Guy talk
It is a winter morning, 11:50 of day 18, month 2, turn 22 of Interval 10.
Hot Springs, Fort Weyr
The hot springs are contained with a high domed cavern, the walls perpetually glistening with a combination of condensation and mica. Steam hangs on everything, lending a soothing and dreamlike quality to the entire experience. In the center is the main pool, which is vaguely kidney-bean shaped, and large enough for a few fully grown dragons to lounge in comfortably and easily reached by the archway from the bowl. Three smaller pools, more suited for human use, are clustered near the entrance leading toward the inner caverns. Also located near the inner cavern entrance are a set of shelves, fully stocked with pots of soapsand and towels for those without the foresight -- or means -- to bring their own.
While the dragon pool is a natural creation, the human pools are the result of Ancient ingenuity and have been constructed with hewn steps and seating. The water in both pools is hot, but comfortably so, and are a perfect place to bathe young weyrling dragons or for residents to relax after a long day of work.
Obvious exits:
Bowl Inner Caverns
It's still early - for Chielyth - which must be why the little green is balking at getting into the pools, or even getting her straps off. "A'right, you can sit for a minute, but you know we got sweeps," Kai tells her in the tone of a man dancing on the edge of patience, and retreats back to the benches to do his own undressing. Chielyth promptly flops down and closes her eyes, ignoring the lure of both water and company in her sulk.
Butt naked already, T'rev sits at the pool's edge, arms stretched out along it, head tipped back, apparently just soaking in the heat on a cold, raw, snowy day. Mecaith gleams with cleanliness, likewise soaking out where the water deepens and he sends a gentle tendril of warm sunlight scented with baking sand towards the sulky green. The weyrleader's head tips up, likely informed by Mecaith and he smiles over at Kai. "Hey. How's things?" Casual. Conversational.
B'kaiv looks up from a stubborn boot, one eye squinting. "Hey sir. Going a'right." A last yank and his boot comes off, taking half his sock with it. "You an' Mecaith?" He looks quickly for the bronze and gives him a nod before looking back to the rider. Quietly, "She's kinda mad," though the warning is neither private nor entirely needed - Chielyth mumbles a greeting back at Mecaith, overwriting the smell of baking with flowers. "Ain't really seen you since th' party."
"Doin' all right," T'rev drawls out slowly and his elbows tuck back in towards his body a bit to tilts his head up more comfortably. "It's morning," the weyrleader says with a grin of understanding about Chielyth. Mecaith is typically sanguine and traces the outline of a bloom, lets it float out over the desert sands. "Mm. Everyone's busy. What do you think about the new riders in your wing and things shifting?"
Socks into boots and Kai stands to drop trous, wrestle his battered sweater off and shove the whole caboodle onto the bench before heading back to Chielyth's side, one hand trailing along the green. "Not for much longer," he says darkly but works on freeing as many buckles as he can without actually disturbing her. "They're a'right. Nissa's good. Kinda wondered," he adds after a beat, "what D'kai were thinking, tapping three an' then transferring. When you gonna give N'kan th' knot?"
"Not too much longer, nope. Gettin' hungry for lunch," T'rev notes idly and then focuses more keenly on Kai. "There were reasons," is the mild-voiced explanation about the bronzerider. "Don't know that we are givin' the knot to N'kan. Looking things over and all to see what works best there especially with focus in the wings changing a little." Beat. "Think Jiella, Nissa and Dash'll work into the wing well?"
Chielyth hunches her shoulders irritably, as if she'd flare her wings and go, but settles again so Kai can slide the straps from her shoulders. "Yeah? He don't want it?" Giving her a pat, Kai hauls the leather out of splashing range while Chielyth slips into the water and paddles out to join Mecaith. "Guess he's tired of trying t' read my writing," the rider jokes before hopping into the pool. "Can't say as I blame him." He shrugs at the last, cupped hands sluicing water over head and shoulders. "Dunno. Guess so."
"I'm not sure if N'kan's all on board with some of the changes," is T'rev's relaively neutral remark with a little lift of his shoulders. "At any rate, Obsidian'll need another wingleader and 'second but N'kan's acting for now." Mecaith lifts his head and lets out a quiet croon of greeting as Chielyth swims his way. The weyrleader laughs at Kai's quip about the writing. "Heh. I'll bet Cirse's sick of mine." A wink there and he leans back against the pool's side, nodding. "Hopefully they won't get up to more trouble if they've got enough to do."
B'kaiv considers the other man for long moments, his jaw shifting as he thinks. "Huh," is what he finally comes up with, not earth-shattering but entirely Kai. "Could just split Obsidian up int' th' other wings, if N'kan don't want it." He casts an eye at Chielyth, but she's perfectly content now to touch muzzles with the bronze and swim a little more. "Well, they don't want t' see it, then they can write th' sharding reports themselves," is Kai's more-or-less cheerful opinion as he stretches for the soapsand. "And hah - you /seen/ them three, sir? Ain't nothing gonna keep them outta trouble, 'cause trouble follows them around."
"Nah, not really looking to drop the number of wings any right now," T'rev says with a shake of his head. "Could think about it some though." Mecaith bumps noses companionably, then re-settles into a comfortable float. << The snow and rain together make for very cold bones amongst some of our riders. >> T'rev chuckles about the reports, gestures loosely with one hand: what can you do? And then he laughs outright. "Uh well yeah. Niss is my sister. I guess you could say it kind of goes with the blood." Amusement there. "Still, so long as it's the little kind of trouble and not the big kind ..."
<< It's sharding rotten to fly in! >> Chielyth agrees, happier now that she's woken up a little, and shamelessly appropriating one of Kai's favorite words to accompany the sparkle of sunlight. "Little trouble is right," her rider agrees with an eyeroll as he lathers. "Guess we'll know come spring if there's gonna be more big trouble." The greenrider's eyes seek out Chielyth for a moment before he adds, absently, "She rose. You hear?"
<< It is not clean flying, no. Too much weight on wings, >> Mecaith agrees thoughtfully and hunkers down more in the water, his own mind full of desert warmth. T'rev makes a face an his arms lift, hands folding behind his head, eyes up to the ceiling. "Sure as hell hope not. I'm lookin' forward to a turn where things just ain't as messy all around." His gaze drops back to Kai, steady on the greenrider's face. "Yeah. Came back from Ista that night and it got passed along."
"/Yeah/." Kai can agree to that whole-heartedly. Trouble is bad! "Was trying t' think - I think we been short on /something/ since th' summer I come t' Fort. Almost three turns." A bit more scrubbing and he dunks, spluttering up to push water from his face before he squints back at T'rev, just in time to catch the steady look. "Uh, yeah. Figure you didn't plan it or nothing," and my, isn't this water interesting to look at, "but thanks. For not being there."
"Yeah. It's not a fun spot to be in," T'rev says with a twist of his lips and a touch of sarcasm in his voice. Kai dunks and resurfaces and T'rev's attention doesn't shift. "Mm. Yeah, didn't do it on purpose. She didn't call Mecaith either though, so."
B'kaiv sluices more water and cranes his neck, trying to see if there's any more suds on his back, even after the dunking. "Yeah, I... um. Didn't know it until she was up." Fascinating, /fascinating/ water. In an attempt to change the subject, "What was you doing at Ista?"
"Yeah, you're good," T'rev tells Kai about his back. "No suds." He looks over at Mecaith who is if anything doing a very good impersonation of a meditating monk. "Happens that way a lot ..." the corner of his mouth quirks up. "Made for an interestin' evening." That last question sends his grin skittering away though and the Weyrleader's hands drop to rub over his face, skim back through still-damp hair. "Talkin' to the Weyrwoman about some of the stuff you told us." He shoots a look around and then gestures the rider over, clearly not wanting to be overheard though it's pretty quiet in here, just a few other people, mostly some of the Weyr's elderly soaking and drowsing.
The bronzerider's given an 'oh, really?' look, but after one last sluice Kai takes him at his word though his eyes narrow at the semi-smirk. He does -not- ask, but hastily looks back down at the water, and how it runs through his fingers. Chielyth ducks under the water and tries to swim under Mecaith, but the fit is a bit tight; after a few attempts at squeezing she pops back up and lays her head across his back. << Hi! >> Kai glances at them, then back at T'rev's murmur and casually draws a few steps closer. "Yeah?"
There's a little green dragon trying to dive under his belly. Mecaith's neck snakes around and he looks downward with almost comical attention. << I do not think there is enough room for you to pass Chielyth, >> he remarks gently. When she re-emerges and cuddles up, the bronze is very still for a moment or two then curls toward her a little, making his back that much more supportive. << Are you comfortable? >> T'rev doesn't mention anything further abou the flight, rather he says in a low tone: "Yeah. M'try was over there one day and stumbled across something too. Ista wasn't happy about him 'snooping' around. "So they wanted to clear that up, but we were wantin' to clear up how exactly Ista was involved with those places y'all docked at."
<< I'm not small enough, >> Chielyth agrees cheerfully before sending a quick look Mecaith's way. << Yup! Are you? You can put your head on my back if you want, and then we'll be a circle! >> Or circle-ish. Cuddly, anyway. "Huh," B'kaiv offers about M'try. "That was stupid. He find nothing? And what'd they say? Ista?"
Briefly there's a flash of salt-laced sea air a flash of another back, golden and curling up so. << I am comfortable, >> Mecaith agrees but he doesn't complete the circle, even if he does lean a little closer. Comfortable. Cuddly. But not ... too close. "Wasn't on purpose. I mean if you were poking around what was supposed to be a mostly unused little island, you wouldn't expect to find raiders off-loading cargo there either," T'rev point out, still in an undertone. "Ista said they were basically doin' what you were: undercover investigatin'. They turned over their notes and stuff and we invited them here to come take a look at some of the maps."
Chielyth thrums and settles in, her legs paddling to keep her from sinking. << We could go flying, >> she offers cheerfully. << We're going on sweeps! >> And who doesn't love flying sweeps? Or just flying, period? Her rider casts his a doubtful look and likewise settles, though he's leaning back against the pool's rim, elbows hooked to keep him afloat. "What was he doing there? --You believe them?" Rather than wait for an answer, he's on to this new idea, direction changed as quick as Chielyth. "I ain't got nothing, sir, 'cept Big Bay. Could be they're doing same as us."
The purpose of Mecaith's lean would actually be to provide enough support that Chielyth doesn't have to paddle, given that his feet are firmly on the floor. << It would not be very pleasant flying today, >> he demurs. << I will wish you clear skies for sweeps however. >> T'rev tilts a look over at Kai. "Enjoying a day off?" Brows quirk faintly then he nods. "Yeah. It's ... shady. But no proof. So just kind of ... need to keep an eye on Ista without /looking/ like we are."
<< We'll go flying later, >> Chielyth agrees, even though that isn't quite what he said. << I like you, Mecaith. >> A moment later she wriggles backward, slipping off his back so she can go frolic elsewhere and not interrupt his solitude with splashing. Kai's got no answer for the rhetorical question except a shrug. "Dunno as how you're gonna do that. Went over t' Ista a while ago," he adds, reminded. "Met this sharding snooty bronzerider, said as he knew Hattie."
Mecaith doesn't bother to correct Chielyth, just shares some imagery of flying high over the desert with heat waves rising off the sand. Her wriggle away means that now and then, he very slowly and deliberately shifts wings or lifts a paw to send a wave her way to frolic with. "Yeah, me neither," T'rev says with a shake of his head. "Still thinkin' that one through." Beat. "Yeah? Know his name?"
B'kaiv says, "Uh." He goes silent after that, to squint up at the ceiling or down at his hands, which slowly fist and spread. "L- something? Yeah, L'hai, I think. Kinda weedy, used all these big words." From his tone, Kai utterly fails to be impressed with the Istan bronzerider, but then again, he's not enamored of bronzeriders in general. "Thinks he's too good t' have a beer."
"He was there," T'rev says after Kai's done. "Didn't seem like the kind who really drinks much, if at all," the weyrleader states, with a touch of perhaps inexplicable amusement on his face. "He seems to be very good with records." A nod or two and a breath let out. "What'd you talk to him about when you met him?"
B'kaiv's got a derisive snort for people who don't drink, especially Istan bronzeriders, or maybe it's a derisive snort for men who are good with records. Either way, it's clear L'hai is not on Kai's list of favorite people. "Dunno. Just stuff. He wanted t' know what I were doing there, and I told him as I were shopping, 'cause there weren't nothing at Fort. He's a big priss," he adds, apropos of nothing, and brandishes a fist just in case L'hai's due to pop in from *between* in front of him. Happily for continuing inter-Weyr relations, he doesn't.
"Mm. He say anything about the shopping and stuff not being available here?" T'rev is apparently neither going to counter nor acknowledge Kai's further judgements on the Istan bronzerider.
Chielyth pauses in her frolicking to look back and Kai's jaw and fist smooth out of imminent hostility; tighten again as the greenrider thinks. "Uh," he offers again. "Shells, I dunno. Half'a what he said went over my head, and the other half didn't make no sense. Something about something getting better though, I think. Eka-somethings." He tries again to recall the conversation but ends up delivering only a rueful shrug to the Weyrleader. "Sorry. I knew you was gonna ask, I'd'a tried t' remember better."
"Couldn't have known," T'rev offers with a shrug and looks thoughtful for a moment or four. Anyway, yeah, he might be coming around to take a look at things," the weyrleader says neutrally and Mecaith sends another small wave of water towards Chielyth.
"Yeah," says Kai, but not like he believes it. "--Wait. That sharding prissy bronzerider's coming /here/?" He focuses in on T'rev's face, hard and fast, broad shoulders hunching. "What for?"
"Told you ... they might come to look at the maps and things. Sharing information across Weyrs to see about stopping all the raiders," T'rev answers as he hitches himself upward a bit by his elbows. "Call it tryin' to keep things smooth between places."
That explanation reassures Kai about as well as socks fit a duck, but after another tense moment or three he pushes his shoulders back against the wall again, the water swirling into vortexes before smoothing. "Well... don't show him everything," he grumbles, glaring one of the rocks across the way into stillness. "Don't like him. Thinks as he's better'n everyone." Or maybe just him.
"Nope, not plannin' to," T'rev says with a shake of his head then grins. "Anyway. You're goin' on duty says Mecaith, but wanna grab a beer later?"
B'kaiv shoots T'rev another quick look, attitude still screaming defensiveness. "--Sure," he decides eventually, accents it with a nod. "Sure. That place down t' Boll, or where?"
"Yeah, down Boll way is good. I'll be down there to tuck Cedri in later, so it'll be a quick hop over to meet you - hour after sunset?" T'rev starts to push up out of the water, little drips and drops falling to the pool's edge and back into the water.
"Sure," Kai agrees, and as T'rev exits the pool he swims out to Chielyth. One thing his little sojourn away from the Weyr didn't do, and that's make him a better swimmer. His splashing gets him where he's going eventually, though, and besides, Chielyth likes splashing.
"See you then," T'rev says cheerily enough and gets the rest of the way out, heads over to pick up his clothes and leaves Mecaith behind to continue making waves with Chielyth while the Weyrleader heads off through the caverns.
He sharding well better not show up here. I see him prancing around and he's getting a fist to the face, bronzerider or no.
Hot Springs, Fort Weyr
The hot springs are contained with a high domed cavern, the walls perpetually glistening with a combination of condensation and mica. Steam hangs on everything, lending a soothing and dreamlike quality to the entire experience. In the center is the main pool, which is vaguely kidney-bean shaped, and large enough for a few fully grown dragons to lounge in comfortably and easily reached by the archway from the bowl. Three smaller pools, more suited for human use, are clustered near the entrance leading toward the inner caverns. Also located near the inner cavern entrance are a set of shelves, fully stocked with pots of soapsand and towels for those without the foresight -- or means -- to bring their own.
While the dragon pool is a natural creation, the human pools are the result of Ancient ingenuity and have been constructed with hewn steps and seating. The water in both pools is hot, but comfortably so, and are a perfect place to bathe young weyrling dragons or for residents to relax after a long day of work.
Obvious exits:
Bowl Inner Caverns
It's still early - for Chielyth - which must be why the little green is balking at getting into the pools, or even getting her straps off. "A'right, you can sit for a minute, but you know we got sweeps," Kai tells her in the tone of a man dancing on the edge of patience, and retreats back to the benches to do his own undressing. Chielyth promptly flops down and closes her eyes, ignoring the lure of both water and company in her sulk.
Butt naked already, T'rev sits at the pool's edge, arms stretched out along it, head tipped back, apparently just soaking in the heat on a cold, raw, snowy day. Mecaith gleams with cleanliness, likewise soaking out where the water deepens and he sends a gentle tendril of warm sunlight scented with baking sand towards the sulky green. The weyrleader's head tips up, likely informed by Mecaith and he smiles over at Kai. "Hey. How's things?" Casual. Conversational.
B'kaiv looks up from a stubborn boot, one eye squinting. "Hey sir. Going a'right." A last yank and his boot comes off, taking half his sock with it. "You an' Mecaith?" He looks quickly for the bronze and gives him a nod before looking back to the rider. Quietly, "She's kinda mad," though the warning is neither private nor entirely needed - Chielyth mumbles a greeting back at Mecaith, overwriting the smell of baking with flowers. "Ain't really seen you since th' party."
"Doin' all right," T'rev drawls out slowly and his elbows tuck back in towards his body a bit to tilts his head up more comfortably. "It's morning," the weyrleader says with a grin of understanding about Chielyth. Mecaith is typically sanguine and traces the outline of a bloom, lets it float out over the desert sands. "Mm. Everyone's busy. What do you think about the new riders in your wing and things shifting?"
Socks into boots and Kai stands to drop trous, wrestle his battered sweater off and shove the whole caboodle onto the bench before heading back to Chielyth's side, one hand trailing along the green. "Not for much longer," he says darkly but works on freeing as many buckles as he can without actually disturbing her. "They're a'right. Nissa's good. Kinda wondered," he adds after a beat, "what D'kai were thinking, tapping three an' then transferring. When you gonna give N'kan th' knot?"
"Not too much longer, nope. Gettin' hungry for lunch," T'rev notes idly and then focuses more keenly on Kai. "There were reasons," is the mild-voiced explanation about the bronzerider. "Don't know that we are givin' the knot to N'kan. Looking things over and all to see what works best there especially with focus in the wings changing a little." Beat. "Think Jiella, Nissa and Dash'll work into the wing well?"
Chielyth hunches her shoulders irritably, as if she'd flare her wings and go, but settles again so Kai can slide the straps from her shoulders. "Yeah? He don't want it?" Giving her a pat, Kai hauls the leather out of splashing range while Chielyth slips into the water and paddles out to join Mecaith. "Guess he's tired of trying t' read my writing," the rider jokes before hopping into the pool. "Can't say as I blame him." He shrugs at the last, cupped hands sluicing water over head and shoulders. "Dunno. Guess so."
"I'm not sure if N'kan's all on board with some of the changes," is T'rev's relaively neutral remark with a little lift of his shoulders. "At any rate, Obsidian'll need another wingleader and 'second but N'kan's acting for now." Mecaith lifts his head and lets out a quiet croon of greeting as Chielyth swims his way. The weyrleader laughs at Kai's quip about the writing. "Heh. I'll bet Cirse's sick of mine." A wink there and he leans back against the pool's side, nodding. "Hopefully they won't get up to more trouble if they've got enough to do."
B'kaiv considers the other man for long moments, his jaw shifting as he thinks. "Huh," is what he finally comes up with, not earth-shattering but entirely Kai. "Could just split Obsidian up int' th' other wings, if N'kan don't want it." He casts an eye at Chielyth, but she's perfectly content now to touch muzzles with the bronze and swim a little more. "Well, they don't want t' see it, then they can write th' sharding reports themselves," is Kai's more-or-less cheerful opinion as he stretches for the soapsand. "And hah - you /seen/ them three, sir? Ain't nothing gonna keep them outta trouble, 'cause trouble follows them around."
"Nah, not really looking to drop the number of wings any right now," T'rev says with a shake of his head. "Could think about it some though." Mecaith bumps noses companionably, then re-settles into a comfortable float. << The snow and rain together make for very cold bones amongst some of our riders. >> T'rev chuckles about the reports, gestures loosely with one hand: what can you do? And then he laughs outright. "Uh well yeah. Niss is my sister. I guess you could say it kind of goes with the blood." Amusement there. "Still, so long as it's the little kind of trouble and not the big kind ..."
<< It's sharding rotten to fly in! >> Chielyth agrees, happier now that she's woken up a little, and shamelessly appropriating one of Kai's favorite words to accompany the sparkle of sunlight. "Little trouble is right," her rider agrees with an eyeroll as he lathers. "Guess we'll know come spring if there's gonna be more big trouble." The greenrider's eyes seek out Chielyth for a moment before he adds, absently, "She rose. You hear?"
<< It is not clean flying, no. Too much weight on wings, >> Mecaith agrees thoughtfully and hunkers down more in the water, his own mind full of desert warmth. T'rev makes a face an his arms lift, hands folding behind his head, eyes up to the ceiling. "Sure as hell hope not. I'm lookin' forward to a turn where things just ain't as messy all around." His gaze drops back to Kai, steady on the greenrider's face. "Yeah. Came back from Ista that night and it got passed along."
"/Yeah/." Kai can agree to that whole-heartedly. Trouble is bad! "Was trying t' think - I think we been short on /something/ since th' summer I come t' Fort. Almost three turns." A bit more scrubbing and he dunks, spluttering up to push water from his face before he squints back at T'rev, just in time to catch the steady look. "Uh, yeah. Figure you didn't plan it or nothing," and my, isn't this water interesting to look at, "but thanks. For not being there."
"Yeah. It's not a fun spot to be in," T'rev says with a twist of his lips and a touch of sarcasm in his voice. Kai dunks and resurfaces and T'rev's attention doesn't shift. "Mm. Yeah, didn't do it on purpose. She didn't call Mecaith either though, so."
B'kaiv sluices more water and cranes his neck, trying to see if there's any more suds on his back, even after the dunking. "Yeah, I... um. Didn't know it until she was up." Fascinating, /fascinating/ water. In an attempt to change the subject, "What was you doing at Ista?"
"Yeah, you're good," T'rev tells Kai about his back. "No suds." He looks over at Mecaith who is if anything doing a very good impersonation of a meditating monk. "Happens that way a lot ..." the corner of his mouth quirks up. "Made for an interestin' evening." That last question sends his grin skittering away though and the Weyrleader's hands drop to rub over his face, skim back through still-damp hair. "Talkin' to the Weyrwoman about some of the stuff you told us." He shoots a look around and then gestures the rider over, clearly not wanting to be overheard though it's pretty quiet in here, just a few other people, mostly some of the Weyr's elderly soaking and drowsing.
The bronzerider's given an 'oh, really?' look, but after one last sluice Kai takes him at his word though his eyes narrow at the semi-smirk. He does -not- ask, but hastily looks back down at the water, and how it runs through his fingers. Chielyth ducks under the water and tries to swim under Mecaith, but the fit is a bit tight; after a few attempts at squeezing she pops back up and lays her head across his back. << Hi! >> Kai glances at them, then back at T'rev's murmur and casually draws a few steps closer. "Yeah?"
There's a little green dragon trying to dive under his belly. Mecaith's neck snakes around and he looks downward with almost comical attention. << I do not think there is enough room for you to pass Chielyth, >> he remarks gently. When she re-emerges and cuddles up, the bronze is very still for a moment or two then curls toward her a little, making his back that much more supportive. << Are you comfortable? >> T'rev doesn't mention anything further abou the flight, rather he says in a low tone: "Yeah. M'try was over there one day and stumbled across something too. Ista wasn't happy about him 'snooping' around. "So they wanted to clear that up, but we were wantin' to clear up how exactly Ista was involved with those places y'all docked at."
<< I'm not small enough, >> Chielyth agrees cheerfully before sending a quick look Mecaith's way. << Yup! Are you? You can put your head on my back if you want, and then we'll be a circle! >> Or circle-ish. Cuddly, anyway. "Huh," B'kaiv offers about M'try. "That was stupid. He find nothing? And what'd they say? Ista?"
Briefly there's a flash of salt-laced sea air a flash of another back, golden and curling up so. << I am comfortable, >> Mecaith agrees but he doesn't complete the circle, even if he does lean a little closer. Comfortable. Cuddly. But not ... too close. "Wasn't on purpose. I mean if you were poking around what was supposed to be a mostly unused little island, you wouldn't expect to find raiders off-loading cargo there either," T'rev point out, still in an undertone. "Ista said they were basically doin' what you were: undercover investigatin'. They turned over their notes and stuff and we invited them here to come take a look at some of the maps."
Chielyth thrums and settles in, her legs paddling to keep her from sinking. << We could go flying, >> she offers cheerfully. << We're going on sweeps! >> And who doesn't love flying sweeps? Or just flying, period? Her rider casts his a doubtful look and likewise settles, though he's leaning back against the pool's rim, elbows hooked to keep him afloat. "What was he doing there? --You believe them?" Rather than wait for an answer, he's on to this new idea, direction changed as quick as Chielyth. "I ain't got nothing, sir, 'cept Big Bay. Could be they're doing same as us."
The purpose of Mecaith's lean would actually be to provide enough support that Chielyth doesn't have to paddle, given that his feet are firmly on the floor. << It would not be very pleasant flying today, >> he demurs. << I will wish you clear skies for sweeps however. >> T'rev tilts a look over at Kai. "Enjoying a day off?" Brows quirk faintly then he nods. "Yeah. It's ... shady. But no proof. So just kind of ... need to keep an eye on Ista without /looking/ like we are."
<< We'll go flying later, >> Chielyth agrees, even though that isn't quite what he said. << I like you, Mecaith. >> A moment later she wriggles backward, slipping off his back so she can go frolic elsewhere and not interrupt his solitude with splashing. Kai's got no answer for the rhetorical question except a shrug. "Dunno as how you're gonna do that. Went over t' Ista a while ago," he adds, reminded. "Met this sharding snooty bronzerider, said as he knew Hattie."
Mecaith doesn't bother to correct Chielyth, just shares some imagery of flying high over the desert with heat waves rising off the sand. Her wriggle away means that now and then, he very slowly and deliberately shifts wings or lifts a paw to send a wave her way to frolic with. "Yeah, me neither," T'rev says with a shake of his head. "Still thinkin' that one through." Beat. "Yeah? Know his name?"
B'kaiv says, "Uh." He goes silent after that, to squint up at the ceiling or down at his hands, which slowly fist and spread. "L- something? Yeah, L'hai, I think. Kinda weedy, used all these big words." From his tone, Kai utterly fails to be impressed with the Istan bronzerider, but then again, he's not enamored of bronzeriders in general. "Thinks he's too good t' have a beer."
"He was there," T'rev says after Kai's done. "Didn't seem like the kind who really drinks much, if at all," the weyrleader states, with a touch of perhaps inexplicable amusement on his face. "He seems to be very good with records." A nod or two and a breath let out. "What'd you talk to him about when you met him?"
B'kaiv's got a derisive snort for people who don't drink, especially Istan bronzeriders, or maybe it's a derisive snort for men who are good with records. Either way, it's clear L'hai is not on Kai's list of favorite people. "Dunno. Just stuff. He wanted t' know what I were doing there, and I told him as I were shopping, 'cause there weren't nothing at Fort. He's a big priss," he adds, apropos of nothing, and brandishes a fist just in case L'hai's due to pop in from *between* in front of him. Happily for continuing inter-Weyr relations, he doesn't.
"Mm. He say anything about the shopping and stuff not being available here?" T'rev is apparently neither going to counter nor acknowledge Kai's further judgements on the Istan bronzerider.
Chielyth pauses in her frolicking to look back and Kai's jaw and fist smooth out of imminent hostility; tighten again as the greenrider thinks. "Uh," he offers again. "Shells, I dunno. Half'a what he said went over my head, and the other half didn't make no sense. Something about something getting better though, I think. Eka-somethings." He tries again to recall the conversation but ends up delivering only a rueful shrug to the Weyrleader. "Sorry. I knew you was gonna ask, I'd'a tried t' remember better."
"Couldn't have known," T'rev offers with a shrug and looks thoughtful for a moment or four. Anyway, yeah, he might be coming around to take a look at things," the weyrleader says neutrally and Mecaith sends another small wave of water towards Chielyth.
"Yeah," says Kai, but not like he believes it. "--Wait. That sharding prissy bronzerider's coming /here/?" He focuses in on T'rev's face, hard and fast, broad shoulders hunching. "What for?"
"Told you ... they might come to look at the maps and things. Sharing information across Weyrs to see about stopping all the raiders," T'rev answers as he hitches himself upward a bit by his elbows. "Call it tryin' to keep things smooth between places."
That explanation reassures Kai about as well as socks fit a duck, but after another tense moment or three he pushes his shoulders back against the wall again, the water swirling into vortexes before smoothing. "Well... don't show him everything," he grumbles, glaring one of the rocks across the way into stillness. "Don't like him. Thinks as he's better'n everyone." Or maybe just him.
"Nope, not plannin' to," T'rev says with a shake of his head then grins. "Anyway. You're goin' on duty says Mecaith, but wanna grab a beer later?"
B'kaiv shoots T'rev another quick look, attitude still screaming defensiveness. "--Sure," he decides eventually, accents it with a nod. "Sure. That place down t' Boll, or where?"
"Yeah, down Boll way is good. I'll be down there to tuck Cedri in later, so it'll be a quick hop over to meet you - hour after sunset?" T'rev starts to push up out of the water, little drips and drops falling to the pool's edge and back into the water.
"Sure," Kai agrees, and as T'rev exits the pool he swims out to Chielyth. One thing his little sojourn away from the Weyr didn't do, and that's make him a better swimmer. His splashing gets him where he's going eventually, though, and besides, Chielyth likes splashing.
"See you then," T'rev says cheerily enough and gets the rest of the way out, heads over to pick up his clothes and leaves Mecaith behind to continue making waves with Chielyth while the Weyrleader heads off through the caverns.
He sharding well better not show up here. I see him prancing around and he's getting a fist to the face, bronzerider or no.