Western Weyr - Roof Garden
This roof garden is being planted with medicinal herbs. Even in its current, unfinished state, patients are often brought up here to get some fresh air and sun.
Morning chores have begun and candidates are busy at work, each one doing one task or another. Kiley is among those who are weeding the gardens, a rather droll task as it is much of the same. Digging out the weed, making sure the roots are out with it and then putting it into a pile to be taken care of. There's a yawn that slips past the computer crafter's lips, more for the task than being tired, as her head tilts to listen to some of the other conversations rather than joining in right away. A few candidates in particular seem enthralled in some debate or another as they weed and the woman eventually pauses in her task to listen.
Even in Western's climate, morning hasn't gotten uncomfortably hot just yet. Velrich himself doesn't look terribly inconvenienced by it, at least not yet. Still, there's already a bit of sweat beginning to stain his tunic and hairline, as he remains crouched on the ground. While Kiley and others might be weeding, he's gotten the job of harvesting, carefully making sure not to damage anything as he roots out what needs to be collected. There's a quick glance up toward the debating candidates, brows lifting just slightly before getting back to work. Not his business. Not yet, anyway.
Zi'on is pretty sure all chores are droll tasks. Lots of repetitive, mind-numbing work really. It's not really a big secret that Zi'on has an assortment of plants up here that he's planted and has been tending to. Though having candidates around to weed them and such has been nice. And today he just happens to be coming up to check on them while said candidates are up tending to them. He spots at least one face he recognizes. "Hey Kiley. You living up here now?" Considering the last couple of times he's bumped into her it's been up around here. One could ask him the same, though.
Kiley peeks over at Velrich, offering a smile and the slightest of shrugs for the other. The debate? Tubers and which way is the best to eat them. "How are you doing?" She offers out towards the other candidate with the slightest of laughs slipping out. And Zi'on's greeting is soon drawing her attention over that way and she beams a bright smile towards her friend. "Hello Zi'on." Pause, thoughtful, brows furrowing with consideration before she answers. "I may be." It's a joke! Kind've. It took her a bit to think about that.
Really, the argument itself is given a bit of an eyeroll from Velrich, but he does sit back on his heels. One arm reaches to wipe his forehead, but there's a small shrug given. "Well enough. Doing this sort of work is..at least preferable to other things." He does glance up at Zi'on's arrival thoough, nodding just a bit with a curious glance at Kiley for her…joking?"If you need to bring a pillow and blanket from the barracks, by all means.."
Zi'on tries to avoid getting sucked into the debate. He's got his own feelings about tubers and how one should eat them, but arguing over opinions is generally fruitless. The bronzer heads over to check his plants. Hey, Kiley got a joke! Hooray! He chuckles. "I hope you found a nice spot to sleep on. Crawler-free. Might be better than the barracks anyways. Quieter." There's a nod to the candidate that Kiley is talking with. "Hey." The bronzer picks one of the flowers that's in bloom, sniffing at it.
Kiley is certainly avoiding getting in the debate, but after a few moments it dies out for another subject. And attention shifts to focus upon Velrich, "it is. What are you more disagreeable towards?" She questions with a slight tilt of her head. There's a shake of her head, "no. I don't think I will need that." She laughs softly and then turns to Zion as he chuckles, beaming a brighter smile. "I like crawlers. And it probably would be quieter. The tree house would likely be the best place to escape, but Jey would get mad at me for scolding her for sleeping up there if I were to do the same." A glance between the two, "Zi'on, this is Velrich. And Velrich, this is Zi'on." Basic introductions.
Velrich sniffs faintly..and finally just drops back to sit. He could use a break, anyway. "Babies..laundry..cleaning.. It's.." There's a pause then, and a somewhat suspicious look leveled at Kiley. No, he'll not say what he perhaps /means/ to. "Not for me." The mention of crawlers has him shaking his head though, and he shifts aside the container of collected herbs. "You might not like them when one crawls into your ear.." And eats /brains/. Introductions however earn a slight nod from the candidate, looking again at Zi'on. "Hello."
Zi'on peers at the computer crafter. "Well, you're weird." For liking crawlers. And for liking computers and all the other strange things that Kiley likes/does. "I think you'd probably get into trouble for sleeping someplace outside the barracks. I dunno if that's an official rule or not, though. They just like to herd you all together to keep an eye on you. Especially at night." That's when the CUDDLING could occur. There's a grin to Velrich. "Knowing her, she probably -would- like a crawler in her ear." Perhaps not a brain-eating one though. "Suldith's rider. Good to meet you."
Kiley chuckles softly, "what we had spoken with Keelyra about the other day, then." She muses, "the work being for women. Yes, but, we have to do our part or you can simply switch with someone who is doing something you would prefer to do, as long as the work gets done." Shoulders shrug, not particularly angry towards the man for his thoughts. "Stan has never crawled into my ear and he stays in my room constantly." The computer crafter peers right back at the bronzerider. "I am not, I simply like anything that eats other bugs and keeps them away from me. Crawlers are cute, at least." There's a slight incline of her head for the next, "at Xanadu we weren't allowed to sleep out of the barracks because we would get in trouble for it. I am not going to break the rules, though." Her nose wrinkles at his final statement and she mumbles, "do not. I'll have Stan crawl into your ear for that." Not that the crawler really takes commands, though.
Velrich doesn't look at all guilty about Kiley figuring out his..motives. He just shrugs a little, rubbing dirtied hands against each other to try and remove the excess soil. "I don't find them unbearable, just..without preference. I'll do what I'm supposed to." Unless it's infirmary duty. In which case he might find someone to trade with. The place smells funny! Though, after a moment or two, he stares rather flatly at Kiley. "…Stan." Zi'on is then receiving a slow look from the candidate, brows raising at him. "…Sounds like she would. And..yes. Good to meet another person." At least he's getting used to having new people around him constantly.
"There ain't really a lot of manly chores," Zi'on admits. At least that was how he felt. Even doing paperwork for the weyrwoman felt less than manly. "Usually it's easy to switch. There's someone else who hates what they're doing, too." He peers at Kiley and wrinkles his nose about 'Stan'. "He a replacement for Nik?" Zi'on laughs a bit, teasing her. "I thought you left in in Xanadu anyways? Or did you have someone go pick him up for you?" Though the bronzer feels weird talking about a crawler like it was a firelizard or something. There's a nod to Velrich. "Anyways, yeah. I don't think they want you sleeping outside the barracks. If only for the fact that if the eggs start to wobble at night they don't want to have to search the weyr in the dark."
Kiley nods in understanding, "that's a good way to go about it. Doing the task though you aren't entirely favoring it against others." She looks to Velrich and nods rather plainly, "yes." Not at all concerned, she returns to weeding with the slightest smile upon her lips. "I would not like having them in my ear, that is just odd." Her attention shifts to Zi'on, the next weed pulled out and then her gaze coming to rest upon him with her brow lifting. "I had Stan far before Nik," she reminds with a slight laugh. "I had someone pick him up for me. He's a resilient little guy. I won't offer to introduce you to him, though, I know you don't like crawlers." And she's actually teasing back! Be afraid. "That makes sense, though I suppose it is more of your own fault if they can't find you." The gardens in the morning is active with candidates, weeding, harvesting and other such tasks. Velrich is taking a break from his harvesting while Kiley is back and forth between weeding and Zi'on is near the two, and they are currently engaged in conversation.
"I've..noticed that." Candidacy is a conspiracy against manliness! That's what it is! Velrich tilts his head as another name comes into play, 'Nik' not being familiar to him either. He shakes his head though, finally moving back onto his knees to get back to work. "Reasonable enough, though i'm surprised more don't try it, with the amount of snoring I've heard. Comfortable places seem..more out of the way than the uncomfortable ones." After all, they could just go sleep in the hall…but who wants to sleep on the floor?
Draval is a small and awkward presence in te gardens, smelling a flower here, pulling a weed there. Conversation swirls around him, and he bends his ear to catch snippets, looking about him with interest. Kiley's conversation, however, seems the most interesting for the moment, and he manages to eel himself closer, all the better to eavesdrop.
Zi'on laughs at Kiley. "No? What if it feels good, to have them in your ear?" Zi'on can't imagine it, but now he's just patronizing the computer crafter. There's a big of a cackle as Kiley admits to having Stan before Nik. "Kinky. Or something. How long do crawlers live, anyways? That's probably a good idea. I don't like crawlers. I'd try to squish him." He nods about the candidate sleeping arrangements. "Plus it's to build up solidarity or whatever amongst the group." Well, candidacy was all about fertility and gold dragons and weyrwomen and motherhood and eggs. It's a small wonder why it was anti-manliness." Zi'on isn't helping the candidates at all. He's checked on his plants and maybe watered them, but now he's just hanging out, twirling a flower between his fingers.
"The snoring is rather hard to ignore, especially after having my own room for so long." The computer crafter wrinkles her nose and nods in agreement, "perhaps that is why. If we all made our way out because of the snoring and were all sleeping in different, comfortable, but close places, it would be harder to round us all up when the Hatching did come around." Kiley nods an agreement with Velrich before movement is drawing her attention, movement of a certain candidate making his way closer. A smile is given to Draval and a hand lifts in greeting. Though it drops so she can give Zi''on a look that reads quite scandalized. "Ew. I don't think having anything in my ear feels good, most certainly not a crawler." Nose wrinkle. Eyes roll after a moment and she sighs. "They live quite awhile, it seems. Stan has been around for awhile, maybe because he's kept safe from things that would like to kill him… Like certain bronzeriders."
In need of fresh air, sunshine and the desperation to get off the sands for a while, Enka has taken up shepherding a few of the newer arrived candidates up to the gardens to inspect them. "All right," the weyrwoman is saying to a trio, "you're welcome to come up here when things are gettin' too crazy for you to stand. A little peace and quiet never hurt anybody." Except of course, when the gardens really aren't that deserted to begin with. The goldrider does pause, to sniff at a flower before flapping her hands in a shooing motion at the candidates. "Off you go now, explore the maze or somethin'." And then she catches sight of the current occupants of the garden, and lifts a hand, waving. "Hullo there," She'll even wander a little closer — two of the candidates peeling off to go explore the suggested maze, and the third trailing along behind the weyrwoman.
Velrich blinks as a few people go scampering off into the maze. There's just a bit of a suspicious look given. Oh yes, /he's/ gotten lost in there already. Poor..poor new candidates…off to their doom. Zi'on and Kiley get an odd sideways look though. "..I would hope not.. Sticking things in your ear could probably..hurt something." Like /his/ brain. There's a bit of a sigh however, gaze flicking to the creeping Draval and the arriving Enka, nodding faintly at the Weyrwoman while dumping a few herbs into his basket. "Hello."
Draval gives Kiley a wave in greetin, brows arching curiously as the conversation becomes clear: crawlers as pets? "Huh. Never thought of them as /pets/." Idly, he scrubs at his hair, leaving streaks of dirt intermingled in the shaggy mess. As people disappear into the maze, he crouches down amid the little grouping working in the garden. "Puttin' 'em in the ear is.. a little strange, dontcha think?" he asks Velrich and Kiley, now eaten alive with curiosity. "Who would suggest you do something like that?"
Zi'on nods to Kiley. "Snoring is bad. But sleeping through the hatching would be worse I guess. Better to weed out the snorers and make them all sleep in the same corner or something." The bronzer laughs at Kiley. "How do you know whoever was 'looking after him' at Xanadu didn't switch him out with another? They all look the same, more or less." There's quite a crowd up in the gardens. Apparently it's become a popular hang out! The bronzer waves to the approaching weyrwoman. "Hey, Enka." The bronzer heads over to the weyrwoman and presents her with the flower he's picked. "Velrich said he doesn't want them crawling in there. I said Kiley likes it." He explains to Draval.
Kiley glances over towards Enka's direction at the sound of her speaking, curious and watching. Her gaze follows the two who make their way off to the maze before settling on the one that lingers behind and then eventually coming to settle upon Enka, herself. A bright smile is given and she inclines her head in a sort of greeting. "Heya Enka." There's a little laugh at Velrich and she nods, "it would certainly hurt something." She agrees while attention is drawn back to Draval and she smiles. "I have one as a pet. But, I don't think I'd put one in anyone's ear." Nose wrinkle. "I wouldn't put all the snoring people in one corner, that would just make it be even louder. Spreading them out would lessen the sound, I imagine." There's a look she gives the bronzerider and she coughs softly, "I have ways to tell." Hopefully, Stan doesn't have a little jacket or something to tell him apart from any others or something to that effect. A soft chuckle slips from her lips as Zi'on goes to explain the whole crawler in the ear thing to Draval and she returns to pulling out weeds.
Enka would never ever think about having crawlers as pets. Fortunately, she's not even part of that conversation, so there's little need for her to remark on it With some candidates scampering off to what could likely be their doom — and wasn't Enka just awful to suggest it? — she accepts the flower that Zi'on's presented her, and tucks it behind an ear. See, she's tropical gal now. "Thanks, darlin'." the bronzer'll get a kiss for it. Scandal! Except everyone knows they're together already, so who cares. "Just came up for a bit of a breather," she remarks, "but Mir says the eggs are gettin' hard enough to touch, so if anyone wants to round up any candidates." she's giving several of them a teasing look, "we can all troop down there to meet them." But there's no hurry, none at all.
Velrich makes a slight face. No, it's best not to think further on the whole..crawlers in the ears scenario. It could promote nightmares. Kiley though is given another rather suspicious look for her..'ways', before he finally does stand up. There might even be a bit of a pop from his knees, legs kept bent quite long enough during his chore. There's a bit of leaning though, rubbing the poor abused limbs before his attention shifts quickly in Enka's direction at the mention of touching..eggs.
Draval blinks. Oh, hai, Weyrwomn. Didn't see her there, looking all — Weyrwoman-y. "Hello." he greets her cautiously, and contrives to look innocent. "Oooh, those snorers. They about broke my ear last night — so /loud!/" He rubs at an ear as though he can still hear an echo. Beuller? BEULLER? "Oh! I want to touch." With his grubby little /hands./
Zi'on peers at Kiley. "How would it make it louder? Ain't like they're talkin' over each other in their sleep. Hopefully the loudest snorer would drown all the other ones out. So it'd be like there's only one, or something." One could always ear earplugs, too. But then you might not hear someone calling to you. The bronzer gives Kiley an incredulous look when she says she can tell Stan apart from the other crawlers. The bronzer bends down so Enka can easily kiss him. He slides behind her and drapes his arms around her neck. "Ooh, really? Already? Seems like yesterday she was just layin' them. I can help with the roundup." Though the bronzer isn't likely to step onto the sands.
Kiley is certainly honing in on the talk of eggs, blinking at the weyrwoman. "That would be wonderful. I've been looking forward to meeting them." Glee. The final weed in her area is plucked out in a not so gentle manner. Not that it matters, being that it is a weed and all. It is tossed carefully aside. If she notices any further looks from Velrich, she certainly makes no indication of it. Instead, she's looking towards Draval and offering a sympathetic smile. "Well," she looks to Zi'on, "that's a good point. Maybe we should round them all into a corner." She simply beams a smile for his look and then pushes up to her feet and peels the gloves from her hand.
And likewise, the conversation of snoring candidates just goes completely over the weyrwoman's head. That's what happens when you walk into the middle of a conversation. She shakes her head a bit, and then relaxes, leaning back against the solid presence of Zi'on behind her. "Mmhmm," she nods. "Time seems to be movin' along fast, but they'red plenty hard, I checked them myself and I've had a good word with Mir." The goldrider also has a plan to keep the queen distracted while the candidates visit the sands. Draval gets a bit of a chuckle, then goldrider look at the candidate boy with a smile. "Then you'll get the chance, I'd say." A nod is also given to Kiley. "I'm sure they're wantin' to meet the candidates as much as the candidates want to meet the eggs," she replies to the computer crafter before nibbling thoughtfully at her lower lip. "Well," she admits, "we don't want too many people on the sands, so let's go with who's here, and we can round up a few additions if we need to." Shetilts her chin up to give the bronzer behind her another quick little kiss, and starts to move away from him. "Everyone who wants to come, meet me down at the entryway to the sands."
Velrich brushes himself off just a little bit, although really. There's no getting rid of the grime that's accumulated along with digging around in the ground. Still, he does seem just a bit..bothered by that fact, taking a quick look around. "Are we supposed to be..presentable for this?" It's a first for him, after all! The last thing he needs is to be eaten for touching eggs with dirty fingers. At least his clothes are still relatively clean, except for the dirt on his knees…and the sweat nicely leaking through his top.
Zi'on laughs a bit to Kiley. "It might make them feel like outcasts though. Being stuck to sleep in a corner because they snore. What if you're one of the snorers?" Something like that probably wouldn't bother the bronzer, but there are more sensitive types. He nods to Enka. "Well, must be good then. I would think Mir knows when they're good." The overprotective queen should by this point. And she was unlikely to want candidates on the sands prior to the eggs being ready. Zi'on leans down for another kiss before Enka moves away from him. "I'll pick up the stragglers," he offers. Just in case there were candidates that lagged behind, or the like.
"I hope so," Kiley notes towards Enka, "I wonder if we are disturbing them or if they like when people touch." The computer crafter smiles and then nods to the weyrwoman for her statement, a curious glance towards Velrich and there's a shrug of her shoulders. A quick glance towards Enka in search for the answer before her gaze is settling on Zi'on. Cheeks color and she murmurs, "you're the one who suggested it. I wouldn't really round them into a corner." Flustered, she stares at the man before she's shuffling after Enka to head to the sands.
"I honestly couldn't answer," Enka admits, looking back over her shoulder at Kiley. "It seems to me that the eggs like havin' people touch 'em, because if they didn't, maybe none of them would ever hatch, and bein' as Mir did, I can safely say that she liked gettin' her egg handled." the goldrider does shrug, pausing when Velrich addresses her, and she gives him a once over. "Presentable?" Depends on the meaning of the word, doesn't it? "I doubt you'd want to go and get dressed up in the best things you've got hangin' in your closet or somethin'," she remarks dryly, "but if you can take the time to wash your hands anyway. You're likely to sweat down there anyway, so no point in ruinin' two outfits when that one will do." Zi'on gets a brilliant smile from the weyrwoman. "Knew I could count on you." She counts on him for a lot of things, it seems.
Velrich probably will rinse his hands, at least. Leaving handprints on the eggs just seems like bad manners! Or..something. There's a nod though, and an uncomfortable bit of scratching at the back of his neck, though he leaves his things where they are for the time being. Someone else will continue where he left off! Or..they'll just be right there when he comes back. "Alright then."
Draval has been quietly listening in the background, and when the candidates prepare to go and touch the eggs, he tidies himself to go with, looking slightly apprehensive, yet eager.
Zi'on shrugs. "I'm sure it depends on the egg. And on the person. And on the time of the day, the way the winds are blowing, how hot the sands are… you know. The usual things. I wouldn't think most of them mind though." He grins to Kiley. "Snorers have feelings, too, you know." Was Zi'on secretly a snorer? He'd have to ask Enka. He chuckles at Enka. "I like havin' my eggs handled, too." It might earn him a smack, but hey! He leaves the discussion about being presentable to the eggs to Enka. Not really his area of expertise. He grins to Enka. "Yes ma'am, you certainly can." He's teasing her now, but he really will help to round up the stragglers.
Kiley nods thoughtfully to Enka, "I see. That is a good point that they'd probably never hatch. Maybe they wouldn't even respond if they didn't want to be touched." Thoughtful, she follows still, lingering in her thoughts until Zi'on pulls her from them briefly. "I never said they didn't have feelings." Her nose wrinkles at him before attention turns forward again, humming in attempts to drown out the perverted comments from behind her.
That really is a good question. /Was/ Zi'on a snorer? The goldrider might be a sound enough sleeper that she hasn't noticed, because the bronzer hasn't been kicked or anything in the middle of the night for making noise. She does shoot him a rather amused look over her shoulder at his commentary, but she's too far away to smack him as a result. "I'm sure you do," she grins cheekily. Yeah, no need for humming or anything here with the weyrwoman. She's not shy about certain things in the very least. Although in the presence of candidates, well, any further ribaldry would have to wait. She's already heading for the stairs.