Monaco Bay Weyr - Treetop Pathway
Pathways and platforms run between the tops of the larger trees that border on Monaco's caverns, creating an above ground network. Working within the natural beauty of this unique landscaping, the huts have been created to fit in with the surroundings. Many of them are constructed to catch as much of the canopy breezes as possible.
The pathways and rope bridges are lit by breaks in the canopy, allowing sunlight and shade to spatter through. Springtime has arrived on Monaco Bay Weyr, the flowers budding with wild abandon and all about new growth of the jungle seems to be the theme both in the animal and plant kingdoms.
It may be Autumn in Monaco Bay, but that doesn't mean what it would in more northernly locations, it's still very warm. In fact, it's gotten sticky outdoors come late afternoon as the skies had darkened little by little since lunchtime. You don't need to be a starcrafter to see the writing on the wall, especially not with the distant soft rumbling of thunder off in the distance somewhere. There was a definitely a storm coming, though it was the when that was still up in the air. Bellamy, it seems, was taking his chances. He'd plopped himself on one the elevated decks off the rope bridge pathways, arms folded over the railing overlooking the ever stretching expanse of jungle surrounding the weyr. On his shoulder, a mature bronze firelizard, and it was doing its utmost to 'hum' along with the low key tune the young harper was amusing himself with. Fingers tap on the worn weathered surface of the wood beneath them, silver rimmed golden eyes darting towards another distant roll of thunder, his back straightening just to relax again when the exact location of the weather can't be pinpointed just yet.
It's not so much hurricane Viren that comes up the stairs as huff-icane Viren. While he doesn't seem outright angry, at least not from a distance, there's a definite slump to his shoulders that suggests something hasn't a necessity of finding a place to hide away for a time. Unsurprisingly there's a faint air of flour about him, a perpetual dusting that seems to linger around the cuffs of his shirt and trousers no matter what chores he might have had that day - almost everyone would have noted at some point that he had developed a tendency to sneak out of the barracks in the middle of the night if he was feeling stressed, returning with a decidedly yeasty smell. Spotting Bellamy he pauses, taking a moment to consider simply retreating before offering a quiet, "Hey."
Being a harper, one might assume bat-like hearing or at the very least the ability to be aware of all sounds all the time. Unfortunately for the young man, that wasn't true at all. Poor Bellamy had inherited more than his looks from his old man, rather the pension to be easily snuck up upon and startled. Honestly, it didn't take much. So wrapped up in being Bell and watching for the 'good parts' of the impending storm, with his mind elsewhere, even Viren's quiet 'hey' makes him jump slightly with an audible but short gasp. Hand clutched to his heart, the teen is quick to turn and breathes out slowly the moment it registers whom it is he is looking at. A fellow candidate and midnight cake maker. "Oh, Viren…" he exhales, giving his firelizard's chin a little tap as the beastie curls around his neck and sounds defensively. "…shush Sonata. You're fine. I'm fine. Everything is fine…" That muttered in a hiss, Bellamy is swift to offer the baker a toothy smile, "Don't mind him, all growl no bite. Reminds me of my father, actually." A laugh, musical in its own right, follows— then the harper tilts his head as he seems to realize the prevailing mood Viren had arrived with. The gesture sends that long dark forelock of hair on Bell's left side into his face, but he ignores it for now, "You okay?"
"Oh wherrycrap. Fardles. Sorry, Bellamy, didn't mean to make you jump." Viren cringes slightly visibly, exaggeratedly, just to make doubly sure that it's obvious he didn't mean to do it — though it doesn't take more than a second before there's a hint of a smile there and he enquires, "Your dad curls around people's necks and hisses at folk?" He may be comfortable enough to make a joke about it, but he does stay outwith immediate biting range just in case. "Mind if I…?" He nods to the railing next to his fellow candidate intent on stopping for a while, Bellamy willing of course. "Did you know…" pause for dramatic effect, "candidates aren't supposed to just make cakes for themselves out of weyr stores."
There is a moment in which— presumably— both of Bellamy's eyebrows launch upwards towards his hairline, but in the very next they smooth back out as he chuckles good-naturedly, waving a hand in humored dismissal, "Shards, if you had any idea how easy that is or how many times a day it happens…" Well, Viren would know how easy it was and how many times a day it happened, really. The harper snorts and grin, flashing all those pearly white teeth of his all to easily as he relaxes himself back against the railing behind him now. Elbows resting on the uppermost slat. The very picture of easy going. "Seriously, it's all good." Not long after saying this, finely tuned laughter erupts jovially from Bellamy, apparently a thin that Sonata is used to seeing as he simply makes a soft chirp of complaint before settling himself back down into place, like a living necklace. "You've clearly not met my father…" He…might be kidding? This and the way Sonata eyes the baker, the dark haired lad brightens somehow, nodding and gestures towards the unoccupied portion of the railing nearby, "Please…" Curiously, those silver-rimmed golden eyes remain on Viren, listening and without missing a beat, he nods. "…ah. Well, yes…or at least I figured as much." Lips pursed together, as he had tried to warn the baker by proxy of Sonya when she had told him about the event. "Did you get into a lot of trouble?"
Viren's whole being is less easy-going and relaxed, but he does move across to lean his back against the railing, sliding his feet forwards until he gets a place where he's balanced and supported and most importantly vaguely comfortable. It looks awkward, but so long as nobody mentions that it should be fine. "Could get everyone to wear a bell, that might stop it happening. Or ask people to walk loudly." At least there's a bright smile that comes as Bellamy laughs, whatever trouble Viren is in not enough to diminish that. "I don't think I have. To be honest unless he's bakercraft I likely wouldn't remember him." One hand lifts, a tiny distance pinched between two fingers, "Small world." But then there's that question and he lets out a long breath. "Not really? I have to work it off, which is fine because kitchen time is a good thing, but I have to do my normal chores as well and I'm fairly sure there aren't enough hours in the day. But hey, the cake was good so I guess it was worth it."
Bellamy was the epitome of Hakuna Matata and he would be for the both of them if necessary, lifting a hand up to liberate the hair from his face and tuck it away behind his ear and in the gesture that follows gives Sonata some sweet sweet lovings that has the firelizard making soft sounds of pleasured encouragement. No comment is made on Viren's awkwardness, Bellamy merely grinning lopsidedly and friendly like all the while, "Yeeeeah, I don't see the whole weyr accommodating a single apprentice harper, but I appreciate the thought…" he chuckles. Hand dropping away from the mildly protesting bronze firelizard persistently coiled around his neck, "He's computer craft, actually. Not sure how long you've lived here, but my dad was once Wingleader of Deluge and is weyrmated to the guy that used to be Weyrleader here in Monaco before R'en." Now Bellamy holds up two fingers, copying the short distance between them that Viren had displayed, "Small world, indeed." The smarmy smirk on his face fades to something akin to sympathetic, slowly nodding his head a few times as he applies teeth to the flesh of his lower lip a bit, "Bright side? More practice for you?" There is nothing less than absolute agreement for that cake though, "You bet it was. Thank you, for sharing it with us."
That slight straightening of the spine? The little change in posture that means Viren stands a little taller against the railing? Pure pride. There's nothing like a compliment to make him feel better and be happy to take up space in the world, even if he does slightly wave away the thanks with a quiet, "That's what friends are for. Secret parties and cake." A brief pause and then he nods, "More practice. And honestly there's nothing more soothing than going and beating some cream or bread dough into submission if you're feeling a little stressed from nursery duty." Clearly speaking from experience. Lots of experience. With a smile he backs up into the conversation and lets out a soft 'ohhhh.' "So are your whole family riders, then? I've only been here since the eggs were laid, but if he was ever at Reaches then maybe I'd've met him." There's no more mention of the bell… for now.
That show of pride brings back the smarmy to Bellamy's expression, but he makes no actual verbal comment on it, respecting the distance between them— otherwise he might have given the baker a platonic little nudge to go along with it. The harper knew something about pride when it came to the review of personal works, but that didn't mean he was above a smidgen of teasing between friends. "Still, I wish I could have given you a heads up about the potencil consequences…" he offers softly back, a tiny twinge of guilt over not managing to directly give fair warning beforehand. Brows lift, "Oh for sure. I have my moments, but I tend to vent my frustrations when they occur in private." Bellamy crinkles his nose with a bemused quirk of his lips, "It's not exactly pretty." There's another laugh quick in coming, however, for mention of nursery duty, "They grow on you after a while…" he murmurs in reassurance, "…kinda like a fungus." A drumbeat of pause and the harper clucks his tongue with a roll of his eyes skywards, in perfect timing with the distant sound of thunder rumbling, "…or they'll just wear you down until your resolve crumbles into nothing and you become their all too willing puppet…" Smirk, and his gaze darts back to Viren, shoulders lifted and dropped in the ghost of a shrug, "Whichever comes first." All teasing aside, Bellamy's mouth rounds out briefly before finger-guns the baker's direction, "Actually yes. Great-grandfather was a brownrider, grandfather and father are bronzeriders. My grandmother, she's a junior goldrider at High Reaches…no joke. Jessira?" No mention is made of bells or Bell's father in that area.
Viren grins, letting the teasing pass with only a slight dip of the head and a smothered chuckle. "I guess I always knew, but you know that thing where someone almost dares you to do something? Sonya was sort of over excited and happy and it seemed a bit cruel to let her down by not just doing it." Not thinking how that comment could possibly be interpreted, and leaving it totally open to any kind, he shrugs again. "At least I never went with the full five egg combination I'd been thinking of. Could you imagine if I'd done that? I'd still be on punishment chores even after the weyrlings graduated." Is it the mention of fungus that makes him cringe a little, or just children in general? It remains a mystery. Bellamy's family is far more interesting, apparently. "Really?" Finally a name that has some sort of recognition to it. "I mean I've never met her, I don't think, but I know the name! Wow. So I guess this is all nothing new to you?" Slowly, almost imperceptibly, his feet are sliding away from him across the ground.
Rich and melodiously, Bellamy laughs, completely unrestrained but not (thankfully) in a way that might be too loud or (hopefully) perceived as obnoxious, "All too well…" he agrees, grinning practically ear to ear. Eyes narrow to a very minute degree along with slant to the harper's smirk, although the change in expression is there and gone perhaps to quickly to be picked up on when Sonya in particular is folded into the conversation. Pointedly, that is all. "She certainly has a way about her. Though, she might do well with a smattering of caution in her life." If you know what he means, says that look, rapidly overtaken by the brightness of his grin and the light bobbling of his shoulders. Ah, well. Some lessons can only be learned the hard way. Wincing, the harper nods, "I can only imagine, not being a baker or much of a cook myself. If it were possible to burn water, I'd figure out a way to do it." The utter lack of culinary skills aside, there is more laughter for the cringing, untangling the firelizard from around his neck when the coil starts to get uncomfortable and with a gesture, Sonata winks *between* after a disgruntled squawk. Ignoring this, Bellamy stretches himself out, arms skywards as it too rumbles threateningly, notably closer but still a ways off. Looking up and around, Bellamy returns his attention to Viren, nodding and smiling all the way. Yep, really. "You'd remember her, if you met her." is cryptically all he has to say on that, his smirking downright devilish. Although, when it comes to 'all of this' being nothing new, the harper laughs and flip-flaps a hand, "You'd think, but honest to Faranth this is all pretty new seeing as it's my first time being searched." Eyebrows going upwards vaguely, "You?" For now, Bellamy is unaware of Viren's shifting feet.
Viren's laughter is no longer smothered as Bellamy joins in, clearly no offense found or taken. Or perhaps just unobserved as is the brief change in expression. "We could probably all do with some caution, but so long as she's happy I guess it's not a bad thing. She stood at Fort, did you know that?" But then the firelizard is popping off, there's that rumble of thunder, and one foot suddenly decides to slide quicker and he has to do some sort of awkward recovery and style it out as if he actually meant to move like that. He didn't, and it's painfully obvious. Quick, ask a question! "You've seen loads though, even if you've not been on the sands, right?" Shuffle, shift, glance ot the sky as if that could let him know how far off the storm is, "First time for me, too."
Bellamy continues to say absolutely nothing that may suggest he thinks or suspects a single blessed thing about anything that was honestly none of his business. Instead, the harper apprentice smiles prettily, giving the palm of one hand a rub with the long slender fingers of the other once he's dropped his arms back to his sides, "Some more than others," he suggests, grinning all the same and nodding in agreement of Sonya's happiness. However, when it comes to her previous standings, Bellamy shakes his head, brows lofting a touch, "No, I had no idea. That's funny. That's where my father and his weyrmate moved to after Monaco…so I've been there quite a bit." Huh, says his face, considering, "It's a big weyr though…" Otherwise, this may imply, he might have run into her before this candidacy had brought them all together. Or it could have had a better chance of doing so, were it not for Viren and his fanciful footwork. Alarmed, given their location, Bellamy reaches out automatically to 'save' the baker from himself, stopping mere seconds from actually touching him as balance is recovered so gracefully. That little heart attack moment over, the energy produced in that moment has to go somewhere and so into laughter it goes, without putting its focus on anything, "I've seen a few. You haven't?" he asks, chuckling away and making sure that the baker isn't about to topple over the railing and plunge to his death in the next while at least. Again, squinting, "How old are you?" That it was Viren's first time standing as well? There was a companionable silence and softer smile for that. Solidarity!
"Can't think who you could possibly mean." Viren grins, making what is probably supposed to be an exaggerated innocent face, a vague motion where he points at himself, and then laughing uproariously. "It's so weird you never met at Fort, though I guess I never met everyone at the reaches so…." A shrug follows, but as he catches the attempt at saving there's a grateful smile flashed in Bellamy's direction, even if he is a tad embarrassed by the whole thing - graceful he has never claimed to be. "I've been more sort of… hatching adjacent. Twenty now. Hold first, then I was at the Reaches for… shells I have no idea. Three, maybe four?" Days? Weeks? Decades? Who knows. "Hatching feasts take a lot of work so guess where I was." He doesn't seem to bothered at having been stuck in the kitchens. As the sky rumbles its anger once more he glances upwards, "I should probably get back there. Come by later? We're making pies, I'll set one aside for you."
An odd mix of a snort, mixed with a chuckle and pfft, all wrapped into one is drawn out of Bellamy. His lips crooked and widely set into a grin, his shoulders shake as much as his head does, "Terrible…" Nodding and bobbing his head in return for Viren's gratitude, there isn't much he can say about not having met Sonya before now, gesturing in an agreeable fashion. "I was there to see my father and little brothers, so I might have been babysitting." His father and even creche workers deserved a break to watch eggs rock and then partake in the deliciousness of the feast afterwards. Speaking of which, Bellamy is suddenly struck as if by an epiphany, his mouth rounding out, "Ohhhhh…okay." Things were adding and lining up all of a sudden from the looks of it. "That makes sense. Okay. Wow…I can't even imagine." Muttering to himself, the harper waves a hand rapidly, "I mean, it's not like eggs run on a schedule and you can just plan things. I guess, the eggs start rocking and you guys do too…in the…kitchen…that is…" Cough. Dot. Dot. Dot. Awkwardness was not a stranger to Bellamy, either. The next clap of thunder is much closer and it visible startles the younger man, eyes skywards and thus he starts to inch away from the railing, "Annnnd…yes…on that note…" One could practically see the drool forming at one corner of the harper's mouth at the mere mention of pie though, "Wild runners couldn't keep me away." Seriously, just let them try. Then, BOOM. "Uh, the quickest way in is the galleries…let me show you the way, yeah?" And show him the way he does, as swiftly and safely as possible and just in time before the deluge begins.
Viren follows quickly, grinning all the way. And when Bellamy appears at the kitchen later there's a pie waiting - spiced redfruit, topped with a tiny pastry bell.