Xanadu Weyr - Observation Level
Dark blue seats form a semi-circle around the sands below, the lowest row separated from the multicolored red and white sands by merely a railing. The seats climb upwards, each row a bit higher than the previous, and they are broken up into sections by three sets of staircases. Between the first and second section, a glass wall descends to separate the observers from the heat of the sands. Air is kept in motion through a set of fans, and so these seats are quieter and cooler than the rest… though the noise and heat of the sands is still present.
Lights are evenly spaced along the outer wall, lighting the seats and the sands easily, though they tend to be dimmed unless a major event is taking place. A large balcony overhead connects to the glass wall. Vents for cooling run along the bottom of it, and the ledge provides a place for observers of the draconic kind to watch without obstructing the view for others.
The sand below is variegated in hue, individual grains of red and white that have a pinkish hue when seen from across the circle of the hatching grounds but - up close over that railing - are clearly two varieties mingled.
It is a beautiful day in Xanadu as Spring has arrived and melted away the snow. Briari had just finished her usual morning work out and is currently cooling down in the observation lounge as she stares out longingly across the sands to her brother's clutch. A sketchpad is in her lap, working away at it with a pencil as she draws the eggs upon the sand, adding a bit of color now and then when appropriate. She is dressed in a pair of workout shorts and a simple blue top with brown boots, her hair strung behind her and tucked into a pony tail. One foot lightly taps against the floor as she hums to herself. So far, it is quiet and she is the only one here. Then again, most residents wouldn't be crazy enough to wake up as early as she does and go out for a power run before the sun comes up. It's a weekend and most enjoy the chance to sleep in.
Finding some free time from various duties at Monaco Bay Weyr Vanessa decides to pay a social visit to Xanadu Weyr. While here it's natural to visit the eggs resting on the sands. Making her way to the observation level she looks first around to see if there's anyone else here to enjoy the view. Squinting towards a vaguely familiar person she heads that way. Once closer she offers a quick smile. “Briari?"
Glancing upwards at the sound of her name, the spitting image of her mother jumps up to her feet. Briari is all grins now, though there is a tired and almost sad look within her eyes. "Good morning Vanessa! Wow, I didn't expect to see any of Monaco's Juniors out this way. Come to see the eggs?" She pauses. ".. obviously, because you're here in the viewing room." She gives a quick salute to her across the brow. "Ka'el searched me out to be a candidate. Those are my brother's eggs out there on the sand. S'ai got lucky on his first flight." Pride rings in her voice as she straightens up.
Vanessa sketches her own salute in return to Briari though she waves the other girl back to sitting. "Relax!" she says cheerily. "I had heard that you got Searched so I thought I'd visit to see how you're doing." a quick glance is cast to the eggs. "As well as pay my respects to the leaders and see the eggs." shrugging free from her riding jacket it gets slung over an arm. "I am sure you're so very proud of your brother. Being Searched for his first clutch too!”
"Yes, I'm pretty proud, though I wish I could admit to having a good time here." Briari says with a soft puff under her breath. "I don't exactly get along with some of the candidates. Some of the guys here aren't exactly.. friendly… to girls, or really to anyone else, and they don't mind making my life miserable. I feel bullied at times." Briari says as she rubs at her nose a bit with her fingers before she sinks back down to pull the sketchbook into her lap again. "But, it is what it is. I'm just trying to focus on what is more important, and that's the eggs and the upcoming hatch and representing Monaco Beach with honor. How are things back home?" She asks curiously. "How are the Weyrlings?”
Worry crosses her expression as she listens. "What? But candidacy is supposed to be smooth. I mean…in the end you might be fellow weyrlings with some of your candidates. Getting along is….well needed! Have you spoken to anyone? That's not right for you to feel this way." Vanessa moves to sit on the edge of a seat. "Have you touched them yet?" she flickers a glance to the slowly hardening eggs on the sands. "Things back home are quiet for now. The weyrlings are growing so quickly!”
"No, I haven't said anything, yet. Snitches get stitches, you know how it goes. Besides, I can take care of myself. If push comes to shove, I'll just put one of those dumb boys in the Infirmary. I just don't get it. I'm used to the carefree life of Monaco Bay where everyone is so easy to get along with. None of these guys are from Xanadu though, they're from other Weyrs, so it's not like it makes Xanadu look bad." Briari says with a shrug of her shoulders upwards. "My brother said that if it happens again he'll get involved. But, no, we haven't touched the eggs yet. Every day it's just chores and some classes. I am sure we will get to it eventually." Leaning forward a bit, she motions out to one of the more colorful ones. "That's the one I like the most. How all the colors are wrapped up in harmony? It's beautiful. I hope I get that one.”
Vanessa's expression bears a frown briefly. "Just be sure you don't get into trouble if you do fight. Better to let your brother handle it." is her advice before she turns to give full attention to the eggs and the one pointed out. "Ooh, they are all so pretty." she says as she admires them. "I've always found it fun to guess what color will come out of each egg. I'd pick a blue I think.”
"Nah, I won't get into trouble. I'm more all bark than bite. Right now it's more insults and passive aggressive comments. I just chalk it up to boys trying to be macho. You'd think they'd wanna get along with a pretty girl." Briari says with a toss of her hair in a rather dramatic fashion before letting out a joking laugh. "I have no clue what color will pop out and choose me if I am to be so lucky. My mother is riding me hard about impressing to a gold. She's a bit nutty. For all I know I may get a brown and call it a day. I'll be happy with just -any- dragon because I know that dragon will be the right one for me, and they're never wrong, right?" She asks as she looks over to the gold rider.
"Honestly the color doesn't matter." Vanessa intones. "I'd be just as happy with Ceresth if she were brown. Or green." there's a pause as no doubt Ceresth interjects a remark. "Of course, Ceresth says she should be bronze actually." her head shakes. "Your mother should know that no one knows what makes the dragons choose they way they do. In addition there's no sure thing a Gold will even hatch. And no, they are never wrong in who they choose. If your dragon is out /there/" she gestures to the eggs. "Then you'll find them."
"Mother is just .. insanely old fashioned and proud. Her mother was a gold rider, and her mother's mother, and blah blah." Briari says with a shrug. "Well, she has other kids that can get a gold dragon at some point. I'm just the eldest so her expectations are huge. I'm sure she'll be proud of me no matter what, but, it'd mean something to her lineage I think if it worked out that way." A faint grin tugs upon her lips. "Though I almost hope I find a green. Would probably make her furious.”
Eltanin seems to have developed some kind of habit these days as he keeps ambling around with a blade of grass in his mouth. Oh and he's humming too. Early before chores duty calls, he likes to slip here to stare at the eggs. Guess like it's kind of popular from now. Approaching a group of silhouettes, he tilts his head, recognizing Bri tho a kind of familiar voice makes him frown a bit, thinking about its owner. "Morning Bri…" He calls, moving closer until Vanessa is in view. "Oh…Nessa?" a smile flashes as he goes to sit near Bri. "How's life at Monaco?”
Vanessa offers a sympathetic sound towards Briari. "Mother's are always overly expectant. Especially with the oldest." the sound of Eltanin's voice draws her gaze that way. A smile blossoms. "Eltanin! Long time no see. How've you been?! Oh life at Monaco is busy as usual.”
"Yeah, and if you ever met Saisri and her lifemate Avarinth, you'd know where I was coming from. You'd think she was born a thousand years ago." Briari says with a soft laugh. "She and my father were born for threadfall. To launch into battle and be heroes. My brother and I? We were born to lay on a beach and sip on wine." An easy smile falls upon her face, that is until Eltanin makes his way over. "Hey you." She says as she gives him an amused look, then reaches over to flop her hand over his, fingers curling inwards to entwine. "You two know each other?”
"Stars keep me busy too, you know." Tani replies the goldrider with a funny smirk, straightening some, his move turning into a perk as Bri slips her hand in his. He doesn't seem to mind and lightly squeezes her fingers before turning his head to look at her. "We know each other, yes. It was….Mmmm..Turns ago, I was just posted at Xanadu and had to follow my journeyman everywhere. But…" and he glances between the two, quirking his mouth into another broad smile. "I can return you the question…" his hand slowly releases Bri's even tho he doesn't move it far away. We're candidates after all.
Smirking, Briari gives Eltanin a pointed look. "Vanessa and I are both from Monaco Bay. Of course we know each other." She says with an amused grin on her face. Her fingers creep once more across his, then she shifts herself to lean in against his shoulder. "I already got my workout and breakfast in this morning. Lazy. I was up hours before you and the rest were. After chores, I don't have plans for tonight." Next to her is a sketchpad filled with pictures of dragons and eggs of all shapes and sizes, left abanonded at her feet for now.
"Oh yes…Silly me…" the young starcrafter goes on scratching the back of his neck with his free hand as he replies, grinning goofily. "I have no plans either, Bri. We could go for a walk on the beach if you want. I will try to finish my chores early." He's trying hard to be a gentleman and Bri is obviously in need of cuddles. How can he refuse? Tilting his head at the sketchpad, it makes him lift a brow. "Is it yours? I think I forgot mine the other day…"
Noticing the fingers entwining, Vanessa's gaze flickers briefly in the only outward sign she noticed at all. Instead she merely keeps a pleasant tone as she says. "Has it been turns already? Feels like only yesterday really." she notes with amusement. "You're a candidate as well? Congratulations! What chores have they got you guys doing here at Xanadu?”
"I do just about everything, though I spend a lot of time in the gardens, dragon oiling, working in the craft caverns teaching some of the apprentices law and history." Briari says as she reclines back slightly as she looks comfortable settled in against Tani's shoulder. "Beach sounds fine, obviously." Her lips pull back into a delighted grin. "And that's my sketchbook, yeah. Trying to draw a lot for Kyra since she is tied up with her broken leg. She's really upset she won't be able to stand now for the hatch. It sucks.”
Tani is known to have a very comfy shoulder and carefully tries not to shift too much to allow Bri to rest there. "I recently finds myself helping Kai in the kitchen." he adds his own answer to Nessa's query. "But I still have to deal with those boring star charts." He lightly chuckles. And Of course he didn't mean a word he just said. Stars boring? Never for him. "It's really nice from you, Bri and I know she's your best friend. Now…I wonder who's the most upset from you two." To Vanessa, he offers another smile. "There will be other hatchings, right?”
Vanessa gives a bit of an 'mmhmm' noise at his mention of 'boring' star charts. "Oh no, a candidate broke their leg? Oh that's awful. Yes, of course they'll be other hatchings." she says hastily. "What happened?”
"She was hunting and fell out of a tree. The leg broke clean and she is pretty sore." Briari says as she gives a frown. "It just sucks. She's of course more upset, Tani. She is afraid a dragonnet may hatch and look for her, then get scared and die out on the sands. Would that happen, even before an egg touching?" She asks Vanessa with a concerned look. "I think that'd be terrible.”
Eltanin's eyes narrows slightly and he also frowns in concern. "I didn't think about that…" The wrinkle on his forehead grows deeper as he slowly realizes. "But…is there a mention in the archives of a Dragonet seeking their lifemate outside the sands?" He too is looking at the goldrider as if she holds all the answers.
Vanessa's thoughts falters briefly at the concerned question from Briari. "Um, no. I don't think so. That's why there are supposed to be a good number of candidates out there for a wide selection for the hatchlings." a faint blush colors her cheeks as suddenly Eltanin too is looking to her for another answer. "I've heard of the hatchlings finding a suitable match from outside the Sands though I think it's very rare.”
"I just feel bad for her. She worked really hard and she's a good person. I just know there would be a dragon out there on the sands for her." Briari says as she rises upwards, thus abandoning Tani's shoulder as she gives a long stretch of her body. "What are you hoping to impress to, Eltanin? I bet you're hoping for a bronze so all the girls will swoon over." She smirks.
Eltanin raises a finger out at Bri in protest, feigning pure annoyance but has a hard time to make his broad smile leave his lips. "No. no, no. Not at all. You're all wrong, Bri. I'm hoping for bronze so I could chase all the shiny goldies all around Pern." He gives a quick wink at Nessa just before shaking his head and bursts out laughing. "No seriously, I just want not to be mauled is all. If my lifemate awaits on the sands I won't even dare hoping for any kind. Whatever happen will be pure joy…and if it won't happen, then…" he goes on shrugging helplessly, watching Briari stands up. "…it won't happen.”
Vanessa can't help but wince a little at the mention of mauling. "Just be sure to be quick on your feet and don't do anything rash ou there." is her advice. "Still though, a bronze hmm?" now she smiles impishly at the Starcrafter. "Never know what'll happen. A nice cute green can find you and then it'll the other way around. You'll be getting chases around!" she teases.
Smirking at him, Briari rolls her eyes a bit upwards as if she was exasperated. "Every guy's dream come true is to go chasing after a gold rider in the sky. Must be the biggest boost to one's ego or something." Laughing, she walks closer to the window and leans forward, pressing her fingers against it, as well her forehead as she stares out at the eggs. "Maybe I'll get a brown and will end up chasing you all over, Tani. Better than me than some big burly bronze rider." She cackles.
Eltanin alternatively looks at both of them, a kind of frightened look in his blue eyes now. "Oh Hey…Now you're scaring me." He echoes the laughter with his own tho, for just a second, the thought of being chased instead of being the chaser /did/ make him shudder. "And who knows. I may not be worth chasing…" Here is his vain attempt of defending himself. My…chased by brown and bronze….*shudder*
Vanessa laughs out loud as she too stands. "Oh my…being chased by burly riders. " she shakes her head. "One never knows though. If you will excuse me though, duty calls. It was good seeing you two and if I don't see either of you before the hatching….stay safe and good luck on the sands!”
"Oh, don't pretend the idea doesn't excite you." Briari says with a laugh to Tani before she turns and gives a lift of her hand to wave to Vanessa. "Thank you for coming to visit me. Tell everyone back home I miss them and hope to see them in the stands."