Living Cavern (#4190)
The smooth, rounded walls of the vast living cavern sweep upward from an oval base, two dragonlengths long and one wide, large enough to seat every member of the Weyr at mealtimes. The soft blackness of the lava which forms these caverns swallows glowlight, so shelves for glowbaskets abound, dotting the walls every three or four paces and casting gentle greenish light up toward the sparkles of gold volcanic glass embedded in the ceiling. Ancient lustrous tables run along the long axis of the cavern, and at the far end is the raised dais and high table, where the Weyrleaders and their honored guests eat during formal occasions. Behind the high table, the Weyr's symbol is chiseled into the stone: a smoking mountain in black, on an orange shield, trimmed in gold.

T'rell finishes filling the klah mugs, taking one in each hand as he starts toward the southern caverns, only to meet Kaeryn coming out. He halts. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I was thirsty, and thought it was about time that we got out of our room," Kae replies softly, so as to not disturb the sleeping infant in her arms, and giving T'rell a warm smile.

T'rell hands over a mug of fresh klah, gesturing toward a table; there are a couple of folks nearby. "Can I get you two anything else?" the rider offers, half-turning back toward the laid-out food.

"She has just had *her* meal," Kae gently shifts their daughter in her arms so she can take the offered mug of klah and take a sip from it. "I, on the other hand, haven't eaten all day," she admits with a frown, "stew or meatrolls, or even fruit, anything sounds just about perfect right now."

"I'll find something," T'rell assures Kaeryn with a grin which softens momentarily as he glances at the tiny child in the harper's arms. Off he goes to survey the choices, beginning to fill a couple of plates. There's no guarantee that a normal person would actually enjoy a meal that this man puts together, but at least the weyr's cooks assure that it'll be edible.

After returning T'rell's grin, Kae makes her way over to where a few chairs are available, and slips down into one, gently setting the mug of klah on the table and far enough away so that wiggling baby arms won't accidentally bump into it.

T'rell returns soon enough with a pair of plates and bowls balanced on them; his klah mug is balanced precariously on the edge of something and almost nudging a meatroll off the plate entirely. Amazingly, he doesn't seem to have spilled anything -- at least on the plate he puts in front of Kaeryn. His own... well, the flatbread is a bit soggy. "How was your day?" The rider straddles a chair, settling in to his meal.

"About the same as every other day," Kae grins, shaking her head. "I wanted to get outside, paint some, or just get some fresh air, but Bren," she looks down at her daughter and just shakes her head, "she had other ideas. Every time I even *thought* of going outside, she would decide she was hungry, or needed to be changed or *something*."

T'rell has taken a large mouthful of stew; turns out it was very hot. He inhales deeply for a few moments, then pauses and recovers a few of his wits. "You can do all that stuff outside as well as in, you know."

A touch of pink appears on the very modest harper's cheeks, and Kae shakes her head, quickly, a look of determination in her eyes. "I don't think so. At least, not when I want to paint," Kae shrugs her shoulders, just slightly, as nonchalantly as possible, and studies the plate of food before her. She may live in the weyr, but that doesn't mean the shy, modest girl she always was will ever go away.

T'rell catches just a glance of the harper's blush and chuckles quietly. "There are places outside that can be private," he adds, wisely blowing across another spoonful of stew.

Treutlen brings out from the kitchens a large tray ment for restocking the fare on the larder. He sets it all out carefully, glancing around and smiling when he manages to spy that certian healer. "Morning....." the drudge says to Hytiaf first, then again to all else present.

"But..." Kae begins to form an excuse, but she just shakes her head and spoons a bite of the stew into her mouth and chews, slowly, thoughtfully. "As much as I have always considered this place home, I'm afraid I'll never quite be like everyone else," she admits quietly, though the grin that makes its way to her lips shows that she doesn't necessarily see it as a bad thing.

Hytiaf sits down and grins up at Treutlen. "Dear, " she says quietly, her voice soft but firm. "Tis sunset, not sunrise." She winks at him and gestures to True that he join her as she ate her porriage.

T'rell makes an unwise gesture with his spoon, and a small gloplet of stew lands on the table in front of him even as he speaks. "It's not like you need to strip to nurse her." The man doesn't particularly lower his voice at all to say this, he's just pointing out fact.

The color that had drained from Kae's face quickly reappears, and she shrinks down into her chair as if trying to hide from everyone else in the room. "B-b-but," she stammers, sounding much like the girl she was the first day she arrived at Ista Weyr some 10 turns back.

T'rell glances around as if wondering what Kaeryn is hiding from. Belatedly, he appears to realize it was him, and he does speak more softly. "But what? Bring a towel or something. Passers-by'll just think you've got an odd lump." He gestures to illustrate a lump of approximately infant-size. "Besides, the fresh air'll be good for both of you." He waves his spoon at Kaeryn, but luckily it's empty this time.

"We could use the fresh air," Kae admits with a nod of her head and a small smile. "I'm feeling a little caged up lately. I guess this is what happens after you live on a ship and then return to being in one place, isn't it?"

Treutlen peers at the food he's just put out, then outside and blinks to his intended. "Then why are they cooking breakfast food in the....oh nevermind....." He just shakes his head. It's not his place to understand cooks, just clean up after them, do their bidding and that sort of thing. And since setting out the food was his last duty of an unusually long day, it might as well be sunrise for True, he grabs a mug of klah and a light snack before some how managing to fold himself down into a chair ment for someone at least a foot smaller. There's the standard double thunk on the underside of the table accompanied by a dull 'ow'. "So, are you off for the night, or is it your night to be on duty, since my head's down the wrong shaft?"

T'rell grins crookedly. "Seems to me being on a ship'll coop you up enough. 'twould me." He tears off a piece of soggy flatbread to chew on. "C'mon, I'm off duty tomorrow morning. I could show you the beach down the coast, give you a chance to paint it or something."

Hytiaf shrugs and smiles. "the infirmary is slow tonight. Trey's sleeping in there, and she's a light sleeper. If anything happens i'll get word from my blue, and ofcourse Trey will wake up. I'm sort of on a break, even though it is my turn to watch the infirmary." she takes a sip from her klah. She liked that there was breakfast food ready. She always preferred it that way. "Are you just starting for the evening, or just ending?"

"Oh, but the scenery changes pretty often, when you're constantly moving," Kae laughs as she dips her spoon down into the bowl of stew again, pausing at the offer of a trip. "Really? Oh, that would be so perfect," she whispers, not even realizing she's doing so. "Just to spend a little time with the two of you and....paint."

T'rell smiles at the harper's enthusiasm as he washes down the last of his meal. He replaces his mug on the table, not quite empty. "Have to be back by midafternoon, that's all. We'll get an early start and have a good break. We can even bring a towel." His smile turns to a teasing grin.

Kae rolls her eyes skyward, and shakes her head, determined to *not* let T'rell's teasing get to her again. In her arms, their daughter shifts, her little fingers reaching up and managing to find a handful of her mother's hair.

Treutlen takes his first sip of klah, "Ending, finally. I might actually manage to sleep deep enough to stay on my cot....Probably not, but it's a possibility, right? Unless you want me to keep you company.....I think I can eek out a few more hours...." One long arm unrolls, hand presenting itself towards Hyti's, all the way across the table. The only advantage to being his size is that he can sit comfortably as he can manage and hold her hand without having to lean forward. Well, that and he rarely has trouble reaching the top racks.....

T'rell drains his klah with a satisfied sigh, leaning back in his chair. "You finished?" He surveys the harper's plate, grinning at Brencia's grasping hands. "Need help?"

Kaeryn nods and pushes the still half-full bowl of stew away from her before detangling Bren's fingers from her hair. "She seems to think that my hair is her toy," she laughs, pushing her curls out of the reach of the little pink fingers. "If you want her to tug on your beard though..." she teases, offering Brencia to her father.

T'rell completes the transfer with a practiced awkwardness, finally getting her to lie still where he can both keep her steady and be comfortable. While she does grab upward, his beard (recently trimmed, even) is short enough to be out of reach. "Sure is getting curious, ain't she?" He props her up a little more, allowing the infant to look around the cavern.

"Which one of us did she get *that* trait from?" Kae gives T'rell a wink with the comment, as she leans forward, using the table to keep her propped up in a seated position, and yawns.

T'rell's eyes twinkle. "Both." He watches Brencia as she watches Truetlen and Hytiaf, her tiny brown eyes flicking between the two at the other table. "You tired?" He glances back up at Kaeryn, studying her face briefly.

Despite her attempts at not showing how tired she really is, even shaking her head in negation of the question, Kae yawns again, and her eyelids begin to droop, covering most of her shimmering blue eyes.

Hytiaf takes his hand, with no small amount of blushing. She can almost feel her heart skip a beat as she looks up into his eyes. She is silent for a few moments before finally venturing a quip with her soft voice. "Oh, I could never keep you from the sleep you need, True, that would make me a bad healer."

"Right, off with you, Harper." T'rell determines this abruptly, shifting his daughter to a more secure position as he stands from the table. "You can bring the rest of that back with us, but falling asleep in it in public is bad form," he adds more quietly, again teasing lightly even as he reaches a hand to help Kaeryn up.

Kaeryn accepts T'rell's hand, and with his assistance, she manages to get to her feet, and gives him a tired, but appreciative smile. "I haven't exactly had all that much sleep lately, you know," she explains, yawning yet again. "It's so early still, though."

From T'rell's arms, Brencia suddenly squirms, letting out a loud complaint as she begins to cry. A new dad at best, the dragonrider looks alarmed, quickly turning his attention to trying to distract the girl, bouncing her lightly and murmuring low. When that doesn't work, he takes the standard route -- look to mom for help. "She can't be hungry again?" he asks almost plaintively as he begins inching for the doorway.

Treutlen grins a little, "Yeah well.....I never really could keep myself from you....would make me a bad addict if I could say no to my addiction...." Hyti's hand gets a little squeeze, even as he looks to the sudden squall of the babe. His head cocks slightly, and there's a thoughtful narrowing of his eyes before his attention returns to his healer-love.

"I'm sure she is," Kae can't help but tiredly sigh as she nods her head. "Just when I was thinking of having just a little nap, too," the harper tries her best not to sound irritable, but her exhaustion is quickly beginning to show through both her actions and her mood.

From T'rell's arms, Brencia calms just as abruptly as she started. He must've said something... afraid even to shrug, the rider takes the opportunity to exeunt stage left, rolling his eyes somewhat urgently to Kaeryn to follow -- quick, she's quiet, here's our chance!

Kaeryn follows behind T'rell as quickly as her tired self can move, off in the direction of her room. Another yawn is stifled as she walks toward the door, and she offers an apologetic shrug to him as she tries to keep up.

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