Eastern Weyr - Commons Cavern
A grand stairway leads downward into the cool rock of the commons cavern, a place for socializing and relaxing, as well as an area that provides solid shelter from the seasonal storms of this area. One of the few caverns at Eastern Weyr, the rock here has been worn away by centuries worth of water movement, leaving a nearly glass smooth polish over much of the room. Rocky shelves line the walls on which electric lights covered with paper lanterns rest, providing adequate illumination for the area. High above are further light fixtures, enabling a wide range of lighting options here. A natural pool occupies half of the far end of the cavern and is supplied with heated water piped in by an ingenious techcrafter. All about the room are balconies of rock with stairs leading to them and small dumbwaiters for the purpose of delivering food and drink to their heights.
It's a pretty, pretty sort of day. Other Weyrs may be facing too much rain, food shortages, or nasty weather, but Eastern is currently being absolutely delightful! The caverns, in that place between meals, is quiet. The scent of cooking wafts out of the kitchens, and there's quiet conversation all about, in twos and threes. Ur'con joins in the harmonious environment by striding in, dusty and clay-splattered, but it's all dry, so he doesn't leave a trail of destruction in his path. If anything, he looks bemused at himself, and comments to a pretty serving girl as he goes past her, "Wasn't paying attention to the time…forgot to get up and get lunch…" Get up from the pottery wheel, apparently!
Unfortunately for Ur'con, the scent of curry wafts out of the kitchens—milder perhaps than previous offerings, but still with a potent, spicy smell. There's also the scent of roasting vegetables, deep-fried fish, wherry, and a few other goodies. And, unfortunately as well, a cloud of white billows out from the kitchen entryway, without the acrid tang of smoke. Kayla's voice might be heard as the poor lass apologizes profusely, coughing up a storm and doing her best to escape the kitchen.
Fiona gags on the sudden billow of smoke from the kitchen, "Shards! I thought I had a chance at an actual dinner tonight." She brings her hand up to stroke Odin's eye ridges, "Guess it's whatever you fish up for me tonight, again, huh boy?"
Miho has also been working, though the evidence is less apparent on her. She wears her usual pair of breeches and long sleeved tunic, but there's a towel hung around her neck. Every so often she reaches up, wiping off her sweating brow with it. When the apprentice reaches the entrance to the caverns, she stops for a few seconds, her gaze drifting towards the sudden commotion from the kitchens. There's an almost involuntary step backwards, but she doesn't flee, not yet.
Ur'con hops to the side, at the sudden commotion from the kitchens, and then swears softly… "What on sharding Pern's going on in there?" He calls…oh so helpfully, from his slight distance away, but he's already heading for the most logical location for fire fighting equipment…yeah. That'll be great. Burn the Weyr down.
Kayla emerges from the kitchens, with her appearance drastically changed. No longer is she tanned, toned, and chestnut-haired. All color seems to have been bleached from her, to be exchanged for ghostly white. There is no smoke—just flour, and one rather chagrined would-be cook. "Okay, I'm going! Jays… I'd rather be flying anyways!"
Odin chirrs at the sudden appearance of his bond's sister covered in… flour? Fiona just sighs, "Jays." She waves at her sister, "Looks like you were better off flying with Flame, huh?" Her eyes dart to Ur'con, then quickly away to… Miho, "Miho! Come on over here."
Mihoyan takes a few tentative steps into the caverns, heding in Kayla's general direction. But then she thinks better of it and stops close to the tables, shifting from foot to foot tentatively. She grabs a plate, taking a scoop of mashed tubers. Fiona's voice draws her attention, and the glass crafter manages a smile, beginning to head in her direction. But the apprentice really isn't looking, her attention is fixed on the cloud of white and yelling, so her shins become slight casualties from several attacks by chairs and tables.
Ur'con comes up a little short, as it sinks in it's an explosion of flour, and not fire. He pauses a moment, with a mystified expression…and then breaks into a laugh that rings out easily. Heh. Someone's easily amused! But he manages to collect himself enough to ask, "Kayla, are you alright? You look like a floured dumpling."
One color -does- peek through the coating of white on Kayla's facecrimson. She coughs a little and nods. "Yeah, I'm alright, Ur'con. Hasn't been much to do with Flame lately, guess there won't be much for me to do in the kitchens either." Fiona gets something of a hurt look, tinged with a hint of wistfulness. "You're right, I was better off. Miss it something awful. Ugh. Bath. Now… before something -else- happens." To Mihoyan, she smiles a bit, waving a greetingand a cloud of flour, to boot.
Fiona jerks her head towards the hot tub, "Well, there's a bath there, sort of." Her eyes flick up at Ur'con, the expression clearly unreadable, then she glances back to Kayla, "Unless you'd rather go all the way back to our weyr? Miho seems to have a towel."
Ur'con loftily does not LOOK at Fiona, but notes, "You'd best get to the actual bathing chamber or back to your weyr if you've got plumbing installed…no one's going to want soupy gravy in the soaking pool." His grin's affable enough, though. "What happened, though?" Okay, so he really would like to know…there's got to be one heck of a story behind it!
"Well, I was trying to make something -other- than curry that wouldn't burn everyone's mouth out… so thought some fried vegetables would work. I had a very helpful…" Insert 'less than helpful' "…flizzen who seemed to think he could pick up the bag of flour by himself…." Oddly enough, said flizzen is nowhere to be seen, leaving Kayla to look more than a little irate. "So now I'm out of another job, till something comes up with Flame again."
Fiona reaches across to give her sister a nudge, "Don't worry about it. You don't have to work, just do things that make you happy." This seems a far cry conversation since the last time the two interacted in public. Her eyes flick back to Ur'con, "Or we could go down to the beach?"
Apparently, having decided that Eastern doesn't need to be rescued, Ur'con's back in the process of considering food, albeit from a distance at the moment. He reaches for a chair, instead, and settles down with an amused expression, "Where's a Harper when you need one? That'd probably make an amusing song for the children if nothing else!"
Mihoyan pulls out a seat, waving back and slipping into it. "I'm sorry that happened. But, uh, it doesn't smell bad! And you can definitely borrow my towel if you want." She takes the said cloth from her neck and offering it up to the other girl. "That /is/ an interesting firelizard though. And uh….beach?" The apprentice looks slightly panicked at this prospect.
Kayla turns a few more different shades of red, lifting her chin a notch. Amusing story for the children, indeed! Fiona's remark, however, has her expression shifting from one of injured pride to utter and complete shock. "Who are you and what have you done with my sister? Wait, don't answer that… bath. Right." She just shakes her head at Mihoyan, smiling a bit for her sake. "Naah, I'd ruin the towel. But thank you!"
Fiona chuckles softly, "Just a little more relaxed today. No weird dreams last night." Her eyes flick towards Ur'con again, then back to the girls. She really doesn't mean to keep looking at him, "Actually… I think a swim might be nice indeed. If you're willing?"
Ur'con doesn't seem to be ToO bothered that he's being eyed. One of the kitchen helpers, almost as dusty as Kayla, comes out…and looks resigned as the bronzerider flags her down and makes a plea for food…but pleasantries are exchanged, and she promises to bring him a bowl of something NOT spicy…before she goes for a bath herself.
Mihoyan takes the towel back, nodding and giving Kayla a small smile. She chews on a mouthful of tubers before looking round at the rest of the group. She makes no further comment about beach going or such, focusing all her attention at the food at hand.
Kayla stalks out of the commons cavern without another word, heedless of the white footprints left in her wake, or of the tear of embarrassment trickling down her face. Is that a cloud of white on the wing following her? No, just a very pale brown, revealed gradually as he dusts everything in his path with flour on his way out with his bonded.
Fiona's brows furrow as Kayla suddenly leaves, not a scene, nothing to make her think she'd done anything wrong by inviting them all for a swim, so she's just flummoxed, "Was it… something I said?"
Ur'con glances up, and then chuckles, "To be honest, I'm uncertain…but she looks like she could use a sister's .kind. presence at the moment…"
Mihoyan peers after the departing girl, "I….I don't get it. Maybe she needs you Fiona…"
Fiona looks at the other two and frowns, "Maybe… But I don't want to crowd her, either…"
Mihoyan nods and takes another bite of the tubers. "I hope she'll be alright though…." She falls silent again, poking at her food.
Fiona nods, frowning more, "I guess I should probably check on her…" Not that Fi doesn't stop through the kitches for a plate of sweetrolls on the way.