Ilesyn's logs

08-07-01: Early Excursions

You amble westwards to the bright and cheerful lower caverns.

Living Cavern - Fort Weyr(#101RIJM)

This large cavern spans far into shadowy heights where little illumination ever reaches and to all sides, providing a communal room where residents and riders alike can congregate together for supping or companionship. Usually, there are open glow baskets providing much of the light within the great cavern, though some sections remain in dim darkness. Along the northern, sloping stone wall are several hearths delved from the rock where the preparation of food seems to take place throughout the day. Tables surround the hearths to mark off the area. Further along the wall are some smaller hearths. In one, a kettle always simmers over the fire, holding klah. At another, a kettle of porridge or stew is made available. Quite a number of chairs are situated near these smaller hearths in order to catch the best warmth during the cold season. Many tables, chairs and benches provide seating as well as places to eat, game, or to be put to whatever use they are needed. Stands of branching wood, looking much like many armed perches, have been placed around the cavern to provide rest for firelizards.

The exit into the bowl yawns toward the west, with other tunnels to the southeast and east leading deeper within the stony Weyr. Directly south is the infirmary while north is a small game room and northeast the stores.

Contents:

Carina

Obvious exits:

Bowl Hearths Stores Infirmary Game Room East Cavern Southeast Cavern

Carina looks up briefly from the various pots scattered on the table in front of her and smiles at Ilesyn.

Ilesyn takes the cavern with jumps rather than steps, emerging from the caverns beneath with an effervescent energy that follows in her beaming smile towards Carina; she changes her path in order to step towards the woman, grasping at a seat at the table. "Hello there. I'm Ilesyn. What is it that you're doing?"

Carina chuckles softly at the girls enthusiasm. "I'm working on a picture for the Weyrwoman." She holds out a strip made entirely of beads. The beads fit together like tiles to form the most of a picture of a Queen dragon perched on the ledge of her weyr.

"Oh!" Ilesyn leans forward to take a better look at the picture, noting, "I think that it is very pretty. Do you do beadwork like that very often? It must be a very--precise art. Does it take a lot of time?"

Carina says "Yes it does take some time but it's also very soothing." Carina's fingers continue to work, weaving bead after bead into the tapestry. "I guess I tend to do it all the time that I am free."

Thera ambles in from the southeastern cavern.

Thera has arrived.

Ilesyn gives an encouraging knot, adding, "You've had a lot of practice, then? How long have you been doing it? What prompted you to start?" The Healer apprentice adds, "I think it's very pretty. I supose it would be soothing; getting out energy, or rather, focusing it upon something."

Thera strides in slowly while her burnished gold eyes survey the room, smiling softly at its occupants while her pleasant contralto voice hums a slow song. She makes straight for the serving table to snatch the ever-needed steaming mug of klah before she searches for a place to sit.

Carinacan't help smiling down at her fingers, "People like what I do so I keep doing it. I thought once about apprenticing to the weavercraft but I don't think I would like to leave the Weyr."

Ilesyn raises her chestnut-haired head to offer a lopsided smile towards Thera, her legs swinging as her attention is placed once more upon Carina. "I'm an apprentice," she offers, "And I'm not at the Crafthall. Although," she admits, "I'm a Senior Apprentice, and I was at the hall for turns and turns. What other kind of things do you do with the beads? I mean, do you do just pictures, or also, er, cushion covers, and the like?"

Carina puts down her project for the moment to skritch the side of the little green's head, "Whatever people ask me to do really. I can also embroider beads onto clothes and such."

Thera returns the smile gently as she strides over to the group and sets the steaming mug onto the hard, wooden table before pulling out a chair. " Hello," she grins.

Matiaal ambles in from the gaming room.

Matiaal has arrived.

Thera turns toward Matiaal with a hearty wave. " Hello there! How are you this evening?"

Carina smiles back at Thera,her hand still busy with her Firelizards itch.

Matiaal pops in from the Game Room's entrance, grinning to himself. He walks over to the serving table and fixes himself a mug of Klah, whistling as he does so. Then he walks over to Thera's table with the others, grinning as he takes a drink. "I'm wonderful, I saw Maykara today. *wink* How are /you/ today, dear Thera?"

"Ah-hah," mumurs Ilesyn, as if responding to a patient revealing deep secrets. The young woman props herself up with her elbows, greeting those new arrivals with a blossoming, lopsided smile--"Evening, all!"

Skyle appears suddenly from *between*.

Skyle has arrived.

Skyle chitters as he pops from *between*, taking a perch on the table of Thera and Matiaal.

Skyle bobs his head in greetings to Thera and croons

Thera chuckles heartily. " I see, so then I dare not ask anything that has put you in that wonderful mood." She winks. " Oh, I'm just fine myself, thanks." Her golden eyes glitter as they watch the firelizard. "

Thera says, " Why hello to you to!" Her long, pale finger reaches out to scratch his eyeridges gently.

Valor pops from *between* with a rush of frigid air about his sulfuric-toned wings as the brown firelizard perches nearby.

Valor has arrived.

Matiaal lifts a brow at his firelizard's mood, but grins, "Oh, Thera, it's not what you think! So what are you doing now, eh?" =P

Skyle croons softly and happily at Thera's scratching..

Valor perches in his owner's small shoulder and digs his claws into the velvet of her tunic. His irritable scolding demands scratching that soon has both her hands occupied, each one scratching a different firelizard. " Oh isn't it, Matiaal?" Her soft voice chimes as she grins at you, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of curiousity and mischeviousness. " Ah, I'm just sitting on my rear drinking klah, as you can see."

Ilesyn tilts her head slightly to the left, as if craning to listen to Thera and Matiaal, without even so much as attempting to hide the fact.

Matiaal chuckles, "Yes indeed. I am as well. I take pleasure drinking klah, it's like a drug to me..." O.o Then he looks at Ilesyn, "Hello there, I'm Matiaal, Apprentice woodscrafter at Fort hailing from Cardiff Hold."

Thera turns to the other occupants, feeling rude for slightly ignoring them all this time. " Hello, my name's Thera, and I'm semi-apprenticed to the Herder

Craft here at Fort. Who might the two of you be, if I can have the honor of getting your names?"

Skyle chitters at Valor, seeming to say Iwasherefirst! to him.

"Hello!" responds the Apprentice Healer, Ilesyn, with a bright grin. "Senior Apprentice Mindhealer. Ilesyn. Originally--well, a trader. Well met, to the both of you."

Matiaal smiles and nods to Ilesyn, "Indeed."

Carina says "I'm Carina, I live her at the Weyr.""

Matiaal tilts a head at Carina, "Haven't I met you before..?"

Thera nods politely at both, " It's nice to meet you both, Carina and Ilesyn." She blinks at Ilesyn. " A mindhealer? Oh no, too many people tell me I need one of those," she jokes with a wink of one golden eye.

Thera blinks at Carina, suddenly. " Yes, I think I've met you before as well." She smiles.

Carina grins at Matiaal, "We were both at the last Firelizard hatching."

Thera scoffs quietly to herself. She missed it.

Ilesyn returns Thera's wink, offering, "I'm happy to assist; listening is free, and I'm awful good at it." Her blue eyes are earnest, although her face expresses cheerful nonchalance. "What's it like being a herder? I imagine that you would smell a lot, if you were around the runners all the time--firelizard hatching?" her attention is caught, if only for a wrinkle of her nose. "Nasty little things, really."

Matiaal snaps his finger, "Ah yes! That's where I remember you... Well met!" A grin shows up on his face as his /bright/ blue eyes /sparkles/!

Skylechitters angrily at Ilesyn for that comment and flies up to the rafters.

Carina looks at There, "I'm not sure, but I'm usually around the Weyr." As she speaks she picks up the strip of of bead tapestry ans starts to work on it again. The picture od a Queen dragon perched on the ledge of her weyr takes shape more and more clearly under her fingers.

Thera grins at Ilesyn. " Ah, people say I just have my quirks...a /lot/ of them But I'm just fine. Isn't that /right/ Matiaal?" She grins at her friend innocently.

Carina shrugs as Morrigan takes flight from her shoulder.

Morrigan glides westwards to the bowl floor outside.

Morrigan has left.

Thera nos, " Not firelizards. They're adorable, at least I think so. I'm in love with the little things."

Matiaal hmms to himself and takes yet another drink from the mug of klah. He grins at Thera, "Indeed, that is most definitely correct! You're just fine, Thera..." A wink is given as well as a chuckle.

"Quirks?" Ilesyn considers this semi-seriously, "I'm not sure--" trailing off with a wink, she continues to explain, "Firelizards become an emotional crutch. You can depend upon their company, rather than real company, with people. It's a necessary part of life."

Morrigan glides in from the northeastern bowl outside.

Morrigan has left.

Carina smiles as Morrigan flies over and lands on her shoulder.

Thera smiles, " Oh, being a Herder's fine, but no, you don't stink." She chuckles. " I'll always get in a shower after work if I've gotten that close to my charges." The young woman nods. " True, but some people prefer the company of animals to people. This one prefers to company of green flits far too much to be something near that to me."

Carina gasps and the beadwork falls from her hand onto the floor. Totally ignoring it she hurridly gets up from the table and leaves the cavern almost at a run.

Carina walks off westwards to the bowl floor outside.

Carina has left.

Thera blinks at Carina, " I wonder what going into her." The herder carefully plucks the beadwork from the floor as so it will not get stepped on.

Thera urks, she meant going on with.

Matiaal blinks and gives a small frown as Carina suddenly runs away.

Carina's passage from the Caverns earns a great deal of interest from Ilesyn; "That is something I'll have to go into," she murmurs to herself as she leans down to pick up the beadwork, resting it upon the table. She allows a brief smile towards Thera, "Ah, I see. It isn't, however, *healthy* to prefer the company of animals to people. Not at all. I hope you're not one of them?"

Matiaal looks at Thera, "Well, it seems that one might need some mindhealing." A glance goes to Ilesyn, a strange look on his face.

Thera shakes her head at Matiaal, " I don't know." Then, she looks up at Ilesyn and shrugs. " Not nessicarily. Sometimes it is nice to talk to someone to can do nothing but listen," she grins. " And people can call me insane for talking to my runner if they want."

Thera adds, " But I do enjoy the company of other humans, don't get me wrong."

Valor glides westwards to the bowl floor outside.

Valor has left.

Ilesyn crosses her hands in her lap, evidently at odds with exactly what she should say, although her expression indicates she's probably in agreement with anyone who would call Thera insane. "Oh. Of course."

Matiaal blinks at his firelizard and says, "Well, I must go... Skyle appears to be pestering me about something and I have to go check it out. I'll see you later, Thera." He grins at Thera as he grasps her hand and squeezes it gently, bending down whispering into her ear, "Don't worry about it... You're one of a kind." Then he stands back up and gives her a wink.

Thera chuckles, her eyes gleaming at Matiaal. " Yup, that's why you're running away," she winks. " Thanks though. I'll see you later."

Valor pops from *between* with a rush of frigid air about his sulfuric-toned wings as the brown firelizard perches nearby.

Matiaal chuckles and nods, "See you later, Ilsyen." Then he walks away with Skyle on his shoulder.

Matiaal walks off eastwards to the eastern part of the lower caverns.

Matiaal has left.

Ilesyn raises a hand after Matiaal, issuing, "Bye! Nice to meet you! I'm sure you're not insane!"

Thera chuckles. " Don't worry, my eccentricity will rub off on him soon enough."

Ilesyn allows a smile upon her face. "Oh, that's...nice." Less than sure about it, the Mindhealer persues, "Why are you only an unoffical beastcrafter--as I believe you said?--rather than a real one?"

Thera blinks at Carina as she's apparently indecisive about where to do. " Well, I haven't begun lessons yet, that's why."

"That would explain it," agrees Ilesyn, pursing her lips as she regards Thera with some thought. "How long have you been unoffically so?"

Thera thinks, her golden eyes rolling back slightly as though she could see the thoughts in her mind. " Ah....since I came to Fort a few months ago."

Ilesyn gives a short nod, smiling. "And where did you come from; I don't remember if you said or not." If her brow furrows slightly, it's only due to her memory's lack of perfection.

Thera smiles, " No, I haven't spoken of it yet, but I moved from High Reaches."

Ilesyn leans forward within her seat, commenting, "Then even Fort's late autumn would feel warm to your sensitivity? It must make for an interesting change; I'm of the opinion that temperature is a factor in the nature of the mind."

Thera nods. " Oh! Too true. You can notice that people are a lot happier during the summer months once winter lethargy has passed. Some sort of imbalance I'd say."

Ilesyn agrees with the rapid bobbing of her head, explaining, "And changing a person's climate will ensure that they have a personality imbalance, which ensures that they will find solace in performing strange activities."

Thera laughs softly. " I'm under watch am I now, Healer," she jokes. " Not nessicarily the case with me. I've always been a tad odd compared to most. But, I'm happy so who cares? That's my out look on life, my dear mindhealer, if it makes you happy and harms no one, so as you like."

Ilesyn gives her shoulders a rueful shrug, noting, "I've not observed you long enough to say whether it is the climatical imbalance that causes this phenomenon of yours. I'll get back to you."

Thera chuckles softly as she takes a sip of klah. " Well, that would be rather impossible for you to do, though the concern is greatly appreciated, since you'd have to have seen me in High Reaches and here to make a conclusion. I'm just what you would call eccentric, not over the edge," she smiles.

"Point taken," agrees Ilesyn with a deep sigh. "Unfortunately, that is the problem with my theory. I cannot credit it, until I've several cases to cite as examples, and unless I can travel, that is fairly difficult. I'll submit to your explanation, I suppose."

Thera grins, " Well, there is only one way to travel that far, but it's a crippling wish I suppose."

Ilesyn raises one brow, asking, "Why would you say 'crippling'? I don't think I would see it as such."

Thera smiles, " Well, that depends on if we're on the same note since I was thinking Search. It can be crippling."

"Oh," responds Ilesyn, her word taking on a layered tone as she leans more forward than ever. "That would make a difference, indeed; do you think of search often? And why is search crippling?"

Thera smiles. " Oh I do! I'm obsessed with dragons. But then, everyone has their dream. Whether it be for someone like you," She nods toward Ilesyn, " to be that great mindhealer who write and proves wonderous theories, or to be someone like me to want to become a dragonrider. It's just crippling because if all the applicable people in this Weyr, it makes you feel like some small insect who is more likely to be crushed than amount to anything. Well," she pauses, " that came out wrong, all of our lives are significant, but you can see what I mean, can't you?"

Thera grins softly as she takes another sip of her klah. " But maybe I'm just a pessimist. After all, they have to select a few of those insects from the

swarm, and I might be that lucky bug." She chuckles softly at the silliness of her comments.

Ilesyn listens with obvious interest, her expression becoming more and more serious as Thera continues to speak. "Indeed," she comments, adding, "Although with so few searched, it does seem to be a grasping at nothing exercise. Large goals are all very well, but are not always entirely healthy."

Carina ambles in from the northeastern bowl outside.

Carina has arrived.

Carina walks in with a dreamy smile on her face. She goes over to her dropped beadwork and starts to pick it up.

Thera chuckles. " Yes, but I like to be planned in that way. Have the future as laid-out as I can make it, and I'd much rather be fighting Thread than chasing runners all day, you know? But one must take what one can get, and I get along with animals very well."

Thera smiles knowingly at Carina, " A'mus."

Carina hums softly as she gathers up the tapestry. She looks up at Thera, "Does everybody know?"

Thera chuckles, " No, I guessed."

Ilesyn gives a nod, her head cocked to the side with an expression of deep thought fleshed out within her visage. "A'mus?" she questions, towards Carina and Thera.

Carina flushes from her neck all the way up to her hairline.

Carina says "Someone I haven't seen in quite a while." she explains to Ilesyn."

Carina starts putting the corks on the tiny pottery jars and stacks them all into her basket, "I think it's about time for me to go to bed. G'night."

Thera grins at Carina, " Good night, and pleasant dreams to you, but I'm sure A'mus has invoked that on his own," she winks.

Ilesyn raises her eyebrows further, but comments only, "Sleep well, Carina. If you dream strangely, do tell me? Dreams are another area that I am particularly interested in."

Carina says "Sorry Ilesyn, but my dreams are one of the few things I can truly call my own. Ecspecially if theyt happen to be about A'mus."

Ilesyn wrinkles her nose with disappointment, but shrugs, "As you wish."

Carina says "Good evening." Carina smiles at the two women and then heads out of the cavern."

Carina walks off eastwards to the eastern part of the lower caverns.

Carina has left.

Thera chuckles at Ilesyn. " I don't think you'd want the details of her dreams of A'mus anyway. They might be a bit....graphic, shall I put it?"

Ilesyn's expression is bland, and she comments, "Actually, from a purely professional perspective, such dreams are perhaps the most telling of all. There have been a great many Mindhealers who emphasise the place of sexual-related activities in the mind. The details are only important in that aspect; I'm no voyeur."

Thera nods. " I find dreams interesting. A lot of mine tend to come true."

Ilesyn straightens her posture, questioning, "Really? How so? Give details?"

Thera chuckles softly. " Most of them like that are short and blunt, for example, one time a young man came up to me and told me to ask a good female friend of mine if one of her friends was transferring out. Well, I did and she said no, but a few sevendays later, another of her friends did transfer to Ista. Then, another was was about me finding fifty marks in half-marks in my dresser drawer, and the next day, via-firelizard, fifty marks in half-marks arrived at our weyr, and several other such things have popped up."

"'Weyr'," queries Ilesyn, asking, "Your family includes riders, then?" Her brow furrows, as she admits, "Two interesting cases, indeed. Fifty marks is an awful lot of money." More than Ilesyn has ever seen, or is likely to see, within her lifetime.

Thera nods, " Oh yes! My family is almost completely made of riders. And my uncle is in his later years, with not much more use for marks than to brighten the faces of his younger relatives it would seem by his generosity."

Ilesyn nods her chestnut-hued head, indicating her understanding, "Ah-hah. Your uncle is, indeed, very generous."

Thera chuckles softly and nods, " Yes he is." She grins again and takes a sip of her sweet, dwindling klah. " ou'll have to forgive me for my incessant blabbing tonight."

Ilesyn hesitates, then manages a short smile. "Oh, I understand. Some people are predisposed to such babbling."

Thera chuckles. " I think it's like you said." She grins and takes another sip of klah. " We all need human company, and I think I've just needed a good chat and a few things off the old chest."

Ilesyn is possibly not the best personal to chat with, what with her tendancy to analyse everything, but..."Oh, talking is always a necessity. A good listener is important."

Thera nods," Very. And I must say you do an excellent job of it."

Ilesyn straightens her posture, ever smiling as she comments, "Thank you. It's my job, of course. To listen, and provoke questions." And make judgements, but that's more or less repressable at this stage.

Ilesyn, at length, stands, remarking, "My studies," or rather, her journal of the day's events--Ilesyn the spy? "call. Good evening."

Posted by Louise at January 29, 2003 01:37 AM