Fort Weyr - Living Caverns
This cavern, having been created by bubbles in the volcanic flow of this extinct volcano, has a breathtaking ceiling — a vast dome that arches high above the heads of the weyrfolk that scurry around beneath it. A hollow echo can be heard from loud enough noises, and the chatterings of various firelizards are consequently multiplied into a chaotic babble. All in all, the living cavern is a loud place.
Tables are scattered around the room, apparently in no particular order. Over to one side near the kitchens, two medium sized serving tables are constantly spread with snacks, klah, and other goodies. The tables look worn, yet perfectly fitted to the atmosphere of the caverns. In the 'corners' of the cavern, smaller two and four place tables are set up for more private talks or just a less chaotic atmosphere in which to eat.
It's just after lunch in the living caverns, and the crowds have diminished somewhat, as many have already come in for lunch, and left after eating. Moydeo treks her way up into the caverns, from the lower caverns, hair still slightly damp from being cleaned not that long ago. She looks around the diminishing crowds, before she heads to the food table, to get some food before it's all gone.
At a table near the entrance to Shenanigans, Risner is already hard at work eating his lunch. A heaping plate of… well, pretty much everything, sits in front of him. He systematically eats through it, sampling a little of everything in each bite.
Pralius is already there against one wall with a few files and a heaping plate of wherry. He's eating carefully, mixing tubers in from time to time as he does so.
Milo is busy at a table, drawing the people around him. He's got a sketchbook out and a pencil in his left hand, which works busily over the table. He's just doing little sketches, mostly studies of hands and faces, and switches from one person to another quickly. But when a short, curvy, pretty girl passes him, he takes notice, and can't help but grin at her when she walks by. "Hi," he says, smiling and letting his eyes note everything about he. Not at all put off by her sturdy clothes, he mostly looks at her face. A quick glance around, at mostly people he doesn't know, yet, but he does give a little nod to Pralius.
Moydeo nods to Milo as she passes. "Hello." She says, with a smile, before she grabs a plate, and piles on it a little bit of everything, as well as grabbing a mug of klah, burrr, it was getting cold out there, even during the day. She turns, and heads for the table, and spotting Risner, heads in his direction. "Hey stranger, mind if I sit here?" She asks.
A greeting catches Risner's attention, but it's not the one directed at him. He glances up from his plate, spots Milodann, spots Moydeo, and frowns. It's a measuring look, a quick once-over for the stranger he doesn't know. "Hey Mo," he greets when Moydeo's closer, and he grins and shakes his head. "Not at all, take a seat. Just taking a little lunch break."
Pralius doesn't notice the pretty girl, or the nod, so engrossed is he in his files, then a familiar voice floats across the room and he glances up, sliding the files closed and into a shoulderbag, he stands and moves to join Moydeo and Risner, "Afternoon Moydeo… friend," he nods to Risner, "How has your day been and do you mind if I join you?"
Well, if the pretty girl is sitting with strangers, she won't mind if Milo joins, will she? He sliiiides to the table with the others and sits down. He glances around at all the face and grins at them. "Hello," he says, all friendly and stuff. He sets his sketchbook down on the table and everyone has a great view of the little pictures he's been drawing. "I'm Milo, and today is my first day here. Mind if I sit with you?"
Moydeo nods, and sits down ny Risner, setting down her plate, and mug. She looks up at Pralius, and Milo, and nods to them. "There's room here." She says, and looks to Risner. "Any more brawls in Shenanigans recently?" She asks, as she digs into her late lunch.
Pralius slides into a chair and groans, "Are there ever /not/ barfights? The infirmary keeps being flooded."
Risner clears his throat, but puts on a happy face for the new addition. "Guess not," he decides, grinning. "Risner," he introduces himself, "Bartender. First day, hm?" His fork is set down, his fingers are threaded together, and he leans his elbows on the table. "So where are you from?" Mo is given a humored glance, his eyes twinkling. "Thankfully not on my shift! Which means you," and he lifts his index finger from his clasped hands to point at Pralius, "Cannot be blaming any broken noses on me. I didn't get 'em drunk this time."
"Great," Milo says, flashing Moydeo a grin. There's probably flirting going on in there, too. Friendly smiles are also give to the men, but they don't have quite the same sparkling quality. "Shenanigans?" He glances around. "That a bar?" And it seems that it is, as Risner clears up. "I'm from Eastern," he tells them. "I'm here visiting my sister, Wyndrei. She's the new apprentice dragonhealer. I might stay for a while. There are a lot of interesting people around." Another glance at the girl, and this time he /is/ flirting. There's even a wink involved. "Besides, the last time I saw my mother, she was chasing me with a big wooden spoon." And he laughs.
Moydeo smiles. "Oh, I'm Moydeo, stablehand, and hopeful, Apprentice in the Beatcraft, hopeful as I'm still trying to get into the craft." She explains with a grin, and then winces. "That's true." She says to Pralius in agreement, and then looks to Milo. "Yeah, it's right through there." She says, and motions toward the nearby door way. "They've got a bar, a pool table, and darts in there."
Risner's expression is not-so-cheery anymore, and he's eyeing Milodann as he might eye an unruly patron at his bar. There's a mild flexing of his fingers, the snap and pop of a knuckle, and then he's dropped his hands and picked up his fork once more. Back to food, his gaze suddenly completely focused upon his plate. There's only a momentary pause to decide, "You wouldn't like Fort. We have bigger spoons." Presumably to chase him with. An imperceptible shift brings him that much closer to Moydeo, who he glances at and asks (once again pausing in the food consumption), "You want to apprentice full on? Did Ely get to you?"
Pralius watches the conversation around him with thinly veiled interest, "Milo… why /do/ you feel the need to flirt like a wherry at your age?"
Well, Milo's not blind. The finger-popping doesn't fall on deaf ears, either. "Oh, all right," he says. He doesn't seem too upset. Plenty of fish in the sea, and all that. He drops the flirting. "I don't chase girls who have boyfriends," he assures Risner quietly, and grins at the man. And to show his sincerity, he eyes a pretty blonde who catches his stare, turns red, and rushes on with a giggle. "There are /so many/ pretty girls here, I can't believe it." He picks up his pencil again and starts drawing the wrinkled face of an old aunty. He glances up at Pralius. "Man, I'm seventeen. Do I really have to answer that question?" It's said with a smile and a laugh, though.
"Actually, Pralius here helped nudge me into joining the beastcraft, and I figured it might expand what I already know." She says with a grin, motioning to the healer. "Ely had nothing to do with it, though she'll probably gloat that I'll have to work with goats as part of my training." She rolls her eyes, and then looks to the healer, and Milo. "It's fine." For her anyway. "But, yes, I do like Risner." She chuckles. "We met the oddest way too, dance partners for a dance lesson, didn't even know each others names till after the lesson."
Pralius chuckles, "Never much saw the point myself… of relationships, that is…" He shrugs, "Still, good to know they still happen. How was dancing?"
"Dancing, eh?" Milo says, and blinks from the girl to her beau and back again. "I never did learn to dance." He pauses and grins. "Well, I mean, I /did/, but not the kind where you don't know your partner's name, first." And apparently he finds himself amusing, because there's a little chuckle at the end of that.
He gives a sidelong look at Pralius for his comment, but doesn't say anything.
Risner frowns, a wrinkle between his eyebrows, and looks like he wants to say something. By the time he's ready, he seems to decide against it, and shrugs. "Yeah, anyways," he mutters, poking at his plate of food. "Oh yeah?" he wonders, glancing between Moydeo and Pralius. "Good for you then! But yeah, Ely probably will gloat."
"Yeah, there's been dance lessons recently, usually posted up over there." She motions at a board. "But, not been any posted since last week." She shrugs. "There'll probably be one soon though. All you have to do is show up." She chuckles. "She was already smirking at me when she heard I was trying to get in." She sighs.
Done with the picture of the old auntie, Milo starts drawing Risner's hands, gripping that fork. "Maybe I'll take the dance lessons," Milo says. "Maybe I'll be as lucky as Risner and meet a pretty girl there!" Hope springs eternal, apparently.
Pralius chcukles softly, "Well, I'm glad my advice worked out for you, Moydeo." He glances at Milo again and just shakes his head, "Why do you need to meet a pretty girl? Want to get tied down already?"
"That all you care about?" wonders Risner, his voice neutral of tone, "How pretty a girl is? Dude, your world is narrow." His hand is being drawn. He peers over the table, attempting to see the picture from up-side down. At least he's cooperating and keeping that fork. Posing? "Don't let her get to you," he says to Moydeo, flashing her a quick smile. "I haven't seen her in a while, actually… hm. Maybe the goats ate her?" He's just teasing, of course. "Hey Pralius, do you dance?"
There's a thundering sound of hooves, a woosh of air, and then a crashing noise from off in the one of the tunnels that lead into the Living Cavern. There's a low grunt, and a heard 'EEP!' - and a girl tumbles into the living caverns on her two feet. "Did the herdbeast get caught?" She asks dizzily, seeing little oxen dance in front of her eyes.
Milo stops drawing and just /stares/ at Pralius. "I mean, if she's into that, I guess I wouldn't mind," he says impishly. But then he laughs. "Nothing wrong with two people having a little fun together, is there? And there's nothing that says we have to get married or anything." If that were the case, he'd probably have about seven wives, already. "No, that's not all I care about," Milo says to Risner. "I care about my family, and I like to draw. And one of these days I'm going to figure out how to make a living with the drawing. But in the meantime, /nothing/ wrong with a little —" he stops and throws a startled glance at the girl who tumbles into the room. He's up in a flash and over near her. "You okay?" he asks, all solicitousness and concern.
Pralius glances up at the running and yelping, then stands, moving towards the exit to the bowl, "I believe that's my cue to make sure no one's hurt any worse."
