Settling... Down?

Xanadu Weyr - Forest's Edge

While the forest is thick for a long while, in time it begins to thin, as the ground becomes rockier to the south western stretches of the Weyr's land. The trees are further apart, and the rocks become larger, before rocky outcroppings seem to be more prevalent than the trees around them. As the hills begin to gain in height, the shruberry upon them become more stunted.
What's this, though! It seems with all the recent earthshakes from the south, the ground has begun to realign itself, and one hillside has shifted, revealing an opening into a small cave. At least, that's what it appears, as the whole is just large enough for an average sized man to sneak through.

A series of 'dens' sit into the rocky outcroppings, showing signs of the whers who make their home within them.

The stiff, humid breeze of early evening blows through the clearing near the mine as the last rays of Rukbat filter down past the horizon, casting the enter vale into darkness. Then a ruffling sound of fabric is preceded by the gentle light of a mostly-shielded glow and the wuffling of a certain blue wher as he goes exploring, sniffing the ground and the air, simply enjoying the night.

Janelle is here, with Jansk curled yb her side, just waiting for those last rays to disappear, leaving the clearing a safer place for the wher. Currnetly, however, a brown baby firelizard is curled up in Janelle's arm, much like Jansk used to, only months ago.

Hysk spots Jansk and goes lumbering towards her, stopping a wherlength away to give a polite chirp, « May I? » Hyrlon chuckles when he spots Janelle's newest dependant, his bronze and baby green curled up on on each shoulder. He settles himself next to Janelle, "Evenin. Getting used to the new sleep schedule yet?"

Janelle looks up as Hyrlon nears, and grins briefly, "Morning. And, I guess.. So long as I don't think about what time it is, when she's sleeping in the afternoon, I can usually doze off well enough." Usually isn't always, though. Jansk churrs quietly towards Hyst, nosing out towards him even as her handler removes the green's blindfold. "How 'bout you?"

Hyrlon chuckles softly as he watches Hysk gently extend his nose out to the green until the two touch, then pull back suddenly. Then he turns back to Janelle, "I'm getting used to it. One of the great things about specializing in paperwork is that it can be done most any time of day."

Janelle nods a bit with a grin. "Yes, I imagine that is helpful. With search and rescue, at least, we don't have set times. We get called when we're needed." Her finger rubs against Basalt's neckridges gently.

Lodestone gives a sleepy chirp at Basalt and Hyrlon chuckles, "I think you'll find that once Jansk is old enough to train they'll stop calling you in during day shifts unless it's really important." Hysk extends his nose towards Jansk again, even more slowly.

Jansk hufffs a puff of air gently towards Hysk, bobbing her head up and down slowly. Basalt barely opens his eyes, to chitter towards Lodestone, before settling back in against Janelle, and filtering off into sleep. "I thinkit'll be easier for BAsalt here.. he's not really going to know anything, outside of our new schedule."

Hysk jumps back from Jansk's puff of air, then gives a happy croon and approaches closer. Hyrlon chuckles gently, "Vein adapted easily enough, but I think he likes Hysk more than me. Lodestone seems to have decided to sleep whenever she wants whether or not I'm asleep."

Janelle nods a bit. "I think the firelizards a little more independant.. Without thelimitations of sight the whers have, the little fliers can probably do just fine. Once they're older, at least." Jansk takes a step forward, nosing back towards Hysk again.

Hysk takes a setp back, then steps forward, pressing nose to nose with Jansk with a happy chirp. Hyrlon nods, "The flits seem to be mostly self-sufficient. I haven't had to feed Vein in months, but then again he was always pretty self sufficient…."

Jansk clicks towards Hysk, and churrrs in response. Janelle glances twards the two, and grins softly. "I think that's like to babies hitting at eachother." Mind, she doesn't have any, nor much experience with kids. "Trying to get to know eachother."

Hysk churrs back, tapping her nose with his own and causing Hyrlon to chuckle, "Something like that, maybe… I think he's trying to figure out if she's safe to play with."

Janelle nods. "It's ok, Jansk. He's just like you are." a wher, a baby. "I think she's just trying to play period. I thinks he's realized, that if something's not safe, I'll help her figure that out. Well, sometimes, at least.. some times, I let her test things out. things that aren't going to hurt her, bu tmight give her a bad taste, or a light surprise or something.. After all, the'll be times that I can't tell her if something's safe or not.

Hyrlon chuckles, "They are like kids in that respect. Proverbial hands in everything." Hysk gives another happy churrr, « Play? » Hyrlon watches the two whers interact and idly wonders how similar they are to dragons.

Janelle nods a little, "Yeah, I can imagine. Hey… you think they'd play with a ball?" Jansk, however, wobble sher head up and down, chittering. « Play!»

Hyrlon nods, smiling, "I'd bet so. Seems like something they might enjoy… do you have one?" Hysk gives a happy chirrup and tackles Jansk, trying to send them both tumbling head over heels.

Janelle nods a bit, "Actually, I do. Just a second." And with that, she stands, the little flit barely giving a notice. She heads into their den, returning moments later with a small hard ball, safe against chewing jaws. Jansk rears up happily, claws pawing lightly at Hysk. She's thrown off balance, however, and rolls to the ground with him.

Hysk gives a happy chirrup and continues to roll along the ground with Jansk. Hyrlon gives a chuckle, watching the two roll around to gether, then grins at the ball Janelle brings back, "That's perfect, why don't you ask Jansk if she wants it?"

Janelle settles herself down next to Hyrlon again, and nods. The baby brown's on her shoulder now, though still quite soundly asleep. The young woman clicks a few times, causing Jansk to pause in her play with a brief whine. Janelle holds hte ball up between finger and thumb. "Want this? Want your ball, Jansk?" This gets the wher's attention quickly, as her jaws snap open and shut, and open again. The wher prances briefly, as best she can on her short legs, untill her handler finally tosses it directly between the two whers.

Hyrlon chuckles, watching the play of the two young whers with interest. When Janelle throws the ball, Hysk dives for it, crowing victory even before he lands. This causes Hyrlon to chuckle again, "They do seem to like eachother, don't they?

Janelle watches the two whers as they play-fight over the ball. "They do. Now, Jansk seems social enough at any given time, except for that storm.. But she really seems to like Hysk's company."

Hyrlon follows Janelle's gaze, watching the whers twist and turn across the field, pulling at the ball, and sighs, "Yeah, I think Hysk likes her most, too. But he's so polite all the time I'm just glad when he'll actually play with anyone."

Janelle nods a little, and grins. "After the storm, Jansk kept having these feelings of curiosity over Tig, and especially his daughter.. I think she likes kids."

Hyrlon chuckles, "Wouldn't surprise me, kids are a lot more like whers mentally than adults are. I wonder if kids would bond more strongly."

Janelle hmmms briefly. The ball manages a breakaway from the whers, causing Jansk to pounce after it with a grunt. "Interesting thought.. but I'm not os sure a kid'd be so great at handling.." Not that she's much older than a kid herself, really. "I mean, it takes dedication, and patience.. And kids need their sleep to grow healthy and stuff."

Hyrlon nods as Hysk goes bounding after Jansk and the ball, "Yeah… maybe not a kid-kid, but 12, 13, 14 would probably work really well. My brother who's also a handler is only 10 or 11."

Janelle Aahs a little, and grins a bit. "Well, that's different. I mean. I'm Seventeen, but I'll be eighteen soon enough. It's really only a couple months away."

Hyrlon chuckles, "Seventeen isn't a kid. Seventeen is a young adult." He smiles, "Not that you should rush off to grow up too soon. It's not worth it." He glances at her knot again, "How long have you been in the craft? You're a little young to be just an apprentice."

Janelle nods some. "Well, it's been a number of Turns, since I started in the craft.. Guess I just never thought to ask about what I needed to do to become a journeyman. I mean, I've been doing search and rescue for the past three, and didn't choose it righ taway."

Hyrlon chuckles and points at her knot, "I was really implying that you should be a senior apprentice by now, though I did make journeyman at 19, so it's always possible. If you've been working in a speciality that long, you've certainly earned more than a plain apprentice knot. Journeyman knots usually require teaching, however." He smiles, though, taking any possible malice out of his words, "Do you like to teach?"

Janelle nods alittle, "I like to help, however I can. I've shown a few of the kids around some safe knots.. The kind that won't slip and such." Because, y'know, they're going to find the mines and caverns. Even when they're told to stay out. "I like to share what I know.. But I've never been in a formal teaching environment."

Hyrlon chuckles and nods, "Yeah, kids are the hardest." He looks her over for a minute, "You should try it some time… I think you'd be a great teacher."

Janelle tilts her head to the side for just a moment, "You really think so? 'Bet they'd love Jansk, too..Maybe make a course to run kids through at night, to help them understand a little more what it's like working with a wher.. And what they're good at."

Hyrlon nods, "That'd be a good idea. Especially since non-miners tend to think watch whers are there to be tortured. Helping them understand the whers might be a great idea."

Janelle nods a little. She sits up a bit straighter. "And if you teach adults, they might not listen. Bu tteach kids to appreciate something when they're young, and it'll spread.. and eventually pass down to their children.." And then, a revolution could be born.

Hyrlon nods, smiling, "Definitely best to teach kids. Even the adults here should learn basic safety, however, since any one of them could be called on to help in a rescue or stumble into the mine while drunk or distracted."

Janelle nods, "Distracted, right.. Like after loosing a flight?" She grins briefly with a shrug. "You're right though, it' ssomething that everyone should learn. And it's our job, as miners, to do that - especially you in safety, and us in rescue.. because doing that, will make both our jobs easier."

Hyrlon nods in agreement, but cocks an eyebrow at Janelle, "How would you know about that? And people try to keep distracted riders in their weyrs after a flight… I think…" he does smile, though, "I think we're all technically wherhandlers first, now, our old specialities second."

Janelle Clears her throat briefly and grins, "Like I said.. I've been working on search and rescue for three Turns, Hyrlon, and been around the weyr longer than that. It's not like I wsa born at and lived all my live around the Hall or anything."

Hyrlon chuckles, "I was only at the hall a couple of sevendays to prove my journeyman skills for my knot. I've only been at the Weyr a few months, though. You'll have to tell me what it's like sometime. I haven't been around one, yet."

Jansk has been wrestling aorund with Hysk and the ball, but she's getting worn from all the activity, and has slowed a bit in her play. Instead, she clicks a few times, and noses at Hysk's shoulder, simply batting the ball towards him now. "It's normal most o fhte time.. but if a rider looses a flight, and doesn't have somehwere to go.. I saw lots that turned to alcohol.. some, if they get too into their dragon, I guess it is, just sort of wander ,until it wears off."

Hysk gives another series of clicks and bats the ball back to her, « Catch! » Hyrlon looks more than a little concerned, "They get that involved in it? I guess I should have talked more to M'nol about Weyrlife instead of just brushing him off… I thought it was just like a date gone terribly wrong."

Janelle Srhugs alittle, "'s just what I've seen, at least. I mean, I'm a wherhandler, not a dragonrider." she grins, apparantly quite pleased with this. "and my parents are both miners.. even my sister's not a 'rider." She scowls a bit, thinking about said sister. "Either way, though."

Hyrlon nods slowly, "Still, it's good to know the possibility exists so we can plan for it…" He trails off, examining her expression, "Do you… do you not like your sister?

Janelle rolls her eyes briefly, "Oh, I like her. she's just a pain. Always glating about her boyfriend, and how she's going to spend the rest of her life with him, and how I"m old enough I should be lookingat settling down, and things.." but she grins suddenly, "She hasn't said word-one to me, since Jansk hatched, though."

Hyrlon chuckles, "Settling down'll happen when it happens. My fourteen turn old brother seems to be doing just that… personally, I don't know if I've found the right person yet, or if I'm even ready to settle down." He points at the two frolicking whers, "Those two'll be more work than an entire family for each of us anyway."

Janelle nods a little, "I'm not ready to. Mind, she thinks it's wrong that I don't even want anyone running after me and courting me and stuff. But, it isn't htat I don't want to.. I just have more important things to focus on for now.."

Hyrlon nods, "There's nothing wrong with wanting to find yourself and your own happiness before burdening yourself with someone else's. After seeing what M'nol's going through I'm not in any rush myself." He shudders slightly, "Hysk's family enough for the moment."

Janelle nods, and settle sher gaze back on the whers again. "I'll second that notion."

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