he is, and only becomes aware of Kai's cheery presence when the greenrider actually passes into the range of the outer edges of his vision. At least he gets to appreciate that flop, signature smile fixing itself into place and crinkling the webs around his eyes. A little warmer than merely friendly, but certainly nothing to raise any eyebrows. "Good morning," is returned pleasantly as he straightens his neck from its bend, an action that leads into a stretching of both spine and legs before he relaxes again. "Ostensibly? Going over ground drill formations." Such a devoted little worker bee. "In actuality, trying to get a design out of my head." Or, not. One of those sheets of hide is tugged free and he leans across, offering it for the younger man's perusal if he's at all curious, a necklace and bracelet set with a vague sketching of a Lemosian -- if one is knowledgeable -- pattern. "How's it going?"
The chance that Kai knows 'ostensibly' is slim, but the squint of confusion is nothing unusual on the greenrider's face. "That don't look like," he starts before G'dri can correct things; he leans forward to give the jewelry at least a cursory once-over. "Huh. Kinda pretty." One idle finger traces the design's curves before he settles back in his chair, the better to see the bluerider. "Ain't bad. Glad it's warming up. Chielyth's real happy about it. Khameth? An' oh - I was thinking about showing some of th' weyrlings some moves. For fighting classes, you know?"
G'dri will give Kai a vocabulary yet! If only out of sheer repetition of using big words enough that their context comes clear. "You think?" he asks, looking rather more pleased than he did a moment ago, though not inordinately so. Leaning back again he squints a little at the hide as he turns it back around to lay against his forearm, before tucking it underneath a couple other sheets that /are/ actually, formation sketches. "More excited about watching the changes in the daily routines than in the actual weather, but yes, Khameth is pleased. Rather enjoying sharing his observations with some of the more intellectually inquisitive young ones. We should take them flying again." Randomly. A couple swallows of klah are taken, his eyes narrowing in thoughtful consideration. "Are you interested in assisting with the actual classes, or were you thinking more along the lines of a mentoring capacity? We'd need to clear it first, of course, but either would be welcome I imagine and we certainly have plenty who are in need of some extra... encouragement."
B'kaiv narrows his eyes at the sketch, but it remains patiently stable, without any tricky twisting of lines. "Yeah." He keeps an eye on it until it's hidden again, watches G'dri after that. "Yeah? An' yeah, we should. Chielyth an' Khameth, right? Not th' babies?" Because they're babies. And not up to flying yet. "Ain't been for... shells. Too long." A pause for klah is taken on both sides before Kai splutters and barely manages not to spit-take all over those formations. "What? Shells - I ain't - just t' /show/. I ain't no mentor type. But Jiella... I were talking t' her an' she ain't - she don't even know how t' throw a punch." A crying shame. "I tried t' get her t' hit me, an' she wouldn't."
And inclination of that greying head indicates agreement of 'too long.' "Chielyth and Khameth, yes," G'dri confirms with an amused twinkle in his blue eyes. "The old boy needs to get out, and there's months yet before the young ones will be ready." No tree top trimming or cliff skimming for them, no sirree. Spluttering. The bluerider at first looks confused, and then concerned. The the portfolio ends up being closed, has less to do with concern over the hides and more with making it easier to lean in his chair without risking sending them cascading all over the floor. "Kai--" he starts, voice a little lower with the worry. "Don't choke." And then it becomes clear, his expression easing and his lips pressing together as he tries -- rather unsuccessfully -- to keep his grin under control. "Assisting then," he states mildly. "Some demonstrations by those skilled already can only aid the learning process. As for Jiella specifically...." He arches his brows, Kai receiving something of a 'come now' look. "Blooded women such as, say, Dashaya are rare. Proper young women do not go around learning how to defend themselves. They are expected to look pretty, sound pretty, make an advantageous marriage and keep all their children legitimate. Learning how to defend themselves is not exactly a high priority." Must he turn /everything/ into a lesson!?
B'kaiv isn't choking, he's desperately trying to keep klah from going up his nose, nostrils pinched shut and one eye flaring wide over the metabolic mishap. "Ain't choking. But I were thinking," his eye lights on his mug - how did /that/ get here? - and he puts it down firmly, well away from his mouth. Fie on thee, foul exploratory klah! "About showing 'em. How easy it is t' throw somebody. Figured if they seen you put me over your shoulder a couple times, she'd stop thinking as how she's got t' be strong t' do it. An' maybe she's Blooded, but she still oughta know how t' put somebody in his place. Knee t' the balls at -least-." And thus are Kai's educational priorities laid bare.
Choking, inhaling. As long as he's not about to keel over with a blue face, which really is all G'dri cares about. Of course, with Kai proving himself perfectly fine, complete with evil eye for the mug, the bluerider's amusement-after-the-fact becomes a titch more obvious. Bad him. "Wouldn't your point perhaps be better proven if it were Nia or Jantha putting you over their shoulder?" With his face tipped downward, eyes must therefore slant up and sideways to take in the young greenrider's face, a little doubtful now. Okay, so he's not on a level with B'kaiv in the muscles department but still. "She should, yes, and she will be taught. Blooded or not she's a rider now and it cannot be guaranteed that she will not find herself in a situation where she will be required to defend herself." Further clarification of educational priorities receives a wordless grunt, almost forgotten pencil starting to twirl around his fingers again.
B'kaiv shrugs, point taken, and returns G'dri's amusement with a wry smile of his own, proving that whatever else his faults, he can laugh at himself. Right now, anyway. "Guess. Or have a couple of you do it. Just - I think she thinks 'cause she's pretty she don't got t' do nothing like that. Or she can't, or something. An' she /can/, she just got t' learn how. Ain't like it's /hard/, not like th' other things they got t' learn." Like penmanship, or memorizing lists of dates? "Anyway," he concludes, "that's what I were thinking. And I guess I oughta make sure as it's all right I give any of 'em as come t' me extra lessons?"
G'dri nods slowly, looking at nothing at all for a few moments before he blinks and turns his smile back on B'kaiv again. "Arranging such a demonstration shouldn't be too difficult. It's a very good idea, Kai; thank you. Would you like me to speak with Jantha first, in regards to the extra lessons, before you approach her?" Chuckling, he can only shake his head with a fond look for the greenrider's take on the differing levels of difficulty in the aspects of weyrling training. "Given how she was likely raised," as he's already covered, "you're probably not far wrong." That his jaw is clenching a little and his eyes are getting a bit tight around the edges? Certainly that's not a flash of /annoyance/ from Mr. Phlegmatic? "So tell me," while the klah is still safely away from the vicinity of nostrils, "why don't you believe yourself to be suitable as a mentor?"
The greenrider nods slowly before leaning to reclaim his klah. "Yeah. Mean, if you don't mind, or nothing. Probably come better from you." He doesn't drink from the mug, but keeps it safely in hand, idly watching G'dri's pencil instead, with a nod for Jiella-as-hothouse-flower. He doesn't look up to see the flashing eyes or tight jaw, but at the question, meeting the bluerider's incredulousness with blank incomprehension and a snort of a laugh. "Well, shells, 'Dri - look at me. Ain't like I got nothing t' teach, 'cept maybe a good right hook an' how t' get grounded. I ain't smart, an' I ain't no Wingleader. Shells, Chielyth ain't even rose yet."
"I don't mind at all. It will be a natural inclusion in the conversation about arranging for the demonstration, after all." Such practicality. Settling a little deeper into his chair, G'dri stretches his legs out again but this time leaves them extended, heel of one foot balanced on the toes of the other. Head tipped back, he closes his eyes as he speaks. "Mentoring isn't so much about teaching as it is... sharing experience and providing an outlet outside of the weyrlingmaster staff for the weyrlings to turn to for advice, or simple friendship. You do not need to be a wingleader to provide that, nor have a dragon who's risen." For Kai's claim that he's not smart? The bluerider opens his eyes and just gives the greenrider a somewhat flat look. "You sell yourself short."
At least Kai doesn't offer any protest until G'dri's done; under that flat look he glances away, then down to his mug. "Yeah, well. Anyone wants t' know how t' break up a brawl or sell beer, I'm th' one t' ask, ain't I. But fine - you think one of th' weyrlings is just waiting t' get stuck with me, put my name in. Just be ready t' give 'em someone else when they read th' list an' faint." A wry twist of his lips and now he does take a rather aggressive swallow of klah, and level a challenging look at the bluerider after. "How come you care, any road? You got some weyrling as you don't like?"
"B'kaiv," the bluerider says quietly, while that swallow is taken. "That is exactly what I mean. And I'm not trying to convince you to become a mentor, I'm simply trying to figure out why you don't believe you have anything of worth to offer." Finally, G'dri stops fidgeting with that dratted pencil, sliding it into a small, narrow pocket at the spine of the portfolio. His hand lifts then, fingers pushing back into his hair and mussing up the tidy combing. Quietly, so as not to carry beyond the immediate area, "I care, because I care about you. This continued insistence that you are not, as a person, of any worth or importance. It is troubling."
"What'm I gonna teach nobody?" Kai asks again with a rhetorical shrug. "I mean shells, G'dri, /really/. There's only a couple things as I'm good at, an' it ain't like they're in real high demand for riders." To wit: punching people and pouring beer. He scratches absently at the back of his neck while G'dri sheathes the pencil; a twitch of lips suggests some inner amusement, though it fades when he looks back at the bluerider. "Shells. What d'you," words cut off between pressed lips, and it takes a second for him to start again, head shaking faintly: "It don't matter, G'dri, a'right? An' I don't wanna fight about it or nothing."
G'dri opens his mouth, then shuts it again, the protest dying before it can even think about leaving his throat, never mind his mouth. "Nor do I, B'kaiv. I disagree that it matters, I won't pretend otherwise." He shakes his head, sighing. "But neither will I demand you discuss it if you do not wish to." He keeps his gaze pensively on his portfolio for a few moments more, before looking back up at the younger man again. Well then. "Were you able to go ahead with your plan to take Chielyth someplace nice in celebration of her hatching?" Just to competely change the subject.
Neither of them want to squabble and Kai acknowledges the truce with a nod, not bothering or unable to hide his relief. His pause between topics is marked by more klah, another swallow successfully down the hatch. "Yeah. Went down t' Boll, one of th' beaches. Went swimming, an' she laid out in th' sun, an' we found these caves as is real hard t' get to. Probably they're underwater when th' tide's up. Wish you coulda come - Khameth probably woulda had plenty t' say about it. You ain't looking as tired as you done, too. Guess th' babies ain't running you as ragged no more?"
Bothering and able both, G'dri smooths his expression into something less open, more the generally pleasant lines that are usually to be seen upon his features in public. Feet switch positions, left now allowed to be on top while the right provides support, and he sinks his shoulders more firmly into the chair back. "Mmn? That sounds real nice. Which side of Boll?" Chin falls towards his chest in a little nod. "I'm sorry we couldn't... we would have enjoyed it. That sounds like exactly the sort of place Khameth would enjoy exploring, yes. Even if it would mean another rock on my shelves." A brief, wry grin. "Yes. I had forgotten, just how much like /babies/ they really are when they're so young. But at least they settle into a more regular schedule much faster than human babies do. Though of course, the more they settle the more their individual idiosyncrasies reveal themselves, as their personalities begin to assert themselves."
B'kaiv says firmly, "West side." Away from Gar and all the troubles on the east. One of his feet inches toward G'dri's, but no, he must have only been stretching, for a moment later he's got his ankles crossed, left over right. "I can show you, next time we go flying. And if you need more shelves or nothing, I got lots. Bet Chielyth'd like looking at 'em." The rocks, of course. G'dri's casual wielding of vocabulary simultaneously stretches and squishes Kai's face like he's just bitten into a rock and found it tastes like frosting. "Idio-what? I think I got th' rest of that, but how come you're calling 'em idiots?"
Unsurprised by that first answer, G'dri tilts his head back a little further, eyes peering at the ceiling as if maybe there's a convenient map of the Boll region etched into the stone far above their heads. "Down by the tip, or further north?" No map on the ceiling, but the one in his head must be all right. "So I've noticed. Haven't you got /anything/ to put on them? And, you shouldn't say things like that. Khameth /would/ start filling your weyr as well if he thought he could get away with it. He tried to convince me to bring half a tree home once, just because he thought it best represented the area we were visiting." While there's laughter in his voice, there's also a level of seriousness to reveal that no, he's not making that up. With his gaze dropping again, he blinks a little bit and then has the grace to look a little sheepish. "Idiosyncrasies," he repeats. "Personality quirks. Or, like Chielyth's visuals." And one long finger lifts to squiggle around in the air.
"Right down by th' tip," Kai answers, holds up two fingers in a V and pokes at a spot just up from the fork. There's your map. "Shells, no - what would I put on 'em? Beer bottles? Books?" Either one makes him snort, and tip an amused look over to match G'dri's laugh. "Yeah, a'right, I ain't gonna say yes t' no /trees/, but rocks, that's fine. You just lemme know when you're gonna come over with boxes of 'em." His smile tips a smidge wider, and he shakes his head fondly at the older man. "So how come you didn't just say that? But a'right, what sort of /quirks/ you talking about? Like Orisoth - think he don't like playing, yeah?"
"Stuffed toys for Chielyth?" G'dri replies with prompt cheekiness and a broad grin. Though he has indeed made note of that finger-map, enough to satisfy his geographical curiousity. "Boxes. Khameth and I have been to a lot of places in our twenty-four turns together, it's true, but I assure you I do not have /boxes/ of rocks lying around." A pause, with a sly sidelong glance. "Only one large crate." He's joking. Surely. Right? "I /did/ just say that," he chuckles. "Orisoth, is similar to Khameth in some ways, very inquisitive as to the nature of things. I'm not entirely certain if he doesn't like playing, or possibly just doesn't understand the purpose of it yet. Or Khazioth, who is very driven and seems to be somewhat literal-minded. Mohraith, either unable or unwilling to keep his thoughts contained though there has been improvement." And so on and so forth.
B'kaiv snorts again - "Don't give her no ideas," - and pauses for a moment, probably to check on her, returning with a blink and another half-smile. "A'right, bring your sharding big crate then." More klah goes down the hatch before he flings an elbow over the back of his chair, fingers dangling casually between them. "Khazioth, hah. Nother bronze, that one. Told Chielyth as his leg were hurt, but he weren't limping or nothing." His voice has taken on the same dismissive tone for the dragon as he usually saves for the bronzes' riders. "An' what's t' learn about /playing/? Shells, it's just something you -do-, ain't it?"
G'dri's eyes are twinkling far too brightly, his humour firmly re-found in light of the current discussion. "I won't," he promises. But it's not going to be his fault if Khameth ever asks Chielyth if she's thought about collecting things. Really, it's not. "Did he?" Eyebrows lift in surprise, lower again as he considers that little tidbit of information. And considers Kai, that dismissive tone making him press his lips together for a moment but he's not going to poke that particular sleeping dog. Not today, at any rate. "For some, yes, it is. To enjoy oneself, to be silly and happy, it needs no deeper reason. For others, however, of more serious natures...." The bluerider shrugs, a motion mostly lost given his current lazy position. That is about to change however, as he plants his feet both on the floor to gain additional leverage to push himself back up straight again. turning a little sideways, he drapes a forearm negligently over the arm of his chair, a slight lessening of the proximity between them. "Liath and Nilanth, for example, would likely be ones for whom playing just for the sake of playing would not be out of character."
Kai nods a 'yeah, Khazioth did that', shrugs one shoulder to wave off what the bronze may or may not have done. "She were real worried about him. Think he said as he were gonna get it looked at. Anyway." When G'dri moves Kai shifts as well, turning just the faintest bit toward the other man, body angling inward. "That's... Nissa's green an'... shells. Th' redhead's blue, ain't it? I weren't really paying no attention t' the candidates this time. How's that one Chielyth brung in? M'try? You was saying something about loud?"
There's a moment or two of continued 'buh' from G'dri but ultimately he dismisses it with a shrug of his own. "There has been no evidence of strain or other injury," he notes briefly. "Genefra, yes," nodding confirmation of that and Nissa's pairing both. "Adapting, as they all are. Better than some, not as good as others. Yes, that brown of his... you remember how hard it is for the little ones to keep their thoughts within their own heads at first, yes? Or to shield their conversations from each other? But they usually learn swiftly how to put those mental walls in place, so as not to project to every dragon within their range. Mohraith... was not so apt."
B'kaiv's prejudice has been confirmed, hoorah! "Yeah, well," he says again, this time leaving off the 'he's a bronze' bit. Audibly, anyway. More klah drunk - he can't have much left - while he listens, nods. "Yeah, I guess. Hard t' learn t' keep quiet so I weren't sharing everything with her, too. So he... they? He ain't doing that? That what 'apt' means?" The unfamiliar word fills his mouth awkwardly. "You think it's 'cause he... can't? Or won't?"
G'dri's eyebrows hike upwards again, but he just shakes his head as he lets loose a long exhale that can't quite count as a sigh. Sleeping dogs. Let lie. Yes. There's that whole not wanting to squabble thing to consider, after all. Today, anyway. "As far as I can tell, the difficulty is-- was-- on Mohraith's part." Another pause as he considers his word usage and then, "'Adept' would have been a more accurate choice of terminology. Shielding his thoughts did not come as naturally to him as it did the others. From things overheard by Khameth," and everyone else in or near the barracks at the beginning, "it seemed that he at first did not understand the /need/ to do so."
Kai drawls out an ohhh of understanding, nods now that he's finally gotten it. "Gotcha. Well, he ain't bothered Chielyth none, or nothing. She probably wouldn't mind being yelled at or nothing, long as he's just being loud an' ain't doing it t' be mean. She's finally stopped asking about th' eggs," he adds as an aside, with another flash of a fond smile for his absent green. Straightening to put his mug safely on the table - /away/ from G'dri's hides - he settles back into his chair another inch or so closer to the bluerider. "Dunno as you heard, but Hattie said as she could go on th' Sands with th' Candidates, next time Elaruth's got a clutch. If she's still interested, of course."
"I do not believe there is any malicious intent behind his broadcasting, no," G'dri says after a further moment of thought. "Has she made the connection between the eggs and the hatchlings, or is the one still completely separate from the other?" Speaking of idiosyncrasies. He tilts his head a little, comfortable as he is but as he watches Kai's further change in position his smile turns for just a second, warmly fond again. "As excited as she was this time? She might well be. That's an interesting solution to her desire to see the eggs up close. It... is just Elaruth's eggs she found so fascinating, correct? She didn't react the same to Peirith's last clutch, did she?"
B'kaiv's answer is another snort, fond, with another shake of his head, likewise fond. "Nah. Dunno as she's gonna. S'alright, though. Ain't like she's never gonna have no clutch of her own. She did, an' /I'd/ be th' one down there, covering th' eggs with blankets an' things so as they didn't get cold. She'd be off somewhere, flying with all her friends." An Obsidian rider passes by and Kai acknowledges the man with a nod and wave of fingers before refocusing on G'dri. "S'just Elaruth's, yeah. Dunno as she... well, as she /knows/ Peirith, you know? She stays t' herself. But she's always really liked her sister. Even if she don't know as they're sisters."
That mental image brings at first a blink, and then a guffaw of laughter from the bluerider. "Blankets," is all G'dri manages to get out, too amused to notice anyone passing by. That his hand waves helplessly right around that time is purely coincidence. The fit passes and he turns those bright blue eyes of his on Kai, web-work of lines fully crinkled as his grin has yet to disappear. A nod, and when he does speak again his voice is sober enough, "That makes sense. Even with their memories, bonds still form between them and when growing up together in the barracks the formation of such bonds is more likely." Resettling his elbow on the chair arm, he leans a little bit nearer, strictly to prop his chin in his hand. "Of course in Chielyth's case, the formation of friendships seems to be as natural as breathing. Has there ever been a dragon she hasn't liked?"
"An' my sleeves pushed up 'cause it's so sharding hot," Kai confirms, just this side of laughing himself. He drapes a teeny-tiny invisible blanket over an equally teeny invisible egg, pinkies extended in best prissy-pants fashion before swearing and 'pushing up' a sleeve that's come down again. It's funny enough that even the question can't entirely wipe away his good mood, though it's blunted. "Yeah," he answers promptly, "Dasarth." Also her sibling, and oddly enough, bronze. "He's th' only one, though. Long as they ain't mean t' her, she likes 'em."
All that pantomiming really doesn't do a thing to help G'dri's attempts at sobriety. The effect his question has is noted, a quick grimace of apology passing across his features after the answer is given. Instead of pursuing the one Chielyth didn't like, "It good though, with her energy, that she's so friendly. All those fliers she's collected. I can't imagine a smaller number of dragons being able to sustain the energy required to keep up with her for any length of time." Admiring and wondering, at how such a little thing can be so capable of wearing out her larger brethren.
B'kaiv says, "You just try being her rider," with a roll of his eyes, his smile still firmly tacked in place. "Everything she does, she does all th' way. You'd think she'd be strong as a gold, all th' flying she does, but I guess she's just too little." His fingers wave again, for no real reason, and he pulls his underneath leg up, tucking it beneath the upper knee. Quieter, "You think as maybe that's th' reason she ain't gone up yet? Too small?"
"Khameth was handful enough for me," G'dri returns, but with that smile of his unfaltering. The chin-propped hunch isn't exactly the comfiest of positions and he straightens again, a muffled pop as his spine decides to protest the adjustment. With brows furrowing slightly, he doesn't answer that quiet question right away with some easy platitude, but actually gives it serious consideration. With his mouth skewing to one side, he shakes his head slowly. "I'm no dragonhealer," is the necessary disclaimer, "to guess at why she hasn't risen yet. I don't really know if her size would have anything to do with it all, actually. While there are certainly expected timeframes for maturation, every dragon grows at their own pace. It could just be that her own maturation is not yet complete, despite her age. But really... I have no idea. You're really better off speaking to someone who's done a greater study of dragons, the females especially."
The greenrider's smile falters during the silence, returning him to his more usual neutral-to-pensive expression; he nods like he hadn't really expected anything else. "Yeah. I... done some looking in th' records," he admits, fingers plucking at a fold of his pants. "Only I didn't see nothing... well, nothing as were helpful. Only said the average green'll go up between eighteen months t' two turns." Another rueful bit of not-smile appears and disappears again as he pushes out of his chair, legs unfolding as a hand runs over his head. "Should get going: she's waking up. Were nice seeing you again, G'dri. You think as maybe..." His words trail off as someone else passes by; Kai waits until they're gone before continuing. "Maybe could see you t'night too?"
"Speak with the dragonhealers, Kai," G'dri encourages. "If you're that concerned, perhaps they can help ease your mind. All I can say is that... Chielyth is not your /average/ anything." He tilts a small smile for that, tipping his head back to look at B'kaiv as the greenrider stands. "Of course; it was good to speak with you." He doesn't reach out, doesn't make any move towards the younger man. Just a warming of his eyes, a small dip of his chin in a nod. "I'm sharing supper with Liladri tonight. But after dinner, please feel free to stop by." And G'dri will go back to his formations studying. Or jewelry designing. Whichever!
Shells, I dunno as I could see no dragonhealer. It ain't like. Shells. Can't ask neither Hattie or the Weyrwoman. Ain't like they could do nothing about it. She's just small.
Commons Cavern, Fort Weyr
While not nearly as large as the living cavern, the commons do serve something of a similar purpose as a gathering point for residents. There are a few scattered tables and chairs, with a section of counter carved from the native granite for general use. The typically cool floors are covered with a handful of rugs, while tapestries serve to blunt the chill emanating from the walls. Lighting is provided through glow baskets for the most part, although some individuals might bring in a lantern if they think to.
It's a fair bit quieter than the living cavern and is designed more as a location for residents to meet and work on whatever work needs to be done -- mending, cleaning, and tending to children are only a small sampling of the things that can be seen going on here. It's most active later in the day, after the bulk of the work is done and people start to settle in for the night, but it's never empty of people.
It also serves as a hub for a variety of useful caverns -- the nursery is located across from the residents' dorms, with the bathing cavern situated between the two. The candidates barracks are somewhat off to the side, closest to the tunnel that leads back out to the inner caverns.
Hurray for spring! It's been a whole lot less miserable lately, the weather lending itself to a general upswing in mood, the lightness in the air echoed by a lightness in the steps of many. It also means that the caverns aren't quite so stuffy -- for all that it's still chilly out it's no longer freezing, which somewhat empties out those enclosed spaces where people have spent the winter huddled in groups around hearth fires. Which isn't to say it's still not nice to lounge around indoors now and again, and even assistant weyrlingmasters get days off now and again. Or at least, time in-between things to relax. Whichever. G'dri's got a comfy chair and a mug of klah, and even if he's not strictly on-duty it looks like he's still working, a portfolio open across his lap with hides scattered across the mostly-flat surface. Squinting but not currently writing, the pencil he holds gets fiddled with absently, twirling over and under long fingers as he sips at his drink.
Everyone loves spring, including - or perhaps particularly - Chielyth, and it may be his lifemate's persistent good mood that brings B'kaiv into the commons just this side of whistling. It's still too early for her to be awake, of course, but that doesn't keep Kai from roaming about the caverns, his own mug of klah in hand. A quick question of one of the other men ends with a nod in the bluerider's direction, and Kai heads over to flop into a chair with the boneless grace of the young, offering both a, "Hey," and a crooked smile over the rim of his mug. "Whatcha doing?"
Well, if that isn't a sight to see. Too bad G'dri misses most of it, focused as he is, and only becomes aware of Kai's cheery presence when the greenrider actually passes into the range of the outer edges of his vision. At least he gets to appreciate that flop, signature smile fixing itself into place and crinkling the webs around his eyes. A little warmer than merely friendly, but certainly nothing to raise any eyebrows. "Good morning," is returned pleasantly as he straightens his neck from its bend, an action that leads into a stretching of both spine and legs before he relaxes again. "Ostensibly? Going over ground drill formations." Such a devoted little worker bee. "In actuality, trying to get a design out of my head." Or, not. One of those sheets of hide is tugged free and he leans across, offering it for the younger man's perusal if he's at all curious, a necklace and bracelet set with a vague sketching of a Lemosian -- if one is knowledgeable -- pattern. "How's it going?"
The chance that Kai knows 'ostensibly' is slim, but the squint of confusion is nothing unusual on the greenrider's face. "That don't look like," he starts before G'dri can correct things; he leans forward to give the jewelry at least a cursory once-over. "Huh. Kinda pretty." One idle finger traces the design's curves before he settles back in his chair, the better to see the bluerider. "Ain't bad. Glad it's warming up. Chielyth's real happy about it. Khameth? An' oh - I was thinking about showing some of th' weyrlings some moves. For fighting classes, you know?"
G'dri will give Kai a vocabulary yet! If only out of sheer repetition of using big words enough that their context comes clear. "You think?" he asks, looking rather more pleased than he did a moment ago, though not inordinately so. Leaning back again he squints a little at the hide as he turns it back around to lay against his forearm, before tucking it underneath a couple other sheets that /are/ actually, formation sketches. "More excited about watching the changes in the daily routines than in the actual weather, but yes, Khameth is pleased. Rather enjoying sharing his observations with some of the more intellectually inquisitive young ones. We should take them flying again." Randomly. A couple swallows of klah are taken, his eyes narrowing in thoughtful consideration. "Are you interested in assisting with the actual classes, or were you thinking more along the lines of a mentoring capacity? We'd need to clear it first, of course, but either would be welcome I imagine and we certainly have plenty who are in need of some extra... encouragement."
B'kaiv narrows his eyes at the sketch, but it remains patiently stable, without any tricky twisting of lines. "Yeah." He keeps an eye on it until it's hidden again, watches G'dri after that. "Yeah? An' yeah, we should. Chielyth an' Khameth, right? Not th' babies?" Because they're babies. And not up to flying yet. "Ain't been for... shells. Too long." A pause for klah is taken on both sides before Kai splutters and barely manages not to spit-take all over those formations. "What? Shells - I ain't - just t' /show/. I ain't no mentor type. But Jiella... I were talking t' her an' she ain't - she don't even know how t' throw a punch." A crying shame. "I tried t' get her t' hit me, an' she wouldn't."
And inclination of that greying head indicates agreement of 'too long.' "Chielyth and Khameth, yes," G'dri confirms with an amused twinkle in his blue eyes. "The old boy needs to get out, and there's months yet before the young ones will be ready." No tree top trimming or cliff skimming for them, no sirree. Spluttering. The bluerider at first looks confused, and then concerned. The the portfolio ends up being closed, has less to do with concern over the hides and more with making it easier to lean in his chair without risking sending them cascading all over the floor. "Kai--" he starts, voice a little lower with the worry. "Don't choke." And then it becomes clear, his expression easing and his lips pressing together as he tries -- rather unsuccessfully -- to keep his grin under control. "Assisting then," he states mildly. "Some demonstrations by those skilled already can only aid the learning process. As for Jiella specifically...." He arches his brows, Kai receiving something of a 'come now' look. "Blooded women such as, say, Dashaya are rare. Proper young women do not go around learning how to defend themselves. They are expected to look pretty, sound pretty, make an advantageous marriage and keep all their children legitimate. Learning how to defend themselves is not exactly a high priority." Must he turn /everything/ into a lesson!?
B'kaiv isn't choking, he's desperately trying to keep klah from going up his nose, nostrils pinched shut and one eye flaring wide over the metabolic mishap. "Ain't choking. But I were thinking," his eye lights on his mug - how did /that/ get here? - and he puts it down firmly, well away from his mouth. Fie on thee, foul exploratory klah! "About showing 'em. How easy it is t' throw somebody. Figured if they seen you put me over your shoulder a couple times, she'd stop thinking as how she's got t' be strong t' do it. An' maybe she's Blooded, but she still oughta know how t' put somebody in his place. Knee t' the balls at -least-." And thus are Kai's educational priorities laid bare.
Choking, inhaling. As long as he's not about to keel over with a blue face, which really is all G'dri cares about. Of course, with Kai proving himself perfectly fine, complete with evil eye for the mug, the bluerider's amusement-after-the-fact becomes a titch more obvious. Bad him. "Wouldn't your point perhaps be better proven if it were Nia or Jantha putting you over their shoulder?" With his face tipped downward, eyes must therefore slant up and sideways to take in the young greenrider's face, a little doubtful now. Okay, so he's not on a level with B'kaiv in the muscles department but still. "She should, yes, and she will be taught. Blooded or not she's a rider now and it cannot be guaranteed that she will not find herself in a situation where she will be required to defend herself." Further clarification of educational priorities receives a wordless grunt, almost forgotten pencil starting to twirl around his fingers again.
B'kaiv shrugs, point taken, and returns G'dri's amusement with a wry smile of his own, proving that whatever else his faults, he can laugh at himself. Right now, anyway. "Guess. Or have a couple of you do it. Just - I think she thinks 'cause she's pretty she don't got t' do nothing like that. Or she can't, or something. An' she /can/, she just got t' learn how. Ain't like it's /hard/, not like th' other things they got t' learn." Like penmanship, or memorizing lists of dates? "Anyway," he concludes, "that's what I were thinking. And I guess I oughta make sure as it's all right I give any of 'em as come t' me extra lessons?"
G'dri nods slowly, looking at nothing at all for a few moments before he blinks and turns his smile back on B'kaiv again. "Arranging such a demonstration shouldn't be too difficult. It's a very good idea, Kai; thank you. Would you like me to speak with Jantha first, in regards to the extra lessons, before you approach her?" Chuckling, he can only shake his head with a fond look for the greenrider's take on the differing levels of difficulty in the aspects of weyrling training. "Given how she was likely raised," as he's already covered, "you're probably not far wrong." That his jaw is clenching a little and his eyes are getting a bit tight around the edges? Certainly that's not a flash of /annoyance/ from Mr. Phlegmatic? "So tell me," while the klah is still safely away from the vicinity of nostrils, "why don't you believe yourself to be suitable as a mentor?"
The greenrider nods slowly before leaning to reclaim his klah. "Yeah. Mean, if you don't mind, or nothing. Probably come better from you." He doesn't drink from the mug, but keeps it safely in hand, idly watching G'dri's pencil instead, with a nod for Jiella-as-hothouse-flower. He doesn't look up to see the flashing eyes or tight jaw, but at the question, meeting the bluerider's incredulousness with blank incomprehension and a snort of a laugh. "Well, shells, 'Dri - look at me. Ain't like I got nothing t' teach, 'cept maybe a good right hook an' how t' get grounded. I ain't smart, an' I ain't no Wingleader. Shells, Chielyth ain't even rose yet."
"I don't mind at all. It will be a natural inclusion in the conversation about arranging for the demonstration, after all." Such practicality. Settling a little deeper into his chair, G'dri stretches his legs out again but this time leaves them extended, heel of one foot balanced on the toes of the other. Head tipped back, he closes his eyes as he speaks. "Mentoring isn't so much about teaching as it is... sharing experience and providing an outlet outside of the weyrlingmaster staff for the weyrlings to turn to for advice, or simple friendship. You do not need to be a wingleader to provide that, nor have a dragon who's risen." For Kai's claim that he's not smart? The bluerider opens his eyes and just gives the greenrider a somewhat flat look. "You sell yourself short."
At least Kai doesn't offer any protest until G'dri's done; under that flat look he glances away, then down to his mug. "Yeah, well. Anyone wants t' know how t' break up a brawl or sell beer, I'm th' one t' ask, ain't I. But fine - you think one of th' weyrlings is just waiting t' get stuck with me, put my name in. Just be ready t' give 'em someone else when they read th' list an' faint." A wry twist of his lips and now he does take a rather aggressive swallow of klah, and level a challenging look at the bluerider after. "How come you care, any road? You got some weyrling as you don't like?"
"B'kaiv," the bluerider says quietly, while that swallow is taken. "That is exactly what I mean. And I'm not trying to convince you to become a mentor, I'm simply trying to figure out why you don't believe you have anything of worth to offer." Finally, G'dri stops fidgeting with that dratted pencil, sliding it into a small, narrow pocket at the spine of the portfolio. His hand lifts then, fingers pushing back into his hair and mussing up the tidy combing. Quietly, so as not to carry beyond the immediate area, "I care, because I care about you. This continued insistence that you are not, as a person, of any worth or importance. It is troubling."
"What'm I gonna teach nobody?" Kai asks again with a rhetorical shrug. "I mean shells, G'dri, /really/. There's only a couple things as I'm good at, an' it ain't like they're in real high demand for riders." To wit: punching people and pouring beer. He scratches absently at the back of his neck while G'dri sheathes the pencil; a twitch of lips suggests some inner amusement, though it fades when he looks back at the bluerider. "Shells. What d'you," words cut off between pressed lips, and it takes a second for him to start again, head shaking faintly: "It don't matter, G'dri, a'right? An' I don't wanna fight about it or nothing."
G'dri opens his mouth, then shuts it again, the protest dying before it can even think about leaving his throat, never mind his mouth. "Nor do I, B'kaiv. I disagree that it matters, I won't pretend otherwise." He shakes his head, sighing. "But neither will I demand you discuss it if you do not wish to." He keeps his gaze pensively on his portfolio for a few moments more, before looking back up at the younger man again. Well then. "Were you able to go ahead with your plan to take Chielyth someplace nice in celebration of her hatching?" Just to competely change the subject.
Neither of them want to squabble and Kai acknowledges the truce with a nod, not bothering or unable to hide his relief. His pause between topics is marked by more klah, another swallow successfully down the hatch. "Yeah. Went down t' Boll, one of th' beaches. Went swimming, an' she laid out in th' sun, an' we found these caves as is real hard t' get to. Probably they're underwater when th' tide's up. Wish you coulda come - Khameth probably woulda had plenty t' say about it. You ain't looking as tired as you done, too. Guess th' babies ain't running you as ragged no more?"
Bothering and able both, G'dri smooths his expression into something less open, more the generally pleasant lines that are usually to be seen upon his features in public. Feet switch positions, left now allowed to be on top while the right provides support, and he sinks his shoulders more firmly into the chair back. "Mmn? That sounds real nice. Which side of Boll?" Chin falls towards his chest in a little nod. "I'm sorry we couldn't... we would have enjoyed it. That sounds like exactly the sort of place Khameth would enjoy exploring, yes. Even if it would mean another rock on my shelves." A brief, wry grin. "Yes. I had forgotten, just how much like /babies/ they really are when they're so young. But at least they settle into a more regular schedule much faster than human babies do. Though of course, the more they settle the more their individual idiosyncrasies reveal themselves, as their personalities begin to assert themselves."
B'kaiv says firmly, "West side." Away from Gar and all the troubles on the east. One of his feet inches toward G'dri's, but no, he must have only been stretching, for a moment later he's got his ankles crossed, left over right. "I can show you, next time we go flying. And if you need more shelves or nothing, I got lots. Bet Chielyth'd like looking at 'em." The rocks, of course. G'dri's casual wielding of vocabulary simultaneously stretches and squishes Kai's face like he's just bitten into a rock and found it tastes like frosting. "Idio-what? I think I got th' rest of that, but how come you're calling 'em idiots?"
Unsurprised by that first answer, G'dri tilts his head back a little further, eyes peering at the ceiling as if maybe there's a convenient map of the Boll region etched into the stone far above their heads. "Down by the tip, or further north?" No map on the ceiling, but the one in his head must be all right. "So I've noticed. Haven't you got /anything/ to put on them? And, you shouldn't say things like that. Khameth /would/ start filling your weyr as well if he thought he could get away with it. He tried to convince me to bring half a tree home once, just because he thought it best represented the area we were visiting." While there's laughter in his voice, there's also a level of seriousness to reveal that no, he's not making that up. With his gaze dropping again, he blinks a little bit and then has the grace to look a little sheepish. "Idiosyncrasies," he repeats. "Personality quirks. Or, like Chielyth's visuals." And one long finger lifts to squiggle around in the air.
"Right down by th' tip," Kai answers, holds up two fingers in a V and pokes at a spot just up from the fork. There's your map. "Shells, no - what would I put on 'em? Beer bottles? Books?" Either one makes him snort, and tip an amused look over to match G'dri's laugh. "Yeah, a'right, I ain't gonna say yes t' no /trees/, but rocks, that's fine. You just lemme know when you're gonna come over with boxes of 'em." His smile tips a smidge wider, and he shakes his head fondly at the older man. "So how come you didn't just say that? But a'right, what sort of /quirks/ you talking about? Like Orisoth - think he don't like playing, yeah?"
"Stuffed toys for Chielyth?" G'dri replies with prompt cheekiness and a broad grin. Though he has indeed made note of that finger-map, enough to satisfy his geographical curiousity. "Boxes. Khameth and I have been to a lot of places in our twenty-four turns together, it's true, but I assure you I do not have /boxes/ of rocks lying around." A pause, with a sly sidelong glance. "Only one large crate." He's joking. Surely. Right? "I /did/ just say that," he chuckles. "Orisoth, is similar to Khameth in some ways, very inquisitive as to the nature of things. I'm not entirely certain if he doesn't like playing, or possibly just doesn't understand the purpose of it yet. Or Khazioth, who is very driven and seems to be somewhat literal-minded. Mohraith, either unable or unwilling to keep his thoughts contained though there has been improvement." And so on and so forth.
B'kaiv snorts again - "Don't give her no ideas," - and pauses for a moment, probably to check on her, returning with a blink and another half-smile. "A'right, bring your sharding big crate then." More klah goes down the hatch before he flings an elbow over the back of his chair, fingers dangling casually between them. "Khazioth, hah. Nother bronze, that one. Told Chielyth as his leg were hurt, but he weren't limping or nothing." His voice has taken on the same dismissive tone for the dragon as he usually saves for the bronzes' riders. "An' what's t' learn about /playing/? Shells, it's just something you -do-, ain't it?"
G'dri's eyes are twinkling far too brightly, his humour firmly re-found in light of the current discussion. "I won't," he promises. But it's not going to be his fault if Khameth ever asks Chielyth if she's thought about collecting things. Really, it's not. "Did he?" Eyebrows lift in surprise, lower again as he considers that little tidbit of information. And considers Kai, that dismissive tone making him press his lips together for a moment but he's not going to poke that particular sleeping dog. Not today, at any rate. "For some, yes, it is. To enjoy oneself, to be silly and happy, it needs no deeper reason. For others, however, of more serious natures...." The bluerider shrugs, a motion mostly lost given his current lazy position. That is about to change however, as he plants his feet both on the floor to gain additional leverage to push himself back up straight again. turning a little sideways, he drapes a forearm negligently over the arm of his chair, a slight lessening of the proximity between them. "Liath and Nilanth, for example, would likely be ones for whom playing just for the sake of playing would not be out of character."
Kai nods a 'yeah, Khazioth did that', shrugs one shoulder to wave off what the bronze may or may not have done. "She were real worried about him. Think he said as he were gonna get it looked at. Anyway." When G'dri moves Kai shifts as well, turning just the faintest bit toward the other man, body angling inward. "That's... Nissa's green an'... shells. Th' redhead's blue, ain't it? I weren't really paying no attention t' the candidates this time. How's that one Chielyth brung in? M'try? You was saying something about loud?"
There's a moment or two of continued 'buh' from G'dri but ultimately he dismisses it with a shrug of his own. "There has been no evidence of strain or other injury," he notes briefly. "Genefra, yes," nodding confirmation of that and Nissa's pairing both. "Adapting, as they all are. Better than some, not as good as others. Yes, that brown of his... you remember how hard it is for the little ones to keep their thoughts within their own heads at first, yes? Or to shield their conversations from each other? But they usually learn swiftly how to put those mental walls in place, so as not to project to every dragon within their range. Mohraith... was not so apt."
B'kaiv's prejudice has been confirmed, hoorah! "Yeah, well," he says again, this time leaving off the 'he's a bronze' bit. Audibly, anyway. More klah drunk - he can't have much left - while he listens, nods. "Yeah, I guess. Hard t' learn t' keep quiet so I weren't sharing everything with her, too. So he... they? He ain't doing that? That what 'apt' means?" The unfamiliar word fills his mouth awkwardly. "You think it's 'cause he... can't? Or won't?"
G'dri's eyebrows hike upwards again, but he just shakes his head as he lets loose a long exhale that can't quite count as a sigh. Sleeping dogs. Let lie. Yes. There's that whole not wanting to squabble thing to consider, after all. Today, anyway. "As far as I can tell, the difficulty is-- was-- on Mohraith's part." Another pause as he considers his word usage and then, "'Adept' would have been a more accurate choice of terminology. Shielding his thoughts did not come as naturally to him as it did the others. From things overheard by Khameth," and everyone else in or near the barracks at the beginning, "it seemed that he at first did not understand the /need/ to do so."
Kai drawls out an ohhh of understanding, nods now that he's finally gotten it. "Gotcha. Well, he ain't bothered Chielyth none, or nothing. She probably wouldn't mind being yelled at or nothing, long as he's just being loud an' ain't doing it t' be mean. She's finally stopped asking about th' eggs," he adds as an aside, with another flash of a fond smile for his absent green. Straightening to put his mug safely on the table - /away/ from G'dri's hides - he settles back into his chair another inch or so closer to the bluerider. "Dunno as you heard, but Hattie said as she could go on th' Sands with th' Candidates, next time Elaruth's got a clutch. If she's still interested, of course."
"I do not believe there is any malicious intent behind his broadcasting, no," G'dri says after a further moment of thought. "Has she made the connection between the eggs and the hatchlings, or is the one still completely separate from the other?" Speaking of idiosyncrasies. He tilts his head a little, comfortable as he is but as he watches Kai's further change in position his smile turns for just a second, warmly fond again. "As excited as she was this time? She might well be. That's an interesting solution to her desire to see the eggs up close. It... is just Elaruth's eggs she found so fascinating, correct? She didn't react the same to Peirith's last clutch, did she?"
B'kaiv's answer is another snort, fond, with another shake of his head, likewise fond. "Nah. Dunno as she's gonna. S'alright, though. Ain't like she's never gonna have no clutch of her own. She did, an' /I'd/ be th' one down there, covering th' eggs with blankets an' things so as they didn't get cold. She'd be off somewhere, flying with all her friends." An Obsidian rider passes by and Kai acknowledges the man with a nod and wave of fingers before refocusing on G'dri. "S'just Elaruth's, yeah. Dunno as she... well, as she /knows/ Peirith, you know? She stays t' herself. But she's always really liked her sister. Even if she don't know as they're sisters."
That mental image brings at first a blink, and then a guffaw of laughter from the bluerider. "Blankets," is all G'dri manages to get out, too amused to notice anyone passing by. That his hand waves helplessly right around that time is purely coincidence. The fit passes and he turns those bright blue eyes of his on Kai, web-work of lines fully crinkled as his grin has yet to disappear. A nod, and when he does speak again his voice is sober enough, "That makes sense. Even with their memories, bonds still form between them and when growing up together in the barracks the formation of such bonds is more likely." Resettling his elbow on the chair arm, he leans a little bit nearer, strictly to prop his chin in his hand. "Of course in Chielyth's case, the formation of friendships seems to be as natural as breathing. Has there ever been a dragon she hasn't liked?"
"An' my sleeves pushed up 'cause it's so sharding hot," Kai confirms, just this side of laughing himself. He drapes a teeny-tiny invisible blanket over an equally teeny invisible egg, pinkies extended in best prissy-pants fashion before swearing and 'pushing up' a sleeve that's come down again. It's funny enough that even the question can't entirely wipe away his good mood, though it's blunted. "Yeah," he answers promptly, "Dasarth." Also her sibling, and oddly enough, bronze. "He's th' only one, though. Long as they ain't mean t' her, she likes 'em."
All that pantomiming really doesn't do a thing to help G'dri's attempts at sobriety. The effect his question has is noted, a quick grimace of apology passing across his features after the answer is given. Instead of pursuing the one Chielyth didn't like, "It good though, with her energy, that she's so friendly. All those fliers she's collected. I can't imagine a smaller number of dragons being able to sustain the energy required to keep up with her for any length of time." Admiring and wondering, at how such a little thing can be so capable of wearing out her larger brethren.
B'kaiv says, "You just try being her rider," with a roll of his eyes, his smile still firmly tacked in place. "Everything she does, she does all th' way. You'd think she'd be strong as a gold, all th' flying she does, but I guess she's just too little." His fingers wave again, for no real reason, and he pulls his underneath leg up, tucking it beneath the upper knee. Quieter, "You think as maybe that's th' reason she ain't gone up yet? Too small?"
"Khameth was handful enough for me," G'dri returns, but with that smile of his unfaltering. The chin-propped hunch isn't exactly the comfiest of positions and he straightens again, a muffled pop as his spine decides to protest the adjustment. With brows furrowing slightly, he doesn't answer that quiet question right away with some easy platitude, but actually gives it serious consideration. With his mouth skewing to one side, he shakes his head slowly. "I'm no dragonhealer," is the necessary disclaimer, "to guess at why she hasn't risen yet. I don't really know if her size would have anything to do with it all, actually. While there are certainly expected timeframes for maturation, every dragon grows at their own pace. It could just be that her own maturation is not yet complete, despite her age. But really... I have no idea. You're really better off speaking to someone who's done a greater study of dragons, the females especially."
The greenrider's smile falters during the silence, returning him to his more usual neutral-to-pensive expression; he nods like he hadn't really expected anything else. "Yeah. I... done some looking in th' records," he admits, fingers plucking at a fold of his pants. "Only I didn't see nothing... well, nothing as were helpful. Only said the average green'll go up between eighteen months t' two turns." Another rueful bit of not-smile appears and disappears again as he pushes out of his chair, legs unfolding as a hand runs over his head. "Should get going: she's waking up. Were nice seeing you again, G'dri. You think as maybe..." His words trail off as someone else passes by; Kai waits until they're gone before continuing. "Maybe could see you t'night too?"
"Speak with the dragonhealers, Kai," G'dri encourages. "If you're that concerned, perhaps they can help ease your mind. All I can say is that... Chielyth is not your /average/ anything." He tilts a small smile for that, tipping his head back to look at B'kaiv as the greenrider stands. "Of course; it was good to speak with you." He doesn't reach out, doesn't make any move towards the younger man. Just a warming of his eyes, a small dip of his chin in a nod. "I'm sharing supper with Liladri tonight. But after dinner, please feel free to stop by." And G'dri will go back to his formations studying. Or jewelry designing. Whichever!
Shells, I dunno as I could see no dragonhealer. It ain't like. Shells. Can't ask neither Hattie or the Weyrwoman. Ain't like they could do nothing about it. She's just small.