Fort Weyr - Northeast Bowl
The northern end of the bowl can be an intimidating area, being that Fort is the largest weyr. The far north wall contains the gigantic opening to the hatching caverns, and to the west of that can be seen the sprawling ledges and carved stair cases that mark the way to the administration complex and the training grounds were candidates and weyrlings can often be found. The west cliff wall towers up, dotted here and there by darker openings that mark individual weyrs before it tapers to a point at Tooth Crag.
Karona makes her way across the bowl, with her father in tow. The pair are skirting the edges of the bowl wherever possible, though there comes a point where they have to pause, and peer across the vast expanse. "The hatching caverns are … over there." Karona points out, gesturing to a spot pretty much on the opposite side of the bowl to them. "It'll be cold going, but it'll be warm inside, I promise." she adds, rubbing her hands together either in anticipation, or for warmth. Karell, her father, looks doubtful, eyeing the cavern entrance, all the way over there. "Hmm, well…" he murmurs, stalling for time evidently, as he leans back against the bowl wall for support. "We /could/ go see the eggs, I /suppose/." Yep. Aaany moment now.
There's a sky-painted blue dragon settled off to the side of the bowl, legs tucked neatly under him as he waits patiently for his rider to finish adjusting the bright crimson straps. Still sporting Fort's colors in his clothing and hair, B'ky is only half as striking as his dragon, the brown and black garments making him seem even paler out in the snow. Avideth is rustling his wings a little, impatient to be off, though B'ky is unhurried, the man checking and re-checking straps, and murmuring something or other under his breath as he tugs on one last buckle, whatever words causing Avideth to snort and turn his head to give the man a nudge with his nose. B'ky smiles gently, raising his hand to rub the violet-splashed nose, quiet in silent conversation a moment before he nods absently and turns back to the straps. The conversation between Karona and her father is noticed, and B'ky glances that way and raises a hand politely in greeting with a pleasant, "Hello," and a tilt of his head. He might vaguely recognize Karona, though evidently the man is pre-occupied with the riding straps. Wherever he and Avideth are heading off to soon, apparently it requires a thorough rundown of the blues straps. Avi, however, is bored. And the people over there are a decent enough distraction, the blue peering over at them a moment and rumbling curiously. "Hm, you're going to see the eggs?" B'ky asks after a moment, smiling slightly, and glancing toward the hatching cavern and comment with a soft smile, "They are quite lovely." Then again, B'ky would say that about most dragon eggs.
Karona is distracted from trying to coax her father out across the bowl by B'ky's hello, and she tilts her head at him. "Ah, hello. …sir. Going somewhere?" Well, it certainly /seems/ like he is, right? She does nod at going to see the eggs, though just vaguely. "That's the plan. Not so much the eggs as the galleries, it's warmer in there." Yep. Karell eyes B'ky warily. "Rider." he acknowledges, pushing himself off of the wall. To Karona, the harper notes, "The eggs, sounds good. Shall we go?" Come on, eggs, before they haaatch. Karona eyes her suddenly impatient father, and then turns back to B'ky. "They are certainly an interesting clutch of eggs, out there."
B'ky nods faintly, giving the straps another tug; he regards the crimson leather a moment, as if daring it quietly to misbehave or something, but the straps are in good repair, and quite strong. "Mm, I'm hoping to do a little flying practice over the ocean later today," murmured in explanation of where they're going. Of course, with the Winter Games over, it seems the man has taken the possibility of a finale rather seriously. Either that, or he's just using it as an excuse to get out and do some fancy flying. There's a smile, though, B'ky nodding about the galleries and perhaps chuckling softly. "I'm B'ky, Avideth's," the wingleader introduces himself and his dragon, patting the blue lightly on the shoulder and he inclines his head politely toward Karell, and then agreeing with Karona, "They are rather interesting. I wish I had more time to spend in the galleries. It is quite nice there." Not the least of which because it's /warm/. He adjusts that long brown coat, pulling it a little tighter. Avideth rustles his wings again, although there's less impatiance as he stretches his neck out a little, the blue whuffing at the two over there. "I used to spend hours there when I was younger, daydreaming mostly. I'd wonder what they would hatch to be, listen to the weyrbrats bettng, although I never bet on them myself," he chuckles, "I'm not much of a gambler." If he were, things might might be more interesting for him, really.
Karona chuckles just softly at her father's impatience, and nods ahead to the hatching grounds entrance. "If you want to go on ahead, go?" she suggests, moving a little more out in the open herself, heading for the galleries, but at no great pace. She's quite happy to hang back and chat, even if she is pulling her own coat tight around her. "Mmm. I've been a bit distracted myself past few days, not been up to see the eggs." Since her father arrived. And that … scare, with the power. "Well, not recently." Oh, like they'd have changed at all in the past few days. On betting, she smirks, and shakes her head. "Weyrbrats will be weyrbrats." None of that for her, nope. "Did you…" she eyes Avideth, "always find the eggs interesting?" Because, what, she doesn't? Well, they are just sort of … there. Eggs. With dragons in, but still, they don't look like they'll be /interesting/ any time before the hatching.
B'ky chuckles quietly, "I was never any good at the gambles I took, even when I was a weyrbrat," and he smiles with faint amusement, "I never had much of a poker face, either." And he shakes his head gently at some memory or other, moving to adjust one of the straps, but Avideth shifts and stretches his wings a bit, pushing the nearby snow around, apparently his earlier impatience to be off replaced by a sort of playfulness. He whuffs again, nudging his rider, B'ky giving him a sigh and a quiet, "Avi.." although the bluerider has to smile a little. Silly dragon. There's a nod to Karona, B'ky saying, "Hm, I was raised here at Fort. Most of my family are riders, so I suppose I've always been interested in the clutches on the sands." He smiles softly, "I was always fascinated by the eggs.. all their colors. I would always have a favorite one, in every clutch. I used to daydream of being a rider someday, although.. I'm not sure I truly believed it would happen," and there's a quiet sort of look for his dragon then. There's a quiet fondness in those pale grey eyes, though Avideth is too busy nosing the snow to notice, making a little mound, and then turning that big blue head toward Karona with another whuff, bits of snow sticking to his muzzle. "Mm?" B'ky tilts his head, glancing at Karona a moment, "He'd like to know what you think of them, the eggs that is."
Karona's father snorts, though he /is/ still hanging around. He came to visit his daughter, not ogle the eggs, no matter how much warmer it'd be in there. He's mostly keeping to himself, though he's eyeing the blue dragon a bit. Karona is paying more attention to the rider, seeing as he's the one she's talking with. "Ahhh. Well, my father, he's a harper." She nods at the older gentleman. "Master Karell." she adds. "Holdbred through and through." …on her father's side. "But… I don't know… /something/ about the galleries is cosy, familiar." Maybe just the warmth, maybe something more. Her mother did used to take her to see the eggs at Telgar, not that she remembers. "The eggs..? They're… eggs." she says, honestly, if a little lamely. "I mean, they don't really seem to /do/ anything before hatching, besides look pretty."
"Well met, Master Karell," B'ky inclines his head politely, although the bluerider is looking slightly distracted now, grey eyes flickering back to his dragon. Avideth rumbles quietly, though B'ky only murmurs a thoughtful, "Holdbred, hmm?" and a slight nod, "They are rather.. cozy I suppose," about the galleries. But he's giving Avi a curious look now, one eyebrow rising slightly, "Well, they are still hardening on the sands," and then he chuckles softly. "They are rather more remarkable once they harden and.." a blink anda glance back at Avideth, with a 'well why didn't you say so in the first place' kind of look. It's a very obvious look. B'ky really wouldn't have much of a poker face; he's terribly readable. Turning suddenly to Karona, the wingleader smiles somewhat, asking softly, "Would you like a closer look when they harden?" and he apparently feels he needs to justify the question, "Avideth.. thinks you may find them more interesting up close." There's definite amusement in his eyes now.
Karona's eyebrow shoots up at B'ky's question about seeing the eggs closer, when they're harder. It's certainly an intriguing proposition, and she eyes Avideth thoughtfully for a long moment. "He /does/, does he?" she asks, shaking her head and turning back to the wingleader. The terribly readable wingleader. "Well." Come clean time? "Only my /father's/ side is holdbred. My mother's side is from Telgar Weyr." Right. That has relevance to what, exactly? She's not really sure, but she felt it should be stated. /She's/ not holdbred, after all. But, back to that question. "I am intrigued by the details on a couple of them." And she'd pretended so well to not be paying any attention. "Seeing them up close might be … interesting." Yep.
Avideth whuffles at Karona. There's actually a small dip of his head at Karona's question. Of course he does! And he'll scoot a little closer to try to whuffle at her some more, though he'll be careful totry not to knock her over; it won't do to keep knocking people over. That's just terribly impolite. "He does," B"ky laughs quietly, giving Avideth a faint look, before he's then rummaging in a coat pocket with a mumbled, "One moment, Avi." Yep. "Telgar?" B'ky pauses momentarily, murmuring an absent, "My mother is currently posted there.. greenrider Vicky, Grinith's." Although he's not going to press Karona about who /her/ mother is, seeing as she's not bothered mentioning it at all until now, and it's probably none of his business anyway. "Mm, I can guarantee it will be interesting.. if you're willing to stand," and finally he pulls a white knot from a pocket, holding it out to her.
Karona nods slightly. "Telgar. My grandparents" on her mother's side, "still live up there. Brownrider and a bluerider." And an aunt, and numerous cousins. But not that mother she seems to prefer not to talk about? Evidently not. She eyes the knot, as though considering the offer, though she doesn't seem especially surprised, after those questions. Karell does, however, and he stares at it. "You too? Your brother's a weyrling, you know." he points out, voice carefully calm. It's up to her, yes. Karona smiles a little, and takes the knot, practically snatching it from the bluerider's hand. Well, she'd been considering it a while, he might've changed his mind? "Ah, yes. I think that'd make my grandparents very proud." Not her parents? Well, Karell seems a little uneasy around riders, actually. And she barely ever talks about her /mother/.
B'ky tilts his head, perhaps noting the continued lack of her mentioning her mother, though any curiosity on his part is politely hidden away, as he simply nods. He'll wait patiently, letting Karona decide; Avideth is a bit less patient, whuffling a bit more. When she does finally snatch the knot, the blue rumbles his approval, and then promptly settles back down, apparently satisfied now. B'ky just shakes his head at his dragon, and smiles somewhat to Karona, "I hope they will be," about her grandparents, although his grey eyes do flicker toward Karell a moment before he turns back to Avideth's straps. He chuckles softly, adding after a brief look at Avideth, "Avi would also like a promise from.. that you'll tell him which egg is your favorite." The bluerider seems somewhat bemused, though Avideth rumbles softly; it's a serious promise! Well, until the blue forgets he ever asked about it, anyway.
Karona's parents will both be proud too, /naturally/, though she might not be entirely aware of that fact herself. She blinks at Avideth's requested promise, and nods quickly. "I, yes, of course. I promise." And she'll keep that promise, whether the blue remembers or not. Confuse a dragon, why not! "Ah. Yes. Yes. The eggs. We were on our way to… see them…" she glances at B'ky and Avideth, and then to the knot in her hand. "Ah. Will there be anything else, sir?" Well, that's the snappiest sir she's delivered since she got here, though it still is a /tad/ on the casual side.
B'ky nods, telling Karona, "Move your things into the barracks as soon as possible," and he has to smile a little, "There's no alcohol, no sex, and no nudity outside the bathing cavers. Hmm.. and proper behavior is expected as a candidate," he muses, "You're representing the weyr, after all." Although he's not exactly being terribly formal himself. Now that Avideth's seemingly done pestering the passersby, B'ky gets back to adjusting those straps, although he does smile and say to Karona, "And good luck.. I hope to see you on the sands soon," touching eggs of course. B'ky will probably sneak into the galleries to watch, at least, and wax nostalgic about his first egg touching to anyone up there willing to listen. Avideth gives one last whuffle, before he rustles his wings. He wants to fly. Now. B'ky chuckles a quiet, "Alright," to the blue and nods once again to Karona, now willing to be on his way as well.
Karona nods a little at the rules. "So. Just like being an apprentice, then?" Well, minus representing the Weyr, perhaps. "I can do that, sure." Really, none of that is going to be a problem. She might even /relish/ the excuse not to drink, just privately. "I'll … see you around the Weyr. And, um. Thank Avideth for me?" she murmurs, looking up at the blue. "Um. Also. Is it okay if I still spend free time in Shenanigan's? I mean, without, drinking?" Though she might not have /quite/ as much free time any more.
B'ky chuckles, "I suppose so," about candidacy being like apprenticeship, although he honestly wouldn't know, having never joined a craft. "He says you're welcome," B'ky murmurs, smiling slightly at Avideth and nodding again to Karona, "You're free to spend time there.. just don't drink anything with alcohol." He does grimace just faintly there - alcohol, yeah. The bluerider finally seems satisfied with the blue's straps, giving Avideth's site a gentle pat before turning back to Karona, "I imagine it will be a great deal of work, but it is worth it." Avideth stretches his wings out, rumbling quietly, and B'ky chuckles, "Ah, we should be going," and he tilts his head politely to both Karona and her father.
Karona tips her head at B'ky, and hurries across the bowl towards her original destination, the toasty-warm hatching caverns. She'll move her stuff to the barracks later, right now, she has company, in the form of her father, visiting from the Harper Hall. "Well, wasn't that something? Got to see a search, great!" Karona's talking to her father, trying to perk up the man, who is looking a little quiet and overly thoughtful. "Come on, let's go warm u— uh, see the eggs." And then they're gone, slipping into the hatching cavern.
