Mail run & spiked klah
It is a winter night, 18:38 of day 13, month 1, turn 22 of Interval 10.
Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr
The Snowasis is rarely quiet, and even then, the high-ceilinged former weyr is kept from echoing by the fantastical booths tucked into its convoluted perimeter. The secluded seating spaces have been shaped from the truncated stalagmites that escaped the smoothing of the main floor, and are both softened and separated by colorful hangings that are thick and opaque enough to make each corner its own private nook.
Some of the smaller stalactites still roam the ceiling, their jagged teeth tracing a bumpy, inverted spine to the hearth. There, a thick rug with a low klah table and comfortable armchairs and couches sit, their upholstery and cushions changed sporadically to match the season: bright, light colors in the summer, fresh greens and yellows in the spring, warm autumnals in fall, and clear, rich hues for winter. Small tables litter the rest of the cavern, enough to fit up to four people each, while stools stand along the smooth wooden bar behind which is the passthrough window to the kitchen. Glass-paneled cabinetry behind the bar provides a clear view of the available liquors, the many colors reflecting the soft light of glows tucked into strategic niches around the cavern.
Obvious exits:
Hallway Patio Ledge
B'tal is a young man with still somewhat boyish features. His shaggy, dark hair is often ruffled and unkempt. He has dark blue eyes with a subtly brassy cast around the pupil. He has a strong neck that ties into strong shoulders, but his build is leanly muscled rather than bulky.
His clothes are all chosen with practicality in mind. Dark pants and leather boots, a shirt with short or no sleeves layered with a shirt with longer sleeves depending on the weather, color coordinating only because they're pretty much all the same color. He wears the knot of a Glacier greenrider.
Of all the bars, in all the Weyrs, in all of Pern, why would a Fortian greenrider be in this one? But B'kaiv is here, and hasn't yet shucked his jacket so that his knot is on display for anyone to read. He's just placed an order: the barkeep is turning away and Kai leans on his forearms on the bar, shoulders hunched like he expects the wind to have chased him inside. The bar is, perhaps, half full, with both loners engrossed in their own thoughts, groups chattering enthusiastically with friends, and everything in between.
Same reason everyone comes to the Snowasis! Poor judgment. Or, well, maybe not. But B'tal is making his way inside now, too. His scan around is quick as he makes his way toward the bar, unfastening his flight jacket along the way and undoing the green scarf he's wearing so it hangs to either side of his neck. His path brings him up nearby the other greenrider and he orders a drink that even sounds froofy, glancing toward the other rider while he waits. He stares at the knot for a moment as he slips into thought, then glances away quickly when he realizes he's been staring.
B'kaiv glances over casually (or maybe that's disbelievingly) when B'tal arrives, but save for a grunt of welcome keeps himself to himself. It's not until the man behind the counter arrives with a steaming mug of klah that Kai turns to face the room, both elbows on the wooden bar and his prize in his hands. "Dunno as I ever heard of one of them," he remarks absently, eyes scanning the room for - perhaps - an open seat. Or maybe a weapon: he has sort of an air of violence, tamped down under manners and etiquette.
"They're good," B'tal says with a little hint of something defensive under a generally otherwise small voice. He's clearly had to defend this choice of his before. When his drink comes, it's rather colorful and rather obviously not a drink any manly man would be caught dead with. Fortunately, B'tal is not one of those! He watches the stranger curiously and he points over toward the hearth where there are a couple empty seats in the more comfortable sitting area.
B'kaiv does the courtesy of not saying, "Uh-/huh/," in that tone of voice - or any tone of voice. Or at all. He does give the thing another eyeing when it arrives, follows Bety's pointing finger to the empty spots. "Huh. Thanks." Since B'tal found them Kai'll invite him along with a jerk of his head, but the Fortian settles into the seat closest to the fire and nudges his chair a few inches closer to boot. "Kai," he says while eeling out of his jacket. "B'kaiv, but most call me Kai. Chielyth's."
B'tal is all too happy to trail along after Kai with his girly drink in hand. He hesitates when the other sits down, glances at another chair then he's pulling it a little closer before he sets his drink down and shrugs out of his jacket. "Hi," he says, the grin that pulls at his lips a little shy. "I'm B'tal. Or Bety. I don't really care anymore. Uh." No, he didn't forget his dragon's name. "Jeibeth's. How are-- um." He sits down on the edge of the chair, drink back in his hands. "Enjoying Reaches?"
"Hey," Kai says, his offer of a hand across the table delayed by a muffled cough into his shoulder. "They're a'right. Doing some deliveries, an' Chielyth wanted t' see a couple friends so I come in here t' warm up." Someone's taken a lot of time to try and flatten his accent into something intelligible, and save for some clipped vowels, mostly succeeded. Mostly. "Ain't got t' get back t' Fort for a bit. You?"
The hand is accepted but concern creases B'tal's brow very briefly for the cough. He doesn't say anything, of course, but he does watch for a few moments longer then looks down at his drink. "Well, I live here so I'm kind of stuck whether I like it or not," B'tal offers, trying for serious but grinning a little at the end there. "W'chek is on sweeps. Been waiting for him to get back so I thought I'd come get a drink since he can't make fun of it." His grin there is a little off before it fades. "Jeibeth likes to talk but I don't think she's very close to anyone at Fort."
"Could always transfer," the Fortian points out without any of Bety's levity, re-wrapping his hands about his mug. "Who's... W'chek?" asked almost warily. "Boyfriend? An' Chielyth talks t' anybody. Think she's off with...," his face squinches up as his attention turns inward. "Wyaeth? Yeah. Wyaeth. Probably talking t' Corvinth an' Easath too, knowing her."
"I've talked about it before but no one else seems to like the idea. It'd be great to go to Southern or Ista or something, right?" That's probably rhetorical. B'tal is dreaming. "But I'm from here and Jeibeth likes it here, so." He shrugs helplessly and takes a drink, frowning just noticeably at the mention of Wyaeth in particular. "Ah." Then, like an afterthought, "Weyrmate."
B'kaiv clears his throat with a grimace, sips at his klah and grimaces again. "I just come back from Monaco. It were pretty nice, but... ain't home. You know?" Or maybe Bety doesn't. "Come from Othana Waystation myself. Originally." Another sip and he blows across the klah's surface, pulls it closer to his chest. "--Your girl like doing trick flying? Think that's why she's so keen t' get here, sometimes. She an' Corvinth go off and do Faranth knows what."
B'tal just nods his head, going a little more quiet and awkward. He glances off to scan the rest of the bar quickly then he ends up looking at the table between them. "She likes to fly. But she likes to be... proper. Unless she's rising or something. She kinda reminds me of a dancer usually, I guess. She likes Corvinth, though. Don't think they've ever just gone flying. She likes to do that with Xadovith. And Isforaith."
Kai's eyes follow B'tal's in a scan as well, but they come back to the other greenrider soon enough, not finding anyone or anything to linger on. He barks a short laugh, and with a shake of his head declares, "Chielyth ain't proper. She's... well, she ain't. Just as soon be playing in the mud as anything, 'cept she likes flying best." At mention of the two males Kai settles back in his chair, expression thoughtful. "Them names sound familiar. Probably a couple of her friends. Jeibeth like 'em?"
"Oh, yeah. She likes both of them a lot. Isforaith is special, though. They sort of hit it off right away and they've been pretty close ever since." B'tal frowns as he continues, "His rider and me were, uh, something for awhile. But we don't talk much anymore. They still like each other, though. Be nice if she liked Zhikath that much." But that sigh afterwards suggests that she really doesn't. "Do you have a, uh, well, you know... ?"
'Isforaith', Kai echoes silently before shaking his head, unable to place the name. "Yeah, Chielyth got - well, Gedroth like that, only he transferred t' Southern." He toasts the absent dragon with a wry little smile, here and gone, eyes drifting to follow one of the Snowasis' full-chested waitresses on her rounds before snapping back to B'tal. "--Huh? Do I got a what? A somebody? Nah." He tosses back more klah, unable to completely drown the bitterness, and leans forward, elbows on knees. "Not no more. Chielyth likes enough for th' both of us."
"Z'yi," B'tal offers like that might make any difference but he doesn't say anything more about Jeibeth's interest in males for now. He tries following the other greenrider's gaze but it might not be actually managing to that makes him blush. "Oh. Right. I guess so." Beat. "Sorry." He lapses back toward silence, head tilted down slightly but still watching Kai curiously and possibly trying not to be insanely obvious about it.
"Hah!" Kai smacks the table and levels a triumphant finger across it. "/Knew/ I knew that name. Big bastard, taller'n me, yeah? Met him in some little backwater dive this one time. Didn't take him for no pa- uh." Tact filter slamming down barely in time, the Fortian retreats both physically and metaphorically, cradling his mug to his chest again and pulling his shoulders around it. Muttering, "Don't matter."
B'tal jumps slightly at the table smacking and he looks at Kai with wider eyes for a moment before those eyes narrow a little defensively. Bety might not be a manly man, but he's not stupid and it's not hard to follow along with what the other doesn't finish. "Big bastard, yeah." He can definitely agree to that. "And if you really need to know, I was an 'experiment' for him," he even does the air quotes with his fingers. So there. Or something.
Up goes Kai's chin at those finger-quotes; he leans forward again, maybe not quite as far this time. "Yeah? You want me t' put my fist in his face for you?"
That's clearly not where B'tal expected this conversation to go and he looks a little confused for several moments following. His mouth opens like he might respond, then he hesitates. And then he does speak, "Are you... kidding? Or would you really do something like that?" He can't tell. B'kaiv /looks/ like someone that might do something like that, at least.
B'kaiv, on the other hand, looks entirely serious. A little tired around the edges, maybe, but serious. "Yeah, bastard." Presumably Z'yi, not the other greenrider. "You don't /do/ that. So you want somebody t' do something about him, just lemme know." He nods firmly, once, before shooting a quick look out to the bowl. Leaning in, he adds more quietly, "Just - it ain't a forever thing. If you got t' think about it, don't take too long."
There's a hesitance to B'tal's response to this that might suggest he's actually considering it. But then he blinks and looks a little awkward and he shakes his head quickly. "No, I-- I mean... no. No. It's fine. Really. He's not a bad person or anything. Really. It's fine." Get that? The smaller greenrider is blushing again but he's probably forgotten about the not-quite-slip on the other's part.
All the while B'tal is silent B'kaiv is intent, almost ready to think about leaping to his feet in search of the bluerider. He breathes a disappointed, "Hah," and sinks back again when his offer's rejected, turns toward the bowl again if B'tal is going to be such a spoilsport. "'F you say so." Sounds like 'you're an idiot'. "Should probably get going. Chielyth says Corvinth ain't around."
"Think if anyone should, should be Whit. But he won't." B'tal has probably gotten over his disappointment about this for the most part. "Doesn't matter anyway. But thanks. Really." He even offers another of those small, kind of shy smiles despite the way that sounds. Maybe he's used to it. "Oh, sure. Of course. Was good to meet you, though, Kai. Maybe I'll look you up at Fort sometime. Could put that energy to better use."
Kai glances back, tilts a crooked shrug and quarter of a smile the other greenrider's way. "Sure, anytime. S'probably gonna be another couple sevens at least before th' Healers clear me for sparring though." He gestures to his ribs as he stands, explaining briefly, "Lungs." After a longish pause his manners manage to struggle to the surface and he adds, "Good meeting you too. Regards t' your Jeibeth." One last swig of his klah - no point wasting it - and he sets the mug on the tray of a passing server, drops B'tal a nod, and heads for the bowl with another muffled cough when the cold air reaches his lungs.
B'tal probably wasn't entirely talking about just sparring but he doesn't try to correct the other greenrider. Sparring is good, too! "To your Chielyth, too!" he calls after Kai then watches him leave, resting his chin in his palm.
Something soft about that one. Probably 'cause he's a gree-
...
.../shells/.
...Probably ain't no good at sparring any road. Could give him a couple pointers, maybe. Bet he don't come down to Fort though.
Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr
The Snowasis is rarely quiet, and even then, the high-ceilinged former weyr is kept from echoing by the fantastical booths tucked into its convoluted perimeter. The secluded seating spaces have been shaped from the truncated stalagmites that escaped the smoothing of the main floor, and are both softened and separated by colorful hangings that are thick and opaque enough to make each corner its own private nook.
Some of the smaller stalactites still roam the ceiling, their jagged teeth tracing a bumpy, inverted spine to the hearth. There, a thick rug with a low klah table and comfortable armchairs and couches sit, their upholstery and cushions changed sporadically to match the season: bright, light colors in the summer, fresh greens and yellows in the spring, warm autumnals in fall, and clear, rich hues for winter. Small tables litter the rest of the cavern, enough to fit up to four people each, while stools stand along the smooth wooden bar behind which is the passthrough window to the kitchen. Glass-paneled cabinetry behind the bar provides a clear view of the available liquors, the many colors reflecting the soft light of glows tucked into strategic niches around the cavern.
Obvious exits:
Hallway Patio Ledge
B'tal is a young man with still somewhat boyish features. His shaggy, dark hair is often ruffled and unkempt. He has dark blue eyes with a subtly brassy cast around the pupil. He has a strong neck that ties into strong shoulders, but his build is leanly muscled rather than bulky.
His clothes are all chosen with practicality in mind. Dark pants and leather boots, a shirt with short or no sleeves layered with a shirt with longer sleeves depending on the weather, color coordinating only because they're pretty much all the same color. He wears the knot of a Glacier greenrider.
Of all the bars, in all the Weyrs, in all of Pern, why would a Fortian greenrider be in this one? But B'kaiv is here, and hasn't yet shucked his jacket so that his knot is on display for anyone to read. He's just placed an order: the barkeep is turning away and Kai leans on his forearms on the bar, shoulders hunched like he expects the wind to have chased him inside. The bar is, perhaps, half full, with both loners engrossed in their own thoughts, groups chattering enthusiastically with friends, and everything in between.
Same reason everyone comes to the Snowasis! Poor judgment. Or, well, maybe not. But B'tal is making his way inside now, too. His scan around is quick as he makes his way toward the bar, unfastening his flight jacket along the way and undoing the green scarf he's wearing so it hangs to either side of his neck. His path brings him up nearby the other greenrider and he orders a drink that even sounds froofy, glancing toward the other rider while he waits. He stares at the knot for a moment as he slips into thought, then glances away quickly when he realizes he's been staring.
B'kaiv glances over casually (or maybe that's disbelievingly) when B'tal arrives, but save for a grunt of welcome keeps himself to himself. It's not until the man behind the counter arrives with a steaming mug of klah that Kai turns to face the room, both elbows on the wooden bar and his prize in his hands. "Dunno as I ever heard of one of them," he remarks absently, eyes scanning the room for - perhaps - an open seat. Or maybe a weapon: he has sort of an air of violence, tamped down under manners and etiquette.
"They're good," B'tal says with a little hint of something defensive under a generally otherwise small voice. He's clearly had to defend this choice of his before. When his drink comes, it's rather colorful and rather obviously not a drink any manly man would be caught dead with. Fortunately, B'tal is not one of those! He watches the stranger curiously and he points over toward the hearth where there are a couple empty seats in the more comfortable sitting area.
B'kaiv does the courtesy of not saying, "Uh-/huh/," in that tone of voice - or any tone of voice. Or at all. He does give the thing another eyeing when it arrives, follows Bety's pointing finger to the empty spots. "Huh. Thanks." Since B'tal found them Kai'll invite him along with a jerk of his head, but the Fortian settles into the seat closest to the fire and nudges his chair a few inches closer to boot. "Kai," he says while eeling out of his jacket. "B'kaiv, but most call me Kai. Chielyth's."
B'tal is all too happy to trail along after Kai with his girly drink in hand. He hesitates when the other sits down, glances at another chair then he's pulling it a little closer before he sets his drink down and shrugs out of his jacket. "Hi," he says, the grin that pulls at his lips a little shy. "I'm B'tal. Or Bety. I don't really care anymore. Uh." No, he didn't forget his dragon's name. "Jeibeth's. How are-- um." He sits down on the edge of the chair, drink back in his hands. "Enjoying Reaches?"
"Hey," Kai says, his offer of a hand across the table delayed by a muffled cough into his shoulder. "They're a'right. Doing some deliveries, an' Chielyth wanted t' see a couple friends so I come in here t' warm up." Someone's taken a lot of time to try and flatten his accent into something intelligible, and save for some clipped vowels, mostly succeeded. Mostly. "Ain't got t' get back t' Fort for a bit. You?"
The hand is accepted but concern creases B'tal's brow very briefly for the cough. He doesn't say anything, of course, but he does watch for a few moments longer then looks down at his drink. "Well, I live here so I'm kind of stuck whether I like it or not," B'tal offers, trying for serious but grinning a little at the end there. "W'chek is on sweeps. Been waiting for him to get back so I thought I'd come get a drink since he can't make fun of it." His grin there is a little off before it fades. "Jeibeth likes to talk but I don't think she's very close to anyone at Fort."
"Could always transfer," the Fortian points out without any of Bety's levity, re-wrapping his hands about his mug. "Who's... W'chek?" asked almost warily. "Boyfriend? An' Chielyth talks t' anybody. Think she's off with...," his face squinches up as his attention turns inward. "Wyaeth? Yeah. Wyaeth. Probably talking t' Corvinth an' Easath too, knowing her."
"I've talked about it before but no one else seems to like the idea. It'd be great to go to Southern or Ista or something, right?" That's probably rhetorical. B'tal is dreaming. "But I'm from here and Jeibeth likes it here, so." He shrugs helplessly and takes a drink, frowning just noticeably at the mention of Wyaeth in particular. "Ah." Then, like an afterthought, "Weyrmate."
B'kaiv clears his throat with a grimace, sips at his klah and grimaces again. "I just come back from Monaco. It were pretty nice, but... ain't home. You know?" Or maybe Bety doesn't. "Come from Othana Waystation myself. Originally." Another sip and he blows across the klah's surface, pulls it closer to his chest. "--Your girl like doing trick flying? Think that's why she's so keen t' get here, sometimes. She an' Corvinth go off and do Faranth knows what."
B'tal just nods his head, going a little more quiet and awkward. He glances off to scan the rest of the bar quickly then he ends up looking at the table between them. "She likes to fly. But she likes to be... proper. Unless she's rising or something. She kinda reminds me of a dancer usually, I guess. She likes Corvinth, though. Don't think they've ever just gone flying. She likes to do that with Xadovith. And Isforaith."
Kai's eyes follow B'tal's in a scan as well, but they come back to the other greenrider soon enough, not finding anyone or anything to linger on. He barks a short laugh, and with a shake of his head declares, "Chielyth ain't proper. She's... well, she ain't. Just as soon be playing in the mud as anything, 'cept she likes flying best." At mention of the two males Kai settles back in his chair, expression thoughtful. "Them names sound familiar. Probably a couple of her friends. Jeibeth like 'em?"
"Oh, yeah. She likes both of them a lot. Isforaith is special, though. They sort of hit it off right away and they've been pretty close ever since." B'tal frowns as he continues, "His rider and me were, uh, something for awhile. But we don't talk much anymore. They still like each other, though. Be nice if she liked Zhikath that much." But that sigh afterwards suggests that she really doesn't. "Do you have a, uh, well, you know... ?"
'Isforaith', Kai echoes silently before shaking his head, unable to place the name. "Yeah, Chielyth got - well, Gedroth like that, only he transferred t' Southern." He toasts the absent dragon with a wry little smile, here and gone, eyes drifting to follow one of the Snowasis' full-chested waitresses on her rounds before snapping back to B'tal. "--Huh? Do I got a what? A somebody? Nah." He tosses back more klah, unable to completely drown the bitterness, and leans forward, elbows on knees. "Not no more. Chielyth likes enough for th' both of us."
"Z'yi," B'tal offers like that might make any difference but he doesn't say anything more about Jeibeth's interest in males for now. He tries following the other greenrider's gaze but it might not be actually managing to that makes him blush. "Oh. Right. I guess so." Beat. "Sorry." He lapses back toward silence, head tilted down slightly but still watching Kai curiously and possibly trying not to be insanely obvious about it.
"Hah!" Kai smacks the table and levels a triumphant finger across it. "/Knew/ I knew that name. Big bastard, taller'n me, yeah? Met him in some little backwater dive this one time. Didn't take him for no pa- uh." Tact filter slamming down barely in time, the Fortian retreats both physically and metaphorically, cradling his mug to his chest again and pulling his shoulders around it. Muttering, "Don't matter."
B'tal jumps slightly at the table smacking and he looks at Kai with wider eyes for a moment before those eyes narrow a little defensively. Bety might not be a manly man, but he's not stupid and it's not hard to follow along with what the other doesn't finish. "Big bastard, yeah." He can definitely agree to that. "And if you really need to know, I was an 'experiment' for him," he even does the air quotes with his fingers. So there. Or something.
Up goes Kai's chin at those finger-quotes; he leans forward again, maybe not quite as far this time. "Yeah? You want me t' put my fist in his face for you?"
That's clearly not where B'tal expected this conversation to go and he looks a little confused for several moments following. His mouth opens like he might respond, then he hesitates. And then he does speak, "Are you... kidding? Or would you really do something like that?" He can't tell. B'kaiv /looks/ like someone that might do something like that, at least.
B'kaiv, on the other hand, looks entirely serious. A little tired around the edges, maybe, but serious. "Yeah, bastard." Presumably Z'yi, not the other greenrider. "You don't /do/ that. So you want somebody t' do something about him, just lemme know." He nods firmly, once, before shooting a quick look out to the bowl. Leaning in, he adds more quietly, "Just - it ain't a forever thing. If you got t' think about it, don't take too long."
There's a hesitance to B'tal's response to this that might suggest he's actually considering it. But then he blinks and looks a little awkward and he shakes his head quickly. "No, I-- I mean... no. No. It's fine. Really. He's not a bad person or anything. Really. It's fine." Get that? The smaller greenrider is blushing again but he's probably forgotten about the not-quite-slip on the other's part.
All the while B'tal is silent B'kaiv is intent, almost ready to think about leaping to his feet in search of the bluerider. He breathes a disappointed, "Hah," and sinks back again when his offer's rejected, turns toward the bowl again if B'tal is going to be such a spoilsport. "'F you say so." Sounds like 'you're an idiot'. "Should probably get going. Chielyth says Corvinth ain't around."
"Think if anyone should, should be Whit. But he won't." B'tal has probably gotten over his disappointment about this for the most part. "Doesn't matter anyway. But thanks. Really." He even offers another of those small, kind of shy smiles despite the way that sounds. Maybe he's used to it. "Oh, sure. Of course. Was good to meet you, though, Kai. Maybe I'll look you up at Fort sometime. Could put that energy to better use."
Kai glances back, tilts a crooked shrug and quarter of a smile the other greenrider's way. "Sure, anytime. S'probably gonna be another couple sevens at least before th' Healers clear me for sparring though." He gestures to his ribs as he stands, explaining briefly, "Lungs." After a longish pause his manners manage to struggle to the surface and he adds, "Good meeting you too. Regards t' your Jeibeth." One last swig of his klah - no point wasting it - and he sets the mug on the tray of a passing server, drops B'tal a nod, and heads for the bowl with another muffled cough when the cold air reaches his lungs.
B'tal probably wasn't entirely talking about just sparring but he doesn't try to correct the other greenrider. Sparring is good, too! "To your Chielyth, too!" he calls after Kai then watches him leave, resting his chin in his palm.
Something soft about that one. Probably 'cause he's a gree-
...
.../shells/.
...Probably ain't no good at sparring any road. Could give him a couple pointers, maybe. Bet he don't come down to Fort though.