** ~~*~~ Fort Weyr - Floating Dance Platform ~~*~~ **
// An enormous raft-like structure of wood and plasticraft has been set up at the edge of the weyr lake. It floats just offshore, supporting a raised stage with a dome-shaped back. A wide, flat area, presumably for dancing, sits before the stage. Food tables, sporting banners in Fort's colors, have been set up along the edges, and a large number of curved benches ensure ample seating. Thick ropes secure the structure to stakes driven into the shore, while a number of floating wooden bridges provide easy access.
The plus side of a cold winter is that it's easy to reach the floating dance platform. You can just walk right across the ice. The downside is… well, why would anyone do that? It's snowy and cold. Calaban wears a thick jacket over several layers as he trudges out, raising a hand to shield his eyes and see if anyone is present.//
Therynn is really perplexed by this whole winter thing, trying to understand how people endure such weather, she's been attempting to find ways to enjoy it. Today, considering it is a slightly less stormy afternoon, it shall be skating. She's approached the lake front the far side, straps on the skates and approaches the edge. One foot tests to make sure it is indeed actually iced over. She sets off slowly, and with lots of wobbles attempts to find her footing like a newborn colt. Arms are a little flaily and it takes her a handful of awkward push steps before she partially stabilizes. The storms themselves have let up, but evening comes so soon, quite a time to be outside.
Calaban has enough trouble navigating the ice without skates. How anyone manages what Therynn's doing is a complete mystery to him. It's something of a mystery what he's doing here in the first place. He watches the mysterious skater for a moment before he realizes that he recognizes her. He pulls his scarf away from his face to call out a greeting. "Therynn?"
Not navigating the ice is a tall, somewhat brooding figure in a hooded leather coat - a man quite at home in winter and any other season after Turns of roaming the Northern Continent. Still, Brennan keeps a good distance from the ice, not willing to risk a slip and thoroughly reverse any healing that his ribs have been doing. Some agility regained, he's been busy exploring…and this floating platform out on the Weyr lake is something he's never seen before. Curious, he makes his way up onto it, coming to the edge and perching on it in uncanny silence as his eyes fall on a few people out on the ice - one on skates. Whoever it is, they'd both better stay upright. It's not as if he can exactly leap to the rescue or something.
Therynn isn't doing all that well herself, and while she manages to make her way on to the ice, she looks anything but graceful or elegant right now. Nearing the floating platform she's surprised to find someone there, and someone familiar no less! "Oh hey.." She says as their paths come together while nearing the platform. "Calaban right?" She continues to weeblewobble her way towards railing that will be a great break and where she can hold on tight for a moments stability. "Fancy meeting you out here." It isn't until she gets closer that she sees a hooded form approaching from the other side.
"No kidding!" Calaban says with a little laugh as he steps towards the wobbling skater. "Though I remember you saying you were headed up here. Taking a little break from the hunting?" he eyes her wobbling, grinning just a bit. "Do you, ah, need any help there?" He glances back to follow her gaze, spotting the hooded and unfamiliar fellow. He waves in a friendly manner.
Brennan is close enough to hear the conversation between the two, registering the woman's voice as vaguely famliar somehow. Long legs dangle over the platform's edge, though he sits straighter than he normally might. Calaban's wave is met by a nonchalant flick of a couple of fingers off the brow, and the hunter maintains his silence, surveying the Bowl around him as the light fades further and trying to make out the faces of the people nearby, clear blue gaze intent on both for a long moment before moving past them.
Therynn manages a genuine smile depute her lack of skating coordination and is glad the lake is not too large. The floating dock arrives quickly and the independent huntress is determined to make it there herself. "I think full immersion is the only way to learn, but thanks.." is said in reference to the offer of help. There's a nod that follows as their gazes meet and before she falls on her face the supper beams of frozen floating platform are there to hold the temporarily clumsy looking huntress. Good thing she's more agile than this in the woods she thinks to herself before answering "Yeah for now.. I've done my double sweeps for the day.." yep, she actually has duties at Fort which is weird for an otherwise wild and untamed spirit "What about you?" is asked as the sable orbits of her world view finally create the connection of recognition and she realizes the hooded gent is more than vaguely familiar to her. It's too late now, she's already at the platform kiddy corner to where he dans and with his nonchalant flick of fingers Rynn responds "It's /You/.. the guy in the store the other day.."
"Alright. I'll just stay here and wait to stitch you up when… I mean, /if/ you fall." Calaban is hopefully joking there. His smile seems to suggest he is. "My infirmary shift is done. I was told there was dancing out here. Clearly, the weather doesn't allow for that. After Western, I forgot that the party isn't year round." Therynn's recognition of the mysterious hooded fellow gets his eyebrows rising. "… Friend of yours, then?"
Of course, recognition clicks for Brennan once the pair reach the edge of the platform, and a gravelly chuckle sounds low in the cold air. "Guess so," he affirms obliquely. "Might've recognized you quicker with out all that." He makes a gesture encompassing the length of the woman, smirking subtly before his eyes flick back out to the ice. The comment from the other young man gets a light snort. "I'd bet I'm less of one than you are," he remarks dryly, though not completely without humor. There hadn't even been names given then! Not that that was foremost on anyone's mind.
Therynn grimaces at that thought as if she hadn't really considered the possibility of getting injured trying all these new sports she's planning on taking up. "Thanks.." is said with a bit of a playful attitude "I don't suppose you're a healer?" She asks of Calaban teasingly. "It's a whole nother frontier out here.. we are definitely not at Western anymore…" Maybe it's just the air, or maybe it's just the impression she got before, but the mysterious hooded gents words are just as cold now as they were before. "Something like that.." is said dryly and with obvious subtextual tones. A sharpness to her glare fixates on the observation, snort and dry remarks from the fellow hunter. Looking down at her 'new gear' she's got on tall purple socks that are worn over tight fitting leathers of the darkest of verdant green. A khaki colored jacket looks warm and slightly poofy, though it is fitted enough at the waist and chest to avoid looking like a marshmallow. The hood, which she can't keep on is lined with dark fur, and yes, she does not look like herself, nor does she look like the underwear clad Rynn that Brennan met with Nae recently while the girls were out shopping for more weather friendly clothing. "Yeah clothes.. preventing guys like you from breaking displays in stores.." is an attempted dis considering his expletives and surprise when they ran in to each other last.
"Yes, a healer. Well, mostly a dentist. But I can certainly patch up skaters that go tumbling." Calaban says with a grin. "Unless you crash through the ice. Then you're on your own." He chuckles a little. "Honestly, my Western trip had me considering a transfer. The heat has me spoiled." The conversation between the two hunters makes his eyebrow rise again. "… So… Therynn was in a store without her clothes?" He tries to piece together how that might have happened. "… Sorry I missed that." He says with a grin.
Brennan raises an eyebrow at the boy, and the tilt of a small, roguish smile that actually reveals a glint of even white teeth flashes from within his hood, which he idly shoves back to reveal a close, dense crop of brown hair. The name he drops is noted, eyes flicking to the girl as the association is made. "There for all the world to see," he affirms. But now he has a name for the girl, so it's only fair he gives one for himself. Looking back to her he adds with much less gruffness than he's used so far, he says "Would rather've met without all that excitement up front. M' name's Brennan." He gives a short inclination of his head, encompassing them both at a glance.
Therynn was mostly joking, though she's definitely surprised that Calaban is indeed a healer "Lets hope it's frozen enough.. and yeah the Western weather is something. Though this is kinda nice since I've never experienced such a climate. Had a whatdya call it.. snowball fight the other day. Weird stuff.." The day is fading towards evening, and although in the midst of winter is an unusually nice eve for the obvious snowfall all around. Therynn on ice scales has managed to find her way towards the platform as has Calaban, there, they run in to Brennan, being just as sassy as he was before. She knew it wouldn't belong before she was blushing and tries to explain "Nae and I were shopping.. make over or whatever she calls it.." the questioning and situation get s her flustered "It's a Weyr you guys!" is hurrumphed as she tries to convince herself of this instead of vowing never to take her clothes off in front of anyone ever again. The sable gaze beneath darkly fringed lashes focuses softly, batting once, twice, then pulling away to look distract herself from staring. It draws back shyly to his slightly less gruff introduction. "A hunter if I remember correctly.." She shares a just as brief nod. "Rynn.. also a hunter.."
"Calaban" The healer/dentist answers Brennan, giving him a little nod in return. "Pleased to meet you… thought you might need a mindhealer if you object to that sort of excitement from a lady like this." Calaban says with a little bit of a laugh. "As she says, it is a weyr… granted, you usually see that sort of thing more in the hotter weyrs, but hopefully the store in question was heated." Clearly, Calaban is still pining for the climate of Western.
Speaking of people who would prefer things were warmer, there's Nae! She has learned her lesson since Therynn found her camping the other day. She's bundled in layer after layer, waddling like a weyrbrat in their first fluffy snowsuit. Snow clings to her. Who knows why she's wandered out on the lake. But then she spots familiar faces! Three of them, actually. "Therynn!" She calls out, waving a gloved hand. "And Calaban!" Her gaze falls on the last one present. "And… grumpy guy!" She never did get his name.
More names are filed away, and Brennan nods his acknowlegement of those given. To Calaban's comment, he gives a snort. "Never said I objected," he says, casting a wink at Therynn before giving a tiny shrug. "How many times am I gonna hear that? 'It's a Weyr.' Y' don't say. So what's it mean? Free reign to walk around in nothin' whenever y' please?" This is what he gets for living in what amounts to solitude for seven Turns. "Mayhap I'd like to have a choice as to when and where I see a woman in nothin' but her skin. More mystery to it that way." Maybe Brennan's old-fashioned? Then a second somewhat familiar voice reaches his ears, and his gaze snaps over. Ah, well. One last repetition never killed anyone. "Brennan," he informs the other woman, faintly amused at the amount of layering she has on.
Therynn is in one of the new outfits she and Nae picked out, knee high eggplant colored socks, dark green hides snug as can be and a fitted, form-flattering but slightly poofy, hooded tan winter jacket (kind of bomber style). Her stylish skates and clinging to platform railing are the reminders of the awkwardness beneath that she's attempting to hide with new clothes and brushed hair. "Nae! You're still here.." Theres an obvious smile of adoration for 'A Christmas Story' style Nae. The complimenting statement from Calaban has the slowly blossoming loner holding her head a bit higher after that with a "Thanks Calaban", and this is further enforced by Brennan's comment and wink which makes her giggle all girly like. She is pink in the cheeks, which she'd blame on the cold and is nodding instantly at Brennan's conceptualization of what it means. "Ever been t'Eastern? Plenty a'people enjoying their freedom around those parts.. Western too.. granted it's colder here right now, but still." She's begun to learn the ways over the recent past. "Well I guess the honeymoon's over then.." tongue sticks out playfully at Brennan "Y'seen it all.. we're through, nothing to look forward to anymore" This weird flirty behavior is rather foreign for Rynn, but she tries to roll with it.
Calaban can't quite hide a grin when Nae greets the fellow as 'grumpy guy', but he tries to keep it restrained to a polite level. "Nae. Lovely to see you as always. You always seem to bring a little of the Western spirit wherever you go… though maybe I should be trying Eastern next time." He glances between Brennan and Therynn a moment, his eyebrow arcing again. Perhaps it dawns on him that he might just be a little bit of a fifth wheel here. "Well. It's clear I had a little bit of misinformation about the dancing out here. I think I'll duck into the living cavern, get a little klah to warm up. Lovely seeing you as always, Therynn and Nae. Brennan, nice to meet you." He tries to tip his hat, though that really doesn't work so well with knitted caps. With that, he's off across the ice.
Nae grins, though her scarf covers most of her expression. "As if one could ever get tired of Therynn's loveliness." She winks as she scoots towards her be-skated friend. "Surely grumpy-Brennan wouldn't argue with that. Wouldn't you agree, Cal…" But the healer is off before she can rope him into this nonsensical discussion. She frowns, disappointed. "Aw. I was gonna invite him along for more shopping…" Nae loves her shopping. It's one of the few things she likes about Fort.
The girly giggle Therynn voices is met with a slightly raised eyebrow. Oh, Brennan could have a lot of fun with this. Still, he's not back up to full strength and won't be for a little while yet, so perhaps the lingering aches and such are affecting him. Fingers scuff through the short, bristling stubble on his chin as he listens to the younger hunter's explanation of what goes on at the other Weyrs, only voicing a grunt in acknowlegement before Therynn's flirting has him levelling blue eyes intently on her. His expression is inscrutible, not giving much of anything away save for the slight tick of a smirk at the right corner of his mouth. "Won't argue much," is his cryptic reply to Nae, and then he's ticking off another wave at a departing Calaban. The kid seems okay. Maybe he'll try talking to him some other time.
Therynn shouldn't be too surprised that Calaban and Nae know each other, it is the infamous Nae we are talking about. A slight chuckle escapes when the healer comments about Eastern creeping. "I dunno where y'heard about the dancing.. we could ice dance?" She teases, but he's apparently not too keen on the idea and now it's down to the troublesome trio again. "You too Calaban, see ya 'round.." a wink is sent Nae's direction and she graciously flicks a wrist "Oh Nae.. you're too kind!" She reaches of ruer to give her a squeeze. "I had my fare share.. as did he last time.. gotta save up before doing that again.." The girls apparently had quite the extravaganza. For someone who's usually a bit more husky in all around appearance, Therynn is doing this lady like thing pretty alright right now. She and Brennan are now in a bit of a stare down, examining his features while she waits for his confirmation or denial of, though he leaves much to be debated. "Guess thats better than all the cursing from you last time around.." she pokes at the fellow hunter with her words.
Nae returns the hug from Therynn, a wicked little spark in her eye. "/You/ may have had enough, but that just means it's time for you to return the favor. I need to buy some souveniers, too! And you still have a little ways to go to have a proper full wardrobe. My treat next time, okay?" Who can say no to that? She can't, Nae hopes. Somehow, despite her many layers, the greenrider is still shivering. "… How you handle this cold is beyond me. Where'd Cal say he was going? Klah? That sounds like what I need." She kisses Therynn's cheek, then gives Brennan a wink and a wave. "When you two get tired of freezing out here, come find us." She waddles after the departing healer. "Hey Cal! Wait up!"
It's safe to say that Brennan hardly ever finds himself under scrutiny, though when it happens, it does tend to be another hunter. That Therynn's doing it, though, has him determined to out-gaze her, for some reason. Those piercing blue eyes just hold hers steadily in return, intensely as he learns her right back. Thankfully, Nae seems to have her attention before Brennan has to resort to blinking, so he shifts, drawing his legs up to sit folded on the edge of the platform. He simply nods to Nae as she runs off, leaving the two hunters alone in the waning light. "So you're a hunter too, eh?" he rasps after a moment, genuinely curious now that's he's finally met another of his kind here. "Where from?"
Therynn smiles at her friend, batting those lashes yet again. "You got it Nae.. you're the best.." and indeed she cannot say no nor resist the Nae. "You do look chilled.. and.. " she nods though sad to see her lady friend go "Klah.. I'll definitely meet you in there in a few." A lean in to cheek smooch occurs as she wraps around the green rider once more before she departs, though this is a little awkward and stumbly given skates and all. Brennan is lucky, because she pulled away letting him believe he's been relieved, but once the blond departs, the stare is back on. It's as if she can't get enough of that frigid blue gaze, there's something intoxicating about it and she's back for more. "Yep.." she nods looking at him steadily "Have been most m'life.. n'from Western." Lips curl at the end, still watching him as she asks "You?"
There's something about the interaction between the two women that has Brennan quirking an eyebrow again, though his curiosity remains unvoiced for the time being as he returns his attention to Therynn. There go those brown eyes latching to his again, and he can't help but be a little amused. Oh, he's well aware of the effect he can have on women, especially when he puts a little effort into it. So why does he feel the need to be a little cautious with this one? Perhaps it just has to do with the nature of their first meeting. "Grew up down Igen way," he tells her. "Been wanderin' all over for seven Turns, livin' off the land. Ended up here by accident. Although," he adds, taking in the Bowl for a moment, "Fort's always been my favorite region. Might hang around for a little while. Maybe."
Therynn ultimately decides that even the wobble of proprioception on tiny blades is getting to be enough, and so under the railing she swings, on to knees so she can turn herself and take a seat with dangled feet just across from Brennan. Finally she pulls that alluring chocolate gaze away, looking out on the vast horizon she sighs "Much different from here.. but I guess change is good." She's dumbfounded by this 'effect' that Brennan seems to have on her, not quite understanding it, but knowing that saying something like 'hey you make me feel kinda funny' probably would be ill advised by her life coach confidant. It's like a game of What Would Nae Do for Rynn right now. She plays it cool for now, stuffing back the butterflies in her tummy. "Igen eh.. never been out that way.." she's impressed he's been a'wandering for so long, something she understands fondly. "Sounds.. familiar." She cocks her head to the side, bangs falling across eyes as she looks for his icy blues again. "Me too.." is said with a smile as she leans forward on both arms.
Brennan gives yet another light snort over the matter of change, breath fogging in the cold air just past his lips. "Maybe. Sure isn' comfortable. Never been in a Weyr for more than a day. Too many people." Stretching long arms over his head, he winces a bit, touching his left shoulder and rotating it a little as if to test the movement. "Igen… It's fulla sand. All desert 'n' steppe-lands. Only good huntin's whersports and wild herdbeast." And the smaller creatures crawling about the oases out there, but not many go looking for those. He looks Therynn over again, this time with a careful eye over more than just her face, and nods. "Yeah. You are built like a hunter. Noticed that." Among other things. "But, ah…your friend there's set on making y' all frilly. Howcome?" Color him genuinely perplexed by this notion.
Therynn sighs and nods, letting the complexities of life and change settle in with the breath. "Truth.. I hadn't been mucha Weyr dweller m'self until I got mixed up in Western's last cycle.. I tell ya, that whole being indoors all the time thing was tough." eyes survey the snowy horizon "Guess that's why I ended up out here on an eve like this.." His stretch and wince are noticed, but she doesn't say anything yet. "Desert y'say.." head wobbles with a downturned expression of consideration. "Could be fun t'visit.." looking around she smiles and agrees regardless of whether this was the point or not. "I do very much enjoy the forests around here, that's for sure." His ogling has her feeling a bit squirmy "Hey.. your last view wasn't enough?" is said jokingly with a smile before she adds "Thanks.. I think. My sleekness in the jungles is probably my most marketable quality.. and I'm a dead ringer when it comes to bows and throwing knives.. and you.." she looks him over, biting her tongue before she says too much "Look like you're in some pain.." is a good detraction from overdoing it. "Nae.. means well." She tries to explain "Before meeting her I was.. pretty prickly… in many ways.. super reserved.. and frumpy which is a word I didn't previously know." She shrugs "M'getting t'the point in life where I'm starting t'think it may be good t'be around more people or something.. and she says aromatic furrballs are not the best approaches towards being appealing t'people.." another shrugs "But what do I know about socializing and what people like.. it wasn't until recently that I really started coming out from the woodworks.."
The two continue to chat the late afternoon away, eventually heading in for dinner and something to warm the bones.