Sejith (#4466)
A bright brassy hide gleams, deepening in gradual shadow under wings and down to graceful talons in a rich bronze. Filling out with age and maturity, Sejith is well-muscled and sleek, his lack of obvious threadscore speaking of his easy coordination and airborne precision. Calm and steady in just about any situation, his exacting skill speaks of an inner intensity.
His eyes whirl a deep aquamarine blue, matching the ocean.

Southeastern Bowl (#529)
This area of the bowl is the highest point of the bowl floor; from here, it slopes down and to the northwest, spilling out to the plateau below the wide gap in the Weyr rim to the west. Various tunnels here lead into the Weyr's inner caverns; the living caverns, hatching grounds, and main Weyr tunnel all branch off from here. To the west lie the stables where the Weyr's runners are housed. There is also a stone stairway that leads up to the Weyrleader's weyrs.
It is a spring sunset.
Perched on rocky crags about the bowl is Spur.
Brown Morath and bronze Sejith are here.

Kaeryn slips quietly, a bounce in her step, in from the Central Bowl.

T'rell sits thoughtfully, almost hidden by Sejith's bulk, and chews. In his lap is the remains of what once was dinner.

Looking around thoughtfully, but with a slightly lost look on her face, Kae heads in the direction of the living caverns, up from the beach. As she almost slams into a bulk of bronze, she skids to a stop, and laughs as she lifts her head to realize that Sejith is the bronze that was almost wearing her. "Hi Sejith!" she calls out cheerfully.

Sejith's inner lids open at the sound of his name, shifting only slightly to view Kaeryn. T'rell, however, looks up, startled, and then grins. "Hey, watch where ye're going, lady," he warns in a thin, nasal tone, putting down his plate and rising to his feet as he dusts off his trousers.

Just as she was about to offer Sejith a friendly rub, Kae hears T'rell's voice, which causes her to jump in surprise. A soft squeak passes her lips, causing her to giggle at herself, much as she must have done as a child. "T'rell!" she finally manages to exclaim as she heads in his direction, practically throwing herself in the direction of his arms.

T'rell catches Kaeryn by dint of reflex as much as anything else, but gives an enthusiastic hug. "Hey, good to see you! What brings you up this way?"

"Thought Sejith might be lonely and.." Kae begins, her blue eyes sparkling brightly in the beautiful lights of the sunset. "Actually, I just had to come and see you, since you didn't come track Oli and I down while we've been away." A tiny smile plays on her lips, showing that she's struggling to keep herself from giggling.

"I didn't?" T'rell seems mildly surprised to hear this, and considers. "Hmm. You're right. I didn't," he agrees. "Not that I wouldn't have, you understand." He coughs lightly.

Kaeryn sniffs dramatically as she steps away from the embrace and looks in the direction of the setting sun. "We were /stranded/ at Southern for what seemed to be an eternity, with no one to rescue me," she states with a pouty look on her face.

T'rell glances sideways at Kaeryn, as if hiding from her censure. "Stranded, huh?" He toes the dirt slightly. "I guess it's too late for a rescue," he surmises, but brightens. "But I'm off duty tonight," he offers with a bit of a grin.

"If you're freeeee," Kae draws out the end of the word with a grin, "Does that mean you'd be willing to offer this lady a little company and," she pauses and looks toward the sunset again, "entertainment?"

Bezath circles in and lands.

G'rwin slides from Bezath's neck, landing on the ground with a soft thud.

T'rell puts his arm around Kaeryn's waist companionably, gesturing to the brilliance of the sunset. "Well, we've got our art museum over there," he suggests in a tour-guide sort of tone, "And down that way," he points toward the sea, "We've got the concert hall -- I think maybe the Shipfish Symphony is performing tonight." The rider raises an eyebrow, and grins. "What sort of entertainment did you have in mind?" Then he glances around, then, seeking something or someone. "Uh, is someone missing?" he finally asks the harper.

Sevareth walks in from the Central Bowl. Jesha slides from Sevareth's neck and lands gently on the ground.

G'rwin drops a nod to T'rell, Kaeryn, and Sejith as he slips past them and through the door into the living caverns.

G'rwin strides quickly to the Living Caverns.

T'rell gives a quick nod and grin in return to G'rwin and then Jesha.

Whuh? Suddenly, just as a slender form slides down the dusky choco-side of the brown, aforementioned brown wriggles just slightly enough to set the skinny gal off-kilter. A squeal and Jesha's dumped unceremoniously on her flat little butt, leaving only a cloud of dust in her wake and a stormy frown on her lips.

T'rell is distracted enough that he simply watches Jesha, almost curious. After a moment or two, he calls over, "All right?"

Kae turns her head obligingly in each direction as T'rell explains the options to her, and then grins at him. "Well, just companionship, really," she responds with an unbelievably shy smile and shrug. "Been a little starving for attention, I think," she admits with a blush, before glancing around in confusion. "Who's missing?"

Bezath cranes his neck around to whuffle Jesha, 'fore stumping off to some less inhabited end of the bowl in which to doze.

Bezath saunters with a flick of his tail to the Central Bowl.

T'rell gives a little shake of his head as he refocuses his attention on Kaeryn. "Oh. Oli."

"Sev-a-RETH! Don't you DO that to me! I'm gettin' way too old for this!" crackles the somewhat light voice o' Jesha as she glares balefully at the dragon in question, who manages to look the slightest bit sheepish as she stands and dusts herself off. Frown is replaced by a forgiving smile and a nod for all present as she ambles her way to the Living Cavern. Jesha wrangles like the sexy little brownrider she is to the Living Caverns.

"Ohhh," Kae shakes her head and shrugs, "She'll come up, but she's working on this old drum she managed to get her hands on, and it's taking up most of her attention." Again, Kae looks towards the beach and the caverns. "Pick a direction?" she requests.

"Ah." T'rell nods understandingly. "Pick a direction," he repeats. "Right." He reaches for one of Kaeryn's hands, leading her into a turn. "'Round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows,'" the man chants.

"I'm going to be dizzy!" Kae exclaims giddily as she is turned in circles, but she obligingly keeps going in circles, waiting to be stopped.

T'rell laughs, and allows the harper to stop herself. "Well? Which direction is it, then? Place your bets, gentlemen!" Sejith regards the pair dubiously, giving his rider another laugh as he informs Kaeryn, "Sejith has three marks on the beach."

As Kae stops, she wobbles a little, and, sure enough, walks in the direction of the beach, hoping T'rell will follow behind. "It seems to be a lovely sunset..." she notes quietly to everyone and no one all at once.

Sejith rumbles softly, closing his eyes again in a smug expression.

T'rell does follow Kaeryn. "Shells, now I owe him *another* three marks," he complains jokingly.

Kae can't help but giggle /again/, as she wanders off beach ward, squeezing T'rell's hand gently as she smiles over at him, "What's Sejith need with marks anyway?"

T'rell shrugs. "Oh, I think he likes to sleep on them. Something about ancient heritage. I think he's making it up," he tells Kaeryn blandly.

"Sounds painful," Kae notes quietly as she moves across the hot sand toward the cooler sand of the beach. "Wow," she whispers softly, pausing as soon as she gets closer to the water.

T'rell halts for a few moments, too. "Yeah, it's pretty nice, isn't it? Don't much stop to admire the view anymore." He shrugs, looks for a moment longer to take in the sunset on the water, and then starts walking again.

Kae laughs and stands still, holding T'rell's hand as he walks away, which causes her to move forward along the sand regardless. "Don't you ever just want to sit and look at it?" she asks with a soft sigh.

T'rell stops again, and looks, but at Kaeryn, not the sunset. "Well, sure, I guess. The beach is nice," he makes an abortive, half-gesture toward the path. "Or we could sit there, at the edge, if you'd rather."

Kae motions at the path and moves over in that direction, "That seems to be a good place," she responds, glancing away quickly to look around an anything, and everything.

T'rell follows, then looks down the slope for a more hidden spot. "That looks good." He steps down carefully, only a few feet from the top, and holds out his hand for the harper. "Here's a ledge with a view." He grins. "Best seats in the house."

Kae follows quietly, accepting T'rell's assistance, and selects a spot on the ledge to sit. Tanned legs are folded up beneath the blue skirts that usually swirl about them, and she pats the ground beside her, "Sit with me then?" she requests with a gentle smile.

T'rell takes the seat as offered, looking out to sea once more as the glowing red color bleeds into the water at the horizon, spilling gold and indigo out before it, and asks, "I guess you're liking the Dolphincraft, huh?"

"I feel like I belong there," Kae agrees with a nod of her head, causing her blond curls to bounce gently around her face and into her eyes. "But I miss here, the most. When I was in Ista, I missed here the most as well. I can't explain it, really..." her voice trails off and she just smiles.

T'rell glances harper-ward, and smiles in response to hers. "Well, it's pretty nice here. I'd miss it, too." Agreeable gent. He puts his arm 'round her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. "'Course, it missed you, too."

"Just 'it' missed me?" Kae says softly, a blush touching her cheeks as she does, as if she can't believe she said what she did. Insteading of saying anything else, she just leans against T'rell's shoulder and looks out across the water for a long, quiet moment.

T'rell glances down at Kae's hair, then leans against her, balancing them out. About to speak, he stops, and the quiet remains unbroken as the glowing sun sneaks below the horizon in a blaze of glory.

As Rukbat vanishes beneath the waves, Kae sighs in contentment. Her eyes droop closed as she rests, relaxed, and just enjoys the quiet time. Her breaths a long, deep, and cleansing, as though she's concentrating on breathing to the extent that nothing else matters; or she's just trying to /seem/ relaxed.

"You falling asleep?" T'rell finally wonders softly, shifting Kaeryn's head to a better spot on his shoulder that's not a bone.

"No," Kae whispers as she nestles her head closer to T'rell's neck and her eyes flutter open. "Just, thinking, I guess," she adds in a quiet, smooth voice.

T'rell's hand rests gently on Kaeryn's bare shoulder, not quite still. "Thinking about what?"

"About how nice it feels to just be here," Kae motions with her tanned, slender fingers at the area, herself and T'rell, "and how I haven't been this happy or this relaxed in quite some time."

T'rell raises his eyebrows; "What about being at sea, learning all that stuff you're learning?" Not being able to produce specifics, he goes completely general.

"Ever been on a ship?" Kae asks quietly, lifting her head slightly off T'rell's shoulder and tilting her head so she can look at him. "I share a small cabin, and /rarely/ have time to myself, or quiet time with...friends."

T'rell frowns consideringly, and digests this description. "I guess I see what you mean," he grins crookedly after all. "And I bet ol' Master Thorn there doesn't let you goof off much, eh?"

A sound that is /almost/ like a whimper comes from Kae's throat and she buries her face against that strong shoulder again. "From the time I wake until the time I fall into my cot, I'm busy. I guess it leaves less time to miss home and, well, the people here."

T'rell gives a small chuckle. "It gets like that around here, too, y'know. Eh," he swats at a flying creature that threatened to land. "Bugs are out worst this time o' year."

T'rell grabs an evil sucking creature out of the air, squishing it in his hand before it could land on Kaeryn's unprotected neck. "Maybe we should head in. There's still a view from the weyr, you know," he offers enticingly.

Kae tilts her head so that her face is even with T'rell's, and dangerously close. Not daring to speak in response to that offer, she just nods her head slowly in agreement.

T'rell rises, helping Kaeryn simultaneously to her feet on the somewhat precarious ledge. "Hey, I think I've got a drinkable batch up there just about aged right, too." The rider grins, leaping up to the top of the ledge in a step or two, then reaching down his hand to help pull the harper up to the top.

Accepting T'rell's assistance once again, Kae gets to the top of the ledge and grins, "And if I needed more of a reason to join you," she notes with a twinkle in her eyes, "That would be the grain of sand to tip the scale."

"C'mon, baby, let's go somewhere private and enjoy the view," the bronzerider swaggers exaggeratedly while Sejith looks on.

Kae coughs lightly at T'rell's remark and shakes her head from side to side, her pink cheeks growing a shade darker. "I'm half a step behind you," she replies, licking her lips nervously as she pats Sejith's foreleg affectionately. "It's been too long since I've been in the /air/," she notes.

T'rell laughs, dropping all pretense. "Aw, he'll take care of you. Long as you remember how to get up," the rider adds, stepping up to Sejith's foreleg and grabbing a handhold on the straps.

T'rell reaches down again, ready to help Kaeryn up.

"Easier said than done in a dress," Kae laughs, grabbing T'rell's hand and pulling herself up behind him. She spreads her skirt out around her as well as she possibly can and wraps her arms around T'rell's waist.

"You've gotten stronger since I saw you last," T'rell gasps out in a squeezed voice as the dragon crouches, ready to leap.

"Stronger? Or could it be that I just felt like hugging you?" Kae teases happily as they spring up into the air.

Sejith circles higher, using the warm air rising off the plateau to buoy him.

T'rell jokingly gasps for breath as they land. "Both?" He theorizes, turning around to look at Kaeryn.

"The latter, actually," Kae admits with a wink, squeezing tightly again.

T'rell gives a mock-oof, followed by a grin over his shoulder. "I think Sejith would prefer privacy for his nap, though, without two of us squeezing each other on top of him."

"Sorry Sejith!" Kae calls out as she slips down from her place behind T'rell, landing gently on the floor, her skirts swirling around her as she does. "Then let's let him be, shall we?" she grins.

T'rell strides over to turn a single glowbasket, the light filtering dimly to reveal rough outlines. "Sure, come on in and I'll get you drunk." He gives a cheerful smile, inviting Kae into the inner sanctum.

"Promise?" Kae replies softly as she follows T'rell away from the tired Sejith and into the cozier area of the pair's weyr. "And then?"

T'rell laughs, and turns the glowbasket over again as he follows Kaeryn into the doorway. "Whatever you like."

Kaeryn slips quietly, a bounce in her step, to the Inner Chamber.

T'rell's Bubble (#4564)
This would be a perfectly round chamber if not for the fact that a slightly tilted slab of granite serves for a floor. The upper dome is curiously textured, the stone formed from bits and pieces of every conceivable kind of rock all smooshed together and cooked around a big bubble of gas. A shallow pool of warm water flows along the lower side of the floor, flowing in and draining out through small crevices which were widened long ago into proper channels.
Over its many turns of occupation, this room has acquired a cot with plain sleeping furs, a clothes press, and couple of medium sized, mismatched storage chests. Niches in the stone serve as places to put stuff -- a small distance viewer, a glowbasket, pair of clunky scissors. While it's not exactly organized, it seems that everything here does have a place.

T'rell emerges from the spring, dripping warm water all the way over to the towel rack. "You awake?"

Kae mumbles softly as she opens her eyes and looks around the room, blinking slowly as she takes in her surroundings. "Not really?" she replies as her arms are stretched up above her head.

T'rell rubs his hair dry and then wraps the towel around his waist, sitting down beside Kae on the furs to grin down at her.

Kaeryn squirms beneath the furs, slipping down a little further beneath them to keep her skin warm, or covered. A lazy, contented look is in her eyes as she looks back up at T'rell, where he sits on the edge of the cot, and she moves so that her head rests against his knee. "Sleep well?"

T'rell nods. "You?" His hand runs idly through Kae's golden hair, an unconscious gesture. "I know it's probably not as nice as home, but..." he shrugs.

"Better than I have in a really long time," Kae admits with a shy smile, which seems odd considering she's lying in T'rell's bed. "Did Sejith wake you, or do you just normally rise early?" she queries, her blue eyes glancing in the direction of the ledge.

T'rell glances at the curtained doorway, the first light of dawn beginning to seep in around the edges. "It varies. Depends on how early I get to bed."

The wind whistles across the ledge opening, blowing hard outside. The rider glances in that direction, listening, and closes his jaw in thoughtful consideration. "Hope that clears up."

At the sound of the wind, Kae sits up on the cot, and quickly grabs at the furs that slipped away from her body. Her cheeks flush a light pink, showing her embarrassment. "Is that the wind?" she asks, looking toward the ledge again. "What's happening today, then?"

T'rell nods, giving a slight grin as he catches Kae's motion and momentary revealment. "Yeah, storm winds. There's Fall this afternoon, at the southern islands. I don't want to be dealing with the wind in that, too." He shakes his head and smiles, dispelling the seriousness. "There's time before that."

A frown touches Kae's lips, one that she tries to disguise quickly, and she looks back at T'rell. She touches his cheek gently with her tiny fingers, an affectionate gesture from her, and she whispers, "I worry you when there's thread." As if in a second thought, not wanting to show how much she cares, she adds, "I worry about all of my friends, even though I know it's your job."

T'rell chuckles slightly. "What, worry, when I've got Sejith there flying me around?"

Kae motions at the thread marked scar on T'rell's ankle and nods, "Well, even Sejith can't save both of you all the time, you know." Her golden shoulders lift in a shrug and she leans forward to press her cheek against T'rell's for a quiet moment. "How much time does that leave before you have to get ready for fall?"

T'rell displays his ankle for a moment. "Hmm. It's fading," he notes philosophically as he calculates. "Well, an hour for last minute essentials, another for warm-up wing drills... and all the rest... Oh, that leaves us until just before midday.

"Oh? Good," Kae's smile reappears on her face, showing the dimples that dot each cheek. A quick kiss is planted on T'rell's lips before Kae gathers the furs around her body and stands from the cot, standing tall to stretch her legs.

T'rell leans over to capture Kae in response to the kiss, but she's standing and he's left sprawed on the cot, forlorn. "Where're you going?" he asks plaintively.

"No where," Kae responds, apparently decided that leaving the bed was a bad idea. She plants herself on the cot again, and leans over so that she is resting against him. "It's not as if I could leave here anyway, remember?"

T'rell rubs his beard, a crafty expression lighting his features. "Hmm, you're right," as if it were the first time he'd thought of that particular convenience. "So what shall I do to you, my captive guest?" He sits up, embracing her from behind.

"Well," Kae drawls, tilting her head to look back at him, her blue eyes sparkling happily. "This is nice?" she comments, her voice rich with contentment.

Starting with Kaeryn's ear and neck, T'rell proceeds to torture his victim with ticklish, caressing kisses.

Kaeryn struggles a little, as if trying to get away, and laughs when a ticklish place is found. Her feet are lifted up onto the cot, and tucked beneath her so that she has a little more control over which direction she can squirm to.

T'rell remains behind Kaeryn, strategically placed so as to be difficult to reach while having optimum opportunity.

Kae shreaks giddily and tries to escape, causing herself to get tangled within the furs, much to her dismay. "Uh oh!" she gasps between breaths, when she realeases the's going no where.

T'rell has her trapped, again. Over Kaeryn he hovers, supported by arms planted on either side of her shoulders. "There is no escape," he looms, grinningly dangerous.

"Oh no!" Kae cries out in a dramatic voice, pulling the furs up over her face. "Sejith! Help me!" she squeaks, a giggle breaking through from beneath the furs.

From outside the curtain, the sounds of wind are unbroken. "He's asleep, he can't save you now," T'rell assures the hiding woman, pulling the furs down to reveal her face once more. About to continue with some witty comment, he stops and places a tender kiss on her lips instead.

A soft 'oh' sounds from Kae's mouth at the kiss, but she stops struggling, at least. With a gentle touch, her fingers brush across T'rell's cheek and curl around the base of his neck.

T'rell rolls over next to Kaeryn, an arm draped comfortably across her body to caress her side. "I'm not pushing you, am I?" he asks, not really believing it but wanting to make sure even as he holds her hand against him.

Kae moves so that she's resting her head against T'rell's chest and she shakes it from side to side, "No, of course not," she whispers in response. She lifts her head so that her eyes meet his and she smiles bashfully, "It's perfect."

"Well, I'll agree with that." Leaving the towel forgotten to fall to the floor, the rider slips back in under the fur.

Kae makes a sound that almost sounds like a purr, and she presses her warm body against T'rell's. "I just wondered how long it would take you," she teases, kissing him softly on the lips.

T'rell murmurs, muffled by the kiss, "Too long." His hand sweeps the length of Kaeryn's body appreciatively as he presses closer.

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