February 14, 2004
Jorli assists R'hyn in finding Rhyena a new bed.

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You head through the narrow tunnel and into the bustling living caverns.

Jorli sits at an out of the way table, a plate with the last remains of her dinner sits to one side while in front of her cards are laid out in the classic pattern of a solitare game.

R'hyn, entering the caverns at a purposeful pace, appears to be looking for someone. He scans the room a couple of times, walking around the perimeter, then turns to walk the other way. On this second circuit, his gaze catches on Jorli, and he hurriedly approaches. "Er, excuse me? I know I met you, but I've forgotten your name. Er, do you know where Ismaye is tonight?" He clutches his hands together, embarrassed.

Jorli looks up from her game at R'hyn's question. "Jorli," she supplies her name, "and you're R'hyn, right?" She clearly considers the question about Ismaye for a minute then shakes her head regretfully. "I haven't seen her since this afternoon, and I'm afraid I don't know what she had planned for this evening. Sorry."

"Yeah, that's me," admits R'hyn, shyly. "Sorry, I'm hopeless with names. Embarrassing. Really embarrassing. Er," he hesitates again, glancing down at the game, then back up at Jorli hopefully. "Well, maybe you could help me instead? I mean - it's no hurry, but it'd be nice. I wonder where Ismaye is - she's not in her office, or anything, and she almost never goes anywhere."

Jorli smiles. "It's not an uncommon trait." The thing about being hopeless with names that is. She nods, "I can certainly try, and if I can't maybe I can help you find Ismaye."

R'hyn, with pink cheeks, grins a little uncertainly. "Well, you have access to the furniture storerooms, don't you? I-- my little girl is outgrowing the little crib I have, for when I get time with her. I wanted to see if there was something bigger available. I really do appreciate the help - I mean, it being evening, you probably just want to play your cards, and all."

Jorli smiles brightly, looking almost relieved that it's something she can help with. "That I can help you with." She waves her hand in dimissal of the cards. "I was about to lose this game anyway." She flips over the last draw and shows an unplayable card, "See?" She pulls the cards back into a pile and sets them neatly next to her plate. "Anyway, let's go see what we can find your daughter."

"Oh, thank you!" enthuses R'hyn, with obvious relief. "I mean, I really do appreciate it, even if you were about to lose. You'd be playing another game, if it weren't for me. Are you a big card-player?"

Jorli laughs and nods as she gets up from her chair. "I'm afraid so. I was raised in a Bitran hold, and well..." She shrugs in amusement, "At least I'm fairly good at it. I'd be a vast disappointment to my Uncle if I wasn't."

B'myr comes in through the narrow tunnel from the bowl.

R'hyn and Jorli are both standing by an out-of-the-way table. He laughs - "Bitra? That's right. And what brought you to Ista? I'm sorry - if it was mentioned, I've forgotten that, too. I'm not good with cards, myself."

B'myr comes in looking just a bit tired for the day, early sweeps probably and some other things have worn this poor man out and he's looking for a cup of something cold, and hopefully slightly alcohol containing before turning to see who else is hanging about.

Jorli chuckles. "Sibren Hold actually, but we're close enough that there's not much of a difference in prefered hobbies. I was born here though, my mom's a rider here." She pauses slightly as if thinking of how to phrase the rest of her answer, what she finally settles on is, "Boredom, I suppose. My mom suggested I move here and it seemed like a good idea at the time."

R'hyn, still listening to Jorli, starts to walk away from the table. "Ah, I see. Who's your Mom? It always surprises me, the number of people who were born here, then went elsewhere, and finally came back again. I'm one myself, of course, but that doesn't count. Does it now seem like a good idea, now?" Catching a glimpse of B'myr from the corner of his eye, the rider turns to greet him. "Hey, B'myr. You sure look tired."

B'myr has his glass of wine, not chilled but you can't always have everything, a sip is taken before he responds to R'hyn with a slow smile. "Yeah ... one of those long days. Oh and hey R'hyn. Up for dawn sweeps and just havn't stopped since then. Once I crawl into bed tonight I'll be done."

Jorli follows along with R'hyn as they move from the table. "Well, it hasn't seemed like a bad idea, so far. I'm a bit glad it's not uncommon to move back, I was a little afraid it'd be thought of a strange. Anyway, my mom's Jolara, she's a greenrider." She nods a slightly greeting to B'myr since his attention's been brought in her general direction.

"If you're up for a distraction before you do go to bed," R'hyn offers to B'myr, "We're heading down to the storage caverns to look for furniture." His lips are drawn into a smile, as he continues to listen to Jorli, commenting, "I don't know her, personally - but then, there are so many riders, and all. Well, I don't think you're strange, anyway. How're you dealing with Ismaye?"

B'myr smiles and holds up his glass, "I'm up for a bit of distraction before I finish this off. Lead on."

Jorli tilts her head sideways then nods in that mildly ambivalent gesture that suggests a slightly better than average reaction. "I think we're getting along okay. I've certainly worked with worse people, and I'm learning a lot, which is good. She's not so different from the Headwoman I used to work with at the Hold, actually."

"Is she?" R'hyn sounds curious, as he begins to lead the way down the stairs, grinning at B'myr as the greenrider agrees to join them. "Well, I guess we're all different. Different ways to do different jobs, and all. How come you chose to do the Assistant Headwomaning thing, though? I'm curious."

B'myr starts to follow then shakes his head, "I'm sorry guys, Nhi wants me to come back and get some sleep. Tell me if you find anything interesting."

Jorli shrugs lightly. "My aunt and uncle are the holders at Sibren, I was basically a fosterling, and had to do something to earn my keep. Plus, it turns out I'm fairly good at it. I still have a lot to learn, especially about Weyrs but, like I said it's something I'm good at."

R'hyn, for a moment, looks disappointed, though he says, quickly, "Do sleep well, B'myr. See you tomorrow." He gives the greenrider a wave, then nods quietly at Jorli. "Ah, I see. Well, that's fair enough. It's a solid occupation. Want to be Headwoman, eventually?"

Jorli grins and appears to supress a laugh. "Maybe. If I can't manage to find some poor, or rich rather, man to marry." She says it as a joke, but she is holdbred so it may be a more serious comment than it sounds.

R'hyn hesitates on the top stair, then laughs. "Well, it's good to have some kind of ambition, right?" he jokes, taking the joke at face-value. "Plenty of marriageable young men around he-- no, wait, not quite. Oh well."

Jorli chuckles. "So I've noticed. Oh well, I guess Headwoman of Ista Weyr would be good, though I'd have to wait for Ismaye to step down, and I don't think she plans on doing that any time soon."

You follow a flight of stairs deeper into the Weyr caverns.

Jorli comes in from the living caverns, letting the wooden door close behind her.

"She doesn't seem likely to," agrees R'hyn, head shaking, as he descends to the Northern Cavern. "She's already held the position for more than ten turns - seems pretty well entrenched. Maybe you'll find a handsome young rider who'll Weyrmate you, and you can keep his weyr clean and raise the kids while he risks life and limb for you."

Jorli laughs brightly at the suggestion as she makes her way down the stairs. "I'm afraid that probably wouldn't work out. I understand weyrs are awfully small and I like kids but I'm not sure how good of a mom I'd be. I think I'm a bit too ambitious for that."

R'hyn, evidently, has a solution to everything: "Weyrmate E'van, then. The Weyrleader's weyr is pretty big, let me assure you. And you could probably avoid the kids, and just keep working, or something. What is marriage, to your mind, if it's not kids, and - it seems, excuse me if I'm wrong - means not working?"

Jorli seems to semi-seriously consider that suggestion. "The Weyrleader? I'd never thought of that." She shakes her head, "That might be a bit too ambitious. Oh, it involves working. I just guess I expect it to be like it is with my aunt and uncle. They love each other and they're also, well, business partners for lack of a better phrase."

"Any woman able to put up with him--" begins R'hyn. Apparently suddenly aware that the caverns are, as always, a hive of activity, he shuts his mouth and begins to walk more quickly. "Business partners? I suppose that makes some sense. You become Headwoman, he becomes Steward, maybe?"

Jorli quirks an eyebrow at the beginning of R'hyn's comment, but chooses to ignore it. "That sounds about right, yes. I'm too ambitious to marry someone without reasonable prospects for a certain level of authority, but not ambitious enough to marry someone I can't stand. It's a conundrum. Fortunately, what I'm doing now suits me well enough for the time being. I'm still young, as my aunt so often says."

R'hyn laughs, as he stops outside the door to the Storerooms, indicating with his hands that Jorli should proceed him. "If I were you, I'd wait until you fall in love. For all you know, you'll find the lowliest kitchen worker and be madly devoted - and there will go anything else. Stranger things have happened. Besides," he glances at Jorli shyly, "you're really, really young to be so serious about things like that."

Jorli nods. "That's entirely possible." She smiles, a bit embarassed perhaps, at his last comment. To cover that mild embarassment her next words are said in a fairly flippant tone, before heading into the storerooms. "Maybe, but I take so little else seriously, that I need something to be overly serious about."

"Makes you impressively different to Ismaye," marvels R'hyn, seriously. "But you seem sensible enough, for one who takes so little seriously. Don't mind me - be serious over whatever you wish. Now, where do you keep the furniture in here? I tend to avoid having to deal with it."

"You can be sensible without taking things seriously." Jorli answers. "For example, I am eminently sensible when I play poker, but I don't take it too seriously. If that makes any sense." She pauses for a moment in the central area as if to orient herself then nods and picks up a handy glow basket. "Over here, there should be something suitable." She leads the way over to a largish side cavern packed with a variety of furniture.

"You are," R'hyn thinks, out loud, "sensible in that you don't too many risks, but it's for fun, so it's not as though you're making it the most important thing ever? How sensible." He follows quickly through the caverns, glancing up at the high shelves with an impressed expression upon his face. "There's so much down here. I bet there are treasures that only the Storeroom assistants and you Headwomen-types know about."

Jorli nods as she looks around. "I'm not sure even Ismaye knows exactly what's down here." She pauses, then reconsiders. "Actually, Ismaye's probably the only one who does know exactly what's down here. I'm still lucky to know the general area where things are." She says as she steps around a desk that looks as though it might have belonged to a past Headwoman or Steward or perhaps one of the Weyrleaders. "Right, a bed. How old is your daughter?"

R'hyn runs his hand over the smooth wood of the desk, as he passes - a brief flicker of delight expressed upon his lips as he does so. "Well, you've not been here all that long. Give it time. Rhyena's not quite three, so I just need something small. But bigger than a crib."

"Three." Jorli muses, "I think I might have seen just the thing the other day." She closes her eyes in thought for a moment then nods. "It was back over here." She steps around several more pieces of furniture, including a couple full sized beds, until she reaches where a smaller sized frame, a child sized one in fact, sits in a small niche. The pad with it looks like it needs restuffing, but the fabric is still in good shape. "Think this will work?"

R'hyn follows hastily, though he does pause to get a better look at one of the larger beds, which is simple enough, apparently, to appeal to his tastes. Pulling up beside Jorli, his face lights. "That's perfect! A big girl's bed-- she'll love it. May even want to spend more time with me." Evidently, this idea pleases the rider no end. "What can I do with the pad? I mean, who do I take it to to get restuffed? Plus, I'll need linen and things, I guess."

Jorli nods. "Great. I'm glad it'll work." She peers at the pad, then shakes her head, "Honestly, I'm not sure who'd fix that, I'll find out in the morning though and see if we can't get it done right away. I can arrange to get the them both brought up to your weyr as soon as that gets done, if you like. Do you want to pick out linens tonight and take them, or have some delivered when the bed's brought up?"

R'hyn considers for a moment, head tilted to the side. "I think I'll leave that to your capable hands - or whoever else does that kind of thing. I don't know what I'd be looking at, so it'd be a little useless for me to do it. The old crib'll have to come back here, of course - shall I get it ready to go, tonight, so that it can be dealt with tomorrow, as well?"

"That would be great, easiest to get it all done at once." Jorli answers, then ticks off items on her fingers. "I'll get that pad fixed, which I can't imagine will take very long, pick out some linens and have them all sent up to you, and if the crib gets brought back at the same time we'll be all set. By this time tomorrow Rhyena should have a nice new bed waiting for her."

R'hyn looks positively delighted. "Thank you, I do appreciate it. She's going to be so surprised! She's always liked sleeping in my bed. I'll have to arrange that I get time with her tomorrow, so she can try it out right away."

Jorli nods with a satisfied smile. "You're quite welcome. Being able to arrange these kinds of things is one of the reasons I like my job." She pauses then adds, "Oh, and does she have a favorite color? If so, maybe I can find things in it for her."

"That's altruistic," remarks R'hyn. "But appreciated. Good to know we're supported by people who care." He leans back against the edge of a bookshelf, adding, "Er. Blue, I think." For a moment, he looks embarrassed, his cheeks going pink. "Yes, blue. Definitely. That'd be great."

Jorli nods thoughtfully, "Blue. We can do blue, blue's easy." She grins then and says, "Well, not entirely altruistic. After all, you never know when I might ask a favor. It's always good to do right by those you might one day want something from."

R'hyn promptly laughs, approvingly. "That's fair enough. More than fair." Still beaming, he tucks his hands into his pockets, then notes, "I ought to slip off - get that crib ready to leave before I got to bed, since tomorrow'll be busy. Thank you, though, again. It's so exciting."

Jorli makes a slight bow. "I've always thought it was. And again, you're welcome. I will go right now and tag this for you. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

R'hyn returns the bow with a smile. "I'll do so. See you, Jorli. Do call me out for that return favour, sometime -- I won't object!" He turns to go, still smiling brilliantly.

You head through a short tunnel to emerge in the northern cavern.

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