Monaco Bay Weyr - Candidate and Weyrling Barracks
Huge in its own right, this series of interlinked caverns is the complex that houses both candidates and weyrlings. Fashioned out of a multitude of hollows, it serves as a central gathering area as well as classroom. A number of deep pockets have been laborously smoothed to provide comfortable dwellings for the young dragons and their riders away from the weather of the central area, and affording them some privacy but not much. Above, the cavern opens to the sky, holding out the worst of the island's weather but allowing an aerial exit and providing natural lighting to the area. Branching off from this cavern is an opening that leads to the exercise yard, and another carved passage that leads onto the hatching sands - though this entrance is typically closed tight to prevent mischief.
Eveningtime finds Monaco's resident Giant Seacrafter lumbering haggardly into the barracks, clothes askew and wet in places, and his big hands looking red and simultaneously cracked and pruny somehow. Merry's presence in the barracks might seem questionable, but the white seacraft badge that typically graces his shoulder has been replaced by a white candidate's knot.
Sprawled out on her cot is Briari who is currently strumming her guitar and scribbling some lyrics down on some paper. Next to her is several books of poetry that she has gathered from her home before retiring at the barracks. At the sight of Merius, she jerks her chin upwards and gives a big grin. "Hey! You came to visit me?" She asks as she swings off the cot and heads over to him. "You look like a wreck. Hey, get cleaned up and then we can snag dinner and I can tell you all about — " She gives a pause as her eyes fall upon the knot, then back up to him, followed by a huge grin. ".. you got searched!"
Siyu is mostly cleaning up in the barracks as well, quite the seachange, the shift in what he's doing. Then again he's used to working, cleaning and lifting anyway, so most of the new chores arn't all that agregious to him. Still, it's fresh work and different work, and now he's stuck, here in the barracks.
Merius is no stranger to cleaning. He's swabbed many a ship's deck, after all. Laundry, however, is a different matter. He blinks in startlement at Briari's words — apparently he's tired enough that it takes him a moment to recognize the presence of other humans. At this point everyone just looks like startched shirts to him. "Hey. Yeah. Laundry. I thought ship captains and seacraft masters were taskmasters, but nothing compares to those laundresses." A beleagured sigh is followed up by a quick half-grin. "Yeah, it was my first day of candidate chores. I'm not going to say no to a dragon." Merry's dark eyes flicker over to the smith-turned-apprentice and he makes an ah-ha noise. "Siyu, too." The younger boy gets a nod in a greeting.
"This is so exciting! I am excited. Aren't you excited?!" Briari rings out as she grabs Merius in a tight hug, practically dancing back and forth on her feet. "This is going to be a great candidacy! With you and Siyu both here, we're going to have so much fun together! Anique asked me to mentor some of the new candidates by the way since I have done this before and my parents are riders. So if you have any burning questions, I would love to help field them for you." She gives a wave to Siyu as well. "Hey! Merius got searched!" Squeal.
Siyu nods his head, "Yup. The moody bronze with the sunglasses sort of ah…found me. SO here I am now. Life turned upside down, and backwards, and seeing what will happen next…" he blinks at how exxcited Briari is, andhe nods to Merius, "So yes we're all in this together I suppose. Um…and yes. I will need to be taught, I really don't know anything about dragons, or impressing…"
Merius laughs aloud, nodding slowly as he admits, "It is exciting. Though I've been rather too tired lately for it to have really sunk in." A dark eyebrow quirks up at Siyu's words, and after a moment's thought his expression turns to an amused grin. "Ah. Marzoth, yes? I'd never have been able to say no to him. Not that I said no to Typriaeth." Shoulders rise and fall in an easy shrug. "I don't know anything about dragons or candidacy or anything, either. I know how to work, though. The head laundress says that's all she expects of a candidate." At that he manages to simultaneously roll his eyes and scowl.
"Chores is just apart of it. It's us paying respect to the Weyr that is honoring us by standing on the sands." Briari says as she gives a tug at Merius's wet clothes. "Get cleaned up. The three of us should go celebrate and get dinner and then maybe dessert. We can have a bonfire on the beach." She gives a happy twirl on one foot. "How about you guys? Want to make a night of it?"
Siyu nods his head a little bit, "Still I imagine I could do that with the smithcraft, but I suppose it's always been done like this right?" he asks, and blows out a breath, "So no booze, no lovers and always do your chores." he hms, "At least until you stand on the sands and see what happens." he blinks, "Make a night of it, um….I don't know…"
Merius nods along with Siyu. "And you can always continue your craft if you find your lifemate." He points out, admitting with a shrug, "I'd never have agreed, otherwise. I don't know anything but ships." And now laundry, of course. He heaves another one of those heavy sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I'm too tired to be good company, but you know I never say no the beach." His sigh turns wistful, now. "A fire and a blanket on the beach, and of course a few dri—" Merry stops short as he overhears Siyu, listing the rules. He swears rather colorfully under his breath for a moment. "I forgot about that rule. Ugh." He glances sheepishly back and forth between his fellow candidates.
"Yeah, I don't know why they have those rules for. In Xanadu and Half Moon it was more or less: Don't get pregnant or anyone else pregnant, and don't get drunk and embarrass the Weyr." Briari says with a shrug of her shoulders. "But! We can have non-alcoholic drinks and some snacks in a basket and just hang out on the beach. I can play some music if you guys are inclined." She continues to keep up her broad smile for the pair.
Siyu lets out a soft breath, almost a huff, it does appear as if the two men are worn out and Bri is excited. "So just to ask. Do youhave to get searched every time. I mean, you've been a candiate a few times. Do you just…keep trying, or do you hve to get searched each time?" he sits, and hms, "Though I guess we can go to the beach, ya"
Merius cough-chokes at the word 'pregnant,' and does his best to cover it up with a throat-clearing. He takes a slow, sidling step away from Briari and announces, "S'dny said the rule for candidates is 'no touching.'" He lifts his hands up to demonstrate that they are not currently touching anyone or any thing. He keeps this awkward pose as he adds, "Beach and music sounds good. Booze would sound better, but I'll live."
"S'dny is also making up that rule to screw with you and Nisah by the way." Briari rolls her eyes upwards to Merius as she gives him a push with a hand to the shoulder. "You can't ban people from touching each other. That is like saying you would not be allowed to help me up if I got knocked over." She folds her arms across her chest as she looks over to Siyu. "Or we can hang out here if you're not up to hanging out at the beach. You do look tired." She glances to Merius as well. "So do you. We just can't set fire to the dorms."
Siyu blinks a little b it, "He's making rules up? But…how would we know?" he asks, and he tilts his head some, "Um…that's a little mean. I mean…we wouldn't know what is a real rule or not…" he puffs and leans back against the wall. "Either way. I'm just…well…sure! We can hang here"
Merius blinks stupidly at Briari for a moment. Eventually, he very, very slowly lowers his upraised hands, letting them dangle dumbly at his side as he adds a gruff, "…Yeah, I knew that." Siyu gets a wary glance. Apparently, Merry wouldn't know if a weyrlingmaster's assistant is just making up a rule. "I suppose he had a specific type of touching in mind when he made the rule." Merry reaches up to brush his fingers idly against a dark, distinctly teeth-shaped fading bruise on his neck. It takes awhile before he realizes how this must look, but once he does he's quick to wave his hands furiously and announce, "Not sexy touching! Biting!" His face falls. "But not sexy biting." He takes a few steps toward a particular cot in an out-of-the-way shady nook and flops down on it, heavily. Apparently his vote is for barracks hangouts, too.
"He's not being mean. S'dny is just having fun, that's all. Once we are all searched they will post the official rules, as well as an official chore list that we will rotate in and out of." Briari glances over at Merius and his 'love bruise' and smirks at him. "Should I be jealous that she gave you a love nip to the neck? It's bad enough that she yells at me all the time but I don't know if I can deal with catty competition." She flashes a grin over to him, then winks to Siyu. "Either way, candidacy is for us to have fun, work hard and make friends. It is best in my opinion that we learn a lot about each other, our strengths and weaknesses. If we are to impress together, we will have to work together in a wing as Weyrlings. We will need to learn to depend on each other as well. It will be fun, promise."
Siyu nods a little bit, "A lot of rules, a lot of work, learning and finally, an exciting event that may or may not change your life. Ya, I think I will need a drink eventually." he sighs and flops on the bed. "Still…dragons…" he mummers/.
"I doubt it's a love nip. She drew blood." Merry announces from his shady cot. He sits up and points out, "Work I can do. The other stuff might be tricky." He nods emphatically at Siyu's words, and raises an imaginary glass in a toast to him. "I'll drink to that."
"I really hope that we all impress together." Briari says as she takes a seat, then gives herself a bit of a stretch to pop her joints. "I think we'd work together well as a team. I just know it." She smiles and heads for the door. "I'm going to snag some food and my guitar and then be back!"
Siyu huhs a little bit and he thinks, "So how many eggs are there this time. I mean…and often times…the queen has a similar clutch each time right? What about her last clutch, how many where there?"
Merius frowns thoughtfully at Siyu's question. "Ten, I think. This time, anyway." Briari gets a cheery goodbye wave. "I'll be here!" Which is almost certainly true, since once Merry stretches out on his cot and closes his eyes he is almost immediately emitting some soft snores.