Fort Weyr - Shenanigan's Lounge
The natural walls of this cavern haven been completely covered and replaced by straight and sometimes curving walls of brickwork. There's method to the madness of covering stone with stone. It's as simple as the electric buzz in the room. New grade electric lights dot the fancy brick worked walls, with wires cleverly hidden behind, allowing more focus to be centered on the rest of the room rather than the numerous strings of wire needed to operate the lighting. Each bulb roosts in a bronzed metal flowering fixture, giving the room a rich atmosphere. Still, the walls are not the only place which has stone on stone appeal. The floor has been run smooth, the surface now slate rock, creating an imperial cast.
Beyond the actual foundations of the lounge, the luxury continues. High backed wooden chairs with padded white seats have been stationed all around the room. Between the individual chairs are benches fashioned out of the same rich wood with pillows made to flatter the cushions. There are low lying coffee tables or end tables near the individual chairs, while there's larger dinning room sized tables with chairs to match scattered as well, giving much variety to those who find themselves in the room. Decorative hangings and framed artwork has been neatly hung around the room, but to offset the meticulous method of the room, there's some pieces that give a sporty feeling to the room - such as a fishing rod or a snow shoe.

Of course, the final appeal of the room comes in the form of it's purpose; athletic competition. There are several games of darts lining the walls, various decks of dragon poker cards available, a large velvet lined pool table centered to one side of the lounge, a mat area surrounded by ropes, and an area that keeps track of all the runner races around the world via radio signal, giving constant updates on the status of the runners. Lastly, there's a bar here, small and built with brick as well. There's usually a bartender on duty willing to mix drinks during the evening hours.


Evening has arrived at Fort, though from the darkened skies one could mistake it for the pitch black of nightfall. Ominous looking clouds roll in, bringing with it lightning and thunder though no rain yet falls, making the humidity of summer air outside all the more unbearable. So it's no wonder that most weyrfolk and visitors alike have sought shelter inside the cooler tunnels and rooms and Shenanigans is packed with various folk. Despite the frightening storm outside, the atmosphere here is lively and alive with the buzz of several conversations and laughter. Normally Th'ero would avoid a place like this, having never had the stomach for loud and large crowds less he was on duty. But the Weyrleader is there, tucked away in a small corner seat near the back and as far from possible from the noise. On the small round tabletop in front of him rests a mug of some vicious looking drink and it's into its black depths that he stares, frowning and lost to whatever thoughts plague him.

Zi'on could go back to Western, but he needed to pick up something at the harper hall. And Fort was right there! Also he felt like a drink, and maybe when he came out there would be less rain. The humidity at Fort is nothing like it can get at Western, so Zi'on hardly notices it. Though he's probably sweating under all of that facial hair he's got going. He's got a full beard now, and plenty of it. Even the hair on top of his head is long, and there some chest hair peeking out through the top of his shirt. All the hair makes him look closer to thirty than to nineteen, that's for certain. He's got a bag tucked under his arm as he heads in. Even though its crowded surely his Western colored knot sticks out from amongst the crowd. He squeezes in and waves the bartender over so he can get a drink. A whiskey sour from the looks of it. Then he looks around to see if he can't find a free place to sit. And that's when he spots Th'ero! He'll claim a chair at the weyrleader's table, or pull one over. "Guess there's nothing better to do around here than drink when it's raining."

While Zi'on's knot may stand out, not many are paying attention to details as particular as that, too engrossed as they are with their conversations. Th'ero starts a little when movement catches his eye and he glances up from his drink, smirking. It takes a moment or two for recognition to sink in as Zi'on pulls out a chair for himself, the Weyrleader about to ask whom the shells he is and then blinks. "Zi'on?" Th'ero laughs, brown eyes lingering on the now much fuller beard and longer hair as he rises to stand, reaching over to grasp the Western bronzerider's arm in a friendly gesture. "Shards. You're really letting that grow, aren't you? And well, there are things to do… but this happens to be the most relaxing." He doesn't bother gesturing for the bronzerider to sit, but his vague grin is welcoming enough. "What's brought you to Fort this time?" Th'ero asks as he retakes his seat, leaning back in a casual and relaxed manner.

Zi'on has at least been trimming his head-fro, so he doesn't look like the wild bushman or anything. It's mostly growing down. Plus this way he can mostly eat without making a mess. Zi'on grins, white teeth against black hair. "Th'ero. Don't act so surprised. You saw me earlier with the beard. Yep. Shouldn't be too much longer now. Enka… she's due any day now." He laughs a bit. "Well, that's true. And there isn't much to do anywhere really when it's raining. So I guess I shouldn't make fun." Zi'on sits and scoots his chair in, setting the bag that's tucked under his arm on the table. It's pulled tightly over its rectangular contents. Books, clearly. "Had to make a stop to the Harpers, thought I'd happen by and see what Fort was up to tonight." Fort was… getting drunk! 'How are you doin'?"

"I'm not /that/ surprised, am I?" Th'ero feigns an innocent look, though the effect is ruined by the smirk that slips onto his features shortly afterwards. "Your beard was not that big or long the last I saw you." The Weyrleader is the opposite of the Western bronzerider, though his hair is still a long mess of curls, his beard is trimmed down to a neat stubble. "Any day now, hmm? How is Enka fairing? And yourself, for that matter?" There's a chuckle given to the remark on rain ruining the fun in any area, but Th'ero's focus seems to shift to the bag now set on the table. When it's clear they're nothing but books, confirmed further by Zi'on mentioning the Harper Hall, his attention refocuses on the bronzerider and he smiles a small smile. "Well enough." He muses cryptically. Only half of Fort was truly getting drunk… and the Weyrleader is among them. It's a rare event!

Zi'on grins. "These things do grow. Though thankfully I think the rest of me has stopped growing. I was worried I might have to duck the doorways or something." Zi'on's never had to the urge to grow his hair long. He'd rather tend to a beard. His hair is already starting to curl up though, and to let it grow long might turn it into a mess. "Enka is fine. She's better than I am I think, in all honesty. Because she's already been through it twice. And with twins last time to boot. I'd say it'll be easier on her this time around, but she'll be stuck with me trying to help and I'll likely be bloody useless when it comes to tending to the baby." Zi'on laughs at Th'ero's response. "No exciting fun here? Or is this it?" He holds up his glass.

Th'ero snorts softly in amusement to Zi'on's remark on growth spurts and once again, the Weyrleader is reminded that the bronzerider is in fact younger then him. Though anyone glancing this way would think otherwise, what with Zi'on's bear-like look. "Twins before? Poor woman." He teases gently, head tilting to the side as he gives Zi'on a long look and a wider smile. "Still thinking you're going to be bad at this?" Th'ero asks, almost drawling his words as he leans forwards to grasp his mug. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Enka should be appreciative of any help. Even if you're just…cleaning, or so I hear." With that said, he lifts his mug to toast Zi'on, smile now slipping to a grin. "Best of luck to the both of you." He murmurs, before taking a long swig of the vicious looking drink and just barely managing not to grimace. "Oh, there is exciting fun here. Just have to know where to look. Thunderstorm ruins it all though. The wilderness here is fantastic for hunting, among other things." Th'ero offers with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "I consider myself lucky that nothing…major has happened." Yet.

Zi'on is big and scary. Maybe he's Th'ero's bodyguard? Though Th'ero doesn't really need one, having been a guard himself. Also, who would want to hurt poor Th'ero? "Mm. Yeah I'm pretty sure I'll be bad at it. Enka will probably scold me a lot and tell me I'm killing our baby." He laughs then. "As if Enka cleans her own weyr. She has some weyrbrat come by and tidy up every other day basically. And pick up the laundry twice a week. You're not still cleaning your own weyr, are you? That's one of the perks." Of being a weyrleader, he means. Or living with one. "Well you should tell me where to look. Maybe I'll take one of these drunk girls back to a guest weyr and make my own fun. You want in?" He laughs a bit. "You can keep your hunting." There's a sigh then. "I haven't pulled a prank in forever. It's well past due."

Th'ero doesn't seem to have enemies, but that doesn't mean the Weyrleader hasn't made a few, though it's doubtful it would ever amount to a threat to his life. At most, there may just be some grumbles among the dissatisfied. "Oh, come off it, Zi'on. It's not that hard to tend to a child. You'll be fine." Says he, who is currently childless and knows nothing but shreds of information and vague memories of helping raise his baby sister. "Of course I'm cleaning my own weyr." The Weyrleader does have that perk, but it seems Th'ero has chosen to ignore it. He's just raised his mug again to take another sip of his drink and thankfully has swallowed it by the time Zi'on makes his remarks. He coughs all the same though, which soon turns to a dry chuckle and a bemused look. "You haven't changed at all, Zi'on. Help yourself." Th'ero makes a sweeping gesture to indicate the lounge, though he may mean the entire Weyr itself. "But you know I'm out, as tempting as the offer is." He laughs here now as well, until the Western bronzerider mentions a prank and his mood sobers a little. "Not here!" Th'ero warns, though his grin takes the edge off his words. "And has it really been that long since you've pulled one?"

Zi'on eyes Th'ero. "Have you ever seen a baby? They're little red things who make noise and live only to eat and sleep and poop. And then they get bigger and all. And then right when they're potty trained… you foster them off. I never saw the sense in that really." Zi'on shrugs a bit to Th'ero when he says he's cleaning is own weyr. "I wouldn't, if I were weyrleader. I'd find a nice hiding spot for all my girly pictures and then let someone else clean up after me." The younger bronzer drains his drink and looks around. "Mm. I just might!" He laughs. "Come on, Th'ero. You'll give a weyrbrat gal the night of her life getting to sleep with the weyrleader." He gets a sly look on his face. "Maybe it has… maybe it hasn't. Maybe I've got a prank RIGHT HERE!" He opens up the bag and pulls the books from it, waving it around. He's kidding. They're just books. Kids books, actually.

"Yes, I've seen a baby, Zi'on." Th'ero remarks sarcastically, shaking his head a little. "I had to help with the care of my baby sister. And if I could manage that, you can manage the basics for your own child." He points out, and then frowns slightly. "I thought fostering happened right away… or is that only some cases?" Shaking his head once more as he chuckles, there's another sip of his drink and another smirk before Th'ero replies. "I've no…girly pictures as you put it. I just don't like others rifling through my stuff." He admits and then leans back into his chair, bringing his mug to rest on one of the armrests. "It's still a no. And I don't buy the rank being a perk bit, either." The Weyrleader says while giving Zi'on a bit of a narrowed glance, though his grin keeps it all in good, teasing fun. "Maybe if a green were to rise, it'd be another matter. But you should have no troubles finding a willing girl yourself. Here or in the caverns." Th'ero quirks one brow up, then gives the Western bronzerider a curious look. "Enka won't mind?" he teases, before the sly look from Zi'on has him looking puzzled and slightly worried. When it's revealed to be nothing more then a children's book, the Weyrleader relaxes again. "A bit of light reading for yourself?" Th'ero teases again with a snort.

"Speaking of baby sisters," Zi'on changes the topic, for no good reason other than Th'ero had jogged his memory. "I thought yours was coming to Western or something? Didn't you mention that? Or is she already at Western, and we just haven't been introduced?" Zi'on shrugs a bit. "It can. But Enka doesn't. Some riders like caring for their babies a little while, but can't slack off their duties that long. Other times it's because they've got more kids on the way, like with me when the twins were born." His younger full-blooded siblings. Zi'on laughs. "Well, suit yourself." Zi'on shrugs at the bit about Enka. "I moved back to my weyr. Wasn't really ready for weyrmating. We're kind of stop and go now. I'll be around for the baby, but after that…" He shrugs again. He laughs then at Th'ero's quip, then offers him the books. "Light reading for you."

"She hasn't arrived yet. I haven't entirely convinced her to move to the Weyr. It'd be a big change, considering she's lived in such a remote cothold all her life." Just like he did, until he screwed it all up. Th'ero finishes his drink them, setting the empty mug aside on the small table before signaling to a nearby server for another round. The Weyrleader doesn't seem the slightest bit buzzed, but who knows what his state will be come the second mug. "Ahh, it would be tough to balance a child with duty. I suppose then it's all preference." Th'ero does look surprised though at the news Zi'on shares with him, a hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. "Shells. Sorry to hear that it didn't work out." He murmurs, before giving a slight sigh. "Never quite understood the fuss about weyrmating, to be honest. Good on you for staying for the baby at least." The Weyrleader then snorts, waving off the offer of the books with a smirk. "No thanks. I've no time for reading." He chuckles.

Zi'on grins. "Maybe you should let me meet her. She might feel better about a move if she knows someone is there already that she knows. Or I could at least take her for a visit, if you don't have the time." He'll let the server take his empty glass as well. Though this time he feels loose enough to just order the whiskey straight with just ice." Zi'on shrugs a bit to Th'ero. "Eh. Enka and I had a good run. But I really need my own space. And things are getting cramped even in her weyr with the baby stuff. Also I wouldn't be able to leave out my equipment and all. I was happier just to come down and stay with Enka. 've been in love with Enka since I was thirteen. That won't ever change probably. But settling down with one girl right now seems sort of folly. I couldn't see it lasting." He turns the tables on Th'ero, then. "How's Jey?"

Th'ero frowns a little at Zi'on's suggestion, distracted in his reply as he takes the first sip of his drink and this time he does grimace and whether or not it's to the kick of the alcohol or his reply, it's left only for him to know. "Kaliena is…uncertain around men. But I could bring it up to her, it may make it easier to know she has someone to turn to if I can't be there." The Weyrleader falls silent as Zi'on speaks, his gaze turning to the black depths of the drink he holds in his hand but he still hears all, even with the lounge still buzzing with the mingled noise and conversation of the crowds. "Nothing says you have to be weyrmated with someone to love them. If this keeps you two the happiest, then it's for the best in the end, is it not?" Th'ero gives a small, slightly crooked smile then as he glances back up towards Zi'on as the tables turn. "I've not seen much of Jey lately. It's tough, with her being in Fort Sea Hold and myself here. With winter gone, her duties have picked up." He says with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Not much can be done about it."

Zi'on raises a brow to Th'ero. "You, as well? I'll shave my beard and slouch. Maybe she'll take me for younger. She's only sixteen, right?" Zi'on could look the part of a man, and even play it when he had a mind to, but the rest of the time he played a mischievous teenager. "I guess I'm surprised you wouldn't just have her come here. I guess home is home though." And when you impress, that weyr becomes your new home most times. And your old one seems like it was a home in a different life. "Mm. I know. Enka seemed okay with it, but she's usually fairly practical about things like that. It's hard to judge her real feelings most of the time." Zi'on frowns a bit to the weyrleader then. "Sounds to me like maybe I'm not the only one who ought to be moving on. But you're older and wiser than me." He grins then. "You sure you don't want to join me in 'bratting a little?"

"I'm more of a stranger then a brother, right now." Th'ero points out as he raises the mug he holds to emphasize it and then takes another deep pull and almost half way through his second drink. The Weyrleader wasn't buzzed before he's certainly fast tracking his way there now. "Sixteen…roughly. And shaving /may/ help." He muses, before shrugging his shoulders again. "To Fort? That'd be too much, I think. Maybe in time… but not now." Th'ero probably hadn't though of his sister ever Impressing, per say or even being Searched. All he's concerned on is that she is safe. Slouching a little in his seat, he tilts his head to the side in a curious manner when Zi'on brings up Enka again. "I don't really know her to say otherwise. You two seemed a good match though." Smirking again, his hand scrubs in an almost weary manner across his face before he's straightening himself again. "Older, yes. Wiser? Not so much. I still care for Jeyinshi. Like you said with Enka and how you don't see your feelings changing? Same goes." The Weyrleader sighs then, "Not that there hasn't been others. Flights mostly. One non-flight…" Again, he snorts and gives Zi'on a look. "I'm very sure, but thanks for the offer." And somewhere, out on the ledges, a pale bronze is cursing his rider's stubbornness. Th'ero has his reasons though!

Zi'on has already drained his second and was working on a third. He clearly didn't plan to leave Fort. At least not tonight. He'd be too sloshed to between soon enough, and it was easier to sleep it off than to sit around to sober up. Zi'on nods to Th'ero about his sister. "I guess I sort of miss the twins. It would be nice to have someone younger around to help me get into trouble. Not to mention you're gone to Fort and I hardly see Pat anymore. And there's only so much trouble you can get a pregnant weyrwoman into." He laughs a bit. Then he raises a brow. "Flights don't count. Non-flights though… you changing course a little?" Maybe if Th'ero gets drunk enough Zi'on will be able to coax him to let a girl sit in his lap or something… and let things fall where they may!

Thankfully, Th'ero's weyr is a ground level one, so he really only has a small flight of stairs to deal with. And with the thunderstorm outside now in full swing as it sweeps over the area, Zi'on or any visitors, for that matter, won't be going anywhere for at least close to another hour or so until the storm blows over. "Where are the twins now?" he asks curiously, before frowning a little. "You've not seen much of Patori lately, either?" Th'ero has lost touch with many, it seems. But that is mostly his doing, having left Western so abruptly. There's a slightly amused, though crooked smile given to the pregnant woman and trouble remark, but his reply is saved for Zi'on's crack at him changing course. "It's…complicated." Th'ero admits, almost muttering the words as he leans down further into his seat, mug now cradled between both his hands. And the flush that has crept into his cheeks may not be entirely blamed on his buzzed state of intoxication. "And there's only been the one. I…haven't told Jeyinshi. Don't know if I should."

Zi'on is okay staying here all night really. And stumbling out to sleep half the day away in whatever bed he can find. So much the better if it had a weyrbrat wench in it! "Still in Telgar," the younger bronzer says about his siblings. "With my ma. They were searched last clutch, but neither impressed. Maybe next time though." Then he shakes his head about Patori. "No, but in truth I haven't had time to go looking for him either lately. I guess I should do that before the baby is born. He'll probably be scared of me now." He laughs. The beard and all. Such things scared Patoris. Zi'on raises a brow as he sips at his drink. "Clearly. You don't really seem the type to keep two girls. Though maybe you are. I don't know if I'd tell Jey though. Only the one time? Or only the one girl?" He eyes Th'ero carefully.

There is no shortage of that in any Weyr, so Zi'on's luck in not sleeping the night alone is good. But he'll get no help from Th'ero in finding said partner. "Ahh, that's a shame. Good luck to them then next time." The Weyrleader says with a slight nod of his head, before chuckling dryly. "Patori is probably hiding or up to his usual habits. Miss the kid, though. And yeah, you'd probably terrify him now, if you were to approach him." Th'ero teases before sobering again - or as much as he can, considering his thoughts are going a little fuzzy around the edges. "Why can't I keep two? Or love more then one?" he asks, frowning a little as if puzzled. Suddenly, the Weyrleader seems uncomfortable and shifts a little in his seat. His gaze doesn't meet Zi'on's either, it turns back to his drink as he tilts the mug a little back and forth in his hands. "The one woman, another rider. Not a girl." He murmurs in a low voice, cautious though it's highly unlikely anyone can hear them in their secluded little corner.

Clearly Zi'on wasn't going to get any help from Th'ero. Eventually he'll wander off to hunt and leave the other bronzer to his cups. But right now he was distracted with his nose in Th'ero's business. He laughs about Patori. "Mm. I probably ought to go find him. Also fix him with a proper room and such. I need to take him out to find him a girl." Zi'on laughs. "You can, but it generally ends messily. You can ask my father about that if you'd prefer to hear it first hand. At least it does if you try to keep them both seriously." Zi'on's eyes narrow. There must be some reason Th'ero is avoiding telling Zi'on who it is. "Do I know her, then?" He thinks. "Is is Raev? Uh… Iris?" What other women did they both know?

"Now /that/ I can agree to." Th'ero says with a deep chuckle, though he shakes his head soon afterwards. Zi'on trying to get Patori a partner for the night is something the Weyrleader wouldn't mind seeing, mostly for the laughs, but such is the life of one of his rank. All work and so little play, especially if it's in another part of the world. "I know it can end messily. Which is why I said it's complicated." It doesn't explain much of anything, but it may be a reason for his public appearance and sudden taste for alcohol this night. Th'ero finishes his third drink in one long sip, which has him grimacing at the harshness, but he recovers quickly enough. Zi'on's narrowed look is given a smirk and then the Weyrleader is almost laughing at the names he supplies. "Neither. And Iris? Really? She's weyrmated to Ila'den. I may be crazy to take two woman, but I'm not insane enough to meddle with a weyrmated pair." He lets Zi'on suffer a moment or two more as he slips into a thoughtful silence, turning his head slightly to glance out towards the crowds, which have begun to thin now that the worst of the storm is gone. "It's Kimmila."

Zi'on grins. Laughs for Th'ero and Zi'on, hopefully a night of bliss for poor Pat. Maybe it would give him a boost of confidence, too. Though Pat would likely always be a bit small and meek. He was really the complete opposite of Zi'on, who was big and boisterous. "Hey man, I don't know. That would certainly make things more complicated! Truth be told I haven't seen much of Iris, either. This baby is already ruining my life and he's not even -born- yet." There's a bit of a sigh. Zi'on is mid-drink when Th'ero admits his second girl. Or woman, as he prefers. Zi'on spits back into his cup and coughs. "Kimmila? -Really-?" Zi'on does a very poor job of hiding his disgust. "Uh. Well. Congrats or something. That's… well, she's interesting. I suppose."

Patori is most likely the opposite of both Zi'on and Th'ero combined! Perhaps that's what made the trio of them so well balanced? But that was the past and it seems those days may be gone, what with Th'ero now bound to Fort Weyr. "Are you still pining after Iris?" The Weyrleader muses, chuckling when Zi'on puts the blame on his unborn child. "Oh sure, it's all the child's fault. Never yours?" Th'ero is well on his way to being drunk now, mildly but enough that he's actually relaxed enough to slouch slightly in his chair and not be too uptight about crowds and conversation topics. So Zi'on's reaction is only met with a narrow glare. "What?" he asks, before bristling slightly at the Western bronzerider's obvious disgust. That does get Th'ero's hackles up, it seems.

Zi'on is fairly certain those days were gone. Even if Zi'on and Pat moved to Fort it's unlikely Th'ero would have the time to bum around with them anymore. Zi'on laughs. "I haven't seen her to pine. I wouldn't be surprised if she was as pregnant as Enka though by now." After weyrmating generally came the babies. "It is the baby's fault! All his fault." Zi'on puts his hands up in defense as Th'ero's hackles are raised. He empties his glass. "She wouldn't be my first choice, is all." Or second, or third, or… But that's all he says on that. He stands then. "Anyways I think I've overstayed my welcome for sure." He picks up his books. "I think I'll go bother that cute blonde girl and her friends at the end of the bar. Have fun with uh.. Kimmila." He laughs a bit. "See you, weyrleader."

Th'ero would find the time, but it still wouldn't be like the good old days. And there is only so much trouble he can get himself into, as a Weyrleader. He laughs as well, "They visited just before the eggs hatched. If she were pregnant, she showed no signs." He notes, frowning thoughtfully as he tries to recall the memory but the alcohol makes that next to impossible. It's a wonder he can still think coherently at all. Th'ero's hackles may be raised, but he knows enough, even in a muddled state, when to back down. He gives a gruff snort, but the crooked smile shows no hard feelings. "To each their own then." The Weyrleader's way of saying, "agree to disagree" on the matter. As Zi'on stands, Th'ero pushes his chair back to stand as well, though he has to use the table to support himself for a moment. "No, no, you haven't. I just… I care for her. A lot. How'd you feel if I reacted like that when you talk of Enka?" He shrugs then, really starting to feel the effects of three very strong drinks in quick succession. When he mentions the girls, Th'ero laughs, shaking his head and then regretting that movement. "Good luck, Zi'on. Maybe I'll cross paths with you in the morning, if you don't head straight for Western." Th'ero reaches again to clasp Zi'on by the arm in a farewell gesture before moving away, though he does so slowly. At least he's not stumbling!

Had Th'ero been in the habit of getting himself into trouble before? It was hard to make trouble when you had permission to basically do as you liked. Zi'on and Enka had to pretend they'd get into trouble if they got caught doing something they really shouldn't have been doing. There's a frown from Zi'on. "Sorry. I don't mean to be rude or anything. But I've never seen Kimmila be nice to anyone. And she's certainly never bothered to treat me with any sort of respect. I would assume she treats you better, since you say you care for her." There's a smile and a nod from the younger bronzer then. "Heh. If I stick around I'm sure I won't be up before noon anyways." He heads towards the previously mentioned ladies, though some of the wind seems like it's been knocked out of his sails.


'The World of Pern(tm)' and 'The Dragonriders of Pern(r)' are copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) l967, 2000. This is a recorded online session, by permission of the author but generated on PernWorld MUSH for the benefit of people unable to attend.