High Reaches Weyr - Living Cavern
This, the central living space of High Reaches Weyr, is a massive cavern lit from above by a pair of massive electric chandeliers. Sconces line the stone walls as a supplement, their bulbs burning brightly day and night, while the chandeliers are turned off after most of the Weyrfolk are snug in their beds. Tapestries hang between the sconces, some abstract works while others depict Threadfall or long-ago Hatchings. The cavern is filled with long rows of wooden tables, their knotted surfaces cut from whole skybroom trunks. The huge stone hearth is set into a corner of the cavern, the warmth it exudes keeping the cold outside at bay. Even in the depth of night, the cavern is never wholly empty, and a pot of klah is kept simmering for even those who keep the strangest hours.
To the south, the subdued lighting of the lower caverns can be seen, while westward is the kitchen.
A Fortian rider lands in the bowl, the blue crouching long enough to allow his two passengers to depart before he springs into the air again, carrying his rider up to the rim. Tionasi makes for the Living Caverns, stepping inside and pulling off her traveling cloak.
Resting comfortably beside the hearth is a local bluerider, perched at a table beside the hearth with a book opened before him. Tired yet focused eyes peer across the pages, fingertips running along the lines as he takes them in with a frown. Papers are pulled out from a leather pack on the floor at the rider's side and the shuffling begins while he mutters under his breath. Despite his tired form, he's neatly dressed and his hair is wavy without a single stray strand out of place. Even his shoes are shining more than they should, surely a rider should get around?
Zorya isn't far behind Tionasi in entering the caverns. She for one isn't quite ready to remove her cloak. "Its summer, isn't it supposed to be warmer?" she almost whines the rhetorical question. "I mean I know Reaches isn't the warmest place but still…" She's from Ista. Its -hot- on the island, therefore everywhere else must just be cold.
Tionasi chuckles placatingly at the Apprentice, "As a Harper you'll learn to get used to all sorts of weather," she says gently, removing her violin case from around her shoulders. "Now, I had hoped that we could spend the evening here and gather some of the latest news, as well as catch up with the posted Weyrharper. He's a former student of mine. And, of course, we'll offer entertainment. Feel up to accompanying me on the drums tonight?" The bluerider is given a nod and smile of greeting while the Master warms her fingers after between.
The bluerider glances up, his features changing to something a little more friendly than the looks his paperwork has given moments before. "Reaches greetings to you! Welcome to our humble weyr!" D'ion nods his head and then straightens up in his seat after pulling his leather pack into his lap. A line of wine bottles in placed on the table before him and each one is examined. He takes a deep breath and sighs, a Vintner's work is never done.
Zorya nods. "I suppose.." she agrees, not quite convinced as of yet it would seem. She blows on her fingers, working them together a bit to warm them as she lifts a smile to the blue rider. "I think so, once I can feel my finger again." the blonde replies to Tionasi's last question with a bit of a laugh.
Tionasi grins, "Excellent. We'll provide some excellent entertainment in return for a meal and some news from this part of Pern. Good day to you, sir, and Harper Hall's duties to High Reaches Weyr. I am Master Tionasi, and this is Apprentice Zorya. How do you do?"
Moyrel, Masterharper of Pern, comes in, with her old but faithful lap harp slung on her back. She gives a wave to Tionasi. "Hey there," she greets. "And hello, Zorya." Finally she turns her attention to our gracious host, and dips a curtsey, with the awkwardness of overpracticed grace. "Greetings and Harperhall's duties and all that. How do?"
D'ion chuckles and rises from his seat, offering a bow to the harper ladies that enter and he moves to the nearest table free beside the hearth, pulling out two chairs before stepping aside for a third. "Every day in Reaches is a fine day you know," the bluerider says kindly while motioning for them to settle down. The tables closest to the hearth are a little further from the rest which offers a pleasant view for the people sitting furthest from it. Surely, there is a platform for performances but a little warmth never hurt anyone and soon to be working fingers. "Please, settle in. The tables should be bringing out fresh meat soon. Your timing couldn't be any more perfect!" With that, D'ion returns to his table and quickly packs up his notes.
There's a loud yawn as A'di slumps his way into the living caverns, clutching some books in his arms. Now that Dalasith has /finally/ passed out, A'di has a chance to get some alone time to himself. After grabbing a plate with his spare hand, he makes his way over towards his fellow bluerider, plopping in a seat near the Assistant Weyrlingmaster. "I don't think I'm ever going to have a quiet day again."
Tionasi grins and winks at D'ion, "We Harpers tend to have excellent timing when it comes to that. Hello, Masterharper," she greets the other woman with a smile. "What brings you to the reaches?" "Ahh, A'di! Congratulations again! And how is young Dalasith?"
Moyrel smiles in agreement with Tionasi. "Indeed we do. It's our sense of rhythm, y'know." To Tionasi, "I just thought I'd drop in. I had some extra time, which doesn't come often to me." A pause, then: "It's been ages since the last time I was here, though I have a few fond memories. Like the snow-hold contest." The smile brightens. "I took second prize in that, if I can toot my own horn a little."
"Masterharper." Zorya replies to Moyrel bobbing her head in a nod of greeting. "Thank you." she returns politely toward the blue rider, waiting to take the last of the chairs at the offered table, letting the masters have a seat first. And then there's someone else, and she sends a warm smile towards the weyrling. "Congratulations." her sentiments echoing that of Tionasi, though with less excitement perhaps stemming from the fact that she doesn't know the young man.
D'ion lightly pats A'di on the shoulder and nods. "This is all just getting started but let me tell you, it gets better as time goes on." The bluerider grins widely and makes his way down the line, "We would be lost if it weren't for that impeccable timing, Masterharper." Quickly he runs off into the kitchens, returning with a pair of buckets hanging from his arms and a small tray that's slid onto his table. The remaining bottles are slid into the ice and placed off to the side on the floor and away from the heat.
A'di blearily turns towards all the harpers, interest suddenly changing, "I didn't think I'd see so many harpers up this way after the hatching. If you're looking for Ly'am, I think he's busy with his bronze." His eyes quickly turning back to the book, "And…thanks. I'm still rather getting used to the whole thing. Dalasith…is nothing like me." The small lad looks up at D'ion, "You think so? I'm still trying to get it through his head that talking to everyone isn't very polite…"
Tionasi smiles as she settles into her seat, setting her beloved violin across her knees to keep it safe. "How are the other Weyrlings doing?" she queries the two dragonriders with interest. She chuckles, "I'm afraid I was away when that happened, Moyrel. But if there is another one I'd love to participate."
Zorya is focused primarily on getting warm at the moment, letting the other harpers take care of the formalities she still very much in the process of learning.
Moyrel settles herself into a seat. "I also remember nearly freezing my ears off that first time here. I was raised in the eternal spring of the tropics, so I'm a bit spoiled. Still, it's a fine place to visit, and beautiful in its own way." To Tionasi: "I always hoped to be searched, when I was young. It never happened. Everyone told me that my first destiny was to become Masterharper of Pern. I never believed it." Insert laugh here.
D'ion settles back down comfortably and checking on the bottles before turning his gaze to A'di. "He'll tone down a bit as soon as he gets used to your way of thinking and enough nosing from the Weyrlingmaster's dragon. They're young still so of course they want to try everything." Right, like his Svodamirth and the scaring of the crawlies that made a mess all over his freshly cleaned barracks! Ahem. Blues have their ways of doing things like no other.
"I have a feeling that he's not going to tone down any." A'di murmurs half to himself, a hand rubbing against the back of his head. "Everyone's doing alright, most are doing better than I, I guess. Ly'am's positively thrilled with his bronze, and everyone seems to be getting along well. I guess I'm the only one with problems."
Tionasi smiles, "We often become what others wish us to become," she murmurs, abstractly. "I suppose I had my hopes as well, to ride one of the great flying beasts of Pern. But, again, nothing happened." She smiles at Zoyra, "You warming up, yet? Guess you'll have to take a tropical posting when the time comes." She looks briefly at D'ion before her attentions are captured by A'di, "What sorts of problems?"
Moyrel nods emphatically at Tionasi. "Indeed. I've always been in awe of dragons, myself. Of course, sometimes K'urk will take me somewhere on his blue Daoth, if I need a lift, and Daoth is always willing. He seems to have a soft spot for me, that dragon." Then: "Bah, take an arctic posting. A bit of cold never hurt anyone. Much. If they're careful."
"A little.." Zorya agrees. Warming up, a bit. Warm, she may never be if you ask her. "And I certainly hope so…" she turns blue eyes to gaze at the masterharper. "Much, if they're careful?" she repeats, "I'd much prefer Ista." But then it's her home and it's what she's used to. "No offence of course," she's sure to add in the direction of the rider and weyrling. "And as for dragons… well they're still rather new to me."
"It's not problems, A'di. They're just growing pains, we all go through them at one point or another." Well, that's one way to put it. Dee smiles as he takes in a long deep breath and slowly nods. "He'll test things out, push your buttons and try to get away with things but its all curiosity and whenever you think and feel anything towards it, it drives him. Svodamirth was the same way." A rumble in the bowl indicates that the specific blue in question doesn't agree and is not thrilled with the lower weather at the moment.
"I suppose it's not really a problem," A'di hastily amends, "It's just…he's always talking to everyone, and I mean /everyone/." He rubs the back of his head, "If it's not the other weyrlings, it's everyone else he encounters. He's…friendly, overly so. I'm just not sure why he picked me, we're not much alike. He says it's because I was the only one for him." D'ion gets peeked at, "Push my buttons? But he's like the sweetest dragon I've ever known, sure he can be a little hyperactive, but he means well…" A sympathetic look is given to his fellow harpers, "I'm not much for the cold myself, but I guess I'm stuck here."
Tionasi sets her violin on the table and rises, "Excuse me, I'll be back shortly, and then perhaps we can play a few tunes." The Harper Master gives a bow before making her way to the lower caverns on some errand or another.
Moyrel nods to Tionasi. "We'll be here, or most of us at least, I presume." To the others: "So, it's a typical bunch of rambunctiously ambitious weyrlings running amok in the weyr, then?"
Zorya nods idly to Tionasi's excusing herself before her attention turns back to the others. "Well if you take Master Tionasi's word for it, you'll get used to it." she offers towards A'di, not that she particularly believes it yet herself.
"Ah, right. That could be a problem. Perhaps I'll have Svodamirth have a little chat with him and if that doesn't work, Rhadamanth might be able to sway him. It might not be an issue for us riders but some residents aren't keen to a disembodied voice invading their thoughts." D'ion neatly arranges the food on his platter and dips his roll into the broth pooling on the side of his roasted wherry pieces. Tionasi is given a little bow of his head before she departs. The bluerider tilts his head from side to side to make sure there isn't any crumbs on his clothing. Vile things those crumbs are.
"We're not rebelling or running amok, Master." A'di says softly, "Dalasith's actually quite polite, he means well. He just likes to make friends, that's all…" A hand rubs at the back of his head, shifting in his seat. "he's not really all that bad, he's really friendly. I guess he just gets a little carried away."
"One of he blue's at Ista talked to me once," Zorya says, taking off on D'ion's thought. "It was rather… unsettling to say the least." the apprentice notes, shifting in her seat to allow the warmth of the hearth reach her hands more easily. "Then again, I was hardly used to being around them then, much less having them speak." It was all very odd.
Moyrel says, "Well, not running amok, but there's no denying that you have ambition. Which is a good thing in itself, I suppose. I'm pretty sure they run as tight a ship as they always have."
"Well, look on the brightside, A'di. When he's all settled, you'll have one grand reputation on your hands." D'ion chuckles a bit as he leans down once more and reaches for a bottle in the bucket at his side. Condensation runs down his fingertips as he holds it close and begins to read the lable. "No, not this one yet," he mutters and reaches down for another.
A'di peers over at D'ion curiously, "What do you mean by that, sir?" A'di questions, a brow arching on his forehead. Things have been going pretty smoothly, I think." A finger taps at his lips, "I think only one dragon spoke to me before I impressed, I remember being surprised, too. But Dalasith…he has absolutely no reservations about chatting to people."
Zorya nods even as she moves to her feet. "I should make sure Master Tionasi doesn't need any help." she notes, giving an awkward curtsey to the MasterHarper and sending a nod towards the riders before taking her leave and heading in the direction of the other harper.
"Well, no one ever forgets a dragon talking to them and it's something that will be talked about for ages. People may or may not know it was your lifemate that was the culprit but should they do so, they might come to you work wise. People only find me now adays because of Svodamirth. He's my organizer it seems." Dee leans back in his seat for a moment and a drudge wanders past to collect empty platters and dishes silently. Before he turns to leave, the bluerider grabs his s
