Spring - Month 9 of Turn 2720
Monaco Bay Weyr - Cove Beach
Sparkling black sands are gently washed over with crystal blue waters, creating a playful blend of colors that twist and meld under the alternating rays of sun and moon. The cove stretches out from the mouth of the river towards the ocean, mixing saltwater with fresh for an invigorating rush that teems with life.
The coast curves eastward, the waters growing more quiet along the broad expanse of beach before finally meeting a large cove. Here there are few waves, the ocean's movement reduced to little more than slight swells. What might have been an idyllic and peaceful area however, is interrupted by a brilliantly gleaming structure that stands on the edge of the sands.
Large steel poles soar upwards, supporting a staircase that leads to a pair of water slides. The height of the structure is remarkable, standing at a height comparable to that of a small gold dragon. Pipes pump water upward, creating small pools at the entrance of both plastic blue slides. The rush of water moves with the slides, following their twisting course downwards while easing their passenger's journey. Parts of the slides are open and others covered, creating a thrill for each voyager before unceremoniously dumping them into the still waters below. For the safety of all patrons, a large net has been drawn across the mouth of the cove to prevent any accidental drifting away.
Not far from the slides is a small stand that also seems to have been built just recently. A menu is posted on its side and displays a variety of drinks and snacks for beach goers.
The beach is a hive of activity today, and who can blame people for turning out on a beautiful spring day? Lunchtime has passed, and the sky is bright blue, the odd white cloud drifting along. The water slides are a particular source of entertainment, the cool of the plastic and the rushing water a welcome contrast to the sun's heat. Some are braver than others though, and Etinei, dressed in a tank top and shorts, is stood near the bottom of the staircase, just out of the way so as not to block anyone, looking up at the structure pensively.
Even on the cusp of a potential crisis, dragons need bathing. Thankfully, it is a beautiful day for it, and S'van only feels a little guilty about loitering on the beach. Aedeluth lounges in the shallows, seemingly content to let his lifemate use him as an excuse to procrastinate, idly lifting a wing or stretching a leg as required so that Sev can scrub-scrub-scrub at all that bronze hide. But he is not so far from that slide and all its brave adventurers, though when his gaze goes that way he definitely wears a similarly dubious expression. "You know," he offers, bending to rinse his hands free of sand, "Reya designed that slide. But she didn't actually build it." So it's probably safe??
Was that the thought going through Etinei's mind? It wasn't before, but it is now. Thanks for that, S'van! She turns a wide-eyed gaze on him, taking in the clear fact that he's a dragonrider - unless people around Monaco have started washing random dragons. "Did she?" Another laughing person climbs the staircase, as someone goes whooshing down the slide, screaming with delight. "It's very popular - what a good idea it was." Her hand retreats. "Have you been on it?" She asks - is this some sort of test of the slide's safety?
"She did," affirms S'van, who cannot help but add a cheeky little grin to the mix. As if he knows the thoughts his words might have inspired. "Reya has ah… lots of good ideas." And some not-so-good ideas, too. But Sev's not about to expand on the scary side. "But yeah. I think she said she did it when she was a candidate?" Grey eyes squint against the glare of the sun, taking in the slide and those that ride it (slide it?). "I have not," he adds, "But only because my weyrmate would probably kill me if I tried." Cue cheeky-grin number two. "It's been standing strong for Turns," he assures. "And I've been told it's a lot of fun."
Etinei's attention returns to the slide as S'van fills her in on its history. Her hand runs up the pole, as high as she can reach without going on tiptoe. Hand returning to her side, she looks back at S'van quizzically. "You haven't been on it?" She sounds a touch surprised, as if she was expecting him to be a regular on it. There're a couple of blinks, and then she admits: "I've never been on it, either. It does look like a lot of fun…." There's wistfulness in those words, as she watches the next person to scale the stairs. "Would your weyrmate kill you if…you went down it today?" She's not looking at S'van as she says that, as though that makes it easier for her to put the suggestion out in the open.
"Go for it," is S'van's advice, bright and encouraging. "You only live once." Of course, then there's that whole question that's really a different question, that brings the bronzerider pause. A glance at Aedeluth, who huffs in draconic dismissal and simply drops the wing he'd been holding with a great splash of water, and goes about the business of (apparently) ignoring his rider. "What Jae doesn't know won't kill me," he decides. A little lean down to rinse his hands one final time, and he sloshes over to join Etinei at the slide. "Don't worry," he adds with a smart-ass little grin. "I got this. Once upon a time, I was a search and rescue rider." So, he can… save her from the slide? Who knows. "Ladies first?" Grin.
Etinei peers at Aedeluth for that huff, wondering if it's directed at her. No matter - it seems her question has had the desired outcome. S'van comes to join her, with that funny grin, and she offers back a small smile. He's got a good foot on her, so now he's closer she has to look up to aim that expression at him. That does make it easier for her to swivel and look up at the top of the slide, which is apparently now their destination. "Oh. Well. If I get stuck, I suppose that means you can help me?" Totally doable, right? "And…I'm Etinei." Having given that greeting very quickly, she steels herself and begins the ascent, glancing back to make sure the rider's coming, too.
"Sure." He can totes unstick her from the slide. "Don't worry," comes a bit more encouragingly, and this time S'van's smile is a genuine expression perhaps meant to comfort. "You've got this." As she ascends, he'll wait a moment or two before following suite, slowly climbing the stairs that lead to their doom destiny. "S'van," he returns. "And the bronze grump in the water is Aedeluth," is added with an affectionate sort of tease. "Pleasure to meet you, Etinei."
"And - and you." It seems way higher up here than it looked from the ground. She's got to the top, though, even if her arms and legs are suddenly feeling oddly wobbly. "S'van." That name's…ringing a bell. Several bells. Distracted from the impending terror of the water slide, she spins round to face him, horrified. "Wait - aren't you the Weyrleader?" Has she just coazed the bloody Weyrleader up to the top of a possibly-dangerous waterslide?!
Don't worry — Sev's not about to let her fall to her doom. He was a Search and Rescue rider at one point, and those instincts still run strong. But his cheerful, "That I am," holds little in the way of worry, that grin back in full force as he smiles down at the stunned apprentice. Though there just might be surprise in his expression at Etinei's words. Surprise, and a hint of amusement, because maybe he's not yet accustomed to his name being so known. He should. It shouldn't be a surprise. He's been Weyrleader for months now. "But don't hold it against me, 'kay?"
Two surprised people in their own ways! "I - I won't?" Maybe it's the shock of the realisation, or maybe it's some braveness that's suddenly flared inside her, but Etinei turns then, gulps, then sits herself on the slide and pushes off. Harder than she meant to, probably, because a shriek of surprise is a parting gift for S'van as she zooms down the rushing water. And doesn't get stuck! Nope, she shoots off the bottom of the slide into the water, coming up with a gasp and splashing inelegantly to one side. She's thoroughly soaked and wild-eyed - but grinning.
There is not much S'van can do but follow. It would be the greatest shame to chicken out now — and truly there does not appear to be much in the way of worry over the structural soundness of the slide. He's not wary of it, despite Etinei's shriek as she descends. Settling at the top of the slide, Sev waits until her head appears above water, and she's out of the way (wouldn't do to crash into her!) and then lets himself go. His own hollar is much more of the gleeful sort, a triumphant declaration of his having contoured the slide, for all that it's a bit of metal and plastic and not terribly dangerous in the first place. A splash, and in similar fashion he kicks to the surface and swims to the side, a wide grin matching the glee in his grey eyes. "So?" he wonders as he continues toward the shore, the assumption being that Etinei is coming too. "Was it worth it?"
Etinei's eyes have been on S'van the entire time he slid down, flicking over the covered bits of the slide to keep track of his progress. She's still breathless from her own rider down when he comes to join her, but despite her bedraggled appearance and heaving breaths, she's glowing with delight. Her nodding is wordless at first, before she manages to squeak out a "yes!". She looks up at the top of the slide, which already has more riders queuing. "I can't believe I did it." That's quieter, awed. She turns her bright gaze onto S'van. "Did you enjoy it?" As if his hollering wasn't clear enough, she has to be sure!
S'van cannot contain the boyish glee with which the slide has filled him. It's evident in the gleam of his eyes, and the wide grin. "But you did," he points out. "And I did," is answered without hesitation, a quick huff of laughter offered as he turns to regard the slide. "Enough that I might just do it again. Call it quality assurance," he decides, that cheeky-grin back as he eyes up the slide. "I take it you're the cautious type?" Which, really, is a rather unfounded statement given he's known Etinei for all of five minutes. "Not a daredevil by nature?"
Quality assurance. Etinei likes the sound of that. She gives a firm nod. "Yes. We need to test it a number of times, just to be sure." Someone's got a taste for the adrenaline rush! She seems to draw in a little into herself when he asks about her propensity to risk-taking. "Um. I suppose I've always been…cautious?" She flicks a look at his bronze - that is his bronze over there, right? - before looking back at S'van. "Are - are you?"
"A daredevil?" asks S'van, though the grin should say it all. "I suppose so. Though I think… 'reckless' is the term most often used." It is the glance at the bronze that brings the weyrleader's eye as well, gaze settled on Aedeluth for a moment or two. But it is Aedeluth's returned look that has that gleeful grin going rueful, and S'van's hand releasing from the metal pole meant to guide him up the stairs. "Unfortunately," he adds, once his gaze has lost that distant look, "it seems that duty has caught up with me, and I am needed elsewhere." The woes of being the Weyrleader. "But enjoy the slide for me a few more times, alright?" He will at least wait for an answer, and offer a parting, "Enjoy your day," before heading back toward the caverns (and work).